So when the collector in me sees game rooms like this (and this) it really makes me question my commitment. I fully understand that I, in fact, do have a life, and other things that I have to spend money on than video games. At least that’s what I tell myself, because, frankly, I’m jealous… very, very, very jealous.
Okay, so I have problems. Number one: I’m a nerd. Number two: I collect things. Number three: I try to do my best to be creative when combining the first two things. Case in point: when the opportunity arises for me to have a few minutes with the creator of one of my all-time favorite video games, I seize it and then go the extra mile.
Continue reading "Pac-Man Marquee + Creator = Awesomeness" »
I collect a lot of things -- mostly NES games -- but a variety of other systems' games as well, in addition to DVDs, CDs, video game-related toys, some comic books, and so on and so forth. Because of these collections, I have a certain affinity for shelf space. However, as awesome as these DIY Tetris shelves above are, they just aren’t functional enough for today’s modern-day collector. But they're still pretty cool. Find out how to build them yourself (if you’re into that kind of thing).
I always thought Lara Croft and Hitman would make a cute couple, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Famed MTV video games journalist Stephen Totilo is in need of a bit of help putting a gaming twist on his upcoming wedding reception. At the suggestion of his future wife, they have decided to name all their tables after locations in video games. Hit the jump for the list as it stands right now, but they need about six more. Any suggestions are completely welcome.
Who doesn't love taxidermy? I friggin' don't, that's who. And it's not because I'm a giiiiirl or because I loooooove animals. No, I just have a problem with touching DEAD THINGS. Especially when I'm trying to play World of Warcraft or something. (And just look at the LED light glowing inside it as if it were its life force. So sad.) A member of how-to Web community Instructables made a mouse out of a real mouse. Why? Just because. Click the link below to see how, but beware: It's not for the faint of heart.
Mouse Mouse! [Instructables]
[via Gizmodo]
I just got my ticket the other day. I'm going to the circus. By circus, of course, I mean E3. This year, E3 is invite-only, as compared to last year's event where you needed, say, a pulse to get in. Game companies finally tired of the huge crowds, the excessive expenditures on booths to show off their games, and the general uselessness of E3's show floor. So instead of a mass gathering of game store clerks with T-shirts designed to show off this year's newest bulge, E3 has morphed into something a little more cozy, a little more intimate. "Welcome to the E3 Media & Business Summit," the E3 Web site reads, "an exclusive, invitation-only, three-day event which offers the opportunity for both ESA members and non-members to stage major press events, and to have personal meetings in hotel suites and meeting rooms with media, retailers, developer partners, and other key industry contacts. In addition, [Santa Monica's] Barker Hangar will be converted into a software showcase where attendees will be able to casually test drive featured video games outside of the companies’ suites." So, basically, everyone is going to have to shuttle back and forth between this hangar and various hotel rooms in Santa Monica. One of my friends, who happens to write for the very fine game-related publication EGM describes this as "a train wreck ready to happen." And, may the the good lord Luigi have mercy on my soul, but I think he's right.
I collect Nintendo games. Yes, I spend large chunks of my income on old-gen 8-bit graphic games that came out 20+ years ago, just so I can play them once and then they sit on a shelf with the 300+ other games I have. Call me nostalgic. Most of my games come from eBay, or other auction-type websites, and usually cost me no more than $5 a game. Some days I catch a rare game for a few dollars more and I’ll pick that up. Some days I’ll see super-rare games and dream about buying them. Once in a lifetime I see an auction like this, and wish I had an extra $21,000 lying around.
You see, the seller here had no idea what they had in their possession. The last cartridge listed in the lot is the golden cartridge for the Nintendo World Championships in 1990 which is the holy grail of NES collecting. There are only 26 of these games in existence, and I’m pretty sure number 26 just fell into the hands of a collector. It is a sad, sad day for poor NES completists out there.
He’s been around for over 20 years.
He’s been around in a bunch of different forms; remade, skeletal, a baby, a really crappy character in a movie, even Giga.
He’s golfed, played soccer, kart-raced, even been invited to the party.
He’s even got kids!
Isn’t it really about time that the King of the Koopas gets his own game?!?!?
Continue reading "King Bowser and the Generic Nintendo Title" »
When I first encountered the almost psychopathically kawaii glare emitted by the female chef mentor in Majesco's Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii, I had little to no understanding of what a 'cooking' game could possibly entail.
Lacking the culinary skills to begin with (hey, I'm a college-kid and subsist on ramen and quick-dials to the pizzeria), it took me a while to adjust to slicing, dicing, and meat grinding. But with a little practice, I'm no longer culinarily (is that a word?) challenged. Hey, Cooking Mama herself said that I was, “Wonderful! Better than Mama!”
In fact, I have been entered into the Cooking Mama's Cook Off gaming competition to be held this Saturday, March 31 at the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza. Will I aptly make the G-Hole crew proud and become a virtual iron chef? Shall I be utterly owned by a Cooking Mama obsessive who can mince polygonal shallots effortlessly? Only time will tell. Though I hear they're serving complimentary deserts at the event, so there's no question I'll be partaking.
For some reason, game companies love The Clift hotel in San Francisco. When it came time for Microsoft to let game writers review Halo 2, it rented out a huge suite at the Clift, set up comfy chairs and let people play the game for three days straight. Electronic Arts and Activision routinely use the hotel for parties, and when Fable creator Peter Molyneux gave post-GDC talks last year, he did it at the Clift.
Bryan Intihar, longtime editor for the iconic game magazine EGM, says, "[The Clift is] like the Studio 54 of the gaming biz... but without the hookers and sex." And, bless his heart, he's dead-on with his assessment.
Today, Rockstar Games and 2K Games both showed up at the Clift. Rockstar was showing off Manhunt 2 on the PlayStation 2. 2K Games brought The Darkness. And, as any lazy game writer knows, it's good not to move so much; today was a blessing.
Now this is just a random musing, but there's really nothing special about the Clift. It's sort of located in a run-down area of San Francisco. It's certainly not centrally located. It has its charms, of course, but so do a lot of other places. So I am thinking there must be one thing, and one thing only, that attracts everyone to The Clift. Head past the jump to see what it is.