The US Toy Fair, being held in NYC, kicked off yesterday, and will run until February 20. And along with all the movie, TV and comic merchandise announced and shown off on the first day were a ton of gaming-related announcements, from IPs such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, Armored Core, Halo and Blue Dragon.
In an continuing effort to show that 3D Realms is actually doing something all day other than The New York Times crossword puzzle, a new Duke Nukem Forever screenshot has surfaced over at the Dallas Business Journal. In case you forgot, the DBJ got caught in that imbroglio with 3D Realms over when exactly Duke Nukem Forever is getting released. (Hint: Hell? Icicles?) Anyway, pull out those microscopes for a teeny-tiny look at what 3D Realms is working on. New Screenie [DBJ via CVG]
A few weeks back, I threw together a little guide to help PAL consumers out should they be weighing up whether to import Rock Band or not. Well, if you’re the owner of a region-free PS3, you can chuck that right out the window, because over the weekend Play-Asia began shipping PS3 Rock Band bundles (previously they’d only been selling the standalone software). This comes at a price, however: the pack’s shipping for $US 250, which is nearly $US 100 more than it retails for on shelves in the US. Whaddya want, PAL, expediency or value? Because you can’t have both. Rock Band Special Edition [Play-Asia]
UPDATE - We’ve been told that Play-Asia won’t ship any PlayStation-branded products to Europe. Not even Rock Band. Something to do with a bad case of the jitters over the whole Lik-Sang affair. Sorry. For Australians, though, this offer’s still good. And remember: as much as Play-Asia are fucking you on price and shipping, it probably won’t match the fucking you’ll receive at retail whenever the game’s released down here.
UK VIDEO MARKETPLACE – Good news, Britons: Paramount have signed onto the UK Video Marketplace, bringing with them films like Transformers (Feb 19) and Top Secret. Complementing Paramount’s offerings is news Warner Bros. will also be adding more content, headlined by The Assassination of Jesse James, though their movies won’t arrive until the Spring.
“Kimigayo,” Japan’s national anthem, has its supporters and haters. Adopted in 1868, the song is really a 10th century poem that contains this controversial line: “May the Emperor’s reign last forever.” Well, since the Emperor is now a figurehead, some Japanese question whether “Kimigayo” should be the national anthem. Other don’t really give a hoot! While discussing Nintendo’s super composer Koji Kondo, colleague Nobuo Uematsu jokingly hit upon this solution: I think there are a lot of talented composers these days compared to when we started back in the day. But if I were to name just one person then it would be [Koji]Kondo-san and his beats and music in Super Mario, just his upbeat tempos. I’m sure everyone in the world — no borderlines or age limit — everyone in the world who’s come across Super Mario’s music will never forget that melody… I think that the Super Mario song should be the national anthem for Japan. [Hums the death refrain]So when someone wins a gold medal at the Olympics, a Japanese athlete, the flag should go up with the theme song. Shoop! …The world would have a different image of Japan if we use that.
Before you pepper the comments with “lol” or “hahaha”, just keep in mind having to stand and take off your hat every time someone fired up a Mario game. ‘Kay? Now proceed with the hahaha-ing and lol-ing. A Day in the Life [1Up via Go Nintendo]
What do Devil May Cry 4, Hot Shots Golf and now Lost Planet on the PS3 all have in common? They all feature mandatory 5GB installs. And two of them are from Capcom. Seriously, Capcom, what’s the deal? Devil May Cry 4 you could explain because it’s new and it’s shiny, but a 2006 port that ran just fine on the 360? Cop-outs aren’t fun. Neither’s not making this kind of thing optional. Lost Planet Requires 5GB Installation [PS3Style]
Don’t let the cheesy, innocuous music fool you. There is something sinister going on. You’re looking at a erotic game of rock, paper, scissors. Over and over, the player gets oh-so close to the MAXIMUM RISKY, but can’t seem to pull of the last win, which would result in something embarrassing! But when the player *finally* does, there’s a payoff.
Those who are impatient and don’t understand things like build and pay-off, skip ahead three and a half minutes in. After watching it, if you’re still confused, hit the jump.
Remakes/rebirths of old franchises can sometimes be a good thing. Sometimes. In Leisure Suit Larry’s case, though, no, it is not a good thing. He was dead at Larry 7, he was deader at the abominable and Magna Cum Laude, and now this? Well, this just looks like a big ol’ bag of shit. Really, a Mad World/Gears parody? No. Larry was fun, in his own special way, 15 years ago. Let’s leave him there with our fond memories, shall we?
Everyone’s favorite non-gaming producer Jerry Bruckheimer is always ready to blow shit up. This time, he’s ready to light that sandy fuse with his film adaptation of Prince of Persia. Haven’t heard too much about this project — save for that Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell is attached. Site Collider has apparently a handful of film synopsises (synopsi?) for upcoming projects. Included is Prince of Persia, which goes something like this:
Valve’s line of plushies based on Half-Life characters are a big hit. They’re Half-Life merch, they’re cuddly, everybody wins. Latest in the line is the long-expected Hunter (it was first spotted at Valve HQ in an Edge feature last year, albeit in bigger, more detailed form), which is now up for sale in Valve’s online store. At $US 40 it’s a little pricey, but can you say no to such an adorable recreation of this inhuman killing machine? No, that’s what I thought. Hunter Plush Toy [Valve, thanks Mascott!]
