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Leipzig is crazy for Mario & Sonic at the Olympics
It's no surprise that the new Mario game took "Best Wii Game" at the Leipzig Game Convention. No, the other one. That's right, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics beat Super Mario Galaxy in the eyes of the jury. According to the statement released with the list of awards, "Mario and Sonic manage to translate Olympic disciplines into easily mastered, entertaining games fun." Not having played either, we suppose we should trust their judgment. But, on the other hand, what?In somewhat less mind-boggling news, the Wii Balance Board was named the "Best Hardware Accessory." The jury said "Having already converted the remote control into a controller, the manufacturer now turns scales into a games accessory."
Mario and Sonic in the unexceptional screenshots
These screenshots for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games may not inspire the recoiling horror of the new Sonic Riders or, worse, Cruis'n, but they certainly don't reflect an Olympic-caliber effort. We know that the Nintendo fan's mantra is "gameplay over graphics," but that doesn't mean we should roll over and accept sub-Gamecube graphics on what should be a flagship title worthy of the historic pairing of franchises contained within. At least it's got archery. Archery's pretty fun. To the Sega employees responsible for taking the screenshots: we just wanted to let you know we appreciate your slightly subversive effort to make sure Sonic is dead last in nearly every footrace screen, behind such noted speedsters as Yoshi and Dr. Eggman.
NBC to shoot 3600 hours of 2008 Olympics, many in HD
If you thought 416 hours of Winter Olympic Games coverage was a bit much, the 3,600 hours (that's 150 days worth, folks) that NBC-Universal will be recording next year will seem like overkill in its finest form. Sure enough, it will supposedly be covering every facet of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing from August 8 - 24, 2008, and a variety of networks including NBC, USA, MSNBC, and CNBC will be carrying its programming. Notably, it will be displaying Olympics in HD on Universal-HD, NBC HD, and USA HD, and while the exact amount of HD coverage wasn't stated, even a fraction of the 3,600 hour total would be mighty impressive.
Lenovo to auction Olympic laptops for charity
In celebration of the "one-year-out mark for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," Lenovo has just announced that it will be conducting a series of back-to-back, week-long auctions to gift high bidders with its svelte Olympic-themed machine. Beginning on February 8, 2008, a "Cloud of Promise" laptop will be available for bidding each week leading up to the Olympic Games, and a number of them will even be "autographed by athlete ambassadors." Reportedly, "100-percent" of the proceeds will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play, and the auctions will take place at the currently unavailable www.lenovohopefundauctions.com website.[Via TechDigest]
Beijing turns to Nissan for citywide navigation system
It looks like the city of Beijing was suitably impressed with Nissan's still-in-development transportation safety system, as the city's now tasked the company with installing the system in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. According to The Wall Street Journal, the system, dubbed Star Wings, will rely on an existing Beijing system to collect traffic data, which Nissan will then turn around and transmit to drivers via an unspecified wireless network. That'll allow drivers to determine the quickest route to take which, in theory, should reduce congestion in the city, something Beijing's been trying to get under control in time for the Olympics. While that's not all that far away, Nissan seems confident that it can make a difference, saying it hopes to put the technology into a fifth of Beijing's 3 million cars by August of 2008 -- an ambitious goal it believes in can achieve in part by working with rental car companies and taxi fleets.
Lenovo 3000 J200 and J205: major Olympics fans
Following up on its Olympics-themed laptops, Lenovo has just announced a new series of desktops which will sport a tiny, barely visible Olympics logo in support of the upcoming Bejing games. The 3000-series J200 and J205 desktops both look the same on the outside (drab, gigantic, PC-ish), but pack ever-so-slight differences on the inside. The J200 is an Intel Celeron based model, with 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and an integrated graphics chipset, while the J205 will feature an AMD CPU and... nope, that's all. The Olympic-lovers will be on sale in August for $399 and $449, respectively.
Sega springs for Don LaFontaine
Sega must have a lot of faith in their upcoming Olympics game-- and well they should, since they've got Mario and friends on board, and assistance from Miyamoto. Even if the game is "gaming chewing gum" But it's not often we hear voiceover legend Don LaFontaine, also known as "that announcer guy from the movies," in a game trailer. The trailer looks good too, but the fact that it's in HD should give you a clue about how much it has to do with the real game.Maybe they should add Don LaFontaine to the roster. We'd play Mario, Sonic, and Don LaFontaine at the Olympic Games. In a world where cartoon plumbers can run races with gigantic, anthropomorphic hedgehogs at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, can one man make a difference in terms of how nonsensical the game is?
E307: Joystiq checks out Sonic & Mario at the Olympics
One of our alumni here, blogger Ludwig Kietzmann, got his hands on the upcoming joint venture between Nintendo and Sega in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. As one might expect, the collection of minigames present in this overall game are some that fail to elicit any kind of enthusiasm or excitement in said blogger, as it is remarked this is the equivalent of "gaming chewing gum," as "beyond the initial burst of flavor upon discovering the Wii motions needed to complete an event, it's likely to degenerate into a bout of repetitive motion" for most gamers.To call us disappointed is an understatement, however due to the fact that we pretty much knew this would be the case, at least we were prepared for it.%Gallery-4697%
Sonic has not been training for the Olympics
Oh, Sonic! How unkind the years have been to you! We remember the days when you dashed through Green Hill Zone at breakneck speeds, a blue, blast-processed blur. Look at you now, wheezing while just keeping pace with an obese plumber. You make us sick.We're not sure whose idea it was to pit these two rivals against each other in a footrace, but they're to blame for our harsh words with Sega's mascot. Four new screenshots showing off Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games have been unveiled and dropped into our gallery below. Though this image of our favorite hedgehog lagging behind in a sprint event is downright deplorable, we were happy to see Luigi's arms thrust up in victory for a change. %Gallery-4697%
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games screens
Everyone's eager to see what Sonic and Mario's first collaboration will look like, right? Well, here it is! The DS version, anyway. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games looks pretty okay! We don't really know what else to say about it. It's in 3D, and includes, at the very least, long jump, archery, hammer throw, and some kind of track event.Sonic and Tails are participating in the manner of the ancient Olympians-- nude. We don't know if they've covered themselves in olive oil as the Greeks did, and we hope we never find out. We hope nobody ever finds out.%Gallery-4700%
Photo finish for Mario and Sonic at the Olympics
When Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was announced a few months back, we were excited about finally being able to pit these two long-standing mascots against each other. Based on their histories, we figured Sonic would probably excel at the running event,s while ever-bouncing Mario would obviously have some advantages in the jumping events.But now that the first batch of screenshots have come in, we're a little disappointed in the shot pictured above, which appears to show Mario and Sonic finishing in a dead heat in some sort of sprint event. In what universe can Mario even begin to run as fast as Sonic? We understand trying to balance the game to make all characters have an equal shot at all event, but really, this just stretches incredulity. Then again, they could be just starting the race, in which case we're surprised Sonic is still on the screen instead of a Sonic-shaped cloud of dust.Check out more screens for the Wii and DS versions of the game at Gaming-Revolution.de
Samsung P318+ sports gold for Olympics
Samsung's P310 -- the so-called "credit card phone" -- is still enough to turn heads in these parts, but the Korean manufacturer is busting out some considerably fancier units to celebrate Beijing's 2008 Olympics. China Mobile will be picking up the P318+ (or that's our guess, anyway, on account of the carrier's logo on back), offering the same diminutive case as its forebear but replacing the downright normal chrome and brushed aluminum accents with 18 karat gold. It's unclear whether the gold is solid or plated, but if solid, expect to pay Vertu-like prices for this one, which will also feature an array of Olympics-themed ringtones and graphics. So where are the silver and bronze versions, Samsung?
Former Olympian joins Nicole Kidman in promoting Brain Age 2
When we think Brain Age 2, we think swimming*. Well, maybe not so much, but for Australians, former Olympian Kieren Perkins is probably a great choice as the face of Brain Age 2. Perkins, who medaled in three consecutive Olympic Games, will be promoting the game (along with his wife, Symantha) in an expansive media campaign. So we've got Nicole Kidman in the U.K., Kieren Perkins in Australia ... will we have a designated celebrity for Brain Age 2 here in the U.S.?*We do not recommend swimming and playing Brain Age 2 at the same time, for, y'know, obvious reasons.
China delays 3G licensing until after the Olympics
Talk about a delay -- China, which was expected to issue 3G licenses to its "top four" telecom operators, has now announced that the move will have to wait until they "come out of restructuring." As it currently stands, it will likely be after the 2008 Olympics before the licensing will ensue. Interestingly enough, information industry minister Wang Xudong has reportedly stated that "3G mobile phone services will be offered in the mainland in 2008 in time for the Beijing Olympics," but wouldn't that require issuance to take place before... beforehand? We'll keep you posted.[Via monoNews, image courtesy of 3G]
Virtual Console Monday celebrates gentlemanly sport
In belated celebration of Father's Day, today's Virtual Console releases uphold the spirit of proper and dignified competition amongst gentlemen of all ages. At 9AM PST, don your finest collared shirt to partake in a classy game of golf, flex your muscles in preparation for a grueling bout at the Olympics and then laugh maniacally as you mow down enemy soldiers in man's oldest sport, senseless killing. Hey, we didn't pick 'em. NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a long and relaxing walk with Mario, stopping occasionally to batter an innocent white ball with a large club. Tournament and Match Modes sound enjoyable enough, though you'll probably want to put on a hat for Stroke Mode. World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points): Comprised of 18 events, the Olympics competition sees the world's most skilled photographers competing to capture the first image of a legendary creature, the Olym! Bloody Wolf (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): In this top-down shooter, it's up to you to rescue the president and otherwise blow up the sort of people who make jokes like the one in the paragraph above.
RoboGames 2007 to commence in San Francisco
Just as in years past, the "planet's largest robot competition" is about to get underway in San Francisco. This time around, over 800 robots from 30 countries will be competing in 61 various RoboGames events, the most notable of which include combat, fire-fighting, android acrobatics, android kung-fu, and iron-man exoskeleton weight lifting. Best of all, the mayhem is actually open for the public to enjoy, so drown your kids' whining and head on over to watch metal-framed machines put your skills to shame. Check out a few more peeks of the action after the jump.[Via Physorg]
Hitachi and Oracle introduce anti-piracy tags in China
Considering the sensational amount of knockoff gadgetry and counterfeit software that manages to emerge in China, it's only surprising that it has taken this long for a company (or two) to unveil a legitimate solution to at least curb the amount of black market goods that leave the country. Reportedly, Oracle will be teaming up with Hitachi to "jointly market wireless IC tags in China that can be used to identify whether products are real or not," meaning that tagged goods can now be easily identified as authentic when placed over a reader. The tags will be made and distributed by Hitachi and the duo of firms will promote the usage of said anti-piracy measures with the Tokyo-based Ubiquitous ID Center which issues and manages IC tags. Initially, the tags will purportedly be used with tickets for the upcoming Beijing Olympics and Expo 2010 in Shanghai, but there was no word on any planned rollouts or potential takers outside of these two events. Still, for Japanese wares makers that operate in China, ¥10 ($0.08) a pop for these piracy-thwarting tags sounds like an awfully fair deal. [Warning: Read link requires subscription][Via Yahoo]
'The big three' ARE coming in 2007 (to Japan)
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo confirmed that they do in fact plan to release Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl by the end of this year, as well as pretty much every Nintendo game announced for the Wii. This corroborates an IGN report to the same effect, and is also totally, totally rad. Here's the full list of Nintendo's planned 2007 releases. Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race is slated for June 28, and the rest are all "2007": Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race Wii Health Pack Disaster: Day of Crisis Mario Party 8 Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Wii Music Super Mario Galaxy Super Smash Bros. Brawl Battalion Wars II Forever Blue Mario Strikers Charged Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Keep checking with us for news of the inevitable delays of about half of these. Seriously, that's a lot of first-party Nintendo games for just half a year or so. Aw, we just made ourselves sad with our own skepticism. Still, if half of this stuff does get released in Japan this year, it'll be great news and do a pretty good job of ending any drought that may or may not be happening.Update: fixed some italics and formatting.
Lenovo's Olympics-inspired laptops revealed
Yeah, you may have thought those Santa Rosa, er, Centrino Pro-based ThinkPads were hot stuff, but they ain't got nuthin' on the future eBay value of the svelte new Olympic-inspired iteration. Shortly after Lenovo unveiled its 2008 Beijing Olympic torch design, the firm has already thrown down snapshots of its Olympic laptop, which certainly looks dashing in its own right. The stunning red and black case design is accented with a motif similar to that found on the torch, and the spiral designs actually seep beyond the external casing right onto the palm rests and around the LCD's bezel. Unfortunately, not much is know about the internal hardware that these presumably finely trained machines will sport, but early details suggests a 12.1-inch XGA display and Intel's L2400 Core 2 Duo processor will be in the mix. Additionally, mum's the word on pricing and availability, but you can rest assured that this bad boy will be one hot commodity whenever it lands in limited quantities. Click on through for a few more glamor shots.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Beijing Olympics to get Lenovo-designed torch, seeded clouds
Apparently, Lenovo kept enough staff on board to create the 2008 Olympic torch, as the firm's Cloud of Promise design was recently selected over 300 competing themes and will be "carried by torchbearers around the world in the Olympic Torch Relay preceding the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games." With Lenovo being a China-based firm, the company's chairman (Yang Yuanqing) stated that it was "an honor to have its torch design chosen," and oddly enough, that wasn't the only cloud-related Olympic news coming out of Beijing. Reportedly, meteorologists will be utilizing a process known as "cloud seeding" to force rain out beforehand and subsequently clear the filthy skies and alleviate the purported "50-percent chance of rain during the opening and closing ceremonies." Of course, this isn't exactly a push to become a greener society or anything, but at least the HD feeds from around the area will look a bit better during the competitions.Read - Lenovo designs Olympic torchRead - Cloud seeding in China
