- Uncategorized
Yale-Developed Game Teaches Young Children To Avoid HIV
The National Institute of Health is granting Yale associate professor Dr. Lynn Fielin $3.9 million over five years to develop a game aimed at helping children aged 9 through 14 say no to sex, drugs, and other HIV-transmitting behaviors. In my day, topics like sex and drug abuse were generally relegated to high school health…
By Mike Fahey Published February 5, 2010 - Reviews
Trenches Micro-Review: An Interesting Take on Tower Defense
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of waiting for the perpetually delayed Plants Vs. Zombies to make its way onto the iPhone. Fortunately, Trenches has been satisfying my itch for side-scrolling tower defense gaming. Trenches drops you smack dab on top of enemy lines during World War I’s gas, artillery… and yes,…
By Brian Crecente Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Why There Are Two Sith Classes In The Old Republic
Not all Sith are created equally. In a post on the Star Wars: The Old Republic website, BioWare writer Rebecca Harwick discusses the reasons behind the creation of the Sith Inquisitor, the Emperor Palpatine to the Sith Warrior’s Darth Vader. As Rebecca points out, that comparison is apt, but it does sell the class short.…
By Mike Fahey Published February 5, 2010 -
UncategorizedIt Sucks To Be An Aliens Vs. Predator Marine
No amount of heavy techno music can make life better for the Colonial Marines in Aliens Vs. Predator. As an Alien player, I feel sorry for the Colonial Marines. After all, the game is called Aliens Vs. Predator, not Aliens Vs. Predator Vs. Colonial Marines. Aside from being far too long a title, they simply…
By Mike Fahey Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
World of Warcraft: The Audio Book
Richard Knaak’s World of Warcraft Stormrage is getting the audio book treatment, BlizzPlanet points out. Simon & Schuster will be releasing the novel as eAudio on Feb. 23, meaning that you’ll be able to play World of Warcraft and read World of Warcraft at the same time. Track down some World of Warcraft Game Fuel…
By Brian Crecente Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
ModNation Racers Goes Portable
Like LittleBigPlanet before it, ModNation Racers, the next game in Sony’s “Play Create Share” arsenal is headed to the PlayStation Portable, with the PSP version launching alongside its PlayStation 3 counterpart. With all of the same creative tools found in the PS3 version, the only thing scaled-down about ModNation PSP is the graphics. Players will…
By Mike Fahey Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Australia’s Anti-R18+ Game Rating Attorney-General Sees Fake People
South Australia ‘s opposition calls for the firing of Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, the primary reason the country can’t give games a R18+ mature rating, after he suggested that a West Croydon citizen was an imaginary plant for the Liberal Party. In December, Luke Plunkett clarified the R18+ video game ratings mess in Australia for us,…
By Mike Fahey Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Perfect Dark Xbox Live Arcade Playable By Press Next Week
Perfect Dark, remastered for the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade with a 60 framers-per-a-second framerate, is making an appearance at next week’s Xbox 360 X10 gaming summit in San Francisco. Rare tells us that the game will be playable at the event, and that we can expect to “find out some more tidbits” concerning Perfect Dark’s…
By Brian Crecente Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Mario Vs Mario: How Three Wii Sequels Are Chasing Their Predecessors
The average amount of time a person plays New Super Mario Bros. is climbing quickly and could catch Super Mario Galaxy. Call of Duty is surging. But Wii Sports Resort is flattening. Here are three key Wii comparisons of satisfaction. (Click the charts to enlarge them) Each month Kotaku tracks the average playing time of…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
G-Switch Runs and Flips
We need more mash-ups in video games. You know, like when a DJ takes two great songs, or two awful songs, and turns them into something all together different, but still recognizable. Take for instance G-Switch. It plays an awful lot like the bastard child of forever-runner Canabalt and gravity-flipper VVVVVV. And it’s pretty great…
By Brian Crecente Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Why Is It Called China?
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Get Lost With Your Lost Got a English tea set today. Any know why they call it china? To the internet! What you missed last night Death of A Wii Commander Shepard’s Toughest Choice Yet Microsoft: No More Original Xbox Games Over Xbox Live Want The Heavy Rain Demo Right…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Nippon Ichi Software, This Can’t Be Good
The developer behind the Disgaea series, announced its financial earnings. You may want to sit down. In the first nine months of this financial year, the company’s operating profit is down 97.5 percent. During 2009, the company released several titles in Japan, including Makai Senki Disgaea 2 Portable, Disgaea Infinite, A Witch’s Tale, Let’s Hitchhike…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
PAL PlayStation Store Update: You’re Late, Squall
Six weeks after it arrived on the North American PlayStation Store, PAL users can finally relive what I, at least, think is the best Final Fantasy game of the lot: FFVIII. It’s the standout addition to this week’s store update, though there’s plenty of other good stuff to tempt you, from the Aliens vs Predator…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Konami Releasing A “Bootleg” World Cup Game
When the football World Cup begins later this year, EA’s FIFA series will be cashing in with an officially-licensed World Cup game. And what will competitors Pro Evolution Soccer be doing? Why, releasing an unlicensed World Cup game, of course. Announced only for the Japanese market, Winning Eleven Aoki Samurai no Chosen will put the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Capcom Kicks Out New Super Street Fighter IV Screens
Ka-pow! Joining the SSFIV fray are schoolgirl Sakura and fortune teller Rose. Fists out, cause these characters are rarin’ to fight. Both Sakura and Rose appeared in the console version of Street Fighter IV. Super Street Fighter IV will be released on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 this April. The game will feature characters…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
What Was SEGA’s Biggest Seller Of The Past Nine Months?
SEGA has had a tough past nine months. But haven’t we all? There were bright spots. During the first three months of this fiscal year, net sales were down 7.7 percent compared with the same period last year. “In the home video game software industry, the demand was generally weak in the U.S. and European…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
We Shall Mourn The Following Xbox Live Originals
Microsoft’s decision tonight to end online play for all original Xbox consoles and games marks the end of an era in console gaming. Let’s take a minute to remember those titles who tonight gave their lives. Being the first successful platform for online console gaming (sorry, Dreamcast), the Xbox was home to many good games…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
No More Heroes, But Yes More Cherries And Mangos
These “erotic portraits” of Sylvia Christel are part of a Japanese pre-order bonus for upcoming title No More Heroes: Paradise. Because sitting on a toilet eating fruit is erotic. Or something. The game uses toilets as save points, and the game itself was conceived while No More Heroes designer Goichi Suda was on the can.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 5, 2010 - Uncategorized
Facebook Gets A Proper 3D Shooter
While most (but not all) multiplayer games on Facebook at the moment are crude, simple affairs, one developer is looking to release a full-fledged 3D shooter onto the social networking platform. 3G Studios, which has worked on games like SWAT: Target Liberty on PSP and…the Jillian Michaels game on the Wii, is currently developing Brave…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 5, 2010