Gamertell

From July 21 through 27, 2008, Gaia Online will host its very own Rejected Olympics. The event is free and open to registered Gaia members.

Gaia Online is an online hangout that was founded in 2003 and has since become the leading hangout with more than 5 million visitors a month to make friends, play games, watch movies and participate in monthly activities.

This year’s rejected Olympic will have up to 100 new games and Olympic-themed…

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The American leg of US World Cyber Ggames 2008 will take place at the Samsung Experience in New York, NY, on May 31, 2008, and June 1, 2008. At stake are cash and prizes worth more than $20,000 along with a place in the WCG USA National Final. The first leg or the WCG 2008 US Open will include some of the best gamers in America who have their sights set on qualifying for the WCG 2008 Grand Finals in Cologne, Germany, in November 2008.

The Grand Finals will have…

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Nokia has rolled out the final version of the N-Gage service available on the N-Gage website. It can be downloaded using a PC or straight onto a compatible Nokia cellphone.

The handsets that are currently compatible with the N-Gage application include Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82, Nokia N95, and Nokia N95 8GB. Nokia will continue to add more handsets to the list.

The N-Gage interface is…

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Thousands of game, anime and comic fans filled the lobby since the day before of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston to register for the many panels, activities and concerts at Anime Boston 2008.

If you wanted to hear the loudest roar of adoring fans that rattled the doors of the convention, you had to attend the Gaia Online panel at the Boston Hynes Convention Center. So many fans showed up to hug the giant Kiki Kitty and talk with Gaia’s own DJ Helsing about all things Gaia that thousands of people were left standing in line.

Gamertell got a few minutes with Gaia Online’s DJ Helsing to find out about his next project…

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In previous columns, we’ve deliberated on the nature of storytelling within games and movies, and we’ve complained about the quality of writing in many movies based on games. This week, we’re looking into the other side of the equation – writing a movie-based game, with a little inspiration from a very insightful Gamasutra interview posted last week.

In the interview, screenwriter Dalan Musson (writer for The Golden Compass game) described the process of writing a movie-based game, from dealing with movie studios vs. dealing with game companies (hint – game companies are apparently much easier and nicer to work with) to adapting a screenplay for a game’s world (which is harder than it sounds).

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Last week, Jim Sterling of Destructoid posted a well-constructed analysis on the subject of why game movies fail so often, a topic we’re very interested in ourselves here at Cut/Scenes. It’s certainly true that most game-based movies are terrible, so there must be a reason for it. Sterling contends that it’s the nature of adaptation from game to film that’s the problem, and hence no game movies will ever really be up to par. According to him, adapting a property from a game/series to a movie literally takes something away from the experience – and this process strips out the natural identification that comes with an interactive media.

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The Australian Federal government is contemplating the introduction of the R-18 certification for video games that contain highly explicit content not deemed fit for minors. The absence of such a certification means that titles which exceed the MA certification (only for sale to persons 15 and above) are altogether denied an Australian release…

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When you think of cheap games, the first thing which usually comes to mind is a resale shop, like GameStop, or a chain discount store like Wal-Mart. A hidden treasure trove of deals is available though for those willing to work a little harder: Goodwill Thrift Stores. Goodwill thrives on donations from local individuals and retailers, and you never know what deals you’ll find. Plus, by shopping at Goodwill you are making a difference in your community, as Goodwill is a nonprofit organization which uses over 83% of money earned to find jobs for people who can’t get one on their own.

Today (February 1, 2008) at my local Goodwill I came across $10 copies of the PC version of Stranglehold. They were accompanied by assorted Xbox 360 and PS3 titles like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Forza Motorsport 2. All were brand new in their original wrapping. I asked a clerk about them as she assisted another shopper (who wanted a copy of Stranglehold), and she said that often retailers like Target, Sears or JC Penny will send overstock items as donations. 

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The gaming industry is as dynamic as it has ever been, with game companies always looking to experiment and innovate. Trader Auction Games is one such innovation, an attempt at refurbishing online gaming. This games website offers much more than virtually worthless points and a mention on the leader boards that games websites usually offer. Instead, it will convert the points won during game play into an online currency, which can then be used to bid on various items in its virtual, community-propelled auction room.

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Halo 3 may have taken the cake for best-selling game of 2007, but the FPS fans are speaking their minds; Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) has overtaken Bungie’s third Halo installment as the most-played title on Xbox Live. Major Nelson indicates that for the week of January 14, 2008, CoD4 has trumped Halo 3 for unique online users on the Xbox 360. While CoD4 and Halo 3 take the top two spots, Guitar Hero III nips at their heels, which is rather surprising considering Rock Band‘s infinitely more replayable multiplayer modes. Shredders must really love (or hate) “Through the Fire and the Flames.”

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