Archive for June, 2006
Sony launches EU PS3 website
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3
It ain’t much, but we’ll take it. Sony launched the official PlayStation 3 site, but only the EU version; lucky for us, we’re fluent in the Queen’s English, so we’re able to enjoy this one until the undoubtedly better version is prepped for North American consumption (for now, we’re stuck with this turd).
So what’s shaking at the new PS3 site? How about a bunch of PS3-pr0n (we like this one best … that’s a lot of standards), a FAQ, some specs, a couple press releases, a rundown of some of the games, all wrapped up in a fancy, high-gloss web brochure. Told you it wasn’t much.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
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Henry Jenkins has a blog (and a new book)
Filed under: Culture
Erudite academic and advocate for all things gaming, MIT Professor Henry Jenkins has started a blog titled “Confessions of an Aca/Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins.” Now you can finally trash all those unofficial Henry Jenkins fansites from your RSS feed, cause this one’s official. With only a couple gaming posts — like this one on games as branded entertainment — there’s still plenty for the interested nerd to uncover and look forward to.
But the blog isn’t supposed to be all about games, it’s about his new book, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. We could try to condense what Prof. Jenkins is gonna be writing on his blog, but we’d only be doing a disservice to you, reader. So we’ll just tease you into it: “Reduced to its most core elements, this book is about the relationship between three concepts - media convergence, participatory culture, and collective intelligence ….“
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Duke Nukem Jam Rocks Out
Since Duke Nukem is always good for shits and giggle, the game gets no respect. So leave it to a metalhead to give Duke what he deserves with this rockin’ rendition of the game’s theme song. Guitarist Chris Kline writes, “I used influences from the Megadeth version, the original, and my own twists to come up with the final composition.” All tracks, including the backing, were played by him. Hail to the king, baby!
More Here [Vertex] Thanks, Alex!
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How Scary, Wes Craven Making A Video Game
Director Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) tells The Mercury News journo Dean Takahashi that he was in talks to create an original game. Full stop.
For better or worse, Craven, a casual player, seems like an ideal Hollywood person to work on games—his movies always have loads of sequels and appeal to young people. Thanks to his experience teaching college, Craven says he also understands those young people, pointing out that they are doing things like Motocross to show their creativity. Takahashi writes:
I also asked him how games could elevate themselves to the level of movies. He said that it would be good for games to embrace a wider array of topics beyond those that ‘appeal to the 14-year-old males with too much testosterone.’ Rather, he would like to see games that can teach something, like a simulation on how to combat world health problems.
‘I haven’t found many educational games, but a lot of things, like world politics, could be done in a really funny way,’ he said.
Golly, I’m really looking too that humorous game on world politics and international health problems from horror filmmaker Wes Craven. He really knows what those Motorcross kids wants.
More Here [Mercury News]
Top Ten^2
Joystiq’s right, there have been an abnormally high number of Top Ten lists lately. I liked the picture they used for their post so much, I’m gonna steal it.
Not to be outdone, they have gone meta and posted their Top Ten Top Ten Lists List, which reads as follows:
1. Joystiq’s top 10 hidden gems of this generation
2. Top Ten hugely overrated games
3. Meta top 10 video game list
4. 10 franchises that need a return
5. Top 10 custom-built consoles
6. The 10 worst in-game quotes
7. CNET top 10 video games 1995 to 2005
8. Top 10 HD myths, in full resolution
9. Readers vote on top 10 NES games
10. Top 10 reasons the Xbox 360 doesn’t quite rock, yet
Next up will be a Top Ten Worst, I’m sure, and I hope Top Ten Hottest Video Game Guys makes the cut. I’ve never seen a more milktoast m’elange of “…”-spouting yaoi fodder in my entire life.
No Guybrush?! And where the hell is Gordon? No love for the strong, silent, crowbar-toting type? For shame.
Joystiq’s Top Ten Top Ten Gaming Lists [Joystiq]
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Red Steel developer’s blog goes live
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, First Person Shooters
While a little late in its development cycle, the team behind Red Steel opened a blog yesterday to discuss the game’s progress as it reaches its final stages. The first topic: the much-discussed control scheme.
Producer Marie-Sol Beaudry wants players to have fun and not “force people to become actual professional swordsmen” (it’s good thing, too — professional swordsmen make very little money these days). The matter of synchronization between the Wiimote and sword animation apparently proved tricky. Beaudry promises that the final sword-fighting will be more diverse and feature a couple of undisclosed special moves.
One of the early comments suggested an option for players to have the option of switching between scripted moves and freestyle animation. It is a great idea, but we get the impression Ubisoft is not prepared to go in that direction for this title. Maybe another game, from a galaxy far, far away, can quench our thirst. O, to dream …
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Stealing Mechs From Australia
Richard over at Aeropause has succeeded in wresting the Chromehounds demo from Xbox Live’s xenophobic Australian servers by dint of some pretty sneaky ninja maneuvers: he made a new account and pretended he was Australian.
Alas, the game sounds more ponderous than the yearly episode of spyware removal, defragging and general “tech support” required during Christmas visits to your parents’ house:
Alright, after getting my brand new demo, I sat down and played it several times trying to get a feel for the game, and after about the third time through I said to myself stop playing this game, it’s boring! The pace and feel of Chromehounds is one of an overgrown chess set with no end in site. The mechs move incredibly slow and they turn even slower. I timed how long it took to do a 360, it took 15 seconds, which means if you are getting plastered from behind just kiss your ass goodbye.
Horrible. Give me blasty mech madness, dammit!
EDITED TO ADD: I just had a friend try this and he wasn’t able to get the demo. Has anyone reproduced Aeropause’s mechy results?
Chromehounds Demo Review [Aeropause]
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Today in Joystiq: June 29, 2006
Joystiquery
Joystiq hands-on: Playing Prey on the 360
Send us a good gaming tip, we’ll send you a Joystiq tee
News
Microsoft talks DirectX 10, Vista and fancy graphics
Retail boxart for Xbox Live Arcade: Unplugged
Casual gaming is a hardcore pursuit
Ridge Racer & Exit sequels bound for PSP
Star Wars 30th anniversary game, TV shows update
Captain Kirk to host CAEAA 2006 in September
DS Opera browser lacks Flash, video, sound & PDF support
Kaz sez: “MS copies Sony!”
CivCity: Rome updated screens, interview
Clive Thompson on episodic gaming (he’s in love with Alyx too)
Rumors & Speculation
Track7: “we never cancelled something that did not exist”
Culture
Spanish Wii pr0n
Kotomi’s Ninty case mods are the cat’s pajamas
Benheck one-ups himself with portable nPod 2
Goldeneye tested on 12 year-old, fails ‘timeless’ test
Wii lookin’ wee next to PS3
Another list of ten top things: game weapons
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Sending Cancer Patients Into Re-Mission
I heard about Re-Mission, a cancer-themed shooter, on watchblog Gamepolitics. I was so impressed, especially after yesterday’s post on a similar topic, that I put my money where my tacoslot is and actually bought the game in question.
The game is available for free on the website, but they request a donation from those who are not actually cancer patients. And you actually have to mail order the thing, you can’t just download it, which is highly inconvenient. But it’s a minor gripe.
GamePolitics describes Re-Mission thusly:
Created by Hope Lab in collaboration with several game developers, biologists, and young cancer patients, the somewhat whimsically titled Re-Mission is one of those serious games we love to write about because they show he positive potential of video game tech. Re-Mission is a third-person shooter starring a microscopic nanobot named Roxxi whose mission is to enter the bodies of patients and fight cancer and bacteria on the cellular level.
They go on to compliment the production values, the artwork and design, and the overall blend of science with good gameplay.
More after the ol’ jumparoo.
As revealed in their little interview video, Re-Mission was the brainchild of cancer researcher Pam Omidyar, who was working in an immunology lab growing cancer cells. Every night she would go home and play video games. Years later she finally got her chance, and by all accounts Re-Mission is a success.
A study done after the release of the game showed that patients who played it “showed statistically significant improvements in cancer-related self-efficacy, social quality of life, cancer-specific knowledge, and adherence to prescribed medication.”
To be fair, I was unable to find any actual reviews of the game, but I’ll take care of that in a few weeks when the thing actually gets here. I’m already impressed with the music, the gameplay vid I saw in the trailer at the site, and especially with the design of the main character, who is intensely charming. I mean just look at her.
Shooter Game Helps Young Cancer Patients [GamePolitics]
Re-Mission Official Website [Re-Mission]
Previously on Kotaku: Ben’s Game
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Brand New, Potentially Racially Offensive Loco Roco Screens!
Mobile gaming blog Mobile Militia just posted these brand new, non-demo Loco Roco screens, along with an adorably bad-tempered jibe:
You aren’t going to find these on any other website (…till they steal these and put their own lame-ass watermarks on them. Fuck you guys).
Easy there, tiger. See how nice we link? Linky linky link link.
Thanks, John!
See the post that started it all! [Mobile Militia]
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I Will Not Buy This Talkman, It Is Scratched
London game blogger Guy Cocker over on Gamespot has posted a video of his hapless attempts to use Talkman, the new PSP travel phrasebook. If this video is true to form, the thing is worse than useless:
I’ve reviewed the game for the site, but I thought I should also put his original design brief to the test. Luckily, I work in a big tourist area of London, and finding a Spanish girl isn’t that difficult. Watch my hapless attempts to remain a gentleman as ‘how are you today?’ is turned into ‘do you want to come to my apartment?’ by the randy blue bird.
Guy laughs it off, but propositioning strangers is a good way to get your ass kicked. I should know, I live right next to the gay neighborhood, and seeing as all the heterosexual men in Seattle look like the bastard lovechildren of John Romero and Bill Gates (which in a way, they are), I am sometimes forced to disguise myself as a drag queen and go cruising with Florian.
Whether I’m shoving my PSP into their hands or not, it always ends in runny mascara, hurt feelings, and a spike heel embedded in someone’s back.
Thanks for the tip, Carrie!
See Guy’s video here [Gamespot]
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Mall Tycoon 2
Load up your reserves with these simple codes.
Another list of ten top things: game weapons
GameTrailers does the “top ten” thing and rattles off their list of the “Top Ten Game Weapons.” But they didn’t just go around giving honors to any old weapon willy-nilly. They stipulated, “flaming fireballs and magic spells are out, but blowing things up is definitely in.” Their understandably FPS-heavy list breaks down like this:
- 10. Cerebral Bore (Turok 2 & 3): Turok 3 was a bore, amirite?
- 9. Chainsaw (Doom): did they ever figure out why there was a chainsaw on Mars?
- 8. Spreadgun (Contra): you don’t use the spreadgun, do you? Wuss …
- 7. Railgun (Quake 2): the do-it-yourself super weapon of hobbyists everywhere.
- 6. Laptop Gun (Perfect Dark Zero): gets the “remember when this game was good?” nod.
- 5. Energy Sword (Halo 2): you cheap bastard.
- 4. Ice Beam (Metroid): the retro, non-FPS Metroid vote (not that Retro).
- 3. BFG (Doom): the granddaddy of all big fuckin’ guns.
- 2. Red Turtle Shell (Mario Kart): the dark horse weapon of the list, and a proven way to destroy a friendship.
- 1. Gravity Gun (Half-Life 2): alright, we gotta give it to them, the gravity gun is some serious weaponry.
Undoubtedly, some of you are boiling over with rage that _______ wasn’t included! Though the Joystiq staffers don’t agree on much (”tastes great” … “no, less filling”) we did unite in our disappointment regarding the omission of Mario’s mushroom-mushing derrière. Want to relive all those soft-focus memories with these weapons of mass enjoyment? Check out the full video embedded after the break.
[Via Evil Avatar]
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Pin-Up of the Wii Flap Spreadeagled
Kotakuite George1234 saw this pic over at the Gaming Age Forums of that first rumored, now confirmed Wii Sync button. It also shows the SD card slot more clearly and, if you squint, what George theorizes is a round button for the ejection of the card. Which certainly beats prying it loose with a flathead screwdriver. So there you go.
Originally spotted in this thread [GAF]
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Clive Thompson on episodic gaming (he’s in love with Alyx too)
Filed under: PC
Wired’s Clive Thompson does the “episodic games are cool” thing and rounds all the usual bases: 24 and Lost are the television paradigms; episodic games are great for busy adults; Alyx is worthy of your adoration of geek lust. He writes, “There’s an intimacy to episodic stories, and it’s all the more intensified in a game because you literally go through hell with these folks. After Half-Life 2 and Episode One, I was pretty much in love with Alyx, one of the spunkiest and best-acted virtual characters I’ve ever seen.”
Hear hear! While Alyx played a pivotal role in HL2, she’s playing alongside you in Episode One. Valve calls it “single-player co-op” and, like the paradigm of co-op multiplayer, Alyx feels like a buddy you’re running through the game with. Like the lives of your favorite soap stars (or Jack Bauer, whatever) Alyx will be as important as the serialized story or the additional gameplay in convincing gamers to return for each consecutive HL2 episode. Now if they could only start getting these things out the door monthly … weekly … daily …
[Via collision detection]
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PSP GPS Thingy, More PSP Camera Pics, LocoRoco Stuff
At Sony’s “Play Is Changing” exhibit at the Sony Ginza showroom, the company unveiled its new PSP camera and hinted at its PSP GPS add-on. A poster mentioned that the the GPS receiver could be used as a “Virtual Caddie” with Hot Shots Golf to tell golfers how many more yards there are on real golf courses. This receiver is expected to be on display at this year’s TGS and on sale in the Fall. There’s also a big LocoRoco display, where Japanese site Game Watch reports many foreign tourists were checking things out. Hit the jump for pics.
More Here [Game Watch]
Wii lookin’ wee next to PS3
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Business, Fashion
Remember that dude DocCRP, who made a cardboard representation of the Wii and put it next to a bunch of junk to show off the real size of the little guy? Well, he’s back at it again. This time, he stacks up the Wii next to the monster truck-sized PlayStation 3.
It’s actually pretty funny to see just how much of a difference both consoles are in terms of size. This kind of thing makes you start to wonder which might look better sittin’ in the ol’ living room. Surely, mommy or wifey would be none to pleased with that big black box plopped down on the floor.
More pictures after the break.
[via 4cr]
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India is the New World of Gaming
Wired has a great article up, detailing India’s rise as a gamer society and the proliferation of cybercafes and gaming tournaments through India’s growing middle class. India today is China of 2001: A rumbling cluster of highly compressed gamers ready to explode in a Big Bang across the entirety of the subcontinent.
One thing that the article mentions is currently hampering gaming from really catching on in India is the lack of Indian themed games, “with Hindu gods and Bollywood music.” However, they note that we can probably expect the market to be flooded by games with names like Full Thang-Ta Warrior and Mecha-Shiva soon.
Another problem mentioned is the importance given to schools in an intensely competitive academic culture. There’s just no time to game with all that book learning. That’s why I dropped out of high school… suckers.
Counter-Strike, India Style [Wired]
CivCity: Rome updated screens, interview
Filed under: PC, Simulations, Strategy
IGN has posted 14 new screens from the upcoming CivCity: Rome, a collaboration between Civilization developer Firaxis and Firefly Studios (Stronghold). While it has no multiplayer modes, Rome will provide a deep city-building campaign that incorporates gameplay elements from Sid Meier’s award-winning Civilization series. GameSpot has more details in their updated interview with 2K Games producer Jason Bergman. CivCity: Rome arrives July 24.
See also: 2K’s Firaxis trifecta for 2006
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The Mother Tattoo
An intrepid soul got his arm tattooed with characters from Mother (Earthbound). The ink is still fresh as it was done a week ago. The tattoo artist said this was one of his more “unusual tattoos.” This was found on *surprise* LiveJournal. Go figure.
More Here [LiveJournal]
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Related: Clips: Canned Mother 3 Beta for the N64
