Blog5 Games

Via one of our insiders comes this helpful list of the 18 Best Buy stores which will be having midnight opening. There will not be any midnight launches for the Wii as most stores will open an hour early when the Nintendo console goes on sale. Hit the jump for the midnight PS3 launch Best Buys. Brian Ashcraft

• Park Lane, TX
• West LA, CA
• Chesterfield, MO
• El Cajon
• Superstition Springs, AZ
• Chapel Hill, OH
• Richfield, MN
• Galleria, TX
• Butterfield RD, IL
• Wester Hollywood, CA
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Gwinnet, GA
• Hialeah, FL
• South Tampa, FL
• Mt Laurel, NJ
• Manhattan NoHo, NY
• Landmark, MA
• Manhattan Midtown, NY

Microsoft is going with a strange small, hard , plastic container for Windows Vista. The stacking unfriendly container is going to also be used for other Microsoft productivity software as well. I wonder why they didn’t go with the Games for Windows design? That seems like that would make more sense. Brian Crecente

Microsoft Packaging for Vista and Office 2007 Revealed [Gizmodo]

How to earn some serious cash.

Kingdom Hearts is a cash cow. I know it, you know it, Square damn sure knows it and bet your ass Disney knows it. The game’s producer Tetsuya Nomura says that the animation company has already asked Square Enix about making a third installment into the highly successful series. Nomura dishes:

We’ve already been approached by the Disney side saying that they want us to make it. What I can say at this time is ‘We have various ideas, but we’re not at the point where we can say that.’ It’s physically impossible at the present. I feel that it’s not the right time to talk about the future of Kingdom Hearts.

Yeah, like a gazillion Final Fantasy incarnations and spin-offs. So Mickey, chill the fuck out. Brian Ashcraft

Disney Wants More Heart [IGN, Thanks Pete!]

How to get some fast cash.

Monster has announced a line of GameLink audio and video cables for the Playstation 3.

The cables, Monster says, both enhance the audio and video throughput and look snazzy. They better for $30 to $100 a pop.

“The PlayStation 3 is a state-of-the-art entertainment platform,” said Noel Lee, The Head Monster at Monster Cable. “But experiencing its exceptional audio and video capabilities means it’s crucial to properly connect it with high-performance cables - something that’s not found inside the box. The PS3’s HD games and 1080p-capable Blu-ray Disc movies can be amazing, but not when you hook it up with inferior or general-use cables. That’s why we crafted GameLink specifically for the PS3 — so it could be enjoyed the way it was truly meant to be experienced.”

Are you planning on buying any after-market cables for your Playstation 3? I didn’t for my Xbox 360, but I suspect I will have to buy an HDMI splitter this time around. Brian Crecente

Monster Hook-Ups for PS3 [Game Daily]

The Xbox 360 and Japan Post? Microsoft announces that starting November 1st, it will be possible to buy Points at ATMs in Japanese post offices. Upon finding this out, I immediately ping Jean Snow, who mehs the entire dealio, saying it’s already possible to buy points at convenience stores across notoriously online credit card phobic Japan. Here’s how he describes the conbini service:

When you buy them, they print out a sort of coupon (like they would print out a ticket for an event), and it has a code on it. When you get home, you type your code in, and it redeems your points. I told you about this ages ago, silly!

Oh, right. The Japan Post ATM service is more about setting up a prepaid ID to accumulate points. Cool, but honestly, how many people will use this service? Brian Ashcraft

Japan Post Xbox [Dengeki Online]

Sony, already battered by a battery recall and Playstation 3 supply issues, is now being probed by the the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation into sales of memory chips.

The company said today that they received a subpoena from the Justice Department’s antitrust division looking for details about Sony’s static random access memory (SRAM) business.

“Sony intends to cooperate fully with the DOJ in what appears to be an industrywide inquiry,” the company said in a short statement.

Last year Sony sold $27.7 million worth of SRAM, but they declined to say who makes the chips for them who who they sell them to.

And Sony isn’t the only SRAM operation under investigation, earlier this month Cypress Semiconductor announced that the DOJ was looking into their operation as well.

While this isn’t specifically gaming news, it will be if Sony ends up bleeding to death before the PS3 can start to turn a profit for them. Things are looking bad for Sony. Brian Crecente

U.S. Justice Department Probing Sony Unit [AP]

GamesIndustry.biz has confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a new version of the Wii with a built-in DVD player in Japan sometime next year.

Nintendo went on to say that there are no plans to release such an animal outside of the island country.

I sure hope Nintendo doesn’t make a habit of coming out with new, better versions of consoles a year after they release the original one, like they did with the DS. I’d be pretty ticked and I’m sure a lot of other gamers would be too. Brian Crecente

Japan to Get Wii with DVD Player [Games Industry]

Ars Technica reports that someone has dug up the details on the Broadway chip used in the Wii.

Looking at the details, the site reports that the Broadway chip is really just an over-clocked Gekko chip, used in the GameCube, that runs cooler and with less power.

A poster at the Ace’s Hardware message board has dug up a new IBM datasheet for the 750CL, which is a new derivative of the IBM 750 (a.k.a. the G3). Based on the information revealed in the datasheet, the 750CL is basically just a 90nm die shrink of the Gekko hardware that’s intended to run at up to 900MHz. IBM almost certainly would not go to the trouble of launching an updated version of Gekko on a new process, unless what many have said all along is in fact true: Broadway is a faster, lower-power version of the GameCube’s Gekko hardware.

This confirms what we’ve all suspected, the Wii is really the GameCube 1.5… but that’s only looking at the specs. What Nintendo is really selling with the Wii is a new way to play games, not a new way for developers to show us the same games we’ve been playing for years. So when you open that box on Nov. 19, remember it’s really just about the controllers. Brian Crecente

Wii Brain Revealed [Ars Technica]

Those milling about in Kotaku-land, Happy Halloween! While you fritter about, worrying about your costumes and whatnot, here’s a round up of Halloween game pumpkins. Your mission, locate them and smash them. Hit the jump for a full target list. Brian Ashcraft

Skititlez’s own Wii pumpkin. It’s humping or something.

Brian D sent along this purdy Link pumpkin. But wait, if you think that’s great, check out his Wii-mote costume!

Kaw spent over a 100 hours devoted to Oblivion. That’s this month alone. So, what’s a few more spent carving out a rune pumpkin?

Susan laments that there wasn’t enough room on the other side of the pumpkin for a sumo wrestler. Bummer!

This Gears of War pumpkin has already made the rounds, but worth a post because it freaks out the cat.

Frodo’s excellent depiction of the Triforce, Katamari and Sony’s Ken Kutaragi still impresses all.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Microsoft have decided to post-pone work on the Halo film until they can get a studio on-board for financing. I assume this means that they couldn’t cut a deal with anyone after Universal and Fox backed out of the deal.

As was previously confirmed, we deeply regret that both Universal and Fox did not choose to move forward with financing the Halo film under the original terms of the agreement. At this time Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, along with their partner, Microsoft, have mutually agreed to postpone making a feature film based on the Halo video game universe until we can fulfill the promise we made to millions of Halo fans throughout the world that we would settle for no less than bringing a first class film to the big screen. We are fully supportive of Director Neill Blomkamp’s vision of the film. Neill is a tremendously gifted filmmaker and his preliminary work on Halo is truly awe-inspiring. While it will undoubtedly take a little longer for Halo to reach the big screen, we are confident that the final feature film will be well worth the wait.

Why can’t Gates just spend his allowance on the film, crap he could pay to have the real Halo world created, footing the bill for a bit of fakery would be a drop in the bucket for him. Brian Crecente

Bad News. HALO a No-Go… aka Why are the studios retarded? [Ain’t It Cool News]

Light years ago, when it was cool to wear yellow sweatshirts, Hudson’s human mascot Takahashi Meijin taught Japan “Famicom taisou” (”NES exercises”). Well, yellow sweatshirts may not be hip anymore, but Takahashi Meijin still is. Here is his modern day bald version teaching game aerobics to former Morning Musume singer Mari Yaguchi and Mr. Bad Teeth. (Not his name, but fitting nonetheless.) Takahashi Meijin points out:

I don’t know if it really helps with gaming. Back then if you put ‘Famicom’ on anything, everyone would do it.

Today, too! So, everyone. Ichi, ni, san, Famicon taisou, Famicom taisou, FAMICOM TAISOU!! Brian Ashcraft

Filed under: Culture

Here’s a roundup of festive links that might stimulate some last-minute creations:

• Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas: Video Game Edition
• 21 awesome game-related Halloween costumes
• Retrogaming Halloween Costume Ideas
• How to build Pacman and The Ghost Halloween costumes

Trivia: can you guess what gaming-related defect the costume above (pictured) represents?

[Thanks, Andrew]

Answer: It’s a … dead pixel! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk … Happy Halloween!

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

EB Game is releasing its jack-booted foot soldiers and coming after your dubious eBay pre-order ass! Flexing its gestapo muscle, the company is apparently dead set on tracking down all pre-orders up for auction. An insider over at game site Evil Avatar states:

Today during a conference call, managers of EB Games stores in Canada were told that a list is being made of all pre-orders for Playstation 3’s that have been posted for sale on eBay. Lists will be distributed to individual stores and all pre-orders that have appeared on eBay will be canceled by EB in the very near future. According to the information I’ve been given, this is a joint initiative between EB Games, Sony and eBay. eBay’s new policy regarding pre-order sales has made this possible by requiring that all pre-order listings include a photo of the receipt.

Just mentions Canada, but wow. Big brother! If this is true, we assume EB would do the same in America. As creepy as this is, it actually could ensure those who want a console at launch have a better chance of getting one. And will only have to pay Sony’s outrageous price and not eBay’s. Brian Ashcraft

EB To Put A Stop To eBay [Evil Avatar via Game|Life]

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Simulations, Business

Things have come a long way since the U.S. Armed Forces got into the video game business with Marine Doom in the early ’90s. Just ask Roger Smith, an analyst who presented on the past, present and future of military involvement in games at the Serious Games Summit. In the dozen or so years since their shallow, graphical Doom II mod, Smith said the military has integrated full-fledged training simulations for all sorts of different positions and situations. Right now most of that training goes to the “trigger pullers” — the people risking their lives on the front lines — but Smith said lower-cost technology solutions would allow for simulations geared towards medical, logistical, maintenance, and other troops who currently don’t have many other training options.

While recent military sims like America’s Army and Full Spectrum Warrior have crossed over into the commercial market, Smith said he sees this trend slowing in the future, with the military developing narrowly targeted simulations suited specifically for military use, not living room use. As this trend continues, Smith sees the military developing internal game development resources to create its games, rather than buying off-the-shelf parts and talent from outside game companies.

Smith also talked excitedly about the military’s interest in developing for the Xbox 360 through the XNA program. While there were too many roadblocks to developing military trainers for the original Xbox, Smith said a simulation designed for powerful, affordable hardware like the 360 had the potential to open up training to every soldier, rather than just those in units with access to expensive, high-end PCs.

Also see: Serious Games Summit: Defense dept. games

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

A spokesperson for Nintendo has confirmed that Japan will be getting the “enhanced” Wii with DVD function. The official word:

There are currently plans to release a version of Wii in Japan featuring DVD playback. There are currently no plans to bring this model to Europe or the US.

What’s more, while Edge magazine claims that CNN has been roped in to provide content for the Wii news channel in the US and Japan, Nintendo was unwilling to confirm. Instead, the spokesperson stated, “We have currently announced no deals with any news or weather service provider for Wii channels.” The assumption that retailers pressured Nintendo to raise the price was also dismissed.

Making the Wii-VD “Japan Only” seems quite odd. Cue to bitching about how The Land of the Rising Sun gets all the good stuff. (Except for PS3’s, we’re not getting many of those.) Brian Ashcraft

Wii DVD Player Confirmed [Games Industry, Thanks Mark!]

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Video

Shout-outs tuh duh kid Ffejery Plexco an’ young homie Kip Beats for thuh big up in ‘dat blazin’ “Tendo Luv” track. (Translation: Thank you, Mr. Plexco and Mr. Beats, for featuring the Joystiq t-shirt in your brightly composed Nintendo Anthem “Tendo Luv.”) But serioulsy, folks, this is fanboy-nerdcore at its finest:

after November 19th / the game’s gonna change / we get together for a Wii Sports game / and we will never be the same / cuz innovation stay / running thru they veins / competition hating / and they wanna lay claim / and say they did it first / mayne, that’s so lame / i know it hurts mayne / but they doing they thang / Nintendo / don’t ya ever forget the name / comprendo?

[Thanks, Bryan]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Forget the Japanese. Look closely. Closer. Notice anything? Yep, that says 59.5 GB HDD. The picture is from a press conference for the “Fall 2006 System Update” at Microsoft Japan HQ, and it appeared on Japanese site Game Watch. While there’s been talk of 200 GB hard drives (ultimately proven a pack of dirty lies), this 60 GB hard drive looks like the real deal. Add that to 1080p, and the only thing separating the 360 from the PS3 is Blu-ray. Well that, and a rumble-less motion controller. Brian Ashcraft

Microsoft “Accidently” Lets It Slip [Watch Impress via VGB]

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Echoing the concerns of other investors, Fortune Magazine examines the much needed PS3 home run for Sony if the company wishes to stay competitive in the consumer electronics world. The piece calls the PS3 launch “one of the most closely watched new-product rollouts of all time.” Given its recent PR beats, portable music spanking at the hand of Apple, and mass battery recalls, Sony is hoping its ad agency, TBWA, can in part save the company. That’s a tall order for the Los Angeles-based firm with its $150 million Sony account.

More interesting, however, is what TBWA (which has done all US ads since the first PlayStation in 1995) has to accomplish: Not only do their ads need to encourage prospective gamers to buy Sony’s third-generation console, the ads must convince said consumers to wait for the PS3 due to extremely limited launch availability.

From the article: “The agency’s job is to persuade those who leave the store empty-handed to wait - to not buy Xbox or Wii - even if it means holding off until after Christmas before Sony can ramp up its manufacturing enough to satisfy the demand. So the bar is high indeed. If the Los Angeles office doesn’t clear it with the PS3 launch, Sony may not be the only client that heads for the exit.”

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments