Trash-N-Slash

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 Japanese boxart.

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:18:00 +0000

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 Japanese boxart.

This packaging looks much more exciting than the U.S. cover! This collection, however, released stateside last April, while Japan isn’t getting it until May 2009.

By the way, the game is on sale at Walmart for $12.82!

Manga Science helping education in Japan!?

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:16:00 +0000

It seems companies and educational institutes are trying their best to use the Moe power so students can focus on learning. It is not the first time a company use Moe on textbooks but it seems every day, the trend is increasing.

Study guides illustrated with cute, manga-esque female characters who explain the basics of subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics are selling well, giving rise to hopes among educators they will help stem the trend of young people turning away from the sciences.

Some doubt, however, whether such books will really help youngsters become more interested in the subjects.

Study guides illustrated with cute manga-style girls are displayed on the shelves of the main store of the Maruzen bookshop chain in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo

The main store of the Maruzen bookshop chain in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district has on its third-floor shelves a selection of books introducing difficult physics subjects such as the properties of neutrinos and the principles of quantum mechanics. Visitors are lured to the section by a selection of books with large, colorful illustrations of attractive young girls on their covers.

PHP Interface, a publisher known for its business books, published a study aid in October titled “Genso-shuki–Moete Oboeru Kagaku no Kiso” (The Periodic Table–The Basics of Chemistry Learned through Infatuation). In the book, attractive manga girls teach the periodic table by personifying the 118 chemical elements. The company already has published 11 printings of the science crammer, selling a total of 35,000 copies to date.

Fluorine compounds are used for coating frying pans, and in the books the apron-wearing character embodying the element tells readers, “The fluorine coating repels water!”

A 16-year-old high school student from Chiba Prefecture said of the language used in the books, “As well as the drawings, the [characters'] lines also convey the properties of the elements.”

Miyuki Mitsuda, a part-time instructor at Musashi Institute of Technology, was the chief editor of the books. He said he asked the illustrators to try to help readers comprehend the properties of the elements by simply glancing at the drawings of the books.

Kochi cram school operator, Akihito Hamada, 47, said he always has copies at hand in class.

Manga drawings have been used in study books for many years. Hamada said, “The cute illustrations of girls go down particularly well among female middle school students.”

A manga book explaining quantum mechanics published by PHP Interface last month has already sold 45,000 copies.

Hiroshi Matsui, a 74-year-old chemistry teacher at a vocational school in Hiroshima Prefecture, said he felt the book “is drawing in children who didn’t get a feel for science from textbooks that focus on entrance examinations.”

Ohmsha Ltd., a long-standing publisher of science and engineering books, has published about 20 books covering subjects such as calculus and Fourier analysis in its “Manga de Wakaru Shirizu” (Understanding through Manga Series). The series also features large front-cover illustrations of girls in maid costumes and other images typical of manga.

The most popular book in the series covers statistics. Maruzen reportedly sells twice as many copies of this book than any other title on the subject.

As Mio Murayama, a 32-year-old sales clerk at Maruzen’s Marunouchi store, explained, it is not only the drawings of pretty girls that are helping the books sell.

“Some books barely sell at all,” Murayama says. That’s because they don’t have the content to go with the pictures.”

However, Akito Arima, a former education minister and chairman of the Japan Science Foundation, is not wholly convinced of the books’ utility.

Arima said, “If [the books] are used by people unfamiliar with science to introduce them to scientific concepts, then I’m in favor of them using this kind of book.”

“People who really want to learn, though, should then study from try specialist books,” Arima, 78, added.

Source: Takashi Yokomizo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

I really wonder what could happen if this continues…Youngsters will really focus and learn science…or they will become Otakus! People interested in Moe Chemistry can still get the book.

The MOE Quantum Mechanics Book is also available here!

“My wife loves soap operas so I gave her School Days!” part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Not long ago, I gave my wife School Days because there was no soap operas to watch. Every day for the four days that she watched, I wanted to see her face in that fatal scene but I must tell you, She was not impress and at the end, She only said…”Everything is fine but the end was weird” and “Makoto is such a jerk”

It was my fault. I gave her the censored “black blood” episode instead of the one uncensored with the ketchup. It could have diminish the impact of the scene.

Another reason why she was not impressed is because she loves horror and gore movies. Last week I took her to the movies to see “Friday the 13th” and she loves it but probably because School Days is just a “cartoon”, the nice boat effect was minimal. By the way, I loved Friday the 13th because of the hot babes in the movie. Glad my wife didnt noticed it.

One curious thing is the fact that Makoto managed to get almost all the girls before the tragic end. “How that happened? Makoto is not THAT good looking!” She said!

At the end, School Days was just a ride in the park and nothing more so probably She will just forget it, while the rest of us, the anime fans, will have a hard time to forget it.

On a brighter side, She wants to watch other anime, so my next choice will be “The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi”…I just hope she likes it.

This story is not fiction. It happened to a “friend of a friend!”

This Week In Imports

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Kadokawa Channel on Youtube released Haruhi chan episode 9 & episode 10 and Nyoron Churuya san episode 5! Somehow, Haruhi-chan got to the peak and now it is rolling down with its plot and made me yawn. Without spoiling too much with a plot summary, I could say this episodes should be rated “R” for the following reasons:

Too much Blood!

Too much violence!

More ridiculous violence!

Physical Aggression!

and finally Torture Scenes! (and watching this episodes were a torture indeed)

I must admit, I was not laughing too much with this episodes. Probably because the humor was a little bit overused or there was not any punchline around. I just can´t explain what happened. If you agree with me or not, please comment to see if I am the only one with this opinion. The only thing that saved the Haruhi chan episodes this week was Asakura chibi san and Haruhi´s “bloody” mood! On the other hand, Churuya san 5 was better and unfortunately, shorter!

Look! a Churuya life size figure!

Kyon, you pervert!

After all the abuse…

Churuya san saw the rainbow!

I think Haruhi-chan creators are running out of ideas in the humor department. However, I dont want to lose hope because there are always hit and miss on any project and this was for now a miss!…Nyoron!

This Week In Imports: The Colors (And Robots) Of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Sony and Nintendo are ringing spring in with pastel portables. Spirited Green PSPs and pink Nintendo DSis come out this week. Super Robot Taisen K and its Gundam Seed goodness launches with the three new DSi colors. Most of this week’s new releases are on portables. ASCII Media Works unites characters from Dengeki Bunko light novels like Kino’s Journey to make Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus. Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost expands the series with new story. And Brandish: Dark Revenant gives a new generation of gamers upward facing dungeon crawling.

What’s out on consoles in Japan? Baseball games and Darts Wii. Anything worth importing this week or are domestic releases like Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Suikoden Tierkreis, and Rune Factory Frontier enough to keep you busy?

Nintendo DS
Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus
Gakken Hangul Sanmai DS
Gardening Mama
Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost
Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Fuserareta Shinjitsu
Super Robot Taisen K
Lime Green DSi
Metallic Blue DSi
Pink DSi

PSP
Harvest Moon: Sugar Village and Everyone’s Wish
Brandish: Dark Revenant
Dragon Ball Evolution
Musou Tourou
Ape Quest (Retail)
Bright Yellow PSP-3000
Spirited Green PSP-3000

Wii
Darts Wii Deluxe
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Next

PlayStation 2
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2009
Amagami

Key Domestic Releases
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
TrackMania DS (DS)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

Spotted @SXSW 2009: Jonathan Coulton in a giant fishbowl

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:10:00 +0000

Geek songster extraordinaire Jonathan Coulton was on-hand at SXSW, being interviewed in the aquariumrific Studio SX stage. You can watch the full interview at some point later on SXSW.com to hear Coulton talking about reaching his geeky audiences, how he crafts his songs, and why he loves audience misbehavior. He capped everything off with a live performance of the unofficial Portal anthem "Still Alive," which really doesn't get old no matter how many times you hear it.

Japanese hardware sales, March 2 - March 8: Brightly Colored Evil edition

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:10:00 +0000

We've suspected for quite some time now that the Japanese game-consuming populous is easily hypnotized by jewel-toned and otherwise flashy colors, evidenced by the success of the Pokémon series and the kaleidoscopic spectrum of DS Lites. If you're not convinced, look at this week's charts -- PSP sales shot through the roof, aided by the recently released, astonishingly garish Vibrant Blue and Radiant Red models. We expect the next few weeks to be fairly kind to Sony's handheld as more PSP color variants hit the market. Personally, we're holding out for Pulchritudinous Purple.

Japanese gamers also proved their undying undead love by pushing Resident Evil 5 to the top of the software sales chart, bolstering its respective platforms by a little over 3,000 a piece. If only Capcom could synergize the two aforementioned passions exhibited in this week's sales figures -- perhaps an additional DLC pack could add some much-needed vibrance to RE5's humble palette.

"Pass me those Skittles, paht-nah!"

- PSP: 59,568 23,980 (67.38%)
- PS3: 39,835 3,322 (9.10%)
- DSi: 32,102 3,725 (10.40%)
- Wii: 16,560 1,316 (7.36%)
- Xbox 360: 14,994 3,199 (27.12%)
- DS Lite: 11,240 534 (4.54%)
- PS2: 4,954 145 (2.84%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The pulchritudinous archives

Former GFW Radio crew plans reunion show at PAX'09

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:10:00 +0000

Former 1UP employees and crew of The Brodeo (commonly known as GFW Radio) are planning a live reunion show at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington. However, before new Agent 00 theories and Internet Hero shout-outs can be addressed, the team needs your help.

Armchair Empire is taking donations to help rent conference space for the September event. According to Armchair, the entire original cast has expressed interest in a live show -- with Rebel FM's Anthony Gallegos playing "bench warmer." Currently, donations stand at less than half the $2,250 room rental cost. All excess donations are said to be given to Penny Arcade's charity, Child's Play. Joystiq was told that if the goal was not met, donations would either be returned or given to charity.

[Thanks, Flanked. Image from Terrence S.]

PSA: Run! Left 4 Dead's Tank now bats 1000

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Before this glorious weekend began, Valve listed a few fixes the latest update of Left 4 Dead addressed. Apart from your standard server and back end issue fixes -- listed after the break -- Valve saw fit to update the Tank. Clearly the unholy creature was taken down a notch because of his behemoth desire for absolute destruction, right? Actually, the Tank was given the ability to hit all survivors with one melee strike. In essence, he's more ruthless than ever before.

Of course the repercussions of such an evil act will mostly be felt in the game's Versus Mode but we can't help but wonder which side Valve is on. Is it their aim to ruin survivor morale for the actual (and inevitable) zombie apocalypse? Perhaps Left 4 Dead was designed by zombies, for zombies, to test the human spirit and to see how resilient we really are. We don't know you're little game Valve but we're watching you. Oh, and stop asking us to web cam you pictures of our skulls -- it's weird. Wait a minute...

Fixed sv_search_key appearing in server browser
Fixed issue where changing the sv_search_key did not update the master correctly
Fixed master server issue with Linux fork mode that affected availability of Valve dedicated servers
Tank melee attack can now hit multiple Survivors in one swing
Missed from the previous list changes: Fixed acheivements to match stats. Past achievements not previously awarded will be shown in the game UI

No Bone about it: new Bone game NOT coming (curses!)

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Despite the fact that we wrote about it, and our hearts yearned for it, Jeff Smith has dashed our hopes to pieces on the sharp rocks below by confirming that a new Bone game is not indeed coming out anytime soon:

"You know, I don't know what the video game thing is all about. There is no new Bone video game in the works. I think it may be refering to something Scholastic is planing for its website - - a little flash game, maybe, or it could just be an internet rumor that made it onto the list!"

It's too bad, because if you've read this magnum opus comic book, you'll know how cool another Bone game would be. Or rather, a good Bone game. We'll cross our fingers in the hopes that someone will start work on something that brings Bone to life in a video game setting, preferably in the original black and white. With all the indie game action at SXSW, it seems ripe for the developing.

[Via VGTribune]

Blizzard looking for short stories based on its games

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:08:00 +0000

If you consider yourself to be quite the wordsmith, we suggest turning your attention to a recently announced contest from the PC gaming juggernauts at Blizzard. The developer is currently asking literarily inclined fans to produce 3,000 to 10,000-word short stories set in the universe of the Warcraft, Diablo or Starcraft series. The author of the judges' favorite novelette gets a free ride to Blizzard HQ to meet the team's writing staff, and will take home a replica Frostmourne sword with which they can behead their harshest literary critics.

You can check out the official rules here. Yes, they're disqualifying entries containing any obscene or lewd activities -- so save your "throbbing" and "heaving" for your breathtakingly erotic Sonic the Hedgehog slash fiction.

[Via Big Download]

Starting Over

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:06:00 +0000

To: Luke
From: Owen
Re: Killzone 2 Podcast

There's something arty about that picture - to me anyway. I took it two weeks ago when I was clearing everything out of my apartment. The Genesis wasn't mine. I don't know who threw it out. But it seemed like a fitting, if plaintive, comment on how so many people are simplifying, starting over, and moving on.

There were no fewer than four moving trucks (mine included) on that Monday. Everyone loading up and getting out of California. Like the Joads in reverse. I had a good drive, considering the distance and the fact the air conditioning worked in none of the four Motel 6es in which i stayed. The second night, in Tucumcari, N.M., I was talking to Mom and she asked me what I was going to do that evening. "From the looks of this place," I said, "probably re-enact No Country for Old Men."

After that night, I drove into Texas and just outside Amarillo I got pulled for doing 85 in a 70 mph zone. When I'm dealing with a state trooper I usually add "Sir" to everything and twang up the Southern accent a notch. It also didn't hurt to mention I was on my way to South Carolina to care for my sick grandfather who had fought in two wars. I got off with a warning. Remind me to thank my grandfather for his service. They weren't called The Greatest Generation for nothing.

Some things you might have missed this weekend:

Halo Kitty Action Figure Can Be Yours for $50
Kojima on MGS Touch: "Simple, Yet Solidly Playable"
Your Sunday Morning Facepalm
Gamer Deaths Make Clan Notification Difficult, Awkward
How a Lightweight Console Lay the Foundations of Game Design
The Pitt: a Confluence of Mutation

Week in Games: Wars and Retribution

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Two AAA drops this week, and both are on portables - Resistance: Retribution and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, deploy for PSP and DS, respectively, on St. Patrick's Day.

Redy 2 Rumble Revolution is on the Wii and, if futbol is your thing, then Pro Evolution 2009 (Wii and PS3) might be worth a look. Otherwise it seems kind of quiet, none more so than for the 360, which has zero retail drops and if it didn't have Hasbro Family Game night on XBLM would be shutout altogether. The count: 10 for the DS, eight for PC, four for Wii, three for PSP, 2 for PS3, one for 360.

Monday (March 16)
Men of War (PC)
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey (PC)
World Championship Games: A Track & Field Event (DS)

Tuesday (March 17)
Crayola Adventures: Colorful World (Wii)
Ether Saga Online (PC)
Grand Ages: Rome (PC)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
History Great Empires Rome (DS)
Mind Body & Soul: Big Word Puzzle Book (DS)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3, Wii)
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution (Wii)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)
SBK Superbike World Championship (PSP)
Scrabble (DS, PSP)
SingStar: Queen (PS3)
Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
Tom Clancy's HAWX (PC)
TrackMania DS (DS)
World in Conflict: Complete Edition (PC)

Wednesday (March 18)
Hasbro Family Game Night (360)
SBK-08 Superbike World Championship (DS)
The Path (PC)

Thursday (March 19)
Runes of Magic (PC)

Source: Gamespot

Peter Moore: Boxing is "the Past"

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Electronic Arts has long been rumored to have eyes for a mixed martial arts title. IGN got to the EA Sports chief at a launch event and asked, obliquely, if that was so.

Phrasing the question as "which sport he'd like to see EA Sports tackle next," Moore said that, while they're "incredibly excited" about Fight Night, boxing is fading into the distance.

"Boxing, for me, sadly feels like it's the past of fighting and Mixed Martial Arts feels like it's the future of fighting. So when we look at where people's attention is going, that's something we keep a very close eye on."

THQ has the license for an Ultimate Fighting Championship game until 2011, but there are, conceivably, ways to go ahead with an MMA title without UFC branding, just like there are football games out there without NFL licensing. Whatever the case, Moore's comments were pretty direct that mixed martial arts will be part of his division's next big leap.

EA Sports Mixed Martial Arts Title in the Works? [IGN via GoNintendo]

DS Can Help Brit Kids Pass Driving Test

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:55:00 +0000

When I took my written driving exam in California, I had a pretty simple rule - of all the choices described, the ones that an asshole driver would do were incorrect.

Apparently it is a lot harder in the U.K., where some 40 percent of first time takers of the Driving Theory Test ("theory"?) fail it. This is the test that gives young drivers the British version of a learner's permit, if I understand correctly. I got mine by turning 15 and not killing Coach McCann during driver's ed. Anyway, the point of all this is that Avanquest Software has produced a title that will help the truly hopeless bad drivers of the future breeze through this exam so they can get on the roads and be the truly hopeless bad drivers of today.

Seriously, I know everyone's touting the quality and seriousness of education in Europe and Great Britain, but a driving test that comes with LSAT-level prep software is scaring me a bit. Pass Your Driving Theory Test includes all 1,265 possible questions one could be asked about the safe and legal operation of an auto or motorcycle. Since driving theory exams run about £30, and this thing is £19.99, it represents a £10 hedge against failing the test.

Note: I'm extremely proud of the fact this post doesn't contain a single crack about bonnets, boots, or driving on the wrong side of the road.

Pass Your Driving Theory Test in Stores Today [GoNintendo via Joystiq]

A Video Compendium of Sheva in Tribal Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Well, this didn't take long. Resident Evil 5 dropped, what, on Friday? And already someone's culled together two solid minutes of Sheva cavorting in her tribal costume. Warning - spoilers begin at 0:52.

If there's a defensible purpose for this post, it's that it shows some gameplay footage that's pretty rare at the moment. And Sheva in a skimpy animal print bikini. With a gun.

Sheva's Tribal Costume Compilation [GameTrailers. Thanks "jkaccnt"]

Spy Plate Will Sap Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:53:00 +0000

Or make a casserole look like a pork chop. Reddit user tortus says he painted this after his girlfriend drug him to a pottery-painting class when he wanted to be playing Team Fortress 2.

For those who want to say so, yes it is a slow news day. Feel free to point that out in the comments without fear of reprisal - just this once.

What to Do When You are Painting Pottery with Your Girlfriend and Not Playing TF2 [imgur]

Patent Troll Lawsuit Begins on Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:53:00 +0000

Way back in 2007 an "investment firm" that so happened to hold some patents filed a suit claiming Microsoft and Nintendo infringed them. The suit wends its way to the courtroom on St. Patrick's Day.

Fenner Investments Ltd. says controllers for the Gamecube, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360 infringe the "low-voltage joystick port interface" patent it was awarded Oct. 2, 2001. Previous coverage excerpted the highly technical claim made by Fenner which, in short, meant that things such as pressing buttons and moving joysticks infringed upon their super exclusive technology. Sony was originally named in the lawsuit, but appears to have been let off the hook.

Nintendo is no stranger to this sort of lawsuit. There's another one, curiously, also filed in Tyler, Texas, that alleges the Wiimote infringes someone else's motion control technology. But Nintendo also has lost another case, owing $21 million to a Texas firm, Anascape Ltd. after a court found the Wavebird, Gamecube and Classic controllers infringed on their IP.

So while both Nintendo and Microsoft have filed counterclaims asking for declaratory judgments of non-infringement and invalidity (in other words, getting a judge to say this is b.s.), this may not be such a quick and simple process.

Patent Lawsuit Against Nintendo, Microsoft To Begin In Tyler [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

German Chancellor Eyes Video Games in Wake of Shooting

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:52:00 +0000

More details of the shooting linked to video games over in Germany: The shooter was playing Far Cry 2, and Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering what could be done to limit access to violent games.

Merkel did not give specifics in this Reuters story (via International Herald Tribune) so perhaps it's just a politic response to vox populi blaming games. It was part of a broader statement that Germans "must be attentive to all young people — that's true for parents and educators," Merkel said. "We must do all to prevent children from having access to weapons and from them having to face too much violence."

Sounds reasonable. The shooter's father had 15 guns at home. Fourteen were locked up, and the kid used the one that wasn't. Oopsie.

What's just silly is trying to link Far Cry 2 to this. Der Spiegel mentioned yesterday the killer played the game prior to the shootings (it even got timestamps!) So The Times of London devotes a tortured two paragraphs explaining all the coincidences of the game and the shooting, leaving out that both took place on planet Earth.

Remarkable parallels emerged between the video game and the 17-year-old's rampage. In the game it is essential to hijack cars to move around. Kretschmer hijacked a car, held a pistol to the driver's head and asked: "Should I have fun and pick off some more drivers?" Characters in the game, which is made by the French company Ubisoft and has sold 2.9m copies, wear black camouflage uniforms – the clothing Kretschmer wore on Wednesday.
Most sinister of all, Far Cry 2's killer uses a Beretta 92 handgun, the weapon fired 112 times by Kretschmer. The game, which carries an 18 certificate in Britain, includes sequences in which the aiming, firing and reloading of a Beretta are portrayed in vivid detail. It also rewards players who shoot their victims in the head, the style of killing chosen by Kretschmer.

And 12 contains the numbers one and two, just like the toilet yesterday where somebody went number two instead of number one.

If blaming Far Cry 2 makes people feel better, fine. I'll blame the facts he was a disturbed teenager who had a bondage porn kink way too early in life and was snubbed by a girl he had a crush on, who was among the first of his victims.

Mass Killer 'Rejected' by Girl at Party [Times of London]
Merkel Urges Greater Focus on Youth after Shootings [Reuters on International Herald Tribune]

Kojima on MGS Touch: "Simple, Yet Solidly Playable"

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Hideo Kojima gave an interview to Famitsu iPhone magazine, and gave up a lot of detail on the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid Touch.

Your next Metal Gear is a 20 stage game but, ruh roh, you don't get them all at once. "Of these, 12 stages will be available initially," according to Anoop Gantayat at Andriasang.com, who translated the piece. "After a while, Konami will distribute a full version of the game. Those who purchased the initial 12 stage version will be able to upgrade to the full version for free." Commence knee-jerk DLC bitching now.

The game also is brought to us by Kojima Productions' first female producer - Yasuyo Watanabe. Kojima explains he brought her aboard specifically because of her experience with the iPhone. "If someone like himself were to make an iPhone game, he would make it with game-like ideas," said Gantayat's translation. "That's fine for a pure game machine, but with hardware like iPhone which is mainly used as a phone and music player, he felt that her promotional viewpoint would be useful."

Kojima called Metal Gear Solid Touch "simple, but solidly playable." He thinks the volume offered by the iPhone and iPod Touch's installation base will translate to solid growth for "one idea products" - games that are well designed but not too complex (I think that's what he means.)

"I believe there are many people who know about MGS's existence. However, I believe there are also many people who don't play it because they think it looks hard," Kojima said, according to the translation. "I'd like those people to sample the MGS world as lightheartedly as one would listen to music. Of course, I'd like fans to also enjoy themselves."

Hideo Kojima interviewed in Famitsu iPhone [andriasang]

Halo Kitty Action Figure Can Be Yours for $50

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Hey, you got your Hello Kitty in my Master Chief! You got your Master Chief in my Hello Kitty! Two great tastes that ... eh ... perhaps not.

Yessir, that's a custom pink Master Chief with Hello Kitty tattooed/embossed on his ass, kneepads, "HK47" rifle and shield. In other words, it looks like the kind of eye-gouging abomination that only an eight-year-old kid sister could create out of her big brother's action figure collection. And then some. You can Buy it Now! for $49.99 on eBay.

The action figure is deliberately gender ambiguous, according to the seller (who also advises: "Please be aware that with all paints there is always a chance of wear and tear (especially in the jointed areas of an action figure, so please remember to be careful!)"). Holy shit, I just went punctuation, close parenthesis, quote mark, close parenthesis and punctuation and it was correct.

Check out that Emma Frost Hellfire Club fireplace behind Chief. Unfortunately, you don't get it with your 50 bones.

Meowster Chief [Hawty McBloggy]

Jay-Z's Getting Into Games?

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:50:00 +0000

A brief aside in an upscale mag's profile of hip-hop performer, impresario (and Beyoncé spouse) Jay-Z mentions he might be turning his attention to a video game project.

"He is relaxing after a typically jam-packed day that included a photo shoot, an interview, and a meeting about his potential involvement in a forthcoming video game," writes BestLife magazine, which if it didn't mention its ties to Men's Health would sound like a supplemental to the Sunday Parade.

It's doubtful this means move over, Fiddy. I don't see Jay-Z starring as a character in his own game, unless it's some sort of Godfather II-style empire builder where you rack up recording labels, clubs, sports franchises and booze distilleries. He's probably talking about producing a game, or maybe backing a studio? In any case, the man has one of the strongest business senses of any A-list performer out there, so it will be interesting to see if this leads anywhere. He may have just had a meeting and said no thanks.

Jay-Z in the Video Game Business? Maybe! [The Koalition]

Your Sunday Morning Facepalm

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Over on CNET, a writer dares ask the question, "How far should violent video game ads be kept from schools?" Oh, God ...

This goes back to the row over the mean-ol scary Killzone 2 ads in Toronto (and has its roots in the mean-ol scary Fallout 3 ads in Washington and Grand Theft Auto IV ads in Chicago.) And like the previous two cases, it engenders a completely pointless debate.

For those not in the know, Someone saw a Killzone 2 poster in a city bus stop near a school. A teacher at that school - in a line of reasoning that's pissy even by Canadians' good-government values - emailed Sony Canada asking them to quit scaring the kids, especially in light of its failure to "promote any kind of community renewal or even responsibility." Sony removed the ads, from about 300 bus shelters throughout the city.

That's straight out of the PR playbook: Remove the source of stink immediately. There's something about a pledge not to stick these ads near schools anymore but, really, if Sony's just saying that to get this teacher to be quiet, fine. Who is going to enforce such a pledge anyway?

Well, CNET's Don Reisinger picks up the bit:

Sony has made the pledge to keep violent video game ads away from schools. But developing the proper radius might be difficult, since there are so many schools in most communities, leaving only certain areas available to ads. And then there's the likelihood that ads placed in these areas won't be effective because they won't be viewed by the target demographic. After all, the ads in the bus shelters were placed there for a reason: kids would see them and want the game. While I applaud Sony for taking the ads down over community unrest, I wonder how it plans to implement its advertising-free zones, since a standard distance probably won't work around every school. In fact, I'm not even sure what a fair distance would be. Does Sony know something we don't?

And again we have the assumption that just because children can be found in the same area as adults, all advertising there is exclusively targeted to children. I also like the classification "violent video game ads." Apparently the advertisements of these games are themselves violent and capable of causing harm.

Sony backing down is Sony's business. Its brand is more than video games and well more different than Bethesda's or Rockstar's. Teachers, preachers and politicians go to movies and buy TVs, too. So the answer to this question is really: "Far enough away to keep schoolmarms and neighborhood scolds from bitching at you." It still brings up a poll: How far should violent video game ads be kept from schools? Unsurprisingly, "Put them anywhere" is the runaway leader.

How Far Should Violent Video Game Ads Be Kept Away From Schools? [CNET via Blue's News]

Which Characters Are In The Dragonball Evolution Game?

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Saw Dragonball Evolution yesterday. As expected, it’s nothing like Dragonball. With only a few fight scenes the question in my mind after “why did I go to a theater to watch this” is how is the Dragonball Evolution fighting game going to work?

Namco Bandai hasn’t said much about it, but one screenshot has a character count. The PSP game has at least eleven selectable characters. The movie has seven lead roles: Goku, Bulma, Chi Chi, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Mai, and Piccolo. All of them are confirmed characters. That leaves four free slots. One of them will probably go to Grandpa Gohan who trains Goku. Master Mutaito could be another character even though he is in the movie for all of five minutes. Even if those characters are in there are still two more spaces which can go to generic monsters created by Piccolo, an alternate Goku, or one of Goku’s high school bullies.

From the screenshots it looks like Namco Bandai’s Dragonball Evolution game sticks to the source material closely so I wouldn’t expect any anime cameos. Yamcha uses a jackhammer in the movie and he uses a jackhammer in the game.

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Cataclysmic Akatsuki) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:46:00 +0000

What do game reviews mean? Do you take them with a grain of salt? Do you read them at all? Do you make game purchasing decisions based on them?

Jenni: I always thought of game reviews as a sort of suggestion. I don’t often buy games based on reviews I’ve read, but if there’s a game I’m somewhat interested in, but not ready to go and spend money on, I’ll check out reviews. In a way, I’ve always thought of game reviews as window shopping.

I don’t visit major video game review sites often. I preferred reading reviews in actual magazines. (I was a fan of EGM, and enjoy picking up the occasional Nintendo Power.) More recently, I’ve found myself skimming the Gamefaqs user review scores when I’m curious about a game.

Spencer: The majority of game reviews analyze parts of a whole, look at a feature list, and see if it is up to par with what’s in stores now. I suppose it’s good for a product comparison, like if you were reviewing a car you want to know which one has a better engine, but a mess of numbers and letters don’t capture the experience. Writing about how a game makes you feel is abstract and even more subjective to interpretation. It takes longer to do, it’s longer for people to read, and doesn’t have the instant gratification of seeing “9 out of 10″ at the bottom. People like to see high scores for games they purchase since it psychologically validates the idea they made a good purchase.

I tend to take a different approach writing “reviews” on Siliconera. I like to write them as a journal entries to capture the moment I’m playing a game whether frustrating or exciting and present as much of the experience as possible. The readers here are intelligent enough that I don’t need to stroke egos with scores. I feel like you can discern whether the experience is something you will enjoy or not. The problem with product comparison reviews is titles, especially the quirky ones that we cover on Siliconera, get lost in the shuffle. Smaller games have smaller budgets and can’t present the same production values as a game with a multimillion dollar advertising campaign. Does that mean everyone should just rush out and purchase the blockbuster of the week? Of course not! There is a sea of other games — other experiences out there and we want to cover what they offer.

Ishaan: No, I don’t usually pay much heed to reviews anymore. I read a couple previews from different sites and forum threads on GAF, watch a trailer or two and usually, that’s enough for me to figure out whether or not I want a game. Too many reviews focus too much on nitpicking and not enough on design for me to care about them. It’s hard to discern sometimes whether they are aimed at angering developers or helping readers make a decision. I use Siliconera to take a design-oriented approach to games. Does it play well? How could a particular game mechanic have been improved upon? To me, these are meant to spark discussion, not necessarily always help readers make decisions.

Personally, I don’t see the point of sites using a ten-point-scale. Really, what’s the difference between a 4 and a 5? Likewise, the “Try/Buy/Fry” system doesn’t work very well either because too many games end up in the “Try” section, which isn’t an option for those of us who can’t rent games. I’m not saying I have a solution (other than not assigning scores at all), but I do think we need to re-evaluate the review systems on some sites…especially those that don’t really care for the kind of games we like at SE but attempt to cover them anyway.

Louise: I like how Jenni put it — window shopping. That’s basically how I treat reviews too. I’ll read reviews from sites like Eurogamer to get a better idea of a game I’m interested in, or to see if there are any additional features like multiplayer or online. Sometimes, if I’m deciding between two games, I’ll read reviews about both of them to see if one of them has something I want more over the other.

When I’m done writing a playtest for Siliconera, I like to go and look for reviews written by other people about the same game to see what they thought of it. Sometimes, the reviews will point out things in a different way, which I find neat — especially when there are lots of differing opinions.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a review make me want to buy something I didn’t want to before reading the review, but that definitely happens when I read forum posts about games. General gaming forums give a wider range of opinions on games and since the posters are just regular gamers (most of them), I feel it gives a truer representation of the game.