To: Simon From: Bashcraft RE: Morrissey Or Corgan? The Eternal Question
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are enjoying the festive day. While Japan has caught on to Halloween somewhat recently, Thanksgiving is a big mystery. A really, really big mystery.
Last year for Thanksgiving, I went to Subway and got a turkey sandwich. That was depressing. This year, I ate spaghetti. Anyway! Luke and I have put up a couple posts, so if you are around, feel free to do the same. Otherwise, eat some turkey and pumpkin pie for me.
Oh, and to answer your eternal question: Ian Brown.
What you missed last night Game Wish List AC6 hate Super Mario sisters “Get creative” More »
You all remember. Genji, “historical accuracy”, giant crabs, massive damage. We all had a chuckle (some even a chortle) at Sony’s expense. But what if giant crabs were real? And not “giant” as in “oh, my, it’s as big as your head”, giant as in “run, before it eats you and your fleshy human babies”. This BBC story, about the discovery of the fossil of an 8-foot scorpion, reports that the team researching the find claims: The size of the beast suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were much larger in the past than previously thought.
Crabs! And crabs are a lot bigger than scorpions, so if we had an 8-foot scorpion, that’s one…massive crab. Sorry.
Man-sized sea scorpion claw found [BBC, via The Gaming Fascist][Image] More »
Over at GoNintendo, they’re running a two-week long feature called “Casual v. Hardcore: Opinions of the Gaming Industry.” The question put forth was: “Is casual gaming a threat to hardcore gaming or will it help it in the long run?” My response:
What does hardcore gaming mean? Do we have a similar term for books? Do people say, “He’s a hardcore reader”? I guess they’d say so-and-so is a bookworm. But “hardcore”? It’s such a severe term. If games are going to be a truly dominate form of entertainment, they need to be approachable. Approachable doesn’t mean a lesser game experience in any way, but rather, a streamlined one. That should actually help gaming!
I think what people are worried about is dumbed down gaming. Like that casual players will need some pandering. If developers are smart, they’ll make things more intuitive, rather than dumber. That way they can appease new and experienced players.
Blah, blah, blah. That’s my nickel and dime opinion. What’s yours? Hit us up in the comments section. That’s what it’s there for, you know.
Casual Vs. Hardcore [Go Nintendo] More »
Famed mecha designer Shimada Fumikane is fucking pissed. He’s posted a photo of the Ace Combat 6 disc snapped in half along with this note, which says something like:
I played it from the PS1 branding up to the PSP one, but this thing I’m giving up on. Until this, I’d clear the game on “expert.”
Know it’s not because of THE iDOLM@STER airplane.
M’kay. Hooray for people with too much money and not enough sense!
Those new DS bundles sure are nice. Especially the Zelda one. It’s especially nice. All the more pity, then, that Nintendo fans and DS collectors in the UK and Australia will be forced to import them, with both Nintendo branches stating they have no plans to introduce the consoles. Yeah, there’s always the chance those plans may come later, but PAL gaming breeds nothing if not pessimism. More »
Companies file for trademarks all the time. Sometimes it’s to genuinely trademark a product, sometimes it’s to stop others from trademarking a product, and sometimes it’s just in case. This is a “just in case” filing. Just in case Nintendo went mascot mad. On February 27, 1990, the company filed a trademark application for an electronic game program called “SUPER MARIO SISTERS”. What ever could it have been? We can only guess, because the company decided to abandon any and all plans for an inaugural female spin-off/gender-confused platformer/Giana Sisters-beater a year later, in December 1991. Still…interesting! For those further interested, there’s a grab of the filing after the jump.
United States PTO [thanks Collin!][Image] More »
Just because Singapore is strict doesn’t mean its dull and conservative. Take Mass Effect, for example. The country’s Media Development Authority banned Mass Effect for alien lesbian sex, but then the MDA retracted its ban. See, they’re open minded! But what kind of governing body is the MDA? Is it a bunch of stiff, dull Singaporeans in business suits. Yes. Yes, it is. However! They are stiff, dull folks who enjoy making rap videos about how creative they are. Click on the above 4 minute clip and listen closely. That sound you hear is our collective jaw hitting the floor.
MDA Is So Cool [GameAxis, Thanks Aaron!] More »
Sure, Japan’s DS TV Tuner looks nice enough, and sounds just as nice. Portable TV, a screen you can scribble dicks and moustaches on, it’s all good. Doesn’t explain why Japan went bonkers for them, though. This, however, does: it turns out when you get the package, you don’t just get a TV tuner, you get Game & Watch’s Fire along with it. As a bonus, you can play it on the bottom screen while you’re watching and listening to TV on the top screen.
ニンテンドーDSãŒãƒ¯ãƒ³ã‚»ã‚°å¯¾å¿œ [PC Watch] More »
Please. Cover your eyes. Duck and cover. Whatever. Just…try not to look at these charts any longer than is absolutely necessary. While Crysis, Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty all make respectable showings, the remainder of the charts are…forgettable. Regrettable, even. Australia, this week you have covered yourself in naught but shame.
1) Smackdown v Raw 2008 (PS2) 2) The Simpsons Game (PS2) 3) The Simpsons Game (DS) 4) Big Brain Academy (Wii) 5) Guitar Hero III (PS2) 6) High School Musical (PS2) 7) Call of Duty 4 (360) 8) High School Musical (DS) 9) Call of Duty 4 (PS3) 10) Crysis (PC)
[charts courtesy of GfK] More »
Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell’s day job? Story writer at Pixar. Purcell created the characters as a youth and went on to draw a comic strip and create a Sam & Max graphic novel. A LucasArts adventure game followed as did an animated series. Then things went south: The comics went out of print, the cartoon was canceled and LucasArts ditched the adventure game. Fast forward to the present day, where Sam & Max is experiencing a revival thanks to episodic point & click games. It’s getting to the point where the games are now outshining the original comic. Says Purcell:
I still find that when people bump into me at conventions, they saw the game before they ever saw a comic.
And that’s not necessarily at bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.
Sam & Max Piece [Wired] More »
