Archive for November 1st, 2006
Halo 3 He Said, She Said With Man Cannons (Oh, Yes)
1Up’s Luke Smith and his facial hair are here to tell you what’s what with Halo 3, so listen up! Last week we ran images from a Swedish game mag that had spilled its Halo coverage a little early. Because the mag is in Swedish and might cause mistranslations or misunderstandings, Luke, who doesn’t speak Swedish but English, is ready to set the record straight. Loads of guns and whatnot were revealed, but what about the H3 weapon with the unfortunate moniker “Man Cannon”? Luke writes:
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but ‘Man Cannon” is indeed the real name. Will they be renamed ‘Launch Vents’ or something far less interesting by the time the game ships? Maybe. But the giggles that crackled through the room when they said ‘Man Cannon’ didn’t bode too well for a name change.
Man Cannon. Heh. Check 1Up on Friday, when the 1Up show will feature for the first time people who’ve played Halo 3 talk about their experience publicly. Knowing 1Up, some of these people will have beards.
Luke Talks Halo [1Up]
Watch Other People Play Zelda For Wii
Nintendo has updated the official Wii site with handy videos that will give you a peek at your future self, wildly swinging your Wii wand like a madman in a pale imitation of our hero boy Link.
Sadly, there are no cute Japanese gamer girls giggling and acting coy, it’s just a bunch of boring, hairy dudes looking slack jawed and videogenic. I hate guys like this.
There are painfully brief gameplay videos shot over the shoulder Resident Evil 4 style, but no much to see beyond the satisfaction of seeing other people play the Wii.
Watch A Variety Of People Experiencing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Wii Launches In South Park
The funniest next-gen console commercial out there.
South Park Gets A Wii [Wiki, Thanks Sinner!]
Ratchet & Clank PS3 In “Full Production”
Now that Resistance: Fall of Man is in the bag, what’s up for Insomniac Games? A little vacation, probably some press events, maybe they’ll finish weather treating that patio. Oh, right, and the next Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 3!
From the Insomniac newsletter:
Those of you who are waiting for some Ratchet & Clank news, here’s a quick update. We are in full production on our R&C PlayStation 3 game. That’s all we can share at this time, but you’ll be hearing and seeing more from us in the not-so-distant future.
The game’s existance should clearly come as no surprise, as Sony gave us a glimpse of the next-gen shooter-platformer at E3, but at least it’s now official. We’ll have more furry bat-thing and robot-guy fun to look forward to soon.
Mario Hoops Halloween Cute Overload
Sure, Hallowe’en is over, but that doesn’t mean the recapping is gonna end. Especially when you’ve got a monitor smashingly cute photo of a grown man and a little boy (about the size of 3 stacked DVD cases) sporting respective Luigi and Mario costumes playing a little b-ball.
These two took part in the Nickelodeon Studio Costume Contest, but some how managed to not win. I guess total ADORABILITY wasn’t factored in during the judging process.
I can’t wait to have a kid, so that I can dress him or her up in all manner of embarrassing game themed costumes. *sigh*
Thanks for the totally cute tip, Scott.
Sony Slams Virtual Console/Xbox Live Arcade, Talks Up Its Own Innovation
With all this talk about Xbox Live Arcade and the Virtual Console, Sony’s gotta feel left out. Good thing Phil Harrison’s jumping in, reminding everyone about the PLAYSTATION 3’s e-Distribution Initiative (EDI). That’s fancy talk for the PS3’s take on Xbox Live Arcade. And what is he reminding us? That it exists. And that it is innovative and better than the other chumps. Here’s what Phil has to say:
We’re developing about 40 products that fit that strategy right now. My strategy was to encourage developers to push the machine technically, creatively, artistically—to innovate in lots of different ways. But don’t be restricted by ghettoising games into a particular genre, or a particular display mechanic, because what we’ve seen on other systems tend to be retro 2D games, and we’re pushing the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation 3. Plus, the fact that every PS3 has a hard disk drive means that we’re not restricted by the size of the download, and that has a huge impact on the kind of game design that you can do.
“Ghettoising games”? Quite the wordsmith aren’t we, Phil.
Sony Funding 40 Titles [Games Industry]
Every Single Episode Of Captain N Ever
Oh, I suppose you could spend a few hours searching YouTube for Captain N episodes, but wouldn’t you rather have them all at your finger tips for maximum masochism? I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve subjected my eyes and ears to this Saturday morning parade of brand violations, but the liberties they take with classic Nintendo (and Konami and Capcom) characters are hilariously bad.
Thanks for the pointer, Blake.
New XNA Game Studio Express Released
Microsoft and friends let us know that the next version (Beta 2) of their XNA Game Studio Express development platform is now available for download.
The platform, which makes it easier for developers and hobbyists to build games and integrate their 3D content into Windows and Xbox 360 titles, is free, as are the additional software prerequisites. So what the hell are you waiting for? Why aren’t you downloading this crap pronto? Oh, you say you want to read some corporate communication first? Okay.
Check out the full press release after the jump, with links to the download and FAQ pages.
Microsoft Kicks it Up Another Notch with XNA Game Studio Express Beta
Upgraded software toolset available as a free download today offers highly sought features that make game design even easier.
Microsoft today released the second major iteration of its XNA Game Studio Express beta, upgraded with full functionality for Windows and third party toolset support, allowing hobbyists, academics and independent game developers to more easily integrate game content into their creations. The pioneering technology has already opened the doors of game development to numerous audiences, and promises to ratchet up indie game development yet another notch with an expanded set of features.
Whether you’ve been tinkering for just a short time with XNA Game Studio Express or are completely new to the software, today’s update maintains Microsoft’s goal to empower the masses through offering easy-to-use and affordable tools enabling them to bring their creativity to life by offering:
* The addition of XNA Framework Content Pipeline, a feature set that makes it simpler and more straightforward for game developers to use 2D and 3D content in their game projects from third party digital content creation packages like Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Maya® and SOFTIMAGE®|XSI®.
* New content importers for .X and Autodesk® FBX® 3D asset format in partnership with Autodesk.
* Xbox 360 project system gives game developers the ability to preview game design specifically for the Xbox 360 and pre-compile games starting today, giving developers a head start in preparing their games for the XNA Creators Club availability in December.
* Improved game component architecture updated with a simpler design, adding increased usability based on community feedback.
* Overall performance improvements and optimizations - XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 is a near final version of the tool.
In addition, the release of XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 is occurring simultaneously today with a closed beta of GarageGames’ Torque X, a toolset designed specifically for XNA Game Studio Express that combines Torque Game Builder, Torque Game Engine and Torque Shader Engine into one package on top of the XNA platform, giving even non-programmers a great set of tools and technology to easily create games using drag-n-drop interfaces. More information on the Torque X beta can be found on the GarageGames website at http://www.garagegames.com/products/torque/x/.
On top of these improved and added features, XNA Game Studio Express continues to gather a following among academics and hobbyists. The list of leading universities adopting XNA Game Studio Express into their curricula has grown to more than 30 worldwide. There have been 150,000 downloads of XNA Game Studio Express Beta 1, over 30 new XNA communities launched, 100 user generated tutorials shared online and more than 60 independent games already in development or completed.
The latest major adopter of XNA Game Studios Express is Giant Campus, a major provider of technology training, consulting, and staffing services to youth and education markets, the U.S. Armed Forces and the federal government. They will be featuring XNA Game Studio Express in their game design curriculum to be made available next summer.
Enthusiast game creators can download the updated software today from http://msdn.com/xna to develop games for Windows, at no charge. Furthermore, games built using Windows can be migrated to Xbox 360 console systems when the final version of XNA Game Studio Express is released. The XNA Creators Club membership will launch simultaneously with XNA Game Studio Express and be available for purchase on Xbox Live Marketplace. The XNA Creators Club membership allows users to develop and play XNA Framework games on their Xbox 360 consoles and gives access to exclusive content to make developing games quicker and easier. A one year membership is available for $99 USD and a four-month trial is available for $49 USD.
Look for the final version of XNA Game Studio Express to go live on December 11 of this year, with XNA Game Studio Professional available in summer of 2007.
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Download XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 and read the FAQ while you wait!
Wii Kiosks Showing Up At Gamestops
They may still be in bland cardboard shipping boxes, but they’re there. Restless Wiis are now patiently waiting to be freed from their corrugated prisons by the local Nintendo reps and set up for the unwashed masses to poke, prod, molest, and fondle.
Actually, reader Brian A. wrote in to let us know that his local Gamestop already has a naked Wii kiosk on display.
The Gamestop I frequent near Lynnwood, Wash. (north of Seattle) already has a Wii kiosk. The console and screen are all there for everyone to drool over but it isn’t operational yet. The guys at the store said they’re waiting for their Nintendo rep to stop by and get it up and running.
I expect nothing less than a series of campouts from the Nintendo faithful, awaiting the arrival of their haggard Nintendo rep. If you don’t have the means to camp out, I suggest you call your local Gamestop every 15 minutes asking if their Wii kiosk is playable.
Thanks for the photos, Jordan!
Shocker! Japan Gets More Virtual Console Games
So, North America. You’re getting the Wii before Japan? Meh. What-ever. Japan is still getting the better end of the deal, because the country’s getting more Virtual Console games. Yup. How many more? 18 more. That means Nintendo loves Japan nearly twenty times more than America or something like that. Forget more consoles! Games are what matter. GAMES. And here’s a list of all the VC games The Land of the Rising Sun will see when the console launches there this December:
- Five-in-a-Row (Go-moku Narabe)
- Gradius
- Legend of Kage
- Ninja Jajamaru-kun
- Xevious
- Contra III
- Donkey Kong Country
- Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo
- The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
- R-Type III
- Street Fighter II
- Super Castlevania IV
- Super Mario Picross
- Super Mario World
- Shadow Dancer
- Adventure Island
- Bomberman ‘94
- Necromancer
Compare here with the North American list. I’ll take a later console launch with more games any ol’ day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Japan’s VC List [Eurogamer]
E3 Is Dead! Long Live GamePro Expo!
The insanity of E3 is back! After transforming from ear-shattering, budget busting expo for 60,000 “industry” attendees to minimal invite-only buzzkill, the International Data Group has decided to bring back the silicone-injected, epileptic fit inducing FUN of E3 proper in the form of the “GamePro Expo”.
Gamespot has the details:
According to a memo circulated to a short list of LA Convention and Visitors Bureau members this week, International Data Group, publishers of dozens of tech magazines and producers of hundreds of trade shows around the world (including Macworld), will produce a new games show to be held in Los Angeles in mid-October, 2007.
“IDG has been secured to run the new Game Pro Expo show, what we knew as E3,” the memo reads in part.
Backed by the ESA, the show’s sponsors expect some 30,000 attendees when the event hits this October at E3’s old stomping grounds, the Los Angeles Convention Center. Get your oversize schwag bags ready, kids, and start booking those hotel rooms now!
E3 lives on as GamePro Expo [Gamespot]
Rumor: Wii Outputs at 720p?
According to the latest issue of the UK’s Nintendo: The Official Magazine, the Wii will output at the relatively impressive 720p, not the low-end, and still rumored, 480p.
The magazine says that “At the time of going to print, Wii games will output in 720i and 720p.” Of course this is the same magazine that (incorrectly) said that the Wii’s base was its power brick.
If it is true, it could be the “revelation” that Nintendo was hinting at.
I have a call into Nintendo for possible explanation, but more likely no comment.
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Premium Packs Better Than Anything
And I do mean anything. Heroin? Not even close. The womb? Boring! Dipping Hershey bars in creamy peanut butter? Come ON. Limited edition PSP’s in special packaging blows them all away.
Therefore, Konamistyle is going to release two separate editions of their PlayStation Portable Metal Gear Solid game, Portable Ops, each with their own sexy themed PSP cases and special bonus trinkets.
The above pack includes: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops UMD, camo PSP, three special pins, and special PSP carrying case with matching strap.
Any regular Ichiro can pick one of these up starting December 21 for 29,190 yen (about $250 USD). The super premium, mail order only version however…
This badboy will set you back a bit more, 39,690 yen (or $340 USD), but includes a genuine snakeskin PSP case (”The Skin of a Warrior”) and strap (”The Tail of a Killer”) and even fancier packaging.
Of course, losers who hate being special can still buy the regular game for 4980 yen, but who in their right mind would do such a thing?
Today’s hottest game video: テイルズ オブ ザ ワールド
Anyone know what the game is? It looks like a bizarre Japanese infomercial fused with an Old Navy ad. It’s looks for something called T.O.W. on the PSP, but other than that, our Japanese is about as good as our Orcish. An open challenge to Joystiq commenters: mash this up with some fun and exciting audio. We’ve been watching this with the audio off, and it’s even more bizarre that way. So please, make it interesting for the rest of us. At least the character customization screens look pretty cool. Other than that, it’s like watching a Japanese gameshow. What about that “K-Tel Record Presents: The Sounds of Anime” looking image at the end? This takes top prize as one of the weirdest top videos so far, but it is getting the top love spot on YouTube tonight.
Okay, tiny update: it looks like this is the Tales of the World RPG that was shown at the Tokyo Game Show. Still, that doesn’t help much. Until we find out what’s going on, it’s Fable Lite.
Check it out after the jump. If you speak Japanese either fill us in, or make up something really, really good.
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Today in Joystiq: November 1, 2006
Joystiquery
Today’s Hottest Game Video: Elite Beat Agents
Metareview - Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
Metareview - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Joystiq Review: Sam & Max - Culture Shock (PC)
News
Wii launch window: 32 Wii games, 30 VC games
Nintendo: 4 million Wiis shipping by plane, train and automobile
EB-Gamestop wants your Halo 3 money — now!
Famitsu reviews five PS3 launch games
Has Concerned’s Gordon Frohman lost all his HP?
Pink leads trio of new PSP colors in Japan
Comparing the Virtual Console launch by region
Lost Planet all bundled up in Japan
Goldeneye throwback maps for download, Xbox Goldies only
Sony has 40 e-Distribution projects in pipeline, PS3’s new focus?
Video: PS3 hardware up-close and personal
Canada’s Arcadia gaming festival in Montreal
Nintendo and its developers were covert with Wii
Mad Catz gets in on the hot Gears action
EB-Gamestop & eBay not conspiring to cancel PS3 pre-orders
Sony recruits journalists for “semi official” blog
South Park: Waiting for Wii is like “waiting for Christmas times a thousand”
Analysis, Schmanalysis
DFC states the obvious: Wii needs to be more than a fad
Culture
Watch the Wii get undressed
Presumably what you’ll look like playing Zelda on Wii
WoW, she won
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Mac Goes Postal, Or is That The Other Way Round?
Running with Scissors Vince Desi just announced that they have signed a deal with Mac Games to get his line of over the top Postal games on the Apple.
“We have supported the Mac. Even when nobody else seemed to be supporting the system, we were there and we appreciate every opportunity to reach more Mac POSTAL fans.”
MacGamesStore.Com now now sells all Running With Scissors games as digital downloads. Who says you can get good games on the Mac… or bloody ones staring Gary Coleman.
TUCSON, AZ “From the day we started this company almost a decade ago,” Running With Scissors CEO Vince Desi declared, “we have supported the Mac. Even when nobody else seemed to be supporting the system, we were there and we appreciate every opportunity to reach more Mac POSTAL fans.”
In the ensuing nine years, through POSTAL, POSTAL 2 - and its sequels POSTAL 2: SHARE THE PAIN and POSTAL 2: APOCALYPSE WEEKEND - Running With Scissors has made it a point of honor and aesthetics to continue its support for the amazing Mac.
“What would life be like without a Mac?” Desi mused in an uncharacteristically-contemplative moment. “I don’t know, maybe after I finish reading ‘The Purpose-Driven Life for Mac Users’ I’ll have a better idea. But in the meantime, Running With Scissors will continue to back the Mac at every turn.”
Tuncer Deniz, Owner/Publisher of the Hutto, Texas-based Inside Mac Games and its online retail site Mac Game Store couldn’t agree more. “Macgamestore.com is by far the most popular place on the net to buy Macintosh games,” he reported. “And we’re thrilled to now offer Running With Scissors’ games as digital downloads through the store.”
For more information on cool POSTAL products and gear, visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com.
South Park: Waiting for Wii is like “waiting for Christmas times a thousand”
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii
TiVo tells me that “Cartman attempts to manipulate his personal time-line to align with the precise release date of the newest, hottest game.” What “game” would that be? Hint: it’s the one with motion controlled controllers. Nope, the other one. Yeah, the Wii.
The clever chaps behind South Park have once again shown that their ears are attuned to the off-rhythm beat of gaming (and internet) culture: Pokemon, PSP, Xbox 360, World of Warcraft, and now Wii-steria. Tonight’s episode featured series favorite Eric Cartman pining for Nintendo’s Wii which — just like in our slightly better animated real world — won’t be available for another three weeks. So, what’s a sleepless fanboy to do? Cryogenically freeze oneself of course! Unfortunately, Cartman finds himself five-hundred years in the future, in a world where atheists are at war with each other and video games don’t exist anymore. This to-be-continued episode left out the remainder of Cartman’s quest, so if anyone is planning on following this course of action, you may want to wait until next week to figure out how to get back to our time.
We’ve provided a brief transcription from the beginning of the episode after the break.
[Thanks for the image ElChibo!]
Eric: C’mon. C’mon! For the love of God, how much longer?!
Mrs. Cartman: There you are Eric, what are you doing here?
Eric: I’m waiting for the new Nintendo Wii to come out.
Mrs. Cartman: When does it come out?
Eric: Three weeks … c’mon. C’mon!
Mrs. Cartman: It’s time for school.
Eric: No mom! You don’t understand. I’ve been waiting for this thing to come out for months, and now every day time is slowing down. It’s like … waiting for Christmas … times a thousand.
Mrs. Cartman: Eric, you’re just going to have to be patient.
Eric: No! Nooooo!
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Marching Marios Invade West Hollywood
Every year nearly half a million people invade Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood to dress up and party down during the street’s annual costume party. Judging by pictures from this year’s event, about half of the partiers went as Mario or Luigi.
Fall 360 Update Fix Coming
We’ve received a number of emails today about the Fall dashboard update for the Xbox 360 turning gamers’ consoles into bricks.
One of my friends just bought himself an Xbox 360 premium pack with PGR3 while we were in town. I wanted to see a live unboxing, so I helped him set it up. After getting whooped on PGR3 he decided to go online to find some easier meat. The box told him an update was necessary, so he told it to go ahead and update. Once the update had downloaded the box turned off, then the ring lit up again as it started to boot - normal enough, I thought. Then, as the Xbox logo whooshed past, the screen went black. Then some white multilingual text appeared, with the one english line saying that he needed to contact support. The error code E-71 was also shown, and the ring of light had a single red quadrant in the bottom right. He rang microsoft, who made him put his 360 through a string of tests (remove and reattach everything in varying orders) all to no avail - he was told to return the box to the retailer. When asked, the rep also said that he had recieved a number of phonecalls that day with the same symptoms and cause.
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that the update is bricking some consoles, the good news is that Microsoft is on the case and hopes to have the problem fixed with a dash update soon.
We’re hearing from a small number of customers (less than 1%) that are having issues with the Fall Console Update. I’ve been told that the team should have an updated version in the next 12-24 hours. We’ll let you know when the issue is resolved.
If you are having problems with the update for any reason, please call Xbox Support (1-800-4-MY-XBOX in the US and Canada). We’re working with those affected to get them back up and running, and we’re committed to making sure the update doesn’t cause problems for anyone else.
So don’t update your console just yet, unless you already have. I wonder just how much testing goes into a dashboard update, that how many different types of Xbox 360 consoles are out there.
New Civil War 360 Screens
Activision just sent along these new screens for the Xbox 360 version of The History Channel Civil War which, oddly enough, is all about the civil war here in the U.S.. not the one apparently being fought on the History Channel.
The first-person action game lets you play as either side and hits stores next week. The 360 version is $50, PS2 is $40 and PC is $30. Mostly I’m posting about this because I’m fascinated that such a seemingly unanticipated, marginally educational video game can make its way onto the Xbox 360 and wasn’t just marginalized on the old school Xbox.
