AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Hailed as “Woodstock for geeks” by the San Francisco Chronicle, the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival has emerged as one of the world’s most important gatherings for digital creatives and new media entrepreneurs. As an extension to its core focus on emerging technologies and business models, the 2007 SXSW Interactive Festival will explore the burgeoning video game industry with ScreenBurn, consisting of gaming-related programming and the all-new ScreenBurn Arcade. Read the rest of this entry »

No One is Talking. Join the Conversation.

SAINTS ROW AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — THQ Inc. today announced its critically acclaimed, next-generation property Saints Row(TM) is scheduled to make its PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system debut this spring, featuring stunning next-generation graphics, extensive customization options and unparalleled player choice. Developed by renowned internal studio Volition, Inc., Saints Row brings the hugely popular open-world genre to Sony’s new console for the first time and will mark the first open world online experience available through the PLAYSTATION(R) Network.”Saints Row has established itself as one of the most successful original properties in next generation gaming, and we’re excited to bring the groundbreaking experience to PLAYSTATION 3 system fans worldwide,” said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. “Bringing the open-world genre to the PLAYSTATION 3 system for the first time will help grow the Saints Row fan base and expand the open-world online community.”

No One is Talking. Join the Conversation.

GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY & MANDY
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: Midway Games
Single/Multiplayer

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is one of my favorite cartoons. The show is based on the idea that two friends, Billy Рwho is dumb as a bag of hammers Рand Mandy – an evil genius who tolerates no shenanigans Рmade a bet with the Grim Reaper. If he won, he could take the soul of Billy’s hamster. If he lost, he had to be Billy and Mandy’s best friend forever. He loses and hilarity ensues.

In the game, Grim’s “mojo balls” have been released throughout the city and are causing people to beat the crap out of each other for no reason. It’s up to Billy, Mandy and their friend Irwin (the best character ever, yo) to put things back in order.

Through a series of fights, you’ll unlock additional characters and costumes. You can battle opponents using all types of weapons. It sounds fun. It isn’t. The graphics are absolutely horrid. Cut scenes look unfinished, pixilated and generally off. When you’re in a battle, the sound clips will wreck you. Each character has 5 or 6 catch phrases and they repeat them over… and over… and over again. This game could definitely keep a young audience entertained, but for more demanding gamers like myself, it doesn’t cut it.

Comments Off

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ — As Microsoft’s Windows Vista launches, the new operating system is breaking online games and disrupting gameplay, not only its own games on MSN but also at RealArcade, Yahoo Games, and AOL Games. WildTangent offers the only 100% compatible gaming solutions with the WildTangent Vista Ready Console available for free download at WildTangent.com giving gamers access to over 300 popular gaming titles. Vista’s incompatibility with most downloadable casual games, including those on Microsoft’s own gaming portal demonstrates the enormous challenges facing many small game developers with getting their games to work with the new OS. Read the rest of this entry »

No One is Talking. Join the Conversation.

This site is awesome. Before I called tech support about my Wii, I did a little Google searching and stumbled across WiiHaveAProblem.com… a site dedicated to the carnage caused by playing the Wii. Here, you’ll find lovely pictures like this:

 

And the stories behind them. The dude pictured was playing tennis on the Wii and smashed his controller (and finger) through a glass light fixture. Yummy! The site is well organized and the stories are pretty funny. Browse through the submissions or submit your own Wii mishap at: WiiHaveAProblem.com.

Comments Off

Talk about an amazing grand prize… if you win “Vanishing Point,” the largest puzzle game in the world, you’ll win a freaking trip to space! Here’s the press release:

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — To celebrate the upcoming consumer release of the Windows Vista(TM) operating system, AMD and Microsoft Corp. have launched “Vanishing Point,” the largest puzzle game in the world. Although many clues have been disclosed online, parts of the puzzle are being revealed at real-world events, including a first-ever takeover of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino fountains, cryptic skywriting messages, and projections appearing on iconic structures around the world. These spectacular sights have driven millions of people to find out more, with hopes of winning the grand prize: a trip to space. Today at 6 p.m. PST, the final real-world event will reveal more clues through an amazing spectacle: an incredible fireworks show at Seattle’s Gas Works Park.

Read the rest of this entry »

No One is Talking. Join the Conversation.

RAMPAGE: TOTAL DESTRUCTION

Developer: Pipeworks Software

Publisher: Midway
Single/Multiplayer

I’ve always held a special place in my heart for Rampage. I popped many quarters into arcade cabinets for the opportunity to bash in buildings and eat people. So I was pleased to see that Midway released Rampage for the Wii. Unfortunately, the simple control scheme (punch, smash and eat) doesn’t translate well to the tilt-sensor remote. I felt like I was just waving my controllers around randomly and sometimes my monster would do what I wanted him to. The repetitive sound effects will get on your nerves within about 10 seconds of playing, so this is a title you’ll want to play muted with your own soundtrack.

On the upside, there are plenty of unlockable monsters and cities strewn with chuckle-worthy billboards and businesses. Scumbuckets, for example, is a coffee shop chain with a green circle logo in Dallas. In Vegas, there are billboards advertising “RANT,” “Stomped” and “Sigmund & Froyd.” If you were a big Rampage fan in the 80’s, you should rent this game for the nostalgic value… but I don’t expect it to win any awards.

Comments Off

I love Nintendo. I just got off the phone with customer support and they were so awesome that it didn’t seem so horrible that my Wii crapped out. Apparently, there’s something wrong with my graphics chip. John, the lovely CSR who helped me out, gave me two options: either I could send in my existing console and they would replace the chip or they would send me a new Wii.

I opted for a new Wii. If the graphic chip is screwed, no telling what else is messed up in there. The bad news is that I’m going to lose all of the Miis I’ve created and I’ll have to add all my friends again. If I’d opted to have them just replace the chip in my current console, they would’ve saved my Miis for me… but I’m thinking that if I’ve sent my Miis to you, you can send them to my new console number – so I won’t actually lose them. Right? I don’t know. Anyway, I’m supposed to have a new Wii by the middle of next week. I’ll post my new number then. Yeay.

If you are having issues with your Wii – I highly recommend you check out their customer support pages or just give them a call at: 1-800-255-3700. If you call, make sure you have your serial number handy.

02/02/07 Update: My Wii is Back in Business

4 People are Talking. Join the Conversation.

If you’re an old-school gamer, you’ll smile the entire time you watch this clip from Video Games Live. VGL was created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with visual effects, footage and actors for one kick-ass performance. Click here to find out when VGL is performing near you.
[youtube JVHGy9XEF9I]

1 Person is Talking. Join the Conversation.

If you turn on the Wii and go to the main menu, you can choose what channel you want to check out. If you’ve downloaded games, you’ll see them here as channels. If you’ve got a game in, it’ll show up as a channel. There is also a weather channel (pretty swanky) and there’s a news channel. I was excited about the news channel, but I couldn’t get it to work. Now I know why. It’s not scheduled to launch until this Saturday. Once it’s officially launched, Wii users will be able to access top news stories and photographs from The Associated Press and find out what’s going on in the outside world. Good times.

1 Person is Talking. Join the Conversation.