Plate smashing hi score

OK, had a 3rd go. Beat that!

Invisible Cursor

Mental online game thing. Click the plates to smash them, then keep going when the cursor turns invisible.

I'll admit, I played this on my slate and kept going for ages before it dawned on me that I was cheating. Doh!

WiiWare! Wha? Woo Woo!

Nintendo have announced that they will be releasing a new channel on the Wii. Dubbed WiiWare it will play host to new, original content (unlike the re-hashes of the Virtual Console.) Software will be paid for using the same system as the VC titles.

First confirmed by US-based Newsweek, WiiWare will follow both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in releasing original downloadable titles, with the first batch of games set for release in 2008.

via Virgin.net

Complete Gamer

Fred at OneHundredPercent has an admirable ambition. He's going to complete his game collection. No, I don't mean he's going to fill his game collection, he's going to complete every game in his current game collection. That's 77 currently outstanding titles ranging from GBA to 360.

And he's going to blog it as he goes.

I will be blogging this process to give myself a forum to exult (when that Now Playing number goes down), despair (when it goes up… I can’t imagine I’ll stop buying games altogether during this shenanigan), and grumble (when I try to complete Ikaruga). I will be using GameFAQs judiciously (I’m not trying to prove anything about my skills… I just want to say I’ve finished all the games). I will count a game complete when the storyline has been finished… extra modes (hello, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness!) don’t count. Puzzle games, sports games, racing games, and any other genres not specifically mentioned which do not have actual storylines have been excluded.

He's currently working on Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA) and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Wii). FFTA is his last GBA game, so it will be satisfying to cross off a whole console, I guess.

Halo - I'm Back Again

If you've been living under a rock, or been in a coma, or you've stumbled across this blog completely by accident after googling for images of large black dildos, then you might not know that Halo 3 is coming out this autumn (September 25th to be precise.)

This will be my first real glimpse at the Halo world (disregarding Larry Niven's pale rip-offs of the concept in his derivative Ringworld novels) and short of playing Halo and Halo 2 single player missions through between now and then I'm going to be rather short of backstory when I load up Halo 3.

That's why I'm glad I've found A Brief History Of The Halo Universe. Now I can get up to speed on the storyline without having to play all those tedious last-gen games.

via Ozymandias

baggsy the 20th July?

OIOI! - anyone interested in me hosting another fi up in maidenhead? to give a bit of notice - not this next one, but the one after...
4 weeks? 20th July??

Accommodation can be provided, and big white walls a plenty!!

Oh and by the way - for those of you who cant see FiClubs little brother - heres one of my efforts from forza2 - still deliberating on whether to buy the bugger or not!








I was this close )( to renting out dirt for a bit of a comparison, but ended up just renewing forza - at this rate, ill end up spending as much down blockbusters than i would have from buying it!

Hail Eris!

Noobz this morning announced their Illuminati exploit. A pan-firmware homebrew enabler for PSP. This works on every PSP out there, and only requires the Lumines UMD.

So far there's only the de-rigeur Hello World proof-of-concept, but the walls are crumbling.

Please Release Me

I don't understand why release dates are so nebulous and conflicting.

Over the weekend I got an email from Amazon.co.uk saying that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will be released on June 30th, and inviting me to pre-order. When you click through to the web page they have a box shot, and confirmation of the release date there.

However, if you check Game, Play, Gamestation, or HMV etc. it's quite a different story: all Temporary artwork and estimated release dates.

Nintendo Europe's release schedule announcement of 21 June shows no mention of Metroid at all.

I guess we'll see on Friday but it seems strange that Amazon are so sure, yet potentially so wrong. Not that I'm surprised by any online retailer making mistakes these days.

Paint It Black

When I put Forza in today I found I had a gift!






Thanks Jal!

Unfortunately I have a complete blind side to racing sims. I can't even complete the first practice course without total 100% concentration. It's just not my sort of game and I don't think I'll be buying it.

Edit - A couple more of my first effort.

Size DOES Matter

Just a couple of snaps of the jumbo screen from Fi Club this week.





72 inches of Forza 2 goodness. I don't think I'll ever forget Gears of War played like that.

Thanks for bringing the projector Ruut... awesome.

Fiday 22nd June

I'm bagsying Fiday this week.

You know the time and place. Can't think of anything funny to write.

Nice banner Ruut!

Ruut writes
No probs, have a funny picture instead.

Mr Leafy hat.


h i r 0 w r i t e s
Actually I'm preparing to do this:

Continuous Play

This looks very good. Insure your PSP (or PS2) for £2.49 a month. If it breaks they send you a replacement within two days. It covers mechanical or electrical failure and accidental damage.

Unfortunately T+Cs do state it only covers PAL Europe models, but I don't see anywhere to enter a serial.

I think I might wait until mine starts to show some more signs of wear, but it's handy and reassuring to know it's there.

I wish Microsoft did something similar.

Geo Wars evolves onto PC

Finally an official version of Geometry Wars Retro Evolved hits the PC via Steam - the software distribution method built up around Half Life 2.

The initial cost for GWRE is only $2.50, and it goes up to $3.95 as of Friday 22nd June, so get it quick if you want it.

I've had a couple of games via Steam and it's a great way to buy software, much like XBLA for those that know that.

Support for keyboard, mouse, and dual-stick gamepad play.

Nice. At this price I'm tempted to get this regardless of the fact I have the XBLA version already.

Katamari 360 180?

Joystiq.com reports that Gamespot have retracted all mention of the fact that Beautiful Katamari will be an XBLA exclusive.

I'm not so bothered about the exclusivity but I would love to see it at an XBLA price point.

Rockstar Disappointed

In response to the BBFC's refusal to grant Manhunt 2 a rating Rockstar have made the following simple statement:

We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of Manhunt 2. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision.

Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers.

We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended. We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume. The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more.

Also:
BBFC's own report stating that Movie / TV violence is more 'upsetting' to viewers than video games.

ELSPA supports the BBFC's decision.

ESRB gives the game an AO (Adults Only) rating in USA. This generally means that most stores will refuse to put it on the shelves.

And lest we forget - the Wii has parental control settings that can prevent children playing adult rated games.

Manhunt 2 banned in UK

Gameinfo.biz has reported that Rockstar's Manhunt 2 will not be available for sale in the UK on either the PS2 or Wii.

"Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing.

"There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game," he continued.
the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act..."

I have a few problems with this. One - why is a board concerned with film classifications passing rulings on video games? Two - what is the rating system for? If it works, then trust it, if it doesn't work, then it cleary needs changing.

Surprise of the day? A pro-censorship Guardian writer!

GTA IV Episodic content only on 360

Gameindustry.biz have word from Take Two that episodic content for the upcoming GTA IV will be exclusive to the XBOX 360:

"The Grand Theft Auto IV episodic content is exclusive to Xbox 360."

And are you wondering how MS managed this? From the Take Two 2Q07 Earnings Call Transcript:

Evan Wilson - Pacific Crest Securities

Thank you. And as it relates to the deferred revenue chunk associated with the episodic content on X-Box 360, you can see that $25 million of that moved into short-term deferred. Could you give us any sense of when that’s going to hit the P&L? Will we see $25 million at one time and then the second 25 or will it be a slow bleed?

That's some pretty heavy tactics in the next gen console war right there.

Phantom? Woo!

Watch the Japanese trailer for Phantom Hourglass.

Beautiful? Meh.

If this is (as has been mooted) an 800 point XBLA download, then I'm there, but any more than that and I can't see me (or anyone else) going mad for this, 360 exclusive or not.

C'mon Namco Bandai, make some effort... this looks exactly like the PS2.

Just plain mean.

But made me snigger!

The Early Post Catches The Host!

The 201st FiClub post!

I call the next FiClub, June 8th.

Due to other commitments, it would be convenient for me to host.
I hope this is OK.

Usual time etc.

Hitlers final downfall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYvZnTFpip0

This is funny.
btw, will see you on Fiday!

Get a Job

Following a trail of Bioshock breadcrumbs I came across this article at gamerswithjobs.com. The article goes beyond the standard preview / interview fare and deals a little with story and plot within games, and seems to set the tone for the whole website which is a little more cerebral than a lot of stuff around at the moment.

Definitely one for the more thoughtful gamer, and worth a bookmark IMO.

Having read that though, I think I'm now on a media blackout regarding Bioshock... I know enough details now and I want to go in without any more pre-conceptions.