Mirror, Mirror on the HDTV

Mirror's Edge, for those unfamiliar with the game, blasted onto the gaming blogosphere with a bang thanks to its realistically-moving camera. The rest of the game's fairly standard platforming fare- plop on a roof, jump onto a pole, swing, land, beat up bad guys that run to meet you, and repeat. But it's the first first-person shooter/platformer that actually attempts to attach a camera to the character's head, rather than place it on a static X-Y-Z axis. Now, if you kick the back of a guy's head, you'll look down your arm, center on the enemy's head, and the camera will bob as you make his face meet steel grating. It's a nice touch to a genre that's been unexcitingly consistent in presentation.

Some of this action has been shown in a brand spankin' new gameplay video released at Leipzig Games Convention 2008 (after the jump):

One concern from earlier trailers was that it'd be too scripted or oversaturated with gimmicky camera movements. Since nobody's tested the final product it's impossible to verify the truth of that allegation, but assuming there's a gradual progression of skill sets and fights a'la Portal's evolving stages, the gimmick factor should be minimized.

I'm satisfied with the eye-candy shown so far, but I'd love to see more gameplay. Since release is a while off, with many game shows going on before then, expect more to be released in a calculated way. Marketing teams just love doing that.

There's even some back story to the craziness contained in the above videos. Peep extra trailers and related videos below:

Continue Reading Mirror, Mirror on the HDTV

Don't Look Now, But...

IT'S SAMUS ARAN! It's not like I typically inject this blog with cosplay/artistic love, but I think this exhibit warrants a mention. Plus it's about a game, so there, that's my excuse.

The cosplayer in question today is cosplayer Jenni Källberg, who's been making front-page rounds on news circles showcasing her new Samus outfit. It's certainly impressive, and since she's not Asian herself, I presume this is why it's made such a splash in Western circles- no dig at Asian anime folk, it's just they're the ones typically associated with over-the-top cosplay getups.

Check the link, or if you're lazy, click the jump. It'll be worth your time.

Continue Reading Don't Look Now, But...

Atari Getting Some Help

Following up last week's Atari article, it seems Infogrames Entertainment (Atari's parent company) is using its BlueBay division to buy Atari's debt and inject it with $10M to carry it through the holiday season.

Yet this $10M isn't going to cut it, Atari says, and they're looking for further financing.

Kotaku's Mike Fahey makes the jab, "I'm patiently waiting for a PayPal donation button to appear on their homepage."

Atari's future is looking pretty foggy, and I'll be checking to see what becomes of the long-standing, yet mis-managed company.

Continue Reading Atari Getting Some Help

XBOX360 Propels to 1st Place: Halo 3 to Thank?

Never underestimate the chain reaction of success a blockbuster title can bring. Right on the heels of Halo 3's release (okay, calculate in a month of lag for all those fence-sitters), industry sales jumped 74% this month, largely thanks to Microsoft's hit title.

Nintendo saw Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) rack in a hefty amount of sales (400K), coupled with the continued success of Wii and its casual-fun games. Between Zelda, Samus, and Wii mini-games, Nintendo saw well over 1 million copies sold for September and early October.

However, that number pales- and I mean pales- in comparison to what Microsoft saw since Halo 3's release. Clocking in at 3.3 million copies sold on release day, that number's since grown to over 5.2 million copies sold worldwide. If history taught us anything about hit exclusives, it's that each release is coupled with massive sales increases with its console.

As NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier says, "Halo 3 had a very big and significant impact on 360 hardware sales. Consumers always tell us that the availability of the games they want to play is the #1 reason why they purchase any given hardware system, and when you have a game of this magnitude, the effect of compelling content on driving hardware acquisition is evident."

Well, people weren't just acquiring consoles... they were snatching them up like all XBOX inventory was going to be incinerated by Christmas. Analysts can't help but chock that up to Halo 3 (and partially to others).

An NPD Group analyst, Anita Frazier, "We should continue to see strong sales for Halo 3 into the holidays and that will definitely help keep the momentum going for the 360. Not only that, but those new owners are going to be looking for some more content to play so it's a cycle that feeds itself."

With Sony's Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii offering nothing of world-shaking significance (yet), it's going to be a white-and-green holiday as XBOX360 games piggyback off Halo's penetration.

To sum things up:

• Software Sales: +64% (Rose to $550.5 million)
• Hardware Sales: +188% (Rose to $418.6 million)
• Industry Sales: +74% (Total video game sales rose to $1.36 billion)

Continue Reading XBOX360 Propels to 1st Place: Halo 3 to Thank?

EA's BioWare & Pandemic Acquisition Details Emerge

Recently, EA made headline news for its USD 825M acquisition of Pandemic (Star Wars: Battlefront) and BioWare (Mass Effect / Baldur's Gate) studios, which put questions in the minds of gamers everywhere. Why the sudden purchase? What was the strategic motive?

Well, today, EA released some general, yet logical information regarding their decision. Simply put, "This acquisition fills up a gap in our genre line-up. We are currently underrepresented in key genres: RPG, action, and adventure." He substantiates this with the fact that 36/29 percent of the North American/European markets respectively are made up by these genres that these studios specialize in, and >25% is no small piece of market pie.

Pandemic and BioWare cumulatively have 6 wholly-owned projects in the works, and as if a cherry on the top of a $825M sundae, BioWare is also working on a yet-unannounced MMORPG.

Filling out your portfolio doesn't come without a cost, however. Investors and executives alike are relying on their revenue estimates to make this deal profitable, and while the breakeven point is set for 2009, dud games will cause quite a bit of strain on EA's value.

When asked by Gamasutra if they were worried about being utterly taken over, overshadowed, and tossed around in a corporate dryer of sorts, BioWare replied that EA was actually very in-line with their goals, and being attached to such a powerful entity might provide the necessary resources to see even bigger projects come to fruition.

There's no doubt this story's only going to get deeper, and soon we might see the finer details of EA's desire of Pandemic/BioWare ownership.

Continue Reading EA's BioWare & Pandemic Acquisition Details Emerge

No Wii Price Cut - Confirmed

This should come as no surprise whatsoever, but the Nintendo Wii will not be seeing price cuts this holiday season. With ample demand pushing sales and Nintendo receiving gains from every unit sold, Nintendo has no reason to follow in Sony and Microsoft's price-drop decisions.

Says NOA's George Harrison, "We'll stay at USD 249 for the foreseeable future. We are still selling everything we can make."

GamesIndustry.biz also speculates repeat Wii console shortages again this year as the masses run out for gift-buyin', so don't let your guard down- get your Wii early if you plan on buying one.

Will price drops increase competition between the three vying consoles? November and December, we await your bombardment of gaming-related TV ads.

Continue Reading No Wii Price Cut - Confirmed

Change is in the Air... at Atari

Mismanagement of a brand is never a pretty thing. Neither is seeing a stock chart mimic a ski slope. However, Atari has both problems on their hands and is finally trying to turn things around for the staggered company.

Head board members were removed (an oddly strong word, likely chosen to portray the seriousness of the change) today, with new management to be put in place soon.

Will this change really bring Atari back? The last great Atari game, many have argued, was Pong. Harsh words that, unfortunately, ring pretty true. Neverwinter Nights fans, no offense intended.

Once this change begins to yield financial fixes and make good on Atari's promises, we might see some rebounding. In the meantime, IT'S SKIING TIME!

Continue Reading Change is in the Air... at Atari

WoW: Great News for Reroll Virgins

For as long as I can remember, the most painful experience in World of Warcraft was re-leveling a character. For all but the hardiest of gamers (or those sick of their current character), starting fresh and spending countless hours running through the same content you played through not too long ago is #1 on peoples' "Avoid" lists.

Well, patch 2.3 details came swooping in today to lift that bad "re-roll" taste from peoples' mouths, and it's improvements all around for those who ever wanted to play another class but never had the time (or patience).

Here's a summary of the upcoming changes (from WoW Insider):

• Amount of experience needed to level reduced by 15% per level between 20 and 60.
• Experience gained from completing quests increased between levels 30 and 60.
• Outdoor elite quests will now now be soloable, with the same (or better) rewards.
• About 60 new quests and a new goblin town based in Dustwallow Marsh (levels 30 to 40)
• Level ranges for old dungeons to be narrowed down a bit (so that if you are high enough to start them, you are high enough to finish them too)
• Increased questing experience for dungeon quests.
• Buffed up item drops from dungeon bosses.

For twinks and altoholics, these changes might be a bit disheartening, tossing days of work to the wind. But, such is life in constantly-evolving games like MMORPGs.

Stay tuned for further updates regarding this change, because as we're told by Blizzard itself, this is only the tippiest-top of the iceberg to come. Huzzah, my alts might yet again see some play time!

Continue Reading WoW: Great News for Reroll Virgins

40GB, and NO PS2 GAMES FOR YOU.

Ah, Playstation 3 marketing- the crux of every marketer's "not to do" list. Recently, there were inklings of Sony making a "Big Bang" announcement regarding its PS3- which were promptly shot down by Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe (SCEE). Lest I remind you, they (SCEA/SCEE) consistently attempt to cover up announcements like this, so don't buy into their response too easily.

Next, people reported new SKU#'s popping up in retail store catalogs described as- you guessed it!- a $399 40GB PS3 models!

And now, presumably feeling that their surprise was out of the bag, Sony is saying the 40GB model will lack backwards compatibility. Wait, WHAT?!

If lacking backwards compatibility sounds trivial to you, consider these figures: There's 1,700+ Playstation 2 games out now with plenty still in development. Sony quotes a 90% backwards compatibility count. Playstation 3, however, offers a meager 65 games, a handful of which people actually consider "good."

Sony's saying: In buying our new 40GB console, you're being locked out of our previous hit games, but trust us... our great games are just around the corner!

But wait- here's the irony. Recalling back to 2006 in a GamePro interview, Sony's Phil Harrison said "Backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices -- PSOne, PS2, and now PS3."

Joystiq puts it best: "A little over a year and 'core values' go right out the window."

There has been confirmation that hardware in the Playstation 3 has been removed from the 40GB version to make production cheaper, so a firmware add-in is impossible. Bafflingly, there will still be continued backwards compatibility support for the 60/80GB PS3 models (I thought this was a huge cost?).

So, Big Bang announcement or no, there's an interesting month ahead of Playstation 3. Christmas is coming up, and this is the worst time of year to get bad publicity. Keep your ears open October 12th for that bang- hopefully for Sony, it won't be the sound of Playstation's sales (and/or reputation) crashing.

Continue Reading 40GB, and NO PS2 GAMES FOR YOU.

WoW's Brew-Ha-Ha!

(Source: WorldofWarcraft.com)

World of Warcraft's newly-released annual festival- Brewfest- was just released this week on October 2nd, and denizens of Azeroth have been quite jolly with the free booze and abundance of intersting outfits and gimmicky items.

Despite some event-shattering hiccups (Dark Iron invasions crashing servers, inability to obtain certain quests, and hundreds of people amassing in front of Ironforge straining peoples' graphics cards), the event's been a smashing success with much praise towards Blizzard with this new casual content.

For just 15-40 minutes a day, you too can work towards a Dwarven beer-carrying ram, Bavarian-esque outfit, or Beer Goggles (my personal favorite- check the linked video) just to name a few. It's a nice break in the quest/PvP/instance grind, and you get a blurry screen and slurred speech to boot.

This was an unexpected treat from Blizzard, and there's rumors that this year's Dwarven-centric event might even get Horde-ification next year due to player demand. Can't wait to ride a beer kodo! Tips and screenshots after the jump!

Screenshots (Click to Enlarge)!

Brewfest Quest Select Tips:
Pink Elekks on Parade - Repeatable: DAILY - This quest requires you go to all major Alliance cities (there's also a Horde version, not described here), head to the entrance, get drunk, and zap some Pink Elekks! I assume you're hearthed to Shattrath and not a mage. Start in Ironforge, fly to Stormwind (zap 3 Elekks outside Stormwind gates), hearth to Shattrath, take portal to Exodar (zap 3 Elekks), take hippogryph/boat to Darnassus (zap 3 Elekks), and you're done!

Bark for the Thunderbrews (or Barleybrews) - Repeatable: EVERY 12 HOURS - Get the name of a brewery out there! You can only pick 1 brewery every 12 hours to bark for, but the premise is simple- you mount your ram, ride to Ironforge, and run between flags at each of the 4 main districts. There's a picture here detailing the most efficient route. After you bark at your last location, you're free to use your real mount to return to the questgiver.

Now This is Ram Racing... Almost - Repeatable: NO - Do this quest first, because it opens up the bulk of Brewfest's quests! There's a semi-fine art to whipping your ram in this quest. Tap the reins you receive in your pack slowly to trot, a little faster (once a second) to canter, and spam-click to gallop. There's finer points to note, which I'll outline next. Just think of your ram as a 4-gear car that needs constant attention.

There and Back Again - Repeatable: EVERY 12 HOURS - This takes the skills you learned in Now This is Ram Racing and adds a few variables to the mix: exhaustion and apple barrels. For this quest (doable 12AM-12PM then 12PM-12AM server time), you ride between Kharanos and the Brewfest grounds delivering giant kegs on a special ram. You'll notice as you go, however, your ram gets more and more exhausted until it caps at 100- then you move at the speed of your grandmother covered in frozen molasses. You can either avoid it by stopping clicking (to let the ram rest), or better yet, utilize the apple barrels along the road to clear your exhaustion altogether. These barrels are located inside the tend behind the questgivert, next to a directional post halfway between the towns, and behind the keg-thrower in Kharanos. I recommend just tapping the apple barrel with your mount as you run past, which should clear your exhaustion points. I average about 24 tickets per 12 hours, so this quest is definitely worth your time. Find these apple barrels before you head out, lest you waste time looking for them!

Continue Reading WoW's Brew-Ha-Ha!

Since We Last Talked...

It's been a long, long time indeed! And since KuriNeko's last article, I've been there and back again in terms of gaming, visited Japan for a month and drooled over their game selection, and delivered Jimmy John's (but that's another story for another blog). I'll be more than happy to give you my story thus far- followed by some actual gaming industry goings-on.

Let's get started... after the jump, of course.

You might recall me covering the Wii. Quite a lot. I even sat outside a Toys 'R Us overnight after scouring tipster websites to get my hands on one.

Well, now my Wii has found itself a new home via eBay. Looking back on that little bugger, I realize how entertaining theory doesn't translate into extreme fun. After logging countless hours with Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball, Wario Ware: Touched, and dabbling a bit into Zelda: Twilight Princess (never really did find the time to play this allegedly-awesome game, but there's always the Gamecube version), and flushing away some Wii Points on Ristar and Super Mario 64, I realized something.

I realized I wasn't playing the Wii. Heck, I realized I was avoiding the Wii.

I grew up on the controller and the couch-sitting that came with it. I also grew up on deep, complex games that entertained for more than 6 hours of fun, and had more depth than 3 repetitive hand motions.

Having to set up a sensor with line-of-sight to my couch? I can't just turn this thing on- I need to learn the art of "laser adjustment"?

Where were the beefy, console-defining Wii games? Mini-game inspired releases? That's what the online store is for. Spare me the ping pong simulators.

Eventual promises of Mario, Samus, and Leon? What about now? What's keeping me with you, Wii, while XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 get these revolutionary titles that not only look beautiful, but contain the whole package?

What about online connectivity? Friend codes- 16-digit codes that need to be traded person-to-person (unless you use some online communities which act as code mediums) are hardly my idea of "playing online with everyone, everywhere, on a revolutionary system"? I was expecting XBOX Live, and I got the equivalent of trading my driver's license information to even interact with others.

I was monumentally let down by my purchase, yet consistently impressed by the next-gen news bits that XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 were generating.

Long story short, I wanted a hardcore and cutting-edge gaming experience, and Wii positioned itself in the casual/low-tech market. It just wasn't meant to be.

A few weeks after Microsoft announced the XBOX 360's price drop, I jumped ship and shelled out $400 for a used XBOX 360 Elite. It's sexy, it's a powerhouse, and it's gaming I'm used to. I cannot recall how long it's been since I got "sweaty palm" while unloading machine gun rounds into clone armies- but man did I miss it.

Now, I have a (relatively tiny) game library that was the same size as my Wii's back last Christmas, and I log at least an hour a day on my sleek, black Box. I won't even guess how much that'll increase once Halo 3 arrives. It's going to be good times.

And, as expected, I've been playing my fair share of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. I've been cutting back lately due to burn-out and real-life reasons, but the game's still a staple in my gaming diet, and I have no intentions of stopping. I probably should, but it's just too dang fun.

And so ends the catch-up. Now let's move on to better, and juicier, goodies. I say we start with... Sony. Big Bang, anyone?

Continue Reading Since We Last Talked...

Come One, Come All! Turbine Opens the Floodgates to LOTR: Online

Just a few pecks shy of "totally expected", Turbine announced today they're letting anyone and everyone play Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar free until April 24th- the game's launch day.

In the monopolized world of MMORPGs, companies are finally figuring out they need more than just a big budget and screenshots to make an impact on the market. Giving players the option to play-test the game for free and determine if the game's worth the monthly subscription (or if you pre-order, the $199 lifetime fee- a bargain, I assure you) will likely be the new theme for upcoming MMOs. For the uninitiated, the past "first hit's free" deal was giving customers a free month of play.

LOTR Online seems to already be forming fan camps, with fantasy/comic fans on the bandwagon and everyone else remaining skeptical. The overall appeal of this game has yet to be seen, but the name alone should guarantee the game at least mediocre sales. What'll set this MMO apart is how it deals with questing, grinding, player professions, and most importantly, maintaining an engaging world and storyline (or, what its main competitors are shaky at). The developers have a huge platter of lore to work with, so let's hope for the best.

While we can't yet determine the success of this game, we can do the next best thing: load the game up and play it ourselves. Check it out before April 24th!

(Psst, I hear the download's pretty snappy (get to the download via the article's first link). People are reporting 1.5MB/s from Turbine's servers.)

Continue Reading Come One, Come All! Turbine Opens the Floodgates to LOTR: Online

Pushing the Boundaries of Advertising, Game-Style

You've probably played a game where you've seen "143 Awesome Levels" stickered on the game case, pictures of a character posing with an in-game weapon you'd simply love to equip, or a stage that catches your eye... only to load the game to see 12 stages available, no cool weapons, or no awesome-looking level.

It's typical gaming fare. Game developers lure you in with the awesome eye candy expecting you'll work through the drudge to get it. However, an article on Game Stooge brings up a new legal implication of this kind of "shady" advertising: what if it's illegal?

Well, the target du jour is Guitar Hero II, which advertised a whopping 70 songs in its game, only to have 30 available immediately. Much legal conjecture and similes are made by Game Stooge, but the question remains: is it illegal for a game to advertise a feature that requires a high amount of skill/time to unlock?

Well, the answer... isn't so clear. There's no past cases to look to for precedent, but one can assume that since the content is available on the product (even if it's not available from the point you open it), it's not "illegal" to say the content's there.

Here's 2 examples:

1. Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. You can only play Mario initially, but after beating the game once through, you can play as Luigi. This is legal.
2. Mario Bros. DS advertises being able to play Mario and Luigi for all its levels. There is no possible way to obtain Luigi, since he was not coded into the game in a way you could obtain him. This is illegal.

Of course, reasonableness must be taken into account. Advertising explicitly that Mario and Luigi will be playable from "the time you open the box" means you better be able to play them the second the game begins. More loosely, having to work 100 hours to play Luigi (when it's advertised as a main selling point) might also stretch the boundaries of legality.

The resounding message is that games can only advertise on their boxes what is obtainable in them. It doesn't matter if it's immediate, eventual, or after a horrendously long unlocking session; the fact is, it's there.

The Law of the Game also ventures to explain this topic with more legal terminology and reasoning, citing FTC points and comparing the validity of comparing game advertisements to other forms.

This is an interesting topic that'll soon find its way to a courtroom, I presume. Someone out there is going to want to play a song, only to find out it takes 10 hours to get it. Then we'll have a definitive answer.

(This entry was cross-posted to GIW.)

Continue Reading Pushing the Boundaries of Advertising, Game-Style

Well Played, PS3. Well Played.

While this may be ancient history by now, Sony's announcement of Playstation Home at the Game Developer's Conference 2007 will surely throw a wrench in the Sony-hating wheel that's been spinning for... however long it was since they advised people to get 2 jobs to pay for their system.

Before the unveiling of Home, many were skeptical of the online strategy Sony had for the Playstation 3. After being kicked with the browser system, then repeatedly beaten with the content downloader, and finally spit on with some "me-too" announcements for PS3's online features (such as the online avatar [see: Wii's Miis] and trophies [see: Microsoft's Achievement Points]). It seemed that Sony was just riding the coattails of previous successes, not entirely keen on pioneering online features themselves.

Well, flash forward to GDC at the Sony conference, where Sony's Phil Harrison debuted this unexpectedly beautiful and potential-packed software addition every PS3 will be receiving for free. Right from the get-go it was apparent this was no tack-on project, with the impressive graphics and brevity, high levels of customization, and streamlined level layout.

In Home, you'll be maneuvering a character, not menus, to access content. You'll have your own personal living space, a social commons to talk with other online players, and even a trophy/arcade room where past game achievements (with what seemed like small videos of each achievement) could be seen in a bottomless-chasm type of building that waxes reminiscent of the Star Wars senate (you know, where Yoda and the Emperor Palpatine fought- it's also in the video below around the 18 minute mark).

As most gamers know, however, it's best to not laud content before it's released. Voice chat on Halo, which seemed like a godsend at the time, spawned a generation of smack-talkin', insensitive teenage boys that ruined the game for most casual players. Similarly, Nintendo's friend codes slaughtered any hopes of making online play easy, all in the name of security. Home could be the next "great concept gone sour" thanks to rich content but poor implementation/user base.

It's good to see Sony putting more than its foot in the door of online features. They're making their desire to go online apparent, and they're explaining to developers at GDC how Home can be used to increase their games' hype and sales. For this, I applaud you Sony.

It's definitely been a while, but you seem like you're getting your creative juices back and remembering that the future's more than just silicon chips and gigahertz. With any luck, Home will be a smashing success, and online gaming will benefit as a whole.

Boy, and I thought I'd never find a selling point in the Playstation 3...

Sony's GDC 2007 Playstation Home Segment:


Playstation Home Trailer:

Continue Reading Well Played, PS3. Well Played.

Looking Ahead with MMORPGs

As much as I am immersed in World of Warcraft, I realize there'll be a time I'll have to move on. I'll hop on my horse (or rather, ram) and trot off into the sunset, headed for greener pastures filled with new challenges and feats. In my wake, I leave Azeroth behind.

While this surely isn't happening any time soon, certain games are stacking up to be solid competitors for the attention of the millions-large MMORPG-playing population.

One game that's recently grabbed my attention is Darkfall Online- a dynamic MMORPG offering a new take on the MMO experience. Gone are the limits of "Skill/Weapon/Armor Requirements", "Character Classes", and other developer-instated boundaries. This game's world is a palette, and its players are the painters.

Not to mention, you won't be fighting by conventional MMO methods (most games require button-mashing to do special attacks/combos)- you'll be using first-person aiming and firing. This game boasts, in short, letting the skilled and inventive strive.

On paper, Darkfall Online sounds fantastic. Any game that gives players ultimate control over their environment is destined for success. However, implementing and maintaining this system- not to mention keeping malicious players from exploiting it- should be a development process in itself. Ensuring that such a multi-faceted game remains balanced and fun on all levels will require massive tweaks and quality assurance teams, which may not be feasible for a start-up MMO company.

I've seen this MMO before, albeit in less splendor, a few months back on MMORPG.com. Most people have written off this MMO as vaporware- software that's in perpetual development and destined to postpone itself into nonexistence. However, with this resurgence of media, perhaps there's hope for Darkfall Online yet.

As much as I like World of Warcraft and hope to see it strive, I think it's due time for some serious competition. Vanguard, Warhammer, and others are making WoW work harder for its subscribers, but as of yet, nothing can topple Blizzard's behemoth. Will Darkfall Online be the David to Blizzard's Goliath?

The next hit MMO is inevitable. The only question is... which?

Continue Reading Looking Ahead with MMORPGs

Silent Hill Arcade Game Announced

AOU 2007 is in full swing over in Chiba, Japan, and Konami's apparently trying to make a good impression with the arcade sector this year.

On top of announcing sequels for each of its prized BEMANI games (which is having its 10th anniversary this year!), we got our first look at a brand-spankin'-new action shooter for a franchise most would have never expected: Silent Hill.

Not many details are known about Silent Hill: The Arcade, but it boasts an interesting cabinet with eerie, tattered flaps encapsulating you in the Silent Hill universe. Expect some standard shooter fare- zombies, railed levels, tons of shooting, bosses, and nigh-impossible coin guzzling sections- with the trademark Silent Hill storyline of mystery, intrigue, and paranoia.

Of course, this game could end up being the next House of the Dead offshoot that woos only the simplest of minds. Plenty of folks have already jumped on this cynical bandwagon.

The most we can do at this point is hope whoever's making this spin-off doesn't abuse the license and produces a truly addictive, scare-inducing shooter to keep us entertained at our local arcades. With hopes high, all we can do now is await further details.

Continue Reading Silent Hill Arcade Game Announced

Yeah, You Bought It... Now Give It Back?

Imagine a company is calling you during dinner, telemarketer-style, soliciting you to return an item you bought a few months ago. This isn't for a defunct or recalled product; you're being called because you bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii), and Gamestop/EB Games wants it back... for trade-in purposes.

If you've bought a game within recent years (I'm talking post-Funcoland- we're in the Gamestop era now), you've no doubt been a victim of a used game trade-in advertisement. Whether you saw signs plastered on game display cases, hung on the store ceiling, or were told the standard script each employee is required to relay, from the moment you walked into the store you knew about trade-ins.

The whole trade-in business, while still shady, is acceptable. There's a fine line between advertising trade-ins and tracking pre-ordering customers down, and Ben from ArsTechnica feels (rightly) disgruntled that Gamestop decided to cross it by merging their pre-order calling lists with their trade-ins.

It goes down like this (after the break): You pre-order Zelda: Twilight Princess from Gamestop. You get a call from Gamestop when the game arrives in the store (this is expected). You go to Gamestop, pay the remainder of your pre-order, and the game's yours to play. A few months later, you get another call. This call isn't about another pre-order- it's about the game you bought a few months ago. Gamestop would like you to give it back, so they can re-sell it.

For shame, Gamestop. Double-dipping rarely works in practice. Portraying to your customers that buying from you will yield invasive calls is not a way to bring in business- but it's a surefire way to drive more people to Internet retailers.

As Joystiq mentions, perhaps they're rushing to meet Spring numbers. Whatever the reason, hopefully it's not a permanent practice by Gamestop, or the retailer can be sure to see pre-orders (and likely, sales) dwindle in response.

Continue Reading Yeah, You Bought It... Now Give It Back?

Halo 3: Okay, No Talk Now

As what might be construed as the first piece of innovation since its matchmaking system, Bungie recently announced a new breakthrough feature: The" A-Hole Button".

If you ask me, this was a long time coming.

Essentially, during an online Halo 3 match, you will now be able to press the rarely-utilized "Back" button (see right) on the XBOX360 controller, scroll through a list of players, and smite junior high kids with something even more powerful than a Plasma Sword: the cold shoulder.

While this feature can't protect you against post-game hate messages and sound recordings sent via XBOX Live, at least your message inbox serves as a buffer to ensure you only hear the things you want to hear. With this easy-access muting option now available, playing Halo online should be a much more bearable experience.

(Via Gamestyle, which was via Eurogamer)

Continue Reading Halo 3: Okay, No Talk Now

Game Making 101: Don't Do This

Earlier yesterday, Destructoid lured me into one of their entries titled "The Two Greatest Game Endings Ever Produced". What I saw was... horribly unsettling. So unsettling, I feel it deserves to be written about- which means it was emotionally scarring.

Have you ever heard of a thing called "wasted effort"? How about "mismanaged license"? I can't think of better terms to describe these Legend of Zelda games that were released for Philips CD-i by an obviously low-budget, non-Nintendo developer. Suffice to say, this is the perfect example of a catalyst that made companies embrace (or grasp with an iron fist) their intellectual property.

Aside from the mind-bendingly awful cutscene quality (3rd grade animators FTL), you'd think it would be common sense that a game's ultimate finale shouldn't involve a one-hit boss TKO... from a book. Or something that resembles a book, but looks more like a flying medicine ball.

But alas, without gaming's skid marks, could we ever have masterpieces? Of course not! Hopefully this horrendous series served as a wake-up call to the industry- Nintendo especially- that licenses should be held close and dear, and game development should have some kind of base quality level. Without these tough lessons, undeserving coders would not have been shunned from future employment, and Darwinism wouldn't have had its chance to work its magic.

So, thank these games while you cringe in pain from the negative visual stimuli- otherwise, these guys would probably still be in the game-making business.

Videos after the break...

Continue Reading Game Making 101: Don't Do This

A Challenger Appears! / Burning Crusade Burnt

Well, it seems I'm getting my hands on even more blogging content for the next few months! From now until April, my time will be a little split between this blog and my new collaborative blog, Game Industry Weekly. However, since it's not a huge time commitment over there, don't expect to see any fewer entries here.

So, I guess this post is more of a plug. If you're more interested in seeing some game-only news- be it business or general nonsense- head over to Game Industry Weekly!

On another note, due to the hard drive wipe and all, most of my pictures for my Burning Crusade entry have been wiped. I've been fervently attempting to re-take all the pictures I can, but since most of my time is spent in the latter areas of the game, there's a large (and crucial) gap between levels 60-66. When I have the time, I'll attempt to re-do the shots.

That's all for this week. Hope you're enjoying KuriNeko's content, and expect more gaming-related entries soon!

Continue Reading A Challenger Appears! / Burning Crusade Burnt