Gamertell

In the June 2008 issue of Maxim magazine (pp. 67-69), writer Will Leitch lists “The 10 Worst Broadcasters in Sports.” The list is topped by Chris Berman at number 1 with Chip Caray at no. 2 followed by Dick Vitale, Bryant Gumbel, Bill Walton, Billy Packer, Mike Patrick and Walt Frazier, respectively. At the bottom, which is where it begins conveniently placing his familiar mug next to the headline, is John madden at number 10. According to Maxim’s “Penalty Box” icons, he’s guilty of being an incoherent blowhard with a grating voice.

The article goes on to call the namesake of one of the best-selling videogame franchises “a parody of himself” and…

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Makena Technologies and MTV have opened virtual skate parks based on popular television shows Rob and Big and Life of Ryan where visitors can create their own boards, perform various tricks on different ramps and discuss the hit shows via text messaging or voice chat.

Brought to the net by the makers of There.com, another virtual world community, virtual skateboarders will be able to participate in skating events online, join teams and enter into competitions. Players can create their 3D virtual selves as well as design their own skateboards, just about everything is…

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For those of us who are technologically impaired and don’t want to hire a technician to wire our homes for networking, Corinex Communications announced a new AV200 Powerline Ethernet Wall Mount F to allow families (and the technologically impaired) to create their own multimedia home networking solutions without the hassle of wiring their homes.

According to Corinex’s Web site, using the individual plug-ins of a female pass-through outlet, the AV200 Powerline Ethernet Wall Mount F allows consumers to not only watch video on demand programs, but all them to access a voice and broadband internet service through wiring already in the home. Each device contains an integrated noise filter that will keep a steady internet connection and an outlet to allow consumers to also plug in other items needed.

The AV200 Powerline technology by Corinex is designed to create and maintain a more secure and faster than wireless, 200 Mbps connection with numerous uses. According to the instructions posted on Corinex.com, just plugging one mount into a modem or router and a second one into any Ethernet enabled computing or media device will turn all the electrical outlets in the home into an internet ready network.

The AV200 Powerline Ethernet Wall Mount F is available online for $124. Specifications, instruction manuals and more information is available online at Corinex.

Read [TMCnet] Site [Corinex ]

I ran into Zach Wigal (pictured right) online well after our interview for the “Teen with a Dream” story and was glad to hear his dream came true. He and his friends were finally able to host a Halo tournament through a CyGamZ fundraiser held in November 2007.

He told me GOF was able to raise $500, which was used towards community service projects within his area and that this year he and his friends are hosting another Halo tournament event called Gamers for Giving February 29, 2008.

“I believe last we spoke about GOF happenings I told you we had a small fund raiser for our organization at a LAN center called CyGamZ planned, and that we were still discussing possible dates and things for our big comeback event, Gamers for Giving,” Wigal said when I caught up with him earlier this week. “Well the CyGamZ event has ended, and we’re 100% focused on Gamers for Giving, which is a Halo 3 tournament combined with a 3 day straight PC LAN.”

Wigal plans to “raise at least $7,500 dollars to help families and kids who struggle with Autism,” he explained. “All profits made from the event are…

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Exodus Film Group announced December 7, 2007, a video game deal with Interactive Game Group and Legacy Interactive for a game based on their CG-animated feature film “Igor.”

The playfully irreverent comedy film features the voice talents of John Cusack, who will be replacing Christian Slater in the role of Igor for the game and film adaptation. Igor, a gifted scientist born with a hunch on his back, wants to win the annual Evil Science Fair with his own invention. But as luck would have it, he is forced to serve in the shadow of a cruel scientist named Dr. Glickenstein.

Cusack will be joined by Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Jennifer Coolidge, Arsenio Hall, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Jay Leno and Molly Shannon. To date, the plans for the game version of this production will be distributed for the Nintendo DS and Wii system, as retail and downloadable online game for the PC platform, and through wireless connection.

Legacy Interactive will publish the “Igor” licensed game in North America and Interactive Game Group will finance and coordinate the game worldwide in time for Weinstein Company to distributed the film version in U.S. theaters by MGM on October 24, 2008. The Weinstein Company will also handle international sales for ”Igor.”

“The principals at Legacy and I2G have proven track records in creating and distributing exciting and innovative games,” said Bruce Auerbach, Exodus president of consumer products. “The audience experience will be greatly enhanced by not only seeing the movie, but being able to ‘play’ the movie.”

Ariella Lehrer, Legacy Interactive’s CEO said the game will appeal more to the hard core and casual strategy gamers.

“The incredibly rich world and characters the film offers are well suited to the action puzzler genre,” said Lehrer. “I think this is a game that will have crossover appeal among casual and more core strategy gamers alike.”

Frederic Chesnais, I2G’s founder and general manager, added, “This project is exactly why I have created I2G, to bring talented people together and facilitate the creation and distribution of interactive entertainment.”

Site [Exodus Film Group] Site [Legacy Interactive] Read [Dark Horizons]

In a push statewide to educate parents on how to use the Entertainment Software Rating Board as a tool for deciding appropriate games, Delaware Lieutenant Governor John Carney and State Representative Helene Keeley joins ESRB president Patricia E. Vance to announce the launch of a new PSA campaign.

The campaign is directed at parents and is comprised of radio, billboard signs and kiosk displays. Both Carney and Keeley emphasized the need for parents to be more involved and informed with the video games their children play.

“With two sons of my own, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes,” said Carney. “The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement, so it’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children.  The ESRB ratings help parents ensure that they are bringing home suitable games for their families.”

Since its inception in 1994, the ESRB ratings have become a trusted resource for parents when choosing computer and video games. In April of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report which found that nine in ten parents are aware of the ESRB ratings, 87% expressed satisfaction, and nearly three quarters use them regularly when choosing games for their children. But in a recent report released by MediaWise, that doesn’t seem to be enough as their poll results showed that a lot of parents don’t understand or use this ESRB rating to shop for games.

“The ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate, and parents should be sure to check the rating each time they consider a game for their child so they know they’re choosing one that’s right for their age,” said Keeley. “I’m proud to be participating in the effort to educate parents in our state about the tools at their disposal so they can make informed decisions.”

The radio PSAs have been distributed to stations statewide, and will begin airing in the coming weeks. The print PSAs will be appearing throughout the state over the course of December and January. 

“Just like movies and TV shows, video games are created for a diverse audience of all ages,” said Patricia Vance, president of ESRB. “That is why it is so important that parents remember to check the rating when purchasing games for their children. I’m pleased to be joining Lt. Governor Carney and Rep. Keeley in announcing this effort to reach out to Delaware’s parents and educate them about the ratings.”

The ESRB rating can be found on the back of each game package along with a descriptors that provide a glimpse of what is to be expected in the game. These descriptors, Vance said, may have triggered the rating the game received and may be of interest or concern to parents. She said ratings should be used as a two-art warning to parents. First a description of what may be inside the game and the recommended age level for the game.

“While many parents are aware of the ratings, and are making sensible game purchase decisions as a result, there is always more that can and should be done,” said Vance. “We hope that these ads will help arm parents with the information they need to make the right choices about the video games they deem appropriate for their children and families.”

Site [ESRB] Read [GGL Wire]

With the holidays around the corner and the recent video game report card showing lack of parental participation have spurred former Oklahoma State Senator Glenn Coffee to join ESRB president Patricia E. Vance to unveil a new public service announcement campaign to explain and encourage parents to use the video game rating system.

The 30 second TV and radio spot shows Coffee encouraging parents to check the rating on the package each time they purchase or rent a video game to ensure that its appropriate for their children and family as well as spending time with their children as they play to make sure the choice was appropriate. Coffee joins other state-level politicians from Washington, Utah, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Rhode Island and Idaho in a campaign to promote parent involvement and education about the ESRB rating system regarding the video games their children play.

What makes this interesting is Coffee’s involvement as a sponsor in Oklahoma’s unconstitutional video game law, House Bill 3004, which was passed by Governor Brad Henry in 2006.

But that’s in the past now as Coffee now supports the ESRB in his PSA spot, where he’s seen sitting in his office talking about the importance of Oklahoma retailers complying with their store policies and encouraging parents to take the time to arm themselves with the knowledge of the ESRB rating system.

“Doing things with your kids can be fun. One of the things we enjoy is playing a computer and video games together,” he said and in the video as Coffee is seen talking with his children and in another segment playing a game with his children. “But how do you choose which video games are appropriate for your children and family? We rely on the video game rating system.”

In a press release Coffee explains that “as a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes. The simple fact is that there’s no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility,” he said. Coffee who is a father of four children continued to explain why “it’s important that parents play an active role in choosing games for their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental of M-rated games to those under 17. ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate. I’m proud to be educating parents in our state about the tools at their disposal.”

The PSA is currently being distributed to television and radio stations as well as cable providers in Oklahoma to hopefully reach parents before they head out to retailers to purchase video games as holiday gifts for their children. ESRB has also published brochures for Oklahoma which are available at Blockbuster stores.

Read [ESRB Press Release] Download [ESRB Oklahoma Brochure (PDF)] Site [ESRB]

Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis have been issued a copy of PeaceMaker, a strategic sim game for the PC platform to virtually find ways to stop the war between them and bring peace to their own country.

More than 100,000 copies of the game were distributed through the leading Arabic and Hebrew newspapers in Palestine and Israel the same day Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas leave for a World Summit in Annapolis, Maryland. Olmert and Abbas will receive their copy of the game upon their return.

“The way is pragmatism, entering the role of the other. You must take into account the other side,” said Ron Pundak, director of the Peres Center for Peace, which is distributing the game in Israel and the Palestinian territories. “It will help (each side) understand limitations of each one’s president and leader, and as well the limitation of the other side.”

PeaceMaker is an award-winning simulation game designed by ImpactGames. The game is actually the brain child of two former Mellon University Graduates that allow players to choose the role of a Palestinian or Israeli leader. As the leader, gamers must deal with not only governing their own people, but handle situations such as suicide bombers, terrorist attacks in various places of their state as well as contend with situations resulting from their war like refugee camps. When the leaders return, the game will allow them to switch roles with one another to see what the other must face as a result of the other’s actions.

“Since we first got the idea for PeaceMaker, it has been our hope to put this game in the hands of people who live with the real conflict every day, so they can play as the other side. With this game, the people can succeed where politicians and leaders have failed until now–bringing peace to the Middle-East,” says Asi Burak, co-founder of ImpactGames and a former Israeli Army Intelligence Corps captain. “We are so grateful to the Peres Center; their high reputation, educational expertise and outreach to community groups in Israel and Palestine made this project possible.”

“It’s significant that the PeaceMaker giveaway in the Mideast is happening around the peace summit, but also at a time of year when millions of Westerners begin their holiday shopping by purchasing games where war, violence and conflict are central points of the game. To win at PeaceMaker, you have to cooperate with the other side and reach an understanding; you must challenge any prior knowledge or assumptions you have about the Mideast conflict,” says Eric Brown, CEO of ImpactGames.

Read [CNN] Also Read [The Jerusalem Post] Site [PeaceMaker Game]

With Thanksgiving over walk off that turkey and stuffing at Best Buy. Best buy is offering console bundles, discounted games and accessories during their Black Friday Doorbuster sale. Check out these prices:

Bundles and Specials:

• Xbox360 Premium System with a free Guitar Hero II Bundle for $349.99
• 40GB PS3 Bundle with a free copy of NBA 2K8 and Blue-Ray Movie Open Season for $399.99
• 40GB PS3 Spiderman Bundle with a free copy of NBA 2K8 and Blue-Ray Movie Open Season for $399.99
• Nintendo DS Zelda or Nintendogs Special Edition Bundle with free starter kit and Over the Hedge game for $149.99
• PS2 react Legacy Wireless Guitar with pedal for $39.99
• PS2 Guitar Hero II Game for $24.99

$4.99 game titles at Best Buy:

• EA Replay for the PSP
• Stacked for the PS2
• Destroy All Humans! 2 and The Incredibles for Xbox
• Gun for the Xbox360
• Princess Natasha: Student, Secret Agent, Princess for the GBA
• Ravenhearst for the PC

$9.99 game titles at Best Buy:

• Madden 07 for the PS3
• GTA San Andreas for PS2
• Cooking Mama for DS
• GTA Liberty City Stories for PSP
• Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition for PSP
• MLB 2K7 for DS
• Guild Wars for PC
• LOTR Online for PC
• World of Warcraft for PC

$14.99 game titles at Best Buy:

• Tony Hawk’s Project 8 for XBox360
• ICON for Xbox360
• Spiderman 3 for PS2
• SSX Blur for Wii
• Chicken Shoot for Wii
• The Sims 2 Pets for Wii
• Kim Possible for DS

XBox game titles for $19.99:

• Stuntman
• Spiderman 3
• Call of Duty 3
• Ghost Recon 2

PC game titles for $24.99:

• Bioshock
• Orange Box
• Two Worlds

The following are memory card accessories on sale:

• Sandisk 2GB SD memory card $14.99
• PNY 4GB SDHC memory card $27.99
• Sandisk 2GB MicroSD memory card kit $19.99
• Sandisk 2GB MSPro Duo $19.99
• Sandisk 4GB MSPro Duo $34.99

Site [Best Buy]

Joel Durham has an awesome little list of overhyped games up over at Extreme Tech. But instead of just complaining about the sad state of the game industry today, Joel lists out games that are simply too overexposed and presents a nice, less-hyped alternative title. Its constructive criticism.

It’s a relatively short list, and some of the choices seem a little obvious, but it’s a great idea, and well implemented. Joel suggests checking out Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare over Crysis; The Witcher over Hellgate: London; and Penumbra: Overture over any of the F.E.A.R. sequels.

His description of Crysis is particularly funny:

“Overhyped Shooter: Crysis
It just hit stores, but the Web has been acting like it’s been in release for at least a month. Nanosuit! Nanosuit! Nanosuit! Maximum Armor! Maximum Speed! Maximum Yawn! If you actually played the demo, you saw that the supersuit doesn’t even match the skills you can get in a weak console game like Crackdown. Now that guy can take bullets, leap over rooftops, and toss buses onto innocent pedestrians! He could, like, pwn the nanosuit guy.”

I think someone should do an expanded list with more console inclusion. I’ll get you started: overhyped console FPS: Halo 3. Alternative console FPS: Team Fortress 2 (The Orange Box). See? It’s easy.

Read [Extreme Tech]