old-school

Sonic 4 Episode II for Android looks and plays just like the old platform Sonic the Hedgehog games we're used to, minus the tangible game controllers, of course. Still, with a virtual directional pad and jump button flanking the sides of your touch screen, running around and snatching up rings is just as fun as before. The game settings also let you turn on haptic feedback or switch to tilt control if you prefer.

In this follow-up to Sonic 4 Episode I, Sonic teams up with his old buddy Tails, bringing an array of new partnered attacks into the … Read more

We've found the perfect coffee table for that home recording studio you're putting together. Or maybe the perfect display space for that collection of obsolete technology you're so proud of.

Yes indeed, it's the "Mixtape Table," from Jeff Skierka Designs, a 12:1 scaled replica of that cassette mix tape you gave your main squeeze back in high school to profess your love. … Read more

Streaming radio site Slacker Radio has a brand-new station that might get its more softhearted listeners in the mood for some love-making.

The new DJ-curated "Old School R&B" station takes you back in time with some of the silkiest hits from artists like Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Etta James. But '80s babies (like me), don't fret, because the station also extends into our golden era with more-contemporary, yet still decidedly old-school, crooners like Mint Condition, Boyz II Men, and Maxwell.

Curated and socially programmed stations are available free to all Slacker users, … Read more

Grab your Android device and experience a blast from the past with ChuChu Rocket, the classic puzzle game originally released for Sega's Dreamcast console in 1999.

Previously only available in the iTunes app store, the classic puzzler has finally made its way into the Android Market, and can be had for a mere 99 cents. It's just as fun as it was back in the day, and lucky for us, today's touch-screen interface hasn't slowed it down a bit. In fact, we think the swipe gesture actually lends itself quite well to the game.

In ChuChu … Read more

In ChuChu Rocket, your objective is to guide hordes of frantic mice (ChuChus) to their rocket ship by dropping arrowed tiles on the ground. As the mice move about the screen, simply swipe in front of them to drop a tile and point them in a direction to run. While the game may not sound very difficult, there are, in fact, an assortment of obstacles and an army of evil cats that very well could have you pulling your hair out by level 10.

There are three different game modes to choose from in ChuChu Rocket: Puzzle, Challenge, and Battle. … Read more

Similar to Hipstamatic for the iPhone, Retro Camera is a popular Android application that lets you take six different styles of nostalgia-inducing photos.

Download and install the free app, then choose from the Barbl, Little Orange Box, Xolaroid 2000, Pinhole Camera, FudgeCan, and Hipsteroku cameras. Each combines its own levels of vignetting, film scratches, and camera noise to produce uniquely old-school photos.

When you open up the app, the first thing you'll notice is the beautifully accurate retro look and feel. Each camera has its own graphical interface and viewfinder, and each truly brings you back to the days … Read more

Artist/nerd Steve D'Angelo calls this a sculpture, but we think it's more than that. It's an awesome sculpture.

It's called Action Buttons, and that's exactly what it is. Steve, a Crave reader in Pennsylvania, has put a collection of arcade game buttons on the surface of a small plywood box and wired them up to old-school audio samples downloaded from the Web that play when the arcade-like buttons are pressed.

The sounds aren't from specific games but sound like they could be, with titles like "energize," "fire laser," "… Read more

I'm not one to fawn over online maps, but 8-Bit NYC appeals to my two loves: usefulness and 1980s adventure video games.

The 8-Bit NYC map is simply fantastic. The service displays New York City in a depiction that's modeled after maps in adventure video games from the 1980s. Even better, all the content in 8-Bit NYC is accurate, making it a viable mapping tool, as well.

"I hope to evoke the same urge for exploration, abstract sense of scale, and perhaps most importantly unbounded excitement that many of us remember experiencing on the Nintendo Entertainment System, … Read more

Starting sometime around the last holiday season, it seemed for awhile that the USB turntable was at the top of gadget lists everywhere. So it makes sense that Ion, one of the original manufacturers, would look to repeat that success again this year with a new model.

Enter the "iPod USB Turntable," which not only connects to the computer but turns vinyl tunes into digital files and transfers them directly to the fifth-generation iPod and second-generation Nano through a built-in dock. It's yet another excuse not to throw out those moldy LPs in the basement. Besides, you … Read more