I’m still not convinced the iPad is quite large enough to be used by more than a couple people at one time. But clearly I’m in the minority, as Discovery Bay Games has released another ‘appcessory’ that turns the iPad into a multiplayer quiz game. Available now for ~$40, the game comes with a set of 4 wireless poppers (and a base station) that lets players buzz in to answer or participate in a series of games or quizzes. At the moment there are 3 titles to choose from: Guesstimation – Duo, Highlights Hidden Pictures Countdown, and Saturday Night Live – The Game, all available for free from the iTunes App Store. I’m assuming more titles are enroute as well, but to extend their replay value each game also has additional content available as an in-app purchase.
The next time you get in a conversation where you’re trying to one-up your friends about your cred as a gamer, just drop the old “well I’ve been playing Dead Space since it was on the NES” line and declare your checkmate. Who cares if the game never actually had an 8-bit predecessor? If they call you out on your claim, a mere $20 investment from 72 Pins will provide you with some hard-to-deny proof. Their collection of ‘Nestalgia’ carts include 8-bit versions of modern titles like BioShock, Killzone and even Halo. I mean can you imagine how repetitive Halo would feel were the game limited to an 8-bit environment? I bet the library would feel like you were playing the same level again and again and again…
Anyways, the carts of course don’t actually work. They’re just upcycled old NES games that have had the labels replaced with rather convincing alternatives. So if you’re trying to bluff a friend who still has a working NES at home, your ruse will instantly be foiled. But the fact that you dropped $20, on what is essentially a clever Photoshop job, could provide some gaming cred on its own merit.
While no where near as racy as the Game Boy print swimsuit we brought you a couple of months ago, this Game Boy dress will still provide loads of opportunity for double entendres and innuendo at any Hallowe’en party. “Press my buttons”, “insert a cartridge”, “where’s that Tetris piece I need?”, “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right”, etc. For better or for worse they’re all at your disposal. But if you were hoping to score one of these for the 31st, you’ll need to get your $78 order in with Etsy seller SewOeno before October 10th to ensure it’s completed and arrives on time.
There’s no shortage of LEGO apps and games available for iOS. But the company’s latest offering, Life Of George, is the first to really take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities. The game actually brings together both the physical and digital worlds, as players compete to recreate what they see on screen in each level, using only the collection of bricks that come in the box. Once they’re satisfied they’ve built it correctly, they place their LEGO model on an included grid map and take a photo of it with their iPhone.
Using “patent-pending brick recognition software” created by a company called EyeCue, the game then scores the creation based on how accurately it matches the image, and how quickly it was built. The character of George seems very similar to the Flat Stanley Project, since the objects you’re challenged to build all come from his travels around the world. So I guess on some level it’s also educational. And if you’re a rebel like yours truly, the game also includes a ‘My Life’ mode which lets you build and photograph your own creations, which are converted into virtual LEGO models and stored in a scrapbook. The game will be available come October 1st for $29.99, while the accompanying iOS app will of course be free.
I’m not a particularly mean chap, but I have been known to get some level of enjoyment out of annoying people. And if I were to find myself in an office setting again, dealing with uneasy tensions between co-workers, I do believe I’ve found the perfect tool for the job. These Super Mario Bros. collectibles walk the line between being figures, sculptures and sound toys. They each showcase Mario in a recognizable scene from his games, animated in an endless loop complete with authentic sound effects.
The one on the left sees him continuously entering and exiting a warp pipe, while the other recreates the classic ‘green shell on stairs’ 1-UP trick. I suspect the latter one is particularly annoying if left running for hours—or probably mere minutes—so you’ll probably want to use it with caution lest it take an unplanned trip through the office shredder. Sadly both of these $10 (¥777) figures popped up on Amazon Japan, who don’t seem too keen on shipping them worldwide. But if you’re ok with dealing with the hassle of a proxy, getting your hands on them isn’t completely impossible.
Your reaction to this Double USB Charger from GAMETECH might not make you a YouTube sensation, but let’s see a double rainbow top off your phone’s battery while on a hike. Available starting tomorrow for ~$21 (¥1,580), the DUC (as I’ll call it) is a non-descript, monolithic looking device that houses 4xAA batteries which provide power to two USB ports. Using a set of included adapters it’s able to charge various PSP’s, Nintendo DS’s and even your iPhone when using its own USB power cable. Each port provides 400mA of power to whatever’s connected, and the boost it provides is of course dependent on how stingy you are with your device’s backlight, wireless connectivity, etc.
Dear Art Lebedev, your Optimus Maximus keyboard may be light years beyond what I’m willing to spend on a set of QWERTYs, but your Space Invaders themed playing cards are a different story. They’re a perfect pop-culture mashup, complete with 8-bit graphics of said invaders from space, and an awesomely pixelated font. At $11 a deck they’re not outrageously expensive either.
Video games are often criticized for being overly violent, and while a new FPS called Warco certainly has its fair share of graphic, simulated combat, at no point does the player pick up a gun. That’s because they actually play as Jesse DeMarco, a war correspondent whose only weapon is a video camera and a thirst for a Pulitzer.
Instead of securing bases or capturing strongholds, the game’s different scenarios have objectives like story leads, where you run around trying to capture the most compelling footage possible. Instead of aiming, you’re framing a shot. Instead of zeroing in on a target with a sniper scope, you’re zooming and focusing your lens. And instead of collecting achievements or high scores, at the end of each level your goal is to edit together a compelling story with the footage you’ve captured, which can be published online.
The game actually brings a fresh perspective to realistic FPS war titles. And instead of just running and gunning, you’ll have to take a different approach when it comes to using your ‘weapon’ without getting killed. Warco was the brainchild of Tony Maniaty, an Australian journalist who’s experienced with reporting from war-torn areas. He’s teamed with filmmaker Robert Connolly and games studio Defiant Development who’ve been working on the title for 4 months now. Sadly, there’s no definitive timeline as to when the game will be available, if ever. But the studio says they’re currently talking to several publishers, so there is hope.
These electronic versions of 20 questions, which seem to magically guess what you’re thinking by asking a maximum of — wait for it — 20 questions, are nothing new. But one that’s geared towards Star Trek fans and looks like a miniature version of the USS Enterprise? Well that’s something to note in your captain’s log. Fans of the newer series like TNG or DS9 might be disappointed to learn the game only covers characters and facts from the original Star Trek series and movies. But there’s still plenty of storylines to keep this thing interesting for at least the length of a drive to a Trekkie convention. Available from Amazon for just $8.75.
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