Daily Wrap Up: 2.12.08
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 6:01 PM
Here's what went down today in videogames, technology and popular culture.
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TAGS: Daily Wrap-Up, Videos
X-Play Gaming Update 02.12.08
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 5:32 PM
Today, Morgan brings you all the latest gaming news, including Mass Effect coming to the PC, EA extending their NFL license, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl going platinum.
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TAGS: Wii, Xbox 360
Nugget From The Net
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 4:06 PM
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Ubisoft Slapz Bratz
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 2:53 PM
Game-makerz Ubisoft just won a huge victory over the makerz of Bratz dolls, to the tune of more than 13 million buckz.
In 2002, Ubisoft entered into a license with Bratz-makerz MGA to publish video games based on the Bratz dolls. Then the adorable (?) dollz blew up and became very, very hot propertiez. MGA sought to force a renegotiation of the license in 2003. Ubisoft refused to give in. MGA sued. Ubisoft counter-sued. It was a mezz.
But now, Ubi is 13.2 million dollars richer, and the "real" courtz have agreed that the award is valid.
Ubisoft's in-house counsel Virginie Gringarten said: "We are extremely pleased with the resultz."
Understate much, Virgnine?
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TAGS: Videogames
Tolkien Estate Sues New Line Cinema
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 2:00 PM
 The Tolkien Estate is suing New Line, makers of the insanely successful Lord of The Rings Trilogy, citing that they have not received one penny of the contracted 7.5% of gross receipts that the film has made. The lawsuit seeks the 7.5%, in addition to a penalty for damages, and a revoke of the rights New Line has to make a pair of Hobbit films that are set for release in 2010 and 2011.
The LOTR Trilogy has made somewhere around $6 billion worldwide according to the lawsuit. Here's TheFeed's LOTR lawsuit prediction: The Tolkiens will get their money, and the rights to The Hobbit will go unchanged with a strict wrist slap from the judge who will insist New Line pay them when that starts making bank, too.
Editor's Note: We know you already know what Hobbits look like. So, instead, we're using this random picture of a skiing hottie.
ap.org: Tolkien Estate Sues New Line Cinema
also, remember when Zack did the Loop in '06?:
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TAGS: Girls, Movies
'American Ninja Challenge 2' Is Here!
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 1:35 PM
It's time, ladies and gentlemen, for the second American Ninja challenge, where Western athletes vie to compete with the Japanese masters of G4's Ninja Warrior!
We've culled and collected the submissions of would-be Ninjas from all over the United States, but we need to know: Do these potential Ninja Warriors demonstrate the physical skills, zazz and showmanship necessary to reign supreme on Mt. Midoriyama? Only you can decide.
There are three warriors under the cut. Click it check 'em out, and then move over to the Ninja Warrior page and decide who has the juice to go to Japan!
We'll be featuring three warriors a day, so keep checking back.
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TAGS: G4, Videogames
'City of Heroes' Adds Math
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 1:21 PM
According to an interview with City of Heroes programmer CW Bennett, the COH's UI. will now display the raw numbers behind the game’s combat system, making City a bit more like other MMOs.
The Combat Attributes Window lists all the important attributes of the player and shows their current value," Bennett said. "It also shows the source and contribution of buffs. The Combat Monitor Window is a lightweight window that can unobtrusively be left up all the time (unlike the Combat Attributes Window), so you can watch selected buffs change during combat. Additionally, more information can be found through buff icons that show their actual effects on the player, and in the combat log where hit rolls have been added."
So lemme ask you an insider gaming question: Would you rather a simpler UI where the numbers are behind the scenes, or do you like your math out in the open?
Click the cut for the rest of the City of Heroes programmer interview.
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TAGS: PC Gaming, Videogames
Sony's Online Valentine Events
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 1:14 PM
Sony has unveiled the Valentine presents that are coming to their online worlds, and you are invited...provided you pony up the membership dues, of course.
EverQuest II will be celebrating Erollisi Day, honoring the goddess of love, Erollisi Marr. Players will be able to present each other with virtual Erollisi roses, enjoy heart shaped cookies and sip love potions. Also during this holiday, players may discover love notes or message candies when they kill mobs throughout the online world of Norrath. Man, it must suck to not get any valentines in real life and an online world.
Other in-game events Sony events are below the cut, but please note--EDIT: Star Wars: Galaxies is not mentioned. We find this curious.
We're not curious anymore. Below the cut is Galaxies' Valentine goodness.
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TAGS: PC Gaming, Videogames
ESA Threatens Anti-Piracy Sanctions
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:44 PM
 The Entertainment Software Association, or ESA, have threatened countries that aren't doing enough to combat piracy with trade sanctions if those countries don't clean up their act. According to an ESA report, piracy is a persistent problem in Canada, China, Malaysia, Russia and other parts of Europe, with piracy levels exceeding 90 percent in some markets and threatening the videogame industry’s growth.
In short, the ESA sure is p.o'd about losing money, even though they had a record-breaking year, pulling in over $18 billion, in 2007. Still, they see piracy in other countries as a real threat, and are adopting language that governments usually reserve for civil rights abuse and other such atrocity as a warning.
Next Generation.com: ESA: Combat Piracy or Face Damaging Sanctions
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TAGS: Videogames
Freestyle 101: Shyheim & Illy Ale
Posted by Frank Meyer - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:00 PM
Wu Tang Clan fans are familiar with Shyheim when he was known as The Rugged Child, the youngest affiliate of the legendary hip hop collective.
He made his debut in 1995 with Shyheim a/k/a the Rugged Child and an appearance on Big Daddy Kane’s “Show -n- Prove” alongside Old Dirty Bastard and a young Jay-Z. The Lost Generation followed, and by 1999 Shyheim released Manchild and was all grown up. The Greatest Story Never Told hit in 2005 and Shyheim has been on the mixtape grind ever since. He is currently getting much attention from his song and video for “Fat Boy”, a diss against Wu Tang’s Raekwon. It seems Rae shut Shyheim down when he was trying to get a DVD drop from P. Diddy backstage at a recent Wu tang show. And we all know that disrespecting an MC ain’t a good move, even if you are a legend.
In his Freestyle 101 session, Shyheim discusses the beef with Rae, his relationship with Wu Tang, and the hip hop scene in Staten Island. He even brought his cousin Guy (a.k.a. Illy Ale) along to Play Studios in Manhattan and the duo tag-teamed rapped about what kind of videogame they’d make over a chill Messiaz beat. Shy plays the man on the street in the big city, while Illy Ale plays the role of death as it sweeps through the streets. Life as a videogame…an interesting and unique approach.
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TAGS: Freestyle 101, G4 Web Exclusive, Music
Honest Valentines
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:48 AM
it's almost Valentine's Day, and cracked.com has a collection of honest Valentines cards for you to enjoy.
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TAGS: Nuggets From The Nets
Nanotechnology Innovation for Clean Socks
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:35 AM
 Chinese and Australian scientists are using nanotechnology for something that really matters: cleaning clothes. We suspect they will easily win the Nobel Peace Prize for this one.
They accomplish this by coating clothing with a titanium-oxide based compound, which breaks down dirt and stains when exposed to sunlight. The garment can then be easily cleaned without needing soap and water.
This will be a welcome innovation when the world runs out of water, but we need to keep our socks clean. Currently, the compound will only bond to silk or wool, so step aside cotton.
Gizmodo: Nanotech Coating Uses Sunlight to Banish Smelly Socks Forever
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TAGS: Tech
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Is Platinum
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:34 AM
Well, that didn't take long. Before even hitting stateside, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has gone platinum, selling over 1 million copies in less than two weeks, making it the fastest selling Wii title to date.
The game is selling so well apparently, that retailers have been reporting 90% stock depletion. If it's anything like that over here in the good ol' U.S. of A., I might suggest waiting in line, possibly at your local Sam's Club.
Also, in case you are unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is going to be Super Smash Bros. Brawl, check out Adam's and Morgan's Hands On look at the American version of the game from X-Play.
IGN.com: Smash Bros sells a million
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TAGS: Videogames, Wii
Too Soon For Next-Next-Gen?
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:20 AM
The XBox 360 is now almost three years into its life cycle, which, traditionally, would make this about the time that Microsoft would be considering production on a newer model. However, analysts say that this would be a bad time for that, and that the 360 still has a lot of gas left in the tank, and that the improvements that a new-new-generation system would hold aren't significant enough to make it worth the effort.
First off, the idea was, at some point, to incorporate HD-DVD into a new console, which, as it turns out, might not be the best idea, considering the slide that HD-DVD has been on over the past couple of months. Also, the analysts say that shifting the market just for the sake of doing so might be disastrous. In other words, it's going to be a long time before you see the XBox 720.
Kombo.com: Timed Monopoly: Why it's Too Soon for the Next Xbox
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TAGS: Videogames, Xbox 360
Fox Sues Warner Bros. Over ‘Watchmen’
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:07 AM
Fox is aiming all 237 of its lawyers at Warner Bros' 239 lawyers over a supposed exclusive right to distribute any project based on the Watchmen comic series. Fox is saying they got all the rights to do a Watchmen movie back in the late 80s. Where it gets sticky is Fox lent those rights to Largo with the caveat that anything produced by them would have to be distributed by Fox. Largo fell apart and most of its holdings went to Warner. So, you see why this is such a big to-do.
Watchmen is a 12-issue series from 1986-87 that was compiled into one larger edition, and gave rise to the anthology style "graphic novels" we all know so well. It is very, very, very good and you should read it.
read it here, the way it was never intended.
actually, don't do that. go buy it from your local mom & pop comic shop.
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TAGS: Comics, Movies
Why Do Wii Games Get Low Review Scores?
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:05 AM
Next-Gen.biz decided to examine the incredibly low average review score for Wii games versus the PS3 and Xbox 360 and find that reviewers are either being very harsh on the Wii or the games just aren't that good.
Here's a fun graph they whipped up:
Using the average score from GameRankings.com, they also conclude that the PS3 has better reviewed games than the Xbox 360.
What do you think about all this? Read up and let us know in the comments.
Next-Gen.biz: What's With Wii's Low Review Scores?
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TAGS: PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii
'Bioshock' Going Mobile
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:54 AM
When we devoted a week of our life to undersea metropolis of Rapture, we did not once think, "I wish I could play this on my mobile phone!" but apparently, some did.
In a move that we pray is not a watering-down (get it?) of one of our favorite videogame brands, Bioshock is going to mobile phones. mobile fun maker IG Games secured the worldwide mobile rights to the title.
Sean Malatesta, CEO of IG Fun said, "We're trying to do great things and BioShock on mobile promises to offer a whole new gaming experience and unmatched excitement amongst mobile gamers the world over. BioShock is a special game in its genre; it brings an element of conflicting morals which has an impact on the storyline, and, among other things, on the difficulty of the game itself."
So, let us know, readers: Are you excited for this, like you just found some ADAM, or are you dreading it like you dread that splicer with the machine gun?
Destructoid: BioShock Mobile: Welcome to little tiny Rapture
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TAGS: Videogames
'Spore' Release Date: 9.7.08
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:40 AM
Will Wright's eagerly awaited Universe simulator Spore is coming on September 7th, 2008.
The announcement was made via a trailer on Spore's site, promising the "next big bang" and an "explosion of creativity."
Spore will be available for the PC, Macintosh, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones.Sorry, console owners.
Here's a look at the game from E3... see what the fuss is about below.
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TAGS: Nintendo DS, Videogames
UK Pirates Could Get Banned from Net
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:38 AM
The age-old battle between the British and pirates still wages on the high seas of the internets. A new piece of legislation is being sent to the British parliament for voting next week and could have major implications on the way the net works.
Unconfirmed reports point to ISPs being forced to monitor traffic to look for illegal downloads. Supposedly, ISPs will give a warning at the first offense, suspension on the second, and a termination of service on the third.
ISPs that do not comply with this legislation, if passed, could end up facing fines.
Let's hope this doesn't hop the pond over to the US. Not that we download anything illegally, but we don't like the privacy implications.
Variety: U.K. to get tough on pirates
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Other People's Misfortune
Clone Wars Animated Film
Posted by Ty Colfax - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:36 AM
The next Lucas offering is (SURPRISE!) more Star Wars expanded universe junk. The 3-D animated flick will take an in-depth look at the space between Episode II and III, first referenced by Obi-Wan in A New Hope. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will also have an accompanying series on Cartoon Network which will launch shortly after the movie's August 15th release date.
As much as we love the Star Wars lore, we love it less with each awkward reworking and expansion. We can only hope this won't suck ass. And the mini-doc at starwars.com suggests it might actually be worth seeing.
starwars.com
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TAGS: Movies, TV
Film a Stunt, Win a Gateway Gaming Rig
Posted by Brian Leahy - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:46 AM
Gateway's FX540XT is a great gaming rig and they are running a contest to give away a brand new FX540XT and their XHD 3000 30" HD monitor.
The gaming PC clocks in at over $3,000 and the monitor kicks the prize package up to $4,500.
Head on over to Gateway's contest page for all the instructions and rules and tell 'em G4 sent ya. You'll need a cow.
Full press release after the break.
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TAGS: Internets Culture, PC Gaming, Products
Midnight 'Smash Bros' At Sam's
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:40 AM
When Super Smash Bros. Brawl is released on March 9th, the place to be fore the launch may be...Sam's Club(?).
The big box "members only" retail store will be open at midnight, so you can get Brawl the second it is is released in North America. And they'll be selling the game for under 44 bucks. For those not willing to wait up, yo can pre-order the game now. Sam's also wants us to know that they are selling Rock Band.
Now we'll be able to pick up Smash Bros. and a 16 gallon tub of mayonnaise. Pretty sweet.
Check Out blog: Major announcements from Sam's Club
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TAGS: Videogames, Wii
Eidos Journeys Into Your Brain
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 8:49 AM
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