Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Learning to Read and Write (When You’re Four)

11:40PM Brian Ashcraft | To: Crecente From: Bash RE: I Hate the Ws I got a couple games in the mail today. And I really have no clue when I’m going to play them. With my crazy busy writing schedule, I have about an hour of gaming everyday. Of late, that hour has been occupied with Halo 3. Now, that I *finally* got BioShock today and *finally* got Stranglehold (cancelled my PS3 order, ’cause of the endless delays), the games are gonna start piling up. Next month brings Super Mario Galaxy, Kane & Lynch, Assassin’s Creed, blah, blah, blah. Remember last year when people bitched and moaned about not enough games? Now we’re bitching and moaning about not enough time to play them. The irony. This afternoon, Mini-Bash wrote up a shopping list for Mrs. Bashcraft. He’s four, and his serial killer handwriting shows it. After scribbling his name, he also wrote “potato”, “carrot” and “meat” in Japanese hiragana. He then gave it to Mrs. Bashcraft and told her not to forget the carrots. Since Japanese is a phonetic language, I think kids learn to write and read fairly easily — kanji is a different can of worms, though. I know I still have problems with English spelling and have all my life. The readers probably know that, too! Then again, many Japanese people have problems remembering how to write kanji characters, so maybe it evens out… What you missed last night Sony could run BC on 40GB PS3s Say Uwe Koei says Japan falling behind White 40GB PS3 White DS3 More »

SingStar PS3 Facing Delays Due To Testing

11:20PM Luke Plunkett | Anyone know when SingStar’s due on PS3? Anyone? If you’re nodding your head or jumping up and down with your arm raised, sit down, shut up, you’re either an idiot or you’re flat-out lying to me. Because nobody knows when the things coming. Not even Sony. Appears that while the core aspects of the game are finished, with reviews of the game due to start appearing on the webs any day now, the downloadable content/marketplace functionality and community features for Joe Public are still deep in testing. And aren’t likely to be finished any time soon, because Sony are shying away from announcing a release date for the game. Even though you can bet they want this game to be out before Christmas really really really bad. SingStar PS3 release in limbo [Gamesindustry] More »

An Altair Figure To Stalk Your Crusader Lord Figures With

10:20PM Luke Plunkett | Yeah, the Assassin’s Creed collector’s edition comes with an Altair figure. But why stop at one? Why stop at one figure when you can have two? This is NECA’s take on Altair, the latest in their Player Select line, and he comes with working retractable wrist blades, four throwing knives, a sword and another knife. For when seven blades just isn’t enough. He’s due in November to coincide with the game’s release, and you should be able to pick him up pretty much anywhere. Gallery after the jump. More »

British Government’s New Gaming Violence Study

10:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Just a day after Manhunt 2 failed to recieve a British Board of Film Classification certification, a new British study concerning the effect of violent games on children is being launched. Headed by psychologist Tanya Byron, the study will be carried out at an east London school with the British government’s Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Culture Secretary James Purnell. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers’ Association (ELSPA) will also cooperate in the government’s study. Says ELSPA’s Paul Jackson: [The gaming industry is] too often blamed for everything from obesity to youth violence… It is just not true, and it’s not appropriate… We feel quite positively about this review. It’s clear the review is about making sure parents are properly informed about what their youngsters are playing and what they are accessing on the internet… We are very responsible and keen to ensure that our products are only played by those who they are designed for. Agree with that 100 percent. Though, with the average age of a British gamer being 28 and only 2 percent of games getting an 18 certificate, is the problem really what publishers are releasing? Or what society thinks they are releasing? Games violence study is launched [BBC, Thanks Danbert!] More »

British Sales Charts

9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Look, Master Chief had a good run at the top. But these charts aren’t for the US, or Belgium, or even Japan. They’re for Britain. And in Britain, the charts belong to football and driving games. Which is why Halo 3 saw a 79% drop in sales on the way to the #2 position, sandwiched between FIFA 08 at the top and… Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights at #3. Really, Britons, Juiced 2? 1. FIFA 08 2. Halo 3 3. Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights 4. MySims 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 6. Brain Training 2 7. Sega Rally 8. Ratatouille 9. Brain Training 10. Forza Motorsport 2 More »

It’s Nintendogs Meets Brain Age

9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | IQ Breeder is a pet sim mashed with a brain training game. The game features three animals (dog, cat, pig) whose IQs can be raised when players get things like math problems correct. The mini-games include puzzles, rhythm games, mazes and whatnot. It’s even possible to pit your pet against a friend’s. A marketer’s wet dream! IQ Breeder [Game Watch] More »

Gollum Set To Win Hearts In Lord Of The Rings Online

8:30PM Luke Plunkett | Man, Lord of the Rings Online sure dropped off the radar quick! Few months back all you ever heard from PC gamers was LotRO this, LotRO that. Now, nary a peep. Which means it’s time for Turbine to top up public awareness of the project! Enter Gollum, who’s being introduced to the game as part of the upcoming Book 11 update. No idea just what he’s doing, but he won’t be playable, so I guess he’s just going to feature in some sort of instance involving rabbits, potatoes and a showdown over stew. Gollum Creeps into Lord of the Rings Online [IGN] More »

Japanese Internet Cafes Not Really into Gaming

8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Sure, we all know about internet cafes in Korea and China, how they are a mecca for online gamers. But what about internet cafes in Japan? In a country where console is king, do people game in internet cafes? Cross marketing Inc questioned folks about internet and comic cafes. The participants were divided 50/50 between males and females. Twenty percent were in their teens, twenty percent in their 20s, twenty percent in their 30s, twenty percent in their 40s and twenty percent in their 50s. Here’s the raw data. Hooray for numbers! • Almost half had been to an internet or comic cafe • In a multiple answer poll about what they do at internet/comic cafes, 75 percent said they used the internet, 69.6 percent read manga, 33.8 percent eat or drink, 31.1 percent read magazines, 19.6 percent sleep, 16.2 percent watch DVDs, 11.5 percent play console games and 6.8 percent take a shower. (Yes, there are usually showers.) • Another multiple answer poll inquired what people do on the internet. 90.1 percent said they look at sites, 44.1 percent send and read email, 22.5 percent read bulletin boards, 21.6 percent work and 21.6 percent play online games. To put that in prespective, 19.8 percent update their own blog. So, there you go. Don’t worry about Japanese people playing online games until they have heart attacks. Not likely to happen! Internet Cafes [What Japan Thinks] More »