Gamer News 12.22.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…video games may be the one thing in the US economy that is “recession proof”? According to the economist, the gaming industry is poised to break sales records this year, despite the abysmal downturn the economy has taken. After all, no one can afford to leave the house anymore! Full story: The Economist
…PS3s are being used for some really meaningful science experiments? In addition to the Folding@Home that has been available on the PS3 since launch, another group of scientists are putting the PS3 to scientific use. Scientists at the Univ. of Alabama and Univ. of Massachusetts are using the supercomputing power of the PS3 to research black holes. Sweet! Full story: PS3Center
…you can play Portal this holiday, while also drinking a Portal-themed cocktail? Portal fans in Denmark themed their favorite bar a “portal bar” for the night, and developed a series of cocktails and decorations inspired by the addictive puzzle game. I can’t wait to mix myself a “the cake is not a lie” on Christmas eve! Full story and recipies can be found at: Scroll Bar
…your game face could reveal more than you think? A recent study was conducted with kids aged 9-16 to monitor their facial expressions while playing voilent video games. Some really interesting results came out of this study, including the fact that one particular face was ONLY made by kids who were paying Call of Duty? Fascinating video to watch. Full story: Game Politics
…thehardcoregamer.com is now iPhone friendly? We recently launched a mobile version of the site including an iPhone version, as well as a sexy little icon for your iPhone home screen (bookmark HCG to your iPhone and check it out!) Plus, with our RSS feed, you can always stay up to date on all things hardcore gamer while you are on the road for the holidays.
Tags: Economist, Folding@Home, Game Politics, Hey Did You Hear..., iPhone, mobile, News, Playstation 3, Portal, PS3, PS3Center, RSS, science, TheHardcoreGamer.com, video game industry
Gamer News 12.18.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Xbox Live gamers are already OVER Gears of War 2? Stats on the Xbox Live’s activity report show that gamers are moving on from Gears 2, dropping it to #4 behind Halo 3, CoD WoW at CoD 4. I’m thinking people played multiplayer Gears 1 so much, that they are just not interested in the same type of gameplay on Gears 2. Either that, or they reached level 50 on horde and then said, “bored now.” Full story: Major Nelson
…Playstation Home has already been hacked? It seems that Sony’s developers were trying to hack the system to uncover potential issues, and they found more than a few. The biggest concern? A “security loophole” that allows a hacker to upload or delete any file to and from the Home server. Yeah…you might want to patch that one, Sony before the whole system gets Rick-Rolled. Full story: Tech Radar
…a World of Warcraft-styled version of the George Bush shoe throwing footage has been created? I don’t know what it is (ok, maybe I do know) but I just can’t see enough of ole’ Bushie almost taking a shoe to the head! Check it out and lol
…Toys R Us opened a Nintendo department in their Times Square store? The 1,000 sq ft department is dedicated to all things Nintendo, and provides shoppers with interactive experiences including a Wii wall and a Nintendo gallery that showcases the history of the gaming giant. Full story: VG Chartz
…Lego Batman is the latest game to come to the iPhone? In a seemingly never ending list of titles making the jump to iPhone and iPod touch format, “Lego Batman: Gotham City Games” will feature a series of mini games, and will sell for the bargain price of $6. Full story and screenshots can be found at: Kotaku
Tags: 2DF Freeplay, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, Call of Duty World At War, Gears of War 2, George Bush, hacker, Hey Did You Hear..., iPhone, iPod touch, Kotaku, Lego Batman: Gotham City Games, Major Nelson, News, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Playstation Home, Sony, Tech Radar, Times Square, Toys R Us, VG Chartz, World of Warcraft, WoW, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Gamer News 12.15.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…if you are a female avatar in Playstation Home, you may get a little more attention than your bargained for? Apparently, reports and videos are coming in of male avatars swarming any female avatars that dare to come into the online environment, and yelling clever things like “nice rack.” Ok boys. Funny and all, but stop perpetuating the stereotype that you guys don’t know how the hell to talk to women. Even your avatars are pigs. That is just sad. Check out the full story and video on Gizmodo for more details.
…if your Xbox 360 is ever stolen from your dorm, your controller may be your built in low-jack? At least, that was the case for one college student, who after discovering his Xbox 360 was stolen, walked around his dorm with his controller until he found the matching Xbox (and the culprits.) Smart thinking, dude. I like your style. Full story: Kotaku
…Halo 3 lead to an act of real violence and tragedy for an Ohio teenager? 17 year-old Daniel Petric (16 at the time of the murder) shot both his mother and father in the head because they would not allow him to play Halo 3. Amazingly, his father survived, but his mother was killed instantly. This is a very sad story, and one at the complete EXTREME of the “kids and violence” argument. Here’s hoping they lock Daniel up and his cellmate makes him his own personal Master Chief. Full story: Cleveland.com
…you can now play Katamari Damacy on your iPhone or iPod touch? The eclectic and charming title, best known for its Playstation roots, is now available for download in the app store. The game works using the built-in accelerometer, and has a lot of the same whimsy as the original. The iPhone version is called “i Love Katamari”, and you can pick it up in the iTunes app store for around $8.
…Grand Theft Auto will be officially making its Nintendo DS debut in early 2009? The portable title, called “Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars” will be hitting US stores around March 17th (just in time for St. Patty’s Day!) and is noted to feature the same expansive game play we have come to expect from the franchise. Full story: Take 2 Games
Tags: accelerometer, Gizmodo, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Halo 3, Hey Did You Hear..., i Love Katamari, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes App Store, Katamari Damacy, Kotaku, News, Nintendo DS, Playstation Home, Take 2 Games, Xbox 360
Gamer News 12.13.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…new, downloadable content for Fable II will be available on Dec 26th and it includes an additional 100 possible achievement points? The expansion, called “Knothole Island” will include new areas, items and quests and will cost 800 MS points (about $10.) Full story: Xbox 360 Fanboy
…issues are already popping up in the open beta of Sony’s virtual environment, Home? Sony posted on their official Playstation blog yesterday, acknowledging that some users were experiencing problems accessing Home, and asking for patience while they resolve issues. Full story: Venture Beat
…according to John Geleynse, Dir of Technolohu Evangalism at Apple, the iPhone is for all intents and purposes a “gaming console?” He went on to say that when it’s not being used as a phone, the iPhone provides a, “console experience.” We expect to see more and more titles available for the iPhone soon, based on the company’s clear indications that they see the iPhone as a threat to the DS and PSP. Full story: engadget mobile
…there is a quick and easy way to convert Microsoft Xbox Live points to currency? Check out the handy conversion tool on Gangster Panda that takes MS points, and converts them to currency, including US dollar, Euro, Canadian dollars and more. Nifty!
…you can pick up Team Fortress 2 this weekend for a song and a dance? For this weekend only, Steam is offering the classic FPS for only $10. If you don’t own this one already, it’s a great deal on a hell of a great game. Full story: Joystiq
Tags: Apple, Engadget, Fable II, Gangster Panda, Hey Did You Hear..., iPhone, Joystiq, Knothole Island, Microsoft, News, Nintendo DS, Playstation Home, Playstation Portable, PSP, Sony, Steam, Team Fortress Two, Venture Beat, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 fanboy, Xbox Live Points converter
Gamer News 12.06.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…The new Nintendo DSi has already been hacked in Japan? The DSi, which not yet available for gamers in the states, was hacked using a R4DS-like device. Full story: Tech Radar
…GTA 4 for the PC is plagued with bugs? Some gamers are having problems even getting the game to install. All this wait for it to come out and then a big letdown. Full story: Aeropause
…Activision announced some stellar upcoming titles including: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, a New Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero 5? Full story: MTV
…There are lots of classic games you can buy for your iPhone? Many are not the licensed version of the games, so expect names like “Space Invasion,” but the game play is generally pretty close to the original. Full story: Asylum
…Frustrations with Fable 2 may soon be over? Lionhead will soon be releasing a patch to deal with several game play bugs, and removing the ability to assassinate children. Full story: Xbox360fanboy
Tags: Activision, Aeropause, Asylum, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare 2, Fable 2, GTA 4, Guitar Hero 5, Hey Did You Hear..., iPhone, Japan, Lionhead, MTV, News, Nintendo DSi, R4DS, Tech Radar, Tony Hawk, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 fanboy
National Geographic Is Getting Into the Game Business
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under News
In a press release dated Nov 18th, National Geographic officially announced the formation of National Geographic Games (NGG). The press release goes on to say that NGG has partnered with Namco Bandai and Sony to publish games for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PCs and mobile devices such as the iPhone. The press release contains details on their first title, “Herod’s Lost Tomb” as well as a release schedule for future titles. Here’s hoping the folks over at NG can finally deliver an educational game that people actually want to play.
Tags: Herod's Lost Tomb, iPhone, Namco Bandai, National Geographic, National Geographic Games, News, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC, Playstation 3, PS3, Sony
Is the iPhone/iPod Touch the New Wii?
Posted by HCG Paco | Filed under News
The graphics already look better than 90% of all Wii games that aren’t published by Nintendo. Plus, Apple’s digital distribution capabilities make all other bow before it. It is is easily hackable and has a camera for personalization and customization as well as wifi and internet features. I know it has been mentioned before, but it is a cool idea and possibility for sure. In fact, isn’t it the only media that Apple doesn’t have a dominant marketshare in?
Tags: iPhone, iPod touch, News, Wii
