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Volvo treasure hunt delayed after locating $500 million instead
In an interesting turn of events, it seems like the winner of Volvo's lucrative treasure hunt won't be unearthing the $50,000 treasure anytime soon, as the automaker's hunt partner (Odyssey Marine Exploration) has happened upon an actual $500 million treasure instead. The reported fortune is located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean -- in a secretive area known only as Black Swan -- but reports are claiming that a court in the Spanish coastal town of La Linea has "issued an order for the Spanish Guardia Civil to detain any Odyssey vessel should it leave the port of Gibraltar," which has brought about an abrupt halt to Volvo's retrieval plans. Thankfully, it sounds like the Russian winner will still be awarded the dough and a new XC70 to boot, but there's no telling how long it'll be before Odyssey is able to put aside its bigger worries and dig up the (comparatively) paltry $50k.[Via CarTechMag]
Plundr: Dangerous Shores' location-based gaming weighs anchor on the Nintendo DS
The main idea behind location-based gaming is to transform the city around you into a new setting that can be interacted with and explored. In Plundr's case, you're the captain of a pirate ship looking to pillage and swashbuckle your way to the top of the buccaneer chain. Using WiFi positioning to track your movements and superimpose landmarks over your neighborhood map, Plundr builds islands that you can set sail for and investigate. Taking a walk to that coffee shop two blocks away will bring up a trading post where you can buy spices and deliver goods. If you head over to the nearby park, there's a few unsuspecting merchant ships to test your cannons on.Developer area/code originally designed the title with laptops in mind, but working with the R4DS homebrew platform, the Manhattan-based company was able to port the game to our scurvy handheld and show off the fruits of its efforts at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 Conference late last May. Though we're still waiting to hear more about the clever game, these first shots of Plundr: Dangerous Shores that we scoured up will tide us over for now. Yarr!%Gallery-3607%[Via slavin fpo]
UK inventor crafts remote controlled treasure hunting robot
Although John Corney's RC treasure hunter hasn't happened upon any $10 billion finds or unreleased iPhone knockoffs, the remote controlled truck has indeed scrounged up part of a Medieval Pilgrims badge which has now been donated to Warminster Library Museum. The off-roading machine is essentially a souped up metal detector on wheels (er, tracks) that has an on-board camera "to show its controller where it is going." The creator is already "qualified in remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) control," and has used his mountain climbing machine to land "hundreds" of old coins and medieval artifacts including a World War II medical badge. The project didn't come easy, however, as Mr. Corney has spent over seven years and £2,000 ($3,958) honing its skills, but apparently, he's hunting down VCs right now to help bring "Champion the Wonder Robot" to market.[Via Robot-Gossip]
Julius the Pirate Monkey DS Lite
It's been too long since we last took a sip from China's rum bottle of personalized DS Lites; it's time to get back on that wagon with a buccaneer-themed skin.YYJoy forumer Pikapika shivered our timbers, decorating his handheld with a crossed-cutlasses pattern and Julius the Monkey decked out in full corsair regalia. Now that's piracy we can get behind! Walk the post break plank for more photos of the shipshape DS Lite.
Pirates of the Carribean demo hits shores
The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End demo has arrived on Marketplace, which is a good thing. The weird thing is the regions that it is available in, or more specifically, not available in. It's listed as available in all Xbox regions except the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asia. So no go for North America, which is a little odd, considering the movie and its game are being made by American companies. So, Europe and other regions that don't fall into that category, can you play that first tutorial level and tell us how the game looks and feels?
Pirates rule the Philippine seas
After a tour of the country last year, Indian President Abdul Kalam described the Philippines as a "smiling republic." Wherever he went, Kalam was met with smiling faces. Well, you'd be grinning too if you saw how cheap their games are. Thanks to the black market, popular Nintendo Wii titles are priced as low as $5 in some shops. Piracy has become so widespread in the Southeast Asian country, even Sony admits that most of its Playstation software sold in the Philippines are bootlegged copies.Filipino site GameOPS found that many stores also offer modchip installations. For about $51, you can have your system hacked to play these counterfeit games at the local mall or market. Furthermore, some shops advertise console bundles, selling imported and modded US Wiis with five copied games of your choice for around $450. Similar deals for chipped Xbox 360 systems with 10 pirated titles are actually cheaper at $388.With such a high level of piracy already in place, Nintendo will have a lot to work against when -- or if -- it decides to finally launch the Wii in the Philippines.
RC Pirate ship with working cannon lets you rule the pool
Lifeguards beware: the stakes have been raised. This RC pirate ship would be way cooler if the cannon actually fired something, but those landlubbers in the shallow end don't know that you're unarmed. A switch on the waterproof transmitter triggers what is sure to be a terrifying light and sound display from speakers hidden in the 18-inch hull, and when you're done looting whatever booty you can find, the twin screws all but guarantee a swift retreat from that bruiser middle schooler trying to wreck your summer.
Microsoft corroborates Windows Vista OEM hacks
At least Redmond can't say that no one told them so, as the folks at Microsoft are finally holding up a hesitantly-raised white flag and admitting that Windows Vista is indeed far from crack-proof. After depressing the mental "Allow" button, Microsoft Senior Product Manager Alex Kochis has come to grips with the Vista hacks that are currently floating around (and apparently functioning). Interestingly, he insinuates that the company will be looking at ways to "disrupt the business model of organized counterfeiters and protect users from becoming unknowing victims," but also mentioned that it wouldn't be rushing out in a likely futile attempt to nab every "mad scientist" (saywha?) on a mission to hack Windows. Hmm, wonder if that has anything to do with the barren efforts it exhausted trying to one-up FairUse4WM?
Nintendo joins US govt's crusade against piracy in China
Nintendo has pledged its support of a US-led stance against China's burgeoning military budget, er, counterfeit video games market, according to a company presser today. With few government restrictions holding them back, pirates plundered an estimated $762 million worth of booty in China last year. And these scallywags aren't your typical kid brothers burning DVDs in the basement and exchanging them for lunch allowances in the cafeteria. No, this is well-organized crime, which has accounted for the more than 7.7 million counterfeit gaming products seized during the past four years -- and only a single criminal prosecution brought against the more than 300 Chinese factories and retailers dealing in this illicit trade. To avoid punishment, an operation need only keep its pirated stock below a certain threshold and do away with bookkeeping.The rampant piracy, which affects hundreds of companies in the games industry, has prompted the US Trade Representative to seek formal consultations with China regarding the government's failure to meet World Trade Organization obligations concerning intellectual property protection. Nintendo has chipped in, providing evidence of piracy in China and other countries during the annual "Special 301" investigation. In turn, the US Trade Representative will use this evidence to push China to comply with global standards. "Progress must be made," urged an unusually stern Nintendo.
One Piece Unlimited Adventure gets stretchy, swingy
We'll admit to being somewhat negligent in our anime viewing. To put a fine point on it, we don't know the first thing about One Piece. But we know brawlers, and any such game where you can play as a stretchy-arm guy is okay with us.One Piece Unlimited Adventure uses limited "swing attacks" that are activated by waggling-- specifically, shaking the Wiimote. The high-speed pummeling shown above is such an attack. Check the link for pictures of all the other (significantly less stretchy) characters and their swing actions, and click the post break for a couple of screens.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 screens exist
We don't want to make any value judgments, so we'll stick to the facts. A Wii game based on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End exists in some unreleased stage, and Jeux-France posted two screenshots of it, which we have posted here for you. The screens depict characters from the movie in what appear to be situations from the whole series. Sometimes the characters engage in combat against enemy characters. There is a display on the screen of the appropriate Wii controller motions for the situation.We don't want to speculate too much, but we're guessing that this game will be pressed onto discs and released to retailers near the time of the movie's release (late May). Should people want one of these discs containing the game, they will be able to obtain one in exchange for currency.[Via NeoGAF]
Lucky and Flo sniff-out another $450k in pirated DVDs
Last month, the MPAA's two DVD sniffing dogs busted a ring of $3 million worth of pirated DVD movies and games in Malaysia. Over the weekend, Lucky and Flo sniffed down another $430,000 after police failed to find the discs during an initial search. After calling in the "canine brigade," the dogs were able to quickly sniff-out the discs hidden away in a room that could "only be accessed by the push of a button hidden under a plug outlet." Nice work pups, Scooby snacks for all.
Yarr! Pirates sails to 360
No, we're not referring to the elusive Pimps At Sea Alpha. Disney Interactive Studios announced that they will be releasing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for new generation consoles, including Xbox 360. Players will have their chance at the life of a pirate as Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow. Looking to coincide with the film's release, the game is slated for May 22nd, 2007. DIS' President of Marketing, Craig Relyea, promises that the game will feature environments above and beyond those featured in the films as well as multiple endings. So, does this make you want to search for that bottle of rum, or are you going to get a case of scurvy?
Avast! More Treasure Island Z scans spotted
A NeoGAFfer and frequent Wii Fanboy tipster named creamsugar posted these new, higher-quality scans of Capcom's Treasure Island Z, and later in the thread Xboxyde's Blimblim cleaned up the images, which we have provided for you. After a careful inspection, we must say, that if we were excited about the game yesterday, today we are in full hype hype hype mode! We're ready to start freaking out about this game without really knowing anything about it!The graphics look so great (and we aren't going to assume that it's because of Blimblim's filter)-- finally, next-generation cel shading is here! And the art style and general piracy motif reminds us of one of the best Capcom games ever, the Mega Man Legends spinoff The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Please, Capcom, let it be like Tron Bonne.Click the post break to see the scans, and then click those to see them in their original resolution.
Treasure Island Z: new pirate adventure from Capcom
This week's Famitsu unearths a new game that appears to be basically like treasure: a new Wii adventure game from Capcom, called Treasure Island Z, that is about pirates. Players use the Wiimote to solve riddles and puzzles as they search for riches and improve their standing among pirates. The scan reveals a cartoony graphic style and what look like animated cutscenes.This thing is like a nexus of good news. We don't know how anything could actually turn out as cool as the sum of these parts (pirate adventure games have a lot to live up to, as do Capcom adventure games) but we're hoping that Capcom and director Eiichirou Sasaki (who previously worked on the Resident Evil Outbreak games) are up to the task. Check out the scan after the plank break!
Disney reveals date for Cars and Pirates on Blu-ray
As long as Disney has been supporting Blu-ray, fans everywhere have wondered; where is Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean? Many have even doubted Disney's commitment to the format as a result. There were rumors that Disney was only waiting for the whole BDJ mess to get worked out, either way the wait is over. Well it's almost over and at least we have dates for both Pirates movies and Cars. The Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's chest will both be timed with the theatrical release of the 3rd Pirates movie on May 22nd, Cars will follow shortly after on June 5th. This is good news for fans, but unfortunately no other details are available.
Pirate Battle en route
Advance Wars is one of our favorite franchises. But despite an excellent turn-based battle system and charming sprite skirmishes, we can't help but think what would have made it irresistible ... ninjas pirates. And though developer Orbital Media has been promising the turn-based strategy title Pirate Battle since like forever ago (mid-2004ish), very few droplets of hope remained.Some recent news, however, says otherwise. Though the GBA version has been canceled (uh ... whatever), the DS version is still on the way. Also, though no other details were given, the game will also appear on "another platform". Hmm. In any case, Pirate Battle looks like an excellent strategic outing, so we'll keep an eye out for ya. For bonus awesome, check after the break for our top three pirate pickup lines.[Thanks, Andy!]
The Pirate Bay eying Sealand to escape digital persecution
While Sweden (and Russia, to name a few) has long been a country of choice when it came to hosting less-than-upstanding websites, the head honchos around the globe looking out for their precious content have somehow reached The Pirate Bay, and now the popular torrent tracking site is eying the micronation of Sealand as a safe haven for its dubious hosting needs. Sealand, which is loosely claimed as a principality, features its own flag, coat of arms, currency, stamps, passports, and most importantly, a quasi-coat of armor from any nation's laws. Although the background of 5,920-square foot man-made installation off the shore of Suffolk, England is quite remarkable, TPB sees its two massive columns as a perfect place for future hosting duties. Formerly the home of HavenCo, an off-shore hosting company that housed gambling sites, money transferring liaisons, and any other operation looking for internet freedom, Sealand could be a potential sanctuary from the claws of the RIAA, MPAA, and other content "owners." Although a principality can't legally (saywha?) be "sold," the family in possession of it recently began accepting offers "upwards of eight figures" for a transfer of ownership after (quite literally) holding down the fort since 1967, and while we highly doubt a fundraiser can scrape up that kind of loot anytime soon, nor do we believe it'd stop the barrage of content guardians, we must say the location looks like an excellent place to just get away from it all (including lawyers) -- if only for awhile.[Thanks, iamsoinsane, photo courtesy Kim Gilmour]
Arrr, matey: New Pirates of the Caribbean MMO deets
Disney's upcoming MMO based on the wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise released some new assets this week, and you can peep the screenshots after the jump. For the more adventurous among you, try finding the developer's video diary on the Disney go.com site here. It ran our browser into rocky shores more than once, and we had to restart, so beware.This game won't match the depth of World of Warcraft, and it's looking a bit like MTV's Virtual Laguna Beach with pirate outfits on, but we have to admit it looks fun. You get to outfit your own pirate, rig out your ship and set out to make a name for yourself. Plus, you'll be able to interact with characters from the game, including Captain Jack Sparrow. Who knew that Disney would get such mileage out of Depp basically playing "a gay Keith Richards"? Those are the Disney execs words, not ours ... but if Keith Richards was a gay pirate, that might be pretty spot-on.The game runs on PCs and not Macs, which is a bit ironic considering that Disney bought Pixar earlier this year ... which was owned by Apple head honcho Steve Jobs. We suppose it's fitting, considering that most pirates are on PCs anyhow *ducks incoming cannon fire*.Check out the screenshots after the jump, and drink up me hearties, yo ho!
"I Hack My PSP" t-shirt
It looks like the homebrew community has an official t-shirt. Of course, after the successful 3.01 firmware emulation revealed yesterday, there's much reason for celebration. This website offers t-shirts from size Small to gamer-friendly XXL, and cost $25 each.[Via DCemu]
