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Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 5:17 PM
Today, Morgan brings you the latest in gaming news, including a new GameSpot Editor, a release date for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and a settlement on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" mod.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 3:32 PM
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told the New Yorker that The federal government should be able to read all communications on the Internet. McConnell is working to make it possible too; he has developed a cyber security policy that would make total internet openness a reality, but President George W. Bush has not announced it yet.
McConnell feels the increase in governmental scrutiny of the web, your email, and everything else on the net is necessary in order to keep our information-systems safe from terrorists. Should McConnell succeed, the nature of privacy on the internet would be fundamentally altered, not to mention the relationship between our government and its citizens.
If McConnell is right that "sunshine is the best disinfectant" when it comes to security on the internet, we find it contradictory that the Bush presidency has been meticulously increasing the secrecy of the executive branch since at least 2001. Shouldn't the same rules apply to the rights of the citizens to watch the actions of the government it elects? You know, like the founders of the country intended?
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 2:27 PM
We know that the writers strike has caused there to be all kinds of filler on television in the past couple of months, but this might be the all-time killer diller example of what happens when the ideas go away. National Geographic Channel is running a show called Dogtown, which will chronicle the rehabilitation of the violent puppies that were involved in the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal.
Not only will the show focus on the dogs' rehabilitation, but their 'resocialization' as well. Which is good, because we were a little worried about them becoming institutionalized over the course of their torturous incarceration. Of course, dogs are a little prone to Stockholm Syndrome, as well, so there's that to overcome. This is going to be delightful.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 2:12 PM
eBay is struggling to grow its Marketplace user base, that is, merchants that use eBay to sell their goods online. Competitors like Amazon.com also allow smaller merchants to sell through them.
eBay will lower insertion fees and reduce some other costs for merchants. It will also make some changes to the way results are displayed to favor higher rated merchants over lower rated ones.
In addition, they will make it more difficult for merchants to attain the "PowerSeller" rating and try to cut down on scamming and overcharging for shipping.
We suggest they take this opportunity to cut down on the large amount of scammers on the buying side while they are at it.
Look for these changes to roll out over the next couple of weeks and months.
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 2:10 PM
Way back when, last summer, Marvel and EA teamed up to develop a fighting game based on the characters in the Marvel universe, in what is the most literal example of a Marvel Team-Up of all time. Well, now, you can ask What If? the game had ever been made, because Marvel and EA are breaking up and not going through with it.
We hear through the grapevine that it was EA what did the dumping, as they just don't see the Marvel game as part of their ongoing business portfolio, and that Marvel will continue to develop the game on their own. "We don't need EA," Marvel as a personified character did not say, "we'll be stronger on our own. Plus, EA was totally cheating on us with Dark Horse, because DC saw them together at the gym, and they were totally dancing together, and Image Comics said they looked like they were kissing, but the light was too dark."
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 2:00 PM
Crash, the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2006 is going to be a one-hour drama series on Starz.
Paul Haggis, the writer/director, is involved along with producers Bobby Moresco, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris and Tom Nunan. Actor/producer Don Cheadle is also on board.
The plan is for 13 episodes with production beginning this spring. It is expect to win the Best Drama Emmy over the upcoming series based on Brokeback Mountain, which doesn't actually exist.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:56 PM
According to the Huddersville Daily Examiner (the "Gray Lady" of West Yorkshire), some U.K. gamers who had a Wii stolen may be reunited with their purloined console with the help of adorable Miis.
The British police recovered the stolen system from a Cockney nere-do-well, and are hoping to use the 16 Miis stored on the system to return it to rightful owner.
The Miis' names include Seb, Pheebes, Nicks, Ellie and Evie, and the friend code is 7901 7431 3732 8898.
“It may have been a Christmas present. If anyone has devised these characters listed and the Wii has gone missing, then please contact us urgently," Det Con Neil Johnson.
"When they noticed the Wii was missing, the family likely said something along the lines of 'Ello, 'ello. Wut's all this then?" the detective did not add.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:55 PM
Richard Windsor of Nomura International believes that Motorola might get right out of the cellular handset business and focus on becoming an "enterprise and government company."
Sure, they had a huge hit with the RAZR, but their software has always been lagging behind the curve in terms of usability. As more and more people move to smartphones, Motorola seems to be left in the dust.
Do you think Motorola will get out of the cell business? Do you know anyone who got a RAZR 2? We don't know why anyone would pay $250 for one.
Posted by Justin Fassino - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:25 PM
Earlier today we posted a story about Hal Halpin addressing the Mass Effect/Fox News situation and his defense of video games, but the drama isn't over.
When asked to apologize for their incorrect portrayal of Mass Effect by EA, Fox simply issued a statement that they have "extended several invitations to EA for a company representative to appear on Live Desk w/ Martha MacCallum to discuss Mass Effect, and the segment which aired on Monday. We have received no response.”
That's been the official word from the network, but on yesterday's Live Desk w/ Martha MacCallum, Martha herself took some time to acknowledge the statements made by Cooper Lawrence, the guest on the original program who debated with game journalist Geoff Keighley about the supposed pornographic nature of the game.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:16 PM
The thing about the internet is: Nothing can remain secret too long. Like the new DS color. The other day, retailer Circuit City recently added a pre-order page to their internets website for a brand new Nintendo DS Lite color: Cobalt-Blue.
Then they pulled the listing. But not before screencaps were made and spread all over the internet along with gushing fanboys saying, "ZOMG! A new DS Color!"
Whether this is actually a new DS color or just a clever troll (another thing about the internet: It's full of tricksters) has yet to be determined officially. Nintendo is mum on the matter, but we think this is almost certainly a true rumor, in spite of a lack of official confirmation.
The fact that a new Nintendo color is the most exciting thing in our day indicates another internet peculiarity: It's full of geeks like us.
New York’s Hangar 18 are the latest act to come out of hip indie label Def Jux, home of RJD2, El-P, Aesop Rock, and Del. They have been steadily releasing songs on cool compilations and 12" singles, and touring the country, sharing the stage with the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Murs, Aceyalone, Atmosphere, and many others.
Many first got wind of “The Hangar” on the underground classics The Persecution of Hip Hop and The Prequel Album. In addition MCs Windnbreez and Alaska were also featured on Random B-Sides from Weightless Records. Plus, Alaska was featured on the seminal Cannibal Ox album, The Cold Vein, and he and Windnbreez were featured on Def Jux Presents 2 as well as the CP Records release Euphony. The group’s follow up to their debut effort, the awesomely titled The Multi Platinum Debut Album, is coming soon, so keep your ear to the streets!
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:34 AM
The Progressive Pack has dropped for Rock Band on Xbox Live (Thursday for PSN) and YouTube user Npeaen has quick-turned videos for all three tracks showing off the Expert guitar chart.
FYI, he does this every week for every track released.
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:26 AM
Sam Raimi is jumping back in the TV Producer’s chair for what looks to be a promising return to what made the likes of Xena and Young Hercules so successful. Wizard’s First Rule is based on the Terry Goodkind epic book series, The Sword of Truth, which follows Richard Cypher, an ordinary woodsmen who is vaulted into wizard status.
The 22 1-hour-long episodes are set to begin production in May and the show will debut on a syndication network (i.e. USA, CW, Sci-Fi,) although it is unclear which one it will be.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:15 AM
The back pages of dusty financial reports often contain the juiciest pieces of insider info. Case-in-point, a recent Nintendo investor report about the company's latest financial results suggest Animal Crossing and Kirby are coming to the Wii in 2008...at least in Japan.
Other games listed for a Japanese release in 2008 are Mario Kart Wii , Wii Music, Super Mario Stadium Family Baseball, and Disaster: Day of Crisis.
None of these are surprises or anything--we've been hearing about some of these games since launch, and we played Wii Musicbefore the launch-- but the time frame is great. 2008. This year.
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:42 AM
You know that there's a G.I. Joe movie coming out, right? You should, because we've talked about it before. Well, there are new cast members on the project, and those cast members are Dennis Quaid and Channing Tatum. Quaid will play General Hawk, the leader of the military unit, and Tatum will play Duke Hauser, the lead soldier of said unit.
The film will begin shooting in Los Angeles next month, and will be released on August 7th, 2009. It will be directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) and will likely get a ton of build-up as the next year progresses. Watch this space for more details.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:41 AM
Rumors have been swirling for months that Rock Band is coming to the Wii, but no official word has ever been spoken on the matter, but a recent retail purchase Is feeding the rumor-mill.
A poster on the ScoreHero board ran across a Rock Band standalone microphone in a store. Harmonix recently announced the arrival of standalone RB instruments, with no mention of a microphone, but there is one. And this dude (Rocker 74) bought it, photographed it, and posted it. It looks like it says "Wii" on it, leading some to see a Wii version of Rock Band in the future...and others to speculate that it doesn't mean anything: Since it's a standard USB microphone, it's compatible with any Wii game that needs a mic.
Look at the photo under the cut and make up your own mind.
X-Play Archives: PlayStation 2 Disc Read Error Fix
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:36 AM
We know that not everyone has made the next-gen jump in their gaming consoles. For those of you still playing your PS2, here's a handy little report from the X-Play Archives that may prove useful should you encounter some unforseen "disc read errors".
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:09 AM
If you're anything like us, you spend all day wondering: "What is Julie Newmar up to these days?"
Turns out, the Catwoman from the original Batman TV showis available as a lingerie-clad corporate spokesperson! Check out her ad from Adweek, she's "unretouched and unretired."
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:54 AM
Our BFFs at filefront have an offer for you: Download and play the beta version of anime-style medieval battle RPG Grand Chase for the low, low price of nothing. That's right, free gaming action for you to enjoy
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:52 AM
You crazy kids and your peace, free-love, and iPhone unlocking have gone and done it this time. Analysts are reporting that there could be around 1 million unlocked iPhones operating on non-Apple Approved carriers.
Part of Apple's iPhone money comes from kickbacks they receive from the carrier for the privilege of operating the iPhone. When people don't activate these phones on AT&T, Apple doesn't get their kickback.
This all adds up to around $300 - $400 million in lost revenue over the next few years.
eBay is struggling to grow its Marketplace user base, that is, merchants that use eBay to sell their goods online. Competitors like Amazon.com also allow smaller merchants to sell through them.
Crash, the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2006 is going to be a one-hour drama series on Starz.
Richard Windsor of Nomura International believes that Motorola might get right out of the cellular handset business and focus on becoming an "enterprise and government company."
The back pages of dusty financial reports often contain the juiciest pieces of insider info. Case-in-point, a recent Nintendo investor report about the company's latest financial results suggest Animal Crossing and Kirby are coming to the Wii in 2008...at least in Japan.
Not content to already own the online searching world, Google is trying out a few new search views.
You know that there's a G.I. Joe movie coming out, right? You should, because we've talked about it before. Well, there are new cast members on the project, and those cast members are Dennis Quaid and Channing Tatum. Quaid will play General Hawk, the leader of the military unit, and Tatum will play Duke Hauser, the lead soldier of said unit.
Yeah, I guess your flashlight is good for lighting up dark rooms and seeing during an emergency... but can it SET THINGS ON FIRE?!
You crazy kids and your peace, free-love, and iPhone unlocking have gone and done it this time. Analysts are reporting that there could be around 1 million unlocked iPhones operating on non-Apple Approved carriers.