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Jenga + 'Donkey Kong' = Stress-Inducing Awesomeness


What is it about 8-bit nostalgia that makes everything better?

We didn't think it was possible to improve upon the classic hair-puller Jenga. But then again, we never thought to paint the blocks with pink girders and work in plastic Marios and a Donkey Kong.

While you can play Donkey Kong Jenga just like the original, the real fun comes when you play the 'Donkey Kong' variation, which has you working a plastic Mario up the tower to free Pauline (the damsel in distress from the original 'Donkey Kong') from the clutches of the simian villain.

To play the game, you spin a wheel that dictates how many girders (blocks) to remove and how many vertical spaces you move Mario up. The game takes longer than you'd imagine (if you can keep the tower from collapsing). The game starts with 14 levels, but as you remove girders and add them to the top, Pauline slowly moves further from your reach.

Apparently, the pegs that stick Mario to the bricks have a tendency to bring the whole thing crashing down prematurely. So, if you're already prone to profanity and violence when playing the classic Jenga, we suggest you stick with the original. [From: Joystiq]

Play 'The World's Hardest Game'




In need of a break? 'The World's Hardest Game' should keep you entertained with at least a half-hour of time-wasting fun and frustration.

The rules are simple enough: Move the red square using the arrow cursor keys on your keyboard and avoid the moving blue circles while collecting the yellow ones. To finish each level, move to the green section. Simple concept, but it's easier said than done (and it's all set to a frenetic techno soundtrack).

Because 'The World's Hardest Game' is a flash game, it loads in your browser and you can start playing quickly -- no installation necessary! While we don't know if it lives up to its title, the game is pretty hard, and does a great job of taunting you with discouraging text messages onscreen -- "I guarantee you will fail," among others -- as you move along to the each new level.

Play now!

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Games and Apps Coming to iPhone, Including AIM and Spore

Piles of Games and Apps Coming to iPhone
Today Apple officially unveiled its anticipated iPhone / iPod Touch SDK (software development kit) that will allow third parties to create applications that take full advantage of those devices' capabilities without all the hacking. A whole host of applications and games will be available via the "App Store" either on your iPod Touch or iPhone or in iTunes when it launches in June as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update.

On the productivity side, Salesforce.com and AOL are working on applications for the devices. Salesforce will be offering an iPhone-specific interface for its customer relationship manager and sales tracking software for the mobile professionals, and AOL will offer a version of its ubiquitous AIM instant messaging application.

But if AIM wasn't enough to excite you, then check out the games. Apple developers threw together a quick demo called 'Touch Fighter,' a fully 3D space fighter game. Your craft is controlled by turning and tilting the handheld and you fire weapons by touching the screen. Sega is also getting in on the accelerometer-controlled gaming with a version of the popular (and quite addictive) 'Super Monkey Ball.'

But most exciting is the announcement of a version of the highly anticipated EA title 'Spore' from god-game guru Will Wright, creator of 'The Sims' and 'Sim City.'

Apps and games will vary in price, set by the developer. The software update to unlock these features will hit in June for free on the iPhone, and for a "nominal charge" on the Touch.

From Engadget

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'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children

'PBS Kids Play!' Teaches and Entertains Children
PBS just opened up its new online service aimed at children called 'PBS Kids Play!' The activities are aimed at children ages 3-6 and is currently available for a free trial as part of the beta test. When the trial ends, parents will be asked to cough up $79 for the year, or $9.95 a month.

Currently the application only officially supports Windows XP, or Vista. A web version of the edu-tainment games are available to users of Mac OS X and Linux, but let's just say it's still a little buggy. Kids play games with characters from various PBS shows such as 'Curious George,' 'The Berenstain Bears,' 'Bob the Builder,' and even 'Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.'

PBS Kids Play! is not a social networking service. There is no interaction between children or with children, so safety shouldn't be a concern. Parents can however sign in and check a child's progress in the educational activities or set time limits on play.

At $79 a year, the subscription is a bit on the pricey side. But PBS Kids Play! is definitely more useful than that tote bag PBS is always pushing.

From Reuters

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Sony Chops Jobs

Sony Chops JobsWhile the PS3 can't be ruled a total flop yet, it's certainly experiencing a spanking at retail, being outsold 4:1 by the Wii and 2:1 by the Xbox 360 in the U.S. market. Things are even worse in Japan, where gamers are buying five Wii consoles for every PS3 sold. Paltry sales have led to a massive $1.91 billion loss for the year in Sony's games division, which spells doomsday for employees. Sony has now announced that between 80 and 100 U.S. workers will be receiving pink slips, while 160 European employees will get the ax. For now, Sony has said that no Japanese workers are in danger of losing their jobs.

This is a clear indicator that Sony is hurting and that the $500 to $600 price point for the PS3 was just as poorly received as everyone (except Sony) knew it would be. Rumors of a price cut have been buzzing since before the console even hit store shelves and are getting stronger now. But, with Sony still estimated to be losing up to $200 on every PS3 sold, can the company even afford to lower the price?

From AOL Money & Finance and Gamesindustry.biz

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EA Gives More Love to iPod

EA Gives More Love to iPod
Today, while disappointing investors with less than stellar fourth-quarter financial results, gaming juggernaut Electronic Arts revealed that it has four new games for the iPod in the works. EA has previously released 'Sudoku,' 'Tetris,' 'Mini Golf,' 'Mahjong' and 'Royal Solitaire' on iTunes, each available for $4.99. All we know at this time is that one of the games will be 'Sims Bowling.' No word yet on the others, or how much they'll cost to download.

From Mac Rumors

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Camera Phones Replace Darts



A new game for your phone delivers all the fun of darts with none of the accidental eye stabbings. It also does something pretty cool: Instead of using your keypad to fire off virtual projectiles, the game uses your camera phone to detect motion in much the same way an optical mouse's sensor does. Sadly, Santa Monica-based developer GoSub 60 gave this new game just about the least creative name in the history of entertainment: 'Camera Phone Darts.'

Camera. Phone. Darts.

But we digress, because the game is really fun. The dartboard is placed on a virtual wall in front of you. You must then twist and turn the phone until the cross hairs are where you want them. Pressing the OK button throws the dart.

Motion sensing isn't all this nifty little game uses the camera for. You can also snap photos of friends and throw tomatoes, spitballs, water balloons and other projectiles at their heads.

'Camera Phone Darts' will be available for download from most major carriers by the end of May for around $2.99 per month (or $7.99 for unlimited access).

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