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Hasbro's NET JET merges USB controller with online gaming
We've all seen those cheesy kiosks at the mall with some guy trying to sell you a controller with "8,000 games" built right in, which you can plug directly into your television for about three minutes of actual enjoyment, but now Hasbro is hoping to add a shade of respectability to the plug-and-play controller game market with its $24.99 NET JET device. The USB controller plugs directly into your PC (sorry, Mac users), and once you insert your "game card" of choice into the controller, it navigates to an online web portal where the corresponding game is launched and played on your screen. Hasbro offers up a variety of somewhat kid-centric titles at $14.99 apiece, including Marble Blast XP, Kool Kart Racers, Super Soaker Water Fight, and the obligatory SpongeBob SquarePants' Pizza Toss. Ideally, this wouldn't be a bad solution to laptop gaming for your offspring on lengthy road trips, but you should be sure to get a 3G-equipped lappie before taking this out where the WiFi doesn't roam.[Via EverythingUSB]
Tiger Electronics' Power Tour guitar rocks out with lights and sensors
While your teenage daughter might prefer something a bit more sophisticated, and your male child is probably rippin' it up right now on Guitar Hero, Hasbro's Tiger Electronics is coming out with an axe designed to let little tykes learn their favorite tunes without all the complicated (and pricey) lessons. The Power Tour electric guitar will come with 12 pre-loaded songs, and the string-free instrument will rock a bevy of sensors on the fretboard and body, which will allow youngsters to play along as they follow the light patterns with the music. Additionally, it's slated to have an aux input, allowing users to plug in any song they choose and jam along, but there's no word on whether or not that sweet pictured amp comes along in the bundle. Nevertheless, this kid-friendly guitar could actually find its way into quite a few musically-challenged adult hands as well when it lands in August for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Yahoo, thanks Adam]
Playskool and Creative give birth to a healthy baby MP3 player
Considering that it has been made explicitly clear that iPods are not meant to be eaten or chewed on, the popular DAP is pretty much ruled out as a contender for the ears of our wee young ones. Thankfully Hasbro-subsidiary Playskool and Creative have teamed up to make sure that baby Apple isn't left out of the loop (you could be missing a key demographic, Steve). The "Made For Me" line of MP3 players is pretty scarce on details, but what we do know is that it comes preloaded with 50 songs, has a voice recorder, and can be used with other appropriately labeled "Made For Me" toys (sounds familiar). The device should be available come fall and is expected to retail for about $80. While we'd personally just stick a stereo in our kid's room and call it a day, we will reserve judgement and leave the parenting to the parents.[Via Shiny Shiny]
Peak of civilization reached: I-CY Penguin to chill with I-Dog
Now you've gone and done it, Hasbro. It's just all downhill from here, now that you've launched the world's awesomest and potentially most pointless audio accessory ever, the I-CY Penguin. A species of the I-Dog / I-Cat / I-Dog Pup / I-Fish family, the I-CY Penguin gets down with your music, and can communicate its moods through arbitrary musical riffs, flashing lights, movements and squawks. We know you want one, don't even try and deny it, and at $19.99 when this thing launches in March '07, you shouldn't have much trouble appeasing your I-CY lust.[Via Chip Chick]
Metareview - Neverwinter Nights 2 [Update 1]
Obsidian Entertainment and dungeon masters the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief now that the scores for Neverwinter Nights 2 are in. The single player campaign has been well received by the gaming press, and the revamped toolset is expected to afford NWN2 a shelf life comparable to its predecessor. However, not all is well in the Forgotten Realms. The 1UP reviewer seems to have overlooked the fact that Oblivion and NWN represent different styles of roleplaying. Bethesda emphasizes aesthetic presentation and open-ended adventuring, while BioWare and Obsidian have focused on a tighter combat system (hence the rules) and an extendable architecture befitting of the classic Dungeons & Dragons experience. Keeping this in mind, both franchises excel at what they were designed for. GameDaily (100/100) cites several improvements over the original NWN: "There are plenty of things about NWN2 that are different from its precursor. Better graphics, a much more robust and option-filled character creation process, plus deeper plotlines, with more twists and better villains help add to an already stellar feature list. Neverwinter Nights 2 is truly one of the most epic adventures found on a PC, and it should be purchased without hesitation." GameSpot (86/100) considers NWN2 the most authentic D&D experience to date: "If you're willing to look past a few relatively minor technical issues, you'll have a great time exploring the world of NWN2. The excellent story, characters, and quests will appeal to your sense of adventure without getting overly convoluted. When you factor in the multiplayer and the editing tools, you'll find that NWN2 is a fantastic value and a thoroughly enjoyable game." 1UP (50/100) fired a 3d6 Melf's Acid Arrow right at the heart of the D&D community: "With all the added rule-shuffling, NWN2 seems like it's working twice as hard to accomplish half as much. Worse -- and blame this on games like Oblivion -- NWN2's levels feel pint-sized. As if the pencil and paper 'module' approach were a virtue that computers -- by now demonstrably capable of simulating entire worlds with considerably more depth -- should emulate." Update 1: 1UP has pulled their damning review of NWN2, so I guess there is justice in the world. Here are a few new scores: Yahoo! Games (90/100), IGN (85/100).
One more Neverwinter Nights 2 tease
T-minus seven days until Obsidian's Neverwinter Nights 2 hits the shelves, and Russian web site CRPG has posted over a dozen updated screens that highlight the shiny new interface. GameSpot also has some excellent screen grabs of the enhanced NWN toolset, which at least one enthusiastic developer is already putting to good use. How many of you depleted your Halloween candy budgets to order the limited edition?See also: NWN2 elite races, prestige classes previewed
NWN2 elite races, prestige classes previewed
Atari and Obsidian announced today that Neverwinter Nights 2 has officially gone gold and will be available Oct. 31. To tide us over, WarCry and Neverwinter Vault have been chronicling the emerging details of NWN2's new elite races, which include the Aasimar, Drow, and tongue-twisting Svirfneblin. You can also find complete descriptions of the game's 17 prestige classes (including the new Arcane Trickster and War Priest) in this post from BioWare's NWN2 forum. Be sure to get the obligatory annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown out of the way before launch day, kids.See also: Planescape Trilogy planned for NWN2 NWN2's baddie nasties revealed
Sega Toys' Dream Pony is one freaky robot
Remember the Uncanny Valley? It's that place where robots look very much like the biological entities that they're meant to emulate, but just dissimilar enough to give them a very creepy appearance. Well we'd suggest that Sega Toys' upcoming Dream Pony falls squarely into the valley, as the 4-foot tall bot certainly resembles a real mini horse -- though as you can see in the pictures (both here and after the jump), it probably has the potential to really freak people out. Nonetheless, Sega is confident that this latest addition to its zoo of robotic pets will be popular enough among little girls (and immature men such as ourselves) that it can move 10,000 of these strange toys per year. Since you wouldn't pay $600 for a stuffed animal that just sat around looking weird, Dream Pony -- a virtual doppelgänger for Hasbro's Butterscotch -- responds to visual, audio, and tactile stimulation by jerking its head around or emitting a frightened whinny, among several other forms of exciting feedback. Although this robopony won't actually trot around the neighborhood like the real one your parents would buy you if they weren't so stingy, you can still sit on its back (assuming you're under 80 pounds) and "feed" it a plastic carrot over and over again. All-in-all, the Dream Pony doesn't really seem to provide the kind of long-term playability you'd get from an Xbox or a Robosapien, but once your little girl starts begging and whining for one, you'll have little choice but to welcome Dreamy into your home.[Via Pink Tentacle]
BioWare announces new NWN module
Even though Atari has officially dropped support for the original Neverwinter Nights, the mod community is still thriving. In fact, the database of fan-created modules is over 4,000 strong, according to NWN's developer, BioWare. And if you thought Infinite Dungeons was the last of the professionally-developed modules, a small Vancouver-based game studio is serving up another 25-30 hr. adventure in the Forgotten Realms. Ossian Studios is comprised of BioWare veterans and RPG enthusiasts, and while they had originally planned Darkness over Daggerford as a premium module release, this lengthy single-player campaign is now available as a free download at the Neverwinter Nights Vault. Check out BioWare's interview with Ossian co-founder Alan Miranda, and let us know what you think of Daggerford.See also: A touch of RTS in Neverwinter Nights 2 NWN2: new interview with Urquhart, more screens NWN mod creator on Atari, Infinite Dungeons
Hasbro's Nitro XRC -- nitro RC for kids
C'mon, everyone enjoyed seeing a Hasbro box on Chrismahannakwanzika morning; that usually meant you were in for some sort of top notch toy that'd long since purloined your fantasies. Although more commonly linked to their lineup of childhood gadgets, Hasbro is branching out and aiming to deliver a "radio controlled experience" with their new Nitro XRC lineup. Rather than relying on those dreadfully expensive, long charging, short-lived battery packs to get your ride movin', the Nitro XRC vehicles will be powered by nitro fuel -- the same fuel that powers professional racing R/C vehicles. With the ability to reach speeds of 25mph, Hasbro is being careful to market these speedsters to those 16 years and up; while you can find these in hobby huts and mass merchants, they'll be MIA from typical toy stores. Two models are currently being prepped for release, the Nitro XRC Ricochet and the Nitro XRC Revolution MT; the dirt starts flyin' when they drop this fall for $179.99 and $129.99, respectively.
Transformers teaser arrives early
"It was the only warning we would ever get..." And without any warning, the Transformers movie teaser has arrived four days early. Paramount and Dreamworks have given us a pleasant surprise for the holiday weekend, but I wouldn't count on the multi-platform game launching ahead of schedule next Spring. It has been six months since Activision acquired publishing rights, and they still haven't announced a developer.
In Nintendo Monopoly, Mario is Boardwalk
This one is for all the Nintendorks out there. When you're not playing Nintendo's video games, you're probably doing one of three things: cosplaying as famous Nintendo characters, quilting yourself a blanket featuring your favorite Nintendo characters, or wondering why those same Nintendo characters don't permeate every other facet of your life. Courtesy of Rich Uncle Pennybags and the good folks at USAopoly comes Monopoly: Nintendo Collector's Edition. Yup, we're talking about an actual physical copy of Monopoly, not a video game version. The promotional shots they sent us don't show off the board very well (although we can tell that Mario is Boardwalk, natch), but they do show off all the little pewter figurines. They are: Mario's hat, Koopa shell, NES controller, Donkey Kong barrel, Link's boots (of the iron variety we assume), and Link's shield (of the Hylian variety). Alright, we love Zelda as much as the next cosplaying Link fan, but two Zelda tokens and not a single Metroid one? Samus ain't gonna be happy. Expect to find it in stores in July for an suggested retail price of $35.95. That's like one DS game, right? Plenty o' pics after the break.
Transformers web site launched
Paramount and Dreamworks Pictures have launched the official web site for the Transformers movie, which is scheduled to open next year on July 4. Activision will be publishing the official game to coincide with the film's release, although they still haven't chosen a developer.While the game won't ship until 2007, Gamecube and Xbox owners determined to wait for next-gen console price drops won't have to miss the action with Optimus Prime, Omega Supreme, and Soundwave (Joystiq reader favs).
