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The Little Vector-Based Console That Couldn’t is Reborn on the iPad
In 1982 Smith Engineering released the Vectrex, a self-contained video game console that delivered cutting-edge vector based games to the masses. It was the first game console with a 3D peripheral. It was brilliant. It was also released right before the video game crash of 1983, so the system that hit the market at $199.99…
By Mike Fahey Published July 24, 2012 -
PS Vita Defect Isn’t To Blame for Overheating Incidents, Says Sony
Since going on sale in Japan last December, there have been 31 incidents in which the PS Vita overheated, rendering the machines inoperable. As of early June, 23 of those incidents were in Japan, while 8 of them were abroad. Thankfully, no one has been injured. In these incidents, the PS Vita has overheated while…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2012 -
Now Mad Catz is Making a Massively Multiplayer Combat Flight Simulator
Not content to merely dabble in the more pedestrian flying video game market, the once peripheral-centric Mad Catz lifts its ambitious eyes to the MMO skies with Combat Pilot, a title that combines realistic flight simulation with multiplayer military aviation. It’s actually more exciting than it sounds. Most pure flight sims are single-player experiences or,…
By Mike Fahey Published July 24, 2012 -
If Radiohead Had Performed The Limbo Soundtrack
I usually don’t like listening to outside music while I play games, and certainly not while I play atmospheric games like Limbo. And yet if I had to choose an alternate soundtrack for Playdead’s dark little game, I could think of worse albums than Radiohead’s Amnesiac The Gameological Society has combined the two, creating this…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
Battlefield 3 Gets The A-Team Treatment
I don’t know about you, but I think Battlefield 3 would be a lot more fun if it had some more Mr. T. No, not Mr. Totilo! Mr. T! Like the A-Team! YouTuber GDarleyy agrees, recreating the A-Team’s now-famous introduction in Battlefield 3 Man. Gotta love that theme song.
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
How To Kill Civilians In A War Game
Civilian casualties are rare in video games. Every real-life war results in a terrible loss of innocent life; collateral damage is a grim reality of battle. Yet most war video games play out across perfectly crafted arenas in which each “team” is clearly marked and civilians are nowhere to be found. Spec Ops: The Line…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
The Joy And Wonder Of A 3-Year-Old Playing Journey
ThatGameCompany’s Journey is a wonderful game, a beautiful experience with universal wonder. The first time I played it, I felt a often felt a sense of childlike wonder. Logan also feels childlike wonder as he plays the game. In fact, every time he feels wonder, it’s childlike wonder, because he is 3 years old. Everyone…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
Anti-Bigotry Gaming Site Defaced With Racial Slurs
It only took a week for Gamers Against Bigotry to be defaced by bigotry. The website, started by comedian Sam Killermann in late June as a way to fight against offensive slurs and hate speech in the video game community, was almost immediately attacked by bigots (or one single, dedicated bigot). They painted racial slurs…
By Jason Schreier Published July 24, 2012 -
Telltale’s Walking Dead Game Is Coming To Apple Devices This Thursday
Telltale’s masterful (so far) episodic Walking Dead game will be coming to Apple devices this Thursday, according to a post on the company’s blog The iOS version will be called Walking Dead: The Game, which should differentiate it from all the other Walking Dead stuff out there. The first episode of the planned 5-episode run…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
Barricade-Jumping Video Game Developer Runs The Olympic Torch Route With A Banana
Let it never be said that the folks who make LittleBigPlanet lack for chutzpah. Last week, the Olympic torch was set to go past the Media Molecule office in Guildford. Not one to let an opportunity like this pass by, Media Molecule’s Omar [last name redacted at Omar’s request] decided to jump the barrier and…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
Five Comics That Will Make You Nostalgic This Week
If you’re here in the Panel Discussion programming block, you might be a lapsed comics reader, trying to find a way back to the JLA Satellite. Or you might someone killing time until you pick up your weekly Wednesday pull list. Or maybe you’ve said goodbye to dozens of longboxes to embrace the promise of…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 24, 2012 -
The Comics That Helped The Dark Knight Rise
Spoiler Warning: Plot details from The Dark Knight Rises get discussed below. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and want to go in unspoiled, stop reading now. One of the things I liked most about The Dark Knight Rises is how it reconfigures elements from various Batman storylines into its own compelling experience. The…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 24, 2012 -
Panel Discussion: The Programming Block Without Fear!
Are we still pretending that comics and video games don’t have anything to do with each other? Not anymore, we’re not. Welcome to Panel Discussion, where the focus will be on comic books and sequential art, whether they connect directly to video games or not. Confused? Read this
By Evan Narcisse Published July 24, 2012 -
This Action-RPG For Vita Is Looking Pretty Stellar
This is Ys Celceta: Sea Of Trees (also known as Ys Celceta: Foliage Ocean), the next game in Falcom’s Ys series of action-roleplaying games. No word on U.S. release yet, but it’ll be out this September in Japan for Vita. Boutique publisher XSEED Games has localized many of Falcom’s other games—including several in the Ys…
By Jason Schreier Published July 24, 2012 -
Athene, The ‘Best Gamer In The World,’ Is Taking Your Questions Right Now
Surely you’ve heard of Athene, right? He’s the best gamer in the world! He’s got all kinds of world records, in everything from World of Warcraft to online poker. He can beat Diablo III‘s first boss in less than a second. His online fans are legion, and with their help he’s farmed the most powerful…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 24, 2012 -
Here’s How Halo Will Look in Crysis 2. Wait, What?
You might not be sitting around thinking that Crysis 2 needs more Master Chief. Fair enough. But some intrepid modders are using the PC release of Crytek’s alien invasion war game to stage their own version of Spartan-vs-Covenant action. They’re calling it Venerance. Tributary Creations is a loose confederation of developers who are using the…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 24, 2012
