I just came across this footage for Crayon Physics Deluxe, a spruced up version of the freely available prototype: Crayon Physics from Kloonigames. The original game was created in less than a week. The Deluxe version is still being designed and is currently planned for release on the Tablet PC … although I’m curious if this will go to DS as well. Maybe even the Wii? Whatever platform it comes out on… I want it.

[youtube QsTqspnvAaI]

You can sign up for release info from Kloonigames’ official site.

[SOURCE: geekologie]

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MEXICO CITY, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ — As tens of thousands of visitors descended upon the Western Hemisphere’s largest video game event last month, the Electronic Game Show in Mexico City, the buzz was about more than the latest game titles. The Mexican video game industry is exploding, attracting major new marketing investment and luring global game publishers to establish local offices. In fact, according to a new report from Americas News Intelligence, the industry could be worth $1 billion by the end of the decade.

“The results of our research flies in the face of the image of Mexico as an insignificant consumer market plagued with piracy,” says Phung Pham, lead analyst on the report. “There is a booming gamer population and despite problems with piracy, a substantial level of legitimate business. And video game publishers are finally starting to take note.”

One particularly interesting phenomenon identified in report is the emergence of young, unmarried gamers, or YUGS, as the authors call them. It is common in Mexico, they note, for young adults to live with their parents until their first marriage – translating into a high level of disposable income. In 1995, women married at the age of 20, and men at 23, on average. But just one decade later, women are now married at the age of 25 and men at 28 – resulting in up to a decade of cash-flush YUGGIES of prime gaming age.

The full report includes consumer and demographic background, first- and third-party analysis, industry trends, forecasts, and detailed data on hardware and software unit sales, revenue, and market share. It is available here.

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So last night I went to a satellite studio location in Dallas to shoot The Loop: Week in Review segment that will air on tonight’s episode of Attack of the Show. This was my first live TV appearance, so my nerves were shot. You know that part in Old School where Will Ferrell competes in that debate deal, and when it’s his turn to answer, he blacks out and starts spewing words? That’s what I felt like. I have no idea if I made sense in my answers, but I’ve had my fingers crossed all day that the words I said made sense. (“Do you understand the worrrrds that are comin’ outta my mouf?!”) Find out tonight at 7 & 11pm ET on G4TV.

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According to the latest membership figures, there are currently over 8 million members actively engaged in the Xbox LIVE community – a community that’s celebrating it’s 5th birthday today. Go ahead, Xbox LIVE, drink some Bacardi. You deserve it. You’re the only console I’m not using as a bookend and for that, I <3 you.Xbox LIVE has grown from a small community of gamers in two countries, to a worldwide social entertainment network offering online access to gaming, music, movies and TV shows. As friends across 26 countries and nine languages have connected on Xbox LIVE, it is their feedback and active participation that has guided the service to become what Wired magazine recently dubbed “the king of the online arena.” As a gesture of thanks to the gaming community, all 8 million members will have the opportunity to download a free Xbox LIVE Arcade game, (“Hexic 2″ in Korea, and “Carcassonne” in the rest of the world), available for downloading between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. In addition to this, every active member who joined the service in 2002 will receive 500 free Microsoft Points. Hooray! It’s Xbox Live’s birthday and he’s buying presents for me??! Now that’s the kind of friend I like having around!

Also, starting on Dec. 4, all Xbox LIVE members will receive a free system update with a host of new features and enhancements including Read the rest of this entry »

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I got an email earlier this week from the Senior Segment Producer for G4TV’s Attack of the Show. (SWEET!) We chatted yesterday and, if everything goes as planned, it looks like I’m scheduled to appear as one of three “Week in Review” panelists on this Friday’s show. So, show me some lurv and tune in to Attack of the Show this Friday, November 16th at 7 and 11pm ET.

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So I’m putting together my nerd-tastic Christmas wish list and here’s what I’ve fallen in love with so far:

Ms. Pac Man and Ghost Rings – $68.00 each
stars + infinite darkness

Space Invader Shoes – $130.00 (limited edition)
Space-Invaders.com

Pac-Man belt – $10
80sTees.com

Nintendo Belt Buckle – $15.00
80sTees.com

Robot Calculator – $14.99
ThinkGeek.com

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So remember when I mentioned shooting the intro for the GameStop kiosks back in August? Well they’re up and running now and you can check them out.

Here’s the scoop:

• This is a 1st person shooter game, with a 2 minute countdown, running on a modified Quake 3 engine.
• Game play is open to GameStop customers ages 13 and up.
• Players ages 17 and above are eligible to win $100 GameStop gift card for earning their location‚Äôs highest monthly score.
• Players can check kiosk at any time for update national and local rankings.
• Compete with gamers both locally and nationally.
• The game map is updated monthly.

You can play once a day and check back at the kiosk as often as you like to see how you rank nationally and locally.

So how do I fit in to all this? I’m one of the cheese-tastic peeps that introduces the game. I’ll give you a mini-scoop on the Art Institute and how you can go to school there to learn how to earn a living making video games. (AHHH! THE CATCH!!!) Yeah, so it’s not all games, but there really are big bucks in the gaming industry. If you’re one of the people who likes to bitch and moan about how lame games are, why not go to school and start creating them for yourself? This industry is going to do nothing but grow. Ride the wave, yo!

I haven’t had a chance to check out the game yet, but I heard it was decent. If you’ve got one in your hood, check it out and let me know what you think! Here are the locations: Read the rest of this entry »

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A new wireless guitar. Better graphics. A kick ass soundtrack. I’ve just got one question for you … Are you ready to RAWWWWWWWWK?!!!I played the 360 demo using the guitar from GH2 and loved it. The graphics have improved quite a bit since the last release. Now when singers belt out tunes on stage, they really look like they’re mouthing the words to the song. It ain’t perfect, but it’s a major improvement from the last release.

I also had a chance to try out GH3 on the Wii using the new wireless guitar. The weight and shape of the guitar is great, but the keys being closer together threw me off. In the long run, I think it’s beneficial that the buttons are closer together, but there’s definitely a learning curve there.

The Wii and 360 versions were both pretty awesome, but I gotta say, with a choice between the two, I’m afraid that my Wii loses yet again. Currently there is no online gameplay available on the Wii and while that may change, there’s no predicted date for that add on. Plus, you get to unlock achievement points in the 360 version. I don’t know why that matters so much to me, but it does, and I embrace it. Sorry, Nintendo, your Wii will continue to serve as something I lean my Xbox 360 games against and Guitar Hero 3 will be part of the stack.

Related Shiz:
Scott Dugdale – Making Games Rock: a little behind the scenes info on the guys making Guitar Hero awesome.
Guitar Hero in Yer iPod

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I <3 Pixelh8. This UK chiptune guru won me over with his last album, Video games ruined my life. Just in time for Christmas, he’s releasing a new album, The Boy With The Digital Heart, and has posted a few tracks on his MySpace page. Check em out! They’re Pixel-tastic! Also, if you aren’t seizure-prone, you should definitely check out the video for “Girl Fight” taken from the forthcoming album over hurr on YouTube.

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It’s got to be hard being one of the original 8-bit characters in a world filled with such rapidly advancing technology. So where do these classic heroes go to find work? It’s not easy. No one wants to hire the old-school has-beens anymore. Because of this, they end up finding work elsewhere.

On my way to the office this morning, I found out where Luigi is today, and folks, it isn’t pretty. I guess having a resume with plumbing, flag pole-sliding and fire-ball dodging experience just doesn’t get you very far these days. Sad, really. I thought for sure Luigi was at least entertaining the kids somewhere in a mushroom-filled ice-capade. Alas, the truth is that he is currently the mascot for Lennox – a company that provides HVAC products. I saw him on the back of a DART bus on the way in this morning. Here’s the photographic evidence:

Luigi Finds Work as
the Lennox Mascot

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