Friday, March 7, 2008
Second-Hand Games To See GameStop Through A Recession
11:30PM Luke Plunkett | Stick your head outside the US economy’s window and you can feel a recession coming on. Which is bad news for retailers involved in frivolous entertainment pursuits like video games, right? Maybe not. Forbes believe that GameStop won’t just ride any imminent recession out, they’ll keep on increasing profits. They put this down to a combination of factors, the most important being the chain’s dominance of the pre-owned games market, which as games get more expensive just keep getting more and more lucrative. So next time you’re fucked over for a miserly amount on your next trade-in, know you can at least walk out of the store safe in the knowledge you’re keeping GameStop’s executives smiling. GameStop’s Second-Hand Recession Edge [Forbes] More »
Wii TV Guide Channel Isn’t Dumb
11:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Here’s a look at Wii Channel “TV no Tomo.” Just love how it lets you underline programs and view stuff in 3D. This interface is nice. So nice. And it actually does seem somewhat useful. My vote for the best Wii Channel yet! TV no Tomo [Giz Japan] More »
News
Spanish Devs Working On Mystery Konami Title
10:30PM Luke Plunkett | Do you like mystery and intrigue? Excellent. Read on. Konami have announced a partnership with developers Mercury Steam (Jericho), whereby the Spaniards will develop a 360 and PS3 game for the Japanese publisher. What’s the game about? No idea. It’s all a big mystery, you see, but it’s refreshing to see a Japanese publisher taking not just the Western, but European market, a little more seriously than is the norm. Press release follows after a couple of San Miguels and short afternoon nap. More »Early Resistance 2 Footage (Super, Super Early)
10:00PM Brian Ashcraft | People grunting and barking! Sure, these motion captures aren’t not exactly in-game footage. Well, actually they sorta are! Just image that you’re looking at alien spawn and not just some dude in a jumpsuit. More »
Edge Of Twilight Announced
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Just how much steampunk can you kids handle, huh? Plenty, if two game announcements sharing the premise in the one day is anything to go by. While Damnation wears the steampunk tag a little more traditionally, Edge of Twilight, by Aussie devs Fuzzyeyes Studios, looks a lot more like a good old-fashioned fantasy game with a few bits of steam and punk thrown in because that’s what you kids are all going bonkers for these days. Your steam and your punk. They’re pegging it as a “fantasy third-person action adventure game”, and it’ll be out on PC, PS3 and 360, but won’t be out til 2009. [Edge of Twilight] More »
DS Game for Star Gazers Nerds
9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | This one’s for you, stargazers! Japanese magazine Hoshi Navi announced that they will be releasing DS star observation software Starry Sky Navi this summer. The cartridge will have a built-in tilt sensor that will make it easier for users to hold their DSes up in the air and wave them around like they just don’t care find stars in the night sky. The game has an astronomical encyclopedia, and it also can simulate different night sky views — for example, next year’s Hawaiian solar eclipse. Pretty neat! For a non-game. Watch The Sky [Hobby Blog] More »
Nintendo Releasing Student DS Games (Hurry, Limited Time Only)
8:30PM Luke Plunkett | Last year, Nintendo worked with some Japanese students to come up with a few experimental DS games. Now, in a pleasantly surprising move, they’ll be releasing these games, free of charge, over Japan’s DS download stations. Four games will be available, with each available for two weeks. The first game will be up on March 13, with the last on April 24. There’s an eery, temporal feel about this whole thing: because the games can’t be saved, once Nintendo yank them from the service, they’re gone. Forever. Nintendo Japan [via Siliconera] More »
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Screenies
8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Grab your flack jackets, here are three new Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. The sequel will feature a different squad from the prequel. The game’s set off the Strip in the neighboring desert slums. It’ll feature new weapons and the ability to sprint. Yay for sprinting! Six Vegas 2 [CVG] More »Lego Zelda? Sure, Why Not
7:30PM Luke Plunkett | Let me see. This has Zelda. And Lego. And Stop-motion animation. All together. I don’t know about you, but all my boxes are ticked. Time to watch this for a seventh time. More »
