Inside the Making of Gears of War 2 Book

Just got back from the Gears of War 2 event where I got a chance to check out the new multiplayer coop mode, Horde. Lots of fun. As I was leaving they handed me this nifty making of Gears of War 2 book. Don't worry, I'm adding it to our schwag pile for the E3 2008 Kotaku Fantasy Betting Pool.

Sid Meier Is The Most Award-Winning Developer Ever!

Does an entry in the Guinness World Records count as an award? If so, chalk up another one for Sid Meier, who has just entered the 2008 Gamer's Edition of that prestigious publication as the game industry's most award-winning creator. Among his many achievements are numerous awards for the Civilization series, induction into the Computer Museum of America's and Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Halls of Fame, and a commemorative star on the Walk of Game. How does it feel?

“I’m fortunate to be able to do what I love and am grateful for all of the wonderful recognition I’ve received over the years,” said Sid Meier. “It is every kid’s dream to make it into the Guinness World Records and I’m thrilled to be a part of the prestigious book. I’m thankful to the many game critics who have enjoyed our games and hope they are as excited about our upcoming Civilization Revolution title as I am.”

And there, my friends, is why great men are great. They are never too proud to slip in a little marketing. Go read some more marketing in the official press release, while I apply some watercolor photoshop filter love to this great, great man.

Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: A World of Warcraft Reader

My hands on with Hellboy: Science of Evil was a surprising experience. I wasn't expecting to like it much but it ended up being a pretty fun little action game experience. You play Hellboy, the demon with the sawed off horns and stone fist of fury. After discovering a Nazi plot to take over the world, Hellboy must hit the streets to keep them from fulfilling their evil plans. Co-op play is available through two additional characters, Liz and Abe who you might remember from the movie and comic books. It should be noted that the game is mainly based on the comics but there are elements room the movie such as character voices from stars Ron Perlman,David Hyde Pierce and Selma Blair. As an added bonus, the script for the game was penned by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

I never thought that an act as passive as showing up in costume somewhere A) would merit a Guinness record or B) would require so many rules.

But first, remember how we threw down the gauntlet on the the 80 Marios who showed up in London back in mid-March? Right, just wait for the next anime convention, that'll be blown apart. And that's what's gonna happen.

A-Kon, "the oldest continually running, anime-based convention in North America (at 19 years)," thinks they can pwn 80 wimp-ass Marios, easy, at their gathering, May 30 - June 1 in Dallas. And just to make sure there are no protests or challenges or "nuh-uh, nuh-uh!(s)" from their cosplay rivals, they've drawn up a list of rules for everyone to follow. They want this locked down tight.

Gamer Brits Set Pathetic Cosplaying Guinness World Record

It doesn't take much to impress the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records, I guess. They deemed the gathering of 80 cosplayers, each dressed up as a video game character, "The Largest Gathering of Games Characters" that they've ever had on record. The GameSpot report on the matter points out that the record wasn't officially recorded prior to the event, so it wasn't exactly hard.

That certainly doesn't mean that the 30 kids sporting Mario outfits from Argyle Primary School, Kings Cross aren't adorable. We're just expecting the record to be smashed by the weekend. There's surely a con happening somewhere.

UK cosplayers set Guinness World Record [GameSpot]

Is Virtual Sex Really Cheating?

With all the talk about sexuality in games following the Mass Effect drama, it's interesting to see discussions centering around purposeful sex in games, such as Second Life. Author Tim Guest's new book, Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds, takes a close look at the alternate lives, including sexuality, lived by people in Second Life. He spent months investigating virtual worlds and the people who inhabit them, from part-time virtual escorts, to a very serious virtual hitman, and many other personalities. In a Q&A with Nerve.com's Screen Digest, Guest reveals some of the interesting questions of morality, legality, and love that arise from the experience:

At the yearly EB Games conference, store managers were given this Assassin's Creed comic book after seeing a thirty minute demo of the game. The comic shows a lot about the plot of the game and it's basic concepts, so as not to give away any plot points or spoilers I have just posted the cover here for you to see. If you would like to see the comic in it's entirety and possibly ruin the entire game for yourself, you can peruse it at sircuddlesGHII's Photobucket gallery of the pages.

Assassins Creed Comic [Photobucket]

Read Books On Your DS! (...hooray?)

Genius Sonority has teamed up with a Japanese publishing company Chukei to release Bunagku Zenshuu, a collection of 100 e-books you can read on your DS. Once you are done reading said 100 books, you can download more literature via WiFi. The catch that absolutely destroys the concept? The content is abridged.

The (game?) will be released October 18th with new content coming as soon as November. We're not certain that the DS screen is easy enough on the eyes for extended reading sessions, but we do fully realize that the DS can be held like a book—like a freakin' smartypants book! So we're sure it's a great idea.

The DS turned into an e-Book reader [siliconera]

Advice to Libraries? Start Gaming!

Youngest Professional Gamer

Kent to Pen Gears of War Novel

Japanese Manner Game Gets iTuned

Ongoing Halo Comic Details Emerge

Picking up from the conclusion of blockbuster video game Halo 2, the must-read issue reveals how the Master Chief, while onboard a hostile ship headed towards Earth, is battling against Covenant forces! Intertwined with Master Chief's interstellar one-man-war is the saga of a great American city's rebellion and downfall, two disparate lives' collision and shared fate, and the Covenant's hunt for an ancient relic of untold power and value. With hope dwindling and the fate of humanity hanging by a thread, is there any chance for a future?

Video Game Record Book Incoming!

Halo Book Goes Mainstream Today

Day Note: I'mmmmm Baaaaack