We had the pleasure to speak with Tiffany Smith who is well known to many gamers as a co-host of G4TV's Attack of the Show. She has done hosting, reporting, and interviewing duties for a dizzying variety of notable companies such as Marvel, Sony, Spike TV, Activision, and E! News.

A self proclaimed "geek at heart", Tiffany is an avid gamer and comic book fangirl who enjoys singing and snowboarding during her spare time. She embraces everything in pop culture with a nerdy slant.




(UMDR) The interviewer is now being interviewed herself! Is this a strange feeling being on the other side?

(Tiffany) Haha! It is pretty funny because I feel like I'm just a normal girl and I am used to trying to get the interesting story from the people I'm interviewing. I have to say though, it's pretty flattering.

(UMDR) Would you have considered yourself a "geek girl" while growing up?

(Tiffany) Honestly, no. I just liked the things I liked! Fortunately for me, my parents let me be as weird as I wanted. I was watching X-Men and Jem and the Holograms, making plant stews outside in the yard with dirt, interested in bugs and barbie clothes. Yeah, I was pretty cool haha!



(UMDR) Which video game, movie, and TV show would you say had the most impact on your love of entertainment?

(Tiffany) Video Game: I'd say Sonic the Hedgehog. It was the first game I ever played all the way through and I just loved every second of it. I think it also added to my competitive streak too.

Movie: The Wizard of Oz was one of the first films I saw that I wanted to watch over and over and learn all the lines and songs. There was just so much in it that sparked my imagination. Then, as an adult, NOTHING beats Lord of the Rings. I can't choose just one so all three of them!

TV Show: This one is a little harder for me. My friends called me "TV Tiff" growing up because I loved so many shows and would have shows taping on three different VCRs around the house. Yeah, I said VCRs haha!

I definitely watched a lot of Star Trek and even a little Dark Shadows. Now, shows like Rome, Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones blow my mind! I can't help it, I love TV! I guess I'm still "TV Tiff" at heart!




(UMDR) I understand you're also a comic book fan. Which super power would you want to have if you could only choose one?

(Tiffany) This is an easy one. I would want the power to control water. If you think about it, there are SO many options and things you could do with that power.

(UMDR) Is there a particular gadget or device you could never leave home without?

(Tiffany) I text A LOT so I would say my iPhone. I'm kind of addicted to Scramble & Temple Run. Oh yeah, if you know me then you know I kinda like to tweet & instagram.



(UMDR) Who has been your favorite person to interview with?

(Tiffany) It's a tossup between Andy Serkis, Christian Bale, and Tim Burton. I mean, come on! I got to talk with Gollum and we made monkey faces together. I was smitten. With Christian Bale, well, he is Bruce Wayne. I may have also on occasion belted out a few tunes from Newsies. I have been fortunate enough to interview Tim Burton on a few different occasions. He just has such a distinct style. Edward Scissorhands is still one of my favorite movies.

(UMDR) Considering the fact you're a host on the Oxygen Channel program The Glee Project, are you yourself prone to belting out songs in public?

(Tiffany) I have been known to sing songs about the menial tasks I do daily whether or not anyone is around to hear them. I may or may not have auditioned for a singing competition show... I was actually was part of a pop girl group called Impulse for a short time and thought that was going to be my path. Clearly though, I like talking a little bit more haha.




(UMDR) You have such a variety of interests (singing, acting, gaming, etc). Which one would you say speaks most about who you are and your personality?

(Tiffany) I honestly can't choose just one. I think everyone has different layers and interests. Life would be pretty boring if we all only had just one.

(UMDR) What kind of advice would you give to people who hope to get into the entertainment industry themselves?

(Tiffany) I'd give the same advice my Dad gave to me. If your vocation can be your advocation, that is the best thing that can happen to you. A career in entertainment is definitely not the easiest and it takes a lot more work than even I realized going into it. All I can say is that I have been blessed and love that every day is so different. One day, I'm interviewing the cast of The Dark Knight Rises. The next, I'm sitting on stage at the Grove with the incredible dancers of Oxygen's All the Right Moves then chatting with NBA players about the latest NBA 2k game. I absolutely love what I do and hope that comes across in my work. It's a pretty fantastic life but somebody's gotta do it and I am happy to step up to the challenge!



Thank you Tiffany for taking the time to speak with us! You can follow Tiffany Smith and her daily shenanigans on a number of channels including her WordPress blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out the video below for a reel showcasing her work.

Chances are you've never played anything quite like Tokyo Jungle. This PlayStation 3 exclusive, classified under the "urban-based animal survival" genre, is a game that stars animals in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo city. There are no humans so it is up to you and the animal of your choosing to survive. Can such a simple and odd concept make for an enjoyable experience?



The first thing you have to keep in mind when playing Tokyo Jungle is that there are plenty of liberties taken from what would happen in real life. Chances are a house cat wouldn't have a chance in hell against something like an alligator or lion. That's exactly what can happen though if you play your cards right which, for me, immediately gives this title its charm. If you can't bring yourself to smile the moment you start mashing the R1 button to take down a cow as a Pomeranian dog, then you probably sold your soul for some Alf pogs.

Survival is the main mode to play which first asks you to pick an animal. You will start off with choices like the small but vicious Pomeranian or the swift but stealthy Sika Deer. More animals can be unlocked by completing specific challenges. Once you have made your choice, you start looking for food. Carnivores hunt other animals while the herbivores just eat plants and various vegetation. It's a dog eat dog world, literally!




Combat is relatively simple but varies slightly depending on your character. There's the basic attack for a quick strikes and a lunging bite to go in for the kill when the red jaws icon appears. If you're hunting other animals, the smaller ones can be snuck up on or chased for the kill. Bigger animals or packs require some strategy and stealth. The bigger animals in particular may take a couple of critical strikes to take down but the payoff is worth it.




Once it's safe after making the kill, you can feast on the corpse to fill up your hunger meter. This meter decreases over time the longer you go without food. There's also health which is self explanatory and stamina which will go down and eventually make you exhausted if you're not careful during combat situations.

Herbivores trade off combat ability for easier food. They can still attack but it's best used for defensive purposes. These animal types have to be sneakier so as to not accidentally run into a pack of hyenas. If you do, it's best to run and hide in a patch of grass until they lose your scent.




Once you're well fed, it is now time for your animal to mark territories. Different areas on the map have a set of markers to reach before you can find a mate. These mates range in classes from "prime" (top of the line female) to "desperate" (barhound floozy). Oh yes, Tokyo Jungle has some "hot coffee" action, mounting and all, going on!




Mating will result in the next generation of animals which will form a pack. You now play as one of the offspring and repeat the same process as before. Having a pack with you helps to cause distractions to escape dangerous situations or to simply be extra lives if the animal you're controlling falls.

You will also come across gift boxes as you explore which can contain handy items like flea shampoo or leftover pet food. There are also newspaper articles to be found which unlocks chapters for Story Mode which I will get to in a moment. Probably the oddest items that can be picked up though are clothing. Yes, you can dress up your animal which will actually boost stats and better your odds for survival. Fashion to the rescue!




The Story Mode in Tokyo Jungle plays out some humorous scenarios that centers around specific animals. The first mission, for example, has a Pomeranian alone in his owner's apartment starving and taking a chance outside. From here, the dog learns to turn from a domesticated pet to a bloodthirsty beast! The situations are silly and good for a chuckle but you won't find any award-winning writing here. It's a relatively weak mode that you'll mainly go through for the trophies and unlocking certain animals.

Speaking of animals, Tokyo Jungle has up to 80 types to choose from along with more to download from the PlayStation Store. The DLC animals costs $.99 each and includes some interesting ones such as a crocodile, kangaroo, and giraffe.




The music is pretty catchy with a cool beat that just stacks on top of the already weird experience Tokyo Jungle provides. Sounds do their job and fits each animal well. The only weird design choice in that regard is after mating, no matter the animal, a wolf howl will play. Umm... I guess she was good in the sack?

Tokyo Jungle is one of those "must play" games if you're dying for something fresh and unique. I've played a few hours of it so far and still haven't gotten over the hilarious concept that allows dogs to hunt elephants. It can be repetitive but challenging especially if you survive over five generations.

Tokyo Jungle receives 3 1/2 Death Rays out of 5.

There are some crossovers that make sense like Marvel Comics versus DC Comics or Nintendo versus Sega. The popular mobile game Angry Birds has conceptually worked well in the past with the bird-centric animated film Rio. Now it's on a collision course with a little movie franchise known as Star Wars.



Rovio announced the Angry Birds Star Wars earlier today which will make for the fifth entry in the bird-flinging franchise. Characters will be dressed as iconic figures like Princess Leia and Darth Vader set against stages built after the sci-fi space opera. Who wants to bet you blow up a structure built like the Death Star, with well-placed explosive crates in the middle of course, during the final level?

Chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka had this to say in regards to the crossover.

"This is the best Angry Birds game we've ever done. It's the best parts of Angry Birds with all new cutting-edge gameplay set in a galaxy far, far away. As a big Star Wars fan myself, I'm really excited about this new universe. The Force is definitely strong with this one."



With this announcement, we started thinking, "Why stop at Star Wars?" Here are a number of other movie crossovers that Rovio could consider next.

I’ve been thinking lately. With the departure of such prominent figures in the gaming industry lately, are we the consumers partly to blame? The news of BioWare founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka stepping down was shocking alone. Just recently, however, Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games has also announced his exit from an industry that has been very profitable for him. What is causing these great minds in gaming to just walk away? Is it simply fatigue from consistently keeping up with huge deadlines or are we, the gamers, to blame?




Not long after announcing his retirement from the gaming industry, Zeschuk was said to have been visibly exhausted according to fellow co-worker Trent Oster. He had this to say in regards to the co-founder dealing with the Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco.

"You have to love games and you put your heart into them to create them. To have the fans creating petitions against the work is pretty hard to take, especially when you've spent the last few years crunching overtime to try and ship a game. It can be hard to shut off the overwhelming negativity the internet spews forth, especially when it has your name or the name of your company in it."

Muzyka quickly followed with an announcement that he desired to tackle a whole new industry altogether. Both men gave their 6 months notice in April, one month after the release of Mass Effect 3. This would coincide with what Oster stated that the fan negativity was overwhelming and hit a breaking point which drove their decision.

We now take a look at Cliff Bleszinski, the mastermind behind such games as Unreal Tournament and the Gears of War franchise. If any current developer looked like they were going to be a “lifer” in this industry, my money would have been on this guy. You can imagine my surprise then when word of him stepping down broke out.




The man who also goes by the name “Cliffy B” stated that his reason for leaving is just so as to “take a break”. He states how fortunate he was being a part of the industry since his teenage years and that this departure will now allow him to grow up.

It is unclear whether or not Cliff will return to Epic or the gaming industry in the foreseeable future. He is married and almost in his forties so one has to wonder if this decision was so as to, in the words of Street Fighter II’s Guile, ”go home and be a family man”. There are also the pressures of a demanding fan base such as when he was supposedly done with Gears of War after the third title then announcing a fourth entry in the series anyway. Perhaps he feels stifled by a lack of creativity. He still loves talking about games which is apparent from his recent appearances on GameTrailer's Bonus Round show.

Dedicated fans can be both a blessing and a curse for any game designer. As much as a great game can bring in a sea of praise, the slightest fault can just as strongly rush in a storm of vitriol. Something personal and creative like art, writing, or game design in this case can be tough to stay dedicated to when negativity fuels the vocal majority. Striking a balance between the love of your craft and good business sense, I believe, is the best way to stay sane in this environment that can too often be ruled by the “bottom dollar”. Perhaps Cliff Bleszinski understood that and got out before it could consume him.

Word broke out that Ubisoft's historical hitman title Assassin's Creed III will be getting a Season Pass for upcoming DLC (or downloadable content). This is reportedly going to be priced at $30 by itself or bundled with the PS3 Gold Edition for $90. The practice of having a Season Pass upon release of a big title is nothing new these days. One has to wonder though if it's really raking in enough of a profit to be justifiable or if the publishers are "nickel and diming" their fans. Does the end justify the means or does it simply come down to who is willing to pony up the dough?



As a way to recoup lost revenue from used game sales, publishers have turned to downloadable content. These extras have ranged from anywhere between gun skins for Gears of War 3 to the Catwoman missions in Batman: Arkham City. Now this idea has been expanded upon with the Season Pass; a collection of DLC bundled together at a discount price.

This move has been received with mixed results. Gamers questioned on if this was a way to fish more money out of a consumer for content that should already be in the game in the first place. The "Rockstar Pass" for L.A. Noire was the first time this sort of business practice was implemented for a console title which included 4 extra cases along with extra costumes and a badge scavenger hunt. Individually, all that content would have run you up an extra $20 while the bundle cost half that when originally sold.




Since then, we have seen a number of titles use something similar such as Mortal Kombat with their bundle of extra characters and Max Payne 3's own "Rockstar Pass" which included a bevy of multiplayer content. Certain games, like Telltale's The Walking Dead series, have made a twist on this type of offer by having you pay for all the episodes up front for a discounted price.

Whether or not this extra content is worth it ultimately comes down to the buyer. I'm personally not one who finds value in things like Super Street Fighter IV bonus costumes. The previously mentioned Walking Dead game, on the other hand, is absolutely worth picking up since you will likely want to get the full story anyway. It has to be something significant like extra missions for single player experiences, maps for the Call of Duty folks, and downloadable songs for Rock Band in order to open my wallet.

Does the mention of a Season Pass encourage or repulse you away from a game? Is there a particular Season Pass you bought that was worth coughing up the dough for? Share your thoughts below!

Having been born in the 80's, I've been fortunate to grow up with some awesome television shows like He-Man, Ghostbusters, and Transformers. Even the likes of Thundercats and Ducktales hold a special place in my younger days. I was also a huge fan of video games growing up with such classics like Battletoads (that badass pause music!) and Super Mario Bros. 3. Knowing that a lot of kids shared these similar interests, television executives jumped at every opportunity to capitalize. This is a look back at the shows I specifically remember and how they hold up today.





When first thinking back on this topic, I knew Captain N: The Game Master had to be mentioned. This show introduced Kevin, an average young kid, who gets sucked into the world of video games where he gets to meet heroes like Simon Belmont and Kid Icarus. The idea alone was a dream come true for any kid with an escapist fantasy. Admit it. While playing Super Mario Bros. 3, you wished you could stomp on goombas and fly in the air wearing a Tanooki Suit all day.

As awesome as this idea sounded like on paper, there were some serious off-putting elements that any gamer will spot out immediately. These blatant changes were confusing at best and just plain ignorant at worst. Probably the worst offence was Mega Man sporting a puke green color and sounding like he has lung cancer. He's not nicknamed the "Blue Bomber" for nothing. His constant use of the word "mega" may have been endearing as a disillusioned kid at first but that got real old real fast.




Kevin, Captain N himself, was an obvious attempt to relate to the viewer. While his character was a stereotypical white suburbanite, at least he had the Nintendo Zapper gun. His constant squabbles with the cocky and arrogant Simon Belmont made for some chuckle-worthy moments.





This show holds a lot of fun memories for me as a kid. You know you "did the Mario" back then. In a lot of ways, this was one of the first sitcoms I ever watched because of the way it was formatted. I'll use an old VHS tape I owned as an example. Famed wrestler/actor "Rowdy" Roddy Piper brings in his bagpipes to get fixed despite the fact that the Mario Bros. are plumbers. He comes to visit and check on them when it's revealed that Mario mistakenly turned his bagpipes into a vacuum cleaner. The show cuts to the cartoon then returns after the brothers "fix" the problem by modifying the vacuum cleaner to play bagpipe music automatically. It's probably best not to ask how that works exactly.




The humor, acting, and production value is straight-up Disney Channel level. Seeing Mario and Roddy Piper together on TV was pure gold for me back in 1989. Now? Oh, the pain! Nostalgia aside, this is a show that has aged like milk. I'll give Lou Albano some props for playing as a more accurate Mario than Bob Hoskins in the Mario Bros. movie but that's not really saying much.

There was a Legend of Zelda cartoon that would usually play on the same block. Thankfully, there was no washed-up wrestler in green tights to introduce it but the show itself wasn't any better. Let's just get the "Excuuuuuuuse me, princess!" line out there and call it a day.





Not to be outdone by Nintendo, Sega's own mascot Sonic the Hedgehog had a couple of shows of his own. One was the more kid-friendly Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog while the other, which I most remember liking, was Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series.



I remember watching a bit of the Adventures series but grew tired of the overly "kiddy" nature of it. This was the 90's now and being at an older age made me crave for something that wouldn't talk down to me.

Around the same time, the Animated Series came out which still had a cartoon-ish flavor but with some darker themes. Robotnik was more of an evil badass as opposed to the bumbling version in Adventures. There was also the concept of Sonic and Tails being part of a group of "freedom fighters" who would try to save their animal brethren from a soulless robotic fate.

Despite the cooler concept and a much better theme song than the previous series, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series also suffers from aging poorly. I'm not sure if it's the voice of Jaleel "Steve Urkel" White or just the way he portrays the character but Sonic comes off extremely one dimensional trying to be the cool kid on screen at all times. This may still be entertaining for kids now if they can bypass some of the 90's lingo and mannerisms.








We now start getting into shows of a higher quality starting with the mid-90's Mega Man animated series. Badass intro and song? Check. Slick animation? Check. No annoying voices or side characters? Checkmate!




Oh yeah! Anyone who has seen at least one episode from this show had that intro song stuck in their head at one time or another. The entire intro alone was simply awesome and got you pumped for whatever episode was coming up next.

Okay, so maybe Mega Man wasn't the best role model with his misogynistic views towards his sister Roll and a tendency to litter energy cans (3:14 - 3:51). He was still badass though thanks to the direction of the show making him look and act older. Having his "brother" Proto Man as a personal rival made for some excellent fights between the two that always seemed to mess up Dr. Wily's plans. The episodes have a very formulaic way of fleshing out characters and moving the plot that's reminiscent to a lot of anime shows. Mega Man does justice to the source material and still holds up pretty well to this day.





Just like every young gamer in the 90's, I was a fan of Pokemon. The show started shortly after the original games were released and a phenomenon was born that hooked Japanese and American kids alike.




The basic concept of the games had you fighting and collecting monsters echoing the famed catchphrase "Gotta catch 'em all!" This made for an easy to translate story of a young Pokemon trainer named Ash going on a journey to be the best. As addicting as this idea for the show was, I want to say the characters are what really made Pokemon the show popular. You have everyone's favorite cute yellow conductor Pikachu of course along with the "oh so cool" Brock. The absolute "show-stealers", however, have to be the bumbling baddies of Team Rocket comprised of Jesse, James, and Meowth.

I absolutely loved these guys. I call this the "Dick Dastardly complex" where the villain (or villains in this case) of a show is just so awesome and/or hilarious that they become the main reason to tune in. There was a time in the series where Jessie and James were replaced by a more successful duo named Butch and Cassidy (I see what you did there). It was that change which had me move on from the show entirely.



There were some other notable shows that also come to mind that I'd like to briefly mention. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was an excellent kids game show that aired on public television. There were a lot of notable villains like RoboCrook and Vic the Slick along with the Chief (played by Lynne Thigpen) who would brief you on your case. That final round where you had to place 8 markers on different countries of a map within 45 seconds was brutal!

Another show I have to bring up is Battletoads. You may be asking yourself, "Really? There was a show based on Battletoads?" Well... sort of. Only the pilot episode aired and the concept took some liberties with the source material such as having the main characters as teenage kids who can change into the anthropomorphic amphibians at will. It mainly served as a prequel to the game but that didn't prevent it from looking like an obvious knockoff from the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon which was hot at that time.

I hope you enjoyed this look back down memory lane! Please share some of your favorite video game inspired television shows in the comments below.