How Sony Is Turning into a Ghost in Japan and Around the World

For some people in Japan, Sony is already dead. The only question they have is how did Sony die, or who killed it, and how long will the spectre of Sony remain haunting Japan. It’s a pessimistic view of the company but it’s one reality in this island country. Mr. and Mrs. Nakayama have run…

Meet The Boy Who Wants To Change Your Life

Harry Lee is 19 years old. He wants to change your life. Well, maybe not your life, but someone’s life. He wants to help you understand other people, he wants to confuse you. He wants to make you happy. And he wants to do it with video games. When he was young, Harry Lee’s favourite…

They Might be Gathering Dust, But They’re Still Your Most Cherished Memories

OMOCAT’s piece called “Old Toybox” is about as perfect a remembrance for the ghosts of Nintendo’s late 90’s (and early 2000’s) you could hope for. Originally done for the Fangamer vs Attract Mode Art Show at this year’s PAX Prime, it’s now available as an 18″ x 24″ print from Fangamer. Old Toybox [Fangamer]

The developers of Mount & Blade’s Napoleonic expansion are talking more about their next game, Battle Cry of Freedom

Yes, Master Chief, I Know You’re Part Robot, But I Want You To Get In This Bigger Robot

My sincerest apologies if you’ve had your fill of Halo 4 concept art over the past week because, well, I have not. As is common, now that the game is on shelves the artists involved can begin sharing more of their work. One of those artists is Chris Durso, whose stuff you’ll be seeing today.…

Remember: This is How Call of Duty Games Are Made Now

A reminder (this pic is from May) that when you fire up Black Ops II and about an hour in are greeted by horses, Activision’s billions do not get you hand-animated horses. They get you this It’s like Andy Serkis lay down and dreamed of Vladimir Putin… Black Ops 2 preview [PC Gamer]

Wait, This Might be the Laziest Wii Port Ever

EA’s FIFA 13 on Wii was a middle finger to sports fans on the console, as it was quite literally a full-priced roster update. If you thought competing franchise Pro Evo would do any better, though, you are sadly mistaken. As you can see in these images, once again provided by Nintendo Gamer, this year’s…

Nintendo Power Officially Closed Its Doors Today

The news dropped in August, but today Nintendo Power magazine, which has run since 1988, officially closed its doors. The last issue is in the books, and one of the world’s longest-running games mags is no more. It’s a sad day for lovers of print mags, especially as word hit that two British magazines—Xbox World…

Sony Says Hacked PS3s Will Be “Terminated Permanently”

There’s been a new PlayStation 3 hack doing the rounds over the last few weeks, one which some in the scene felt was a major victory in their running battle against Sony’s copy protection. It’s a hack that Sony has now officially responded to, directly warning users against applying it and threatening all those suspected…

Black Ops II’s Weapons, Broken Down Into Tiny Statistics

If you’re about to settle in for 11 months of Black Ops II multiplayer, you’d do well to take this chart with you, as it shows just about everything you need to know about all the game’s weapons. Having spent four days doing nothing but shooting and recording data, pwnsweet and his brother can now…

The True, Hilarious Story Of The Most Horrifying Massage Ever

Have you ever been to get a professional massage? It can be pretty great. All of the jacked-up knots and blocks in your back get worked out by a trained professional, and you walk out with a spring in your step. Or, if you’re writer Pamela Ribon, you have the most disgusting, panic-inducing, and eventually…

Nintendo (Finally) Explains How The Wii U’s Online Will Work

Phew, they made it. The Wii U comes out in five days, and now we finally know how its Internet functionality will work. Here’s Nintendo’s Bill Trinen talking about the Nintendo Network, user IDs, the eShop, and more. There’s also a lot of info on Miiverse, the system’s web browser, and even some footage from…

If Everything’s a Call of Duty Clone, Why Can’t Anyone Outdo Call of Duty?

Whenever a military-themed shooter comes out, the first thing many people say is “oh great, here comes another Call of Duty clone”. It’s a term used as a slur against a game, saying that it’s not just copying another game, it’s copying another game that for many has long run out of ideas. Why, then,…

Fans Waiting for the Beyond Good & Evil Sequel Just Have to Keep Waiting, Ubisoft Head Confirms

Fans of Beyond Good & Evil have been waiting a very long time for a sequel. The game, which came out in 2003, was envisioned as part of a trilogy but as the years have gone by, fans have let their expectations wane. A 2011 HD re-release seemed to be it for a while, until…

The Ten Commandments Of Video Game Menus: Sinners And Saints

For lo, we did climb to the top of Video Game Mountain. We spoke with the burning GameCube, and we did return with The Ten Commandments of Video Game Menus. And they were good, even if the games weren’t always. But our work has only just begun. With these new commandments, we must now turn…

Reviewers Love the Shooting, the Killing, and the Choices in Call of Duty: Black Ops II

It’s November, and that means three things. The days are getting shorter, holiday advertising is ramping up, and there’s a new Call of Duty game. Last year’s entry, Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 3, shattered all kinds of sales records in its first day and first weeks on store shelves, launching into the stratospheric billion-dollar sales…

Borderlands 2 Gets A Mondo PC Patch

I’ve been a fan of the PC version of Borderlands 2, even though it hasn’t been without some issues Today, a whopper of a patch was released for the PC version, which fixes a ton of various bugs and repairs a grip of broken missions that I didn’t even realize were bugged. Here’s the full…

There Are More Than 800,000 People Playing Black Ops II On Xbox Live Right Now

Well then. There are a crapload of people playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II online right now. On Xbox Live alone, between Zombies mode and regular multiplayer, there are more then 800,000 playing: And bear in mind, that’s just Xbox Live. Factor in PlayStation Network and PC players, and you’ve got even more. That’s…

EA Giving Free Games to Some Black Ops II Players on PC

Never ones to let a chance pass them by to rain on an Activision parade, EA is giving away some free games to those affected by a Black Ops II disc printing error. The publisher is offering 50 copies of the Mass Effect Trilogy on PC for those who send in pictures of their dodgy…

My Little Pony Progress Report: It’s Been One Week

Gameloft released the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic game last Thursday. I started playing last Wednesday. One week later I am king of the ponies. It’s undisputed. Mostly undisputed. Level 40 is king, right? I’d like to keep the comments for this post mature and civil, so let me preface this post by mentioning…