Archive for March, 2007
Disgaea PSP In August?
While I’ve certainly not heard anything official from NIS America, IGN seems to think that the hotly anticipated PSP version of Disgaea will be getting a US release this August, as indicated in a hands-on posted this morning by Jeff Haynes over at IGN PSP. While he doesn’t mention where and how he got his hands on the title, I’m assumming it was at the NIS America press party last night which unvieled several new titles coming this year from the Japanese RPG publiishers.
Though I would have been happy with a straight port, NIS has gone all out, adding in a new Etna-focused story, multiplayer battles, and customizaion options out the wazoo- custom maps, custom soundtracks, etc.
Hit up the link and see if you’re as jealous of Haynes as I am.
Disgaea PSP Hands-on [IGN PSP via Evil Avatar]
Europe gets Punch Out, other virtual console classics first
Filed under: Retro, Nintendo Wii
OK, we’re used to Japan getting cool stuff before us. That’s OK — they saved the game industry after Atari botched things up, so it’s only fair that they get Final Fantasy and Gundam games early. But now we hear that Europe is getting Virtual Console games like Punch Out, Legend of the Mystical Ninja and Dragon Curse before us red-blooded Americans. Doesn’t Nintendo know that Europe is supposed to get everything last? Maybe they can take some pointers from Sony on that score.
I suppose we shouldn’t be too mad about this, since all these games have been available for other systems for over a decade. But it’s the principle of the thing. We declared our independence from European mastery back in 1776, and yet those old-worlders still get to lord their downloadable classics over us hundreds of years later. It’s just not right!
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Clip: Worst Live Action Street Fighter Ever
The only thing better than the three-minute intro to this cheese-fest live action Street Fighter is the show itself, I love those fireballs. Oh man, I wish I could have been at the meeting when the cast found out who they were going to be playing. “Zangief? That sounds kinda cool…. wait, what’s this mohawk and beard for?”
Activist lawyer drops RICO charges against Take Two, others
Filed under: Business, Politics
Phew, that was close. And to think, he almost discovered our master plans …
Infamous Miami lawyer Jack Thompson has thoroughly revised his complaint and counterclaim against Take Two. Concerning his counterclaim, Thompson shortened it from nearly 20 pages to a single paragraph that makes no mention of previous racketeering charges that listed Penny Arcade, the ESA, Joystiq, Kotaku and others as collaborators and conspirators.
Of course, Joystiq was left unaware what racketeering really was, having ignored Denis McCauley’s thorough explanation for enlightenment via Tycho and Gabe’s funny pictures.
In light of this pseudo-victory, Joystiq is celebrating with cake, ice cream and engaging in illegal business activities usually associated with organized crime.
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Virtual Earth Not Exactly Global
ETech (short for “Emerging Technology”) was going on for the last couple of days in San Diego (my brother just came back and commented on how “expensive” everyone looked). Microsoft sent their man, Dr. John Curlander, to present the technologies that made Virtual Earth, an application used to show 3D models of real cities.
Most of the discussions at the conference, however, revolved around what they haven’t done and are only starting to think about doing, like lending their own application to the developers at Xbox 360 so they can make games with real world backgrounds.
This application launched in November of last year. If it’s so great, why is Microsoft only starting to think about making it available to its own people?
WoW - All’s Well That Ends Well
In what seems to be a world record in account hacking issue resolution, in just a little over 24 hours of the report being filed I logged in to find all of my character’s gear in my mailbox, courtesy of a friendly Blizzard GM.
Yes, I have a character named Porksword. He is mighty.
After hearing horror tales from guildmates and commenters yesterday I expected to have to wait anywhere from three days to ‘good luck with that’, yet here I am, fully decked out in my lovely +frost heavy splendor, ready to fight beside my comrades once again. Well, behind my comrades, unless I accidentally hit blink instead of sheep again. Really need to move those hot buttons.
Kudos (chocolate covered granola bars) to WoW customer service for such a speedy resolution. If this is any indication of the current level of service that players can expect, they’ve come quite a long way from the early days of, “Wait, they have GMs in this game?”
Obama goes for the shut-in vote in Second Life
Filed under: Culture, Online, MMO, Politics
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama continues to revolutionize politics by making an appearance in controversial virtual world Second Life on March 31. A simulated (but still totally dreamy) version of Obama will mimic the motions and posture of the real deal as he chats up a small group of Iowans.
This gig wasn’t organized by the Obama campaign, but by a “virtual event and promotions” company. Do you think Obama’s handlers have any idea that he might be ambushed by e-penises?
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Folding@Home: Crack the Top Ten
My Playstation 3 has been running, without stop, since the new PS3 firmware update hit. That’s more than an entire week of no overheating, I’m pretty damn impressed.
In that time I’ve played exactly zero PS3 games, instead I’m letting my console chew up Folding@Home data and bump me up the Team Kotaku ladder. Currently, I’m stuck at 11th place out of more than 540 people.
More importantly, though, Team Kotaku is no ranked 821 out of 56,420 teams in the world. If you own a PS3 or a computer and haven’t joined yet, hop to it. There’s no time like the present.
Here’s our team stats for your perusal. Oh, and Whitesanjuro, turn off your damn PS3 already, I’m never going to catch up with you.
Night Note: Doctor
To: Crecente
From: Bash
Subject: Medicated
So today I *finally* went to the doctor. There were THREE sumo dudes in the waiting room, all with colds. Two of them saw the doctor and left. The third one fell asleep. When the nurses called his name, he still didn’t wake up. So I gave him tap and woke him up.
Never woke up a sumo wrestler before.
Anyway! Got four different kinds of medication — Most in powder form. Why do Japanese pharmacists still insist on giving powder medication?
What ya missed last night:
- Luke’s GO3 coverage kicked off! He live blogged up a storm here, here and here.
- Stop motion craziness and Nanako
- A very special Gundam
So I hear our new addition to the Kotaku family is based in Amsterdam? Know what that means, our Europe-based Kotaku Party is so gonna rock: The Van Gogh Museum and the Rembrandt House Museum!
Multi-Tap: A Week In Comments
I’ll explain why someone would want HDMI. I’m not trying to convince each of you you are missing something by not having HDMI, merely to help you understand that there is a difference.
Reason 1: DVDCCA, AACS consortium & ICT (& 360 VGA wonkiness)
The DVDCCA prohibits outputting upconverted DVDs (beyond 480p) over component video.
The AACS consortium prohibits outputting 1080i->1080p upconverted HD-DVD/BluRay over component video.
If an HD-DVD or BluRay has the ICT (image constraint token) set, you cannot the content over component video without downscaling it to 960×540 resolution (1/4 the proper resolution). Note that at this time there are no such HD-DVDs or BluRays and there may never be any.
Due to loopholes, you can do all these things over VGA, but unfortunately due to how VGA works and how implementations happen, the VGA output of the 360 does not always appear on screen with the same quality component video or HDMI can.2. Very few HDTVs will not accept 1080p over component, and most will not take it over VGA.
This applies to 1080p TVs which can render 1080p. Most can only accept it over HDMI. A larger number (but still small) can accept it over VGA.3. HDMI 1.3 provides audio options that optical or coaxial audio do not.
Optical and coaxial audio (typically used with component) can only send about 1.5mpbs of audio data per second. This means they can send 48KHz 2-channel 16-bit uncompressed audio or various (Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS-ES 6.1) lossily compressed multi-channel formats. HDMI can send many higher quality formats like 96KHz/16-bit/2 channel uncompressed audio, 96KHz/16-bit/5.1 uncompressed audio and 96KHz/16-bit/7.1 uncompressed audio. Many of these formats are available on BluRay and HD-DVD discs and would be useable in games too.4. HDMI can carry higher quality video.
HDMI 1.3 allows 12-bit video samples and 6 or 7 color channels (CMYRGB, etc.). There is none of this content on discs at this time nor in games or downloads. Very few TVs can reproduce this anyway, so this isn’t a big factor.5. HDMI is a wonderful cabling solution. If you have 4 component video devices on a switch box (4:1), like I do, you have at least 20 cables on the back of that box. I can’t even get my box to lay flat, it lies whichever way all those cables want to push it. An HDMI 4:1 switch has only 5 thin cables.
So I’m not saying all of you need to run out and get HDMI, or that you’re necessarily having a worse experience because you don’t have it. But there is a value to HDMI to other people, and this is why Sony put it on and why MS put it on too. As you might be able to tell from above, it is extra important for HD disc or downloadable content players, and this also comes into play as this console war is also an HD content format war.
by br549
Sega: Pigs Have Flown, Hell Has Frozen Over
Aw man, Sonic’s going to screw it all up.
Sony Working On PS3 “Elite” Model?
January, 2009: Microsoft and Sony release competing $1,000 systems that each hold five games at once, can support the new 1620p standard, and have 500GB of HD space.
Analysts are baffled as the $129 Wii continues to sell 750,000 units a month.
Nintendo launches the “Joke of the Day” channel in response to the developments. First joke: “How do you know policemen are strong?” “They can hold up traffic.”
by hegemonyhog
“His final inspiration: a sponge. It’s where the future lies.”
Wait. Maybe what he’s saying is that one day we’re all going to be playing our video games in our pineapple houses under the sea.
by justhesh
I don’t want to create polemic or anything but I have 2 questions:
- How many of you actualy PLAYED nights? I see too many people hyping it without ever having played any saturn game (Nights included.)
- What exactly in the game make of it a great candidate for a “next-gen” game?
Nights had awesome graphics and production values back then, that deformable soft scene was awesome. But this values don’t translate in a new version of the game .. done YEARS later with a totaly (or mostly) new team. Even the old team today could be outdated or something.
So we get the gameplay style.. (Which ironicaly mario galaxy took some of .. considering Nights was the Mario 64 Killer! LOL) and the character/background design ..
We love it that much? dunno ..
Let’s see how they will bring this thing to life.
by Ludwig
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer Out, Internet Crawls
FINALLY!
A ‘Moscow On The Hudson’ video game!
America! What a country!
Interested in commenting? Click here to find out how. Just know: We’ll ban ya once you slip into tool territory.
NEWS FLASH: Old people like games!
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Business, Casual
The New York Times reports not-so-breaking news today that the over-60 set plays the occasional video game. The story hits all the standard points: your Grandma likes the Wii and PopCap’s library of casual titles. They also mention the Wiis on cruise-ships thing from yesterday. Think the Iraq war was a big deal in 2006? Well, you’re not going to hear about it much this year. The big news in 2007 is hot Grandma-on-game action.
We’re eagerly awaiting the Times’s top story for tomorrow: “Kids Like Rap Music!”
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Sponsors Thanks
Sickness. And bad. We got runny little noses and tummy aches. The nurse took our temperature, and the doctor listened to our tiny beating hearts. A pile of pills, and we were back on our way to Kotaku Tower where our Sponsors were waiting for us with magazine for us to read and old Molly Ringwald movies for us to watch. We love reading magazines. And we love Molly Ringwald movies — Even that one she made with Jean Luc Goddard. So instantly, we felt better! For that, we thank them. This week, Kotaku got a pick-me-up from Foot Locker, Mio, Nokia, Old Spice, PlayStation Resistance: Fall of Man, Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, Super Deluxe, Telltale Games Sam & Max and Verizon.
Interested in advertising with Kotaku? Click here to find out how.
Take Two shareholders ousts CEO
Filed under: Business
Did you catch the Take Two shareholders meeting yesterday? Don’t worry if you missed it, the event turned out to be much less dramatic than we had hoped. However, it was not without some ruffled feathers, as now-former CEO Paul Eibeler was shown the door. Taking his place is Ben Feder, a former executive at News Corp, as acting CEO.
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities expresses disappointment that the new management is giving themselves a three- to six-month window. Also, Pachter said of Feder, “he appears to have no meaningful experience managing a large organization, nor does his resume suggest that he has any practical experience in the video game industry.”
Game Politics has a roundup of more opinions regarding this executive shuffle. Our take, however limited in scope, is that Eibeler was a beacon for bad news. His ousting can only spell an upward trend.
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PS3 Contest, Last Day!
This is it. THE LAST DAY. Our PS3 contest ends tonight at midnight EST. So make a last mad dash and get your answers done.
To bring everyone up to speed:
The contest is based on Crecente’s sadistic treasure hunts. Long-time readers will know what we’re talking about. Basically, we give you a clue about a post we’ve done, and then y’all must go find it. If you find the correct post, there will be another clue, which you’ll need to track down. And so on. This contest will have five questions, or “Missions” as I call them. The contest ends Friday March 30 at midnight EST. Send all your answers with links to kotakucontest@gmail.com with the word contest in the subject line. The winner will be randomly selected from the correct entries and announced the following Monday. Be sure to take a look at our rules. Anyone who posts answers on Kotaku or anywhere on the internet will be banned and made an example of. Here’s your first mission:
Mission #1: The PS3 launch reached new levels of nutso. Save for one. One store’s was just plain boring. Well, which one was it?
The winner should be announced next Monday.
Halo 2 maps available April 17th for $4, Xbox 360 not required
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters
Remember that 2am Bungie announcement where they promised new Halo 2 multiplayer maps but only if you promised to play them on an Xbox 360? They stuck to their word with the maps — Halo 2 renditions of Hang ‘Em High and Derelict, two of Halo: Combat Evolved’s most popular multiplayer maps — but have broken their promise on the console requirements. See, now they’re saying these things will work on both Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. Who’s saying that? Bungie’s own Frankie, that’s who!
For the reasonable price of $4 (wow, no MS Points?), you’ll be able to download both maps — now redubbed Tombstone and Desolation respectively — on April 17. Because the original Xbox doesn’t use Billy Bucks, they’ve foregone the confusing currency conversion and settled on good old money. Similarly, because the old Xbox doesn’t distinguish between Gold and Silver accounts, you’ll need to be a Gold member to download and play. Hurrah for coming through for the old school Halo gamers: letting them play some heretofore offline-only Halo maps in Halo 2 on their aging Xboxen.
Gallery: Halo 2 Maps
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Seventeen Brits complain about Wii ad violence
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Adventure, First Person Shooters, Business
Nintendo’s advertising efforts have apparently hurt the company’s kid-friendly image with at least a few Britons. An adjudication statement from Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority outlines seventeen distinct complaints over the animated violence in an ad for Twilight Princess and Red Steel. One complainant even thought the ad was “reminiscent of recent videos released by hostage-takers in Iraq.” Yikes!
Fear not, freedom-of-speech loving Brits; the Authority reviewed the content and determined that “the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. [sic]” Surprisingly, we have yet to hear any similarly official complaints about Sony’s excessively weird PS3 ad campaign. Apparently a creepy guy in a jock strap ranks below simulated sword violence on the British disturb-o-meter.
[Via VNUNet]
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The Political Game: Throwing free speech under the bus
Filed under: Features, Politics
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games:
M-rated games can’t ride the bus anymore in Boston or Portland, Oregon. Can’t ride the train, either. The respective transit authorities in those towns have banned all future ads encompassing M-rated games.
Of course, the game they were really gunning for — but missed — was a Grand Theft Auto title, Vice City Stories. Transit ads promoting GTA:VCS which ran last November set the Boston censor-crats off. But by censoring GTA, critics like the Parents Television Council and the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood have closed the door to advertising for every other M-rated game as well. Victims of the ban will include some very artistic titles like Jade Empire 2 and God of War 2 as well as games like Halo 3 that, while violent, don’t include hot button content such as shooting cops or robbing hookers.
Why then are games singled out? Why is it okay for HBO to place a huge advertisement for the final episodes of The Sopranos on buses in Boston and Portland while the M-rated video game based on the hit show would be banned from such advertising?
Continue reading The Political Game: Throwing free speech under the bus
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Lego Batman developer hints at even more Lego titles
Filed under: Action, Adventure
We imagine the office floors of UK developer, TT Games, being completely covered in developers sitting with their legs crossed and their eyes firmly fixed to their latest Lego creations. When other groups are hard at work stringing together reams of code and drawing concept sketches, these guys are building bridges, stacking blocks and crying in anguish whenever a careless passerby kicks over a wall. They’re making Lego games — and lots of them too.
The studio’s head of production, Jonathan Smith, tells GamesIndustry.biz that the Lego tracks have been put down beyond Lego Batman (bricking multiple consoles in 2008). “We have genuinely exciting plans for future Lego titles,” says Smith, noting that the positive response earned by the Lego Star Wars games is pushing his team to exceed expectations. Though the titles have been popular among the young ones, it’s not unusual to spot an “adult” having a good time with familiar characters and equally familiar building blocks.
Though no other Lego-fied franchises are mentioned, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of Lego Pink Panther, Lego Carmen Sandiego: Where in the World is That Damn Piece?, Lego Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Brickening and of course, Lego Lego Batman (the game based on the Lego based on the game).
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Eidos holding out for better PS3 install base
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Business
Eidos, publisher of all things Tomb Raider and Hitman, is taking a wait and see approach to the PS3. Eidos says they will not release major titles on the PS3 until 2008 because the amount of people who own a PS3 doesn’t make the cost of manufacturing for the console worth their time.
Eidos CEO Jane Cavanagh says, “We believe that PlayStation 3 will be a successful platform, and are developing technology and products for this console … we do not believe that the installed base will be high enough until the second half of our 2008 financial year, most of our major product releases on the PlayStation 3 platform are not scheduled before that date.” Coincidentally, Cavanagh spoke of digital distribution increasing their opportunities for profit the same day we received a release stating that Steam is increasing their line of Eidos games for sale.
Considering Hitman releases on a two year cycle, the next edition in the saga wouldn’t occur until 2008 anyway. We also don’t plan to see the next part of the Tomb Raider: Legend story until 2008 also. If PlayStation 3 owners really want to play Legend and Blood Money, they can always just get the PS2 versions.
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Free T-Mobile WiFi with latest PSP firmware update
Filed under: Sony PSP, Wireless, Online
Sony’s looking to make their latest PSP firmware upgrade, version 3.30, too appetizing for all the homebrew users out there to pass up. In addition to officially sanctioned (albeit tempermental) full resolution video support, Sony has upped the ante by offering 3.30 users 6-months of complimentary access to T-Mobile WiFi HotSpots, available at over 8000 locations across the US including Starbucks, Borders, FedEx Kinko’s, Hyatt, Red Roof Inns, Sofitel and Novotel Hotels, and select airports. Yeah, for free.
To access the service, follow PSP Fanboy’s handy guide. Have an innate distrust of guides? We’ll condense it for you: turn on your PSP within range of a T-Mobile HotSpot, select the T-Mobile HotSpot icon under Network Settings, select [Use Promotional Access] if you ain’t got an account already, and then get your game on! Now, if only more PSP games supported Infrastructure mode.
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