Archive for April 5th, 2007
Today’s hand-drawn video: Super Smash Bros.
Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro, Action, Fighting, Video
It’s cute, it’s simple, and it’s better than a slew of video games we’ve been playing lately. We give you Super Smash Bros., in hand-drawn animation. A sweeping cinematic score only underlines the awesomeness of this fine video.
Nintendo, if you want to save some money, get someone on this project, pronto. Release it, rake in the dough, and we’ll have something to tide us over until the real game comes out. Trust us.
Make sure you watch until the very … end?
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News: Warhawk to see release on both PlayStation Network and Blu-ray
Although previously assumed to be download only, Sony has announced that the upcoming game Warhawk will be available for purchase in multiple formats.
News: Nintendo again revises earnings outlook higher
Japan’s Nintendo Co. Ltd. has revised its full-year earnings outlook higher for the second time.
Today in Joystiq: April 5, 2007
All this talk of The Neverhood coming back into the limelight had us thinking of other clay-riffic games of lore. Like Clay Fighter 63 1/3. Oh, the comical, not-so-classical fighting games. Thank lampbane for the trip down memory lane; check out the highlights for today:
Joystiquery
Off the Grid reviews RoboRally
Joystiq Podcast 004 - Or IV, if you prefer edition (feat. CheapyD)
Major Nelson teases new Dashboard details on Xbox 360 Fancast
Today’s game over video: The End of the World of Warcraft
News
Wii Blaster incoming
Prominence, a 3D sci-fi adventure game announced
UK retailer drops PlayStation 3 price by £25
New Gears of War gametype detailed, dated, and pulled
Atari project goes beyond Game 3.0
Develop 2007 dated, detailed: July 24 to 26 in Brighton
Boom Boom Rocket blasting XBLA mid-April
Gran Turismo HD 1.2, GTA 4 trailer to hit PS Network today
Atari chief, Bruno Bonnell, says ‘au revoir’
Wii Sports Cuff harnesses Wii Remotes, raises eyebrows
Molyneux becomes French knight, farts in our general direction
Indie MMOG conference to be offered online
Jaffe: fixing scoring gap reason for Calling All Cars delay
Jeff Minter: artist, developer, friend of sheep
Super Rub ‘a’ Dub makes a splash on Europe PS3 Network
A few Halo 3 weapon details, you’ll shoot yer eye out
GameTap reveals Sega Saturn plans with Bug!
Nintendo boosts profit forecast fourth time this fiscal year
Crime and punishment: Thieves make off with Sonic the Hedgehog
Army: Gamers can “take this to the next level” with military service
Sony Style stores done with 20GB model
Logitech blob-jumping advergame actually good
Rumors & Speculation
Analyst: hackers to target online consoles this year
Wii colored controllers and nunchucks finally coming?
‘The Neverhood’ may head to the silver screen
Culture & Community
EB Games lists Super Paper Mario for the Xbox 360 - HA HA LOLZ!
Is Guitar Hero breakin’ the law? Breakin’ the law?
Confessions of … a video game store customer
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Joystiq Podcast 004 - Or IV, if you prefer edition (feat. CheapyD)
Filed under: Podcasts
Another edition of the weekly Joystiq Podcast has arrived, surprisingly within a week of the last one! This fourth edition finds our Cheap Ass Gamer friend, CheapyD, taking a break from his CAGcast endeavors and joining us for what’s likely to be one of the longest hours in his life. Thank heavens he’s arrived to give us some pointers — the multimillion dollar production that is the Joystiq Podcast was starting to spiral dangerously out of control.
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Hosts: Christopher Grant and Ludwig Kietzmann
Music: “Ted E. Bear’s Mafia-Free Playland and Casino” from the Sam & Max Season 1 Soundtrack
Program:
0:00:40 - The Xbox 360 Elite! (”I’ve pre-ordered six or seven of them.”)
0:03:24 - Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer (”That’s why they need to put KITT in Grand Theft Auto.”)
0:14:27 - Roooock Baaand! (”People realize those aren’t real instruments, right?”)
0:21:29 - Guitar Hero effects pedal (”It’s something you step on, like the floor! The floor is free, why shouldn’t the pedal be free?”)
0:23:08 - Red Octane denies controller recall (”Seems like a pretty stupid computer.”)
0:26:12 - PSP price drop (”Lots of memory… if you live in 1998.”)
0:28:45 - Latest PSP firmware update (”I meant gaming heroin.”)
0:31:19 - Dude, get your own (”All I want for Christmas is a decent ad campaign.”)
0:32:52 - NiGHTS 2 confirmed — again (”I’ve never played NiGHTS.”)
0:34:04 - Time to reinvent Sonic, eh? (”I’ll just Google a random butt and send it to you.”)
0:38:11 - Resident Wiivil 4 (”Mii zombies?”)
0:41:13 - What’s up with the Wii? (”The basic rule is you can’t criticize the Wii.”)
0:51:12 - Continued Wii shortages (”^_^”)
0:54:18 - The deal with stacker machines (”It’s got mechanical pincers.”)
0:55:28 - MAKE IT STOP (”I’m gonna edit one of those out just to screw you over.”)
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Logitech blob-jumping advergame actually good
Filed under: PC, Business, Casual
When it comes to online advertising games, our expectations are decidedly low. Basically, if it’s better than whack the fly, we’re impressed. Those low standards notwithstanding, Logitech’s Jelly Jump is actually pretty good.
It seems incredibly simple at first — just use the arrow keys to jump around an on-screen keyboard, hitting the green keys as quickly as possible. But a variety of hazard keys and some clever level design means the action gets tough pretty quickly. The game automatically saves your progress for a later play session, which is good, because getting the best scores on all 50 levels might take a while.
Sure, there’s a coupon for Logitech keyboard if you get through the first ten levels, but we would play this game even without the promise of a good deal. And for an advertising game, that’s saying something.
[Thanks stupidiot]
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‘The Neverhood’ may head to the silver screen
Filed under: Culture, Adventure
The Neverhood, a stop-motion clay-animated adventure game from 1996 (used copies of which can go for $100 on eBay), may well become a feature film, according to Neverhood (and Earthworm Jim) creator Doug TenNapel on his official message board. TenNapel wryly notes that this time, there will be “no game to get in the way” — in case you don’t remember, The Neverhood got mixed-to-bad reviews as a game, though everyone agreed it looked absolutely gorgeous. Anyway, TenNapel says, “Don’t speculate on the feature.” So, seriously, no speculating in the comments section, okay? Doug wouldn’t like it.
[Thanks, B]
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Sony Style stores done with 20GB model
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Business
Hmmmmm, well this is certainly curious. Although there is no official word that the PlayStation 3’s 20GB model is finished, the Sony Style stores haven’t had them in stock for a long time and the SonyStyle.com mother ship is done with the model — it’s no longer listed on the site. We contacted SonyStyle.com and were told, “We haven’t had it in stock for a month … We’re not getting any more. You could maybe go out and find one.” Going to a Sony Style store isn’t going to get you anywhere either. One store we called had the same story as SonyStyle.com. A sales representative said, “We haven’t gotten those [20GB] models in for a long time. We have plenty of 60 gig models in stock.” When asked if the model had been discontinued he said, “Not officially … but we haven’t seen any in a long time.”
Best Buy stopped carrying the 20 GB model last month. As of mid-March Sony told us the 20GB model was still being manufactured and that “retailers have been requesting the 60GB model, the mix has been about 80 percent 60GB, 20 percent 20GB retailer orders.” Sony’s own stores are part of that 80 percent now. Having two models of the PlayStation 3 is a nice gesture, but if a product is no longer being stocked by anyone, including Sony’s own retail chain, does it really still exist?
[Thanks Jason]
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Army: Gamers can “take this to the next level” with military service
Filed under: Action, First Person Shooters, Fashion
The goal of the America’s Army game has always been to make military service seem more palatable to a generation of gamers. Now, the army is making that goal more explicit with a TV commercial pushing military service as “the next level” of military games.
The ad starts with a couple of gamers playing a Rainbow Six-alike game for a few seconds before the virtual soldier they’re controlling taps on the glass, startling them out of their revelry. “You look like you’re really into this,” he quips. “You ready for a real challenge?” An announcer comes in to encourage viewers to “find out what you’re really made of, and how far you can go” over a vignette of happy, action-packed military images. Viewers are encouraged to call in and get a copy of America’s Army and a “special interactive DVD,” whatever that is. Our military friend comes back at the end, asking the gamers and the viewer if they’re ready to “take it to the next level.”
Well, are you? Personally, we’re plenty happy using games to get the vicarious thrill of military service without the high risk of death and injury. See if you feel differently after watching the video below.
Continue reading Army: Gamers can “take this to the next level” with military service
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Crime and punishment: Thieves make off with Sonic the Hedgehog
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Adventure
Though the choices that lead one down a path of crime are rarely considered to be wise, the weekend actions of an unknown number of thieves seem to imply that one bad turn often leads to another. The Argus reports that UK police were called to “Currys” after £1,700 worth of PlayStation 3 games were discovered to have illegally departed the store, presumably tucked inside someone’s jacket, pants or some other article of clothing that would result in awkward movements.
Police expect the kleptomaniacs to cash in on current PS3 euphoria and either attempt to gain refunds elsewhere or sell the game to unsuspecting folks. Sadly, it looks like crime might not fully pay on this occasion, as the robbers’ loot included three copies of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, two copies of Ridge Racer 7, four copies of World Snooker Championship 2007 and, err… four copies of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Being unable to sell those to any normal human beings, said ne’er-do-wells will likely attempt to play the game and then promptly turn themselves in. You get what you pay for, lads.
[Via PSX Extreme]
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Confessions of … a video game store customer
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business, Casual
Everyone is fessing up these days, is it something in the air? The fact that Easter is fast approaching? Imminent doom and gloom? Whatever it is, everyone wants to get something off their chest. First it was game store clerks, and now it’s the other side of the counter … game store customers.
Shamoozal has the sin-filled confessions of just such a customer. It’s well-worth a read, especially for quotes like this:
- No, we don’t want to pre-order Halo 3, GTA4 or Metal Gear 4. I’m pretty confident Best Buy will have a small munitions depot worth of them the day they come out. I really don’t want the strategy guide for Elite Beat Agents either thanks, I think I’ll manage. Thanks for the $3 you gave me for that G.R.A.W. trade-in, I look forward to putting it towards the tax for G.R.A.W. 2.
We’d tell you more, but we have to go cancel some pre-orders. Whoops.
[Thanks, Giggas]
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Eibeler’s Platinum Parachute
When a group of upstart Take-Two stockholders ousted the company’s CEO Paul Eibeler, it looked like they had the last laugh. Well, they probably forgot to take a look at Eibeler’s separation agreement.
According to the rules of the agreement, which come into place if he is fired, Eibeler doesn’t just get a golden parachute, he gets a platinum one.
Here’s a run down of what he gets for being fired:
• $2,475,000 in severance pay.
• Immediate vesting of stock options and shares which includes 100,000 shares of restricted stock, options to purchase 450,000 shares at $21.28 and options to purchase 75,000 shares at $19.89
• Accrued but unpaid base salary and vacation and unpaid expenses through his last day at the company.
• A job as a consultant for the company through Oct. 4, 2007 paying $50,000 a month.
• No change in his health care benefits through his consultancy
• An $800 a month car allowance through his consultancy
On the negative side, Eibeler does have to return his Blackberry, company credit card, office keys and stapler.
Look who’s laughing now.
Joysticks Maximized to be More Joyful
Here’s a project for the upcoming Easter holiday for those of you who are going to dive into some much needed spring cleaning and are wondering what to do with all of those extra joysticks from your childhood. It’s a tutorial on how to take any autofiring joystick and make it into a noisemaker of sorts. Although the instructions look intimidating, they are written very well with lots of diagrams.
It’s Kraftaku-riffic!
From Joystick to noisestick [AEE Projectblog]
Frankenreview: Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)
Until the Gods bestowed upon Man the grace of the Guitar Hero games, we were condemned to a legacy of producing faux music with air alone. (Or, alternatively, not producing any music at all with a real guitar sitting in our corner/closet/attic). Life was meaningless and dark.
But some time after the original revelation when Guitar Hero II was released for the PS2, many of us were still hesitant to pick it up. Because what if…just if…something Greater could exist? What if Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 was even better if we could only wait a little bit longer? Rewarding our GHII virginity with better graphics, sound, and even the Possibilities of online play….
So hit the jump to read our Frankenreview—the one review you need to read ever (for this one game this one time).
Advanced Media Network
The Xbox 360 guitar controller is based off of the Gibson X-plorer, and in addition to looking better than its PS2 counterpart it feels a lot more solid as well. The strum button doesn’t feel as loose as it did on the PS2 models of the guitar and the neck buttons stand slightly higher above the frets and feel stiffer. The Xbox 360 guide button sits alongside a d-pad on the base of the guitar and gives players the ability to navigate the dashboard without switching to a standard controller… When all is said and done…[it's] easily the highest quality third-party peripheral available for the Xbox 360.
Team Xbox
[Graphics don't] really push the Xbox 360 hardware, but at the same time GHII isn’t a game that needs extravagant visuals. The graphics show a marked improvement over the PS2 games–as you’d expect–definitely flexing the console’s better muscles with particle effects and more detailed 3-D models, but the animations overall are still clunky and repetitive.
Videogame Talk
360 owners, prepare to have your eardrums blown, because this version offers remixed versions of the songs that have greater separation between the guitar, the vocals, and the rest of the band, as well as a greater sense of the audience (whose reactions tell you how you’re doing if you’re not inclined to look at the rock meter). The sound is truly immersing and makes you want to revisit your favorite songs again and again.
Game Almighty
A new feature for the 360 version is the ability to play a song from three different modes, including bass, rhythm and lead, as well as co-op play with a partner, assuming you’ve invested in a second guitar. All of these modes just further Hero’s appeal, giving you more options and longevity. It’s all great and nearly perfect.
Official Xbox Mag
The only negative we can think off is that you currently can’t face-off against friends over Xbox Live, but rumour is a future patch may resolve that one niggling issue. And even though the Xbox 360 version is late coming to the party (the PS2 version was released last year), at the encore it’ll be Microsoft’s machine that’ll be playing out the crowd.
So how many of you abstained, waiting for the 360 version? And how many PS2 GHII owners didn’t but are planning on buying the game again?
Eurogamer Launches Eurogamers
This week sees the official launch of Eurogamers, the community-driven social networking site for European gamers. Part of the Eurogamer network which includes GamesIndustry.biz, the new site allows users to create profiles, join groups, maintain game lists, and be advertised at based on their gaming preferences. Eventually they will integrate user blogs.
Pretty much 1up, only 5400 miles to the upper right.
The site will support skins, such as the GRAW2 skin already available for users to decorate their customizable home page. They are also seeking to work with developers to integrate info from MMOs and other online games into the site.
Eurogamer has a handy getting started guide for Eurogamers here, which walks you through the process of adding to your game collection, adding friends, etc.
I’d sign up and poke about, but unfortunately I am not in Europe, and they’re quite picky over there I hear. It’s all up to you now, Kim Phu. You’re our only hope.
Eurogamers
Eurogamer Network launches new community website [GamesIndustry.biz]
Wii Zapper Hits Gamestop
Kotaku reader Daniel points out that Gamestop is listing the Wii Blaster for $20 hitting the Wii on May 1.
Dan points out that the date is probably a placeholder, as is the title and price. When doesn’t Gamestop jump the gun?
Looking through the list of Wii shooters, it looks like there are plenty out there that could use it, from Medal of Honor and Call of Duty to Metroid Prime 3 and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.
Wii Blaster [Gamestop]
Money Laundering in China - A Game the Whole Family Can Enjoy!
According to the WSJ, the QQ coin, a currency that is the most widely-accepted for virtual purchases in China, is starting to beat out cold hard yuans in the money marketplace:
At informal online currency marketplaces, thousands of users helped turn the QQ coins back into cash by selling them at a discount that varies based on the laws of supply and demand. Traders began jumping into the QQ coin market as an opportunity to make a quick yuan off of currency speculation.
State-run media reported that some online shoppers began using QQ coins to buy real-world items such as CDs and makeup. So-called QQ Girls started accepting the coins as payment for intimate private chats online. Gamblers caught wind, too, and started using the currency to get around China’s anti-gambling laws, converting wins in online mahjong and card games back into cash. Dozens of third-party trading posts sprouted up to ease transactions, turning the QQ coin into a kind of parallel currency.
Tencent Holding Ltd, the designers of the QQ coin, are trying to clean up the mess as quickly as they can because out of all the governments in the world, China is probably the one you don’t want mad at you.
QQ: China’s New Coin of the Realm? [WSJ]
Gallery: Age of Conan Swords and Sorcery
Right here is why I might not be able to play Age of Conan. My survival instinct is much too strong to even virtually go toe to toe with one of these giant bastards. Even now the imagined smell of it is making me gag just a little.
The shot is part of a new batch of images from the game meant to highlight the various magical and martial ways to kick ass in Hyboria. Having played just about every mainstream MMO game on the market, I am finding it hard to believe the game could possibly look this good. No MMO looks this good. And dammit, I forgot to sign up for the beta again.
HP Labs Gaming Demos
Yesterday HP held a little press conference to outline their strategy for making money off of gamers and to show off some of their “advanced technologies” for the industry.
Besides talking up recently acquired VoodooPC and their other PC platform, HP demoed some of their HP Labs goodies including a curbed screen, a super projector, a coffee table with an embedded touch screen and mscape technology that turns GPS-enabled Pocket PCs or cell phones into immersive gaming devices.
Hit the jump for a run down of the four concepts and a video of the mscape in action from Barcelona last year.
Panoply
Using multiple, inexpensive projectors, Panoply creates a seamless, curved display that fills a gamer’s field of view, increasing realism and immersion. The image is created using a fast, automatic, camera-assisted calibration process that avoids the need for precise projector aiming. Beyond gaming, Panoply could be used for a wide range of other applications, including remote collaboration, home theater and scientific visualization. It is being considered for use in HP’s Halo telepresence product.
Pluribus
Pluribus is a core enabling technology that combines the power of multiple inexpensive projectors to quickly and automatically create a scalable “super-projector” capable of high resolution, great brightness, deep contrast, high frame rate and a wide color gamut. Pluribus is the only multi-projector system that automatically delivers vivid image quality, no matter how the projectors are configured. It eliminates costly and time-consuming manual tweaking for each projector required by today’s multi-projector systems. Pluribus could have a significant impact on display markets including gaming, digital cinema, event projection, collaboration and visualization.
Misto
Misto is a research project that looked at the social dynamic of multiple users in the same location interacting simultaneously with digital content. In this case, it involved a computer with a large touch screen set in a coffee table. The technology could be used for gaming, education and interactive professional or personal media applications. Potential environments include the home, office, reception areas or other places where people congregate, such airports, hotel lobbies and shopping malls.
mscape
mscape is a way to lay multimedia digital experiences - including text, audio and video — on a physical landscape, creating a “mediascape” that enriches the experience of interacting with a specific location. Pocket PCs or cell phones equipped with GPS or other sensing technologies provide users with a way to detect and access information from the world around them. Applications could include gaming, education, tourism and location-based services.
Atari Hits the Fan
As Bruno Bonnell, chairman and CEO of Infogrames (the parent company of Atari), is stepping down from his position, another man in the company, Chris Bergtresser is announcing big plans for its interactive department. Atari Online hopes to launch an “online initiative” (one would assume that is a fancy word for “website”) where initially only US-based PC users can “create their own gaming experiences”. Bergtresser also made references to the fact that this project is following the newest (marketing) trend:
Phil Harrison had this big announcement of Game 3.0 and I think its great that he’s announced that because it will lend legitimacy to what we’re doing. But it goes further than that. We feel user generated content is not just something you just let people dabble in, we feel that it is something where you give people the tools to do whatever the hell they want.
Most of us “do whatever the hell” we want right now, and in this saturated market, it may not be the time to start yet another “user-generated content” site .
Secret Atari project revealed [MCVUK]
