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Own a Little Piece of Indiana Jones: the Fate of Atlantis
Lucasarts (and Indy) fans, hold onto your fedoras: this arts & craft session is going to blow your mind. Super-fan Fedora Smith builds replicas and nick-nacks based on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones flicks. So his Flickr page is home to loads of amazing tributes to the franchises, like a perfect…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
Can You Hunt Animals In the Uncanny Valley?
People always talk about the uncanny valley in terms of relating to a human face. Few people stop to wonder what it means for games—like Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012 here—where you shoot innocent animals in the face instead.
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
Later Today, People Will be Playing Journey. Those Bastards.
Journey looks like one of 2011’s most interesting—not to mention most beautiful—games, indie downloadable title or not. It was playable for a very privileged few at E3, but over the next week will be playable by a slightly less privileged few. Sony will be running a closed beta for the exploration game, beginning today, June…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
The Evolution of the PlayStation Control Pad
It’s perhaps the most iconic design in the world of game controllers, and definitely the longest-serving. Today in Total Recall, we look back at over 15 years of PlayStation control pads. The primary PlayStation controller’s basic appearance has survived with only minor changes since it accompanied the first console to the marketplace all the way…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
Mass Effect is Inspired by…Final Fantasy?
Yes, while there are some obvious influences on BioWare’s Mass Effect series – like Syd Mead and Star Trek – there’s one that may have slipped under most people’s noses. And it’s not hard to see why. In an interview with Xbox World 360 magazine, Mass Effect 3 art director Derek Watts says that Final…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
Sony Says it was Hacked Because it “Tried to Protect its IP”
At a shareholders’ meeting in Tokyo today, Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer got up on stage and had to field questions about the recent PlayStation Network attacks, which resulted in one of the biggest thefts of personal details in the history of the internet. Brushing off calls for his resignation, Stringer explained why, he believes,…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2011 -
When Duke Nukem Forever Advertising Goes Horribly Wrong
This has nothing to do with Duke Nukem Forever the game, but it’s still a sad tale as far as game advertising goes. While some titles have caught flak in recent years for appearing on things like buses, we’ve never seen one turn up in such an inappropriate place. This billboard, advertising the decidedly-adult DNF…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Sega Legend All But Says Goodbye
Yu Suzuki, creator of games like Shenmue and Virtua Fighter, has been easing himself away from Sega ever since he opened his own studio, YS NET. He’s now revealed that come September he’ll be leaving his current job at Sega behind, remaining only as an “advisor”. [Gamasutra]
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
I’m So, So Sorry, Okami Fans
I normally try and keep this cosplay roundup free of furries. Because, well, I’m slightly afraid of them. But there were two instances this week that were simply too good to pass up sharing. One is a Digimon that’s terrifying for all the right reason. The other is this Okami picture that is, well…yes. The…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Forza 4’s Fancy Edition Packs Extra Cars
The Limited Collector’s Edition of Forza 4 will ship with an art book (with content written by Top Gear magazine staff), metal case and a range of extra cars, including the 2012 BMW M5 and classic American muscle cars. More info at the link. [Jalopnik]
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
This “Console” is The Bastard Son of an Xbox 360 and a PS3
This is “Arcade Game Box”, model no. Nj-3802. While it may look like an unholy union of an Xbox 360 console and PlayStation 3 controllers, the truth is even stranger. You see, being a Chinese knock-off, this isn’t actually capable of playing Xbox 360 games. Or PS3 games. What it can do is play…Game Boy…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Who Would Win: Darth Vader or Ryu?
With top-shelf cameras and editing software now in the hands of the masses, all it takes is a little vision to make it big on the internet. That said, it’s sometimes refreshing to see people dial it back on the special effects, and do things the old-fashioned way. If this battle between Ryu and Darth…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Nintendo, Americans Are Pissed Off You’re Not Giving Them RPGs
Xenoblade Chronicles is a Wii RPG that’s been out in Japan since 2010. It’ll be out in Europe in September. With no firm release date yet set for America, though, Yankee RPG fans have taken it upon themselves to convince Nintendo to take action. While last week there was a plan to write Nintendo a…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
There Will Be a LEGO Star Wars “TV Special”
Which sounds a lot like a “movie”. Just that it’s headed straight to TV. Just in case you’re not instantly grasping the absurdity of this, we’re (probably) talking about a movie based on a video game that was based on a toy line that was based on a cartoon series that was based on a…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Is EVE Online’s Clothing Fiasco the “Sad Culmination of Vainness”? [Update]
In an interesting footnote to last week’s highly emotional and controversial EVE Online clothing release, the game’s senior producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason wrote a blog post defending his company’s decision to have virtual clothing goods costing more than real-world equivalents. Or, at least he tried to defend it. And hey, maybe in his head, before…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Buy Your Own Portal 2 Propulsion Gel
What really set Portal 2 apart from the first game was its clever use of gels, each providing new ways to zip around a level (and occasionally stump the player). And now you can own some of your very own. OK, so this stuff won’t make you run faster, jump higher or open portals on…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
Report: PS3 Hacker George Hotz Lands Job at Facebook
George “GeoHot” Hotz, famed for his hacking of the iPhone and PlayStation 3 (and subsequent court dramas), has apparently found gainful employment. At social networking behemoth Facebook. A report on Tech Unwrapped, citing hackers who have been in contact with Hotz since his settlement with Sony, says Hotz has been turning down new hacking challenges/opportunities…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
The World’s First True Shooting Game
While Nintendo was a pioneer of video game light guns, first for its elaborate shooting parlours and then its Zapper for the NES, it didn’t create the first home version of the technology. That honour goes to the aptly-named Shooting Gallery, a hardware/software combo for the Magnavox Odyssey, the world’s first home video game console.…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 27, 2011
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