Ragnar’s Realms

Admin wrote: 

Jimi Hendrix’s music is coming to the “Guitar Hero” video game, according to the Seattle-based company Experience Hendrix, which controls the rock icon’s musical legacy.

(Link)

Admin wrote: 

Filed under: News

SCEE’s David Reeves spoke at the DevStation developer conference last week, admitting to MCV that “there is a piracy problem on PSP.” According to MCV, Reeves admits that piracy has fueled hardware sales, and of course “we are not happy about it.” He told developers at the conference that Sony will “unveil new ways to combat piracy soon.” But exactly how? We’re not sure.

This is quite possibly the first time a Sony exec has directly addressed the issue of piracy on the platform. Perhaps this is the signal of a more aggressive Sony attempting to reclaim the platform.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
(Link)

Admin wrote: 

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

GameFly’s Tampa, Florida distribution center finally became semi-official this week as subscribers received emails explaining their return mailer may now have a Tampa address. We contacted GameFly for a fuller explanation of states serviced, but the company stated it has no release at this time and will issue something later this month or January.

If the opening of the Tampa site is anything like the one in Pittsburgh, the company will have the center work out the kinks and then announce states served. Now we wait for GameFly’s Austin, Texas center to become semi-official, which we actually knew about months before Tampa.

[Thanks to all who sent this in]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

(Link)

Admin wrote: 

Filed under: News

It’s not dead! Sort of. Sony Computer Entertainment of America and MTV have announced a collaboration to bring new UMD movies to store shelves. In fact, they should be available now. “Jackass,” “Beavis & Butt-head,” and “Aeon Flux” are all available for $14.99 (MSRP) beginning this week.

“This collaboration with MTV is a key first step in meeting the needs of our consumers, who are utilizing PSP as a video player more than ever and are thirsting for more content, particularly short-form videos,” said Phil Rosenberg, senior vice president of sales and business development, SCEA in a press release. “MTV’s programming is hugely popular, and SCEA can utilize our internal resources to appropriately manage the publishing and distribution of these hit shows on UMD. This demonstrates our commitment to supporting the UMD video format by delivering what consumers want to watch at the right price. SCEA will continue to license movie, TV, and other video content, leveraging our sales and marketing strengths, as a strategic focus moving forward.

“We’re very happy to be working with SCEA to bring our content to the PSP,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of home entertainment, games and music for MTV Networks’ Music & Logo Group. “Our viewers consistently choose to experience our programming on a number of platforms, and the PSP is a particularly well-loved device among our audience. We’re very pleased that PSP users will be able to watch their favorite MTV shows when they are on the go — plus, the shows look fantastic on the PSP’s LCD screen.”

The price is certainly nice, and this is planned to be the first of a growing library of UMD movies to release in the future. Does the $15 price make you want to bite? We’ll see how consumers respond.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

(Link)

Today,  

Filed under: Culture, Retro

We make up a pretty high percentage of the “news” you read here on Joystiq, and this is going to sound like a continuation of that proud tradition, we’re sure. But we promise you, we’re not making this up: The Konami Code totally works in Google Reader. Seriously.

Just enter Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, on your keyboard (there’s no start button) and your unread items will be reset to 30 and the above ninja will appear to watch you as you cruise RSS feeds. Yeah, it’s pointless, but the world is a little bit cooler because of it.

[Via BoingBoing, thanks Neebs]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

(Link)

Admin wrote: 

Filed under: News, Rumors

Ever since last week, we’ve known about a rumored $299 Xbox 360 Pro price cut thanks to a leaked Kmart adscan and have also heard grumblings of a new 60GB HDD equipped 360 being announced at E3. Well, the rumor mill keeps on a churning as two more sources are reporting that the price cut and 60GB 360 rumors are indeed true.

Ars technica is claiming that, according to their super secret source, Microsoft will only be cutting the 20GB Xbox 360’s price to $299 because it’ll be discontinued and replaced with the newer 60GB HDD model. They also claim that the new 60GB 360 will roll out to retailers sometime in July, refuting the August release claims that were previously rumored. Finally, Hollywood Reporter is jumping into the Xbox 360 rumor pit, with claims that their sources tell them that the Xbox 360 Pro price cut will in fact happen prior to E3, but no information regarding the Elite or Arcade is available.

This is how we see this playing out: The first week of July, Microsoft will announce that the Xbox 360 Pro and only the Pro will see a price cut to $299. Then, the second week of July during their E3 press conference, MS will announce a new 60GB HDD Xbox 360 console priced at $349 to replace the old 20GB model. Simple.

Source - ars technica
Source - Hollywood Reporter

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Today,  

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

The May 2008 issue of Game Informer, available in red and gray flavors, promises a “world exclusive first look at Gears of War 2” - lucky for us, a poster at NeoGAF took the time to share the juiciest Locust-filled bits with the rest of the class. Of course Marcus and Dom are back, but so are several new characters like Chairman Prescott (”an almost dictatorial military leader”), Tai Kaliso (”a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor-bound fighters”), and Maria Santiago (Dom’s “lost love”); the Locust also have some new additions like the chanting “Kantus” who can focus those chants into concentrated sonic blasts (you’re going to start acting quizzical now? They’re underground monsters …), and resurrect fallen Locust warriors.

New functionality includes upgrades to Unreal Engine 3 as demoed during Microsoft’s GDC keynote (obviously), a “SHUT UP” button to skip the yacking and get back to the shooting of the bug people, “drop in and drop out co-op” with different difficulty settings for different players, chainsaw duels, refined cover mechanics that should make it “harder to get hit while protected,” a fourth even-more-casual Casual mode, and more. One area they aren’t quite talking about yet is multiplayer. Game Informer writes, “We hear hints of … multiplayer content that takes advantage of Unreal’s new ability to deliver huge numbers of the Locust horde at one time, but confirmed details will have to wait until a later date.” With most gamers, ourselves included, finding Gears’ almost-excellent multiplayer implementation regrettably spartan, this is the one area we want to hear a haloff a lot more about.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

(Link)

Today,  

Though there aren’t any new video game consoles launching this holiday season, game machines remain among the hottest gifts on store shelves (or perhaps missing from store shelves) this year.

(Link)

Today,  

Filed under: Fan stuff

While most of the media focuses on whether or not games can turn innocent children into mindless killing machines, there is a much more dangerous psychosis that affects fully grown men. It’s the kind of thing that makes a man stalk the toy aisle every time he goes shopping with his significant other, the sort of thing that compels him to buy the newest Nerf toy. Case in point: the latest video from Gamerscore Blog. It seems the boys in Redmond (we don’t see what’s her name anywhere) have become a little too fond of Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Don’t take our word for it though. Watch the video — handily embedded after the break — and judge for yourself.

Continue reading Gamerscore Blog likes Vegas 2 a little too much

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Admin wrote: 

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Breakfast topics, Instances, Leveling

Matticus was originally asked this question, and he’s been asking it of people around the WoW blogosphere, so we’ll ask it here, too: Assuming that Blizzard suddenly announced that the entire World of Warcraft would be shut down in just five short hours, what would you do with your time?

Automagica would head for World PvP in Hillsbrad. Eye for an Eye would head into the Horde cities for a final extermination. Destructive Reach would do some old-fashioned exploring, both in instances and out, and get contact information for a lot of ingame friends. And Double Bubble, after one last Kara run, would go back to a favorite fishing hole with a favorite pet, and serenely wait for the world to end.

As much as I love instances, I’ve already run them so much, and I worry that most of my five hours would be taken up with trying to find a group, so I’d probably quest solo (assuming the servers would actually stay up). My Hunter, at 65, would probably too far behind to finish off at 70, so I’d probably do a mad dash for 70 on my Rogue, currently 68. And I’d end the world just as I dinged the highest level on my second 70, which I would consider a proud accomplishment. What would you do with your last five hours in Azeroth?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

(Link)