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Yo-Yo Factory brings Hyper Scanner yo-yo gaming to Toy Fair, we go hands-on
We'll forgive you if you've never heard of Hyper Scanner. The carnival style arcade game is apparently all the rage in Japan, though. Kids line up to battle it for king of the yo-yo hill. Yo-Yo Factory came out to Toy Fair to show off its customizable yo-yo system, designed for the serious aficionado. Everything from the weight, to the bearings, to the colors can be tailored to your taste and to greatly improve the performance for particular tasks. The Hyper Scanner measures how fast the toy spins in RPMs and rates your performance -- not unlike a high striker. Brand manager and member of the development team Ben McPhee demoed how much better his company's products are over a standard yo-yo by ratcheting it up to near 7,000RPM. This Engadget editor was also given a chance to prove his yo-yo mettle, but couldn't break the 3,000 mark. Of course, the game has plenty of blinking lights and loud noises to entice you to play -- including repeatedly shouting "hyper" at you in a thick Japanese accent. Check out the video after the break to see it in action.
Super Pong Table serves up four-way retro play, whole lot of awesome (video)
Sure it's just sliding sticks and bouncing balls, but anyone who grew up playing Atari can tell you that Pong rules. Unfortunately, its earliest incarnation only supported enough 2D fun for two, which is why our eyes just about popped out of our heads when we saw this. The folks over at Instructables are showing off another awesome retro gaming project that makes everyone's favorite game a party pleaser -- it's also a pretty good fix for an old coffee table. The Super Pong Table allows for up to four players and fives balls per game, and enlists 900 LEDs and four Atari paddle controllers to make the thing work. Each player controls his or her own stick and gains or loses a point depending on whether they hit or miss a ball -- the first player to reach 20 points gets their very own "YOU WIN" light up display. Looks like we just found something to do with our weekend. You can check out a video of the table in action after the break or follow the source link for instructions on making your own.
Ion iCade hands-on: gaming on the iPad like it's 1979 (video)
You may recall ThinkGeek's pretty convincing April Fools' prank last year: the iCade cabinet for the iPad. Now, thanks to the keen beans at Ion, the two companies held hands and turned this totally rad concept into reality (although they're definitely not the first). Come late spring, retro gaming enthusiasts will be able to pick up one of these well-built Bluetooth joystick kits for $99 direct from Ion, and eventually they'll make it across the pond for about €99 and £79. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of classic games available to suit the iCase courtesy of Atari, who's already got Asteroids working beautifully on the iPad (and it's actually a lot harder than it looks); any iOS game that takes a Bluetooth input peripheral should also play nice with the iCade. Hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-113155%
Angry Birds gets real... corporeal (in China, at least)
Let's be honest: you can never get enough of Angry Birds, but for those wandering around Guangzhou, China, you might be able to get your fix at this arcade booth. Like the game itself, there's an actual slingshot for firing your enraged fowls at a bunch of plush doll piggies, except there are no special abilities like explosion or splitting -- maybe the next version will take care of that, unless Rovio Mobile decides it's game over for these guys.
Super Twario goes where Tweetdeck fears to tread: Game Center (video)
As if the up-to-the-minute reports on your friends, family, and @davidgewirtz weren't enough, Super Twario for iOS is available right now at the App Store. Your $2 purchase turns reading and replying tweets into a game, as you interact, arcade style, with your friends' avatars and your co-workers' interminable pics of their entrees. If that weren't enough, all your stats and achievements are sent to the Game Center, so you can find out whether or not you are, indeed, the biggest twit in your clique. See it in action after the break.
Konami's Road Fighters 3D hits Japan's arcades
We know it's tough to deal with the sorry state of arcades these days, but they're still thriving in Japan, and Konami has just announced one more reason to be jealous in the form of Road Fighters 3D. As you can see, that's actual 3D complete with 3D glasses, although the game can apparently also be played in 2D if you're not quite ready to experience "one of the most thrilling arcade racing experiences on the planet." Keeping up with other modern arcade machines, the game also has an online multiplayer mode, and it incorporates Konami's PASELI digital cash system so you don't have to worry about having enough change. Look for it to hit arcades in Japan by the end of the month.
Operation Pure Wind demolishes over 600 arcade machines... on video!
For a soul-crushing show of government power, one need look no further than this video of six hundred arcade game consoles being destroyed in a public ceremony by the Jinan Municipal Public Security Bureau in the People's Republic of China. The soothingly named "Operation Pure Wind" took place earlier this month, focusing on illegal and unlicensed criminal activity, including pornography and electronic gambling, and resulted in some 165 arrests. Sure, they're only Baccarat games, but who knows? Maybe if they hadn't been brought up in such a terrible environment they'd have grown up to become Galaga or Mappy consoles. Either way, it's quite sad. Video after the break.
TUAW's Daily App: Space Miner: Space Ore Bust
Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is a terrific game for the iPhone -- it's an arcade game that's basically a one-stick shooter, where you move a ship around a 2D field (rendered in colorful 3D), collecting asteroid ore and taking down alien robots. But though the basic premise of the game is quite simple, there's actually a lot of depth that builds up over time, as you navigate around various zones, and upgrade your ship, your ore collector, and all of the other various parts of your space ore business. And while the gameplay is tight and fun, the best part of Space Miner (in my humble opinion) is the brilliant and hilarious script. Not only does the story of the game give you great reasons to keep going out there and blasting ore, but it's legitimately creative and funny. Chicago poet and performer Robbie Q. Telfer is listed in the credits as story editor, and that really paid off for the game -- some of the dialogue is just perfect. So yes, the game is worth a buy even at the normal $4.99 price -- but wait, there's more. Starting tomorrow, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is going on sale for just 99 cents for a limited time to help promote the Venan Arcade's upcoming second game, the strangely titled Ninjatown: Trees of Doom. At that price, it's worth a purchase just to play through the tutorial. Definitely be sure to grab it.
Family-friendly Zombies on the iPhone
We have a lot of apps coming through our tipline, but this one caught my eye, not only because it is called Zombies (the stumbling undead always catch my eye), but because it offers up a bit of good old-fashioned fun in the form of a Daleks!-style remake. Gameplay is simple and straighforward -- you run, turn-by-turn in eight directions, from zombies, who pursue you at the same speed, and though the game runs at any pace you want (perfect for gameplay on the iPhone, in my opinion, since most of the time I'm just looking for a few seconds to a couple minutes of easy-to-pick-up action), the dread is real. Just like actual zombies, these guys shamble their way toward you with a hunger that only brains can satisfy. The game is on the App Store now [iTunes link]. I will say that it is a touch pricey at $2.99 (a simple arcade game like this seems made for the 99-cent price point, and it will probably end up there eventually), but who am I to begrudge the developers a couple of bucks? I don't need to drink that cup of Starbucks anyway. If you're in the mood for a simple, zombified twist on an old classic, this is it. While you're at it, check out the Zombies preview video we shot at WWDC last July.
Sky Burger for iPhone/iPod touch free for the day
Hey, the weekend is coming, so how serious can we be? Sky Burger, [App Store] a pretty cute arcade game for the iPhone and iPod touch, is free today only. Note: As of Saturday morning PDT the app is still free. The game involves tilting your iPhone to catch ingredients to make a sandwich with the required ingredients. There are 50 possible burger orders to try and get right. You cap it all off with a bun. It reminds me a little bit of the theme of the 1982 game called Burger Time. Sky Burger seems a bit silly but it can get pretty addictive as you try to build up points and tips. The game has good music and sound effects. Try it for free: even vegetarians will like it. Tomorrow the game goes back up to US$0.99. Even at that price, it's pretty good fun.Thanks, Ian!
Red Bull Air Racing on the iPhone
Got a hankering to fly through some pylons? Red Bull Air Race World Championship Lite Version [App Store link] might be just the ticket. The $0.99US game puts you in air races in either San Diego or Abu Dhabi. Red Bull Air Race is not a flight simulator like X-Plane, but more of an arcade game. It uses the iPhone accelerometer for steering. and is pretty responsive. The course, said to be an accurate representation of the real locations, is rendered in nice 3D. On-screen markers point you in the right direction if you get off course. You will.Flying the race is a good challenge, and happily you can choose to turn off the background music if you want to. You can choose a cockpit eye view, or follow along behind your plane.In the hangar you can chose from 2 planes to fly, but you have no options to configure them further. An options screen allows you to change the volume, the vibration and sensitivity of the controls. There is also a calibration screen if things get off a bit.The game is the lite version, with a more full-featured version coming. It runs on both the iPhone and the iPod touch.My only complaint is that the game has a slow load time, made even slower by seeing an animated logo from the developers, then a video from a real race. It takes about a minute from the time you launch the app until you are flying. As they used to say around the flight schools, 'Got time to spare, go by air.'Screen shots are here:%Gallery-50338%
Sega's Storm-G arcade experience puts the "g" in puking
An uncompromising vision of a future world dominated by roving, power-up-collecting bobsled gangs, Sega's new Storm-G arcade game puts a "spin" on things by rotating the rider a full 360 degrees in accordance with the action. It's not exactly the most immersive arcade experience ever produced -- at some point you'd think Sega would get tired of rolling people down virtual tubes -- but it does look pretty wild and stomach-wrenching. The folks at Akihabara News got to try it firsthand at Sega's Joypolis in Odaiba Japan, and found the experience rather exhausting. Check out the video after the break.
Arm wrestling arcade game recalled due to penchant for arm breaking
It's all fun and games until somebody gets their arm broken by a robotic arm wrestling machine. Atlas Co. is recalling its "Arm Spirit" arm wrestling arcade game from the market in Japan after the 150 machines scored three broken person arms between them. Spokeswoman Ayano Sakiyama had some smack for gamers puny enough to get their arms broken over the pink barrel: "The machine isn't that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it." Yeah, she just shot down any robo-warrior cred you suckers might've been hoping for out of the situation. "We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way," but they're recalling the machine as "a precaution."[Via Engadget Japanese]
Wingnuts 2 is almost done!
I'm dreading the release of Wingnuts 2 -- its predecessor was so addictive that it hooked my dad, my uncle and numerous friends. The phrase "can you help me get past this level?" has never been so annoying. On Freeverse's blog, they've announced that the game is nearing Gold Master status (the final stage before distribution) so make sure you've got a clear schedule for the next few days weeks months *ahem* years. While you're waiting for the game to be released, check out the latest screenshots of the game over at Games4Mac.Read - Wingnuts 2 nearing Gold MasterView - Latest Wingnuts 2 screenshots
