Apology

Ya Edsel here again. I utterly failed at sounding professional in the last post, so here's the skinny. Sorry bout the amount of times I said "work" in the last one. Kinda feel like an ass. Just look for the gist of what I'm saying and you'll get it. Later

Edsel

Edsel's New Section

Ok what's up all? Edsel here to announce the opening of a new section here to Gamers Anon. So as many of you may have guessed by my early episodes when we discussed Animes, I'm kind of an Anime freak. As such, I also take it upon myself to draw as much as possible. This, in conjunction with the new Intuos drawing pad I received for Christmas this year, has inspired me to begin publishing my works online. Now I know many of you may surpass my work and believe me, I know the coloring sucks, I would appreciate some constructive criticism on my work. Also, I will be offering up commissioned works for those who choose to donate. Send the information on the work you want done to our email and I will be happy to finish your idea. Please keep in mind that the work will be done in my hand and my style, should you choose to ask, and so do not expect a Van Gogh. Also, the more detailed, the more I will know what you want. But I digress. The new blog of mine will be linked to this one and will consist of whatever I throw up there for Gamers Anon fans to enjoy. Anyhoo, I hope all will appreciate this new section and look forward to my art. The work above is the first I've ever done on my pad and is my WoW character Aeyen in his older armor. Peace out mofos.

Edsel

P.S. I've done a couple of commissioned works for some friends so before it becomes an issue, please don't ask for porn. Thank you.

P.S.S. Keep an eye our for a Gamers Anon web comic :)

Merry christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us here at the gamers anon podcast!

Alex, Edsel, And Patti

Host Update

Well here is whats going on with us.


Alex: Game:WoW
Show watching: Law and order SVU/ Star Trek TOS
Game plan: lvl to 55 on my pally then start up a alliance and horde DK also play tomb raider Legends/Underworld

Edsel: Game: WoW
Show watching: Whatever is on
Game plan Lvl my Dwarf hunter to 80 with alex's DK

Patti: Game: Tomb Raider Underworld/ Oblivion
Show Watching: Inuyasha
Game plan: Beat Tomb raider and oblivion and eventually start WoW

Ben: Why do yall keep asking about Ben?

FFXIV takes on WoW

Over the years, many games have tried to take on Blizzard's World of Warcraft directly. Try and stand toe-to-toe with the MMO giant. And all of them have failed.

That's not going to stop Square Enix boss Yoichi "Imperial Hot" Wada from taking a crack, though. Asked by Develop what he thought Final Fantasy XIV's chances were of challenging WoW, he says "WoW is a tough competitor, but whether you are talking about EverQuest, Ultima or Lineage there has never been a company that has a continuously successful number one and two MMO".

As in, the sequel to a big MMO has never been as big as the original.

Taking that to heart, Wada believes that, despite WoW being "tough competition", Final Fantasy XIV could definitely become a "serious rival" to Blizzard's juggernaut.

And why not! It's always the second game in a series that tanks, not the 14th!

Alex

HEY!!!

Hey fans of gamers anonymous how would you like to meet the hosts? Yes? well all i need is to know if yall want to and a meet and greet will be arranged. hey you could even win a free t-shirt!!! it will be awesome email us at gamersanonpodcast@gmail.com
or comment on this post and let us know!

Alex

Ta-Da here it is

Here it is ep 7!!!! check the podcast bar to see what we have in store for you!!!

Alex

FUCK YES!!!!!!!

FUCK YES ENOUGH SAID.... ENOUGH SAID MOTHER FUCKEKRS!!!!

Alex

I told you... I told you all...

After countless indications that a Western release was unlikely, Sega has announced that Yakuza 3 is making the trip to U.S. and European PlayStation 3 consoles early next year.

Sega has been teasing us. Ryū ga Gotoku 3, the third game in Sega's Yakuza series, has sold half a million copies in Japan since its release in February of last year. Despite strong sales and the clamoring of the franchises' fanbase, the developer has remind quiet about a Western release - until now. In a post on the European PlayStation Blog, Sega announces the impending U.S., European, and Australian release, with words from SOE's European Marketing Director, Gary Knight.

"Yakuza 3 was one of the most requested titles for localisation by our European SEGA community, so we are delighted to be able to fulfil their wishes with this announcement. As well as delving even further into the rich narrative of the Yakuza universe, the development team have pushed the PlayStation 3 hardware to the limits to produce a beautiful and startlingly realistic depiction of the Japanese underworld."

The localization of the game will feature full Japanese voice acting with English subtitles, as it should be. Best of all, the PlayStation 3 exclusive is due out in March. That's only three months or so of waiting. Perhaps Sega was wise to tease us until now.

Our long struggle is over. Time for a nap.

East Meets West – Yakuza 3 Coming In 2010 [PlayStation Blog Europe]y.

Taken from kotaku

Alex

What is going on????

Guess what Alien vs preditor has been banned in guess where..... Australia... WTF???
thems people got problems.

""SEGA Australia can today confirm that the initial submission of Aliens vs Predator has been Refused Classification by the Classification Operations Board of Australia. We will continue to investigate all options available to us, including the possibility of appeal"."

probally gonna be banned... what is this??? Well sorry fuckers guess yall gotta import it.

Alex

stats for those of you who like to see them

here you go here is our wow info...
Alex:


Edsel:

hey

Well Patti and i have been out of town in north Carolina for Thanksgiving. Sorry I haven't been posting much with the holidays and everything its just been too difficult to get stuff up on the blog. So here is whats up with me.
1. Got dragon Age origins and loving it
2. back on wow re-speced to holy pally
3. inherited a guild
4. Avatar the burning earth....BEATEN (let down)
5. Bought the love hina boxed set and watching it
6. Finished fruits basket
7. Ate lots at thanksgiving
8. Bought a new cooling system for the 360
9. going to record a podcast sometime this weekend. hopefully

Edit: Patti: We did have fun lots of fun over thanksgiving. Now we are fighting over the 360 controller i want to play oblivion and he wants to play Dragon age. however his newly refound love of WoW is helping me get more time and im on my way up to archmage in the mages guild!

And now LBP news:


LittleBigPlanet is getting a LittleBigUpdate on Monday, adding new save game functionality, improved connectivity, and the ability to create levels online with up to three friends.

Until the new Leerdammer update hits on Monday, the only way to create LittleBigPlanet levels with your friends was to gather around the television set or coordinate online and have one person do all the work. Come Monday, that will no longer be a factor, and friends from all around the world will be able to join together online and craft the sort of sublime, disjointed experience that comes from too many cooks in one pot. It's a feature fans have been waving their arms about for, and now it's almost here. Rejoice!

Leerdammer also adds location-based matchmaking to the mix, meaning the game will first look for folks whose connections don't suck before pairing you up with some guy on the other side of the planet.

All this plus more profile space, an auto-reject play invitation setting, and more, all in Monday's update. You can check out the full details over at Media Molecule's home on the web.
TAkem from kotaku

Random image up top
Alex and Patti

Thanksgiveing!!!!!

World of Warcraft finally adds a virtual Thanksgiving celebration to it's lineup of seasonal holidays, and just like the real Thanksgiving, Pilgrim's Bounty is mainly about cooking and eating.

I knew something was missing from World of Warcraft. If I am going to be nearly comatose from eating brown food, then my WoW character should be too. During the Pilgrim's Bounty celebration, which runs from November 22nd through the 28th, Bountiful Tables will be popping up outside of major towns and cities in Azeroth, allowing players to sit, eat, and share food until their armor no longer fits. Each table features five different chairs - The Sweet Potato Chair, The Turkey Chair, The Stuffing Chair, The Cranberry Chair, and The Pie Chair - with the player sitting at each chair responsible for sharing his or her bounty with the rest of the class. Eating five helpings of anything grants you a buff. Eating five helpings of everything grants you an hour long 10% reputation gain buff, reflecting the spirit of the season.

I am just tickled that there's something called The Pie Chair. I need one of these chairs.

As I said, the holiday is also about cooking, and Pilgrim's Bounty features five recipes that can take a player from skill level 1 to skill level 340, along with daily cooking quests that result in the prize of a Turkey Caller, which sounds like a pet to me.

Check out the Pilgrim's Bounty page on the World of Warcraft website for more on this gluttonous new holiday.

taken from kotaku

Alex

Sonic the sackboy

Sonic the Hedgehog fans looking for something 2D and side-scrolling to tide them over until Sega's "Project Needlemouse" pokes its way to consoles can spend some time with LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy later this year, thanks to new Sonic-themed costumes.

According to PlayStation.com's Hong Kong presence, as spotted by Siliconera, LittleBigPlanet costumes that ape Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Werehog, Tails, Dr. Robotnik (aka Eggman) and Knuckles will be available later this year. December 17, at least in Hong Kong, to be exact.

While we'd PlayStation.com to be right about the particulars, we're checking in with Sony and Media Molecule to see when we can enjoy dressing our Sackboys up as Sonic and his friends on our PS3s.

Alex

funny as shit

Ok so tonight new moon came out. Patti went to go see it so I'm here at home re-watching cowboy bebop and i found this on a forum and thought it was funny so i thought I'd share.

Gentlemen,
The New Moon has risen. The fight for our rights as men is at hand we are faced with the most deadly threat we have ever encountered... Twilight...
This will be a test of our very souls to fight back aginst the typhoon of young 20 year old English actors. We must and we will stand and fight.
we have done it before! The Beatles, Billy Idol, Backstreet Boys, Nsync. Now Twilight. we are strong in numbers and they are not. We are men and
as such we are the most capable fighting force on earth! We are the hardworking, Tough, proud men. They wear make up and glitter (maybe some of
you do too but take no offense my brothers) and have no backbone we will persevere and stand strong and proud. Make no mistake we are lean mean and
are a definite fighting machine. to quote Nathan fillon (mal- firefly) "We do the impossible and that makes us mighty." if i had more time i would
add more inspirational quotes. However time is short, So i propose a siege of Hollywood to strike back at this threat. Stand strong brothers.


Next post:

In 2009 war was beginning

Men of the world: What happen?

Other man: Somebody set up us the bomb.

Other man: We get signal.

Men of the world: What!

Other man: Mainscreen turn on.

Men of the world: it's you!!

Twilight: How are you gentlemen!!

Twilight: All your women are belong to us.

Twilight: You are on the way to destruction.

Men of the world: What you say!!

Twilight: You have no chance to survive make your time. ha ha ha ha...

Men: Take off every 'Zig!!

Men (to pilots): You know what you doing.

Men: Move 'Zig!

Men: FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!!



Good stuff huh? i thought it was pretty funny. also a unrelated funny pic. Happy Friday everyone.



Alex

rofl

Alex

wow... like WoW

Kansas City's Zack Greinke locked up Cy Young Award, as the American League's top pitcher, but he never gave much thought to his shot at the hardware. "I've been playing this World of Warcraft game," he told the hometown paper.

"The quote is classic Greinke - honest, surprising, funny - and probably as good a way as any for him to mark a day on a national stage," writes The Kansas City Star. It'll also boost his nerd appeal - already stratospheric, since he toils for a small-market franchise where statistical analysis is the only thing keeping a fan interested as the team approaches its inevitable mathematical elimination.

Unfortunately, the Star goes no further in sourcing out Greinke's online life. What class? What level? Has he done nothing but grind since season's end? Actually, considering who is his girlfriend, I hope the answer to that is yes.

Alex

sorry

sorry i havent posted in a while ive had computer problems thank you microsoft but i have been re-reading a webcomic on my itouch 2 kinds check it out http://2kinds.com/

Alex

XIV news

inal Fantasy XI stalwarts hotly anticipating starting the grind all over again in Square Enix's newest MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, have two more character class updates to pore over, the Gladiator and Pugilist.

The former specializes in swords and shields, specializing in close combat. The latter prefers to engage in even closer combat, using hand-to-hand fighting techniques complemented by cestus and claws, adding a little long distance with expertise in throwing implements like the chakram. Extended descriptions of what these two classes bring to the mix are available right here.

The FF XIV official site also has details on some of the MMO's weapons, all of which players can get their hands on sometime in 2010, after Square Enix gets Final Fantasy XIII out the door.

Alex

Star trek online!!!

What Is It?
Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer game previously under development at the now-dead Perpetual Entertainment. Cryptic Studios picked up the aborted project in 2008 and started almost completely over for the game we have now.

What We Saw
I saw a quick demo of a space combat and ground combat before being turned loose on the mission "Stranded in Space" which combines elements of the two.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is due out February 2, 2010.

What Needs Improvement?
Canon Clarity: Licenses are a funny thing – so much so that the developer couldn't exactly articulate to me what Star Trek Online can and can't do as far as incorporating stuff like the Borg and Space Lincoln. They did say that the MMO should be treated as canon since it takes place in the prime timeline (the non-J. J. Abrams one) and that canon things like the Borg might show up. However, there was some confusion about the alien races that players can customize right down to the skin color. As Cryptic seems to understand it, if a custom-made alien race gets really popular, it could become canon if enough people download it. The possibilities are heady and all; but it's kind sad to think somebody could put a lot of work into building an alien race of their own that then magically winds up in a new Star Trek movie and they don't get any credit for their creation.

No Catchphrases/Bridge Banter (Yet): Currently, the only talking that goes on between non-playable characters and the captain that you take the role of happens in text boxes. There's no free-flowing banter between bridge crewmates and no way to click on individual NPCs during away missions just to chat them up. Cryptic says they're currently looking into adding the catchphrases we're used to hearing from the series during space combat ("Warp speed," "Reroute power to the shields," "Great shot kid, don't get cocky," etc.) – but at the moment, it's all silent and somewhat stilted.

What Should Stay The Same?
Space Isn't Slow: I was afraid the space combat and travel would be too much like Eve Online – where you have to wait ages for anything to happen. Instead, I was pleased to see somewhat snappy movement and reasonable physics to account for the fact that you're maneuvering a huge starship, not a tiny fighter craft. And while the game confines the 360 degrees of space to just forward, back, left and right for the shields, you have the full range of 360 degrees to use in movement so you can evade fire and break line of sight (and tachyon blast) by getting behind asteroids and stuff. Also, the game gives the player the ability to throttle more or less power between the four sections of the shields. This comes in handy when you're too close to a ship about to explode and need to absorb the shock on your aft shields.

Ground Isn't So Bad: It's totally not regulation for a captain to take half the bridge planetside with him as an Away Team (that's what Red Shirts are for!), but the game lets you do it anyway with your three favorite bridge crew members. While in space, these members have special abilities and buff/debuffs depending on their class (Science Officer, Communications, etc.) – but on the ground, you can outfit them with whatever weapons and equipment you like and either let the AI drive them around, or command their every move. The Away Team will still bring some special abilities with them planetside like Harvesting or Diplomacy stats you can use. But if you don't feel like making room for them, you can always leave ‘em on the ship and meet up with other real-life buddies on some planet to shoot at stuff.

Set Phasers To Vaporize! During ground combat, when people are shooting NPCs, you'll sometimes see a yellow icon pop up on a disoriented enemy. Pressing the secondary fire on a certain gun vaporizes that enemy and it's pretty neat. Who needs a stun function, anyway?

Final Thoughts
I wasn't so wowed by the ground combat, but space blew me away. If this were a singleplayer game, I'd still be happy with it. But I guess with so many Trekkies in the world, it'd be a waste not to turn Star Trek into an MMO for the masses to enjoy.
Taken forom kotaku

Alex

GREAT!!!

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

GOLD PURE GOLD

Alex

got mine

I went to the midnight release of modern warfare 2 lastnight at gamestop i showed up a 10 or so and i was a good 70 people back in line the line stretched a good ways down joe who i know who works at the gamestop said they had a good 200+ people show up. lucky me. played some last night not alot due to the fact that i had to go to work but it is amazeing!!! go get it now if you dont have it yet. My plans... go home after work and play.

Alex

We know what they are!!!

Alex

funny

sent this to patti last night i thought it was hi-larous

Alex

times are a changein

Well if you cant tell we have added another host and forums go look at em sign up and talk with us its awesome also I updated the banner and expect lots more big new thing from us we are moveing up in the podcast world and we want y'all to join us!

In other news Bayonetta PS3 Outsells Bayonetta 360 — No Surprise There




Unofficial day-one sales are in for Bayonetta and boy does Japan love its PlayStation 3s. Ninety-three thousand copies sold for Sony's home console compared to the 45,000 sold on Xbox 360.

But that's nothing new for the market. Compare Bayonetta's sales to these other games to see just how much day-one sales favor PS3 over 360 in Japan:

Devil May Cry 4
28,000 (17 percent of sales) on 360 / 140,000 (83 percent of sales) on PS3
Soul Calibur IV
35,000 (38 percent of sales) on 360 / 57,000 (62 percent of sales) on PS3
Street Fighter IV
28,000 (33 percent of sales) on 360 / 58,000 (67 percent of sales) on PS3

See the pattern? I know I do, and I'm bad at economics.

Rock on for not being the nail that sticks up, Bayonetta!


Alex

Happy halloween

Funny funny happy Halloween everybody

Alex

Wolrd Of Warcraft Almost Makes PUGs Worth It

Blizzard drops details on the new dungeon and raid system for World of Warcraft, which brings with it cross-sever instancing, daily random dungeons, and special rewards for taking part in a pick-up group.

Pick-up groups, or PUGs, are the bane of many an MMO player's existence. Rather than grouping with your guild or folks you know, you group up with random strangers who often turn out to be complete and utter tools, and probably think the same thing about you. PUGs are generally avoided whenever possible, but World of Warcraft's new dungeon and raid system, due out in an upcoming patch, actually rewards players for grouping with random strangers. In fact, the more random additions to your group, the faster you gain rewards, including a Perky Pug non-combat pet.

In order to make PUGs even more attractive, the new system features smarter group matching, which means you should never end up with five shadow priests, which would completely break any instance you entered, along with cross-server instancing, which can pull players from any server in your Battlegroup to go dungeon hopping with you.

Another cool new feature that will seriously cut down on waiting for your PUG members to show up is Instance Teleporting. Much like the PVP battlegrounds in the game, when you join a dungeon using the new system, you will be automatically teleported to the dungeon entrance, where you can then sit AFK for 20 minutes while you get a sandwich.

The new tool will also allow players to select multiple dungeons to take on, or they can take their chances with a random dungeon, with NPC's giving out quests and rewards to those that complete daily random dungeons, which will be taking the place of the current daily heroic dungeon system.

All of this, plus vote kicking, a looking for raid tool, group disenchanting, and a need before greed update are coming our way in the upcoming WoW content patch. It should go great lengths towards making an already easy game that much easier. Huzzah!


Taken from kotaku

Alex

Personal update

Ok from a email i received apparently people want to know more about whats going on with us and our gameing so here is what the blog posts will look like we will still be posting news and whatnot that we find in the video game industry but we will also be telling you more about whats up with us... well me because Edsel never posts.


OK well first This morning on my way to work i picked up Uncharted 2 Among thieves. I can't wait to play it hopefully its awesome and i will wright up a review for everyone.



Next i finally finished the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya. loved it!


Got back into ragnarok online its cool.

I beat star wars the force unleashed... amazeing game short campaign

Just started up Team fortress 2 on the ps3 look me up if you want to play name is Aeredon.

I'm back in WoW and started up a priest last night and loved it.

Now for our podcast news..... On ep 5 we had patti on the show she has agreed to become a regular host of the gamers anon podcast. so look forward to hearing from her on the show as well as the blog.

Well I'm bored with typing so im going to go back to WoW now and level so... um... yeah... bye guys love ya

Alex

Bayonetta Stickers Removed, Posters Uncovered

That was fast! It was announced on Friday that enormous Bayonetta posters covered with fliers would be going up in Tokyo on October 26. That's today.And the fliers have all be peeled off, revealing Bayonetta wrapped in hair and a nation eager to pull off fliers to see what's underneath
taken from kotaku

Alex

i loled

Alex

Made me laugh and i thought i'd share

whats even better is there was 6 mins and 20 seconds left before they moved on to the next item. The remaining time was spent with the salesman standing directly in front of the broken area of the TV. Oh and yes, it did sell out.

Alex

NEW Kingdom Hearts Release date!

PSP role-playing-game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep has been dated for Japan. The game will be released on January 9 and priced at ¥6,090 (US$67).

Birth By Sleep is an action RPG set ten years before the first Kingdom Hearts game. Be sure to check out our impressions on the game.

Edsel are you ready for this my friend?hahahaha now watch as the same thing happens to this game as it did to yakuza 3 i will laugh soooooo hard.

Alex

Epic Mickey's Animatronic Donald Gives Me The Creeps

Game Informer's keeping a steady stream of Epic Mickey articles coming between its November 2009 reveal issue and its online supplements. This article takes a look at character design and art.

We've already been told that this Wii exclusive game will be all about Mickey painting in parts of his environment to get through levels (a la Okami, perhaps). But something I hadn't heard until today was that how you problem-solve your way through the game directly affects how your Mickey looks.

"How you decide to play the game should make a difference. You get to determine what kind of hero you are. Everybody solves the problem. Everybody saves the day. Everybody gets to save the world and gets the girl," Warren Spector tells us, in regards to the shifting spectrum of play styles that change the appearance of Mickey throughout the game. "But how you do it, and how you end up looking is up to you. What abilities you have is up to you. Who likes you is up to you. What missions you hear about or not is up to you." Each version of Mickey has a distinct look crafted by the character artists at Mickey, from the crouching and feral scrapper to the stalwart hero.

Each of the Mickeys and all of their movements, though, are drawn directly from classic Mickey inspiration. Get a look at the render videos in Game Informer's piece and see if you can recognize motions from old school Mickey Mouse cartoons, like The Brave Little Taylor

Taken from kotaku

Alex

Windows 7: What Happened to Gaming?

In 2006, then Microsoft Vice President Peter Moore apologized for what he called a dereliction of duty to the company's number one gaming platform: The PC.

Now more than three years after promising, and some say failing, to deliver a PC gaming renaissance with the Vista operating system, Microsoft is set to roll out Windows 7.

But this time there are no apologies or promises. PC gaming, it seems, has taken a back seat.

When Windows 7 goes on sale on Oct. 22, PC gamers will have little reason to run out to buy it, says Matthew Murray, managing editor of ExtremeTech.

"I don't think there's a lot about (Windows 7) that's going to make it that much more compelling to gamers than Vista," Murray said. "It's a bit better using memory, and it's a bit faster in certain areas, but the performance overall isn't really that much different. If you have Vista and you're happy with it, you can probably keep it, at least for now."

To be fair, much of that promised renaissance in 2006 was tied to the Games for Windows initiative, which launched alongside the Windows Vista operating system.

While the two hit at the same time, they're not directly connected.

The biggest idea behind Games for Windows was to make it easier to play games on your PC. This was done by creating a set of criteria that computer games needed to meet to have the Games For Windows label on their box.

Those criteria included compatibility, easy installation and including parental controls. There were also a number of neat ideas tested out, but never fully realized. Most computer games require an installation before playing, but the Tray and Play option was meant to allow gamers to pop a game in their computer and start playing almost immediately, similar to what most console gamers experience now. Unfortunately, only one game, Halo 2 for the PC, currently uses this system.

The most noticeable way in which Vista and Games for Windows crossed over was the operating system's Game Advisor and Games Explorer.

The Game Advisor ranks a person's computer and available games making it easier to tell if a title would play on a PC.

The Games Explorer was meant to collect all the games installed on a computer and display them in one folder. It's here that Window 7 does bring a modicum of improvement for gamers.

One of the biggest issues with Games Explorer was that it often didn't detect games that were purchases through online retailers and providers like Steam.

While Windows 7 still doesn't seem to include Steam in the Game Explorer, it now has the ability to if the company wants to support the service. If a game provider does choose to be listed in the Game Explorer, computer owners will be able to view news from the service and information about the service's games, all inside the window.

Another update to Games Explorer allows you to be notified when a game you own has an update or patch and then install the update from the explorer without having to launch the game.

Finally, Games Explorer will track statistics for the games you play, showing you how many times you've played, how long and your win and loss ratio.

Currently only the included games seem to support this function, but I'm sure more will include it after the operating system officially launches.

Murray says the only improvement he can find in Windows 7 for gamers is in the Games Explorer, but even he doesn't find it that useful.

"Being able to check for updates for all your games in one interface is a nice feature, but since it doesn't install the updates automatically (the way Windows Update itself does), I don't know how useful that's going to be to a lot of people," he said. "And I've never gotten that into using the Games Explorer anyway—I tend to just add icons to the new taskbar, as with everything else. Aside from that, there aren't a ton of game-friendly changes I've come across."

The problem I have with Windows 7, though, isn't its failure to vastly improve the gaming experience, it's Microsoft's failure to take advantage of the attention brought by the launch of a new operating system to once more thrust PC gaming into the spotlight.

The biggest promise the Games for Windows initiative made when it initially was unveiled was that it would be backed by a huge marketing campaign, one similar to the push Microsoft gave the Xbox 360 when it hit.

But that was never fully realized and PC gaming was left to suffer as a second favorite system next to the Xbox 360 and Microsoft's continued marketing blitz for its gaming console.

In the vacuum left by Microsoft game developers, chip manufacturers and PC builders have come together to try and reinvigorate PC gaming though the PC Gaming Alliance. But even this effort seems oddly absent during Window's big week?

If Microsoft want its PC gaming platform to thrive they will need to do more than offer lip service in the future. But with the lasting success of the gaming console and PC gamers' ability to seemingly put up with anything, why should they?

Microsoft declined to comment for this article.

Taken from kotaku

Alex

I apologize in advance, but I’ll be off on a slight tangent the next two articles. With Dissidia: Final Fantasy hitting stores, there’s been a step up in marketing for Square Enix. Today, I’ll be taste testing the new Potions from Suntory.

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY POTION

A new drink produced by Suntory to promote the release up Square Enix’s upcoming Playstation Portable fighter. Is it just me or has Dissidia received an inordinate amount of hype for a non-RPG Final Fantasy PSP-only title that hasn’t even been given a US release date? Rapture is still but a code-name, and it’s supposed to be their big new MMO.

Ah, well. Let’s talk about the drinks. Those have seen their fair share of hype as well. A recent issue of Famitsu ran this ad:


“A Potion named Chaos.”
“A Potion named Cosmos.”

Although 調和 chou-wa, means peace and harmony, the actual cans themselves are labeled “Chaos” and “Cosmos.” Chaos cans are black, and Cosmos cans are white.

I bought the four cans you saw pictured up at the top. I just picked out a few that I felt had nice artwork. Here are the extreme close-ups, if you want to examine the cans:

↑ Click on the above thumbnails to view the cans ↑

There’s nothing remarkable about the cans besides the artwork. That’s really the selling point, which by the way, is 191 yen a pop. That’s more than you pay for any soda in a 自動販売機 ji-dou-han-bai-ki, or vending machine, and those are abnormally expensive. Square Enix is getting good at milking fanboys. Oh well, if I can spend 20 bucks on a metal Goblin that actually hinders the process of transporting and manipulating keys, I can deal with some marked up sugar water.

Now let’s crack one open and have a taste!

It smells okay. Not sure if I expected any strange funk, but so far so good. I actually poured it out into a little rice bowl so I could show you what it looks like:

Yeah. It looks like soda. Imagine that.

But how does it taste? It basically taste like Sprite. Not as sharp limey as Sprite, but a little smoother with a touch of grapefruit almost. It’s actually not bad at all. After hearing horror stories about the weird FFX potions they sold, this one is a pleasant surprise. However, what wasn’t a pleasant surprise, was discovering Caffeine in the list of ingredients. So not only am I sitting here at 1 am writing an article about nerd soda, but now I’ll have to suffer for it by having this stuff keep me awake all night.

It also contains Royal Jelly, a common ingredient in Japanese sodas.



I always like my drinks with a little secretion in there.

If you would like to see what all the cans look like, here’s a full page layout for the Dissidia mook:


According to the page, the white Cosmos cans are Grapefruit-flavored, and the black Chaos cans are Muscat.

Next time: Lady Shantotto in Dissidia!

Taken from jp button

Alex

ME ME ME ME ME

CLICK HERE


Made this for my girlfriend for her birthday thought it was so funny i thought i'd share it woth all of you. happy thursday fuckers the weekend is almost here!

Alex

funny as shit

Found this and it is funny as hell made my day!

Alex

Black Wii Remote and Nunchuk Price For U.S.

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Black versions of the Wii remote and nunchuk will go on sale on Nov. 16, Nintendo announced this morning.

The new black remote controller will be available with a black Wii MotionPlus add-on for $50. The black nunchuk will sell separately for $20.

"The Wii Remote revolutionized not only how people play games, but also who plays them," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "The new color lets people customize their setup, and the controllers make great stocking stuffers for players of any age."

taken from kotaku

alex

Holy Crap the Possibilities Are Endless!!!

Okay people, I've stumbled across something big to me. For those of you in Australia, you might already know, so don't get on my case about things. No, this post doesn't have anything to do with .Hack//G.U. but rather something awsomely similar. I'm talking about brainwave virtual reality. For those of you who don't understand, pay attention. So there is a product on the market now called the Emotiv Headset. This headset literally reads your brainwaves and interacts with a computer system or game, controlling almost every aspect of the virtual world. Your avatar will pick up your facial expressions, your anger, fear, joy, anything will be transferred to your character and will result in a completely personalized being.
"Why is this important?" you may ask. Well, with this technology, we may be well on our way to a new World, one where we can truly immerse ourselves in a complete other personality. For my fellow RPers out there, it is a chance to live a dream through the use of electronics. Put away the dice and pencils and say hello to your new life. With this technology, combined with others like the 3rd Space Gaming Vest and the Vuzix Eyewear, one can now truly experience a game to the fullest.
Now the price for the Emotiv is around $500, which, as you know, is more expensive than many game consoles. Well, this is because it is tailored to gamers of tomorrow rather than ones of today. It is the most advanced system with the most neural readers on it. However, there is no need to fret if you don't have the dough to purchase this monster, for the Emotiv has competition. The cheapest and probably most fitting choice for today's gamers is known as the N.I.A. or Neural Impulse Actuator. Our friends at OCZ Technology have cooked up something affordable for us that works with many games used today, and at a little over $100 a pop, we may be looking at the next big thing to literal controllers. The last product I researched was NeuroSky's MindSet. This headset, from what I can tell, reads general emotions with only one sensor as opposed to NIA's 3 or Emotiv's dozen or so. They show much in the way of music and interaction, but not as much flexibility. Because of this, I personally say look heavily at the NIA game lovers, but keep your eye out on the Emotiv, for I predict that it will be the revolutionary step in the way of virtual reality. So speaks Wise Edsel.

Edsel

Square Enix On Why Manga Doesn't Sell As Big Overseas

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Final Fantasy maker Square Enix doesn't only make Final Fantasy. The Japanese company also has an anime and manga division, responsible for titles like Saki and Full Metal Alchemist.

When division head Kouji Taguchi was asked why manga sales in the US were still considerably smaller than in Japan, he replied:

The best sellers in the US were Full Metal Alchemist and Naruto, but these only sold a tenth to a twentieth of what they sold in Japan.
I think the main reasons are as follows:
1. Fewer copies are printed and those that are get sold at a much higher price, from $8.99 to $12.99.
2. Children don't get as much money, their allowances are just smaller.
3. The other reason is location. If you live in Tokyo there will be 3 bookshops nearby, which you can easily cycle to. In the US there aren't any, they can only buy on a weekly trip to the mall. Even if anime is highly popular, they just don't visit the stores to buy manga often.

As website Sankaku Complex points out, it's interesting that Taguchi focuses on distribution instead of simply stating that Japanese and Western tastes are different. Taguchi also went on to state that manga publishers are increasingly moving forward to digital distribution.

"Publishers such as Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan and Kadokawa are setting up a digital platform on the PSP for distributing manga," said Taguchi. The Square Enix exec doesn't think this will catch on in Japan because prices are low and there are many shops selling manga. However, this form of distribution could very well catch on in the States.

taken from kotaku

Alex

Last Two Left 4 Dead 2 Campaigns Leaked

Somehow a Taiwanese Web site got its hands on all the posters for the Left 4 Dead 2 - and if these are real, that means the names of the final two are known: "Dead Center" and "Hard Rain."

Dead Center - "Prices Aren't the Only Things Getting Slashed" - appears to be a shopping mall setting. Has that ever been done with zombies? Hard Rain - "Come Hell and High Water" - looks to be set in some kind of refinery and the knee deep water suggests what you'll be slogging through in it. The full size posters are after the text.

I've emailed Doug Lombardi to ask if Valve would like to comment. A tipster told us that an L4D2 playtester had seen these and pronounced them accurate. But if Team Fortress 2 has taught us anything, there are plenty of artists out there who love to make up stuff using Valve IP.

Are Dead Center & Hard Rain the Last Two L4D2 Campaigns? [Evil Avatar, thanks Jim and David]

Left 4 Dead 2

Clips

Left 4 Dead 2 Infected Gameplay — This Is How I Spent Last Night

For those of you wondering what I was talking about with generator-camping — that's exactly what's going on in this clip. More »

Valve

Left 4 Dead 2 Gets "Realism" Mode For Hardcore Zombie Killers

For players who find "expert" difficulty too easy in Left 4 Dead, it appears that Valve is upping the challenge for the sequel with "Realism" mode, a game modifier that made an unplanned appearance last night. More »

Taken from kotau

Alex

Sorry For Lateness

Hey ya'll sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been up to alot of things. Numero Uno on that list was seeing the Blink 182 concert as it rolled through Atlanta. Probably the sickest thing I've ever seen. But i digress. So, the thing that I've found most interesting lately is Blizzard releasing a final date for Cataclysm. November of 2010. They have recently said to look for the date to be pushed forward, but no more backing up. To my fellow WoW geeks, we have something to look forward to before the end of the world in 2012 :D. Anyhoo, I'll get to posting more 'cause I know you love hearing from me :). Peace.

Edsel