Clipmarks | LorisKnight's 'games' clips

Wii's Virtual Console: What America Is Missing

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:05:43 GMT

clipped by: LorisKnight

We here at Game|Life have been all over Nintendo of America about the Wii's Virtual Console game download service in the nearly-a-year-now since the console's launch. While things have vastly improved since then, it still seems sometimes that the US lineup doesn't measure up to those of other territories.

But is this actually true, nearly-a-year-now since launch? To find the answer, I'm going to list below all the games that fall into two categories:

Games that have been released in the US, but not yet on Virtual Console
Games that haven't been released in the US, but have been released in other non-Japanese territories

These two categories combined will show what America is missing out on. Is it a vast discrepancy, or just a minor annoyance? The results are below.

Here's what I have: let me know if I'm missing anything or have mistakenly listed a game that actually was released here.

1. Games that have been released in the US, but not yet on our Virtual Console

Tags: wii, games, retrogames

Save Cat-Bunnies, Farm With Monsters in Altruistic New Games

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:16:25 GMT

clipped by: LorisKnight

Clip Source: www.wired.com

MySims

If you're wondering if there's a code to get the hot-tubbing Sims naked in this game, you're a bad, bad person. Also, no there isn't. (I checked.)
View Slideshow

Screenshot: Electronic Arts

WIRED: Pulling bacon and cake out of the ground is more fun than it sounds.

TIRED: The videogame world was not crying out for a furniture-building simulation.

Rating:

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

The map in Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is more of a suggestion than an actual guide.
View Slideshow

Screenshot: Natsume

WIRED: Huge environment; lots of activities; attractive art style.

TIRED: Somewhat unsatisfying character interaction.

Rating:

Drawn to Life

You collect coins in Drawn to Life to buy new music and color schemes, which are the main things I spend coins on in real life, too.
View Slideshow

Screenshot: THQ

WIRED: Be anyone from Mario to Mario Batali.

TIRED: Actual gameplay is the very definition of "average."

Rating:

Tags: gaming reviews, gaming, games

Machinima Licenses Spell Out New Rules for Creators

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:41:25 GMT

clipped by: LorisKnight

Clip Source: www.wired.com

No recent event made a bigger splash in machinima makers' world than Tuesday's record-smashing release of Halo 3. But last month, a different kind of Microsoft release came pretty close.

In August, the company set forth guidelines (innocuously titled "Game Content Usage Rules") governing how its intellectual property could be used for such works as machinima. A growing genre of digital film, machinima uses gameplay footage from popular games -- including World of Warcraft, Second Life and Microsoft's own Halo series -- to create original content.

Suddenly, the pleasant courtship between machinima and the Master Chief became slightly strained.

To summarize, the rules prohibit:

The creation of anything "pornographic or obscene ... or otherwise objectionable." The vagueness of this rule upset many creators.

The use of soundtracks or audio effects from original games. Microsoft said it often licenses music and sound effects and is unable to pass on usage rights.

Tags: art, culture, machinima

Beijing 'ready' for '08 Summer Olympics

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:30:05 GMT

clipped by: LorisKnight

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

BEIJING — It sounds like Chinese chutzpah. "This nation is ready, wearing a smile and saying hello," runs a line from We Are Ready, the theme tune invitation to the greatest coming-out party ever — the Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008.

In fact, the song reflects the justified confidence of a one-party state that can move mountains, and blow billions, to play the perfect host.

For like every piece of its Olympic hardware and software, China is not leaving that welcome smile to chance.

Tags: travel

The Original Gaming Bug: Centipede Creator Dona Bailey

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:52:02 GMT

clipped by: LorisKnight

Clip Source: www.gamasutra.com

In 1980, Atari had one single software engineer who was female. That woman, Dona Bailey -- whose only prior programming experience was assembly displays at General Motors -- created the classic arcade title Centipede, against enormous odds in a high-stakes environment in the infancy of the gaming industry. As the keynote speaker at the Women in Games International Conference, she will share the lessons of her experience, her advice for professional and aspiring female game designers, and her ideas for the unique role women can play in game design.

Ahead of the conference, Gamasutra spoke with Ms. Bailey about some of these ideas, and discussed her challenging experience at Atari -- where colleagues didn’t believe she could possibly be responsible for Centipede even after completed it.

Tags: games