/facepalm
At least the delay is only about 5 weeks. Well, until they delay it again in June, of course.
Duke Nukem Forever Delayed Again
– Posted on March 24, 2011Posted in: Video Games
Video Games Archive
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The National Will Write A Song For Portal 2
– Posted on March 23, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games
This news is from a little over a week ago and it’s not much more than a short announcement, but screw it, it’s noteworthy.
The National are writing a song to be featured in Portal 2.
I’m still a bit skeptical because though, yes, The National are a “buzzworthy” indie band these days, The original Portal’s signature song, “Still Alive, was great because it was written from the perspective of a whimsically evil yet fun ode from a sardonic computer AI. The only imagery The National conjures up for me is a mid-tempo soundtrack to moping.
I hope I’m proven wrong, but this news doesn’t exactly excite from the point of view of a Portal fan. The good thing is that Jonathan Coulton has already been confirmed to be writing another song for Portal 2. It would have been a shame if Valve dumped him in favor of a “bigger” indie rock artist.
“The inclusion of the original song, Still Alive, in the first Portal game was part of what made the game special,” explained Valve writer Chet Faliszek.
“For Portal 2, we wanted to extend the use of music. When Bug Music mentioned to us that The National might be interested, we jumped at the opportunity to work with them.”
via The National write song for Portal 2 News – Page 1 | Eurogamer.net.
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My Little Pony Mass Effect 2 Mashup
– Posted on March 18, 2011Posted in: Video Games
Yes, you read that headline correctly. Someone dubbed and edited some My Little Pony cartoon clips with Mass Effect 2 audio.
The result?
Probably the most fun you’ll have watching My Little Pony ever.
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Online Storage for Game Saves Coming to PlayStation Plus
– Posted on March 10, 2011Posted in: Video Games
The new online storage feature allows gamers to store up to 150MB of game save data and a maximum of 1000 data files per PSN account. Users also have the ability to back-up “copy-prohibited save data,” and all previously saved data may be restored once per 24 hour period. When the new feature launches, most PS3 titles will be compatible with online storage for game saves, and moving forward, all new titles will have the capability to offer the storage option.
Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of games on friends’ consoles. Naturally, I want to keep my game saves and earn trophies/achievements, so I’ve been lugging around a USB stick with game saves. It’s a big pain the ass to copy files back and forth every time I do this. When I saw the headline that Sony was moving game saves to the cloud, I almost peed myself with anticipation
Bringing game saves to the cloud is an amazing feature and I’m surprised Sony beat Microsoft to the punch on it, given all of Microsoft’s “To the Cloud!” commercials. Nevertheless, I imagine it’s only a matter of time before both all consoles offer up this feature. (Well, maybe not Nintendo given their lack of interest in creating a decent online experience for their users.)
That being said, it still sucks that the only way you can get this feature on the PlayStation Network is by being a PlayStation Plus subscriber. Even with the feature, that service is still massively overpriced at $49.99 for what amounts to 1 week early access to demos and access to 1 hour trial games of old full-version titles.
Also, what’s with the limitations on the “online storage feature,” Sony? 150MB? Every free webmail account gives at least 2GB of space. Most game saves are tiny, usually under 1MB. Why not just advertise a boatload of space, knowing that it would be insanely difficult for most people to use it all? Plus, the caveat that the saved data may only be restored once every 24 hours really gives off the impression that Sony is unnecessarily stingy with its bandwidth. What’s the point of the cloud if you can only access it once every day?
The final wrinkle is that “most” PS3 titles will be compatible with online storage at launch. “Most?” Sooo are you going to tell us which games don’t work with this feature, Sony? It would be some poop on a magical moment if I ponied up $50 a year to be able to access my game saves “anywhere” only to find out that my favorite games don’t work with it.
Sony gets points for being the first major console manufacturer to take game saving to the cloud. Unfortunately, they also get a few demerits for being stingy on execution and tying it to their overpriced PlayStation Plus service. Either give us a boatload more space and unlimited access to our game saves, or don’t charge for it.
Read More: Online Storage for Game Saves Coming to PlayStation Plus – PlayStation Blog.
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Ubisoft’s We Dare Is The Most Ridiculous Video Game Ever
– Posted on February 25, 2011Posted in: Video Games
The closest explanation I can give for this new Ubisoft Wii game is that it’s a really silly version of “Truth or Dare,” without the Truth part. Watch this video trailer first and then we’ll talk.
The original trailer (with the tagline “Have A Spicy Evening!”) has been region locked away from the US, probably because we Americans were giggling like school girls over all the sexual things going on in this video. Nevermind the fact that the only way this game would work is if you were extremely attractive and the only other people you were playing with were also genetic specimens. Actually, the only way this game would work is if the experience was a one to one re-creation of the trailer with the exact same people involved. Otherwise, I’d prefer to skip the foreplay, ma’am.
Now that I think about it, it’s good that this game is currently set for release in Europe only. From what I’ve seen in the movies, those people are always more attractive than Americans anyway. Could you imagine the People of Walmart playing this game? Enjoy the mental images. They’re yours to keep.
Since some of you can’t see the original trailer anymore, I’ve taken the liberty of capturing the different “secret endings” to the trailer. (Originally, you could click on each of the codes at the end of the trailer to choose your own ending). Not to spoil anything, but they end in either sexy time or hilarious dude on dude action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ZYbwyaiH4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2W3zNwpz1I
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Valentine’s Day Gift Buying Guide Video From Apeture Science/Valve
– Posted on February 14, 2011Posted in: Video Games
I did not know most of these facts about Valentine’s Day gifts.
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Every Band on Tour Needs HelloGoodBye’s Magic Gaming Box
– Posted on February 11, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games
We always think of rock stars as having every luxury accommodation imaginable when they tour, but this obviously isn’t the case for bands that aren’t U2.
Joseph Marro, keyboardist/guitarist for the band HelloGoodBye wrote a guest piece for Kotaku talking about their tour setup for video games:
The remainder of the year, we’re in a trusty 15 passenger van towing a trailer full of gear. In said trailer are guitars, amps, merchandise, various cables, and the most importantly, the Mobile Gaming Unit.
The unit is comprised of a roadcase housing an Xbox 360, a 22-inch TV, a power conditioner, four controllers, and plenty of games. So precious, that it is the first piece of gear to be loaded out and the last to be loaded in. All one needs to do is flip up the top and plug it in. Perfect for dressing room gaming.
Also, I once played Halo in the back of the band Kill Hannah’s tour van.
They kicked my ass.
Read on Kotaku: Every Band on Tour Needs HelloGoodBye’s Magic Gaming Box.
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11 signs you’re no longer a hard-core gamer
– Posted on February 10, 2011Posted in: Video Games
I was never much of a “system fanboy,” so that one doesn’t apply to me, but a lot of these qualities do. Sometimes I just want to play a game to feel awesome, which isn’t necessarily playing on the highest difficulty or online with really skilled players.
You prefer playing against the computer
Online gaming against real people has become depressing – it exposes your faded, spoon-sharp reflexes and you abhor the trash-talk from 12-year old fanboys. You prefer playing offline against the computer because a game’s algorithms are slightly more predictable. And, once you master the scripted patterns of play, you stand a real chance of being good… of actually winning. And that feels great, doesn’t it? Ranking second-bottom on a multiplayer leader board doesn’t.
Read More: 11 signs you’re no longer a hard-core gamer | News | TechRadar UK.
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CircBoard for Xbox Redefines Console Typing
– Posted on February 10, 2011Posted in: Video Games
This is a really interesting idea to streamline text entry for game consoles when using controllers. Why didn’t Sony or Microsoft think of this to start with?
Unfortunately, I doubt this or any sort of new UI will gain enough traction this console generation unless Sony or Microsoft decide to upheave their consoles and incorporate it into a mandatory system update.
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Activision Kills Guitar Hero
– Posted on February 9, 2011Posted in: Video Games
“Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011” –Activision financial statement
Perhaps “killed” may be too strong of a word, as I’m sure down the road someone will revive the franchise. It’s just too strong of a brand to write off forever.
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg from December 2010:
“It’s no secret that not just Guitar Hero, but also Rock Band, and the music category in general, do not have the same mass appeal today that they did a few years ago,” he said.
“That said, I think that we would be foolish to not try and build on the strength of the Guitar Hero brand, because as you said, it’s a pretty strong brand with great recognition and great likeability, and there’s a lot to work with there.”
However, there’s no question we needed a break from the over-saturation of the franchise that Activision shoved down our throats the past few years.
Hope you liked what you have wrought, Uncle Bobby.
Read More: Activision kills Guitar Hero News – Page 1 | Eurogamer.net.