Search Results

Despite music executives and the labels they work for commending the recent popularity of music games giving sluggish music sales a boost, Warner Music Group’s Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman recently spoke out against what he feels is “far too small” of an amount to license songs for the ever growing content included within the games.

In defense of the music game genre, and Guitar Hero in general, Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick fired back at Warner Music stating that the record companies are getting compensated very well, and that Warner Music is failing to see the bigger picture. Kotick also hinted that because of this slam from Edgar Bronfman, the record company may never get the opportunity to have their music featured in future Guitar Hero games again.

Kotick feels that the label’s “one-sided comments” fail to acknowledge the benefit of having songs from their catalog featured in the games. Bands that would not have reached certain audiences through the radio or other forms of media are now being showcased not only within an entirely new demographic, but within the industry as a whole.

According to MCV, during a recent interview with The Financial Times Kotick mused that Bronfman may think that the company should be compensated the same way they are when a song is downloaded via iTunes, but that with games, the technology is vastly complex and different.

Due to these growing tensions, Kotick went on to say that only record companies that appreciate the opportunity that the games provide will be courted in the future:

“We’re going to favor those publishers that recognize and appreciate how much we can add value to their artists.  We’re introducing a whole new group of artists to new audiences that is resulting in their iTunes downloads being exponentially higher than they would otherwise be, [as well as] new album sales and new merchandising opportunities.

We hope that our partners in the gaming space appreciate not only the value of their own contributions but also those of the recording artists, songwriters, record labels and music publishers on which their games are significantly based.”

Considering the fact that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has sold approximately 20 million units and has raked in over $1billion in sales, it would stand to reason that these sales would also have generated more revenue for the artists featured within the game as well as the downloadable content.  Many record companies have recently commended both Rock Band and the Guitar Hero franchise for boosting sales, and the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

For example: during the week that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released in October 2007, digital sales of The Strokes’ track “Reptilia” sold 127 percent more than the week before the game was released. Add to this the following week which saw sales for the track leap another 96 percent. Likewise, Slipknot’s “Before I Forget” soared to 75 percent the week the game debuted and took a 140 percent turn the following week.

Large record labels have been reputed in the past to be greedy, soulless, fat-cats, what with the horror stories told over the years of bands getting shafted by the big bad wolves of the music industry. Therefore it is no wonder that this latest comment from Warner’s CEO is being perceived as nothing more than a greedy record executive wanting a bigger piece of the pie. If they want more royalties for the benefit of the artists they represent, the public and even the gaming companies, would most likely be more understanding and supportive of the measures they were taking to protect their clients. However, with the negative publicity that the labels have gotten over the past few years, post Napster, it makes you wonder if they truly want more residuals for the right purpose or just to line their own pockets.

What each record company receives as far as licensing fees for songs contained in these games is not known. Yet, if they end up wanting an exorbitant amount of money to include the bands they represent within the games, it will only hurt the consumer in the long run. You cannot expect a company like Activison-Blizzard to pay out the nose in royalties and not try and recoup that investment from gamers. The price of the initial game disc could go up, and we could be paying larger amounts of money for downloadable content. If such a scenario should happen, not only will the games suffer, but in turn the gamer as well.

If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of gaming news?

PAIN is among the growing list of PS3 titles due to receive the trophy treatment in the coming weeks. The new trophies will become available along with the Amusement Park update on September 4th. For now though, the developers are only revealing most of the trophies that can be obtained in the Downtown level. These trophies mostly require you pull of certain scores or combos, though a few tricky ones will have you guiding different set pieces in specific directions. The most interesting one though has to be the trophy featuring a Big Lebowski quote:

Dude Abides: Use “The Dude” to score 50 Strikes in Bowling

Can’t say the trophies really get me all that excited, but having another level to fling hapless characters through should provide some solid entertainment for awhile.

Via Playstation Blog

Stuff magainze has confirmation of some tracks that will be present on the upcoming Guitar Hero: Word Tour when it launches in September for the Xbox 360.

• Steve Miller Band - “The Joker”
• Interpol - “Obstacle 1″
• The Doors - “Light My Fire”
• Michael Jackson - “Beat It”
• Linkin Park - “In The End”
• Smashing Pumpkins - “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”

It seems that the only song on the list that was confirmed via the rumored track list that was floating about the internet last month is “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. The only other actual truth to the denied “leaked” list are the bands themselves. Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park, The Doors, and Interpol were all listed, but the songs titles were off.

Personally, I do not know whether to be happy with the fact that I will be able to play the cool Eddie Van Halen licks from “Beat It” or to be highly amused by the inclusion of Michael Jackson. I can just hear the old jokes surrounding the title of teh song already - brought back to life by a new generation snikering in their livingrooms with preverted delight.

However, as neat as the track list is so far, I just would not be true to myself if I did not get a bit pissy about it at the same time. The one song on that list that I don’t feel belongs there is “The Joker” by The Steve Miller Band. He is horrible, he is boring; therefore in my opinion, Steve Miller = epic fail.

Dedicated fans of Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines have produced another Unofficial Patch for the game. Version 5.5 unlocks more new content for the Asylum and Glaze as well as continuing to hone game play and characters.

Here are the patch notes for v. 5.5:

+Moved Pyro Crossbow from Society to Syndicate instead of bloodpack.
+Changed new stealth rules so that only highest sneaking is harder.
Made Ocean House quest failure update when reconciling the sisters.
Fixed details with Isaac, Boris, Jack, Heather, Mercurio and Phil.
Implemented ZVTool and added readmes to tools, thanks to ZylonBane.
Lessened vents fade outs at Skyeline Apartments and fixed a decal.
Added second T-Rex sound to museum and corrected some text details.
Restored xps at Glaze for peaceful approach and fixed the monitor.
Fixed morphine quest after warehouse and .38 ammo tutorial exploit.
Added blood loss when ghouling Heather and having fun with others.
Made Sin Bin ATM indestructible to avoid breaking connected script.
Improved card printer usage and added a few more inspection nodes.
Restored original descriptions for crossbow bolts and rifle rounds.
Added several missing doors and adjusted SM endgame bus stop maps.
Moved restored female raver to the Asylum and fixed teeth textures.
Hid Giovanni crypt trapdoor icons and fixed Nadia and zombie bugs.
Removed second Dominate tutorial enemy and Johansen basic problems.

Somehow with all the work these modders have put into original release, I can no longer see Bloodlines as solely Troika’s work. The dedication of these fans is outstanding. If you want to see what has these fans entranced, visit the original Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines page. This is a mature rated game so mind the age gate.

One of my favorite aspects of the game is the industrial soundtrack featuring artists including the Sisters of Mercy, Ministry, Lacuna Coil and Darling Violetta. I’ve heard one of the tracks, “Isolated” by Chiasm, used on “NCIS” in Abby’s lab. I don’t know if the soundtrack is still offered by itself but the game (which is still available) includes all the songs as mp3s in the game directory. It’s well worth listening to if you can get hold of it.

Keep yourself calm until this set-list for Guitar Hero: World Tour is confirmed folks, otherwise you will blow a gasket like I did when I saw Tool on the list.

Some of the songs listed are a bit too good to be true in my humble opinion, not that they are false, but until Activision says otherwise just keep your fingers crossed.

OMG OMG OMG!! TOOL! (calm down Steffy, calm down)

Eagle Rock High School Tour:
“Dope Nose” by Weezer
“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
Encore: “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins (yay!)

Big City Kids Tour:
“Roland” by Interpol
“Santeria” By Sublime
Encore: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (hooray!)

Feelin’ Nostalgic Tour:
“Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon
“Hold the Line” by Toto
Encore: “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol (this one has already been confirmed via the video)

Vixens Tour:
“Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar (her best)
“All Around Me” by Flyleaf
Encore:”Misery Business” by Paramore

Undertow Tour: (omg omg Tool!!!!)
“Stinkfist” by Tool
“Lateralus” by Tool
“Schism” by Tool

Synchronicity Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

Fight the System Tour:
“The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring
The Good Left Undone” by Rise Agaisnt
Encore: “Bleed it Out” by Linkin Park

QQ Tour:
“Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
“The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars
Encore: “Thank You for the Venom” by My Chemical Romance

Rockin the Carnival Tour:
“Dammit” by Blink 182
“When You Heat Stops Beating” by +44

Neva’ Forget Tour:
“Jumpin Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult (any cow bell in this one?)
Encore: “Light My Fire” by The Doors (grrrr)

We Want the Funk Tour:
“Take it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Renegades of Funk” by Rage Agaisnt the Machines
Encore: “No Sleep till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys Feat. Kerry King (cool!)

Rockin’ the Joint Tour:
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz
“I Don’t wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

On Top of the World Tour:
“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe (kickstart… MIATA!)
Encore: “Spin the Black Circle” by Pearl Jam

G. Stinger Tour: (very awesome)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“Car Chase City” by Tenacious D
Encore: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters

Lands End Tour:
“Animal” by Def Leppard
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi
Encore: “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses (yay)

Doin’ it Different Tour: (good set list)
“Song for the Dead” by Queens of the Stone Age
“Vasoline” by Stone Temple Pilots
Encore: “Assassin” by Muse

Hootin’ and Hollerin’ Tour:
“The Boys Are Back in Town” By Thin Lizzy
“Life in the Fastlane” by The Eagles
Encore:”Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

All Pissed Off Tour:
“Here to Stay” by KoRn
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie (oh hellz yez!!)
Encore: “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold

Here Me Roar Tour:
“10,000 Fists” by Disturbed
“Duality” by Slipknot
Encore: “Toxicity” by System of a Down

S.D.M.F. Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” (Guitar Career Only)
*Encore: “Demise of Sanity” by Black Label Society

Fathers of Metal Tour:
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” by Dio
“Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath
Encore: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne (can you imagine?)

Making Progress Tour:
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush
“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
Encore: “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theatre

Eruption Tour:
“Beat it” by Micheal Jackson Feat. Eddie Van Halen
“Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen (yay)

Tooth Fang & Claw Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent

Decades of Metal Tour
“Warriors of Time” by Black Tide
“Leather Rebel” by Judas Priest
Encore: “Hallowed be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden (hooray)

Livin’ in a Nightmare Tour:
“Angel of Death” by Slayer
“Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth
Encore: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica (master!… master!)

Legends of Rock Tour:
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
“The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
Encore: “Purple Haze (Live)” by Jimi Hendrix

Bonus Tour:
“45? by Shinedown
“96 Quite Bitter Beings” by CKY
“Bombshell” by Powerman 5000
“Clavado en un Bar” by Maná
“Enjoy the Silence” by Lacuna Coil
“Feuer Frei” by Rammstein
“Fury of the Storm” by Dragonforce
“Never Too Late” by The Answer
“Nottingham Lace” by Buckethead
“One Armed Scissor” by At The Drive-In
“Satch Boogie” by Joe Satriani
“Schrei” by Tokio Hotel
“Soul Doubt” by NOFX

“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” by Sting
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” By Ted Nugent
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” by Zakk Wylde

Sample Songs:
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Chad Smith
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Dave Grohl
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Travis Barker
“Cliffs of Dover” created by Neversoft
“Misirlou” created by Neversoft
“Walk This Way” created by Neversoft
“YYZ” created by Neversoft

Thanks: GONintendo

It has been one crazy week, and the craziest thing happening at home base while Jonathan and Shawn were in LA was the amount of assets we received in our inboxes on a daily basis. I have decided to post the lonely screens and trailers that did not get their very own post into one large post full of links. There’s just is not enough time to post them all, so this is the best way I know how.

While this is not a comprehensive list of what was not covered, it is close. There are more screens floating around out there that we have yet to get, but if or when we do, we will do our best to wow you with them.

Below you will find a list of games from A-N and a link to the trailer or screens for it. Be sure to look over the list carefully, because something you are interested in may be included. I have highlighted ones that may be of special interest.

Games O - Z are posted after the jump

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Screens
Active Life Outdoor Challenge Trailer
Afro Samurai Screens
Age of Booty Screens
Age of Booty Trailer
AWAY Shuffle Dragon Screens
Babysitting Mania Screens
Bangai-O Spirits Screens
Bangai-O-Spirits Trailer
Battlestations Pacific Screens
Bionic Commando Screens
Bionic Commando Trailer
BioShock PS3 Screens
Borderlands Presentation Trailer
Borderlands Screens
BUZZ! Master Quiz Trailer
Champions Online B-Roll Trailer
Champions Online Screens
Chrono Trigger DS Screens
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Trailer
Cooking Mama World Kitchen Screens
Dark Void Screens
Dark Void Trailer
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon Trailer
Digimon Championship Trailer
Digimon World Championship Screens
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Screens
Dungeon Hero Screens
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero Screens
Empire: Total War Screens
Eternal Sonata PS3 Screens
Eternal Sonata PS3 Trailer
Final Fantasy IV DS Screens
Flock! Screens
Flock! Trailer
Gran Turismo 5: Prolouge Trailer
Heavy Duty Screens
I Am Alive Trailer (This looks rather interesting)
I Heart Geeks Screens
Infinite Space Screens
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Enc. 2 Screens
Kill Zone 2 Trailer
King’s Bounty: The Legend Trailer
LEGO Batman: The Video Game B-Footage Trailer
LEGO Batman: The Videogame Screens
Little King’s Story Screens
Luminous Arc 2 Teaser Trailer
Marker Man Adventures Screens
Marvel Ultimate Alliance II: Fusion Trailer
Mega Man 9 Screens
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Trailer
Metal Gear Online Screens
Monster Lab Screens
Monster Madness: Grave Danger Screens
MySims Kingdom Screens
N+ Screens
N+ Trailer
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 Screens
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM Screens
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM Trailer
National Geographic Panda Screens
Neopets Puzzle Adventure Screens
NHL SK9 Screens

Read the full article

All we’ve gotten for PAIN since its release were some new character models pretty much. Everyone I’ve shown the game to has ended up asking me, “Is this the only level?” Soon, I’ll finally be able to give them an answer that won’t disappoint them.

An amusement park seems like a pretty damn good location for a game where your lone goal is to smash yourself into things, and the trailer above proves that point. The zebra and monkey near the end are sure to provide plenty of amusement, although I wish the monkey more resembled those evil, evil monkeys from TimeSplitters. Because those things were just awesome.

Much like the PlayStation 3’s store, you’ll find all kinds of video on the PlayStation Store for PC. A lot of it is for PS3 games, so your miles may vary when it comes to the selection, but you will get a look at Buzz PSP and Resistance: Retribution, the latter of which was certainly the biggest PSP game announced at Sony’s press briefing yesterday.

Videos

• Resistance: Retribution
• Buzz PSP
• God of War III
• Motorstorm Pacific Rift
• Xam’d Lost Memories
• Ratchet & Clank Quest for Booty
• PixelJunk Eden
• Siren Blood Curse
• PAIN Amusement Park
• Gran Turismo TV

Lots of new videos make up the majority of the first PlayStation Store E3 update. It’s certainly a nice change in pace from only having new content once a week, and because there would be an absurd amount to download if they release this much today or tomorrow.

The week’s Rock Band tracks, comprised of 12 tracks from The Who, is one of the two non-video things that have been released. The other is the Team Mode add-on for Super Stardust HD, which will run you $5.

Hit the break for the full list of content.

Read the full article

Activision and Line 6 announced today that Guitar Hero World Tour for the PS3 and Xbox 360 will integrate Line 6’s guitar tone technology, enabling gamers to use amps, cabs and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD in the game’s Music Studio. The game’s new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to compose, record, edit and share their own rock ’n’ roll anthems.

The sound modeling technology of Line 6’s POD is integrated into Guitar Hero World Tour’s Music Studio so gamers can now join the ranks of elite POD using bands including, U2, Radiohead, Keane, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Story of the Year, Slipknot, Dashboard Confessional, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Garbage, Lenny Kravitz and countless others.

The signature sounds of legendary bands and top musicians today come from a combination of guitar amps, cabs and effects. Through digital signal processing, POD delivers accurate emulations of the most coveted amplifiers, effects and cabinets ever made. It is famous for revolutionizing the way guitarists record, perform, rehearse, and write songs. It eliminates the need for complicated setups with its proprietary technology for simulating the complex interaction of amplifiers, effects, microphones, speaker cabinets and room acoustics. Whether POD is used with headphones to practice, for direct recording or playing live, POD is what musicians turn to for the best guitar sound.

That is all fine and dandy, but what they fail to mention is that if you are not creative or talented, it will not matter what you used or do - your compositions will still sound horrendous.

A preview of Music Studio featuring amp presets and other content can be viewed here.

Via: Press Release

It’s about freakin’ time really. As much as I enjoyed PAIN, it’s entertainment value was short-lived since it only had one level to demolish. So now we’re finally getting a brand new level with the Amusement Park to give us another couple of hours of fun. As the trailer above shows, this new level will feature all sorts of moving rides and obstacles for you to fling your character haphazardly into. There will also be a new online multiplayer mode as well as some trophies to unlock. Altogether, this could give us some more quick fun, but they really need to crank out new levels more frequently.

Via Playstation Blog

Some screens have popped up for Soul Calibur IV showing off the character creator, single player mode menu, arcade mode, training mode, vs mode, museum, and even a comic. The game is looking pretty cool and when July 29th hits we will finally find out if the gameplay matches the neat screens and trailers we have been slathered with for months.

If you would like to checkout more screens for the menus, etc - Kotaku has loads of them.

Thanks: Kotaku

For those of you who may know me on Xbox Live or have played with me in the past, you’ll know that I pretty much had the greatest gamertag ever.  I was damn proud of my gamertag as it had just the right amount of dirty humor to it.  When I’d tell anyone my gamertag, a smile would immediately come to their face, and often a laugh and/or chuckle.

BenDoverx was more than a gamertag to me.  It was a way to let people know that I don’t take myself serious at all, and I can even take the occasional joke.  You wouldn’t believe how many times I heard people jokingly say, “Heh heh… BenDover…I just bent you over!” whenever they would kill me in Halo.  I pretty much heard it so much that it really didn’t phase me anymore.  I would simply reply with a “Really? I swear, I’ve never heard that before.  You’re completely original.”

Last night, the name BenDoverx finally made it into Microsoft’s crosshairs….

Read the full article

Concerto Gate, is an MMORPG and a sequel to Cross Gate, launched back in 2001 in Japan. Developed by Ponsbic and Square Enix, Concerto Gate continues the theme of its predecessor while boasting an updated game system and improved graphics.

Square Enix fans and MMORPG players alike have long waited to play this title in America and will soon have a chance to participate in the closed beta test to be held from July 1 to 14. Users can go here to download the client software later on today to get a key to participate.

Published at Gamescampus.com (run by OnNet USA), this sequel Cross Gate has players summoned to the Kingdom of Fahren, a fantasy world of magic and sorcery, in hopes of becoming the legendary hero that has been foretold to save the world. This hero’s tale, however, doesn’t quite work out as planned…

Concerto Gate boasts new interesting features that every MMORPG fan can look forward to, including a novel “terra generating” system. This system constantly changes the topography of the game world. For example, players can dig in the ground to mine for minerals, and after digging for a while, small holes will eventually become giant ones. Forests can be demolished, and new mountains can be formed depending on interaction between players. Large-scale terrain changes will not occur in a day or two, but will be gradual. Players will most likely see changes over several weeks and visually, you can expect the same hand-drawn map elements together with 3D characters and map that mimics its prequel.

Concerto Gate’s turn-based group combat with a mixture of real-time elements, pays homage to Square Enix’s iconic system with some new twists. Square Enix fans and newcomers alike will marvel at the massive fantasy world awaiting to be discovered.

The beta for Concerto Gate will become available at 6PM EST, 5PM CST, 4PM MST, and 3PM PST so whatever time zone you are in, here is what you need to do to get your key:

1. Download the client at this link, or by using the download badge below. (NOTE: Once you begin the download of the file, you should see your beta key at the top of the download screen in red. Make sure you record this key before you navigate away from the page.)
2. Take the survey on the Closed Beta Test webpage
3. Insert your key, and you’re all set to play!

While you are waiting for the beta to commence, amuse yourself by checking out some screens for the game here.

NCM’s Fathom and MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is celebrating the 25th anniversary of WarGames by bringing it back to the big screen for a one night special engagement. On Thursday, July 24th at 7:30 p.m. local time, more than 300 theaters across North America will be showing the movie along with a special feature including interviews with the cast and crew of WarGames. Matthew Broderick who plays the main character David Lightman and co-star Ally Sheedy as well as others will discuss the making of the 1983 WarGames movie.

In this fast-paced cyber-thriller, computer hacker Lightman [Broderick] can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and master even the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department’s war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportions: World War III! Together with his girlfriend (Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius (Tony Award® winner John Wood), Lightman must race against time to outwit his opponent…and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

WarGames will be showing at select AMC, Cinemark USA Inc., Goodrich Quality Theaters, Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters courtesy of NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. You can see if this special engagement is coming to a theater near you and buy tickets online at www.FathomEvents.com.

via Business Wire

Problems regarding the terrible DRM system on Xbox 360 have been one of the most oft-complained about, perhaps only trailing the Red Rings of Death. Last month, Microsoft announced that it wouldn’t be releasing the usual spring dashboard update, but would provide a tool to repair the DRM issues that gamers have been dealing with for several years now. It’s nearly the end of June, but Microsoft did just squeeze the release into the month, as promised, when they released the Content License Transfer Tool today.

Major Nelson explains how the process works (in quite painful, infomercial-like fashion) in the video above, or you can check out the FAQ on Xbox.com. The process seems to be fairly simple, so you hopefully won’t find the process to be too difficult. I know I’ve got a number of things to transfer, so I’ll report back once I’ve given it a try.

The tool can be found at www.xbox.com/drm.

Somehow the odd recreations people come up with in Spore just continue to amuse me. Recently, someone going by the name “MasterSwordZero” set out to recreate all of the various creatures from Half-Life using the Spore creature creator. Antlions, Head Crabs, Striders: they’re all here. He even made a Bullsquid that actually looks better than the original (granted, that was from Half-Life 1). Now I’m just waiting for someone to do the same with the Zerg from Starcraft.

New Line Cinema has chosen Len Wiseman (”Live Free or Die Hard”) to direct the video-game adaptation of Gear of War for the silver screen.

Set on the planet Sera, the game (and subsequently the movie - if they stick with it) brings to life the battle between a human Delta Squad (as opposed to what?) and the Locust Horde. Chris Morgan (”Wanted”, “The Fast and the Furious 4″) is also on board and will be writing the screenplay.

Considering how most movie/videogame adaptations work out, this is really not something to get overly excited about and the subject is honestly just becoming a the proverbial “dead horse” so to speak. They will suck usually and there is nothing we can do, so we should just either go see it or not and just stop bitching about it because it will never do us any good. Hollywood has never done gamers any favors really, now have they?

However, Cliffy B Cliff Bleszinski seems to think that a videogame to movie adaptation is simple:

“Hollywood needs to take the source material seriously, win over the avid gamers and make it work for an audience that is young and old, male and female.”

Thank you for that mind blowing insight Cliff. No one has ever said that before! How profound and impressive Master of the Obvious!

He goes on to say:

“Disney made a great movie out of a theme park ride, and somebody is sooner or later going to make a great one out of a video game. Having someone like Len really helps the odds. I think we’re going to create something special here.”

The thing about the Pirates movies, although inspired by an amusement park ride, is that there never was a “backstory” to begin with therefore the script writer had carte blanche to come up with something fun and exciting. No “ride” at a theme park has a script to it so to compare it to a game is slightly silly.

Anyway, as soon as we hear more about this upcoming atrocity we will be sure to ruin your day with it.

Via: Yahoo News

Whether it can replace your trip to the gym or not, Wii Fit still comes across as a device to, well, get you more fit (it’s right in the title after all). So who better than an actual fitness instructor to review the device on its athletic merits. In this video, Sarah Dussault from Diet.com hooks herself up to a heart rate monitor and gives Nintendo’s new gadget a try. Her findings show that many of the mini-games, such as the hula hoop and “step” ones, really only give you the equivalent of a walking warm-up. The most effective exercise she finds is the footrace game, but even then she muses aloud “Why purchase a $90 game to run, when you can do it outside for free?” Ultimately though, she basically reveals what anyone who frequents a gym can tell you: Wii Fit is not as effective as more traditional forms of exercise. She does however applaud Wii Fit for taking a step to curb childhood obesity, an issue she naturally feels very strongly about.

Via Diet.com

Over on College Humor, they have posted a video of one sick individual blocking a bridge in Age of Conan and subsequently using his horse to kick folks of the bridge when they attempt to go around.

While I found this hilarious, if I were one of the ones kicked off the bridge, I would not be amused. I wonder if this is the sort of thing that is no long going to be able to be accomplished once the new updates go through?

To bad someone did not come along and just hack him to bits. Hopefully he was ganked not long afterwards.