There’s no denying it: nostalgia is in. I think it’s been that way since the beginning of this decade, but it’s a fad that only seems to be building momentum. It seems that my generation (the early twenty-somethings) are starving for all the cool stuff we had in the 90’s, when we were kids– Super Nintendo, pogs, comics, Power Rangers, etc. I think it’s safe to say that most of us think the world of entertainment back then was more fresh and frankly, more entertaining. So naturally a lot of companies have been capitalizing on this, and I can’t say I mind. When I was fourteen and still watching Power Rangers (by then it was Zeo, by far the best season for the series) I had to hide it from my friends because it was too childish and too geeky. Sure, I fought my little brother with a Gold Ranger staff and a Red Ranger sword in the back yard but I wasn’t going to let anyone know about it.

But now, the original Power Rangers is old enough to achieve this nostalgia status that Pac-Man and Mario have had for the last several years. I went shopping last week with some of my Christmas money and was quite surprised to find a brand new line of faded Power Rangers T-shirts at a Hot Topic in the mall.

Six years ago, Hot Topic wasn’t really my store. It was all about punk rock music and gear and goth clothes. That stuff is still there, but now it’s mixed with a wide array of clothes and other accessories designed to make your mouth water for things of the past. In just the last couple years, I’ve found myself making several purchases there, including a Batman wristband and a Batman shoulder bag, complete with a small flashlight that shines the bat symbol (which, unfortunately, they no longer carry). This stuff makes it look cool to be a geek! It doesn’t seem to matter what they put on a shirt or a hoodie, it looks good. When I was there last week, I bought a Marvel Zombies hoodie, which looks fantastic. Some of the people I work with saw me wear it once and even though they had no idea what they were looking at (apparently they’ve never read Marvel Zombies) they were impressed with it. And no, the guy in the picture below isn’t me; that’s a picture from Hot Topic’s website.

Hot Topic’s slogan is “Everything About the Music,” and yet they’ve really gotten away from that. I happen to love that, because I’ve been finding myself shopping there more and more. They are a little over priced, but it’s on par with what you would expect for a retail store in a mall. Some music fans might wish they were more like they were a few years ago, but they haven’t abandoned their original store concept, they’ve just expanded on it. They’ve discovered several more “hot topics.” Now they have something for everyone, or at least, for every kind of geek. They haven’t just embraced comics. They have a huge line of Nightmare Before Christmas items, another huge nostalgia property. They have a lot of items devoted to movies from the 70s and 80s and tons of video game stuff (especially Mario). They also have a lot of T-shirts with funny, geek in-jokes. My fiance’s favorite was, “I beat my boyfriend at Guitar Hero.” She almost bought it because, sadly, it’s true. (That’s not her in the picture below, either).

But being such a comic book fan, I’m most impressed with how in-tune Hot Topic is to the comic book world. There are some current properties that seem to fit into this world of nostalgia because of their connection to the past. Marvel Zombies is one such example, but a better one is the new Dark Knight film coming out this summer. The movie is several months away but Hot Topic has already released a T-shirt with the already famous, creepy close-up of the Joker’s face. It’s unusual to see something like this so soon before a movie is released, but Hot Topic is on top of their game. I really wanted that shirt, by the way, but I went for the Zombie hoodie instead. Maybe next time.

Take a minute to browse their web catalog if you don’t have a store nearby. If you’re a big geek like myself, chances are you haven’t realized Hot Topic has actually become our kind of store. And if you have a little Christmas money to splurge, buy one of those cool shirts. Take the opportunity to sport Power Rangers or Spider-Man while it’s actually fashionable. We’ve been waiting for this moment since we were kids.

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan

It’s the news I’ve been waiting to hear since day one of the Nintendo Wii’s release. IGN.com officially announced yesterday (December 6, 2007) that Nyko will be offering hands-on time with their latest third-party product – the Wireless Wii Nunchuck.

The Wii’s remote, for those who don’t know already, comes wire-free straight out of the Wii’s box. It runs its wireless signal through Bluetooth technology and features motion sensing capabilities, allowing the user to interact and control items or characters on screen via movement and using the controller’s optical sensor technology as a make-shift pointer.

The Wii Remote – completely wire-free and sexy

One of the greatest attributes that the Wii Remote has to offer is its wireless capability. It gives the user much needed freedom from controller cords that used to plague gamer’s living room floors. You hated it, and I hated it because no one likes to battle the entanglements that controller cords can form. Despite the fact that the Wii’s Nunchuck was a half-baked step towards wireless capability, it never fully felt completely free. That’s in large part due to the fact that the Wii’s Nunchuck never was technically wireless. Rather, it was more of an attachment that could be plugged into the Wii Remote, via a wire, in order to give the player a little extra motion control and the option of joystick control.

The Nunchuck overall feels and plays great, but that extra little cable used to plug into the Wii Remote has always made storing the controller a hassle, not to mention it just looks plain awkward. There have been constant rumors swarming around Nintendo about the production of a true Wireless Nunchuck attachment, but any Nintendo fan knows to take the Big N’s news, whether it is rumored or true, with a very large grain of salt.

Wireless Nunchuck? Not quite…

…until now

But now Nintendo Wii fans can finally rejoice because third-party accessory developer Nyko has crafted the first completely Wireless Wii Nunchuck. Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck is planned to make its public debut next month at the CES (Consumer Electronics Association) event. Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck will nearly mirror the standard Nintendo Nunchuck, but the addition of a power button will be implemented, just like the power button on the Wii Remote, and of course there will be no annoying cord.

A shot at Nyko’s complete wireless package

Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck will utilize a 2.4-GHZ wireless signal to communicate with its receiver that plugs into the usual Nunchuck jack on the bottom of the Wii Remote. Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck not only features a power button on the Nunchuck itself, but it features a power button on its receiver as well. As of now there is no set price for Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck nor is there a verified release date, but as far as I’m concerned those are minor details in the grand scheme of things. So sit back and relax, because in the next few months you’ll be playing your favorite Wii games in absolute wireless freedom! As always, thanks for reading.

-Dillon (D-Dub)