Games – AlphaMaven - Cool Gear, Style, Scene, and More Stuff for Guys

Recent Games

XBMC Media Center Software

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Many of us are starting to use our computers more and more to consume music, movies, and even television. The problem with this picture is that not all of us have massive monitors and stereo systems to really enjoy all of this wonderful content. XBMC is media center software that is easy to use, fully customizable, and works on virtually any computer platform. The best part about XBMC? It’s absolutely free. Now you’re probably wondering “That’s nice, how do I get it on my TV?” Well the folks over at LifeHacker wrote up a nice little guide to build a silent and miniscule dedicated media center for about $200. You can read the guide here. Another cool feature with XBMC is that you can even set it up as a video game emulator to play all of those classic ROMs you have floating around your computer.

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Games, Movies, Music, Tech

Valve’s Steam Coming to Mac

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If you haven’t heard of Steam then you don’t play games. Steam is one of the original gamer market places that lets you sample and buy some of the latest games. Steam also hooks you up to their massive multiplayer community to go head to head with your enemies. Coming in April, Steam’s library will be available for Mac users. This is huge news. Games like Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and Half-Life will be released for the gaming minority. When April comes around try not to lose all productivity.

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Games, Scene, Software

A320 Pocket Retro Emulator

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Forget the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. The A320 Pocket Retro Emulator can run circles around those tired portables… well sort of. The A320 packs all of your childhood systems into a tight and neat little package. You have the ability to play Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World, Sonic, Street Fighter II, Bonk’s Adventure, and Splatterhouse on the same system. To be absolutely clear, the A320 can play NES, SNES, GBA, Sega Genesis, and Neo Geo (what no Virtual Boy?). The system also has 4GB of internal memory which will pretty much hold all of your games with no issue. If that’s not enough, you can even pop in a micro SD card for memory expansion. How do you get games, you ask? Do a quick google search on “roms” for your favorite system.

$99 BUY | Comments Off

Games, Gear, Scene, Tech

Pocket IQ Test by Dynamo House

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Everyone should at least be a little curious how their IQ ranks with their peers, so why not unofficially find out by taking the Pocket IQ Test ($14) by Dynamo House. In the box there are 60 questions that are to be answered in 45 minutes and an easy to read grading scale that scores you against your age group. It’s probably somewhere between 70-130 (both extremes each count for 2.2% of the population).

$14 BUY | Comments Off

Games, Scene

Power Pyramid – Xbox 360 + PS3 Stand/Charger

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Its always nice finding a product that serves dual purposes. Instead of leaving your controllers for your Xbox 360 and PS3 just laying around, why not have a stand that neatly houses AND charges them at the same time. Its a simple solution that functions and looks good. With the Power Pyramid from Konnet, you can charge up to two Xbox 360 controllers and two PS3 controllers at the same time. Or, if you just have one system, there is an option that can charge all of the same controller. It’s a bit steep in price but considering one controller is around the same price, its not so bad.

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$55 BUY | Comments Off

Games, Tech

Super Mario 63

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If you’re looking for a quick game to kill a little time at work then this is not the game. Super Mario 63 ($FREE) is truly a complete Super Mario flash based game that is basically Super Mario 64, but in 2-D. It has all the levels from castles, floating pirate ships, ghost houses, water levels, underground levels, and even lava levels. If you play this at work you will get fired. The sound track is pretty much directly taken from Super Mario 64, graphics and game are actually really nice, and the author created new items you can use such as a water jet pack. There are save game files so you can keep track of your progress. What do you have to lose? It’s free, try it out.

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Games, Scene

Brodmann Blades Ping-Pong Set

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The Brodmann Blades have taken ping pong to a whole new level by removing the handle, making the new paddle work like a glove worn over either hand. Improved comfort and ergonomics makes for greater ball control, a faster and more intuitive game, more spin and superior backhand. For those who are not so great at ping pong, this will help improve your game and for those who are already good, well this is how you can push the limits of the sport.

$100 BUY | Comments Off

Games, Sports

Excitebike World Rally for Wii

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If just looking at this picture doesn’t bring back memories of overheating and doing a wheelie across the finish line then well, you just don’t have a soul. Excitebike World Rally($10) is only available via download directly through the online service Wiiware, and it has all the great stuff you remember from the 1984 original with a 2009 facelift. The game includes a track editor, online multiplayer, and that fantastic theme song. The game also allows for both a motion control scheme or the typical button layout.

$10 REVIEW | Comments Off

Games, Scene

OnLive

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OnLive is launching the world’s highest performance Games on Demand service, instantly delivering the latest high-end titles over home broadband internet to the TV and ANY entry level PC’s and Macs. Afters 7 years in stealth development, OnLive is fixing to becoming the pioneers of delivering rich interactive media to the home which will change the way entertainment applications are created, delivered and consumed. Now we have to admit this is a pretty interesting concept but not much information has been released about actual cost. The word is that monthly gaming subscriptions should be comparable to Xbox live at around $50 a year. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens when it releases this winter.

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Games, Tech

7-In-1 Rotating Game Table

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Do you need a game table but have limited space? Well here is a 7-In-1 Rotating Game table that lets you choose between: Foosball, ping-ping, chess, checkers, backgammon, pool, and even air hockey. With one simple motion, you can switch between any of those games. Boasting fiber board and plastic construction, topped off with a modern design, this game table should fit right in with any room in your pad.

$497 BUY | Comments Off

Games, Life, Scene, Sports