All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#originals Kinect arrived, bringing a means of controlling games by grasping at thin air. The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could change how games are sold, even made. It was a week that carried the scent of history. More »

CTA Digital continues its domination of all PlayStation Move accessories with the release of the PlayStation Move Racing Wheel with stand. As you can see above, the wheel comes with a slot across the center to store a Move wand, thus making you feel as if you're using a plastic wheel rather than one, you know, made out of air.

We kid, actually -- the grip can instead hold a DualShock 3 (with SIXAXIS!) controller, so if you want to use it for tilt steering rather than motion control, you can do that as well. The wheel also detaches from the stand if you'd rather just hold it by itself. And we don't know how cheap it is yet, since there's no MSRP listed. For more information (and a chuckle at the expense of some poor commercial actors -- "COOLER!"), head after the break for a promotional video.

PlayStation UK has created a handy web app that can transform a normal headshot of yourself (or your dog, cat, life-size cardboard standee of Burt Reynolds, etc.) into the spitting image of the Ghost of Sparta himself, Kratos. Perfect for seeing if you can rock that red, full-face tattoo you want.

Leave it to Brawl in the Family to make us feel bad about an everyday activity in one of the most harmless-looking games on the planet: Animal Crossing. Read "The Fish Next Door," last week's Wrapup-winning webcomic, and forever dispose of your reels, rods and tackleboxes out of shame. Shame, we say!

Second and third place went to Digital Unrest's "Blues" and Nerf Now's "Terrible Night to Have a Holiday," respectively. If you've got a comic you'd like to see in tomorrow's Wrapup, drop a link in the comments, or send in a tip!

#screengrab I like Paper Mario's tstylised ake on the Mushroom Kingdom, but I'd like this one even more. By belldandies, as seen on Rampaged Reality. More »

#apb "Nine months of hard work," could salvage All Points Bulletin, the failed cops-and-robbers MMO, but don't expect Codemasters to be the one doing the work, says the publisher's online general manager. More »

A patent filed by Apple in April of 2009, recently published by the USPTO, reveals what appears to be a concept for an augmented reality game. Specifically, the document seeks to patent a method for two "interactive game devices" to share locational data and track each other in a "real world, interactive game environment." Using the "interactive game device" -- which looks a lot like an iPhone in the diagrams -- each player's real-world actions would be tracked and their positions would be relayed via an icon on the screen.

One of the included diagrams illustrates an AR shooter game as an example, and the patent text even mentions the possibility of a "gun" attachment. It's important to note that what Apple is attempting to patent is the method for creating such a game -- devices communicating and displaying their positions -- not the game concept itself. Assuming such a game were created, it certainly looks interesting. Think of it as Laser Tag for a new generation. Oh, wait.

Peruse the patent after the break.

#apple Kinect is the Xbox 360's Great Wavy Hope in the battle for the home entertainment market. Did you know, however, that the device could have easily gone to Apple instead? More »

Though we're still confused how Star Wars: The Old Republic's non-lightsaber-swinging classes are supposed to best their lightsaber-swinging counterparts in combat, we're looking forward to checking out the objective-based, player vs. player "Warzones" previewed in the trailer posted below.

#review Ian Fleming's British super spy returns in an all-new original adventure, James Bond 007: Blood Stone, that's about as unoriginal as video games get. Blood Stone is an entertaining, just good enough shooter that borrows heavily from better games. More »

Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:
Everyone else is talking about the Supreme Court, but I'm going to hold off on any further commentary until we have an actual decision to analyze. Instead, I want to bring your attention back to a suit filed by Blizzard in California, Blizzard v. VanKuipers, Simpson, and John Does 1-10 (aka the GameThreat.net case). This case seems to be the sequel of sorts to the "Glider" case from the not too distant past (Blizzard v. MDY Industries). In short, that case was about a World of WarCraft "autopilot" program called Glider. Glider circumvented Warden (the WoW cheat protection software). The short version of the result from that case is that MDY Industries, the maker of Glider, was held liable for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement for putting out Glider, which violated WoW's End User License Agreement and Terms of Service. The opinion also upheld Blizzard's right to sue over issues that diminished the player experience.

That brings us to the GameThreat.net case. Some of this should sound pretty familiar. GameThreat.net put out a series of StarCraft 2 hacks and cheats, which worked in multiplayer. These programs were available very shortly after the launch of StarCraft 2, and that, of course, irritated Blizzard, which sent a cease and desist of some sort. While it may have initially appeared the two were in compliance, Blizzard discovered they have re-distributed their source code to others, who have continued to make it available. As a result, Blizzard is suing on basically the same premise as Glider<. As is often the case, the ideas here present a bit of a double-edged sword.

When it comes to Facebook game news, features and tips, Joystiq sister site Games.com - The Blog! has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new Facebook game, or you're just curious about your regulars, you'll find it at GDC-TB. Check out our biggest features of the week: Dragon Age Legends: BioWare's epic role-player goes social
In order to tide you Dragon Age lovers over until the sequel arrives in March, BioWare plans to release a Facebook game a few months beforehand. Play it to unlock items in Dragon Age 2 and, once again, take on Darkspawn and other creatures you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Or even a brightly lit alley.
Mafia Wars Atlantic City swings onto iPhone
Mafia Wars Atlantic City arrives on the iPhone, something totally separate from the regular iPhone version of the game. The game runs pretty smoothly, and we hope this serves as a sign that Zynga's getting closer to launching a fully-realized Mafia Wars companion app for iOS.
Simply Hospital: The cure for the common Facebook game
If you ever played any hospital tycoon game on PC, then this is the Facebook version of that same game. For social gamers who've been inundated with farming and pet simulation games, Simply Hospital makes for a welcome change of pace. Bonus for boys: The nurses have some real eye-popping assets.

Over on GAF, some screenshots of apparent file directories installed as part of the PC version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 provide some pretty strong evidence of potential DLC or cut content -- what is it about the PC versions of these games not being able to keep their mouths shut? The files detail an additional level taking place on Endor, where Starkiller The Dos apparently takes on some ewok forces. There's more detail in the GAF thread, but it's kinda spoilery, so consider yourself warned.

There's also some stuff pointing to additional costumes, challenges and some different colored crystals for pimping out your lightsaber -- your run-of-the-mill DLC-type stuff. We've contacted LucasArts for comment on the potential DLC/cut content. We'll update you all as soon as we hear back.

#clips Last month game journalists gathered to check out Nintendo's upcoming game Kirby's Epic Yarn. This is the room in which they played. More »

#xbox360 Kotaku has already put Kinect through its paces, testing its voice and face recognition capabilities and how well it performs under imperfect lighting conditions. We haven't tested it naked (as far as I know...) but other people have. More »

#screengrab Just to screw with you, GameStop's put Gran Turismo 5, which was originally planned to release on Tuesday, on the hood of Joey Logan's No. 20 Toyota for tomorrow's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. Seen via GoJoeyLogano.com More »

This WRUP was originally going to be titled "Kinect makes us rub Bengay all weekend," but that would have just sounded juvenile. Speaking of juvenile, we're not kids anymore and Kinect proved it. Dance Central, Your Shape? Seriously, just slather us in Icy Hot, because everything aches at the moment.

What's everyone playing?

Next week, Rockin' Android will grace PSN with another of its localized Japanese indie games. However, instead of a shmup, this time the publisher has chosen Crescent Pale Mist, a magical-themed action-platformer developed by Classic Shikoukairo. Rockin' Android has worked with Sony Online Entertainment to spruce up the graphical effects for this ridiculously overblown-looking action game.

You can see the result for yourself after the break -- sorceress Yunou runs, jumps, and slashes at super-speed against swirling, explosive backdrops. There's really nothing "pale" about it! It'll be out Tuesday for $5.99.

This coming Tuesday November 9th, 2010 the TF2 item system will be down for maintenance starting at 1pm PST and ending at approximately 2:30PST. We are significantly increasing the amount of database horsepower behind TF2 to accommodate all the recent additions to the system. During this maintenance the following TF2 features will be unavailable:

• Backpacks
• Crafting
• Trading
• The MannCo store
• Loadouts

The game itself will continue to work. All players will have their default appearance and weapons.

To keep abreast of the status of this and future TF2 item maintenance, subscribe to this thread in the TF2 forum.

Note to developers using the TF2 Item Web API: As part of this maintenance all item IDs will change to eliminate negative IDs. We will be shifting all item IDs forward by 2100000. Depending on what data you store in your database, you may need to do the same.

Ubisoft's mini-game collection misses the mark.

#deals Holiday shopping madness is just around the corner, with deals from post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales heralding video game savings. In addition to temporary price cuts, it appears new PlayStation 3, PSP and Nintendo DS bundles are en route. More »

The Call of Duty: Black Ops cross-promotional marketing continues with the revelation of specially branded shades from Gunnar Optics, makers of "digital performance eyewear." The glasses are being manufactured in conjunction with Mad Catz, which is responsible for all official Black Ops accessories. The decked out specs appear to sport the same design as Gunnar's MLG Legend model, and feature handsome Black Ops branding on the sides and are designed to reduce eyestrain during long sessions with your favorite digital screens -- and reportedly, they actually work too.

Amazon has the glasses listed for $80, which is relatively cheap compared to some of Gunnar's offerings. One of Swords also notes that the set will include a carrying case, cloth bag and a USB drive. According to Amazon, the drive will be of the 1GB variety and will pack a download code for the "Bradygames Call of Duty: Black Ops Mini guide."

#webcomics Last week we put our current Sunday Comics features and 13 new candidates up for a vote. The results are in and your new page arrives Sunday. Find out who stays, who goes, and who got invited! More »