Gaming Information News Network

PlayStation Vita Import Prices Drops Significantly

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:29:00 -0500

With the Christmas holiday season finally over; the import price of the PlayStation Vita has dropped significantly.

Originally priced at $525 for the Wi-Fi, the Vita has dropped nearly $100 making it only $459 via Play-Asia. Anyone that purchased at the original price seems to be out of luck, but at least they’re too busy enjoying their Vita’s to care.

With the release of the Vita in other regions approaching, it’s hard to tell how much further it will drop if at all.

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Konami has announced that it’s teaming up with Hori to release...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:17:00 -0500

Konami has announced that it’s teaming up with Hori to release these frankly awesome Nintendo 3DS Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater themed accessories. Hori’s accessory kit will be released on March 8th to coincide with the release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in Japan. Konami’s online store is now taking pre-orders.

Explore Morrowind and Cyrodiil... in Skyrim

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:28:13 -0500

Skyrim is a massive game. With 50 hours invested so far, I’ve only touched a fraction of the content and I’m so excited to see what else there is. However, the idea of expansions, while awesome, is quite frightening. In regards to possible expansions, it seems a particularly adventurous Tumblr user has made quite the discovery.

It seems Bethesda has painstakingly crafted a good deal more landmass than was necessary for their latest time sink. The poster traveled to the Southern-easternmost edge of Skyrim, Stendarr’s Beacon, then made his way to a path that ends in an invisible wall at a stone archway to what would logically be Morrowind.

Like any good PC player, he jumped into no-clip mode and kept on walking only to find that he was, as suspected, traveling through Morrowind, albeit a decreasingly textured, scaled down version of it. He made is way to Solstheim, an island to the north, as well as Vvardfell. From Morrowind he was able to reach Cyrodiil where he eventually found the Imperial City.

It’s all pretty cool, but does it mean anything? The obvious guess would be that they’ve got plans for expansions. The adventurer suggests that maybe Bethesda built these sections to give modders more to work with. It’s also possible that they built it all to give themselves a frame of reference for their work on the province of Skyrim. Regardless, it’s a really cool find.

Mugen Power’s New 3DS Battery Is Impressive, Expensive

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:21:00 -0500

apanese battery manufacturer Mugen Power has made an ingenious new battery extender for the Nintendo 3DS, extending the battery’s life 4.4 times over while retaining the original aesthetics of the system. No gaudy grips or anything, just some extra bulk added onto the system. It’s not the most organic design, but it’s effective at providing more power to the system, and it’s one of the few accessories like this that manages to flush with the original device well.

Unfortunately, it’s got a 9,800 Yen ($126) price tag along with it, and I haven’t seen any import dealers around that are selling it.

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Sony Details How to Get Your PSP UMDs on Your PS Vita

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:19:00 -0500

Sony has recently told people how they can expect to get their physical PSP games onto their Vita. This is an important clarification, as backwards compatibility is a key deciding adoption factors for a lot of gamers. Myself included. This is an important clarification to me, as I really would like to know if I can load my copies of games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Persona 3 Portable and, most importantly, OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast.

Luckily, the Japanese PlayStation Vita site has the details. In order to transfer your PSP games to digital PSN titles, you will need to download the UMD Passport System App from the PSN. You will run the UMDs game by game to register the game, and this will register them to your account. Then, for a small fee, you will be able to redownload your games. This actually seems like a great system, and the fees aren’t that high at all. The fees, only revealed in Yen so far, range from 500 Yen for games like Guilty Gear Judgment to roughly 1,500 yen for newer games like Persona 3 Portable. In American currency, that is roughly between $6 and $19.

The system seems relatively hassle free, though I’m sure some will complain. I just hope I can continue to playOutRun on the new system when the Vita comes out next year.

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My Skyrim Character

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:41:00 -0500

My Skyrim Character

thenerdexpresso: She… She… SHE WENT UP A LEDGE.

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:09:15 -0500

thenerdexpresso:

She… She…

SHE WENT UP A LEDGE.

Battlefield 3 may turn you into an animal murderer

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:21:14 -0500

In case you’ve somehow forgotten how mind bogglingly odd PETA are, they’ve been kind enough to jump up and down, shouting nonsense in hopes that you’ll pay attention to them again. Continuing their confused crusade on behalf of animals, they’ve spotted yet another poor beastie which they hope to exploit for more donations. This time it’s a rat. A rat that you kill in Battlefield 3. He doesn’t have a name, but I’ve taken the time to give him one to humanize this poor victim. I shall call him Plague Bearer.

Poor wee Plague Bearer was just minding his own business when a mean soldier stabs him and then throws him away. He doesn’t even eat him! It’s atrocious. Despicable. Unacceptable. And not in any way real. According to PETA this sort of animal cruelty inspires young men to go and kill animals. We all know, just like PETA, that if you do something in a videogame, you’ll probably do it in real life too.

PETA issued this press release in Germany, where young people go around slaughtering animals because they saw it done in a film or a videogame. Shame on you, Germany! Plague Bearer probably had a family! The only silver lining in this terrible situation is the fact that this rat murder happens in the single player campaign which was so forgettable that most people probably won’t recall enough of it to be inspired to go and murder their pets. Despite this, PETA still has concerns.

The realistic computer game “Battlefield 3″ treats animals in a sadistic manner. The game gives players the option to kill a rat with a combat knife in the back in order to then lift it by its tail, then toss it away. Killing virtual animals can have a brutalizing effect on the young male target audience. There have been repeated cases of animal cruelty in Germany, where young people kill animals. Inspiration behind these acts often came from movies and computer games.

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This limited edition Zelda 3DS is dripping with class

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:18:46 -0500

Nintendo might have gone almost a year without much in the way of software, but it sure knows how to pump out that hardware. What you’re looking at is a limited edition recolor of the 3DS, celebrating TheLegend of Zelda’s 25th anniversary.

Confirmed only for Europe so far, the system is quite tastefully presented with a simple gold-on-black design featuring only a subtle logo and border along the top of the case. It also ships with a copy of Ocarina of Time 3D to sweeten the deal.

I hope this comes to the US

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Call of Duty Elite getting choked by mass registrations

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:12:43 -0500

It seems that not even the Daemon-fueled Nightmare Engines employed by evil publisher Activision are strong enough to cope with the demand for Call of Duty Elite. Modern Warfare 3’s subscription-based social network is apparently stuck in a “bottleneck” right now as servers strain to cope with a ludicrous influx of new members.

“Registration requests for our new live service Call of Duty Elite are exceeding even our most optimistic expectations, which is creating a bottleneck and some players have not been able to register,” confessed developer Beachhead in an official post. “We have already registered hundreds of thousands of players and we are working around the clock to increase our capacity as quickly as possible.

“Please be assured your gameplay data is safe and that whenever you successfully register for Call of Duty Elite, all of your data will be waiting for you. So enjoy the game, start ranking up and we assure you we are working around the clock to accommodate every player who wants to be a part of Call of Duty Elite as quickly as possible. We will update you frequently to keep you informed.”

Wow. I expected it to be popular, but so popular that it breaks. People are just that crazy about their COD, I guess. As much as I like the series, I’d certainly not want to spend more money on a social network themed around it, but apparently a lot of people do. Good for them!

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Skyrim Goes Gold… One Week Before Launch

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:21:56 -0500

Last night, almost exactly one week before the game goes live, the team at Bethesda finally finished “over 20 versions of Skyrim — across multiple platforms, languages, and countries.” Yeah, they’re cutting it pretty close there, but I’ve gotta give them credit for putting in that much work on the game. It takes a ton of work to make a game like this, and people are definitely expecting a lot (a lot) from Skyrim. You can’t deny that this team really cares about what they do, and I have so much respect for the fact that they’re willing to put enough work into a game to the point where they’re only calling it done a week before release.

To celebrate, the folks over at Bethesda enjoyed some gold mead, appropriate for the occasion.

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Photo

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:05:55 -0500

Should Consumers Bear The Costs Of Production?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:00:00 -0400

Gamers have grown accustomed to paying standard prices for games, depending on the platform. New PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases are typically priced at $59.99, and Wii games go for about $49.99. Handheld games are a usually a bit cheaper, with DS titles going for $29.99 and 3DS games at $39.99. Capcom’s Resident Evil: Revelations is bucking that pricing structure, with the 3DS release selling for $10 above the norm, at $49.99. The publisher says it’s because the game is shipping on a larger cartridge. Our question is simple: Is that your problem?

A company representative explained the decision in an e-mail to Kotaku: “A true console experience on a handheld device, Resident Evil Revelations is an epic title that offers both a single-player campaign for that classic survival horror gaming experience, and an additional RAID mode that can be played cooperatively or single player. To handle all of that data Resident Evil Revelations requires a 4GB cartridge, resulting in a higher price point.”

That certainly makes sense. The game costs more to produce than ordinary releases, and the company is choosing to pass the additional cost to consumers instead of absorbing it. The funny thing about that, though, is that this is a situation that publishers regularly encounter. For example, the Xbox 360 version of Rockstar’s L.A. Noire shipped on three discs, which certainly increased manufacturing costs associated with pressing, packaging, and distributing the game. That game sold for the usual price of $59.99. The same thing happened with Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII.

Is this kind of price difference enough to keep you from buying a particular game? Are you more likely to wait until the game goes on sale or is discounted? Do you think this is simply how the free market operates, and consumers will vote on Capcom’s decision with their wallets?

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Sony patents biometric controllers and handheld

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:27:05 -0400

A new patent application from Sony shows biometric surfaces applied to standard and wand-style controllers, as well as something that kind of looks like a PS Vita. Biometric tech — which measures heart rhythm, muscle movement and perspiration — might finally make your grimy fingerprints worth something. The biometric sensors would pull this data from your hand grip and send it directly to the game system.

Siliconera says that Sony has a few ideas on how this technology would be used.

Weapons could change based on how stressed you are (imagine sniping!)
Tense your muscles to guard or charge up a shield
On-screen character could sweat when you sweat
Adrenaline boost gives you more abilities
Health bar decreases under high stress
Music and scenery that changes with stress level
Difficulty that adapts to stress level

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PC hackers playing Battlefield 3 online without Origin

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:24:18 -0400

Origin hasn’t exactly endeared itself to players since launch, what with its sleazy EULAs and enforced nature. Some wily hackers have had their fill, and announced recently that they can circumvent Battlefield 3’s mandatory Origin requirement.

“This release is dedicated to our fans worldwide who bought this game on [sic] legal way and don’t want to install the trojan from Electronic Arts to play online,” said hack group Razor1911. The hack is designed to liberate retail copies of the game, where Origin is still a mandatory download.

It’s hardly surprising this has happened, and I find it hard to blame people for wanting ways around Origin. Electronic Arts is a company that simply should not be trusted in any capacity, and I can’t fault people not wanting to install extra junk on their PCs in order to play a game they spent good money on.

EA has done nothing to earn consumer faith and I also don’t think this is the first security issue that Origin will have. Does anybody believe EA knows enough about running a digital distribution service to keep sensitive data safe? I somehow doubt Origin is a tough nut to crack.

Hackers Work Around Battefield 3’s Origin Requirement [Gamsutra]

Some Guy Built a 1:1 Replica Halo Sniper Rifle (Out of...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:44:11 -0400

Some Guy Built a 1:1 Replica Halo Sniper Rifle (Out of LEGO)

LEGO builder Nick Jensen, who already has an impressive arsenal of replica Halo weapons to his name, has outdone himself with this 1:1 model of the series’ trademark sniper rifle.

Based on the Halo: Reach incarnation of the weapon, it’s 63 inches long, weighs over ten pounds and features a removable magazine, moving safety and sliding bolt (it doesn’t actually fire, though). It also took over four months to complete.

You can check out an interview with Nick, detailing the build process and number of times he broke it during construction, at the link below.

Life-sized Halo sniper rifle built with LEGO [The Brothers Brick]

You can clear save data in Resident Evil: Revelations

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:35:54 -0400

Earlier this year, Capcom released Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D to a bit of controversy after word got out that the game featured persistent save data that could not be reset. Soon after, Capcom acknowledged the complaints and claimed that, in light of the reaction, it would be unlikely to implement such a feature in future titles.

3DS owners and Resident Evil fans will be glad to know that Capcom is sticking to their second stance. In the upcoming Resident Evil: Revelations, save data can be cleared, so the title won’t be making its way onto any trade-in black lists or infringe on your player’s rights (whatever those might be).

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Buy 2, get 1 free at Amazon, L.A. Noire for $20

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:32:36 -0400

Amazon has another fantastic batch of deals for you to take advantage of this week. They’re running the ever-popular “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” sale on videogames, with a huge range of titles new and old available in the promotion. On top of that, you can nab L.A. Noire (360) or Homefront (PS3 or 360) for one of Andrew Jackson’s grim portraits ($20). The daily deal is Call of Duty: World at War, knocked down nearly half at $15.99.

I officially start Christmas shopping tomorrow, which means this is the last chance I have to buy a few things for me and not feel guilty about it. So, I grabbed Batman: Arkham City and El-Shaddai with ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection as my freebie. What are you thinking of saving some cash on?

Video Games Deals [Amazon]

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Ultimate MvC3's Galactus mode was inspired by a hack

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:30:37 -0400

Galactus mode might be a silly excuse to smash the crap out of the cast of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but did you know its origins came to be from an old arcade hack? When talking to Capcom’s Seth Killian about the mode and the fact that it was cool to finally be able to play as a boss — without the need for a hack a la Master Hand in Super Smash Bros. Melee — he shared with us the inception of this idea.

“I was trying to think of things we could add into the game without messing up the dev [development] schedule,” Killian said. “Well, one of the things I remembered was there was an arcade board hack to playX-men Vs. Street Fighter, where you could play as Apocalypse.”

“I remembered my arcade had it,” Killian continues. “It wasn’t like I was sitting there after school everyday ‘I have to play as Apocalypse’, but I would fool around with it and I had a good time. So I thought, that had to be easy because the character is already in there. So we did and it all started with an arcade hack.”

It’s pretty neat to think that a fun throwaway mode’s roots come all the way from someone tinkering with an arcade board back in the late ’90s. So the next time you’re modifying a game, just remember, you too may be inspiring the minds of future game developers around the world.

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Two All-New Mario Kart Drivers Join the Race

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:21:12 -0400

Nintendo Power has revealed that two new drivers will be joining the Mario Kart 7 roster and it’ll be their first appearance in the series. For the first time ever, Wiggler and Honey Queen will be playable in a Mario Kartgame. How exciting is that? A little obscure, yes, but I think their presence will liven up the mood (even more so) with their silly looks.

If you don’t know who Wiggler is, he’s the dude in Super Mario World back on the Super Nintendo who would get red and angry if you stepped on his back just once. Cute and cuddly at first glance, but downright evil once you mess with him. In short, don’t mess with Wiggler, especially this time when he’s behind the wheel!

Honey Queen is a bit lesser known character to some of the older crowd as she made her debut in the Super Mario Galaxy series back in 2007. In Galaxy, Mario, in his honey bee form, would crawl around her and collect stuff on her furry, planet-sized body. Now, in appropriate size of course, Honey Queen is licensed to drive and should be a fierce female driver. Peach may be a princess, but Honey is a Queen!

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