StuffWeLike

Man loses Thumb, then Replaces it with Toe

Usually I’m not the one who calls things stupid, but this is just one of those stories that makes me wonder WTF?! I’m sure that adjusting to life without a thumb is tough, but why would you cut off your toe to replace it?

No gloves will ever fit your hand. Do you think your girlfriend will want to go out with a man who has a toe for a thumb? How do you pick your nose? When you reach up your toe will get in the way…

2008 has just begun and we already have a stupid real life story. Looks like it’s going to be a fantastic year.

2008 Better Than 2007?

So, another year has gone by and yet another holiday season full of awesome games has passed us by. Usually right about now I’m still playing all of the games that I bought over the past two months and I think to myself, there’s no way that next year can be any better than this one. This holiday was no different from the others in that aspect except for the fact that I actually think that it’s true.

How can next year possibly be any better than this past year? With AAA titles like Halo 3, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box, Rock Band, Mass Effect, yadda yadda yadda. The list goes on and on. Hopefully I’m wrong in that next year will be better than this one and the continuing trend of games becoming more sophisticated and more polished continues as more and more people pick up video games every year.

Developers will definitely have their work cut out for them this year. Hopefully they’ve got something up their sleeves.

CES 2008: Wii Wireless Nunchuk from Nyko

While we love our gadgets we hate wires. They are the bane of technology; always getting tangled up as if by magic. So it’s a good thing Nyko has unveiled a wireless Nunchuk for the Wii.

There’s just one little problem. After stories of Wiimote related accidents in the home doesn’t this make the Wii’s controls even more deadly?

CES 2008: Altec Lansing unveils iPhone compatible audio system

Much like the iPod and its many, many incarnations we can now expect to see hordes of accessories for Apple’s latest tool of world domination. The iPhone, which is possibly more famous for being an iPod with a phone than the other way around now has its own audio system.

The Altec Lansing T612 universal dock will happily play any music stored on the iPhone and even stops playing should you receive an incoming call. When you’ve finished chatting away, simply dock it back in to resume listening pleasure.

According to the manufacturer, the system promises excellent bass reproduction and rich sounds thanks to powerful neodymium speakers and bass enhancement technology. Good news for Hip Hop heads then.

Of course it’s not only iPhone compatible. It will also play and charge all new generation iPods as well as older models thanks to an auxillary-in jack for not-so early adopters. Also in the box is a remote with the standard features such as pause, play, track back, track forward and volume controls.

The Altec Lansing T612 will available next month for $199.95.

Even after CES we’re sure this is not the last we’ve heard of iPhone docks. We’ve seen iPod docks in a range of different places from beds, coffee tables and even toilet roll holders. So expect iPhone docks to pop up everywhere too.

Source

Soulcalibur IV: Vader, Yoda exclusive to PS3, 360 respectively

1UP has been running an exclusive recently that the one game long awaited by both fighting game fans and deviant porn aficionados, Soulcalibur IV, will feature Darth Vader and Yoda in guest appearances. No wait, what? Yes, for real. Look at the screen above and you’ll know we aren’t making this up. They packed their bags and ran to Sony’s CES, where they found out what side of the Force the two consoles fell.

The PS3 (or Darth PS3) version of Soulcalibur IV is on the Dark Side and will feature Darth Vader, while the Xbox 360 (or Jedi Master 360) version will allow players to be Yoda. While Vader fighting Ivy is enough to get gamers like me spewing liquid all over the floor, we will probably not see a Vader vs. Yoda war in Soulcalibur, unless Namco Bandai decides downloadable content is cool.

Star Wars fanboys like me will see that the Vader and Yoda models as the most realistic ones seen in video games yet (and ironically, not handled by LucasArts) – they even look better than that Force Unleashed game coming out soon. And I don’t mean to nitpick, and I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something weird about that Darth Vader model. Hmm.

If downloadable content turns out to be a reality, it will also be great to see other Star Wars characters in these photorealistic renders, preferably Obi-Wan, Darth Maul and ~~Jar-Jar Binks~~.

Oh shit. Before I get sacked, here’s the Sony CES trailer to make up for the boo-boo. Note Yoda and Darth Vader in a sneak preview towards the end.

Ron Gilbert allies with Hothead for hilarious RPG-Adventure “DeathSpank”

Among the gaming halls of fame is a platinum bust of Ron Gilbert, famed video game designer, two great works of his being Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. If you had any assumptions that Mr. Gilbert had been abducted by adventure-game-loving aliens, think again, because you were somehow right. HotHead Games, developers of… uh… have taken dragged Ron Gilbert into their fortress of doom to design a video game he had in his mind for a long time – DeathSpank! This video game will truly be used for nefarious purposes to enslave mankind!

DeathSpank will be an RPG-Adventure hybrid, and I have a feeling we’re talking real adventure here, because that’s Ron Gilbert talking. He describes it as a Diablo-Monkey Island hybrid, which sounds like beautifully twisted fun for all ages. It will be an episodic game, with its first episode titled rather sombrely as “Orphans of Justice”, which will be coming rather soonish, according to the big poster on their website.

And now, because your subconscious mind really asked for it, here’s the official press release(!):

HOTHEAD GAMES TO PUBLISH NEW RON GILBERT GAME DEATHSPANK
Gilbert joins the Vancouver crew as Creative Director

The Great White North, January 9, 2008 – In a move that may upset the balance of the universe (or at least that around the 49th parallel), Hothead Games announced plans to publish Ron Gilbert’s long-awaited RPG-Adventure game, DeathSpank. Described as “Monkey Island meets Diablo”, the game will be released in episodic format and feature Gilbert’s unique style of humor and storytelling. In a related move, Ron Gilbert will be joining the company’s Vancouver-based studio as Creative Director, effective immediately.

Speaking from his secret game design cave, Ron Gilbert said, “I’ve spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game. Now that I’ve done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up.”

The episodic game follows the thong-tastic adventures of a misguided hero named DeathSpank, a character that first appeared on Gilbert’s Grumpy Gamer website in a series of animated comics he penned with long-time creative collaborator, Clayton Kauzlaric.

Hothead prepared for Gilbert’s arrival by ordering the finest morsels of jellied moose meat and lager brewed with water from the nearest available glacier. “We’re all huge fans of Monkey Island and we love Ron’s unique vision and sense of humor,” said Joel DeYoung, COO of Hothead Games. “Ron shares Hothead’s goal of bringing much-needed humor and innovation into games, so having him here in Vancouver as our Creative Director is an excellent fit.”

“I’m really excited to be working with Hothead Games not only on DeathSpank, but as their new Creative Director,” said Gilbert. “I got to know everyone at Hothead while I was helping with On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. They really understand humor and being creative like very few publishers do.”

As Creative Director, Gilbert will work in the Vancouver-based studio on all of Hothead’s games. He is also expected to improve his hockey skills substantially during his stay.