Current Feed Content from 4 Sep 08 09:38
Exploring the PlayStation Home Beta
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:22:37 -0500Like many of you, I downloaded the Home theme in hopes of receiving a golden ticket from Sony. Luckily, I was selected to take part in the Home Beta and have since then explored the world of Home inside and out. However, is Sony building an architectural masterpiece? Or could Home simply be an over-hyped waste of time? Well, I hope to answer these questions and give you some good honest feedback on my experience with Home in its current beta form. Firstly, not every option is available in the current state of Home. Certain aspects are still locked away and in development. This, ultimately, means I will only be able to share with you the experiences currently available.Thailand Bans 5 Old Games
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:58:30 -0500Thailand is setting the trend of what they hope will eventually become the norm of all countries around the world. They are banning video games that are a hundred years old. Announced in a press release, Thailand's Ministry of Culture has named 5 games that are considered catalysts to murder and the downfall of ethics within the country. The games banned are Hitman, 300: The Video Game, Killer Seven, Hitman: Blood Money, and 50 Cent: Bullet Proof. I don't even know what to say. If anyone is found to be distributing or selling these games, legal action will be taken immediately. It goes on to mention that importing and distribution of GTA, which was one of the 10 dangerous games, has now been halted. It does not list GTA on its banned list, nor does it say it's been added, but the non-import and distribution say it all.Anyone looking to register for a gaming store permit can do so at 02-247-0028 ext. 5555.Another sad day for civil liberties... -- CNET I'm a little confused. Thailand is a country where prostitution runs rampant, live sex shows are held on an hourly basis, and you can pay to shoot a fully automatic rifle. This is all very acceptable and common place. Yet, one crazy guy says that he played Grand Theft Auto and all of a sudden they throw all of their problems onto the video game industry? There's definitely a problem here and I don't believe it has anything to do with gaming.Voiceover Master Don LaFontaine Passes Away
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:33:40 -0500Regretfully late with this one, as on Sunday, Don LaFontaine passed away. Who, you ask? You may not know his name, but you no doubt knew his voice: Don LaFontaine was a masterful voiceover artist, who as you can see (or hear) did voiceovers for not just the trailers for movies, but video games as well. Among those credits are the narration for PowerSlave, and trailers for Resistance 2, and perhaps more. Let's face it, he got around, and for good reason. Here are two other clips, though non-game related, to remember him by. The first features him with several of his colleagues, which you may recognize once you hear them. The other was perhaps his most recent work, a humorous ad for Geico car insurance. Few could make something seem as epic as he could by simply talking, and I for one will miss hearing his voice accompany so many trailers and commercials. Here's hoping he rests well; I've heard he was a great person in addition to a great voiceover, so I think he deserves it.The Wii Shouldn't Cost More than an Xbox 360, Time for a Price Cut
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:27:42 -0500It's official. Microsoft will be dropping the price of Xbox 360 on September 5, and the cheapest SKU will sell for less than the Wii. Of course, Nintendo won't respond to this price drop with its own -- not unless Xbox 360 sales start eating away at Wii's. So, perhaps in a month, if that's the case, Nintendo will react by dropping Wii's price. I truly do hope that we see a noticeable rise in Xbox 360 hardware sales and a huge dip in Wii sales during September. The Wii just shouldn't cost more than the Xbox 360 (even the gimped, HDD-less Xbox 360 Arcade). From a consumer standpoint, a price drop for Wii is due. The console has been on the market for two years now and has been overpriced from the start. Sure, the Wii is novel because of its unique controller. But that novelty isn't enough to warrant a $250 price tag when the guts of the machine are equal to the original Xbox and GameCube's, two systems that are seven years old. Unfortunately for consumers who are being ripped off by the Wii's price tag, the system will probably continue to sell at its current pace, and even if Xbox 360 sales increase, that doesn't mean Wii's will drop. After all, why should Nintendo drop the console's price if it keeps selling? It shouldn't, and it won't. Only if Wii's sales are affected by this price drop will Nintendo react with its own. Let's hope that consumers use their spending dollars to send the signal to Nintendo that its console needs a price cut.The Only Thing Really Altered is the Console Vampire Rain Appears on
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:20:37 -0500Vampire Rain, heard of the game? You fight vampires... in the rain. The best way to describe how the game plays is like watching a low budget movie from Japan that tries really hard to resemble a popular Hollywood movie. Instead of Sam Fischer or Solid Snake, you play as John Lloyd a guy that kinda looks like Fischer with the about a quarter of the moves of Snake. Not only that, but Lloyd's squad of elite commandos is a bunch of cliché stereotypes. You have the gruff black guy, the nerdy white guy and the always in peril woman. Now the PS3 has the once Xbox 360 only game and you can expect about the same from Vampire Rain: Altered Species which is more of a directors cut approach and it turns out to be not a good thing.Xbox Red Rings House
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:19:30 -0500Remember when your biggest fear about keeping your Xbox in a confined space was that it would red ring, leaving you without any entertainment for the next month? The Chudleigh family of Cochrane, Alberta are probably wishing that was all that happened. In the afternoon of September 1, their house filled up with smoke after the owner couldn't locate a burning plastic smell. The cause of that burning plastic smell? The family's Xbox. Homeowner Cliff Chudleigh made the call after he couldn't locate a burning plastic smell. Chudleigh turn off the power and evacuated the house with his wife and kids while firefighters searched the house for the cause of the smoke. Cochrane Fire/EMS station officer Grant MacKinnon confirmed the source of the problem was an Xbox game console inside a cabinet. "There was no actual flame, it looked like an electrical short. The firefighters let the smoke out and problem was solved, " he said. -- Cochrane Times Let that be a lesson to everyone. Keep your Xbox in a location with plenty of air circulation and not only will you not be afflicted with the dreaded red ring, but you and your loved ones will stay alive. The Xbox 360s of the world are watching, waiting, and judging. They will ultimately decide who shall be cast into the flames. Prepare yourself.MMN Reset: Mega Man 8
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:54:21 -0500So, what was I up to this past weekend? A few things, among them finding Wii Fit and reviewing MegaMan Star Force 2. But of other interest to you would be the following, part 8 of The Mega Man Network's countdown (or perhaps that should be "count-up") to Mega Man 9. Now, let's take you back 11 years, to what was until recently the last numbered game in the original Mega Man series: I've done a bad job of updating Kombo each week with these, so let me link you to The Mega Man Network's YouTube profile, where you can find the past seven MMN Resets and more.Sony Details SOCOM Bluetooth Headset US Release
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:36:24 -0500Yesterday brought word that Japan was getting a nice Bluetooth headset for the PlayStation 3. Today, PlayStation.Blog tells us more about what we're getting on this side of the Pacific.This headset will be offered in one retail version of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation this October, as well as a standalone peripheral this fall. It features a prominent Mute button and a Charging Cradle. It will work with not only your PS3 but with Bluetooth enabled cell phones. But this is information that you already know about. Today we want to talk about some really cool features of this Headset that we have been working on behind the scenes. These features will be unlocked by the PS3 through a firmware update that is scheduled for this fall.See more after the cut.In Face of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, Hollywood Reassures Us They Can Still Screw Up Bigtime
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:24:09 -0500Hoo-boy. Couldn't really resist temptation on posting this, especially since gaming sites and non-gaming sites alike are all in an uproar over this. From Kotaku to N4G to Topless Robot they came, and they all shared but one common thought: "What the HELL, man?!" There have been some givens about this movie. Bulma won't have blue hair. Chow Yun-Fat apparently couldn't have his look changed to better resemble Master Roshi. Goku isn't an Asian (and why the hell should he be? He's a firk-ding-blasted alien, fer bootin' up cold!). But the latest revelation? It seems that it's too much... too much for Piccolo to be white. And I'm not talking caucasian here; we're talking white white. Beetlejuice white, Joker white, Powder white. At this point, I'm curious what they'll do for the game. I would be most surprised if no one made one to tie in. But then again, maybe that would be the smart thing to do. Oh, and my favorite part? Kotaku mis-referencing "Nerdorama" as "Nerd Drama." Freudian slip, much?On September 5th, Crazy Bill's is Officially Slashing Prices on Xbox 360's
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:09:41 -0500Rumors, rumors, rumors. For so long, there have been rumors of the Xbox 360 getting a price cut. Why, we're even running a poll about that very thing, and how it could affect the Wii's price. Well, friends... it is a rumor no more.Microsoft has made it official: the Xbox 360 is officially going to drop to as low as $199 starting Friday, September 5 in the U.S. The three currently offered SKUs will get a price drop in North America, following multiple retail leaks and a similar pricing adjustment for the Japanese market. The new MSRP for the current line up is as follows. * Xbox 360 Arcade - $199 * Xbox 360 - $299 * Xbox 360 Elite - $399 Yes, that makes the Xbox 360 officially the least expensive current generation console following an $80 price cut on the Arcade model. -- KotakuHow about that? The Wii's no longer the cheapest date you can buy. Now that it's official, are you going to buy one? Or, as may be the case, get a replacement?PSP 3000 Battery Life: Now Longer Lasting, Better Tasting
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:58:56 -0500It looks like things aren't all gloom 'n doom for the PSP 3000's battery life after all.Hi, everyone, there have been reports about the battery life of the new PSP system (PSP-3000) being shorter than the current model (PSP-2000), following an interview we recently did with Gamespot. I'd like to make a correction and clarify that the new PSP will have equivalent battery life to the current PSP, about 4 to 6 hours for games and about 4 to 5 hours for UMD videos. While the enhanced screen of the new PSP draws a little more power, our engineers in Japan worked to reduce the power consumption of the overall system including its components, so you won't have to worry about losing any time when enjoying the more vibrant visuals displayed with the new PSP. We hope this clears everything up, and we're certainly excited about letting you all get your hands on the new PSP and checking out the enhanced screen when it hits retail next month. -- John Koller, Hardware Marketing DirectorNot that I've really heard a lot of moaning about it, but half the sites out there are acting like some great burden has been lifted, and I'd feel just a little like the odd man out if I didn't say anything.Team Ninja Rides Again, Working on Three New Games
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:55:00 -0500Update: According to an update from Kotaku, it looks like Jin Hasegawa is in charge now, and the first of the three titles is expected in 2009. Original Story: After much controversy (enter "Tecmo, " "Team Ninja, " and "Itagaki" seperately in our News search for everything), it seems that Team Ninja, seemingly without former leader Tomonobu Itagaki, is moving on full-speed ahead, with three titles in development.Speaking at a press conference in Japan, newly appointed Tecmo president Yasuharu Kakihara announced that the beleaguered publisher's star development team is working on three new games. Sadly though, Kakihara declined to mention what these three games will be, or which platforms they're in development for. Team Ninja has been linked with several new projects in recent times, although nothing has been formally announced. -- GamerOne could easily name three games that Team Ninja could be working on-- Dead or Alive 5, Ninja Gaiden III, and DOA Xtreme 3, but it's hard to say if they'd be doing all, if any, of those without Itagaki there. Perhaps a new property could be afoot? With a new President and a possible acquisition by Square looming, Team Ninja will no doubt want to prove that they still have what it takes, with or without Itagaki.Nyko Wings It with New Classic Controller Alternative
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:32:56 -0500There she is, boys... an officially licensed alternative to the Wii Classic Controller: Nyko's wireless Wing.With a sleek aesthetic, colorful appeal and an ergonomic design, the Wing incorporates utility with a refreshing look for a value unmatched by any other controller available on the market. Nyko's wireless dongle plugs into the Wii Remote, providing up to 10 feet of wireless range and up to 30 hours of playtime on two AAA batteries. For the environmentally conscious, the Wing comes equipped with a USB port and cable for easy charging of rechargeable batteries (not included) and it boasts a rugged, durable build. "As more and more games utilizing the classic controller scheme become available through the Virtual Console and WiiWare Channels, we wanted to offer a step up to what was currently available, " said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. "With the new Wing controller, we're providing gamers with old-school gaming compatibility, combined with modern ergonomics and wireless technology. Nyko's wireless Wing classic controller will be available in October for the suggested retail price of $29.99. Please visit www.nyko.com for more information. -- Press ReleaseIn an amusing touch, Nyko has taken advantage of the papercraft fad by offering their own of the Wing, in order to allow potential customers to "build their own hands-on preview." What do you guys think? Will it be worth picking up? I'm a little uncertain of the shape, but the removal of the wire would be nice. Why these things have to work with the Wii Remote in the first place is beyond me, though.LEGO Batman: The Video Game Coming to McDonald's Happy Meals
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:13:55 -0500As the Joker says, "Why so serious?" Why indeed? Why not put a smile on that face? And what better way to do it than with a McDonald's Happy Meal? (Note: Don't answer that.) Via GoNintendo, we now know that McDonald's Happy Meal website is boasting a LEGO Happy Meal to come soon... likely after this Clone Wars rubbish clears out. Now, it's no secret that LEGO has had Batman toys available for quite some time, but what makes this interesting is that these are specifically branded as being a LEGO Batman The Video Game promotion. Personally, I'd love to get regular LEGO Batman figures, maybe with a simple vehicle or gadget, as McD's used to release for regular LEGOs in days gone by. But it wouldn't surprise me if instead they packed in small LCD games, which have become more common in recent years. And on a final note, just think: The Joker and Ronald McDonald, face-to-face, under the same roof. There's a meeting that's long overdue. "Let me tell you how I got these scars... see, one day, I was trying to eat a Big Mac, but the damn thing wouldn't fit, and so..."Rumor: Killer Music Reveals Killer Instinct 3
Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:04:34 -0500According to Rare fansite MundoRare, they were contacted by an anonymous Microsoft employee who passed along the images of some sheet music for what is labeled as the "Killer Instinct 3 Main Theme."As you can see at the very top, it's labeled "Killer Instinct 3 -Main Title-" as it then goes into notes. Despite the first reaction in your heads being "Oh, here we go, Rare's teasing us again", there might be some form of legitimacy to this. A few months ago, EGM's Quartermann reported rumblings of a Killer Instinct 3. Not only that, but Nick Burton slyly hinted on Rare's future offerings possibly being both new and old IP. Regardless, if the game is actually in development right now, what we're going through at the moment is a hell of a pre-release promotion. MR will keep you updated as news breaks. In the meanwhile, musicians, why not play this yourself and confirm whether or not it actually sounds like KI, or if it's music-speak for "You're not ever getting this game?" Bonus points if you upload it on YouTube and you don't sound crap. -- MundoRareSounds like a plan... the full-size image of the music sheet is behind the link; is there anyone here reading Kombo that would like to take a stab at that? I'd love to see Killer Instinct 3 surface... though, I must confess: I had more fun playing the Super NES version than I did the arcade.
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