Gamer News 04.21.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Piracy may bring about the end of the PSP? We’re not talking piracy on the high seas here, we’re talking straight up illegal downloading of PSP games. In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Sony’s Peter Dille gave the scoop on all things Playstation, including the future of the PSP. Dille was quoted as saying, “We can look at data…and see how many copies are being downloaded illegally, and it’s frankly sickening.” He went on to say, “I think gamers, if they understood if this meant that a platform would go away, can we convince gamers to pay for their content?” Full story: Gamasutra
…Tuesday was the official birthday of GameBoy? The little portable gaming unit that could marked it’s 20th anniversary on April 21st. 20 years?!! Does that make anyone else feel ancient? I remember vividly when they first hit the scene. Excuse me while I sit in my grandma corner and cry now. Props to Gizmodo for posting a complete timeline/history of this mini legend of gaming. Check it out at: Gizmodo
…the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack is now available for download? This new game mode allows you and your team to battle a seemingly never ending group of infected (think: Horde mode in Gears 2.) You can download the PC version from Steam’s website, or on Xbox Live for 360 players. Details on the official Left 4 Dead blog are slim at best right now, but there is a great recap on Steam’s website of what is included in this download. Full story: Steam
Tags: Gamasutra, GameBoy, Gizmodo, Hey Did You Hear..., Left 4 Dead, News, Nintendo, PC, Peter Dille, Playstation Portable, PSP, Sony, Steam, Survival Pack, Xbox 360
Gamer News 01.28.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…a new trailer for Final Fantasy XIII is out? The trailer, launched this week, includes new game play footage. Check it out at: Square Enix
…Team Fortress 2 will be launching a new Scout pack in the near future? According to the TF2 blog, the pack will include new weapons and achievements, and should be out following a few bug patches on the way. Full story: teamfortress
…looks like the wait for a touch-screen PSP will be a little longer than people hoped? Sony officially dispelled rumors that a PSP2 with a touch screen is in the works, despite the recent reports from IGN to the contrary. Full story: Techradar
…video game writers gave a collective middle finger to the Writer’s Guild Awards this year? A number of the top selling games of 2008 were not submitted into the WGA’s video game writing category this year including GTA IV, Call of Duty: WaW and many more. In addition, some games like Left 4 Dead were not even eligible due to a lack of “official writing credits”. So why did some game developers decline to enter? Many feel that the award is more of a drive for Writers Guild memberships, and not a true awarad based on merit. So what games DID get nominated? The nominations for best video game writing in 2008 are: Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble, Fallout 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Tomb Raider: Underworld all of which had meh, but not award winning stories. Full story: Variety
…video has been released from the Jan 17th Halo wedding? In case you haven’t heard about it, a hardcore gamer couple wanted to extend their love of Halo all the way to their nuptuals, so they had the first ever Halo wedding. Their ceremony was officiated by Master Chief. The bride wore her Halo avatar on her dress and walked down the isle to the Halo score. When the ceremony was over, they were pronounced “teammates for life.” Guests were given candles that resembled plasma granades as favors. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Take that you lame medieval-renaissance-fair-themed weddings! Get the inside scoop on the wedding and check out the video at: MTV
Tags: Final Fantasy XII, Halo, Halo Wedding, Hey Did You Hear..., IGN, MTV, News, Playstation Portable, PSP, Scout Pack, Sony, Square Enix, Team Fortress 2, Techradar, trailer, Variety, Writer's Guild Awards
Gamer News 01.26.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Microsoft has responded to Sony’s ballsy statements made last week speculating that the Playstation 3 would eventually lead the console wars by the end of this generation. Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg stated in response, “…that complacent attitude is out of touch with where the industry and consumer are today….” He went on to say, “…I can’t imagine any scenario where the PS3 can catch up with us.” I have to agree with you on that one Aaron, but only time (and sales) will tell, so until then, you may want to keep your trap shut. Full story: The Bitbag
…the full tracklist for Guitar Hero Metallica has been released? The game, which hits streets on March 29th, will feature a slew of the band’s famous tunes, including Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets, Battery, One and The Unforgiven just to name a few. In addition, expect tracks from some of Metallica’s self proclaimed faborite bands including Alice in Chains, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slayer and more. Full story: Metallica
…if you shop at Wal-Mart, sometimes you get nothing but redneck s**t? Apparently, the mass merchant recently sold a copy of Madden 09 to a young customer who come gone to find his brand new (sealed) game disk replaced with a blank disk with the handwritten label, “redneck s**t.” Now, as much as I agree with the sentiment that Wal-Mart is the home to rednecks…and their respective s**t, I’m thinking this was probably not something that happened on purpose. Likely some creative criminal snagged the real disc and swapped it with the fraud. Full story: Consumerist
…new concept art for Star Wars Battlefront III was leaked a few weeks back, and it will BLOW your mind? The latest includes character art for a “Dark Obiwan” that is described as, “…an old man, gnarled by the corruption of the dark side.” Dude! With his craggly beard and creepy yellow eyes, Kenobi looks freaking sweet! Full story: Kotaku
…PSP gamers in Japan can purchase a “carnival colored” version of the device for a limited time? Four bright color versions of the Playstation Portable including “Vibrant Blue,” “Radiant Red,” “Bright Yellow” and “Spirited Green” have been released in limited quantities in Japan. Full story: TechRadar
Tags: Aaron Greenberg, Consumerist, Dark Obiwan Kenobi, Guitar Hero Metallica, Hey Did You Hear..., Japan, Kotaku, Madden 09, Microsoft, News, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, PS3, PSP, Sony, Star Wars Battlefront III, TachRadar, The Bitbag, Wal-Mart, Xbox 360
Gamer News 01.21.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…you can play the NES classic Duck Hunt on the iPhone? There are a few versions, but the one closest to the original is LawMart’s non-Nintendo approved game called “Duck Hunt.” It is available for $.99 in the app store, and provides the same type of game play as the original, but with new controls and without the hunting dog (although LawMart says this is coming soon). I’d say grab this one QUICK before Nintendo puts a kibosh on it. Something tells me Nintendo doesn’t look too kindly on trademark infringement. Check out the app in action at: You Tube
…the latest firmware update for the PSP is now available? The newest update, version 5.0.3, can be downloaded now and is a required update to access the Playstation Store. Full story: Playstation Blog
…Capcom is gearing up to change distributors in Australia? Rumors abound that the gaming giant is swapping from Australian distributer Red Ant to either THQ or Atari. With so many big releases in the hopper for first quarter 09, this seems like a risky time to make that kind of move. Here’s hoping our hardcore gamer readers in Australia don’t see a delay in any of the upcoming Capcom releases as a result. Full story: Gameplayer.au
…Sony is still holding onto hope that the PS3 will (eventually) outsell the Xbox 360? Sony chairman, Kaz Hirai, recently stated that he is confident that the PS3 will outsell the 360 “at the end of the console generation’s cycle.” Um…not to be Debbie Downer here Kaz, but I’m thinking the chances of that happening are slim to done. Xbox has such a huge lead in sales, not to mention a game library that dwarfs the PS3’s offerings. But hey…hold on to that optimism. Full story: Endsights
…MMO gamers in China will soon be forced to use their real names when setting up online gaming accounts? Apparently, China believes that MMOs are so addictive, they are requiring users to register their names and their govertment issued ID code as an “anti-addiction” measure. The new law will apply to all gamers, regarless of age. This is not new news to China. They also have a system that links real names to online IDs and monitors blog commenting and sharing of online media. Can you say bug brother?! Full story: arstechnica
Tags: arstechnica, Atari, Capcom, Duck Hunt, Endsights, Gameplayer, Hey Did You Hear..., Kaz Hirai, LawMart, MMO, MMORPG, NES, News, Playstation 3, Playstation Blog, Playstation Portable, PSP, Red Ant, Sony, THQ, You Tube
Gamer News 01.20.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…you can expect a better crafted story for Doom 4 than in past versions of the game? ID Software has brought in British author, Graham Joyce, to contribute to the storyline for the most recent version of the Doom franchise. Full story: ZD Net
…you can now “play” Streetfighter II online via You Tube? The video is called YouTube Street Fighter, but includes something I haven’t really seen in YouTube before: user-controlled interactivity within a video. REALLY cool. Full story: Destructoid
…you can use your PSP as an extra Windows monitor for your PC? All it takes is the installation of PSPDisp and the connection of your PSP to your computer via USB. Check out a complete tutorial at: Lifehacker
…giving your Xbox 360 WiFi capabilities can be cheap and easy to do? Forget shelling out $90 for an Xbox WiFi dongle. You can get your 360 WiFi ready for as cheap as $50. There is a really helpful step by step guide over at: Gizmodo
…new screenshots for GTA: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS have been released? Check them out at: Nintendoeverything
Tags: Destructoid, Doom 4, Gizmodo, Graham Joyce, GTA: Chinatown Wars, Hey Did You Hear..., iD Software, Lifehacker, News, Nintendo DS, Nintendoeverything, PC, Playstation Portable, PSP, PSPDisp, Sony, Streetfighter II, WiFi, Xbox 360, You Tube, ZD Net
Gamer News 01.14.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…the Wii Rock Band 2 downloadable music story is (finally) open? The store features 20 FREE songs for download and an additional 30 or so songs available for purchase for 200 wii points (about $2/each.) Full story: Wiihotties
…kids in schools will soon be using Nintendo’s Wii Music in the classroom? Nintendo has partnered up with The National Association for Musical Education to bring Wii Music to schools in 51 cities across the US. The game will help kids learn the basics of music like tempo and rhythm. Wait, does that mean kids won’t be forced to play recorder concerts anymore?! Full story: 1Up
…you can make some sweet music with those gaming hands of yours? A dude named Gerry Phillips who claims he’s been making music with his hands for 38 years tackles the Super Mario theme song using only his hands to make little fart-y noises. Now, I’ve posted a lot of funny musical numbers based on games, but this one is certainly the most unique I’ve seen. Check out Gerry in action on You Tube
…the Resident Evil 5 demo will hit US Xbox 360’s later this month for a one week limited download timeframe? The highly-anticipated demo to the even more highly-anticpated sequel will be available for download on Xbox Live on Monday, January 26th. What a great birthday present for KP1gL37! Full story: Nothing But Software
…Sony may have succeeded in creating an unhackable PSP? The most recent PSP that was released on Oct 14, 08 (the PSP-3000) has gone unhacked since its launch. Considering the previous PSP versions were hacked within what seemed like minutes of release, a few months seems like an eternity. Is it possible Sony finally got wise, and found a way to really lock it down? Give it another couple months, and then we can call this one a success. Full story: PSPWorld
Tags: 1Up, demo, Hey Did You Hear..., News, Nintendo Wii, Nothing But Software, Playstation Portable, PSP, PSP 3000, PSPWorld, Resident Evil 5, Rock Band 2, Sony, Super Mario Brothers, Wii Music, Wiihotties, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, You Tube
Gamer News 01.13.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…the officially site for Final Fantasy XIII was launched and it includes new screenshots? Square Enix launched the site that includes art of the main characters including Snow, Lightning and Vanille. Check out the official site at: Square Enix
…the PS3 is dominating Blu Ray player sales? According to recent stats, the PS3 accounts for 70% of all Blu Ray players sold in the US. Honestly, I can’t act too surprised, because if it weren’t for the Blu Ray player, I don’t know that Paco and I would EVER turn on our PS3. Full story: Badassgamer
…casual gamers may soon be getting some online game help via Nintendo? The company recently filed a patent for an in-game system in which users can get help and tips right within their game through an AI character. Creator Shigery Miyamoto says it was created to “keep players from becoming frustrated and giving up on a game.” Ok Nintendo, bring on the landslide of n00bs, as long as they stay on the Wii and away from us hardcore gamers. Full story: IGN
…analysts are predicting a price drop to the Playstation 3 this spring? According to securities analyst Michael Pachter, Sony will likely drop the price of the PS3 from $399 to $299 around April of 2009 to combat less than stellar sales. Now that Sony has found a way to reduce production costs, a price drop seems like a logical next step. Pachter also expects an Xbox 360 Pro price drop down to $249 at or before E3 2009 this June. Full story: Game Daily
…you can have a hand in sending Vice President Dick Chaney back home (to burn in hell)? The folks at Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 have released an addicting and hilarious Falsh game where you can help Chaney navigate his way back to hell, battling skelaton demons and bats along the way. Check it out and enjoy that f*****s not-so-fond farewell at Comedy Central
Tags: 2008 games of the year, Badassgamer, Blu-Ray, Comedy Central, Dick Chaney, Final Fantasy XII, Game Daily, Hey Did You Hear..., IGN, Indecision 2008, News, Nintendo, Playstation 3, PS3, Screenshots, Shigery Miyamoto, Sony, Square Enix, Xbox 360 Pro
Gamer News 01.10.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…a Guitar Hero-esque game is being made for REAL guitars? Disney is working on a product called “Star Guitarist” that features colored guitar strings and frets, and teaches the player the basics of guitar using the same type of game play as Guitar Hero. Full story: Wired
…Sony is dishing out some low-blows to its competitors? Tired of being the punching bag for the console industry because of lackluster sales, Sony started punching back, stating the following in regards to competitors Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii: “…expect the competition to continue peddling add-ons in an effort to keep up with the Jones.” Full story: Edge
…the Gears of War 2 Flashback map packs are now available for purchase on Xbox Live? These maps were included FREE in all new copies of Gears 2, but if you picked up a used copy, and want the maps, they will only set you back 400 MS points (or about $5.) For a great side by side comparison of the maps from Gears 1 vs. the Flashback maps from Gears 2, check out pwnordie
…all of the Burnout Legendary cars were officially announced? I speculated a few weeks ago about what the cars would be, and what famous car they were based on, but now we can say for sure that they are: Jansen 88 Special (the Back to the Future DeLorean), Cavalry Bootlegger (the Duke’s of Hazzard’s General Lee), Manhattan Spirit (the Ghostbusters Ecto-1) and the GT Nighthawk (Knight Rider’s Kit.) Full story: Criterion Games
…Barack Obama will be the first US President to bring video games into the White House? The soon-to-be Commander In Chief bought his girls a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, and is using Wii Sports to improve his horrible bowling game. Glad to see a president who doesn’t just dismiss video games. Because we all know that George Bush didn’t get much use from that DS and Brain Age Nintendo sent him a few years back. Full story: New York Times
Tags: Back to the Future DeLorean, Barack Obama, Brain Age, Burnout Legendary, Burnout Paradise, Criterion Games, Disney, Edge Online, General Lee, George Bush, Ghostbusters Ecto-1, Guitar Hero, Hey Did You Hear..., Kit, New York Times, News, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, President, PS3, Sony, Star Guitarist, Wii Sports, Wired, Xbox 360
Gamer News 01.07.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…gamers are bidding farewell to Electronic Gaming Monthly? Publisher Ziff Davis announced that they are selling their 1Up gaming division to Hearst’s UGO Entertainment division, and the print magazine, EGM, will be the first casualty of the sale. No word yet from UGO on the fate of the other properties that were part of the sale, including 1Up.com, Mycheats.com, GameVideos.com and Gametab.com. Full story: Gamesutra
…Wii Sports has surpassed Super Mario Brothers for the NES as the best selling video game of all time? This is based on recent sales figures from the last week in Dec that place units sold at 40.24 million. Full story and a chart of the 10 best selling games of all time: VG Chartz
…the FTC is getting involved in the whole DRM in video games issue? Thanks in part to the massive consumer backlash surrounding the SecuROM DRM/Spore issue of 2008, the FTC has decided to hold a conference on March 25th in Seattle to discuss DRM in more detail. Read more about the town hall, and how you can participate from the official FTC website.
…the new Laura Croft has been unveiled and she’s smoking hot? Alison Carroll will be the latest model for the infamous adventurer, following in a line of lovely ladies who have held the distinction. Check out a photo gallery of the brunette beauty at buzznewsroom
…next time you are at the airport, you can pick up a handheld game from a vending machine? Best Buy launched vending machines at select airports in the US where you can purchase handheld consoles and games for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. And, unlike everything else at the airport, these vending machines shockingly offer the same prices as regular retail. Full story: 1Up
Tags: 1Up, 1Up.com, Alison Carroll, Best Buy, DRM, EGM, Electronic Gaming Monthly, FTC, GamerTab.com, Gamesutra, GameVideos.com, Hearst, Hey Did You Hear..., Laura Croft, MyCheats.com, NES, News, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Playstation Portable, PSP, SecuROM DRM, Sony, Spore, Super Mario Brothers, UGO Entertainment, vending machine, VG Chartz, Wii Sports, Ziff Davis
Gamer News 12.29.08: Hey, Did You Hear?
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…the gaming industry is primed for world domination (mwah-ha-ha!) in the next 3 years? According to research firm, The Diffusion Group, 190 million households worldwide will own a current-gen console by the year 2012. Full story and more tasty facts: Softpedia
…Sony is taking whatever measures they can to cut costs and try to break even on the PS3? Hurting from the loss they have to take on every unit sold, they recently found a way to cut costs of materials by 35%. That seems like a pretty big cut, considering their current cost is $448.73 per unit. Here’s hoping they don’t just jam it full of crappy parts to save a buck. Full story: Yahoo Tech
…you can expect the next Tony Hawk game to be a more “authentic? skating experience” According to Hawk, they will be “rebuilding the whole game” in order to incorporate motion controls, which has been a much-anticipated feature for fans of the franchise. No word yet on the consoles, but I’m thinking it’s a natural fit for the Wii board. Full story: 1Up
…if you have any burning questions to ask Harmonix co-founder, Alex Rigopulos, he will be taking user questions online at the New York Times blog? Check out his bio, and submit a question on Guitar Hero, Rock Band, or how to build your own video game empire at Freakonomics
…Sony’s virtual environment, Home is going a tad far in the censorship department. In addition to the slew of other bugs users have been complaining about, Home, seems to be a little overzealous on the auto-curse word filter, preventing words including, “gay, lesbian, bisexual, Christ, Jew and hello (…starts with hell.) Full story: San Francisco Chronicle
Tags: 1Up, Alex Rigopulos, Diffusion Group, Freakanomics, Guitar Hero, Harmonix, Hey Did You Hear..., News, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, PS3, Rock Band, Softpedia, Sony, Tony Hawk, Wii board, Xbo360, Yahoo Tech
Proof That Microsoft Stole the Xbox 360 Name From Playstation (Funny!)
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Random Cool Stuff
I found this cartoon online, and can’t stop laughing. I gotta say, he makes a point…
Tags: Funny, Playstation, Random Cool Stuff, Sony, Xbox 360. Microsoft
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
