Surreal stages, events, or gameplay that somehow just don't fit have always been present, and even expected. Their crazy graphics, weird aesthetics and ideas make sure that we have absolutely no idea what's going on. But they have their charm, they are funny, or they're simply part of the experience—and so we love them.

We collected a bunch of them below.

Bad News in DmC

source: DmC Chapter 10

The Cardbridge In Alice: Madness Returns

source: Alice Wiki

The Nightmare Scenes In Max Payne

source: Max Payne's first nightmare

LSD Dream Emulator

source: LSD Dream Emulator Wiki

Inside The Red Dragon In Rayman Origins

source: Rayman Origins Dragon Trailer

Yume Nikki

source: Yume Nikki Wiki

The Space Harrier Stages In Bayonetta

source: Bayonetta Chapter 14

The Final Stage In Beautiful Katamari

source: superadamsworld's LP

Goro Majima's Karaoke Minigame In Yakuza: Dead Souls

source: Yakuza: Dead Souls - Goro Majima Karaoke

Stage 7 In Parodius

source: cubex55's LP

There are probably a lot more mind-cracking levels or games, so you should submit your own picks below (with visual support)!

Fans of Beyond Good & Evil have been waiting a very long time for a sequel.

The game, which came out in 2003, was envisioned as part of a trilogy but as the years have gone by, fans have let their expectations wane. A 2011 HD re-release seemed to be it for a while, until some screenshots from Beyond Good & Evil 2 began to surface in May. Creator Michel Ancel confirmed, also back in May, that the game was in development, but said the game would not be likely to surface before the next generation of consoles.

In an interview with Polygon, Ubisoft head Yves Guillemot further dampened fans' spirits, explaining that Ancel's work on Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends has put BG & E 2 even further on the back burner.

"It's really a game that we've been working, we have worked on, and is a game that we want to do," Guillemot reassured Polygon, but work on Rayman Legends comes first.

For fans who loved Jade's original journeys through Hillys, a few more years on the back burner are just another part of the wait that's taken the better part of a decade.

Ubisoft: Beyond Good & Evil 2 still in the works, Rayman titles slowing development [Polygon]

Jesper Kyd, the composer responsible for the music in the first four Assassin's Creed games, will be handing the musical baton to Lorne Balfe, who along with Kyd contributed to the soundtrack to last year's Assassin's Creed: Revelations. As any longtime Assassin's Creed player likely agrees, this is a substantial change.

Assassin's Creed's stark, dry visual design and techno-retro aesthetic have always been two of its most defining characteristics, but Kyd's music has always been the soul of the series for me. Let's take a trip through the musical progression of the first four Assassin's Creed games.

"Jerusalem" - AC I

Kyd's soundtrack for the first Assassin's Creed is probably the least well-remembered—it was somewhat cold, a mix of middle eastern instruments, chanting, open drones and strings. I was one of those weirdos who loved Assassin's Creed despite and sometimes because of its flaws, but I don't have much memory of the soundtrack. I do, however, remember that it fit in very well with the open, wind-swept sound design. There was a distinct sense that this composer got what Assassin's Creed was about, from a gameplay standpoint. It was a game about sitting perched atop a high spire, surveying the horizon before making a leap of faith. Kyd captured that.

"Venice Rooftops" - AC II

Assassin's Creed II was better than its predecessor on every level (except, perhaps, for how much easier it was)—Ezio was a personable and relatable protagonist, the cities were gorgeous, and the game had much more variety. But the thing that really won my heart was the soundtrack. Two games later, Assassin's Creed II remains my favorite soundtrack of the series.

This theme, which plays while running across the rooftops of Venice, flows through many of Kyd's compositions for Assassin's Creed II. That ascending four note melody, those driving drums and guitars… it's great stuff.

"Home In Florence" - AC II

This kind of track is exactly what set the second game's soundtrack apart from the first one. A shifting, serpentine groove reminiscent of Steve Reich, eventually giving way to wide open pads with sharp, dancing harp notes… all the way to a deep, romantic string part. When this started paying for the first time in Assassin's Creed II, I thought, "Wow, shit. They are really going for it here." It almost sounds like Mass Effect, and perfectly blends the game's old-world and sci-fi sensibilities.

"Rome" - Brotherhood

Brotherhood was an interesting soundtrack. I didn't warm to it as immediately as I did Assassin's Creed II, but over time, I came to enjoy its dark overtones. It features more grandiose choral work than Assassin's Creed II, and is on the whole much darker—strange voices chant in the background, and Ezio's journey through Rome feels much less certain than anything in the last game.

"Borgia Tower" - Brotherhood

This music plays when Ezio is infiltrating a Borgia tower, looking to stir up some trouble (and light things on fire). This is some sinister stuff, dark and pulsing, very different than anything from the other games. I still remember when "Countdown" was playing and the whispering, scary music started up and I thought "Man, what the hell is going on?"

"Assassin's Creed Theme" - Revelations

Here we have the main theme for Revelations. The soundtrack was a joint effort between Kyd and Balfe, though Kyd wasn't involved with this particular theme. I have to say, I don't find it as interesting or memorable as the music from the first three games. It's not bad really, and it still feels like "Assassin's Creed Music," but it lacks that vision that Kyd brought to the first three soundtracks. The Revelations soundtrack is the main reason I'm somewhat apprehensive about Balfe taking the reins for Assassin's Creed III.

Assassin's Creed isn't the only franchise Kyd has left behind—he's also left the Hitman series, for which he was the primary composer for years. It's always nice to see artists embracing change—Kyd's music will be heard on plenty of upcoming games, including Borderlands 2 and Darksiders II, a soundtrack I've enjoyed so far.

For his part, Balfe has been a team member for go-to-soundtracker Hans Zimmer on films like Inception and Sherlock Holmes, as well as Zimmer-scored games like Modern Warfare 2 and Crysis 2. This is an opportunity for him to step away from Zimmer and create his own themes, so I'll be interested to see what he does with Assassin's Creed.

It is, of course, too early to say what that will be; all that seem certain is that it'll likely be markedly different than Kyd's work on the first games. That's fine; good even—with a different setting, vibe and protagonist, different music seems appropriate. Furthermore, Balfe is a skilled composer with a lot of experience, and he's worked on some soundtracks I really respect.

But there's no denying that with Jesper Kyd gone, Assassin's Creed will now be a substantially different experience. Here's hoping that Balfe can step into Kyd's rather large shoes and usher in a new era of sneaking, stabbing and soaring.

That's it. No mahine guns today. No more giant robots, no post-apocalyptic landscapes, no bloodthirsty aliens. Today, we're looking at video game concept art that's so damn bright and cheerful it'll put more peps in your step than you'll know what to do with.

It's all the work of Floriane Marchix, who is currently at Dreamworks but who used to be employed at Ubisoft, where she worked on the delightful Rayman Origins.

You'll see a ton of stuff from that game, but I've thrown in plenty of personal work as well. Because it's great.

You can see a lot more at Floriane's personal site.

To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on them below and select "open in new tab".

Stephen Colbert agrees, or at least… he likes to dance. So, okay, yes, this video mashup is totally silly, but also delightful. It makes me want to both play Rayman Origins and watch The Colbert Report.

Two things that I want to do already, as it happens...

From the guys who brought you "Mario Party Down", the excellent Mario Party drinking game (with some bonus Party Down references) comes "Rayman OriGin and Tonics."

(Groan.)

Yep. It's all gin, all the time. The game leverages the abusive nature of Rayman Origins' co-op gameplay to get you as drunk as possible. Take four drinks of a G&T if you win? Wow. Something about this video, particularly the fact that they're just straight up mixing gin and tonic water in huge glasses without even ice or lime just makes it all look fairly wretched.

But, if you were playing the game (and playing Rayman Origins with your friends, I have a feeling that after about twenty minutes you wouldn't really care how wretched you were being.

Eric Chahi's distinctive god-game From Dust is now available through the Google Chrome store for a discounted price of $9.99. The game was one of the more pleasant surprises of last year.

Over the weekend, some supposed new screenshots of Beyond Good & Evil 2 - or at least BG&E2's tech demo - look to have turned up. Interestingly, while they share the same setting as the last screens (and the tech demo video), these actually have star Jade front and centre, and show sequences not depicted in prior looks.

Sadly, as good as this looks (or as weird, since all the tech seems decidedly human and contemporary), we probably won't get our hands on a second BG&E game until the next generation of home consoles.

Fresh Beyond Good & Evil 2 screenshots [VentureBeat, thanks CV1!]

It's been a virtual flood of leaks and glimpses this week for Beyond Good & Evil 2. There've been comments about tech requirements and a screenshot of the sequel's gameworld. Now, a video flythrough of the environmental design has popped up.

Now, this footage has popped up before in a presentation that developer Michel Ancel gave at a French game conference last year. But that was crappy camphone video. This clips better shows off the grittier look of Jade's next adventure. Will it be too gritty? Who knows?

At this rate, it'd be a shock if Ubisoft doesn't talk about Beyond Good & Evil 2 at E3 this year.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 [PS3 / Xbox 360 - Beta / Prototype] [Unseen64, via VG24/7]

Allgamesbeta has posted three more shots from Beyond Good & Evil 2, which match the look of the image that turned up yesterday.

Not the sexiest screens, though I do like the mountain in that first one. In the world of Beyond Good & Evil, it sure seems like people eat a lot of fish! Hope we get it sooner rather than later.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 [AllgamesBeta]