Happy Labor Day 2008!

Today’s a groovy day to celebrate not going to work by being with your family. Also remember all those people who still have to work when you’re at home, chillin’ by the pool: Police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, newspaper employees, TV news employees, telephone operators and thousands of other jobs.

Go eat some grilled food products, consume a chilled, age-appropriate beverage, ignite a state-approved firework or two and, of course, get in some extra time with your favorite, neglected videogame.

Heck, give your primary World of Warcraft character a break from mining for the day and let them get some well-deserved rest.

Otherwise, go away. It’s a friggin’ national holiday.

Studies indicate video games may help teach positive life-long skills

Two papers presented on August 5, 2008, at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Boston, MA (USA), demonstrated that some videogames can help improve the ability to solve problems and dexterity.

In a paper titled Children’s Problem Solving During Video Game Play, Fordham University psychologist Fran C. Blumberg, PhD, and Sabrina S. Ismailer, MSED, presented the results of a study that examined the problem-solving skills of grade-school aged children while they played videogames.

The subjects (122 fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders) were asked to play a video game that they had never seen before. For 20 minutes during the game, the children had to think out loud so the researchers could gauge how they were thinking about and perceiving the situations in the game. It was found that younger children tended to focus better at in-game problems than the older children who played simply for enjoyment. The younger children also seemed more interested in setting short-term goals than the older children.

Another paper titled Four Dimensions of Video Game Effects by psychologist Douglas Gentile, PhD, and William Stone, BS, described game usage within high school and college-aged students along with a few professionals in the field of laparoscopic surgery. The purpose of the multiple studies that served as the basis for the paper were to detail the effects that gaming had on students’ social performances.

One of Gentile and Stone’s studies indicated that gamers playing violent games tended to be more violent and unforgiving than most gamers who play “prosocial” games. Another of their studies showed that gaming solely for enjoyment usually lead to poor academic performances and obesity. The study that involved 33 laparoscopic surgeons found that the surgeons who gamed could not only perform advanced surgeries more quickly but also made fewer errors in surgery.

Even when examining the gender differences, level of experience and number of surgeries done, it was found that advanced gaming skills can be a strong indicator of suturing capabilities. Another study, focusing on 303 surgeons, also found that their spatial skills and dexterity were improved by games that require both.

This shows that games aren’t necessarily good or bad but may have previously unknown (or unassumed) educational implications.

Another study titled Informal Scientific Reasoning in Online Game Forums by researchers Constance Steinkuehler, PhD, and Sean Duncan, MA, used the ever-popular World of Warcraft. It showed that games where characters have to work together to level up end up helping out with problem solving abilities as well as teamwork abilities. They also tend to level up quicker. It also showed that people who openly talked about plans within the game were dealing with in-game problems in a scientific manner when trying to figure out how to get through a difficult area or defeat a difficult boss.

Read [Psych Central News] Also Read American Psychological Association] Also Read [APA 2008 Convention]

An update of the upcoming zOMG! MMO on Gaia Online

For those of you who remember the Gaia Online announcements from Boston Anime 2008 in March and zOMG! closed-beta announcement in July 2008.

I was tickled pink to take a personal tour of the upcoming zOMG! MMO game with senior producer and director of zOMG!, Dave Georgeson. The game looks amazing. Don’t let those little saucer-eyed marshmallow puffs of cuteness fool you. From the preview demonstration Georgeson and his team gave, its nothing I’d wanna hug or hang around with but its a world I can’t wait to explore.

If you think Gaia Online is amazing, you will be more than pleased with their newest game scheduled for the end of Summer 2008. No exact date as of yet since they are still in the testing phase of quality assurance.

“The clients are all in flash for a full feature MMO with a lot more. No cost to play, no downloads. Just play as long as you want to,” Georgeson said during the presentation. “We’re driving! Gaia Online has been growing over the past few years with unique players every month (and) millions of posts a day. Its an active community with features on the site that’s really rich. When we asked the community what they would like to see most of all and they asked for an MMO to make Gaia come to life ... so we have been working (on the project for) the past year and half.”

He said the one thing they didn’t want to do is create an MMO that would separate the Gaia users from their friends or a game where they had to create an entirely new identity or avatar to play.

“The site is really cool and have a lot of MMO features on it already with thousands of costume options, houses and we knew the players have already created their identity which is preserved in the game,” Georgeson said. “Its definitely the most easiest MMO to get into. It wouldn’t mean much if it weren’t a fun game. All thing things you’d expect from a regular MMO but there’s a lot of social features, mini games, guilds, crews [groups] and things like badges, recipes and tons of things to do. But we had to start from a different spot than most people do and most MMOs begin from a cookie cutter start.”

In the demonstration, he explained that since most Gaia users are used to the community aspect of the site that they would want to maintain the community aspect of Gaia within the MMO world which also included staying in contact with friends.

“It is easy to find your friends in this game,” Georgeson explained. “ In [regular] MMOs you have to create a character in [a game-assigned] server. In our game we don’t care where you go, but what we do care about is you finding your friends. So you can log in, click on a button and find your friends. So that its easy to make friends, easy to find your friends and easy to play. Our audience is 55 percent girls and 45 percent guys, our audience is different so we needed to do things differently. The flexibility is really serious and we stepped up what your characters do in advance. The goal is to make the game easy to play at any level. Everything is designed to be casual (when it comes to) picking up the game. I don’t want to label this game as casual, but it’s causal in how you pick up (and understand the game). It will become more complex as you go.”

While Georgeson’s avatar began battling the creatures of zOMG! he discussed the many options players can choose for their avatars and how to advance in the game whether you decide to visit the NPC (non playable characters) for quests or go on an adventure with your friends.

“We have had to do some things differently by putting efforts into the storyline and characters themselves,” Georgeson said. “I’ve mentioned the mini-games… we’ve developed these mini-games that players can play regardless of who is around them. You can find flags or fight monsters its more of a social experience. It’s social in that it tries to introduce you to other players and allow you to make new friends by talking to other people to help build clans and groups. We will continuously evolve the game in the coming years as the world itself is fairly large.”

He said in the world of zOMG! there are areas within the game that are only accessible after achieving certain events and added that the best thing about the game is that its free but there are options to make donations for certain items and perks.

“The game is really free and we’re serious about that, you can play without spending a dime but one of the things you can do to support the game is buy superchargers that help restore your avatar’s stamina,” he said. “Players can take any item and sell them in the marketplace if they choose. For now we’re shooting for a release by the end of Summer but I can’t guarantee a set date. Unlike a lot of companies I’ve ever worked for and I’ve been in games for more than 20 years, I’m really happy and feel better about this game.”

According to the site’s fact sheet, the game will allow players to explore the world of Gaia in a new way with features that include streaming music, stylish worlds that are already familiar to Gaia members, interactive game play and side quests. Features I can’t wait to explore myself once it releases and being a member of Gaia Online for awhile, I can honestly say this site has grown and evolved into something totally awesome.

Read [Anime Boston] Read [Gamertell] Site [Gaia Online] Site [zOMG!]

Playstation Store Update for the week of August 28 to September 3, 2008

Just another typical week at the Playstation Store. Nothing really worth mentioning on the list this time, except that the name of the new James Bond flick reminds me far too much of a Castlevania title. I eagerly await its sequel, Symphony of the Soviets.

Here, do yourselves a big favor. Go and play Samurai Showdown 2 and Ys instead.

But, if you insist, here’s the list.

Full Games
The Last Guy ($9.99)

Demos
NHL 09
Soul Calibur IV

Add-on Content
Rock Band songs: Locksley Pack 1, including “She Does,” “Don’t Make Me Wait” and “All Over Again” by Locksley ($1 per song, $3 for the pack)
Warhawk Fallen Star Pack ($7.99) and Booster Combo, including Operations Omega Dawn, Broken Mirror and Fallen Star ($15.99)

Game Videos
LittleBigPlanet Leipzig “Sackzilla” Trailer
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift Leipzig Trailer
PAIN Trauma Mode Trailer
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Play the Pros with Tanner Foust!
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Machine Gun, Bazooka and Squad Gameplay Videos
Facebreaker Audition Video #1-3
Madden NFL 09 Gameplay and Play Call Trailers
Top Spin 3 Player Creator Trailer

Movie Trailers
Quantum of Solace
Prom Night

Wallpapers
The Last Guy (PS3)

Read [Playstation Blog]

Escort Missions: Possibly the most hated task in video games

Consider this common gaming scenario: You sneak in behind enemy lines undetected in search of a person. This person is vital to the completion of your mission and failure to secure them will result in a swift and immediate restart. You manage to find the person you’re looking for all without wasting too much ammo or health kits but, naturally, there’s a catch. You must now escort that person through the battlefield in order to finish the level. The enemies have magically respawned in greater numbers and your escort is utterly defenseless (and useless) against their firepower. This my friends is the harsh way of escort missions in gaming.

Rick “32 Footsteps” Healey wrote a lengthy post on Netjak describing the tedious task known as the escort mission that has remained virtually unchanged since it was first introduced so many years ago.

The main problem with escort missions is your so-called partner artificial intelligence (AI). Most of the time they walk blindly into the line of fire with no regard for themselves. This makes the character we control more vulnerable to injury because we have to become meat shields to guard our precious escort.

Naturally, any chance of stealthily making it to your destination goes up in smoke in this high pressure situation. Some developers see this as a chance to get our hearts racing due to the enemy somehow knowing the prisoner has escaped regardless of how many of them we’ve already killed on the way in. In reality, our hearts are racing because of the large amounts of frustration we endure trying to make sense of this pointless turn of events.

There are some games that handle escort missions quite well. Resident Evil 4, for example, had a long session of gameplay where Leon must guide Ashley through the environment. Ashley wasn’t that annoying to have around because she responded to what was going on around her. She ducked whenever Leon aimed his gun at her therefore she doesn’t get shot easily, she stayed very close and in view of the camera so we didn’t have to keep checking on her whereabouts and Leon could control when he wanted her to move, wait, or hide while he took out the trash.

Maybe RE 4 did a decent job of escort missions because a large portion of the game depended on it, while other games throw it in for filler. Either way, intricate care must be taken whenever these missions pop up especially if the escorted has no combat abilities.

Read [Netjak] Also Read [Escapist Magazine]

Gettin’ your game on, granny-style

Who says your too old for video games? Not the residents of Morningside assisted living community in Hopkinsville, KY (USA). They enjoy getting up in the morning to join their fellow seniors in a nice frame of Wii Bowling . They even create their own Mii avatars to personalize their experience.

Some choose to bowl the traditional way, swinging the WiiMote to knock over as many pins as they can. One particular lady, Shirley Woodward, decided to stay seated and try out the game “granny-style.” Either way they play it, they are having fun doing something they might not be able to do in real life.

What could be a better use of Wii Sports than this? The game involves very little movement and hardly any effort, so it’s great for a senior who may not be as mobile as they once were. Also it’s realistic swinging and movements gives the player the feeling of playing a real frame of bowling or a real tennis match.

When you live in an assisted living community, there is not much opportunity to get out and enjoy playing sports, plus a lot of occupants are rather frail and wouldn’t be able to play a real game of tennis or golf. Wii Sports has giving these seniors a chance to have fun again, and remember what fun it was to stand in a bowling alley and throw a ball at some pins.

They can also play with their grandkids when they come in to visit. The children love being able to play a game with their grandparents, and the grandparents love actually having a fighting chance against their much younger counterparts.

Not only is this a fun experience for the seniors, but it is also great exercise. With each swing of the Wiimote, and each step around the lane (or field) they are working out their bodies and developing a great sense of hand eye coordination.

So what’s next in store for the residents of Hopkinsville, Kentucky? Perhaps they will discover their love for fly fishing? Or stock car racing? At least they won’t have to leave the convenience of their own wheelchairs.

Read [Kentucky.com] Also Read [Atria Senior living news]

Gamecock makes like an arcade at PAX 08

I have to admire the way Gamecock set up its booth at PAX 08. It was enclosed with transparent plastic and in very low light, like arcades of the ‘80s. To complete the illusion of a video arcade, players would even stand up as they played the game in arcade-style casings. Here is a list of the games they had available to play:

Legendary: I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for this one and I finally got a chance to see what it was about. You play as a thief who tries to rob Pandora’s box from a museum, only to end up opening it. It releases all these legendary creatures like gargoyles and werewolves, and the player must stop the world from being torn apart in this first person shooter. It looks pretty cool as you can behead opponents and it should be available for the Xbox and PS3 in October 2008.

Mushroom Men: Somewhat cute little platform/RPG where the player plays a mushroom man involved in a war between edible and poisonous mushrooms. The Rise of the Fungi is the DS version, and should be available in November 2008. The Spore Wars should be available in November 2008 for the Wii.

Pirates vs. Ninjas. This Xbox Live game answers that age-old question with a few robots and zombies thrown in.

Velvet Assassin: For this game, I had to wait for a special demo, and it won’t be out until the beginning of next year for the Xbox 360 and the PC. The basic premise is that the protagonist Violet is a female assassin in World War II. It is a first-person shooter that has a definite Bioshock influence and I will report more on this later.

All in all, I felt Gamecock pulled out all the stops with their booth, and I look forward to playing some of these new releases.

Site [GameCock Media] Site [Penny Arcade Expo]

South Peak’s new games on display at PAX 08

I had a great time at the South Peak booth and I can honestly say that it has nothing to do with the lady in this picture. No, she represents one of several games that South Peak has available soon. I’ll start with this one.

X Blades: A hack-and-slash game where you take on many, many, many foes all at once. Take the main character Ayumi (represented by this woman in the photo) through 40 levels of deadly danger, Kill Bill style. For the Xbox 360 and the PC.

Ninja Town: Based on the designer toys by Shawnnimals, this cute little tower defense style game for the DS Lite pits cute little ninjas against the attacks of Mr. Demon.

Big Bang Mini: A fireworks shooter game for the DS plays a lot like Missile Command. Basically, you shoot things with fireworks, and if you miss, the fireworks sparks will hit you. It is a lot more fun than it sounds.

TOW: An acronym for “Things On Wheels,” you will enter a world where you can operate a remote control car on some very unique terrains.

Raven Squad: This was one of the most interesting games that I encountered at PAX. It is a combination of a first-person shooter and strategy for the Xbox or PC. You command two squads with four soldiers each, and each soldier has a different specialty. You can toggle between soldiers, squads, or gameplay allowing you to play in FPS or overhead mode. I will definitely cover this one again in a future article.

All of these games will be available soon on various platforms from SouthPeak.

Site [SouthPeak Games] Site [Penny Arcade Expo]

EA’s new games on dispay at PAX 08

You’ve got to hand it to EA for creating a presence at PAX. They had not just one but three booths on the floor, plus several others related to them. Here are the games they had on display, some more prominently than others.

Dragon Age: Origins: I believe that I mentioned in a previous article about the unusual booth. It looks to be a very awesome fantasy RPG. I will definitely talk about this game in a future article.

Facebreaker: It looks like a boxing game taken to the next level. Players can upload a photo of their face onto their player with Photo Game Face, and play against another player. It has an irreverent yet whimsical spirit to it.

Mirror’s Edge: It looks to be a first-person shooter with no shooting. I realize that sounds very lame but all the action feels lifelike as you control the main character’s actions to jump and climb totally from their eye. I will definitely follow-up on this one.

Battlefield Heroes: A Play 4 Free shooter that looks kind of cartoonish. No gritty action here, just good clean fun games of war.

Lord of the Rings: Conquest: It’s another LOTR game. Looks great, but hey, doesn’t anything created by Tolkien naturally gifted? While we’re on that subject, Turbine had some cool Lord of the Rings Online updates that I will report on later this week.

Need for Speed Undercover: In case you can’t wait for The Fast and the Furious 4, feel free to indulge in this game where you go, as the title implies, undercover to infiltrate a crime syndicate.

Dead Space: Very dark, very space, very cool. I fully intend to write up a more detailed account on this as soon as I can get it. Right now, it is a science fiction horror game where you must take on a deadly alien scourge to survive.

Battle Forge: A fantasy real-time strategy that uses digital cards for playing.

Spore: Need I say more? I believe we’ve covered this before, and I will not talk like Dr. Seuss any more.

Crysis: Warhead: A new Crysis game involving a parallel story. It looks as good as the original.

Mercenaries 2: Out of all the games, this one should be out now. I saw lots of players lining up to blow things up.

War Hammer and Rock Band 2: No comment, as none is needed.

As I mentioned before, I will be following up on many of these titles.

Site [EA’s Coming Soon] Read [Gamertell]

Amazon offering Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition

A Collector’s Edition to the highly anticipated sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man has been spotted lurking around Amazon for the PS3. It includes a beefy amount of extra content for $79.99. Amazon also lists the release date for Resistance 2 as November 4, 2008, though that date can change at any moment before release.

Along with the game the Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition will include a bonus DVD of behind-the-scenes content and video commentary from the good people at Insomniac Games. There’s also a video called “Twisted History” that probably details the events leading up to the creation and invasion of the Chimera.

Speaking of Chimera, a 5.5 in. Chimera action figure with equipped with a Bullseye weapon will be thrown into the box as well. An exclusive in-game HVAP Wraith multiplayer skin comes in the pack next to a doubled-sided Resistance 2 art book that shows the battle from two perspectives and a look at the upcoming Resistance novel titled Resistance: The Gathering Storm

That’s a lot of things to wrap your head around. It seems like a good deal for roughly $20 more than the cost of the game alone.

Purchase [Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition] Read [Insomniac Union]

Hands on with Jumpgate Evolution at PAX 08

The entrance to PAX 08 had an impressive display of Jumpgate Evolution, a new MMO space combat game made by Codemasters Online and NetDevil. The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but to compare it to Eve Online. It was hard not to, as it is an MMO game with spaceships.

Of course, no one can copyright the MMO space game and Jumpgate Evolution has one great aspect that sets it apart from Eve: Jumpgate Evolution skips through much of the boring set-up involved in most MMO games and puts you right into the action.

When I sat down and began playing, I was on a mission to shoot enemy fighters in mere minutes. The controls were easy to get used to, and it reminded me of the old-school starfighting of Wing Commander or Star Wars X-wing Fighter.

Those games probably take you back, don’t they? Remember how good we thought the graphics on those games were back then? Jumpgate Evolution has excellent graphics, creating a universe that is not just a black field with stars, but a beautiful place colored by nebula clouds.

The game takes its name from the Jumpgates located in several places, which look like a cross between the Jumpgates on Babylon 5 with the transparent water effect of Stargate.

There are player vs. player options, and a player can even form groups called Squads. Every squad will get their own website saying who is in the group, and other important information, including how another player can join.

Unfortunately, there is no word on Jumpgate Evolution‘s release, as I was told that I wasn’t even playing the beta version. Until then, be on pins and needles. By the way, you might want to set up your computer with three monitors as the game becomes even more lifelike on a three-monitor setup.

Site [Jumpgate Evolution] Site [Penny Arcade Expo]

Flying Labs shows off Pirates of the Burning Sea at PAX 08

Flying Labs, the developers of the MMO pirate game Pirates of the Burning Sea, had essentially the same demo of PotBS that they had at last year’s PAX (2007). If you haven’t played this game yet, then you really should.

Like any MMO game, you can custom build a character but the combat is a little trickier than most MMOs as you must use the number keys to attack with your sword.

The big selling point of PotBS is the ship-to-ship fighting with cannons. This is done from a birds-eye view and the player must work with the wind in order to get within firing range of the enemy. The effects of the water looked incredible as it rippled just like the real ocean. Someone at Flying Labs deserves a raise.

PotBS is completely divorced from a certain Disney pirate franchise that occurs in the Caribbean. PotBS has something different as far as the supernatural element is concerned. There doesn’t seem to be any Krakens, Davy Joneses, Tia Dalma’s, or pirates who appear to be zombies when seen in the moonlight. No, the supernatural element is all about stuff you’d see in ghost stories, and the Bermuda Triangle comes into play as well. PotBS is also not designed for kids, as “there will be blood”.

Flying Labs looks forward to the future, where they plan to revise the combat of the avatars, which already looks cool to begin with. Characters don’t just fight each other mechanically, but it looks like how two players would fight in a swashbuckling adventure movie.

They also intend to implement “player port governance”, which allows for players to govern a port. The player can manage the resources of that port, and even embezzle some money. Other future developments include specially designing ships.

You should be able to get Pirates of the Burning Sea now, with free upgrades every month. ARRR! Take that, Jack Sparrow! By the way, Pirates of the Burning Sea is the “official game” of Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19, 2008).

Site [Pirates fo the Burning Sea] Site [Penny Arcade Expo]

Labor Day Sale: Call of Duty 4 for PC $39.95

Are you one of the people who have heard nothing but good things about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare but never got the chance to experience it? Now is your chance to pick it up at a $10 discount from Direct2Drive. The sale started August 29, 2008, and will continue until midnight, September 1, 2008.

Direct2Drive offers the game as a digital download that is stored right onto your hard drive. The game comes with all the features and downloadable patches that has been offered so far.

Direct2Drive also has a bundle available that includes Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty 4 for $64.95. That’s a savings of about $5 if you take time to do the math on the suggested retail prices. Just make sure you thoroughly check out the system requirements before you purchase so you can have the top-notch CoD 4 experience that others have had since launch day.

Purchase [Direct2Drive] Read [Yahoo! Games]

Sony delays Life with PlayStation release

When Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho Kaz Hirai announced Life with PlayStation at the end of June 2008, PS3 owners expected the service to be available by the end of August 2008 after a post was made on the PlayStation Blog. The end of August is here and Life with PlayStation is still nowhere to be found. Now it seems we have to wait a little longer while Sony sorts out more paperwork.

Life with PlayStation is going to be a free service that can be accessed from the XMB (Xross Media Bar). It will deliver streaming news and weather updates while showing a 3D representation of the Earth. You can check the weather conditions for any part of the world and the globe will spin to that location. There’s even the option of listening to music stored on the PS3 hard drive while you get your news and weather fix.

Sony also announced today (August 29, 2008) that Life with PlayStation would be combined with its Folding@home project. That means whenever you access Life with PlayStation, Folding@home will be running alongside it in the background. Imagine being able to check the news and contribute to finding cures for diseases at the same time all without leaving your home. The future is now.

Read [PlayStation Blog] Also Read [PlayStation LifeStyle]

Gamertell at PAX 2008: An eyewitness account

As I write this, I am waiting in line for the keynote speaker, Ken Levine (not pictured). This picture above shows what the line to the keynote looks like from my point of view. I’ve already written about his keynote, but I will do my best to summarize what I have seen at PAX so far.

• Bioware has the most unusual booth. It is this completely enclosed, and it makes you feel like you have stepped into a medieval dungeon. They will only let people in on certain intervals to preview their latest game, Dragon Age: Origins.
• Left for Dead by Valve and Fallout 3 from Bethesda are huge attractions. I can barely see the game with all wannabe players swarming about.
• NCSoft’ s booth isn’t attracting many visitors, and no one is playing Guild Wars.
• Both Harmonix and Activision are using the same plan, as they each have PAX attendees performing playing their respective games, Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Their stages look remarkably alike as well. It is nice to see that gamers can be rock stars.
• Ubisoft got into the musical act as attendees take to their stage and dance along to the Wiimote action of the new Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party game.
• The big three consoles all have one game on display that is a big crowd magnet. Nintendo has the Wii Music, Sony has Little Big Planet, and Microsoft has Gears of War 2.
• Renegade Games has one of the most original displays. It is a set-up that looks straight out of MASH, where an attendee can receive a temporary tattoo or get a buzzcut in exchange for a copy of the Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (when it is released). Kudos to the marketing department!
• Stardock has the Gamer’s Bill of Rights, which is easily worth another article. Fortunately, Jeremy Hill has written one.

All of this is all going on at once in the midst of crowd that I can barely pass through. I am loving all this action.

Site [PAX 2008]

Cryptic Studios and the PAX Party of Champions

Cryptic Studios was in a party mood on Friday night (August 29, 2008) of PAX, hosting a big shindig at Seattle’s Public Library. Since Cryptic was celebrating the soon-to-be released Champions Online, there were superheroes present.

For example, a man in a tuxedo and mask checked for my invitation, while a man wearing a padded suit of fake muscles stood by as a fake bouncer. I was given a lone-ranger style mask, and joined the party.

I learned a lot about the Champions Online game. At first I was wondering how it was different from City of Heroes, a game also designed by Cryptic. I discovered that Champions Online does some things that City does not.

First, Champions Online has a very interactive environment as a player can pick up, destroy, and throw objects. Second, the world of Champions doesn’t just take place in just a city, but across the entire world. There are even some galactic adventures, but they didn’t go into detail about it.

One of the most unique features that sets Champions Online apart from any MMORPG is that it allows you to create your own arch nemesis. This “greatest enemy” will then show up as you level up, and he (or she) will be your Lex Luthor to your Superman.

Some of you might recognize the name of Champions as a Role-Playing Game from the eighties. As it so happens, Cryptic bought the franchise and set the game in this very well-developed universe and will remain true to it.

The excitement begins in Spring 2009, and will be available on both PC and Xbox 360, which could be an industry first for an MMO.

Tony Hawk’s Motion announced for DS

The latest game in the Tony Hawk skateboarding franchise titled Tony Hawk’s Motion has been officially announced for the Nintendo DS. Activision says we’ll be able to “twist, tilt and turn through various skateboarding sessions” which suggests this title will bring some changes to the Tony Hawk games we’re used to playing as well as introduce a new peripheral to the DS.

Tony Hawk’s Motion will utilize a Motion Pack developed by Kionix, a company that specializes in motion sensing products and will slide right into the GBA slot on the DS. This game will also feature some snowboarding action as well spanning more than 20 levels. It is very odd for snowboarding to be in a Tony Hawk game but Activision may be using this to test the waters before they bring more motion controlled games to the DS.

When the rail grinding has come to a halt, we can pop in another game called Hue Pixel Painter that will come bundled with Tony Hawk’s Motion. This game will also use the Motion Pack in order to bring color to the game’s world. It sort of sounds like De Blob but Activision isn’t saying too much about the game.

Tony Hawk’s Motion will be available in November 2008 for $39.99

Read [Operation Sports] Also Read [IGN]

Keynote Speaker at PAX 2008: Ken Levine

For those of you who don’t know who Ken Levine is, he is the founder and creative director of 2K Boston, and the keynote speaker for the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo. His impressive resume consists of System Shock 2, the Freedom Force series, Tribes: Vengeance and, of course, Bioshock.

I was not certain what to expect when Ken Levine took the stage, but the last thing I was expecting was his autobiography. Not only that, he talked about his adolescence and how he “wanted to have sex with the Scarlet Witch”. (This is not an actual quote, as I am censoring how he actually phrased it.)

Levine went on to explain how his love for comic books, video games, and other science fiction made him feel like a nerd to the other kids. However, he eventually found his “Tribe” in a group who played Dungeons and Dragons. Unfortunately, as his friends grew up, they became more interested in women than dice, and his group broke apart.

Levine then talked about his experience in Hollywood, and how he was commissioned to write a romantic comedy which, in his own words, “sucked.” He then began to work odd jobs, but by night, he loved video games.

Levine talked about how he had a sudden realization one day: “If I’m paying money to buy video games, there must be people who are being paid to make video games”. After getting a job at Looking Glass studios, he found his “Tribe” once more.

Like keynote Wil Wheaton at PAX last year, Levine reaffirmed that all PAX attendees are from diverse background, but they are all gamers. Unlike Wheaton, he added that we are all a “great bunch of f___ing nerds”.

Read [The Escapist] Also Read [Gamertell] Site [PAX 2008]

Download Command & Conquer: Red Alert for free compliments of EA

Electronic Arts is so excited about the release of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on October 28, 2008, it has decided to give away the first Red Alert game on its website for free.

The promotion begins on August 31, 2008, but there hasn’t been any word on when this offer will expire. If you want to take part in this offer, click on over to the Red Alert 3 website on that day and you’ll be given instructions on downloading.

EA’s generosity doesn’t stop there though. If you choose to put down $50 towards pre-ordering Red Alert 3 by October 27, 2008, EA will throw in a free download of Red Alert 2.

Basically you can own every game in the Red Alert series for the price of one though you don’t have to pay anything for the first game.

Read [Shacknews] Also Read [Gamezone]

Stardock creates Gamer’s Bill of Rights

It’s not easy being a PC gamer these days. There used to be a time where the best graphics, physics, and multiplayer gameplay was what made PC gaming stand out from consoles.

Recently, some of the more intense games for PC require insanely powerful hardware that the average person just doesn’t have. Besides, some of those same titles can be experienced at equal or greater quality on current home consoles.

As PC gaming takes a turn for the worst, indie game developer Stardock has introduced what it calls the “Gamer’s Bill of Rights” which it hopes will help enhance the quality of PC games.

As an act of good faith, Stardock is imploring anyone who is having trouble playing their game The Political Machine to return it to Stardock for a full refund. Stardock is also at the Penny Arcade Expo this year proudly displaying their bill for anyone to see.

Here is the sacred list of gamers’ rights:

1) Gamers shall have the right to return games that don’t work with their computers for a full refund.

2) Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.

3) Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game’s release.

4) Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.

5) Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.

6) Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won t install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.

7) Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.

8) Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.

9) Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.

10) Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

Read [Techspot] Also Read [Gamezone]

PSP brite features shorter battery life

Those considering upgrading their PSPs once the PSP-3000 model (aka the PSP brite) is released may want to reconsider. John Koller, the director of Hardware Marketing at Sony, spoke with GameSpot concering the newest incarnation of the portable device. While most of the video isn’t that astounding, Koller’s comment concerning the PSP brite’s battery life will make your eyes pop.

The changes to the system mean that the battery life of the PSP brite will be 20-30 minutes less than the battery life of existing PSPs. I guess the brighter screen, stronger backlight and built in mic are going to use a lot of power. On the plus side, Sony’s going to bring the extended life battery back - something PSP-3000 users might need.

GameSpot’s video of John Koller discussing the PSP-3000:

The battery issue alone is enough to disuade me from upgrading my PSP slim. I already only average five hours with mine, and I’ve noticed that if I don’t play it for a while, it seems like it’s lost power. On the other hand, my DS lite seems to get at least eight hours of battery life.

Read [GameSpot] Via [PSP Fanboy]

Game prices aren’t going to fall

A recent article in the Daily Reveille tells frequent game buyers something we all already know - game prices aren’t going to fall. Abraham Felix’s article discusses the average $50-$60 dollar price tag on console games and also cites a Reuters report that videogame and software sales are still continuing to rise, despite the increase in average price.

Felix goes on to state that that the prices aren’t going to fall as long as consumers are willing to pay such premium prices. The article also goes on to suggest that an increase in episodic games or new developing concepts could make game prices fall. Personally, I don’t see this happening. If anything, I could see an episodic game costing players more money than a single game in the long run, should players purchase every episode. Also, I doubt a new developing concept would make companies lower prices - they already know they can get $50-60 per game and I don’t think they’d drop prices unless they started seeing a decrease in sales.

Here’s what will probably happen - people will cut down drastically when it comes to buying new games. Meanwhile, used stores and websites that can sell games at a discount, like GameStop, Amazon, Half.com or Goodwill/Salvation Army, will see a surge in video game sales. It’ll probably take a while, maybe a few years, but then game companies will see that $60 videogames are ludicrous and we’ll finally see an average $30-40 price range again. I know I rarely purchase games new. The only time I will is if I know it is a limited release game.

Read [Daily Reveille]

Square Enix shop to stock Kingdom Hearts jewelry

Square Enix has just announced that the Square Enix Store is going to start stocking some high-end Kingdom Hearts jewelry. Fans of the series will be able to purchase official keyblade keychains (available in three different designs) or a charm bracelet and charms. All items will be online exclusives, and will start appearing in the store between August 30 and September 13, 2008. The three metal keyblade keychains will be available in Kingdom Key, Oblivion and Oath Keeper styles. The charm bracelet will come with a heart charm, but Mickey, Kairi, Sora, Roxas, Keyblade and Heartless charms will be sold separately.

Prices haven’t been announced for any of the items, but I get the feeling the bracelet might be pricy. (After all, its usually silver.) A lot of the Square Enix store jewelry tends to hover around $100, and since you’d have to buy the charms separately, it could get expensive. The keychains should be pretty affordable though - as most other Square Enix Final Fantasy keychains hover around $13.99. Of course, an order from the Square Enix store has to be over $23 to be processed, so you’d have to purchase two in order to get them.

If you can’t wait for (or afford) the official items, I’d suggest visiting a site like My Import Store and browsing its Kingdom Hearts section. The items won’t be as high quality (I purchased a FFVIII necklace/ring set from them years ago, and the ring turned black after a year), but you’ll still have a fun little accessory you can enjoy for a short while at a reasonable price.

Site [Square Enix Store] Site [My Import Store]

Brett Ratner would love to make a Guitar Hero movie

Have you ever finished a great run of a song on Guitar Hero and thought “man, that would make a great movie!”? No? Well, Brett Ratner, the director of such films as Rush Hour and Red Dragon did, and he was happy to tell MTV that he would “love” to make a film based on the musically inclined franchise. As for his GH street cred, well, Joystiq reported that the famed director actually came up with the name for Guitar Hero: World Tour, whatever that’s worth.

Ok, I think there might be a way to make a cool movie out of this - maybe a sort of tongue-in-cheek satire about a no-name band’s rise to fame. As long as audience members are allowed to participate in the musical portions of the movie (Rocky Horror Picture Show style) it might be fun. Otherwise, in the words of Tony Soprano… Fuggetaboutit.

Read [Joystiq]

Gamertell Exclusive: Defense Grid: The Awakening impressions from PAX 2008

As you might know, I am here at the Penny Arcade Expo here in Seattle, WA. I am quite excited to see the lineup and I have had a chance to preview a brand-new, unreleased game before the Expo has even begun. Independent gaming company Hidden Path invited me to a sneak peek at their newest game: Defense Grid: The Awakening.

What I played, I liked. Defense Grid: The Awakening is a game that is best described as “tower defense”. The basic premise is that you are at an abandoned base that is being invaded by hordes of aliens, and the only way to stop them is to raise up weapon towers to exterminate them.

The game requires a lot of thought as you must strategically place your weapon towers in key positions to eliminate aliens before they take your power cores. Early levels of the game have a choice of weapons including a gun, laser, and inferno (a cool flamethrower weapon), and later levels include cannons and Tesla (a sweet lightning-shooting weapon). These were just the levels that I played, but I am told that there are 10 types of towers with 3 available upgrades to induce maximum damage on multiple targets.

A key strategy in the game is keeping track of your military budget. It costs money to make towers and you will only get more resources when enemies are killed. The game is a precarious juggling act of keeping your resources up and the enemies down.

I can honestly say that I fully enjoyed playing this game and would not be surprised if it wound up in my shopping cart in November.

Read [Kotaku] Site [PAX] Site [Hidden Path]

Analyst describes PSP as “no-man’s land” for developers

Sony confirmed and announced it’s new PSP-3000 model at Leipzig 2008 earlier this month which offers improvements including a brighter screen and a built-in microphone. One thing that has become quite troubling over the years, however, is the number of must-have PSP titles compared to the Nintendo DS. Even though the PSP continues to show strong hardware sales, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Patcher thinks the new hardware changes are signs of a much larger problem.

Speaking with Das Gamer Patcher said:

“Sony over-engineered the PSP, and as a result, it’s become a no-man’s land. You can’t make a title of Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 quality for it, but you can sell way more copies of simpler, less far-reaching games on the DS instead. It’s more expensive to develop for the system too: As a developer, you can make a $50,000 title for the iPhone, or pay $1 million for a PSP outing – which do you think goes over better?”

Patcher believes the PSP was introduced before the public was truly ready to embrace its power. In addition to that, Patcher thinks Sony is trying to juggle too many gaming platforms at one time and the PSP is suffering because of that.

“Blame Japan, who’s instructing the US to play catch-up with Microsoft on Xbox Live, step up its online game with Home, offer movie downloads and push the Blu-ray home theater initiative just to begin with. Something had to give. The company has been spreading itself too thin.”

Patcher may not be too far off in his statements. There hasn’t been any blockbuster PSP titles since God of War: Chains of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII were released Spring 2008 (and those games had brand recognition to push software sales). It’s very rare for an original and unique PSP game to come along and gain notoriety in America without the aid of established franchises and PS3 ports. Can Sony live up to its 10-year life cycle for the PSP? At this rate, it’s not looking too good.

Read [Das Gamer] Via [Joystiq] Also Read [Skypz]

Gamertell Review: Belkin N1 Vision wireless router

Product: Belkin N1 Vision Wireless Router
Price: $149.95
Rating: Two thumbs up; 95/100; A; ****1/2 out of five.
Pros: Super easy to install, fast download speeds, easy-to-use on-board mini screen and nice security features.
Cons: A little tall for some users’ setup.
Overall: A great investment for anyone who wants maximum wireless performance and gets frustrated checking connections through a web-based interface. A great buy.

As with so many things, your internet connection is only as fast as your slowest connection. It’s ye olde “only as strong as your weakest link” for the internet age yet the adage still rings dern true.

Enter Belkin’s N1 Vision wireless router, promising 300Mbps (physical) transfer rate and support for 802.11b, g, n draft 2.0 and 802.3ab. If that wasn’t impressive enough, it comes with a super convenient status mini screen.

After several weeks of use, Belkin’s N1 Vision is now my favorite wireless router.

Design – The N1 Vision ships with the router, a quick installation guide (4 pages, 1 sheet of paper), CD user manual, power supply and RJ45 Ethernet cable. The system has a pre-mounted base and is intended to be stood upright so the mini status display screen faces front and the connection ports (1 power, 1 Gigabit Ethernet modem port and 4 Gigabit Ethernet computer ports) are on the back. It also comes with a plastic Belkin tech support phone number card.

It stands 13.25 in tall, not including the three 2.5 in. antenna which, when pointing up, add 1 9/16 in. to the system’s total height. The face is 6 1/8 in. wide and the main body is only 1.5 in. wide although it is angled on the base which is 3 9/1 in. deep. Without anything plugged in, the system weighs 1 lb. 0.2 oz (460 g)

It has a shiny black plastic front with grey plastic base and back. Above the middle point, on the front of the N1 router is a monochromatic (blue) mini LCD screen with an actual display area that measures 2 5/8 in. wide and 1 5/16 in tall (approx. 3 in. diagonal).

Features – The router supports most known IEEE wireless formats: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n draft 2.0 and 802.3ab. As with all Belkin products (and modern routers), once installed, there is a web-based interface that allows you to set up the router from a wire-connected computer.

The LCD on the front of the system works in conjunction with a five-button (Menu, OK, Up, Down, left and Right) control pad to the right. Pressing the buttons allows you to scroll through several status screens to check connection status, connection speed (download and upload speedometer), the devices connected to the system (wired and wireless), 24-hour usage listed by machine and a big ol’ clock with the current time and date. You can also access a Help menu and set the wireless Guest Access privileges.

It includes the usual security (WPA, WPA2, 64/128-bit WEP) as well as MAC Address filtering. As an added security measure you can also lock down wireless access for 20 MAC addresses.

Performance – Of the dozen routers I’ve tested, the initial setup for the Belkin N1 is the fastest and easiest router setup I have ever experienced. (I believe my initial reaction was something to the family-friendly extent of, “Holy crap, that was easy.")

Thanks to UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) and XP, as soon as you power up, with the computer Ethernet plugged in, your computer recognizes the new external device (this should also work with Vista and Mac OSes that support UPnP). You click on the balloon in the bottom right corner of the screen to launch a web browser window to immediately access the setup screen that is essentially 3 to 4 clicks: Pick an option, click, pick, click, pick, click, done. It is that easy and takes about as long as it took you to read it.

From there it’s a matter of getting devices connected as you would with any router and setting up your security. I’m a MAC filter kind guy, allowing only the devices in my house to access my network. That means either typing or importing a MAC address list into the filter section.

For the N1, there are two MAC address input areas. One is for wireless only which is a nice feature, but it only allows 20 devices, so you can forget this option for a large office situation where computers and other wireless devices might be connecting. For a home, that should be plenty (as long as you don’t own as many computers and game systems as I do).

The other MAC filtering, which allows or prevents any wired or wireless device, requires that you input each address one at a time. Between each address, it had to reboot the system, which is unlike previous Belkin products. For 20+ address, that means a 10 second waiting period between each input. Sure, it’s only a few minutes in the end but it feels like much longer when you have to do one at a time and wait between each “Submit” click.

Otherwise, this thing is fast. The tiny display on the router is rather nice, showing the number of wireless connections and the upload/download speed with a simple digital speedometer. It also uses the web to update the time.

Also, a nice little feature, if you ever owned another Belkin router and happened to save your password in your browser, it’ll still be there. Of course, the router won’t dig that until you actually set the password.

As for speeds, Belkin promises speeds of 300 Mb/s in 20/40MHz mode, although there is a disclaimer that states that is only the physical data rate and not the actual upload/download rates. I tested my speeds with SpeedTest and had my service provider open my throughput. With that, my max download rate was 3985 kb/s and max upload was 640 kb/s. That’s pretty impressive considering my service provider (Cincinnati Zoomtown) had previously lowered my throughput to solve issues with previous routers and DSL modems that was only allowing me to get a little more than 800 kb/s downloads and one-third that for uploads.

The only tiny glitch here is that the speed displayed on the mini LCD was actually slightly slower than the SpeedTest speeds, likely due to the screen’s refresh rate.

Overall – Of the more than dozen routers I’ve tested, this was clearly the quickest and easiest initial setup I’ve ever experienced. It was as pretty damn close to plug-and-play as you can get for a wireless router.

My only complaint was, when having to input addresses in the MAC Address filtering tool, I could not import a saved list (which I always have) and instead had to manually input each one and wait for the router to restart between each address. The 20-device limit for the secondary wireless MAC address wireless control might be a bit limiting for businesses and select users with a lot of devices who prefer to use MAC filtering although there are other security options.

It’s not an issue for me but, for those who like to keep their internet boxes on a tiny, narrow shelf, the N1 Vision will probably be too tall. of course, the slick design and mini, blue-glow display might be impressive enough to keep on your desk. That will also put the status screen within reach for easy access (assuming you are at a wired-connection computer set up near your modem, of course).

I love the status screen on this device. The convenience of being able to immediately tell the number and which devices that are connected is quite a time saver when working with many computers and game systems. The speed displays make that blinking connection status light on old and other routers look like, well, just a stupid blinking light.

Product Page [Belkin N1 Vision Wireless Router] Read [5ThirtyOne]

Saints Row 2 gets collector’s edition treatment

These days packaging a popular game with a bunch of swag seems almost mandatory. So with great honor I present to you the Saints Row 2 Collector’s Edition. This special edition will be available at select retail outlets as well as some online stores for $79.99. You may have already noticed the shape of the box resembles a gun which is absolutely fitting for the over-the-top gang violence Saints Row 2 has to offer.

Inside the gun-shaped box you will find a copy of the game, a 1GB memory stick shaped like a golden bullet, a limited edition art book, Stilwater map poster, 3rd Street Saints poster and exclusive buddy icons and wallpapers.

Saints Row 2 will be available on October 14, 2008, for Xbox 360, PS3 and mobile phones. A PC version is expected to be released at a later date.

Site [THQ] Read [Console Monster] Also Read [GamePlayer]

Gamertell’s PAXapalooza 2008

AM

Gamertell staff writer Mark Rollins is heading to the fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA, this weekend (August 29 - 31, 2008) and will be providing regular updates. Check back often for from-the-floor goodness and in-depth looks at:

• The demo of the new game by Hidden Paths
• Ken Levin’s keynote address
• Partying with Cryptic Studios
• New Champions Online game
• An interview with Pirates of the Burning Sea, Flying Labs
• Jumpgate Evolution
• Electronic Arts
• South Peak
• Garage Games
• Gamecock
• Meteor Games Twin Skies
• ...and so much more!

Read [Gamertell] Site [Penny Arcade Expo]

Latest Gamer Hater: American Express

I recently saw an American Express Business card ad in the September 2008 issue of Wired magazine (pp. 46-47) that is a bit derogatory towards gamers.

The two-page ad has, on one page, the image of a credit card with Galaxian/Space Invaders style imagery on it with the words “I own the high score” in all caps above it. The name on the credit card is Erin Ehnerd of Double E Bakery. On the facing page is the image of a gold American Express Business card for Ellin Lavar of Lavar Hair Designs that reads “I own my own business” above it. Under the card image is a paragraph that begins, “If you own your business, own the card that says so.”

Obviously, both of these faux people own their own business and have a corporate credit card. The implication here is, of course, that letting people know you play videogames is a sure way to lose business (especially if you own a bakery?). Also notice that AmEx also included the word “nerd” in the last name of the Double E Bakery card owner.

What gets me is that, at some point in some meeting, there was a suggestion that went along these lines:

“So a lot of people read Wired, right? You know, plenty of gamers and tech heads. Nerds and geeks. I have an idea. Let’s create an ad that suggests that they will be unsuccessful in the business world. Let’s put iconic game imagery on a fake credit card and imply they will be immediately disrespected in the business world when they expose their card to pay for lunch. Hey, at least get high scores and be lazy, poor couch potatoes. Certainly no one will want to do business with or get a free lunch from someone who admits they play video games.”

Then someone or some committee at AmEx bought the ad concept, OKed it and the company paid a small fortune to produce and publish it.

Let’s consider some of the people we know have played video games:

• Bill Gates (he certainly doesn’t have any money)
• Will Wright (lives in a cave)
• Steve Wozniak (*cough* Apple *cough*)
• Steve Jobs (iFlop)
• Nolan Bushnell (what’s an “Atari?")
• Daniel Craig (Bond don’t pay no games and never, ever on screen)
• Jodi Foster (Guitar Zero)
• Aerosmith (they didn’t go and star in a game or anything)

Oh, you’re right, American Express. If any one of those people plopped down a Space Invaders- or even a Hello Kitty-themed credit card, they’d be laughed out of the room and no one would ever do business with them again. Ri-i-i-i-i-i-ght.

With the demographics of gamers widening this and similar ads have the potential to piss off so many more people than ever before. Hardy har har American Express, or as Michael Davis at ComicMix now refers to you, Asshole Express. See, you’ve not only pissing off gamers but have already pissed off comic book fans as well. I suspect Anime and manga fans are next. I’ll give them the smallest of credit for at least making both of hte business owners on the cards women (at least I assume “Ellin” is a woman’s name).

Luckily I already don’t use America Express or I’d cut up the card and rush out to get a card from any other company with that exact “I own the high score” image on it (if anyone does do that, please let us know).

By the way, I have an aunt and uncle who actually own a bakery. They are doing extremely well and they love videogames (and sports cards for whatever that’s worth). Oh, and I am starting my own small business as well.

You just lost two potential business customers. Maybe more. Jerks.

Here are larger scans of the two ad pages:

Read [ComicMix] Via [Comics Community] Also Read [Gamertell]

Important Importables: The anime episode otome fans must see

If you’ve been following Important Importables for a while, you might have noticed that I like to touch on not only games but game-related imports as well (or at least things from Japan that might interest gamers). Today’s column is one of those days.

Due to coverage of titles like Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side 2nd Season, Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo DS!! and Duel Love, Important Importables has acquired a few otome fan readers (fans of dating/life sims for women). I figured today’s column would be a good chance to highlight an anime episode that they’d enjoy - Ouran High School Host Club episode 4, “The Invasion of the Female Manager.” It has a hilarious storyline involving a devoted female otome fan, a club filled with otome stereotype guys and a series that is going to appear on DVD in the US in the coming months.

Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club is a comedic and dramatic manga/anime by Hatori Bisco that takes place in Ouran High School, an elite, school filled with rich kids. A girl named Haruhi Fujioka, who’s there on scholarship, stumbles into an extracurricular host club run by six high school guys while looking for a place to study and accidentally breaks an expensive vase.

Since, at the time of the incident, she looked scruffy and like a boy, the club’s “king,” Tamaki Suou, decreed that she/he would work as a host in their club until her/his debt was paid off. Of course, within the first day or so of her working there, all five of the other hosts (Hunny, Mori, Kyoya, Hikaru and Kaoru) discovered she was a girl. After Tamaki realizes, Haruhi says she doesn’t pay attention to stuff like that much, and she still stays on as a full host to pay off her debt.

“The Invasion of the Female Manager”

The episode “Invasion of the Female Manager” brings in the recurring character Renge, who happens to be a huge videogame fan. When her father comes home to France after visiting Japan and a business associate, he brings back a picture of his associate’s three sons and shows it to Renge. Upon seeing it, Renge packs her bags, immediately flies home to Japan and enrolls in Ouran.

The next day at the Host Club, Renge shows up, throwing herself at Kyoya and claiming that he’s her fiance. She then goes on to regale the club with stories of Kyoya raising flowers and nursing an injured kitten. (The other club members are in shock, as the Kyoya they know is nothing like that.) It turns out that she is in love with Miyabi Ichijo, a character from a fiction otome game called Ukidoki Memorial, and Kyoya is the splitting image of that character.

The rest of the episode involves Renge appointing herself the manageress of the host club (since Kyoya’s the manager/shadow king and she’s appointed herself his wife), the rest of the members freaking out over the obsessed otaku and her grand video project of creating a live action Ukidoki Memorial using the Ouran High School Host Club guys.

Finding this segment.

There are two ways to find out what happens when an obsessed otome fan meets what she thinks is the living incarnation of her favorite character. The first is to pick up the volume of the manga in which this story occurs. This chapter can be found in the first volume of Ouran High School Host Club, which has been translated by Viz Media and can be found online or in any local bookstore.

Or, if you don’t mind waiting, the first part of the Ouran High School Host Club anime is going to be released in the US by Funimation. Since it covers episodes 1-13, you’d be able to see “The Invasion of the Female Manager” and some of Renge return to lecture Nekozawa (another minor character) on how to be a prince in episode 11, “Big Brother is a Prince.”

It’s also worth noting that, in Japan, there was also an otome game released based on Ouran High School Host Club, called Ouran Koukou Host Bu. In it, players step into Haruhi’s shoes and try to wind up with one of the host club guys. Remember, the PS2 isn’t region free, so if you’d want to play that game, you’d need a Japanese (or modded) PS2.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Portables review Princess Crown, the spiritual prequel to Odin Sphere.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables discussed reasons to import video games.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [JBox] Site [Ouran High School Host Club]

Spore pre-order, pre-load now available for PC, Mac

The days are counting down to the September 5, 2008, European release of Spore with the North American release just a couple days later. If the Spore Creature Creator is any indication, we can expect Spore to be flying off store shelves the minute the doors open.

That’s probably why it’s a good idea to go ahead and pre-order the PC version right now straight from EA. You can also pre-order the Mac version of the game at Green Tree Online. Keep in mind this pre-order isn’t for the disc version of the game but for the option of pre-loading the game on your PC or Mac so you can play it on release day. If you want to pick up Spore Galactic Edition, you’ll have to purchase it from retail unfortunately.

Once you’ve pre-ordered the game Spore will appear in the EA Download Manager. From there you’re allowed to download 99% of the game onto your hard drive and the remaining one percent will be downloaded on Spore‘s release date depending on where you are. EA would also like you to know that your credit or debit card statements will show you purchased Spore on August 28, 2008. I don’t know the meaning behind this but it’s nice to know regardless.

Read [Gamezone] Also Read [Game Stooge]

Unsolved Crimes to be solved in September 2008

You know how some months, you walk into a GameStop and all you see are games you have to have? Well, it looks like September 2008 is going to be that kind of month for DS owners. Add another title to the “Wanted” list, because Empire Interactive has just announced that it’s releasing Unsolved Crimes for the DS on September 23, 2008.

Unsolved Crimes has players solving crime cases as a detective in 1970’s New York. While there are eight cases to solve, it features an encompassing storyline that ties them all the cases together with the disappearance of a model named Betsy Blake. Players have to participate in action portions, crime scene investigations and quizzes on things seen throughout the game in order to solve each case.

If you’re interested, and I’m sure that Phoenix Wright and Touch Detective fans probably are, the game will cost you $29.99. It also may be a bit mature for Phoenix and Mackenzie fans, as Unsolved Crimes carries a “Teen” rating from the ESRB.

Read [GameZone] Also Read [CVG]

Gamecock’s PAX 2008 lineup

Gamecock has also announced a list of the five games it will be displaying at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2008, which runs from August 29-31, 2008. It has a pretty well rounded display set up, featuring games for the Xbox 360, DS, Wii and PC. So only Sony system owners will feel left out if they drop by Gamecock’s booth. (Don’t worry Sony fans! Gamecock is working on PS3 versions of some of the games displayed at PAX 2008.)

While Gamecock has an admirable game display set up, you won’t be able to actually play all of the titles - one (Velvet Assassin) will only shown in presentations by Replay Studios developers. Still, with four games to enjoy, you’ll want to stop by and play a demo or two.

The games appear at the event are as follows:
Title: Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi
System: DS
Genre: Action (Platformer/Shooting)
Expected Release Date: October, 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
System: Wii
Genre: Action (Platformer)
Expected Release Date: Q3 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Legendary
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
Expected Release Date: September 30, 2008
ESRB Rating: Mature

Title: Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball
System: Xbox Live Arcade (Xbox 360)
Genre: Sports (Dodgeball)
Expected Release Date: September 3, 2008
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+

Title: Velvet Assassin
System: Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Action (Stealth Combat)
Expected Release Date: Q4 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Looking at the PAX 2008 map, I have to say that Gamecock got a great booth location. Its a large booth (#352) between aisles 300 and 400, and it happens to be between the Sega and Penny Arcade booths. How cool is that? I bet they’ll get a lot of traffic at the event this year.

Also - while the official press release states that certain systems’ version of the above games will be appearing at PAX 2008, there are also other versions of the games above which will be available in the coming months. Velvet Assassin will also be appearing on the PS3, Legendary will also be released on the PC and PS3 and Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball is coming to the Wii.

Read [Pure Nintendo] Site [PAX 2008]

Destineer’s PAX 2008 lineup

With the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2008 starting today (August 29, 2008), its only natural that attending game companies displayed game lists are forming. One of the latest game lists is from Destineer, which has revealed the nine games it will be showing at the event. The bulk of Destineer’s showings are DS titles, but there also a few Xbox 360 and Wii games at the event.

All of Destineer’s displayed games will be playable, so you’ll want to stop by. The games appear at the event are as follows:
Title: Animal Boxing
System: DS
Genre: Sports (Boxing)
Expected Release Date: October 21, 2008
ESRB Rating: Teen

Title: Cate West: The Vanishing Files
System: DS
Genre: Adventure (Detective)
Expected Release Date: November 4, 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Indianapolis 500 Evolution
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
Expected Release Date: November 18, 2008
ESRB Rating: Everyone

Title: Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
System: DS, Wii
Genre: Simulation (Cooking)
Expected Release Date: DS - October 14, 2008, Wii - October 21, 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Jumble Madness
System: DS
Genre: Puzzle
Expected Release Date: October 14, 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ
System: DS
Genre: Shooting
Expected Release Date: October 28, 2008
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

Title: Stoked
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Sports (Snowboarding)
Expected Release Date: November 11, 2008
ESRB Rating: Everyone

Title: USA TODAY Puzzle Craze
System: DS
Genre: Puzzle
Expected Release Date: December 4, 2008
ESRB Rating: Everyone

Title: WordJong Party
System: Wii
Genre: Puzzle (Mahjong/Scrabble)
Expected Release Date: Unknown
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending

If you’re at the event and interested in stopping by their booth, head over to booth 142 on aisle 200. Destineer is right between Antec, Astro Gaming and Club Namco. Sounds like they’re among good company.

Read [Platform Nation] Site [PAX 2008]

The Dell, Intel Extreme Gaming Tour might be passing through your town

Besides gawking at the original BatCopter while at the Ohio State Fair (July 29 through August 9, 2008), I also ran through the Dell/Intel “Extreme Gaming Tour” booth. According to the schedule on the official Extreme Gaming Tour site, the booth has since traveled across country and will be at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA, this weekend (August 29-31, 2008).

The “booth” is actually a fancy RV with a tent extended from the side with a bunch of Intel-powered Dells set up (check out the far shot in the Photo Gallery). There were about a dozen gaming rigs under the tent to take your info and let you play a few games. There were three more rigs in the air conditioned RV, also running games.

The games I saw on display were World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Assassin’s Creed, Lost Planet and Crysis. Other games being shown but I didn’t witness in action include Freaky Creatures, World in Conflict and Space Siege. There was also a racing game but I didn’t catch the name, just the big setup (maybe you can identify it in the Photo Gallery).

There really weren’t many people hanging out in the booth, probably because a state fair is the place you go to check out fatty-fatty fair foods, stinky livestock and rides, not stand and try to play an involved game while the rest of your family yells at you to catch up.

The half dozen seemingly dozing employees were handing out Warcraft stickers to anyone who would extend a hand or show the slightest interest in the booth. Again, it wasn’t very crowded so if you want to visit the booth, check the schedule for a local fair since it will likely be a mod scene at a game expo. After PAX 2008, the booth will be at the Puyallup Fair in Puyallup, WA, then at E for All 2008 and Blizzcon 2008.

Photo Gallery [Gamertell] Site [Ohio State Fair] Site [Extreme Gaming Tour]

Amazon’s Realease-Date Delivery service to help save gamers from long lines

Let’s say there’s a game that you really want to buy on launch day but there are too many factors getting in your way (gas prices, work, weather, hordes of people, etc.). You used to be out of luck if a game was guaranteed to sell out and you weren’t camping out in the line until midnight.

Amazon.com feels your pain and phobias and is offering Release-Date Delivery service on select pre-ordered games.

Release-Date Delivery is currently being offered for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘09, Fable 2 and Gears of War 2. The way the policy is worded, it sounds as if Amazon might also offer the service for other items on the site as well. This speedy delivery service isn’t free, of course, unless you happen to be an Amazon Prime member which requires a $79 annual membership fee.

If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, expect to pay $5.95 extra to ensure you receive your game on the day it’s released while you comfortably wait at home in your underwear. Release-Date Delivery is only available for orders being sent to the 48 contiguous states (sorry Alaska and Hawaii) and you can only order one copy of each title.

Read [Seattle PI] Also Read [Gaming Shogun] Also Read [Gaming Age]