As a diminutive person who jabs at buttons and keyboards for a living, I can say with the utmost accuracy that dancing isn't my forte. You'll probably come to the same conclusion after watching the video of me gyrating to the beat of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," which I've foolishly embedded after the break. I've placed it there because I want you to see -- somewhere in that garbled body dialect -- how rapidly the "Oh my god, I can't be seen doing this" phase is supplanted by an inescapable feeling of fun. The endorphins don't lie, guys.
Dance Central isn't a quick-and-dirty ditty from Harmonix, the developers behind Amplitude and Rock Band. It's an immediately accessible rhythm title that trades multi-colored buttons for body language, presented in the form of easily processed silhouette cards. A practice mode enables you to gain familiarity with the dance move associated with each silhouette card, but I found them clear enough to follow correctly on my first attempt. Glance at the upcoming move card (think of it as the "next piece" window in Tetris) and prepare to mimic it and the group of on-screen dancers in rhythm to the music. It's like dancing in front of a mirror -- if you were a vibrant cartoon person with a boombox.
The reflection of your own body, as captured precisely by the Xbox 360's Kinect camera, is almost hidden compared to the in-game characters, and it makes the game feel more collaborative than judgmental. In comparison to rote stomp-'em-down Dance Dance Revolution, it's a dance dance revelation. I understand there's a mental embarrassment hurdle to be cleared here so, if it helps, better to think of Dance Central as a hip, hip-thrusting exercise game. Either way, you should also think of it as one of Kinect's least abstract games -- you're not awkwardly driving an invisible car, for example -- and certainly one of its most promising.
I think you know what this show is all about! There are two things I always cover in the post-E3 podcast. The biggest part of the discussion pertains to video games. The other part relates to my experiences while flying! Is there any flight story that can live up to last [...]
#bwwwwwaaaaaaa
We're two weeks into the World Cup and the obnoxious drone of the vuvuzela hasn't abated. Fear not, Stardock, the shop behind Sins of a Solar Empire, made a free app that strips the horn's noise from streaming broadcasts. More »
Evolution Studios' third MotorStorm game races out of the jungle ... into a self-destructing city, it seems. This is definitely one game that's difficult to capture in screens, so watch the trailer after the break. Stay tuned for our hands-on preview.
The goal of TheSpeedGamers was to pull in $50,000 for ACT. As you can see from the final tally, they managed to pull in even more than they intended! It’s great to see these guys putting together such a successful campaign year after year. Congratulations to the gang, and a tip of [...]
All figures are rough estimates…
- annual loss of 1 million dollars
- accumulated debt of 21 million dollars
Things certainly aren’t looking good for the studio. You have to wonder what Namco Bandai is going to do from here. Seems like some restructuring is going to have to take place. Thanks to Bpower for [...]
Here’s something a little weird. As far as I can tell, the Tron game isn’t coming to Wii. So…we get a controller, but not the game?
Performance Designed Products LLC (PDP), an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms, announced today that it has collaborated with Disney Consumer [...]
Sonic games aren’t really known for their strong stories. That’s not really a bad thing, but apparently SEGA wants to change that. This time around, the Wii version of Sonic Colors will have a script penned by Ken Pontac and Warren Graff. These guys have worked on such features as the TV [...]
The Xio from Forcetek is ... well, it's interesting. Rather than reducing your controller to a wand or removing the controller altogether, the Xio is a harness that attaches to your arm. The device tracks the motion of your wrist as you turn it and twist it, translating the motions into in-game actions. We got to try it out at E3 with Tom Clancy's HAWX, and it was a novel experience to say the least. We were told by Forcetek that the ultimate goal is to incorporate the technology into an actual suit that can be used in an augmented reality experience of some sort. So yeah, wild.
Looking to see what Maxwell from Scribblenauts/Super Scribblenauts is up to? You can now follow him on the official Twitter account! Perhaps he’ll drop some new details about Super Scribblenauts in the coming weeks!
Twitter account here
Let's clear one thing up: This GoldenEye Wii game is not your GoldenEye N64 game all prettied up. This is an original game based on the same Bond ... movie (though featuring the Daniel Craig Bond). That's not to say that the new GoldenEye 007 doesn't borrow -- what it legally can -- from Rare's classic console FPS, but be careful about expecting a modern port of the 1997 game known simply and lovingly as "Bond." (That project is still not happening.)
At Nintendo's E3 booth, I played a quick round of two-player split-screen multiplayer of this new GoldenEye, and it left a positive impression. I could have sworn my opponent and I had faced off in a classic Bond map (the Archives, I thought), but Activision insists this is an "original" level, in so much as it is not a recreation of one of Rare's maps from the N64 game. Of course, Rare's maps were based on sets from the movie, and Activision has the rights to have maps designed from these same sets. So, expect to get a sense of déjà vu when playing the new Goldeneye.
As the official peripheral manufacturer for Rock Band 3 instruments, Mad Catz was at E3 showing off its new Rock Band products (sans game). On the outside, the MIDI PRO-Adapter (pictured above in all three flavors) looks like a chunky, 16-bit era controller -- in fact, in can be used as a gamepad, confirms Mad Catz global PR manager Alex Verrey. Inside, the device contains the technology to convert a real MIDI instrument into a Rock Band 3 controller. (The adapter is not compatible with other music games.)
The PRO-Adapter connects to an Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii via USB, and the MIDI instrument plugs into the port on the side of the device. A three-way switch in the center (above the system button) toggles between drum, keyboard and guitar inputs. Just above the switch, is the velocity adjustment wheel used to "tune" MIDI drums and reduce cross-talk during gameplay. The triangular wedge button on the bottom right of the PRO-Adapter activates "Overdrive" mode in Rock Band 3, and a belt clip on the back of the peripheral keeps the adapter secured to your person (just mind the length of the USB cable as you leap about). There's also a headset jack on the adapter.
"We can't possibly guarantee compatibility with all MIDI instruments," warns Verrey, but the MIDI PRO-Adapter "should work with the vast, vast majority." Verrey guarantees compatibility with the real Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar that works with Rock Band 3, and a full MIDI instrument compatibility list will be published prior to the MIDI PRO-Adapter retail release ($40) this holiday.
Take a closer look at Mad Catz's Wireless Keyboard Controller in the gallery below and head past the break for full details.
The deadpan detective has never been so dogged! With his partner's brain missing (physically), Sam loses his cool and goes on the warpath in the third episode of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, out on on PC, Mac and PSN on June 22.
#photoshop
Putting the Nintendo 3DS' rumored design to a vote makes for somewhat anticlimactic results a week later, since Tuesday we learned what it actually looks and plays like. But let's turn back the clock to Sunday, when we didn't. More »
We told you it was beautiful -- but in case you didn't believe us, you can watch a trailer after the break. Ubisoft's Rayman Origins is a gorgeous game, and uses the new Ubiart framework to deliver "full HD" 1080p visuals. According to the team's official blog, Origins will be delivered as episodes "because big games take a long time to make" and "episodes also let us imagine a longer and more developed saga than with a more 'classical' format."
Although specifics weren't mentioned, it's easy to imagine that Origins will end up on services like PSN and XBLA as a downloadable game. The team appears to be aiming for a release "this year," which has our digital wallets quivering in anticipation.
#review
It's almost axiomatic that the worst snorers I know are also the nicest people. It adds an element of dread to vacations, road trips and working hotel stays one would otherwise look forward to, and it needlessly strains good relationships. More »
It's E3, which means it's time for the traditional and sleepy special edition of the Xbox 360 Fancast. Listen as we marvel over Comic Jumper, Gears of War 3, Brink and more. Oh, and some off-topic 3DS love. In addition, stay tuned after the episode for an entire second episode, which encountered technical difficulties earlier this week. Rather than banish it to the ether, we've placed it after the outro music, so stick around to hear it in its entirety.
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Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM, @senseiram), Alexander Sliwinski (Sli Xander, @xandersliwinski), Xav de Matos (Snypz, @xav
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#clips
Monday Night Combat, the class-based shooter coming soon from Uber Entertainment, is one of the "Summer of Arcade" titles releasing over five weeks beginning in July. Here is the game's E3 trailer and some new screens detailing its Blitz mode. More »
PrimeSense was at E3 this week showing off the raw technology that it licensed to Microsoft for what officially became Kinect this past Monday. The company developed the method and core software that Microsoft's forthcoming camera/controller uses to read human bodies and gestures, and had it running on a prototype unit live in the booth.
Unfortunately, company reps weren't able to comment on specifics of the licensing deal, and were very quick to point out that much of what has been done so far with Kinect is Microsoft's own software -- PrimeSense only provides the raw tech behind the visual gesture system, not any of the menus or games that are actually appearing on Kinect. But they were able to explain the core technology to me, and shine a little light, so to speak, on what Kinect is capable of.
Do you remember hearing about Space Agency awhile back? The game was possibly heading to the DS, but then all went quiet. That is, until the 3DS was shown off at E3. That prompted developer Akira Ueda to tweet the following…
“Today is a hot summer day; it might be because of all [...]
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