Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category
Microsoft XBLA honoring Michael Jackson
June 28th, 2009 by Sean
We’re all still reeling from the passing of the King of Pop, but fortunately, Microsoft’s got a nice memorial for Michael Jackson up on Xbox Live:
This weekend only, the Video Marketplace is giving away the full, ten-minute version of MJ’s classic “Thriller” music video for your viewing pleasure.
Yep, the greatest music video of all time is free to download until the end of the day today.
Nintendo Mario Kart Wii Used In Driver’s Ed
May 19th, 2009 by Sean
Students at Vail Christian High School in Colorado are learning the importance of not driving while distracted. They’re doing this with the help of Mario Kart Wii.
The high school created the “distracted and drowsy driving project” with the help of the Eagle County Sheriff’s Department, the Colorado State Patrol, the Eagle Country Fire Fighters and the Vail Valley Medical Center.
The kids “drive” Mario Kart Wii while trying to contend with text messages, turtle shells and powerslides.
Source: 9NEWS.com
Titmouse Opens Game Development Wing
March 18th, 2009 by Sean
Titmouse Inc., the production company behind Cartoon Network’s hit show Metalocalypse, have opened a game development studio appropriately named:
Once you stop snickering at the word “titmouse,” note that this is not the firm’s first effort in the gaming industry.
Alongside the aforementioned cartoon and other notable shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Afro Samurai, Titmouse is responsible for the in-game cinematics seen in the Guitar Hero series.
The first project for Titmouse Games is an action-roleplaying game called Seven Haunted Seas, that the company’s official press release characterizes as:
“a mixture of steam-punk and graphic novel-like artwork, the game is a dark comedic tale about an undead pirate, Scurvy Pete, that returns from hell to find a dark, post-apocalyptic future where he must right all his wrongs to restore the world.”
Even though Titmouse Games… hehe… has a funny name, I expect some cool things from this company.
Source: official press release
Posted in Culture, Game Development, Industry News
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Racing the Beam: Atari 2600 Hardware
March 18th, 2009 by Sean
The Atari 2600 Video Computer System was, in fascinating ways, unlike any other videogame console.
As the first wildly successful home gaming console, the Atari 2600 was in millions of homes for well over a decade after its 1977 release.
Even after Atari fell out of favor and Nintendo took over the 8-bit game business, Atari continued to produce Atari games and hardware until 1992.
Do you think Nintendo will still be manufacturing Wii consoles in 2021?
As most of my friends know, I’m a huge Nintendo fan and still own all my classic consoles, but I’m going to say probably not. Sorry Nintendo. I still love you.
The VCS’ unrivaled longevity is all the more astounding when one considers that the hardware itself was nearly obsolete even when it was first released.
The VCS’ unique hardware limitations forced game designers to jump through all sorts of hoops to squeeze more complex game designs out of the VCS.
In a new book from MIT Press titled Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System, media studies professors Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost present an engaging, fascinating look at the VCS platform and how it changed the nature of game design.
The Atari 2600′s crazy hardware changed game design forever. If you’re into classic gaming consoles or just old hardware and technology in general, check out this book. It’s worth the $22.95 USD.
Posted in 2600, Atari Inc., Culture
Sega’s HOTD: Overkill Sets Swearing Record
March 16th, 2009 by Sean
What best complements mowing down hordes of undead with high-caliber weaponry?
Apparently copious swears, if Sega’s House of the Dead: Overkill is any indication.
The recently released Nintendo Wii title now holds the record for “most swearing in a game” owing to its Tarantino-esque 189 instances of the word “fuck,” according to the Guinness World Records Gaming Edition.
“It is a dubious honour to receive such an accolade working in an industry where so often the fruits of your labours are derided and dismissed for being puerile or irresponsible, but in the case of The House of the Dead: Overkill a little puerility was the order of business,” said Overkill writer Jonathan Burroughs.
“Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games’ objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it.”
Image courtesy Sega
Call of Duty’s ‘Moral Consequences’
March 6th, 2009 by Sean
Not every religious leader wants to decry videogames. To wit, Rabbi Micah Kelber’s recent article in Jewish publication Forward praising Call of Duty: World at War’s unflinching portrayal of the reality of war.
“As a Jew, being involved in virtually ending World War II allows you to experience the closest thing possible to killing the sense of victimhood created by the Holocaust,” Rabbi Kelber writes.
“And you do it without actually hurting any real people. In fact, it’s so satisfying that when you get to shoot down the golden eagle on the Reichstag, while sniping headshots at flame-throwing Nazis, you simply don’t want the war to end.”
“The realistic portrayal of violence in video games is often decried. But those who would disparage these games for being too brutal would be those who would condemn them for not showing the realities of war. It is because of its violence that the game ushers in some of the feeling of the intensity of the battlefield,” he adds.
Nice to see a religious official taking the time to actually play a game and form an independent opinion based on a title’s content instead of the de facto stance of his peers, huh?
Image courtesy Activision
Source: MTV Multiplayer
Posted in Console Games, Culture
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