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Oh, good Lord no, not a tabletop cabinet. That's boring. This is much nicer. Reader Aaron sent this into us, and writes:
I decided to take an old table my grandfather made that had a stain on the top of it and tile it myself. Luckily my parents were tiling their bathroom so I got to use a nice industrial cutter :)Lucky indeed, Aaron! Great stuff. Great carpet, too.
If a new arcade version of Virtua Fighter 5 wasn't enough to get excited about, how about a new version with pirates? Yes, PIRATES. Labelled Virtua Fighter 5 Version D, this is the fourth update to the arcade version. This latest update adds a CPU pirate-fighting "Knockout Trial 2" for one-player mode and the ability to easily have "Official Open Battles" in Japanese arcades. The new versions brings new costumes, too. What hasn't been updated: The game's fighting balance hasn't changed since Version C. Gotta love the pirate brawling. You gotta.
VF5 Update [Famitsu] [Pic]
Still waiting on those "hundreds of songs", but Sony promised a SingStore update on February 6, and an update is what we've received. Only seven tracks are on offer, mind, but that seven includes MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This". Oh, and "Greatest Love of All" as well, though sadly, it's the Whitney Houston version. Busting out the Randy Watson version will get you zero points. Don't ask me how I know that...
Advertisements that have absolutely nothing to do with the product they're advertising? Not generally the soundest of marketing strategies, but then when you're marketing a game like this, what choice do you have but to go completely OTT?
[via Game|Life]
Develop Magazine has its list of 25 people who are changing the game industry. Number one shouldn't be a shocker (it's Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata). Luminaries like Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ray Muzyka, John Carmack and, yes, even Mark Rein. It's a good list and worth checking out to see why these folks matter and how they're reshaping gaming.
Game Changers [devleop via DS Fanboy] [Pic]
Metal Gear Mobile, a Japan-only Metal Gear title for cellphones, looks kinda okayish. It's Metal Gear Solid. But with keypad controls. Pros and cons, then. It does have one snazzy, original feature, though: Snake's active camo, which is compatible with your camera's phone. In other words, take a snap of your surrounds and that's what Snake's camo will look like. Knowing Metal Gear, I'm guessing it's safer to play (and take your snaps) on the train or bus than it is in a grassy field on a sunny day.
Camouflage Solid Snake with a camera phone in Metal Gear Solid Mobile [Siliconera]
Severed arms. Decapitated heads. And lots and lots of blood. Ninja Gaiden II looks pretty gross. The game's mastermind, Tomonobu Itagaki, is to remind all that it plays pretty gross, too. Itagaki says:
They [the enemy characters] can basically keep fighting until they're in pieces. Even a one-armed enemy can still fight.Itagaki adds that his team is trying to be realistic to a degree, so don't expect chopped off heads to attack you. Whew, that's a relief!
Buried amongst the rubble of EA's Q3 fiscal results are some details on not only how each platform is doing for EA, but what EA is doing for each platform. Did you know, for instance, that for all the sheen and luster of current-gen consoles, the PS2 was EA's biggest bread-winner for the quarter? Or that they released more mobile games than DS and PSP titles combined? Do now!
This one's for the doubters. Just because Steven Spielberg can make movies, that doesn't mean he can make video games. They're different! And just because he's in tune with cinema, that doesn't mean he understand games, right? Right?! Wrong, says former Dreamworks' employee and current Electronic Arts' exec Glenn Entis. Steven Spielberg is a huge gamer nerd, he points out. What's more, Entis adds:
Little red hat, overalls and a mustache. That's the Mario we all know. But what if he had, you know, a different moustache? Would he look different? He sure would! No clue who made this or how old it is or whatever. All we do know is it's super cool. That, and the Lech Walesa 'stache is magnificent. The Burt Reynolds is impressive, too. Hit the jump for more, including fan favorites like Dali, H. Poirot and Magnum.
The latest issue of Famitsu, scheduled to hit newsstands on Friday, will scoop the official Street Fighter IV web site in revealing additions to the fighting game's cast of characters. Leaked scans of the newest issue have already hit 2ch, by way of Korean gaming site Ruliweb, showing off the original eight from Street Fighter II will return. Guile, Blanka, Zangief, Dhalsim, E. Honda and Chun-Li join Ken and Ryu, all of whom look very familiar—perhaps a bit too familiar.
While the gameplay shots are tiny, we get a look at Street Fighter IV's attention to detail. Touches like Dhalsim's bandages and bracelets spreading over the Indian fighter's stretched arms make 3D more welcome. We also get a chance to see newcomer Crimson Viper in-game, plus a peek at some familiar Street Fighter moves.
Four pages of pics are in the gallery below. Be sure to check them out full-sized.
It's how it always goes down. Japan gets something nobody else gets - in this case a silver PS3 - everyone else wants to know when they get it. So they ask their local guys, and the local guys say they have no idea. Latest example: Sony Computer Entertainment America, who "have no plans for a silver PS3 in North America at this time". Not now. Probably later. Shouldn't come as too big a surprise, that, but at least it'll keep you from chirping "when will we get it?" for another 2-3 months.
SCEA comments on recent Japanese product announcement [IGN]
Rockstar has fired back at this morning's claim that a Grand Theft Auto movie staring Eminem was virtutally a done deal with a major studio in place. Industry paper Variety and a number of other publications were actually gearing up to write about the deal before it fell through. Rockstar V.P. Dan Houser shoots that down, saying there was no movie in the works. According to Houser:
Some movie producers were trying to put something together to entice us to make a movie, as studios and production teams frequently have done in the past. This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive. We never entertained proceeding with the project... Rockstar was not involved in this project in any way, shape or form... It [a GTA movie] is not something we are currently interested in.Probably smart of Rockstar to tread carefully with Hollywood. You've seen what they've done to other games, right?
Although we've known another Red Faction game has been coming since last August, a conference call held by THQ earlier today has confirmed a few more details. For the first time it's been referred to as Red Faction III, no doubt upsetting spinoff and prequel fans the world over, while it was also announced that series veterans Volition will be back on development duties. The game will be appearing any time between April and next March, and will be available on 360, PS3 and PC.
Sources out of Japan are reporting that the launch date for Mario Kart Wii has been decided: April 10th. Seems the game will be bundled with the Wii Wheel and apparently will retail for ¥5,800 ($US 54). It's not confirmed, but apparently Wi-Fi lets up to 12 players race in 16 tracks, and it's possible to play as your Mii. Also, there are rumblings that the in-game bikes will have special moves like "wheelies". Previously, we've heard speculation that the U.S. release will be late March or early April, so this April 10th date doesn't sound too far off. Still waiting for the good word from Nintendo itself...
Mario Kart Wii Dated [Yahoo via Jyouhouya]
Weekly JP News [NeoGAF]
Posted by Logan Booker at 4:00 PM on February 6, 2008
You all remember Jericho, right? That average though creepy-as-hell shooter from the mind of Clive Barker?
I wish it could have been more. I wanted it to move me. Make me tingle inside with an unearthly excitement, an excitement I could channel as a pure, white stream of gaming bliss at my console.
I have no idea what that means... but I think I may have found my salvation. If you ever wanted to see Church and Black getting it on in a piece of digital art, well, LesbianGamers has the answer.
You can see the whole picture after the jump, but be warned, it's NSFW.
One of the more light-hearted controversies surrounding the release of Bully in 2006 was the fact the game's protagonist, Jimmy, could kiss boys. If he wanted to. Like kissing girls, there was no real point to it, but hey, if you wanted to, the option was there. If you're a 360 achievement completist, though, it might now be less of an option, with one of the game's achievements requiring you to be kissed by 20 lads in return for 20G. Which is surely the list's highlight. Sure, others include egging cars and completing classes, but are they called "Over the Rainbow"? No, no they are not.
Bully: Scholarship Edition Achievements [IGN]
Pre-order boxes for Rock Band's Stage Kit have begun turning up, giving us our first look at the all-in-one device. It appears...functional, albeit a little strange, since it looks less like something designed to aid in rocking and more like something that fell out of a Ghostbusters/HG Wells collaboration, and is now hell-bent on mankind's ultimate destruction. If you're willing to risk the future of out species - and pay $US 99 - for smoke and purple lighting while you play a videogame, that decision is yours and yours alone to make.
(Oh, and before you ask, no, I don't know why this one is explicitly marked for the Xbox 360. Maybe there's dongle issues!)
Rock Band Stage Kit boxed in the flesh [X3F]
Yeah, that overhyped Gears of War 2 GamePro article has been trashed by Epic honcho Mark Rein, who called the article "complete nonsense." Since the developer hasn't given the magazine an exclusive, what the hizzy heck does the article actually say? Kotaku commenter Willows sent us a scan of the article. It reads:
Gears of War 2 hasn't officially been announced yet, but our sources rumour that the sequel to the Xbox 360 hit is indeed coming in 2008. And what better way for Microsoft to counter Metal Gear than with a few gears of its own.Yep! Hit the jump for the rest of the article:But it's not enough to just retread shooter territory in Gears 2. The first game was great, but it didn't blow anyone away with originality. It simply put all the best aspects of other shooters into one amazing package. And aside from the obvious graphical superiority and online co-op mode, most of Gears of War was standard shooter stuff.
To: Ashcraft
From: McWhertor
Re: Throw Beans At The Demon!
It's busy times at the Kotaku West Coast annex today, as I was following up on a whole mess of rumors, including some stuff I didn't even get to publish today. The weeks leading up to GDC always seem to pop with leaks, which is exciting and maybe a tad exhausting. Speaking of tiring, I'm driving back to Las Vegas tomorrow, so you won't have me to kick around. The site is supposed to be getting some handy-dandy little tweaks, ones that I may miss while I scoot to DICE. Always pressed for time, it seems.
Say, that reminds me—we had Groundhog Day this past weekend, but today I read an interesting blog entry from the screenwriter of the film of the same name. He wrote that Phil Connor's stay in Punxsutawney lasted a good ten years, explaining away an unused plot device that helped to quantify the passage of time. He's been quoted in the past that the weatherman may have lived 10,000 years in previous interviews, but this sounds more definitive. It's worth reading if you have any interest in the 15-year old Harold Ramis comedy, read it.
What you missed today:
Another Death Tied To Video Games and Terrible People
Epic Poo-poos GamePro's Gears 2 Chatter
The French May Have Something To Do...
...While They Wait For Rock Band
More Street Fighter IV Now, Please
Iwata Is All Smiles On VC Sales
GameStop Makes Loads Of Profit On Suckers
Posted by Logan Booker at 3:30 PM on February 6, 2008
Broken street dates are nothing new, and now they're downright boring, with both Lost Odyssey and Devil May Cry 4 being sold by the GameTraders in Perth a little earlier than they should have. We've even heard that these games have been available for a couple of weeks - as long as you knew where to look.
All it takes is one store to stock its shelves with an unreleased title, then everyone else has reason enough to do it. When questions are asked, they can just point at the original store and say "They started it!"
Not that it matters to us. In fact, it's a good thing. Hard to argue with getting a game a few days (or even weeks) ahead of schedule. Now you can grab Devil May Cry 4 and Burnout Paradise from various retailers across the country, as their street date of Feb 7 has been thoroughly busted.
Thanks to everyone who let us know! [Photo kindly provided by Jaymis and friends, who bought their copy from Big W... and didn't hesitate to let EB Games know too]
Funcom have announced that their upcoming MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be censored for...wait for it...the German market. The German version won't feature excessive violence, such as dismemberment and copious amounts of gore. It will, however, be the only edited version: contrary to reports from earlier today, the US version of the game will ship uncensored, and that includes lady-nipples. As for classification, it's got an M rating in the US, while it'll carry an 18+ rating in Europe (including Germany).
Age of Conan Not Censored in North America [Shacknews]
This is certainly going to come back to haunt us in an apocalyptic way, I'm guessing, as a group of French students have written custom Nintendo DS software to control an extremely stupid robot. The Pekee open source robot platform, which comes with wireless connectivity standard, can be controlled via the touch screen, directional pad or microphone for minutes upon minutes of fun. Early, yes, and doesn't do wheelies or badass spin-outs yet, but imagine the possibilities while watching this clip (via DS Fanboy). Imagine just how slovenly one could be with a DS and open source robot in the house. The future is so bright, I hope the Pekee soon comes standard with shades.
THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell dropped word today, via quarterly earnings conference call, that Nintendo DS platformer Drawn To Life—which I was bit "meh" on— would be coming to the Wii. Farrell didn't specify a port or a sequel, instead saying that the publisher planned to "extend the brand to the Wii." The 5TH Cell developed DS game appears to have been a hit for THQ, with execs boasting of hundreds of thousands of copies sold worldwide. Drawn To Life also appears to have boosted the publisher's DS take, up some 94% over the previous year. Here's to hoping the team can duplicate the success with a Wii-mote.
Remember WarDevil: Enigma? If not, you may have to reach back to the E3 2006 part of your brain to scare it up, as the Digi-Guys developed action game largely got the lion's share of its press there. That was before it became a PlayStation 3 exclusive and before the main character got his fancy new helmet. PlayStation Universe has a new look at the game now known as WarDevil: Unleash The Beast Within for those so inclined. Sure, it may have that "never coming out" feel to it, but it's still kind of pretty.
Our friends across the Atlantic may want to drum up some patience, as a source close to EA tells us that the good news that Europe finally has a release window for Rock Band may come with a dash of bad. While Electronic Arts execs pointed to a April to June time frame for the group rhythm game, Xbox 360 owners may be the only ones rocking out this summer.
While the 360 version of Rock Band is planned for a May ship date, we heard talk that the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii versions will all ship sometime in September across the pond, a fact that we've yet to confirm with EA. We've contacted folks at MTV and EA UK for clarification, so consider it rumour for now and stay tuned.
Posted by Logan Booker at 12:30 PM on February 6, 2008
My word.
We've gone utterly mad with the competition crazies at Kotaku Australia. If you're not working hard on something for our PSP Slim and Disgaea competition, then perhaps a well-considered or humorous comment is more up your alley.
Thanks to Microsoft, we have five copies of Lost Odyssey on Xbox 360 to give away. All you have to do is make a choice comment in the next week on any story, and if we think it's particularly brilliant, you'll be in with a chance to win Mistwalker's latest role-playing masterpiece.
The competition begins... well, it begins now. Time to crack those fingers and start typing! Smart typing, that is.
We also have a nice page up packed with terms and conditions, which I highly recommend you check out.
In a new Q&A with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, he reveals that the company has sold over 10 million games via its Virtual Console service for the Wii, calling those figures "proof that there are great possibilities with the download model." Iwata also tells GameSpot that the service's success shows that WiiWare may be "one answer" to problems developers have always experienced, but that downloadable content won't replace traditional retail any time soon.
He even waxes a bit about WiiWare pricing, putting a (surely tentative) price tag on WiiWare games of 500 yen (about $US 4.70). The price of a NES game? I could get behind that. Iwata has plenty more to say.
Want to see what Wii owners in Europe and Japan are missing out on, in terms of flowing rivers of blood, decapitations and amputations? Then watch xserothx's No More Heroes Death Scene Comparison clips for a study in regional censorship. This is grisly stuff, folks, and not for the faint of heart of virtual murder. Anyone wary of spoilers should skip 'em, as they're essentially every boss fight in the game.
No More Heroes Death Scene Comparisons [YouTube - thanks, Sidepocket!]
Posted by Logan Booker at 11:30 AM on February 6, 2008
With relatively speedy broadband available to most homes, the allure of the Internet cafe, and even the friendly LAN, is not what it once was. The thriving community of like-minded gamers looking for low pings and a safe environment away from the prying eyes of parents, significant others and correctional officers is dying a slow death.
Tipster Quadlex sends word that the AFK Cafe, based in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, has just closed its doors, citing financial strain and other commitments as the reasons for its demise.
According to Quadlex, AFK Cake was home to a variety of gamers, not just the electronic sort. Tabletop fans found solace within its walls, and the venue provide excellent food and atmosphere. Apparently the owners were a bit of alright too.
A disappointing day for Brisbane gamers and a reflection of the changing face of the pastime in general. You can read the owner's final statement after the jump.
The official Japanese Street Fighter IV development blog teases that this Friday—Japan Time, that is—fighting fans will get their first look at a new addition to the game's roster. The only officially revealed characters guaranteed to throw down at this point are Ryu, Ken and Crimson Viper, with the game's producer hinting heavily that Dhalsim, Chun-Li and Akuma will make appearances.
With a good portion of the Street Fighter II roster expected to return, we're certainly looking forward to who will show up on the official site on February 8th, as well as the game's appearance at the AOU arcade show happening this month.
Street Fighter IV News [Capcom Japan via The Street Fighter Blog]
Posted by Logan Booker at 10:30 AM on February 6, 2008
FiringSquad got in touch with NVIDIA recently to chat about its acquisition of PhysX designer AGEIA. I found it a curious decision, considering NVIDIA's GPUs support Havok's hardware-accelerated physics implementation, not to mention PhysX hasn't exactly taken the world by storm.
Now it looks like NVIDIA's plans for AGEIA's technology aren't just games-related.
You can head on over to FiringSquad for the entire interview, however, here's the meatiest part of the short talk:
Second, the computer industry is moving towards a heterogeneous computing model, combining a flexible CPU and a massively parallel processor like the GPU to perform computationally intensive applications like real-time computer graphics. Physics is a natural for processing on the GPU because, like graphics, it is made up of thousands of parallel computations, and with our CUDA technology, which is rapidly becoming one of the most pervasive parallel computing programming environments in history, we can open this exciting parallel processing world to applications desperate for a giant step in computing performance—such as physics processing, computer vision, video/image processing, and a world of exciting applications we’ve not yet imagined.What I'm getting from this is that NVIDIA isn't so much interested in AGEIA for hardware-accelerated physics in games, but more what the massively parallel design of the hardware can be used for in certain general processing tasks. This is something AGEIA's PPU and the GPU have in common.
Is NVIDIA looking to take on Intel and AMD? There's definitely a place for this sort of hardware in specialised markets.
NVIDIA AGEIA PhysX Acquisition Interview [FiringSquad]
Capcom's Lost Planet Colonies, trademarked by the publisher last Spring, has just been rated by the ESRB with a T rating for the Xbox 360 and PC. That's right, PlayStation 3 owners, you may have to settle for the port of the former 360 exclusive for the time being. Even though Capcom has made no definitive announcements about a follow up to the original Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, execs have said "there will be more on Lost Planet for sure."
When contacted for comment, Capcom reps simply replied "Stay Tuned." Well, to be perfectly precise, they replied "stay_tuned.jpg." With GDC and a Capcom Gamers Day coming soon, we won't be surprised when Capcom announces something about Colonies.
Posted by Logan Booker at 9:05 AM on February 6, 2008
Golden Axe: Beast Rider Screens
A nice gallery of axes, sand and babes. Well, a babe. A computer-generated babe. You know you love it.
Epic Shoots Down GamePro's Gears 2 Exclusive
Come on Epic, you have to talk about Gears of War 2 at some stage. Why not now?
Japanese Bikini Cowgirl Going Live Action
Because everyone needs a Japanese bikini cowgirl in the morning.
New Satin Silver PS3 For Japan
I'm sure it's nice, but I don't think I could have one sitting in my lounge room and still be able to convince people that I really do like girls.
One Thousand Nukes Set Off
Crysis once again kicks major physics arse.
A trio of new oldies will make their way to the Xbox Live Marketplace next week, as Microsoft plans to add Sid Meier's Pirates!, Black and Ninja Gaiden Black to the Xbox Originals line-up. All three will arrive on February 11 for 1200 Microsoft Points—$US 15 in genuine US dollars. If scurvy, explosions and decapitations are your thing, clear some space on your hard drive for next Monday.
Xbox Originals [Xbox.com]
With larger hard drives and faster bandwidth, a future in which players are downloading a majority of new releases isn't all that unimaginable since eliminating a retail middle man could make the prospect very enticing for publishers and developers. But what about the sexier aspects to this digital model? With such a digital infrastucture, these oft-prophecised downloadable purchases only scratch the surface.
What if publishers could counteract the Blockbusters/GameFlys of the world by offering digital rentals, and taking the idea a step further, stick it to GameStop resales by offering a simple system in which gamers could trade or sell their games online?
To all those who can't get enough Call of Duty 4 multiplayer on the Xbox 360 and PS3, know that new maps are on the way this spring. How many? We don't know. What day will they be here? Not so sure. What will they cost? Wish we could tell you. But one thing's for certain, "the upcoming downloadable content will thrust gamers into a hot zone of added combat across a variety of intense multiplayer locales."
And that's plenty for us.
New CoD4: Modern Warfare Maps (X360) [Gamespy]
