All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

If you’re worrying about the fate of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie in the states, this is going to make you even more uneasy. Amazon has yanked the price they had for the title, as well as the ability to preorder. That can’t be good when considering the possibility of localization.

Who wouldn’t like to have a fireplace at home? Now you can turn your television into a fireplace, equipped with realistic graphics and a fire that will almost burn you. You must be wondering…but what is ‘Fireplacing’? The answer is very simple: ‘Fireplacing’ is exactly what it seems. You’re about to try the first hyper-realistic [...]

Ever wonder why the ghosts in Pac-Man do what they do? Yes, we all know that they’re out to kill Pac-Man, but how does the game make them do what they do? We all may think of Pac-Man as a rather simple game, but there are still some complicated processes going on behind-the-scenes. [...]

#gameoftheweek If ever there was a time where dashboard-quitting a multiplayer game would be justified, it would be fumbling your first three kickoff returns in Madden NFL 11. Reader Pd771 stuck with it though, pulling off a righteously satisfying comeback. More »

Team Fortress 2 is ever-evolving and a new initiative from Valve hopes to make this rampant evolution a bit safer for all players through the Team Fortress 2 public beta. Accessible to all owners of the game on Steam (open your Library then install "Team Fortress 2 Beta" from your games list), it's a special version of the game that lets Valve tinker around with game mechanics while you test 'em out live. Think: scientist and guinea pig. You're the guinea pig.

Valve has detailed the first few changes in the beta right now and published a brief FAQ -- if you've still got questions, hit up the link below.

[Thanks, John]

The gang over at NWR are trying to pull together some cash to benefit the Child’s Play organization. If you feel like listening in to their charity event, hit up the link below. Of course, a donation would surely be appreciated!

#indie Canabalt, the flash smash and iPhone indie hit, got a special two-player version from the game's creator and it will be showcased in the Winnitron, a touring arcade cabinet featuring several top-notch indie hits. This badass trailer was created for both. More »

Look, we love Monkey Island, The Dig and all those other classic 2D adventure games just as much as the next guys -- but isn't it time we move into the third dimension? GoG's offering a cheap primer into this brave new world this weekend, halving the cost of four (very depth-filled) adventure games.

#deals Hollywood lost one of its most quotable comedic actors this week when Leslie Nielsen, 84, passed away at a Fort Lauderdale hospital. It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now. More »

#originals Electronic Arts' CEO described a nail-biting 150-hour finish for NBA Elite 11, and the choice he made to cancel the game outright. "There aren't many decisions that are essentially squarely on my desk," John Riccitiello told Kotaku. "This was one." More »

Which is to say, none at all. There's a vampire and a monster and a girl who's a monster and a bunch of Prinnies and they almost kiss and then the world blows up in a church and there's a -- oh, forget it. Just go watch it after the break.

We haven't heard much about the actual quality of Michael Jackson: The Experience's DS iteration, but its anti-piracy measures are absolutely top-notch. Pirates who have downloaded ROMs of the game -- for ... some reason -- have reported that two major problems have found their way into the illicit version of the game: Many of the game's touchscreen controls are rendered non-functional, and also, oh yeah, a vuvuzela just happens to be blaring over all the songs.

While the infamous party horn adds a little something something to MJ's mixes, it probably makes it a little difficult to keep up with the dancing. Check out a brief, off-screen video of the anti-piracy horn in action posted after the jump.

#nsfw Ukrainian artist Protsenko Pavel has a thing for Mass Effect 2, leaving us with this..interesting gallery, where men look like fire-proof war machines while women look like sexy little pin-up models. More »

Ronimo Games has released a new patch for Swords and Soldiers on the PlayStation Network, bringing PlayStation Move support to the cartoony and entertaining 2D RTS title. Now you can control your little Vikings and Aztecs just by waving your hand -- presuming that your hand is holding one of those Move wands with the glowing ball on top.

The company also tells us that the PC version's release on Steam last week went well and, to celebrate, is making the game available for 20% off the usual price -- just $7.99 after the discount.

#music The opening theme for Civilization IV is the first original composition associated with a video game to be a finalist nominee for a Grammy. The track, "Baba Yetu," is in the "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists" category. More »

Blitz's Overdrive is now THE BEST MOVEMENT SPEED BUFF EVER

The rest of him still sucks though

Corki is still EXACTLY THE SAME, and is still pretty much UNGANKABLE

Idol of Durand no longer does more damage than Tibbers

Kog'Maw gets nerfed in ENTIRELY THE WRONG PLACE

Miss Fortune doesn't run as fast

Pantheon now resembles something close to viable

Sona is even less of MASH HEAD ON KEYBOARD, RECIEVE WIN

Twitch is less of an unstoppable rape machine

Veigar doesn't run out of mana

Ezreal doesn't get buffed AT ALL

AND THE BIG, META-GAME DISLODGING CHANGE

Skins

• Reduced the size of the Monarch Kog'Maw skin by approximately 10%

#screengrab Dean Fraser hits it out of the park once again. As seen on Springfield Punx. More »

According to a report from The Korea Times, Blizzard CEO Paul Sams is none too happy with Korean channels MBC Game and OnGameNet. They've been broadcasting StarCraft tournaments without the company's consent, Sams revealed in a press conference in Seoul yesterday. Last month, Blizzard filed to sue both networks and he says the company is currently considering filing against the Korea e-Sports Players Association (KeSPA) as well, who manage these tournaments. Bupropion seems to be having little effect on the popularity of the game in the country.

The other side of the argument, uh, argues that games used in public tournaments such as these should be considered part of the public domain and Blizzard has no right to charge licensing fees. "StarCraft is not a public domain offering, as Blizzard has invested significant money and resources to create the StarCraft game and the overall StarCraft universe,'' Sams said. "Classifying StarCraft and other e-sports as part of the public domain deprives developers such as Blizzard of their IP rights. There will be no incentive to do what Blizzard had done to balance the games for competition, which is a more difficult task than creating a normal game." Back in August, Blizzard inked a deal to the broadcast rights for StarCraft 2 with GomTV.

Currently, the company is deciding whether to file a preliminary injunction against the broadcasts, which would legally halt all contests until the dispute could be settled in or out of court.

#rumor A second Prototype game? How many people actually want this? More »

For those Mario lovers who want more commemorative book than is included with the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, Enterbrain is publishing its own brand of "Super Mario 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book" in Japan on December 9.

The 144-page page-turner includes a retrospective interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, a collection of Mario manga, stickers and a poster, and a CD of orchestrated Mario music from the Press Start Symphony of Games concert series. If you don't mind a little (okay, probably a lot) of Japanese text along with your Mario ephemera, you can pre-order a copy from Amazon Japan for ¥840 -- that's about $10.

#sports Hint: They're 3-8, have no hope of making the playoffs and fired their coach. But Tony Romo doesn't have a busted collarbone in cyberspace either, and the Dallas Cowboys are still the preferred side for thousands. More »

In a lot of ways, this WoW video taken in Stormwind by MrZoddiak defies classification -- it's not a music video, nor is it a re-enactment. Regardless of what we all finally agree to call it, one thing is certain: it's damn impressive.