This is too good to miss. Some of you may be familiar with the string of hacks and projects using the Nintendo Wii and its infrared sensors, but this must be the coolest application yet.

A fellow named Johnny Chung Lee has ginned up a way to achieve a "true" virtual reality (VR) display using the Wii, achieved by attaching sensor bar to hat for head tracking. Watch as he gives a simple but thorough explanation of the hack and then shows an impressive demonstration; even in a 2-D YouTube video it just jumps out at you.

Here's hoping not only that Nintendo sees this and incorporates it into gaming, but that this simple idea using existing technology makes its way to other consumer electronics.

(Thanks to Penny Arcade for drawing attention to this amazing vid)


--Aric A.

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Genre defining, sure. Amazing new Next-Gen graphics, doubtless. And don’t forget….Yeah, yeah, yeah, just tell me when it will be releasing!

Believe me, I’m right there with you on that. And with that said, get ready to put a few dollars aside for your pre-order because Rockstar Games has heard your cries in the wilderness and has finally settled on an April 29th date for the release of GTA4 Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms. That’s right, the GTA franchise will be resurrecting itself this spring. We’re all hoping it will be worth the wait. Our friends over at Rockstar certainly are. According to Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games:

"We are so excited to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV," he continues, "We've pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment."

Again, doubtless. I’m just excited that it’s finally confirmed and since I don’t see than one or two titles in April to compete with it for my gaming dollars it looks like Niko’s ‘Amer-ee-kan’ dream will be getting some serious play. Now if I could only decide which platform to pony up for.

How about you? Are you on the GTA4 bandwagon and if so on which platform?

Either way the end of April date also gives Rockstar more time to hype the launch with a few more quality trailers. If you haven't already check out all the videos that have been released thus far here.

--Hobson’s Choice

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Just because I'm on the interview kick...

Amazon.com/games: Conan, What is Best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women, oh yeah, and to have this #!@!@@!!@ game finally release! I mean, come on. The Riddle of Steel, sure it took me a while but I figured it out. And Dagoth? Eeeew, the "sleeping god." Very scary.  I just ripped him a new one. All those guys over at Funcom gotta do is write some bug-free code. That can't be that hard can it?

********************************************
Yeah, this is just an assumption on my part of what Cimmeria's favorite son might say after hearing that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been delayed yet again. This time it looks like MMORPG fans who have had their bags packed for a trip back to the rough and tumble days of the Hyborian Age on the PC will have to rearrange their plans for a May 20th departure instead. The Xbox 360 version will release in September '08. Why the delay this time? Game developer Funcom sited the need for more time to iron out the game's bugs. The game is highly anticipated and the competition in the MMO game market is fierce, so better safe than sorry I suppose. But even so, the new May release date puts it more or less in conflict with another anticipated MMO release, Warhammer On-line: Age of Reckoning and a few months closer to the and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack and Starcraft II, both of which will undoubtedly be sucking up PC gamer's time starting in November.

Myself, where Conan goes I will follow, but if the hordes of others out there are to be counted on it might be better to stick to the project schedule. Check out more info on the game at http://www.ageofconan.com/ 

--Hobson's Choice

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Just because I'm on the interview kick...

Amazon.com/games: Conan, What is Best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women, oh yeah, and to have this #!@!@@!!@ game finally release! I mean, come on. The Riddle of Steel, sure it took me a while but I figured it out. And Dagoth? Eeeew, the "sleeping god." Very scary.  I just ripped him a new one. All those guys over at Funcom gotta do is write some bug-free code. That can't be that hard can it?

********************************************
Yeah, this is just an assumption on my part of what Cimmeria's favorite son might say after hearing that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been delayed yet again. This time it looks like MMORPG fans who have had their bags packed for a trip back to the rough and tumble days of the Hyborian Age on the PC will have to rearrange their plans for a May 20th departure instead. The Xbox 360 version will release in September '08. Why the delay this time? Game developer Funcom sited the need for more time to iron out the game's bugs. The game is highly anticipated and the competition in the MMO game market is fierce, so better safe than sorry I suppose. But even so, the new May release date puts it more or less in conflict with another anticipated MMO release, Warhammer On-line: Age of Reckoning and a few months closer to the and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack and Starcraft II, both of which will undoubtedly be sucking up PC gamer's time starting in November.

Myself, where Conan goes I will follow, but if the hordes of others out there are to be counted on it might be better to stick to the project schedule. Check out more info on the game at http://www.ageofconan.com/ 

--Hobson's Choice

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Yup, what was LOST is now found. Click here to read our exclusive interview with Nicolas Eypert, Creative Director for the upcoming LOST video game, LOST: Via Domus.

In it we talk about game details and how the game's storyline not only ties in with the overall plot of the TV series, but may add a crucial missing piece to the puzzle which is the plight of the survivor's of Oceanic flight 815.

Enjoy!

--Hobson's Choice

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Just because I'm on the interview kick...

Amazon.com/games: Conan, What is Best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women, oh yeah, and to have this #!@!@@!!@ game finally release! I mean, come on. The Riddle of Steel, sure it took me a while but I figured it out. And Dagoth? Eeeew, the "sleeping god." Very scary.  I just ripped him a new one. All those guys over at Funcom gotta do is write some bug-free code. That can't be that hard can it?

********************************************
Yeah, this is just an assumption on my part of what Cimmeria's favorite son might say after hearing that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has been delayed yet again. This time it looks like MMORPG fans who have had their bags packed for a trip back to the rough and tumble days of the Hyborian Age on the PC will have to rearrange their plans for a May 20th departure instead. The Xbox 360 version will release in September '08. Why the delay this time? Game developer Funcom sited the need for more time to iron out the game's bugs. The game is highly anticipated and the competition in the MMO game market is fierce, so better safe than sorry I suppose. But even so, the new May release date puts it more or less in conflict with another anticipated MMO release, Warhammer On-line: Age of Reckoning and a few months closer to the and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack and Starcraft II, both of which will undoubtedly be sucking up PC gamer's time starting in November.

Myself, where Conan goes I will follow, but if the hordes of others out there are to be counted on it might be better to stick to the project schedule. Check out more info on the game at http://www.ageofconan.com/ 

--Hobson's Choice

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News Flash: When it comes to Rock Band, MTV's is set to put a new twist on one of their oldest tag lines: "I Want My D-L-C!"

Anyone who has spent a little time playing Rock Band at ‘medium’ or below quickly realizes that although the game, uh, Rocks, it isn’t all that difficult to beat. Sure you and your band can easily humble your bad selves by working on your chops at a higher level or by simply switching instruments, but regardless you are going to be stuck on the same old set list. As much as I love me some Detroit Rock City, and Highway Star, new material is where it’s at and guess what, Harmonix and MTV have realized that from the beginning.


Example 'A' of this, MTV announced today that they have sold more than 2.5 million Rock Band song downloads on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PlayStation Network in only eight weeks. The Metallica three-pack of songs is the top-seller to date, with Foreigner's Juke Box Hero, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son, Weezer's Buddy Holly and The Knack's My Sharona topping the singles. Myself, I took a mixed up Old School route with the likes Bowie’s Queen Bitch, The Runaways Cherry Bomb and Maiden’s Number of the Beast, but that’s me. But whatever your taste it looks like MTV and Harmonix plan to keep the content coming. According to Van Toffler, President of MTVN Music Group/Logo/Films:

"MTV's goal with Rock Band was to create an entirely new way for people to interact with the music they love," he continued, "The incredible response to the downloadable content we've released to date motivates us even more to establish this platform as a way for people to discover new, up and coming artists through the game - in addition to delivering great game play experiences set to the music of mega- artists."

One of the few knocks on the game’s downloadable content model thus far has been that with new DLC available each week and ongoing song licensing issues--i.e. when are we going to see some Zeppelin?!?!--the day may eventually come when we see virtually unknown artists being featured that hold little interest for players. Could be, but that day is not today. According to a recent Joystiq post, Xbox.com listed published the DLC release schedule for the rest of January (it has been pulled down since then….Whoops!) and if believed, it includes tunes by Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins and more from RUSH. Not too shabby.

But the other side the game’s DLC model is that if you are a band hungry exposure, and I’m pretty sure that there is an endless supply of that, you would be hard pressed to find a better venue. Hopefully TRL-oriented MTV has kept a little of the--and I am about to date myself--“120 Minutes” street cred that made it a showcase for upcoming talent in the 80s and early 90s. Only time will tell on that, but until then I have no problem dropping a few more MS points into the machine to keep myself a rockin.'

How about you?

--Hobson's Choice

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With candy wrappers piled up around me, the smell of scorched squash in the air and my unisex witch wig nearly ready to be put to bed for another year, All Hallow's Eve draws to a close. But by my reckoning there weren't nearly as many trick-or-treaters huddled on my porch as I remember from years gone by. I suppose I could blame over-protective parents, the sadly scary trend of kids to prefer to haunt the local mall instead of their own neighborhood, and maybe myself for not hearing the doorbell, but instead I'll choose a more topical target: this week's three new additions to the Wii's Virtual Console.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1988, NES, 500 Wii points)--In this sequel to the classic original, you once again take the role of Simon Belmont in an adventure that eventually has you battling Count Dracula.

Samurai Ghost (1992, TurboGrafx16, 600 Wii points)--Samurai Ghost is an action platformer that has you in control of a warrior from the underworld. With your sword you will battle some historically accurate foes all while fighting off demons from the Dark Side.

Magician Lord (1990, NEOGEO, 900 Wii points)--A magician named Elta must fight Gul-Agieze to save the world. Transform your shape into six different forms as you make your way through eight brutal stages.

Big fun for just a few Wii points and all the candy in the bowl? Okay kids, I'll let you slide this time, but I expect to see you next year, and I get to wear the wig for an extra day.

Happy Hallo-Wii-n!

--Hobson's Choice

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Thanksgiving will be on the table in just a few days and this year's 100% store-bought, just heat and eat feast leaves a little more time for some of the games coming your way this week. Assassin's Creed and Super Mario Galaxy are last week's news. Thankfully there are a few new titles worthy a play. Here's a few I hope to be playing:

• Unreal Tournament III (PC): I downloaded the beta a while ago and have to say, Capture the Flag is as fun as ever. The game will be sport new vehicles, updated weapons, a new mutiplayer mode and a much deeper, story-driven single player mode.
• Mario Party DS: Mario fans rejoice because the Party continues, this time wirelessly on the small screen with a bucket load of minigames across both screens.
• Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training: Want to get a head start on the slew of upcoming shooter titles for the Wii? Just pop your remote and nunchuck into the Wii Zapper and take precision aim in a shooting gallery experience. Comes with The Link's Crossbow Training game.
• Time Crisis 4 (Includes Guncon 3) (PS3): Wow an actual console exclusive? That doesn't necessarily make this a must-have PS3 title, but you ain't  gonna be playing it on anything else.
• Rock Band (PS3 & Xbox 360): Guitar Hero 3 beware! The full band experience with guitar, Bass, Drums and vocals. The game straight up rocks although it may be a little hard to find this holiday season.
• Mass Effect (Xbox 360): The latest must-have Microsoft collaboration with Canadian Devs, Bioware. If you are into RPGs this one has got to be on your list.

How about you, what will you be playing this Thanksgiving?

--Hobson's Choice

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How good is your memory when it comes to arcade games?

I was pointed to an online game that will check to see how good you are at playing "name that game."

Go to http://arcadeshop.de/ and click on the vertical bar of screen shots on the right side (it'll look just like the image in this post). That will open a pop-up window that contains the game.

When you start the game you'll get a screenshot and 5 game names. You just have to pick the right one within 10 seconds. Rinse and repeat... until you get 3 wrong, and then the game's over.

For a tune up, did you know the 4 screen shot images in this post?

From top to bottom they are:

Dig Dug
Mr Do!
1943
Marble Madness

So far it sounds fairly easy, since most of those are fairly recognizable games, right?

Just wait until you hit one of the lesser know space shooters, side-scrolling beat 'em up games, or fighting games.

Be sure to report back on how you did. My best so far is 39 (although my average score is much lower)

~ Osver, Amazon Video Games

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According to the latest edition of Fast Company, the success and high visibility of the iPhone has everyone in the industry gunning for Apple, by which I assume they mean that little company over in Redmond. True, Microsoft has applied its 'bigger is better' mentality and of course their ample financial resources to their "MS Surface" project, but unless the table arcade game genre is coming back to a local dive bar near you I don't see the comparison for you and me.

With a k price tag the "Surface" isn't meant for retail consumption, but I suppose it could be made available for someone from the WebTV generation with deep enough pockets. It's more of a kiosk type device designed for upscale hotel customers who don't know what a phone book is. Unfortunately the parody video below doesn't display the gameplay functionality of the unit which I suppose could be considerable. Who knows, maybe it could come with a huge NDS-like stylus which the aforementioned WebTV crowd could wield two handed on the Surface's touch screen. I probably should assume stranger things have happened, but I don't think I'm wrong on that one.

--Hobson's Choice

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So many gadgets, so little time. (And money.) Wired magazine has a Holiday Wishlist in its December issue, featuring their 10 favorite items of 2007, plus products for the Motorhead, Modernist, Mediaphile, and more.

But if you know someone who's already got the latest iPod, camera, phone, or HDTV, Wired has some great suggestions for the accessories you can get them, to ensure they're getting the most out of their gear. For example, if they already have a Nintendo Wii, Wired recommends the Nyko Wii Charge Station. For those who have a digital camera, one of the items recommended is the Epson Picturemate Dash 4x6 Inkjet Printer, which takes a photo-filled memory card and produces high-gloss, color photos quickly and relatively cheaply.

For those who have cell phones (you probably know someone, I'm guessing), the noise-canceling Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset gets a ringing endorsement: "a Bluetooth headset that doesn't look like a Borg implant." And for the person who has an iPod Shuffle, and just happens to like items that multi-task, here's the perfect gift: the all-in-one Mophie Mueva Wraptor Bevy case contains an ear bud wrap, key fob, and yes, a bottle opener. Happy holidays, indeed.

-- Noelle Williams

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Fans of the mobile carnage genre playing on Xbox 360 and PS3 can indulge their Appetite For Destruction in more ways than one starting January 22nd, with Burnout Paradise. The soundtrack sounds like it should be pretty rocking, featuring the likes of N.E.R.D., Faith No More and Seether, and Guns and Roses leading the way.

Game release is still a month away, but if you need a little taste to get yourself in gear, and who doesn't every now and again, check out the GnR trailer below.

Click the airborne beast below to see the trailer:

Click here to check out the full soundtrack and get more game details.

--Hobson's Choice

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Here's a good weekend game for the family! Namco Museum Remix brings you an interesting collection of updated Namco games (and you know I love old school, if you've read my earlier posts), including Pac'n Roll, Galaga, Pac-Motos, Rally-X and Gator Panic. Lovable PacMan stars in all of the games, even if he wasn't in the originals; the central "hub" menu is interactive, and you roll PacMan to whichever game you want to play (the menu area itself is a bit of a mini-game). And my favorite part about these compilations: you get to play a lot of old 8 bit games: Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy, Xevious, Gaplus, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania and Cute Q (in this game's case, each of these originals are contained in nicely drawn borders of the characters watching you play). It's a great mix of nostalgia and new excitement, and it's the kind of thing small kids will really enjoy. And it's for the Wii, so we get the added fun of making wacking motions to wack a gator. I think the Wii-mote adds the difference that makes this game really fun.

--Rancor

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Remember all the noise surrounding the changing face of E3 earlier this year? What, no more circus maximus mega media event with everyone with even the most tenuous connection to the video games industry crammed together in a group effort to see how many brain cells could be lost through audio/video over stimuli? No more L.A. Convention Center? No more booth babes? I can still hear the general public's, not to mention the LA Chamber of Commerce's one word outcry ringing in my ears, "Sacrilege!" Well, although it looks as if there will be some backsliding in the planning of the 08' event, don't get too excited.

Grumblings over the infrastructure of the 2007 invite only event in Santa Monica--yeah, no whiners in this industry--has ESA event planners looking to make a move back to the familiar and cavernous halls of LACC. Booth babes are still banned of course, as well as the general public, who will continue to rely on the E for All event, which is also held at the LA Convention Center, but moved up to August 30th. This is all part of the anti large trade show stance that the ESA is maintaining, but the two events are creeping closer and closer geographically and temporally in a kind of T3: Judgment Day kind of way. Will they ever converge again? Who can say, but if they do I want to be there, that is if the E3 planners can learn to take the best of both worlds.

Check out the ESA press release for yourself.

--Hobson's Choice

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A few elite games and game characters set up permanent digs in your consciousness; there to be warped to your heart's delight. But even when these oldies have resigned themselves to a spot at the bottom of the pile someone, somewhere manages breathe life into them. Collegehumor.com's Street Fighter: The Later Years Web series is just one of those situations (think SNL's Lazy Sunday digital short meets The Royal Tenenbaums). Somehow I managed to miss the previous five episodes, but I'm on the bandwagon from here on in. Warning: The video is a little racy.


Click below for Episode Six: Say it Isn't So Chun-Li.

Check out the first five episodes to see what you missed.

--Hobson's Choice

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With Epic Games' Unreal Tournament III now available for PC, PS3 and scheduled to make an appearance on Xbox 360 in late spring/early summer, it's apparently time to toss the scraps to the traditional stepchild of the video games world, Mac players. News that UT3 as well as Gears of War would probably be coming to OS X in the near future is old news, but with overall sales of UT3 across all platforms coming in lower than expected the thinking of the powers that be must be why not get the Mac users in sooner rather than later.

As it is now the "early '08" release of UT3 on the Mac--which according to MacSoft's Ryan Gordon "will be developed natively instead of being ported over using Cider"--may actually beat the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III to the market, which is scheduled for May '08. So, all you Mac users with enough processing power to run games on the Unreal 3 engine--which includes Gears--take heart. You may just be getting a little more respect in the gaming world.

--Hobson's Choice

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I've heard that you can bet on anything in Vegas, so anyone with the with the right odds and the foresight to lay a few clams down on BioShock last night could have walked away a few dollars richer. Grabbing 'Game of the Year,' 'Best Xbox 360 Game' and 'Best Original Score' at last night's Spike TV's Video Games Awards at Mandalay Bay, Big Daddy and crew pretty much cleaned house. Other heavy hitters such as Halo 3, Rock Band and The Orange Box were also recognized in multiple categories. If you are looking for a good game for a last minute gift it doesn't seem possible to go wrong with anything on this list.

Check out the full list of winners below:

Game of the Year - BioShock
Studio of the Year - Harmonix
Best Shooter - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best RPG - Mass Effect
Best Military Game - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best Individual Sports Game - Skate
Best Handheld Game - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Best Graphics - Crysis
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show - The Simpsons Game
Best Rhythm Game - Rock Band
Best Driving Game - DiRT
Best Action Game - Super Mario Galaxy
Best Team Sports Game - Madden NFL 08
Best Soundtrack - Rock Band
Breakthrough Technology - The Orange Box/ Portal
Best Xbox 360 Game - BioShock
Best Wii Game - Super Mario Galaxy
Best PS3 Game - Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Best PC Game - The Orange Box
Best Original Score - BioShock
Best Multiplayer Game - Halo 3
Most Addictive Video game Fueled by Dew - Halo 3

--Hobson's Choice

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My guitar. What’s wrong with that phrase? Oh, I see--guitar
is singular. After acquiring the skill to play guitar, the only sensible thing
to do is keep acquiring more guitars. Not to mention amps. And effects pedals,
of course. It’s your prerogative. Your duty even, as one capable of stringing
three chords together.

I personally got my first guitar in eighth grade. What
started as a desire to play like Eddie Van Halen (note to newcomers: nobody can play like Eddie Van
Halen) turned into a lifetime of music-making and enjoyment. Aimlessly picking
a guitar is meditation. Playing music with people is nearly always somewhere
between fun and transcendent. To creative types it’s like poker night,
regardless of the success of the endeavor.

I always wish I had started out a little younger. Imagine
the chops. This is why if your kid is expressing any interest, you oughta help
them get off to a good start. This may also help you avoid a drum set in the
basement, perhaps saving the family dog from unnecessary audio trauma. Nowadays
they have all this learning software to help out, too, like the aforementioned
My Guitar.
eMedia has a whole slew of music education titles, for that matter. When I was
a wee lad, I had to march a mile both ways, barefoot in the snow, to learn each
interval of a scale. Soon a minor inconvenience gave way to a major pain. I
trudged along like a downtrodden Hungarian miner.

These kids, and all their newfangled gadgets. And
those video games! Guitar
Hero is cool and all, and a lot of musicians seem to love it, myself
included. But at the end of the day it’s kinda just Dance Dance Revolution on a
stick. Perhaps it’s time to upgrade the stick. I suggest a 1961 double cutaway
Gibson Les Paul Special with P-90s. One of oh-so-many perfect creations.

~Jason

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Yes, I have the post holiday blues. I can only hope that Festivus '07 was for the rest of us, or shall I say the rest of you this year. Besides a couple of LIVE point cards to keep my DLC Rock Band habit going--which I gave to myself I must add--it was a total bust. With just a few days left in '07 the game library is more or less the same as it was a week ago. No miracle for me this year I guess. And it looks like my 'fits of strength' will be limited to BioShock, The Orange Box and yes, Rock Band for what's left of the year. It could be worse, but definitely could be better.

How about you. How did you make out and what are you playing over the holidays? Let me know what I'm missing out on.

--Hobson's Choice

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The Doritos Unlock Xbox Contest seems a little cheesy to me, but that may just be my aversion to nacho cheese and affinity for puns talking. Regardless, in the end someone' has to pay for the rockin' prize package they are giving away on a daily basis. So, if you're willing to put up with a hand full of orange fingertips here's the deal.



Apparently a few thousand people threw their game ideas into a hat a good while ago hoping theirs would be chosen to make an appearance on Xbox Live Arcade. I say "people" because from the videos posted at the contest site it's unclear whether any of the contestants have game development backgrounds or like I said, just submitted game ideas. Seems like the latter. What is clear is that five finalists have been chosen and the public will decide which game will make it to Xbox Live Arcade by playing the games posted at the site and voting for their favorite. To be perfectly honest none of the games seem worth the standard 400 MS Points, so I'm hoping they'll be freebies, but the prizes awarded on a daily basis for voting sure are worth a visit or two to the contest site.



The daily prize package includes:

• Xbox 360 Elite console
• 2,000 MSN points
• One-year Xbox LIVE Gold membership
• Halo 3 branded Zune
• Halo 3 Xbox 360 video game
• 32" plasma television
• Ten Xbox 360 video games

The contest runs for another six days, so that's six more chances to win, that is if you're willing to share your contact info with Microsoft. Like they don't have that in some way shape or form already.

--Hobson's Choice

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Just in time for release of the The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition) DVD, The Princess Bride The Game will be making its way to PC and Mac screens in Florin, Guilder and everywhere in between this coming spring, and it's about time. I can see the man in black besting the strength of Fezzik and even the steel of Inigo, but taking down Vizzini in a battle of wits? Dare I say it?


"Inconceivable!"


It looks like the game will be a five episode casual gaming download-only offering. The trailer below paints it as pretty cartoon-like, so it's probably not really something for the hardcore gamer, but for anyone who is a fan of the movie--and I think there are a few out there--it's probably worth the price tag. Also, anyone who bought the 20th Anniversary DVD and played the game bundled with can get an additional discount on the downloadable title. Check out "Gems & Coupons" tab on the Princess Bride game site for details.


Click the image below to check out the game trailer:

--Hobson's Choice

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Hey hey--it's the weekend!   Here's what some of the Amazon Video Games team will be up to:

Captain Excitement (guest-blogger):

This weekend it's about iPod games. ??? That's right, pod games. I am flying NYC tonight and I have always wanted to give the ipod games a try. Here is a list of the fun that awaits me: Bejeweled, Tetris, PAC-MAN, Ms. PAC-MAN, Vortex, Zuma, Texas Hold ’Em, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Cubis 2, Royal Solitaire, and Sudoku.



Garaphin:

Elebits is on the menu for the weekend, and the launch of the Warcraft Armory has whetted my appetite for a little Burning Crusade action.



Hobson's Choice:

I'm heading down Portland (OR) this
weekend and I'll be dragging Wario: Master of Disguise (DS) along for the ride. The game requires you to draw disguises on Wario to enable his greedy tendacies. I've pretty much forgotten how to write my own name thanks to the
keyboard in front of me, but scribbling, that I think I can still
do.


Osver:
While, in theory, I'd like to get around to opening up Sonic And The Secret Rings this weekend, most likely I'll just be playing the old classic "Work from Home" in preparation of being out of town at Destination Playstation
next week. Hopefully I'll finish Final Fantasy III (I'm in the Crystal Tower
after 33 hours of game play), as I want to be done with it before the
flight.

What are you playing this weekend?

~ Amazon Video Games

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Among the more...uh, "interesting" products at CES was what might be the most expensive video game accessory ever, making the weighty Steel Battalion controller  (which launched several years ago with the game disc at a ~0 price point) look like an impulse purchase.

The DreamFlyer system uses your flight system software (such as Microsoft Simulator or X-Plane) to send information to a chair with mechanical (i.e., not hydraulic) controls and flight sticks, meaning you can feel the pitch and roll as you climb and accelerate. The gimbal inner frame yields responsive flight stick control, and you can attach up to three monitors for a wide cockpit viewing angle.

It looks cool, and was a blast to demo, but at a base price of 00 (plus 9 per extra monitor mount) you have to wonder whether you could chip in a little more and buy an actual plane.

--Jon D.

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Yup, the holidays are melting away as I tap this out, but the folks over at Blizzard are focused on next years holiday season. With the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack and Starcraft II scheduled for October and November '08 respectively they will begin to fan the fires beginning the first week of January with a developer video podcast. Dubbed a BlizzCast and available at the Blizzard site, fans will be able to submit questions for the development teams through the fan sites and rumor has it that there will be giveaways O' Plenty to be had. In case that isn't enough to get folks fired up to check it out, along with Lich King and SCII the Blizzard news site teases that future BizzCasts will also give detail on "two unannounced games." As long as one of them is the new Diablo project, then I'm on board. I just hope that I don't have to wait too long.


Check out what's planned for episode 1:

• BlizzCast Episode 1
  Interview with Sam Didier (Art Director SCII): Concepting Art for the StarCraft and Warcraft Franchises
• Interview with Jeff Kaplan (Lead Designer WoW): Highlights of Sunwell Plateau and Patch 2.4
• Sweepstakes giveaway

--Hobson's Choice

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For years smaller game publishers and gamers alike have grumbled about EA's dominance of the video games market and how it effects the quality of games hitting the shelves. Enter the love-hate reaction to the Acti-Blizz-sion merger earlier this month. It's an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario. Competition for gamers' dollars is definitely a good thing, at least until your newly anointed champion of truth, justice and quality games is tempted to become a padawan on the wrong side of the gaming divide. Will the new billion-dollar Activision give in to the dark side? Am I paranoid? Am I a conspiracy theorist? Possibly on the first. Definitely on the last two. But wait, I sense another presence, one that may challenge the powers that be.



Fresh off what seems a verifiable success with Rock Band, which partnered them with EA as well as Harmonix, MTV Games seems not only ready to cut any ties that existed with EA, but to compete with EA and Activision, which according to EVP of Program Enterprises at MTV Networks Jeff Yapp, MTV "...Already does…" MTVN's two immediate tools to do this are the 0 million they’ve earmarked for investment in their video games endeavors over the next two years and their new story-telling gun-for-hire, Jerry Bruckheimer. The power of the money speaks for itself, but Bruckheimer's impact is a little different and possibly much more powerful. He doesn't have any real video game creation credits that I've heard of, but does has oodles of experience working with projects related to video games (think Thief, Pirates of the Caribbean, CSI and his cinematic version of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, which is in production), not to mention a media resume going back forty years.


MTV and Bruckheimer are set to form what they are calling a "game incubation" studio that they envision will churn out original video game intellectual properties--not rehashes of existing IPs or existing Bruckheimer projects--that will certainly benefit from the MTV Network's controlling interests in media platforms like Spike, VH1, CMT and of course MTV. Here's a little insight into Bruckheimer's take on video games:

"Video games represent a new and innovative medium for what we've always tried to do, which is to tell great stories. But this medium is unique in that it gives the player control over how those stories unfold," He continues, "I look forward to working with MTV Games to create new original game stories, always looking for ways to innovate the medium."

Like I said, the man has an action-oriented media resume that predates the birth of most of the folks that will eventually be consuming the fruits of this new partnership. Bruckheimer joins the ranks of Steven Spielberg, John Woo and Clive Barker, who have worked with EA, Midway and Warner Brothers respectively. In my opinion the jury is still out on these relationships, but that could easily change if the hits start coming and even more so if they transcend video games. All I can say is "may the force be with you young Bruckheimer." You may need it.

--Hobson's Choice

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Everybody knows that Wii is ruling the game console roost, but what about the handheld market?

The DS has been the dominant player due to a combination of kid-centric marketing, an inexpensive price point and the bucket load of titles available, but increasingly players are seeking to move beyond basic gameplaying functionality through console integration. The DS' competition, Sony's PSP, provides this effectively through built in integration with the PS3 and the PSP's more complete range of functionality (It also didn't hurt that they dropped their price earlier in the year). Nintendo was willing to live with this in the past, but with Wii ownership continuing to grow they seem ready to ramp up their efforts. According to Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Amie:

"...future DS devices will be more tightly integrated with the Wii console. Complete games as well as game samplers will be able to be downloaded into the Wii using its broadband connection, and then transferred wirelessly to the DS."

Download of streamed game demos for the DS have been available for a few months in the Japanese market through the Wii's "Everybody's Nintendo" Channel, but without adequate storage capacity the current DS is a long way from being able to handle full games, that is unless a user is willing to be tied to their Wii. Something tells me that's not going to fly with players hooked on mobile gaming and speaking as one of those junkies, if this ends up being the case my PSP will continue my device of choice when I'm away from home. On the other hand, if Nintendo comes up with an affordable and sufficient memory solution all bets may be off. My backpack is big enough to hold both. I just wonder if Nintendo will make the right choice.

--Hobson's Choice

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Race 07, the official WTCC game, is about to hit the shelves. The release came as a surprise to me; I'm used to all racing games being on your platform of choice--Playstation, Nintendo, whatever--and not a PC game. Oh, sure, there are a few, but this is the first time I've seen it as a selling point. The rundown:

• For the first time ever a game is focused on the hard hitting, intense action of the exciting WTCC championship which is exploding in popularity all over the world. Based on the full 2007 and 2006 seasons of the WTCC, plus the historic WTCC’87 class, Formula 3000, Formula BMW, the Mini Cooper Challenge, and more
  
• Intense “singleseater” action: Open racecars feature realistic helmet views with visor dynamics so real players will see every speck of raceway debris
  
• 32 different real-life tracks from all over the world, including unique city tracks
  
• Online rankings and leader boards
  
• Human-like AI opponents that behave as natural race cars, trying to force the driver into error
  
• Enhanced community appeal, with community driver names, customized skins and league-support

Basically, you feel like you're in the car actually driving it. Okay okay--every game says that. But this one really feels that way. The only thing missing from your home computer system to fool you into thinking you're actually there is like a 3 axis gimbal on your plush leather chair (and a few thousand screaming fans I guess).

--Rancor

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