Gamertell Interview: Cast, director talk about online horror series, Fear Clinic

Fear Clinic is one of the first series that will be exclusively online and will play exclusively on Fearnet.com sometime in October 2009. The show is directed by Robert Hall (Sarah Connor Chronicles, Laid to Rest) and includes horror greats Robert Englund and Kane Hodder (Freddy and Jason, respectively), co-stars Danielle Harris (Halloween remake) and newcomer Lucas Till, among others.

The show is about Dr. Andover (Englund) who claims to be able to cure any phobia by using his patented "fear chamber." Several unsuspecting clients come to his clinic hoping to get cured. They realize however, the horrors that are in store for them. There are five episodes made so far, each dealing with a different phobia.

I was fortunate enough to sit at a roundtable interview with Hall and the actors to discuss this upcoming series.

First up was Englund, who I could write this whole article about alone. Englund was a nice, docile old man, despite the usual characters he plays. He is also very animated and loves to talk about his projects and past endeavors. It was actually hard to keep him on the topic of this series.

“[Fear Clinic] is looking to raise the bar on the horror experience. It started with a script written by Aaron Drane who wanted to put this series on the web, so we had to figure out how to chunkcate these chapters into episodes.” He also mentioned that each episode would only be about 5-8 minutes long, and that it is all spent anticipating what will happen. “It’s great working with such a fun cast, but we end up killing off half of them.”

Hall, who is the director and producer of the series, was also excited to talk. “I grew up as a horror kid. Jason 7 was my favorite horror movie, so to be able to work with greats like Englund and Hodder is a horror kids dream.”

I asked what he thought about the series being on the internet rather than on TV and he said, “I’m actually cool with it being online, with things like Hulu and YouTube, I don’t think it matters anymore. You know it’s gonna get to people.”

I talked to Danielle Harris about her character Susan who is the first client. Her character suffers from scotophobia (fear of the dark). She said, “Susan’s parents died when she was young, and no one really cared about her. She meets Andover and, even though he is probably trying to kill her, he is the first person to really care about her, which gives them a weird sort of relationship.”

I asked Englund about his character and how he interacts with Harris’ character. “Andover can’t cure her and, because of this, she becomes his obsession, his Achilles heal, because she is his only failure.”

We will see Harris a lot in these episodes, as she tries to escape from this clinic, unlike the other phobia’s who will only be dealt with in one episode.

Kane, who is mainly a stunt man, plays Andover’s nurse in the series. He told me that it was great to work with such a great cast. “Me and Englund were actually in several movies together, but this is the first time we are in scenes, acting together.” He also told me that he prefers to be an actor and a stuntman because it’s easier to coordinate an actor when you are playing them.

Finally there was Lucas Till who is best known for his role as Travis in the Hannah Montana movie. “It is really cool to be able to work with Englund and Hodder in this show, I am not a huge fan of the horror genre, so this is all new to me.” Till worked previously with Hall in Laid to Rest, which is how he got the role.

I had a good time talking to these awesome people and it really got me excited about this new series. It is unclear whether or not their will be more than five episodes since, as Hall explained, it really depends on how the show does and how audiences perceive it. “I would love there to be more and more shows on the internet, and it is great that we are the first one," Kane said.

Site [Fear Clinic] Read [Dread Central]

Square Enix officially announces the games it’ll display at Gamescom 2009

Square Enix, which also includes Eidos now ya’ know, has decided to let the world know what games the company will be showing off when it attends Gamescom 2009 in Cologne, Germany on August 19-23, 2009. It’s a rather predictiable lineup, as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts games will be there, as well as Batman: Arkham Asylum and Mini Ninjas.

If Gamescom sounds unfamiliar to you, it’s because it’s a new entertainment and games trade fair being held in Europe and supported by the German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software, and the European Game Developers Conference is going to coincide with the event, taking place August 17-19, 2009. Square Enix is already stepping up to offer support by declaring it’s attending.

As for the games, while there will be expected showcases, there will also be a few delightful surprises. For example, Supreme Commander 2 will be playable at the event. Batman: Arkham Asylum will also be there and playable, including a portion where attendees will be able to play as the Joker. Also, Mini Ninjas PC demos will be given out to attendees. Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Front Mission Evolved, Nier, Order of War and Pony Friends 2 will all also appear at the event.

The Mini Ninjas free demo is a nice perk, and I’m sure people will be lining up to play Batman: Arkham Asylum as well. I’m sure Square Enix and Eidos’ booth will be a popular attraction at Gamescom 2009.

Read [GameIndustry.biz] Via [Joystiq] Site [Gamescom]

The iPhone is more powerful than the Wii?

So says a developer at Telltale Games, according to a report at IGN. Addressing the framerate issue of the WiiWare game “Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1” on the company’s online message boards, a developer under the alias of “Yare” stated, “...The Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even.” Uh oh.

Now, I know nothing about programming, but it seems to me the notion that the iPhone could be packing more power than a Wii is sort of ridiculous. Yes, the Wii is underpowered graphically compared to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but I own both systems. I’ve played games on both systems. I’ve enjoyed an hated games on both systems. There’s just no way you can achieve the look of, say, Super Mario Galaxy or The Conduit on the iPhone. Correct me if I’m wrong, iPhone devs.

More likely, this developer just shares the frustration of having to dumb down graphics to fit the Wii’s restrictions. Console games need to look good, and it has to be annoying to spend time eking as much power as possible out of the Wii’s processor in order to achieve the look you want. On the iPhone, gamers are used to somewhat shoddy looking games. Many of the developers don’t have the experience or knowledge to turn out high-end, 3D graphics. So, when a company with some financial backing comes along and is able to really show off the iPhone’s capabilities (especially compared to the graphics of other phones), that would be rewarding to both the gamer and the developer.

Wii owners need not fret, anyway. The system has never been about the graphics, it’s about the controls and the unique gameplay experience they provide. Personally, I wouldn’t care if the graphics processor in the iPhone outshined the PS3. The touchscreen and accelerometer aren’t conducive to much of anything outside of racing games, and although the iPhone is a fantastic machine, it simply can’t provide the satisfying gaming experience that the Wii does.

The DS, on the other hand, is another story…

Read [Telltale Games Blog] Via [IGN]

Gamertell Interview: Madden NFL 10 Wii art director, Tim Spangler

I was able to meet the art director of the Madden NFL 10 for the Wii, Tim Spangler, at this year's San Diego Comic Con (2009). Tim has worked on pretty much every EA sports title but this is the first title he worked on from start to finish.

According to Spangler , the game has undergone drastic changes. "The visuals changed across the board, we have an all new interface, all new character models, stadium and game modes."

This is also the first year where the characters will have different body types. In the past all the characters looked about the same but, in reality, players in different positions look different. Spangler explained that they made the different characters bodies look different so that a quarterback would look different from a fullback and such. "Defining body types was the hardest to do graphically but it was something we really wanted for this game."

He also explained that crowds in previous titles the audience would be wearing primary colors but, this year, depending on the team you pick, the audience will be wearing that team's jerseys and have merchandise from the team shops.

"Last year they were only wearing basic colors, we wanted more depth with the audience and a more personalized feel," Spangler said. There will also be a mix of women and men, and they will be visibly clapping and cheering for their teams, or jeering if necessary.

When asked about how, as an artist, you try the top the games each year, he said that he keeps a running list of what they want to improve but couldn’t do this year. "When it comes to graphics, it’s all about depth. Each year you want to expand it just a little and make it better each time around."

When it comes to players who have retired or are on suspension, Spangler explained, "[T]ypically when players are under suspension, such as Michael Vick, or retiring, such as Brett Favre, who can’t make up his mind, usually don’t make the final draft when it comes to players to include in the game. So, though you might still want to play with these characters in your team, you have to hope they hold off suspension and retirement till the game is made."

Because this game is on the Wii, new features are included like the ability to actually throw a pass using the WiiMote, rather then hitting a button to do so. The game also features co-op huddle-up mode where the second player can help out the first buy throwing out a block trip up the receiver with the WiiMote. Plus play with your friends to help you complete seasons and individual games, and bring your team to the Super bowl.

Madden looks great again this year and we can thank Tim Spangler and his art team for a job well done.

Site [EA sports] Read [IGN] Read [Gamertell]

Comic Con 09: Hands on with Smith Micro’s Anime Studio Pro 6

Animation and manga software company Smith Micro has just released it's newest version of Anime Studio and Gamertell was able to get an exclusive look at it at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.

Anime Studio is a program that allows you create fun and detailed Anime cartoons. It’s easy to use and great for a beginning animator. I was able to get a hands-on view of all the features of this program.

The animator started out with a basic drawing - a big blob - and then got to the animating. By clicking on an icon, the animator was able to add bends to his blob so that it was able to bend it’s appendages. He also showed me how to expand or contrast an object so that it got bigger or smaller as it walked across the screen.

On feature I thought was cool was the motion sensor. The animator took an object and had it move across the screen for a few frames, then he added a sensor to a different object that allowed it to follow the first one across the screen. In this case it was a car driving down the street. He added a motion sensor to a chicken he took from the clip art and that caused the chicken to follow the car (at a distance) creating the illusion that it is chasing the car.

I was also shown various effects you can add to your animation such as rain falling, wind blowing, and even allow for a warp speed effect (for a spaceship). These effects are built into the program, and you can also create your own effects. There is also clip art included into the program for quick use, all you have to do is add the animation. You can even import 3D animation onto the program and into Flash.

From what I saw in the display, the controls all seem simple and easy to use. There are many different things you can do to make your character animated. As with everything, it will take practice to get all the effects down, but once you get to know how each icon works, you will be able to make great anime cartoons.

You don’t even have to be an artist, you can make a great cartoon using some of the clip art and scenery already included in the program, as well as your own crude or well drawn characters.

The product is in stores now and is available for $199.99. A bit pricey but worth it if you are truly trying to become an animator or just have a passion for it. It is available on both Mac and Windows.

Site [My Smith Micro] Read [Gamertell] Also read [Designer Today]

Comic Con 2009: Gettin’ telekenetic with Mattel’s Mind Flex

Have you ever thought you had telekinesis? Well it turns out everyone does! I didn’t believe it myself until I tried out the new Mind Flex game by Mattel at Comic Con this year.

I was introduced to a nice man who told me I was about to play a game where I have to move a small foam ball through an obstacle course using only my mind. Of course I was skeptical but then he strapped this helmet to my head (which attaches to your ears as well) and showed me the course. This one was already set up.

He told me that the object of the game was to move the ball through the course that he set up by concentrating on the ball. He told me that it uses EEG technology (which is used by doctors to study brain waves). Basically, when we think or concentrate, we are emitting brain waves.

The helmet I was wearing takes these brainwaves, via sensors, and transmits them to a fan located in the obstacle course. The more you concentrate, the faster the fans blow and the higher the ball goes. Alternatively, the less you concentrate, the lower it goes.

So I try it and, sure enough, the ball moved up and down depending on how much I concentrate.! There is also a knob on the console that you turn to make the course move so, for instance, you could move the ball through different holes and hoops.

Now I still thought their was some trick involved, like he was moving the ball up and down or something but then I realized that wasn’t the case, especially considering this is a game you play at home and the obstacle course is interchangeable. So the only answer is that it really is controlled by brainwaves.

I would not have believed this if I hadn’t played it for myself. There is truly some advanced technology at work here, and it only shows how far we have come in the gaming world.

Mind Flex will be released October 2009 and you can preorder it from Amazon and WalMart for $79.99. You really have to play it to believe it.

Site [Mindflex] Read [MSNBC] Also Read [Gamertell]

Opinion: When a DS device is an in-game tool, a game becomes believable

Video games are designed to take players into an entirely new world. The goal of developers is to make this new environment identifiable, and to create an atmosphere where players can lose themselves in this virtual world and feel they’re a part of events taking place. An interesting mechanic that can be used to help players make a connection is to include some familiar aspects or tools from daily life into the game. Developers have been particularly successful in this endeavor when it comes to DS games.

When game developers choose to create a DS game in a manner where the DS a person is playing on is involved in the story, it can help break down reality’s boundaries. What if a game could really cause a person to die in a week? What if your DS could help you find your long lost father? Many times the scenarios presented by video games are totally unbelievable, but by including a familiar device, a story becomes more plausible.

Let’s look at Contact first. In this game you’re supposed to be helping an alien being, the Professor, and a boy he recruited named Terry, find the necessary components to repair his space ship. At the beginning of the game, the professor tells you that, while Terry is doing all the dirty work, you are using the DS device to control and guide his every move.

This doesn’t do anything extraordinary, if you think about it. Players always control the hero in games. But by acknowledging in the beginning of the game that you are an outside source who is determining the character’s behavior and actions by using a device, Contact is offering players a new way to connect to the game.

Nanashi no Game, the Square Enix horror adventure game, also behaves in a similar manner. In Nanashi no Game, you have seven days left to live after playing a cursed RPG. The DS menu appears in the game when you enter the menu. The top option boots up the cursed RPG, there’s a mail section replacing Picto-Chat, a Load section replacing download play and a Save option replacing the GBA slot booting menu. The top screen displays the in-game date, time and calendar.

Since the goal in Nanashi no Game is to scare you by making you think that ghosts of victims are coming after you and a game could actually take your life, making the DS your only constant tool is a means to connect players to the horrific events. It also makes Nanashi no Game something you wouldn’t want to play immediately after watching The Ring.

Nintendo’s Trace Memory is another game which uses the DS in a way. Ashley uses a DS-like device given to her by her father called the Dual Trace System (DTS). While the device looks like an original DS, it isn’t a gaming device. Instead it’s more of a miniature computer and organizer. Ashley is able to read DTS memory cards, take photos, use Trace I and Trace II, save and find information on various items.

In this case the DS-like device isn’t included to help draw the player into the game and make the game more real. It is there to help a player make a connection. By seeing a familiar handheld device in play, with mostly plausible abilities, it helps make Ashley’s adventures seem more realistic and believable.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor works in a similar way. In the game, the demon world is starting to collide and connect with the human world. Tokyo is under a lock down. Certain individuals with altered Communication Player devices (COMPs) are able to summon and control demons, thus becoming demon trainers. Players help a band of teenagers survive the seven day lock down.

The whole premise of the game seems outlandish, but the COMPs don’t because they look exactly like DS lite systems. The way one character in the game, Atsuro, explains the use of the COMPs to run the various demon summoning, purchasing and controlling functions even makes the logistics and inner workings of the imaginary device make sense. So while we all know we could never actually see such an outbreak and lockdown occur in our world, the idea seems a bit more realistic and plausible due to the existence of the similar device.

While true immersive video game adventures are still a ways off, it’s interesting to see how developers can help encourage connections by the simple inclusion of a common device. It certainly won’t make players think that the adventures in the game could actually happen, but it can help the players think that the idea isn’t as farfetched and encourage a great connection and appreciation for the game.

Site [Nintendo]

Apple App Store gaming update for the week of July 20 to July 26, 2009

The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown of the great games and the free games right where you want ‘em, at the top and in your face. The list is available every Monday, right as you are about to start that long work week.

What’s Free

Jojos Fashion Show 2 Lite
“Return to the runway with Jojo and Rosalind in Jojo’s Fashion Show 2:Las Cruces. Make stylish outfits for female and male models as you showcase your fashion sense on runways from L.A. to Berlin. Then capture great looks in new fashion photo shoots. In Jojo’s Fashion Show 2:Las Cruces, your goal is to compete in a number of fashion shows, proving you have what it takes to move through the ranks. Earn up to 5 stars in every show.”

Word Solitaire Lite
“Word Solitaire puts a brilliant new spin on a classic favorite. The clever blend of word creation and traditional solitaire will hook you immediately! Drag letters onto each other to arrange them into words. Flip over cards to expose more letters and complete the level by using all provided letters in the creation of words. The longer your words, the higher your score. Then, brag to your friends by tweeting your highest scores and fastest times right from the app!”

U2 Can Yodel
“Introducing U2 Can Yodel, the brand new, exciting, fun way to learn the art of yodeling! With a few tips it’s easy to learn the basics of switching from your chest voice to your head voice. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll surely come down with a case of Alpine Madness! Remember Tarzan and his jungle call? Believe it or not that’s a yodel, and you can do it too. With master yodeler Kerry Christensen showing you the ropes, you can freak out your friends and family with a burst of yodeling; it’s guaranteed to leave everyone smiling and laughing! Things will get even more fun as you yodel in different styles. We’ll even teach you to yodel like a cat and dog!”

What’s New

Action

HyperBowl Classic: Price: $0.99
“HyperBowl, the fantasy 3D bowling game created by Hyper Entertainment, is now on the iPhone and iPod Touch! This authorized version features the Classic lane. Bowl by swiping the screen to push the ball. Roll forward, left, right, even backwards, but watch your time, and don’t gutter! HyperBowl is a registered trademark of Hyper Entertainment, Plc.”

Man Down: Price: $0.99
“Man Down, agility action game, classic reproduce on iPhone. This game requires you to have a good psychological quality, keen observation and flexible finger manipulation. Down 100 floors if you are brave and agile enough.”

Adventure

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition: Price: $7.99
“Pirates! Adventure! Monkeys! Re-live the hilarious swashbuckling misadventures of the wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he attempts to become the most infamous pirate in the Caribbean!

Back by popular demand, The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition faithfully re-imagines the internationally-acclaimed classic pirate adventure game from LucasArts. Featuring an all new re-imagined contemporary art style, complete voice over by members of the original Monkey Island™ franchise cast, a re-mastered musical score using live instruments, plus scene-for-scene hot swap to seamlessly transition between Special Edition and Classic modes at anytime.”

Touch of Spirit: Price: $0.99
“Our love story begins with the Jester daring to fall in love with the Queen. But the most curious fact is that the Queen answered his feelings. The sweethearts often met each other and dreamed of living a long and happy life together. No wonder that all citizens of this kingdom were terrified, and the Black Warlock, who was the main counselor of the Queen and dreamed of coming to the throne, became furious and decided to get rid of the Jester. The Warlock resorted to all his spells and skills but failed to take the life of the young Jester - so great was the power of Queen’s love! Then he stole the Jester’s soul and turned his body into stone.”

Arcade

Galactic Labyrinth: Price: $0.99
“Galactic Labyrinth is a game built around classic arcade gameplay; simply collect all five of the dark matter objects to beat the stage, while avoiding the black holes and navigating the maze.”

Board

NOTHING

Card

Solitaire +: Price: $0.99
“Enjoy solitaire at its best in GrassGames’ Solitaire for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Included are three different solitaire game versions, multiple card decks, a wide range of backgrounds, high scores, statistics, sound effects, 3D animation effects, and much more. The game comes with an in-built multi-user system, so that more than one person can customize, play and resume games without affecting other players. Also included is the ability to optionally hide the menu and/or status bar, allowing for full use of the complete screen area. With emphasis on ease-of-play and smooth beautiful graphics, this is the perfect solitaire partner for all.”

Casino

NOTHING

Dice

Ten Thousand (A Game of Farkle): Price: $1.99
“Ten Thousand - The Dice Game (also known as Farkle) is a fun and exciting game for up to four players. Beautiful graphics and elegant game play make this a must have game for your iPod Touch or iPhone. Using six dice, each player takes a turn rolling the dice and must set aside at least one scoring die (1’s, 5’s, triples, 3 pairs, or a run of 6.) The player’s turn continues with the remaining dice, as long as there is a scoring number or combination. The player’s turn ends when they decide to stop and score their accumulated points or until they have a scoreless throw. When all six dice are scored in a turn, the player can roll them all again and continue to accumulate points. Scoring combinations (triples, 3 pairs, or a run of 6.) only count when made with a single throw of all six dice. The first player to score a total of 10,000 or above wins the game! (As long as players with a turn left, don’t exceed your score.)”

Educational

NOTHING

Family

NOTHING

Music

Name My Tune: Price: $1.99
“Test your music knowledge using your own music library on your iPod or iPhone. How well do you know your tunes? Name My Tune will help you find out and have a blast doing it! Name My Tune is a great way to enjoy the music you already have. It’s a great music quiz and trivia game to keep you entertained for hours! There are 3 different song guessing rounds - Ring The Bell, Get A Clue, and Just In Time. In each round, you will be given 2 different songs to guess and points are awarded based on how long it takes you to correctly guess the song. At the end of the game, you can optionally submit your score to Geocade, and compare your music knowledge to others in your area or world wide. (Internet connection required).”

Puzzle

Downhill Express: Price: $0.99
“Downhill Express is a very challenging game to control your shopping cart to carry more cube bricks, you don’t need touch anything, you don’t have any monster tokill, just tilt your iPhone or iPod touch left or right to steer your cart. Try to carry more bricks as you can, The more distance you carry the brick, the more score you get. The shopper cart is a physical simulation to real cart, you can not accelerate or brake your cart. Be careful to keep the balance of the cart, It’s funny and not easy. Sometimes，you may think the cart is like a blimp on the fly, and sometimes, the cart will turn around. Quickly tilt the iPhone to keep the balance.”

Racing

Moto X Mayhem: Price: $1.99
“Jump, lean, and race through seven levels of amazing motorbike action in the best side scrolling bike game, Moto X Mayhem! Lean forward and back on your motorbike as you climb hills and fly through the air using accelerometer technology. Witness realistic physics as your shocks recoil when you land jumps or your rider bounces around the terrain when you crash. Compete to be the fastest motocross rider with Moto X Mayhem’s online scoreboard. Everyone can enjoy Moto X Mayhem wether you’re a fan or not of motorcycles, dirt bikes, motocross, or supercross. Take your thumper out on the trail for a day of wicked off road riding!”

Role Playing

NOTHING

Simulation

Touch KO: Price: $2.99
“You are a rising star about to take on contenders from around the world. Do you have the drive to make it to the top? Use your talents, dedication, and sportsmanship to build your own boxing legacy starting from humble beginnings and fight your way up to massive arenas!”

Sports

Volley: Price: $2.99
“Volley is a fast paced multi-touch ball game where you have to slide, jump, smash and trick to win against sixteen super-skilled opponents. Beat an opponent to reach the next level. The higher the levels the harder the opponents. Accurate physics, top-notch graphics and great sounds round out the package.”

Strategy

CREEPYTOWN: Price: $0.99
“Do you like stories of the supernatural? Do you like to break stuff? Do you like to carry a scythe and wear spooky robes? If your answer is yes to any of the above then you will love our latest release: CREEPYTOWN. The town of Creepsford has been overrun by ghosts and the townsfolk have begun to disappear. In this action based puzzle game, you assume the role of the soul harvester, the bringer of death, the Reaper himself. You have been summoned to rid the town of their fallen souls and bring peace once again.”

Trivia

NOTHING

Word

TKO Words Deluxe: Price: $0.99
“TKO Words Deluxe is a fun and exciting word search game. With dazzling graphics, animations, music player (from your own library), and more, this one is bound to keep you entertained for hours!”

Silent Hill Homecoming now on Steam with limited-time discount

On November 6, 2008, the anticipated new installment for the Silent Hill franchise, titled Homecoming, was released for direct download on the STEAM servers.

Silent Hill: Homecoming is the fifth game to take place directly in the Silent Hill lands of the Toluca Lake area where the little foggy vision of hell on earth resides. Taking a strong turn towards Jacob’s Ladder, it follows an injured veteran through his returning home to find that his brother disappeared. Haunted by the real demons of Silent Hill and the demons of his past deeds in war, he stumbles into a sanity stealing problem as his grip on reality slips away.

The game promises to go deeper into the troubled past of Silent Hill and its surrounding area. With the next-gen graphics, things should look even more frightening than the previous chapters.

One of the things shown at various gaming conventions that should intrigue the gamers is the that you will be able to see, in real-time, the real world shift to the Hell-world state. Also, if they actually followed through with the promise for the controls, the game will offer some of the best and most responsive controls the franchise has had to date.

The system requirements are for some of the beefier machines though. This is all according to what is listed on the Homecoming page in the STEAM store. The requirements are XP or Vista for the Operating System, Dual core CPU such as Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ for the processor, 1 GB RAM (for XP) or 2 GB RAM (for Vista), a DirectX 9.0c compliant video card such as ATI Radeon HD-series graphics card (minimum 256 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce 7800-series graphics card (minimum 256 MB), a DirectX®: 9.0c compatible sound card, and 10 GB free for hard drive space. The supported controllers are keyboard and mouse or Xbox 360 controller.

For those who buy and download before November 10, 2008, there will be a 10 percent discount. This cuts down the original $49.99 price down to $44.99 for these couple of days. Enjoy the horror and madness that is Silent Hill. With the holidays coming up this might be the perfect STEAM gift for that horror junkie and PC gamer in your life.

Site [Silent Hill Homecoming] Read [STEAM] Also Read [Gamertell]

Valve’s new Steam Cloud service is go

On November 6, 2008, Valve’s Steam Cloud service launched with the Left 4 Dead demo (full game releases November 18, 2008). Left 4 Dead is the first game that will utilize Steam Cloud support while Valve has plans to patch older titles to use the player syncing service. Valve also plans to release the code to developers for free. What nice guys they are!

The service will work with Steam, retail, and other outlets including Good Old Games.

Steam Cloud allows players to store individual settings for PC games server-side, enabling them to log in from any computer (assuming the computer already has the Steam client already installed) and play with their customized settings for “keyboard, mouse, and gamepads” without going through the hassle of resetting configurations every time. A nifty service for PC players, indeed. Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve, was quoted in the press release as saying:

For some time now, Steam has allowed gamers to log on from any computer in the world and access their applications. This also makes it easy to upgrade a PC without worrying about losing your games.”

If that’s not a ringing endorsement for the new service, I don’t know what would be. Now that it’s out, what do you PC players think? Does it really make things as easy it sounds? Let us know in the comments below.

Read [Steam News] Also [BigDownload] Site [Steam] Site [Good Old Games]

Get ready for NIS Wii and Wiiware games

Siliconera‘s been busy uncovering new information this week, as it also found out that Nippon Ichi has been approved to develop Wii and Wiiware titles. As any DS RPG fan already knows, NIS has developed and released games for Nintendo’s other system - two of which, Disgaea DS and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, were released stateside in October, 2008.

NIS’ first game for the system has already been revealed, Let’s Hitchhike. It is a Wiiware game that is currently scheduled for a 2009 release in Japan. No other titles have been confirmed or announced.

Both Siliconera and Wii Fanboy have mentioned that this could potentially mean a Wii version of Disgaea. I, for one, hope that NIS uses this opportunity to create some new games, rather than create a third port of an already familiar title. I love prinnies, the penguin-bomb Disgaea mascots, as much as the next girl, but I’m Disgaea-ed out.

Read [Siliconera] Via [Wii Fanboy] Site [NIS America]

New York police unions cranky with Saints Row 2

Well we knew this sort of thing had to eventually happen again - a violent videogame becomes the object of scrutiny to some prominent members of society. In this case Saints Row 2 which was released on October 14, 2008 in North America, is being called out by police unions in New York as well as Manhattan District Attorney candidate Leslie Crocker-Snyder.

A CBS 12 (WPEC-TV) news story out of Florida is reporting the New York police union officials see the game as an abomination as it’s dehumanizing officers and making light of violent situations. They believe the game is a negative influence on children despite the fact that Saints Row 2 has a Mature rating which is meant to prevent children from purchasing the game.

We could look at Manhattan District Attorney candidate Leslie Crocker-Snyder’s stance on speaking out against Saints Row 2 as an attempt to get the police on her side for when election time rolls around, or she and others could just be more misinformed citizens on the subject of videogame ratings and retail store policies.

I doubt controversy over Saint’s Row 2 will spread as wide as we’ve seen with the GTA series since a lot of non-gamers have never heard of it before.

Read [CBS 12 (WPEC-TV)] Also Read [ VG Watchdog]

PSP-3000 now available, bundled with Ratchet & Clank game

The PSP-3000 is the latest iteration of Sony’s handheld Playstation Portable (PSP) game console. It follows the PSP-2000 and features a shiny silver body, improved screen with “anti-reflection technology” for improved usage in natural light and a built-in microphone compatible with multiplayer games and Skype.

Sony announced via press release today (October 15, 2008) that the PSP-3000 is now available for purchase from retailers across North America. As an additional incentive for consumers to pick up the new model, a family-friendly bundle that includes Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters has also been made available.

The Ratchet & Clank PSP Entertainment Pack, to give the bundle its full name, also includes Nicolas Cage’s National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets on UMD, a voucher for the Playstation Network puzzle title Echochrome and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. Plus, of course, the “Mystic Silver” PSP-3000 itself.

The full bundle (pictured above) is currently being sold for a manufacturer suggested retail price of $199.99.

Read [Destructoid] Product Page [US.PlayStation]

Resident Evil’s zombie evolution

Just in time for Halloween, the kind folks at 1up have a very cool little video on the “evolution” of Resident Evil‘s zombies. Featuring clips from each of the franchise’s many survival horror classics, the video is a fun look at how the monsters have changed from 1996’s pixelated brain-munchers to the vicious (and seriously scary) creatures of the upcoming Resident Evil 5.

Man, the zombies of Resident Evil (that is, the original PlayStation version, not the GameCube freakfest) are looking about as scary as the tooth fairy these days - you can find a freakier crowd any day of the week on a city bus. Any city bus. Remember when those things were terrifying?

Think of it as a seasonal, spooky history lesson. It’s also a great way to rev up the desire to go back and play through the earlier games - tis’ the season, after all!

Watch:

Resident Evil 'Zombie Evolution' clip

Read [1up]

EA’s Littlest Pet Shop games unleashed

The virtual pet game section in your local store is about to get a bit more crowded - Littlest Pet Shop games have been released. EA has just released five games based on the series of tiny children’s toys. Each game is a pet sim, where players can adopt three Littlest Pet Shop pets and care, play and raise them.

While the DS, PC and Wii versions of Littlest Pet Shop all have their own special touches, they all share the central pet-raising theme. You pick your first pets, then play mini-games to earn Kibble Coins. You can then buy outfits and playsets for your pets. Also, playing the mini-games will unlock new types of pets - so eventually PC and Wii players will have 32 different pet options and DS players will have 20. The DS version also allows players to have pet parties with their friends.

If you’re interested, or know a young child who would be (which is far more likely), there are three options. Windows PC and Wii owners can pick up Littlest Pet Shop for $29.99 or $39.99, respectively. DS owners will have to make a difficult decision though, as there are three games with three different themes - Littlest Pet Shop: Garden, Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle or Littlest Pet Shop: Winter. Each one is $29.99.

Read [MAX CONSOLE] Also Read [Gaming Nexus]

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm preorder deal detailed

Namco Bandai has just announced an amazing incentive to preorder Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PS3 at certain stores - downloadable content (dlc). That’s right, you’ll get free stuff, only available by a direct download, if you decide to preorder the game at GameStop/EB Games or GameCrazy. There is a dilemna though - each store will have a different preorder deal.

If you stop by your local GameCrazy and preorder, you’ll receive a download card with your game that will unlock the Hidden Leaf Village’s Second Hokage as a support character and also provide a new single-player mission. If you decide to go to GameStop/EB Games’ website or store and preorder, you’ll get a card that unlocks the First Hokage support character and another single-player mission. Since these are going to be cards that unlock downloads, they’ll most likely be good for one download only, so you’ll have to decide which Hokage you think looks best.

The full version of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm comes out November 4, 2008. There’s a standard version, which only includes the PS3 game, for $59.99. For $10 more, you can get a limited edition version that comes with a soundtrack and some other special stuff.

Read [PS3 Fanboy] Product Page [GameStop] Site [Hokage’s Room] Site [Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm]

The quest for ambidexterity continues in Left Brain Right Brain 2

Apparently, last year’s Left Brain Right Brain DS training game did pretty well. Majesco has just announced that it is planning to bring the sequel, Left Brain Right Brain 2, to the US in December, 2008. I think Majesco should step up and try to release it on December 4, 2008, since the original debuted on December 4, 2007. Currently, the release date is set for December 18, 2008.

Left Brain Right Brain 2‘s basic goal is the same as Left Brain Right Brain - to make players ambidextrous. You hold your DS like a book, and then perform mini-game challenges with each hand. The game then judges your accuracy, association, memory, recognition, speed and stragedy to determine how well you’re doing. It looks like the sequel has better graphics and a new line-up of tests.

I hope they made Left Brain Right Brain 2 more difficult. The original Left Brain Right Brain was incredibly easy. My cousin always gets educational games from a relative, so I was able to try the original out. It claimed I was already nearly ambidextrous. Let’s hope this version’s a bit more accurate.

Read [Beta News] Site [Majesco]

Japanese Rep suggests Konami “looking into” Metal Gear Solid 4 for Xbox 360

As one of the Playstation 3’s defining exclusive titles, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has long been the subject of multiplatform rumors that its creator, Konami’s Hideo Kojima, has consistently sought to deny by pointing to the game’s reliance on the PS3’s hardware and the Blu-ray disc format. And yet, the rumors continue.

Speaking with Japanese stock investment research firm Morningstar, a Konami public relations representative named Yoshitaka Arai has reportedly confirmed that the company is “looking into” an Xbox 360 port of the game due to extensive consumer demand.

The article in question can be found on Morningstar’s official website, but because it is written in Japanese, we are left to rely on translations by Kotaku and IGN. The former, who references Yahoo! as their source, quotes Arai as having said:

The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version (of MGS4) is quite high, and it is something we are currently looking in to.

IGN, on the other hand, sources Morningstar directly and translates Arai’s comment as saying that Konami is “actively looking into a release for the Xbox 360.” IGN also goes on to confirm that Konami’s U.S. division has yet to comment on the remark in regards to its validity.

Read [Morningstar] Via [IGN] Also Read [Yahoo] Via [Kotaku]

BlizzCon 2008: World of Warcraft to get character upgrade microtransactions

Diablo III lead designer Jay Wilson and World of Warcraft (WoW) production director J. Allen Brack recently took to the stage at a BlizzCon 2008 press conference in California to answer fan questions about Blizzard Entertainment’s highly anticipated sequel and its ever popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) respectively.

In addition to confirming that Blizzard is looking to monetize Battle.net — news that was later elaborated on with confirmation that Diablo III won’t be subscription based — Brack responded to the recent confusion regarding the discovery of a Wrath of the Lich King beta file baring the title “Paid Character Customization.”

So, will the most successful subscription-based MMORPG of all time be seeing microtransactions (a la the Cash Shop in Nexon’s MapleStory) in the future? Yes, says Brack, according to WarCry.

After dodging the question initially, Brack eventually returned to the issue to confirm that WoW will be getting paid character customization options but the exact details have yet to be worked out.

Read [WarCry] Via [GameDaily]

Rumor: Ghostbusters game to be resurrected by Atari

Once again proving my point that if 50 Cents’ Blood on the Sand can be picked up, then somebody would eventually pick up Ghostbusters. Our fine friends over at Kotaku have posted that Dan Akroyd, or as anyone from the eighties would know him as Raymond Stantz, has stated to a local Dallas radio station that the game has been picked up by Atari.

Alas fair buster fans, if Akroyd, the guy who co-wrote the original flick, says it’s a “go,” then dagnabit, it’s a go. The bad news is that Akroyd also mentioned that the game has been pushed back a year.

The game was originally supposed to ship this month but with that whole Sierra thing going down it seemed as though the game was dead in the water.

So until Ghostbusters has an official release date, I will light a single candle and play Ray Parker Jr. once a day until I have a copy of the game in my hand.

Read [Kotaku] Also Read [Gamertell]

Stargate Worlds’ closed beta starts October 15, 2008

Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment’s (CME) upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game Stargate Worlds will enter a closed beta phase on Wednesday (October 15, 2008), according to a press release issued by Firesky, the game’s publisher.

If you are interested in taking part in the closed beta but have yet to receive an access key, you can still sign up via the game’s official website, StargateWorlds.com. Beta testers will be granted access to the game in waves, so you’re not necessarily out of luck if you aren’t chosen by October 15, 2008.

Stargate Worlds is based on MGM’s popular Stargate SG-1 television series, which concluded its final season in 2006. Future expansions will also take inspiration from Stargate Atlantis, which is set to complete its fifth and final season later this year. CME has yet to confirm whether features from Stargate Universe, the upcoming third Stargate TV series, will be included at a later date.

The final build of Stargate Worlds is currently slated to launch in early 2009. It will allow players to chose from a variety of “archetypes” including races from the show such as the “Human”, “Asgard” and “Goa’uld”, as well as different classes such as “Scientist” (a la Samantha Carter) and “Solider” (a la Jack O’Neill).

Read [Eurogamer] Site [Stargate Worlds]

BlizzCon 2008: Blizzard may start charging fees for Battle.net

Joystiq reports that our worst fears have been hinted at. When asked, “Will Battle.Net remain free?” at the Diablo III gameplay panel at BlizzCon 2008, Blizzard’s Julian Wilson gave Blizzard fans a startling answer: “We are looking to monetize Battle.Net so that we get to keep making these games and updating features, we kind of have to.”

This news comes especially dark seeing as how Blizzard recently announced it is breaking Starcraft II into a trilogy.

While gamers are used to paying for previously free services (eg. Windows Live monetizing online PC gaming) and with the current state of the economy and the high cost to develop games, it is still a little bit disheartening to hear that gamers will have to dig further into their pockets.

Battle.net is Blizzard’s (formerly) free online service that allowed players of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo play with or against one another. The service was highly praised for Blizzard’s strong focus on the community, offering up tournaments, holding a Map of the Week showing for user created maps, and of course, heavily patching and maintenance to insure a smooth experience (even though there were plenty of bumps thanks to dial-up). Even today, the service is still heavily used for all three games.

While nothing is yet official, how much more money are you guys willing to give Blizzard? Is paying for Battle.Net the drawing point? Let us know your reactions in the comment section below.

Read [Joystiq]

Molyneux says PC game market in “tatters”, PCGA disagrees

As the key person responsible for a slew of classic PC games including Black & White and Dungeon Keeper, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has a unique insight into the PC game market that few others can match. With his recent focus on the highly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive Fable II Molyneux told VideoGamer that he believes the PC game market is “in tatters,” pointing towards a limited selection of “high points” in the current line-up as the main cause.

“If you look at the gamer market on PC, I’ll be quite honest with you, it’s in tatters. There aren’t that many releases on PC. There are some high points like Crysis and what Blizzard is doing, but other than that you are restricted to The Sims and World of Warcraft, they seem to be dominating the PC side.”

Moylenux went on to talk about copy protection, specifically the massively-publicised limitations Electronic Arts has placed on Spore. While he suggested that the limit of three authorisations per game doesn’t sound “that bad,” he “understand[s] people being very upset” and clarified that he personally “hate[s] any copy protection.”

Since the interview’s publication, the PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA) has responded to Molyneux’s claims, calling him “way off-base with his assessment of the PC gaming industry.” PCGA president Randy Stude goes on to suggest that the industry is in fact “stronger than ever,” with more than 10.7 billion made in revenue last year (2007).

Read [VideoGamer] Via [GameDaily] Also Read [VideoGamer]

Man receives support from CBLDF in manga possession case

In Iowa, a 32-year-old man may spend 20 years in prison for possession of Japanese manga and will face penalties under the PROTECT Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1466A). Christopher Handley is still in big trouble because of the manga he purchased from Japan in May 2006 that the government claimed was obscene and depicted minors engaged in sexual acts.

Luckily for Handley, he no longer has to face the court system alone as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has decided to provide their expertise as a consultant to the defense and provide funds for use to support in obtaining expert witnesses.

Charles Brownstien of CBLDF told ICv2 that he finds the case “troubling” because Handley is being prosecuted as “a private collector for the possession of art” and although CBLDF has defended the first amendment rights for retailers and artists, this would be their first experience dealing with the federal government according to Brownstien who finds the Handley case especially troubling because “the government is prosecuting a private collector for the possession of art. Never before have we experienced the federal government attempting to strip a citizen of his freedom because he owned comic books.”

According to CBDLF’s site, Handley’s situation began in May 2006 after a postal inspector at his local post office in Glenwood, Iowa, intercepted a package addressed to Handley from Japan and searched its contents. After deciding the content of the books depicted minors engaged in sexual acts, the inspector applied for a search warrant. The post office allowed Handley to pick up the package and law enforcement officers pulled his vehicle over and eventually followed him home.

At Handley’s residence, the police then seized his collection of manga, DVDs, VHS tapes, laser disks, computers and various documents. In a follow-up article, Handley’s case took a small victory but the case is far from over. In an updated report by Anime News Network, some of Handley’s charges were dropped July 2, 2008.

Kind of makes you wonder the next time you order a movie from a foreign site or receive a gift from a friend or relative living overseas and it looks like somebody already went through it.

Read [ICv2.com] Also Read [CBLDF press release] Site [CBLDF official site] Also Read [Anime News Network] PDF [Iowa Southern District Court docket]

Gamertell Review: The Horus Heresy: Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon

Title: The Horus Heresy: Descent of Angels
Author: Mitchel Scanlon
Publisher: The Black Library
Release Date: 2007
Price: $7.99
Rating: Two thumbs sideways, 73/100, C, ** out of five.
Pros: Great character development, exciting when the story isn’t slowed down by itself, gives a completely different view of the events of the Horus Heresy
Cons: The story takes too long to develop.
Overall: It’s a fresh perspective in the series that just didn’t realize its potential.

Even at its lowest point, The Horus Heresy had never put out a truly average installment. That’s what I would be saying if Descent of Angels didn’t fall flat on its face by bringing an entirely new view on the Heresy.

This sixth book marks a low spot for the series. Even the heavily flawed False Gods came across as a stronger product. Mind you the problem with False Gods was the attention to detail was ridiculously inconsistent but the story still moved. In this case it goes into a painful amount of detail consistently. While the characters are some of the best developed characters in the series and description is some of the best in the franchise, the storyline occasionally gets held up by these details. This makes a fantasy/sci-fi war novel just a bit

It just moves too slow. With books like these there’s a balance that has to be made between action and story development and this book simply moves way too slow. False Gods took one extreme and Descent of Angels took the other. False Gods had too much action for story development. Descent of Angels had too little action to build upon the character development and building up of events. It also doesn’t bode well if it is a fantasy/sci-fi war novel that the majority of the action happens in the last 85-90 pages of the book.

Now if this had been another style, it really wouldn’t be an issue. However, Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 is about never-ending war with constant epic sweeping battles. You only get a true taste of the franchise toward the end of Descent of Angels. Everything before then just ends up tiresome because of the level of details and the agonizingly slow pace.

Yes, you do see the birth of the Dark Angels Space Marine legion. That alone is incredible, since you see the First Legion evolve into its more brutal form after they find their Primarch on the planet of Caliban. However, it just seems empty without the amount of action that the other books had. Yes sometimes too much action can be a bad thing, but don’t have enough or have a book that’s all development and details, you might as well have a second book released simply for the addition of the story.

It’s hard to bash the merits of the book though. It’s one of the best developed stories in the series with some of the strongest developed characters in the series. However, it can get painfully boring.

If you want to see some of the events of The Horus Heresy well before Warmaster Horus Lupercal was corrupted by the taint of Chaos, read the book. If you’re an absolute die hard Warhammer 40,000 fan, get the book. If you’re not within either of the two groups just listed, avoid the book.

Other books in the series:

• The Horus Heresy: Horus Rising by Dan Abnett
• The Horus Heresy: False Gods by Graham McNeill
• The Horus Heresy: Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter
• The Horus Heresy: Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow
• The Horus Heresy: Fulgrim by Graham McNeill

Site [The Horus Heresy: Descent of Angels] Read [Lexicanum] Also Read [The Emperyan] Also Read [I Can’t Stop Reading!]

Deal of the Week: Best Buy tossing in Xbox 360 with select HDTVs

Video games are meant to be experienced with the most state-of-the-art television we can possibly find. The problem is HDTV penetration is not at its ideal level right now and some gamers are still playing in standard definition. Best Buy is looking to bring gamers into the realm of HD by offering bundles that include Xbox 360 Arcade Consoles and HDTV’s made by Panasonic.

At the end of Best Buy’s circular for October 11, 2008, are two deals shown side by side. The first is that Best Buy is selling a 32 in. LCD Panasonic 720p HDTV with the Xbox 360 Arcade console for $699. This deal will continue throughout the week until next Sunday (October 19, 2008) The Best Buy website lists a Panasonic television with similar specs for $699.99. I guess you can say we’re getting the Xbox for free.

The other bundle includes a Panasonic 42 in. Plasma 720p HDTV and the Xbox 360 Arcade for $899.99. A similar television on the site itself sells for $999.99.

Read [Punch Jump] Also Read [Xbox Square]

Wii Virtual Console update for October 13-19, 2008

It’s official - Nintendo has gotten it’s downloadable games act together. This week, we have two very tantalizing VC titles - including a Street Fighter II iteration and Secret of Mana, a SNES action-RPG classic. We’ve also got some very cool looking Wiiware games - especially World of Goo, an indie-made puzzler with very cool physics. As usual, the titles are available on the Wii Shop channel, with a fresh batch arriving every Monday at 9 AM Pacific time. Wii points can be purchased at a rate of $1=100 points.

WiiWare

World of Goo (2D Boy, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,500 Wii Points): World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Grab living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore—but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. World of Goo Corporation is contractually obligated to state that everyone is a winner, and is enthusiastic to celebrate everyone’s Goo building opportunities equally.

Art Style: CUBELLO (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Art Style: CUBELLO mixes the strategy and feel of a traditional puzzle game with the precision and reflexes required in a shooter. As each stage begins, various colored cubes form into one large object called a Cubello, which floats and rotates as you play. Launch additional cubes from your magazine and try to connect four or more of the same color, removing them from the Cubello and eventually leaving only its core. Take on the challenge of either Stage or Endless mode and watch what happens when Bonus Time is activated. The straightforward controls and goal ensure that anyone can play, while offering enough depth that even advanced players will find themselves quickly addicted to the unique world of Art Style: CUBELLO.

Virtual Console

SECRET OF MANA (Super NES, 1-3 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 800 Wii Points): Good and evil battle for a young warrior’s heart. There is one force in the universe that keeps good and evil in perfect balance. It is called the tree of Mana. But a magic sword has tricked a young warrior into upsetting this balance, spreading evil throughout the land. Thus, the warrior must undertake a dangerous journey to find the seeds of the Mana tree, which have been hidden for centuries. Only then can perfect harmony be restored. In this incredible adventure, things are not as they seem. Magic swords release evil as well as fight it. Treasure chests hold booby traps. Monsters are friends and friends are enemies. Potions give power, black magic takes it away. Dragons fly, weapons change. It’s a world turned upside down that you must help the warrior make right. And the only way to succeed is to solve the Secret of Mana.

STREET FIGHTER II: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen—Violence, 800 Wii Points): STREET FIGHTER II: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION was the first STREET FIGHTER game released for the Sega Genesis console. The STREET FIGHTER series can be considered one of the first fighting games to popularize competitive video game fighting. This version of the game contains both the CHAMPION and HYPER rule sets, from the two editions released in the arcades. It also introduced an exclusive Group Battle mode that is now a general feature in most fighting games. Play as one of 12 different characters, each with their own distinctive fighting style. Try single-player mode or challenge a friend in this legendary, classic fighting game.

Read [Virtual Console Reviews] Also Read [WiiWare World]

Sony announces USB AC adapter for PS3 accesories

Tired of clogging your USB ports with your SIXAXIS controllers and Bluetooth headsets? Tired of leaving your Playstation 3 on just to charge these accessories because you either lack a computer or just like to waste electricity? Well then, Sony has just the product for you.

Sony has announced an AC adapter that will charge two accessories at as time including SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers, wireless headsets, or whatever other gadget you have that charges via USB. Dubbed the PS3 AC Adapter, this little gadget will allow users to charge their peripherals via a electrical outlet rather than having to clog up USB slots.

Now, users that need a little power in their controllers will no longer have to get up to plug them into their PS3’s using the rather short charging cable that came with the system.

While there is no word on whether or when it will come to North America, the adapter is slated to arrive in Japan just in time for Christmas (December 18, 2008) for 2,800 yen, approximately US$28.

Read [Joystiq]