Full FeedHow five years in Iraq has changed gaming
As the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq approaches (March 20, 2008), it’s more apparent than ever that the new reality of warfare that faces America has turned combat simulation markedly more cynical.
In 2002, the year before the US entered Iraq, the only war game to crack NPD’s yearly top 10 in sales was Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, a typical love letter to the brazen, open battles of WW2. In 2007, Halo 3‘s histrionics took the top spot. But something else was going on. Not only was Call of Duty 4‘s sickly familiar terrorism narrative the third best seller. But there was Assassin’s Creed at No. 9, as well.
Not only are games focusing on the regions, weapons and tactics employed in warfare dominated by terrorism, they are also starting to delve deeply into its hows and whys…
Harmonix, Activision shred the suit for a settlement
It seems the two towers in the cash-soaked world of rock ‘n’ roll games can’t just enjoy the good times. But at least it’s not hot enough between Rock Band developer Harmonix and Guitar Hero III publisher Activision to lug these monsters of metal into court - yet.
Harmonix has sued Activision for royalties from its old game franchise, but the suit has been withdrawn so that the two can settle something out of court, Variety reports.
How did all this come about? Well, let me tell you a tale…
Hands on with Half Life 2 mod, car combat game, DIPRIP
Half Life 2 mod DIPRIP is car combat with your mouse and keyboard. Let’s break that down for a second: It’s a Half-Life 2 mod, so it should have all the rendering and physics power of the Freeman adventure, and it’s on mouse and keyboard, so it should have all the pinpoint accuracy and diverse weapon sets that PC shooting embodies.
Those benefits are in there somewhere, but you have to work a bit to enjoy them. You’re laying the pedal on pretty thick most of…
Crackpots ship Insecticide for DS
With titles like Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max Hit The Road and Dark Forces: Jedi Knight, members of developer Crackpot Entertainment have a lot to live up to with Insecticide, which shipped for the DS on Wednesday March 12, 2008. The tries to mix action (platforming) with adventure (mystery solvin’) and, from what the trailer shows, a bit of comedy as an afterthought.
The game takes place in a future where bugs dominate the planet, relegating humans to the edges of…
Mario Kart ready to be a wii-nner April 27, 2008
Nintendo’s ready to let Mario Kart Wii run loose with its infamous Wii Wheel on April 27, 2008. That’s another Sunday release for Nintendo after Super Smash Bros. Brawl on March 9, 2008. Does Reggie Fils-Aime have some sort of god complex?
Nintendo’s press release for Mario Kart Wii confirms online play with up to 11 others, and it should be easy to tell who’s who because everyone can…
TinyWarz primer
It’s the age of diversion. If you don’t have at least three browser windows up, a pair of media players running, doing some VoIP gabbing and have an MMO ready to alt-tab into, I can only imagine how bored you must be.
I’ve got just the thing. TinyWarz is a turn-based strategy MMO that runs in browser. I think you’ll find it has enough grinding and army building to fill whatever clickless seconds are left in your life.
It’s a bit obtuse to navigate, but I can help you out there, too. Here’s a guide to the quickest way to the battlefield in TinyWarz...
BioShock 2 in the tubes
In its quarterly report released Tuesday (March 11, 2008), Take-Two pseudo-officially announced the sequel to BioShock is to be released by the end of the 2009. The game will be developed by studio 2k Marin (that’s California, near Sacramento). The sequel isn’t considered too much of a surprise because its predecessor sold 2 million copies and drew plenty of glowing reviews.
But wait. What about about 2k Boston, Ken Levine’s studio? Creating a harmony of gameplay in an options-driven shooter is…
Take-Two being sued by shareholders
The New York Times reports (March 11, 2008) that Take-Two has been hit with a shareholder lawsuit alleging that the EA buyout deal was kept secret to benefit T2’s executives. The same day, Take-Two reported its first-quarter sales were down 15 percent despite Bioshock‘s late 2007 release and the company shipping a million copies of Carnival Games for the Wii.
The New York Times article cites regulatory filings that say Take-Two’s board passed a measure that would increase compensation for…
A first-person travelogue of horror
Condemned 2 hits store shelves this week smashing together two for no-brainers gamers: frights and first-person combat. It’s a formula that’s looked tempting on paper for a number of developers over the years, and, from time to time, has led to some top-notch experiences. Here’s a short run down of other notable shots at the FPS horror sub-genre.
+Doom (MS-DOS, 1993)—Doom took a brooding, vivid depiction of hell, sprinkled in some fierce firepower, and blew everyone away. It wasn’t just that it looked, sounded and played better than anything before, it also put you right in the middle of it. It seems like a foregone conclusion today, but the game’s message of immersion was so stark, it was frightening.
Teachers protest Bully re-release
An international coalition of teachers unions is protesting the re-release of Rockstar’s Bully: The Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 and Wii, The Globe and Mail reported.
he ESRB gave both versions of the game a “Teen” rating, which means the game is suitable for ages 13 and older. That’s one below the “Mature” rating for those 17 and older. But that didn’t stop the…
Experience what it’s like to download at unlimited speeds from a massive collection of over 800 Terabytes of user uploads. You’ll max out your Internet connection downloading a file in… Continue Reading »
Black Friday 2009
Black Friday is almost here! Gadgetell's got you covered with all the latest news on who's offering the best deals. Dangerous crowds? You're on your own.
Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
