I’m not sure how many of our readers are into audio production, but I’m hoping that demographic will grow as I try to post more audio-tech related posts.  That being said, I’ll start off with something nice and easy, that should be entertaining for everybody.

I’m really excited to share a resource that I found a while back that offers free VST instruments and effects to use with almost any audio production program.  Tweakbench is a donation-based site where Aaron Rutledge (just one guy!) creates and distributes original audio plugins.  Among these plugins are two virtual instruments that I absolutely love, and have actually been able to work into a few of my projects: Peach and Toad.  Peach (as in Princess Peach) is loaded with different tones from NES games, and loaded into your keyboard it will inspire you for hours to rewrite all your songs to sound more like the Legend of Zelda theme song.  Toad (as in… Toad) is basically the same thing as Peach, but instead of tones, it uses tons of random sounds from NES games to make up percussion and drums.  All of the plugins have demo MP3s  for your listening pleasure, and even if you’re not into audio production, you’ll still probably get a kick out of hearing the demos.

If you want to hear what these plugins can do when put to good use, click here to listen to a remix I did for a friend’s band using exclusively Nintendo sounds from Peach and Toad.

It’s coming back.  The old school ways of NES motorcycle racing.  This game will solidify the fact that gameplay will always be better than graphics.

For those who are old enough to have owned a NES back in the day, the simple joy of slamming that brand new cartridge you’d just bought into the NES deck was one of those experiences that stay with you for the rest of your life (not unlike other rights of passage most teenage boys went through). So you can probably forgive me for getting a bit nostalgic with the memories flooding back to me when you see this:

Introducing the nesP – NES in a cartridge. Basically it’s a no-name chinese PMP which plays NES games re-wired along with a NES pad guts into an old NES cartridge. Genius! If you thought this looks like a Ben Heck production, then you’d be pretty close to the money. Airz from Ben Heck’s official forum put this little beauty together and it’s for sale if you absolutely must have one.

Hit the jump for some more images and a video of the thing in action. (more…)

The style of using 8-Bit video game characters for a soda display at grocery stores seem to be happening more and more.  In the photo above, you can see the employees saw the Mario soda display and decided to make Donkey Kong. Complete with a barrel that’ll “crush” you, of course. (Yes, I went there. Deal with it.) I hope this trend doesn’t stop because I would love to be greeted by old NES characters every time I walk into my local grocery store.

Saturday, October 10th.  VGXpo, Day 2.  My review of Day 1 was lukewarm, at best.  Much has changed for Day 2.  Some parts for much betters, others for worse.  I’ll touch on a few key products and services I saw that actually caught my eye, though they were few and far between, as well as some misadventures and terribadness that kept things from running as smoothly as possible.  More after the break!

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There are a bunch of screen savers out there, but this is the only one that you will actually have you sitting at your PC and not doing anything.  In this UberNES screensaver, you can watch many old NES game demos being played all at the same time. Like a big old NES arcade room being played out on your screen. You can even zoom into any one game.

Go to UberNES.com to download this free PC screensaver now.

EDIT: You need roms to make this screensaver work. But you know where to get those ;)

How appropriate that as I write this post for today’s Throwback, one of the top trending topics on Twitter is “Good old NES Games.”

Today’s throwback was thought up when a couple of the PixelatedGeek crew got together last weekend at Dave & Busters. We all started talking about tech, video games, internets etc etc.  But then the topic of the conversation went towards a direction I loved. Retro games. Now, I thought I was only one of the few that knew or even played this game called “Caveman Games.”  But, I think it was James and Andrew that played it. So, it was nice to know that someone knew what I was talking about. If you don’t know what Caveman Games is, go past the break. (more…)

Fester’s Quest, developed by SunSoft, saw its release on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. As a kid, it was one of the first games my brother and I ever owned for our old Nintendo system. I had a lot of good times playing it, though it was pretty difficult and my brother and it was one of those games I just never finished.

Looking back, the game is quite horrible in concept. Based on the 1960’s Addams Family TV series, you play as Uncle Fester, the bald, eccentric of the family. A UFO has landed and in the Addams’ home town and its up to Fester to stop the aliens once and for all.

First off, why are there aliens? The game itself seems to have nothing to do with the old TV series (it was made prior to the movies and 90s TV series) aside from the characters themselves. Somehow, Fester managed to get himself an alien-smashing gun. Why he has it and where he got it from in the first place are never explained. Also, why he, out of all the members of the Addams Family, goes to stop the alien threat is also quite the mindboggler. A few characters, mainly Thing, Pugsley, and Wednesday also make an appearance in the game, giving Fester items and many of the family’s apparently many homes in the city.

As a fan of the Addams Family, mainly the old TV show, which I saw in reruns as a kid, I will say that any Addams Family fan should probably skip this game. There’s nothing really “Addams Family” about it and plays like a clone of SunSoft’s Master Blaster. Still, call it nostalgia or whatever, but every time I fire up the old game, I can’t help but love it. Unfortunately, while the game is somewhere in my parent’s closet back in LA, my old NES died a few years ago so I can only play the game on an emulator, which resets every time I enter a building, which means beating the game is damn near (probably completely) impossible. :(

For many gamers, this was what it was all about.

I’ve been gaming for a long time and it feels almost cliché to say that one of my first experiences in the gaming world was Super Mario Bros. But hey, that game was a key factor in the lives of many gamers.

Released in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the game has been going strong for over 20 years. Some games don’t age well over time, but Super Mario Bros. is a game that I’ve always been able to go back in play anytime I feel like it. The game mechanics are simple, as was standards of games back then. With the B button to run and the A button to jump, the game mostly consists of stomping on enemies and jumping around.

The game itself is practically revered amongst the gaming community and I challenge anyone to claim to not have even heard of the Super Mario series. The music is great, even by today’s standards. Admittedly, the game is rather simplistic and, aside from the increase in difficult, the game mechanic never builds into anything new. But the game itself is fun and it is a timeless classic. Nintendo has rereleased and repackaged the game several times and every time, the game sells very well.

Everyone knows Mario, even non-gamers. Super Mario Bros. is where it all really started, despite Mario appearing in the original Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. arcade games beforehand. No matter how much I move onto bigger and more innovated games, I always make my way back to the NES and Super Mario Bros.

Lego builder, Arkov, has created the cutest mini NES system. And not only does it look like a mini NES, it has an opening in the front, AV ports on the side, and a DC port in the back just like a real NES.

awwww how cute!

For more photos of this piece of Lego art and instructions on how to build your own, visit his Flickr page.