Marc Ecko Envisions a Videogame Version of Macbeth

Macbeth

Fashion mogul Marc Ecko has had enormous success thinking outside of the box, so it wasn’t surprising to learn that he wants to create a videogame version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In a recent interview with Destructoid, Ecko said:

I completely re-imagined Macbeth. Our adaptation, I think, would have made it relevant to people who wouldn’t have otherwise known about this great story. It’s unfortunate, because a lot of people just don’t know Macbeth.

Rumors of Tommy Hilfiger producing a videogame version of King Lear have yet to be confirmed…. Seriously though, I met Ecko a few times when Atari was pushing Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. He was very cool, extremely creative, and genuinely interested in games as a form of interactive entertainment.

I’d love to see Ecko’s interpretation of Macbeth…especially if it lets me go one a Highlander-style beheading spree. (I’m kidding about that last part.) Would you be interested in a Marc Ecko Macbeth game? Or do you think it’s a classic that shouldn’t be touched?

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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Headlines Square Enix Jump Festa

Square Enix recently launched a web site for its Jump Festa 2009 fan fest. The heavy hitters in this year’s lineup are Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) and Dragon Quest VI (DS). Here’s the current list as translated by Andriasang:

  • Cross Treasures (DS, movie, playable)
  • Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP, movie, playable)
  • Dragon Quest VI (DS, movie, playable)
  • Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3, movie, playable)
  • Dragon Quest IX (DS)
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: Battle Road (Arcade, movie, playable)
  • Final Fantasy IV (Mobile, playable)
  • Dragon Quest III (Mobile, playable)
  • Kingdom Hearts Mobile (Mobile, movie)
  • Dragon Quest: Battle Road Mobile (Mobile)

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

I can’t wait for Birth by Sleep. I want it now!!! Which of these games are you psyched for?

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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Headlines Square Enix Jump Festa

Square Enix recently launched a web site for its Jump Festa 2009 fan fest. The heavy hitters in this year’s lineup are Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) and Dragon Quest VI (DS). Here’s the current list as translated by Andriasang:

  • Cross Treasures (DS, movie, playable)
  • Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP, movie, playable)
  • Dragon Quest VI (DS, movie, playable)
  • Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3, movie, playable)
  • Dragon Quest IX (DS)
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: Battle Road (Arcade, movie, playable)
  • Final Fantasy IV (Mobile, playable)
  • Dragon Quest III (Mobile, playable)
  • Kingdom Hearts Mobile (Mobile, movie)
  • Dragon Quest: Battle Road Mobile (Mobile)

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

I can’t wait for Birth by Sleep. I want it now!!! Which of these games are you psyched for?

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Michael Arrington’s CrunchPad Dies Over Legal Squabbles

CrunchPad

CrunchPad, an exciting Internet tablet being developed by TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington (among others), was supposed to be unveiled before the end of the year. Instead, the project has died due to a curious legal skirmish. According to Arrington, Fusion Garage (TechCrunch’s partner) CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan nuked the project through a strange series of emails. He wrote:

Bizarrely, we were being notified that we were no longer involved with the project. Our project. Chandra said that based on pressure from his shareholders he had decided to move forward and sell the device directly through Fusion Garage, without our involvement.

Err, what? This is the equivalent of Foxconn, who build the iPhone, notifiying Apple a couple of days before launch that they’d be moving ahead and selling the iPhone directly without any involvement from Apple.

That’s pretty nuts. Fairly, Arrington admitted that this is his side of the story and Fusion Garage will surely spin it another way. Arrington wanted the CrunchPad to be, “a tablet computer that I could use to consume the Internet while sitting on a couch.” I’m totally down with that. I use my iPhone to check on my site, post some tweets, and read Facebook during television commercials. I wish I could do all of that stuff on a device with a larger screen. It’s sad that a cool and possibly revolutionary product will miss the market due to shareholder greed.

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Congrats to Bsukenyan!!!

Thank You typewriter

Congrats to bsukenyan for being the latest winner in the RPad.tv chick magnet contest! Here’s his winning post. I would also like to give him bonus thanks for posting a few of my articles on Gamekicker. A few weeks ago, I started submitting articles to N4G. Those two sites helped bring in some new traffic. In fact, the week before Thanksgiving was the site’s best since launch!

Bsukenyan, please check your email and congrats/thanks again!!!

Nintendo Suing Nokia for Promoting Software Emulation on N900?

According to Edge (the magazine, not the guitar player or the wrestler), Nintendo is considering suing Nokia over a video of the latter’s N900 mobile phone running classic NES, SNES, GBA, and GBC games. The site noted:

Nintendo’s is investigating a potential case of copyright infringement after a Nokia blog post showed a video of the handset maker’s new N900 smartphone playing emulated retro games.

“There’s already a bunch of great retro gaming emulator apps available for you to download,” says the video, which shows buttons that appear to open emulators for systems including Nintendo’s Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES and SNES.

Nokia N900

Running emulators to play old games can be a sketchy practice. In some countries, it’s totally legit if you own a copy of the original game you’re emulating. In others, it’s no dice. Either way, it was silly of Nokia to post a video promoting emulation. Why draw attention to a feature that promotes piracy (the software stealing kind, not the Captain Jack Sparrow kind)?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

Avatar movie

There’s not a whole lot coming out this week. The two notable releases are Avatar and MX vs ATV Reflex for multiple platforms. Since it’s a dead week for videogames, let’s talk about the Avatar movie. Are any of you excited for this? I’m so not. I don’t see what all the fuss is about (and I think the blue people look stupid). If I’m missing something, someone kindly explain it to me.

PSA: Amazon CyberMonday Deals

The Flash

I love that the Internet has its own version of Black Friday. That’s right, it’s CyberMonday!!! Be sure to check out Amazon’s CyberMonday deals for videogames. New games will be added to the sale throughout the day, “Lightning Deals” style. Remember, supplies are limited so act fast like Barry Allen. Currently on tap are:

  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for PS3 — $29.95
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for Wii — $29.95
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for Xbox 360 — $29.95
  • The Beatles: Rock Band special value bundle for Xbox 360 — $99.99
  • Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3 — $14.98

The British Royal Navy Using PSPs as a Study Tool (Really)

Birth by Sleep PSP back

England’s Royal Navy has started using Sony’s PlayStation Portable as a study tool. No, the seamen aren’t using the portable consoles as submarine simulators. The PSPs will be used to help officers study for exams in a controlled environment. Times Online has reported:

Sailors will be able to use the PlayStation Portable (PSP) to read and listen to coursework and practise on-screen tests in confined quarters.

The consoles, which are bright blue and worth £120 each, may hold the answer to two of the key challenges facing the education world: workplace training and distance learning.

I’m sure there are more effective study aids available, but I’m pleased that a videogame console is being used in a positive way by a prestigious military organization. I’m also pleased that I can use the “I’m studying!!!” defense when I’m tooling around on my PSP. If it’s good enough for the British Royal Navy….

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