The days of the Power Pad are dead, my friend. Not that they ever really began. Virtual reality gaming has been stagnant for the past many years, maybe dating back to that scene in The Wizard when Fred Savage’s little brother got the Power Glove smackdown from Lucas at that truck stop on their way to VIDEO ARMEGEDDON. Although I do remember dropping some five dollars at Navy Pier in 1995 to play that crazy Pterodactyl shooter game that makes you look like one of the Mooninites.
Ya’ll who’re on the same page might want to check out Kick Ass Kung Fu:
http://mlab.uiah.fi/animaatiokone/kungfu/en/
This gigantic, interactive, game thing actually drops you into a fighting game. A camera captures your entire physical person as you move around on this stage and watch yourself on the screens at either side as you battle with what look like south park rejects. Somehow it decides when to make you jump fifty feet in the air and perform other feats of extraordinary agility. It looks pretty fun, but I wonder if they can network it so you can digitally duel with some other martial artist in some distant land. Cause, I’d kind of like to fight my brother, but I’d rather not have to really hit him, because I think he has a higher threshold for pain than me.
On the Kung Fu Hamlet front: Director Matt Dawson has this to say “Henceforth I shall wear this shiny vinyl jumpsuit and I will be known as General Zod! Kneel before me! KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!”
Word to that.