Best of GameSetWatch: From Glow Artisan to Blip Fest 2009

[Gamasutra highlights a week's worth of alternative video gaming news, media, and other curiosities from sister blog GameSetWatch, as written by editor Eric Caoili.] This round-up examines a couple clips from a late '90s John Romero interview with Apple II/Square programming legend Nasir Gebelli, a walk through of Richard Garriott's collection of skeletons and other creepy baubles, and a blast from the past look at the video game booths and attractions at 1990's Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Other highlights includes a look at Glow Artisan, an unnoticed DSiWare gem and the first original IP from a studio dedicated to licensed handheld games; and an in-depth report on New York City's premier chip music event Blip Festival 2009 (pictured). This past week's top stories: - DSiWare Receives Another Secretly Rad Game: Glow Artisan "This is not only the studio's first self-published game but also its first title not based on some other company's license. Powerhead's catalog is filled with casual Ubisoft and Konami titles that most "core" gamers would turn their noses at -- Imagine: Movie Star, Petz Catz 2, Winx: Mission Enchantix, etc. -- making it even more depressing that most people are ignoring their first original IP." - Event Report: Blip Fest 2009 - Everything You Need To Know "Formed in 2006 by two local dudes, who also happen to be celebrated superstars in the world of the chiptunes, Bit Shifter and Nullsleep, along with a little help from their various colleagues and good friends at the net label they run, 8bitpeoples, and the local performance art space that has become the de facto HQ for NYC chipunters, The Tank, Blip Fest has been since 2006 the grand stage in which all 8-bit musicians have aspired to stand upon." - Cutting Edge Games, Goofy Booth Attractions At CES 1990 "Just in time for this week's 2010 Consumer Electronic Show, Retronauts/Lost Levels's Frank Cifaldi has uploaded dozens of photographs from the trade show's 1990 Winter event, back when video game companies took up up a significant portion of the show floor and when CES was a semi-annual function." - Mad Catz Debuts Menacing Looking Cyborg Mice "Game controller and accessory company Mad Catz debuted new "fully adjustable" additions to its line of 'Premium Cyborg Gaming Mice' at the electronics trade show this week, and they look more like futuristic vehicles you'd race through the post-apocalyptic streets of Neo-Tokyo and less like something you'd use to double click on desktop icons." - Romero Chats With Game Programming Legend Nasir "Even if you don't remember seeing his uncommon name, you've likely played some of Nasir Gebelli's games. The famed programmer first attracted gamers' attention with his Apple II titles for Sirius Software like Space Eggs and Gorgon, and later worked at Square, where he helped create 3-D Worldrunner, Rad Racer, Final Fantasy I-III, and Secret of Mana." - Wiiwaa: Playing With Plush Puppets On Wii "With the game, kids shove a Wii remote into a stuffed animal's mouth, moving the toy around like a puppet to direct their on-screen character. The ingenious setup has players waddling the plush toy to walk, rattling it to shake off enemies, and tossing it up to throw the game creature into the air." - Invaders! Possibly From Space! Released! "Shinobi has finally released Invaders! Possibly from Space!, the Space Invaders clone modeled after the epic shoot'em up battle in Futurama's 'Anthology of Interest II' episode. The free PC game is a near-perfect re-creation of the 'Raiders of the Lost Arcade' scene, featuring identical enemy Nintendian ships, Rush's "Tom Sawyer" soundtrack, and even sound bites from the episode. " - Richard Garriott's Creepy Collection "We already know Richard 'Lord British' Garriott as a game designer, astronaut, and even movie star, but apparently he's also a collector of creepy items -- really strange stuff like infant skulls, vampire bat skeletons, and a display case filled with rows of eyeballs."