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New Satellite Will Begin the Kinect Space Program
A pair of satellites, both based on cheap, consumer electronics components, will be launched in the coming year, part of a project run by a British university and tech firm. One has parts from a Google Nexus phone, and will be launched later this year, but the second satellite is more up our alley. It’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 29, 2012 -
Video Game Car Crashes Have Never Looked This Good
This is what happens when you plug the physics system of truck sim Rigs of Rods into Crytek’s CryEngine3: car crashes so nice you can watch them over and over and over What you’re seeing here is “soft body” physics. “Soft” meaning things built to break or deform. Like this poor truck. Which is about…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Diablo III is Changing. Here’s How.
Blizzard has released a timeline of sorts for upcoming Diablo III updates, detailing the kinds of things that are due to be fixed and the kind of things that due to be tweaked. The first update, 1.02, will mainly be patching up the various network issues that have affected the game since launch. It should…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
You’ll Swear This Half-Life Headcrab Was The Real Deal
You may have seen this years ago, but since there’s a good chance you haven’t, here. See it now. Last week’s story on that awesome StarCraft statue outside Blizzard’s French offices reminded us that the primary artist involved, Steve Wang, is no stranger to amazing video game craftsmanship. Back in 2005, he made this stunning…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Culture
Harry Potter, Batman Will Kick Your Ass All Over This Concept Art
British artist Ross Dearsley has over the years done everything from comic art for Marvel to concept work for the video game business. In this gallery you’ll see stuff like his Harry Potter video game work, comic covers, Batman: Arkham City pieces and even some Judge Dredd You can see more of Ross’ art at…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Pokémon vs Zombies Would Sell Millions. No. Billions.
If you had to sit down and think of a game idea guaranteed to make billions, don’t waste your time thinking of something new. That’s madness! Too risky! It’s safer to just throw two existing properties together. Sort of like what Pokémon x Nobunaga’s Ambition (aka Pokémon Conquest) is doing, only mix Pokémon with something…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Finally, a Decent Real-Time Strategy Game on the iPad
RTS games have been tried on the iPad before, but have usually resulted in stilted affairs, or simple attempts at cloning a PC control system. Autumn Dynasty, on the other hand, gets things right I picked up the game on Friday when it went on sale, and it’s the best $5 I’ve spent to date…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Look Like an Assassin With This Ridiculous 3DS Carry Case
If you’re going to go to the trouble of getting a carry case for your Nintendo 3DS, you may as well go all out and get this hitman-esque case from Japanese accessory-makers Actec. It’s going for almost $150, which given the size seems a bit much (even taking into account the cost blowout converting USD…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Yeah, This is Basically The Road: The Game (With Zombies)
Just in case you hadn’t yet picked up on the heavy – and welcome – inspiration The Road has had on upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title Deadlight, check out this new trailer. So, yeah, it’s the dead world/broken society of Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic tale with zombies thrown in. Which is as good an elevator pitch…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Get Started Learning Japanese With This Little Video Game
Given the nature of this job, and the fact I make an almost annual pilgrimage to Japan, I’ve been meaning for a while now to get off my butt and learn more of the local language than simply what I need to order a beer. Hiragana Pixel Party is just what I needed to knuckle…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Excuse me, I’m Going to go Lie Down on This Beautiful Video Game Grass
Time to check in again with the Outerra project, an engine that’s currently being developed that threatens to make video games more awesome. How dare it. The last time we checked in, things were on a planetary scale. This time, let’s close in, look at some grass. Which may sound boring, but when it’s done…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
The Essence of DayZ, Captured in a 3-Minute Video
So much of what makes zombie survival mod DayZ so enjoyable to play is in the intangibles. You can’t sum it up in bullet-points, or just say “it’s fun”, you need to experience a night in the dark with no food or water, on the run from both the living and the dead, to really…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 28, 2012 -
Nothing Says Cosplay Like Cheerleaders, Dragon Age, Catwoman and…Jak and Daxter?
Jak & Daxter cosplay. I don’t know why there’s a lady in Jak & Daxter cosplay this week, but I don’t care. I applaud her for it. I also applaud the Team Fortress 2 squad you’ll see in the gallery, because they realise it’s not the guns or the outfits that are the most important…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 27, 2012 -
The BBC Might Have Confused Halo With the United Nations
If this video is real – and given its shoddy quality, that’s no guarantee – It would appear the BBC have some issues using Google Image Search. For a piece on Amnesty and the United Nations Security Council’s response to events in Syria last week, it seems the BBC’s production crew needed a graphic for…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 27, 2012 -
These Little Halo Toys Are Disturbingly Desirable
First shown off at this year’s Toy Fair, there’ll soon be a line of action figures based not just on Halo, but on the Halo gear your little Xbox 360 avatars can wear. Which should make these all kinds of awkward, but the end result is surprisingly endearing. The ones that are clearly avatars, I…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 27, 2012 -
Culture
I Don’t Know What the Hell is Going on With These Guys, But I Like it
Chinese artist Xi Zhang works for online gaming powerhouse Tencent. He’s been in the video game business for nearly ten years now. Some concept artist’s work is shooting for realism. Others aim for mood. Zhang’s looks like something I would dip in honey and serve at a party, it looks that tasty You can see…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 26, 2012 -
Get Out of Our Real World, Video Game Characters, You Look Too Good
Artist Jamie Sneddon’s 8-bitscapes is a collection of prints showing video game characters let loose in the real world, taking over locations like Cologne, Hong Kong and Manhattan. Some are here to destroy us. Others just want to hang out. All of them look great. You can check out the full range at the link…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2012 -
Don’t be a Sparkly Vampire, be a Badass Vampire Instead
You don’t often see vampires reduced to using submachine guns, but then, that appears to be the premise – at least in this trailer – for Dark, a shooter due on PC and 360 next year. Maybe this shows how you become a vampire, I don’t know, but developers RealmForge say it’ll have RPG-like levelling,…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2012 -
Report: How Scammers Are Stealing Xbox Live Accounts, and the Few Things You Can Do to Protect Yourself [Update]
For months now, Xbox 360 owners have been complaining of a surge in account thefts, incidents when people wake up one day to find themselves no longer with access (or even possession) of their own Xbox Live accounts anymore. At first believed to be the result of hacks in relation to EA’s FIFA series, it’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2012
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