Have you ever imagined you were your favorite video game character? Chances are you did when you were a kid, and perhaps you even dressed up as the portly plumber Mario or his lanky brother Luigi at a Halloween party. If you are one of these people, or just a casual fan of video games, chances are you’ll enjoy a series of video game parodies called “Mega64.” “Mega64” has been around for several years now, and has become a hit among video game fans, and now there are two seasons worth of DVDs of video game parodies.

Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, and Shawn Chatfield act out scenes from many popular video games. Botte and Acosta did theater in high school and were big fans of video games. Chatfield was a friend of theirs in high school who wanted to join in on the fun. They’ve acted out scenes from “Mario,” “Metal Gear Solid,” “Tetris,” “Final Fantasy XII,” “Resident Evil,” “Burger Time,” “Dig Dug,” “Frogger,” “Altered Beast,” “Seaman,” “Shenmue,” “Zelda,” and many more. It is evident that these guys have a lot of guts, because they are willing to film a scene in public among random people.
Watching people’s reactions is part of the fun. For example, in a Mario skit that kicks off the beginning of season one, Botte and Acosta play Mario and Luigi and run around a track field during a track meet with toilet plungers in their hands, and some people in the bleachers yell, “Get off the track!”
In the “Tetris” video, an actor moves around a shopping center in a “Tetris” block and tries to fit into objects. As the actor is walking along the street, someone tackles him and people start laughing.
The “Dig Dug” scene is especially funny; Acosta runs around in a blue tracksuit with a motorcycle helmet that contains speakers and he plays the music as he runs around a store and then stops. He freezes when he stops the music. Then he starts up again and runs in circles. Watching people’s reactions, including two angry drivers, will make almost anyone crack up.
“Altered Beast” is hilarious as well; I even got my mom to laugh at that one. “Altered Beast” is an old 2D side-scroller for Sega Genesis where characters kill monsters, obtain power-ups and turn into various beasts. In the video, Botte and Acosta run around a mall parking lot in red spandex suits doing jump kicks, howling like beasts, and yelling, “POWER UP!” It is priceless when a security guard there can’t contain his laughter. A mom and her kids laugh at this spectacle, as well.
Some scenes may not appeal to everyone, but most will make video game fans laugh, and possibly some non-gamers. All of these videos are included within a “Mega64” storyline where an evil inventor is creating the ultimate video game console where people can play video games in real life. The story includes off-the-wall humor such as a hacker speaking in l33t computer talk and a guy dressed in a powder-blue tracksuit who takes a puppet for a date. While their acting isn’t always top-notch, the actions they perform are spontaneous and creative. The “Mega64” crew has moved its way up in the video game world. They have a Web site where they sell their videos and other merchandise, Mega64.com. You can also view portions of some of their videos there for free. “Mega64” is often at many game trade shows and events, so they are fairly well known in the video game industry. You should check out their videos regardless of whether you’re a hardcore gamer or someone who just wants a good laugh.
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