And if you don't know what Defender is, it's a classic sidescrolling arcade shooter released in 1980. Head on over to the Defender of the Favicon site to check it out. Won't take but a minute and fellow web developer types might just get a kick out of it.

Defender of the Favicon

June 16 Wii update [HackMii]

vmcNetFlix [vmcNetFlix, via Gizmodo]

In the future, robotic slaves will play all of our video games for us. And it will be awesome.

Project Page [Air Guitar Hero via DCEmu]

Earlier this week I found Pongout — which actually has some replay value as you can't accept losing to such a ridiculous concept. And then TechEBlog discovered "Tresling," (left) a version of Tetris played by slamming an arm-wrestling opponent's arm into a controller. I like the video, complete with "Eye of the Tiger," but that was the theme to Stallone's "Rocky III" not his arm-wrestling vehicle "Over the Top" of 1987.

Here's the combo game I want to see: NCAA Hitman 08. As Agent 47, you begin as a top defensive back prospect in high school. Before the big rivalry game, you garrote the other team's star receiver, steal his uniform, line up at his position and nab 6 interceptions for TDs, winning the Heisman in the process.

Pongout [All Games All Free]
Tresling - Tetris and Arm Wrestling [Hacked Gadgets via TechEBlog]

Sometimes I pick up my controller, even if I'm not playing any games, and fly it around imagining it's a space fighter. That's about as far as I get with modding these things. But HacknMod has a few fun projects cooler than that, if you don't mind putting your controller, or two, out of service while you get it right. Even if you aren't mechanically inclined, they're cool to look at. The how-tos include:

• Add LEDs to the buttons (but we've already seen that here)
• Rapid-Fire Mod
• Custom Paint Job
• Integrated Messenger Kit (above)
• Tilt Controller

Tilt controller, of course, isn't a pure Wii-style hack, but it is pretty cool (see the movie). Most everyone could get the custom paint job right. Everything else after that requires some serious skill or acceptance of the fact that you will probably ruin one controller before getting it right on another.

5 Ways to Hack your Xbox 360 Controller [Hack N Mod]

Razor X by AcidMods from CyberPyrot on VimeoNot bad at all.

Topic: Razor X in Slim By LordNico.. [acidmods]

Oh, and because LEDs are uber power efficient, you shouldn't see a noticeable drop in battery life. Hit the jump for a hot night shot.

Wired Xbox 360 LED Lighted Controller Mod [The Llamma's Adventures via MAKE]

Twilight Hack [WiiBrew via Maxconsole]

Remember this horribly freakish Pikachu stand up? If not, his digital doppelganger is here to remind you what nightmares are made of. In this spoiler-filled clip of a hacked version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the cast of the Wii fighter has their move sets swapped, resulting in some very odd animations and horrible disfigurements. For those who don't want to spoil themselves on many hidden characters, just re-imagine Brawl as if Chris Cunningham and Richard D. James had provided the game's direction and motion capture.

BrawlCentral's Videos [YouTube - thanks, Hanibal!]

The catch? It doesn't fit on a stock DS memory footprint, requiring a slot-2 flash card with at least 16 MB of RAM. A list of support cards is available at the offical Q2DS site. The hobby project is free to download, but we haven't tried it out yet, so homebrew enthusiast beware.

Quake II DS [Drunken Coders via Waxy]

This is certainly going to come back to haunt us in an apocalyptic way, I'm guessing, as a group of French students have written custom Nintendo DS software to control an extremely stupid robot. The Pekee open source robot platform, which comes with wireless connectivity standard, can be controlled via the touch screen, directional pad or microphone for minutes upon minutes of fun. Early, yes, and doesn't do wheelies or badass spin-outs yet, but imagine the possibilities while watching this clip (via DS Fanboy). Imagine just how slovenly one could be with a DS and open source robot in the house. The future is so bright, I hope the Pekee soon comes standard with shades.

Nintendo Game & Watch Modded Into Cellphone (Verdict: WANT) [Gizmodo]

Microsoft's Surface technology sure is nifty, but it's going to cost a pretty penny. Oh, and it's real world applications are a bit questionable, too. But this Wii-mote hack, done in the Johnny Lee style does its best to recreate the Surface tech, without leaving greasy fingerprints. Maestro, as its creators at Cynergy have named it, requires a Wii remote and a pair of LED gloves—soon to be obsolete when we'll have the diodes embedded in our fingertips in the not too distant future—in order to work. More details are available by pressing play or visiting the YouTube page on the matter.

Cynergy Labs: Project Maestro [YouTube via Gizmodo]

Fulfilling your life long dream of playing Pac-Man on the Game Boy Advance using nothing but your feet is within your grasp. Thanks to the folks at Instructables, who provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to hack together such a contraption, fat kids everywhere will be able to combine their two favorite things: eating (dots) and shedding pounds by frantic shuffling. They call this a "win-win."

How to modify your DDR pad to play with your Gameboy Advance [Instructables via Wonderland]

The Triforce Tree [GnatOnline via MAKE]

Moose 2000's Photostream [Flickr via Wonderland]

In a video of a scene from Second Life, Miller showed how a player-created character, dubbed an "avatar," walks near the hacker's avatar. Nothing appears amiss, but then a message appears saying that the walking avatar has transferred 12 Linden dollars to the hacker's avatar. The oblivious walking avatar then says, "I got hacked."

The range of the hack is approximately 100 virtual feet. Nothing can stop the hacker from cashing out that money for real dollars through various exchanges associated with Second Life. Today, about 250 Linden dollars equals one U.S. dollar.

The hackers say the scene shows they can take complete control of any player's avatar and make that avatar surrender any money and other property in its account. That's a serious security breach because many of the 10.5 million registered members of Second Life are trying to make a living in the virtual world by selling goods and services.

I'm a little surprised more of the mainstream media hasn't picked up on their virtual darling's (minor? major?) problems, but the Second Life craze seems to have subsided somewhat.

Second Life pickpockets threaten real world cash potential [San Jose Mercury News via PlayNoEvil]

I followed the tutorial you posted earlier, except I used colored foam sheets (2 thin layers stacked), and black felt on top. Here are the results. I think it actually looks cooler this way. It doesn't make the drums silent, by any means, but the difference is very noticeable. It cost me $27 for everything, the bulk of which was the circle-cutter at $16. The pads peel off the drums very easily too, so there's no danger to your drum set.

Shredz64 [The Shredz64 Project via Waxy.org]

Thankfully, the industrious LiveJournalists of the world with ROM hacking skills took the liberty of fashioning themselves a Pac-Gentleman binary playable in MAME. It seems very much like the original, but with mustachioed ghosts, a derby wearing protagonist and period appropriate language.

Pac Gentleman [S.D. Lawrence, ESQ LTD. via MAKE]

Granted, the addition of two letters would bring us Halo 3DD, which would be appealing to at least a niche market. So maybe once we get sick of looking at Master Chief in 3D, we can learn to love his...other traits.

How To: Make Stereo 3D Halo 3 Screenshots [via gaygamer] [flickr]

'Sneaker Pimps' pimped out NES sneaker [CrunchGear]

...we discovered an anomaly in the EVE Online Database indicating a potential exploit. Our policy in such cases is to mobilize a taskforce of internal and external experts to evaluate the situation...that group concluded that our best course of action was to go completely dark while an exhaustive scan of our entire infrastructure was executed.

EVE Online service restored after unexpected downtime [eveonline]

The creator of the Nintendo DS Jumbotron may have gotten a tad carried away with the title of his hardware hack, but playing Meteos on a pair of tablet PC looks just heavenly. Start the DO WANT line to the right, please.

Jumbotron DS [thanks Rob!]

...we wont tell how it's been done, however it shows that hacking into the slim is possible with enough will...

PSP Slim/2000 and hardware modding.... [maxconsole]

The report from The Inquirer also states that the crack is rather simple, requiring only a few files to be rewritten to get the game working under the older Windows OS. Michael McWhertor

Vista-only game cracked [The Inquirer]

The PSP has an active homebrew community, and hackers are hoping to create the same for the PS3. So far, PS3 firmware 1.10 and 1.11 have been cracked, making it possible to boot illegal game copies. However, hackers haven't figured out how to get the booted games to run so they can be played. What's Sony doing to stop this? Spokesman Dave Karraker says:

Unfortunately, hackers will try to exploit any hardware system software. The best we can do as a company is to make our security that much stronger and aggressively pursue legal action against anyone caught trying to use an exploit in an illegal manner... Naturally, any use of an exploit on the system software does void the warranty on the PS3 system... Which could be a costly mistake to see if you can run an old SEGA CD game on it.

Making Threats [Eurogamer]

I know what you're thinking. Why god, why? Apparently someone thought it would be funny to buy the movie as a gag gift on DVD. 1.1 million somebodies. Guys, seriously. I know it was you. Next time just buy one and we'll set up a mailing list or something to pass it around. Don't encourage him.

The good news is that Boll is far too busy to handle the project himself, and will be handing it off to an as-of-yet unnamed director. The bad news is Boll is too busy? Boll should never be too busy. He should be desperately trying to secure licenses from belligerent game companies. Not too busy. Never too busy. Hold me, I'm scared. Michael Fahey

Uwe Boll game for $7.5m horror sequel [Screen Daily]

Enter the new hack for the Sega Genesis controller to add to your accessories for your Nintendo Wii. All you need is a some wiring know-how, a Genesis controller, and a shopping list only a geek like my dad can understand. A couple of hours and expletives later, you too could be a proud owner of a classic controller that works on a not-so classic machine. Kim Phu

Wireless Sega Genesis Controller for Wii [Cre.ations via Sega Nerds]

In a lot of ways, "The Clapper", was a relatively good idea. At least you could clearly see how the inventor saw a common inconvenience that affected most of the public and that set out to fix said problem. This though. I don't have a problem using keys. They fit into my pockets and I can accessorize them with funny little keychains. If I lose the things, I usually just have to call a friend or shimmy myself through an open window. It's no big deal. But under no circumstance I have ever lost the ability to play video games because of a set of misplaced of keys.

And of course, a key has never cost me $40, broken windows and skulls, been out of stock for months in a row and forced me to wear a sporty strap for safety. I do that just because it looks cute. Kim Phu

Wiimote Hacked to Make Opening Doors Look Silly [Engadget]

Yes, I have a character named Porksword. He is mighty.

After hearing horror tales from guildmates and commenters yesterday I expected to have to wait anywhere from three days to 'good luck with that', yet here I am, fully decked out in my lovely +frost heavy splendor, ready to fight beside my comrades once again. Well, behind my comrades, unless I accidentally hit blink instead of sheep again. Really need to move those hot buttons.

Kudos (chocolate covered granola bars) to WoW customer service for such a speedy resolution. If this is any indication of the current level of service that players can expect, they've come quite a long way from the early days of, "Wait, they have GMs in this game?" Michael Fahey

One of the posters at the ScoreHero forums put the finishing touches on a handy guide for playing authentic songs from AC/DC, Metallica or other oft-requested bands in Guitar Hero II. He calls it "idiot proof" but that doesn't mean it won't take up some of your precious time.

In addition to a half-dozen or so freeware programs required, you'll also need a PS2 capable of playing burned discs. And that's for you to figure out. Michael McWhertor

Idiot Proof Guide to playing custom made songs in GH2 [ScoreHero Forums via Waxy]

Finally, one more thing on which Tetris can be played. This time, it's a Chip & PIN terminal, modded to play a rather simple version of Alexey Pazhitnov's puzzle game. You can read just a bit more about the not-so-secure payment device turned dedicated game console at Light Blue Touchpaper. Michael McWhertor

Chip & PIN terminal playing Tetris [via Waxy]

Wiimote-Controlled USB Missile Launcher [TechEBlog via Looneygamers - Thanks Yash!]

A sadly unfinished project, the game features SMB3-style gameplay and graphics, but with new levels, including character specific worlds, and new power ups, again with some unique to each Mario Brother. A handful of the new abilities include the Mouser Suit (which throws Bob-ombs) and the Panda Suit (which gives the plumbers the skill to walk on ceilings), but check the write up for the full exhaustive list.

There's even a link to the (warning: buggy!) rom hack, so you can check it out yourself. I'm off to find myself a new NES emulator. Michael McWhertor

Hacksterpiece Theatre: Luigi vs. Mario (Mario Adventure 2) [VC&G]
Super Mario's Hack Adventure [Kotaku]

Did I just blow your mind?! I'll take your silence as a "yes" or a "buhbuhbuh..." indicating that you have lost control of nearly all of your mental functions. Via the WiiLi site comes these bastardization hacks utilizing the Wii-mote in a fashion God never intended. If your brain is still partially intact, allow me to deal the killing blow to your noodle with this video of someone playing Need For Speed Most Wanted with a Wii-mote. Huzzah! Michael McWhertor

We love linking our pals over at Destructoid... a gaming culture blog rising so fast that one of these days, we're going to have to glass them in the face over a friendly bout of pints, lest they challenge us for gaming culture blog supremacy.

But until we end up ripping out their still beating heart and holding it in front of their scarcely comprehending eyes before we devour it then scream, unblinking, as we stare directly into the sun, the links can continue.

So check out this video of a very excellent PSP joystick solution they found. The problem with the PSP joynub is much like the problem with the clitoris upon which it is modeled: although the smaller ones are less unwieldy, the larger ones control better. Florian Eckhardt

Finally! A PSP joystick that doesn't completely suck [Destructoid]

Aeropause recently had the misfortune of joining a
Game of Halo 2's Big Team Battle which had been shat upon by a cheater. Aeropause messaged the guy after the match and somehow got him to agree to an interview.

Unfortunately, names have been changed to protect the shitweasel. But this little interview goes to show that cheaters are not only irritating, they're stupid as well. From Aeropause I also stole this image of the cheater in question at his tenth birthday party, where his chin was tragically lost in a cakeface accident. The little guy didn't let it keep him down, though!

Observe this excerpt from the interview, in which Schmuck follows up his assertion that "everyone wants to cheat" with a defensive "like I give a flying fuck what other gamers think about me".

Aeropause: The rise of online gaming has had its share of hurdles and one of the greatest hurdles is getting rid of cheaters such as yourself. What advice would you give game designers to help discourage cheaters?

Schmuck5000: Give Up! There is no way to stop us. Everyone wants to cheat and we will always find a way to do it. Anyone reading this is simply jealous of the fact that I have enough nuts to cheat and play the game the way I want to.

Aeropause: Everyone online including myself see you as the scum of online gaming. How do you respond to that?

Schmuck5000: Like I give a flying F**k what other gamers think about me. As long as there are games there will be cheaters, why should I stop if no one else does, as far as I see it I am evening out the playing field!

Brilliant reposte. Eliza Gauger

An Interview With A Cheater [Aeropause]

Battlefield 2142's beta has been out for all of not-quite-a-month, and already the servers are filthy with vermin:

Since it's out in the public, hackers of the original Battlefield 2 have already hacked the beta version, which is reportedly easy, since the game is built using the same engine.

Only a few modifications are needed to install a BF2 hack in the BF2142 beta, apparently EA/DICE haven't fixed the problems with the engine before starting on Battlefield 2142.

My question, as always, is WHY. Why make flesh the accusation that you suck so bad, you cannot actually play the game? There's a video, too. Disgusting. Eliza Gauger

Hacked Already [Digital Battle, via Digg]