This scarf from Etsy seller paintedfire goes a long way to address the latter, obviously, though even the most excellent Tetris scarf does nothing to ameliorate the sweltering heat of our home environment. We're quite tempted to buy it, though, and wear it until we pass out. It's just that nice-looking.
We quite appreciate the attention to detail here: the playing field is 10 blocks wide and at least 15 blocks tall (a true Tetris playfield is 20 blocks tall, and we can just assume that the falling piece has decended five spaces.) We prefer our game scarves as accurate as possible, thank you.
Okay, during Zelda week, we said that after we had seen the ultimate in gaming cakes, we would never post another one again. Well, first of all, we lied, blatantly and outrageously. Still love us? Good. Second of all, this one has the whole first Super Mario Bros. level! C'mon, how could we resist? Short answer: we could not.
We just hope none of the guests got the urge to smash any bricks ....
We may have to wait a long time before Rune Factory 2 gets released outside of Japan, but that doesn't mean we can't be excited. Not only is Japan getting the game in January (those lucky bastards), but certain limited editions will come with this soundtrack disc and art book. We hope these goodies come our way when the game comes out here, although we highly doubt it.
Judging from the cover of the art book, the style of the game is very similar to the first Rune Factory. Pictured are the main character (whose name is Kyle) and some girl with crazy eyes. We also like the contemplative looking dragon in the background. The soundtrack, meanwhile, includes arranged versions of four songs from the game. Pretty neat bonus, we think. Anyone else as jealous as we are?
Not content with appearing on everything from headphones to lunch boxes to aeroplanes to lil' kites, Pikachu has now joined the likes of Christina Aguilera and Sean 'Diddy' Combs in fronting a perfume line. This Pokémon perfume is manufactured by Air Val International, and is made entirely from water and the finely ground bones of captured Pokémon surprisingly affordable -- Shop.com has it on offer at a tempting $15.
Anybody out there actually picked this up? Because if so, we need to know what Pokémon smell of.
While we were just sitting around, waiting oh-so-patiently for some more information about Space Invaders Extreme, we came across this spiffy alarm clock. Not only is it Space Invaders themed, but it's also pretty adorable. Yeah, we never thought we'd use the words "Space Invaders" and "adorable" in the same sentence either, but just look at the little guy! Of course, you should know by now that cool things aren't cheap, and this alarm clock is no diffferent. It costs 3,990 yen (approximately $35 USD), and it's only available in Japan.
Check after the break to see a Cheapy D review of this product. It may not be practical, but that noise is sure to wake you up in the morning.
John Harris's outstanding, exhaustive GameSetWatch column, @Play, focuses this week on the topic of homebrew roguelikes for the DS. There are a few roguelikes available in retail format -- the Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, Izuna, and, soon, Shiren the Wanderer -- but those are all examples of the "Mysterious Dungeon" subgenre, and also cost money, which these homebrew versions do not (barring the initial outlay required to run homebrew.) And these games are the good kind of free, not the 'five-finger-discount' kind.
Not only does Harris provide a guide to different roguelike games for the DS, he kindly offers a guide to getting them on there. If you're a roguelike player, you may not be familiar with the concept of making things easier for yourself, but you may be able to adapt.
Apparently, there's a hidden stage in Mega Man ZX Advent that pays homage to the Mega Man most of us grew up with. Well, it's not so much hidden as it is unlockable, as once you finish the game, this section unlocks. And, those with a keen eye will recognize the stage (cookie to the first who calls it).
Be warned, though, that the boss in the video is the boss of the main game, Mega Man ZX Advent proper.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
This week's installment of The DS Life captures the warmth of youth's friendships, when comradery comes naturally and every exchange is guileless. Well, mostly guileless.
Who needs a boyfriend when you've got a DS? Not singer Kelly Rowland. Apparently some pesky rumors have been plaguing the songstress about her purported relationship with a British footballer, she laughed and said: "The only thing I'm dating is my Nintendo DS. We have an amazing relationship and it's a great boyfriend." Now we know what she's really thinking about while she's singing.
This blogger understands, Miz Rowland. Just don't tell the man of the house. He gets a little jealous sometimes over all the time the sleek, beautiful handheld spends cradled in our hands.
However hilariously fitting Elyssa's initials might seem, this personalized DS Phat looks leagues better than the previous project we featured. Nintendo actually threatened a recall after seeing that deformed system.
Working under her deviantArt alias, Fruitsexual (lol), Elyssa spent three hours decorating her handheld with plastic paint, immortalizing her favorite video game character and Fire Emblem hero Marth. She must have been really happy to hear that Fire Emblem DS would be a remake of the first game in the series, Marth's debut.
But probably not as happy as Kitanara, who commented on the customized Nintendo DS, "Uuuhh ... *moans and shivers* Marth is the best ... I luff him." Having a name like Fruitsexual must attract strange company, we suppose.
Octillery, a Gold/Silver-era Pokémon who we had to look up just now (because we've never seen or heard of it) is the focus of a new promotion at Japan's Pokémon Centers. Between November 23 and December 9th, Diamond/Pearl players can bring in their level 65+ Octilleries (called "Okutan" in Japan) and receive a special Octillery sticker, seen above. It's a pretty nice promotion and a nice piece of art for this octopus-thing, we think.
This isn't the first limited-edition Octillery item. The Tokyo store gave away Octillery headbands to high-level Octillery owners in July. Is this a popular Pokémon or something? Is it the jaunty headband?
It's been a while since we've seen anything from one of ourfavoritemodders, the French Kotomi, but there's been a re-emergence ... along with a chance to get your hands on one of the spectacular original mods. And by original, we mean original, as in early in his DS-modding career. Don't expect it to be cheap, though -- this 1UP mushroom mod is going for €150, which translates to about $217 in U.S. terms. For that kind of money, we're not sure we want to do more than just admire it from afar.
Holy excess, Batman! Featuring a level of bling that would make Snoop Dogg wince, this one-off, solid 18 karat gold Game Boy comes with a diamond-encrusted screen border, diamond set on/off buttons, and weighs more than twice as much (27 ounces) as the original version (11.2 ounces). It was commissioned by Aspreys of London, and is now on sale over at Swiss Supply Direct Inc., which describes the portable as "an unbelievable conversation piece." Well, quite.
Although you may balk at its $29,500 price tag, you do get gold-tinged copies of Super Mario Land, Golf and Monopoly for your outlay, mainly because there's nothing worse than having no games to play on your new solid gold console come Christmas morning.
Well, for those of you angry at Trauma Center for breaking up with the DS, LifeSigns: Surgical Unit (which is being released this week) is a welcome substitute.
You also might want to know that the folks behind LifeSigns are giving away ten DS Lites (with copies of the game, of course). All you have to do is make a manga on the LifeSigns website, advertise send it to some friends, and hope yours gets picked to win. It's similar to the Phoenix Wright and Harvey Birdman contests, but it's a trend we don't mind spreading. Make stupid comics and get free stuff? Fine by us.
Capcom is releasing some totally great stuff to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first Rockman game (way back when it had scores). We're happy not just because it's rad, but because it focuses on the for-real Blue Bomber and not on one of the scores of Mega Man-litesCapcom has spun off over the years.
Unfortunately, we can't tell if the limited-edition items -- including t-shirts, scarves (!) and phone straps -- will be made available online or only at the special Rockman event held in Ikebukuro on the 18th. We would at least like a shot at ordering one of these jackets. We're cold.
Not content with appearing on everything from 
John Harris's outstanding, exhaustive GameSetWatch column, @Play, focuses this week on the topic of homebrew roguelikes for the DS. There are a few roguelikes available in retail format -- the 
Who needs a boyfriend when you've got a DS? Not singer Kelly Rowland. Apparently some pesky rumors have been plaguing the songstress about her purported relationship with a British footballer, she laughed and said: "The only thing I'm dating is my Nintendo DS. We have an amazing relationship and it's a great boyfriend." Now we know what she's really thinking about while she's singing.
