Hallowed Gaming
For your treat today we have something way better than candy: Mirror's Edge demos are available for download on the Playstation 3 and XBox 360. That completely beats out Milky Ways and Jolly Ranchers if you ask me.
No worries, there is no trick, just an overview of some of the hottest stars in Hollywood history.
Microsoft just will not give up, and now they are just being obnoxious. Do you not have the time or technology to film your own "I'm a PC" video for submission? Find your nearest Apple store and use the Microsoft-supplied booth outside to do it instead. Seriously?
Red verus Blue, but not like the show based in the world of Halo - I would think the majority gamers would vote Democratically, based on their stereotypical values and ideas.
Collect all the SackBoy costumes with your hard-earned cash
In New York City, check the rat report before you go out to dinner - Should put that technology to use to remove the rats, instead of just notifying potential customers.
No bombs in the London train stations, please
Belgium game rental companies avoid paying publishers extra - Now they can not do any business whatsoever.
Sony wants to take the Wiimote idea several steps forward...
... But Sony can not seem to make fire-less batteries
Relive some of the more frightening video game monsters - Hate those Gears of War Beserkers and Zelda Wallmasters myself, but I suppose Pyramid Head makes a decent number 1.
Spore disappoints EA, and the hundreds of employees that get laid-off - Too much hype, not enough substance.
Sinowal infection wreaks havoc on bank accounts and credit cards - Someone is browsing without protection.
Sprint hearts Nextel too much to let it go
October 31st, 2008
Shame on you
Apparently, EA is trying to induce good behavior on their forums by locking you out of your games if you get banned on the forums. Gamers seem to be a bit ticked-off about this, but it has not been confirmed as true. Sounds mostly like a scare tactic to keep posters in line, but if it were true, would it really be all that bad? If you have posters who are honestly breaking the posted rules, especially if it involves being malicious towards other players, then why should they be allowed access to EA games? If you break the rules there is going to be some form of punishment in attempt to better your future behavior.
Atari is so frightened by peer-to-peer sharing they are accusing non-pirates of stealing - Watch out Grandma, they are coming for you next.
This is not your 4-year-old's tricycle
Careful where you leave your keys lying around - People may be able to break into your house from a mere photograph of your keys.
Bring friends when you play Left 4 Dead, the zombies will be
Game preservation and archiving is important, too
Mercury is starting to resemble the moon less and less - Complete with volcanic crater pools filled with filled gooey stuff.
The Playstation 2 is now an open platform to develop on - And you can even borrow development kits from Sony, rather than purchase.
New Prince of Persia trailer reveals worldly backstory
What is a better way to say "Hey, I am a geek with a ton of money" than with a solid gold USB drive?
Not even a computer failure can stop the Hubble forever
Learning maid-bot to clean up after your messes - The Japanese and their robots.
October 30th, 2008
Change of software
Microsoft spent so much money on advertising it seems that they have run out, seeing as how they are now utilizing user-uploaded videos to sell their software. Are they realizing that it is difficult trying to change people's minds about their company? Maybe Windows 7 will be able to help.
In our galaxy, not so far away, Won Park has been hard at work making intricate Star Wars origami - Not to mention his upcoming project: Serenity.
Not only is it going to get cold here with winter right around the corner, imagine what it will be like on Mars - Poor Phoenix will be all alone on the Martian planet. I wonder if they will be able to turn it all back on after the freezing temperatures pass.
Even with the recent Fallout 3 release, Bethesda invokes rumors of an upcoming Elder Scrolls title
Do not have any Halloween plans? Your MMORPGs do
Preserving current digital data in the future may be overlooked if people are not careful
Defend the White House from the national political party you do not think should win
The econoclypse sets Japanese electronics industry back, despite the upcoming holiday season
Love Black Friday at Best Buy? Maybe you can take a limo this year - You can even sleep in until 4:30 instead of camping out the night before.
Twitter terrorism: the real threat
For the geeks who need a little more reclining during their game time
LittleBigPlanet receives praise for its unique create-your-own experience
California bans handheld mobile use while driving, and Canada looks to prohibit video game playing
October 29th, 2008
blizzard's reign
Be prepared for multiple World of Warcraft articles today.
The Scourge plague event ended the other day, and left some World of Warcraft players very disgruntled. It began quietly, with a few useable crates appearing in a port city that contained a disease that would spread to players that touched the crates. After a short countdown, the infected individuals would turn into zombies, who could then romp around the world spreading the disease to other players and NPCs. As the days passed, the time it would take to turn into a zombie decreased dramatically, and crates began appearing in more popular locations, causing capital cities to become overwhelmed with infected players very quickly. The severity of the plague was not overwhelming until the day before the event ended, but it was long enough to annoy a vast majority of players who have no interest in story development, apparently. Instead, a day of zombies overriding towns across a digital world is a wasted day in a video game according to all of the complaining players.
World of Warcrafters grief each other in real life, too - The two factions attract different individuals, and people assume that means they will automatically have nothing in common with one another.
Adult gamers continue to attempt to utilize World of Warcraft in an educational manner
Gamers can not accomplish anything according to Obama's new advertisement - I am not so sure about this commercial; the Wiimote was quite revolutionary.
Echoes of War promises orchestral Blizzard music for your iPod - Because you are not the kind of gamer who turns off the background music whilst gaming.
Fallout 3 trailers are requested to be removed from various video gaming sites
Gears of War 2 looks to be bigger and longer than its predecessor
Half of Avalanche Studios did not make the cut
Google pays off publishers to get more books online
The United Kingdom looks to color-code game ratings because numbers alone are too difficult to understand - Must like the United States' color-coded "threat alert" system.
Time to crank browser speed up to 11 - Minefield sounds like a dangerous place to be treading though.
October 28th, 2008
Back in Pacific Time
Hello everyone; miss me? I hope some fun gaming was had in my stead last week.
Let us start with last week's releases. You should have been able to get your hands on copies of Fable 2, Dead Space, Far Cry 2, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, WiiMusic, and Rockband 2. Not sure how I feel about Dead Space, another game that wants to be just like Doom but in outer space. The Spyro series also went downhill after the past two games or so. WiiMusic should be pretty fun though.
This week is equally or more exciting depending on how you look at it. We have Fallout 3, Red Alert 3, LittleBigPlanet, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Ninja Town. Is this not what we have been waiting for all 2008? Fallout 3 has been available on Steam since early this weekend, and the Beta servers are still running for LittleBigPlanet.
If you love Eureka, it may be time to move to Australia - You do not even need to be a top scientist to live there, 5500 of the individuals to be invited are not mentioned as being geniuses.
Are you ready for TORMMO? - That is pronounced tore-moe; no, it can not be called Knights of the Old Republic because it is all about The Old Republic.
E3 to return to be almost as big, bad, and cool as it was once before - Taking "professional applicants" only however, so do not expect to make it if you are just a little ol' gamer.
Been looking forward to LittleBigPlanet? What about LittleBigPlanet 2?
Teens are breaking into the hi-tech crimes
Maple Story divorce goes digitally awry - I think the lesson here is that you should not give out your password for any online game to anyone, especially your virtual spouse.
Dot coms these days may not have what it takes to be Google - So they will just lay off employees for profits.
Grand Theft Auto 4 has trophies on the Playstation 3 as of today - Can you complete the story in less than 30 hours?
Oprah's electronic book club to potentially cause Kindle sales to skyrocket
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind could become a reality - Forget it.
Invent, upload, and get job offers, just like Johnny Chung Lee
Immortality in a bottle - Scientists love playing jokes on the public.
Kids look to their parents to censor content for them - The survey included "children" aged 4 to 20; last I checked the legal adult age was 18. Do you still need your mommy around to block naughty sites for you?
Gamers are surprisingly more likely to be social than non-gamers - Reclusive gamers must be in short supply.
Epsilon Eridani gives us insight on Earth as a baby planet
October 27th, 2008
Whose PvP reigns supreme?
It does appear that Blizzard will remain supreme. How many people actually believed that Warhammer Online would overcome the MMO giant anyway? Well you can throw those ideas out the window, as nearly half of the people who left World of Warcraft to play the new MMO have flip-flopped back over. This reminds me of the Crafting Worlds “Switcher” videos made a couple of years ago. There was one for a human Mage to an undead Mage and an Alliance Paladin to a Horde Shaman. I would like to see a switcher video of a World of Warcrafter to a Warhammer player, and back... to a Death Knight, because we all know that is the reason why.
For every new universe there is an equally destructive black hole - Maybe not equally, but they exist.
Sony learns that video games make people buy console systems - I thought this was a given? Well, maybe this means the Playstation 3 will become even better now.
Popular Mechanics photographs and captions the biggest breakthroughs - Everything from Spore, to a multi-saw, even to the Kindle.
Time to tease you with a little Bioshock 2
Australia wants to rain on the proverbial Internet parade
Yesterday the gunslinger, today the magic caster - I loved that excessive magic use in Fable would make you glow, and it appears as though this has been implemented in the sequel as well.
Andrew Doull believes in several distinct types of video game progression
XBox 360 purchasers struck back against Microsoft and their Red Ring of Death problems
Microsoft looks to computer users for their thoughts on a quick-to-load Windows - It would depend on what the "few" applications that could be run from this "instant" boot-up could be to determine its usefulness.
You might be able to add fuel cells to your Christmas list this year - And we do not mean for cars, but they probably will not be available for a few more months.
Scientists look to gamma rays to find otherwise invisible pulsars in space
October 16th, 2008
take a break
I hate to break it to you, but there will not be any news or articles posted for an entire week after this Friday. I know, I know, what are you going to do for an entire week? What if the technological world collapses, Godzilla rises from the sea, and no one is around to tell you about it? Just stay calm, grab your laptop, and hide out in the basement until I get back. You will be okay. I will do my best to get a post or few in while I am on vacation, but I can not make any promises.
500 years later, Fable residents learn how to make guns - Notice that level 4 enables a VATS-like targeting system?
An extensive look into why people play video games - Why do you play?
Slashdot's one-on-one with Blizzard Blizzcon presenters - Lengthy, and includes Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft, and Diablo 3. And in case you were still unsure, Diablo 3 will not be out until after Starcraft 2.
The British Government is thinking about modeling their practices after 1984
The Idaho semi-conductor - Made of real potatoes.
"Wood-e" sculpture is not what you think it is - There is only one in existence currently.
Since the PC version of Red Alert 3 went gold, why not celebrate with a kick-ass trailer?
Disgruntled, former Take-Two employee wants some money for his troubles - And EA reiterates that they only "wanted to help."
A plant that blogs, but not really - I did not realize that ambient temperatures were that exciting.
October 15th, 2008
Late night
The big 3.0 patch was applied to the live side or World of Warcraft today. This is the last push before the expansion's release on the 13th of next month, and it includes just about everything besides Northrend. Yes, that means new 51 point talents, spell power consolidation, new pet/mount system, achievements, spell/melee crit/hit/haste consolidation, and even inscription. What are you waiting for? Everyone else is already at 365 Inscription; get to it! You have to start researching minor runes tonight if you want to break into this profession profitably.
On an additional note, happy birthday to me.
Over 55? Googling will promote brain activity because of its level of difficulty
Blizzard promotes new over-the-top MMO rumors - If they play on incorporating four major themes into one MMO we will never see its release.
Half-Life 2: Episode 3, interested yet?
Let Kongregate teach you how to create a flash shooter game
Record-breaking Nintendo history will be made, and you can help - If you do not mind visiting London
Compressed air-powered car looks to keep the driver less distracted by passengers - These cars just keep getting weirder. Curious as to what type of energy will be used to compress the air; could turn out to be not environmentally friendly in the end.
All you need to know about Apple's event today: uninspiring
New anti-piracy law is not necessarily so sweet
Obama reaches out to gamers through their entertainment medium - Politics should have as much to do with gaming as it does with religion. Oh, wait...
Robots trained to neutralize cancerous cells
Canadians look to implement a monthly pay plan to help you prevent yourself from dying from talking on a mobile whilst driving - A subscription for life?
October 14th, 2008
Blizzard aftermath
After all of the excitement generated over the weekend, this week's video game releases are looking a little underwhelming. Up this week we have Dead Space, Saints Row 2, FIFA Soccer '09, SafeCracker, and a handful of girly-related DS games.
A first World of Warcraft mouse was unveiled this past weekend at Blizzcon. While I might not have thought of it as the highlight of the event, someone else thought it important to mention. Not only does it have 15 buttons, but it glows too. As over-the-top and useless as that sounds, I did like the soft plastic that flows off the sides of the mouse on which you can rest your thumb and pinky fingers. It might actually be worth it for that alone.
New telescope technology developed to assist in finding other life forms in outer space - Why only search for an Earth-like planet? Try thinking outside the blue-green sphere.
Reporters continue to push for nation-wide free wireless internet
Computers attempt to pass the Turing Test
Mazda concept car looks way cooler than Nissan's
Political enthusiasts create a "guess the next President" game - And they will donate money to charity dependant upon its results.
World of Warcraft player does not want to have to wait to raid, so he does it all by himself - Now you never have to feel like that big of a dork.
Turbine levels up and opens a new office on the other side of the States
If you think the earthquake simulator is fun, check out the subway simulator - I think they need to combine these two new titles.
October 13th, 2008
Blizzcon '08
My weekend in Anaheim was spectacular, moreso than yours. You can read all about it today. Go check it out.
October 12th, 2008
vehicular radar
Ford sounds to be on top of their game recently. Not only are they adding the parent-regulated car warnings for teen drivers, but they are building a radar system to assist in preventing collision accidents. I wonder how hard the "brake assist" function works and how sensitive the sensor is for enabling it. What if you are in the process of decelerating, enough so that you will not hit the vehicle in front of you, but the car believes you are going too fast and brakes suddenly for you? Curious to see how this system plays out side-by-side with the Nissan developmental mechanics. Will we ever actually be car-accident free?
I am off to Blizzcon! Unfortunately, I will not have my laptop with me, so there will be no news update tomorrow. There will be an update on Sunday however, of that I can assure you.
Scientists use quantum theories to securely encrypt a computer network - If it can be made, it can be broken.
Digg is so big - How big are they? - Digg is so big they have to go international
Personality robot available for $300 - Why not get a dog- or cat-bot instead? Would those not be more playful and companion-like?
2008's 9 designer-influenced causes of game failure
Google programmer tries to make it more difficult for you to send drunken email messages
Beta LittleBigPlanet levels to make it through to the live game - Some of which were quite impressive.
MindFuse is creating a Victorian-based, puzzle-influenced MMO for fantasy haters - Sounds like it could be interesting, but it comes off as a social-networking site that went 3D with a theme.
The external XBox 360 Blu-Ray drive is real
Complex wooden box will keep your items safe, because no one can figure out how to open it
Crafty gamer with too much time on his hands makes geeky jewelry - I would wear the Metroid pendant every day, even despite the dangerously sharp teeth.
Apple Notebook show announced for next Tuesday
If you do not like the way you look, "attractify" all of your photos - And then only keep in touch with friends online through MySpace and Facebook.
New Star Ocean title screenshots released
October 9th, 2008
neverwinter knights
In my preparation for my Blizzcon excursion this weekend I have come across official information; including a map of the convention center and an event schedule. So much to see and so little time to see it all! With how quickly the tickets sold out, it is a little worrying that not only will it be extremely crowded, but all of the swag and purchasable goodies will disappear in an instant. Come to think of it, I do not have any idea what might even be available.
Websites see you sleeping, hear you sleeping - Careful what you click on.
DC's metro passengers fear the apocalyptic future
Take the new Neverwinter Nights 2 races out for a spin
Holographic television can not only be a part of our future, it can be a part of our present
Use a Firefox add-on to triangulate your position - To find a place to eat. Well, I guess it sounds a lot cooler than its purpose.
Uncharted: the good, the bad, and the successful - This is definitely one of the best games available for the Playstation 3.
Games to play together this winter - Cuddle up with your sweetheart and a pair of controllers.
Microsoft knows you hate Vista, so they will let you downgrade to XP for another year - By that time Windows 7 should be on the horizon and we can just pass right over Vista.
Computers to discern viruses, among other biotic ailments
How to make a strategy game fail in seven steps or less
October 8th, 2008
Mirror's Edge Day
A ton of information was posted today on Shacknews about Mirror's Edge, which is due out this November. This included a pair of videos, a soundtrack announcement, and an interview with the producer about time trials. Time trial mode features a red ghost that you can compete against and learn from. Apparently, players will be able to download ghosts from other players and effectively train to get faster and better. Talk about an overload of parkour. I remember posting a similar amount of information on Spore, and did not turn out too well. However, Nick, in the interview, claims that they are not giving away the majority of the game, even with the multitude of videos that they release.
Teens are in outrage over the new control parents will have over Ford cars - How about if they are going too fast the car will automatically decelerate?
AMD decides it is not enough to have two departments - Instead, they need two companies to make their processors.
Play pretend as an investigative reporter posing as a detention officer to get the scoop - The game was inspired by a real detainee's death.
Have your GPS-enabled mobile determine your carbon footprint for you
Get close and comfy with Heavy Rain
IT professionals do not always know what they are talking about when it comes to conserving energy - Where are the Myth Busters when you need them?
Pick up the world-first quad core laptop for gaming on the go
October 8th, 2008
Careful who you "eBuy" from
NBA titles are out this week, along with Guilty Gear 2: Overture, the Onimusha Essentials collection, and a slew of other games that you do not need to worry about. After all, you should be making room for all of the amazing upcoming titles.
Hope you used PayPal if you bought that faulty laptop on eBay, because they have decided that they will actually refund you if you spent a certain amount of money. Their previous policy irritated countless users who purchased crap on the auction site, and their ranting and raving finally convinced PayPal to do something about it. Why not be a little more weary about buying a supposedly-practically new MP3 Player from the seller with only 33% decent feedback? Also in the news today, eBay is letting quite a few employees go because they want to focus on growing as a company. Does that make sense to anyone else? They turned around and purchased Bill Me Later in an attempt to increase their presence in the world of ecommerce.
Lengthy interview on the Lego Universe MMO - As much as they say this is being developed around kids, I can only imagine the number of adults, young and old, that will play the crap out of a Lego game like this. It is nostalgia for everyone, transcending generations. They better not mess it up.
Linger in the Shadows, the game that is not a game - Controlled by the Six-Axis, wonder if that will work out well.
PlatniumGames asks, "Why tone down our game when we can just not ship it to you?" - MadWorld looks amazing, and should not have to deal with being censored.
The human race is doomed between 2040 and 2050, you must help invent the future - Preparations for the apocalypse launch today.
Ask.com redesigns its page in an attempt to relaunch its brand - Just like World of Warcraft in the MMO world, it will take a fair contender to dislodge Google from the top.
The $700 billion Band-aid did no noticeable good
Long-dead dinosaur influences the future's military aerial vehicle
RealDVD has been taken off digital shelves - The courts do not believe in the honor system.
Moses may have parted the seas, but could he part an entire continent?
October 6th, 2008
Impressions of a Medium-Sized World
Today I am here to share my experience of the LittleBigPlanet Beta with all of you. Go read it.
October 5th, 2008
Video slew
6 short videos were just released on YouTube to show off Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4, a Playstation 2 turn-based RPG due out this December. We have:
The videos are such a tease; can not wait for this one to come out.
Want to get into game design? Master this list before sending in your résumé
Warhammer Online is over, the game has been beaten - Thanks to an exploitable bug; too bad they did not catch that one earlier.
Spore expansion might be out next month - The Cute and Creepy Parts Pack will possibly be priced around $20.
Sega has a new hardware Vision
Let your skin match today's outfit for you
Japanese psychiatrists want to ban a Nintendo DS title - Wow, that game must be pretty intense if there are Japanese people who do not want it on shelves.
New Diablo 3 screenshots come with some descriptively creepy copy on a scavenger enemy
Send those bacteria to school - Maybe then they will learn something.
Were Google's true intentions to keep Yahoo down? - Anything to get ahead in the online world.
Register to play Crysis Wars for free - Too bad it is only during Blizzcon. Oh well.
October 3rd, 2008
The new new Nintendo handheld
The specs are out on the new Nintendo DS. Dubbed the Nintendo DSi, gamers will no longer be able to play Gameboy Advance games on it, but they will be able to plug in their SD cards for file storage purposes. Can anyone else see the potential for pirating? Image and music files from SD cards will be viewable and playable through new built-in DSi software players. While the body of the DS has shrunk, the screens have been enlarged. Heard about its new camera? Yeah, well there are actually two: one 3-megapixel and one lower-resolution. And America can forget about seeing this until 2009 at the earliest.
New Crystal Chronicles title to be released - The connectivity between the Wii and the DS sounds a lot more interesting than the Gamecube and Gameboy Advance.
Microsoft wasted $300 million on their ad campaign - Instead, they could have donated it to someone who actually needed it.
American gamers will now have the opportunity to be a part of Club Nintendo
EVE Online looks to upgrade their servers
Video game vest upgrades its drivers to allow people to truly feel World of Warcraft
Mac Pros may cause cancer - Microsoft should put that in their commercials; it might help.
Nissan's all-electric car is less than 10 feet long and ugly as hell - I suppose it does not have to be visually pleasing to be successful, look at Scion's vehicles.
The Pirate Bay may be looking to supply users with e-books - A true pirate doing what pirates do best.
Former addicted gamer starts up a blog - Everything in moderation.
New Animal Crossing: City Folk screens - Surprise; they look like every other Animal Crossing game.
People are more likely to lie over email than in writing - The study was done with graduate students. Of course they are going to lie about the size of the pot- they are probably in debt and need the money.
Orbital gets a second go on the Wii as Orbient
Take-Two does not care for any of its suitors
Yellow-blobby robot dances into viewer's hearts
October 2nd, 2008
Happy October
Welcome to October. There is quite a bit going on this month, including many highly anticipated video game releases. Not to forget, Blizzcon is next week. As long as they do not only have stations to play Wrath of the Lich King, I will be happy. Stay tuned.
WoW Glider down, Blizzard picks up [Phat Loots]
Music royalties go up, iTunes goes down - As if not enough of their MP3 sale revenues go to record companies already.
Microsoft tries to sweeten users up to their Live Search engine - Kind of like credit card rewards, except lame.
Gamestop goes French - That is a huge loan from Bank of America, who is going to have to bail them out?
Car insurance company wants to use video games to improve driving skills
Wii HD is arriving in just over 2 short years - What will Nintendo pull out of their hat of innovation next?
New virtual world within a virtual world based in a virtual world MMO announced - So, I am playing a character that is just playing a character in a digital environment? Sounds quirky-cool, but it may be a lot more than developers can chew.
We live in a special place in space - Supernovas, dark matter, and void space, oh my!
The best of the best when it comes to game publishers - Otherwise known as, the list of publishers that all gamers should be able to immediately recognize. Can you guess who is at the top?
October 1st, 2008