Gary's Blog

Just a place to find out what's on my mind, or what's occupying my time whilst I avoid actual "work."

 

VGN for July 28th, 2005

Video Game news:

Blind Teen PWNS you.

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 27,10:01 PM ET
 

LINCOLN, Neb. - Brice Mellen is a whiz at video games such as "Mortal Kombat." In that regard, the 17-year-old isn't much different from so many others his age. Except for one thing: He's blind.

And as he easily dispatched foes who took him on recently at a Lincoln gaming center, the affable and smiling Mellen remained humble.

"I can't say that I'm a superpro," he said, working the controller like an extension of his body. "I can be beat."

Those bold enough to challenge him weren't so lucky. One by one, while playing "Soul Caliber 2," their video characters were decapitated, eviscerated and gutted without mercy by Mellen's on-screen alter ego.

"I'm getting bored," Mellen said in jest as he won game after game.

Blind since birth when his optic nerve didn't connect because of Leber's disease, Mellen honed his video game skills over the years through patient and not-so-patient playing, memorizing key joystick operations and moves in certain games, asking lots of questions and paying particular attention to audio cues. He worked his way up from games such as "Space Invaders" and "Asteroid," onto the modern combat games.

WWE tackles UMD

By Thomas K. Arnold
Thu Jul 28, 5:56 PM ET
 

LAS VEGAS (Hollywood Reporter) - World Wrestling Entertainment is the latest DVD supplier to throw its support behind the Universal Media Disc, the proprietary technology that works on Sony's handheld PlayStation Portable.

 
WWE will release three UMD titles Sept. 27, "Hard Knocks: The Christ Benoit Story," "The Monday Night War" and "The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior."

The titles also will be released on UMD in the U.K. through WWE's European licensee, Clearvision. More UMD titles will be announced in the future.

 

Microsoft release update from Tokyo Games Show

Posted: 13:08 on 25 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox

List of Xbox 360 games currently in development released...

A list of titles currently in development for Xbox 360 has today been revealed at the Xbox Summit 2005. Whilst there are some publishers not listed below, it’s worth pointing out that some are yet to disclose the games currently have on their books. With the Xbox Summit 2005 obviously focusing on Japanese oriented titles, don’t expect some of the more obscure games to make over here. So far the list is as follows:

 

Activision - Call of Duty 2, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Gun, Quake 4

Artdink - A-Train

Arc System Works - Taisen Kata Action

Atari - Test Drive Unlimited

Bandai - Mobile Suit Gundam
Banpresto - Super Robot War

Capcom - Dead Rising, Resident Evil 5

D3 - Earth Defence Force, The Oane-Chapara X

EA - FIFA 2006, Need For Speed Most Wanted, NBA Live 06

From Software - -eNCHANT arM-

Genki - Tokyo Highway Battle

Hudson - Tengai Makyou: Ziria

Koei - Dynasty Warriors 5 Special

Konami - Winning Eleven, Rumble Roses XX, Pro Yakyu Spirits

Microsoft Game Studios- Every Party, Ninety-Nine Nights, Project Gotham Racing 3

Namco - Ridge Racer 6, Frame City, New RPG, Love Football

Sega - Chrome Hounds

SNK Playmore - King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2

Square-Enix - Final Fantasy XI

Success - Operation Darkness, Zookeeper

Taito - World Air Force

Tecmo - Dead or Alive 4, DOA Xtreme 2, Project Progressive, Dead or Alive Code Cronus

THQ - Saints Row, The Outfit

Tomy - Zoids

Ubisoft - Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Yukes - Wrestle Kingdom

Handhelds fuel sales.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retail sales of U.S. video games hardware, software and accessories rose 21 percent in the first six months of the year, as the popularity of handheld devices offset a decline in aging game consoles, a study said.

 
The video games industry, which has been rocked this month by concerns over sexual content in one of its most popular titles -- Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," saw sales rise to over $4.1 billion in the period, from $3.4 billion in 2004, research firm NPD Group said in a report. Overall unit sales rose 11 percent.

What I've been playing:

Psychonauts--Thanks Cybertron!!

Battlefield 2

Anime:

Anime Festival Orlando!!!

posted by: Gary1059 at 07:15 | link | comments |

VGN for July 22nd, 2005

Video game news:
Uh-Oh.

Posted: 11:31 on 21 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox


Hot Coffee prompts US ratings board to re-rate GTA: San Andreas to `AO`...


Following the recent debates in the US about the so-called Hot Coffee modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which has seen several parties including Democrat Senator for New York Hillary Clinton express their opinion on the subject, the US ratings board ESRB has removed the game’s ‘M’ for Mature rating and re-rated it ‘AO’ for Adults Only 18+.

The fallout from the saga has meant that Take-Two Interactive (parent company of GTA publisher Rockstar) has amended it’s financial forecasts for both Q3 and end of year. The expected results for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending July 31st 2005 has been reduced from $170 million to $160 million, with the end of year results on October 31st 2005 reduced from $1.31 to $1.26 billion.




2 Mil!

Posted: 10:37 on 21 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox


Microsoft announces that the online gaming service has smashed through another milestone...


Here’s a statistic for all you number fans – somewhere in the world a new member is added to Xbox Live every 30 seconds. Whilst that is an impressive stat in itself, Microsoft has also confirmed that the number of subscribers to the online service has now broken through the 2 million mark – and steadily growing.

“Reaching the two million member milestone in such a short time speaks volumes about the depth and vibrancy of the Xbox Live community,” said Robbie Bach, Senior Vice President of the Home and Entertainment Division and Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft. “This enormous growth is a true testament to the compelling content and engaging experiences enabled through Xbox Live today. The service is inspired by the creative power of the individual and fuelled by the passion of a worldwide community.”

Come play a game with me.  Gamertag:  vrykolaka



PSP surfs Officially

By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer
Thu Jul 21, 9:45 PM ET
 
TOKYO - Sony officials Thursday said the company will release a software upgrade that will let the PlayStation Portable video game system surf the Web without a cumbersome software trick.

The free software patch will be available next week in Japan, said Ken Kutaragi, chief executive of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).'s game unit.

The PSP comes with a built-in antenna for wireless Internet access, but the only way to use it for surfing the Web has been to modify a limited browsing feature in the racing game "Wipeout Pure."

Sony also said it will launch a white version of the PSP, which is otherwise black. The white version will be sold in Japan only




Resident Evil 5
Capcom's flagship horror survival series will infect both Microsoft and Sony's next-generation consoles.
Since January, GameCube owners have been the only American gamers able to enjoy Resident Evil 4. But while the best-selling, critically lionized title will arrive on US PlayStation 2s in the fall, it looked like Xbox owners would never be able to help Leon S. Kennedy slay the series' signature undead hordes.

However, today Capcom announced that Resident Evil 5 is coming to Microsoft's next-generation console, the Xbox 360, as well as Sony's PlayStation 3. The announcement came in the form of a press release on the English-language section of the Investor Relations part of Capcom's Japanese corporate Web site.

The news came as only a small surprise, as Capcom executives had declared their admiration for both Sony's and Microsoft's next-gen consoles when they were unveiled in mid-May. "Utilizing the PlayStation 3['s] and Xbox 360['s] unprecedented power, Resident Evil 5 promises to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism, and control," read the release.



Destroy all Movies!!
Thu Jul 21, 9:52 PM ET
 


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Video game maker THQ Inc. said on Thursday it has hired United Talent Agency Inc. to spearhead its effort to make a movie based on its recently released "Destroy All Humans!" title.


In the game, which is rated "T" (Teen 13+), players take on the role of aliens sent to Earth to control humans and harvest their brain stems before destroying them.


What I've been playing:

Psychonauts!--Thanks Cybertron!!

Dark Watch demo

Anime news:

AFO 6!!

Convention Corner:

Dragon*Con!  Tales from Dragon*Con:  Escalator woes.

posted by: Gary1059 at 01:22 | link | comments |

VGN for July 15th, 2005

Videogame news:

Sen. Clinton seeks 'Grand Theft' sex scene probe

By Peter Kaplan
Thu Jul 14, 4:06 PM ET
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen.     Hillary Clinton pressed on Thursday for a government investigation into how simulated sex cropped up in a modified version of the blockbuster criminal adventure video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Clinton asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the origins of a downloadable modification that allows simulated sex in the personal computer version of one of the most popular and controversial video games in history.

"We should all be deeply disturbed that a game which now permits the simulation of lewd sexual acts in an interactive format with highly realistic graphics has fallen into the hands of young people across the country," Clinton wrote in a letter to the head of the Federal Trade Commission.

Saying the problem of explicit video games was "spiraling out of control," Clinton also said she was introducing legislation that would crack down on the sale of violent and sex-laden games to minors.

The legislation would impose a $5,000 penalty on retailers who sell adult-rated video games to underage children.

Clinton asked the FTC to look into whether Grand Theft Auto's rating of "M" (Mature 17+) should be changed to the rare "AO" (Adult Only), which would threaten to crimp sales at large retail outlets.

She requested the agency to study whether retailers' enforcement policies were adequate to keep adult-rated video games out of the hands of minors.

An FTC spokeswoman said the agency had received Clinton's letter and was reviewing it.

Video games have therapeutic potential -expert

LONDON (Reuters) - Parents take note -- video games are not all bad.
 
In young children and adolescents they can lead to excessive use and aggressive behavior but a leading expert said on Friday that the games ease pain, distract patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and help to develop dexterity.

"The degree of attention needed to play such a game can distract the player from the sensation of pain," Professor Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham University in England, said in an editorial in the British Medical Journal.

In patients with arm injuries, the games have been used to increase strength and dexterity while children with learning disabilities have played them to develop spatial ability.

"Therapeutic benefits have also been reported for a variety of adult populations including wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries, people with severe burns and people with muscular dystrophy," according to Griffiths.

Although the reported negative effects, which include wrist pain, hallucinations and repetitive strain injuries, have been widely reported, Griffiths said they tend to be temporary and could be caused by other factors.

MICROSOFT/MARVEL XBOX 360 DEAL

Posted: 13:28 on 14 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox

MMO based in the Marvel universe set to appear exclusively on Xbox 360...

In an article reported by global news agency Reuters, Microsoft and Marvel have signed an exclusive deal to bring an MMO based in the Marvel Universe to Xbox 360. Set for release in 2008. No gameplay details have been announced and the terms of the deal have not been disclosed by either party.

Speaking to Reuters, Tim Rothwell, Worldwide President of the Consumer Media Group at Marvel Enterprises said, "This is our one and only," referring to the MMO deal.

"Online gaming is reaching a point of acceptance. We will use as many of the Marvel characters as we can" in the MMO game, said Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing Xbox.

The news comes just days after Microsoft Games Studio, Ensemble Studios, launched a recruitment drive for people to join the development of an untitled MMO title, but whether that game is the Marvel MMO will of course have to be seen.

We’ll have more on the development of the Marvel MMO in the future…

What'll happen then?
Playstation Meeting 2005 – July 21st

Xbox Summit 2005 – July 25th

MS promised a surprise after Sony's annual meeting.  What will it be?  What info will come out of the Playstation Meeting 2005?  Will Nintendo announce more info to counter?  Listen to VGN in the next few weeks to find out!

What I've been playing:

Dark Watch Demo

Pirates!

Psychonauts--thanks Cybertron!!

Anime:

Anime Festival Orlando 6!

Anime Explosion--Naruto movie. 

MXC taping this weekend!

Con Corner:

Tales of Dragon*Con!!  The Ted Raimi story this week!

 

I'll have to re-host the pics, the old site's down.

posted by: Gary1059 at 08:01 | link | comments |

VGN for July 8th, 2005

Video game news:

Indication of game prices next Gen?

Posted: 16:49 on 07 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox
Latest release dates from Atari indicate a third increase in the price for Xbox 360 titles...
In their latest release schedule, Atari has indicated that the Recommended Retail Price for the forthcoming Xbox 360 title Test Drive Unlimited will be 59.99 Euros (£41), around the increasingly normal price of game of around £30. Although Atari’s price structure cannot be taken as generic for other publishers, the RRP does fall into the price range speculated in past months.

Xbox Modder goes away

Posted: 10:55 on 05 Jul 2005
By: Jon Wilcox

Cambridge graduate given Community Service Order after supplying chipped Xbox consoles...

In the first conviction of its kind in the UK, a 22-year old Cambridge graduate has been sentenced to 140 hours of Community Service by Caerphilly Magistrates Court in Wales after being found guilty illegally modifying Xbox consoles.

Fitting the machines with 200GB hard-drives filled with 80 pre-installed games, the offender would charge £380 for each modified console, whereas the estimated retail cost for the unmodified console and games would be an approximate £3000. Discovered by an internet investigator from ELSPA in October 2004 who then informed Caerphilly County Borough Council Trading Standards and Gwent Constabulary, the offender has also been ordered to pay costs of £750 and the forfeiture of all equipment seized including three tower PCs, two printers, three Xbox consoles and 38 hard-drives.

Hackers arrested in FBI bust
By Shannon McCaffrey, Knight Ridder
Tue Jul 5,11:01 AM ET
 
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department seized hundreds of computers and arrested four people in an international crackdown on Internet pirates illegally distributing copyrighted video games, software and first-run movies, such as the latest episode of ``Star Wars.''

Agents executed 90 search warrants in the United States and 10 other countries as part of Operation Site Down. The raids, which began Wednesday, shut down at least eight major online distributors and seized pirated works worth more than $50 million, authorities said.

Sony battles PSP hackers
By Lisa Baertlein
Tue Jul 5, 8:28 PM ET
 
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hackers have cracked piracy protections on Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).'s PlayStation Portable in the United States, the latest chapter in the company's battle to block unauthorized game use on its new hand-held device.

The world's top maker of video game consoles rolled out a downloadable fix for the software flaw that opened the door for the latest attack by hackers, who quickly cracked the original version of the PSP shortly after its release in Japan late last year.

In their latest move, hackers have enabled PSP users to download some games from pirate Web sites onto removable memory sticks and then to insert the games to run on the PSP.

Video games, good for students?

By CATHERINE SHAROKY
WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- Teachers in a Redmond, Ore., school have found by using video games in their classrooms, not only do students enjoy exercise more, they also produce better schoolwork and developed stronger interpersonal skills.

The vehicle for the improvements is a pilot program sponsored by the music-video game company RedOctane in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The five-month trial at Vern Patrick Elementary School is allotting time each day for third- and fourth-grade students to play "In The Groove," a Playstation 2 music-video game that involves stepping on a floor mat attached to a game console and following patterns of arrows shown on a TV screen. The arrows direct players to step in a certain direction and, as the arrows change position faster, the players must remember the patterns and begin to dance.

What I've been playing:

MechAssault on Xbox Live

Halo 2 on Xbox Live--Thanks Cybertron!!

Anime and Conventions:

Anime Festival Orlando 6  E-mail me for info on this year's MXC at AFO!  gary@orock1059.com

Dragon*Con

 

posted by: Gary1059 at 07:43 | link | comments |

VGN for July 1st, 2005

VGN

FBI and Piracy

FBI announces piracy crackdown

Operation Site Down scrambles agents worldwide; warez operators in San Francisco, Charlotte, and Chicago are busted in US.
On Thursday, the FBI announced that authorities in 11 countries struck back at purveyors of illegally obtained copyrighted software, movies, music, and games. In the US, agents in California, North Carolina, and Illinois made a total of four arrests, which they called "the culmination" of an ongoing undercover operation code-named "Site Down."

Investigators said they concentrated on individuals that were the "first providers" of copyrighted works to the "warez" underground. According to a search warrant unsealed in San Francisco on Wednesday, the FBI agents posed as "warez hardware geeks" to gain entry to piracy groups. The warrant's details were outlined in an affidavit obtained by the San Jose Mercury News.

Revolution to follow PS3?

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that the Revolution's release might fall behind its competitors.
TOKYO--During Nintendo's shareholders meeting on Wednesday, company president Satoru Iwata disclosed that the Revolution's launch might fall behind that of its rivals.

During a question-and-answer session, stockholders asked Iwata if there was any danger that Nintendo would lag behind Microsoft and Sony in entering the next-generation console war. He gave the following cryptic response: "There is no possibility that the Revolution's launch will fall behind by too much, but there might be some small changes [in its release schedule]."

Until today, Nintendo has said only that the Revolution will be released in 2006 in North America, without specifying any date. Iwata's comments indicate that the console could appear after the launch of Sony's PlayStation 3, which is currently slated for a spring 2006 launch in the US. Microsoft's Xbox 360 will arrive on store shelves during the 2005 holiday season worldwide.

Major Xbox 360 uber-surprizes soon?

Posted: 12:45 on 30 Jun 2005
By: Chris Leyton

Famitsu spreads word that Microsoft will shortly announce a slew of Japanese third-party surprises...

A recent article in Famitsu has suggested that Microsoft will be unveiling some “major surprises” for the Xbox 360 from Japanese third-parties at an event scheduled in July. Having already confirmed strong support in the region from the likes of Myst Walker and Q Entertainment, Microsoft will want to keep momentum as it gears up to make amends for the “no-show” debacle surrounding the current generation Xbox in the territory

Madden shown in New York

NFL stars on hand as sports publisher shows off near-final version of its flagship title; says development is complete.

NEW YORK--The ESPNZone in New York is usually known as being a hub of real-world sports, where fans from all over the Big Apple converge, watch their favorite teams, and down a few cold beverages. Tonight, however, the bar and restaurant was strictly devoted to sports of the virtual kind, as EA Sports unveiled the highly anticipated Madden NFL 06. Along for the ride were a bevy of current NFL greats, such as Daunte Culpepper, Tony Gonzalez, Byron Leftwich, Michael Strahan, and Madden 06 cover star Donovan McNabb, on hand to see the public unveiling of a game in which they all appear.

Sony Set to Absorb Losses

Posted: 15:13 on 29 Jun 2005
By: Chris Leyton
Financial report suggests the sheer manufacturing costs of the Playstation3...

The costs associated with the production of the Playstation3 were today dramatically revealed by way of a report in the Toyo Keizai magazine, citing research undertaken by leading financial management and consultant firm, Merrill Lynch.

The report suggests that the manufacturing costs of the PS3 could be as high as 54,000 yen (£271) at the time of launch, which would result in an 11,000 yen (£55) loss per unit sold if SCEI intends to release the next-gen format for the alleged launch price of 44,800 yen (£225). The article goes on to suggest that the core components of the PS3 (CELL, RSX, Blu-ray) could cost close to 11,000 yen (£55) each.

Of more concern for Sony is Merrill Lynch’s belief that the Japanese giant will find it hard to absorb the losses during the first year of sale, suggesting that these could rise to 130 billion yen (£652 million) with a further 80 billion yen (£402 million) loss following a year later. Approximate calculations from a loss of £1 billion across the first two years of sale, suggests that SCEI will be looking to shift 20 million PS3 units during this period.

What I've been playing:

Morrowind GotY--thanks Cybertron! 

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe

Anime:

Howl's Moving Castle cleans house

Anime Festival Orlando!!!

Dragon*Con

posted by: Gary1059 at 07:34 | link | comments |