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Thank Duke Nukem, A Little, For Alan Wake
Alan Wake is not like Heavy Rain, Halo Reach, God of War III, Splinter Cell: Conviction or any of the other big 2010 games that are not named for their star character. That’s intentional. With Alan Wake, we’ve got a game that was named more like Super Mario Brothers than like Tomb Raider, more like…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Costco Pizza, So Good
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Where Did Everybody Go? Went to Costco this morning to buy paper towels, Downy and some other stuff (I forget!). But for lunch, we have Costco pizza. Costco pizza is American-style pizza, which is quite different from Japanese pizza. Japanese pizza usually has mayo on it and often corn. Yes,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
You Won’t Believe How Much Detail GT5 Has
Oh, no. You really won’t. Well, maybe you will. Dunno! Earlier this month, Kotaku posted screens of the racing simulator from the Nürburgring tracks. Those screens look detailed, but website PlayStation University points out just how detailed. Look at the reflection in the car’s side mirror. Amazing. But is it done yet? Eh… GT5’s Attention…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 -
UncategorizedRock Band Getting Japanese Groups?
According to website JRock Revolution, the site has apparently partnered with Rock Band developer Harmonix to poll its readers about which J-Rock acts it would like to see in Rock Band. In 2008, Harmonix and MTV joined forces with Tokyo-based developer Q Entertainment, the studio behind Lumines, to make a Japanese version of Rock Band.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 -
UncategorizedThe Princess Is In Your Castle, And She Has Needs
So you’re off to save the Princess, huh? Might want to think it over, side-scrolling platform hero. Because when you do save her, she may well be more trouble than it was worth. At least, that’s the perspective of this cautionary tale, in which our intrepid traveller gets more than he bargained for when he…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Instead Of Laughing At “Casual” Gamers, Try Helping Them!
In a piece over on Wired, Kira Greer speaks publicly about the depths of her obsession with Farmville. It makes her sound like a nutter, yes, but it also makes her sound like someone in need of something better “I realized I was hooked when I was planning my day around when I knew crops…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Report: Red Dead Redemption Apparently Cost… [UPDATE 2]
The last big Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto IV, cost roughly US$100 million. Update 2: Daily Mail was just guessing? The most expensive game (well, before Grand Theft Auto IV) was SEGA’s Shenmue, which came in at a cool $70 million to develop. But in 2008, Rockstar producer Leslie Benzies guestimated that GTAIV cost about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 -
UncategorizedLeisure Suit…Lenny?
Alright Ashcraft. I’ll see your Japanese schoolgirl drumming and raise you a one-man band, who is named after a classic 80’s/90’s adventure game series from Sierra. This is Lenny, a musician from my home town of Canberra, Australia who between gigs in actual bands sometimes plays a one-man show. And when he does, he becomes…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Square Enix And Yahoo! Japan To “Change Japanese History”
Japanese history is voluminous. And there have been huge changes. Just look at the past century! But domestic game company Square Enix and Yahoo! claim it will change Japanese history. The gall! A teaser site on Yahoo! Japan reads: “On May 21, we’ll change Japanese history.” So when you buy a Japanese history book in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Report: Sir Richard Branson Gets Back Into Video Games
Virgin, the company owned and run by British gazillionaire Sir Richard Branson, will soon be getting back into the video game business, according to a report on trade site MCV. Branson will apparently use E3 as a springboard to reveal his plans for an online-only games service that spans “the leading console formats and feature…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Bow Before Your Lord, Mario
An oldie, but goodie. As seen by はちま起稿
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Assassin’s Creed II Bundles Game With Downloadable Content
Assassin’s Creed II, one of the games of 2009, is to be repackaged and resold as a “complete” edition, bundling the game along with its downloadable content, some of which is good, others, not so good The pack will include a copy of Assassin’s Creed II, the Bonfire of the Vanities downloadable content, the Battle…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Red Dead Redemption PS3 Versus Red Dead Redemption Xbox 360
The great thing about multi-platform games is that owners of different consoles get to play the same game. But what about when the game isn’t exactly the same? As it has been pointed out (via website CVG), the Xbox 360 version of cowboy game Red Dead Redemption runs at 720p, while the PS3 version runs…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Gee, You Guys Must Really Hate Using Credit Cards
According to retail research firm the NPD Group, the biggest-selling accessory in the United States is not a controller, memory card or chatpad. It’s a pre-paid points card for an online gaming service. Yes, for the months of both March and April, the top-selling accessory was a 1600 point Xbox Live card, the equivalent of…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
Dragon Quest IX Enters The Guinness Book of World Records
And it’s not for sales, but for something else entirely. Dragon Quest IX has a “Chance Encounter” mode that allows players to share data with players they bump into in the real world via Nintendo WiFi. In dense Japanese cities, there’s a good chance of bumping into another person with Dragon Quest IX in their…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
How’s Final Fantasy XIV Coming Along?
Not bad, not bad at all. Upcoming massively multiplayer role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV won’t be out until later this year, but here’s a look at in-game city-state Limsa Lominsa and it’s landmarks: self-descriptive Fishermann’s Bottom, culinary capital the Bismarck and armory Coral Tower. The game has been penciled in for the PS3 and is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
First Shots Of Cataclysm’s Female Worgen
When World of Warcraft expansion Cataclysm launches, it’ll bring not only new environments, but new characters as well. Like this female Worgen! Previously, we’d only seen male Worgens, but as you can see, there are ladies as well. How can you tell it’s a lady Worgen? Why, because she’s in a dress, of course. Cataclysm…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 - Uncategorized
We Might Get Yakuza 4 After All
Having campaigned for months for a localised version of Yakuza 3, many fans of the series feared that releasing the game so close to other big PS3 titles – like Final Fantasy XIII – would hurt its sales. Nope! While Sega won’t disclose official sales figures, which is always a shame, the company has provided…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010