Hold on to your positronic caps, readers. It seems our little green robo-friend may be in for a little bit of legal trouble. Erich Specht has sued Google and seemingly every company that has ever thought about using its mobile OS (like T-Mobile, Vodafone, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and lots more) for infringing use of the name "Android." He's the owner of the trademark for Android Data Corporation, granted way back in October of 2002. Google came around and filed a trademark application for Android five years later and, wait for it, had that trademark application denied due to confusion with Mr. Specht's. In other words, it looks like Google and its Open Handset Alliance cronies are on the defensive and, seemingly, not on particularly firm ground. Specht wants damages and a name-change for Google's OS, and as of now we wouldn't be surprised if he got at least one of his wishes.
Looking for a new way to burn money on your DSi? How's about a few new charging solutions from the folks at Thrustmaster? Today, both the T-Standee Charger and T-Strap Charger were introduced, with the former expected in mid-June for $12.99 and the latter checking in next month for a penny under $8. As the name implies the T-Standee is basically a charging kickstand / docking station, while the T-Strap builds a charging port right into the strap that can be connected to any powered USB socket for on-the-go recharging. Gnarly, right?
It's now just over a month before Sony's E3 press event and already the rumor mill is aflutter with what the comapny's planning to debut on stage. We've already heard about PSP's apparent makeover, and now comes word from Variety that the PlayStation 3's oft-rumored motion sensing controller, closer in the vein of the Wii remote than of its relative-positioning Sixaxis pad, will be getting some time on stage. A source from Kombo late last month suggested key third-party develoeprs have already been brought up to speed and asked to implement the functionality into their upcoming titles. Like we said, this isn't the first time we've been down this road, and it's not happened infinitely more times than has, so... take that as you will. Brace yourself, this is only the beginning of the of a flurry of game-related murmurs and speculation in the leadup to next month's conference.
Whether or not Windows 7 does launch in October as previously suggested, those who have (or plan to get) Release Candidate will be happy to hear that Microsoft won't be pulling the plug until June 1, 2010, well over a year from now and 11 months after its initial expiration date. After that, you're gonna have to fork over the Benjamins for one of the retail SKUs if you wanna keep 7 alive. As for those still living in Redmond's past, the company's also extended the life of XP, at least for OEMs. Companies using the older OS will still be able to install it on netbooks for up to one year after 7's official shape date. Seeing as the new system's likely to have a more expensive licensing fee, it's probably the best move if the company plans on keeping that 96% grip on the netbook OS market.
At last, former Gizmondo head honcho Bo Stefan Eriksson's story is finally going to be told on film -- or rather, the one told in Wired will be. Writer-director Craig Zobel and producer Beau Flynn have optioned the rights to create a movie based on the publication's October 2006 article "Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-up" by Randall Sullivan, which chronicles the build up to his infamous car crash. Flynn's production company Contrafilm will be backing the project, and should the movie actually make it to theaters and be successful, we suspect there'll be plenty of material for a sequel.
We've seen iPod hacks run the gamut, from the useful to the just plain absurd, but no matter how rough around the edges such a project may seem, we always get a kick out of the ingenuity and hard work involved. Today's DIY wonder comes from a cat named Benjamin Kokes, who's using his engineering chops to put together a GPS peripheral for the iPod nano. As the project stands right now, he's taken a reference board sporting a Nemerix GPS and written a screen driver for it, allowing it to do its thing on the handheld. Apparently, all this bad boy is capable of doing right now is finding a satellite and displaying your latitude and longitude -- but we'd like to see your old nano do that! Hit the read link for the whole, sordid tale in geek-tastic detail, or to speak with the developer if you'd like to give this a shot your own self.
An increasingly significant portion of the games community is looking at the potential of browser-based gaming – with some predicting that the browser could be the gaming format of the future.
Plugins such as Unity, Silverlight, Flash and Java are behind rich internet games and services such as Fusion Fall and Club Penguin, and also opening up games creation to fresh development talent.
"I think it's great. We're looking at several different projects in the global web-based games market," revealed Frederick Wester, CEO of GamersGate parent Paradox Interactive. "Web-based content and web-based gaming has a fantastic future."
Wester hopes his firm can follow a path already pioneered in Asian regions, but with the added benefit of avoiding known problems in the market.
"In Korea and China this has been huge for many years and what we're doing now is just the baby steps of what they've been doing for a long time. I'm not going to say we're revolutionising anything, because that wouldn't be true, but what we're doing it basically looking at what they've done and try to avoid any pitfalls," he said.
Browser-based gaming doesn't have to be limited by hardware, said David Lau-Kee of Unity, who went as far as to predict that the next iteration of the PlayStation and Xbox brands could be services rather than under-the-TV boxes.
"Here's a prediction for you: PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 are going to be browsers," he offered.
"I think that the value that the format holder is a platform-based service, it's as simple as that. Be it a walled garden or the servers on which these things are running, the hardware itself is largely irrelevant, the future of games is the browser."
Traditional games developers also see the potential of browser gaming too, with Doublesix's James Brooksby pointing to the amount of hardware on the market capable of running games content, and it's reach amongst connected users.
"It's not particulary my field," he admitted, "but I must say it's very impressive what's going on out there. There are one or two PCs and Macs out there in the world and with so many laptops being sold and people filling their time by playing browser games and downloading things, spending bits of money here and there, seeing adverts, you can't deny it's going to continue to be a huge part of gaming."
Simon Oliver, creator of iPhone hit Rolando, sees new talent taking the opportunity to create games and other entertainment through cheaper technology which is becoming increasingly easier to work with.
"They're not necessarily going to become a commercial success but for the people who love to make stuff, it's very exciting," he said.
"Some stuff will take off, some may not, but the tools are getting easier. Tools like Unity, and the open source movement, it's gathering strength everyday. The barriers are coming down all around, You don't necessarily need to be a traditional developer, but if you want to put the time in the tools are there. It's just a matter of time and effort to get something great," he added.
intendo president Satoru Iwata has said that the Wii video streaming service, called Wii-no-Ma in Japan, will eventually see release outside of that region.
In the video announcement GamesIndustry.bizfirst reported on yesterday, Iwata revealed that while Wii-no-Ma's May 1 availability is limited only to Japan, plans are already underway to expand the service to other countries.
"Wii-no-Ma service is available only in Japan at the start, but the overseas deployment is under planning in the future," said Iwata.
Additionally, Iwata revealed that global versions of the service may include the same original Japanese programming as Wii-no-Ma, saying "As Japanese videogames, anime or manga are very favoured all over the world, we also anticipate a great possibility of same spread for video programmes."
Wii-no-Ma is an interactive video streaming service launching in Japan today. Upon release, only original video content will be available, though repurposed and legacy content from major Tokyo networks will come to the service after it has been firmly established.
The service aims to further expand the Wii's potential audience by giving those who may not be interested in videogames a reason to use the Wii. For more information, please refer to our previous report.
Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey has predicted that the latest title in the Sims franchise - The Sims 3, set for release at the beginning of June - could sell up to 4 million units in 2009.
That's an expectation that would place it in performance terms above that of The Sims 2, which launched in 2004 and sold 3.5 million units that year - although Hickey believes that there will be an impact of the "demographic transition towards newer entertainment forms like Nintendo's Wii and DS", reports Gamasutra.
Meanwhile EA has also announced its plans regarding online content for the game, including an online store which will allow players to purchase SimPoints to spend on downloading various in-game items.
Examples of such items weren't given, but the game will ship with a starting amount equivalent to USD 10 (or local currency), and further bundles of 500, 1000 and 2000 points can then be added to a player's account.
When the game launches the website, TheSims3.com, will become more focused on social networking aspects, with users given tools to share their content with other players, or embed them on other networking sites or blogs.
"With such a vibrant and active community as The Sims has, we wanted to build even further on the already immense offline experience, by offering players additional functionality, content and tools available online through the game," said Ben Bell, executive producer on the game.
"One example of the many online tools we've added to the game is the Create a Movie tool. Within the game, players can easily set up the camera angle they want, capture in-game footage, play director and producer and then post their movies online to show off to the world."
Nintendo's fine by the European Court for price fixing has been reduced from EUR 149.128 (GBP 132.767) to EUR 119.24 million (GBP 106.15m).
The fine was originally imposed on Nintendo and seven of is distribution partners in Europe, including John Menzies in the UK, for fixing prices on hardware and software between 1991 and 1998.
Nintendo said it would fight the decision last May, and the reduction has been granted following Nintendo and its distributors' co-operating with the court ruling.
"The Court recalled that the basic amount of the fine may be reduced where the undertaking has effectively cooperated in the proceedings," stated the court. "In the contested decision, the Commission took account of John Menzies’s cooperation, with the result that it reduced that undertaking’s fine by 40 per cent.
"The Court held that pursuant to the principle of equal treatment, since Nintendo produced the relevant documents at the same stage of the procedure and its cooperation must be regarded as comparable, it must benefit in this respect from the same level of reduction of fine."
A fine on Nintendo's distributor in Belgium and Luxembourg, CD Contact Data, was also cut from EUR 1 million to EUR 500,000.
Sony's PlayStation 3 is still leading sales of home consoles in Japan, following last week's boost by the release of the limited edition Final Fantasy SKU.
According to data from Media Create for the week ended April 26, the PlayStation 3 sold 23,351 units.
The release of Capcom's number one Wii title Monster Hunter G upped sales of Nintendo's home console, with a further 18,439 units sold, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 moved a further 7016 units.
However, the two handhelds on the market continue to perform much better than home machines, with the combined sales of the DS and DSi hitting 43,869, while the PSP sold 41,187 units.
Rawlinson: "We have been working with the DoH for some time"
ELSPA has expressed its joy over the Government’s new Change4Life TV ad, which praises the role of active games as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Change4Life’s previous print ad drew fire from games industry companies such as EA, Sega, Codemasters and Atari. It depicted a young boy playing a console under the tagline: ‘Risk an Early Death. Just Do Nothing.’
The new Change4Life TV ad, which aired last Friday, urges families to make sure their kids have 60 ‘active’ minutes each day, and gives camera time to ‘games in which require kids to move about’.
Director general of ELSPA Mike Rawlinson told MCV: "We have been working with the DoH for some time and are delighted that the Minister listened to what we had to say. Games can be a part of a healthy lifestyle.”
ELSPA held discussions with the Department of Health and the three NGOs involved in the offending print ad – Cancer Research, Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation – following its publication last month.
Minister for public health Dawn Primarolo added: “Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving more.
“Little bits of activity like this, throughout the day can easily add up to the 60 active minutes kids need. But our survey shows that at the moment our kids just aren’t getting up and about enough.”
Atomic Games President Peter Tamte has attempted to place the controversial Iraq war game Six Days in Fallujah in a more credible light by calling the survival-horror title an “opportunity for the world to experience the true stories”.
Tamte contested widespread criticism that the game is of poor taste by hijacking the ongoing debate of the videogame credibility and legitimacy; pondering if the industry is “just high-tech toymakers, or media companies capable of producing content that is as relevant as movies, music and television?”
Tamte, speaking at the Triangle Game Conference, said that “movies, music and TV have helped people make sense of the complex issues of our times”, adding that “every form of media has grown by producing content about current events, content that's powerful because it's relevant.”
LG and Samsung come second and third in JD Power study.
Apple’s iPhone has been given the highest rating in the Wireless Consumer Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study, organised by J.D. Power and Associates.
According to Twice, Apple was ranked highest among smartphone manufacturers with a score of 791 out of 1,000, followed by LG and Samsung who scored 772 and 759 respectively.
LG was ranked highest among traditional handset manufacturers with a score off 733, followed by Sony Ericsson, which scored 712.
Pete Burrows has it from a source "familiar with Apple's plans" that the next iPhone will include video (yeah?), an iMovie app for basic on-phone editing, plus loads of video sharing options
In the melting ice, amidst the thawing dog crap, Whitehorse, Yukon resident Andrew noticed an oddly-familiar rectangular item: An iPod classic. He brought it home and found, to his surprise, that it was fully functional.
Activision has announced the imaginatively-titled Map Pack 2 for its hit FPS Call of Duty: World at War. The add-on will be available in June for Xbox 360 and PS3.
The downloadable content will include four new maps: three for competitive multiplayer, and one for the fanciful co-op Zombies mode. There will be 10 new Achievements and Trophies. There's no word on price.
The press release makes no mention of a PC release for Map Pack 2, but that doesn't mean it won't make it. World at War's Map Pack 1 took an extra month or so to arrive on PC, but when it did, it was included free in the 1.4 patch to the game.
The new maps are: Banzai, a fight for control of a river bridge; Corrosion, a scrap in a Russian train yard; Sub Pens, a bombed-out submarine base; and Shi No Numa (Zombie Swamp), which features Imperial Japanese zombies, hell hounds, traps and more. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ne...r-maps-in-june
Microsoft has updated the rules regarding the total amount of Achievements and gamerscore that Xbox 360 games can award to players.
Although the company has not officially said so, several unconnected development sources have confirmed to Eurogamer that the upper limits are 80 Achievements and 1750 gamerscore respectively.
This confirms a report earlier this week on Xbox360Achievements.org (thanks Kotaku.
The specific rules are that a boxed game must offer between five and 50 Achievements for a total of 1000 gamerscore, while up to 30 Achievements can be offered via downloadable content for a maximum of 750 gamerscore.
According to UK sources, the current software development kit documentation refers to this, but also contradicts itself in a few places. However, developers understand that the limits have changed and are working to the new certification requirements for future downloadable content.
Previously, developers were limited to 1000G on the disc and 250G in downloadable content, but games like Halo 3 most notably and also Fallout 3 have since convinced Microsoft to go further.
Warrior Epic, a free-to-play online RPG for PC from GOA and developer Possibility Space, has gone into closed beta testing.
There are still slots available, and you can register on the the game's official website.
Warrior Epic is a Diablo-style multiplayer RPG set in an MMO metagame, in which you can collect dozens of different characters, and choose to either resurrect them or bring them back as spirits to power-up and assist your living warriors.
We saw it at GDC in March and thought it looked rather nifty, actually.
Prince has said he turned down a deal to put his songs in Guitar Hero. (That's the artist formerly known as the funny symbol thing Prince, not the one who talks to plants or the one who likes to dress up as Nazis or the one who's a massive racist.)
Activision's already signed up the likes of Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen for the series - but the man from Del Minneapolis, he say no.
"I ain't mad at them," he told The Tavis Smiley show, as reported by Gamespot.
"I hear it made, like, USD 2 billion and they came to us and offered us a very small portion of that."
Too small, it turns out. "I just think it's more important that kids learn how to actually play the guitar," Prince said.
"It's a tough instrument - it's not easy. It took me a long time, and it was frustrating at first. And you just have to stick with it, and it's cool for people who don't have time to learn the chords or ain't interested in it. But to play music is one of the greatest things." The other greatest things being purple rain and raspberry berets, presumably.
nterbrain, publisher of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu, has polled its readers as to why they don't buy the Xbox 360. You know, the reasons why.
Here is the breakdown:
• Worried about its future 35.71 percent
• Price is high 7.14 percent
• No games I want to play 3.57 percent
• Another reason 53.57 percent
What were some of those other reasons? "I'm holding back from buying," said a 35-year-old man, "because it seems like new hardware is coming out." Another 35-year-old man stated, "It has a bad image because of that over 30 percent failure rate back when the console first launched." Other reasons included things like because it uses DVD and the very blunt "I have a PS3."
LittleBigPlanet developers Media Molecule must have a lot of knitted Sackboy plushies lying around the office, because they've just announced a deal where anyone living in Britain can get one for free.
Yes, if your postal address is anywhere in the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, all you need to do is sign up at MM's YouTube page then send Sony Europe an email. After that, return to your work, wait patiently, and a few weeks later (provided they haven't run out, as there are "only" 5000 available), you should get a free Sackboy plushie.
Starting May 1 in Japan, the Nintendo Wii is getting a new video service channel called "Wii no Ma" (Wii Room). Nintendo president Satoru Iwata introduces it in a new video.
Nintendo is partnering with Japanese ad agency Dentsu for the endeavor, which is for the Wii and the DS. Instead of offering existing movies and television programming, as seen in Sony's video on demand service and Microsoft's Xbox Live Video Marketplace, Nintendo is offering cartoons and "mainly family-oriented programming" options created especially for the Wii video service.
In a video message from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, the exec does admit that there are few programs at the moment, "but that number will increase." Iwata also announces that five Tokyo TV stations have signed on to provide continue.
Iwata points out that the Wii was luckily launched when large screen TVs became popular — giving more reasons for families to congregate in the living room like they used to. Wii Sports and Wii Fit capitalized on the idea of families congregating in the living room. "Our own research says that approximately 87 percent of Wiis are connected to the largest TV in the house, which is in the living room," says Iwata.
Wii no Ma also allows those who might not be gamers enjoy using the Nintendo Wii by watching programs. According to Nintendo, things like this can help video games be accepted.
"In the beginning, Wii no Ma is available only in Japan," Iwata says, "but there are plans to launch the service aboard in the future." All the programs will be free at first, but Iwata does reveal that down the line Nintendo is readying programs with a "small" fee — something that Nintendo has stated since announcing this project.
David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, picked an odd place to make his farewell speech: Capcom's annual press event.
"After 15 memorable years, I'm going to retire at the end of this month," said Reeves. "It has been a true pleasure working at Playstation, pushing the boundaries of the gaming industry."
Reeves said he decided to speak at Capcom's annual event because of their long-standing relationship with the publisher.
"I'm here talking to you because of the relationship between Capcom and Sony that has been cultivated to create some of the greatest games over the years and it's a relationship we will continue to cultivate."
Reeves says that the relationship between Capcom and Playstation goes back to 1994, the year the Playstation launched.
"Against everyone's advice, we created a disc-based console and launched it into the powerhouse of Nintendo," he said. "This relationship has continued through to the Playstation 2 and to the latest generation with the Playstation Portable and Playstation 3."
Reeves said that it is this relationship between the two companies that brought him to Capcom's event that night to give what would be his last official presentation to the press.
Most surprising that evening, was Reeves self-deprecating comments about the Playstation Portable
"We know that our own Sony line-up has not been up to expectations, but tonight is a prime example of how that has been rectified," he said. "Monster Hunter Freedom Unite sold 3 million units in Japan… showing what can happen when you bring a top quality product to the Playstation Portable."
Reeves wrapped up his short presentation by expressing his pleasure at working in the industry for so long.
"The industry has changed beyond recognition throughout the 15 years I've worked in it," he said. "It will always be an industry I will be proud to be a part of."
The Shippuden invasion continues this fall in Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, bringing team-based teen ninja battles to Sony's handheld.
Players join a slightly older, slightly wiser Naruto and friends as they search for Gaara, who has been kidnapped by the dreaded Akatsuki organization. Will Naruto be able to free sand boy before the Akatsuki release the demon lurking inside of him? More than likely, unless you're a big fan of "Game Over" screens.
The game is a 3D adventure title, with fighting that utilizes the timed button press method of replicating ninja powers. Players will be able to select two additional team members during the adventure, unleashing team attacks or utilizing other special powers as the situation requires. Akatsuki features two separate story modes, one of which allows you to play the main story from the Akatsuki point of view, along with local wireless versus mode and a scroll-collecting series of side missions.
Have we seen the last of the older, younger Naruto? With the majority of Naruto titles coming out this year containing the word Shippuden, it certainly seems like it. Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising is due out in the fall from Namco Bandai.
It may take a bit longer for the Caped Crusader to round up his Rogue Gallery in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as "sources close to the game" tell Game Informer that the title has been pushed back from its expected June release until sometime later this year.
Despite impressing us earlier this year, the unspecified sources tell Game Informer than the game will now ship sometime in 2009's fourth quarter. If true, and while disappointing, the delay will give us more time to work on work on our Batarang hurling technique. Neither Eidos nor Warner Bros. have reportedly offered a comment on the cause behind the delay, though we have reached out to both ourselves for more.
Capcom, you clearly dropped the ball the first time around. The above trailer for Marvel vs Capcom 2 is just about the same as the trailer you already saw here, but with one important improvement: Stan Bush's "The Touch." We felt this trailer just had to be posted, as Stan's melodic interludes accompany the snikting and hurricane kicking so well.
So, feast your eyes on the above footage from the PSN and XBLA brawler, and if you're a PS3 owner, download the demo already!
It appears the demo for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is available now on Xbox 360. Go experience the thrills of watching Wolverine cut bad guys into meaty chunks and shove them head-first into ... well, you'll see. Don't be fooled, gamer parents out there: Activision may have the PG-13 rated movie's title on the box, but this game is certainly rated Mature and likely not suitable for the kiddies. Definitely take Wolverine for a test drive if you're up for an intense God of War experience set in the Marvel universe.
As you probably already know, the latest issue of Nintendo Power blows the doors off of the recently announced sequel to the Wii's slightly disappointing, sword/gun-toting FPS launch title, Red Steel. Now that the mag has landed in a few quivering, anticipatory hands, more details about Red Steel 2 are beginning to surface.
First and foremost, the title will apparently be cel-shaded -- hinted at by the sole piece of concept art we received yesterday, and confirmed by a number of scans which are beginning to creep onto the internets. Also, we recently got confirmation from Nintendo Power itself that the game will be "Wii MotionPlus exclusive," a phrase we can only interpret to mean "you need a MotionPlus dongle to play it." (Are you guys comfortable with calling it a dongle? That's such a lovely word. Don-gle.)
We'll let you know when we hear even more facts about the game. And by facts, we don't mean "my brother's girlfriend's sister's stepmom goes to a beauty parlor where she read about Red Steel 2 while waiting for her bouffant to dry."
The first shooting mission of The Last Bullet takes place in a fair. Karin grabs a rifle and tries to shoot a prize. As a little Easter Egg, one of the prizes is a “QS”.
While you’re aiming at the four screen handheld, the scope automatically wobbles in a figure eight pattern. The sight doesn’t stabilize. You have to wait until the target is temporarily on the top half of the prize, then press R to fire a bullet. Aside from the QS there are bears and cans to hit too. You can find them by moving the scope with the D-pad. Karin only has three bullets and sixty seconds to claim a prize.
Even if it feels forced, the scope shaking adds a degree of challenge to The Last Bullet.
This past month Hudson revived Adventure Island with a new WiiWare game. According to the online rankings Adventure Island: The Beginning might not be selling well (thanks for the tip Denpa no Sekai!!). After being out in Europe for almost a week only 54 people are on the leaderboards.
Surely, there are people who bought Adventure Island: The Beginning and opted not to post their score online, but 54 registered scores still seems rather low. Doesn’t it? Adventure Island: The Beginning was released in Japan on April 7 and it seems to be fairing marginally better. There are 259 scores ranked online which averages to about 86 people per week since launch.
Hudson still hasn’t released Adventure Island: The Beginning in North America, but it’s on deck. If the European release wasn’t a sign, the ESRB ranking and US page confirm Adventure Island: The Beginning is coming.
You've probably heard that The Sims 3 is a lot bigger than its predecessors, and that it simulates an entire town rather than just a single house. Since the game was revealed last year, that town was called Sunset Valley. Now EA has revealed that there will be a second town for the game when it ships on June 2. This town, Riverview, will be available for download for free from The Sims 3 Web site at launch.
This sounds like a way to get customers to start interacting with the game's Web site quickly, as the game's online capabilities are important. You can upload video clips and edit them on the Web site, for instance. EA has also announced that TheSims3.com will also have My Page and My Studio, which sound like Sims versions of popular social networking sites. For instance, My Page lets you post news, make blog entries, and interact with others. In addition, you can also share your content across other social networking sites.
On top of the second town and the Web site featuers, EA is introducing an online store and a type of currency called SimPoints. You can purchase SimPoints using real money, and you can then use those points to purchase exclusive in-game items from The Sims 3 Store. These include new outfits and items that can be used to customize the world further. EA will give players $10 worth of SimPoints when they register the game.
BioWare has once again begun posting to its blog on IGN. For the very first Mass Effect 2 post, Executive Producer Casey Hudson has already begun clearing up rumors and making news. The first bit of exciting news is that Mass Effect 2 will indeed be shown at E3. Hudson promises, "you can look forward to some incredible new experiences in Mass Effect 2 as the story takes on even larger proportions, along with a ton of gameplay improvements and a return of the things most loved by players of the first game. "
One of those things people loved was their very own Commander Shepard, a character that was hinted at being killed in the first Mass Effect 2 trailer. Hudson closed out the blog post by saying, "Oh, and I've heard some rumors that Commander Shepard is dead. Better not be. We had a lot of big plans made, so if someone's gone and killed Shepard then things are going to take an unexpected turn… "
Ukrainian Developer GSC Game World has announced S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, a stand-alone game that will be the third in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Call of Pripyat will be set immediately after the events of the first game in the series, Shadow of Chernobyl. (Last year's Clear Sky was a prequel to that game.)
According to a post on the GSC Game World site, Call of Pripyat is about how the military tries to take control of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and fails. As a result, Ukraine's Security Service dispatches an agent to investigate the situation.
The list of game features include a new A-Life system, which is responsible for creating the feeling of a real-world ecology in the Exclusion Zone. There will be an extended system of side quests, as well as unique characters and a new interface. You'll even have to factor in having to sleep. The game is being built on the 1.6 version of the X-Ray engine. Call of Pripyat will be released sometime this autumn for the PC.
Back on April 8 Square Enix launched their first MySpace game, Dive II Hunt, in an effort to open their games up to an audience beyond those following the Square website. Square Enix announced today that it has now launched a second game on the social networking service called Crawlian.
Crawlian is a puzzle game where players are given a "click-and-roll-able block" to maneuver around an ever-changing game board throughout 21 stages. Players can create, edit and share their own custom-made stages and can tally their scores on a global leaderboard.
Square Enix is one of many Japanese game publishers to attempt to tap into the large audience that MySpace presents. With over 45 million users on MySpace installing apps, Square Enix is hoping that Dive II Hunt and Crawlian create a successful new avenue to deliver their games.
Apple needs to re-evaluate their payment process to App Store devs. Apple has been paying late and more recently the numbers of devs that are not getting paid at all is on the rise. According to Apple's contract with iPhone developers who are selling their apps on the App Store
Quote:
Upon collection of any amounts from any end-user as the price for any Licensed Application
delivered to that end-user hereunder, Apple shall deduct the full amount of its commission with respect to that Licensed Application, and any taxes collected by Apple under Section 3.2 hereof, and shall remit to You, or issue a credit in Your favor, as the case may be, the remainder of those prices on a monthly basis, no later than forty-five (45) days following the close of the month in which that amount was received by Apple. Each remittance by Apple under this Section 3.5 shall be accompanied by a sales report in sufficient detail to permit You to verify the accuracy and completeness of the amount remitted by Apple.
MMi member moderator StealthBravo has released a patched Quickpwn utilizing a beta 4 3G bundle cracked by HoZy and lilstevie. The current version is iPhone 3g only! The jailbreak is Windows only (packaged in windows QuickPWN).
Like the previous 3.0 beta jailbreaks this one installs Icy (Cydia isn't ready yet). Also like previous 3.0 beta jailbreaks you need to have your iPhones UDID in a dev account. StealthBravo has also put together instructions to troubleshoot common problems in his ...
Already released in beta stages through their Google Code page, the guys at networkpx (creators of iKeyEx) are nearly ready to release Grip, a Growl look-alike for iPhone. If you don't know about Growl, you're probably not using a Mac. Growl provides system notifications (and tons of application notifications as well) in a sleek HUD themeable style.
Where is SlingPlayer? Why hasn't it been approved yet? When is it coming?
If AT&T has anything to say about the issue SlingPlayer will never see the light of day on the App Store. Two weeks ago a rumor started circulating that AT&T was stopping SlingPlayer from being approved. The rumor started because AT&T's TOS were updated to prohibit "customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device." This was later removed by AT&T and calimed to be a mistake.
Some weeks later SlingPlayer is still missing from the App Store and it is becoming clearer that AT&T is most likely influencing the App Store approval process
Nokia has released a firmare update for the 5800 XpressMusic - v21.0.025. Changes include UI speed improvements, numerous small bug fixes and new notification light setting/functionality. The update is available Over The Air (OTA) and supports User Data Preservation.
Following the success of DreamConnect on the UIQ platform, DreamSpring today announced DreamConnect for S60. DreamConnect is designed especially for those who have a large number of contacts and need to access contact details frequently. The S60 version of DreamConnect will inherit many technologies from its UIQ and Psion predecessors. It features a clear display of information in a business card format, showing more contact information in less space but with greater clarity. DreamConnect for S60 will offer hierarchical categories, giving users the ability to capture their mental map of relationships visually. Its powerful search tools provide various unique ways of locating contacts quickly and easily. It includes search history that helps further reduce time to access the desired contacts. DreamConnect will be the first contact manager on the S60 platform to offer users the ability to undo and redo changes made to contact details.
Another freeware / open source port from AnotherGuest: Crimson Fields is a turn-based tactical war game. Protect supply convoys or raid enemy facilities to uncover technological secrets or fill your storage bays so you can repair damaged units or build new ones in your own factories.
I recently ran across an interesting article written by Sascha Segan from PCMag.com asking an interesting question, "Has Android Already Failed?" Personally, like Steve Mueller from Mobility Site, I feel it is way too early to write the Android platform off. Let's face it, when Google and HTC teamed up to release the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) the handset wasn't really built around the needs of the average consumer. Sure the HTC Dream is a great little handset on its own, but you would have to be blind to not see that this device was built for the sole purpose of having development hardware on the market for individuals interested in the platform as a whole. It is, after all, a dream device for the open source junkie in your life. You can build almost anything you want for it or install any of the various homebrew Android operating systems out there in the digital realm that are ready and waiting to be flashed to the handset.
What annoys me about these articles however is just the assumption that Android is a failure because it has sold so few handsets over the course of its first six months on the market. I personally consider selling 1 million handsets a success and I seem to remember all the Windows Mobile fanboys out there, myself included, shouting from the rooftops when the HTC Touch Diamond sold its first million handsets
You can now cool down your Wii console and recharge double remote controllers with this Cooling System and Remote Controller Charger Stand. The blue LED trim instantly brings -wow- to your Wii!
When the console is powered on, the fan accelerates the air circulation of the console system and prevents it being overheat.
When the console is powered off, the fan is turned off and the dual side docks recharge two remote controllers. It comes with a LED to indicate when in use.
- Connects PS-PS2 and Wii Classic controllers to GC-Wii
- Support PS dance mat in Wii dancing game
- Support rumble function
- Programmable Auto Fire mode included
- Connects PS-PS2 and Wii Classic controllers to GC-Wii
- Support PS dance mat in Wii dancing game
- Support rumble function
- Programmable Auto Fire mode included
Special and innovative designed Multi Shape Cobra Stand-B to hold your PSP-3000 and PSP Slim console in cars, windows or any flat surface. It can be turned in any angles and bent in different shapes.
Someone did an application to detect metal using the Android G1. Is this because the G1 is more smartypanties than other smartphones? Is it magic perhaps? No, it's a clever use of the built-in compass.
Need for Speed: Undercover is getting some much-needed extra fuel, both premium and unleaded. Electronic Arts announced a pair of DLC packs for the ill-received sequel, including a free Challenge Series and a premium collection of customized "boss" vehicles.
The Challenge Series promises a handful of new cars, as well as 60 events across a pair of new game modes, including "Highway Wars," a mix of highway battles and sprint racing, and "Highway Checkpoint," where drivers will maneuver through traffic to reach checkpoints and beat the clock. The $5 Boss Car pack, on the other hand, gives players access to every boss car in the game, from Carmen's Shelby GT500 to Nickel's Dodge Viper SRT10. Interestingly, the downloads are currently only available for the PlayStation 3, though EA notes that both packs are "coming soon" for the Xbox 360 and PC. Until then, drivers are urged to turn off their ignition and wait patiently for their turn at the pump.
Later this month the Sore Spots add-on for Playstation Network title PAIN, hits the console bringing with it the PAINalympics.
The add-on will also come with a free download of a playable Daxter. The PAINalympics has two to four players competing in nine new events within the game:
Horseshoes – There are four giant horseshoes floating in front of the launcher, and your task is to snatch them and try for a ringer. You have four launches.Whatcha gon' do?
Bull Ride – Imagine a large group of mechanical bulls, each atop a large column. Launch, grab, and hold on to as many bulls as you can. Ready to ride, cowboys and cowgirls?
Rope Kick – Test your Ooching skills by launching and grabbing a rope that you have to hold onto and swing on, knocking down as many of the characters in the area as you can in 30 seconds.
Balloony Bin – You have 45 seconds to push, pull, drag, or otherwise force balloons into trash bins. Extra points for the red ones!
Stack Whacker – All you have to do here is knock down a wall of boxes in as few launches as possible. If you're good, you can probably use some exploding objects to help do the job more quickly.
Anvil Toss – Snatch an anvil out of the air and chuck it as far as you can. Watch out for the cherry bombs and exploding chemicals on the floor, though!
Relay Race – Keep your Pimp Slap Hand strong and smack, smack, smack your way to the finish line in the best time…and don't forget the baby powder!
Punt Ball – Knocking a ball through a goal is sometimes a lot harder than it seems. Extra points if you hit the characters who are dancing between the goal posts.
Swing N' Dunk – Grab the ring, swing, release…wait for it…wait for it…Oooch your character through the basketball hoop. Harder rings grant a higher reward.
The add-on is set to hit the Playstation Network on May 14 with a new character, Ded Baron, hitting the following week.
Later this month the Sore Spots add-on for Playstation Network title PAIN, hits the console bringing with it the PAINalympics.
The add-on will also come with a free download of a playable Daxter. The PAINalympics has two to four players competing in nine new events within the game:
Horseshoes – There are four giant horseshoes floating in front of the launcher, and your task is to snatch them and try for a ringer. You have four launches.Whatcha gon' do?
Bull Ride – Imagine a large group of mechanical bulls, each atop a large column. Launch, grab, and hold on to as many bulls as you can. Ready to ride, cowboys and cowgirls?
Rope Kick – Test your Ooching skills by launching and grabbing a rope that you have to hold onto and swing on, knocking down as many of the characters in the area as you can in 30 seconds.
Balloony Bin – You have 45 seconds to push, pull, drag, or otherwise force balloons into trash bins. Extra points for the red ones!
Stack Whacker – All you have to do here is knock down a wall of boxes in as few launches as possible. If you're good, you can probably use some exploding objects to help do the job more quickly.
Anvil Toss – Snatch an anvil out of the air and chuck it as far as you can. Watch out for the cherry bombs and exploding chemicals on the floor, though!
Relay Race – Keep your Pimp Slap Hand strong and smack, smack, smack your way to the finish line in the best time…and don't forget the baby powder!
Punt Ball – Knocking a ball through a goal is sometimes a lot harder than it seems. Extra points if you hit the characters who are dancing between the goal posts.
Swing N' Dunk – Grab the ring, swing, release…wait for it…wait for it…Oooch your character through the basketball hoop. Harder rings grant a higher reward.
The add-on is set to hit the Playstation Network on May 14 with a new character, Ded Baron, hitting the following week.
Alan & Hacken 2009 Live Concert Karaoke (~Hacken Lee, Alan Tam) HK US$ 37.90
Amazing Journeys US US$ 16.97
Bedtime Stories [Blu-Ray+DVD] (~Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, ...) HK US$ 37.90
Black Book (~Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, ...) HK US$ 27.90
Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition [Limited Edition] (~Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, ...) JPN US$ 154.90
Body Of Lies JPN US$ 52.90
Bride Wars (~Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway) US US$ 39.99
Hotel for Dogs (~Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, ...) US US$ 39.99
If You Are The One (~Ge You, Shu Kei, ...) HK US$ 27.90
In The Realm of the Senses (~Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji, ...) US US$ 39.95
JCVD (~Jean-Claude Van Damme) US US$ 34.99
Naked Weapon (~Maggie Q, Anya, ...) HK US$ 27.90
The Accidental Spy (~Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, ...) HK US$ 27.90
The Da Vinci Code (~Paul Bettany, Tom Hanks, ...) US US$ 38.96
The Da Vinci Code Extended Cut JPN US$ 52.90
The Omega Man (~Anthony Zerbe, Charlton Heston, ...) US US$ 28.99
The Reader (~Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes) US US$ 34.99
The Sky Crawlers [Blu-Ray+DVD] (~Voice: Ryo Kase, Rinko Kikuchi, ...) HK US$ 27.90
The Uninvited (~Elizabeth Banks, Emily Browning, ...) US US$ 39.99
What Doesn't Kill You (~Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet, ...) US US$ 39.95
Online play is half of the White Knight Chronicles experience, but in Japan you can only communicate with other players by typing messages. Imagine trying to type “HEAL ME!” while evading a giant troll foot from squishing you. The good news is the North American version may have voice chat.
In an interview at the PlayStation Blog, Tsubasa Inaba, US Producer of White Knight Chronicles, explains, “we realize the necessity of voice chat. We’re trying to get this in before release in the US market. We’re working on it.” That’s promising! It sounds like voice chat is well into development.
Inaba also comments on cross region play with, “we’re looking into it. We’re doing online testing domestically and also overseas. It is in our mind set, we’re just trying to make it happen.” Language barriers may complicate communication, but it’s good to see Sony leaving the door open for worldwide White Knight Chronicles online play. The US version will also contain tweaks introduced in the Japanese version on the disc. Hmm… I suppose that means we won’t have to wait for White Knight Chronicles 1st Wave then.
Nintendo’s streaming video and coupon dispensing houseplant program, Wii no Ma (Wii’s Room), launched in Japan today. I downloaded it and after I set up my room drama star Tokito Saburo automatically stopped by to visit. We watched a movie about African Elephants.
Right now there aren’t many videos to watch on Wii no Ma. There are some promotional clips from 7 Eleven and short recipes to see. If you want actual TV shows and movies Minna no Theater Wii from Fujisoft might be a better alternative.
But, you can’t expect too much. Wii no Ma is free while Everyone’s Theater Wii is not. Another neat feature about Wii no Ma is it acts like a non interactive playground for you Miis. You can put up to eight Mii’s in a room and they do their own thing as if they were in The Sims. Usually, Miis congregate around the TV. Occasionally, they walk around, inspect the Wii Fit poster which looks like a Nintendo controlled advertisement and if you make them call up celebrimiis you previously met.
I called up the only celebrimii in my contact list, Tokito Saburo. He wanted to watch the same African Elephant video again. I told him to get out.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an action-adventure featuring a true-to-character Wolverine gameplay experience that takes gamers through and beyond the movie's storyline. Set in a variety of vivid real-world locales, the title challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and destroy enemies, and take on seemingly insurmountable situations while discovering the truth about Wolverine's tragic past. With razor-sharp adamantium claws unsheathed, the future X-Man enacts lightning-quick combat, evasive maneuvers, in-depth combo attacks, and an array of brutal finishing moves. Wolverine doesn't just deliver massive damage, either ?he also takes it, thanks to his mutant regenerative power that heals him in real time right before the player's eyes.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an action-adventure featuring a true-to-character Wolverine gameplay experience that takes gamers through and beyond the movie's storyline. Set in a variety of vivid real-world locales, the title challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and destroy enemies, and take on seemingly insurmountable situations while discovering the truth about Wolverine's tragic past. With razor-sharp adamantium claws unsheathed, the future X-Man enacts lightning-quick combat, evasive maneuvers, in-depth combo attacks, and an array of brutal finishing moves. Wolverine doesn't just deliver massive damage, either ?he also takes it, thanks to his mutant regenerative power that heals him in real time right before the player's eyes.
EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) PSP case
Protects your device from bumps, shock
Offers complete protection, with soft interior cushion that surrounds your NDSi
Disney characters on cover
EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) NDSi case
Protects your device from bumps, shock
Offers complete protection, with soft interior cushion that surrounds your NDSi
Disney characters on cover
Compact design
Custom fit case providing the ultimate Protection for your NDS Lite Games
lightweight design for easy portability
Compactly store up to 6 DS Game cards
After two-and-a-half years in the making, more if you count the original German version’s development time, the Breath of Fire 2 Retranslation Patch (v1.0) is finally done.
The English patch includes numerous bugfixes and improvements, restoring features and interface elements missing from the German version: you can buy stacks of items again, and the handy AP cost window in the battle menu has been restored. Also, the “disappearing cursor” has been rectified; special thanks to the beta testers for getting on my case about that.
The patch download includes translator’s notes (warning: heavy spoilers!) and some bonus goodies: a pair of alternate intro patches, one for those who’d like to see how the intro looks with a different song, and another for those who’d like the original title screen music back.
The Codemii Team have released a new version of their Homebrew Browser :
Able to download and browse at the same time (just click on a category when downloading)
Fixed bug which didn’t show the last character for applications names, descriptions, etc.
Fixed bug where the wrong applications were shown after downloading from download queue
Added GC controller support (port #1)
Added nunchuck support for scrolling the apps list
Added ability to power off the Wii via the Wiimote power button
Menu items are now accessible when in the help or settings screen
The Homebrew Browser has now been upgraded to v0.3.1. I was planning to release this a little later so that I could add the updated applications pop-up however it seems that how the server sends the list file has changed and therefore applications names, descriptions, etc were missing the last character.
This has now been fixed and along with this comes the feature of downloading and browsing at the same time, just click on another category when downloading and you’ll be able to browse.
The Nes Emulator for Wii and Gamecube has been updated, heres the details:
FCE Ultra GX is a modified port of the FCE Ultra 0.98.12 Nintendo Entertainment system for x86 (Windows/Linux) PC's. With it you can play NES games on your Wii/GameCube. Version 2 is a complete rewrite based on code from SNES9x GX.
Features
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
iNES, FDS, VS, UNIF, and NSF ROM support
1-4 Player support
Zapper support
RAM / State saving support
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
NES Compatibility Based on v0.98.12
Sound Filters
Graphics Filters (GX Chipset, Cheesy and 2x)
[3.0.2 - April 30, 2009]
* Improved scrollbar
* Multiple state saves now working
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed rumble bug in filebrowser
* Fixed PAL sound stuttering
* Added confirmation prompts
* Fixed settings saving glitches
The Nes Emulator for Wii and Gamecube has been updated, heres the details:
FCE Ultra GX is a modified port of the FCE Ultra 0.98.12 Nintendo Entertainment system for x86 (Windows/Linux) PC's. With it you can play NES games on your Wii/GameCube. Version 2 is a complete rewrite based on code from SNES9x GX.
Features
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
iNES, FDS, VS, UNIF, and NSF ROM support
1-4 Player support
Zapper support
RAM / State saving support
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
NES Compatibility Based on v0.98.12
Sound Filters
Graphics Filters (GX Chipset, Cheesy and 2x)
[3.0.2 - April 30, 2009]
* Improved scrollbar
* Multiple state saves now working
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed rumble bug in filebrowser
* Fixed PAL sound stuttering
* Added confirmation prompts
* Fixed settings saving glitches
Since early April, fans have voted to see which of their favorite Guitar Hero songs have found a spot on the highly anticipated set list for Guitar Hero Smash Hits. The initial votes put the original Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II on top. The voting continued this past week and established Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as the clear winner. Stay tuned to SmashHits.GuitarHero.com to see which songs from Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s are featured in Guitar Hero Smash Hits when the complete set list is revealed next week.
Guitar Hero Smash Hits explodes onto store shelves on June 16, 2009 with 48 master tracks now playable for the entire band, including the following tracks from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock:
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Pat Benatar - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Kiss - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
AFI - "Miss Murder"
DragonForce - "Through The Fire And Flames"
Priestess - "Lay Down"
Slayer - "Raining Blood"
Previously announced tracks:
Guitar Hero
Pantera - "Cowboys From Hell (Live)"
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Queens Of The Stone Age - "No One Knows"
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock N' Roll"
Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
White Zombie - "Thunder Kiss '65"
Blue Öyster Cult - "Godzilla"
Helmet - "Unsung (Live)"
Queen - "Killer Queen"
Incubus - "Stellar"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark At The Moon"
Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"
The Donnas - "Take It Off"
The Exies - "Hey You"
Guitar Hero II
Avenged Sevenfold - "Beast And The Harlot"
Rage Against The Machine - "Killing In The Name"
Rush - "YYZ"
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
Foo Fighters - "Monkey Wrench"
Iron Maiden - "The Trooper"
Nirvana - "Heart-Shaped Box"
Lamb of God - "Laid To Rest"
The Police - "Message In A Bottle"
Wolfmother - "Woman"
Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart"
Warrant - "Cherry Pie"
Alice in Chains - "Them Bones"
Danzig - "Mother"
Jane's Addiction - "Stop!"
Reverend Horton Heat - "Psychobilly Freakout"
The Sword - "Freya"
Mötley Crüe- "Shout At The Devil"
SouthPeak Interactive Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SOPK) announced today that it will be publishing Sled Shred for Wii. Focused on downhill sled racing on everything from tubes and toboggans to discs and bobsleds, Sled Shred promises to give players a thrilling experience as they try and earn their way into the World Winter Games, racing with and against the world-renowned Jamaican Bobsled team. Sled Shred is scheduled for release in fall 2009.
"We are very excited to bring this unique racing experience to Wii with Sled Shred," said Richard Iggo, VP of Marketing at SouthPeak Interactive. "A sledding game is a natural fit for Wii owners, and we can't wait to see everyone using their natural body movements to steer their sleds down those slopes!"
In Sled Shred, players form a team determined to prove themselves in a quest to compete at the World Winter Games. The Jamaican Bobsled team will be present in the game's story mode to coach and challenge players. Sled Shred offers a variety of different vehicles to race, including inner tubes and bobsleds, on more than 10 different snowy courses. Players can challenge one another or race together against the computer in free play mode, and have the option of using the Wii Balance Board accessory to control their vehicles as they race.
Sled Shred is scheduled for release this fall. For more information visit www.southpeakgames.com.
New details about the game coming soon to Wii and DS:
Split-Screen Race
In this mode, two players race to see who can finish the stage in the shortest amount of time. Obstacles such as rotating platforms, butterfly platforms and Meemoos will attempt to slow the player and knock off his or her meteors, and each level is more challenging than the last, with faster falling meteors, more obstacles and larger stages. Along with the obstacles in the stage, players will gain power ups to use against one another as the match progresses, some power-ups include: summoning Meemoos, covering your opponent's screens in frost and placing parachutes on their falling meteors, slowing them down considerably. The winner is declared when one player reaches the bottom platform and clears all of their meteors or, if the other player fills up their lose meter.
Party Mode
This mode supports up to four players in total. Players work together to complete a stage and continue on to the next. During a stage, players have the ability to catch butterflies and throw hammers; the difference here is that players will randomly be selected to control different platforms during a stage, which will be indicated by their profile picture next to the active platform. Though this mode is all about teamwork, everyone's scores are separate, and at the end of each stage all players' scores will be tallied and the one with the highest score will be "crowned" the winner of that stage.
Story Mode
You are able to play with up to four players in Story Mode. Only the first player will be able to rotate platforms while the others are able to catch butterflies and throw hammers. During skydiving levels, all players control their own characters as they try to collect as many meteors as the can while avoiding Meemoos and other obstacles as they make their descent.
Roogoo Attack! Multiplayer
Roogoo Attack! features a single multiplayer mode - the Split-Screen Race. The basic gameplay follows the same format as Roogoo Twisted Towers, but with some key differences. Roogoo Attack! can accommodate up to four players. Also, players don't gain power-ups by making combinations and completing their meteors, but instead by collecting electric blue stars. The blue stars will give players special attack abilities that they can use to foil their adversaries. Also, like in Roogoo Twisted Towers players still win by reaching the bottom platform and clearing all their meteors, but now in Roogoo Attack! Multiplayer they no longer have to worry about losing too many meteors. The lose meter has been removed and players can put their full concentration into using speed to win the match.
Wii/DS Unlockables
Unlockables reward players with extra bonus stages for beating all levels in a world successfully in both Roogoo Twisted Towers and Roogoo Attack! The stages can be unlocked when using the local wi-fi connectivity function between both the Wii and DS version of Roogoo. Roogoo Twisted Towers has 10 unlockable stages while Roogoo Attack! contains 28 unlockables.
The Snes Emulator for Gamecube and Wii has been updated again, heres the details:
A Super Nintendo emulator based on Snes9x, ported to the Wii and GameCube. The code is a continuation of Softdev and Crunchy2's efforts, and uses libogc and devkitppc.
Features
Based on Snes9x 1.51 - superior ROM compatibility
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
SNES Superscope, Mouse, Justifier support
Cheat support
Auto Load/Save Game Snapshots and SRAM
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
Autodetect PAL/NTSC
16:9 widescreen support
Open Source!
[4.0.4 - April 30, 2009]
* Improved scrollbar
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed rumble bug in filebrowser
* Added confirmation prompts
* Fixed settings saving glitches
The Snes Emulator for Gamecube and Wii has been updated again, heres the details:
A Super Nintendo emulator based on Snes9x, ported to the Wii and GameCube. The code is a continuation of Softdev and Crunchy2's efforts, and uses libogc and devkitppc.
Features
Based on Snes9x 1.51 - superior ROM compatibility
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
SNES Superscope, Mouse, Justifier support
Cheat support
Auto Load/Save Game Snapshots and SRAM
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
Autodetect PAL/NTSC
16:9 widescreen support
Open Source!
[4.0.4 - April 30, 2009]
* Improved scrollbar
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed rumble bug in filebrowser
* Added confirmation prompts
* Fixed settings saving glitches
The GBA Emulator for Wii and Gamecube has been updated, heres the details:
A Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advance emulator based on VBA-M, ported to the Wii and GameCube. The code is a continuation of Softdev and emu_kidid's efforts, and uses libogc and devkitppc.
Features
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
SRAM and State saving
IPS/UPS/PPF patch support
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
Compatiblity based on VBA-M r847
MEM2 ROM Storage for fast access
Auto frame skip for those core heavy games
Turbo speed, video zooming, widescreen, and unfiltered video options
[2.0.1 - April 30, 2009]
* Multiple state saves now working
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed settings saving glitches
* Fixed Mortal Kombat GameCube controller bug
* Fixed Zelda DX palette bug
* Fixed Harry Potter 1-3 keyboard bug
The GBA Emulator for Wii and Gamecube has been updated, heres the details:
A Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advance emulator based on VBA-M, ported to the Wii and GameCube. The code is a continuation of Softdev and emu_kidid's efforts, and uses libogc and devkitppc.
Features
Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
SRAM and State saving
IPS/UPS/PPF patch support
Custom controller configurations
SD, USB, DVD, SMB, GC Memory Card, Zip, and 7z support
Compatiblity based on VBA-M r847
MEM2 ROM Storage for fast access
Auto frame skip for those core heavy games
Turbo speed, video zooming, widescreen, and unfiltered video options
[2.0.1 - April 30, 2009]
* Multiple state saves now working
* Built with more stable libogc/libfat
* Fixed settings saving glitches
* Fixed Mortal Kombat GameCube controller bug
* Fixed Zelda DX palette bug
* Fixed Harry Potter 1-3 keyboard bug
This is a port of Super Mario War to the Wii, using SDL Wii. It should be fully functional (with the exception of netplay - which requires someone (hint) to port SDL_Net). To make this port possible, I've had to rewrite significant portions of SDL Wii, particularly a complete re-write of the file, video, and sound systems. However, I'm hoping this work will encourage other developers to port more SDL-based games and applications to the Wii.
Fixed compatibility bugs with libogc 1.7.*.
TCP Client enabled, thanks Q1Rev.
Better nun chuck controls.
Shouldn't need nun chuck reattached to be detected.
Removed old file system access methods.
Bug fixes.
Bugs
Configuration file doesn't save
Gamecube controller disabled, until final input reorganization.
Skins in multi player do not render.
Crashes on exit some times.
Copper continued to improve its emulator roms MAME Game PAC MAN and 60 other similar games, "DS PACK.
Reminder:
Pack-DS emulates up to 60 MAME roms in. Zip.
-The resource pack contains screenshots, cabinets, flyers, marquees to copy in the same place as your ROM.
-The pack contains the png images as well as a batch to convert them into resources compatible with the emulator.
Quote:
* I switched the arrows keys and the L / R. ...
* That said cyclo ds evolution using L / R to change the page (and I still find it more logical), but good because I use more my AceKard 2i to test at this time ... To see so if more people prefer the old keys, it is not excluded that I spare again ....
* I took the opportunity to improve the reset, I do save the hi-score until it has actually changed (which accelerates the return to the menu otherwise) and I cut the sound before the backup which should avoid unpleasant noise ...
FluBBa has released his first Emulator for the DS and its of the arcade game Green Beret.
heres the details:
I've finaly got my thumb out and "finnished up" my first DS emulator
It plays Green Beret and Green Beret alone.
To make it work you have DLDI patch the .nds file first and then create a gberet folder on your card, either in the root of the card or in the data folder in the root. Now put the unzipped rom files in the gberet folder.
I'm very interested in how this works on different cards, or if you can make it work at all. The .nds file is prepatched for DS-X cards.
Electronic Arts is pushing the DS not just in the West, but in the East as well, where EA Japan has just announced an original action adventure game for the system. The game is called Shonen Kininden Tsumuji and promises ninja action set in dungeons.
You take control of Tsumuji, a young ninja in training. One day, a mysterious group of ninjas attacks the mountain retreat of Tsumuji, his family, and his childhood friend Momo. It's up to Tsumuji to save the bunch, making use of a large shuriken known as "Senpuuki."
Actual gameplay details are scarce, but we know you'll be exploring dungeons and using the stylus to guide Tsumuji in fights against ninja foes. There also appears to be be somewhat of a collection component to the game, as EA says you'll have to gather "secrets" from hidden places, like under floors and behind walls.
We have a feeling information should be forthcoming on Shonen Kininden Tsumuji shortly, however, as the game has already appeared in playable form. EA showed the game in January at Japan's World Hobby Fair event, but asked the Japanese media to refrain from speaking about it. The title will be reappearing this weekend at a Coro Coro Comics sponsored event at the Suzuka Circuit raceway. This hopefully means official details will follow through the usual Japanese sources like Famitsu.
For now, we have just one piece of artwork for you. Take a long look, and wonder what a Japanese EA game will be like.
Since early April, fans have voted to see which of their favorite Guitar Hero songs have found a spot on the highly anticipated set list for Guitar Hero Smash Hits. The initial votes put the original Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II on top. The voting continued this past week and established Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as the clear winner. Stay tuned to SmashHits.GuitarHero.com to see which songs from Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s are featured in Guitar Hero Smash Hits when the complete set list is revealed next week.
Guitar Hero Smash Hits explodes onto store shelves on June 16, 2009 with 48 master tracks now playable for the entire band, including the following tracks from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock:
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Pat Benatar - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Kiss - "Rock And Roll All Nite"
AFI - "Miss Murder"
DragonForce - "Through The Fire And Flames"
Priestess - "Lay Down"
Slayer - "Raining Blood"
Previously announced tracks:
Guitar Hero
Pantera - "Cowboys From Hell (Live)"
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Queens Of The Stone Age - "No One Knows"
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock N' Roll"
Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
White Zombie - "Thunder Kiss '65"
Blue Öyster Cult - "Godzilla"
Helmet - "Unsung (Live)"
Queen - "Killer Queen"
Incubus - "Stellar"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark At The Moon"
Deep Purple - "Smoke On The Water"
The Donnas - "Take It Off"
The Exies - "Hey You"
Guitar Hero II
Avenged Sevenfold - "Beast And The Harlot"
Rage Against The Machine - "Killing In The Name"
Rush - "YYZ"
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
Foo Fighters - "Monkey Wrench"
Iron Maiden - "The Trooper"
Nirvana - "Heart-Shaped Box"
Lamb of God - "Laid To Rest"
The Police - "Message In A Bottle"
Wolfmother - "Woman"
Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart"
Warrant - "Cherry Pie"
Alice in Chains - "Them Bones"
Danzig - "Mother"
Jane's Addiction - "Stop!"
Reverend Horton Heat - "Psychobilly Freakout"
The Sword - "Freya"
Mötley Crüe- "Shout At The Devil"
This time, good news for people who want to run PS2Doom from memory cards:
Now the .WAD file is loaded from the same directory ps2doom.elf resides, so this avoid the mess of having files at the root of USB storage devices. As a consequence, the files can be entirely placed at memory cards. USB storage devices are still supported, of course.
Currently, HDD is not yet supported. To detect the device name and full path of ps2doom.elf I just parse the main’s argv[0] string. It seems that when launching from HDD using uLaunchELF, the device name appears as “host:”… So I’m not sure on how to detect when ps2doom is executed from HDD. Any help?
I believe HDD support will be added along with a config file where would be listed all the .WAD paths to feed a WAD selector.
Another feature added :
- The Quit option menu now boots back to the OSD PS2 Browser
Well some truth is to be known about the current statements about the Rumors that dashhacker has reversed the PSP remote play functions. Well all good and dandy but there is some news to be said about it.
Back when I was working on E-Premo I did alot of research in the dumps of the ram. And there are a few things that the PSP and the ps3 needed to get to connect.
ps3_name
ps3_mac
ps3_keytype
Anyways. They got this with 2 little pluggins from the PSP itself.
flash0:/vsh/resource/npsignin_plugin.rco
flash0:/vsh/module/npsignin_plugin.prx
Reversing those can also get you some basic information, and thats most likely what he did and tried to make a big hype about it.
Being the fact they have now upgraded the remote play a bit it may be a bit more advanced. They use 3 different keys based off the base64 algorythm *spelling*. Anyways it has to do with alot of signin and auth over an http network as the PS3 acts like a server on port 9293. And it runs off multiple information off the flash and relates it as Native: . It also works with certs, and UID (uniqueId).
There were also some sha keys as well and I never got to the point of figuring out where they came to use, but I'm sure they pull a point in authorizing everything.
Anyways, to basicly emulate the remote play you would have to fully emulate the PSP and use the stock remote play function as creating your own remote play will not correctly or even allow you to connect with the PS3.
Well some truth is to be known about the current statements about the Rumors that dashhacker has reversed the PSP remote play functions. Well all good and dandy but there is some news to be said about it.
Back when I was working on E-Premo I did alot of research in the dumps of the ram. And there are a few things that the PSP and the ps3 needed to get to connect.
ps3_name
ps3_mac
ps3_keytype
Anyways. They got this with 2 little pluggins from the PSP itself.
flash0:/vsh/resource/npsignin_plugin.rco
flash0:/vsh/module/npsignin_plugin.prx
Reversing those can also get you some basic information, and thats most likely what he did and tried to make a big hype about it.
Being the fact they have now upgraded the remote play a bit it may be a bit more advanced. They use 3 different keys based off the base64 algorythm *spelling*. Anyways it has to do with alot of signin and auth over an http network as the PS3 acts like a server on port 9293. And it runs off multiple information off the flash and relates it as Native: . It also works with certs, and UID (uniqueId).
There were also some sha keys as well and I never got to the point of figuring out where they came to use, but I'm sure they pull a point in authorizing everything.
Anyways, to basicly emulate the remote play you would have to fully emulate the PSP and use the stock remote play function as creating your own remote play will not correctly or even allow you to connect with the PS3.
Hi Guys,
Here's an update to Bitmap Hunter for devices 16 bit graphics.
Bitmap Hunter is a homebrew program for Sony PSP designed to hunt,
and directly edit monochrome, 256 colour, or 16 bit bitmaps within firmware files
for electronic devices so they can be user customised.
Bitmap Hunter has now been tested with Apple Ipod firmware,
although I don't own the ipod hardware to try loading it.
YouTube Video (shows GPS with modified screens at the end) :
YouTube - Bitmap Hunter V4
Video is of Bitmap Hunter V4 with 256 colour (8 bit) graphics.
This definately marks my retirement from the PSP scene (the programming side at least).
I've moved on to my first Windows program, and would like to look into the Apple iphone later on.
It would be safe to say this will be my last public PSP program unless I happen to need something
for myself in aid of some project that may also suit others.
Rumors of a major PSP hardware redesign have repeatedly bubbled to the surface over the last several months -- some claiming the removal of the system's UMD disc drive, and others pointing to a second analog stick and sliding screen. According to sources directly involved with the new system, we have learned that Sony will quell those rumors by unveiling their revamped PSP at this year's E3 conference in June.
Many have speculated that the update would be called either the PSP 2 or PSP-4000, but our sources claim Sony will forgo a numerical moniker in favor of a subtitle. We've heard various rumored code names for the project (including PSP Slide, PSP Flip, and PSP Go!), but given that Sony has introduced the Go! brand of add-ons (the Go!View video on-demand service and 1.3 megapixel Go!Cam) for the European PSP, it seems likely that the new system will in fact be called the PSP Go! Our sources further confirm that this redesign will be available in two SKUs, with either eight or 16 GB of built-in flash memory. The system is set for release in Japan this September with a U.S. debut coming in either late October or early November.
In addition, since the UMD is going away, Sony will have over 100 classic and new PSP titles available for download at launch (Gran Turismo Mobile is said to be one of the premier launch titles). As for the hardware itself, the redesign will include a d-pad, analog nub, and face buttons as part of a sliding unit sticking out below the screen (as seen in our mockup above). Unfortunately for those looking for twin-stick shooter controls, the new system will not have a second analog stick, but instead will remain consistent with the current control configuration.
When asked about any of these details, Sony, of course, stated that it "does not comment on rumors or speculation."
As a bit of actual speculation, we wouldn't be surprised to see Sony borrow many design features from their Mylo 2 handheld Internet device, which is seemingly dead in the water. This could provide an 800x480 pixel touch screen for the system, as well as a camera on the system's backside.
Between the redesign and a strong lineup of recently announced PSP titles (see: Tekken 6 and Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny), Sony is clearly attempting to assert their relevance in the wake of the DSi's release and success of the iPhone as a gaming platform. It'll be interesting to see what sort of a splash Sony makes and the reaction the new hardware receives when it debuts at E3, which is only a month away. Preloading every PSP Go! with a copy of LittleBigPlanet would certainly make some waves.
Dragonica is a side-scrolling action MMO, similar in gameplay to Golden Axe or Streets of Rage. Unlike many MMO's it is free to play, unlike many free MMO's it isn't terrible. There is a general consensus that free MMO means terrible game riddled with bugs and bad graphics. In many cases this is true however it couldn't be further from the truth with Dragonica, where even the preview version is highly polished with beautiful colourful, vibrant graphics and excellent game play.
You start off by creating your character, this can be of one of four classes: Thief, Fighter, Magician or Archer. Each one will have their own style of combat and can only wear the gear of their class. The game plays very similar to the side scrolling beat em ups of the 80s and 90s. You walk forward, you find enemies, you slash them up and move on. This simple style of play makes the game very accessible. The control scheme is also very simple, relying on the cursor keys and Z, X, C and Space bar. The game's reliance on such a few keys and the future addition of controller support makes it ideal for playing on a controller. Any controller. It is possible to play this game using a SNES pad with a USB connector. It's also compatible with Xbox 360and Sega Saturn controllers, with work being done at the moment to make it playable using an Atari Jaguar pad amongst others.
The graphics are a form of chibi anime, everything is cute and brightly coloured even the enemies. The lack of blood and cartoon violence makes it perfect for parents who want their children to play a game but don't want them exposed to the violence and gore that other games can contain. The game itself requires very low specs to play, allowing older laptops and PC's to enjoy the game on high graphics, however should you select the low graphics option the game will remove the background. The purpose of this is so that everyone can enjoy the game as it is meant to be played even on low settings.
As is common with both MMO's and RPG's, Dragonica includes a skill tree for each class. These trees aren't complicated, no more than 4 tiers deep with 2 or 3 skills per tier. Normally this would conflict with the simplistic style of play, but most of these abilities take the form of passive effects or combo abilities that can be executed using a direction and attack. For example one warrior skill is to jump in the air and slam down to the ground, you can use a keybind for it, alternatively you can jump in the air and attack whilst holding down to do the same thing. This is what allows the game to work so well using a controller.
The interface of many areas of the game is reminiscent of other mainstream MMO's, this was done with the intention of players being able to get into the game quickly without having to relearn how everything works. Some examples of this include Mailboxes, Auction Houses and gold exclamation marks over the heads of quest givers.
The business plan of the game is Free to play with micro transactions. These MT's take the form of non-gameplay items, such as player housing furniture and silly suits such as an astronaut or a skeleton.
Future features of the game include:
Guild PVP
40 Man PVP fights
Pet training and mounts
Dragonica's cute graphics and low specs create an MMO that is accessible to almost everyone with a PC or Laptop. As it is free to play there is no commitment to playing for long periods of time. Adding in the controller support and control style enables anyone to play the game whatever way they want, it's ideal for busting out an old controller from your favourite console and playing with it. This all makes Dragonica a definite game to keep an eye on.
This is a preview of Dragonica, it is a sample and therefore cannot be taken as the final word of the full version scheduled for released in June.
Hello there.
I ported Convey SDL to the Dreamcast. Hooray! It's now the 3rd dreamcast port of this game.
My port doesn't even suppport the joypad, you can only use the keyboard. Blame me! ;-) I'll release a fixed version
soon. The next update should have some new levels, too.
I used SDL and KallistiOS from DC Dev ISO R4 to compile it. Please also note that this game was only tested on emulators (Makaron and nullDC), though it should work on a real Dreamcast as well.
You can find burning instructions on sites like dcemulation.org or dreamcast-scene.com.
Gamers will no doubt be interested to see that their favorite consoles -- the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's Playstation 3 (just to name a few) -- are just as beautiful to behold on the inside as they are on the outside. A courageous enthusiast named Reintiji's uploaded a whole set of x-rays to Flickr, and we have to say they turned out pretty artistic.
Windows 7 might be getting all the attention lately, but Windows XP is having a quiet little renaissance of its own -- not only have sales of the venerable OS been extended until 2010, Microsoft is selling an ultra-secure version to the Air Force. The custom build ships with over 600 settings bolted down, and a security patch turnaround of just 72 hours compared to the standard edition's 57 days -- all because Steve Ballmer personally stepped in and approved the project at the Air Force's request. The effort's to standardize and preconfigure the OS has paid off: 85 percent of previous known exploits have been blocked, support call volume has dropped 40 percent, and the USAF has saved some $100 million in costs. Nice -- but don't get your hopes up, since it doesn't seem like Microsoft has any intention of selling this version to the public.
You can be sure this won't be the last PSP rumor to surface before E3, but the word going around now is that the so-called PSP Go! (or PSP2, or PSP Slide...) won't rely primarily on some internal memory for storage as previously speculated, but on something like Sony's new Memory Stick HG-Micro format, which is about 40MB/s faster than a standard Memory Stick Duo card. That word apparently comes from some "sources close to PSP development" that have spoken to PC World's Game On blog, who seem to also be suggesting that the Memory Sticks would effectively replace UMDs as a game delivery format, and not simply be used for downloaded games and whatnot. All of which certainly seems reasonable enough, even if it's still far from being anywhere close to official.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter doesn't expect a new hardware cycle to begin before 2013.
"We do not expect a "new" console in 2010 (other than the long-rumoured high definition Wii, which is likely to upgrade the Wii to current console technology)," he wrote in an industry newsletter.
"We do not expect the 'next' generation to begin before 2013, if at all," he added.
"We remain convinced that the publishers will resist the introduction of any video game hardware technology that requires a refresh of software, as the publishers have as yet to capitalise on the immense investments made in being competitive in the current cycle.
"We therefore think it is likely that the 'next' generation will begin after 2013, meaning that software sales are likely to grow by a compounded annual rate of 6-10 percent for another five years.
"Because R&D costs are likely to flatten out with the benefits of a learning curve, we expect earnings leverage as the publishers are able to exploit R&D investments. In brief, we think that investors have it wrong so far this cycle, and think that investment in video game publishers will bear fruit for many years."
Earlier this week Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the publisher was already preparing for the next generation of consoles, which he expects to launch in the next few years.
"We need to get ready for the future generation of consoles," he said. "In the next few years, there will be new home and handheld consoles, and if you don't invest... you will not be able to cope with both [the existing and new generation consoles]."
The trailer for Gameloft's iPhone version of its upcoming Terminator: Salvation game leaked, and we're pretty impressed. We can't tell how the controls will work, but the graphics and gameplay really do look great.
3.0 Beta 4 has been jailbroken! This is the "official" unofficial jailbreak from Russia. Their patched QuickPwn will jailbreak your iPhone, iPhone 3G, or 1st generation iPod Touch running 3.0 Beta 4 firmware that released a few days ago.
As with the previous 3.0 beta jailbreaks, Icy is installed instead of Cydia. Icy takes some getting used to and isn't nearly as functional as Cydia but we are left without options until Cydia is updated for 3.0.
Once again this is not a official dev team release. It is independently compiled firmware bundles packaged into the dev teams QuickPwn software.
This is for windows only! A mac version will only be released by the dev team and they are not releasing their jailbreak until the offical release of 3.0.
Just released is iTwin v1.4Final, a Windows app which lets you access your iPhone's db's from your PC, in a decent UI. The author describes the app as
Quote:
a program for the Windows PC, that will show the content of your iPhone/iPod Touch databases in a quite familliar 'Look & Feel'. You will have access to your 'Contacts', your 'SMS', to the 'Calendar' and to your 'Notes'. In addition iTwin will generate a 'Birthday-List' including 'Zodics' out of your contact details.
iTwin can read your databases in two different ways. If your device is 'jailbroken' then you have instant access to your data via 'WiFi'. The second way is by analysing the 'iTunes-Backup-Files', where it is not nessesary to have a 'modified'
High Voltage, the studio behind the (latest) bacon-saver for Wii core gamers, The Conduit, says his house will show off two more Wii exclusives at E3, capable of five dozen onscreen foes, minimum.
HV exec Eric Nofsinger says they'll be showing "two big ones" at E3 - no, not that - both of them FPSes like The Conduit. In an interview with the French site Nintendo Master, he said High Voltage is looking "to do some things that are very, very rare, even on the 360 or PS3."
Some of the things we're doing with sheer number of enemies onscreen and things like that are very impressive. We've got a demo that we'll be showing, where the average number of enemies on the screen at a given time is 65. And it goes up. There's areas where you go onto a vista and there's an incredible number of enemies.
I'm not sure that 65 on-screen enemies, on average, is all that "rare" for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, which can handle multiple hundreds. Hell, MAG is gonna do 256 of them in multiplayer. But Nofsinger almost certainly is being mindful of the disappointment in Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop's comparatively sparse zombie horde.
Samsung has released the first version of DevPak for the i8910 (Omnia HD). It's an extension/plugin for the S60 5th Edition SDK providing the look and feel of the i8910 and a set of i8910's unique APIs (e.g. Motion UI and NaviSensor APIs). More information and download is available here.
Best Call Notes from Smartphoneware allows you to take notes during a call. Notes can be tagged to the person you are speaking with and can be easily accessed when you have a conversation with this contact next time. Also you can create global notes to be accessible during any call. The program provides an easy access to any note taken during a call. You may browse, edit or pre-create notes for a contact at any time.
Additionally it provides small but handy functions to improve your calling experience like call duration timer, instant call back or sms send, view contact details you are speaking with, unknown numbers fast shipping to new or existing contacts, creating calendar events right after a call, etc. The application does not substitute your phone dialer or any your phone functionality you are used to. It integrates itself into the system and extends the functionality of calling and after calling process in native S60 way.
Today I'd like to eat a hamburger. Know why? It's Time for burgers, time for TELL US DAMMIT.
Here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, reader person.
You probably know oodles about us - more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob - and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban ya. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion.
Sucker Punch plans to release an inFamous demo on 21st May, according to the developer's website.
That's just over a week before the PS3-exclusive launches across Europe on 29th May.
InFamous follows the adventures of Cole McGrath, a bike messenger-turned-superhero after a huge electrical explosion. He soon finds that he can frazzle people with lightning bolts as well as manipulate electricity in many other ways - good or evil.
A developer at Sam Houston State University has created XFT, a forensics tool designed to root out "illicit hidden materials," including nefarious content like child pornography, buried on Xbox hard disks.
According to a report from Discover, the forensics tool can unearth data stored on a modded Xbox, offering investigators "bit-for-bit information" similar to tools used to scour PC hard drives. The software can also record the investigation, which can then be played back as trial evidence.
The original Xbox has become a media center of choice for some users who have since moved on to more current-generation devices. Unfortunately, it also appears to have become a storage device for criminals hoping to keep their more revolting content hidden from standard investigations.
Xbox Live Arcade may be getting another serving of heroes on the half-shell, as a 3D remake of arcade fighter Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time was shown to hardcore TMNT fans this week.
The original Konami-developed arcade game is already available on XBLA, but the update to the second appears to be a total revamp, and is currently playable wherever the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th anniversary bus tour is traveling, according to hands-on details from Ninja Pizza.
We've not yet seen an official announcement of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time remake, which we'd assume comes from new license holder Ubisoft, but we've put in word with the appropriate parties to find out what's what.
The on-screen inputs and Xbox 360 controller pictured—directly to the right of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tattoo collage on the Casey Jones cosplayer/superfan, if you missed it—would obviously indicate an Xbox 360 release. Whether the TMNT publisher has designs on a PlayStation Network and WiiWare release remains to be seen, but we'll sit tight for further details.
Thanks to Wes and The S: Corporate Ninja of The Department of Pastry Security for the tip!
My backlog is either impressive or pathetic, depending on your point of view. The number of marquee, triple-A releases that have gone largely untouched (or even unwrapped) may stagger you, dear reader.
Games like Gears of War 2, Call of Duty 4, Resident Evil 5, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and BioShock have remained unfinished or almost totally unplayed by me. Sure, others have enjoyed their company and save files exist on my consoles for these games, but they're a handful of titles that are a blight on my video gaming career.
Shameful, really, considering my deep knowledge and familiarity with this generation's forgettables, like Haze and Too Human.
So I'll play at least one of these modern day classics this weekend, I just won't commit to one. Something must be done to rectify my ignorance of these much beloved games. Maybe I need a week off. For research.
What are you playing this weekend? Any neglected library titles that desperately need some attention?
You know E3 is less than a month away when the Joystiq rumor page has near daily stories. Be that as it may, a tipster over at our sister site, Engadget, has spotted what seems to be a new peripheral for the Xbox 360. Though details are scant, the source notes that rather than holding a motion sensing peripheral of some sort, a camera, mic, and sensors will pick up "full body movement and sound." Here's the full bulleted list of features (again, according to the tipster):
Full body and hand gesture control of games / characters.
In fighting games you kick, punch, duck, dive, jump and so forth with your body.
It also picks up small hand gestures like pinching, grabbing and scrolling.
There will also be video conferencing and games with video.
Trivia game over the internet with live images of each person playing. When a question pops up, they can clap to buzz in.
You can "move objects on your screen" and the other party can see what you're doing in real time.
Sensor detects only the person playing, not folks observing on the couch.
Between the potential Sony hardware reveals of the "PSP Go!," a new motion-sensing PS3 controller, and now Microsoft potentially showing off a new motion and sound-sensing peripheral, E3 2009 should at very least be full of (somewhat expected) surprises!
Right at this very moment, protesters are organizing in a small church in Philadelphia, preparing to march on the Franklin Mills Mall. However, these activists don't have beef with Old Navy -- their destination is an Army Recruitment Center set up in the heart of the mall, which uses PCs and 360s (equipped with first-person shooters) to try to capture the attention of prospective soldiers who may be waiting in the Cinnabon line.
The anti-war protesters are expecting several hundred bullhorn-toting Phillies to come out in opposition of the Army's use of video games to boost recruitment. GamePolitics will be covering the protest via Twitter -- we suggest checking it out, so you can voice your support/proclaim your disapproval of the event with even greater accuracy.
Atomic Games' head Peter Tamte hasn't said much since his company's game, Six Days in Fallujah, was dropped by its publisher, Konami, this past week. Other than saying his team is still interested in completing the game, Mr. Tamte has done little to stand behind Atomic Games' foray into "documentary-style" gaming. Though during his keynote at the Triangle Game Conference this week, Tamte asked the crowd, "Are we really just high-tech toymakers, or are we media companies capable of producing content that is as relevant as movies, music and television?"
Expounding on the reasons Six Days in Fallujah stands up to the relevancy of the aforementioned mediums, Tamte said, "It is the dilemmas you face, and the choices you make, that give you insight into the events that are shaping our world in a way that no passive form of media can." For instance, when we choose which limb to eviscerate on that super mutant barreling down on us, right? Okay, maybe not. He continued, "We hope that Six Days in Fallujah will have the opportunity to change expectations of what a video game can be." Though we're more than a bit wary of Mr. Tamte's lofty expectations for the game, we've yet to get our mitts on it and will reserve our judgment until that day comes.
After making PC gamers wait for news on PC versions for Resident Evil 5 or Street Fighter IV, Capcom announced on Friday that both games will arrive for the platform this year. The company announced that Street Fighter IV, which shipped for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in February, will arrive for the PC in July. Also in July will be the PC version of Bionic Commando, which will ship on the consoles later this month. Resident Evil 5 will ship sometime later in the year.
Capcom says that all three games will be optimized for the platform and have PC-specific features. The PC version of Street Fighter IV will support higher resolutions and offer three new shaders that give the game unique looks. These looks are based on trailers that were released for the game. So you can make Street Fighter IV a watercolor style, a posterization style, or a sumi-e ink style. Rest assured that Street Fighter IV will also support online gameplay.
Bionic Commando on the PC will also have support for higher resolutions and online gameplay. It will also support both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10.
Finally, Resident Evil 5 on the PC will support co-op play online (just like the console versions). In addition, it will support Nvidia's GeForce 3D Vision technology, which basically allow for a 3D viewing experience not unlike 3D movies. You need to purchase the 3D Vision glasses separately.
d's Marty Stratton notes the following in his Quake Live developer blog on the subject of the Mac and Linux port of Quake Live: 'These have proved more difficult than expected, but we're getting close. We expect to also be testing Mac and Linux versions of Quake Live internally this month and then making those publicly available just as soon as we feel they are ready. This work is being done by a separate programmer in parallel with the other work that we're doing, and is his only priority — point being, that this is a top priority for us and not being delayed because of other work.' In my humble opinion, it's awesome to see that kind of (continued) dedication from a company."
The post also indicates that progress is being made on the much-awaited private server functionality, and part two makes brief mention of match broadcasting and community-made maps.
Electronic Arts has released a good bit of information about the online aspects of The Sims 3, which is due for release in early June. The game will have downloadable content available on launch day that includes a second, separate town called Riverview. They'll also be revamping the game's website to allow the sharing of content and integration with social media. In addition, EA mentioned that the game will make use of micro-transactions, which players can use to buy things like furniture, clothing, and other items.
A new category of 3-D motion controller for gamers uses a novel type of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope to track hand motions with unparalleled accuracy. By detecting the natural motions made by remote control users — as opposed to the unnatural motions that gamers must learn to control today — the MEMS chip is sure to be incorporated in both game consoles and other consumer electronics like TV remote controls. Nintendo has already incorporated a similar MEMS gyro into its forthcoming MotionPlus controller for the Wii, but this newer type of gyroscopic motion sensor will enable even more intuitive and agile control
We recently got a look at some hard numbers related to the piracy of Demigod , a new game from Stardock and Gas Powered Games. Now, two weeks later, Stardock CEO Brad Wardell has essentially declared the game a success in spite of the piracy, and reaffirmed the company's stance that intrusive DRM is a bad thing. The game's sales figures seem to bear him out. Quoting:
"Yep. Demigod is heavily pirated. And make no mistake, piracy pisses me off. If you're playing a pirated copy right now, if you're one of those people on Hamachi or GameRanger playing a pirated copy and have been for more than a few days, then you should either buy it or accept that you're a thief and quit rationalizing it any other way. The reality that most PC game publishers ignore is that there are people who buy games and people who don't buy games. The focus of a business is to increase its sales. My job, as CEO of Stardock, is not to fight worldwide piracy no matter how much it aggravates me personally. My job is to maximize the sales of my product and service and I do that by focusing on the people who pay my salary — our customers."
[William] sent in this project where he’s using his iPhone to control his TV lift. He’s made a custom PCB with a pic18f122 microprocessor to communicate with the lift. He says it connects to the lift controls via a serial port. You can see a video of it in action after the break. We really think the shadow turning into an arrow is cool. That was a lucky accident.
Just like Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days has cameo characters available as downloadable content. Nippon Ichi held a contest in Japan where they asked users to vote on who they want to see in the PSP game. Which demons made the cut?
Plenair claimed the top spot. Since she was a playable character for Disgaea DS we should see her in Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days as optional DLC. Eclair from La Pucelle Tactics took second place, two characters from Phantom Brave made the list, and one character from Musou Tourou, a Nippon Ichi and Fog project.
The first wave of downloadable content hits Japan on May 22. Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days hasn’t been officially confirmed for North America, but we’re confident NIS America is working on it and will announce it next week.
Aside from releasing a few games on the Virtual Console, Atlus Japan hasn’t done much with digital distribution. Covertly, they were working onItsudemo Purikura Kiradeko Premium for DSiWare. Yes, that DSiWare sticker photo app.
Nintendo asked Atlus, who was a cornerstone in the print club explosion, to create this title for DSiWare. One of the programmers who worked on Growlanser and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor actually programmed Itsudemo Purikura Kiradeko Premium. Atlus didn’t do all of the work. Nintendo assisted with the background music, but Atlus played a key role bringing blinged out frames to DSiWare.
Now that Atlus has experience with DSiWare what will their next project be? Meanwhile, Atlus USA will make their digital distribution debut with Droplitz.
XSEED Games today announced that Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga for Wii is currently in development and scheduled for release in North America in summer 2009. Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is the third installment of the popular action RPG and marks the first time the title will be available on a home console. The Valhalla Knights series has previously been available on the PlayStation?Portable system.
Enter into an epic tale that has endured for generations and generations. For centuries the land of Eldar has been synonymous with chaos and destruction; a place where monsters prey freely and demons wreak havoc, indiscriminate in their attacks. Legend tells of how, ages past, a being known as the Spirit King gained control of the creatures and waged an unrelenting war upon civilization. Order and life were brought to the brink of destruction, but an alliance of the four races was able to drive them back and seal the evil. Centuries have passed since that time, but once again the lands are slowly being overrun by the reemerging monsters. With the continent giving way to madness, a hero must come forth to reunite the races and confront the relentless enemy. And so the saga continues…
"We are looking forward to delivering the Valhalla Knights series to console gamers," said Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. "Eldar Saga is a fantastic extension of the Valhalla Knights world/universe/story, and will offer a unique and engaging experience that is sure to please the Wii fans."
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is an action RPG available exclusively on Wii. It is the follow up title to the original Valhalla Knights and Valhalla Knights 2, and expands upon the series by introducing a new online feature that allows two players to adventure through the land of Eldar co-operatively. Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga continues the series trademark of no random encounters while updating the real-time battle system to now include battles taking place on the world map instead of a separate battle screen for a seamless experience.
XSEED Games partnered with Marvelous Entertainment USA to secure the North America rights to publish and distribute Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga. This title is being developed by K2 and KUROGANE and will be available during summer 2009 exclusively for Wii.
Wii Device Library is a cross platform C# class library that provides an interface to various Wii related devices, like the Wiimote, Classic Controller, Nunchuk and Balance Board.
It’s possible to use Wii devices like the Wiimote or Balance Board with your computer. All you need besides one of these devices is some kind of bluetooth device. This could either be a bluetooth dongle or bluetooth built into your pc or laptop.
When using the Wii Device Library you don’t have to worry about all the bluetooth stuff, you can just access your device of choice through a simple and intuitive interface. Also new Wii devices and extensions can be implemented by this interface without recompiling Wii Device Library.
Another nice feature is the ability to scan for Wii devices through bluetooth and connect to them when they are available. This makes it possible to automatically connect to Wii devices when they are syncing. It uses the libraries of several bluetooth stacks to scan, connect and communicate with the Wii devices. Also this part of the library can be extended with support for more bluetooth stacks and/or operating systems.
Supported Wii devices
Wiimote
Nunchuk
Classic Controller
Guitar
Balance Board
Supported bluetooth stacks
Microsoft bluetooth
BlueSoleil
BlueZ
Features
A simple and intuitive programming interface.
The ability to scan and connect to Wii devices.
Wiimote extension support with a wide range of implemented extensions.
Support for multiple stacks.
The ability to extend the library to support more Wiimote extensions, devices and stacks.
Kuwanger has released a new version of his version of Goomba the Gameboy Emulator for the GBA:
I've just noticed an odd bug with my fork of Goomba. For some reason, whenever Super Mario Land starts up, the palette is messed up. This bug is apparently at least as old as my v2.32 fork (and probably earlier).
So, I've updated my fork to (hopefully) fix the problem by fixing custom palette loading.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced its exclusive agreement to acquire, publish and distribute Scribblenauts, a revolutionary original IP for Nintendo DS. Created and being developed by 5TH Cell, the game, available in fall 2009, will deliver a completely new, innovative gameplay experience. Scribblenauts offers a sandbox style game for all-age fun with two styles of gameplay and more than 200 levels.
"Scribblenauts is a fresh and inventive game offering players of all ages a chance to experiment and use their imagination in a really fun handheld gaming experience," said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "5TH Cell has a tradition of developing high-quality, innovative games such as Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest, and we're very pleased to work with them on Scribblenauts."
"We're excited to be working with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to bring Scribblenauts to a wide range of gamers, so they can play something they've never experienced anywhere else," said Jeremiah Slaczka, Creative Director and Co-Owner of 5TH Cell. "Scribblenauts is our biggest DS title to date and the culmination of our design knowledge and past experience creating original games."
In Scribblenauts, the player uses the Nintendo DS touch-screen to help his character, Maxwell, acquire the starite in each level by solving a series of puzzles. The twist is, in order to solve the puzzle, the player uses the stylus and notepad to write down the word for any object that comes to mind in order to reach the goal. Every object behaves as it would in the real world, and the player can combine countless objects together to create completely new behaviors. Every level has more than one written object to use as a solution, opening up the game to unlimited replay.
We'll have a whole lot more on Scribblenauts as development continues, starting with a new interview with Miah later today.
The PlayStation Network is a special place in the digital download scene. While Xbox Live sticks with mainstream titles and Nintendo's Virtual Console dishes out the oldies, the PlayStation Store has given PS3 owners some very unique items. From the beautiful Flower to the bizarre Linger in the Shadows, the PSN has your experimental numbers covered.
Today on the official PlayStation Blog, Senior Producer at Sony Santa Monica Studios Rusty Buchert made a post announcing a new project from .theprodukkt. Titled .deTuned, this experimental software will let players create custom visuals to music from their XMB and even augment the audio in the process. The premise sounds incredibly appealing, so we're eager for more details.
For now, check out these zany screenshots that show off the game's mysterious style.
The VGT team releases the first version of MaxFlasher, homebrew that will allow you to perform various operations on your PSP. In this release you can hide or show the folders of the memory stick, make a backup of the various flash PSP and free space on flash0.
Then the full changelog and download link.
Changelog v1.0 - Screenshot:
Quote:
- Backup flash0, flash1, Flash2, flash3
- Hide / show the following folders: PICTURE, PHOTO, MUSIC, MP_ROOT, VIDEO, ISO, ISO / VIDEO
- Free space on flash0 (you can also perform backup and restore your files)
- Reboot PSP
- Power off PSP
A small shell with a windows-like interface, windows-like meaning with a task bar and desktop type environment. features a task bar on the bottom, letting you close and minimize programs.
The lack of memory for the sparta exploit means i included 2 main programs:
-Notepad with a danzeff keyboard
-PSPDraw which is my own design.
Plus addons:
-mouse config sets speed, color, and other attributes
-sys info gets pretty much everything about your psp that is accsessable
Works on all PSP models [Phat 1000, Slim 2000, and Brite 3000] on all OFW up to 5.02. Also, it works on all current M33 firmware [most recent is 5.00 M33 - 6]
New to 0.9b:
Overhauled with SCEIO:
- load/save support of most recent document in both apps
Tweaked UI:
- you can now click DIRECTLY ON THE TEXT ..as well as the actual buttons.
- moved shortcuts ..to be more awesome
- included info/exit buttons ..ftw
- save/load buttons on apps ..so you can actually use those features
- more labels ..so u know wtf your clickin on
- new tripple buffer ..for faster awesomeness
- danziff keyboard works and looks better ..because i used pictures of danzeff for more chars
Bugfixes:
- fixed an odd problem with the keyboards second charset
- fixed an error with an odd mouse behavior causing a freeze
- not-so-random code cleanup/optomization *-*-*-*
- made the delay between keypresses shorter **
- fixed a small error in PrintFine that made lables not visible
- now 100% "infinate loop" free! [but screenshot takes a while]
Known Bugs:
- Clock displays wrong times sometimes [if it is, just click HOME/PS and look at the time]
- Load Draw freezes if Ms0:/PHOTO/Draw.bmp is less than (200,200)
- Load Note freezes if Ms0:/Note.txt is greater than 1303 chars or has too many /n
Install:
-Get the gamesave exploit [i cant include it] and put it in MS0:/PSP/SAVEDATA
-Move h.bin to the root of your memstick
-DONE!
App by KylBlz
Exploit by MaTiaZ
SDK by Freeplay
Thanks to those listed above AND:
-Cory1492
-the M33 team
-everyone involved with the PSP toolchain
-Lan.St programming community
-forums on PS2dev.org
-Eddie
-PSPSokoban
Controls: Universal
Analog stick :: Move mouse*
X [cross] :: Click
Start :: Minimize all
R + Start :: Hard Reset
L Trigger :: Slow down mouse
L + R + /\ :: Screenshot
Controls: Note Only
Keyboard:
-use the Analoge stick to move the cursor, press X for the bottom char on the selected square, o for the right char, [] for the left char, and /\ for the top, L changes entry mode, R is Shift.
-also, press the D pad RIGHT for a space, LEFT for delete, and DOWN for \n [as an alternitiave for the space/delete button on the keyboard]
SELECT :: Use Danzeff keyboard / mouse
X [cross] :: Click
Controls: Draw Only
X [cross] :: Draw or Set [Pen | Canvas] [color | size]
O [circle] :: Erase
[] [square] :: Set pen to color rested on
Everyone has heard about the Xbox360 bans that stop a console from connecting to Xbox Live, however not many people realise that Xbox360 consoles can also be revoked. Below you can find a list of all the currently revoked consoles at the time of the Fall'08 system update release. Read on to find out why and how an Xbox360 gets revoked and what effect it has.
Fall'08 Console Revocation List Contents
This is a list of the Console IDs of the 433 Xbox360 consoles that had been revoked when the Fall'08 update was released.
WHY?
There are many reasons why your Xbox360 could get revoked, but generally it means you have done something to piss off MS. So the best way to keep from being revoked? Don't do anything liable to piss off MS. An example of a cause for revocation is the public sharing of your gamesaves or other similar files from your Xbox360 hard drive. This includes making publicly available "resigned" versions of these kinds of files. In order to be revoked you have to have done something that involves your Console ID so that MS has the ID required for revocation.
HOW?
Revocation is done through the use of Console Revocation Lists (CRLs) such as the list posted above. If your console's ID is present in the revocation list, then your console has been revoked. There are two types of CRLs, static and dynamic.
A static list refers to a list that is saved onto the flash inside your Xbox360. This list is updated when system updates are performed on your console. The Fall'08 update contains an encrypted version of this list in the file "$SystemUpdate\su20076000_00000000\data.bin". When the list is installed onto your console another layer of encryption is added using your Xbox360's unique fusekey and the result is saved to a crl.bin file on the internal flash.
A dynamic list refers to a list that is sent to your console when you connect to Xbox Live. This way an updated revocation list can be employed without requiring a system update.
SO WHAT?
So what does it mean to be revoked? Will I even notice or care?
From what I can see so far being revoked means that your console loses its "license to sign". Data that is generated locally on your Xbox360 gets signed by a key unique to your Xbox360. This data includes Gamer Profiles and Saved Games. Being revoked does not mean that you can no longer sign this data, just that other Xbox360s will no longer recognise anything that your Xbox360 signs.
Japanese coder "and" has released an updated version of "Super Star Shooter". It's a solid 2D topdown space shooter, which is also available for other systems such as the Gameboy Advance
Ive been way too busy lately with real life stuff some of it i could do without but i was given a heads up by a contact close to Nintendo that they were going after sites who hosted the Loaders and other apps that in Nintendos view are purely tools for piracy.
Recently i noticed that at least one of the sites who posted every loader release has now took them off, most likely a cease and disist (crap spelling), i wonder how many other sites have recieved the same notices.
Are Nintendo going after other big sites who post loaders etc, time will surely tell us.
en Ton Hammer has an article about the differences between developing a game based upon existing intellectual property and the creation of an entirely new story and setting. They make the point that while doing the former may result in an easier time building a fan base, those same fans will often be the hardest to please.
"By creating a game based on a popular IP, the company in question has a huge responsibility to 'do it right.' Unfortunately, not everyone realizes the reality of one little secret — every single fan out there has a different idea of what 'right' is. ... Lord of the Rings is a perfect example. For a person that may be familiar with the movies and little else, it's a great game with an impressive amount of depth and attention to detail. For the mass of fanatical fans that have spent more time poring over every book Tolkien ever wrote than even Tolkien himself, any deviation from the lore of his world is paramount to sacrilege on the most horrific scale."
Apparently Blizzard is going after developers making iPhone apps for World of Warcraft (free and otherwise) by giving them cease-and-desist orders. As Mike Schramm says 'Blizzard may be planning to do more with the iPhone,' but 'It would be a real shame if Blizzard legal was simply going after fans who have invested a lot of time and effort into these apps even when there's no clear reason for them to do so.'"
It's interesting that they're doing so around the same time a video for a (rumored, alleged, unconfirmed — take your pick) iPhone client for World of Warcraft has been floating around.
Forbes looks at some of Apple's latest maneuverings and concludes the company is muscling up on its mobile gaming business.
This week, Apple picked off two guys with heavyweight résumés - Richard Teversham, Microsoft's former Xbox strategy-mans, and Bob Drebin, who at Advanced Micro Device created the Gamecube's graphics processor. Those developments, added to Apple's investments in graphics and semiconductor technology, translate to "snappier, better looking games," on the iPhone and iPod Touch, writes Forbes.
Also notable, programmers say Apple reminds them to develop for different resolutions and screen sizes. Considering the profound success of the iTunes App Store, which just passed a billion downloads, and gold-rush tales of indie developers striking it rich with simple games, Apple's investment in creating more robust games and apps is a no-brainer. But whether it amounts to a new device, or one with a gaming focus, is anyone's guess.
in case you hadn't noticed, Canada was recently added to the US "Priority Watch List" due to the country's allegedly less than strict laws regarding the piracy of various media (that includes games, folks). Canadians, however, are not taking the change lightly. University of Ottawa law professor MIchael Geist, citing a statement made by the Canadian government, says the process, "lacks reliable and objective analysis."
The piece states that the criteria for determining who ends up on the list (and that country's priority level) is based around media industry lobbyists in the US, such as the International Intellectual Property Alliance. Geist hopes that Canadian politicians will take a stance against the inclusion on the list, though the recent ESA schmoozing of Canadian lawmakers may scatter those hopes a bit. Given Canadian member of Parliament Mike Lake's statements made less than two weeks ago though, we should see some serious change in Canadian piracy law, "in this Parliament." That is, if he can take a time out from playing NHL '09.
The guys over at Dingoo Digital have released a new custom firmware for the Dingoo a320, heres the full info regarding this release:
DISCLAIMER:
Anything you implement beyond this point, you are doing this at your own risk.
This procedure like all hombrew procedure has a small chance that it may brick your dingoo a-320.
By following the following instructions, you agree to the fact that If your dingoo a-320 is bricked by any chance, I will not be held responsible.
HISTORY:
09 april 2009:
-The worlds first Dingoo firmware release.
Moved system files from hidden memory to visible memory location
/system/font
/system/res
/system/code
15 april 2009:
-BUG : Unable to play SWF files http://dingoo-digital.com/forums/sup...play-swf-files
Moved /system/code back to default hidden memory locatio as the software is trying to launch the flash player from there.
-Changed partly translated flashing tool with a fully translated one.
03 may 2009:
-Text changes:
'Interesting game' changed to 'Emulators' ( all of these ARE emulators! )
'3d game' changed to 'apps' ( These files are actually .app files and '3d game' is just very misleading! )
-Removed Games directory as the files is not in use
-added firmware identification in System setup -> About
-Corrected 'cClose TV' to 'Close TV' text when using TV -> Connect TV function.
-Changed default language from simplified chinese to english
-Added overclocking applications to the GAME directory ( thankyou a600 ).
FEATURES:
* Possible to add or change custom themes ( all visuals customizable )
* Fonts can be changed or added
* Firmware language is default english
* English text corrections
* Overclocking features ( from 200-430Mhz)
BEFORE DOING ANYTHING:
1. Remove memory card if inserted. ( precaution )
2. Make sure that the battery is fully charged.
3. Backup up all files from the internal storage as these are deleted in the process.
INSTALLING THE USB DRIVER IN WINDOWS VISTA:
1. Put the Dingoo a-320 is USB mode by pressing and holding the B button while inserting a pin or similar into the reset hole
2. Conect the USB cable between your computer and Dingoo
3. Now you need to install the windows USB driver for JZ4740 USB Boot device. Click "Locate and install driver software"
4. Click on "I don't have the disc. Show me other options"
5. Click on "Browse my computer for driver software".
6. Browse to where you extracted the files and choose "Next".
7. Accept the security warning by clicking "Install this driver software anyway"
8. The driver should now install and a final confirmation screen should pop up informing you that the driver was successfully installed as "Chinachip USB loader". Click "Close"
FLASHING PROCESS:
1. Run "flashutil.exe" as administrator by right clicking the file and choose "Run as administrator".
2. Click the "Select" button in the "System DL Config" field and choose "A320_PD27_ILI9325_RLS.dl".
3. Click the "Select" button in the "Firmware file" field and choose "a320-1.03TD-3.hxf".
4. Click the "Burning System" button to start the flashing process.
5. 3 text lines should appear and a "Firmware upgrade" screen should show on your Dingoo. This process could take a couple of minutes.
6. A fourth text line should appear, confirming that the flashing process is complete. Now exit the program.
7. Disconnect the USB cable. The dingoo will now reset and reboot. It will not start up as usual because of the missing system files.
REPLACING THE SYSTEM FILES:
1. Connect the USB cable again.
2. Reset the Dingoo by inserting a pin or similar into the reset hole
3. After a couple of seconds the Dingoo comes up as a physical drive. Open the drive.
4. Copy the contents of the 'ROOT FILES' directory into the root directory ( the same location as GAME, PICURE, RECORD etc )
5. Reset the Dingoo again by inserting a pin or similar into the reset hole
You are done. The Dingoo should boot up as normal.
CUSTOMIZING THEMES AND FONTS:
The directories “a”, “b”, “c” and “d” within the “res” directory contains the images/icons for the main navigation menu. The default contents of each of these directories are practically the same (filenames and number of files) The only obvious difference is that the 2 wallpaper files are different images.
Please remember that no matter what you do you must have the same naming convention, the same number of files in each of the “theme” directories and we are only replacing existing images/icons with our own modified versions!
FONTS:
The font directory within the res directory contains the menu fonts that the Dingoo uses
OVERCLOCKING FEATURES:
It is now possible to overclock the CPU a bit. I did not overclock this firmware by default as per request.
Instead you can overclock your dingoo if needed by going to 'Apps' and select the desired clockspeed from 200 - 430 by pressing the A button.
Please note that it looks like nothing happens when you select a clockspeed. This is intentionally. The clockspeed is still changed to whatever speed you chose.
DOWNLOADING NEW THEMES
You can always download new free themes for your dingoo at: www.dingoo-digital.com
In Bubble Drop for S60 5th Edition (5800 XM, N97, etc.) by DarkSun Technologies you burst bubbles by clicking groups of same colored bubbles. Score more by popping larger groups of bubbles. And then... there's acid, fire and bomb to add a twist to gameplay.
"UFO2000 is a turn based tactical squad simulation game with multiplayer support. It is heavily inspired by the famous X-COM: UFO Defense game and can load graphics resources and maps from it providing X-COM look and feel with multiplayer experience." Quoted from the homepage.
Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii emulator for Windows has been updated. Changes:
- Tons of progress on the DSP LLE front;
- Correct texture scaling (now works correctly when adding output together from indirect stages which use power 2 and non power 2 textures);
- Fix a bug which could keep memcards from being created;
- Fix controls in Sonic Adventure DX;
- Fix using XFB in single core mode;
- Fix OSX build ;
- Begin fixing bounding boxes, paper mario and such show benifits from this;
- Fix existenze demo! (I love this thing, haha);
- GUI usability fixes.
New features:
- Info Window added for easy system statistics viewing;
- Free Look added to OpenGL plugin! (see http://code.google.com/p/dolphin-emu.../detail?r=3005 for details);
- Experimental Wii USB keyboard support;
- Wii SD Card support (see forum thread).
Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii emulator for Windows has been updated. Changes:
- Tons of progress on the DSP LLE front;
- Correct texture scaling (now works correctly when adding output together from indirect stages which use power 2 and non power 2 textures);
- Fix a bug which could keep memcards from being created;
- Fix controls in Sonic Adventure DX;
- Fix using XFB in single core mode;
- Fix OSX build ;
- Begin fixing bounding boxes, paper mario and such show benifits from this;
- Fix existenze demo! (I love this thing, haha);
- GUI usability fixes.
New features:
- Info Window added for easy system statistics viewing;
- Free Look added to OpenGL plugin! (see http://code.google.com/p/dolphin-emu.../detail?r=3005 for details);
- Experimental Wii USB keyboard support;
- Wii SD Card support (see forum thread).
Its always nice to see a new emulator released for any system, kinda like a present for any homebrewer, anyway i found this over at my fave jap site Lets Emu:
Heres the crappy translation from the release page:
I gnuboy弄っ. I mean, fiscal. I like.
I fmsxDS弄っ, I was wondering if you can not speed up a bit, it can be considered, such as the assembler, I have some optimization or dynamic compilation, which also has a high hurdle. Another, DS So if (I is not nothing) as the speed of a hardware emulation of the hardware is. What is the point sprites to be displayed in the sprite. Source for transplantation because the windows, one for each frame to draw a screen, so DS is DAっor burden. I thought I try Well, I wonder where TSUKETARA good. Thus, GB and DS and I think it can quite easily EMYU high affinity so that if
BG is now the sprites, which can be displayed. (I'm not at all like color.), But I hope the related interrupt. I stopped at it.
※ It is not in the interrupt-related, and it's hard when you scroll CHIRATSUI. UI work so well in the game or not, and civil level it is not only those who beneficently you know how much I like the moving source.
nds file to patch DLDI, SD Please copy the root. Mario.gb game and rename the file as root Please copy the SD.
Initial USB Keyboard support. (Note: Some keyboards will cause QuakeWii to hang on start up, if you are stuck at a black screen when you start, unplug your keyboard.)
The OSK keyboards repeat delay is now a cvar, you can change it in the configuration file, a menu entry will come soon. Default delay is 0.25 seconds.
Moonlight has released a new version of the Shell/Media Player for the Nintendo DS, heres the info from the readme:
Thank you download.
Please copy 'moonshl2.nds' and '/moonshl2' folder onto the root folder of MicroSD, and start 'moonshl2.nds'.
Support file formats.
Music formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, OGG, WAV, M4A, AAC, WMA, TTA, MID, RCP, R36
MOD formats: MOD, IT, MTM, S3M, XM, 669, MED, STM, AMF, GDM, ULT, UNI, ASY, IMF, OKT, STX
Chiptune formats: SPC, NSF, GBS, HES, AY, SAP, KSS
Playlist formats: M3U, WPL
Picture formats: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, PSD
Support DPG movie files.
Support text files.
Limitations concerning format.
NDS: Not support commercial NDSROM files.
WMA: Not support 'loss-less' and 'voice mode' format WMA files.
M4A, AAC, WMA: Not support encrypted files.
MID: Not support 'Standard MIDI file format.2' format.
SPC: Tone quality is very bad.
Chiptune: Only the first track is performed. The FM sound chip cannot be emulated.
Playlist: Support encode is ANSI, S-JIS, UTF-8, CP437, CP850, CP1252.
Text file: Support encode is ANSI, S-JIS, UTF-8, UTF-16BE, UTF-16LE. Auto detection only.
Information is displayed in the file list. MP3, Jpeg, BMP, PSD, DPG only.
Limitations concerning file with large size.
Picture formats: The size that exceeds 3648x2736 pixels cannot be displayed.
Text file: The line that exceeds 131072 lines is disregarded.
MOD: The file that exceeds about 500KByte might not be able to be reproduced.
MID, RCP, R36: The file that exceeds about 500KByte might not be able to be reproduced.
The H-Bombs coder releases a new update for PSPaint, image editor for PSP is similar to known Paint, which comes with version 4.0. It adds new instruments to be used for the design and is now available for the Sony OSK enter text.
A changelog and follow the link to download.
Changelog v4.0:
Quote:
- Add preview when drawn rectangles, lines and circles
- Added the rubber
- L \ 'insertion of the text now takes place through the Sony OSK
- Support for JPEG and PNG
This application removes and back-ups certain files in flash0. currently, it installs, unistall the location free player, the dic folder and unistalls the camera feature located in the xmb thus
saving you approximatley 3mb so far.
It Know lets you install custom Xmb files to the flash0.
to do this you must have the following files:
you need all of these for it to work, you will have to run flash spacer first, it will then create the folder Custom XMB, in that folder you place those files and folders.
if one of those files are missing, flash spacer will not flash the custom xmb.
if the custom xmb is corrupt of it isnt for the correct firmware, you will semi-brick and you will have to restore the flash0 back-up that was made at start up.
Installation
copy Flash Spacer V3 to PSP/GAME
this will work in any of the game folders and will now create and restore back-ups.
this should also run the slim, but with any programs that access the flash beware.
Controls:
UP- UP
DOWN-DOWN
[X]- SELECT
Further info:
Restoring functions if back ups are lost.
you will either have to dump a the fw you are running and restore them manually
or you will have to up/down grade the fw.
Changelog:
Added a Fully Operational Menu
Improved Code
Fixed A Bug Where Files Wont Copy Properly In V2.7
Added Saftey Checks
Dumps Flash0 When Booted For The Time.
Allows You To Flash A Flash0 Custom XMB
Dumps Flash 0, 1 , 2 and 3
Removed The DIC Folder, Location Free Player And The Web-Browser.( I Recomend Using Netfront Internet Browser Beta 3 - HighMemoryMod By Team P86 )
Now Restores Cert.dat from Flash 2
After a little delay (thanks to my work on an Iron Maiden documentary on TPN Rock), it’s back to the PSP and the Third Person FPS everyone is asking about - Resistance Retribution. Plus the latest news, upcoming releases and a brief glimpse at my thinking around the PSP mk 2.
Treyarch's Noah Heller mentioned shortly before the release of Call of Duty: World at War that the developer was probably going to lay off World War II for a while, leaving many to wonder what the stage of operations for the next CoD would be. If a report from That VideoGame Blog proves accurate, Activision may be taking the franchise to a much groovier era -- the 1960s. (Anno Domini, that is -- though who are we to assume 1960 B.C. wasn't equally groovy?)
TVGB is reporting that an anonymous, "trusted" source informed them Activision's been looking to license "Vietnam War era tunes, as well as Cuban, African, and Soviet Union music." The source mentioned that Heller (and, assumedly, Treyarch) is involved in the aforementioned license hunting. As with all rumors spawned by anonymous tipsters, we encourage you to take this rumor with a two-ton boulder of salt -- just to be safe, we've contacted Activision for a comment.
Adding it all together, a teaser by Japan's Pokémon Sunday TV program points to an announcement next weekend that Pokémon Gold and Silver will be remade.
The tease, offered this weekend, said simply that Pokémon Sunday would have a "world-exclusive first announcement," on May 10 during the program's Pokémon Game Arena segment.
Oh, but there's what you say, and then there's how you say it. Or, more importantly, where you say it. In this case, it was said underneath two gold and silver confetti-filled balls. (depicted). Hmmmmmm. HMMMMMMMM. What could that mean?
From Bulbanews: "It is also theorized that Junichi Masuda will appear on the show to make the announcement, since he did so both last month and the month prior in regard to other game-related scoops."
My first release, I always wanted a scale program without going into WiiFit all the time going through the Body Tesy. So I made one! and I added the Center of Gravity (COG) feature also. Hope you enjoy.
Using latest libogc, sdhc support along with it.
Birthday feature added. If one of your miis have a birthday a customizable image displayed and an mp3/mod file played along with it greeting the user. Birthday feature uses Libmii.
Press picture can use tilesets which can be used in creation, of simple animations. For better description of the feature take a look at crazyintro-explained.xml in the archive. Also three images and three example configuration files supplied in the archive.
Dancing girl animation : Nipson / from demo Eiger
hiei03 sonic master and performs the version 8.0 of "X-Soft, an application that includes several tools (paint, mp3 player, clock, notepad, etc ...) with the theme of windows.
Quote:
The main improvements in this version:
1 - MP3 Player operational.
2 - Improvement of mini included.
3 - Adding a paint tool for drawing rectangles.
4 - Add a circle in paint for drawing circles.
5 - The alarm only works if the application is running.
Im sure many of you by now have heard the drama over the apparent suicide post over at tehskeen by the rather outspoken webmaster Brakken.
For those who dont know Brakken may or may not have made a post saying that he was going to take a 100+ xanax and a comment that said
I just took 100+ xanax .... cya on the other side
Now if this was a hack its an extremely lame thing to do, if however it was Brakken doing it then its time to walk away from whats causing him to take such extreme measures.
If however it was a publicity stunt to drum up more exposure and scene drama then it succeeded but also was a very silly move, there are thousands around the world at any one time comtemplating suicide and it should never be made into a publicity stunt.
At this time no one knows the truth behind whats going on but whatever the reason its time to make a decision. If something is driving someone to make a decision like suicide then walk away.
ith June 8th barely a month away, we're finally seeing Nintendo's long (long!) awaited Wii MotionPlus dongle hit the pre-order stage. Right now at Amazon, eager Wiimote swingers can get in line for $19.99, or if you're feeling frisky, you can also pre-order Wii Sports Resort and / or Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. So, who's down for making their controller the most expensive one on the market when fully equipped?
Update: Good news, gamers. EA Sports just announced that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis will now be released on June 8th alongside the Wii MotionPlus dongle.
The handset might've been surpassed in functionality and looks by its Curve 8900 successor, but nothing's got an edge on the BlackBerry Curve 83XX series in smartphone sales. According to NPD, the handset overtook the erstwhile champ iPhone 3G in the category for the first quarter of 2009, while BlackBerry's own Storm and Pearl handsets took the third and fourth slots, with the T-Mobile G1 rounding out the ranks in fifth place. Overall the smartphone market has grown from 17 percent of handset sales in Q1 2008 to 23 percent in Q1 2009. Compared to the previous quarter, RIM's gained a whopping 15 percent share of the US market -- owning nearly half of the entire scene -- while Apple and Palm both dropped 10 percent as they prep for their heroic mid-year launches.
If you like the idea of the little laptop that started it all, but need a little more workspace to keep your eyes from going all aesthenopia on ya, hold on to your wallets for a few more weeks. According to DigiTimes, ASUS is planning on releasing an 11.6-inch Eee by the end of the month, following up on its pledge made last year to do just that -- while simultaneously breaking Jerry Shen's promise to never surpass the 10-inch mark without creating a spin-off, "premium" netbook brand. But, with the 7-inchers relegated to their place in history, perhaps now the company has a little extra room on its production lines. No further information is available on the forthcoming model at this point, but we're hoping that new screen will get a few more pixels to fill out its new-found girth.
The retro gaming insurgence seems as strong as vinyl these days, but you don't see as many people looking for a CRT monitor to complete the set. More likely, they're playing a HD remake or the original title on a digital screen in more detail than the developers ever anticipated or intended. A group of Georgia Tech students are looking to change all that by modifying open-source Atari 2600 VCS emulator Stella to give players that good ole fashion analog vibe. As highlighted by associate professor Ian Bogost, key attributes such as color bleed, "burned" afterimage, RF-engendered signal noise, and texture created by the phosphor glow have been imitated here in recreating the effect.
The UK's electronic intelligence agency has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny it will track all UK internet and online phone use.
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) said it was developing tracking technology but "only acts when it is necessary" and "does not spy at will".
The denial follows the home secretary scrapping plans for a single government database for all communications.
Jacqui Smith said instead firms should record all people's internet contacts.
In the statement, GCHQ said one of its "greatest challenges is maintaining our capability in the face of the growth in internet-based communications.
"We must reinvest continuously to keep up with the methods that are used by those who threaten the UK and its interests."
GCHQ has no ambitions, expectations or plans for a database
GCHQ statement
Surveillance fears for the UK
But the agency added: "GCHQ is not developing technology to enable the monitoring of all internet use and phone calls in Britain, or to target everyone in the UK.
"Similarly, GCHQ has no ambitions, expectations or plans for a database or databases to store centrally all communications data in Britain.
"The new technology that GCHQ is developing is designed to work under the existing legal framework."
The denial comes days after Ms Smith ditched plans for a giant centralised database to store all internet and phone conversations.
Instead she announced that communications firms will be asked to record all contacts between people.
The new system would track all e-mails, phone calls and internet use including visits to social network sites, but not their content.
On Sunday, the Sunday Times newspaper reported that GCHQ was in fact forging ahead with plans to monitor all communications in Britain.
According to the newspaper, £1bn is being spent on a "Mastering the Internet (MTI)" programme that would involve "thousands of 'black box' probes being covertly inserted across online infrastructure".
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said the GCHQ statement raised more questions than it offered answers.
She added: "There are various comments about what this project is not intended for - but not what it is designed to achieve.
"More importantly, when is Parliament going to have the opportunity to debate it?"
A simple notebook theme for the Dingoo with sketched icons. Included readme.txt tells how to install. Make sure to set all fonts to black beforehand for best experience.
Given that it's space week here on Giz, I thought it might be a perfect opportunity to pose a question that brings up the age old battle between Star Wars and Star Trek.
However, this question isn't necessarily about which movies are better overall. What I'm interested in finding out is which of these iconic sci-fi franchises have conjured up the coolest futuristic space gadgets.
Paradox Interactive today announced the release of a downloadable patch for Elven Legacy, the Fantasy Strategy Wargame for the PC developed by Russian studio 1C: Ino-CO.
The new patch for the English versions of Elven Legacy addresses a variety of issues and once the patch has been downloaded and installed, the player will notice the updates of the patch that includes:
Elven Legacy Patch 1.0.9.2 updates:
- Russian voice-overs in the tutorial are changed to English
- The localization of Chosen Fencers unit has been corrected
- The amount of Video Memory is now detected correctly on Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit
- The issues with the Advanced Tutorial mission has been corrected
- Final movie sequence is now correct
- Fixed image quality issues when FSAA (full-screen anti-aliasing) is on in Windows video driver options
- Opening Mission map ("M" keyboard shortcut) is now working
Elven Legacy sends players on an epic quest aimed to restore the former glory of the Elven race. With a thrilling non-linear storyline and tools that allow players to create their own missions and share them in multiplayer mode, Elven Legacy will provide hours of exciting game play for strategy fans.
Elven Legacy is available from retailers everywhere, along with all good digital download outlets for a suggested retail price of €29.99.
The Elven Legacy demo was recently released and allows players to play the tutorial along with one mission from the Campaign mode.
San Jose-based online game publisher, Gamescampus.com (www.gamescampus.com, run by OnNet USA), today announced the second annual online ALS Charity Tournament for its popular MMO golf simulation game, Shot-Online. The memorial event has been held annually since 2006 to remember a Shot-Online player who passed away from ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease).
The GamesCampus ALS Charity Tournament is underway and will run through May 14th on the Shot-Online Sasori golf course. Players of any skill level are welcome to join the charity event. GamesCampus will donate $1 for every player who completes the entire 18-hole Sasori course in the Shot-Online game. GamesCampus will also waive the green fees for all participants. All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Driving 4 Life organization to benefit its ALS Therapy Development Institute and ALS research efforts.
"We are pleased to announce our annual event for this great cause and proud to provide all proceeds from the tournament to the Driving 4 Life organization to help raise awareness and cure ALS," said Tony Liu, Producer of Shot Online. "We encourage all Shot-Online players as well as their friends and family members to take part in this special event which is for such a great cause."
About Shot-Online
Shot-Online, developed by Gamescampus.com, is a hybrid massively multiplayer online game. This golf simulation game incorporates elements of traditional role-playing and is enhanced by proprietary physics software. This software allows for real-world golf ball behavior based on environmental factors. Detailed 3-D graphics and realistic animation enhance the user-experience as players help their characters grow in skill and capability. Team and solo competitions allow players a chance to win game currency with which users can purchase skill-enhancing items.
Tired of fighting aliens? Maybe its time to take a trip to the great outdoors: or at least the virtual outdoors. Terminal Reality officially announced today that the award-winning Infernal Engine is the technology behind Piranha Games' bass fishing title The Strike, as well as their hunting simulation The Hunt.
"The world of videogames is a varied one. Everyone knows about Ghostbusters, but we at Terminal Reality believe in the extreme versatility of the Infernal Engine," said Joe Kreiner, VP Sales and Marketing at Terminal Reality. "The inclusion of The Strike fishing pole and The Hunt rifle by Griffin International shows how well the Infernal Engine works with gaming peripherals."
Developers love the ease with which the Infernal Engine scales between systems and both titles will be available for Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and PC. In addition to being a top notch development platform, the Infernal Engine comes with best in class support and a streamlined content pipeline to maximize productivity.
"We used the Infernal Engine to develop Bass Pro Shops The Strike. The engine was very versatile, allowing us the freedom to create immense environments with a high level of realistic detail," said Russ Bullock, President of Piranha Games. "Most impressive is that we did not have to sacrifice the level size when we developed The Strike for the Nintendo Wii. This truly is a cross-platform engine. As well, the support we received from Terminal Reality was really impressive."
Sims fans eager for their latest dose of Simlish have only one month to wait, because the upcoming release of the popular franchise will be released at the beginning of June. But according to one industry analyst, the game could already be a gigantic hit for EA. According to an article on Gamesindustry.biz, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey predicts up to 4 million units of The Sims 3 could be sold in 2009. This would easily surpass that of The Sims 2, which sold 3.5 million units in 2004, the year that game was launched. Hickey does believe that some of the sales of the title will be impacted by the "demographic transition towards newer entertainment forms like Nintendo's Wii and DS," assuming that the same fans of the Sim franchise have moved on from the PC to the console and handheld arena.
EA also announced online content details, such as an online store that will allow players to buy in-game items. The title will initially ship with a point total equivalent to ten dollars, and players will be able to add 500, 1000 or 2000 point packs at a later time. Apart from the purchasing, EA is focusing on making the Sims 3 website a social networking site where users can share content with other players or use tools to embed items in other sites or blogs.
According to Ben Bell, the executive producer of The Sims 3, "With such a vibrant and active community as The Sims has, we wanted to build even further on the already immense offline experience, by offering players additional functionality, content and tools available online through the game. One example of the many online tools we've added to the game is the Create a Movie tool. Within the game, players can easily set up the camera angle they want, capture in-game footage, play director and producer and then post their movies online to show off to the world."
A listing on the Capcom press sight shows Monster Hunter Tri as an upcoming release with a to be determined release date? Is this confirmation that the game is coming stateside?
Not necessarily. While the assets posted at the press site and the listing itself is causing a stir about the internets, a closer look at said assets reveals that they were posted in October of last year. Capcom's Chris Kramer reminds us.
We posted some MH Tri assets from TGS back in October, remember? We were also showing the Japanese demo in our suite at the New Otani as a way for North American media to see everything on the show floor without having to wait in line.
In other words, there's no confirmation here. In order to post assets under a title's name on the Capcom press site, the game has to have a listing, hence the listing as a TBD title.
The Rock Band 2 in-game music store for the Wii updates this week with an impressive 18 new tracks, a heady blend of classic radio rock, punk, new wave, hard rock and melodic metalcore.
Wii owners will get the Styx/REO Speedwagon track pack that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners are already enjoying, but in non-bundled Wii format. Joining them will be refreshed content from Hautwerk, The Clash, Devo, The Ramones, All That Remains and System of a Down. Eclectic, no? And almost timely, as the Wii is rapidly catching up to the libraries established on the PS3 and 360 versions.
As always, each songs will set you back $2.00 USD or 200 Wii Points per track. The full listing is after this.
REO Speedwagon "Ridin' the Storm Out"
REO Speedwagon "Roll with the Changes"
REO Speedwagon "Take It on the Run"
Styx "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
Styx "Renegade"
Styx "Too Much Time On My Hands"
Styx/REO Speedwagon "Can't Stop Rockin'"
Hautewerk "Alone in My Head"
Hautewerk "I Know Where You Came From"
Hautewerk "Stop Start Again"
The Clash "Complete Control"
Devo "Girl U Want"
The Ramones "Teenage Lobotomy"
All That Remains "Chiron"
All That Remains "This Calling"
All That Remains "Two Weeks"
System of a Down "B.Y.O.B."
System of a Down "Toxicity"
The recently released X-Men Origins: Wolverine film, which grossed $87M over its opening weekend, was in some ways impacted by the development of its companion videogame. This is according to comments from Dan Vondrak, project lead at Raven Software for its multiplatform X-Men Origins: Wolverine game.
"We were writing our own scripts before the movie had a script, but then when we started getting drafts of the film script, there were influences there from our game," said Vondrak, via Geek.com.
He said he was aware of the stigma attached to most games tied to movies, and hoped things could be different with this game, since it was in production before Fox stepped in. "A lot of movie license games have sucked," said Vondrak. "They have been rushed and a lot of people just think slapping a license on a box is all they have to do. For us, Wolverine was a passion project. We approached this with, 'Wow, let's make the greatest Wolverine game ever' and then it just happened to become a movie game."
The impact of the game on the movie, according to Vondrak, went as far as determining which personalities were included and which weren't. "When we saw the trailers for the film there were certain characters – and I won't name names — that we think we're responsible for that dude getting in the game and getting in the movie," he said. "It's pretty cool to see these influences from game to film, although no one (from Fox) will admit that."
The Taito corporation double teams Xbox Live Arcade this week with the release of two high-definition remakes. Arkanoid Live! and Space Invaders Extreme lead the week's new additions, with Zombie Wranglers bringing up the rear.
Curious about Hideo Kojima's attempt to bring the Metal Gear series to the iPhone, but hate spending eight bucks to satisfy your curiosity? You're in luck, because the "Lite" demo version is now available.
Art meets Playstatoin 3 in the infrequent interactive demoscene art that hits the Playstation 3 on occasion. The latest due to the Sony console comes from .theprodukkt.
Emeryville, CA - What do beaked coralfish, whimsical snow globes and intricate atom models all have in common? They are all pieces of content created by players of the critically-acclaimed video game, Spore. Today, Maxis, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, announced that since launching the Spore Creature Creator in June 2008, Spore fans have created and uploaded 100 Million creations – an average of more than 307,000 daily – on the Sporepedia at www.spore.com, the Spore library of user-generated content. The 100 Million represents a variety of uploaded creations including 31,017,761 Spore creatures – more than 19 times the number of known species on Earth. The creator of the 100 millionth creation may receive a NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics card, Spore and the upcoming expansion pack Spore Galactic Adventures (Official Rules: http://www.spore.com/comm/contests/c...edmillionrules). The 100 Millionth creation and the entire collection of player-generated content can be seen at the Sporepedia.
Spore is widely recognized as one of the first games to make user-generated content the central focus and let player creativity drive much of the humor and whimsy of the entertainment experience. Players' signature creations are the beating heart of the Spore franchise. Though user-generated content is common in social networking sites, the Spore series has pioneered how this content is made, used and shared in video games. In the upcoming Spore Galactic Adventures, players will be able to take their customized content to the next level as they create their own Space Captain and use the Adventure Creator to create missions to play and share with other Spore players through the Sporepedia.
"This is a staggering milestone to have met in less than one year from the launch of Spore Creature Creator," said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. "We continue to be astounded by the outrageous creations and incredible creativity that Spore players have poured into the Sporepedia, from lifelike animals to fantastical creatures and futuristic spaceships. We can't wait to see the ingenuity our players reveal through the missions they create in Spore Galactic Adventures!"
In the coming months, the Spore franchise will introduce new games; Spore Galactic Adventures for PC and Mac, Spore Hero for Wii and Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS. Spore Galactic Adventures, available June 23, is a highly-customizable expansion pack for Spore, adding a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the Space game. Players can beam down to planets for the first time ever, play Maxis-created Adventures and easily create customized missions. Available in fall 2009, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.
To learn more about Spore or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screen shots or press materials about Spore, please visit http://info.ea.com.
Emeryville, CA - What do beaked coralfish, whimsical snow globes and intricate atom models all have in common? They are all pieces of content created by players of the critically-acclaimed video game, Spore. Today, Maxis, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, announced that since launching the Spore Creature Creator in June 2008, Spore fans have created and uploaded 100 Million creations – an average of more than 307,000 daily – on the Sporepedia at www.spore.com, the Spore library of user-generated content. The 100 Million represents a variety of uploaded creations including 31,017,761 Spore creatures – more than 19 times the number of known species on Earth. The creator of the 100 millionth creation may receive a NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics card, Spore and the upcoming expansion pack Spore Galactic Adventures (Official Rules: http://www.spore.com/comm/contests/c...edmillionrules). The 100 Millionth creation and the entire collection of player-generated content can be seen at the Sporepedia.
Spore is widely recognized as one of the first games to make user-generated content the central focus and let player creativity drive much of the humor and whimsy of the entertainment experience. Players' signature creations are the beating heart of the Spore franchise. Though user-generated content is common in social networking sites, the Spore series has pioneered how this content is made, used and shared in video games. In the upcoming Spore Galactic Adventures, players will be able to take their customized content to the next level as they create their own Space Captain and use the Adventure Creator to create missions to play and share with other Spore players through the Sporepedia.
"This is a staggering milestone to have met in less than one year from the launch of Spore Creature Creator," said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. "We continue to be astounded by the outrageous creations and incredible creativity that Spore players have poured into the Sporepedia, from lifelike animals to fantastical creatures and futuristic spaceships. We can't wait to see the ingenuity our players reveal through the missions they create in Spore Galactic Adventures!"
In the coming months, the Spore franchise will introduce new games; Spore Galactic Adventures for PC and Mac, Spore Hero for Wii and Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS. Spore Galactic Adventures, available June 23, is a highly-customizable expansion pack for Spore, adding a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the Space game. Players can beam down to planets for the first time ever, play Maxis-created Adventures and easily create customized missions. Available in fall 2009, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.
To learn more about Spore or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screen shots or press materials about Spore, please visit http://info.ea.com.
Emeryville, CA - What do beaked coralfish, whimsical snow globes and intricate atom models all have in common? They are all pieces of content created by players of the critically-acclaimed video game, Spore. Today, Maxis, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, announced that since launching the Spore Creature Creator in June 2008, Spore fans have created and uploaded 100 Million creations – an average of more than 307,000 daily – on the Sporepedia at www.spore.com, the Spore library of user-generated content. The 100 Million represents a variety of uploaded creations including 31,017,761 Spore creatures – more than 19 times the number of known species on Earth. The creator of the 100 millionth creation may receive a NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT graphics card, Spore and the upcoming expansion pack Spore Galactic Adventures (Official Rules: http://www.spore.com/comm/contests/c...edmillionrules). The 100 Millionth creation and the entire collection of player-generated content can be seen at the Sporepedia.
Spore is widely recognized as one of the first games to make user-generated content the central focus and let player creativity drive much of the humor and whimsy of the entertainment experience. Players' signature creations are the beating heart of the Spore franchise. Though user-generated content is common in social networking sites, the Spore series has pioneered how this content is made, used and shared in video games. In the upcoming Spore Galactic Adventures, players will be able to take their customized content to the next level as they create their own Space Captain and use the Adventure Creator to create missions to play and share with other Spore players through the Sporepedia.
"This is a staggering milestone to have met in less than one year from the launch of Spore Creature Creator," said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. "We continue to be astounded by the outrageous creations and incredible creativity that Spore players have poured into the Sporepedia, from lifelike animals to fantastical creatures and futuristic spaceships. We can't wait to see the ingenuity our players reveal through the missions they create in Spore Galactic Adventures!"
In the coming months, the Spore franchise will introduce new games; Spore Galactic Adventures for PC and Mac, Spore Hero for Wii and Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS. Spore Galactic Adventures, available June 23, is a highly-customizable expansion pack for Spore, adding a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the Space game. Players can beam down to planets for the first time ever, play Maxis-created Adventures and easily create customized missions. Available in fall 2009, Spore Hero, exclusive to the Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the Nintendo DS, catapult players into the role of a fully-customized hero creature fighting to save its planet.
To learn more about Spore or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screen shots or press materials about Spore, please visit http://info.ea.com.
Eidos Montreal will reveal a second project on May 11, according to a page from the latest issue of EDGE Magazine. The studio is currently working on Deus Ex 3, the next installment of the first-person hybrid franchise started by Ion Storm in 2000.
Some are speculating that a new version of Thief, the stealth franchise originally put together by the now defunct Looking Glass Studios, could be what's revealed. This is fueled in part by a story from last month where Eidos Montreal put up a post using a Thief-like font. The announcement date is also confirmed on Eidos Montreal's Twitter account.
As of publish we've yet to get any kind of official response to questions regarding the announcement. We'll update with anything else that's made available before May 11.
PlayStation.Blog interviewed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves lead designer, Neil Druckmann, during the first-look event for the game's multiplayer modes and ended up learning more about the solo game. Among other tidbits -- many of which we covered in our first preview of the game -- Druckmann spilled more about the game world, who will be in it and how it might grow.
When asked if portions of the game will still be set in jungles, a la Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, he responded, "Yes, you will see lush areas, you'll see all kinds of different areas as you go through the adventure, much more than in Uncharted 1." Druckmann points out that the game's co-op levels are indeed modified versions of single-player locales, paired with a "Battle Manager" designed to keep the experience fresh with each playthrough. Think Left 4 Dead's "director."
Pressed on the possibility of DLC, Druckmann confirmed that Naughty Dog is planning some, saying, "We will be supporting DLC," though he wouldn't go into more detail. He was similarly coy when asked if Nathan Drake will have any sidekicks in the solo adventure apart from the already seen Chloe. "For single player, we've only shown that Drake teams up with Chloe," he began, teasing, "As for who Drake teams up with for the rest of Uncharted 2, we're going to hold our cards to our chest for now."
Ubisoft's middle-of-the-road Vin Diesel action vehicle, Wheelman, gets its first (only?) round of DLC on Xbox 360 today in the form of six new "Street Showdown" missions. Two "packs" are available: a 400 ($5) collection of five "premium" races and a free pack of ... one race. (Ah yes, the budget-friendly "1-pack.")
We know you're excited, PS3 owners, but you'll have to wait until the regularly scheduled PlayStation Store update on Thursday, May 7 to pick up the DLC equivalent of a pine tree air freshener for $4.99. Which, as it so happens, is about the price of two gallons of gas in most states. Just sayin'.
Ubisoft's middle-of-the-road Vin Diesel action vehicle, Wheelman, gets its first (only?) round of DLC on Xbox 360 today in the form of six new "Street Showdown" missions. Two "packs" are available: a 400 ($5) collection of five "premium" races and a free pack of ... one race. (Ah yes, the budget-friendly "1-pack.")
We know you're excited, PS3 owners, but you'll have to wait until the regularly scheduled PlayStation Store update on Thursday, May 7 to pick up the DLC equivalent of a pine tree air freshener for $4.99. Which, as it so happens, is about the price of two gallons of gas in most states. Just sayin'.
Late Friday Greg Joswiak from Apple, Fred von Lohmann from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and officials from the US Copyright Office, record labels, movie studios, and the software industry sat down together for a hearing concerning the EFF's requested DMCA exemption of Jailbreaking. This comes just a few months after the EFF originally filed for an exemption for Jailbreaking to which Apple responded with claims that Jailbreaking is illegal.
Apple is still opposing Jailbreaking and claims that copyright protection is why they have sold 30 million iPhones and 1 billion applications. The EFF's position continues to be that comsumers should be able to run any application including those that Apple doesn't approve of.
Apple is afraid of losing their control on the iPhone where they get to choose...
Bethesda has released a trailer for the third -- and only maybe final -- DLC expansion for Fallout 3, Broken Steel, due out for Xbox 360 tomorrow, May 5. We strongly suggest that you don't play the video if you haven't finished the game, since, well, it spoils something big (and metal). If you've finished the game (or just don't care), by all means, play away.
The trailer provides a quick glimpse of how the add-on will continue on from an ending that was designed to be the end along with plenty of Brotherhood vs. Enclave laser-blastin' action. Oh, and that something big being generally awesome. In fact, just watching the footage will make the next 12 hours or so before it goes live (on Live) that much harder. We'll just pass the time thinking about what it'll be like to hear the level-up drum roll once again and dreaming of new, sure-to-be-fancy perks.
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier is a unique sci-fi, fantasy RPG that takes place in the “Endless Frontier,” where different worlds are separated with barrier-like “dimensional walls.”
With a mixture of traditional JRPG gameplay elements and fastpaced, action-packed combat not unlike the very best fighting games, Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier manages to deliver the kind of grand RPG experience fans of the series have come to expect.
The game offers a multitude of new and exciting gameplay mechanics that are sure to appeal to franchise newcomers.
With a cast of endearing characters and familiar and awe-aspiring mechas, Super Robot Taisen: Endless Frontier is localized for English gamers old and new:
features
Cute, and quirky characters and beautifully detailed environments
Gorgeous, vibrant, and completely redesigned graphics optimized for the Wii
Dozens of different enemies to beat in 14 adventure-filled levels
With bonus stages created especially for the Wii version of the game
Players can choose whichever style suits them best, from the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk, Wii Remote only, Classic Controller, or even the GameCube™ controller
description
Klonoa, the critically acclaimed franchise that revolutionized the action platform genre, finally makes its way onto the Wii™. It follows the story of Klonoa and his ring spirit friend, Hewpoe, as they set off to investigate a mysterious crash near their home in Phantomile, a world created by everyone’s dreams. The pair soon find themselves embarking on an exciting adventure filled with magical creatures and evil villains. With his trusty friend Hewpoe at his side and the power of the Wind Bullet in his hands, it’s up to Klonoa to save Phantomile!
features
Accept quests to conquer massive fortifications or slay massive unimaginable creatures
Gather with friends and fight together as a single overwhelming force to complete mission objectives
Fight in the air and on the ground! Enemies will make clever use of the terrain and space, and attack from nearly every direction
Incredible customization! Create and modify weapons using supplies gathered during battle. Also customize the look of your character with the game’s “Mugen” effects
Three powerful stories based on each of the Three Kingdoms
Download and share content with other players
Features both enhanced single player adventures along with multiplayer missions
Developed by KOEI’s award‐winning team, Omega Force
In the game, players will enlist in quests that will challenge their very sense of what it means to be a true warrior.
Each quest will take players to enormous, heavily‐armed strongholds where enemy soldiers man batteries of massive and equally‐devastating weapons.
Up to four players can join together and form a “Strikeforce” to conquer these heavily armed fortresses.
Working as a team, players can plan a coordinated attack, confuse the enemy or lure unsuspecting soldiers into a trap. Uniting and fighting as a team are the keys to victory!
With enemies and allies streaking across the sky, new “air” fighting techniques to master, and colossal challenges to conquer, the game’s action will deliver a Dynasty Warriors experience unlike any other.
Gather your team of warriors and leap into battle, the ticket to excitement is available for:
features
Race on various tracks using any and every trick you have up your sleeve
From using items to slow down opponents, to crushing other drivers against the side of the track, to simply breezing past rivals using skillful driving maneuvers, racers will do whatever it takes to be proclaimed number one
RPG mode - start off with training. Learn how to use various items and techniques to excel on the track. After you have finished training and leveling up your drivers through the growth system, you will send your drivers off to the tracks to battle against the best of the best
description
In DT Carnage, drivers must be prepared to bring everything they've got onto the tracks as they find themselves racing for their reputation, honor, and ultimately, their lives. Relying on speed alone is no longer enough as explosives and weapons are used on a regular basis making violence the ultimate means to an end in the underground racing world. Still think you have what it takes to be a DT racer?
features
13 non-linear campaigns with more than 240 action-packed missions (patrols, manoeuvres, strategic bombing, air support, air superiority, interdiction, paratroops and supply deployment, prevent bombing missions)
Authentic historical timeline and missions with focus on the gameplay
Easy control over aircraft and fun air battles
Fly for the US Air Force, Royal Air Force, Luftwaffe or Red Army Air Force
Fly with 16 authentic planes (Spitfire, Mosquito, Avro Lancaster, He-111, Ju-87 Stuka, Bf-109, Gloster Meteor, Gotha 229, DB3, IL2, Lavochkin 5, Bisnovat 5, P-38, P-51, P-47 Thunderbolt, and B-17 Flying Fortress)
Advanced ranking system, with authentic medals and ranks
description
Air Conflicts is an arcade flight simulator game set in World War II, featuring the aircraft of this period and historically inspired missions. The emphasis is on intense dogfights, daring bombing raids and exciting aerial missions.
Edge Maverick, the hero of Star Ocean 4 has just boarded the Play-Arts wagon and just had his action figure made. From the large parts such as his breast plate to the detailed trimmings on his boots, every bit of the hero is created to its moveable perfection.
Edge is a bit of a paradox, although he is quite a strategist, his rashness and sense of justice are the aspects which are more obviously percievable. See the upright determination on his face in this action figure and appreciate the strategist side of him in the game.
The heroine of Star Ocean 4, Reimi Saionji is from an established, traditional family and poise and grace is moulded into her since childhood. Dressed in the same uniform as Edge, her best friend, she shows a bit more colors, from the dark chocolate brown of her hair to the cheerful pink of her ribbons.
As a professional archer, Reimi comes with her bow and arrow. Besides weapons, as a vital part of the crew, she has to have her gadgets around her to ensure a smooth voyage.
Bubble Bobble, one of the best loved puzzle games has some of the cutest mascots in history. The rounded, cheerfully bright and jelly soft dinosaurs are here to decorate your T-Shirts. These garments are suitable for both home wear and street wear as the garment is made of comfortable material and spots an adorable design.
The sizes we offer is restricted to L, however, petite people or children can wear these as pajama tops, as there is nothing as comfortable as loose, soft T-shirts. The two styles are Bubblon and Doranku.
Go deep behind enemy lines as special agent Violette Summer in a battle-scarred Europe of World War II. Inspired by the heroic actions of a real-life British MI6 agent, Velvet Assassin delivers a brutally truthful representation of the danger of operating in enemy territory. Multiple missions – some based on real incidents – will test your nerve as you move undercover through authentic locations to carry out assassination, infiltration and sabotage. In a dark and gruesome Europe ravaged by war, stealth and silence are your only friends in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Velvet Assassin is coming to PC in Fall of 2008.
Katamari Forever (aka Katamari Damacy Tribute) is almost done. Namco Bandai will release the first Katamari game for the PlayStation 3 in Japan only July 23. The release date comes with a few tidbits, like the 100+ cousin count.
Retailer Rakuten says there are over 100 playable characters and over 30 stages. Levels that take place in the King’s Memory have King Shock spots. Touch one of these to make your Katamari grab nearby objects like a magnet. King Shock spots also make the cousins celebrate by dancing as seen in the screenshot.
The game will have four play modes: New Katamari Damacy (which has Sixaxis jumping), Katamari Drive (short play), Usual Katamari Damacy mode (classic), and Endless. Also like the other Katamari titles, you play a mini-game where you fail a stage in Katamari Forever.
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