The Top 4: Worst video games

TURKEYS: Remember some of these? They were a waste of time.

1. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (Atari 2600): Rush-released for the holidays to capitalize on the success of Steven Spielberg's magical movie, this jaw-dropping stinker isn't just the worst game ever; it defines what a bad game truly is.

The slow, choppy gameplay consists mostly of a green, pixilated E.T. climbing out of pits, dodging an awkwardly programmed detective, and ... getting out of more pits. E.T. himself would trade in stashes of Reese's Pieces to ensure no curious gamer touches this monstrosity.

2. "Survival Arts" (Arcade): When "Mortal Kombat" revolutionized fighting games, piles of imitators followed, but none as bad as this.

From the cheap, garish costumes and overly dramatic death cries to the horrible controls and character actors, "Survival Arts" will make one burst into fits of laughter with its ineptitude. Did I mention the old guy with a limitless supply of weapons and the boss who looks like Richard Simmons?

3. "Superman 64" (Nintendo 64): People love Superman because he represents absolute good and can do no wrong -- except when he flies on your home console. This N64 turkey defaces the good name of Superman in every way, forcing the Man of Steel to fly through hoops as a mission.


The gameplay is extremely buggy, with unresponsive controls and limited superpowers. You may find yourself giving up when Lex Luthor challenges, "Solve my maze." Difficult, as there is no maze.

4. "Gods and Generals" (PC): A tie-in for a hated Civil War movie that can't get basic game programming right.

The low artificial intelligence has soldiers shooting randomly and running through fire until they die; the landscaping has more polygons than a geometry book; there are hardly any game physics; and nearly every troop looks exactly the same. Had the Civil War itself been like this game, it'd probably be known as the Clone Wars long before George Lucas made movies -- if either side even won.

NFL Challenge to play for $100,000 in prizes

Players hit a different kind of gridiron yesterday for a chance to compete in an international tournament.

Football fans put their skills to the test in the EA Sports Madden NFL Challenge, which saw video game players going head-to-head yesterday.

"The tournament allows you to know how good you are and gives a scale to build on," said Madden fan Mike Iwankow, 25.

Iwankow came in second in last year's Madden regional tournament in Winnipeg and was eager to compete again this year.

"To be the best in a city is quite an accomplishment," said Anthony Francisco, manager of the St. James Best Buy store, where the competition was held.

The latest version of the Madden game features more realistic action, with certain National Football League players having stronger skills than others, said Iwankow.

"It's almost bang-on," he said.

About 40 players had signed up yesterday morning to participate in the Winnipeg tournament, playing the Madden NFL 08 game on Xbox 360 systems.

"They treat it like a real game. They're as fanatical about it as fans at Bombers' games," said James Deighton, one of the tourney's organizers.

PLAYS RELIGIOUSLY

One of the competitors, Clint Armstrong, 31, said the event brought more excitement to the gameplay and he looked forward to competing again next year.

"He plays the game religiously," said Armstrong's sister, Katrina Paquin, who came out to cheer him on.

Other Madden enthusiasts said they enjoy the popular video game series because of their fondness for the NFL.

"I'm a huge football fan and it's the closest you can get (in a video game)," said Nigel Russell, 18, adding he's been playing the game for about five years.

The top three players in Winnipeg walk off with televisions as prizes while the overall winner gets a paid trip to Toronto to compete in the national championship. The winner of that event will be sent to Los Angeles in December for the international final, worth about $100,000 in prizes, said Deighton.

UK government video games review

In her first interview as head of a government review of video games' effect on children, TV psychologist Tanya Byron tells David Smith that being a mother will help in her new role.

She told The Observer why she believes portable games devices should be part of daily schooling, suggests a likely link between violent games and violent behaviour in certain cases, and stresses the need for parents and children to balance virtual world risks as they would real world dangers such as crossing a road or talking to strangers.

Pilot schemes in schools, which have seen hand-held devices such as the Nintendo DS used by pupils to practise mental arithmetic, will be applauded. Asked if she thinks these should become part of the daily curriculum, Byron says: 'Yes I do. These are the technologies that children are using and will continue to use more and more as they grow into the next workforce, the next thinking generation.

While their educational merits are seldom noted, video games tend to become news only when gory or violent content is blamed for copycat behaviour in the real world. Is there a causal link? Byron is no fan of censorship but admits it's 'the big question'. 'I think the fact that currently there exists no concrete evidence of harm does not mean evidence of no harm.

Byron's consultation with the games and internet industries will include a mission to America and a meeting with YouTube, the video sharing site, to discuss its policy for taking down inappropriate content. She has also thrown open the process to children themselves, with blogs on MySpace and Bebo .

'Balance' is possibly Byron's favourite word, and the government can expect a nuanced report sensitive to both sides of an argument. That doesn't mean it will be bland. As visitors to her MySpace page now know, her star sign is Aries, also known as the ram.

More from The Observer

Quirky video games in Japan

When it comes to quirky games nothing can beat the Japanese. They have practically invented the genre and the market for games that are so out of this world in concept and gameplay that you wouldn’t even think that it is playable, much less marketable. And yet, the Japanese have proven time and time again that their formula actually succeeds in capturing the imaginations (and the wallets) of gamers.

Of course, most of these quirky games would really cater more or less exclusively to the Japanese domestic market itself. Take for example the popularity of “dating” simulators. These dating games are one of the biggest game genres in Japan but it has yet to really penetrate the market abroad. But thent there are games that are soo out there in concept and gameplay mechnics but still manages to get a worldwide audience.

Katamari Damacy is a puzzle/adventure game. You play the role of an alien who needs to replace “lost” stars in the sky and the only way you can do that is by accumulating all types of things on earth by rolling a “sticky” ball until you reach a desired diameter. It’s a really crazy concept but it became a really huge game when it was released and even spawned a sequel.

I think we should try to imitate the Japanese people’s ability to become open about new changes and ideas.

Burnout Paradise Official Trailer (Burnout 5)

Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Fans of “Super Smash Brothers Brawl” for the Wii, I apologize now.

Back when I studied at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism I was taught the importance of recognizing important news and bringing hard-won information to the public.

And yet, despite my schooling, I have failed. I went to a Nintendo summit two weeks ago. I played at least a half-hour of “SSBB.” I asked questions. Filmed videos that explain the game’s controls. I tried a host of characters.
But I did not snap a photo of Meta Knight’s Final Smash.

Like I said, I failed.

Apparently the torrent of information released about “SSBB” via the game’s official blog has not been enough to satisfy “SSBB” fans. Screenshots of 15 announced stages, 22 announced characters, descriptions of multiple modes and even the revelation that each character in the new game will be able to grab an item that lets them deliver a special devastating move called the Final Smash … nothing is enough for the “SSBB” fan.

No, they want to know what Meta Knight’s Final Smash move is. At least one “Smash” fan out there suggests that such a scoop would be huge news.

And all I have is a sentence of notes describing it.

Bear in mind that this was written down in my notebook two weeks ago, in the midst of some furious battling. My mental image of the Final Smash is faint. But the ink of my pen is not. My notes read: “Meta Knight Final Smash: wraps enemy in cape and wails on him.”

That’s all I got. No photo.

But maybe I can make things better with a trio of facts that Multiplayer’s resident “Smash Bros.” expert tells me are, in fact, news:

The character Pit, from “Kid Icarus,” can jump four times. Even using this ability I was getting trounced by better players.
If you get trounced too much the game gives you a break, re-spawning the player in fully-charged and ready to deliver a Final Smash, a mercy-Final-Smash, as it were. If being bad at a game is what it takes for me to get the big scoop, then so be it.
The game’s assist trophies — Nintendo-themed bonus characters that can be used to supplement your attacks — include the girl from “Sin & Punishment.” I know this because I threw an assist trophy capsule and out she jumped, gunning down the enemy characters.

That much I know. But I’m sure I missed something else that was important. Sorry, “Smash” fans.

Source: MTV

Exclusive: Nintendo Gives Us “Battalion Wars 2″

There are times when the mighty Nintendo company actually reacts to little old me.

That includes today, because I have here on my desk a finished, retail copy of “Battalion Wars 2.”

I have it a day before Nintendo is sending it to other reporters, probably because I wrote an article last week questioning the lack of promotion for the game. The game is shipping to stores on October 29.

Do I have power over Nintendo? Well, not really. For the record, other times that Nintendo may have reacted to me: There was a time during a speech from Reggie Fils-Aime two years ago, when he announced that he wasn’t going to put “Brain Age” commercials on MTV, and having chatted with me before the speech, ad-libbed: “Sorry Stephen.” Oh, and 1up.com apparently thinks the makers of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” do my bidding.

But that’s not why you’re reading this post.

You’re probably reading because you want to know about “Battalion Wars 2.” Is it a the next great hardcore Wii game after “Metroid Prime 3” or a dud? Did I find whatever fatal flaw that may have kept Nintendo from marketing the game more aggressively?

I’ve played the game for three hours so far and am ready to spill the beans…



The Basics

To get everyone up to speed, “Battalion Wars 2″ is published by Nintendo and developed by Kuju London, the same outfit that created the first game in the series, which was released for GameCube in 2005. Both games are third-person action games that put the player on a battlefield where they can both directly and indirectly control a small battalion in skirmishes against enemy military forces.

Many action games might give you a single super-soldier to control. Tthe “Battalion Wars” games let you control, say, a single machine gun soldier, while six guys with flamethrowers, five guys with bazookas, three assault commandos, two tanks, a recon buggy and an attack helicopter — all marching, rolling and swooping in concert with you soldier’s steps. On the fly, you can tell each of your units to attack different enemy units, stand guard, or capture bases. Or you can take immediate control of any of the other allied units yourself and control the battle from thier point of view.

More from: MTV Multiplayer

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Exploiting Online Games: Cheating Massively Distributed Systems

If you are a gamer, a game developer, a software security professional, or an interested bystander, this book exposes the inner workings of online-game security for all to see.

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Resident Evil: UC - Gameplay Trailer (+18)

Get a taste of some of the exciting situations and weaponry waiting for you in Umbrella Chronicles.