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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

How To Properly Sell A Copy Of Rock Star


Without a doubt, this auction manages to speak for itself. I have to admit, I was tempted to post the link to this auction, the pic and nothing more.

However, I will take some time to describe an auction that really doesn’t need one. We all know that by throwing a picture of a hot girl holding the item for sale into your auction, you can (and will) slightly boost its selling price.

Well, how about you include two hot girls? And a game that’s going to be relatively hard to find this Christmas? And the two girls are going to deliver the game to you on Christmas day? And said two girls are both softcore porn models?

Well then, now you’ve got something.

As much as I look forward to asking her to bang on my drums when it arrives, I can’t help but looking at that pic and worrying about receiving a box that has already been crushed.

Source: Gamesniped

Is tomorrow's Clapton playing 'Guitar Hero'?


In a recent South Park episode, we see two of the show's main characters, Stan and Kyle, rocking out to the video game Guitar Hero as a roomful of their friends watch, rapt.

As they're playing, Stan's father walks in, asks, "You kids want to see something really cool?" and starts to play an electric guitar.

For a moment, the room is dead silent. Then, Stan asks, incredulously, "Dad, what are you doing?"

"I can actually play a lot of these songs on a real guitar," the father responds. "Want me to show you boys how?"

Stan spits back, "That's stupid, Dad."

Well, maybe not, say guitar teachers. In fact, the immense popularity of the hit Guitar Hero franchise--the third iteration of the game, Guitar Hero III, brought in $115 million during its first week on the market--may be the best thing that has happened to the instrument, to rock 'n' roll, and to guitar instructors, in a long time.

"I have an overwhelming feeling that my business is safe for years to come when I see kids playing Guitar Hero," said Dan Emery, owner of New York City Guitar School. "These kids are really enjoying playing Guitar Hero, and they're really being turned on to old classic rock" via the game.

More from CNet News

Smarty Pants Lets Gamers Show Off Their Brainpower


With 20,000 questions and a filter that sifts by age, everybody has an equal opportunity to win the intelligence crown.

Smarty Pants uses 1 to 4 Wii remotes for dancing, spinning the wheel, and making intuitive gestures to play. Four-player action allows players to team up with friends and family for plenty of fast-paced multiplayer fun.

ESRB: Everyone

Official website

Fantasy Aquarium by DS video game released


Growing UK games publisher, Mercury Games today released more screen shots and a video from fourth coming relaxing simulation games “Aquarium by DS” and “Fantasy Aquarium by DS” both for the Nintendo DS.

Just like keeping fish in real life, the fish need to be fed and have their tanks cleaned. “Aquarium by DS” allows the player to keep the usual types of fish that one would find in a fish tank including Clown Fish, Angelfish, Neon Tetra and Guppy. While “Fantasy Aquarium by DS” allows the player to keep fish which could never be kept as pets in a tank such as Blue whales, dolphins, Seals and sharks.

Aquarium by DS and Fantasy Aquarium by DS are due for release in February 2007. The SRP will be £19.99/ €24.99.

GripShift video game races on Xbox Live Arcade


Sidhe Interactive, industry leading developer of cross platform titles, today announced that their award-winning driving platformer title, GripShift®, is headed to Xbox LIVE Arcade (XBLA), the premier destination for digitally distributed, high-definition original and classic games. Available this year, the Xbox LIVE Arcade-exclusive title features updated graphics, improved controls and additional single and multiplayer content, including new Challenge courses and a Deathmatch mode.

"Veteran players and newcomers to the game will both find something to love in this definitive version of GripShift," said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "We've added a substantial amount of new content, including new single player courses and a multiplayer Deathmatch mode for players bent on dominating their friends or climbing to the top of the leaderboards."

GripShift brings the action online to Xbox LIVE Arcade with an abundance of new content, including upgraded graphics, Deathmatch mode and new race courses. Additionally, unlockable achievements and TrueSkill Leaderboard functionality will keep Xbox 360 owners coming back to race their way to glory!

For more information on GripShift, please visit: www.gripshiftgame.com.

Stranglehold - Short Film Contest Starts Today!



Midway Games Ltd launches the European Stranglehold short film contest powered by Eurogamer at www.massive-d.com.

Today, Midway Games Ltd announced the start of the European Stranglehold™ short film contest powered by Eurogamer. As of now, amateur directors can create their own Stranglehold short films at www.massive-d.com and enter their creation into weekly competitions to win exclusive prizes.

The competition will run over eight weeks, with winners selected and voting reset to zero every week. The weekly winners will receive a limited edition game console with a Stranglehold design, while the overall winner will enjoy a luxury trip for two to Hong Kong. In addition, Midway will be giving away games signed by acclaimed action director John Woo to lucky registered users who have participated in the voting.

“The European Stranglehold short film contest powered by Eurogamer is a fantastic way for us speak directly to game fans from the three largest European markets and challenge them to participate,” says Leonie Manshanden, European Marketing Director for Midway Games Europe. “This activity is an elemental component of our pan-European, multi-million Euro campaign supporting the launch of Stranglehold, and is the largest that Midway Europe has ever implemented.”

Until mid-January, users can create their own custom-made Stranglehold short film on the amazing www.massive-d.com website. There are over 160 all-time classic films, texts, and sound clips available to be

pieced together to make their very own, 90 second short film.
About Stranglehold™

A collaboration with world renowned action film director John Woo's Tiger Hill Entertainment, Stranglehold allows players to experience the excitement of true next-gen action as you take on the role of Inspector Tequila created by John Woo for his influential action film, "Hard Boiled" starring Chow Yun-Fat. Ensnared by a crime boss with a gripping secret, Inspector Tequila is forced to cross the line from sworn duty to bloody revenge. Engage your enemies with intense cinematic gun battles and cause massive environmental damage in real-time or revolutionary slow-motion Tequila Time.

Penumbra: Black Plague video game developers diary...

Introduction
Welcome to the first Penumbra: Black Plague developer diary! In this part we will focus on some of the improvements we have made to this stand-alone game since Penumbra Overture and elaborate on some of the game features.

Overture vs Black Plague
Black Plague is a sequel, however we did not just want to settle with what we had and only make minor improvements. Instead we aimed to really evolve as game creators and that has meant identifying imperfections in our previous game and remove them completely.

One of the challenges we've faced when creating a game, is that we become very attached to our creation and that makes it more difficult to objectively identify these imperfections. We also get used to the elements that make up a game and have a hard time imagining how first time player perceive specific features.
Examples of such imperfections are technical features, where improvements are easy to evaluate because we can use simple metrics (frames per seconds, visual quality etc) to determine if they are better then last time. At the same time there are other imperfections related to gameplay and the quality of a gaming experience where it is a lot harder to determine if and when these have been fixed.

Thankfully we have a great bunch of people trying out new ideas and we use their feedback to see if our improvements have been successful. We have also gained a lot of knowledge through the feedback from our first game, all of which has made us better at judging what works and what doesn't.

More to follow...

Corrosion - Cold Winter Waiting video game annouced


UK based games developer Viperante is proud to announce production of their brand new adventure game: “Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting” for PC, and the launch of the game's official website.

About “Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting”
Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting is a dark, shocking, uncompromising, and fear charged horror adventure game, that casts the player in the role of Sheriff Alex Truman as he attempts to break the monotony of life by piecing together the history and origins of a disturbed and unidentified car crash victim.

Set entirely underneath an idyllic country farmhouse, in the deserted and claustrophobic confines of a mysterious and secret underground complex, players will explore a place nobody knew existed, and uncover a twisted past that gets more and more terrifying with every corner turned, every door opened, and every note read.

What happened beneath Cold Winter Farm? What does it have to do with the stranger, who survived a terrible crash, only to sit and mutter the farm’s name? And if the place is supposed to be deserted, what do you keep seeing out of the corner of your eye?

Backed by atmospheric pre-rendered 3D scenes, and a chilling yet beautiful score, Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting weaves a tangled and brutal tale of love, revenge, jealousy, and bitter rivalry to create a horror experience that will bring new meaning to the concepts of hope and trust, and leave you questioning whether what you know, is really what you know!

Key Features:
- A vast and detailed storyline
- Engaging and realistic characters
- Puzzles integrated logically into the story
- A large and exciting location with many secrets
- 1st person style interface and control system
- 1024 x 768 screen resolution
- Detailed and atmospheric pre-rendered 3D backgrounds
- An original and emotive score

Production on Corrosion: Cold Winter Waiting has been underway for more than six months, and the projected release date is August 2008.

For more information visit the official site at: www.coldwinterwaiting.com

The Storyline
Deacon Oaks is a small and quiet town, where nothing bad ever happens. Sheriff Alex Truman has a peaceful life dealing with lost dogs, trivial disputes, and a few drunks here and there. He should be the happiest lawman in the world. But there's just one small part of him that longs for some excitement, for something that would break the monotony he doesn't even realise is eating him alive.

One cold November night it seems his unspoken wishes may have been granted when he’s involved in a car accident with a man who appears suddenly in the middle of the road. Alex is fine, but the man ends up in hospital with a broken leg, and several cracked ribs. Nobody knows who this guy is or where he has come from, and to make matters worse, he won’t speak. Finally the town has its first real mystery, and Alex is overjoyed. But that joy is to be short lived.

With no way of finding out the man’s identity, he’s moved to the local state mental health facility, and life in Deacon Oaks goes back to normal, until two months later when Alex gets a call informing him that the “road guy” has at last spoken. Three words were all he would say – “Cold Winter Farm, Cold Winter Farm, Cold Winter Farm”, over and over again.

Alex has no idea what it means, but he does know that Cold Winter Farm is on the edge of town, and that’s good enough. The mystery is back, and Alex wants to get to the bottom of it right away. Problem is, the biggest storm in fifty years is heading towards town – he’ll never make it out to the farm and back before the storm hits. But Alex doesn’t care – something deep inside is driving him – he has to know who the “road guy” is, and he has to know now. Abandoning all rational thought and ignoring the warnings of his deputy, he grabs the keys to the 4x4 and heads out.

Ten minutes after he arrives at the farm, the storm is so out of control, that it uproots a tree, which falls onto the house, crushing the roof, and trapping him in the basement. That’s not all though. The fallen tree has opened up a hidden doorway, which leads to a secret corridor. At the end of the corridor is an elevator, and the only place it can go is down. With no chance of being rescued until the next day, and with the overpowering need to find answers drowning out the fear he feels, Alex decides to take the elevator down.

But what will be waiting for him at the bottom? Will it explain the origins and identity of the “road guy”? Will it explain why the “road guy” was walking in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the freezing winter? Will it explain why he wouldn’t speak for two months? And if it does, will the answers be simple, or will they be ultimately more disturbing and terrifying than anyone could imagine?

August 2008 Games Conventions tickets onsale now

GC - Games Convention (21 to 24 August 2008)

Advance ticket orders end on 17 December 2007

Christmas tree, goose and Christmas cake - still not found that perfect Christmas present? With the GC Christmas campaign GC fans can secure their exclusive ticket for the games event of summer 2008 and brighten up the Christmas of friends or family. The tickets come packed in an original Christmas greeting card with optional GC winter hat, they can be booked in advance up to 17 December 2007, ensuring that they are under the tree in time for Christmas Eve. "This helps to shorten the wait until the beginning of the GC on 20 August 2008", smiles GC Project Director Peggy Schönbeck.

And: This original Christmas gift also saves money. There are no advance sales fees and the ticket also entitles the holder to free travel to and from the Leipzig exhibition centre in the zones 110, 151-156, 162-168, 210, 221-225 and 231-234 of the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund public transport authority during the period of the GC. Further information and the online order form can be found at www.gc-germany.com.

First screens of video game - Supreme Ruler 2020

Paradox Interactive released today the first screen shots for the real-time strategy title, Supreme Ruler 2020, scheduled for release during Q2 2008.

Developed by the Canadian studio Battlegoat studios, Supreme Ruler 2020 is a strategic and tactical geo-political game where direct control of the military and the policies of a nation becomes the key to survival.

Will your leadership take you to new heights of power or will you be nothing more than a footnote in history?


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