Valve has released stats for Episode One, like average completion time, number of total sessions, and average number of deaths per map. I'm not exactly sure how the average total playtime is half the average completion time.

• Sonic the Hedgehog turns 15 years old today. In celebration, Sega milks him a little more by releasing Sonic 1 to the GBA.
• EA officially announces Need For Speed Carbon.
• For $25, you will soon be able to transfer your WoW character to a different server.
• Johnny Depp will be lending his voice to the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean game.
• The 50 worst game names in gaming history.
• Soccer fan attempts to apply for a manager position using Football Manager 2005 as his work experience.
• New screenshots for Mechassault DS.
• Photos compare the size of the Wii to.. just about everything else in the world.
• Final Fantasy III will be wifi enabled in some way. We just don't yet know what way.
• The PS3 will be the first device to use the HDMI 1.3 standard.
• In my day, we didn't have your fancy-pants "batteries." We had to hand crank our Nintendo DSes. And we liked it that way!
• Chronic Logic is offering a free contest version of their Bridge Builder game.
• Is Bill Gates learning from the mod community?
• A new Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter content pack is available on Live, for a hefty $15.
• The strange, sad story of a man pretending to be a woman playing a man in MMORPG Lineage.

Posted by Ermac at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Ars Technica games blog asks, "Why should we fight to save used game sales?" Why should we care to save brick and mortar game stores at all?

• Nintendo Power suggests visuals for the Wii and Gamecube versions of Twilight Princess will be identical.
• EA buys Mythic Entertainment.
• Survey results show few Japanese gamers are willing to pay for online games.
• Next Generation lists the 30 best games coming out this summer.
• The Undertaker is a lot fruiter than I remember him.
• Phoenix Wright is still selling out, and the next printing isn't until August.
• Screengrabs from a Japanese report proving girl nerds exist. Downside: They're all into gay romance manga.
• Game Informer claims the wonky controls in Red Steel reported at E3 have been improved.
• Gamespot has a Q&A with the producer of Chromehounds.
• A collection of show how each Wii game at E3 used the controller.
• Ludologist attempts to chart how "matching tile games" (Tetris, Lumines, et al) evolved.
• Racketboy offers up a PDF scan of the first issue of Sega Visions, from summer 1991.
• A sampling of the goriest scenes in gaming history.

Posted by Ermac at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

IBM has set a speed record with a chip that can run at 500 GHz when cryogenically frozen. Something tells me my stock case fans wouldn't quite manage the necessary drop to -451 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Soul Calibur 4 confirmed as.. existing in some form or another.
• Bandai Namco announces new Tales games for PSP and PS2.
• Indie game Rag Doll Kung Fu will be getting a retail version in August.
• THQ is too scared of WoW to put out their own MMORPG.
• The recently passed Louisianna game bill has been temporarily blocked by a judge while it's determined how unconstitutional the law is. Early signs say: A whole lot.
• Immersion debuts next-generation vibration for controllers that uses less power and space while simulating a wider range of feedback.
• Sony loses its case in Europe to have the PS2 classified as a computer (and earn a hefty rebate in import charges in the process).
• The VGA remake of King's Quest III is finished and ready for download.
• Superstar mode has been added in to the 360 version of Madden 07.
• Rumor: Microsoft planning 360 price drop for Christmas.
• A long interview at Nintendo Japan about Wii, NDS, the Game Boy Micro, and what Miyamoto is up to these days.
• Female gaming clans are protesting a "Miss World Series Videogames" beauty pageant.
• The Escapist asks, does the male-dominated video game culture actually exist?

Posted by Ermac at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Edge Online has a feature about the thankless and sometimes hellacious job of video game tester. What's worse is, while it was once considered one of the main ways to get your foot in the door at a game studio (thereby justifying the awful job and crap pay, I suppose), it seems like it may not even be worth that anymore.

• Yakuza's celebrity voice cast revealed.
• Comparing the power usage of the last couple generations of consoles. That 360 power brick isn't just there for show.
• UK online retailer offers PS3 bundle (system + 3 games) for $1015.
• New footage of Super Paper Mario.
• There's a new 14 minute video of in-game footage from Crysis, the latest game to make your video card cry. There's a 114 meg WMV version kicking around, but all links I've found so far are getting hammered to death.
• How to fix the 360 red ring of death, if you're willing to take apart your system.

Posted by Ermac at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Not much coming out this week, with the only real notables being a Tomb Raider: Legend port on the PSP, MotoGP 4 on the PS2, and NFL Head Coach on the Xbox, PS2 and PC, the finest "wear a headset and yell at people while pointing" simulator available on the market today. Actually, EA has said their biggest hurdle with Head Coach is just communicating what the game is (they call it a "3D sports strategy game"), so maybe you should read a preview or two to help you get it straight.

The rest of the release list can be found here and consists primarily of puzzle games and PC expansions. God, how many versions of Sudoku do we need?

Posted by Ermac at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An eighth-grade teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota has taken to using video games in his class to teach kids about storytelling in a way they might actually pay attention to: The kids play games and pause to write down details about the plot, setting, and characters. Presumably they actually do something with this information afterwards, but whoever wrote the article didn't feel it necessary to go into details. The class still uses books and traditional teaching methods too, which leads to fun crossover potential!

"He was talking about Sonic the Hedgehog and he said, 'It's much like "The Odyssey" Mr. Dubbels. Sonic has to get home just like Odysseus.' I was like, 'Tony, this is great!'" Dubbels said.

No, no that's not great at all. How are those two things at all related? What game ever involved Sonic needing to get home? What are you talking about?

I'm not sour on the idea, as I'm sure there are games you could make legitimate literary comparisons to, but I don't think that's one of them.

Source: WCCO

Posted by Ermac at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the highlights of what's coming out today and tomorrow.

• Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War (PC) - Another history based RTS, featuring "the four mightiest empires in the world": Greek, Rome, Egypt and Persia. $49.99 at EB Games.
• MotoGP 06 (360) - It's MotoGP.. but on the 360. That means bike racing, just in case you didn't know. $59.99 at EB Games.
• Urban Chaos: Riot Response (PS2, Xbox) - Run into urban areas and stop gangs from being all gangy in this FPS. $39.99 at EB for PS2 and Xbox.
• Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (PSP) - Metal Gear Solid comics, brought to the PSP and set to music. Japan's had this kinda crap for years, but usually they don't bring it over here. $19.99 at EB Games.
• Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2) - The entire Alpha series, SFA 2 Gold, and Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix are included in this collection. $29.99 at EB Games.
• Armored Core: Last Raven (PS2) - Tenth in the Armored Core series, this is the last AC title for the PS2. $29.99 at EB Games.

The rest of the list (including Lara Croft's Poker Party?) at Gamespot.

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A new patent filed by Sony has been uncovered, describing a fluid-filled electronic device which can be folded or rolled up, yet can be flattened out and made rigid when electric current is applied. The patent suggests it could be used for PDAs, cell phones, remote controls, and clocks, as well as game systems. This is the example they give:

"The electrorheological fluid device can be applied to, for example, part of a controller of a home-use game machine as another example of the electronic apparatus of the present invention. A user touches a control section of the controller by fingers, and the feeling of touch is controlled by the electrorheological fluid device. For example, if a game player is defeated in a fighting game, the electrorheological fluid device is controlled to become soft in order to improve the realistic sensations in the game."

And to be honest I don't know what the hell that means. You get beaten in a fighting game, so your controller goes squishy? How is that useful? This undoubtedly has some cool applications, but games aren't one of them. Sony's probably just stretching to cover all the bases they can so they can sue anyone who tries to use anything remotely similar in the future.

Source: Gamespot

Posted by Ermac at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Federal Trade Commission has settled the case with Rockstar over the Hot Coffee scandal, and the results could've been a lot worse.

The FTC and the two companies have reached a settlement agreement, which requires Take Two and Rockstar to "establish, implement, and maintain a comprehensive system reasonably designed to ensure that all content in an electronic game is considered and reviewed in preparing submissions to a rating authority."

The companies are also required to "clearly disclose" any content relative to the ESRB rating on all packaging and promotional or ad material, and they are restricted from misinterpreting games' ratings or content descriptors -- demands that are surely expected from all publishers.

So essentially they were told really emphatically what every game company already knows. They weren't hit with any fines (one could argue the $24 million in recall costs were punishment enough), but are now on notice that Rockstar and Take Two are "subject to civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation if they violate the order."

Next Generation

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Gamasutra has an interview about the most controversial game you may not have heard of yet: Rule of Rose. Any game that inspires the question "What was the inspiration for using the sexuality of prepubescent girls as a theme in the game?" is worth examining more closely. Here's a trailer to further weird you out.

• A new patch for Oblivion is out.
• The Halo 3 making of the trailer documentary is up at Bungie's site now.
• Sony Computer Entertainment Ireland director didn't get the "baseless bravado" memo, says "We would never say we cannot fail."
• Sony CEO Howard Stringer admits his Xbox obsession.
• Look on in horror at the recently uncovered original Acclaim intro to the racing game Juiced. FMV with blue screened actors? 1994 has come to visit!
• Eurogamer interviews Gabe Newell about Half Life 2: Episode One.
• Comparing real life photos to Crysis screenshots.
• Animal Crossing on Wii may allow you to send letters to friends through e-mail or cell phones.
• Point Blank DS unexpectedly ships next week.

Posted by Ermac at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Take Two has cancelled their upcoming drug kingpin game Snow. Am I the only one who hadn't heard of this game at all prior to this?

• Ridge Racer 6 and Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360 drop to $39.99.
• Bungie is working on a documentary about the Halo 3 teaser shown at E3. I guess Halo fans will take anything they can get.
• State of Emergency 2 developer shut down.
• Next Gen lists America's biggest, most successful publishing giants.
• The 500 millionth game of Halo 2 was played around noon Monday.
• Scientists have determined this is five kinds of awesome: Special Sega Projects, a collection of animated gifs of all the various ways the Sega logo appeared in the 16-bit days, as well as gifs of all the Eternal Champions and Mortal Kombat series fatalities.
• Boy, Smash Bros. looked a little different when it first started out...

Posted by Ermac at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the highlights of what's coming out today and tomorrow.

• Big Brain Academy (DS) - The next step in the Brain Training series arrives in America. $19.99 at EB Games.
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2) - If you're like me and didn't feel like playing this on a small screen with a weird analog nub, now it's on the PS2. And it's only $19.99 at EB Games.
• Magnetica (DS) - A Puzz Loops game for your DS just in case you haven't played Zuma enough already. $34.99 at EB Games.
• The Movies: Stunts and Effects (PC) - An expansion for The Movies which may possibly add stunts and/or effects. $29.99 at EB Games.
• Gradius Collection (PSP) - Gradius I through IV and the never before released in the US Gradius Gaiden, all in one pack. If you haven't emulated them all already, anyway. $39.99 at EB Games.

The rest of the list can be found here.

Posted by Ermac at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Psychonauts developer Double Fine's blog both makes mention of a new game and posts a picture of the most adorable kitten ever.

• Super Paper Mario and Children of Mana set for October.
• Current generation sez "Dammit, I'm not dead yet." Next Generation provides a list of what's still to come for the current gen systems. A new Megaten coming, and I haven't even started Digital Devil Saga.
• Man, even the Japanese animated Mario series was goofy. And they couldn't get his hair color right either.
• Japan gets a new rating system.
• An LP from 1982 instructing you in how to beat games like Centipede and Defender is pretty much the worst idea one can have.
• Much delayed, much hyped STALKER may be losing features as it claws its way to the finish line.

Posted by Ermac at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Another week of slim pickings, with the exception of Hitman: Blood Money on the PC, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360, and City Life on the PC, a kind of "Sim City with cultural-conflict management" game. Also worth noting, if you somehow didn't know it already, is that Half Life 2: Episode One has been preloading for the last month and launches Thursday, June 1. This post on the Steam forums lays out when is the absolute earliest time you'll be able to play, based on your time zone.

The rest of the week's releases can be found here.

Posted by Ermac at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey look, actual games are coming out this week.

• Table Tennis (360) - Probably the only time anyone's actually been interested in a table tennis game, and only because this one's developed by Rockstar. Yes, that Rockstar. $39.99 at EB Games.
• Jaws Unleashed (Xbox, PS2) - I was just thinking to myself the other day, what I want is a game based on a 30 year old movie. Where's my Night Moves game? $29.99 at EB Games for the Xbox and PS2, so long as you search for the title "Jaws" and not "Jaws Unleashed," like it says on the damned box. I switched from Amazon because I thought these guys would have a better handle on what they're doing.
• Heroes of Might & Magic V (PC) - The famous turn-based strategy franchise returns, StarForce free. $49.99 at EB for the regular version, $59.99 for the super deluxe limited edition with candy inside.
• Lemmings (PSP) - The same old lemmings, continuing their quest to be ported to every system ever created, back in glorious 2D after some unfortunate 3D outings. $39.99 at EB Games.
• Steambot Chronicles (PS2) - New Atlus USA release comes out of nowhere. Why was I not informed? I must admit, Next Gen's write up has me intrigued. Renamed for America (for obvious reasons) from the original Japanese title of Bumpy Trot, which sounds like something you'd get after eating bad Thai food. $49.99 at EB Games.

Other bits and pieces I neglected to talk about, like Rogue Trooper, can be found at the full release list.

Posted by Ermac at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)