Media outlets have a new reason to fear the ire of angry Nintendo fanboys, and this time it’s not related to Mario, Zelda, or any other Nintendo properties. Rather, the problem stems from certain inaccuracies, or shall we say, disagreements that gaming publication GamePro posted in its recent review of the Wii’s blockbuster FPS title, The Conduit. And it essentially has little to do with the score.
Many of the most reputable review sites and publications scored the game around the 80 percent range – we scored it at 8.5, IGN gave it an 8.6, Nintendo Power and GamesRadar gave it an 8 – and GamePro actually followed fairly closely giving it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
So what was the problem? Aside from admittedly reviewing the game without even touching the online multiplayer mode – a feature which garnered the most praise from the gaming press – GamePro criticized The Conduit for “terrible motion controls” and “unimpressive graphics,” two features that other gaming publication lauded. For instance, G4, which scored the game lower overall than GamePro at 3 out of 5 stars, still praised it for “engaging, responsive controls” and “slick visual effects.” read more…
The NPD Group just released a study which found that there has been a significant increase in the total number of female gamers over the last year - up as much as 28%. While the report does break things down in detail, it fails to give any hard numbers that might be of real help to many of the male gamers who spend the majority of their life online. Specifically of concern, but conspicuously omitted - what are the real odds that the party’s scantily-clad Elven warrior-priestess you’ve been chatting online with for weeks isn’t secretly wielding a sword? Or the possibility that the flirty new shooter calling herself “ImH0t4W11″ in your Conduit clan doesn’t carry an extra piece in her belt?
Unfortunately, science may never be able to give us those kind of specifics. However, the report was able to offer this ray of hope for those so concerned:
“These types of players ["extreme" femal gamers] account for just four per cent of total gamers, says the report, however their playing habits have become a little less extreme. While they still spend an average of 39 hours a week playing games, that average is down seven hours from 2008.”
There are a ton of books available that proclaim to offer the inside story of George Lucas and his company LucasFilm, but none are better than Droidmaker, written by Michael Rubin. This mammoth 518-page tome details the creation of Pixar, LucasFilm’s CGI revolution, the creation of its videogame empire and tons of technical aspects that make for fascinating reading.
All of this is now available for free, as the author has decided to unleash his work for one and all.
The next three episodes will be made available for download on July 6 for 300 Wii Points each and will include Yang’s Tale, which follows the Karate monk’s journey to retrieve his daughter from Mt. Hobs; Palom’s Tale, a chapter involving the formerly-bratty twin’s pedagogic visit to Troia; and Edge’s Tale, an explorative chapter detailing a covert ninja group’s assignment by Eblan King Edge to investigate the reformed Tower of Babil.
The titles of the four remaining episodes in the sequel have been released minus further information as to the content. They include Porom’s Tale, Edward’s Tale, The Lunarian’s Tale and The Crystals.
Fans seeking additional information should head over to the official site for artwork, synopses and other media.
Gamasutra and Edge magazine have both published articles this month suggesting that the successors to the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 might not arrive until 2013, making this console generation’s lifespan one of the longest in gaming history.
The gaming website and industry magazine cited a report from Michael Pachter, a gaming analyst from Wedbush Morgan Securities, who stated that he does not believe the next console generation will begin before 2013.
Pachter is quoted in Edge as stating that “There is no chance in hell that Sony is bringing out a new console until they feel that they’re profitable…” but that Microsoft is “brash enough to bring out a next-generation console sooner.” Speaking of Nintendo, Pachter is quoted as saying that no next-generation Nintendo technology will arrive until 2015, though a Wii HD console is expected for 2010.
Ronald Moore, the creator of the Battlestar Galactica reboot, debuted a new pilot on Fox last Friday called Virtuality. If you didn’t watch it, you’re not alone. In order for a pilot to be picked up for an eventually series, one general rule is that people need to see it. That didn’t happen. Hence, Virtuality will not be a series. Frankly, that’s just as well. Apparently I was one of the few people to watch the show, though I only watched the first half before terminal boredom set in.
Virtuality could have been a good series, but for me, the whole ‘reality show on a spaceship” aesthetic failed to grab.
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