VGN for February 10th, 2006

Friday, 10 February 2006

VGN for February 10th, 2006

Video Game News:

By MATT SLAGLE, AP Technology Writer Thu Feb 9, 12:52 PM ET

Nintendo Co. announced new wireless features for its DS portable video game player Thursday, including a free service that will let consumers beam game demos and other content directly to the device.

Beginning in late March, the company plans to deploy electronic kiosks at thousands of U.S. retailers including Best Buy Co. Inc. and GameStop Corp.

Owners of the dual-screen DS who go near the kiosks will automatically receive a notice on their devices offering game demos, movie trailers and other content for temporary download. The information will be erased from the DS once it's turned off.

The service uses the DS's local-area wireless networking capabilities, which until now had been used just to facilitate head-to-head play by gamers near each other.

Nintendo also said it was adding voice chat to the sci-fi action game "Metroid Prime: Hunters," available March 20. Players who join up for multiplayer battles over Nintendo's wireless Internet service will be able to talk to each other through the system's built-in microphone before and after games, but not during, said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America Inc.'s executive vice president of sales and marketing.

Good old Jack talks shop with Bono from U2...

Excerpts:

"Allow me to provide some of the reasons why I make this fervent suggestion:

1. I appeared on CBS' 60 Minutes twice last year on behalf of two Alabama police officers and a dispatcher killed by a teen who trained on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to kill them. We are now proceeding toward trial in our wrongful death action on their families' behalf, buoyed by three affidavits sworn to by experts who have testified before the US Congress as to this copycatting phenomenon that the American Psychological Association in August 2005 says is now irrefutably proven."

The SAME APA that used to say that high concentrations of Lithium were safe?
Who swore by Ritalin, and Serzone, both of which has also been linked to death/murder/suicide? Not statistically significant? Hi there, your point wants it's representation fee back. The APA is an admitted ever changing body of discussion, not an authority of absolutes, and you know that. Stop exploiting name recognition for evidence.

The same APA that has allowed regular doctors not versed in psychology to prescribe psychological medication as "maintenance" drugs? Medicate first, ask questions last and never EVER discuss the real problems. Instead, when they snap, blame it on video games. Nice.

"Indeed, the most recent such incident tying Take-Two to murder was found in the 18-year-old Jacob Robida who went from carving up homosexuals in a "gay bar" in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to a "sucide by cop" shoot-out in Gassville, Texas. Three lay dead. Robida was an obsessive gamer, whose games included, according to detectives in Massachusetts, the Grand Theft Auto games whose scenarios he replicated precisely."

Anyone remember doing this in any GTA? You're not blaming ICP for the hatchet, are you? Myspace for perpetuating the communication between this killer and those who supposedly egged him on, are you? The lyrics in a typical ICP song which has its "jugallos" "reppin tha hatchet" or a host of other things, just video games. You're blaming this on video games? Funny, I'm a stalwart gamer and seeing this ON THE NEWS made me sick. What about that news, eh? Oh, the kids should be in bed? PARENTS SHOULD WATCH WHAT THEIR CHILDREN PLAY.

"3. Sony and Take-Two designed the GTA: Vice City game to utilize the PS2's Dual Shock controller, which sends a visceral jolt back into the hands of the player each time he kills. Thus, the entire system is a biofeedback, operant conditioning system which desensitizes the user to the act of killing. Skinner would be proud. It is right out of his playbook."

Skinner wasn't a football coach, and you're not a psychologist. Many games take advantage of the interactive feedback available in the Dual Shock. Working backwards from the premise that "GTA is a killer simulator" is exactly how you arrived at this conclusion. Anything can be substantiated that way, the burden of proof that it was intentional is up to you. Sadly, you failed.

Just go read the rest of it. As always, he has a few points that seem correct and even reasonable. Then he goes off the deep end with his theories. Wow.

Tonight at 6 pm, on the Jody and Scott show, Vanilla Rice dances DDR for 4 hours!!

Tune in tonight at 6pm as Jody and Scott finally make Vanilla Rice come through with his promise of getting on the dance pad for a four hour round of the bemani game from Konami, Dance Dance Revolution!!

Halo 2 for PC...

Microsoft confirms that the Master Chief sequel will be coming to PCs - but only on Windows Vista...
Posted: 17:24 on 09 Feb 2006
By: Jon Wilcox

Microsoft has today announced that Halo 2 will be released for PC following a joint development between Bungie and a 'dedicated' team at Microsoft Game Studios. But before all you PC gamers make a date in your diaries (a figure of speech, since an actual release date is yet to be confirmed), be forewarned: Halo 2 will only be available on machines running the long-awaited and long-overdue Operating System, Windows Vista.

Featuring the single-player campaign and multiplayer maps of the Xbox version (so this will be the so-called Halo 1.5 released at the end of 2004), Halo 2 for Windows Vista will also include the nine-maps from the Multiplayer Map Pack, and will give players the opportunity to create and customise their own multiplayer maps.

What I've Been Playing:

Nothing but WORK!!!!

Anime News:

Con Corner:

Mega-Con!!!

Next Show:
February 24th - 26th, 2006 In Orlando, Florida

Show Hours
Friday 1pm - 7pm (advance ticket purchasers get in at 12pm)
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

AOLIM: VGNOROCK

For Scott: Hot chicks of Cosplay.

Check this out...

Some wear less than others...

This scares even me...