A couple of links for DIY games for you today:
If you've ever fancied building a side-scrolling shooter, but didn't have a clue how to start, Nintendo's forthcoming Blast Works, created by "cult-favorite hobbyist creator Kenta Cho in 2004" (says Gamasutra) should do the trick. According to 1up, the software, created for the Wii, has an editor mode which, like Lionhead's The Movies, comes with a library of assets. Place and play. Easy as!
But if you fancy a bit of wire-wangling for a more hard-core DIY retro gaming experience, Make reports on, "a really nice open source hardware/software game system that uses PIC chips to create a genuine 80s style shooter". The tech on display at the site and on the accompanying Alien Slaughter demo pages has me quaking in my soldering-challenged boots, but have a go if you think you're hard enough, and let us know about it. Post pics to the gamesblog's flickr group or send us an email at gamesblog + at + gmail.com.
