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Jay-Z’s Getting Into Games?
A brief aside in an upscale mag’s profile of hip-hop performer, impresario (and Beyoncé spouse) Jay-Z mentions he might be turning his attention to a video game project. “He is relaxing after a typically jam-packed day that included a photo shoot, an interview, and a meeting about his potential involvement in a forthcoming video game,”…
By Owen Good Published March 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Your Sunday Morning Facepalm
Over on CNET, a writer dares ask the question, “How far should violent video game ads be kept from schools?” Oh, God … This goes back to the row over the mean-ol scary Killzone 2 ads in Toronto (and has its roots in the mean-ol scary Fallout 3 ads in Washington and Grand Theft Auto…
By Owen Good Published March 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gamer Deaths Make Clan Notification Difficult, Awkward
An AP story about online death-notification services ledes with a Warcraft gamer, who died mid-quest and left his bereaved daughter to find his friends and explain why he was suddenly gone. The story is largely how death notification has changed to accommodate one’s virtual friends and acquaintances. There are a number of services out there…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Wrist Computer Very Useful in Your Real Life Wastelands
Your real-life Pip Boys now come in two flavors – visually accurate, with few functions; or fully-featured with a different design. You can actually purchase this sucker, which weighs in at more than a pound and measures 4.5 by 3.5 by 3 inches (a whopper, in other words). But the Zypad WR1100 does include a…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Boston Mayor Now Hearts Gaming Biz Dollars
Boston Mayor Tom Menino has transmogrified from a do-it-for-the-children pol backing unconstitutional laws against video games to a guy touting that industry’s heft in his city and its backyard. Menino, a democrat, announced on Friday two initiatives to back the industry locally and encourage its growth there. First is PoweringUpBoston.com, an industry networking site, and…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Wii’s Dead Space Will Last as Long as Original
Tidbits from a chat with Dead Space: Extraction‘s production team dropped a few tidbits, which add up to promises that the title will be a full game on its own, not a warmed-over port. According to Skewed & Reviewed: • Dead Space Extraction will take “about as long as it took players to play through…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Old Republic: Your “Personal Star Wars Saga”
Bioware and LucasArts have put out another video documentary on Star Wars: The Old Republic, teasing the storyline and characters of the MMO, set in a "relatively unexplored timeframe of the Star Wars canon." The writers and the producers discuss the TOR universe, which they hope will create a “personal Star Wars saga,” for everyone…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Saturday Timewaster: And We Really Mean It
Some wit cooked up a HD-version of Tetris – I can’t even begin to count the grid here – which makes dying or clearing lines an agonizingly long process. Everyone who’s played this and blogged about it so far instead have created abstract art or raced each other to a fastest death time, some taking…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Writing Contest Offers Trip to Blizzard HQ
Fanfic writing just got a little less thankless and potentially more rewarding with a creative writing contest just announced by Blizzard. Winners get a sword, lunch, and a peek at Blizz HQ. Fans of Warcraft, Starcraft or Diablo are invited to write 3,000 to 10,000 words, set in either of the three franchises. The grand…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Improv Act Seeks “Wiimbledon” Champ
“Wiimbledon Champion” looks great on a resume, especially if whomever’s reading it thinks it’s just a typo. An improv troupe is putting the title up for grabs in a tournament next month in Seattle. Organizers for Wiimbledon, to be held April 11, are looking to fill a field of 32 doubles teams playing Wii tennis.…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Weekend Coupons: Free and Reduced Price Lunch
A $20 gift card can be yours with Resident Evil 5; free shipping can be found for Halo Wars 2, and Gamestop is offering three-for-the-price-of-two on used titles. Here’s this weekend’s bargain-huntin’ highlights: • Toys R Us is offering a $20 gift card with a purchase of Resident Evil 5, so you can pick it…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
How a Lightweight Console Lay the Foundations of Game Design
A book by two professors of media studies examines the challenges of designing games on the Atari 2600, and posits that the infamous port of Pac-Man wasn’t a half-assed effort after all. Racing the Beam sets up the Atari Video Computer System (later 2600) as a console that profoundly shaped game design because its limitations…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Pitt: a Confluence of Mutation
.html Lots of running-and-gunning in this here debut trailer for Fallout 3’s “The Pitt”, which drops March 24. So I guess I’ve been playing wrong. See, my instinct when I’m down in the tunnels and I hear a feral ghoul (or, in this case, a trogg) snarl is to bring up VATS, take a deep…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Originals: Up Your Nose With a Rubber Hose
Kinda presumptuous to welcome myself back, but, I don’t see anyone else doing it. Anyway, it’s nice to be missed. I was missed, right? This week was Resident Evil 5’s big closeup, but others still managed to crack the news lineup. Namely, BioShock 2’s Big Sister stomped on in and said, where you saw but…
By Owen Good Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Soccer JRPG Anime Moving Into Prime Time TV
The upcoming Professor Layton film isn’t the only anime from Japanese developer Level 5. An animated version of Level 5’s soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven is slated for prime time special in Japan this April. Until now, the cartoon series has been shown on Sunday morning at 9am. The original DS game was released last August…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Bashcraft Penned Arcade Book Getting French Edition
Arcade Mania, the book on Japanese arcades I wrote, will be translated for an upcoming French version. French game book publisher Pix n’Love Editions will be bringing the book to wider audience. Pix n’Love is best known for its books on the PC Engine and the history of Nintendo (Pix n’Love’s Florent Gorges has a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Week In Comments
The Periodic Table of Video Game Characters Comment by: Ghede Nominated by: Abad Sonic should be under the radioactives. It has a half-life of seven years.” A Week In Comments Comment by: 超外人 Nominated by: 天 I was put off by that comment as well, since the statement is basically hypocritical in my eyes from…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Tomatoes Can Play Asteroids Too, You Know
From the same people that brought you the history of gaming (in Sauerkraut) comes this: a game of asteroids. Played with tomatoes. Don’t ask why. Just ask "Zaxxon with celery next, please". [via GameSniped]
By Luke Plunkett Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Capcom Explains Paid DLC Multi-Player Patch
Resident Evil 5 has three new multi-player modes, which will be available via paid DLC. The new Versus modes are called Slayer and Survivor. The US$4.99 PSN/400 MS Points patch does not add weapons or characters, so it’s unclear what it actually does. According to Capcom, however, the patch doesn’t simply unlock already in-game content.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Mario Paint Strategy Guide Is So 1992 It Hurts
These days, strategy guides are big business, but it hasn’t always been this way. In the early 90s, for example, magazines and cheat lines ruled, leaving strategy guides to, well. Do their own thing. Not that this was a bad thing. Indeed, in this case, it’s an awesome thing, because we’re talking about the 1993…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 13, 2009