GameAbuser

Kinect Abusively

Neil Sweeney — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:21:31 +0000

Today we see the release of Kinect in the UK and with a site name like “GameAbuser” you think we jump on this band-wagon of injuries, but alas one of Microsofts own sites had it before us. But these two videos of some real Kinect injuries (or “accidents” as they will say to child services) have emerged and in the interest of cheap laughs I’ve included them here.

These where pulled off MSNBC’s Technolog but if you got any you found or even your own to submit then contact us with a link to the video and I’ll put them on here (along with a link to you site of choice). Please note, don’t post any setup/fake videos of injuries, accidents can be funny but people still can get badly hurt.

5 Retro Games for Halloween

Neil Sweeney — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:02:51 +0000

Last year I covered the games that you may want to play on Halloween looking at titles in current and recent generations. This year I wanted to take a different approach, so I’ll be looking at games from a little further back to get your Halloween gaming tricks from… or treat!

Time for GameAbuser takes a look at some horror games from the past for your retro halloween night.

Splatterhouse

One has a shotgun, the other has chainsaws for hands, but which is better? FIGHT!

One of my all-time favourite games, I spent a lot of money on arcade machines playing this and was good at it, but nowadays I kind of suck at it… The simple story of a couple on a weekend retreat think that the really spooky house in the middle of nowhere is a good place to take shelter in a bad storm until Jenny, the girlfriend, gets kidnapped by some unknown force. So it’s up to Rick, the boyfriend, and this freaky ass hockey mask that he puts on but won’t come off. It does transform him into a muscular “hero” but at what costs?

A hard game that will challenge you despite it’s 2D simplicity but filled with some awesome horror imagery as well as the infamous “Biggy Man” with chainsaws for hands (you know its awesome horror when chainsaws are included); they really add to the tension.

You can find Splatterhouse on the Wii Virtual Console as well as the sequel.

Zombies ate My Neighbors

Hmm... three of you, one of me? Time for a sexy party!

This is a great title to play with a friend; back in the day when local co-op was the rage (and still should be in my humble opinion) where you are one of two plucky teenagers, Zeke and Julie, stopping Zombies as well as number of other horror movies icons such as Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolf, the Blob, Aliens, Chucky dolls and a number of others from eating your neighbours. Yes, you completed each level by saving your neighbours!

It’s a top-down shooting game with elements of puzzle as you try to solve how the hell to stop certain enemies (made more difficult if you haven’t seen the respective film). Ammo isn’t in abudance so you have to think what to use when adding to the tension, plus there are 48 levels (7 optional bonus levels) to finish that became more difficult if you let your neighbour die in a previous level as they won’t be replenished in the next one!

So if you want to play on your own or got a friend on the sofa with you then a great title to pick up on the Wii Virtual Console that will pay homage to all those classic movies.

3D Monster Maze

The scariest thing you'll see in monotone tonight!

Back in 1981, it was considered to be the first survivial horror game, 3D Monster Maze is something to behold it’s simplicity and damn freaky nature. You are asked by a clown (who I can only assume is probably Pennywise, but that’s just me) to go into a maze with a T-Rex for giggles. Like the dumbass you are you say yes.

You find youself in the maze with no direct way out and a line of text saying “Rex lies in wait” that changes depending on how close you are to Rex and it’s current actions “Run, Rex is behind you” always making me panic. It seems a little weak, but trust me if you turn off the lights with the door open behind you then you’ll find it a little freaky by yourself.

There are sites to play it online, I’m not sure on the legality of them so google “play 3d monster maze”

Hugo’s House of Horror / Nitemare 3D

The real nightmare is being able to spell, but Nitemare 3D solved that.

Not that I can remember much of this game other than some really weird set-pieces that as a kid freaked me out. It was cliche in some sense of the types of horror (I’m not sure if in the tongue-in-cheek sense of Zombies Ate My Neighbours though); but this quasi-text/graphic based adventure game would kill you if you make the wrong choice, more often than not for me it was being eaten by the guests or some monster/dog.

A few years after Hugo’s House of Horror, Grey Design Associates made a 3D game based on the same story called “Nitemare 3D”. From what I can tell, it was based on the Wolfenstein 3D engine so in that case was a full game mod. As in Zombies Ate My Neighbours, certain weapons where affective against certain enemies so you had to make sure you found the right weapons. Oddly though, the freakiest thing in this game is the heroes face in the info panel… is it a man with woman’s make-up on or what?

Not sure of the validity of the site, but you can purchase Hugo’s House of Horror, or “Hugo’s Horrific Adventure” in this case, and Nitemare 3D for $10 each.

Silent Hill

Get out of here! This is the human's bathroom you little perv!

I know last year I mentioned Silent Hill 2, but this is a retro list and PSone just fits into that idea. Plus this is the original, where Silent Hill started for many of us and, for some, was the first game to properly scare us with it’s deranged symbolism that David Lynch would be most proud of. It’s a classic in many ways and should never be forgotten; those freaking shadow children in the school still freak me out for a number of reasons.

Also, on this note of David Lynch and just because it’s got me interested I think I’ll add this as a bonus; doesn’t fit with the rest of the list as it’s a brand-new release but I fancy mentioning it!

Deadly Premonition

With that big axe and glowing eyes, people are going to suspect something surely?

I’ve not been able to play this game as I’m writing this, but from reading around the interwebs it’s much like the bastard child of Twin Peaks and Silent Hill if they made uglies on a pentagram while listening to some Cradle of Filth. The graphics and gameplay don’t look upto scratch, but the story is supposed to be fantastic and something that any true horror fan could aprechiate (and not in that crap way that Six did with “The Human Centipede”). A budget title selling for £24.99 in the UK (£17.85 on ShopTo.Net) and $19.99 in the US on Xbox 360, it looks like a worthy title.

Heading to Eurogamer Expo Tomorrow!

Neil Sweeney — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:21:27 +0000

Today the Eurogamer Expo 2010 started, and my self and Kerrie are heading up to London to check out the event.

Like last year, we’ll be live reporting the event the best we can (a la iPhone battery life). If you want to follow it then check out our coverage page from 9am Saturday where we shall be complaining about the weather and tubes in London and possibly arranging to meet with friends who like to see our sexy faces.

Eurogamer Expo 2010 Coverage

We’re hoping to see see as much as possible as well as try to chat to a few people and maybe get some ideas for the site.

Remember to Tweet us @WolfieZero (me) or @future_perfect (Kerrie) to ask us something or meet us if your there.

Red Dead Redemption Has The Best Glitches!

Neil Sweeney — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:47:35 +0000

I bought Red Dead Redemption on Sunday with some of my holiday winnings (£50 on the sluts… slots!) for the Xbox 360. Only play it for about 5 hours straight so far, some single player and some multi-player and I must say first impressions are good.

So trawling the interwebs I found this article on the Official Xbox Magazine’s website showing some of the glitches in RDR.

Here are my two favourites, but please check out the rest over at Official Xbox Magazine’s article.

And one more sent to me.

I do hope Rockstar don’t fix these.

Red Dead Redemption Launch Trailer

Neil Sweeney — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:00:25 +0000

The Launch Trailer for Rockstar’s latest Spaghetti Western game, Red Dead Redemption being released next week. Pre-order now from ShopTo.net.

Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition for the Gambler

Neil Sweeney — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:39:39 +0000

A game I’m very excited about this year is the next Fallout game, Fallout: New Vegas. Aside from my pre-order already being order, I might cancel it.

Why?

It seems Bethesda are releasing a collector’s edition that made me want to update the site. Just seeing the image of this impressive collector’s edition has turned me to get it and I haven’t even seen any pricing yet.

Want some details on what’s in this edition then read on!

“Lucky 7” poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.
A fully customised Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for Fallout: New Vegas!
A recreation of the game’s highly coveted “Lucky 38” platinum chip.
A hardcover graphic novel “All Roads”, that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. “All Roads” was written by Chris Avellone, the game’s creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.
‘The Making of Fallout: New Vegas’ DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.

Pricing-wise, in America is seems to be up for $79.99 for both PS3 and Xbox 360. Judging by that the UK will be around £59.99 mark as a guess, though keep an eye on stores for actual price.

Sims 3 Bug Doesn’t Allow Faster Sims

Metro 2033 Has Gone Gold

Neil Sweeney — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:12:28 +0000

So we got the word today that isn’t “bird”; Metro 2033 has gone gold.

This means that the game is no on-track for release and is currently in manufacturing and should in be in stores on March 16th in the US and Germany, March 18th in Australia and March 19th in the rest of the world (namely UK I believe).

“Were excited to be bringing such a truly original experience to market,” said Richard Williams, Vice President of Global Brand Management, THQ. “Metro 2033 couples a deep and engaging story with incredibly atmospheric first person shooter gameplay, and the 4A Engine provides cutting edge technology behind the most impressive visuals seen on either PC or console to date.”

Check out the Metro 2033 “Ghosts of the Metro” trailer over at The Lost Gamer, if you aren’t sure what Metro 2033 is, then we have PR material for you to read.

Set in the shatter

ed subway of a post apocalyptic Moscow, Metro 2033 is a story of intensive underground survival where the fate of mankind rests in your hands.

In 2013, the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earths surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age.

The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside.

You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised Underground. Having never ventured beyond your Metro Station-City limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. Your journey takes you from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where your actions will determine the fate of mankind.

Chat to the Author of Metro 2033

Neil Sweeney — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:54:03 +0000

Fancy asking the author of Metro 2033, the book that the game is based on, a few questions? Get online today from 21:00GMT till 23:00GMT.

Dmitry Glukhovsky is the author of the book Metro 2033 that the upcoming FPS for Xbox 360 from THQ is based on. He first published the novel on his own website and, after attracting some 2 million online readers, secured a publishing deal in Russia and has since seen Metro 2033 published across Europe to huge critical acclaim.

Dmitry will be online between 21.00 and 23.00 GMT to answer your questions via the Metro 2033 Twitter and Facebook pages. Want to know where he got his inspiration from? Need tips on how to publish your first novel? Now’s your chance to ask!

Dmitry speaks Russian, English, German, French and a little Spanish, and will be happy to receive and answer questions in these languages!

Facebook

Become a fan of the Facebook page at facebook.com/Metro2033 – a new update will be posted when the Q&A goes live, then all you need to do is post your question in the comments thread that forms below.

Twitter

Follow @Metro2033, then from 20:00GMT till 23:00GMT, direct your question to @Metro2033 and add the #Metro2033 hashtag to your tweet.

The Times Nationally

US Pacific Coast: 13.00 – 15.00
US East Coast: 16:00 – 18.00
UK / GMT: 21.00 – 23.00
Central Europe: 22.00 – 24.00
Russia: 24.00 – 02.00

Eurogamer Expo 2010 Announced

Neil Sweeney — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:48:22 +0000

Eurogamer Network have today announce that Eurogamer Expo 2010 will open to the public on 1st to 3rd October in the Brompton Hall of Earls Court, London.

Building upon the winning format of the enormously successful 2009 event, this year’s Expo will be the only consumer event in England to offer the chance to go hands-on with the biggest games of this year and the next.

With over 20,000 consumers expected to attend, the event is perfectly positioned at the very start of the key Q4 release window, representing a huge sampling opportunity for consumers to trial the best of the Christmas releases and next years.

“Earls Court is another step up for the Eurogamer Expo,” commented Rupert Loman, Managing Director of Eurogamer Network. “Our 2009 event was a sell-out in advance of the show and while our philosophy continues to revolve around sustainable and organic growth, moving to a bigger venue with all the facilities it has to offer allows us to put on a fantastic event for even more gamers.”

David Lilley, Eurogamer Expo Event Director, added: “In addition to masses of playable games, this year’s Eurogamer Expo will deliver an even wider range of other attractions. It’s our intention to provide a full day’s entertainment to this key group of opinion formers and gaming advocates.”

All of the most popular aspects of the 2009 event will return including the jam-packed developer sessions, the curiosity shop that is the Indie Arcade and the popular GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair, in addition to a series of new areas and events which will be announced over the coming months.

We at GameAbuser will be there again and covering the event, hopefully a better live coverage than last year [thanks MacBook for killing yourself 2 days before!] but still providing our own take on the events afterwards. If you want to see what it’s like, check out our own girl gamer’s write up here.

APOCOLYPS3 is Over!

Neil Sweeney — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:14:27 +0000

So, the issue behind PS3 was what we thought it was over at The Lost Gamer where it was a flaw to do with the date/time, where the PS3 thought that this year is a leap year… I think it got confused over what Olympics it was supposed to count.

The official satement from the PS3 US Blog

We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year.

Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally.

If the time displayed on the XMB is still incorrect, users are able to adjust time settings manually or via the internet. If we have new information, we will update you through the PlayStation.Blog or PlayStation.com.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Shame; it’s a nice day today in Hampshire…