Awesome Games

FRVR’s AI game development platform will let users create their own video games using text prompts. The demo shows it taking a description of a top-down shooter and generating the code for a playable game. As the user refines their prompts, the game gets better. Users will be able to publish and monetize the games they create too. Full walkthrough video here.

Tears of the Kingdom and Katamari Damacy have a few things in common, like gathering objects to create more complex ones. That inspired Studson Studio to combine the two games into one epic diorama. He gathered some characters and Zonai objects from TotK, rolled them into a jumbo Katamari, and then made a combo of Link and The Prince.

The theme music from Tetris is a big part of what made the video game so popular. Musician JER of the Skatune Network and We Are the Union transformed the classic Russian chiptune into an energetic piece of ska, with its trademark quick beats, layered brass, and organ sounds.

Developer Neal Agarwal’s The Password Game is an intentionally frustrating parody of password complexity rules. Scam-buster Kitboga teamed up with Agarwal to integrate a version of his app into a fake banking website, then used it to drive scammers insane. We’re impressed how long some of these crooks stuck to it.

LEGO builder ScottMakesMOCs spent an unfathomable amount of time creating this Mario Kart roller coaster. The intricate build includes Kart-inspired cars, Bowser’s castle, an airship, and lots of characters and details from the Nintendo game. He’s recently built an expansion to the theme park, and Beyond the Brick has a great interview video.

We love playing classic arcade games. But an arcade cabinet isn’t exactly the kind of thing you’d put right in the middle of most living rooms. Maker Alexandre Chappel shows us how he designed and built a 2-player arcade machine that hides inside of a sleek wood cabinet that hangs neatly on a wall.

Non-player characters (NPCs) in games are often quite stupid. But this video from TMARTN2 shows how they’re about to get much smarter. Combining voice recognition, voice synthesis, and an AI large language model, Replica Studios’ Smart NPCs carry out real-time, non-scripted conversations. It’s early days for the tech, but it’s a glimpse into the future.

Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral is a dark industrial masterpiece. MawinSwag took the entire album and performed it using the sounds from Nintendo’s Mario 64. The Mushroom Kingdom descends into madness with tracks like Mr. Self Destruct, Closer, Reptile, and Hurt. Piggy got a copyright strike, so skip over that part and find it here.

Game controller makers 8bitdo are now making keyboards in the style of 8-bit game consoles. Their 87-key mechanical keyboards are inspired by the NES and its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom, and come with a programmable dual “Super Button.” Compatible with Windows and Android devices via Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, or wired connections.

The music from the Super Mario Bros. games can be energetic and uplifting. But it can also be quite relaxing. If you need to calm your nerves on a hard day, all you need is to hit play on this clip, and you’ll get 75 minutes of the chillest Mario music ever. This is the music that spas should play while you get a massage.

Video game and console collector Tristan Ibarra follows up his Video Game Field Guide with a four-volume compendium packed with nearly 2400 pages of consoles, handhelds, tabletops, and checklists for thousands of games, both popular and rare. Available in digital or hardcopy editions.

Watchmaker AVI-8 teamed up with Capcom to create a limited-edition wristwatch based on the top-down shooter, 1942. The aviation-themed watch features pixelated planes from the game, skeletonized hands, a bitmapped date indicator, and a “12” marker in the game’s logo font. Each watch includes custom prints by artist Nache Ramos. Drops 7.28.2023.

Over the years, we’ve heard lots of covers of tunes from the Super Mario Bros. games, but vocalist Kohl Kitzmiller went all-in with this multi-track a cappella medley of 40 tracks from throughout Nintendo’s most popular video game franchise. This man has got some serious vocal range.

This series of 1″ enameled metal pins from DKNG pays tribute to classic arcade gaming, with four tiny machines to wear on your jacket or backpack. The Fly, Fight, Build, and Race machines incorporate sweet retro colors and graphics and a sparkly glitter-filled screen. The set is $10 off the regular price for a limited time.

Sushi Ramen likes to do dumb things in pursuit of YouTube views. This time, he wanted to recreate Mario’s fire-throwing abilities in real life. All he needed was a furnace, a crucible filled with 1800ºC molten iron, a fire suit, and a fireproof room to pull off the stunt. The fiery goodness starts around the 12:20 mark. Here’s the Japanese subtitled version.

The A capella group Maytree is really good at making mouth sounds. In this clip, they replicate the music and sound effects from Nintendo’s classic 8-bit arcade game, Donkey Kong. Though like many of us, they couldn’t make it past Level 1.

We know how great Radiohead sounds played using the sounds from Mario 64. Now enjoy MawinSwag’s 64-bit chiptune version of Metallica’s 1988 album And Justice for All. We can totally imagine Blackened playing during the Dark World level while Bowser laughs maniacally, and One would be perfect as Mario explores Princess Peach’s castle.

You might think that the Atari 2600 or Nintendo Entertainment System was the first game console to let you play different games using cartridges. But a much lesser-known console, the Fairchild Channel F, featured the first game cartridge. Gaming Historian looks at the origins of this system and the significant impact it had on gaming for years to come.

The game QWOP challenged players to make a 2-dimensional figure walk using their keyboard to control its limbs. The 3D platformer Baby Steps takes this idea to the next level, asking gamers to move a character through a variety of challenging environments by controlling only his feet. Coming to PC and PS5 in 2024.

There are many great games on the Xbox Series X|S, but there’s not been a killer app for Microsoft’s console. That could change with Starfield, an action RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios exclusively for the console and PC. This in-depth video explores the game’s vast universe, missions, character and ship customizations, and endless possibilities.

It’s hard to top the original Sonic the Hedgehog games for their sheer sense of speed, excitement, and iconic level design. Sonic Superstars aims to freshen up the 2D platform action with modern graphics, all-new zones, new Chaos Emerald powers, and the ability to play side-by-side with friends as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. Drops fall 2023.

The OLED version of Samsung’s wraparound 49″ display takes gaming to the next level. With deep blacks and vibrant colors, this 32:9 ultrawide screen immerses you in the action. It’s got a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and is compatible with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for smooth panning. It also has built-in smart TV apps for streaming content.

Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world game that puts you in the role of Kay Vess, a mischievous young woman attempting to start a new life against the backdrop of Imperial rule. Taking place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, she and her companion Nix must elude the Empire and contend with galactic crime syndicates.