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George Romero Explains The Story Behind Call of The Dead… Then Gets Zombified
The Escalation Pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops hit the Xbox 360 today and with it comes Call of the Dead, a star-studded zombie expansion that features it’s own story and a new backdrop. Here’s a look at how the game opens up and a surprise explanation of the back story by director turned…
By Brian Crecente Published May 3, 2011 -
The Story of a Pig and His Big Day Out
So many iPhone games are about points, or killing, or money, or twitching. Sometimes it’s just nice to kick back and guide a pig through a story. Herbert’s Day Out is a cute little iPhone game by Caleb Hystad. He calls it a “story game”, which in plainspeak means you’re just helping cute little Herbert…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Nice Balloon Dresses
PARTY OUTFITS | TOKYO, JAPAN: Japanese figure maker celebrates its tenth anniversary with girls wearing inflatable clothes. As one would. (Photo by Moeyo) The Kid Who Trained with the Masters of Nintendo During a Gaming Golden Age It was the hot, sticky summer 1990. Japan’s bubble economy, the period of rapid growth during the 1980s,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
When Game Mags Come with Scented Panties
Purchased a computer game magazine recently? Sure, print is all moving online. But while the internet is quick, there’s one thing it cannot do: scented panties. The June issue of Japanese bishoujo computer game rag PC Angel neo is bundled with a pair of fragrant underpants. The blue-striped panties are “fresh”, the red-striped panties are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
It Takes Six Minutes to Rifle Through this Lady’s Silent Hill Collection
Whitney’s Silent Hill collection is impressive! She’s got all sorts of knick-knacks like Japanese in-store displays, hand painted figures, fliers, Japanese strategy guides, soundtracks—you name it! Whitney started collecting Silent Hill goods in 1999, but got serious in 2004. “Silent Hill merchandise is pretty rare when compared to my other favorite game franchises, Capcom’s Resident…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Giving a Classic Board Game the Love It Deserves
HeroQuest, an “entry-level” Warhammer game first released in 1989, was at the time a fairly primitive affair, limited to a board, some cards and the player pieces. So Damien Thévenin has spent a few years fixing the game up a little. He’s built an exquisite set of 3D walls and doors, meaning the game’s formerly…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Nintendo Likes Surprises, Sure, but Isn’t Mischievous
Nintendo is considerate. When the Kyoto-based game company reveals it’s working on new hardware, it wants to surprise people, but doesn’t want to screw up their travel plans. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, recently told analysts that, yes, the earlier a new system is announced, more speculation will be encouraged and there’s a higher risk for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Kinect Lets You Relive the End of Empire Strikes Back
The official Star Wars game for Kinect isn’t looking so hot. This unofficial Star Wars application for the motion-sensing camera, however, looks way cooler. Projecting a “template” block of carbonite in 3D space, Michael Zoellner & Jens Keil have been getting friends and family to pose in their own unique Han-Solo-in-Empire-Strikes-Back dioramas, with the resulting…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Does Anyone Love Medal of Honor THIS Much?
Eight discs. Eight. That’s what the complete Medal Of Honor soundtrack collection is shipping on, complete with big fancy packaging and a liner note written by Steven Spielberg. The featured games run the gamut from the original to last year’s “reboot”, and the whole thing costs $60. MEDAL OF HONOR: SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION: LIMITED EDITION [La…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Nothing Says Mario Like $465 Latex
Those blue overalls. The red shirt. All in latex. The only thing that’s missing is a rear-front crotch zip. Oh, Etsy seller Shhhcouture will add that, too, for only US$14! The “Super Mario Inspired Two Piece Cosplay Dressup” has also Bullet Bills on the red top. The whole, one-off geddup costs $465, not including the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
More Nintendo Games That Sadly Will Never Be
Can it be that time of year again? So soon? Yes, it seems it is. Time for Japanese game store Meteor to hold their annual “Famicase” exhibition, featuring imaginary Nintendo game cartridges. The deal is simple: artists submit pieces to the store, and those pieces get stuck on old Famicom cartridges and put up on…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
There’s Small, Then There’s This
Anime character Kyubey is an extraterrestrial being in the popular Puella Magi Madoka Magica that when killed, reappears and eats the dead remains. If you think that’s impressive, check out this Kyubey sculpture. Someone with far more patience than me sculpted a Kyubey that can fit inside a five yen coin; for Americans, a five…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
U.S. Congress Questioning Sony over PSN Attacks
In addition to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and 22 state attorneys general, Sony is now being questioned by a House of Representatives subcommittee in relation to the attacks which have left the PlayStation Network down for over a week. In a letter addressed to PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Ubisoft Launches its Own Movies & TV Division
Publisher Ubisoft, no stranger to the world of adaptations after last year’s Prince of Persia movie, has established a new division called Ubisoft Motion Pictures, which is aimed at turning the company’s properties into movies and TV shows. [Variety]
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Bishoujo Booth Babes. More Cosplayers. Some Dudes.
Thought you’d seen all the dress up action this year’s Tokyo Dream Party had to offer? Wrong! Website Asagawo Blog is cataloguing the show’s cosplayers and booth companions. Dream Party is a biannual convention that specializes in “bishoujo” or “beautiful young girl” games. Dream Party booth companions dress up as characters from the bishoujo games…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Build Your Own Lawn with These “Real” Minecraft Grass Cubes
If you’ve never played it, indie darling Minecraft takes place in a world made of blocks. So if you were going to build your own little Minecraft world, well, you’d need some blocks, wouldn’t you! Etsy user Laketide is selling these replica dirt-and-grass cubes to help get your collection (or horribly expensive world-building) started. Available…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Sony’s Shittiest Golden Week Ever
This week in Japan is “Golden Week”, a consecutive string of national holidays. While companies and the stock markets are closed, the entire country is on vacation. Everyone, it seems, except Sony. Popular Golden Week destinations traditionally include Hawaii, Okinawa or Guam, or at hotspots across the country. This year, with the Japanese economy in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Buy a WoW Pet to Help Japan’s Earthquake Victims
Between now and July 31, anyone purchasing the latest in-game World of Warcraft pet will see 100% of their proceeds donated to the Red Cross’ Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief effort. The Cenarion Hatchling is “the twin of the rare Hippogryph Hatchling”, which was available as part of a World of Warcraft trading card…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011 -
Three Men Arrested after Fisticuffs at Nerd Convention
Shinboku-con 2011 was held in Westlake, Ohio over the weekend, and was a festival aimed at showcasing and celebrating anime and video games. Maybe they should add pugilism to the bill. At 7:15pm on April 30, two men (both attendees at the show) were arrested after getting into a disagreement over how one of the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2011