GameGal.com Newsfeed: March 2004 Archives

« February 2004 | Main | April 2004 »

March 30, 2004

Xbox Price Cut Official

As mentioned previously, Microsoft has now officially announced a drop in the suggested retail price for their Xbox system � to $149. Everyone suspects Sony will follow suit as both companies try and push hardware sales ahead of the announcements of their next generation of gaming machines.

If you only have one or the other, this is a great chance to complete your console setup! According to the official Microsoft press release, that�s only 1,999 pesos!

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/mar04/03-29ConsolePriceDropPR.asp

Posted by gamegal at 02:06 PM

Ninjas are Back!

We�ve always had a soft spot for Ninjas. So we�re pleased to see that the new Ninja Gaiden game, currently eating up a lot of our Xbox time, is doing well, with 500,00 copies shipped to North America so far (that�s a lot).

As Tina Brown would say, ninjas are v.v. hot!

Link: http://www.ninjagaidengame.com/

Posted by gamegal at 02:06 PM

Games for iPod

Ok, the iPod isn�t going to replace your GBA anytime soon as a gaming platform, but there is a clever bit of software out there now for creating your own custom iPod games.

iStory Creator let�s you create a text-based adventure game (like an old Choose Your Own Adventure book), and share it with other iPod users. There are already several on the site to download and try out.

Link: http://ipodsoft.com/iCreator.aspx

Posted by gamegal at 02:03 PM

March 25, 2004

Game On for NYC!

After years of schlepping to LA for E3, east coasters will finally have an industry event of their own. GameOn NY, the first major video game expo to hit New York, will be held November 12-14, 2004.

To be housed inside Madison Square Garden, the show will, unlike E3, be open to the public, and will reportedly feature LAN gaming, DJs, live bands and more.

Link: http://www.gameonny.com

Posted by gamegal at 04:01 PM

March 24, 2004

Times Square Goes Gaming

Video game enthusiasts have yet another reason to travel to the greatness that is the Big Apple–a video game billboard in the heart of Times Square.

Yahoo! Autos has put up a gigantic ad that features a car racing game, and anyone with a cellphone can play. So if you find yourself on 43rd Street and Broadway scouting for celebs in the MTV studios, you can pass the time by dialing 1-800-660-4402. When your turn arrives, use the '2' button to accelerate and the '8' button to slow down. No steering necessary.

Passers-by will be able to play the game for approx. 25 minutes out of every hour, from now through April 22.

LINK: http://www.ny1.com/Living/technology.html

Posted by gamegal at 03:50 PM

PS2 Gets Internal Hard Drive

Sony announced that it will be enhancing the PlayStation 2 gaming experience with a 40G harddrive, now available in most retail outlets.

The much talked about hard drive carries a pricetag of $99 and comes pre-loaded with Final Fantasy XI, the first massively multiplayer online game in the much-beloved series from Square Enix.

The hard drive attaches to the gaming machine's network adaptor (available for $39.99), and the conglomoration then slides into the console's expansion bay.

Sony expects the hard drive to boost appeal of the PS2's online gameplay component, as well as a place to download game updates. No word yet on if players will be able to save games on the hard drive as per the Xbox.

LINK: http://www.us.playstation.com/pressreleases.aspx?id=186

Posted by gamegal at 01:45 PM

March 22, 2004

Diet Coke: A History

If you're any self-respecting gamer, you most likely have a drink of choice when you settle down for gaming hours on end. If you're concerned with contracting a severe case of gamer's ass, you probably opt for a low-cal, yet caffeinated concoction. Like Diet Coke. With or without lime.

For all of you Diet Coke-heads out there, The Black Table has published a history of your favorite, figure-friendly soda.

LINK: http://www.blacktable.com/gillin040317.htm

Posted by gamegal at 09:01 AM

And the Shards Will Be As One

If you're a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) fanatic, then the term "shard" may make you grit your teeth and clench your fists. Don't despair. Sun Microsystems might have a solution.

At the Game Developer's Conference, March 22-29, Sun will show off a prototype of a game server that will allow game companies to up their server capacity without forcing online players to play in isolation in different shards.

For less experienced MMOG players, a shard is a identical copy of an online game on a different server. You are usually assigned to a shard when you start a new online game. Sometimes you can select which shard you want to play in, but if it has reached capacity, you must select another.

If all of your pals have already started playing in the full shard, you're gonna be stuck playing by your lonesome in a parallel universe. Nothing like a little isolation to ruin the MMOG experience.

The player-friendly game server technology is still in its beginning stages, and a release date has not been announced.

Link: http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,62736,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4

Posted by gamegal at 08:45 AM | Comments (1)

Teen wields knife after video game curfew

In Hong Kong, a 13-year-old boy threatened his parents with a knife after they turned off his videogame at midnight and told him to go to bed. The father managed to overpower the boy and no one was hurt in the early Sunday morning incident.

No news yet as to what game teen was playing, and no comments from video game opponents who often blame game content for such anti-social behaviors.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/fun.games/03/16/boy.videogame.reut/index.html

Posted by gamegal at 08:08 AM | Comments (3)

March 19, 2004

Console Price Wars, Part II

News reports are currently circulating that Microsoft is planning to cut the street price of the Xbox console in the coming weeks. The plan has two goals � to boost game sales going into the soft summer months and to stick it to archrival Sony, by undercutting the PS2 by $20.

If the plan goes through, expect Sony to match the price cut, probably with a well-timed E3 announcement.

Link: http://money.cnn.com/

Posted by gamegal at 01:52 PM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2004

Pandora Tomorrow Demo Released

Want to get your hands on Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow? The PC and Xbox versions come out on the 23rd, with PS2 and GameCube in July. But, you can hop on over to the official website right now and download the newly released single-player PC demo.

Link: http://www.splintercell.com/us/downloads.php#finanim

Posted by gamegal at 03:46 PM

Cuddly Germs for Sale

Sure, real-life germs and microbes are icky, but how can you resist adorable plush versions? ThinkGeek has a whole collection, from the Rhinovirus (the common cold) to Streptococcus (sore throat)

Keep a few of these stuffed critters on your desk to remind you to buy more anti-bacterial hand cream.

Link: http://www.thinkgeek.com/cubegoodies/toys/6708/

Posted by gamegal at 03:44 PM

Nintendo DS Gets IM

CNN/Money reports that the new Nintendo DS (duel screen) handheld will do a lot more than just play games. While we still have virtually no idea what the DS is or how it works, rumors are already flying that the unit will be able to play full-length movies and use some kind of wireless instant messaging system.

The current thinking runs that the still-unseen unit will sport two three-inch LCD screens, each with its own processor. The design is said to be similar to the clamshell style of the Game Boy SP.

Of course, this could all be dead wrong, and we�ll have to wait for a possible E3 unveiling to be sure�

Link: http://money.cnn.com/2004/03/16/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/

Posted by gamegal at 11:25 AM

March 16, 2004

Galaxies Re-examined

Our pals over at GameSpy have a great long-form feature about the phenomena that is Star Wars Galaxies. Single-handedly responsible for bringing in tons of people who would have never played a massively multiplayer online game, SWG effectively mainstreamed the genre, even while fighting off more technical problems than you can shake a lightsaber at.

Current estimates put the number of subscribers at anywhere from 100,000-200,000 or more, making it the #2 MMO game of all time.

Link: http://www.gamespy.com/articles/march04/galaxies/01/

Posted by gamegal at 05:38 PM

March 14, 2004

Street Fighter Tourney Hits Brooklyn

The founders of the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival are kickin� it old school by hosting a Street Fighter II tournament on March 21, 2004, starting at 7 p.m. To enter, take five bucks and your finely tuned gaming skills to 88 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn and register to compete.

As further incentive, each time your magic gaming moves disqualify another player, you�ll receive a shot of booze on the house. In addition to a killer buzz, the tournament winner will pocket half of the entrance fees. Cheap drinks will be on hand for everyone else. Spectators welcome.

Posted by gamegal at 05:44 PM

March 12, 2004

Researchers Compare Counterstrike, Chess

A study at Loyola University in Chicago concludes that online games like Counter-Strike, with their strategy and tactics, are the much like a game of chess. Additionally, they promote social values by relying so heavily on trust and cooperation, a concept often missed by casual observers who equate gaming with mindless action.

The professor in charge of the study says, �There's a cultural motif that underlies the critiques that go on around this. The idea of mindless activity is given short shrift in culture where productivity is given the highest praise."

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2744449.stm

Posted by gamegal at 01:29 PM

March 10, 2004

It's Game Over for UPN

Tonight, UPN will take the mainstreaming of video game culture to the next level with Game Over, an animated comedy about the day-to-day lives of a family of video game characters.

The Smashenburn family invites you into their home in digital suburbia, where they try to live a normal life among monsters, action heroes and fantasy creatures. After all, you never know when a backyard barbecue will be interrupted by a gaggle of goons bent on wreaking havoc.

Actress Lucy Liu provides the voice for the family matriarch, Raquel, and Seinfeld 's Patrick Warburton voices the father, Rip. Both make a living playing video game characters: Mom as a Lara Croft-style super-agent in search of priceless relics and Dad as a Grand Prix driver.

The family pet Turbo, voiced by Artie Lang from the Howard Stern Show, seems to be the sitcom's stand-out character. The wisecracking, cigar-puffing, liquor-swilling creature seems to give a honorary nod to Robert Smigel as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. (Although we hear his funniest bits were cut by nervous network execs in the wake of the current media indecency hysteria.)

Game Over debuts tonight, Wednesday at 8/7c on UPN.

Link: http://www.gameover.tv/characterbios.html

Posted by gamegal at 12:31 PM | Comments (4)

March 09, 2004

UK Hosts Women Gaming Conference

Though you�ll have to travel to Old Blighty to attend, the University of Portsmouth in Portmouth, UK, will be holding a Women in Gaming Conference on June 10-11. The two-day affair aims to provide premium networking for women in the biz. See press release below for the deets.

Link: http://www.womeningames.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE: Beyond the Sims and Barbie Magic Hair Styler!

At last: a conference for women who work in the games industry! Still in a minority, there is a great need for women to work in the games industry. A recent poll by the Entertainment Software Association found that more women were playing games than teenage boys (26% women 18+, 21% boys 6 to 17).

On the 10th and 11th June 2004 the Department of Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth is holding a Women in Games Conference.

The conference is billed as �Two days of empowerment for women working in the games industry� and offers important continuing professional development. This is believed to be the first conference of its kind anywhere in the world.

The full roster of speakers is not finalised yet, but already Sheri Graner-Ray from Sony Online Entertainment in Texas, the author of �Gender Inclusive Game Design�, Helen Kennedy from the Play Research Group at the University of the West of England and Aleksandra Krotoski, presenter of Thumb Bandits and Bits on Channel 4, who is researching into games for her PhD at the University of Surrey, have agreed to talk at the conference. Karl Jeffery, the CEO of Climax, Europe�s biggest independent game developer, is giving an opening address and Tara Solesbury from Wired Sussex is talking about her Game Girl initiative, aimed at attracting girls to the games industry.

There are both lectures and breakout sessions to give attendees the opportunity to analyse the role of women in the games industry and discuss the future of games that appeal to female gamers. The event also promises to be a great place for networking with a �networking meal� at a local restaurant on the Thursday night.

The Women in Games Conference is a unique opportunity for reflecting on games and the games industry from a feminine perspective.

For more information talk to Mark Eyles (mark.eyles@port.ac.uk) or visit www.womeningames.com.

Posted by gamegal at 11:40 AM

Prime Time Games Eat Away at TV

Sony has released an internal study purporting to show that online gaming peaks from 5-11pm, taking a bite out of traditional prime time TV viewing. With TV execs foaming at the mouth and accusing the Nielson rating people of �misplacing� a large chunk of viewers this past year, this study may provide a clue as to where they�ve all gone.

Sony would only demurely say that, �Online gaming may increasingly pose a challenge for broadcasters.�

Link: http://www.us.playstation.com/pressreleases.aspx?id=176

Posted by gamegal at 11:03 AM

Women Gamers Go Pro

It may seem like the most overwrought story on the planet, but BBC News reports that, yes, women do play video games�even violent ones.

Now these rare specimen are playing for profit. Take a gander at DoMe, a cadre of lovely Danish dames who have no mercy when it comes to killing for cash.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3496963.stm

Posted by gamegal at 10:56 AM

Xbox Live! Loves the Ladies

Microsoft carries a soft spot for the ladies, as the company gives its public relations arm a mandate to expose the growing number of women gamers to Xbox Live!, along with other game-related products from Billy G's empire.

First stop—the whip-smart Stevie Case, who turned a now-legendary victory over John Romero into a gaming empire.

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/games/learnmore/womeningames.asp

Posted by gamegal at 10:42 AM

March 08, 2004

Sam & Max: Unemployed Police

We�re sorry to hear that LucasArts has canceled the in-development version of Sam & Max 2. The early �90s original, Sam & Max Hit the Road, was a classic point-and-click adventure game, based on the groovy underground comic about a dog and rabbit who fight crime. It was even a Fox Kids animated show for one season.

In a press release, LucasArts says, in part, �We�ve decided that this was not the appropriate time to launch a graphic adventure.�

Link: http://www.lucasarts.com/press/releases/85.html

Posted by gamegal at 04:32 PM

March 05, 2004

Xbox 2 Hard Drive Mystery Continues

The rumor floating around in rumorville for some time is that the next version of Microsoft's Xbox console will arrive sans hard drive. Right now, Xbox is the only console system with a HD, foregoing the need for separate memory cards.

At 8GB, as opposed to the skimpy 8MB that comes on a $29.95 PS2 memory card, we always liked not worrying about being able to save as many Xbox games as we wanted.

Microsoft has so far refused to confirm the death of the Xbox 2 hard drive, but M-Systems, a flash memory manufacturer, says that they are supplying a memory-card-like device for the next-gen console. Exorcising the hard drive will reportedly save Microsoft $20 per unit on the new machines.

Link: news.com.com/2100-1043_3-5170899.html?tag=nefd_top

Posted by gamegal at 06:01 PM

March 03, 2004

N-Gage Ads Banned

A series of N-Gage ads has been banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority. The ads were cited as "likely to cause offence and distress," and are similar to ones seen here.

The ads, including one with an trailer in the woods and the quote, "This is where I left Kate, Lucy and Michelle begging for more," are really nothing compared to some of the mindelssly sexist game advertising seen everywhere in the US.

Link: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk

Posted by gamegal at 02:09 PM

Women-Designed Volvo Unveiled

Automaker Volvo has unveiled a new concept car, designed by women engineers for women drivers, at a European auto show.

Dubbed the YCC (Your Concept Car), it includes seat pads that can be removed for cleaning, special compartments for umbrellas and keys, and a split in the headrest for ponytails (we never would have thought of that...). A body-scanning system automatically adjusts the seats, mirrors and steering wheel for you.

Less endearing is the hood of the car, which has been molded shut and can only be opened by a Volvo mechanic, in order to prevent female drivers from having to mess about under there. Fortunately, this is a car that will never actually be produced -- auto companies use concept cars to show off wild ideas design ideas and generate press coverage (like this).

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3528757.stm

Posted by gamegal at 11:49 AM

March 02, 2004

NVIDIA Favored for Doom III

Doom III is one of those hotly anticipated games that seems like it's never going to come out (like Half-Life 2 or Halo 2). Accordingly, any bit of news about it is made into a major deal.

Now Nvidia, maker of the GeForce line of videocard chips, has announced a special deal with developer id software, making the GeForce FX the recommended card to play Doom III with. Pretty exciting, huh? Only really interesting because you wonder what special features users of ATI or other cards will miss out on.

In any event, since Doom III seems to be shaping up to be a straight run 'n' gun shooter, we're not really getting ourselves in a tizzy about it.

Link: http://www.nvidia.com/object/nzone_doom3_home.html

Posted by gamegal at 11:50 AM

Star Wars DVD Art

By now, you've already heard that the original Star Wars trilogy is coming to DVD later this year. Your enthusiasm has probably been curbed by the fact that these will be the "Special Edition" versions, not the original cuts, and there's no commentary tracks or deleted scenes, just a 4th DVD with documentaries (like the underwhelming Indiana Jones set).

Well, here's some new news in case you're still interested -- a company out in LA has apparently been working on the designs for the DVD set, and they accidentally posted them briefly on their website. Of course, they got yanked right away, but now copies are floating around all over the web.

Link: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/tout-starwars/newsot.html