Category: News

Well, it seems I got a large influx of visitors over the weekend, thanks to a referral from Joystiq. Hopefully, some of you will be coming back. If so, then welcome. If not, well, fine. See if I care. Jerks.

In other news, I removed the banner ad from the top of the page. My friend, Thomas, told me that it blocks out the first post when using Firefox. And I was all happy about having valid code, too. I’m sure you were all dying to have one more add to not click on, but it had to go.

That’s all. Again, welcome to my new visitors from around the world. Enjoy the site.

C|net recently interviewed Shane Kim, the head of Microsoft Game Studios. In the interview, Kim stresses Microsoft’s desire to position 360 as a family friendly console that casual gamers will enjoy just as much as the hardcore. He also restates the concept that Viva Pinata is Microsoft’s most important game of 2006. It’s also apparent that Microsoft hopes to emulate Sony in the casual games market (think EyeToy and karaoke).

 —via Gamasutra

All the hype was true. I didn’t really believe it. Nintendo said they would have Grandma’s and girlfriends gaming in no time. I scoffed—scoffed, I say—at the notion. Well, it seems my scoff was undeserved. My fiance is positively enamored of the game.

Every review I’ve seen makes it a point to say somthing along these lines:

Brain Age can’t really be called a “game”…blah…blah

My response to this is: yes, yes it can. It’s not a conventional game, but it is a game. Just like Math Blaster and Oregon Trail. So there.

I would also like to point out that I am a victim of the much maligned “blue” phenomenon. It doesn’t seem to affect Annie much though. What’s the deal? I was literally trained in elocution, damn it! Sigh… Anyway, Brain Age is very fun so far. Perhaps the best word to describe it: scrumtrilescent.

If there is anyone who would like to contribute the official spelling of scrumtrilescent, please do so. Will Ferrell, are you listening? Drop us a line at: sense[at]8bitninja.com

 

I started playing Tomb Raider: Legend last night. I had only played through the first level before I was side-tracked by Condemned. In fact, I’ve still only played through the first level. Legend has a very interesting feature called Croft Manor.

Continue reading “Tombs, Raiding, and You”

Just one more day and we can all submit our fragile psyches to the mind rending maelstrom that is Silent Hill. I am overly excited about this movie. Probably so much so that it will never satisfy my grisly cravings. As far as I am concerned, no survival horror game rivals Silent Hill in pure terror. There is great fear in Silent Hill, fear of the unknown, even fear of ourselves. The characters aren’t all good. They are not heroes. The monsters aren’t something our brains can easily process like, say, zombies. The environments are gritty, dirty, and steeped in sadness. So, yeah, there is basically no way this movie will live up to my expectations. I really hope that I’m wrong, though.

I’ve said before that rumors of Saturn Bomberman hitting Xbox Live Arcade was the best news ever. Boy was I wrong. Xbox 360 Fanboy has just posted the Best. News. Ever. That’s right boys and girls, Phantasy Star Universe will be coming to 360 this fall. I was a complete Phantasy Star Online addict on the Dreamcast. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of time I put into that game, cheering my victories and lamenting the loss of  great weapons to cheaters. Oh man. I can’t wait. I cannot effing wait.

 

The Malaysian government has seized 1.5 million pirated games and movies so far in 2006. Nearly half of these discs were intended for export. The Business Software Group—from America—estimates that the majority of all software in Malaysia is pirated. The estimated value of the confiscated goods approaches US $14 million. While many people are concerned with digital software piracy, things like this prove that bootlegging is still a problem.

—via the always excellent Gamasutra. Thanks for the pic Pirate Photo!

UPDATE 4/26/06: Okay, I’ve gotten a lot of traffic through this story and I noticed a lot of people don’t seem to be getting to the site that is actually hosting these comparison shots. Please click on this link to find them, or click “comparison shots” below.

Kotaku has posted some comparison shots of the NES and DS versions of Final Fantasy 3. It looks like Square has squeezed some pretty impressive graphics out of the DS. I’m not a huge Final Fantasy buff, but this game looks pretty good. Also reported recently, the game will support Nintendo WiFi in some form.

—from Ruliweb (via Kotaku)

1-up has posted new info on the MMO FPS Huxley. I’ve been waiting for this game for some time. Of interest is that there will be marked differences between the 360 and PC versions. Namely, each version will have a different hub city exclusive to one platform. These hubs act as the neutral zones outside of battle, much like the lobbies in Phantasy Star Online or the towns in Diablo. Other tidbits include:

• The 360 version will have a traditional single player campaign
• Graphically, the PC and 360 versions should be “roughly equivalent”
• Online play will be cross-platform, allowing PC and 360 players to share the same game space
• Huxley will feature a quest system. Main quests and side quests can be obtained from NPCs

Exciting news for sure. Check out 1-up for more screens.

Condemned gets progressively messed up as you play. Enemies get more and more atavistic—to the point that you’re being attacked by puddles of bubbling goo. Not really, but the mummy/burn victim freaks will cave in your psyche and your skull. The psychic flashes of moments past and things supernatural increase in the later levels. The frequency of these events will have you questioning your own sanity at times. Annie swears that things move and change when you’re not looking. I still refute this claim, but I don’t blame her for making it. I’ll try and write a proper feature when I finish the game.

In other news, I picked up the original Silent Hill over the weekend. I haven’t played it in a long time and I never got the “good” ending. I’m working up the courage to start it up soon. The movie’s release inches closer. I can’t wait.