Project Natal Leads to Father Smacking Son (Accidentally)

Ah, the perils of Project Natal. A writer for Parade recently tried out a few demos for Project Natal with his family. While he seemed generally impressed with Microsoft’s motion-control peripheral, playing with it led to a funny incident that caused him to smack his son to tears:

We next tried an obstacle course where you have to dart under trees and jump over logs. I was really working it, leaning my body and windmilling my arms. Unfortunately, Zane, 3, wandered a bit too close to me and, well, I inadvertently smacked him in the face. He started crying. The Microsoft representatives on hand for the demo looked like they might cry, too.

Personally, I would have went on a Tom Hanks rant from A League of Their Own. “Are you crying? Are you crying?!? There’s no crying! There’s no crying in Xbox!!!” I’m sure I wouldn’t find this as funny as I do if I had a son of my own…but I don’t, so it’s frickin’ hilarious.

Source via Engadget

PaRappa Creator Developing WINtA Pro Bono for OneBigGame

WINtA, by PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura, is being developed in a unique way for a unique publisher. Matsuura-san’s company NanaOn-Sha is working on the game pro bono for OneBigGame, which is a non-profit publisher that donates at least 80 percent of its profits to various charitable organizations that help kids. Here’s more info on this game for the iPhone and iPod Touch:

Designed by godfather of music games Masaya Matsuura, WINtA is the next logical step in the genre as it comes up with a new way of involving players in a song’s music and lyrics. Combining elements of pattern recognition challenges with the natural tendency of humans to tap along with music and words, WINtA goes a step beyond the highway of colored symbols which has become synonymous with music games ever since PaRappa the Rapper set the tone in 1996. Making full use of the iPhone and iPod touch’s touch abilities, WINtA provides a fun and natural way for people to tap along to their favorite songs whilst creating a unique and addictive game challenge at the same time.

I hope the project does well, partially because Matsuura-san is frickin’ awesome and partially because I want OneBigGame to succeed. With all the crap that publishers have been pulling lately, the concept of a non-profit publisher seems so alien to me. I’d love for OneBigGame to knock one out of the park with WINtA. Hopefully some of you support the game too!

I could use some more fuzzies today. Please let me know what you think about this cool project and unique publisher.

What’s Going Down at Apple WWDC 2010?

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off on Monday and the Internet is ablaze with speculation on what’s up the company’s sleeves. The announcement of the new iPhone is expected, but there are lots of other interesting rumors floating around. Some are thinking that Apple will finally announce other carriers for the iPhone, others are pointing to evidence of new Mac Minis, and some have guessed that MobileMe will become a free service. Personally, I’m hoping for a MacBook Air refresh (even though I can’t possibly afford one at the moment).

It’s going to be a big show (not Paul Wight) and Steve Jobs’ keynote will surely rock, but what do you think will go down at WWDC 2010? I want to hear your speculation and wishes. Let your comments fly (please)!

Mega Man Online Will Be an Action-RPG

The legendary Mega Man series is taking a unique turn with Mega Man Online. Being developed by Neowiz, the game will bring the classic platforming action of the series combined with online RPG elements. Andriasang translated an article by 4Gamer and learned:

Mega Man Online will be a 3D side scrolling action RPG. It will retain the action feel of the series while adding the RPG elements one expects from an online title, including characters who grow in strength over time.

I’m intrigued by this novel take on the series, but I’m not sure it will work in Western markets. It’s too early to judge, but I envision the game being popular in Asia, with modest popularity in Europe and North America. Hopefully Capcom will be showing more of the game at E3 2010.

Any of you interested in this one?

Source via Andriasang

Sprint HTC Evo 4G Review Center

The HTC Evo 4G for Sprint is available now! It’s an excellent phone and in my opinion, the best Android handset available today. That said, it has some drawbacks, like any other phone. Is the Evo 4G right for you? Read my extensive (not a) review to find out! This six-part series covers the phone’s battery life, WiFi hotspot functionality, software, gaming capabilities, camera, and more. Check it out!

Coffee Talk #155: Worst Addition to Gaming in the Last Five Years?

Yesterday we had a fun discussion about the best thing to happen to gaming in the last five years. Today I want to talk about the worst thing. While EA’s Online Pass has been making the news lately, I’m sure there are worse things we can think of, right?

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, Drogba missing the World Cup with a broken arm, Miley Cyrus getting in touch with her lesbian side, or Rasheed Wallace being the only Celtic thay played last night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday we had a fun discussion about the best thing to happen to gaming in the last five years. Today I want to talk about the worst thing. While EA’s Online Pass has been making the news lately, I’m sure there are worse things we can think of, right?

I’m actually having a hard time thinking about the “worst” thing. Perhaps I’m a generally positive person (at least, when it comes to this business). Some people think Bobby Kotick is gaming’s anti-Christ, but I love him simply for giving me so many things to write about. A lot of people hate DRM, but I’m not much of a PC gamer anymore so the problem doesn’t bother me. I guess the thing that bugs me the most is that game creators still aren’t recognized for their awesome works. Things have gotten a little better, but this business is still more about the publisher than it is the developer, sadly.

Now it’s your turn! What’s the worst thing about the last five years of gaming?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

For some reason, my recent gaming choices have been all Nintendo. This weekend I’ll be playing more Glory of Heracles for Nintendo DS. It’s a fun RPG written by Kazushige Nojima, who worked on several Final Fantasy games, various Kingdom Hearts titles, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. On the Wii  I’ll be playing Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. It’s a strategy RPG that’s…well…very Japanese — very quirky and unusual in a way that I love.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Gran Turismo 5 Still Isn’t Out: Do You Care?

E3 2010 is just around the corner and Sony is set to reveal a ton of information, including the latest update on Gran Turismo 5. It feels like Sony has been talking about this game for 12 years. Yes, it’s finally coming out this year…but do you guys and dolls still care? (And yes, it’s fine if you say that you don’t care but still plan to buy the game — just admit it!)

Does Chrome OS Have a Future?

I’ve been thinking a lot about Google’s Chrome OS lately. In 2009 it seemed like a great idea — a free OS that would allow manufacturers to offer cheap and capable netbooks (and allow Google to serve even more advertisements). Then a funny thing happened — the Apple iPad. A lot of vendors are cooling on the netbook market and focusing their efforts on tablets. As it stands now, Google’s Android mobile operating system is a better choice for tablets than Chrome OS.

GigaOm’s excellent Om Malik wrote an editorial about the situation. He suggested that Google ought to dump Chrome OS and focus entirely on Android. He makes a compelling argument, but I’m not completely convinced (yet). While tablets are the new “it” thing, there will always be a place for netbooks. Even though Windows 7 is better suited for netbooks than Windows Vista, it’s still too hefty for the relatively weak processors currently available. Chrome OS combined with the Chrome Store has the potential to excel on modest hardware in a way that Windows 7 can’t.

All of that said, I’m not sure if Google can pull it off. My question for you is this: does Chrome OS have a future?

EA Sports President Peter More Explains Online Pass…Badly

EA has been getting a lot of heat for its Online Pass, also known as “the $10 solution” that combats used-game sales. While it’s clear that it makes money for publishers and indirectly benefits developers, it also limits consumer choice and hoses retailers. EA Sports president Peter Moore explained the reasoning behind Online Pass to MCV and the his words were…interesting:

Online Pass is a way for us to frankly bring more digital experiences quicker. If it is going to be successful, it is up to us to create compelling, fresh, 365-days a year, digital experiences. And there is a cost to serve that we deserve to get paid for.

What our consumers are telling us, and the growth that we are seeing, is that the preference now is not to buy lots and lots of games, but to spend more money on fewer games. In fiscally challenging times, maybe a gamer won’t buy three games anymore, maybe they’ll buy two and spend the other $60 or £30 on extendable content, on experiences they know they love, rather than taking the risk on another product.

The first paragraph is reasonable, though certainly arguable. The second paragraph is just a bunch of crap. In a “fiscally challenging” time, EA’s strategy is to make games more expensive and less accessible? Really?!? My budget has been limited lately and I’m definitely buying less games. I’m definitely not spending more money on less games.

I have a ton of respect for Moore. He’s smart, approachable, and one of the coolest execs in gaming, but I can’t back his stance on Online Pass. I’d love to hear what you think of Moore’s comments. Shout it out!

Source