All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Activision Blizzard and CEO Bobby Kotick have released a public statement regarding the upcoming Supreme Court hearing in Schwarzenegger v. EMA on November 2. In the declaration, the top third-party video game publisher in the world aligns itself with the ESA and almost every other group that can see the ramifications against the First Amendment and all forms of media the law would have if it stands.

Kotick notes, "The sheer breadth of support exhibited by public interest organizations, civic and media groups, legislative leaders, academia and interested parties demonstrate both the importance video games have assumed in the hearts and minds of our nation and the sacredness of certain basic tenets of our Constitution. We will never give up the fight for the freedom of expression our industry deserves and we will never forget this support."

If you're curious in the list of organizations supporting the video game industry in the Supreme Court case, we've listed those who filed briefs in support of the ESA after the break.

#housekeeping Earlier this year, we all had a laugh along with/at the expense of a handful of video game industry hopefuls competing in the PlayStation Network reality show The Tester. Sadly, I won't be liveblogging the series' next season. More »

#nba2k11 Ordinarily a goal of singleplayer career modes, enshrinement in the Hall of Fame will now be a feature of NBA 2K11's Association, the franchise management and season-simulation mode. More »

Microsoft has put an interesting turn on its weekly rotation of discounted items on Xbox Live -- the Spotlight tab on the console's dashboard currently includes a poll which will let users choose which of a handful of items they'd like to have marked down for an undisclosed week in October. These discounts include 33 percent off DeathSpank, half off Perfect Dark, or similar markdowns on DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, Trials HD and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

It would be unethical for us to use our considerable internet power to get you to pick the thing that we'd like to pick up at a discounted price, so we'll refrain from doing so. Instead, we'll just have to rely on the same remote mind-control tactics we've been using to puppeteer your every action for the past four years now. That's right, Brandon, we're inside your mind.

EA CEO John Riccitiello told attendees of a recent Bank of America conference (via CVG) that Need for Speed developer Black Box Studios was "on a death march, building for five years in a row," citing a decline in sales between 2004 and 2007 as the end result. "[They were] annual iterations, they had to put it out; no rest for the weary," Riccitiello said.

He then explained that "It was definitely our fault," adding, "Those days are gone. We're back in two studios and we've got them on bi-annual cycles." In his opinion, the forthcoming Hot Pursuit reboot is the fruit of that changed-up development cycle. "This year is right back in the core action driving ... it's had a two-year dev cycle ... I feel great about it," he posited. Oddly, no mention was made of the now annual Black Box franchise Skate, but we're hoping for an announcement of Skate: Hot Pursuit by year's end.

- history section with a catalogue of the 11 main Super Mario games from 1985’s Super Mario Bros.

#nintendo Nintendo's next handheld game machine, the Nintendo 3DS, will be significantly more powerful, thanks to hardware specs that represent a vast improvement over the Nintendo DS and its more powerful successor, the Nintendo DSi. More »

#screengrab Classic racy ad for Tengen's Davis Cup World Tour on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and you didn't have to hide the magazine under your mattress. Seen on GameDummy via Reddit - a Redditor notes the ad references this picture (NSFW) More »

Famitsu has some new videos of Mega Man Universe showing off the game's character and level creation utilities. The videos demonstrate several custom Mega Men, each with different abilities, as well as a custom level being built. All in all, megafying your world looks pretty easy. See it after the break.

I have shaped my WWE career, taken the reins, and ran with it to ascend to where I am now. I customized my WWE experience and made the Mizfits, Miztakes, and entire WWE revolve around me, making everyone wonder what I’m going to do next. Which is exactly what you can do in WWE SmackDown vs. [...]

Vector Unit has announced the first DLC for Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The "Tempest Pack" will offer three new environments, two all-new boats, a boatload of new skins, plus Championship, Ring Master and Gauntlet events. The environments will have you racing through the ruins of Atlantis, the stormy Bermuda Triangle and a medieval setting named Castle Von Boom. The new boat skins will supercharge the existing boats, allowing you to run even your favorite clunker at the game's highest speeds, with two of them coming straight from the Design-a-Skin contest held a while back.

No final date or price yet, unfortunately, but you can look for the pack sometime in October.

[Thanks, Steve!]

Our picks for the 64-bit hits that could make a 3D comeback.

#soundtrack Soundtracks in sports titles are typically a compilation of licensed works from recognizable artists. NBA Elite 11 this year changed course, going with a fully custom soundtrack composed by producer 9th Wonder and J. Cole, from Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. More »

We've got a gallery featuring Red Dead Redemption's upcoming DLC, "Liars and Cheats," wherein you'll find a smattering of images containing game characters sitting around a poker table gambling and of people firing explosive rifles. We trust you'll figure out which is more interesting on your own.

#screengrab Or, so implies the latest e-mail from the folks at PlayStation, who are clearly aware that pink plastic video game accessories are not cross-gender compatible. As seen in my e-mail inbox. More »

#hotflashes A tragedy has befallen the Songbird Kingdom. Irradiated food and twisted mutants run rampant and it's up to you, Ducky and his trusty steed Lazerduck to rid the once peaceful land of Governor Cheeseburger's evil hordes. More »

Hi everyone! This is my first official PlayStation.Blog entry, and I’m here to invite all the Canadian PlayStation fans out to a great event…an annual event…an exclusive event…

Yes, unbelievably, it’s that time of year again and we are rapidly approaching what many PlayStation fans look forward to all year: the PlayStation Holiday Preview Event party!

This year’s event will take place on October 5 from 5pm to 9pm at the brand-new Sony Centre in downtown Toronto (formerly the old Hummingbird Centre). We’ll be the second event to open up the centre, and everyone is welcome.

What titles are you looking forward to playing? Killzone 3? Gran Turismo 5? SOCOM 4? What about LittleBigPlanet 2? Have a few titles in mind that aren’t first party? That works too, because we are giving you, our fans, exclusive access to all the hottest titles before they hit the retail shelves this holiday season.

Partying at our own ‘centre’ is great, but it wouldn’t be a party without some third party developers. Activision, Disney, Konami, EA, Namco, Ubisoft, Warner and many more will be on board to show you what games they’ve got up their sleeves.

While we can’t guarantee a Kevin Butler appearance like we had at E3, we will provide you with hands-on time with all your favourite titles, live DJs spinning, and delicious food. Because everyone knows that the way to a gamer’s heart is through the games they play and the food they eat!

October may not be cold enough for toques and mittens, but what you can bring are your friends, family members, and frenemies if you like. So if you’re not too busy on a Tuesday evening, come down to the Sony Centre and find out what we’re up to this year.

RSVP to the PlayStation Holiday Preview Event, and please visit our Facebook page for more information.

Though you may lack the alchemical expertise to do so under normal circumstances, folks who are planning on picking up the PC version of Darksiders when it comes out this Thursday can turn their one-game purchase into a two-game purchase. (Ooh! Aah!) This opportunity comes from a handful of digital retailers, who are offering complimentary THQ games along with pre-orders for the apocalyptic action-adventure title.

These retailers include Steam, which gives pre-orderers a digital copy of Titan Quest Gold Edition; Direct2Drive, which is handing out Red Faction: Guerrilla and Gametap, which is offering a free copy of Company of Heroes with each pre-order. Sure beats the Hell out of a keychain or scented sticker set, doesn't it?

This dude Dood has his own adventure!

From Call of Duty to Killzone, for ten years, Halo has influenced the evolution of shooters.

From Call of Duty to Killzone, for ten years, Halo has influenced the evolution of shooters.

Fable 2's interior design aesthetic was pretty much always "country drab," with the occasional mansion to customize with "nouveau riche gauche." Fable 3 is adding loads of new choices for the aspiring virtual decorator. See Lionhead's crib creation tour right after the break.

#clips A title update now live on the PlayStation Network adds PlayStation Move support to a sports game where motion controls make the most sense: golf, specifically Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. More »

Blizzard: Still shrewed.

Part two of the Left 4 Dead digi-comic "The Sacrifice" is live, the precursor to the upcoming downloadable content for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll download it as a PDF. More »

Sony's virtual Monchichi will be available at Toys R Us in a Move EyePet Bundle. The $100 kit includes fuzzy companion simulator EyePet, a PlayStation Eye Camera and PlayStation Move Motion Controller. The bundle will be available in TRU stores and online starting September 24.

Also, if you've got the cash to burn, remember that EyePet also supports 3D -- and assists in the war against puppies.

Sources reveal new details regarding the handheld's processors, memory, and storage.