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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Akira Yamaoka - Heaven's Night interview on the Silent Hill Franchise


When Konami's Silent Hill was released in 1999 it looked very different from other video games. But perhaps more important, it sounded radically different.

With music and sound design by Akira Yamaoka, the sonic environment of Silent Hill was an inseparable part of the game's sepulchral mood.

As players explored Silent Hill's fog shrouded streets and decaying halls, Yamaoka draped the world in vast sheets of sound.

Often suggestive of air raid sirens, background radiation, or the quiet hum of a dialysis machine, Yamaoka used guitar and electronics to create a sound that was alternately lush and bracing, with melancholy dreamscapes dissolving under a rain of lacerating distortion. Video game music could never sound quite the same again.

Below, we present the full text of the interview with Akira Yamaoka which ran in the December issue of Game Developer magazine, including the musician's controversial comments on the state of game development in Japan.

More from: Gamasutra

More video games Christmas Cards ...


See the set here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/21683516@N08/tags/cards/javascript:void(0)

Square Enix - Final Fantasy Christmas Card

Click on image to see animation...

Another 'reveal'-styled Final Fantasy card from Square Enix this year, and this time, it looks like a snowman... before opening the card reveals that the eyes are actually from a super-kawaii Chocobo. Aw!

Source: GameSetWatch

Nintendo Wii Approaching 20 Million Units Sold


Whether you like the Wii or not, it seems nothing is going to slow down sales for Nintendo.

At the current rate of sales, Nintendo will end up selling 20 million units at a rate of 1.54 million units per month and reach the 20 million milestone 6 months faster than the Sony PS2 did.

The interesting fact is that Microsoft may actually be outperforming the Nintendo Wii outside of Japan.

Less than 4% of Xbox 360 sales come from inside Japan and this could be the single aspect that gives Nintendo the world-wide edge.

The Sony PS3 is still way behind both Nintendo and Microsoft, but 2008 will be a long year.

I have always felt that 2008 will be the year for Sony, so we’ll just have to see.

Source: FileFront

Free Linux video games - Armagetron Advanced


Armagetron is a multiplayer game in 3d that attempts to emulate and expand on the lightcycle sequence from the movie Tron. It's an old school arcade game slung into the 21st century. Highlights include a customizable playing arena, HUD, unique graphics, and AI bots. For the more advanced player there are new game modes and a wide variety of physics settings to tweak as well.

Download here... http://www.armagetronad.net/

From: Entretenimiento Online

More Free Linux games posted on 10th December here...

Free Linux video games - Battlestar Galactica: Beyond the Red Line


• Powered by the revamped Freespace 2 engine
• Entirely stand-alone, Freespace 2 not required
• Accurately detailed high-resolution ship models
• High quality, originally engineered audio
• Authentic, original in-game soundtrack, in addition to pieces by Bear McCreary and Richard Gibbs
• Original characters and voice acting
• A three mission single player campaign depicting never-before-seen events, interwoven with and true to the series’ storyline
• Head online and go head-to-head with your friends—and foes—in intense multiplayer missions including Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and others
• Exciting Viper combat with authentic weaponry and flight controls

System Requirements for Linux:
Operating System: Linux x86 compatible
CPU: Pentium 1 GHz or AMD Athlon 800 MHz processor
Memory: 512 MB RAM, 1 GB recommended
Graphics Card: 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon with closed source drivers, Mesa 6 or better with S3TC extension available for open source drivers
Input Device: Mouse and keyboard
Installation: 750 MB free HD space

Download the game from here... http://www.game-warden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3502

From: Entretenimiento Online

More Free Linux games posted on 10th December here...

Crysis video game Bonus Map Pack Released download now


Crytek has released a free, festive multiplayer map pack for Crysis today. This five-level dealio includes three power struggle maps and two DM levels. Thanks, Sanborn.
Now that Christmas is here and we are seeing another year coming to its end it is time for our beloved Crytek Christmas message. It has probably been the most exciting year since FarCry has been shipped. Not only that we relaunched our Crymod Modding Portal for our new blockbuster FPS, we also finished Crysis which has been in development for about four years.
It was an exciting year with lots of ups and downs, but we are more than happy with what we achieved. Even more are we proud of the great community we have, that is supporting us and giving us so much excellent feedback!

On behalf of the whole Crytek development studios in Frankfurt, Kiev and Budapest and the entire Crytek Staff we wish the whole community Maximum Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008!

Download from Crysis here...

Online games battle for top spot



Challenges to the dominance of World of Warcraft over online games and gamers look set to emerge in 2008.
So say industry watchers looking back on a year in which the field as a whole matured and signs emerged which show how the industry sector is developing.

During the year Blizzard's flagship title consolidated its hold on gamers as its subscriber base kept growing.

But debuts by Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and many others may mean that hold begins to weaken.

More from the BBC

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Microsoft Xbox 360 games tackle drink driving - Scottish Government to spend £10,000 on in-game advertising


Anti-drink driving adverts are to be inserted into computer games amid concern at the number of youngsters who consume alcohol before driving.
Police said they had caught almost 150 people under the age of 25 in their annual festive drink driving blitz.

The Scottish Government is to spend £10,000 on adverts on the virtual billboards within Xbox 360 games.

Campaigners said it was vital to look beyond conventional methods of communicating with young people.

The adverts will be seen by Scottish Xbox 360 gamers playing the online versions of titles including Need for Speed: Carbon, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.

If the trial is successful, the same technology could be used to deliver a wide range of road safety messages.

More from the BBC

Nintendo Wii shopping channel add - BLADES OF STEEL - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Rolling Thunder 2

This week's merry Wii Shop Channel lineup includes a classic adventure title to entertain every reveler in your household, from the nicest to the naughtiest. Plus, you'll find a wicked-cool dose of ice hockey action and a thrilling secret-agent sequel to help keep spirits bright all winter long.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. 

This week's new games are:

BLADES OF STEEL (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points):

With stick in hand and confidence brimming, you are looking to bring home the cup, win the MVP award, get on the covers of major sports magazines and date a beautiful model (not necessarily in that order). 

But soon you will learn that, in this league, nothing is ever given to you, and before you can reach your goals, you'll have to put the puck in the net and score some.

You'll need both the artful skills of a finesse player and the bone-crushing brutality of an enforcer. Defend your own goal against unrelenting power plays, or put the pressure on your opponent's goalie and try a slap shot of your own. 

Don't forget to defend yourself when anger flares because the gloves come off and fists start flying. So strap on blades of steel and prepare to either make a name for yourself or be put on ice.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points):

Revisit Donkey Kong Island and join the Kong family for their latest adventure. The Kremlings have a mysterious new leader named KAOS and are up to their usual mischief, even capturing Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

Now it's up to Dixie Kong and the newest Kong, a giant infant named Kiddy, to rescue the two missing apes.

They'll travel across previously unseen parts of the island in their search, and even take to the skies in a rocket at one point. Lucky for them, Dixie and Kiddy's powers complement each other (including Kiddy's talent for rolling like a barrel), so they form a powerful team capable of major Kremling damage. 

They're not completely on their own, either, since returning favorites like Funky Kong and Enguarde the swordfish provide help along the way. And in a series known for its abundance of secrets and high replay value, this entry doesn't disappoint, with enough hours of game play to satisfy Donkey Kong himself. 

Anyone else have a sudden urge for some bananas?

Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Violence, 800 Wii Points):

In this follow-up to the original classic, you are once again a member of Interpol's Rolling Thunder task force, and it's up to you to stop the return of the evil Geldra organization. 

Now known as Neo-Geldra and led by a newcomer named Gimdo, the bad guys are bent on destroying several valuable outer-space satellites. 

In this one- or two-player game, you can play as Leila or Albatross-both characters from the original-as you venture through several different levels, trying to put a stop to the nefarious efforts of Gimdo and the rest of Neo-Geldra. 

Use your bullets wisely and make Rolling Thunder proud.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.