Posted by Tim Sheehy on May 25, 2010 in Videogames
Konami’s Love Plus, the ever-so-popular dating sim, has spawned even more merchandise for those of us lonely enough to want — this time, in the form of a cushion. I know what you’re probably thinking, “it’s a body pillow, isn’t it?” Well, at first glance, it sure looked that way, but after reading the description, stick cushion actually seems more apt. The cushion is about 5 ½ inches in width by 1.3 feet in length. That’s big enough for maybe your neck, or wrist at best, and while it may seem small, I’m sure that won’t stop certain people from getting creative. Perverse thoughts aside, the cushions are kind of cute. If you’re looking to pick one up, they retail for around $20. HLJ should have them in stock, though they’ll probably sell out fast. Read more…
I recently came a across a nice series of fan videos by GoldenJellyBean on YouTube which included a few well done tutorials on creating crochet anime and videogame characters. Here’s a nice one on creating a Totoro: Read more…
The Law of Inverse Importance states thus: the more splashy Square Enix gets about a game announcement, the less exciting the actual game is.
Example: When a new Final Fantasy comes out, all its official site might have is a simple logo to start. But Square Enix’s latest game was announced via a teaser site with Yahoo!, promising a game that would “make history” in Japan and was left up for some time, encouraging visitors to Tweet about it and garnering attention. Viewers wondered: could it be a Dragon Quest MMO? A Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy crossover? What could this history-making game BE? Read more…
Right on the heels of releasing the new DSi XL, Nintendo made a surprising move: they made the product almost immediately obsolete by announcing the tentatively-named Nintendo 3DS, a portable game console with 3D capabilities– glassesless, no less. The possibilities for such a device are endless, but of course it’s always easier to bring out a new game in an established franchise to launch a console…so here are ten games that absolutely belong on the Nintendo 3DS. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on May 18, 2010 in Videogames
Have you spent the last few years wondering what the big deal was about Portal, but didn’t want to spend your hard-earned cash? Perhaps you just own a Mac, and haven’t been able to join in on the fun. Well, for a limited time, none of that shouldn’t be an issue. In order to celebrate the recent release of Portal for the Mac, Valve has made both the PC and Mac versions of the game available as a free download via Steam. What’s the catch? Well, there is none really. You’ll need a free Steam account, and the offer only runs through May 24th, but that’s about it. Read more…
As any good Pokefan knows, the next Pokemon generation– Pokemon Black and White –has been announced, along with the requisite end of the current anime (presumably to be replaced with a new one), and with images of the new Pokemon. Read more…
How is it that fan films have gotten to be so good? I’m at a loss as to how this trend came about, but I’m not about to complain. Street Fighter: Legacy by Streetlight Films, is one such project. After years of witnessing Hollywood butcher my favorite games, its really refreshing to see fans take matters into their own hands. While it’s not quite feature length, the production is top notch and really worth your time. Read more…
For those who aren’t familiar with it Kingdom Hearts (キングダム ハーツ) is a Japanese RPG series that has been around since 2002 that combines original anime characters with old school Disney critters. To celebrate the series in August Square Enix will be shipping this set of Kingdom Hearts Avatar Trading Arts Mini Vol. 1 collectables. In this set of figurines the original Kingdom Hearts characters have been turned into ultra-cute “avatars” — included in the set are Cloud, Tifa, Sora, Riku and ginger haired Axel: Read more…
I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it is to find decent formal wear that really speaks to my inner geek, but occasionally I luck out — such was the case with this fantastic Space Invaders inspired neck tie by Since 1337. The aliens are available in both green and blue, while both look sharp, the green might come off a bit loud. Unlike the game, it’ll probably cost you more than a few quarters at $38 plus tax and shipping, but they’re probably worth it. After all, they’re designer ties. For more info, check out the Since 1337 online store. Read more…
Like some of you, I spent a good portion of the early 90’s trying to master Rainbow Road with Mario, Luigi and the gang. I spent most of that time falling off the track and starting over, but that really keep me coming back for more. Its nostalgic for me, but what I remember most about SuperMario Kart was how much I loved the music. I always imagined what it’d sound like performed live, and now it seems like I finally got my wish. Read more…
This prologue trailer from Sega for the Iron Man 2 videogame looks terrible. It sort of reminds me of everything I hate about bad Dreamworks computer animated films: the voice acting is terrible, the animation is stiff and the humans have this very creepy not quite human feeling to them. My gut tells me that Iron Man 2 will be a great deal of fun, but my guess is that the videogame might be a bit rusty.
What did geeks play before Dungeons & Dragons? Well for this geek and his nerdy buds our board game of choice back in the day was Risk! Oh sure in games like Monopoly you could become the next Rockefeller — and games like Battleship let you destroy an entire navy. However Risk! appealed to our inner Napoleon who was intent on world conquest. Of course it’s with a bit of irony that the game was in fact invented by a Frenchman: In 1957 film director Albert Lamorisse released La Conquête du Monde (The Conquest of the World), in France. Shown above is a new re-release of the 1959 version of the game which came to the United States thanks to Parker Brothers. Read more…
Of all the PC games I played in the 90s, very few stand out in my mind as having revolutionized their genres, but Doom easily makes that list. I have fond memories of wading through level after level of demons and beasts with little more than an arsenal of guns, and strategically placed health packs. I still find myself playing the occasional first person shooter, but few games really capture the magic I experienced that first time, and thanks to the Doom 3 mod community, I finally have a chance to relive those fond memories. Read more…
This beautiful Irodori Collection Stickers for DS Series will give your Nintendo the look of traditional Japanese prints. Irodori is a Japanese word for an assortment of colors and this collection of stickers features a dozen different style which are available for the DSi and the DSLite. To me the best part about this collection is that when you get tired of one look you can peel off the sticker without doing any damage. Here the rest of the collection: Read more…
This is a very clever rhyming ad for Mabinogi from Japan which is an anime themed RPG game that you can play online. The game was developed in South Korea by devCAT and is published by Nexon — the good news for Americans is that the game is available in English, however if you’re a Mac user the bad news is that the game is Windows only. Read more…
This heartfelt videogame filk song comes from Alex Day who is based in the UK: It’s the first of a trilogy of tunes which also includes tracks dedicated to the other retro gaming gods — Mario and Sonic. Day got his start in music when he sold his deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! playing cards and used the money to buy his first electric guitar — which was followed a year later with his own YouTube channel. I first discovered Alex when he uploaded a Dr. Who song to YouTube and I’ve been a fan ever since — it’s great to see someone celebrate their nerd passions with music. Read more…
Sometimes when you see a great demo it changes your very perception of a platform: And Rittai Kakushi E Attakoreda (Hidden 3D Image: There It Is!) has made me not only made me see the Nintendo DSi in a new light — but has me thinking that mobile games could displace console games. Now I may be looking at this demo the wrong way but the program seems to be using the sensors inside the DSi to adjust the display, which gives you the illusion of looking into a 3D diorama. Suddenly this makes the idea of 3D on mobile platforms much more exciting: Granted I’ve seen 3D shooters on the iPhone that react to the angle you hold the device at, but this game takes that concept to the next level. Read more…
At this year’s Toy Fair I noticed a great deal of Halo merchandise but not too many toys based upon other videogames — so it was nice to see NECA with a line of action figures based upon BioShock and Gears of War: Read more…
The charm and the problem with the original Star Trek series was that there was never a mess that Captain james T. Kirk couldn’t get out of — and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan turned this aspect of the series into a stellar plot device. But looking at this promo video of Star Trek Online: Borg Faction made me realize that what makes the Borg a brilliant plot device is that not only do they outclass Federation technology, but on top of that they’re pure evil. Read more…
Miyamoto is THE man who made Nintendo what it is today: He got his start with designing Donkey Kong and is also the genius behind Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Of course most casual videogame won’t know this, but that’s the joy of this t-shirt featuring a Shigeru Miyamoto gag if you’re a hardcore retro-gaming fan. I also love the Iron Chef reference as well…
I was given an opportunity to play with the new iPhone app Fullmetal Alchemist: State Alchemy Exam and enjoyed having an anime themed game at my fingertips. Now if you’re a serious gamer you might be let down with this app, but if you’re a fanboy (or fangurl) looking for an entertaining casual game then State Alchemy Exam is worth checking out. Exam is the key word here as this is a trivia quiz app which tests your knowledge of Fullmetal Alchemist with physics and chemistry thrown in for fun: Read more…
This trailer for the Star Trek Online MMO gives you a pretty good flavor of the universe that Cryptic Studios has been working on. The game is set to launch in early February and is set 30 years after the events in the film Star Trek Nemesis which was the last film with the Next Generation cast from back in 2002. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 6, 2010 in Videogames
This is a cute promotional video for Sega’s Valkyria Chronicles 2G game which will be out on the PSP. This battlefield simulation game is based on Valkyria Chronicles which came out for the PlayStation3 back in 2008 — although I think setting the game on a portable platform makes the anime aspect of this title even cuter. Read more…
The charm and the problem with the original Star Trek series was that there was never a mess that Captain james T. Kirk couldn’t get out of — and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan turned this aspect of the series into a stellar plot device. But looking at this promo video of Star Trek Online: Borg Faction made me realize that what makes the Borg a brilliant plot device is that not only do they outclass Federation technology, but on top of that they’re pure evil. 
