August 2nd, 2006: EA supporting Wii, Rockstar's Bully Out by Christmas, Spore coming to consoles

• EA had some announcements in a confrence call with EA, several roumers were confirmed. Nintendo first party titles will be no more than $49.99. 4 or 5 EA titles will be avaliable for the PS3 launch, including Madden, Need for Speed, and Tiger Woods. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 are similar graphically, but the PS3 has alot of power under the hood that will be able to be unlocked as time goes on. Via(kotaku > gamasutra)
  
• Rockstar UK has confirmed that it's contriverseral school-yard beat-em-up will be out in time for Christmas. Via(spong)
• GameRankins, the Wikipedia of websites, is a place where anyone can come and vote on what games they think are good. This is where games rate right now.
  
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, Nintendo, 97.8 avg. review)
  
• Soul Calibur (DC, Namco, 96.4 avg. review)
• Metroid Prime (GC, Nintendo, 96.3 avg. review)
• Tekken 3 (PSX, Namco, 96.3 avg. review)
• GoldenEye 007 (N64, Nintendo, 96.0 avg. review)
• Resident Evil 4 (GC, Capcom, 95.9 avg. review)
• Super Mario 64 (N64, Nintendo, 95.8 avg. review)
• Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, Microsoft Game Studios, 95.7 avg. review)
• Resident Evil 4 (PS2, Capcom, 95.7 avg. review)
• Half-Life 2 (PC, VU Games, 95.6 avg. review)
  Via(joystiq > gamerankings)
  
• Ubisoft North American President Laurent Detoc confirmed that Ubisoft will have much support for the Nintendo Wii. He praised the Wii several times during his panel discussion at Ziff Davis Electronic Games Summit, saying, "The first time I picked up that sucker I couldn't stop playing it." In the same panel, Midway also confirmed 6 titles in development for Nintendo's Wii. Via(1up)
  
• In an interview with Will Wright, Spong is reporting that Spore will be heading to consoles. It won't be the same as the PC game however, said Will, "It will probably take very different forms depending on the platforms.We might even pull out parts of the game – so you might be playing partof the game on a handheld platform, you might be playing the entiregame but maybe more avatar-based on a console. The consoles are gettingkind of different now – I think there’s a really interestingdistinction between the Wii and the Xbox 360 and PS3. Something likethe Wii offers a lot of interesting creative opportunities for theeditors, with the controller." Via (spong)
• Japanese newspaper, Kyoto Simbun, says that sales of the Nintendo DS have toped 10 Million in japan since December 2004. This makes the DS the fastest selling game machine ever on the japanese market. Via(Joystiq)
  

technorati tags:EA, Wii, Nintendo, Sony, PS3, xbox360, Xbox, Rockstar, Bully, Ubisoft, Midway, Will, Wright, Spore, PC, DS, Japan

August 1st, 2006:Minnesota Game Law Unconstitutional, Unreal 2007 - not until 2007, E3 - Invinte Only

• New Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Screenshots. From Kotaku, enjoy.
  Via (kotaku)
  
• Minnesota Game Law deemed Unconstitutional. The Federal District Court of Minnasota overturned Attourney Gemeral Mike Hatch's viloent video game law, that would fine minors who bought or rented mature video games. "The First Amendment . . . was certainly established to keep thegovernment from becoming the arbiter of what constitutes 'worthless' or'disgusting' speech. The Court declines the State's invitation to enterinto an evaluation of this kind." Via (kotaku)
• Unreal 2007 delayed until 2007. Midway and Epic confirmed gamespots roumers that Unreal Tournament 2007 would be delayed until the first half of 2007. There is planed to be versions for the PC, PS3, and probably Xbox360. Via(1up)
  
• New E3 by Invite Only. Brian Crecente of Kotaku spoke with Doug Lowenstine about the new E3 Media Experence or whatever. One of the more interesting points made was now it would be by invite only. "Where the old E3 was a thing of multi-million dollar booths crowded inthe mammoth Los Angeles Convention Center during May, the new E3 willbe a smaller, more intimate by-invitation-only event likely held in ahotel lobby," Lowenstein said. Via (Kotaku)
  
• Valve Hires Digipen Students to develop portal. In an interview with IGN, the students responsiable for NarBacular Drop, or the portal game, describe how their meeting Gabe Newell changed their lives for the better. From the interview: "Gabe watched our demo and basically hired us on the spot. It waskind of shocking. We stood around in the parking lot afterwardsgibbering to ourselves for about 20 minutes." Via (Joystiq)
  

technorati tags:Quake, Enemy, Territory, Minnesota, Law, Unreal, 2007, E3, Media, Invitation

July 31, 2006: Loco Roco es no muy bien; Vista renders DX9 Better; Bye Bye to E3

• In what was supposed to be a katamari-success story, Loco Roco, a quirky game for the PSP has been launched in Japan to a big 'who cares'. Rumers abound that the game is already in the bargin bin in many Japanese retailers. Via (kotaku)
  
• Instead of having 'Achievements', Sony will keep track of gamers, um... achievements, with 'Entitlements'. Via (kotaku)
  
• DirectX 9 games will run faster under Windows Vista, according to GameSpot. Due to the Device Driver Model in Vista. Cevat Yerli says, . "DirectX 9 on Vista will run faster throughout due to the better device driver model...which is a great thing because just upgrading the operating system on the same rig, you get a better gaming experience." Via (gamespot)
  
• E3, E3, E3. Where to start? Is it gone, or is it staying. Different people are saying differnt things. I'm going to go with Next Gen's report that say's All the major vendors had pulled support. I think. You can decided for yourselves. Next-Generation; ArsTechnica; Joystiq; Kotaku

technorati tags:PSP, Loco, Roco, Katamari, Sony, Entitlements, Achievements, DirectX, Direct3D, Vista, Microsoft, E3

July 28, 2006: Halo 3, last in trilogy, New Intel Processors, Sony PS3 turns profits....5 years from now.

• Halo 3 last in halo series. A new IP from Microsoft Game Studios for Bungie to work on will likely be announced at X06 in Europe. Halo audio art director, Marty O’Donnell told BBC, "We all want Halo to be the great ending to an epic trilogy. We look at what Peter Jackson did with the Lord of the Rings films - which each film bettering the previous one and that is what we are aiming for." Via (SPOnG)
• Splinter Cell Delayed. However, Ubisoft revenue was up 62% vs. last year. You'll have to wait until late-October, however, for your Splinter Cell fix now. Via (1up)
  
• Intel Unveils next gen processors. Yesterday intel announced 10 new Core 2 processors for everything from economy laptops to desktop workstations. Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel said, "The Core 2 Duo processors are simply the best processors in the world." These processors are up to 40% more efficent and 40% more powerful than Intels previous lineup of processors. Via (Dreamstation.cc)
  
• Online Gaming Chart (it's in a frame, just click on Marketshare By MMOG) Seems that World of Warcraft (53%) has somehow snuck by some other MMORPG's to grab the top spot (suprise suprise). Followed by Lineage (12%), Lineage II (10%) RuneScape (6% but it doesn't count, cause it's a steaming pile of stupid), and Final Fantasy XI rounding out the top 5 with 4%. Via (kotaku)
  
• Soy says PS3 cost will be recouped in 5 years. Sony says it's consumer electronics profits are UP! Horray (game profits are down) Awww :( So sorry sony. However Takao Yuhara told investors that the PS3's development and giving it away at less than manufacturing costs will recoup the company and start making profits.....in about 5 years. Via (kotaku)
  

technorati tags:Halo, Microsoft, Bungie, Lord, Rings, Splinter, Cell, Ubisoft, Intel, Processors, Core2, MMORPG, World, Warcraft, Lineage, Runescape, Final, Fantasy, FFXI, Sony, PS3

July 27, 2006: Sony doesn't care about White DS's, WoW bans more goldfarmers, Is Wii region free?, more...

• Sony Says the DS Lite is no concern. John Koller from Sony said, " There has been no impact on sales. We have had steady sales since before the DS Lite and to today...Statistically speaking they had a holiday head start on the PSP, so in terms who have sold more overall has been a back and forth." Later in the interview, Koller says the DS is more of a, 'kid friendly' system, and that mature games want things like connectivity and instant messageing. Via (kotaku)
  
• WoW Bans 59,000 accounts for gold farming. Less than a week after FFXI banned around 20,00 accounts for cheating, speciffically, "gold farming". Many players of World of Warcraft are glad to see them go, as buying pretend gold in a pretend world with real money disrupts the pretend economy. Via (kotaku > WoW Forums)
  
• Trama Center for the Wii is a remake. Reported from Famitsu, Atlus's Trama Center: Second Oppinion will be a remake of Trama Center: Under the Knife for the DS. Second Oppinion will feature enhanced graphics (duh) and voice acting. Also, there will be 3 selectable difficulty settings, addressing complaints about inconsistant challenges in Under the Knife. Via( Joystiq > Ninitendo WiFi Fanboy)
  
• Three psychology professors say viloent video games desensitize youth to violence. In a study that placed 257 students in front of Duke Nukem and Mortal Kombat for 20 minuets, and then asked them a series of questions about Finishing Moves and Duke Nukem Forever, there were asked to watch a 10 minuet clip of real violence. Their heart rates were mesured before, during, and after each gore-fest, and compaired to a set of students who didn't play the games first. They found that the group that played games responded more drastically than the control set. Via(Kotaku > 1UP)
• Nintendo Wii is Region Free. Maybe. In an interview (well, a questin) with IGN, Perrin Kaplan, VP of marketing for NOA said, "You're right that the region-free approach has proved to be a successful and attractive feature for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on Nintendo DS -- we have even blown the doors off our own anticipated numbers! Cost, ease-of-use and player privacy are the three things that were a focus for us with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Those priorities also will apply to the Wii system." Maybe a hint at regon freedom, or just VP of Marketing DoubleSpeek? Via (IGN)
  
• Gamers offering tutoring services.Tom Taylor, or T^2 from MLG has started his own enterpirse. For the low low price of $45 an hour (damn, that's alot), you too can be m0r3 l33t th@n th0u @rt n0w. T^2 is THAT T^2, you know, the one who signed a $250,000 contract. I think I chose the wrong career path. (Via Joystiq )
  
• Developers 'underwelmed' with PS3 Dev Kits. In a poll by Game Informer Magizine, 60% of game developers who have their much anticipated development kits think it's mearly Average, citing the dificulty of developing for the platform. Via (Relm Media Networks)
  

technorati tags:Sony, DS, Nintendo, Lite, Wow, gold, farming, trama, center, wii, professors, violence, duke, nukem, forever, region, free, game, classes, MLG, Dev, Kits, PS3

July 26th, 2006: Live is bigger than Jesus, Nintendo Fall Lineup, the Xbox Murders, more...

• Ozymandias says that Live Anywhere is, "...one of those things that's bigger than people can easily wrap their heads around," in the un-wake of press (meaning none). He has, however, taken it upon himself to fill in the void left by traditional media, here. Via (kotaku > Ozymandias)
• THQ has completed all the hullabaloo it takes to buy out a company, purchasing Paradign Entertainment. Via(Dreamstation.cc)
• Nintendo has released it's fall '06 lineup, having several big titles in time for the Christmas buying orgy. Like sharks on a quadrapelegic, the parents of suburbia's youth will decend on the local Gamestops and various box stores to purchase
  Oct. 9: Clubhouse Games(TM)
  Oct. 16: Nintendogs(TM) (Dalmatian)
  Oct. 23: Magical Starsign(TM)
  Oct. 30: Pokemon(R) Ranger
  Oct. 30: Children of Mana(R)
  Nov. 6: Elite Beat Agents(TM)
  Nov. 13: Yoshi's Island(TM) 2
  Dec. 4: Custom Robo(TM) Arena
  Dec. 4: Kirby(TM) Squeak Squad
  Via (kotaku)
• Ozymandias is hyping an article on gamerscoreblog.com about how Windows Vista will be a game platform. And the article includes a cute little quote by the New York Times,
  "Quick, name the world’s most popular electronic game system.

  If PlayStation or Xbox popped into your head, that’s understandable. Sony and Microsoft, the companies that make those machines, have spent rafts of cash over the years trying to make those brands synonymous with video games. But however understandable, if you answered PlayStation or Xbox or even Nintendo, you were also wrong.

  In fact, the world’s most popular game machine is the personal computer. And that doesn’t mean Macintoshes; Macs are essentially nowhere in the game world. That means PC’s based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system."
  Via (Ozymandias)
  
• In the trial that somehow was dubbed, "The xBox Murders" in Flordia has finally come to a close. Three men planned the murder of 6 people after one of the victims had one of the killers evicted, and kept some of his stuff, including an (guess!) xBox.
  Via(kotaku, yahoo)
• Nintendo has released it's financial highlights for 2005/6 in a 9-page .pdf that i cannot understand in the least. It's filled with facts, figures, and doublespeek, such as this quote, "Percentage for net sales, operating income etc. show increase (decrease) from previous year's first quarter." Have Fun.
• EA and ESPN has decided that it wasn't enough to charge players $50 a year for an updated roster list for it's Madden series. So now, if you want to see a preview of Maddon '07, make sure you have an extra $20, cause that's how much the pay-per-view show will cost. Via (Joystiq > The Game Feed)
  

technorati tags:ozymandias, live, anywhere, THQ, paradign, nintendo, lineup, ds, windows, vista, xbox, murder

July 25th, 2006

• nVidia PR Guy, Derek Perez has all but claimed absolute victory over rival graphics chip maker ATI, after conformation of their $5.4 Billion take-over by simi-conductor super-giant Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD. In an interview with Firing Squad, he said, "Ultimately this leaves us as the only GPU and platform company that will be able to support both AMD and Intel.” and later added,
  “So if you think about it, it’s kind of like ATI’s thrown in the towel right?" Via (Gamasutra)
  
  


• The 'so bad it's good, or at least funny; kinda' 80's film, "The Wizard" is finally seeing a DVD release. Avaliable August 22 of this year, amazon.com is already taking preorders. $11.19 will get you your very on prized copy of the longest Nintendo commerical ever produced. (powerglove not included) Via (kotaku)
  
  


• The FFXI Group announced late last week that it had banned over 2000 accounts from it's Final Fantasy XI universe. In a news post on the PlayOnline site, the team said, "Based on the results of an investigation, over
  2,000 PlayOnline accounts have been either suspended or terminated on
  Jul. 21, 2006 for the malicious and intentional use of these
  third-party tools.
  
  
  
  "We would like to take this time to remind our
  players that the use of any third-party tools will not only destroy the
  in-game balance, but will also encourage RMT (Real Money Trade)
  activities. We will continue to take strict actions against those
  individuals that we have confirmed to have used such tools." Via (Joystiq > PlayOnline)
  
  


• Hillary Clinton seems to be asking for conserned parents who feel passionate about not taking care of their kids themselves violence in video games, to speak at press conforences and other public apperances. The kotaku headline mentions something about taxes, but lacks any explanation, or source. Sot this may be something to take with a grain of salt. Via (kotaku)


• In an article the New York times thinks is so thought-provoking, they ask you to regester to even read it, they explore the possiability of video games used as art and political activisism tools. Peace Maker calls the seemingly never-ending conflict between Israel and the rest of the middle east. (trailer) For an indie game, it accually seems to have something behind it. Via (Joystiq)
  
  

technorati tags: nVidia ATI AMD Wizard DVD FFXI PlayOnline ban Cheating RMT Real Money Trade Taxes Hillary Clinton NYT Peace Maker Indie Art

July 24th, 2006

• The system requirements for Crytek's Crysis have been released. My machine, which coast near $4000 3 years ago is barly on the minimum specs (I'll need a DX10 Video card, and new processors/mobo). So while Crysys is very pretty, you'll pay for that orgy of visual stimulation.

  Minimum Requirements

  
  

  CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
  
  Graphics: Nvidia 6600/X800GTO (SM 2.0)
  
  RAM: 768Mb/1Gb on Windows Vista
  
  HDD: 6GB
  
  Internet: 256k+
  
  Optical Drive: DVD
  
  Software: DX9.0c with Windows XP

  
  
  
  Recommended Requirements
  CPU: Dual-core CPU (Athlon X2/Pentium D)
  
  Graphics: Nvidia 7800GTX/ATI X1800XT (SM 3.0) or DX10 equivalent
  
  RAM: 1.5Gb
  
  HDD: 6GB
  
  Internet: 512k+ (128k+ upstream)
  
  Optical Drive: DVD
  
  Software: DX10 with Windows Vista
  
  Via (Digital Battle)
  
  


• Command & Conquer is by far my favorite game franchise ever. Even after EA killed Westwood (bastards). Voodoo Extreme has conjured up some screen shots of the newest installment, Command & Conquer 3.
  
  
  
  Via (Voodoo Extreme)


• Blizzard has decided to give the faction specific classes, Shaman and Paladan, to the other faction, in effect balancing the easy mode for the horde. However, the Alliance won't be able to have a fair chance against Shaman's until the expantion pack, The Burning Crusade, comes out. And another blow, the 'new to you' classes will have to relevel before joining their raiding buddies, because they are only avaliable to the Draenei and Blood Elves, which also come with the new expantion pack. Via (1up)


• According to Nick Gholson in the Knoxville News Sentinel, the reason America did so crappy in the world cup (although we were the only team not to lose to italy, through no fault of our own), wimbelton, and the Olympics is, what else? Video Games. In his professional oppinion, the problem is, "The kids from all over the world have been playing and practicing to get better. Ours are playing video games." However, he offers no proof. No statistics, not Hillary-funded research think tank findings, nothing. He was probably too busy playing video games anyways. Via(KnoxNews > JoyStiq)


• Where was PC Gaming born? And When? I like to think that since I am PC gaming incarnate, it was Decatur General Hospital, in Decatur, Alabama; March 19, 1985; (ironicly the same place and time as the birth of the anti-english), but that's just me. According to 2old2play it was much earlyer than that. They've traced it to Tennis For Two, created by William Higinbotham in 1958. I bet i could destroy him in Quake III though (in no small part attributed to the fact that he is dead). He probably had better english than me, though. Via (2old2play > Joystiq)

technorati tags: westwood C&C EA Screenshot blizzard shaman paladan faction world warcraft wowo blood elves draenei sports olympics wimbelton video games videogames pc gaming tennis crysis crytek vista requirements command&Conquer