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UFO crashes in Potters Fields Park as part of Vauxhall promotion
The launch of the next-generation Vectra (or Insignia, as it has become) has been a long time coming, and Vauxhall is making good and sure everyone notices now that its time has arrived. As part of an elaborate marketing scheme, the automaker crashed a UFO in Potters Fields Park in London, and there was even a fence, men in dark glasses that were evidently mute and copious amounts of smoke to set the scene. Just how this relates to a new motorcar? You've got us there.[Via Black-Night-Sky]
3,000 LEDs used to build glitzy SMS-controlled UFO
Hey France, we've got one more for your sophisticated UFO archive. Dreamed up by artist Peter Coffin and crafted in conjunction with London-based Cinimod Studio, this 7-meter structure was built from aluminum and covered with 3,000 shockingly bright programmable LEDs. Furthermore, there's an on board 6kW generator to provide power, and the overall UFO can be remotely controlled via SMS. There are even assertions that this thing flew along the coast of Sopot, Poland on July 4th (and even a video to "prove it," posted after the jump), but we all know how dubious such proclamations can be. [Via Hack N Mod]
Have you herd? Capcom reveals sheepish Flock for XBLA, PC, PSN
With no seagulls in sight, Capcom has unveiled Flock, an arcade title about herding sheep with a UFO. IGN has a preview and trailer of the game, which they describe as a Lemmings-style romp with user-generated levels, 50 stages and co-op. No release date, but it's currently in development for PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. [Via X3F]
Boxart battle: Rock Blast vs Trix
We recently came across this cover for UFO Interactive's Rock Blast -- a game we'd never even heard of before -- and immediately thought of, what else, Trix. Juxtaposing the two designs, it's impossible not to see the similarities! Comparing the two releases, though Rock Blast doesn't limit its potential audience to "just kids," Trix, being a breakfast cereal and all, has the advantage of being delicious.Yes, you could argue that Rock Blast's puffed spheres have more color to them, implying richer fruit flavoring, but you're forgetting that Trix is also a good source of whole grain and calcium. No need to feel embarrassed, it's a common mistake. Bring a spoon past the post break and dig into a larger version of the Rock Blast cover.See also: Boxart battle: Emblem of Gundam vs Front Mission 2089
French Taser chief hints at flying shockbot
According to a recent report, the French head of stun-gun maker Taser has plans to create a "mini-flying saucer like drone which could also fire Taser stun rounds on criminal suspects or rioting crowds." Antoine di Zazzo, fervent proselytizer of the electroshock weapon, is cutting through the is / isn't torture noise of recent UN reports with the news that the non-lethal device is about to make a serious splash in France, with president Nicolas Sarkozy promising to hand one to every policeman and gendarme. Of course, once di Zazzo's army of tiny, hovering stun machines take to the air -- sometime next year -- the police probably won't have to worry about brandishing their weapons.[Thanks, Craig B.]
OMG! 26 scary minigames!
Well, the extremely plausible rumor turned out to be true after all. UFO Interactive is releasing a minigame collection called O.M.G. 26 - Our Mini Games. They've got the web page, boxarts and screens to prove it.Bizarrely, it's a somewhat horror-themed minigame collection, which doesn't strictly follow from the title. It takes place in a haunted mansion, and features "over 25 mini-games that will have you fend off flying dishes, search for keys, escape from ginormous boulders and more." And, apparently, piles of hamburgers.If we had to guess, we would say that this is a localized version of some Japanese minigame collection that we have been unable to identify. Anyone have an idea?
Kiki Kai World: the best news ever
UFO Entertainment announced today their plans to release Kiki Kai World for the PS2 and Wii. Kiki Kai World is a "spiritual successor" to Taito's classic shooter Kiki Kaikai, known in the US as Pocky & Rocky.Developer Starfish announced a sequel to Kiki Kaikai last year with crisp, bright 2D art. It was cancelled. According to the UFO rep Game|Life's Chris Kohler spoke to, this isn't the same game, but it's "very similar" (which probably means just similar enough to avoid problems with Taito.) We were sad when Kiki Kaikai 2 died. Little did we know that it would come back on a system that is so dear to us. Everybody, cross your fingers and hope this actually makes it to the shelves in early 2008.
Samsung busts out 7.2Mbps SCH-W300
Ooh, how do you like them apples, LG? Just days after word of its SH150 for Korea's 7.2Mbps HSDPA trials spread across the lands, Samsung fires this little gem in return. The so-called "UFO" (don't ask us) SCH-W300 features a 2 megapixel camera (plus the obligatory front-facing piece for video calls), QVGA display, Bluetooth, and microSD expansion in a 12.9mm thich shell -- not particularly impressive by 2007 standards, until you hear about that magical 7.2Mbps downstream radio packed somewhere in there. Look for it alongside its crosstown rival's SH150 for just a little more dinero, 600,000 won (about $632).
Mysterious Mysteries: UFO spotted above Honor Hold
If you have been to Honor Hold recently, you may have observed a strange flying creature circling the alchemists' tower. Insatiably curious, cunningly perceptive adventurers everywhere may well wonder: What in the world is that thing doing there?Lebowski, the resident engineering trainer, teaches his classes not too far from there. "One of my students pointed to it and asked me what it was," He told Mysterious Mysteries earlier this afternoon, "and this gave me the perfect opportunity to unveil my latest invention, the Telesupernaturaspectroscope! It may seem like a mere [Ornate Spyglass], but I have fitted it with a [Super-snapper FX] and a coating of [Ghost Dye], thus allowing us to capture images of spectral creatures while observing from a safe distance!" The Telesupernaturaspectrograph Lebowski took is quite chilling indeed. "You can see here," he tells us, "the Unexplainable Freaky Owl -- or 'UFO' as I call it -- is not only blue, but it seems to have gaping holes in its wings! Yet it flies! I suspect the alchemists are up to something!" We questioned Alchemist Gribble and Magus Zabraxis inside the alchemists tower as to what they think about this strange UFO flying about their tower. Miss Zabraxis replied that she didn't know about freaky owls but offered to show us her latest experiment, while Mr. Gribble stated, "It is the obvious result of conditions and circumstances which brought about its existence! Now go away and come back when you're ready to learn Extremely Advanced Alchemy!" Rorelien, the night elven Herbalist Trainer was seen to be lurking suspiciously in the background, but she declined to comment.Have you spotted any strange or inexplicable items or creatures in your journeys around Outland? Have you any theories as to what they're there for?
X-Com: Screenshots from the Deep
We would trade our souls for a DS version of X-Com: UFO Defense, had we not already sold the bedraggled things to Milhouse at a discount price of five dollars of course, but it looks like Blue_knight's homebrew port of the tactical RPG is coming along well enough. Three cheers for hobbyist programmers!He has added a lot since we last covered the project -- tile selection, a tweaked UI, and an "entity rendering system." Though we're not sure what exactly that all means, the screenshots we grabbed and added past the post break look promising. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some souls to track down. Last we heard, Milhouse exchanged them for Alf pogs. Alf pogs! Remember Alf? He's back ... in pog form.%Gallery-4133%
Godspeed, X-Com DS
We usually wait until a homebrew project has had time to mature past its alpha builds before calling the game to your attention, but we take exception with any and all plans for a portable X-Com: UFO Defense. Our love affair with the turn-based, tactical title has been a romance with few equals, inviting comparisons with Shakespeare's tragic coupling of Romeo and Juliet. Should society ever try to separate us, you'll find that we've already taken measures to leave this miserable world, our lifeless arms entwined with X-Com's diskettes even in death. Blue_knight has posted screenshots of the progress he's made so far with adapting the game's data for the DS. The handheld clone already features tileset loading/creation, four height views, and touchscreen support for scrolling around the battlescape. Though there's still a lot left to implement, like fog of war and a map overview on the second screen, that hasn't stopped us from scouting countries for potential bases and trading tips on how to best attack Chryssalid terror sites.%Gallery-4133%[Via DCEmu]
Eat! Hot Noodles Tasting Spirit: Ouendan-esque ramen commercial!
This commercial may or may not be a direct parody of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! but it is certainly evocative of our favorite male-cheerleader-based rhythm game. And it performs a public service!If you watch this ad for Nissin's UFO ramen bowls, you'll learn an important life lesson about without having to pay the no-doubt exorbitant tuition required to attend the "UFO man school." The lesson is as follows: finish your freaking noodle bowl if you value your life. True story time! When we were in college (not that long ago!) you couldn't get these things in American grocery stores like you can now. We ordered a bunch of Japanese food online, and had a horrible allergic reaction to one of these noodle bowls. Delicious noodles, though!The video is posted after the break, with no further embarrassing personal anecdotes.
Devilish coming to the US after basically FOREVER
Only two years after the Japanese release date, and sixteen years after the original Game Gear release, Devilish: Ball Bounder has an American publisher.Devilish is a Breakout-style game with complex level design, and, well, devilish trappings. UFO Interactive has it listed for a US release in "Summer 2007", though EBGames says the 17th of this month.It may not matter when the thing is coming out, because apparently it's far less than perfect. Being the rabid Arkanoid fans we are, we're still intrigued, although Devilish lacks touchscreen control and we always used the analog controller for Arkanoid.
Neues Licht offers up fiber optic lighting on UFO Chandelier
We've seen plenty of space-aged (and cosmically-influenced) lighting systems in our day, but a newfangled German operation is melding high-class style, energy efficiency, and whole lot of pizazz into one nifty lighting structure. Neues Licht's UFO Chandelier rocks strands of fiber optics arranged above a floating ring, which give off a colored glow depending on whatever light source you attach to it. The designer, Simon Bruenner, describes his innovative chandelier as "simplicity from another planet," and describes that its origin of light can be from the sun or in a different room altogether. Furthermore, the fixture is reportedly waterproof, making it feasible for use in your new spa / pool room, and considering the potential energy savings from pumping in sunlight, you shouldn't have too much trouble convincing your SO that this thing's worthwhile. Simon's masterpiece was on display lighting things up at last week's Cologne Furniture Fair, and while there's no set date for mass production, we can't imagine Lowe's not jumping all over this one sometime soon.[Via Inhabitat]
French space agency to launch UFO archive
With the responsibility for training their astronauts turned over to Europe and cat launchings no longer in vogue, what's a French space agency to do? Become the official Internet source for UFO sightings, naturally. See, according to Jacques Arnould of France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales space agency, CNES will publish their archive of some 1,600 UFO sightings and other foo fightin' phenomena before mid-February. The on-line archives will consist of about 6,000 reports (many relating to the same incident) filed by pilots and the public alike over the last 30 years. That gives you about two months to hone your conspiracy theories and brush up on your high-school French. What, you didn't expect these to be published in English did you?[Thanks, Mike]
Solid Alliance phones home with UFO detector, warns of imminent takeover
We're not surprised that the slightly off kilter Solid Alliance is breaking out yet another questionably designed device, but you can certainly color us impressed if the company's newfangled UFO detector actually does everything it's supposed to. Marketed as a cellphone wrist strap (you know, so you always have this highly pertinent device with you), this unearthly "radar strap" is reportedly sensitive to intergalactic changes and cosmic forces surrounding us all, and it presumably goes berserk whenever it detects a UFO overhead. Sporting both UFO detection and "extraterrestrial heuristic" modes, it can even discern if the mysterious flying object is harmful to your health or simply a peaceful creature from another locale. While we hope this insult of human intelligence doesn't catch on, you can spend your hard-earned ¥2,222 ($19) to snag one now until it becomes the next standard inclusion on our favorite handsets.[Via The Raw Feed]
KAZooK is yet another mini-game compilation
Really? How many games do we need that feature quirky art styles and short mini-games. Sure, you can fight zombies, wrestle sumo-style and pilot a UFO, but with WTF and HOT PXL both coming out for the handheld, isn't this genre already a bit too crowded? The game features 30 mini-games, which seems to pale in comparison to HOT PXL's hundreds. It also features 16 characters and wi-fi multiplayer. It also featured Game Sharing, but don't get too excited: you can only play 5 of the games through this feature.Don't you agree that maybe KAZooK will be too little, too late? Especially when HOT PXL features downloadable levels to extend its life. Check out shindakun.net for more pics.[Thanks, steve!]
