• Uncategorized

  Japanese Gaming Does Not Speak The Same Lingo

  While to outsiders Japan appears a homogeneous nation (with only 2% of the population being registered foreigners), there are actually key regional differences in the way people behave and the language is spoken. The country’s video game developers are no exception. It’s easy to divide the country into East and West Japan — or simply…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Mass Effect 2 On PS3 Has A Save Game Hiccup

  Don’t look now, but Mass Effect 2 on PS3 is having a little trouble saving some people’s games. Be cautious!

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  What’s The Best Game For Disabled Gamers?

  That may sound like a tough one, but actually, the AbleGamers Foundation has an answer, and that answer is Forza 3. The Foundation, which exists to promote awareness and accessibility in video games for disabled gamers, selects once a year a recipient for its “Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year”. This is awarded to the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011
• Uncategorized

  You Can Now Rent PC Games Over The Internet

  Here’s a novel concept: digital delivery store Direct2Drive is trialling an offer whereby PC gamers can download and rent a game. It works like this: you download the entire game from D2D, and pay $5 for five hours of playtime. If at the end of that time you want to buy the game, you pay…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011
• 

  CultureTotal Recall

  Nintendo And Sony Didn’t Invent 3D Gaming, You Know

  With the PS3 able to play games in 3D and Nintendo about to launch a 3D handheld, it’s easy to get carried away with the “latest big thing” in gaming. And forget we had 3D games the 1980s Yes, long before Sony added 3D capabilities to the PS3 and Nintendo unveiled the 3DS, several companies…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Let’s Enter The Void

  Even in light of the toll Dead Space 2 has taken on my circulatory system, I’m going back into it. If you’re not a fan of the deep space terror of that game, join us for some off-topic conversation instead. Tonight’s open thread is extra geeky, so feel free to nerd out in the comments…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Phantasy Star Online Fans, This Toy’s For You

  We’re not sure why toy maker Kotobukiya is releasing a figure based on Phantasy Star Online now, but we’re not complaining. Who doesn’t love PSO and would want a little robot maiden to remember all the good times? Whatever the reason, Kotobukiya is releasing a very reasonable model based on RAcaseal Eleanor from Phantasy Star…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Greek engineer who invented the steam engine 2,000 years ago

  Almost two millennia before the rest of humanity entered the industrial age, the Greek inventor Hero invented the steam engine, wind-powered machinery, and theories of light that couldn’t be improved for centuries. And then he invented some really crazy stuff. Scientific geniuses have to pull off a tricky balancing act before they’re even born. Great…

  By Alasdair Wilkins Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Two Teens Found Dead with Empty Can of Four Loko

  Two teenagers in California were found dead in a vacant apartment with an empty can of Four Loko, the banned alcohol and caffeine concoction, and other evidence of drug use. There goes any hope of a brand revival.

  By Brian Moylan Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Reviews

  Review: Dead Space 2 Is Insanely Terrifying, Crazy Good

  Dead Space 2 now has me thinking video games may not be a healthy pursuit after all. Despite playing through the original Dead Space twice, my heart was not as well-conditioned to its horrors as I originally thought. Visceral Games’ newest sci-fi fright-fest piles on the spooks and scares just as well as its predecessor,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  The Next Game From The Maker of Bayonetta & Vanquish Is…

  …Max Anarchy, a new online multiplayer game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, a title revealed in the latest issue of Japan’s Famitsu magazine. It features the return of at least one original Platinum Games character. Screens from this week’s leaked issue of Famitsu show Madworld‘s Jack Cayman, the man with the chainsaw, as…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Halo’s Effect On The Human Heart

  The ups and downs of Halo: Reach multiplayer… how do they affect the human heart? One player decided to monitor his heartbeat during a six minute game session to track the effects of Xbox Live on the old ticker. Reddit user gortag—who says he’s studying for his PhD, even if this project appears to be…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Wonders of High-Def Capturing

  Capturing quality high-definition video from a video game turned out to be trickier than one would think. At least it was a couple of years ago. Nowadays it just requires a nest of technology behind my TV. Check out that nest! Cables, plugs, boxes, laptops, all so I can cap pretty much on the fly.…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  You Can Now Test A Wacky Trio Of Official StarCraft II Mods

  You can now play those official StarCraft II riffs (read: mods) on Bejeweled, Iron Chef and Left 4 Dead. These are just the beta versions, though. Blizzard explains rules and how to access the mods on their blog

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Pac-Man Takes Manhattan

  Illustrator Jamie Sneddon and photographer Kevin Rozario-Johnson teamed up to create real life / video game crossover designs. Check out the entire collection or request to buy prints at 8-bitscapes.com Pac Manhattan by 8-bitscapes (Facebook) (Twitter) Via: laughingsquid Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin Page’s Rampaged Reality…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  PlayStation Store Update, Now With HD Extract

  Shoot, this is some week on the North American PlayStation Store. While the list of games and demos may be short, they’re games of quality, games with big, stompin’ boots. Dead Space Extraction, the port of the Wii game of the same name, is now available for digital download on the PlayStation 3, as is…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  Battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder With A Virtual Suicide Bombing

  The Humvee drives down a crowded street in a foreign land. A child waves. Merchants display their wares. Suddenly soldiers raise their rifles as a suicide bomber runs into the street, detonating his lethal package. This is virtual PTSD therapy. This graphic simulation of a suicide bombing is part of a program launched earlier this…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  It’s Like Uncharted With A Fat Guy

  There will be spoilers in the video here, featuring one of the best scenes in the surprisingly excellent expansion to Enslaved: Odyssey To The West. But, really, this is just beautiful (and I’m not giving plot details away.) Pigsy’s Perfect 10 is a $10 single-player expansion to one of 2010’s more quietly superb games, Enslaved.…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 25, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Music Of Silent Hill: Downpour Sounds Familiar

  The next Silent Hill won’t feature the musical stylings of series mainstay Akira Yamaoka. Dexter composer Daniel Licht is filling the void in Silent Hill: Downpour… and doing a pretty good job of delivering the same musical vibe. Konami has released a sample of Licht’s contribution to Silent Hill: Downpour, about 90 seconds of moodiness,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 25, 2011
• Uncategorized

  PS3 Black Ops Patched Massively

  Early this morning Treyarch unleashed a major patch for the PlayStation 3 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops, fixing freezing issues, stability problems, and various other annoying issues. Check out the official forums for full patch notes.

  By Mike Fahey Published January 25, 2011