Have Yourselves a (Non)Geeky Valentine!
Ah love is in the air… or at least that’s what the stores want you to believe – and with the red, pink, hearts galore, who wouldn’t be in the mood for some romance? Once Christmas and New Years are over, inevitably you’ll see the winter decorations shoved to the For Sale shelves, making way for the cuddly toys hugging hearts, proclaiming undying love and ownership.
Valentine’s Day – a much disputed holiday: It’s a Hallmark marketing scheme! It originated from a jailed martyr that happened to write a few ‘love’ notes, but we see it as the one day to shower your loved ones with gifts, to show them that no, you don’t take them for granted… see, here, have a gift!
But gripe all you want, Valentine’s Day continues to happen every February 14, with people young and old celebrating love and friendship. Kids continue to buy little Valentines to give to their friends, while adults scope out jewellery, expensive chocolates, and classy restaurants. After a while, chocolates and romantic dinners become a given… so why not try something outside the box? Read On »
Misguided Video Games Bill To Do Some Good?
Having played video games for the better part of my 33 years, most of them violent, I staunchly believe that violent video games don’t make people more violent; and regardless of the numerous debunking of “studies” that supposedly proved the point, many people still believe otherwise. One Oklahoma State Representative by the name of William Fourkiller would be one of those people who do not believe as I do. However, rather than trying to put a ban on violent video games, attempting to impose a government bureaucracy in the place of the ESRB, or threatening to call the FBI on every media outlet and entity on the planet with an opposing view (like some disbarred Florida attorneys we know), Mr. Fourkiller is trying to pass a law that will do some good; and yet I feel strangely conflicted. Read On »
Shunning Used Games Will Be Bad For Business
Detroit area consumers shopping for dozens of new and used titles at a local Gameplay retailer.
Rumors have been running rampant lately that the “Xbox 720,” that is, Microsoft’s next generation console, won’t be able to play used games. Microsoft, of course, has dismissed this as merely “rumor and speculation,” but without denying it outright, and the internet has most certainly become lively regarding this possibility. Most recently, Volition designer Jameson Durall spoke out about the rumor saying, “Personally I think this would be a fantastic change for our business and even though the consumers would be up in arms about it at first…they will grow to understand why and that it won’t kill them.” Read On »
Sony to Gamestop: Go Ahead And Sell Vita Games
With a week left to go before the launch of the PlayStation Vita, Gamestops around North America have already begun receiving their shipments of first party titles games from Sony. Titles such as ModNation Racers, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and more have begun arriving in boxes as early as today at the video game retailer.
Additionally surprising is that Sony has apparently green-lit Gamestop to start selling their stock of Vita games. According to an unnamed source at Gamestop, employees have just received a corporate email stating that consumers can now head up to your local Gamestop and begin purchasing first-party Vita titles right now! Of course, you still can’t buy the PlayStation Vita until the 15th if you purchased the early bundle, or the 22nd if you purchased the normal bundle. But at least you won’t have to worry about your game being in stock!
UPDATED 8:28PM EST – This is confirmed. I was able to visit my local Gamestop and pick up Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf, and Wipeout 2048.
Skylanders Giants Officially Announced
The rumors are true! The highly popular toy/video game line from Activision, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure will be receiving a sequel! According to the press release from Activision:
Ubisoft Announces Rocksmith Hot Pick Contest
You’ve played every Guitar Hero and Rock Band song and mastered every one of them, you’ve even earned gold on every lesson and song there is to learn on Rocksmith. So you think you’re a pretty good player? Think you can beat the best? Here’s your chance to prove it! Ubisoft Canada recently announced the Rocksmith Hot Pick Contest. Read On »
Shadows in Flight – A Book Review
Back in 1977, Orson Scott Card wrote a gem of a short story called Ender’s Game which he expanded into a full length novel in 1985. This tale captured the minds of readers around the world. Telling the story of Andrew Wiggin, Ender’s Game presents the life of the third child in a family living in an overpopulated world that is under siege by an alien race. These Buggers invaded Earth twice before and humanity barely managed to fend them off. Enlisted at an early age, Ender (Andrew’s nickname earned from his sister’s inability to pronounce Andrew properly) is to train with the best and brightest children from around the globe in the arts of war and tactics. Their sole goal: defeat the aliens, the greatest threat humanity has ever known. While Ender trains at the Battle School space station, readers are introduced to several other key characters in the Ender saga, one of whom is Bean: a brilliant but tiny child who becomes almost a confidant to Ender throughout his story. Read On »
Zen Studios Brings Epic Quest To Your Pinball Table
The pinball masters at Zen Studios are bringing forth a quest of epic proportions to Pinball FX2 on Xbox Live Arcade and Zen Pinball on PlayStation Network, Android Marketplace and the Apple App Store with Epic Quest! Epic Quest will be landing this February and features a unique take on pinball by adding some RPG elements. Read On »
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention for PS Vita – New Trailer Revealed
Today, NIS America released a new trailer on the upcoming RPG for the PlayStation Vita, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention on the PlayStation Blog. The new trailer details features specific to the Vita port including new character stories, new systems, new attack levels, new bosses, and touch pad support! Also included in D3:AoD will be all of the downloadable content that was made available for the PlayStation 3 version, all on one card. Read On »
State of California Teams Up With Konami To Fight Obesity
The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (CAHPERD) and game publisher Konami announced yesterday that they would be partnering up in a program to fight childhood obesity; a problem that now afflicts 32% of children in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. Read On »