As seen on Weekend Destructainment: TheOneUps cover the Super Mario Bros. theme. So good!
We look back at Mass Effect 2, Josh brought us a Q&A for Front Mission Evolved, Deadly Premonition is good I guess, Ben checked out Bass Pro Shops, you can win a trip to PAX East, PSN IS DOWN OMG and more happened over the weekend.
As seen on Weekend Destructainment: TheOneUps cover the Super Mario Bros. theme. So good!
We look back at Mass Effect 2, Josh brought us a Q&A for Front Mission Evolved, Deadly Premonition is good I guess, Ben checked out Bass Pro Shops, you can win a trip to PAX East, PSN IS DOWN OMG and more happened over the weekend.
Two years ago, longtime reader Jacob C. was expecting his first child, a daughter. “I wanted her to have a handmade video game quilt, unrivaled in awesomeness as only they can be.” Problem is, neither he nor his wife quilted.
Jacob enlisted the help of four female friends (“Maija, Grace, Rebecca, and especially Carol) to guide his project. The mushroom theme was chosen because of its status as the ultimate 8-bit video game blessing. It took a long time, but it is his daughter’s two-year-old birthday present. So congratulations and happy birthday.
Quilting might not be considered a manful art, but if you flip the premise and call this a blanket mod then I suppose we’re on the right track. Anyhow, if games aren’t just for boys, then game crafts aren’t just for girls. So man up and get sewin’.
Two years ago, longtime reader Jacob C. was expecting his first child, a daughter. "I wanted her to have a handmade video game quilt, unrivaled in awesomeness as only they can be." Problem is, neither he nor his wife quilted.
Jacob enlisted the help of four female friends ("Maija, Grace, Rebecca, and especially Carol) to guide his project. The mushroom theme was chosen because of its status as the ultimate 8-bit video game blessing. It took a long time, but it is his daughter's two-year-old birthday present. So congratulations and happy birthday.
Quilting might not be considered a manful art, but if you flip the premise and call this a blanket mod then I suppose we're on the right track. Anyhow, if games aren't just for boys, then game crafts aren't just for girls. So man up and get sewin'.
Pitchers and catchers reported last week. One week later we have opening day on the consoles, as MLB 2K10 and MLB 10 the Show release on Tuesday. Oh yeah, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is also out.
This week’s count: Eleven for PC, 10 for Wii, nine for DS, six for PSP, five for Xbox 360, three for PS3 and two for PS2.
Sunday (Feb. 28) Aztec Treasure Hunt (DS)
City Builder (Wii)
Crazy Garage (DS, PC, Wii)
Dust Devils (360)
Ella’s Hope (PC)
Gunbird 2 Remix (PSP)
Halfbrick Rocket Racing (PSP)
House M.D. (PC)
Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games (Wii)
Hunted (PC)
Party Designer (DS)
Royal Envoy (PC)
Theatre of War II – Kursk 1943 (PC)
Zooloretto (Wii)
Monday (March 1)
Alganon (PC)
Build-a-Bear Workshop: Friendship Valley (Wii, DS)
Dante’s Inferno (PSP)
Mega Man 10 (Wii)
Tuesday (March 2)
Alice in Wonderland (DS, Wii)
Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects (DS)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PS3, 360)
Foto Showdown (DS)
Lips: Party Classics (360)
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (PSP)
Major League Baseball 2K10 (PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360)
MLB 10: The Show (PS2, PS3, PSP)
Project Runway (Wii)
Silent Hunter V: Battle of the Atlantic (PC)
Sonic Classic Collection (DS)
SpongeBob’s Boating Bash (DS, Wii)
Supreme Commander 2 (PC)
Wednesday (May 3)
Clover: A Curious Tale (PC)
Toy Soldiers (360)
Pitchers and catchers reported last week. One week later we have opening day on the consoles, as MLB 2K10 and MLB 10 the Show release on Tuesday. Oh yeah, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is also out.
This week's count: Eleven for PC, 10 for Wii, nine for DS, six for PSP, five for Xbox 360, three for PS3 and two for PS2.
Sunday (Feb. 28) Aztec Treasure Hunt (DS)
City Builder (Wii)
Crazy Garage (DS, PC, Wii)
Dust Devils (360)
Ella's Hope (PC)
Gunbird 2 Remix (PSP)
Halfbrick Rocket Racing (PSP)
House M.D. (PC)
Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games (Wii)
Hunted (PC)
Party Designer (DS)
Royal Envoy (PC)
Theatre of War II - Kursk 1943 (PC)
Zooloretto (Wii)
Monday (March 1)
Alganon (PC)
Build-a-Bear Workshop: Friendship Valley (Wii, DS)
Dante's Inferno (PSP)
Mega Man 10 (Wii)
Tuesday (March 2)
Alice in Wonderland (DS, Wii)
Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects (DS)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PS3, 360)
Foto Showdown (DS)
Lips: Party Classics (360)
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (PSP)
Major League Baseball 2K10 (PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360)
MLB 10: The Show (PS2, PS3, PSP)
Project Runway (Wii)
Silent Hunter V: Battle of the Atlantic (PC)
Sonic Classic Collection (DS)
SpongeBob's Boating Bash (DS, Wii)
Supreme Commander 2 (PC)
Wednesday (May 3)
Clover: A Curious Tale (PC)
Toy Soldiers (360)
I think calling the Orange Box’s transition to the Playstation 3 an epic failure might be an understatement. One of the must own games on the Xbox 360 became a critical disappointment on the PS3 when the port sucked balls harder than a guy who can suck golf balls through a garden hose. Part of this was probably because they shoved the porting duties to EA, but another part of it is because Valve doesn’t seem too good at working on the PS3.
Valve writer Chet Faliszek says that they’re trying to do better however. He told CVG that, “We thought that the Orange Box didn’t put our best foot forward with the PS3 community. We don’t want to do something like that again on the PS3. We want to give PS3 owners the best possible experience.
“Some of that will come from us learning and getting better. Before we can go onto the PS3 again, we want to make sure we’re better at developing for it.”
Bit of an apology for sucking it up there, and a promise to move forward in a better direction. Couple this with the fact that Valve has stated it will be working on the PS3 in the future and I think we can have some high hopes that any Valve PS3 release will be at least as good as its 360 counterpart.
I think calling the Orange Box's transition to the Playstation 3 an epic failure might be an understatement. One of the must own games on the Xbox 360 became a critical disappointment on the PS3 when the port sucked balls harder than a guy who can suck golf balls through a garden hose. Part of this was probably because they shoved the porting duties to EA, but another part of it is because Valve doesn't seem too good at working on the PS3.
Valve writer Chet Faliszek says that they're trying to do better however. He told CVG that, "We thought that the Orange Box didn't put our best foot forward with the PS3 community. We don't want to do something like that again on the PS3. We want to give PS3 owners the best possible experience.
"Some of that will come from us learning and getting better. Before we can go onto the PS3 again, we want to make sure we're better at developing for it."
Bit of an apology for sucking it up there, and a promise to move forward in a better direction. Couple this with the fact that Valve has stated it will be working on the PS3 in the future and I think we can have some high hopes that any Valve PS3 release will be at least as good as its 360 counterpart.
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there.
•Top 7 Least Irritating Quick Time Events [GamesRadar] Lazy bastard that I am, I love QTEs. They allow me to grab a swig of my drink while Ezio buries an axe in a guy twice his size. Games Radar has a list of seven that are more appealing for different reasons.
•Best Video Game Rookies [GameDaily] I’m really upset I’m not on this list in MLB 09 The Show. I mean, come on, I made the National League All-Star roster my first season.
•Top Ten Professions on Mario’s Resume [VGChartz] Boxing referee, race car driver, astronaut and, of course, plumber. Don’t forget he’s also been the No. 1 pitchman for a certain Japanese maker of games.
•Top Five Black Video Game Characters Who Deserve Their Own Game [Bitmob] Today is Feb. 28, the last day of Black History Month, and Bitmob looks at characters whose supporting roles in other games rate a spinoff of their own. Cole Train from Gears of War and Staff Sgt. Johnson from the Halo series headline the list.
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What's better? A list of those. Here's a roundup of the rundowns out there.
•Top 7 Least Irritating Quick Time Events [GamesRadar] Lazy bastard that I am, I love QTEs. They allow me to grab a swig of my drink while Ezio buries an axe in a guy twice his size. Games Radar has a list of seven that are more appealing for different reasons.
•Best Video Game Rookies [GameDaily] I'm really upset I'm not on this list in MLB 09 The Show. I mean, come on, I made the National League All-Star roster my first season.
•Top Ten Professions on Mario's Resume [VGChartz] Boxing referee, race car driver, astronaut and, of course, plumber. Don't forget he's also been the No. 1 pitchman for a certain Japanese maker of games.
•Top Five Black Video Game Characters Who Deserve Their Own Game [Bitmob] Today is Feb. 28, the last day of Black History Month, and Bitmob looks at characters whose supporting roles in other games rate a spinoff of their own. Cole Train from Gears of War and Staff Sgt. Johnson from the Halo series headline the list.
Square Enix’s long running fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XI was thought by some to be dying. Indeed there were a few Internet rumors running around recently that the game would be shut down this year to prepare for the publisher’s next MMO Final Fantasy XIV. However this weekend Square Enix announced plans to release three more downloadable mini-expansions for Final Fantasy XI in 2010.
Each mini-expansion (Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea and Heroes of Abyssea) will cost $9.99 and will add new monsters to fight and new items to collect for high level players of the game. The first of the mini-expansions will be available for download later this summer.
And what about Final Fantasy XIV, which was announced to many surprised gamers at E3 last year? Our sister site Massively reports that Square Enix revealed during their VanaFest 2010 fan event that the beta test will begin on March 11 with a limited number of people being invited to try out the game. It’s still scheduled to launch later in 2010.
Square Enix's long running fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XI was thought by some to be dying. Indeed there were a few Internet rumors running around recently that the game would be shut down this year to prepare for the publisher's next MMO Final Fantasy XIV. However this weekend Square Enix announced plans to release three more downloadable mini-expansions for Final Fantasy XI in 2010.
Each mini-expansion (Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea and Heroes of Abyssea) will cost $9.99 and will add new monsters to fight and new items to collect for high level players of the game. The first of the mini-expansions will be available for download later this summer.
And what about Final Fantasy XIV, which was announced to many surprised gamers at E3 last year? Our sister site Massively reports that Square Enix revealed during their VanaFest 2010 fan event that the beta test will begin on March 11 with a limited number of people being invited to try out the game. It's still scheduled to launch later in 2010.
As you may have learned yesterday, British comedians Ray Peacock and Ed Gamble had an argument thanks to my posting of a Ray Peacock video in a previous GOTW article. By allowing Ray to go viral, I gave him around 2000 more video views than the lovely Ed. So, now I owe Ed 2000 views. Here is a video of the handsome boy in action, so please do an enjoying of that.
In other news, we played videogames as ever, in a grimly predictable fashion. Once again, you may hit the jump to find out what games were played.
Chester: I’m just starting my second Mass Effect 1 playthough, as I’ve yet to get out and pick up Mass Effect 2. I also purchased the PSP Mini game, Age of Zombies, which is a straightforward, relatively fun (and pretty funny) shooter that starts off with the dialogue “Hey, Professor Shit-For-Brains.”
But what I’ll really be playing this week is a game for review, which has a “three” in its title, and that Chad will be previewing on Monday. Most of the time, I really, really like my job. This is one of those times.
Sterling: Obviously most of my week was spent playing Deadly Premonition, which I’m sure you all know that I enjoyed the fuck out of. The game’s being written off almost entirely due to its graphics, which is pretty pathetic if you ask me. Anyway, I’ve spoken plenty about that game. In other news I picked up a Wii and am getting through all the games I missed since I last owned one. I can’t find a copy of Super Mario Galaxy or No More Heroes to save my life, but I have been rocking some Madworld and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, both of which I’ve found very fun so far. Madworld, especially, is hilarious.
Also been playing Toy Soldiers on XBLA for review. Certainly one of the more interesting Tower Defense games I’ve seen. That’s about it.
North: I’ve started Last Rebellion on the PS3 and have been creating new songs in Korg DS-10+. Too bad the latter does not work in my Japanese DSi. On the iPhone, both Final Fantasy I and II as well as Plants vs. Zombies have filled in the rest of the time. The gaming highlight of the week was getting my hands on Metroid: Other M. I like it even more than I thought I would.
Tolentino: How are you liking Last Rebellion, Dale?
I’ve been playing Dragon Age: Origins in preparation for whatever’s supposed to happening when the Awakening expansion comes along, which is delaying my eventual playthrough of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.
Since Last Rebellion I haven’t put much time into the consoles, but that will undoubtedly change once the major JRPGs and Sakura Wars hit the shelves. Until then, Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier has kept me entertained while at the laundromat. Juggling is fun!
Sterling: I’ve just been playing Aquaria on Steam, I need to add. Holy fuck that game is lovely.
Ross:Starcraft II, where I’ve been having a lot of success with a double barracks-reactor rush, Left 4 Dead 2, still working through Miles Edgeworth, and of course playing the glorious Deadly Premonition.
Holmes: Started the week playing Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and No More Heroes 2 as per usual. Then the Nintendo Media Summit happened, and my whole week changed.
After seeing the Super Mario Galaxy 2 trailer, I actually started to tear-up a bit. I don’t know what it is about pure expressions of joy, innocence, and adventure, but they always seem to get to me. That led me to going back to playing Super Mario Galaxy 1. I forgot how genuinely breathtaking the game can be, and how difficult. Still haven’t beaten the game with Luigi, which is sort of embarrassing.
Also got jazzed up by the Other M trailer, so I went back to Super Metroid. I’m going to have to trust Dale and Nick on their impressions of Other M, because after going through Super Metroid again, I just can’t see how Other M’s controls are going to work. Moving in and out of the background? Auto-aim? It all sounds too weird. Then again, I didn’t think Metroid Prime was going to be good either, and I was wrong as hell about that.
Finally, played through Mega Man 1,2,3 and 9 again to gear up for Mega Man 10 which comes out this Monday! Giggle! Squeal! Giggle! Squeal!
Tolentino: Double-barracks reactor rush, eh? I’ll remember that for the next time I try not to get stomped stomped by Korean middle-schoolers.
Concelmo: After beating BioShock 2 (liked it a lot!), I started and finished Heavy Rain. What a strange game to comment on. While I agree with the many criticisms concerning the story, I was actually impressed by some specific moments (playing with your kid in the backyard, some of the crazy choices you have to make) … but then I would run into something ridiculous again and be confused about how I feel about the game overall.
I definitely liked it … I think … :/
The two highlights of the week, though, were playing through a game Nick Chester mentioned that I will have a preview for on Monday. It goes live at 9:00 a.m. PST. You really can’t miss it. You will lose your mind.
The other highlight is that I FINALLY started a Persona game, after years in the making. I am playing through Persona 3 FES and then will get to Persona 4 … which may not happen for a really long time. But the good news is I started Persona 3 FES! Woo hoo! And, God, it is so good. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!
Aziz: I beat BioShock 2 also and it was a’ight.
PerLee: I played the DLC to Ass Creed 2, and then I got stuck and stopped playing. Then I turned on ‘Splosion Man. Then I got stuck and stopped playing. Then I played Robot Unicorn Attack for ten minutes.
…Live in harmony…
Gutierrezz: Awe, it’s not the same without me falling asleep watching you play.
I gotta finish Mass Effect 2, and Heavy Rain. Then God of War 3 incoming.
Carnage: I am very much enjoying Darksiders and that Rain is so Heavy down on me. I think that last sentence was a Phil Collins song.
H. Bennett: On my second play through of Mass Effect 2. Really, really into this game. Never played the first one until the second came out, picked them both up and haven’t stopped playing them. Was a good girl on the first play through and stayed all faithful to the twat from Mass Effect, since I want to see if/how it plays out Mass Effect 3. This time though, I am gettin’ my dick wet.
Otherwise Final Fantasy VIII on the PSP is bath time fun.
PerLee: Wouldn’t you be afraid of dropping it in the bath and then getting killed/breaking your PSP?
Of course, wouldn’t it be awesome to be killed by FFVIII?
H. Bennett: It is a fear, always a fear. I like to live dangerously.
Razak: I got a PS3 and picked up the God of War Collection and the original Uncharted. Haven’t gotten to Uncharted yet, but God of War is amazing. I had never played any of them and now I sorely regret missing out on these earlier in life. The games look great even today (hi-def remake probably helps) and the gameplay and puzzles are still creative and fun.
Uncharted and Uncharted 2 are on the plate for next week.
Sarkar: I got Assassin’s Creed II last Saturday. I’m only an hour or so in, and I’m really enjoying it — even though it’s basically been 100% fetch quests so far. The reason I haven’t gotten any further in AC II is because I picked up Heavy Rain on Wednesday evening and finished it tonight. Holy hell, what a game. I loved almost everything about it; the story took a few nonsensical turns, and the game didn’t “earn” the big twist, but the overall experience is like nothing I’ve ever played before, and it made me feel things I’d never felt while playing a game before. It’s an absolute must-play, and I’m really looking forward to discussing its dozens of game-changing decisions with other folks who have completed it.
Finally, I checked out the Xbox Live demo of Major League Baseball 2K10, which looks like it’s going to be a competent baseball game from 2K Sports for the first time in three years. Good stuff.
As you may have learned yesterday, British comedians Ray Peacock and Ed Gamble had an argument thanks to my posting of a Ray Peacock video in a previous GOTW article. By allowing Ray to go viral, I gave him around 2000 more video views than the lovely Ed. So, now I owe Ed 2000 views. Here is a video of the handsome boy in action, so please do an enjoying of that.
In other news, we played videogames as ever, in a grimly predictable fashion. Once again, you may hit the jump to find out what games were played.
Chester: I'm just starting my second Mass Effect 1 playthough, as I've yet to get out and pick up Mass Effect 2. I also purchased the PSP Mini game, Age of Zombies, which is a straightforward, relatively fun (and pretty funny) shooter that starts off with the dialogue "Hey, Professor Shit-For-Brains."
But what I'll really be playing this week is a game for review, which has a "three" in its title, and that Chad will be previewing on Monday. Most of the time, I really, really like my job. This is one of those times.
Sterling: Obviously most of my week was spent playing Deadly Premonition, which I'm sure you all know that I enjoyed the fuck out of. The game's being written off almost entirely due to its graphics, which is pretty pathetic if you ask me. Anyway, I've spoken plenty about that game. In other news I picked up a Wii and am getting through all the games I missed since I last owned one. I can't find a copy of Super Mario Galaxy or No More Heroes to save my life, but I have been rocking some Madworld and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, both of which I've found very fun so far. Madworld, especially, is hilarious.
Also been playing Toy Soldiers on XBLA for review. Certainly one of the more interesting Tower Defense games I've seen. That's about it.
North: I've started Last Rebellion on the PS3 and have been creating new songs in Korg DS-10+. Too bad the latter does not work in my Japanese DSi. On the iPhone, both Final Fantasy I and II as well as Plants vs. Zombies have filled in the rest of the time. The gaming highlight of the week was getting my hands on Metroid: Other M. I like it even more than I thought I would.
Tolentino: How are you liking Last Rebellion, Dale?
I've been playing Dragon Age: Origins in preparation for whatever's supposed to happening when the Awakening expansion comes along, which is delaying my eventual playthrough of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.
Since Last Rebellion I haven't put much time into the consoles, but that will undoubtedly change once the major JRPGs and Sakura Wars hit the shelves. Until then, Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier has kept me entertained while at the laundromat. Juggling is fun!
Sterling: I've just been playing Aquaria on Steam, I need to add. Holy fuck that game is lovely.
Ross:Starcraft II, where I've been having a lot of success with a double barracks-reactor rush, Left 4 Dead 2, still working through Miles Edgeworth, and of course playing the glorious Deadly Premonition.
Holmes: Started the week playing Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and No More Heroes 2 as per usual. Then the Nintendo Media Summit happened, and my whole week changed.
After seeing the Super Mario Galaxy 2 trailer, I actually started to tear-up a bit. I don't know what it is about pure expressions of joy, innocence, and adventure, but they always seem to get to me. That led me to going back to playing Super Mario Galaxy 1. I forgot how genuinely breathtaking the game can be, and how difficult. Still haven't beaten the game with Luigi, which is sort of embarrassing.
Also got jazzed up by the Other M trailer, so I went back to Super Metroid. I'm going to have to trust Dale and Nick on their impressions of Other M, because after going through Super Metroid again, I just can't see how Other M's controls are going to work. Moving in and out of the background? Auto-aim? It all sounds too weird. Then again, I didn't think Metroid Prime was going to be good either, and I was wrong as hell about that.
Finally, played through Mega Man 1,2,3 and 9 again to gear up for Mega Man 10 which comes out this Monday! Giggle! Squeal! Giggle! Squeal!
Tolentino: Double-barracks reactor rush, eh? I'll remember that for the next time I try not to get stomped stomped by Korean middle-schoolers.
Concelmo: After beating BioShock 2 (liked it a lot!), I started and finished Heavy Rain. What a strange game to comment on. While I agree with the many criticisms concerning the story, I was actually impressed by some specific moments (playing with your kid in the backyard, some of the crazy choices you have to make) ... but then I would run into something ridiculous again and be confused about how I feel about the game overall.
I definitely liked it ... I think ... :/
The two highlights of the week, though, were playing through a game Nick Chester mentioned that I will have a preview for on Monday. It goes live at 9:00 a.m. PST. You really can't miss it. You will lose your mind. :)
The other highlight is that I FINALLY started a Persona game, after years in the making. I am playing through Persona 3 FES and then will get to Persona 4 ... which may not happen for a really long time. But the good news is I started Persona 3 FES! Woo hoo! And, God, it is so good. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!
Aziz: I beat BioShock 2 also and it was a'ight.
PerLee: I played the DLC to Ass Creed 2, and then I got stuck and stopped playing. Then I turned on 'Splosion Man. Then I got stuck and stopped playing. Then I played Robot Unicorn Attack for ten minutes.
...Live in harmony...
Gutierrezz: Awe, it's not the same without me falling asleep watching you play.
I gotta finish Mass Effect 2, and Heavy Rain. Then God of War 3 incoming.
Carnage: I am very much enjoying Darksiders and that Rain is so Heavy down on me. I think that last sentence was a Phil Collins song.
H. Bennett: On my second play through of Mass Effect 2. Really, really into this game. Never played the first one until the second came out, picked them both up and haven't stopped playing them. Was a good girl on the first play through and stayed all faithful to the twat from Mass Effect, since I want to see if/how it plays out Mass Effect 3. This time though, I am gettin' my dick wet.
Otherwise Final Fantasy VIII on the PSP is bath time fun.
PerLee: Wouldn't you be afraid of dropping it in the bath and then getting killed/breaking your PSP?
Of course, wouldn't it be awesome to be killed by FFVIII?
H. Bennett: It is a fear, always a fear. I like to live dangerously.
Razak: I got a PS3 and picked up the God of War Collection and the original Uncharted. Haven't gotten to Uncharted yet, but God of War is amazing. I had never played any of them and now I sorely regret missing out on these earlier in life. The games look great even today (hi-def remake probably helps) and the gameplay and puzzles are still creative and fun.
Uncharted and Uncharted 2 are on the plate for next week.
Sarkar: I got Assassin's Creed II last Saturday. I'm only an hour or so in, and I'm really enjoying it -- even though it's basically been 100% fetch quests so far. The reason I haven't gotten any further in AC II is because I picked up Heavy Rain on Wednesday evening and finished it tonight. Holy hell, what a game. I loved almost everything about it; the story took a few nonsensical turns, and the game didn't "earn" the big twist, but the overall experience is like nothing I've ever played before, and it made me feel things I'd never felt while playing a game before. It's an absolute must-play, and I'm really looking forward to discussing its dozens of game-changing decisions with other folks who have completed it.
Finally, I checked out the Xbox Live demo of Major League Baseball 2K10, which looks like it's going to be a competent baseball game from 2K Sports for the first time in three years. Good stuff.
The team of King’s Quest enthusiasts who had, since 2002, been working on an unofficial continuation of the seminal adventure game, have complied with a demand by Activision to cease all development of their game.
The Silver Lining has a long and unusual history, even for fan-built games. The final official installment of King’s Questcame in 1998. Two years later, enthusiasts started their first attempt at coding their own sequel, starting over with the current development volunteers, Phoenix Online Studios, in 2002. From the beginning, the team asserted a right to the project under U.S. fair use copyright law.
In 2005, Phoenix Online survived its first cease-and-desist order from the rights holder at the time, Vivendi Universal. Outcry and backlash over the project’s termination led to an extraordinary non-commercial “fan license” granted for The Silver Lining.
However, Sierra’s intellectual property has since changed hands from Vivendi to Activision. And Activision is not interested in continuing this license or crafting another non-commercial agreement. Says the developers:
After talks and negotiations in the last few months between ourselves and Activision, they have reached the decision that they are not interested in granting a non-commercial license to The Silver Lining, and have asked that we cease production and take down all related materials on our website.
As before, we must and will comply with this decision, as much as we may wish we could do otherwise.
We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the support we have had over these years from our fans. Without you, we would never have gotten this far. There would be no game to develop, and no one to develop it for. You have been amazing and steadfast, and we will always remember that and appreciate it more than we can say.
Sadly, after eight years of dedicated work and even more dedicated fans, The Silver Lining project is closing down.
What’s more, the C&D requires closure of most of the forums set up to support the project’s development. Phoenix Online says it is building a new, empty forum so fans brought together by the project can stay in touch. The Silver Lining [site]
The team of King's Quest enthusiasts who had, since 2002, been working on an unofficial continuation of the seminal adventure game, have complied with a demand by Activision to cease all development of their game.
The Silver Lining has a long and unusual history, even for fan-built games. The final official installment of King's Questcame in 1998. Two years later, enthusiasts started their first attempt at coding their own sequel, starting over with the current development volunteers, Phoenix Online Studios, in 2002. From the beginning, the team asserted a right to the project under U.S. fair use copyright law.
In 2005, Phoenix Online survived its first cease-and-desist order from the rights holder at the time, Vivendi Universal. Outcry and backlash over the project's termination led to an extraordinary non-commercial "fan license" granted for The Silver Lining.
However, Sierra's intellectual property has since changed hands from Vivendi to Activision. And Activision is not interested in continuing this license or crafting another non-commercial agreement. Says the developers:
After talks and negotiations in the last few months between ourselves and Activision, they have reached the decision that they are not interested in granting a non-commercial license to The Silver Lining, and have asked that we cease production and take down all related materials on our website.
As before, we must and will comply with this decision, as much as we may wish we could do otherwise.
We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the support we have had over these years from our fans. Without you, we would never have gotten this far. There would be no game to develop, and no one to develop it for. You have been amazing and steadfast, and we will always remember that and appreciate it more than we can say.
Sadly, after eight years of dedicated work and even more dedicated fans, The Silver Lining project is closing down.
What's more, the C&D requires closure of most of the forums set up to support the project's development. Phoenix Online says it is building a new, empty forum so fans brought together by the project can stay in touch. The Silver Lining [site]
Sure you knew Splinter Cell Conviction was revamping the Splinter Cell franchise’s single player in a major way, but did you know that it was also doing the same for the multiplayer? Oh, you did? You’ve heard all about the game, huh? Well, hear some more.
We’ve got three fresh videos explaining all about the new multiplayer. The first takes you through the new co-op gameplay that acts as a prelude story to the game’s main single player. The second discusses the four multiplayer modes that are not co-op. They seem pretty cool all around, though the most exciting to me is still spy vs. spy. Finally, the third video introduces us to the upgradable weapons and how all that works.
Any questions left or are you just tired of this game getting delayed over and over again and want to play it already?
Sure you knew Splinter Cell Conviction was revamping the Splinter Cell franchise's single player in a major way, but did you know that it was also doing the same for the multiplayer? Oh, you did? You've heard all about the game, huh? Well, hear some more.
We've got three fresh videos explaining all about the new multiplayer. The first takes you through the new co-op gameplay that acts as a prelude story to the game's main single player. The second discusses the four multiplayer modes that are not co-op. They seem pretty cool all around, though the most exciting to me is still spy vs. spy. Finally, the third video introduces us to the upgradable weapons and how all that works.
Any questions left or are you just tired of this game getting delayed over and over again and want to play it already?
Postpartum Impressions: Mass Effect 2
Community blogs of 02/27 & 02/28
Pitchers and catchers reported last week. One week later we have opening day on the consoles, as MLB 2K10 and MLB 10 the Show release on Tuesday. Oh yeah, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is also out.
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there.
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