Archive for May 12th, 2008
« Previous EntriesWhat Makes Vista Worth It? [Ask The Readers]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
The majority of you told us that you prefer XP to Vista and that it'd be best if Microsoft extended its cutoff date for XP, but we can't help but wonder if there's something about Vista that's worth your while. For those of you who have made the switch—or those who have been tempted—we're curious what Vista features actually make the upgrade worthwhile for you. So let's hear what you actually like about Windows Vista that you didn't get from XP in the comments.
EA Once Turned Houser Away [Sam Houser Talks EA]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Many analysts have theorized that Electronic Arts' ongoing bid for Take-Two has quite a lot to do with the talent in the Rockstar stable. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Rockstar's Sam Houser reveals he actually wanted to work for EA in the 1990s - and was rejected for a job.
Now, though, Houser tells the WSJ that in the event of an acquisition by EA, Houser wouldn't mind being "a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond."
The "talent" at Rockstar, as they're called internally, make star-caliber money and might find EA's more traditional pay structure jarring. In 2005, a particularly strong year, Take-Two paid royalties of $84 million, according to company filings. The bulk of funds, say people familiar with the matter, went to Mr. Houser and other Rockstar executives. If EA succeeds in acquiring Take-Two, some analysts believe EA's star developers might demand a bigger share of game proceeds.Another possible kink: Rockstar's history of autonomy. If EA ends up with Take-Two, Mr. Houser says it's unlikely that he would go so far as to seek EA's approval for game content. Still, he calls Mr. Riccitiello "the real deal" and sees some appeal in an EA alliance, which he says would make Rockstar a "much smaller fish in much bigger pond."
"I'm not someone who has any kind of problem with that," says Mr. Houser, who says EA turned him down for a job in the late 1990s.
Studio Is Prize in Takeover Duel [WSJ Online]
Google Reader iPhone Beta Launches [IPhone]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Google launches a new beta version of Google Reader for the iPhone. Visit google.com/reader/i/ to check it out on your handset or in your browser. [via]
Guitar Hero IV Adds Drums, Vocals, Create A Song [Rumor]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
According to a NeoGAF poster armed with the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, Guitar Hero IV will, as expected, focus on more than just faux guitar playing, as the next proper iteration is said to add drums and vocals, just like Rock Band. Where GH IV is expected to go above and beyond the Rock Band experience is in its custom creation modes.
Guitar Hero IV will feature a "create a song" mode, allegedly, which appears to let gamers lay down guitar, bass and drum tracks—but no vocals—then upload their creations for others to enjoy. That song sharing mode is said to extend beyond the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, with Wii and PlayStation 2 versions getting their own song sharing.
Additional details from the NeoGAF post indicate that players will be able to create custom virtual musicians, virtual guitars and virtual drums. As for the licensed stock tracks, tunes from Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park and Sublime are said to appear.
More early details on Guitar Hero IV at the original post. Expect to see official word in no time at all.
Game Informer June 2008 Issue [NeoGAF]
Guitar Hero IV Adds Drum, Vocals, Create A Song [Rumor]
Monday, May 12th, 2008According to a NeoGAF poster armed with the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, Guitar Hero IV will, as expected, focus on more than just faux guitar playing, as the next proper iteration is said to add drums and vocals, just like Rock Band. Where GH IV is expected to above and beyond the Rock Band experience is in its custom creation modes.
Guitar Hero IV will feature a "create a song" mode, allegedly, which appears to let gamers lay down guitar, bass and drum tracks—but no vocals—then upload their creations for others to enjoy. That song sharing mode is said to extend beyond the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, with Wii and PlayStation 2 versions getting their own song sharing.
Additional details from the NeoGAF post indicate that players will be able to create custom virtual musicians, virtual guitars and virtual drums. As for the licensed stock tracks, tunes from Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park and Sublime are said to appear.
More early details on Guitar Hero IV at the original post. Expect to see official word in no time at all.
Game Informer June 2008 Issue [NeoGAF]
Handle a Traffic Stop and Avoid Your Ticket [How To]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Car and Driver magazine knows a thing or two about getting pulled over, so they asked seven state troopers from across the country what they want and don't want from you, the driver, during a routine traffic stop. For example, rather than preparing your license, registration, and insurance information before the officer asks for it, "most cops don't want you to do anything except rest your hands on top of the steering wheel until directed otherwise."
In fact, most of the tips—which include the five best and five worst things you can do as a motorist—are pretty understandable, if you put yourself in the trooper's shoes. If you take these recommendations—like opting for honesty rather than evasiveness—one officer claims that he'll often lower the driver's speed on the ticket or let the driver off with a warning. Then again, if you still end up with a ticket, you've still got other options for beating that speeding ticket. Photo by redjar.
Square Enix’s Shiraishi: WiiWare Size Limit No Prob [Devs Talk Wiiware]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
With Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a King one of the flagship titles for the highly-anticipated WiiWare launch, it's interesting to hear co-creators Fumiaki Shiraishi and Toshihiro Tsuchida discuss the design-lite approach to WiiWare at an in-depth feature in Gamasutra.
You'd think it'd be hard for Square Enix, whose titles are known for their size and spectacle, to make such a comparatively teeny game. Was it? Says Shiraishi:
"It actually wasn't that difficult. I think we designed the game to fit in the memory space. It wasn't so much that we had a game and had to squeeze it down. If anything, I think the size restriction helped us. I don't think we would've had this game design idea if we didn't have the memory restriction to begin with."
Once we had the restriction, we had... all our artists are veterans, so if you tell them the size, they'll hit it right on. And once we started making it, in the beginning, a lot of people didn't think we could fit this game in the given size, but we were actually quite a bit under. It uses a little bit of compression, and a little bit of techniques. You can fit a lot of game in a small size."Also, ActRaiser fans? Shiraishi won't say no to a sequel:
"I'd like to make an ActRaiser sequel. That would be kind of fun."
Content Kings: Square Enix's Shiraishi And Tsuchida On WiiWare And Risk [Gamasutra]
Late Late Show Rants Rationally On GTA IV [Clips]
Monday, May 12th, 2008newVideoPlayer("Ferguson_GTA.flv", 475, 376,"");
Okay, Craig Ferguson, you've made me a fan. Your recent monologue on the hubbub surrounding the release of Grand Theft Auto IV—despite it being clear you've not played the thing—is a thing of beauty. Five minutes of material, all based on various GTA IV topics? This is gold, pure gold.
The host of the Late Late Show does more than just make out of touch Pac-Man jokes. He riffs on recent political pandering, the dangers of letting our children get their hands on violent games and tosses in some googly-eyed looks that are just hilarious. Bonus GTA mention after the jump.
newVideoPlayer("Ferguson_GTA_Deux.flv", 475, 376,"");
Yeah, the second bit takes home the bronze, but we can't fault Craig for trying.
DriveSpacio Finds What’s Filling Up Your Hard Drive [Featured Windows Download]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Windows only: Analyze your hard drive usage and find out what's eating up your disk space with freeware application DriveSpacio. Similar to previously mentioned WinDirStat, DriveSpacio sets itself apart with a different approach to displaying your drive usage. Many users will likely prefer the bar graphs and pie charts of DriveSpacio to WinDirStat, but the biggest drawback is that—unlike WinDirStat—it doesn't currently allow you to directly delete or launch a folder from within its interface. That means that once you find something you want to delete, you still have to navigate to it manually in Explorer to delete it. Regardless, the freeware, Windows only DirveSpacio is a great alternative when you're looking to visualize your hard drive usage. Mac users, check out previously mentioned GrandPerspective.
Muzyka: Mass Effect Sex Scene Validates Games As Art [Bioware Speaks Up]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka sounded off to CVG recently about the "SeXbox" controversy centered on Mass Effect, calling it an "interesting experience," and sticking by video games as an art form:
It's very tasteful, but it is an emotionally intense scene, and there's a number of similarly emotional scenes in the game, not just romances but across the board - different relationships between characters.I see videogames as an art form, and they're an emergent art form. They're a commercial art form, but they're still art regardless. And the good thing I think is the fact that people are talking about that kind of scene; it had an impact on them.
It proves that videogames are an art form and proves that Mass Effect is an innovator in that. It's in some ways leading the way and willing to push the envelope a little bit and actually deliver stuff that's really compelling.During the interview, Muzyka also talks about "big plans" for DLC on both Xbox 360 and PC, discussing an "all about quality" philosophy for add-ons that he says will incorporate fan feedback.
Interview: CEO Ray Muzyka talks Mass Effect PC [CVG]
Microsoft Opening Up Lips (And More) Tomorrow? [Loose Lips]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Over the weekend, a nosy NeoGAFer poked around one of Microsoft's press asset resources, digging up a product that goes by the name (or codename) "Lips." What is Lips, exactly? We won't know officially until, I'm guessing 8 or 9 AM Pacific time tomorrow morning, but Microsoft news breakin' blog 8bitjoystick says Lips for the Xbox 360 is not a game, but an accessory.
Lips, according to 8bitjoystick, is vaguely described as having "something to do with voice communications" but is also speculated to possibly be a hardware accessory used in a music title like Rock Band or SingStar. With an already established digital distribution model, a burning desire for more casual market bucks and a gaping karaoke hole in its line up, we wouldn't flinch if a SingStar (and SingStore) clone was coming.
The mystery accessory is said to be separate from the rumored waggle wand—codename "Darwin"—that Microsoft is supposedly showing off at its San Francisco area event, but details beyond that are scant. Sadly, NeoGAF is currently down, so you won't be able to enjoy the rampant speculation (or Kotaku adoration) there for the time being.
In addition to the early spill on Lips, listings for Ninja Blade, Scene It? 2 and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise were uncovered. You've probably heard about that last one.
Check in with us early tomorrow morning for more details. Or, you know, later tonight when this leak turns into a torrent.
Xbox to Unveil Accessory Lips Tomorrow [8bitjoystick]
Possible new games at MS Gamer's Day: Ninja Blade, Scene It 2, Viva TiP, etc [NeoGAF]
Eat Healthy with Grocery List Templates [Cheat Sheet]
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Health weblog SmarterFitter knows how difficult it can be to buy healthy food once you hit the supermarket, so they've created a couple of grocery list templates designed to help you stick to the good stuff. The list breaks down items into helpful shopping categories, leaving a little room in each for your own additions. You're probably already aware of the time you can save by using a grocery list template in the first place, but these templates from SmarterFitter will also help save a little time in the gym.