Incoming! Halo 3! Woot...
The game that built the Xbox empire, Halo, goes into its third generation this
fall. Halo 3 is scheduled for a September 25th release date, giving plenty of
lead time for Christmas shoppers. The game will initially play on the Xbox 360
and Xbox Live, but it should only be a matter of months before we see Halo 3 for
Windows Vista and Windows Live Anywhere. Critical review has been lukewarm to
the game, with most agreeing that it should be called “Halo 2.5” to reflect its
modest improvement over the second generation Halo game, but my take on it is
that Bungie and Microsoft are aiming Halo 3 at gamers who have invested in HD
and 7.1 surround sound. Because that is where Halo 3 becomes truly an amazing
experience. 820,000 Xbox Live subscribers recently spent 12 million online hours
beta testing a portion of the game, so it is clear that player interest is
strong. Welcome back, Master Chief. It's about time you showed up again. --
Mark Lautenschlager
Music from video games? Play it again, Sam (& Max)
A great video game has a great story, stunning visuals, a control system that
makes sense to its players, AND a great soundtrack. The success of concert
series like "Video Games Live," which has performed music from game soundtracks
to packed houses around the world has raised the profile of this branch of the
music business. Now video game composers have come together to create their own
CD, "Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music." These are entirely new tracks,
"inspired by" the music from their favorite games. A couple things you should
know. One is that composers did not necessarily interpret their own work, or
even music from games they had worked on. The other is that some of the tracks
are outstanding, really capturing the feel of the game, while others are cheesy,
with all the panache of a YouTube tribute video made by middle schoolers. Can
"America's Geek Idol" be far away? It's up to you to decide. Check out their web
site at gamemusiccentral.com.
-- Mark Lautenschlager
Major break-in on Second Life residents
The recent problems with the online game Second Life, where almost 700,000 user
logins and pass-words were stolen, should serve as a lesson to all of us that
security isn't just limited to bank accounts. What was unique in this case is
that players (called residents) in Second Life are able to transfer their
virtual cash, or "Linden dollars" after the game's creator Linden Labs, out of
the game into the real world as real cash. Thus the password theft was akin to a
thief stealing all of the ATM cards and PIN codes for the city of Baltimore. The
phrase "it's only a game" used to mean take it easy, don't get so serious about
things. Now, perhaps, it should mean "trust no one." For Linden Labs, this was a
major black eye to a fast-rising online community. And yet, it was criticism
over online cyber brothels that brought the world's attention to Second Life in
the first place, fueling its explosive growth. Since we've spelled their name
right this time also, maybe the Great Password Hack of '06 will bring them their
next half million residents.
Second Life site -- Mark Lautenschlager
A moment of silence for E3, please
I had to rub my eyeballs twice, so great was my disbelief at the news. But there
it was, posted on the official web site of the E3 Expo. Last year's monster
trade show was the final time E3 would be held in that form. For those who don't
follow these things, E3 is the annual Electronic Entertainment Exposition in Los
Angeles. Basically, it's the video game industry's annual big party. Huge
displays and all manner of gaudy excessiveness fill the Los Angeles Convention
Center to bursting while tens of thousands of attendees swarm. This past show
featured a crackdown on the aptly named "booth babes," with a directive to have
any booth personnel clothed in business casual attire. This edict was so roundly
ignored that I wanted to put web cams inside all these companies just to see
what the heck happens on Casual Fridays. My industry insiders tell me this was
all about the president of Sony and the president of EA deciding they didn't
want to spend the money on E3 any longer. Whatever the true cause, next year's
more "intimate" version might be more media friendly and even more effective,
but it won't be...E3. (Update: The announcement disappeared for a time from the
E3 site and when it returned, the original text had been changed. The first
announcement said E3 2007 would be held in July, but the new announcement makes
no mention of a date at all.)
E3 site --
Mark Lautenschlager
What if...the World Cup were a videogame IRL?
Hey, I'm not even a soccer fan, but these are funny. Check out the
animated GIFs of the controversial headbutt from the World Cup 2006, as seen
through the eyes of videogamers who know PhotoShop.
Metafuture -- Mark Lautenschlager
More than half of the world's MMORPG players play World of Warcraft
52.9 percent of everyone ON THE PLANET who plays an MMORPG has a subscription to
World of Warcraft. That means more people play WoW than all of the other MMORPG
games, COMBINED. That is simply...stunning. (Read
more) - Mark Lautenschlager
Gamer girls on cell phones
Gamers of the fairer sex make up the majority of those playing cell phone games,
and they tend to play them longer than guys do. Check out the reasons why, from
this new Parks Associates study. (Read
more) - Steve Zeigler
Comedy Central's Daily Show takes on the subject of violence in videogames
Comedy Central's Jon Stewart anchors the Daily Show on Comedy Central. In a
recent segment, they tackled the subject of violence in videogames. Highly
recommended viewing, if for no other reason than to hear Jon label the House of
Representatives a bunch of "insane jackasses." (Read
more) - Mark Lautenschlager
25 streaming videos showing how each and every Wii game is played using the
Wii-mote
This is the kind of thing you KNOW you want to watch! Wiggle it, shake it,
poke it, swing it up and down, it's the motion sensitive remote for the Nintendo
Wii IN ACTION! (Read
more) - Mark Lautenschlager
Nintendo DS Lite for your flight
 Looking
for great entertainment during the tedious 12+ hour flights? Japan Airlines is
offering their passengers access to DS Lites in flight. However, only passengers
who sit in first or executive class will have free access to them through August
2006. Titles available for play are Mario Kart DS, DS Golf, and Otona. Each DS
Lite will be altered to exclude wireless capabilities, and the units cannot be
used during takeoffs and landings, per aviation laws. For flights that include
this service, visit:
www.jal.co.jp - Rob Almanza
 Screenshot
from the "controversial at the time" Death Race
Using state-of-the-art (circa 1976) graphics, the goal for the gaming player
being to drive a blocky car over a stick figure, instantly transforming the
stick figure into a grave marker. - Mike Dewane
 EA and
Jeep-Chrysler Teaming Up
EA will feature Willys-Overland Jeeps in "Medal of Honor Airborne", the
newest episode in the World War II Series. These jeeps were used in World War II
and EA wants to keep the authenticity of the historic event. "Medal of Honor
Airborne" is due out next year. It will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox
360, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, and PC. (Read
more) - Rob Almanza
DS Lite for a "Light Price"
Nintendo DS Lite for a "light" price? Overstock.com is taking pre-orders. The
listed price is $128.99 ($1 less than suggested retail $129.99). However,
overstock.com is offering a 10% discount on all orders at checkout, bringing the
price down to $116.09! Discount good through May 31st. For more information,
visit www.overstock.com
- Rob Almanza
Stone Golem suit made of foam mattresses - incredible!
 Players
of Mordavia, a live-action role-playing game, constructed a jaw-droppingly
awesome "stone golem" suit out of foam mattresses and hot glue. The photo
doesn't do it justice -- it has to be seen in motion (as with
this
YouTube clip) to be believed. This Stone Golem was constructed using about 5
foam mattresses, over 50 sticks of hot melt glue, and 8 cans of grey and black
spray paint. The foam is glued in large thick sheets (approx 20cm thick) to a
fabric bodysuit, and the deep cracks are carved into the foam surface. The
bodysuit has a zip up the back to allow the wearer to enter it, and the zip is
concealed by abutting foam. The soles of the feet are made of corflute that has
been sliced in half to expose corrugations that act as grip. The arms are about
twice the length of the wearer's arms, and act as swinging weapons made entirely
of soft foam. The golem took about 100 hours of work to construct, between 3
people. On its first appearance, the Stone Golem sent twenty bold adventurers
into a hasty retreat without so much as touching them. - Steve Zeigler
Was the Nintendo Wii a surprise winner at E3 2006?
After being ridiculed for changing a solid name ("Revolution" - the product's
code name) for a wimpy one ("Wii"), Nintendo was perceived as the weakest of the
three next-gen game consoles being displayed at the 2006 E3 show. Surprise! The
crowds loved it! The unusual controller, which allows gamers to control what's
happening on screen by moving the controller through the air, was a big hit.
Imagine a sword fight where your skill in swinging your "blade" determined the
outcome, or a tennis game where your precision at striking an on screen ball
with your off screen "racket" affected how the return volley turned out. If Sony
perhaps disappointed analysts with the high price on their PS3 (although it
might still be the least expensive Blu-Ray DVD player you can buy), Nintendo
certainly delighted the E3 crowd with the Wii and the extremely popular DS Lite. It seems rumors of Nintendo's demise might have been premature.
(Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
E3 Show Page is up!
Check out the E3 Show Page here: 2006 E3
Show Page
PS3 Details today, stealing E3 thunder?
Two days before the massive E3 conference in Los Angeles, CA, where the world
comes to make their gaming related announcements, Sony decides to release the
details of their upcoming PS3 video game console (a.k.a. Sony's Secret Plan to
Trick People Into Buying Blu-Ray DVD Players). Is Sony trying to steal E3's
thunder? This year's E3 has been awash in Xbox 360 hype. I think Sony's early
press conference is sending a message. (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Video Game to promote Peace
From the Carnegie Mellon website: PeaceMaker is a one-player game in which
the player can choose to take the role of either the Israeli Prime Minister or
the Palestinian President. The player must react to in-game events, from
diplomatic negotiations to military attacks, and interact with eight other
political leaders and social groups in order to establish a stable resolution to
the conflict before his or her term in office ends. (Read
more) -- Mike Dewane
Abandonware Campaign
The guys at exiled gamers have begun a campaign to get abandonware made
legally available from its original publishers. For some classic titles, it's
getting tougher than ever to obtain a legal copy. (Read
more) -- Mike Dewane
Epic T-Shirt of Ganking
Are you level 60? Do you have no life? Then you qualify to wear this epic
t-shirt. Just, umm...wash it sometimes, please? (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Star Trek Online MMORPG
WWW.MMORPG.COM has an interview with Dave Stinnett, the producer of the new
Star Trek Online MMORPG. The game is still early in development, Beta isn’t
expected until summer 2007, but the interview reveals a lot about the direction
they are hoping to take the game in. Star Trek computer gaming has been
notoriously hit or miss, unfortunately more misses than hits. In all fairness
the franchise offerings have been far better in recent years. A Star Trek MMO
will of course bring many new players to the genre so the developers will have
the unenviable task of walking the line between satisfying the n00b5 as well as
the veteran MMO player. (Read
more) -- Mike Dewane
The Godfather, from EA
Tuesday marks the release date for EA’s The Godfather based on the Movie and
book of the same name. Such a game will have undoubtedly high expectations. Fans
can be quite difficult to please. We’ll be sure to let you know if this one is a
“Made” game or if it’s destined to sleep with the fishes. -- Mike Dewane
Sony's PS3 Ship Date Doubts Increase
There have been storm clouds gathering over the Sony PS3 ship date for months
now, with one news source after another swinging to extremes. Sony already lost
Christmas to the Xbox 360 and now it seems doubtful that we'll see the PS3 this
spring as planned. This latest Bloomberg Japan report is based on statements
from Namco Bandai Holdings, Japan's second largest game developer. (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Rockstar Games Announces ... Ping Pong?
Yes, Rockstar Games, the company behind such uplifting game titles as Grand
Theft Auto and Bully, has announced Table Tennis for the Xbox 360. I thought
this was a joke myself, until I read the article on IGN, which I have linked in
for your reading pleasure. They're serious, folks, and no, you can't shoot your
opponent if he wins. (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Age of Empires III Expansion Pack Coming August 2006
Developer Ensemble Studios has announced that their best-selling game Age of
Empires III, which also happens to be one of my son's favorite games and ranks
high on the Casa Lautenschlager Play List, will have an expansion pack coming in
August 2006. New features will include the ability to play as Native Americans
(previously they were just related characters in your colonization of the New
World, you were either friendly with them and they helped you, or you battled
them). (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
ATI Takes Aim At Mobile Gamers
ATI Technologies Inc. has announced the Mobility Radeon X1800 Series chips.
ATI is the current king of mobile graphics chips with 70 percent market share,
but rival NVIDIA was challenging hard in the gamer notebook segment. ATI claims
this new chip puts them in the lead. (Read
more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Hit Show "24" Coming to PS2
In the Pipeline: Developer 2K Games is working on a PS2 game that actually
hopes to extend the popular TV show "24." The game will allow players to go
further into plot details, filling in gaps that the show itself did not.
(Read more) -- Mark Lautenschlager
Australia Says Game Can't Get It Up
Gaming News: Australia bans Graffiti Game Australia's Classification Review
Board on Wednesday refused to classify the game, Marc Ecko's Getting Up:
Contents Under Pressure, meaning it cannot be sold, demonstrated, hired (rented)
or imported.
(Read more) -- Mike Dewane
World Cyber Games Drops Quake 4 and Halo 2
Pro Gamer: World Cyber Games ditches Quake 4 and Halo 2 for the 2006 WCG
event in March.
(Read more) -- Rob Almanza
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