Archive for February 5th, 2007
EB Games Prices Are Insane
While the prices you find on the used shelves at EB Games and GameStop generally follow no logical pattern whatsoever other than the whimsy of a man in an office somewhere who was never played a video game in his life, this one is just ridiculous. It’s bad enough some of us paid $3.99 for the Burger King games, especially now that they’ve dropped down to $.99. Now EB comes along and wants to charge double original retail price for a used copy of Pocketbike Racer?
Does this make sense to anyone? Did a conversation with someone in head office end with, “Look, I’m busy…just pick a price, dammit!”? Kind of makes you wonder how much they trade the games in for though, doesn’t it?
EB games charging people $7.99 for used Burger King Pocket Bike Racer. [Digg]
The Witcher Confirmed for North America
Excellent news for PC RPG fans as Atari announces an agreement to publish CD Projekt’s fantasy role-playing game The Witcher in North America. The Witcher is based off of an extremely popular series of books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, featuring a monster hunter named Geralt gifted with strange powers. The series has been turned into a movie, a television series, and a pen & paper role-playing game in already in Europe, and a short story collection is due to be published in English in April.
The game is being built with a modified version of Bioware’s Aurora Engine, seen in Neverwinter Nights 2, though adjusted for single-player gameplay. The game is looking rather sweet, and after reading some of the background info on the series while writing this, I eagerly await the chance to delve deeper into the storyline. The Witcher is scheduled for a Spring release in Europe, with Atari aiming for a Fall release for North America. More details, coming right up!
Atari and CD Projekt Sign Publishing Agreement for ‘The Witcher’
Highly Anticipated PC Role-Playing Game Confirmed for Fall 2007 North American Release
NEW YORK, Feb. 5: Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world’s most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, and game developer CD Projekt Sp. z.o.o. today announced that the companies have entered into a publishing agreement for The Witcher, whereby Atari will market and distribute CD Projekt’s upcoming fantasy role-playing game (RPG) throughout North America. The Witcher is scheduled for release on Games for Windows, the new brand optimized for Windows XP and Windows Vista, in North America in Fall 2007.
The Witcher transcends traditional fantasy role-playing by throwing players into a unique world rife with political intrigue, in which the lines between good and evil are blurred. Based on the world created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, The Witcher casts players as Geralt, a legendary monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes. The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an expansive, twisting plotline - in which the impact of individual decisions can drastically alter the outcome of the game - and fast-paced combat against a wide variety of foes. Using advanced graphics and physics systems, The Witcher delivers brutal action, multi-faceted RPG options and an intriguing story to engulf all players who dare.
“The Witcher is a tremendous game that has been on everyone’s radar since CD Projekt began development,” said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc. “With this publishing deal, Atari continues its quest to bring highly impressive titles to North America and we have our sights set on making The Witcher one of the most anticipated RPGs of the year.”
“We are delighted to begin a mutually beneficial relationship with Atari, a publishing partner that shares our commitment to delivering a top-quality role-playing game,” said Michal Kicinski, Joint CEO of CD Projekt. “We are very much looking forward to working with Atari to bring this distinctive fantasy world that we love to a broad audience.”
For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari’s entire product line up visit www.atari.com.
About CD Projekt
Founded in 1994, CD Projekt is one of Eastern Europe’s largest game distributors, with offices in Warsaw and Prague. The company specializes in localization and publishing role-playing games, having brought such hits as Baldur’s Gate, Diablo, Neverwinter Nights and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to the Polish market. In September 2003, the company’s development branch, CD Projekt RED, announced its first internally developed game, The Witcher®. More information about CD Projekt can be found online at www.cdprojekt.com.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is a third-party publisher of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company’s 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining franchises such as The MatrixTM (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo) and Test Drive®; and mass-market and children’s franchises such as Dragon Ball Z®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR-0000052573), one of the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.
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Starfox, Kameo Dev Working on Live Title
Computer and Videogames reports that Edge reports that…um, oh right, that Nick Burton, who helped develope Kameo and Starfox Adventures, is working on a original game for Xbox Live Arcade.
Burton is working with ten others on the title, according to Edge, but nothing else is known about the game. I expect nothing short of a title staring cannibalistic elven women and anthropomorphic men. I will be, I’m sure, disturbingly hot.
Rare working on original XBLA game [CVG]
European Xbox Live Extravaganza
Microsoft is kicking off a party this Friday over Xbox live, and we Americans and Japanese folks aren’t invited. This one’s for you Europe. It’s a pan-European Xbox Live Party, featuring chances to test your skills against celebrities like Busta Rhymes, James Morrison, Alessandro del Piero, Martin Solveig, and Marc Gené, only one of which I’ve ever heard of but I am assured that this is exciting news for you folks. Be excited! Busta Rhymes will be hosting the event from a secret location from 8pm to 11pm, and “will pit his wits against the cream of UK talent.”
I could continue naming names here that I don’t recognize or understand the cultural significance of, but you’d see right through that, especially seeing as I just mentioned it. In a nutshell, huge European Xbox Live party with chances to school famous people who have no idea how to game. Consider it Microsoft’s way of reminding you, this month before the PlayStation 3 launch, that they love you more. Full details follow the jump!
Party With The Stars On Xbox Live
Be part of the biggest live gaming event across Europe - Xbox Live Party
LONDON, 5th February 2007 - February 9th looks set to enter the record books, as celebrities and thousands of gamers log into the biggest pan-European live gaming event of the year on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system. Huge stars, including American hip hop artist Busta Rhymes, UK singer and songwriter James Morrison, 2006 FIFA World Cup winning squad member Alessandro del Piero, DJ and producer Martin Solveig and Peugeot’s Le Man’s driver Marc Gené, take part in a series of party events across Europe linked up through the award winning Xbox Live® online service.
Hip hop legend Busta is bringing his game to the UK to host the event at a secret London location from 8pm-11pm and will pit his wits against the cream of UK talent including Dizzee Rascal, Lady Sovereign and Plan B. Joining the hip hop crew will be England and Arsenal striker Theo Walcott, R’n B singer songwriters Lemar and Simon Webbe, plus a host of musical talent from the UK scene.
It is thought thousands of the five million Xbox Live members worldwide will be logging on with friends, musicians, footballers and DJs alike to take part in this unique event, giving gamers the chance to not only chat with their favourite stars, but challenge them to a game on the Xbox 360. For your chance to play against one of the top celebrities taking part, all you have to do is send your details to the following email address: xboxliveparty@njlive.co.uk
In the subject line of the email put the name of the celebrity that you would like to play against and in the body of the mail please include the following information:
· Name
· Age
· Nationality
· Gamertag
If you are selected to play you will receive all the information you need to take part nearer the time.
Gamers are also being encouraged to host their own Xbox Live Party. Xbox 360 owners can join the party from the comfort of their homes by signing into Xbox Live at 17.00GMT/18.00CET on February 9th. Xbox will be giving away Xbox Live Vision Cameras to whoever sends in the best pictures from their Xbox Live Party night.
For more information on this event, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/enGB/live/party
Clip: A Very 80’s Link to the Past
Any time you catch me complaining about the Japanese getting all the cool gaming-related stuff, point me to this god awful commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Zelda: Link to the Past Original Japanese TV Commercial [GameBrink]
Miss May Schools Newsweek in Madden
Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal is having quite the weekend, it sounds.
Not only is he hanging with the beautiful people during the lead up to the Super Bowl in Miami, he got a chance to share a Playstation 3 with Deanna Brooks, Playboy’s Miss May 1998, and have his ass handed to him in Madden.
“That was impressive defensive pressure, if I do say so myself.”
The founders of Level Up are all seated in a private room overlooking the pool of the South Seas Hotel in Miami’s raucous South Beach district. We’ve got a Sixaxis controller in our hands, a Bravia LCD television staring us in the face, and a Playstation 3 with a copy of Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 07 all fired up. But sitting right next to us is Playboy playmate Deanna Brooks–Miss May 1998, according to Google–with a grin-verging-on-a-smirk lighting up her face. And she’s gleefully trash-talking our weaksauce Madden skills as her virtual Colts squash another attempt by our digital Bears to move the chains downfield.
In the story Croal talks a bit with Brooks about her gaming habits and in particular, her PS2 addiction.
Double Life: Playboy’s Miss May 1998 and Level Up Face Off In Madden NFL 07 On the PS3 [Level Up]
FiringSquad Wants You!
Are you looking to land a sweet job writing for a video game related website? Do you constantly send in unsolicited writing submissions to your favorite blogs that no one really has time to look through? Your time is now, my friend. The fine people over at FiringSquad have announced The FiringSquad Editors Challenge, a contest sponsored by Intel that lets you put your writing skills to the test against other hopefuls for the chance at contracts to write or produce multimedia for their website. It’s an elimination tournament that pits your writing against another challenger in a multi-round elimination contest.
FiringSquad is a site that focuses on PC games and hardware, so you must be able to somehow write 20 bazillion pages on a video card that people will skip so they can read the last paragraph for a quick summary, yet still make it compelling in case someone is really bored at work and has nothing else to read.
Hit the jump for the full details on the challenge. Sounds like an excellent opportunity to break into the field of journalism while clearing out our inboxes for a couple of months. Good luck!
FiringSquad and Intel Announce First Ever Editors Challenge
Sponsored by Intel, Contest offers $3,500 in prizes and a writing contract with FiringSquad valued at over $15,000.
Santa Monica, CA, February 4th 2007-Top gaming website FiringSquad.com announced today what the first ever writing contest for a technology or video game website. The FiringSquad Editors Challenge, sponsored by the Intel® Core ™ 2 Extreme processor, invites all aspiring video game and IT journalists the opportunity to show off their writing chops and win cash, prizes, and ultimately an opportunity to break into the field of journalism.
Starting on February 7th and ending April 30th, the FiringSquad Editors Challenge will pit competing writers against each other in a multi-round single elimination contest. Judging the contestants will be the job of the FiringSquad editorial staff and the millions of FiringSquad readers who will rate each article based on content and quality.
The grand finalist for the will take home valuable hardware including the Intel Core2 Duo Extreme Processor, $1,500 cash and a writing contract with FiringSquad worth at least $10,000.
The first runner up will receive valuable hardware including the Intel Core2 Duo Extreme Processor and $500 cash.
In addition to seeking the best talent as journalists, and to showcase the capabilities of the FiringSquad Multimedia Blogging system, prizes will be awarded for the best multimedia productions. First place will receive $1,000 cash, and second place will receive $500 cash.
Contest will test writing and video production skills
Using FiringSquads unique multimedia blogging system - mblog - contestants will prepare reviews
There will be two separate contests for written and video content, and contestants can write about any piece of hardware or game they feel like. Four Intel Core2 Extreme CPUs will be given away to the 4 semi finalists to test and review. The grand prize winner as chosen by FiringSquad editorial staff wins a $10,000 writing contract for FiringSquad, plus $1500 cash and an Intel Core 2 Extreme processor. The top video production will win $1000 and a $5000 video production contract, plus an Intel Core 2 Extreme processor. The runners up both receive $500 and an Intel Core 2 Extreme processor. “The FiringSquad Intel Editor’s Challenge is an unbelievable opportunity for individuals to make a difference,” said Dan Turner, President of FiringSquad. “We’re asking PC gaming enthusiasts to tell the world what they think.”
Contest to Showcase FiringSquad’s new online Social Networking capabilities
At the heart of the contest are the new social networking features which enable users to create their own content and interact with other users: the FiringSquad Matrix. Users will post their articles and videos using the Media Blogging capabilities of the Matrix. Compared with other blogging services or social networking sites, the FiringSquad Matrix is the first social network for gaming and technology enthusiasts. It fully connects FiringSquad readers to each other through the editorial content of FiringSquad, as well as reader’s own created and shared content.
The contest is open to any and all comers. The panel of judges are FiringSquad senior editors Alan Dang, Jakub Wojnarowicz, Brandon Bell and John Callahan. To enter, or for more information, go to www.firingsquad.com
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Gallery: Hellboy Screens
Here’s a bunch of screenshots of Hellboy beating things to death with his massive glowing right hand of doom in the upcoming PS3 / 360 game. I love the character of Hellboy…just seems like a regular guy who also happens to be a demon summoned from hell by Nazis, who seem to be making an appearance in the game en masse, if the screenshots are any indicator. Silly Nazis.
The graphics look nice and shiny, but something about the Hellboy model strikes me as lifeless and unnatural…not that demons are all that natural in the first place, but still.
Def Jam: Icon Music To Affect Game Play
Electronic Arts recently announced that the 29-song tracklist for their upcoming brawler Def Jam: Icon for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
While the song list will be of interest to some, I found it more interesting that EA is saying that “music affects how players fight in each environment and avoiding hazards become a key strategy to staying alive.”
“The Def Jam Interactive/EA partnership continues to be one centered around innovation. For the first time in any video game, the music is completely interactive. DEF JAM: ICON allows players to use these songs, as opposed to playing them in the background. And not only is there an incomparable soundtrack of today and tomorrow’s hottest music, but now we guarantee the player with an authentic hip-hop lifestyle experience”, said Lauren Wirtzer, Vice President of Marketing, Def Jam Enterprises.
The game will also allow you to import your own music into the game, which should, according to EA, also drive the environment and gamplay. Cool concept, but I’m really going to have to see it in action to decide how much it really changes gameplay.
Hit the jump for the full list of song that come with the game.
Big Boi (i.e., Purple Ribbon All-Stars feat. Big Boi)
Kryptonite
E-40
Tell Me When To Go
E-40
Go Hard or Go Home
Fat Joe
Make It Rain
Ghostface
The Champ (Remix)
Jim Jones
Crunk Muzik
Jim Jones
We Fly High
Konkrete feat. Big Boi
What’s that Smell
Lil Jon
Get Crunk
Lil Jon (and the Eastside Boys)
Get Low
Ludacris
Get Back
M.O.P.
Ante Up
Method Man & Redman
Da Rockwilder
Mike Jones
Back Then
Mike Jones
Got it Sewed Up - Remix
Nas
Hate Me Now
Paul Wall
Sittin’ Sidewayz
Paul Wall
Trill
Redman
Rush Da Security
Redman
Let’s Go
Sean Paul
Head in the Zone
Sean Paul
All Out
T.I.
What You Know
T.I.
Top Back
The Game
One Blood
The Game
Scream on ‘Em
Young Jeezy
I Do This
Young Jeezy
Soul Survivor
Young Joc
It’s Going Down
A Visionary 360 Mod
Divineo has created what has to be the ultimate Xbox 360 mod. They’ve fitted the case of this little beauty with a whopping 5.8 inch LCD screen, enabling you to play games directly on the 360 itself! Strap a generator on your back and create an elaborate suit of exoskeleton armor capable of holding the 360 at eye level and you’ve got yourself one portable powerhouse. Bet you feel silly for buying that 50 inch plasma now, don’t you?
Tiny LCD built into a 360 … why? [Xbox 360 Fanboy, via Engadget - Thanks Hoppasaurus!]
Monday Morning VC Goodness
How are we supposed to stop making bad Wii puns when every Monday like clockwork Nintendo sends out their “WII-KLY UPDATE?” They wil-ly need to stop encouraging us. Wii’re bad enough as it is. Stopping now. Anyway, this week brings a trio of new games to the Wii Shop Channel for your purchase and / or scorn. First and foremost is Super Mario World, the SNES launch title that just couldn’t live up to the Super Mario Bros. 3. Sure it tried, and it was very pretty and next-gen, but it still couldn’t hold a candle.
Then there’s Vigilante, a TurboGrafx-16 beat-em up of the ‘the kidnapped my girlfriend, they’re gonna pay’ variety, and Gain Ground for the Sega Genesis, a game which I don’t think I remember in the slightest but sounds rather interesting, going by the press release below. So you have one major game and two less than major games, averaging out to about an Eh+ for this weeks releases. I’ll just let you people get angry at me about Super Mario World now.
WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL
Feb. 5, 2007
Today Nintendo adds three new classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Super Mario World™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): During a vacation in Dinosaur Land, Princess Toadstool gets kidnapped and a spell is cast on the inhabitants of the island. When they stumble upon Yoshi™, a young dinosaur, Mario™ and Luigi learn that Bowser is responsible for the terrible misdeeds. Now, all Yoshis are trapped in magical eggs that Bowser has hidden throughout seven castles. Many hidden paths aid Mario in making his way to Bowser’s castle, completing 74 areas and finding all 96 exits. Discover items, including a feather that gives Mario a cape that allows him to fly, or a flower that shoots fireballs in layers upon layers of 2-D scrolling landscapes. Players can even ride Yoshi and swallow their enemies.
VIGILANTE™ (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Brave the streets of New York City in this side-scrolling beat-’em-up game. Thugs kidnap the beloved Madonna, and it’s up to players to become vigilantes. Players fight their way into enemy territory to get her back. Enemies attack with weapons like iron pipes, chains, guns and motorcycles. To fight back, players can punch, kick or use the “nunchaku” item that appears in the stage. Players must use each of the attacks effectively to defeat their enemies. To clear a stage, defeat the boss that waits at the end. Players fight their way through exciting stages that include the City Streets, Junkyard, Brooklyn Bridge and the Backstreets.
Gain Ground™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): It’s the 31st century, and science and technology have progressed to the point that the human race is approaching perfection: no war, no poverty and no conflict. With nothing to worry about, the human race seems destined to live forever in harmony. But what if Earth came under attack? By this point in time, people did not know how to cope with problems or conflicts, and had completely lost their survival instincts. In response to this, the United Earth Government created the Gain Ground system, a war simulator that would help humans rediscover their lost instincts. After several terrible malfunctions, the creators became prisoners in their own creation. Now it’s up to players and two courageous comrades to go into the Gain Ground system, rescue their fellow humans and destroy the system. Players battle through different periods in history as they revive their survival instincts, while trying to live.
LOTR MMO Get’s Lifer Subscriptions
Turbine and Midway recently announced that they are kicking off a Founder’s Program for their upcoming massively multiplayer game Lord of the Rings Online.
The program is for anyone who pre-orders the game. Most of the pre-order bonuses are your typical fare, like beta access to the game, lower monthly subscriber fees, unique in-game bonus items (a ring of agility and a cloak of regeneration). But one of the ideas they’ve included is the option to purchase a life time membership to the game.
For about $200 (or 20 months of subscription fees), you don’t have to ever play another monthly fee to play their game.
Kind of a cool, though pricey idea. The chief complaint most people seem to have with MMO’s is that ongoing monthly fee. Now if they would only bump it down to something more palatable, like say $100 to $150.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TURBINE AND MIDWAY UNVEIL REVOLUTIONARY PRE-ORDER FOUNDER’S PROGRAM FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™
Highly-Anticipated MMO Currently Scheduled to Launch on April 24, 2007
WESTWOOD, MA and CHICAGO, IL - January 25, 2007 — Turbine, Inc. and Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) today announced the details of the revolutionary pre-order Founder’s Program for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. The highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game, The Lord of the Rings Online, lets players experience the greatest epic fantasy adventure of all time and join with millions of fans from around the globe in the vast world of Middle-earth.
This exciting Founder’s Program rewards all players who pre-order The Lord of the Rings Online with special $9.99 monthly subscription pricing, early access to the game (beta version), character roll-over and unique in-game bonus items. Players can become a Founder by pre-ordering the title at www.lotro.com/preorder or at retail stores nationwide beginning February 1, 2007. This limited-time offer is exclusively available to pre-order customers.
“The Lord of the Rings Online immerses you in one of the greatest literary works of all time,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine. “The Founder’s Program pricing plan rewards fans for their loyalty with a special opportunity to join Middle-earth from the beginning.”
The Lord of the Rings Online Founder’s Program* offers players two different membership options:
* Only $9.99 per month subscription price!
OR
* Just $199 for a Lifetime Membership!
In addition to these special pricing options, The Lord of the Rings Online Founders receive:
• Open Beta: Guaranteed access provides Founders the first opportunity to create a character and enter Middle-earth currently planned for March 30, 2007
• Character Roll-Over: Moves the character that you created during the Open Beta into the live service –along with the stats, levels, items, and experience that character earned prior to launch!
• Bonus Items: Two special in-game items that are only available to those who pre-order:
o Enchanted Cloak of Regeneration
o Ring of Agility
This exciting Founder’s Program is available for a limited time until the commercial launch of The Lord of the Rings Online (currently scheduled for April 24, 2007). At launch, millions of fans will be able to explore the untold stories of Middle-earth, interact with legendary heroes like Gandalf, and play a vital role in the War of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings Online is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The game recreates the vast world of Middle-earth with incredible dedication to the Tolkien lore with an unprecedented level of detail. The game delivers an experience that takes players beyond the books to where they can create their own story within the most famous fantasy world of all time. For more information, visit www.lotro.com.
A Touch Pen To Dig Fossils With
OH! I totally forgot to post this neat Spectrobes pen I was given at my Jupiter visit last week. It’s even got Disney stamped on its arse.
Clip: Staplers At Twenty Paces
I don’t know about you, but seeing this has me dreaming of some kind of ClayFighter/Office Space mashup game. Dreaming real hard.
[via Aeropause]
Kotaku Magu: Mario Party 8 Game Play Explanations
The March issue of Nintendo Dream has a bunch of Mario Party 8 images and Wii-mote game play descriptions. Even if you don’t read Japanese, they’re pretty self-explanatory. So Kotaku-land, what do you think?
Hit the jump for another gallery of straight up screens.
Blind Item: What Clover Is Doing Now (And With Whom)
Eds Note: “Blind Items” will appear occasionally for gossip and rumors. Hit up the comments section for conjecture and speculation.
Kotaku Pointing Fish says that former Clover honcho and Okami producer Atsushi Inaba is hard at work in his new studio, which is located in the Umeda area of Osaka. The up-start has even hooked up with a company that is, and the Kotaku Pointing Fish quotes, “flushed with cash.” Hmm, flushed with cash? Okay, guess away! And keep in mind that Inaba’s co-hort Shinji Mikami had a fit with Resident Evil appeared on the PlayStation 2.
Halo figurines molded for WizKids’ Clix wargame
Filed under: Culture, Strategy
Halo is now the latest brand to be miniaturized for WizKids’ tabletop ‘Clix’ wargame system. The HeroClix maker has reached a deal with Bungie and Microsoft to design a collectable miniatures game (CMG) based on the Halo universe, dubbed Halo ActionClix. The first set will include more than 80 figurines, including representations adapted from Halo 3. Figures will be sold in randomized booster packs, while vehicles and a ‘Starter Game’ will be sold in diorama display format.
Halo ActionClix is expected to go on sale in September. Pre-release promotional figures will be featured at San Diego Comic-Con (July 26-29), and at Gen Con Indy (August 16-19).
WizKids founder Jordan Weisman and Microsoft share a history of business ventures, likely explaining how the coveted Halo license has landed in WizKids’ hands. Weisman, who co-founded FASA Corporation, sold the company’s video game division (FASA Interactive) to Microsoft before eventually departing FASA to form WizKids. WizKids has produced CMGs based on MechWarrior, Shadowrun, and Crimson Skies; notable because Microsoft has or will publish video games also based on these IPs. Now we add Halo to that list.
[Thanks, Jonah]
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Is Gaming An Illness? An Addiction?
I’d say neither, but then I’ve never killed myself, or anybody else, over an online game, nor seen my career, home, family and/or health all smashed up over one either. Some people have.
As online gaming becomes more prevalent, the instances of people growing addicted to them (sometimes at the cost of their real life) are going through the roof. But is there treatment available to combat a WoW addiction? Are there any quacks who will sit down and take somebody who professes to be hooked on Lineage seriously? This article from the Chicago Tribune says no, not really. But there probably should be.
Christopher Knippers, a psychologist from the Betty Ford clinic, says he’s seeing increasing evidence that online games are as addictive, and destructive, as chemical dependencies:
You really define a behaviour or chemical as a problem in a person’s life when it starts taking over some area of their functioning. These games do all of that
Checking into the Betty Ford clinic for a Wow addiction? The future is NOW.
Elves, trolls and deadly danger [Chicago Tribune, via The Age]
A Bangin’ Home-Made Wii-Gun
Bar none, the coolest DIY Wii-gun. Using a cheapo model gun, an ingenious Japanese modder wired the Wii-mote’s B button so that it synched with the trigger and even installed the Wii remote’s sensor in the gun’s barrel. Black paint completes the project. This modder even created his own Sensor Bar. Impressed, we are.
Wii-mote Shooter [Otaku Workroom]
Aussie PlayStation Boss Expects PS3 To Burn Slowly
The 360 was the fastest-selling console in Australian history. The Wii is the fastest-selling console in Australian history. With the PS3 next, is the sequence going to continue? At $1000 my gut instinct says “no”, and SCE Regional Director (ie Aussie boss) Michael Ephraim has the good sense to agree. When asked whether the PS3 would take the crown as fastest-selling console, he replied:
It will be a huge launch, [but] the launch is one of a number of highlights on the long trek that we will take the PlayStation 3 on over probably the next 10 years
We are very excited about the Blu-ray, high-definition evolution that will happen over the next three years. PlayStation 3 will have better and better standing as people understand that..
That’s…well, it’s unexpectedly honest. In PR-speak, he just walked away from a units-shifted pissing contest, and has basically said “Hey, you know what? This thing isn’t going to sell well until it gets cheaper and more of you get HDTVs. We’ll wait”. In a day and age obsessed with pissing contests I find that oddly compelling.
Sony guarded on PS3 sales claims [The Australian]
