Thursday: March 18, 2010
- Leaked photo of updated Xbox motherboard hints at upcoming slim version of Xbox 360.
This move would make sense given that Sony already has a much slimmer version of the PS3 compared to the bulky original one that was first announced. And while I don't mind the current design of the Xbox 360, it certainly could stand to lose a few extra pounds.
Wednesday: March 17, 2010
- Blockbuster would like you to know that they may be going bankrupt in the near future.
'Our level of indebtedness may make it more difficult for us to pay our debts as they become due and more necessary for us to divert our cash flow from operations to debt service payments,' the company said in its filing.
- Ars Technica reviews Sony's much-anticipated motion control scheme for PlayStation 3.
It's bad news when you reveal a product this large, with so much riding on it, and within an hour people are putting down the controller and walking away from the demos.
Thursday: March 11, 2010
- LucasArts announces special edition of Monkey Island 2 coming this summer.
This should be a happy day for all fans of the Monkey Island franchise. The previous special edition of Monkey Island for Xbox 360 (and practically all other major platforms) was a joy to play. Guybrush even has a new haircut this time around.
Wednesday: March 10, 2010
- Rock Band 3 to arrive just in time for this year's holiday season.
Details are scarce at this point but a posting on Rock Band's Facebook page promises to 'innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band'.
Tuesday: March 9, 2010
- A review of the Final Fantasy XIII experience, thirty minutes in.
After reading this quick review I now find myself sitting here staring at my newly purchased copy of of Final Fantasy XIII and asking the box questions I know it can't answer. I'll let you know how this all turns out.
Monday: March 8, 2010
- Steam distribution service for gaming officially coming to the Mac platform.
After some very well placed teasers last week, Valve has predictably pulled the curtain bac k on Steam for Mac gamers. Aside from the distribution platform, there will also be Mac-native versions of several their popular games coming in the very near future (next month) as well.
- A review of Final Fantasy XIII via the folks over at Wired.
Long story short: some of the elements you've come to know and love in Final Fantasy are simply gone in favor of a much, much more linear story. That aside, I'll still be buying it when it comes out tomorrow. Chocobos!
Friday: March 5, 2010
- YouTube now has captioning for millions of videos thanks to new technology.
So how did they do it? Each video now uses speech recognition technology to pick up potential spoken words from the audio track. It not may be a perfect solution but it's a great start. The technology only works on videos that contain English audio at present time.
Thursday: March 4, 2010
- Steam gaming platform most likely coming to the Mac platform in the very near future.
There are currently over a thousand games on the Steam distribution system that Mac users may get access to sooner than later. Now you just need to find yourself a Mac with a decent enough graphics card to play some of these fine games (sadly, my wimpy MacBook Intel GMA card will most likely not cut it).
Tuesday: March 2, 2010
- Y2K-like bug responsible for recent PlayStation Network outage.
The company urged customers not to use the older PlayStation 3 systems until the problem is resolved, warning that doing so could cause errors and make it impossible to record gaming achievements and restore some data.
Monday: March 1, 2010
- Always wondered what it would be like to make sushi in space?
There is a pretty funny video/interview embedded over on the opposite side of the click. The sushi prep actually starts at about one minute in. Mark this as one small step for man and one giant leap for sushi-kind. Bon appétit.
- Rare Nintendo title finds owner on eBay for a mere $43,300.
The video game in question turned out to be 'Family Fun Stadium Events' for Nintendo's original entertainment system way back when. You would have also needed Nintendo's Power Pad to complete the overall gaming experience.
Thursday: February 25, 2010
- Final Fantasy I and II now available for your beloved iPhone and/or iPod Touch.
Buying either game will set you back just nine bucks a piece which isn't so bad when you consider what the Nintendo DS versions of these games are going for. A lot can be said for being able to use tactile buttons though.
- Trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2 from Nintendo's Media Summit available online.
I wasn't that big of a fan of the first Super Mario Galaxy to warrant running out and buying the sequel. This seriously looks like more of the same video game except for a couple of new gameplay mechanics (and the inclusion of Yoshi). Maybe this would've lent itself better as DLC content. Oh... right.
- Joystiq gets some hands-on time with Metroid: Other M.
Nintendo has announced that the sequel will be available on June 27th and is a direct sequel to Super Metroid from the Super Nintendo days. The action is blend of side-scrolling 2D and some first-person shooter 3D. I'm sold, sign me up. More screenshots available on Joystiq.
Wednesday: February 24, 2010
- Three Google executives get convicted of privacy violations over in Italy.
'The judge has decided I'm primarily responsible for the actions of some teenagers who uploaded a reprehensible video to Google video,' Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer, who was convicted in absentia, said in a statement.
- Ghostbusters fan converts Wiimote into mock proton pack. Egon would be so proud.
I haven't actually tried the Wii version of the Ghostbusters video game but I just recently finished playing through it on the Xbox 360. Overall, I give the game a C+/B- as it was enjoyable but had the potential to be so much more. Maybe this modification was missing link from the equation (but probably not).
Friday: February 12, 2010
- Tales of Monkey Island now available for Mac users.
Telltale has pulled the curtain back on their 'Mac Revolution'. They are allowing fans to vote on which title will be available for the platform next. This is great news as there is now one less reason I have to use Boot Camp or Parallels on my beloved MacBook.
Wednesday: February 10, 2010
- Ten literary classics that should be made into a video game.
There are some interesting literary choices from Wired in regards to this particular topic. While I don't think a game based on Huck Finn would be all that amazin, Moby Dick sounds like it could be downright epic.
Tuesday: February 9, 2010
- Pirating an unreleased Nintendo game? That'll cost you a million and change.
'The legal proceeding resulted in a settlement in which the individual will pay to Nintendo the sum of 1.5 million (Australian) dollars by way of damages to compensate Nintendo for the loss of sales revenue caused by the individual's actions,' it said in a statement.
Monday: February 8, 2010
- Next Final Fantasy game might have DLC content after all?
Turns out that downloadable content might be available for the next installment of the beloved RPG franchise. Want more proof? It even says so right there on the back of the box.
- Twenty-five great reasons as to why you should buy a Nintendo Wii.
You won't find the ability to not output in HD as a reason on this list of purchase reasons. Don't get me wrong, the Wii is a lot of fun - it's just that after playing other consoles (Xbox 360, PS3) it feels like a baby's toy.
Thursday: February 4, 2010
- A collection of weird places in which some version of Tetris has been placed.
From graphic calculators to PIN terminals, it looks more and more like there really isn't a device that can't play Tetris. Also, that watch pictured in the thumbnail is quite stylish. Just look at that bling!
- There just might be a playable version of the new Zelda game at this year's E3 expo.
This news comes straight from director of said game, Eiji Aonuma. It would appear that this new installment will also make use the MotionPlus capabilities of the Wii controllers. Great, because I didn't look enough like an idiot swinging the Wiimote around in the last game.
Tuesday: January 26, 2010
- Sixteen games that make gaming on the iPhone worthwhile.
Some interesting choices for fellow iPhone owners looking for some gaming recommendations. I'm a bigger fan of casual games these days so I can heartily agree with the Peggle and Bejeweled 2 inclusions. I'd also like to throw Scramble (free app) which is a lovely waste of time as well.
- AOL decides to acquire an Internet video firm for $36.5 million.
AOL is looking to do a stronger nationwide video push across their numerous web properties. I guess they are banking on this video thing really taking off on the Interwebs. Anything is possible right?
Monday: January 25, 2010
- Your brain just might be to blame for your bad video gaming skills.
The researchers recruited 39 healthy adults (10 men, 29 women) who had played fewer than three hours of video games each week during the previous two years. They then examined their brains with the aid of an MRI machine.
Tuesday: January 19, 2010
- Microsoft looking to give cable companies some competition via Xbox 360.
Whitten said Microsoft wanted to be a bigger player in television and film viewing. He declined to comment on the conversations with Disney but said more than once that 'there's going to be a ton of experimentation around business models and rights.'
Thursday: January 14, 2010
- Square Enix says there was enough leftover content for two Final Fantasy XIII games.
So basically fans can expect a Final Fantasy XIII-2 type of game sometime after the official release of Final Fantasy XIII(-1). Either that or you'll be paying for a whole bunch of DLC content for many years to come. Joy.
