Daily Wrap Up 12/03/07
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 5:54 PM
Here's what went down today in the world of videogames, technology and popular culture.
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TAGS: Daily Wrap-Up
'Smash Bros. Brawl' Friend Code Woes
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 3:50 PM
 Today is a sad day in Smash Bros. history. It has been revealed that Brawl will in fact use friend codes that will be unique to the game.
Just like other Wii games, it will be a terrible chore to populate a friends list with people you know and IMPOSSIBLE to add random people you play.
As previously revealed, you will not be able to talk with strangers and no records will be saved in public play. You won't even get their names or friend codes.
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TAGS: Other People's Misfortune, Videogames, Wii
'Princess Bride' Q & A
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 3:44 PM
Are you curious about the upcoming Princess Bride downloadable game? We are. Curious enough to talk to its developers.
So...we thought we'd turn to you, blog reader: Is there anything you would like to ask the developers of the Princess Bride game? Whatever you post in our comments section, we'll ask... unless it's too jerky.
Official Site
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TAGS: Videogames
Gamefly's Top Ten List
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 3:24 PM
It's Monday, and that means gamefly.com has released their most-requested titles of the previous week. Here's how it went down, for the week ending 12/3/07:
Cross Platform Requests:
- Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360)
Action Adventure
Ubisoft
- Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
RPG
Microsoft
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360)
Shooter
Eidos
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)
Shooter
Activision
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PlayStation 3)
Action Adventure
Sony Computer Entertainment
- BlackSite: Area 51 (Xbox 360)
Shooter
Midway
- Need for Speed: ProStreet ( Xbox 360)
Racing
Electronic Arts
- Assassin's Creed (PlayStation 3)
Action Adventure
Ubisoft
- Super Mario Galaxy
Wii
Action Adventure
Nintendo
- Timeshift
Xbox 360
Shooter
Vivendi Universal
Click the cut for more detailed, console-specific breakdowns!
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TAGS: Videogames
Writers Strike Wages On…
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 3:08 PM
 Looks like that dang writers strike ain’t ending any time soon, despite what you may have read from the Liberal Media…
Sure, it’s crippling Hollywood and turning TV into a rerun circus.
Sure, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have made what they feel is a "groundbreaking" offer to the writers regarding Internet distribution (titled the "New Economic Partnership"), which is the sticking point everyone is up in arms about. But the Writers Guild refers to the offer as "a massive rollback" and continues to press for more cash for Internet downloads and original Web content.
But the issues at hand are streaming video and Internet distribution, and the writers argue that when stuff they wrote is posted or distributed online they should be paid just as they are when the show airs on television. The networks currently consider these "promotional" uses, even when ads are used and they make money, so they don’t wanna give up sh*t.
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TAGS: Movies, Other People's Misfortune, TV
New 'CoD', 'Guitar Hero', and 'Tony Hawk' Yearly
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 3:06 PM
 After the huge news of Vivendi buying merging with Activision, the new entity of Activision Blizzard plans on publishing a new version of Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk every year.
What does this mean for you, the gamer? Well, it probably means Infinity Ward is already deep into development of CoD5 or will be skipping the next version as they skipped 3. Either that or the game will not be as polished as CoD4.
As for Guitar Hero, some of us think it will suffer while others believe it will be fine. It isn't too time consuming to create new tracks, but where does DLC enter into this? Will the GHIII DLC be cut short (as it was for Guitar Hero II) to make room for GHIV?
Then there's Tony Hawk... Early rumor has it that the next version of the long-standing franchise will be more realistic. That probably has nothing to do with skate. Also, they've had no problems cranking one out every year.
How do you feel about this? Realize, that if this actually happens, by 2010 we will be playing Call of Duty 7, Guitar Hero VI, and the 13th Tony Hawk game.
VideoGamer.com: New CoD and Guitar Hero coming 'on an annual basis'
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TAGS: PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames
NBC Finally Removed From iTunes
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, December 03, 2007 2:59 PM
Remember when we told you that NBC and iTunes were done with each other? Well, today, the last of NBC's content was removed from Apple's download site, and that means that the divorce, as they say, is final. Worry not, NBC fans, you'll be able to go to the network's portal, NBC Direct, to see all of the online content you want.
Of course, you will only be able to watch those shows on Direct for 48 hours, and not at all if you have a Mac, but we assume they're still working out the kinks on that one. Also, if you're really desperate, you can turn on your television and watch that way.
Engadget: NBC content gets removed from iTunes
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TAGS: Internets Culture, TV
Montel To Apologize For Outburst
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, December 03, 2007 2:26 PM
 Montel Williams is going to have a high-school intern that he verbally assaulted on his show so that he can apologize. Apparently, Williams insulted the young reporter, Courtney Scott, when she had the temerity to ask him if pharmaceutical companies would stop research on new drugs if it meant squeezing off their profits. See, Montel is an advocate of prescription drugs for the poor, but apparently not so radical that he can accept the idea of greedy pharmaceutical companies letting people die in the name of profits.
Anyway, Scott, later that day, ran into Montel in another place, and he thought she was following him, so he said the following: "I can look you up, find where you live and blow you up." So, now he's inviting Courtney on his show so that he can apologize. We hope he cries. Hard.
Yahoo! News: Montel's show offers reporter TV apology
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TAGS: TV
Blades Of Robo-Glory
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 2:07 PM
 Welcome to Tokyo's 12th annual Robo-One Grand Championship match, where two-legged robots fight, throw balloons at each other, and even sing in a mission to become the world champ ‘bot.
Twenty-five finalist robots competed Saturday, showing off some of the latest moves originated by children, homemakers and other robot fans in the world's largest robo-market.
To win the tournament and the title of the world's strongest two-legged fighting robot, contestants need to be able to keep their balance while punching and dodging blows, and get up when pushed down.
And to kick off the action, a Christmas light-clad ‘bot named Arichyon sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" while a robot with a penguin head knocked it over with one punch.
Now, if that ain’t carrying on the spirit of the birth of the son of God, then I don’t know what will!
YahooNews.com: Japan's Robots Slug It Out To Be World Champ
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TAGS: Robot Uprising, Tech
Death Race 2008: Pay Phones Go Bye Bye
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 1:54 PM
 Hey, anyone remember when there used to be payphone strewn across America, for people to dump coins into to make phone calls. This was before cell technology, of course, which has pretty much rendered the old fashioned phone booths obsolete.
Actually, scratch that. Not pretty much obsolete. Make that, totally obsolete.
Yup, AT&T says it will be completely out of the pay phone business by the end of 2008. In fact, there are about a million pay phones left in the country, down from a peak 2.6 million in 1998.
So what do you do if you’re in trouble, need help, and don’t have a cell available?
One word: DIE.
Gizmodo.com: No More Pay Phones
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TAGS: Tech
Wii-kly Update: ZANAC
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 1:45 PM
 Since the launch of the Wii, we've looked at each week of old-school game releases and thought, "Oh! Right! That game. I had it/remember playing it at my friend Doug's house when I was 12/etc." But this week, we haven't played any of the three retro games available. So you're guess is as good as ours. The three games:
- ZANAC (NES)
- Eternal Champions (Sega Genesis)
- The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM)
Have you played any of these games? Let us know what you think below...and click the "Read More" tag for a more detailed description, straight from Nintendo.
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TAGS: Videogames, Wii
Tech Review: Seagate OneTouch Externals
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:54 PM
G4tv.com gets to play around with all the cool gadgets and tell you what to think about them. Here’s the scoop on the…
 Seagate OneTouch 4 Plus (500GB) & OneTouch 4 Mini (120GB)
Available: Now
Price: $199.99 & $119.99 MSRP
Hurting for some external storage? Whether you need a large drive at home for media storage or a portable drive for your laptop, Seagate has some new Maxtor drives for you.
PROS:
- Fast Read/Write
- PC/Mac Compatible
- Mini is Powered by USB
- Decent Back-Up Software (PC Only)
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TAGS: PC Gaming, Tech, Tech Reviews
Britney Tops Web
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:29 PM
 Oh, in case you were wondering, Britney Spears ruled the top search queries of the year AGAIN this year.
Yes, according to the major search engines, the top searches in ’07 were as followes (and proves that we, America, have NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR LIVES):
Britney Spears
WWE
Paris Hilton
Naruto
Beyonce
Lindsay Lohan
Rune Scape
Fantasy Football
Fergie
Jessica Alba
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TAGS: Girls, Internets Culture
'Princess Bride' Trailer Live
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:26 PM
We have hope for the The Princess Bride downloadable game. We really do.
Check out the newly released trailer for True Love and High Adventure, and let us know what you think.
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TAGS: Videogames
Return Of The Living Spice Girls
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:23 PM
It must really be cold out this winter, because the Spice Girls kicked off their reunion tour yesterday and to my knowledge Hell hasn’t frozen over yet.
Yes, for the first time in nearly a decade Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton and Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown hit the road in a concert tour sure to…well, sure to excite someone somewhere.
At their debut reunion performance, the girls took the stage in gold and bronze outfits by Italian designer Roberto Cavalli and opened with their signature song, "Spice Up Your Life," followed by "Stop" and "Say You'll Be There."
Just hours before the show, Posh’s husband David Beckham gave each member of the group a special bracelet to mark their return on behalf on Victoria’s family.
Isn’t that sweet?
Then on behalf of the rest of us, he punched each one in the face to mark their return.
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TAGS: Girls, Music
Nugget From The Net
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:15 PM
Bargain-basement airline Spirit's new promotion promises M.I.L.Fs, but they say the acronyms stands for "Many Islands Low Fairs" as opposed to "Moms I'd Like To...Find.
Check out the below ad... and note the "islands" that look a lot like the lady on the back of your paw's mudflaps.
Check out the site
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TAGS: Nuggets From The Nets
LifeForce
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, December 03, 2007 12:15 PM
 Imagine a world where a straw filters water with iodine as you drink it.
And what if this “LifeStraw,” if you will, completely eliminates the iodine aftertaste while filtering out 99% of waterborne bacteria, and 98.7% of waterborne viruses that you might encounter?
Wouldn’t this be a major breakthrough for developing countries, or in areas with questionable water quality, and potentially save thousands of lives?
Yes, yes it could.
But it won’t.
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TAGS: Tech
TiVo Gets Photobucket and Picasa
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 11:57 AM
TiVo is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to access Photobucket and Picasa from their TiVo boxes.
The feature requires that the TiVo box is connected to the internets via broadband.
If the TiVo box is that of the (overpriced) HD variety, the photos will come through in HD resolutions, though it still all depends on the original resolution of the photo.
Check it out, TiVo'ers.
Gizmodo: TiVo Does HD Photos with Picasa and Photobucket
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Tech, TV
'The Force Unleashed' Comes To N-Gage
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 11:49 AM
 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is coming to the N-Gage mobile games platform in 2008.
The game casts players as Darth Vader's evil apprentice, and promises to "unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. " The Force Unleashed is set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
So there's that.
"We're proud to be able to deliver the next chapter in the Star Wars saga on the N-Gage platform," said Gregg Sauter, Director, Publishing, Nokia. "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Mobile game will take advantage of the N-Gage platform's robust native development environment to provide the ultimate mobile gaming experience, including powerful graphics, connectivity and community elements."
A quick, informal survey of readers: Do you play games on your phone?
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TAGS: Videogames
'Enchanted' Slays Box Office Again
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, December 03, 2007 11:40 AM
People really seem to like Enchanted. That's the only reason for it being the number one film at the box office for yet another week, pulling in $17 million to crush all competition in its class. As a matter of fact, it won so handily that the nearest competitor, This Christmas, only brought in $8 million...and it's a holiday movie.
Meanwhile, niche films continued to do well, with the Coen Brothers' amazing No Country For Old Men rocking the cash register to the tune of $4.5 million on far fewer screens than the majority of the weekend's films. If you haven't seen it yet, you must. It's amazing.
Yahoo! Movies: Weekend Box Office
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TAGS: Movies
dPhone?! Dell Smartphone for 2008?
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 11:25 AM
 Rumor has it that Dell could be gearing up for a smartphone launch in 2008.
The PC giant might enter the game with a "video, an MP3 player and Internet access and [will] be unleashed on the world early next year."
We'd bet on Windows Mobile 6 but crazier things could happen. Maybe it'll run Google's Android.
Would you be interested in a dPhone?
Gizmodo: Dell Smartphone in 2008?!
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Tech
PS3 'Orange Box' Dated
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, December 03, 2007 10:56 AM
Finally, PlayStation 3 gamers will be able to join the PC and 360 ranks and experience the joy and wonder that is The Orange Box.
The Orange Box for PS3 comes out on December 11th, and we feel confident in predicitng that its release will end the bickering over which console is superior once and for all. Portal is just good enough to herald a new age of cross-console generosity and brotherhood. Hallelujah!
French and German versions will be available in early 2008.
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TAGS: PlayStation 3, Videogames
New Samsung RAM is Super Fast
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, December 03, 2007 10:48 AM
 Ah, the sweet sting of technology advancing faster tha
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