Archive for July 9th, 2006
Watch A Chimp Play Ms. Pac-Man
We love primates at Kotaku. We love to watch monkeys and apes bathe cats, smoke cigarettes, quench their thirst via their own urine. A little bit of trivia for you here: Brian Ashcraft’s favorite movie of all time is Every Which Way But Loose. Seriously, he owns this on laserdisc. That’s why we’re so pleased to present you with this fascinating video of a chimpanzee (a bonobo, possibly) playing Ms. Pac-Man. Monkey boy isn’t really that good, but at least seems to grasp the basic concept. Maybe it’s all just random luck.
Thanks for the heads up, S.
Buying “Rare” Games? Read This
I break down the game buying crowd into two categories: those with the good sense of unique aesthetics that helps one identify a hidden gem and every other pedestrian console playing noob. Fortunately for me, my fine artistic sensibilities, a combination of higher education and God-given intelligence, puts me in the former category. I’m trying to be modest here, but when you have the foresight and cultural appreciation of the finer things in life, picking up a game like Gitaroo Man, Rez or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on day one is just second nature.
With smart purchasing patterns and a well-rounded video game collection like mine, you’d think I’d know everything about buying “rare” games. Not so! It just never came up. For the bumbling simpletons at my local EB who pick up a copy of Cubivore and simply can’t wrap their brains around something so unique and ultimately appreciative in value, 1UP has published a guide to buying “rare” games. It’s not as mysterious as eBay might lead you to believe.
Anyone looking to drop 200-plus bones on a copy of Radiant Silvergun must read this ASAP.
Instant Rarity: Are Those “Rare” Games Really Worth The Dough? [1UP]
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Xbox 360 Art
Canadian artist Pavel Dogov recently painted a few Xbox 360-themed pieces. The descriptions that go along with the paintings seem to point to Dogov’s loose grasp of gaming culture. It seems like gaming is something he senses is important and relavent, but that he really doesn’t understand.
Here’s his explanation of the above painting, The Colony.
My ant is artificial, made by humans, produced rather than natural and futuristic.
This painting is about today’s technology and how far it has gone. The object in the center is a modified Logo of an Xbox 360 gaming system and the object on the left is an ant a part of the whole colony. The influence of the gaming industry on today’s world is a very controversial subject. For some it’s the source of creativity and personal development, for others it’s an addiction which can ruin lives. The ant in the painting represents those who are worshiping the gaming industry (in the form of 3 dimensional sphere) by dedicating their priceless time to their addiction.I have painted it in surrealistic style to show how real the problem is.
I’m not sure I “get” this painting, but I might get it for my lounge, if I could convince my wife, it’s kinda cool.
Pavel Dogov Portfolio [Ebsqart]
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Daily Comments Winner and Prize
Commentor DrStarkweather wins yesterday’s contest with his comments on the Playstation Portable being used to hock insole pads in Japan.
“PSP: Strong enough for a man, but pH balanced for a woman.
Don’t forget to post away today for your chance to win. I will be randomly selecting a post tonight, as I will every day this month, and then deciding which comment about the post was the funniest, most insightful or interesting and hand out a prize to the poster.
Today’s prize is an NCSoft voice recorder.
Note: If you’re having trouble logging in to post comments. Try this: Login as usual, and then when it brings up the same login boxes hit the refresh key. Think of it as Kotaku’s own secret handshake.
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Japanese hardware sales, 26 June - 2 July: You’ve got red on you
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PSP, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360
Oh, the horror. Be sure to keep angry fanboys and dubiously trained pet bulls away from the monitor this week, as it displays an awful lot of red. Even the mighty DS Lite experiences the strange sensation of slipping, possibly caused by the tight grip of an overweight sibling. The ranking, according to number of units sold:
- DS Lite: 153,566 
3,456 (2.20%)
- PSP: 25,935 
1,198 (4.84%)
- PS2: 23,133 2,334 (9.16%)
- DS Phat: 3,504 6,628 (65.42%)
- GBA SP: 2,919 829 (21.91%)
- Xbox 360: 1,897 728 (62.28%)
- Game Boy Micro: 1,443 59 (3.93%)
- Gamecube: 1,002 195 (16.29%)
- GBA: 17 8 (32.00%)
- Xbox: 8 2 (20.00%)
As a commenter jokingly suggested last week, it’s awfully difficult to resist the temptation of traveling to Japan and purchasing 10,000 Xbox consoles, just to … exacerbate things.
[Source: Media Create]
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Want to write for Joystiq? ‘Course you do
Filed under: Meta
You are standing outside a comfortable, orange and blue blog. There is a “Now Hiring” placard taped to the finger-smudged pane of the post.
>Read placard.
It reads in big, block letters, “Now Hiring.” You squint your eyes and barely make out the rest: “Games blog Joystiq is looking for the best writers they can find. That means they’re not looking for sample reviews, your three favorite posts, or your favorite game of the year. Instead, they’re looking to be impressed.”
>Who should apply?
They have a special interest in writers who live in Japan and can read the mysterious and baffling Japanese language, as well as writers living in that other bastion of technological turpitude, the Bay Area.
>What if I don’t live in either of those awful places?
Ultimately, writers will be chosen based on quality and not geography. So, if you’re qualified but live in, say … South Africa, please apply regardless.
>Is this a paid, freelancing position that requires professionalism, consistency, and reliability?
Remember, this is a paid, freelancing position that requires professionalism, consistency, and reliability. Send your impressive application in the form of an impressive resumé, an impressive cover letter, and whatever else might impress them and email to joystiq.applications+JOY0706@gmail.com.
>What will impress them?
*shrugs* Did you beat Ninja Gaiden: Black on master ninja mode? That would be impressive …
>%$#@!
Such language in a high-class establishment like this!
>Fill out application.
You pull up your desk chair and begin feverishly writing out your top ten list of 8-bit games that feature arthropod protagonists — just to get your pen flowing — before setting your mind on the relevant task at hand. A few short days later, you emerge from your room, soiled and unshaven, application in hand. You forgot to type it.
>Type application.
You (barely) decipher your own scribbling, but remember enough of your life experience to fill in the missing details as you go. You make sure to remind them of all your previous writing experience, any outlets or publications you’ve contributed to. You take great pains to inform them of your current work/life schedule. You are realistic about your ability to contribute, so they’ll know when you’re able to work for them. You specify whether or not you’re interested in writing on the weekends. You tell them they’re beautiful …
>I do not!
YOU TELL THEM THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL! But you don’t simply flatter them, you also let them know where they can improve and how you can help (site redesign is not a good suggestion … they want to know how you can help). You write this all in the body of the email, since you know they’re not going to read it if there are attachments (they hate attachments … especially .doc attachments)!
>Mail application to joystiq.applications+JOY0706@gmail.com.
Your trembling claw hovers above the keyboard before striking … and then, the stiff clack of your “Enter” key sends your condensed brain-droppings kicking and screaming into their embarrassingly weak, but open, arms. On behalf of everyone at the ’stiq, good luck!
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Awesomely fake GTA 4 pic
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure
What is it with wannabe Internet celebs circulating fake pictures of games and hardware? Do they need attention that bad? The latest hot target of illegitimate screen grabs seems to be Grand Theft Auto 4. Last month we saw a little GTA 4 fakeness nugget complete with urinating dog and visions of gore from a ball and chain weapon. Now, we got this one above from a GTA 4 forum.
It’s like they’re not even trying anymore. There’s not much to see in this “screenshot,” but notice the Rockstar North “official” lettering in the bottom left that just cries for legitimacy. Of course, we don’t know 100% for sure that this is a fake, but don’t hold your breath that it’s not.
[Thanks, PacBoy23]
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