Cosmos Chaos DS

I've always been interested in video games (and children's literature too) as learning tools and have been meaning to look into the subject for quite some time now. Anyway. Cosmos Chaos for the Nintendo DS should be interesting, as it apparently will be a mix of adventure, RPG and, well, creativity incentives. Have a look.

Snatcher Pilot DS

It might be old news, but -just in case you missed it- here's a link to let you download the pretty excellent Snatcher Pilot DS. It's a port of the PC-Engine demo of the amazing cyberpunk adventure Snatcher to the DS that uses the Sega (Mega) CD assets of the game. And in case you were wondering, yes, Snatcher is the creation of Hideo Kojima and, yes, you will have to use a flash cart of some sort.

An early GPH Caanoo video

Online Gameboy Emulator

The title says it all, really. You can relive those nostalgic Game Boy gaming moments online and for free, simply by following this very link. Hooray!

Disney's TRON for free

Well, provided you have an iPhone, iPod or iPad and follow this very link, that is. Seems rather smart too. Also sports this very Tron aesthetic I've always appreciated.

Gaming on the go in the future?

Well, how will it look like? Not radically different I believe, but then again I simply can't be sure, what with my voodoo powers at an all-time low. Anyway. Seems some people try to answer stuff without actually resorting to dark magic. Odd, I know, but it does make sense. The same way this brilliant blog post about the Future of Handheld Video Games does. Read it.

Apple's Retro Section launched

OK, this is increasingly getting more tempting. I really, really, don't need an iDevice of any sort, as I'm perfectly happy with my phone and existing handhelds, but the just-launched Retro Section in the Apple App Store is looking really fantastic. And features both properly retro and retro-reloaded (mostly remade) games of the highest quality. Have a look. Oh, and thanks to the excellent MacStories for letting everyone know.

A short Zaku (Lynx) review

As already mentioned on this blog Zaku is the latest game to hit the Atari Lynx, and also happens to be the best game ever released after the console's commercial demise. What's more, it also is the best shoot-'em-up ever released for the console and a game all of you dear Atari Lynx owners have to buy. Really. Provided you care for quality Lynx releases in this day and age. 

As to why you should buy Zaku, well, for starters, the production values of the game's box are simply amazing, what with the proper cartridge and full-colour manual. One more reason can be found on the video below:

You can see how impressive those graphics are, can't you? And, please, do notice the impressive parallax scrolling and glorious sprites. Gameplay-wise, worry not. This is a rich and varied shmup that sports quite a few innovations, many bosses, five levels and the flair of Air Zonk.

You can purchase your copy of Zaku via its official site.

Etrian Odyssey III: The Art Book preorder

Having played the original Etrian Odyssey (courtesy of guttertalk) on the DS, I must admit it was one of the best games I've played on any handheld ever. After all, the game was an old-fashioned, hardcore RPG, that actually let you draw your very own maps on the touch-screen. Anyway. Thing is Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is available for preorder and impressively comes with an amazing preorder gift; an art book (previewed here). Find out more at the game's official site.

Monkey Island 2: Special Edition (iPad)

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is hands-down the best adventure game ever. It sports brilliant characters, fantastic music, beautiful art, top-quality puzzles, excellent humour and a fascinating plot that blends fantasy, surrealism and a bit of horror in an impressive whole. Shockingly Monkey Island 2: Special Edition is even better than that adding new graphics, an orchestral soundtrack, voice-overs by the classic Monkey Island cast, an in-depth commentary, a hint sytem and more. What's more the game has just been made available for your iPad; the perfect adventure gaming platform. Get it here. Get it now.

Wallace & Gromit: The Last Resort (iPad)

I must admit I haven't really played Telltale's Wallace and Gromit series, but I did enjoy its short demo and most of the company's other series, meaning I'm more than happy to let you know that Wallace & Gromit made it to the iPad. Find out more about the first and incredibly well-priced episode here.

What the 3DS Starfox might look like

You'll need your 3D glasses mind. 

Chaos DS remake

Before Laser Squad and X-Com there was Chaos. Just Chaos. And I've recently discovered that you can actually play a remake of Julian Gollop's ZX Spectrum classic on your DS. Fore free of course, provided you follow this lovely link.

ScanMobile for the iPhone

I know this is supposed to be a gaming blog, but I really couldn't ignore the amazing iPhone app that is Scanmobile. It actually gives me a valid reason to own Apple's phone thingy, as it's one little tool I can really -really- use. Scanmobile, you see, let's you copy and share documents using the iPhone's camera in a most impressive way, that does remind me a bit of those complicated photogrammetry classes back from my undergraduate days. Have a look at its official site and grab it via the App Store.

Here's the official word on the thing:

The easiest, fastest and most affordable way to copy & share your documents using your camera phone, turning it into a portable scanner machine!

…now available on the App Store

If you ever were requested to send or digitally archive legal documents, bills or receipts and you were troubled [or just plain bored!] finding and using a fax machine or a flatbed scanner

If you ever tried to capture text or notes from a paper or board with your camera phone, you were surely disappointed with the quality: the pictured looked “dirty”, full of imperfections, geometrically distorted, difficult to read and even worse to print.

All these are changed by the Scanmobile technology. Using smart optical transformation it makes your mobile photo picture look as crisped and readable as you dreamed it when you took the picture; probably better than the original. How is this possible?

· All shades or unwanted light reflections are automatically removed

· Geometry is corrected so that the document appears flat as if scanned in a flatbed scanner

· Texture of lines are made more vivid and sharp

· Digital noise is cleaned making the document pleasant to read

· PDF document is prepared and ready to send as e-mail through the app

· A folder hierarchy is provided for archiving purposes

· All processing takes place on your phone, no third party gaining access to your documents

It’s usage is easy and intuitive:

· Launch the Scanmobile app

· Use your smartphone to take a picture, or select one already shot. If you want to capture a large area (like an extended board) take the picture from an angle to get it all in the frame; don’t worry: Scanmobile will automatically bring it to proper shape

· Adjust your page boundaries

· Process your document in seconds

· And you’re ready to send as a PDF attachment, or save it as a picture for archiving and future reference

Lord of Arcana PSP

And you thought non-Sony PSP exclusives were dead... Hah! Here's Lord of Arcana by Square Enix. It's a glorious looking action game with an emphasis on multiplayer and co-op gaming, that will most probably impress us all when it finally hits PSPs worldwide. Find out more at its impressive official website.

The Unreal and Portable Speccy

Good news everyone! The excellent ZX Spectrum emulator that is Unreal Speccy has just been made available for Symbian, WinMobile and Dingoo. You can download it here and expect top quality emulation of all ZX Spectrum models (including the Pentagon) and most peripherals. Thousands of games can -as always- be freely download for the WoS archive.