Recently, Rockstar sent some interesting swag to Popular Mechanics to kick off their holiday sales push. This awesomely shocking bit of swag is none other than a tongue in cheek metal baseball bat complete with the GTA IV logo.

Popular Mechanics writes:

Because they couldn’t legally send us an Uzi thorough the mail, [Rockstar] sent us the 14th most deadly weapon in the blockbuster game’s new arsenal: a metal bat… It just arrived with a press release informing us “‘Tis the Season To Swing Big and Go GRAND,” promoting GTA IV as a perfect stocking-stuffer for the Christmas season.

But who needs the game when you’ve got the bat? In the spirit of giving, we can now give a GTA-style beat-down to random strangers on the street, just like our favorite Eastern European criminal thug, Niko Bellic. And when the cops catch us, we can say that we never would have done it were it not for the influence of violent video games. And for the first time, we’d be right!

Oh, Rockstar, you are just asking for it. As much as I enjoy your shenanigans and your games, this time, I think the backlash will be much more interesting that usual. While I am all for pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable behavior in society and what is frowned upon, this is just a little too extreme. Hilarious, but too extreme considering all the crap that our favorite numbskull JT has caused, one would think that the controversy surrounding the GTA IV release would be enough. I guess not, but more power to them. They have enough money to quell the backlash should something unsavory arise due to the baseball bat stunt.

That being said, what the hell do I have to do to get one, Rockstar?

Via: GamePolitics

Not sure why we missed this yesterday. Might possibly have had something to do with all of the MGS4 hoopla and various other misfires of the brain, but today we have the latest GameTap updates for you and while it may indeed be a day late, its no matter. Why you ask? Because Earthworm Jim is back my pretties along with Sacred Gold and for those wanting to go the chintzy route, its BurgerTime for you my friends!

• Earthworm Jim: From the minds of game developer Dave Perry and madcap cartoonist Doug TenNapel comes Earthworm Jim. Incredible animation and a wildly imaginative cast of characters makes this side-scrolling action title stand out from the rest of the pack. It doesn’t just look great, either — Earthworm Jim’s lengthy levels and sharp control ensure that you’ll be hooked the moment you pick up the controller!

• Earthworm Jim 2: The zany cartoon antics just keep on comin’ in Earthworm Jim 2, the sequel to the award-winning game by Shiny Entertainment. When Jim’s girlfriend is kidnapped by the nasty space criminal Psycrow, it’s up to the worm-turned-galactic-hero to find her. Where could she be? You’ll take a long, strange trip through the galaxy before the answer is revealed!

• Earthworm Jim 3D: Earthworm Jim. Once-humble worm made mighty thanks to the power of an atomic super suit, a really bad attitude, and a desire to fight evil. Jim has destroyed some strange enemies — but nothing’s stranger than his own mind. When a cow falls from the sky onto Jim, all his marbles get scattered. Now you must lead this slimy hero through the corridors of his mind to collect the marbles again!

• Sacred Gold: In a fantasy world crawling with monsters, unlikely heroes emerge. Whether they quest for treasure, fame or power, these individuals brave many terrors and face down thousands of foes both above the ground and below…and unlock the secrets of a deadly conspiracy to overrun the land of Ancaria with evil. For those with the strength, untold riches await, but the fight will be long and dangerous.

GameTap has released the following free games this week for those who are not golden with the site. Why is that anyway? Think of all the cool games you are missing out on like Baldur’s Gate I & II?

• BurgerTime: Evil hot dogs, pickles and eggs are loose in Peter Pepper’s kitchen, and he’s a chef with orders to fill. Stomp across buns, lettuce and patties on a quest to build the perfect burger. Keep your eyes open for yummy ice cream, coffee and French fry bonuses. Use your peppershaker to stop your enemies dead in their tracks, or smash them flat with a well-placed patty. Who knew fast food could be so dangerous?

• Flip Words 2: You’ll flip over this word puzzle! Not only are you trying to build words out of a grid, you’re also assembling a secret phrase, letter by letter, in a fashion such as to make Vanna White green with envy. Guess the phrase and you’ll score some massive points!

• Pop-A-Tronic: You’ve swirled until you collapsed… but are you ready to pop? There’s a cascade of colored machines, and it’s your job to clear them out! Match the colors before your parts bin overflows, and keep an eye out for bombs and other helpful tools in this frantic puzzler!

Those three games bring the total of freebies up to 128, so what are you waiting for? Head on over to GameTap to see what else they have in store for you.

When Mortal Kombat Vs. DC was first announced, a lot of people went, “Whoa, that’s awesome!” Then they sat down, though about it for awhile, and went, “Wait…that’s ridiculous.” But what outraged people the most was when it was revealed the developers were aiming for a “T for Teen” rating, indicating that they would be abandoning the series’ signature “Fatalities” this time around. Recently, GameTap sat down to discuss these issues and more with Ed Boon, the creator of Mortal Kombat. At one point, Boon vaguely explained how Fatalities will still have a presence in the game:

“There was never any statement on our part that fatalities will be gone or that finishing moves will be gone. We did acknowledge that we won’t be able to do the same kinds of outrageous moves, like tearing someone’s head off and the spine being attached to it. But there are a lot of assumptions that there will be no blood in the game, that there are no fatalities in the game. It’s an assumption that, because the DC characters will be in there, those features will have to be dropped. My response is that, no, we’re modifying fatalities. But I have every intention to keep finishers. You know, to let gamers do a really cool secret button combination and follow with a really outrageous finishing move to end the match. The names of these moves, and the level of violence we use, are to be determined. But it’s certainly not a feature we plan on eliminating from the series.

…I certainly can’t speak with authority as to what DC will permit. There will certainly be some limitations. But my intention is that we want to push the envelope of a T-rated game as far as we can without being an M-rated game.”

He also went on to give some hints as to how they plan to make sense of these two universes colliding. Read the full article

Ubisoft and Free Radical announced today that the fully playable demo for Haze, the new FPS set in a harsh future where war is never quite what it seems is now available for the PS3 over in the UK. North American gamers who own a PS3 will be able to get a hold of the demo tomorrow, May 8th.This playable demo gives gamers a taste of not only the single-player campaign in Haze, but also allows for up to four-player, drop-in drop-out co-op play online, via LAN or even 2 player split-screen. Read what I culled from the press release:

Take a Nectar-induced romp solo style, or with 3 of your friends in fierce co-op action through the Salva Region, a bright and high-octane environment, where explosions are huge and delightful, and deaths are fleeting and meaningless. It’s the only place on earth where you can blow a stranger’s head off with a jolly smile on your face. The green-orange vegetation teams with primary-coloured, unthreatening wildlife for the marines to trample all over. The sunshine beats down in comforting waves as you merrily murder your fellow man. This world makes you feel confident. Artificially so and like a dream.

Makes me wish even more that I owned a PS3. For more information on Haze, check out our previous posts. You can also check out some of the new screens they sent our way this morning by clicking here.
Via: Press Release

Cryptic Studios recently published a two part article on Champions Online called “Breaking the Wall”. The piece details suggestions on how to break into the games industry for those interested in game design and development. It starts with a word of caution to would be game developers:

The most important thing to realize about breaking into game design is that it is very much subject to the laws of supply and demand. There are very few game design jobs of any sort available, and there are a whole lot of people who want to be designers. And many of the people applying for the few open game design positions are not strangers to the industry, either. In addition to people in areas like QA or CSR, it is not uncommon to see programmers or artists want to switch fields… while it is not impossible to come in off the street and get a game design position, it is very, very unlikely.

With the warning out of the way the article goes on to suggest several strategies such as applying for an internship position, or hiring on as QA (Quality Assurance) or CSR (Customer Service). There is a golden nugget of advice given in this article:

Creativity is good, but it isn’t primarily about the creativity.

What will close the sale is the ability to demonstrate professionalism, practicality, understanding of the way development works and the relative costs and risks of different paths. Most importantly of all, however, is the clear ability to check your ego at the door and identify the best approach or design regardless of whether or not you were the one to think of it.

The piece cautions that those wishing to break into game design should remember that it is a job. Like most professions, the “joy” of playing games can quickly become “job” in the face of maintaining professionalism, working long hours and fulfilling responsibilities that come with the title of game designer.

While the article can seem very discouraging, the summation promises that the rewards can be astounding and the risks are worth it.

via Champions Online

For all those players out their stubbornly clinging to Windows XP, and there sure are a lot of us, Tech ARP has a tutorial on how to automatically log in. The funny part is that automatic login is a feature on virgin XP before other user logins are added.

While automatically logging in to your system is great for hermits or others who don’t worry about strangers firing up their PC; I can’t recommend it for people in an office, or those who have their computer in a common area of their home. For people who are unconcerned about the security of their systems or have no friends or relatives; you can get detailed directions on automatically logging in to XP on start up from TechARP.

Oaklawn, a thoroughbred racing track in a resort town in Arkansas (Hot Springs) has wanted casino gambling brought in to salvage some money being stolen from bordering states which have casinos at their tracks. Since this request was denied, they got a little creative and installed video game machines called Instant Racing. These pari-mutuel games are based on the out come of previous races and a win “is determined by correctly guessing the outcome of a race that is unknown to the player until after the selection is made”.

A small clip of a race is shown on the screen with wheels looking like slot machines spin. In a way it is like a multiplayer game because in Instant Racing, the players compete against each other. The first player to correctly guess the outcome of the race wins the pool – which is almost like a bunch of people sitting around and picking races at different tracks only electronically, and the first one to pick the winner gets the money, unlike convention betting where many people win by picking a winner.

Over the past two years at Oaklawn races track, $225 million was bet via the game and the money generated not only has boosted the purses the horse wins, but has also provided the funds to fix up the track and expand the grandstand. This brings more people to the track, and more horsemen from around the country which in turn helps the industry as whole out considerably.

Kentucky is also considering casinos for the state, with race tracks being able to offer another form of gambling other than watching the pretty horses run. While KY officials are leaning towards actual casinos like neighboring Indiana – if it falls through, officials at Kentucky’s two largest tracks (Keeneland and Churchill Downs) might do the same thing as Oaklawn – install video game machines. Although this course has yet to be pursued, KY tracks are keeping an eye on Arkansas’ to see if the trend continues.

John Forgy, who is an attorney for the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority is unsure as to whether such a game would be allowed under Kentucky law, but to those who oppose casinos in the state (trust me, there are TONS of them here) Instant Racing would be great way to increase the existing pari-mutuel offerings at any KY track, especially Ellis Park and Turfway which do not get the crowds that Keeneland and Churchill Downs do – nor the big name horses or races. If they were to install these games, it would generate larger purses just like at Oaklawn thus helping out the state and the men and women who make their living racing, breeding, and selling racing stock.

While it would be strange for me to walk into Keeneland and see video games to gamble on, it would be even stranger to see slot machines desecrating its hallowed halls. I mean, I love video games and I love horse racing but I would rather watch it live than play the horses through a machine – but at the same time, if I had to pick between that and a slot machine, the former would win heads over tails.

Via: The Courier Journal (Louisville, KY)

I hate to create such a cynical title to this story. A fine article by Bill Fulton, who worked on Shadowrun and is an industry veteran, entitled “Fixing Online Gaming Idiocy: A Psychological Approach,” is really a great read. But even he points to this Penny Arcade strip which I think negates the possibility of ever hoping to solve the concept of running into jackasses while playing online.

Of course, the most quotable part of his article was this: “So again, why do I care? Because the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don’t love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people — and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.”

Now, I could certainly be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But with the current structure of online gaming, where anonymity is almost always secured, there will also be the impulse to be the most rude, vile, annoying person possible.

(Yes, I appreciate the hypocrisy as I, myself, do grief people, but it’s in good fun and I know which lines shouldn’t be crossed, as well as when and where these things are appropriate. There are ethical boundaries you just don’t cross. And yes, I just referred to griefing as having an ethical aspect.)

If you have any interest at all in online gaming, I highly implore you to give Fulton’s article a read. You can find it at Gamasutra.

Earlier this month, we received a press release stating that the PC exclusive Stranger would be arriving on North American shores March 17. Ten days later, it is finally here. Not sure what the delay was, but regardless, if you were wanting to play this RTS/RPG hybrid you can now go down to the store and pick it up.

With a world populated by more than a hundred unique monster types, players can take control of three main characters and their henchmen and enjoy a single-player campaign lasting more than 30 hours, while also being able to take their game online in eight-person multiplayer matches.

For more information about Stranger, visit the official website and our previous posts.

Via: Press Release

[Note: This article was originally posted on my personal blog. Due to the popularity of it, I decided to share my story with the readers of Gaming Today. Enjoy!]

It was a pretty weird day here in Northern Jersey. There was tons of wind, but it wasn’t as cold as it normally is, at least during the day. But of course, the sun set and the wind remained, leaving it cold. Really cold.

I preordered Super Smash Bros. Brawl months in advance. Probably almost half a year or so. Saying I was excited about the upcoming release would be an immense understatement. Super Smash Bros. was a game I have always loved playing simply for the fact that you have no idea how the rounds are going to go in the game. One minute you could be beating the snot out of your opponent, and the next, he’s got a bomb or a hammer. Once either of those hits you, you’re pretty much done for.

I arrived at the local GameStop around 9:10 PM since they informed the people in the tournament that the latest we could be there was 9:30. I of course decided that I really had nothing else to do that night, so I might as well throw my hat into the tournament. The way I saw it, I was playing Smash Bros. earlier than the people online. I’d be getting a tiny crumb of that sweet sweet Smash Bros. goodness.

Read the full article