If you haven’t realized, I am a BIG Nintendo fan. So when I see a coffee table designed to look like the original NES controller, I feel the need to give all my money away to have it. Created by Charles Lushear over at Made of maple and mahogany, the best feature of the table…it actually works. It has a retractable cord that plugs into the Nintendo console. When you take the glass top off, the table can be hooked up and used to play all the classic games. You can find this beautiful piece of artowrk over at Etsy.com for a whopping $3,500. Below is a sample of how well the table works.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 12th, 2012 at 9:25 am and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Google Maps has pulled off yet another great April Fools Day prank. I didn’t even realize this until two days later. As much as I enjoyed the prank, it was sad to find out it wasn’t real.
The day before April Fools Day, I went onto Google Maps to figure out directions and what was in the area of what I had planned. When I saw the Quest button, I almost cried at the excitement of seeing this. The whole map was in 8-Bit graphics and there were hidden items and monsters. You could go into street view to see what buildings and landmarks would look like. It reminded me of The legend of Zelda. Google even went as far as making a video promotion, saying it would be coming out in the NES cartridge. I was so happy, I even called the Chief Bean. Everything seemed legit.
I went back a couple of days later, and it was gone. I just can not believe I fell for it. I am still upset that it was just a prank. Google Quest is one of those things that you could waste your whole day playing with. The joke was on me. That is, until I was in the middle of writing this article, and came across a savior.
While researching, I fell upon Dragon Quest. They wrote a story of Google Quest, and saved the link to the 8-Bit Deliciousness. I almost fell out of the chair. It may be a simple thing to some, but I see full potential to waste hours of my day. So it may have been an April Fools joke from Google, but the joke is on them. I am still enjoying it.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 9:38 am and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I am not particulary fond of beer. I prefer harder beverages. However, I am quite intrigued to try out the 8-Bit Pale Ale. Tallgrass Brewing Company, from Manhattan, Kansas, has created a beer that’s been getting some good reviews. Many who have tried it, have said it has a tropical scent, and that it has a citrus taste to it, with a hint of orange and lemon. Although I am just a little curious to try it, I really want it for the design. The brewers have also made a video specifically for the 8-Bit Pale Ale. Make sure to check it out. And if you have experienced this beer, let us know what you think.
These days, the only things you usually hear lurking in the dark are vampires and werewolves. Well, get your head out of the gutter, we are not here to talk about Twilight. We are here to talk about a mob war, demons, altered reality, and more importantly, revenge. I am talking, of course, about The Darkness II. This game is packed with extreme violence, excessive language, and an abundance of thrill seeking fun. That is why this game is rated M. Sorry children, this is certainly not for you.
Although I didn’t get a chance to play the first Darkness, I was quickly brought up to date when I started the game. After hearing about it, I really wanted to go out and buy “The Darkness”. The events of the game occur 2 years later. In the game, you play Jackie Estacado, who went from a hitman to being the don of the Franchetti family. Jackie still has the power of the Darkness, but it has been under control. But when a rival crime family tries to take Jackie and his gang out, his only way to survive is to unleash his malicious powers. And in doing so, he not only survives, but is now faced with a battle with an organization, known as “The Brotherhood.” To add more to the plot, Jackie is trying to fight through hallucinations of his girlfriend, Jenny, who was killed in the first game.
Not only can you play the storyline, there are a couple other features to add to the game. In the Vendettas gameplay, you can choose between 4 different hitmen who have some sort of dark powers and your job is to accomplish different jobs on your “hit list.” This is a feature you can also play online with fellow gamers, which helps unlock certain jobs.
I found that the game was very well done all around. The graphics, which were done in “cel-shading animation”, worked perfectly. The storyline wasn’t too long, and the difficulty worked nicely. I believe the best part of the game was not only having two arms, but also having to demon like snakes coming out which could also be used as weapons. As for the negative, I think the only thing that could have made the gaming experience a little better, was being the Darkling, a subconscious created by the Darkness. You get very little playtime, when I am sure you could have put more action being him.
With its predecessor holding a high review, The Darkness II had some pretty big shoes to fill. Although I can not truly say that it has, considering I have not played “The Darkness”, I would like to think the reception of the game is just as good, if not better. For my rating sysem, I went for something out of the ordinary. Considering I am a huge Legend of Zelda fan, I will give this game out of 5 . It is definitely worth it to get this game. Just one word of advice…stay away from the light.
http://amzn.com/B004ML7WOK
*Full Disclosure: This game was sent to us at no cost for the purpose of review.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 5:13 pm and is filed under GameRoom, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Vinnie Jones, known for playing tough guy roles such roles as Big Chris in” Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”, Sphinx in “Gone in 60 Seconds, has recently starred in a commercial for “The British Heart Foundation“, where he is promoting “Hands-Only CPR” And in today’s society, I believe people would prefer Hands-Only CPR to what is usually taught.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 7:40 am and is filed under backchannel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Although decorating the tree for Christmas is festive, I believe making it look like a monster would scar the kids for life…especially in Japan. In 2000, at the Aqua City Odaiba shopping mall, located in Japan, the holiday decorative committee decided to construct a christmas tree in the shape of Godzilla. Not only did they shape it to look like him, but red lights were put in the eyes, and the tree even breathed smoke. I think the only thing that doesn’t make him scary is the little Santa hat on his head.
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2011 at 4:35 pm and is filed under backchannel, Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
As each year goes by, all the gadgets and gizmos get smaller and smaller. And more and more start to become obsolete. You would never think that the cable box could disappear. Well, think again.
The wonderful folks over at Microsoft has showed us that the process of elimination has begun. With the most recent update, the Xbox 360 will now be able to do more than just play video games, watching movies using Netflix. Besides Hulu Plus, there will be more selections of what you can watch now on your system. MSNBC’s The Today Show and Epix, cable movie channel, are a couple of the first channels to be added. More are expected to join, such as Youtube, DailyMotion, and HBO GO (coming sometime in 2012) are just some the the channels coming.
Of course, not all are free. You need an Xbox Live Gold membership to be able to use the new features, which is understandable. That is the easy part. There are, and will be some channels that you will need separate service accounts to use, such as Netflix and HBO GO. Now if you think you can get rid of you cable provider, hold on for now.Verizon FIOS and Comcast Xfinity will be bringing their services to Xbox, but not until later. Verizon will be using the gaming system as a limited set top box, which will start later this month. Comcast is hoping to have their system ready by early 2012. They will be offering ther “On-Demand” services, but not live television.
The other part of this update is for the Kinect. With advanced terchnology now at hand, you will now have the ability to search through your xbox using voice activation. The system uses Bing search engine to find what you are looking for. With everything squeezing into our Xbox 360, certain products like Boxee and Google TV might have some good competition.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 at 7:05 pm and is filed under backchannel, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
The sweet sound of Nintendo. A trio of accordion players from Bulgaria have brought the sweet sound of Super Mario to our ears. And it has got to be the best rendition I have heard yet.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 8:31 pm and is filed under backchannel, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Since the beginning of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, which began in 1983, there hasn’t been any kind of complaints about any of the game content in the series. Personally, I wouldn’t think there would be. Well, I guess I was wrong. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has decided to finally show there concern about a certain aspect of the game. They do not like the fact that Mario wears the Tanooki Suit.
23 years after the first appearance of the Tanooki Suit, PETA thinks it is wrong of Mario to wear fur. PETA stated, “Tanooki may be just a “suit” in Mario games, but by wearing the skin of an animal, Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur.” Even though Mario achieves the ability of the suit by grabbing a leaf, PETA feels that wearing it encourages animal abuse.
Tracy Reiman, PETA Executive Vice President, ”Tanukis are real-life raccoon dogs who are beaten and, as PETA’s undercover exposés show, often skinned alive for their fur. “This winter, everyone can give raccoon dogs and other fabulous animals a 1-UP by keeping our wardrobes fur-free.”To show much they really don’t appreciate the Tanooki suit, they have created a game called Super Tanooki Skin 2D, where you are a tanuki chasing after Mario to get your skin back. I have tried the game, and find that it is quite distasteful. So wearing the the Tanooki Suit is bad, but what about the frog suit?
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at 9:30 pm and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Everybody has played Rock’ Em Sock’ Em at least once in there life time. Personally, I prefer the red guy, also known as the Red Rocker. Now as an adult, you wouldn’t mind playing the game, but you need to have it a little more exciting. Well, the people over at Hammacher Schlemmer has given us the opportunity to enjoy such a treat, with what is called “The Bionic Bopper Cars.”
Powered by a 12-volt battery, a Honda engine, and controlled by 2 joysticks, and bumpers surrounding the bottom, these Bopper cars can last up to 5 hours worth of battle. To see these things driving down the street, although funny, would be impossible to achieve. These cars only move about 3 mph. These bouts take place in a 16′ sq. steel frame. For a price of $17,000, you could own a set of these.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 6:50 pm and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
With the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due out Tuesday, November 8, many are waiting patiently. However, some gamers in France were so excited, they just couldn’t wait. Saturday was a disaster for Activision, with the hijacking of not one, but two trucks, both containing copies of the next installment of Call of Duty. The estimated total cost was €780,000, or $1 Million.
When the first attack happened, the delivery truck was hit by another vehicle. When the drivers went to inspect the damage, they were met by two men in ski masks wielding knives. After throwing tear gas, the masked men made off with the truck.
The second attack happened about an hour later, when another truck carrying the same cargo was stopped by a vehicle in the middle of the road. This time, three men jumped out, with one pointing a handgun at the driver.
At this time, no arrests have been made in either robberies.
This entry was posted on Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 10:38 pm and is filed under backchannel, GameRoom, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
After being commisioned to cover an entire train station consisting of 8-bit artwork, Finnish artist Lars Arrhenius went to work. The Thorildsplan Tunnelbana station, a train station in Stockholm, Sweden, was redecoratred in 2008.
The entire station is covered in artwork inspired by early 1980′s Nintendo games. The artowrk consists of Dig Dug, Pacman, Super Mario Bros, and Legend of Zelda.
It is a quite the popular piece of artwork. It has even been used in a video. MadCraft, a punkpop band from Finland, used the creation as a backdrop for the music video for the song NeverAgain.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 5:56 am and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
What do you do with a gameboy that hasn’t been used in quite some time. You make a zombie, that’s what you do. And that is exactly what artist Donald Kennedy, an artist over at KodyKoala, did with his old gameboy. Other than the gameboy, he also used hands from a Iron Man Monger figure and feet from an Iron Man Mark I figure.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 at 4:45 pm and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 at 10:30 am and is filed under backchannel, Design, GameRoom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
With Halloween right around the corner, nothing gets the spirit going like carving a pumpkin. I know Paul is talented in carving a pumpkin, but I have not been granted that gift. However, nothing can beat the carvings by Ray Villafane, an artist for Villafane Studios. Some of his carvings are just amazing.
His work is extremely detailed. He has carved some scary looking pumpkins, as well as some portrait pumpkins such as the Predator, Chucky, and even David Letterman. On Monday, Ray was given the oppurtunity to carve away at 2 gigantic pumpkins, one being the world’s largest pumpkin weighing in at 1818.5 lbs. So at the New York Botanical Garden, His artwork is on display. It is a carving of zombies bursting out of the pumpkin. What better way to celebrate Halloween.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 at 4:25 am and is filed under backchannel, Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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