NEATORAMA HOME | LITE/MOBILE VERSION | BEST OF NEATORAMA

Archive Category: Toy & Video Games

Mirror Tic Tac Toe

Shahar Peleg designed this Tic Tac Toe game played on a a mirror. The Xs and Os are only half a letter, but seem whole when placed on the mirror board. It makes a way-too-simple game seem almost cool! Link -via Unique Daily

Comment (11)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Alice Chess Set

Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s book "Through the Looking Glass," Yasmin Sethi created this Alice chess set where the pieces are opaque until they are put on the board – then they magically turn transparent to reveal their identities.

Link – via DVICE, thanks Sheldon Price!

Comment (16)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

The Particle Zoo

Adorable subatomic particles you can cuddle up with! The Particle Zoo is made up of quarks, neutrinos, gluons, and others that each have their own personality. Meet the muon, who lives fast and dies young, the up quark and the down quark, who are best friends, and Higgs boson, who everyone wants to meet. Pictured is the strange quark and the gluon. Link -via Metafilter

Comment (9)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Things that Look Like Pac-Man

Games Radar has collected pictures of 65 Things that Look Like Pac-Man. And a few things that look like the ghosts, too! Link -via Gorilla Mask

Comment (5)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Barbie Doll

It’s coming! It’s coming! (Get it?) Mattel is coming out with a new Barbie doll from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film The Birds!
It’s not yet available, but boy, when it comes out, it’ll be an instant classic: Link – via Presurfer

Comment (11)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Gameboy Foot Controller Plays Chiptune

Joey "Animal Style" Mariano, a Philadelphia chiptune artist, created this awesome Gameboy foot controller to create some amazing 8-bit madrigals:

Using the power of the Gameboy sound chip, Mariano’s madrigals blend the body of early role playing and puzzle video games with awesome, powerful electro-dance beats. Since the Gameboy only has three melodic monophonic channels to create melodies to begin with, this helped Mariano stay true to the traditional madrigal form of 2 to 3 voices.

Geekadelphia has a pretty neat video of Joey (and the foot controllers) in action: Link – thanks Eric!

Comment (1)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Eminence Orchestra: Classical Music from Video Games

Eminence Orchestra wants to open up classical music to new listeners, especially younger people who think that a symphony is either a milk chocolate bar or music for old people. So they don’t play Bach or Beethoven – rather, they composed and play music straight out of video games!

If young people won’t come to the orchestra, then Eminence Orchestra will bring music to them … through YouTube. I’ll skip the oft-played Super Mario Bros. theme song (though it’s good) – rather, let’s listen to something from …

Metal Gear Solid [YouTube Link]

… or from a year ago:

Final Fantasy VII (One Winged Angel) [YouTube Link]

Link: Eminence Orchestra website | YouTube Profile - Thanks Noel!

Previously on Neatorama: 10 Operas You Didn’t Know You Already Like

Comment (7)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Big Lebowski Action Figures

Soon, you can have your very own 8 inch Dude! The Big Lebowski action figure set with the Dude and Walter is $39.99, or you can get the Dude alone for $24.99. Available in August; preorders are now being taken. Link -via Geek Like Me

Comment (10)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Insane RC Helicopter Flying

This guy has skills. I once tried a RC helicopter once and the results were disastrous. To be able to manipulate all theses servos takes great skills and this dude demonstrates it with the neat clip.
Those moves defy Newton’s Laws of Motion…even at that scale.
Enjoy!

Link: YouTube

Comment (16)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Retro Reality: Characters from Old Video Game on Realistic Settings

deviantART user RETROnoob (AKA Lee Vidal) created a series of artwork using photoshop called "Retro Reality," where characters from old video games are mixed into realistic backgrounds and settings.

I particularly like this "Retro Tower Donkey Kong" – check out the entire gallery here: Link – Thanks Math!

Comment (2)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Dig Dug Pillow

Photo: manicmaiden [Flickr]

Flickr user manicmaiden created this super-awesome Dig Dug pillow for her brother’s birthday. No word whether she used inflatable pillow for the Pooka monster …

Link – via Boing Boing Gadgets

Comment (2)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Visiting the Secret LEGO Vault

Gizmodo has published a video from their visit to LEGO’s Memory Lane – a “secret vault guarding almost every Lego set ever manufactured”.

…the impressive view of the 4,720 Lego sets inside this lair. These weren’t just simple boxes full of bricks. These were tickets to ride a time portal to emotions and simpler days long forgotten.

Link

Comment (10)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Twittering Teddy

(Vimeo link)
The folks at My Home and Verizon Vios gutted a Teddy Ruxpin and modded it to Twitter. You can listen to your Twitter feeds just by listening to the bear! But the best part is that this particular bear will be sold on eBay to benefit the Homeless Children’s Education Fund. It’s easier than making your own. Link to Twittering Teddy. Link to eBay auction. -via YesButNoButYes

Comment (6)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Accidental breast reduction hobbles online game Age of Conan

[cc-licensed image courtesy Flickr user chaospheonx]

There’s trouble in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game universe of Age of Conan:

Along with its solid gameplay and excellent graphics Age of Conan has been hailed by adolescent gamers worldwide for its female avatars’ gravity-defying bosoms — a trait developer Funcom seems to have inadvertently removed.

Offering players apologies and a brief technical explanation of the issue, Funcom has stated that the changes to female characters’ breasts was an unintended side effect of the latest patch, and will be rectified shortly.

“Funcom can confirm that some of the female models in the game have had the size of their breasts changed. This is due to an unintended change in data that was introduced in an earlier patch, data which controls the so-called morph values associated with character models and the size of their respective body parts,” Funcom representatives wrote in a recent forum post. “We are working on a fix for this and your breasts should be back to normal soon.”

I know I shouldn’t be shocked at the massive outcry this has caused, but some people really need to find girlfriends.

Indeed. [Wired's Game|Life]

Comment (33)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Strawberry Shortcake's Extreme Makeover

Images: TCFC

Strawberry Shortcake is getting stale – the "it" doll of the 1980s just wasn’t connecting with modern girls, so her corporate owner American Greeting Properties, is having pulling an extreme makeover – and they’re not alone:

Strawberry Shortcake, part of a line of scented dolls, now prefers fresh fruit to gumdrops, appears to wear just a dab of lipstick (but no rouge), and spends her time chatting on a cellphone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard. Her new look was unveiled Tuesday, along with plans for a new line of toys from Hasbro.

She is not the only aging fictional star to get a facelift. An unusually large number of classic characters for children are being freshened up and reintroduced — on store shelves, on the Internet and on television screens — as their corporate owners try to cater to parents’ nostalgia and children’s YouTube-era sensibilities. Adding momentum is a retail sector hoping to find refuge from a rough economy in the tried and true.

Brooks Barnes of the New York Times has the story: Link

(Alert: Disney is thinking of "updating" Mickey Mouse! The travesty!)

Comment (123)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Graffiti + Wii = WiiSpray

Neatorama’s a week late on this (what else is new?) neat art project, titled WiiSpray, by Bauhaus University design student Martin Lihs.

Martin created a spray paint-styled casing with a wiimote inside that he used to "spray" virtual graffiti on a monitor. In what can be called as the perfect blend of street vandalism and geekery, the Wii Spray lets you express yourself but without all the mess of paint and being chased by irate landowners …

The basic idea was to build a computer hardware interface which is similar to an existing analog tool. An new interface will force new experiences. Forget about keyboard and mouse: with WiiSpray we created a new human computing interface (HCI). The use of WiiSpray is similar of using a real spray can – but without the colour and the toxic smells. WiiSpray is based on Adobe Flash, a WiiFlashServer and the Nintendo Wii® device. With this techology and a computer supported technology it is possible to move wireless through the space. You don´t need to learn this device – just start spraying intuitively. And the best is, after finishing your grafitti you can upload it to our website and look at it at any time from everywhere.

Link – Thanks The Monk!

Comment (5)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

I Love the World -Video Game Edition

(College Humor link)
It’s an in-game version of the Discovery Channel promo featured previously at Neatorama. For those who live in a different world. -via Gorilla Mask

Comment (5)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Bizarro: Your Cheatin' Spud

Oh la la! This Bizarro panel certainly made me look at Mr. Potato Head in a new way. For more Bizarro, check out Dan Piraro’s website and blog.

Comment (3)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Spock Monkey

A Spock Monkey. Why didn’t I think of that? Sock monkeys are available in other characters from Star Trek, too. Order now and get a free tribble! Link

Comment (8)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Redneck Racing Simulation

When Nicolas Nova of Pasta&Vinegar blog was doing an ethnographical research about game controllers, he ran into this beauty: a redneck contraption for racing simulations!

How to turn a chair into a speedy car-simulation seat where the player seats on the back, spread the leg and pump pedals to the maximum.

A very intriguing made-up controller for car simulation that reveals how people tend to modify devices to their convenience. The creative use of duct-tape to enhance the digital experience is interesting to document as a way to find out opportunities to design both physical peripherals and digital counterparts.

Link – via Make

Comment (18)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Best Mario Cake Ever!

This has got to be the best Mario cake ever! Created by Su Yin of The Journal of a Girl who Loves to Cook blog. It took her two weeks to brainstorm and 3 days to make the cake.

Link (including photos from the various stages of the cake making process) – via 13 Geeky Baked Goods post from Geek Crafts

Comment (19)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Tennis for Two

(YouTube link)
You might think that videogames began with Pong, but here’s one that dates back fifty years!

Way back in 1958, William Higinbotham invented Tennis For Two to liven up visitor day at Brookhaven National Laboratory, his workplace. The game uses an oscilloscope with two control pads. It remained largely unknown until 1981 when a lawyer trying to break Magnavox’s patent for video games came across writings talking about the game.

Blueprints of it were found to predate Magnavox’s game, the case was settled out of court, and the game found fame as the second ever invented, since it was later predated by A.S. Douglas’ ‘OXO’ game from 1952.

The music is “To Find Our Freedom” from The Peacekeepers Peacespeakers. -via Grow-A-Brain

Comment (11)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Iron Giant made out of Lego

A terrific creation by Peter Aoun. There’s more photos in his Flickr gallery.

Previously: Captain Jack Sparrow LEGO Bust.

Comment (3)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Wacky Nintendo game advertisement

More DIY videos at 5min.com

Who would have thought that Guitar Hero would be available for the palm-sized Nintendo DS gaming system? Well, friends, Guitar Hero: On Tour is indeed available and Nintendo/Activision have produced a very strange video proving this to the consumer. Says Engadget of the video:

If [this commercial] doesn’t make you want to impale yourself on the nearest sharp object, nothing will.

To which I say (quoting actual lyrics from the commercial):

Wiggle it like a madman!

Comment (28)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

10 Most Memorable NES Minibosses

In video games, final bosses get all the glory. I mean you probably remember Bowser and Mother Brain … but what about those mini bosses, "the assistant managers of evil"?

Crave Online has a neat run down of 10 of the Most Memorable NES Minibosses. Take, for example, Abobo from Double Dragon:

Abobo may just be the most unfortunate looking thug to ever appear in a fighting game to this day. With a head like a giant meatball, accented by a truly bitchen handlebar mustache, Abobo looks like a grotesquely muscled leather daddy in purple capris. His comical appearance won’t stop him from kicking the sh-t out of Billy and Jimmy Lee, so be sure to attack first and laugh later when confronted by Abobo.

Link

Comment (3)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Megaman 2 Bedroom Wall

John of Kid Overdrive spent 3 months measuring, stenciling, painting and retouching by hand to create this Megaman 2 wall for his bedroom: Link – via Boing Boing

Comment (4)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Super Mario Cars

Do you like Super Mario? I betcha you don’t like it as much as these people do … They even decorate their cars with Super Mario art:

More at ConsolenewZ.ru – via Look at This

More at The Straits Times’ Stomp blog: Singapore Seen

Beep Beep Mario Car, spotted by Spanish blog ion litio in Madrid

And finally, not exactly a Mario Car, but an RC car playing Super Mario theme (yes, it was on Neatorama before, but I couldn’t resist):

[YouTube Link]

If you know of any more Mario-inspired cars, please let us know!

Previously on Neatorama: 10 Mario Fun Facts! and all sorts of Mario posts

Comment (1)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

If Gradius was a text adventure

The video shows level one from Gradius. Don’t worry, it advances slow enough to read everything.

I’ve played Gradius so many times that my mind filled in the appropriate music as the volcanoes erupted. Via these fine sites.

*Previously: You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

**Great first comment from “Yoda”: “I am too young to understand this.”

Comment (8)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

If the Fast Food companies teamed up to make a fighting game...

…the character select screen would look like this. Art by Lysol-Jones. Visit his DeviantArt gallery or his personal site. I’d absolutely buy this game.

Comment (25)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Nintendo Duck Hunt Lamp

Craftster member fluffypants put together this awesome lamp using a Nintendo light gun and an old Nintendo’s Duck Hunt cartridge.

Ah, I remember the precious hours I wasted on that game (and I quite remember the snickering dog when I missed … Good times.)

Link – via GeekAlerts

Comment (4)    Permalink   Please share:  email this

---

Previous page · Next page