You can still play your old NES and Super Nintendo games!

Yeah, yeah, "geek week" is turning out to be more like "let's play Nintendo! please, please, please??"

What can I say? I liked the original Nintendo systems and still have at least 3 in my closet at the moment, along with dozens of games. Unfortunately, the last working system I have requires a well-placed butterknife to be slid in on top of the game juuusssttt right, and you can't even so much as breathe the wrong way while playing or it'll lose connection. Yes, it's sad, but I couldn't bear to risk losing the only playable systems for all those games.

Well now there's the Retro Duo NES/SNES Game System on Think Geek. *Drools* Not only is this thing a beauty, but it's functional 'and' cheap. It plays both NES and SNES games, both of which are top loading. As Jeff says over at CNET:

"That means no more trial and error playing "Legend of Zelda" or "Super
Mario Brothers 3." No more taking the cartridge back out, blowing on it
furiously, slamming it back in the console and powering up, hoping
you're not greeted with a screen of wavy lines or misformed game
sprites only to once again take Mario's name in vain."

Oh so true! And at roughly 50 bucks, it's well worth it to put all those old games back to use. Did I mention how stylish, chic, and amazingly drool-worthy it is, too? Yeah? Okay, just making sure. You can even use your old controllers or stick with the ones included with the system. Choices, choices. Can you say Duck Hunt gun??

(And yes, I know there are other retro-type systems out there that claim to offer the same experience, but they're usually not-so-cool, require game chips, etc....not the same as this at all!)

Chocolate Nintendo Kitchen Utensils

More gaming fun, hehe. Read more here about the chocolates that were produced in association with the release of Nintendo DS's interactive cookbook "game."

 

PJC--Guitar Hero Goes Travel Size on the DS

Guitar Hero for Nintendo DS

If you're not familiar with Guitar Hero, it's a video game that involves using a console that is the size and shape of a real guitar. Players follow prompts on the screen and "play" by matching up sequences on the screen to what's on their guitar. And of course, it's all to music and swept the nation in the last few years, leading to bizarre stories about how much parents were paying to get certain games and one parent who sold a hard-to-get Guitar Hero III game for $9100 after catching his son smoking pot.

I told you....craziness. It's like Tickle Me Elmo all over again, but involving adults who want it just as bad as teens and younger kids.....and are willing to do more than simply plow over other anxious parents in the mall.

Anywho, Nintendo has brought out a version for the DS...a small, compact handheld console....an upgrade to the Gameboy, if you're familiar with those (I've noticed a huge variety in my audience nowadays...if I mention something you don't know about, tell me, and I'll be sure to explain more!).

There's no huge life-size guitar this time, but rather, an attachment that you can put on your travel-size game player and have at it! The link below the picture up there has a rather cool video animation on how it's played. Beware, there's sound, so if you want to listen, make sure you have other things turned down and your volume at a tolerable level so you're not bombarded.

Facebook Flashback Friday - Art, vegetarians, and mad parking skills

Here's another in a series of link dump compilations including all the strange things I've found and shared elsewhere. There are lots more shared on Quirky Jessi's Facebook, but here are some snippets:

• Any World of Warcraft players out there? This one is for you PUGers. 
• Sometimes I don't post something here because I've already posted similar stories before. There are more well-positioned photos here: When a photograph is not just a photograph.
  What a pretty "flower girl."
  
• Some very interesting illustrations on this Design War post.
  
  
  Check out those colors and ignore the fact that she's not wearing very many clothes...
• When a lion figures out he's really a vegetarian....
  
  And several other interesting reverse-perspective comics.
• On May 12th, I shared this thought of the day: "Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away. :P"
• Intense bento creations, including PlayStation, Hello Kitty, Mario (of course), Windows, Nintendo DS, and several others.
  
• 
• And this gem was found at gifbin. She does a better job parking than most people we see.
  
  

Through May 12

Gaming fashion....because sometimes, you have to go outside

Gaming rocks. Going outside into the big bad world....not so cool.

But when you have to go out, why not take your gaming buddies with you? No, I'm not talking about the friends that show up at your house to play Guitar Hero with you, or the MMO avatars that help you slaughter things across the web. We're talking the in-game PacMans, Tetris blocks, etc.

Video game scarves





I have definite mushroom envy going on right now. :(

Tetris dress



Retro game ties



Animated Table Tennis Shirt




This one looks best in a dark room, so maybe you shouldn't go out into the bright sunny world afterall.

Baby outfit



Hey, the baby has to go out, too....

Pacman boxers



And if you decide to stay in instead or hey, if you're one of those weirdos who actually has to go to work everyday and game attire doesn't fit with your profession, you can just wear these underneath instead.  Amazon has other gaming boxers, too.

Nintendo controller underwear



Some for the ladies, too.

Sonic the Hedgehog shoes, Street Fighter shoes, Mario shoes






Can't forget to put on shoes! :D

Nablopomo 2009 -- Should I even bother?

For a while now, I've been posting every other day, for many reasons.

NaBloPoMo is something I discovered early on in my blogging days, though, and it holds a certain sentimental value to me, even though I completely disagree with what it's become and it's no longer what it originally was.

I've started writing up some posts and at this point, I'll be doing a gaming theme. Last year I did an art theme and a had a lot of fun compiling 30 posts specifically for that, so I think I could do the same with a quirky gaming theme. If nothing else, maybe it'll get some of this Nintendo posting out of my system.

Michelangelo Nintendo remix - "Game Over"

It's been a while, right? Right!

So I like quirky art and I love original NES Mario, so of course I want this beauty in my living room. Or maybe out in the garage or something where it might actually fit, but nevermind that.



Drawing direct inspiration from the original La Pieta sculpture of Mary and Jesus by Michelangelo, Kordian Lewandowski created this piece using the Princess and Mario instead. I love that it's named "Game Over" and this quote sums it up quite nicely:

"While the sculpture may not be included in an art history book, it showcases one of the most iconic sculptural subjects of the Renaissance re-contextualized using the storyline of Mario instead of the Bible."

For the record, if I were to put together an art history book, this would totally be in there. History in the making, no?

Here's a view from before it was completed, too:

Add chocolate wiimotes to the list

Between the PlayStation controller shaped soaps and the chocolate Nintendo utensils, maybe I should just turn QJ into a "quirky gaming products" site instead, geesh.

Now don't get me wrong, I love what Etsy stands for and I'm happy that so many smaller crafters can get their products out there on the web. There are tons of products I never would've seen otherwise, and it's wonderful. I certainly can't complain about all the silly gaming crafts I've seen there either. Add some chocolate? Oh yeah, I'm sold.

But yeah, it seems like everything is being shaped into video game controllers now! I guess it might as well be chocolate, huh? There are also blue, green, and brown PlayStation 2 controllers.

(And no, for those who are wondering, there isn't a trigger shaped into the chocolate on the bottom.)

Decorate your walls with Mario

I want, I want, I want.

I saved the best for last because um, well just because. I would love to have these restickable wall stickers for myself sometime. I'm thinking maybe for an office? Or a kids' play room?

There's a gallery of photos on Think Geek (where you can buy them) and someone even used them in a bathroom. Another has them in a doctor's office (what a cool idea!). I don't really care where others put them because *I* want them. Hopefully this doesn't shock anyone too much after all my Nintendo talk a while back, heh.

They come in Donkey Kong and "new" Super Mario versions, too, but I love the original. <3

Yeah, I want these even more now. :(

"Personal cleansers" -- Or rather, just fancy-shaped gaming soaps

Bet you thought it was going to be Nintendo, huh? Today, going with Play Station instead, although there actually 'are' NES controllers made out of soap as well, along with keyboards, phones, computer monitors, computer chips.....and amongst the mix, even a cup of hot cocoa and a pizza. Perfect for gaming days!