Nintendo Power Interview - July 2008

Nintendo Power interviews Strong Bad about the then-upcoming Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.

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Strong Bad to the Bone

Transcript

Strong Bad to the Bone
Internet icon Strong Bad steps away from his computer to star in his own WiiWare game—and answer our interview questions.

If you're not familiar with Strong Bad, the masked, shirtless, boxing-glove-wearing wrestler from Homestarrunner.com, you'd better be soon. That's because his comedic point-and-click adventure game, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (SBCG4AP for short) is coming to WiiWare this summer from the folks at Telltale Games. As he'd be quick to tell you, Strong Bad is more or less the epitome of awesomeness (as evidenced by his fashion sense), and SBCG4AP is all about trying to "handle his style"—in other words, mouthing off to NPCs, randomly breaking into song, and answering each email with the most bizarre responses imaginable.
As the first entry in a five-episode series, SBCG4AP sets the groundwork for the following chapters (which Telltale plans to release at regular intervals) with simple controls—you guide the cursor by moving the Wii remote, interact by pressing A, and access your inventory by pressing B. Perhaps more importantly, the game keeps all of Homestarrunner.com's quirky humor intact: the game's plot revolves around trying to erase dim-witted athlete Homestar Runner's criminal record (he was arrested for indecent exposure) so he'll stop moping around Strong Bad's house. To do so, you'll have to explore numerous locales, solve item-oriented puzzles, and converse with other characters such as Strong Sad (Strong Bad's brother), Marzipan (Homestar's sorta-girlfriend), and The Cheat (Strong Bad's oft-abused sidekick). The Telltale crew estimates it will take three to four hours to complete the main quest, which doesn't count the extracurricular activities like finding pages to create your own stick-figure-based Teen Girl Squad comic and playing retro-inspired minigames such as the man-versus-reptile action of Snake Boxer 5.
So far the game is shaping up as a solid and uniquely funny adventure, but don't just take our word for it. We got in touch with Strong Bad himself (courtesy of creators Mike and Matt Chapman) to learn what else to expect from SBCG4AP. Warning: answers may not be suitable for the severely sane. Read them with an accent, and a weird cadence if necessary. —Chris H.

NINTENDO POWER: Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is kind of a long title. Did you consider any alternative names?
STRONG BAD: "Strong Bad: Great Graphics, Great Gameplay, Great Guy" was the original name, but the marketing people said it sounded too much like "Adventures of Lolo," so we changed it.

NINTENDO POWER: What will happen to people who try to play this game but are unable to handle your style?
STRONG BAD: Temporary loss of vision, spontaneous diaper, cactus tongue.

NINTENDO POWER: Can unattractive people play your game? Will it make them more attractive?
STRONG BAD: Non-attractoids are perfectly welcome to try playing SBCG4AP, but I don't think they'll figure out how to make it past the title screen, and it definitely won't make them any more attractive. I made sure they programmed all that stuff in there.

NINTENDO POWER: How do you feel about potentially millions of players being able to control your actions?
STRONG BAD: I was very against it at first. I wanted it to be a sit-'n'-watch game instead of a point-'n'-click game. But then the programmers told me that's called a cartoon, and I already have one of those.

NINTENDO POWER: Why is your first game coming out on Wii and not other systems?
STRONG BAD: Because you promised me 500 rupees. And a pet Skulltula.

NINTENDO POWER: Do you have a Wii? How hard is it to play Wii with your boxing gloves on? What games do you play on it?
STRONG BAD: How hard is it for you to play Wii with your Power Glove on? Do they still make you wear those around the office? [Editor's note: Yes.] Oh, and the games I play on the Wii are all the free ones you're gonna send me.

NINTENDO POWER: Will that dragon you drew, Trogdor, appear in your game?
STRONG BAD: That's a trade secret. All 46 of your readers would have to sign NDAs if I told you that.

NINTENDO POWER: You seem to have a lot in common with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. Are you related, by chance?
STRONG BAD: Look, whatever Reggie fills is his own business. He can fill his grandma's shoes with corn for all I care. Ooh, that's a good idea....

NINTENDO POWER: How would you react if you went into a restaurant for a burger, but they were all out?
STRONG BAD: Temporary loss of vision, spontaneous diaper, cactus tongue.

NINTENDO POWER: Why is your game coming out for WiiWare instead of as a retail game? Would it be cooler if it came with a manual?
STRONG BAD: Who was the last person that actually read a video-game manual? Galileo? Anyone who can't figure out how to mash a bunch of buttons on a game pad shouldn't be indulging in video-gamery in the first place. I will miss the eight blank pages for "Notes" in the back of the manual, though.

NINTENDO POWER: We're very excited to play Snake Boxer 5. How does it compare to the rest of the Snake Boxer series? What's your highest score in Snake Boxer 5?
STRONG BAD: Snake Boxer 5 revolutionized the franchise with its introduction of the health meter! It also made waves with its controversial subplot where the boxer falls in love with a Cottonmouth. As for my high score; after getting to round two zillion, my console melted into the carpet and mysteriously broke my camera, so I couldn't take a picture for proof.

NINTENDO POWER: Who is more awesome: Mr. T or Chuck Norris?
STRONG BAD: Strong Bad of America LLC does not comment on lame questions, trendy in-jokes, and played-out internet gags. [Editor's note: We believe Strong Bad simply can't handle Mr. T's style.]

NINTENDO POWER: Will players be able to use any of your awesome wrestling moves in the game?
STRONG BAD: Unfortunately, no. Most of my wrestling moves would require way more teraflops than the Wii can handle. Hey, that's a great name for a wrestling move: The Terror Flop!!

NINTENDO POWER: Will there be any They Might Be Giants songs in the game?
STRONG BAD: Only if my nerd-music detector stops working. This is a Strong BAD game, not a Strong SAD game, man!

NINTENDO POWER: I know the game isn't done yet, but what kind of score do you think it will get on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best), and why?
STRONG BAD: Oh wait, one's not the best? Thank you so much for explaining that new concept to me! You Nintendorks are a buncha rocket scientists over there. Good thing, too. 'Cause it's gonna take a super-genius to tabulate the astronomically high score of my game.

Fun Facts

Inside References

• Adventures of Lolo was also referenced in bedtime story.
• One of the questions that Strong Bad is asked is "How hard is it to play Wii with your boxing gloves on?".
• Strong Bad's claim about his score in Snake Boxer 5 is a blatant lie.
• Strong Bad's wrestling career is discussed.

Real-World References

• Rupees and Skulltulas are from The Legend of Zelda.
• Chuck Norris and Mr. T are both running gags in Nintendo Power.
• Reggie Fils-Aimé was, at the time, the president of Nintendo of America.

Fast Forward

• In the SBCG4AP Dev Blog, one of Strong Bad's "proposed titles" is "Strong Bad's 9.5 rating in Nintendo Power or ELSE Challenge '08".
• Trogdor would later appear in the final episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, 8-Bit is Enough.
• A scan of the entire article was posted to Twitter on September 21, 2018.
  • It was reposted again on January 30, 2019.