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Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2013 in Videogames 
For most people, Pokemon is a light-hearted game or cartoon about obsessively collecting weird animals and making friends. But of course, those who grew up with Pokemon are now old, and they’ve been deconstructing all the strange parts with simple logic and often a good dose of dark speculation. So here’s a question: what does Professor Oak do with the pokemon you leave and your rival leave behind at the beginning of the game? Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve’s series of Team Fortress 2 Meet the Team videos have been some of the best video game-based short films made. Ever. So a lot of people want more of that – I know I do. But making more is a big undertaking, but it looks like Valve is up to the challenge. In a recent Nerdist podcast, Gabe Newell mentions that Valve is indeed working on a Team Fortress 2 short film, and it will be roughly 15 minutes in length. They were originally aiming for a 90-minute feature length film, but once they discovered that was hard, they scaled it down a bit. Given the quality of the previous shorts, I’m incredibly hyped for this new video. Read more…
Tags: Team Fortress
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Videogames 
I need this game – in my body, inject it directly into my veins! Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s upcoming game based on the popular pen & paper RPG Cyberpunk. It will take that setting an expand it into a story-driven, open-world experience – according to CD Projekt. Basically, if you like anything cyberpunk, or have an affinity for Blade Runner or other tales of that ilk, you’ll probably like this. The teaser trailer features a police officer, bullets, flying cars, and barely-clothed murderous-looking lady. Basically: all the needed elements for an awesome cyberpunk game. Watch it below! Read more…
Tags: Cyberpunk 2077
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 10, 2013 in Videogames 
Did you love Three Dog, the DJ in Bethesda’s Fallout 3? His voice actor Erik Todd Dellums is hinting at something new for the post-apocalyptic videogame franchise. And since he was actually “given permission” to leak the info, it has to be fairly factual. Read more…
Tags: Bethesda, Fallout
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
The rumors were true! At CES, Valve confirmed they are making their own videogame console — well, sort of. The as-of-yet unnamed “Steam Box” (codenamed “Piston”) will run their already-existing Steam game delivery system, which is by far the market leader when it comes to PC gaming due to solid service, simple DRM, and ridiculously cheap sales and vast bundle deals. Valve has recently introduced “Big Picture” mode, a menu system designed to be viewed on HDTVs instead of PC monitors, so it made sense that Valve was eyeing the couch gaming market. Read more…
Tags: CES, Steam, Valve
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo was teasing a major Pokemon announcement, and the latest Nintendo Direct delivered. Despite the 3DS being out for almost two years, Nintendo hasn’t made a main Pokemon game for it yet, with Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 getting a DS release. Now, Nintendo has confirmed an October 2013 release for Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, which features the main games’ first ever 3D world, more dynamic 3D battles, and of course a slew of new pokemon to make up Generation 6. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
CES is running right now, and Nvidia just revealed a new handheld device they’re calling Project Shield, at least for now. With a 5 inch touchscreen, the device runs Android on Nvidia’s newly announced Tegra 4 mobile chip and features an actual controller in the clamshell about the size of an Xbox 360 controller. Read more…
Tags: Handhelds, Nvidia
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve and their slow, secretive process towards creating a TV box has been a big focus of the gaming community. Gabe Newell declared Windows 8 a “catastrophe” and proceeded to initiate work on Steam for Linux, which is now in beta. Now, Valve engineer Ben Krasnow has said that the box will indeed run Linux, and they plan to show off more about it this year, possibly at GDC or E3, and release it later this year. Given Valve’s penchant for delays, I won’t hold my breath for a 2013 launch, but hearing all about this does get me excited. Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Videogames 
A while back, Psychobob created a custom 3D-printed figure of Portal 2 robot companion Atlas, and it was awesome. Actually, it still is awesome, but now it’s even better with a new stand he made for it. Modeled after the pressure-sensitive buttons from the game, this bright-red stand is also 3D-printed and makes the perfect display piece for Atlas. Honestly, I just really want one myself. Psychobob, get in touch with me – we’re going to make the entirety of Aperture via 3D printing. Maybe. At the very least, ThreeA toys is releasing their own Atlas and P-body figures eventually, but that’ll probably be a long time coming. So until then, we’ll make do with Psychobob’s awesome work. Visit his blog for details of the whole process! Read more…
Tags: Portal 2
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2013 in Cinema, Videogames 
Who knows if this is just Disney getting with the times, or perhaps a carefully planned marketing move, but either way it looks like a win for consumers: Wreck-It Ralph will be available digitally on February 12th, weeks before it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray March 5th. This is following the recent trend of releasing films earlier on digital distribution services, and it seems to be working out. Wreck-It Ralph will be Disney’s first film they’re doing this with, and it couldn’t suit its market better. I think many of the fans of the movie would rather have it digitally! Hopefully this will continue into the future. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Wreck-It Ralph
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 3, 2013 in Anime, Cinema, Videogames 
Dang, Atlus, slow down! Just yesterday I’m writing about the Devil Survivor 2 anime, and now there’s a teaser trailer for a Persona 3 anime adaptation! Read more…
Tags: Atlus, Persona 3
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2013 in Videogames 
Howard Phillips was one of the most important at Nintendo, but after he left, he eventually wound up working for Microsoft during the launch of the original Xbox. Now he’s selling his Xbox launch package, featuring a translucent green Xbox with Bill Gate’s signature on the logo. Also included are two matching controllers, a “Ship-It” chip on commemorative plaque, a replica of the original Xbox prototype (the big “X” in the picture), and a variety of other launch items like a full set of Xbox trading cards. But there’s one very unique item for collectors in this package. Read more…
Tags: Xbox
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2013 in Anime, Videogames 
Bravo on Atlus for having the guts to retain the original name of a game when it’s adapted into an anime. Even though Persona 4: The Animation was the first Persona anime actually based on the games (we don’t talk about Persona: Trinity Soul), it didn’t shy away from keeping the “4” in the title, despite the fact that it may alienate potential viewers a bit. Now they’re doing the same with the Devil Survivor 2 anime, and here’s the trailer to prove it. Read more…
Tags: Atlus
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 29, 2012 in Videogames 
Remember how 2 Player Productions was creating a documentary about Mojang and the huge success of Minecraft? Well, it’s finally arrived, and it looks pretty impressive! If you’ve ever wondered about how exactly Minecraft became so popular so fast, then this is definitely something worth checking out. I’ve been watching the Double Fine Adventure! clips they’ve been putting out (for backers only!), and their quality is stellar. They released a trailer to promote the doc, and you can pick it up on disc, or digitally as a DRM-free download! Read more…
Tags: Minecraft, Mojang
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 27, 2012 in Videogames 
You wouldn’t normally look for the spirit of Christmas to be expressed in Dark Souls, one of the most punishing, hardcore RPG experiences in recent memories. A major feature of the game involves the ability of players to invade each other’s games, practically endorsing griefing! But one man decided to dress up and play Santa for the good little boys and girls of Lordran. But for those on the naughty list…
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Tags: Dark Souls, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 26, 2012 in Anime, Videogames 
One Piece: Pirate Warriors could have used some more polished gameplay and it was pretty dumb, but it was also dumb fun. I had hoped for a sequel that would improve and hopefully add some major arcs that were previously skipped over. Now that One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is coming out, it looks like Omega Force and Namco Bandai are doing that…sort of. Read more…
Tags: One Piece, PS3
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 25, 2012 in Videogames 
Hopefully you all remember the viral video in which a hyperactive boy goes crazy with happiness after getting a Nintendo 64 for Christmas. (If not, it’s posted below.) The screaming is pretty nuts, but a recent video animates the event and reinterprets it in a particularly sinister light. I can think of no better video to post on Christmas morning. Happy holidays, everyone!
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Tags: Christmas, Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 25, 2012 in Videogames 
You normally wouldn’t associate construction girders, rolling barrels, and giant apes with Christmas festivity. But consider the gaming enthusiast who doesn’t have room for a tree in their apartment. What are they going to decorate with? It’s probably a bit late to print it up, but ignoring that, this restructuring of Donkey Kong’s iconic first level would do the trick. Carlos Leituga finds the inherent Christmas-y aspect of jumping over barrels in a construction site. Just remember to pick up that purse and umbrella, Mario (neé Jumpman), I’m sure they’d make excellent presents for Pauline. Read more…
Tags: Christmas, Donkey Kong, Nintendo
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 22, 2012 in Videogames 
Humble Indie Bundle is one of the coolest things coming out of the industry, in my opinion. It’s a cheap way to get great games, and it supports charity in the process. Pay what you want for 5 items, or pay above the average for 2 more games! What you get this year is Snapshot, The Binding of Isaac, Closure, Indie Game: The Movie, and Shank 2. Pay above the average, and you get Dungeon Defenders and Legend of Grimrock. And that’s not even including the bonus soundtracks. Like I said, it’s a great deal, and you’ll be supporting Child’s Play and the EFF! You can also adjust the donation percentages, so you can give more to charity or the developers! Check it out here.
Tags: Humble Indie Bundle
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 21, 2012 in Videogames 
It’s one of the best times of the year! Your family comes close, you share gifts with each other, maybe a cup of hot cocoa, and you hover your browser on the Steam web page mashing the F5 button to see new daily deals. Valve has started up the latest Steam Sale, and there’s some great deals going around. Scribblenauts, Hitman, Borderlands, and more are on sale for 50% to 75% off, and that’s only the first day. Flash deals are also still a feature, although Valve seems to have thankfully extended the time limit on many of them. The sale runs until January 5th, so keep checking back for more deals. Also, don’t forget to also watch Amazon for some competing sales as well!
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 21, 2012 in Videogames 
You may know that the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, frequently does in-depth developer interviews called “Iwata Asks.” They’re really great looks into the development process at Nintendo and you get to read lots of crazy stories about what happened while they were making the game, system, or service. Iwata’s joviality comes through with the often written “Iwata: [laughs]” in the interviews, so much so it has become a bit of an internet meme. Now, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is getting in on the asking business too, with the launch of Nintendo TVii, which just arrived. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 20, 2012 in Videogames 
It’s been a rough year for THQ, and though the recent Humble THQ Bundle raised some good money for the publisher, it seemed inevitable. THQ has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Deleware, entering an Asset Purchase Agreement with Clearlake Capital Group to transfer ownership of all of their assets, including all games in development and their four owned studios. Ouch. Read more…
Tags: THQ
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 19, 2012 in Videogames 
We knew that Atlus was making an updated port of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, a spin-off of their massive Shin Megami Tensei franchise that includes the cult favorite Persona. However, there was no previous indication that the game would make its way west. Thankfully, Atlus is pulling through, announcing to their Atlus Faithful email subscribers that Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers will be released in North America come Spring 2013. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Atlus
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 19, 2012 in Videogames 
Corridor Digital whipped up this nifty video of what common game glitches look like when they interact with real people (or at least real people pretending to be game characters). You’ve got classics like “item stuck in floor,” “character teleporting in weird ways,” and “OH GOD MY FACE IS MELTING.” Give it a watch, and feel the memories of Bethesda games come flowing back to you. Oh Bethesda, your worlds are so expansive and life-like, and yet so utterly rooted in silly videogame nonsense.
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Tags: glitch
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