Archive for January, 2006
Grand Theft Auto publisher sued by the city of Los Angeles
The Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas “Hot Coffee” debacle continues. A back-door in the game was discovered last year, which allows players via a cheat to do a mission where they can do simulated dry-humping. American stores freaked out over this when it became known, maybe because they like the American prudish stereotype. In the meantime there’s been a clean version of San Andreas (without the controversial mission) released months ago. The brief version of this story comes down to the following quote:
“Adding to the recent troubles of video game maker Take-Two Entertainment, the City of Los Angeles has sued the company for hiding pornographic material in a game and is requesting that the company give up part of its profits from the game.”
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No comments »Resident Evil 4 heading to PC?
If you don’t have a Playstation 2 or GameCube, there’s good news for you PC lovers. After obtaining many year awards and gaining rave reviews everywhere (rating 96 out of 100), Resident Evil 4 may be heading to PCs.
According to European retailer Play’s website, Resident Evil 4 is scheduled to hit PCs on March 31st. We all know how unreliable retailers websites can be, but luckily Capcom Germany delivered an unofficial confirmation on the European forum.
Konami’s 2006 release list (huge!)
Apparently Konami announced a lot more than the 3 PSP games we covered the past few days. Here’s the rest in a list, click “more” to get game details like platform and descriptions. On a fun note: Metal Gear Acid 2 is 3D glasses enabled.
Beatmania, Karaoke Revolution Country, Gradius Collection, Konami All-In Poker, Chess Battle, Metal Gear Acid2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Rumble Roses XX, Silent Hill Experience, Steel Horizon, Street Supremacy, Suikoden V, Tao’s Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal, World Soccer Winning Eleven 9, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim, Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA, Yu-Gi-Oh! USB Duelpass Key, Blockshot, Cubic, Dance Dance Revolution Mobile, Push-It!, Tamakoro 3D.
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Microsoft might release handheld
Microsoft’s Peter Moore has revealed to BusinessWeek that the company is considering entering the portable digital media market with a device of their own that would play games as well. Microsoft has not decided if they are going ahead with the plan, though.
Thanks to Apple’s iPod, Microsoft’s been feeling the pressure in the digital music business, and now it looks like the company is getting ready to respond. According to BusinessWeek, “the software giant is working on plans to develop its own portable digital media device to rival the iPod, rather than just providing technology to partners.”
However, Microsoft hasn’t decided whether or not to actually pursue this initiative just yet. Furthermore, if the company does launch its own portable it would have to be a gaming machine as well, says Peter Moore, head of the Interactive Entertainment Business at MS. Moore believes that in order to be successful, any digital media device from MS would have to leverage one of the company’s strengths: games.
“It can’t just be our version of the iPod,” he explains. Moore also points out that MS would likely take advantage of the Xbox brand awareness to market the portable if they decide to release one. “I think the brand is an opportunity,” he says.
Tamagotchi Corner Shop trailer
This certainly is one cute game. Check out the trailer for Tamagotchi Corner Shop on the DS. You’ll either be baffled at why this is the best selling 3rd party game on the DS (over 1 million sold in Japan already) or be totally in love. (from gonintendo).
Research on gaming parents
A new study conducted by the Peter D. Hart Research Associates and released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shows that 35% of U.S. parents play videogames; of those, almost half (47%) are women. 80% of gaming parents say they play with their children.
Other interesting data from the report, which surveyed 501 “nationally representative” households with children aged 2-17, include:
# Average age of gaming parent: 37
# Average length gaming parent has been gaming: 13 years
# Percentage of gaming parents who introduced their children to videogames: 36%
# Percentage of gaming parents who were introduced to gaming by their children: 27%
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MGS3: Subsistence to include bonus DVD w/pre-orders
Kojima-san, creator of the wildly popular Metal Gear Solid series, will be doing fans a huge service by including a bonus-DVD for those who pre-order the upcoming PS2 update Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Which already includes a tribute to fans in the way of the original two Metal Gear MSX titles! The second of which has never been released in America, included in the game as well as a bonus DVD that will be included in a limited edition set for early adopters that takes all the games movie scenes and puts them in order so you can watch the game like a flick, the disc is called MGS: Existence.
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Ultimate Spider-Man game review video
In the Ultimate Spider-Man game you take on the role of the world’s most famous Super Hero, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and one of his most menacing nemeses, Venom, in an original storyline written and illustrated by the creative team behind the best-selling Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series.
Activision and Treyarch swing back into action with Ultimate Spider-man. Watch this Ultimate Spider-man video review.
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DS Lite redesign by Nintendo!
Nintendo of Japan released the following information just seconds ago:
“Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today announced Nintendo DS Lite, a slimmer version of the best-selling Nintendo DSâ„¢. Also featuring brighter screens, Nintendo DS Lite will launch in Japan in March. Nintendo DS Lite will be less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter.”
He also said: “Nintendo DS has enjoyed extremely strong sales in Japan and around the world, selling more than 14.4 million units worldwide. The Japanese sell-through of the existing Nintendo DS hardware exceeded 5 million within 13 months, which made Nintendo DS the fastest-selling video game system there. Nintendo will announce more information about the availability of Nintendo DS Lite in North America and other territories in the future.”
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Video game fitness program expanded statewide
In America, a state plan may give an unexpected boost to a fitness program in local schools. West Virginia, which has one of the nation’s worst obesity problems, plans to expand its video game dance project next month to the state’s 157 middle schools.
8 of Wood County’s 27 schools use the computer game Dance Dance Revolution as part of their physical fitness programs. The program uses computer animated characters and a floor pad to encourage players to dance along with the beat, matching foot movements to a series of directional arrows scrolling across the screen. All of the local programs are funded through grants or other monies. Looks like fun!
