Tony Carnevale

Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Iranian government making strategy games ... finally!

Not to be outdone by the US military's use of video games as recruiting tool, Iran's government has begun creating "propagandatainment" as well. Tehran's "Taliya News" reports that Saving the Port, released today by Tebyan, an official "information dissemination institute," is an attempt to "replace the excessive amount of aggression seen in strategic Western game [sic] with rational thinking." Who knew Iranian news organizations were so catty? On the Snark-O-Meter, that line is somewhere between Kathy Griffin and a New York Post gossip column. Looks like we'd better raise the threat level from "Elevated" to "Sassy."Info on Saving The Port is scant, but it seems to be a wargame for the PC set in World War II-era Iran. Players will relive all the legendary WWII battles that took place in the Middle East.

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

New Boulder Dash game to rock retro gamers' worlds

First Star Software will continue to milk their 23-year-old greatest hit, Boulder Dash, with a new version for the DS and PSP later this year. Each version of Boulder Dash - Rocks! will feature exclusive content unique to the console it runs on. Something tells us it will have something to do with running around underground tunnels and dodging big stones.Sidenote: did you know the Boulder Dash guys also made that crazy split-screen Spy Vs. Spy game? You can legally download Windows versions of that game, four versions of Boulder Dash, and pretty much every other game First Star ever created for $14.95 at their website. Pretty sweet deal, if you're old enough to be nostalgic for these games. (57 years old, to be exact.)

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Devil May Cry 4 to be identical on PS3 and Xbox 360

In a video interview with IGN, Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi gives the 411 on protagonist Nero (not to be confused with the also playable Dante). "His specialties are a big revolver called the Blue Rose, and a big sword called the Red Queen." Hey, that's cool, gamers are totally comfortable with alternative lifestyles. Then Kobayashi drops the bombshell: the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are going to be the same."Our plan is to make them pretty much identical," says the auburn-tressed developer. This is where armchair analysts point out that the PS3 costs $200 more than 360; shouldn't Sony's system blow the competition out of the photorealistic water? Kobayashi concedes, "You may be able to use some of the functionality in the PS3 as like a switch." We trust that makes more sense in the original Japanese than in IGN's shoddy on-the-fly English translation. Any bilingual readers care to take a crack at a better interpretation?

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

SMU's Guildhall awards game design degrees

The Guildhall, Southern Methodist University's video game design graduate program, has awarded the world's first master's degrees in video game development. Twenty-four graduates received "Master of Interactive Technology degrees" in "Digital Game Development" on March 24. Commencement speaker Randy Pitchford of Gearbox said, "The granting of advanced degrees from accredited universities is crucial to the future of our industry... You never know how important someone will become in time. Bill Gates was nobody [30] years ago." Gates probably shoudn't be the poster boy for higher education, since he dropped out of school to start Microsoft, but whatevs, right?

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Study: video games may incite 'angry' players to violence

In a Villanova University study (PDF), 167 undergraduates played games that were either violent or non-violent, and were then asked to choose an action for a fictitious character in a story. The gamers who had just played violent games like Mortal Kombat or Doom 3 "produced significantly more aggressive responses" than those who'd played inoffensive fare like Tetris Worlds.Seems pretty conclusive, doesn't it? Professor Patrick Markey, who conducted the study, doesn't think so. "Their personality made a big difference. People who are extremely angry tend to be much more affected by violent videogames than people who are not angry and of course the opposite is true that people who are not angry are virtually unaffected by violent videogames. So it's both the person and, in essence, the situation."Markey, himself a gamer, cautioned against sensationalism from the mainstream media, as well as knee-jerk defenses from -- ahem -- game journalists. "I like the rating system so legislatively I hope nothing's done. ... [but] getting out the information that videogames can have an effect if you're [an angry] person is extremely important." For still more on Patrick Markey's research, you can check out his appearance on the Cheap Ass Gamer CAGcast.

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Nintendo By Tony Carnevale

English-named Pokmon 'big in Japan'

Japanese Pokémon players are making what seem to be strange trades with American players, giving up semi-decent or hard-to-catch creatures in exchange for such lowly drones as "Magikarp." (Even if you don't play Pokémon, it's obvious that anything named "Magikarp" is lametown.) This is great news for gaijin gamers, but why is it happening?A "Quarter to Three" forum poster who goes by "DeathMonkey" offers a hypothesis: "I believe Japanese players will make unbelievably great deals simply to have Pokémon with an English name." Such a name, notes DeathMonkey, would be impossible to create in the Japanese version of the software, just as American players are unable to use a Japanese alphabet when naming their own digital beasties.Are Japanese players giving you sweet deals for your lowly Magikarps? And if so, could DeathMonkey's explanation be the reason?

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

British ratings board: violent video games less harmful than movies

The British Board of Film Classification, which assigns content ratings to both films and video games, says that video game violence is less influential and harmful to young players than violence in films or television. The board came to this conclusion as a result of their 107-page study, "Playing Video Games," featuring interviews with players ranging from very young children to the middle-aged.Says BBFC spokeswoman Sue Clark, "We have traditionally taken the view that because a game is interactive, by definition we need to be more careful. But ... one of the key conclusions of this report is that interactivity actually helps players distance reality from adult experiences in games." The study was conducted to prepare for a revision of the BBFC's video-game ratings system -- which means that their new ratings may actually become less restrictive.A study, huh? Using research, data, and possibly even science to draw conclusions? Silly Brits! We independent-minded Americans can make judgements without any facts whatsoever!

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PC Gaming

PC Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Commodore Gaming releases high-end PCs

Commodore Gaming, a conglomerate formed when several Dutch upstarts joined forces in 2005 to buy the Commodore name (but not the technology or suicidal business sense), is finally ready for action. Today the company began selling two high-end Wintel boxes in the UK, Ireland, and online. Starting at £1759 (just over $3500 at the current exchange rate), these juggernauts are a pricey way to play all those PC games you've already been playing on a cheaper rig. But wait! For no additional charge, you can customize your Commodore with a fruity paint job of your choice called a "C-Kin." Are you slavering with excitement yet?

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Xbox

Xbox By Tony Carnevale

Roll your own Xbox 360 HDD, save $100

If you're not buying Microsoft's excuses for why their 120GB hard drive costs $179, you don't have to buy the drive either. A mysterious hacker called "TheSpecialist" has released a new version of his program HDDHackr, which now allows you to make your own 120GB drive for the Xbox 360. It's not perfect -- you can only use a Western Digital SATA drive and you need a certain file from an official Microsoft drive. But with some time, effort, and around $80 for the drive, you'll get to keep about $100 of your hard-earned money in your nacho-cheese-stained paws. (With a little more work, you can even install the drive internally.)[Thanks, XanTium]

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

New York politicians prepare anti-video game crusade

New York State Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) joined Governor Eliot Spitzer this week in the fight against the political demon du jour. Lanza, who on Thursday was appointed chair of a local anti-violent-video-game task force, decried "the culture of violence" and Grand Theft Auto: "The better a mass murderer you are, the better you do at the game." (That's a huge oversimplification. You can also do really well at GTA by being a good carjacker, pimp, or State Senator.) The gig's up, gamers. The government has had it up to here with all the murders lately. Politicians are finally committed to bravely confronting the pimply-faced, Cheeto-chomping axis of evil. If the only way to prevent man from killing his fellow man is by keeping 15-year-olds from buying Manhunt 2, by God, they're going to do it.[Via GamePolitics]

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PC Gaming

PC Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Turbine announces LOTRO update 'Shores of Evendim'

Lord of the Rings Online is barely in Open Beta, but Turbine already announced its first free content update, called Shores of Evendim. Coming in June, Shores of Evendim will challenge players to "secure the valuables of the abandoned city," "defy Angmar's encroaching grip on Annúminas," and "experience revolutionary new Prancin' Hobbit Mode (PHM)." Okay, we made that last part up. But one of these days, somebody needs to come up with a game featuring Prancin' Hobbit Mode. (Or at least Prancin' Ewok Mode.)[Thanks, Bripod!]

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Game publishers threatened by user-generated content

Video game executives fear you. Seriously. They cower in their cubicles every day, praying that you don't destroy them. So says a poll conducted among entertainment-industry bigshots, which found that 57% of respondents named "user-generated content" among the top three threats to their yacht collections.That's bad for them, but great for us. Internet distribution and cheap production software have thrown open the gates that, until now, were traditionally tightly secured by publishers. Got an idea for a video, a song, a podcast, a game? Make it, put it online, and people will find it. We all benefit from the mind-bogglingly wide variety of stuff to consume, and the competition increases quality for everyone. The dinosaurs who have become rich off outmoded means of production and distribution are quaking in terror. Some, like SCEA president Phil Harrison, are making attempts to adapt and thrive. Those that don't may perish. Don't pity them. Nobody mourns the Great Auk.

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Nintendo By Tony Carnevale

Times Online offers 'Wii warm-ups' before gaming

Another day, another sensationalistic article about the hazards of Wii gaming. But this one's got a special bonus at the end -- a list of "Wii warm-ups" from Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. Wanna prevent "Wii elbow?" Then shrug those shoulders! Stretch that wrist! Relax that lower back!Despite the warm-up suggestions, the article concludes that you should avoid the Wii, "save £179 and buy a pair of tennis rackets instead." Um, yeah, if we wanted to play real tennis, we would have done that, Times Online. The great thing about Wii Sports is that it's semi-real exercise that's actually fun for those of us who otherwise would only be using the muscles involved in opening a fridge. Give us enough time for the bedsores to heal, then maybe we'll think about these "tennis rackets" you speak of. (Do they carry them at Gamestop?)

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PlayStation

PlayStation By Tony Carnevale

Sony now 'considering' 80GB PS3

In a reversal of Sony's March assertion that they "don't have plans" to increase the PlayStation 3's hard drive size, Sony spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka now says the company is "considering" a version featuring a drive bigger than the 60GB existing model (and 20GB model that was discontinued in the USA five days ago). Does this mean a pending price drop for the 60GB PS3? Or will Sony blow our minds and bank accounts with a new $700 SKU?[Via Fragland]

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Xbox

Xbox By Tony Carnevale

University professor uses Halo to teach Homer

UConn associate professor Roger Travis thinks that video games can be an important learning tool -- and not just lame-ass edutainment, but real video games. Like Halo. Travis draws parallels between the legendary FPS and epic literature like the Aeneid: "Both Halo and the Aeneid tell a story about a more-than-human hero defeating enemies who would be too much for ordinary people like us – enemies who nevertheless bear an important resemblance to the ones we and the Romans face in our respective presents."Uh-huh. UConn students, if this guy starts saying the Konami Code was inspired by The Hero With A Thousand Faces, you should probably consider transferring to a more academically demanding school.

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

id Software poised for a comeback, says id Software

It's been a long time since id Software defined the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D, and later took it to a new level of insanity with Doom. The company got rich not only off their own revolutionary games, but also by farming out their powerful engines to other developers.In recent years, id has fallen from prominence. Doom 3 and Quake 4 were mere shadows of their predecessors. id began to lose FPS market share as other people's engines got more play. Even id founder/visionary John Carmack seemed to be losing interest in the genre he created, and spent his time building rockets and cell phone games.But in a new interview with Next Generation, id CEO Todd Hollenshead makes it clear that his company has a few tricks up its sleeve, the most exciting of which is Carmack's "brand new shooter that is not based on any previous IP." While Hollenshead refuses to reveal much about this mysterious new game, he does say that "[Carmack's] approach allows us to do some things visually that we haven't ever been able to do before. He is really unfettering the ability of artists to go absolutely nuts."Do you hear that, video game artists? Are you tired of those fetters on your ability to go absolutely nuts? Get a job at id.

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Firaxis to revisit X-COM in Civ IV: Beyond the Sword

Firaxis' Tim McCracken recently updated the official Civilization IV site with details on a very intriguing scenario in the coming Beyond the Sword expansion. The scenario, "Afterworld," is "a tip of the hat to the Gollop brothers and the original X-COM team." "Afterworld" sounds like a squad-based, sci-fi scenario that is heavy on combat and light on everything else. "There are no leaders. No cities. No technologies. It's not the typical game of Civ. It's Afterworld." McCracken doesn't say much more, but Firaxis doing an X-COM homage is enough to make many gamers drool. More than we usually do, we mean.

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News

News By Tony Carnevale

Orangutans play video games; apocalypse nears

If you've ever played an online game, you already know that this hobby is beloved by subhuman creatures. But now, even orangutans are getting their game on. Zoo Atlanta is conducting research on the adorable primates with computers built into "tree-like structures." "In one program, a picture of an orangutan appears on the screen. Every time the real primate touches the photo, the visual disappears and the animal receives a treat."That's all? Come on, dude! Totally easy! How many Xbox Live achievement points does the orangutan get for that?

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Guinness to legitimize couch potatoes with video game records

Guinness is poised to release a new series of record books with specific themes, and the first one is titled Guinness World Records Videogame Edition 2008. The tome will include stats on "which pro gamers earn the most money," "fastest times," "sales figures," and this perplexing nugget: "the single highest score ever achieved in a game." Really? It seems like anyone could easily beat that record by creating their own game with ridiculous scoring. ("Press 'x' to score eleventy bajillion points, to the power of infinity.") But who are we to criticize? We should just be psyched that somebody's making us feel like we're achieving something by spending the next month with a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels and Super Paper Mario.

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Nintendo By Tony Carnevale

Blowing on the DS sucks (or: the huff-and-puff games)

MTV News' Stephen Totilo has discovered the first video game innovation he's ever hated: "blow control" on the Nintendo DS. When he was commanded to literally exhale air at the system's built-in microphone in WarioWare: Master of Disguise, Totilo decided, "I don't see the point. What I see is embarrassment at having to hyperventilate over my DS while riding the subway." That seems like the point to us.Press the Buttons' Matthew Green agrees with Totilo, and calls Diddy Kong Racing DS the worst offender of the "huff-and-puff" games. "I did so much huffing and puffing to try and beat the clock that I made myself dizzy and had to go lie down for a while." From DS hyperventilation to Wii elbow, Nintendo really loves making gamers get in touch with their doughy, neglected bodies. Wii Yoga, anyone?

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TV & Movies

TV & Movies By Tony Carnevale

Uwe Boll responds to 9/11 'Postal' criticism, pats himself on back

The internet went ballistic over a teaser clip from schlock director Uwe Boll's coming film adaptation of schlock video game Postal. The clip seems to poke fun at the 9/11 attacks in a hamfisted, stupid way. A truly talented person can find humor in any tragedy. But is Boll, who directed the film versions of BloodRayne and House of the Dead, that kind of talent? The answer, clearly, is no. Boll disagrees.In his response to criticism over the clip, Boll self-righteously calls his film a "necessary wake-up call" and compares it to Monty Python's masterpiece, Life of Brian. That's right, a movie based on an utterly boring video game is in the same league as one of the greatest comedy touchstones in history.To call Boll a "bloviating hack" is to insult the English language by referring to him with words and not a series of guttural grunts, obscene gestures, and bodily excretions. But excretions don't really come across that well in a blog. Maybe this "Web 2.0" we keep hearing about will remedy that.

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

'Sims' credit card will buy everything but a life

The official Sims 2 site is featuring a page of four different Visa credit card designs inspired by the game, encouraging fans to vote for their favorites. The site gives no info other than the cryptic announcement that the card will be "coming soon." While many Sims players seem to think it's a late April Fool's joke, so far it appears to be real. That means you'll be able to spend real dollars with a card promoting a product that turned consumerism into a game. Anyone else's brain exploding right about now?

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Video Game Decency Act: saving the children, or one-way ticket to tyranny?

As Congressman Fred Upton's Video Game Decency Act continues to percolate through Congress, Upton (R-MI) is singing its praises to the press, telling his local paper, the Niles Daily Star, "This legislation will restore parents' trust in a system in which game makers had intentionally deceived the ratings board to deliver violent and pornographic material to our kids."This whole foofaraw kicked off when Rockstar Games tucked away some sex-related gameplay into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and, while the content was only accessible by using hacking tools, it was there for the minigaming. When word got out, lawsuits flowed like coffee, and Rockstar rushed out a "clean" version in order to avoid the dreaded "Adults Only" rating. The Video Game Decency Act would make it a crime to hide such content from the ESRB, the independent ratings board created by the industry in 1994 to avoid federal regulation.Seems pretty reasonable, right? Well, it is. Whether you believe all sexual content deserves an "AO" rating or not, developers who want a rating from the ESRB should fully disclose anything that might affect that rating. But if the bill passes, the government will finally have its paws in the game rating pie, in a very official (and probably irreversible) way -- exactly what the ESRB was founded to prevent. Fine by you? Or is this the next step on a slippery slope of governmental control that will end with a dystopian, 1984-style wasteland?[Via GamePolitics]

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Nintendo By Tony Carnevale

EA struggles to meet demand for Wii games

EA continues to be punished for their assumption that the Wii would flop, according to Bloomberg News. EA's sales dropped a whopping 25% this February compared to last year, since they didn't have much to offer the 3.56 million Wii owners in the U.S. and Japan. Finally convinced that the Wii is a moneymaker, EA has recanted and is rushing to get titles out for it as fast as possible, like the recently-released Godfather: Blackhand Edition and Tiger Woods 07. Let's just hope they take enough time to really get a handle on those finicky Wii controls. EA seems to have gotten it right with Godfather, but the jury is out on Tiger Woods.[Thanks, kimo]

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Gaming By Tony Carnevale

Halo novel now in even cheaper paperback

Now you can pretend you can read for cheap. Ghosts of Onyx, set in the universe of the frightfully popular Halo first-person shooter game, is finally available as a $7.95 paperback. For your enjoyment, we have obtained the following promotional excerpt from the novel."Pew! Pew! The Halo guy shot his pistol at the other Halo guy. He changed weapons to the rocket launcher. He changed weapons to the sniper rifle. He changed weapons to the pistol. He changed weapons back to the sniper rifle. Pew! Pew! The Halo guy killed the other Halo guy. Now there were some more Halo guys coming toward him. Pew! Pew!"[via Xbox360Fanboy]

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