Awesome Games

The 8-Bit Big Band offers up another phenomenal cover of a classic video game tune. This time, they take on block-stacking fun of Tetris, adding a bit of swing and a cinematic flair to the Soviet-era sounds of the theme song.

Alpha Beta Gamer shows off early footage of an awesome puzzle game concept. Players manipulate a 3D box that contains other 3D scenes on each of its sides. As you line up objects on its sides, you can affect the other scenes to solve its levels. A demo version is available for Windows, and takes just about 15 minutes to complete.

It’s been a long time coming, but Diablo IV is finally in the works. Blizzard’s cinematic first look at the game is dimly lit by torch, filled with creepy monsters, packed with tension. The story takes place many years after Diablo III, as Sanctuary faces its darkest days. Gameplay trailer here.

It’s been a long time coming, but Hideo Kojima’s epic action adventure finally hits PS4 consoles on 11/8/19. The launch trailer showcases the hauntingly accurate character modeling of its lead actors, along with the mysterious and dystopian future in which they reside, but still leaves us quite perplexed about the storyline.

Give your PlayStation 4 the extra storage space it deserves with Fantom Drives’ 2TB upgrade kit. The kit includes an external enclosure, a speedy Seagate Firecuda Gaming hybrid drive, a micro USB 3.0 cable, screwdriver, 16GB flash drive for OS transfer, and installation guide. Save 29% in The Awesomer Shop. (PS4 not included.)

New Wave Toys presents the latest in their series of miniature arcade cabinets, with a working clone of the Don Bluth animated classic Dragon’s Lair. The 1/6th scale machine features a spot-on emulation of the Laserdisc game, along with tiny controls, working secondary scoreboard, and an illuminated marquee.

It may only be a video game fantasy, but Jaguar’s futuristic race car for Gran Turismo Sport looks incredible. The sleek, wide, and low racer takes inspiration from classics like the C-Type and D-Type, but is a modern powerhouse with over 1000 hp being generated by three electric motors, and a virtual 0-to-60 time under 2 seconds.

Remixer Eclectic Method teamed up with the DJs of Gamerdisco to create this fun dance track made up from the sounds featured in various old school racing games, like OutRun, Wipeout, Hard Drivin’, and one of our favorites, the classic smash ’em up Burnout.

If the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in the 1920s instead of the 1980s, the music its games played might have sounded a bit like the ragtime jazz piano arranged and played brilliantly here by musician Scott Bradlee.

Take a trip to a secret world of caffeine with ThinkGeek’s officially-licensed mug is a 3D version of the warp pipe from the original Super Mario Bros. game. It even includes the floor tiles as a base. The mug can hold up to 15oz and is made of ceramic.

Arcade1Up offers up a 2-player arcade experience in a mini cocktail cabinet. Each system has dual controls and a 17″ display. The Pac-Man editions include 8 games, while the Street Fighter units have a dozen games. The colorful versions are available from Gamestop, while the black editions are exclusive to Arcade1up.

Say goodbye to productivity today. Thanks to the folks at the amazing Internet Archive, you can play thousands of retro PC games right in your web browser. Their extensive software library is packed with classics like The Oregon Trail, SimCity, Prince of Persia, Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, Leisure Suit Larry, and many more.

(PG-13: Language) Upper State’s darkly-comedic parody of The Sopranos imagines if the show was set in the Mushroom Kingdom instead of New Jersey. It’s so well executed, it could have been an actually episode of HBO’s hit drama. Actor Max Koch’s Gandolfini impression really helps sell it. (Thanks Ryan!)

While LEGO has bent some of its rules about violence by offering weapons with some of its Star Wars sets, the brand is still pretty much about clean, wholesome fun. But that didn’t stop Nukazooka from imagining a LEGO movie based on the world of Grand Theft Auto.

Back in 1989, Sharp took the electronics from a Nintendo Famicom 8-bit gaming system and tricked them out to create an early piece of home video wizardy – a tool that could be used to create titles and graphics to overlay on video recordings. Nostalgia Nerd got up close with this obscure gadget to see what it could do.

Ahoy presents an incredibly in-depth analysis of the origins of video games, swiftly debunking any confusion that Pong was the first video game ever, and looking back at early titles like Computer Space, SpaceWar!, Tennis for Two, and their programmers. Turns out hunting down the very first video game isn’t that simple.

Love computer strategy games? Build empires on your Mac with this special deal on Sid Meier’s Civilization series. We’ve got bargain prices on Civilization V: Complete, Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, and Civilization VI: Gold Edition, all in The Awesomer Shop.

This innovative headset gaming system turns a blank tabletop game board into a richly interactive 3D environment. Players wear special glasses which let them see holographic imagery, and control the game using a wireless wand. It looks legit, but it’s not a cheap setup for multiple players.

It looks like the fascinating crowd physics game we first saw in 2018 is finally heading towards a game console. In Humanity, you’ll direct massive throngs of people through moving mazes on a quest to keep as many of your minions alive as possible. Coming to PS4 in 2021.

The follow-up to Naughty Dog’s outstanding post-apocalyptic FPS The Last of Us won’t be available until February 21, 2020, but it looks like it’ll be worth the wait, with plenty of bone-chilling cinematic scenes, dark storylines, and tension-filled gameplay.

LaserGadgets likes to build all sorts of cool prop weaponry using lasers. For this custom-commissioned build, he created a Militech handgun that looks like it came straight out of the CD Projekt Red RPG Cyberpunk 2077. The hefty replica has LED illumination, and a bright blue laser that’s powerful enough to burst balloons.

Musician Marcos Kaiser is a master of fingerstyle guitar technique. Check out his awesome renditions of themes from Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario World, and Mortal Kombat, then browse his YouTube channel for more great covers from TV and movies.

Harkening back to the shape of classic arcade machines, Harow’s compact sofa looks like a great place to chill out and play video games at home. It can be made with custom artwork, and custom sizes, and is made from recycled wood, steel and velvet-covered cushions.