My initial reaction to the notion of Aeon Co. using robots to look after and entertain children while their parents are shopping was, “well that seems a little…impersonal.” Then I realized the simple fact that they would be interacting with the kids was a huge step up from most of the babysitters I was ever subjected to as a wee young lad. They seemed more interested in watching TV or eating my parents out of house and home, but I digress. These robots, however, will apparently even be able to speak (albeit in a limited way) with the children, which so long as it’s not “go away, I’m talking to my boyfriend,” would be a huge improvement.

Robot to Babysit Children (via Ubergizmo)

By Stewart Smith

The independent gaming landscape is riddled with little nuggets of gaming gold. If you dig around enough, you stumble upon innovative little amusements like Farbs.org’s ROM CHECK FAIL! I’m not sure if you could categorize this game, or how to accurately describe it. However, I am sure that the creator was probably snorting Pixy Stix while doing glow stick routines to some hardcore drum & bass to have come up with a mashup like this!

The gameplay mixes different classic games (including Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and even the yellow dot munching Pac Man) together, constantly switching between soundtracks, scenery, enemies, and characters from various classics. The objective remains the same throughout, you have to eliminate all the enemies that appear on the screen. This proves both challenging and unnerving as the screen, well, “freaks out” and then switches over to another mashed up combination of character, background, and soundtrack.

Despite its quirkiness, ROM CHECK FAIL stands as a shining example of how independent game creators are constantly pushing innovation in game mechanics and concepts. Kudos.

Check it out here (PC only), it’s only 2MB and it’s free. I should warn you though, it may make you a bit queezy. If you have a tendency for having seizures or suffering from spontaneous combustion, don’t play for too long. Enjoy.

By Joshua C. Harris

The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return: Review
System: Wii
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
MSRP: $29.99

The title of The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a flat out lie. Oh sure, there’s plenty of dead on hand, but if you’re expecting them to populate a house of some sort, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. But then, I suppose Non-Descript European City of the Dead and Derelict Research Facility of the Dead just don’t have the same ring to it.

There’s nothing better than rocking out to your favorite video game tracks, especially when they’re remixed by some skilled DJs. Community organization Overclocked Remix knows this and has made it their mission to keep “dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music.” The site offers hundreds of songs, original and remixed, free for download, along with some information on each track and artist. I recommend Gecko Yamori’s remix of the Streets of Rage 2 tune “Go Back.” That’ll get you started.

By Joshua C. Harris

Big Dada, one of Ninja Tune’s excellent sublabels, just recently leaked out a track from their new signing Kali. It looks like someone else really appreciates the musical gems from the NES era. You don’t have to listen that carefully to hear some familiar sounds from your past on the beats for Kali’s new tune “Wendy.” Download it here and then go dust off your NES, check out volume 3 of a certain game series starring a certain blue-suited robot, and you may be surprised.

New Signing on Big Dada (via Discobelle)

By Jesse Mann

Lately it seems that there’s alot of animalification going on in the world of robotics. We’ve posted a few of them here recently, but BigDog here probably takes the cake so far. This thing manages to stay vertical walking over snow, rocks, and cinder blocks, and even after slipping on ice or getting kicked around by humans. The movement is so fluid and realistic that it is frightening, and incredibly exciting. Having been funded by DARPA, it’s likely that the first proposed utilities of BigDog would be on the battlefield, but perhaps someday you’ll be able to take one on a walk down the block with your living canine.

New Video of BDI’s BigDog Robot (via IEEE Spectrum Blog)

By Jesse Mann