Random Video Game Talk

[morsdraconis]

Rwanda
China
Yemen
Sudan
North Korea
Iran
Burma
Somaila
Sudan
Laos
D.R. Congo
Chad


I could go on and on but I bet you after a week of seeing the politics of these countries, you might have to retract that.

I meant countries where there is actually freedom. Of course all of those places are worse, their 2nd and 3rd world countries being run by dictators.

[bdoughty]

I meant countries where there is actually freedom. Of course all of those places are worse, their 2nd and 3rd world countries being run by dictators.

Okay first world countries.

Greece
Spain


I am sure more would come to mind but that should suffice for now.

[JeffHCross]

I meant countries where there is actually freedom. Of course all of those places are worse, their 2nd and 3rd world countries being run by dictators."Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

I will agree that our political parties are totally fucked, but there's a difference between preferring the multi-party system that England and others have, and assuming that going elsewhere will allow you to escape really stupid proposals.

[JBHuskers]

http://chzvideogames.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/video-game-memes-arrrrrr1.jpg

[JBHuskers]

http://chzvideogames.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/video-game-memes-guilty.gif

[JBHuskers]

http://chzvideogames.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/video-game-memes-dlc-in-the-s.png

[JBHuskers]

http://chzvideogames.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/video-game-memes-parents-just-dont-understand.jpg

[bdoughty]

I am guessing someone is subtly trying to shift the conversation in this thread back to video games. :)

[bdoughty]

http://majornelson.com/2012/03/22/announcing-arcade-next/

Announcing ‘Arcade Next’

TRIALS EVOLUTION, April 18 for 1200 Microsoft Points
“Trials Evolution” is on every front, the next dimension of the smash-hit, award-winning “Trials HD.” Bust out of the warehouse into an outdoor world of night and day, curved driving lines, and spectacular scenery. Multiplayer comes alive in your living room or on Xbox LIVE. Build your own tracks with the in-game editor or download those of any other player from the new Track Central. Customize your bike and rider with awesome gear and unique parts, enjoy innovative skill games, try ghost racing, beat your friends’ scores and more! Don’t miss the madness!

:up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up:


BLOODFORGE, April 25 for 1200 Microsoft Points
With a brutal combat system, stunning art style, and a deeply compelling story, “Bloodforge” empowers you to slaughter hordes of demonic soldiers, deformed worshippers, and the gods themselves, using ferocious Rage Kills, devastating Rune attacks, and furious Weapon Combos. Help seal Crom’s fate – and the fate of the rest of the world – in this dark, visceral story of revenge, betrayal, and destiny.


FABLE HEROES, May 2 for 800 Microsoft Points
“Fable Heroes” is an action-packed, hack-and-slash adventure built for Xbox LIVE Arcade. It delivers a fresh spin on the “Fable” franchise with a unique art style and gameplay that takes playful competition to the next level. Whether on the couch or using Xbox LIVE, up to four players work together to defeat enemies while also competing with one another to collect gold coins and level up. Precious gold collected in Fable Heroes can be imported into the forthcoming Kinect title, Fable: The Journey, providing players with a valuable head start from day one.


MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION, May 9 for 1600 Microsoft Points
The infinite possibilities in “Minecraft” just got bigger. “Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition” brings the global phenomenon to console gamers for the first time. The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game features an innovative new crafting interface, natural controller movements, a full Tutorial mode to teach the basics and for the first time in “Minecraft,” split-screen multiplayer as well as over Xbox LIVE.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UiFDDCWBivk

[I OU a Beatn]

Buying all 4 the day they're released. I am so psyched for Trials Evolution and Blood Forge it's not even funny. I fell in love with Blood Forge the second I saw it. I've never tried Minecraft, so I'll give it a try(although I cringe at that 1600MSP price point), and I'll buy pretty much anything Fable related.

This promotion is way better than the last one. Alan Wake was the only decent one out of the 4.

[JeffHCross]

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/166615/Bill_proposes_tobaccostyle_warning_labels_for_game s.php

U.S. bill proposes tobacco-style warning labels for games

Called the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act (H.R. 4204, PDF link), the bipartisan bill seeks to label games in the U.S. with a message that reads "WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior" on their packaging (or in another clear and conspicuous location, if distributed digitally).

:fp:And the ECA has responded:

“The Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2012” is an unconstitutional restraint on speech that would harm consumers and parents alike. Please join with the ECA. Let your Representatives know that you want them to let the industry and parents continue to use a system that works, and have Congress stay focused on the real problems facing our nation.

Fill in your zip code below, read the letter, then click the Send This Message button and your letter will be emailed to your member of Congress.
http://action.theeca.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5716

[morsdraconis]

Good. Hopefully the power of the internet can have some type of effect on this just like it did with SOPA and PIPA.

[JeffHCross]

Good. Hopefully the power of the internet can have some type of effect on this just like it did with SOPA and PIPA.Well, thankfully, there doesn't seem to be practically any support in Congress for this, unlike SOPA and PIPA.

[JBHuskers]

Another one bites the dust on the CoD team.

Creative Strategist Robert Bowling resigns from Activision: http://t.co/B5J6A8Bk

[NatureBoy]

Rumors suggest two new Xbox consoles on the way.


Although Microsoft has confirmed that we won't see a new Xbox this year, rumors of future consoles continue to swirl. That's right: consoles, plural. The latest snippets of information leaked by sources supposedly in the know point to a pair of new Xbox consoles, one of which is due out next year.

The Xbox Lite will reportedly arrive in time for the 2013 holiday season. With an expected price tag of just $100, it seems likely to be a popular item. This won't be a discounted version of the current Xbox hardware, though. VR-Zone claims the Lite will use an ARM-based chip rather than the PowerPC-based Xenon CPU in the Xbox 360. No details are provided regarding the Xbox Lite's GPU, but I suspect it won't be difficult to match the horsepower available in the 360's Xenos graphics processor. At the very least, the budget Xbox should be capable of handling the casual games sold through Microsoft's Live Arcade.

Casual gaming seems to be getting more popular—Angry Birds Space was downloaded 10 million times in just 3 days—and a budget Xbox could serve that market well. It would also give Microsoft an inexpensive conduit for other content, such as music and video, and provide another platform that supports Kinect-style motion controls.

According to VR-Zone, Kinect is due for an upgrade in 2015. That's when the site says we can also expect a truly next-generation Xbox, which is purportedly coming a full decade after the 360's initial release.

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22698

[JeffHCross]

That seems like a very dangerous direction (financially) to go in.

[DariusLock]

That is stupid. Sony just needs to put together a solid system and finally blow them out of the water.

[I OU a Beatn]

Sony needs to severely beef up their online interface and features. That's the only complaint I have about my PS3.

That just goes to show how rumors are. I read a rumor about the smaller Xbox not even a week ago, but it said it was a simply slimmed down version of the 360 that will sell for $100 and will be used to make Kinect more appealing price wise. I don't think anyone truly knows what the next generation systems are going to be like except for Microsoft and Sony.

[JeffHCross]

I don't think anyone truly knows what the next generation systems are going to be like except for Microsoft and Sony.I genuinely believe that they're far enough off that even Sony and M$ don't have a clear picture of the next generation right now.

[morsdraconis]

:smh:

2015 before they update this piece of shit hardware again?

Good god, that's terrible.


Sony needs to severely beef up their online interface and features. That's the only complaint I have about my PS3.

That just goes to show how rumors are. I read a rumor about the smaller Xbox not even a week ago, but it said it was a simply slimmed down version of the 360 that will sell for $100 and will be used to make Kinect more appealing price wise. I don't think anyone truly knows what the next generation systems are going to be like except for Microsoft and Sony.

I highly disagree. They need to do WAY more than just beef up their online interface and features. The dashboard for the PS3 runs like a bunch of amateur programmers got lazy and just pumped some shit out to meet a deadline. It's terrible looking, clunky as hell, and the whole idea of having to install parts of the game but not be able to install ALL of the game (to DRASTICALLY speed up load times) is absolutely atrocious.

There are quite a few things that need to be done to make the PS3 not a steaming pile of shit and until they do those things, they will never catch the 360. Beyond all else, they need to quit fuckin' around with this free online shit and just make you pay that way they have no excuses for their shit looking like amateur hour.

[DariusLock]

double post. :(

[DariusLock]

:smh:

2015 before they update this piece of shit hardware again?

Good god, that's terrible.



I highly disagree. They need to do WAY more than just beef up their online interface and features. The dashboard for the PS3 runs like a bunch of amateur programmers got lazy and just pumped some shit out to meet a deadline. It's terrible looking, clunky as hell, and the whole idea of having to install parts of the game but not be able to install ALL of the game (to DRASTICALLY speed up load times) is absolutely atrocious.

There are quite a few things that need to be done to make the PS3 not a steaming pile of shit and until they do those things, they will never catch the 360. Beyond all else, they need to quit fuckin' around with this free online shit and just make you pay that way they have no excuses for their shit looking like amateur hour.

Don't know about you but I got a PS3 to play games not sit on the dashboard :). There's different themes and stuff you can do to adjust it, XBox's is confusing as hell to me. And load times on the PS3 are not out of this world or crazy...I got time to wait 1 minute for something to load.

[I OU a Beatn]

:smh:

2015 before they update this piece of shit hardware again?

Good god, that's terrible.



I highly disagree. They need to do WAY more than just beef up their online interface and features. The dashboard for the PS3 runs like a bunch of amateur programmers got lazy and just pumped some shit out to meet a deadline. It's terrible looking, clunky as hell, and the whole idea of having to install parts of the game but not be able to install ALL of the game (to DRASTICALLY speed up load times) is absolutely atrocious.

There are quite a few things that need to be done to make the PS3 not a steaming pile of shit and until they do those things, they will never catch the 360. Beyond all else, they need to quit fuckin' around with this free online shit and just make you pay that way they have no excuses for their shit looking like amateur hour.

That's why I said interface. The XMB, while it's easy to use, blows. I still don't understand why I have to wait like 20 seconds for the XMB to load when I'm using in game. I mean, when I'm on 360 and I load up the in game interface, it's there within 1 second. They need to improve the interface before all else, but if you look at Vita's interface, I don't think Sony has learned the required lesson.

When I say features, I mean parties, cross game chat, easier trophy comparison, better user profiles, cross game invites, etc...

...and yes, load times on the PS3 are out of this world. It's the number 1 reason I don't use it more than I do. It's especially bad when buying a new game. I tried Resistance 3 a few weeks ago for the first time and I shit you not, I didn't get to play until over an hour after I started downloading updates, installing it, etc...That's ridiculous. I've never had to wait more than 5 seconds for an update on Live to not only download, but install. I've waited over an hour for some of the ones on PS3. It's annoying and inconvenient. Another example is what I said earlier about the in game XMB - there's no way I should have to wait 20 seconds for the thing to load so I can use it. Sony could fix that problem by getting rid of the numerous icons that you can't even use anyway when you access the in game XMB.

Sony and Microsoft both need to get rid of the bullshit ads that infest their dashboards. I'm paying $50 a year for Plus and I've been with Live for 5 straight years now, so I really don't see why I should have to look at Chuck Norris talking about how much he loves World of Warcraft.

[gschwendt]

That's why I said interface. The XMB, while it's easy to use, blows. I still don't understand why I have to wait like 20 seconds for the XMB to load when I'm using in game. I mean, when I'm on 360 and I load up the in game interface, it's there within 1 second. They need to improve the interface before all else, but if you look at Vita's interface, I don't think Sony has learned the required lesson.It all goes back to the whole in-game XMB thing... they didn't budget the RAM for that in the first place so they essentially had to squeeze what little they could to give us what we have now. That's the PS3's biggest issue is RAM and the reason we don't have cross game chat most likely.

[oweb26]

That's why I said interface. The XMB, while it's easy to use, blows. I still don't understand why I have to wait like 20 seconds for the XMB to load when I'm using in game. I mean, when I'm on 360 and I load up the in game interface, it's there within 1 second. They need to improve the interface before all else, but if you look at Vita's interface, I don't think Sony has learned the required lesson.

When I say features, I mean parties, cross game chat, easier trophy comparison, better user profiles, cross game invites, etc...

...and yes, load times on the PS3 are out of this world. It's the number 1 reason I don't use it more than I do. It's especially bad when buying a new game. I tried Resistance 3 a few weeks ago for the first time and I shit you not, I didn't get to play until over an hour after I started downloading updates, installing it, etc...That's ridiculous. I've never had to wait more than 5 seconds for an update on Live to not only download, but install. I've waited over an hour for some of the ones on PS3. It's annoying and inconvenient. Another example is what I said earlier about the in game XMB - there's no way I should have to wait 20 seconds for the thing to load so I can use it. Sony could fix that problem by getting rid of the numerous icons that you can't even use anyway when you access the in game XMB.

Sony and Microsoft both need to get rid of the bullshit ads that infest their dashboards. I'm paying $50 a year for Plus and I've been with Live for 5 straight years now, so I really don't see why I should have to look at Chuck Norris talking about how much he loves World of Warcraft.

Because on top of your 5 a month they must get there additonal 2000/month for it being there + incentives per click ( pure guess ) so thats why you must look at chuck norris talking about WOW

[I OU a Beatn]

It all goes back to the whole in-game XMB thing... they didn't budget the RAM for that in the first place so they essentially had to squeeze what little they could to give us what we have now. That's the PS3's biggest issue is RAM and the reason we don't have cross game chat most likely.

Right, but why don't they remove the icons that you can't use? It loads the entire XMB when you can really only use your friend's list and a few of the settings. They could remove all the icons that can't be used and it would instantly make it quicker. I doubt that would fix the in game XMB lag, but it would at least make the process a little more bearable.

The Vita doesn't even have an in game interface. Whenever you bring up your friend's list, it minimizes the game app style and it's absolutely as quick as hell doing it, and while I don't like that interface either, I do appreciate the snappiness in which is operates.

[NatureBoy]

The Next PlayStation is Called Orbis, Sources Say. Here are the Details.

While the official reveal of Sony's next home console could still be months away, if not longer, Kotaku has today learned some important details concerning the PlayStation 3's successor.

For one, the console's name—or at least its codename/working title—is apparently Orbis. And it's being planned for release in time for the 2013 holiday season.

The details in this story come from a reliable source who is not authorized to talk publicly about next-gen hardware but has shared correct information with us before. What they're telling us in specifics matches much of what we've heard and reported in generalities in recent weeks.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment about these details, citing the company's policy not to comment on "rumors or speculation."

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Orbis. Say it out loud. Sounds a little like the word "four", doesn't it? Only it doesn't make the next PlayStation sound like a bad horror movie sequel.

It's also a name loaded with meaning. The word "Orbis" itself, from Latin, means circle, or ring, or even orbit. Not terribly helpful. Combine it with the name of Sony's new handheld system, though, and you have the common term Orbis Vita (or, in strict Latin, Orbis Vitae). Which means "The circle of life". Could the Vita be playing a very important role in the development and use of the next PlayStation home console? Maybe!

Such symbolism also suggests that rather than being a codename, like most companies employ when still developing a console (think NGP, or Durango), this might actually be the machine's final name. We don't know that, though, so keep an open mind about things.

Type in Vita.SCEdevnet.com and you arrive at Sony's portal for Vita developers. Same with NGP.SCEdevnet.com, referencing the former codename for the Vita. The PS4 version of that address gets you nowhere. PS3 does, as does Orbis.SCEDev.net, though not to any Orbis-specific portions of the site.

THE NEXT PLAYSTATION, AT A GLANCE
Is called, or at least carries the working codename, "Orbis".
Is scheduled for a Holiday 2013 release.
Won't be backwards compatible with PS3 games.
Will lock new games to a PSN account as an anti-used games measure.
New games can be bought either on Blu-Ray or downloaded.
Current specs are an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU

CURRENT SPECS

Our main source supplied some basic specs for the console, but as the future is always in motion, bear in mind these could easily change between now and the Orbis' retail release. Still, if you'd like to know what developers are being told to plan for now, here you go.
AMD x64 CPU
AMD Southern Islands GPU

The former, that's largely something we've heard before, but the latter is interesting. That's the name given to many of AMD's 2012 roster of high-end PC cards. The PS4's GPU in particular, we're told, will be capable of displaying Orbis games at a resolution of up to 4096x2160, which is far in excess of the needs of most current HDTV sets. It'll also be capable of playing 3D games in 1080p (the PS3 could only safely manage 3D at 720p).

NEXT YEAR

Our main source tell us that "select developers" have been receiving dev kits for the new console since the beginning of this year. Revised and improved versions of these kits were sent out around GDC, while more finalised beta units will be shipped to developers towards the end of 2012.

That should hopefully give developers plenty of time to have launch games ready for the Orbis' retail release, which will be in time for the 2013 holiday season. If you can remember the PS3 launch—it's OK if you can't, it was a while ago—that too was in time for the holiday shopping season (November 2006 for Japan and North America).

SO LONG, PS3 GAMES

Remember how the PlayStation 3 swiftly dropped the ability to play PS2 games? Well, our main source tell us the Orbis won't even bother, and that Sony has no plans to offer backwards compatibility for its existing catalogue of PS3 games.

SO LONG, USED GAMES

BACK IN DECEMBER... A post left on Pastebin back in December also referred to the PlayStation 4 as Orbis, calling it a codename in the same vein as Microsoft's Durango. The system specs in that post differ significantly from what Kotaku has heard, and the lack of a hard drive by default goes against the idea of downloading full games to the system.

The Pastebin post also mentions that big name developers like EA were disappointed by an Orbis much less powerful than Microsoft's next machine, so there's a chance that it's the story of an earlier prototype that didn't make the grade. We've reached out to EA for comment.

Just like the next Xbox/Durango, we've heard from multiple sources that the Orbis will likewise have some kind of anti-used games measures built into the console. Here's how our main source says it's currently shaping up: new games for the system will be available one of two ways, either on a Blu-Ray disc or as a PSN download (yes, even full retail titles). If you buy the disc, it must be locked to a single PSN account, after which you can play the game, save the whole thing to your HDD, or peg it as "downloaded" in your account history and be free to download it at a later date.

Don't think you can simply buy the disc and stay offline, though; like many PC games these days, you'll need to have a PSN account and be online to even get the thing started.

If you then decide to trade that disc in, the pre-owned customer picking it up will be limited in what they can do. While our sources were unclear on how exactly the pre-owned customer side of things would work, it's believed used games will be limited to a trial mode or some other form of content restriction, with consumers having to pay a fee to unlock/register the full game.

This would allow used games to continue to be sold at outlets such as GameStop, while also appeasing major publishers who would no longer have to implement their own haphazard approaches to "online passes".

That's all we've got for you at the moment. Remember, none of this information is confirmed, and even the information that is locked down in March 2012 may change before the console's eventual release. This is just what we've been told Sony is working on and planning for as of today. That being the case, how do you think it's shaping up?

http://kotaku.com/5896996/the-next-playstation-is-called-orbis-sources-say-here-are-the-details

[I OU a Beatn]

1. Sony(and Microsoft if they do it) are stupid as shit if they actually go through with this no used games thing. It wont affect me, but they will really fuck themselves over. Gamestop has already said they wont sell the system if it doesn't support used games, and there's a TON of people who buy used games, so I fail to see how Microsoft or Sony thinks eliminating used games would be smart.

2. Must be connected to the network to play games? LOL. That is a disaster waiting to happen. What happens when Sony inevitably gets hacked again? What happens when Live has another 2 week long down time like a few Christmases ago? The people who paid money for those games and that system are basically fucked. That is an unbelievably stupid idea and I surely hope Sony is smart enough to not do that. Besides that, I'm sure there's quite a few people who buy game systems and don't even connect them to the internet. Why miss out on that potential market?

[steelerfan]

I would guess that both of your points, IOU, revolve around used games. I'm also guessing that Sony has a monetary motive, in the form of developers offering money to them, if they work toward killing the used market.

I bet the developers see the dollars they're losing to the used market and have no qualms with parting with some of those potential profits if Sony and MS do whatever it takes to kill the used market.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

[CLW]

So.... if this report is true does that kill the rental industry like GameFly?

[I OU a Beatn]

It would, yes. It would also probably put Gamestop out of business, or at the very least, put a huge hurt on them.

[CLW]

It would, yes. It would also probably put Gamestop out of business, or at the very least, put a huge hurt on them.

Meh Gamestop already should be out of business. Their prices are FAR too high compared to their competitors (box stores like Wal-Mart and online like Amazon). Their stores are disorganized (or at least the ones I have been to in the past 5 years) and their employees are generally unhelpful and in some cases down right dishonest.

[JBHuskers]

I still say there is no way in hell Sony or Microsoft would make a console that prevents playing used games. No way.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[psuexv]

I still say there is no way in hell Sony or Microsoft would make a console that prevents playing used games. No way.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Yeah because there would be no way for me to take a copy of a game over to a friends house and play or show him the game.

[I OU a Beatn]

I'd say there's a very good chance. They're not seeing money from it, so it wouldn't hurt them to abolish used games. Gamestop may not stock their next console, but Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and all the other huge retailers certainly will. It makes sense for Sony and Microsoft to do it.

[steelerfan]

Yeah because there would be no way for me to take a copy of a game over to a friends house and play or show him the game.

Depending on how it were setup, you may be able to go to this (imaginary) friend's house and sign in to your PSN account and access the full game that way.

Other than that, you could take your system to his house. Which is very convenient. :P

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

[steelerfan]

They're not seeing money from it, so it wouldn't hurt them to abolish used games.

The only money Sony or MS would be losing would be the console/services (ie XBL) sales to people who quit gaming altogether because there is no used market. However, I believe that would be an insignificant number if the game manufacturers were sharing their additional profits with them.

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[CLW]

Depending on how it were setup, you may be able to go to this (imaginary) friend's house and sign in to your PSN account and access the full game that way.

Other than that, you could take your system to his house. Which is very convenient. :P

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

Hey now leave the imaginary friends out of this.

Honestly, I'll be upset (not b/c I buy allot of used games). Rather, I RENT a ton of games from GameFly that I would never purchase but mess around with for a few days and if I really like the game I end up buying it (Uncharted series as an example)

[steelerfan]

To be honest, I've wondered why game companies don't just sell game discs for a minimal fee (like $5 to cover costs associated with the actual disc) and then force you to buy a $55 Online Pass type key to unlock it (either at a store or through download). That would end the used market immediately. In addition, they could have a temporary key that you could download for rentals (Gamefly could provide you the disc for a small fee and the manufacturer makes a few bucks for selling you a key for a few days to play it).

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[psuexv]

Depending on how it were setup, you may be able to go to this (imaginary) friend's house and sign in to your PSN account and access the full game that way.


It was a hypothetical situation.

[psuexv]

To be honest, I've wondered why game companies don't just sell game discs for a minimal fee (like $5 to cover costs associated with the actual disc) and then force you to buy a $55 Online Pass type key to unlock it (either at a store or through download). That would end the used market immediately. In addition, they could have a temporary key that you could download for rentals (Gamefly could provide you the disc for a small fee and the manufacturer makes a few bucks for selling you a key for a few days to play it).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

That's essentially how we sell our software. The disks anyone can get but it's the key that you are technically purchasing.

However with this model there are some pretty easy ways to generate keys and the opportunity for pirating the games would probably be threw the roof.

[steelerfan]

That's essentially how we sell our software. The disks anyone can get but it's the key that you are technically purchasing.

However with this model there are some pretty easy ways to generate keys and the opportunity for pirating the games would probably be threw the roof.

Yeah obviously it would have to be well planned for it to work without mass theft, but I'd assume they could pull it off if they were planning for it during the console's design phase. At least I'd think so.

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[JBHuskers]

I still can't see it. Even though MS and Sony really don't care about other companies, would they want to put that many people out of a job because of it? The backlash of that alone is going to be more negative pub then they want to deal with where people from Game Stop and it's other clones, along with Gamefly have all lost their jobs.

[steelerfan]

I still can't see it. Even though MS and Sony really don't care about other companies, would they want to put that many people out of a job because of it? The backlash of that alone is going to be more negative pub then they want to deal with where people from Game Stop and it's other clones, along with Gamefly have all lost their jobs.

Sony and MS would spin it in such a way that they saved jobs at their own offices and also jobs of people who make the games. In addition, I think most people who weren't ass-chapped by the used market disappearing would see Game Stop as a scavenger that is taking money from the people who actually make the games. Gamers could be as pissed as they want, but in the end the only thing they could do would be to quit gaming - the vast majority wouldn't. Furthermore, it's not Sony or MS's job to produce a product for GS to sell and resell over and over and over in a manner that only makes GS money and costs sales to the game makers. GS would have to adapt, or die. That is business, and no corporation gives a shit about another one going under while they make more money.

To be clear, I'm not trying to convince anyone that this is coming. I have no idea. I'm just sharing my thoughts on how it could happen.

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[I OU a Beatn]

Sony and MS would spin it in such a way that they saved jobs at their own offices and also jobs of people who make the games. In addition, I think most people who weren't ass-chapped by the used market disappearing would see Game Stop as a scavenger that is taking money from the people who actually make the games. Gamers could be as pissed as they want, but in the end the only thing they could do would be to quit gaming - the vast majority wouldn't. Furthermore, it's not Sony or MS's job to produce a product for GS to sell and resell over and over and over in a manner that only makes GS money and costs sales to the game makers. GS would have to adapt, or die. That is business, and no corporation gives a shit about another one going under while they make more money.

To be clear, I'm not trying to convince anyone that this is coming. I have no idea. I'm just sharing my thoughts on how it could happen.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

Exactly, well put. On top of that, it would put more money in the pockets of Sony and Microsoft because if people want a certain game, they'd have to buy it new instead of buying it used. Like you said, Sony and Microsoft do not care about Gamestop and I would personally be shocked if these rumors don't turn out to be true. You know they HAVE to have the backing of the big publishers, too. Look at all the publishers doing the online pass thing, such as EA.

Even Gamestop knows it's coming. Over the past year or so, they've started selling DLC codes and are really focusing on preorders for retail releases. I think they realize Sony and Microsoft are looking into ways to eliminate used games, so they're trying to stay alive with new games and downloadable content.

[NatureBoy]

Is it possible for video gaming to suffer a crash again? MS and Sony trying to cut out the used games market, video game companies nickel and dime people to death with DLC, Maps, add ons, etc. There's going to come a point where consumers will say enough is enough and quit buying consoles and games all together. I have always bought a new system the first day they are released. That won't be the case anymore. If I do buy a new gaming system in the future, I will just pick one and be done with it.

[gschwendt]

Don't throw away your old 360 hard drives
Report: Hackers can pull credit card info from old Xbox 360 hard drives (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/report-hackers-can-pull-credit-card-info-from-old-xbox-360-hard/)

[I OU a Beatn]

Zipper Interactive Is No More (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/122/1221535p1.html)

I can't say I'm surprised, but I'll go ahead and give a little message to Zipper that they will never read: I told you so. The way the handled MAG coupled with the way they absolutely destroyed SOCOM with SOCOM 4 by trying to make the game appeal to casual Call of Duty players, I'm surprised this wasn't done sooner.

[JBHuskers]

Zipper Interactive Is No More (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/122/1221535p1.html)

I can't say I'm surprised, but I'll go ahead and give a little message to Zipper that they will never read: I told you so. The way the handled MAG coupled with the way they absolutely destroyed SOCOM with SOCOM 4 by trying to make the game appeal to casual Call of Duty players, I'm surprised this wasn't done sooner.

:+1:

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[CLW]

Interesting article from CNET:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57407042-1/say-hello-to-the-brave-new-world-of-console-gaming/

[JBHuskers]

Interesting article from CNET:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57407042-1/say-hello-to-the-brave-new-world-of-console-gaming/


Look at the game rental business with services like GameFly and sites that organize game trades between consenting players. What about those guys? It all funnels into a core concept that used games are ingrained in the entire video game marketplace and ecosystem.

And what about the social ramifications of eliminating used games? Does this mean kids won't be able to go to a friend's house and show them the great new Portal game they just bought? That was half my childhood, for crying out loud. But in this brave new world, that act may be considered trying to play a used game.



See this section of that article still leads me to believe that the used game lock is just a rumor. People will be more reliant on reviews more than ever because they're not going to spend $60 (or the rumored $70) for a 4th gen game that will suck.

Like this article said, used games are ingrained in the video game ecosystem. Taking that out will cause a catastrophe IMO.

[psuexv]

See this section of that article still leads me to believe that the used game lock is just a rumor. People will be more reliant on reviews more than ever because they're not going to spend $60 (or the rumored $70) for a 4th gen game that will suck.

Like this article said, used games are ingrained in the video game ecosystem. Taking that out will cause a catastrophe IMO.

Agreed, and what does Sony and MS care if you can play used games. Unless they get some type of kickback from Game Developers. They just want people to buy the systems and the more games you can play for the least amount of money will make you more willing to buy the system.

[steelerfan]

Agreed, and what does Sony and MS care if you can play used games. Unless they get some type of kickback from Game Developers. They just want people to buy the systems and the more games you can play for the least amount of money will make you more willing to buy the system.

I think this is wishful thinking.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

[NatureBoy]

VG247 has learned that Microsoft has now detailed Xbox 720 to certain partners and has internally confirmed the machine for a Christmas 2013 release.

The next generation Xbox will have a Blu-ray drive, contrary to a recent report.

Multiple sources have confirmed this morning that the machine will have two GPUs. One said: “It’s like two PCs taped together.”

We’re waiting for final confirmation of specs, but the graphics cards are thought to be equivalent to AMD’s 7000 series GPUs, but “not CrossFire or SLI”. The GPUs aren’t structured as they are in a normal dual PC set-up, in which the two chips take it in turns to draw lines of the same object: Xbox 720′s graphics units will be able to work independently, drawing separate items simultaneously.

It was reported last week that PlayStation 4, internally codenamed Orbis, will also be powered by AMD hardware.

There will be “four or six” cores to the Xbox 720 CPU, one of which will be reserved for Kinect and one for the OS.

Xbox 720 will require an always-on internet connection as an anti-piracy measure.

We’ve also been told that the next generation of Kinect will be built into the device as standard.

The details have emerged in the wake of a hastily removed tweet from Sean Tracy, a technical designer for Crytek, that said he was attending the “Durango summit” in London at the end of February. Durango is though to be the codename for the console.

Microsoft is not expected to announce anything pertaining to its next machine until next year.

Many developers have been posting job openings for “next-gen” and “future-gen” systems for months.

http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/02/xbox-720-detailed-blu-ray-inside-always-on-netcon-required/

[SmoothPancakes]

That'll weed out some of the game market, with the alway-on internet connection required.

[baseballplyrmvp]

always on? meaning always connected to your modem?

[gschwendt]

always on? meaning always connected to your modem?

Yeah... likely means if you're not connected to the internet, you can't play. I doubt it happens, especially all the people that complain about ubisoft doing that on pc games. There were times they had issues with their server so you couldn't play. Imagine psn going down for 2 months and you can't play at all.

[baseballplyrmvp]

shouldnt be a problem for me then......but thank god for finally including a blue-ray player. now neither system will be held back by disk space.

[SmoothPancakes]

Amen. If MS didn't go with blu-rays for their discs, they'd be fucking stupid.

[baseballplyrmvp]

the one bad thing about the blu ray player being in, is that it'll mean no backwards compatability for 360 games. however, wouldnt it also squash the rumor of the next gen systems going discless?

[gschwendt]

the one bad thing about the blu ray player being in, is that it'll mean no backwards compatability for 360 games. however, wouldnt it also squash the rumor of the next gen systems going discless?That's not true. Blu-ray drives can still read DVDs. The only reason the PS3 wasn't PS2 compatible is because of different hardware... the PS2 had a specific chip in order to render games that the later PS3s removed to save costs.

[baseballplyrmvp]

oh, well then thats good news.

[DariusLock]

I live in Mississippi and there are A LOT! of place with no high speed internet options still except for satellite (SUCKS) and the little Mi-Fi's from phone companies. They're going to be killing gamers in rural areas... this sounds like total BS or one of the dumbest things ever.

[JeffHCross]

Agreed, and what does Sony and MS care if you can play used games. Unless they get some type of kickback from Game Developers.First, consider that Sony and MS both have plenty of first-party studios. So they care about the used game market for practically the same reason EA or Activision/Blizzard does. Second, they do get a kickback, of sorts. Every new game sold at retail (or at least new copy purchased by the retail store from the distribution source, not sure exactly when the money changes hands) includes a 16% cut (as of 2004, when games were "only" $49) that went to the console manufacturer.

Sony and M$ have plenty of financial incentive to curb the used games market. The question is whether the financial implications of killing used games (i.e. the possibility that Gamestop would go under, lost potential game sales, the rental market being harpooned) is enough to counter the financial advantages to killing it.


They're going to be killing gamers in rural areas... this sounds like total BS or one of the dumbest things ever.Sadly, probably neither. Major companies seem to forget about rural areas.

[JBHuskers]

Got I Am Alive on PS3. Played a little bit last night. It's a pretty cool game so far.

[oweb26]

I have a couple of Ghost Recon beta codes first three IM gets them if you want them. It's for the 360 and the beta went live today. Will send them out when I get home in a couple of hours.

[Coach Kernzy]

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition (http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings---enhanced-edition) for the 360 is one of the best games I've ever played on the 360. I'm almost exclusively an NCAA football player and play some racing and have played lots of others from different genres but this game is something different, something better.

The characters, the story, everything...excellent. If you like Fallout, Mass Effect, Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amalur or any other RPG type games you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not buy this game and play it through at the very least twice.

May well not be the game for you or even the type of game you like but for me it's a TOP 3 at least and maybe #1.

[I OU a Beatn]

I picked up the Dark Edition on Tuesday when it came out but I haven't played it yet. I'm trying to knock some other games out of the way first, but I can't wait to start it.

I downloaded the Ghost Recon beta and gave it about 3 hours worth of play. It's extremely smooth online so that's obviously a very good thing. There is, however, an absolute ton of unbalanced game play features. For example, don't even bother firing without holding L2/LT to aim...you wont even graze anything with hip fire which is really disappointing. There's powerups where the opposing team can see you through walls. The shotgun has an unbelievably long range. There's other things, but nothing that can't be fixed. It is fun, so it looks like I'm keeping my preorder.

Also, dedicated spawn points! Woo!

[DariusLock]

Anyone got a code or do I gotta buy psn plus lol.

[SmoothPancakes]

I have a couple of Ghost Recon beta codes first three IM gets them if you want them. It's for the 360 and the beta went live today. Will send them out when I get home in a couple of hours.

Same here. I have 3 beta codes if anyone wants them. I haven't downloaded the beta yet, but will be later tonight.

[SmoothPancakes]

I picked up the Dark Edition on Tuesday when it came out but I haven't played it yet. I'm trying to knock some other games out of the way first, but I can't wait to start it.

I downloaded the Ghost Recon beta and gave it about 3 hours worth of play. It's extremely smooth online so that's obviously a very good thing. There is, however, an absolute ton of unbalanced game play features. For example, don't even bother firing without holding L2/LT to aim...you wont even graze anything with hip fire which is really disappointing. There's powerups where the opposing team can see you through walls. The shotgun has an unbelievably long range. There's other things, but nothing that can't be fixed. It is fun, so it looks like I'm keeping my preorder.

Also, dedicated spawn points! Woo!

Yeah, I played 5 games tonight of Conflict, it was incredibly smooth. That was very nice. Ended the 5 matches with a 4-1 record and finished 2nd place in score on my team four times and finished 3rd my last game. I agree with the hip fire. Even aiming L2/LT, I still miss a bunch. I have to pretty much physically aim down the sights just to hit anything (consistently at least) from further than 30 meters away. But hip fire isn't too big of an issue for me as I almost constantly aim when shooting based on playing the Battlefield 3 beta, playing COD, playing other shooters, etc.

I did notice the powerups, but being titled Future Soldier, I can overlook some of the stuff like throwing the sensors that let you see where enemies are behind walls and objects, especially since they don't last a long time. The shotgun, I can't comment on that, as I didn't come across the shotgun at all while playing tonight, but overpowered shotguns seems to be becoming a trend lately, first with Battlefield 3 and now Future Soldier.

I will say this beta has made me very interested in the game. I played the demo for Advanced Warfighter 2 and I didn't really like the way it played, seemed jerky on the controls, so I haven't really paid much attention to the Ghost Recon series lately. But I was somewhat interested after seeing Future Soldier talked about at E3 last year, and then after playing this beta for an hour or two, it has definitely caught my attention. There wasn't any game that I had any intention of buying until NCAA 13 came out, but looks like this one going to get added to the list. Hopefully they put out a single player demo before it releases so I can get a feel for the single player side before I go and make the pre-order.

[SmoothPancakes]

Anyone got a code or do I gotta buy psn plus lol.

I have no idea as I've never owned or played on a PS3, but if the four codes (I ended up getting an extra beta code in addition to the three I got in the email from Ubisoft) I have work on both PS3 and Xbox Live, you can have one the codes as no one has asked for any of them so far.

[I OU a Beatn]

I have no idea as I've never owned or played on a PS3, but if the four codes (I ended up getting an extra beta code in addition to the three I got in the email from Ubisoft) I have work on both PS3 and Xbox Live, you can have one the codes as no one has asked for any of them so far.

They're 360 only. If you're a plus member on PS3 you can get it, but other than that, you'd need to preorder at GS and I think it's too late for that.

[SmoothPancakes]

They're 360 only. If you're a plus member on PS3 you can get it, but other than that, you'd need to preorder at GS and I think it's too late for that.

Ahh, alright. Sorry Darius, I guess I can't help you out then. I didn't even know about the beta until I got the email yesterday, and I only got that because I bought Splinter Cell Conviction two years ago.

[SmoothPancakes]

Who all has the Future Soldier beta for 360? We should try to get a group together.

I tried to play last night and god was it ugly. First group, none of my teammates seemed to have any clue what the hell they were doing. They were acting like it was COD, just running around like chickens with their heads cut off shooting at stuff left and right. Meanwhile, I'm getting killed repeatedly trying to capture or defend objectives because I'm all by myself with no one to watch my back, resulting in multiple 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 encounters.

Second group, we were actually communicating via headset and trying to work together, but everyone wanted to be a rifleman, resulting in one engineer on the enemy team being able to throw a sensor and their entire team just destroying us, especially after they were able to get our flanks and we were pinned down to the area around and near our spawn.

We need to get a team together of various classes. 2, maybe 3 engineers to get a sensor or two out to help spot enemies, 2 or 3 scouts to do some distance sniping, and the rest rifleman to lay down suppressing fire with LMGs.

[morsdraconis]

If someone still has a beta code, hit me up and I'll check it out and get together with you Smooth. :up:

[SmoothPancakes]

If someone still has a beta code, hit me up and I'll check it out and get together with you Smooth. :up:

Check your PMs. Beta code coming your way.

[morsdraconis]

Check your PMs. Beta code coming your way.

Awesome man. You plan on playin' tonight any?

[DariusLock]

Forgot I have a 360. Send one my way smooth.

[JeffHCross]

Forgot I have a 360.:D
<erno> hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.

[SmoothPancakes]

Awesome man. You plan on playin' tonight any?

I should be a little bit later here. I know one or two of my friends that I gave codes to should hopefully be on as well to team up with.


Forgot I have a 360. Send one my way smooth.

:D How'd you forget you had a 360? But no problem. You're in luck, I have one last code to give away. :up: Check your PMs.

[JeffHCross]

Kerbal Space Program


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5OhFnq_iKw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaBkCDtt-7o

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/

[morsdraconis]

I should be a little bit later here. I know one or two of my friends that I gave codes to should hopefully be on as well to team up with.

So, apparently I fucked up the redeem code by starting the download but cancelling it because I wanted to wait on downloading it and now I can't get the download to work again.

:fp:

Looks like I wasted that code...

[SmoothPancakes]

So, apparently I fucked up the redeem code by starting the download but cancelling it because I wanted to wait on downloading it and now I can't get the download to work again.

:fp:

Looks like I wasted that code...

You can't get it started back up by going into your download history? What about trying and see if the code would at least get you back to the download screen?

[morsdraconis]

Nevermind. I forgot about the download history allowing you to redownload stuff.

Now I just gotta wait...

[morsdraconis]

Hmm... Nevermind. The download keeps fuckin' up and won't work. So weird...

[SmoothPancakes]

That's messed up. Not sure why it keeps fuckin' up. It downloaded without an issue for me the other day, and two of my friends that I gave codes to yesterday were able to download it seemingly fine it sounds like. Maybe try again later on if all I can think of. Hopefully you're able to get it working. Get you, me, Darius, I OU all on a team, we could cause some havoc.

[baseballplyrmvp]

just bought burnout paradise.....something new to try

[JBHuskers]

just bought burnout paradise.....something new to try

Absolutely love that game. Wish they'd make a sequel.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[DariusLock]

I should be a little bit later here. I know one or two of my friends that I gave codes to should hopefully be on as well to team up with.



:D How'd you forget you had a 360? But no problem. You're in luck, I have one last code to give away. :up: Check your PMs.

Lol I never play it, just got Gears, Mass Effect, Dead Island, and Skyrim. My brother gave me Gears and Mass Effect 3 and I have not even played them.

[I OU a Beatn]

Absolutely love that game. Wish they'd make a sequel.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

It's a trophy whore's paradise.

[JBHuskers]

It's a trophy whore's paradise.

I think it was my first platinum. But outside of that it was a blast to play with friends.

[baseballplyrmvp]

i miss crash mode from burnout revenge. i liked causing 20-30 car pile-ups.

[AustinWolv]

Finally got around to playing the Ghost Recon MP beta. I'm pleased with the gameplay, and I'm not a big MP shooter fan. Conflict is pretty fun and guys were working together nicely without hardly any comms in the games I played. The servers did fail a couple other games though.

[DariusLock]

Kerbal Space Program


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5OhFnq_iKw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaBkCDtt-7o

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/

been playing the past 2 days thinking of buying.

[JeffHCross]

Absolutely love that game. Wish they'd make a sequel. I'm fully expecting a sequel to come sometime soon. They obviously love that franchise at Criterion, and I don't think their NFS game sold enough for them to move solely over to NFS.

[SmoothPancakes]

been playing the past 2 days thinking of buying.

Same here. It's a fun little game. Took 7 tries, but I finally was able to reach the moon. I couldn't achieve lunar orbit, but was able to make a pass around on my orbit back to earth before eventually splashing down in the ocean. Next time I get around to playing it again, time to try for lunar orbit.

[DariusLock]

I can't make it to the moon :(

[SmoothPancakes]

I can't make it to the moon :(

What you want to do is build a two stage rocket. The first stage, stack on enough fuel to have a continuous burn from liftoff until you're over 85,000 meters up, about the time the fuel should die off. Your speed will continue to carry you well over 100,000 meters. Once you hit over 100,000 meters, blow the decoupler to jettison stage one, and turn your rocket until your sitting less then 10 degrees above the horizon, as close to the horizon as you can get.

Burn stage two until your orbit around the earth reaches far enough out into space that it will intersect with the moon's orbit. As soon as it intersects the moon's orbit, kill your thrust and shut down your engines. Don't blow the decoupler because you'll need the left over fuel for a later burn, or else you'll never make it back to earth. Unless you time everything perfectly, it will probably take multiple orbit around the earth but eventually you get close enough to the moon to be caught in it's gravity. Then it's just a matter of a couple quick burns to tighten up your orbit and officially shift from a geosynchronous orbit to a lunar orbit.

Here's a video on how to get an orbit around earth.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgbTA1mac3I

These two videos will show you sort of what to do to reach the moon.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFBftGe_dXQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUrD7uNJo4Y

[morsdraconis]

Wow. That shit sounds SUPER complicated.

[SmoothPancakes]

Wow. That shit sounds SUPER complicated.

It actually somewhat is. For as simple as that game looks, especially with the plain graphics and whatnot, it does turn somewhat complicated when you try to start doing multiple things. When trying to reach the moon, the first 5 times, I burned my engines for too long, even just for a matter of seconds with too much thrust, and reached escape velocity, sending my three guys on a one way trip to death out in space as they rocketed towards the edges of the solar system.

Even the rockets can become very large and complicated once you start trying to build them with a specific goal in mind, like reaching the moon or even attempting to land on the moon. Just getting into a geosynchronous orbit, you'll need a ton of fuel to not only reach space, but then do the necessary burns to reach orbit and not eventually fall back to earth. If you want to go for the moon, you'll need a LOT of stuff. My most recent rocket to reach the moon was a three stage rocket, with the first stage being 15 fuel tanks and three engines hooked up to a tri-coupler. A decoupler above that to jettison them when they all run out of fuel between 80,000 and 95,000 meters. Above that decoupler is my stage 2, where I have three fuel tanks and a second engine to get me into orbit or make an attempt for the moon, and have enough fuel left over to eventually put myself in position to return to earth. Above the top fuel tank, I have another decoupler, and then my cockpit for the astronauts. So when I eventually come back to earth, I can blow the final three fuel tanks and one engine and just have the cockpit with a parachute on top for reentry.

[oweb26]

This is fucking brilliant if you ask me, someone should get a bonus.

Exclusive: $99 Xbox 360 + Kinect bundle launching next week with two-year subscription


Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources. The software giant will offer the 4GB console with a Kinect sensor at its range of Microsoft Stores in the US, subsidized with a monthly cost of $15. We're told that the two-year subscription will provide access to the Xbox Live Gold service and possibly some additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers. Customers who sign-up for the deal will also be covered under a two-year warranty.

There will be an early termination fee for those wishing to break the contract ahead of its two-year duration, and we understand that Microsoft will position the package as a competitor to Apple TV, Roku, and PlayStation 3. For those buying the bundle now and getting the cheapest two-year Xbox Live Gold option, that's about $299.00 + $120 = $420 vs. $459 over a duration of two years. With E3 2012 on the horizon, and Microsoft working on a "Woodstock" music service — it's clear that the company wants to ensure as many people as possible have an Xbox in their living rooms.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993600/99-xbox-360-kinect-subsidized-bundle

[gschwendt]

That is quite brilliant... that's how cell phone companies are making so much money. Will be interesting if a similar model is introduced by both developers next gen.

[JBHuskers]

It's kind of nice for those who don't have the ability to get the console upfront with all that.

[JeffHCross]

Wow. That shit sounds SUPER complicated.It's rocket science. :D


It's kind of nice for those who don't have the ability to get the console upfront with all that.Plus, other services have essentially proven that offering a recurring subscription that people tend to forget to cancel usually nets more subscribers in the long run.

[SmoothPancakes]

Oh lord. :fp:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XUQXL0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pastapadrecom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007XUQXL0


NBA Baller Beats (Xbox 360)

Product Features

NBA Baller Beats is a fun, high-energy, first-of-its kind basketball video game for Kinect that is unlike any sports video game on the market.

The game is extremely innovative; it requires you to actively play using a real basketball (which is included free with the game)!

Aspire to perform like a pro as you master ball-handling skills.

The music acts as your guide as you bounce the ball to the beats of a slamming soundtrack.

Features an eclectic mix of music across decades and genres, from hip-hop to rock to old school classics.

[SmoothPancakes]

http://kotaku.com/5907735/how-mlb-2k12s-huge-loophole-left-a-million+dollar-prize-exposed-to-cheating

Lol, and people like to trash EA because of bugs and oversights in their games. At least their bugs and oversights won't potentially cost you a million dollars like 2K's will.

[JeffHCross]

Oh lord. :fp:Obviously, I am not in the target audience. However, that's one of the best uses of Kinect I've seen yet. And at least they're not trying to have you use the ball competitively, which is my major fear with Kinect/motion gaming.

[SmoothPancakes]

For the basketball skills thing, and for people in the target audience, I'll agree, it's definitely one of the best uses of Kinect. I think probably my most facepalm-worthy moment is the whole music part of it. Just have it be a basketball skills thing. Companies are really trying to overkill the whole "slamming soundtrack" music as part of the game thing with every single game.

[JeffHCross]

Eh, I see your point, but I think without the music and the interplay of the movements and music, why don't you just go outside and practice your moves? I still think you're better off going outside versus playing this game, but the music is the only thing that's really there as a hook.

[SmoothPancakes]

Eh, I see your point, but I think without the music and the interplay of the movements and music, why don't you just go outside and practice your moves? I still think you're better off going outside versus playing this game, but the music is the only thing that's really there as a hook.

True, very true. And granted, I am looking at it from my own perspective of things, in that I have never cared for any of these music oriented games. If I want to listen to music, I'll play it on my laptop. But that's just my tastes, so for others, it probably will be a great thing for them.

[gschwendt]

Remake of Battle Check coming (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/battle-chess-remake-moves-to-kickstarter-for-multiplayer-funding/)
I used to love this game long long ago.

[morsdraconis]

Remake of Battle Check coming
I used to love this game long long ago.

Accountants everywhere are happy. ;)

[gschwendt]

:fp:

Battle Chess

[JeffHCross]

Kickstarter is taking over.

I never got into the original Battle Chess, but I loved the Star Wars version.

[baseballplyrmvp]

so last week i got hired on at a packaging and shipping company. i get handed a packing slip and invoice, go grab the contents, put it all in a cardboard box and tape it all up, then throw it on a pallet to be shipped by UPS/FED EX.....

turns out that one of the clients we have is the makers of Portal 2, half life, and the Left 4 Dead series.

[JeffHCross]

That would be "Valve" :D

[baseballplyrmvp]

That would be "Valve" :Dyep. i dont package their items though. we have all kinds of t-shirts, games, posters and shit devoted to those related games.

[JBHuskers]

The shooter gamers will get a kick out of this meme.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s159/jbennett98/semtex.jpg

[baseballplyrmvp]

:D that one made me laugh.

[DariusLock]

LOL

[JeffHCross]

Practically impossible: The quest to decipher Fez's cryptic final puzzle (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/04/why-it-took-almost-a-week-for-the-world-to-completely-finish-fez/)


Since its release last Friday, thousands of players have struggled to untangle the knotty thicket of puzzles hidden deep within Xbox 360 indie title Fez, the 2D-meets-3D puzzle platformer that drove us batty with its obscure stumpers. Since then, only a few hundred have managed to complete enough of the game's challenges to reach the 200 percent (yes, 200 percent) completion threshold. That's an achievement in itself, but until Wednesday, none of those players had actually been able to complete the game's most difficult puzzle, which involves a black monolith floating inside a hidden underground chamber.

And for the Achievement whores out there:

The only concrete effect seems to be increasing the game's completion rate by another 3.1 percent, leading to a new (and baffling) maximum of 209.3 percent.

[JBHuskers]

Buy Diablo III, get a sex toy. (http://n4g.com/news/999265/buy-diablo-iii-get-a-sex-toy)

[morsdraconis]

Buy Diablo III, get a sex toy. (http://n4g.com/news/999265/buy-diablo-iii-get-a-sex-toy)

That's funny shit.

[DariusLock]

At work :(

[ram29jackson]

do Madden EA servers generaly go down on mondays ? after 10 pm in california now and they are down now..i'm sure this goes on at least once a week..?

[JeffHCross]

Activision's contract with Bungie detailed (http://www.gamepolitics.com/2012/05/22/bungie-activision-contract-unsealed-part-west-zampella-lawsuit)


A 27-page agreement between Bungie and Activision calls for Bungie to develop four "science fiction - fantasy action shooter games currently code-named "Destiny" that will be released every other year starting in fourth quarter of 2013. Bungie would also release four downloadable expansion packs code-named "Comet," every other year beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014. The first Bungie game will be an Xbox 360 exclusive, as well as its sequel, though the latter will end up on what the documents call the "Xbox 720." Later games would be made for Xbox consoles as well as Sony's expected next-gen console follow-up to the PlayStation 3, and on PC.

[SmoothPancakes]

Interesting...

[JBHuskers]

If you're a fan of the 80's arcade game Shinobi, the sequel Revenge of Shinobi came out as one of a few Sega Genesis titles on PSN for $5. I played the hell out of Shinobi in the arcades in grade school.

[souljahbill]

I was a Genesis kid during the 16-bit era and I loved Revenge of Shinobi. My favorite Shinobi game was Shadow Dancer though.

[JeffHCross]

Yes, please, and thank you.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/23/massive-street-fighter-collectors-edition-announced


Capcom has announced a massive new collector’s edition set in honor of the 25th anniversary of Street Fighter. Set to launch on September 18th for Xbox 360 and PS3, the 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set includes Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and Street Fighter X Tekken. All costume DLC is included for Street Fighter IV along with all character and Swap Costume DLC for Street Fighter X Tekken.

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/05/sf25.jpg

[JBHuskers]

Damn with that box I was hoping for a tourney stick...though I already have one for PS3 from Street Fighter IV.

[JBHuskers]

Schillings video game company lays off entire staff. Ooops.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Nothingface]

Anyone played Dragons Dogma yet? I'm waiting for it in the mail from Gamefly.

[cdj]

Schillings video game company lays off entire staff. Ooops.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Every day there's some sort of news with his studio (38 Studios). I wasn't aware the state of RI was so heavily involved until recently. That's pretty terrible for the employees of the studio, especially given the relative popularity of KOA. I suppose that game will get a drop in price soon.

[I OU a Beatn]

A shame indeed. KoA was absolutely amazing.

[morsdraconis]

Meh. It was destined to fail as soon as they couldn't pay their own employees to meet the first loan payment.

The really fucked up thing is that Rhode Island is probably fucked now. They loaned out something in the neighborhood of $75 million and they've just now been paid $1.5 million or something like that and probably won't get much more.

Feel terrible for the people working there, but I would have been getting the hell out of there as soon as I found out what the company was doing to stay afloat.

[SmoothPancakes]

Meh. It was destined to fail as soon as they couldn't pay their own employees to meet the first loan payment.

The really fucked up thing is that Rhode Island is probably fucked now. They loaned out something in the neighborhood of $75 million and they've just now been paid $1.5 million or something like that and probably won't get much more.

Feel terrible for the people working there, but I would have been getting the hell out of there as soon as I found out what the company was doing to stay afloat.

I would have been getting the hell out of there the first time my paycheck bounced or the first time my paycheck got pushed back 1 or 2 weeks because the company couldn't pay it. Unless I'm volunteering my time for an event or something, I'm not working my job for free. If you're unable to pay me my hard earned paycheck when it's due, then I'm immediately looking for a new job somewhere else and my ass is out the door as soon as possible.

[ram29jackson]

EA madden 12 servers dont seem to work again tonight

[JBHuskers]

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s159/jbennett98/mario.jpg

[ryby6969]

There is a story?

[SmoothPancakes]

There is a story?

:D I've never noticed any stories in porn.

[ryby6969]

I must fast forward through them. :D

[JBHuskers]

:D I've never noticed any stories in porn.

C'mon. You've never seen the one where this big boobied chick's cable went out and this guy comes over to fix the plumbing? Gripping stuff.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[DariusLock]

C'mon. You've never seen the one where this big boobied chick's cable went out and this guy comes over to fix the plumbing? Gripping stuff.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

LOL cable television goes out and a plumber shows up, sounds about right.

[SmoothPancakes]

LOL cable television goes out and a plumber shows up, sounds about right.

:D :D :D

[JeffHCross]

For those that are into the horror genre, a friend told me that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a "CRAZY SCARY GAME" that he "cannot play more than a couple of minutes before (he's) too freaked out to continue".

[morsdraconis]

Eh. It's not that scary. In fact, it gives me a headache because it does this weird effect whenever the character gets scared that just makes my brain feel like it's exploding.

[Nothingface]

Friend wants me to get minecraft. Is it worth it on the 360?

[JBHuskers]

Friend wants me to get minecraft. Is it worth it on the 360?

I really dig it.

[baseballplyrmvp]

C'mon. You've never seen the one where this big boobied chick's cable went out and this guy comes over to fix the plumbing? Gripping stuff.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

was her name, by any chance, juicy pearl? :D

[JBHuskers]

A deal has been reached to have a Lingerie Football League video game :D

[AustinWolv]

Wait, I thought the Lingerie league folded already?

Just checked, they are not running a season until 2013:
http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/04/12/u-s-lingerie-football-league-will-skip-2012-season-reboot-for-2013/

[JBHuskers]

Wait, I thought the Lingerie league folded already?

Just checked, they are not running a season until 2013:
http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/04/12/u-s-lingerie-football-league-will-skip-2012-season-reboot-for-2013/

I think there are a couple leagues? I dunno. Here's the article on Joystiq:

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/20/yukes-acquires-lingerie-football-league-license/

[SmoothPancakes]

A deal has been reached to have a Lingerie Football League video game :D

A company can make a Lingerie Football League video game, but we can't get any companies to make a college baseball or college basketball video game. Are you fucking kidding me? :fp:

[AustinWolv]

Or college hockey. I'd rather see that than stupid, boring-ass baseball.

College basketball is ridiculous to not have a game. One of the greatest games of all time was Coach K basketball on SEGA.

[psuexv]

A company can make a Lingerie Football League video game, but we can't get any companies to make a college baseball or college basketball video game. Are you fucking kidding me? :fp:

Yep, who is really going to pay $60 for this?

[SmoothPancakes]

Yep, who is really going to pay $60 for this?

NFL 2K lovers/Madden haters? :D

[JBHuskers]

A company can make a Lingerie Football League video game, but we can't get any companies to make a college baseball or college basketball video game. Are you fucking kidding me? :fp:

+ :infinity:

[morsdraconis]

Talk about some serious bullshit.

:smh:

[DariusLock]

Depends if theres a code to make them fully nude...

[JeffHCross]

A company can make a Lingerie Football League video game, but we can't get any companies to make a college baseball or college basketball video game. Are you fucking kidding me? :fp:Lingerie license: $. College sports: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. (Relatively speaking).

Besides, what's more likely to appeal to an audience that is still typecast as living in Mom's basement and playing games in the dark? Aluminum bats, or boobs and spankies?

[steelerfan]

Lingerie license: $. College sports: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. (Relatively speaking).

Besides, what's more likely to appeal to an audience that is still typecast as living in Mom's basement and playing games in the dark? Aluminum bats, or boobs and spankies?

:D

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

[baseballplyrmvp]

Wait, I thought the Lingerie league folded already?

Just checked, they are not running a season until 2013:
http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/04/12/u-s-lingerie-football-league-will-skip-2012-season-reboot-for-2013/

they're touring australia, possibly entertaining the global market.

[JeffHCross]

:D
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2010/12/06/article-1291632441733-0C541F17000005DC-266915_568x390.jpg
vs
http://www.faniq.com/images/blog/Fresno%20State%20College%20World%20Series.jpeg

Easy choice, right?

[SmoothPancakes]

Easy choice, right?

Yes it is. I'll take the baseball. :) Give me baseball and basketball games. If I want to watch a bunch of boobs and spankies tackle each other, I'll watch it on TV. :D

[souljahbill]

The lingerie game can't be a $60 game. It has to be a $15 XBL/PSN game at MOST.

[DariusLock]

I'd def. tuck it and grow my hair out to try to be in that league. I'd get penalized for "Giving 'em the business" almost every play. I'd bring a whole new meaning to the "Holding" penalty....:nod::nod:

[JBHuskers]

I'd def. tuck it :nod::nod:

What's so different compared to now?

[DariusLock]

7 inches.

[AustinWolv]

Of hair?

[JBHuskers]

The entire Need For Speed series will now be handled by Criteron. (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/)

Definitely a good thing.

[Tarhead10]

The entire Need For Speed series will now be handled by Criteron. (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/)

Definitely a good thing.

Absolutely!! :nod:

[JeffHCross]

The entire Need For Speed series will now be handled by Criteron. (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/)

Definitely a good thing.I'm surprised that wasn't a given already. Though I hope the Burnout brand isn't totally gone.

[ryby6969]

7 inches.

I thought you were black?

[Marlowe]

I thought you were black?


:D:D:fp:

[JBHuskers]

I thought you were black?

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s159/jbennett98/GIFS/coleman_wtf.gif

[JBHuskers]

The prompt for the system update has dropped on the PS3, so I figured I'd go to the 360 while that was going, and that required a system update :D

[AustinWolv]

I thought you were black?
Well-played!
Best post of the week so far, although still 2.5 more days to go..........

In fact, there should be a weekly contest thread for that. :)

[psusnoop]

That would be funny for the best post of the week haha

[ryby6969]

I try. :D

[JBHuskers]

Decided to pre-order the Ratchet & Clank Collection. It's $10 off at Amazon ($29.99). (http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXI6K/ref=as_li_tf_sw?&linkCode=wsw&tag=thegamtai-20) Never played them originally (kinda like God of War, Shadow of the Collassus, ICO, etc.)

[DariusLock]

I can go balls deep, I don't want to bottom out and my balls be all cold and shit.

[JBHuskers]

I did not realize this was a tease at E3 2011.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/06/gamcontratease530.jpg

Looks like Mercury Steam (Castlevania) is going to take on Contra next... (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/28/mercurysteam-wants-to-leave-castlevania-to-take-on-contra-next/)

[JeffHCross]

Decided to pre-order the Ratchet & Clank Collection. It's $10 off at Amazon ($29.99). (http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXI6K/ref=as_li_tf_sw?&linkCode=wsw&tag=thegamtai-20) Never played them originally (kinda like God of War, Shadow of the Collassus, ICO, etc.)Well, shit, that's an easy choice for me. Was planning to get it anyway, and I don't think it'll be less than $30 on Black Friday.

[I OU a Beatn]

Decided to pre-order the Ratchet & Clank Collection. It's $10 off at Amazon ($29.99). (http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SXI6K/ref=as_li_tf_sw?&linkCode=wsw&tag=thegamtai-20) Never played them originally (kinda like God of War, Shadow of the Collassus, ICO, etc.)

Nice find...I went ahead and preordered as well. I never played the older ones but had a blast with A Crack in Time.

[JeffHCross]

Nice find...I went ahead and preordered as well. I never played the older ones but had a blast with A Crack in Time.I've played every game in the series except Deadlocked and All-4-One (though I got that free with PS Plus, so I'll play that eventually too). I love it. Probably my favorite non-sports series. Actually, definitely my favorite non-sports series. I've still got the original games for PS2 sitting in my entertainment center, but I can't wait to play them on my PS3.

[JBHuskers]

The Expendables is getting a downloadable game with 4-player co-op this summer.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s159/jbennett98/expendables.jpg

[JBHuskers]

I'm not sure how and where Mom got this game for me back in the day, but it is going for $170 right now on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthbound-Earth-Bound-Super-Nintendo-SNES-Great-condition-cartridge-only-/221057133789?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3378082cdd

I'm tempted to sell, but at the same time, I'm sure the value is only going to go up.

[morsdraconis]

Is yours in the box with the manual and everything? If so, it's worth $300+ easily. If it's just the cartridge, it's actually only worth ~$60 or so. The one you linked to is COMPLETELY ripping people off with that price for just the cartridge.

[JBHuskers]

Just the cart.

He's not ripping anyone off. That's what the bid was up to.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[JBHuskers]

The auction ended at $189.00. That's just for cart only. Wow.

[SmoothPancakes]

Is yours in the box with the manual and everything? If so, it's worth $300+ easily. If it's just the cartridge, it's actually only worth ~$60 or so. The one you linked to is COMPLETELY ripping people off with that price for just the cartridge.


Just the cart.

He's not ripping anyone off. That's what the bid was up to.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, I just went back and looked at the auction. He started the auction at 99 cents and it got up to $189. Damn.

[JBHuskers]

It's tempting. On one side of the coin, I'm holding a rare item of gaming and the price could go up over time as more and more SNES items become scarce. On the other side, it looks like I could get nearly $200 for it right now.

[baseballplyrmvp]

sell it and cash out now.

[JBHuskers]

Yeah I dunno. Part of me wants to keep it as it's about the only rare piece of gaming history that I have. Part of me thinks the price will continue to go up (as the cart only around two years ago was only $80)...there continues to be more and more rare game collector's out there now a days, so there could be more demand.

[JBHuskers]

Look at this auction for an NES game.... (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stack-Up-Nintendo-Nes-Black-Box-Series-Hang-Tap-Almost-Complete-/261053767817?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3 D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D325285303340757618%26pid%3D 100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26)

Box is in terrible condition. But still a HUGE demand for one of those NES robot games. Unfortunately I don't have this one.

[I OU a Beatn]

People are nuts. I started an auction about a year ago on eBay for an original Mass Effect Collector's Edition for the 360 that was still sealed and started it at $0.99. It went for close to $600. That's when I realized it might be wise to buy "rare" looking games, keep them sealed, and then sell them a few years later. Just last month someone paid $200 for my used Diablo 3 Collector's Edition without the game. Like I said, people are nuts.

[CLW]

LOL wasn't there a "rare" NES nintendo pad game that was basically the summer olympics? I think I had that bad boy back in the day but sold it and the pad at a garage sale for like $10.

[gschwendt]

LOL wasn't there a "rare" NES nintendo pad game that was basically the summer olympics? I think I had that bad boy back in the day but sold it and the pad at a garage sale for like $10.
No, there was a game (I don't remember the name) that was released by some random company but only released in select states (like Ohio or something). Nintendo eventually bought them out and then re-released the game as Track & Field and the official NES Pad with it. The rare game is the one released by the random company.

Don't ask me why I remember that story because I couldn't tell you.

[JBHuskers]

It seems like the price did go up on Earthbound over the past two years. I wonder as time goes on and the system is more scarce if it will only drive up that price. Or when the economy gets better, if that will also help the price go up on it. I think a 2-year jump from $80 to $190 may show that it will be worth to hold onto it for a while.

[oweb26]

For those of us that play Strategy Games.:


Total War: Rome 2 marches to PC in 2013
by David Hinkle on Jul 2nd 2012 9:00AM

Yes, the rumors are true: Creative Assembly's next game is Total War: Rome 2, a sequel to the studio's 2004 title. The PC exclusive is set to launch sometime in 2013.

Creative Assembly studio communications manager Al Bickham walked me through a very brief demo for Total War: Rome 2, the siege of Carthage. The goal for Total War: Rome 2 is all about letting players rewrite history in the single-player campaign mode, which lets you conquer the globe as you see fit. But Bickam promised me "more detail to each man" in skirmishes for the sequel, and a more cinematic and epic experience.

Total War: Rome 2 will also seamlessly transition battles from sea to land. During my 10 minute overview of Carthage, I witness giant boats carry Roman soldiers onto the beach, where they hastily put together giant siege towers so soldiers could scale the massive walls of Carthage. A free camera provided a top-down overview with a map, or you can get right down into the action at the man level. But what I saw was still very early in development, pre-alpha gameplay with no UI elements and large chunks of Carthage not having been rendered.

Bickham wasn't too chatty about what's planned for Total War: Rome 2, citing its relative infancy in development, but he did say he hopes to show "the value of one man" on the battlefield.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/02/total-war-rome-2-marches-to-pc-in-2013/

[JBHuskers]

Here is another example of a rare game getting attention from collector's (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Snow-Brothers-Nintendo-Nes-Complete-Box-/261053803218?_trksid=p3984.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DPI.WATCH%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26p o%3DLCA%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D329206960887222869&_qi=RTM1066540)

I've never even heard of Snow Brothers before.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Snow-Brothers-Nintendo-Nes-Complete-Box-/00/s/MTAwMFg5OTk=/$(KGrHqV,!psE-zm-pQ!YBP6OTbzkc!~~60_12.JPG

[SmoothPancakes]

For those of us that play Strategy Games.:



http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/02/total-war-rome-2-marches-to-pc-in-2013/

Fuck yes! I still to this day play Rome Total War off and on. I love that game. Definitely looking forward to this game.

[oweb26]

I know I am pretty excited, this is the one series that I have maybe the beat the grand campaign only once but I keep coming back. My steam alone has sadi I have logged 130 hours into Shogun. I need to finish building my PC so I can run this when it comes out.

[JeffHCross]

That's when I realized it might be wise to buy "rare" looking games, keep them sealed, and then sell them a few years later.Every time I've done that, the game has still been in shelves years later (i.e. Knights of the Old Republic II). :D


For those of us that play Strategy Games.:

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/02/total-war-rome-2-marches-to-pc-in-2013/Yet another TW game that I want to play, wish I could play, but never, in a million years, would have enough time to devote to.

[oweb26]

Rome II is ambitious. But to capture that civilization in a game..? To take that marvellous complexity at every level, to simulate that..? That’s yet more ambitious. We spoke to the team at Creative Assembly, specifically the Lead Designer James Russell, and got an extended demo of the siege of Carthage, the final act of the Third Punic War.

Know this: Total War: Rome II is huge, spectacular and beautiful. Total War N has gathered together every piece of information, every fact going in one place. So enjoy: this is Rome 2.
You're reading about Total War: Rome 2 on Total War N at PCGamesN. We're a new site devoted to bringing together brilliant journalism, user submissions and headlines from across the web. Take a look, and tell us what you think in the comments. You can follow every Total War story from PCGamesN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/totalwar_n.

Rome! The greatest civilization the world has ever known! Rome! Sadistic empire, failed republic! Rome! Expansionary, pious, arrogant, defensive, atheistic, civilizing, philosophical, brutal, and especially contradictory... As Edward Gibbon, that unparalleled historian of the Roman Empire, put it, “After Rome has kindled and satisfied the enthusiasm of the Classic pilgrim, his curiosity for all meaner objects insensibly subsides.” Little wonder that a sequel to Rome: Total War was the most-demanded game from Creative Assembly’s fans; little wonder that they’re making it. Yes, we’ve seen Total War: Rome II and we’re going to tell you all about it.



What factions are in Rome 2?

“One of the issues with Shogun 2 is that, although we’ve got lots of factions, because it’s set in one country it can’t offer the spectacular variety that we can deliver with Rome 2” explains an upbeat James Russell, Lead Game Designer on the Total War series. And that spectacular variety that he’s offering comes from not only an expanded map that incorporates some of the exoticism of the east, but also from a deeper look at the factions and cultures that dwelled in them.
“We talk about different cultures and what that means is different fighting styles and different tactics, different environments.” So you’ll have the pesky Gauls and Germanic tribes to the North, the ever threatening Carthaginians and Egyptians to the South and assorted Parthians, Dacians, Cappadocians and more to the East. And other Romans. “We really want to push that variety in different ways, with variance in tech trees for barbarian cultures, and other cultures as well.”

It’s not just the tech tree that’s getting an overhaul. The cities and landscapes you’ll fight across will vary according the faction that controls them. “You’ll have barbarian cities that vary in size, and eastern cities, and greco-roman cities that will all be different.” The Carthage we were shown in the demo, in all its incredible splendour, is “kind of a boss battle; you’re storming the capital of a large empire, and that’s pretty much the biggest city that you’ll get to see.” More on which later.

How are Creative Assembly improving the AI?

Sadly, the biggest concern that any player of Total War has would be about the AI. Despite (or perhaps because of) the way that Creative Assembly has generated their deep, complex worlds, the AI has never quite managed to keep up. Every generation of the game has thrown up new challenges - and the old ones have not always been fixed.
Look at the way that the campaign AI behaves in Empire; schizoid and strange, flitting between being your best friend or your most opportunistic enemy. Look at Fall of the Samurai, where the hard campaign AI simply cheats, using the factions as disposable pawns. Nor is the battle AI perfect - there’s a reason that the DarthMod is the most popular mod for each and every Total War game.

Rome 2 comes with an ever greater focus on AI from Creative Assembly. Firstly, they’ve added more AI staff, including designers, so they can work on helping the AI to understand the battlefield and city environments.

Secondly, they’ve repaired the long-standing problem of the divided AI. Previous Total War games included two separate AIs; one for diplomatic relations and one for the actual campaign map. “By combining these systems we’ll hopefully be able to give the player some warning about these things,” explains Russell, “so you might be able to spy on the AI, and see it thinking about double crossing, building up forces about to attack you. Because these systems are integrated we can explain to the player not just the stuff to do with diplomatic relations, but also give you a reason. It’s not just it won’t do a trade agreement because you’re -83 diplomacy, but because strategically, it wants that region of yours and therefore it’s just not going to make a trade agreement with you. And it makes it more human, so that there’s real thinking going on behind it.”

Finally, the AIs will have their own unique personalities. Like Civilization, you’ll come to realize that certain AIs have different personalities and can be treated in different ways. “We acknowledge that AI is a key part of making the world believable and fun to play. We also want to make them more human and personality-driven; for example, those guys are vengeful, so you don’t want to piss them off because they’ll kick you back, whereas another AI might be more realpolitik and look at the bigger picture.” That’ll be even more given that Russell hints at something similar to Fall of the Samurai’s Realm Divide mechanic for the Roman factions - Empire or Republic seems like a likely choice.



How has Total War learned from RPGs?

It’s likely that choice of ending will be shaped and constrained by the dilemma system, if it’s not a fundamental part of it. A branching dilemma system will challenge players to make hard choices as their campaigns progress. It’s about bringing more flavour and colour into the world of Total War. The system is built upon some of the choices players make in Shogun 2’s expansion: Fall of the Samurai.
Instead of just getting the occasional choice, now you have entire flow charts to navigate based on your own moral choices, chaining off and splintering depending on your actions. “It’s almost interactive storytelling in a way. We want to have chain dilemmas so that this choice will take you down this path, and that will create different choices as a result of that. It’s human level drama woven into the campaign map.” If those choices reflect how dictatorial or egalitarian you are, then that may build into your eventual choice between Empire and Republic - a very familiar systems from RPGs like Mass Effect.

How much is Total War: Rome II going to be character-driven?

This diversified AI ties into an increased focus on characters within your and your enemies armies. The Siege of Carthage demo we saw was partially shown from the point of view of one Scipio Aemilianus. He led from the front, surviving catapult barrages, hand-to-hand combat and a run in with an elephant.
What’s clear is that the characters have become much more of a focus, injecting much more personality into a series that has always run the threat of becoming a little too dry.

Aemilianus has been mo-capped and features in several cutscenes throughout the battle - but Russell left us unclear whether this was just for the purposes of the demo, or was a fundamental shift in how Creative Assembly tells stories.

Though Russell avoided questions about other historical characters appearing in the game, others we spoke to didn’t; the PR Manager admitted to being mo-capped as the republican hero Tiberius Gracchus, whilst the lead art designer talked about the difficulty of modelling Cleopatra and Caesar, and others talked fondly about Creative Assembly’s new motion-capture studio, the biggest in Europe.

How has the campaign map changed?

The Rome II reveal demo didn’t include anything from the campaign map, and Creative Assembly were tight lipped on details. But James did explain that it would be larger than previous maps, and that the countries of old would be split into smaller provinces.
The Provinces provide a bridge between the grand size of countries and the micro-management of regions. The campaign map can therefore be as large as you’d expect from Rome, but include the detail of Shogun without overwhelming you with detail.

“We want to take steps to reduce some of the management burden. So, for instant, we have a province system where you’ve got several regions making up one province. That means you have all the benefits of extending that map and making it huge, increasing the area for you to conquer with your armies, but at the same time you don’t have hundreds of regions to manage with your tax and development.”

The way they’re going to work is to have one ‘capital’ region at the centre of more agricultural and production-focused areas. Now, when invading a region, you can choose what you want to deny your opponent, rather than charging blindly at your opponent. The ultimate goal is to prevent the endless run of sieges of previous Total War games, and hopefully encourage more fighting in the open countryside.

“When you’ve got big regions what that means is that you tend to headshot the capital and suddenly get one big swathe of territory,” says James. “With provinces and provincial capitals, with quite a few surrounding regions, there’s territory to capture without just headshotting the capital. So you get more varied battles and more varied battle types over different terrain. It means you don’t want a couple of units going here and here, and we really want people to think about Legions.”

How can Legions be characters too?

Along with making the AI a force that you can understand and predict, Creative Assembly are also aiming their sights squarely on the troops you shuffle around their expanded map, turning them from just a mob of archers, infantry and cavalry into armies, and more specifically, Legions.
It’s another way for Rome 2 to push forward its “Human Face”. It’s a phrase that comes up time and again while talking to Russell.

“What we want the player thinking about is not ‘I’m going to move that archer unit and combine it with those two units of cavalry.’ We want the player to think ‘Where’s the Tenth Legion?’, or ‘The Eighth Legion has been in a battle, it’s weakened, let’s move up the Tenth to support it.’ We want the player thinking about the grand strategy with armies, not fiddling about individual units.” Importantly, this doesn’t mean simplifying the game, but instead bringing about more colour to your manoeuvrings. And it’s there that they’re putting a lot of effort in tying you to these Legions.

Legions will “gain traits and properties that outlive their general”, dependent on how they perform in battle, leaving you with a tracked history that “help unify that idea of Legions being an army. It also creates this institutional memory that isn’t just dependent on one character.” So while your generals will gain their own traits, your Legions will, too, becoming more fearsome, or more cowardly, depending on their victories and losses.

All of which spills over onto the battlefield, where the chaos of conflict is punctuated by a dozen moments where order pokes its head up in the form of a sudden peak of narrative coherence. In scripted, mo-capped moments, Scipio Aemillianus turns around and barks a concise encouragement to his men before they surge out of the siege tower, or the walls crumble, taking dozens of Carthaginians with them.

It’s about connecting the drama of battle with the grand strategy: having stories emerge from the situations your favoured generals and legions find themselves in; be them stranded in the Northern reaches of Gaul, or storming the walls of Carthage.



How are Creative building their cities?

We’ve hardly mentioned Carthage yet, but this is the jewel in the game’s crown. The battle is incredible.
Here seen for the first time in two thousand years, is the city of Carthage. Great stone walls run along the coastline to a leviathan harbour (the only part of the old city still extant). From the walls the city slopes gently up to the great hill, the houses getting more affluent as they close on the city’s ancient centre, the Bursa, the site of the citadel-temple where the Carthaginian general, his family and some die-hard Roman deserters made their last stand.

The city just dwarves the ships at anchor - and this mighty fleet might carry as much as a legion of troops, ready to reinforce the siege. A siege that’s been ongoing for three years, surrounding the 37KM of Carthage’s walls.

The history buffs out there will know that Carthage isn’t exactly in a fit state to model for the game; following victory in this battle the Romans killed all the men, enslaved the remaining 50,000 women and children, burned the city to the ground, reportedly sowed the ground with salt, before building a Roman town on the ruins. Before the battle, the Carthaginians had offered to surrender and had given up all their weapons to the Romans. After the battle, they didn’t exist as a people any more. The Romans even destroyed all their writing and slandered them in their histories, so we don’t know anything about them.

How did they recreate Carthage?

So, to make a map of the city of Carthage; to resurrect a dead people; to recreate a historical battle told only by the victors; these are all huge research challenges. Creative Assembly has overcome them by... reading lots of books. They have spent thousands of pounds on old books, they’ve pored over satellite photos, they’ve studied the nearby tombs of the Carthaginians (which were based on the city’s buildings) and they’ve looked at nearby cities that surrendered to the Romans. The cities themselves feel far more lived in than previous games; the streets of Carthage in the demo were covered in graffiti, and lined with litter and garbage. The streets were narrow and winding, dirty and grubby, the harbour contrasted mighty stone piers with dingy wooden fishermans’ jetties. The whole city felt like an ancient maze.
This kind of hand-crafted design will likely only apply to a handful of the more famous in-game cities - Carthage, Rome, perhaps Memphis. During the campaign, other cities could reach this size and they’ll be dynamically generated from tile sets, depending on their location, scale and culture - Carthage itself is a combination of African, Classical and Eastern buildings.

Has the scale changed?

The battles have a new sense of scale thanks to an increase in the size of units and the number of units you control. The assault of Carthage is a perfect demonstration of Rome II’s scope. The demo had all its orders preplanned, freeing CA up to just show us the best bits, swinging the camera down onto the gritty soldier level, but throwing a player into something of this scale can’t be an easy feat.
Carthage also demonstrates the changes coming to the series. There is now only one battle-type: battles are not split between sieges, naval battles and open field engagements. Naval units can be combined with infantry combat which can be combined with siege combat. Troops can be brought to shore, landed, set up siege towers, and then advance into a city - all while the navy bombards the city walls.

That’s exactly how the battle of Carthage progresses.

It starts with an amphibious assault; troops spilling out of a variety of Triremes and ancient landing craft. They surge forward, led by their general Aemilianus. They wind their way over the ruins of a long since flattened coastal town before taking hold of a series of abandoned siege towers. Aemilianus leads them onto the siege towers, and they begin to roll forward.


Meanwhile, at the harbour, the triremes are flinging huge boulders at the city walls, all while more and more troops are disembarking by the shore.But Carthage isn’t just waiting for the troops to arrive. A hail of flaming arrows and stones erupts, firing at both the incoming waves of troops and the boats that circle the harbour.



What about all these new camera modes?

A new cinematic camera, the equivalent of Supreme Commander’s epic zoom lets you pull right into the very heart of the battle, viewing the carnage from the perspective of Aemilianus. There, you can hear the shouts and grunts of individual soldiers, see your comrades fall as they’re pierced by the cloud of arrows.
“We understand that we have to give the player a proper incentive to get down there, it’s not just going to be eye candy. We’re still looking at exactly what we’re going to do, but what we can say is that the player’s attention is clearly a resource, and when you go down into a unit you’re not putting your attention on the rest of the battle. If you come down and your unit’s being flanked, you’ve got to make a difference.” It’s at this point that it’s worth pointing out that Fall of the Samurai introduced direct control, where you could seize the reigns of specific units and fire away with a gatling gun or a cannon, placing shots precisely.

Then, it lets you pull right back, where your men and their foes turn into abstract icons - like controlling a tabletop battle in real-time. This new zoom isn’t just for show - it’s meant to give players a better understanding of the problems their soldiers face, to control the battle like a general. Similarly, Russell says that they’ll find some way of disincentivising players from controlling the battle from just this interface.

There’s also a vast increase in the number of men at your disposal - although that’s simply an increase of the number of men in each unit, rather than putting many more units at your disposal.

“Although there’s bigger battlefield environments there’s not necessarily bigger stacks. You’re not going to get fifty or sixty units to control. Increasing the scale is not going to increase the burden of control.” Watching the siege unfold, it’s hard not to think that it might, if you’re not careful, threaten to overwhelm you.

One quick change that should make sieges far more fun: each city will have multiple capture points, forcing defenders to spread their infantry a little thinner. It’s there, that Aemilianus’s final victory approaches. As he holds his position, defenders try and attack, but are cut off by a collapsing building. In the final moments of battle, Elephant infantry starts to advance... and charges. The screen cuts to black.

How does the game scale for laptops and low-spec systems?

Looking back at those moments of battle, there’s an impressive new lighting engine, resplendent with particles and gorgeous reflections off the burnished metal of the Legionnaires’ armour. New features have been layered onto Total War’s venerable tech. There are new shaders for everything from the metal to the soldiers’ skin, the sky and terrain have both been improved, and the whole game has moved to an HDR model. The team are happy to say that they’ve moving from realistic towards cinematic.
It all looks fantastic, but Russell is quick to point out that “while we obviously want it to take advantage of the best systems that are out there and will be out there in a year’s time, we also want it to work on lower end systems. Our objective is to not change the minimum spec [from Shogun 2]. People play strategy games on laptops more, and so we need to keep the game viable on lower end machines while working on higher end PCs.”

Any changes to multiplayer?

No specifics from the CA team, although James Russell explained “they have big plans.” Expect more information as the PR campaign progresses.
When is it out?

Creative Assembly wouldn’t be drawn on any release date for Total War: Rome II. It will be at least 2013 - we guess around Spring 2013.
Is there a trailer?

Only a live action trailer, and these video interviews courtesy of PC Gamer.

http://www.pcgamesn.com/totalwar/total-war-rome-2-preview-every-question-answered

[JeffHCross]

Yes it is. I'll take the baseball. :) Give me baseball and basketball games. If I want to watch a bunch of boobs and spankies tackle each other, I'll watch it on TV. :DWhat about .....
http://web-images.chacha.com/images/galleryimage869398047-jan-31-2012-600x690.jpg
now?

[baseballplyrmvp]

boing!

[SmoothPancakes]

If they put that in the game, that may sway my opinion. :D

[souljahbill]

Scissoring DLC!

[AustinWolv]

Scissoring DLC!

Off-season "workouts" and recruiting anyone?

[JeffHCross]

(NSFW) http://kotaku.com/5923884/oral-sex-in-the-secret-world-is-simply-mind+blowing (/NSFW)

[morsdraconis]

I'm far from a prude or anything, but, is that REALLY necessary in a video game?

[souljahbill]

I'm far from a prude or anything, but, is that REALLY necessary in a video game?

You need to reach ecstasy in order to think clearly. :D

[JBHuskers]

Telltale plans another "season" of The Walking Dead. (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/07/the-walking-dead-season-2-insinuated-by-telltale/)

[CLW]

Huge video game collection sold on eBay for more than $1.2 million

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-enormous-video-game-ebay-20120709,0,6539757.story (http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-enormous-video-game-ebay-20120709,0,6539757.story)

[JBHuskers]

Huge video game collection sold on eBay for more than $1.2 million

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-enormous-video-game-ebay-20120709,0,6539757.story (http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-enormous-video-game-ebay-20120709,0,6539757.story)

JESUS!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[I OU a Beatn]

Yeah, he isn't getting paid. :D

[CLW]

Yeah, he isn't getting paid. :D

I just want to go on EBay and bid $100,000,000,000 on something. Although I suspect if they track you down and you don't pay something happens?

[I OU a Beatn]

Nope, you get a strike. Third strike they ban your account. You can then make another one and do it again. :D

As someone who sells on eBay fairly regularly, I really wish they would make it one account per address or something similar. That way when fuckers don't pay, they can't just continually do it. It's a pain in the ass to file a claim, wait a week, close it, open up the listing, and then wait for it to end again and cross your fingers they pay this time.

[JeffHCross]

How does a 32 year old man have the time/money to make that collection in the first place?

[JBHuskers]

Foosball for the PSN...interesting...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d63a3kb5G90&feature=player_embedded

[souljahbill]

Foosball for the PSN...interesting...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d63a3kb5G90&feature=player_embedded

Cheapy D can't stop pining over this game. He talks about it every CAGcast.

[AustinWolv]

A game to play a game. Nice.

smh

[CLW]

A game to play a game. Nice.

smh

Wait isn't that what this site is dedicated to?

[JBHuskers]

A game to play a game. Nice.

smh

That is quite the paradoxical statement.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[AustinWolv]

Wait isn't that what this site is dedicated to?
One could say that, as well as one could also say that the majority of people can't play football (either ever or anymore or not at the level that football video games attempt to allow you to mimic), but a large majority of people can play foosball in actual real life throughout their lifetime. :)

Like why the fuck would you play checkers online? Hell, let's play the old simple card game War in video game format? Some things just aren't needed.

In other words, with all the games out there and interesting stuff to do, why bother with a simplistic thing you could do every day? (The Sims fans can go fuck themselves)

[JBHuskers]

You play checkers online to play people far away that you couldn't play in person.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[AustinWolv]

People with nothing better to do and no creativity or initiative play checkers online to play people far away that they couldn't play in person.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Fixed it for you.

[JBHuskers]

This could be good. Double Dragon Neon on PS3 & XBLA this September.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/07/doubledragon718.jpg

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[JeffHCross]

While I disagree with Austin's generalizing about games to play games, I will say that it is sometimes amusing to see games created where you have to question what they were thinking the target audience would be in the first place. For example, let's think of paintball. One of the main reasons you play paintball in real life is that you can't go out shooting people in real life -- well, without the cops visiting you shortly. Video game guns are not lethal. You don't have to worry about killing someone in a video game. So what, pray tell, is the advantage of a paintball FPS over a "regular" FPS?

I've wondered about that for years, ever since I saw it raised a question when someone noticed that a common Quake mod was to turn it into paintball.

[CLW]

Just say no to 40 straight hours of video games:

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/taiwanese-teen-dies-40-hour-diablo-iii-marathon-190451985.html

[morsdraconis]

:smh:

What a shit game to die from playing too.

:smh:

[CLW]

:smh:

What a shit game to die from playing too.

:smh:

LOL it reminded me of me and my good friend my 2nd year of lawschool and his 1st year of lawschool (he smartly decided to drop out after the 1st year) in St. Louis. NCAA 06 we both played the game at my place taking turns in a 2 team dynasty for an entire weekend. The difference: we took breaks for meals, stretch, walk the dogs and probably most importantly brief "naps".

[I OU a Beatn]

Every time I read a story like that, I have to wonder how they can even game for that long at once. The most I've done at one time in the past 5 years is probably 3 hours. I'm not talking 3 hours, eat for 20, then come back for another 3 hours, either. I mean play for 3 hours and then be done for the day. 40 hours in a row...I can't even comprehend. I would be bored as hell.

How do you even go 40 hours without eating? I love my food WAY too much to even go 4 or 5 hours without eating something...let alone 40. Jesus. :D

[JBHuskers]

Ahhhh nothing going on tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night, Sunday, or Sunday night....gonna be a gaming marathon, but I won't pull like that dude who died playing Diablo III, I have to get up to get beer.

[AustinWolv]

Ahhhh nothing going on tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night, Sunday, or Sunday night....gonna be a gaming marathon, but I won't pull like that dude who died playing Diablo III, I have to get up to get beer.
:+1:

[JeffHCross]

With the recent announcement of forthcoming NCAA patches, this article (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/07/microsoft-comes-under-fire-for-five-figure-xbox-360-patch-fee/) from Ars Technica came with good timing. Most of the article is an interesting rant on the whole process of Microsoft patching (and the Reader Comments are particularly amusing). But if nothing else, this reference is worth pointing out:

So rather than pay Microsoft "such a large sum of money" to approve a new patch that would fix the small issue (Double Fine's Tim Schaefer pegged the cost of submitting an Xbox 360 patch at $40,000 in an interview with Hookshot Inc. earlier this year), Fish has decided to put the initial, slightly error-prone patch back up on Microsoft's servers.The Schaefer interview can be read here (http://www.hookshotinc.com/interview-schafers-millions/). And here's the context of the $40,000 statement:

“But the indie community is now moving elsewhere; we’re figuring out how to fund and distribute games ourselves, and we’re getting more control over them. Those systems as great as they are, they’re still closed. You have to jump through a lot of hoops, even for important stuff like patching and supporting your game. Those are things we really want to do, but we can’t do it on these systems. I mean, it costs $40,000 to put up a patch – we can’t afford that! Open systems like Steam, that allow us to set our own prices, that’s where it’s at, and doing it completely alone like Minecraft. That’s where people are going.”
The one item worth pointing out is that the context doesn't make it clear if the 40k includes hours spent on work, or is the fee to M$ for the patch alone.

[JeffHCross]

With the recent announcement of forthcoming NCAA patches, this article (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/07/microsoft-comes-under-fire-for-five-figure-xbox-360-patch-fee/) from Ars Technica came with good timing. Most of the article is an interesting rant on the whole process of Microsoft patching (and the Reader Comments are particularly amusing). But if nothing else, this reference is worth pointing out:

So rather than pay Microsoft "such a large sum of money" to approve a new patch that would fix the small issue (Double Fine's Tim Schaefer pegged the cost of submitting an Xbox 360 patch at $40,000 in an interview with Hookshot Inc. earlier this year), Fish has decided to put the initial, slightly error-prone patch back up on Microsoft's servers.The Schaefer interview can be read here (http://www.hookshotinc.com/interview-schafers-millions/). And here's the context of the $40,000 statement:

“But the indie community is now moving elsewhere; we’re figuring out how to fund and distribute games ourselves, and we’re getting more control over them. Those systems as great as they are, they’re still closed. You have to jump through a lot of hoops, even for important stuff like patching and supporting your game. Those are things we really want to do, but we can’t do it on these systems. I mean, it costs $40,000 to put up a patch – we can’t afford that! Open systems like Steam, that allow us to set our own prices, that’s where it’s at, and doing it completely alone like Minecraft. That’s where people are going.”
The one item worth pointing out is that the context doesn't make it clear if the 40k includes hours spent on work (probably not, in my opinion, unless the work was done by very few people, very quickly), or is the fee to M$ for the patch alone.

[AustinWolv]

Wonder how many will jump at the Ouya box thing as a result of things like that.

[JBHuskers]

Hah...this is pretty cool.

Steve Wozniak secretly submitted Tetris scores to Nintendo Power (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/steve-wozniak-secretly-submitted-tetris-scores-to-nintendo-power/)


Aside from his tech eminence having helped found Apple, Steve Wozniak is apparently also a pretty sick Tetris player. He only plays the original Game Boy port, and admits he submitted his scores to Nintendo Power back in the day.

"I was always #1 in the Nintendo Power listings in 1988, and after they said my name had been in there too many times and wouldn't print it again, I spelled my name backwards (Evets Kainzow) and sent in a photo of my score," Wozniak said in a comment on a Gizmodo piece about him. "When I got the magazine, I'd forgotten doing this and was worried that a foreigner from the next city over (I used Saratoga instead of Los Gatos so they wouldn't catch on) had a score up in my range. I got worried but then remembered my joke. Whew! It's in some old issue of Nintendo Power magazine."

Reddit user polar0ids was quick to call Woz's bluff, but it (unsurprisingly) turns out to be a true story. As seen here in this thread, the story checks out. There's Evets Kainzow's score: 546,145 points.

[baseballplyrmvp]

Every time I read a story like that, I have to wonder how they can even game for that long at once. The most I've done at one time in the past 5 years is probably 3 hours. I'm not talking 3 hours, eat for 20, then come back for another 3 hours, either. I mean play for 3 hours and then be done for the day. 40 hours in a row...I can't even comprehend. I would be bored as hell.

How do you even go 40 hours without eating? I love my food WAY too much to even go 4 or 5 hours without eating something...let alone 40. Jesus. :D

i pulled a 12 hour marathon of halo at a church lock-in once. but even then, i got up at some point during the night, walked around, had some food. but i can see that being easier to do as you have other people playing right next to you.....and not just playing by yourself.

[JBHuskers]

If you were an old school Tony Hawk video game fan of the past, definitely get THPS HD. I'm having an absolute blast with it.

I even had a :fp: moment...I was wondering why I couldn't manual off of a pipe...that wasn't introduced until reverts were added in THPS 3 :D (which coincidentally will be future DLC for this title).

It's only out on XBLA right now, Q3 for PS3 and PC.

[JBHuskers]

:D :D :D :D

Game of Thrones Season 2 RPG (http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6791810/game-of-thrones-season-2-rpg)

[morsdraconis]

:D :D :D :D

Game of Thrones Season 2 RPG (http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6791810/game-of-thrones-season-2-rpg)

Yeah. Amazing as that show is, it's REALLY poor written sometimes...

[CLW]

TGT Rugby League anyone?


http://youtu.be/d4a7qQKyers?hd=1

[JeffHCross]

TGT Rugby League anyone?Uhm, fuck yeah I'd be game!

[JBHuskers]

Snoop and I played some Payday: The Heist last night, had a great time, but we need a couple more guys to get a full co-op team of bank robbers. It's $10 in the PSN store.

It's basically a bank robbing version of Left 4 Dead, then I just saw, there is going to be a Left 4 Dead crossover DLC!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMl9osEuD7I

[JBHuskers]

Even better news. This DLC came out the other day and it is FREE.