The same folks behind last year’s epic Fallout 3 themed paintball tournament are back with another scenario paintball game, this time centered around the cult classics Bruce Campbell film Army of Darkness.

From Tri-State Special Operations Command’s press release:

It is the year 1300 and mankind is besieged. Through the power of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis: The Book of the Dead, dark forces have risen from their graves and are gathering across the realm ready to strike at the last vestiges of humanity. It is a dark time, but there is hope for mankind; his name is Ash, and he works in Housewares.

It is time to choose sides: Do you grab your boomstick, say “hail to the king!” and defend mankind alongside Ash and Lord Arthur’s Men? Or will you embrace your inner darkness, and join Evil-Ash and his Deadites to swallow the souls of the living? Choose wisely, and for God’s sake remember the words: Klaatu, Barada, Nikto!

That’s right. You have your choice. Join Lord Ash and Arthur’s men to protected the Necronomicon, or sign up with Evil Ash and his Deadites to sack the castle.

The game goes down outside of Philadelphia in Schwenksville, PA on April 2nd, 2011. The game is capped at 300 players, so make sure you pre-register now at Pocoloco Paintball’s official website to secure your place.

Good luck!

Army of Darkness Paintball in Schwenksville
April 2nd, 2011
www.tristatespecops.com/aod.asp

The folks over at SCVNGR invited us out to their press conference yesterday morning with some big news. Big news for this company seems to be the trend. Despite being around less than a year, the location-based mobile game startup has already made some impressive accomplishments. Most notable: surpassing 1 million users in record time for any checkin service and acquiring $15 million in funding.

I was always impressed with SCVNGR in their ability to literally change the game. If you haven’t already tried it, SCVNGR is probably the most fun you can have in the big world of mobile checkins. Beyond the simple geo-located checkin, there’s a sophisticated gaming mechanic of trivia questions, taking photos and other challenges to earn points. Their creativity and love of gaming elements takes shape once again with LevelUp. What’s that? Well, in short, it’s new type of local deal. I know what you’re thinking. There’s already Groupon, LivingSocial and countless other clones.

The new LevelUp app is a daily deal with a game layer. It helps businesses by promoting loyalty. Deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have been pretty good at providing one thing thus far: a massive influx of first/one-time customers. LevelUp aims to change that by creating more incentive for customers, the ability to unlock better deals as you (wait for it), level up. Unlock all 3 levels and you go from good, to better, finally to land with the best deals. Sounds like a good thing for everybody involved. But it gets better, what happens if nobody really cares and doesn’t give a damn about leveling up by making repeat visits/purchases with a business? Well, the folks at SCVNGR/LevelUp don’t get paid. That money goes to selected charities, seriously.

LevelUp launched simultaneously in our fair city of Philadelphia, as well as Boston just yesterday. You can sign up right now at theLevelUp.com and snag yourself a $5 coupon for $10 worth of food at Philly’s favorite burger joint, the unforgettable PYT. Should you decide to make this a one and done deal, the cash the startup would’ve netted ends up going toward Teach For America.

Will we one day see an incorporation of the location-based checkin game and this gaming-based daily deal? Maybe. They’re still waiting to see if this one will be as much of a hit as their first app.

Meanwhile, they’re heralding its arrival. Literally.

Last week, Sega released their deceptively named Dreamcast Collection, a compilation of four Dreamcast games on one disc… something that certainly doesn’t qualify the package to be dubbed a ‘collection’, considering the mass amount of titles released on the beloved, long deceased system.

Seriously Sega. Where is Jet Grind Radio? Ikaruga? Powerstone? Rez? Grandia 2? Skies of Arcadia? Shenmue? To quote a character from Arrested Development, a show that, like Dreamcast, died before its time…

COME ON.

I get it. Ikaruga is a money maker on Xbox Live. But the other titles ignored titles? The Dreamcast Collection easily could have been like the awesome Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. And you include Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure, two games that are available on Xbox Live, that folks regularly purchase. What’s the deal here?

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Crazy Taxi, and Sonic Adventure is a good time. These are good games. It’s just odd to have four titles, label this thing a collection, and not include so many other choice picks from Dreamcast’s small but awesome library.

Rant aside, a retail disc with Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi is nice, especially if you don’t have XBL. I’ve got a copy from Sega to giveaway to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment regarding what Dreamcast game you would have liked to see on the disc. I’ll pick one of you at random at the end of next week.

Dreamcast Collection [Sega]

Guest Post by Sarah Solomon

“I’ve been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

We’ve all read The Great Gatsby. Whether it was in high school lit class, on the commute to work because you’re cheap and download books in the public domain, or to keep up with your more pretentious friends. Whatever your purpose may be, you’re guaranteed to crack up over the NES Great Gatsby game.

You control Nick Carraway as he fights butlers, drunks, and of course attains wealth en route to catching up with Jay Gatsby. The solemn eyes of T.J. Eckleberg no longer serve as metaphor… but as a giant beast you must fight on a hobo infested train car.

I’m proud to say that a good portion of this game was developed in our very own Philadelphia. One of the developers, Charlie, was a good enough sport to answer some questions about gaming, Gatsby, and 8 bits to glory.

How did the project come about?

Oh well it started with mocking up that first landing screen, that wonderful old Gatsby bookcover into the NES color pallet and resolution. And I just loved it, it made me laugh just thinking about it. So I pitched the idea to Pete, who was sort of uniquely suited to this project as a horrible NES nerd and Brown Graduate with a degree in English. So we just started in on it over a few weekends to start and soon it was like, “crap, this is actually coming together, and oh man, it’s actually fun to play.” Which we never really had in mind to start with, we just thought it would be funny.

Did yourself and the development team hope to turn a profit, or if this purely a labor of love/amusement?

All for love.

Any chance of this turning into a series? I’d love to see an 8 bit “The Beautiful and Damned.”

Ha, it’s funny, so many people have thrown out these other old classics. We initially were thinking of doing a Literary Classic Arcade, and have this and like, Pride and Prejudice or something and some other games. But I think that, for reasons beyond my understanding, Gatsby just sort of… it actually kind of works as a video game.

There’s something about it where you start playing and you sort of buy it, I think. I think that I’m out of the 8-bit game for a while, but the source code is free and open and available online so I’d love to see someone run with the idea!

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The only way my morning coffee could be more epic than drinking it from a Stormwind mug is if Kato himself brewed and poured it for me.

A World of WarCraft mug from Taverncraft, the same Califorina-based company who provided us with The Walking Dead barware, might possibly be the most badass way to start my day of writing or end my long nights of dungeon crawling. This massive 18-ounce stoneware mug is microwave and dishwasher safe, so don’t worrying about tarnishing the art of James Zhang wrapping around it.

This particular version features Stormwind (commence immense geekery), the center of the Alliance in the Eastern Kingdoms and home to King Varian Wrynn. It’s here where the majority of the Alliance does its commerce and launches their major assaults against the Horde and now Deathwing’s Twilight’s Hammer cultists.

While the artwork may not look exactly like the Alliance city (I imagine it’s tough to emulate on a stoneware mug), I think Zhang did a fine job of depicting Varian in his stoic if mildly schizophrenic disposition. And does your everyday coffee mug have an Alliance hammer as its handle? Didn’t think so.

For $20–remember, it’s 18 ounces–a World of WarCraft stoneware mug is a fine way of showing your loyalty to the Alliance or Horde.

Speaking of which, we’re giving away one Orgrimmar stoneware mug right here. So, give us one good reason you think the Horde is better than the Alliance in a comment and we’ll randomly select one of you to enjoy a real orc’s coffee.

You have one week from today, so you better give us something good and fast. And no, “The Horde have Blood Elves!” does not count.

Writing for sometimes 12 hours a day only to spend another few in Azeroth or taking it to the Covenant has put my wrists through the ringer. (Oh, the joys of being a freelancer.) My right wrist now has a weird crack in it that I can make happen at will and it’s already tough to make a fist without writhing in pain. Yes, I’m a 23-year-old writer and carpal t

unnel is already setting in. Well, the gamer in me doesn’t help either. After trying gelled mouse pads, good posture and all that other nonsense, California-based Dyna Flex contacted us about its Powerball. My new, inanimate best friend.

The Dyna Flex Powerball is essentially a plastic ball with a spinning rotor inside. But when you start it up with the included dock, it sparks to life and creates up to 40 pounds of gyro torque at 15 thousand RPMs. While the company says it has been used by NASA in its training programs and is university-tested, I’m just here to tell you that the thing works.

Admittedly, it took a good hour of fooling around to get used to the motions required to keep the gyroscope inside going in my hands. But once you learn the right wrist movements, you can keep the Powerball moving forever. Though, I definitely wouldn’t recommend that. But what I would recommend is taking five minutes with this device daily if you suffer from wrist pain or feel the frightening oncoming of carpal tunnel like myself.

While the Powerball does come with a timer and special functions for competitive play, just giving a spin for a moment is enough for me. After taking a break and twirling this thing around for a few minutes, my wrists just feel better after being in motion. While it is pricey at $69.95, it’s worth a shot instead of the hundreds of dollars you’ll spend in rehabilitation sessions. If this is what’s going to keep me working (and playing), I’d definitely recommend giving it a spin.

If you leave us a comment describing your most gripping (literally) gaming, work or music-playing experience, we’ll give one of you at random a Dyna Flex Powerball. You have one week from today to leave us an interesting story (keep it clean!), so put those wrists to typing.

Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Shawn Smith, former video game journalist for EGM Magazine, and creator of the character design studio Shawnimals.

In the world of Shawnimals lies Ninjatown, featuring a wide selection of ninjas with their own unique story and design. Ninjatown has been everything from toys to videogames. You can even read about Ninjatown on your various Apple devices thanks to the Ninjatown: Adventures of Wee Ninja comic book App available in the iOS store.

I had the chance to talk to Shawn about his background, how Ninjatown came to be, and some of his favorite games from the past year.

For those not familiar with the world of Shawnimals or Ninjatown, could you tell me a little about its creation, as well as a little background information about yourself?

Shawn: Sure thing, Shawnimals is a character design studio that believes in the power of unbridled, astonishing, ridiculous joy. Each Shawnimal comes with its own story that starts in the Shawnimaland universe, but is then given over to you to continue each unique creature’s adventure in your own universe.

Our huggable friends appear as designer toys, lifestyle accessories, apparel, comic books, video games, and as anything that fosters companionship. We believe that the best artistic experiences are participatory and affordable, and that – with an open heart – friendship can happen between you and just about anything. Even facial hair.

We have a staff of four: Myself, my wife and biz partner Jen, Monte and Eric. And two rotating intern positions.

As for me: I’m the creative force behind Shawnimals, and started the company before I even knew it by watching cartoons, drawing pictures and playing video games as a kid.

Fast forward to my job at EGM magazine as a game reviewer (1996 – 2000), I made the difficult decision to leave and focus on my first love: Art and design. I had the opportunity to explore my various characters and the countless sketchbooks on my shelf filled with hundreds of unused characters. In a way, Shawnimals were born shortly after. Without a doubt I have pop culturally-inspired aesthetic: Simple, compelling character designs, strong narratives, and a healthy dose of humor. All of the stuff that makes great pop culture great.

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Infinity Field is a twin stick shooter for the iPad by Chillingo. If you aren’t familiar with a twin-stick shooter, it’s a genre of games where one stick controls the movement and the other controls which way you shoot. The most obvious twin-stick shooter to compare this game to is the popular Geometry Wars, thanks to the similar controls and graphics.

I love the attitude the developers had when making this game. There’s no dancing around the fact that it is a Geometry Wars clone. I like to think Chillingo just thought, “We really like this game. Let’s make it ourselves, but better,” because that’s exactly what they did. By all rights and purposes, this could be Geometry Wars 3.

The gameplay is hectic, to say the least. I was used to having a tactile response with a game controller, so the touch screen twin sticks took me a while to get used to. Once I did, though, I had a blast. Your ship moves with your left stick and you fire your lasers (pew pew) with the right stick.

As you complete levels and gain points, you can upgrade your ship type and weaponry to give you a bit more of an edge against the onslaught of malevolent shapes trying to kill you. Through trial and error, you will develop a few strategies and moves to help you survive the ever-increasing time limit. I’ve named mine:

• The Pinwheel
• The Perimeter Panic
• The Flying V
• Death Kite
• Bomb (This is just a bomb. I couldn’t be very clever with it)
• The Australian Flush

There are six game modes including snake, zombie, unarmed, and cruces mode (which I’m dubbing awesome mode, because it is) that you can play individually, or as part of a campaign with increasing difficulty and bosses. The campaign got so difficult at times I wanted to cry and throw my iPad at another iPad playing the same level in Infinity Field. Like any good arcade game, I would put the game down for a little while, only to revisit it and beat it on my first retry.

Infinity Field looks great, sounds great and plays great once you get used to the controls. I didn’t care that it wasn’t the most original game in the world because it turned out better than the game it was emulating. Don’t hold the fact that this looks like Geometry Wars against it. For $1.99, you can’t go wrong with this game.

Infinity Field is super fun, and we’re giving away a copy in the comments. All you have to do is tell me which shape you think is the most deadly.

Psyched for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds? You should be. Fans of the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 have only been waiting ten years for the incredibly hyped up sequel.

If you’re free tomorrow night, the guys down at Atomic City Comics are hosting a Marvel vs. Capcom 3 release party. Lady Gamers Online has the full scoop regarding the tournament. You can bring your own gaming stick, and if you want to participate in the tournament, entry is only $5. The competition kicks off at 6pm.

Good luck!

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Tourmanent @ ACC
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
6pm – ?, $5 Admission

Atomic City Comics
638 South Street (19147)
www.bestphillycomics.com

Let’s face it, Lara Croft–you know, the Tomb Raider?–has been on nearly every gaming platform since her debut on the original PlayStation in 1996. Since then, only about three games from the series were any good and, guess what, they were all on the same console she started her career on. After several iterations of the same gameplay and two lackluster movies, it’s only recently that developers have taken a fresh approach to arguably the most beloved woman in gaming.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for iOS, although a thematic port of the recent release of the same name for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, has been made to fit the iPhone like a glove by Ideaworks Game Studio and Square Enix. From its use of touch controls to its comicbook-meets-old time photo story exposition, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a refreshing take on what Lara Croft started 15 years ago: the spirit of exploration.

Find more of our impressions of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for iOS behind the cut. (more…)

Guest Post by James David Saul

In the early hours of the day when the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, it’s a struggle comprehending reality, let alone Accuweather data. Fortunately, the forecast comes alive with Weather Doodle for iPhone and iOS, which turns a boring weather outlook into a visually pleasing forecast that’s fun to check up on.

When it’s nice out, the rays of the sun playfully rotate around a charming, construction paper sun. For more wintry mixes, grey clouds hover over the landscape and expel a dusting of questionable precipitation.

In the app, you can switch between a “Current” view and a five-day forecast, with the ability to toggle extra information like wind speed and humidity. Also, you can store multiple locations just like the native Weather app for iOS.

Weather Doodle is the product of Tiny Mammal, a one-man software shop run by Graham McDermott. McDermott is a veteran of the gaming industry, working as an audio engineer for Lucasarts and Telltale Games. He’s the guy who would make sure the sound of Jango Fett’s footsteps would sync up with gameplay in “Bounty Hunter”. Now he’s living the dream running his own software company.

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Pro Zombie Soccer: Apocalypse Edition is the iPad version of the popular zombie soccer game for the iPhone. Our protagonist, Jax was one of the best soccer players around, but unfortunately got wasted the night before his big tryouts for his dream team and failed to impress. It’s a good thing you can always count on a zombie apocalypse to drive a story along.

While Jax is moping around in the trash, he is bit by a zombie Julinho, the dream team’s superstar soccer player. The bad news is Jax is going to turn into a zombie; the good news is Jax got super zombie soccer powers from the bite. The story is hilarious and is delivered through some really well drawn story boards. There were a few genuinely laugh out loud moments poking fun at video games and zombie culture in general.

The game itself has you targeting Jax’s kicks with a slider on the left of the screen. You can charge up the kick for a more powerful attack or you can just tap the slider to launch the ball quickly at the seemingly never-ending horde of zombies coming for your brains. You are encouraged to get head shots to rack up score multipliers, dispatch zombies quicker and put down some of the tougher zombie types.

As your score racks up, you get to use four power-ups that greatly improve your chances of zombie survival. You can slow down time to focus on head shots, tear through multiple zombies, use an angry satellite to annihilate an entire screen of zombies, or launch an explosive ball that knocks out groups of zombies at once.

The rhythm of power-up charges is almost perfect. Just as you are about to be overrun by zombies, you power-up meter miraculously fills and you can quickly dispatch the would-be brain-nommers.

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