Category: Videogames

GameCrush is Live: Pay Girls to Play With You Now!!!

Way back in March I wrote about GameCrush, an online service that lets male gamers pay for the privilege of playing games with women. The latest version of the service is live and…interesting. Here’s a clip from the official blog:

Want to take your game to the next level? Enter a private, video-enabled game session and you can find a PlayDate to play practically ANY multiplayer console game out there. You can play open-ended games, co-op games, and, of course, competitive games, too. Want to kick back with something more casual? GameCrush also offers web-based games at the click of a button. Private game sessions start at $.60 per minute with discounts for buying more credits at one time. Remember, buying a game session is an optional activity and not required to be part of the GameCrush community. And we only charge for the credits you buy, with no hidden costs and no recurring fees.

Have you seen any interesting pictures or profiles on the site? Any of you going to take the plunge and go on a Gamecrush date? Don’t all raise your hands at once. (I can’t actually see your hands, fyi.)

Source

Who Dat? The ESRB Teams Up with the New Orleans Saints

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has teamed up with New Orleans Saints players Marques Colston and Devery Henderson on an ad campaign that educates parents about videogame ratings. Here are some quotes by Colston and Henderson from the press release. Colston said:

I play a ton of video games, and while most of them are OK for kids, some of them are clearly intended for older players. They say the best defense is a good offense, and I know about good offense. A parent’s best defense against bringing home the wrong game for their child is to go on offense and use the ratings every time they buy or rent a game. You’re always better off when you know the play.

Henderson added:

Being a father, I know how important it is for parents to have all the help they can get. The ESRB ratings give us the guidance and information that we need to make sure our kids are playing age-appropriate games. Marques and I are proud to be a part of this effort to educate parents throughout Louisiana and across the country.

You can watch the video on the ESRB’s media library. It’s listed under “statewide and local TV”. (Now imagine how many people could see these spots if the ESRB allowed embedding.)

I know at least one RPadholic will be proud of his players for teaming up with the ESRB. Yeah, I pretty much posted this article for him.

Source (PDF link)

ATVI vs. EA: Does Trash Talking Embarrass the Videogame Biz?

I don’t know about you, but I’m thoroughly entertained by the executive trash talking between Activision and Electronic Arts. Veteran game journalist Chris Morris — former CNN.com editor and current Gamasutra editor-at-large — feels that it’s bad for the gaming business, recently posting an article called “Opinion: Why Activision & EA’s Feud Embarrasses The Game Industry“. Really?!?

Apple and Google have been exchanging barbs for the last year or so. Did that embarrass the tech industry? Former Nokia exec Anssi Vanjoki equated handset makers using Google Android to a kid peeing in his pants to get temporary relief from frigid weather (I love the Finnish sense of humor, btw). Did that embarrass the mobile phone business? In both cases, I don’t think any rational person would think less of either industry and the trash talking got some attention from people that normally don’t care about either field. I believe the children are our future that EA Jeff Brown blasting ATVI Bobby Kotick had the same effect.

That’s just my opinion. What’s yours? Do you think executive trash talking is bad for the business? Do you think it’s good for it? Or are the words just meaningless?

[Confession: I was originally going to call this article “Opinion: Chris Morris is a Pussy”. That would have been way funnier, but some people would have interpreted it as disrespect. I honestly respect Morris’ opinion. I just disagree with his recent editorial. Besides, this is really about ATVI vs. EA.]

Sony Adds to PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits $29.99 Library

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced several additions to its “Greatest Hits” library for PlayStation 3. The following titles will be available in a Greatest Hits box for an MSRP of $29.99:

I’m thrilled that Demon’s Souls is on the list. It gives me warm fuzzies to see an obscure game from a small publisher do well. Go Atlus!

Also, a lot of these games cost less than $29.99 on Amazon. I’m just sayin’.

Any of you going to pick up the latest entries into the venerable Greatest Hits lineup?

NBA Elite 11 Delayed, NBA Jam Standalone Coming in 2010

That bad news is that NBA Elite 11 has been delayed. The good news is that NBA Jam for PS3 and Xbox 360 will be available as standalone products. EA Sports president Peter Moore recently blogged:

NBA Jam will launch on the Wii, as scheduled, on October 5. NBA Jam won recognition this summer as the best sports game at E3 and it’s a blast to play. In addition to the Wii version, we’re going to ship NBA Jam as a standalone product on the Xbox360 and PS3 in time for the holidays. Watch for more news soon on the exact timing of that release.

A lot of my friends are thrilled by this development. They love the arcade-sports style of NBA Jam and don’t give a crap about sports simulation games. I think this is great news too; originally I was going to settle on the Wii version — here’s my NBA Jam E3 2010 preview for Shacknews — but getting the PS3 or Xbox 360 version would be lots of fun to play with you guys online (I hope it supports online play!).

What do you think of the NBA Elite delay and NBA Jam being untethered?

Source

EA Vice President Rips Activision CEO Bobby Kotick

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently took a jab at rival Electronic Arts, accusing the company of killing the unique cultures of the development studios it acquires. EA has responded with some awesomely catty comments. VP of corporate communications Jeff Brown told Gamasutra:

Kotick’s relationship with studio talent is well documented in litigation. His company is based on three game franchises –one is a fantastic persistent world he had nothing to do with; one is in steep decline; and the third is in the process of being destroyed by Kotick’s own hubris.

Man, this is getting good. I’m hoping that the trash talking between Activision and EA will result in a dance competition or an MMA fight between company execs. The event could be held at The ESA’s Nite to Unite charity dinner. It would be the most entertaining event of the year!

What do you think of all the mud slinging between EA and Activision?

Source

Bobby Kotick Strikes Back…Against Double Fine Tim Schafer

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has taken a beating from the enthusiast press, gamers, and several high-profile developers. Last July, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer had some colorful words for the man, calling him a “total prick” and a “dick”. Now it’s Kotick’s turn to strike back! In a recent interview with Edge magazine, Kotick said:

Tim Schafer. The guy comes out and says I’m a prick. I’ve never met him in my life — I’ve never had anything to do with him. I never had any involvement in the Vivendi project that they were doing, Brutal Legend, other than I was in one meeting where the guys looked at it and said, ‘He’s late, he’s missed every milestone, he’s overspent the budget and it doesn’t seem like a good game. We’re going to cancel it.’

And do you know what? That seemed like a sensible thing to do. And it turns out, he was late, he missed every milestone, the game was not a particularly good game.

While I disagree with Kotick’s assessment that Brutal Legend is not a particularly good game, his other points are completely valid. Several of my industry contacts have told me about the game’s numerous delays and overspending. Still, I can’t help but think that these comments will just add to Kotick’s “evil” reputation. Although his argument is legitimate, he’ll still be seen as the big CEO of a huge corporation picking on an independent developer.

Any thought’s on Kotick’s latest?

Source via CVG

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are lots of great games shipping this week, spanning a variety of genres. Fans of the beautiful game will be able to enjoy FIFA 11 on every platform known to man. If you’d rather kill zombies than play (international) football then there’s Dead Rising 2. Gamers that haven’t had their fill of Guitar Hero will want to check out Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Nothing calling out to you yet? How about giant robots?!? Get some mech action going with Front Mission Evolved. Last, but not least, is an RPG for PS3 gamers: Atelier Rorona…or as I call it Atelier Reona Rewis.

Any of you picking up new games this week? Kindly let me know what’s on your wish list!

Coffee Talk #220: Classic Gaming Conventions That Don’t Fly in 2010

As some of you know, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light to review for another site. I’m mostly enjoying the game. It’s an old-school RPG with a job system — I love both of those things. Having said that, there are several aspects of the game that are acceptable to me as a longtime RPG player, but would probably irk the hell out of newer gamers.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the wonderful meats at M-Grill, the excellent Lodi Vineyards Rapture Cabernet P Andy shared with me, or if you’re going to see The Social Network, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I’ve been playing Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light to review for another site. I’m mostly enjoying the game. It’s an old-school RPG with a job system — I love both of those things. Having said that, there are several aspects of the game that are acceptable to me as a longtime RPG player, but would probably irk the hell out of newer gamers.

For example, there are several dungeons that are a cakewalk until the boss fight. If you don’t have the right armor and/or weapons equipped then the boss fights are super challenging at best and irritatingly impossible at worst. You can teleport back to the nearest village to get the right gear, but then you have to slog through the entire dungeon again. With all the hand holding and linearity in today’s games, I think a lot of players will find this unacceptable. Stuff like this was fine in 1993, but I don’t think it works in 2010.

Have you had any similar experiences recently? Are there any games you’ve played in the last year that use mechanics that should have been left in the ’90s? Have you played anything that’s crossed the line between classic and antiquated? Now’s the time to whine about old-school videogame conventions!

Mega Man Universe Trailer

Capcom might have something really cool and really unique with Mega Man Universe. Headed for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, the game blends the gameplay of Mega Man 2 with a level creator. Millions of gamers are familiar with the gameplay mechanics of Mega Man, so creating levels should be fairly intuitive. If the tools are tight then I expect to see some amazing fan-made designs.

Check out the trailer above and let me know what you think (please)! Any of you down to create Mega Man Universe levels?