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Mass Market

The long-awaited conclusion to the Mass Effect space opera trilogy leads the list of new releases this week. It’s joined by two baseball titles and Capcom’s fighting game crossover with Namco. Tuesday • Mass Effect 3 (PS3, PC, 360) • Mass Effect 3: From Ashes (PC, PSN, XBLA) • LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PS…

By Owen Good Published March 4, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: First-Person Problem

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. Dueling Analogs by Steve Napierski published Feb. 28.—Read more of Dueling Analogs Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Feb. 27.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by…

By Owen Good Published March 4, 2012

Culture

This Week in the Business: ‘What’s Happening is the Destruction of the Classic Game Console’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “What’s happening is the destruction of the classic game console.”— John Welch, CEO of Making Fun, talking about the impact of mobile and social gaming on the game industry QUOTE | “Wii U is dead if they launch at $259.”—Wedbush Securities…

Steve Peterson Published March 3, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

What Does The Future Hold for Mass Effect‘s Painfully Punched Reporter?

“Kalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News.” Say those words to any Mass Effect fan, and they’ll probably get a funny look on their face: A grin that’s half-silly, half-guilty. “Oh, man. I punched the crap out of that reporter.” What started as a somewhat shocking, offhand bit of violence in Mass Effect reached meme status…

By Kirk Hamilton Published March 3, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Most Horrifying Moments In Gaming (For A Ten-Year-Old In The 90’s)

My love for video games started when my dad bought a Super Nintendo home in the mid 90’s. But as much fun as I had playing then, my young, impressionable brain was also scarred by a handful of gaming moments that left an indelible mark on my psyche. Even if those moments don’t scare me…

By Nick Vannucci Published March 2, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

No One Lives Forever Had the Smartest Bad Guys

There were a lot of things to love about the No One Lives Forever games. The groovy music, the fresh-feeling 60’s spy motif (Austin Powers be damned!), the fearless, funny heroine Cate Archer. But even when compared to those things, the game’s writing stands apart. The villains’ banter, in particular, stands out. In a day…

By Kirk Hamilton Published March 2, 2012

Culture

The Dapper Villains and Pretty Ladies of the Killzone Universe

Andrejs Skuja works at Killzone developers Guerilla Games, where he’s currently a senior concept artist specialising in character design. Which is why, aside from a surprisingly interesting glance at the dumpsters and fold-out chairs of the future, this gallery will almost entirely feature his amazing work helping design the characters and costumes of the Killzone…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 1, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Possibly the Greatest Movie Homage Ever Included in a Video Game

Forget what the Driver series has become over the years. When the first game was released, back in 1999, it had a very clear vision: take a badass movie and make a badass video game out of it. But wait, was there a movie called Driver? No. There was one called The Driver, however, which…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 1, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Why a Colonial Assassin’s Creed Makes Complete Sense (and Sounds Awesome)

It’s becoming increasingly likely that the next major instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series takes place during the American War of Independence. Which shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s been suspected for years now that the game would be set around there. Seeing what appears to be final proof, though, has a lot of us excited.…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012

Culture

These Men Design Video Game Guns for a Living

rmory Studios occupy a fascinating little niche in the video game concept art business: they specialise in the design of firearms. Based in Southern Germany, rmory is “particularly proud of and known for our believable, functioning and appealing weapon designs”. While guns are the team’s top priority, they also handle peripheral items like “gadgets” and…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

In Loving Memory of Namco’s Ace Driver

The 1990s were a great time for arcade racing games. Daytona, Cruis’n USA, the original Ridge Racer…but for all the quality on offer there, my friends and I spent more time and money on one game than any other. And that game was Namco’s Ace Driver First released in 1994, Ace Driver doesn’t look terribly…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

It’s the Last Chance Saloon for Joy Division

This background art is from SNK’s Fatal Fury 3. Drink it in. It’s glorious, no? Then, when you’re done, take a closer look at the full image below (click to embiggen), and read some of the stuff written on the buildings. [via SpecSNK] Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Death Race, the World’s First Scandalous Video Game

What is it with cars and killing people that gets the mainstream media so upset? Decades before series like Grand Theft Auto and Carmageddon were earning tut tuts and disapproving looks, an arcade game called Death Race ended up squarely in the sights of TV networks, newspapers and magazines. Taking more than a few cues…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012

Culture

The Oreo Will Be 100 Years Old in March

Famous foodstuffs frequently double-stuffed, Oreos tun 100 next month. The Pac-Man-inspired ad on the right of the image above is just part of the campaign for the very old cookies. Here’s the most startling fact about Oreos in today’s New York Times story about the upcoming March 6 birthday: Worldwide sales for Oreo rose to…

By Stephen Totilo Published February 28, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Prepare for a Good…Sponking? Spanking? Oh Sega.

Going by the old adage “it’s not racist if it’s France”, this Dreamcast commercial plays on one of Europe’s oldest rivalries in an attempt to sell the Brits on the console’s pioneering online play. And if the French can’t rouse them? Germans stuffing their faces with sausages should do the trick Total Recall is a…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Chris Rock Could Have Been in Jak and Daxter

It is the year 2000. Comedian and actor Chris Rock is nearing the height of his powers. Sony’s stable of video games, on the other hand, was not. Sure, the PlayStation had been a breakthrough, but the world-devouring juggernaut that was the PlayStation 2 was in its infancy. So you can maybe understand why, when…

By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2012

Culture

Someday the Mountain Might Get ‘Em

The franchise restart of SSX carves this week’s fresh powder, joined by the North American release of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 and WAKFU‘s arrival on PC. Monday •PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond (Wii) Tuesday •Binary Domain (PS3, 360) •Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (PS3, 360) •The Lord of the Rings Online: Mithril Edition (PC) •SSX…

By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: Kicked on the Curb

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. ActionTrip by Borislav Grabovic and Ure Paul published Feb. 20.—Read more of ActionTrip Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Feb. 20.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!!…

By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012

Culture

This Week in the Business: ‘PS3 Skyrim is Not Nearly as Bad as It Seems’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “PS3 Skyrim is not nearly as bad as it seems.”—Todd Howard, Bethesda Softworks Game Director, saying that Skyrim hasn’t been a problem for all that many PS3 players QUOTE | “10 years out, we’ll be talking about retail as a museum…

Steve Peterson Published February 25, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The First Mass Effect‘s User Interface Sure Was Terrible

I still think fondly back on when I played the first Mass Effect. It had so much going for it, and I was so excited about the game—I remember tearing through the campaign, loving the story, and tolerating the somewhat janky combat and technical issues. I also remember the interface. It was something that I…

By Kirk Hamilton Published February 25, 2012