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Did The Japanese Media Select This PSN Game By Accident?
All the major Japanese news networks are covering the PSN breach. In one TV Tokyo segment, the manager of famed Tokyo game shop Game Ma-ya explained how the outage was impacting coverage. That isn’t getting the most attention online in Japan; rather, it’s the PSN game TV Tokyo selected for the segment. Known as Trash…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
When Game Box Art Encourages A Country
Yakuza: of the End is Sega’s zombie parody game that was originally slated for a March release. Then the earthquake hit, and the game was delayed to June. Yakuza producer Toshihiro Nagoshi said the June delay was the result of numerous reasons: “Cash flow, correcting the poster, buying new ad time, and the manual labor…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Latest WikiLeaks Game Isn’t Just Scandalous, It’s Fun
TrickyLeaks is more than just another attempt to jump on the fading infamy of WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange’s troubled rise to fame. It’s also a fairly fun game. Each round of the Android game kicks off with a literal leak forming in the concrete wall of different corporates. “Oh no, our secrests are leaking…
By Brian Crecente Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Sony in Sights of British Watchdog over PSN Hacking
Less than a day after a US Senator began asking questions of Sony’s PSN downtime, Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office is investigating whether the company had adequate protection in place to safeguard customer’s credit card information. The ICO is a government body “set up to uphold information rights in the public interest”. Having been alerted to…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Now Microsoft Is Issuing Security Warnings
What a week! First Sony has a little trouble with its online security, and now Microsoft is issuing warnings about people running “phishing” scams over Xbox Live. A “phishing” attempt is when a player is contacted by another in an attempt to get hold of things like service passwords and credit card information. It’s a…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
What can MMO Players Expect From the PSN’s Downtime?
The extended outage currently afflicting the PlayStation Network isn’t just stopping people playing Call of Duty and FIFA. It’s also stopping people from playing persistent, entirely online games like DC Universe and Free Realms. That’s a massive pain in the ass for those people, so what’s Sony doing to compensate them for their enforced downtime?…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Two New RPGs from The Star Ocean Folks
Japanese developers Tri-ace of Star Ocean fame are teaming up with Konami for two games. Two! One of the games is a turn-based, multi-player role-playing PSP title called Frontier Gate that supports up to three players. The second game is a dungeon-crawler for the 3DS called Across The Labyrinth. [via Remoon]
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Hulu Plus Streaming to Xbox 360 Consoles This Week
While PS3 owners have had access to Hulu Plus since last year (well, up until this week, anyway), Xbox 360 users have been wait, waiting, waiting. When will that wait be over? Try Friday! That’s according to a report on Joystiq, citing OXM, which says that Hulu Plus will kick off on April 29 for…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
High Ranking Japanese Politician Comments on PSN Breach
The PSN breach is national news in Japan, where Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, one of the government’s highest ranking officials, has chimed in about leaked player info. “As for the prevailing view, it’s necessary for private businesses must safeguard the personal information they have with the maximum care possible,” said Edano. This information is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Did Beyoncé Ruin Christmas?
Software developer Gate Five is taking Beyoncé to court. According to New York Magazine, the company says she backed out of a deal to appear in a music game and is seeking over US$100 million. Gate Five calls the contract breach “callous”, adding that the popstar singer destroyed Gate Five’s business and drove seventy people…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 -
UncategorizedVikings On Trampolines is the Name of the Game
And what a name it is. Vikings On Trampolines is an upcoming game by D-Pad Studios, the same team behind the neat-looking Owlboy. It’s about…Vikings on trampolines. You control one Viking, somebody else controls the other, and you have to bounce around trying to not touch the ground, or you will die a horrible, horrible…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
“Nintendo Shock” Shocks Japan
“Lehman Shock” is how Japan described the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. “Shock” (ショック) is en vogue in Japan, and a quick way to describe the impact of something often unexpected, like the “Fukushima Shock”, for instance. But “Nintendo Shock”? The Japanese press is using it to describe Nintendo’s current situation: falling Wii sales and underwhelming…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
GLaDOS is Still Mildly Terrifying, Even When she’s Made out of LEGO
Catsy, the same LEGO fanatic who recreated Mass Effect’s Citadel so beautifully last year, is back giving similar treatment to GLaDOS, the mouthy villain of the Portal series. Considering the level of detail present in GLaDOS’ design—all those panels and pipes and joints—even attempting to build her out of LEGO is to be applauded, let…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Has Microsoft “Un-Banned” Outlawed Xbox 360 Consoles?
That’s what internet chatter throughout the course of the evening would have you believe, with reports coming in that some banned Xbox 360 consoles (and their associated Gamertags) can suddenly re-connect to Xbox Live. Users of various forums, including xbox-scene, have over the last few hours found that modified consoles banned from Xbox Live for…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Before Jail, He Tried Porn
Once upon a time, Takafumi Horie was the most feared, loved, and hated man in Japan. That time has passed. Horie was the founder of Livedoor, an internet portal that was once one of the country’s biggest success stories. By 2004, Horie was looking to expand his business (and brand) and unsuccessfully tried to purchase…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Watch Bayonetta, With Commentary By The Game’s Creator
Having made a start last year then seemingly forgetting all about it, Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya has dusted off the next-gen brawler and will be once again providing weekly videos where he plays through the game while telling you all about it. You can see the first two instalments at PlatinumGames’ website, with the promise…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 - Uncategorized
Minecraft Is Getting Official Mods
It may seem a little unnecessary for a game all about building stuff to need its own mod tools, but official mod tools are exactly what indie smash hit Minecraft is getting. Getting hold of the necessary gear (which comes complete with in-built “signatures” to show off your work) will cost you nothing, but you…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallWhen Halo was on the Mac, and was a Totally Different Game
It seems an age since the world first saw Halo. It was the 20th century. Back when it was introduced by…Steve Jobs. And was a…third-person shooter. The series has come a long way since then, but sometimes it’s fun to look back. At blocky space marines and a major game being announced in Comic Sans…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2011
