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G4TV interviews Jumpgate Evolution dev, exhibits lots of footage
G4TV interviewed Publishing Producer Michael Rowland about Jumpgate Evolution at PAX this weekend. You can watch the video of the interview right now. Mixed in with the questions and answers are a lot of gameplay video clips.The clips are the most attractive part of the video, but the interview is helpful too. Rowland suggested that the combat has a "more FPS feel" than the "turn-based" combat of other MMOs. He also said that players will be able to level up just by engaging in PvP with opposing factions. There will be three factions in all when the game launches next Spring.Most of that information can be found at the Jumpgate Evolution website, but check out the video for the gameplay clips. Just try not to be too annoyed by Adam Sessler. Of course the game was actually playable on the floor at PAX. Bet you're sad you missed out on that!
Dungeon Runners gets some G4TV love
You remember Adam Sessler right? You know that guy who stands next to Morgan Webb during X-Play? Yeah, there is someone else there, we promise. Anyway, in a recent episode of G4TV's The Download, Sessler reviews NCsoft's Dungeon Runners for the masses.His review doesn't reveal anything new about the game, but it's always nice to see when the larger gaming media covers the games we love so dearly. Plus, in this video, we get to see more of the little Bling Gnome doing his duty, so to speak. What we really find interesting though is the fact that many of the comments seem to revolve around the fact that people haven't heard of this game before. A little publicity never hurt, right?
Championship Gaming Series coming to G4
For those who know of "the giggle loop," we're attempting not to succumb as we earnestly report this information. The Championship Gaming Series (CGS) announced it will begin airing 90-minute episodes exclusively on cable-station G4 beginning July 16.During its inaugural season on DirecTV, CGS CEO Andy Reif says 50 million "cumulative viewers" watched the series. G4 president Neal Tiles believes the competition "is certain to appeal to our viewers." What viewers would those be ... wait, no, must not give in to urges. We wish all the best for the show's ratings on the network. People watch other professional sports, why not this?
G4 original content now available on Xbox Live Marketplace
If you find yourself in the mood to pay to watch G4's gamer-oriented line of television programming, you can now scratch that puzzling itch on the Xbox Live Marketplace, where several of the network's original television programs have been made available for download. These programs include Attack of the Show, snowboard documentary series The Block, and animated comedy series Code Monkeys (which includes a free sneak preview of the show's second season).Oddly enough, X-Play is not one of the shows featured on Microsoft's service, despite the fact that the daily half-hour Sess-fest is one of the highest rated programs on the network. A shame, too -- we would actually dish out some Microsoft buckz to avoid wading through the countless reruns of Fastlane, Cops, Cheaters, and other "gamer-oriented" programs to watch the oft-renamed program. Alas, we must continue to suffer the seemingly limitless douchebaggery of Joey Greco.
All things Wrath of the Lich King
Over the past week, particularly in the last few days, the crisp Internet air has been abuzz with news from the upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Fear you're out of the loop? Here's a quick round-up of all the information being released, along with analysis and opinion. Don't forget to keep checking back, as this page will be updated as information becomes available:Dungeons and raids An analysis on Arthas as a ten-manned event, including its impact on the 25-man raiding structure, as well an exploration of its consistency with the lore. Did you know that all expansion raids will have a 10-man setting, as well as a 25-man? Read through some of our initial impressions on the 10-man raiding set-up. We also wrote up a concise overview of the ins and outs of dungeons post-expansion, including a new token system, similar to [Badge of Justice]. The Nexus has been announced on the official site as one of the new dungeons. The WoW Insider Show discusses 10-manning Arthas. Zones, factions, and relevant lore Alex has written an excellent overview of the Grizzly Hills, a soon-to-be zone for low to mid-seventies. With old factions reappearing, along with other surprises, it's definitely something to look forward to! If news of the Dragonblight has intrigued you, you'll be pleased to know that more information has been made available. While we're brushing up on our lore and learning about new areas and factions, Alex thought it fitting to illuminate the lore behind Azjol-Nerub, as the Nerubians will have their own role in the expansion. Alex asks us about lore figures we'd like to see in the expansion. %Gallery-20386%
Metareview: Star Trek Tactical Assault
You guys guessed it! The new Star Trek game on PSP didn't fare too well at all. The series certainly looks like it's on its dying breath: no new movie, no new television series, and no good games. Let's find out why the critics disliked Bethesda's offering for the franchise: G4TV (60/100) - "The actual ship controls leave something to be desired... Since weapons need time to charge between each burst, combat is also rather slow-paced-particularly before your officers reach higher ranks. Overall, the action feels too slow for an action game, yet too arcade-like for a real tactical experience." GameSpot (62/100) - "Star Trek: Tactical Assault is brimming with good ideas that just don't feel fleshed out. It's got a nice strategic concept but doesn't run far enough with it. Even with two lengthy campaigns and skirmish options, it doesn't feel quite complete. The underused license is also a shame because a little Captain Kirk goes a long way. Trekkies will find Tactical Assault worth a look, but there isn't enough Star Trek or strategy to give life to the game's promising concept." IGN (64/100) - "As far as Trek games go, Tactical Assault beats out many of its predecessors. Sadly, that's not too hard to do. It offers a decent mix of strategy and action, though both halves never gel very well. The option to pilot several vessels in two different campaigns is definitely nice, but the story and missions could have used more variety. Lastly, Tactical Assault looks and sounds the part, though Trek aficionados will still find the game's presentation ho-hum."
The Political Game: Can you create a gaming city?
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games:At the vgXpo in Philly last weekend I was asked to serve on a panel discussing how to make Philadelphia into a video game Mecca. Tough question. Among life's imponderables, that's right up there.At first blush it seems like a mega-long shot. Sandwiched between New York and Washington, Philly has a long-standing municipal inferiority complex. And even though it's the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area (behind NYC, Los Angeles and Chicago), this Rodney Dangerfield of a town seemingly gets no respect.Although Philly area people are avid gamers, from a game development standpoint, there isn't a whole lot happening in or around the City of Brotherly Love. A suburban company, eGames, cranks out some nice casual fare for the PC crowd. Majesco, more familiar to console and handheld fans, is headquartered in New Jersey, closer to New York than Philly, truth be told. Maybe the most happening thing in town right now is Newgrounds.com, the Flash portal operated by Tom Fulp, who also designed the indie hit Alien Hominid.
Catch Major Nelson on G4
We wouldn't normally suggest you watch anything on G4 (Cinematech is alright), but tonight could be something special. Tonight, Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, will be featured on Attack of the Show's "The Loop" segment. The subject: microtransactions. Ooh, we smell a Lumines fight a comin'! If you'd like to watch, you can check it out at 7:00PM EDT (11:00PM GMT). Hey, it could be worse, right?
Vote now for G-Phoria 2006
The recently-ragged G4TV is getting ready for its annual awards show and it has just opened its website for voting. According to the official line, the awards show, set to air August 8th at 6 p.m. EST, will be less sensational: This year will be very different than past years - no big BS Hollywood party or non-gaming celebrities reading poorly written jokes off teleprompters - more lo-fi, by the people for the people... you get the picture. Spike TV clearly has the lame, made for mainstream, disingenuous MTV-like award show covered, we're happy to let them have it. According to Robert Juster, executive producer of G4 Interactive, the show will use the theme of an "election night coverage special -- with a very Colbert Report / Daily Show feel to it." Juster then provided this video as an example of the "awesome 'attack' ads" produced by the G-Phoria team.
21 hours with G4: the final ragging
The Game Rag could not wait any longer, so it posted the rest of its feature chronicling 21 hours watching G4TV. As the day progressed, and a new episode of Attack of the Show shone through crappy re--runs like a dimmed light, author Michael Piercey lamented at the cold truth: even if G4TV got the right formula for gamers, would we even watch?Many of us yearn for a return to the days of TechTV, for various reasons (Leo LaPorte being one of the most frequently cited, but we also loved Eye Drops). Back then, GameSpot TV / Extended Play (the ancestors of X-Play) still got flak for being out-of-touch with gamers. We are a disparate lot, whose tastes have only be satiated by the multitude of outlets available on the internet. We are not defending G4TV; we just wonder if it is even possible to make a successful gaming channel. It would need a few improvements and additions:
G4TV smashes DS Lite, remaining credibility
In this episode of Attack of the Show, the intrepid G4TV crew tackles that touchy issue of exploding (slight exaggeration) DS Lite hinges. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they handle the topic with all the finesse and class of a walrus falling out a hot air balloon. In fact, the video of an actual walrus plummeting towards the earth would likely hold more value than a guy smashing a DS Lite. Lowest common denominator, here we come. Note: Nintendo has since pledged to repair the affected DS Lites for free. [Thanks Kevin!]
An in-depth review of E3 media booths
Kyle over at Video Game Media Watch turns the spotlight back on the media's presence at E3 with an in-depth review of the big media booths that were dotted around the show floor. Here's the quick and dirty from Kyle's write-up: 1UP/Ziff Davis' booth wasn't very crowded, although the free copies of EGM were popular. BradyGames, the strategy guide publisher, stuck a couple of Guitar Hero 2 booths in their stall and let the crowds grow exponentially. GameSpot's booth was very inaccessible. So either they were working hard, or they were playing a massive LAN game. UGO couldn't hide their Geometry Wars addiction. Oh, and they stole chairs from neighboring booths. G4 let people browse the web for free: free internet FTW! Kyle goes into a lot more detail, so make sure to check out his full article.
