Archive for April 3rd, 2007
Is Bug Bash a game or something else entirely?
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
Gamingtalkhq stumbled across a person playing Bug Bash while floating around Xbox Live. They were curious to know what game this was and if it is the name of a secret project. The player’s gamertag had a Windows symbol in the bottom right corner and informed them he was part of the “G4W Live Beta.” So, bug bash, was exactly that — an attempt to find and bash bugs in the Games for Windows Live Beta.
Wikipedia defines bug bash as a time “where all the developers, testers, program managers, usability researchers, designers, documentation folks, and even sometimes marketing people, put aside their regular day-to-day duties and pound on the product to get as many eyes on the product as possible.” The term is credited to a Microsoft blog post from 2004. So if you ever run across someone playing “bug bash” they may be Microsoft employees just testing the system. Then again, if you run across someone playing Bug Bash Beta 1337 — that might be a game.
[Thanks Alex]
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NiGHTS to have weather effects
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Action, Adventure
Looks like Sega is trying to stage a comeback. After years of wading in a pool of mediocrity, there is a feeling of change in the air. Following the announcement of NiGHTS for the Wii, details are starting to emerge that Sega is actually putting — oh, what’s the word — effort behind the new game. The most striking being the use of the Wii’s Forecast Channel to change scenery based on real-world conditions.
NiGHTS will also have three masks (Dragon, Dolphin and Rocket) giving shape-shifting abilities. There will be seven dream worlds and using Wii Connect 24 players will be able to “exchange items with friends.” Sega has burned us too many times in recent years for us to be optimistic about the new NiGHTS; however, we must admit we are in a state of cautious optimism. We’ll be happy if NiGHTS doesn’t add fuel to the Wiimote control issues fire.
[Via SegaNerds, Thanks Chris]
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Shooting, fighting, androgyny: Senko no Ronde coming stateside
Filed under: Arcade, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting
Best described as a sexy, cocaine-fueled Virtual On gone 2-D, Senko no Ronde is one of the most original fighters to grace arcades in years. When it was released on the Xbox 360 last year in Japan, we figured it would stay on that side of the ocean like fellow Japanese wonders Tetris: The Grand Master Ace and The iDOLM@STER.
But when it popped up on a popular retail site about two months ago with UbiSoft’s name plastered on it, we were giddier than a fat kid trapped inside a Ben & Jerry’s shop. You can only imagine our pain when, after working our way through contact after contact, not a single person at UbiSoft would even talk about it. Heck, most didn’t even know what a “Seiko no Rodeo” even was. Thankfully, the ESRB does.
Now titled Battle Storm: Senko no Ronde, we can rest easy knowing that we’ll be busting up fools online soon enough, while silently weeping over what could be one pricey title. When last faced with an upscaled port, UbiSoft launched Import Tuner Challenge at the now standard $59.99. Senko no Ronde needs all the love it can get and for folks to take a chance a Naomi-based title in this day and age, they’re going to need a little more motivation beyond unlocking pictures of Cuilan. For a simple rundown of exactly how Senko no Ronde works, check out this ancient preview, complete with control diagram.
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Defender of the Crown is back, and ready for more jousting
Filed under: Retro, Adventure, Strategy, Casual
Indie PC game developer/publisher Stardock has picked up a brand-new remake of the 1986 Cinemaware smash hit Defender of the Crown. Storm enemy castles! Win jousting contests! Make out with princesses! And now, experience all these things which would never be possible for most geeks (especially that making-out part) in glorious modern graphics that look even better than the original Amiga version (but only barely). This game is so old, you can legally get it drunk!
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Brits ban ‘old’ Xbox 360 commercial
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
The same Xbox 360 commercial we posted last November improbably showing the release date for Halo 3 has been banned in England. The Advertising Standards Agency says the advertisement “could be seen to condone dangerous driving,” despite the prominent text stating “Dramatisation. Professional stunt. Do not attempt.” Apparently ad agency McCann Erickson worked closely with the ASA and were given clearance to run the ad after 9 PM. The ASA decided to ban the ad anyway stating it “reinforced the sense that the events were real, rather than fantasy, and were therefore capable of being copied.” Sorry England, looks like you’re just going to have to watch the ad over, and over, and over again here on Joystiq … what a shame.
The Reuters story doesn’t say how long the advertisement was in circulation, but like we said, it’s been on our radar since last November. If it’s been in rotation in England since that time, bless the ASA, they just gave that little commercial a second life through controversy. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this sort of odd behavior. Boston’s transit authority banned ads for M rated games after a minor Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories controversy. The thing was that nobody raised a fuss a year prior when Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories ads were all over the same system.
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Today’s throwbackiest video: Atari Pole Position commercial from the 80s
Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro, Action, Driving, Video, Competitive Gaming
“HEY! You look like a jerk!”
Any commercial that starts off like this is gold in our book. We can’t remember seeing a commercial so disproportionally different from the actual gameplay experience. Even the raw processing power *ahem* of the Atari 5200 couldn’t make Pole Position look this exciting.
You’ve got 80s metal, crazy haircuts, wacky family racing, and something that’ll leave skidmarks on your soul. We need more commercials like this for video games.
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News: Microsoft defends new hard drive cost
A podcast interview with Xbox product manager Aaron Greenberg reveals the process behind the pricing of Microsoft’s new 120 GB HD, and defends its cost from gamers who have so far criticized its price point.
News: New info released on upcoming Gears of War update
According to the Gears of War forums, new details have been released on Annex, Epic’s newest addition to the game’s multiplayer modes.
News: Forza Motorsport 2: demo and new cars confirmed
The release of Forza Motorsport 2 is only a little more than a month away, so Microsoft is prepping a playable demo to be available soon on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Screen Update: WWE Smackdoen Vs. Raw 2008
Get ready to submit to these new screens that’ll have you begging for mercy.
Screen Update: Medal of Honor: Vanguard
Be a part of the vanguard movement and check out these screens first!
News: Nintendo clarifies Metroid Prime 3 delays
Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime confirms the delays for Nintendo’s upcoming Metroid title, which stem from the company’s desire to make the game “perfect”.
Review: Enchanted Arms
With all the negative press surrounding the launch and all the subsequent media blunders, you’d think the gaming gods would cut the PS3 a break.
Screen Update: Enchanted Arms
Yes, yet another RPG with a hero of ambiguous gender must save the world.
News: Chart Track claims that last week’s 82% sales drop for the PS3 “means nothing”
Whether they’re defending the PS3 launch against critics or making a more solid case for the PS3’s competitors is unclear, but Chart Track is discounting the relevance of its own data, which has noteed a sharp decrease in the PS3’s week two sales figures in the U.K.
Screen Update: WWE Smackdoen Vs. Raw 2008
Get ready to submit to these new screens that’ll have you begging for mercy.
Cheats: Burnout Dominator - Classic Series Cars Unlockables
Unlock the classic series cars by executing some crazy moves on the street!
Cheats: God of War II - Ultra-Secret Message
Could it be… another God of War game on PlayStation 2? You decide!
Cheats: Burnout Dominator - Factory Series Cars Unlockables
Unlock the factory series cars by executing some crazy moves on the street!
News: Shrek the Third–Only On GamePro Family!
GameProFamily.com is featuring an exclusive, downloadable PC demo for Shrek the Third!
