Rock Band Kiosks Invading Old Navy Starting November 26

Old Navy logo

In an interesting crossover, MTV Games is setting up Rock Band kiosks at hundreds of Old Navy stores starting November 26. Gamers will be able to shop for performance fleece, rock out to the game, and win Rock Band prizes. The official press release stated:

Consumers will be treated to a rockin’ shopping experience when Old Navy unveils Rock Band game play kiosks in close to 700 stores in the United States and Canada. The kiosks will be featured throughout the holiday season, giving families a fun outlet during their busy holiday shopping trips.

In addition, six of the Old Navy flagship stores will install 10 x 10 fully equipped Rock Band entertainment stages providing consumers the chance to perform like rock stars. Families are invited to come down and play on Thanksgiving Thursday as part of the Gobblepalooza weekend. Customers will also get a chance to win a $200 shopping spree, Rock Band song tracks and other great prizes.

I absolutely dread holiday shopping and try to do most of it online to avoid the crowds. Somehow, I always manage to get roped into at least one shopping session, which almost always gives me a migraine. Being able to play Rock Band while my friends shop would be much better than Excedrin.

Prizes Sent and Another Magnet Pic!

RPad Magnet N8R

Rpad.tv chick magnets have been sent to LarcenousLaugh and Nightshade386. Another winner will be announced later today if the usual traffic holds up, so keep commenting (please)! For now, enjoy this photo of N8R’s magnet attached to his excellent five-string bass. I think he’s officially the Billy Sheehan of the site.

Coffee Talk #33: Thanksgiving Memories

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Big Ben’s concussion saga, trying out for the New Jersey Nets, or walking four blocks when you really shouldn’t, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Thanksgiving is a special time for many of us. Getting together with friends and family, eating lots of turkey and trimmings, and watching football is what the holiday is all about for millions of Americans. For me, Thanksgiving was always a special gaming holiday. You see, I used to rent games at the local video store when I was a kid. The store didn’t charge for the holiday, so it was like getting an extra day for free (actually, it was totally like that)!

Zelda II The Adventure of Link

One of my favorite Thanksgivings of all time was spent (a little bit) with my wonderful family and (a lot) with The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I played the hell out of that game from Wedensday through Friday. I’m pretty sure that’s when I developed the habit of playing games until I pass out with the controller. I had several Thanksgiving marathon sessions like that when I was in grade school and I remember them fondly.

Did any of you do the same thing? Was Thanksgiving designated as a national videogame holiday for you? I’d love to hear about your epic Turkey Day gaming sessions.

FFXIII Rips Off Mechagodzilla + More Gran Pulse Details

The fine people at Andriasang have translated Famitsu’s big Final Fantasy XIII feature. There are some great details here, including information on the land known as Gran Pulse. Here’s the skinny:

Pulse is full of giant beasts, some towering like mountains above the characters. The magazine has an interesting note about the Pulse creatures. They’re actually of the same origin as Cocoon’s creatures. The same type of monster looks different between the two worlds, as Cocoon’s monsters evolved differently due to their enclosed environment.

Of course, there’s more to Cocoon’s monsters than just natural evolution. The Cocoon government has been turning monsters into weapons by fusing them with mechanical parts. An example is the Behemoth III Reformed beast from the Advent Children demo. This creature was modified for army use, but it’s still a bit smaller than the King Behemoth monster you’ll encounter in Gran Pulse.

FFXIII combat screen

I’m fascinated by the concept of mechanized eidolons like Behemoth III. It’s a rip-off of Mechagodzilla, but in a totally cool way. At the very least, this concept is more interesting than the wacky gestalt mode and the tool hosting this otherwise enjoyable FFXIII video.

Anyone else down for Mechaleviathan and Mechaifrit?

Source

PSA: PlayStation Store Sale From Now Until 12/2

Flower PSN

Sony is having a PlayStation Store sale on select games from now until December 2. Here are the following titles and prices:

$4.99

  • Flower
  • The Last Guy
  • Prince of Persia Classic
  • Comet Crash
  • Bomberman Ultra

$7.49

  • Smash Cars
  • Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao

If you haven’t played Flower, I highly recommend it. It’s one of those rare games that deserves to be called beautiful (Ico and Okami also come to mind, but they’re more traditional). Any of these titles interest you?

Source

Nintendo DSi LL Sells Over 100,000 in Two Days

DSi XL Wine Red

As expected, Nintendo’s DSi LL (XL in North America) has sold like Spam musubi in Japan. According to Enterbrain, the DSi LL sold 103,524 units in its first two days. Andriasang put the figures in context:

As a comparison, DSi sold over 170,000 units in the two days following its release late last year. PSP go, released earlier this month, sold just over 28,000 in its first day. Its weekly totals have since dropped to four figures.

I should know better by now, but I didn’t think the DSi would do well in North America…but it did. I have my doubts about the DSi XL, which (probably) means it will also sell well. I should stop second guessing Nintendo.

How do you think the DSi XL will do in America? Any of you planning to buy one?

Source

Facebook, Last.fm, and Twitter Used by Millions on Xbox 360

Facebook Xbox 360

Microsoft claims that its new Xbox Live features of Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm integration have been immensely successful. Facebook is leading the way with more than two-million log-ins. CNet has reported:

According to Microsoft spokesman David Dennis, the first-week figures show that at least 2 million Xbox Live users have logged into Facebook, and that half a million Last.fm accounts were created in the first 24 hours of availability. Dennis didn’t address how many Xbox Live users have used the service’s Twitter feature, except to say that there have been “tweets from nearly every market where we have Xbox Live.”

I know that most of you aren’t high on these features, but it’s clear that they’re popular and an important value-add for the Xbox 360. While many enthusiast gamers might scoff at their consoles being used for anything that doesn’t involve a game, millions of general consumers are happy that their gaming systems have broad capabilities. This generation has really changed the idea of what a console is and I can’t wait to see how they’ll continue to evolve.

Do you think social networking on consoles is a fad? Or is part of an evolution (not the one with Ric Flair and Triple H)?

Source

Amazon.com Lightning Deals Update

The Flash

Here are the remaining Amazon videogame lightning deals for today. I’ll update this post as the goods are revealed. Remember, this sale is only good for a limited time or while supplies last. More products will be revealed at 3PM, 6PM, and 8PM PST.

  • Assassin’s Creed 2 for PS3 — $49.98
  • Assassin’s Creed 2 for Xbox 360 — $49.98
  • Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 for Xbox 360 — $23.99
  • Nintendo DS Lite Metallic Rose — $97.98