Gamertell

Brian Ashcraft, of Wired and Kotaku, discovered and wrote about an interesting new Japanese toy for both sites - Tomy’s LCD video game banks. There are three varieties released so far, a virtual life game called Jinsei Ginko, Ikemen Bank and BANKQUEST, and Ashcraft was lucky enough to get to play and invest with all three of them.

The three different banks all represent three different gaming genres, and each one is primarily played by inserting money. Jinsei Ginko is a life simulation, where your thriftiness can help a virtual man find his way to a better life. Ikemen Bank is actually an otome (girl’s dating sim/life sim) style bank, where saving money helps make the guys like you more. BANKQUEST is an RPG where you help the hero advance by contributing cash…

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If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times; You can never find enough ways to kill a zombie. We’ve all been conditioned to believe the best defense against the living dead is a firearm or some kind of explosive device. Those are great items to have during the zombie apocalypse but what about chainsaws? What about guns with chainsaw attachments? Yes it does sound like a Lancer from Gears of War and it actually exists.

A member named SOC on the AR15.com forums has Macgyver-ed himself a fully working chainsaw that essentially makes the automatic rifle an afterthought. Since it’s labeled as a Firearm Mounted Anti Zombie Device, I don’t think this guy had Marcus Fenix in mind when he created it. However if there’s a new and exciting way to slay a few zombies I’ll be all over it.

Check out this video of the gun in action taking on some unwieldy pumpkins…

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System: iPod Touch
Price: $229 (8GB), $299 (16GB) and $399 (32GB)
Release Date: September 2008 (2nd generation)
Publisher (Developer): Apple
Pros: Incredible audio support and very accurate touchscreen and accelerometer (motion) controls. Lots of games to choose from including standard casual, card and puzzle games, as well as several system-only and online games. External speakers.
Cons: No manual game buttons and a naked iPod is a bit slippery to hold. Home button slip exits the game without pause. No external media slot.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

Apple has been promoting the crud out of the iPod Touch as being “the funnest iPod ever” with commercials that show a bunch of motion-controlled games.

While certainly not a Nintendo DS killer, the iPod Touch does offer some rather decent motion and touchscreen controls as well as all the iPhone’s main features sans the phone and microphone. There are a few small concerns for touch-only games but, otherwise, it performs well above most phones as a gaming device…

Click through for the full review!

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Check out the gallery: iPod Touch - Installing a game from the Apple App Store

The infamous Red Ring of Death (RROD) has been a plague on the conscience of Xbox 360 owners since the system debuted. Playing a round of Halo 3 or exploring the world of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, only to have your system freeze up and then instantly parish is not something gamers wanted on their minds, especially considering that it might take two weeks - or longer - to get their systems back.

I know it’s something I think about whenever I turn my system on and I bet it’s on your mind as well. Now however, it looks like the RRODepidemic may be something of the past as Microsoft has started introducing Jasper chips into fresh Xbox 360s hitting retail shelves.

VentureBeat has exposed some details on the newly outfitted Xbox 360s, including why the systems should be RROD-proof.

For starters, the new systems will pack a 65-nanometer graphics chip (down from 90-nanometers) that will…

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Wal-Mart’s Cyber Monday deals are now in full effect. There is no shortage of games here at all. Granted a lot of them are titles a lot of us have never heard of before but the list is so expansive you’re bond to find something to pick up. The best deals have to be for Xbox 360 bundles that include Guitar Hero World Tour for $269. The game deals for DS, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP come in pairs for one price. With the exception of the PSP, you can choose two games for $30. The list in it’s entirety follows…

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Amazon is doing a great job of turning me into an every day lurker because it just keeps surprising me with its unbelievable deals on video games. In what I assume is an ode to Cyber Monday, Amazon is currently offering some great role-playing games (including brand new releases and pre-roders) at rock-bottom prices. This means that in addition to taking advantage of these thrifty sales tags, shoppers will also save on sales tax and receive free shipping so long as the order totals $25 or more.

It’s hard to say how long these prices will stay up, so you had better act fast and take advantage of these bargain bin finds. It looks like RPG fans will be able to stuff themselves full of something else besides just turkey this holiday season…

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The question of Second Life‘s popularity is one I have frequently mused over as I have examined this alternate online universe. While the premise behind Second Life is a noble one, allowing individuals and companies to grow themselves in an alternate universe, the results thus far have not always been positive; companies have slowly begun to abandon Second Life as a viable means of dissipating information.

Reuters, a large and international real-world news service had previously set up an office within Second Life but has since decided to summarily abandon their virtual branch there. According to 1UP.com, a spokeswoman for Reuters said that the service would…

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By now we’ve licked our wounds and recovered from the madness that’s known as Black Friday. Even though waiting in long lines in blustery cold weather is over, deals on games are still running strong.

Amazon still has some pretty amazing deals that will last until Monday (December 1, 2008). For example, how would you like to own Far Cry 2 for $17.95 or Infinite Undiscovery for $18.95? Say what you will about some reviews but these games are certainly worth one Andrew Jackson. There are steals like these spread out across all consoles and this list will cover some of the most notable. Most of these games are eligible for free shipping if your total purchase exceeds $25. These bargains won’t be around for much longer so get to it…

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Back in 2000, Radio Shack (and Digital Convergence) gave away free barcode scanners called the CueCat (aka:CueCat) that connected to your computer. You’d use it to scan stuff and then it would open a web page based on whatever you scanned. It was a nice idea that simply flopped.

A lot of those little scanners are still around (heck, I have three) and operational so, naturally, people want to use the cute little scanners with more modern applications including home collection software made by Collectorz. Particularly, gamers can use a barcode scanner to scan their collection of video games for a complete and easy-to-browse catalog using Game Collector.

Although Collectorz sells that and…

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When Nintendo revealed that the Wii Speak Channel would be enabled through a one-off download ticket, consumers and retailers were a little disgruntled. Like most Nintendo peripherals, a lot of them are impulse buys that eventually make their way to the used game accessory bins in mom and pop shops or re-sold in GameStop’s plastic baggies all over the world.

Now, however, disgruntlement can be set aside as Nintendo as seemingly changed their minds about the one off download ticket system. According to Wii Fanboy, Nintendo of Europehas made the following statement regarding the download tickets:

Any consumer who may have misplaced their Wii Download Ticket number for the Wii Speak Channel or require a new number following a Wii exchange may contact their local Nintendo Customer Services department, where they can request a replacement Wii Download Ticket number.

That essentially means you can buy a used version of the microphone and get…

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