Its striking how similar in SIZE the real Rickenbacker 325 and the Beatles Rock Band Controller are. In fact, they are so similar, i couldn't resist visiting the Rickenbacker factory in Santa Ana to check them out side by side in person! Funny coincidence ~ on 09/09/09 when Beatles Rock Band launched, the factory happened to start working on a run of the Rickenbacker 325! They claim it really wasn't planned! So luckily when i visited a few days later, i not only got to take a peek at the controller and its real life counterpart in person, but also had an opportunity to see exactly how the real guitars are made! (and it is truly an amazing process, so many more steps of skilled craftsmen than i ever imagined, but more to come on that soon!)

Take a peek at the next page to see lots of pics of the Rickenbacker 325 alongside the Beatles Rock Band Controller ~ as well as peeks into the factory and renderings of the controller!

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Tags: games - gifts - guitar - music - shopping - technology - video game

Happy 9/9/9 ~ it's been quite a day! On awesome launches that are hard to miss, The Beatles Rock Band came out today, and it was impossible not to share an unboxing of the goods with you! For starters the imagery is stunning (gorgeous intro video on the next page!) ~ and the custom guitars are adorable mini-plasticized simplified versions of their normal forms... The front of the kick-drum is like those frisbees or carshades where you can twist it up into a smaller disc when not in use (you know the type, it pops open instantly?)... and the pedal is beautifully detailed with Beatles-ness. There is also a set of postcards included... so anyhow, take a peek at it all! I picked up the full kit for PS3 and the Rickenbacker...

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Tags: games - gifts - music - shopping - technology - video game

Just got home and ended up playing way too much Rock Band tonight ~ so as tired as my body might be, my mind was inspired to show you this awesome limited edition MWM Graphics Rock Band Guitar that i've been meaning to post! Before we get into looking at how sweet this guitar is... lets get all the complicated collaborations and brands out of the way ~ this Geometric Funk XBOX 360 Rock Band Guitar was created by MWM Graphics, which is Matt W. Moore, for Pepsi Rock Band 2009 to promote the Pepsi/Yahoo/Harmonix/MTV Drink Up, Rock Out promotion! Basically, gamers can submit their own Rock Band music videos for a chance to win a MTV Video Music Award Moonman, as well as other great Rock Band prizes under the caps of Pepsi bottles everywhere! I just got distracted midway through post writing while watching a bunch of the videos, some are pretty hilarious - here, check this one out.

ANYHOW, beyond the pretty fun campaign going on (i think you have till Sept to rock out and make a fun music video!) ~ stepping back and checking it out ~ i just love that this is art + video games + music + UGC + ad campaign. It's so fun to see the graphic stylings of favorites like MWM Graphics on a Rock Band fender guitar! I must say the number of brands you can tie into this whole endeavor is hurting my head slightly ~ but that aside ~ could the rock band guitar be the new tshirt/skateboard to customize for artists? Check out more pics of this gorgeous collaboration on the next page ~ as well as some screenshots of the campaign (i'm liking the site design!).

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Tags: advertising - games - gifts - guitar - music - shopping - video game

Tetris Tiles!!! Thank you Tomas, who just emailed this in, and i've been giddy since first laying eyes on them... what game room, kitchen, bathroom, etc, can't use some tetris tiling? Although of course, every row had better have some random hole, so the rows don't disappear? And in imagining covering a wall or floor with these, i can't help but wonder whether it really is better to buy the pre-made sheets, or to place each tile one by one, by simply reaching into a bucket randomly... sure it may take ages, but then every tile has a story, and perhaps some rationale behind its placement? They are custom made in the UK from the finest italian ceramics, and while they are already available in quite the range of colors, may also become available in any pantone color of your choice....

Ooooh can you imagine Tetris Tiles in your pool??? My head is spinning with ideas of where/how to use these, see more images on the next page!

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Tags: games - gifts - home - shopping - tile - video game

I Am 8-Bit #4 had its opening last night at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery in Hollywood... and although larger venue, the crowd was even MORE insane than last time, the press tables even more chaotic, and the crowd control and speed of getting people in and out was a bit lacking, however the bouncers were incredibly nice... that said, once you got in, the music was thumping, few were dancing, but many were guzzling, as the floor was pretty much coated in spilt beer... and there was much crowding around the incredible array of gamer inspired art work! But my favorite moment of the whole night... the guy who was taking pictures with his PSP! And the window displays, they made great use of the large storefront windows - from random installations with old controllers, to that couple playing arcade games in their underwear, and the street fighter bricks and more... anyhow, i tried to streamline the pics i took to give you an overview of the experience on the next page, and you can view the full unphotoshopped selection in the gallery.

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Tags: art - events - games - video game

Yes, Game Libratory = Library + Laboratory. And yes, games - meaning everything from those historical ancient emulated DOS PC games to low cost edu-tainment products to the latest PS3, XBOX 360, and Wii games... It's really something that all our current libraries are missing, and there aren't nearly enough (if any) great labs organizing the history of gaming as it flies by us - in such a way that people could someday check them out like microfiche and catch up on some games of the past that are no longer accessible other than to a few who snatch them up from ebay or at a garage sale! Also, imagine how much history there is in simply watching people play these various games, and seeing how the usability and interactions have evolved over time... and when you someday tell your kids, "back in my day, we used a JOYSTICK"... well you can drag them down to the Game Libratory to experience some historical gaming first hand.

So, when this brainchild of NOTCOT friends (from the pre-notcot the site even existing days), Daniel Rehn, Derek Lomas, and Jeremy Douglass, who hooked up with the Software Studies Initiative, Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (CRCA) at Calit2, UC San Diego, launched, it was literally just an idea that is quickly growing out of the tiny lounge space they received from CRCA. They have been accumulating some incredible collections from donors (and shopping on ebay) and contributing their own gaming resources... and students and researchers internationally have been eagerly joining in to explore previously unavailable research opportunities! So while the space is quickly filling up, and they're hopefully expanding to a new home soon - i convinced Daniel to let me take a few shots of things that intrigued me, from their set up, to some of the many crazy gadgets i'd never seen before! So take a peek on the next page ~ and if you're not sure what to do with all your games and systems, but don't want to simply sell them off to anyone... the Game Libratory is a good home for them to take their place in gaming history!

p.s.
things to look forward to? How about across game comparisons of the ways characters die? Or comparisons of the evolution of button mashing across controllers? And don't you think the future Game Libratory needs to have Toledano's Video Game Faces mixed with gorgeous screenshots framed on their walls?

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Tags: game libratory - games - history - research - technology - video game

SPORE! SPORN [nsfw]! And all the madness that has flown around the internets over the launch of the Spore Creature Creator. Since the Spore folks asked us to make a creature for the Spore Vote site - no, i'm no Sporelebrity, just a mere More Spore if i ever get my creatures sorted out and sent in to them. On a side note, how funny are their Sporelebrities? You have the webby kids from Digg, Arrington, iJustine, Scoble, Veronica Belmont - and then tv actors like the OC guy, Alias guy, Sabrina the teenage witch, old saved by the bell guy... and stan lee and emeril... Yes yes, i know they have names, but just surveying the group made me laugh this lazy Saturday.

SO, back to the Spore Creatures ~ dan started challenging me to make "cute" ones that weren't what nightmares were made of... and then creatures with "fewest vertebrae possible" (turns out that is 2)... and other silly tasks, so in trying out the high res picture taking and video capturing... check out a few of my silly creatures (and vid!) on the next page... i've also added the video of the f*ck slug, which is a great example of Spore Typography!

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Tags: animals - games - nature - technology - video - video game

"In his former life as a tracker of dangerous game in the unforgiving Australian outback, the Sniper would spend months by himself. Prolonged isolation taught him a valuable lesson: You don't have to rely on other people if you never miss."

On gorgeous video games, and teaser vids ~ loving this one of The Sniper for Valve's Team Fortress 2! Nothing like this rational animated aussie sniper... Watch it on the next page...

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Tags: video - video game

This is definitely the week of driving. The sites have been insanely quiet today because i have spent over 8 hours cruising down the 101 (the historic El Camino Real - slowly passing many of the california missions) - at no more than 60 mph behind a uhaul towing a car that i spent all day/night packing yesterday... and yesterday between packing (moving the NOTCOT norcal office back to socal - so dan and i are both back in LA for good now), i was also a bit slow yesterday (and sunday and monday) because in between packing i couldn't stop playing MarioKart for the Wii!!! It's terribly addictive, and so adorable, and as silly as it feels to be holding a plastic toddler feeling fake steering wheel, i love it.

So MarioKart for Wii as one extreme... on the other end of the gaming/driving spectrum... getting back to my house after midnight (and the xbox still being in a box in the uhaul somewhere) i was thrilled to be greeted by a large amazon box with the GTA IV Special Edition set for XBOX (also available for PS3)... seriously, no one does schwag like Rockstar - beyond innovative gameplay and gorgeous graphics, their packaging and schwag always manage to blow my mind. So although i haven't played the game yet, the unboxing of the Security Deposit Box, Art Book, Duffle Bag and more is not to be missed... see it all on the next page!

So - MarioKart or GTA? Which will you be driving this week?

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Tags: packaging - reviews - unboxing - video game - wii - xbox

WiiWare!!! Coming in June ~ Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People! As you can tell, i'm pretty excited about this one... can you believe Home Star Runner has been running for 8 years now?!?! Here's an excerpt from the press release:

SAN RAFAEL, CA, April 10, 2008 - Interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale, Inc. is pleased to announce Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (SBCG4AP), a new series of episodic games for WiiWare™, in partnership with Videlectrix. Starring Strong Bad, the self-proclaimed coolest person ever, the series is based on Matt and Mike Chapman's online animated series, which has been running at Homestarrunner.com since 2000. SBCG4AP will launch on WiiWare this June.

As the very first episodic series for connected consoles, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People has been designed specifically for WiiWare, with easy-to-use controls and WiiConnect24™ features. Like Telltale's popular Sam & Max series, SBCG4AP will be released as a five-episode "season" akin to a season of television. The episodes will come out on a monthly schedule. Release dates and pricing details will be revealed in a future announcement.

But the exciting part for today... the launch of the video trailer... and the "well paid advertisement" flash strong bad email! via the wonderful 4 Color Rebellion!

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Tags: games - home star runner - strongbad - video game - wii

ARGH, does anyone else still get the Portal song stuck in their head? If not, feel free to see the video after the jump and see if it buries itself in there for you too. Game play, addictive music, the awesomeness of portals to pop in and out of... put that all aside. Kotaku pointed out this insightful analysis (and imagery!) over at Game-ism... where he (with the enlightening assistance of his wife) visually analyzes GlaDOS in Portal, and as even you can see in the images, she's pretty much tied up and hanging upside down taunting you endless throughout the game... until you "free" her... and he ventures into theories that you are being trained to accomplish her assisted suicide?

The second time I played through I turned the director commentary on, and got confirmation by way of a description of the things they attempted to make GlaDOS look like as they were making the game. What turned the light bulb on was the line "Botticelli's Venus hanging upside down, but we decided to go with something else and use some feminine lines within the structure." I'm paraphrasing; it's late and I don't feel like booting up the game again to get the quote exactly right. The spirit is there in the paraphrase, though, because I think they went for something much more sinister than a Venus.

In a follow up post, he even completely dissects the SONG lyrics! Using this to further back up the assisted suicide concept. I feel silly, but beyond gameplay, its fascinating to see the artists rendering of how he views her, as well as reading all of this analysis of what is so easy to just play and ignore.

Portal ending credits and closing song by Jonathan Coulton embedded after the jump for your viewing pleasure.

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Tags: art - music - video - video game

This is an odd silly post, i know, but i couldn't resist. These Ben Sherman slip ons are super cheap ($40 on sale!)... and they were just so cute, they made me laugh when i saw them. They are Ben Sherman. They are black and white (with the ONE red ghosty). They are covered in Pacman Blinkies! (or is it Blinkys?). And some silly part of me half wants them. They are just too cute and silly. More pics below.

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Tags: fashion - pacman - shoes - shopping - video game

Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition comes with lots of fun schwag - Special Edition is presented in a customized Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box and contains Grand Theft Auto IV in special packaging, The Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book with never-before-seen production artwork, Selected Soundtrack CD with exclusive material to this release, Rockstar Keychain for the safety deposit box keys, and a Limited Edition Rockstar Duffel Bag And Amazon pre-orders also get a free Liberty City GTA License Plate as well. Retailing at $89 and releasing on April 29, 2008 for the PS3 (and the 360). I impulse bought my PS2 specifically for GTA back in college... and now i'm extremely tempted to impulse buy another PS3 (the first one i bought i left for my ex)... although perhaps its worth holding out for the super slim PS3 to come? Trailer videos below!

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Tags: games - gifts - ps3 - shopping - technology - video - video game

Ok perhaps chair wasn't quite the right word for the Slacker... its really Fredrik Olsson and and Sam Sihvonen's Slacker 'throne'... part throwback to viking times... part wide comfy lounger... and part gamer etchings? With wooden engraved skulls and "Game Over" messaging along the side, there's no mistaking this for an ancient relic. Fredrik Olsson and Sam Sihvonen are currently attending the master program at the School of Design and Crafts at Göteborg University in Sweden, and this piece was just exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair... "Our aim was to try pushing the usual design furniture aesthetics to a more personalized look and load it with sentimental value. We have based the design on how we as teenagers sat while playing video games or acting as slackers. The chair is low with a stretched out upholstered seat. The design mix the styles of Scandinavian crafted woodwork with video games aesthetics resembling an Egyptian pharaoh throne." Only thing i think is missing? Perhaps some fabric options and a side table with engraved cheat codes and holsters for your various controllers (and your beer?). See close ups after the jump!

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Tags: chair - furniture - games - video game

Wow thanksgiving was a bit different this year. Apparently technology = bonding? Was this true for you too? Did your wii, xbox 360, and cell phones change the social dynamic of the feasting?

I haven't done a big family one (or been in the states for it) much the last decade... so it was funny to see everyone all grown up and out of college at my aunts, and we had a new set of young ones (twins 7 and 4) and all of us 20 somethings to entertain them. Just thinking back on what we did as kids at thanksgiving... we probably ran around outside - pool/basketball/tennis/etc, built forts, board games? movies? played lots of mortal kombat, sonic, etc? Well it certainly feels like times have changed... i brought down a plate of cookies and a basket of wii games as my contribution... the cousins had the wii projected on the wall ~ and hours were spent introducing newbies (who quickly got competitive!) to wii golf, tennis, and guitar hero... (fascinating watching how quickly even the 4 year olds would pick up mii making and game playing - not to mention how impressive the 7 year olds were at guitar hero)... the older generation was singing along... and when the little ones got bored early at dinner ~ their instant amusement? Borrowing camera phones and running around taking pictures and asking to keep them (i was slightly surprised they weren't emailing them to themselves)...

Anyhow, i wasn't the only one... Dan flew out to see family in Virginia and brought the wii and everything to go with it... and over at Joystiq, Ross has a great post on bringing Rock Band to his family feast (love checking out the images and the full family review of the new game)... and my old boss was even going to throw a Rock Band Party for Black Friday (momentarily postponed!)... Anyhow, just a quick post to reminisce... and ponder what we did back in the day?!?! So i guess i should have really added Rock Band and Guitar Hero to the Thanksgiving survival gift guide, but at least i had the wii!

Oh and on guitar hero ~ quite possibly the best Will It Blend to date is the one below of the GUITAR being blended. Must watch.

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Tags: gifts - shopping - video game - wii - xbox

Rayman's Raving Rabbids 2 is here! (like literally in my hand) Finally! Anyhow, i've been over worked and under slept all week, and its been sheer insanity, so i'm taking a breather to play this ridiculousness for now! See more silliness at their awesome blog.

Tags: gifts - shopping - video game - wii

The Rabbids have returned! Almost... Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 coming in Nov! They are back and better than ever for wii ~ more mini games ~ and you can even customize not only rayman but the rabbids too with over 110 items! And the theme is world travel (makes sense since they've been launching all of the "around the world" videos on their blog)... also noteworthy and silly exciting thing for this strangely dreary halloween day ~ seeing my Rabbid toy on their faux desktop. And as always their desktops, screensavers, videos, and graphic design are top notch ~ so see below for screenshots, etc.

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Tags: gifts - shopping - video game - wii - xbox

Mmmmm crazy gamer art that inspired the actual games. Into The Pixel "is an exploration and celebration of the art of the video game, curated by interactive industry veterans and experts from the art establishment." This year it showed at E3 in santa monica, then the Toronto Film Festival, and its currently showing at E for All in LA. I went through the last few years, and even out of those these three still amuse/inspire me the most. Then again... i do have a thing for the crazy artsy games (i.e. Rabbids! Dewey! Viva Piñata! Katamari! etc...). What's really interesting about these piece are that they are often pre-video game (or during) development, and are made my the art directors and designers working on the games. For example this Rabbids one is by Florent Sacre, the Art Director for Rayman Raving Rabbids. Dewey one is by Shigechy. And the Viva Piñata piece is by Ryan Stevenson - "a veteran of Rare projects like It's Mister Pants! and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, [he] made his name as the concept artist behind the vibrant and unmistakable Viva Piñata."

On a sidenote: while researching i discovered the IGN Raving Rabbids blog from before the game came out, with some incredible behinds the scenes imagery and hilarious shots of the game makers and their rabbids... so some peeks at that below as well as full sized images of the crops above.

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Tags: art - video game

Ninja Town! The Wee Ninja's of Shawnimals have come a LONG WAY since we first started writing about them. [You can see all the posts here]... apparently they are now well on their way to becoming a Wii Ninja (ok ok, i couldn't resist)... but they have a Ninja Town game coming out for Nintendo DS soon! (Trailer below!) And even more incredible... look at this cast! I can't stop laughing from the description of the Ninja Consultant... yes, he has one arm. And "For a fee, with powerpoint presentations and flow charts in tow he’ll show you ways to make your business process more efficient by using side steps, smoke bombs and stealth hugs." The new Ninja Town site is now up, with bios, icons, wallpapers, etc. And more images below as well for you.

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Tags: gifts - kids - shopping - toys - video game

There is little that is more amusing than the official Raving Rabbids videos... the first round was amazing with Rabbid Facts... and this time there is the Around the World campaign... so far with Bunnies at Tour de France, and Sumo wrestling! Check out the videos below, as well as the main trailer. Can't wait till Raving Rabbids 2 finally comes out.

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Tags: gifts - shopping - video - video game - wii

Lonely Planet and PSP teamed up last year to create this PSP Passport to... series of digital guides, and they were only released in Europe/Australia, and cover 6 European cities: Amsterdam, Prague, Rome, London, Paris, and Barcelona. Yes, i know i'm a year late on this one, but i only just stumbled upon them, and two things struck me: 1. Gorgeous covers (although strangely Katamari reminiscent... perhaps the crammed city highlights and the color/style of the illustrations) and 2. conceptually this is an interesting combination of gaming/digital entertainment handheld and lonely planet guide (both of which you are probably carrying while running around traveling), and far more navigable than an ipod guide... although this does make me wonder when the mini iPhone friendly pages will be popping up for travel guides, and for mapping, thanks to google maps on my phone, that part is now taken care of wherever i end up. Anyhow, check out the rest of the covers below, a youtube of the "game" in action, and some screenshots. Conclusion from what i read around the internets is that cool idea that fell short in execution. Also, although 39$ at Lonely Planet... these are all 7 pounds at Amazon UK.

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Tags: gifts - shopping - travel - video - video game

Wii Strap Ons... there's the Sports Pack" and the Combat Pack, and we've posted about them both (on com and .org)... well, its hard to tell what the quality, packaging, amusingly slightly altered logos (Wii or Wu?), materials, details, etc were like ~ so Jermacide bought them for our amusement... unboxing and close ups below.

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Tags: gifts - reviews - shopping - video game - wii

Need to find more ways to make your Wii feel more realistic? Or more like when you were a little kid and had a battle with wooden (ok, so mine were plastic i think) swords? This new foam collection by Hong Kong based Brando were too hilarious. Sword, Shield and Knife? or is it a machete? or a curved bladed thing to swing around? So here's a little set to help make those endless hours of Zelda more enjoyable... and red steel... and any other game you manage to use them with! via Red Ferret.

Tags: gifts - shopping - video game - wii

I Am 8-Bit @ Gallery 1988 - So i made it afterall - quick one night trip to LA, figured i'd stop by. Gut reaction from the show? Overhyped. And i haven't seen a line like that for a gallery in... forever? It felt like a hipsterfest line up for an amusement park ride or something, absolute madness. And it is a Tues night! Amusing to see the GameJew wandering around in his shirtless mario overalls... mtv took over a corner in the tiny gallery... g4 was interviewing artists on the sidewalk... and the line practically went around the block... not to mention the insane packed party out back with giant gaming going on.

Oh... and there was art too. Some great pieces from our faves like Stella Im Hultberg, Amy Sol, Luke Chueh, and so many more... and a surprisingly large number of rather dreary mario scenes... a giant snake sculpture... window full of pixelblocks... Might need to go back when the crowds settle... it was a strange mix, as colin pointed out to me, you heard a lot more "omg, thats donkey kong/super mario/[insert game name here]" than "wow, thats an incredible painting". To see my mass of unedited images from the night see I Am 8-Bit in Gallery NOTCOT.

Tags: art - video game

Freshly launched today for xbox 360 ~ Guitar Hero II has been my between work distraction of the day ~ its far too fun "strumming" to possum kingdom between posts... just discovered one of the gorgeous ad spots over on Stash Media's Feed. "Pete Candeland, the Passion Pictures powerhouse director behind the Gorillaz videos does it again, this time for the Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II. The agency is McCann Worldgroup out of San Francisco." Its a really beautiful spot, view it here.

Tags: advertising - guitar - video - video game - xbox