9-11
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GoodEvilPlanet: The best and worst levels we've seen so far
... and by worst we mean "with as little taste as humanly possible" -- but first the best LittleBigPlanet level. A PSN user named Upsilandre, whose brain is at least thrice the size of ours, has created an "electronic" (i.e. not mechanical) 8-bit calculator capable of adding and subtracting any double-digit number. In the video after the break, you see both how to interact with the level and how the whole thing works (spoiler: It's nearly maxes out the complexity meter). It's a shame to think this might disappear once the beta is over.As for the other video -- and please don't let this take away from your awe at the above calculator -- file this under the "unfortunate but bound to happen" category. A couple levels have popped up on the beta based on the September 11 attacks. Remember, folks, you can report offensive levels in-game for Media Molecule to promptly slam. GoodEvilPlanet officially launches October 21.[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
Taito responds to 'unauthorized' Space Invaders 9/11 exhibit
Taito has released a very official-sounding statement, charging Mr. Stanley and the exhibitors of the controversial Space Invaders art installation, featuring a simulated attack on the World Trade Center, with unauthorized use of its intellectual property: "Taito Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd., today stated unequivocally that the 'Invaders!' installation by Douglas Edric Stanley and displayed at the Games Convention held in Leipzig, Germany was produced entirely without Taito's knowledge and that the use of the world-famous Space Invaders content was wholly unauthorized. The 'Space Invaders: Die Jubiläumsshow!' ('Space Invaders: the Anniversary Show') exhibition of the Computer Game Museum Berlin hosting the installation was likewise planned and presented without Taito's knowledge and authorization. "Taito is seriously considering all available options -- including legal actions against the infringer and, if necessary, the Games Convention exhibitor involved -- in order to end this unauthorized and impermissible misuse of the Space Invaders content and to protect Taito's intellectual properties."
Space Invaders/Sept. 11 art exhibit stirs controversy [update]
An art installation that features Space Invaders aliens attacking an image of the World Trade Center is beginning to draw ire from the mainstream media. Kotaku was the first site to call attention to the exhibit, which was part of a larger tribute to the classic game's 30th anniversary at the Leipzig Games Convention. A Games Convention press release calls the installation an "an articulated and critical commentary about the current war strategy" and "a social tale that can be related to historical tales without losing its poetic power." The New York Daily News ran with a decidedly different take, though, calling the exhibit a "disgrace" in one headline and featuring outraged reactions from families of 9/11 attack victims, who called the game "distasteful" and "disgusting."The story has been slowly leaking into the mainstream from there. News wire UPI basically echoed the Post piece, while Fox News posted a surprisingly balanced take on the controversy. International wire AFP's story, meanwhile, doesn't seem to see anything wrong with the exhibit at all. So is this piece a triumph or a travesty? Watch the video and decide for yourself.Update: Taito just dropped a very serious statement into our inbox. Read it here.
Sept. 11's effect on the coin-op industry
Following up on yesterday's post on the decline of the American arcade, we stumbled across this little bit of soul-searching from Brad Brown, president of coin-op repair and sales shop Worldwide Video. Brown looks back at a rather gloomy 2002 Christmas letter in which he details how the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have impacted the coin-op market. According to Brown, the attacks made "a tremendous amount of people want to stay home and entertain themselves," going out only to places that "do not require traveling long distances." Coin-op users in 2002 tended to leave the house only for "very specific events or events that usually include a multitude of activities along with 'we just happen to be there' coin-op game entertainment," Brown said. Years without an attack on American soil may have mitigated these effects, but these days Brown reflects that the "relative down cycle / blip upon our industry that has proven to last far longer and deeper than I would have anticipated." We don't doubt his first-hand experience, but we've also started noticing that those darn, impossible-to-beat Stacker machines are popping up all over the place, so maybe things are turning around. We'll put the question to you -- does the threat of terrorism make you less likely to seek out video game outside the comforts of your own home? [Via Insert Credit]
