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Culture
Sunday Comics: What’s Your Favorite Activity?
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Virtual Shackles by Jeremy Vinar and Mike Fahmie published Jan. 18.—Read more of Virtual Shackles Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Jan. 16.—Read more of Awkward Zombie…
By Owen Good -
Half-Knife: The Winners
Yes, yes, yes, Jesus Christ, I know last week’s ‘Shop challenge subject was itself a Photoshop. Thank you for all the sniffy #corrections, like I think Gabe Newell was actually tipping off Half-Life 3. The point of this wasn’t to present an actual rumor. It was to make an actual rumor funnier, which winner Ryan…
By Owen Good -
Disabled Gamers Laud The Old Republic as 2011’s Most Accessible Title
The advocacy publication for disabled video game enthusiasts has named Star Wars: The Old Republic its Mainstream Game of the Year, meaning it is the most widely released title that also is most accommodating of gamers who have different needs to enjoy full-featured gameplay. AbleGamers praised SWTOR for “many accessibility options such as full subtitles,…
By Owen Good -
EA Lawsuit Doesn’t Mean Madden‘s Exclusive is a License to be Killed
Of all ironies, it’s Electronic Arts now asking a judge to rule that some video game depictions of real-life names and symbols and products don’t need a license. The video games publisher is suing the maker of a military helicopter, plainly hoping to establish a precedent that expands creative freedom for all video game developers.…
By Owen Good -
Onion Ring Confirms Half Life 3
Discovered in today’s lunch by Reddit user ScubaBuddha. No comment yet from Valve. (Full-size version at the link) This Onion Ring I Found Tells Me We Should Be Expecting a New Half-Life Pretty Soon [Reddit] Click here to visit our Half-Life 2: Episode Three timeline!
By Owen Good -
X-COM Creator Rips Reboot Efforts
As intrigued as I am by what 2K’s doing with X-COM—and I freely admit I’m in the minority there—the publisher’s recent move to delay that game another year, and release a more traditional turn-based strategy reboot meantime, reek of please-everyone panic. Fans of the original can read between the lines and see an expression of…
By Owen Good -
Play Counter-Strike on Your Android Device
The gang at XDA-Developers are hard at work on a full port of Counter-Strike to Android devices, but they’ve already released two playable versions Android owners can run go get free right now. The video above shows Counter-Strike being played on a smartphone (using the game’s Matrix mod) and a tablet and it appears to…
By Owen Good -
Here’s the Voice of Mass Effect 3‘s Newest Character
Mass Effect 3 will introduce James Vega, a new character whose journey through the story is included to help newcomers understand the trilogy. The voice actor for Vega is this man, Fred from Scooby Doo. Zoinks! OK, OK, he also has sci-fi/video game acting chops, as Lt. Blair in 1999’s Wing Commander (a flop that…
By Owen Good -
Alan Wake Arrives for PC in February, and Won’t Use Games For Windows Live
The makers of Alan Wake said yesterday that the PC versionof the Xbox 360 exclusive will arrive in February. As it is self-published by Remedy, you don’t have to worry about it using the execrable Games For Windows Live: “Games for Windows Live will not be used; we will be fully supporting the Steam platform,”…
By Owen Good -
Get Ready for Zynga Sports, Apparently
The Facebook games giant Zynga seems to have its eyes on a suite of sports titles now, registering several web sites that point to both a football game in the works and an umbrella brand called “Zynga Sports,” reports domain registry watchdog Fusible. Happily, “SportsVille” was not among the raft of domain registrations, which are…
By Owen Good -
Something Old, Something New
GameStop’s running another used-games blowout, giving you three for the price of two this weekend. New games at the retailer also can take advantage of coupon codes if you’re buying two at full price. Sonic also found his discount savings not at Progressive Insurance, but on Steam. These and more than 50 deals are inside…
By Owen Good -
Twisted Metal Will Require an Online Pass After All
The creator of venerable car-combat series Twisted Metal had hoped that the game’s upcoming PlayStation 3 reawakening would not be subjected to an “Online Pass,” that single-use code unlocking online multiplayer access to the game. David Jaffe admitted it wasn’t his decision though, and Sony proved him right. Twisted Metal will indeed know the code.…
By Owen Good -
PS Vita Now Selling Less than PSP in Japan, Says Report
The PlayStation Vita debuted to strong sales in mid-December. New devices usually do, and a falloff after that is likewise to be expected. But for the week ending Jan. 15—a month after its Japan release—the PS Vita had fallen to 18,361 units sold. Not only is that far less than the 325,000 sold in its…
By Owen Good -
MLB 2K12 Reaches Down Deep for What Might Be Its Final Pitch
Major League Baseball 2K12 is widely expected to be in its walk year, the final season of a fat contract going back to 2005. Unlike a superstar in the big leagues, this is not a cause for optimism that fans will see an above-average performance. Not when the performer is the one paying the contract,…
By Owen Good -
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Last week when I was on vacation I picked up an original Xbox from a friend (some of you may have seen me Tweeting about that.) Considering the new-release doldrums we’re in, this has been as good a time as any to reacquaint myself with some games I loved on that console but haven’t seen…
By Owen Good -
3DS Box Art Hints at ‘Nintendo Network’ [Update]
“Found something on the right,” said this Twitter user from Japan, and indeed he has: A logo for the “Nintendo Network,” on the box art for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, due to release on February 12. If it’s a new online service from Nintendo, or at least a rebranding of the old Wi-Fi Connection, color us…
By Owen Good -
A Racer that Follows the Law of Averages
Considering how many gaming apps are published each week in a mobile gaming gold rush that shows no signs of slowing, finding one that is simply average feels almost like a win. Streetbike: Full Blast, the latest excreted onto the iTunes app store, will suffice at a buck. Streetbike applies all the familiar mechanics of…
By Owen Good -
EA Sports’ Grand Slam Tennis 2 Outwits the Hawk-Eye
You may not know this, but my old man is a tennis umpire. He’s done it for more than 25 years, which means he’s had some pretty big assignments. Dad’s worked two Olympics, numerous U.S. Opens (including lines crew of the most recent men’s final), and has been called a fucking chickenshit bastard by John…
By Owen Good -
UFC Undisputed 3‘s Demo Arrives on Tuesday
Pushed from a January release to Valentine’s Day, the flagship MMA title UFC Undisputed 3 said today its demo will release Jan. 24 or, a week from this past Tuesday. And that’s it. THQ provided no details as to what kind of fighters or game modes would be available in the demo, saying those and…
By Owen Good -
Here’s Your Covah Stah f’ MLB Th’ Showah
Boston first sacker Adrian Gonzalez holds down the box shot of MLB 12 The Show from Sony, breaking the two-year hold of Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. Before Mauer, the last cover star for Sony’s boutique baseball franchise was also a Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, for MLB 09 The Show. Before him, it was Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard.…
By Owen Good
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