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Sigh, Someone Chickens Out Of Spending US$7,000 On Famicom “Complete” Set
Oh, the drama! First a “complete set” of Famicom cartridges went on sale, then someone was going to buy then. But that was then, this is now. Now, they’re apparently back on the market. It seems after arranging to purchase the set, the buyer backed out. So if you’ve got lotsa money and a Famicom…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2009 -
Mass Effect Re-Release Is Loading In An Elevator Near You
Retailers will often hedge their bets when it comes to a game’s platforms, but they rarely just make shit up. So we’re inclined to trust this listing for a Mass Effect special edition. Turning up on GameStop over the weekend, the listing gives a release date of February 10 for the re-release, and says the…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2009 -
Street Fighter IV Producer Does Not Rule Out Capcom Vs. SNK 3
You like fighters, you like Capcom vs. SNK. As SFIV producer Yoshinori Ono (rocking Meat Bun) states, the series is still popular with hardcore gamers. But popular enough to warrant a third installment? According to Ono: “When I was doing interview for Onimusha, another title I produced, journalist would always ask me if Capcom was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2009 -
Here Is Your Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children PS3 Console
Click to viewSquare Enix has dated the previously announced FFVII: AC PLAYSTATION 3 bundle. It goes on sale April 16 in Japan, and here’s what the bundle contains: • “Cloud Black” HDD 160GB PS3 • Final Fantasy XIII Trail Version Set (FFXIII demo) • Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray disc This pack is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 18, 2009 -
This Rock Band Name Goes to 11
To: Luke From: Owen Re: Cussin’ and Nintendo Yep, so that’s my Rock Band band’s new name. Pretty bitchin’, ain’t it? I was going for something a little sentimental, but with enough of an edge to let everybody know we can and will fuck you up and RAWK!!!! you OUT!!!! (/devil horns) Started over last…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Indie Games Get a Mainstream Closeup
In its “All New” issue, discussing the cutting edge of trends in American culture, New York Magazine lauds four indie titles for “ushering in a golden age of smart, beautiful, and really weird games.” Singled out for praise in a feature titled “If Jackson Pollock Were a Gamer” are De Blob, World of Goo, Echochrome…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
The Week in Games: Skating Buy
Skate 2 is your leader for the coming week, if you’re into ollies, fakies, ollie fakies, and wearing pants half off your ass and acting surly toward authority. After that, grab your shovels, it’s January. The count: three for DS, five for Wii, three for the 360, one each for PS3, PSP, PS2 and PC.…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Twitter List Becomes Entire Site of Addresses
Sam Houston’s list of game industry types who use Twitter got a lot of exposure last week. So much that he’s launched a site, updated with even more devs, journalists, community managers and the like. Yes, yours truly is on there, but so are many others we quote around these parts too. The list is…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Study Determines Violence Has No Effect on Games’ Appeal
Researchers modified Half-Life 2 to study whether violence makes a game more enjoyable for players. The short answer: It does not. In the study, published Friday in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers surveyed more than 2,500 “frequent game players” and conducted four experiments on more than 300 college undergraduates. “We found that, on…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
The Scene Inside Circuit City: “Close to Pandemonium”
“Consumers seemingly snapping up anything that wasn’t nailed down. (I’ve never seen so many HP wide-screen monitors in one checkout line),” according to CNET. The lines? Almost as long as Fry’s – for once. Other scenes from one store caught up in Circuit City’s everything-must-go demise: • “The store that I visited on Saturday had…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
LittleBigWoodstock Rocks You With Hendrix
Sackboy rocks out to some Jimi Hendrix in this Woodstock-themed custom level paired up, on video anyway, with Purple Haze played on Guitar Hero. The level loses some of its visual appeal after about the first chorus — there’s not a lot going on other than the camera changes. But, hey, novel concept. And even…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Super PS3 Stick Makes Combos Muuuuuuch Easier
Can’t remember – or, worse – can’t execute your go-to fighting combos in the heat of the moment? This $90 stick stores moves and unleashes them with the press of a button. The XCM Dominator joystick ships next week. As you can see in this video, it’ll memorize any sequence of button presses or stick…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Check This Awesome Mirror’s Edge Tat
This guy Patrick emailed us to say he got a tattoo like Faith’s from Mirror’s Edge. Immediately I thought of her eye sunburst and figured he’s gonna look like Mike Tyson. Nope. Much, much cooler. Writes Patrick: “Faith’s tattoo design struck me when I watched the E3 2008 trailer, and I knew I wanted to…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
OK, What’s the Deal With These Countdown Clocks
Two countdown clocks are up on Japanese developer web sites, both pointing to something being announced around Friday. One looks like Zelda, the other Mario-ish. What else is there to it? Beats me. The Triforce-looking countdown is brought to you by Marvelous Entertainment, the 8-bit mushroom is courtesy of Sega Japan. It makes a 1up…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
AMD Cutting Jobs, Slashing Survivors’ Pay
Processor and graphics-card manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices is cutting 1,000 jobs and reducing pay for everyone else to get through terrible times for computer sales. Nine hundred workers will lose their jobs, with the remaining reductions coming from attrition and the sale of another business unit. All told, it represents 9 percent of the Sunnyvale,…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
The Family Tree of Game Developers
Check Your HUD put together this impressive, massive and nearly comprehensive family tree of game developers. Not sure what else to add, as just looking over it gets a little mesmerizing. The author says it’s not a complete family tree, and it’s got a few errors (“Infograms” for eg.) I’m sure nitpickers can find many…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Tired of “Mortal Kombat Killer”? How About “Xbox Taco Assailant”
Law enforcement near Orlando, Fla., have in custody a 19-year-old who refused to stop playing games to join his family for dinner and threw a taco at his mother after she unplugged his Xbox. Intrepid and indispensible local news resource WOFL-TV of Orlando reports that alleged Xbox Taco Assailant Zachary Moir is in the Volusia…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
Madden’s First Video Game — It Wasn’t Football
Tucked in a gallery of vintage video game ads is that at left — John Madden lending his cred as “sportscaster for CBS Video Games” to Atari 2600 versions of GORF and Wizard of Wor. Huh. I vaguely remember that library of games. Tooling around teh Google, lo and behold, there’s video (below) of pre-mushmouth…
By Owen Good Published January 17, 2009 -
Rigopoulos “Would Love to” do Amplitude Sequel on PS3
Harmonix’s big hit before Guitar Hero/Rock Band, and a foreshadowing of their gameplay, was Amplitude, developed for SCEA on the PS2. Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos says he’d love to “do it right” for the PS3. Ars Technica interviewed Rigopulos earlier this week, and in the discussion, both noted that Sony owns the IP, but doing…
By Owen Good Published January 17, 2009 -
Duck Hunt for a Dollar, ’til Ninty Bags It
A Duck Hunt knockoff for the iPhone and iPod touch is available for 99 cents, but it lacks two key things: Nintendo’s approval, and the Asshole Dog. Venture Beat’s MG Siegler found the app, which calls its emulator the iPES, probably another reason Nintendo’s gonna smash it, as if the dead ripoff quality of gameplay…
By Owen Good Published January 17, 2009