Video Game References

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 05:15, 8 July 2016

Pitfall style!

This article is about miscellaneous references to video games. For the Strong Bad Email, see video games. For the DVD-exclusive email, see Videro Games.

References to video games, especially those of the 8-bit era, are constantly made within the Homestar Runner universe. While Nintendo, Atari 2600, Sega, Intellivision, and Namco are most commonly referenced, others are listed here.

Generic / Ambiguous References

• Email pom pom — Pom Pom beats up Strong Bad by repeatedly kicking him in mid-air, in a similar fashion to fighting games. Numbered combo points also appear.
• The Cheat Theme Song — Homestar Runner claims the video is "the best video game [he's] ever played".
• Email the bet — Strong Bad asks if The King of Town has any video games. He introduces him to Typing Tutor, an arcade cabinet that Strong Bad later hoisted over a blindfolded King of Town, intending to drop it on him.
• Email highschool — Baby Strong Bad pretends he is playing better video games.
• Email secret identity — As Cara Carabowditbowdit, Strong Bad writes to Buttless in Bedstuy that she needs to play more video games.
• Email keep cool — One of the pool rules is to "press UP, A, and START" before re-entering the pool after eating.
• Email 4 branches — Strong Bad uses a video game's scoring system as a simile to how Homestar Runner's stupidity works.
• Videro Games — Strong Bad describes the effects of video games on children.
• Email concert — Strong Bad and Strong Sad play their FunMachine together while discussing sloshy.
• Email slumber party — Strong Bad claims that "uncool kids' dads definitely still play video games" before going to Homestar's house, where he is playing Clapping Party because his father's M-rated titles are "off-limits".
• Email environment — Homestar "plays" his FunMachine without a cartridge inserted, claiming he is "about to win".

Specific Games

• Email homestar hair — Strong Bad plays Temple of Apshai as respite from the email.
• FAQ — The page title reads "FAQ - Ouch. What do you do?". In The Goonies II, non-player characters in mazes would respond with this Engrish phrase when attacked.
• Email modeling — An advertisement for foot cream includes the phrase "GOT STINKFOOT?", a reference to Parodius, in which gaining a power-up will sometimes result in the main character saying "GOT A STINKFOOT?!" out of a megaphone.
• Email bedtime story — In two Powered by The Cheat segments (the latter of which is an Easter egg), The Cheat and Moses Malone play The Adventures of Lolo and The Adventures of Bayou Billy.
• Email from work — Strong Bad says that he hasn't taken his "sit in the men's room and play Tetris for an hour break" yet.
• Email hremail3184 — Bubs has a drink called "PONK!", a possible reference to The Scout's BONK! energy drink from Team Fortress 2. He also shouts "PONK!" at Coach Z the same way as The Scout.
• Poker Night at the Inventory — Since The Inventory is established as a place where video game characters go on their day off, the game contains characters from Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Team Fortress 2, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, and Back to the Future: The Game.

Specific Consoles

• Email video games — Sender Taylor R. asks what Strong Bad would look like in a video game. He explains that it would depend on what system he was on. He envisions himself on "one of those really old machines", "one of those 3-D vector games", "one of those text-based adventures", and "one of those brand-new super-photorealistic games".
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 9 — Strong Bad is surprised that video store "Babbage's" doesn't carry Turbografx games.
• Thy Dungeonman 3 — The Nintendo 64 controller is called a "paddle", which alludes to early video game controllers, which were called "paddles".
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 13 — Tompkins is "baby-sat" and yells for Timkins not to play his PSone.

See Also

• Atari 2600
• Cacodemons
• Couch Mumbling
• Doom
• Floppy Disk Container
• FunMachine
• Intellivision
• Namco
• Nintendo
• Sega
• Strong Bad's Technology