Still looking to score a Wii, but don't want to pay a bundle for it? Trust me, you are not alone, but if you are within a Comcast Cable service area apparently you may be able to get one free, but beware. You may end up just giving that bundle of cash to some other corporate giant.

This morning while watching the Olympics I saw a commercial advertising a free Wii to new customers who sign up for Comcast's Premiere Triple Play Service. That's high-end digital cable, Internet and phone, the last being VoIP I believe (see the Comcast site for bundle details). The additional Wii promotion is nowhere to be found at the Comcast site, so I called Comcast and confirmed the promo. Basically it breaks down to a Free Wii to any new customer signing up for their Premiere Triple Play Service, with the following being the major, but by no means the only notations in the fine print:

• A 2-year contract for the three services required
• The bundled service goes for 0/month
• The Wii is the standard model, including a remote and Wii Sports
• Offer good through 8/17
• Offer assumes that broadband and wireless connectivity necessary for full Wii functionality are available in your area/home

If you are down with 0+/month for the bundle and have the wireless/broadband issue covered, maybe this is a good deal. If not you might want to lay off. Anyway, like I said, the offer is limited and only available over the phone, so "let the buyer beware."

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

The mainstream of the gaming industry and those of us lucky enough to float atop its ever-churning flow are obsessed with keeping up and not being left behind by the latest thing, and understandably so. When compared with the early days, modern gaming can't be seen as
anything other than the cutting edge of technology and thought. Is
there anyone who's got a problem with that? Not likely, so, everyone in
the hard - softcore crowd, how about a group "Huzzah!" But the truth is
that not everyone residing on planet Earth is partaking.

Yes, there are folks out there who wouldn't even qualify as the softest of softcore gamers and for most of these it's not because they don't like gaming. They might love yammering on for hours about minuscule details covered in blogs like this and oh so many others if they weren't so busy doing other things, like oh, scratching a living for themselves and/or loved ones in some impoverished country, or who knows, maybe down the street. So, the debate over whether to pay the extra 0 for a larger hard drive is understandably lost on them. With little to no contact with computers they are simply being left behind in a world obsessed with technology. But what if video games could come to the rescue of the great huddled masses and in the process improve standards of living and like the children of our own current generation, imbue those less fortunate than ourselves with a knack for technology simply through osmosis?

Big talk and more likely than not a self-serving pipe dream I know, but an international engineering program based at MIT hopes to see it done by providing cheap learning computers based on a blend of outdated Nintendo and Apple console technology from the 1980s. But how will the poorest of people manage that? We all know that the price of desktop computers has plummeted in recent years, but come on. There's SERIOUS poverty all over the globe. How will the smartypants over at MIT deal with that? Simple, by producing a unit as cheap as -20. The team and plan are still in the idea phase, but ideally the system would consist of a console that plugs into a keyboard and a TV and utilizes old games re purposed to teach skills like typing and basic computer skills. Are you going to see many whiz kids coming out of this? Maybe not at first, but eventually who knows. According to Ben Linder, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering:

"Instead of a day, they (users in the developing world) could go to an hour by doing office work that involves computers. That's a major change." Later adding, "They're going to play a game, but in the process they're going to gain a bunch of typing skills and basic computing skills and familiarity with technology."

Does this sound like an outsourcing nightmare waiting to happen? Oh, sho-nuf, but only if we in the developed world are complacent in advancing technologies and are afraid that we'll be put out of business by introducing the rest of the planet to the joys and resulting benefits we've enjoyed since we first bellied up to our game of choice at the local arcade. Myself, I'm not too concerned about being replaced quite yet, although it's only August. I also have oh so much old hardware and software that I would love to pawn off on someone who would actually use it. So MIT smartguys, bring it on; just do the rest of the world a favor and skip pong the second time around.

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

Sure, booth babes have been on the decline in the video game universe in recent years, but old habits with regards to "the ladies" die hard. In case you haven't noticed, the dominant demographic in hardcore gaming remains males young enough to dream about exotic women in exotic garb and those of us old enough to remember the same thing, even if that memory is selective. Youth will be served, but in the case of the latter, the old-timers that is, these memories are channeled into other things, like examining the physics and the immortal Next-Gen question of who has the more eye-popping, if unrealistic graphics, Xbox 360 or PS3:

The two versions look more or less the same to me, although the 360 looks brighter, but that's just the video. Which has better physics? Who cares. Both feature enough bounce to challenge any of the lithe ladies of DOA and to keep the young and young at heart glued to their consoles. Yeah I don't think that demographic is pretty well set.

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

Call me dense, but apparently the Call of Duty series has never been heavy on co-op gameplay. I never noticed, but no matter. This will apparently change with the upcoming Call of Duty: World at War. I've read nearly as many negative-unimpressed comments as positive ones regarding the co-op play video below. Personally I think it looks pretty sharp and it's probably just the nature of the split screen play that folks have a problem. News flash. It's just an option. Choose another mode and you'll get the full visual game experience.

Click the image below to check out the trailer for yourself:

Myself, I'm most intrigued by the game name. I know that COD: World at War doesn't sound like much of a departure from what it's always been, but it is very close to The World at War, a fantastic serialized British TV series that ran in the US in the early 70's. It was/is almost certainly a generation or two ahead of the majority of the current video games combat crowd, but if you ever want an in-depth overview of most of the major battles in WWII's European and Pacific theaters from both axis and allied perspectives, it is a must see. Also, if I remember the show correctly it was produced with a very haunting feel that in retrospect is actually quite similar to concept of "destroyed beauty." And if you look at the box for Gears of War it even looks a little like that for The World at War. I could just be making that up though, but anyway I think that I'll be checking in again as November creeps in to get a closer look.

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

It's only been just over a year since the its release, but it would appear that the iPhone may soon move beyond the standard mobile casual gaming model and blossom into a bona fide handheld gaming platform.

Don't believe me? I can understand how some people might not. Although there has been a whole lotta buzz over the last month about high-profile games in development for the iPhone, including Spore and Touch Fighter, Dexter, a Wolfenstein RPG and Doom 2, and most recently Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, any Mac owner who is also a gamer can testify that over the years Apple systems have been far from gamer friendly, at least in the number of available titles. This of course may be an over characterization on my part, but a quick look at the offerings at Amazon's Mac Games page vs. its PC Games page will make the disparity in games on the two platforms clear. In addition to this, regardless of the upcoming game announcements, within the gaming industry there has been some questioning of Steve Jobs' commitment to iPhone gaming. The previous link contains a variety of things supposedly related to Jobs, ranging from a statement that he's not a gamer and a resulting supposition that lacking personal belief it's doubtful he'll push for game development on the iPhone, to a story, that if believed ties the establishment of Electronic Arts to 'Steve Jobs' lack of support for gaming at Apple.' Personally, I've never heard that story, but it sounds like a page turner.

The ins and outs of the various past Apple platforms aside iPhones seem to be everywhere, in my experience mostly in the hands of long-time Mac and iPod owners, which in many cases means that their primary use has not been for games. It appears though that ownership will soon surpass the early adopter demographic with sales of the third generation iPhone topping 1 million only 3 days into the launch. So, does this mean that the iPhone will be challenging the DS and PSP for dominance in the handheld market any time soon? Not likely, but as the dominance of iPhones in the smartphone market grows I can't imagine that its gaming functionality won't follow suit.

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

Sure, "M" rated games are not for kids, but apparently tricks are.

Thanks to a little computer magic Microsoft and Epic Games will be releasing the upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 with a built in violence filter. Gears 2 has already been given a Mature rating so it's doubtful that it could or should be changed, but with November 7th, here after referred to solely as "Emergence Day 2," on the horizon and the eventual inevitability of a Gears of War movie, it would seem that Cliffy B. and company are all too willing to do whatever they can to make the blood spattering action of battling the locust horde a bit more palatable to the general public.

The violence filter sounds like a non-issue as long as it doesn't impact the game for the over 18 crowd or stir up the whole game ratings issue. Of course the impact of this feature will be be little more than a question mark until the game discs slide into 360s around the world come November. What is clear now though are the details of the filter. With a change to your game options, blood will become sparks and swear words will become mild curses. The feature will be available on both the standard and Limited Edition. Like I said, computer magic. Carnage suitable for the entire family. Hmmm? Tongue and cheek aside, the feature sounds benign enough. My only worries are that Marcus has little enough to say to Dom and Cole as is, and don't get me started on the assault rifle. Sparks instead of blood while pumping its chainsaw functionality?! Any adults out there who find themselves caught in these kinder-gentler Gears might want to familiarize themselves with the options menu before Junior's bed time rolls around.

--Hobson's Choice

More gaming articles, reviews, and deals at the GAMING CORNER.

August has traditionally been a month dominated by the Madden NFL franchise and why not. Americans, including more than a few American gamers seem to like football, the series has name recognition, the game is available on every platform--including that first gen Xbox console that you gave to your nephew a few years back--and is available in Spanish as well as English. I suppose that should be enough, but just to ensure that you are tempted to sign on for yet another version (this is the twentieth by the way) reality strikes.

Cover boy Brett Farve retired at the end of last year, with his swan song supposedly being his seemingly out of character placement on this year's version of the game. Instead he surprised all the teams in the league, including his own by very publicly ending his retirement and battling with Packers management over his filled position at QB for their team or any other in the league for that matter. As of yesterday Farve and Packers management are at a stalemate regarding his request for a trade to another team, but it is not out of the realm of possibility at all.

Forget about the Madden Curse. Finally something that's really interesting. Nineteen years of the same old "should I pass or should I run" scenarios and now the future hall of famer gracing the box art may actually be wearing the jersey of another team by the time the twentieth anniversary version of the game is released. By all that is holy in the great dairyland of Wisconsin, if only Brett had let the game developers at EA know what he was going to do. Had he done so just imagine what sort of an unlockables they might have built in to Madden 09. Yup it would seem that Madden's August dominance will remain. At least for another year.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Obama may not be able to point to a war record in the battle for the executive branch, but that doesn't mean he can't and won't put the hurt on grandpa John when push comes to shove. In a presidential election year the battleground is everywhere including Soul Calibur IV.

So, to the question of "Decision '08," how should you decide who to vote for? Is it the economy? Is it the War? Is it offshore drilling? No, it's Soul Calibur IV's versus mode:

Taking no sides, the video ends in a draw, but that might just be the choice of weapons. Myself I've always assumed that nunchucks are a superior choice to a big hammer, but then again I was surprised when "W" was reelected too.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Obama may not be able to point to a war record in the battle for the executive branch, but that doesn't mean he can't and won't put the hurt on grandpa John when push comes to shove. In a presidential election year the battleground is everywhere including Soul Calibur IV.

So, to the question of "Decision '08," how should you decide who to vote for? Is it the economy? Is it the War? Is it offshore drilling? No, it's Soul Calibur IV's versus mode:

Taking no sides, the video ends in a draw, but that might just be the choice of weapons. Myself I've always assumed that nunchucks are a superior choice to a big hammer, but then again I was surprised when "W" was reelected too.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Scrabulous, the popular Scrabble-like game, was pulled from Facebook on Tuesday after Hasbro sued Scrabulous' creators.  Now however, with a few tweaks in look and play, it's back on Facebook, with a new moniker: Wordscraper.

What's different about it?  Round tiles instead of square tiles, you can customize the board in terms of where the double and triple words/letters are placed, and you can actually pick different values - all the way up to 5x points.  Don't worry, if you don't want to take the time to figure out where to put each bonus, there's a simple randomize button.

--Osver

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Mario and Donkey Kong; hammer and finger; matter and anti-matter; some things should just never cross paths seeing as even if you're not exactly sure what will happen, you can bet that it will be bad.

Since I've started working from home some of these things have come perilously close to comingling, but the other morning as I grabbed a cup of coffee and turned on the TV to indulge my secret passion for Meredith Vieira, two of these streams were crossed: Rock Band and morning Infotainment. Yes, Rockband 2 was brought to the masses this week by the well-intentioned, but hopelessly uncool Today Show crew.

Click the image below to see the video if you dare:

You really don't rock. Say it isn't so Meredith!
Painful? Yes, and judging by the quality of play I can only assume that "God Mode" was invoked for the Fab Four's jaunt into Bon Jovi-ville. The good folks at Harmonix are right as rain in posing the question "who doesn't want to be a rockstar?" but it would appear that it's best if some keep that dream to themselves. The PR bandwagon is in motion though, so guess what? That's never gonna happen. So, what could be next, the much hotter and all around more amusing peeps over at Univision's Despierta América throwing down for a little Guitar Hero World Tour for the Spanish-speaking demographic? Or maybe a little battle of the bands between the Today Show and Despierta America cast? I'm always down for guilty pleasures, especially if I don't have to leave the couch, so I'm all for that.

"Rock Me Daytime TV!"

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

This item is a few weeks old, but worthy of further mention. So, I'm in LA and get a call from my sister letting me know that one of my all-time favorite movies, Blake Edwards The Great Race, is going to be shown on the big screen at the Aero theater in Santa Monica. Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Tony Curtis and a very fetching Natalie Wood; hilarious movie. On getting there I notice that the Aero is holding a series of events, one being the Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival sponsored by Bethesda's upcoming Fallout 3 and Geek Monthly Magazine. Geeks and the Apocalypse. Gotta be a match made in heaven right? Unfortunately, I won't be in LA to check out the nuclear blasts from the past that will be on tap the weekend of 8/22, but they will include: Wizards, Last Man on Earth, A Boy & His Dog, Damnation Alley, 12 Monkeys and yes The Omega Man.

An upcoming game sponsoring the screening of old movies that doubtlessly contributed to that game's genre. What a fantastic idea. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's not happening in my town. Come on Bethesda, help me out and make this a regular thing, continuing what you've started in LA in Seattle! Call me naive, but how much could this really cost? It sounds like a bargain from an advertising perspective, big fun for you and me and maybe some freebies. Just imagine what a bill might look like:

Capcom and Dead Rising 2 sponsoring a Zombie Fest including Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead II

LucasArts and The Force Unleashed sponsoring a Star Wars film fest

Ubisoft and BIA: Hell's Highway sponsoring a night of WWII blockbusters like The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes and Force 10 From Navarone

EA and Madden 09 sponsoring a night on the gridiron featuring: Brian's Song, The Longest Yard and The Replacements

Well, maybe the last one, not so much, but you get where I'm going with this. Anyway, kudos to Bethesda for going beyond  the ordinary  to get the news out about Fallout 3.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Truth be told, this news is far from gospel, but according to a posting built around a tip by Ars Technica's mole over in Redmond we may be seeing yet another drop in all the Xbox 360 skus this September. Ah yes, just in time for the upcoming holiday season and all the lovely DLC bits and bytes Xbox LIVE members will be splashed with in the months to come. So, in this case falling a good thing, that is unless you recently bought a console. Here are the projected costs:

• Arcade (no hard drive) to 9
• Pro (60GB) to 9
• Elite (120GB) to 9

I believe that it is still unconfirmed that the 60GB model will be replacing the 20GB model, but since the former is already 9 if the price drop happens it's a done deal. Myself, I'm still downloading and deleting with the somewhat trusty 20GB model. Upgrading to a 120GB hard drive would set me back nearly 0 dollars as I speak, so I could see making a move myself. How about you?

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day!...Instead today we'll mosey on back to the end of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring into Moria, Khazad-dûm, the ancient stronghold of Durin the Deathless. Yes, the geek-fest that is Lord of the Rings Online will soon breath life anew.

Yesterday game developer Turbine, Inc. announced that the first expansion to Shadows of Angmar, LOTRO: The Mines of Moria will be distributed in retail in North America by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. The game will come in three flavors:

• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Complete Edition which will include the original The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar game (Volume I), all content updates released since launch, and The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
  (Volume II). The Complete Edition will be available at retail stores
  nationwide and offers new players who wish to journey through the most
  complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth the full,
  award-winning experience.
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Collector's Edition
  which will feature the content of the Complete Edition as well as compelling
  digital and physical items for collectors. Limited quantities of the
  Collector's Edition will be available at retail outlets in a unique
  leather-bound book packaging and will include:
• 3 exclusive tokens that can be exchanged for the player's choice of 8 different in-game items
• 22" x 22" premium quality cloth map of the Mines of Moria
• Special gold-plated ring complete with chain and pouch
• Mines of Moria poster
• The Lord of the Rings Online Art and Music Collection with the official Mines of Moria Soundtrack
• A full color Collector's Edition Starter Guide
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Digital Expansion as a
  digital upgrade that will allow existing subscribers to The Lord of the
  Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar to continue the ultimate interactive
  adventure into the vast, terrifying and unparalleled world beneath
  Middle-earth.

One of the biggest gripes LOTR fans have with any portrayals outside the books is that so much of what Tolkien created was left on the cutting room floor in the movies. The expansions to LOTRO, and many are planned, will fill these gaps including visits to Rohan, the Dead Marshes and perhaps Isengard and Fangorn in the next expansions dealing with The Two Towers and doubtless later visits to Minas Tirith, Osgiliath and the black gate in the portion reflecting The Return of the King. The geek-fest begins Fall 2008.

Check out the trailer released with this latest announcement below:

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Scrabulous, the popular Scrabble-like game, was pulled from Facebook on Tuesday after Hasbro sued Scrabulous' creators.  Now however, with a few tweaks in look and play, it's back on Facebook, with a new moniker: Wordscraper.

What's different about it?  Round tiles instead of square tiles, you can customize the board in terms of where the double and triple words/letters are placed, and you can actually pick different values - all the way up to 5x points.  Don't worry, if you don't want to take the time to figure out where to put each bonus, there's a simple randomize button.

--Osver

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day!...Instead today we'll mosey on back to the end of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring into Moria, Khazad-dûm, the ancient stronghold of Durin the Deathless. Yes, the geek-fest that is Lord of the Rings Online will soon breath life anew.

Yesterday game developer Turbine, Inc. announced that the first expansion to Shadows of Angmar, LOTRO: The Mines of Moria will be distributed in retail in North America by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. The game will come in three flavors:

• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Complete Edition which will include the original The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar game (Volume I), all content updates released since launch, and The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
  (Volume II). The Complete Edition will be available at retail stores
  nationwide and offers new players who wish to journey through the most
  complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth the full,
  award-winning experience.
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Collector's Edition
  which will feature the content of the Complete Edition as well as compelling
  digital and physical items for collectors. Limited quantities of the
  Collector's Edition will be available at retail outlets in a unique
  leather-bound book packaging and will include:
• 3 exclusive tokens that can be exchanged for the player's choice of 8 different in-game items
• 22" x 22" premium quality cloth map of the Mines of Moria
• Special gold-plated ring complete with chain and pouch
• Mines of Moria poster
• The Lord of the Rings Online Art and Music Collection with the official Mines of Moria Soundtrack
• A full color Collector's Edition Starter Guide
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Digital Expansion as a
  digital upgrade that will allow existing subscribers to The Lord of the
  Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar to continue the ultimate interactive
  adventure into the vast, terrifying and unparalleled world beneath
  Middle-earth.

One of the biggest gripes LOTR fans have with any portrayals outside the books is that so much of what Tolkien created was left on the cutting room floor in the movies. The expansions to LOTRO, and many are planned, will fill these gaps including visits to Rohan, the Dead Marshes and perhaps Isengard and Fangorn in the next expansions dealing with The Two Towers and doubtless later visits to Minas Tirith, Osgiliath and the black gate in the portion reflecting The Return of the King. The geek-fest begins Fall 2008.

Check out the trailer released with this latest announcement below:

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Scrabulous, the popular Scrabble-like game, was pulled from Facebook on Tuesday after Hasbro sued Scrabulous' creators.  Now however, with a few tweaks in look and play, it's back on Facebook, with a new moniker: Wordscraper.

What's different about it?  Round tiles instead of square tiles, you can customize the board in terms of where the double and triple words/letters are placed, and you can actually pick different values - all the way up to 5x points.  Don't worry, if you don't want to take the time to figure out where to put each bonus, there's a simple randomize button.

--Osver

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Mario and Donkey Kong; hammer and finger; matter and anti-matter; some things should just never cross paths seeing as even if you're not exactly sure what will happen, you can bet that it will be bad.

Since I've started working from home some of these things have come perilously close to comingling, but the other morning as I grabbed a cup of coffee and turned on the TV to indulge my secret passion for Meredith Vieira, two of these streams were crossed: Rock Band and morning Infotainment. Yes, Rockband 2 was brought to the masses this week by the well-intentioned, but hopelessly uncool Today Show crew.

Click the image below to see the video if you dare:

You really don't rock. Say it isn't so Meredith!
Painful? Yes, and judging by the quality of play I can only assume that "God Mode" was invoked for the Fab Four's jaunt into Bon Jovi-ville. The good folks at Harmonix are right as rain in posing the question "who doesn't want to be a rockstar?" but it would appear that it's best if some keep that dream to themselves. The PR bandwagon is in motion though, so guess what? That's never gonna happen. So, what could be next, the much hotter and all around more amusing peeps over at Univision's Despierta América throwing down for a little Guitar Hero World Tour for the Spanish-speaking demographic? Or maybe a little battle of the bands between the Today Show and Despierta America cast? I'm always down for guilty pleasures, especially if I don't have to leave the couch, so I'm all for that.

"Rock Me Daytime TV!"

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

This item is a few weeks old, but worthy of further mention. So, I'm in LA and get a call from my sister letting me know that one of my all-time favorite movies, Blake Edwards The Great Race, is going to be shown on the big screen at the Aero theater in Santa Monica. Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Tony Curtis and a very fetching Natalie Wood; hilarious movie. On getting there I notice that the Aero is holding a series of events, one being the Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival sponsored by Bethesda's upcoming Fallout 3 and Geek Monthly Magazine. Geeks and the Apocalypse. Gotta be a match made in heaven right? Unfortunately, I won't be in LA to check out the nuclear blasts from the past that will be on tap the weekend of 8/22, but they will include: Wizards, Last Man on Earth, A Boy & His Dog, Damnation Alley, 12 Monkeys and yes The Omega Man.

An upcoming game sponsoring the screening of old movies that doubtlessly contributed to that game's genre. What a fantastic idea. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's not happening in my town. Come on Bethesda, help me out and make this a regular thing, continuing what you've started in LA in Seattle! Call me naive, but how much could this really cost? It sounds like a bargain from an advertising perspective, big fun for you and me and maybe some freebies. Just imagine what a bill might look like:

Capcom and Dead Rising 2 sponsoring a Zombie Fest including Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead II

LucasArts and The Force Unleashed sponsoring a Star Wars film fest

Ubisoft and BIA: Hell's Highway sponsoring a night of WWII blockbusters like The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes and Force 10 From Navarone

EA and Madden 09 sponsoring a night on the gridiron featuring: Brian's Song, The Longest Yard and The Replacements

Well, maybe the last one, not so much, but you get where I'm going with this. Anyway, kudos to Bethesda for going beyond  the ordinary  to get the news out about Fallout 3.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

True enough, I may have sounded somewhat anti-PC gaming in my last post, but if there is one game that will get me back into the fold its Diablo III.

I know that there were other RPGs around before I and my friends trod into Tristram astride a trusty T1, looking for a portal scroll to get us down far enough to do battle with the "Butcher" and beyond Diablo himself, but come on. We're taking Diablo here. I'll pretty much do whatever I need to do to jack up my PC enough to get back to that place. If you need a reminded of what the Diablo universe holds and/or want to see what new things Blizzard has in mind take a look at http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/. There is a nice interactive overview of new character classes and a feature written by Cain himself, screens, etc. On the hand, if you need a quick fix just take a look at the latest cinematic trailer. There is also a gameplay trailer at the blizzard site as well.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

I'm not an iPhone owner, and even though I know it's not true, it seems to me like everyone else in the world is. I'm not bitter, just a little skeptical, but I digress, uh, kind of...

There has been a little chatter about game development opportunities on the iPhone for a while, but one game that apparently has moved beyond the chatter and is definitely going to make it to the small screen is a title based on Showtime's murderous hit Dexter. I know that pop will continually eat itself and so I shouldn't necessarily throw hissy fits when mediums cross breed, but I can't help it. Maybe it's that all our best minds are occupied with technical nuts and bolts, i.e. making the iPhone work; maybe we are all just too busy consuming media, i.e. lining up to buy the iPhone; or maybe there really may not be any no new ideas to be had. (please forget that I said that last one, or all three is you so choose). I just hate the constant recycling of ideas in popular media.

As for Dexter, I actually love the show and watched the first two seasons religiously. That's why I was a bit nervous when it went on hiatus a good while back, shortly after resurfacing in reruns on CBS. I thought to myself, "Now, what are they up to?" Why would they ruin a fantastic premise by bringing it to network TV? What would happen to the dark humor and of course the blood?? Then again that's probably what fans of Jeff Lindsay's book Darkly Dreaming Dexter thought when it was adapted for TV. That said, it may very well be that my gripe is misplaced. I mean would it have been any different if the Dexter game were to have ended up on one/all of the gaming consoles as was originally thought and like what happened to LOST? Probably not. Regardless, the plans for the iPhone game as laid out by Mark Ecko at Comic-Con are that players will reportedly use gesture controls, text messaging and phone calls to interact within the “Dexter experience" and the game will be played out episodically on the iPhone and iPod Touch. There are no other details that I know of.

So in the end what am I crying about? Maybe nothing. I guess we'll see. I just don't want to see a good piece of work bastardized, unless of course I'm in on it. Surprisingly, in the end the game may be a good thing. I've never been much of an early adopter, but I do know enough of them so that I may be able to try the game out on their new toy. Hmmmm. I feel my skepticism draining away like the life blood of a Miami hoodlum.

--Hobson's Choice

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You would think that the current war would stick to political and news arenas and out of our beloved video games. We prefer to think about war as something that happened in the Pacific or Atlantic theaters and often carries a title beginning with "COD." Ubisoft, however, has determined to ride the swell that has come from recent events and show us what might happen if we continue down the same track in Tom Clancy's EndWar.

Set in the year 2020, Russia becomes the world's primary supplier of energy and experiences a massive economic boom. Western Europe, without the UK and Ireland, unifies to create the European Federation. Meanwhile, the United States is on the verge of finishing construction on the Freedom Star, a controversial orbital military platform that will upset the balance of world power. Just another day at the office.

The unique aspect of this game is your ability to control it almost entirely with your voice with the hopes of making the RTS genre more accessible for those who have found it just a little too overwhelming in the past. We managed to score a Q and A with Michael de Plater, Creative Director for Tom Clancy's EndWar, from Ubisoft Shanghai and have used this post shamelessly to get you interested in checking it out. See you on the battlefield.

--Tytus

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Tomorrow Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade sweepstakes kicks off with the release of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.  Did that pique your interest?  Intrigued by the potential, however slim, of free stuff?  Are you now wondering, "How do I enter and what can I win?"

Here's the summary:  Each week there will be a new game on Xbox Live, and if you play the demo, or the full game, you're entered into the sweepstakes.  Each week five people will be selected to win 4000 Xbox Live points. 

Once the whole contest has run its course (9/2 is the last day to enter the last game) one winner will get 100,000 Xbox Live points, a Xbox 360 Elite console, and a 12-month Gold subscription card.  Two runner ups will each win 10,000 Xbox Live points and a 12-month Gold subscription card. 

The line up of games, and when you can enter, looks like this:

• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (7/30 - 8/5)
• Braid (8/6 - 8/12)
• Bionic Commando Rearmed (8/13 - 8/19)
• Galaga Legions (8/20 - 8/26)
• Castle Crashers (8/27 - 9/2)

Good luck!  If you're lucky enough to win the grand prize, I'd be curious to know how long it takes to redeem/spend all those points.

--Osver

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Often times when something is repeated often enough people may actually start believing it may be true. Unfortunately for Wild Tangent CEO, Alex St. John, his thoughts on console gaming are not likely to fall in this category. It hasn't been unusual to come across sound bites from St. John claiming that console gaming's dominance in the market is drawing to an end, but according to a blog posting at the Seattle PI's Website St. John seems to think that console gaming will, get this, be dead in little more than 10 years. St. John's comments came as part of his statements today at Casual Connect in Seattle. According to the PI he started off by saying:

'"I am going to make some outrageous claims today. And then I will attempt to substantiate them. Feel free to disagree with me. Just remember, that I am right."'

Later continuing:

'"We are looking at the last generation of consoles right now. I am going to predict to you that the PS3, the Wii and the X-box are the last generation of consoles that you either see or that anybody regards as successful in the market."'

And eventually concluding with:

'"Everything they know how to do is wrong. They start in a well. They think that brand matters. They think that their marketing expertise matters. They think that a pile of art work and a box matters. They have got a bunch of people paid huge salaries with years of expertise who would never dream of firing themselves because they have got the wrong domain expertise. And so Disney, for example, would never have funded the 0 million project to build Club Penguin, but boy they paid 0 million like little b****** to buy it after it hit the market. ... So the weird thing is that the expertise and the skill set to create these games -- they are not really rocket science to make -- it is just an entirely new mentality. The big budgets and the money and all the stuff these companies have that are entrenched are not an advantage, they are an encumbrance."'

I didn't see the actual 2020 date in the quotes noted in the PI blog headline, but knowing St. John's reputation for over the top comments, I'll take the post at face value. So, as for St. John's opinions, well, I know that he had a captive and invested audience, but that room had to filled with puzzled faces and rolling eyes, so I hope that the lights were dimmed. I know casual gaming is huge, but I just can't imagine a world filled with that much Bejeweled and Zuma.

How about you?

--Hobson's Choice

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True enough, I may have sounded somewhat anti-PC gaming in my last post, but if there is one game that will get me back into the fold its Diablo III.

I know that there were other RPGs around before I and my friends trod into Tristram astride a trusty T1, looking for a portal scroll to get us down far enough to do battle with the "Butcher" and beyond Diablo himself, but come on. We're taking Diablo here. I'll pretty much do whatever I need to do to jack up my PC enough to get back to that place. If you need a reminded of what the Diablo universe holds and/or want to see what new things Blizzard has in mind take a look at http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/. There is a nice interactive overview of new character classes and a feature written by Cain himself, screens, etc. On the hand, if you need a quick fix just take a look at the latest cinematic trailer. There is also a gameplay trailer at the blizzard site as well.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

You would think that the current war would stick to political and news arenas and out of our beloved video games. We prefer to think about war as something that happened in the Pacific or Atlantic theaters and often carries a title beginning with "COD." Ubisoft, however, has determined to ride the swell that has come from recent events and show us what might happen if we continue down the same track in Tom Clancy's EndWar.

Set in the year 2020, Russia becomes the world's primary supplier of energy and experiences a massive economic boom. Western Europe, without the UK and Ireland, unifies to create the European Federation. Meanwhile, the United States is on the verge of finishing construction on the Freedom Star, a controversial orbital military platform that will upset the balance of world power. Just another day at the office.

The unique aspect of this game is your ability to control it almost entirely with your voice with the hopes of making the RTS genre more accessible for those who have found it just a little too overwhelming in the past. We managed to score a Q and A with Michael de Plater, Creative Director for Tom Clancy's EndWar, from Ubisoft Shanghai and have used this post shamelessly to get you interested in checking it out. See you on the battlefield.

--Tytus

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

EA is of course the proverbial 800-lb gorilla of the video games industry, but it may be that somewhere deep in the monolith that is Electronic Arts there is as much brain as there is brawn.

According to unconfirmed reports that seeped out of last week's Comic-Con, EA is hoping to market PCs branded/bundled with the next iteration in their Crysis IP, Crysis Warhead. I refer to these reports as unconfirmed because that's what they are. Although Warhead is slated for a September '08 release, EA has yet to confirm anywhere on its news site plans to link the game to a hardware system. Yet if the report is to be believed the PCs will come in several different configurations and go for something in the 0-0 range.

I gotta say that although I have my doubts that this will actually happen, I REALLY hope it does. So much of the beating that the PC games segment of the industry has taken over the last few years has to do with the perception--my own included--that owning a box capable of running high-end games is an expensive and losing proposition as system requirements continue to rise and the ongoing competition with console gaming proceeds. A quick search of the Web and it looks like you might already be able to get a PC in the 0-0 range that can handle the job, but again because of the perception and maybe the fact that it would be in addition to your laptop, more expensive than any available console and the doubt remains and will remain until driven out.

Personally I don't have much interest in Warhead, but its success bundled to a PC could open a whole new marketing strategy for PCs and in the process aid in curing what has been ailing PC gaming. Just think of all the the junk software that comes with a new PC and what a true gaming PC might look like in their absence. How about a whole series of games instead of some lame freeware? A PC with an EA sports library instead of AOL? All Sims all the time?...Sure it may just end up as a way for EA to make a few extra dollars off its back catalog, but it could also open the door to other options industry-wide especially if deals could be struck to built specific configurations into the customizing functionality of say, the Dell website. Either way it would certainly get me to pay more attention to PC gaming.

I don't find myself thinking this often, but "Way to go EA!"

--Hobson's Choice

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Maybe it's because this is a presidential election year and I've definitely spent more time mashing away than paying attention to the real world issues closing in around me, but I'm compelled to ask the question: are video games really unadulterated escapism?

On one hand you gotta know it that they are. Honestly, if they weren't why would we spend so much time and money on them, but thankfully contrary to the mantra of concerned parents and over-protective regulatory bodies everywhere, our little obsession does have some relevance in the real world. War? check. Crime? check. Technological advances? check. Unfortunately for nay-sayers hoping that kids will grow out of video games, games are looking as relevant as any other entertainment-based pursuit these days, reflecting the challenges humanity faces as a whole rather than a stereotypically violent bit of escapism. So to Moms and Dads everywhere, keep up the vigilance and thanks for the concern, but the kids are alright.

Check out three atypical video games related stories below that you may have missed that were plucked from the pages of gamepolitics.com.

• Metal Gear Solid Technical Advisor Busted By Feds for Shipping Weapons Parts
• Renewed Controversy over Iraqi Artist's Virtual Jihadi Game
• Military Using Game Controllers to Pilot Drones, Disarm Bombs

--Hobson's Choice

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Xseed Games wants your monster in their Wii game.  So grab your pencil, pens, or crayons and get to doodling.  One winner will get to see their beast (or Unidentified Mysterious Animal "UMA" as Xseed's calling it) come to life in The Little King's Story.  Even if your UMA isn't picked as the top entry, that's no reason to despair.   99 others will have their illustrations displayed in the in-game museum. 

Check out the rules here, and then send your entry over to the folks at Xseed.  Who knows, you may get to face your fears and take on your own monster when the game releases.

Don't wait to send in your entry though, the deadline is August 1st.  Since I can't draw very well, you don't have to worry about taking on the fierce Pengu-Squirrel that's stuck in my head. 

--Osver

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

The suit-fest that was E3 is over. It will be back next year, though some are guessing that the doors may be thrown open to every Tom-Dick-& Harry, uh again. Whatever. For now we are on to Comic-Con.

I remember the days when gamers were looked on as the biggest geeks on the planet, but a peek at the schedule of events at this year's Comic-Con down San Diego way and it's clear that the mantle was passed quite some time ago. My personal event favs this year are: 75 Years of Doc Savage (yes, as in Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, The 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Panel - featuring Richard Hatch (the original Apollo), The Secret History of Manga in the US and of course a stirring panel discussion on the impending return of Red Sonja to the silver screen. In a word: "Sweet."

A passing of the dork mantle? I retract that. I think that the comic book crowd has always had the upper hand on the video games geeks with regards to this and probably always will. Of course a bucket load of video games news will come out of Comic-Con. Just a few headlines that have come out today are:

• EA and DC's team effort to produce a Mirror's Edge comic book
• A one-on-one with Will Wright about Spore and how bring your SPORE creature to life in comic book form

There will be more to come over the next few days, so check back in to see.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

Often times when something is repeated often enough people may actually start believing it may be true. Unfortunately for Wild Tangent CEO, Alex St. John, his thoughts on console gaming are not likely to fall in this category. It hasn't been unusual to come across sound bites from St. John claiming that console gaming's dominance in the market is drawing to an end, but according to a blog posting at the Seattle PI's Website St. John seems to think that console gaming will, get this, be dead in little more than 10 years. St. John's comments came as part of his statements today at Casual Connect in Seattle. According to the PI he started off by saying:

'"I am going to make some outrageous claims today. And then I will attempt to substantiate them. Feel free to disagree with me. Just remember, that I am right."'

Later continuing:

'"We are looking at the last generation of consoles right now. I am going to predict to you that the PS3, the Wii and the X-box are the last generation of consoles that you either see or that anybody regards as successful in the market."'

And eventually concluding with:

'"Everything they know how to do is wrong. They start in a well. They think that brand matters. They think that their marketing expertise matters. They think that a pile of art work and a box matters. They have got a bunch of people paid huge salaries with years of expertise who would never dream of firing themselves because they have got the wrong domain expertise. And so Disney, for example, would never have funded the 0 million project to build Club Penguin, but boy they paid 0 million like little b****** to buy it after it hit the market. ... So the weird thing is that the expertise and the skill set to create these games -- they are not really rocket science to make -- it is just an entirely new mentality. The big budgets and the money and all the stuff these companies have that are entrenched are not an advantage, they are an encumbrance."'

I didn't see the actual 2020 date in the quotes noted in the PI blog headline, but knowing St. John's reputation for over the top comments, I'll take the post at face value. So, as for St. John's opinions, well, I know that he had a captive and invested audience, but that room had to filled with puzzled faces and rolling eyes, so I hope that the lights were dimmed. I know casual gaming is huge, but I just can't imagine a world filled with that much Bejeweled and Zuma.

How about you?

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

"Fusion" was only announced last February and is due out sometime next year, but this new trailer released the other day at Comic-Con looks pretty sharp, even though the YouTube quality leaves a little to be desired. Sorry about that.

This new version of the popular Action RPG will be set during a recent and very destructive world-wide "Civil War." Word is that the game will feature over 20 playable characters from the Marvel universe including the Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Venom and the
Human Torch, with unlockables available as well. The trailer confirms: Wolverine, Spider-Man, The Hulk, The Invisible Girl, Iron Man, Daredevil, Captain America, and The Thing. As the game name suggests, the main game feature looks to be the ability to "fuse" two character's powers
together to give one character hybrid abilities - hopefully hybrids of villains' and heroes' powers. This should allow for some cool combo match ups in multi-player mode. Also, being an RPG there will also be a lot of customization options and the game's Havok physics engine should allow for more interactivity than in the original game, for example the use of smashed pieces of the environment as weapons. Nice!

Right now, the it looks like it release on 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP & DS.

--Hobson's Choice

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>

You would think that the current war would stick to political and news arenas and out of our beloved video games. We prefer to think about war as something that happened in the Pacific or Atlantic theaters and often carries a title beginning with "COD." Ubisoft, however, has determined to ride the swell that has come from recent events and show us what might happen if we continue down the same track in Tom Clancy's EndWar.

Set in the year 2020, Russia becomes the world's primary supplier of energy and experiences a massive economic boom. Western Europe, without the UK and Ireland, unifies to create the European Federation. Meanwhile, the United States is on the verge of finishing construction on the Freedom Star, a controversial orbital military platform that will upset the balance of world power. Just another day at the office.

The unique aspect of this game is your ability to control it almost entirely with your voice with the hopes of making the RTS genre more accessible for those who have found it just a little too overwhelming in the past. We managed to score a Q and A with Michael de Plater, Creative Director for Tom Clancy's EndWar, from Ubisoft Shanghai and have used this post shamelessly to get you interested in checking it out. See you on the battlefield.

--Tytus

Read reviews and shop for great bargains at the Gaming Corner. >>>