Pokémon Generations: Learn to Take a Hint, Game Freak

A lot of gamers have been begging Nintendo and developer Game Freak for a 3D, open world and real-time version of the money-printing Pokémon series. The upcoming Pokémon X/Y might meet the first two requests, but not the last one. Maybe Game Freak should check out this fan game called Pokémon Generations.

pokemon generations fan game

Currently being developed by IndieDB member Xatoku, Pokémon Generations is, er, it’s Ni No Kuni. But with Pokémon. I know that sounds blasphemous, but I think that’s the best way to describe it. Here’s the launch trailer for its latest version:

Here’s a quick combat sequence courtesy of YouTuber wwm0nkey1:

See what I mean by my Ni No Kuni comparison? In Pokémon Generations, movement and timing become key components in battles. You don’t just select an attack and watch its animation play out. It looks like the battles will have environmental components as well. But don’t get too excited yet. The game is pretty much in pre-alpha state, as you’ll see in this in-depth video by YouTuber MunchingOrange:

If you still want to try it out, you can download the launcher on IndieDB. I stopped being a Pokémon fan years ago, but I still wish Xatoku can finish the game so we can finally appreciate the hilarious size discrepancies between pokémon.

[via GoNintendo]

Minimalist Videogame Map Prints: You Were Here, and Here, and Here…

I don’t know which videogame first featured a map of its world, but whoever did that started a wonderful tradition. The in-game map can be one of the most useful and beautiful parts of a game. City Prints is now branching out, and is making minimalist prints of virtual locales as well.

video game map prints by city prints

That of course is the map from The Legend of Zelda. Can you name the origins of the other maps in the gallery below?

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Pack your bags and head to City Prints to order these maps. They sell for $40 to $180 (USD) depending on the size of the print. If you’re more of a hardware geek, City Prints also has schematics of old computers and videogame consoles.

[via Fab]

BLEduino Arduino-compatible Board with Bluetooth 4.0: Low Cost, High Potential

Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology may lead to better mobile gadgets and perhaps even the rise of new kinds of devices, thanks to its low power consumption and cost. But like NFC – another technology with huge potential – as of now only a handful of consumer devices support this technology. But thanks to a small company, tinkerers can incorporate BLE to their projects. All they need is the BLEduino.

bleduino arduino compatible bluetooth 4 board

Made by Kytelabs, the tiny BLEduino board is based on the Arduino Leonardo. That means it will work with Arduino shields and code. Watch the video below to see examples of devices that can be made using BLEduino.

Imagine that. You can make your own Bluetooth controller! Pledge at least $34 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a BLEduino as a reward. In case you want to make sure that your BLEduino will work with all of your shields, the higher reward tiers also come with Shield-Shield, an attachment that was also invented by Kytelabs. Shield-Shield makes the BLEduino compatible with both the old and new pin layout of Arduino shields.

Ben Heck Bakes a Raspberry Pi Portable

We’ve seen a small arcade machine that can be powered by a Raspberry Pi. Master modder Ben Heck decided to make an even tinier version of the tiny computer and put it in a custom case with buttons, turning it into a portable gaming device.

raspberry pi portable by ben heck

Aside from a Raspberry Pi, Ben Heck also used a 3.5″ LCD screen, a Teensy board, a couple of Li-ion batteries and some buttons from a Logitech gamepad.

Then he 3D printed a case, wired everything together and installed MAME on the Pi. You can skip to around 15:10 in the video below to see it working:

Can we just sit back for a minute and process what we saw? He made a freakin’ gaming device. On his own. This guy. This Ben Heck guy. He is quite the guy. If you have the same godly capabilities, head to Thingiverse to get the files you need to 3D print the case.

[via I Heart Chaos]

Super Mario Bros. Fan Art: It’s a-me, in HD!

deviantART member João Victor G. Costa aka JINNdev wondered what the 1985 classic Super Mario Bros. would look like if it was made today but still based on the game’s original sprites. Then he stopped thinking and started making moves. Here’s what JINNdev came up with.

super mario bros hd art by Joao Victor G. Costa

The colors and the hand-drawn look are nice and remind me of Braid. At the same time in my minds eye I always see the game with blinking lights and accents, like with the question mark blocks, the coins and the star power up, so I also feel like something was lost in JINNdev’s drawing.

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I wonder how it would look like in motion. Check out JINNdev’s deviantART page for the original image.

[via it8bit]

 

Tetris LED Tie: The Missing Puzzle Piece for Your Geeky Suit

A few months ago we saw an awesome tie with a built-in equalizer. Bill Porter is working on a more interactive necktie: one that plays Tetris. Bill made it to trump his usual geeky teaching attire, a lab coat with lots of LEDs on it. Even in its unfinished state I think we can all agree that the Tetris Tie is much better than the lab coat.

tetris led tie by bill porter

The tie is made of a DigiSpark microcontroller, 80 RGB LEDs and two Li-ion batteries in a custom 3D-printed housing. Bill originally used the batteries for his wedding suit. Don’t be afraid of clicking that link; it’s much better than the lab coat.

All in all Bill only spent four hours and about $50(USD) to make the tie, but as I said, it’s still unfinished. Right now the tie only displays random movements. I’m pretty sure he’s also going to trim the cardboard overlay or perhaps get rid of it altogether. Bill is also planning on adding A.I. that can actually play the game as well as a Bluetooth module so that it can be played using a smartphone as a controller.

[via Bill Porter via inStash]

Fangamer 20% off Poster Sale: Posterpocalypse

Gaming merchandise shop Fangamer does a great job of straddling the line between geeky and classy. This week, its having what it calls the Posterpocalypse, where some of its posters are being offered for 20% off.

fangamer poster pocalypse sale

You can also get additional discounts by entering coupon codes, like PP-YT-13, which was revealed in the Posterpocalypse commercial:

There’s also PP-FB-13, from Fangamer’s Facebook page. Here’s one from awesome artist Zac Gorman: PP-ZG-13. Some of his posters are included in the Posterpocalypse. I’ve included shots of some of the posters on sale in case you’re still here and not frantically clicking buy on Fangamer:

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The sale is only until this Monday, July 1, so take part in the Posterpocalypse now!

[via Insanely Gaming]

ModiBot 3D-Printed Build Your Own Action Figure: Watch out, Minifigs

We’ve already seen some innovative ways to make action figures via 3D printing. But ModiBot might be the best and most practical 3D printed action figure yet. Instead of letting you design and print an action figure from scratch or order a 3D printed action figure of an existing character, ModiBot meets you halfway. Its a skeletal action figure with swappable parts and accessories.

modibot 3d printed build your own action figure 3

The base ModiBot action figure is a stick figure with lots of slots and holes. The idea is to get a bare ModiBot and then mix and match it with 3D printed parts and accessories. Because all of this is stored in digital files waiting to be printed, it’s practically impossible for them to be sold out. Dynamo Development Labs, the company behind ModiBot, won’t have to deal with unsold stock either; they just have to print on demand. This means that it should be easy to replace any missing or broken parts. If you know how to make a 3D model, you can design the parts and accessories yourself. So you’re going to go from this:

modibot 3d printed build your own action figure

To this:

modibot 3d printed build your own action figure 2

And that’s just the beginning. Again, it’s not just the accessories that are interchangeable; the skeleton’s parts itself can be swapped. For example, there’s a dinosaur ModiBot skeleton, so you can assemble a half-man, half-dino ModiBot.

Pledge at least $15 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a ModiBot kit. When 3D printers become widely available and 3D modeling software becomes dead simple to use, ModiBot will be immortal. People will be making parts on their own and lots of third-party vendors will sell their own ModiBot-compatible goods.

You know what ModiBot is like? LEGO. If you think about it, LEGO’s minifigs are strangely unlike the rest of its toys: minifigs are barely customizable or interchangeable. ModiBot is more LEGO-like than LEGO’s own action figures. So I wouldn’t be surprised if LEGO imitates or buys out ModiBot in the future. I am also surprised that ModiBot hasn’t teamed up with Rob Schrab yet.

[via 3ders]

Iron Man Lightsaber: The Arc Reactor is Strong With This One

The Custom Saber Shop forum member Eastern57 made a lightsaber that would be at home in Patton Oswalt’s Star Wars universe. It’s a lightsaber decked in Shellhead’s winning crimson and gold colors. But Eastern57 didn’t stop with the paint job. He also incorporated another Iron Man trademark: the arc reactor.

iron man lightsaber by eastern57

In one of his YouTube videos, Eastern57 said that the lightsaber is based on a toy replica of Galen Marek aka Starkiller’s lightsaber. The arc reactor is mounted in an inner chamber that is revealed by twisting the hilt’s upper half.

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The lightsaber also plays back sound bites from the Iron Man movies, as well as some of the songs from its soundtrack.

A lightsaber that plays AC/DC? This ain’t your daddy’s saber. Oh wait. It is your daddy’s lightsaber. Check out Eastern57′s thread on The Custom Saber Shop or his Photobucket gallery for more images of the lightsaber.

[via The Custom Saber Shop via Neatorama]

Jim Lee Will Paint Your Wall for $25K: Do They Sell Bags and Boards for Walls?

Jim Lee is one of the most famous comic book artist and writers of my generation. From his breakout work with the X-Men books, co-founding Image Comics and now working at DC Comics, Lee is also certainly one of the most important figures in the comic book industry. And for $25,000 (USD), this highly talented big shot will go to your house and paint your wall. Or whichever wall you want.

jim lee dc comics we can be heroes fundraiser

Lee won’t see a penny of your money though. He’s offering it as a reward for DC Entertainment’s Indiegogo fundraiser, We Can Be Heroes. To celebrate Superman’s 75th anniversary, DC is raising funds to help alleviate hunger in the Horn of Africa. They are offering various rewards, from digital copies of Superman comics to paperbacks signed by their respective writers or artists. There’s even a Superman-themed bedroom set. The biggest reward of course, is the aforementioned Jim Lee mural. That’s like hiring Mark Zuckerberg to write your Computer Science project. Or me to sleep on your bed.

So auction off your old comics and head to Indiegogo to donate. The proceeds will be split between the International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps and Save the Children. As of this writing the fundraiser has raised about $55,000 with only 13 days left. That Jim Lee pledge will go a long way towards fulfilling their goal.

[via Bleeding Cool]