Archive for August 10th, 2006
Chinese People *Heart* the PSP
At the recent ChinaJoy game convention, a reporter from Japanese site IT Media noticed a severe lack of DSes. Everywhere he turned, the ubiquitous-in-Japan portable was nowhere to be seen. However, the PlayStation Portable was much easier to track down. This popular is either caused by or has led to widespread game piracy and bogus memory sticks. “It’s so easy to get pirated software,” said one user. What does this mean? Sony conquers all as the Chinese people love the PSP. To which Florian just snarked, “They’re the only ones.”
More Here [IT Media]
Capcom Quizzes About Dead Rising 2
I know, I know. “What’s up with all the Dead Rising posts this morning?” Look, first of all, it could be worse: we could be posting Dead Rising cheat codes. But Dead Rising fever, by way of the pesky Z bacterium, has feverishly gripped Kotaku tower.
We huddle in front of our 360s. Ropes of drool dangle from Ashcraft and Crecente’s drooping lower lips as they glassily stare at the television — this, of course, is nothing new. But their frightening silence, the lack of LOLs resounding through Kotaku tower, is. As for Eliza, she has spent most of the last day scooping bloody handfuls of cottage cheese out of her flabby abdomen and into her mouth. I, Florian Eckhardt, frankly a post-apocalyptic superman, keep a loaded shotgun trained upon them all.
The point is that we all love Dead Rising. We all want to see a sequel. And maybe we will! Capcom is throwing a survey, asking gamers if they want to see Dead Rising 2.
The only answer they should have allowed for should have been “No duh.” but there’s several possible responses to accurately mark your enthusiasm. If you want to see a sequel, head on over and fill it out.
Dead Rising 2 Survey [Capcom]
Rupert Murdoch Getting His Game On
Super rich Rupert “My ultimate plan is to rule the world” Murdoch is planning to tighten his grasp on gamedom. He already owns game site IGN and isn’t showing any signs of stopping. According to industry site MCV:
Murdoch-owned broadcasting giant Sky has revealed details of a monumental move into PC gaming by openly looking for a new ‘head of PC gaming’.
The media behemoth is currently advertising for a candidate who will be charged with the task of managing the firm’s forthcoming ‘broadband games destination’, and is also looking for a marketing manager to join whoever spearheads the new operation.
The pundits think he’s got his sights on AOL, which owns game blog Joystiq. This is believed to be part of his plan into ease into the broadband and game space. And make a truck load of cash in the process.
More Here [Games Blog]
Wikipedia’s List of The Worst Games Ever
Currently flagged as questionably neutral over at Wikipedia, the List of Video Games Considered The Worst Ever may not be an authoritative, judgmentally ascetic resource of bad games to be passed down via ebony marble time capsule to future generations, but it sure as hell is a lot of fun to read.
For example, this snippet describing Dangerous Vaults:
The game epitomizes many common design flaws such as extremely poorly made 3D graphics, problematic controls, ridiculous premises, with the most obvious being that it is a poor clone of the Tomb Raider games and a poor excuse for seeing Lara Croft raped in various situations. The player controls Tara through a jungle, where she can easily be injured by just moving around or, more frequently, from being raped by various creatures such as gorillas, 3-meter tall tribesmen and giant lizards
And that’s where the questionable neutrality comes in. “Worst game ever?” Come on… best game ever is more like it. Rape, of course, isn’t funny… unless it involves Lara Croft and a horny Tyrannosaurus Rex flaunting a saurian erection.
List of video games considered the worst ever [Wikipedia]
Final Fantasy III & Rune Factory go head-to-head in Japan
Filed under: Nintendo DS, RPGs
On August 24, Final Fantasy III and Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari (Harvest Moon spinoff) will be released in Japan fo DS. While FFIII certainly has the brand edge, both titles look to boost the DS’s credibility as a viable RPG platform. Famitsu recently published its reviews for the two games, suggesting that FFIII is slightly superior:
- Final Fantasy III (Square Enix): 9/8/9/8 - 34/40*
- Rune Factory (Marvelous Interactive): 8/9/7/9 - 33/40
Keep in mind that, back in March, Children of Mana scored even higher than FFIII, earning a 36/40, and will be released in the US on October 30. FFIII will land stateside in November (hopefully). Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari has not been confirmed for release outside of Japan, but Harvest Moon DS is scheduled for September 12.
*C3 News notes that Famitsu’s score for the original FFIII (NES) was 35/40.
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Frank West Pimps, Struts in Free Dead Rising Costumes
At a certain point, Xbox Live microcontent was ubiquitous with fruity outfits in which to dress your main character. Somewhere along the line, there was a seismic shift, in which developers realized no one wanted to pay for the dregs of their Recycle Bin. Now we get the fruity outfits for free!
And there’s really no better time to pimp out than when slaughtering zombies. Knowing all this, Capcom has released a free content download for Dead Rising right out of the gate. By downloading 8 keys, you can unlock a specific outfit in the game.
I’m partial to the “Pink Paparazzi” outfit… it really just doesn’t get any fruitier than being entirely clad in rhinestones and salmon velvet. Ask Crecente.
Capcom Releases First Content Download for Dead Rising [Team Xbox]
What Mortal Kombat Could Be…
Midway really dropped the ball with Mortal Kombat. And this British advertisement for MK: Shaolin Monks proves it. Instead of exotic stages and fantastic characters, the game would have benefitted greatly from dull fighters and even duller settings. White Collar Mortal Kombat, anyone?
Thanks, Jason!
Dead Rising Webisode 6
If you’re a coulrophobe, prepare to find yourself standing in an expanding pool of your own putrescent evacuations. This is the creepiest frickin’ clown ever — it’s like Pennywise raped John Wayne Gacy, Jr. and sired a murderous, ghoul-white circus tramp.
PS3: 2 down, 200+ still in the works
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Business
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PS3Land.com reminds us that the recent cancellation of two PlayStation 3 titles, FROM Software’s Dark RPG and Black Blade, is not indicative of an impending domino effect. According to PS3Land, there are currently over 200 games planned for release on PS3, and that number is only going to grow.
So why are some of us so eager to sniff out the first signs of the PlayStation brand’s demise? What makes a gamer anti-Sony? It seems that there is a growing suspicion — among gamers, the media, and even developers — concerning Sony’s tactics. There’s no denying that PS2 was (and is) a phenomenal success. But the PSP (sans homebrew) has been so darn stagnant. And the PS3 … it’s gonna be so frickin’ expensive.
Is the everyday consumer, the one who likes to keep a current gaming system handy (mostly for Madden), gonna bite this time around? Will said consumer, who’s never experienced a geek-out, really care about Blu-ray? And what about you? What to do make of this emerging bitterness? Are the underdog fanboys just jealous … just using these fleeting pre-launch days to tarnish, however futilely, the PlayStation brand? Or is Sony actually doing some things wrong? Like, really wrong.
PS3Land’s full list of PS3 titles follows (in no particular order)…
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight
Grand Theft Auto IV
Resident Evil 5
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Final Fantasy XIII
Resistance: Fall of Man
Call of Duty 3
NBA Live 07
Sonic the Hedgehog
Next NBA Street
Tekken 6
Need for Speed Carbon
Tony Hawk’s Project 8
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Assassin’s Creed
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Star Wars 2007
Devil May Cry 4
Gran Turismo HD
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
The Lord of the Rings, The White Council
Final Fantasy VII (Rumor)
Madden NFL 07
Formula One 06 Formula One Racing
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Killzone
Elveon
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Spider-Man 3
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
Army of Two
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Turok
Virtua Fighter 5
Unreal Tournament 2007
Haze
MotorStorm
Hellboy
Stranglehold
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Heavy Rain
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Indiana Jones 2007
Golden Axe
Virtua Tennis 3
Heavenly Sword
Alone in the Dark
NHL 2K7
Warhawk
The Darkness
Eight Days
DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road
Fatal Inertia
Cipher Complex
Armored Core 4
Ridge Racer 7
Genji 2
Clive Barker’s Jericho
Ratchet & Clank
Sega Rally Revo
The Getaway
Def Jam 3
Killing Day
BioShock
TNA iMPACT!
F.E.A.R. 2
Untitled Naughty Dog Game
Lair
Coded Arms: Assault
The Eye of Judgment
Monster Hunter 3
Possession
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
Fight Night Round
King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 3
Afrika
Dark Sector
Ni-Oh
Dynasty Warriors
Monster Kingdom
Eyedentify
Grand Raid Offroad
Untitled Square Enix Next-Gen MMORPG
World Pool Championship 2007
Blade Storm: Hundred Years War
The Wheelman
Transformers
Dirty Harry
Project IM
Heat
Way of the Samurai 3
The Outsider
Untitled DC Comics MMO
6GUN II
Driver
SingStar
Rain
Shin Megami Tensei
Fifth Phantom Saga
Omikron 2
The Wall
College Hoops 2K7
Angel Rings
Secret Service
ShadowClan
Untitled Western Shooter
L.A. Noire
Project Force
Project D
Monster Madness
X Quest
Empire
Redwood Falls
Hot Shots Golf
Data-Fly
Extreme
Bomberman
Train Simulator Online
Seikan
Gradius
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu
Master Project
ActiveDogs
WarDevil: Enigma
The Club
Project Delta
BB
Rengoku: The End of the Century
Makai Wars
Untitled John McTiernan Game
Stuntman 2
Untitled Obsidian/Sega RPG
Schwarzenberg
Super Robot Taisen
Avalon
Project Psychic
Akari Project
Boku no Natsuyasumi 3
Shinseiki GPX Cyber Formula
Yamasa Digi World DX
Derby Stallion
Hitsuji Mura
Aquanaut no Kyujitsu: Inner Mind Adventure
Shin Ten Makai VI
Sekai Saikyou Ginsei Igo 7
Naxat Plan
Bipedal Movement Simulation
Mahjong Oh
Pachinko Jikki
Mahjong Taikai
Sunrise Eiyuutan
Pro Mahjong Goku Final
Saikyou Ginsei Shougi 7
Slotter Mania
Value 2000 Igo
Value 2000 Shougi
Fantasy Lab Project
Meternome
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Brain Age sells 4M, pixelated man laughs while closing eyes
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Simulations, Business
It’s official. Four million people are now self-conscious in how they pronounce the word “Blue.” Okay, maybe just the 500k in the Americas, but you get the point. Nintendo announced in a gloating press release today that the company has sold more than 4 million copies of Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day with Japan driving about 75% of those sales. What’s your Brain Age? Or has this game made its way to the bottom of a drawer somewhere?
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70’s Vomit Wallpapers Meet Video Games
Over at smart guy visual theory blog Think in Pictures, jeremiah McNichols has mashed together two of his seemingly discordant mutual interests — atrocious 70’s wall paper and retro video game screenshots — with some absolutely beautiful results.
I’m particularly fond of this Pitfall screenshot, where the jungle foliage is the exact decomposed hummus wallpaper that was peeling off my grandmother’s kitchen wall as a boy.
Fan Fiction: I’ve Been Wrong Before [Thinking in Pictures] (via Boing Boing)
Super duper secret new PS3 IP in development
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Business
Just when you thought all hope may be lost for the PlayStation 3, there comes word that a new, original game from Midway’s Surreal Software is indeed in the works for the system. Though we already knew that some sort of mysterious game from Surreal was coming, what we didn’t know was that the title would be a new IP.
IGN follows the story by referencing this latest help wanted ad by the company: “This is new, exciting IP, on a new technology base, with a concept which will blow you away. This is your chance to be the keystone of a large and experienced development team.”
Full development support and new, original IPs for our next-gen appetites is definitely something we would like to see more of.
[Thanks, Ethan]
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Phony Madden 07 voucher aims to break street date
Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Sports
We were recently (and anonymously) sent this peculiar voucher, claiming to have the power to break Madden 07’s street date. Is this a magical gift from EA to its preferred customers … or simply a desperate attempt to hit the virtual gridiron a few days earlier than the rest of us?
Dear amateur forger guy,
Props for the concept, but dude, you really shoulda run the fine print through spell-checker: “Participating stores incluse…” Who are you trying to fool here?
Sincerely,
Joystiq.com
So if you should happen upon this coupon, know that it’s a waste of your time — but also know that some retail chains (read: Target and Wal-Mart) have a history of (unknowingly) breaking street dates, with or without a voucher. Good luck.
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E3: A Look Back
Love it or hate it, E3 mattered. Alot. Game site Games Radar takes an excellent in-depth look back at every Electronic Entertainment Expo, starting with the first on back in 1995. From Sega getting the drop on Nintendo 64 to Microsoft showing the Xbox behind closed doors and to Sony’s PS2 triumph, all the drama comes flooding back. Minus the stench.
More Here [Games Radar]
Halo Director’s Freshman Effort: Alive in Joburg
Alive in Joburg — the short film about extra-terrestrials landing in early-90’s South Africa. Vaguely Haloesque, it landed Neill Blomkamp his job as the director of the upcoming Halo feature film.
Got to admit, my sympathies lie with Alternate Universe Apartheid on this one. When trashy UFOs hover over Joburg and insert their cybernetic protuberances into nuclear power facilities to steal electricity, I start thinking “freeloader.” And if aliens ever were to land, I’m not exactly sure why we should immediately put them all on welfare, which seems to be where the director’s sympathies lie.
I kid, I kid. An excellent, thought-provoking film; as an amateur effort, it bodes well for giving this man a budget and gaming’s best space opera.
Battlestar Galactica flying onto Xbox Live
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, Online, Video, Business
We know a lot of you out there love you some Battlestar Galactica. Nay we say it’s the best show on television? You better frakkin’ believe it! Well get ready for more of the Sci-Fi Channel’s hit series as it prepares for a PR offensive that includes the “first longform program ever to be offered” on Xbox Live Marketplace, according to GameSpot.
The content being offered up, titled The Story So Far, is in preparation for the third season of Battlestar and more or less sums up everything that has happened in the series. There was no concrete date set (but the new season starts in October) or price. We can only hope because it is basically an advertisement, that the content will be free. If it is, we’d say this is a good sign of varying entertainment options being made available to the 360 and Xbox Live.
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Atari says Driv3r was half baked
Filed under: Culture, Driving, Business
Finally, a video game exec who isn’t afraid to say the truth for once. Games Radar is quoting Atari’s sales and marketing vice president, Nique Fajors, as saying at a company press event that the Driv3r franchise was nothing more than “a half-baked product that was pushed out the door for revenue reasons.”
That’s what we like to hear. Give us the truth. We all know half of the games that are released every year are nothing more than a quick money grab — yeah, we’re looking at you movie licensed games — so it’s nice to hear someone in the biz actually admit to it.
Fajors seems to reflect a new attitude at Atari, which is hoping to turn around its financial woes as of late. He says the company “will be putting a stronger emphasis on quality control and so will be hiring teams who feel ‘disgust with losing and disgust with being mediocre.’”
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Delicious Indian Food Shaped Like Pac-Man
Food in honor Pac-Man making his Xbox Live debut! This eatable Pac-Man and ghost were made from papadums (also known as papadam, pappadam, pappadom, pappadum, popadam, poppadam, poppadom, papad, pappad, appalum, appalam or those giant roundy crackery things they give out at Indian restaurants). How-to site Instructables guides readers through step-by-step the process of making Pac-Man papadums. And yes, scissors are involved. What’s Hindi for “yum”?
More Here [Instructables] Thanks, Frodo!
Did video games lose it for Lieberman?
Filed under: Culture
Was support for video game regulation a significant factor in Joe Lieberman’s primary loss to Ned Lamont in yesterday’s Democratic Connecticut Senate primary? That’s the theory put forth by one blogger, who says that the young children who remember Lieberman from the 1994 video game hearings are now of voting age and out for revenge!
We’re not buying it, though. For one thing, 18- to 24-year-olds are a historically unimportant voting bloc — only 36 percent of them voted in the 2000 presidential election (though this group is growing: 47 percent voted in 2004). For another, exit polls (.pdf) show that issues like the war in Iraq and Lieberman’s close relationship with Bush were foremost on voters’ minds — video game issues don’t even make a blip.
Despite the loss, Lieberman has announced he will still be running as an Independent, which means his vociferous calls for game regulation might yet continue to ring through the Senate. Even if he does lose in November, other Senators like Hillary Clinton have shown they are more than willing to take up the cause.
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LucasArts teams with MechAssault crew
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Online
LucasArts has announced they will be partnering with MechAssault developer Day 1 Studios to produce an original IP for next gen consoles. Details won’t be revealed until a later date, but Next Generation speculates the collaboration will yield an online action title befitting of Day 1’s rock ‘em, sock ‘em robot roots. The Xbox developer is also handling the 360 port of PC shooter F.E.A.R, due in November.
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