Gamertell

And the corporate consolidation of media continues - Kotaku is reporting on CBS’ acquisition of CNET networks cache of sites, including gamespot. Apparently, CNET’s board of directors unanimously agreed to the merger, and the transition is slated to occur by the third quarter of this year.

From the post:

“Upon closing, CNET Networks’ sites will be combined with CBS’s stable of dynamic and growing interactive businesses. These include CBS.com, CBSSports.com, CBSCollegeSports.com, MaxPreps.com, CBSNews.com, last.fm, Wallstrip, MobLogic, CBS Radio and CBS Television Stations digital media platforms, and the distribution network of the CBS Audience Network, which is made up of more than 300 partner Web sites and reaches 82% of all online users in the United States.”

As if gamespot hadn’t already had its share of nasty business in the corporate relations department… but business is business, right?

Read [Kotaku]

Though the countdown to The Sims 3 is undoubtedly running through the minds of the series’ fans, EA won’t allow The Sims 2 to be forgotten. Another The Sims 2 stuff pack has officially been announced - The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff. For those who are new Sims fans, or are simply unaware of the series, the stuff packs aren’t really expansion packs. They add no new interactions, neighborhoods or abilities. Instead, they contain a handful of extra furniture, clothing, building materials or hairstyles for the game.

This isn’t the first time a Sims 2 stuff pack related to a store has been released. The Sims 2: H&M Stuff was released on June 5, 2007, and contained H&M clothes and items that would allow you to create an H&M store in your game. The Sims 2: IKEA Stuff will focus on IKEA furniture and accessories. It will be in stores on June 23, 2008 and will cost $19.99, like all previous stuff packs.

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Slingo has just released an updated version of its Match’Ums web game. Match’Ums 3.0 is a memory game where you collect matching tiles for Slingo Coins.

The adjustable modes make it different than Match’Ums 2.0. In Match’Ums 3.0 you decide the difficulty level at the beginning, along with what kind of items you want to match. There are Easy, Medium and Hard modes, and the items you match can be numbers, symbols or a combination of the two.

The game also contains Slingo character cards. First is the Joker card, which can match with any other card to create a pair. The second new card is the Devil & Cherub card. If you match a Devil & Cherub to its partner or the Joker, your score doubles and you get more coins. If you don’t, then your score is cut in half.

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By now, we’ve all heard the news that Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will direct the big-screen adaptation of thoughtful underwater shooter Bioshock. We’ve already extolled the virtues of the game and it’s filmic possibilities elsewhere, so right now, let’s focus on the man himself. Is Verbinski up to the challenge of making one of the most fully realized game worlds (and cleverest narratives) come to life? Or are we destined for yet another lame game movie night? We check out the director’s earlier film work, his statements on the adaptation, and his gamer cred to make a long-term prognosis.

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Usually I don’t give any of the advertisements a second look, but when I logged in to play Flash Hero (a Guitar Hero-esque Facebook game), a fairly unassuming ad caught my eye.

“ACE YOUR FINALS - $25 - Get access to 45,000 term paper and essays right here!”

So right above a flash game that 13-24 year olds are likely to play is an ad endorsing cheating…

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Check out the gallery: Controversial facebook ad

Facebook may have started as a simple social website, but it has quickly ballooned into an entertainment hub for individuals between the ages of 13 - 30. In 2007 the Facebook Platform was introduced, which allowed users and developers to create unique applications for users. If people add an application to their profile, they are then able to play a game and interact with others who also have that profile.

This has lead to a plethora of different applications available. There are video game arcades, text-based adventures, free gift programs, enhanced message boards for people’s profiles and little quiz applications. Even commercial companies and shows create applications to get users’ attention, including Donald Trump’s The Apprentice.

I’ve tested a wide variety of Facebook applications and have selected the five best and most addictive…

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In order to promote the recently released Wii music title Battle of the Bands, a slick demo widget has appeared on the internet. The full version of the game was released to all major retailers on April 21, 2008. The demo is surprisingly similar to the source material. The only difference is the Wii version is played entirely with the Wiimote, and the demo relies on five computer keys.

Now before you go and play, let me warn you that this widget has the most uncomfortable control schemes for laptops. The 1, 2, and 3 buttons must be pressed when the green circles corresponding to them reach the top bar. The left shift key is used to shift between attack items, and the space bar is used to bring up a shield. This means that your right hand has to slip over (or under) your left hand to hit the shift key.

Click through to play the game demo…

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The Internet MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game) Wonderland Online just entered its open beta phase on May 11, 2008. The closed beta for the new game ended on the same day, but all of the closed beta players’ information was saved and carried over to the Aries server.

The open beta announcement also brings with it a few other interesting tidbits, aside from the whole “everyone can play” aspect. A new server, Taurus, is now open and now both daily and special occasion events will be held.

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It looks like the Bioshock movie we’ve all been awaiting is actually going to come to fruition. According to Variety, Universal and Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will be bringing the dystopian world to the silver screen. John Logan, screenwriter behind Oscar-winning The Aviator will be penning the project.

Verbinski had a few apt words about the game experience that bolster hope that the project is in the right hands. From Variety:

“I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential...Of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative.”

Obviously, the game was one of the most complex, best-conceived narratives in recent memory (I’d say across media. It was one hell of a cool story), and I have very high hopes for the film. It certainly seems as if there’s real talent behind the production, so perhaps we’ll soon see the end of the “lame game movie night” mentality. Let’s hope.

Read [Variety]

The retail version of the massive multiplayer online real time strategy (MMORTS) title SAGA is now available for free for a limited time at FileFront. The site will be giving away 50,000 retail keys with downloads of the game between today (May 7, 2008) and May 11, 2008. The full version of the game normally costs $19.95, and you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to continue enjoying retail-only extras. It’s a pretty good deal, considering SAGA came out March 4, 2008.

If you don’t get to FileFront in time to get a free retail version of SAGA, then don’t worry. You can still enjoy the free version of SAGA, which can be downloaded at the official website. The differences are somewhat substantial - the retail version allows players to spy on each other, trade with other users, form guilds and engage in combat with other players. 

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