Gamertell

Just about the only thing funnier than bad box art are bad/ridiculous box quotes. Just as boombastic and stupid as bad art, dumb quotes can add that extra comedic panache to the grand gamer pass time of laughing at the past. Games Radar has an excellent list of the most ridiculous of all, from the sheer “awesomeness” of Gamepro’s Stranglehold quote: “the game is ripe with more awesomeness than Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas put together” to the utter stupidity of gamespy’s oh-so-articulate thoughts on Stuntman: “Stuntman ROCKS!“.

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Oh, GamesRadar. You’ve outdone yourselves with the best list of embarrassing game moments. Aptly titled “Game moments you don’t want a loved one walking in on”, and completely hilarious, the list has everything from the smut-related (like catching Meryl in her undies in Metal Gear Solid to the tender-hearted (crying over killing a great beast in Shadow of the Colossus) to the utterly shameless (Killing crackheads in Condemned).

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ICV2 has just reported that graphic novels will soon be eligible for the prestigious Hugo Award. The notion does have to be ratified, but if it goes through, “‘Any science fiction or fantasy story told in graphic form appearing for the first time in the previous calendar year’ will be eligible.“ It got me thinking - if graphic novels are enjoying literary legitimacy these days, could videogames be next?

We all have our favorite examples of which games we feel qualify as bona-fide works of art or pieces of literature.

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Who doesn’t love a good “top xx” list? Kezins.com has an awesome little list of videogaming’s best urban legends, including the infamous “Nude Raider” code and the “PS2 will be used to launch Iraqi missiles” conspiracy theory.

My personal favorite has to be the Polybus mystery. From the post:

“The Urban Legend - A government run arcade cabinet was used to collect data. Once played this game would cause seizures, memory loss and people were brainwashed.“

Its a fun, quick read, and well worth checking out for a dose of gaming nostalgia/paranoia.

Read [Kezins] Via [Filefront]

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Next Tuesday (January 29, 2008) marks the release of The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters on DVD. This week’s Cut/Scenes takes a closer look at what many consider to be one of the best videogame related films ever to see mainstream release.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters strays far from the usual formula. The film is actually a documentary, focused on the trials and tribulations of nice-guy Steve Wiebe as he challenges the ultimate Donkey Kong score (and Ego) of Billy Mitchell, the self proclaimed king of classic arcade games…

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If your like me, you have tons of movies, games , music and books collected over the years from birthdays, Christmas or random prizes. You don’t really want to throw them away and you can’t really give them away or the person who gave it to you will get their feelings hurt.

There’s a new solution to the problem aside from posting it on eBay and hoping someone will pay for it. Trade it with someone who really wants it at SwapTree.

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The Presidential candidates are debating nearly every relevant issue these days. Videogaming has found prominence as a political issue in recent times - sadly enough – so, it would be nice to know the candidates’ positions on the issue. Common Sense Media tried to sample the opinions of the candidates about videogames but only three of them showed enough interest to take the survey. One of the frontrunners in the Presidential race, Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democrat), was interested in participating in the survey but could not furnish a response in time. According to gamepolitics, CSM has finally received her reply.

She doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of violent videogames, or games with “corrupting content”, and has vowed to shield children from such content if she becomes president. One can expect more stringent game regulations if she occupies the Oval office. Historically, Clinton has stood up for tougher video game regulation and she introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act a couple of years ago. This bill had provisions for fines being imposed on on-site store mangers, if they sold inappropriate games to children.

In her response, Clinton also talked about the ills of violent and sexually explicit game content and, specially, the fears parents have about losing control over their children as a result of such content.

Read [Game Politics]

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Indicative of the recent platform-traversing trend in entertainment, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is developing a keen interest in the videogames business. It was only a month ago that the news of its $210 million acquisition of TT Games (publisher and developer of Lego Batman) broke out and now it has named John P. Quinn, a seasoned campaigner at the company, the new VP of it worldwide operations.

John Quinn’s promotion means that he will have to ensure that WBIE game sales witness an upward sales trend in coming times.  The upcoming WBIE titles include the likes of Lego Batman, Speed Racer and Project Origin among others, and Quinn will look to make them all a success.

Quinn is a Warner’s veteran, having joined Warner Communications in 1977, and he has occupied several key positions in the company during his career. He is the ideal man for the job as he has accumulated some precious expertise in sales and distribution, having served as the VP of sales at Warner Home Video in the U.S during the 1990’s and, subsequently, as the executive VP of the firm’s global supply chain.

Read [Next-Gen]

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For all those early risers braving the traffic and long lines at checkout counters, here’s a quick look at Game Crazy’s Black Friday advert.

Most GameCrazy stores are located next to a Hollywood Video store (since they are owned by the same company) and will open early, though times will likely depend on individual stores since they are listed on the ad. The last advert page has a blank spot for localization, which is a fancy way of saying that all the local stores are listed with phone numbers. Unlike most stores, GameCrazy stores are open on Thanksgiving and honoring some of the deals early.

Here are some of the highlighted deals from the advertisement:

• $20 off Guitar Hero II with controller ($69.99)
• $150 DS bundles (pretty much the same deal everywhere)
• PS3 for $399 (also a common deal)
• Buy a used game get one free
• 3 for $10 used PS2 and used Xbox games
• Buy any PC game and get a free headset from NCSoft
• Buy 2 get one free for used Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, DS and Wii games
• Buy the $400 PS3/Spider-man 3 movie bundle and get 5 free UMD movies (by mail)
• DS system for $129
• $20 store gift card with the purchase of an Xbox 360 ($350)
• Nerf WiiMote controller sleeve, $12.59
• Cyber Acoustics speaker set for $12 (looks like left, right and center or subwoofer)
• $10 off Frontman guitar controller ($50)

Although the GameCrazy web files show 6 pages, the printed ad I got in the mail was one tall tri-fold ad and the graphics were a bit different. The deals were the same. No coupons to print but, to be safe, you might want to print and bring with you to make certain that clerks will give you the right deals.

Site [GameCrazy] Read [GameZone Radio]

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More and more gamers are laying down their lives so we can have the freedom to say or do what we want stateside. (Told you there were gamers in the foxholes.)

While these brave gamers are overseas dodging bullets, cautiously looking out for improvised explosive devices as well as their buddies’ backs, a few find peace in their chaotic lives overseas by gaming. Although she admits it seemed childish to her at first, Army wife Stefanie Shea couldn’t help starting a non-profit group to offer these gamers a bit of relaxation and escape from the war by collecting and shipping games and systems for deployed U.S. military personnel.

Seeing grown men hunkered down over a handheld game controller, fingers racing frantically to throw a football pass, slay the dragon or free a princess seems like kid stuff, Shea admitted.

“You actually hold this controller and you hold it kind of like it’s a bowling ball and you go through the motions,” she said. “It’s really crazy. If you haven’t tried it you have to seek one out.”

Shea first experience with videogames took place when she and her husband, Sgt. Michael Shea, would play Nintendo Wii games together with friends at Fort Campbell, KY, until Michael had to deploy for his second tour in Iraq a few weeks ago (October 2007). She said that since her husband will miss the next two Christmases at home she asked his opinion of what he thought soldiers there truly needed to relax and have a bit of holiday cheer despite being miles away from home. The answer was fun and relaxation to help them decompress the stresses of their duty. It was then she knew the only technology she could find that could provide just that - videogames.

Together with friend Dana Blackman Brady, who owns a consulting firm in Langhorne, Shea applied for nonprofit status for their organization, Fun For Our Troops. Together, they intend to collect money, gift cards and donated game devices from 2005 or newer to send to troops overseas. By word of mouth alone she raised more than $100 in one week to help collect the games for the troops.

“I need to keep myself busy,” Shea said. Keeping busy is something most military wives of deployed soldiers do to keep themselves from fearing the worse has happened to their loved ones when they are unable to call or a news channel announces a fire fight in their soldier’s general location. “Projects are always good.”

Brady, married to a former Army Ranger, said the games could be beneficial as well as provide a comfort from home.

“What they really appreciate over there is the true comforts of home,” Brady said. “The stress relief and the escapism involved in these games, we really think could be beneficial. We’re hoping to get (the games) throughout the year. We don’t want to have [soldiers] wait. We do foresee the issues with Christmas. It’s going to be a crunch for those games.”

Blackman Brady said she plans to write to companies to see if games could be donated. But, in the meantime, she is trying to get schools and communities involved.

At that rate, the duo will need many dollars to pay for the games and systems, which Blackman Brady said range from $80 to $700. Buying warranties for the devices will be another expense, but one worth the money, she said.

For more information or to make a donation visit the Fun For Our Troops website.

Currently the group is accepting gift cards, cash donations that will be used to purchase high-tech game systems and devices for shipment overseas. Contributions can be made on the group’s website or mail letter to:

Fun for Our Troops
c/o Dana Blackman Brady
506 Corporate Drive West
Langhorne, PA 19047

For more information e-mail stefanie.doctor.shea@us.army.mil.

Although the Department of Defense will not officially support these efforts, these Army spouses got together to plan on a website where troops or their family members can register a soldier as a recipients of a game and those who already have a system the registration form will help the group select the appropriate game.

Read [Buck County Courier Times] Site [Fun For Our Troops] Email [Fun For Our Troops]

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