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Paul McCartney Live Tracks On The Run Towards Rock Band
MTV have announced that next week a collection of live Paul McCartney tracks will be made available for download in the Rock Band store. Called the “New York City” pack, it will include three songs from a recent live performance in NYC: Jet, Band on the Run and Sing the Changes. Or, as per usual,…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009 -
Sony Trimming More Costs
2009 wasn’t the best year for Sony, at least financially. So the Japanese company is looking to trim a little more of its overheads, specifically with the way PlayStation games are distributed. Previously, Sony Computer Entertainment’s distribution arm and that of the rest of the company were entirely separate operations. In 2010, though, they’ll be…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009 -
2009 In Review: The Trailers
They’re at the forefront of marketing, rarely show gameplay and have been hopelessly corrupted by “developer diaries”, but that’s not to say we hate trailers. We like trailers. There are even some that we love. Whether indicative of a game or just the “feel” or “tone” of one still in development, the humble game trailer…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 25, 2009 -
Sony Add NBA, NHL Games To The PlayStation Network
Continuing moves made earlier in the year, when MLB, UFC and wrestling content was made available on the PlayStation Store, Sony yesterday announced there are now NBA and NHL games ready for download as well. The NBA content is the more appealing of the two, Sony promising “select games” will be made available every week…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
Mommy, Where Do Game Trailers Come From?
As we’ll get into on Christmas day in a little more detail, video game trailers are big business these days. But did you ever stop and wonder where they actually come from? The Kartel did, so went and paid a visit to FAILSAFE Creative Group, an ominous-sounding company that specialises in the production of trailers…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
Sony Promoting Safe Online Play With Handy Website
Game companies, whether they be console manufacturers or publishers, are always the victims of bad press when it comes to keeping kids safe from questionable content online. So it’s nice seeing one – Sony – doing something proactive about it. While every console has measures in place to restrict content for minors, Sony are going…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
Doctor Advises No Games Before Sport
A doctor working with the British Olympic Association has advised athletes to avoid playing games before sport, as it adversely affects their sleep patterns. Writing on his blog, Dr. Marco Cardinale has four suggestions for those who enjoy their games as much as their athletic activity: 1) If your are travelling to train and compete…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
More Games Released In 2009 Than In 2008
You’d think the one-two punch of a global economic crisis and a string of delays would mean 2009 saw less game releases than 2008, but no. Oh no. Instead, according to Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, the number of games released this year increased. In 2008, 1092 titles reached a retail shelf in the United…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
More Fancy Street Fighter Clothing
Triumvir, who last year brought us a range of snazzy Street Fighter clothing, are back for 2010 with a whole new line, again going with the “dress like a Shadaloo foot soldier” theme. In theory, you could outfit yourself head-to-toe in a Shadaloo uniform, as there are caps, beanies, shirts, jackets and even jeans on…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
Gold, Diamond-Covered PS3 Needs A Price Cut
Let’s say the world’s most expensive Wii doesn’t appeal to you. You figure, “If I’m paying $300,000 for a console, the least it can do is play Blu-Ray”. So you instead focus on the world’s most expensive PS3. Made by the same guy, it’s covered in gold, emblazoned with 58 diamonds, and costs around $320,000.…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
2009 In Review: Motion-Control Gaming Grabs The Spotlight
In the dark, distant future, when people write about the history of video games and get to the part labelled “2000-2010”, they’ll note one thing: 2009 was the beginning of the end for the control pad. Not that it’ll go away any time soon; indeed, as I’ve said, I think the humble d-pad-and-buttons-thing has a…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 24, 2009 -
The Twenty Best-Rated Games Of The Decade
Lost slightly amidst all this “end of year” review business is the fact this is also the end of the decade. Which means it’s time to take a look back and what the best games of 2000-2009 were. According to review aggregation site Metacritic, the top twenty games of the past ten years are…well, pretty…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009 -
What The Video Game Industry Wants For Christmas
Christmas is a time for giving, yes, but it’s also a time for receiving. Which is more important. And while we know what we want for Christmas, we wondered: what do the big names of the video game industry want? Wondering got us to asking, so we asked around. And people like Ken Levine, Sid…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009 -
Watch Knees Turn To Butter As Spock Narrates Star Trek Online
Here’s a trailer ramming home the news we told you of yesterday; that Leonard Nimoy, aka the original Spock, will feature in the upcoming Star Trek Online. Shame there’s no blooper reel. I just want to hear him say “pig iron” one more time… Video Games | Star Trek Online | Leonard Nimoy Behind the…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009 -
Namco Bandai Digging Into The Archives For Re-Releases
Got an interesting press release today from Namco Bandai. It goes a little something like this. “Leading video games developer and publisher NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., announced today their intent to increase its digital distribution presence.” Boring so far, right? It is! Thing is, it gets better, the company pledging to spend 2010 plumbing…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009 -
Cameron Diaz Was (Almost) In Mortal Kombat
Most of the time, our news is fresh. It has that “new news” smell. But sometimes, our news is old. Like a fine wine. Like this vintage clip from a special on Cameron Diaz with some surprisingly game-related info. Did you know Diaz had been cast as Sonya in the first Mortal Kombat movie? And…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009 -
PAL PlayStation Store Update: Christmas Holidays
You know what, it’s Christmas. Just like most of you are probably already on holidays, so too are Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Which is probably why this week’s store update is so thin. Can’t very well go licensing and localising content if you’re down the pub enjoying a week off, can you? Wish I had…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2009
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