I figured this was worth mentioning.  Dominic Nguyen, Megatokyo editor and freelance writer for a number of tech and nerd magazines and websites, has written up a review of the Japanese arcade sensation The iDOLM@STER.  A sort of managerial sim-slash-minigame-slash-teen fetish arcade game where players try to make Japanese teen idol stars out of high school girls.  His account gives a fair appraisal of what I suspect wil be an XBOX 360 hit, but I think the fact that every photo of the game during play features a middle-aged man in control tells me more.

Hi folks, Cooper Hawkes here, what begins here is a "blog" of my time without my Xbox 360. Please keep a sense of humor when reading it and know that while parts are quite serious, others are very tongue-in-cheek.
 
I leave it to you to figure out which is which.
 
December 21st 2006:
 
"Gimmie a beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your Rock 'n Roll and drift away" – "Drift Away" - Doby Grey  (Not the crappy remake)
 
Music has picked up the slack for my gaming addiction. I hadn't realized it but even when I wasn't gaming, I was at least turning on the Xbox 360 to download some form of content or another, usually sneaking in a quick Arcade game or two. I'm finding that there are songs on my iPod I haven't listened to in some time, whose lyrics are suddenly strangely gaming relevant. It's probably just my mind playing tricks on me.
 
Today I took my Xbox 360 to work.

Continue reading "Separation anxiety: The Cooper Hawkes Xbox 360 saga."

So if you happen to have a PS3 laying around the house that you might consider throwing up on eBay, you’ll be sorely discouraged by the average bids already posted; $650, $700, $750 even. Michal Birecki from PS3center.net, however, saw the light. Stripping the PS3 of all exterior coverings, then sending the pieces to a body shop to be painted white, made the entire process feel like a bad episode of American Chopper. Be that as it may, once the process was completed, the finished product was a replica of the white prototype PS3 Sony has yet to release.

You can check out pictures of the entire process here, at PS3center.net. You can also check out the auction here, where the current bid as of this posting is $1525.01

Anyone up for making a red one? How about purple?

Goddamn man, BRAIN NUMBERS will never get old.

I especially love how he neglects to mention that his "joke" stiffed charity $10,000.   Hack Bompson really is a classy lady.

You may have been following this little passion play.

A few weeks ago, a Sony PSP "fansite" showed up on the web named AllIWantForChristmasIsAPSP.com. Supposedly it was created by two kids who really loved PSPs and, as the site's URL implied -- all they wanted for under their tree this year was a PSP.

They even included a video of one of the curiously mature-looking "kids" rapping about how much he wanted the handheld gaming device and included lots of oddly enthusiastic comments.

How Joystiq describes it:

...The site only uses lower case letters, always references "two" as "2," embraces hip phrases like "here's the deal," publishes fake user-generated comments like "this is the best site ever" under the alias of True Gamer, and posts homemade rap videos full of stage props and trite "izzies."

The site was so weird, so not right, that gamers who stumbled on it or saw the YouTube video (since removed) started doing some snooping.

It didn't take long until someone figured out that the site's domain was registered to a marketing firm. And that marketing firm (surprise, surprise) works for Sony.

It seemed pretty clear that Sony had hired this firm to create a fake "fan" site and then lie about it being developed by kids rather than adults in suits sitting in a corporate board room.

That's the old news.

The new news is that after being bombarded with blog entry after blog entry of commenters who had nothing nice to say about Sony shameless -- and sloppy -- efforts at deception, the site owners posted the following:

Busted. Nailed. Snagged. As many of you have figured out (maybe our speech was a little too funky fresh???), Peter isn't a real hip-hop maven and this site was actually developed by Sony. Guess we were trying to be just a little too clever. From this point forward, we will just stick to making cool products, and use this site to give you nothing but the facts on the PSP.

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Busted? Nailed? Snagged? And, the coup de gras: "funky fresh"?

Actually the words that come to mind are more like "f*cking stupid."

Nice one Sony. And decidedly not clever. Next time you try to dupe consumers into thinking your product is cool, try to put a little effort into it? Try your best not to insult our intelligence.

Because otherwise we're liable to think that you think we're stupid. And of course, you'd never think that, would you?

Last night Sony released firmware update 1.31, which introduces support for PS2 games that utilized the PS2 hard drive (namely, Final Fantasy 11 and Nobunaga's Ambition). 

No doubt, this is a welcome relief for the gamers who bought Square's Final Fantasy MMO and still actually play.

Less appreciated, though, is dramatic evidence that suggests the PS3 is downgrading (or possibly over-upgrading to the point of distortion) the graphics of PS2 games compared to the original, with notable jaggies and artifacts in most games.

Sony has released no word on what it plans to do regarding this issue.

First, let me purge my stomach. Because actually reporting about SpikeTV on a gaming website -- intimating that they have anything at all to do with each other -- makes me nauseous.

That being said, it should be noted that SpikeTV's Video Game Awards were handed out in a star-studded gala.

You watched, right? Ahahahahahaaaaa... Yeah, me either.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was named game of the year. Yeah. I kid you not.

It garnered four awards for the evening, including best game, best original score, best RPG and most addictive game.

Gears of War nabbed three: best shooter, best graphics and best multiplayer.

The entire winners' list, if you care -- if anyone cares -- can be found after the jump:

Continue reading "SpikeTV Names Oblivion Year's Best Game"

What was the last amount of money you spent on shoes? £50? £60? £100? Depending on taste, prices might even go up to £1000 -- somewhat extortionate for an item of clothing just strewn about in Soviet Russia.

What if I were to tell you that the Most Awesomest Shoes of All Time(TM) just sold for $4,530.

Say it with me. Sweet. Zombie. Jesus

Ah well. At least it went to a good cause.

If you haven't read the recent Penny Arcade strip regarding the slipperyness of Snail Gaming, then I would suggest you do so.

Done? Good, we may begin.

Nintendo, King of Q'Wii'ns (sorry), has decided to actually look into the issue.

But what issue is there to look at? Is it whether people with the grip of a baby harp seal can keep their supposedly opposable thumbs around a controller?

Iwata's explanation, that people are "getting a lot more excited than we'd expected," (I can only imagine the smirk on his face when he popped that one out) hardly does justice to the extent of the issue: WiiHaveAProblem.com happily parades the failure of human grip and fabric strap.

Via Eurogamer

This is a head scratcher. Someone stole 180 Japanese PS3s from a warehouse -- in broad daylight! How anybody can manage that is beyond me.

According to the report, the PS3s were noticed to be missing at about 1:30 p.m. local time, having been "confirmed" at 9 a.m. (we figure that means that someone noted on some official paperwork that they were at the location).

Some time between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the thieves managed to move the PS3s out of the warehouse to lord knows where. The value of the take? Officials put it at about 9.5 million Yen (about $85,000 USD). Of course, that's retail. Double or triple that for actual street value.

The police suggest that the amount of movement around the warehouse provided a way for the thieves to go unnoticed. It's still amazing that that amount of consoles that were stolen from a working warehouse.

[via 1UP]

In South Carolina, a 12-year-old boy was arrested for opening his Christmas gift a wee bit early.

After the box was found to be empty, the boy's mother questioned him about where the GameBoy he was to get on Christmas went. At first, he denied taking the GameBoy and pleaded that he didn't know where it was. Then his mother threatened him with calling the police. He relented and gave back the GameBoy, but she had already called the cops. He was charged with petty larceny but wasn't jailed.

Now, this might sound a bit harsh for opening a Christmas present, but no, it's somewhat justified. You see, the boy has had a history of misbehaving. Being a single mother, she didn't know what to do with him. He has shoplifted, stolen money from her, punched a police officer, and is close to being expelled from school. Her justification for having her son arrested was to give him a wake-up call so she wouldn't have to get a call from the police saying he was killed.

See her side now?

[via NBC30 WVIT]

Since the release of the Nintendo Wii a few weeks (wii-ks?) ago, there are plenty of people who have had problems with the console wounding them. We've all heard the stories of errant Wii-motes coming unseated from over-enthuastic or overly sweaty-palmed gamers and finding a new nesting place in the depths of LCD screens, but how big is the problem, really?

You're in luck, fair wanderer! Wii've got your back.

Okay, swear to god that was my last Wii pun.

WiiHaveAProblem.com is here to track your Wii-related mishaps, and from its current damage total (brand new blog keep in mind) there have already been two TVs, a window, and a ceiling fan that have fallen prey to this insiduous creation (just joking, Nintendo)

So yeah, check it out! And if you don't, it's going on my RSS list so I'll be bringing you entertaining news as it happens.

To match those furry XBox 360 controllers, Talismoon has come out with 360 faceplates. They also come with nice stickers that go over the chrome bezel to give the full fur effect. No animals were harmed in the creation of this faceplate. Really. It's synthetic.

Synthetic fur... eww. Give me real mink.

[Via Xbox-Scene]

Now I've been known to take things to extremes when it comes to my gaming. There has definitely been more than one occasion where I've gotten a game and not moved from my seat for upwards of 22 hours. These things happen with me

Knowing that about me, hear me when I say that the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is an absolute time sink, money sink, and blood-pressure aggravator.

In all honesty, i've been an XBL subscriber for two years and this is absolutely the most irritating thing I've ever come across.

The day the service was released, I spent maybe 20 minutes going through the catalogue of content, looking for something that was -- first -- in high definition and -- second -- that I hadn't seen. My apartment is maybe seven minutes' driving time away from a Hollywood Video that stocks more movies than I'll ever have time to watch, but being the kinda guy I am, I figured I'd give Microsoft's service a fair shake at my business.

Eventually I settled on Mel Gibson's pre-tPotC epic: We Were Soldiers.

I'm a sucker for war movies, and this was one that I had missed because the girl I was dating didn't like how MG's face looked -- and I'm a guy who likes to keep his lady happy. Right, TMI. We'll just move on.

So it's 1 p.m. when I start downloading the 1.9 gig SD file (they didnt have anything in hi-def I wanted to see). I'll now mention that I have a 8 megabit upload and a 1.5 download, so my connection is speedy.

Long story short, 36 hours later (as I get home from my folks house, having left the console on through my Thanksgiving), the file is only 60 percent completed.

Wow.

Anybody had similar experiences? Join me after the jump for a little discussion of MS, expectations and responsibility.

Continue reading "Xbox Live Video Marketplace: Avoid Like The Plague"

Okay, maybe that title is a bit harsh, but I did find it quite interesting how Best Buy's recent junk-mail advertisement seems to be playing favorites.

I recieved Best Buy's "Wow" holiday gift guide in my mailbox this morning. Let me give you an idea of what this is.

It's a 66-page large-format, glossy catalogue of the super-special electronic gifty things that you might want to buy for your loved ones -- if you prefered to think about this stuff a week before Thanksgiving.

But that's another post...

Anyway, the first two pages of actual catalogue -- after you get past all the table of contents and company marketing crap -- features "hot gifts."

I assume that means what "all the kids want these days."

I've scanned it for your viewing pleasure.

Upon viewing this first page, because let's face it, nobody really gets past about page 10 of most junk-mail catalogues, I noticed a vacuum. Something wasn't quite right.

Notice what's there? The PlayStation 3.

Notice what's missing? The motherfarging Wii. Arguably what may very well be the best selling console of this holiday shopping season!

Best Buy's definition of "hot holiday gift" apparently is "those gifts that we don't have and won't have until sometimes after 2007 begins."

Unless by "holiday gifts" they mean "Easter."

Now, to be fair, the mailer does include the Wii. On page 51 and 53 under "gaming systems."

Is this earth-shattering. No. But it is kind of curious that the nation's biggest electronics retailer would be giving front-and-center treatment to a system that is all but unavailable while sending the "more than plentiful" competing system to the back pages.

Is it all the press coverage of the PS3 that promped this? Or is it the fact that the PS3 is more than double the price of the Wii?

Just kinda makes you go, "Huh."

Digg this!!

And when is a cow considered wild? During what period of human existance have cows been seen in the same light as, say, a bull elephant? Or a tiger? Frankly, in a brawl, mano-a-mano between a tiger and a cow (vicious as they may be), I think I could safely bet on the cow to lose. And not only to lose, but to lose by an incomprehensible degree. If there were cow pieces left, I'd be worried.
But I digress. Now available, presumably not through popular demand, is a stick-on "skin" for the PSP and 360 pad that allows your game to be as fierce as that of a cow.

There is one redeeming feature, however, as you can also buy it in a leopard print, rather than cow.

So, I'm posting this only because I feel obligated to after posting the PS3 one. Know that GamerAndy.com is an equal opportunity exploiter.

The brilliant(?) minds behind such crazy and original stunts as the "Smash My iPod" and "Smash My Xbox360" have come up with yet another brilliant scheme to make "Meeeel-yawns,"

They've collected donations and smashed -- wait for it, here it comes -- a Wii!

Yeah, it's really not that exciting. The best part is that this one actually really breaks, unlike the PS3 nonsense.

Continue reading "Dead or Alive 5 Announced"

Straight from www.theregister.co.uk:

A man in Manchester, England has been convicted of using an MP3 player to hack cash machines. Maxwell Parsons, 41, spent £200,000 of other people's money after using the machine to read card details.

Parsons plugged his MP3 player into the back of free standing cash machines and was able to use it to read data about customers' cards. That data could then be used to "clone" cards and use them for bogus purchases.

Genius! Or so he would seem. Unfortunately he wasn’t that smart of a genius.

Police uncovered the scam almost by accident when they stopped Parsons for making an illegal U-turn in a car in London. They found a fake bank card in his possession and searched his home in Manchester, where they found the evidence with which to prosecute.

Think twice before you go use your iPod to make some illegal iCash.

Good or bad is up for debate on this vid, but I think it's interesting to note that despite taking multiple hits from a sledgehammer, the PS3 manages to stay together pretty damn well.

I dunno, it kinda seems like the entertainment value on the "Smash my ______" series has sorta waned. Notice: Nobody in line appears to care.

While I'll admit being a little suprised to see this story pop up, it's very much in character with the gaming industry these days.

Charge

For

EVERYTHING!

So color me tired when PS3Fanboy.com makes the following discovery:

In an incredibly shocking move, Sony has decided to not include a USB cable with the retail SIXAXIS controllers. You need the damn cable to charge the controller's battery or it's useless.

To be fair, it's a standard usb-usb cable, so you don't HAVE to buy it from Sony, thank God for that.  With Sony's love of proprietary formats, I think we can see this as a real concession from them. You know that Ken is absoltuely beating himself over the head because the engineers wouldn't let him put an extra pin in.

Engineers: "Ken, you said it yourself -- the PS3 is a PC, the controllers use standard USB technology for charging. Why do you want to put an extra pin in the cable?"
Ken: "Because then I will OWN the cable! It will be MINE, and MINE ALONE! It's Brilliant, We'll make meeelyons!" with the USB+1 cable! Bahahahahahahaha
Engineers: "But we shipped the console yesterday...."

Hi folks, Cooper Hawkes here with an article from QJ.net which is just, well.. check it out:

Somebody at NeoGAF posted these images (we're not sure if the images came from there or from another site originally - for some reason the image in the monitor makes us think one of Future's sites - GamesRadar perhaps?)

The faceplate of the PS3 is removable, semitransparent or semisheer, like sexy black stockings, except there's no lace and it doesn't tear as easily...

Ok.. so.. you can take the SIDE of the PS3 off… and replace it with.. what? And that may be fine if you intend to have your PS3 standing vertical, and then twisted out so it takes up another 12.5 inches of horizontal space as well as the 10.7 inches of vertical.

Anyhoot, dunno exactly what the deal is with this. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Semper Fi!

And I thought Bully went into court for violence. Either this is a bug or a glitch, but whatever the case, it's just plain weird. It's one thing to have a gay room-mate. It's another to see two guys actually make out. (No flame sessions, please.) Especially two seemingly straight ones.

My room-mate alerted me to the GayGamer article that took the game to a different level. I later saw it on Joystiq and decided that this should be shared to the GA.com community.

Video after the jump.

Continue reading "The Gay Bully"

Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, has revealed several interesting tidbits about Resistance: Fall of Man, the PlayStation 3's flagship launch title, on his IGN blog. Here are some of the highlights:

- Disc size has moved from over 20 to just over 16 gb.
- The game will in fact not be in 1080p, but will be displayed at 720p instead.
- 200 people in a clan (sweet).
- Games will be hosted on Sony servers.
- The "buddy" list will be specific to Resistance.
- Friendly fire is disabled in ranked games. What!?

Bully.
 

  A Rockstar title that's come under attack since its very announcement from, among others, our favorite radical slobberologist & frivolous litigant, Lack Bompsun.   The central theme of Bully is.... Well, actually I don't know what it is. 

Supposedly it takes place in a school, swirlies can be given to kids, it got a T rating and if you punch girls the teachers are mean to you... Beyond that, we're all kinda just waiting for the game to drop on Tuesday.... The funny part is, this title that nobody really knew anything about drew fire from the happy-go-stupid election year crowd simply because of its name and a few vague screenshots. 

So here we are mere days before it launches in the US, and I gotta say i'm pleased as punch to be able to tell ya'll that Expert Yodeler Smack Lawson's latest legal manuever has been thrown out of court.

From Destructioid:

Now, if this were a "normal" legal preceding I'd be able to stop there.   Not so when balloon enthusiast Quack Thumpson is at the helm

Continue reading "The "Bully" Issue & a Stern Warning of Things to Come"

Best headline ever.  Thank God there's no limit on that box.  You can't make this stuff up, people. 

Don't mistake this for another funny bit of fake news like my last piece; Sony summoning demonic chipsets is fake news.  Jack Thompson is non-news.  The commonality therein is that they are both spasmodically hilarious. 

That's right, folks, I came back from a couple days 'away from keyboard,' as the kids call it, to find this shimmering nugget emerging from my inbox.  My day sparkled with joy from moment my eyes met the return address, and I was giddy as a little girl by the time I finished the last words.

Come, gentle reader, and enjoy it with me.


Dear George:

I read your rather bizarre letter in Electronic Gaming Monthly.  I guess you computer types don't think we lawyers can read.

Couple of things you got wrong, Ace:
1.  I never said you "were employed by Take-Two Interactive."  Never said it, never wrote it, because I never thought it.  You've got 15 days, under Florida law, to produce to me, by return email, the letter in which I said you "were employed by Take-Two" or I'll take legal action against you.  Check out Florida law on that, if you can read a statute book.

2.  You did not want a humane exchange.  You wanted to mock me.  That was what the flowers were for, and even Electronic Gaming Monthly figured it out.  How is it that you are the only one who "got it?"  The fact is, you thought this was some sort of joke.  Sorry, this issue is not a joke.  I've sat with families who are smaller in number because some gamer jerk like you became immersed in a very violent entertainment modality and it made an impact on him.

This stuff is not funny, George.  You don't get to define what my concerns are and belittle them with some stunt.

You've got 15 days.  Jack Thompson


Ooh!  Ad hominems!  I'll tell you, Jack, that stuff does still get a chuckle out of me, but it's really about time you retired your old material.  You can't keep banking laughs on nostalgia, no matter how classic it is.

So... I need to show you your own stupid press release, which I found thirteen seconds after I read this letter, and then send it back to you with a clutter of dictionary definitions, or else in fifteen days you'll crawl out of your well, through my television, and devour my soul? 

As soon as this stops being really funny, it'll start getting really old.  In fact, I think it's getting old already.  Go to the jump or the full article link to read my response.

Continue reading "Enraged Jack Thompson Writes Press Release, Forgets It, Sues Me Eight Months Later Over Letter in a Magazine From Five Weeks Ago That Refers To His Press Release From Eight Months Ago, Something About Florida Law, and the Precious Gift of Literacy"

So, last week the site "Level My 360" showed up - We all laughed it off and assumed that it was just a publicity stunt... After all, NOBODY is that shallow... Right?

WRONG!  

8bucks50 from The Forums pointed us in the direction of this listing on eBay

For SELL:

XBOX 360 HARD DISK DRIVE WITH ALL LIVE ARCADE INSIDE, GAMERTAG RANCE6 FIRST IN THE WORLD!!!!!

I am selling cause PS3 coming out.

MANYMANY SAVES INCLUDED IN HARD DRIVE (1GB MORE), 5000 HOURS SPENT ON THE GAMES.

TRY TO KEEP FIRST POSITION IN LEADERBOARD AND CONTINUE PLAY GAMES!

  Thats right, the current #1 gamertag on Xbox Live is for sale on eBay... Currently available for a low low price of 6,000 dollars!!!

So yeah.... If you're insanely shallow, go bid it up - I want to see that selling for at LEAST 10 grand!

Oh, and I should probably mention that he attained the #1 spot through not-entirely legitimate means

Ugh, I don't even have anything witty to say about this.

Today Burger King announced that in conjunction with Microsoft they will be offering three games for $3.99 with purchase of a value meal. These games will star the fast-food chain's mascot "The King" and will be released with what can only be described as the best video game names EVER!               
"Pocket Bike Racer"
"Big Bumpin' "
and "Sneak King".

I know, I know.

"FINALLY" (pretty much what you're all thinking)

You've all been waiting for it and after years and years of setbacks and delays, it's finally here.



discussion of this momentous announcement after the jump.

Continue reading "Your daily dose of...WTF???"

Sitting down, there is nothing but hushed conversations. The crowd moves quickly, efficiently, almost reverently to their seats. Like a family going to Sunday worship, they gather and talk mundane things, looking towards the curtain, eager for it to part.

Then, the orchestra enters, and takes their seats, a melodious wave of musical tunes softly whispers to the audience: “Almost time.”

Flutes whistle through scales, violins tune, then pluck, then soar with majestic reverberations. The crowd slowly seat themselves, the hushed conversations grow quieter by the minute, as the orchestra finishes clearing its collective throat, and the conductor walks in.

The lights dim, the crowd is silent, so silent that you can hear shoes making noise on a carpet, the conductor raises his baton, the curtains open, a voice booms:

Continue reading "The Flaming Sword # 16: Come hear the orchestra.."

Man, you wouldn't even believe how hardcore I have the "Viva Pinata" song stuck in my head right now. The cartoon series premiered this morning at 9:30am Pacific on Fox's saturday morning cartoons (Stylishly sandwiched between Yu-Gi-Oh and Yu-Gi-Oh Capsule Monsters) and I was there (With Girlfriend in tow) to catch the debut episode... 4 hours later, when we woke up and played it commercial free on Edie's ReplayTV.

Yeah.

So, I thought it was a blatantly patronizing insanely obvious attempt at capturing the minds and hearts of your average four year old boy. That said, I acknowledge that i'm not the market so today i'm bringing you an exclusive look into the mind of a person who really has a thing for crappy cartoons. What does she think? Who is it? And Why is Andy talking like this?????

This and more, after the jump

Continue reading "Chocolately Cannabalism 4Kids!"

Today, Friday August 25th, the Peaceaholics held a protest in front of the Take-Two Interactive building in downtown New York City.

The protest featured children standing behind police barricades shouting such phrases as "this game is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s." However, no amount of text can fully explain the phenomenon of the events that took place, although this video might help.

Brace yourself.



Big thanks to OSVG from the GA Forums for the find, and to The Software Pirate for the video.

I know that many of our listeners and readers are podcasters in some form or another. As you guys know, we've been making changes to GamerAndy Live! over the past few months, and as such I've been doing a bit of digging on how to make the show start generating some money without selling out to The Man. In doing this, I was sent a link to a Keith and the Girl show in which they read out loud the full 12-page contract that people sign to become a part of the Podshow.com network, Adam Curry's venture capital funded project for podcasters who want to make a living from their show without doing everything themselves.

After listening to This 30-minute long reading and discussion of the contract, I am absolutely FLOORED that people could even consider signing something like this. As an independent content producer, the most important thing I have is ownership. Podshow.com is absolutely DRACONIAN in its terms, in some ways even eclipsing the near slavery that corporate record companies sign musicians into (also worth a read if you want to know why Britney Spears is poor).

So if you're a podcaster or someone in need of another example of how corporate interests are trying to crush us little guys, make sure to take a listen right here.

Hawkes, this one's for you, buddy.

Check out more Andy midget love in our forums

Love ya, dude.

So I don't know about the rest of you, but i'm a big fan of cult shows that get canceled long before their time (Family Guy, Firefly, Greg the Bunny, The Tick, Andy Richter Controls the Universe... the list goes on) One of my all-time favorites though, is Futurama - An acquired taste some might say, but even my girlfriend who thinks Zoidberg is stupid can appreciate this lovable imagining of what the world would be like if it were more like a videogame. (yes, I'm aware this is from an old show, but there are many of you out there who havn't seen it.

Credit for this find actually goes to Tommy Tallarico of G.A.N.G

For everyone EXCEPT USA and Canada
That's right - it's ready for anyone to download... that isn't American or Canadian. Good way for MS to screw over two of their top three markets. Good thing it's easy to get around the regional lockout for XBL downloads.

Game ON! (If you're not in the US or Canada, that is.)
-Matt

Continue reading "Chromehounds Demo Now Available!"

Last Updated 12:04 AM Pacific Time - See Update 3 for conclusion
Well, I can't say I didn't see this coming, I had just hoped it would be farther into the lifecycle....

According to the official Xbox game page for the upcoming title Nintenty Nine Nights, this japanese import will require your XBox360 have a Hard Drive in order to play. We're currently waiting for comment from Microsoft on what could be the true beginning of a split install base and will update this post as news comes in.

On a personal note, I'm really hoping this is just some sort of screwup on xbox.com's part, but I have to wonder why they even have a "Hard Drive Required" info tab made up if this hasn't been planned for a while.
Update 1:
So it's looking more like this is some kind of screw-up, as the US product page (as opposed to the canadian) only shows "Storage Device". That said, Major Nelson emailed me last night that he was looking into it and i'm waiting for a response on that front... More info as it comes.

Update 2:
Just got another email from Major Nelson, he says lots of emails flying around trying to figure out what's going on - nobody seems to know anything, so expect more on that front soon. In other news, GamerAndy.com was the first site to break this story and theres a digg for it going around. However, theres a competing digg that links back to Joystiq (who got the story from us), so if you "digg" then support our digg and indie gaming news!

Update 3
According to Cesar over at GamerScoreBlog.com, it was a mix-up on the Xbox.com canada side. So false alarm: All ya'll who are rockin' the core can feel safe in the knowledge that you'll be able to kick some lots of random soldier ass with the rest of us
-Andy

This movie is a little bit old, but I stumbled across it again a few days ago and just *had* to share with you guys... I won't ruin the suprise, but lemme just say I *do* enjoy Warcraft III

Just when you thought that the general public was beginning to understand gaming, the United States' military-intelligence complex goes and does something stupid.

And you wonder how they missed Osama Bin Laden for so long...

A Dutch gamer makes a video of gameplay on Battlefield 2 and posts it to a website to get some feedback on his production techniques.

Joe Cool in some three-letter-acronym agency in the United States sees it... and flips his lid.

Next thing you know it's presented to a United States congressional committee as evidence of methods that Al Qaeda is using to recruit terrorists.

I kid you not... I couldn't make this stuff up!

Details after the jump...

Continue reading "American Military Intelligence Wrong AGAIN!"

UPDATE:
it seems as though the pictures given by gearlog were indeed made to lead people into believing the wrong thing. there is no proof that Sony wasn't using a Blu-Ray disc, though there was no concrete proof that they were, either. it still stands, however, that Sony was using a bootlegged copy of their own movie, and to that I give a big "whiskey tango foxtrot?!?!"

It seems as though Gearlog discovered that Sony can't even get its hands on its own BRDs lately, as they had to fake the Blu-Ray playback ability of their latest Vaio laptop - touted as being the first with built-in Blu-Ray player - by using a DVD+R of HD content from House of Flying Daggers instead of the actual BRD. It's fairly well known that the PS3 was pushed back because of this new technology having to be integrated, but this story leaves one to wonder if Sony can still make the holiday rush this year when they can't even get a BRD working in a laptop now. Things seem even more grim for Sony according to that picture, seeing as how Sony can't/doesn't even use their own blank media ;-D

-Matt

Hello Everybody!!
As I'm many of you already know my mouth had  a run in with a stick of dynamite today. Tonsills were all blewd up and when i woke up 22 hours ago I felt like a stranger in a strange land who needed a doctor and some serious pain meds...(read opiates).

Continue reading "geez.. who woulda thought it was going to be this rough?"

Oh goodness, I don't even know what to say... Nintendo has lost it.

Introducing... Wii.

As in "we."

While the code-name "Revolution" expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.

Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.

Wii will put people more in touch with their games ... and each other. But you're probably asking: What does the name mean?

Wii sounds like "we," which emphasizes this console is for everyone.

Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.

UPDATE:

After the jump is what I think the "Get a free [insert console here]" ads will look like for the Wii... As well as additional "Wii" information.

Continue reading "The Revolution Has Gone Wii!"

Hey all,
As some of you know, my Xbox360 is named Caspian. It's a long story.
Well, as I was browsing through Addicting Entertainment this morning, I saw his post about a new project that allows your xbox360 (assuming its hooked up to XBL silver at least) to have a personal blog.

I know, it sounds wierd. But really all it's doing is taking the RSS feed that your Gamertag provides anyhow and kinda gussies it up...

So i've registered, and in two days you'll be able to visit this site and see entries like this one I ripped from Major Nelsons Xbox's Blog...

Major Nelson's Xbox - 04/18/06

Good thing I have access to Major Nelson's entire MP3 collection streamed off his computer. It keeps me busy on days like yesterday when he never shows up to game.
Major Nelson's Xbox - 04/17/06

I told Major Nelson 'Don't make me hurt you!' and the threat worked. He showed up yesterday with a gamer score of 3392 in his back pocket. That is a gain of 20 points over last time! He played Battlefield 2: MC gaining 1 achievement, Bankshot Billiards 2, and laughed with joy and glee the whole time. I like making people happy.

Not exactly something you need but since its cheap-as-free and easy-to-sign-up, why not check it out?

Morning Folks,
Welcome to what I like to call "omfg 101".... It's monday morning, and that 800 pound gorilla just sat right down on your desk to have a talk about you coming in saturday (a la Office Space). Now, I realize I'm not making too much sense now so instead of blabbering on, i'm just gonna do some mad quoting

In a bid to capture the huge audience for handheld entertainment gadgets, Microsoft is designing a product that combines video games, music and video in one handheld device, according to sources familiar with the project.

Yep folks, you heard it right. During his research for his upcoming book about the making of the Xbox360, Dean Takahashi has gotten MS to officially confirm that the fabled Xboy is "coming soon"

...Some other quotes

The handheld project is still in its early stages. Microsoft is still figuring out which strategy to pursue in music technology, according to sources familiar with the matter. The code name for its music service, which would be the equivalent of Apple's iTunes, is "Alexandria.''

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Lot to think about....

Discuss!
-Andy

So, I've been thinking alot about politics for the past week or so. Why does our little hobby attract so much negative attention? Why do the politicians always seem to not actually talk about the whole story? How the hell can ANYONE take a certain miami lawyer seriously any more?

And I just keep coming back to "The Look Busy Effect". I've seen it in local politics all my life - An election coming up? Quick! Propose something outrageous and claim it "Supports the voters"... Don't worry that it'll never make it into the law books, whats important is that you appear to be doing something to help your constituents. That being said, the Miami Herald ran a story yesterday about the upcoming Rockstar game "Bully" and more importantly, a bill being pushed by local schoolboard members to fight it prior to knowing anything about it...

From the article:

"This game is built entirely around bullies and is staged in a school -- it's the antithesis of everything we're trying to promote,'' said School Board member Frank Bolaños, who introduced a resolution urging Rockstar not to release Bully, asking local merchants not to sell it and asking parents not to buy it.

A board committee unanimously approved his resolution Thursday, and the full board is expected to vote Wednesday. If it's approved, Miami-Dade's would be the first major school system in the country to take sides against Bully, according to Jack Thompson, a Coral Gables attorney.
Source

Brief commentary after the jump

Continue reading "Get 'er done!"

Hi everyone! Zak, here, with a small update. Rememeber the report about the 50 percent tax increase on violent video games in the state of Texas (actually it was 100%)? Well, good (late) news.

More after the jump!

Continue reading "Well not everything is big in Texas."

...Or charisma?

So, this morning in Oregon there was a school shooting.

Roughly four hours later, Jack Thompson released the following statement

Immediate News Release -- February 23, 2006

Another Homicide Linked, by a Prosector/District Attorney (!) to Violent Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Video Game. Wrongful Death Action Against Game Companies Expected to Be Filed Soon.

Miami attorney Jack Thompson, who appeared last year twice on CBS' 60 Minutes to explain a wrongful death action filed by him on behalf of the families of two Alabama policemen and a dispatcher killed by an obsessive teen player of the cop-killing video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, has today been asked to bring another similar action against Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., the maker of the murder simulation game.

The call to Thompson came from a prosecutor who believes the role of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City game in the killing is a slam dunk. The prosecutor has the video game materials, which will be turned over to Thompson, and they all point to the crucial and clear role of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in the killing.

Thompson has been asked by this prosecutor to work with a top-notch plaintiffs' personal injury in another state in order to secure compensation for the surviving family members. Thompson has agreed.

Look for more wrongful death suits like this to be filed, as Take-Two's pigeons are all now coming home to roost. Thompson has repeatedly warned Take-Two that such copycat murders were occurring and that more would occur. Thompson has retained copies of those warning letters, all of which were sent prior to the above-noted killing.

Contact Jack Thompson for more information at [phone number removed].

PS: A word of warning to Take-Two's lawyers and lobbyists, Blank Rome of Philadelphia: Get your fees up front.

At this point you're saying to yourself "Yeah, so what else is new, Jack Thompson is on this school shooting, press release in hand before the gunsmoke has even gone"

Well, what's new and different about this one, is that The kid who got shot is not dead

Wacky Jacky has announced his intentions to file a wrongful death suit when the kid isn't even dead yet... How messed up is that? Considering what a Good Christian he is, you'd think he'd have a little more compassion...

From the article over at OregonLive.com

The victim was listed in serious but stable condition in the intensive care of Mercy Medical Center after three and a half hours of surgery.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Nickel said surgeons told her Monti was shot from behind and hit twice in the abdomen, once in the chest, and a bullet grazed his left elbow.

Full article (need to register)

Anybody else as pissed off as I am about this one?

Well folks, just when you think it can't get any wierder, NIMF (National Institute on Media and the Family) is issuing a "Nationwide Parental Alert".

UPDATE: GA has secured an exclusive 3 minute sound clip from the NIMF press conference!
Listen Here!

Hawkes, Quick! Warm up the bat-signal!

All kidding aside though, the parental alert has to do with a promotional online game for the movie Running Scared where if you get past their security measures (Have to type in all your information and it checks it against DMV records to see if you're of legal age via your drivers license), then at level two of this admittedly pretty crappy flash game you get to play a mini game that involves satisfying your wife before the kids get home. Quite the cunning linguist, arn't I?

From the Gamepolitics Article

The only other time NIMF has taken such a step was in response to last year's Hot Coffee revelations. Today's NIMF release reads in part:

"The National Institute on Media and the Family wants to warn parents of graphic sexual content found in online in a new video game designed to promote the new movie Running Scared.

Running Scared, a movie to be released Friday, February 24, 2006 by New Line Cinema, is promoting this R rated movie with an online video game that allows anyone who poses as a 17-year old to simulate oral sex in Level 2 of the game."

Commentary after the jump

Continue reading "NIMF Alert: INTERNET MAY CONTAIN PORN!"

Found this interesting yet disturbing story at 1up.com. Which has really boiled my blood a little...

Continue reading "50% Tax On Games in Texas?"

Tim from The Widget dropped me a note about this story, and boy it's a doozy I'm addicted to WoW at the moment and he says it really pretty much better than I could so I'm doing the obvious and quoting him, then Link From the Article....

Ok, I think this ‘blaming games for the worlds ills’ problem is getting out of hand. In Toronto (that’s Canada for you non-international knowing types), two teens were racing their Mercedes (ye