GeekSugar

Colorful DS Bundles Available on Black Friday

GeekSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:00:26 -0800

I know I don't need an excuse to buy a new Nintendo DS, but if you don't have one yet (side note: Why?), then Black Friday is the perfect time to dive in. Starting November 28, you can pick up a DS in one of two new colors: Mario Red and Ice Blue. This is great news since the majority of you like your gadgets with a little hue on them. But the best part isn't just the new shades. Just like we saw last year, these hot new handhelds are being bundled with two of my favorite games to get you started - Super Mario Bros, and Brain Age.

The bundles will set you back $150 bucks, but the price is totally right for a limited edition color. I'm getting up early to snatch one up as a Christmas gift, although I'm not sure yet who will be the lucky recipient. But really, who wouldn't love a new DS? And if they don't, then it's more DS action for me. Merry Christmas, indeed.

America Ferrera Gets Brainy With Her Pimped-Out DS

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:00:41 -0700

Who knew America Ferrera was all about the bling? While getting brainy with Brain Age, America battles a pal to see who can complete the math portion quicker (and find out who has a younger brain) in this upcoming spot for Nintendo. I love how she has pimped out her metallic rose DS with all that bling - how geek chic! See how old her brain really is in this exclusive sneak peek at the commercial that will start airing this week.

Brain Age 2 Released: Twice The Fun, Twice As Hard?

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:30:56 -0700

Earlier this summer Nicole Kidman had signed on as Nintendo's television ad spokesperson in Europe for More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?, prompting a renewed interest in the series here in the U.S. Of course Brain Age, was already a bona fide hit with Nintendo DS fans around the globe, so everyone has been abuzz about the series' next US feature.

Yesterday, Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day was released for DS, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. It may make you feel a little dumb, but it does not disappoint. Designed to give your brain a workout, Brain Age 2 featured 15 new activities - from playing simple songs on a piano keyboard to monitoring the photo finish of a footrace.

When you start a new game, you take a series of tests and get a score that tells you how "old" your brain is. That number is your "DS Brain Age," and the idea is that with daily practice your score will lower. Activities include serial subtraction, word scramble, change maker, calendar count, and my personal favorite, Rock, Paper, Scissors, where you speak the symbol that beats the one on the screen. I consider myself to have at least moderate mental accuracy and the game still made me scramble. It's great for anyone who likes Sodoku, puzzles, Pictionary and crossword puzzles - even if you're not a hardcore gamer.

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Liv Tyler Geeks Out With Brain Age For Nintendo DS

GeekSugar — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:10:03 -0700

In an upcoming commercial for Nintendo DS, Liv Tyler gets her game on with Brain Age 2, as she attempts one of the training activities - the piano player. Watching her play in game (in her pj's) as she hums the notes, makes this one geekalicious commercial! You can't help but want to get your DS out!

Study Shows Internet Activity Can Strengthen the Aging Brain

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:01:01 -0700

It may be time for older folks to stop telling us the computer is rotting our brains. A new study on Internet use and the human brain shows Google searches and spending time online may help stimulate and improve the minds of middle-aged and older Americans.

Researchers at UCLA studied 24 healthy volunteers ages 55 to 76. Half were experienced Googlers, and the others had no Internet savvy. They performed Internet searches and book-reading tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, which recorded the brain-circuitry changes they were experiencing.

All of the volunteers showed significant brain activity during the reading portion, which stimulated brain regions that control language, reading, memory and visual abilities. When they tested web use only those who had previous Internet experience registered extensive activity.

Source

Vote Now For Round Three of Our Best Video Game Ever Bracket!

GeekSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:05:17 -0700

The end of our video-game bracket is drawing to a close, but there's still two more rounds to go! After round two, we've had to say good-bye to favorites like Brain Age and Animal Crossing, but the competition is definitely heating up! In this round of our killer classics video games you'll see games like Call of Duty 2 and World of Warcraft go head-to-head for the ultimate title of best video game ever.

Be sure to vote now and fill out your whole bracket for a chance to win not only a Nintendo DSi and a Sony PS2 Slim, but also a brand-new G.I. Joe game! Hurry because today is the last day for round three!

You're entered one time for every round you complete, so the more rounds you play, the more chances you have to win. Remember, you must be logged into your PopSugar Community account to be entered. Check out the full list of rules here, and have fun voting!

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Game Review

GeekSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:33:00 -0700

The next time you're going on a trip and you need something skill-testing and fun to play while in the car or on a plane, I urge you to check out Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box ($30) for the Nintendo DS (OK, I'll admit, I'm a sucker for playing it right before bed). Being one of those people who loves mini-games and brainteasers (Rhythm Heaven and Brain Age 2 being two of my favorite games), I knew I had to take Professor Layton for a test drive when I found out it has 150 puzzles to solve.

When you first turn on the game, you can't help but think it's designed for a child and wonder if the mini games are actually going to be challenging to solve. But before long, you instantly get hooked on the illustrated storyline that involves a murder mystery that needs to be solved by renowned puzzle-solver Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke.

The two embark on a journey, which is filled with logic puzzles and riddles, and you can even access more brainteasers via your DS and DSi's WiFi connection (one available each week for the next 32 weeks).

To continue reading my review and to watch a fun commercial for the game just read more.

When playing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box the actual puzzles seem to get more challenging as the game progresses, but what's great is that there isn't a time limit on the puzzles (so you can really take your time trying to solve them) and you can access hint coins for puzzle clues if you really get stumped. I also love the fact that the game will continue regardless if you can't solve a mini game along the way.

Overall, the game itself is challenging, riveting (love the actual storyline), the animated characters are adorable, and the puzzles keep me coming back for more.

First Impressions of Rhythm Heaven For the Nintendo DS

GeekSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:45:55 -0700

We already know how much Beyonce and her nephew Julez love Rhythm Heaven for the DS, but I was curious to check it out myself to see what all the hype is about. Coinciding with the release of the new Nintendo DSi on April 5, Rhythm Heaven (which can be played on both the DS and DSi) is all about rhythm and music. Basically take the musical components of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and the skill testing challenges of Brain Age, and you've got Rhythm Heaven.

What's different though is the competitive nature, where you have to conquer each rhythm-based minigame before advancing to the next level (you will receive a medal which unlocks various things). And to be honest, the avid gamer that I am, I didn't breeze through the levels as expected. It actually requires a lot of concentration as you are forced to pay close attention to the beats in the songs. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked and addicted. The songs are upbeat, the characters are adorable, and each level provides a new experience. With a game that forces you to flick, tap, slide, and kick to various beats, you'll find that Rhythm Heaven is not only challenging, but entertaining as well.

Rhythm Heaven will cost $26 when it goes on sale on April 5.

Geeks We Love: Kevin Hall of Dvice

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:25:24 -0800

I check in daily with Dvice, not only because of its gadget coverage, but also because of its sweet sci-fi influence. So just in case you aren't familiar (and if not, why?), let me introduce you to one of Dvice's endearingly geeky contributors - and one of this year's Geeks We Love - Kevin Hall. Recent Brooklyn transplant, this geek hottie has traveled the world, seen (almost) everything, and can still say that robots are his favorite thing . . . ever.

GS: Pretend I'm a total stranger (and let's be honest, I pretty much am), and tell me a little about yourself.
KH: Well, I'm a 24-year-old freelancer living in Brooklyn, NY. I'm a transplant, though - I was born in La Jolla, CA, and have lived in Indonesia, Pennsylvania, London, and Texas. After graduating from college, I knew I wanted to write and heard NYC is the place to do it, so I moved here. I was lucky enough to get a shot at blogging for Gizmodo, then started writing for DVICE, and editing a SCI-FI channel blog called Visions For Tomorrow. That's all rather boring stuff, I suppose. What else? My favorite color is orange, I love eating at all of New York's fine burger spots, and I'm probably more into robots than anyone made of flesh should be. Seriously, if technology made it possible to implant my brain into a robotic shell, I'd totally do it.

To see how Kevin appreciates old(er) school technology, what gadget is on his hot list, and why I'd go on a Valentine's date with him any day of the week, just read more.

GS: Are you strictly a gadget type of guy, or are you also a sci-fi nerd and/or gaming geek?
KH: All three, I'd say, though mostly a sci-fi and gaming geek. I love gadgets, but I don't camp in lines for the latest thing. In fact, I've got a fat, old Samsung clamshell for a cell that's maybe 4- or 5-years-old now, and the same 3.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot that I had in high school. And when it comes to science fiction, all of my favorite shows have come and gone - Star Trek: TNG, Space Above and Beyond, Cowboy Bebop, Futurama, and Firefly. I do enjoy the new Battlestar Galactica, of course, and I still love Star Wars, despite my love of Star Trek. If it's in space, I'll probably love it. I read more sci-fi than I watch.

Oh, how I love video games. I'd say the titles that define my tastes would be Deus Ex, Myth, Shadow of the Colossus, Halo, Tribes, Guardian Heroes (for the Saturn), Everquest, Anarchy Online, EVE - now that I've started, I really could go on forever. The last game I played was Gears of Wars 2, and that was about 20 minutes ago. And now it's five a.m., so yeah, you can see how I enjoy my gaming!

GS: Do you remember your very first gadget? Mine was a pager. No, really.
KH: I think my first gadget was probably a Game Boy. Growing up overseas, most of the games we had access to were pirated cartridges titled something like "99 games in one," but each one would just have maybe five or 10 ripoffs of Mario and Pac Man and stuff like that. I think I've actually owned almost every iteration of the Game Boy, from the old beloved brick to the niche-y Micro. I guess I'm slowing down in my old age, though, as I didn't run out to replace my first-gen DS with a Lite.

GS: What gadget are you lusting over right now?
KH: Boring answer, I know, but the iPhone. I'm really impressed by it, especially now that the App Store has been blown wide open. I'm not hardcore enough to want a Blackberry, and I hate cellphones too much to be interested by anything else on the market. The iPhone seems to be a good blend of functional phone and handheld computer, and that really appeals to me.

GS: Dvice is a Sci-Fi owned blog, so you must get cool insider scoops, right? You know how Battlestar Galactica ends, don't you?! Tell me! Tell me now!
KH: We get our tie-ins and exclusive content, sure, but I can't say much more than that. The last thing I want is one of the Sci-Fi Channel's Terminators to return from the future and kill me in the middle of this interview.

GS: What would a geeky-cool guy like you want to do for your lady friend on Valentine's Day? Take us through your perfect date.
KH: Well, we'd start out by taking a newly constructed hover train from New York to Germany (yeah, doesn't exist, just roll with it - I love trains), and hit up this restaurant called Baggers, which has fully automated service. Then we'd fly over to Russia and hitch a ride up to the International Space Station for a flashlight-lit (I imagine candles would be dangerous) dessert in zero-gee and some stargazing. I think the brilliance of the Earth from orbit would make a pretty romantic backdrop, so we'd probably ride around for a full orbit, uh, "playing video games," and then it's back to Earth for us. Or - for a creepy alternate ending - she could reveal that she's actually a robot from an alien world and I'd follow her home. Or we could just go to Tokyo - it's my favorite place to visit and it's about as close as you can get to living in the future.

Rent a Purse and Get a DS to Match!

GeekSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:03:21 -0700

For some of us, buying a new bag is a big investment, and you want it to match (or at least "go with") the rest of your accessories – including your gadgets. If you're a cohesive color shopper, but can't throw down for that new Gucci, fear not. Make like Louise from the SATC movie and rent it! Renting is becoming as popular and as easy as Netflix, and now it's not only restricted to bags. FromBagsToRiches is offering up a pretty sweet deal: When you rent one of their featured handbags, they'll throw in a color coordinated Nintendo DS for 30 days free of charge!

But it's not only one of Nintendo's awesome colored DS' you'll get for a month (they even have the new metallic rose and silver models), but you'll get a game pack to go along with it. Cause really, what good is the DS without the game? Choose from Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Brain Age, Nintendogs, and New Super Mario Bros. to play while you're on the go. A new handbag, a new DS, and a fresh game to play for 30 days? What more can a girl want?