Three guys, a plastic machine with 64 attached to its name, and a puppet.  It all sounds familiar right?  You probably remember sitting around with your friends playing Goldeneye during the 64-bit era, but where does the puppet come in?  I'm not talking about the N64 silly; I'm talking about Mega64.

If you haven't heard of Mega64, they're a group of guys that produce a show that is basically the video game equivalent of Jackass.  Towards the beginning of the new millennium, Rocco Botte, Derrick Acosta, and Shawn Chatfield set out to produce a public-access TV program, about one of their passions: Video Games.  This was no G4--you won't find models, Ninja Warrior, and other shows that have nothing to do with gaming here; rather, this show was about bringing video games to life. 

Mega64 was initially going to be a series of skits on video games--Rocco, Derrick, and Shawn would dress as their favorite video game characters and perform live skits on an unsuspecting public.  What began as real life scenarios of Super Mario Bros., Kid Icarus, and Shenmue, grew into something more, once it was picked up by the website, Something Awful.  They saw the potential of this show featuring three San Diego compadres, and decided to bring Mega64 to DVD format. 

Rocco, Derrick, and Shawn already had ideas for skits, but they realized they needed something to tie it all together.  They decided to create a central storyline to piece these seemingly haphazard videos together.  This plot would involve: an evil scientist named Dr. Poque, who had the devious scheme of bringing video games to life, a gangsta sporting a Kangol hat and a powder-blue tracksuit, named Horatio, and a well-dressed puppet named Marcus.  These villains aren't the only people featured in Version 1, however.  They're also joined by Rocco and Derrick who are held against their will, and are forced to operate the console that brings games to life--the Mega64.  Later, these intrepid gamers are joined by a mysterious messenger named Sean.  Throughout the disc's five episodes, Rocco, Derrick, and Sean must operate the console to appease the sinister Dr. Poque, while secretly plotting to escape his lair. 

The scenario that ties it all together is goofy fun for people like me with a weird sense of humor, but what will excite most people are the various video game skits.  Version 1 features many skits that are available online for free, but it also includes unique and extended skits of your favorite video game characters.  The included skits are: Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Banjo Kazooie, Street Fighter, Metal Gear Solid, Super Dodgeball, Tetris, the fictional graphing calculator game--XXY, and Shenmue.  Besides these memorable skits, you'll also find a few non-gaming-related skits like "Aggressive Caroling" and a Dreamcast remix of "Nuthin But A G Thang."

The Version 1 video game episodes start out with a bonafide classic--Super Mario Bros.  In this real-life re-creation of the Mushroom Kingdom, Rocco and Derrick don overalls and wield toilet plungers.  Now I know what you're thinking, "I've seen this before at Halloween parties."  Well, trust me--you've never seen Mario imitators get this wild.  Rocco and Derrick (now Mario & Luigi) boldly dash out onto a track field during a meet and high-step their way to victory.  They manage to get yelled at numerous times--once by a lady that can be heard loud and clear in the video.  Mario & Luigi then proceed to whack each other with plungers, and then they leap through a mall (complete with Mario sound effects), where they receive several dumbfounded stares.  A video description is not enough, however.  You must see these Mario & Luigi doppelgangers for yourself.

So, you've heard a bit about Mega64's wacky antics, but wait until you hear about the show. I gave a brief synopsis earlier, but there is much more to Mega64 than the console and video game segments.  The unconventional characters give this unusual video game show a unique sense of style.  Their acting isn't perfect, but it's part of the show's charm.  Mega64 really doesn't care what other people think--they do whatever they please, and I really admire that.  Besides taking part in awesome video game skits, Rocco also plays the evil Dr. Poque. 

The evil doctor wears a beanie with a pentagram; he sports a moustache drawn with a Sharpie, and he has a maniacal laugh that puts Kefka's cackling to shame.  Dr. Poque cares very little about his subjects (and friends)--he only cares about bringing the Mega 64 project to completion, so he can sell it to a corporation.  He forced Rocco and Derrick to do his dirty work in-game, to gather test data.  His naive sidekick named Horatio (played by Derrick) is also quite funny.  Horatio speaks in Spanglish and spouts phrases like "Jo paquito, I'll be back in like fiteen minutes or somethin'."  He's a loveable guy that makes all kinds of pranks and simple mistakes.  At one point in the movie, Horatio misunderstands the good doctor, when he is instructed to set up a firewall.  Instead, Horatio sets fire to an object outside, and accidently burns down Dr. Poque's car.  If you want to see some of Horatio's recent wacky antics, check out this episode of Marcus' Corner.  Despite being one of my favorite characters in the DVD, I can't forget about the man-hunk known as Marcus.  That puppet is one hell of a ladies' man, and Version 1 is where his personality begins to emerge.  Marcus improves significantly in Version 2, along with the rest of the cast, but it's here that you get to see him say "He--y Son" for the first time.

Even though many of Mega64's video game skits are available for free on their website and Youtube, Version 1  is definitely worth checking out.  Nowhere else can you view Horatio, Marcus, and Dr. Poque in all their glory.  If you don't pick up the DVD, you'll also miss getting to watch a hacker named tr1gg3r s3r1ou5!!!!1 (Trigger Serious) who types at an inhuman rate, spouts phrases like "h@ggot" and throws a fit when his mom brings him food.  And who can forget Aggressive Caroling?  In this skit, Rocco and his crew join some Christmas Carolers to promote the holiday spirit.  Part way through each stint of caroling, they blast some heavy metal and scream phrases like, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU."  They managed to horrify some elderly folk, but they also received plenty of positive reactions.  Besides being able to watch these unique videos, you also get to view deleted scenes and learn about Mega64's background.  Version 1 isn't as humorous as Version 2, and doesn't include as many video game skits, but it's a great buy for any video game fan.  What're you waiting for?  Go out there, and support these ballsy gamers.