If you’re looking for a recipe for internet success, face it, you’ve been beat. Avemagnadude created a trailer that combines the two most popular video games this holiday season: Minecraft and Skyrim. Using a combination of in-game footage from Minecraft and custom CGI he recreated the Skyrim trailer in all it’s glory, and also brought to a conclusion this whole silly Mojang vs. Skyrim silliness. It’s really quite stylish, although the name ‘Minerim’ doesn’t exactly sound too pleasing. Click through for the full video. Read more…
Star Wars: The Old Republic hit the ground running this week and despite some crowded servers, its reception so far is seemingly positive. At a distance, the gamemay resemble World of Warcraft more ways than one. Visually, both titles might appeal to the lowest common denominator, in that they’re designed function with the average PC, yet feature beautifully crafted opening sequences. Being that they’re MMORPGs, both titles feature an ability-based interface and similar gameplay mechanics. However, one area in which The Old Republic really shines is its ability to tell a story. World of Warcraft has some incredibly deep lore, and the while the story is well-told, Bioware really excels. Here’s a documentary to explain why.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 21, 2011 in Videogames
Feast your eyes on this travesty. Its not often that I find a video with so many views and dislikes. Earlier today, TouchGameplay released some in-game footage from the upcoming iOS port of Mega Man X. Based on a previous mobile phone version of the title, the graphics have been enhanced, along with the addition of touch controls. Suffice to say, fans are not happy — many of whom have questioned Capcom’s definition of “enhanced.” Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 20, 2011 in Videogames
The Legend of Zelda isn’t the only Nintendo franchise to celebrate its 25th Anniversary this year. Although its hardly their most popular, Metroid is among the most successful franchises to ever grace Nintendo’s catalog. The series is also having its 25th anniversary and, while I’m uncertain as to why Nintendo failed to shine a spotlight on it, fans have taken to crafting their own musical tributes to the franchise. Today, Bad Dudes Music released a limited edition arrangement album, entitled simply Metroid Arrange 25th Anniversary Album to commemorate the occasion — for the record, I contributed to an arrangement of my own to the project.
A beautiful new art book to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda is surprisingly cool of Nintendo, who hardly ever lets concept art seep outside the confines of their company. This book features 274 pages packed full with content. But in the listing for the book there is a mention of a “historical timeline of Hyrule” being contained in it. Read more…
Here’s some exciting news for all you Whovians out there. BBC Worldwide just announced the first in a new line games planned for home consoles. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, currently being developed by Supermassive Games in collaboration with BBC Wales, is set for both the PS3 and Playstation Vita early next year. Not much is known about the plot, but we can expect a completely new adventure featuring the voices of Matt Smith, and Alex Kingston reprising her role as River Song. If you only own an Xbox, don’t worry — the game will also be receiving a PC port. For more info, head over to the official twitter feed and be sure to check out a short teaser after the jump. Read more…
Check out this neat little recreation of the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back by youtube user TheToma69. It was crafted using Xbox Live! Arcade’s FortressCraft. I’m sure some of you probably wondering what that is, and the answer is yes, it’s just another MineCraft clone, but it also happens to be the highest grossing indie title on Xbox Live, and I’d say this was pretty good for something built on a home console. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 13, 2011 in Tech, Videogames
There was a time when I would look at portable gaming with disdain. The products, ranging from Tiger handhelds, to even Nintendo’s GameBoy, always struck me as poorly developed, delivering casual experiences just to kill time. A lot has changed since then and, in recent years, I’ve grown new-found respect for the medium. These days, developers have found ways to offer the deep, immersive experiences that were once exclusive to the consoles and PCs of old. Even some of those classic titles I once held in such high regard have made their way to our smartphones. But what about the ones that haven’t? There’s options.
With Christmas around the corner, and no new titles on the horizon, you’re probably wondering what to get your favorite Valve fan. Since you can’t just hand them a new hat for Team Fortress2, try this fantastic collection of comics inspired by Valve’s most recent hits instead. Published by Dark Horse, and featuring the work of veteran comic artist and writer, Michael Avon Oeming, Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and other Steam Powered Stories Vol. 1 boasts over 200 pages of fully-illustrated stories with titles like Team Fortress 2, Left-4-Dead, and Portal — the perfect gift for all those Valve-addicts out there. Seeing as the first-edition hardcover just hit shelves in November, you probably won’t have to worry about them already owning a copy. It retails for just $25 via ThinkGeek, so if you need it in time for the holidays, don’t delay. Just promise me you won’t try to stuff it in a stocking.
If you’re looking for a bright, cheerful bit of video game pop art to spruce up your office or home, Axel Pfaender has you covered. You may have seen this poster or his 2011 version floating around online already, but now it’s available as a beautifully print offset lithograph. It’s in DIN A1 format (23.4 in x 33.1 in) so it’s pretty big, and surprisingly affordable at €9.50 too. Read more…
I always have mixed feelings when Square Enix decides to port one of their classics. Not because the games can’t withstand the test of time, but because I almost always end up buying it. Read more…
Here’s a look at Major League Mods‘ latest project — a special Transformers-themed Xbox 360 slim. Modeled after Bumblebee’s appearance in the live-action films, the unit comes packed in a remote control 1977 Camero, complete with its very own built-in 8″ LCD display. Read more…
Being the Legend of Zelda fan that I am, I’d be remiss to not bring your attention to a quirky and cute print by Andrew Kolb, The Hyrulean Book of Biology. Throughout all the many Zelda games one of the highlights has been all the cool, silly, and creative creatures you come across in your adventures. And in case you were wondering: yes, this colorful print is of course also a reference to Charley Harper’s cover for The Giant Golden Book of Biology. The only thing that could make this print better is if it really were a complete book – but that’s asking a bit much, I suppose. For now though, this poster will do nicely. If you’re like me and are thinking about picking one up for yourself, check out Andrew’s site for the Hyrulean Book of Biology and other posters.
Perhaps all the clamoring and petitioning from fans earlier this year was worth it: after Nintendo stated earlier this year that they had no plans to release the fan-favorite and critically-acclaimed Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles in the US, gamers rallied to support it. Sadly, Nintendo declined to indulge their enthusiasm and remained silent. Until now, that is. The game now has a general release date of April 2012, but will not be getting a wide release. Instead, the only places you’ll be able to purchase the game will be either Gamestop or Nintendo themselves, via their website. Still, that’s better than no release at all. Read more…
Portal 2 was one of my favorite games this year and probably the funniest, too. While I’m sure many of you are sick of all the cake and space jokes, these shower curtains from ThinkGeek featuring Aperture Laboratories now-iconic logo and some fine print are a much more subtle brand of humor. ThinkGeek has been on a roll recently with tons of Portal 2-branded merchandise, and while some of it is kind of silly, items like these shower curtains can add a little bit of geek cred to your bathroom without being completely ridiculous. Read more…
Earlier this evening, GamePro announced that their website would officially close its doors on December 5th. The move marks a sad, but inevitable end for the long-standing magazine as we know it. According to reports, some of the staff will be let go, while some editors may end up writing for PCWorld. The magazinepublished its final issue last October.
I’ve always had a fascination with music boxes. They may have gone the way of vinyl and become a novelty for collectors, but there’s always a certain level of care and craftsmanship involved in creating one. That’s something I can respect, not only as a musician but as an artist. That’s why I freaked out the moment I saw this — a limited edition 50 note music box featuring Aerith’s theme from Final Fantasy VII. Supposedly, only a thousand of these boxes were ever produced, and they’re highly sought after. Finding one for sale is next to impossible, but anyone willing to part with it can usually ask for over a thousand dollars to start. To see it in action, click here.
As those of us who spend our evenings glued to our laptops can tell you, nothing’s worse than accidentally knocking over your coffee in the dark. I’ve made the mistake more than once, so I’ve been looking for a solution that doesn’t involve leaving the lights on, and I think I might have just found it. Check out these awesome little Pac-Man Ghost lamps. Not only are the conveniently small, just four inches tall and just bright enough to light up my desk, but they speak to the retro-gamer — those of us who grew up on rolls of quarters and joysticks. Best yet, I can take it anywhere I take my laptop. The Ghost is powered via USB, so all I have to do it is find a port to plug it and I’m good to go. It’s also incredibly cheap, ThinkGeek currently has them on sale for just $10. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 29, 2011 in Videogames
When it comes to Western games, Japan has always seemed a bit stand-offish. I never really understood why, but every time the question was posed, Japanese developers would often cite everything from cultural differences and attention to detail, to their love for story-driven narratives. For as long as I can remember, Japanese gamers would echo those sentiments, often avoiding foreign games like the plague. That was, until recently.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 23, 2011 in Videogames
I don’t know how many of you play Street Fighter or Tekken, but I’m sure you’re probably aware of how over-the-top some of these characters look already. Now, thanks to the ability to customize the character with costumes and props, they’ve taken it even further. A batch of recently released screenshots gives us a glimpse of just how zany things can get. Why anyone would ever want to dress a bear like a female luchador is beyond me, but guess what? You can. I just hope, given Capcom’s penchant for microtransactions, we’re not stuck footing any additional fees for the “privilege” of playing dress up. That’d be annoying.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 21, 2011 in Videogames
I love a good soundtrack as much as the next guy, but these days I’ll be hard-pressed to purchase an actual compact disc, let alone a four-disc set. That said, here’s one I don’t mine shelling the cash for. Jeremy Soule’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 4-Disc original soundtrack contains all the audio from the game, almost all of which, I imagine, feature live recordings. The opening theme even used a thirty man choir to capture that Nordic-feel, while using a runic language they actually made up just for the game. There are some really beautiful pieces contained within, and I wouldn’t hesitate to call it Soule’s best work to date. It really says something when I haven’t grown sick of hearing any of the music — something that no other Elder Scrolls title has managed to date. The full four-disc set only retails for $29.99 via Jeremy Soule’s directsong online store, and all copies purchased before December 23rd will come personally autographed by Soule himself.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 20, 2011 in Videogames
Mojang’s block-building game Minecraft accomplished a rare feat in gaming — it’s been one of the most popular and recognizable games in the world for over a year, but it only came out yesterday. A two-year-plus beta testing period gave it all the exposure it needed to thrive, and now you can find the highly addictive game on Steam, ready for your real dollars. Minecraft is pretty much the definition of “indie darling” , but it has a ridiculously wide appeal; after all, who doesn’t like building with blocks? The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, time, and tolerance for bad graphics. (If you’re looking for something a little more two-dimensional, though, allow me to recommend Terraria.) Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 18, 2011 in Videogames
Developers at Runic Games quipped after announcing their hack-and-slasher Torchlight 2 that Torchlight 3 would see release before Blizzard’s juggernaut Diablo 3. It looks like they might have to eat a little crow on that one, since after announcing today that Torchlight 2 would not be released in 2011 as originally projected, they might not even beat Diablo 3 to release with this game. Regardless of when it actually comes out, Torchlight 2 should be a fun romp while it lasts, and it’s adding the most important part of games in its genre: multiplayer, a curious omission from the original Torchlight. The main appeal of Torchlight 2, though? Its bargain-bin price tag. The last one went for around $20 and Runic expects to have a similarly low price for their sophomore effort. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 16, 2011 in Videogames
Oh Bethesda, I had such high hopes. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the game to death. I’ve been having an blast venturing across the winter wonderland that is Skyrim, and slaying the occasional Dragon that seemingly pops out of nowhere, but it’s been five years, so I just have to ask — why haven’t they fixed their horse physics? You’d think that at some point someone might stop and say “Hey, this is something people might care about.” Obviously it wasn’t high on their to-do list, but that’s okay. I can overlook it, after all, it’s still hilarious and makes for great videos. Don’t you think?
