There isn’t a whole lot that can be said for the new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith expansion. The name basically explains it all. However, it does feel a bit like the Guitar Hero is just gouging fans when Rock Band allows for so much downloadable content without having to purchase entirely new games at full price. Perhaps some people just really, really want a digital Steven Tyler? Perhaps those same people really, really liked Revolution X.
The Globe and Mail has an interesting column up by Chad Sapieha about the timelessness, or lack thereof, of video games. Basically, his argument is that video games, unlike film and literature, are not timeless. That a game played today will not echo with the same resonance ten years down the line. He has a point.
The problem with such arguments is that many tend to dismiss any game past a generation old. In other words, if it hasn’t been released in the past five years many will argue the title is irrelevant and, more absurd, no longer fun. Seriously? Why do people believe this?
Yes, that may sound like an odd headline, but truth is truth. Gamers living in Brunei would like very much to buy non-pirated games, but are finding it difficult to locate such titles. Dealers claim the overwhelming demand is still for cheap, pirated copies, however.
So, why are some searching out the real thing? To play online, of course. With Microsoft and others banning gamers from playing popular online titles such as Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 on modified consoles or with pirated software, many gamers find themselves rethinking the habit of pirating titles. The problem is that in Brunei it isn’t exactly easy to find the real deal.
Have you recently been bored with all the old content on Xbox Live Marketplace? Has one more viewing of a South Park episode from four years ago left you cold? Well, then Microsoft may have some good news for you. Original shows are coming to Xbox Live.
What exactly are these original shows? Well, that’s not really clear at the moment. Peter Safran will apparently produce the content through his company Safran Company (yes, very clever). So, what exactly does his name mean? He works with the guys who brought the world Epic Movie and the woman who brought the world My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Yes, not exactly stellar credentials.
The Wii is getting some new Virtual Console games. “Alright!” cry the fanboys, who run to their Wii. Will it be some-school SNES or N64 games? Nope. How about some rare Sega Genesis games to hold us over until Mario Kart? Nope. The new Virtual Console games are going to be Sega Master System games.
Most don’t remember the Master System as it was Sega’s first attempt at a home console, in 1986. Graphically superior and more powerful then the NES it sold well in Europe and South America, but sold poorly in North America and Japan, due to Nintendo’s hold on the market.
After the successful rebirth of the Resident Evil franchise in Resident Evil 4, can anything truly wow as much? Better graphics alone won’t do it, right? Well, not so fast. The latest footage from Resident Evil 5 now only wows, but it shows a refinement of the franchise, even if it is just in degrees.
In the whole argument over whether or not video games are art, one issue that often goes overlooked is whether or not the industry truly wants that burden. A recent Associated Press story covering war games says the industry doesn’t want to get too serious for the fear they might seem too frivolous to cover serious matters. They have a legitimate concern.
Cheating is a splendid thing. It allows you to get ahead without any of the effort of those you hope to emulate. No wonder so many people do it. Microsoft, however, is not a fan.
That’s why as of Tuesday, Microsoft struck back (yes, the evil empire struck back). Those who had been artificially inflating their Gamerscore and Achievement totals found a nasty little surprise. Microsoft reset them. That’s right, all the way to zero.
You may not remember Dark Castle, but it already spawned one classic sequel. Think of it as a medieval Prince of Persia, but in black and white and for the Mac. The update is nothing graphically to crow about, but then again it isn’t trying to be. It’s classic 2D gaming celebrating its 2Dness. As this pseudo-retro-revival continues, it’s interesting to see just how much life is left in the classic gaming setup. Return to Dark Castle likely won’t win any awards or set sales records, just like those games of yore. And just like them, it remembers that isn’t always the reason for making a great game.
Sure, the stereotype is of the fat kid alone in his parents’ basement playing video games, but a new study says that may not be accurate. Well, at least it says the kid may not be quite so fat, quite so fast. West Virginia University researchers are claiming Dance Dance Revolution can at least slow weight gain in kids.
West Virginia’s pilot program was to install Dance Dance Revolution into every state middle school. But did it actually help? Researchers wanted to know, so they monitored 35 overweight children between the ages of 7 and 12. What they found was that kids who played Dance Dance Revolution on a nightly basis only gained 2 pounds during the 24 week study. That compares to kids who did not play and gained 5.3 pounds. (more…)
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