8-bit

"Mad Men" returned to television last night after an interminably long wait. Mad Men: The Game on YouTube should help tide you over until the next episode airs.

There are more than 40 different videos in the game, so you have quite a few paths to explore -- with plenty of hard liquor and 8-bit cigarette smoke along the way. The game comes from the Fine Brothers, the same guys who brought us the "Saved by the Bell" interactive YouTube game.… Read more

Can't get enough "Hunger Games"? Need something to do while you're in line to buy movie tickets? (The film version opens today, in case you've been living underground.) Get ready for some Katniss-inspired app action.

The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire for iOS has arrived, and while it may be little more than a "teaser" game (the studio's words, not mine), it sure is fun.… Read more

For Bryan Duxbury and Adam Ellsworth, a shared interest in DIY Arduino projects and a conversation at a Christmas party led to a pretty bright idea and an unexpected side business.

The two San Francisco residents are the creators of the Interactive 8bit Question Block lamp--a Super Mario Bros.-inspired piece of home decor. For fans of the game, the lamp should instantly look familiar, as it resembles the blocks that Mario hits to earn coins and other loot. The design alone already makes it pretty cool, but that's not where the fun ends.

To turn the light on or off, you must punch (actually, a gentle tap is enough and recommended) the bottom of the block, and every time you do so, it makes a coin sound just like in the video game. On every eighth tap, you're rewarded with the 1-Up sound. It's a piece of Super Mario Bros. come to life.

This project may never have seen the light of day, however, had it not been for a chance meeting at a company Christmas party. … Read more

These days, mega-hot movie properties almost always get the app treatment, whether it's a game or some "interactive companion." And right now, there's no hotter property than "The Hunger Games."

Thus, you'd expect that any tie-in app would come from a big developer: EA, Gameloft, or even the studio's own label.

Surprise! The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire for iOS is in development by Adam Saltsman, an indie developer best known for the browser-based games Canabalt and Gravity Hook (both of which have recently been adapted for iOS).

So, what will the … Read more

Microsoft is targeting a host of improvements for SkyDrive, potentially giving iCloud and similar services some healthy competition.

The next version, dubbed SkyDrive Wave 5, could lead the way, with several features revealed by blogging site LiveSide.net.

Tipped off about "new features that are said to be coming to SkyDrive soon," the site detailed such items as support for the OpenDocument format and the ability to store and manage BitLocker recovery keys on SkyDrive.

A new URL-shortening service will provide links to your shared files, while you'll be able to share those files directly with your … Read more

If the names Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, Heisenberg, and "The Blue" mean anything to you, you're going to love this.

There are many stories that seem like obvious candidates for getting the 8-bit role-playing game treatment, but "Breaking Bad" wouldn't have been at the top of my list. But the good folks at College Humor have taken that hit AMC show and boiled its four seasons down into a fantastic video, old-school RPG style.

It's hard to summarize. Let's just say that in the first scene, we see our troubled main character, … Read more

Old-school gamers will remember an age when there were no continues, no checkpoints, and no respawns. If you died during a level, that was it--you went back to the beginning of the level to do it all again. The craziest thing about it? You liked it even though it drove you crazy.

These days, a gaming purist might say games have gotten too easy and gamers have gotten too soft. When dying in a game doesn't mean anything, how can you truly enjoy the game? I'm not sure it matters, but I can see both sides. Maybe after checking out this collection--if you don't throw your iPhone through your computer screen from frustration--you can tell me what you think in the comments.… Read more

Long for a world without terrorism alerts, credit default swaps, and game controllers more complicated than Facebook's user agreement? Thanks to Elecom's Retro USB Game Pad, a replica of the old-school 8-button rig from the original Nintendo Entertainment System, it's possible to go back to a simpler time.

I came across the game pad while browsing the Japanese treasure trove that is JBox.com and found myself transported back to those sweet days of youth--Crystal Pepsi in my hand, Martika's "Toy Soldiers" in the background, Mario with Tanooki Suit on the screen. Yes, I actually remembered that word without Wikipedia.

Unless you have some luck on eBay, the only way to get ahold of one of these replicas is to wait for them to ship from Japan. The $19.50 game pad fits in a USB slot and comes with 6 feet of cord, 4 configurable fire buttons, and 2 buttons on the top set to autofire.

I'll keep checking back and let you know as soon as it becomes possible to play Call of Duty with that original gun controller we all used for Duck Hunt on NES.… Read more

Do you love 8-bit style graphics and simple, addictive gameplay? Me too. And that's why The Incident is sure to be one of the go-to time-wasting apps on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

You play as Frank Solway--your everyday suit-wearing dude just trying to catch a cab. Except today, everything (and I do mean every thing) is falling from the sky trying to squash you.

It's up to you, iPhone/iPad user, to maneuver Frank from side to side, dodging everything from traffic signs to statues to cars, climbing over the rubble to untold heights, attempting to … Read more