retro

Games on the Wii aren't always pretty. In fact, the Wii tends to celebrate the old, the retro, the kitschy throwback titles so often seen on the Virtual Console. The Wii isn't capable of HD, and its graphics aren't in the same ballpark as the those of Xbox 360 and PS3.

This is why we're often excited by original Wii games that, rather than try to replicate what higher-octane HD gaming systems such as the Xbox 360 and PS3 are doing, instead branch off and lay claim to the Wii's unique qualities. Ubisoft's No More Heroes franchise is a classic example of this, but is the newly released sequel also a good game?

Scott: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is a sequel to the equally bizarre original designed by Suda 51, an artist/designer known for an aesthetic in gaming that's as much about artsy statement as it is about "fun gaming." As the game's ridiculous, murderous hero Travis Touchdown, you're off to compete in a repetitive series of boss battles against psychopathic killer-heroes in an attempt to be the No. 1. Each mission tends to consist of a very linear journey through subvillains on the way to this boss attack, and the game's 3D look is angular and even ugly at times. This is deliberate: in fact, No More Heroes 2 is almost a celebration of old-school gaming, down to its Nintendo Entertainment System-era minigames, scratchy, degraded-looking cut scenes, and 8-bit sound effects.

Does the game make sense? No, it's madness. You give your cat a workout in one series of games, and can spend time playing a disturbingly sexual arcade shooter on your character's living-room TV, all of which seems like it's parodying the ridiculousness of "real-world" games like Grand Theft Auto.

Assassination missions are given to you by a big-busted hostess, and the adolescent sexual fantasies and toilet-based waypoints are simultaneously juvenile and funny. The blood-soaked nunchuck-based attack moves, combining motion controller moves with button-mashing, are trigger-quick and satisfying. Ammo upgrades and other unlockables are weird and somewhat useless, but that's what this game is largely about: celebrating the absurdity of video games.

Though the main adventure is on the short side, the library of 8-bit retro minigames are a great bunch of fun as well. It's ugly, it's messy, but No More Heroes 2 is also inspired. Just make sure, no matter what, that you rent or play this game before buying.

Jeff: No More Heroes 2 is certainly one of the Wii's most ambitious franchises. From an aesthetic point of view, it's a visual gem, pushing the hardware limits of the Wii. As an action game, it controls well and provides a solid challenge for any fan of the genre. There's no doubt we love No More Heroes 2; we're just not sure it's accessible enough beyond being the "artsy film" of gaming.… Read more

All that talk of fancy 3D TVs making you long for your simple old analog set? LG is out with a bulky, retro-styled set that features rabbit ears, detachable chrome legs, and functional knobs for changing the channel and volume. You can even switch between full-color, black-and-white, and sepia modes.

But the glossy orange 14-inch set doesn't just look like it belongs in a living room on "That '70s Show"; it uses trusty old cathode ray tube, or CRT, technology with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The LG Serie 1 Retro Classic TV does have some modern … Read more

You may have already checked it out, but for my last iPhone app post of 2009, I listed most of my favorite games of the year. I tried to have something for everyone and I think it went over pretty well, but I didn't get everything. At the end of the post, I asked if anyone caught any glaring omissions and readers were quick to remind me of some of the best games last year and also tipped me off to a few I never had the chance to check out.

For my first few posts of 2010, I … Read more

LAS VEGAS--DigitTronics demonstrated its RCX4 Star Stryker radio-controlled helicopter to the delight of "Star Wars" fans at CES 2010.

Priced at $399, with a $299 sale price for CES attendees, the Star Stryker includes a quad motor layout with control for lift, cycle, and yaw. The helicopter comes with a custom-fit case, a 2.4GHz spread spectrum radio controller, and is already assembled.

Of course, Lucasfilm's lawyer team is probably drafting their cease-and-desist letter as we speak, so grab one while you can. At least we'll always have the photo gallery, right?

No word on when … Read more

A California-based design studio has dreamed up a deliciously retro desktop PC that looks like it came from the set of midcentury sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet." The Philco PC from SchultzeWorks pays homage to an iconic brand of TV marketed in the late '50s, the Philco Predicta.

The hep PC won top-three placement in a design contest, according to SchultzeWorks. It was designed with Rhino modeling software.

The Philco Predicta was revolutionary for its time but suffered from poor picture quality. It featured a sculpted CRT separated from the receiver chassis and was marketed under the slogan "TV today from the world of tomorrow." Predictas sold well when launched in 1958, but color sets outsold them, and by 1962 Philco was bankrupt. Today, Telstar Electronics makes replica Predictas with color screens.

In styling his Eisenhower computer, Dave Schultze also drew upon antique typewriters for the keyboard design, as well as steampunk objects. He also seems to have been motivated by bland PC design in general, remarking that "most computers are engineered eyesores."

There's no word yet on whether anyone will actually make the Philco PC. For a closeup look at the concept, check out the promo video after the jump. … Read more

If you love the look of old reel-to-reel tape decks, hi-fi receivers, and analog mixing boards, the latest MP3 player concept from Korea's Mintpass design team will probably leave you drooling.

The Cube MP3 player offers not one but three analog VU meters, capable of displaying volume, battery live, and FM radio frequency.

If the menage a trois of vintage analog gauges wasn't enough, the Mint Cube includes two rows of apologetically chunky buttons that hearken back to an era of cassette decks and bad hair. Other proposed features include Bluetooth audio, FM radio, A-B looping, shuffle, and … Read more

Sales of the Nintendo Wii have been flagging lately, and the number of quality titles coming out for this generation's best-selling system seems to be getting thinner every month. What better to fix everything than Mario? New Super Mario Bros. sold over 19 million copies for the DS, and now the Wii sequel has arrived just in time to give a breath of life into the little white box. We've been quite bullish about this new game after multiplayer hands-on and single-player sessions earlier this year. Now, after playing the final boxed version all weekend, did it live up to our lofty expectations? Our takes are below.

Scott: Nintendo wisely chose to make its headlining release this holiday a marquee game for its most popular mascot. The surprising part was putting the whole game in 2D.

After the success of 3D Mario games, including Super Mario Galaxy, dating back to 1996, the decision to make New Super Mario Bros. Wii a 2D game could be considered baffling. But it's actually a somewhat brilliant move: for all of Galaxy's incredible visuals, it's not instantly accessible to older casual gamers. SNES-era Super Mario is, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a better-rendered, 16x9 wide-screen retro-update to the classic series that effectively ended with Super Mario World. The game's all-new levels and clever updates to the game mechanics make this an excellent sequel for the Mario ultrafans.

Much like the DS game New Super Mario Bros., Mario and much of his environment are composed of 3D graphics moving in 2D, lending a much smoother look than sprite-based retro gaming. For single-player fans, the eight-plus worlds and many secrets are actually pretty difficult, and offer plenty of value. Throwing in four-player co-op through the whole game transforms Mario into an experience more like Super Smash Bros. as players compete for power-ups in ways that are often downright mean.

Two other multiplayer modes offer different ways to play the single-player courses, and, sadly, none of the multiplayer is online. Still, the 2D arena offers some of the best multiplayer play that the Wii has ever seen, and that, combined with the mainstream family-friendly feel, could catapult New Super Mario Bros. Wii to the very top of the Wii's best-sellers' list.… Read more

In one of Apple's latest TV ads featuring the omnipresent Mac (Justin Long) and PC (John Hodgman), we see PC going retro. It's actually a cute ad as PC regresses back in time with various incarnations of himself through the years, each time promising that a particular version of Windows won't suck. "Trust me," he says. Sure thing, PC. And nice wig.

But since we're going retro, maybe we should look at a few of Apple's ads from around the time PC and Mac apparently met (according to the ad): the '90s.

For those who don't remember Apple's advertisements from then, I offer a collection of some of the most sucktastic ads Apple has ever had (remember Think Different? Yeah, me too). Enjoy them. You can thank me later.… Read more