Owen Good

Trial Date Set in Infinity Ward Suit

A California judge today set a trial date of May 23 for the lawsuit involving Activision and Infinity Ward founders Vince Zampella and Jason West. A hearing in Los Angeles today scheduled both the trial and also another hearing for Aug. 5 to determine whether a third lawsuit, filed by employees of Infinity Ward against…

Big Ben’s Suspension Gets the Madden Treatment

We won’t be seeing Ben Roethlisberger until at least Week Six of the NFL season. In Madden NFL 11 the embattled quarterback is available from day one. That doesn’t mean EA Sports is going to tout him in the screenshots. A star once held in high regard, before allegations of sexual assault at a Georgia…

Madden NFL 11: AFC North and South

NCAA Football 11 Review: A Big Man On Campus

College football is pageantry, tradition, the gleam of a sousaphone, the wink and tight sweater of a Song Girl. It’s also the promises and browbeatings of a recruiting call, and desperate gambles made beneath a sky the color of lead. EA Sports hauls up the gauzy myths and cold realities of the collegiate game with…

Sucks to be in Cleveland

The Rust Belt got another karate kick in the jimmy when native Ohioan LeBron James, who never went to college, saw everyone who never made it out of that dead-ass town and said “That’s not going to be me.” So ends the greatest orgy of narcissism in American sports history, and since this is both…

And It’s Official: LeBron Picks Miami

LeBron James just announced that he will leave Cleveland to join Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the NBA’s Miami Heat, ending the greatest free agency courtship U.S. sports have seen. Here he is in his new threads, via NBA 2K10.

TF2 Engineer Update Delivers Fun Size Sentries

Behold, the 100th Golden Wrench has been collected in the revelry that is this week’s Team Fortress 2Engineer mania, revealing a new weapon – the Gunslinger, which places new Mini-Sentries – and the Thunder Mountain map. From the Team Fortress 2 update page, the Gunslinger looks like Doctor Detroit’s glove, bestow’s +25 health to its…

Study Says Kids Likely to Play Video Game Sports in Real Life

Duh, you say. Well, the usefulness of the report suggests that playing video games ain’t entirely sedentary, and aren’t a threat to actual exercise. Ah, now do you see? Sports games are our friends The UK industry group TIGA touted the research, done a by a French business school’s sports marketing department. The study found…

Flaming Basketball Gets the Cover of NBA Jam

En Fuego the Flaming Basketball, widely considered the greatest performer in the history of combustible sporting goods, was revealed today as the cover pitchman for EA Sports’ upcoming NBA Jam for the Wii. An in-game appearance is also confirmed. “En Fuego is proud to be associated with the mystique of NBA Jam going back nearly…

Greatest of All-Time? These Cover Stars Belong, Too

This morning, NBA 2K11 revealed its box art featuring Michael Jordan, billed as “the greatest cover of all time.” But there are many others also among the greatest in their respective sports who’ve graced a game’s cover. Here’s a sampling. Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson Fight Night Round 4 (2008) Let’s not forget who has…

Madden Demo Possible on July 23?

An EA Sports spokesman has said that a week from tomorrow, through an unnamed media outlet, the final word on the Madden NFL 11 demo’s release date will be given. The smart money has it arriving July 23. That’s unconfirmed through EA Sports, but it would conform to past practice. Last year, EA Sports rolled…

Crackdown 2 to Get More Colorful With DLC

Among many criticisms of Crackdown 2 was the game’s duller color palette, which swapped out the bright hues of the 2007 hit for duller, grittier tones. The developer said while this was intentional, it will be remedied with DLC. I suppose a spoiler alert is in order here. Haven’t played the game myself, but the…

How Much Would You Pay to Work in Video Games?

For a New York graphic artist, it’s $1,000 – just $998.95 more than the price of freedom. He’s offered $1,000 for information that leads to getting hired to a video games gig, but there are conditions. For starters, he means permanent, full-time and salaried work. And it has to be in New York – ideally,…

NBA Jam Calls Its Catchphrase Winners

NBA Jam may be headed for PS3 and Xbox 360, but don’t forget it’s definitely coming out on the Wii on Oct. 5, where original series announcer Tim Kitzrow will use four fan-submitted catchphrases emerging a surprisingly entertaining contest. The four winners actually came in June 25. Whoops. They cover three blocked-shot calls and one…

Madden! Madden Here! Get Your Madden! Who’s Ready?!

A bit of confusion descended on Times Square today as Madden cover man Drew Brees showed up with stacks of Madden NFL 11 cases and some mystery as to what exactly was inside. We’ll kill the suspense: It was a voucher for the new game, due out Aug. 10, and not the disc itself. First…

LucasArts Exec offers New Hope of Super Star Wars on 360

LucasArts executive producer Haden Blackman wanted to talk about taking Star Wars in new directions on video games, but an aside comment about Super Star Wars on the Xbox 360 naturally keeps the discussion fixated on the past. “We’re also interested – and this is something that comes from George [Lucas] – in taking Star…

Miyamoto’s Early Assignment: Create a Chair

Shigeru Miyamoto’s world class design reputation is within video games, but when he was a student he demonstrated his very adaptable creativity within other media. Such as chairs and coat hangers, according to a Los Angeles Times profile. In an anecdotal profile published over the weekend, Miyamoto, 57, related his earlier days as a designer.…

Yes, Someone’s Painting The Last Supper in a Backbreaker End Zone

Rob Donald called it back in May: “I am totally expecting to see … a perfect recreation of The Last Supper in someone’s end zone.” The Backbreaker producer hasn’t been proven right yet, but one artist is hard at work. User Red Ronin is building out the “Nazareth Christians,” for the football title, which boasts…

OK, This is What NHL Slapshot‘s All About

NHL Slapshot, EA Sports’ upcoming hockey title on the Wii, was one of a few sports games I got no hands-on time with at E3. So I missed the boat regarding its core offerings. This video spells it all out. For starters, this is in fact full simulation hockey. The feature that has gotten the…

Your NBA 2K10-Illustrated Guide to the LeBronathon

NBA superstar LeBron James convened a six-team pitch summit over the long weekend and could soon choose his next club. Thanks to the magic of video games, we can see what all potential outcomes look like. While James’ choice will assuredly remake the NBA landscape, its effect on games is not so profound. Of course…