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Oh Look, Another Multizillion-Spacedollar Scam Hit EVE Online
Only in an MMO is a gigantic financial crime a) subject to absolutely no punishment and b) a sign of the community’s health because hey, it’s all role-playing, right? Once again, we’re looking at EVE Online. An intergalactic space Ponzi scheme fleeced investors of 1 trillion spacebuxx or whatever that currency is called, which the…
By Owen Good -
Nintendo Seeks to Patent the Massively Singleplayer Online Game
Back in 2010, Nintendo filed a patent application for something called a “massively single-playing online game,” something whose interactions don’t take place in real time and what sounds a little Animal Crossing-ish (above). According to GameSpot, which found the filing, the MSO(?) would be an environment where players’ actions and choices affect the world they…
By Owen Good -
Six Shots of Pinball FX 2‘s Next Table, Ms. ‘Splosion Man
Back in July, FX Pinball 2 creator Zen Studios revealed that Twisted Pixel’s Ms. ‘Splosion Man would supply the theme for the next table for the pinball simulator. Six fresh screens of that went out today. No release date or trailer yet, but Zen says both are coming soon enough. Zen’s next project is the…
By Owen Good -
To No One’s Surprise, All PC Installs of Battlefield 3 will Require Origin
Just for the record, if you’re going to play Battlefield 3 on the PC, you’re going to create and use an Electronic Arts Origin account. Period. Developer DICE has confirmed what, really, shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, a couple days ago on Twitter. This covers retail copies on DVD, but we can assume it…
By Owen Good -
Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Microsoft of Double-Billing Xbox Live Subscriptions
Microsoft must defend its Xbox Live billing policies in a class action lawsuit filed this week in Indiana. Plaintiff Ryan Graves says he was double-charged for a subscription under “vague and onerous terms of use” for the console service membership. Graves says that his Xbox Live subscription lapsed when he didn’t update his credit card…
By Owen Good -
It’s Day Two of the Half-Life 2: Episode Three Protest
Hey, Hey, Mister Gabe, How Many Games Did You Make Today? The grass-roots protest outside Valve headquarters, demanding the completion of Half-Life 2: Episode Three, is not going away. Sure Mr. Newell, it was cute when you showed up yesterday to pat their youthful idealism on the head and explain how the real world works,…
By Owen Good -
Shift 2 Unleashed is a Demanding Driver’s Ed Class
Learning to drive a stick shift on my mother’s BMW 325 was one of the most maddening experiences in a teenage life full of them. I just could not figure out what the hell that thing’s clutch wanted out of me. It defied all verbal instruction. It was a car of undeniable quality, and a…
By Owen Good -
FortressCraft Breaks the $1 Million Barrier on Xbox Live Indie Games
Last year, Minecraft made about a zillion kroner in the time it takes to nuke a Hot Pocket. This year, FortressCraft, the Minecraft knockoff homage on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel, has now bagged a cool million inside of the first six months it was available on the service. That’s a gross sales figure,…
By Owen Good -
A Fantasy RPG Sails into Pirate-Infested Waters with Risen 2
Deep Silver has a game forthcoming that features islands, water, and people in pirate costumes, and it ain’t Dead Island. No, it is Risen 2: Dark Waters, the sequel to a game that was a fantasy RPG. What Deep Silver is doing is listening to its customers. One of the most popular side quests in…
By Owen Good -
A Lockout Could Cost NBA 2K12 $40 Million, Says Analyst
You thought we were done with this lockout nonsense when the NFL and its players came to terms about two weeks ago. Nope! The NBA and its players are in a similar dispute and, good news, it seems to be even more intractable. What does this mean for its premier licensed video game? Arvind Bhatia,…
By Owen Good -
Co-Op Multiplayer May Have to Wait in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Earlier today, a post on the official forum for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine said that cooperative multiplayer for the game would not be available at launchand would be added into the game 30 days after launch “give or take.” The post has since been removed, but publisher THQ has yet to confirm any plans or…
By Owen Good -
Activision Says No Thanks to Facebook Gaming Because It’s Already Kicking Ass In Pay-to-Play
The CEO of Activision Publishing (that’s not Bobby Kotick—he is the CEO of Activision Blizzard) pointedly said his division does not share rival Electronic Arts’ interest in Facebook gaming because “Call of Duty has more players who pay-to-play online than any Facebook game.” Ruh roh. That’s another bon mot offered by Eric Hirshberg at the…
By Owen Good -
Madden Munchies Find a Winning Flavor and Stick With It
Following a breakout rookie year, “Stadium Nacho,” the Madden NFL Dorito flavor, returns for a sophomore campaign on grocery shelves. There’s free stuff in the bag, too. “Stadium Nacho” helped right the ship with stoners after a meal deal with with Kentucky Fried Chicken turned in a Jamarcus-esque performance in 2009. Nacho overshadowed teammate “Tailgater…
By Owen Good -
Simple Physics and Jet-Age Design Get You Home in The Marbians
A physics-based puzzle grading you out on a scale of one to three, by now, might be not a genre but a cliche in mobile gaming, But there are still concepts out there that can keep it fresh and one of them is The Marbians, a cheerfully dressed app for iOS and Android devices that…
By Owen Good -
Samus’ Silver Anniversary
Metroid Turns 25 | Yesterday, Aug. 6, marked the 25th anniversary of Metroid’s debut. Although Nintendo has yet to formally observe the anniversary, that hasn’t stopped lifelong fans of the series, who pay tribute in this 10-minute video by Shinesparkers Hooray! Now We Know Why Bobby Kotick is in that Brad Pitt Movie Bobby Kotick’s…
By Owen Good -
South African Cops Make First-Ever Raid of PS3 Jailbreak Operation
In what is believed to be the world’s first-ever arrest in connection with circumventing a video game console’s security, South African authorities raided a jailbreaking operation in Johannesburg, sending one man to jail and confiscating all kinds of hardware and software the outfit used. The Commercial Crime Unit of the South African Police Service carried…
By Owen Good -
Culture
One and Done
Fruit Ninja Kinect? Fruit Ninja Kinect. And folks, that is it for the week. Well, EDGE, another well received (and controversial) iPhone game, hits for PC and Mac. But the dog days of August have nothing for retail shelves this week. Wednesday • Fruit Ninja Kinect (XBLA) — An entry in Xbox Live’s Summer of…
By Owen Good -
Pregnant Mom Fends Off Labor Long Enough to See Skyrim Demo [Updated]
About six months ago, Bethesda Softworks’ Pete Hines figured Feb. 18 was the perfect day to conceive a child, as the baby would be due on Nov. 11, the ship date for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. One couple conceived well early of that, but their baby’s birth will still forever be associated with the…
By Owen Good -
Deadly Games
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there. •Eight People Who Died Playing Video Games [Ranker] I’ll assume Polybius isn’t on the list because if the game’s true existence can’t be confirmed, then…
By Owen Good -
How Did We Miss the Best Cosplay of Comic-Con?
Mike and I saw a ton of cosplay, much of it game-themed, two weeks ago at Comic-Con 2011. In all of our time at the San Diego Convention Center, however, we never, ahem, stumbled across this guy, cosplaying as the QWOP runner. You can’t stop QWOP. [via Rooster Teeth] You can contact Owen Good, the…
By Owen Good
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