BBC Releases 30th Anniversary Hitchhiker’s Guide Text Adventure Game Online!

hitchhikers guide 30th anniversary text adventure game

Damn if this don’t take me back. This game and Space Quest we’re probably most responsible for teaching YoungGadgetGuy how to type.

See, younger people might mock the simple graphics of older games, but I’m not sure how many kids today realize that some of our games didn’t have ANY graphics AT ALL! We just had to make due with our formidable imaginations. Plus we had Lazer Tag for when we got bored of staring at DOS prompts… So we had that going for us…

Anywho, following the storyline of perhaps the greatest book ever written, this text adventure game throws you into the hilarious shenanigans facing humanity during the last day of Earth’s existence, and the many adventures which befall the only person to survive. If you’ve never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (or just haven’t played this game), you’re in for a treat. I’m almost jealous enough of the novelty you’re about to experience to consider the possibility of giving myself just the tinniest bit of a lobotomy so I could experience it for the first time again too… Sigh…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Game – 30th Anniversay Edition

Microsoft Releases Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Mahjong for Windows Phone

microsoft solitaire collectionI’m honestly surprised it took them this long.

For those of you who like classic Windows games, fire up the Windows App Store on your WP device and get downloading! The updated and pretty versions of Solitaire, Mahjong and Minesweeper that you would find on Windows 8 computers are now available for Windows Phone 8 handsets. Before we flung angry birds and crushed candy, these were the height of computer casual gaming. It was a simpler time…

All three feature XBox Live integration allowing you to earn achievements, and all of you friends will be able to see how much you suck at old games. They’re all free, so go get at it!

Minesweeper for Windows Phone 8
Mahjong for Windows Phone 8
Solitaire Collection for Windows Phone 8

App Review: Poker King Texas Hold ‘Em

037Are you a poker fan and just can’t get enough of the game? You should check out Poker King developed by Geax Game Inc. Poker King is one of the top rated poker games for Windows 8 phones, Android and iOS.

This app was very well designed and very easy to use. The graphics are very easy on the eyes and well polished.  Playing Poker King is very smooth and you can choose to play in Sit-N-Go, Tournament,  or browse tables to play at.

One of the nice features while searching for a table to play at is the option to choose the fast option. If you regularly play poker on your phone then you know how frustrating it can be when another player is taking his sweet time trying to figure out their next move. When you choose a table with the fast speed, you will have a shorter time to make your move thus making the game a lot faster and enabling you to play more games in a shorter period of time.

Poker King’s game features: Continue reading “App Review: Poker King Texas Hold ‘Em”

Behind the Scenes at Loot Crate. How cool geek and gamer gear ends up on your doorstep!

It’s 11 am on a Wednesday. I’ve pulled up to a non-descript warehouse space in Pasadena, so non-descript I’m not entirely sure at first if I’m in the right place. The sign above the door is from a water treatment company. It’s not until I’ve rounded the parking lot that I see a giant black bus with “LOOTCRATE” painted on the side. Peaking inside the warehouse I see an incredible number of small black boxes stacked up, about ten feet tall, but we’ll talk about that more in a bit.

I’m here to chat with Matthew Arevalo, one of the Co-Founders of Loot Crate. Loot Crate is a subscription box service focusing on geeks and gamers. Each month, for less than $20 after shipping and handing, a small black cardboard crate is delivered to subscribers’ doors filled with various products which might appeal to the geek chic. Previous boxes have had t-shirts, candy, stickers, gaming peripherals, sunglasses, and even a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide. Matthew has invited me in to take a quick peek behind the scenes.

Continue reading “Behind the Scenes at Loot Crate. How cool geek and gamer gear ends up on your doorstep!”

Avegant’s Glyph 3D goggles coming to Kickstarter in January!

Avegant-Glyph-BlackI’d be really happy to see more 3D headsets make their way to consumers faces next year. After playing with Oculus Rift and Sony’s 3D headset, they offer up a unique experience for watching movies and playing games. More competition in this space, especially when we can put pressure on pricing, is great.

Glyph is looking like it could be the more mobile solution for a wearable 3D display. Contrary to others making this comparison, this has nothing to do with heads up displays like Google Glass. With the eye pieces in place, immersion is the name of the game. Why the Glyph might be more portable comes down to their innovate headband design. The screens can swivel up to provide a simpler headphone mode for on the go audio. Swivel the band back down over your eyes, and it should resemble the feeling of sitting in your own private theater.

What’s interesting is watching Avegant get ahead of the social media game, announcing their Kickstarter push nearly a month before the crowd funding goes live. I like watching a company like this get a bit more aggresive in getting their message out, and Glyph looks like it could stir up a little passion in the A/V communities. The Kickstart will launch at $599 with an HDMI/MHL cable and a battery pack.

More info on Glyph: http://www.avegant.com/

Halo: Spartan Assault released for XBox One on December 24th

halo spartan assault video game somegadgetguy screenshotOne of the best games for Windows Phone and Windows 8 is now making its way to the XBox One this Christmas Eve.

Spartan Assault is a top down arcade style dual stick shooter set in the Halo universe with all of your favorite weapons and power ups. Over 30 missions will be on tap, and 343 Industries has polished up the game to be displayed in glorious 1080p at 60fps. Console gamers will also have access to a new online co-op mode to plow through missions with their bestest pals on Live. You lucky dogs.

This new take on Halo will launch at $15, but if you’ve already purchased the game for Windows Phone or Windows 8 (or purchase it before Dec. 15) you can get it for $5. If you’ve been looking forward to Halo: Spartan Assault, you should really jump on buying it now as you can schnag it for Windows 8 and XBox for$12, instead of $15 for the XBox standalone version.

Check the teaser trailer below.

Activision announces $1Billion opening day sales for ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’, while we wait for Next-Gen sales numbers…

IMG_20131105_224423Great news for Activision, but potentially troubling news for Sony and Microsoft.

Activision today released sales figures topping $1 Billion for it’s opening day release of Call of Duty: Ghosts, a new series to its popular shooter franchise. This obviously points to the $800 Million opening day performance of Rockstar Game’s GTA: V, even though these two opening day “sales” figures aren’t directly comparable.

Rockstar announced sales to consumers for it’s opening day, while Activision is talking about sales to retail channels. Regardless, it’s still juggernaut sales performance considering Activision somehow manages to pop out a new installment every year.

What the entire industry now awaits are CoD sales numbers for the PS4 and XBox One. Nearing the release of these next gen consoles, Activision opted to release versions of the game compatible with Sony and Microsoft’s next systems. Those sales figures could be valuable data for gauging what early console adoption might look like, and how engaged the consumer base might be.

It must be a difficult decision for the hardcore gamers out there. Play CoD immediately or wait for next gen consoles to arrive. Activision can only hope that some of their consumer base might actually motivated to buy the game twice…

October #LootCrate: ZOMBIES! – I’m giving away a copy of ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’!

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (2)I’m a little late to this party, but damn I’m glad I finally arrived.

If you’re not hip to the Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription geek box of loot. Each month they pack a whole bunch of cool stuff into a box and ship it to your door. Each month has a theme, but the box contents are always a surprise. Could be cool comics, movies, games, shirts, pretty much anything is fair game.

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (3)For October and Halloween, it’s not surprising that Zombie gear is shambling out of this month’s crate. Featuring a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide and a funny parody “EWOKING DEAD” t-shirt, there are also some fun buttons, a zombie hunter license, a zombie greeting card, and Loot Crate’s monthly magazine which includes an interview with Max Brooks.

You can buy individual Crates for $13.37 + $6 S&H, or subscribe for monthly drops. A three month pass drops the price a dollar per box, and a six month pass drops each box to $11.67 + S&H. Even individually, under $20 a month for fun gear is well worth the price of admission. Getting this first box got me hooked on the idea.

lootcrate zombies survive october unboxing somegadgetguy (1)But you know folks, being the zombie aficionado that I am. I already have TWO copies of ‘The Zombie Survival Guide’, so out of this crate, I’m giving away this new copy. Leave a comment on this post before midnight tonight, and I’ll pick someone at random tomorrow. This is an invaluable guide for helping you survive then next great zombie outbreak, so get commenting.

For more info on LootCrate hit up: https://www.lootcrate.com/
Plus you can see this month’s mini-movie from LootCrate announcing the zombie theme. SURVIVE!