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Pirates Are Not Thieves, They Are Fans
There’s a long-standing — and incorrect, I think — view amongst publishers that a game pirated is a game stolen It’s not (who says they’d ever have bought a copy anyway?), and in a great piece over on GameSetWatch, Irish designer Tadhg Kelly (formerly of Lionhead) argues an even better reason why this isn’t the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
Why Sony’s New Handheld Has A New Way Of Interacting With You
As we saw when the product was first unveiled, Sony’s upcoming NGP won’t be using the company’s trademark “XMB” user interface. It’ll be using something new. Why is that, Sony? According to Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios boss Shuhei Yoshida, it’s partly because of “social networking”. “[A] fundamental point was our desire to make this…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
This Is The Fighting Game Of Your Dreams
Wolverine. Ryu. Scorpion. Terry Bogard. Never before have these giants of the fighting game genre met in the one title before, but in Pixel Force: Head 2 Head, come together they shall. To kick ass Head 2 Head is the latest project from Eric Ruth, the guy behind the 8-bit renditions of Halo and Left…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallNintendo’s War On Blood, Nazis, Religion And Puppy Dogs
While these days it’s not that hard finding violent, mature titles on Nintendo consoles, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, that wasn’t the case. And when you did find them, well, some “changes” had been made. As anyone around in and gaming during the time can probably remember, it was a strange era for…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
The Simple Joy Of Men Kicking Balls
Flick Kick Football is about kicking balls. And that’s it. Simple premise, but also a highly effective one. It’s the latest in a long line of “flick” games from Kiwi studio PikPok, who have released similar titles focusing on kicking a rugby ball and kicking an American football. This one, though, is the best, not…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
Alice, You’re Looking Much Cheerier!
The Alice games, based on a twisted interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, are normally bleak affairs, full of black skies and fireballs. So what the hell is up with all this blue sky? There should be death! And destruction! And girls with sad looks on their faces! And…oh. OK. It’s just setting the scene.…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
The Game That Makes You Go Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew
PPPPPPPPP is an Xbox Live Indie game that doesn’t use controllers. All it asks is that you play with a friend, use your voices and sound like complete dorks. The game’s full name is PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew (hence the abbreviation), and it’s controlled using an Xbox 360’s vocal input. Whether that be a regular Xbox 360 headset…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
How A Game Character Nearly Turned Up On A Star Wars Cartoon
Revan, the star of Knights of the Old Republic, is a fairly popular character in Star Wars’ expanded universe. So it’s probably for the best that plans to include him in the woeful Clone Wars cartoon fell through. As you can see here, Darth Revan (to explain that would be to spoil things) was intended…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
There Is A Dragon Age Series, And It Stars Felicia Day
Felicia Day, of Buffy and The Guild fame, has not only written but will star in a new live-action series based on BioWare’s fantasy RPG franchise Dragon Age. The series, which comprises six parts and will run online later this year, is based around the adventures of Tallis, a character Day created specifically so…she could…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
Sony’s Mascot Has A Sandwich, And It Will Kill You
Some of our braver readers may have tried a “Monte Cristo” sandwich in their time. If you’re still alive and with us, congratulations. You are, however, a coward compared to what Sony mascot Kevin Butler chows down on. In a recent interview with Game Informer, the fictional executive remarked: Have you ever had a Monte…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
Sorry, There Is Still Only One NFL Game On The Market
Bad news, sports fans: according to a report on Sports Business Journal, the NFL and Electronic Arts have signed a new deal, extending the publisher’s monopoly over home console NFL games until at least 2013. What’s more, EA got the new deal at a reduced price, able to work out with the NFL that with…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallThere Is Blood On Your Hands, And On This Controller
Since we showed you a novel controller from Nubytech that you’ll never play, it only seems fair to spend today’s Total Recall talking about one you can play. And is way cooler. This is Nubytech’s Resident Evil 4 controller, fashioned for the game’s release back in 2005. Originally designed only for the GameCube, which the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2011 -
Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone!
Artwork by Brandon Reese
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallIs This The Worst Controller Ever Made?
This is the controller for the ill-fated Atari Jaguar, a peripheral so so poorly-conceived that, even eighteen years later, it looks as stupid as the day it was first unveiled. Hitting the market in 1993, the Jaguar was the last console Atari — former powerhouses of the video game market — would ever release. This…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011 -
This PS3 Smashes Up Real Nice
We’re big fans of the classy way French gaming mag Amusement handles its visuals. If you’re not, maybe you should check these out. The spread, called TRONIFIED! in honour of the recent-ish release of Tron Legacy, shows a range of everyday appliances getting, well, Tronified. Which is really just an excuse to show what it…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011 -
Video Games Finally Won A Grammy
The medium of video games won its first ever Grammy tonight. Yeah, it’s for a song that was featured in a game that’s nearly six years old, but we’ll take it where we can get it! While the amazing musical works of games like Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2 went entirely unnoticed, composer…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011 -
Some Stuff You May Not Know About The Masters Of PC Gaming
Whether through its dominance of PC retail via Steam or its own classic franchises like Half-Life and Left 4 Dead, Valve is the king of hardcore PC gaming. Here’s some stuff you may not know about your PC’s overlords. In a new interview with Forbes, Valve boss Gabe Newell spills the beans on a number…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011 -
Why Hollywood is Fighting A Video Game Lawsuit
The long-running attempts by former college football players to earn a share of EA’s revenues from the NCAA series won’t just affect video games and “amateur” athletics. It could hit music, TV, movies and comic books, too. The legal battle, which was originally between former NCAA players and the games publisher, has grown over the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2011
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