- Uncategorized
So Many Japanese People Desire The NGP
Sony’s upcoming portable, codenamed Next Generation Portable or NGP, looks great and seems to play great, too. Japanese gamers were asked if they want it, and, oh yes, they do. In a reader poll in the latest issue of game mag Famitsu, 76.2 percent of Japanese gamers stated that they wanted the NGP. Only 7.9…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
This Man Wants Violent Games (And Halloween!) Banned In Panama
Panamanian politician Alcibiades Vasquez Velasquez is a man on a mission. A mission to save the children of Panama from the horrors of the modern world. Velasquez has put his name on a bill – Proposal 111 – in Panama’s National Assembly that wants to ban the sale and distribution of all violent video games.…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
Is The End Of Gaming Handhelds Near?
Video game handhelds are getting a run for their money, and they’re getting it from smartphones. But are they good enough as dedicated handheld game machines? Most serious games would offer a curt “no”. As Doom programmer John Carmack points, it is possible to create game for platforms like the iPhone that look as good…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
Germany Cuts Bulletstorm’s Legs Off
Upcoming shooter Bulletstorm, which is revelling in its violent trimmings, has had to face a reckoning of sorts in Germany, with much of the game’s trademark content cut just so it could be released. In order to get even a USK18+ rating — one which prohibits sale of the game to those under the age…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe World’s Most Delicious StarCraft II Player Offers You Tasty Fruit
Twenty-five year-old StarCraft II player Kim Won Gi took the South Korean gaming world by storm last year. Some might know him by his pro-gaming handle “Cool”, but to many, he’s “FruitDealer”, one of the best StarCraft II players there is. Kim earned the “FruitDealer” moniker because he helps his mother run a food stall.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 -
UncategorizedCould This Be The Future Of Typing On A Control Pad?
Having to enter letters and numbers via a control pad sucks, as anyone typing out credit card numbers or download codes on an Xbox 360 or PS3 will attest. If only there was a way to make this necessary evil easier… Maybe there us! This is called the “Circboard”, and going by the explanation provided…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
This Child Sleeps In A Mario Paradise
Casey Fleser and his wife thought it would be cool to paint their son’s room in a Super Mario Bros. theme. So they did. And the end result makes the word “theme” sell it a little short. The room doesn’t just have a few bits of Mario-related stuff thrown up on the wall. No, this…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
Can Somebody Please Help This Lady Find Her Monsters?
This past weekend, collectible figurine event Wonder Festival was held in Chiba, Japan. Collectors and cosplayers gathered for the festivities. Voice actress Haruna Ikezawa was in attendance, and she ended up having a rotten time. Haruna Ikezawa lost her PSP. Known for her roles voicing Athena in The King of Fighters games and Momoka in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Xbox 360 Experiences A Mid-Life Crisis In Japan
The Wii is easy to peg — family-friendly and fun. The PS3 is also easy to categorize — slick and high-tech. But in Japan, the Xbox 360 has a category of its own. And that’s starting to change. It was former Dead or Alive designer Tomonobu Itagaki who is quoted as saying that nobody buys…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 -
UncategorizedThese Guys Are Trying To Turn S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Into Crysis
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was an ambitious, if somewhat crude first-person game released in 2007. For all its quirks, it has a devoted fanbase, and some of those fans are now endeavouring to give the game a major facelift. While visual mods for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series are common, this goes way beyond that: a team of Russians is…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
Sony Doesn’t Know Who It’s Taking To Court
As part of its crusade to crush those responsible for breaking the PS3’s copy protection, Sony is targeting two parties: famed hacker George Hotz and the fail0verflow team. Only problem is, Sony has no idea who fail0verflow is. Well, it knows they’re the group responsible for kicking this whole thing off when they found the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallDon’t Touch This Horror Of A NES Controller
This is the U-Force. It’s a motion-control peripheral released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 1980’s. In some ways, it’s an amazing piece of technology. In most other ways, it was an absolute disaster. Unlike Sega’s rival Activator peripheral, which we looked at the other day, the U-Force was not a full-body motion-sensing…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 - Uncategorized
PlayStation Store Update: A Chance To Stack And Do The Hump
It’s a big week for the North American version of the PlayStation Store, with new additions like Stacking and Explodemon, plus old favorites like Plants Vs. Zombies and Pocket Fighter, new to PSN today. Plenty of demos complement the new downloadable games, including trial versions of Hoard and Tetris. PlayStation Plus subscribers get a single-player…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011 - Uncategorized
What Have You Been Watching?
Tonight’s open thread falls on a Tuesday. And Tuesdays now carry revolving themes. In tonight’s open thread, let’s talk about what we’ve been watching, whether on TV, at the local cineplex or on stage at an off off off Broadway show. Have a buried Netflix streaming gem you’d like to share? Some network broadcast favorite…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Best Russian-Themed Stacking Game Since Tetris
Stacking is a game about Russian stacking dolls. Matryoshka dolls. You know, the dolls that fit within shells of shells of other dolls. It has no guns, no cars and almost no explosions. Its characters have no arms, no feet. This is a game that stars the son of a chimney sweep. It’s a humble…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 8, 2011 - Uncategorized
Play Super Smash Bros. Brawl Like It Was Melee Now
Project M, the Super Smash Bros. Brawl hack that injects more of what you loved about Super Smash Bros. Melee into its Wii sequel, has been released in demo form. This is your opportunity to answer the question “Why not just play Melee?” for yourself. The demo release of Project M packs in just 14…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011 - Uncategorized
Gears Of War For Kinect An On-Rails Shooter, Says Source
Microsoft’s Kinect may get its first taste of hardcore flavor—made a little bit softer—in the form of an on-rails Gears of War shooter, pictured above, said to be in development for the Xbox 360. According to sources claiming to be familiar with the project, the previously rumored Gears of War Kinect project is indeed real.…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011
