Articles by PixelPoet
As most people know, one of the key elements to looking great is proper accessorizing; however, like most things, you must do so in moderation. With too many items or too gaudy of accessories, your "fab" can easily go "bad". Such is the case with this recently discovered Mario Pendant found on eBay. Granted, the item is made with 10K yellow gold and 4.25 CT worth of diamonds, which have some worth, but the object itself comes off as pretty horrendous. Plus with this many diamonds on a statuette, people are going to start wondering if the Grand Theft Auto on your profile is more of a rap sheet than a favorite game.
All of that said, apparently the company selling this item thinks that someone will "Buy It Now" for $2,600, which they claim is a steal since it normally is priced at $9,000. What is even more hilarious is that when I went through the other items the same store was selling on eBay, while I mainly found diamond stubbed crosses, I also found a Poppa Smurf, a Mickey Mouse, and an Incredible Hulk. So now you know where to go to find any of your childhood memories bedazzled into gaudy greatness. Speaking of which, maybe I should pull my BeDazzler out of the closet and try to 1up this pendant; maybe I can make a small mint off of it.
How To Be a Nintendo Pimp [gameSniped]
Leave it up to developers talking freely at GDC to spark a bit of hope to the masses that expected more love interests in this year's big RPG, Mass Effects 2 or last year's Dragon Age: Origins. Apparently when interviewing Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka from Bioware last week at GDC, Kotaku reporter Stephen Totilo apparently stumbled upon some DLC ideas that are currently being kicked around for Bioware games, one of which could be a possible "romance pack" of sorts for their games.
The conversation arrived at this revelation after Greg mentioned that if players really asked for new missions using the new DLC vehicle, the Hammerhead, that they might make more by means of DLC. Part in jest, the comment was made that since a vocal part of the community seems to have wanted more romance options available to Shepard in the game, then maybe they should also work on that too. Greg and Ray's thoughts on the issue were thus:
"You know, It's possible," he said. Mentioning a character from Dragon Age, he suggested there could be a "Take Leliana on a date pack."
"That is a pretty good idea," Muzyka chimed in, sounding as if this was the first he'd heard of it.
"I've mentioned it to the guys," Zeschuk told me and Muzyka. "And maybe we will."
So there you have it. Granted, the conversation didn't really involve the possible inclusion of more LGBT relationship opportunities in the content, but I think we can all agree that there is a portion of the fan base that would be very pleased if they did include such content. I guess fans can hope, and that's about all we'll be able to do for a while, since it seems as though if they were to make the content, it hasn't even started on yet.
Mass Effect, Dragon Age Creators Consider The Post-Release "Romance Pack" [Kotaku]
There's something to be said for finding hidden gems amongst the sea of games and products present on the Expo floor at GDC, and yet it seems that I had such luck stumbling upon publisher Outspark. Turns out I wasn't the only one with such luck in finding the overlooked because Outspark themselves had discovered a gem of their own in the Korean MMO Travia, which they re-purposed and re-imagined as Erebus: Travia Reborn, currently in closed beta.
The game itself is an Action-RPG MMO in a similar vein as Diablo and the like, but with better graphics and a more PvP centric gameplay. While the core mechanics come from the original Travia game, Outspark has taken time to completely update and enrich the backstory to the game while also making some of the guild and PvP features more accessible for western audiences. The game itself features four character classes each with multiple sub-classes which are furthered by having their own master classes, 18 in all. You can play as a Warrior class, honing your skills to become a Blade Master or Paladin. The Archer class can focus their weapon skills to become Huntresses, or go a more mystical route to being Summoners. Of course there is staple Mage class that has three subclasses based on Fire, Ice, and Lightning. Finally, there is the Cleric Class that can look to life and become a Bishop or to shadows to become Necromancers.
While the game has your standard quests to help players progress through the levels, much of the action in the game revolves around your guild and PvP action. Throughout the land are different player controlled cities, and periodically these cities will have their control fought over. Guilds can bid for a chance to attack the different cities and the guild with the highest bid gets to try and storm the city walls and wrestle the city from the guild already in possession of the city. Gaining control of the towns allows certain perks to the guild, one of which is collecting a portion of all trade done with the vendors in the town. The pinnacle of the PvP system are massive 50v50 guild battles that take place in a battlegrounds system on the servers, and I was told that they are working on being able to take the battle across servers in the future.
From what I saw of the game, the action seems fast paced and the different areas were vibrant in color and scenery. The game is currently in closed beta, with it hopefully launching sometime this spring. Once the game launches, it will follow the free-to-play with micro-transactions model. While the beta may currently be closed, the fine folks over out Outspark gave me a number of beta keys that I'm giving away on the forums, so hit up the PC forums if you want one. Be sure to check out the newly launched website for the game too, where they are releasing new info on the game weekly.
Erebus: Travia Reborn
Well, one thing that makes all the panels and meetings of GDC a little more bearable are the many press parties that different companies throw each night to showcase some of their games and release new info to the press. The Capcom party last night was a fine example: swanky location near Union Square, Final Fight and Super Street Fighter IV stations a plenty, and a bevy of libations abounded to help soothe our already aching bodies; however, between rounds of beating Game-Boy with metal pipe "on accident" in Final Fight, there were some big announcements to be made at the event, all of them Street Fighter related.
One of the announcements was concerning Street Fighter IV launching for the iPhone with them pushing the game live onto the appStore while at the event. Game-Boy will be delighting you with some of his impressions from the button-less controls for the game later today. The bigger news was the fact that they were announcing the last character for Super Street FIghter IV, Hakan. As you can see in the trailer above, Hakan loves himself some oil wrestling, which leads to some very comedic moves of his own. In fact, the last minute of the trailer involves him shooting just about every character in the game from his chest and between his greased up thighs in a torpedo motion. The whole scene is semi-erotic, but mostly hilarious. Hakan is apparently fighting for his wife and daughters, but I'm sure he doesn't mind giving Zangief the full squeeze from what I can see. Look for Super Street FIghter IV releasing on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 27th.
Nothing like some John Lee Hooker playing in the background to get you worked up for a game that has been dangled in front of us for well over two years now. With all those "boom boom"s and some "bang bang"s playing, it gets you properly revved up to play the sequel to the popular mobster franchise, Mafia II. After all this time of teasing us with the sequel, it looks like 2K Games will finally be releasing the game in the second half of this year.
The trailer above seems to be setting up some of the plotline and characters for the story that will be in the game. I'm just happy to see the 40s and 50s era guns, cars, and clothing throughout the trailer. Nothing like car chases in old vehicles with tommy guns blazing in the background to set the scene. Mafia II will be your standard third-person sandbox-based shooter in which you play a member of the mob in a post-WWII fictional city called Empire Bay. The game will have a robust main storyline along with option quests and side missions and plenty of other things to do throughout the city.
The game should be releasing on the Xbox 360, Playstion 3, and on the PC sometime this Fall. I'm sure we'll see more of it at E3 like we did last year, but until then enjoy the trailer.
Sometimes it's nice to know that things are going back to the way they use to be, and apparently that is the case with the SOCOM series. After letting another studio work on the series while they were working on MAG, Zipper Interactive is back on the SOCOM for the next title in the series, SOCOM 4. It looks as if the studio is pulling out all the stops on the return of the semi-prodigal son and packed in a hard-hitting 12-hour single player storyline taking place in Southeast Asia along with a 32-player multiplayer experience.
The trailer above showcases some of the storyline that will be present in the game as well as a good idea of what the cinematic elements in the game will look like. Zipper is touting this game to be "the pinnacle of tactical shooters", which is a tall task to fill. Apparently one of the big tactical aspects of the game is that your commander will constantly be giving commands to the different squads under his control through the new Command Mode. Commanding different squads can bring you the tactical advantage that may make the difference between entering a firefight or sneaking in undetected.
Overall, the game seems to be shaping up well now that it's back Zipper's hands, and they have assured its MAG fans that it will still continue to support its massive online multiplayer action even after SOCOM 4 is out. Now all you have to worry about is being able to wait until Fall 2010, when SOCOM 4 is set to release.
After the release of Tomb Raider: Underworld and along with the acquisition of Edios by Square-Enix, the game's creator, Crystal Dynamics, found itself at a crossing road. Like most front-woman for a successful rock group, Lara Croft and her Tomb Raider compatriots found themselves wondering where to take the group next. The company, the franchise, and where everything was going was the core subject of an interview that Gamasutra had with Crystal Dynamics that was put up earlier this week. Like any smart artist at a crossroads, there was a lot of talk about expanding their viewpoint and trying out some new ideas:
"For us it's important that we take risks as we innovate," he says. "We've been wanting to create an environment where innovation and risks are approached. Personally, I think the way to push that benchmark is have the belief and the conviction and ambition to achieve that goal. We have a clear vision of where we want to go, and we're really pushing some bold decisions in terms of taking those next steps."
From the news today, thought, it looks that like so many starlets before her, Crystal Dynamics has helped Lara Craft blossom from her Tomb Raider antics, and finally go solo. In a press release today, we found out that Crystal Dynamics will be showcasing a new Lara Craft game at GDC next week. Apparently the game is coming in the form of a downloadable title on undisclosed platforms and will apparently be "new and very different to what people might be expecting". To true demonstrate that Lara is going solo the game will be called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. That's right, no Tomb Raider in the title, and you have to imagine that the old band is unhappy with it; however, life will go on and hopefully we can get you some more info about the new DLC title next week when Game-Boy and I head to GDC. Until then happy tomb raiding coffin ransacking and crypt pirating.
http://gaygamer.net/2009/12/new_re5_dlc_announced_desperat.html
The second set of DLC content for the ever popular Resident Evil 5 franchise, Desperate Escape, released today on Xbox Live for 400 points, and is releasing tomorrow on the PSN at the $4.99 pricetag. The new content picks up with Jill Valentine and part of her story in the RE5 timeline. Both Jill and newly playable character Josh Stone will be featured heavily in the available content. As we mentioned earlier this year, there are also some costume packs dropping alongside the game for purchase.
For those of you that want a more inclusive and physical version of all the new content, next week on March, 9th, Capcom will be releasing the Gold Edition of the game for purchase which includes:
- The Original Resident Evil 5 game
- "Lost in Nightmares" episode
- "Desperate Escape" episode
- 4 new costumes
- Mercenaries Reunion
- Versus extra figures
All of that at a $49.99 price tag, which is nice if you don't already have the game.
I'm gonna be upfront with you, the video above is 28 minutes long, and the first 5-10 minutes is spent discussing Facebook; HOWEVER, before you pass it by, let me tell you that it has a fantastic viewpoint of the future of gaming in society. Plus, at the beginning it discusses why Facebook gaming is "Big. Strange. and Terrifying.", which considering what has become of Facebook in the past few years as far as a gaming platform, is a pretty valid statement, and it's always humorous to poke fun at Facebook.
The man speaking in the video is Jesse Schell, he's a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, runs a game design/development studio called Schell games, and use to be a Disney Imagineer; needless to say, the guy spends a lot of time thinking about videogame design and where it is going. In the meat of the video, he basically explains some of why Facebook and many other gaming/toy trends in the past years have worked, and what the future of gaming might look like in the future if we extend these trends.
A large portion of his future view of a pervasive gaming world (which he starts around minute 21 in the video) deals with how adding incentives and virtual rewards to the everyday actions that you do regularly could one day play a big part of the actions you decide to take. The picture he describes almost sounds Orwellian at first, with sensors and objects tracking everything that you do, but if you stay with him until the end, you see how these types of incentives or "reality" games can actually have a positive effect on people and/or society. I especially like the part where he talks about health insurance agencies actually using gaming to help encourage their policyholders to engage in preventive health activities (such as exercise).
Overall, it's a very interesting viewpoint in how taking gaming practices into the real world or bringing more "reality" to gaming might have a future effect on how people live (and play) their lives in the years to come. I'm all for it, as long as Farmville doesn't become the working man's day job.
DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation [G4]
The original Picross game for the DS was actually a secret success story in my family. I bought the game and took it along with me when visiting the family on summer vacation. A few of my sisters-in-law saw me playing the game and when I came back to visit for the holidays, two of them had bought the game and were often stealing the DSes away from my brothers (their husbands) to play the game. Needless to say, when I heard that they would have PIcross 3D on display upstairs at the Media Summit I made a mental note to check it out.
I have to admit, I was a little worried just how they would get the myriad of numbers used in the 2D plane on the original game to work in a 3D space, but leave it up to Nintendo to take the complex and make it simple. Instead of having numbers jutting out to the side of the three-sided figures, they have placed the numbers on the faces of the cubes comprising the object. A number on one of the faces of a cube denotes how many consecutive valid blocks there are in the row perpendicular to that face. Using these numbers, like in the original, you can mark valid blocks and destroy invalid ones until you complete the sculpture at hand.
At the event, we were able to play through a few tutorials and examples that help players learn how to solve and navigate Picross 3D, which is well needed since things in three-dimensions can sometimes be more hairy than one might think. They even showcased the system they have in place to denote that there are multiple strings of compound blocks in a row with spaces in between. If a number on a face has a circle around it, you know that there are that many valid blocks in the row, but that there can be spaces between them. On top of the gameplay, the game will also have the ability to allow players to make their own puzzles and share them with friends wireless. You can also use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connections to submit puzzles to monthly themed contests and download the weekly free puzzles that will be coming out throughout the year.
Picross 3D will be coming out on the Nitendo DS on May 3rd, but the pricetag is still under wraps. They also stated that there will be themed puzzle packs released for the game through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but were able to tell me if they would be free or purchased DLC. If you are a fan of the first, let me assure that this one delivers the same puzzle-solving experience on a whole new dimension.
If there was one title that initially had me skeptical at the Nintendo Summit upon only hearing its name, it was Disney Guilty Party; however, after sitting down with the people from Wideload and Disney Interactive, who are working together to make the game, my cynicism was quickly dismissed. I know, you may be instinctively preset to dislike anything with the word "party" in the title coming to the Wii platform, but hear me out, this game does everything right.
My basic viewpoint of the game is that it plays similar Clue in that you have a number of suspects and are trying to figure who did the crime, but with a cast of eccentric characters, crazy locales, and humorous plots. It's as if they took everything that made the Clue movie so fantastic and distilled into a game the whole family can play.
The main gameplay consists of players taking turns going to the different rooms in the locale where the crime was done and questioning suspects about what they saw. The questioning comes in the form of different minigames that you must use to pry the info from your suspects. When they give you information, it will usually be one characteristic of the suspect, and when you mouse your lie detector over that characteristic, it'll tell you if the information you received is true or false. All the clues you get go into a notebook where you can review them at any time and also use them to make a composite of what the criminal looks like. Once you get enough clues to identify the correct suspect, you then have to accuse them of the crime and present all the evidence you have that shows they are the culprit.
The game is primarily targeted at children ages 8-12; however, the humor in the game can be enjoyed by all ages, and you can ramp up the difficulty of the minigames for each player so that it is difficult for a variety ages. The main story of the game features seven different mysteries, but the replay value of the game comes in the party mode in which it creates random and new mysteries with the cast of characters, leaving you with a large set of random mysteries to play. You can play the party mode as either one giant team or as opposing teams, therefore allowing some competitive play in the game. The best part of competitive play is that when you receive a clue, you can press a button on the Wii-mote to have your lie detector show the opposite of of what the truth is, therefore bluffing your opponents so they can't tell which information you received to use for their own composite.
Overall, Disney Guilty Party looks like a party game worth picking up, if you are a big fan of the mystery puzzle games like I am. With the whimsical characters and outrageous plot lines, it'll be worth a chuckle and a many hours of your play time. No word yet on an exact release date for the game, but sometime in the second half of 2010 is what we were told. Until then check out the trailer above and make sure that you always know who stole that cookie from the cookie jar.
One the hidden treasures (smirk) at the Nintendo Summit was the long awaited sequel to the cult classic Nintendo 64 shooter, Sins and Punsihement. That's right, TREASURE (yeah, now you get the smirk) was on hand at the event to show off the North America series debut Wii title, Sins and Punishment: Star Successor. Don't let the long name fool you though, this game is a deceptively quick-paced shooter, with all the bells and whistles you expect from a TREASURE title. After a few levels hands-on with the game, I was hooked and ready for more, despite having my rear end handed to me more than a couple of times.
The game features two playable characters, Isa and Kachi, each with their own playstyle and mode of transportation. There's some strange plot to the story, but most of it takes a backseat to the actually gameplay. The levels play mainly like your normal rail shooter, with your character able to move around the whole screen using their preferred means of transport. From the get go you are firing away at the numerous enemies and creatures bombarding the screen and continue to do so for most of the level. You can also use your more powerful weapon by pressing A which you can auto-target for massive destruction, but will then take time to recharge for another use. You can also spin-dodge attacks coming at you and even melee some objects as they approach to either hurt them or deflect them back at enemies. These moves combined keep the action frantic and fun, along with the beautiful view of everything exploding on the screen as you punch and zap them with your actions.
One of the big draw of the series is the point multiplier you can accumulate as you destroy everything around you. Your multiplier continues to increase as you avoid damage and is largely increased by doing special or difficult methods to take down enemies. The multiplier is important mainly due to the fact that you can upload your high score to the online leader boards for bragging rights. The longer you survive without dying the higher your score; however, if you do die you can continue from where you left off, the only penalty is that your score is reset to zero. This mean less hardcore players can play through the game to experience the plot and action while pros can try to see just how high a score they can rack up with their shooter skills.
While the graphics for the game aren't cutting edge, the sheer amount of objects and particles on the screen at times is probably the reason that the graphics are at a lower level, to make sure that the frame rate stays high allowing for fast response time and fast-paced action. On top of that, there are many sub-boss fights on each stag with a larger boss fight at the end which usually require some thought to help vanquish quickly. The game also supports one or two players, so you can definitely play cooperative with a friend through the whole game. Check out the video above, and the screenshots below to see a glimpse of what the game is like and then watch for the game to hit stores on June 7th in the US at a price tag of $49.99.
And girls who like girls who like rumble packs!
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