arcade

Hey, Dad! Look what Samuel Seide made for his son. How about it? I'm not even asking for an Imperial Walker bed, just a father-daughter mini-arcade-machine building session to sacrifice some games, a DVD player, and random electronics.

There's something awesome about this mini-arcade machine and I want to build one so badly that I even ignored the fact that this video was filmed in a bathroom.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

With Microsoft and Sony both slashing prices on their respective consoles, it's no surprise that Nintendo appears to be following suit. Last month, we explained why we think the Wii needs a price drop, and it sounds like we aren't the only ones who think so.

Just today, a tipster sent Kotaku a blurry photo of a Toys R Us circular clearly indicating a $50 price drop for the Nintendo console, bringing it down to $200. Since the circular is dated for the last week in September, the new price could go into effect on September 27.

A $… Read more

Microsoft official confirmed the worst-kept secret in games: the Xbox 360 is receiving a price cut on its top-end Elite system starting Friday. In other words, the long list of leaked catalog circulars weren't fakes. What this means is that the 120GB hard-drive-toting Xbox 360 Elite that used to be $400 will now be $300--the same cost as a PS3 Slim.

The Xbox 360 Pro, with its 60GB hard drive, will drop to $250 instead of $300, and will keep being sold until it vanishes off shelves. Kudos, by the way, to Microsoft for actually lowering the price on … Read more

CNET editors Jeff Bakalar and Scott Stein take a look at the highly anticipated Xbox Live Arcade side-scrolling action platformer from Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, Shadow Complex.

Jeff:Shadow Complex may look like your typical side-scrolling action game, but it does a lot of things that separates it from most platform exploration titles. The unique "2.5D" style takes a bit of getting used to, but you'll soon realize the genius behind the design.

Shadow Complex takes you through an intricate underground military facility where you must rescue your girlfriend who's been kidnapped during a camping trip. With a grid map as your only companion, you must explore the complex all while finding secret items and passageways. You'll also gradually unlock new weapons and ammo and upgrade your character's health in order to fight the mysterious regime.

We fully embrace the developer's choice to build Shadow Complex in such a way. Not only is it a tip of the hat to classic 2D games like the Metroid and Castlevania franchises, but introduces the genre to an entire generation of gamers who may not have been fortunate to play such titles.

With this 3D twist on a classic 2D genre, you're able to shoot at enemies in the background and foreground even though you cannot physically go there. The 360-degree aiming mechanic will automatically target your enemies who aren't necessarily in the same plane that your character is only able to navigate through.

Shadow Complex is truly a unique take on an older genre that will appeal to gamers young and old. It's available now for 1,200 MS Points (or $15) exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade.

Scott: One of the best trends in all of gaming has to be the rise of low-cost original downloadables, and Shadow Complex is a great example of why it works.… Read more

Part of the fun of playing video games in the arcade back in the day was watching the adults try to evade giant pickle slices, fried eggs, and hot dogs in Burgertime without spilling the beer perched precariously on the cabinet.

Now, through the miracle of modern technology, you can relive those days with the Arkeg arcade cabinet. Not only does the cabinet house a PC preloaded with 69 arcade classics (legally licensed, even), but it also has a kegerator with a 5-gallon keg.

You can customize it with add-ons such as drip trays or a European keg coupler as … Read more

Video game console SKUs seem to be dropping like flies these days. Just 24 hours after hearing about how Japan may lose the 80GB PlayStation 3, rumors are starting to swirl about the Xbox 360 saying goodbye to its "Pro" model. The claim is only strengthened by the above image, which shows an Arcade box comparing only two consoles instead of the older box art (to the left), which looks at three.

Keeping track of console SKUs has become quite the task, but it seems that Microsoft will narrow the Xbox 360 line to the bare-bones Arcade model … Read more

Before I get to this week's apps, the folks over at Public Radio Exchange let me know there's a new version of Public Radio Tuner (which I've featured here before). Now called Public Radio Player, this new version has been redesigned from the ground up with a new interface, added station schedule information, and new On Demand radio shows you can stream. Past episodes of This American Life, Fresh Air, and many other popular public radio shows can now be streamed whenever you want to listen.

At the iTunes Store, I noticed a lot of the comments … Read more

The late Michael Jackson was not only the "King of Pop," but also an avid collector of pop culture memorabilia.

In early 2009, Jackson's estate contacted Julien's Auctions with plans for an April 2009 auction of relics Jackson had collected throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s.

Among these treasures, housed at Jackson's Neverland Ranch, were art, furniture, toys, and video games. The items were abruptly pulled from the auction block on March 5, the same day Jackson announced his 10-concert London comeback tour.

The status of these items remains unknown for now, according to a … Read more

Peggle is the iPhone and iPod Touch version of the extremely popular (and addictively fun) arcade game also found on Macs, PCs, the Nintendo DS, Xbox Live, and other platforms. Combining skill and luck, this easy-to-play, Pachinko-style game challenges you to shoot down a set number of orange pegs with a limited number of balls on ever more complex levels. You can rotate a scroll wheel or just tap the screen to aim, ideally threading through ubiquitous blue pegs to hit multiple orange pegs with each shot, using carefully planned ricochets. You can double tap the screen to zoom in … Read more