- Square Enix did quite well this year with their multi-million selling titles.
One of those titles happened to be Final Fantasy XIII, a game that literally makes you literally click one button for ten plus hours and nothing else. On the flip side, if you manage to stick it out past the twenty hour mark the game begins to get somewhat enjoyable.
- PopCap offers up Mac gaming bundle, get your Peggle and Zuma on.
Got fifty bucks laying around and don't know what to do with it? Why not put it to some mind-numbing addictive casual video game use. As an added bonus some of these games can be quite therapeutic after a long day of work.
- Microsoft would like you know that Natal will launch this October.
Get your imaginary baseballs and soccer balls (anything imaginary will do really) ready because Project Natal will be available for your beloved Xbox 360 this October. Microsoft hasn't nailed down an exact date that month but they think they'll have that ironed out by the time E3 rolls around.
- The recently announced Nintendo 3DS will have a 2D switch, just in case.
Details about Nintendo's 3D handheld gaming device have been scarce since it was announced in late March. But the company's president says it will have a feature that lets gamers turn off 3D functionality and play in standard 2D.
- Five awesome indie games for the price of... whatever you want.
Well, this is pretty neat treat for a Monday; you can net yourself five great indie games at whatever price you want and proceeds go to charity (and the devs). I've been hearing great things about these games so this is pretty much a no-brainer for me. And yes, you should pay more than a penny for these. Thanks to Ant for the heads up.
- Teaser trailer for Space Paranoids Online surfaces on the Interwebs.
I'm not sure if this is an actual upcoming game or if this is just a viral marketing advert for Tron Legacy. Either way, the concept is pretty cool and I'd most likely end up giving it a whirl should it see the light of day.
- Behold the wondrous evolution that eight of your favorite video games have gone through.
While Mario is a good example of how just far some of these games have come the other examples in this post are equally as interesting. Except for Street Fighter - has that game changed at all since it first came out?
- Nintendo and Google team up for brand new Wii game. Really?
How it works: Players compete by attempting to guess the popular web search terms. The player with the most correct guesses wins. The hook: It uses Google's search engine.
- Can you spot all fifty-six arcade titles hidden in this picture?
Need a diversion from your work day? This should keep anyone pretty well occupied for a decent amount of time. I've only spotted twenty-three out of the alleged fifty-six arcade title as of this writing (okay twenty-two).
- Xbox Game Room online but having issues due to unforeseen overwhelming interest.
Due to overwhelming interest from the community, we understand some people have experienced issues accessing 'Game Room' and purchasing 'Game Room' titles,' Microsoft said. 'We're actively working to resolve the issue, and appreciate your patience.
- Nintendo would like you to know that a 3D-capable handheld system is on the way.
No real details yet but Nintendo says that they will definitely have more information by the time this year's E3 expo comes around (this June - just a couple more months). Goodie.
- Five games having something to do about health (in honor of health care reform).
I don't know about you but seeing all the news about health care reform this morning really makes me want to get my Dr. Mario on. So long red virus, so long blue virus!
- External USB storage support might be coming to your local Xbox 360.
...with rumors and images of a slimmed down motherboard floating around the Internet, we may soon see a version of the system without slots for memory units at all. Whatever happens in the future, USB storage has become cheap; this news may cause a newfound interest in the Xbox 360 Arcade hardware.
- Leaked photo of updated Xbox motherboard hints at upcoming slim version of Xbox 360.
This move would make sense given that Sony already has a much slimmer version of the PS3 compared to the bulky original one that was first announced. And while I don't mind the current design of the Xbox 360, it certainly could stand to lose a few extra pounds.
- Ars Technica reviews Sony's much-anticipated motion control scheme for PlayStation 3.
It's bad news when you reveal a product this large, with so much riding on it, and within an hour people are putting down the controller and walking away from the demos.
- LucasArts announces special edition of Monkey Island 2 coming this summer.
This should be a happy day for all fans of the Monkey Island franchise. The previous special edition of Monkey Island for Xbox 360 (and practically all other major platforms) was a joy to play. Guybrush even has a new haircut this time around.
- Rock Band 3 to arrive just in time for this year's holiday season.
Details are scarce at this point but a posting on Rock Band's Facebook page promises to 'innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band'.
- A review of the Final Fantasy XIII experience, thirty minutes in.
After reading this quick review I now find myself sitting here staring at my newly purchased copy of of Final Fantasy XIII and asking the box questions I know it can't answer. I'll let you know how this all turns out.
- Steam distribution service for gaming officially coming to the Mac platform.
After some very well placed teasers last week, Valve has predictably pulled the curtain bac k on Steam for Mac gamers. Aside from the distribution platform, there will also be Mac-native versions of several their popular games coming in the very near future (next month) as well.
- A review of Final Fantasy XIII via the folks over at Wired.
Long story short: some of the elements you've come to know and love in Final Fantasy are simply gone in favor of a much, much more linear story. That aside, I'll still be buying it when it comes out tomorrow. Chocobos!
- Steam gaming platform most likely coming to the Mac platform in the very near future.
There are currently over a thousand games on the Steam distribution system that Mac users may get access to sooner than later. Now you just need to find yourself a Mac with a decent enough graphics card to play some of these fine games (sadly, my wimpy MacBook Intel GMA card will most likely not cut it).
- Y2K-like bug responsible for recent PlayStation Network outage.
The company urged customers not to use the older PlayStation 3 systems until the problem is resolved, warning that doing so could cause errors and make it impossible to record gaming achievements and restore some data.
- Rare Nintendo title finds owner on eBay for a mere $43,300.
The video game in question turned out to be 'Family Fun Stadium Events' for Nintendo's original entertainment system way back when. You would have also needed Nintendo's Power Pad to complete the overall gaming experience.
- Final Fantasy I and II now available for your beloved iPhone and/or iPod Touch.
Buying either game will set you back just nine bucks a piece which isn't so bad when you consider what the Nintendo DS versions of these games are going for. A lot can be said for being able to use tactile buttons though.
- Trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2 from Nintendo's Media Summit available online.
I wasn't that big of a fan of the first Super Mario Galaxy to warrant running out and buying the sequel. This seriously looks like more of the same video game except for a couple of new gameplay mechanics (and the inclusion of Yoshi). Maybe this would've lent itself better as DLC content. Oh... right.
- Joystiq gets some hands-on time with Metroid: Other M.
Nintendo has announced that the sequel will be available on June 27th and is a direct sequel to Super Metroid from the Super Nintendo days. The action is blend of side-scrolling 2D and some first-person shooter 3D. I'm sold, sign me up. More screenshots available on Joystiq.
- Ghostbusters fan converts Wiimote into mock proton pack. Egon would be so proud.
I haven't actually tried the Wii version of the Ghostbusters video game but I just recently finished playing through it on the Xbox 360. Overall, I give the game a C+/B- as it was enjoyable but had the potential to be so much more. Maybe this modification was missing link from the equation (but probably not).
- Tales of Monkey Island now available for Mac users.
Telltale has pulled the curtain back on their 'Mac Revolution'. They are allowing fans to vote on which title will be available for the platform next. This is great news as there is now one less reason I have to use Boot Camp or Parallels on my beloved MacBook.
- Ten literary classics that should be made into a video game.
There are some interesting literary choices from Wired in regards to this particular topic. While I don't think a game based on Huck Finn would be all that amazin, Moby Dick sounds like it could be downright epic.
- Pirating an unreleased Nintendo game? That'll cost you a million and change.
'The legal proceeding resulted in a settlement in which the individual will pay to Nintendo the sum of 1.5 million (Australian) dollars by way of damages to compensate Nintendo for the loss of sales revenue caused by the individual's actions,' it said in a statement.



























































































































