-
An iPhone Game You Can Win, Even If You Can’t See
Close your eyes and play an iPhone game. With Stem Stumper, a game made for both blind and sighted gamers, you can do that. Play it by sound, and you can win. Stem Stumper is a puzzle game made by Ananse Productions, a small game-making outfit in Massachusetts driving toward the goal of making video…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 18, 2011 -
Rockstar’s Better ‘Eye of Sauron’ Joke is Unmissable in L.A. Noire
Rockstar Games has always said that they take complaints about work-place stress seriously. But they’ve always had a good chuckle about complaints that their New York headquarters is an all-seeing, all-scrutinizing “Eye of Sauron.” That’s what they’re referencing in the gag that closes L.A. Noire‘s title credits (as seen above). If you don’t get it,…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 17, 2011 -
They Win a Gears of War 3 Match Without Firing a Bullet
You can win a match in the Gears of War 3 beta without firing a shot. It’s impressive, if not the most exciting thing to watch. Good work, folks (the featured players here are from the pro gaming team Amazyn, we think), and hat tip to Gears czar Cliff Bleszinski for Tweeting it to our…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 17, 2011 -
See How L.A. Noire Does Justice to the Faces of Real TV Stars
Video games might finally be done ruining the performances of quality actors. For months, the makers of the video game L.A. Noire have boasted that their interactive 1947 detective story would use new technology to transport actors’ real facial expressions into a virtual world. Now you can see the results for yourself. Watch our comparison…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 17, 2011 -
Sony Europe Explains the Free Identity-Theft Program it is Offering to its Nervous Customers
Sony isn’t just offering free games to all of its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable to compensate for the effects of the allegedly criminal hack of the company’s network. It’s also offering a 12-month identity protection program, detailed for European customers at the European PlayStation Blog (We’re checking with Sony in America to see what,…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 17, 2011 -
Officer Down
L.A. ACCIDENTAL | Deleted scene from my play-through of L.A. Noire’s Fallen Idol case.(Screenshot by Stephen Totilo) Mass Effect Fans Worry That Expanded Gay Options Will Create Inconsistencies, Alter Canon Mass Effect developer Casey Hudson’s announcement less than a day ago that same-sex romances would be given fuller and more explicit articulation in Mass Effect…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011 -
14 Minutes of L.A. Noire‘s Unexpected Thrills
I need 14 minutes of your time. I’d like just 14 minutes to show you how L.A. Noire, an extraordinary and unconventional interactive detective thriller, plays. Give me that time and you’ll see more than just a trailer’s worth of this week’s big, new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release. You’ll see what it’s like…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011 -
The Talk Amongst Yourselves Files
It’s time to talk about video games, right here. But we know what you’ll already going to write, because it was all leaked to us. With screenshots. Be that as it may, carry on. Thanks to ShinLord for today’s image. Submit your image to #TAYpics (Read this thread for directions on how to do a…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011 -
The Rich-Person’s Edition of Gears of War 3 Includes a Statue and a Will
On September 10 20, 2011, you will be able to buy Gears of War 3 for $60. But maybe that’s not enough for you. Maybe you’ll want more Gears in your life than a boring game disc. Maybe you’ll want some Gears paraphernalia. And an artbook written by a smart man. And a statue. And…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011 -
The Best Weird Video Game I Played Yesterday—and Hope You Play Next
If you live near downtown New York City or can get to downtown New York City some time in the next month, then all you need to know from me is that there’s a video game in these parts that you need to play. You shouldn’t watch the video I’m posting here. You shouldn’t subject…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 13, 2011 -
‘Some’ Info In Modern Warfare 3 Leak ‘Still Accurate, Some Not,’ Infinity Ward Says
What to make of the Modern Warfare 3 leak? Robert Bowling, creative strategist at Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward said on Twitter today that ‘some’ of the information in the trove of images, level summaries and audio files, “still accurate,” but suggests that other details have changed, presumably during the course of the game’s development.…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 13, 2011 -
What are SEAL Team Six and ‘Black Tuesday’ Doing in Modern Warfare 3?
A brief audio clip that we believe is a piece of the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 refers to SEAL Team Six, the unit widely assumed to have killed Osama Bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan earlier this month. It makes perfect sense. America’s favorite fighting men would have to get mentioned in the 2011…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 13, 2011 -
Thank You for Removing Story from the Role-Playing Game, Dungeon Raid
Have you ever played a Final Fantasy or a Dragon Age? Actually, have you ever had to slog through a bad role-playing game, one in which the characters just go on and on about their problems and the evil that’s going to destroy the world? Imagine an RPG without that. Strip out the story. Hell,…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 13, 2011 -
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Will Rival the Shooter Heavyweights, but is Getting Far Out of the Way
Who wants a Modern Warfare killer? Ubisoft does. (And so do most other publishers aside from Atlus, but that’s not the point.) The head of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, said today that the company’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, long in development and showed in controlled demos at last year’s E3, won’t be released until the first…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 12, 2011 -
How a Video Game Chickened Out Of Letting Me be a Terrorist
Video games let us be heroes. They let us don the cape, wave the flag, put on the badge, hoist the blue lightsaber or simply face the fires of dragons to save the princess. They could let us be anyone, though. Terrorists, for example. They could let us be them. If you take your video…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 12, 2011 -
Some Old Starcraft, Some New Mega Man, and What is Flashpoint?
It’s Wednesday. There are new comic books in comic shops. Only some of them are worth your time and money. As always, I have some suggestions…. Comics You Should Consider Buying (from comics shops) Dungeon Monstres Vol 4: Night of the Ladykiller If you’re ever going to trust my comics recommendations, trust this one. The…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2011 -
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Will Include, Surprise, Major Revelations
To hear the creative director of this fall’s Assassin’s Creed Revelations put it in a recent interview with Game Informer, the next Assassin’s Creed will actually merit its subtitle. Questions will be answered. What kind of questions? Read on, only if you’ve played Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Oh, but if you’re about…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2011 -
What’s the Batman: Arkham City Comic Hinting At?
The video game sequel to the extraordinary Batman: Arkham Asylum won’t be released until October, but starting today a new comic, Batman: Arkham City, is bridging the two Arkham games’ gap. That compelled me to rush to the comics shop to find out what’s next in this saga. If you’ve been following the pre-release coverage…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2011 -
Namco Tops Competitors in Race for Swankiest Game Junket
Back in April, I was standing in a Miami beach-front hotel talking to people from Capcom, the games publisher that invited people like me to check out their new games. (We paid our own way, if you care). I joked that they could up the ante and do their event in Dubai next year. Too…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2011 -
The Newest L.A. Noire Trailer is the Most Action-Packed L.A. Noire Trailer
You will need to be patient when you play L.A. Noire. You’re a detective, not a soldier; a crime-solver, not a crime-committer. There will be action in the Rockstar/Team Bondi game that finally comes out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next week. Here is the game’s official launch trailer, filled with gunplay. We’ll have…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2011
Stephen Totilo
Stephen Totilo's posts