Dan Choi
Articles by Dan Choi
Mind-controlled PONG featured at CeBIT
Brain-computer interfaces hold enormous promise for perfecting prosthetics, assisting quadriplegics, and improving vehicle safety. So what's the first application shown off at the CeBIT 2006 show? A way of playing (and losing) a game of PONG... with - your - mind.Sure, you could also check out a typing application that's still in the pre-beta-alpha stage below (man, typing on a post on that would take... a very long time), but playing an ancient arcade game with no hands seems like a more entertaining proposition at this point.See also: The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface from Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller A short video clip of that brain-typing application A look back at Joystiq posts featuring the word "PONG" 5.46 GHz PC shown at CeBIT Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors
Free Xbox Live Gold weekend back with free points
The free Xbox Live Gold weekend for 360 owners is back on track for the scheduled dates of March 31st-April 2nd. Sorry, U.S. residents only.Verizon, the sponsor of the promo, will also be conducting some sort of Million Point Giveaway starting on the 30th, so check on their specialized site below for further details when the end of the month rolls around. Oh schnap, 500 free Microsoft Points (while supplies last)? Sign us up!
Battlefield 2142 hinted at by Digital Illusions producer
Producer Dan Blackstone of Digital Illusions CE has hinted at the imminent announcement of "something very big" in an interview with Shacknews, which GameSpot presumes is most likely Battlefield 2142, a most futuristic sequel.The senior producer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for the 360 gave that little tidbit at the end of the interview, stating: "We’re about to announce something very big, so stay tuned. One other interviewer asked this and I gave him a hint, so it’s only fair that I do the same for you: 3213/3X2. Or said another way: S.R. 4588164." GameSpot subsequently put two and two together and came up with 2142, the square root of 4588164 as well as the result of (3213/3)*2, so it appears that Call of Duty and Ghost Recon are not the only FPS franchises taking their games into the future.
Which GDC Awards nominees we ended up voting for
All right, this blogger's ballot's been cast, and now it's time to share.In the interests of a stronger vote--that will actually make a difference--I made two choices in each category below (as the system allowed you to vote for as many or as few of the nominees as you wished). We'll see how well I picked at the Game Developers Choice Awards on March 22nd.Ultimately, my choices listed here came down to personal preference and subjective evaluation, so there are bound to be some votes that don't mesh with what you would have chosen. Whatever the case, please note that my eventual choices are not necessarily indicative of what Joystiq as a whole, or the other writers who blog for this site, would have voted for. (So don't blame them!) But enough of that... on to the ballot!
New screens of X-Men 3 game arrive with new movie trailer
Just as a new trailer arrives for the new X-Men movie, new screenshots arrive for the new X-Men game. WorthPlaying has got a couple dozen new screens from X-Men 3: The Official Game up on their site, which means you get a few more action shots of Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Iceman in events leading up to X-Men: The Last Stand. The game will apparently explain "Nightcrawler's mysterious absence from the movie" (and Alan Cumming's no-show in the movie's credits). What this game really needs, however, is more playable time spent as shiny Colossus. Both the game and movie will be released this May. [Via Evil Avatar] See also: X-Men 3 game to feature 3 playable characters Apple.com trailer for X-Men: The Last Stand IMDB full credits listing for the movie
GBA Super Robot Taisen titles coming to North America
Atlus is bringing two Super Robot Taisen titles to North America for the GBA this year.According to the official press release linked, "Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation is scheduled for release in the summer of 2006, followed by Original Generation 2 in the fall of 2006." The original Original Generation was released in Japan in 2002, while the Original follow-up arrived in early 2005.While the super-deformed strategy RPGs will feature Banpresto's original pilots and mechs, the Original Generation titles unfortunately leave out SRT's traditional mash-up of Japanese anime robot warriors from Mazinger Z to Neon Genesis Evangelion. At least GBA and DS owners with a love for SRPGs will have something extra to look forward to later this year.[Via GameSpot; image taken from AdvancedMN]See also: More PS3 and Xbox 360 third-party titles confirmed GameSpot's preview of SRT titles back in 2004 IGN's profile of Super Robot Wars: Original Generation 2
Famitsu fetes Final Fantasy XII with 40/40 review score
Final Fantasy XII may still be a ways off for Western gamers, but it's right on the verge of being released in Japan, having scored a perfect review from the folks at Famitsu.It ain't easy earning a 40 out of 40 from Famitsu, a feat which only the following titles have duplicated up to now: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soul Calibur (for Dreamcast), Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Nintendogs.The score should hopefully reassure FF fans who've been shaken by all the game's delays in release and changes in personnel (as well as gameplay). At any rate, the title's localization for other territories should be well underway, even if the release dates outside of Japan haven't been officially announced yet.[Thanks, Miyamoto]
Japanese doctors recommend Brain Training for seniors
Nintendo's line of brain-training games for the DS has found success among a wide range of ages in Japan, but its success with seniors has now been noted even among doctors and hospitals over there.According to the Associated Press, some hospitals have started placing DSes in waiting rooms and wards for patients. An administrator of a "memory loss clinic" in a Kyoto hospital said that doctors there have gone so far as to recommend the purchase of a DS and a game for elderly people to "stimulate their brains regularly at home," even watching patients play as an informal method of diagnosing dementia.Apparently, "Sony rushed out its own version of brain-training software in October but has yet to release sales figures." It's unlikely that the title could match the millions of units sold by its DS-based rival, but regardless of who's ahead, the gaming community should be pleased that 67-year-olds are now eager to "play a little everyday before going to bed," maybe even beating their grown-up children at the game someday.[Thanks, madgamer & samsoon; via Go Nintendo & GameDaily BIZ]
Next Call of Duty leaked: Modern Warfare tackles terrorists
We've heard from a reliable source what the next two Call of Duty titles will be about: one will focus on the Normandy Breakout campaign in WWII, while the other moves into the modern age, taking the fight to Middle Eastern terrorists. Yikes!The big release news is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the other WWII-themed game will be released for PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360--and they will be released only 3 months apart from one another. This would follow the pattern of releases for Call of Duty 2 on the PC and 360 and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One on current-gen consoles, only this time both would be released on both generations of hardware (minus the GameCube and Revolution).What follows below are brief descriptions of each title, though Infinity Ward was explicitly fingered as the developer of Modern Warfare, while the as-yet untitled WWII game had no such designation. This would lead us to believe that "CoD 3" (or whatever that WWII game ends up being called) is being produced by Big Red One dev Treyarch. Whatever the case may be, just remember, folks: you heard about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare here first!
Japan chooses its all-time top 100 list of games; Western games feel left out
Famitsu has released the results of Japanese gamers' votes for the 100 best games of all time with Final Fantasy X sitting pretty at the top of the heap--and Western games almost getting completely shut out.While this blogger thrills to the high placement of a strategy RPG like Tactics Ogre in the list, there's an odd amount of cultural shock in seeing at least 7 of the top 10 being traditional RPGs, something you'd rarely see in a similar Western list. And has anyone heard of Machi: Unmei no Kousaten for the Sega Saturn? It's apparently #5 on the Famitsu list.At any rate, to compensate for our sorry Western developer showing with Japanese gaming otaku today, here's a list of other lists compiled a lot closer to America (okay, they're probably all from America) that better fit our gaijin sensibilities. Wait, the original Super Mario Bros. is #21 on the Japanese list? That's just crazy, man... ker-razy! (Crazy like a raccoon?)
More pics from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
A few more screenshots from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy have been posted for our viewing pleasure. Move along quickly, as these very well may be the droids you've been looking for (especially if you've had the privilege of playing the first game, as millions already have). We were originally going to link to an IGN developer diary on the title by director Tom Stone of TT Games and producer David Perkinson of LucasArts, but it turns out that most of the info given was actually spilled by David in an interview we covered near the middle of last month. Which leads us back to those lovely new LEGO screenshots--three they may be, but they do cover all the bases: Luke and Obi-Wan takin' in the town, the Millennium Falcon doin' its best speedy getaway, and the Dark Lord of the Sith chokin' up some Rebel scum. Lovely... truly lovely. [Via Eurogamer] See also: LEGO Star Wars II: Developer Diary LEGO Star Wars II: Return of the Original Trilogy
Field Commander: G.I. Joe Wars for adults
SOE's upcoming Field Commander title for the PSP--a strategic response to Nintendo's Advance Wars series on their line of handhelds--isn't ashamed of noting its turn-based influence.Or, at least, Clint Worley (the game's producer), isn't ashamed to say so. He's also quick to cite Commander's more "mature" design--for an older audience that might not appreciate Wars' cartoony characters and storyline--as well as the mini-episodic nature of each mission from the single-player campaign that has something to do with watching G.I. Joe growing up. (Cobraaaaa... la-la-la-la-la-la! Er, we mean... yo, Joe?)
Valkyrie Profile & Xenosaga dates in Japan released
1UP's got a few Japanese release dates ready for Xenosaga III and Tri-Ace's Valkyrie Profile games. Valkyrie Profile Lenneth (the PSP remake of the original VP) actually came out in Japan the other day, while Silmeria (the all-new PS2 prequel to Lenneth) is set for release on June 22nd. Xenosaga III, meanwhile, makes its debut (and closes out at least the current-gen storyline) on July 6th. We're not sure about the release dates of these titles outside of Japan, but 1UP currently lists US dates as 8/1/2006 for 'saga, 9/15/2006 for Lenneth, and 9/20/2006 for Silmeria. Without official announcements, however, they're just good guesses. See also: Valkyrie Profile returns in 2006 Valkyrie Profile Lenneth "Promotion Movie" up for grabs Thus spoke the Xenosaga Episode III chicks Xenosaga 3 & a 1 plus 2 combo (on DS!) revealed in Famitsu
Console transition blues? Blame the Germans
Next Generation's Colin Campbell has a lot of blame to dole out for the lousy state the game industry is in due to the shortages, delays, and generally dull titles filling the market right now. First to finger? Sony's Phil Harrison. Next up? The Germans.The Germans? Well, Colin dishes out that foreign fault because a German manufacturer supposedly screwed up the component outsourcing that held up 360 production all around the world, which caused financial shortfalls for publishers (and more than a little disappointment for gamers) in the process. Phil Harrison gets the nod because his dreamy E3 presentation for the PS3 only served to exacerbate the drop in current-gen (including PS2) sales while next-gen consoles got delayed or released in all-too-limited numbers. Bad Phil!Of course, those poor publishing execs get a bit of blame, too, as do used-game stores, developers, investors, members of the press, and other Sony creations like Blu-ray and the PSP. Nintendo is considered, but then dropped as Mr. Campbell couldn't "think of a single reason to blame" the Big N. (Wait, so the DS and DS lite shortages don't count then? Well, they are popular....) In the end, playing the blame game can be both productive (in nudging publishers, manufacturers, and media to do the right thing), and utterly repugnant (as when executives refuse to take responsibility and online flame wars rage unchecked). So does an article like this count as sharp analysis or another instance of passing the buck?[Image taken from a Peoria Oktoberfest photo album located here]
DS lite import pricing meets supply and demand
Hardware importers have begun to raise prices on imports of the DS lite.Not that we should be overly surprised by the bump in prices--to match consumer demand in Japan (and elsewhere)--but Lik-Sang pre-orderers got a nasty surprise when they learned via e-mail that the price of their updated hardware had gone up from $169 to $199 (USD).As the folks at Lik-Sang explained on their web site: "Supply is not even remotely meeting demand, which, as we all learnt in economics class, always lead to higher prices" (even if supply takes "several weeks or under extreme circumstances even more" to replenish). At least Lik-Sang customers won't have to pay $300 like early adopters ordering from NCSX might have to at launch. This shortage is just so 360-ish it hurts.[Thanks, Sagan; image taken from Watch Impress here]See also: DS Lite sells out quickly in Japan [update 1] DS Lite price gouging NCSX pricing news archived on GameBrink
2007 World Cyber Games finale Seattle-bound
We've received word that the World Cyber Games Grand Final will take place in Seattle... next year.The 2006 competition will still wrap up in Monza, Italy (as planned), echoing the Winter Olympics' location in an Italian city--that is, Turin--this year.Seattle edged out Cologne, Germany; Montreal, Canada; and Busan, Korea, for the honors. As home to "over fifty game development companies," the Puget Sound area will hopefully provide an excellent milieu for the competition.[Thanks, Christian]See also: The official World Cyber Games (WCG) web site World Cyber Games '06 titles announced, Halo 2 dropped Live from the World Cyber Games US Finals 60 Minutes profiles Fatal1ty
Trial to study games in cerebral palsy patient rehab
"Engineers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark recently began a five-year study of video games that can be applied to the treatment and rehabilitation of cerebral palsy patients," according to NorthJersey.com.A $4.75 million grant will fund the study, which will have patients use a specialized glove to control in-game movements (in a piano simulator, for instance), stimulating the brain through force-feedback to hopefully "rewire" the brain and help restore hand function.This ultimate form of brain training has also been studied with rehabilitating stroke victims. The goal here is to make therapy more efficient by requiring less professional supervision (thereby reducing costs) and also to "make therapy more fun and engaging for the patient, which in turn could make treatment more effective." It's hard to find a more noble pursuit for games than this, so we certainly wish them well.[Via 1UP; image taken from the Bobath Wales Therapy Centre]
Nobuo Uematsu behind PLAY! opening fanfare
In a game-music coup, PLAY! A Video Game Symphony has snagged the talents of Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu to write the official opening fanfare for the concert tour.The plan is to perform the fanfare "as the very first title of every PLAY! concert world-wide," according to an announcement made late last week. Dates for the show have so far been announced in Chicago, Stockholm, Philadelphia, Vienna (Virginia), and Toronto.
EA returns with trailer of Superman game
Following the single screenshot releases meted out in the past for the game adaptation of Superman Returns, EA has finally distributed that Metallo-missile trailer fans of the Kryptonian have long been waiting for.The one-minute-long render does look pretty juicy (from the standpoint of flying in the Man of Steel's shiny red boots), but it's not yet known whether the in-game immersion will build on the thrilling urban webslinging of the Spider-Man 2 game or simply fall super short.Until we see some actual gameplay footage, it'll be hard to make any sort of reliable judgment on this licensed title, but we hope EA Tiburon can prove that it's capable of more than football and NASCAR when this game's released on June 28th, two days before the movie hits theaters.[Via 1UP]See also: Look! Up in the sky... It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Madden meets Man of Steel New Madden screens on the 360 severely disappoint Critic quotes concerning Spider-Man 2 on Metacritic
Sony sells Metreon to mall developer and real estate co.
Sony has sold the Metreon in San Francisco to shopping mall developer the Westfield Group and real estate company Forest City Enterprises.The Sony Style Store and the PlayStation store will continue on as tenants in the 300,000-square-foot restaurant-theater complex, but the fate of the Walk of Game in the transaction has not yet been confirmed.