All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

It's okay if you need to read that headline again. It's pretty confusing. Here's the gist of it: Microsoft filed a patent in June of 2008 for the automatic generation of an Avatar based on a user's physical health. The patent application, discovered by 1UP, specifically details an "avatar generator" that "reflects a physical characteristic of the user." Physical data about the user would be used to "reflect a degree of health of the real person." In turn, this could be linked to "rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication." In other words, the patent is all about "injecting a degree of reality" into Avatar appearances, thus encouraging users to exercise and maintain a more active lifestyle. Beyond this, the filing also explains that the generator could be used to reflect all kinds of data about a person, including religious beliefs, politics, hobbies, and even intelligence. Such information could help users connect with like-minded individuals. The patent application even notes that the generator could take "hidden physical characteristics such as allergies, chronic conditions, etc" into account, thus helping users find other players with similar conditions that might "understand someone with a like condition."

From the Odyssey to Asteroids, we pay homage to the years that birthed gaming.

From the Odyssey to Asteroids, we pay homage to the years that birthed gaming.

From the Odyssey to Asteroids, we pay homage to the years that birthed gaming.

Get ready to be berated by Buzz once again.

One Giant Leap for Educational Software

Hope you've saved room for more.

The Dark Knight shouldn't be able to see through walls.

The Dark Knight shouldn't be able to see through walls.

The Dark Knight shouldn't be able to see through walls.

News of yet another SOCOM delay should be unsurprising to those who have been following the franchise since Slant Six took the reigns from Zipper Interactive. Fans have only recently received the long-awaited SOCOM Confrontation 1.60 patch, one that fixed crucial game-crashing bugs; after months of suffering through bugs and game balance issues, Joystiq commenter Solace went so far as to call Confrontation a "glorified beta." For reasons not yet revealed by SCEA, the upcoming PSP installment, Fireteam Bravo 3, has been pushed back from its already-delayed January 12 release date. Considering Sony's admitted failure at marketing the upcoming tactical shooter, a later date will certainly give the publisher more time to prepare the title for retail. A new release date will be announced "in the coming weeks," according to an SCEA rep, but we wonder if SOCOM fans will have any patience left when that day comes.

Filed under: Podcasts This is it folks, the last full show of the decade. You don't want to miss this. We've got the entire gang here for this one. That's right, Richard, Alexander, Xav and Dave on the same show. We're not sure what force of nature caused it to happen, though we suspect planetary alignments may have been involved. Download it. [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in Zune Marketplace (MP3). [RSS MP3] Add the Xbox 360 Fanboy Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM), Alexander Sliwinski (Sli Xander) and Dave Hinkle (KnifefightYoDad) Produced by Richard Mitchell Music: Intro/Outro: "Electromooq" by Uma Floresta. Break: "Your Reverie" by Kelley Stoltz. For fans: Xbox 360 Fancast Facebook group

Ever since we reported that Scene It? Twilight would grace the Wii and DS, we've gotten countless emails looking for the hot scoops on this new product. Well, would-be Bellas and Edwards, you may want to sink your teeth into the Nintendo Channel today, as there's a smoking hot new video about the game. In short: it's pretty much just like the regular Scene It? game. Head past the break for the full list of this week's content.

The new music franchise is off to a great start, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Ray Muzyka of BioWare fame takes a moment to give an overview of the new features incorporated into Mass Effect 2.

Here's an example of the sway RPG characters hold in Japan: A writer for AndriaSang spotted Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning hocking TVs in a Japanese electronics store. Her favorite model? Why, the Sony Bravia, of course. Do what you will, but, speaking from experience, if you start making your purchasing decisions based on the whims of computer-generated characters you end up buying a crate of New Coke solely on the recommendation of Max Headroom. Trust us on this one.

Well, here’s a picture of the Onett board game that I made for my students to play in class! It’s actually only a first edition. I’ve made improvements by adding in a lot of EarthBound characters hidden in all kinds of different spots so when the kids play, they can try to find all the [...]

This bike is being given away to a lucky Pokemon Club member in Japan. I’m not into Pokemon like I used to be, but even I can’t deny how awesome this bike is.

Given Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie's status as the only game in the main Dragon Quest series to be localized (except for the no-doubt upcoming IX), we watched this Jump Festa 2010 trailer raptly, seeing an RPG world that was both classic and unfamiliar. Even 14 years after its release, we found ourselves occasionally wowed by the trailer. The boat went underwater! The covered wagon floats! The characters look like every other Akira Toriyama character! (The last one was a different kind of wow). By the time the traditional theme came up, we were thrilled about Realms of Reverie. Too bad it's only coming out in Japan on January 28, with its North American release at some unspecified later date. [Via NeoGAF]