May
30
Source:Finally: WiiWare to get beer pong game
Filed under: Nintendo Wii
Sometimes blogging is really hard, like when Microsoft or Sony mails us a whole bottle of Dom and a platter of foie gras and we have to eat it all before 1. It goes bad or 2. The housekeeper tries to hide some in her apron. But there are sometimes when it’s very easy, like today, when you come across a post that’s so intrinsically hilarious it requires practically no work.
Frat Party Games is an actual new division of JV Games and they’re actually making a beer pong game for WiiWare that’s actually called Beer Pong. And the image above? That’s literally what you see when you click “Features” on their web site. Because we totally hate your eyeballs, we’ve put a trailer for it after the jump.
[Via Satan/NWF]
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May
30
Ossos do ofício
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Source:Ossos do ofícioÉ, meu povo, a gente paga mico pelos games. E que mico!
O Ricardo Farah, editor da revista EGM Brasil, e eu, tentando manter a forma com o “Wii Fit”.
<IFRAME src=”http://megaplayer.ig.com.br/P [leia mais]
May
30
Source:Case: Eros v. Simon (SETTLED 2007) - Second LifeSomehow this well reported case got overlooked here at the Patent Arcade, and that appears to be because I thought I’d already written about it. In any event, it now gets its own post…
On October 24, 2007, six content owners in Second Life sued Thomas Simon, aka Rase Kenzo, for infringing their copyrights in various online goods. Also included in the complaint were counts for unfair competition and false description of origin, conspiracy, and counterfeiting. The goods included clothing and scripted furniture (aka, sex beds), among other things. After only two months it appears that Mr. Simon saw the light and the plaintiffs proved their point-the case settled in December, 2007, for about $525, and an agreement by Mr. Simon to cease his questionable activities.
At the very least this case is important because it demonstrates the seriousness that many Second Life content creators give to their businesses, treating their intellectual property just as any other business would. The stakes will only get higher as virtual worlds such as Second Life get bigger, and the players have even more money at stake.
Documents:
Complaint-07_10_24_eros_et_al_v_simon_complaint.pdf
Settlement-ecf.nyed.uscourts.gov_cgi-bin_show_temp.pdf
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May
30
Source:Show Your Madden Love With PSP Bundle
Continuing its celebration of Madden’s 20th Anniversary (once again, I feel really old), Sony will be releasing a special PSP bundle on August 12.
The Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, to use its formal appellation, will include a limited edition Metallic Blue PSP system, “NFL: In Just One Play” on UMD Video, a voucher to download Beats from the PSN Store (?), a 1GB memory stick, and, of course, Madden NFL 09.
The whole shebang will run you $200. I think I would’ve gone with Packers green for the PSP color, personally, given that Brett Favre is 09’s cover boy, but blue is a fine choice, too.
Image courtesy Sony
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May
30
Source:Microsoft: PGR5 could be driven by Forza dev
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Driving
When Project Gotham Racing dev Bizarre Creations was scooped up by Activision last year, many 360 owners were left wondering what would become of the system’s flagship racing franchise. Speaking to Kikizo, Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim provided one possible (and likely) scenario: put Forza Motorsports 2 team Turn 10 behind the wheel.
Kim says that MS is eager for Turn 10 to branch out and “do more creative execution in the racing space.” (Read: more than just hardcore racing sims.) Kim expressed a desire to take “a fresh creative approach” to a fifth game in the series, and, to that end, proposed imagining “a future where [Turn 10] would develop a new version of Project Gotham Racing.” We humbly suggest that - should they get the gig - Turn 10 replace Kudos with actual MS points.
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May
30
Source:Joystiq hands-on: Alone in the Dark (360)
Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure
With some trepidation, I walked into Atari’s offices today to check out the newest (and quite possibly final) build of Alone in the Dark. With controller in hand, I started a fresh save file … only to have three hours blur by and be bombarded with a never-ending series of cinematic, adrenaline-pumping sequences. I was totally unprepared for Eden Studios’ bold reimagining of the franchise. This is not your father’s Alone in the Dark.
A key point that the Atari representative reiterated throughout my play session was the influence of serialized television in the design of the game. The game is broken up into a series of “episodes,” each ending on a cliffhanger. Players are able to select levels and sequences via a menu that resembles something you’d find on a DVD. Not only can players jump to any level they want, but they can skip to specific “chapters” within each episode, as well. Each episode ends with credits, and each new episode starts with a very cute “Previously on Alone in the Dark” recap. (Interestingly, all the episodes are unlocked when a player starts the game. This means if you get stuck at a certain point, you can simply skip to the next chapter and use the recap to see what you missed. The reasoning behind this? Eden wants everyone to finish this game, no matter how challenging the puzzles may get.)
These trivial changes to the presentation are amusing, but the TV inspiration runs much deeper. One season of a great television show has a clear beginning, middle and end. However, each episode usually focuses on one specific issue in an overarching story arc. Alone in the Dark fully embraces the serialized narrative, and uses it to create stunning set pieces in every chapter of every episode we’ve had an opportunity to play. Alone in the Dark isn’t survival horror like we’ve seen in Silent Hill and Resident Evil. No, it’s also about platforming. It’s about puzzle solving, first person shooting … and even driving. Alone in the Dark really is a great season of 24, albeit one with a supernatural twist.
Gallery: Alone in the Dark (2008)
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May
30
Source:Law of the Game on Joystiq: Used to be Fair
Filed under: Features
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:
Based on the comments to the last few copyright-oriented columns, it seems like everyone wants to talk about fair use. In fact, fair use is one of the most misunderstood aspects of intellectual property law, even though it’s popular to play the “fair use” card in response to alleged infringement. Much of the confusion stems from the fact that there are different fair uses of copyrights and trademarks; still, other confusion stems from the fact that many of the tests for what qualifies as fair use are not terribly clear — but I’ll be clearing much of this up for you today … hopefully.
For the most part, trademark fair use is far simpler to understand than copyright fair use, so trademarks will be our first stop. Simply put, it is fair to use a trademark nominatively or for identification. That means if you re-sell a BMW, you are allowed to refer to it as a BMW. If you’re writing a book or game dialog, you are allowed to refer to brand names. You are also allowed to refer to brand names in comparative advertising too; for example: “Our console has more games than the PlayStation 3!” or “Our hardware is more powerful than the Nintendo Wii!” or “Our system is more fun than the Xbox360!” Now that I’ve angered all the fanboys, that’s pretty much the entire universe of trademark fair use. Copyright fair use, on the other hand, is far more complicated.
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May
30
Source:Lego Batman: Joker, Harley, Scarecrow and Two Face trailers
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure
Danny Elfman’s recognizable Batman score finally makes an audible appearance in the latest Lego Batman trailer featuring The Joker and his our beloved Harley Quinn (found after the break). New character trailers appear to be getting released every couple weeks, as the trailer featuring Catwoman and Riddler released a month ago, and the trailer with Two Face and Scarecrow (above) came out two weeks ago.
Remember, Lego Indiana Jones releases June 6. We’re still waiting for Lego Terminator to be announced. Come on, admit it, that would be awesome!
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May
30
Source:Sega Deals: Virtua Tennis 3 for $20 at Amazon
If you happened to miss out on the excellent Virtua Tennis 3 (for shame!), then now’s your chance to redeem yourself. Amazon has Sega’s latest in human-based virtual tennis entertainment in three different flavors: Xbox 360 ($20), PlayStation 3 ($26) and PlayStation Portable ($17).
What are you waiting for? Get cracking!
Tags: Sega Deals, Virtua Tennis
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May
30
Rumor: Shinji Mikami’s unannounced Sega game could feature Suda 51
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Source:Rumor: Shinji Mikami’s unannounced Sega game could feature Suda 51
Shinji Mikami (of Resident Evil fame) has an unannounced project with Sega as part of the Platinum Games deal. On the 22nd of this month, Grass Hopper holdings had an event to celebrate their 10th anniversary as a company. Shinji Mikami was there and talked a bit about his future project.
“I can not talk about details, but I’m working right now with Suda.”
It wasn’t confirmed if it is part of the Sega and Platinum Games unannounced project, but if Simon Jeffery is to be believed, Sega has exclusive rights to the studio. Though Shinji can work under Grasshopper Manufacturing.
Let’s hope Suda 51 (Killer 7 and No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami do team up for the upcoming title. Filed under rumor for now, stay tuned as we wait to find out more.
[Translated by STORM, Source Gpara]
[Image from Gpara]
Tags: Platinum Games, rumor, Shinji Mikami, unannounced
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