GAMER WORLD

hi5 Mobile Launches in 26 Languages

2008-08-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

mobile has arrived. For all of those that have been waiting patiently for this social network to have a dedicated and optimized version of its service on your mobile device, here it is. And for a bit of boasting on hi5’s end, the social network’s mobile presence spans 26 different languages upon launch, setting out to create a new precedent for a global reach on the mobile front.

This makes a great deal of sense for a network like hi5, that has a large international user base, which translates into a need for ready mobile access, as many other countries use their mobile phones more often than a PC.

So what can you do on hi5’s new mobile network? Send messages, update your status, share photos, and add new friends, to name a few features. As far as media-sharing goes, users are pretty well covered, though I’m interested in seeing how networks will continue to push the boundaries in regards to third-party applications and advertising therein. As hi5 already supports OpenSocial, and has just announced its added support for Widgetbox’s OpenSocial applications, it’s clear that hi5 is ready to offer more options to both its developer community and user base at large.

From other ends of the spectrum we’re seeing development from services like Frengo that are setting out to make third-party applications more adept and integrated into mobile devices for broadened support, and such efforts could fit in well with hi5’s focus and desire to really promote its mobile offering as a full-on alternative to PC users on a global scale. Supported mobile devices include the iPhone, Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson.

VIA : mashable

Andy Roddick vs. The Undertaker

2008-08-26T04:52:00.000-07:00

USA Network will show the U।S. Open tennis tournament followed by WWE's Monday Night Raw tonight, and if you think tennis and professional wrestling would be hard to market together, then you haven't met the creative geniuses at the WWE:

Another Game Innovator Is Shut Down By Copyright Claims

2008-08-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

This is a new commercial of iPhone 3G, it talks about App Store.

Over the past couple months we have covered the tale of Scrabulous, the popular Facebook application which brought the traditional game of Scrabble to the online environment. After more than nine months of threats, Hasbro, the owner of Scrabble, finally created their own version of the game and, more importantly, sued the makers of Scrabulous.

Now, an eerily similar situation is taking place through the iPhone App Store. The maker of a Tetris-like game called "Tris" reports that due to legal action by the Tetris Company, he is going to remove the application from the App Store. Apple, he says, demanded he resolve the dispute personally or they would "take action." Although the developer believes he is on fairly firm legal ground, as a poor college student, he cannot afford the time or money to defend his application. He calls the approach "little more than petty bullying."

This scenario and Scrabulous are indicators of the increasing importance of the platform operators who have the ability to shut down applications (and in the case of Apple, even disable previously installed applications). The developers who are building on these platforms are beholden to gatekeepers which, more often than not, err on the side of over-enforcement.

Airtel techies dare iPhone hackers

2008-08-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

When it comes to iPhone hackers, techies at Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel expect to have the last laugh. They claim even the most deadly hackers on the planet won’t be able to crack the codes that support the iPhone’s Airtel applications with rival company SIMs.

So, even if a hacker manages to make voice calls from an Airtel iPhone using the SIM of a rival GSM operator, he would be denied access to both exclusive icons – ‘Airtel Live’ and ‘Airtel Apps’-- which are gateways to the full spectrum of Airtel applications built into the iconic gizmo.

This means a potential hacker of an Apple iPhones procured from Airtel won’t get to access to either content or entertainment features on Airtel Live -- a customised portal designed purely for Airtel subscribers.

With no access to Airtel Live, he can’t access any text, audio, video, static images, music or gaming options available on the preloaded Airtel Live portal application.

Neither does he get to use the powerful Google search engine.

Worse, the hacker also draws a blank if he tries activating any super secure applications like mobile payment (m-Check) that can otherwise be accessed by Airtel users by clicking the ‘Airtel Apps’ icon on the iPhone.

m-Check, would typically enable a user to manage his Airtel account or even do money transfers from his iPhone. Confirming this, Bharti Airtel’s IT director Jai Menon, who is also chief information officer (CIO) of Bharti Enterprises told, “Even if a hacker figures out a way to make voice calls from an iPhone procured from our stores using a non-Airtel SIM, he will not be able to access any of the ‘Airtel Live’ or ‘Airtel Apps’ features built into all the iPhones sold by Airtel.

We’ve built in suitable levels of security to ensure both applications remain out of bounds for hackers. All iPhones distributed by Airtel will run on OSX (Version 2) OS which also powers Apple notebooks worldwide.”

He adds, “Airtel’s IT group has worked with Apple for over a year to uniquely evolve a bunch of operator-specific applications on the iPhone. In fact, Airtel is perhaps the only mobile operator besides Australia’s Optus that has evolved operator-specific applications on Apple’s iconic phone.”

Incidentally, “developing operator-specific iPhone applications was pretty much a stealth exercise that transpired by leveraging Airtel’s service delivery platform, which is a $100 million tech initiative,” said Menon.

india times

Burning Blu-ray soon be standard in Windows

2008-08-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

In the near future, an update of the Windows operating systems should allow the user to burn Blu-ray without resorting to a third party software. Dubbed Feature Pack for Windows Storage, the necessary extension is currently in beta test. Ultimately, it should be proposed for versions XP, Vista and Windows Server 2008. A time supporter of HD DVD format led by Toshiba, Microsoft seems to have taken the party to fully follow the lead of the Blu-ray technology, developed by Sony in particular.

Alongside this interface offering support for burning Blu-ray, Microsoft offers within the Feature Pack for Windows Storage other two extensions: the first, called Active Storage Platform, will restrict a password or certification ' access to a USB device, while the second will allow थे management of smart cards and type ICCD CCID।

source: techarena ,

techarena

Intel gives 'turbo' boost to Nehalem

2008-08-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

After politics, place the ads produced. In his keynote, Pat Gelsinger, current vice president of Intel company, has devoted much of his time in Nehalem, the new Intel architecture that will make his first steps with the Core processors i7 (see The successor of the Core 2 Duo Core will be the i7). Pat Gelsinger first indicated that the first i7 Core processors will arrive well in the market at year-end. While the characteristics of the Nehalem architecture have already been widely discussed, to start with four hearts on a monolithic design enjoying each HyperThreading technology, integration of a memory controller DDR3 on three channels, using a new bus system, the QPI, or the addition of 4.2 SSE instructions.

Intel today lifted the veil on the features in terms of energy management processor said. While Intel processors benefit all of the current clock gating, the Core i7 inaugurate the Power Gating, a name that implies a change in the manufacturing process. The idea is to effectively extinguish anything that might be, and each one of hearts, independently, all with a minimum leakage current between transistors. Côté operating frequencies, each heart has its own frequency modulation and voltage and Intel will function with Nehalem Turbo Mode appeared on Penryn processors for laptops. When an application does not use all hearts, hearts are turned off unused and frequency of the first two hearts increases automatically. By default this increase corresponds to a predetermined ratio will it be possible to modify the Core i7 Extreme processors, although this parameter is also dependent on the TDP processor.

SOURCE

Online Multiplayer, Cross-Platform Gaming Coming to iPhone

2008-08-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Neutron, Exit Games' cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, just got upgraded with iPhone support, the company announced today.

The service is said to include real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options, game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities, buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, in-game voice and text chat and last, but certainly not least, billing and in-game microtransactions.

Exit Games today announced that its cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, Neutron®, is now compatible with the iPhone™. This new compatibility update allows game developers to integrate online multiplayer and social gaming features into iPhone games by using Neutron technology, as well as cross-platform capabilities between an iPhone and other mobile devices, PCs and game consoles.
Features of the Neutron multiplayer and social gaming platform include, among others:
• Real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options
• Game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities
• Buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, etc.
• In-game voice and text chat
• Billing and in-game microtransactions

“The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channel”, said Christof Wegmann, CTO of Exit Games. “Neutron’s support of this new and innovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advantage of its wireless connectivity and add social gaming features.” Wegmann further adds, “The iPhone will surely establish itself as a dominant mobile gaming platform and we’re pleased to support multiplayer and social features in games developed for the device.”
The fully managed Neutron service platform minimizes risk and time-to-market for even the most complex multiplayer and community game development projects on all platforms. Neutron 5.0 SDKs provide a broad variety of connectivity features out-of-the-box, and together with its hosting services it enables game developers to integrate sophisticated online features at minimum time and cost investment. Neutron continues to leverage large user communities, supporting online gaming on the mobile, PC and console platforms including J2ME, BREW, Windows Mobile, Flash Lite, Blackberry

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro

2008-08-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

The Logitech Wave Pro might catch your attention: its "wave" design "cradles your hands" for added comfort. The keys themselves are shaped and laid out in such a way that your hands won't have to move much - if you know how to type properly, that said. If the hands aren't moving, the palms have to rest on something soft: a cushioned palm rest area. Each of us will have different keyboard preferences, so you really have to try one for a few minutes.

You're plenty familiar with the first half of the equation, but the new critter promises to last up to six whole weeks on a full charge, and the included USB plug enables users to charge and work if they're okay with a temporary tether. You'll also find a 1,600DPI sensitivity rating, MicroGear precision scroll wheel and eight programmable buttons. Look for the happy couple to land in the US in October and Europe in mid-November for $129.99, while the mouse alone will go for $79.99 two months earlier in each region

PS4 and Xbox '720' to arrive in 2011-2, estimates Crytek

2008-08-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

At a keynote session during this year's GC Developer Conference, taking place in Leipzig, Germany, Crytek president and CEO Cevat Yerli revealed his belief that the new next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony will hit the market in 3-4 years' time.

"The PlayStation 4 and Xbox '720' will arrive in 2011 or 2012, we think," said Yerli. "But this is just our estimate - we don't know, and even if Microsoft and Sony told us, I couldn't say because it would be under NDA.

"But we think in three to four years' time, although there are good reasons why it should be 2010 already...but we'll see."

Yerli, giving a talk on "The Future of Gaming Graphics", also explained Crytek's plans for a new version of its in-house engine to be released in 2012, but stated his belief that the effective current gaming maximums would remain at resolutions of 1920x1080 and 60 frames per second until that time.

He also added that he believed GPUs and CPUs were on a collision course, with the former becoming more effective at general computing, and the latter more effective at parallel tasks - and that software such as DirectX 11 would help that collision to happen towards the end of 2009.

The first title to use Crytek's current development technology, CryEngine2, was last year's Crysis, with a new title - Crysis: Warhead - to be released in a few weeks. CryEngine 2 took 25 engineers four years to put together, and used the original CryEngine as a base - which itself took an average of 20 engineers three years to build.

source gamesindustry

PSP Modifcation Dictionary

2008-08-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Alot of people are asking questions such as "whats a rom?" or "whats firmware?" and i decieded to make this lil dictionary for psp related terms. its a work in progress and i expect people to contribute to it.

A

Ad-Hoc: a localized network used to play multiplayer psp games

B

Brick: Psp rendered dead. firmware corrupted

Bricker: A program designed to brick a psp, or render it useless

C

Capture.prx: plugin that enables screenshots on psp

Cintro: Movie played at the psp's boot instead of a image

Corrupted data: file that is corrupted that psp with this firmware can´t read.

CSO: Psp .iso file that has been compressed to take up less space on the memory stick

Custom Firmware: Independently coded versions of Sony's firmware, utilizing addition features, the ability to play the latest games, and access to homebrew applications

Cold Boot: Opening image you see when you first boot the psp (such as the sony of america image on stock psps)

Convert: Changin file format to another

CWCheat: PRX file that allows the user to change aspects of a game and modifiy its parameters

CXMB.prx: Plugin for ctf themes that has to be enabled in recovery mode if you wan`t to have ctf themes

Ctf theme/format: Type of custom theme in another format

D

Dead Pixel: defective pixel that remains unlit on the psp

Devhook: Program used to launch .iso files and homebrew as well as launch newer UMD's

Downgrader: Program used to turn back a psp's firmware and make it useable for homebrew

Dump: Extracting information from a source, such as firmware or umd

E

Eboot: a .pbp file that allows the psp to execute homebrew applications

ELF: executable and linking format - now appears as the default binary format on operating systems such as Linux,
Solaris 2.x, and SVR4

Epsilon Bios: Bios files used with the Undiluted Platinum mod chip

Emulator: program used to imitate other video game systems
related: Roms

Exploit: a vulnerability in the psp's firmware that allows homebrew and downgraders to be used

EXP: export file - Some programs will use the .EXP file extension to denote an export from that program

F

Flash: Chips built into the psp that stores the firmware. Accessed via custom firmware mods

Flash Player: media player used to play .flv files. aslo supports SOME internet flash websites

FLV: Format used by the psp's flash player. files downloaded in .flv format are viewable from the memory card

Firmware: The psp's embedded operating software. Stored on a flash-rom module

G

GTA: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Used for downgrading 3.03 to 1.50 firmware

Gameboot: Video seen at the very beginning of the psp's boot cycle

H

Homebrew: Homemade games or applications coded by a independent programmer.

HENC Homebrew Enabler Revision C. Application used to launch homebrew in newer firmwares
aslo: HEND

HEND: Homebrew Enabler Revision D: Application used to launch homebrew in newer firmwares. updated version of HENC

Hello World: Small homebrew program used to show homebrew capibilities on newer firmwares.

I

Infastructure: psp network used to find access points and get on the internet

Iso: digital version of a optical based video game. similar to a rom

IsoCompressor: computer program that can convert game file(iso,cso,dax etc.) to another file.

INI: initialization file, or INI file, is a configuration file that contains configuration data (i.e. idiom terms)

J

K

Kernal: Component used to control resources within the psp.

KXploit: Method of running homebrew by utilizing 2 folders. one with a % and one without. EX: snes_TYL and snes_TYL%

L

LCD: Liquid Crystal Display. the type of screen the psp uses

M

MAC Address: Number assigned to the psp in order for it to be identified on a network

Magic Memory Stick: Moded memory card with files to unbrick/install custom firmware on offical firmware psp. Pandora battery is also needed to unbrick/install custom firmware.

Magicgate: Sony's copyright protection for memory sticks

MP4: MPEG-4. Video format used by the PSP.

Memory Stick: The psp's memory card. comes in various sizes, from 32mb all the way up to 8gb

MS: Abbreivation for Memory Stick

MSO: Root of the memory stick

N

O

Open Edition(OE): type of custom firmware

P

Pandora battery: Moded battery which is in use to unbrick/install custom firmware on psp with officall firmware. The magic memory stick is also needed to unbrick/install custom firmware.

PBP: .PBP files are used by the Sony PSP console to launch software such as a firmware update

POPS: Sonys built in Playstation (ps1,psx,psone) emulator. 3.xx firmware and up

PMF: Process Management Files - define the metrics that an application could collect during runtime

PSP: Sony's handheld portable gaming system. PSP stands for Playstation Portable

PSPVideo9: Computer program used to convert video files over to mp4 to be played on the psp

Proof of Concept: a coders prototype towards a future program

PRX: a .prx file. external plugin used in custom firmware to help customize the functionality and looks of the psp's firmware

Ptf format/theme: Very simple type of custom theme in another format
Q

R

RAW: raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of a digital camera or image scanner

Recovery Menu: Menu used to alter various settings on a psp w/ custom firmware installed. accessed by holding the R button at boot

Rip: Slang term used when extracting information from a optical source, such as a CD or DVD. similar to a Dump

Root: Uppermost folder on a memory card

Rom: digial version of a cartridge based video game
related:Emulators

RCO: File extension, located resources file. holds the data of functions the psp have, such as text, sounds, icons, or actions

S

Semi-Brick: When the psp enters a partial brick state, including but not limited to xmb problems, blue screen of death (BSOD) and a "black screen" at boot. occurs only in Custom Firmware psp's

Stuck Pixel: red, green or blue pixel caused by a defect in the psp's screen

T

TA-082: Motherboard update by Sony to attempt to prevent downgrading

Theme: Collection of icons, sounds, font, and wallpaper to check the look of the psp's xmb

TIFF: Known exploit using the PHOTO menu in a psp

U

UMD: Universal Media Disk. Sony's chosen format for games and movies

Undiluted Platinum: Psp Mod Chip. Allows two different firmwares to be used

USB: Universal Serial Bus. The prefered method of getting data on and off of a memory stick. requires a usb cable

V

VSH: Folder within psp's flash module that contains files related to the psp's theme

W

WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network. Links the psp to a wireless router

WMA: Windows Media Audio. compressed audio format supported by the psp

X

XMB: Cross Menu Bar used to access settings, music, videos and the internet in addition to the psp's settings

Y

Z

source afterdawn

Need for Speed goes Undercover in November 18

2008-08-16T02:44:00.000-07:00

EA CEO John Riccitiello caught during an investor conference in June, saying that the next Need for Speed game, Need For Speed Undercover, would be a "much better game" than Need for Speed ProStreet. Rather than focus exclusively on racing, the game would sport a stronger mission structure and "narrative hook" akin to the 2002 Jason Statham action flick.

EA officially announced Need for Speed Undercover for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, and mobile devices. True to Riccitiello's word, the street racer will feature a number of live-action cutscene sequences, and the publisher has secured the talents of starlet Maggie Q (Balls of Fury, Mission Impossible III) to lead its efforts. Ms. Q will play the role of Agent Chase Linh, who oversees players as they infiltrate the underground racing scene to upend an international crime syndicate.

As noted by Riccitiello, Undercover will feature gameplay that resembles 2005's NFS: Most Wanted, emphasizing car chases, underground racing, and highway battles. The shift in direction, according to Riccitiello, was possible because EA's Vancouver-based Black Box is no longer being "tortured" by a one-year development cycle. GameSpot will have its first impressions of the retooled racer next Wednesday.

Need for Speed Undercover is expected to drift onto retail shelves in North America on November 18, with a European release following on November 21.

FIrst images of Batman game

2008-08-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

he first screenshots of Eidos and Rocksteady's Batman game have appeared on the internet - and they look fantastic.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - which has nothing to do with the Bale films - is a dark and gritty action-come-stealth game based on the DC Comic books.
Combat focuses on both stealth and speed with the use of only three buttons; attack, throw and stun. There are also plenty of boss battles in the game, which apparently requires you to use various gadgets to keep Batman on top.

"Batman: Arkham Asylum offers players the chance to battle Gotham's worst villains with Batman's physical and psychological strength in a graphically distinct and story-driven game," said Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment boss Martin Tremblay.

"We look forward to working with Eidos on expanding DC Comics' world-renowned character Batman in the game space with a noticeably different feature set in an incredibly dark interactive environment," he added.

Final Fantasy XI Boss Takes At Least 18 Hours To Beat?

2008-08-13T05:57:00.001-07:00

There's one boss that stands above all others in Final Fantasy XI. Pandemonium Warden. Never seen it myself (never even played FFXI myself), but I'm assured he's a tough cookie. So tough, in fact, that when the guild BeyondTheLimitation tried to take him on the other day, they ran into some problems. Namely, that it was taking hours to defeat just a single form of a monster that had already changed form 20 times. In the end, the guild had to call it quits, because after 18 hours of combat members of the party started throwing up and passing out from exhaustion. 18 hours? We get it Square, tough bosses are tough, but 18+ hours of combat isn't fun. It doesn't sit well with the game's own warning message, either.

BOMB-USB Terrorist of design

2008-08-13T00:20:00.001-07:00

Description

A BOMB on your Desk!!

EA unveils DS 'puzzle-platformer'

2008-08-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

EA has unveiled a new DS platformer that (in its words) combines "the action of an adventure game with the challenge of a puzzle game." Interested?

The fantastically-named Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure separates puzzle and platforming elements between the DS's two screens, and you can choose to switch between the two at any time.

As you progress through the 30-plus levels in Hatsworth, you're challenged with completing puzzles and defeating puzzle enemies in order to gain power ups, health, and energy to charge up the moustached adventurer.

Hopefully the first screenshots to the right will help demonstrate a bit clearer how it works.

Evolution or revolution? Suspense builds for Wii 2

2008-08-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

Nintendo fans rejoice: there may well be a new arrival in the group's family of consoles sooner than you think. Satoru Iwata, president of the Japanese computer games group that has been lauded for its ability to attract new waves of gamers, has admitted that the company is hard at work on a follow-up to the motion-sensing Wii.

Mr Iwata said this week: “The hardware team started work on the next thing as soon as they were done with their previous project, but what they think up doesn't necessarily become a product.”

However, the speculation that has followed Mr Iwata's hint demonstrates the interest in Nintendo's next offering.

Fans around the world are salivating over how far the concept of motion-sensitive accessories might go: a full body suit that would capture a player's every movement is one suggestion, as is the possibility that Nintendo would dispense with the television as its chief means of displaying games and favour projecting everything on to the inside of a mask. There is even talk of a mind-controlled console that could take the form of a claw-like unit strapped to the head, which would translate brain activity into movement.

And it is not only gamers who have been known to hyperventilate when considering the possibilities of Nintendo's next offering.

Investors, who have goggled at the increase in the company's profits — which surged in the first quarter by 33.7 per cent to 107.3 billion yen (£507 million) and buoyant share price, may have been forced to reach for the smelling salts when considering the issue of what will come next.

One question that is exercising the investors is how Nintendo will handle the economics of that project. Will it just be a technological beef-up of the Wii platform — a Wii2 — or will the famously innovative company take things in an entirely new direction?

And amid the adulation, some gamers, too, are wondering whether the Wii has reached its limits. Its graphics are perfectly good, but the machine's lack of computing horse-power is evident when its games are compared with those on the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360.

Analysts are worried that the company's historical practice of “front-loading” its software line-up — squeezing at least 70 per cent of the most attractive titles into the console's first two years - may force the timing of a Wii2 more fiercely than in the past.

However, it is not just the traditional gamers who are thinking beyond the Wii. The ever-growing “casual” gaming community - those people tempted into the world of video games for the first time by either the Wii or Nintendo's handheld DS console - may not necessarily be satisfied for much longer.

Hiroshi Kamide, a games analyst at KBC Financial Products, said: “The casual gamer's tastes today are pretty basic but they won't be in five or ten years' time.

“The ones who came into gaming with the Wii are going to become more demanding and Nintendo will not be able to fob them off with the level of graphics and processing it is offering in the Wii today. Nintendo has got to make a pretty tough decision about whether the next Wii is going to be evolution or revolution,” he said.

To maintain its margins, the bill of goods - components, assembly and shipping — for the Wii2 would have to be about $250 (£130) initially and fall to about $100. If Nintendo were to launch its next-generation Wii within three years, $250 would probably buy it about the same graphics and processing power as are currently included in the Xbox 360. By then, Microsoft may have stepped up a level of sophistication.

Dawn Paine, marketing director at Nintendo UK, is confident that there is still a “huge appetite” for the Wii in its current form across the world.“The Wii is still finding its way into new markets. It is being played more in public areas like pubs and we heard recently that it was used in a care home,” she said.

VIA : business.timesonline

Cop-Confiscated PS3 Replaced with 360

2008-08-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Dustin Waller, of Cleveland, N.C. (this is where my mother, I shit you not, foxhunts) got a Playstation 3 from his fiancee, who bought it either used or refurbed for $350 from an independent games retailer at a mall down the road in Salisbury. Tuesday, Waller gets a visit from the police up the road in the other direction, Statesville, who said the PS3 was stolen goods. They'd tracked him after he unwittingly signed on to PSN using the previous owner's ID. After the police confiscated the PS3, Waller went back to the store to get a refund. He got a 360 instead, and thinks the cops asked the store to provide it.

This case is kinda funny because a PS3 gamer, who says he's "just not had luck with Xbox consoles," ends up with a 360 essentially by police action. But it's fascinating for the police work involved. The Statesville police had been investigating a string of burglaries and this PS3 was among the property stolen. Find the seller and they can unravel the rest of it, of course. So they were watching for that PSN ID to log on, and when Waller went looking for some PSN games, the detectives tracked his IP address, and then got a search warrant to get records from his ISP.

Waller is not the suspect, the guy who sold it to the mall retailer is. Originally Waller went back to ask for a refund and was told that was against store policy, and left empty-handed. The store later gave him a 360, which Waller thinks was done at the prodding of the Statesville cops. But in terms of actual value of the two consoles, Waller estimates he's down $150. Plus he was just getting the hang of the SixAxis (kidding).

Anyway, Waller took the story public because he wanted the retailer to take some responsibility for checking out those who sell it used items. And it's useful advice for you folks too. If you notice anything fishy about a refurb you bought, get on the phone with the seller and/or the po-po, before they get a warrant and come to you first. Because they are total Microsoft fanboys

[ via ]

Microsoft: Square Wanted FFXIII on 360

2008-08-12T04:03:00.000-07:00

The question that many gamers were asking after Microsoft's E3 press conference was "How did Final Fantasy XIII end up on the Xbox 360?" Way back in July, Microsoft Global Marketing Manager Albert Pennello explains:

I think the most obvious reason that they made the announcement is just looking at the success of our console...Square has done games for us in the past, and I think there’s a point where Square just has to look at the Xbox 360, the install base and attach rates that we’re seeing and actually has to make a decision on their own that it’s the right thing to do for them...
I think it’s easy to assume that something’s going on behind the scenes, I think the more obvious answer is we’re doing really well and the game creators want their games to be where the most people and the most consoles [are], and right now that’s the Xbox 360.

For third party publishers, multi-platform makes sense. Still rather curious why it's not on the Xbox 360 in Japan, though...

GMC to launch its upgraded pc case 'R-3 Corona Color'

2008-08-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

GMC announced the launch of its upgraded pc case 'R-3 Corona Color' in Korea market, which is available in hot-pink, lime-green and ocean-blue.

Featuring vertically-equipped ODD, the R-3 Corona Color adopts a blue LED ring which appears on the front panel brings out the simplicity. Suggested price is 45,000(KRW).

GTS World Racing on iPhoneTM

2008-08-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

A demonstration of GTS World RacingTM for iPhone

70% of Games Lose Money, Says Ex-Sony Exec; Gambling to Help Fund Future Development

2008-08-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

Only three in ten games make enough money to recover development costs, former Sony executive Chris Deering stated in a Edinburgh Interactive Festival keynote.

Prior to his appointment as president of Sony Europe, Deering served as the head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe during the launch of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PSP, which gave him significant knowledge of Sony's internal and external development strategies. He resigned from Sony in 2005.

By 2011, Deering estimates that there will be 2.5 billion potential gamers across the world with cable and internet providers being a part of the "competitive array," according to Develop.

With more competitors coming in and publishers rarely breaking even, he said "something is going to have to be there to make up the difference," such as "creative use of hybrid online/offline advertising revenue models" and in-game gambling.

"Gambling will become a source of development funding," noted Deering. "Perhaps not directly, but this area can provide some sources of income which eventually be directed back to the developer."

Another potential source of revenue is online microtransactions, with Microsoft stating that paid downloadable content can help retail games bring in an extra $21 million.

Other companies are exploring the arena of free-to-play PC games. EA DICE is currently prepping Battlefield Heroes, which will be supported by microtransactions and web-based advertising, while id's Quake Live is centered around in-game advertising.

VIA :shacknews

Street Fighter Online Gets Naughty, Nearly Naked

2008-08-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

These new "rare items" for the hideous Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation from Daletto are too hot for TV... and Japanese online gaming publications. They're so sexy, so revealing, even we can't show you what they're wearing. And that's mostly because the new downloadable items for Street Fighter Online in question — Chun-Li's "Virgin White" and Baichoufu's "Wild Panther" underthings — were mosaicked out before we got to 'em. It wasn't an editorial decision.

We like that Daletto is pandering to the SFO player. We've always wanted to see an oddly jointed, low polygon Chun-Li prancing about awkwardly in virgin white something and appreciate that the developer went the extra yard.

VIA :]

21 Upcoming Wii Games to Drool Over

2008-08-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

#21: Wii Music

ETA: Late 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Two years ago the world got the first glimpse of Wii Music, when Shigeru Miyamoto used an early version of the software to conduct an orchestra as it played the theme from Legend of Zelda. This fall, you'll be able to play Wii Music, too, and share the joy of creating music with everyone. Use your Remote and Nunchuk with up to three other friends to play parts in a six-part band harmony, using one of over sixty instruments of your choice. While the E3 demo was sorta lame (we blame that drummer dude), the prospect of performing classic Nintendo tunes with friends is pretty interesting.

#20: Red Steel 2

ETA: September 16, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Little is known about Red Steel 2 right now which was confirmed in the Official Nintendo

#19: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

ETA: September 16, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed you'll be able to use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as you take on the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice in an adventure that spans the gap between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. Use your Sith powers to hunt down and slay the surviving Jedi scattered across the Galaxy, while also eliminating any Stormtroopers or Rebels who try to stand in your way. Use your Force powers to push enemies away, hurt objects, leap impossible distances, fire the Dark Side's force lightning, and dive upon your enemy with speedy aerial dashes moves. It's being developed by a different team than the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, and will include exclusive stages as well as versus mode that should tide you over until The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels comes out (more on that game later).

Magazine, aside from one tremendous fact: it will be one of the first third-party games to support the Wii MotionPlus accessory introduced with Wii Sports Resort. That means the clunky swordfighting so many complained about in the original game is going to be replaced with the smooth, precise, realistic sword battles you can get a taste of in Wii Sports Resort's fencing mini-games. With an overhauled swordfighting system, Red Steel 2 could deliver on all of the sword n' gun crime action that the original game promised.

#18: Samba de Amigo

ETA: September 23, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: One of the original arcade rhythm games, Samba de Amigo, is coming back for the Wii, with new Wii Remote support that removes any need for expensive peripherals. Shake a pair of Wii Remotes like maracas in time with the beats onscreen, aiming high, low, or at waist level. Strike a pose when the indicator comes up onscreen, holding the Wii Remotes as indicated. Pick from dozens of hot Latin songs, and post your scores on the global Leaderboards. You can even make a Friends List to compare your scores to those of people you know. Finally, when you've played all the songs to death, you'll be able to download new songs via the Wii Pay & Play service. If Nintendo lets a few classic Mario tunes free from the grip of Wii Music, we'd download them in a second

#17: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels

ETA: November 1, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Enter the world of the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, and use the Wii Remote to engage in long-awaited lightsaber combat. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels, you'll be able to play as one of ten characters, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, and Ahsoka Tano. Carefully composed 3D graphics capture the look and feel of the animated film. Parry blows in defensive stance, or use the power of the Force to overwhelm your opponent with super-damaging blows. Lock sabers and play one of a variety of mini-games to see who can ultimately gain the advantage. While we're discouraged that the game won't include Wii MotionPlus support (boo on Nintendo's ultra-secrecy), LucasArts has been working on making Wii Lightsaber controls for some time now and we bet it'll be near perfect when the duels start.

#16: Call of Duty: World at War

ETA: November 11, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: The Wii version of World at War is going to offer everything the PC/360/PS3 version of the title will, along with extra features the other versions of the title won't support like Wii Zapper support and improved camera movement. Running on a modified CoD 4 engine, Call of Duty: World at War takes the Call of Duty franchise back to World War II. This time the emphasis is on conflict in the Pacific Rim, pitting you against the devious tactics of the Imperial Japanese army and the hostile jungle environment. Use the flamethrower to burn out the enemies waiting to trap you. The game's premiere at E3 caught the eye of many critics--it's one of the best looking Wii games we've seen yet. If the gameplay can match the visuals, the Wii could finally have a FPS on par with the HD consoles.

#15: Animal Crossing: City Folk

ETA: November 16, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Now you can take the fun of the GameCube's hit Animal Crossing online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Visit your friends' towns, or welcome up to three friends at once into your town to play games or just mess around. Each copy of Animal Crossing: City Folk ships with the new WiiSpeak microphone, designed to sit freely in the room and let everyone present enjoy talking to your online friends. Visit the new Big City area to customize your characters with new haircuts and costumes. You can even make your main character look like your favorite Mii! As long as we can still deface our friends' towns, we'll gladly take another trip to Animal Crossing.

#14: Castlevania Judgment

ETA: November 18, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Everybody wanted a Castlevania Wii game. Nobody really expected a 3D fighting game, but life's full of surprises like that. Castlevania Judgment is, in fact, a non-stop stream of surprises. The Wii controls are light and floaty, with plenty of waggling for attacks and dodging. All of the environments are from classic titles in the Castlevania franchise, and you can collect and unleash sub-weapons on your opponents. Every character has characteristic attack, dodge, and super moves you can use to defeat your opponent. There will be fourteen playable characters, including Simon Belmont, Alucard, Maria Renard, Dracula, and Death. If anything, it's a nice change of pace from the 36 straight awesome-yet-cliched 2D adventure-RPGs we've been seeing on the portables.

#13: No More Heroes 2

ETA: TBA
Why You Should Give a Damn: Okay, yeah, technically this game hasn't been announced yet. Come on, it's only a matter of time. Sales were solid, reviews were good, and creator Suda51 is on record wanting to make a sequel: "Then he confessed, 'Actually, I'm really willing to make a sequel version--and right now I'm asking if it can be made...I think No More Heroes is a great game, there's no other action game like it for the Wii. If it was a band, it would be really energetic, like the Arctic Monkeys.'" No More Heroes was one of the greatest Wii games to date, and when the sequel hits, it's going to be even better.

#12: Wii Sports Resort

ETA: Spring 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: Wii Sports is great, but you can only play the same six events for so long. Wii Sports Resort offers an all-new selection of events, and comes with the Wii MotionPlus add-on. With Wii MotionPlus, the Wii Remote becomes more sensitive than ever. Your Mii onscreen will copy every move you in an incredible new realistic way. Throw a Frisbee, steer jetskis, and even swordfight your friends as every movement you make registers onscreen with absolute accuracy. We can't wait to hear what other summer games Nintendo has in store. Suntan lotion rubdown contests, plz.

#11: Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop

ETA: 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: Want to kill a shopping mall full of zombies? Then the Wii version of Dead Rising is your game. Running on the Resident Evil 4 Wii engine, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop boasts motion controls and tons of zombies to hack through on every screens. Try to survive as time passes around you, making critical decisions about who to save and when to play it safe. Wield a fantastic variety of weapons scavenged from the mall around you, including katanas and a wide variety of gag weapons. While the Wii can't handle quite as many zombies on screen as the Xbox 360, we'll gladly trade that for less Otis and, oh yeah, text that 70 percent of the population can read!

#10: Mario Super Sluggers

ETA: August 25, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Wii Baseball's fun and all, but wouldn't it be better if you could hurl fireballs, eggs, and magic rainbows all over the field? Of course it would, that's why Mario Super Sluggers exists. Super Sluggers takes the addictive controls from Wii Baseball and matches them up with the fantasy-sports vibe as seen in the GameCube's Mario Superstar Baseball. Create dream teams that mix and match the 42 available characters (including Miis!), and have them battle it out across ten arenas in day or night conditions. Play Challenge Mode to gather characters for your team as part of an adventure story. We've already seen one Mario sports winner thus far on the Wii with Mario Strikers Charged... can the plumber go two-for-two?

#9: Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

ETA: November 18, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: The long-awaited sequel to the GameCube's greatest RPG is coming to the Wii, with new Wii Remote support. In Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, you'll be able to navigate your world with a simple point-and-click system using the Wii Remote pointer. Enjoy sidequests at your local guild and play a variety of mini-games. In battle, maneuver a party of up to four members to exploit the Flex Range Element Enhanced Linear Motion Battle System (which is similar to Tales of Innocence's Battle System) to do extra elemental damage to your foes. You can also exploit elemental alignments in order to capture, breed, and add any of the game's over 200 monsters to the party to fight as an AI-controlled ally. It's like Pokemon, except you actually cares what happens in this story.

#8: Deadly Creatures

ETA: Early 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: Imagine you're a spider, or maybe a scorpion. The world is teeming with other creatures, all enemies or prey. Some you can defeat, easily, while others are beyond your power. You travel through a desert world, made enormous by your tiny size, while you can crawl on any surface. Creatures like snakes, lizards, and humans are enormous creatures with the power to wipe you out instantly... but you can fight back, too, if you're smart and quick. Deadly Creatures takes this exact approach to gameplay, and the result is an action game unlike anything else. Be a deadly scorpion or desert tarantula and see how long you could survive. It doesn't look like there'll be a game adaptation of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids anytime soon, so we'll have to make do with this.

#7: Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers

ETA: Early 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: It's right there in the title: the game has girls in bikinis and zombies--do you really need another reason to want to play Onechanbara? Well, in addition to the game's brilliant premise, it also plays a lot like Devil May Cry only with a hell of a lot more blood. As you slaughter enemies in the game, your weapons accumulate gore and blood making them more difficult to handle and weaker overall. Finally, a game that accurately depicts the results of violence.

#6: Fatal Frame IV

ETA: Early 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: The latest addition to the acclaimed Fatal Frame survivor-horror franchise, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is exclusive to the Wii, developed in a partnership between Tecmo and Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture (who also brought us No More Heroes for the Wii). Use your camera to fight off hostile ghosts, or to take photographs of friendly and neutral ghosts. Use the Wii Remote to control your flashlight, or enter first-person mode to control your camera. Enjoy eerily beautiful graphics that push the Wii's limits, with no load times to stop the action as you move from room to room. Solve the mystery that haunts three girls who survived a kidnapping on a mysterious island, and return years later to try and unlock their repressed memories.

#5: The Conduit

ETA: Early 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: Who says you've got to own an Xbox 360 to get your sci-fi first-person shooter on? What looks to be a cross between Killzone and Perfect Dark, visually speaking, High Voltage's The Conduit can give you all that along with Wii Remote controls that'll make you never want to touch analog sticks again. Fight the alien Drudge that spawn endlessly from Conduits placed in every level. Destroy Conduits to secure the level, and use your ASE droid to solve devious puzzles. Customize every aspect of your controls, from which button does what to pointer sensitivity and running speed. Most importantly, it will have online multiplayer, which we've been aching to have on the Wii thus far. If this game works out, we can finally get our frag on, Wii-style.

#4: de Blob

ETA: September 26, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: de Blob is an upcoming puzzle game about rebellion against a drab, grey world. As the titular Blob, you can tweak the evil overlords by bouncing off the landscape and the citizens to splatter them with glorious fun-giving color. Start as a clear Blob and then pick up color by slamming into the paint cans hidden throughout the city. Once you've got a color, then slide, bounce, and smear your new color all over the city. As the color brings life back to your surroundings, the soundtrack becomes more lively, with every new shade adding new instruments to the tune. Sorta sounds like Katamari Damacy in reverse, which we can dig.

#3: Mega Man 9

ETA: September 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: Feel like new games are too weak, too easy for you? Sick of seeing bleeding edge graphics hyped like nothing else about a game could matter? Want to play something that'll kick your ass and make you come back for more? You want to play Mega Man 9, a hardcore old-school blast from the franchise's NES past. Enjoy pure 8-bit gameplay and a kickin' chiptune soundtrack as you try to beat eight new Robot Masters... if you can survive their levels. Spike pits, disappearing platforms, giant enemies with punishing attacks, Mega Man 9's got everything that ever made you throw a controller across the room. While this game is promised for other consoles, Mega Man and Nintendo have the strongest history, and the Wii Remote is the most natural, NES-feeling controller on the market. Who needs Achievements when you can have authenticity?!

#2: Wario Land: Shake It!

ETA: September 22, 2008
Why You Should Give a Damn: A 2D platformer, hand-drawn by the artists at Production I.G.? Yes, please. Nintendo is resurrecting Wario's first game series, the Game Boy Wario Land games, with a spectacular new version for the Wii, Wario Land: Shake It!. Smash and bash your way through puzzling levels hiding lots of gold to hoard and secret treasures to nab. Grab hold of enemies and shake them into submission, or Stun the entire screen with Wario's huge ground pound! Toss enemies into switches and other useful targets, and aim perfectly by tilting the Wii Remote. You can even buy maps from Wario's old nemesis Captain Syrup, who may or may not really be on your side this time. You want a hardcore Nintendo franchise for the holidays? Here it is.

#1: MadWorld

ETA: Early 2009
Why You Should Give a Damn: Your name is Jack, and you're trapped in DeathWatch, a violent, extreme death sport. You have a chainsaw strapped to your arm and a world full of deadly props like spiked walls, metal girders, and sign posts. Your goal is to kill the enemy, in as brutal and spectacular a fashion as possible, but without becoming dehumanized by DeathWatch's terrorist organizers. So with the crowd cheering and color commentary praising your every move, you need to go out and tear your opponents (sometimes quite literally) apart. With stylish black-and-white graphics and a hardcore rap soundtrack, MadWorld is a comic book thrill ride from hell. If Sin City and Gears of War had a baby, that spawn would be called MadWorld.

source : (game pro)

Nintendo Being Sued Again

2008-08-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

Nintendo has received yet another lawsuit, and just after they finished one up that saw them out of pocket with some cash, but what is it for this time, the Nintendo DS touch screen has infringed upon something.

That's right Nintendo is being sued over the Nintendo DS infringing upon a patent set by Mr. John R. Martin, from Illinois America, and the patent basically covers "touch screen and pointing device gaming technology".

However there is a problem with Mr. John R. Martin's claim as the Nintendo DS was released in 2004 his patent was filed in August, 2005 however apparently while this particular patent is more recent, it's actually the continuation of a series of patents first filed all the way back in 1995.

If your just wondering what his touch-screen device was, it's a gambling device that uses GPS and has something to do with gambling laws. The image above is a drawing from Martin's patent application and illustrates how he envisioned for the Gambling device to be. While Martin does not specifically refer to the DS, the form of input he describes seems to fit the DS as opposed to the Wii's motion-sensitive input.

Infinite Storage Capacity for iPhones

2008-08-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

The iPhone and iPhone 3G have been and are offered with storage capacities of 16GB at most. While many will find the 16GB is more than enough to store all their music, pictures, emails, and a good chunk of their video library, there are those out there with media libraries that can easily eclipse the iPhone 3Gs 16GB of flash memory. For those people, 16GB is a good compromise between media portability and handset size and cost, but far from an ideal storage capacity.

Not only does a physical storage limit require users to pick and choose which media is transferred to the iPhone, but transferring 16GB (or more) of data (music, videos, pictures) can take quite a long time. Synchronizing the iPhone with just a few GB’s of data has proven to take longer than is convenient.

To that end, Apple is looking to bring almost infinite storage capacity to their iPhone and iPhone 3G handsets. The move would allow heavy media-users to virtually keep all their media on their iPhones, without having to pick and choose what music albums or videos make the cut in to the iPhone’s limited memory banks.

The breakthrough in endless storage capacity wasn’t made in flash memory technology or miniature hard drives, but rather in a fundamental change in the way Apple handles media storage. A recent patent application has come to light that details technology that would have iPhones and iPhone 3Gs streaming media, in real-time, from their desktop iTunes libraries.

“For instance, a personal computer can be turned on and connected to the Internet to enable a portable device to access the media items stored on the personal computer,” according to Apple.

Rather than having massive iTunes libraries sitting in their home computer, inaccessible to iPhones in the wild, future versions of iTunes and the iPhone’s Mac OS may allow users to stream the media wirelessly over the air to their handset. The technology relies on storing just the meta-data associated with the media content, which sports a significantly (1% or less of the media’s total file size) smaller footprint, in the iPhone’s flash memory. The metadata describes a media file’s attributes - file size, title, artist, creation date, etc. - but not the actual media content itself.

The “lightweight” metadata would in turn be represented on the iPhone as “virtual media items” that depict all the media stored on the home computer - playlist, video, photo, and mobile games. With smaller file sizes, metadata-as-media-items could increase iPhone storage by 100-fold. That 16GB iPhone may just be able to store 160GB of media (or more) in the near future.

“As a result, the user perceives that the virtual media items may be available on the [the media player],” Apple said. “In this manner, the virtual capacity of an electronic device may be increased.”

The patent application also allows for remote iTunes library management. iPhone users could reorganize, add, or delete media in their iTunes library while away from their computer. And, should the connection to the computer degrade or be lost, the remote control technology would pause or stop data transmissions to preserve media-file integrity. Additionally, iPhone and iPod users may see peer-to-peer device communications - the kind of device-to-device communication made popular by the Microsoft Zune.

“This type of communication can be referred to as peer-to-peer interaction. In this regard, one mobile device can communicate directly with another mobile device” or ” to a plurality of other mobile devices,” Apple said. “In the peer-to-peer environment, one mobile device can communicate with one or more other electronic devices (whether mobile or stationary) in the immediate vicinity. Data sharing can be performed when such communication is available.”

The iPhone’s 16GB storage limit will likely make way for a new 32GB storage limit with Apple’s mid-cycle iPhone 3G refresh next year, so power users will have a near-term storage boost to look forward to. But, in the long run, we could see remote media access taking the stage to allow for storage capacities reaching upwards of hundreds of gigabytes.

VIA: intomobile

Grand Theft Auto IV PC Confirmed

2008-08-07T01:14:00.001-07:00

Rockstar Games has announced that the PC version of of "Grand Theft Auto IV" will arrive in stores on November 18th in North America and on the 21st in Europe.

"Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the enormously successful Grand Theft Auto series features a painstakingly detailed and life-like city for players to explore; a rich, immersive narrative experience; an original soundtrack highlighting the cultural eclecticism of Liberty City; and newly expanded multiplayer just for the PC.

“We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC. The game looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can’t wait for people to play it.”

For more information please visit: http://www.rockstargames.com/IV"

The Dark Knight Xbox 360 spotted in the wild

2008-08-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

As you've surely heard (and hopefully confirmed for yourself) by now, The Dark Knight is a runaway hit. So much so, in fact, that a number of manufacturers have figured it prudent to crank our hardware with the iconic Batman logo front and center. Next in line for admission on the bandwagon seems to be Microsoft, which apparently showed off a "limited edition" (read: likely one of a kind) Dark Knight Xbox 360 over in Taiwan. We know, you want the details -- eventual release dates, a price, the works. Unfortunately for us all, we're stuck with just that image above and hope for the future. Hey, at least you can let your imagination run wild.

Vista gets crammed onto a PS3. It's as bad as you think.

2008-08-07T01:08:00.000-07:00

We can't in good conscience recommend trying this one at home for sake of your own sanity, but one enterprising PS3 enthusiast has thankfully gone the extra mile and installed Windows Vista on the console so you don't have to. As you might have guessed, however, it's not a pretty sight, with the OS running under emulation and requiring nearly 25 minutes to fully boot up. You can also add an extra five minutes and thirty seconds on top of that to load the start menu, and about twelve minutes to load up that most demanding of applications: Notepad. Head on past the break to see it for yourself, and hit up the link below for the installation instructions... if you dare.

VIA :]

The Xbox 360 ‘Red Ring of Death’ Apology Manual

2008-08-07T01:01:00.001-07:00

Ah, the ill-fated Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, how we fear thy ways. After all, with a 16% failure rate, it could happen to anyone. For some of us, it already has. Multiple times. And as much as we love spending a half hour coaxing Microsoft’s customer service into sending us a “coffin” (the sad cardboard box used to mail back your deceased console) only to receive yet another broken replacement, sometimes its easier to just give up. Well then, the least that Microsoft could do is give us a few ideas of what to do with this giant, expired paperweight of failure. That’s why we propose the official Red Ring of Death Apology Manual, printed and paid for by Microsoft themselves, of course. Besides, what else are you gonna do with the damn thing?

Wii Stand

Sure, the snazzy gray stand the Wii comes packed with is cool, but nothing says “Fuck you, Microsoft!” more than perching the tiny Wii on top of the mountain of fried circuitry that is the Xbox360. It’s like screwing your hot new girlfriend in front of your comatose wife.

Towel Heater

While the hard white plastic shell of the 360 is certainly not comfortable, it works wonders on relaxation techniques. Wrap a towel around the console, turn it on for 15 minutes, then unplug it. Viola! - Instant heating pad for muscle and joint pains.

Door Stop

This one is obvious, but we can’t propose this list without it. Why bother wedging that little plastic nub underneath your door, risking back and knee injuries to keep it open, when you can literally drop the 7.8 lb behemoth in front of even the heaviest of doors and get the same effect?

Fake Female Companion

You could easily buy a plastic blow-up doll, but why risk the debilitating embarrassment or bother spending the cash when you already dropped $300+ on a defect-riddled console? A little lube will go a long way with the 360s myriad inputs. The only question is: Are you a front port man, or a back port man?

Unlicensed Wii Fit Balance Board

Spending $90 on Nintendo’s hard-to-find exercise software is pointless if you’re stuck with a busted 360. Simply turn on your TV, tune into that husky-voiced blonde chick doing cardio, and simply follow along using your 360 as a make-shift balance board. Not only will you burn calories, but you’ll take out some of your pent up aggression towards Microsoft for manufacturing such a colossal mess.

Safety Deposit Box

Instead of storing your money away in a bank or an off-shore account in the Caymans like the-minusworld, think about using your busted 360. Let’s face it: No thief worth his salt would take a second look at the 360 sitting in your entertainment center. Why not stuff it full of your cash and valuables? Extra bonus: It’ll clear up more room under your mattress for your filthy Master Chief/Cortana hentai porno collection.

World’s Saddest Kite

Everyone loves kites. Of course, that’s assuming they are capable of riding the wind. Tie a string onto a busted 360, hand it to a little kid, and watch them bawl uncontrollably as they discover that a hulking piece of plastic and soldered wires can’t fly. For extra kicks, tell them Santa Clause won’t be bringing them a new system because he doesn’t exist.

Fireworks

Set up your own fireworks show with the help of Microsoft’s next-gen disaster. You can launch bottle rockets and Roman candles from the outside of the console (the only reliable part) or attach some sparklers into one of the 360s many useless air vents.

Frisbee

Nothing beats tossing the old Frisbee around the yard. It’s fun and helps counter some of the soft-tissue damage incurred from your recent 24 day long Call of Duty 4 binge. Sure, the 360 is a bit bulky and could possibly cause more damage than it did when it actually worked (just ask the unfortunate soul in the picture), but so long as you don’t use it to play catch with your dog, you’re in the clear.

Primitive Mousetrap

Xbox gamers are amongst the most dedicated negligent gamers out there. When they aren’t in the middle of an all-night FFXI session while cos-playing as their in-game avatar (surprise: not every female black mage is being played by an actual female!), they’re letting their basement bachelor pad fall into disrepair. Thankfully, the 360 can easily be converted into a simple, yet effective mousetrap. No longer do you sloppy pixelantes have to worry about rodent infestations!

VIA:]

PS4 To Be More Of The "Same Thing"?

2008-08-07T00:59:00.001-07:00

So it begins again, and Phil Harrison for one has decided that he would be better of elsewhere, accoring to a source reporting to VG247.

It would seem that the PS4 is being developed while we soundly sleep, but will have to continue without Phill Harrison who has decided to move on. The inside source has said that “he could see he was about to get involved in another PlayStation cycle, and obviously wanted something new. The same thing was happening again and he’d been through it enough times to want to move on.”

Harrison departed Sony under a cloud of mystery, with no reason given. He then went on to take a post as head of Infograms, which is developing content in the casual gaming and internet business models, something he finds "very exciting."

Woman pays $2,600 for 'upgraded' PSP

2008-08-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

HER 12-year-old daughter wanted to buy a Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) to share with her friends.

Nicole said that she was overcharged for a Sony PSP that she had bought at a Lucky Plaza shop. -- Picture: ADELINE ONG

On 12 July, a 41-year-old sales assistant, who wanted to be known only as Nicole, went with her daughter to shop for one at Lucky Plaza.

After checking with several shops, she found out that the price ranged between $300 and $600.

She told The New Paper that she went to a shop owned by Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises. She said that the sales assistant there was polite and helpful, and helped her daughter to choose a black-tinted PSP.

He advised Nicole to upgrade the software on the PSP, explaining that this would allow her daughter to play more games as well as surf the Internet, among other things.

When Nicole asked him how much the games cost, he told her that they were free of charge.

He added that she only needed to pay for the PSP and licence for software upgrading.

He then took the PSP away to download the games and upgrade the software, she said.

He returned 15 minutes later with the PSP and the bill - a whopping $3,550.

Said Nicole: 'I was shocked. I thought he had written an extra zero by mistake.

'I told him that if the upgraded PSP was going to cost as much as a laptop, I might as well get my daughter a laptop.'

Nicole said that her daughter agreed that the PSP was too expensive, and said she didn't want it anymore.

But the sales assistant told her that it was too late as he had already downloaded original software onto the PSP and the licences were costly.

AGREED TO REDUCE PRICE

He agreed to reduce the price to $3,100, but Nicole said it was still too expensive.

He then offered reduce it further to $2,610, saying that he wouldn't include anti-virus software.

When Nicole insisted that she didn't want it, he said she still had to pay for the licences of the downloaded games, which would cost $2,000.

Said Nicole: 'Although it was crazy that I had to pay $2,000 for nothing, I thought that I could not expect the shop to pay for the licences.

'I couldn't walk away as it would be irresponsible of me.'

She asked him why other shops sold PSPs for between $300 to $600.

'He claimed that the PSPs they were selling were different because the licences for the software were not original.'

Convinced by the shop assistant, she paid $2,600.

But her brother told her that night that she had paid too much.

They went back to the shop the next day and asked to see the licences for the software, but were told it was confidential.

The shop insisted it did not overcharge Nicole, but agreed to waive the service charge.

After lengthy negotiations, the price came down to $1,400. But Nicole insisted the maximum she would pay was $1,000.
She got her way and received a $1,600 refund.

'It was still very expensive but I did not want to waste time,' she said.

She later went to the Consumers' Association of Singapore but was told that because she had agreed to pay $1,000, it could not pursue the matter further.

'All the while, the sales assistant had an innocent face, and was helpful and appeared sincere,' she said.

She added that she was not intimidated into paying.

When contacted, Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises declined to comment.

'My friends all say I'm so stupid,' Nicole said.

VIA :]

Nintendo is working on a new console

2008-08-05T02:51:00.000-07:00

While the Wii continues to cartonner across the planet and it should, according to analysts, exceed the installed base record of Playstation 2, the firm plumbers moustachu began studying the successor to the Wii. CEO of the Empire Nintendo told "Our teams of hardware started working on it as soon as they had done with the previous project. But they imagined not necessarily a product. This becomes really concrete that when we validate the project. For the moment, we can not yet give details, but of course, we are working above"

The game of assumptions is therefore open to all fantasies. Nintendo will return there in the race for high-definition machines? Few chances given the success of the Wii and the new target of Nintendo. Let us hope in any case that the plumber moustachu will again make us dream .

The First notebook of lenovo: gorgeous IdeaPad S10

2008-08-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, Lenovo officially announced that they were flinging their own slim ultra-portable into the netbook fray, and even in an over-saturated market filled with cookie-cutter products, the sleek Ideapad S10 is looking like the netbook to wait for.

Powered by Intel Atom N270 and 945 GSE chipsets running at 1.6GHz, the S10 packs a 10-inch screen, and the press release labors advanced heat-dissipation technology which will prevent irradiated scrotums. The specs list all the usual suspects in netbook tech: an integrated 1.3M camera, 2 stereo speakers, a 4-in-1 card reader, hard drives up to 160GBs and the usual tiered battery options: 3-cells and 6-cells. More interesting is the multi-touch capable pad and an Express Card slot for WWAN.

Color options involve black-and-white and whore-red. It's a lovely little netbook, no doubt, but it's almost a disappointment that Lenovo is following the standard netbook design motif and eschewing the traditional Thinkpad design. A clitoral nub would not go amiss, gents.

Prices are very good. The S10 will cost $399 for 512MB of RAM and an 80GB HDD or $450 for a 1GB, 160GB HDD model. The battery life (and whether or not the 6-cell battery will come stock) are the real hovering question marks here.

This looks like it'll be a winner when it comes out in October. Of course, that's the problem with netbooks: if you wait a month for a much-lusted-for mini-note to come out, something better will already have been announced.

Call of Duty: World At War

2008-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Still very popular with fans frags online Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was at one time or another make way for his successor. If nothing said that the arrival of fifth opus relegates production Infinity Ward the cupboard, fans of the series rightly expect the heir to the blockbuster of last year with curiosity, but also a lot of apprehension. And we understand that developers Treyarch, already responsible for Call of Duty 3: Walk To Paris, have decided to revert to the original context of the series, namely the Second World War. A regression argue some, but developers want to be reassuring: it will be a new vision of the conflict, located in the heart of the Pacific. A bit like Medal Of Honor: Rising Sun

The presentation orchestrated by members of Treyarch present for the occasion began with a few remarks. Among them, an ad size: Call of Duty to come will no longer be numbered but will become a sub-heading, and the fifth opus shows an example. Call of Duty: World At War, because his name, has benefited from two years of development, double the third episode, argument trumpeted by Treyarch to give the player some reasons for hope. Hoping what? A campaign that does not align hackneyed situations, a little more complexity in environments proposed freedom of action that is not sacrificed on the altar of spectacle or a scenario finally mature.

On this last point, the first mission presented did not really reassured. In the shoes of an American soldier prisoner of the Japanese troops should be first to go through a scene of summary executions particularly savage before launching the assault on a beach in the company of reinforcements intervened to us out of trouble .slender then the first "Banzai!" to belch by Japanese soldiers. A formal brutal situation which, if it fits well in an action game, deserves still a hint of subtlety in terms of historical context exploited. In short, we hope that an introduction to the corridors of these clashes before the start of the game in its final version and that developers will finally decide to deal with this terrible conflict other than as a mere pretext.

The irritation overcome, we can dwell on the realization of this first environment. Based on the graphic engine of Call of Duty IV, the World At War honors his senior by posting a reported overall good bill. A tranquil water striped light, flames spitting particles rougeoyantes, a sandy beach covered by shadows that projects the light of the moon: the scene of the first battle we seduced. Likewise, the city devastated by bombs, only environment presented on the Russian side of the campaign, particularly in providing details and other effects of particulate offered a playground of more credible. We unfortunately can not be said of all missions revealed. These include the single level presented in terms of multiplayer whose aridity visual sharply contrasted sharply with the abundance of graphic effects of the first mission. Similarly, it still expects the series Call of Duty it finally decides to raise the level of interactivity of its surroundings. Without being completely frozen, sets noticed missing still life, blamed a physics engine that promises to be once more fairly lazy. We are nevertheless remained in a good overall impression and let us not forget that this was a far from being finalized. It can therefore suspect Treyarch for putting the package on the first level and a little less for more ...

The first bullets exchanged we have offered a small glimpse into the gameplay of the title. Again, we must not expect major changes. If we can not obviously not a decision we firmly on the mechanical game as a whole, the impression given by the demonstration that we have seen has been rather tepid. From Call Of Duty pure juice: corridors, checkpoints and confrontations scripted constitute the bulk of phases unveiled Thursday. It should be noted, however, a staging remains turbulent trademark of the series. The ambushes should be commonplace since the developers were keen to emphasize the strategy used at the time by the Japanese forces. We were promised and a specific behavior for the latter supported by a legacy of Artificial Intelligence Call of Duty IV and reworked for the occasion. The Japanese soldiers should not hesitate to sacrifice for victory by multiplying the same tension clashes. An innovation still promise that we therefore expect the realization joystick in hand. But Call of Duty: World At War should not stop at this recipe and chewed eye up . The developers have indeed provided some have implemented changes such as those introduced in the fourth opus. We find a sequence shooting perched on a turret air during which it will flow of Japanese vessels. A moment of great spectacle for which teams Treyarch have not skimped on pyrotechnics. It is worth noting that the flamer should take a leading role to flush terres soldiers in their bunkers and other underground plaques.

Asked multiplayer developers Treyarch seem not to have taken the legacy of the fourth episode lightly. World At War will offer the opportunity to cooperate to four players throughout the campaign whatsoever offline, split screen or online. A mode called a body and cry by the owners of Modern Warfare, and they can finally enjoy with this fifth dimension. This cooperative mode will also account the grade earned by players in multiplayer classic (deathmatch, etc.). And balance the challenge proposed strengthening the enemy troops. So much for the moment everything that Treyarch and Activision have kindly announced their title. Nothing has filtered by the clashes in line and we do not always know if we will find all the great ideas introduced by his grandfather. One can only hope ...

Conclusion
First meeting mixed with the title of Treyarch. Call of Duty: World At War should ensure as planned without too essential to depart from the specifications of the series. In the action, great show, all provided by an arsenal of scripts to the Web millimeter. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the promises made during this presentation, including on Artificial Intelligence, to be implemented and that the title gets a scenario smart enough to make us forget the horrible slump ideological Opus precedent. Finally, to cross our fingers for a return to the multiplayer arrivals in addition to a cooperative mode that is expected at the turn.

PSP Game List page

2008-08-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

1 007 – From Russia With Love E 588 Modern Shooter

2 7 Wonders E 19 Puzzle

3 50 Cent Bulletproof E 413 Modern Action Adventure

4 300 – March To Glory E 704 Beat-'Em-Up

5 Ace Combat X Skies Of Deception E 778 Jet Sim

6 Ace Of Wars E 240 Jet Sim

7 Activision Hits Remixed E 98 Compilation

8 Aedis Eclipse Generation of Chaos E 589 Role-Playing

9 After Burner Black Falcon E 300 Jet Sim

10 Alien Syndrome E 300 Role-Playing

11 Alien vs Predator Requiem E 266 Sci-Fi Action Adventure

12 Ape Academy 2 E 710 Party Game

13 Arthur and the minimoys E 1410 Fantasy Action Adventure

14 Asphalt Urban GT2 E 332 Racing

15 Asterix & Obelix XXL 2:Mission Wifix E 800 3D Platformer

16 ATV Offroad Fury Pro E 511 Rally / Offroad Racing

17 Atari Classics Evolved E 39 Compilation

18 Audition Portable E 695 Rhythm / Dancing

19 Battlezone E 155 Action

20 Ben 10 Protector of Earth E 580 Action

21 Beowulf E 1130 Fantasy Action Adventure

22 Blade Dancer - Lineage Of Light E 379 Role-Playing

23 Bleach Heat The Soul 4 J&E 723 3D Fighting

24 Bomberman E 101 Action

25 Bomberman Land E 305 Action

26 Bounty Hounds E 145 Sci-Fi Shooter

27 Brave Story New Traveler E 142 Role-Playing

28 Breath of Fire 3 E 173 Role-Playing

29 Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 E 193 Cricket

30 Brothers in Arms E 1130 Historic First-Person Shooter

31 Bubble Bobble Evolution E 143 Puzzle

32 Burnout Dominator E 404 Racing

33 Bust-a-move ghost E 39 Puzzle

34 Cars E 275 Racing

35 Cabelas African Safari E 420 Hunting

36 Cabelas Dangerous Hunts Ultimate Challenge E 766 Hunting

37 Call of Duty - Road To Victory E 470 Historic First-Person Shooter

38 Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded E 421 Compilation

39 Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles E 761 2D Platformer

40 Championship Manager 2007 E 51 Soccer Management

41 Capcom Puzzle World E 285 Puzzle

42 Chili Con Carnage E 778 Modern Shooter
PS1 43 Chrono Cross [2CD] E 990 Role-Playing

44 Chuukana Janshi Tenchoo Remix (Mahjong) J 730 Board Game

45 Coded Arms Contagions E 458 Sci-Fi Adventure

46 Crash Of The Titans E 579 Action

47 Crazy Taxi Fare Wars E 314 Mission-based Driving
PS1 48 Crash Bandicoot E 466 Modern Action Adventure

49 Cube 3D Puzzle Mayhem E 250 Puzzle

50 Dave Mirra BMX Challenge E 180 Racing

51 Daxter E 1331 3D Platformer

52 Dead Head Fred E 884 Horror Action Adventure
PS1 53 DEAD OR ALIVE E 470 3D Fighting

54 Dead To Rights Reckoning E 92 Modern Shooter

55 Def Jam Fight for NY The Takeover E 515 Wrestling
PS1 56 DIABLO E 624 Action Role-Playing
PS1 57 Digimon World 1 E 233 Strategy
PS1 58 Digimon World 3 E 468 Role-Playing

59 Diner Dash: Sizzle & Serve E 49 Puzzle

60 Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness E 459 Fantasy Turn-Based Strategy
PS1 61 Dino Crisis 2 E 352 Sci-Fi Action Adventure

62 Dragon Ball Z - Shin Budokai - Another Road E 324 3D Fighting

63 Dragoneers Aria E 252 Role-Playing

64 Driver 76 E 520 Car Combat

65 Dungeon and Dragons Tactic E 297 Fantasy Turn-Based Strategy

66 DJ Max Portable 2 E 1600 Rhythm / Music

67 Donkey Xote E 700

68 Downstream Panic E 155 Action
PS1 69 Duke Nukem Time To Kill E 431 Sci-Fi Shooter

70 Dungeon Maker Hunting Ground E 147 Action Role-Playing

71 Dungeon Seige – Throne Of Agony E 730 Action Role-Playing

72 Dynasty Warriors E 153 Beat-'Em-Up

73 Dynasty Warriors 2 E 185 Beat-'Em-Up

74 EA Replay E 75 Action

75 Exit E 132 Puzzle

76 Exit 2 E 90 Action

77 Family Guy E 950 Adventure

78 FIFA 2007 E 881 Soccer Sim

79 FIFA 2008 E 915 Soccer Sim

80 Fifa Street 2 E 224 Soccer Sim

81 Fight Night Round 3 E 702 Boxing

82 Final Armada E 400 Action

83 Final Fantasy 2 E 233 Role-Playing

84 Final Fantasy E 129 Role-Playing

85 Final Fantasy Tactics The War Of The Lion E 209 Fantasy Turn-Based Strategy

86 Final Fantasy VII-Crisis Core J 1746 Role-Playing

87 Finder Love Aki Hoshino J 1263 Adult Game

88 Football Manager 2007 E 31 Soccer Management

89 Football Manager Handheld 2008 E 29 Soccer Management

90 For Symphony with All Ones Heart Portable J 830 Adventure

91 Ford Street Racing XR Edition E 114 GT / Street Racing

92 Formula 1 2006 E 364 Formula One Racing

93 Free Runing E 260

94 Freekout Extreme Freeride E 574 Skiing

95 Full Auto 2 Battlelines E 200 Car Combat

96 Gangs Of London E 993 Adventure

97 Generation of Chaos E 711 Fantasy Turn-Based Strategy

98 God of War Chains of Olympus [Full Version] E 1290 Fantasy Action Adventure

99 Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 E 657 Modern Tactical Shooter

100 Ghost Rider E 740 Action
PS1 101 Gran Turismo 2 Simulation Mode E 523 GT / Street Racing

102 Great Battles Of Rome E 453 Historic Real-Time Strategy

103 Grip Shift E 145 Driving

104 GTA Liberty City Stories E 834 Modern Action Adventure

105 GTA Vice City Stories E 1056 Modern Action Adventure

106 Guilty Gear Judgement E 489 2D Fighting

107 Gun Showdown E 638 Historic Action Adventure

108 Gundam Battle Chronicle J 412 Action

109 Gunpey E 529 Puzzle

110 Gurumin - A Monstrous Adventure E 744 Role-Playing

111 Hard Rock Casino E 522 Casino

112 Harry Potter y la Orden del Fenix E 547 Fantasy Action Adventure

113 Harvest Moon Boy and Girl E 140 Strategy

114 Harvest Moon Innocent Life E 336 Strategy

115 Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law E 1400 Adventure

116 HeatSeeker E 201 Jet Sim

117 Hot Brain E 376 Puzzle

118 Hot Pixel E 257 Puzzle

119 Hot Wheels Ultimate Racing E 109 Racing

120 Impossible Mission E 75 2D Platformer

121 Infected E 804 Sci-Fi Shooter

122 International Cricket Captain III E 65 Cricket

123 Initial D Street Stage J 1160 Driving

124 JackAss E 1771 Action
PS1 125 JADE COCOON Story of Tamamayu E 420 Role-Playing

126 Janshi Suchi-Pai 3 J 765 Board Game

127 Jeanne D Arc E 758 Role-Playing

128 Juiced 2 Hot Import Nights E 813 GT / Street Racing

129 Key Of Heaven E 1124 2D Adventures

130 Killzone Liberation E 570 Sci-Fi Shooter

131 King Kong Peter Jackson E 446 Modern Action Adventure

132 Kingdom Of Paradise E 498 Action Role-Playing

133 LA Rush E 935 Racing

134 Legend of Heroes 3 Song of the Ocean E 854 Role-Playing

135 Legend Of The Dragon E 410 3D Fighting

136 LEGO Star Wars II The Original Trilogy E 860 Sci-Fi Action Adventure

137 Lemmings E 173 Puzzle

138 Little Britain E 200 Trivia / Game Show

139 LocoRoco E 650 2D Platformer

140 Lumines E 157 Puzzle

141 Lumines II E 386 Puzzle

142 Luxor 2 Pharaohs Challenge E 16 Puzzle

143 Mach Modified Air Combat Heroes E 227 Action

144 Magic Sudoku Asia E 60 Puzzle

145 Mahjong Haoh Portable Jansou Battle J 48 Board Game

146 Manhunt 2 E 1015 Modern Action Adventure

147 Me and My Katamari E 1060 Fantasy Action Adventure

148 Marvel Nemesis Rise Of The Imperfects E 140 3D Fighting

149 Marvel Trading Card Game E 616 Card Battle

150 Marvel Ultimate Alliance E 1732 Action Role-Playing
PS1 151 Marvel vs Capcom E 270 2D Fighting

152 Medal Of Honor Heroes E 473 Historic First-Person Shooter

153 Medal of Honor Heroes 2 E 367 Historic First-Person Shooter

154 Medievil Resurreccion E 1182 Adventure

155 Mega Man Maverick Hunter X E 418 2D Platformer

156 Metal Gear Solid – Portable Ops E 862 Modern Action Adventure

157 Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus E 695 Modern Action Adventure

158 Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel E 620 Miscellaneous

159 Metal Slug Anthology E 738 Compilation
PS1 160 Metal Slug X E 100 Compilation

161 Miami Vice, The Game E 285 Modern Shooter

162 MicroMachines v4 E 285 Racing

163 Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition E 1260 GT / Street Racing

164 Mind Quiz E 97 Edutainment

165 MLB 07 The Show E 594 Baseball Sim

166 Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Rengou VS ZAFT Portable J 856 Sci-Fi Turn-Based Strategy

167 Monster Hunter Freedom E 348 Action Role-Playing

168 Monster Hunter Freedom 2 E 818 Action Role-Playing

169 Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner E 519 Role-Playing
PS1 170 Monster Rancher E 217 Strategy
PS1 171 Monopoly E 245 Board Game

172 Mortal Kombat Unchained E 1532 3D Fighting

173 Moto GP E 256 Motorcycle Racing

174 Myst E 550 Adventure

175 MX Vs ATV Untamed E 165 Rally / Offroad Racing

176 Napoleon Dynamite The Game E 443 Action

177 Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes [USA] E 194 3D Fighting

178 NBA Live 08 E 762 Basketball Sim

179 NBA 08 Block Party E 561 Basketball Sim

180 Need For Speed Carbon Own The City E 807 GT / Street Racing

181 Neopets PetPet Adventures The Wand Of Wishing E 534 Adventure

182 NHRA Drag Racing Countdown To The Championship E 390 Drag Racing

183 Outrun 2006 – Coast To Coast E 576 Racing

184 Over The Hedge Hammy Goes Nuts E 215 3D Platformer

185 Online Chess Kingdoms E 172 Board Game

186 Parappa The Rapper E 330 Rhythm / Music

187 Payout Poker and Casino E 133 Casino

188 Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 E 579 Historic Action Adventure

189 Pocket Pool E 628 Billiards

190 PopoloCrois E 663 Role-Playing

191 Power Stone Collections E 314 3D Fighting

192 PPT [JAP] J 1720

193 PQ2 E 606 Puzzle

194 Practical IQ E 558 Puzzle

195 Prince of Persia Rival Swords E 843 Fantasy Action Adventure

196 Pro Cycling 2007 E 227 Biking

197 Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 E 776 Soccer Sim

198 ProStroke Golf World Tour 2007 E 750 Golf Sim

199 Pursuit Force Extreme Justice E 1200 Car Combat

200 Pump It Up ZERO Portable Kor 1720 Rhythm / Music

201 Pursuit Force E 927 Car Combat

202 Pursui Force Extreme Justice E 1057 Car Combat

203 Puzzle Bobble J 10 Puzzle

204 Puzzle Quest – Challenge Of The Warlords E 62 Puzzle

205 Puzzle Scape E 294 Puzzle

206 Pilot Academy E 120 Jet Sim

207 Platypus E 50 Shoot-'Em-Up

208 Rainbow Island Evolution E 704 Action

209 Rainbow Six Vegas E 970 Modern Tactical Shooter

210 Rapala Trophies E 475 Fishing

211 Ratatouille E 505 3D Platformer

212 Ratchet and Clank Size Matters E 971 Sci-Fi Shooter

213 Reel Fishing The Great Outdoors E 208 Fishing

214 Rengoku II The Stairway to Heaven E 408 Fantasy Action Adventure
PS1 215 Resident Evil 1 E 697 Horror Action Adventure
PS1 216 Resident Evil 2 [2CD] E 866 Horror Action Adventure
PS1 217 Resident Evil 3 Nemesis E 690 Horror Action Adventure

218 Ridge Racer E 474 Racing

219 Ridge Racer 2 E 211 Racing

220 Riviera The Promised Land E 471 Role-Playing

221 Rocky Balboa E 886 Boxing

222 R-Type Tactics [JAP] J 171 Strategy
PS1 223 RockMan 6 E 300 Sci-Fi Action Adventure

224 Sangokushi VIII J 120

225 SBK 07 Superbike World Championship E 139 Motorcycle Racing

226 Scarface Money. Power. Respect E 820 Modern Turn-Based Strategy

227 Scooby-Doo E 410 2D Platformer

228 Sega Megadrive Collection E 387 Compilation

229 Sega Rally Revo E 149 Rally / Offroad Racing

230 Shinobido Tales Of The Ninja E 238 Fantasy Action Adventure

231 Shrek Smash N Crash E 366 Action

232 Shrek The Third E 351 Action

233 Sid Meier’s Pirates – Live The Life E 143 Historic Real-Time Strategy
PS1 234 Silent Hill E 340 Horror Action Adventure

235 Silent Hill Origins E 728 Horror Action Adventure

236 Simple 2500 Series The Dokodemo Gal Mahjong (J) J 157 Mahjong
PS1 237 Simspon Wrestling E 175 Wrestling

238 Smash Court Tennis 3 E 933 Tennis

239 Snoopy Vs The Red Baron E 295 Fantasy Action Adventure

240 SOCOM US Navy Seals Tactical Strike E 952 Modern Tactical Shooter

241 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 E 675 Modern Tactical Shooter

242 Sonic Rivals E 105 On-foot Racing

243 Sonic Rivals 2 E 240 On-foot Racing

244 Space Invaders Evolution E 180 Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter

245 State Shift E 159 Driving

246 Spectral Vs Generation E 122 2D Fighting

247 Spelling Challenge And More E 122 Trivia / Game Show

248 Spiderman 3 E 1459 3D Platformer

249 Spiderman Friend or Foe E 495 Action

250 Splinter Cell Essentials E 945 Modern Tactical Shooter

251 Stacked With Danie Negreanu E 320

252 Star Trek Tactical Assault E 138 Sci-Fi Real-Time Strategy

253 Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron E 705 Sci-Fi Shooter

254 Steel Horizon E 59 Wargame

255 Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX E 116 2D Fighting

256 Sudoku Battle Action Zendoku E 30 Puzzle

257 Super Collapse 3 E 13 Puzzle

258 Super Monkey Ball Adventures E 209 3D Platformer
PS1 259 Suikoden II E 340 Role-Playing

260 Super Pocket Tennis E 58 Tennis

261 Super Fruit Fall Deluxe Edition E 14 Puzzle

262 Surf’s Up E 481 Surfing

263 SWAT Target Liberty E 568 Modern Shooter

264 Syphon Filter Logans Shadow E 1420
Modern Shooter

265 Taiko no Tatsujin Portable 2 J 770 Rhythm / Music

266 Taito Legends Power Up E 212 Compilation
PS1 267 Tales of Destiny E 370 Role-Playing

268 Tales Of Eternia E 651 Role-Playing

269 Tales of the World Radiant Mythology [USA] E 339 Role-Playing

270 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles E 885 Beat-'Em-Up

271 Tekken - Dark Resurrection E 820 3D Fighting

272 Tenchu Time Of Assasins E 926 Fantasy Action Adventure

273 Test Drive Unlimited E 1501 GT / Street Racing

274 The Bigs E 360 Baseball Sim

275 The Dog Happy Life McDonalds Version [JAP] J 567 Virtual Life

276 The Fast And The Furious E 883 Mission-based Driving

277 The Golden Compass E 850 Fantasy Action Adventure

278 The Godfather Mob Wars E 1220 Historic Action Adventure

279 The Hustle Detroit Streets E 760 Billiards

280 The Simpsons Game E 692 3D Platformer

281 The Sims 2 - Pets E 1482 Virtual Life

282 The Sims 2 Castaway E 307 Simulation

283 The Warriors E 922 Beat-'Em-Up

284 Thrillville E 433 Modern City-Building

285 Thrillville Off the Rails E 503 Strategy

286 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 E 705 Golf Sim

287 Tokobot E 650 3D Platformer

288 Tomb Raider Anniversary E 1054 Modern Action Adventure

289 Tomb Raider Legend E 1485 Modern Action Adventure

290 Tony Hawks Project 8 E 1245 Sports

291 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 E 672 Modern Tactical Shooter

292 Transformers The Game E 497 Sci-Fi Action Adventure

293 Traxxpad E 201 Rhythm / Music

294 UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 E 750 Soccer Management

295 Ultimate Ghosts N Goblins E 320 3D Platformer

296 Ultimate Board Collection E 125 Board Game

297 Untold Legends - The Warrior's Code E 821 Action Role-Playing

298 V8 Supercars 3 Shootout E 700 Driving

299 Valhalla Knights E 383 Action Role-Playing

300 Valkyrie Profile - Lenneth E 596 Role-Playing

301 Virtual Tennis 3 E 345 Tennis

302 Warriors of The Lost Empire E 1620 Action Role-Playing

303 Wangan Midnight Portable [JAP] J 286 Racing

304 Warhammer 40k Squad Command E 433 Sci-Fi Turn-Based Strategy
PS1 305 WarCraft II The Dark Saga E 693 Real-Time Strategy

306 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire E 322 Trivia / Game Show
PS1 307 Wild Arms E 320 Role-Playing

308 Winning Eleven 9 E 604 Soccer Sim

309 Winning Eleven 10 Ubiquitous Evolution J 760 Soccer Sim

310 WipeOut Pulse E 266 Futuristic Racing

311 World Championship Poker 2 E 666 Casino

312 World Championship Poker All In E 623 Casino

313 World of Pool E 103 Billiards

314 World Series Of Poker 08 E 828 Casino

315 World Snooker Challenge 2007 E 725 Billiards

316 World Tour Soccer 2 E 615 Soccer Sim

317 Worms Open Warfare 2 E 146 Fantasy Turn-Based Strategy

318 WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 E 1045 Wrestling

319 WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007
1340 Wrestling
PS1 320 Xenogears [2CD] E 871 Role-Playing

321 Xiaolin Showdown E 379 Beat-'Em-Up

322 Xyanide Resurrection E 575 Beat-'Em-Up

323 Yugi-Oh Gx Tag Force E 494 Card Battle

324 Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force 2 E 1771 Card Battle

325 Zendoku Sudoku Battle Action E 34 Puzzle

Google Earth games

2008-08-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Google Earth's vibrant and intuitive GUI makes it the ideal platform for geography-based gaming. Dedicated user groups are heeding the call and programming add-on games that utilize Google Earth's unique functionality. One popular game, GEwar, best described as a variant of the classic board game Risk, is found at http://www.gewar.net/forums/faq.php along with a vibrant community all looking to dominate the Google world with armies and resources.

Nuking evil martians is the object of Mars Sucks. Following geographic clues, users track down the invading buggers and careful target them for annihilation. The Mars Sucks network link is available for download here, http://destinsharks.com/work/mars_sucks/game.kmz.

Google Earthing is a fun time-waster. The proprietors of http://googleearthing.com/ post a satellite photograph of any location on earth. It is up to eagle-eyed Google Earthers to spot the exact longitude and latitude.

Soulcalibur IV cheats

2008-07-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

Unlockable Honors

Entry Location:
Honors are basically Achievements without adding points to your gamerscore. You can use them to unlock things in the game.

10,000 Strikes of Proof - Land 10,000 attacks.
Chosen by History - Create a Custom Character.
Death on the Battlefield - Perform 100 Critical Finishes.
Distance will not Betray - Reach over 10,000 meters in total movement distance in battle.
Divine Punishment - K.O. with an Unblockable Attack.
Encounter with the Unknown - Fight against Darth Vader. (vs. mode doesn't count)
Endure 1,000 - Guard 1,000 times against attacks.
Engraved into History - Fight 100 times (Online).
Equal Skill and Power - Use all skill points and set up 4 skills.
First Step as an Artist - Customize a regular character.
Gathering of the Best - Complete CHAIN OF SOULS.
Gladiator - Win consecutive Ranked Matches (Online).
Hero King - Level up to 20 (Online).
Hero on the Battlefield - Clear ARCADE MODE with over 450,000 points.
Iron Hammer - Land an attack on a taunting opponent.
Legendary Hidden Treasures - Acquire over 30 treasures in TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Like a Flowing Stream - Perform 200 Impacts.
Looter of the Battlefield - Collect all accessories.
Lost in the Moment - Perform 20 Just Impacts.
Mad Destroyer - Perform 100 Soul Crushes.
Mystery of the Swords - Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: HARD.
Never Ending Advance - Descend 20 floors in TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Numeric God - The last two numbers of total play time and remaining time in a victorious battle are the same.
Observer of Souls - Collect all illustrations in Art Gallery.
Phoenix - Win with all equipment destroyed.
Pursuer of the Secret - Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: NORMAL.
Quick Strike - Perform 5 First Attacks in a row in Arcade.
Repel All Blades - Win 30 times with a perfect.
Return to the Galaxy - Clear STORY MODE with Darth Vader.
Reversal Wizard - Win 20 times with low HP.
Scorpion's Sting - Win a battle with Critical Finish.
Sharpened Teeth - Maximize a style's level.
Smasher - Destory all of the opponent's equipment.
Start of a New Era - Welcome to the new world of SOUL CALIBUR! (Automatically award for playing)
Swift Strike - Perform 100 First Attacks.
Sword Hunter - Collect all weapons for 5 characters.
The Controller - Get Soul Calibur (Final Form).
Tower of Gold - All is shrouded in mystery. (Collect 1,000,000 gold)
Tower's New Guardian - Clear all upper floors of TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Transcend History and the World - Acquire all weapons and equipment.
Two Cannot Exist Together - Exhaust each other's power.
Unknown Swordsman - Win 10 times (Online).
Violent Storm - Perform 50 Wall Hits.
Wandering Assassin - K.O. opponent with over 20 types of weapons.
Wandering Weapon Merchant - Collect 350 pieces of equipment.
War Veteran - Clear ARCADE MODE.
Water Moon - Perform 30 grapple breaks.
Wild Run to Tragedy - Get Soul Edge (Final Form).
World Class Fighter - Fight against 20 different fighting styles (Online).
World Traveler - Fight on all stages (Online).

Ascending - Tower Of Lost Souls Items

01f Soldier's Hat - Clear stage while taking no damage
02f Warrior Trousers - Clear stage with no ring outs from either side
03f Pauldron - Switch with ally more than 2 times
04f Warlord's Belt - Perform 3 attack throws
05f Clergy Clothes - Defeat an enemy with a ring out
06f Wonder Jacket - Throw an opponent
07f Warrior Trousers - Clear the stage without missing any attacks
08f Armor Ring: Ice Mirror - Switch characters twice
09f Scarlett Blossoms - Guard against the opponent's attack 3 times in a row
10f Silver Boots - Guard the opponent's attack 10 times in a row
11f Grim Horn - Defeat all enemies with a critical finish
12f Magus Cloth - Defeat all enemies with ring outs
13f Pegasus Sallet - Destroy all the walls
14f Stage: Phantom Pavilion Seesaw - Perform gaurd impact more than 3 times
15f Submissions Belt - Clear the stage using only the A and G buttons
16f Warlord's Belt - Clear the stage with 0 time remaining
17f Arm Bandages - Execute a 5+ combo
18f Kouchu Kabuto - Stand on all corners of the stage
19f Longhua Qippo - Switch with ally more than 5 times
20f Life gem: Sun - Clear the stage with a critical finish
21f Longhua Qippo - Voluntarily ring yourself out
22f Honor Boots - Perform more than 4 counter hits
23F Frilled Skirt - Guard more than 3 times in a row
24f Protect Gem: Cardinal Directions - Perform a combo with more than 240 damage
25f Zhuque Changpao - Throw more than 5 times
26f Warthog Cuirass - Execut a 10+ combo
27f Iron Gauntlets - Clear the stage with no damage taken
28F Aculeus Suit - Opponent guards a guard break attack at least twice
29f Menghu Boots - Switch with ally 5+ times
30f Spirit Gem: Noniple Heads - Clear stage without guarding
31f Longming Qippo - Perform 5+ Just Inputs
32f Vane Mask - Perform a low throw
33f Battle dress - Perform 3 attack throws
34f Power Gem: Warrior Princess - Perform guard impact 3+ times
35f Warthog Pauldrons - Clear without switching
36f Parlor Blouse - Clear stage with 0 time remaining
37f Siren's Helm - Defeat all enemies with critical finishes
38f Gorgon Fauld - Defeat all enemies with ring out
39f Kingfisher Greaves - Clear the stage without changing position
40f Deer Head - Execute a 5+ combo
41f Minotaur - Perform 5+ Just Inputs
42f Demonic Gloves - Clear the stage without letting opponents invoke a skill
43f Repel Gem: Iron Shell - Perform an over the back throw
44f War Cloak - No ring outs either side
45f Tiger Lily Kabuto - Defeat enemies without using any skills
46f Butterfly salet - Defeat enemies without using any skills
47f Succubus Boots - Throw 5 times
48f Life Dem:Jade - Clear stage with a character equipped with the "invisible" skill
49f Horns of Calamity - Clear stage with no attacks missing
50f Tiger Lily Breastplates - Execute a 10+combo
51f Tiger Lily Fauld - Perform more than 4 counterhits
52f Feathered Wings - Clear stage with a critical finish
53f Blade Ring: Demon Lord - Defeat all enemies with a ring out
54f Leviathan Paoldron - Destroy all the walls
55f Priestess Kimono - Perform 3 attack throws
56f Leviathan Burgonet - Perform a combo with more than 240 damage
57f Voodoo Armlets - Voluntarily perform a ring out
58f Tiger Pauldrons - Defeat all enemies without any skills equipped
59f Voodoo Greaves - Guard an enemies attack 10 times in a row
60f Voodoo Breastplate - Clear the stage without switching character

Descending - Tower Of Lost Souls Items

B05 - Dark Knight's Cloak
B10 - Blade Ring: Raging Thunder
B15 - Lapin Chapeau
B20 - Repel Gem: Fox Demon
B25 - Succubus Gauntlets
B30 - Demonic Armor
B35 - Demonic Pauldrons
B40 - Voodoo Crown

Rewards For Unlocking Honors

Advanced Equipment - Earn 20 honors
All Weapons - Clear Story mode with that Character
Animal Head Equipment - Earn 25 honors
Basic Equipment - Earn 5 honors
Intermediate Equipment - Earn 15 honors
Leviathan and Voodoo Equipment - Earn 30 honors
More Equipment - Earn 10 honors

Unlockable Characters

Algol - Beat Story mode with a character that faces him as the last boss (Mitsurugi, Taki, etc)
Amy - Purchase her in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Angol Fear - Defeat her in Story Mode
Ashlotte - Defeat her in Story Mode
Cervantes - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Hong Yun-seong - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Kamikirimusi - Defeat her in Story Mode
Rock - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Scheherazade - Defeat her in Story Mode
Seong Mi Na - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Setsuka - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Shura - Defeat her in Story Mode
Sophitia - Purchase her in the Create a Soul mode for 4000 Gold.
Talim - Buy her for 4000 gold in Character Creation mode.
The Apprentice - Beat Arcade mode with Yoda
Yoshimitsu - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Zasalamel - Buy him for 4000 gold in Character Creation mode.

9 things you didn’t know about SoulCalibur IV

2008-07-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

1. The classic Story mode is gone.

Remember that whole “trekking across the world” thing? You’d choose the next location and there would be some crazy rules for each match, like “you’ve been poisoned” or “the arena is made of quicksand” or “avoid the burning rats”? It was brilliant, and considered by many to be the best story mode in the history of fighting games. Yeah, that’s been thrown out. So has Chronicles of the Sword mode from SCIII, in which you moved your fighters around the map like a strategy board game.

Instead, every character has a unique storyline that takes them through a whopping (or not) five or six matches – so it’s not even as long as arcade mode. And while the plotlines are unique, the actual fights tend to follow very similar themes as far as number of enemies fought per match, location, final boss and so on. It’s not as good as before.

Luckily, there’s also the Tower of Lost Souls mode, which is basically a never-ending series of matches with unusual conditions, very similar to the old story mode. But it’s not as good as the old story mode either.

2. PS3 owners are going to want to install it.

15-20 seconds of loading before story matches might not seem like a long time, but when you’re waiting to shove a lightsaber down Ivy’s cleavage, it might as well be an hour.

3. There are more than 30 characters, but somehow there are still some missing.

Obviously, Link, Spawn, and Heihachi from Soulcalibur II are gone, but they’re not the only ones.

Edge Master? Absent. Inferno? AWOL. That bizarre owl-headed dude Olcadan? Off delivering letters for Harry Potter, apparently.

Hwang’s been hung out to dry. Charade is gone. Necrid’s nowhere. Arthur, the katana-wielding Mitsurugi-alike from SCIII (and also the Korean version of the first SC, we’re told by the internet) has vanished, and almost none of the zillion minor characters from SCIII, like Abelia, Luna, Abyss, Chester and Strife, have returned.

4. We take it back – Link IS in the game. He’s just dressed in drag.

Okay, we’re kidding, but take a look at elf-eared, rune-foreheaded anime princess Scheherazade and tell us she’s not hiding out from some RPG. It’s pretty obvious she was designed by a guest artist (a famous one in Japan, actually).

5. Some of the new characters are considered scrubs, even by the game.

Angol Fear (not to be confused with Algol, the new boss), Shura, Ashlotte, Kamikirimusi, and Scheherazade don’t get their own portraits on the character select screen – they’re all just under a single tile called “extra characters”. They also have fewer customization options and you can’t select their fighting styles when you’re creating your own character.

It’s probably because they’re mostly just palette swaps of existing characters (Shura is just Cervantes with lady parts, for example), but it’s still odd, especially because Shura’s story definitely seems to be setting her up as a major player in the next game.

6. The Secret Apprentice is Luke Skywalker’s brother.

Maybe. The game doesn’t state this explicitly and we’ve no idea how it could be explained in canon – it’s not like cloning is an epidemic in the Star Wars universe or anything, right? And LucasArts claims the face of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller is modeled after that of his voice actor Sam Witwer. So there’s evidence against our theory, we’ll admit.

However, after all that is said, all we see and hear when playing as Starkiller is Hayden Christiansen, only cooler, almost like how we wanted Anakin Skywalker to be. Now, what movies has Hayden been in lately?

7. Random characters aren’t entirely random.

In SOULCALIBUR III, the randomly generated combatants often utilized weapons and fighting styles that none of the main characters possessed. Now, while their appearances still vary greatly, their skills and weapon are always cut-and-pasted from one of the existing characters. It’s probably better balanced this way, though.

8. Yoda is totally coming to PS3 and Darth Vader is totally coming to Xbox 360.

Another educated hypothesis (and it’s been rumored for ages) but you know what’s odd about the character selection screen? That empty panel between Darth Vader and Starkiller on the PS3 version, and right near Yoda and Starkiller on 360. It’s the only empty panel left. Why would Namco leave that blank, we wonder? Oh well. Maybe a downloadable character will show up at some point…

9. There’s nudity

We can’t believe we weren’t playing it on our office video capture rig when this happened, but during one match against a randomly-generated opponent, we saw an ass. Not the kind of smooth, exquisitely-curved female badonkadonk some of us are willing to pay good money to see on the intertubes. No, we’re talking about a big, meaty, hairy man ass.

It was sneaky - our opponent was wearing some sort of long, chain mail-like leggings and a long shirt. But when he did a spinning kick there was no mistaking it: they were actually chaps and our boy was going commando.

Eventually, we realized that TECHNICALLY, this isn't nudity - it's a leather diaper that's part of the chain mail costume. But we say, if it looks like nudity at full speed and grosses everybody out when you see a big, ogre-ish man wearing it, it's close enough.

How To play Sony PlayStation (PSX) Games on your PC

2008-07-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia says that “an emulator duplicates the functions of one system, using a different system, so that the second system behaves like (and appears to be) the first system.” This means that we can make our PC mimic a specific system, which thereby enables us to run those system-specific games on our computers.

In this series, we’ll take a closer look at the software needed to run PSX, PS2 and Xbox games on your PC. This time we’ll discuss Sony’s Playstation (PSX) and the ePSXe emulation software.

Part One - PlayStation 1

A lot of people had fun with the first PlayStation, including me, and we can’t seem to get rid of it (in a good way). All of the original PlayStation games were playable on the PlayStation 2, and most of them on the PLAYSTATION 3. These days you can even play them on your PSP, so why not on our PC as well?

To play Playstation 1 games on your PC, you need to download a program called ePSXe.

Step 1 - Download and install ePSXe

The latest version can always be found here.

As there’s no installer, you just have to unzip it in the folder of your choice. You’ll also want some shortcuts, so right-click on the ‘ePSXe.exe’, ‘send to’ and choose ‘desktop’.

Step 2 - Getting the PSX’s BIOS

The installation is far from complete though, as this is only the base of the emulator. Among the other things we’re going to need are the PSX’s BIOS files. These are essential for the emulation, but there is a catch.

You are only allowed to own these files if you also own a PSX. Make Use Of does NOT encourage piracy!

You can obtain the BIOS in two ways. You can dump it from your PSX, but that is the long route. You can also download it somewhere (direct link here), but again, only if you actually own a PSX.

We’ll extract these files in the \bios directory (you can also delete the ‘erase.me’ file)

Step 3 - Getting image

Again, we are not ready yet. Next we need the video plug-in.

There’s a wide variety of video plug-ins available, and (depending on your graphics card) some might work better for you than others, so I can’t tell you which one to use. I can point you in the right direction though, as Pete’s and P.E.Op.S. plug-ins have made a good name for themselves. If these do not work (well), try out a few and see which works best (all Linux plug-ins are at the bottom of the page).

We’re going to extract the downloaded package(s) into the \plugins directory. You might need to overwrite the ‘gpu.dat’ file.

Step 4 - Make some noise (optional)

The ePSXe core has built in sound plug-ins, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (scroll down a bit). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 5 - Disk driver plug-ins (optional)

The ePSXe core also has built in plug-ins for your disk drive, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (about halfway down the page). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 6 - adding zlib1.dll

In their haste to please us, the developers of ePSXe forgot to add zlib.dll to the latest release (v 1.70). You can get it here (just drop it in the same directory as ePSXe.exe).

Step 7 - configuring ePSXe

You’ve got all the files you need now and are just a few steps away from playing your games. Upon opening ePSXe.exe, or the shortcut you made to it on your desktop, you will encounter a configuration wizard.

First you select the correct BIOS for your region (PAL being Europe, Australia and a part of Asia). You’ll notice that there are different alternatives for your region, but all should work.

Next, select your video driver. When you press ‘Config’, you can change the video settings (like screen resolution, FPS limit, and so on. Apart from the resolution, only change these settings if you know what you’re doing.

Press next and select your sound plug-in and CD-ROM plug-in.

Last but not (at all!) least, you can configure your controller settings. First press on the controller you want to configure. In my opinion, the two best options here are either using a gamepad (USB, or an original one with a converter), or your keyboard (‘Digital’ in the menu).

Step 8 - Boot and play

Finally, in the ‘file’ menu, either choose ‘run CDROM’ or ‘run ISO’ to start playing!

You can make ISO’s of your PSX games without special procedures. Just use Nero, or another CD burning suite.

Sandberg intros wireless keyboard / touchpad combo for HTPCs

2008-07-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wireless keyboards with built-in pointing devices are usually pretty ugly, and Sandberg's new HTPC-oriented keyboard is no exception: sure, the dedicated Media Center Keys and 32-foot range are nice, but that two-tone color scheme is straight out of 1987. Plus, check the placement of the Media Center button -- yeah, that'll never get accidentally pressed. On the plus side, it's just £49 ($97), so you'll have plenty of scratch left over for fiber-optic lights and white shag rugs.

Philips Wireless Internet Cam Concept

2008-07-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

In case you thought you were looking at something rejected on the drawing board of Minority Report, you should know that Philips is considering this concept web camera in reality.

You can also rest assured that this arachnid camera does not actually walk on walls, or even the floor for that matter. Yes, the legs on the concept camera are for looks only, but they help to position the camera in all sorts of viewing positions.

The camera wirelessly syncs to your computer via USB. So far, this Philips wireless concept is still under development by Flynn Product Design, but I’m not certain whether it should become reality or not.

After all, who really wants a creepy bug-thing on their desk that is always watching you?

10-megapixel compact camera Pentax Optio E60 Announced

2008-07-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

Pentax is offering yet another casual point-and-shoot device - the Optio E60 compact digital camera. Features of the E60 include :-

10.1 megapixels CMOS sensor
Optical 3X zoom lens
Auto Picture and Face Recognition modes
High Sensitivity Digital Shake Reduction
Image Recovery function (a Recycle Bin for the clueless)

Since this camera targets beginners, it naturally uses AA batteries that are easy to find no matter which part of the world you're in. The Pentax Optio E60 won't break the bank either, coming in just one color (black) this October for a shade under $140.

Counter-Strike coming to XBLA?

2008-07-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

In an interview with OXM, Valve's marketing man Doug Lombardi has said that bringing older games to Xbox Live Arcade (like Counter-Strike) is something the developer would "certainly consider".

Portal: Still Alive will be Valve's first entry into the Xbox Live Arcade scene. The Combine-less portion of The Orange Box is being released on Xbox Live for those who didn't fancy playing some of the best games ever made.

"It's designed to give Xbox 360 gamers the chance to get Portal, for those who didn't want to go through the Orange Box. It's Portal, the game we all played and loved last year, plus 10-20 new challenges that you'll unlock," explained Lombardi adding that the extra challenges will be "exclusive to Xbox 360 in 2008".

When asked about the possibility of older Valve games appearing on XBLA, Lombardi sounds interested though he stopped short of saying anything was actually in the pipeline. "We'll certainly consider it. If you look at what we've done on Steam, we try to make all our games available and we're always reviewing the prices to keep them current. We'd love to do that, but Portal: Still Alive is our first step at doing that beyond the PC."

As usual, none of these plans yet include PS3 or Nintendo, although Portal on Wii would be a awesome. "Right now, Valve's doing PC and 360 stuff, so anything we would iterate on would be on Xbox. We don't have any immediate plans to do this on PS3 or Nintendo."

Star Wars Wii Laser Sword

2008-07-27T23:35:00.001-07:00

Fans of the Star Wars franchise who own a Nintendo Wii can finally have a more realistic gaming experience with the Laser Sword add-on. Although it would work best with the Star Wars universe in mind, the Laser Sword would still double up as a decent weapon for sword-based games on the motion-capable console. A strong light covered the entire sword's surface, powered by three AAA batteries. You can choose to permanently leave the light on, or use motion detection instead where the sword will light up only when you move. I think the latter would be way more irritating as a flickering effect is introduced. How many Wiimote-based games do you play anyway that doesn't require you to move it? No idea on how much it costs though.

Unreal Engine 4 in 2012

2008-07-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Epic boss Mike Capps predicts that the next iteration of the company's stupidly popular Unreal Engine will be out in 2012, no doubt raking in even more cash from developers who don't quite fancy building their own tech.

"We've got Unreal [Engine] 4 in production right now," Capps told Gamasutra. "It's going to be in the next console generation--our rough guess is 2012 [up to] 2018."

As above, Epic has previously gone on record that its fourth engine will squarely target PlayStation 4 and Xbox... well, whatever Microsoft decide to call the next one. "PCs will follow after that," mastermind Tim Sweeney said earlier this year.

"The Unreal engine is really tied to a console cycle," he said. "Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also.

"We have a small Research & Development effort dedicated to the Unreal Engine 4. Basically, it is just me, but that team will be ramping up to three to four engineers by the end of this year - and even more one year after that."

After Unreal Tournament 3 will Epic ever truly return to where is stated, on PC?

Three dimensional COMPUTER-MOUSE !

2008-07-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

A Brand new concept for a computer-mouse that maps the intuitive movements of the user as input, to manipulate two and three dimensional objects in virtual space on the computer. It relies on our inherent knowledge of how to move objects in the real world. The extended field of motion serves to prevent muscle and tendon damage, and it's wireless capabilities ensure ubiquitous use throughout the household.

Tiny Solar Fan Makes You Look Crazy, But Will Keep You Cool

2008-07-25T08:42:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about where you live, but the county fairs are in full swing in my part of the States. I live in the sort of area that is surrounded by corn, and people love to train farm animals to do tricks. It’s also rather hot out, and the people that attend such fairs have no issue with using strange contraptions to keep themselves cool. I really wouldn’t be surprised to walk past a farmer wearing one of these.

This little fan clips on your hat and gets power from soaking up the sun’s rays. Sure, it’ll probably weigh down your hat, and you’ll look pretty funny, but I guess it beats having a sweaty face. You can pick one up for just $10.

Buffalo's 8x Speed Blu-Ray Disc Recorder, World's Fastest (for Now)

2008-07-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

Buffalo's upcoming internal and external BD recorder units can burn both single or double-layer BDs up to a sizzling 8x speed, and DVD ±R up to 16x. Of course Blu-ray technology is going to improve, probably following a similar pattern to DVD burning tech. But here's a funny: these drives use Panasonic SW-5584 units inside... and the speed may actually outstrip the currently fastest available Blu-ray burnable discs. Amusing, and a situation that can't last long. The drives are SATA-based (with USB 2 on the external unit) and will be available in Japan at first for around $380 for the internal and $440 for the external drive.

DanBall Shiatsu Finger Massager

2008-07-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you’re looking for a better way to relax after a long day at work, the DanBall from Ekbo claims to be the latest technological breakthrough when it comes to relaxation therapy. Just stick 3 of your fingers into the holes on the DanBall and it will automatically apply an intense shiatsu massage to the pressure points on your fingertips for a full minute. At the same time your fingernails will be treated with infrared rays, which supposedly promotes growth, and a soothing melody/LED light show will help calm the rest of your body. The built-in lithium ion battery is also good for about 50 1-minute massages before needing to be recharged which takes about 3 hours.

Like with most devices that promise relaxation and relief from stress, there’s really no single technique that will work for everyone, so hopefully the Japan Trend Shop has a good return policy if the DanBall doesn’t work for you since it has a price tag of $1,999.

Yahoo! Music Store taking DRM servers offline, freezing out customers

2008-07-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

In a move which at best could be described as unsurprising, Yahoo! has announced that it's taking its Music Store DRM license key servers offline come September 30th... and freezing customers from ever registering their music with another computer. Ever. Like a twin-sister rehash of Microsoft's PlaysForSure / MSN Music DRM debacle , this moves ensures that the only way you can take your tracks with you will be the (suggested!) technique of burning the songs to CD then ripping them back to your PC -- thus ensuring the absolute worst possible quality. Normally, we'd expect to see a massive backlash over a move like this, but given the near-insignificant nature of the Yahoo! Music Store, it may not be the firestorm Microsoft got itself into. Regardless of the outcry, this is a terrific reminder of the failure of DRM in general, and a slap in the face to the people who actually went to the trouble of buying their music in the first place.

Alpha Protocol to feature SEX

2008-07-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Players making their way through spy role-playing game Alpha Protocol will be able to pick-up "a lot of love interests" and have sexytime with all of them.

"It all depends on how you treat them," senior producer Ryan Rucinski said to MTV at E3.

The developer confirmed it was possible to have sex with all of the love interests and the sex scenes would be similar to those seen in Mass Effect. "It's a mature game, it's not [adults only]," he added.

Rucinski also revealed the game would contain a date mission. "It's the funniest [voice-over] we've ever recorded," he said.

If this all sounds a bit sappy to you, don't panic. Whilst interacting with the women is integral to the plot, you're not forced to pursue them outside of professional capacity. You will even get an achievement for being a lone bachelor.

Expect to see Alpha Protocol in shops early next year and on Fox News shortly after

Brando USB Super 16-Port Hub

2008-07-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing too fancy from Kingston Technology today, just a couple of more capacious flash drives and an all new one for good measure. For starters, the DataTraveler 400 with MigoSync software and the DT100 are both now available in roomy 16GB flavors. Meanwhile, the DT101 arrives on the scene with security software, capacities up to 8GB and in cyan, pink and yellow hues. Each of the newcomers should be available now, with the 16GB DT400 demanding $196, the 16GB DT100 costing $85 and the DT101 line ranging from $14 to $44.

Networks of carbon nanotubes find use in flexible displays

2008-07-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Carbon nanotubes may very well kill you (okay, so that's very much a stretch), but you'll have a hard time convincing the dutiful scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to stop their promising research. Put simply (or as simply as possible), said researchers have discovered that "networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes printed onto bendable plastic perform well as semiconductors in integrated circuits." So well, in fact, that the nanotube networks could one day "replace organic semiconductors in applications such as flexible displays ." Granted, there is still much to do before these networks are ready for product integration, but you can bet these folks aren't hitting the brakes after coming this far.

Bionic Commando Rearmed BTS

2008-07-24T23:58:00.001-07:00

Capcom has released the first part of its 'Making Of' videos for Bionic Commando: Rearmed, the PC, XBLA and PSN remake (not the proper console one) of the NES platformer.

According to this Japanese interview it's out next week on both Xbox 360 and PSN, which would come as a surprise as the services are already receiving massive releases in the form of Geometry Wars 2 (on Xbox) and Pixel Junk Eden (on PS3).

So far Capcom UK's hasn't got back to us to confirm or deny the report on the release date, but enjoy the video anyway - we're sure it's not far off.

Blogspot.com cited as the No. 1 host for malware

2008-07-24T23:53:00.001-07:00

According to a report out Wednesday, antivirus vendor Sophos says it detects one Web page with malicious content every 5 seconds--a trend that is up 300 percent from 2007.

In its Security Threat Report for the first half of 2008, Sophos says it finds just over 16,000 malicious pages each day, mostly the result of malicious SQL-injection attacks on legitimate Web sites such as the attack on Sony's U.S. PlayStation site in July. Tricks used by criminal hackers include using simple HTML code to place via SQL-injection a 1x1 pixel element (about the size of a pin prick) on an infected page. In loading the page, the Internet browser would then contact a server running exploit scripts and malicious code. But because the sites are legitimate, some security vendors struggle with blocking infected Web pages.

As for illegitimate sites, Sophos notes that Geocities and Blogger both make it easy for anyone to set up a Web site without much identification. Blogger, owned by Google, is particularly problematic, says Sophos, with the blog site alone accounting for nearly 2 percent of all malware hosts. I is not only possible for the Blogger sites to host malicious code, but criminal attackers can also inject links to malicious sites in the comments sections of the blogs.

A spokeperson for Google said "Google takes the security of our users very seriously, and we work hard to protect them from malware. Using Blogger, or any Google product, to serve or host malware is a violation of our product policies. We actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware from our network."

First image for Massive Action Game

2008-07-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

The only real announcement in terms of cake on Thursday for the Playstation 3 at the Sony conference at E3 2008 (with CD Universe Online, my breath Virgil), MAG is illustrated today by a small image that we do learns not so much that the trailer visible below.For small malignant that would have missed the conference (our record), is a small reminder of principle, Thursday MAG game is an action massively multiplayer allowing 256 players divided into eight squads, 's face in a war ahead without thank you. We do not know so much at the moment, if this is a system of hierarchy will order all the bazaar that can make a cohort of more than two hundred people.

Sony Reader goes open, will be able to work with other booksellers

2008-07-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

While Sony's Reader has never received the the enormous press or enjoyed the supposed whirlwind sales of Amazon's Kindle e-book, and is certainly lacking in, erm, EV-DOness, the Reader is about to get one trick the Kindle doesn't have yet: openness. Sony will be shooting out an update on Thursday to allow the Reader to use purchased books in the protected EPUB format from whoever is peddling them, instead of being tied to the Sony's e-book store, or just DRM-free text and PDF documents. That openness should help Sony beef up its selection -- which is lagging behind Amazon's -- and will hopefully mark a bit of a turning point in the e-book market to more standards and, more importantly, more books.

Creative Decks Out Zen Range with Patterned Mozaic PMP

2008-07-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

X-Fi,Creative is clearly in some kind of rush to get new media players out into the world: first the then the Krystal and now the Mozaic. It's a pretty standard offering, with music and video playing function, a 1.8-inch screen, FM radio and voice recorder, but, like the Nokia Prism, it's its keypad that makes it a teeny bit different. It's a mosaic-themed one, which you may either think is a tasteful dash of creativity, or a daft way of confusing the controls. In black, silver and pink colors, it's in either 2, 4 or 8GB versions for $99, $129 and $unknown.

Interesting iPhone tip - play music and a game at the same time

2008-07-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Some games can come with some pretty annoying, repetitive music. Sometimes you just want to listen to your own, or maybe even a podcast. Up until now, you would just have to deal with it. However, if you want to play your own music while you game on your iPhone, or just find that Super Monkey Bal music annoying, there is an answer. An interesting trick from Mac OS X Hints provides the solution to this question, and although it’s weird, it’s cool.

To achieve the ultimate music serenity, you must start by listening to your music. Then, start the game and wait for its music to take over yours. After that, press the sleep/wake button on the top of your phone. Press it once more to wake your phone and, voila, you now have your own music. You could also simply double tap the home button to bring up the iPod controls, but where is the fun in that?

Clean Your Keyboard With Magic Goo

2008-07-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Keyboards are gross and disgusting. Just think about the number of things your hands come into contact with every day. Now imagine how long you spend with your fingers on that keyboard in front of your computer. Finally, think back to the last time you actually cleaned your keyboard. Yea, that’s pretty freaking gross, and unless you have a dishwasher-safe keyboard, they aren’t very easy to clean. However, this Cyber Clean could really come in handy.

This stuff looks like a cross between Silly Putty and that Nickelodeon Gak stuff that they used to sell. Apparently you need do little more than roll this gunk around on your keyboard for a little bit, and your keys will be squeaky clean. You can get a pot that contains a little over a pound of this stuff for right around $16.

Sanyo offers clever Eneloop solution for Wii wireless controllers

2008-07-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

Wii users may never have to take the batteries out of their wireless controllers again. Today Sanyo announced [JP] it has teamed up with Nintendo to develop a Wii battery and charger set that is based on the Eneloop concept. These low self-discharge NiMH batteries feature longer shelf life.

The Eneloop battery pack is placed on the back of the Wii controller. All you have to do after playing is to pop it into the charger stand and wait 220 minutes. The Wiimotes can then be used for up to 6.5 hours.

Up to 4 controllers can be charged by one AC adapter. Users don’t need to take off the silicone jacket from their Wiimotes as Eneloop cells are charged by magnetic induction (contactless recharging).

This is a great idea but it’s yet unclear whether Sanyo and Nintendo will offer the Eneloop set outside Japan as well (it hits Japan August 25th). Wii owners in this country will have to pay $23 each for the battery pack and the charger stand. The AC adapter will retail for another $9.

Hitachi rolls out new hybrid Full HD camcorder

2008-07-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

Today Hitachi unveiled [JP] its newest Full HD camcorder, the Woo DZ-BD10H, which will be available in Japan from August 9th. The company plans to produce 6,000 units per month.

Here are the main specs:
- recording on 8cm Blu-ray discs (BD-R/RE) and DVD (DVD-R/RW/RAM)
- integrated HDD (30 GB) that can hold 4.5 hours of video in Full HD
- support of recording in AVCHD
- support of SD and SDHC cards
- 7 megapixel CMOS sensor
- 10x optical zoom
- ports: HDMI, USB, component
- 2.7-inch LCD display

The DZ-BD10H will be priced at $1,500 and is Japan-only as of now.

Crysis Warhead Preview

2008-07-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

If minds sorrows criticized some aspects of Crysis first name, the fact remains that the title of Crytek has clearly been one of the events of the end of last year.Since then, Crytek has not worked and has taken on a sort of suite / extension which will not need the basic game and we contera a story parallel to that of Crysis.Subtitled Warhead, this "result" should happen before the end of the year and there was obviously no question of Crytek / Electronic Arts miss the rendezvous at E3 2008 ...It falls quite well because we did not intend to ignore. Impressions.

A sort of a hypothetical extension before next?

Change in continuity, Crysis: Warhead will be a sort of test for Crytek that still seems reluctant to prepare ourselves for a Crysis 2.Pending this hypothetical result, Warhead we will resume the service, however, changing character.In the skin of Psycho, we will follow a story parallel to that of Crysis.A story that we were able to discover during the E3 thanks to a playable version limited to the second level of the full game.The principle of the mission was there could not be simpler, and we placed in command of a military vehicle.It was therefore simply follow another vehicle of our squad, mitrailler on what was on our path while joining various crossing points to reach a port area.

According to the difficulty level selected, the address of the player and his style, this mission will loop in 30 / 60 minutes and the whole Crysis Warhead should be able to finish in just under ten hours, knowing that once again the total is widely variableSuddenly, Warhead will be significantly shorter than Crysis first name, a choice that Crytek explained by the greater density of missions where the challenges should be coming at a good pace.In the example that concerns us, we have barely time to take the road with our enemies VOTL that arise on both sides of the road for us canarder.The shortest path is a straight line, it does not really them merely to explode here and there of fuel and vehicles too exposed.

This relatively basic gameplay is the image of what Crytek wanted for the entire Crysis Warhead If the game will keep all the original features of the game, it will be more action-oriented show with a large force explosions and several passages in vehicles.We have already spoken of VOTL, but we've also been able to try steering the truck or hummers through this unique level present at E3.The full version of the game, the number of vehicles available should also be significantly more important in order to bring some variety to what players already know Crysis. It must be said that level sets, Crytek has not sought to innovate and we will find ourselves in the same environments.

In any case the impression that we gave this unique level with a plot in the middle of a jungle more or less dense, the passage through a camp and arrived in a port area: none of this would change really what we proposed Crysis, in any case the level graph.Crysis Warhead, however, should incorporate some improvements more or less subtle and propose a level of optimization still higher so that the game may seem a little less heavy.Another element that is important to note: even if the style of play is clearly focused on action, the presence of this combination allows for varying approaches since, according to the method chosen, it increases the resistance of heroes, strength or speed.

Last mode, camouflage can be froler enemies without that they would realize. Note however that artificial intelligence has been improved and, although not visible on our video, the enemies react more quickly and more adequately to our actions ..Of course, we will have other levels and a little more time with the game between the hands to confirm these improvements.In the same way, the multiplayer mode was not presented in Los Angeles and we hope to test the latest thing at the Games Convention; Crytek actually speaks many innovations to put the tooth In the meantime, even if it looks more like an extension than anything else, Crysis Warhead seems perfectly calibrated to delight fans of the first title ... Especially it should be sold less than 30 euros.

Platform: PC
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Crytek
Distributor: Electronic Arts
Genre: Action / Doom-like
Genre: Solo, Internet, LAN, Up to 32 players
Official: Website Crysis Warhead
Configuration : Minimum Win XP and Vista Processor: Athlon / Pentium IV - 2800 MHz RAM: 1024 MB Graphics Card: 256 MB, Compatible DirectX 9 Diskspace: 12000 MB Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible DirectX version: DirectX 9 Media: DVD

Bioware: Mass Effect Trilogy Exclusive to 360 - Mass Effect 2 in '09? (XboxOZ360)

2008-07-24T01:53:00.001-07:00

In the just released September issue of Australian 360, comes the commitment of Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka "to bring the Mass Effect trilogy exclusively to the Xbox 360."

Speaking exclusively to Australian 360 at EA's European Showcase, Muzyka also stated "we said we were committed to supporting Mass Effect as a franchise and have the trilogy on the Xbox 360, and that's still our goal", before adding to the question of the trilogy staying exclusive with what appears to be a subtle jibe at Sony, saying "we're always very ambitious in our goals and the most important thing is quality, so we're never going to compromise that."

Not only will the trilogy stay exclusive to the 360, but it will be released entirely on the 360 platform. And for our gaming colleagues who enjoy their PS3's and Wii's there's still hope that they may yet get to experience the wonderful world of Mass Effect, albeit not within the Commander Shepard based trilogy.

But beyond all the console positioning and future IP speculation are some juicy details for the current trilogy that should get fans excited for what appears to be a 2009 release for Mass Effect 2...

5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer.

2008-07-24T01:52:00.001-07:00

Final Fantasy 13 was the biggest moment of what turned out to be a damn squib of an E3, but even this could turn out to be over-shadowed by events Square can’t control, Minimum Wage Gamer has tasked their best investigator to find out 5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer. So Click the link below ,grab a beer or your respective drink and get ready for Minimum Wage Gamers (www.mwgamer.com) 5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer.

5.Final Fantasy WON’T be released on the xBox 360 in Japan.

This is really the biggest kick in the teeth, considering now that Sony believes that the PS3 has sold more than the 360 in Europe. But over in Japan, Final Fantasy is an obsession on a national scale, the money generated from that exclusivity in Japan should be enough for Sony not to worry about Europe and America.

4.Final Fantasy 11 was on the 360.
Remember 11, or as the more optimistic like to remember ‘The 6^th most played Xbox live game’. Although this also appeared on the PS2, the game was mainly for Microsoft, as an early MMORPG. Unfortunately, bar the hardcore, the game never took off for 2 years on the platform, the same thing may happen again for 13.

3.Final Fantasy 7 – Will History strike twice? No

If message boards had be the domain of the ignorant and stupid back in 1997, many Sony and Nintendo fans would be sprouting the same kind of verbal sewage that is being spilled today. Final Fantasy was a Nintendo game, no one would dare dream releasing it on a different console, and for a time, the cartridge was going to support Final Fantasy 7, but Square in the end plumbed for the CD, and there was still a whopping 3 of them to go through.

2.Blu-Ray
Ok, come on, you knew this one was coming. DVD’s can hold around 8GB, Blu-Ray 50GB. That’s roughly 6 DVD’s worth of gameplay that could be fitted onto a Blu-Ray disc. If Metal Gear Solid 4 filled the disc up, then there’s a strong chance that Final Fantasy 13 will push the media, and the more disc’s and possible installation on the 360 could cause problems for the Hard Drive.

1.Spin-Off’s and DLC.
Versus, the spin-off for the PS3, is still PS3-exculsive for the time being. Now not exactly world shifting I know, but it’s still Final Fantasy and fans will still lick it up. But the interesting part could be DLC, with Microsoft securing it for GTA and Fallout 3, Sony may have an ace yet to play and have secured for Final Fantasy 13. Having said that, watch as Microsoft sweep it now for the 360…

Spot On: The GameSpot AU Blog Saints Row 2 gets rated down under

2008-07-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

Censorship has been a hot topic in Australia this year, with ratings body the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) making plenty of controversial decisions. So far, three games have been banned down under this year, with the highest-profile title being Fallout 3. Even the biggest game of the year so far--Grand Theft Auto IV--didn't get away unscathed, with publisher Rockstar having to submit an edited version to the OFLC to ensure it passed our censors.

With such a precedent set in 2008, one could be forgiven for thinking Saints Row 2--THQ's upcoming open-world action game--may have been in for a tough time. The game, after all, looks set to rival GTAIV when it comes to violence and sexual themes. The good news is that THQ has now confirmed that Saints Row 2 has passed through the OFLC, earning an MA 15+ rating along the way. And in even better news, the game didn't need to be edited in any way. "The full version of the game has been rated by the OFLC and Australian gamers will get to play the same version of the game as those in the rest of the world," a THQ spokesman said in a statement.

Saints Row 2 will be released down under on October 16.

Is This the Next PSP?

2008-07-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's tough to make out much from these shots, but according to their source, they are of the next PSP (the PSP model 3000). The specs include a built-in microphone as well as an updated button set that replaces the "Home" button with a PlayStation button (to more closely resemble the PS3).

Other than those tidbits, we have little more information on the alleged update other than that it could include "cellphone support." And from the looks of this back casing, it doesn't seem that the next PSP will be much, if any, thinner than its predecessor.[PSP China BBS via Kotaku]

New Wii Channel for Japan; Digital Photo Channel

2008-07-23T23:05:00.001-07:00

A new Channel for Wii owners in Japan has been launched by Nintendo and FujiFilm, that allows for special Photos to be taken and ordered online.

According to Kotaku, the channel will allow users, through the SD Card slot and a selection of photos, to create Fuji digi picture prints, photo albums and Mii business cards, and order them online with a Credit card.

A cool idea, although the likelihood of the channel appearing outside of Japan is remote, like the TV Guide Channel that was released as Japan-exclusive not long ago.

Have your say on this news below.

Microsoft gaming segment posts full-year profits

2008-07-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Nintendo's Wii may have finally overcome the Xbox 360's one-year head start last week when its US retail sales ,surpassed those of Microsoft's latest console but it wasn't all bad news for the software giant. While the gaming world was focused on the E3 Media & Business Summit , Microsoft released its financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year.

Sales and net profits were up for both the quarter and the full year on a company-wide scale. The Entertainment and Devices division that houses the Xbox 360 line also posted positive results, including its first-ever full-year operating profit.

For the 12 months ended June 30, the Xbox division raked in $426 million in operating profits off more than $8.1 billion in sales. That's up 34 percent from about $6.1 billion in revenues the year before, with an operating loss of nearly $2 billion.

Just in the three months ended June 30, revenues for the division were almost $1.6 billion, up 37 percent from nearly $1.2 billion the previous fourth quarter. Entertainment and Devices also posted an operating loss of $188 million, trimmed considerably from more than $1.2 billion in last year's fourth quarter.

Microsoft attributed the full-year spike to increased Xbox 360 sales, and singled out Halo 3, Xbox Live, and accessory sales as specific revenue drivers. The publisher shipped 8.7 million consoles for the full fiscal year, compared with 6.6 million in the previous 12 months. For the fourth fiscal quarter, it shipped out 1.3 million Xbox 360 ystems, up from 700,000 for the comparable time period of 2007.

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division includes the Xbox 360, Zune, and Windows-based PC gaming, as well as other products like the Surface touchscreen table and Mediaroom Internet TV service.

GT5 could be as late as 2010

2008-07-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sony's main GT man, Kazunori Yamauchi, has come out and crushed any hopes we had of playing a full version of Gran Turismo 5 any time soon.

We've been waiting for it for ages and our pain was eased a little with the launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. But Sony and Polyphony Digital are taking things a little to far now.

In an E3 interview with IGN (missed due to all the noise), Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi said, "There's no plans in the works for GT5 yet - that might be 2009, or it might be 2010... But we're totally focused on getting the updates through for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and that's all we're focused on."
So it's not even on his radar yet. Quite an astonishing admission if you ask us.

Fingers crossed something got lost in translation.

Dell offers inexplicable Xbox 360 Elite bundle with certain XPS M1730 purchases

2008-07-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

There's just one problem with this, the way we see it: most folks with $3000 earmarked for a gaming laptop probably already own an Xbox 360. Just a thought. Other than that we see little to dislike about this little promotion. Dell is offering up its top-of-the-line XPS M1730 system with an Xbox 360 Elite bundle tossed in for good measure. The bundle includes, a pair of faceplates, two game and of course the Xbox itself, and while it's not exactly "free" -- you're looking at a couple hundred dollar premium over a similarly specced M1730 -- it's still a savings of over $300, and should be eBayable, if nothing else. Offer expires July 24th.

Project Origin preview

2008-07-21T02:07:00.000-07:00

Success both critical and commercial, FEAR could not fail to give rise to a suite, but they are in fact two titles that should happen in the near future more or less close.Following a disagreement with Vivendi Games which will release a 2 FEAR, Monolith developers were forced to find a new partner, in this case Warner, and especially a new title for their continued adventures of Alma, the girl child The most traumatic video game.Called Project Origin, this sequel took advantage of E3 2008 to make its first outing and we're obviously there to see what is going on.

When FEAR back to the "Origin"

While it was impossible to film anything of the game, Monolith was sure that one can discover her baby in the best conditions. Thus, in addition to actual sessions of presentations, developers were willing terminals on the stand of their new partner to provide a brief overview of the game .. We did obviously not pray and for several tens of minutes, we tried this Project Origin undeniably reminiscent of his "big brother".The general atmosphere of title, the scenario and some decoration elements actually seem straight out of FEAR and the presence of Alma there is obviously no stranger.

The release of the terrible granddaughter also serves as a starting point for a scenario that developers were keen to keep still very mysterious. We know, however, that issue is a new hero and a new intervention team for Project Origin. The adventure begins in a city in very bad condition while the player has to "investigate" so I mitraille anything that moves.On the game itself, the style Monolith is undoubtedly the game with fighting also nervous that violent aspect a little gore and fully assumed the presence of famous bullet time which allows once again lead the life harder for soldiers Cloned that we already fought at the time of FEAR, there are now three years.

Do not, however, that Monolith merely a beast repetition.If the developer has retained the elements that made the success of the game, they also sought to make improvements. Thus, while the management of armor is still in the program, it is no longer a question of dealing with matters of life of our heroes: Monolith has adopted a system in the way of recovery remaining few seconds to coverThe developers have also emphasized the progress made by their artificial intelligence and we have shown how the enemies were able to use elements of scenery to protect themselves, but also how they were able to move away to avoid danger (car ready to explode).

These same enemies also seem able to each other during the assault while our side, it is possible to planquer reversing some of the decor elements such as tables of an office.Often asked the players FEAR, the choice of weapons to embark with itself should be less difficult because developers have decided to allow the transportation of an additional weapon for a total of four.To meet the players who had pinned the lack of variety of FEAR, Monolith has insisted on the multiplicity of environments and enemies in Project Origin. We hope to quickly know more about this, because the demo that we had the opportunity to test was not conclusive.

Whether super-soldiers already cited or powerful exoskeletons, we have not been very surprised by opponents met during these few dozen minutes test. Note, however, that Monolith has decided to put us at the same level as our enemy we can also put the super-armor combat ...doubtless also to bring some variety to all! We can then take advantage of two mini-guns and rocket launchers integrated into the beast without any need to worry about ammunition: for the first guns, only heating is to be taken into account while for the latter, we just take care of the cooldown.

The use of this super-armor gave a small side shoot them up nice for Project Origin, even if the bullet time is no longer activated. Another element that must be taken into account in its armor, our hero is much slower and much less keen.If the resistance is increased, it must be careful, however, the enemy rockets! It is still too early to really know what Project Origin in the stomach and developers do not wish for example, by talking about the multiplayer mode of their baby. In the immediate future, simply point out Monolith that seems to have found answers to some of the most troublesome FEAR while retaining the qualities that we do not ask more.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising

2008-07-21T02:04:00.000-07:00

Launched shortly after the success of Operation Flashpoint first name, following the game action / tactic has been placed in abeyance very quicklyCodemasters, owner of the license, and Bohemia Interactive, the original developer, have actually interfered with and while the latter embarked on the design of ArmA, the British publisher was forced to seek a new team to take responsibility Operation Flashpoint 2.This is done now for a few months and Codemasters has been reviving its communication unfortunately not really entering into details.We espérerions that E3 2008 is finally the opportunity to see the beast "movement" ... We could hardly be farther account!

Operation disinformation?

If it is an action game, Operation Flashpoint goes completely against the tide of the current trend. And even though most of the FPS / TPS is limited to a series of corridors / rooms more or less varied, Operation Flashpoint we proposed to move as freely in the world on a map / battlefield for a military experience as realistic as possible.For this second opus, it is obviously subject to resume this concept by going much further. On paper, the island which will serve as a playground should be twice as large and allow much more strategic in clashes which oppose both the Americans and Chinese.

The conflict pretext for Thursday should also be changed to "time" for us to propose the most modern fighting with all that this involves changes in equipment and weapons. Also on paper, developers have spent considerable time to reproduce a simply amazing number of vehicles or equipment of all kinds.The battles fought on land, at sea or in the air should therefore offer a variety and richness even greater than those of Operation Flashpoint history and not disappoint the fans new parameters "technical" as congestion should be taken into account.The developers have also reviewed artificial intelligence to make it more "imaginative".

Indeed, it should be impossible to reproduce the same clashes twice in a row, but we have unfortunately been unable to verify. Actually, we have actually been able to verify anything at all during the presentation done at the E3 2008. We are obviously sorry for this "first contact" with completely lope Operation Flashpoint 2, but the developers had in fact absolutely nothing to show others that few drawings and a video without interest. While the game is, officially, still scheduled for next year on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, this is obviously not at all reassuring and of course we hope that the Leipzig Games Convention will provide an opportunity for Codemasters correct a fire that has for the moment completely lope its target.

BioShock preview

2008-07-21T01:58:00.000-07:00

Available for almost a year on PC and Xbox 360, BioShock has clearly been one of action games, not to say one game short, the highlights of the past year. Despite some delay, the title of 2K Games should finally débouler on Playstation 3 during the month of October.The owners of the console Sony obviously hold their breath and hope to take advantage of this small marvel of atmosphere in good conditions.Through a presentation, unfortunately far too short, the 2008 edition of the E3 in Los Angeles has been an opportunity to reassure. Impressions.

PS3 Version: (Bio) Shock for PC / Xbox 360?

In order to achieve an adaptation of quality of its flagship title, 2K Games has not done in lace and no less than four studios who worked jointly on the PS3 version.2K Australia, Boston 2K, 2K Marine and Digital Extremes are therefore responsible to replicate the unique atmosphere of title imagined by Ken Levine, but also to tackle the challenge posed by technological BioShock. Both say immediately, it has not been possible to keep the joystick in our hands, but for what we have seen, the result seems largely to the high expectations. The graphics very well bear comparison with his models and art deco architecture of Rapture has not taken a ride.

Continuing on the technical side with good feelings at the fluidity and animation as a whole. BioShock Playstation 3 should not disappoint the faithful Sony besetting their brake since almost a year, and this, especially as 2K Games announced that additional content has been designed specifically for the Sony machine ... he "coincidence" is indeed frankly things since it is precisely this additional content which was the heart of the presentation E3 2008. We were able to see what these new and, again, do not turn around the pot, it will not be subject to change in any way whatsoever the campaign game as we know it.

This additional content actually boils down to one word: challenges.These challenges will be directly accessible from the main menu of the game without their having any connection with the solo campaign Thursday According to the case, it will involve puzzles / riddles where we have to work his little gray cells whereas 'Others will be much more focused "fight". The aim anyway to push further the concept of freedom of action brought by BioShock giving more latitude of movement to the player. Each "trial" will be resolved in many different ways, even though at this level we must believe 2K on parole.

Indeed, one example of challenge we were presented during the show. It was to save a little girl lost at the top of a Ferris wheel.The latter should be activated so the girl can get off without damage. Alas, the big wheel is blocked and the classic traditional discharge of electricity opened the doors in BioShock here is not sufficient to completely turn the wheel and the famous plasmid arcing is of course not available. The careful excavation level will give access to several solutions that are mini-adventures well friendly.This content does not change the concept of the game, but brings a little more level life which is obviously not an evil.Given what we saw the PS3 players should therefore not have to complain about the conversion while the players PC / Xbox 360 probably regret having done the success of the game and thus be "rewarded" by the exclusivity Playstation 3 ... It is already where Vaseline?

The Godfather Cheats

2008-07-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Cheat: Full Ammo

Pause the game and enter CIRCLE,LEFT,CIRCLE,RIGHT,SQUARE,R3

Cheat: Full Health

Pause the game and enter LEFT,SQUARE,RIGHT,CIRCLE,RIGHT,L3

Cheat: Boost for Cars

Enter NBWQV0621K46A at the cheat menu.

Cheat: $5,000

Pause game and enter SQUARE,CIRCLE,SQUARE,SQUARE,CIRCLE,L3.

Unlockable: Film Clips Pause the game and enter CIRCLE, SQUARE, CIRCLE, SQUARE, SQUARE, L3

Unclockalbe: All Movies

Pause the game and enter CIRCLE SQUARE CIRCLE SQUARE SQUARE L3.

Unlockable: Are You Ready To Do Me This Favor? Clip

Finish "Change Of Plans" Mission.

Unlockable: Carlo Goes For A Ride Clip

Finish "It's Only Business" Mission.

Unlockable: Carlo Learns A Lesson Clip

You must finish the "Sonny's War" mission.

Unlockable: Good Morning Mr. Woltz Clip

You must get 70 Film reels.

2008-07-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

any one want any game cheats pleas post here
in any console ( Wii, PS3, X boX 360 pc games any cheats )

Metal Gear Online Cheats

2008-07-21T01:35:00.001-07:00

Hint: Under-handed-ness

Throw your grenades under-handed by lightly holding the L1 button (or your aim button, if you changed your controls), instead of holding it down completely.

Hint: Break The Cycle Of Auto-Aim

Equipping your cardboard box and staying still will keep your character safe from being locked on (but not from being shot manually).

Hint: Stop Drop And Roll

If your character is set on fire, you can extinguish the flames by quickly equipping the cardboard box.

Hint: Online Stealth Tips

When playing as Snake in the online sneaking mode, you should avoid lit areas so your shadow will not be as apparent. Also, in stages where characters emit frosty breath, have Snake play dead while prone to make Snake's breath disappear.

Hint: Online Friendlessness

Trying to find a friend on Metal Gear Online but can't? That's because a player needs to log into their MGO account (and onto a server) before you to find them. Additionally, you "add" their MGO character name to your Friends List (for Metal Gear Online only), not any other Playstation Network game.

Hint: Avoid Magazines

The cardboard box may restrict your view, but it also keeps you safe from seeing magazines. If you think that someone has placed one behind the corner, equip the cardboard box to avoid it.

Cheats: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - OVER 90 SECRETS

2008-07-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

SECRET WEAPONS / ITEMS

Bandanna: Complete a single-player session without killing anyone (including bosses). You can do this on any difficulty.
Long Barreled Desert Eagle: Earn the Fox emblem on a single-player session.
Digital Camera: In the Nomad vehicle during the mission intermission; you can unlock a special photo by picking up this item in stage 4 instead of earlier.
Patriot Future Assault Weapon: Earn the Big Boss emblem on a single-player session.
Race (Ricochet):Gun Clear the single-player game once.
Rail Gun: Beat Crying Wolf.
Scanning Plug S: Log more than 10 hours of Metal Gear Online play time on the same profile as your Metal Gear 4 game. You purchase this from Drebin.
Solar Gun: Collect the five statues (those of the four Battle Beauties and the Frog Soldier/Haven Troopers in stage 1) using non-lethal means on their respective idols.
Stealth Item: Complete a single-player session without instigating a single alert (caution is okay, but not alert). You can do this on any difficulty.
Thor 45-70: Earn the Fox Hound emblem on a single-player session.
World War I Pistol: Earn the Hound emblem on a single-player session.

HIDDEN COSTUMES

Altair: Obtain the Assassin emblem.
Civilian Disguise: Start Eastern Europe level.
Middle East Militia Disguise: Middle East in the Militia Safe House.
South American Rebel Disguise: South America (Cove Valley Village).
Suit: Clear the game once.

UNLOCKABLE FACEPAINT

Big Boss's: Earn the Big Boss emblem on a single-player session.
Corpse Camo: Exceed total amount of continues over 41 by the end of the game.
Crying Wolf:Defeat the Battle Beauty (human form) Crying Wolf by non-lethal means.
Drebin: Purchase and keep more than 60 different weapons.
FaceCamo: Defeat the Battle Beauty Laughing Octopus (the overall battle, no specifics involved).
Laughing Octopus: Defeat the Battle Beauty (human form) Laughing Octopus by non-lethal means.
Otacon: Shock Dr. Emmerich using the Metal Gear II during the intermission scene.
Raging Raven: Defeat the Battle Beauty (human form) Raging Raven by non-lethal means.
Raiden Mask A: Shock Sunny using the Metal Gear II during the intermission scene.
Raiden Mask B: Shock Dr. Naomi Hunter using the Metal Gear II during the intermission scene.
Roy Campbell: Shock Colonel Campbell using the Metal Gear II during the intermission scene.
Screaming Mantis: Defeat the Battle Beauty (human form) Screaming Mantis by non-lethal means.

SHADOW MOSES OTACON PASSWORDS

100,000 DP: 14893
iPod Song 1: 78925
iPod Song 2: 13462

BONUS AMMO TYPES

Emotive Ammo (Cry): Finish game once.
Emotive Ammo (Laughter): Finish game once.
Emotive Ammo (Rage): Finish game once.
Emotive Ammo (Scream): Finish game once.
Smoke Grenade (Blue): Finish game once.
Smoke Grenade (Green): Finish game once.
Smoke Grenade (Red): Finish game once.
Smoke Grenade (Yellow): Finish game once.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 EMBLEMS

Ant Shake 50 enemies for items.
Assassin: Beat the game with 50+ knife kills, 50+ CQC holds, and 25 or less alerts.
Bear: Choke 100 enemies to death.
Bee:Use the Scanning Plug S or Syringe on 50 enemies.
Big Boss: Beat the game on the highest difficulty with no deaths, no alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit, no bandanna items, in under 5 hours.
Blue Bird: Give friendly soldiers 50 items.
Centipede: Get less than 75 alert phases, less than 250 kills, and over 25 continues.
Chicken: Get over 150 alert phases, over 500 kills, over 50 continues, use over 50 recovery items and finish the game in over 35 hours.
Cow: Activate over 100 alerts.
Crocodile: Have over 400 kills.
Eagle: Get 150 headshots.
Fox: Beat the game on normal or higher w/ no deaths, 5 or less alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit, no bandanna items, in under 6 hours.
Fox Hound: Beat the game on hard or higher w/ no deaths, 3 or less alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit, no bandanna items, in under 5.5 hours.
Frog: Dive or roll 200 times.
Gecko: Press against walls for a total of 1 hour.
Giant Panda: Complete the game after 30 cumulative hours of play.
Gibbon: Hold up 50 enemies.
Hawk: Be admired by 25 friendly soldiers.
Hog: Get 10 combat highs Hound Emblem Beat the game on hard or higher w/ no deaths, 3 or less alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit, no bandanna items, in under 6.5 hours.
Hyena: Pick up 400 dropped weapons.
Inch Worm: Crawl on the ground for a total of 1 hour.
Jaguar: Get over 75 alert phases, less than 250 kills, and less than 25 continues.
Leopard: Get over 75 alert phases, less than 250 kills, and over 25 continues.
Little Gray: Collect all 69 weapons.
Lobster: Spend a total of 2.5 hours crouching.
Mantis: Finish the game with no alerts activated, no continues, no rations, noodles or regains used and in under 5 hours.
Octopus: Beat the game without activating any alert phases. Panther Get over 75 alert phases, over 250 kills, and less than 25 coninues.
Pig: Use more than 50 recovery items.
Pigeon: Beat the game without killing.
asingle person (Gekkos and Dwarf Gekkos dont count). Puma: Get over 75 alert phases, over 250 kills, and over 25 continues.
Rabbit: Look at 100 Playboy pages.
Raven: Beat the game in under 5 hours.
Scarab: Perform over 100 rolls.
Scorpion: Get less than 75 alert Phases, less than 250 kills, and less than 25 continues.
Spider: Get less than 75 alert phases, over 250 kills, and over 25 continues.
Tarantula: Get less than 75 alert phases, over 250 kills, and less than 25 continues.
Tortoise: Spend more than 60 minutes inside the drum can or card board box (this can be done throughout the game, not all at once).
Wolf: Beat the game with no continues and no rations, regains, or noodles used.

iPod MUSIC

Beyond the Bounds (increases stun damage done by Snake from non-lethal weapons): Stage 4 Shadow Moses, Tank Hangar. After power is restored, backtrack to the upper catwalk and explore all rooms.
Big Boss (increase stun damage and increases Snake's accuracy when played): Earn the Big Boss emblem.
Bio-hazard (cause soldiers held by Snake to scream in terror): Stage 3 Europe, Midtown
Destiny's Call (cause soldiers held by Snake to go enraged) A random gift from a militia or rebel soldier if Snake gives them a healing item.
Flowing Destiny (cause soldiers held by Snake to weep like a little girl): Stage 4 Shadow Moses, Canyon. Before leaving the canyon area, examine the rocky walls for a hole hiding this item.
Fury, The (cause soldiers held by Snake to go enraged): Stage 2 South America, Cove Valley Village. Inside the fire ravaged house.
MGS 4 Love Theme / Action (cause soldiers held by Snake to weep like a little girl): A random gift from a militia or rebel soldier if Snake gives them a healing item.
Opening - Old L.A. 2040 (increase Snake's accuracy): Stage 4 Shadow Moses, Nuclear Warhead Storage B2. Input 78925 into Otacon's lab computer.
Policenaughts Ending (cause soldiers held by Snake to fall asleep on touch): Stage 4 Shadow Moses, Nuclear Warhead Storage B2. Input 13462 into Otacon's lab computer.
Rock Me (increases Snake's amount of life recovered from items and other means): Stage 2 South America, Confinement Facility. Island in the south-eastern quadrant.
Sailor (increases Snake's amount of life recovered from items and other means): Stage 2 South America, Vista Mansion. Between the east wall and a cargo container.
Show Time (cause soldiers held by Snake to scream in terror): A random gift from a militia or rebel soldier if Snake gives them a healing item.
Snake Eater (increase the life recovery rate of Snake through items and other actions):Unlocked by earning all 40 game clear emblems.
Subsistence (increase Snake's accuracy): Play at least one game of Metal Gear Online. You must start the match with at least two players.

OTHER METAL GEAR SOLID 4 SECRETS

Big Boss Extreme Difficulty Setting: Complete the single-player mode once (and saving the cleared data).
Inheritence: You carry over your Drebin points, weapons, ammunition, items, and special items from a previous game upon game clear. However, Snake will need to encounter Metal Gear II in the first stage to get his stuff back. Be sure to save your cleared data upon game completion to track your items. Load the cleared data to reap your benefits.
New Combat Vests: Clear the single-player game once/
No More Camo: Shake the Sixaxis controller to return Snake's Octocamo to its neutral (black and blue) pigmentation. Refill Psyche During Cut-Scenes: If during a cut-scene something causes Snakes psyche gauge to decrease just press X rapidly to replenish it.
Show Me Your Motions: When a character is introduced for the first time, press R2 to view that characters motion capture person instead of that person's voice actor.

Final Fantasy XII Cheats

2008-07-21T01:27:00.000-07:00

In this Final Fantasy XII strategy guide, you'll find:

BASICS // General intro to the mechanics of the game, plus ten tips you must know.
WALKTHROUGH // Comprehensive Final Fantasy XII walkthrough to take you through the game.
SIDEQUESTS & HUNTS // Info on the various hunts of Final Fantasy XII.
ITEMS, EQUIPMENT & GEAR // Item lists galore.
MAGICKS & TECHNICKS // Oh yeah, some stuff about magic, too!
...And more.

Unlockable: Trophy Games

In the Phon Coast there are three "shady bangaas". Once you've found them go up to the bangaa up top behind the "shady bangaas". He'll tell you to got hunt a trophy game, I forget his name, but the bangaa will tell you. He'll also tell you how to flush it out of hiding. Follow his instructions, and you'll be fighting that rare game in no time.

Dispel the game first before charging in to kill him. Buff up your main attacker with Haste, Berserk, and Bravery and leave him alone. when he gets low on health, use a Curaga spell on him. With this tactic, the rare game will fall easily.

After defeating the game, you'll receive a key item called a "Shelled Trophy". Bring that to the bangaa. CONGRATULATIONS! you've now unlocked all trophy hunt. (it's Under Rare Game in the bestiary).

Hint: Spirit Salamander

You can find him in the Northern section, Central Junction section, or Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, during sunny weather.

Hint: Survive in the Beginning

After you complete you first hunting mission for the Renegade Tomato, don't bother go after that dinosaur you see in the distance. He's not bothering you, and he's stronger than you. He'll kill you quickly. Just go back to the city.

Hint: Zodiac Spear Insurance

If you plan on getting your hand on this, most powerful weapon in the game, DO NOT open the barrel that sit directly across from Dalan's door. Apparently it's linked to four other chests in the game that must remain closed until you have the opportunity to acquire it in Nabudis.

Hint: Gambit Advice

When it's time to equip those gambits, it's best to assign a "healing ally" gambit as your first priority. You may think getting the hits in first will get rid of enemies quicker, but you'll never make it if their health get too low, too fast.

Hint: Sky Pirate's Den Figurines

Ashe ... Awarded for having the average party level over 50.
Ba'Gamnan ... Awarded for completing the hunt catalog.

Balthier ... Awarded for attacking 300 times.
Basch ... Awarded for killing 500 foes.
Belias ... Awarded for obtaining every esper.
Carrot ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Carrot.
Chocobo ... Awarded for walking 50,000 steps.
Crystal ... Awarded for obtaining every character's magics.
Daran ... Awarded for completing every map.
Death Gaze ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Death Gaze.
Devil Dragon ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Devil Dragon.
Fafnir ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Fafnir.
Fran ... Awarded for using magic 200 times.
Gabranth ... Awarded for initiating every fusion technique.
Gilgamesh ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Gilgamesh.
Gurdy ... Awarded for using/spending 1,000,000 gil.
King Behemoth ... Awarded for defeating the monster, King Behemoth.
Larsa ... Awarded for mastering every character's license board.
Migelo ... Awarded for selling 1000 loot.
Mimic ... Awarded for obtaining every rare bazaar goods.
Montblanc ... Awarded for attaining (monster) chain level 50.
Penelo ... Awarded for getting 100,000 gil.
Reks ... Awarded for earning 500,000 clan points.
Trickster ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Trickster.
Ultima ... Awarded for defeating the esper, Ultima.
Vaan ... Awarded for stealing 50 times from enemies.
Vayne ... Awarded for using techniques 100 times.
Vossler ... Awarded for obtaining every character's techniques.
Yazmat ... Awarded for defeating the monster, Yazmat.
Zodiac ... Awarded for defeating the esper, Zodiac.

Hint: Respawning Barrels

Find any item barrels around the Save Crystal, open the barrel to get the item, save your game now, then quit the game and load it back, go to the same place will see the barrel is still there, you can get another random item.

Hint: Infinite Chains

It is very simple, in such places as the Yensen Desert or the airship where you rescue the princess Ashe, you can just take your time in the maze-like passageways and wander around without leaving the area and the same type of monsters will spawn, heal after every battle and continue until you have chains going up to 300.

When you get back to town you will hae enough items to become very rich as well as attain levels, it is a good idea that wherever you find these points you use them to the fullest potential.

Hint: Yagyu Darkblade

While in the Lhusu Mines, far into the game, or at the Gilgamesh Mark Hunt, go to the bridge that is pointing South-West (or South-East). It's a diagonal. Anyway, enter and re-enter in a few times until you see a black Bomb (Bullitt) appear. Kill it, and you'll have a chance of getting the Yagyu Darkblade (called the Yagyuu's Onyx in the Japanese version).

You cannot go here until the get the Area 11 key, which is conveniently located in the Phon Coast and the Hunter's Camp, somewhere around one of inhabitants (look for the sparkiling object on the ground). Note: you must have done the Antlion mob first.

Hint: Gambit Hint

I might have overdone this, but it sure works with minimal time and effort. First equip everyone with spears, barbuts, iron armor and argyle armlets. This will give you maximum power/speed ratio. If you do not have the money nor LP to do this, go just west of the Sandsea Moogle in the the Sanscale Bank and you will find enemies called Alraune. Kill them all, go back to to the moogle and 1 screen east.

This makes the monsters respawn and takes a little time, go back and kill them again. Steal succullent fruits and maces from them (set gambit) and they also drop succulent fruits very often. The maces sell at 900 gold but these fruits sell at 363 each and you can quickly build up 99 of of the fruits since you ccan respawn them quickly. If you want to keep the combo up, when you have 99 succulent fruits, flee all the way back to the merchant without touching a save crystal, sell them all for 35,937 gold, flee all the way back to the Alraunes and repeat the process as needed.

Set all gambits to attack nearest and heal manually. Start with the people that do not have quickenings in case they get ejected from battle (with a little luck it will be Vossler) And use all quickenings at the end if needed. For higher level characters, just attack and you should even have time to steal. All my guys were level 17 – 20 and I had a little difficulty until Vossler was ejected instead of one of my party members, then it was easy.

Hint: Paramina Rift Experience Exploit

In the Paramina Rift there is a great place go get a great deal of EXP quickly and easily. Go to the Spine of the Icewyrm (check your map) and there are two Twintanias and about three Garuda-Egis. The Twintanias alone drop between 600 to 750 EXP a piece.

When finished (or if you get low on health) retreat to the Path of the First Fall and use the save crystal. Save an reload the game so the the beasts respawn. This is a great way to grind out some levels before going into the Stilshrine of Miriam.

Hint: Airship Sidequest For Ring of Renewal

If you talk with the Chief Steward on your first airship flight you get the option to participate in a sidequest.

You get the item "Ann's Letter" and have to deliver it to her six sisters who are chief stewards on other airships throughout Ivalice.

You cannot finish this side quest until you can access the port of Balfonheim's Aerodome. If you complete the quest, you get the ring of renewal which gives you 6 defense, 5 magic resistance, and regeneration.

Hint: Yiazmat Battle

1. Armor of choice high defense and magic defense such as cirlet , robe of lords , grand armor , grand helm and etc.

2. Weapon - best choice dark element weapon such as Yagyu Dark blade and other high attack power dark element.

3. Techniques - use Expose to lower Yiazmat defense.

4. Characters with high strength and speed. Vaan, Basch, Balthier, Fran are strength. Vaan, Penelo, Fran, Ashe are speedy.

5. Accessories - power armlet strength +2 anti stop, - genji armlet enable mutiple hits, - cat earhood increase speed and vitalty.

When Yiazmat HP is halved his defense will increase, a 9999 damage will reduce to 6999, HP is 1/4 his level would be double, HP is 1/8 his attack would be double and increase of mutiple hits of 12, cast death strike twice in a row.

Hint: Tortoise XP Farming

At level 20 you can do the quest Withered tree bridge in Giza Plains. There are six withered trees located around the map, after all six are chopped down you can gain access to the level 37 silicon tortoise.

The way to get tons of experience points per fight is to get to the location via party. Make sure all members have job trait charge magic, reflect and gravity.

When you zone into area where the tortoise are located go solo with one character, cast refect on yourself and start fight off with steal, once you steal start running in a circle around the tortoise in safe distance as not to get hit by the mob or its lights out.

It will start to cast AGA spells on you but with reflect on they will bounce of yourself and hit the tortoise instead. While circling around the tortoise cast gravity over and over. It will do around 3000 damage to the tortoise and eventually will take the mob down for around 3,500 exp per kill. There are four tortoise on the island so the experience will add up quickly.

Remember to do it one member at a time and to have those spells or else this exploit won't work. I got 7 levels per character in no time plus good loot from the steal/drop items, plus its a lot of fun as opposed to the same old experience points game play. The only downfall is the lack of license points as opposed to regular combat. You will receive around 3 per kill. I made up for it by returning to the Lhusu mines and kill there for around 3 hours or so for rediculous license/money items. Well I hope this helps you all and good luck.

5 Things You Didn’t Know: Grand Theft Auto

2008-07-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

The 2008 release of Grand Theft Auto IV turned the video game industry on its head, as it broke sales records and made headlines. The successful Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise has 10 games for different systems, and while controversial for its violent and sexual content, the games remain hugely popular.

Worldwide, Grand Theft Auto games have sold more than 70 million copies, which makes them the fifth highest-selling game franchise ever. More than six million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV were sold in its first week on store shelves, with sales totals in excess of $500 million.

Now that we’ve hashed out some of the more commonly known stats, here are five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto as a whole:

1- Phil Collins did voice work for Grand Theft Auto

You might not associate Phil Collins with video games, but the former Genesis front man is just one of dozens of celebrities who’ve leant their talents to Grand Theft Auto. Some others to contribute include Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Iggy Pop, Lawrence Taylor, Peter Fonda, Ice-T, Burt Reynolds, and Axl Rose. Within this entry of five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto is the buried fact that GTA was one of the first video game franchises to recruit celebs for voiceover work.

2- Grand Theft Auto talks a lot of sh!t

In the video game equivalent of hip-hop battling, Grand Theft Auto has traded jabs with games it accuses of copying its format. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, for example mocks Activision’s True Crime with a billboard that reads “True Grime” and pictures a garbage truck. Grand Theft Auto III pokes fun at Driver, another similar game, and its main character Tanner. The Grand Theft Auto game features a mission called “Two Faced Tanner” that requires the player to kill a Tanner look-alike who walks like a female.

Grand Theft Auto’s attacks were rumored to include Hillary Clinton in retaliation for her denouncement of video game violence. Though Clinton didn’t end up in Grand Theft Auto IV, rumors circulated that she’d appear as a prostitute, who’d ask, “Will you still vote for me?” after her services were used.

3- Grand Theft Auto has been sued for nearly $1 billion

Grand Theft Auto is no stranger to the court docket. Leading the way in the anti-Grand Theft Auto witch hunt is lawyer Jack Thompson, who has organized several lawsuits against publisher Rockstar Games on behalf of families who’ve had a loved one killed by a gamer. Thompson, who has called Grand Theft Auto a “cop-killing simulator,” launched a $246 million lawsuit in 2003 after a pair of teens, saying they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III, shot two motorists. Two years later, a Grand Theft Auto-playing 17-year-old killed two police officers and a dispatcher, and Thompson filed another suit, though its amount wasn’t made public

In 2006, another teenaged Grand Theft Auto player committed murder, killing three family members, and Thompson brought a $600 million lawsuit against Rockstar and its parent companies. In 2007, parent company Take-Two Interactive Software settled a $2.75 million class action lawsuit relating to hidden sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

4- Grand Theft Auto games offer more than 200 side missions

Grand Theft Auto players don’t have an excuse to get bored. They can find hours of entertainment traveling the game’s cities and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Beginning with GTA III, the first open game of the franchise, the games feature close to a combined 400 story missions, with more than 200 side missions. GTA IV leads the way in the latter category. Most impressive is the fact that most missions contain several stages.

While the story missions are integral to your success, it’s perhaps the side missions that are the most fun. Hit the gym to pump a little iron and you’ll see your player bulk up. Visit the tattoo parlor to get inked and you’ll raise your street cred. Hungry? Stop at fast food joints to get some grub. Just remember, don’t eat too many hamburgers or you’ll gain weight and be laughed at by random people on the street. Want to make a few extra bucks? Hijack a taxi and go pick up fares. If you’re a lady’s man, dote over your girlfriends (yes, it’s plural) by taking them on dates to keep them happy. Keeping a handle on these side missions while conquering the game’s objectives will have you glued to your controller.

5- Grand Theft Auto V buzz is already underway

GTA IV has barely hit shelves, but video gamers are already getting primed for GTA V, though there’s no official information about when or if the game will be released. Plenty of gaming sites and message boards have speculations about the potential game, which could be released sometime between 2010 and 2014. Because the franchise’s graphics, story and gameplay get progressively better, fans are hoping the game’s next installment won’t disappoint. Some speculation for GTA V ideas include a multiplayer version that will allow you to put your likeness on a character, the ability to speak (using your own voice) with other characters, open buildings to explore, international travel, and destruction of buildings instead of just vehicles.

While these ideas are all just speculation, there’s no question that if Rockstar wishes to develop GTA V, it will really have to push the envelope.

Intel's 3.2GHz quad-core Bloomfield gaming CPU to hit for $999?

2008-07-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

When you're Intel, everyone from governments to gamers wants to know your next move. So pay attention, DigiTimes has it on shaky word from "motherboard makers" that Intel's next quad-core, 3.2GHz Extreme "Bloomfield"-class gaming processor for overblown desktop rigs will hit for $999 when purchased in bulk by PC manufacturers -- a traditional price-point for Intel's top o' the line Extreme silicon until the launch of its $1,499 Core 2 Extreme QX9775 earlier this year. We should also expect $562, 2.93GHz and $284, 2.66GHz versions before the year is up.

Nintendo: Wii grabs top spot in next-gen console wars

2008-07-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning in Los Angeles, attendees at Microsoft's E3 press conference heard Xbox head Don Mattrick "declare" that that video game console would win the so-called next-generation console war.

But if the latest sales data put out by NPD mean anything, Microsoft's road to victory could be a little harder. That's because, according to Nintendo, the Wii in June surpassed the Xbox 360 to become the best-selling next-generation console in the United States.

According to Nintendo, NPD's numbers show that during June, the Wii hit 10.9 million units sold in the U.S.

In May, Microsoft announced the Xbox had hit 10 million units sold first, a milestone the company said has historically been reached by each console generation's eventual winner. And in its quarterly earnings release Thursday, Microsoft said it had sold 1.3 million Xboxes during the last quarter. But it's been clear for some time that the Wii is outselling both the Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 3 on a monthly basis. And given that the Xbox has been out a full year longer than the Wii or the PS3, Nintendo's news is all the more noteworthy.

Of course, in an interview Tuesday, Shane Kim, Microsoft's corporate vice president of strategy and business development for Microsoft's interactive entertainment business unit, told me that Mattrick's declaration applied only to the battle between the Xbox and the PS3. Mattrick himself didn't make any such clarifications during the press conference.

And in Kim's defense, it's true that most people think of the Xbox and the PS3 as being in a different category of video game console than the Wii, despite all three often being lumped together.

Additionally, Microsoft and Sony both surely have their own positive spins on NPD's numbers, though I haven't gotten those missives yet. Nintendo wins this round, at least, for quickest NPD-related press release (that I got, at least).

Either way, you have to tip your hat to Nintendo for the success of the Wii, and for the console's having reached the top spot in the U.S. For now, at least. Who knows what the next press release will say.

Resident Evil 5

2008-07-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

So far only presented through its cooperative mode at the Microsoft conference, Resident Evil 5 was fortunately playable on the Capcom booth.Better yet, two environments we were offered, with each of them, a few scenes of cooperation with the beautiful Artificial Intelligence named Sheva (no, it is not a former star of AC Milan). First impressions hot under the African sun.

Without going through the case introduction, the first mission that we proposed this demo we put immediately into the atmosphere.After the execution of a poor here under the screams of a hysterical crowd visibly possessed, our two officials authorized by the United Nations is designated as the next victims.Galvanizes by a worrying head of pack eruct ant his orders in a megaphone, angry villagers stormed take early biconvex in which fled Chris and his acolyte.The first sequence was not without recalling the early Resident Evil 4Indeed, to get the player here must barricade the windows with cabinets and other shelves, but also search the lower corner of his homeless fortune to find some ammunition and items carefully.The preparation phase is completed, just the first assaults enemies.While windows are still the coup, the main door gave the first leaving some villagers armed with machetes invest our stash.First gunfire. We quickly find our brands through a DualShock 3 mapped as its predecessor and, most importantly, gameplay strictly identical to that of the fourth opus.

All orders are back quickly in memory, thereby enabling us to discover new features introduced by the presence of an allySheva is involved in the clashes effect effectively offering us a few bullets extracted from its inventory ammunition when we come to miss.The converse is also possible: by going to our own inventory, pressing the button R2 provides access to one of our partner to transfer the item of our choice. Attention, however, not be too far away from it because the exchanges are hand in hand A detail that is not really one because our duo will sometimes separate.But back to the assault qu'essuient Chris and Sheva.Always smart enough, the villagers regularly referred to our failure, requiring us to be faster to achieve them.Their behaviour is indeed in all points identical to that of their counterparts Hispanic Resident Evil 4.A sense of deja-vu pretty disappointing but not really daunting.

For its part, Sheva is formidable. What dispel our fear of a weighted ball more disabling than anything else. We will also regularly help, we injected a dose of adrenaline when our ECG becomes critical A support he needed, however, ask him before finally succumbing. Because if we regularly prodigal son using his own initiative, it is also possible to seek a full combat to receive items, weapons and care. In the same way, when it is surrounded by enemies and ready to succumb Help a symbol and a direction just let us know. And it is better not to delay to lend a hand because his death will mean the end of the game. Fortunately this type of situation does not come every five minutes, provided to cooperate effectively.

As the level-design, we felt well thought out with a number of shelters and exploit enough verticality for not being jammed.Ladders and stairs we have in fact allowed to escape when the enemy attacks became impossible to contain. Some barrels explosives and other cans of gasoline we have also occasionally help reduce the number of our attackers.To return to the villagers, the environment second, more advanced, we marked by the presence of parasites flying corpses while escaping just slaughtered. Targets a little more difficult to hang but less resistant than their peers housed in the body of the villagers. Finally, our first encounter with Resident Evil 5 was closed on the arrival of the now-famous giant armed with a chainsaw and masked a bloodied cloth. A formidable opponent, as was that of the fourth episode.

Conclusion

First convincing experience with this Resident Evil 5.Based largely on the achievements of his predecessor, the new production of Capcom expanding nevertheless finds some good thanks to the presence of ShevaTechnically, the title meets all our expectations: whether on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, Resident Evil 5 is visually sumptuous without ever losing its fluidity.It remains perhaps too much closeness to the fourth episode that we see hopes dissipated over the long term.

Waste of a time was E3 by EA, Ubisoft

2008-07-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

How big of waste of a time was E3 this year ? Watching the coverage on G4, you’d think something important was happening. Maybe FPS With Different Shades of Brown 87 still interests y’all, but I’d say the show was rather bland.

Even Electronic Arts, everyone’s favorite giant of a publisher, agrees that the show has lost its luster, saying that the show’s new format, shall we say, stinks on ice:

I hate E3 like this. Either we need to go back to the old E3, or we’ll have to have our own private events.

Thus spoke EA CEO John Riccitiello. Only 5,000 people showed up to the event this ear, whereas in years past it drew somewhere around the 60,000 mark. So, EA is saying, essentially, bring on “da noize,” or we’ll just rent out some hotel’s event space for our own purposes. That’s all well and good for the big publishers, but what about the little guy?

Even Ubisoft harshed on the show this year.

Said the company’s North American president, Laurent Detoc:

E3 this year is terrible. The world used to come to E3. Now it’s like a pipe-fitters show in the basement.

Yikes, don’t get on his bad side!

Now, if I remember correctly, wasn’t it the likes of EA & Co. who threatened to pull out of the show a few years ago, saying it was too expensive? All of a sudden they want the craziness back?

Ubisoft unveils I Am Alive

2008-07-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

The next major project of Ubisoft is entitled I Am Alive, and it will be a French production, because the studio Darkworks (Cold Fear), which is to work.Unveiled during the conference E3 of Ubisoft, the first trailer follows chasing hero Adam, made by three hunting criminals suspects who would be willing to defy death to become a precious water.With a post-apocalytique atmosphere that is reminiscent of the recent movie I Am Legend, I Am Alive was announced in spring 2009 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

2008-07-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Come September 30th you'll be able to yourself some Microsoft Xbox 360 controllers in limited edition bright red and green colors. The packages will be slightly different, however, with the red including a Play & Charge Kit (i.e. rechargeable battery and USB cable) for $65, while the green (and how -- shown above) comes straight for $55. Unapologetically, Microsoft lists the "SKU role" for each controller as "profit driver." Indeed.

Resistance, God of War III titles at E3

2008-07-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Sony has revealed a number of upcoming titles at its E3 press event in Los Angeles today, including God of War III for PS3 and Resistance: Retribution for the PSP.

Insomniac Games boss Ted Price conducted a live demo of FPS Resistance 2, telling the crowd that the sequel would feature eight-player co-op and 60-player competitive matches.

LittleBigPlanet was another game on display, with Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA conducting his entire business update in the game.

Tretton further revealed a spate of PSN releases, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty, Crash Commando, Fat Princess, Pixeljunk Eden, PAIN Amusement Park, flOwer, Siren Blood Curse and Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic.

The PSP saw a number of new releases announced including a Ratchet & Clank Size Matters Entertainment Pack, Resistance Retribution by Bend Studios, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Madden NFL 09, LocoRoco 2, NBA 09 The Inside, Super Stardust Portable, LEGO Batman, Patapon 2, Buzz! Master Quiz and Valkyria Chronicles.

Age of Empires: Mythologies trailer & screenshot

2008-07-16T00:21:00.001-07:00

THQ have released a new trailer and several screenshots showcasing Age of Empires: Mythologies, a Nintendo DS title currently under development. It is a sequel to the previous Nintendo DS title, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings, and is based on its engine.

Not a lot more is known about the game at this stage, so take a look at the screens and trailer and decide for yourself

40GB PS3 phased out, new 80GB BC-less

2008-07-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

During Sony's E3 press conference, CEO Jack Tretton said that the company would make the 80GB PlayStation 3 SKU its primary focus going forward.

This will be the fifth PS3 SKU in North America. The 20GB and 60GB launch models have both been discontinued in favour of the 40GB and 80GB models introduced last year.

Starting in September, Sony will sell an 80GB console - with the same functionality as the current 40GB model - for USD 399, giving users twice the storage capacity for the same price as the current 40GB.

However, there is a cost which might be overlooked: the loss of backwards compatibility with PS2 titles.

The 80GB model is currently the only US PlayStation 3 console to offer backwards compatibility, thanks to software emulation. As Tretton announced that the cheaper 80GB console will have the same functionality as the current 40GB system, Sony is effectively abandoning backwards compatibility.

Sony has continued to deny rumours that it will be offering PS2 games for download via the PlayStation Store.

60GB Xbox 360 Confirmed With 20GB Price Slash

2008-07-14T02:31:00.000-07:00

We've been hearing rumors and rumblings about a new 60GB Xbox 360 SKU and a possible price cut on the 20GB unit for weeks now. As confirmed by Microsoft today (via ShackNews and a bevy of official Sunday store ad pamphlets), both of these juicy tidbits are actually true, with one justifying the other.

According to its new listing on retailer GameStop's website, the 60GB unit will be available beginning in August, taking on the 20GB Premium pack's cost of $349. The 60GB package will contain the same controller, headset, and free month of Xbox Live Gold service that comes with the 20GB pack -- the only difference will be the hard drive. Microsoft told ShackNews that 20GB units have had their price cut to $299 in the mean time "while supplies last," suggesting that they are likely no longer manufacturing this SKU, and it will soon be unavailable.

Last year, amidst similar leaks, Microsoft confirmed a similar price cut shortly after E3. However, that price reduction was across all varieties of the Xbox 360 and did not include a new SKU announcement.

When we spoke to Microsoft PR director Heather Snavely about the leaks last week, she told us that true or not, they were not affecting Microsoft's E3 plans. "The truth is, rumors will always be a part of our industry -- it's just one more sign of how eager gamers are to learn how we'll innovate next," Snavely commented. She also noted that Microsoft has "a lot of exciting news" planned for this week, so let's hope the price drop and new 60GB model aren't the end of it.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

2008-07-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

Gameplay still offers a solid wrestling experience

THQ's WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW wrestling game franchise may have taken one chair shot too many. As much as this series has always been about piling new features on top of existing features, the pile is starting to teeter and is in danger of falling over entirely. Once again, this year's game adds several new components to the existing game engine that's been piled upon since the series was a PS2 exclusive, but the difference this year is that few, if any, of the changes really feel like they impact the overall experience for the better. In fact, some of the changes impact the game negatively. The gameplay is still basically fun, but all the various little problems that have built up over the years remain unaddressable, and some of the surrounding components of the game are really starting to show their age.

Still lots of different stuff to do

Whether you think WWE wrestling is fake or not, it’s hard to argue with it being quite entertaining. And, whether you love or loathe the man behind the WWE, you have to hand it to Mr. McMahon for successfully taking over the spectacle-creating duties of his father’s empire.The new fighting styles do a decent job of differentiating different wrestler types

The WWE is one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history. Not only did it pioneer the art of live “sports entertainment,” but it is also a powerhouse on television and is on nearly every night. Recently, the WWE has been branching out into the wide world of video gaming. As a result, ever since the last generation the WWE series of games have been steadily improving. From the Legends of Wrestling to the Wrestlemania series, the market has literally been flooded with games based on the sports entertainment powerhouse.

New 24/7 mode is severely disappointing

THQ has thoroughly realized that gamer and WWE wrestling fan have been one-in-the-same for quite some time now. Three console generations and ten games later, Japanese developer Yukes and THQ are in the midst of their most ambitious and gaming/wrestling fan friendly grappler to date– WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.

THQ have been listening to the fans and are making some serious changes to the multiplatform release of Smackdown! vs. Raw. One of the biggest flaws across the console versions last year were the below average character animations and the poor A.I. The wrestlers felt clunky in the ring, and opponents were either insanely difficult or entirely too easy to beat. However, THQ is promising this time the A.I. will be a truer reflection of a given wrestler’s actions in the ring. For example, Ric Flair will not move around in the same manner as John Cena (as was often the case in the previous iteration). Characters will also sport a larger amount of detail in the console versions and will look a lot more like real wrestlers instead of models with faces and muscle definition painted on.

Old problems like clipping issues and AI shoddiness are still a big problem in this sequel

The gameplay hasn't seen much alteration from last year's game. The same right analog stick-based grappling system is on offer, though the number of buttons you have to press to pull off a total-control grapple move has been lessened. The submissions system has seen a slight change, where both players use the right analog stick to respectively apply pressure or escape, but this doesn't add much dynamism to that particular component. This year's game does also add ECW into the mix, along with all the various hardcore-isms that go along with that. The ECW extreme rules match is available in all its glory, and weapons have been given a bit of an overhaul, specifically how you go about getting them from under the ring. There's a nifty little weapon wheel that pops up, letting you select among several different weapons, like tables, chairs, 2x4s wrapped in barbed wire--you know, the usual stuff. Also, you can set weapons on fire now, which is undeniably awesom

Fantastic wrestler models.

Still, apart from this ECW-centric stuff, there's not much else to marvel at with the gameplay this year, especially considering all the holdover problems from previous games that plague this sequel. The artificial intelligence continues its downward spiral into utter boobdom, especially in any kind of gimmick match where weapons are prevalent. They'll constantly stand around, periodically flailing at another wrestler with a weapon and hoping for the best. Any match that has a ladder involved but nothing hanging above the ring to collect still results in a number of wrestlers constantly scaling ladders in the middle of the ring over and over again. Tag partners still sometimes forget that they're supposed to help you when you're in trouble, too. And now, with this new fighting style system, the AI has taken to relying on these various special moves to an almost irritating degree.

Most modes have seen little to no updating

One of the biggest upgrades across the consoles will be the revamped tag team mode. Any fan of wrestling will tell you tag team matchups are among the most exciting to watch, both live and on television. Now, the tag team matchup will be among the most exciting matches to play as well. Instead of tag team matches simply meaning two players will work cooperatively against opponents, players will now be able to interact and work as a team to conquer opponents. For instance, if you are out of the ring, you now have more options than just sitting and waiting for a tag. You can now help pump up the crowd to make your opponent’s concentration falter or distract the referee if your teammate is about to pull an illegal move. Of the new out-of ring moves, the most notable is the ability to do illegal assists. Yes, it is technically cheating, but anyone who watches WWE on television knows that those who cheats most, wins most.

As a tandem, both members of a tag team will share the same momentum meter, which means that if your partner is sucking it up in the ring and tags you in, you'll need to fight back to regain the momentum. There will also be plenty of team-specific moves and attacks that you'll be able to pull off on opponents; during the presentation, THQ showed footage of the Hardy Boys roughing up Randy Orton with tandem moves such as double slams and dual drop kicks, as well as more elaborate tag-team finishing moves.

Fighting styles sometimes feel imbalanced

In addition to the revamped tag team mode, there will be substantial improvements to the Create-a-Wrestler mode. You will now be able to create your own finishing move, using elements from existing ones. The story mode this time around has been redubbed the “Road to Wrestlemania” mode. It will feature unique storylines for each major character as they overcome personal and professional hurdles on the way to the big event.

This year's SmackDown! doesn't do an awful lot to improve the franchise in any meaningful way

Because Smackdown! vs. Raw 2009 will be a multiplatform release, there are many special features each specific console will feature. The Wii version of the title is probably getting the most significant feature upgrade with the inclusion of online gameplay. Although the Wii isn’t known for its online capabilities, it is great to see the online feature is being offered. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game are also getting new online features in the form of downloadable content. The folks at THQ have largely kept mum on what exactly this downloadable content will entail, but my best guess is it will included expanded past and present rosters, story elements, and perhaps some vintage arenas.

Unfortunately THQ didn’t want to get too far into the exciting online features of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 quite yet, but it’s clear that some clever game modes and ways to play via Live will be included. We already know that the Create-a-Finisher and some form of DLC are guaranteed for those “connected” (oh, we can hear the smack-talking and see the gaudy silk robes already). THQ also kept a bit quiet about story mode for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 known as Road to Wrestlemania, but the publisher promises multiple endings, branching, star-specific storylines and the chance to campaign as a tag-team throughout.

Commentary is still abysmal.

Although new features are always important for keeping any game fresh, one could argue that THQ has a lot to do in improving some aspects of the previous years' games that have become extremely tired; namely, long load times, crummy collision detection, and subpar animations. It seems that THQ is listening on all of those points and is promising improvements to each of these aspects of the game, as well as an improved AI that will see the virtual Undertaker acting in the ring as he would in real life. We're most curious to see how the hit detection and load times improve. Producers claim that the game already has 50 percent shorter load times than last year's game, with the overall goal of reducing load times completely (which sounds optimistic, if not necessarily realistic, to us).

SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 will be the 10th version of the SmackDown! series (which sort of makes us feel old). As the series prepares to head into its second decade, it seems to be focusing on both the new features and modes that will keep fans coming back, while addressing the important issues that SmackDown! vets have been clamoring for.

General Features

TAG TEAM EXPLOSION -- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 unleashes a brand new tag team match. Build momentum and attributes as a team, destroy opponents with high-impact double teams, pull off new bone-crunching tag team finishers and get the 'hot tag' for the win. Players can also take their tag teams online by creating Online Tag Team stables and competing in tag team matches all across the country.
CREATE-A-FINISHER -- Construct the most devastating moves ever unleashed in a WWE ring with this brand new interface. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 lets players customize all aspects of created Superstars ... even their very own finishing moves.
ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA -- Pave the way to WWE's biggest event of the year through WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009's new story mode, which features the franchise's first-ever co-op storylines
NEW ONLINE FUNCTIONALITY -- Extend the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 gameplay experience with downloadable content and much more