All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#eroge Micro-blogging service Twitter allows people to share what they are doing with others. That might include playing erotic computer games. More »

It seems Viacom's striking fewer sour notes this year, with operating profits up $789 million -- good for 14 percent -- in its Media Networks division (the umbrella its video game business is under). According to the mega-corp, gains are due in part to lower losses from the Rock Band franchise.

You know, we dinged Green Day: Rock Band for being a less lavish production than its Beatles-based predecessor, but it seems that (from a big picture perspective at least) the scaled-back approach and getting out of the instrument biz is paying off.

#kidicarusuprising Masahiro Sakurai of Smash Bros. fame is currently hard at work on a 3D version of Kid Icarus. His version of Kid Icarus's protagonist Pitt, he says, "feels like a new character". Here's why. More »

Monday Night Combat, out next Wednesday, will be the penultimate game in the XBLA Summer of Arcade promotion. The video after the break features a pretty good overview of the gameplay and, well, BACON! Who doesn't like bacon? Even vegetarians love bacon. It's true.

#rumor Microsoft's forthcoming Kinect camera controller for the Xbox 360 plays better with standing humans than it does with couch potatoes. Microsoft says it's still "calibrating" Kinect for seated players and may accomplish that with a little help from Amazon.com. More »

TechCrunch brings news today of the latest kick from the gestating fetus that is "Google Games." The site reports that search giant Google spent $187 million to purchase Slide, developer of the SuperPoke series and other casual games the names of which are actually too sad to type. This comes after a rumored $100 million investment in 'Ville vets Zynga.

This is the point where we'd typically talk about how we're eagerly anticipating the launch of or at least more details on Google Games. But it's becoming abundantly clear from these leaks that we're going to not care about it so hard that it may register on the Richter scale.

#screengrab Dysentery may be a thing of the past, but bad R2 motivators and fully operational Imperial space stations are a real threat on The Alderaan Trail. Part of Matt Marchini's brilliant Star Wars homage, as seen on Picasa, via BoingBoing. More »

#review The heroes of a handful of 2D Castlevania games come together to tackle old foes in a new way in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Can the normally solitary, exploratory experience of recent "Metroidvania" games make the double-jump leap to multiplayer? More »

Out of all of Spidey's nemeses, Vulture is unarguably the least threatening. He's an old dude in a feathered, bright green suit. Not exactly menacing, is it? Well, in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' Noir universe, he's turned a new, upsetting leaf, as evidenced by the vignette below.

#doobage A kid in suburban Chicago boosted a credit card and bought some games and virtual currency online. When the cops showed up to ask some questions, they found his folks, uh, "Victory Garden." More »

Details surrounding upcoming add-on leaked through PC patch.

They say opposites attract, which would explain the effectiveness of the titular duo in IO Interactive's upcoming sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. Lynch is a psychopath, a well of unchecked aggression who hardly has the foresight to see the repercussions of his actions -- a dog without a leash, if you will.

His partner, Kane, on the other hand is a bit more calculating. An ex-mercenary whose interests lie in financial gain, Kane is the type of guy who doesn't fly off the handle and, for the most part, keeps it cool -- a feat considering his partner.

Also beyond the break, you'll find the latest behind-the-scenes video produced for the game. This one features Ken Krogh, director of Kane & Lynch 2's multiplayer component. (Spoiler: He really likes it.)

#clips Do you like your action heroes gravel-voiced from chain-smoking, battle-worn and gruff? Do you dream of shooting rebellious Russian robots in space? Platinum Games Vanquish, even without its robo-dog, might be your cup of tea. More »

#madden In 1990, Electronic Arts reverse-engineered the Sega Genesis to begin development of a game for it, fully aware that if the project became known, they were in for a major lawsuit. The game was John Madden Football. More »

Introducing our first-ever ServBot Bobble Budd. His entire body fits inside his head for safely transporting your “Budd”. Featuring moveable arms and adjustable neck to make him bobble or not bobble. We only made 1000 pieces and nearly half of them flew off the shelves at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. Exclusive to the Capcom Store. [...]

We’ve been hearing for awhile now that Tony Hawk Shred was going to do something a little different with the Tony Hawk franchise. They have to find a way to make that RIDE board work, don’t they?! While we all saw this one coming, it has been confirmed by Activision that Shred will [...]

Look out, all you naughty StarCraft 2 map makers out there, Blizzard is watching. A thread popped up on the StarCraft 2 community forum in which a user named Cyrileo complained of his map being removed from Battle.net. According to Cyrileo, the mapped was deemed "inappropriate" by Blizzard and subsequently deleted. Further on in the thread, as reported by our cohorts at Big Download, Blizzard community manager Lylirra noted that all maps are "subject to review to ensure that they promote a fun and safe environment for all players." Should a map fail to meet these criteria, it will be deleted and the creator contacted.

The reason such moderation wasn't enacted in the first StarCraft, according to community manager Bashiok, was that Blizzard simply didn't have the staff. Things have changed this time around, so take note of Blizzard's official policy on inappropriate content: "Any content found to be offensive in nature has no place on Battle.net. Such content can be changed or removed, and the publisher warned or suspended." Bashiok noted further that Blizzard is working to improve the system, which will hopefully offer map makers more detailed reasons for removal in the future. As a general rule of thumb, we'd say avoid building maps shaped like wangs.

#screens The next Deus Ex game, now in development at Eidos Montreal, will be dark, glowing with gold light and, occasionally, feature a hint of seafoam green. We know this by looking at "new" screen shots of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. More »

#patch We seem to have gotten things out of order. The first gameplay tuning file for NCAA Football 11 went live this morning, so it was not dependent on a mid-August patch. The adjustments will be incorporated into existing dynasties. More »

Vanquish wasn't always the story of one man fighting alone (in an amazing suit of robotic armor). Platinum Games considered pairing him with a feminine android who could combine with Sam's suit and be used as a weapon, and even a robot dog.

#demakes The man responsible for the 8-bit version of zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has turned his "de-make" skills to another recent franchise—Activision's DJ Hero. Pixel Force: DJ Hero, as it's known, is musically true to its 80s roots. More »

Hey -- new Deus Ex: Human Revolution screenshots! Don't look yet, though. Let's guess what's in them based on what the Art Director said about the game at E3.

• Lots of black and gold!
• Heavy Blade Runner influence!
• Someone is probably wearing sunglasses!
• And robots! (Or at least a robot-style arm)

Look at that, we were exactly right. Not that these look bad -- mind you. Aside from this concept piece, they're all in-engine and they all look very impressive (and that's a nice security camera interface, too). But when Jonathan Jacques-Belletête said he wanted the game to have a distinct style, he wasn't kidding around.

Metroid Prime Trilogy is hard to find as it is, but you might be able to get yourself a great deal at your local Target. Check out the bargain racks/bins for this one. $25 gets you 3 great games! Thanks to Kolma for the heads up!