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February 9, 2012

10 conversation starters you can have handy for SXSW Interactive

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Attendees at SXSW Interactive 2011. Photo by Jay Janner / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

South by Southwest Interactive — the gigantic tech culture festival that has gone from spring break for geeks to spring break for anyone who uses a smart phone or Twitter — is a month away.

Starting March 9, downtown will be transformed into the epicenter of Wi-Fi-draining devices with screens, entrepreneurs hoping to strike it Facebook-rich and old-school hippie-techies complaining about everyone else.

It’ll be fun!

If you plan to attend the fest or at least lurk around the edges of it, you may be wondering what people will be talking about. Contrary to pop-culture portrayals, the tech-savvy are pretty social, especially when there’s lots of alcohol and karaoke around. We’ve come up with a list of 10 conversation-starters.

1. “So, when do you think this whole tech bubble’s gonna burst?” Perhaps you’re not afraid to be blunt or spoil the party. A tech crash reminiscent of the dot-com bust is one of the greatest fears of many attendees. It’s also the topic of the panel “Internet Bubble the Sequel: 1999 All Over Again?” And there are panels about “The Power of Fear in Networked Publics” and whether social media is ruining the way we communicate. It turns out terror can be a real motivator for tech innovation!

2. “My mind is getting a great workout, but boy, could I go for some yoga and a 10k run after all this is over!” The myth of the sedentary, unhealthy geek is due for a Jillian Michaels-style working over. An abundance of panels focus on health and fitness, from “Fit Together: How Fitness Goes High Tech + Social” to a panel featuring rapper Paul Wall and Quincy Jones III called “Feel Rich: Health is the New Wealth.” Popular speaker Jane McGonigal will talk about her new fitness game “SuperBetter,” created as the result of a brain injury she suffered. And there’ll be daily yoga sessions at the fest. Namaste!

3. “After SOPA, geeks can change anything with a good web protest!” The battle over piracy legislation between tech companies and online advocates that erupted recently will be much-discussed, with panels such as “American Copyright: Will Government Go Too Far?,” “Why Doesn’t Congress Grok the Internet?” and “Content As a Means for Social Change.” featuring Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

4. “We need to get involved with some real-world protests, too!” One of the best panels I saw at 2011’s fest was about social media’s impact on the Arab Spring movement. There’ll be lots more panels on that topic, as well as sessions about stateside hot-button issues like, “Occupying Media: 24 Hour Protest People,” “Internet Power: After Cyber-Optimism and Pessimism” and the very timely “Stand with Planned Parenthood: A Crisis Response.”

5. “You know what’s gonna be big this year? Second-screen TV watching.” It’s never easy to predict what technology will have the most buzz at the fest, but there are enough panels around the trend of second, third, even fifth screens, that it’s worth keeping an eye on. “Second screen” could mean using a device with a screen (like an iPad or smart phone) while watching TV or having a screen in your car. Panels like “Integrating Brands into Social Television,” “3 Screen Minimum: Convergence of TV & Social Media” and “Why Your Car Will Be the 5th Screen in Your Life” will explore the trend.

6. “Did you see (name of celebrity) on that panel today?” It won’t be hard to spot stars at Interactive. Look for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon, Tom Colicchio and Andy Cohen on a panel about TV’s “Top Chef,” actor Rainn Wilson, filmmaker and podcaster Kevin Smith, Segway inventor Dean Kamen, director Morgan Spurlock, actress Lisa Kudrow, Gawker’s Nick Denton and food celebrity Anthony Bourdain.

7. “I sure am hungry. Any food events going on at this thing?” In addition to lots of panels related to food trucks, food quality and regional cuisine, there’s also a Bacon Takedown cooking contest, a Taco Experiment competition and food blogger meetups. Food writer Addie Broyles has the details on her blog Relish Austin.

8. “Hey, nice canvas bag! Who designed it?” This year’s SXSW Interactive goodie bag, given to all registrants, was designed by Yiying Lu, who created Twitter’s iconic “Fail Whale” graphic. It features a cartoon mouse holding a tablet and it’s absolutely adorable.

9. “So many emails and status updates! I am so overloaded and could use a break!” It’s not just you. Lots of people feel overwhelmed by the amount of data we’re exposed to every day. Panels like “The Cloud as Skynet: Conquering Digital Overload,” “Digital Detox: Revealing Life Unplugged” and “Tech Detox: Can You Survive a Day Without Technology?” will offer tips and commiseration.

10. “I wonder if techies will affect in the 2012 elections.” Politics isn’t always a huge topic at SXSW, but this year it’s everywhere, from panels about tech in government (“Do People Really Want Participatory Government?,” “The Human Cost of Failed Government Technology,” “Sunspots: The Promise and Pitfalls of Gov 2.0”) to panels addressing the presidential race (“How Social Media Imperils Political Parties,” “Big Data: Powering the Race for the White House” and “Socializing the Presidency: Digital Politics 2012,” among others).

Other things to talk about: The Interactive Hall of Fame award, presented to web design pioneer Jeffrey Zeldman, is new this year. The Interactive Awards will be hosted by comics Jenny Slate (“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”) and Gabe Liedman. There’s a proliferation of panels about sports and sportswriting. The ScreenBurn video-gaming track of the conference has been rebooted and relocated to Palmer Events Center. You can job hunt at the official SXSW Tech Career Expo, watch start-ups compete at the Accelerator event and hang out at the new Startup Village area. If all else fails, you can whine about how many campuses there are for the fest (14) and how much walking you’ve doing to get from place to place.

Let’s hope the real-world conversations are as lively and interesting as the ones that’ll surely be happening online during SXSW Interactive.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, SXSW, SXSW 2012, Videogames

February 7, 2012

'Reckoning' RPG and 'Darkness' sequel top video game releases

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New video games this week:

“Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning.” — The runaway success of “The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim” shows that there’s a huge market for single-player fantasy games. But will this new game franchise, basedon the talents of author R.A. Salatore, artist Todd McFarlane and “Elder Scrolls” veteran Ken Rolston make for a winning formula? Why not pic up a sword and find out? Rated M for Mature. $60 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

“The Darkness II.” — The original “Darkness,” based on the Top Cow comic book series, was an intriguing mix of action gunplay, supernatural powers and a noir storyline. The sequel allows players to dual-wield guns, more challenges using darkness and light in the environments and a four-player cooperative mode. Rated M for Mature. $50-$60 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Also out this week: “Resident Evil: Revelations” (Nintendo 3DS), “Jak & Daxter Collection” (PS3), “Zumba Fitness Rush” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Jewel Link Chronicles: Mountains of Madness” (Nintendo DS), “Inversion” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Myst” (3DS), “ThinkSMART Chess for Kids” (DS), “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (Nintendo Wii), “Jagged Alliance: Back in Action” (downloadable for PC), “Shank 2” (downloadable for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3), “Smash ‘n’ Survive” (downloadable for PS3), “House of the Dead III” (downloadable for PS3), “The Simpsons Arcade Game” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Gotham City Imposters” (downloadable for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3).

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Shopping, Videogames

February 6, 2012

The Linkdown for Monday, Feb. 6

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The new SXSW Interactive swag bag, designed by Yiying Lu (of Twitter Fail Whale fame). Photo by Shawn O’Keefe, courtesy SXSW Inc.

The Linkdown engaged in some rare business travel last week, but is now caught up enough to provide you with a carefully curated list of events, links and SXSW Interactive news. Hey, wait a minute… this is that list! What a coincidence!

Events:

Internet goodness:

SXSW-related

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2012, Videogames

A Force-ful recommendation for 'Old Republic'

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In this week’s Digital Savant column (appearing in Monday’s Austin American-Statesman), I take a closer look at the gigantic, Austin-developed “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” a game that we’ve written about before a lot in this space.

In my review/impressions piece, I talk about my relative inexperience as a player of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMOs), but how much I’m enjoying the game anyway. (That’s a picture of my character, Maumouchowchow, a Jedi Consular, up at the top of this blog entry.) It’s been a while since I’ve been hooked on a game like this, and I give full credit to BioWare’s ability to make me care about this virtual world and the characters within it.

Have you been playing the game, too? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Videogames

January 31, 2012

Austin-developed 'Zynga Bingo,' still in closed beta, is already controversial

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“Zynga Bingo,” the first game to be released by the social gaming powerhouse’s Austin studio, has a lot riding on it. It will join the company’s long running “Zynga Poker” as part of a new franchise called “Zynga Casino.”

Members of the Austin team traveled to California to be at the company’s San Francisco’s headquarters for the launch of the game last week, when the game was released in closed beta to invitees for testing before it goes wide to the rest of the gaming world.

Like most of Zynga’s game, this Facebook title will allow players to interact with their online friends, boost up the game with power-ups and kill time in an easy-to-play, tough-to-master format.

But before the game has even gone into public release, it’s already attracting attention in ways Zynga can’t be enjoying. It has been accused by a company called Buffalo Studios of plagiarizing the design of a game called “Bingo Blitz.”

It’s the second time the company has been accused of aping someone else’s game design recently; another company called NimbleBit said that Zynga’s game “Tower Heights” bears quite a resemblance to that company’s “Tiny Tower.”

On Venturebeat today, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus fired back about the copycat accusations, saying that gaming companies like his typically build upon the successes of existing games, improving the formula to make better gaming experiences. Venturebeat also printed an email Pincus sent to Zynga employees about the controversy.

Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Videogames

'Soul Calibur V' fights back in new sequel

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New video games this week:

“Soul Calibur V.” — Taking place 17 years after the events of “Soul Calibur IV” (we don’t remember what happened either, don’t worry), this fighting game continues the long-running series, which is known for its beautiful visuals, crazy characters and outsized weaponry. The new version includes more ways to personalize your own fighters, more online fighting features and a variety of fighting styles to master. Rated T for Teen. $60-$80 for Standard and Collector’s Edition, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Final Fantasy XIII-2” (PS3), “Puddle” (downloadable for PS3), NeverDead (PS3, Xbox 360), “Bookworm Wordy Wonder Bundle” (PC), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2012” (Nintendo 3DS), “House of 1,000 Doors: Family Secrets” (PC), “BioShock 2” (Mac), “Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle” (downloadable for PC, PS3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS), “Rhythm Party” (downloadable for Xbox 360.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Shopping, Videogames

January 27, 2012

The Linkdown for Friday, Jan. 27

The Linkdown was amused, but mostly disturbed, by the “Simpsons” episode where everybody crashed their cars because they were posting on SpringFace, a social network created by Lisa Simpsons (with help from Nelson and some computer geeks).

Watch that and then check out these important events, links and SXSW Interactive news:

Events:

Internet goodness:

SXSW-related

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Computers, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2012, Videogames

January 24, 2012

Sims get sexy in 'Master Suite' update

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New video games this week:

“The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff.” — Most add-on packs for the long-running “Sims” franchise involve vacationing, pets, outdoor living and other seemingly trivial items. But EA Games is apparently bringing sexy back with this collection of romantic relaxation aids like virtual candles, a canopy bed and sets of lingerie and sleepwear for both female and male Sims. For those who use “The Sims” games as little more than excuses to plot out elaborate soap operas using digital dolls, this is the update for you. Rated T for Teen. $20 for Windows PCs and Mac (also available as a digital download).

“SOL: Exodus.” — This game, developed in Austin by Seamless Entertainment, is a space shooter powered by the Unreal game engine. The year is 2500 and humans are on the search for a homeland on the edge of the solar system. It’s focused on 3-D space combat in the tradition of “Wing Commander.” $10, downloadable for Windows PC (at steampowered.com starting Wednesday).

Also out this week: “Tropico 3: Gold Edition” (Mac), “Tropico Trilogy” (PC), “Victoria II: A House Divided” (downloadable for PC), “My Pet Puppy” (Nintendo 3DS), “National Geographic Challenge” (PlayStation 3 Move), “Fairway Fever” (PC), “Dark Tales 3: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Premature Burial” (PC), “OilRush” (PC, Mac and Linux), “Killzone” (downloadable for PS3), “Quarrel” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Puddle” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

January 20, 2012

Richard Garriott space documentary opens in Austin today


Image credit: TMS

The documentary about Austin game developer and space traveler Richard Garriott is finally touching down. “Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars” opens today at the Alamo South and there’ll be a special screening at 7 p.m. tonight with Garriott, director Mike Woolf and producer Brady DIal. (They’ll stick around for more screenings after that since the 7 p.m. show is sold out.)

The film will also play at Alamo Village starting Feb. 1 and Alamo Lake Creek starting Feb. 9.

The documentary follows Garriott’s $30 million guest to be a commercial space traveler.

Our film writer Matthew Odam has written an excellent piece for today’s American-Statesman about the film. You can check it out here.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Movies & DVDs, Videogames

January 10, 2012

Zombie thriller 'AMY' leads arid video game release landscape

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New video games this week:

“AMY.” — If you’re not already burned out on zombie video games, French developer Paul Cuisset (“Flashback,” the “Moto Racer” series) will try to scare you once more with a tale of infected humans (with demons thrown into the mix, too). In the year 2034, the small town of Silver City is hit with a deadly virus after a comet strike. A woman must defend herself and an 8-year-old girl (who has strange powers) from the zombie hordes. Rated M for Mature. $10-$15, downloadable for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Bookworm Bundle” (PC and Mac), “My Pet Puppy 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “National Geographic Challenge” (PlayStation 3 Move), “King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame” (PC), “Choplifter HD” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

December 21, 2011

The Linkdown for Wednesday, Dec. 21

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The Linkdown is on vacation starting Friday and won’t be back until the scary apocalyptic year 2012. Have a safe and wonderful holiday. The following links are best viewed while soused on eggnog:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Gadgets, Internet, SXSW 2012, Videogames

December 20, 2011

'Star Wars: The Old Republic' launches

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New video games this week:

“Star Wars: The Old Republic.” — This long-in-development game from BioWare Austin finally launches as the biggest title ever developed locally. It’s a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set thousands of years before the George Lucas films, but a few centuries after the well-received “Knights of the Old Republic” games. Players can choose to play as one of eight classes within the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire. The game boasts more than 1,600 hours of voice-over dialogue that was cast and recorded by LucasArts and big plans for future expansions and new missions. The beta test of the game attracted good buzz and lots of players: about 750,000 people played. See austin360.com for an article about the game that ran in Saturday’s Life & Arts section. Rated T for Teen. $60-$150 for Standard, Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Editions, for Windows PCs.

Also out this week: “Trine 2” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), “Satazius” (PC), “Heavy Fire: Afghanistan: The Chosen Few 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Soccer Up!” (Nintendo Wii).

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

December 19, 2011

'Star Wars: The Old Republic' article: The Special Edition!


Character sketches for BioWare Austin’s massive online game “Star Wars: The Old Republic” which officially launches on Tuesday. Photo by Rodolfo Gonzalez / AMERICAN-STATESMAN.

In every saga, there is some fat that needs to be trimmed.

Such was the case in Saturday’s lengthy Austin American-Statesman profile I wrote about the Austin development of “Star Wars: The Old Republic” the biggest game ever created in town. After visiting the studio, speaking to some of the creative team members, fans and players of the game and even a G4TV celebrity about the game, I had a good 20 pages of notes, most of which couldn’t make the final cut.

Here’s some of what was left out, a set of deleted scenes with tidbits that didn’t make it into the final piece:

  • There’ll be a launch event tonight (Monday) at Best Buy on 4970 U.S. Hwy 290 from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Members of the creative team will be there signing limited edition prints.
  • One of the ideas for an MMO that was being tossed around by Electronic Arts back when “Old Republic” was conceived was for a game based on George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” books. Of course, this was long before the HBO series made that fantasy world a household name.
  • How much story is in “Old Republic?” Says John Posavatz, senior director of BioWare Austin’s business and studio operations, “40 man-years” worth of writing, about the equivalent of 60 novels.
  • BioWare Austin has its own set of servers for its internal work (which is backed up remotely), but the actual game servers are located in places including Virginia, California and overseas. There’s a significant support team based in Ireland.
  • The team is a big believe in practices like heat mapping and data mining, making changes to the game based not just on player feedback, but on trends they see in the game itself. (For instance: if people are having trouble navigating a certain area, BioWare can see that movement and track whether things need to be fixed or rebuilt.
  • A lot of the talent recruited for “Old Republic” came from Austin teams that had MMO experience (from companies like Sony Online Entertainment, NCSoft as well as from Southern Methodist University, which has a strong game development program called The Guildhall.
  • Creative director James Olen says you can’t look TOO far ahead in a game that hasn’t yet officially launched, but that there are plans about 2-3 years ahead for expansion packs and future content for the game.
  • Olen says that one of the challenges to recruiting programmers for such an ambitious piece of code is that some top talent doesn’t want to be a “Cog” in a large machine. “For a programmer, it’s a gigantic process. It’s a little bit scary,” he said, “But at least you own a piece of the product. You might own half an entire world that would be as big as an entire other game.”
  • Olen got a chance to stay at Skywalker Ranch and get a personal tour of a warehouse with props from the original “Star Wars” trilogy. George Lucas and Robert Redford happened to be having dinner there at the time. “We didn’t get to go near them, but it was cool to stay at a place where George was hanging out,” he said.
  • Rich Vogel of BioWare says that it took about nine months to work up concepts before deciding on a game in the “Knights of the Old Republic” universe. it took another year of negotiations with LucasArts to get the game moving. One of the central challenges, he said, was, “How are we going to put story in an MMO?”
  • The rise of this game means the end of “Star Wars: Galaxies,” the first attempt at a “Star Wars” MMO.

I hopped into the early access for the game last night and there were lots of full servers, which means the game so far is off to a good start (if waiting in a queue to get in doesn’t hurt your feelings too badly). Expect a big surge of players when the game officially goes live tomorrow and another big surge after Christmas.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

December 16, 2011

Preview: Behind the scenes of Austin-made 'Star Wars: The Old Republic'


Creative director James Olen and co-studio director Rich Vogel of BioWare Austin. Photo by Rodolfo Gonzalez / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Here’s an early peek at a story running in Saturday’s Austin American-Statesman. In the piece I wrote, we take a look at the making of “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” considered to be the biggest video game (in terms of budget and staff) ever produced in Austin.

The MMO had an early launch on Tuesday for those who pre-ordered the game and will launch officially next Tuesday the 20th.

I played the beta version of the game for a few weekends (probably no more than a few hours in total; I topped out as a Level 7 Sith Inquisitor) and was impressed with what I saw. I’ve only fully invested into a few MMOs (“World of Warcraft,” “Lord of the Rings Online”) and I found the game to be easy to grasp and full of lots of eye candy and very well-produced mini stories.

I’ll probably have more to say about it after the holidays once I’ve spent enough time with the full game. Let us know what you think of it or whether you plan to check it out in the comments.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

December 13, 2011

Review: 'Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception' for PlayStation 3

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Even in the world of video games, where sequels typically get better as they go, it can get tough not to get fatigued over an ongoing series that hews so closely to its own formula that it becomes trapped into going bigger and bigger with each new iteration. It’s why the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” series has gotten dumber and most problematic with each outing and why “Mortal Kombat” quickly become a silly parody of itself in the ’90s (before rebooting completely and surprisingly capturing the old magic).

Sony’s spectacular “Uncharted” series is in danger of growing stale, not because the games aren’t good (they’re fantastic) but because the latest entry “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” is the first one that feels like it runs out of gas a few hours before its big ending.

I say this as someone who adored “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,” a globe-trotting adventure that featured one of my favorite set pieces ever in a video game, a run-and-gun mountainside battle atop a speeding train. “Uncharted 2” offered gigantic, Hollywood-style moments along with more standard-issue climbing puzzles, gun battles and some truly engaging dialogue and characters.

“Uncharted 3” starts promisingly with an intense fistfight and a flashback sequence explaining some of adventurer Nathan Drake’s background (and his preoccupation with Sir Francis Drake). There’s a great surrogate father-son relationship Drake has with his co-conspirator, Sully. There are chase scenes that expertly mix pre-rendered animation with white-knuckle gameplay.

But before long, the game settles into a groove of repetitive climbing puzzles, take-cover shooting matches against frustrating enemies (who have a hefty supply of grenades and sniper guns) and melee fights that are less and less interesting as the game goes on.

Even at an economical 10-12 hours of story, the gameplay starts to cycle itself even as the visuals, sound and voice acting remain top-notch. There aren’t many games out there with a main character as likeable as Drake and with a set of supporting players who are all as note-perfect.

The plot — concerning an exploration route that Francis Drake took, a ring and a villainess who seems drawn from the Helen Mirren School of Cool Icy British Ladies — stops being relevant about midway through. The one or two plot risks the game takes with the lives of characters are quickly negated. It wants so badly to be a crowd-pleaser that there’s never any real danger that the story won’t end heroically and with good-natured ribbing as our heroes ride off into the sunset.

Unfortunately, the ever-more-ridiculous action pieces — a fight on the back of a cargo plane with the back door open, an escape from a sinking boat and a late battle atop moving platforms while a city is buried in a mudslide — seem like they’re only there to break up the gaming parts that have not really evolved much in the series. Or maybe I’ve got that backward; it gets to be a chore to play through the parts that get you to the next wonderful cinematic or to solve the rudimentary, none-too-interesting puzzles that pop up like clockwork. (The usually involve rotating gigantic dials or carrying stones around and putting them in the right order; not exactly the most fun you’ll have holding a game controller this year.)

When the game breaks out of its box — like a fun chase on horseback late in the game that seems inspired by “Red Dead Redemption” or Drake stumbling around a Middle Eastern market while drugged by bad guys — it absolutely soars. When you find yourself pinned behind a crate for the 15th time while bullets whiz past you or you have to climb out of yet another deep well, you’ll find yourself wondering if you should be playing something else instead.

The things that have been added or improved — very good stereoscopic 3-D effects if you have a TV that supports that, co-op play and better hand-to-hand combat — are well worth the effort. But the magic doesn’t feel as potent in this latest chapter. When I played “Uncharted 2” I felt like I’d just experienced something that could have easily fit alongside the first “Indiana Jones” movie.

“Uncharted 3,” meanwhile, is a well-crafted, perfectly entertaining game that feels more like a top-flight modern Hollywood summer blockbuster. And somehow, that feels a little disappointing.

“Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception”
$60-$100 in Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Playstation 3
Rated T for Teen

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Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

Nintendo board game 'Fortune Street' leads video games this week

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New video game releases this week:

“Fortune Street.” — Nintendo’s new franchise is like a mix of its long-running “Mario Party” series crossed with “Monopoly.” In this four-player interactive board game, players can guide Mario, Luigi and their friends to wealth by buying properties, overcharging foes and draining bank account while playing the stock market. OK, just don’t tell Occupy Wall Street. Rated E for Everyone. $50 for Nintendo Wii.

Also out this week: “Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights” (Nintendo 3DS), “Vampires v. Zombies” (Windows PC), “Fritz Chess 11: Grandmaster Edition” (PC), “Aqua Mania 5 Pack” (PC), “The Number Devil” (PC), “I Heart Geeks” (Nintendo DS), “Kids Learn Spelling and Grammar: A+ Edition” (DS), “Marble Arena 2” (PC, Mac), “Q.U.B.E.” (downloadable for PC), “Joe Danger” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

December 8, 2011

Review: Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS

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It’s hard to get across, in words and even still images or video, what Nintendo has done with its long-suffering mascot, Mario, in “Super Mario 3D Land,” a new game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld.

That’s because the game is one of the first that uses the 3DS’s glasses-free 3-D in a way that actually does it right; it enhances the gameplay, allows the level design to go crazy with top-down-perspective challenges and sneaky stacks of bricks arranged in eye-straining ways, and makes the franchise feel free, yet again.

In other words, when it’s firing on all mushrooms, it’s darn-near magical, the kind of a-list, must-play game the 3DS has so desperately needed. Since it launched in late March, the console — which seemed so impressive when it debuted — sputtered from complaints about its battery life and a lack of games that made good use of the 3-D. Things got so bad that Nintendo uncharacteristically dropped the price by $80 in July.

Now, months later, we have “3D Land” and “Mario Kart 7” (which I’ve had a chance to play with briefly), two stellar Nintendo-developed games that finally make a convincing case for the 3DS. (What still might kill the 3DS? A lack of great games to follow these; let’s hope there are more.)

What’s the game like? It’s fun, it’s short compared to most Mario games (especially compared to behemoths like “Super Mario 64” or the “Super Mario Galaxy” games) and the 3-D adds an element of depth that goes beyond merely having things pop out at you. There are lots of jumping puzzles, lots of situations where flying objects (hazards and coins alike) float toward the player and must be avoided or captured.

Other than the clever use of perspective (a “Q*Bert” style room where stacked platforms trick the eye in an optical illusion), the gameplay is similar to most Mario games. There’s a princess to be saved, mushrooms to consume and evil turtles to avoid. In this game, Mario uses the Tanooki suit made popular in “Super Mario Bros. 3” and can also wield boomerangs with a different power-up suit.

The game isn’t too difficult, mostly because the levels are so short. Whether this has to do with the 3DS’s battery life or the fact that too much 3-D can cause eyestrain for some players, it’s not hard to zip through three or four levels in a matter of minutes. There are also a lot of favors done for players who are… not good? If you die too many times, a leaf power-up appears that can defeat foes more easily. And if you really mess up, a different object appears that can zip you to the end of the level.

Cheating or just a way to relieve frustration? It’s tempting when you’ve died too many times on one particular level, but also a way to induce gamer’s guilt to use these.

Either way, it’s not hard to finish the game’s eight worlds, even if the difficulty ramps up considerably on World 8, which also contains a fake-out that extends the game even further.

“Super Mario 3D Land” is often joyous fun, the kind of fresh, eye-bending experience that the 3DS really needs. There are those who won’t enjoy the 3-D no matter how well it’s presented, but if it doesn’t bother your eyes, it’s a must-play for any Mario fan.

“Super Mario 3D Land”
$40, for Nintendo 3DS
Rated E for Everyone

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The Linkdown for Thursday, Dec. 8

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“Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale,” a new game announced from Richard Garriott’s Portalarium game studio.

The Linkdown is trying to get some sort of holiday card thing going, but it seems like an awful lot of work. Can’t we just drink eggnog and throw out a few celebratory Tweets? No? All right, then. Here’s what you should be checking out (or attending):

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

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December 6, 2011

'Mario Kart 7' leads new video games this week

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New video games this week:

“Mario Kart 7.” — The struggling Nintendo 3DS just got a one-two punch of A-list games in the form of the recent “Super Mario 3D Land” and this title, a racing game that now includes sea propellers, air gliders and the ability to play as one of Nintendo’s franchise characters or your own custom Mii. The game includes work from Austin’s Retro Studios. And of course, it’s in 3-D, making the frantic action pop out at you at high speeds. Rated E for Everyone. $40 for Nintendo 3DS.

“The Adventures of Tintin: The Game.” — In this lead-up to the Steven Spielberg-directed animated film, players can take on the role of the young reporter Tintin or play as a variety of other characters in settings taken from the movie. The game also features cooperative two-player modes and lots of action. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older, $30-$40 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PC, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

Also out this week: “Just Dance 3” (PS3), “Drawsome Tablet” (Wii), “Fortune Street” (Wii), “The Oregon Trail” (Wii, 3DS), “Outdoors Unleashed: Alaska” (3DS), “Outdoors Unleashed: Africa” (3DS), “Oddly Enough: Pied Piper” (PC), “7 Wonders 3” (DS), “Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights” (3DS), “Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior” (Mac), “CrimeCraft: GangWars” (PC), “Final Fantasy VI” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Trine 2” (downloadable for Mac and PC).

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November 29, 2011

'National Geographic Challenge' and 'Jaws' games lead slow week

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New video game releases this week:

“National Geographic Challenge.” — A world-exploration-themed trivia game that’s family friendly and which can be enjoyed by four players at a time, this game also includes 60 minutes of video and hundreds of images in addition to mini-games, puzzles and riddles. Knowledge! Rated E for Everyone. $20-$30 for Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Jaws: Ultimate Predator.” — Apparently, it’s never too late to adapt a film into a video game (and this one’s been adapted before). In this title, set 35 years after the original movie, you take the role not of terrified humans but of the shark itself, defending its turf against whales, sea serpents and other creatures who dare try to take the “Ultimate predator” title from this shark. All right, maybe it’s a slow week for new video game releases, but that’s OK. You had us at “Jaws.” Rated T for Teen, $30-$40 for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS.

Also out this week: “Assassin’s Creed Revelations” (Windows PC), “Nano Assault” (3DS), “APB Reloaded” (PC), “ArmA X: 10th Anniversary Edition” (PC), “Fix It” (Wii, PC), “Mafia II: Director’s Cut” (Mac), “Jungle School” (Nintendo DS), “Infinity Blade II” (iOS devices), “The Sly Collection” (downloadable for PlayStation 3).

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November 28, 2011

The year in Austin gaming and how studios deal with trolls

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Artist Kale Menges works on concept art at Spacetime Studios, the company behind “Pocket Legends” and “Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles.” Photo by Ricardo B. Brazziell / Austin American-Statesman

In today’s Austin American-Statesman, you’ll find a new Digital Savant column recounting the year of Austin game development. There are a lot of big games on the horizon (none bigger than EA/BioWare’s “Star Wars: The Old Republic”), but there’s also been lots of movement in mobile gaming, social gaming and smaller-scale online role playing.

There’s also a Tech Monday column in today’s paper about how local game studios who produce online games deal with trolls and griefers. You might recall last month we published a story about trolling. This is an offshoot of that story and we were lucky enough to get some insight from Sony Online Entertainment, KingsIsle Entertainment and Spacetime for the piece.

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November 22, 2011

'Zelda: Skyward Sword' among new video games this week

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New video games this week:

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.” — Many of the early reviews for Nintendo’s latest Link adventure have bordered on worshipful. The 25-year franchise continues in ad adventure that promises revamped controls (using the Wii Motion Plus controller), a new set of characters and a fantasy world that’s pushing the aging Wii console to its limits. All versions of the game come with a music CD and the limited edition features a gold Zelda-themed controller. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older, $50-$70 in standard and limited editions for Nintendo Wii.

“WWE ‘12.” — The team behind this latest wrestling game promise the core gameplay has been revamped from previous games (and when would the WWE make something up?). The new “Predatory Technology” game system promises more fluid movement, a new “Breaking Point” submission system, customizable highlight reels and more plot twists based on player decisions. Rated T for Teen. $50-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.

Also out this week: “Sonic Generations” (Nintendo 3DS), “The Kind of Fighters XIII” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Batman: Arkham City” (Windows PC), “Tekken Hybrid” (PS3), “Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3” (Wii, Xbox 360), “Fishing Resort” (Wii), “Weird Park: Broken Tune” (PC), “Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine” (Wii), “WWE All Stars” (3DS), “Fritz Chess 13” (PC), “Learn to Play Chess with Fritz 7 Chesster” (PC), “Face Racers: Photo Finish” (3DS), “Carnival Games: Wild West 3D” (3DS), “Heavy Fire: Afghanistan” (PC), “4 in 1 Action Pack” (PS3), “Tsumiki: Puzzle Game” (Nintendo DS), “Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition” (Mac), “Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends” (PS3), “Serious Sam 3: BFE” (PC), “Kung Fu High Impact” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Final Fantasy V” (downloadable for PS3).

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November 15, 2011

'Kinect Disneyland Adventures' and 'Mario 3D Land' lead huge list of video games

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New video games this week:

“Kinect Disneyland Adventures.” — Fresh off the excellent “Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster,” the Kinect gets another family-friendly motion-control game to try to put another stake in the Nintendo Wii’s fading heart. This title, which seems like it’s part guided tour, part mini-game challenge collection, allows players to explore park attractions like Neverland and The Matterhorn while interacting with Disney characters, collecting rewards and competing in challenges. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $50, for Xbox 360 Kinect.

“Super Mario 3D Land.” — The Nintendo 3DS has suffered from a lack of high-profile games; this one represents a wave of heavy-hitting titles for the system as we head into the holidays. The one, featuring Mario in a free-roaming 3-D world, has new enemies including Goombas with tails and ink-spitting Piranha Plants, but expect the same polished, mushroom-powered gameplay for which the portly plumber is famous. Rated E for Everyone, $40 for Nintendo 3DS.

Also out this week: “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary” (Xbox 360), “Assassin’s Creed Revelations” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “Saint’s Row: The Third” (Xbox 360, PS3, Windows PC), “Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Need for Speed: The Run” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Nintendo Wii, 3DS), “Zumba Fitness 2” (Wii), “Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics” (Wii), “Bejeweled 3” (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2012” (Wii, PlayStation 2, Sony PSP), “LIttleBigPlanet 2 Special Edition Move Bundle” (PlayStation 3 Move), “Fossil Fighters: Champions’ (DS), “Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights: The Complete Collection” (PC), “Jurassic Park: The Game” (Xbox 360), “Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends” (PS3), “uDraw Disney Princess: Enchanting Storybooks” (Wii), “uDraw Studio: Instant Artist” (Wii, PS3), “uDraw Spongebob Squigglepants” (Wii), “Dungeons & Dragons Classic Anthology” (PC), “Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic” (3DS), “Beyblade: Metal Masters” (DS), “Plants vs. Zombies” (PS3), “Victorious” (DS), “Victorious: Time to Shine” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Shinobi” (3DS), “ABBA You Can Dance” (Wii), “Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest’ (PS3), “Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine” (Wii), “EyePet and Friends” (PS3 Move), “Nano Assault” (3DS), “Carnival Island” (PS3), “L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Ultimate Card Game” (DS), “Price is Right Decades” (Xbox 360), “Hole in Wall” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” (Wii, Xbox 360, DS), “uDraw Pictionary: Ultimate Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Dreamworks Super Star Kartz” (Wii, DS, 3DS, PS3), “Yoostar on MTV” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Imagine Fashion Designer” (DS), “Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy 3D” (3DS), “Kung Fu High Impact” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Chevrolet Camara: Wild Ride” (3DS), “Rochard” (downloadable for PC), “Batman: Arkham City” (PC), “Dawn of Fantasy” (PC), “Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL” (PS3, Wii), “XIII Lost Identity” (Mac), “Rayman Origins” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii).

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November 9, 2011

The Linkdown for Wednesday, Nov. 9

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The Linkdown has returned from vacation with a bounty of pre-Thanksgiving tasty treats. Sure, you can’t eat them, but they’re still nourishing if you like news and local tech events.

Here’s what you should be checking out online:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

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November 8, 2011

'Modern Warfare 3' and 'Skyrim' top big video game release week

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New video games this week:

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.” — Perhaps the year’s biggest game (at least in terms of budget and expectations), this one takes place after the cataclysmic world conflict of the last game (in which the White House itself was a battleground). This time out, there’s escalation on the world war front and you’re there to take part in the gritty, high-stakes combat. Rated T for Teen, $60-$100 for Standard and “Hardened” Editions, for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

“Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.” — If you have about 100 hours to kill, you could do a lot worse than the new “Elder Scrolls” game, which offers large-scale, open-world role playing in a dragon-infested fantasy world. New graphics technology and more freedom to play the kind of character you want to be are promised in this huge game from Bethesda Softworks. Rated M for Mature. $60-$150 for Standard or Collector’s Editions, for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Also out this week: “Metal Gear Solid HD Collection” (PS3, Xbox 360), “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, DS, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP), “L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition” (PC, Mac), “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Cave Story 3D” (3DS), “Heavy Fire: Afghanistan” (Wii, PS3, 3DS, PC), “Nickelodeon Dance” (Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect), “Wappy Dog” (DS), “Rabbids: Alive & Kicking” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “The Black Eyed Peas Experience” (Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect), “Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer” (Wii, PS3), “uDraw Disney Princess: Enchanting Storybooks” (Wii), “SpongeBob Surf and Skate Roadtrip” (Xbox 360, DS), “Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Deepak Chopra’s Leela” (Xbox 360 Kinect, Wii), “Dagedar” (DS), “Kore Gang” (Wii), “Happy Feet Two: The Videogame” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, 3DS), “Let’s Cheer” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Outdoors Unleashed: Africa 3DS” (3DS), “Outdoors Unleashed: Alaska” (3DS), “Puppies 3D” (3DS), “Michael Jackson: The Experience” (3DS), “Sledge Hammer” (Xbox 360), “Winter Stars” (Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “Bakugan: Rise of the Resistance” (DS), “Big League Sports” (Xbox 360), “Cars 2” (Sony PSP), “Self-Defense” (Xbox 360), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2012” (Wii, PlayStation 2), “Martial Empires: The Path of the Purgatory” (PC), “Chrono Cross” (downloadable for PS3), “Fusion: Genesis” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

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November 7, 2011

A plumbing of Marios invading Austin today

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Marios in San Diego, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 4. Photo by Casey Rogers / Associated Press for Nintendo of America.

Hide your mushrooms! (No, seriously, hide them. The police might be watching.)

A group of people dressed as Nintendo’s famous plumber, Mario, are running loose in downtown Austin today and are converging upon Republic Square Park right now (Monday mid-day), according to Nintendo.

The event is to promote a new Nintendo 3DS game, “Super Mario 3D Land.”

Seen any Marios today? Let us know in the comments and post a link to any photos you took. We’ll post some here later as well.

Edited to add: in addition to the ones in the comments, here’s two Twitter photos posted of the Marios:

From @David7118

From @luria.

Edited to add: Here’s a photo from American-Statesman photographer Laura Skelding. In the photo below, dozens of Marios dressed in Tanooki ears and tails convened in Republic Square Park on Monday afternoon to advertise for the upcoming launch of “Super Mario 3D Land.” Ivan McCormick, 6, came out with his mother, Debbie McCormick, to witness the spectacle. And he was prepared with his own Mario costume. “He’s a little obsessed, he wears it every day,” Debbie McCormick said.

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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

November 1, 2011

'Uncharted 3' and new 'LOTR' launch in busy video game week

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New video games this week:

“Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.” — The second chapter of the sage of fortune hunter Nathan Drake was a seamless, joyous blend of “Indiana Jones”-style adventure, snappy dialogue and truly innovative video game action. The third time out, Drake is searching for the “Atlantis of the Sands” and is sure to be romanced and double-crossed yet again. The game includes plenty of multiplayer modes and can be played in stereoscopic 3-D if you have an HDTV that can display it. Rated T for Teen, $60-$100 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for PlayStation 3.

“The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.” — The cooperative action role-playing game from the team behind “Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance” includes three playable races (human, elf, drawf), each with its own storyline and side quests. Play as a mage, scout or warrior, cast spells and craft items or potions as you stick it to that pesky flaming eye in the Middle Earth sky. Rated M for Mature. $50-$140 for Standard or Collector’s Editions, for Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Also out this week: “Sonic Generations” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Fate/Extra” (Sony PSP), “Moshi Monsters” (Nintendo DS), “GoldenEye 007: Reloaded” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Lalaloopsy” (DS), “Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns” (Nintendo 3DS), “Monopoly Collection” (Nintendo Wii), “Team Umizoomi” (DS), “Otomedium Excellent” (Xbox 360), “Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Loving Life with Hello Kitty & Friends” (DS), “MotionSports Adrenaline” (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “NCIS” (Wii, PC, PS3, Xbox 360), “James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes” (3DS), “Cars 2” (3DS), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (DS), “Hasbro Family Game Night Fun Pack” (Xbox 360, Wii), “Family Game Night 4: The Game Show” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Cabela’s Adventure Camp” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Dora & Kai-Lan’s Pet Shelter” (DS), “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” (Xbox 360), “Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It” (Wii), “Jaws: Ultimate Predator” (Wii, 3DS), “Twisted Lands: Insomniac” (PC), “Air Conflicts: Secret Wars” (PS3), “Jane’s Advance Strike Fighters” (PS3), “Nuclear Dawn” (PC, Mac), “Puss in Boots” (PS3 Move), “Zoobles” (DS), “Generator Rex: Agent of Providence” (Wii, 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360, DS), “Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter” (PC), “To the Moon” (PC), “The Second Guest” (PC), “BurgerTime World Tour” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Hydrophobia Prophecy” (downloadable for PlayStation 3).

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October 27, 2011

Review: iCade Arcade Cabinet for iPad

Last year when the iPad was released, the geek shopping site ThinkGeek debuted an arcade cabinet that would play retro games using the iPad as the screen. The problem? It was an April Fool’s joke.

That didn’t last long. When it was clear this was something people really wanted to buy, the product became a reality. Now, the $99 iCade Arcade Cabinet, a beefy, well-built personal video game machine, is a reality. But is $99 (on top of what you might have paid for an iPad) too much to spend to indulge in some retro video game whimsy, especially when many of the games available cost extra and are likely available online for free?

That will depend on how much value you place on that whimsy. The product itself seems worth the cost; it’s sturdy and well-packaged, emulating the curved edges and dark enclosures of upright arcade machines. It’s also got a very clicky joystick and eight full-sized buttons that can be configured in a variety of ways. Three’s even a glowing coin slot on the front (that you shouldn’t actually insert coins into). The whole shebang runs on two AA batteries, which are included.

Contrary to what it might look like, the cabinet is not an iPad dock. The iPad rests inside a holder, but it doesn’t connect to anything. Instead, the joystick and buttons communicate with the tablet via Bluetooth. The cabinet won’t charge an iPad and requires no wires to be connected, in other words.

Once the iPad is nestled inside the cabinet, you can run “Atari’s Greatest Hits” an app that does a lovely job packaging more than 100 80s-era arcade and Atari 2600 video games. The games are pretty much exactly as they were in their original forms with the option to set switches and options on the games as you would have on an Atari 2600 console. “Missile Command” comes free with the app, but other game packages cost 99 cents. You can buy the entire catalog for $14.99 and play everything from “Tempest” to “Combat” to “Asteroids” (some games offer both the arcade and 2600 versions).

The joystick is problematic in games that originally requires a paddle or roller ball controller like “Pong” or “Crystal Castles.” But otherwise, if you can get over the clacking noise of the buttons and joysticks, it’s a pretty note-perfect retro gaming experience. The iCade also works with other iOS apps and there are lots of options available to configure the way the screen and controls are set up for each game. Each arcade or 2600 game displays the original arcade cabinet artwork or box art; quite often the artwork is much better than the game itself.

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One nitpick: “Greatest Hits” offers options to play a lot of games with the screen set horizontally. The way the cabinet is set up, there’s no way to place the iPad sideways, making that option worthless unless you want to take the tablet out of the cabinet. Also, unless you turn Bluetooth off after you’d done playing, the cabinet can interfere with iPad touch-screen typing.

Many Atari 2600 games that I tried seem much, much worse now than they did even a few years ago. Time has marched on and despite some solid game mechanics, many of the games feel practically unplayable. But some of the arcade games, particularly “Tempest” and “Asteroids” still hold up. And the cabinet itself is a lovely visual showpiece, a great one to bust out at parties. It doesn’t stand up to long gaming sessions, but it’s a cute, eye-catching novelty that actually works.

ThinkGeek iCade Arcade Cabinet
For iPad and iPad 2
$99, includes “Missile Command”; other games come in packages of 3 or 4 for 99 cents.

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Permalink | | Categories: Gadgets, Videogames

October 26, 2011

Review: 'Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster' for Xbox 360 Kinect

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To see how not to put out a video game based on a popular children’s franchise, you need only look at the ocean of not-great licensed games in the bargain bin at Target. They’re often cheaply made, ugly and lacking in fun or any kind of magic.

It’s rare to see something as cohesive and lovingly crafted as Double Fine’s “Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster,” a game that uses the Xbox 360’s Kinect motion controller to create some genuine enchantment.

In the game, Elmo and Cookie Monster explore a magical storybook. Each page opens up a new game with characters to meet and simple, but engaging tasks to complete.

“Monster” doesn’t strain too hard to try to build a huge storyline around the games or to weigh down the game with too much backstory before each segment. But it’s also not just a collection of loosely collected mini-games like many other titles for Kinect. Instead, the mix of top-notch voice talent, HD-quality animation and colorful characters combine to provide a rich experience.

It would all be a waste if the games themselves weren’t fun to play. Luckily they’re varied enough to keep kids and adults playing. Cookie Monster and Elmo interact with each other and with characters to, say, race down a swamp on a monster’s back, or to help a character pull evil weeds and raise seedlings into flowers. (All of this accomplished by jogging in place, swinging an arm to throw seeds or grabbing an invisible weeds with both hands and pulling; trust me, it’s more fun than it sounds.)

Elmo and Cookie Monster might use wings to fly up a set of huge flowers or engage in a race to throw away trash with Oscar the Grouch.

The characters are as witty and as fun to watch as they are on television and the way the game allows parents to play alongside even tiny kids (my four-year-old daughter was recognized easily by the Kinect) and to pop in and out of the action (milk break!) make it ideal for long or short play sessions. It’s a game that’s as fun to watch as it is to play, but it certainly helps that the gameplay isn’t dependent on game controller. The gameplay isn’t dependent on guns or platforming or collecting coins. It’s kind and sweet, but never lame or saccharine.

Even hardened game critics raved about “Once Upon a Monster” back in June when it was shown off at the Electronics Entertainment Expo and it’s easy to see why; it’s cynic-proof. An astonishing amount of attention to detail and polish has been put into the game and while kids may not notice all the frills and smart touches, adult gamers will. The first generation of Kinect games felt a lot like tech demos, but along with the Austin-developed “The Gunstringer,” the second generational of Kinect titles are providing much more creative and expansive game experiences.

If you have a Kinect and a kid, this game belongs in your house.

“Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster”
$50, for Xbox 360 Kinect
Rated E for Everyone

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October 25, 2011

'Battlefield 3' and 'Dance Central 2' hit stores this week

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New video games this week:

“Battlefield 3.” - The season’s monstrous, big-budget modern-warfare game that isn’t “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” this latest edition of the Electronic Arts franchise keeps the action large-scale and the multiplayer for up to 64 players at a time (at least on the PC version). Trailers for the game look stunning and “Battlefield” always excels in vehicular warfare. But will it be enough to match up against “MW3?” Or will shooter fans just play both? Rated M for Mature. $60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

“Dance Central 2.” — The best launch came last year when the Xbox 360 Kinect was launched was a brilliantly executed Harmonix dance game that made us forget all about plastic guitars and drum kits. The no-brainer sequel allows for “Party Time” collaborative dancing, 40 new dance songs from M.I.A., Lady Gaga, Rihanna and others, plus lots more outfits, backup dancers and moves to help you get your groove on. Rated T for Teen. $50, for Xbox 360 Kinect.

Also out this week: “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” (Nintendo Wii), “Kinect Sports Season Two” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Pokémon Rumble Blast 3DS” (Nintendo 3DS), “Disney Universe” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC), “Stronghold 3” (PC), “Country Dance 2” (Wii), “Monster High: Ghoul Spirit” (Nintendo DS, Wii), “House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut” (PS3 Move), “Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Just Dance Kids 2” (Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “The Cursed Crusade” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Zoo Resort” (3DS), “I Spy Castle’ (DS), “Monopoly Collection” (Wii), “Magic School Bus: Oceans” (DS), “Heavy Fire: Afghanistan” (Wii, PS3, PC), “Back to the Future: The Game” (Wii, PS3), “Blackwater” (Xbox 360), “Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer” (Wii, PS3), “Dead Rising 2: Off the Record” (PC), “InviZimals: Shadow Zone” (Sony PSP), “Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine” (Xbox 360, PS3), “ThinkSmart Chess for Kids” (DS), “Centipede: Infestation” (Wii, 3DS), “Captain America; Super Soldier” (3DS), “Puss in Boots’ (Wii, Xbox 360, DS), “Nikoli’s Pencil Puzzle 3D” (3DS), “Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It” (Wii), “Ben 10 Galactic Racing” (3DS), “Horses 3D” (3DS), “Active Life: Magical Carnival” (Wii), “Tekken” (3DS), “Take On Helicopters” (PC), “Infamous 2: Festival of Blood” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “The Haunted: Hell’s Reach” (PC), “PIxeljunk Sidescroller” (downloadable for PS3), “Daytona USA” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “War of the Worlds” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

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October 18, 2011

'Arkham City' and four-player 'Ratchet and Clank' new in video games

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New video game releases this week:

“Batman: Arkham City.” — Two years after the spectacular “Batman; Arkham Asylum,” this follow-up keeps the intricate combat, puzzle solving and rogue’s gallery of villains but also adds Catwoman as a playable character and a larger setting that’s five times larger than the original game’s Arkham Island. Voice actors Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy return as The Joker and Batman Rated T for Teen, $60-$100 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One.” — The long-running PlayStation franchise has never stopped being a blast to play, and now it’s trying to be four times as entertaining. The game’s hook is that if offers a four-player cooperative-play story allowing four friends to play as Ratchet, Clank, Qwark or Dr. Nefarious. Each character has special skills and the four-player mode can be accessed online or with players side-by-side. As is typical for this franchise, there’ll be lots of big, elaborate weapons and gadgets to share. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $60 for PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Professor Layton and the Last Spector” (Nintendo DS), “The Sims 3: Pets” (PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo 3DS), “Rocksmith” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Nancy Drew: Alibi in Ashes” (PC, Mac), “Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge” (Xbox 360), “Tropico 4” (Xbox 360), “PowerUP Heroes” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Everybody Dance” (PS3), “Jane’s Advance Strike Fighters” (PC, XBox 360, PS3), “Minute to Win It” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Price is Right Decades” (Xbox 360, Wii), “Pillow Pets” (DS), “Bass Pro Shops: The Strike” (Nintendo Wii), “Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt” (Wii), “Moxie Girlz” (DS), “Ben 10 Galactic Racing” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, DS), “Petz Puppyz & Kittenz” (DS), “Pet Zombies” (3DS), “Nuclear Dawn” (PC, Mac), “Grease Dance” (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “Twister Mania” (Xbox 360), “Bigfoot: King of Crush” (Wii), “Ram Racing” (Wii, DS), “Dungeon Defenders’ (downloadable for Xbox 360, PC), “Cities XL 2012” (PC), “Serious Sam 3: BFE” (downloadable for PC).

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October 13, 2011

'Wizard 101' and 'DC Universe Online' among GDC Online award winners

Wednesday night, video games including Austin-developed “Wizard 101” and “DC Universe Online” were among the winners of the second-annual Game Developers Choice Awards at the GDC Online conference, held at the Austin Convention Center.

“Rift” and “Minecraft’ were also big winners at the awards, as was “Everquest,” which was honored with an induction to the GDC Online Hall of Fame. Austin game designer Richard Garriott introduced the award for the long-running online multiplayer franchise.

“DC Universe Online,” developed by Sony Online Entertainment won for Best Online Visual Arts and “Wizard 101,” from KingsIsle Entertainment, was the Audience Award winner.

Other winners included Playdom’s “Gardens of Time” for Best Social Network Game and “Spiral Knights” from Three Rings Design and Sega for Best Online Game Design. “Minecraft,” one of the most popular current indie games, won for Best Community Relations and Best Live Game.

You can watch the one-hour ceremony here (it was live-streamed online) and check out a complete write-up of the awards from Gamasutra, including a list of all the winners.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

October 12, 2011

Austin's Twisted Pixel acquired by Microsoft Studios

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In case you missed it this morning in the Austin American-Statesman, Austin’s video game studio Twisted Pixel has been acquired by Microsoft Studios.

Twisted Pixel, known for games like “The Gunstringer” (above) and ” ‘Splosion Man” has been making well-received games for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service. “Gunstringer” was its first game for the Xbox 360 Kinect and it received good reviews and praise from Microsoft.

Some info that didn’t make it into the story by press time:

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities who was briefed in advance on the deal said that Twisted Pixel’s games aren’t the top sellers on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service, but that they probably pull in $10 to $15 million in sales on budgets of about $1 million, making them highly profitable.

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“These guys are creative,” Pachter said, “I know (Spencer) and he is really stoked about this acquisition. He wants something that really differentiates (Xbox Live Arcade) from (Sony’s PlayStation Network).”

“Gunstringer,” Pachter said, may have been the biggest factor in attracting Microsoft’s attention. “I think that really won Microsoft over that these guys can take any piece of technology and work it into a good game.”

Pachter said he doubts Microsoft will exert any creative restraints on the team. “Nothing will change for them except they’re going to be getting paychecks from Microsoft,” he said.

(Mug shots above: Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer and Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford.)

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October 11, 2011

Author Neal Stephenson talks 'REAMDE,' elliptical gaming

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Author Neal Stephenson, whose globetrotting new novel “REAMDE” deals in part with online gaming gold farmers and game developers, spoke in a keynote interview at the Game Developers Conference Online in Austin. He spoke about his video gaming habits (he’s a casual gamer who plays pretty mainstream stuff) and the narrative challenges that game designers and writers working in the industry face.

Stephenson has a fascinating and the topic seems ripe given that he’s the author of cyberpunk mainstays like “Crytonomicon” and “Snow Crash.” But the conversation, led by games journalist Geoff Keighley, was bone-dry and more than half of it was spent in a fruitless discussion about games that Stephenson plays or admires.

The packed ballroom full of game industry professionals couldn’t have been too enthralled by Stephenson’s middle-of-the-road gaming tastes. He plays a lot of “Halo 3” while exercising on an elliptical machine for 45 minutes at a time and plays games like “Left 4 Dead” and “Portal 2” in part because he lives in Seattle and has access to local gaming heroes Valve Software.

A discussion about the open-ended customization of a game like “Fallout 3” and the more rigid storyline of “Red Dead Redemption” was discussed, but Stephenson seemed out of his element talking about the latest and greatest games that developers regularly reference.

The talk picked up energy when Stephenson discussed his writing projects, including “The Mongoliad,” an online serialized work with seven authors that, it was announced Tuesday, will be published in paper form by Amazon.com. Stephenson said there’s also a demo version of a game he and his collaborators are trying to develop that ties in with that story. “It’s in its embryonic form so far,” he said.

He says he’s been interested in how traditional writers are working in the games industry and dealing with narrative challenges. For his part, he says working as an embedded games writer doesn’t really suit his lifestyle. “It’s hard to get me to do anything that causes me to leave my house and deal with other human beings,” he joked.

When the subject turned to his new novel “REAMDE” (the title is a play on computer documentation “README” files), he said he combine the phenomenon of gold farming with the idea of a writer of computer viruses. For the gold farming bits, he traveled to China and had online conversations with gold farmers, but he said they often wanted to talk about NBA basketball instead.

Of gold farming, he said, “It’s one of those things that makes you want to give up writing science fiction because you could never come up with something that weird.”

Stephenson is optimistic about the future of gaming and narrative. He believes that the audience for good games will get more demanding, forcing game developers to make better content. “(The audience knows) when they’re being respected and when they’re being disrespected. The audience is going to force the industry to respect them,” he said.

When asked about the Metaverse and many aspects of the Internet (and, seemingly, Facebook) that he foretold in “Snow Crash,” Stephenson was more reticent.

“I feel oddly detached from the Metaverse and ‘Snow Crash.’ I’m aware that I wrote about it a long time ago,” Stephenson said, “I get asked questions in this vein all the time and I never know what to say about it.”

The real Internet, it seems, is intruding on his work. Stephenson said he wrote “REAMDE” on a laptop and found himself constantly distracted by email and websites. He said he plans to try to find ways of being more focused when he writes his next book.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

'Ace Combat' and 'Sesame Street' video game are new this week

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New video games this week:

“Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.” — Mainstream flight-sim games are few and far between these days. This one, from Namco Bandai, promises air combat around the world featuring a variety of aircraft and weaponry in single- and multiplayer modes. The game’s wartime storyline is written by military author Jim DeFelice. Rated T for Teen, $60 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster.” — This motion-controlled Kinect game featuring Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Cookie Monster earned raves at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. Players join the characters as they expore a lost storybook. The game can be played with parents and kids together in co-op mode and encourages physical activity while playing, Rated E for Everyone. $50 for Xbox 360 Kinect.

Also out this week: “Might & Magic Heroes VI” (Windows PC), “Dead Rising 2: Off the Record” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny” (PS3, Nintendo Wii), “Aliens Infestation” (Nintendo DS), “Go Vacation” (Wii), “1001 Touch Games” (DS), “Forza Motorsport 4” (Xbox 360), “Wipeout 2” (Wii, Nintendo 3DS, DS, PS3), “Skylanders Spiro’s Adventure” (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, PC), “Michael Phelps: Push the Limits” (Xbox 360), “Lord of the Rings: War in the North” (Xbox 360), “Mahjong Cub3d” (3DS), “DanceDanceRevolution II” (Wii), “Kinectimals: Now with Bears” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Batman: Arkham Asylum” (Mac), “Sacra Terra: Angelic Night” (PC), “Professional Fisherman’s Tour” (3DS), “Vampire Saga: Welcome to Hell Lock” (PC), “Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet 3D” (3DS), “Turbo Trainz” (Wii), “Fractured Soul” (DS), “Airline Tycoon 2” (PC), “Blackwell Deception” (PC), “ Sideway: New York” (downloadable for PS3).

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October 10, 2011

Atari founder details future of video games, discusses former employee Steve Jobs

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The founder of Atari Corp. spoke Monday not only about video games past, but about where the industry will be far in the future… 2065, to be exact.

As part of a packed morning session at the Game Developers Conference Online, Bushnell pointed to existing trends in games and, while it’s admirable to look so far ahead, he acknowledged that some of these ideas will probably be in gamers hands (and pockets) in the next two to five years.

For instance, he doesn’t believe that there’ll be a high-profile new generation of game consoles after the current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have run their course because of high costs and plateauing graphics technology.

What about Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U?

“Nintendo’s pretty crappy,” he joked, adding that the company’s next home console offering doesn’t count.

Did we mention that Bushnell, a game industry veteran, is pretty loose and off the cuff in front of an audience?

Some of the future trends Bushnell pointed out include a further move to gaming on mobile devices like iPhones and Android handsets with improved network performance and more elaborate location data available to games via vector space aided by gyroscopes. Once the X, Y and Z vectors for a player’s location are available, especially indoors, he said, game designers will be able to create more virtual reality-like games.

He also pointed to “Near-Field Communication,” more gesture-based controls and haptics as other emerging gaming trends. He also believes that content is getting better; he predicted we’d see the gaming equivalent of “Seinfeld” in the next five years.

The presentation may have been an offshoot of a novel he’s been working on that he hopes to release by December. He promises it’ll feature cool gaming ideas and “Hot chicks.” The novel writing, he said, was a way to challenge himself to try something new, which he said is vital for creative people.

“I couldn’t wait to wake up every morning to see what happened,” he said of writing the book.

He also advised up-and-coming game designers to attend conferences for subjects they’re unfamiliar with (a carpeting expo in Vegas, for instance) to expose themselves to new ideas. He says the idea for Chuck E. Cheese’s came when he attended a manufacturing convention. Even then, an idea won’t get you all the way to fame and riches.

“Everybody who’s had a shower has had a good idea,” Bushnell said, “the question is what do you do when you get out of the shower.”

Bushnell still works with Atari to update vintage games for a new generation of gamers (he joked that the company’s reputation is still “Even better than EA, ha ha ha”) and is also working in education with Speed To Learn.

During the question-and-answer portion of the presentation, Bushnell was asked about former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died last week. Jobs worked for Bushnell when he was 19.

“Steve was a very, very smart and difficult person,” Bushnell said. “Steve has always been a good friend. A great visionary. Actually a really nice man.”

Bushnell brought on Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak to program the video game “Breakout,” which ended up being a huge hit. When there was a company problem in Germany, Jobs offered to fly there and asked if he could then fly to India, where he would end up spending several months. “Steve wanted to go to India to spend some time with an Indian swami of some sort,” Bushnell said. “Atari actually paid his way to India,” he said.

When Jobs returned, he and Wozniak started Apple Computer and offered Bushnell the change to buy into a third of the company for $50,000.

“To which I brilliantly said no,” Bushnell laughed, “I’ve actually regretted that a few times.”

(Photo via Creative Commons by “pescatello” / Mike Lewis.)

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Computers, Videogames

Retro computers on film; GDC Online starts today

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Still from the upcoming film “Computer Chess.” Photo provided by Computer Chess LLC.

Two things you might want to check out from today’s Austin American-Statesman. The first is this week’s Digital Savant column, which actually expanded into a Life & Arts centerpiece. The story is about an upcoming Austin-shot film called “Computer Chess,” which used vintage early-’80s-era computers from local hobbyists and from the great Austin Goodwill Computer Works Museum.

If you’ve never been to the Museum, now would be a great time to check it out. If you want to remember Steve Jobs, there’s even an exhibit of old Apple systems on display.

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Photo by Laura Skelding / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Also in today’s paper is a Tech Monday column I wrote about the Game Developers Conference Online, which starts today and runs through Thursday. I’ll be posting a few blog entries from the event over the next few days.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Computers, Videogames

October 4, 2011

Id's 'Rage' and 'NBA 2k12' top new video games this week

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New video games this week:

“Rage.” — The last time Id Software, the legends behind “Doom” and “Quake” introduced an original new game franchise was 1996. Will their new shooter, which adds more open worlds and vehicles to the formula, live up to past success? Whether the game’s story or action work is to be seen, but it’s likely to at least be a technological marvel given Id’s track record. Rated M for Mature, $60 for Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“NBA 2K12.” — Last year’s edition of the 2K Games basketball franchise finall got it right, a nearly perfect basketball sim that mixed great gameplay and graphics with legacy players like Michael Jordan. This year’s edition tries to build on that success, adding more than 1,000 new animations, more real-time stats, ratings and schedules, as well as current and historic players like Magic Johnson and Dr. J. Rated E for Everyone, $30-$60 for PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, PC and PlayStation 2.

Also out this week: “Dark Souls Collector’s Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Just Dance 3,” (Wii), “Spider-Man: The Edge of Time” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS), “Kids Learn Math: A+ Edtion” (DS), “Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Disco Zombie LImited Edition” (PC, Mac), “The Hidden” (3DS), “Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove” (3DS), “Slingo 15th Anniversary Pack” (PC), “Face Racers: Photo Finish” (3DS), “Kore Gang” (Wii), “Hulk Hogan’s Main Event” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter” (PC), “Eufloria” (downloadable for PS3), “Sega Bass Fishing” (downloadable for PS3 and Xbox 360), “Space Channel 5” (downloadable for PS3 and Xbox 360), “Crysis” (downloadable for PS3 and Xbox 360), “Bloodrayne: Betrayal” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Orcs Must Die!” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Motion Explosion” (downloadable for Xbox 360 Kinect), “Chrono Trigger” (downloadable for PS3).

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September 29, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, Sept. 29

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The Linkdown was having some Internet publishing problems earlier today, which explains why this is up so late in the day. Enjoy!

Here’s what you should be checking out online:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Videogames

September 27, 2011

Team ICO classic games get an HD re-release

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New in video games this week:

“The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection.” — It’s not often that critically beloved games that don’t sell like gangbusters get a second chance to make a first impression, but two PlayStation 2 classics from Japan’s Team ICO are getting a high-def upgrade for the PlayStation 3. Both “ICO” and “Shadow of the Colossus” are beautiful, amotionally resonant games of discovery, adventure and heartbreak. They’re worth checking out in anticipation of Team ICO’s next game, the gorgeous-looking “The Last Guardian.” A preview for that game is included in the bundle. Rated T for Teen. $40, for PS3.

“FIFA Soccer 2012.” — As with every edition of EA Sports’ global soccer franchise, this one offers big gameplay improvements. This year’s version makes changes to tactical defending and dribbling and offers a new “Friendlies” mode to play 10 game seasons against online friends. There’s also a new career mode and a stat-comparing Football Club. Rated E for Everyone, $40-$60 for PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP and PlayStation 2.

Also out this week: “Pro Evolution Soccer 2012” (PS3, Xbox 360), “X-Men: Destiny” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS), Salotorobo: Red the Hunter” (DS), “Worms Ultimate Mayhem” (downloadable for PC), “The Binding of Isaac” (PC), “Rochard” (downloadable for PS3), “Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland” (PS3), “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD” (PS3), “Child of Eden” (PS3 Move), “Jewel Master Collection” (DS), “Tetrix: Axis” (3DS), “Zuma’s Revenge Limited Edition” (Linux, Mac, PC), “333,000 Games” (PC), “Airline Tycoon 2” (PC), “Oblivion: Gmae of the Year Edition” (PC, Xbox 360), “Cabela’s Big Game Hunter” (PS3 Move, Wii, XBox 360), “Air Conflicts” (PC, XBox 360), “Driver: San Francisco” (PC), “Janes Advance Strike Fighters” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (Wii), “Mystery Masters: Mega Collection - Volume 2” (PC), “Mind n’ Motion” (Xbox 360), “Gem Smashers” (3DS, Wii), “Dungeons: The Dark Lord” (PC), “Star Ruler” (PC), “Big Foot: King of Crush” (Wii), “Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition” (PC), “John Deere” (Wii), “Big Beach Fun Pack” (Wii), “Maxium Racing: Super Karts” (Wii), “Summoner War” (3DS), “Gmaeshow Fun Pack” (Wii), “Nuclear Dawn” (Mac), “A Game of Thrones: Genesis” (PC), “Star Trek: Infinite Space” (PC), “Mercury HG” (downloadable for PS3 and Xbox 360), “Glitch” (downloadable for PC).

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September 26, 2011

Fantastic Arcade honors indie games with Starcade awards

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Photo provided by Fantastic Arcade

Last night, the folks at Fantastic Fest’s Fantastic Arcade awarded eight games at a Starcade awards ceremony.

The games awarded represent some of the best indie games presented at this year’s Arcade event, culled from about 100 submissions.

The winners were:

Best in Show: “Faraway” by Little—Eyes.

Audience Choice Award: “Fez” by Polytron.

Most Punished for Lack of Ninjas Award: “Radical Fishing” by Vlambeer.

The Bionic Commando Award for Grappling Hook Excellence Award: “Capsized” by AlienTrap.

The “You got 2D in my 3D, or maybe 3D in my 2D” Award: “Fez” by Polytron.

The Mandlebrot Award: “Fract” by Phosfiend Systems.

The Most Recent Use of Japanese Tradition by Westerners Award: “Skulls of the Shogun” by Haunted Temple Studios.

The Implied Cephalopod Intercourse Award: “Octodad” by Team Octodad

The Teach the Controversy Award: “Jesus vs. Dinosaurs” by Martin Jonasson, Petri Purho

You can check out more info and videos of all the Spotlight games here. And the gaming blog Joystiq has posted a photo gallery of images from Fantastic Arcade. We’ve got our own gallery of party pics from the opening night party at Fantastic Fest.

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September 20, 2011

'Gears of War 3' and new 'Kirby' game debut this week

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New video games this week:

“Gears of War 3.” — The finale the the saga of tough-talking Marcus Fenix, the Delta Squad and the evil Locust aliens takes place after the fall of the last human city. As usual with the series, Microsoft and Epic Games are touting the title’s stunning, large-scale visuals and its power-packed action gameplay. For the first time, a “Gears of War” game will feature four-player co-op for the full campaign and lots of multiplayer modes. Rated M for Mature. $60-$150 for Standard or Epic Editions for Xbox 360.

“Kirby Mass Attack.” — Sure, it’s not a new Mario or Zelda game, but Nintendo’s stalwalt big puff of pink fun has been the star of some good portable games. The latest, “Mass Attack” is about Kirby being split into 10 pieces and going off on a search for his missing bits. Using the touch screen, players can launch Kirby (or multiple Kirbys) to attack enemies. Expect lots of mini-games and cuteness. Rated E for Everyone, $30 for Nintendo DS.

Also out this week: “Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection” (downloadable for PC), “Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 Innocent Sin” (Sony PSP), “Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns” (DS), “F1 2011” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2” (DS), “Child of Eden” (PS3 Move), “Tropico 4” (Xbox 360, PC), “Frogger 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Barbie: Jet, Set & Style” (DS, Nintendo Wii), “Alter Ego” (PC), “Chuck E. Cheese’s Super Collection” (Wii), “Farm Frenzy Forever” (PC), “Air Conflicts” (PC, Xbox 360), “Action-Strategy 4 Pack” (PC), “Resident Evil 4 HD” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Worms Ultimate Mayhem” (PC), “Outdoors Unlimited” (PC), “Bunch of Heroes” (PC), “Burnout Crash!” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes” (PC).

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September 19, 2011

Austin-developed 'DC Universe' going free-to-play in October

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“DC Universe Online,” the high-profile massively multiplayer game developed in Austin by Sony Online Entertainment, is going free-to-play. The game, which launched in January for Windows PCs and the Sony PlayStation 3. Sony did not give a specific date for when the switch will happen, announcing it would start in “late October.”

The game got mixed-to-good reviews from gaming press, but it suffered problems on the console gaming side when Sony’s PlayStation Network was down for about a month, keeping gamers locked out of the online game.

The company declined a request for information about how many subscribers the game currently has.

In addition to the free gameplay, the game will offer a “Premium” and “Legendary” paid monthly service for $5 and $15, respectively. Here’s how Sony describes the tiers:

Free: New players will now have access to the current gameplay in DC Universe Online (including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts), with the ability to create two characters, join a league and many other benefits. Free level players will be able to purchase downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers and more through microtransactions.

Premium: Any player who has spent at least $5 (including former paid subscribers and new players who have purchased $5 of in-game items) will qualify for the Premium access level. Premium level players will have more benefits available to them than the Free level player, including additional character slots, additional inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Downloadable adventure packs, additional character slots, and more can be purchased in-game.

Legendary: Maximum features and benefits are included at this level. Loaded with enhanced additional features, Legendary access will be available for a $14.99 monthly fee and includes all DLC packs at no cost, more than 15 character slots, more than 80 inventory slots, the ability to form unrestricted-sized leagues, and many other benefits.

Updated 11:48 a.m. to add information about Sony declining to reveal the number of subscribers for the game.

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September 13, 2011

The Linkdown for Tuesday, Sept. 13

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Rob Eissler is Chief Executive Officer of AlgEternal Technologies, an alternative energy company that makes biofuel from algae. Photo by Mark Matson for the American-Statesman.

The Linkdown is enjoying these cooler temperatures (yes, 99 degrees is the new “cooler”) and catching up after a week of vacation. Thew Linkdown thought he made it clear that nobody was supposed to make news while he was gone. Ah well.

Here’s what you should be checking out online:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Videogames

Austin-developed 'Gunstringer' leads new video games this week

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New video games this week:

“The Gunstringer” — Austin game studio Twisted Pixel unleashed its latest blast — an Xbox Kinect game that mixes Old West gunplay with puppeteering and platforming. The game has been getting good buzz and looks different than anything that’s been put out so far for Microsoft’s motion-control device. Rated T for Teen. $40, for Xbox 360 Kinect.

Also out his week: “NHL 12” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “God of War: Origins Collection” (PS3), “White Knight Chronicles II” (PS3), “Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad” (Windows PC), “Bit.Trip Saga” (Nintendo 3DS), “Bit.Trip Complete” (Nintendo Wii), “Nicktoons MLB” (Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS), “Supremacy MMA” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” (PC), “Balloon POP 2” (3DS), “Hidden Expedition 5: The Uncharted Island” (PC), “Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again!” (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3, DS, Wii uDraw), “Deca Sports Extreme” (3DS), “Treasures of Mystery Island 3 Pack” (PC), “Pucca Power Up” (DS), “Puzzler Mind Gym 3D” (3DS), “Thor: God of Thunder” (3DS), “Escape the Emerald Star” (PC, Mac), “Chuck E Cheese’s Party Games 2” (Wii, DS), “Girls Only” (DS), “Rise of Immortals” (PC), “Radiant Silvergun” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Renegade Ops” (downloadable for PS3), “BloodRayne Betrayal” (downloadable for PS3), “Hard Reset” (PC).

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Shopping, Videogames

September 12, 2011

Review: 'Jetpack Joyride' a fast-paced, disruptive time-suck

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“Jetpack Joyride,” a new game for iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone, ruined my vacation.

Here I was all set for a week of unplugging, floating on the Comal River and watching days and days and days worth of bad television. Instead, I spent hours jamming my finger on the screen to make a square-shaped little man named Barry sail through the air of a secret lab, collecting coins and avoiding guided missiles and electricity fields.

The game, from the makers of the slice-and-juice hit “Fruit Ninja” introduce a similar easy-to-play/tough-to-master gameplay mechanic. In this side-scrolling action game, the only control you have is a single tap on the screen to make Barry and his borrowed jetpack fly up and down at high speeds. It’s a bit of a cross between old-school, 2-D “Sonic the Hedgehog” games but with missions, achievements and upgrade items that make games like “Infinity Blade” and “Plants vs. Zombies” so addictive.

In fact, it’s those elements that make the game stand out from the pack, even if the well-designed, frantic race across the laboratory is fun to play. In truth, unless you’re a video game master, most sessions you’ll play won’t last more than two or three minutes. That the game holds up despite how many times you’ll end up playing the same few levels over and over (items and hazards are randomly generated, it seems; they’re not always in the same place) is a testament to the game built around the game. The “Stash” store, upgrade items (like a variety of new jetpacks, which don’t do a thing to enhance your skills but do look nice), and missions that ask you to perform specific tasks (like going a certain distance without using your jetpack) reward repeated gameplay. You can also buy coins and upgrades within the game using real-world money, but if you play enough, you may never need to do that. All I ended up purchasing was a 99-cent upgrade that permanently doubled the amount of coins I earned, a good one to grab early on. To emphasize the game’s short-term, twitchy appeal, a slot machine appears at the end of the game, allowing you to spin based on how many special “Spin Coins” you collected.

Add to this some power-up vehicles like a motorcycle, teleport machine and mechanized “Lil’ Stomper” and you’ve got the perfect summer game, built for hundreds of micro sessions.

The 99-cent app works on both iPhones and iPads (you only need to buy it once), but unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way to sync my progress across both. I ended up playing separate sessions on each. That meant more time playing the game constantly, whispering to myself, “Just one more. Just one more…” and less time going outside.

Not that I’m complaining.

“Jetpack Joyride”
99 cents, for iOS devices
Rated 9+ for some cartoon violence

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Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

September 6, 2011

'Dead Island' and 'Resistance 3' hit video game shelves this week

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New video games this week:

“Dead Island.” — This might have been just another zombie hack-and-slash game were it not for a controversial video trailer released earlier this year featuring a haunting soundtrack and the extremely disturbing virtual zombification and death of a young girl. Will this survival horror game set on an island resort live up to the hype of the emotionally manipulative preview, or will it be a by-the-numbers guns-’n’-gore fest? Rated M for Mature. $50-$50 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

“Resistance 3.” — The alien-invasion / alternate-history in the 1950s thriller continues with more disgusting Chimeran hordes trying to wipe out humanity. The game starts in Oklahoma and continues through to New York City for the big conclusion in the single-player campaign. The game also has 16-player online play and split-screen co-op and online options for two players as well as 3-D and PlayStation Move support. Rated M for Mature, $60 to $150 for Standard or Doomsday Editions for the PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Star Fox 64 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Driver: San Francisco” (Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, PC), “Warhammer 40k: Space Marine” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten” (PS3), “Rise of Nightmares” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters” (PC, Mac), “Rugby World Cup 2011” (Xbox 360), “1001 Touch Games” (Nintendo DS), “Camping Mama Outdoor Adventures” (DS), “Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection” (DS), “Driver: Renegade” (3DS), “Hollywood Files” (DS), “Hidden World” (downloadable for PC), “Crimson Aliance” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Leedmees” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Bloodrayne: Betrayal” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Men of War: Vietnam” (PC), “Air Conflicts: Secret Wars” (PC), “Rock of Ages” (PC).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

August 31, 2011

The Linkdown for Wednesday, Aug. 31

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Evernote will host a meet-up Wednesday night. Here, Rich Warwick, who’ll head up the Austin office, shows off their software. Photo by Laura Skelding / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

The Linkdown will be on vacation next week, but is confident that you can handle yourself and be a good Internet citizen for a four-day Labor Day week.

In the meantime, here’s what you should be checking out online:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Shopping, Videogames

August 30, 2011

'Madden 2012' and 'Bodycount' hit stores this week

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New video games this week:

“Madden NFL 12.” — Another year, another run at the Super Bowl in the virtual gridiron of EA Sports’ long-running franchise. This year’s improvements include more tackle animations, customizable playbooks, improved eye candy in the broadcast-style presentation ,and the usual refinements in graphics and collision detection. What, the much-touted “3-D grass” feature doesn’t get you ready for some football? Rated E for Everyone. $40-$90 for Standard and Hall of Fame Editions, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP and PlayStation 2.

“Bodycount.” — Focused almost completely on gunplay, this first-person shooter from Codemasters touts its careful attention to the way bullets affect the virtual game world. The story is about an international clandestine network and an evil enemy called “The Target,” but really it’s about making things go “Bang bang” with advanced weaponry in single-, co-op or multiplayer game modes. Rated M for Mature, $60 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “The Sims Medieval: Pirates and Nobles” (PC, Mac), “Sing 4: The Hits Edition” (Wii), “Titanic Mystery,” (Nintendo DS, Wii), “Deathspank: The Baconing” (downloadble for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Tropico 4” (PC), “Elevator Action Deluxe” (downloadable for PS3), “Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection” (downloadable for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3), “Serious Sam Double D” (PC), “Legends of Terror” (PC), “Gunslingers” (Wii), “Junior Mysery Quest” (DS), “Pick Up & Play: 20 Game Mega Pack” (PC), “Burget Bot” (DS), “Get Fit with Mel B” (Wii), “Bigfoot” (Wii), “Bonus Bonanza” (PC), “Hoppie” (DS), “Angler’s Club: Ultimate Bass Fishing 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Junior Island Adventure” (DS), “Veggy World” (DS), “Marine Life Rescue” (Wii), “Stunt Flyer” (3DS), “Challenge Me Word Puzzles” (DS, Wii, PC), “Navy Force” (PC), “Jumpgate Evolution” (PC), “Air Conflicts: Secret Wars” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3), “Hellbreed” (PC), “ClaDun x2” (downloadable for PSP), “NEOGEO Shock Troopers” (downloadable for PS3 and PSP), “NEOGEO World Heroes” (downloadable for PS3 and PSP), “Gatling Gears” (downloadable for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

August 23, 2011

'Deus Ex' successor and remade 'Street Fighter' top new games this week

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New video games this week:

“Deus Ex: Human Revolution.” — A spiritual successor to Austin game developer Warren Spector’s famed “Deus Ex” series, this action/role-playing game is about a security expert protecting a biotechnology company that may be part of a huge conspiracy. Rated M for Mature. $50-$70 for Standard and Augmented Editions, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

“Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition.” — This high-res update of the 1999 Capcom fighting game tries to capture the feel of the original arcade game with a new coat of graphical paint and lots of options for “Street Fighter” enthusiasts and tournament players. Rated T for Teen, $15, downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Also out this week: “Kinect Fun Labs: Air Band” (downloadable for Xbox 360 Kinect), Hysteria Project 2 (downloadable for PS3), “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked” (Nintendo 3DS), “Kinectimals: Now With Bears!” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Sail Simulator 5 Deluxe” (PC), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (Nintendo DS), “Einstein’s Brain Power” (DS), “Call of Atlantis” (DS), “Nintendo Selects: Super Paper Mario” (Nintendo Wii), “Nintendo Selects: Punch-Out!” (Wii), “Nintendo Selects: Mario Strikers Charged” (Wii), “Nintendo Selects: Super Mario Galaxy” (Wii), “Natalie Brooks: Secrets of Treasure House” (Mac), “King Arthur: Fallen Champions” (PC), “Outdoors Unlimited” (PC), “IGT Slots: Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania” (Mac), “Disciples III Gold” (PC).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

August 16, 2011

'El Shaddai' and 'No More Heroes' port arrive in stores this week

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New video games this week:

“El Shaddai:Ascension of the Metatron.” — This highly anticipated Japanese game is a Biblical epic loosely based on the Book of Enoch and involves rogue angels who are trying to build the Tower of Babel. The gameplay varies as different parts of the game reflect viewpoints of each of the angels, inspiring both 2-D and 3-D styles in this single-player fantasy adventure. The screenshots we’ve seen look gorgeous; it’s a unique-sounding game, for sure. Rated T for Teen. $60, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise.” — Those who missed the Nintendo Wii versions of this strange, bloody and slyly humorous game series can catch up, now in HD. The PlayStation 3 version repackages content from “No More Heroes” with new modes and PlayStation Move compatibility as the assassin Travis tries to move up the ranks of the world’s top hitmen. Rated M for Mature, $40, for PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Age of Empires Online” (Windows PC), “Breath of Fire 4” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Bastion” (PC), “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Puzzler World 2” (Nintendo DS), “Pucca Power Up” (DS), “6 Great Games” (PC, Mac, Linux), “Duke Nukem Forever” (Mac), “Get Up Games; Family Sports” (Wii), “The Whispered World: Game of the Year Edition” (PC), “Chainz Galaxy” (PC), “From Dust” (PC), “Hunting Unlimited: Expedition 3 Pack” (PC), “Atomic City Adventures” (PC), “Hacker Evolution Duality” (PC), “Space Pirates and Zombies” (PC), “Fighting Fantasy: Talisman of Death” (downloadable for Sony PSP), “Junior Mystery Stories” (DS).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

August 12, 2011

The Linkdown for Friday, Aug. 12


A Facebook profile for one of the characters in “You Wouldn’t Know Him, He Lives in Texas,” which is being presented in Austin and in Scotland simultaneously.

Internet links for you on a slow, humid Friday:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

August 9, 2011

'Fruit Ninja Kinect' and 'Spy Kids' to be released this week

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New video game releases this week:

“Fruit Ninja Kinect.” — The popular finger-swiping game, which on phones and tablets has been a hit, comes to the Xbox 360 Kinect, allowing you to use your whole body to cut up flying watermelons and apples (trust us, it’s more fun than it sounds). This version also includes side-by-side two-player modes, Xbox Achievements and online leaderboards. Rated E for Everyone. $10, downloadable for Xbox 360 Kinect.

“Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.” — Based on the upcoming Robert Rodriguez movie, opening Aug. 19, this Nintendo DS game features eight levels of action featuring two playable Spy Kids, Rebecca and Cecil. Each has special attacks and gadgets. Use them to defeat bosses including Super Goon, The Clock Guardian and Tick-Tock. Rated E for Everyone. $40, for Nintendo DS.

Also out this week: “155,000 Games” (Windows PC), “World of Mahjongg: Deluxe Edition” (PC), “Railway Simulator” (PC), “Snark Busters: Double Pack” (PC), “Airline Tycoon Deluxe” (PC), “Kids Learn Math: A+ Edition” (DS), “Kids Learn Music: A+ Edition” (DS), “Supermarket Mania Bonus 4 Pack” (PC), “Chloe’s Dream Resort” (Mac), “Picture Puzzle Collection” (DS), “Edge” (PC), “The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (DS), “Pucca Power Up” (DS), “Puzzler World 2” (DS).

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Shopping, Videogames

August 4, 2011

'Resistance 3' beta code giveaway

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Want to play the “Resistance 3” multiplayer beta (on the PlayStation 3) before the beta goes public on Aug. 23? We’ve got 25 codes to give away that’ll give you access to the beta starting today. The game itself, a big-budget alien-invasion action title from Insomniac Games, will be released on Sept. 6. Here’s what the publisher says you can expect from the beta:

Building on Insomniac Games’ multiplayer pedigree, the Resistance 3 beta challenges players to forge their own progression paths, spending their hard-earned points to customize loadouts that fit their unique playstyles. The beta also allows players to experiment with a fully-loaded arsenal of innovative weapons including the Bullseye, Rossmore, Marksman and more. Featuring 16-player Human vs. Chimera Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction modes, the Resistance 3 beta takes players to locations across the globe to fight on the front lines of the battle for humanity’s survival.

If you want a more in-depth video peek, Joystiq has a lengthy video tour of the beta.

You’ll need a PlayStation 3 and an Internet connection, of course.

So, here’s two ways you can get a code:

  1. Post a comment. Be sure to include a valid email address (which will NOT be published or given to anyone; it’s just so I know where to send the code).

  2. Shoot me an e-mail with “Resistance 3 beta” in the subject line. I’ll shoot you back a code for as long as I have any left.

Good luck!

Edited at 12:50 p.m. Thanks everyone who requested a code. We’ve given away all 25. Sorry if you missed it. We’ll try to do this again next time we get a batch of game codes.

Permalink | Comments (26) | Categories: Videogames

August 3, 2011

Your A-List: Best Place to Play Arcade Games

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Photo by Thomas Terry / Special to the American-Statesman

Sure, a lot of us have Xbox 360s or Nintendo DS devices we do a lot of our gaming on, but there’s still nothing like walking into a video game arcade. Whether you’re plunking tokens or quarters into those upright arcade console, the noise and visual din at an arcade still makes your pulse quicken and causes any long-time gamer to instinctively reach into their pocket for some coinage. In an A-List poll, Austin360 readers chose Dave & Buster’s as their favorite arcade. The arcade, on Research Blvd. off IH-35 offers food and adult beverages in addition to Skee ball, racing games and your “Dance Dance Revolution” exercise for the day. D&B’s carried 51.52 percent of the vote.

Others receiving votes:

  • Main Event, 15.15 percent
  • Kung Fu Saloon, 12.12 percent
  • Pinballz Arcade, 9.09 percent
  • Arcade UFO, 6.06 percent
  • La Tasca, 3.03 percent
  • Blazer Tag Adventure Center, 3.03 percent

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

August 2, 2011

'Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet' leads new games this week

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New video games this week:

“Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.” — This indie downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game, which has been racking up pre-release industry awards, is an action/puzzle game from artist Michel Gagné. Mixing rich artwork with exploration, it features a spaceship that players navigate through a bizzare series of environments. Rated E for Everyone. $15, downloadable for Xbox 360.

“Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension.” — Based on an upcoming Disney Channel animated movie, this game allows players to control a variety of characters from the cartoon as they use wacky gadgets to battle Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his army of enemies. The PlayStation 3 version is compatible with PlayStation Move controllers. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $30-$40, for Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Bleach: Soul Resurrección” (PS3), “Amazing Adventures: the Forgotten Dynasty” (Windows PC), “Duke Nukem Forever” (Mac), “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (Wii), “Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover!” (DS, Wii), “Mystery Masters 6 Pack” (PC), “Saint’s Row Double Pack Limited Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Limbo” (PC), “Pirates of Black Cove” (PC), “One Epic Game” (Sony PSP), “Hacker Evolution Duality” (PC), “Hamilton’s Great Adventure” (downloadable for PS3), “Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team” (downloadable for PS3).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

July 26, 2011

'Catherine' and Namco classics in 3-D new in games this weeks

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“Catherine.” — A very adult-themed game about a 32-year-old commitment-phobe who’s being pressured by his girlfriend (named Katherine) to go long-term even as he’s tempted by a gorgeous bombshell (named Catherine). Then things get complicated. The game, from the producer of “Persona 3” and “Persona 4,” then turns into a horror thriller with twists, turns, romantic moral choices and, most surprisingly, multiplayer game options. Rated M for Mature. $60-$80 for Standard and “Love Is Over” Deluxe Editions, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions.” — The long-running Namco series go 3-D on the portable Nintendo system, but they also employ motion and gyro sensors as well as the touch screen to try to liven up decades of franchise fatigue. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $40, for Nintendo 3DS.

Also out this week: “Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “The Sims 3: Town Life Stuff” (PC, Mac), “Match 3 Madness” (Nintendo DS), “Wildlife Park Tycoon” (PC), “Dragon Shoot” (Nintendo Wii), “Section 8: Prejudice” (downloadable for PS3), “Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove” (3DS), “Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 5” (downloadable for PS3).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

July 21, 2011

Pre-orders start for Austin-made 'Star Wars' game

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After years of waiting and wondering, fans got more evidence today that Austin-developed “Star Wars: the Old Republic” is a real, going-to-happen, big-budget thing you’ll be able to hold in your hands and hug at night (when you’re not playing it online).

On Thursday, BioWare and its parent company Electronic Arts unveiled a pre-order page for three editions of the game, a Standard ($60), Digital Deluxe ($80) and (OMG!) $150 Collector’s Edition, which includes:

  • Some things.
  • Some more things.
  • This other stuff.
  • A map (presumably to navigate the giant box).
  • A nice, intimidating box.
  • Whoah, would you look at that.
  • A (mini) statue of “Darth Malgus.”
  • A metal case for your disks and, oh yeah, some disks!
  • A music CD because this is 2002?
  • Seven digital items (invisible to the naked eye without a computer).
  • Some space dude’s journal.
  • Small amount of oxygen-rich air (no longer valid once package is opened).
  • Force.

That’s a lot of stuff! But you’re still going to pay a monthly fee once the free 30 days expire to play.

There’s no release date yet, but the game is due out this holiday season.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

July 19, 2011

'Bastion' and 'Smurfs' are new in video games this week

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New video games this week:

“Bastion.” — An indie game from Supergiant Games, this one picked up several awards at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year. Set in a crumbling fantasy world, this game is an action role-playing game with easy-to-learn controls. A Windows PC version is due later this year. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $15, downloadable for Xbox 360.

“The Smurfs” and “The Smurfs Dance Party.” — Well, things are about to get pretty blue out there with the release of a live-action/computer-animated “Smurfs” movie. The obligatory video game adaptations are a mini-game and storybook collection called “The Smurfs” for the Nintendo DS and a rhythm game for the Wii featuring, “Iconic, easy to follow dance moves.” Sounds pretty Smurfy. Rated E for Everyone. $60, for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii.

Also out this week: “Limbo” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Bastion” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Just Dance Summer Party” (Wii), “Captain America: Super Soldier” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS), “Sing 4” (Wii), “IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover” (PC), “Supreme Ruler: Cold War” (PC), “Runespell: Overture” (PC), “Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions” (downloadable for Sony PSP), “Fast Draw Showdown” (downloadable for PS3 Move).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

July 12, 2011

'Ms 'Splosion Man,' 'Harry Potter' top video games this week

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New video games this week:

“Ms. ‘Splosion Man.” — The sequel to the popular Xbox Live Arcade game, developed by Austin’s Twisted Pixel, is a fast-paced 2-D platformer, featuring 50 single-player levels as well as many more that can be played in multiplayer mode. Rated T for Teen. $10, downloadable for Xbox 360.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” — The end of the Harry Potter movie franchise this summer could mean the end of obligatory video game tie-ins. But we wouldn’t bet on it! This edition features the final battle at Hogwarts against the evil forces led by Voldemort and some versions include multiplayer and the ability to play as a variety of students and teachers. Rated E-10+ for Everyone. 10 and Up, $30-50, for Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Windows PC.

“NCAA Football 12.” — Dubiously putting the “i” in “Team,” this year’s edition focuses on guiding a football star all the way from high school to a national championship in a “Road to Glory” mode. There’s also, of course, more coaching-focused Dynasty Mode, a tweaked collision system and the ability to customize conferences and gameday traditions in an attempt to liven up the aging franchise. Rated E for Everyone. $60, for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Also out this week: “Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “UFC Personal Trainer” (Wii), “Titanic Mystery” (DS, Wii), “Treasure Chase” (DS), “Learn, Play and Win Poker Simulator” (Mac, PC), “AstroSlugs” (PC), “Ben 10 Triple Pack” (DS), “Panzer Corps” (PC), “Wicked Monster Blast!” (Wii), “Zoo Resord 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Kona’s Crate” (Mac), “Boulder Dash XL” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

July 11, 2011

BioShock Infinite deftly displays sense of OMG AMAZING WOW

Fifteen minutes seems like a lot of time to devote to an online video, but when the video is an extended gameplay demo for for the forthcoming “BioShock: Infinite,” let me assure you that it’s not time ill-spent.

The true sequel to my 2007 game of the year, “BioShock” (there was a “BioShock 2,” but it didn’t exactly blaze new trails) has several layers of amazing in it, from its up-in-the-clouds, cool alternate-America-in-1912 setting to the gameplay itself. But beyond that, even, there are nicely defined characters, stunning graphics and some insane plot twists that even in just this small piece of the game make it stand out from the militaristic shooter crowd of games. (Don’t miss the bit that starts at around the 4-minute mark.)

The game’s not due out until next year, but judging from the demo, it certainly seems like it’s on the right track.

Thoughts?

Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Videogames

July 7, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, July 7

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David Kaelin, owner of Game Over Videogames. Photo by Jay Janner / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

The Linkdown is trying to cram five days of activity into a four-day workweek. It’s a little crazy! here’s what you should be checking out online:

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Videogames

July 5, 2011

"Insect Armageddon" leads a slow video game release week

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New video game releases this week:

“Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon.” — While we were all stuffing ourselves with 4th of July hot dogs, it turns out alien bugs were swarming, preparing to attack. (Probably because we didn’t let them have our hot dogs.) In this action shooter, you use over 300 kinds of weapons to dispose of the interstellar creepy crawlies. There’s also three-player online multiplayer campaign mode and a six-player survival mode. It beats spraying yourself with OFF! Rated T for Teen. $40, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Mystery Quest: Curse of the Ancient Spirits” (Nintendo DS), “Resistance Greatest Hits Dual Pack” (PlayStation 3), “Polar Sports Ice Pack” (Windows PC), “Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition” (PC), “The Chosen” (PC), “Ape Escape” (downloadable for PS3 Move).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

June 29, 2011

The Linkdown for Wednesday, June 29

Events:

Internet goodness:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

June 28, 2011

"UFC Personal Trainer" and Wii "Mystery" top game releases this week

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New video games this week:

“UFC Personal Trainer.” — We can’t all be ultimate fighters (well, I can’t; maybe you are tougher), but we can blast our quads and sculpt our abs to pretend can’t we? This trainer, which works with the motion-control Kinect and PlayStation 3 Move devices promises to teach 70 Mixed Martial Arts-inspired exercises and to pair you up with popular UFC fighters. Prepare for pain! Rated E for Everyone. $50, for Xbox 360 Kinect and PlayStation 3 Move. Nintendo Wii version due out in July.

“Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident.” — The first Wii version of the “Mystery Case Files” series is a puzzle and action game set on an abandoned island. Multiple players can participate in solving the mysteries of the island and helping its curator, Winston Malgrave, recover a missing cure for his dying love, Sara. Rated E for Everyone. $30, for Nintendo Wii.

Also out this week: “Resident Evil: The Mercenaries” (Nintendo 3DS), “Nancy Drew: The Captive Curse” (Windows PC, Mac), “Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Jewels of the Ages Double Pack” (Nintendo DS), “Jewel Match” (DS), “Fishdom” (DS), “Reel Fishing Paradise 3D” (3DS), “Maximum Racing: Super Karts” (Wii), “Einstein’s Brain Power” (DS), “Glowfish” (PC), “Storm: Frontline Nation” (PC), “Kevin VanDam’s Big Bass Challenge” (PS3), “Wicked Monster Blast” (Wii) “My First Trainz Set” (PC), “Call of Duty: Black Ops - Annihilation” (downloadable for PS3 and PC), “Half-Minute Hero Super Mega Neo Climax (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Rock of Ages” (downloadable for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3), “Backbreaker: Vengeance” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Beyond Good and Evil HD” (downloadable for PS3), “Galaga Legions DX” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Gatling Gears” (downloadable for PS3 and Xbox 360).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

June 23, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, June 23

If the Linkdown is acting a little weird this week, it’s because he’s saying goodbye to some treasured colleagues this week.

The Internet, ever churning, keeps going. Here’s what you should be checking out:

Events:

Internet goodness:

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Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Videogames

June 21, 2011

'Cars 2' and Austin-made 'Gods & Heroes' top game releases this week

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New video games this week:

“Cars 2: The Video Game.” — Most movie studios hand off their licensed games to a game developer and try to stay out of the way. As with “Toy Story 3,” however, Pixar worked directly with the developers at Disney Interactive to maintain the look, personalities of the characters and globe-trotting sense of the movie for this multi-platform title. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $30-$50 for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PCs, Mac and Linux.

“Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.” — This online multiplayer game from Austin’s Heatwave Interactive goes mythical and features some unique features including squads of player-controllable minions, customizable estates and immortal powers (like those of the Gods). Rated T for Teen. $50-$300 for Standard, Collector’s and Collector’s Helmet editions for PC.

“Dungeon Seige III” — The new action role-playing game from Square Enix is the first “Dungeon Seige” game to his the current generation of consoles. It features cooperative multiplayer, lots of character customization and, we hope, some fast-paced hack-and-slash gameplay and tons of loot. Rated T for Teen. $50-$60 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Also out this week: “F.E.A.R. 3” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Shadows of the Damned” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (Wii), “Petz Fantasy 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “Maximum Racing: Super Karts” (Wii), “ArmA 2: Reinforcements” (PC), “Hidden Expedition 5: The Uncharted Island” (PC), “DualPenSports” (3DS), “Buccaneer” (PC), “Gummy Bears Magic Medallion” (Wii), “Trenched” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Back to the Future: The Game Episode V” (PC, Mac), “Reel Fishing Paradise 3D” (3DS), “Alien Zombie Mega Death” (downloadable for PS3).

Video Games

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June 20, 2011

Joe Stafford reviews 'L.A. Noire'

“L.A. Noire” from Rockstar Games is one of those titles that I just haven’t had a chance to pick up and play (we didn’t receive a review copy and I’m mired in “Infamous 2” and a few Nintendo 3DS games right now). Luckily, our own Joe Stafford has played it and penned a review that ran in Sunday’s Life & Arts section.

Here’s an excerpt:

But the experience as a whole is riveting. Sure, we’ve seen most of these ideas before, but never so well put-together, never so finely polished with love and squalor. Is the game too short? Too scripted? Maybe. But such criticisms feel like quibbles. Rockstar has trumped its own standard with a near masterpiece.

You can read the full review here.

Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

June 17, 2011

Heatwave launches two high-profile games amid heatwave

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It’s been a hot, busy month for Heatwave Interactive. The company is releasing two high-profile games in June, one of them a massively multiplayer online fantasy game, the other a country-themed Facebook game featuring celebrities like Dolly Parton, Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth.

The company prides itself on its diversity, not just in its staffing (which, the company’s chief executive Anthony Castoro is quick to point out sets it apart from most game companies) but in its subject matter. The studio behind the popular Samuel L. Jackson “ISamJackson” app and the hip hop game “Platinum Life” is now hoping to capture an MMO audience with “Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising” and “Platinum Life: Country,” which it created in partnership with CMT, the country music channel.

The latter includes original voice work from the country music stars it features and allows players to create a virtual performer, tour the country and try to become a superstar with the help of their celebrity mentor.

The game is in beta with a few rough edges, but its presentation feels pretty polished and has an impressive amount of star power. Other country stars in the game include Big & Rich, Rascal Flatts and Dierks Bentley.

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“Gods & Heroes,” on the other hand, is a game that the company acquired from PlayGrid last year and completed. It launches Tuesday and is set in a world of familiar gods and myths.

I visited the studio, whose funky, laid-back offices are located in the basement of a North Austin office building, a few weeks ago as employees were crunching on the two projects and trying to eliminate last-minute bugs.

Especially in the case of “Country,” the studio is really pushing to bridge the gap between movies, TV, music and social gaming. It has expanded it staff from 15 to about 40 employees and says it has more games in the works with recognizable celebrity names attached.

It’s not currently working on console games, instead choosing to focus on PC, mobile and online titles.

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June 14, 2011

Toys 'R' Us apparently doesn't know what 'Duke Nukem Forever' is about

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Update: 10 a.m. Wednesday: response from Toys “R” Us has been added to this blog entry.

Long-time video game players know that the long-awaited video game “Duke Nukem Forever” is part of a series of games that are unapologetically rude, crude and filled with sexist humor and naughty words. Duke is meant to be a parody of action heroes, but his visits to strip clubs and gleeful violent streak is not exactly something you’d want to show off to young kids.

Apparently, retailer Toys “R” Us hasn’t played it because featured prominently in its Sunday circular (and an e-mail newsletter I received) is an ad for the game, along with an action figure you can get at the store.

Ironically, the deal is featured just a few inches below the retailer’s slogan, “Where KIDS are a big deal!”

Let’s hop over to the ESRB, The Entertainment Software Rating Board and its web site for video games, and see what’s in the game, which debuted today:

The game, according to the ESRB, contains, “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol.” (Incidentally, it’s not scoring well with reviewers.)

A lengthier ratings summary includes more in depth descriptions which I can’t even reprint in this space. You can read it here. (Warning: bad language, lots of sex.)

Nice one, Toys “R” Us. I know the retailer sells video games of all stripes, but I thought it was supposed to be a no-no to directly market M-Rated games (and movies, for that matter) to kids.

Update: We received this response from Toys “R” Us via e-mail:

Toys”R”Us offers a large assortment of video games, including some “M” rated games to accommodate our avid video game customer base. The game is clearly labeled by the ESRB as an “M” rated game, and is generally merchandised behind glass. Additionally, when customers purchase the game, they are asked for identification, allowing our employees to verify that the customer is over 18 years old.

(End of update)

The video blogger below doesn’t seem to mind, but then he’s probably old enough to play the game.

Thoughts? Post them in the comments.

Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Internet, Shopping, Videogames

'Duke Nukem' finally arrives in stores, as does 'Ocarina' remake

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New video games this week:

“Duke Nukem Forever.” — Could this day really be here? This game was in development so long that for years gamers assumed it would never be released. But, thanks to Gearbox Software, which took over development, the sequel to the ‘90s franchise has finally arrived. Cigar-chomping, one-line spewing Duke Nukem tears through this first-person shooter with his usual gusto. With its bad attitude, tons of virtual skin and profanity, this one’s definitely not family-friendly. Rated T for Teen. $50-$100 for Standard and Collector’s editions, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D” — (Available Sunday) This remake of one of the most beloved Nintendo games of all time features new graphics, 3-D effects and even motion control allowing you to move the Nintendo 3DS around to move in the game. There’s also new hint movies for new players in addition to the new features that might bring back veterans of the original. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $40 for Nintendo 3DS.

Also out this week: “Wii Play: Motion,” (Nintendo Wii), “Alice: Madness Returns” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Child of Eden” (Xbox 360), “Record of Agarest War Zero” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii), “Plants vs. Zombies: Game of the Year Limited Edition” (PC, Mac), “Wipeout: In the Zone” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Ferrari: The Race Experience” (Wii), “Hyper Fighters” (Wii), “Cubic Ninja” (3DS), “Ravensburger Puzzles” (PC), “Super Sonic Racer” (Wii), “Boot Camp Tycoon: Built for Victory” (PC), “Panzer Corps” (PC), “Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), “Outland” (downloadable for PS3), “Greg Hastings Paintball 2” (downloadable for PS3).

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June 8, 2011

Digital Savant Podcast #4: CEA's Jim Barry

On this week’s Digital Savant Podcast (#4), we speak with Jim Barry, spokesperson and “Digital Answer Man” for the Consumer Electronics Association, who was kind enough to stop by the American-Statesman on his national tour and speak to us.

Barry has been in the electronics trade publishing industry for more than 30 years and is a frequent answerer of the question, “What should I get my dad for Father’s Day?” in his numerous media appearances.

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He’s also incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about what’s out there in the world of consumer tech.

In this podcast, we discuss this week’s announcements from Apple, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony and get special peek inside Jim Barry’s totebag of digital goodies, including tablets, a portable speaker, e-book readers and more.

You can now subscribe to the Digital Savant podcast on iTunes, or click below for MP3 or AAC (podcast-formatted) versions of this week’s episode.

Listen to Digital Savant Podcast #4 (AAC/iTunes format)

Listen to Digital Savant Podcast #4 (MP3 format)

Show notes:

What’s in the podcast:

0:06 — Introduction. Hey, we’re on iTunes!
0:24 — Introducing Jim Barry.
1:20 — Apple’s Monday keynote, including iCloud, iOS5 and Mac OS X Lion.
5:30 — iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match.
9:35 — E3 coverage, including Nintendo’s Wii U.
15:40 — Father’s Day and graduation tech gifts.
22:05 — Wrapping things up.

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Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Computers, Gadgets, Podcasts, Shopping, Videogames

June 7, 2011

Cinematic trailer for 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' is Jedi-packed

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There have been a few surprises from the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but this one might be my favorite.

Austin-developed “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” from BioWare/EA, a long-in-gestation massively multiplayer online game that could be released this year (fingers crossed!), has a new cinematic intro trailer called “The Return” that is really just stunning. Watch it for yourself.

Want to see a larger version? You can check it out here on the official site.

Like it? There’s an older one called “Deceived” that’s also available. Here’s “The Return”:

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

Nintendo changing the game, again, with Wii U system

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Nintendo on Tuesday gave a preview of its long-awaited follow-up to its Nintendo Wii. The new system is called Wii U and features a remarkable, large touch-screen (and motion-sensing) controller that seems to owe as much to tablets like the Apple iPad as it does to traditional game controllers.

The system, which will be available by the 2012 holiday season, has at its heart a plastic-and-glass controller with a 6.2-inch screen built in and controls on either side, plus shoulder buttons on the side.

Nintendo said in its press event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that the system will be compatible with original Wii games and controllers, allowing gamers with the new touchscreen controller to interact with players using the original Wiimote devices.

The new games will be in HD and will be playable even without a TV screen. If a player is playing a game and somebody wants to watch TV, the gameplay can continue on the controller’s built-in screen, Nintendo said.

While it’s still very early and fully finished games are still a while away, the tech demos Nintendo showed off included video chatting, a game where a golf ball appears and the controller can detect the motion of a golf swing (with a built-in camera) and a demo where the controller, mounted on a faux gun, acted as a scope.

Nintendo also promoted new “Starfox” and “Mario Kart” games for its new Nintendo 3DS 3-D portable console. There’s also a new Nintendo game called “Luigi’s Mansion 2.”

Wii U, however, is the real news. Nintendo’s Wii is the best-selling console of the current generation; making it backward compatible with the existing games and controllers out there, a huge installed base, is a big coup for the company.

No pricing information or release date was announced. It could be out as early as next spring, but will more likely debut close to the holiday season of 2012.

It shows that Nintendo sees the writing on the wall when it comes to smart phones and tablet devices taking over the gaming marketplace. Popular games like “Angry Birds” would certainly be at home on a device like Wii U.

The company has more than a year to refine and tweak the concept to make it as compelling as the Wii was when it debuted in late 2006. And, based on the presentation, it looks like other game companies will be throwing lots of ideas at the wall to see what sticks.

On Monday, Sony announced a new portable console called Vita. Microsoft, which also presented on Monday, announced no new hardware, but is still riding high on the success of its Xbox 360 Kinect hardware, which was a hit last holiday season.

Edited to add, 1:05 p.m.: New York Times writer Seth Schiesel got to play with Wii U behind closed doors a few days ago. Here are his just-published impressions of the system.

Permalink | | Categories: Gadgets, Videogames

Sony brushes aside hacker woes, pushes new Vita portable and 3-D at E3

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Photo by Chris Weeks, Associated Press

On Monday night, Sony could have announced that it had invented a time machine, gone back and prevented the hacking attacks of the last few months and still would have had a hard time capturing the attention of gamers and press who’ve grown weary of the company’s problems.

That its press event came on the same day as a whirlwind Apple presentation from CEO Steve Jobs, a solid-B showing from Microsoft, which is riding high on the success of its Xbox 360 Kinect hardware, and even an unexpected press conference from naughty U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner was just more bad luck for a beleaguered Sony.

Nevertheless, Sony did have some interesting new information to share and something Microsoft and Apple did not: new hardware. Sony unveiled the “Vita,” the new name for its previously announced “NGP” portable console, the successor to the Sony PSP, which has sold about 70 million units.

Sony did apologize in the presentation for its PlayStation Network outages.

The Vita, which doesn’t look that different from the PSP, has some flashy new features including a 5-inch OLED screen (which is also a touch screen), accelerometers, a camera and a rear touchpad that will assist in game controls. Like Nintendo’s recent 3DS console, it will also be able to detect when other Vita devices are nearby to share information and gameplay. It will cost $249 with Wi-Fi capabilities or $299 fora AT&T 3G-capable version.

Sony also rolled out a $499 3-D monitor package that will include a 24-inch HDTV display, the game “Resistance 3” and a pair of 3-D glasses. The neat feature here is that the monitor will be capable of displaying two different images for two separate players at the same time, providing split-screen-like gameplay if they both are wearing 3-D glasses.

Both the Vita and the $499 HDTV package should be out by the holidays. For more info, check out Joystiq’s live blog of the event, which includes info on specific games and demos.

On Tuesday, Nintendo is expected to roll out a successor to its generation-leading console the Wii, which could draw lots of attention away from Microsoft and Sony’s announcements.

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'Infamous 2' and 'Red Faction: Armageddon' in stores this week

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New video game releases this week:

“Infamous 2.” — The PlayStation 3 exclusive is a follow-up to the well-received 2009 superhero game. Cole MacGrath, the lightning-wielding hero, has new abilities and improved parkour skills. The open-world game has plenty of side quests and a morality system helps your choices in the game determine one of two major endings. Rated T for Teen. $60-$100 for Standard and Hero Editions, for PlayStation 3.

“Red Faction: Armageddon” — The last few “Red Faction” games have been solid and this one, which puts you in the shoes of a grandson of characters from “Red Faction: Guerilla,” features a battle for freedom on Mars against an evil force. Rated M for Mature. $50-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

Also out this week: “Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters” (Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS), “Operation Flashpoint: Red River” (PS3, Xbox 360), “May’s Mystery: Forbidden Memories” (DS), “Top Gun: Game and Movie” (PS3), “Days of Thunder: Game and Movie” (PS3), “City Sights: Hello Seattle” (PC), “Men of War: Assault Squad” (PC), “ThinkSmart: Scotland Yard” (DS), “Pride of Nations” (PC), “Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion” (3DS), “Kevin Van Dam Fishing” (PS3).

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June 6, 2011

Microsoft shows off games, live TV, 10 new content partners for Xbox 360

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In danger of being overshadowed by Apple’s Steve Jobs himself at a competing presentation, Microsoft fired off a wide-range of offerings for its Xbox 360 console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on Monday.

The presentation started off shaky: overly long gameplay demos of “Modern Warfare 3” and a rebooted “Tomb Raider” looked stunning, but both games will also be available on PlayStation 3. Where were the Xbox 360 exclusives?

Peter Moore of EA Sports came out with the promise of four Kinect-enabled sports games, including “Madden NFL,” “Tiger Woods,” “FIFA” and an unannounced title, but didn’t show off any gameplay and only said, vaguely, that it would be about a year before those games were out.

Why not show “Gears of War 3” or anything in the “Halo” universe exclusive to the console?

Microsoft recovered with solid Kinect-enabled demos of “Mass Effect 3,” which leverages voice controls, and a good preview of a new “Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon” game called “Future Warrior.”

More significantly, Microsoft announced Kinect voice and gestures controls for the entire Xbox 360 interface, content partnerships with 10 services including YouTube, Bing search across Xbox 360 and live TV to debut in the fall. Microsoft said that will include local channels, all controllable via voice and gestures with Kinect.

Later in the presentation, Microsoft showed off “Gears of War 3,” one of the biggest holiday games this year and an exclusive to its game console. Also on display: a new “Forza” racing game, a new game from Peter Molyneux called “Fable: The Journey,” a UFC fighting game and remastered “Halo.” It was announced that the popular PC online game “Minecraft” will come to the 360 with Kinect support.

Pop culture was well represented: “Kinect Star Wars” made its debut. And Disney announced virtual Disneyland park attractions for Xbox. Toward the end, a preview of “Halo 4” was shown off.

Nintendo is expected to debut its successor to the Wii Tuesday and Sony will likely dodge questions about its recent security problems Tuesday Monday night to talk about its new games and and PlayStation Move.

We’ll be writing about Sony’s stuff on Tuesday, but in the meantime, you can see Joystiq’s live coverage here.

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June 3, 2011

The Linkdown for Friday, June 3

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W Hotel Austin. Photo by Ricardo B. Brazziell / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

The Linkdown would never defame anyone on this blog because he might be forced to write 100 blog entries to make up for it, a similar punishment to that of a Malaysian man who must Tweet again and again.

Other online stuff you should know about:

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Shopping, Videogames

May 31, 2011

More local Pokémon masters discovered

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Photo courtesy The Pokémon Company International

Last August, we wrote about Aaron Grubbs, a Marble Falls student who competed in Hawaii at the PokémonVideo Game World Championships.

Now, two Austin brothers have proven their chops in regional competition. Kobe Minchey, age 7, and Casey Minchey, age 11, both competed in the Dallas-Fort Worth South Regional Championship in Arlington over the weekend. Kobe placed first in his division and Casey placed second in his, but both of them earned a spot in the National Championships, to be held July 8-10 in Indianapolis.

In addition to the trip, they also each won a Nintendo 3DS game console. They’ll be competing for a spot in the World Championship, to be held in August in San Diego.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

'Hunted' and 'Sims 3: Generations' new in video games this week

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New video games this week:

“Hunted: The Demon’s Forge.” — This cooperative dungeon crawl game is meant to evoke the action of a shooter with the role-playing elements of fantasy game. It combines melee and ranged-weapons combat with its two main characters, E’lara, an expert at bow and arrows and Caddoc, a swordsman. There are also magical spells, of course. Rated M for Mature. $50-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

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“The Sims 3: Generations” — The fourth expansion pack for “The Sims 3” is focused on aging. Or, at least, the difference in activities among different stages of life. In the game, you can engage in activities as a child, a teen, an adult or a senior. Add a poignant voice-over and it’ll be like “The Wonder Years” never ended! Rated T for Teen. $40, for PC and Mac.

Also out this week: “LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean” (PC, Mac), “BlazBlue Continuum Shift II” (Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP), “Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters” (Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS), “Cartoon Network: PUnch Time Explosion” (3DS), “Get Fit with Mel B” (Wii), “Rockin’ Dead” (PC), “Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection” (DS), “Maximum Racing: Sprint Cars” (Wii), “Vampire Hunters” (PC), “Wicked Monster Blast” (Wii), “Maximum Racing: Super Truck Racer” (Wii), “Baseball Mogul 2011” (PC), “Bigfoot” (Wii), “Dawn of Fantasy” (PC), “Panzer Corps” (PC), “Prius Online” (downloadable for PC), “Koya Rift,” (downloadable for PC), “Soon Serenade” (PC), “Curse of Slate Rock Manor” (PC), “Chronicles of Merlin” (PC).

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May 24, 2011

Video game live music show Sunday at Parish

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This will be in Sunday’s Life & Arts Best Bets, but it wouldn’t hurt to buy tickets in advance if you’re interested in going. This show of video game music (performed live) should be a fun time.

“Video Games Rock!” — Hosted by local game emporium Game Over Videogames, this lineup of classic video game soundtrack music, performed by several bands, features headliner The OneUps. The OneUps, from Fayetteville, Ark., are a veteran jazz/funk/hip hop group whose latest effort is called, “Super Mario Kart Album.” They’ll be joined by brentalfloss and The Cartridge Family, a comedy/music act featuring members of Austin’s Descendants of Erdrick, who will also be performing separately. For the Most Part and Man Factory fill out the rest of the bill. Of course, there’ll also be video game stations to play during the show. The Parish, 214-C East 6th St. All ages, doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door, www.theparishaustin.com, 473-8381.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

Austin-developed 'Faxion' and 'Dirt 3' video games out this week

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New video games this week:

“Faxion Online.” — (Launching Thursday) This Austin-developed massively multiplayer online game from UTV True Games is a free-to-play fantasty adventure with an emphasis on player-versus-player combat. It’s set within the world of Limbo where the forces of Heaven and Hell duke it out for control over territories. Not yet rated. Downloadable for Windows PC.

“Dirt 3” — The latest edition of this rally racing series includes more locations, routes (over 100) and motorsports events than its 2009 predecessor. You can also race on snow in the game and engage in “Gymkhana,” a specialized kind of racing that requires precision control. Rated E for Everyone. $60-$300 for Standard or RC Car Bundle for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Also out this week: “Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale” (downloadable for Windows PC, Xbox 360. PlayStation network version due out next week), “NASCAR The Game 2011” (Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean” (PC, Mac), “Dead or Alive: Dimensions” (Nintendo 3DS), “Kung Fu Panda 2” (Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3, Wii uDraw), “Emily the Strange: Strangerous” (DS), “Top Gun (Game + Movie)” (PS3), “Days of Thunder (Game + Movie)” (PS3), “Naughty Bear Gold Edition” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Paws and Claws Pampered Pets 2” (DS), “Disciples Undead Horses” (PC), “ThinkSmart Crazy Machines” (DS), “ThinkSmart Labyrinth” (DS), “Kaptain Brawe” (PC), “King Arthur Collection” (PC), “Aion 2.5: Empyrean Calling” (PC), “Crazy Machines” (Wii).

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Shopping, Videogames

May 20, 2011

Review: 'Mortal Kombat'

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Last year a little-known director named Kevin Tancharoen put together a live-action, self-funded short film called “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth,” a dark, convincing take on the series meant to convince Warner Bros. to let him take a crack at directing a movie version. Brilliantly done, it reminded gamers that this mythos and these characters (long suffering after too many video game sequels and spinoffs) still had some life left in them.

It led, eventually, to a web series and the timing couldn’t have been better. There was also a video game in the works that also sought to reboot the entire franchise by getting back to basics and ditching all the gimmicks (like last year’s tame “Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe”) that had become par for the course for an exhausted franchise.

The new “Mortal Kombat” game, luckily, could be the best one ever for the series. It ditches some of the features that had crept in over the years (like sidestepping, an unnecessary addition meant to address the trend of 3-D fighting games) or convoluted backstory.

Well, OK, the convoluted backstory is still there, in ultra-expanded form, but it’s mostly limited to the game’s very long, very silly “Story Mode.” This mode mashes up the storylines from previous “MK” games into one, big, stupefyingly ridiculous stew of betrayals, threats to our “Earthrealm” and a sad God of Thunder, Raiden, a protector who can’t seem to get anything right. It will make you howl with laughter, and probably not intentionally, with its terrible dialogue and bush-league storytelling.

Even the Story Mode, though, is worth playing through because it’s a good intro to the many, many characters you can choose in battle. It alternates among them, giving players a good taste of each character’s special moves and skills.

It’s really the gameplay that’s been greatly improved. The animation feels like its been streamlined, the controls tightened and everything sped up without being overwhelming. In fact, the game is very newbie friendly: at any time you can pause to pore over a list of moves for your character, even the famously tricky-to-pull-off Fatalities at the end of a match. In the game’s Training and Challenge Tower modes, you get even more specialized help that will serve you well in the main Arcade-style games.

Online is a mixed bag. A fun “King of the Hill” mode allows you to view and rate other matches while you wait your turn in a group tournament. In my play on the PlayStation 3’s recently beleaguered network, gameplay was too choppy to enjoy, but that could have to do with my system’s Wi-Fi connection.

The game awards “Kombat koins” at nearly every turn, allowing you to unlock new fatalities, levels, sound effects and other goodies. Finishing the Story Mode or the 300-event-long Challenge Tower gives you plenty of Koinage to use.

Of course, the game, as has been the case through nine editions, is incredibly gory. Even though it’s mostly cartoon-style violence, it’s still at times disturbing. Even though a lot of us grew up playing the games as teens, it’s definitely not a kid-friendly fighting game. But it does remind me of a more innocent time: can you remember when blood and guts in a video game were enough to create a national scandal?

If you fell out of favor with the series after having played the early games, this is one you’ll want to come back to. It offers the flavor of the original game (it was created by the original developers and is meant to evoke the first three games). But it takes advantage of the horsepower of the current-gen consoles and adds new wrinkles like over-the-top “X-ray Moves” which are a little bit like in-game finishing moves (minus the finishing). These are very easy to pull off: they only require two button presses and are very satisfying. There’s a deep fighting game for more experienced players (especially online where the competition is fierce), but beginnings can get the hang of the game’s rhythms very quickly.

Like “Street Fighter IV,” it’s a worthy reboot to a franchise many of us had given up for dead.

“Mortal Kombat”
Rated M for Mature
$60-$150 for Standard or Tournament Editions, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

May 17, 2011

Rockstar's 'L.A. Noire' and 'Witcher 2' lead game releases this week

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New video game releases this week:

“L.A. Noire” — When a new franchise is launched by Rockstar Games, the creators of “Grand Theft Auto” and last year’s hit western “Red Dead Redemption,” it’s usually worth taking a look. This one, a sprawling single-player Hollywood detective game that takes place in 1947 Los Angeles, appears to combine the company’s knack for gritty narrative with a extremely detailed character animations and an 8-square-mile recreation of period L.A. Rated M for Mature. $60 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.” — Upon its release, the first “Witcher” game appeared to be a buggy misfire. But over time, the game improved and became a bit of a cult hit. The sequel to the supernatural role-playing game continues the story of Geralt of Rivia while adding a revamped graphics engine and “Mutagens,” which allow you to modify the effects of skills you build. Rated M for Mature. $50-$130 for Premium or Collector Editions, for Windows PC.

Also out this week: “ExerBeat” (Nintendo Wii), “Fable III” (PC), “Murder in Venice” (Nintendo DS), “Cake Mania 4” (DS), “Reader Rabbit Preschool” (Wii), “Reader Rabbit Kindergarten” (Wii), “Reader Rabbit 1st Grade” (Wii), “Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade” (Wii), “Spongebob Squigglepants” (Nintendo 3DS), “Hyper Fighters” (Wii), “Super Sonic Racer” (Wii), “Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Detour” (PC), “Chess Attack” (DS), “Sega Rally Arcade Online” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Two Worlds 2: Caste Defense” (downloadable for Mac, PC, Apple iOS devices).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

May 16, 2011

Sony's networks coming back online; Austin studio loses chief to Zynga

Over the weekend, Sony began bringing its beleaguered PlayStation Network back online in a phased rollout that started Saturday. In a press release, the company said:

The phased restoration will include the return of nearly all of SOE’s portfolio of online games, the reinstatement of SOE’s game forums and websites, and added functionality to require players to reset their passwords.

The PlayStation Blog has more details on the service restoration.

I was able to login yesterday to my account for the first time and changed my password. I haven’t given new credit card information to the company, nor do I plan to anytime soon.

Today, the company is expected to bring back Sony Online Entertainment games like “Free Realms” and “EverQuest 2.”

Separately, Sony Online recently lost the head of its Austin studio. John Blakely, who spoke to us in January about the launch of “DC Universe Online” and who was also vice president of development for SOE, has departed for Zynga to become that red-hot social gaming company’s general manager. Blakely’s been succeeded by Lorin Jameson at SOE, who is now in charge of Austin operations.

Here’s Sony’s official statement on the matter:

After nearly nine years of service, John Blakely has resigned from Sony Online Entertainment to pursue new opportunities. From successfully launching EverQuest II to the recent DC Universe Online, Blakely has proven to be an invaluable member of the SOE team and has made significant contributions to the company’s success. We are grateful for the passion and leadership he brought to work every day and fully support him in his future endeavors. Blakely will be replaced by Lorin Jameson, executive director of development at SOE, who has been responsible for the oversight of all development teams at SOE’s Austin studio for the past five years. In his new role, Jameson will oversee the day-to-day operations of SOE’s Austin studio, including providing executive oversight on DC Universe Online and Star Wars Galaxies, and future games under development at the studio.

For Blakely, it may have been a timely exit: he left for Zynga shortly before Sony’s online security meltdown, according to his LinkedIn page.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

May 13, 2011

Austin's LightBox Interactive working on 'Starhawk' for Sony

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In case you missed it today’s Austin American-Statesman, the veil has lifted on a new game being worked on by Austin’s LightBox Interactive studio. The game, “Starhawk,” is being called a “spiritual successor” to “Warhawk,” a combat game that was released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3.

About 45 team members in Austin are working on the project, which is due for release in early 2012. It’s an action third-person shooter with some light real-time-strategy elements (which the developers call “Build & Battle” and even aerial dogfighting. I played the first level of the game as a demo and was impressed by how polished and playable the game was for being so early. It will be a single- and multi-player game, exclusive for the PS3.

Here are a few more screenshots from the game:

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Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

May 12, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, May 12 (Lost productivity edition)

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The Linkdown doesn’t want to mess up your work flow, but there are such delicious digital distractions to enjoy. Could we be experiencing The Productivitypocaplyse? Perhaps, perhaps. Here’s some linky goodness:

Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Videogames

Review: "Portal 2"

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It’s only May, but it’s hard to imagine there’ll be a smarter, funnier, more breathtaking video game this year than, “Portal 2,” the spot-on sequel to 2007’s polished puzzle-game gem .

The number “2” has been very good to Valve Corp., a Bellevue, Wash., game company that over the years has produced “Half-Life 2” and “Team Fortress 2,” two of the best games ever produced in their respective genres (adventure-shooter; online team-fragging warfare).

The original “Portal,” a single-player game bundled with four other titles in Valve’s “Orange Box” package, was about a series of test brainteasing test chambers presided over by GLaDOS, a robotic cross between HAL from “2001” and “Misery” nut Annie Wilkes. As the game progressed, you learned that GLaDOS (short for “Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System”) was not crazy about humans and was probably going to kill your character, a non-speaking test subject named Chell.

It was also hilarious, a dark science satire that spawned countless Internet memes and a memorable song, “Still Alive,” penned by Jonathan Coulton.

“Portal 2” runs with the original’s fundamental gameplay concept: a gun that can shoot oval-shaped transportation portals (think Wile E. Coyote’s canyon hole sticker from Acme Corp.). These portals can instantly transport someone from one place to another; it’s handy for getting up onto high ledges or using gravity’s momentum to jump across dangerous chasms.

Chell awakens in a non-descript room that is soon transported, crumbling walls and all, within a vast, deteriorating company. Soon, GLaDOS too is awakened, none too pleased that you tried to get rid of her in the first game. “Oh, it’s you,” she says, chillingly, “How have you been? I’ve been really busy being dead. You know, after you murdered me. OK, look. We both said a lot of things you’re going to regret.”

GLaDOS, voiced by human actress Ellen McLain, is even more passive-aggressive and her clever, menacing insults have a trace of Joan Rivers to them. She’s joined by two new characters, a helper robot brilliantly brought to life by “Ricky Gervais Show” co-creator Stephen Merchant. A third character, who figures into the history of GLaDOS’s company Aperture Laboratories, is played by J.K. Simmons, who nearly steals the show with his growling, gung ho voice of the past.

There are twists in the story (GLaDOS, it turns out, isn’t the only frenemy you must worry about) and new toys. Different kind of paints can be used to bounce, speed up or create new portal-friendly surfaces called Repulsion, Propulsion and Conversion Gels. There are also light bridges (hard, walkable surfaces that can be used through portals) and “Excursion Funnels,” which might remind you of the tractor beam from “Star Wars.”

They’re all part of the toolbox for solving increasingly large-scale puzzles in chambers that are much larger and more diverse in their appearance than in the first game. But that doesn’t mean that the game is exponentially harder. Much care has been paid to making the puzzles solvable with a little experimentation and thought. In all, the game lasts about 12 hours, much longer than the first game, but with more varied challenges and a more complex storyline.

That being said, that game suffers a bit toward the end from “Lord of the Rings” syndrome: it feels like it has multiple endings and goes on a few test chambers too many. You’d be forgiven for having brain fatigue from solving too many physics puzzles too quickly; it’s a game best enjoyed over multiple sittings, in short bursts.

But the payoff — an ending that is all at once touching, ironic and hilarious all at once (with a new Coulton/GLaDOS song over the closing credits) — is reason enough to finish “Portal 2.” There’s also a cooperative mode featuring new robot characters (who are easily as expressive as the ‘bots in “Wall-E”) who must work together to solve a new series of tests. The cooperative mode can be played split-screen on the same machine or online with a friend. (Voice chat is a must; you’ll need to communicate a lot to get through the challenges.)

In making “Portal 2” lengthier, more geographically vast and with a larger cast, Valve risked losing the specific, intimate feel of the original, which could have been called, “Just Me and My Homicidal Artificial Intelligence Pal.” But the game’s writing is just as witty and the gameplay is as finely tuned. The series has gone from a perfectly contained experiment in a sterile environment to something wilder and broader.

But it’s just as memorable, mostly because GLaDOS herself is a glorious, complex creation, an unexpectedly tender mechanical monster who has an unlikely character arc in “Portal 2.” She’s the malevolent, surprisingly likable heart of Aperture and thank goodness she’s still alive.

“Portal 2”
Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
$50-$60 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC/Mac

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Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

May 11, 2011

Nick Jonas revealed as 'Wizard 101' Mystery Composer

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Nick Jonas, the singer and actor from the Jonas Brothers, has been revealed as the Mystery Composer who created music for a new level of “Wizard 101,” a popular massively multiplayer online game that is designed in Austin.

Jonas, who met with game designers and musicians at KingsIsle Entertainment in March during South by Southwest, composed original music for “Wintertusk,” a new icy world in “Wizard 101” that goes live this week. The game, a family-friendly fantasy game, has had 15 million registered users since it launched in 2008.

Fred Howard, vice president of marketing for the company, said Jonas was “awesome” to work with. “He sees this as a great opportunity to come in and demonstrate his musical talents outside the pop world. He’s a huge artist in our space and extremely musically talented,” Howard said.

In September, KingsIsle landed another pop star, Selena Gomez, who appeared in “Wizard 101” in virtual form and who was featured in a song played in the game.

(Below: the “Wizard 101” version of Nick Jonas. Image courtesy KingsIsle Entertainment.)

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Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

May 10, 2011

Microsoft swallows Skype for $8.5 billion

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Image captured from a live webcast Tuesday morning announcing the Microsoft/Skype deal.

The emerging field of mobile, video and home entertainment communication shifted again last night on word that Microsoft is acquiring Skype S.A., which makes very popular software for voice-over-IP and web video calls, among other services.

Luxembourg-based Skype has about 170 million monthly user and some of them pay to use the service to make long-distance calls. In recent years, Skype has adapted its software to the mobile space with versions on platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platform.

For Microsoft, this is a way to improve its video chat capabilities in its software and in hardware devices it makes, including Windows, the popular Xbox Live service and on its new hit Kinect motion sensor device.

Microsoft said in a web broadcast this morning that it hopes to clear any regulatory hurdles and have the deal, which is the biggest in the company’s history, completed by the end of the calendar year.

For users, it’s unclear how this will change Skype’s path. Skype CEO Tony Bates said in the press conference that the company sees video ads and continued expansion on mobile devices (including, now, Windows Phone devices) as important pieces of its future under Microsoft.

“Video ads are one of the biggest opportunities we see moving forward,” Bates said in the press conference.

Both Bates and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted that Skype’s planning to target “Billions” of users. With Microsoft’s financial muscle and reach, it seems that this also may cause ripples in the telecom industry; is this a bad day for wireless carriers?

Ballmer said in the press conference that the offer for Skype was unsolicited and that the deal was finalized Monday night.

Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Internet, Phones, TV, Videogames

'Brink' and new 'LEGO' game top video game releases this week

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“Brink.” — Sure, it sounds like just another first-person shooter action game, but this one from well-regarded Bethesda Softworks tries to improve on the formula with a few new wrinkles. Characters you play in single-player mode keep their skills when you take them into co-op or multiplayer modes and “Brink” also includes a “SMART” button to get you past frustrating impasses. Add to that an advanced “Virtual texturing” graphics technology for all versions and this one might shine a little brighter than the competition. Rated T for Teen. $50-60 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.

“LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean.” — If there’s a long-running fan-friendly film franchise, you can bet LEGO is there to make a video game series about it. “Pirates” features 20 levels from the movies and has the now-standard silly humor, cuteness and family-friendly puzzles you’d expect from the LEGO games. Rated E-10+ for everyone 10 and older. $30-$50, for Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

Also out this week: “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2011: Over The Nexus” (DS), “The First Templar” (Xbox 360, PC), “MX vs ATV Alive” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Virtua Tennis” (PS3 / PS3 Move, Wii, XBox 360), “Treasure Chase: Brainstorm Series” (DS), “WRC FIA World Rally Championship” (PS3, PC), “Dream Trigger 3D” (3DS), “Touch N Play Collection” (DS), “Duke Nukem: Critical Mass” (DS), “Superstars V8 Next Challenge” (PS3), “Allods Online” (PC), “Hydrophobia Prophesy” (downloadable for PC).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

May 9, 2011

PlayStation Network update: still catastrophic


A T-shirt design referencing the PlayStation Network failures that’s sold by the popular online comic Penny-Arcade.

You’d think that there would be better news by now, some ray of light at the end of a long, endless night that is Sony’s PlayStation Network failure, a horror show that continues to sideline online gamers offline for what could end up being more than a month and which put some 77 million user accounts at risk. (There’s some debate as to whether a May 31 relaunch date is accurate.)

It would be a bummer in any sense, but what makes it even more maddening even for supporters of Sony’s epic fight against hackers is that the ridiculous, hubristic, altogether inappropriate ads for Sony’s games (including those primarily played online) continue to air on TV and all over the web.

Sure, the company has its hands full trying to contain the what is basically the BP oil spill of online entertainment calamities, but when I saw an ad for “SOCOM 4” during a recent episode of “South Park,” one that touted how amazing and awesome this piece of entertainment from Sony is (and which, at the moment, you couldn’t play online if you tried), I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There’s tone-deaf and then there’s insulting.

If it were simply about video games, a lot of people might not care, but Sony has from the beginning sold the PlayStation 3 as a mighty living room device for next-generation entertainment. Disastrously, users who bought the PlayStation 3 for the purposes of downloading music or movies or accessing Hulu and Netflix are out of luck for the time being, even if you’re paying a premium for Hulu Plus.

Sony’s not the only one who’s suffering. Collateral damage for the outage includes game companies like Capcom, who are losing out on downloadable content and game sales to the tune of millions. Of course, also suffering are the Austin developers of online games like “DC Universe Online” and “Free Realms.”

If you thought the worst was over, it’s beginning to feel like for Sony, the hurting ($1 billion and counting, some estimates say) has only begun. The company’s reputation is damaged perhaps beyond repair, gamers will be hard pressed to give their credit card information to the PlayStation Network again and the PlayStation 3, which has lagged in third place this generation behind the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360, has never looked less like a contender.

Can Sony find its way out of this? I’m trying and trying to think of one, but can’t see a happy ending here.

Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Austin, Internet, Movies & DVDs, Videogames

May 3, 2011

New 'MotorStorm' and 'Thor' tie-in games hit stores this week

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New video games this week:

“MotorStorm: Apocalypse.” — Sony’s off-road racing series continues with extreme conditions: a major earthquake has ravaged a major city and players must navigate around fiery subway tunnels, falling buildings and twisting bridges. Good times! The game is stereoscopic-3-D-TV compatible and features 40 tracks, four-player split-screen action and 16-player online racing (if Sony’s recent PlayStation Network woes are resolved by the time you read this). Rated T for Teen. $60 for PlayStation 3.

“Thor: God of Thunder.” — Tying in to the big-screen adaptation of the comic book series, this game features frost giants, trolls and a hammer that probably won’t remind you of the one that Mario wielded in the original “Donkey Kong.” But if Norse superheroes with daddy issues are your thing, Thor’s probably your guy and this might be your game. The third-person action game has got melee combat, “Lethal hammer throws” and storm powers. Rated T for Teen. $35-$60, for Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS.

Also out this week: “The Mysterious Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” (DS), “Under Seige” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Moon Diver” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Challenge Me Word Puzzles” (DS, Wii), “Word Up: Brainstorm Series” (DS), “Challege Me: Brain Puzzles 2” (Wii), “The History Channel: Great Battles Medieval” (Xbox 360, PC), “Thinksmart Crazy Machines” (DS, Wii), “Thrill Pack” (PC), “18 Wheels of Steel Extreme Trucker” (PC), “Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Section 8: Prejudice” (PC), “Fate: The Cursed King” (PC), “Dead Meets Lead” (PC), “Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Crazy Machines” (Wii).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

April 28, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, April 28

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I’m about to go on vacation (Vegas, baby!) but let The Linkdown be your end-of-week guide to what you should be reading online in my absence.

Got a Linkdown item we should include in a future update? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

Permalink | | Categories: Computers, Internet, Videogames

April 26, 2011

'Darkspore' tops a slow video game week

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New video game releases this week:

“Darkspore.” — At one point, it looked as if “SimCity” creator Will Wright’s “Spore” was going to be the ultimate video game. That didn’t really happen once it was released in 2008. But the fun “Creature Creator” technology is still being put to good use. This spinoff game incorporates the tools to alow players to create a squad of defenders to fight against a rampaging group of space baddies. Rated T for Teen. $50 for Windows PC.

“The Ultimate Battle of the Sexes.” — Who knew that eons of intra-species gender battle would be decided on a game console like the Nintendo Wii? Sorry, sociologists. While this budget-priced game promises Facebook score integration and a collection of mini-challenges, we can’t say we’re too hopeful for a peaceful resolution when one of the product features is listed as, “Six different games using typical gender clichés.” Rated T for Teen. $30, for Nintendo Wii.

Also out this week: “IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover” (PC), “Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story” (PC), “Twisted Lands: Shadow Town” (PC), “Chronicles of Mystery: Secret of the Lost Kingdom” (PC), “The Egyptian Trilogy” (PC), “Deadly Secrets: Art of Murder” (PC), “Cargo: The Quest for Gravity” (PC), “Man vs. Wild” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii), “Haunted” (PC), “Outland” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Sega Rally Online Arcade” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Trouble Witches Neo!” (downloadable for Xbox 360), ““Hector: Badge of Carnage” (downloadable for PC, Mac and iPad).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

April 25, 2011

Review: 'Bulletstorm'

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If you a play a lot of video games you could be forgiven this year for getting burned out on first-person shooters. The “Call of Duty” games, the misfired “Medal of Honor” reboot and even the hotly anticipated recent “Crysis 2” continue to look and sound better and better, but with diminishing returns where it should count most: as fun and entertainment gaming experiences.

Into the crowded market for shooters enters “Bulletstorm,” guns blazing. What from the outset sounded like a crude, juvenile and bombastic shooting game arrives as… a crude, juvenile, bombastic game that is incredibly polished and fun to play.

In the meat of the game, the fast-moving, lively single-player campaign, “Bulletstorm” is potent. It mixes gorgeous vistas (it’s from the company that produces the “Gears of War” games and pioneered the Unreal graphics engine) with speedy action and a few new gameplay wrinkles that add immeasurably to the experience.

The story, written as it was by comics veteran, Rick Remender, is largely forgettable. Space renegades this, evil warlord that, cyborg teammate blah blah… But once the game gets past its set-up, two things become clear. The “energy leash” tool that allows you grab enemies and fling them toward you (you can also kick them away with your giant boot) is a marvel. It slows time down (strangely without affecting the pace of the game) allowing you to carefully aim “Skillshots” and rack up points for use toward weapon upgrades and ammo.

There’s also a slide your character can do that knocks enemies into the air with a similar effect, but you can also slide through levels to speed through them, making “Bulletstorm” an odd combination of “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Quake.” Gone is the lugubrious slog of most duck-and-cover shooters, replaced by gleeful, over-the-top mayhem that never feels so out of control that you can’t progress.

Add to this a lineup of great weapons like a controllable Godzilla monster, guided sniper bullets and typical big-blowup guns and you have a game that pushes silly, exciting moments over realism and immersion. And that’s perfectly fine. “Bullestorm” works nicely on its own terms and begs for downloadable content and a proper sequel.

As a bonus, owners of the Xbox 360 version of “Bulletstorm” get access to the “Gears of War 3” multiplayer beta, which recently launched and will be available through May 15. It’s almost worth the price of “Bulletstorm” to get the sneak peak. “GOW3” looks remarkable and plays great, though I found myself getting killed over and over again. An hour of that was enough; soon I was back to “Bulletstorm,” tearing through enemies with blissful abandon.

“Bulletstorm”
Rated M for Mature
For Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC

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Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

Wii successor is real, but won't be here until 2012, says Nintendo

Surprising absolutely no one, Nintendo has announced a successor to the popular Wii video game console… but it won’t be available until 2012.

Said to be code-named “Project Cafe,” the new game console will arrive long after the Wii has plateaued and as the Sony Playstation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 have gained ground with their own motion controls, which were influenced by the Wii’s innovation.

The console, Nintendo said, will debut next year, but the company will show off a playable version of it in June at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

Rumors have suggested its controllers could have large screens on them. It’s expected that Sony and Microsoft won’t release new consoles until long after Nintendo has debuted its new system.

Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

April 20, 2011

Ten other things your iPhone knows about you


Image via O’Reilly Radar

Today, iPhone owners are getting a queasy feeling in their stomach as they learn that their device (or 3G-enabled iPad) is tracking their movements, writing that information to a file and uploading that file to their computer when they sync. (More information about it in this informative YouTube video.)

I know it’s a huge privacy faux pas on the part of Apple (and one I’m sure they’ll be forced to respond to soon), but for me, honestly, I can’t imagine a situation where this affects me. I’m a parent of two tiny children. I don’t go anywhere remotely interesting. I go home. I go to work. I go buy diapers and baby butt paste and sometimes, if I’m having a great week, I get to go eat BBQ at a nearby restaurant. The location data that my iPhone might track would bore Steve Jobs to tears.

Much more damning is other non-location related data on my phone and yours. Here are 10 other things your iPhone knows about you that would be worse for you if exposed:

  • How many fart-related apps you’ve downloaded.
  • How many times you’ve listened to songs by the 80s group Starship all the way through.
  • The total number of Angry Birds you’ve carelessly killed.
  • Number of phone contacts you have where you only remember the person’s first name and are afraid to ask for a last name to go with it.
  • Total Justin Bieber YouTube video viewings.
  • Multiple waxing appointments in the same week listed in your Calendar app.
  • That private home movie you shot that is NEVER EVER EVER supposed to get out on the Internet EVER or you will be dumped by your significant other.
  • Self-help iBooks you’ve downloaded that do not seem to have helped.
  • Google Map routes that have ended at donut or cupcake shops.
  • That time you got every single question wrong in “Qrank.”

What else are you worried your phone might reveal about you? Post it in the comments.

Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Applications, Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Phones, Videogames

April 19, 2011

'Portal 2' and 'Mortal Kombat' top new video game releases

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New video game releases this week:

“Portal 2.” — “This was a triumph. I’m making a note here: huge success.” The first lyrics to Jonathan Coulton’s closing credits song for Valve’s brilliant 2007 game “Portal” (voiced by the robot GLaDOS) still give gamers chills. The game was a clever, perfectly executed series of physics puzzles combined with humorously dark writing. In the much-anticipated sequel, Aperture Science’s GLaDOS is back and she’s brought co-op multiplayer modes, bigger test labs and new characters. In a unique bonus, the PlayStation 3 edition includes free codes to download the PC and Mac versions and the game can be played online cooperatively within those versions. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $50-$60, for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC/Mac (sold together).

“Mortal Kombat.” — There may have been one (or three) too many “Mortal Kombat” games over the years, but the original developers of the long-running series are hoping this reboot, with an emphasis on bone-crunching 2-D fighting, more realistically violent blood and gore, and deeper storylines. Will it be enough to win back old-school “Kombat” fans? Rated M for Mature. $60-$100 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals” (PS3), “Gem Quest: 4 Elements” (Nintendo DS), “Prince of Persia Trilogy HD” (PS3), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: Alaska” (Nintendo Wii, PC), “Conduit 2” (Wii), “Hidden Mysteries: Notre Dame” (PC), “Picture Puzzle Collection” (DS), “Triple Pack: LIMBO, Trials HD and ‘Splosion Man” (Xbox 360), “Super Sonic Racer” (Wii), “Seek & Find Adventures 2” (PC), “Chronicles of Mystery: The Legend of the Sacred Treasure” (PC), “Hyper Fighting” (Wii), “Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection” (Sony PSP), “Majesty 2 Collection” (PC), “Section 8: Prejudice” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Mad Blocker Alpha: Revenge of the Fluzzles” (downloadable for PSP and PS3), “Arcana Heart 3” (downloadable for PS3), “Red Johnson’s Chronicles” (downloadable for PS3), “Puzzle Agent” (downloadable for PS3).

Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

April 13, 2011

Gamification at AMD's Game On! Texas 2011

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Evan Smith and Sandra Day O’Connor. Photo by Jason Walker, provided by AMD

On Tuesday, an eclectic collection of educators, video game designers and marketers, politicians, nonprofit staffers and a former Supreme Court Justice gathered on the AMD campus to talk about the so-called “Gamification” of education and how the power of gaming can be harnessed by schools and businesses.

What’s “gamification?” A buzzword at South by Southwest Interactive, it was explained succinctly in a slide by Rodney Gibbs of Austin’s Ricochet Labs, the maker of the popular quiz game “Qrank”: “Gamification is a process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audience and solve problems.”

[Let’s not quibble about the spelling; I’ve also seen it as “Gameification.” We should make a game out of figuring out whether the “e” belongs in there.]

The day began with an upbeat, often hilarious keynote presentation featuring Texas Tribune CEO and editor-in-chief Evan Smith interviewing former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In 2009, O’Connor helped launch iCivics (originally called “Our Courts”), a gaming-oriented website meant to teach the kind of information that the nation’s disappearing middle and high school civics courses used to impart. “Half the states have stopped teaching it,” she said.

O’Connor said that there’s a general lack of understanding about the way the courts work that led to its creation, but since then iCivics has expanded to also tackle the legislative and executive branches as well.

The free site has been enthusiastically received by students and educators, she said, but it’s been a struggle to get schools to adopt it. O’Connor said she was planning to focus on Texas because of its size and influence in the education industry. She said she hopes “It will have a widespread, contagious effect” if Texas schools begin using iCivics.

A separate keynote presentation in the afternoon featured Disney Interactive executive producer Starr Long interviewed by a witty and handsome American-Statesman reporter named Omar L. Gallaga.

In the presentation, Long, who is working on a major Disney project that he’s not yet able to discuss publicly, hinted that Disney is looking to create more online-originated properties and that they will likely have strong social and online elements, like “Club Penguin,” which the company acquired in 2007.

Long said that what he’s been working on has strong educational elements, but he stopped short of saying that Disney would be creating products meant directly for schools.

Long, who is not based on Los Angeles with the company, was a longtime fixture in the Austin gaming community. He worked on many projects at Origin System including the long-running “Ultima Online” (which is still active) and later worked with Richard Garriott at NCSoft on the ill-fated online game “Tabula Rasa.”

Disney Interactive recently restructured some of its business and laying off employees. Long said that despite the shuffling and the shift in the industry to so-called social gaming (like “Farmville”), the company doesn’t plan to abandon console game like last year’s Austin-developed “Epic Mickey.”

Other sessions through the day focused on ways that the state of Texas can work to spur more educational game development on the state, how schools are using game design courses, how to use games to train and inform and whether the state is educating enough game development talent to feed the industry. A set of sessions explored principles, rules and mechanics of game design as a group exercise.

At the start of the day, it was announced that Austin’s Girlstart was receiving a grant from the AMD Foundation to fund game design education programs for this year’s Girlstart Summer Camps. The camps, for 4th through 10th graders, are being expanded nationwide near AMD sites in Silicon Valley, Bellevue, Ft. Collins, Orlando and Boston.

A few common threads I heard throughout the day included frustration with the state’s education bureaucracy in adopting new technologies (which could include gaming-focused online tools or new kinds of e-textbooks), worry about whether making everything gaming-centric might be detrimental to helping kids learn for learning’s sake and, not surprisingly, concern over costs in a brutal budget environment.

The day concluded on a more positive note with a video showing off a National STEM video game design challenge that was sponsored by AMD, Microsoft, the Electronic Software Association and others. It featured kids winningly talking about their game design projects. You can see it below. Warning: it will fill your heart with hope. Curmudgeons beware.

One of the finalists, Manor 5th-grader Rhys Wynn Wilkinson (pictured above right) was awarded a laptop and will be receiving a letter from the White House.

On stage, Wilkinson revealed that the previously untitled game he designed now has a name. He’s calling it “Dinosaur Sustainability.”

Edited at 5:45 p.m. to add information about Girlstart.

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

April 12, 2011

'Rio' tops this week's video game releases

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New in video games this week:

“Rio.” - Maybe you don’t like your birds so angry. Maybe you prefer your birds to be cute, funny and based on a movie from the makers of “Ice Age.” In this video game adaptation of the animated movie (which hits theaters on Friday), you’ll find a collection of about 40 mini-games featuring the feathered fliers from the film. Rated E-10+ for anyone 10 and older. $30, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

“Michael Jackson: The Experience.” - Previously a Wii and portable console exclusive, this surprise hit featuring music from the King of Pop comes to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with Kinect and PS3 Move support. It’s built for dancing with motion-captured choreography and has several difficulty modes, including one appropriate for younger players. Rated E-10+ for anyone 10 and older. $20-$50, for Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, DS and Sony PSP.

Also out this week: “LEGO Battles: Ninjago” (DS), “Patapon 3” (PSP), “Black Mirror 3: Final Fear” (Windows PC), “Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga” (Xbox 360), “Squinkies” (DS), “Fantastic Pets” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Spongebob Squigglepants uDraw” (Wii), “Man vs. Wild” (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), “Chronicles of Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet” (PC), “DanceDance Revolution” (Xbox 360), “Puzzle Overload” (DS), “Girls Only” (DS), “TrackMania Turbo: Built to Race” (DS), “Aladdin Magic Racer” (Wii), “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D” (Nintendo 3DS), “World of Tanks” (PC), “Elements of War” (PC), “Time of Fury” (PC), “Armada 2526: Supernova” (PC), “Magicka: Vietnam” (PC), “Escape Trick: The Secret of Rock City Prison” (DS).

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April 5, 2011

New karaoke 'Glee' and 'Shadow Harvest' games his shelves this week

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New video games this week:

“Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2.” — Hey, remember that time the teacher on “Glee” sang “Dream On” with Neil Patrick Harris or when New Directions did Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance?” You say you want to-relive those moments as video-game karaoke? You’re in luck: the new edition features 20 songs from the first season of “Glee” and includes exclusive footage, a new vibrato indicator and new characters. Rated T for Teen. $40-$50 for Standard or Microphone Bundle editions, for Nintendo Wii.

“Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops.” — It’s the year 2025 and you’re tasked with helping a demolition expert, Aron Alvarez, and a stealth operator, Myra Lee, protect the world from evildoers. A stealth-action game with an international bent. Rated M for Mature. $50, for Windows PC.

Also out this week: “Hoard” (Mac), “Rabbids Travel in Time” (Nintendo 3DS, available Sunday), “Match 3 Madness” (Nintendo DS), “Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D” (3DS, available Sunday), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: Alaska” (Wii, PC), “The Egyptian Trilogy” (PC), “Super Meat Boy Ultra Edition” (PC), “Fintastic Fishdom Collection” (PC, Mac), “Ultimate Jewel Quest Collection” (PC), “Chainz Galaxy” (PC), “Mole Control” (PC), “The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Anomaly: Warzone Earth” (Mac), “StarDrone” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “A Fairy Tale” (DS).

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March 31, 2011

The Linkdown for Thursday, March 31

The Linkdown would probably be normally be posting it tomorrow, but that’s April Fool’s Day and everyone knows you shouldn’t believe anything on the Internet on April 1.

Here’s what’s up online:

Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

March 29, 2011

Review: Nintendo 3DS

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Associated Press photos

In late 2006, Nintendo zigged when the rest of the video game industry zagged and debuted the Wii, a console that would introduce innovative motion controls that would later be imitated (and improved upon) by its competitors.

On Sunday, Nintendo again made a risky bet on a fledgling bit of gaming technology with its new 3DS portable system. And, once again, it looks as if it’s going to pay off.

The 3DS is the successor to Nintendo’s wildly popular DS (Dual Screen) and DSi handhelds, but with one incredible trick up its sleeve: its top screen can display 3-D images, video and games without the need for 3-D glasses. As with gadgets like DVRs and the Apple iPad, it’s hard to convey in words how impressive and futuristic this innovation feels until your eyes see it for themselves. If you view the screen at the right angle and at the right distance (there’s a slider next to the screen that adjusts the 3-D effect or can switch to 2-D), the flat screen suddenly produces a depth of field that seems almost magical.

(We should note here that Nintendo has advised that children six and under not use the 3DS in 3-D mode because it could harm the development of their eyesight. There’s been some debate online about how profound that effect might be. Nintendo suggests that children that age use the 3DS only when it’s set to 2-D mode.)

If the 3DS, which costs $250 compared to about $150 for the previous-generation DSi, only displayed 3-D, it would be an interesting novelty, but not a game changer the way the Wii was. But with a handful of games and technology demos included with the device, Nintendo is showing that its ambitious for the system go far beyond just taking existing video games and pushing them into the third dimension.

We tested out a 3DS review unit provided by Nintendo that we received about a week before Sunday’s launch.

The console includes three cameras — one in the front and two in the back and it can shoot 3-D photos using the rear lenses. The 3-D photos I shot, of objects on my desk and of members of my family, were as spooky as they were cool. There’s something very “Harry Potter” about 3-D photography that makes it both lovely to behold and slightly disturbing; it’s almost too real. Your eyes don’t quite believe it.

The 3DS includes a set of “AR Game” cards, short for “Augmented Reality.” Using those cameras and the cards, you can conjure up virtual 3-D figures of Nintendo characters like Mario and Link, pose them on your kitchen table and snap 3-D photos of them, all viewed through the 3DS screen. You can also unlock several shooting games using the same trick; you may find yourself getting out of your chair and pivoting around the AR cards.

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A similar game called “Face Raiders” shoots a photo of you or a friend, grafts that facial image onto a bunch of little helicopters and then tasks you with shooting them down with your environment as the game background.

They’re surprising, incredibly impressive demonstrations of what the 3DS can do. There’s also “Mii Maker” and “Mii Plaza” which allow you to create and share personalized “Mii” characters just like the ones on the Nintendo Wii. You can even snap a photo of yourself and the software will convert your facial features to the Mii animated style. (It’s hit or miss; I didn’t think my Mii photo adaptation looked much like me.)

Other new features include a built-in pedometer that keeps track of movement even when the 3DS is in Sleep Mode and awards coins for steps. There’s also “SpotPass,” which allows game data and Mii swapping whenever your 3DS comes into the proximity of another player’s 3DS. We weren’t able to test out this feature or to get a peek at Nintendo’s download store for the 3DS, which isn’t expected to appear until May. (The 3DS also lacks a web browser at the moment and other online features that are expected to roll out in the coming months.)

As for the launch games for the system, they’re a mixed bag. For every game like “LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars” or “Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition,” which make smart, game-enhancing use of 3-D, there are others like “Steel Diver,” which is more laborious than fun and “Madden NFL Football,” which is such a mess of 2-D and 3-D visuals that it wore out my eyes to play after more than 10 minutes at a time.

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“The Sims 3” looks fantastic in 3-D, but its touch-screen controls leave a lot to be desired. And “Bust-a-Move Universe” is a fun puzzle game that seems extraneous; it doesn’t benefit much from the leap to 3-D in terms of gameplay.

One of the first online system updates for the 3DS added a free 3-D video for OK Go’s “White Knuckle,” which showcases how the system handles live-action 3-D (very, very well it turns out).

As impressive as the 3DS is (and we’re assuming the games will get much better, especially when Nintendo starts releasing games featuring its stable of stars), there are some serious downsides. The worst of them is the battery life, which takes a significant hit from the previous generations of Nintendo portables. You’ll be lucky if you can eke out 3 or 4 hours of gameplay. If you’re used to going multiple days without charging up a DS system, the 3DS will be a major adjustment. (Nintendo tries to salve the pain a bit by including a charging cradle.)

While the hardware feels well-built and solid, with rounded edges and a metallic texture, it’s not much of a change from the DS. It looks clunky next to current smart phones. Making up for that, at least, is a nicely implemented circular, analog thumb controller, great-sounding speakers and, of course, that impressive 3-D screen.

Which brings us to the biggest flaw in the 3DS, which also happens to be its best selling point: not everyone will want to play 3-D games for an extended period of time. Especially in games where your eyes have to refocuses constantly between 2-D and 3-D views, you may find yourself fatigued or simply overwhelmed by too much visual stimuli. Some gamers aren’t able to view 3-D imagery at all and, just as with 3-D movies in theaters, some people simply don’t like the effect or suffer from headaches and nausea when they try to view it.

Some gamers won’t enjoy having to keep the screen perfectly aligned with their eyes to get the effect or the finicky way the 3-D slider need to be employed from game to game.

But that’s the price to pay for being on the ground floor of something that feels entirely new, a technology that will likely find its way into a new generation of phones, music players and, eventually, big screen TVs. Did you really think 3-D that requires those clunky glasses was going to remain the norm?

The 3DS is a you’ve-gotta-see-this piece of tech that every early adopter should at least check out. But whether it’s worth the $250 pricetag will largely depend on whether you’re a fan of 3-D; not everyone’s ready to make that leap given the compromises, as impressive as it may be.

Nintendo 3DS
Available in “Cosmo Black” and “Aqua Blue”
$250

Permalink | | Categories: Gadgets, Shopping, Videogames

Nintendo 3DS and new 'Tiger Woods' hit stores this week

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New video games this week:

Nintendo 3DS. — (released Sunday) Nintendo’s newest iteration of its best-selling portable console has one incredible trick up its sleeve: it can display 3-D without the need for 3-D glasses. We’ve seen it for ourselves and the fact that it works at all (as long as you hold it still and look at the top screen straight on) is amazing. Regular Nintendo DS games still work with it and the console also includes three cameras (two in the back for 3-D photos, one front-facing), a built-in augmented-reality game and more. $250, in “Cosmo Black” and “Aqua Blue.”

“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters.” — Virtual golf geeks rejoice! For the first time a “Tiger Woods PGA” game you’ll have the chance to play at the Augusta National Golf Club. In addition to that priviledge, the new edition of the franchise also includes a revamped style in its broadcast presentation, caddie assistance and a family mini-golf mode. Rated E for Everyone. $50-$70 for Standard or Collector Editions, for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3.

Also out this week: “Free Realms” (PS3), “Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition” (3DS), “Pilotwings Resort” (3DS), “LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars” (3DS), “Nintendogs + Cats” (3DS), “Steel Diver” (3DS), “Super Monkey Ball 3D” (3DS), “Samurai Warriors Chronicles” (3DS), “Bust-a-Move Universe” (3DS), “LEGO Battles: Ninjago” (Nintendo DS), “Country Dance” (Wii), “NASCAR The Game 2011” (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), “Dynasy Warriors 7” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier” (Xbox 360, PS3, Windows PC), “Shift 2: Unleashed” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky” (Sony PSP), “WWE All Stars” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PlayStation 2), “Gem Quest: 4 Elements” (DS), “Back to the Future: Episode 3” (downloadable for PC and Mac), “Vacation Quest: The Hawaiian Islands” (PC/Mac), “Zhu Zhu Puppies” (DS), “Hop” (DS), “Johnny Test” (DS), “I Love Horses: Rider’s Paradise” (Wii), “Lost Identities” (DS), “Montessori Music” (DS), “Mahjong Escape: Ancient China” (PC), “Chess Attack!” (DS), “ATV Wild Ride” (DS), “Famous” (DS), “Maximum Racing: Crash Car Racer” (Wii), “Maximum Racing: Rally Racer” (Wii), “The 3rd Birthday” (PSP), “Mass Effect 2: Arrival” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3).

Permalink | | Categories: Gadgets, Videogames

March 26, 2011

Pleasant surprise: Austin's Rooster Teeth releases 'Angry Birds: The Movie' trailer

It appears that our local machinima maestros Rooster Teeth have been busy filming a live-action mock teaser trailer for “Angry Birds: The Movie.” Fun!

Who knew that the war involving the avian Kamikazes of “Angry Birds” would take the fight to Congress Ave.?

(hat tip to Joystiq.com)

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Videogames

March 24, 2011

Video game review: 'Dead Space 2'

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Nearly two months ago, shortly after the late-January release of “Dead Space 2,” I could have easily given you a three-word review: “Scary, bigger, engrossing.”

This much time later, having played the game nearly every night for about a half hour to an hour at a time (with some breaks for necessary TV watching and South by Southwest Interactive), and after finishing the single-player campaign, I can say that those words still apply. The game retains the creepy, doomed mood of the first game, but packs it with more action, bigger set pieces and a logical continuation of the storyline for its hero Isaac Clarke (who is no longer a cipher; we now see his face and hear him talk).

Isaac was the hero of the original “Dead Space,” a great first effort in the franchise that was spooky, but almost too sparse in its design. If “Dead Space” was a stick-in-your-craw horror survival adventure like “Alien,” “Dead Space 2” is surely the James Cameron-ish “Aliens” with many more monsters and a better sense of over-the-top Hollywood spectacle.

In the first game, Isaac navigated a dark engineering spaceship that had been hit with what seemed like a horrible biological plague that turned its denizens into mutated, aggressive beasts. Isaac was searching for his girlfriend (bad idea) and (spoiler alert!) in a great twist, found her at the end of the first game.

She returns in “Dead Space 2” to haunt Isaac and guide him through a new set of adventures involving a huge space artifact called a “Marker,” a Scientology-like religion that took hold on a massive space station and and, of course, big beasties that must be taken down with a fine assortment of imaginative weaponry, psychic powers and evasion.

Unlike most shoot-‘em-up games, Isaac as a hero is in a fragile mental state. He hallucinates, sometimes collapses with emotional exhaustion and manages to express deep suffering without being whiny. The game tries hard to drop story clues as audio and text logs, but this game doesn’t quite master the storytelling the way “BioShock” did. That’s OK; the gameplay itself more than makes up for that.

I wouldn’t have kept on playing for so long, desperately trying to survive to each new save point, if the game wasn’t so well-produced. It looks great, has remarkably good sound design, tight controls that feel improved over the first game (especially in its zero-gravity sequences) and the right mix of challenge minus game-ending frustration. The game is disturbing (no more so than when you fight off waves of tiny monsters, ostensibly the space station’s human children who have been infected), but addictive. Isaac is a compelling lead character. The game’s space station is a marvel of level design (even a return trip to the first game’s Ishimura vessel feels fresh) and all the elements of the game feel improved and refined instead of repetitive. Multiplayer gameplay and several add-ons (a “Severed” downloadable game and “Extraction,” a bonus bundle for the PlayStation 3 version among them) keep the game going past the main campaign.

It takes a remarkable game to keep me invested for so long when there’s a stack of other worthy titles waiting to be played. “Dead Space 2” is one of those rare video games that’s worth investing the time to complete.

“Dead Space 2”
$40-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs
Rated M for Mature (heavy, HEAVY gore and violence)

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March 22, 2011

'Crysis 2' and new 'LEGO Star Wars' hit shelves this week

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New video game releases this week:

“Crysis 2.” — The original, released in late 2007, was such an ahead-of-its time powerhouse that PC gamers still struggle to run its graphics engine on the game’s highest detail settings. The sequel should prompt even more hardware upgrades. It’s set in New York City under an alien invasion and features more Nanosuit options to change your combat style and features 12-player online play. And if your computer can’t handle it, you can just play the game console versions. Rated M for Mature. $60, for Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.” — Taking a detour from the movie adaptations that have made for some popular “LEGO” games, this one is actually based on Seasons 1 and 2 of “The Clone Wars” animated TV series. It’s got the usual force powers, adorable characters and amusing asides as the previous games. Rated E for Everyone. $30-$50, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PSP, Windows PCs and Nintendo Wii.

Also out this week: “Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC), “Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy” (PSP), “The Sims Medieval” (PC, Mac), “Rayman 3D” (3DS), “Ridge Racer 3DS” (3DS), “Tomb Raider Trilogy” (PS3), “PlayStation Move Heroes” (PS3 Move), “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars” (3DS), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D” (3DS), “Madden NFL Football 3DS” (3DS), “The Sims 3” (3DS), “Asphalt 3D” (3DS), “Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D” (3DS), “Raving Rabbids Party Collection” (Wii), “TrackMania: Build to Race” (Wii), “Chronicles of Mystery: Legends of the Sacred Treasure” (PC), “Learn Math: Genius Edition” (DS), “Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive” (PSP), “Mayhem 3D” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Playmobil Agents” (DS), “Arcania: Fall of Setariff” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (PC), “Theatre of War 3: Korea” (PC).

Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Videogames

March 11, 2011

SXSW panel: Will games replace textbooks in schools?

Title: Death of Textbooks, Emergence of Games

Date/Time: 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 11

Panelists: James Bower CEO Numedeon/Whyville; Alan Gershenfeld President E-Line Media; Sara DeWitt VP, PBS KIDS Interactive PBS

The Gist: Textbooks are going the way of the dinosaurs and games will soon be the primary way that kids learn.

Takeaways: The U.S. ranks 23rd in math and science education in the world, but ranks 8th in amount we spend. A lot of money is spent on textbooks even though, in many cases, they aren’t being used. School districts and state governments believe they can save money if they buy digital books instead of games.

But, the panelists argue, digital books are just a newer version of what’s not working. Through research, they point out that kids engaged in games retain information at a high rate. With educational games, which can be played online in school or at home, on whiteboards or computers in the classroom or on mobile devices, the panelists said, teachers and parents can track progress in different areas like math skills or reading comprehension. Games can be designed to show teachers exactly where a student drops out or gets disengaged. Other games can adapt to a student’s learning style and change difficulty according to the individual student’s needs. The panelists spent a lot of time talking about the benefit of these back-end metrics.

But all in all, the panelists said, games will only be one component of learning in the classroom. Teachers will still be essential.

Quotes: Bower: “The roll of teachers will change. The best teachers kind of already teach this way.” Gershenfeld: “Game based learning can and should help good teachers do more. Done well, educational technology and game-based learning can help teachers with larger classes and students at different levels and moving at different paces.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SXSW 2011, Videogames

March 10, 2011

SXSW keynote preview: playing with Seth Priebatsch

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Would you like to play a game?

Seth Priebatsch, “Chief Ninja” at Cambridge, Mass.-based SCVNGR, has two of them in store for attendees of his South by Southwest Interactive Festival opening keynote presentation, which he’ll deliver 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Austin Convention Center. (It’ll be live-streamed to the public on sxsw.com as well.)

While most keynotes at SXSWi typically involve a single speaker and some slides (like Zappos.com chief executive Tony Hsieh’s talk on happiness in 2009) or an onstage interview (Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s legendary train wreck with journalist Sarah Lacy in 2008), 22-year-old Priebatsch promises to break the format with a more participatory presentation.

“I do like to have a lot of fun, and I do like to have a lot of fun with the audience. It’s either going to work and be one of the coolest joint experiences that anyone in the audience will have had … or fail gloriously,” Priebatsch said. “It’ll be epic either way.”

From his “Chief Ninja” job title (he could also be called founder and CEO) to his company bio (“Seth Priebatsch was born in Boston, MA at the age of 7”) to his cheery, hyper, completely convincing banter by phone, Priebatsch is part of a wave of online companies and Web executives who work humor and games into the fabric of what they do.

It worked for Groupon Inc., the online deals service that by some estimates could be worth $15 billion.

For SCVNGR, which started off as a location-based business app that Priebatsch developed as part of a business competition at Princeton, the mix of quirky and forward-looking is paying off. The service announced in February that it has passed a million users and on Thursday introduced a feature called “LevelUp” in Philadelphia and Boston.

SCVNGR in some ways resembles a mix of location services like Gowalla and Foursquare, where users check in at specific locations, but is heavily focused on what Priebatsch called a “gaming layer” that introduces elements of, say, video games into real-world interactions. “This decade was the decade of social,” he said. “The next decade is the decade for gaming.”

With LevelUp, SCVNGR will work with merchants to reward repeat customers, cracking a problem that seems to affect daily deal and location-based sites that attract flocks of new customers to local businesses but doesn’t give them enough reason to come back.

“We’re trying to crack the science of loyalty for local business,” he said. “ We believe that (location-based services) and the local deals space are on a head-on collision course.” The potential on the business side for being one of the first companies to crack the code is huge, but Priebatsch is equally excited about the implications of video-game mechanics increasingly working their way into the real world. Points? Leveling up by completing challenges and earning achievements? Finding the (metaphoric) princess by completing a stage of a game that is spread out across your city?

The keynote will tie that in by example, he says: “It’ll force everyone to experience this in a visceral way,” Priebatsch said.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2009, SXSW 2010, SXSW 2011, Videogames

March 8, 2011

"Dragon Age 2" and new "Pokémon" games debut this week

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New video games this week:

“Dragon Age 2.” — The sequel to BioWare’s mighty, large-scale 2009 role-playing adventure takes place across a decade of storylines and features new combat mechanics, updated graphics and, of course, BioWare’s knack for digital narrative. Expect it to take up lots and lots of your free time. Rated M for Mature. $60 for Windows PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“Pokémon Black Version.” / “Pokémon White Version.” — It feels like players of the venerable Pokémon series have been catching them all for decades (all right, since the mid-90s, at least). This latest edition for the Nintendo DS and DSi (available in two different versions) adds Triple and Rotation Battles to the mix in addition to all new creatures to collecta and trade wirelessly. Rated E for Everyone. $35 each, for Nintendo DS.

Also out this week: “MLB 11: The Show” (PS3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Sony PSP), “Major League Baseball 2K11” (Nintendo Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, PC, DS, PSP), “Yoostar 2: In the Movies” (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “Slam Bolt Scrapers” (downloadable for PS3), “The Sims 3: Barnacle Bay” (PC, Mac), “Phantom Brave: Heroes of the Hermuda Triangle” (PSP), “The $1,000,000 Pyramid” (Wii), “Atari’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2” (DS), “Warriors: Legends of Troy” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Petz Bunnyz Bunch” (DS), “Superstars V8 Next Challenge” (PS3) “Pirate Blast” (Wii), “Zany Golf” (Wii), “Suze Orman’s Money Game” (PC), “Torchlight” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

March 7, 2011

The Linkdown for Monday, March 7 (non-SXSW edition)

We’ve been writing a lot about South by Southwest Interactive and if you’re not attending (or have no plans to follow the fest), it must be getting a little exhausting. Well, we’re going to be doing a lot more, but here’s a respite for non-SXSWers, a Linkdown sans South by Southwest information.

Here’s what’s up:

  • The RISE Austin conference begins today, featuring keynote speaker Robert Johnson. Here’s a list of the multicultural series tech sessions and more info about the series. You can also read more about RISE in today’s Statesman.
  • Also on Thursday: a reception for an art exhibit of iPad-created artwork. Artist Kyle Lambert’s work (like the iPad-created image pictured here), among many others, will be part of the show.
  • Why is the iPad doing so well and why will it be so hard for competitors to catch up? It’s all about pricing.
  • Have you ever been burned by online concert ticketing that seemed to sell out too quickly? Here’s why that happens.
  • Three non-SXSW social media happenings on Thursday: Austin High Tech Happy Hour ($10) at Molotov, BASHH (free, but sold out) at Belmont and Statesman Texas Social Media Awards (free, waitlist) at ACL Live.
  • Something to look forward to: March 13 is World Poopin’ Day. (Calm down, it’s for charity!)
  • Gowalla 3.0 for Android devices is all the way live.
  • Austin’s Photodex has partnered with Smugmug for online HD slideshows.
  • Last week, Facebook acquired Beluga, a group messaging service that I’ve been trying out. It’s quite good.
  • The president and CEO of NPR Vivian Schiller and Meredith Artley, the managing editor of CNN.com (full disclosure: I write for both) will be featured speakers at the 12th Annual International Symposium on Online Journalism at the University of Texas.
  • The Online gaming service is giving away a microconsole and controller with pre-orders of “Homefront.”
  • The official DirecTV app for iPad is out. I’ve tried it. It’s hot. No video streaming, but streaming else about it is great.
  • The Austin Chamber of Commerce has an app!
  • A site for news and events related to Austin start-ups, appropriately called “Startup ATX.”
  • In addition to his Disney video game / “Epic Mickey” duties, Austin’s Warren Spector is also busy working on “DuckTales” comics. Might we see a video game based on it, too?

    Got a Linkdown suggestion? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2011, Videogames

    March 1, 2011

    MMO "Rift" and "Fight Night Champion" top game releases this week

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    New video games this week:

    “Rift.” — A new massively multiplayer online role-playing game tht takes place in the fantasy world of Telara where a civil war is happening and elemental creatures do battle. It features the kind of things you’d expect in an MMO: guilds, player vs. player battles, crafting and deep character creation. Rated T for Teen. $50-$80 for Standard and “Collector’s Edition,” plus monthly subscription after the first 30 days. For Windows PCs.

    “Fight Night Champion.” — Electronic Arts’ long-time “Fight Night” series goes dark and dirty with what it’s calling the most realistic depiction of the boxing industry to date. In addition to the blood, brutality and “realistic body damage and deformation,” the game includes a mature storyline about the grittier side of the sport. Graphically, it should be a powerhouse and it features 50 fighters including Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson and George Foreman. Rated M for Mature. $60 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Rango” (Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PS3), “Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II Retribution” (PC), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: Alaska” (Wii), “TrackMania” (Wii), “Chuck E. Cheese’s Sport Games” (Wii), “Maximum Racing: GP Classic Racing” (Wii), “Maximum Racing: Drag and Stock Racer” (Wii), “Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike” (downloadable for PS3), “Beyond Good & Evil HD” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3) “PixelJunk Shooter 2” (downloadable for PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    February 22, 2011

    Shooters "Bulletstorm" and "Killzone 3" debut this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Bulletstorm.” — Is it, as Fox News recently asked, “The worst video game in the world?” Probably not, but the first-person shooter from Epic Games has already earned attention for its over-the-top gore and violence, sexual innuendo, and no-holds-barred action. It’s also got a story from Marvel Comics “Punisher” writer Rick Remender. Rated M for Mature. $60 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

    “Killzone 3.” — Lest you think there’s only room for one big-budget shoot-’em-up this week, Sony’s sequel may not be as titillating sa “Bulletstorm,” but it will tempt players with 3-D TV compatibility and the ability to play the entire game with the PlayStation Move controller, the biggest PS3 title yet to do so. Rated M for Mature. $60-$130 for Standard and “Helghast Edition” for PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Gray Matter” (PC), “Radiant Historia” (Nintendo DS), “Ys I & II Chronicles” (Sony PSP), “De Blob 2” (Nintendo Wii, PS3, DS), “EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious” (PC), “Knights Contract” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Dreamcast Collection” (Xbox 360), “The Egyptian Trilogy” (PC), “TrackMania: Build to Race” (Wii, DS), “Tin Can” (DS), “Nanda’s Island” (DS), “Fallout: New Vegas — Dead Money” (downloadable for PS3 and PC), “Painkiller: Redemption” (downloadable for PC), “Gemini Rue” (PC), “Cities in Motion” (PC), “Trapped Dead” (PC).

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

    February 17, 2011

    Felicia Day debuts 'Dragon Age: Redemption' on 'Fallon'

    South by Southwest Interactive 2011 keynote speaker Felicia Day appeared on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” last night and spoke about her new project, a web video series based on BioWare’s “Dragon Age” video games.

    Day, an actress and writer who’s appeared on Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” and in her own web series “The Guild,” shot the new series, “Dragon Age: Redemption” in Los Angeles in January. It’s set to debut this summer alongside the single-player role-playing video game “Dragon Age 2.” Day says in the interview with Fallon that she got in fighting shape to throw daggers and portray an elf in the series. Then she showed off a short teaser for the series.

    It’s likely we’ll be seeing more footage from “Redemption” at her festival keynote.

    Then she was approached by rappers from Odd Future and asked to sing along in the middle of their musical performance:

    Day, who hails from Austin and is a University of Texas at Austin alumna, is expected to speak at the fest on the way geeks and technology are transforming the Hollywood entertainment model.

    If you missed it yesterday, you can catch the transcript of our live chat with SXSWi festival organizers here. Also upcoming is a SXSW Interactive Town Hall and mixer Monday night at the Ghost Room.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW, SXSW 2011, TV, Videogames

    February 15, 2011

    "Marvel vs. Capcom 3" and "Dragon Quest VI" top new video games this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.” — The two worlds in question here are presumably those of the Marvel Comics universe and the Capcom game world that includes “Street Fighter” bruisers like Ryu and Chun Li. This game features 3-on-3 tag-team fighting, a revamped graphics engine, downloadable special characters and a “Simple Mode” for easier gameplay. Rated T for Teen. $60-$70 for Standard or Special Edition, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    “Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation.” — This last chapter in the “Zenithian Saga,” remade for the Nintendo DS, is a turn-based, single-player role-playing game featuring nine character classes and classic monsters (hey, our old friend “Slime!”). Rated T for Teen. $35 for Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “Back to the Future” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together” (Sony PSP), “Hyperdimensional Neptunia” (PS3), “Chronicles of Mystery: The Secret Tree of Life” (DS), “Gears of War Triple Pack” (Xbox 360), “Dance Paradise” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Amnesia” (Windows PC), “Pirate Blast” (Nintendo Wii), “Secret Files: Art of Murder” (PC), “ThinkSMART: Scotland Yard” (DS), “Destrega” (downloadable for PS3), “Soccer Bashi” (downloadable for PS3), “Hard Corps: Uprising” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Y I & II Chronicles” (PSP), “Pucca’s Kisses Game” (downloadable for Wii), “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction” (Mac).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    February 8, 2011

    "Jack" is back and so is Mario's crew in this week's game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    “You Don’t Know Jack.” — For a generation of computer game players, “You Don’t Know Jack” was the ultimate trivia game, a savvy, pop-culture-aware game show that might have been the pinnacle of the CD-ROM era. After being reinvented in a recent web-based version, “YDKJ” is back with classic question modes (“DisOrDat,” “Jack Attack”), but with all-new questions and online play. Rated T for Teen. $20-$40 for Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

    “Mario Sports Mix.” — Nintendo’s Mario gang suits up for four sports — basketball, dodgeball, volleyball and hockey — in a variety of cooperative and competitive modes featuring Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and other characters. They all have signature moves and the games are filled with power-ups, bonuses, special items and, presumably, lots of cute sound effects and magic mushrooms. The sporting events can also be played online. Rated E for Everyone. $50 for Nintendo Wii.

    Also out this week: “Test Drive Unlimited 2” (PS3, Xbox 360. Windows PC), “Dungeons,” (PC), “Hyperdimensional Neptunia” (PS3), “Jewel Quest Solitaire Trio” (DS), “Brain and Body Connection” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Trinity: Souls Of Zill O’ll” (PS3), “Naruto Shippuden: Shinobi Rumble” (DS), “Zhu Zhu Princess: Carriages and Castles” (DS), “Rec Room Games” (DS), “Black Mirror 2: Reigning Evil” (PC), “Superstars V8 Next Challenge” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Edna and Harvey: The Breakout” (PC), “Lucent Heart” (PC), “TNT Racers” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Explodemon” (downloadable for PS3), “Stacking” (downloadable for PS3), “Tales from Space: About a Blob” (downloadable for PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    February 3, 2011

    Review: 'Bejeweled 3' for PC and Mac

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    It would be silly to assume that a game like “Bejeweled,” the match-3-or-more-jeweled puzzle game that’s available on practically every game console and cell phone, could sustain its momentum after 10 years of ubiquity.

    The franchise has become the “Tetris” of its generation (and it certainly draws from that Russian classic), spawning hundreds of imitators and derivations. Most recently, “Bejeweled” has split off into a version called “Blitz” that’s become popular on Facebook and can be played on smart phones.

    “Bejeweled 3,” then, which is priced $20 and is meant to be played on Mac or Windows computers, would seem like a step back. Who wants to be tied to a computer to play this game when so many good versions are out in smaller, more portable form?

    PopCap Games (“Plants vs. Zombies,” “Zuma”) has an uncanny knack for creating simple, yet addictive experiences and with this new version, they manage to breathe new life into the jewel game with well-thought-out new modes, improved eye candy in the form of HD-quality graphics and that secret sauce that can turn a five-minute play session into two unintended hours of gameplay.

    The familiar “Classic” mode is enhanced with more robust pyrotechnics when you put together good combos of matching jewels and playing through it earns you badges and experience points that unlock other modes of play.

    That’s where “Bejeweled 3” shines; it avoids getting boring by the sheer number of clever variations PopCap has introduced, from a form of Poker (where the emphasis shifts to matching consecutive series of like-colored gems instead of going for big combos) to “Ice Storm” where rising columns of ice threaten to end the game if you don’t match gems to cut them down.

    There’s a Quest Mode that puts you through your paces in a variety of different game modes like “Diamond Mine” (uncover hidden treasures beneath the board) and “Butterflies,” where you’re freeing gem-colored butterflies trapped in the game.

    And for those seeking a purer game experience, there’s “Zen” mode, where you can zone out while reading positive affirmations and listening to tones meant to soothe and relax. Funny, many of the game modes (especially “Ice Storm”) had the opposite effect for me: they amped up my blood pressure with stress as I ran out of moves.

    PopCap does an admirable job continuing its streak with “Bejeweled.” I spent more than a few nights cursing it for sucking me in for much longer than I was expecting to play. It’s the mark of a good puzzle game that when you’re playing, time slips away and the game continues to delight and engage you into the wee hours of the night.

    “Bejeweled 3”
    Rated E for Everyone
    $20, for Windows PC and Mac

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    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    February 2, 2011

    Austin's Twisted Pixel unveils 'The Gunstringer' for Kinect

    Austin’s Twisted Pixel game studio, which was just in the news for being flattered by imitation by Capcom, has announced its first game for Microsoft’s hot-selling Xbox 360 Kinect device.

    “The Gunstringer” appears to combine motion-controlled puppetry, gunplay, side-scrolling 2-D levels (and 3-D levels) and the old west into one game that looks to have some nice animation going for it. The game is related to a recent video shoot the company held in Austin.

    Twisted Pixel is expected to show off a playable version of the game (along with “Ms. ‘Splosion Man”) at the Penny Arcade Expo East next month in Boston.

    What do you think of the game trailer? Post your thoughts in the comments.

    (Hat tip to Joystiq for the news.)

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    February 1, 2011

    'Sims 3' pack, MMO 'Earthrise' lead video game releases this week

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    New video games this week:

    “The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff” — All right, it’s maybe the billionth expansion pack for the “Sims” PC games, but given our Central Texas penchant for fire pits and counter-top patio grills, this one might be of special interest. This pack for “The Sims 3” includes patio furniture, outdoor electronics, “Garden Terrace” and “Sunset on the Veranda”-style pieces and outdoor casual clothing. Rated T for Teen. $20 for Windows PC and Mac.

    “Earthrise.” — This new massively multiplayer online game, set in the distant future on a post-apocalyptic Earth, is about a totalitarian government and insurgent forces battling in a society where “cloning, nanotechnology and quantum engineering are part of a new reality.” Rated T for Teen. $50 plus monthly fee (to be announced), for Windows PCs.

    Also out this week: “Ultimate Battle of the Sexes” (Wii), “Rock Band Country Track Pack 2” (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “Call of Duty: Black Ops — First Strike” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Jewel Quest Trilogy” (Wii), “Mystery P.I. — Stolen in San Francisco” (PC), “PopCap Greatest Hits” (PC), “Photo Phantasy” (Nintendo DS), “Mr. Bean” (Wii, DS), “Zombies Seeker” (DS), “Junior Brain Trainer Two” (DS).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    January 25, 2011

    'Dead Space 2' leads game releases this week

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    Video game releases this week:

    “Dead Space 2” — The original game’s gruesome abandoned-spaceship dread and shock ending made it the rare game that combined genuine scares with good action gameplay. The sequel promises more psychological horror as engineer protragonist Isaac Clarke tries to keep his sanity while slaying mutated beasties. There’s now a “Javelin” weapon to pin enemies against walls, rocket boosters Isaac can use in zero gravity and, most importantly, new multiplayer gameplay. Rated M for Mature. $60-$80 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.

    “Breach” — Atomic Games promises its first-person shooter utilizes advanced military tactics, weaponry and an advanced cover system that will change the way players engage in online combat. Whether that’s true or not, the $20 pricetag might make it a viable contender against hits like “Call of Duty: Black Ops” for hardcore virtual warmongers. Rated T for Teen. $20, downloadable for Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.

    Also out this week: “Two Worlds II” (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), “Lord of Arcana” (Sony PSP), “Exorcist” (PC), “John Daly’s ProStroke Golf” (PC), “Luxor 5 Anniversary Edition” (PC, Mac), “Fiction Fixers” (PC, Mac), “Gourmania 2: Kitchen Confidential” (PC), “Dino Strike” (Nintendo Wii), “Junior Brain Trainer 2” (Nintendo DS), “Chronicles of Mystery: The Tree of Life” (DS).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    January 24, 2011

    Disney Interactive confirms layoffs at Austin's Junction Point

    Disney Interactive Studios confirmed Monday night that there have been layoffs at its Austin-based Junction Point Studios just short of two months after the release of its high-profile Nintendo Wii game, “Disney Epic Mickey.”

    A representative for Disney Interactive said that there were layoffs today at Junction Point, “But they were fairly minimal and it is pat of a larger restructuring at Disney Interactive Studios, which is part of Disney Interactive Media Group.”

    The company would not say how many employees were affected.

    Last week, Disney closed down a different studio, Propaganda Studios, which was based in Vancouver. The company declined to comment on other studios or on the status or future at the company for Warren Spector, the head of the studio, who founded Junction Point in 2005 and sold it to Disney in 2007. As of November, Junction Point had about 130 Austin employees.

    While it’s common for some companies in the video game industry to lay off some employees after a big-budget game has been released, Disney Interactive has also been shuffling its executive roster. In September, Steve Wadsworth, president of Disney Interactive Media Group, resigned. In November, Disney Interactive Studios general manager Graham Hopper followed suit.

    “Epic Mickey” was released on Nov. 30 and reportedly sold about 1.3 million copies in December. There have been reports that sales were below Disney’s expectations and reviews of the ambitious game varied widely.

    (Edited at 10:52 p.m. to specify attribution of information to Disney Interactive Studios.)

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    UPDATED: Austin gaming: KingsIsle hits 15 million, 'DC Universe' sells fast

    Two Austin-developed online games are having some big success of late: “Wizard 101” from KingsIsle Entertainment, has reached 15 million registrations. That’s in the U.S. alone; it doesn’t include European players. The company is hiring and says it’s seeing strong growth for its website traffic.

    “DC Universe Online,” which just launched two weeks ago, is said to have had strong sales so far, with the president of the company Tweeting that it’s the fastest-selling game in SOE history. The company is adding more servers for the game and reports that sales are strong for both the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC versions.

    This all follows on the heels of the late-November releases of two other high-profile Austin-developed game releases, “Disney Epic Mickey” and “Donkey Kong Country Returns” which were said to have sold about 1.3 million and 1.4 million copies in December, respectively. (“Donkey Kong” was released earlier and sold about half a million copies in November on top of that.) “Mickey” was developed in Austin by Disney Interactive’s Junction Point Studios and “Donkey Kong” was developed by Retro Studios.

    Updated, 8:07 p.m.: And that was a short-lived celebration. Gaming blog Joystiq is reporting that there was a round of layoffs today at Junction Point and that, given Disney Interactive’s recent executive shuffling and other recent moves, that there are questions about the future of studio head Warren Spector and of the studio itself.

    To put that in perspective, it’s not uncommon for game studios working on big-budget titles to lay off staff shortly after a video game is released, even if that game is successful. But given the other turmoil at Disney Interactive, it could be a sign of something less routine, especially if it’s true that “Epic Mickey” sales were below expectations.

    We’re waiting on official word from Disney about layoffs at Junction Point and will post when we know more.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    January 18, 2011

    'LittleBigPlanet 2' and 'Magic' lead new game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    “LittleBigPlanet 2.” — The original “LittleBigPlanet” was so ridiculously charming and revelatory that a sequel was a given. This one is, in fact, the third game in the series after a Sony PSP edition last year. In this game, 50 new story levels are on offer in addition to more than two million levels available online, created by players. (All levels created for the original game are compatible with “LBP 2.”) There are also new gadgets (grappling hooks, Power Gloves), a tool for creating cinematic cut-scenes and of course tons of stickers, costumes and contraption for Sackboy and his pals. And, of course, Stephen Fry is back as the game’s whimsical narrator. Rated E for Everyone. $60-$80 or Standard and Collector’s Editions, for PlayStation 3.

    “Magic: The Gathering — Tactics.” — Based on the fantasy card game, this strategy game puts players in the role of a powerful mage in control of powerful spells and creatures. Players can go solo or compete online against other players. Rated T for Teen. Free to download and play for Windows PCs (booster packs and additional content costs vary).

    Also out this week: “Mass Effect 2” (PS3), “Plants vs. Zombies” (Nintendo DS), “Farmtown America” (DS), “Reel Deal Slots Adventure III World Tour” (PC), “Mindjack” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Monday Night Combat” (downloadable for PC), “Scrabble Tour” (PC), “Edna and Harvey: The Breakout” (PC), “The Ball” (PC), “The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” (DS), “Dwarfs” (PC), “Ultimate Hidden Mystery” (PC), “Ultimtae Gem Seekers” (PC), “Spare Parts” (downloadable for Xbox 360 and PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    January 13, 2011

    Reviews: 'Infinity Blade' and 'Zombie Smash HD' for iPad

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    Back when Steve Jobs unveiled the next generation of iPod Touch devices in September, he showed off a stunning proof-of-technology demo for “Epic Citadel,” which showed off the horsepower of the tiny media player.

    Only a few short months later, that demo became a full-scale mobile game, “Infinity Blade,” which shows off graphics to rival those in $60 retail console games (at $5.99, no less and it works on both iPhone/iPod Touch devices and the iPad with the same downloaded app). But if it were just eye candy for Apple’s Retina Display or the iPad’s big screen, that would be no great surprise.

    Instead, “Infinity Blade” is a full-fledged role-playing battle royale with intuitive controls, a good variety of weapons and skill upgrades and a seemingly never-ending array of villains to conquer. You play an adventurer storming a castle to avenge your father to topple the evil “God King.” You fight several brawlers before reaching this sleek, evil King and, if your skills are up to it, you can choose to join him or battle on. If you’re defeated, you begin a new “Bloodline” as the protagonist’s son. And so on and so on.

    Though the game can ultimately feel repetitive, there’s an addictive quality to the racking up of experience points and upgrading armor and weapons that keeps the game engaging. The fights themselves are an exciting test of reflexes and finger coordination. A recent app update added more inventory options, higher levels to conquer, the option to purchase in-game gold with real-world cash and the ability to play your own music during the game. It’s a show-stopper on the iPad, a great, easy-to-learn game that is one of the best mobile action games you’ll find.

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    Though not nearly in the same league in terms of graphical power, “Zombie Smash HD” is just as fun and challenging. There are plenty of zombie-themed games for iOS and a lot of them fall into the “Tower defense” genre, where you’re trying to preserve your home base against an onslaught of attackers. (In this case, the undead.)

    What makes “Zombie Smash” special is the way you defend your home. Rather than picking out weapons and defenses and seeing what happens, you must use your fingers to pick up and fling zombies around, dismembering them until they can no longer advance. Sounds simple, but when more than 50 are rushing at the same time, your fingers get a major workout.

    The iPad’s multi-touch interface allows you to pick up not just a zombie at a time, but many. In order to survive each night’s onslaught (the levels of the game are presented on a survival calendar), you’ll need to flick those zombies around with at least eight fingers (and maybe your thumbs).

    The satisfaction of watching the zombies sail around the screen like ragdolls can’t be overstated. Power-ups are available to employ land mines, a giant wrecking ball, an “Indiana Jones”-like boulder and even a sniper rifle. Each level ends with a slo-mo defeat of the last remaining zombies on a level. Using stars you collect by tapping on the screen during levels (which adds to the frantic gameplay), you can buy upgrades for your house, more advanced versions of power-up weapons and other goodies.

    There are bonus levels once you last through a month of zombie attacks and other modes to unlock. There are lots of games in the App Store, but this one stands dismembered head and shoulders above nearly all of them.

    “Infinity Blade”
    $5.99 for iOS devices
    Rated 9+ for violence

    “Zombie Smash HD”
    99 cents for Apple iPad (“Zombie Smash” also available for iPhone/iPod Touch)
    Rated 9+ for crude humor, violence and horror

    Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Videogames

    January 11, 2011

    'DC Universe Online' and new 'Kingdom Hearts' game out this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    “DC Universe Online.” — The long wait is over for this massively multiplayer online game based on DC Comics characters like Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. Heroes and villains can clash online whether they connect with the console or PC version of the game, developed in Austin by Sony Online Entertainment. The characters are highly customizable (you can choose the details of their bodies and costumes, their super powers, alligiances and more) and the storyline is crafted by Geoff Johns and other DC writers. Rated T for Teen. $50-$100 (plus subscription charges; first month is free) for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Windows PC and PlayStation 3.

    “Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.” — Playing off the events of “Kingdom Hearts II,” this adventure finds King Mickey leading a group into Sora’s digitized journal. It uses a variety of gaming styles including puzzles nad card battles Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $35, for Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective” (DS), “Farming Simulator 2011” (PC), “Jewel Quest Solitaire Trio” (DS), “101 in 1 Sports Party Megamix” (Nintendo Wii), “Prinny 3” (Sony PSP), “I Love Horses: Rider’s Paradise” (Wii), “Secret Files: Art of Murder” (PC), “Rec Room Games” (DS), “Jam City Rollergirls” (downloadable for Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    January 6, 2011

    On the launching of 'DC Universe Online'

    Wednesday night, Sony Online Entertainment’s Austin studio closed the beta chapter of its ambitious new massively multiplayer online game, “DC Universe Online.” On Tuesday, the game will go live for Windows PCs and for the PlayStation 3, the rare PC MMO to also be available for console game players.

    We spoke to John Blakely, head of the Austin studio and vice president of development for SOE, about the game’s launch. He’s no stranger to MMOs; Blakely also worked on “Everquest II” and “Star Wars: Galaxies.”

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    American-Statesman: What’s the mood like over there right now?
    Blakely: We’re all very excited. Obviously, we’ve been working on this game a long time. I got a phone call in July of 2005 saying the deal had been done, we got the license. The team right now, we’re just really tickled and really upbeat and tired, but really proud of the work we’ve done. We had an unveiling of the actual product going to the shelves with the team and that went really well. Everybody’s really eager to get their friends and family back into the game now that the beta is over.

    How did the closing event go?
    It went well for us. The idea for these events is it gives us one last change to get everyone back and give them a memorable event and stress out our systems in ways that are really extreme. I think we did both. I think with everyone that logged in, it was overwhelmingly popular, which is a great sign about the way people feel about the game. We had a lot of stress on our servers, a lot of stress on our client. We found a couple of really good bugs we were able to fix that we wouldn’t have found without those extreme conditions.

    What time does the game actually go live?
    The servers open up at 10 a.m. eastern time on Tuesday.

    Does everyone get a break between the beta and the launch or is everyone hunting down bugs and doing last-minute work until then?
    Taking a break would be great, but we unfortunately we can’t do that. We’re double- and triple-checking everything to make sure we have all of our pieces in place. We’re configuring all the hardware in our different locations around the world. Everything is ready for launch day. Server names are up, we’re going through and testing each one. There’s a big, long checklist to make sure everything is working and functioning properly. It’s a last-minute spit and polish, thoroughly making sure the launch date experience is as smooth and fun as possible.

    How many different countries will the game launch in?
    The game is in five differnet languages and will launch primarily in North America and Europe. It’ll be in over 20 countries.

    How many people are on the development team?
    The development team here is around 115 people. We also have our Q/A team in the building, about 35 people here in Austin. There’s also folks that have helped us from our Seattle studio, which I manage as well, and some marketing and PR from our San Diego headquarters.

    It’s unusual to have an MMO launch on a console and PC at the same time. What have been the challenges of developing for both?
    The history for console MMOs is basically “Everquest Online Adventures” for the PlayStation2 in 2002 or 2003. Then “Final Fantasy XI” for the 360, PS2 and PC after that. There’ve only been a couple of examples. For us, the real challenge to get on the console was the type of gameplay; one of the things we learned from “Everquest” was that the more tradtitional model of combat had a hard time translating to the console player. We’re a superhero game; we looked at the platform and we looked at games like “Protoypte” or “Infamous” or “Hulk: Ultimate Destruction,” and “Superman Returns.” On a console, you have a different level of immersion. How do you do that superpower fantasy model and bring it to the MMO genre? How do we get all the things that we normally provide, like the freedom of environment and to gather… how do we bring those things to a platform with limited resources? You can’t just add on memory and upgrade the system. Lots of other products intended to be on the platform, but then developers realized very quickly that those challnges wouldn’t suit those games.

    The PC has a very big installed MMO base and you bring a lot of familiarity. But our game has more freedom of movement, the physics combat, the more action-game-centric, moment-to-moment gameplay. For PS3 players used to that, we’re introducing them to this concept of being in a world where thousands of other people exist and you can see them, you can customize characters and you’re growing them over time. It’s hundreds of hours of content, and moving on through to the endgame, and the rewards you get from that. We’re kind of introducing each platform with something new and different for their respective expectations.

    Are the PC and PS3 versions on separate servers or can players cross over on each platform?
    Separate servers. We’ve worked on some of these games like “Galaxies,” which is in its seventh year, and “Everquest,” which hits 12 years in March… we wanted to make sure those audiences could evolve with the product. PC players can play with a controller, we allow that option. Certainly, we have specific things we’ve tuned for the PS3 and for the PC. Certain functions are easier to do on the different platforms.

    Austin has a writer that’ll be doing “Superman” soon and it’s where NCSoft’s “City of Heroes” was developed. Is there something about Austin that seems to lend itself generating superhero content?
    I think Austin is very attractive to artists as well as technologists and developers. Me, personally, I share both of those camps. My mom is a really good painter and illustrator, my dad is an engineer. Genetically, I’m predisposed to this business. The cultural diversity that Austin provides is a factor. It really resonates with the individuals we attract and need to make these products.

    What was the writing process like, such as working with DC Comics writers like Geoff Johns?
    Geoff worked with us many years ago. We hired him before he was part of DC, when he was a freelancer. Now he’s one of the top writers in the DC Universe. He helped us to come up with an over-arching story and reasons for it. One of the big ones was why we have so many heroes and villains. We have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and 150 others in our supporting cast of characters. Why are (the players) relevant? He helped us formulate the underpinnings. Marv Wolfman came in and helped us take that rough outline and really hone it and try to tell us the stories of the specific areas we were building in Metropolis and Gotham and other areas. He helped us figure out what’s going on in Bludhaven, the Watchtower, the Moon, Arkham Asylum. Our designers and local talent, editors and designer folks, fleshed out all the specifics, the meat on the bone. They wrote a lot of the dialogue. We were working with DC for approvals; they were the ones playing the game and laying down the content. We got a chance to take those basic frameworks and make them come alive.

    What was the split in the beta of PC players and PS3 players?
    In the beta it was remarkably even. PS3 definitely surprised all of us by how popular it was. It’s something new and different on that platform. Based on the pre-orders and the beta, I think we’re going to have a very healthy launch on both platforms.

    A lot of MMOs launch, generate some excitement and attract players from games like “World of Warcraft,” then lose them back when people lose interest. How do you avoid that churn and keep people interested in the game long-term?
    A couple of things are fundamental. We’re not trying ot be one of those games. We’re trying to be the best superhero game you can play with your friends. We’re providing monthly content updates. We have. 75 years of story and history within the DC Universe to draw from. There are vast open cities like Metropolis and Gotham City with over 1,000 sqquare blocks of shared play space plus 25 or 30 different locales that are more instance/zone-based. Our premise is this: we just want you to have fun and have fun with your friends. We’re always gonna have something for you to do, it’s easy to get into and a blast to play. I think people will enjoy that and they’ll always leave on a good note and if they do decide to move on they’ll always be welcome back. With the level of competition and things going on, it’s really just a great time to be a player. We hope we’re worth their time and their dollars.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    January 4, 2011

    'Venetica' leads a few new video games this week

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    The drought of video games continues, but should be picking up very soon. Here’s what’s new:

    “Venetica.” — DTP Entertainment’s role-playing game is about a hero named Scarlett, the daughter of Death, who must stop an evil necromancer bent on bringing destruction to the world. The picaresque game takes place in 16th-century Venice. Rated T for Teen. $40, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.

    Also out this week: “Lost in Shadow” (Nintendo Wii), “Sherlock Holmes and Mystery Of Osborne House” (Nintendo DS), “Emergency 2012” (PC), “Puzzler World” (Mac), “ilomilo” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “StarDrone” (downloadable for PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    December 28, 2010

    'Echochrome II' shines in slow video games week

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    It’s still a week of slim offerings in new video games this week, but here’s what’s new (some released last week while we were out):

    “Echochrome II” — One of the more impressive demos we played when the PlayStation Move debuted in September was for this puzzle game that combines the brain-teasing planning of “Lemmings” with spot-on motion controls. Using the Move controller as a flashlight, you control shadows and objects to help a small character reach exit points. Stylish and unique. Rated E for Everyone. $10, downloadable for PlayStation 3 Move.

    Also out this week: “Beat Sketcher” (PS3), “Glacier 3: The Meltdown” (Wii), “Raskulls” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Dead Rising 2: Case West” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Happily Ever After Vol. 1” (Nintendo DS), “Happily Ever After Vol. 2” (DS), “Kidz Sports American Football” (Wii), “Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove” (DS), “Mr. Bean” (Wii, DS).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    December 22, 2010

    Austin-developed 'DC Universe Online' dons the cape Jan. 11

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    “DC Universe Online” a massively multiplayer online game set in the world of DC Comics, finally has a release date. The Sony Online Entertainment game, developed in Austin, will go live on Jan. 11. It’ll be out for Windows PCs and PlayStation 3 and will cost $15 a month to play in addition to the $50-$60 retail cost the respective versions. (The first 30 days will be included free with the game, typical for most MMOs.)

    The game was originally scheduled to be released in November, but was delayed to January. There’s currently a beta version of the game that I’m hoping to try out over the holidays.

    You can check out a studio tour and some behind-the-scenes info about the game here.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    December 15, 2010

    Top 10 tech stories of 2010

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    Flipboard.com photo, via Associated Press

    Here’s a list of my top 10 tech stories of the year. These aren’t particularly local, national or international, just the 10 topics that were most on my mind covering digital culture for the American-Statesman. One big omission: Wikileaks. It wasn’t something I covered, but before you angrily comment, I definitely recognize its significance. That might have been my top pick if it landed in my area of coverage.

    Got others picks or disagree with my choices? Please post in the comments.

    • 1. The Apple iPad: No other device had the most unexpected impact this year than Apple’s 10-inch tablet, which debuted in April. Tablets have been tried before, but Apple got it right their first-time out and upended entire industries with a gadget that many (myself included) were skeptical about back in January. Going into 2011, the iPad (especially if a new version with a higher-res screen and cameras is introduced) will be the device to beat for makers of tablets, netbooks and some PCs and smart phones.
    • 2. The smart phone summer avalanche: Summer brought a ton of new, very capable smart phones to the market including Apple’s iPhone 4, the Sprint EVO 4G and plenty of others. In a summer of lackluster movies, smart phones were the real stars as many more people adopted phones with touch screens, high-speed data service and the choice of hundreds of thousands of apps. The shift to mobile Internet also affected low-income and minority teens, who are increasingly using phones as their primary gateway to the online world. We rounded up some of the top smart phones in this piece.
    • 3. Big moves, big budgets in Austin gaming: Not every high-profile game being developed in Austin was released this year, but a few that were, like Warren Spector’s “Disney Epic Mickey” and the MMO “Wizard 101” from KingsIsle Entertainment made huge waves. In the mobile space, there wasn’t a local app more popular among trivia freaks than “Qrank.” And still to come are Sony’s “DC Universe Online” and the mega-budget BioWare MMO “Star Wars: The Old Republic.” In the world of gaming outside of Austin, Sony and Microsoft got with the program on motion controls with Move and Kinect. Nintendo just sighed.
    • 4. Netflix ascendant: I can’t think of a company that had a bigger impact on entertainment this year besides Apple than Netflix. The DVD-rental company made its big push into online streaming, even if it meant sacrificing DVD window release times. The result? They grew hugely, became a threat to Hollywood executives who sound terrified and became a must-have option in set-top boxes, blu-ray players, game consoles, mobile phones and tablets. They also helped push Blockbuster into bankruptcy and irrelevance.
    • 5. South by Southwest Interactive goes crazy with the growth: even with a sub-par keynote with Twitter’s Ev Williams, the festival drew record attendance, topping the music festival for the first time in paid attendance. Now all eyes are on the festival to see how it handles growth and sprawl. The first big effect for 2011? SXSW Interactive will cost more to attend.
    • 6. Dell goes mobile: Not surprisingly, Dell wanted a piece of all that smart phone and tablet action. But did they act fast enough with killer products? That’s up for debate. Dell introduced unique devices like the Dell Streak, bigger than a cell phone and smaller than a tablet, and introduced an interesting netbook/tablet hybrid. But so far none of the new products has seemed to caught fire. Will its delayed Venue Pro phone do the trick?
    • 7. Mobile broadband grows up: Devices like the Verizon Mi-Fi and a raft of other broadband-in-your-pocket weren’t new this year, but they grew increasingly popular among users of smart phones and netbooks. They were even marketed with competitors’ products. Verizon and Sprint both invited customers to consider their mobile broadband products with the purchase of an iPad instead of buying into AT&T’s 3G service. Sure, mobile broadband is still, for the most part, pricey, but it’s nice to know that the option exists.
    • 8. Twitter, Facebook are the mainstream: Twitter and Facebook so regularly make news now (it once was shocking to see one of them mentioned on the front page of the New York Times. No longer.) that we take their importance and influence for granted. Facebook topped 500 million users this year, faced criticism over privacy concerns and had a movie based on its founding released that looks like the Oscar front-runner. Twitter attracted Kanye West, which, you know… yay?
    • 9. Google does, like, everything: Not everything Google did this year was successful (*cough* Wave *cough* Buzz). But it felt like Google was everywhere this year, expanding its business in every direction and improving its products. Not even counting its increasingly dominant Android phone OS, Google got into bike routes, had the Super Bowl ad of the year, launched e-books venture Google Books, delivered instant search results, and even got into entertainment with Google TV. It even tweaked its own logo.
    • 10. Location apps get buzz: Despite evidence that they are far from mainstream, location-based social networks like Gowalla and Foursquare were the darlings of SXSW Interactive and continued to score partnerships and attract users. Will they make tons of money and become ubiquitous? Who knows? I hardly use them anymore. But I think they could come back in a big way with more discount/coupon/local business integration. They’ll have stiff competition, though.

    Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Applications, Austin, Computers, Gadgets, Internet, Movies & DVDs, Phones, SXSW 2010, Shopping, TV, Videogames

    December 14, 2010

    Mobile gaming 'Chief Ninja' added to SXSWi keynote lineup

    Seth Priebatsch, self-described “Chief Ninja” for the Boston-based mobile gaming service SCVNGR, has been added as the fifth keynote speaker for South by Southwest Interactive 2011, the festival’s website announced today.

    While SCVNGR is dwarfed in users and reach by mobile services like Foursquare and Gowalla, it’s backed by Google Ventures. It offers points and real-world rewards for performing tasks at specific locations (“SCVNGR” = Scavenger, as in hunt).

    Priebatsch joins actress/writer Felicia Day, futurist Bruce Sterling, 4chan founder Christopher Poole and TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie as 2011 Interactive keynote speakers.

    Sadly, Priebatsch is not to be confused with the creators of AskANinja.com.

    Separately, SXSW Interactive announced another batch of programming and plans to make another round of panel additions on January 17.

    (Photo via SXSW.com/Interactive.)

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, SXSW 2011, Videogames

    Thin week of game releases includes 'Super Mario All-Stars'

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    The game releases are a bit light this week and will be next week, too, but expect them to come back in full force by around Dec. 28. New video game releases this week.

    “Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition.” — (Released Sunday) Nintendo is a master at repackaging old characters and games with a new layer of polish, but “All-Stars” may be stretching things a bit. It’s a reissue of a 1993 NES collection that includes “Super Mario Bros.,” “Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels,” “Super Mario Bros. 2” and “Super Mario Bros. 3,” games that can readily be downloaded online via Nintendo”s WiiWare store. The deal for this package, however, is sweetened by a CD soundtrack that includes sound effects and music all the way up to “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” a 32-page booklet of interviews and artwork, and support for all Wii controllers. Rated E for Everyone. $30, for Nintendo Wii.

    “LittleBigPlanet: Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves.” — (Available Wednesday) Both a tech demo of Sony’s PlayStation Move controller and a concession to those eagerly awaiting “LittleBigPlanet 2,” this downloadable collection of 10 levels of action for everybody’s favorite little ball of fabric, Sackboy. It doesn’t require “LittleBigPlanet” to play but does require a Playstation Move controller and PlayStation Eye camera. Rated E for Everyone. $6, downloadable for PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Treasures of Montezuma” (Nintendo DS), “Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam” (downloadable for PC), “Under Siege” (PS3), “Lilt Line” (Wii), “Farm Frenzy 3” (PC), “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4” (Mac), “Nanda’s Island” (DS), “Once Upon a Time” (Wii), “Dancing Craze” (PC), “Quake Arena Arcade” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Videogames

    December 13, 2010

    Review: 'Disney Epic Mickey' for Nintendo Wii

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    It’s tough to play the big-budget, Austin-developed Nintendo Wii game “Disney Epic Mickey” without bringing in your own expectations. (In fact, it’s tough to play period, but we’ll get to that.) The game, through no fault of its own, comes saddled with some 90 years of Disney history and its hero, for all his worldwide fame, is not beloved by everyone. In fact, it’s been a long time since I can remember Mickey Mouse being loveable or interesting for me; maybe I grew up in the wrong generation to appreciate him.

    Transcending all that baggage is no easy task and the game from respected game developer Warren Spector (“Deus Ex,” “System Shock”) mostly succeeds by making Mickey and his surroundings different enough from the saccharine Disney mouse we’ve come to expect. “Epic Mickey” is filled with rotted, drooping edifices, with devastated, heartbroken characters and danger at every turn. It’s a dark, funhouse mirror version of Walt Disney’s world, the kind of thing Tim Burton would do if you asked him to make a movie about Mickey.

    Especially for a Wii game, “Epic Mickey” is remarkably good at making things look bad. Its castles and pools of icky green paint thinner and standout “Mickeyjunk Mountain” level (abandoned lunch pails, melted NES cartridges) make you forget almost everything that might annoy you about Mickey. Except for Nintendo’s own “Mario Galaxy” games, it’s hard to think of a title that strains the Wii like this one. In fact, on the “Tomorrowland” level, my Wii crashed a few times and needed to be restarted, a glitch I only found in that part of the game.

    Beautifully designed and crammed with references to Disney’s early animation history, “Epic Mickey” is about Mickey’s journey to Wasteland, a place that’s been decimated by an act of carelessness on Mickey’s part. It’s full of characters that even Mickey doesn’t remember, rejected drawings and old sidekicks who’ve lived on without the adoring eyes of children. Mickey meets Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, his precursor, left behind when Walt Disney himself lost the rights to his own creation. Oswald has built this mirror world in his own image, but has lost control of his home. Mickey has to save Oswald, and many other characters he meets in Wasteland, from a scary, black-ink-dripping Shadow Blot and a mad scientist.

    What you think of the game beyond its promising premise and some of its gameplay innovation will depend on how forgiving a video game player you are. Would you rather play an ambitious game full of new ideas and interesting choices that sometimes stumbles or a highly polished piece of gaming that rarely surprises (the “Halo” series, the umpteenth “Medal of Honor” game).

    The bulk of “Epic Mickey” involves Mickey Mouse, wielding a magic paint brush, either filling in or erasing the world around him with blue paint and green thinner. Using the Wiimote and Nunchuck, players can point to objects and characters to delete them, but the interesting part is that Mickey can also restore them. Not everything in the game reacts this way, but many platforms, buildings and people do. Sometimes hidden treasures lie behind paint. Filling in a giant rock might block the attacks of an enemy. It’s a great game innovation, the kind of thing that’s as revolutionary a gameplay mechanic as “Half-Life 2“‘s gravity gun or the use of Bullet Time in “Max Payne.” (That mechanic, incidentally, is used in “Epic Mickey” with a clock sketch that slows down time.)

    Mickey spends the bulk of the game jumping on thinned-out platforms to reach great heights, tracking down hidden objects that characters need for one reason or another, and restoring functions to amusement park rides or animatronic versions of Daisy Duck, Donald Duck and Goofy.

    Those levels are broken up by 2-D stages (think “Super Mario Bros.”) inspired by Disney fare like “Fantasia,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Steamboat Willie.” Those levels are short and act as gateways and palette cleansers from one large game stage to the next.

    The game turns out to be both longer and more difficult from what you might expect from a literal Mickey Mouse affair. Its stages, inspired by theme park attractions and cartoons, all have not only primary mission goals but plenty of side quests, hidden treasure chests and characters you can choose to assist or ignore.

    A central theme of the game is choice. Not only do characters present Mickey with the ability to help or ignore problems in the world (I never got around to helping Daisy Duck get her mechanical arms and legs, for instance), but Mickey himself has several ways to defeat enemies and get past tasks to advance the story. He can collect tickets to buy his way past problems or to acquire things he needs, he can use the brute force of “Guardians” to help defeat bosses and he can use sketches to slow time, distract enemies or activate levers. There are also Gremlins who assist Mickey if he does favors for them.

    There’s so much going on, in fact, that the game begins to feel overstuffed at times, full of ideas, mechanics and themes that don’t always cohere perfectly. It sometimes feels as if you’re spending more time learning how to play the game and use its many tools and tricks than you are enjoying the game or the story.

    The story, in fact, suffers by withholding much of its riches until more than halfway through the game. Oswald, who turns out to be a great foil for Mickey, mostly disappears until that time and until the last few hours of the game, mostly berates Mickey and sends him on missions to retrieve parts for a rocket.

    It’s doubtful that many casual gamers will make it far enough into the game to see the Oswald story play out. But those who do are richly rewarded. In addition to handsomely drawn 2-D animated cut-scenes that are strewn through the game and add training, wit and perspective, the game’s ending — at least the one I accessed with the choices I made and goals I accomplished — is touching. It also reveals the consequences of your choices and failures; I sped through the game and ignored many of the side quests, and “Epic Mickey“‘s ending let me know exactly which characters suffered because of it.

    Unfortunately, getting there was at times frustrating. The game’s much maligned camera is indeed a problem on some levels. It’s hard to know where to jump or what to paint or thin when you can’t see where you are and what’s around you. Midway through the game, things bog down in a series of “Go fetch” missions, turning Mickey into a glorified errand boy and item wrangler for too long. There’s also a lack of variety in the game’s enemies (often annoying little paint-based creatures who run into or throw thinner at Mickey) and some objects in the game were so hard for me to find that I had to skip related missions or, shamefully, consult Video Game Blogger’s excellent video walkthrough guide for help. The game, which requires near-constant aiming at the screen with the Wiimote on its main levels, can also be physically exhausting to play for long stretches. And short stretches aren’t nearly enough to get you to the end of the game.

    However, gamers who enjoy collecting items (in the game they come in the form of special pins, film reels and concept art) and completing quests, will find a game that can take a long, long time to complete. The game requires several play-throughs to get every item and different play styles to open up different mission paths and endings.

    The love of the “Epic Mickey” development team and its ambitious vision is never in doubt. Disney’s past is celebrated in loving tribute even as that universe is tweaked, darkened and rendered at times unrecognizable. Mickey’s universe is much more interesting with the existence of “Epic Mickey” and it’s a stand-out title on the Wii. Even if some gamers won’t have the patience for the game’s quirks and its sometimes frustrating platforming pitfalls, it’s an adventure worth experiencing.

    “Disney Epic Mickey”
    Rated E for Everyone
    $50-$70 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Nintendo Wii

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    Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    December 9, 2010

    The Linkdown for Thursday, Dec. 9

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    The Linkdown is interested in playing “Dead Space 2” (above) and, on a completely separate subject, has not had enough holiday-themed cookies yet. What’s up with THAT?

    No less tasty are the Internet links below. Got a Linkdown suggestion? E-mail it to us with “LINKDOWN:” in the subject line.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    December 7, 2010

    'World of Warcraft' expansion and new 'Bejeweled' hit stores this week

    New video games this week:

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    “World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.” — Death and destruction (and fun for players) comes to Azeroth in this next major expansion pack to the massively multiplayer online game. Players can choose from two new races, Goblins and Worgen, and the level cap is being raised to 85. Old zones have been redesigned to go with the new storyline. Rated T for Teen. $40-$80 (plus subscription charges) for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Windows PC and Mac.

    “Bejeweled 3.” — The game that is available in some form on practically every gaming platform returns in a new PC/Mac edition with a slew of new game modes including a “Zen” relaxation game. 40 new puzzles are available and the game now has badges and achievements as well as revamped high-definition graphics. Rated E for Everyone. $20, for PC and Mac.

    Also out this week: “TRON: Evolution” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP), “Super Mario All-stars: Limited Edition” (Wii), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Learn Science” (DS), “New U Fitness First Yoga and Pilates” (Wii), “Yu-Gi-Oh! SD’s Duel Transer” (Wii), “Mystery Tales Time Travel” (DS), “Touchmaster: Connect” (DS), “Treasures of Montezuma” (DS), “Yogi Bear: The Movie” (DS, Wii), “Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High” (PC), “Jon Daly’s ProStroke Golf” (PC), “SBK X” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Girls Only” (DS), “Physicus” (PC), “Tin Can” (DS), “Mystery Cookbook” (PC), “Mata Hari” (PC), “Kung-Fu Live” (downloadable for PS3), “Venetica” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Decimation X3” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Score Rush” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    November 30, 2010

    'Epic Mickey' and 'Create' arrive in stores this week

    New video games this week:

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    “Disney Epic Mickey.” — Game developer Warren Spector’s long-awaited take on Mickey Mouse was developed in Austin and incorporates Disney history with new game mechanics like using paint and paint thinner to fill in or erase parts of a cartoon world called Wasteland. (See our stories, video, photo gallery and other information about the game’s development.) Rated E for Everyone. $50-$70 in Standard or Collector’s Editions, for Nintendo Wii.

    “Create.” — A sandbox game where players are invited to solve more than 100 spatial challenges or create their own game scenes using virtual stickers, animated objects and a variety of tools. The Electronic Arts game also allows players to download scenes from other players or to upload their own. Rated E for Everyone. $30-$40, for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows PC and Mac.

    Also out this week: “Golden Sun: Dark Dawn” (Nintendo DS), “Nail’d” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Super Meat Boy” (Mac), “Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Nickelodeon Fun N Fit” (Wii), “Dragon Master” (DS), “Unbound Saga” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Dead Nation” (downloadable for PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    November 29, 2010

    The Warren Spector / 'Epic Mickey' roundup

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    Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer, courtesy The Walt Disney Co.

    In case you missed it over the holiday weekend, a profile I wrote about Austin’s Warren Spector, the game developer who headed up the production of “Disney Epic Mickey” ran on Sunday’s American-Statesman front page. A piece in the business section about the challenges of developing the game by Brian Gaar ran in the business section.

    Our coverage also includes a photo gallery of Spector and of the game, and a video (embedded below).

    Here’s some other tidbits about the game and information that didn’t make it into my story in advance of tomorrow’s launch of “Epic Mickey”:

    • Early reviews seem positive-to-mixed, according to Metacritic, which at the moment lists an aggregate score of 77. Some reviewers are praising the game’s bold vision and say it’s the best game of the year on the Wii. Other reviews complained of technical issues or problems they had with the game’s mechanics.
    • Walmart stores are doing in-store “Epic Mickey” events on Saturday.
    • Spector reveals in a podcast that he’s actually bought a third house in Austin to keep his materials, collectibles and who knows what else.
    • From my story notes: Spector loves watching other people play the game and find solutions to solve game puzzles he hasn’t considered. “I love games that surprise even the people making them.”
    • Brenda Gunn, associate director for research and collections at the Briscoe Center for American History, says of Spector: “I think Warren is an academic at heart. I think he would be very at home in an archive or a library doing the kind of work that we do. Because of that he has a really very good sense of what you need to maintain for a historical record.” She works with the UT Videogame Archive, which houses the Warren Spector Collection.
    • Will Junction Point ever pack up and move to California to be closer to Disney? Not likely. Spector says a clause in his contract prevents Disney from moving the studio more than 20 miles.
    • Spector says that Disney head Bob Iger, a big supporter of the game, received the first Collector’s Edition Mickey Mouse figurine. Iger was instrumental in getting the rights back to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for the game.
    • Information on the “Epic Mickey Tales of Wasteland” Digicomics can be found here. They’re available for iPhone/iPod and IPad, currently 99 cents each.

    Have thoughts or questions on the game? Post them in the comments.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    November 22, 2010

    'Gran Turismo 5' and Michael Jackson games new in stores this week

    New video game releases this week:

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    “Gran Turismo 5.” — It’s been a long, long wait for fans of the racing series to get their fix, but Sony swears that it’ll be worth the wait. Featuring more than 1,000 cars, 20 courses, a new physics engine and an in-cockpit view, “GT5” trades in realism and beautifully rendered graphics. It’s got split-screen two-player modes, online multiplayer for up to 16 players and an option for uploading race replays to YouTube. There’s even electric and hybrid cars included in the new roster of vehicles. Rated E for Everyone. $60-$100 for Standard and Collector’s Editions, for PlayStation 3.

    “Michael Jackson The Experience.” — For those still mourning the King of Pop, this video game hopes to celebrate Michael Jackson’s music with a dance and party game featuring 26 of his best-known songs including “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal” and “Billie Jean.” Up to four players can show off their rhythm skills in videos that teach players Jackson’s unique choreography. For those who pre-ordered the game, Ubisoft gave out a special treat: a sequined glove. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and older. $30-$50 for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

    Also out this week: “Donkey Kong Country Returns” (Wii, released Sunday), “Majin And The Forsaken Kingdom” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Kung Zhu” (DS), “Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4” (DS), “Sid Meier’s Civilization V” (Mac), “Splatterhouse” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Disney Tangled” (DS, Wii), “Silly Bandz” (DS), “Sniper Elite” (Wii), “Hot Wheels Track Attack” (DS, Wii), “Worms Battle Island” (Wii), “Pac-Man Championship Edition DX” (downloadable for PS3, Xbox 360), “Drawn to Life Collection” (DS), “CSI: Unsolved” (DS), “Lionheart: King”s Crusade” (PC), “RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum” (Mac), “Kevin VanDam’s Big Bass Challenge” (Wii), “Flatout” (Wii), “Mathews Bowhunting” (Wii), “Auditorium” (downloadable for PS3, Xbox 360), “Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    November 21, 2010

    Holiday tech gift guide

    In Sunday’s American-Statesman, we’re running our annual tech holiday gift guide.

    While we tried to cover a lot of ground in many different areas, we led off this year this devices that let you watch online content, movies and TV shows through your TV.

    We haven’t posted full reviews yet of the Apple TV, Logitech Venue with Google TV or the Netgear Roku player yet beyond what’s in the gift guide, but keep an eye on this space for write-ups soon. In the meantime you can read this three-way review from Computerworld or take a look at this comparison chart from PC Magazine that lays out the competing features.

    We did review Apple’s new batch of iPods recently and although we haven’t reviewed the Galaxy Tab yet, we have written in-depth about the iPad.

    You can read my full reviews of the Xbox 360 Kinect and the PlayStation Move.

    Here’s our “Summer of smart phones” roundup where we looked at the Dell Streak, iPhone 4 and T-Mobile Vibrant, among others. I also wrote more in-depth about the iPhone 4, the Droid X and the Sprint EVO.

    Got thoughts on the products in our guide or other suggestions for electronics gifts? Please post them in the comments.

    Permalink | | Categories: Computers, Gadgets, Phones, Shopping, TV, Videogames

    November 16, 2010

    Omar's guide to scoring more points in 'Qrank'

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    Since it launched in March with a roster of geek celebrities playing during South by Southwest Interactive, the Austin-developed quiz game “Qrank” has become a distracting (and sometimes maddening) daily habit for many of us who play it on our iPhones or on Facebook

    Tuesday (tonight), the American-Statesman will host a “Qrank Live” event at Cedar Door where you can compete for prizes. Some Statesman staffers wrote questions for the event, but not me, because I am hungry for trivia blood and I plan to compete and to crush and dominate all who stand in my path to glory.

    In a friendly way, of course.

    I think I’m a pretty good player; I tend to crack 5,000 points most days and I’ve been cursed at on Twitter and mocked on days I’ve gotten beaten. The point is that the game is very competitive. You can import your Twitter and Facebook contacts and see how you rank, who got what questions wrong and where you stand on a local, state, national or world level.

    In the interest in making up for the pool of entrails I plan to leave in my wake tonight, I offer up a few strategy tips for those who are new to “Qrank” (or those who are playing and are frustrated by missed questions and low scores).

    Here’s how I tend to play, plus some advice from other players at the end of this post.

    The basics

    First off, go read the “Qrank” FAQ from Ricochet Labs. It’ll explain the rules, what the categories are and other information you may not have bothered to familiarize yourself with.

    A few things to keep in mind as you play: the categories change from day to day, so you’re not always assured you’ll get entertainment questions (my strongest category) or that you’ll avoid your weakest (science & nature).

    On a typical day, half the questions are current-events based, so it helps to keep up with headlines. Since “Qrank” is based in Austin, they tend to skew toward Texas/Austin news (so read your Statesman), but many of the questions also seem to come from popular news sites like CNN, NPR, Wired, especially for science and current events literature or entertainment questions.

    It helps to play after you’ve just skimmed some of your RSS news feeds or browsed a few websites for the last day or two’s headlines. The quirkier the news item, the more likely it is to be a Qrank question.

    The current events questions are all marked with a little leaf on the bottom right of each icon on the quiz board. I usually answer those questions first even if it means bouncing around the board.

    Points

    The game board features two rows of 200-point questions, two rows of 400-point questions and one row of 1,000-point questions (not counting 2x and 3x bonuses that multiply their value). As the clock counts down you lose points, so it’s best to answer as fast as you can; try to formulate the answer in your head before the four choices slide onto the screen if you think you know the answer without help.

    Out of the 20 questions on the board, you only answer 15 per game. It’s in your best interest to maximize your points by not answering some of the 200-point questions and answering all the 400- and 1,000-point ones.

    Apart from answering questions quickly, the other way to maximize points is to make sure you get the 2x and 3x questions right; you’ll want to save your power-ups for those questions or at least for the 1,000-point ones. (More on power-ups in a bit)

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    You’d be surprised how many players don’t know what the two icons on the bottom of the above image. The magnifying glass on the left will reveal the categories on a row of questions. The page icon reveals 2x or 3x bonuses on a row. If they’re powered-up (they recharge over time), use them right away. If I’ve got these available, I usually start the game by revealing categories and bonuses on one of the top two rows since I won’t be answering all those questions.

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    When those recharge later in the game, I’ll reveal the other 200-point row. That’s to make sure I’m not missing any 2x or 3x opportunities up there. The questions are usually very easy and an easy question that can earn you 400 or 600 points is likely to boost your points.

    If no bonuses are available on the top two rows, at least I can score on the 200-point questions for my strongest categories. Remember, you’ll be leaving five 200-point questions unanswered, so choose those carefully to make sure you’ll not missing out on those 600 points.

    Once I’ve done that, I usually start in the middle of the board, answering 400-point questions until I’ve got power-ups to tackle the 1,000-point or bonus-point questions.

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    The other area I’m surprised some players aren’t more versed in is the in-question power-ups. They are a snowflake (which freezes the timer on a question), a percentage sign (which tells you how other people answered the question) and a list icon that will eliminate two of the four answers.

    First off, the percentage power-up is almost completely useless. Typically what it reveals is an answer that’s often wrong. More than a few times it’s steered me wrong and I only use the option if the question is one in an area I’m completely unfamiliar with and where I have no guess.

    For the big bonus questions (say a 2x or 3x 1,000 point question), you’ll want to use that snowflake, especially if you immediately know the answer before the choices appear. If you can freeze the countdown in time and get all 2,000 or 3,000 points, you’ll boost your score better than in almost any other way in the game.

    If you have to guess at a 1,000-point question (or a 3x 400-point question), use the list icon to eliminate two choices. 50/50 guessing is better than 1 in 4.

    Other strategy

    Pay close attention to the wording of the questions themselves. You can often figure out the answer to a question you have no answer for by parsing some clever clue or wordplay. If the question has the word “Sudsy” in it you can bet that the answer has something to do with “soap” or “bubbles.” Keep an eye out for unusual words or expressions in the questions.

    That’s all for my advice. You think I’m going to tell you everything I know about playing “Qrank?” Luckily, some other players pitched in with suggestions. Add your own in the comments or check out this great strategy guide from Christopher Holland.

    I’ve heard that “Qrank” posts clues to some questions on Facebook and on Twitter, but I purposely avoid them because I don’t want any clues at all going into easy game session (call me a purist). You’re not obligated to follow suit.

    Anyway, here’s more advice. See you at the Live event tonight!

    • “I save powerups for 2x 3x bonus ?s & always check Facebook/Twitter first for Qranks tips.”
    • “I like to be mentally prepared for which category the high pts will be. Not to trust that using the %age tool will help u get the answer. 1/2 the time it seems the high %age of people choose the wrong one.”
    • “A new #qrank strategy? You mean kidnapping Ken Jennings and making him play didn’t work for you?”
    • “My main strategy: I always use the ‘category reveal’ power-up on the 1000 point ?s before I start playing.”
    • “Use reveal to find multipliers and wait until u have clues powered up to answer those q’s, esp 3x.”
    • “Scan the day’s headlines. Also if its a holiday, there will be related questions.”

    Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Applications, Austin, Videogames

    'Assassin's Creed' and 'Donkey Kong Country' sequels new this week

    New video game releases this week:

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    “Donkey Kong Country Returns.” — (available Sunday) Retro Studios continues the long-running Nintendo series on the Wii with this side-scrolling adventure. Donkey and Diddy Kong can team up for special moves in co-op play modes and players are given the choice of using the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers, or to play with a Wiimote held sideways. It’s meant to be a big, colorful, action-packed romp and, based on the short time we’ve had playing it, it definitely delivers. Rated E for Everyone. $50, for Nintendo Wii.

    “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.” — Master assassin Ezio returns to Italy, this time trying to unlock the secrets of a dark conspiracy in Rome. The game allows you to collaborate with Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli, among others, while training your own band of young assassins. It’s also the first “Assassin’s Creed” game to feature multiplayer modes. Rated M for Mature. $60-$100 in Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, Wii), “Game Party: In Motion” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “EA Sports Active 2” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Wizards of Waverly Place: Spellbound” (Nintendo DS), “Split / Second” (Sony PSP), “Hank Haney’s World of Golf” (PC), “Pictionary” (DS), “Sonic Colors” (DS, Wii), “Lego Harry Potter - Years 1-4” (DS), “Dragon’s Lair” (DS), “The Ball” (PC), “Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga” (Mac), “Dance Dance Revolution” (PS3, Wii), “National Geographic Quiz! Wild Life” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “NBA Jam” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Barbie Groom and Glam Pups” (DS, Wii), “Football Manager 2011” (PC, Mac, Linux), “Deca Sports Freedom” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Zumba Fitness: Join the Party” (Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move), “Naruto Shippuden: Naruto vs. Sasuke” (DS), “Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet” (Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3), “Create” (PC, Mac, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Pac-Man Party” (Wii), “iCarly: iJoin the Click!” (DS, Wii), “Apache: Air Assault” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” (Wii, DS, PC, Xbox 360, PS3), “Once Upon a Time” (Wii), “Hello Kitty Seasons” (Wii), “The Sims 3” (Wii), “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Predator” (PSP), “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” (Wii), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2011” (Wii, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360), “Learn Words and Numbers” (DS), “I-Sing” (Wii), “999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors” (DS), “Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2011” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    November 9, 2010

    'Transmedia Storytelling' and location gaming panel worth checking out tonight

    We mentioned one of these events last week on The Linkdown, but it’s worth repeating since it’s rare that two big events related to gaming and media take place on the same evening (and in the same location: AT&T Conference Center).

    First up, The Austin Forum of Science, Technology & Society is presenting a session on “Transmedia Storytelling” and its implications for politics, marketing and entertainment.

    It’s free and open to the public and features documentary photographer Daniel Lorenzetti and Juan Garcia, new media manager at the University of Texas at Austin’s Faculty Innovation Center.

    The event starts with a networking reception at 5:45 p.m. and the seminar begins at 6:30 p.m. at Amphitheater Room 204 in the AT&T Executive Conference Center, 1900 University Ave.

    Tonight, there’ll also be a panel featuring game designer Richard Garriott and Rodney Gibbs, chief executive of Ricochet Labs (the makers of the trivia app “Qrank”). Titled, “The Business of Location: The New World of Gaming,” the panel will be moderated by tech journalist Susanna Hamner. It’s being hosted by Rice Alliance - Austin Chapter.

    It also takes place at the AT&T Executive Conference Center, 1900 University Ave. in Salon C.

    This one begins at 6 p.m. with networking, refreshments and gaming and the panel discussion begins at 7 p.m.

    Walk-up cost to attend is $25, $10 for students (student ID required).

    Update: Edited at 11:45 a.m. to add room number for Rice Alliance panel and to delete bio info accidentally posted in the entry.

    Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Videogames

    New 'Call of Duty' and 'uDraw' tablet lead game releases this week

    Black Ops_Bottom Feeder Escort.jpg

    New video game releases this week:

    “Call of Duty: Black Ops” — Activision’s follow-up to last year’s bestselling “Modern Warfare 2” is a Cold War-era action game from the company’s Treyarch studio. It includes co-op play, team-based multiplayer modes, and new weapons and vehicles, including one standout: the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft. Rated T for Teen (Nintendo DS) version and Mature (all other versions). $60-$150 in Standard, Hardened and Prestige Editions, for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. $30-60 in Standard Editions for Windows PCs, Nintendo Wii and DS.

    “uDraw Studio” — (Available Sunday) An oddball, but very creative peripheral, the UDraw is a tablet and software for the Wii that allows budding artists to sketch, color and share their art. The Nintendo Wiimote plugs into the white slab and an SD card save option allows artwork created with the so-called “GameTablet” to be shared. A line of games, sold separately, include “Pictionary” and “Dood’s Big Adventure” that incorporate the GameTablet. Rated E for Everyone. $70 for Nintendo Wii.

    Also out this week: “Pictionary” (Wii uDraw), “Dood’s Big Adventure” (Wii uDraw), “Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem!” (DS), “The Fight: Lights Out” (PS3 Move), “Just Dance Kids” (Wii), “Karaoke Revolution Glee” (Wii), “The Sly Collection” (PS3), “Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon” (DS), “Nickelodeon Fit” (Wii), “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PC), “Knights in the Nightmare” (Sony PSP), “Beyblade: Metal Fusion” (DS), “Beyblade: Metal Fusion - Battle Fortress” (Wii), “Majesty 2: Battles of Ardania” (PC), “FlingSmash” (Wii), “SingStar Dance” (PS3 Move), “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Wii), “Family Feud Decades” (Wii), “Reload: Target Down” (Wii), “Tom Clancy”s H.A.W.X. 2” (Wii), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: Africa” (WiI), “Puzzle Expedition” (DS), “Monster Jam 3: Path of Destruction” (PS3, Xbox 360, DS, Wii, PSP), “Battle of Giants Dinosaur Strike” (Wii), “John Daly’s ProStroke Golf” (PC), “Hank Haney’s World of Golf” (PC), “Style Lab: Fashion Design” (DS), “MySims Collection” (Wii), “Samantha Swift and the Secret Scroll” (Wii), “Personal Fitness Men” (DS), “Personal Fitness Women” (DS), “Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    November 4, 2010

    The Linkdown for Thursday, Nov. 4

    The Linkdown is worn out from playing all those Kinect games every night this week. Nobody said this job would involve physical activity!

    Here are more sedentary links on the web:

    Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Videogames

    Review: Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect

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    Four years after Nintendo changed video game consoles with its Wii system and only two months after Sony launched its own answer to motion gaming controls, the PlayStation Move, Microsoft is today launching a pricey device called “Kinect.” Combining a motion-sensing camera and microphone array, Kinect seeks to eliminate the need for plastic game controllers entirely on the Xbox 360 console, at least in games and applications that use Kinect. It arrives on a wave of hundreds of millions of marketing dollars and cynical expectations from gamers, including this one. You should have heard me deride the thing when Microsoft unveiled Kinect (previously known as “Project Natal”) back in June.

    Remarkably, Microsoft has delivered. Kinect retains much of the simplicity and charm that made the Wii a hit while putting its own mark on the vogue for motion controls with a very accurate device that maps your body and responds to the movement of players and to voice commands as well. Using an infrared light and camera sensor, Kinect creates a 3-D image of your play area and any people in the camera’s frame. From this image it can recognize body shapes, the movement of limbs and yes, even an individual’s face, making it capable of quickly matching the visual of a player to a Kinect or Xbox Live profile.

    For the last week, I’ve been testing out a Kinect unit provided by Microsoft with my own Xbox 360 along with “Kinect Adventures,” which comes bundled with Kinect, and five other launch games like “Dance Central” and “Kinect Sports.”

    Overall, the experience was much more fun and problem-free than I had imagined.

    Setup: Setup was straightforward — if you have a newer, slim Xbox 360, it only requires a single cable plugged into a special port on new consoles. With older Xbox 360s like mine, it requires plugging in a USB cable to the back of the system and plugging a power cable from the Kinect sensor into an AC outlet. Once Kinect was, eh, “Kinected” and perched, centered, on a shelf just above my HDTV, I never had to rearrange the sensor. It contains a motor for automatically adjusting itself and every now and then while playing, I’d see the camera silently tilt or pivot to get an optimal view.

    It does require quite a bit of space to get the most out of games. A medium-sized living room is fine, but anyone with an Xbox 360 in a room with lots of tough-to-move furniture and no open space might want to give Kinect a pass.

    I tried Kinect during the day and at night and no matter what the lighting conditions, the Kinect sensor could still find me and see my movements, though photos taken in games got darker and fuzzier with less light in the room. Dim lighting didn’t appear to affect actual gameplay, though. The Kinect Hub suggests running the configuration software, “Kinect Tuner,” multiple times in different lighting conditions to train Kinect. It’s not required, but a good idea if you plan to play in a room with less-than-optimal lighting.

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    The Dashboard: The first change you’ll see when Kinect is installed is a new “Kinect Hub” where you can control menus, select Zune media player, a new ESPN streaming video service (free for Xbox Live Gold members) and calibration tools for Kinect.

    By waving to the sensor, you activate motion controls. Holding up either arm, you can hover a hand pointer over icons. Hovering over an icon activates a circle; if you hold it for about two seconds, you select the option. You can also grab an arrow from either edge of the screen and drag it sideways in the air to scroll through menus.

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    Sometimes this works great; it’s fun to control parts of the Xbox 360 Dashboard without picking up a traditional controller. And Microsoft has added voice commands to the equation. By saying clearly, “XBox,” you bring up a short list of commands of applications you can open or other activities. It works pretty well as long as there’s not a lot of background noise and you speak clearly.

    These commands also work in the Zune player, Microsoft’s version of the iTunes Store. You can view previews of albums, TV shows, movies and web shows and, visually, it’s striking. But using the hand-in-the-air motion controls can be cumbersome, especially if you’re searching for something specific and try to “Type” by selecting letters one at a time. A controller is much more efficient, but props to the Kinect team for making a striking, novel new interface that’s at least worth a try.

    Unfortunately, the motion controls don’t work in the regular Xbox Dashboard to control apps like Netflix or Facebook. But you can revert to the Kinect Hub at anytime by waving your arm to activate Kinect.

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    There’s also an interesting Kinect Video chat service that allows you to do video chat with the sensor with other Xbox Live members and Windows Live Messenger members. It’s got a few neat features; if more than one person is on camera, it shows a wide view of the room. If someone leaves, it can automatically zoom in on the person who’s left. Nicely implemented, but i would be even nicer if it was compatible with AOL Instant Messenger, Skype and Apple’s FaceTime (we can dream, can’t we?).

    The Games: But the bread and butter of Kinect will be whether the games available for it are strong enough to justify a $150 investment. Gamers have been conditioned to believe that most add-on peripherals tend to collect dust in the closet after a month or two of use. Microsoft will need a steady stream of great games that make entertaining use of Kinect’s technology.

    So far, there’s a strong case that Microsoft may succeed based on the initial salvo of games. The pack-in title, “Kinect Adventures” feels a lot like a Wii game, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Multiple players can engage in challenges like a slalom rafting game (“River Rush”) and another game that combines dodgeball with bowling (“Rally Ball”).

    The mini-games in “Kinect Adventures” emphasize moving your whole body and bringing in friends. One great thing about Kinect is that while you can create a profile, link it to your Xbox Live account and have the sensor recognize you by your face, friends who haven’t gone through that process can still jump into a game session at almost any time and play. Typically, Kinect assigns them a random avatar and they can join in seconds. It’s a great approach, one that eliminates the process of signing in typical in a lot of multiplayer games. And the games themselves are very easy to learn and start playing, such as “Space Pop,” where you flap your arms to fly in a low-gravity room and pop bubbles as they appear.

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    “Adventures” is not spectacular, but it serves its purpose as a good tech demo for Kinect, incorporating full-body play, the Kinect microphone (you can assign movement and speech to avatars, called “Moving Statues” that you win along the way) and the camera functions. “Adventures” snaps photos of you while you play and seeing yourself jump, twist and crouch adds an extra layer of immersion (and humiliation) to the game. You can share those photos with others online or disable that option entirely.

    “Kinectimals” is Kinect’s answer to PlayStation Move’s fantastic “EyePet,” but with less augmented reality and more cuddly tigers, pumas and other wild creatures. It’s geared to kids as a kind of virtual pet game and while the game looks fantastic and the ability to interact with the animals in the game is well-done, my 3-year-old didn’t find it particularly enthralling after about an hour of play and we put it aside for other launch games before too long.

    “Joy Ride” is a racing game that combines elements of “Mario Kart,” but looks more like the old-school “OutRun.” You hold up arms up and steer the car by moving your both, twisting the invisible steering wheel and making other motions. It works well for what it is, but as a racing game the controls never feel as precise as you want them to feel and the whole game feels too slight for a full $50 retail title. This would have been better served as a component of “Kinect Adventures” or as a bargain-priced Xbox Live download.

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    “Kinect Sports” is a surprisingly strong game reminiscent of “Wii Sports” but with nicely fleshed out versions of “Boxing,” “Track and Field,” my favorite, “Soccer,” and others. Unlike the Wii’s controller, Kinect can see your feel and being able to kick a soccer ball in different directions and deflect passes with your whole body shows the kinds of things Kinect can do that the Wii and PlayStation Move can’t.

    “Track and Field,” for instance, has events like “Long Jump” and “Javelin” that carefully track when your feel leave the ground or how your body twists before you throw a virtual object.

    “Kinect Sports” is geared for party play and, along with “Dance Central,” is probably the second must-own of the launch bunch for Kinect buyers. While “Bowling” and “Table Tennis” don’t feel quite as full-featured as versions of these games in other titles for the Wii, “Kinect Sports” overall feels fleshed-out with lots of nice touches, like a mini-game where you can control the applause of a stadium crowd (and get them to do the wave) by moving your arms.

    These aren’t hard-core sports simulations, but they’re polished, casual fun.

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    “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved” has a lot in common with “Wii Fit,” but doesn’t require a Balance Board and actually shows a (fuzzy, colorful) version of you on screen instead of a cartoon avatar. Depending on your self-image, seeing this representation of your body could either be an incentive for more exercise or a serious detriment to your mental health.

    The game contains the kind of fitness mini-games, yoga and strength training you’d expect from an exercise video game, but it lacks some of the personality of “Wii Fit” and its many imitators and the game’s design is a little too modern; it feels like “Wii Fit” if Stanley Kubrick had directed it.

    Nevertheless, it does a good job tracking your movement and keeping track of calories burned. (But, unlike “Wii Fit” it can’t tell you your weight. You’ll have to input that yourself.)

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    But by far the best Kinect experience I had was with “Dance Central,” a game from Harmonix, the same studio behind the excellent “Rock Band” series. With a very strong track list that includes Lady Gaga, Rihanna and M.I.A., it’s a dance game that patiently teaches you the moves, allows you to rehearse and then invites you to put on a full dance performance, which it then rates. (You can also see video of yourself afterward, an option built for hilarity.)

    Like “Rock Band,” “Dance Central” blurs the line between play and performance and does it with style and panache. The game looks great, the menu options are easy to navigate and understand, and engaging in dance battles with friends is an awful lot of fun.

    My daughter and wife were both able to enjoy the game and it was the first Kinect title that brought a smile to my wife’s face. She marveled at how nice it was to play a video game without worry about controllers and pushing buttons. Then she danced to “Funky Town” as we watched.

    If there’s a killer app for Kinect, it’s probably “Dance Central,” while would appear to be the ideal holiday party game now that the fake guitars/instruments genre seems to be breathing its last gasps.

    Conclusions: Skeptic that I was about the resurgence of motion controls this holiday season, my opinion of what Kinect is and might be changed drastically after a week of play. The technology is clearly well-implemented here and, unlike all the fiddling and readjusting I had to do while using the PlayStation Move recently, Kinect was a much more streamlined, user-friendly experience.

    I’ve heard some users have had problems using the sensor in rooms with direct sunlight and those who don’t have a lot of room to move around might be frustrated by the inability to bring friends into their games.

    But Kinect does what it set out to do — it brings a fresh, new take on what the Wii introduced four years ago with motion sensing that works surprisingly well.

    In these strapped economic times, $150 might be a hard pill to swallow for casual gamers, especially when you can get a new Wii with two games and two Wii Plus motion controllers for $199. But Kinect seems comparably priced to PlayStation Move when you consider that Sony’s $99 bundle only comes with one controller.

    Kinect also comes in console bundles for those who don’t own an Xbox 360 or want to upgrade to the new slimmer, quieter models. A $299 bundle includes Kinect and a 4-gigabyte Xbox model while a $399 bundle includes a 250-gigabyte hard drive model of the Xbox 360. Both come with “Kinect Adventures” and demos of some of the other launch games.

    So far, Kinect has a few strong games, some great features that enhance the Xbox 360 experience and a lot of potential. If Microsoft can ensure that a steady stream of great games are in the pipeline, it could become the best option for motion-controlled games of the current console generation. They’re not lacking for confidence; Microsoft is estimating it will sell 5 million Kinect units before the year is out.

    Of course, we’ll just have to wait and see what Nintendo does next as a follow-up to the Wii.

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Gadgets, Videogames

    November 2, 2010

    Kinect, '007: GoldenEye,' lead flood of games this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    Xbox 360 Kinect — Microsoft’s big push this holiday season will be the Kinect, a motion-detecting camera/microphone array sensor that enables the kinds of game experiences on the Nintendo Wii, sans controllers. Kinect uses facial recognition and maps out the bodies of users, allowing players to use gestures, dance and other kinds of movement to control a new “Kinect Hub” dashboard and a slew of launch games. It works with multiple players at a time and comes with the mini-games collection “Kinect Adventures” (Rated E for Everyone). $150 for the basic package, also comes bundled with Xbox 360 consoles for $299 (4 GB model) and $399 (250 GB hard drive model).

    “James Bond 007: GoldenEye” — One of the all-time best console first-person shooters, originally for the Nintendo 64, is remade for the Nintendo Wii (and, probably to lesser effect, for the Nintendo DS). It features Daniel Craig’s likeness instead of Pierce Brosnan, but otherwise will try to keep the goodwill up with those who are nostalgic for the N64 classic. Like the original, it features four-player split-screen play as well as new eight-player online modes. Rated T for Teen. $30-$50 for DS and Wii or $70 for Wii “Golden Controller Bundle.”

    Also out this week: “God of War: Ghost of Sparta” (Sony PSP), “Kinect Sports” (Xbox 360 Kinect), “Dance Central” (Kinect), “Kinectimals” (Kinect), “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved” (Kinect), “Wheel of Fortune” (Wii, DS), “Kinect Joy Ride” (Kinect), “PokePark Wii: Pikachu”s Adventure” (Wii), “MotionSports: Play For Real” (Kinect), “Jeopardy” (Wii, DS), “James Bond 007: Blood Stone” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, DS, Windows PC), “Fighters Uncaged” (Kinect), “Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Sonic Free Riders” (Kinect), “Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2” (PS3, Xbox 360), “DanceMasters” (Kinect), “FlingSmash” (Wii), “Monopoly Streets” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Minute to Win It” (Wii), “Shawn Johnson Gymnastics” (Wii), “The Biggest Loser Challenge” (Wii), “Pro Evolution Soccer 2011” (PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout” (Kinect), “Babysitting Mama” (Wii), “Crime Lab” (DS), “Busy Scissors” (Wii, DS), “Power Gig: Rise of the SixString” (PS3, Xbox 360), “EyePet” (PSP), “Blood Drive” (PS3, Xbox 360).

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

    October 26, 2010

    'Fable III' and 'Rock Band 3' try for threepeats in new game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Fable III” — Peter Molyneux’s acclaimed series continues, leaping ahead 50 years from the last game and putting you into a kingdom entering an industrial revolution. Like the previous games, “Fable III” is focused on actions and consequences, character development and relationships. A new “Dynamic Touch” feature allows your character to interact more directly with characters and environments. Expect epic gameplay. Rated M for Mature. $60-$80 in Standard and Limited Collector’s Editions, for Xbox 360.

    “Rock Band 3” — The rhythm game trend seems to be reaching its last gasp, but developer Harmonix isn’t going down without a fight. The new game features, of course, lots of new music, but puts the emphasis this time on a new instrument, a keyboard, and on transitioning to learning to play real instruments. A revamped Pro Mode now correlates more closely to real musical instruments and a set of optional new guitars actually feature real strings or a bevy of buttons to help you learn to play. Includes music from The Doors, Elton John, Rilo Kiley, and The Flaming Lips. Rated T for Teen. $30-$60 for stand-alone game on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, $130 for bundle with keyboard for Wii and Xbox 360.

    Also out this week: “Lego: Universe” (Windows PC), “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS), “Vindictus” (PC), “The Sims 3” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS), “The Sims 3: Late Night Expansion Pack” (PC, Mac), “WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011” (Wii, PS3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Sony PSP), “Art Academy” (DS), “Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger Darkdeath Evilman” (PSP), “Hasbro Family Game Night 3” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), “Monopoly” (DS), “Monopoly Streets” (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360), “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D”s Tag Force 5” (PSP), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Fatal Conspiracy” (PC), “The Amazing Race” (Wii), “Get Fit With Mel B.” (PS3 Move), “Kid Fit Island Resort” (Wii), “Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011” (Wii, DS, PS3, Xbox 360), “Backyard Sports Football: Rookie Rush” (DS), “Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Defenders of the Core” (Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP), “CSI: Fatal Conspiracy” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Battle VS Chess” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Tony Hawk: Shred” (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360), “The Fight: Lights Out” (PS3 Move), “Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” (Wii, DS, PS2).

    Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    October 25, 2010

    What I'm playing (or trying to find time to play)

    Here it is, the holiday crush of new video games! Rather than whine that there’s too much to play and not enough time to review everything, I’ll just share what I have been playing and what I think so far:

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    “NBA 2K11” — I don’t think I’m alone in being a mainstream player of video games who has almost completely given up on console sports games. For better or for worse, EA Games for years saturated the market with “Must-play” hype for “Madden” and its “NBA Live” series and I frankly lost the ability to keep up. This year, at least on the basketball side, the market has shifted with EA delaying (and possibly canceling) its “NBA Elite” game and with “NBA Jam” trying to take up the slack.

    Into this weird void comes “NBA 2K11” from 2K Games and not only is it getting stellar reviews, it’s got Michael Jordan in a fusion of modern NBA gameplay and throwback and teams and players. It’s the kind of game that many of us wish we’d been able to play 5 or 10 years ago, but with fantastic graphics, great presentation and sound, and a real sense of newness that I find missing in most annual sports game retreads.

    That being said, I am terrible at playing it. It took me about seven tries to win a single game in the Xbox 360 version and that was with the settings turned down to “rookie” and “casual.” It took me a while to get used to the controls (which to me seem a little needlessly complex), but I can’t argue with the gameplay itself, which is fast, looks great and does the Jordan legacy justice. The hype is deserved on this one.

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    “The Shoot” — We didn’t have “The Shoot,” a PlayStation Move game for PlayStation 3 in time for my Move roundup; it arrived a few days late. It’s basically an arcade shooter; you point your Move controller at the screen and mow down cardboard cutouts as you glide through various movie sets. Make too many mistakes and the director yells at you and the game ends. Rack up shooting combos with no errors and you gain powerups like the ability to slow down time or get rapid-fire shooting.

    Simple game, not much depth, but it’s just the kind of game I want to play at 11:30 p.m. at night right before bed when I only have 15 or 20 minutes to breeze through something mindless. It’s fun, well-executed and great in short bursts.

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    “Cut the Rope HD” — From the same company that has conquered the nation with “Angry Birds,” this deceptively simple physics game takes place in a series of boxes where you cut ropes in order to get a piece of candy into the mouth of a little green monster. Adorable, addictive, well-made and infuriating in equal measures. I played the iPad version (the “HD” one; there’s also versions for iPhone/iPod Touch), which just looks fantastic and provides hours of fun.

    Stuff I plan to play next: the unfortunately named “Time Crisis: Razing Storm,” “Kirby’s Epic Yarn,” “Super Scribblenauts,” “Rock Band 3,” “Power Gig: Rise of the SixString,” “Fallout: New Vegas,” “Angry Birds: Halloween Edition.”

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    October 19, 2010

    'Fallout: New Vegas' and 'DJ Hero 2' new in stores this week

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    New video games being released this week:

    “Fallout: New Vegas” — The follow-up to 2008’s epic post-apocalyptic adventure “Fallout 3” moves the action to the Southwest, adds new factions and now includes different ways to communicate with companions and ways to track your past actions. Add to that new weapons, a new melee combat system and the huge, open world “Fallout” fans have come to expect and this one looks like a huge time suck going into the holiday season. We mean that in a good way.. Rated M for Mature. $50-$80 in Standard and Collector’s Editions, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

    “DJ Hero 2” — Last year’s “DJ Hero” was an underappreciated gem perhaps lost in a glut of music rhythm games just as the trend was starting its downward descent. Too bad because it offered a great roster of music and a unique approach to interacting with and mixing tracks. The sequel adds more freestyle options, new “Empire,” multiplayer and “Party Play” modes as well as music from Lady Gaga, Deadmau5, Kanye West and Rihanna. Rated M for Mature. $60, $100 and $150 for stand-alone game, “Turntable Bundle” or “Party Bundle” (with two turntables), for Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii.

    Also out this week: “Pro Evolution Soccer 2011” (PS3, Xbox 360, Sony PSP, Wii), “Time Crisis: Razing Storm” (PlayStation 3 Move), “Vanquish” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2” (PS3, Xbox 360, ), “Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water’s Edge” (PC, Mac OS), “The Shoot” (PS3 Move), “ArcaniA: Gothic 4” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “NBA 2K11” (Wii), “EA Sports: MMA” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Crafting Mama” (Nintendo DS), “Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch” (DS, Wii), “Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure” (Wii, DS, PC), “Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team” (PSP), “Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales” (Wii), “Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival” (Wii, DS, PC), “Saw II: Flesh and Blood” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien” (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, DS), “Blazing Souls: Accelate” (PSP), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: North America” (Wii), “Flip’s Twisted World” (Wii), “Rock of the Dead” (Xbox 360, PS3), “IQ Trainer” (DS), “Kung Zhu” (DS), “Shaun White Skateboarding” (PS3, Xbox 360), “Nail’d” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Super Meat Boy” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    October 13, 2010

    Review: PlayStation Move

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    The PlayStation Move, a $99 motion controller-and-camera bundle from Sony, has been out for a few weeks since its quiet launch and, like your arm in some of the golf games available for it, it seems to be aiming squarely for the middle.

    Sony’s answer to the NIntendo Wii’s motion controls and Microsoft’s Kinect, a camera-only motion device that purports to recognize body movements without a controller, is neither a trailblazer like the Wiimote or a risky new configuration like Kinect.

    Instead, it tries to refine with more precision what the Wii does while trying to claim an early holiday beachhead against the marketing assault Microsoft has already begun for its own competing device.

    The result? Depending on the game, the quality of experience PlayStation 3 owners will have with the Move varies widely. In some games, it’s impressive and offers some of the same kind of “Wow!” moments that the Wii did when it debuted in late 2006. But in many other cases, the Move feels grafted on to gaming experiences and unremarkable, a reminder that three years later, the technology behind the Wii is starting to feel a little dated. It’s hard not to feel that the Move is late to the party and that without more games like “EyePet” and “Echochrome ii” (which I’ll talk about in a bit), it’s going to simply sit on shelves, unremarkable and for niche gamers with deep pockets.

    The basic $99 package comes with a PlayStation Eye camera that you set above or below your TV set, a PlayStation Move controller (you’ll want two, at least, to play with a friend or engage in some two-controller options in some games). The controller has a white bulb at the end that lights up different colors. The bundle also includes “Sports Champions,” a collection of six games like “Archery” “Beach Volleyball” and “Table Tennis.”

    Like “Wii Sports,” the sports themselves are generic, but unlike the Wii, which seemed full of personality and endearing bits of cuteness, “Sports Champions” feels like a robot cousin. Its player characters are 10 generic types of seemingly by-committee birth and in going for a more photo-realistic approach, the whole game doesn’t distinguish itself visually with any real unifying style.

    But to its credit, the controls do feel spot-on. “Archery” is addictive and “Table Tennis” feels more controlled and realistic than similar games on the Wii. (The Move is more comparable to the Wii Motion Plus add-on, which gave more precise controls to the Wiimote.) It’s nice to play games like this with HD-quality graphics, but ultimately it turns out that better visuals don’t necessarily make for more engaging games.

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    If there’s one frustration with “Champions” it’s that it requires too many moments of setup where the camera must detect the controller, you have to stand in a specific spot and either adjust the camera or adjust yourself to make sure you’re in camera range. Forget about playing games with little kids if there’s a big height difference. I tried playing “Gladiator Duel” with my young daughter and got frustrated when the camera couldn’t reconcile our size differences in the controller detection option screen. We gave up trying. One advantage the Wii has always had: it’s dead simple to set up and doesn’t require you to reconfigure settings with every new game you play. That said, it seems to work well even in sub-optimal lighting conditions and once you get going, the Move is very responsive and a pleasure to play with. You can also control PS3 menus with the motion controller, which saves you from having to navigate menus with a separate PS3 controller.

    As for the bundled game, there are many worse games already out for the Move than “Sports Champions”; it does a good job demonstrating what the Move can do with either one or two controllers.

    If you already have a PlayStation Eye, the Move controller costs $50. The Navigation Controller, which sounds like the Wii Nunchuk, but wasn’t required in a single game I tried out, is another $30.

    Of the other games I tried for the Move, “Racquet Sports” was a lot more of the same (generic, but a good demonstration of the technology in games like “Tennis” and “Badminton” ) and “Kung Fu Rider” was among the worst games I’ve ever played, a complete disaster about a guy riding down streets on various kinds of chairs and rolling carts. It’s so bad I kept playing just to see how much worse it could get. Turns out it got plenty worse. It also grafts a lot of button presses into an already complicated motion control scheme. It’s simply awful.

    But for each bad game like “Kung Fu Rider,” there’s a gem like “EyePet,” the best game I’ve played yet for PlayStation Move. “EyePet” brings to your living room floor an adorable, furry virtual creature that appears to move around on your floor and respond to stimuli like petting and an assortment of toys and gadgets the game offers.

    It’s a neat augmented reality trick and executed well enough that it fooled my 3-year-old daughter into believing we’d just adopted a new pet. She fretted that the monkey-looking thing, which we called “Charlie” was going to take her other toys.

    “EyePet” feels like magic and works like a charm; it’s the kind of game that expands as you play, offering lots of new costumes and trophies the way “LittleBigPlanet” does; it constantly rewards you for playing and for discovering new things to do. It’s remarkable and the best reason to buy PlayStation Move.

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    Other games I tried included “Start The Party,” which looks incredibly goofy, but actually plays quite well and offers some fun group mini games. “John Daly’s ProStroke Golf” is exactly the kind of golf sim you’d expect, but the PlayStation Move support feels slapdash. At one point, I was confused for five minutes trying to figure out how to play with the instruction, “Point the PlayStation Move at an imaginary ball and press the Move button.” Imaginary ball? What? WHERE!? I struggled, pressing every button and going through the tutorial (just a series of videos with no interaction) trying to figure out what to do. It turns out they just wanted me to point the Move at the ground. You could have just said that.

    If you commit to buying a Move, you’ll get more value from some of the demos bundled with “Sports Champions” and some of the other launch games. Each game has to be installed separately to your PS3 hard drive, but once a game is there, you can play it anytime. Among them, “Echochromeii,” in which you manipulate light and shadows in a kind of “Lemmings” meets “Portal” is an absolute standout. It’s unlike any other Move game I tried and offers just enough tutorial to get you going and challenge to keep you interested. “TV Superstars,” another mini-game collection but with an oddball sense of humor and presentation, is fun, but it’s limited in what you can try out.

    Sony wants the Move to be a feature in games that aren’t just party or sports games. It’s already incorporating Move controls into existing hits like “Resident Evil 5” and ‘Heavy Rain” and most new Sony games will likely have Move control options baked in. That should improve the ratio of quality games to the mixed bag it pushed out for launch (which, it turned out, had moved back a few days, which explains the lack of promotion on the original due date).

    If you only own a PS3 console and have been missing out on the Wii’s brand of gaming, the Move might be worth a look if you can stomach paying at least $150 to get a proper set-up of two controllers and a camera (which is what an entire new Wii console with two Motion Plus-enabled controllers and two games costs). If you already own a PlayStation Eye, it might seem like more of a bargain.

    But if you also own an Xbox 360 or are on the fence about what console to buy, you might want to wait until after Nov. 4 and see what people think of the Kinect.

    Right now, the Move has potential, but it’s not mind-blowing in its execution. Like the PlayStation 3 itself a few years ago, Move seems to be having an unremarkable launch with a few pleasures to be had here and there in its lineup of games.

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

    October 12, 2010

    'Medal of Honor' and 'Lucha Libre' among new games this week

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    New video games in stores this week:

    “Medal of Honor” — The long-running WWII franchise moves into the modern age with a reboot that seeks to steal some thunder from the “Modern Warfare” games. Unfortunately, this one has been mired in controversy for including “Taliban” as a playable faction in multiplayer combat. (That designation was replaced by “Opposing Force” following the backlash.) Aside from the backlash, expect cutting-edge graphics, explosive action and lots of weapons and varied combat areas from DICE, the makers of “Battlefield: Bad Company 2.” Rated M for Mature. $60 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

    “Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes of the Ring” — Masked wrestlers of Mexico finally get their video game due in this Konami game that includes more than 30 real-life luchadores and authentic Mexican wrestling venues. You can edit your wrestler’s mask or create your own fighter. An online mode called “Mask vs. Hair” mode sounds like it’s worth the price alone. Rated T for Teen. $30-$60 for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii and Sony PSP.

    Also out this week: “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” (Wii), “Uncharted 2: Game of the Year Edition” (PS3), “Just Dance 2” (Wii), “Super Scribblenauts” (DS), “Logic Machines” (DS), “Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes” (PS3, Wii), “Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals” (DS), “Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “Disney Sing It: Party Hits” (Wii, PS3), “Invizimals” (PSP), “Battlestations: Pacific” (Mac OS), “SBK X” (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), “My Baby 3 and Friends” (DS), “I Love Puppies” (DS).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    October 11, 2010

    Short takes: Windows Phone 7 and Dell's new wares, ACL's AT&T problem, GDC Online

    There is much tech ground to cover today; rather than just give you links (like on The Linkdown) or flood you with a bunch of blog entries, here’s some short bits on what’s happening:

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    Windows Phone 7: The big talk in the tech world today is about whether Microsoft can buy itself back into the mobile phone market with a wide variety of Zune-like smart phones that incorporate gaming (via Xbox Live), Office integration and software that’s much slicker that it’s previous Windows Mobile. (The HTC Surround, available next month on AT&T, is pictured at right.)

    At a launch event today, the company introduced nine handsets for North America across the major wireless carriers, some of which will be in stores as early as November 9. It’ll also have AT&T U-Verse integration like Microsoft’s Xbox.

    You can’t quibble with what Microsoft is trying to do and how far it’s trying to move away from Windows Mobile’s staid, boring legacy. The Phone 7 OS looks good and may perform admirably. But the problem with this launch is its timing; Android, RIM (BlackBerry) and Apple’s iOS have a huge head start and Windows Phone 7 will have to offer some pretty clear advantages for someone to give up their current purchased apps and abandon ship. Add to that Microsoft’s history of introducing products that on paper might be superior but that in practice are overly complicated and user-unfriendly and I’m not convinced they’re going to make huge headway in the mobile space, at least in the first year.

    Then again, I didn’t think Bing as a search engine was going to be a huge success.

    Clearest evidence that the software isn’t fully baked: you won’t be able to copy/paste with it until January. But, hey, it took a few years for Apple to introduce that feature for its iPhone.

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    New Dell Venue: Dell today unveiled the Venue Pro (the WHAT Pro?!), a slider smart phone on T-Mobile’s network that looks like a towering remote control. Previously called the Lightning, it joins the Dell Aero Android phone and its 5-inch mini-don’t-call-it-a-smart-phone-tablet, the Streak.

    As Kirk Ladendorf’s story points out in today’s Tech Monday, these new Dell devices haven’t exactly caught fire yet and I’m not sure a phone on T-Mobile competing against the rest of the new Widows Phone 7 lineup, iPhone and Android is going to either. But we’ll see. Maybe Dell knows something about the smart phone market that analysts and the rest of us clearly don’t.

    As for their tablets, mini or otherwise, is it too late to catch up to the iPad already, which could sell 45 million units next year?

    ACL and iPhone woes: In case you missed it, the comments on my blog post about cell phone data connectivity at Austin City Limits Festival were illuminating. It seems Sprint 4G users did well, as did users of Verizon MiFi devices, but AT&T iPhone users fared the worst.

    Silver lightning: the fest is moving to mid-September next year, so it’ll be too hot for anyone to worry about late voice mails and data blackouts.

    GDC Online: Because of some other work commitments I was only able to attend the Game Developers Conference Online for a few sessions and a keynote from Brian Reynolds of Zynga, but I was encouraged by what felt like a renewed emphasis on the world of online and social gaming and the presence of lots of young, growing Austin game studios.

    Because the conference is geared to game developers, it’s not always something worth writing about for consumers of games, but I had some great short meetings with some game developers and saw more excitement and enthusiasm for new games than I have at previous GDC conferences.

    Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: ACL Festival, Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Phones, Videogames

    October 7, 2010

    Zynga chief designer talks 'FrontierVille' success at GDC Online

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    Thursday morning, Brian Reynolds, chief game designer of powerhouse social game design company Zynga (which has a presence in Austin) talked about the success of the company’s latest hit, “FrontierVille” at the Game Developers Conference Online.

    Launched in June as a follow-up to the popular “FarmVille,” the game already had 20 million active users by July.

    Reynolds said the key to the game’s success, along with that of “FarmVille” has been a simple structure with increasing depth and subtlety baked in. He said he believes that what people want out of such so-called “Social games” is to see what their friends are up to, whether it’s through a Facebook feed or within the games themselves. While some game designers aim to keep players engaged for long stretches of time, Reynolds said games like “FrontierVille” are meant to be played in 15-20 minute increments.

    They are games that can be played while people are at work or at school, “when you’re supposed to be doing something else,” he said.

    The “FrontierVille” team has made it a practice to keep inserting things into the game and gauging their success while ripping things out that don’t. He pointed to the addition of animals, “Varmints” in the wild, that proved to be successful as well as the ability to build family members. Reynolds said that making one’s spouse is the most fun that some people have in the game.

    As to how to get people into the game, he said, “Learning is hard. Going to school is no fun.” Zynga, he said, tries to make its tutorials fun and engaging and to make learning how to play the game as seamless as possible.

    Good game designers, he said, pay attention to behaviors that emerge organically in the game, even if they’re inadvertent. He pointed to an incident where a humour cartoon image of a female character next to a sheep was one of the most shared “FrontierVille”-related item shared on Facebook feeds. Zynga embraced the humor of the situation and enjoyed watching the meme spread.

    Reynolds thinks the quality of social games is going up quickly and that the future will be fresh and episodic content and better storytelling.

    The secret, though, is that “Fun monetizes well,” he told the crowd of game designers.

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    October 5, 2010

    'Enslaved' and new 'Castlevania' lead new game releases

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    New video games this week:

    “Enslaved: Odyssey to the West” — Attracting good advanced buzz is this adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic New York City. Featuring acting, writing and directing work from “Lord of the Rings” star Andy Serkis and writer Alex Garland, this cinematic action game is said to feature two well-rounded main characters, beautifully rendered cityscapes and a good mix of fighting and exploration. Rated T for Teen. $60 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

    “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” — A reboot of the long-running side-scrolling Konami franchise, this new game is a third-person action game featuring voice work from Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart, Natasha McElhone and Jason Isaacs. It’s got plenty of action, puzzle-solving, platforming and, if the series” history is any indication, lots of use of whips. Rated M for Mature. $60-$80 for Standard and Limited Editions, for Xbox 360 and PS3.

    Also out this week: “NBA Jam” (Nintendo Wii), “Wii Party” (Wii, was released on Sunday), “Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light” (Nintendo DS), “NBA 2K11” (Wii, PlayStation 2, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows PC, Sony PSP), “Logic Machines” (DS), “Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs” (DS), “John Daly’s ProStroke Golf” (PS3 Move, PC), “Two Worlds 2” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “FIFA Soccer 11” (Wii), “Vampire Moon: Mystery Of The Hidden Sun” (DS), “Jewels of the Tropical Lost Island” (DS), “Ben 10: Ultimate Alien” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, DS), “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” (Wii, DS), “Dragon’s Lair Trilogy” (Wii), “Def Jam Rapstar” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), “Left 4 Dead 2: The Sacrifice” (downloadable for PC), “Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    September 28, 2010

    'Dead Rising 2' and 'FIFA 11' lead video game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Dead Rising 2” — The first “Dead Rising” was a clever, fun take on “Dawn of the Dead” featuring a zombie apocalypse and a shopping mall. The sequel takes place in Fortune City, a gambling paradise where a deadly TV game show is played out against hordes of the undead. The new game features a new protagonist, two-player Co-Op play and four-player online multiplayer and, like the first game, the ability to use practically any object as a weapon. Rated M for Mature. $40-$60 for Standard Edition, $80 for Collector Edition. For Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows PCs .

    “FIFA Soccer 11” — This year, the World Cup brought many new fans to soccer and EA’s annual FIFA update will try to capitalize with “Personality+,” which tries to more closely emulate the real-life movements of the 15,000 players included in the game. There’s also a new passing system, customized crowd chants and the ability to capture your face and paste it onto a virtual player. Rated E for Everyone. $30-$60, for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PS3, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

    Also out this week: “Wii Party” (to be released Sunday, Wii), “Hydrophobia” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), “Final Fantasy XIV” (PC), “Jewel Master: Cradle of Athena” (DS), “Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists Of Arland” (PS3), “Plants vs. Zombies” (Xbox 360), “Front Mission Evolved” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “Scripps Spelling Bee” (DS), “Haunted House” (Wii), “Escape Whisper Valley” (PC), “Quantum Theory” (Xbox 360, PS3), “Sid Meier’s Pirates!” (Wii), “Farm Frenzy: Animal Country” (DS), “Samurai Warriors 3” (Wii), “Get Fit With Mel B” (PS3 Move), “Greg Hastings” Paintball 2” (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), “Kid Fit Island Resort” (Wii), “Battle VS Chess” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac), “MySims Sky Heroes” (Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3), “Gummy Bears Mini Golf” (Wii). “MorphX” (Xbox 360), “Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, DS, PSP), “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” (downloadable for PS3), “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1” (downloadable for Wii, Xbox 360).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    September 23, 2010

    Garriott hints at new medieval social game at Fantastic Arcade

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    Photo by David Weaver, for the American-Statesman

    Is it the return of Lord British?

    In a keynote speech kicking off the start of the local indie game fest Fantastic Arcade, game developer Richard Garriott embraced his new role in independent game development and hinted at a new game that would be a return him to his roots.

    Garriott, who is now working at an Austin lake house with a team of about 10-15 people with his new social gaming company Portalarium, said the next game he’s working on, due out “In a year or so,” will be a free-to-play social game.

    He said in a slide in his presentation that the game will be a “Deeply-crafted” game that will “Ship light” but will expand into a deeper game as it goes on. He says the theme will bring him back to his roots, presumably a medieval game along the lines of his famous “Ultima” series and his first game, “Akalabeth,” which he created alone when he was a teenager.

    Garriott was the keynote speaker for Fantastic Arcade. In introducing him, festival creative director and lead curator Mike Plante said it was, “The first thing ever to happen at Fantastic Arcade.”

    The game developer went over his long career in games and said that he believes social games, currently popularized by titles like Zynga’s “Farmville,” are already surpassing single-player and massively multiplayer online games like “World of Warcraft” games in terms of their audience reach. While MMOs have the potential to reach tens of millions, Garriott says social gaming will easily reach hundreds of millions of people.

    He said he thinks game developers game developers will improve the genre beyond their current relatively primitive gameplay in the next two or three years and that those who aren’t on board will miss the next big wave of gaming. And to his fellow developers at the Highball screening room where he spoke, he express solidarity. “I am again an indie game maker,” he said.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    Fantastic Arcade starts today


    Photo by Mark Matson, for American-Statesman

    The Fantastic Arcade festival begins today. The wildly ambitious independent video game festival, which is spun off from the popular film event Fantastic Fest, includes an indie games showcase, machinima competition screening, music events, panels, game demos and some game previews from Microsoft for upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games.

    You can read my preview of the event from today’s American-Statesman here. We’ll be doing some Digital Savant blog entries from the festival as we’re able to as well.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    September 21, 2010

    'Civ V' and 'Club Penguin: Game Day!' in stores this week

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    New video games being released this week:

    “Sid Meier’s Civilization V” — The long-running turn-based strategy series get a graphics and sound face lift while, we hope, retaining the same addictive gameplay. The game promises larger battles, a hex-based game board (instead of the traditional squares), refined diplomacy options and a new, in-game community hub to play against others from across the world. Make history with one of 18 historical civilizations. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $50 or $100 for “Standard” or “Special Edition,” for Windows PCs.

    “Club Penguin: Game Day!” — The console-friendly version of the online kid-friendly virtual world comes to the Nintendo Wii with 12 Game Day challenges like “Dance Off!,” “Sumo Smash” and “Fast Freeze,” the ability to play with up to four players and a mode to create your own penguin. Rated E for Everyone. $50, for Nintendo Wii.

    Also out this week: “Final Fantasy XIV Collector’s Edition” (PC), “F1: 2010” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City” (Nintendo DS), “Kidz Bop Dance Party” (Wii), “Victoria II” (PC), “New Carnival Games” (Wii, DS), “Family Party: Fitness Fun” (Wii), “Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue” (DS), “Flip’s Twisted World” (Wii), “Remington Super Slam Hunting: North America” (Wii), “Darksiders” (PC), “High Velocity Bowling” (PS3 Move), “Ship Simulator Extremes” (PC), “Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures” (PC), “Kevin VanDam’s Big Bass Challenge” (Wii), “Spellforce 2: Faith in Destiny” (PC), “DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter” (Xbox 360, PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    September 20, 2010

    Review: 'StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'

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    It’s a testament to the brilliant, irresistible game design going on at the house of World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment, that I even finished the single-player campaign of the PC/Mac game “StarCraft II.”

    The game is a real-time strategy game and I have found, over years of growing frustration, that I’m simply terrible at them. Games like “StarCraft II,” “Command & Conquer: Red Alert” and “Company of Heroes” require the ability to juggle lots of activity across a map at one time and to be a good micromanager. These are not my strong suits.

    But “StarCraft II,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1998 original, announced in 2007, is so finely crafted and contains cinematics and a storyline that were so enthralling that I waded through more than two dozen missions just so I could see how it all played out.

    Very well, it turns out. The tale of a space renegade’s quest to free the universe from a human dictator and alien swarms (led by his ex-girlfriend, who’s been turned into an evil “Queen of Blades”) is told with top-notch art direction, voice acting and even spots of well-placed humor. It easily beats the thrills of most big-budget action and sci-fi movies and draws you in with great characters and missions that tie together seamlessly with the narrative unfolding around them.

    After running into some missions that I had to replay over and over after crushing defeats, I ended up playing most of “Wings of Liberty” on “Casual,” the easiest skill level. With my stress level down to levels that put me out of heart attack-danger range, I was able to appreciate the gameplay and to progress. It’s solid, with just the right amount of new challenges per missions, plus enough variety in its environments and new troops to keep you from getting bored. There are even some secret missions and branching storylines that aren’t required to complete the game, but which add more shades to the story and which provide you with more cash to upgrade your troops.

    The game’s menus are supplemented by gorgeous environments on your space vessel where you can interact with other characters, watch humorous news reports and commercials, view your mission history and even play an arcade game in the ship’s Cantina. There’s also an economy of weapons, troop and laboratory updates that contribute to your success on the field.

    After completing the single-player campaign after many nights of playing, I finally dipped my toe into the multiplayer portion of the game. Of course, I was soundly defeated, even after honing what I thought were some formidable skills. The multiplayer portion of the game is where the Pros go to compete, but even if you only stick with the single-player game, you’ll be more than satisfied.

    The game is a power hog, however. In order to enjoy the game at its full graphical glory, you’ll need a very powerful PC or Mac. My high-end PC suffered on some of the more frantic missions with some slowdown.

    The worst news for someone like me, who finished the single-player missions and doesn’t have the stomach for multiplayer, is that the second and third parts of the “StarCraft II” trilogy are likely years away. Blizzard hasn’t announced release dates for the next installments, “Heart of the Swarm” (focused on the Zerg alien campaign) and “Legacy of the Void” (the Protoss campaign), but nobody expects the next one will be here before 2012.

    It’s a long wait, but like the 12-year gestation period for “StarCraft II,” I have a feeling it’ll be worth it.

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    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

    September 15, 2010

    Expected 'Epic Mickey' release date: Nov. 30 in the U.S.

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    According to Eurogamer, Disney has confirmed that Warren Spector’s “Epic Mickey,” a video game for the Nintendo Wii featuring Mickey Mouse, will hit stores in the U.S. on November 30th.

    In the game, Mickey Mouse is sucked into destroyed Disney landscapes and faces off against bitter, forgotten animated characters armed with a paint brush and thinner.

    The Eurogamer story says the game will be released first in Europe on Nov. 25 (blame Euro Disney?).

    The much-anticipated game is being developed in Austin by Spector’s Junction Point Studios, which was acquired by Disney Interactive in 2007.

    You can see the first part of an intro video for the game here.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    September 14, 2010

    'Halo: Reach' and PlayStation Move debut this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Halo: Reach” — This prequel to the popular Xbox action shooter trilogy puts players into a squad of Spartan soldiers who are making their last stand to defend the Earth from the alien Covenant. Microsoft says the game features improved graphics and sound, while multiplayer gameplay will be as robust as “Halo” players have come to expect. New for this game: four-player cooperative campaign play and some as-yet-unrevealed gameplay surprises. Rated M for Mature. $60, $80 and $150 for “Standard,” “Limited” and “Legendary” editions, for Xbox 360.

    “PlayStation Move Starter Bundle” — Chapter Two of the motion-control video game wars begins as Sony launches its answer to the Nintendo Wii and the upcoming X-Box “Kinect” system. This bundle includes a Move controller and a PlayStation Eye camera, along with the motion-controlled game “Sports Champions.” Sold separately are a charging station and a Navigation Controller, which aren’t required to play Move games. The Move Controller and Eye camera are also available individually for $50 and $40, respectively. Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. Available Friday, $99, for PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures” (PC), “Sports Champions” (PS3 Move), “EyePet” (PS3 Move), “Phantasy Star Portable 2” (Sony PSP), “Start the Party” (PS3 Move), “Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp” (Wii. Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2), “Dream Day Wedding: Bella Italia” (Windows PC), “Phineas and Ferb Ride Again” (DS), “Kung Fu Rider” (PS3 Move), “Cabela’s North American Adventures 2011” (PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP), “Brunswick Pro Bowling” (PS3 Move, Xbox 360), “Hunting Unlimited S” (PC), “Patrician IV” (PC), “Racquet Sports” (PS3 Move), “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS), “Brunswick Zone Cosmic Bowling” (Wii), “Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest” (PS2, PSP, DS), “Gladiator Begins” (PSP), “Deal or No Deal Special Edition” (Wii, DS), “Fancy Nancy: Tea Party Time” (DS), “Rapala Pro Bass Fishing” (Xbox 360, PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    September 13, 2010

    The curious case of the low-key PlayStation Move launch

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    We received the PlayStation Move on Friday, a bundle of games, a PlayStation Eye camera and two Move controllers that bring Nintendo Wii-like motion-control functionality to the Sony PlayStation 3.

    To hear Sony tell it, though, this controller setup will be far more accurate and combined with the PS3’s high-definition and 3-D capabilities will bring more immersive, realistic game experiences. It hits stores on Friday.

    I’ll get back to you on that when I’ve spent a little more time with it. My first impression was not very positive, nothing like playing the Wii for the first time, but I’ll give it some more time before I make a final judgment.

    More troubling if you’re a Sony fan, however, is that the Move seems to be suffering from a low-profile launch. Yesterday, I was stunned to see that the product was completely missing from Target and Best Buy weekend circulars. Fry’s listed it, but given that Sony and Microsoft seem to be betting their fortunes on Move and Kinect to extend the life of their consoles, you’d think Sony would see to it that its new peripheral was splashed across sales pages and on billboards everywhere. Have you seen any commercials for Move? I sure haven’t.

    The best Sony seems to be able to muster up is a lame Web site extolling the virtues of having buttons on a motion controller called “YayButtons.com.” Seriously? Aren’t you ceding ground back to the Wiimote with that?

    Sony also has the misfortune of launching the same week as Microsoft’s much-anticipated game “Halo: Reach,” which is earning stellar reviews and lots of store ad placement. Presumably it’ll earn lots of retail shelf space, too.

    What’s the deal? The only things I can think is that Sony is saving its marketing muscle for the holiday season. Or maybe the company knows that its launch games for Move aren’t as strong as they could be and that the product will be more attractive when games like “Heavy Rain” and “Resident Evil 5” add support for the peripheral.

    If that’s the case, why didn’t Sony push the launch back a month? Kinect hits retail in early November and you can bet it’ll be impossible to escape the publicity blitz Microsoft has already begun.

    It’s a mystery, one I hope Sony can explain with great games in an increasingly crowded genre of gaming.

    Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Gadgets, Shopping, Videogames

    September 8, 2010

    Teen star Selena Gomez to drop in on Austin-developed 'Wizard 101'

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    Teen star Selena Gomez is going from the “Wizards of Waverly Place” to “Wizard 101.” The actress/singer who hails from Grand Prairie will appear in Austin-developed online video game “Wizard 101” as herself as part of her promotion of a music album, “A Year Without Rain” from her band, Selena Gomez & The Scene. That album is due out Sept. 21.

    A producer and sound engineer for “Wizard 101,” developed by KingIsle Entertainment, worked with Gomez in her home, recording dialogue for her appearance in the game. Players will be able to access the quest, in which Gomez falls asleep at a recording studio and finds herself in the virtual world, by the time of the album release. The quest, titled, “Round & Round” will appear on test servers later this week for “101” players who wish to access it early.

    The title track from the album, “A Year Without Rain,” and the song “Round & Round” will appear in the quest.

    Fred Howard, vice president of marketing for the company, said KingsIsle isn’t paying Gomez for the appearance. “We worked with Hollywood Records and Selena and her folks to do a true cross-promotion,” he said.

    “Wizard 101” recently announced it had passed 10 million registrations. The family friendly game has been a hit since it debuted two years ago. It’s free to play, but players can unlock play areas and items by purchasing virtual “Crowns.”

    Howard describes the Selena Gomez mission, which was quickly produced by the KingsIsle staff in Austin, as a “Save the princess quest.” In it a character called the Crab King tries to make an unwilling Gomez his princess. Players are tasked with freeing her from the Crab King (and, presumably, many crabby minions).

    In addition to recording the star’s voice, the team was tasked with making a 3-D model of Gomez for the game, writing the dialogue and content of the quest, and building the creatures and animations to go with the project.

    See a video of the quest here. More screenshots of Selena Gomez in “Wizard 101” below:

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    (Updated at 8:41 a.m. with a link to the video.)

    Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Austin, Internet, TV, Videogames

    September 7, 2010

    'Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' and 'H.A.W.X. 2' among new game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    ‘Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions’ — This ambitious game takes place in four separate ‘Spider-Man’ comic book dimensions including ‘Spider-Man Noir,’ ‘Spider-Man 2099,’ ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ and one surprise. The game encompasses a wide range of fighting styles and locations. The Nintendo DS version includes a side-scrolling adventure.Rated T for Teen. $30-$60 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii.

    ‘Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2’ — The sequel to the air-combat game includes more than 50 planes, photo-realistic environments based on satellite data and a player-versus-player mode. Solo missions and multiplayer modes are on offer, as is a revamped ‘E.R.S.’ guide to assist you in dodging missiles, avoiding crashes and getting a handle on your weapons load. Rated T for Teen. $50, for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

    Also out this week: ‘NHL 11’ (PS3, Xbox 360), ‘Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep’ (Sony PSP), ‘Professor Layton and the Unwound Future’ (DS), ‘The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff’ (Windows PC and Mac), ‘NHL Slapshot’ (Wii), ‘Aion: Assault on Balaurea’ (PC), ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ (Wii, DS), ‘R.U.S.E’ (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), ‘House, M.D.’ (PC), ‘Dawn of Heroes’ (DS), ‘I Love Beauty: Hollywood Makeover’ (DS), ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ (downloadable for Xbox 360), ‘Sports Champions’ (PS3).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 31, 2010

    New 'Metroid' and 'Guilty Party' on Wii among top new video games this week

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Metroid: Other M” — The background of beloved video game heroine Samus Aran is explored in this collaboration between Nintendo and the Team Ninja game studio, a shooter that takes place between the events in “Super Metroid” and “Metroid Fusion.” The new game is a shooter that allows you to switch between a third- and first-person perspective as you explore a huge space facility. It promises frenzied action, puzzle solving and more drama than in the typical “Metroid” game. Rated T for Teen. $50, for Nintendo Wii.

    “Guilty Party” — This family-friendly detective game is a bit like “Clue” mixed with the popular “Nancy Drew” PC games. Up to four players can play competitively or cooperatively to solve a series of mysteries. Players can gather clues, question suspects and engage in mini games that include lock picking and flashlight sleuthing. Best of all, the mysteries can be played through more than once: the ending isn’t always the same. Rated E for Everyone. $40, for Nintendo Wii.

    Also out this week: “Dead Rising 2: Case Zero” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Valkyria Chronicles II” (Sony PSP), “Castle Crashers” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Ace Combat: Joint Assault” (PSP), “Brunswick Zone Cosmic Bowling” (Wii), “Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter” (Windows PC), “Camp Rock Final Jam” (Nintendo DS), “Zenses: Zen Garden” (DS), “Prison Tycoon: Alcatraz” (PC), “Auditorium” (PS3), “Sam & Max: The Devil”s Playhouse Episode 5: The City that Dares Not Sleep” (downloadable for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 30, 2010

    Xbox Live pricing going up, Nintendo DSi prices going down

    Good news/bad news, gamers!

    Starting Nov. 1, the price of an Xbox Live subscription will rise, whether you purchase it month-to-month or yearly.

    According to Microsoft Xbox evangelist Major Nelson (Larry Hryb), prices for Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will go up $10 a year, to $59.99. Monthly subscriptions go up from $7.99 to $9.99 and a three-month subscription will cost $24.99, up from the previous $19.99.

    Nelson said it’s the first price increase since the service launched in 2002 and that members who want to avoid the price increase can lock in their current rate now. Luckily, game blogs have been posting online deals where you can get a one-year subscription card for about $40 from several stores. The timing seems a bit odd — it’ll be right before Microsoft Kinect and a line of new Windows 7 phones launch. Is Microsoft trying to make all its customers broke by Christmas?

    In less financially painful news, Nintendo is actually lowering the price on its popular DSi portable consoles. Starting Sept. 12, the DSi console drops $20 to $149.99 and the larger DSi XL drops to $169.99. The DS Lite, which lacks the cameras that are on the DSi models, stays at $129.99.

    Lowering prices or raising them… I wonder which of these strategies will be more popular among gamers and holiday shoppers!

    Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    August 24, 2010

    'Mafia II' and 'Grease' bring '50s vibe to video game releases this week

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    Video game releases this week:

    “Grease: The Game” — Yes, it’s based on the movie and yes it’s got 16 songs from the famous film. While the Wii version emphasizes singing and party play for up to 8 players, the Nintendo DS version is all about dance competitions and allows you to take a photo of yourself to use in the game with the DSi camera. Is the one that you want? Depends on how big a “Grease” fan you are. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $30-$40, for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii.

    “Mafia II” — It’s been a long wait for a sequel to the 2002 game “Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven,” but the new game benefits from the latest technology with a game engine that seamlessly links outdoor and interior environments without load times. It’s a mob drama with vehicular gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and a story from the original writing team of the previous game. Rated M for Mature. $50-$80 for Standard or Collector’s Edition, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs.

    Also out this week: “Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack” (Nintendo Wii), “Reel Deal Casino Valley of the Kings” (PC), “Ivy the Kiwi?” (DS, Wii), “Martian Panic” (Wii), “Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar” (DS), “Elemental: War of Magic” (PC), “NHL 2K11” (Wii), “Dreamworks 2-in-1 Party Pack” (DS), “A320 Jetliner” (PC), “Little Bears” (DS), “Riding Academy 2” (DS), “Shank” (Downloadable for Xbox 360), “Worms Reloaded” (PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 19, 2010

    The Linkdown for Thursday, Aug. 19

    The Linkdown is a little freaked out about its privacy right now, frankly. Writing this from a bunker in an undisclosed location.

    Here are some links you should be aware of from locations on the Internet:

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Phones, SXSW 2011, Shopping, Videogames

    August 18, 2010

    'Epic Mickey' intro video is released

    An intro movie for the anticipated, Austin-developed game “Epic Mickey” has hit the game blogs. You can see it below.

    The game, which is slated for release this holiday season (some game sites have it listed as being released on Nov. 2) is developed by Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios, which was acquired by Disney Interactive a few years ago.

    Spector, one of the most respected long-time video game designers in the industry, has frequently said he’s a life-long fan of Mickey Mouse and jumped at the chance to create a game that modernizes the famous mouse.

    The game, which allows you to use virtual paint and thinner to explore a world of forgotten Disney characters, will be available for the Nintendo Wii.

    Impressive, huh?

    You can see a larger version of the video over on Joystiq.com.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Movies & DVDs, Videogames

    August 17, 2010

    Lara Croft, Kane and Lynch star in this week's new game releases

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    New video game releases this week:

    “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” — A new Lara Croft/”Tomb Raider” game is nothing unusual, but this is the first one to be released download-only with new levels promised for the coming months to add to the game. It’ll also add a co-op multiplayer feature to the Xbox 360 game through an update in late September when the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC versions are released. “Guardian of Light” includes the usual array of puzzles, exploration and gunplay, but in smaller, more digestible chunks. Also: undead warriors! Rated T for Teen. $15, downloadable for Xbox 360.

    “Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days” — The first “Kane and Lynch” was an over-the-top action game that was even more violent and loaded with machismo than most console shooters. Gritty or gratuitous? If it’s your cup of tea, the sequel adds a new cover system, undercover cops and, charmingly, human shields. Add these features to the usual array of cooperative play, an arcade mode and online heist modes and you’ve got the video game equivalent of a big, brainless summer movie. Rated M for Mature. $50-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

    Also out this week: “Gold’s Gym Dance Workout” (Nintendo Wii), “Ys Seven” (Sony PSP), “Victoria II” (PC), “City of Heroes: Going Rogue” (PC), “Challenge Me Brain Puzzles 2” (Nintendo DS, Wii, PC), “Montessori Music” (DS), “Dawn of Heroes” (DS), “Ultimate Crime Thriller Collection” (PC), “Brunswick Zone Cosmic Bowling” (Wii), “Deer Drive” (DS), “Mysteries & Treasures: Adventures of the Mary Celeste” (PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 16, 2010

    Local Pokémon master does well in Video Game World Championship

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    Quick update on Aaron Grubbs of Marble Falls, who competed over the weekend in the Pokémon Video Game World Championship in Hawaii.

    Aaron was one of three American juniors to advance to the final eight in the tournament and placed seventh overall. For those of you who follow Pokémon, we’re told that his strategy was to use a “Water-based mono team.” His final party included Abamosnow, Hitmontop, Kyogre and Gyratina. He was defeated when he used a “Hammer On” with Metagross, but suffered a critical hit.

    You can see more of the results and photos from the event on the official site.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    Video game reviews: 'Limbo' and 'DeathSpank'

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    This summer, console gamers have been blessed with not just one, but two must-own downloadable games, both costing only $15 and packed with enough entertainment to give you at least a half dozen hours of solid, fun gameplay.

    “Limbo,” a dark, starkly beautiful game full of well-paced puzzles and platforming and “DeathSpank,” a frenetic, amusing hack-‘n’-loot adventure game, are completely different in almost every way. But, as I alternated playing them over the last few weeks, I found they were the perfect complement to each other, like watching a season of “Mad Men” and cleansing the palate with episodes of something more silly, like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

    (Full disclosure: I’m currently watching “Mad Men” in between watching episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.)

    “Limbo,” available only for Xbox 360 at the moment, is perhaps the better of the two games simply because it ambitiously tries, and succeeds, to go beyond traditional video game mechanics to create a unique mood and sense of place. By that measure, it succeeds wildly. The game is black and white and its grayscale look is as evocative as its simplified silhouetted character design. It’s perhaps the most artsy console game since “Braid.”

    In the game, you control a young boy, side-scrolling to the right, across a dark, creepy landscape full of constant dangers. White light spills in behind dead tree limbs. Fog, at times, obscures the background. The boy appears as a silhouette, but his eyes shine like two small jewels.

    Did I mention dangers? They are cruel and sudden. Run too far into a gap in the earth and the boy is impaled on sharp spikes, dying quickly. The boy can be crushed by a boulder, attacked by stones thrown by slightly older, eyeless boys or gored by the sharp, deadly leg of a huge spider.

    The deaths are disturbing; the dying boy twitches in some, flails and rolls down a hill in others. While there’s no blood and gore, the deaths are all the more disturbing for happening so suddenly and with little fanfare. But, in a technique video games have used for decades, these deaths and resurrections are meant to teach you how to get past a challenge. Through trial and error, you solve the simple physics puzzles or learn what areas to avoid.

    The challenges grow more elaborate as the game progresses, adding new layers to the jumping, dragging and climbing skills you learn. This gameplay is not especially original, but it’s employed in such an original-looking environment and so well-rendered that you don’t mind. It also has a bit of a retro feel, reminding me of games like the original “Prince of Persia” and “Out of This World.”

    “DeathSpank,” on the other hand, is a well-designed, but mostly silly romp. In fact, while its gameplay might remind you of “Gauntlet,” it feels to me more like NCSoft’s non-defunct low-budget MMO “Dungeon Runners,” which also had hilarious voice acting and a bit of a mocking tone in regards to other popular hack-and-slash games.

    In the game, you play boastful hero DeathSpank (who sounds like like the cartoon version of The Tick), an adventurer who accepts quests from townsfolk and then goes around killing bad guys, collecting look and upgrading weapons, armor and abilities.

    You spend a lot of time running from area to area, killing x number of these things to bring back this y object to the z character who set you on the quest. It’s the dynamic of hundreds of RPG and MMO games, but “DeathSpank” has a sense of humor about it, filling your conversations with silly non sequiturs (an early conversation with a non-verbal cow is particularly funny) and the quests with goofy objects. Helpfully, the game keeps a list of all your current quests and separates it according to important stuff you have to do and not-important stuff you might want to do.

    My biggest problem with games like this is that for a casual gaming experience, it asks you to keep track of a lot of information and console games are never fun to play when there’s too many option screens and text to follow. I frequently had to get up off the couch to get a closer look at some of the mission text or to make sure I was configuring my weapons and armor correctly in the inventory screen. It felt a bit like a game that had been designed for PC play without an interface overhaul before it was brought to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    That said, the game is a nice diversion with a nice array of weapons and upgrades and an appropriately off-kilter cartoon look. It also offers co-op play, allowing you to team up with a buddy for double the loot-hunting.

    It’s a nice antidote to the gothic creepiness of “Limbo.” Both games are worth their modest pricetags, and are even better when taken together.

    ‘Limbo’ and ‘DeathSpank’
    Both rated T for Teen
    Both 1200 Xbox Live points (about $15) for Xbox 360. ‘DeathSpank’ also available on PlayStation Network, $14.99, for PlayStation 3.

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 12, 2010

    REVIEW: 'Madden 11' vs. 'NFL 2011' for iPhone

    madden1.jpg ‘Madden 11’ from EA Sports includes a look at Jerry World.

    Football gaming evolves (again)

    I played my first football video game in 1979 when my parents bought the appropriately named “Football” for the Atari 2600. The players (three on a team) looked like boxy aliens, and the game play was, well, not good at all (watch the hilarious YouTube video). But it was football (sort of). That you controlled.

    Football video games evolved big time with the arrival of the “Madden” franchise in the early 90s. When I went to college in El Paso in 1992, I packed my Super Nintendo and my new copy of “Madden 93,” which was pretty awesome, despite lacking team logos, player names, real stadiums or complex playbooks. I played it for hours on end when I should have been studying. So did all of my friends in the dorm.

    Throughout the 90s and much of this decade, I upgraded to the latest “Madden” game every August (often showing up at Gamestop for midnight releases), and I traded out consoles for the latest and greatest. My enthusiasm for playing football on a video game sadly wore off when I decided to go with a Wii for my kids instead of getting a Playstation 3 or XBox 360. For serious “Madden” fans, playing on the stripped-down Wii version just isn’t as fun.

    My enthusiasm is back, thanks to an unexpectedly great offering on the iPhone.

    Not only is “Madden 11” on the iPhone, but it has good competition from Gameloft’s “NFL 2011.” There is no competition in the console or PC football game market anymore because the NFL has signed an exclusive licensing deal with “Madden’s” EA Sports. The exclusivity does not extend to mobile yet, and competition is a good thing.

    I downloaded “Madden 11” ($7.99) and “NFL 2011” ($6.99) to wage a head-to-head battle on my iPhone 4 for 3.5-inch screen glory. After playing both games almost nonstop for a few days, I can safely say that football video games have evolved again — as much as they did when the Madden franchise first arrived on consoles — and I’m excited to see where this goes.

    I’ll score this fierce competition like a football game:

    nfl3.jpg Smooth graphics on NFL 2011

    Graphics

    “NFL 2011”: I played this first, and I was blown away immediately at how great the graphics looked. The players’ physics are well done, the field looks bright and rich, and the animations are clean. The crowd is a bit flat looking, and the stadiums are not very realistic. It appears “NFL 2011” focused on the look of the actual gameplay. Nothing wrong with that. (Touchdown, 7 points)

    “Madden 11”: The stadiums are very realistic, the crowds actually move and hold signs. The turf looks sharp on the iPhone 4’s “retina” display. The players are rendered well, but the gameplay graphics are a bit jerky. After playing 2011 for a few hours and then switching to “Madden,” it was a bit jarring. “NFL 2011” is just smoother. However, once your eyes adjust, it’s not a big issue. (Field goal, 3 points)

    nfl1.jpg The controls on NFL 2011

    Control scheme

    “NFL 2011”: You get a virtual joystick on the left-hand side to control the players, which is a bit quirky. Guys often run backward or sideways first before you can point them downfield. To snap the ball, you tap near the QB. Handoffs happen automatically. On offense, you get three buttons when carrying the ball on the right hand side: spin, “truck” and sprint. Truck makes your guy charge in with his shoulders, hopefully breaking some tackles. If you shake the iPhone, your player makes a juke move (pretty cool). When passing, you can tilt the phone forward to tuck and run with the ball with the QB. If you want to pass, circles appear over eligible receivers, color-coded to show who is open (green is open, yellow is slightly covered and red is covered). You tap the circles to pass the ball, and the longer you press on the circle, the harder the QB throws it. The passing is a problem, but I’ll get to that later. Overall, the control scheme works pretty well. It’s hard to find the right circle in the heat of a play, though, and I ended up just jerking my phone around hoping to juke my way to the endzone. On defense, you can only change players, move and use the “truck” button to try to break blocks. (Field goal, 3 points)

    madden2.jpg Your control views pre-snap in ‘Madden 2011’

    “Madden”: The control scheme is remarkably similar, with the virtual joystick on the left (though in “Madden” you can flip it to the other side for lefties). The joystick seems to respond a little better than NFL 2011 but is still quirky. The main advantage “Madden” has over “NFL 2011” here is the “slow motion” button. The action moves fast on the iPhone, and it’s a small screen. If you press this button, everything slows down and you can switch players, go for the tackle, make a spin move, etc. It’s a great addition. (Touchdown, 7 points)

    Overall gameplay

    “NFL 2011”: The game is smooth and fun to play … until you try to pass the ball. This is a deal-breaker. When you drop back to pass, you tap on the receiver to throw the ball. Nothing happens. You tap again. Nothing. You start tapping like mad because the defense is closing in. You try holding down the button instead of tapping. Sacked for a 7-yard loss. This is such a disappointment, and it overshadows all the good that Gameloft did with this game. Running the ball is a breeze in comparison, and playing defense is hard. I expected defensive play to be difficult, though - it’s one of those things that even the console versions haven’t figured out to do very well. Expect relatively high scoring games, even between two good defensive teams. Selecting audibles is easy and you can draw new hot routes for players by making a path with your finger on a little box. The kicking game is a weak point here, too. It’s difficult to learn and master. (Turnover, 0 points)

    madden3.jpg Drawing a hot route (blue line) in game is fun in ‘Madden 2011.’

    “Madden”: Every aspect of the game plays well, though not as great as I know it can. I might be biased on that because I’m so used to playing football on consoles with big TV screens. That being said, the “Madden” on my iPhone is light years better than that version I spent hours on in college, and it holds its own pretty well against the console versions of just a few years ago. What really scores a touchdown for Madden, though, is the “Game Flow” option. Instead of tediously flipping through a playbook, you can let the game pick the next play for you. It does it rather intelligently, and you can always audible out of the play and/or change a route thanks to a really well-done hot route option where you draw right on the field where you want your guys to go. Game Flow does make the game flow smoothly and quickly. The running game is a bit difficult to master, but it serves its purpose. The kicking game is well done, and it’s easy to learn but moderately difficult to master. (Touchdown, 7 points)

    Sound

    “NFL 2011:” Those who cannot stand the now-retired John Madden will be glad to not hear his voice. However, the announcers on this game are too dry and robotic. The crowd noise is OK but nothing special and the music is pretty bad. Thankfully, you can import your own music from iTunes. (Field goal, 3 points)

    “Madden:” John Madden is his usual self, but he seems toned-down compared to the console versions. The crowd is OK, and the music is also nothing to write home about. Again, hooray for the ability to import iTunes music. (Field goal, 3 points)

    nfl2.jpg NFL 2011’s plays are relatively sophisticated, but you can dumb down the playbook.

    Extras

    “NFL2011”: I found the biggest advantage that “NFL 2011” has over “Madden” is the excellent tutorial. The controls all take a while to get used to on a small touchscreen, and GameLoft did a fantastic job walking you through them. When in tutorial mode, you complete small tasks, such as performing a juke move or a spin move or running the ball. It explains how to do it and lets you try again if you didn’t get it right the first time. The games both lack a franchise mode, where you take a team control of a team year after year, adding rookies, free agents and new food vendors. As nerdy as I am about football games, that is what I miss (it’s also what I missed in the Wii versions). “NFL 2011” lacks a lot of the small touches, though, from in-game individual stats flashed across the screen to the details of what Jerry World looks like. (Field goal, 3 points)

    “Madden”: This game’s tutorial is weak - just a series of screen shots, but EA put a lot of effort into all the other little extras, down to the sounds of the crowd, the cadence of the announcers and the ease of the kicking game. Individual stats appear just like they do in NFL broadcasts after plays, camera flashes pop at the start of the game and severe weather, including rain and snow can appear randomly. You can also play “Madden” over Bluetooth against a friend (not tested). There is no multiplayer set up for “NFL 2011.” Next step would be to be able to play over our data plans against anyone in the world. (Touchdown, 7)

    FINAL SCORE:

    Madden 11: 27

    NFL 2011: 16

    Both games are surprisingly good, but “Madden 11” is the mobile champ for this season. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, we were all playing Snake on our Nokias. There’s a lot of promise here, and now I’m back in the football game. Hopefully, we’ll see franchise modes soon, so I can start setting the hot dog prices at Cowboys Stadium.

    “Madden 11” EA Sports $7.99 iPad version (not tested): $12.99

    “NFL 2011” Gameloft $6.99

    Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Videogames

    August 10, 2010

    Marble Falls Pokémon master is Hawaii-bound

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    This weekend, Aaron Grubbs, a 12-year-old who lives in Marble Falls, will compete against other “Pokémon” players in Hawaii as part of the Pokémon Video Game World Championships.

    The competition, which takes place in Waikaloa, Hawaii, runs Saturday and Sunday, and brings together players from around the world to battle it out with their stable of virtual Pokémon creatures.

    Aaron, who started playing about four years ago, has been practicing the “HeartGold” and “SoulSilver” editions of the Nintendo DS games. The Marble Falls Middle School 7th-grader has also been watching matches online to examine player strategies. “I watch YouTube videos. And there’s a feature where you can watch battles (in the games). People record their battles and post them online,” he said.

    Aaron placed fourth in a regional competition in Dallas and fourth again in the national championships in Indianapolis. His mother, Teresita Grubbs, said a lot of Aaron’s family will be taking the trip to support him and that she expects he’ll have a great time.

    “He’s very excited about it. He gets to meet different people and make new friends his age,” Teresita said. She said that despite all the hours of practice, he’s still an A student and has stayed on his school’s honor roll. “I had to make sure he maintained those grades if he wants to stay in the competition,” she said.

    Aaron and his 10-year-old brother have both competed in Pokémon tournaments. Last year, Aaron made it to the last round of the regionals, but was disqualified for using a virtual creature that he didn’t know had been outlawed in the competitions.

    “I got sad and went back home,” Aaron said, “now I’m more careful about the game.”

    Aaron will compete in the Juniors division (for those born in 1998 or later). There’s also Seniors competition for those born in 1997 or earlier. Prizes in the competition include an invitation and accommodations for next year’s championship, a trip for four to Tokyo, New York or Oahu and various Pokémon prizes.

    (Note: this blog entry corrected on 8/16 to fix error about Aaron’s placement in the regional tournament.)

    aarongrubbs2.JPG

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    'Madden NFL 11' hits the field in new game releases

    madden2011.jpg

    New video game releases this week:

    “Madden NFL 11” — Every year, the EA Sports juggernaut tweaks and refines the formula for its long-running NFL franchise. In this year’s edition, featuring cover athlete Drew Brees, the emphasis it on retaining deep gameplay while simplifying the play-calling with a new “GameFlow” system. There’s also a way to play 60-minute games in half the time and new control options and coaching tips. Online gameplay also features new modes and, of course, there”s the usual audio and video improvements to help justify buying the game again this year. Rated E for Everyone. $40-$60, for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PSP.

    Also out this week: “7 Wonders 2” (Nintendo DS), “Princess Isabella: A Witch’s Curse” (DS), “Victoria II” (Windows PC), “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” (downloadable for PlayStation 3), “Monday Night Combat” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    August 3, 2010

    'Disney Sing It: Family Hits' among slim video game pickings this week

    disneysingit.JPG

    Not a whole lot going on as far as new releases in the video game world (guess it’s the lull between “StarCraft II” and the new “Madden NFL” game). Here’s the best of what’s new, available this week:

    “Disney Sing It: Family Hits” — 30 songs from new and classic Disney movies are included in this karaoke game, which can be played alone, with friends as you pass along the microphone, or with up to 8 players singing together in “Family Fun Mode.” You can play back your singing to add effects or receive vocal training from tips from Anika Noni Rose (“The Princess and the Frog”).. Rated E for Everyone. $40-$50 (with or without microphone), for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. .

    Also out this week: “Castlevania: Harmony of Despair” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Mystery Tales Time Travel” (Nintendo DS), “Treasures of Montezuma” (DS), “7 Wonders 2” (DS), “Monster Rancher” (DS), “Commander: Conquest of the Americas” (Windows PC), “Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” (DS).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    July 27, 2010

    'StarCraft II' finally arrives among new video game releases

    starcraftii.JPG

    New video game releases this week:

    “Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty” — You might almost forget what this game is if you’ve seen the jaw-dropping, cinematic commercial for Blizzard Entertainment’s long awaited sequel to its legendary 1998 real-time strategy game, which is something like a national sport in countries like South Korea. While the computer animation phenomenal, the game mechanics are similar to the original hit: three species duking it out on maps, but with much prettier graphics and, presumably, more robust online and single-player missions. “StarCraft II” is being split into three separate games. “Wings of Liberty” is the first. Rated T for Teen. $60-$100 for Standard or Collector’s Edition, for Windows PCs and Mac.

    “BlazBlue: Continuum Shift” — The latest edition of this fighting game series includes multiple fighting styles, “Drive attacks” for each character and other features like Barriers, Counter Assaults, Rapid Cancels and Distortion Drives. It’s also playable online with Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. Rated T for Teen. $40, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

    Also out this week: “Arc Rise Fantasia” (Nintendo Wii), “Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar” (Nintendo DS), “Clash of the Titans” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360), “Wolfschanze 2” (Windows PC), “Chuck E Cheese’s Party Games” (Wii), “Our House” (DS), “I Love Beauty: Hollywood Makeover” (DS), “Jekyll and Hyde” (PC), “Little Bears” (DS), “Galaxy Racers” (DS), “Girls Only” (DS), “Lost Secrets: Vatican Mysteries” (PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    July 22, 2010

    The Linkdown for Thursday, July 22

    Links to make your Friday get here even faster:

    Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Shopping, Videogames

    July 20, 2010

    'Need for Speed World' races online this week

    needforspeed.JPG

    New video game releases this week:

    “Need for Speed World” — While the massively multiplayer online version of this long-running racing franchise officially debuts next week, a “Head Start” event begins today for those who do a $20 pre-order. Getting in early gives you bonus experience points, a virtual Toyota Corolla AE86 and VIP Driver profile status. The free-to-play game will charge for items like cars and speed boosts. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and older, for Windows PC.

    Also out this week: “Limbo” (downloadable for Xbox 360), “Samantha Swift DS Collection” (Nintendo DS), “TrackMania” (Nintendo Wii), “TrackMania Turbo” (DS), “Dark Star One: Broken Alliance” (Xbox 360), “Little League World Series 2010” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “Little League World Series Double Play” (Wii, DS), “Lionheart: King”s Crusade” (PC), “Animal Planet: Vet Collection” (DS), “Galactic Taz Ball” (DS), “Puzzle Expedition” (PC).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    July 13, 2010

    'NCAA Football 11' and 'The Bachelor' among new games this week

    ncaa11.JPG

    New video game releases available this week:

    “NCAA Football 11” — Another year, another college football sim from EA Sports. This year’s edition boasts a new running mechanic (or “Locomotion System,” to use EA’s term for it); no-huddle spreads, triple options, wishbone, wild hog and pistol offenses; and a whole new ESPN broadcast interface featuring Kirk Herbstreit, Brad Nessler and Erin Andrews. Rated E for Everyone. $40-60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

    “The Bachelor: The Videogame” — At last! You can compete against other men or ladies (or “frenemies,” as the game calls them) to win the heart of bachelor or bachelorette. You can sabotage your opponents (drama!), who include real-life contestants from the show. The game includes personality tests and host Chris Harrison. Rated T for Teen. $30, for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “Chuck E. Cheese’s Party Games” (DS), “Will Calvin Tucker’s Redneck Racing” (Wii), “Our House: Party!” (Wii), “Hunting Unlimited 2011” (Windows PC), “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (DS), “Paws and Claws: Regal Resort” (DS), “River City Sports Challenge” (DS), “Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore” (DS), “DeathSpank” (downloadable for Xbox 360).

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Videogames

    July 12, 2010

    The Linkdown for Monday, July 12

    The Linkdown is in a state of panic caused by Consumer Reports reversing itself on its recommendation of the iPhone 4. Who knows what to believe now!?

    Anyway, here are some links you should check out, whether you’re in a panic or not:

    Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Internet, Phones, Videogames

    July 6, 2010

    'Crackdown 2' and new 'Dragon Quest' among new video games

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    New video games released this week:

    “Crackdown 2” — The original “Crackdown” was a sandbox game like “Grand Theft Auto 3,” but it turned out to have more action and crime-fighting thrills than you might have expected. The sequel continues in that open-world vein with more co-op and multiplayer modes, a larger city to explore and ways to combine gadgets to maximize your mayhem. Rated M for Mature. $60, for Xbox 360.

    “Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky” — The latest edition of the turn-based role-playing game is the first to be designed first for a portable console. It also allows for four players to team up over a wireless connection. Also on offer: extra downloadable quests. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $35, for Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck”s Revenge” (download-only for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), “Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable” (Sony PSP), “Mahjong: Journey Quest for Tikal” (DS), “Titanic Mysteries” (DS, Nintendo Wii), “Big Beach Sports 2” (Wii), “The Cages: Pro Style Batting Practice” (Wii), “Despicable Me: The Game - Minion Mayhem” (DS, Wii, PSP, PlayStation 2), “Nursery Mania” (DS), “Tournament of Legends” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    June 29, 2010

    'LEGO Harry Potter' and 'Naughty Bear' new on video game shelves

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    New video game releases this week:

    “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4” — The “Harry Potter” franchise, which itself has been the subject of many, many video games, gets the LEGO treatment. You can play as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger, casting spells, mixing potions and, hey, even going to class at Hogwarts. The game features co-op multiplayer and the option to swap characters on the fly. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $30-$50, for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Sony PSP and Windows PC.

    “Naughty Bear” — Mixing cute animation with cartoonish violence, “Naughty Bear” puts you in the role of a big, mean-tempered stuffed animal who goes on a terrifying rampage after he doesn”t get invited to a birthday party. Think “Care Bears” meets “God of War.” Who knows, maybe that”s exactly your cup of tea. Rated T for Teen. $50, for PS3 and Xbox 360.

    Also out this week: “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” (Xbox 360, PC), “Deathsmiles” (Xbox 360), “Singularity” (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), “10 Minute Solution” (Wii), “Arma 2 - Operation Arrowhead” (PC), “N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights” (Xbox 360), “All Points Bulletin” (PC), “Florist Shop” (DS), “The Last Airbender” (Wii, DS), “Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip” (PSP), “Secret Files: Tunguska” (Wii, DS), “Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War - Iron Cross” (PC), “Harley Davidson” (Wii), “Riding Academy 2” (DS), “TNA: Cross The Line” (DS).

    Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Shopping, Videogames

    June 22, 2010

    'Puzzle Quest 2,' 'Transformers' lead off new games this week

    New video game releases out today:

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    “Transformers: War for Cybertron” — Taking a detour from the Michael Bay movies, this game serves as a prequel on the home planet of the shape-shifting Transformers. The third-person action shooter includes multiplayer modes (including online co-op play) and the ability to change from robot to vehicle at any time. The Nintendo Wii and DS versions have different adventures unique to those consoles. Best of all: no Megan Fox or Shia LaBeouf! $30-$60, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Windows PC.

    “Puzzle Quest 2” — This sequel to the beloved match-3 role-playing game (which was on practically every platform imaginable) continues to combine spells and quests with puzzle gameplay. Though it’s only debuting on the Nintendo DS, expect it to hit every other game platform in due time. Rated E-10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. $30, for Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “WipeOut” (Wii, DS), “Sin & Punishment: Star Successor” (Wii), “Medal of Honor Heroes” (Sony PSP), “Burnout Legends” (PSP), “Need For Speed Most Wanted” (PSP), “Thinksmart (various editions)” (DS), “The Sims 2” (PSP), “Puzzle Time” (DS), “Dragon Ball: Origins 2” (DS), “Monster Trucks Mayhem” (Wii), “Just Sing” (DS), “Jeep Thrills” (Wii), “ATV Quad Kings” (Wii), “The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    Austin-built 'Wizard 101' hits 10 million users

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    Call it the Harry Potter Effect, but enrollment is rising at a school for wizards.

    “Wizard 101,” a massively multiplayer online game that is run out of the Austin offices of KingsIsle Entertainment, has passed 10 million registrations. The game, geared toward young players, but expanding its user base, had five million players in September. The game’s growth, the company’s principals say, is due to frequent updates to “Wizard 101,” national marketing and strong word of mouth.

    “We’ve seen a pretty significant uptick in the number of older players,” said J. Todd Coleman, creative director at KingsIsle. “We’ve kinda accidentally snared them in the net. It’s been very organic growth.”

    The game is similar to other popular online fantasy games like “World of Warcraft” and “Lord of the Rings Online,” but is more whimsical, with an emphasis on humor, collectible virtual cards and socializing. While the company is based in Plano, much of the creative work on the game — from writing to digital animation and character modeling — are done at an office in northwest Austin that employs about 100. (The company has about 120 employees total.)

    “Wizard 101” recently introduced a feature that allows players to breed, raise and employ pets in their online adventures. Later this summer, the company will unveil a new online world for players called “Celestia.”

    While the game has earned 10 million subscribers cumulatively since it launched in 2008, the privately held company won’t reveal how many active users it currently has. The high-water mark for paid monthly subscriptions to a U.S.-based online game is considered to be about 11.5 million users, which “World of Warcraft” achieved in 2008.

    Fred Howard, vice president of marketing, said the company is looking to expand the U.S. at some point and has other products in the pipeline. The company aspires to be a kind of Pixar Animation Studios for video games, with very accessible games that appeal to kids and adults and can be played on a wide range of computers. The core audience for “Wizard 101” is 8-14 years old.

    “The success is phenomenal, but it’s also always a challenge,” Howard said, “We’re absolutely trying to stay ahead of the game, improve our technology and grow it. You will see KingsIsle producing high-quality family entertainment focused on safety, playability from a very young age and a lot of fun factor.”

    The game costs about $10 a month to play per month, but KingsIsle also offers family pricing, discounts for long-term subscriptions and the option to pay $1-$3 for “Crowns” which unlock specific areas of the game.

    To get the word out, the company uses social media sites like Facebook and also does national TV advertising, Web site banners and search ads.

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    June 17, 2010

    Quick takes: E3, iPhone 4 pre-sale apocalypse, World Cup tech

    Here’s just a few of the items that have been part of a few tsunami of tech news this week and my quick takes on them:

    E3 — The Electronic Entertainment Expo for the last few years has been about game makers, sure, but mostly it’s a platform to see what Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are trying to do with their respective game consoles.

    Microsoft and Sony are both introducing motion game controllers this year (Microsoft’s camera-based “Kinect” and Sony’s unimaginatively named “Move”). Sony is pushing 3-D games that will debut as early as this summer (but which will require pricey 3-D glasses and a new 3-D capable HDTV, something I don’t think a lot of gamers plan to rush out and buy). Microsoft is incorporating ESPN sports into its Xbox Live service. But Nintendo may have stolen the show with its 3DS, an update of the DS portable console that adds 3-D on its top screen without glasses.

    The biggest surprise, according to people who’ve seen the device in action, is that it actually works. Leave it to Nintendo to jump ahead to a functional, affordable version of The Next Big Thing while its competitors still struggle to catch up with the three-and-a-half year old Wii game console. The Kinect is rumored to cost $150, the PlayStation Move will be cheaper ($50), but will also require a PlayStation Eye camera and a second controller to be much use, and Sony’s 3-D plan is predicated on a $2,500+ purchase of a new TV.

    Who will win this next round of game battling? Even without a new Wii system (Nintendo is focusing instead on bringing back classic characters like Kid Icarus and Donkey Kong as well as Mickey Mouse in “Epic Mickey”), it seems Nintendo has the advantage.

    iPhone 4 disaster — Enough has been written about the Day Of The Pre-Order Snafu, Tuesday’s disastrous launch of pre-orders for the iPhone 4 (which is due out next Thursday).

    Some have used the pre-order mess, in which people couldn’t order an iPhone 4 on AT&T’s or Apple’s Web sites, as another sign of dysfunction in the AT&T/Apple relationship. But at the end of the day, even with all the problems, 600,000 pre-orders were made, a stunning number that makes me think this will be the biggest iPhone launch so far. People who have been toting iPhone 3G devices are ready to upgrade, those who’ve been on the fence have finally decided the iPhone 4 is for them and the demand may be more than anyone — even Apple and AT&T — could have possibly expected.

    AT&T has suspended pre-orders after pushing new ones off into July. If you’re still interested in an iPhone 4 on launch day, your best bet may be to hit Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Radio Shack instead of the Apple Store or AT&T’s retail shops.

    I put in a reservation, but am still not sure if I’ll pick it up. I have a 3GS and the penalty for not being given upgrade eligibility is hefty, an extra $200 on top of the iPhone 4 price of $199/$299.

    World Cup tech — I did a blog post and audio segment for NPR about Web traffic related to the World Cup and tools for watching matches online and on your phone. If you have other ways you’re plugging into the Cup, I’d love to hear about it.

    Permalink | | Categories: Internet, Phones, Videogames

    June 15, 2010

    'Classic Books,' 'Toy Story 3' lead this week's video game releases

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    This week’s video games, released today unless otherwise noted:

    “Toy Story 3” — In this obligatory game based on the movie and available for pretty much every major gaming platform, you can play as Buzz, Woody or Jessie as the toys find themselves in a rowdy day care. In addition to the usual action missions, some versions of the game have a Toy Box Mode where you can build your own play areas. Rated E for Everyone. $30-$50, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and Windows PC.

    “100 Classic Books” — Not so much a game as an e-book reader platform packaged into a tiny cartridge, this one includes books like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” among others, along with author bios, plot synopses and the ability to download more books and rate them via the DS Wi-Fi connection. Rated E for Everyone. $20, for Nintendo DS.

    Also out this week: “Kid Adventures: Sky Captain” (Wii), “Legend of Kay” (DS), “Naval Assault: The Killing Tide” (Xbox 360), “Dance On Broadway” (Wii), “I Spy Universe” (DS), “Mahjong Mysteries: Ancient Egypt (DS), “Yard Sale Hidden Treasures: Sunnyville” (DS), “Thinksmart” (DS), “Fallen Earth: Blood Sports” (PC), “The Treasures of Mystery Island” (PC), “Western Riding Academy” (DS), “Beach Fun” (Wii).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    June 14, 2010

    The Linkdown for Monday, June 14: Extra Newsy Edition

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    Photo by Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press

    There’s big tech news breaking left and right and so little time to keep up with it. The Linkdown needs a rare cup of afternoon coffee. Here’s what’s up:

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Phones, Shopping, Videogames

    June 10, 2010

    Video game releases this week

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    As part of my weekly mission to keep you in the loop (no, stand here. The loop is right here.), I’m going to be posting new video game releases every week.

    Most games are out on Tuesdays, except for the odd first-party Nintendo release, which sometimes happens on Sundays.

    These appear in our print edition in Best Bets on Tuesdays as well.

    For the week of June 10:

    “Green Day: Rock Band” — Last year’s “Beatles: Rock Band” was a surprisingly weak seller, but MTV is hoping the punk trio’s appeal will skew bigger and younger. The game includes 47 tracks which can be exported to your “Rock Band” game library and, like “Beatles,” includes three-part vocal harmonies. A “Plus” version that sells for $10 more also includes codes for six more songs. Rated T for Teen. $50-$70, for Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

    “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11” — Well. A lot has happened since the last “Tiger Woods PGA” game, huh? Apart from Woods sharing the cover art with golfer Rory McIlroy this time, the newest Tiger game also adds the Ryder Cup tournament and includes 24-player online tournaments. Expect some graphical improvements as well and, we hope, minimum controversy. Rated E for Everyone. $50-$60, for Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

    Also out this week: “Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker” (Sony PSP), “Disgaea Infinite” (PSP), “Mega Man Zero Collection” (Nintendo DS), “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands” (Windows PC), “House, M.D.” (PC), “The Bachelor: The Videogame” (Wii, DS), “Let’s Play Flight Attendant” (DS), “Let’s Play Garden” (Wii, DS), “Legend of Kay” (DS), “Mini Ninjas” (Mac).

    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    June 3, 2010

    Review: 'Red Dead Redemption' for Xbox 360 and PS3

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    A delightfully overpopulated land of drunks, racists, outlaws, sheriffs and prostitutes, the twisted new Cornpone 2.0 masterpiece from Rockstar Games leaps from the gate bucking and kicking, breaking its own standard for open-world gameplay set by “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

    This is the Old West of a twisted hilarious fever dream, its air filled with vultures and hawks, its land a-crawl with snakes and armadillos, its air adrift with half-naked women’s screams of distress, with gunfire and the hoot of train whistles, the pounding of horse’s hooves and the ricochet of gunfire. At every turn there are hangings to prevent, poker chips to win, bandits to kill, horses to steal. All the Old West canards and clichés are reimagined and given delightful new life, a cultural kick-start to the Western, a gutshot reminder of the power of this all-American tumbleweed milieu.

    Selling half a million copies its first day, the unfortunately forgettably named “Red Dead Redemption” is the surprise breakout hit of the summer, instantly topping the Game of the Year contender list with the best Western (Best Western?) game ever and the best game of the year so far, a thoroughly modern rip-roarer that rises above and shows new insight into the Old West.

    Rockstar has a nasty and well-earned reputation for provocation — this is the company that imbedded “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” with the mechanically coital “Hot Coffee’’ mini-game — and Red Dead offers plenty of provocation in the form of some shocking anti-Semitism and other forms of xenophobic language.

    But people often forget that Rockstar has a semi-sweet Boy Scout side on display, for instance, in 2006’s “Bully,’’ in which your main weapon was a slingshot. Here, that wholesome impulse forces the player to at least attempt to live on the side of the angels, preventing hangings rather than committing them, for instance, with a system that rewards good deeds and punishes depravity. But gameplay also allows, heh heh, the player to don a bandanna and pursue the sick joys of bandito life, with a hidden face preventing negative consequences to one’s honor and fame.

    The voice work and soundtrack, too, live up to the rock-hard standard set by “GTA IV,” with a music track that’s a delightfully weird mix of modern and old-time inspiration; with the exception of the piano player found in every saloon the soundtrack is all startlingly modern. The voice acting is top-notch, the characters fully realized with cinematic and emotionally resonant presence populating an engaging storyline.

    Visually, “Red Dead Redemption” is a stunning and beautiful world, again innovative and filled with delightful attention to detail. The hands of the characters, for example, are fully articulated, not the big gobs of mud seen in earlier videogames but real hands with real, expressive fingers. The same with the faces and mouths, which reach a new technological pinnacle with their expressiveness.

    But, finally, for all its technical prowess, “Red Dead Redemption” is above all a game, and Rockstar never forgets that a game world must be, first and foremost, fun. With an innovative multiplayer system that promises months of replayability and about 20-40 hours of main plotline, this is a rich and delightfully realized perpetuation of all the myths that made the Old West one of America’s great cultural gifts to the world.

    Note: this review by Joe Stafford appeared in Thursday’s Austin American-Statesman.

    “Red Dead Redemption”
    $60, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
    Rated M for Mature

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    Permalink | | Categories: Videogames

    June 1, 2010

    Review: 'Super Mario Galaxy 2' for Wii

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    If I were a professor of video game design, my first lesson would be to hand each student a copy of “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” a new Wii game, and tell them, “Go home and play this. Come back when you think you’re fit to mop the floors at Nintendo.”

    The sequel to the 2007 holiday game “Super Mario Galaxy” is such a beautifully designed pleasure to play that it’s made me a fan of the Mario franchise all over again after I was disappointed by last year’s “New Super Mario Wii.”

    They’re very different beasts. “New Super” was a frustratingly difficult and chaotic reboot of the classic 2-D Mario games while “Galaxy 2” pushes Mario further into the 3-D challenges that were opened up in the 90s by “Super Mario 64.”

    While “New Super Mario Wii” felt hamstrung by the Mario games of yesteryear, “Galaxy 2” constantly feels like it’s hurtling forward, offering mind-bending, elaborate levels. For all their floating and twisting and gravity defying in space, they’re still remarkably easy to grasp and to play through. The game is challenging, but never feels impossible. Nintendo infuses the game with gameplay logic that always and draws from its long history of games. You draw lessons from the game and use them to progress almost unconsciously. That’s subtle, effective game design.

    It’s also very, very fun. “Galaxy 2” eschews a detailed storyline — Princess Peach is captured by Bowser, a giant brute of a turtle. Go get her. Sound familiar? — to throw you directly into the action. There are short tutorials for newcomers, but overall the game moves swiftly, propelling you to worlds where bee costumes, drills, clouds and ice skates are effective weapons against Koopas, big cliffs and angry fish.

    There’s also a new rock costume, the dinosaur Yoshi to ride on and munch on certain foes, and, of course, Mario’s brother Luigi. But the real stars of the game are the varied worlds that don’t seem bound by any laws of physics or imagination. (They they do work with their own set of rules and logic is what makes them so incredible.) Once your brain adjusts, it all makes perfect sense.

    Waterfalls float in space, tiny planets with their own gravity pull on Mario can be stomped on to use as projectiles, a watery planet can be instantly frozen and skated upon. It’s a game that’s full of surprises and joy.

    Once the game is over, you can go back and go through a second set of challenges, or earn stars you may have missed along the way. But even if you only go through the game once, there’s a lot here, too much for most gamers, in fact.

    While many games in this console generation are starting to feel shortened, cheapened, half-realized, “Super Mario Galaxy 2” is refreshingly full.

    It may be a sequel, but this plumber’s latest adventure feels fresh, stuffed with ideas and worthy of the long, remarkable Mario legacy.

    “Super Mario Galaxy 2”
    $50, For Nintendo Wii
    Rated E for Everyone

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    Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Videogames

    The Linkdown for Tuesday, June 1

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    The Linkdown can still taste hot dogs and BBQ sauce from a glorious Memorial Day weekend. Here’s hoping your holiday was restful, fun and observant.

    Some links you should also be aware of:

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    May 28, 2010

    Moves: Spoon to 'Rock Band,' video games to Austin Red Box locations

    The e-mail inbox overflows with good tidings today.

    First off, four tracks from Austin heroes Spoon will be added to “Rock Band” as downloadable content next week (Tuesday on Xbox 360 and Wii, Wednesday for PlayStation 3).

    The four tracks are “Trouble Comes Running,” “Don’t You Evah,” “I Turn My Camera On” and “Got Nuffin.”

    As Patrick Caldwell points out in the Music Source blog, there’s also a P.O.D. track (“Alive”) on the way, but… meh.

    The songs are $2 a pop.

    It’s getting crowded over in “Rock Band” land. “Green Day Rock Band” is about to launch, June 8, too.

    Separately, we just got e-mail notification that video game rentals are coming to Austin Red Box locations starting June 11. Rentals will cost $2 per night and games will be available for the usual suspects, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

    And hey, it’s Friday. Let’s listen to one of those Spoon tracks.

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Shopping, Videogames

    May 13, 2010

    The Linkdown for Thursday, May 13

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    The Linkdown is going on vacation next week and is tying up loose ends. So… many… loose ends!

    Here is what you should be looking at on the Web:

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Videogames

    May 12, 2010

    Visiting KingsIsle Entertainment

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    Most hardcore gamers in Austin probably already know that our city is home to game studios for companies including BioWare, Sony Online Entertainment, Disney Interactive and Electronic Arts, among others.

    But perhaps one of the most successful game companies is town also has one of the lowest profiles. KingsIsle Entertainment is the creator of the massively multiplayer all-ages online game, “Wizard 101.” The company, which is based in Plano and is privately held, doesn’t disclose how many people are currently playing the game, but last September it announced that it had surpassed 5 million players for its fantasy game. The game launched in the fall of 2008.

    I stopped by yesterday at the company’s Austin studio, located in very nice modern offices at The Domain. While the financials, administration and hard tech are handled in North Texas, the Austin studio is where most of the creative work on the game — from animating characters to scripting adventures and dialogue — is done.

    The company has about 120 employees and many of them are putting out work as fast as they can to keep up the insatiable demand for new content, said J. Todd Coleman, a veteran game designer (“Shadowbane”) who created “Wizard101.”

    “We’re giving them new content to explore all the time,” he said, “we can’t outpace them.”

    The game sound at first like “World of Warcraft” for the pre-teen set, but there’s a few important distinctions. While it’s a 3-D online game with fantasy elements (spells, cloaks, pointy hats), it’s turn-based and has the feel of a fantasy card game. It’s also free to play; the company makes money from microtransactions. Players pay to unlock areas and items.

    KingsIsle is working on a major update to the game. Right now, “Wizard101” has six major areas. The update will open up a new chapter of the game, the start of a new series of six story adventures. There’ll also be the addition of a pet system — players will be able to raise pets who’ll have their own mini-games and experience levels.

    The company is tight-lipped about other game projects it might be working on, including mobile apps beyond “Wizard101”-related ones it’s already released, but seems bullish about using the same model of high-quality content, family friendly themes and in-house creative work. KingsIsle plans to announce some milestones in the coming months and says it’s still seeing growth in its user numbers without the usual churn that hits other MMO games.

    Just from a quick peek around the studio and some of its work, I was impressed with the level of detail and attention that goes into the game design and the level of engagement the company has with its fans on its online forums and via social media channels like Twitter. That’s no easy feat given that many of its players are teens and the company says it has players as young as six and old at 60.

    But it’s less surprising when you hear what company Coleman hopes KingIsle most resembles: “Pixar.”

    Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Austin, Videogames

    May 11, 2010

    Project Natal: coming in October (probably)

    Microsoft’s answer to the runaway success of the Nintendo Wii (which already seems to have plateaued), Project Natal, finally has a release date in sight.

    Or at least a release month. October, a loose-lipped company marketing manager confirmed today. Natal will be a camera that hooks up to the Xbox 360 and recognizes body movements that translate as game controls.

    Sony also plans its own motion controller in the works, “Move,” which is a lot more analogous to the Wii’s Wiimote controller. Move is expected to be out as early as September.

    Here’s a video showing what kinds of things to expect from Natal:

    Of course, that’s the hope. We’ll have to wait and see if it really works as advertised.

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Gadgets, Videogames

    May 4, 2010

    The Linkdown for Tuesday, May 4

    The Linkdown is not really celebrating Star Wars Day. Maybe 15 years ago, but these days it just brings up painful prequel memories.

    Here are some links for you to peruse:

    Permalink | | Categories: Applications, Austin, Gadgets, Internet, Shopping, Videogames

    April 20, 2010

    'Red vs. Blue': mixing home-brew CGI with machinima

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    On Friday, I got a chance to stop in at the downtown offices of Rooster Teeth, the gents who brought us the long-running “Red vs. Blue” machinima series, and who are now getting into live-action full-length movie making, 3-D animation and motion capture in addition to the Web series, commercials and comics they already do.

    What they had to show me was pretty amazing — they’re now producing their own motion-captured CGI animation and inserting it into the familiar “Halo” worlds that “Red vs. Blue” fans already know and love. This allows the crew a great deal more freedom in putting their characters in positions that the “Halo” games don’t allow; the goal, they told me, is to not overdo the effect and ruin the illusion. In fact, they have to tone down the effect so it still blends in.

    They’ve been previewing some of the footage at the Penny Arcade Expo and at a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse.

    If you want to see the fruits of their labor, check out the episode below, “Upon Further Review,” which just went live last night. At about the 4-minute mark, you can see the technique employed spectacularly. (Warning: as with most “Red vs. Blue” episodes, this one has some salty language. Viewer discretion is advised.)

    Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Austin, Internet, Movies & DVDs, TV, Videogames

    April 7, 2010

    The Linkdown for Wednesday, April 7

    The Linkdown is trying to dig itself out of the titanic hole of time destruction caused by the release of the iPad. It’s a really deep hole.

    Here are some links you should read:

    Here’s an example from last year’s competition:


    Find more videos like this on Digital Media Exchange Competition

    Permalink | | Categories: Austin, Internet, Shopping, Videogames

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