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Video Game “Poems” Get a Luxurious Special-Edition Release
A Slow Year, the anthology of “video game poems” Dr. Ian Bogost wrote for the Atari 2600, has published a special edition befitting a work of art. The box is hand-crafted and bound in red leather, with foil-stamped gold lettering. The set sells for $500 and only 20 are available, but admiring it is free.
By Owen Good -
You Can Learn a Lot, Watching Things Eat
When you decide to be something, you can be it. That’s what they don’t tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I’m saying to you is this: when you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference? The FBI bagged Whitey Bulger…
By Owen Good -
Microsoft Sounding Out Developers for Free-to-Play Xbox 360 Games?
From Develop comes a rumor that Microsoft is now contacting studios “to discuss possible free-to-play game deals,” while it builds an operating system for the 360 that incorporates a microtransaction service. Develop says Microsoft offered no comment when contacted about the plans. The report attributed the rumor to “several sources connected to the matter.” This…
By Owen Good -
Furious Over Microtransactions, EVE Online Community Explodes with Rioting
I don’t pretend to understand the culture of EVE Online, but when a fiasco gets a Downfall-meme video, that’s a kind of visual Esperanto for “this shit is officially fucked.” Our tips box has been exploding with reports that EVE’s culture is on the verge of collapse over publisher CCP’s decision to sell microtransaction items…
By Owen Good -
Labor of Love Brings Marathon to the iPad for Free
Thanks to the spare-time efforts of a single coder, Marathon the beloved FPS from the zenith of Mac gaming’s days, will be released on the iPad by Bungie for the low low cost of zero dollars and zero cents. You may thank Daniel Blezek, who is a computer engineer “for a large medical center,” and…
By Owen Good -
Backbreaker: Vengeance Costs More than Backbreaker‘s Current Price
Backbreaker: Vengeance got an Xbox Live release date on Wednesday but no price. Now, the game’s developer has followed up with one: $15 (1200 Microsoft points.) Not only is that well more than the iOS version of the game and its predecessor (99 cents each) but, as Pasta Padre points out, it’s more than what…
By Owen Good -
Infamous 2 Waits a Whole Two Weeks Before Hitting PSN
Two weeks after its release, Infamous 2 is already available as a full download over PlayStation Network, in what seems like a big ol’ middle-fanger to retail. Seriously, a whole two weeks? That’s nice for impulse buyers, although, as a 15 GB download, I bet you could drive to the store, buy it, bring it…
By Owen Good -
Annihilation Map Adds Five More Achievements to Black Ops
“Shangri-La” is the new zombies map in Call of Duty: Black Ops, and it is far from paradise, as that anthropomorphic s’more (above) will attest. Available in Annihilation, releasing next Tuesday for Xbox 360, it offers five more achievements worth a cool 150 Gamerscore. They are: • Time Travel Will Tell (75G)—In Shangri-La, acquire the…
By Owen Good -
Lawsuit Says Sony Laid Off Security Workers Before PSN Cyberattack
A new lawsuit alleges that Sony fired workers in its network security operations two weeks before a cyberattack brought down the PlayStation Network. Additionally, the suit charges that Sony paid millions to secure sensitive information online—its own corporate secrets. Customer data didn’t receive the same level of treatment, says the suit, brought by PSN customers,…
By Owen Good -
YouTube Bans Indie Dev’s Trailer Account as “Scams, Spam and Commercially Deceptive”
Whomever at YouTube banned Crosse Studios’ account might want to reconsider that action. Inexplicably, the entire collection of trailers for the independent sports video game developer was taken out of commission yesterday, on the grounds that the videos violate YouTube’s policy against “scams, spam and commercially deceptive content.” Well, NLL 11 (above) is an actual…
By Owen Good -
Xbox Live Chief: “We Don’t Want to Appear to Even be Looking to be Taking Advantage” of PSN Outage
In the throes of the 23-day PlayStation Network Outage, when people were vowing they’d sell their PS3s and go join Xbox Live, Microsoft’s most provocative comment was a low-key prediction that it would see more traffic on its service. Yesterday, though, Xbox’s senior executive finally said what’s bad for the goose is bad for the…
By Owen Good -
E3’s Booth Babes Fail a Simple Trivia Quiz With Flying Colors
About a year ago, PAX sought to ban booth babes (pardon me, “costumed booth representatives,”) using a number of tests to determine booth babe-iness (as opposed to garden-variety sexy cosplay). One of them was a lack of familiarity with the product represented. At E3, Bitmob’s 5HP put that standard to the test with a five-question…
By Owen Good -
They Won’t Burn Your House Down, but These Portal 2 Lemons are the Bomb
With Portal 2‘s arrival, lemons replaced cake as the game’s edible meme. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read up here) So before this one is totally played out, let’s acknowledge one of its more creative applications: these prop lemon hand grenades, by flickr user ammnra. A creator of Portal-themed props, ammnra saw…
By Owen Good -
Backbreaker Sequel Gets Europe-Only PS3 Release
Backbreaker: Vengeance, the minigame sequel to the more popular elements of last year’s Backbreaker, will release on Xbox Live on June 29, but won’t be coming to PlayStation 3 outside of Europe. We reported back in April that Vengeance was getting only an Xbox 360 release. Apparently the terms of whatever deal 505 Games has…
By Owen Good -
NHL Cover Star Crowned at Tonight’s NHL Awards
At the NHL awards tonight, EA Sports revealed that Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos will grace the cover of NHL 12 when the game releases Sept. 13. Stamkos was the NHL’s second-leading goal scorer this past season, and finished fifth in total points. He is the second Tampa Bay Lightning player to make the NHL…
By Owen Good -
“Old World Blues,” the Next New Vegas DLC, Arrives July 19
Bethesda Softworks said today that “Old World Blues,” the next downloadable extension of Fallout: New Vegas will arrive on all platforms on July 19. Pricing wasn’t discussed but past installments have run $10. These three screenshots are from the DLC.
By Owen Good -
Team Fortress 2‘s Update Soldiers On
This is the third day in the preview rollout of features for Team Fortress 2‘s Uber Update and still no long (long) awaited “Meet the Medic.” Instead, check out Soldier’s new gear, which includes the “Market Gardener,” shovel, and a sweet Patton-esque riding crop.
By Owen Good -
Facing a Season with No NFL, Madden‘s Ultimate Team Looks to the Legends
In any discussion of the greatest video game athletes, the Michael Vick of Madden NFL 2004 always makes the cut, and is usually the most recent name on the list. In the eight years since his appearance, sports simulations have fine-tuned their realism, closing the era of logic-defying performances by the likes of Griffey, Roenick,…
By Owen Good -
Drive Yourself Crazy With Flick Golf Extreme
You know, there’s only thing standing between me and the kind of golf score posted by Rory McIlroy at this weekend’s U.S. Open, and that’s telekinesis. Give me the power to steer my second shot in midair and I’d finally achieve golfing greatness. But no matter how much I wave at the ball, it won’t…
By Owen Good -
Proud Papa
Happy Father’s Day | Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of The Legend of Zelda series, during an orchestral performance of the game’s music at E3 2011. This year the series turns 25, and today Nintendo released a remastered Ocarina of Time for the 3DS. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian|Getty) Rayman Origins Looks Like a Slapping Good Time Rayman Origins…
By Owen Good
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