Archive for the 'Consoles' Category

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DS Game Of The Week: Touch Detective

Published on May 8, 2007 in DS Game Of The Week, Game Reviews and Games. 0 Comments

I just want to start this post by saying that I’m pretty enamored with my fun new little dual-screened friend. My DS is the first hand held game machine I’ve owned since my original monochrome Gameboy and I gotta say… I’m in love. So I thought I’d start a new feature here on ModStomp called the “DS Game Of The Week”. I’m not sure if it’ll actually be weekly, but basically, I’ll just be sharing my thoughts on a different Nintendo DS game each week. I’ve got quite a few so far so I shouldn’t have to worry about running out of games to talk about any time soon. I’m not really planning to make this an official “review” type of feature, but more just my random thoughts about how I like each game and how playable it feels to me. Ya’know… mostly useless opinionated blather.

Anyway, for our first installment, I thought I’d share my thoughts on a fun little game I happened to accidentally stumble upon called Touch Detective. I figured I’d start with this one because you probably don’t need to hear any more about Mario Kart and Pokemon. It was a total accident that I happened to try this game, but I have to say that it’s much more enjoyable than I first thought it would be. The basic story line is that you’re a young girl named Mackenzie who has inherited the family detective business and you get to help her solve her first few cases. The gameplay is nothing extraordinary (it’s basically just a point-n-click style adventure game), but the combination of colorful anime-style graphics, decent character development and a fun humorous approach to the story makes this game surprisingly enjoyable.

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Princess Zelda’s 24k DS Lite

Published on May 4, 2007 in Case Mods and Nintendo. 0 Comments

Sorry about the lack of posts lately (as if anyone out there really gives a shiz). I’ve been in the middle of changing jobs over the past few weeks and haven’t had too much extra time for blogging. However, I did run across this super cool DS lite mod yesterday over at DS Fanboy and knew immediately that I had to pass it along.

The gold plated DS (I’m gonna assume its just gold paint) that you see to the left is the creation of an obviously fanatical Zelda fan, but it’s difficult not to respect those mad modding skillz. You can click the pic for the full gallery, but apparently the die-cast crest actually swivels to maintain proper orientation so that it’s always right-side up. The insides are painted to match as well as both of the stylus and the charging dock. It truly is a creation that Gannon himself would lust after.

Usually a DS Lite such as this would be out of reach for most of us mere mortals who lack the modding skills to create such a masterpiece. Never fear though… this particular DS Lite is being auctioned off on eBay for the Penny Arcade Child’s Play charity. So if you’re not opposed to spending waaaay too much for a shiny gold DS Lite which will make you the envy of all your friends, head on over to eBay and place your bid. (current bid as of this posting is $660 so you gotta want it real bad)

Do Australian Crickets Play PS3?

Published on March 22, 2007 in Gripes and Playstation. 2 Comments

Because a soft and soothing chirping noise seems to be the only sound coming from the Australian PS3 launch lines. At least that’s what the following picture would suggest:

I don’t deny that I probably come across as a bit of a Sony hater, but lest you think it’s due to my devotion to some other gaming console, let me enlighten you. Over the years I’ve owned a good many Sony products, from calculators to car audio. And in all those years, I’ve come to find one thing in common with all those products… they’re crap (well, I guess the calculator was ok).

Let me explain a little further…

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Think your NES is retro? Think again, n00b!

Published on January 28, 2007 in Consoles and Random. 0 Comments

My sister got me this wicked sweet retro shirt for my birthday. She had to have it custom made, because it’s so retro no one even knows what the crap it is. Behold, Alpiner! This gem was one of the many games I had for my TI-99/4A back in the day. For 1983, it was pretty much the cream of the crop. Check out this page with more screens and sounds from the game, including some voice from the optional Speech Synthesizer module. I was the kid with the dad who always had to be different. When he got the TI, everyone else had Ataris and Commodores. When the NES came out, I had a Sega Master System, complete with 3D glasses. I carried on the tradition as I got older. All my friends had GameBoys; I got a Game Gear instead. Looking back, I’m glad it worked out that way. I’m not sure what life would have been like without Parsec or TI Invaders. And who could forget Hopper or Moon Mine?

PSP Faceplate Mod

Published on January 28, 2007 in Case Mods, Console Reviews, Consoles and Gadgets. 0 Comments

I’ve never been one to live in fear of voiding my warranty, so when I heard about a way to potentially destroy my PSP, I was all ears. The result is visible in the picture. I got sick of wiping off fingerprints, so I picked up a flat black faceplate from DecalGirl. To add a little spice, I got the yellow button kit as well. Let me tell you – it took some fiddling. I lost a couple of those tiny screws, but thanks to a wicked powerful magnet I found on eBay, I was able to suck them back out of my carpet. After some manipulation, I got the buttons just about right once more, and it does look unique. For most folks, I can’t really recommend this mod. I probably wouldn’t do it again myself. The flat black is excellent, however, and it’s worth a look to modders and nerds in general.

Ben “Hack” Strikes Again!

Published on January 23, 2007 in Case Mods and Nintendo. 1 Comment

Ben “Hack” Heckendorn is by far one of the most 1337 “geeks” to grace the face of planet earth. And he has returned, yet again, to provide us with another peice of portable hardware lusciousness. Behold the Wii laptop:

You can check out the full gallery of this amazing little work of art HERE.

Merry Christmas From Nintendo

Published on December 12, 2006 in Flash Fun and Nintendo. 0 Comments

Say what you want about Nintendo, but they know how to make stuff fun. Take, for instance, their Interactive Advent Calendar. Instead of opening a tab each day in December to find a fun picture or delicious candy, they provide you with a new mini-game each and every day. So head on over to Snowdriftland for some fun Holiday season adventures.

The picture says it all

Published on December 11, 2006 in Playstation. 0 Comments

Here’s the link to the original article on IGN.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Wii Stylee

Published on December 8, 2006 in Game Reviews and Nintendo. 0 Comments

So my bro picked up Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for his Wii this past week. I had heard lots of good things about this game so I figured it was a pretty safe bet, but to be honest, I was a tad concerned that the Wii controls would “get in the way” of the gameplay for this type of game. Sure they work well with Wii sports, but Ultimate Alliance is not a first party title designed with the Wiimote in mind. Would the controls feel solid or just tacked on?

Well, after about 2 hours of super hero smashing action, I sorrowfully regret… that I ever doubted the power of the Wii. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a dang fun game (regardless of the control scheme) and I actually don’t feel that the game was hindered at all by the use of the Wiimote. Now, to be fair, I haven’t played this game on any other platform so it’s hard to provide a true comparison, but based on the criteria I use for any other game (was it fun?), I can truly say that I’m a fan.

True, the Wii version is not the prettiest iteration of this game, but as long as you’re not playing it side by side with the 360 version, it’s plenty good looking. And the controls were intuitive and solid. Push the Wiimote forward to perform a knockback attack. A swift flick upward and you perform a high attack. Need a better angle on the action, tilt the nunchuck in the direction you wish to turn the camera (this one is ingenious btw). After about 10 minutes of “warm-up” I was completely immersed and kicking some major super villian butt. Now I just have to get my hands on 3 more friends who own Wiimotes so we can go all multi-player.

Holy Crap I Want This!!!

Published on December 6, 2006 in Consoles and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

I admire those folks that have sufficient skill and spare time to create cool case mods and console hacks. I admire them because deep-down I wish I could be like them. Much in the same way I wish I could be an Aquabat Cadet. It is on that note that I bring you one of the coolest hacks I’ve seen in a while (no offense Ben. You’re still the master of hack).

This nifty, and completely functional Guitar Hero controller makes me weak in the knees. For those of you (myself included) that would like a slightly more “authentic” experience while playing Guitar Hero, this Squire guitar has been transformed into the ultimate Guitar Hero controller. The fret buttons are painted black and inset into the top of the neck so as to be somewhat hidden. The other buttons have also been seemlessly integrated into the clean pearl-white body. Simply put… this thing rocks!