DreamcastBoy? Portable... But Huge

I've been playing some old Nintendo games on my Dreamcast lately - courtesy of www.dcemulation.com - and I gotta tell you it rocks. It sure takes up a lot less space than all those old systems would. The Dreamcast has become very popular with the hack and homebrew crowd since it was discontinued, because it's a powerful system and apparently quite easy to work with. But this guy has taken it to a whole other level, creating a portable version that looks like a Stormtrooper mask. Never mind that the thing is the size of an adult human face, and that the CD spins exposed on the back of the unit (how do you put it down?). It's still nerd-fabulous. Check out the video for a little demo.

DreamTrooper (Gizmodo)

No, Not THAT Maverick

This deliciously retro browser game from Armor Games comes pretty close to the experience of an original Atari 2600... it's wild - with its monochrome style (to paraphrase Guru from Gangstarr). I think there's fertile ground for game developers here, as they concoct vintage-style games using the language from modern games like Halo and Grand Theft Auto. In this game, you are a vintage-looking cowboy in a vintage looking CRT landscape, and you move around by using the recoil from your six-shooter - a mechanic known from the RPGs of FPSs (FTW!). Of course, using the power of your PC (infinitely more powerful than the puny game processors of the 70s and early 80s), the game throws curveballs galore with sideways and reverse gravity, save points, and other goodies. I haven't yet made it to the end to "get instructions from the talking pig" but I love the lo/hi quality setting, which enables slowly scrolling diagonal lines like you used to get on your Atari due to RF interference. Nice touch!

Play Maverick

Thanks, Indie Games

Dino Run - Flash Game

OK, this game is frickin awesome. It's been around a while but I finally played it enough to get into it. Serious Atari-style action - simple but perfectly tuned. The only problem is your finger gets sore from holding down the run key, but at least you don't have to tap it over and over. You're a dinosaur running away from the 'extinction event' or something - totally killer game. PixelJam is the developer, my hat is off to you guys.

Play Dino Run

Tumbledrop Game

This is a great new indie browser game, one of a new bumper crop of 'physics' games that involve a lot of things falling and er, tumbling. But unlike many of these new games, this one doesn't involve rag-doll humanoids getting thrown and crumpled - just cute little stars and shapes with faces... awwwwwww. Pretty addictive though! You'll probably need to install the Unity plugin, I'm not sure what that is but it was totally plug and play.

Play Tumbledrop

Update: ok, after playing through this entire game I've decided that it's way too easy. But I still love one thing about it - the way the star makes a terrified face right before it falls in the water. It's worth playing for that alone. Any thoughts about this game? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Shake it Wario, Shake it!

Now I really want a Wii - Wario is my favorite Nintendo character. But what I really like is the ad they've got running on Youtube for the game, it's definitely Wario-approved! Go check it out and be sure to watch the whole thing - trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Wario Shake on Youtube

Game and Watch Music Video

This music video made me smile - the music is very 8-bit, and the video superimposes LCD graphics like the classic Nintendo "Game and Watch" games on outdoor scenes. Not sure if these are the actual graphics from games or just done in that style, but either way they kick ass. I never owned any of those games, but I remember playing them a lot - I must have mooched off friends.

Atari Video Music Trip-Out Machine

Atari made a bachelor-pad music visualizer in the 70s that you could hook up to your TV in order to induce a seizure in your date and take advantage of her while the sounds of Journey blazed over your 8-track stereo. Check out the video, visit the Atari Museum for a full description and then pull out your wallet, because there's one for sale on Craigslist in Los Angeles.

Mike Mika's Video Game Collection

If you can get past the annoying fanboy interviewer, this is a great interview with the studio head of Backbone Entertainment where he shows off his insanely huge video game collection, featuring pretty much every home system and a bunch of vintage computers and arcade games.

Happy Birthday, Sega Dreamcast!

How about some irony with that birthday cake? Today is the 9th anniversary of the Dreamcast's US launch on 9/9/99. In honor of the failed console, check out this awesome game that never made it to the US. Segagaga takes place in the year 2025, where you find Sega has a 3% market share. The object of this "Sega Simulation" is to take over the company and compete with Sony's Playstation. How'd that work out for you, Sega?

Segagaga