Harley Quinn's Revenge Is Batman: Arkham City's Bad New Ending 
High Scores And Egos: There's Always A Bigger Doodle 
The Last Moments Of GAME 
How Bad User Interfaces Are Ruining Video Games And Other Wonderful Things 
She Tried To Make Good Video Games For Girls, Whatever That Meant 
The Story Of Doodle Jump: Brotherly Love And Digital Snacks The broadening of the video game market may seem like either old news or one in a series of many buzzwords to gamers, but the New York Times writes today that the numbers back it up. Citing NPD sales figures, the Times calls the make up of 2007′s best selling titles “clear evidence of a sea change” that the market is shifting from lonely single player experiences to a multiplayer driven industry. With the exception of Assassin’s Creed, the rest of the last year’s top ten is all about shared experiences, whether via Guitar Hero, Wii Play, Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4.
If you’d shown me a mobile phone ten, fifteen years ago that could play Virtua Fighter 2, you’d find yourself drenched in my brain matter. Today? Not so impressed by a phone’s ability to render 3D games. Still, Virtua Fighter Mobile for FOMA 950i phones is impressive, if seemingly misplaced as a game playable with a phone keypad. In the Spring, Sega plans to bring the VF2 port to Japanese cell phone users for a nominal monthly 315 yen fee (about $US 3). Game Watch has a ton of pics of the thing if you find it impressive.
Virtua Fighter Mobile [Game Watch]
When a standalone Rock Band microphone peripheral started showing up on store shelves, it was an exciting time. The thing promised support for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, seemingly confirming a Wii version was definitely in the works. The good news is that Electronic Arts execs finally confirmed that such a product existed. The bad? The microphone may not actually perform as expected on Nintendo’s platform.
According to UK tech mag T3, Sony may be planning for a thinner and lighter PlayStation 3, one in the vein of the PSone and slimline PlayStation 2. The rumoured hardware update, which T3 says is sourced from “a particularly well-informed insider” who spoke of the revision at CES, is speculated to arrive in autumn of this year. T3′s facts on the matter appear to be nil, with a “no comment” from Sony helping to clarify nothing. Mock-ups of the rumoured device have been created by T3 and published online.
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I’m going to try and find a match or two of Turok multiplayer to show you guys what it looks like to play online. Keep in mind that it’s the video quality that isn’t so hot, not the game’s graphics. I hope to do a lot of stabbing… but I’ll probably end up doing a lot of dying since most of the people playing are developers.
All done, thanks for watching.
The man behind vehicular shooter Twisted Metal, David Jaffe, recently fired back with with a nigh perfect response to Shigeru Miyamoto’s question “Why would you make that? Why would you put a gun on a car?” His interview with Wired’s Game|Life, well, it got the internet—alright, a handful of commenters and message board pitchfork wielders—into a bit of a tizzy. But the man loves Nintendo. Maybe not on teething with a GameCube controller levels, but just because he’s got a suitable response doesn’t mean he’s not a fan.
Jaffe, today, urges calm to the throngs of upset Nintendo and Miyamoto fans who feel slightly sore down there. “It’s a joke. It was funny,” he says in his new video blog, just before whipping out his personal Wii remote, “I thought it was somewhat funny.” Oh, David, it was. Can’t we all just relax and enjoy Mr. Jaffe’s ability to question the logic of banana-peel firing go karts?
OMFG!!! [David Jaffe's Blog]
This week has been a rocky road for those looking for an unspoiled Super Smash Bros. Brawl experience. Just prior to the game’s official release in Japan, the full details of Brawl‘s roster, its bosses, its numerous stages were all revealed by those who got their hands on it early. Even on the official Brawl web site, the Smash Bros. Dojo, producer Masahiro Sakurai has begun to reveal the game’s hidden fighters. If you’re the least bit concerned about that, it’s time to move into the bunker.
2008 is looking to be replete with video game shoes, with Nike issuing Skate or Die and 720-inspired shoes under its Nike SB line and Adidas pumping out a Halo branded pair of kicks. The Adidas Gil II Zero Halo Sneaker is one of many Gilbert Arenas-approved designs—remember the NBA Live 08 shoe?—featuring all-over Halo 3 branding, Bungie logos and a recognisable weapon pattern.
You can’t act offended if you already laughed.
My Master Chief Snowman [Hawty Mc Bloggy]
