Sony PS3: More From the Streets

Well folks, as you can see from all our coverage we were very much on top of things. Unfortunately, yesterday I couldn't get all the photos I took up on the site. I still have a couple more from the 1PM to 2PM hour from my Sony, New York line trip. I am sorry I couldn't get them all up at the time, but I will post them now. There were all taken before the dreaded rain fell. I can't imagine how brutal it would have been to be rained on.
There are still some real winners left!

Just a shot of the line just past where the kids did their PS3 salute. I took this one more for the sleeping woman in the middle of the frame. There was a lot of that going on and this was a full ten hours before people got in.

Stepped across the street (55th, north side, between 5th and Madison) to make sure I got some scale shots. This shot was not sufficient so I moved down the corner (photo posted in earlier entry) As you can see it was a real tent city. All I could think about was Mad Max or some other 1980's post-apocalyptic movie.


Depth shot from the end of the lucky "400" section. The dude in the middle, (who you can't see) said that he was number 400. Not sure if he actually got a PS3 but everyone in this section claims to have been eligible. Interesting. I hope they had their tarp put up or this group of people were hosed!

It was love at first sight! These two were by far my two favorite guys on the whole line! My buddy with the laptop told me that was his college laptop. I asked them both about the fact that perhaps they may not get a PS3 and he smiled and said "It doesn't matter if I don't get my PS3, its still going to be a party right?" God bless them both. I heard from some folks who went to the bash that they saw my boys later in the evening and they were soaked! Poor bastards! Here is hoping they at least got one PS3.


The media was starting to filter in even at two in the afternoon. I don't know who this crew was but the kid in the middle was interviewing the long-hair about his PS3 line spot. My main man on line was in the front so he was in good shape to ensure that he got his hands on one.


Waiting on line for the PS3 doesn't have to be a miserable existence of bad food, throw-away sleeping bags and make shift tents. These guys show it can be about fashion. These guys are decked out in their hottest gear. We have Rocca-wear, slick baseball caps and stylish jeans. Way to go boys! Have to bring up the fashion sense of gamers up, one gamer at a time!

Trying to find away to past the time, the front of line crew engages in what looks like Uno! I love the game myself, its a real winner. This group is a real contrast in styles from our finely threaded crew in the photo before.

As reported in the first round of photos, Sony was very gracious to the line waiters. They had a whole slew of food. From what I saw, they were setting up carts and filling them with food. I mean even I got a cup-o-joe from them!
Hmm, one of these kids isn't like the others. My main man mod in the middle is looking rather different from the crew around him.


This was Sony's advertising window for the PS3. It was all spacey and futuristic! I just didn't get the whole thing with blue people and legs dangling? Sony has not done the best job with its ads and they aren't doing it with their windows either. Just too weird.

Anyway folks, thats all I got from the event. I know I dropped a lot of photos down, but what the heck? Its the PS3 launch right? There should be a ton of coverage! If anyone has any stories please do not hesitate to post them!

Sony PS3: On the Streets

Matt Stone (of South Park fame) and Bill Gates look-a-likes rocking out on the PS3 line. (I kid, these two guys were awesome!)

The news from the streets is that people are online for their PlayStation3's EVERYWHERE. Every major technology blog has photos and reports from the streets. Personally I think its a little out of control! Sure, Sony is getting a lot of publicity out of it, but I just can't believe that people are on the streets camping for days and hour to try and get one of these things.

Sure, I have the luxury of working for a gaming news site that allows me to get a chance to play the thing. And yes it is cool, but is it cool enough to go out and sit on the street for? I mean, its only a little bit better than an XBox 360 right?

All this means of course that I have to go down to the Sony store and take pictures of people myself!

First off, Game Daily/AOL Games is not far from the Sony store on 55th and Madison here in Manhattan, New York City. So I mosey on down there and the first thing I see is a bunch of people stare at NBA2K7

For anyone who doesn't know, thats the Sony store. The lady on the right not so into the scene.

Next thing, I am just walking down the block on my hunt for the front of the line! Its underneath all these brown columns and the kids are starting to look pretty grim.

These guys don't really look like gamers? Ah well, to each their own.

Next thing I do is head around the corner to get a feel for the scope of this line. I can tell already the thing is out of control!

While Sony appears to have dropped the ball on a ton of this launch, they have been very gracious to the kids on line. They have been bringing out coffee, donuts and sandwiches pretty regularly. Not bad, not bad at all.

This is a shot of the PS3 line just out from underneath the awning of the Sony building. They are all getting prepared for the possible rain that was coming. As I was turning the corner a fresh set of tarp was being fastened to the barriers. These people are very serious about their PS3

This guy his name is John, he was my main man with regards to the hygiene status of the line. He let me know that they used the bathrooms within the Sony building atrium and the Apple Store. The Apple store is about 2 blocks away. It looks like John needed to hit the road just as I snapped this one.

Not everyone was happy with my being there. They sort of knew that I was just fooling around with their hardcore gamer status. My boy here throws me the finger. Maybe he was just pissed the the New York Giants lost this week? Also, there were some sketchy cats there, I mean, look at the guy with the garbage bag on his head? What is up?

After getting the single finger salute, I ask the gamers for their "I got the PS3" victory cheer. Without a prompt from me, everyone went to the three finger "wess-siide" gangsta hand signal. Good for them! I loved every second of it. Hey, look at that! Garbage bag head man woke up for that one.


One thing I knew was important was to make sure I got a shot inside the tents. These makeshift homes were housing our super gamer groups.
You can sort of see how far this thing goes. It was about a half a block long and people were just hanging out in there. Thing is, after a couple days, what kind of funk was going on?

I was really in there with the gamers when I realized all these in close photos aren't going to give anyone the scale of how many people there were out there. This shot is from 55th street on the corner of 5th avenue looking down towards Madison avenue. If you can see down on the left side of the picture there brown building with the curved glass portion, that is the Sony building. If you can see the square columns on the far corner, people are under those things waiting to get in. That is where the front of the line is. Full disclose, the line actually goes a few feet past where the picture is taken from and was starting down Fifth avenue. CRAZY!
Like I was saying, this line went around to Fifth avenue. All these people here were the people that had arrived today in the morning. No one here had any guarantees that they were going to get PS3. They were just on the line hoping....


These people were the "Mr and Ms. Irrelevant" of the line at 2PM. For those of you who don't know what that means, in the NFL draft, Mr. Irrelevant is the last man drafted. These two really had a lot of hope. I didn't have the heart to tell them there weren't one of the chosen "400"

Here is the summary of my trip on the line for PS3. People seemed in good spirits and the people I talked to were gamers who were planning to keep the machines if they got them. While the very front of the line didn't seem like a legitimate group of gamers the vast majority were the hardcore. I was quite happy talking to the group and everyone was very friendly. Everyone did have the same complaints; 1. People were concerned with people jumping the line. Many perceived that they were getting hosed by line jumping. 2. Folks were lacking information. They didn't seem to know what the cutoff point was and everyone seemed to believe they were in the blessed "400" Everyone pressed me if I knew what the process was going be and what Sony's party line was. I just didn't have information for them.

I have a few more pictures and I will add them later.

Nintendo Wii: Baby Steps

Well well, one for the Wii too.

First thing you notice about the Nintendo Wii, is that it is SMALL especially when sitting next to the PS3 (like it was in the AOL video game room. Yes, we have one of those) Honestly, its not much bigger than a PS2. But instead of the foreboding black of the PS3, Nintendo goes for white. If console looks could have a mood, the Wii looks like a happy device while the PS3 is the Death Star.

In contrast to the PS3 set up, the Nintendo Wii was SIMPLE to set up.(From what I was able to view) Full disclosure, the system had been set up at someones apartment already so it is possible that there was some aches and pains, but I didn't see any.
The Wii dashboard console is really clean and easy to navigate. The icons on the screen are large and navigation is a cinch. Once you get used to the Wiimote pointer your pretty much able to navigate, no problemo!
Of course, everyone wants to hear about the Wiimote; the thing is cool! Initially you have to get used to moving it around and navigating. Once you do point it at the screen you get the hang of it and your able to move through menus relatively fast. I for one had trouble initially as when you are aiming off the screen, there is no cursor to tell you that you're lost. Its a pretty significant problem and one I am sure Nintendo will address. (They seem like a smart bunch) Also, the cursor feels a little jumpy at first. These are all minor complaints as the innovation of trying something new takes over.

The thing I noticed first while watching people play, is the whole concept of people standing to play video games. Not since arcade stand up boxes can I remember people standing up to play video games (Yes, yes, demo kiosks but they suck) The whole experience is different. There is a sense when you initially see games being played that everything has just changed. Everything that was once one way has changed. Not that I am gushing over the thing, just that its a totally new way to interact with games. From that stand point its very cool.

Playing the games is a different experience. I played only the Wii Sports titles. They games are essentially demos for the Wiimote. All the games are very stripped down and emphasis is placed on using the Wiimote. In my limited playing time it was pretty easy to get the hang of the thing. Also, there feels as though there is a whole world of options. Once you feel confident of doing things one way, you start experimenting with different attempts at playing the games. For instance, with tennis your instincts tell you to swing in a natural motion and just meet the ball, however once you get the hang of that, you start trying to perform lobs and smashes. Everything feels like a learning experience with regards to the actions of the Wiimote. I really like having that sense of exploration within the game play. Too often games are locked into certain game play modes and the Wiimote has changed that. I am excited to see what Nintendo can do of in a larger sense what the gaming powers do.

With all that said, it is not perfect. You do have to move around and do some practicing before get a handle on the controls. There is a learning curve with the device in ones hands that isn't ordinary. Also, I found the light weight of the Wiimote to be tough to deal with. I think that is a personal preference and maybe Nintendo will sell different types of Wiimotes over time. Truthfully after playing baseball and golf, my should hurts! Now, I am not in the most perfect of health, but that seems strange. Nintendo better be ready for some frivolous lawsuits for knuckle heads who hurt themselves.

Overall its been a really fun day to be working. New consoles and new ways to play video games! We would love it if you all would post your first impressions of the Wii. Head down to a store display or the Nintendo World store here in Rockerfeller Center. Play, enjoy and tell us about it!

Hands On PS3

Hey gang,  haven't been sitting at my desk much as I have been having a little hands on fun with the PS3 and the Wii.

First off,  what the things look like:

The PS3 is a big beautiful black box.  Its a monolith to gaming.  It is a really imposing device that just begs to be stared at.  Its pretty big and the on/off buttons are non-raised hot spots on the device. 

One funny thing I noticed is that the font on the name "Play Station 3" is exactly the same as the "Spider Man" movie franchise.  Yes,  its a Sony movie but still?  Its totally lifted!  Not a big deal,  but funny.  I know we've all seen the thing,  but I thought I would give my little view also.

So we turn it on,  and put Resistance: Fall of Man in the console.  Putting a disk in is a pretty strange, it seems a little forced and you really have to feed the thing,  there is no tray or anything.  You take your disk and stuff it in the behemoths mouth. 

Next task,  is setting the thing up. The loading screens come on and you can tell you are playing with power.  The screens look great,  the sound is load and the thing is just imposing.  

There is a lot of settings to get going.  There are tons of options and lots of menus to shift through before you play. I am one of those people who just WANTS TO PLAY.  Also,  you need to update the software and this and that.  All in all,  before being able to actually play R:FoM we had to go through,  I would say,  15 to 20 minutes of hoop jumping before you started.
Game was gorgeous,  fun and looked great.  There was some load time issues,  but nothing to really complain about. 

Once the thing is set up the first time,  its not so tough to move through things.  Playing our second game,  NBA2K7,  we popped it in the monster and got going.  Really fun game!  Enjoyed it a ton and the game just looked amazing.  Lots of little things.  Some of our veteran gaming dudes said it looked a lot like Xbox 360.  I think that is going to be a common refrain.  The XBox 360 is powerful little guy and can hold its own with Sony.  Its been really fun and there is an air of Christmas  morning in the  air.

So folks who actually is going to get a PS3 on Friday?  Ifyou get one,  you should TOTALLY tell us your stories and impressions!  We want to here them.

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

Back and NEWS

Been away for four days in Mexico!  Boy is it nice there!  I had never been to Baja California and I found it to be wonderful.  What a place!  If you have the chance you should head down to Los Cabos! 

News,  ok!  I am on it.

A sure fire indication that the WAR IS ON,  the wikipedia entries for both the Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii have been closed due to vandalism.  Looks like fan-boys for both have been editing the entries with classics like "NINTENDO SUX" or "SONY BLOWS!"  Ah competition, ain't it grand!

Nintendo Wii again is gaining positive momentum with the non-gamer press:
Time Magazing is in.
Gizmodo is in
Forbes is in
Thats a ton of ringing in endorsements.  I think the Wii is going to better than people expect.  Think about it?  The non-gamer community is a hell of a lot bigger than the gamer community.  Appealing to them is a sure fire way to make boatloads of cash.

Side by side comparisons on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 of Ridge Racer show that maybe the Xbox 360 is pretty good!  Sure this is just one game,  and sure it may be a matter of the developers not having time to exploit the power of the PS3 but this is not good for PS3.  Sony's claim has been that it has the superior machine the thing is,  things like this show that maybe,  JUST maybe,  it isn't THAT much better. 

Right now,  there are just tons of PS3 and Wii coverage.  I can't even manage to cover it all.  I am sure it all sift out in the end.  Enjoy.

Launch titles Must Have: PS3 and Wii

Well kids here in the supreme headquarters of AOL games we were kicking around what we think are going to be the best titles available on release day for the two bright,  shiny and new Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii. 

We came up with a trifecta for each console.  Three games that will be sure to blow everyone away. These are the games that will make their buyers happy that they were one of the few, proud and rich who were able to get their hands on one of the new consoles.

First off the much-maligned Sony PlayStation 3 games.

1.  Resistance: Fall of Man.  This first-persons hooter looks like it might have it all; a cool story and vivid graphics.  The game is set in an alternative history in which there was no World War II or Great Depression.  The world is a VERY different place and you of course, have to save the world!  The killer component of the game is the planned 40 person online portion. This could make for some CRAZY tournaments.

2.  Call of Duty 3.  Another first-person shooter but this one set in good old familiar surroundings of World War II.  This release of the game aims to really push the limit of PS3 capabilities and lots of new goodies have been added to the popular game.  Different ways to go about the mission with a wee bit less scripting that occurred in the past. There will also be team-based multiplayer aspect to the game which is great!

3.  Tony Hawk Project 8  The eight installment of this wonderful game is goingto feature a HUGE giant city to skate in.  All parts of the city will be connected.  Lastly, a new feature to create your own moves has been added.  Seems unbelievable but it is there! 

If you buy a PS3 and don't get these games, you’re wasting your money.  There are reasons to buy next-generation consoles and these three games are the reason.  They offer superior graphics and push the gaming experience to the next level. Well, what are you doing?  GO BUY THEM!

Ah the cute little Wii, while its games can't match the graphical quality of the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3, they can make it up with FUN.  And for that, Nintendo is the place to go.  Here are our choices for the Wii.

1.  The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess  We all know and love Link and his super adventures.  This installment of the Zelda series is receiving wildly positive reviews.  Part of the reason for that is the wonderful immersion into the games story line and the new Wiimote controller.  Reports of swinging the Wiimote about in a sword fight are warranted.  You are into the game and fighting the bosses.  Hell how could that not be a good time!

2.  Wii Sports  Is the reason you buy a Nintendo Wii.  These games were all designed with the innovative controller in mind.  You'll be able to bowl, swing a bat, drive for the fare way or slam down that overhead smash in 5 different sport games.  This is the sort of game you put on when your pals are over and just have a good time!  If you haven't seen the ads for these games you should   They are pretty funny!  They are videos of people playing the games swing about and giggling!

3. Super Mario Galaxy  I mean really?  Did you think a Nintendo console would come out with our favorite Italian plumber not making an appearance?  This time our boy Mario is traveling to outer space to find his long lost Princess.  Nintendo aims to put full use of the Wiimote in this title to bring a totally unique game play experience to Mario.  Personally I am fascinated with the Wiimote and I think it’s really cool that Nintendo saw an opportunity and is trying to change the game.  Should be interesting to see Mario running around and people at home having to run around with him!

Well, Nintendo fans?  This is it! These are the games that put to full use the innovation that the Wiimote brings.  If you don't get these games, you might as well keep playing with your GameCube!

 

News, news and more news.

Ok ok.  here goes nothing.

Joystiq has some Halo 3 news and maps.  The kids love this game and so does everyone else.  The trickle of news thats around now,  is going to become a stream and then a wave as we move closer to the sucker coming out.  Halo is one crazy baddass game!  Movie or no movie.

The founder of Atari,  and Chucky Cheeze, Nolan Bushnell says that Sony is not nice and they are going to get smoked.  Well,  not like I haven't said that a few times.  But this is coming from someone who actually knows what they are talking about.  ITS ABOUT SOFTWARE STUPID!

Tecmo software developer is being charged with sexual harassment.  Well if you've seen his Dead Or Alive games you can tell what he's into.  Doesn't suprise me,  the dude seems like a bit of sleeze hound.  I mean,  dude,  you're a programmer! Get over yourself!

Kotaku has good information on everyones favorite elf in the world.  Good old Link is up to his old antics in Zelda: Twillight Princess.  Read all about there view.  Good stuff and very informative.  Fun times ahead FO SUR!

Podcast information posted on the old Evil Avatar, SCWEET!  Anyway,  listed here are the titles to be available on the sassy new Xbox Live console.

Ok gang,  thats all I got for now.  Rock on!

 

Released This Week!

Sorry for the delay folks.  These games were released yesterday in the USA!

Nintendo DS:
- Barbie: 12 Dancing Princesses
- Bomberman Land Touch!
- Chicken Little: Ace in Action
- Digimon World DS
- Elite Beat Agents
- My Frogger: Toy Trials
- Tom and Jerry Tales
- Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Freefall
- Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex

PlayStation 2:
- Call of Duty 3
- Chicken Little: Ace in Action
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
- Guitar Hero 2
- Hard Rock Casino
- Sega Genesis Collection
- SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Combined Assault
- The Sopranos: Road to Respect
- Suzuki Superbikes
- Tony Hawk's Project 8

Xbox 360:
- Blitz: The League
- Call of Duty 3
- Gears of War
- History Channel: Civil War
- Tony Hawk's Project 8
- Viva Pinata
- World Championship Poker: All In

Xbox:
- Call of Duty 3
- Tony Hawk's Project 8

Game Boy Advance:
- Final Fantasy V Advance
- Polarium Advance
- The Sims 2: Pets
- Tom and Jerry Tales
- Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex

PlayStation Portable:
- BattleZone
- Hard Rock Casino
- Lumines II
- Reel Fishing: The Great Outdoors
- SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo 2
- Tony Hawk's Project 8

PC:
- 1701 A.D.
- Deal or No Deal
- The Fifth Disciple
- Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2007
- Left Behind: Eternal Forces
- Great Invasions
- Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
- Patriots: A Nation Under Fire
- The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
- The Sims 2: Holiday Edition
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent

The News

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Wow gang! It has been a while since I strictly posted about the news.  Here goes!

Microsoft has announced they will be offering downloadable television and movies via X Box Live.  This my friends is big news!  As you may have known,  I mentioned this is one of my first posts.  Microsoft subsidized its X Box and now has consoles in peoples homes.  They are going to be taking on Apple and the juggernaught of iTunes on this one.  Its going to get really interesting, really soon!  Full disclosure,  the X Box 360 does not have a hard drive built in,  while the PS3 does.

The Nintendo DS has been nominated as one of the gadgets of the year! WOO HOO!  I don't have one but the kids tell me its a really good time.  Its cute and all,  but I still see more people playing PSP on the train than anything else?  Maybe its just that the PSP is huge?

Oh,  this just in.  Guitar Hero is cool.  Seems rockstars play video games too!  Why do you know!  Its always funny when major news outlets get the news and write these sorts of pieces.  Makes me laugh!

I love that Joystiq does this with reviews!  They do the metareview of games.  Instead of writing their own,  they simply compile everyone elses! This one is for Gears Of War
Everyone seems to love this game and think it may be the Killer App the old X Box 360 needs to hang until the Halo 3 comes.  Good times!

Europeans are still reeling from not getting there PS3's and now Sony essentially admits they dropped the ball
They just couldn't product those CRAZY blue lasers!

Here is Joystiq's follow up on the retracted Neverwinter Nights review from 1up.com I talked to some of the kids here and they seem to believe you gotta leave it up. You don't have to explain yourself.  Its just the way it goes.  Sure it was a bad review and maybe the editors shouldn't have let the guy review it,  but your a major online publication.  STAND BY YOUR WRITER!

Games Community Blog

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Rocket launch? Or site launch.

I am happy to announce that AOL Games is launching a new community gaming platform.  This platform is just the beginning of  larger changes that are in the pipeline for AOL Games.  In this first installment,  a handful of our games will have a chat feature wrapped around the game play.

This will allow you to talk to a friend, or make new friends while playing your favorite online games. We want to make our games site the best and most fun gaming experience on the web so feel free to drop me a line,  give me your comments or just tell me what's on your mind. 

Your feedback is welcome!

 

Marathon Man

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For you my regular readers looking for an update to things, I have to say I am sorry.  I out of the office today trying to recover from my running of the NYC Marathon!  For some reason today, video game news just isn't as important.  Let me tell you folks, running a marathon is not easy!  My body is sore and I can barely walk today.  I am proud of having worked hard enough to complete the arduous journey through New York Cities Five-Boroughs but it was hard.  I broke down a couple of times after mile 20. 

They do say that, that is usually where the "Wall" is, and when you hit it, you hit it hard.  I was only able to continue because my older sister was volunteering at the medical services tent and saw me.  She told me to keep going when I was nearly in tears and ran with me while I walked my energy back up to a normal state.  The last six miles of the race took me an hour and half, where I had been running probably ten minute miles for most of the race, I couldn't sustain the pace. I limped across the finish line at a respectable 5 hours and 17 minutes!  Let me tell you folks, I’ll take it! 

For those of you who have never witnessed 37,000 people running it’s amazing.  There is so much camaraderie among the runners and you sort of feel like animals on migration.  We'll all moving along; trying to keep focused and hope we don't die in the end.   The streets of New York and filled with people cheering and trying to find a glimpse of the one person they may know with the madness in their mind to run the thing.  I was lucky enough to have people along the way that cheered me on, I really needed it.  My girlfriend,  mom, dad (who flew in from France), my family, friends and thousands of New Yorkers cheered me on the whole way (I helped by having "Go Go, Larry" on my shirt)  I tell there is no way I could have done it without every single one of those voices cheering me on.  It really is a wonder to have support.  There seems to be a level of awe and admiration for the lunacy that goes into running a marathon.  The overwhelming feeling is one of pride.  People who don't even know you are just proud to see you go passed.  It’s very cool!  However, as I have said a few times already.  It is very hard and requires a level of commitment and discipline that I somehow managed to tap into.  I think I was mostly afraid that if I wasn't ready, I wouldn't be able to finish.

Anyway, sorry that this isn't much of a games talk entry, but I just wanted to share my personal experience.

 

 

Some games to play.

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Instead of adding the news right away,  I thought I would talk about some games that I have tracked down on the web that I enjoy playing.
A fella who tracked all the top Digg games compiled them and made a little website where you can go to play them.
The site is:
http://www.games1.org/

There are about 25-30 games listed and they vary from style.  Some are just simply play around games where you just simply swing around and have fun while others are more in the video game style

My favorite right now is:


Poom
Basically,  all you do is bounce a ball on a platform and try and keep it in the air.  It sounds pretty simply until you start doing the thing!  There are different types of tiles that affect the bounce of the ball in different ways.  Holy cow!  What a fun game and a wonderful time waster! (This is what I get to do at my job!) The trick I see so far is to of course follow the shadow of the ball, which is how you know where it is,  and to keep using the booster tile.
I really recommend it!

Just one more for now.
The other game I really enjoy is a quick strategy game that is similar to the old game Risk,  this one is called


Dice Wars
This is pretty simple version of Risk with 2-7 opponents.  The more opponents you have have the more difficult the game is.  You just click your territory, then an opponents and the dice roll.  The player with the higher number takes the territory.  So much fun and simply execution.
Let me know if you have any games that you really enjoy and if they are available I'll try and have them added to AOL games.

Today's News

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Ok,  trying to stay with it,  things are a little boring....

Is the Nintendo Wii more powerful than originally stated?
The Kotaku crew deal with the rumors.  I read somewhere else,  that this is indeed just a rumor.

1Up does a wonderful job of summing up all the Halo 3 revelations
This is a nice aggregation of the news regarding the most popular shooter on the web.  The kids love it and so do I.

My fine friends and GameDaily Biz have a nice consumer warning piece regarding the PS3 With so few being available,  the console is ripe for scammers to try and grab at peoples purse strings who were unable to get the rare device.

Leave to the BBC to send a non-gamer to try the Wii
The report is an interesting look at how consoles play in the hands of an amateur.  Wow,  big surprise in that a woman enjoys the story of a game!

Rarely if ever do the words "Gaming" and "The New Yorker" meet,  but in this bio of Will Wright, they do.  If you don't know who Will Wright is,  its ok,  neither did I,  but to put it into perspective,  he created "The Sims",  worked on "SimCity" and was one of the founders of Maxis games.
 

Very late news.

Link Back To Game Talk

Sorry gang,  I am just going to throw down some headlines with my little blubs. 

Here goes.

Wii Virtual Console Lineup Unveiled  from 1Up!

Very cool.  I don't have one of the newer machines but the idea of downloading games is just cool to me.  I mean think about it,  you do it before you go to bed and wake up with games.  Its like Christmas everyday!

Sony: 40 Downloadable PS3 Games In Development from Gamesutra

This is good news for Sony.  They need all the help they can get.  Sony has simply taken a beating in the last few months and any and all good news is welcome.  Now,  if they could only find somone to produce those missing components!

Wii vs. Gamecube Screenshot Comparisons from Kotuku

Is the Wii a GameCube 2.0?  Sure looks like it.  The graphics in the images are marginal upgrades, just a bit of smoothing out of the corners.  Will it be enough for the Wii? 

Metareview - Final Fantasy XII (PS2 ) From Joystiq

In this the 12th enstallment of the Final Fantasy (12 huh? why use the word "Final") The reviews are strong.  I'm surely not going to tell you what the ratings are,  you'll have to look for your self.

Games Releases

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Games Released TODAY!

 

Nintendo DS:
- Chicken Little: Ace in Action
- Children of Mana
- Konductra
- Nacho Libre
- Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City
- Pokemon Ranger
- Scurge: Hive
- The Sims 2: Pets
- That's So Raven: Psychic on the Scene
- Tom and Jerry Tales

PlayStation 2:
- ATV Offroad Fury 4
- Drive to Survive
- Final Fantasy XII
- Need for Speed Carbon
- Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures in the Land of Dreams
- Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit

Xbox 360:
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon
- FIFA 07
- Need for Speed Carbon
- World Championship Poker: All In

Game Boy Advance:
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
- Need for Speed Carbon
- Scurge: Hive
- Tom and Jerry Tales

GameCube:
- Need for Speed Carbon

PlayStation Portable:
- BattleZone
- Death Jr. 2: Root of Evil
- Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony
- Every Extend Extra
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
- Killzone: Liberation
- Lumines II
- Mind Quiz
- Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City
- Power Stone Collection
- Reel Fishing: Life & Nature
- Rush

Xbox:
- Drive to Survive
- Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007
- Need for Speed Carbon
- Ultimate Pro Pinball
PC:
- 1701 A.D.
- Captain Blood
- D.I.R.T.: Origin of the Species
- Jewel Quest Solitaire
- Need for Speed Carbon
- Neverwinter Nights 2
- Panzer Command
- Scrabble 2007
- The Secret Files: Tunguska
- Snoopy vs. The Red Baron
- UFO Extraterrestrials
- Ultima Online 9th Anniversary Collection

You Wanna Fight? PS3 vs. All Comers.

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Yesterday GameDailyBiz's James Brightman opined that the Sony's PlayStation3 will "not lose next-generation war" He mentioned all these reasons it won't lose even in the face of a disastrous last few months.

While this is a good piece and James is a good guy (I had lunch with him today) he is wrong.  Sony is going to fail and fail badly.   I am going to counter point his points and chime in myself.

His main reasons are as follows;
1.  The Brand.  Sony has the market with its old console the PS2 and people don't like change.
2.  Microsoft Squandered its Lead.  He says MS Xbox 360 has been out and should have smoked PS3 and didn't.  He indicates it’s because there are not many killer games (like Halo 3)
3. Japan is Ripe For the Taking.  Basically, Mr. Brightman believes that it was Microsoft's job to kick the tail off Sony and they haven't done it.  Finally, that the winner will need to control all international markets. (Asia, Europe and US)
4.  Blu-Ray Will Matter.  On top of the console wars there is a battle of formats for the high end DVD.  Blu-ray is Sony's entry and will be packaged with PS3. 
5. Free Online. Xbox Live is a subscription service offered by MS while Sony's offering will be free.  The contention is that people will flock to the free stuff.

 
Nice fun video of them all fighting (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft)



1. The Brand.  Yes, it’s Sony and yes everyone already owns a PS2.  So what?  Microsoft and Nintendo AREN'T big brands?  I don'tunderstand why James thinks this will make a difference.  We are talking about companies whose names are synonymous with computing, gaming and entertainment.
In the case of Nintendo, it could be argued that they have the bigger brand as they produce gaming devices and ONLY gaming devices.  Nintendo MEANS games!  I mean, Who remembers the first Sony video game they played?  Everyone remembers Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.  Nintendo wins this category HANDS DOWN.

2. Microsoft Squandered Its Lead.
and 3. Japan Is Ripe For the Taking
 Oh did it?  How can anyone say they had a lead when they were the third group into the gaming space behind Nintendo and Sony?  They are laying the ground work with their consoles and are getting better. Look, compared to the US, Japan is nothing.  If Japan were such a big deal then why would Sony be cutting the number of consoles on launch day to 80,000 compared to the US 400,000?  It's not that big a deal after all is it?  Oh and what about Europe?  Oh that’s right; Sony isn't even SHIPPING TO Europe at launch.  This is a big shopping season and when people go to the stores DON'T find their precious PS3 they are going to buy something else.  Sony is leaving people no other choice but to buy an Xbox 360 or a Wii.
More on Japan, Nintendo will still throw down with its cut price Wii and innovative design.  Additionally, the Nintendo DS is a killer little hand-held for a cheap price.  Sony is going to face sever shortages and leave the original gaming top dog, Nintendo there reap the benefits of their mistakes.  Sony is probably in the weakest position in years. 

4. Blu-Ray Will Matter Umm, how about this?  No it won't.  There are already devices being made that will play both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray so that little exclusive is out the window.  As for the space on the actual disks, what’s the big deal if you have to use more than one disk?  Wasn't it Sony who taught us that a game can be on more than one disk?  I am sure the HD-DVD will have plenty of room for good games.  Good games aren't about length, or ABSURD graphics, they are about being playable and fun.  It will be the rare game that utilizes all that disk space.  Also, whose to say that games simply won't be downloaded on to some expandable hard rive anyway?  Blue-Ray won't matter.  Do you see Nintendo worried about it?  They know a thing or two about consoles.

5.  Free Online People are used to paying online and don't mind it.  Xbox Live already has 4,000,000 subscribers and is working for them.  Also, Sony may say its going to free for now, but THERE IS NO WAY, it will stay free.  The way things are today, no company offers things for free.  It will be loaded with some sort of revenue generating system.  It will either be pay for play or micro-transactions.  The fact is Sony has said a lot of things during the development of the PS3 and been unable to deliver.  While I am sure there online component will start free, they will find that it simply is not feasible.  Sony will toe the line and charge for its online component eventually that and it will never be able to catch up with Microsoft in this regard. 

 

My Conclusions

Listen folks, I am no insider, nor am I a crazy gamer nerd.  I am just a regular guy who likes games, sports and his momma.  From everything I have read, Sony is in deep trouble.  The overall health of the company has a direct affect on how they conduct business.  Sony will not be able to back it next-generation console until it gets out of its exploding battery mess and production issues.  It’s very difficult to win a war when you simply do not have the consoles available for people to buy?  Sony will not be able to market its devices nor will it be able to cut its prices for years to come.  Just what will Sony do if for instance, Microsoft cuts the price of the Xbox?  Or Nintendo lowers theirs?  Sony’s PS3 is listed at SIX-HUNDRED DOLLARS!  That friends is a hell of a lot of cash, think about it?  If you are one of the blessed souls who gets a PS3 and then buys say 2 games?  You know how much you are throwing down? Close to a GRAND! FOR A FREAKING GAME SYSTEM!  No way, Sony is going down and going down hard.

Guess What Folks? Thats the News

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Whew, gang,  I just have to get you all an update on weekend news!  I am failing my loyal readers!

There is Halo 3 news.  Some crazy Swedish magazine has some information on the game the world is waiting for.   Eurogamer had the information which we thank them for.  Of course all this news is very preliminary so I imagine it will change tons before we even get anything resembling real details.

GameDaily's own,  James Brightman (I actually know this guy!) drops is opinion down on the Sony' PS3.  To sum up,  HE BELIEVES IN SONY! 

More day to day news.  Microsoft has announced that it will be upgrading its Xbox Live dashboard.  What that means is that they are making it cooler and it can support more stuff.  They put in a ton of fixes and hopefully everything will be running smoothly for all your wacky Xbox Live kids.

Kotaku super-mole at Best Buy is dropping k-razy k-knowledge on the Wii/PS3 pre-order scene at the mega-electronics retailer.  Apparantly there are going to be tons of Wii available as in the hundreds per store,  while the PS3 is no where to be found.  In fact,  shockingly, Best Buy hadn't even placed an order for the Sony PS3's yet.  To me,  thats just crazy!  How can Sony expect to sell PS3 if the bigger retailers don't have it.  Sure,  its a rumor,  but its a good rumor!

Business news!  Evil Avatar  posted a link to the Mecury News talking about the new console wars.  The article sums up the financials on the big three (Song, Microsoft and Nintendo)  in detail.  The article also covers some of the stuff we're been posting about for a few days.  1.  Sony is hemorraging money, 2. Nintendo is doing well,  3.  Microsoft is making progress but not at the speed it would like to.  Interestingstuff as the business stuff can sometimes foreshadow what goes on in gaming.

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

Nintendo Wii Talk.

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Well, I am trying to experiment with something that I think you all will appreciate. I am going to try and move the Nintendo Wii conversation to my blog.  Fret not I will not stop you from going to the message board,  you'll be able to link to it from here

Nintendo Wii AOL Message Board

However,  I think there are advantages to this system.

1.  You can receive alerts as to when someone makes a post.
2. The conversation is alive and not buried in the message board. 
3. The conversation will be in one place and we'll be able to edit the conversation as we go along.
4.  Blogs are the future and message boards are the past and we want to move forward

I'll keep this blog going and up date it with Wii specific content that I gleam from my various sources.  (Honestly,  mostly Joystiq)

UPDATE 11/1/2006

DFC states the obvious: Wii needs to be more than a fad

Comparing the Virtual Console launch by region

Presumably what you'll look like playing Zelda on Wii

Watch the Wii get undressed

Nintendo: 4 million Wiis shipping by plane, train and automobile

Wii launch window: 32 Wii games, 30 VC games

Nintendo's stock price since July 2004 (it's increasing)

UPDATE 10/30/2006

Rumor: Enhanced DVD-capable Wii coming in '07

IGN Previews Wii Interface

Nintendo Appears To Retired Folks

There Will Be Enought Wii For Everyone, say Nintendo World Store Manager

LAST WEEK

Wii's a Babe Magnet

The Economist Likes Nintendo

Hand On With the Wii Controller

Wii Pre-Orders At Toys R Us

Wii's LiveMove is Cool

So please feel free to post your comments here or on the old message board.  And let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks for participating.

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

 

Late News.

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The kids at Kotaku are less than stoked about how the Nintendo Wii actually plays.  I have been pretty gung ho about the thing,  but now I am nervous.  I think honestly until people get their hands on the thing,  no one is going to know.  It should be make for an interesting launch.

The Xbox 360 title Gears Of War got a KRIZZZAAAY party launch  The kids at Joystiq sum it up pretty good, but I have linked to the full version of the story.

The British have announced their favorite games of the year,  in the Golden Joystick Awards.  As they say when the NY Lottery winners are announced, "Congradulations to all you winners!"  Hooray!

I like this story because its in The Economist.  Its about Nintendo and how they are on the rise.  The money is pouring in from the DS and the possibilities of the Wii.  Ah the Economist!  If you wear tweed and have leather patches on your sleeves,  the Econ is your mag!

More politics!  Here is a proposed law to block kids from buying violent games.  Its a local story for Washington DC but really?  You think its video games?  Maybe its the crack and guns on the street!

Anyway,  thats it for the weekend.  See ya'll on Monday. I love you,  I love you all,  equally,  but different.

 

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

The later news.

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More News,

Sid Meyer's Railroads is out as a demo  This is a good thing!  Historically,  Meyer's work has been supream.  He makes good games and thats why his name appears on them.  When you look at the list of games he had a hand in you notice that as a game player of several years,  Sid Meyer owes you some years back to your life!

Those crazy Wal-mart people are at it again!  They just think they can do anything they want.  This time they are selling Guitar Hero 2 EARLY!  Holy moly! If I could get over to Arkanas now,  I would buy the game myself.  Jeez, THE NERVE!

In what might be the greatest feature EVER!  We have ""50 Worst Game Names Ever" This list is so good,  that if you don't laugh at it,  I think you just might suck!

Pretty cool little story that follows up on the girl gamer things,  apparantly there are more ladies on line playing MMOG (massively multi-player) then men! Cheers to Kotaku via MSN.

Very cool story from the gamedaily biz crew. In a "yeah, no kidding" way,  releasing a demo of a game,  is huge for how it will sell  While it seems like common sense,  so often a demo isn't released and you just have to go on faith.  i love a good demo thats for sure!

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Early Edition

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Well,  I am kinda pissed because I dropped off the top 50 AOL Journals today!
Hmph!  Need to keep this thing updated or the folks won't read it!

First off, Sony is down and Nintendo's up.  Sony due to the laptop battery fiasco and PS3 production costs while Nintendo is riding high on the Nintendo DS.  I think we all have a soft spot for the old Nintendo!  From growing up with Donkey Kong and the handhelds (remember Popeye?) We all root for our first love!

Nintendo's Wii browser will be free.....for the early birds!  I don't think anyone expects things to be for free forever,  but this is a nice little touch for those who step up and take the plunge with the Nintendo's new little toy. Free for LIFE! Woo HOO!

I know we all need our World Of WarCraft news!  Here's the latest scoop,  Blizzard in response to the message boards,  has beefed up the Dark Elf character. While I think it's cool they responded,  its never good to give into your followers.  They will be empowered and TAKE OVER YOUR GAME! MUHAHAHAHA!

In a game after my own heart, (As you may have read,  I come from the fantasy sports world) Joystiq,  lets us know about a Fantasy Congress game.
Pretty crazy!  I was at a company called smallworld.com during the first Dot.com boom that tried to make a game like this for the 2000 election. 
Give the poor guys a whirl,  they are going to need it! Fantasy Congress!

Something for the shoppers.  Big badtoyseller Toys R Us,  are beginning pre-orders of the Wii and Sony PS3    Get inthere kids,  call your mom get her to go get it for you!

I promise to make another update later in the day!

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Lazitis! Not really! THE NEWS!

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Well,  I am sorry for the delay.  Its been a busy day and I trying and trying to find a better system to update this blog!

 Kotaku and Ign linked up with story.  Seems an out of the box Sony Playstation 3 has been photographed and viewed.    I felt kinda naughty!  The poor thing has been undressed for the world to look at!

Everyone's favorite game in the world, Guitar Hero 2, is having some of its nuggets revealed.  Seems someone has posted some of the hidden tracks!

A little story I like to follow,  EA's continuing its microtransaction barage!  Now,  its for game tutorials.  Listen,  this is the way things are going to done.  As long as people pay,  they will charge.  Like Hyman Roth said,  "Business is business!  I didn't ask who gave the order!"

There is more stuff,  but not much more!  If anyone knows any site that they love to check out,  drop me a line and I'll gleam some stories from them and give you a shout out!

 

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

Late News!

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Well,  kids,  sorry I am late with the news!

Since we hammer Sony every day,  I thought I'd post some news that Microsoft is not that pleased with their sales. Poor MS,  I am sure they will be fine as they have been posting loses on the thing forever anyway.

People's lives will be a little more active,  a tiny bit longer.  The awaited expansion pack for World of Warcraft is delayed  Blizzard says the delays should help the game be that little bit better.  The game hopes to go gold in January.

The moles are at it again!  A Best Buy employee let joystiq in on the in-store marketing plan for the Nintendo Wii.  Just remember,  anything you do,  will be caught and broadcast on the internet!

Big, bad  and mean Sony shuts down naughty asian console importer Lik-Sang Seems Sony's plan was to start a lawsuite in every European country in an effort to backrupt the poor little defenseless importer.  Shame on Sony!  I really don't have a beef with this,  but it is a bit mean by Sony.  How about you just stop shipping product to the small store?

Our favorite,  Capcom,  is releasing its stock of last generation games at a discount.  Good news for those not ready to pay for the new stuff.  We get to enjoy the old stuff for cheap!  WOO HOO!

Looks like a winning strategy for Ea and XboxLive, selling cheat codes works! I figured it would.  Getting people on line and using microtransactions is the next wave of making money on the web.

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Zombies We Love!

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Well gang,  we have another fine editorial gallery from our pals over at AOL Video Games.  In keeping with our Halloween themed goriest games, we're following up with the first annual:

Golden Brain Awards Outstanding Achievement in Zombism

This of course is only the tip of the frozen-headed-iceburg!  Again,  I ask you,  my rabid followers to tell me who else should be on the list?  Who are the scariest ghouls, zombies, or ghosts you've ever run across in your illustrous gaming life!  Sound off! Let us know!

Tags: Video games, Halloween, Zombies, Games Talk

Games Shipping this Week.

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Thanks for the photo Joystiq.

Game Boy Advance: - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island - Scurge: Hive - Teen Titans 2 - Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam GameCube: - Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Nintendo DS: - Konductra - Magical Starsign - Nacho Libre - Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island - Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts - Scurge: Hive - Star Trek: Tactical Assault - Strawberry Shortcake: StrawberryLand Games - Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Touch Detective PlayStation 2: - .hack//G.U. vol. 1//Rebirth - Chicken Little: Ace in Action - Eureka Seven - Vol. 1: The New Wave - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island - Phantasy Star Universe - Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures in the Land of Dreams - Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent

PlayStation Portable: - Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception - ATV Off Road Fury Pro - Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded - Dynasty Warriors 2 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Star Trek: Tactical Assault - WTF: Work Time Fun Xbox: - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Reservoir Dogs - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Xbox 360: - Cars - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Phantasy Star Universe PC: - Cabela's African Safari - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - Dungeon Siege II: Deluxe Edition - F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point Expansion Pack - Guild Wars: Nightfall - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Phantasy Star Universe - Reservoir Dogs - Scrabble 2007 - Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption

 

Thanks to Joystiq and Gamesutra for this one.

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

The News thats somewhat fit to print.

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Multiply bloggers have posted this one,  the The 20 Worst Video Games of All Time. It's an interesting list.  The Custer's Revenge game, wow!  What a doozy!  It would be fun to play them again.  And what was with the Jaguar handheld? A bit over represented no?

Sony,  in its continuing spirit of good public relations says "The law is clear, and grey importing PS2, PSP or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of SCEE is illegal. Therefore, we will utilise the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this." Really nice Sony!  First you delay,  then you're going to bust anyone who wants your product?  Strange days indeed!

Very cool looking gift card for Nintendo buyers!  The Kotaku folks present this one

A nice little article on the future of casual gaming Basically,  it says expect to see exclusives from all those little downloadable game sites.  If you are smart,  you'll keep playing on AOL Games! No seriously,  we have a lot of good stuff, and its the best kind,  the free kind!

Wouldn't be a news day without trouble or controversy for good old Rockstar's Bully. There appears to be a free reign in terms of what kind of sexual orientation you would like to play under.  I say good.  Our art should imitate real life.  If people are gay in our day to day lives,  then they should be in our video games as well.

For those of you eagerly awaiting the Halo movie, which we reported had hit a snag,  Eurogamer says "Halo Movie Still On Track" While its possible that the recent pullout was just aminor set back,  it could me it will be delayed.  We'll see what happens with this one,  I'll put stock in Peter Jackson to get it done. Again,  this is a story worth following.

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

Results: Goriest Games Ever.

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You have all spoken!

In an unofficial poll of the goriest gaming moments,  YOU'VE SPOKEN! The goriest games are:
1. Resident Evil

2. Dead Rising

3. Doom

Tied at 4. Soldier of Fortune, Mortal Combat,

Tied at 5. F.E.A.R, Silent Hill

You can still speak out!  Please feel free to post in "Goriest Moments In Gaming History"

You can bet,  I'll be making a poll to follow up shortly!

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

A little bit more.

Well,  there is a bit more news today.  Sony says there may be delays in production What a suprise!  With the things are going,  they are going to have to send people empty boxes with an note saying "I owe you,  1 PS3"

Good news of PS3.  EA is committing to 30 titles!
Thank God for that!  I feel like all the news from Sony lately is bad.  This is welcome good news.

In there own comparisons,  Sony essentially lies about what is "required" for an Xbox 360. Anyone else sense impending doom?


PS.  I do not work at Nintendo or Microsoft.  You simply can't make this stuff up folks.

 

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

News of Today.

  Kotaku,  are coving the event wonderfully, (Thanks for the image!)

First off,  you should know there is a major gaming event going on in San Francisco.  Sony's got all the journalists IN THE WHOLE WORLD there checking out the PlayStation 3. 

Multiple sources are confirming the titles available for launch of the PS3

Additionally,  we have news of the pricing on the PS3 accessories.  In connection with this information Sony says it will replace dead controllers.  Seems a bit silly to incur that cost?  Why not make controllers with replacable batteries?  Just retarded.

In non-PS3 related news,  the Halo movie project looks to be in jeopardy with two studios pulling out.  I don't think the whole idea of videogame as movie works just yet.  Has their really been a hit video game as movie yet?  I would love to hear if you have one?  I had a friend in college who SWORE by the Mortal Combat movie. I didnt get it.

In this age of corporate warfare Buisness Week goes through the history of game consoles visually.   So cool to see some of the old consoles.  Loved that Atari 2600 and the Coleco.  Great, great machines!

One last thing!  try this TIME killing fun only toy!  Basically,  you draw a course and then sleigh ride!  So much fun!  Get in there,  try it out!

Tags: game talk, video games, community, games, gaming, casual games, sony, nintendo, microsoft

Delays! News of the World!

Gang, sorry for the delay.  This isn't the only part of my job you know!

1. As one of our news discussions last week,  Sony is in some interesting financial straits.  With the battery problems and cost over-runs of the PS3.  Sony is going to have to really get its act together.

2. Xbox Live is doing well, and has crossed the 4,000,000 subscribers mark.  Good for MS, they've been subsidizing a ton of their hard ware and their charity is beginnning to pay off.  Like I said,  MS is trying to get their stuff in everyones home, then it be Rise Of The Machines!  Bill Gates is an android afterall!

3.  We've been following this one since its release on Tuesday but Battlefiled 2142 is a bit of a Trojan Horse!  Apparantly,  in order to run it properly, a Window Security update must be disabled.  So not only is it shipped with spyware,  it exposes your computer to hackers.  YUCK! Thanks Kotoaku

4.  More postive news for old iron lady Microsoft,  they are beginning to make headway in Japan  We take for granted here that all our products are everywhere,  but sadly they are not.  MS has had an up hill struggle in Japan is finally starting to move some units in the Empire of the Rising Sun.

5.  I am all for propogating scams!  This one will help your pocket.  Half-price Xbox Live games are available if you share with a buddy!  You'll have to do some work to get the hacker discount,  but its worth a shot.

Quick Update from Yesterday.

Well, I noticed a tiny bit more news that may be worth checking. Looks like the major news outlet are covering this one. The war for hearts and minds is going online

Also, the major news is into this one. The fact that a study has been released saying that maybe, just maybe these kooky video games aren't so bad. They have educational value!

Lady Gamers and Controversy!

Seems over at Kotaku, a little blog war has begun.  It seems,  The Gamer Girl has taken offense to some of what the boys have been writing about her and is letting them know about it! The posts on Gamer Girl's blog are unfortunate, as it seems the boys our really giving her the business.  I feel bad for her personally,  but this is the web, and when you go up against the big boys,  you can get burned.  People feel really safe when they are at home or work and don't have to face anyone.

Well,  I am taking this little controversy as an opportunity to ask the public at large about girl gamers and their thoughts on them.  I think its great that woman play games and I am all for it.  I just love seeing a woman jamming out on her hand-held or showing up at the highscore on a puzzle game on our site.  What people don't realize is how many woman play computer based games!  They may not be console players (Playstation, Xbox, Wii) but play tons of online casual games.  Just go have a look on Games.com!

Let us know what you think about female gamers?  And if you are a woman feel free to give yourself a shout out as a "girl gamer"!

 

 

News Of the World.

All right kids,  NEWS OF THE WORLD!!

1. Secret spies on the internet have posted a pix of the back of the Nintendo Wii box. I think this is sort of a non-story, but it is an indication that the people are excited for the old Wii!

2. In a note we posted about yesterday,  EA has responded to the spyware issue.  I don't think people should be suprised by this one.  They basically say,  if you don't want your info put on the web,  don't go on line!  The nerve!  It's an online GAME!

3.  PS3 online games revealed!  Our own AOL games staff is over in SF waiting for the unveiling but there are always leaks.  Thanks to Joystiq for this one!  (As most with most of them!)

4.  The folks at Kotaku have a nifty little mole who reveals pricing information on the much maligned PS3 Looks like they don't have a warrenty entered just yet,  nor do they have an employee discount!  Ouchies!

5. What would today's round up be with a little on Rockstar's Bully!  Gamasutra sums up all the reviews of the game nicely,  and put into prospective the fear of parents before even seeing the game.  We here at AOL games got a look at it yesterday as well.  It looks good and is fun!  Very Grand Theft Auto-y, but the themes are so different that you nearly forget.