Nukezilla

Sega Releases Teaser For Jet Set Radio on PSN and XBLA

Gavin Moore — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:45:22 +0000

‘Guess Who’s Back?’ states Sega’s latest teaser trailer. By now, that oh-so-familiar music has already kicked in, and a very distinctive logo has reared its radio-shaped head. Yes, the much loved Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio is coming to PSN and XBLA.

Though Sega is keeping quiet on any further details, those who didn’t own a Dreamcast (shame on you) or Jet Set Radio first go round in 2000 (further shame on you) are likely to have the chance to take Beat and his crew around the streets of Toyko-to in the near future.

Speaking of future, bear in mind that this is not Jet Set Radio Future — the Xbox-released sequel — but rather the Dreamcast title that kicked off the series. We can only hope that we’ll see a re-release of Future in the future.

With its distinctive cel-shaded visual style, Jet Set Radio is in a genre all its own, a kind of ‘skate-and-graffiti-em-up’.

One potential issue I suspect fans wouldn’t stand, nor skate for would be a repeat of the trauma Sega inflicted on an unsuspecting public with a previous Dreamcast re-release. Due to licensing issues, Crazy Taxi‘s appearance on XBLA did not feature any of the punk tunes from Bad Religion and The Offspring that graced the original. It is unimaginable to think Jet Set Radio would have the same draw without the j-pop of Guitar Vader, the electro-funk of Hideki Naganuma, or the hip-hop of Jurassic 5.

Please Sega, don’t make me beg…

Via: Eurogamer

Sign-up for Guild Wars 2 Beta

Meagan Bickell — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:18:06 +0000

If you need a reason to sign up for NCSoft’s Guild Wars 2 beta, you can read Hans’s preview of it here from September, 2011. If you need further motivation, I encourage you to watch the official teaser trailer below. Otherwise, I suggest heading straight here and sending in your application.

Of course, there isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get in if you sign up, but you definitely won’t get in if you don’t try!

Video Game Wars Should Feel Real, EA Says

What’s New and What’s Cheap in the UK: The Vita, The Last Story and Final Fantasy XIII-2

Simon Julian — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:00:20 +0000

Welcome to this week’s edition of “What’s New and What’s Cheap in the UK”, the weekly post telling you exactly what it says on the tin: what’s cheap in Old Blighty. But fear not, international readers: where applicable, prices will also be listed in Euros and USD.

Well this week all the releases are overshadowed by the release of a new system the Playstation Vita and the first wave of software includes Wipeout 2048, em>Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Touch My Katamari and Rayman Origins.

Elsewhere Syndicate releases on PC, 360 and PS3, Asuras Wrath hits PS3 and 360 and The Last Story provides another last gasp for the Wii.

On the cheap side this week, Simply Games has Final Fantasy XIII-2 for £21.99 on 360 and £23.99 on PS3, Indievania has a number of great indie titles for dead cheap including Wizorb for $1.00 and Inside a Star-filled Sky for $1.60 and Steam has Cities XL 2012 for £7.50

What catches your eye on either side this week?

What’s New

I’m sure I’m missing a few titles from this list, so sorry about that

Wipeout 2048
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Ridge Racer
Everybodys Golf
Touch My Katamari
Little Deviants
Lumines Electronic Symphony
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen
Rayman Origins
Dynasty Warriors Next
ModNation Racers
Reality Fighters
Virtua Tennis 4
Dungeon Hunter Alliance
Asphalt Injection
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus

Syndicate
Binary Domain
Asuras Wrath
Jak & Daxter Collection

Syndicate
Binary Domain
Asuras Wrath

Syndicate

The Last Story

What’s Cheap

Play.com

Virtua Tennis 4 | PS3 | £9.99
King Of Fighters 13 | 360 | £17.99
King Of Fighters 13 | PS3 | £17.99
Operation Flashpoint: Red River3 | PC | £5.00

Simply Games

Final Fantasy XIII-2 | 360 | £21.99
Final Fantasy XIII-2 | PS3 | £23.99

The Game Collection

Saints Row: The Third | 360 | £21.95

Zavvi

Bulletstorm | 360 | £5.95
Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend | 360 | £19.95
Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend | PS3 | £19.95
Dark Souls | 360 | £14.95
Dark Souls | PS3 | £14.95

Gamersgate

The Void | PC | £2.49
Painkiller Complete Pack | PC | £5.40

Indievania

Blocks That Matter | PC | $1.00
Inside a Star-filled Sky | PC | $1.60
Wizorb | PC | $1.00
Cthulhu Saves The World + Breath of Death VII: The Beginning! | PC | $1.00

Steam

Cities XL 2012 | PC | £7.50/$10.00/€10.00

If I’ve missed either a new release or a great cheap deal, please comment and make that information known.

Borderlands 2 Arrives Late September, Has Pretty Trailer

John Kershaw — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:56:41 +0000

Borderlands 2, one of my anticipated games for this year, has gotten itself a launch date and a rather fine new trailer. The game will be out September 18th in the US and September 21st everywhere else.

Below is the first trailer I’ve seen this year which has me a little excited.

BioWare Writer Describes Her Gaming Tastes; Angry Gamers Call Her a “Cancer”

Meagan Bickell — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:46:52 +0000

Jennifer Hepler, a writer for Bioware who worked on Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, has been dealing with a lot of hateful comments sent her way via email, twitter, and personal phone calls. Why? Because something she said six years ago was taken out of context and angered all the misogynistic assholes on the internet.

And Reddit was involved. Imagine that.

In 2006, Hepler gave an interview to the (now apparently defunct) site Killer Betties. In the interview, she gave her opinion of the games industry and gaming in general, and also gave information about her experiences and personal tastes in gaming.

corporateswine, a Reddit user, posted a “heavily edited” version of the interview – which was later taken down by a moderator because it violated the /r/gaming code of conduct – listing two questions of the 18 or so she was asked, of which her answers were trimmed down to a couple of sentences. It also included snippets from forum posts she had made talking about the stories in Dragon Age II and the upcoming Mass Effect 3, an altered screenshot of a much more recent video interview with her name replaced with the oh-so-clever pun “Hamburger Helper,” and a list of words allegedly describing Hepler including, but not limited to, “cancer,” “infection,” and “waste”. It’s not known whether corporateswine created the image themselves or simply found the image somewhere else.

Before the post was taken down, however, enough people got a hold of Hepler’s personal information such as her twitter account, email address, and phone number and began sending hateful messages to her, saying that she is “the cancer that is poisoning Bioware,” among other things. Hepler has since deleted her Twitter account.

In the edited version, Hepler is quoted as saying, in reply to a question about what her least favorite part about working in the industry is, “playing the games” – also in bold type, just in case you missed it.

The edited version includes a bit more of her response: “This is probably a terrible thing to admit, but it has definitely been the single most difficult thing for me. I came into the job out of a love of writing, not a love of playing games… I’m really terrible at so many things which most games use incessantly — I have awful hand-eye coordination, I don’t like tactics, I don’t like fighting, I don’t like keeping track of inventory, and I can’t read a game map to save my life.

What this version omits is her comment that “while I enjoy the interactive aspects of gaming, if a game doesn’t have a good story, it’s very hard for me to get interested in playing it.” It also fails to include her statement about expecting a child and anticipating having even less time to play games than she does now because, you know, she’s gainfully employed.

Maybe it’s unfair to call these haters “misogynistic” simply because Hepler is a woman, but it really makes me wonder – if Hepler was male, would she have gotten the same backlash and angry messages? Maybe, maybe not; Either way, the way she’s being treated is appalling. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions, but starting a witch-hunt against one individual is inexcusable.

I really think this shows a few things about a surprisingly (…or maybe not?) high number of people on the internet: they’re elitist, they don’t fact check, and they’re horrible excuses for human beings.

Here’s an archived version of the original interview.

Via: Kotaku

Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die Confirmed for US Release

Jenny Rouse — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:40:16 +0000

So, remember that news article I wrote a while back about the 999 sequel? That I followed up with some pictures and a teaser trailer, then never wrote about again?

Scratch that. It’s back on. For Siliconera posted a rumor yesterday that Good People Die is definitely coming Stateside. Siliconera based their speculation on publisher Aksys Games’ marking the date of the next issue of Nintendo Power for “a very special announcement.”

This could of course be chalked up to hope and speculation; however, since Siliconera‘s article, an Aksys employed tweeted a scan from said upcoming issue, which I’m personally counting as an official confirmation. It’s just a matter of time before the press release.

So far, it seems the game has only been confirmed for release on the 3DS in late 2012. The game was also released in Japan on the Playstation Vita; no word has come from either camp regarding a multi-system release.

Sidebar: It’s about time an announcement was made. Seriously, I’m more excited for this game than for Professor Layton x Ace Attorney. And I’m a girl who loves her Professor Layton AND Ace Attorney.

The Weekly Nuke: Fan-Funded Games – Wrap Up

Faye Lanks — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:05:29 +0000

We had a really insightful week with a lot of people coming in to talk. I strongly suggest going to the forum to check it out, but here’s a quick overview of our forum goings on.

Peter and Gavin both agreed that nostalgia is likely a huge contributing factor to any project they’d give money for. Certainly it’s most visible in the $100+ Peter gave to the DFA Kickstarter. With his childhood, dominated by LucasArts adventures, it’s certainly scratching that itch for him.

Ace is much more cynical, there isn’t a developer he would trust up front with his money;

I can’t think of any developer I trust enough to hand over money for the mere concept and potential of a game. Even if we were talking about a possible sequel to a game I already love, I’d still be loathe to pony up. It’s different with pre-orders, where you know the game’s coming along and you can get a rough idea from videos and preview pieces whether or not you might enjoy it. To ask for money before development has even begun is several steps too far, for me.

There’s nothing wrong with that in my opinion, it sounds like a lot when I list them, but there are so few projects that have such a whirlwind set of events that it’s crazy fan-funded stuff gets off the floor.

We talked a bit about which projects we would specifically back: Meagan’s seriously up for some Derby Owner’s Club, guys, get on it!

Finally, Peter and I got into some serious discussion about sequels and what people want versus what they ask for. Pete made a good point in how people don’t want sequels because they actually just want that feeling of exploration and wonder again and I agreed (circuitously) adding that I personally want sequels because I want to see my friends again in a context in which they remember me, like Final Fantasy X-2 or Kingdom Hearts 2.

Finally, Pete had a front page article about the effect this may have on the industry which I dare not abbreviate or summarise for fear of not doing it justice.

Keep an eye out for The next Weekly Nuke, lovelies!!

The Weekly Nuke: Money is No Object

Faye Lanks — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:05:37 +0000

Welcome! Welcome! One and all! To the new edition of the Weekly Nuke! Brought to you by your lovely and attractive host; Faye!

So in keeping with last week’s theme of “Money,” let’s talk about Bill Gates or Steve Jobs (god rest his soul) levels of money! Now, of course this is a game centric discussion, but let’s run wild with this theme. Embellish as you wish, after all, you have all the money in the world at your disposal.

As always, the Forum is open for your responses: Will you affect working conditions? Donate huge wads to Africa at a detriment to the game? Embezzle money and make Scrooge McDuck-styled money pools to swim in? So long as it’s under the theme of the week:

Money Is No Object

It’s fair game. I understand how corrupting this responsibility can be, but do try to be Safe-For-Work.

Angry Birds Space to Release March 22

Meagan Bickell — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:53:33 +0000

“The biggest game launch since the original Angry Birds,” according to its publisher, Rovio, will hit the mobile market in late March. Angry Birds Space will include some new features such as zero gravity, slow-motion, and light-speed destruction, and will also introduce brand new characters.

Fans who have played Angry Birds Seasons may have already gotten a taste of what the new Angry Birds Space will be like. Level 1-17 in the Summer Pignic update features a space setting with low-gravity, shown in the video below.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last two years, Angry Birds is a game in which you use a slingshot to throw cute, round birds into greedy little green pigs. You must destroy the pigs’ fortresses and rescue the birds’ eggs. There are already three separate mobile Angry Birds games, and you can also play Angry Birds through Google Chrome, Facebook, and other catalysts, not to mention all of the Angry Birds merchandise you can buy. It’s become quite the franchise, to say the least.

Call me a “dirty, unwashed casual” if you will, but I’m not gonna lie – I’m super excited about this brand new Angry Birds game. As Jay Z would say, “I got 99 problems, but a complex about my gaming habits ain’t one.”

Via: VentureBeat

Music Monday: Neo Templar Conspiracies and European Vacations

Jenny Rouse — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:15:41 +0000

It should come as a surprise to no one by now that I’m a huge fan of adventure games. In the early 90′s, however, my adventure gaming fell into two separate categories: Sierra and Lucasfilm. I played nearly every adventure game that came out of both studios, and really didn’t consider expanding my horizons.

That all changed in 1996, when Charles Cecil and Revolution Software released a game called Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (renamed Broken Sword: Circle of Blood in the US), and in one fell swoop, I not only learned that studios outside the “big two” could make a fantastic adventure game, but that a studio outside the “big two” could make my favorite adventure game.

Broken Sword begins with a clown bombing a small cafe. Patron George Stobbart, an American tourist, attempts to discern the identity of the mystery clown with his partner, French investigative journalist Nico Collard. The two soon stumble upon a deep, ancient conspiracy involving the Knights Templar, and spend the rest of the game working to unravel and destroy whatever mysterious ceremony these Neo Templars have planned.

The game’s effective combination of compelling storytelling, tight artistic direction and humor meld together beautifully to create an experience that is simply not to be missed, but the music also deserves special attention. Composer Barrington Pheloung creates an immersive, cinematic score that complements the gameplay perfectly, and is a regular staple on my iPod.

George’s Theme

Spain

Ubu Atmosphere

Ireland

Blizzard Opposes Valve on Defense of the Ancients Trademark Filing

Wesley Gaddis — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:40:02 +0000

Defense of the Ancients used to be a WarCraft III map, created using the World Editor included with the game. There’s a little bit of the EULA of WarCraft III that states:

All title, ownership rights, and intellectual property rights in and to the Program and any and all copies thereof (including, but not limited to, any titles, computer code, themes, objects, characters, character names, stories, dialog, catch phrases, locations, concepts, artwork, animations, sounds, musical compositions, audiovisual effects, methods of operation, moral rights, any related documentation, and `applets’ incorporated into the Program) are owned by Blizzard or its licensors.

Which I basically interpret to mean: everything created using this tool are owned by Blizzard and cannot be distributed outside of the context of a WarCraft 3 map file (.w3x file extension). Also, the things you defend in your typical DotA game are called Ancients, which are referenced throughout the WarCraft mythology.

This didn’t stop Valve from hiring IceFrog (arguably one of the most important developers of the original map) and making their own stand-alone version. They didn’t really change all too much about the game, — all of the playable heroes, items, and the structure names are still the same — and it looks fairly similar to the original, albeit in a shiny new engine.

Valve filed for a trademark for Defense of the Ancients (including the acronyms DotA, DOTA, and Dota). Blizzard had stated in the past that they didn’t think that was a great thing for them to do, and that in trademarking DotA ”…that means that you’re really taking it away from the Blizzard and Warcraft III community and that just doesn’t seem the right thing to do” (Rob Pardo, Blizzard). Which is more or less the sentiment that Blizzard are trying to get at in the opposition filing that recently surfaced.

Valve seeks to appropriate the more than seven years of goodwill that Blizzard has developed in the mark DOTA and in its Warcraft III computer game and take for itself a name that has come to signify the product of years of time and energy expended by Blizzard and by fans of Warcraft III. Valve has no right to the registration it seeks.

There’s a great post on MMO-Champion about the whole fiasco as well.

I don’t think any of the fans of DotA are upset or confused that Valve picked up IceFrog and made a sequel (which is plainly visible by the ’2′ in the title of the new game). If anything, fans are ecstatic that the map was actually getting the attention of IceFrog in a new capacity, with a new, much more flexible platform than the original was on, and that there would be a lot more manpower (and money) behind it than the original.

I’m not entirely sure if I can predict what’s going to go down in the coming months of legal hell. The little part of the EULA of the WarCraft 3 that’s quoted above may just have Valve in the kind of bind that they don’t want to be: sitting on a game that they don’t actually own.

Blizzard also have their own Action/RTS game coming out as a StarCraft 2 custom map: called Blizzard DotA, so Blizzard clearly haven’t forgotten about the genre either. And funny fact: when you search “Warcraft 3″ on google, the Wikipedia page for Defense of the Ancients comes up before the official battle.net page for WarCraft 3, so there’s definitely a bit of jealousy from Blizzard here.

via ausGamers

Minecraft Lego Set to be Released this Summer

Meagan Bickell — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:58:48 +0000

The title says it all: we’ll be able to play with physical Minecraft blocks by summer, 2012.

It was only late last year that the idea was born, and already we have an expected date when it will fly away from the nest and into the loving arms of Lego- and Minecraft-lovers alike. There are already prototypes floating around, as featured in the video below.

I can’t even explain how hyped I am about this. I mean, say what you want about Minecraft Lego being redundant – I think it’s the most sensibly awesome thing to ever be thought of in the history of ever. Come summer, I will be building the shit out of some Minecraft-scapes while I giggle gleefully like a 4-year-old who just received a pony.

Via: That VideoGame Blog

Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer is Free on Steam RIGHT NOW

Meagan Bickell — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:48:52 +0000

If you’re one of the few who hasn’t played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 yet – don’t worry, I’m in the same boat you are – then get on Steam and download it for free right now. You’ll have full access to all the multiplayer stuff so you can play with all your friends who have been chastising you for not having bought the game yet.

But like any good drug dealer, Activision is employing the ol’ “first hit’s free” trick by getting you hooked now but only letting you get your fix for free until Monday, February 20, at which point they’ll demand you pay for the game to keep playing with your friends.

Next thing you know they’ll be peddling copies outside the school playground. Then all the kids will get hooked, the crime rate will skyrocket, and property values will drop through the floor.

Well, there goes the neighborhood.

Via: Joystiq

No related posts.

EA to Give Away Free Mass Effect 3 Copies From Space

Jon Ruggiero — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:16:58 +0000

Sit down children, and listen to the unprecedented lengths a company will go through to draw attention to their games. Electronic Arts, in an effort to take marketing to the next level, will be releasing weather balloons into the skies above New York, Paris, San Francisco, London, Las Vegas, and Berlin next week.

Those balloons will have copies of Mass Effect 3 attached to them.

Why is EA sending their new blockbuster title into space? To give six lucky fans access to the game a week early. Each weather balloon is to be fitted with a GPS device. At some point, the balloon will lose enough altitude to come down to Earth, and the hunt begins. Find the balloon, and you’ve got your game.

If you want to track down these stratosphere-blessed games (hopefully in one piece after crashing to Earth), you can go to the Mass Effect website next week and follow each balloon’s path. This is a wonderfully whimsical idea in theory: get people access to the game early by chasing down weather balloons, making a big game of it.

But I can’t help but wonder why a company would make a contest with such a chance for failure. What are the chances that the GPS function on one of the balloons fails, or the thing falls into a body of water? I guess risking a few copies of ME3 is worth making one of the craziest game giveaways ever.

Dear Esther Exceeds Indie Fund’s Expectations, Turning a Profit in 5½ Hours

Gavin Moore — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:13:43 +0000

Indie Fund, a funding source for independent developers, admitted their surprise yesterday at the news that their investment of $55,000 in Dear Esther was recouped after just 5½ hours of the game’s release on Steam.

Not only did the experimental first person game become profitable in less than 24 hours on February 14th, it was also the top-selling game on Steam that day, selling over 16,000 copies.

In a candid blog post, Indie Fund stated:

we are a little surprised by how many people bought Dear Esther so quickly. We were expecting the game to have a niche appeal

Indie Fund also disclosed an excerpt from an email sent to Dan Pinchbeck, from Dear Esther’s developers’ thechineseroom, where they didn’t think it would make a ‘decent’ margin of money on Steam, suggesting a simultaneous PSN release.

We appear to have been very wrong about all this. We are happy to have been wrong

Oscar Wilde once said that “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes”. I think it is safe to say Indie Fund might just enjoy this experience.

Via: Indie Fund

Assassin’s Creed 3 to launch on October 30

Max Cornell — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:45:58 +0000

In what is possibly the most high-profile announcement so far this year, Ubisoft have revealed that the latest instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed 3, will launch on October 30.

Details so far are sketchy, and with Ezio de Auditore’s story finishing in Revelations, anyone’s guess is good as to where and when the series will be next. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has promised that it will star a new protagonist, giving Ezio, hero of AC2, AC Brotherhood and the aforementioned Revelations, a well-earned rest

The announcement was made during an Ubisoft investor conference call, Guillemot said the game had been in development for three years and predicted that AC3 will be the “biggest launch in Ubisoft history.”

The October release means a break of eleven months between games, pushing the series up from its usual November release.

via: Gamespot

Haiku Impressions: Derby Owners Club: World Edition (Arcade)

Meagan Bickell — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:16:46 +0000

Training went badly.
My horse also hates eating;
Retire, breed, repeat.

What’s New and What’s Cheap in the UK: The Darkness II for £19.99 and Final Fantasy XIII-2 for £24.75

Simon Julian — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:00:28 +0000

After the last few week’s of releases, this week’s only title is UFC Undisputed 3 for the PS3 and 360, of course next week the Vita appears so it’s not like it will be quiet for long.

On the cheap side this week, Play.com has Earth Defence Force: Insect Armageddon for £7.99 on the 360, GreenManGaming has the freshly released The Darkness II for just £19.99 and ties into steam to boot.

Elsewhere Zavvi has Final Fantasy XIII-2 on PS3 and 360 for £24.75, GamersGate has Fate of the World: Tipping Point for £4.50 and Steam has the Killing Floor Bundle for £3.21

What catches your eye on either side this week?

What’s New

UFC Undisputed 3

UFC Undisputed 3

What’s Cheap

Play.com

Earth Defence Force: Insect Armageddon | 360 | £7.99
Little Big Planet 2 | PS3 | £13.99

The Hut

Resonance of Fate | PS3 | £9.95

Game

Dead Space | PC | £2.99

GreenManGaming

The Darkness II | PC | £19.99 – Is a Steamworks Title
Mirror’s Edge | PC | £3.74 – Is a Origin Title

HMV

Bulletstorm | 360 | £5.99
El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron | 360 | £9.99

Zavvi

Yakuza 4 | PS3 | £9.99
Final Fantasy XIII-2 | PS3 | £24.75
Final Fantasy XIII-2 | 360 | £24.75

Gamersgate

Fate of the World | PC | £3.00
Fate of the World: Tipping Point | PC | £4.50

Steam

Killing Floor Bundle | PC | £3.21/$4.78/€2.69

If I’ve missed either a new release or a great cheap deal, please comment and make that information known.

Twisted Pixel to Award Omaha Steak Prize Pack for Ms. Splosion Man Challenge

Meagan Bickell — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:00:06 +0000

Twisted Pixel announced a couple of days ago in a press release that there’s a new contest for Ms. Splosion Man.

The challenge requires players to find 33 panes of glass hidden in the game and break them all. Missing one adds time to your score for the challenge. The five fastest times on the U.S. leaderboard by the end of the contest on February 27 will win a prize.

What’s the prize, you ask? Well, as you may have already gathered from the title, Twisted Pixel has teamed up with Omaha Steaks to offer prize packages containing big, meaty filets to the winners.

Personally I’d prefer a prize package of delicious, ripe avocados. I’m a vegetarian. But hey, to each their own.

Anyway, apparently anyone can participate in the contest, but only players in the U.S. can win the prize due to some regulations regarding the shipping of edible goods.

So since I won’t be participating in this contest, that will be one less person you U.S. players will have to compete with.

See? Your odds are increasing by the minute! Go win those steaks!

The Be Mine Indie Bundle is worth a look

Hans Wuerflein — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:00:34 +0000

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this seems like the ten-thousandth indie bundle to come out in the past couple years, but the Be Mine Indie Game Bundle is really pretty slick.

Like most of these bundles, it’s pay what you want with an option to send the bundle as a gift. It features five PC games, with at least one more bonus game to be unlocked if sales goals are met, and the Be Mine EP featuring tracks from Damage Vault, Fantomenk, and Celldweller.

The five games in the bundle right now include Sideway New York, Beep, Wasteland Angel, The Ball, and Xotic. With that lineup I don’t see how you could pass on this deal, even if just for The Ball and Xotic, the later of which I liked enough to give one of my votes for our Game of the Year awards last month.

On top of the great deal and the satisfaction of helping some indie developers, 20 percent of each purchase is donated to Child’s Play. Yay charity!

The games are mostly PC only, and several of them require Steam accounts, so take that into account if you’re one of those twelve guys who get mad at developers for not having a linux client at launch.

The sales goal locked bonuses announced so far include DLC for Xotic and Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals. They’ve also hinted at soundtracks to some of the games being added, and something having to do with fish that they’re being oddly vague about…

Response to the bundle has been strong enough that they had to go offline for a couple hours earlier today for general server regiggering, but the deal runs for a couple more weeks, so there’s plenty of time to grab a copy if their server falls over again.

I know some of the included games aren’t super well known, so to save you some time (and keep the post from being nothing but links) I’m posting the bundle’s trailer below.

Angry Birds Developers Win a Toy of The Year Award

Jon Ruggiero — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:27:14 +0000

It’s hard to escape the ever-growing gaze of the destructive fowl and thieving swine of Angry Birds. Tasteless bookstore cookies, school stationary, and egg-based cook books are only the tip of the memorabilia iceberg featuring the Rovio characters. Oh, and we can’t forget the various toys and plushes made in the Angry Birds’ likenesses; the Toy Industry Association certainly didn’t. They happened to give Angry Birds a Toy of The Year award.

The absolutely real Toy of The Year awards took place last Saturday. Gaining accolades alongside LEGO and Hot Wheels, Rovio picked up the Property of The Year Award “recognizing a property that has had the greatest success spreading its brand throughout the industry.” Rovio figured out a way to get their brand emblazoned on everything they could, and in doing so created widely-recognizable and highly-profitable characters, all from a simple handheld game. Even if people are getting sick of these things by now, it’s undeniable that the merchandise juggernaut created from a phone-based game is impressive.

Speaking to Develop, Rovio’s VP of franchise development Ville Heijari talked about Angry Birds’ influence on the small games’ market; “It’s especially interesting to see many app & social game devs emulate the merchandising strategy that Rovio has been pushing with Angry Birds for the last two years.” Well, whatever they’re doing is working, and having an impact all over the industry. So congratulations to the much-deserving Rovio, for making sure each and every person in the world knows what an Angry Bird is.

What the Double Fine Adventure Project Means to Me

Peter Silk — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:02:48 +0000

A few days ago I wrote about the wider ramifications of Double Fine’s Kickstarter Project. What I didn’t mention is that I personally pledged $110 into it, which is about the maximum amount of money I can reasonably put aside. So why would someone pledge that much money for a game that isn’t even a fully formed concept yet? I suppose they have their reasons; here are mine.

In 1991 sidescrolling platform or shooting games were more or less what games were to me at 9 years old. Megaman, Mario and a variety of titles on my shiny new Commodore Amiga; I loved them all and never expected anything different.

Then, everything changed.

My parents happened to know someone who used to write a hints and cheats column under the pseudonym ‘The Boggit’ for a magazine called Amiga Action. One weekend I found myself at his house while he was showing off two games, The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge.

All I saw were cutscenes; I distinctly remember Largo dangling Guybrush off a bridge. I was captivated and I didn’t even know what sort of game I was looking at. Something about the music, the animation and the funny dialogue choices called out to me.

In hindsight I was starting to realise that games could be more than just a fun way to pass the time: they could also make me laugh, tell me a story, give me characters I actually cared about. They could do all the things that the books and films I loved did, but with the added bonus that I get to take part, choose which snappy comeback I get to say, and figure out how to advance through the plot. This realisation was huge, and through my teenage years LucasArts continued to release these games that looked amazing, were funny, occasionally touching, never penalised me for exploring and had soundtracks that played no small part in contributing to my interest in writing music.

A certain Tim Schafer was heavily involved in the games I loved the most: Monkey Island 2, Day of the Tentacle and most of all Grim Fandango. I think it’s no exaggeration to say that he was one of the largest influences on me in my teens outside of my family, and the reason I’ve started to make games now. For better or worse, Tim Schafer helped to bake my brain into whatever weird shape it is in.

One of the things that he made me appreciate was the value of something new. Every time I played one of his games I was treated to a brand new world of his imagining, and while it might not have always been exactly what I had in mind, the process of discovery made it worth it.

That’s one of the things that makes this new project so exciting. I don’t know what new world Schafer will create. Not even he knows. But this time, as well as being able to enjoy the final product, I get to peer into and even have some small influence on that process.

I really don’t understand the people who want this to be a sequel to Day of the Tentacle or Grim Fandango, much in the same way that they don’t understand the intellectual property situation. Given this unique opportunity, why would you choose to squander it on something we’ve had before, rather than something brand new from the mind of Tim Schafer that can surprise and delight us all over again?

But all that’s to come. This project is worth more to me than the simple chance of getting a neat game at the end of it. It’s a chance, in a small way, to say thanks to someone I’ve never met but without whom I’d probably be a significantly different person.

Games for Everyone on Valentine’s Day

Meagan Bickell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:59:22 +0000

Ah, Valentine’s Day – that time of the year when everybody is too stressed about what they’re going to buy for their significant other to enjoy spending time with their significant other.

Fear not, Nukezilla readers, for I am not one to follow the tradition of advising going into debt to show your significant other how much you care for them. I am also not one to forget about those that feel left out by a holiday revolving around having a significant other. In addition, I’m also a gamer – if you couldn’t tell – so rather than walking in a rose garden under the waning sun’s rays, I will probably be spending my Valentine’s evening cuddled up under a blanket with my hubby next to me and a controller in hand.

So in lieu of the traditional buy-flowers-and-chocolate-and-have-a-fancy-dinner article that other people are so fond of writing, I would like to present to you Nukezilla’s (Short) List of Games for Everyone on Valentine’s Day.

Never Gonna Give You Up — Games to play with your significant other:

Pixel Junk Monsters (PSN) — A real-time strategy tower defense game that’s really hard alone, but just the right difficulty for two. And for $10 USD, it’s some of the cheapest entertainment you’ll be able to find for V-Day.

Little Big Planet (PS3) — An adorable co-op platformer that lends itself well to an enjoyable experience for two. You can help each other through the story levels, play through levels others have built, or make a group project of building your own. Full disclosure: I was proposed to by the man who is now my husband with the assistance of a LBP level he built just for me. <3

Castle Crashers (XBLA, PSN) — This co-op side-scrolling action RPG is pretty short but easily replayable. It’s pretty easy for the inexperienced gamer to pick up and play, too, if that’s a factor for either of you.

Words With Friends (iOS, Android) — A virtual Scrabble clone. If you aren’t the Scrabble-types, there are other two-player options in the same vein, and many are free.

Mario Kart Wii (Wii) — A really fun racing game. You can race each other or, as I prefer, work together as one of you drives and the other throws traps and obstacles at the other racers. There are Mario Kart games on virtually every Nintendo console starting on the NES as well, so you have a lot of optional consoles to choose from if you don’t own a Wii.

What is Love? — Games whose themes revolve around love and relationships:

Braid (XBLA) — A beautiful, smart single-player platformer whose mechanics involve time manipulation. I can’t say much about the story without spoiling it, but it follows a man on his quest to win back the woman he loves. It’s well-worth its price of $10 USD.

Love on the Escalator (PC) — A free single-player matching-type flash game in which you play match-maker for people riding the escalator. It’s short and simple, but it’s a good time waster if you’ve got a few minutes to kill.

Tainted Love — Games to help you forget/feel better about being single:

Catherine (PS3, 360)– This bizarre single-player adult-themed puzzle-platformer horror adventure game centers around a man having an affair because he’s unhappy in his current relationship. He begins having hallucinations and nightmares involving the woman he’s having an affair with. Very anit-Valentine’s, if you ask me.

PS Home (PSN) — A strange suggestion, yes, but trust me, you can find hours of entertainment in an activity dubbed “quincying.” It’s a simple bait ‘n switch “troll” technique whereby you “bait” male avatars to dance with your sexy female avatar and then “switch” to the ugliest avatar you can create. A word of caution, though: participating in this activity will earn you the title of “Commander Forever Alone.”

Perfect World Giving Away Special In-Game Items for Valentine’s Day

Meagan Bickell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:28:05 +0000

Fans of Perfect World Entertainment will probably be interested to know that there are upcoming giveaways scheduled for some of their MMOs.

They’ll be giving away items for various Valentine’s Day-related events. Most of the freebies can be collected on February 14, and some of the events will last through February 21.

There is a wide range of events to participate in and items to receive, and each game is celebrating Valentine’s Day in its own unique way.

The following is taken directly from Perfect World Entertainment’s press release received by Nukezilla:

Jade Dynasty
Collective wedding event, a free Tiger Mask for players who get married, and a set of free gifts including a 7-day Aeon Lion mount for every player who logs in on February 14.
Perfect World International
GMs will be roaming the servers in hopes of finding friendly chit-chat and hugs, while welcoming any photo-op requests. Best event themed screenshot will win his or her choice of a rare mount.
Rusty Hearts
Show your love for Rusty Hearts by entering the art contest to win Roselle Vegerius, the latest premium character in-game.
Forsaken World
Players can choose to receive a Valentine’s Day card and a random item from four different NPCs. Players can get the random item once per day during the event period. Event lasts from February 14-21.
War of the Immortals
Get your chocolate fix in Atlantis by collecting them off the ground and hand them in to an NPC for more experience points. Event lasts from February 14-21.
Ether Saga Odyssey
Join the masses in getting married, bid for a rare pet, send a custom broadcast message, and enter the screenshot contest for a chance to gain EXP and other special items.

Wait, “getting married”? Um…well, to each their own, I guess.

Anyway, to receive your special items and participate in the festivities, be sure to go log in on February 14. And while I don’t know how binding a Jade Dynasty marriage is, I’d still advise caution when deciding to marry someone to get an in-game mount, no matter how rare it is.

Music Monday: Invasion of Goggalor

Jenny Rouse — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:06:56 +0000

And to think I almost went with “Domo Arigato, Dr. Loboto.” But I loves me some Goggalor.

With the recent news and successes of Tim Schafer’s studio Double Fine Productions, I thought I’d use this week’s Music Monday in a little more timely way, by showcasing some of composer Peter McConnell’s excellent work.

McConnell and Schafer teamed up for most of their duration at Lucasfilm/arts Games; Schafer would design a game (Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle) and McConnell would score it. McConnell, also notable for other soundtracks such as the Sly Cooper series of games, brought his trademark jazz-influenced (but eclectic) sound to Double Fine and Psychonauts once Schafer left LucasArts Games – and to a lesser extent, Double Fine’s Brutal Legend a few years later. His music, while not catchy in the traditional sense, still makes for a fantastic listen, no matter what game it’s from.

Agent Cruller’s Sacred Hall

The Meat Circus

Hagatha’s Home

Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp