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Google's AlphaGo AI can teach itself to master games like chess
Google's DeepMind team has already advanced its AlphaGo AI to dominate Go without human input, but now the system is clever enough to master other board games without intervention. Researchers have developed a more generalized system for AlphaGo Zero that can train itself to achieve "superhuman" skill in chess, Shogi (a Japanese classic) and other game types knowing only the rules, all within less than a day. It doesn't need example games or other references.
Computer wins at Japanese Chess against human for the first time
The humans vs. computers battle just got a little more complicated, if you're keeping score. The Mainichi Daily News is reporting that for the first time ever, a computer has beaten a human Shogi champion, Ichiyo Shimizu, in Tokyo. The game lasted six hours, and the computer reportedly pursued Shimizu "aggressively" from the start. The governing association of pro Shogi players will now review the game to determine whether it will allow the computer to move onto challenge another player.
ESRB: 15 new PSP games coming from Sony Computer Entertainment
While Sony's handheld is currently experiencing a bit of a software drought, the summer months should treat fans a bit better, with the release of games like Fat Princess, ModNation Racers, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Valkyria Chronicles 2 and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Should these games still not satiate your handheld appetite, it appears Sony is planning on releasing at least 15 PSP games in the imminent future. A recent update to the ESRB database showcases a number of games coming from Sony Computer Entertainment America, including Finger Connection, Homerun Hitters, Love Cupid, Busy Sweets Factory, Charge! Tank Squad!, Music Quiz, One Two Boat Racing, Pile Up Bakery, Pinball Duel, Quiz Animania, Ramen Heaven, Sheep Defense, Shogi, Sweet Reversi, and Tonzurakko. Most (if not all) of these games appear to be downloadable efforts, considering the simplistic quality of their descriptions; however, these games are unlikely to be part of PlayStation Minis, as they are rated exclusively for PSP. (Minis can be played on both the PSP and PS3.) We're currently reaching out to Sony to see if we can find out more about these games, pricing and release schedule. Perhaps these will get a bit more pre-release attention than Pinball Heroes?
VC/WiiWare Tuesday: Smorgasbord Gaming
Welcome to Bizarro World! Yesterday, North American Wii owners got two great Japanese games on the Virtual Console, and a WiiWare game. This week, Nintendo stiffs Japan on the VC entirely, and offers two less-than-thrilling WiiWare games. In fact, the most noteworthy release of the week is a shogi game based on a manga.Silver Star, the company behind some of the existing WiiWare board games, brought its board-game simulating expertise to the manga/drama property Hachi-One Diver. The art does not seem to be from the manga -- from the look of it, Silver Star brought its board game expertise to art as well. The other game this week is Major League Eating, which came out in North America back in July. Hachi-One Diver Wii (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Major League Eating (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) %Gallery-20043%
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Samurai Shodown II, Shotest Shogi, Rocket Bowl
Another week, three more games on Xbox Live Arcade. We've got Samurai Shodown II, Shotest Shogi and Rocket Bowl, a classic fighter, a Japanese board game and a wacky bowling game, respectively. As is our sworn duty, we take a look at all three of them in the latest XBLA in Brief. Check out our latest installment and find out which ones are for you.[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
A video game about a manga about a board game
Shion no Ou is a manga and anime series about a girl who sees her parents murdered, then watches as the murderer walks off with the "king" piece from the family's shogi board. She subsequently begins playing shogi in order to find the killer. Over time, the mute (from trauma) Shion begins enjoying the game, while continuing to search for clues about the shogi-playing killer's identity.Sounds like a neat premise for a manga, but also the basis for a weirdly intense shogi game. It is targeted directly at the intersection between the board game, murder-mystery and junior-high drama crowds. Oh, and of course it includes a "learn to play shogi" mode, so go ahead and add the DS training game enthusiasts to the list!
Fujitsu opens islands in Second Life
Japanese IT and Communications giant Fujitsu yesterday opened three islands in the virtual world of Second Life, to interact with customers, evaluate virtual worlds as a tool, promote their brands and host experimental projects. The islands opened on 2 November at 6PM (Japan Standard Time). The three islands are Fujitsu, featuring company information, history, services and general activities; Fujitsu 2, exhibition spaces, attractions and collaborative projects; Fujitsu 3, results of collaborative research on brain functions undertaken with Riken and Japan Shogi Association, exhibition space on shogi history, a shogi game hall, and more. The island is the work of Japanese Metaverse developer Meltingdots, and while the bulk of material is in Japanese there are tidbits for English speakers as well.
Import game releases for the week of 04/15/07
Every week we help you use your PSP's innate ability to play games from any region. This week, we have the much anticipated Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition, and a Shogi title. Keep reading to get the full details. Continued after the jump ...
