next http://

Even though it’s technically for the older set of gamers, I can’t help but want a giant new DSi XL.  I really only ever play my DS at home, so might as well have some bigger screens.  Kind of makes me glad I didn’t rush out and buy the DSi when it launched with its only slightly larger screens.

via Kotaku, Iwata: DSi XL Not Just For Seniors, It’s For Watching Others Play Too [Nintendo].

The premium gift for Club Nintendo members arrived today, and it is actually reasonably premium! The hat’s “instructions” tell me not to use it as a hat, but as an “interior accesory.” So much for my Halloween costume!

Small Worlds is a short, simple Flash game about exploration. There’s not much to collect, nothing to kill you, and an almost non-existent ending.  The music is okay and the control is kind of meh.  But the level design is amazing, with loads of detail and atmosphere packed into a retro style. Though there’s nothing to be earned from doing so, if you’re anything like me you’ll avoid your goal until you’ve explored every corner of the map.

After a bit of a lull in which I played Knytt Stories and that was about it, I am back in the all-too-usual predicament of having too many games to play. But what games are they? In no particular order and off the top of my head, they are:

• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
• Team Fortress 2
• Portal
• Half-Life 2: Episode 2: Freeman Strikes Back
• Some Xbox Tetris game

I am also finishing up my video game website, but it doesn’t help that I don’t have enough time to play these games let alone write anything about them. The only solution, it seems, would be to sleep less.

If you’ve got a computer then you can use it to play games! Sometimes these games are free and awesome, like Knytt Stories. Exploration is the name of the game, with simply designed but nevertheless beautiful and atmospheric areas to navigate. You may want to give the equally wonderful Knytt a try as well.

Perler beads and video games sprites: the perfect combination. A quick search of Ye Olde Flickr will confirm this. Well, I’m going to throw my hat into the ring with some of my Perler creations. I’ve taken some license with the colors, but not the design. Still, they won’t look exactly like their NES counterparts.

(continue reading…)

I have a review of Tetris DS in my stack of unpublished blog posts, but this is far better. The country that brought us Sputnik and vodka can now claim one more world altering breakthrough: Tetris magnets!

They come in sets of seven (of course) and are available for preorder for the low, low price of 198 rubles! That’s, like, seven bucks! Great for sticking on your refrigerator, car, metallic knee, or ferrous satellite hull!