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MMObility: Fourteen MMOs that you can play anywhere
I thought it'd be fun to make a list of go-anywhere MMOs this week. It's not really hard to find portable MMOs that run on laptops or netbooks. The real issue is locating MMOs that can be played on your desktop while you're at work (while the boss isn't looking, of course!), then on your phone at lunch, and then on your laptop while you sit in bed later that night. The technology to make constantly accessible MMOs is there, namely in the form of HTML5. Adobe recently announced that not only is it moving away from Flash for mobile devices, but it is also specifically targeting Android Jelly Bean. There is a new wave of web technologies coming that will hopefully, once and for all, put an end to the need for special lists like this one. Not all of my choices are HTML5-based, but I tried to keep all of them open for all devices. If you notice any oddities while playing them on a certain device, let me know in the comments section so I can note it. I get a lot of requests for lists like this, so I want to keep things tight. In the meanwhile, enjoy the list. There are others out there, but I wanted to pick out some that give pretty much the same result across whichever device you use.
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill. Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA. This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark. (Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)
Court denies Ubi's request to restrain Get Up and Dance
Oh, it's the dancing neon people. Which one is this again? Ubisoft's lawyers have learned -- and a judge has confirmed -- that you just can't stop the beat. "Get Up and Dance," a rhythm game and euphoric command from OG International, can sway American customers unimpeded after a Californian court hip-bumped Ubisoft's request for a temporary restraining order. It's published in North America on PS3 and Wii by O-Games. Legal action sprang from Ubisoft's belief that OG's dance game uses on-screen avatars that are a mite too similar to the ones in Just Dance (pictured), the wildly popular franchise that we only write about because of how wildly popular it is. According to MCV, the court was not satisfied with demonstrations that the games are "substantially" similar. Ubisoft is said to be appealing the decision in the hopes of telling OG to Sit Down and Cease Your Gyration. [Update: Crave Entertianment was erroneously listed as the publisher of Get Up and Dance. This has been corrected.]
Winners of Superstars V8 Racing contest to receive Gran Turismo 5
In a kind of brilliant move, O-Games is promoting its racing game by giving away copies of another company's racing game. Starting this Friday, November 12, the company will hold weekly leaderboard challenges in its PSN game Superstars V8 Racing. Each week's winner will receive a copy of Gran Turismo 5. This means, if you're way, way awesome at Superstars V8 Racing, this is a way to get GT5 for just twenty bucks -- the cost of V8 Racing. Complete details of the contest will be posted on the game's Facebook page. Of course, there's a unique problem with offering Gran Turismo 5 as a prize. "Exactly when we can ship GT5 is anybody's guess," O-Games Greg Lanz said in the announcement of the contest. "But rest assured, we will send out prizes whenever it hits retail shelves."
John Daly's ProStroke Golf tees off Oct. 5 on PS3, Oct. 19 on 360
Gusto Games' upcoming stab (swing?) at adapting the world's oldest sport into a much more palatable video game format, titled John Daly's ProStroke Golf, has been given staggered release dates on its two designated platforms. The PS3 version of the title will arrive on October 5, and will ship with native support for the PlayStation Move. The Xbox 360 version will make its way to store shelves on October 19, and will not ship with native support for the PlayStation Move, because that would be ridiculous. If you 360 owners are worried about being surpassed in skill by your early-starting, PS3-playing counterparts, don't fret -- all you have to do is seek some Stroking council from the most august Pro we know: Mr. Clarence Carter.
PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour gets Move, MotionPlus support
The latest iteration of O-Games' "phenomenally successful" PDC World Championship Darts franchise is getting two no-brainer features: support for PS3's Move controller and Wii's MotionPlus add-on.
Superstars V8 Racing steers towards PSN release in America
Superstars V8 Racing joins a slowly growing line-up of full games that are skipping retail releases in favor of PlayStation Network. Although released as a retail game in Europe, Superstars V8 Racing will be available exclusively through the PlayStation Store when it's brought to America this October, carrying a download-friendly price of $19.99 Greg Lanz, general manager of O-Games, Inc. admitted that the game was supposed to be a packaged product, but the PSN option should provide a better value. "Our original plan was to release this game at retail ... since we do not have to pay the costs to manufacture, package, and ship the product to retail. The bottom line? Gamers can now own a $40 game for half the price they would pay in-store." But considering the middling reviews the game has received in Europe, it may be best that it makes its debut in budget form.%Gallery-100149%
Preview: John Daly's Prostroke Golf
If you read my Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 review, then you know that I'm totally on the bandwagon when it comes to motion-based golfing. Going into my E3 appointment to preview O Games' John Daly's Prostroke Golf, I didn't expect the game's Move functionality to add anything to the experience I couldn't already get with MotionPlus on the Wii. But Prostroke actually impressed me, thanks to some clever design decisions. %Gallery-96345%
Oxygen Interactive opens U.S. branch, announces assortment of DS games
Publisher Oxygen Interactive announced plans to start a new U.S. branch of their company, called O-Games. Their planned 2008 releases feature DS games heavily; whether or not any of those DS games are of interest is somewhat of a matter of debate. Their lineup includes Oxygen's three "young girl games:" My Make-Up, My Secret Diary, and My Dress-Up. Also coming is 8Ball All Stars, a pool game, Pirates: Duels on the High Seas, and the amusingly-named board game Hurry Up Hedgehog! The nautical-battle-based Pirates looked pretty neat, and the new company may decide to localize the decent-looking Chronos Twins, so we're relatively happy to see the news.%Gallery-17111%%Gallery-16977%
