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This Sunday Was Actually Lazy
To: Bashcraft From: Crecente Like…… I played some Battlefield 1943, drank a glass of wine, watched it rain and read a book on the sofa. It was great — don’t remember the last time I actually was able to do this. How was your weekend? What you missed last night New Dashboard Commercials Bring Ad…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Valve: Let Fans Fund Games Development
Here’s how most games are made: idea is pitched to publisher, publisher likes idea, risks millions of dollars funding said idea. Most of those risks end up as busts. So is there a better way of doing things? Valve like to think so. Company boss Gabe Newell has said that, rather than allow conservative publishers…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 -
UncategorizedNew Dashboard Commercials Bring Ad Breaks To Your 360
As many of you have no doubt probably seen by now if you’ve been connected to Xbox Live, Microsoft’s new dashboard advertisements have begun appearing for Xbox 360 owners. Rather than the standard, static advertisements you’re used to seeing, these bring running commercials to your 360, in some cases complete with video and, more annoyingly,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Streets Of Rage, Now On iPhone
Open up. Time for your weekly dose of “let’s port a game to the iPhone for a quick buck”, this time featuring Sega, and a re-release of Streets of Rage. The game was released on Friday, and is going for $5 on the App Store. As is standard policy with these things, I’m not touching…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Your N64 Case Mod Is In Another Castle
As seen on Technabob.
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
BioShock Meets Tabletop Gaming
Guy by the name of Robert Sakaluk has tried something a little new, taking some Warmachine miniatures and turning them into BioShock miniatures. There’s a Big Daddy, A Big Sister and a Little Sister, each of which would look equally as comfortable amidst the ruins of Rapture as they would consuming action points on a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Steam Launches “Family” Section, Please Don’t Roll Your Eyes
Valve announced on Friday the launch of the “Family Gaming” genre on their online store Steam, an entire new wing of the digital shopfront dedicated solely to games your mum, dad or gran might enjoy. Which means, yes, there’s some horrible titles in there. But there are also many games that aren’t horrible. The opposite…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
These Screenshots Are Different, We Think
When Famitsu announced computer tactical role-playing-game Moe Moe Niji Taisen Deluxe, the Japanese game site showed a rather revealing screenshot of a female in a ripped outfit. The game’s developer, SystemSoft Alpha Corporation, has released official screenshots of the Xbox 360 version. There seems to be a big difference — maybe two! We wonder what…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Splinter Cell Mission Briefings, 8-Bit Style
One area in which the latest Splinter Cell game differs from previous outings is that mission briefings are being integrated into the game world itself. As in, “KILL SOME GUY” will be written on the side of an in-game building. It’s certainly a different take on a gaming staple, and makes a refreshing change from…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Hinting At Western Release of Tales of Vesperia PS3
Former Xbox 360 exclusive Tales of Vesperia is coming to the PS3 in Japan later this year. But it might be coming to the English speaking world, too. In the demo’s embedded code, English and Japanese descriptions of unused skills were found: Gun Support / ガンサポート - サブ組の際、戦闘フィールド外から、一定の確率で拳銃で攻撃する。 - An inactive ally will occasionally attack with gun…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Of Course WiiWare Sexy Poker Doesn’t Poke Nudity
WiiWare game Sexy Poker might be too sexy for Australia, but it’s not too sexy for the Entertainment Software Rating Board. According to the ESRB, the game is “M for Mature”. Here is the rating: SEXY POKER Platform: Wii Rating: M for Mature Content descriptors: Simulated Gambling, Suggestive Themes Rating Summary: This is a Strip…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Daigo Wins 2009 Evo Champs
And, we’re done! The dust has settled on the 2009 Evo (fighting game) Championships in Vegas, and a winner has emerged. That winner? None other than Street Fighting legend Daigo “The Beast” Umehara. A few readers were at the event, and pinged us to let us know that he defeated long-time adversary Justin Wong at…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Expecting 5 Million Copies of Dragon Quest IX Shipped
With 2.3 million copies sold in its first week, Dragon Quest IX is already a smash hit. Square Enix shipped 3 million copies at launch to ensure everyone who wanted the game could purchase it. But Square Enix isn’t stopping there. Square Enix president Yoichi Wada told the Japanese press, “We’re look at reaching over…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2009 - Uncategorized
Comics Editor
To: Luke From: Owen Re: The Weekends are Made for Owen Today we put out our first installment of Sunday Comics, aggregating the best of gaming-themed comics from around the Web. This isn’t the first time I’ve put together a page of strips and panels. When I was 13, after much pestering, Dad made me…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 -
UncategorizedCapcom Still Teasing Mega Man 9’s “Final Secret”
At Evo 2009, Capcom community-mans Seth Killian gets cornered about the final undiscovered secret in Mega Man 9 but vows it does indeed exist, and that it is still out there. “People have found a ton of amazing stuff in the game that I didn’t think would have been dug up for a long time,”…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
You Really Should Get Over Gamer Girls
Despite women’s documented surge in gaming, “somehow, gamer girls retain their aura of mystery,” writes Dairuka Sutain. “Gamer girls are not special anymore. Take them off the pedestal.” Sutain believes two types of misogyny are at work in the Gamer Girl stereotype – the first is condescension, that if women aren’t less skilled at popular…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
We Didn’t Have Achievements Back in the Day
But if we did, posits Gamespy’s Brian Altano – in this nostalgic and disarmingly sweet take on growing up with games – they might have looked a little like these. The part about bringing games to school is especially true. I think the only time I’ve ever read a game’s instruction manual was in study…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 -
UncategorizedTen Years Ago: “Halo is the Name of This Game.”
In 1999, Bungie was probably the best-known studio developing specifically for Macintosh, having delivered titles like Marathon, Myth, and Pathways Into Darkness. At Macworld 1999, Steve Jobs introduced the studio’s next big Mac exclusive: Halo. Within a year, Bungie would be bought out by Microsoft and Halo would become a launch title that, more than…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Week in Games: Trannnnnns-mute?
G-Force hits all platforms, but for those a certain age (mine), its the (sigh) movie tie-in, not the U.S. adaptation of good ol’ Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. For that you still need Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Other interesting releases include Watchmen, which is complete on PS3 and episodes 1 & 2 only on Xbox 360 (a…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009