Fun Games-Video Game-Favorite Game

This Koenigsegg Sports Car just Sells at $100 in Need for Speed World

2011-12-19T02:03:00.000-08:00

EA's Play4Free title Need For Speed: World has over 5 million users, and the world's biggest video game publisher believes that some of their customers want more premium contents. Therefore, EA prepares a $100 worth of Koenigsegg CCX "Elite" Edition for those who want to drive fast and furiously. EA also offer a discount that allows you to bring this car to your garage at $75 through December 21. But how many people will pay for that?

Gamers will notice a few firsts in NFS World, when they feast their eyes on the stenciled logos on the front windshield and also the burnt titanium exhaust tips! The detail doesn't stop there as the interior has been treated to a matching swatch of the exterior, with blue seats and yellow stripe. The exclusive custom carbon fiber widebody kit was designed to allow for a widened track, which allows for better overall traction. The front fascia has been radically restyled with a mid-wing mounted in the front bumper. The roofline has also been modified to incorporate two massive roof scoops, feeding air to its hungry engine. A new massive carbon rear wing has been mounted directly to the chassis and is a one-off piece specific to not only this car, but this particular kit.

Aeria Games has grabbed the global publish right for this game and you can expect to buy this car at Aeria Games website soon. Pay to win items may be hated by most gamers but it may not necessarily ruin a game. It's in fact depending on customers' need and the publisher's strategy. An example is Bigpoint's browser-based MMO Dark Orbit, who sells over 2,000 "Zeus Drone" starships, each of which priced at $1,335, to customers in four days. So what will come to Need For Speed: World? We will see.

Time-Travel Tip for Constantinople: Pack Daggers

2011-12-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

With its latest installment, called Revelations, the Assassin’s Creed series is flirting baldly with the second category. It hasn’t gone over quite yet. In five years, perhaps, we will look back and remember Revelations as the one bald spot of mediocrity marring an otherwise lush field of creative ambition and insightful design.

If not, if by then Assassin’s Creed is a bargain-bin franchise fallen far from its glory years (like, say, Lara Croft and Tomb Raider), we will remember Revelations as the game where things went bad.

Not bad in the sense of sloppy or unrefined. Just bad in the sense of a bit tired. Revelations, published by Ubisoft of France for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows (and rated M for mature), provides an enjoyable 30 hours of action-adventure gameplay, but it’s never especially dynamic or fresh. Most of it plays exactly like the previous two Assassin’s Creed games, except in less interesting locations populated by less interesting characters. The story, meanwhile, dissolves into an almost “Matrix”-like hash of time-traveling and alternate realities (speaking of franchises that imploded under their own weight).

Nominally, the game is set in 16th-century Constantinople. You are Ezio Auditore da Firenze, an Italian nobleman who is actually the leader of a secret sect called the Assassins, who are engaged in an epoch-bridging battle for control of civilization with the evil Templars. In reality (such as it is), the whole 1500s adventure is a computerized simulation within the mind of your real character, Desmond Miles, a present-day descendant of Ezio who is strapped into a brain-reading machine. (Cue “The Matrix” again.)

It gets a bit more complicated from there, but you get the point. In most of the game you are exploring Constantinople’s markets, sewers, temples and palaces. The Byzantines and the conquering Ottomans are locked in a predictably, wait for it, byzantine political battle. You infiltrate the city’s elite while scaling walls, flying down zip lines and putting daggers through your enemies’ throats.

As in previous games, you can take control of precincts to generate income used to buy equipment upgrades. You can recruit computer-controlled assassins to your posse and dispatch them not only around Constantinople but also to take over representations of other cities around the Mediterranean.

The game tries to adopt some of the cinematic pretensions of the Uncharted action-adventure series but without the panache and visual flair. More broadly, Revelations suffers because Constantinople, as accurately rendered as it may be, does not offer the variety of recognizable locations for most players — Renaissance Rome, Florence and Venice — that were the settings for previous games in the series.

Likewise, while the writing and acting are generally excellent, I found it more difficult to care about the ins and outs of the plot. Compared with rubbing shoulders in previous games with Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, the Medicis and the Borgias, including a pope, the core Revelations story seems stale.

Ubisoft’s ill-advised decision to tack on some strange sequences ripped from different and unrelated video game genres, like desktop tower defense and first-person jumping, is actually not inexplicable. They make sense as ham-handed attempts to add fresh trinkets to an otherwise familiar experience.

That is not an entirely bad thing. But it is instructive to compare Assassin’s Creed with Uncharted, which features a globe-trotting treasure hunter in the mold of Indiana Jones. In 2009 both series hit a high point. Sony, Uncharted’s publisher, reacted by giving Naughty Dog, the Uncharted studio, two years to release a sequel. The result was a hit and the year’s best adventure game, Uncharted 3.

Ubisoft, by contrast, reacted to the success of Assassin’s Creed II by queuing up a new game in the franchise every year. So in 2010, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood was a bit more of the same. Revelations is a lot more of the same.

Ubisoft has now used up its mulligans or get-out-of-jail-free cards with Assassin’s Creed. It is allowed. But one more like this, and Assassin’s Creed is headed for Tomb Raider territory.

Opportunities with Online Video Game Rental Services

2011-11-29T04:12:00.000-08:00

Are you a gaming freak? Do you spend a colossal amount of bucks on video games? Then you are completely bowled upon the exciting, amusing and titillating world of video gaming. Truly gaming is always thrilling, offering an ultimate fun and divinely entertaining leisure activity but for some it becomes an intense passion and daily hobby, resulting in a complete burning of their pockets as they frequently spend a lot on new game CDs and DVDs. Of course, the new and advanced versions are expensive because of which by the end of the month you find yourself with bare and vacant pockets. A simple solution for the same is carried out by the idea of introducing rental video games which are readily available online. Now fervent players don't have to spend a great amount of money in buying the games from a nearby games store. With the arrival of Video Game Rental services, players can choose their desired video games with just a single click, and the firm sends the same using postal service. For more convenience, these companies mail the games in a postage-paid envelope, so that returning the same becomes immensely easy.

The Game rental company merchandises video games for an assortment of consoles, namely Microsoft Xbox, Sony Play station and Nintendo Wii. The firms also provide special plans varying according to the number of games that one rents at one single time. The occasional players usually rent only one game, in contrast the hardcore ones order more than one game at a time for rent. The player must look for a company which is situated near to his/her home as the shipping will take lesser time then. These video games rental service providers categorize the games according to their type, genre and class, thus making it simple for the gamer to find and choose their desired games. To attract a large number of eyes, the online video games rental services also offer free trial memberships. Surfing one the video games rental sites, you will come across the ratings given to each game according to the age valid to play the particular game. The different ratings are EC (children over 3 years old), E (over 6 years old), E10+ (over 10 years old), T (over 13 years old), M (over 17 years old) and AO (persons over 18 years old).

GameFly

In the web world, it is the first and prime online video game rental service. Every game page in this website displays instructions, cheats, screenshots and videos. Also GameFly provides an option of 'Keep It' which means if the player has rent a game and he likes it a lot, he can select to keep it forever at a 'Pre-Played' cost, and then he is sent all the other materials of that game like original case and manual. GameFly also comes out with Rewards program that offers exciting discounts on purchases, in case players rent video games for three consecutive months. You will also find a GameFly Referral program, if a player successfully convinces his friend to become the website's customer. Apart from these numerous programs, GameFly also offers various interesting and enticing programs through which you grab the knowledge of gaming universe, simultaneously enjoying the latest versions games at an inexpensive price.

GottaPlay

It is another famous website which allows gamers to trade games. At an initial stage, a player carries out a list of games he already has, and afterwards he makes another list of his desired games. Finally he can now send a game to another player, and in return receives a wished game from that particular player. A gamer requires a specified number of 'GamePoints' to receive a game from another user. 'GamePoints' can be collected by sending your game to another gamer. The 'GameKey' showcases the condition in which a game is in. It is displayed as "go" if the gamer has only the game. Likewise there are other video games rental statues indicating various conditions like "ga" if the gamer owns the game and the artwork, "gm" if the gamers have games and the manual, and lastly "gc", if the player has all the three, namely the game, the artwork and the case. The system assigns trades between different players, considering who live nearer to each other.

How the Angry Birds deal could lead to mobile gaming nirvana

2011-03-13T00:24:00.001-08:00

The $42 million investment in Angry Birds creator Rovio could be a watershed event for mobile games.

The deal shows that at least one mobile game company is able to attract marquee investors and a valuation (as yet still unknown but undoubtedly big) that social game companies attracted in their run-up to the big time. At some point, the industry will flip, with Facebook becoming the smaller part and mobile becoming the bigger part, since the number of mobile phone users is something like five times the number of Facebook users.

In mobile gaming, upstart companies are readying themselves to battle with established giants to become multibillion-dollar mobile game companies. This may sound like the bullish investors are smoking crack. But bullish observers believe the battle has begun and will play out over the next couple of years. Neil Young, chief executive of Ngmoco, said last week in an interview that he believes multibillion-dollar companies will be created in this market in the next couple of years. Rovio itself is perhaps the most bullish of all, since it is closing in on 100 million users.

Besides Rovio, the contenders include Electronic Arts, Zynga, and DeNa, which fired the first shot across the bow when it bought Ngmoco last summer for up to $403 million. Others are moving into the game. Marc Andreessen’s venture firm invested $18 million in mobile game publisher TinyCo just a week ago. Digital Chocolate, an established maker of cell phone and social games, raised $12 million earlier this week. Pocket Games raised $5 million from Sequoia Capital in December. There are lots of chess pieces in motion.

“We were approached by a lot of people and talked to a lot of investors,” said Peter Vesterbacka (pictured top left), the Mighty Eagle at Rovio, responsible for business development. “We were in a good position because we didn’t need the money. The money was not the key thing here. It was more about getting the right people involved. We wanted people who bought into our bigger vision. A lot of people don’t see beyond an iPhone game. What we are trying to do is build an entertainment franchise. We believe we can build this into a multibillion-dollar ecosystem.”

Rovio’s investors include Atomico Ventures, the venture fund created by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom; Accel Partners, the veteran VC firm that invested in Facebook; and super angel fund Felicis Ventures, headed by Aydin Senkut. They slowly came around to a meeting of the minds with Rovio.

Rich Wong, a partner at Accel, said he had known Vesterbacka, who joined Rovio in the spring of 2010 and was a former HP manager, for a long time. Wong caught up with Vesterbacka, who formerly worked at Hewlett-Packard, at our MobileBeat conference last July, about the time when Rovio was starting to go public with all of its success with Angry Birds. Vesterbacka also met Senkut at MobileBeat.

RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet demo shows off multitasking with games

2011-03-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

The Apple iPad 2 is getting a lot of kudos as a next-generation tablet computer. But it’s not the only show in town. Research in Motion is launching its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet soon and our close-up demo of the device shows that it’s a pretty good game, video, and multimedia machine.

The question facing RIM’s tablet is whether there is room in the market for smaller players to grab some market share that neither Apple nor Google Android tablets can snare. RIM”s device is perfectly functional, but its acceptance depends on the timing of its launch and the pricing. RIM hasn’t announced that yet.

Tyler Lassard, head of BlackBerry developer relations for RIM, was at the Game Developers Conference last week showing off the multitasking and game capabilities of the new RIM tablet computer, which is set to debut in March or April. The demo shows that the user interface is appealing and fast. You can swipe your finger across the screen to cruise through a menu of choices. You can easily look at sharp photos on the 7-inch LCD screen and tap on the tablet’s touch-sensitive bezel.

The user interface is simple and pretty. It’s easy to minimize apps or close them. Lassard showed that you can swipe up on an app screen to get back to your home screen. If you do that in the middle of a video, you can see a minimized window of the video while it still continues to play. Then you can start a game or another video. The PlayBook is quite capable of handling multiple tasks at the same time.

The device is enterprise ready, able to handle your corporate email. But in case you need a break, you can play games such as Machinarium or Need for Speed Shift on it. Lassard said the open source version of Quake was ported over to the PlayBook in about a week. Electronic Arts in the meantime has created a native version of Need for Speed for the device and makes use of its built-in accelerometer, which lets you control the game by tilting it back and forth. The Flash-based Machinarium game was ported in a matter of days to the PlayBook.

There’s a growing list of apps on the tablet, such as an Elmo kids game (it’s funny to hear Elmo talking over the Quake game in the video). The screen resolution is 1024 x 600 and the device can play 1080p high-definition video. It will be able to run the full Adobe Flash 10.1 software when that is ready and it has support for HTML5. It runs the QNX operating system with true multitasking.

It has a Texas Instruments dual-core 1-gigahertz OMAP 4 processor with a gigabyte of main memory. For an earlier look at the PlayBook, check out what VentureBeat’s Devindra Hardawar wrote about the PlayBook in January. The big selling point for the PlayBook will be 4G high-speed internet connectivity. But it isn’t exactly clear just how soon that will be available. The device also has a 3-megapixel forward-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, which will allow you to do video conferencing. Apple’s iPad 2 is more impressive, but RIM just might be able to carve out a reason for being if it targets this at enterprise users and comes out with a good price.

Kinect launch line-up reviewed

2010-11-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

Kinect is finally here. Better still, it really works (click here for a review of the hardware).

But how are the games?

After spending a week with seven of its highest profile launch titles (a few hours with a different one each night, more or less) it’s clear that certain kinds of games are better suited for this new type of control than others. Dancing and sports games tend to be a lot of fun, while racing games, well, not so much.

There’s no single game that makes Kinect a must-own add-on for the masses, but there are enough good ones to make it worth some strong consideration when weighing your motion control gaming options this holiday.

Dance Central

This rump-wiggler from Harmonix—the same studio behind the Rock Band franchise—is the best and most impressive Kinect game I’ve tried, and I don’t even like most of its hip hop, dancehall, and classic funk tracks (artists include the likes of Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Salt ‘N’ Pepa, and Kool & The Gang).

'Fun game' results in a 2-2 tie for West Milford and DePaul

2009-12-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 27, 2009
BY KEN SMITH
Suburban Trends
CORRESPONDENT

If the West Milford Highlander varsity hockey team could've chosen how to go into the county tournament, what happened Wednesday night would've been their second choice. After dominating for most of the game, the Highlanders needed a late goal by Josh McCann to tie DePaul and head into Christmas on a high note.
The theme of this game was physicality, as both teams started hitting each other from the opening whistle. West Milford would use this to their advantage on defense as it was very difficult for DePaul to sustain any attack because their puck carrier was swiftly crunched to the boards on every possession.
"These two teams love to face each other and they went out there to battle," said Coach Mark Pych. "The hitting was hard on both sides, there was some chippy stuff here and there and it was a fun game to watch."
On offense, West Milford followed their usual plan, looking for open ice where ever they can and manufacturing breakaways. DePaul's goaltender stood on his head for much of the game but when the Highlanders were able to string together a number of shots, they managed to find the twine. Collin MacDonald added another goal to his illustrious high school career in the second period when the puck bounced to him in the slot during a West Milford flurry.
Unfortunately for the Highlanders, a bad penalty and some mistakes left the team trailing late in the third period until they were saved by McCann during another flurry of shots as he crashed to the front of the net and the puck found it's way in. Also looking good for the Highlanders was Conrad Weiss, the other wing on the team's top line, who was creating tons of opportunities for his teammates and himself.
However, the most important thing that came out of this game for the Highlanders was between the pipes. Kyle Letsche, who has been inconsistent so far this year, was superb in net on Wednesday.
He kept his team in the game and, along with the great defensive performance from the Highlanders, frustrated the Spartans for much of the game. If Letsche can keep up his level of play, West Milford will be a serious contender in the tournament.
In fact, the team is very confident of it's chances and Kyle Browne, who was among the Highlanders throwing their weight around against DePaul, isn't afraid to hype his team. "It shows how we can keep up with the top of the conference. We're going to take it to the rest of the conference and show what we're made of."

HOW SOCIAL GAMES WORK

2009-12-12T20:57:00.001-08:00

Thousands of game applications tailored to Facebook, MySpace, hi5 and other social networks have been created by techies around the world.

The most popular of these games - such as "FarmVille," "Happy Aquarium" and "Mobsters" - have grown through what Web business mavens call a "viral" appeal, encouraging players to invite friends into the games. Players might also opt to "share" game updates on their stream of news to friends.

To play, a Facebook user, for example, would click on the icon for a particular game, which opens a large window to the field of play. Devotees say the games offer a fun diversion that is easily integrated with their online social activities. Play is free - unless players opt to use real money for "virtual goods."

Facebook games have Web surfers in their thrall

2009-12-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Facebook has grown into a Web medium that more than 350 million people use as an extension of their authentic selves, not their alter egos. Yet in recent months the world's biggest social networking site has been invaded by make-believe farmers, chefs and tropical fish collectors. You pretenders know who you are.

"It kind of just got me hooked," Melanie Earhart, a 46-year-old self-employed Los Gatos resident said of "FarmVille," the most popular game on Facebook with 69.3 million monthly users, on average, including 26.6 million who daily tend their virtual crops and maybe milk digital cows.

With Facebook and MySpace providing the wind beneath their wings, "FarmVille" maker Zynga leads a flock of online game startups that has soared as one of Silicon Valley's success stories during the recession, attracting hefty venture capital investments and generating strong revenue from ads and the sale of "virtual goods," even though most people play the games for free.

Devotees say they enjoy the casual aspect of games that become integrated into their multi-tasking online social life. The ease contrasts sharply with the deeper engagement of popular online role-playing destinations such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, as well as the graphically rich games favored by hard-core gamers on consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox.

In a telling shift of trends, Electronic Arts, the Redwood City, Calif.-based giant known for console games such as "Madden NFL," recently announced plans to terminate 1,500 employees even as it expanded online offerings by acquiring Playfish, a Zynga rival. The deal put Playfish's value as at least $300 million, and possibly $400 million, based on future performance.

Back-of-the-napkin estimates put the social gaming sector's value into the billions, largely because of its success in executing the so-called "freemium" revenue model. Most of the revenue is earned from ardent players like Earhart who are enticed to pay for enhancements such as more acreage to plow and plant.

Earhart, who says she's starting to "burn out" on "FarmVille," has also fallen hard for "Cafe World" and "Happy Aquarium," the second- and third-ranked games on Facebook. For her and many others, those feel-good games are a welcome alternative to the virtual mayhem that permeates many of the military, mobster and vampire titles that have been staples of the video game industry.

"It's like crack, I guess," said Chris Lion of San Jose, another "FarmVille" devotee. "It just sucks you in a little bit at a time."

Unlike actual farmers, "FarmVille" residents can build booming agribusinesses or opt to design lively, colorful properties without fear of drought, tornadoes or locusts. It's a "Pollyannish" place, Earhart explains, where untended crops may die but animals never do - and good Samaritan points can be earned for adopting a "lonely pink cow" or fertilizing a friend's crops.

Each game has a way to separate people from their money. A "Texas Hold 'Em" player, for example, could spend many hours trying to play his way up from the low-stakes table - or spend real money to match wits against rivals who have stacks' worth of virtual millions and, theoretically, take the game more seriously.

Typically, no more than 3 percent of online game players in the United States spend real money on virtual goods, with a fraction of those users providing the bulk of revenue, according to Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus. But he hopes to harvest a higher percentage over time.

One recent appeal on "FarmVille" was its "Sweet Seeds for Haiti" campaign, which Pincus said has raised $700,000 for two charities that serve the impoverished country. The 50-50 split means Zynga has earned $700,000 from the campaign as well.

Justin Smith, keeper of the blogs Inside Facebook and Inside Social Games, co-authored a market study that estimated that revenue from "virtual goods" would reach $1 billion this year - and up to $1.6 billion next year.

Apart from Zynga and Playfish, the top game makers on Facebook include CrowdStar, maker of "Happy Aquarium," and Serious Business, which makes "Sell Your Friends," a game that essentially turns Facebook personas into game pieces.

Playdom is the leader on MySpace, with Zynga also doing well. Two other well-funded startups, Slide and RockYou, branched into games after winning fans for other social networking applications. The social network hi5, meanwhile, is tailoring itself as a hub for gamers.

MySpace's younger demographic, it seems, still loves the mob, with Playdom's "Mobsters" and Zynga's "MafiaWars" ranked first and second in a recent report. A big part of the social game business might be called Copycat: Just about every startup offers its twist on popular themes. Zynga recently sued Playdom after it hired away employees who had access to what Pincus says is valuable intellectual property.

Not since "Scrabulous," the Scrabble knockoff that was shut down as lawsuits swirled, has an online game generated as much buzz as "FarmVille." The game's "growth exceeded our expectations," Pincus said. "But it hasn't exceeded our expectations for social games."

The most successful games, Pincus said, encourage social interaction, enable self-expression and help users feel that their investment of time is worthwhile. While male players are generally driven by building a booming agribusiness, Pincus said, female players are more likely to design colorful, vibrant, playful farms.

When not playing farmer, Lion is on the faculty support staff at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He proudly notes that, "as a matter of principle," he hasn't spent any real money on his fake farm, but acknowledges he is still under its spell.

There was that day Lion and a friend had made plans for an outing. "Then my friend said, 'Can we hold off for two hours? My artichokes are coming due.' I didn't bat an eye: 'Oh sure, we can wait.'

Tiger Woods’ woes inspired an online game

2009-12-12T20:54:00.001-08:00

Some enterprising people have come up with a Tiger Woods online game too, in which he is trying to run away with his mistress and his wife Elin is chasing him.

The game features an animation of the golfer Tiger Woods and another woman (his mistress) in his car Escalade, being chased by his golf-club wielding wife Elin, who is running after them. She has a very ferocious avatar and seems like a lady-on-a-mission.

The object of the game is to earn points and escape a very angry clubbing from Elin Nordegren by avoiding obstacles on the road such as fire hydrants, potholes, rocks and trees.

This online game is inspired by the infamous Tiger Woods accident on Thanksgiving weekend. Top-notch golfer Tiger Woods was injured in an accident with his SUV and according to reports, his wife had to smash a window to get him out from the vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital and was treated for his injuries and was later released in a good condition. The Florida Highway Patrol said that Tiger Woods’ vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor’s yard after he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 am

Apparently it was later reported that Tiger Woods was trying to escape his furious wife Elin, who was angry at discovering his mistresses, when the accident happened.

Sony 250GB PS3 bundles for UK confirmed

2009-09-25T07:03:00.001-07:00

Sony has confirmed that it will be bringing a 250GB version of the new PS3 Slim out in the UK as part of a bundle offering.

Priced at around £285, there will be a range of different bundles on offer in the hope of enticing gamers to sign up with Sony rather than Microsoft's Xbox 360.

"Following the great success of the new, smaller, 120GB PS3, which sold over 1m units worldwide in its first three weeks on sale, the PS3 model with 250 HDD has the same hardware specifications as the current model, but with greater storage space, to offer consumers even more choice," Sony says.

Confirmed bundle titles include FIFA 10 and Need for Speed Shift.

According to gaming magazine CVG, From 1st October a choice of soft bundles containing either 2 x Platinum titles or inFamous will be available.

On 16 October, this range will be expanded to include an Uncharted 2 bundle while the 19 October will see a Blu-ray movie pack launched containing Wolverine, Batman The Dark Knight and a Blu Ray Remote.

Need for Speed: Shift - Xbox 360

2009-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Need for Speed: Shift is the latest re-boot to the Need for Speed franchise. Since the days of Underground on the PlayStation 2, people have claimed that the franchise has slowly been going downhill with each title that has come out under the Need for Speed brand. Traditionally, the series has always been fairly arcade-y in the way the cars control and the missions you were tasked with. However, Need for Speed: Shift takes a complete U-turn as it aims for the more serious simulation-based racing fans.
As Need for Speed has taken a more simulation-based approach to racing with Shift, its most important feature is how the cars control: they’re meant to control like the real cars should. Unfortunately, that is something which Shift fails with at the very first hurdle. Imagine a handicapped horse which gets stuck half way over the hurdle – this is the feeling you get with the controls. Shift can’t decide whether it wants to be an arcade racer or a racing simulation, as the cars turn as if you are playing an old rally game, pivoting on a centre point and sliding round corners similar to Ridge Racer.

Even though the handling isn’t on par with previous racing simulation games, other important factors are spot on, such as the car models and the tracks you race on. The courses are realistic and the scenery gives you some serious eye-candy to stare at during those long and tedious races. Shift is not just the best looking racing game EA has put out, it’s one of the best looking games they’ve published in general – the amount of detail around scenery and car models, including cars like the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, is astonishing – all of which can be damaged.

Each one of the 70+ cars are fully customisable with the money earned during the career mode. You can change the paint and the general visuals of a car as well as the internals, like the engine and brakes, as well as giving your car NOS and completely changing the cockpit view. This is possibly the first time the cockpit view is more-entertaining than the overhead view.

Imagine this: speeding past opponents at 180mph and them then becoming a blur in your rear view mirror, all this is happening while you are hearing the thunderous roar of both your engine and the person you just sped past. You then realise that in the process, you’re hurtling towards a tyre wall. You slam the brakes, and they screech as you slam into the wall. Everything becomes a blur, and you've been right in the driving seat the whole time. It's exhilarating.

The majority of the game's action takes place in its single player experience, the aim being to win the Need for Speed: Shift Live World Tour which involves you working your way up through five tiers, the fifth and final tier being the championship events. The only real similarity between Shift and past Need for Speed titles is the events to take part in. You get the usual race event, as well as time trials, drift events, car battles and manufacturer events.

Every time you finish a race you’ll receive a star rating depending on your performance and whether you've met certain criteria and progressing you through your career. Almost every race you take part in during the Shift career will have set challenges per match, such as earning a certain number of driver points, mastering every corner by hitting the driving line exactly, or hitting a specified speed. Either way, the game will try to mix up your driver skills and tries to get you to use different driving styles.

As well as the star rating being a major part of the game's single player experience, the driver level is another nice new addition to the series. How you drive in each race alters how much experience you receive. For example, hitting driving lines well and performing clean overtakes will get you more experience. If you're a precision-based driver, you'll rely on the cleanliness and preciseness of your race to raise your points score more. Aggressive drivers? You'll have to either work on your precision or rely on your speed and skill to earn more points. What's odd is that no matter which style you decide to take, everything goes into one big experience pool: it just seems that the game hurls experience at you for pretty much anything you do.

The game does include multiplayer as well as your single player, however, it is just a standard, run-of-the-mill multiplayer addition for a racer. Straight-up 8 player races, time trials or drifting events feature, all are judged by best score/best time. There is another addition in the form of "drivers duel" though, where you can take on an opponent in a one-on-one game mode.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

2009-09-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

The recent release of a confidential, internal video from CD Projekt has confirmed that the company is working on a sequel to the popular action RPG, The Witcher. The new game, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, is currently being shopped around to publishers, which is how the video found its way onto the net.

The new video shows off a number of the technical improvements and a brand new engine, including better normal and parallax mapping and improved lighting elements. It also includes a new dialogue and camera system that, based on the video, shows a much more cinematic view of the interactions. Player behavior will have a significant impact this time around, both for good and for bad, and the NPCs will be driven by their own agendas which could make them for or against Geralt.

Combat now includes more dynamic and bloody finishing moves with loads of physics based action. The movie showed Geralt flinging enemies off a high plateau in a scene that reminds us a lot of great games like Jedi Knight.

Since the video's release the developers have come out and made a few official comments on it, explaining that the version shown in the video is a very early alpha which doesn't showcase all the technical improvements, include final voices and reveals none of the compelling story.

Since the game is so early in development and has, as yet, no confirmed publisher, CD Projekt declined to offer a release date. The company also cautioned gamers not to expect much in the way of further information or momentum saying that none of that will happen "very soon."

Ready to enjoy playing online games?

2009-08-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

All around the world, the focus of games has been moving from video games to arcade games and further towards online games. Currently, the online game market is growing steadily with an increasing number of users due to higher provision rates of broadband, enhanced console network functions, diversification of online game genres and an expansion of casual MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).

According to Wireless World Forum report, revenue from online game globally was 7 billion dollar in 2007, which increased 24.7% from a year ago. And in 2008 it increased 29%, and the revenue was 9 billion dollar.

Get More! From Your Data Center: Rely on Liebert for System Availability and Integrity : Download nowAmong online games worldwide, the traditional MMORPG genre has a long life cycle and is consolidating a large user class, while the diversification of online game genres is expected to lead steady growth. Also, unlike existing offline games, one can actually play against another person online so that the number of users enjoying the beauty of bidirectional communication -- where the formation of various communities is possible -- is rapidly increasing.

Are you ready to join users worldwide who are already enjoying playing online games? Here are some good free online games that you can try for fun.

Zynga's FarmVille gets 11 million users

2009-08-27T19:23:00.001-07:00

Social gaming phenom Zynga’s new “FarmVille” game - in which players create and manage virtual farms - has attracted more than 11 million daily active users in nine weeks, the San Francisco company said Thursday.

“No other application has achieved what this game has in such a short amount of time. Who would have guessed that FarmVille is now the biggest online game in North America and quickly becoming the biggest online game in the world,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga, the two year old juggernaut that is making money at a rate of more than $100 million a year.

Farm-themed games have been popular in Asia for years. When it was launched on June 19, industry bloggers remarked that FarmVille was an improved version of the popular “Farm Town” game, which is owned by a Florida developer called SlashKey. Already on the social network Facebook alone FarmVille has 30 million monthly unique visitors, while Farm Town has 17.8 million, according to the AppData.com website.

Zynga makes money on the game largely by selling virtual goods ranging from buildings to plants and animals.

“FarmVille’s growth is nothing short of spectacular and a clear indicator that we have a winning formula for giving players around the world a virtual farming experience that they truly enjoy,” said Mark Skaggs, vice president and general manager of Zynga’s Social RTS studio. “By combining the best elements of social gaming, with people’s instinct to nurture, we’ve created an incredibly fun, wholesome and rewarding experience.”

Zynga, the largest social gaming company, claims 27 million daily users and 93 million monthly users. Its games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Tagged, Yahoo and the iPhone, and include FarmVille, Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, and Scramble.

Assassin's Creed II: Fun and Games

2009-08-27T19:22:00.001-07:00

A brand new gameplay style is revealed using 'toys'.

As part of Ubisoft's Cologne GamesCom showcase this year, the Montreal-based development team behind Assassin's Creed II finally laid a few of their cards on the table – addressing the first game's issues of lack of diversity and more. A new location was also revealed – the iconic city of Florence, Italy – home of the famous Santa Maria Novella church, which holds dark secrets within its cavernous catacombs.

As the demo begins, we join Ezio – the lead character and veiled assassin for this story – as he undertakes the third mission in this particular quest line, 'Caveat Emptor'. To succeed, Ezio must kill three rich targets without being seen. As you can see, with new conditions now surrounding the way targets must be executed, a new dimension is added to standard assassination missions – but the changes don't stop there. The 'Conditional Success' scenario is nothing new to gaming, but it adds a further degree of risk to the role of playing an assassin

StarCraft II: New Gallery and Logo

2009-08-18T00:56:00.001-07:00

Nearly 20 new screenshots plus a new logo from Blizzard's 2010 release.

GameSpy took a trip last month to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California where we got to check out the recently delayed StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. We'll be bringing you our full gameplay report later today, but in the meantime, cast your retinas over this collection of new screens, cutscene stills and the new logo from the first instalment in the trilogy.

As part of their second quarter earnings release, Activision announced that Starcraft II would be delayed until 2010.

No additional information has been announced as of press time, though the company’s conference call is happening in about 15 minutes, so we’ll let you know what we find out.

Xbox Arcade UK Price Hike?

2009-08-18T00:51:00.000-07:00

Basic 360 soon to cost more, says retailer.

UK retailers claim the Xbox 360 Arcade bundle and several accessories will soon see a bump in price, according to trade magazine MCV. An unnamed technology retailer says Microsoft has confirmed the price hike to them, which will see the Arcade Pack jump 30 quid from �129.99 to �159.99. Peripherals such as joypads and headsets are also set to get more expensive too, although exact pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The news follows rumours that the Pro pack will be phased out entirely and that the Elite, which comes with a 120GB hard drive, will drop �60 to take its place.

Is it all a load of rubbish? If we were betting men we'd place a wager that the basic machine will go up in price bearing in mind the currently economic climate and rumblings that the Wii will also become more expensive. Naturally, Microsoft is keeping schtum. By Alex Simmons

Earthworm Jim Comes Crawling Back

2009-08-18T00:47:00.000-07:00

Gameloft is dusting off the 16-bit hero.

Gameloft has announced it will be delivering the classic platformer Earthworm Jim to digital distribution platforms and mobile phones. Originally released on 16-bit systems back in 1994, Earthworm Jim stars the titular invertebrate who wears a super suit which grants him the power to fight the evil forces of Queen Slug-for-a-Butt (really). It's not clear, yet, whether this is an all-new game or a straight port of the original. As of this writing, Gameloft could not be reached for clarification.

"The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today's gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible," said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft.

"Earthworm Jim resonates with millions of people worldwide and we are excited to have one of the best developers in the industry create this game for a new audience," said Herve Caen, CEO, Interplay.

Interestingly, SEGA announced last week that the original Earthworm Jim is a candidate for the next SEGA Classics release on Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and PlayStation Network.

Earthworm Jim will initially arrive on XBLA late this year and make its way to other platforms a month later. By Daemon Hatfield

What COMIC BOOK VIDEO GAME Are You Most Excited For?

2009-08-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Comics have been a source for the movie, TV, and games industries for many years. It seems right now there's a fresh boom in video games inspired by comic books in particular. Let's do a quick rundown:

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Activision's sequel to the hit action role playing game lets gamers take control of a large selection of heroes and villains from across the Marvel Universe, battling soldiers, other heroes and villains, and various assorted bad guys. This game will loosely follow the stories of Secret War and Civil War, two Marvel event comics that eventually pitted a faction led by Tony Stark, Iron Man against a faction led by Captain America.
Due in stores September 15, 2009

Batman: Arkham Asylum: Eidos and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment had one goal in mind with this game: deliver an experience to make players feel like Batman. To that end, they opted to not use a movie license, instead having proven Batman: The Animated Series and Detective Comics, Streets of Gotham, and Gotham City Sirens scribe Paul Dini craft an all-new story. Then they got several voice actors from the celebrated 90s TV show, including Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker, and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Add in the dark, eerie atmosphere of Arkham Asylum and gameplay that makes you use Batman's martial arts, detective skills, gadgetry, and strategic planning, and you have the makings of a great Batman game.
Due in stores August 25th, 2009

DC Universe Online: This Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is a ways off, having not yet even entered Beta, and as of E3 2009 this past June, not even entered the Alpha testing phase. However, the game has showed promise as it slowly and steadily builds to release. Sony Online Entertainment and DC/WB are taking the game seriously, enlisting DC writer Geoff Johns, DC artist/Wildstorm head Jim Lee, and living legend writer Marv Wolfman to construct the look, feel, and stories of the virutal DC Universe gamers will play in. While gamers will not be able to control the well-known characters in the DC Stable, their created characters will fight alongside and against heroes and villains like Superman, Green Lantern, and Doomsday. The game will be played exclusively online, sending players alone or teamed up in their own Leagues, Legions, and Societies on various missions, some inspired by events from the comics themselves.
Projected in stores late 2010, early 2011

Champions Online: This one isn't a comic book game, techinically. This MMORPG uses superheroes and villains from the table-top RPG Champions. The game's deep and robust universe and customization have been translated into moving form, providing an action oriented overlay to the thinking man's game. Comic writer and editor John Layman is helping translate the story from book to game, and the original creators are involved as well. The game is in private beta now, and on track for its September release.
Due in stores September 4, 2009

Iron Man 2: There isn't a ton of information yet about this just-announced title. Sega is making it, and releasing it before the movie of the same name. This time, it won't really follow the story of the film, instead using a story by Invincible Iron Man the comic's writer, Matt Fraction. Fraction plans to use elements from both the movie universe and the comic universe, and the game is promised to have more mission variety (the first game was defeat x amount of enemies, fly to point b, defeat x amount of enemies, fly to point c, beat boss, repeat).
Due in stores April, 2010

Marvel Super Hero Squad: This game can kind of be described as Marvel Ultimate Alliance for kids. The game features the same re-imagined versions of Marvel's most popular characters as the upcoming animated series, battling their way in one or two player co-op action. It's absolutely adorable, and pretty funny to see a Wolverine with a big goofy grin hacking and slashing. For adults who want to crack into the game, there are unlockable costumes and a four player battle mode somewhat akin to Super Smash Bros.. It's truly a fun-for-the-family title, that plays especially well on the Wii, using a natural combination of motion and button controls.
Due in stores October 20, 2009

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: This one is already out on Xbox 360, but as it is still on the way for PS3, it deserves inclusion on this list. Capcom breathed a second life into the arcade/Dreamcast/PS2/Xbox classic that is notoriously hard to find by making it a downloadable title with online play. The same ridiculously large roster is back, with smoother graphics for your HD display, and you can play ONLINE. Really, that's probably 'nuff said. Now available on Xbox 360, available on PS3 August 13th

MusiGames Studio Presents 'Leds!'

2009-07-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

RECIFE, Brazil - MusiGames, a leading developer of games and edutainment software, today announced the release of Leds! for Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and Google Android smartphones. The puzzle game challenges players to find out which words are displayed in a broken LED panel.

"Everyone looks to LED panels, so we decided to make them even more fun in a game," said Americo Amorim, CEO of MusiGames Studio. "When we go to places such as the doctor or the post office, we usually have to face long waiting periods in lines. This is always boring! We keep looking at LED panels, hoping the waiting ends soon. Now, with the game Leds!, we can also play with them on our iPhone, iPod Touch and even Android smartphones."

Leds! challenges players to discover what is being shown on a panel with some broken Leds. The player has to figure out the letters and numbers that are scrolled along the LED panel, with only 3 columns of Leds! working. The game gets progressively more challenging with two and then one column of Leds.

During the game, the Leds are displayed in different environment such as airports, hospitals, food courts, schools, stadiums and highways. The game includes more than 700 words that are familiar to each location and range from commonly used to more exotic ones.

New 'Tiger Woods' game: All the fun without the divots

2009-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Grade: B+

Video Game » Thanks to the more sensitive Wii MotionPlus add-on for the Nintendo controller, which better simulates real-world movement in games, you can be just as clumsy on the virtual links as the real ones in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10." Though it's on all the other gaming platforms, the Wii version allows players to swing the club like the real thing and play on 27 authentic courses.

Though it adds more realism to the swing, including fades and draws, the game is still more forgiving and not as frustrating as "Grand Slam Tennis," EA Sports' other title that uses the $20 MotionPlus add-on (and if you want to dial down the realism, you can play the game without the MotionPlus).

"Tiger Woods" on the Wii may not look as gorgeous or lush as the versions on other platforms, but it's the closest to simulating golf without tearing up the living-room carpet.

Oh no! The King of All Cosmos

2009-07-09T23:54:00.001-07:00

The King of All Cosmos accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky. Your job, should you be crazy enough to accept it, is to create new ones by rolling a super sticky ball all over the place, collecting animal, vegetable and mineral as you go, until your once small sphere is large enough to suck up mountains, clouds, and even entire planets. Stylish, clever, and packed with one of the catchiest soundtracks ever, the original Katamari Damacy is as weird -- and cool -- as they come.

REVIEW: Punch-Out!!

2009-06-23T23:34:00.001-07:00

It's funny yet sad to know that there is an entire generation of gamers out there who've never experienced the thrill and challenge of a Punch-Out!! game. Although the Virtual Console has recently added the ability to take the ring in the classic Super Punch-Out!!, we haven't seen a new game in the series in over a decade and a half. Thankfully the wait is over in the form of Punch-Out!! for the Wii from Next Level Games. Now the opportunity is there for the new gaming generation to take on the likes of Glass Joe, King Hippo, and all the blatant stereotypes us repeat players have come to love over the years. But is Punch-Out!! just another cash-grab sequel or could it be the next TKO from Tokyo?

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it's old-school gaming at its finest: Pattern recognition and reaction time. Through the course of three different boxing circuits, you'll take on over a dozen fighters each with their own blend of themed attacks, many reflective of the idiosyncrasies often associated with those of that culture. For instance, Glass Joe is portrayed as a weak and fearful Frenchman, whereas Super Macho Man is the attention-grabbing, egomaniacal Californian with punches that include poses for the camera. As outdated as some of these generalizations have become, the variety of colorful characters you'll meet add such a great mix to the game that Punch-Out!! would be lacking in its charm without them. It's something you really don't see in the Fight Night games of the world.

Although I'd have a hard time recommending this game to Grandma and Grandpa Casual Gamer, everyone else should give this game a try. Chances are if you're reading this review you probably aren't part of that casual market anyway. This is one of those rare occurrences where the relaunch of a cherished franchise is just as good as the original. The Wii, unfortunately, has had a lull in quality games for awhile now, so if you're looking for a reason to dust it off, Punch-Out!! is definitely worth picking up. If you're a fan of the series, there's even more incentive to do so. The game takes everything you loved from past entries in the series and brings it all into the current generation in a way that it feels both old and new.

Harold Ramis On Why It's Hard To Make Funny Video Games

2009-06-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

Compared to the number of funny movies, the number of funny games is quite low. Good comedy is hard!
Harold Ramis is a funny guy, and he's writer and/or directed a bunch of funny movies: Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. Why does he think are the challenges of making games funny?

You would think comedy dies with repetition. Once you've heard a joke, you're not going to laugh the second time. And yet people keep revisiting their favorite funny films that they see over and over again.

I hear this all the time, usually from unhappy wives who will tell me their husband has watched Caddyshack 100 times and they say it with a worried look on their face.

Why do people keep watching Ghostbusters or any comedy film? It's not for the surprise. It's something that tickles them deep down and makes them feel good... In video games, it seems like the attraction of playing any videogame is that it gives you control over a world that you have no other access to... Once you've mastered a game, you kind of lose interest. Repetition in a game, you're not only dealing with the repetition of the comedy, but you're dealing with the repetition of the gamers mastering the game, itself. To make a game so funny with so many comic alternatives, that would be like writing three hit movies. The scripts are impossibly long. That would be a considerable investment. And I was thinking if you wrote that much comedy, chances are you would put it in a feature film.

My son is addicted to a violent computer game

2009-06-17T02:19:00.000-07:00

Q: My son is 12 and is addicted to a computer game that is suitable for over-16s. It is violent and features shooting and killing. I got divorced two years ago on the grounds of my husband’s unreasonable behaviour and his drinking. My son has contact with him every weekend.
The problem started when my ex-husband encouraged my son to play this violent game. I went to his primary school, our GP and the school nurse, with little impact. Now my son is in secondary school and he is becoming angrier and angrier; he loses his temper very quickly. My ex-husband is oblivious to the situation and doesn’t want to do anything about it.

I am completely at a loss as to how I can help my child to overcome this addiction before it gets completely out of hand. He is at a very vulnerable and impressionable age. I am so worried about the impact it will have on his psychological health.

A: The issues that you raise reflect the concerns of many parents that I have spoken to since I began investigating potentially harmful aspects of the gaming world. Last year I published my independent report: The Byron Review — Safer Children in a Digital World, in which I explored this vast area and made recommendations to the Government.

We are an incredibly risk-averse culture: in 1971, 80 per cent of seven and eight-year-olds went to school on their own — by 1990 it was only 9 per cent. So it is ironic that we keep our children indoors because of our overblown fears of the “real world” but allow them to roam free in digital spaces. These risks can be through content, such as adult material; contact, when others pose as “friends” while being predators; or conduct, for example, cyber bullying. In addition, many of our “captive” children do not have a balanced lifestyle — they spend too much time indoors, online and playing video games. They become dependent on such activities, unable to tear themselves away. This behaviour is seen most often in boys.

The video games industry is often blamed for producing such content but this is placing responsibility in the wrong place. There are many excellent and exciting games for your son’s age group that encourage thinking and problem-solving. It is not gaming per se that is the problem.

Video “game” denotes some kind of benign influence, as in “it’s only a game”. This shows our ignorance and also our inability to say no. When an adult game very popular with kids was released recently, retailers observed that the long queues were made up mostly of mothers.
However, we must be very careful when we label a behaviour addictive. An addiction is very different to an obsession mixed with defiance. Your son is clearly very attached to this game — partly, it could be argued, because it is something he shares with his father and playing computer games together can be a bonding experience. However, for him to have an addiction to it, the need to play it would have to exert an all-pervasive influence, stopping him eating or sleeping normally.

There are some young people who become so obsessed that they become aggressive if challenged on the subject. Fundamentally, it comes down to understanding why a child is doing what he or she is doing. With your son I can see that there is a concern that his angry behaviour stems not only from his father’s encouragement, but also his father’s “unreasonable behaviour” traits.

You need to set some clear rules at home. These should include limits on the amount of time playing, and if he does not accept this, it may be useful for you to take the gaming consoles away until you can negotiate a compromise. You can also lock consoles so that certain age-rated games won’t play — call the manufacturer for advice.

If you are truly uncomfortable about the kind of contact that your son has with his father, that needs to be addressed either by having a conversation with your ex-husband or, if that is not possible, through a solicitor to highlight concerns that may lead to reduced access. You can also refer yourself to your local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), although your GP should have done this for you. CAMHS can offer support with your son’s game-playing and also support you. They should offer an assessment within six weeks — check with your local primary care trust.

The video gaming industry also offers advice. It may be worth talking to your son’s school and seeing if it would be interested in addressing this issue with pupils and parents.

E3 2009: Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing (PS3)

2009-06-17T02:16:00.001-07:00

I may have played the Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing demo at E3 more than anyone else at the show. I played it three times. Sitting right across from the packed Bayonetta demo, Sonic just didn't get a lot of action. None of the demo units ever had much of a line, and by Day Two the first words out of any Sega Rep's mouth were "it's a lot like Mario Kart." Yet, I had a blast. Is this a problem with me, or is E3 just too glitzy for a game like this?

Granted, Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing is a clone of Mario Kart—That's undeniable. You drive around fantasy race courses as cartoon Sega characters and quickly find fun power-ups to shoot at each other along the way. The game mimics Mario Kart right down to its box-like item drops, crazy jumps, secret alternative routes, little beach crabs, and charging power-slides. Fortunately, I'm a big fan of Mario Kart; it's nice to see Sega (or any developer) try to rip off a Nintendo franchise and not fail miserably in execution. All-Star Racing's controls work, and the game is fun.

The demo I played had only four selectable characters, but I saw four others racing against me, and the "Blizzard Castle" course was from Billy Hatcher, so I presume there will be at least nine total characters, probably more. Sonic, Amy, Samba de Amigo, AiAi (from Monkey Ball), Dr. Eggman, Tails, Shadow, and Kit are the only characters I saw. Selecting your character is more like older versions of Kart, since there is no kart selection.

Each character has its own custom kart. Only two race courses were in the demo: "Seaside Hill" from Sonic, and "Blizzard Castle" from Billy Hatcher. Seaside Hill is a typical Sonic level, with a lot of jumps, loops, and shenanigans going on. Blizzard Castle is not as imaginative as you'd think coming from Billy Hatcher, a game about a boy in a chicken suit who rolls around giant eggs that hatch into magical creatures. It was a pretty bland trek through an icy castle. Pick some better levels from your games, Sega.

Power-ups are in plentiful supply. You find them in floating question mark boxes, like in Kart. The set of power-ups are all pretty standard, homing missiles, shields, speed boosters, etc. You can also perform tricks by pressing the shoulder triggers in mid-air. If you land a trick, you get a little speed bonus.

The Chaos Emerald super power-ups are the only items worth noting. Like in Mario Kart: Double Dash each character has its own Chaos Emerald power, which is kind of like a Power Star or Bullet Bill from Kart. Sonic ditches his car and turns into Super Sonic; AiAi gets his ball back; and Samba de Amigo entices everyone he passes to line up behind him and party. Chaos Emeralds are a lot of fun, though I wish the rest of the power-ups were as imaginative. Racing is fun, but my favorite part of these types of racers has always been the Battle Mode, where you blast each other instead of race.

I couldn't get a firm answer on if the game will have a Battle Mode, but several representatives I talked to said it is a possibility. Four-player splitscreen and eight-player online play is confirmed. There have been a lot of Mario Kart imitators over the years. It's practically pre-requisite spin-off for any popular cartoon-like franchise these days. Crash Bandicoot, Chocobo, Pac-Man, Kirby, Bomberman, Spongebob, The Sims, and even M&Ms have had kart games in the last decade. Sega had an older Sonic kart series called Sonic Drift on the Game Gear back in the 90s. None of them, except maybe Rare's Diddy Kong Racing, have been able to match the fun and replay value of the Mario Kart series. I don't think Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing is going to change this, but Sega isn't phoning it in.

This is probably the best 3D game featuring Sonic, without Mario characters, in quite some time.The build I played was for PS3, and had a few frame rate issues that I hope are ironed out. It will ship to all three consoles, including Wii, next March.

Interactive Video Games Offer Exercise Benefits

2009-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Couch potatoes beware: If you start playing a new generation of video games that require users to get up and move around, you may find yourself getting a bit more fit.

New research suggests that several exercise-based Nintendo Wii video games provide health benefits, in one case equal to that of light jogging.
And seniors in Florida managed to raise their heart rates by playing a video-game version of bowling. Many managed to have a good time and even engage in some "trash talk" about who was better, the researchers said.

Exercise-via-video-game might not replace the value of traditional methods of getting fit, said Elizabeth DiRico, an exercise physiologist who studied college students who played Wii athletic games. Still, "if you have an unfit individual, this would be a good way to transition them from being a couch potato into moving more," she said.

Playing a video game has traditionally been a sedentary activity, requiring users to do little more than stand or sit and manipulate a joystick. But many new video games require players to get up and move about, whether to dance or mimic the movements of real-life athletes.

In the Wii bowling game, for instance, players hold onto a controller device as if it were a bowling ball and try to hit the virtual pins at the end of a lane on the screen. The game doesn't require quite as much physical activity as real-life bowling -- for one, the "ball" doesn't weigh much -- but players do have to move around and perhaps get out of their chairs when it's their turn.
In one of the new studies, researchers asked 44 people in their 60s, 70s and 80s to play the Wii bowling game at a senior center in Pensacola, Fla. The researchers found that the game boosted the heart rate of the participants by about 40 percent, and many reported enjoying the game, said study co-author Lucas A. Willoughby, now a former graduate student at the University of West Florida.

The findings "let us know that the older adults felt more enthusiastic and rejuvenated, in better psychological shape than when they started," he said. "They even felt a little bit younger, like they were kids again."

Some of the seniors found it challenging at first to throw the bowling ball using the controller, but they figured it out, Willoughby said.

"Some were really getting into it. They were recruiting their friends and trying to play tournaments," Willoughby said. They also said things like "I got a strike and you got a gutter ball," he added. "They were trash-talking each other."

In the other study, DiRico and her colleagues monitored the bodies of 13 college students as they played one of three Wii games -- boxing, tennis or aerobics -- for 10 minutes after learning how to play.

The aerobics and tennis games provided light intensity exercise, which may not mean much, especially if a person was already fit, said DiRico, who works for a WellPoint health benefits company fitness center. But the boxing game provided more of an exercise boost, equivalent to a light jog, she said.

Players may find the games more fun and stimulating than other forms of exercise, DiRico said. But the games should be seen as the beginning of an exercise program, not the end point, she said.

The study results were presented last month at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, in Seattle.

E3: New Super Mario Bros. more casual than ever

2009-06-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

If it's one thing that Nintendo has been able to prove with the Wii console, it's that there are more people out there that are discovering how much fun gaming can be without ever playing a video game before in their life. Wii Sports, the number one selling video game ever, is a prime example of how one game can appeal to an exremely large audience.

New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii returns Mario to the kind of gameplay experienced in the first Super Mario Bros., the second best selling video game of all time. The game returns to the basics, a 2-D side-scroller all about platforming, coin collecting and stomping enemies on the head.
The biggest upgrade to New Super Mario Bros. Wii is that up to 4 players will all be able to play the game simultaneously. This might not sound like a big deal but is a very difficult task to accomplish. When it comes to a side-scrolling game, it can be hard enough to make the gameplay accomidate just two players, let alone four.

One player might want to race through the level as fast as possible while a newer, less-experienced play might want to hang back and take their time. New Super Mario Bros. Wii takes into account the fact that there might be players with different skill levels playing the game and thus has included a feature to allow one player to pick up another player and carry them. So if grandma is playing as Luigi and having a hard time with one particular area, you can pick him up, carry him across the pitfall, and then set him back down afterwards. This eliminates the need to snatch the controller away from another player to get them past a difficult part to be able to continue.

There is genius in the game's simplicity and for fans of the original Super Mario Bros., there is very little to complain about. New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be on the store shelves by Christmas and is one of those rare games that just about everyone will enjoy.

Meet the Digital Beatles

2009-06-04T20:42:00.001-07:00

If Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr keep meeting like this, we’re going to have to start rumors of a Beatles reunion. In Los Angeles for the video game industry’s E3 Expo, our roving reporter Seth Schiesel sent us this report from an event Monday where the Fab Two and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison were on hand to announce more details of their coming video game, The Beatles: Rock Band.

Mr. Schiesel writes:

Let it not be said that the widows and surviving members of the Beatles cannot make common cause when the price is right. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison each showed up on stage on Monday at Microsoft’s media briefing in advance of the E3 game convention here to show their support for The Beatles: Rock Band, the new music video game from MTV Games that is scheduled to be released in September. Mr. McCartney (“We love the game”) and Mr. Starr (“The game is good”) said little. Ms. Lennon and Ms. Harrison said less. The actual demonstration of the game, in which players sing, play drums or mock guitar or bass, was conducted by a “house band” from the game’s development studio. The companies announced 10 of the songs that will be included with the game, including “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Day Tripper,” “Taxman,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “Get Back.”

At the press conference, it was also announced that The Beatles: Rock Band, which will be released on Sept. 9 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles, would include a total of 45 Beatles songs on disc. “All You Need Is Love” will be released that day as an exclusive Xbox 360 download, and the entire “Abbey Road” album will be released for download at a later date.

At Least Two Online Games Have Been Created Thanks To The Bush Shoe-Throwing Incident!

2009-06-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

People can be so creative. The latest online inventions gives you a chance to become the Bush shoe-thrower in that infamous incident in Iraq. What fun that will be for all the anti-Bush folks out there! Here’s more from the Sydney Morning Herald:

“In internet land, yesterday’s news is today’s viral web hit, especially when it involves a chance to poke fun at US President George Bush.

Within hours of the now infamous shoe-throwing incident – or “shoegate”, as it was inevitably labelled – online hoons began remixing the footage into funny animated images and at least two online games.

In the first game, created by mischief makers in France, players assume the role of Bush and earn points depending on how long they can dodge shoes, which fly at him at a rapidly increasing frequency.

In the second game, Bush’s Boot Camp, the shoe, so to speak, is on the other foot, with players taking the role of a gun-toting security agent who must shoot the flying shoes before they reach the President.”

Free Realms Review

2009-05-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

Sony Online Entertainment quietly launched their Free to Play children's MMORPG Free Realms last week. The world is colorfully populated with fairies, humans and a variety of fantastical creatures. It is a mix of RPG combat, mini-games fashioned after the popular casual games on the market, a trading card game and various other tasks that require the player to explore and use analytical thinking to solve. There's also race car driving and demolition derby style jobs available.

There's plenty to do at any given time in the game, but for players who like to focus strongly on one aspect of the game, they will find themselves quickly wearing thin of what is available. It is very easy to level to 20 in any one job and once maxed out, other than grinding away at the activities that got the player there, there isn't a lot to do. However, for those who want to pursue all the activities the game has to offer, there's plenty of fun to be had.

The tutorial does its job, meaning it introduces the players to the basics of combat, mini-games and interaction with the game world. Interaction itself is simplified. Everything can be controlled by the mouse, but movement and hotkeys are mapped to the keyboard as well. There are still a couple of quirks with the interface, like opening up the jobs and equipment menu won't allow players to move to the second page of jobs, as the equipment menu lays over the page selectors. Opening up just the jobs menu with J fixes this. The same is true in collections quests as well, there's no way to see multiple pages on the collections screen, and we haven't been able to find a workaround for this.

Home » Blog Central » Screen Play » Spend up

2009-04-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

A recent news story in The Financial Review suggested the Australian games industry was continuing to enjoy bumper sales despite (or perhaps because of) the economic downturn.
Harvey Norman report console software sales are up for the first quarter by over 40 per cent, while console hardware increased 30 per cent.

Considering 2008 game sales were up 47 per cent to reach nearly $2 billion, the continuing growth is impressive.

If you are one of the countless Australians who has recently received payments from Chairman Rudd, have you spent some of the money on games or gaming hardware?

The Screen Play community is also keen to hear what games you have been playing recently, and what future releases might tempt you to spend some of your stimulus payment.
by Jason Hill

WB, TT Games, Lego and Harmonix team up for LEGO Rock Band

2009-04-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

LEGO Rock Band is now officially on the way. A mere rumour months ago, you’ll now be able to “Build a Band and Rock the Universe" as the weirdest mash-up of franchises is due to hit later this year. The game will be heading to the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well the Nintendo DS. It marks the first time the Rock Band franchise has been on Nintendo’s portable console.

Like LEGO itself, the game's funny, customisable and you’ll be able to build your own band and entourage, including roadies, managers and crew. LEGO Rock Band supports Rock Band instruments, as well as “other” game controllers, which we assume will mean Guitar Hero ones. The game is being focused as a more family orientated game with a track list to suit. The follow tracks have been revealed so far;

Blur: “Song 2”

Carl Douglas: "Kung Fu Fighting”

Europe: “The Final Countdown”

Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”P

ink: “So What”

All the companies involved have glorious things to say about each other. We’ll have more on the game as it is revealed.

Field report: the first ten hours of Demigod

2009-04-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

After playing Demigod for the past few days, it's clear that you almost have to play another game before giving any thoughts. That game is, of course, Defense of the Ancients, a custom scenario for WarCraft 3. You can't talk about Demigod without talking about DotA, at least as far as I can tell from reading the threads on various gaming fora. There is an entire section of the review guide for Demigod that deals with the differences between itself and Defense of the Ancients.
I haven't played Defense of the Ancients. You can filter all my thoughts through that sentence, or howl with rage if that makes you feel better.
In Demigod, you play as one of eight... well, demigods, on maps where you face off against the opposing side. Each player has a demigod he or she controls, and there are computer-controlled armies that clash against each other as you battle. You can set differing conditions for success, including killing the other side's demigods, destroying its Citadel, or controlling enough flags to score a set number of "war points."
In fact, the options for the game are rather extensive, even though they may not seem so at first blush. You basically play a hero unit, and you have many decisions to make. Should you attack the other team's Citadel? Keep their demigods busy? Fight the underlings for easy victories to level up and gain more abilities? You can't be everywhere, and deciding where to use your power and to what extent is a large part of the strategy of the game. The other side's demigods are just as active as you are, and it's always amusing when players ignore each other in order to take care of more pressing business on the map.
As you fight, you gain powers, which use mana and are as varied as the demigods, and as you gain possession of different flags on the map you also gain the ability to earn more gold or visit stores where you can buy items. Or you can spend your gold making your buildings or soldiers more powerful. The strategy is abyssal, even if the maps are relatively small. It's like a chess board: limited space to move, but a ton of strategy to use within those barriers.

You know it's bad news when the CEO of the publisher suggests you use a third-party solution to play online. "Now right now, Demigod, as a game, is awesome. Demigod, as an on-line service, however, sucks ass. It works fine for what I dare say most people but for others, it's just awful," Brad Wardell wrote on his blog yesterday.
I can say I'm enjoying the game mightily so far, and discovering new strategies every day as I play more and more skirmishes online and off. For $40, this is an easy game to recommend for those who like their strategy fast-paced. While I'm sure I could give a much more thorough review if I had a day or two to do nothing but play Demigod, I can say that after the first ten hours or so, I'm going to give it a thumbs up, would play again.
A stronger single-player game, built-in voice chat, and working multiplayer would have made this one much easier to recommend, but I have a feeling the game we'll be playing in a week will feel nothing like the online experience players are having now. We'll keep checking in.

Invincible Tiger: Legend Of Han Tao Screenshots For PS3/Xbox 360

2009-02-22T03:31:00.000-08:00

New screenshots for the retro-looking, 3D, side-scrolling fighter that will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s digital distribution services. Given the slow weekend news, we thought you might enjoy a few new screenshots that Namco Bandai released. The game is a collaborative effort between Blitz Games and Namco Bandai, and this unique fighter just might manage to capture the gaming community with its old-school flair and new-school gaming mechanics. It reminds me a little bit of the original One Must Fall (and I’m not talking about the Epic Games classic with giant robots). Invincible Tiger will feature some fast-paced fighting, special moves, and even a two-player cooperative feature. Additional features include a survival mode and online score tracking. The new screenshots showcase some of the games diverse fighting moves and the pseudo-side scrolling atmosphere in which the game is set. I’m just glad the characters look like they come out of a kung-fu classic, and not some Saturday morning cartoon. You can check out the new screenshots below, or visit the Official Blitz Games Website for more info on Invincible Tiger: Legend of Han Tao.

Sex Week: Hit Me (Baby) One More Time

2009-02-15T02:25:00.000-08:00

When I first sat down to write about BDSM for newbies, I figured that I'd wind up with some sort of simple list; you know, 1. Handcuffs. 2. Dog collar. 3. Light smack across the face.
But how naive I was! BDSM, which is a complex acronym that stands for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism, isn't about getting turned on by the feel of something being wrapped around your neck. "The essence of BDSM play is a power exchange," says Ann-Marie Holman, Press Liaison for Syren and JT's Stockroom. "You play with giving one person more power or complete power, and the other person less...or at least, trying to create that illusion psychologically."
Now, I haven't tried much BDSM myself, but that is a lot fucking hotter than I thought.
So, the easy digestible list re: BDSM for beginners is a little less about things or fancy moves, and a little more about the glue that holds every relationship together: communication. With that in mind, here are my revised steps for introducing a little kink this Valentine's Day:
1. Open the dialogue.
So, what...you're worried about how to tell your girlfriend of six years that you'd like to tie her up and hit her with a bullwhip? What's so daunting about that? Jeez, grow a pair...oh, I kid. It's a very tough conversation to have. But the good news is that opening up about your sexual desires is good for more than just pleasing your trouser snake. "You're forced to talk about your sex life, your relationship...you're talking about your dynamic with each other, what it's like and how you want it to be different when you're playing," says Holman.
If that's still a little overwhelming, Holman suggests opening up the conversation in a different way: in the heat of the moment. During sex, ask if you can spank your partner, or tell them to close their eyes. This can plant the seed for having a conversation later. Also, she suggests, keep it about your partner, as in, "This is something I'd like to try...with you."
2. Establish boundaries.
Now that you've decided you're going to move forward, the next step is figuring out how far you can take it. Because while it might seem that BDSM play is all just a smorgasboard of random smacks and hog-ties, it's actually all negotiated beforehand - even for the highly experienced.
"It is fun and challenging to push your boundaries, but it's something to work up to," says Holman. The more you play around, the more you'll get to understand your partner and know when you can keep going, and when you need to stop.
You'll also need to establish a safe word or signal. "You always have to arrange something that will be a clear departure form whatever situation you're playing out," says Holman. For instance, saying "no" might be a bad idea, because saying "no" might be part of the roleplay or the game. "Some people use complicated words like weiner schnitzel," she goes on. I'd just add that if you're feeling nervous, a word like weiner schnitzel would certainly do the trick to keep the moment light.
3. Play!
So, you've broached the idea, you've thought up a safe word, you know what turns your partner on...now it's time to get in there and get started! But reign it in for a second, sailor: "Newbies always want floggers and bullwhips, but those are really difficult," says Holman. Start with something you can handle. JT's Stockroom makes a line called Kinklab that's designed for beginners, and is a good place to start. You can also look at books, watch movies (Eyes Wide Shut, anyone?) and look at pictures online or in magazines to get a feel for what you might like to try.
Now get in there, and give it all you've got, and of course...have fun.

Spore spurs up four new titles including ones for Nintendo Wii and DS

2009-01-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven’t had enough of the evolution in the original Spore and more than 65 million player-creations, Maxis and Electronics Arts have announced four new titles under the Spore franchise – Spore Galactic Adventures, Spore Creature Keeper, Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena. Each of these titles promises to introduce unique gameplay for all creature creators, space hunters and action adventurers.
“Last year was a very exciting year for Maxis with the release of Spore. We were overwhelmed by the massive response to the game from the millions of people that created, shared and played in the Spore universe,” said General Manager of Maxis, Lucy Bradshaw. “This year we’re going to experiment with new experiences that extend the powerful creativity tools of Spore to all-new audiences. With the universe as our backdrop, the only limit in the Spore universe is your own imagination.”

The Spore Galactic Adventures is coming this spring for PC. Spore Galactic Adventures adds the infinite universe to the original game and lets players “beam down” on planetshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet and strategize mission based adventures. The “adventure creator” in the Spore Galactic Adventures lets gamers create their own mission and share them with others on the game’s official site.
Spore Creature Keeper is a standalone PC gamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer_game that lets players give their personally-created creatures a personalized nurturing, training and playing. There are toys, clotheshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing and gizmoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gizmo , players can shower their pet creatures with and pamper them! Players can also have a play-date online for more “creature fun”.
Debuting on Wii is Spore Hero, the first Spore to go on the Nintendo console. This title of Spore takes players to adventure world which is “beautiful” and “colorful”. Likewise, there is the Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS. It features fully-3D Spore creatures adding another dimension to the play! Both these titles which are meant exclusively for the Nintendo consoles will debut this fall.
To experience every spore of Spore, one can download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator or check out more than 65 million player-created organisms till date.

Blaze A "Sun Food" Trail To The Inauguration

2009-01-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

Electric cars and high speed rail top the wish lists of many a progressive, but for now, those lucky few who'll be hitting the road this weekend to head to DC for the inauguration must still rely on our tired old trinity of transit: trains, planes, and automobiles.
Drivers will be making pit stops all along the way to fuel up on petroleum-based products--oh, and also to get some gas. The pit stops I'm talking about are those roadside eateries where plates are piled high with a corn-ucopia of commodity crop-based crap: grain-fed factory farmed flesh deep fried in genetically modified soybean oil, with a side of fries. Top it off with a quart of high fructose corn syrup-sweetened soda and drink a toast to Big Ag!
Sure, gas is the only game in town to keep your engine running, but when it comes to recharging your own batteries, you can switch to solar power right now. How? By getting your calories from local, sustainably produced, predominantly plant-based foods instead of the meat-mad-schlepped-from-god-knows-where-fossil-fueled-fare served up at your standard diner.
Oh, yeah, like finding fresh-from-the-farm food on the road is so easy? Well, actually, it's a whole lot easier than it used to be, thanks to an online resource called the Eat Well Guide. Whether you're heading out from the heartland--or the bi-coastal "arugula belt"--the EWG's interactive mapping tool, Eat Well Everywhere, lets you print out your own ready-to-roll, customized "eat-inerary" with directions to the shops, co-ops, restaurants, farmers markets and even B & B's along your route that feature locally grown fruits, veggies, pastured animal products and all the other good stuff you can't find at conventional roadside restaurants.
The election may be over, but we still get to vote three times a day for a more humane and sustainable food chain. So all you progressive foodies who are flocking to DC to give Obama an earful on Vilsack and victory gardens, put your money where your mouth is-- fuel up on foods brought to you through the miracle of photosynthesis, and save the fossil fuels for your gas tank.
Obama's Inauguration
Electric cars and high speed rail top the wish lists of many a progressive, but for now, those lucky few who'll be hitting the road this weekend to head to DC for the inauguration must still rely on...
Electric cars and high speed rail top the wish lists of many a progressive, but for now, those lucky few who'll be hitting the road this weekend to head to DC for the inauguration must still rely on...

The Rundown: Dec. 19, 2008

2008-12-21T00:53:00.000-08:00

December 19th, 2008, 8:22 pm by James Fudge

SEGA’s classic arcade racer is ready for a triumphant return. Developed by Sumo Digital, OutRun Online Arcade will bring online multiplayer racing for up to 6 players and modes like OutRun, Heart Attack and Time Attack. OutRun Online Arcade on Xbox LIVE will feature achievements and voice; and on PlayStation Network will include trophies, voice over IP and leaderboards. The game will hit Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network in early 2009.…Konami has released a free demo of Metal Gear Online, its squad-based, tactical shooter based on the popular Metal Gear Solid Universe. A limited version of the Metal Gear Online game is now available exclusively on the PlayStation Network. The demo showcases the multiplayer aspect of the series including specialization skills, the new Sons of Patriot (SOP) system, online play and more. More details at http://www.konami.com/.…Holiday shoppers visiting ToysRUs Times Square will find a new department dedicated to Nintendo’s products. The Nintendo department will be located on Level One of the ToysRUs international flagship store. visitors can check out Nintendo’s hardware and software first hand, before making a purchase. In addition to the new Nintendo department, shoppers can also find Nintendo’s products in the R Zone department on the store’s Lower Level.…Microsoft says that its singing game LIPS will get 14 downloadable tracks between December 19 and January 9, 2009 via Xbox Live Marketplace.…DOFUS creators ANKAMA group announced that it is developing its very first console-based video game . The company is working on Islands of Wakfu, an Xbox Live Arcade game featuring the same stylized graphics found in DOFUS and Wakfu (its online MMO games), but adds an animated cartoon vibe. The game will be an action adventure beat ‘em up featuring characters from The Wakfu universe, as well as multiplayer and other features specific to XBLA. Islands of Wakfu is planned for release in late 2009 on the Xbox Live Arcade.…Dungeon Runners players will have to wait a bit longer for the latest update. The official web site reports that the Build 153 publish has been delayed due to a “pretty bad bug that’s cropped up.” More details on when it will go live are to be announced.…KingsIsle Entertainment announced Dragonspyre, the first new 3D world to be added to its teen virtual world Wizard101 since the game launched this fall. Dragonspyre is a large, high level world expected to launch in January 2009 and continues the storyline of Wizard101. It is an ancient haunted world in which renegade professor Mallistaire has recently been spotted. Once an advanced militant society, Dragonspyre had an esteemed Academy rivaling that of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts in Wizard City. …GDI Game Domain International has launched the public beta of its digital distribution platform, AWOMO. The company says that its platform is capable of distributing content of all shapes and sizes and will soon prove it when it goes live in 2009.…A playable demo has been released for CID The Dummy, an action game to be published by Oxygen Games. The demo contains a tutorial to help you learn all of CID’s tricks, skills and weapons. More details at http://www.cidthedummy.com/.…Wicked Interactive and G4BOX announced today that Wicked Interactive’s SUBA Games platform will now host G4BOX MMORPG, Metin2, and its upcoming online FPS, Cross Fire. The deal means that these games and others will utilize a new unified login system and put both company’s games in one place.

Quantum of Solace

2008-12-14T00:40:00.000-08:00

There's something strangely comforting in a film series that is older than you by a decade or two, and while Star Wars tends to secure a place in the hearts of boys sooner, eventually the venerable James Bond movies will earn their adoration as well. Ever since Dr. No in 1962, Commander Bond, 007, has been entertaining spy fans around the world with its unique blend of espionage, gadgetry and gorgeous girls. In 2006 though, Bond experienced his most dramatic reinvention ever with Casino Royale, which dropped the gadgetry, puns and frivolous fun in favour of a darker, more realistic tone. The reboot was a resounding success, and 2008 saw the first ever direct sequel in the Bond franchise with Quantum of Solace, which picks up minutes after the events of Casino Royale.
The Quantum of Solace game follows suit, and it sticks fairly close to the film's plot without spoiling the story. It does this by introducing a couple of new locations while extending scenes beyond what we saw on-screen, but more importantly, it also includes a sizeable chunk of material from Casino Royale for good measure. The end result is a game that is at once familiar and fresh, which is a tough ask for most movie tie-ins. Where the movie begins with Bond eluding enemies in his trademark Aston Martin with a baddie in the boot, the game starts with Bond actually apprehending said villain and skips the driving sequence in lieu of a cut-scene.
This sort of scenario is common in the Quantum of Solace game, and it's effective precisely because it does deftly sidestep the pitfalls that come with trying to shoehorn a first-person shooter experience into films that actually have very little run-and-gun action in them. Not only that, Treyarch have also eschewed the obvious driving, flying or boating sequences that they could have made you play, instead focusing on delivering the best shooter they can. So iconic scenes from the two films - like Bond pursuing a bomb-maker through a shanty-town – are well represented, while others have been slightly reworked to remove civilian collateral and give Bond more room to move...and to shoot.
At heart, Quantum of Solace is a by-the-books first-person shooter, made interesting by the inclusion of some third-person action in the form of a Gears of War style cover system. Most of your time will be spent seeing the world through Bond's eyes, but if you press the A button in front of suitable structures, the camera will pull back to allow you a better view of the action and allow you to target enemies from behind cover. This isn't the only time you'll see 007 in the flesh though: click the right thumbstick near an enemy and you'll enter takedown mode, which allows you to unleash some of the brutal melee moves that have become the trademark of Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond.
For a game that has chosen to focus exclusively on shooting, you'd expect that Quantum of Solace would do a pretty damn good job of it, and for the most part, it does. The gunplay is solid (albeit entirely bloodless), the cover system works well, and the A.I. holds its own except for the occasional lapse in logic and the obligatory poke-my-head-out-so-you-can-shoot-it-off dynamic that such games require. Although Bond's predilection has always been for the Walther PPK pistol, Treyarch appreciate that killing hundreds of henchmen with a handgun gets tiresome, and have included a bevy of ballistic goodies to mow down minions. Sadly the lack of blood is only part of the aversion to impactful violence, so it's often hard to gauge if you've hit your enemies or if they're close to carking it.
And while Treyarch don't force dodgy driving levels down your throat, there is a surprisingly heavy emphasis on stealth in Quantum of Solace. While the new Bond knows how to be discreet when absolutely necessary, anyone who has seen the two new films will know that he is much more inclined to barge into an embassy and blow it up than he is to diplomatically sneak his way in. Thankfully the stealth gameplay works well; a silenced weapon won't ever be heard by your foes so you're free to shoot with impunity so long as you don't do it in front of a camera or drop a fellow in front of his friends. You can also use your mobile to study the movement patterns of the enemy, but on normal or lower difficulty this isn't necessary. In fact, there's none of the usual instant-fail penalty for sloppy sneaking – if you want to go in guns blazing, well, you've got a licence to kill!
As you would expect from a game built around two films, almost every level features locations and scenes from the movies, some very faithfully recreated, others taking some poetic licence. The chase scene through the construction yard and the Venetian demolition from Casino Royale are the two standouts in terms of authenticity, while the levels in the science centre and Casino Royale itself are excellent examples of how to extrapolate exciting gameplay out of entirely gun-free scenes. In case you haven't gotten the hint yet, the irony for the Quantum of Solace game is that its most enjoyable moments are all from...Casino Royale. In fact, Quantum of Solace really just serves as bookends to what is probably the longest flashback sequence in the history of videogames – 7 of its 12 levels are based on Casino Royale.
This isn't a bad thing in and of itself, although fans would have to be forgiven for feeling a little misled given how there's barely a quantum of solace in the game. It's also an incredibly brief game, weighing in at less than 8 hours playtime on the default difficulty, so without Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace would barely rate as a mini-game. You only live twice, apparently, but your game probably won't – there's very little reason to replay Quantum of Solace unless you're after the Achievements. The unlockables are well presented, allowing you to wander around an in-game representation of MI6 to view them, but the chapter-select doesn't go so far as to tell you how many collectibles you're missing or anything helpful.
But if the solo world is not enough for you, there's always the multiplayer mode! Much like the singleplayer, the online component could be adequately described as "solid.” It checks off all the right features and presses all the right buttons – the now-standard online career with unlockable weapons and perks, coupled with all the usual gameplay modes like deathmatch, VIP and a juggernaut centred around the eponymous Golden Gun. The online progression lacks the depth of COD4 or World at War, but since you're just earning money rather than experience, you can easily focus on getting the weapons and perks you want as early as you can. Matchmaking is solid and quick in the more popular game modes, although you'll end up in a lot of European games, so expect plenty of love from Russia!

Graphically, Quantum of Solace is not a view to kill for, and despite using a modified version of Infinity Ward's excellent Call of Duty 4 engine, the game's cross-platform roots shine through like a bad dye job on a bottle blonde. It's particularly grim when you compare it to Treyarch's other big release of 2008, Call of Duty: World at War, which looked fantastic. It's not that Quantum of Solace looks awful, it just lacks the level of detail and polish that we've come to expect. Still, it performs well with nary a drop in framerate or a serious graphical glitch.
The game fares a little better in the audio department, with all the major players from the films lending voice to their on-screen characters. The soundtrack is great, although for some reason the actual theme song has vanished rather inexplicably. Sound effects are solid, but probably won't leave your sound-system shaken or your emotions stirred. Given the game's proclivity for stealth-sections and silenced weapons though, this shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone.

Vigilante 8: Arcade (XBLA) Review

2008-12-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

The classic 70’s car battling extravaganza makes its next-gen debut. This generation of gaming is really blessed in terms of games and content. The Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii are filled to the brim with games featuring deep story lines, unparalleled graphics, and dynamic gameplay. Games like Fable II, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, and Little Big Planet have set the gaming world on fire this season. But it wasn’t so long ago that developers would take a few cars, bolt some weapons onto them, and let you loose on a level to just have at it. No multiple endings, no rich story, no earth shattering technical abilities. Just plain old car on car violence and at the time, nothing was sweeter. Activision is hoping to remind everyone just how great the good ‘ol days were with their remake of their hit franchise entitled Vigilante 8: Arcade.GameplayVigilante 8, along with Twisted Metal, was the mother of car battling games way back when. The concept was simple and incredibly fun. In principle, take the any burly man’s 2 favorite things in the world (guns and cars, with red meet coming in close at number 3) combine them, and let the magic the happen. The result was the birth of vehicular combat that helped make it a marquee genre during the years of N64 and the original Playstation.

In Vigilante 8: Arcade, players take control of 1 of 8 armored vehicles and battle it out in a variety of game modes. The main single player mode is Quest, which features a free for all of automotive destruction. Each level features an increasing number of enemy cars that need to be destroyed before getting to the final stage where a boss battle goes down. Then there’s the aptly titled Quick mode that lets you jump into a ...well..a quick battle, Custom battle which allows for choosing enemies and levels, and finally the Free Wheeling mode which lets gamers explore levels, enemy free, to find hidden alien artifacts. The game also features Deathmatch and Co-Op multiplayer modes, in both local and online varieties.Now Vigilante 8: Arcade isn’t really just a ported copy of the same Vigilante 8 which graced our Playstations and N64s back in the day. It’s more of a mash up of Vigilante 8 and Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense. The 5 levels featured in Vigilante 8: Arcade are hybrids from levels taken from both previous games. Certain levels, like the Oil Fields, are brand new but are heavily influenced by older levels from previous games while other levels, such as Meteor Crash, are a combination of similar levels from both of the older games. This is a nice touch added to the game by the developers over at Isopod Labs to give Vigilante 8: Arcade its unique flavor. Instead of giving everyone a straightforward port of the game, they changed it up a bit and added their own take on the game to give it some new life. Kudos.

Hyundai, DirecTV, HP to Sponsor TNT Drama

2008-12-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

TNT is using a variety of integration and interactive elements for three sponsors of its upcoming espionage drama series “Leverage.”

Hyundai will be the exclusive premiere sponsor of the series, pushing its Genesis vehicle in an ad-free prime time debut of the new series on Dec. 7 before it moves to a regular schedule slot on the cable network on Dec. 9.
DirecTV and Hewlett-Packard will join in as sponsors for the second episode of the series. All three sponsors will have passive and active product integrations throughout the series.
One of the characters will demonstrate a new video surveillance system he’s devised, and then switch to multiple screens of National Football League games on DirecTV, effectively demonstrating its high definition sports packages. One of the “Leverage” characters will be using an H-P laptop computer. The Hyundai Genesis GSP system and its auxiliary port for mp3 devices will be featured, along with internal and external shots of the vehicle.
“The nice thing about this show is it’s such a high-tech, slick show,” said Katherine Johnson, senior vice president of Turner Entertainment promotions and marketing. “They’re all sort of showcasing tech and advanced products.”
The Hyundai Genesis also will be part of an interactive game that will invite viewers to help the “Leverage” team who double-crossed them in a robbery gone awry. An online video featuring series star Timothy Hutton exhorts consumers to help the “Leverage” team “get even” and potentially win $100,000 in the process.
The online headquarters, mirroring the on-air version, features a Hyundai Genesis with $100,000 in its trunk. Players engage in weekly missions to uncover clues through casual game play with tie-ins to the series characters.
The cable network will bring its “NBA on TNT” show into play, with co-host Ernie Johnson challenging Charles Barkley to figure out which one of three Genesis models has $10,000 in its trunk. If Sir Charles chooses correctly, a charity of his choice gets the money; the wrong choice sends the money to a charity that Johnson supports.

Cool Hand Online Poker Joins the Microgaming Poker Network

2008-11-29T03:11:00.000-08:00

Times have changed and our players have spoken, so Cool Hand Online Poker has made the decision to open itself to the Microgaming online poker network. This will allow players to enjoy all the benefits of playing in one of the online world's most respected and safest poker environments. The changes will not inconvenience any Cool Hand players; in fact they will now allow poker players to enjoy an even larger selection of online poker games and tournaments.
The Cool Hand Online Poker Room offers players a highly competitive 100% match bonus up to $350 and allows players to enjoy both real and practice play. For all new online poker players Cool Hand also offers a poker school that offers a step by step guide to playing the world's most popular card game. Cool Hand Online Poker offers players the chance to take part in poker promotions that offer MP3 players, Music Vouchers, Gaming Consoles and so much more.
About Carmen Media:The Carmen Media Group is a global gaming and entertainment group which was incorporated in Gibraltar and formed in 2002 out of the Demmy Group of companies. Its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd is licensed from Gibraltar to operate casinos and multiplayer poker in the online domain.
Carmen Media owns many of the world's oldest and most respected online gaming sites including The Gaming Club Online Casino (founded 1995), Jackpot City Online Casino (founded 1998), River Belle Online Casino (founded 1997) and Lucky Nugget Online Casino, as well as Cool Hand Poker.
Carmen Media products and online gaming brands are promoted through the industry leading gaming affiliate program ReferBack, thereby affording its partners opportunities to market English, French, Italian, German and Spanish products.
The Carmen Media Group is incorporated and based in Gibraltar. Its products are operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Tower Rock Ltd under a license issued by the Government of Gibraltar, and all of its flagship casino brands have been awarded the eCOGRA seal of approval.
For more information on Carmen Media, please visit http://www.carmenmedia.com/

Guitar Hero World Tour vs Wii Music

2008-11-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Get ready to rock’n’roll – two new monster music games have just hit the stores

Gentlemen, choose your instruments. The two hottest music games of the year have hit the shops, and the question on the lips of every wannabe pop star is: which one has the X factor?
The two games — Nintendo’s Wii Music and Guitar Hero World Tour — both promise players the thrill of reproducing well-known songs and allow them to mime along to their favourites: strum a digital guitar or bang a digital drum and the movement and sound will be recreated on the screen by their digital character.
Each game takes a radically different approach. With Guitar Hero World Tour, which is available on most consoles, players use instrument-style props to play along as accurately as possible to various tunes shown on a television screen. Unlike previous editions of the series, in which players could only use a plastic guitar, gamers can now also bash drums or even yell into a microphone.
By contrast, Nintendo’s Wii Music is available solely for the Japanese giant’s home console and requires no fancy props. Instead players use the Wii’s motion-sensitive remotes to mimic the physical movements associated with each on-screen instrument.

The stakes for the winning game are high. Over the past five years, gaming has moved out of the bedroom and into the living room; it is no longer the preserve of spotty teenagers and has instead become a pastime that is fun for all the family. A recent report by Verdict Research, the retail analyst, found that British consumers were on course to spend £4.6 billion on video games and associated hardware in 2008, eclipsing the £4.4 billion predicted to be spent on music and film products.
So which game rocks and which sucks? First up is Wii Music. Here you and up to three friends can play along to various songs using a choice of around 60 virtual instruments. Each “musician” must first attach the two parts of the Wii’s remote motion-sensitive control together to enable two-handed playing. Each instrument works slightly differently: you typically perform actions that loosely replicate those associated with what’s being played. For instance, with hand bells you hold each arm out straight, then pivot your forearms at the elbow. The quicker each hand is moved, the faster the notes are played.
Unlike most other music games, Wii Music doesn’t require you to hit the correct note in sequence at a specific time. Simply pick up the controls and jam away. No matter what tempo you move at, and regardless of the notes that you play, you will always create a passable performance. The real beauty of Wii Music lies in its simple gameplay that encourages everyone to have a go.
The cartoon-style musicians that mimic your movements on screen reinforce the child-friendly atmosphere and the instant musical gratification. Nevertheless, the question remains: if you can’t get it wrong, where is the fun in getting it right?
Guitar Hero World Tour is more challenging. This is the fourth main instalment in the series — which was launched in 2005 — and can be played using a standard console controller. But the franchise was made famous by its use of a replica guitar prop that enabled each gamer to rock along with the supplied songs shown on screen by pressing colour-coded buttons on the fret board to form notes or chords, which are then played by strumming in time with the music on a bar that represents the strings of an electric guitar.
This latest incarnation of Guitar Hero adds the option of buying enough faux instruments to create a virtual band — for £110 extra. The star of the Guitar Hero show, though, remains the main guitar prop, which is larger than its predecessor and has been redesigned. Equally impressive, however, is its wireless drum controller. This consists of three pressure-sensitive drum pads, two rubberised cymbals, a foot pedal — and two wooden drumsticks.
The game can still be played with guitar alone, yet it really comes to life when you rope in enough friends to form a band. Singers must harmonise to scrolling on-screen lyrics while the other musicians try to hit the correct colour-coded notes in the right sequence as they appear on the TV screen. Timing and co-ordination are crucial, as is a keen sense of rhythm. Accomplished players and rank amateurs can perform in the same band, thanks to adjustable difficulty settings that can be fine-tuned to each individual musician.
Of course for many it is the choice of songs available that will determine which game they buy. And this is where Guitar Hero wins hands down. The title boasts 86 tracks on the disc by artists ranging from the Eagles to Metallica, Michael Jackson and Oasis. Players begin the game with access to a limited number of tracks and can only unlock the full range of tunes by putting in a series of good performances. This provides plenty of incentive to return for one more go. Extra tracks can be downloaded for about £1.40 per song.
By contrast, the Wii has only 50 songs supplied on the disc, and most of these are out-of-copyright nursery rhymes and classical tracks, plus themes from other Nintendo games. There’s also the occasional 1980s pop ditty. Nintendo says it intends to sell extra songs as downloads in future. Both games offer the opportunity to record your own versions of the supplied tracks from scratch and then share these online.
Overall, then, it is Guitar Hero that deserves an encore. The instrument controllers are pricy and bulky, and whether the game confers any real musical skills on the players is debatable. That said, it is unlike anything else on the market, except Rock Band, which also uses instrument props. A new version of this game is due out imminently.
Perhaps most crucially, however — and unlike the Wii — it allows players to believe they are on stage at Glastonbury, in front of a 100,000-strong crowd, belting out that classic rock song — if only for an instant.

The War Room: Madden 09 vs. NCAA 09

2008-11-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

Every week the SportsGamer staff and community writers will discuss different topics to sound-off on. This week we take a look at NCAA Football 09 and Madden 09. After months of playing both titles, it’s now time to determine which game was king of the virtual gridiron. Which game did you think was better? Let us know in our forums by voting in our poll.

Staff Member: Moz
Two words could sum this up for me… Online and Dynasty. Yes, there are issues but it has really made the NCAA series even more enjoyable for me. Madden is, well Madden. It's better this year but I imagine if Online Franchise was implemented I would play it more than I currently do. I'm going to have to go with NCAA and I imagine a lot of others will agree with me.
Community Writer: MackenGFX
I agree with Moz, Online Dynasty was a great addition to the NCAA series. This was something that took NCAA a step above Madden. With my entire dynasty's getting restarted, I thought Madden did a good job of improving gameplay but my vote is leaning towards NCAA.

Community Writer: Poutliper
Madden has always been able to be the franchise game for EA Sports. Name alone has been able to lure in customers. The trend began about 2 years ago when NCAA was slowly becoming the better game. I'd say hands down NCAA was the better title in 2009. The dynasty mode is so in-depth compared to franchise mode that people who mainly play for that aspect tend to lean towards NCAA over Madden. This is going to continue until Madden revamps their franchise mode.
Community Writer: LucianoJ
I am one of the few, the proud, to buy a copy of Madden 09 on original Xbox. The Madden series got me started, but over the years I've been a bigger NCAA fan. NCAA Football 09 is one of the games I bought a PS3 for, and one of the games I buy every year. While Madden got a face lift and a number of tweaks, it's not enough to win me over. I am still disappointed with next gen NCAA Football 09. It seems unbalanced, with QBs being too accurate, terrible CPU play-calling, the botched option game, the non-existent pass rush, and the way the D-line gets flipped as if they were a hundred pounds lighter. The game looks good, but the difference in foot speed when someone is in pursuit, as well as the choppy way guys run in the open field, should have been corrected in beta testing. People are accustomed to a different level of presentation, too. Coin flips, coaches and refs, pre-game and post-game visuals, and more ESPN content is missing. Why not have Erin Andrews on the sidelines, or at least doing some kind of voiceovers, like she did for March Madness? Any of the sideline reporters could add something. Next year, this will all have to be added on, or else more people are going to be saying how much better PS2/Xbox was.I will go out and rent Madden today to pick up the differences so I don't seem like a total unbalanced NCAA fan boy. I've read plenty of reviews so I know what to look for and what is new, but I don't want to pass judgment based on what I read. The toughest job EA has is to satisfy former football players who want these two games to be sims, while satisfying the crowd who wants more of an arcade, high scoring shootout. The NCAA/Madden crowd is probably older and more experienced at these games. They may be harder to please, but still keep buying at least one football game.
Staff Member: ‘Sider
Online Dynasty seems to be a fan favorite here. I’m much more interested in the Madden series since my interests lean towards professional football rather than the collegiate level. Not taking away from the leaps and bounds that NCAA made this year, I just feel like playing Madden improves my skills with the Virtual Trainer each game. You can no longer blame the computer for mistakes that are clearly caused by the user’s skills. Plus, I play more of my games with friends over at my house and the REWIND function is something we use for an advantage by getting in the other persons head. Will my great INT be brought back? Will that long bomb for the game winner get revoked at the hands of my opponent? Madden is still king for me.

'Saint's Row 2' more saint than sinner

2008-10-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

by Sean Ewing/The Star-Ledger

The original "Saint's Row" was notable for two reasons. It beat "Grand Theft Auto" to the punch on the current-gen systems and it was a pretty fun crime sandbox game. Volition studios apparently decided that playing catch-up wasn't their style and decided to go all out for the sequel. The game boasts improved graphics, physics, gameplay, co-op and music. Where as "Saint's Row" was just a way to pass the time until "GTA4", "Saint's Row 2" is a seriously fun game in it's own right.
"Saint's Row" ended with your character being blown up on a yacht. The sequel picks up with that character waking up from a coma which gives the developers ample explanation for why your gang lost the city and more importantly allows you to recreate your character through the miracle of plastic surgery. The robust character creator allows you to change any element of your character. From the bridge of the nose to the way s/he walks, everything is variable. I would have enjoyed more voices to choose from though. There's only three to choose from, but each one has a very distinct personality and given the full voice acting all through the game, you really do get a good sense of who they are.
Also of note, the celebrity voice actors actually act in this game. Instead of Michael Madsen playing a slightly more tired Michael Madsen, the actors actually try to take on their roles. They meet with varying degrees of success, but special note should go to Neil Patrick Harris, Eliza Dushku and Daniel Dae Kim, none of whom I recognized until the ending credits.
The game itself is surprisingly solid. It's clear that Volition took a hard look at "GTA4" and decided to strike out on their own and create a game that fills the void left by "GTA4"'s heavy and realistic world. Instead of meeting up with Roman for bowling or darts, you can hijack a septic truck and cover the city in... well... let's just say you drop property values into the toilet.
In addition to the sadistic glee you might get from those missions, they fuel your respect meter, which allows you drive around the city of Stillwater and take on more missions. These missions are targeted to each of the three gangs that took over the city and mission by mission, you steal their turf until a showdown with the gang leader. These missions tell a surprisingly engaging story. For the most part, the proceedings are kept lighthearted and embrace the over-the-top world you inhabit, but one story is surprisingly serious and succeeds all the more. Even the most ridiculous parody can benefit from a few moments of gravity.
The game flows very well and filling your respect gauge rarely feels like a drag.. The various activities you perform to fuel your respect meter are fun for the most part, but a few fall flat. The drug running missions are usually a hassle and a waste of ammo and the fight club missions usually just turn into a button mashing mess. Fortunately, there are enough fun ones that you don't have to play a crappy activity twice. In fact, you might find yourself playing some of them even when you don't need the additional respect. I know I spent an awful lot of time playing Fuzz, where you impersonate a cop and have to break up ridiculous crimes using excessive force, and insurance fraud, where you have to cause the most horrific accident to your character.
Missions keep things moving briskly. Volition obviously designed the game to be fun and not become a grind. There are plenty of checkpoints so if you die mid-mission, you don't have to do the entire thing again. They also wisely cut down on the escort missions. Most missions now see you on the offensive, setting bombs or engaging in the very solid gunplay. You can equip a wide variety of assualt rifles, sub machine guns, shotguns, pistols, melee weapons and heavy artillery. Switching is as easy as flicking the thumbstick. Headshots take your opponents out faster and the aiming reticule is crisp and responsive. A cover system, even a rudimentary one, would have been nice though. Many times I found myself pinned by enemy fire and trying to stand up, fire a few rounds, then crouch again got frustrating.
Co-op is both fun and functional. When you're online anyone can jump right into your game (with your approval) and the entire world and mission set remains open. Wrecking Stillwater with a friend is a great time and the activities take on a more competitive edge. I experienced no lag on the Playstation 3 and found the multiplayer very easy to navigate. The city is also full of options for "non-game games". Instead of initiating an activity, my partner and I focused on raising our wanted level as high as we could and seeing who died first (I went down pretty quick when the helicopter came out).
Unfortunately, we also experienced a few crashes and I don't mean because of my driving. The game feels buggy at times, with characters getting stuck in walls, weapons falling through the floor and on 3 instances, a total system freeze. It's incredibly frustrating to finish a tough mission then find yourself staring at a loading screen for 10 minutes. While the graphics for all of your main characters are solid, you'll find a lot of repeating textures and animations while exploring Stillwater.
The music selection is great. They have a good selection of songs that are currently popular as well as some classics. Top 40 fans should find plenty to like, but I was especially impressed with their 80's songs and the inclusion of classical music. I found it incredibly apropos that on my way to take out a rival gang leader, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" came on the radio and my Australian gangster sang along. Classical music is a genre most often ignored by open world games and when it is included, it's more or less as a joke. Here, there's a wide selection of songs both popular (Moonlight Sonata, Spring) and less so (Coppelia Ballet Suite, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1). And of course, when you take the assault chopper out for a spin, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" should be mandatory listening.
With a ton of collectibles, over 40 missions and plenty of activities, "Saint's Row 2" gives you a lot of bang for your buck and should keep you busy for a while. It's going to get compared to "Grand Theft Auto 4" and it's true that "GTA4" is ultimately a more important and fulfilling experience, "Saint's Row 2" is undeniably fun and a great alternative to the serious tone of Rockstar's latest. If a movie owner can appreciate "The Godfather" and "Pulp Fiction" gamers can enjoy "GTA4" and "Saint's Row 2".
"Saint's Row 2"Playstation 3 (Also available on Xbox 360)1- 2 Players, Online Co-opPublisher: THQDeveloper: VolitionRelease: 10/14/08MSRP $59.99
Rating: B+Lowdown: An over-the-top crime fest that has surprising depth. Plenty of fun and unique minigames combined with a strong single player and co-op mode make this a good bet for any fans of the open world genre.
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The joystick of sex

2008-10-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

our sexual landscape was forever changed by the release of two pop-culture legends: the skin flick “Deep Throat” and, months later, the arcade game “Pong.” Since then, pornography has greatly influenced how sex and sexuality are explored in gaming, which in just three decades has ballooned into a $18.85 billion industry. From early ’80s sleaze fests like “Leisure Suit Larry” to the porny moans of pneumatic “Tomb Raider” heroine Lara Croft to the teledildonics that are changing the way we have — and think of — sex, video games have evolved with an understanding that humans crave sexual interaction, whether with a virtual character or a fellow human with high-speed Internet.
It’s this sexual history of video games that Damon Brown, who covers technology for Playboy, obsessively details in “Porn & Pong: How ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Tomb Raider’ and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.” Approaching such topics as arm-length pixelated penises and breasts that deserve their own planetary orbit with a sense of humor, Brown explores how virtual sex has gone from the crude, joystick-controlled adult games on the Atari 2600 and text-only cybering in early-’90s AOL chat rooms to bumping uglies (fully customizable, by the way) in the virtual world “Second Life” and banging prostitutes in “Grand Theft Auto.” He also examines how video vixens went from having bodies practically built out of Lego blocks to becoming ever more realistic — at least, as much as porn-industry bodies can be called “realistic.”
I recently spoke with Brown about these topics and more in Salon’s San Francisco office.

How did the first pornographic video game come about?
The first mainstream pornographic game would be “Custer’s Revenge,” which came out in 1982 and was manufactured by a pornographic company that wanted to get a piece of the large Atari 2600 market. The game is based on General Custer who, of course, failed at Little Bighorn back in the 1800s. Part of the traditional history is that not only did General Custer fight against the Native Americans, but he also slept with quite a few of them, as did his soldiers. That was Custer’s revenge for losing so badly.

In the game you move a naked General Custer across the screen, avoiding Native American arrows, toward a voluptuous Native American woman, who has her hands and legs tied to a cactus. Your job is to get to her, have sex and once you have enough orgasms or she has enough orgasms it starts over and you’re back on the other side of the screen. You get to do it again, only there are more arrows coming. That was the whole game and it sold 80,000 copies at $50 a piece.
There was another one called “Strip Poker” that was for the Apple II. It was a poker game where you had this digital image of a fully clothed man or woman lying down and, as you beat them in rounds of poker, the screen would flash and they would take off another piece of clothing. There were six stages, so you went from fully clothed to bra and panties — and in later editions completely nude.
“Leisure Suit Larry” was the first fully accepted sex-related game. It had a lovable character wearing a leisure suit. He came straight from the ’70s. He was like the 40-year-old virgin, except much sleazier. He just wandered around a parody of Las Vegas trying to pick up women, and it sold about a million copies in the ’80s.
“Leisure Suit Larry” was released in 1987, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Did the game acknowledge the anxiety of that time?
Al Lowe, the guy who created the game, wanted to take this older, classic character from the ’70s into the hip ’80s. It’s a clash of culture. Imagine living in ‘77 and then going into deep freeze and coming out in ‘87. By that time we had herpes and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This character is in Las Vegas, he’s trying to get laid, but things are totally different now, and he just doesn’t get it.
How has sex online — what we once so breathlessly termed “cybersex” — evolved?
The idea of private chat rooms without an administrator blossomed with AOL in the ’80s and ’90s. All of a sudden two or more people could hang out and send [sexual] text messages to each other. As soon as two humans can interact with each other online they will try to do some type of sexual act. After “Ultima,” one of the more popular multiplayer games, came out in1980, the creator Richard Garriott said, “We have no sexual function in this game, but as soon as two people got on that first day we had virtual sex!”

When did avatar sex — where, instead of text-only “cybering,” you can position your virtual character into every pose in the Kama Sutra with the simple click of a mouse — come about in “Second Life”?
In the very beginning. Kevin Alderman — his screen name is “Stroker Serpentine” — created this tool that allowed characters to have realistic body parts — penises, vaginas and … assholes. Most, if not all, of the sexually oriented stuff in “Second Life” is user-generated. There’s plenty of anything you’re into — from prostitution to BDSM — because it’s user-generated.
Last year, real-life officials in Brussels opened an investigation into a “Second Life” rape. When did rape first show up in virtual worlds? Is there such a thing as rape when you’re communicating with someone via text?
There is. As many criminologists say, rape isn’t really about sex but power — and words are pretty powerful. One of the things I write about is the first documented cyberspace rape in a text-only environment called LambdaMOO. A user found a loophole that allowed him to control the actions of other players. He could make one player hurt or have sex with another player and so on. The malicious user went rampant through the game universe, forcing players into sexual acts, and was repeatedly kicked off the game, but he always managed to come back under a different user name.
Your book talks about game designers studying “breast physics” — or what one might call Newton’s laws of mammaries. Is the aim to create a realistic bounce?
For some it is. Tomonobu Itagaki [the creator of the infamous fighting game “Dead or Alive”] dedicated years of his life to making sure the physics were correct on these triple H — or whatever size they might be — breasts. For some designers, it’s about making sure they look good, but for Itagaki, it’s making them looking realistic. I think he really likes the bounce aspect. [It’s particularly noticeable] in the later versions, like “Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball.” One reviewer said that one breast moving in one direction and the other moving in another direction actually made her seasick.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/10/06/porn_pong/

Week in Gaming: PS3 Eight Days looks promising and DS GTA: Chinatown Wars revealed

2008-09-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

Another week in gaming has gone by, and with it came an assortment of interesting tidbits of information. Some interesting information regarding Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the DS, was revealed this week by Nintendo Power. There was also a never before seen video of the recently canceled Eight Days.
Eight Days
Eight Days is a third person shooter that was in development by Sony London Studios. However, Sony recently announced that this title was canceled per Shuhei Yoshida’s discretion. For those who don’t know Yoshida, he is Phil Harrison’s replacement as the new head of World Wide Studios. In an effort to focus on online and social gaming, a decision was made to axe Eight Days and Getaway 3.
There has been some criticism as to the reasons behind canceling Getaway 3, since the previous game went on the sell over 4 million units. However, since Eight Days was an unknown title, many people shrugged off the announcement of it’s demise.
Recently, a tech demo of the run and cover mechanics in Eight Days was leaked onto the Internet. Just looking at the tech demo, the gameplay looks impressively solid. The graphics of the character looks extremely good as well, almost ‘Uncharted’ like.
Gametrailer
It is unfortunate such a promising game was canceled due to what some have criticized as a questionable business decision. I suppose this is all part of Sony’s strategy to take on the Wii and Xbox 360 from all sides. Let us hope this game wasn’t permanently canceled, but shelved for a future date.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Since the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the Nintendo DS, there has been very little information regarding this title. However, it seems all of that has changed with the latest issue of Nintendo Power. The latest issue of the magazine not only outline details about the game, but first ever screenshots were included as well.
GTA: Chinatown Wars will be cel-shaded and have an isometric view like Diablo. The game will also have a sandbox environment, with free range run and gun experience. Chinatown Wars will also take full advantage of the DS touch screen. All of the mini games and menu UI will utilize the touch screen in one form or another.

Casual Gamer Big Fish Catches A Big One: $83M

2008-09-15T04:28:00.001-07:00

by Gavin O'Malley, Monday, Sep 15, 2008

Speaking to the strength of the industry, Seattle-based casual games distributor Big Fish Games has raised a sizable $83.3 million in financing led by Balderton Capital, General Catalyst Partners, and Salmon River Capital.
"Casual gaming is so successful because game development costs are relatively low, allowing experimentation and innovation to come from our independent developer partners around the world," said Jeremy Lewis, CEO of Big Fish. "This news reinforces the fact that the industry is maturing and a clear leader is emerging."
The funds will facilitate the company's strategy of growth through acquisitions, along with international expansion, according to Lewis.
"We recently launched a portal in Japan, opened an office in Vancouver, B.C. and we are actively recruiting for more than 60 current openings in our Seattle office alone," Lewis said.
Paul Thelen--a former RealNetworks manager responsible for its RealArcade gaming business--founded Big Fish back in 2002. A Goldman Sachs veteran, Lewis took the reins last fall when Thelen assumed the role of chief strategy officer.
Big Fish has attempted to distinguish itself through the development of episodic content, analogous to episodic television such as HBO's "The Sopranos."
"We are leading this evolution, and believe the next episode of our hit franchise, Mystery Case Files, will demonstrate this breakthrough," said Lewis.
Along with online and downloadable games like "Mystery Case Files," which is expected to debut later this year, the company is also expanding into Nintendo Wii console games.
Already profitable, Big Fish had sales of roughly $50 million last year.
Big Fish Games works with some 500 game developers and distributes over 1 million games daily to consumers worldwide.
Industry-wide, casual games are attracting roughly 200 million active players per year, and take in about $2.25 billion, according to a recent Casual Gaming Association report.
The CGA also found that the market is growing at a rate of about 20% per year.
Still, Lewis admitted that clear hurdles lay ahead for Big Fish and its competitors. "One future barrier could potentially arise if wireless operators limit or impede consumer access to mobile games," Lewis said.
Rival RealNetworks is now in the process of spinning off its online gaming business, and is reportedly considering an IPO. Big Fish presently has no such plans, according to a company spokesman.
Gavin O'Malley can be reached at gavin@mediapost.com

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

2008-09-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Innumerable games strive for a cinematic vibe, but most fail to pull it off when they take themselves too seriously and overburden the gameplay with content better left in movies. "Mercenaries 2" is the rare videogame that gets the balance just right. Fusing over-the-top Michael Bay-style action with an expertly designed open world in which gamers can create their own mayhem, the result is a wildly entertaining blockbuster with the potential to be a major action hit.
From camera angles and music to flick-style dialogue, "Mercenaries 2" establishes its mood from the start and never slows down. As a blood-red sun sets over military-governed Venezuela, a killer for hire crosses Venezuelan waters in a speedboat, on his or her way to liberate a captive general. Players can choose to be one of three mercenaries — a blond, braid-bearded misanthrope; a snarky but pragmatic ass-kicker; or a ruthless woman in it for the money. Each has different abilities, but all follow the same personal quest for revenge against the fictional military dictatorship.
Though Venezuela’s government has complained "Mercenaries 2" is part of a U.S. agenda against it, the game’s action is so overtly bombastic that nobody could take it seriously. As players gun down enemy factions, collect cash and attempt to recruit mercenaries from other factions, they’ll find the fun is in collecting weapons like machine guns and rocket launchers and jumping in any car, truck, tank or helicopter they find. Developer Pandemic Studios has created a completely destructible environment where almost everything can be crashed, burned or blown to pieces via nuclear air strike. It’s a highly polished, glee-inducing toy-box experience — and since a friend can join online at any time, there’s even the option of doubling the insanity.
Many games have tried to ape the size of "Grand Theft Auto’s" sprawling world and the dizzying freedom it offers, but few succeed, making "open-world" somewhat a dubious selling point these days. In "Mercenaries 2," however, the mission structure is perfectly balanced — there’s freedom of movement and endless options for how to complete objectives without being so large as to make the experience feel directionless.
But what makes the game a true standout is how streamlined its design is — the controls are extremely approachable and players are trained slowly in their use. Rather than inserting endless fill-in dialogue, "Mercenaries 2" makes in-depth data on characters, locations and story elements available for optional reading through an intuitive menu interface. The overall effect is that players can concentrate on everything there is to do in the game world without getting stuck in an overburdened story or overcomplicated controls.
Some eyebrows were raised last year when Electronic Arts bought Pandemic and sibling studio Bioware for a record $860 million. But if "Mercenaries 2" is an example of the level of polish, as well as the potential for sequels, that the two studios can deliver, they may have been well worth the price.

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BUZZ! QUIZ TV - THE NEW FACE OF PARTY BOARD GAMING?

2008-08-25T04:25:00.000-07:00

These days, video game companies aren't happy with us just playing video games on their consoles – from Wii Fit to Guitar Hero, they want a piece of everything. And entertainment is moving towards that scene from Back to the Future II where Michael J. Fox shows those two kids in the future how to play Wild Gunman and they go, “You have to use your hands? That's a baby's toy.” So pack up 30 Seconds, Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary, Buzz! Quiz TV is the new party board game.Buzz! the series has been out on PS2 since 2005. And this new version, Quiz TV, is the franchise's next-gen debut – it's a PS3 exclusive aimed at revolutionising party board gaming, especially if you add on a few drinking game stipulations of your own.

The concept hasn't changed: a more irritating-than-necessary cartoon muppet, that looks a lot like a South Park Canadian, stands in the middle cracking one liners and asking you questions, and you do your best not to look like an idiot. One update for the crossover to PS3 are the new wireless Buzzers – you can use up to four Buzzers for maximum enjoyment. The questions are divided into five different genres: Music, Movies and TV, Sports, Brainiac and Lifestyle. And after playing the game for two weeks, I still haven't heard the same question repeated – I even got asked questions on The Big Lebowski and obscure British sit-com Spaced. Another added feature of the PS3 version of Buzz! are the game's online capabilities. Using Sofa VS Sofa mode you can form a team of four and challenge anyone around the world. Or you can just join in on games and challenge a distant friend head to head. If you do work your way through the 5,000 questions you can download new question packs. You can even upload your own questions for other users to download (although I can't imagine who would have the time).

As usual, Buzz! Quiz TV takes a very cartoon approach when it comes to characters, animation and design. And the game's a colourful blend of kiddie cartoons and adult-amusing characters like the Brit rocker and the Elvis impersonator. It does come off as a little gimmicky, and risks alienating your more intellectual types, but if you can convince them to play, they'll be the first ones going, “Let's play again!” Although Buzz! Quiz TV is a PS3 exclusive, Sony have also just released Buzz! Pop Quiz on PS2 and Buzz! Master Quiz on PSP. There's even a Who Wants to be a Millionaire third-party edition. – WAYNE

Fallout 3 coming October 28

2008-08-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

Bethesda this week announced that Fallout 3 will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28. Developed at Bethesda, Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. “We’re excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda. “To meet the huge demand for this title worldwide, we’re planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.” Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, Fallout 3 allows you to create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a battle for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders and other dangers of the Wasteland. For more, visit fallout.bethsoft.com.

Review: Soul Caliber IV Continues Great Tradition of Weapons-Based Fighting

2008-08-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

The great thing about Soul Caliber IV is its depth. The game has over 30 characters and all of them have their own weapons, moves, styles, and back stories. Of course not all of the characters are available immediately, you have to play through the story mode, arcade mode, as well as purchase the characters with the gold you earn playing in the different modes to acquire them. It’s a good motivation to go through the modes using almost all the characters to see what you can unlock. Weapons, stages, and different powers are unlockable as well and can be used to customize your favorite character or create a character of your own. Granted, the character you create will have the same fighting style of one of the characters of the game, but to give your female character Maxi’s nun chuck skills is still pretty cool. You can also take your created characters online.

Story mode is very short. It’s only five stages, some of them consisting of multiple opponents, but if you play on the normal difficulty setting, you can complete the story in 15 minutes. There’s also the Tower of Lost Souls mode where you can ascend the tower and capture it by defeating the boss, or you can descend the tower and see how many opponents you can beat before dying. Either way, you’ll earn unlockables and more gold. Arcade mode offers eight stages where you can earn points and your scores are ranked online.Graphics and animations are superb as always. Everything from the costumes to the stages are colorfully detailed and the way the characters move are fluid and great to watch. Audio-wise, the voice acting could always use some help, but if you’ve been playing Soul Caliber since the beginning, you’re pretty much used to the way the folks talk on there. Acting was never its real strength anyway.

Overall, the game is pretty addictive especially if you have a fetish of wanting to unlock every little thing because there are quite a few goodies found all over the place. And yes, Yoda is playable on the Xbox 360 version, and Darth Vadar on the PS3 with The Apprentice (from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed) playable on both consoles. Basically, Soul Caliber IV is another great game to add to the franchise’s canon.

Phantasy Star Portable Sells 500000 Copies in Japan

2008-08-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

The PSP has been a massive success for Sony in Japan, with hardware sales recently eclipsing those of the Nintendo DS (Japan is the only territory where this is the case). The Japanese have also driven strong software sales on the handheld, snapping up copies of titles like Monster Hunter Portable and Patapon. The newest offering from Sega, Phantasy Star Portable, looks set to join those other titles as a million seller on the PSP, before it even leaves Japan.
According to Japanese gaming magazine Watch Impress, the game has already shipped half a million copies during its first week on sale in that country, earning it a top spot in the software sales charts for all handheld and console platforms.
Sony undoubtedly hopes for the same kind of success for the title when it arrives in North America later this year. It will be interesting to see how the game is received by fans who may remember the excellent Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online.

Disney Interactive Announces PURE and Launches Website

2008-08-09T04:03:00.000-07:00

Thrill seekers will be taking on skilled rivals and performing gravity-defying aerial tricks in Pure, an action sports off-road video game targeted for release in September 2008. Disney Interactive Studios announced today the development of Pure, which will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC. Developed by Black Rock Studio, Disney Interactive Studios' award-winning development studio in Brighton, England, Pure takes off-road action sports to a new level. Featuring vertigo-inducing massive aerial jumps and spectacular airborne tricks in photo-realistic real-world locations all over the globe, Pure delivers heart-pounding experiences unique to the genre. "We expect Pure to set a new standard for off-road action sports that delivers adrenaline-inducing vertical experiences with spectacular aerial tricks and intense wheel-to-wheel racing," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. "Pure will appeal to a wide audience based on the game's jaw-dropping aerial tricks, breakneck racing and vast environments."Players start by choosing among a variety of male and female character riders. They can then either race against deft A.I. opponents or online players (up to 16-player multiplayer) in frenetic races and freestyle competitions all over the world."Black Rock Studio has established itself as a leading developer of racing video games and we expect to continue that heritage with the creation of Pure, our first game since becoming part of Disney Interactive Studios," said Jason Avent, game director at Black Rock Studio. "Pure combines the best features of both extreme sports and racing to produce an extraordinary and unique experience."The studio continues to be advised throughout development by Wes Miller, pro rider and the founder of H-Bomb Films, known for showcasing his team's incredible stunts. Miller has been involved with development to assure the game adheres to the sport's culture and authenticity but still allows creative liberties.Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing, is known as a leading developer of racing games, including its critically acclaimed work on the best-selling franchises Moto GP and ATV Offroad® Fury. The studio and its products have won or been nominated for dozens of awards, including winning four IGN "Best of Show" awards at E3 2006.

War Games and Clone Wars with New Anakin Skywalker Matt Lanter

2008-07-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Most fans will recognize actor Matt Lanter from his season one stint on Heroes where he played high school quarterback Brody Mitchum, who forced himself on Hayden Panettiere's Claire Bennet in the episode "One Giant leap". In the coming weeks, Lanter's name will be front and center in the cinematic spotlight with the role of a lifetime in the upcoming animated Clone Wars movie as the voice of Anakin Skywalker but not before fans will see him in the sequel to the popular 1983 favorite War Games when War Games: The Dead Code hits DVD shelves this week on July 29.
Picking up the War Games baton from where Matthew Broderick left off, Lanter stars as a computer geek who engages a government super-computer during an online terrorist simulation; unaware that the program is actually spyware designed to root out terrorists, which he's now seen as by the government.
With War Games: The Dead Code out this week on DVD and Star Wars: The Clone Wars about to hits theaters on August 15 before becoming a weekly TV series, there's no doubt you'll be seeing and hearing a lot more of Matt Later... aka: the animated Anakin Skywalker. After talking to Lanter about government super-computers and voicing the hero of the Republic, it's clear Lanter's been indoctrinated into the Star Wars universe like the rest of us.
THE DEADBOLT: How did you familiarize yourself with the original War Games since you were born the same year it first hit theaters?
MATT LANTER: [laughs] Yeah, well, obviously I’d seen it before and knew it was a classic. When I got the role I did as much research as I could. I watched the film and they actually have a commentary on the original DVD as well. I tried to see where the original director and the production team were trying to go with that one and I read a couple of books. There was a book I was reading called The Art of Intrusion; it's about hacking and it’s just so funny how so much has changed since 1983 in today’s world. There’s a lot more - I guess it’s just broader, I should say, as far as how to go about doing things and security systems that are set up and all of that kind of stuff. So it was kind of fun to dive in there and get a taste of what’s out there in that world.
THE DEADBOLT: How do you see The Dead Code as being different from the original?
LANTER: Well, I guess the main difference that is obvious and in-your-face is the change in the time period. I mean, the way that the story is written has to conform to 2008 and. like I said, so much has changed with security and just the way that the government runs things and does things. I guess one of the main differences is that in the original this kid hacked into a system and basically finds them. In this one, in a way the government kind of finds us. They’re actively searching now for terrorists and people fishing on the internet. So they actually find us and start hunting us.
THE DEADBOLT: When the first film came out, it made a lot of people step back and think, "Wow, this could really happen." How do you feel about the idea of a super-computer like R.I.P.L.E.Y.?
LANTER: You know, I don’t know. I guess if it is real, I guess it’s possible. I mean, I’m sure the government has some type of super computers. I don’t know whether it’s accurate to where it can have all of these bases on a network that can recognize and send planes out and everything. I don’t know. I’m not familiar with military equipment and what things can do nowadays but it’s a scary thought. It’s a scary thought that the government might have that much control to actually tap into webcams and street signals, and that is definitely a scary thought if that could happen. I don’t know if they could or not.
THE DEADBOLT: What's weird is that back in 1983 the web wasn’t around and computers were just hitting the market and now much of that stuff as real. No one would really question what’s in the movie.
LANTER: That’s one of the main reasons why I believe it was harder to try to achieve what we are achieving nowadays, because everyone has a home computer. Everyone has probably three and everyone knows what they are capable of and what they’re not capable of. At that time, not many people had home computers and it was this kind of a mystical, magical thing, you know - "Oh, my gosh! Could that happen?" Today I think we know security systems in the government are not that easy and it’s a little bit harder than just putting a phone on the machine and flicking a button.
THE DEADBOLT: So, do you know where I can get the plans to build a device like your character made? The one that can redirect cell phone calls to any phone in the world.
LANTER: [laughs] Yeah, let me contact our director. I’ll get those blueprints for ya. I don’t know, but that was cool. Supposedly all of the equipment and all of the stuff I messed with - you know, the Pringles can and all of that stuff - supposedly it could actually be done. I asked the questions, "Is this stuff real? What am I messing with here?" They had a tech-supervisor, and everything we did in the movie with the pin in the phone, it was very similar to what Matthew Broderick did in the first one. Supposedly it was all real and could be done.
THE DEADBOLT: So it was a little nod to MacGyver?
LANTER: Yeah, there’s a little bit of homage to MacGyver and the original with the phone trick. But it was cool, though.
THE DEADBOLT: On the Star Wars front, with the Clone Wars movie coming out, how did you find your way into Anakin at this stage in his journey?
LANTER: The Anakin we have in the cartoon and the film coming out, you’re going to see he’s more of an all around hero. He’s the hero of the Republic, he’s friends with Obi Wan, and they’ve got that witty banter. It’s a little bit reminiscent of the original Star Wars, you know, how you have a little bit of comedy thrown in there. Kind of the Han Solo-ish witty comments.
THE DEADBOLT: And the sarcasm.
LANTER: Yeah, some of the sarcasm. I think you’re going to find that in the new Anakin. I know George wanted to show the time in his life where he wasn’t on that downward spiral. We’ve already seen that. That was a choice in the movies and I think something different was wanting to be achieved here in showing a more likeable Anakin, a more hero Anakin, and more action oriented. We’re going to find him in a lot of battles, saving the day. He's kind of your classic likable hero. And if the audience is more in touch with Anakin then his downward spiral does become more tragic.
THE DEADBOLT: How will the series evolve from the movie?
LANTER: Well, the movie kicks off and we’ve got - By the way, I haven’t seen any of it yet. I’ve seen some trailers. Well, I have seen one episode or something, but they’re pretty secretive about it. But it’s really going to be cool. You’re going to see a lot of different stories and that’s what so cool about the show. I think I actually heard George say it’s like watching little mini-movies every week. And when I get the scripts, it’s like Christmas for me. I get to read one more Star Wars that’s straight from the horse’s mouth. I mean, I know George is overseeing all of this stuff and it’s just really cool - a little movie every week. It is Star Wars and I think people are hungry for Star Wars. If you’re a fan, you’re going to love having these new little stories every week. Sometimes it might center around one character and in the next week we might be in another part of the galaxy, centering around this character. So it’s really going to be fun and I think people are going to enjoy it.
THE DEADBOLT: So what’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you so far from being associated with the franchise?
LANTER: Oh, god. You know, honestly, the coolest thing so far for me is really just watching the evolution of the show. We were working on this thing two years ago and now that it’s out and people know about it. The film is coming out, we can kind of talk about it, and it’s just so cool getting to see fan reaction and finally getting to see these things - the trailers and stuff - evolve and the websites go up and the posters and that kind of stuff. This whole month for me is a really exciting time. So I’d have to say that’s the coolest part so far, just the whole buzz about it. I’ve been waiting for so long. [laughs]
THE DEADBOLT: Did you get a chance to talk to Hayden at all?
LANTER: No, I actually didn’t. I obviously watched the films, I’m a huge fan. I’m just as much a Star Wars geek as anybody else now. I’m going to decorate my office with Star Wars toys.
THE DEADBOLT: Well, it looks really good on the resume, especially since you're going down in Star Wars history.
LANTER: [laughs] I know, it’s crazy. But no, I haven’t talked to Hayden. Hayden did something really interesting and unique in the films and I obviously watched them and took reference. But I’m not trying to copy his performance by any means. Like I was saying, it’s a bit of a different Anakin. We’re kind of going in a new direction and it was great to have his performances as reference. But I’m kind of doing my own thing.

Facebreaker demo due July 31

2008-07-22T05:44:00.001-07:00

Speaking to VideoGamer.com at a press event taking place at EA's UK headquarters in Guildford, EA has confirmed that a demo of Facebreaker for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will arrive on July 31.
The demo will include three playable characters (Ice, Sparrow and Steve), two arenas (Booty Caves and Trailer Park) and allow matches of one 90-second round. You'll be able to play against an AI opponent or a second human player - there's no online support in the demo. Although only one round there will be an option to have a rematch.
Also included in the demo is a practice mode and the ability to use EA's Game Face technology. By uploading your own photo you'll be able to map your own face onto one of the three existing characters (in the final game you'll be able to create a completely original custom character).

E3: Riccitiello confirms KOTOR MMO

2008-07-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

John Riccitiello, the president of Electronic Arts, has confirmed that BioWare's 'secret' massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is indeed based on the Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) franchise. "We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development," Riccitiello enthused. The first, incidentally, is Warhammer Online, due for release sometime in the 'fall'. "And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about," he added, "in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it." After this rather over the top statement, he said he was indeed talking about a KOTOR MMO.

Activision Boss Calls For Cheaper Consoles

2008-07-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is calling for reduced prices on videogame consoles, saying the high cost of hardware is becoming "prohibitive."

Speaking in an interview with the Times Online, Kotick said the industry risks pricing itself out of its dominant position in competition with other forms of entertainment, particularly during times of economic downturn. While some analysts have referred to the videogame industry as "recession-proof," citing strong performance in 2007 and 2008 despite an overall negative economic climate, Kotick suggested that trend may not last forever.
"It used to be the case that we did well during slowdowns because if you couldn't afford to go to the movies or to travel to a theme park, you stayed home and played a computer game," he said. "But now I think that the hardware manufacturers are going to have to think about reducing their prices because the cost of purchasing some of this stuff is prohibitive."
Kotick said the industry is changing and growing, noting a "demographic expansion" driven by the increasingly cinematic nature of the gaming experience. "There's now going to be a rivalry between feature films and computer games. We are not there yet, but it will happen - there will be a narrative," he said. "The physical appearance of the game has changed, which is attracting new people, and there is a real sense of a social game. With the internet, people on different sides of the world can play against each other. People who had never before played a videogame are picking one up now."
He also predicted that despite the increasing numbers of women taking up the hobby, so-called "male-oriented" games would remain predominant in the market. "I don't think you need to have gratuitously violent products," he said. "But no company can afford to turn its back on a $45 billion section of the market. They are as important to the business as R-rated movies are to films."

Will Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 gamers stop Call of Duty 4 for COD 5?

2008-06-26T05:02:00.001-07:00

When I first got my hands on Call of Duty 4 (that’s a while ago now), I played the single player game for a few hours and loved it and then it all stopped. The reason for this was discovering the online gaming side of COD 4 and now I have never looked back, most of my gaming time goes to moving towards prestige 10. The reason many gamers love COD4 is for the fantastic online play, how good the action is and the fact that it’s modern combat.
Now with Call of Duty 5 insight and some gameplay should have been showed at Microsoft’s gaming event yesterday, we got to ask if Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 gamers will stop Call of Duty 4 for COD 5’s WWII game?
The moment we can get our hands on COD5 it will be played a lot. That said, if the World at War game is not as much fun online as COD4, then I could see myself moving back to COD4. Can you see yourself doing the same thing?
The reason we try new games is to see how good they are but if you enjoy another game much more then you would naturally play that instead. Just because a newer version of a game gets released it does not mean we have to drop the last version, you can see this with many games on the PC over the years, people still play Counter Strike.
Call of Duty 4 has been one of the biggest games ever to hit the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, it’s beat records of online play and we will have to see a very good COD5 to make a lot of gamers move on, well that’s unless they get bored of COD4.

Xbox 360 Gamers Celebrate Independence Day with Battlefield: Bad Company

2008-06-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

If you have not given the Demo of Battlefield: Bad Company a go then you may not know what your missing out on, it may lack many features that Call of Duty 4 has but this game is one that also has many extra features that COD4 does not have and Call of Duty 5 Modern War may not even have. In particular I love the destroyable environments and picking up a rocket launcher and making a hole in a building wall. It’s style of gameplay is a little different to other popular titles, but with a little time you not only get used to it but playing the demo leaves you wanting more and that’s the full version coming to the world in days.
To celebrate Independence Day, Xbox Live are marketing the special day with some online gameplay fun and a whole weekend of competitions and different events. Read the release below for the full details.
From Xbox Live - Celebrate Independence Day with us and jump into intense multiplayer combat with Battlefield: Bad Company. We’ve got a whole weekend of events on tap, with an exciting Play & Win Sweepstakes and a chance to challenge the Bad Company developers at their own game.
Battlefield: Bad Company supports up to 24 players online for explosive multiplayer matches in an all-new game mode, Gold Rush, designed to take full advantage of the game’s massively destructible environments.
Play and Win - Register your gamertag now link to registration and get ready for a whole weekend of Bad Company action! From 12:01 A.M. (ET) on Friday, June 27 until 11:59 P.M. (ET) on Sunday June 29, you’ll get an entry into the sweepstakes when you play a multiplayer match of Battlefield: Bad Company while connected to Xbox LIVE.
We’ve got some great prizes up for grabs, including a gold-dipped Xbox 360 Elite console. You can also register for the sweepstakes by downloading the free Battlefield: Bad Company LIVE Weekend Gamer Picture from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Game with Developers - Here’s your chance to go up against the creators of Battlefield: Bad Company. Can you beat the developers at their own game? We’ll have more details about this exciting event soon, so check back here for the latest.
Read more about this event on xbox.com

Playing games not nerdy, study finds

2008-06-13T05:11:00.001-07:00

An Australian study into gaming addiction has found that those who play for hours on end don't end up as antisocial nerds. The research was conducted by Australian psychology graduate Daniel Loton, who found that only 15 per cent of 621 adult respondents claimed to have spent more than 50 hours a week playing games. Of these, only one per cent had 'rubbish' social skills, specifically chronic shyness. "Our findings strongly suggest that gaming doesn't cause social problems, and social problems are not driving people to gaming," Mr Loton told Reuters. "What is important to note is that even problem gamers did not exhibit significant signs of poor social skills or low self-esteem." The study had taken two years to conduct in full, based mainly on Australian male respondents. Wags have pointed out the study was an online survey and this means the results cannot be construed as meaning respondents could transfer their digital confidence into 'real life' situations.

Bionic Commando Rearming in July

2008-06-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Probably, anyway.

It seems that Bionic Commando Rearmed will be available for punters to try on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC sometime in July. Rearmed, a remake of the arcade and NES classic Bionic Commando, strips away the 8 bit graphics and puts a hi-def slant on things and adds a whole bunch of new rooms, while still retaining the two dimensional levels and grappling hook fun of the original game. New additions also include co-op adventuring, plus online modes such as deathmatch. Ben Judd, producer of the game, suggested the release date to Eurogamer at last week in Las Vegas at the Capcom Captivate event. Good news for all you BC fans out there, then. The price was also confirmed - you're looking at 800 MS points on the Live, $9.99 USD on PSN and $14.99 USD on the PC. Why the PC version has been marked up 50% we have absolutely no idea. This is only the first slice of the Bionic Commando resurrection - Bionic Commando (note the lack of a suffix) is also underway, which will be a completely new 3D experience for the 360, PS3 and PC.

EA Dev Thinks Nintendo Has Best Shot To Beat MMO Console Probs

2008-05-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

While MMOs are huge in PC gaming, the crossover appeal into consoles has never really taken off in a big way.
But if anybody's going to break the streak, it's going to be Nintendo. That's according to EA Mythic creative director Paul Barnett.
"You would have to build something very console centric from the get-go. I think probably the best chance of someone doing something like that is Nintendo - doingsomething crazy that no one expects," he said in a interview with CVG.
The one problem is that the key to a great MMO is community, and Nintendo is still far behind when it comes to the online experience.
"The best example I can find for a perpetual online console game is Rock Band, with it Xbox Live community store...that's perhaps the closest I've seen to convincing console people to do things together, to do things online, to do things that cost money, to earn income," Barnett added.

Tropical MotorStorm 2 Goodies

2008-05-08T06:54:00.001-07:00

Following its PlayStation Day 2008 event, Sony has unleashed a barrage of screens and artwork from MotorStorm 2 - or MotorStorm Pacific Rift as it's now being called.Rumour and speculation circulating the SPOnG underwater castle suggests that the first MotorStorm game was the result of someone from Evolution Studios going on holiday to Monument Valley and having a really nice time. Rumour and speculation further suggests (we think it comes from the same source, but we haven't been able to pinpoint it) that someone at Evolution has been having a really nice time watching Lost and that's how the sequel came about. SPOnG hopes someone from Evolution has one of those space holidays soon. So far, no one at Evolution or Sony has commented on the rumour and speculation. In any case, we're told that some lucky members of the dev team got to visit Hawaii for 'research'. The new game is set on an island which, according to Evolution's Paul Hollywood, "has all the best bits" of Hawaii but "no Hula and definitely no Elvis". The game will feature 16 tracks (compared to its predecessor's eight); 'Interactive Vegetation Technology'; new water physics (the water also cools engines!); 16-player online, four-player split screen and is "ultra aggressive".

GTA 4 set to increase Xbox Live subscribers

2008-05-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

Microsoft expects the massive success of Grand Theft Auto IV to propel it to the number one spot on Xbox Live, reports Reuters. The company also believes Rockstar's game will boost the number of Xbox Live subscribers. Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, believes Grand Theft Auto IV will generate big business for Microsoft. Greenberg says GTA has the potential to become the top game on Live, and more importantly, to increase the number of subscribers to the online service. "The multiplayer in this game is so well implemented that I can't imagine anyone owning a copy without trying to play it on Xbox Live," he stated. "GTA is unique because it appeals to such a large audience. It will likely be the best-selling game launched all year and we expect it will drive a lot of new members to Xbox Live," Greenberg concluded. GTA has broken retail sales records in the UK and overtaken first day sales of Halo 3, according to gamesindustry.biz. With such figures, the game could possibly become the number one game on Xbox Live, which has traditionally been dominated by first-person shooters like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Indeed, IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon believes that GTA could attract gamers who aren't interested in titles like Halo 3 to going online. "[GTA] can lead the way online for a large contingent of players who don't play first-person shooters," he said. For anyone out there still deciding whether or not to pick up the game, why not check out PALGN's review or our staff and reader roundtable on whether GTA has lived up to the hype?

Fatal Inertia ready to land on PlayStation 3

2008-05-03T05:51:00.001-07:00

Koei Corp., a Japanese video game publisher and developer, this week announced that it will release Fatal Inertia EX, a PSN revamp of the 2007 Xbox 360 racing title, exclusively to Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 in late May.
Fatal Inertia is a futuristic hovercar racing game that was initially presumed to have been secured by Sony as a PlayStation 3 exclusive but the Japanese video game publisher and developer Koei released it for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 in Sept. 2007.
Koei, better known as the premier brand of strategy and simulation games, now said the racing game is only going to be released on PS3 via the PlayStation network.
“We’re really excited about what we’ve accomplished with Fatal Inertia EX,” said Mike Bond, lead game designer for Fatal Inertia EX. “Gamers will be amazed by all of the improvements we’ve made. Fatal Inertia EX is a faster, more visually-captivating experience packed with new content not found in the original.”
The title will sport some exclusive content for its PlayStation 3 release, including new weather effects, scenery enhancements and overhauled racecraft customization as well as support for the new Dualshock 3 controller, which includes rumble functionality and gives the optional use of SIXAXIS motion sensing technology.
Additionally, the vehicles in Fatal Inertia EX would be faster than their Xbox 360 counterparts and would feature improved handling. The game takes place at the Fatal Inertia Proving Grounds, the mecca for aspiring flight jocks driven to prepare themselves for the mental and physical punishment of low-altitude combat maneuvering. The Proving Grounds are also home to the game’s eight new tracks.
The title includes 59 courses in seven high-definition environments, including lush rainforests, massive glacier fields and canyons of razor-sharp rock, split-screen two-player races, online racing and LAN racing for up to 10 players.
Fatal Inertia EX is awarded with “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older - Fantasy Violence) rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
The game is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3's PSN in May priced $29.99.

Zyon Games announces Secret Online website launch

2008-05-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

If it's indeed true that first impressions last, then it's especially important for companies like Zyon Games to make those impressions count. One way to do so is by launching an official website and announcing it to the public. That's precisely the case with Secret Online.The website is reportedly the first official English translation of Secret Online, which is one of the two MMORPGs that Zyon Games and Solid State Networks are collaborating on. The site currently contains various goodies such as videos, screenshots, and game play guides.Zyon Games is also offering a bonus to potential Secret Online players: The company will give priority to those who register for an account on the site's forum when beta testers will be selected this Month. Players may access the forum via a link on the website itself.Zyon Games founder and CEO Steven Wade said that the company will be updating every so often, especially since the developer will be launching Secret Online soon. If you'd like to check out the site, feel free to click on the source link below.

Natasha Bedingfield going global

2008-04-27T05:30:00.001-07:00

With one of her songs (Love Like This) heard on the hit MTV show The Hills and U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama using Unwritten on the campaign trail, British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield is doing her best to crack the North American market.
Yet all that work came at a price recently when Bedingfield cancelled her British tour not once but twice to promote her latest album, Pocketful Of Sunshine, on this side if the pond.
"It's definitely a new challenge being a global artist," she says during a Canadian promotional stop in Toronto. "It means you have to try to plan better, you have to try to be everywhere at once but I'm only one person.
"What happened is that I released the album in the States, it went to No. 3 in the first week and that was a similar time to when the (British) tour was booked. My record company wanted me to stay out there. It was terrible, I hate promising the fans and then it doesn't happen. It should never really be cancelled."
Bedingfield, 26 and sister of fellow pop singer Daniel Bedingfield, released her second album, NB, last year. Pocketful Of Sunshine contains a handful of songs off that record as well as new material.
"There are so many new ways of getting your music heard nowadays and the fact is that an album is not as concrete a thing as it was," she says. "So with this album I wrote a few extra songs and I put them on and kept the album up to date, which was kind of cool. I didn't have to wait a long, long time before the next one came out."

The new album is a summery, breezy pop affair led by "simple songs" such as Put Your Arms Around Me and Love Like This, which features a duet with Sean Kingston. Other numbers garnering attention are the groovy Pirate Bones and Soulmate, the latter Bedingfield wrote after reading the John Gray bestseller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
Bedingfield is especially proud of the closing Not Givin' Up, a somewhat soulful but radio-friendly pop song in the vein of Pink or Adele.
"That's about an argument and when you're at a point in your relationship where you're trying to think, 'Am I going to let go of this? Is it worth it?' " she says. "And it's at that point where you realize that I've got more invested and more in common in this relationship. I'm going to stand on that common ground and move it forward. That comes from a real situation and you can hear it in my voice, there's a kind of angst there."
Bedingfield just signed off on a North American headlining tour for the coming months with Canadian dates expected. She also recently performed as part of the Canadian Idol auditions in Toronto in mid-April.
"That was great," she says. "It was raining so it really punched home how determined these people were. It was the very early part where people are auditioning for the audition and some of them had been waiting since four in the morning in the square. You could just feel that enthusiasm."
And while successfully breaking into two markets, Bedingfield says there's not much difference when it comes to the paparazzi and celebrity magazines in the U.S. and the U.K. The fact she's known for a rather tranquil lifestyle compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse or that Spears woman doesn't hurt either.
"I don't have a big problem. I work for them and they (the paparazzi) work for me," she says. "I'm not hunted in the same way that some people are. I think it's just the fact that they can't catch me. I'm too quick, too sneaky."
Happy to perform in virtually any medium
Natasha Bedingfield has used many avenues to get her music heard but performing in a virtual world was a first for her.
Bedingfield recently staged a virtual concert for the children's website Habbo.com, singing while her online avatar performed in sync.
"It was cool," she says. "Habbo is like (the strategic life-simulation computer game) Sims, it's like one of those online virtual worlds but for kids. I actually did something for Sims recently where I did a song in the Sims language Simlish. It was great. It was just a bit of fun."
And while some artists are steadfast in refusing to have their songs in advertisements, Bedingfield embraces the various platforms readily available to musicians.
"I think that, for me as a songwriter, I sit there in a room and I make music and I write for me but I'm also thinking about the people that are going to listen to it," she says. "And you have to have ways that people can hear your music and see your art. That's the whole point of expressing yourself -- it's for you and for other people."
As for the only problem Bedingfield has with her new album, Pocketful Of Sunshine, she says it might be a song title.
"Piece Of Your Heart should actually be called Craziness," she says of the song that has the lyric, "When the craziness begins to get to me" in the chorus.
"I gave it the wrong title at the last minute. It was a last-minute decision, I changed it to Piece Of Your Heart but Craziness is a better title for it."

First game on EUROFUN 2012 stadium in Second Life

2008-04-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

The virtual football game will be the third event organized on the Eurofun 2012 stadium in Second Life. The main goal of the project is to promote EURO 2012 and stir up discussions about the progress on real sports arenas. The virtual stadium is a platform where matches, concerts, shows, conferences take place integrating the Second Life community.

Two teams of 6 players will play on May 12. The first team will include 6 representatives of the Second Life Polish Football League established 6 months ago. PFL provides scripts (HUD software) enabling playing football online.The game will be played between professionals and amateurs (2 players from FFCreation, a player from GEMoney Bank – the sponsor of the stadium, a player from Futbol Magazine, ex football player Cezary Kucharski and media partners). The game, in the presence of a referee, security and cheerleaders, will take 40 minutes and will be subdued to customary football rules. The event will be supervised by the Soccer league Second Life - the virtual equivalent of FIFA.The game will be covered live by Tomasz Zimoch of Polish Radio Channel One/ Radio dla Ciebie. A movie filmed during the game will be available on youtube.com and WWW.eurofun2012.The event will Take place on May 12, 2008 at FFCreation, 43 Chorągwi Pancernej St, Warsaw and simultaneously on WWW.eurofun2012.com

Fiesta Peek #1

2008-04-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

Examples of the events that take place almost daily in the lighthearted online world from Ons On Soft and Outspark
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April 23, 2008 - Exemplifying strength and endurance, Fighters can equip sword and shield or two-handed weapons. In a party, they typically engage adversaries in close combat, leaving the other members free to attack. Favoring blunt arms, Clerics are capable in melee, and also use various spells to heal, protect and enhance their companions; this makes them welcome additions to any band of adventurers. Sharing the same key attribute, intelligence, Mages can deal deadly damage from a distance by unleashing the enormous power of the elements. Archers rely on dexterity and spirit. They strike swiftly from range, and also employ a selection of useful nature-based protections.
Fiesta is a massively multiplayer project with a look reflecting it's name. Developed by Ons On Soft and operated in North America by Outspark on a free to play basis with optional item purchases, it offers us the four character class choices outlined above. Our adventures take place in a colorful fantasy world called Isya. Within its confines, we can explore areas ranging from the Forest of Slumber to the Moonlight Tomb, Burning Hill, Sea of Greed, Echo Cave and Collapsed Prison. Another notable element is the latter company's emphasis on events, which run on a regular basis. Includes seven exclusive screenshots
Fiesta In-Game EventsIn-game events are one of the most unique parts of Fiesta. Each day, Outspark Game Masters (GMs) offer players a chance to interact with one another, and to have new types of fun. Below is a description of just a few of the events you'll find in Fiesta; to find out which ones are taking place right now, visit http://www.outspark.com/forums/calendar.php
It's simple: get your friends, guild mates, neighbors and anyone you ever saw online. It's going to take a small army to successfully battle a GM. Find the GM

Participation: All playersDescription: Remember when you were a child and used to play hide and seek with your friends? Well, the GM's do and they've decided to share that experience with all the players. They even upped the ante a bit by offering helpful items to the players who manage to find them. Bet your friends never did that for you, did they? The GMs have hidden themselves around the continent of Isya. They have set up a personal vendor store at their location and are selling event rewards. Find the GM, buy the prizes and gain even greater power.Tips: The most important thing about hiding in hide and seek is location, location, location. When you enter a zone to look for the Game Master, keep your eye out for little corners or crevices where they might hide. Be persistent and you will be rewarded!

Mechner Trademarks Prince of Persia Prodigy

2008-04-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

Jordan Mechner wants to add a new Prince of Persia trademark to its portfolio: Prince of Persia Prodigy. Will this be the new PoP game?
The patent filing (discovered by Trademork) seems to back this specific hypothesis:
"Game software and electronic game programs, namely software games recorded on CD-ROM and digital video discs for computers; software games recorded on CD-ROMs, digital video discs, and cartridges for console and individual, portable gaming systems; software games that are downloadable from a remote computer site and electronic game software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld computers."
Ubisoft did mention that a new Prince of Persia game had already entered development and will hit the shelves in March next year. At this point everything seems to indicate that Prodigy is the next title in the series.
Jordan Mechner is the creator of the Persian warrior and the owner of the Prince of Persia, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia Warrior Within and Prince of Persia The Two Thrones trademarks.

FIFA Street 3

2008-04-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Football sells. The clubs know it, the shirt manufacturers know it - and EA certainly knows it. The football video game market is a goldmine for developers ready to exploit eager armchair fans ready to splash out to play as their favourite team from the comfort of their home - so it’s no surprise we’re inundated with games that are football related. The FIFA series comes and goes with a yearly update, and with every World Cup we get a tournament-themed game to complement it. So what does FIFA Street 3 bring to the table to convince fans to splash out? From the off the differences between Street and the regular FIFA series are easily noticeable, instead of eleven a side football FIFA Street 3's all about the five-a-side, instead of tactical play it’s all about the flamboyant flicks and tricks us mere mortals can only dream about pulling off, and instead of photo-realistic graphics it’s all about over the top cartoon character models. First impressions are good, from the second the game boots up we’re greeted by EA's trademark polish and shine with easily accessible menus to navigate which make it easy to get straight into the action. Gamers that have played the previous Street incarnations will be right at home with the controls, as the gameplay’s largely the same as the first two efforts on the previous generation’s hardware. Tricks are performed by flicking the right stick, while the traditional Cross to pass and Circle to shoot control scheme from FIFA's used, allowing players playing for the first time to easily get into the thick of it if they’ve played any of the FIFA series before. For every trick pulled off your ’Gamebreaker’ bar fills, which once full dulls the screen and allows the player to enjoy near-impossible to stop shots for a short time, the game sometimes does suffer for it though, as losing possession to your opponent starts to make your bar slowly decrease and in turn promotes keeping possession rather than going for goals. FIFA Street 3‘s all about being over the top, the goals you can score follow suite as some absolutely spectacular goals can be scored from nearly anywhere on the pitch - and it’s mighty satisfying when you send an overhead kick screaming into the top corner. A new addition to the franchise is that each player is given a different speciality such as Ronaldo being a ‘trickster’ and Rooney a ‘finisher’, which while being a nice idea in theory, there’s no real difference between each class of player, sadly - and renders its inclusion rather pointless. The 5-a-side football on small pitches ensure the game plays frantic and fast with end to end football, and since the game’s played in a caged environment, the walls and fences that barricade the pitch can be used to play the ball off and create some nice flowing moves which can look rather awesome at times. With only the craziest cannonball shots able to escape over the fences, and the lack of fouling, it keeps the game momentum flowing nicely. A problem does arise with the defensive aspect of the game, attacking play uses most of the SIXAXIS/Dualshock 3’s buttons and triggers, while defensive play basically consists of two types of tackle (aggressive and gentle) and sprinting; which does tend to grate after a while, leaving defending seeming wanting and very frustrating. The computer AI works well, making a tough opponent (especially later on in the challenge mode). Typically for an EA produced game, Street 3 has high production values in both the audio and visual departments. The game soundtrack fits brilliantly with the fast paced nature of the game, and graphically the 250 players included in the game are brilliantly brought to life and easily recognisable with the over the top cartoon-styling. The over-exaggerated physiques of the stars and environments you play in snuggle up nicely with the laid back style of play. I witnessed a few moments of shuddery slowdown but nothing that impacted the actual game play in any negative way, which is always a worry for third-party produced PlayStation 3 games. The offline component as a whole is pretty thin on the ground, the only options are either quick play or ‘Street Challenge’ mode, where the aim is to play through set challenges to unlock different teams to play as. It’s bizarre EA have negated to add a master league type mode which would be perfectly suited to this type of game, allowing you to buy and sell players to build a dream team would be a great addition and something you could potentially lose hours in. Unfortunately, you can’t play as any real teams, but as groups of famous players selected by physical traits and appearances. Games aren’t decided by who has scored the most goals at the end of a set period of time but by meeting certain criteria such as scoring 5 headers or volleys and not scoring using the 'Gamebreaker'. There are around 30 challenges to complete, which should be achievable after only a few hours play time - which is disappointing and leaving FIFA Street 3 severely lacking in content if you‘re not on PSN. If you are however, the online modes kick some life into the game when the offline mode has long outstayed its welcome. Pick of the litter (pun intended), is the ’Playground Picks’ mode where both players take it in turn to pick a star to line up in their team just as we all did back in school. Bar this interesting gimmick there’s little other else that FIFA Street 3 does online that’s anything particularly great, games tend to be lag free and connecting to players is quick and hassle free - but there’s nothing to make it standout and keep your attention online for very long. To sum it up, FIFA Street 3 is a fun, yet relatively short lived game that won’t keep you entertained for too long compared to the likes of Pro Evo 08 and FIFA 08 - but there are far worse ways to burn a short while here and there. The offline mode’s a big disappointment, although the mechanics of the game have been improved on since the previous instalment, the lack of content offline really is a massive let down and doesn’t make the game look like a sound investment at full price. Maybe if they add a more expansive career mode in the next instalment it may be, but as it stands; it’s not.

Death Row

2008-04-13T16:49:00.001-07:00

Thanks to your actions in the first game the Los Carnales, Westside Rollerz, and the Vice Kings have been replaced by three new gangs, and they're all overseen by the city's shadowy owners, the Ultor Corporation - a company we just know you're going to have to fight in the end. One look at the very oppressive reign of Ultor in Red Faction is proof enough.

The new aiming system in place should please anybody frustrated by the shooting of old. Clicking the right stick brings the camera down behind the shoulder of your character, allowing you pick off enemies with ease. It also helps when using the new satchel charge. Simply hurl one onto enemies' vehicles, or even your own if you're feeling cocky (remember to hop out though), and watch the Havok physics go berserk and everything explodes.And while everybody's busy saying how Saints Row is 'just a GTA clone', it's worth mentioning three things that the first game introduced: the phone, the mission instant restarts and the online Deathmatch (because Liberty City Stories' WiFi mode isn't really comparable) - three features that Rockstar has since used to great effect in GTA IV. Maybe, just maybe, there's something else up Volition's sleeve that'll inspire the next next GTA. We wouldn't put it past them...It's going to be nearly impossible to market Saints Row as anything other than 'the alternative GTA IV', and if that turns out to be the case Volition will not have been given the credit it deserves. A hugely ambitious title that you should still be very excited about.

SECOND SKIN

2008-03-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

In the documentary “Second Skin,” filmmaker Juan Carlos Piniero Escoriaza takes us into the real life world of people who basically prefer to spend their real life inside MMORPG’s. For all you square people out there MMORPG stand for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Just kidding about you being square, I had never heard of the term either. But I had heard of colossal time wasting games like “World of Warcraft,” and “Everquest” as well as the virtual worlds “Second Life” and “Sims” where people can create a character in a utopian fantasy world and spend countless hours posted in front of their computers armed with a 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew, a Hot Pocket and a waistline growing as fast as their logged hours played. But hey, to each their own and as several people in “Second Skin” say, we all have our little time wasting addictions and online gaming is theirs.
“Second Skin” does a really nice job introducing the newbie to the world of online gaming. We see what the games are all about and what kinds of people play them. As it turns out, the games are much, much more community and friend oriented than I had previously thought. With something like 50 million online gamers contributing to various online fraternities, real life friendships and loves have been born from the computer worlds in which the people virtually “meet.” I walked away from the film thinking of MMORPG’s as more like, interactive chat rooms from when the internet boom first happened. But with swords.
People meet and give false impressions of how they look in real life (in this case it’s pretty obvious as most people aren’t handsome knights, ugly Ork’s or stunning princesses) but end up developing a relationship built on communication and coalescing interests. In a way meeting in virtual reality is a much more “fair” way to judge someone as you truly like then for who they are and not how they look. Such is the case with one couple in the film who met in the game “Everquest” and we see them finally meet in real life and attempt to make a go of it.
Yet my quibble with the film comes from the fact it felt a little one-trick and none of the people involved really grabbed my interest. The premise of the film and how it plays out seems to be “here are gamers, men and women addicted to gaming, and this is how screwy their life has become due to these games” and that doesn’t really open up much discussion for viewers. For instance one man in the film has a wife who is pregnant with twins. Rather than plan for the future, he decides to take half of his vacation days, load up on junk food and play the new version of “World of Warcraft” with his three roommates for as many hours as they possibly can. The giddiness over who will pass out on their computers first is tempered by the pasty, doughy physiques of these self involved men as they stay up for days on end playing a video game. I guess what I’m getting at was I wasn’t sure how I felt about these people. While it’s not my place to judge them and they certainly aren’t hurting anyone but themselves, it also became increasingly hard to care about any of them.
Yet for that shortcoming, “Second Skin” is pretty interesting fare. The film delves into some insane outsourcing to China that gamers are involved with as well as the effect the games can have both positively and negatively. There’s no doubt the world of virtual reality will continue to flourish and the effects of that on society are yet to be seen. But having seen “Second Skin” I don’t really think it’s hurting anyone. Heck, think of how short your commute will be if everyone just stayed home and played games all day?

Lost Planet: Colonies Achievements Leaked Before Game is Even Announced

2008-03-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

There have been whisperings among the halls of the internet that a follow-up to Capcom’s Lost Planet was in the works, but nothing really concrete other than the title, “Lost Planet: Colonies.” Now however, it looks like the full list of achievements for the game have made their way online…and then they were pulled…and then they were put back up again. They don’t reveal too much except for maybe a couple new modes, but I’d call this a pretty clear sign that the game is definitely on the way. Well that and the fact that Capcom has apparently said they’ll be revealing more next week. Still, having the full list of achievements leaked online before you even announce a game? That’s pretty embarassing.

EA's co-op game, Army of Two, double teams retailers

2008-03-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Electronic Arts today announced that ARMY OF TWO has shipped to retail stores and will be on retail shelves on March 7 in North America and Europe. Electronic Arts today announced that ARMY OF TWO has shipped to retail stores and will be on retail shelves on March 7 in North America and Europe. Launching on the PS3 and Xbox 3603, ARMY OF TWO is a 3rd-person co-op game that throws gamers into hot spots ripped from today’s headlines. In Army of Two, players seamlessly move from an A.I. partner to live players. Gamers will battle online as they advance through six levels in the two-player co-op campaign mode. Players can also compete in two-on-two team battles in four distinct multiplayer versus maps. ”We’re focused on providing a great multiplayer experience for players as they engage in complex extraction and bounty missions that make them feel as if they are fighting alongside and against some of the toughest combatants the military world has to offer,” commented Alain Tascan, Executive Producer of Army of Two. “Allowing people to play online together through the campaign or versus mode, we’re encouraging players to approach a shooter game in a new light through close collaboration and a higher level of team work that no other game has offered.” Unlike other co-op games, Army of Two not only focuses on winning, it’s about getting paid. As ex-Army Rangers now turned contractors for a Private Military Corporation, players spend their cash on more accurate and deadly weapons.
Players can use special co-op features to complete their paid missions including the new and unique Aggro feature that ensures their partner goes unnoticed when approaching enemies. Dependent on the intensity of their gun fire, distance, line of sight and type of weapon, players can put the enemy’s attention on one player while the other plans a sneak attack to take them out.

Hello Kitty world

2008-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

Add Hello Kitty and the cast of Sanrio characters to the virtual world and massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) game phenomenon.
Sanrio Digital and Typhoon Games announced the birth of Hello Kitty Online this week, which since Wednesday has attracted 30,000 people interested in testing the site.
As in other virtual worlds, users create avatars and can go about the cartoon world slaying monsters -- though we always thought Hello Kitty was such a nice, peaceful character, albeit with no mouth -- as well as building a home, raising pets and tending a farm.
Besides Hello Kitty, the world also features My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, Pochacco and others.

Xbox 360, PS3 will both feature GTA IV online mutliplayer

2008-02-13T15:54:00.001-08:00

Everybody chill -- online multiplayer will be available to XBOX 360 owners AND PS3 owners when Grand Theft Auto IV launches in April.

Microsoft's senior VP of Interactive Entertainment, Don Mattrick, caused quite a stir this week when he told Major Nelson that the XBox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV would exclusively have online multiplayer.
"It's an amazing piece of software, and I'm really excited with its downloadable content and online multiplayer support - again, that's something that's unique to 360," he said.
The revelation would have been a brutal blow to the PS3 version, which already lacks the Xbox 360's exclusive episodic downloadable content, but it turns out the statement was inaccurate at best.
In response to Mattrick's comment, GTA IV developer Rockstar Games confirmed that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of the game will feature multiplayer content.
"It's always something we've been open about, both versions will support online multiplayer capabilities," a Rockstar spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz, although exact details on those capabilities have not been announced.
Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled for release on both consoles on April 29.

EVE Online: Now Flying on Mac

2008-02-06T03:24:00.000-08:00

In May of 2003, the Icelandic game development company CCP released their flagship title: a sci-fi MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game) called EVE Online. Now, four years later, EVE Online is one of the largest persistent virtual universes in existence, home to tens of thousands of dedicated players.
And with the release of their new Trinity expansion, this game world is finally open to Mac (and Linux) users everywhere.
So, do you have an adventurous bone in your body that’s calling out for a gigantic new universe to explore? Or do you have the skills to manipulate the player-based economy of EVE to build your own galactic corporate empire? Perhaps you’ve always been drawn to a life of piracy? Whatever your calling, EVE Online delivers. With 5,000 individual solar systems — each with its own planets and stations, and each planet with its own moons and asteroid belts — the possibilities are virtually limitless. The new Trinity expansion also features a major graphics overhaul, and space has never looked so gorgeous.

When CCP designed EVE, they were dreaming of a new generation of MMOs which could break out of the previous constraints of the genre. No longer would they have to split their game world in to several identical “shards” in order to accommodate all their players; instead, the world of EVE Online takes place in a single, epic game world. And the level of inter-personal interactivity really pays off in gameplay terms. With the ability to form and join corporations which are thousands of members strong, EVE provides extremely rewarding gameplay. Its player-driven economy ensures that every sale and every purchase affects every other player, so all citizens of EVE are constantly contributing to the game’s universe.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi and long for a game to satisfy your warp-drive wants, look no further than EVE Online. It may just be the largest game release that the Mac world has seen to date.
You can try it out for free for the first 14 days, after which a monthly subscription fee is necessary to continue playing. For more information, including specific system requirements, visit EVE Online.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

2008-02-05T16:21:00.001-08:00

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the last chance for gamers to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will impose heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all. The highly-anticipated sequel to the recipient of numerous awards, including 2006’s Best First Person Shooter and Best Online Game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will push the top-selling franchise to new heights with new gameplay features and groundbreaking co-op and multiplayer modes
Algemene info
Ontwikkelaar:
Ubi Soft
Uitgever:
Ubi Soft Entertainment
Officiële Site:
N/A
Genre:
First Person Shooter
Vereisten:
N/A
Release data
Pc:
21-03-2008
Xbox 360:
21-03-2008
Playstation 3:
21-03-2008

More Multiplayer Maps Coming For CoD4

2008-02-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today, Activision has revealed that more multiplayer maps are planned for the massively popular Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which will come as good news to fans of the amazing online play.
The new content, scheduled for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, "will thrust gamers into a hot zone of added combat across a variety of intense multiplayer locales." When it comes to a game like this, more maps are almost inevitable, so we figured it was only a matter of time before this announcement arrived.
“We’ve demonstrated our commitment to delivering the best multiplayer experience in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and that continues with our plans for new downloadable content,” said Infinity Ward’s Community Manager, Robert Bowling. “We’re excited about the new maps, and the added gameplay variety, and we can’t wait to wrap things up and get online with everyone.”
According to a variety of sources, including the NPD Group and Chart Track, Call of Duty 4 was the best-selling video game of 2007, and it secured more than 40 editors' choice and Game of the Year awards. Expect to see this new downloadable content soon; we'll let you know whenever they issue an exact release date.

Play A Multiplayer Online Game While Surfing The Web: PMOG

2008-02-03T02:22:00.000-08:00

PMOG, which is currently in private beta with 150 or so users, is a Firefox add-on that lets you interact with other users asynchronously on websites you visit. In some ways it is like Stumbleupon - users can create “missions” which are groups of websites under a theme (one is called “Laugh, Hard” and is a group of humor sites; another is called “Tech News Tour” and includes links to Engadget, Gizmodo, Digg and Slashdot). When you go on a mission a controller appears in the bottom right of your screen, letting you move from site to site.

Users can also be more mischievous, leaving mines on websites that other users stumble onto and cause them to explode. Points are deducted unless you’re wearing armor. Other users can also attach “St Nicks” to users who leave a lot of mines, which causes their next mine not to work. Finally, a user can add a “portal” to any page, which is a link to a new website. Click it if you want, although there very well may be a mine waiting for you at the other end.
All in all it’s a lot of fun. While on the phone with CEO Justin Hall, I asked him to go to Google, where I had a mine waiting for him. He tripped it, causing damage to his armor. I thought it was hilarious.
You have to rack up points to buy mines and all the other stuff that makes the site fun. Every unique domain that you visit gives you two points, so you get points just from surfing the web. You can also give gifts of mines and other tools to others by leaving “crates” around. Justin’s fiance, Merci Hammon (the company’s CCO), gave me a gift of ten mines while I was testing the service, all of which I am aiming at Justin.
Gathering points and completing missions leads you to higher levels, where you eventually choose a character type. There are six characters in all - two are “chaotic” and leave a lot of mines and portals. The rest follow the “torch of order” and focus on protecting others or creating useful missions.
All those user created missions create page views for the sites covered, so it gives an incentive for people to add them. And here is one possible business model for the game - having advertisers create sponsored missions that give users some reward for completing them. A badge, for example, or points. Hall says they’ll look at other ways to eventually make money once the community is more mature and they see how people use the service.
The game is easy to play because you gain points in the background while surfing the web, and interact with others only when you want to (or when you stumble on a mine). What makes it compelling is the inspired design and storylines that they’ve created as well. When and if you join the service, watch out. I’ve left mines all over TechCrunch to trip you up.

The Video Game Release List of 2/3 - 2/9

2008-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

This week has a little bit of something for everyone, especially for those that own a PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, or PSP. Highlights, as pictured below, include Devil May Cry 4 (preview), Twisted Metal: Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition (details), and Sins of a Solar Empire (interview). Keep an eye out, as we'll have our review of Devil May Cry 4 up Monday.
Barring any unforeseen delays, most stores should have this week's games by Wednesday, February 6.
In case you just can't wait until then to get your hands on the equestrian lifestyle simulator glory that is My Horse & Me (PC, Wii, DS), we have a demo of the PC version up on FileShack.

Superbowl Tidbits You May Not Know

2008-02-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - Here are 20 bits of info about this year's Superbowl XLII that you might not know including pizzas, politics, sparks, TV, gambling, Alice Cooper, and giant footballs with sunglasses. ACTUAL GAME TIME - The actual kick-off time will be approximately 6:20 pm EST or 5:20pm Central Time, 4:20pm Mountain Time and 3:20pm Pacific Time.MILLIONS OF PIZZAS - According to Pizza Hut, they will serve over 2 million pizzas on Superbowl Sunday which is a 39 percent increase over normal Sundays. Domino's Pizza is expected to deliver about 1.2 million pizzas.HALF-TIME SHOW - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be the main act during the Superbowl halftime this year and they'll play around 12 minutes. The group has sold over 50 million records since 1976.SPARKS IN SUPERBOWL, BUT FATHER WASN'T - Jordin Sparks, the 18 year old winner of American Idol last year, will be singing the national anthem during the opening of the games. Sparks grew up in Phoenix and actually lives in Glendale, where the game is being played. Jordin's father, Phillippi Sparks, used to play for both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, but never made it to the big game.RECORD NINE HOURS OF COVERAGE - Between its networks, Fox Sports will be offering a record nine hours of coverage of the big game. In addition, the network hopes that this will be the most watched Superbowl in history, with more than last year. The record is 94.08 million viewers in the United States when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in January 1996. The most popular TV show of all time was the 1983 last episode of "M*A*S*H" which had an audience of around 125 million people. Worldwide with coverage even on the BBC, the game is expected to reach over 1 billion people.RECORD COST OF COMMERCIAL - Speaking of viewers, the cost of running an advertisement during the Superbowl reached a new record of $2.7 million for 30 seconds. Fox turned down recent requests for possible political advertisements, but said it didn't matter anyway since they had sold out of spots a long time ago.BELICHICK'S PICK AS BEST QB OF ALL TIME - When asked by a reporter who the best quarterback of all time was, Patrios Coach Bill Belichick didn't say Tom Brady. He said Bert Jones, who played nine years for the Indianapolis Colts starting in 1973."As a pure passer, I don't think I could put anybody ahead of Bert Jones," Belichick said. "I know he had a short career and the shoulder injury, but when I was there and he was just starting his career ... it would be hard to put anybody ahead of Bert Jones at that point."KEY INJURIES - Patriots quarterback Tom Brady injured his ankle, but according to recent reports, it may not be a problem by game time on Sunday as he has been practicing. Also, Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants predicted that the Giants will win, but he may not be in the game. He has an injured left knee.UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM - The field where the Superbowl is held this year is home to the Arizona Cardinals NFL team. The stadium's roof can open and close and the stadium workers can even roll out the grass field on giant rollers to the outside when it's not in use.US NAVY TO RECEIVE SUPERBOWL - United States Navy sailors in the Pacific fleet will be able to watch the Superbowl this year on their ships at sea. Military contractor Raytheon said it will be broadcasting the big game to ships via its GBS satellite system.GAMBLING BETWEEN GOVERNORS - New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick have placed bets on the game's outcome, with 24 servings of food up for grabs. Governor Spitzer said that he would send Dinosaur’s Barbeque and Junior’s cheesecake to Massachusetts if the Patriots win. Governor Patrick said he would send New England Seafood dinners from Legal Sea Foods with scrod, scallops, and clam chowder and Brigham’s "Boston, You’re My Home" ice cream for dessert.SUPERBOWL AND THE INTERNET - A recent survey of Internet users by comScore revealed that many people will be checking the Internet because of the Superbowl. Around 82% of them plan to go online before the game, while 61% said they would after it was over. Amazingly, almost 30% said that they would go on during the game or during halftime. Many said they would be checking stats of the game or getting other information.WE WATCH FOR THE ADVERTISEMENTS - Budweiser is buying four minutes of advertisements this year and will feature several new commercials including a scene where guys sneak beer into a wine and cheese party. Other big advertisements include a Justin Timberlake spot for Pepsi as he is dragged through the street, Victoria's Secret with Adriana Lima and a football, GoDaddy.com will feature racer Danica Patrick unzipping her leather jacket, Alice Cooper will be hawking Bridgestone tires, and Audi will spoof the "Godfather" movies to sell its new R8 sports car. Also, look for a funny commercial about Will Smith's new movie "Hancock" about a clueless superhero.THAT'S A LOT OF TRIPS TO THE STORE - According to the American Snack Food Association (how do I get a job there?), during the SuperBowl viewers eat 11 million pounds of potato chips, 13.2 million pounds of avocado dip, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. Also, according to AC Nielson and BusinessWeek, in 2006, sales increases for the Super Bowl included beer up $17.9 million, cola and other carbonated beverages up $13.2 million, frozen pizza up $7.3 million, frozen poultry up $5.4 million, salsa up $5.3 million, and ice cream up $4.7 million. POLITICS IN FOOTBALL - According to the Associated Press, this week Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter wanted to know why the NFL destroyed evidence that the Patriots were cheating earlier this year. The NFL fined coach Belichick $500,000, the team $250,000 and took away their first round draft pick when it was found that an employee of the Patriots was filming NY Jets signals from coaches to players. The NFL said they destroyed the tapes.LOCAL BOY "DONE GOOD" - North Carolina's own Madison Hedgecock will be playing fullback for the New York Giants in the Superbowl. The star was born in Winston-Salem, grew up on a farm and attended Ledford High School before playing for UNC in that position. His parents Art and Lou Hedgecock will be in Arizona on Sunday to cheer on their son from the stands.SMALL ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS - A large number of volunteers are needed just to help out on game day in Arizona. Over 3,000 workers are volunteering from the Arizona area to help out with the game including the half-time show.SUPERBOWL MASCOT - The mascot for this year's Superbowl is a football with glasses called Spike. The football character made a 42 town tour of Arizona over the past year to promote the big game and also appeared at the opening of a new Safeway grocery store.TWO "OFFICIAL" SUPERBOWL WEBSITES - There seem to be not one, but two "official" superbowl websites. One is hosted by the NFL and the other is produced by the Arizona Superbowl Committee and quite frankly, it was easier to find basic information such as the game time on the Arizona site than the NFL's own Superbowl pages. The websites are www.azsuperbowl.com and of course, www.superbowl.com.THIRSTY? - Although temperatures are only expected to be in the 60's for Sunday's game, those visiting Arizona should know that it's illegal in the state to refuse a person a glass of water. If you get thirsty from eating all of eight million pounds of tortilla chips and salsa, at least you know you can always get a glass of water.

BioShock takes top honour from game critics

2008-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

BioShock - a video game which captivated fans with its tale of an underwater utopia gone wrong - has taken the top honour from the Game Critics Awards with judges praising it for innovating game play.
Released last August for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, BioShock was a sleeper hit for Take-Two Interactive Software and critics gushed over its finely crafted story and disturbing moral choices.
"BioShock truly shocked, amazed and pushed all sorts of boundaries for gaming. And while we felt it was 2007's best title, we're betting its influence will extend well beyond 2007," Dan Hsu, editor-in-chief of EGM magazine, wrote of the group's decision.
It was the first time the Game Critics Awards have picked a game of the year. The group, consisting of several dozen game journalists, is best known for judging games shown at E3, the game industry's mostinfluential trade show.
The runner-up was The Orange Box from privately held studio Valve, co-published by Electronic Arts Inc.
The title is a collection of Valve's acclaimed Half-Life 2 shooter plus two follow-up episodes, an online multiplayer shooting game called Team Fortress 2 and a devilish puzzle game called Portal.
"Every single one of these things is unbelievably frickin' brilliant," Time Magazine's Lev Grossman wrote.
Activision's Call of Duty 4 came in third, with judges saying the game combined an "adrenaline-pumping" story for single players with the best multiplayer experience of the year.
Microsoft had two games in the top 10, its blockbuster alien shooter Halo 3 and the epic sci-fi role-playing game Mass Effect.
Sony Corp also had two games, God of War II, perhaps the last major title for its aging PlayStation 2 console, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a cinematic action title that showcased the power of itsPlayStation 3 machine.
Nintendo, whose Wii console was the runaway hardware hit of the year, was only recognized once, for Super Mario Galaxy and its "delightfully irrational graphic design".
Game Critics Awards top 10 titles of 2007:
1. BioShock 2. The Orange Box3. Call of Duty 44. Rock Band5. Super Mario Galaxy6. Halo 37. Mass Effect8. God of War II9. Assassin's Creed10. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Codename: Panzers - Cold War

2008-01-30T04:15:00.000-08:00

Burnout Paradise sees Criterion bet the farm on open world reality beating 'directed' experiences. Gone is the ability to restart races, gone is the split-screen multiplayer and gone is the easy to access lists of events. In their place we have a free roaming environment in which (just like real life) you have to locate and then drive to the start of each event. Happily though, the gamble more than pays off.

Players of previous Burnouts may initially balk at having to put in some extra effort to get around the city, but this pays off in terms of reality and fun and is more than worth it. Starting a race simply involves pulling up to the appropriate intersection and tapping accelerate and brake. This gives access to the usual variety of different Burnout challenges, ranging from straight up races to marked man pursuit modes where you are chased down by some imposing blacked out SUV's, Men in Black style.
Some will cite the game's lack of retry option as a big problem, however Paradise city is so well endowed with things to do it really isn't an issue. Wherever you finish there is always another event within a stone's throw. Failing that you can pick up any number of tangential challenges such as billboard busting, stunt jumps or shortcut discovery. Even when you do decide to trawl back to the start of a failed event, you invariably get caught up in some distraction along the way that turns out to be too fun to leave, and you forget all about re-starting the event.
The game also encourages your general fooling around with some stunning visuals. Not only do the cars look great off the lot, but they also deform and crumple in some of the most bone crunching depictions of car crashes ever seen in videogames. The city too is rendered in great detail and has that hand built (rather than computer generated) feel, particularly when you head out of the basin and get into the hills. The draw distance is simply stunning.
Although there is not a huge amount to pick between them, the PS3 version was the lead platform and it does show through now and then. This approach seems to have been much more successful (in terms of getting two great looking games) than it has for other developers, such as Valve with the Orange Box. For them leading with the 360 seemed to leave us with a sub-par PS3 game.
Going online with either version is simply seamless. A couple of taps on the D-Pad and you can instantly jump into a friend's city or hop onto a road rules mode where you can compete for the fastest or most carnage records on each road. This is all topped off by some inventive use of the PlayStation camera which is used to grab a pic for your license and swap facial expressions (or other bodily images) with players you have just taken down. Easily some of the best online fun for the PS3.
Although this could easily have been a hotch-potch of new features, it is able to become a coherent whole through the masterly direction of Criterion, and the marmite (love-it or hate-it) vocal work of DJ Atomica (who actually doubles as a great guide to getting on in Paradise city). There was a moment into my second day of play when I had ended up on a particular road and stumbled across a line of parked cars too tempting to pass up. They offered an ideal opportunity to practice my handbrake power parking. Having spent a happy hour parallel parking (believe it!) I noticed an open multi-story car park across the street. The next hour was spent screeching around its interior and jumping off the roof trying to nail a double barrel roll. All this fun was had in a single block of the city- take that and multiply it over the whole map and you have a lot of entertainment.
This sort of incidental fun has historically been the preserve of childhood matchbox cars and track, and it's therefore great to find a videogame that encourages such imaginative play. For me this more than compensates for any shortfall in 'directed' experience, and I'd suggest is an opportunity for the gamer to play a greater part in creating their own fun.

Gossip, news and leaks for obsessive gamers.

2008-01-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

While the recently released Xbox 360 game Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom may have strayed from the series' action RTS formula, Korean developer Blueside and Phantagram are looking to bring the franchise back to its roots and then some with an all new, massively multiplayer version of Kingdom Under Fire. Thousands of players will be able to engage in giant battles in the world's first MMOARTS - massively multiplayer online action real-time strategy game. The game will also introduce a new faction, joining the already heated battle between the Human Alliance and the Dark Kingdom. Not sure what to expect with this title, really. I'm picturing a Planetside sort of affair, with different zones under conflict at any given time, with the ability to join battles on the fly. Whatever direction they take, the game is at least looking fabulous, which is one tenth of the battle. Hit up Eurogamer below for more images from this very ambitious sequel.

Call of Duty 4 (COD4) on Sony PS3: still getting connection problems online

2008-01-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

We wrote about the Call of Duty 4 find game and invite friend problems before on the Sony PS3, and because they took the servers offline on January 9th things should have been all fixed by now. Well it looks like thats not true as I was having connecting to game problems last night and also 6 other friends and family of mine…we were also getting server error messages, so it certainly was the server end.
Are you still getting COD4 connection problems on the Sony PS3?
Lets hope things get fixed soon, on a side note check out the game trailer below which shows some gamers set up of 3 24 inch screens playing Call of Duty 4, although it does seem a little pointless when you can buy one big display.

Super Bowl Will Drive More Than 2,000,000 HDTV Sales, Says CEA

2008-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl XLII is expected to drive the purchase of approximately 2.4 million high-definition television (HDTV) units, according to the third annual “Sports and Technology” survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and the Sports Video Group (SVG).The Super Bowl has retained the title of top driver for HDTV purchases for three years running, generating some $2.2 billion in HDTV sales this year alone. This year’s survey results show the Super Bowl is followed by college bowl games, the World Series, NBA Finals and NCAA March Madness as drivers of HDTV purchases. The true impact of these sporting events on CE sales is even higher when factoring in consumer purchases of high-def accessories such as HDMI cables, universal remotes, surround sound audio systems and mounting brackets.“We have long known the Super Bowl influences HDTV unit sales,” said Tim Herbert, CEA’s senior director of market research. “We are now finding ties to other technologies consumers use to enhance their Super Bowl experience. This year, 18 percent of consumers watching the game expect to have a laptop PC nearby to check stats, IM with friends or check betting lines. Another 12 percent plan to use a PC in another room to check statistics during the game and 13 percent expect to use their mobile phone for the same purpose.”The study also found that the Super Bowl experience does not end when the game clock expires. Fifty-seven percent of HDTV owners said they will go online after the game to view memorable moments or television commercials.“While HD is still the primary driver, we’re seeing a rapid increase in adoption of technologies that provide viewers with even greater control over their sports TV experience,” said Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG editorial director. “This points to a whole new way of reaching the next generation of sports fan via multiple channels of media distribution.”
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Editors: Are You ''Budgetary Adolescents''?

2008-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

Daily newspapers are in the hour of the wolf. The church-state separation between editorial and business has thinned considerably as circulation has declined. Online competition has forced editors to tighten their belts and step up their game. Many editors, however, are drawing a proverbial line in the sand and dramatically resigning.
Are they being realistic, considering the sea change going on in publishing?
Some editors view budgetary restraint as an affront to their journalistic principles. Deposed Los Angeles Times editor James O'Shea, who is leaving over budget cuts, is just such a man. O'Shea told The Wall Street Journal this week, "...the financial people [want] you in a straitjacket ... they really don't have any faith in journalists to make these decisions. They treat you like budgetary adolescents that can't be trusted.''
Are you a budgetary adolescent? Answer these budgetary questions that editors often deal with (answers after the jump, no cheating):
What Does ROI Stand For?What Does CPM Stand For?What Is A Variance?What Is P&L?What Is A Line Item?What Does CPP Stand For?What Is A Run Rate/Merit Pool?
(image via clipart)
Answers:
ROI is a Return on Investment
CPM Stands For Cost Per Thousand
Variance is a number that reports how over/under you are for things like budget or page count vs another measurement usually a budget or last fiscal year.
P&L is Profits and Losses
A Line Item is an appropriation (e.g., car service, rent, etc.)or a particular service or fee for a photo shoot or story (e.g., props, hair stylist, etc.) that is itemized on a separate line in a budget.
CPP is Cost per page.
A Run Rate/Merit Pool is the amount of money editor has to distribute to staff as a raise in salary.

CES 2008: Legends of Norrath

2008-01-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

By Paul Philleo

The world of Norrath is a familiar one to many online gamers, of course, as the world of EverQuest. However, what many gamers may not be aware of is the free-to-play online-only TCG, Legends of Norrath, developed by Sony Online Entertainment's Denver studio. If a gamer is familiar with Magic: The Gathering Online, then he or she is halfway there to understanding the basic concept behind Legend of Norrath.

Aside from the different gaming universes the games take place in, there are essential differences between those two online-only card games, as Associate Producer Kyle Hauer pointed out. The game can be played as a standalone client or fully integrated from within EverQuest 1 or 2 as a mini-game. In fact, EQ players can reap benefits from their play in LoN, if they play their cards right (no pun intended), but we'll get to that later. Game play types offered include the always helpful tutorials for neophyte TCG gamers: casual play, skirmishes and scenarios for the single-player content.

Hauer pointed out that Sony has pulled in over 147,000 registered players so far, with several thousand concurrent users. While the game is free to download and free to play, there exists an abundance of reminders why a player would rather opt for the paid route. Tournaments, solo player, and card trading are available when activating an account, by purchasing a booster card set ($2.99).

Electronic Arts Offers Free Battlefield

2008-01-21T05:02:00.000-08:00

Electronic Arts has announced its first full, free game. Available for the PC, it's a "Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter " called Battlefield Heroes and comes "..from the team behind Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2".Free? Electronic Arts? Battlefield game? Downloadable this summer? Is there more? Well, yes there is. EA tells us that, unlike other Battlefield games, Heroes' "cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world".Deep... online... meta-game. Cool! Well, it would be if we could understand what that means.Anyway, Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA, explains the plan,"People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."Pricing structure? We thought it was 'Free to play'? Then again, £0.00 is a price. This is how that zero-quid pricing structure is going to be achieved - it "...generates revenue through advertising and micro-transactions".

There you go. Advertising and micro-transactions.

Yes, EA's first fully ad-supported game and it's aimed at PCs not consoles. Exactly what kind of advert will fit with a Battlefield game - no matter how cartoony - is one to ponder though. "Buy Jim's Guns! They're Great!" or "Sick of dragging casualties manually? Try the Chevvy Cas-o-Drag!' could do it. It's always fun to see the return of micro-transactions though. That word is just so much more comfortable than, 'purchases' or 'money-spending'.So, what do the developers think? Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE, "With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games."We're entirely unsure why as a game developer, building in advertising and micro-transactions should mean it's a 'cool new way to make games'. We can, however, see that it's a 'cool new way to fund games.Some gamers see advertising within games as a savage attack on the purity their in-game environment. Others can't see what all the fuss is about as long as the game is good quality and the ads fit the game world. In the last six months (18 October 2007 to be exact) we saw EA's Need for Speed Carbon, taking advertising for GCHQ. This is the Government Communications Headquarters - or Spy-HQ. The campaign ran via the Microsoft-owned, in-game advertising firm Massive's network of games, with the tag-line "Careers in British Intelligence".Yeah, we know... British Intelligence... move on.Whatever your take (tell us on the Forum) in-game advertising is here to stay. Whether it will simply be used to support already successful franchises and publishing companies or could someone be used to fund new and more original games and developers... well, that's probably down to public demand and response.

Brazil bans pitifully outdated online games Everquest, Counterstrike

2008-01-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

A moment of silence is in order, as the Brazilian government has finally put two aged online titles, Everquest and Counterstrike, to rest; though undoubtedly nerds across Brazil weep tears of anguish at the losses, the powers that be believe the two games to be responsible for inciting violence in the already bloody atmosphere, and that the games are “harmful to consumers’ health.”
According to the AFP, some talented modders even created variations of Counterstrike that closely resembled the the streets of Rio de Janeiro, in which players could take on the characters of local cops or drug traffickers in the bloody games.
The recent onslaught of “distressed” youths who spend too much time with video games has encouraged the Brazilian government to take steps to protect its youth from troubled existences. It seems that, for those higher-ups, the best place to start purging online video games is at the very beginning…literally.
The government must not have received word that new, more addictive titles like World of Warcraft have been created in the 9 years since Everquest and Counterstrike began destroying the unwary lives of gamers everywehere. Perhaps that ban will arrive in another 7 or so years.
No word yet from Sony Online Entertainment or Sierra, the studios responsible for the dangerous games, as to how devastating the loss of profits from the 8 remaining copies of each game will be.

Lineage II Gamer Beats Rival to Death in Russia

2008-01-19T03:19:00.000-08:00

Though video games have been blamed for violence, this time around it was a tiff between rival guilds in a massively multiplayer online game that has lead to a gruesome death. According to a report from Russia Today, a real-life altercation between two rival Lineage II guilds has led to the death of a man in Moscow.
It all started when the victim’s guild had exterminated the rival’s character in Lineage II. The guilds decided to settle it out in real life. The brawl that followed saw the victim, Albert, being beaten up so bad that he died from his injuries on the way to hospital. Albina, who is Albert’s sister said, “I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him on December 31, they continued to threaten us.”
What’s more shocking is that the 22-year-old student did not show any signs of regret. Instead he calmly explained the reasons why he had murdered Albert. There have been many violent incidents related to video games in Russia lately. In one case, a Ukrainian man beat up a Russian, who was his rival. In one more shocking incident, there was a Russian gamer who murdered his grandma after she disrupted his game calling him to have his dinner.

Gaming preview: Ubisoft brings us back to Vegas

2008-01-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ubisoft held the company's latest press event in New York this week and we were lucky enough to get in some time with a few highly anticipated new games coming from the publisher this year. Yesterday, Will Greenwald told you about Far Cry 2, with its Crysis-like physics and effects. Today, we'll shed some light on Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

Just when we thought we had enough of Las Vegas (CES can do that to a man), Ubisoft throws us right back into the mix of things in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2. While the first Vegas had us running through casinos and garage lots at night, Vegas 2 takes place more during the daylight hours as you'll be seeing back alleys and the grittier side of the town. Rather than giving us an "add-on" to the first title, the team at Ubisoft Montreal has built a game worthy of being labeled as an official sequel. So rest assured, this is certainly not Rainbow Six Vegas: Out of Cash.
In terms of the plot, Vegas 2 will patch up things as the first Vegas kind of left us hanging at its conclusion. Vegas 2 will actually begin before the events of the first game and will eventually catch up and interweave with the current storyline, ultimately ending after the events of Vegas 1. When Vegas 2 was announced, there was some talk about how it would have been nice to move away from the same atmosphere but not to worry, we have been told that this will be the last Rainbow Six game to take place in Sin City. I guess shooting up slot machines gets old after a while.
Improvements are all over the place; better visuals, more gadgets and weapons, and improved level design to complement co-op campaigns. Most noticeable from the gameplay we saw was the realism of your team as they now move with a lot more grace and finesse. They will duck and weave just as you'd expect them to, rather than occasionally leaving themselves open to fire as was the case sporadically in Vegas 1. The enemy AI in Vegas 2 has been tweaked as well, so don't just think you can "run and gun" your way through.
What most people took away from Vegas 1 was the online multiplayer. Ubisoft Montreal has incorporated all the things we loved from the first iteration and added even more maps, customization, and leveling up. Also, you'll now be able to carry over your upgrades to and from the single player campaign. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will release in March for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Next, we got a short glimpse of Tom Clancy's EndWar in action. First, we were treated to an opening cinematic that explained the story behind the game. It takes place in the uncomfortably near future where the end of oil has lead to a World War III situation. Most of the planet has separated into three factions, the US, a European coalition, and Russia. The three are now going at it, and it's your choice which sect you will align yourself with.

Two More Tracks for MotorStorm Today

2008-01-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

MotorStorm continues to get more and more downloadable content, this week in the form of two new tracks – Diamondback Speedway and Eagle’s Nest. The two tracks come bundled together for just $2.99. That certainly seems like a fine price for two new tracks.
Both tracks can be played with any vehicles class online, as well as in Time Attack and Eliminator modes. There a few screenshots on PlayStaton.Blog’s flickr which you can check out before dropping your $3.
It’s impressive to see so much content released for the game post-release, but then again, it could be argued that the game wasn’t even done in the first place.
The pair of tracks will be available today on the PlayStation Store.

Xbox Live Lawsuit Not Just About The Money, Says Lawyer

2008-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

The lawsuit recently filed against Microsoft for Xbox Live service interruptions isn't about a threesome of Texans "looking to get rich", says the attorney overseeing the class action filing. It's about holding a company responsible to providing a working service that has already been paid for, despite how many Xbox 360s said company moved during the holidays. We're paraphrasing, of course, attorney John Gibson who recently spoke with MTV News about the pending litigation.

However, as far as money goes, the suit finally has a price tag. $5 million in damages are alleged, apparently, have been suffered by the millions of Xbox Live subscribers who couldn't access the service over the holiday period. Gibson says that over 50 plaintiffs have joined the suit since its filing.

Preview: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

2008-01-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Packed to the gills with content, the latest chapter in the Advance Wars saga will truly seek to ruin your dayat least, when it comes to you being productive.
For my money, you just can't beat the Advance Wars series for handheld turn-based strategy gaming on the DS (just to be fair, on the PSP side, it's Final Fantasy Tactics). The first few games were an amazing blend of tightly balanced gameplay and quirky, eye catching visuals; the chess-like strategy combined with the game changing C.O. powers left me glued to my GBA's screen for hours.
We sat down with representatives from Nintendo for an early look at the latest Advance Wars title, Days of Ruin, and learned that, rather than sticking with the tried-and-true, developer Intelligent Systems is taking the proven strategy experience of the past titles and marrying it with a more mature and gritty feel. The end result is a game that just might put a little more wind in Nintendo's handheld sails (and sales).

All The Stars Are Out Tonight
Days of Ruin takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where meteors have decimated nearly ninety-percent of the population. As per standard science-fiction conventions, the survivors splinter off into two groups: the lawless bandits who adhere to anarchy and the law-abiding peacekeepers who are trying to scrape civilization back together.
The story takes on deeper roots from there but we don't want to spoil the fun for you. To go along with the more "serious" story line, the game's visual style also gets a bit of a facelift. Gone is the garishly colorful pastels and day-glow paint schemes of past titles; the art style this time around is decidedly drab and muted, to reflect the harsh, sunless state of the world.

Change Is Good
The biggest addition to Days of Ruin has to be the connectivity with Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Now, instead of limiting yourself to local LAN play, you can take your game online and challenge gamers all around the world. Even better, you can custom design maps and share them with others; each map can be rated and ranked as well, allowing you to download maps based on what other gamers think of them.
For a strategy game like Days of Ruin, the addition of multiplayer is a huge bonus and the map editor is sure to open up some amazing possibilities, which in turn just adds to the game's replayability. Also getting a tweak are the C.O. powers; in the past, each commanding officer had the ability to invoke special abilities that usually had devastating effects. In Days of Ruin, that has been toned down. You "attach" your C.O. to a unit and as you rack up the kills, they begin to radiate a sphere of influence, which continues to grow with experience. Any units who sit in its vicinity receives a bonus; you can also expend the sphere for a one-time bonus that imparts things like combat bonuses to all units.
If It Ain't Broke
Of course, the developers wisely held onto the core design elements, so if you've played any of the previous titles, you'll be right at home. Even if you aren't familiar with the series, Days of Ruin should be easy for you to pick up and since it's a brand new universe, you don't have to worry about continuity issues. The single-player campaign promises to be long and fulfilling but even if it weren't, the multiplayer options alone would make this a compelling title for DS gamers.
We'll have to reserve judgment to see how Days of Ruin pans out but there is no denying that our expectations are fairly high. If the developer can deliver on their promises, DS gamers the world-wide will soon be waging war for a long time to come.