Black history, while important, is no more vital than any other group’s history and should deserve no more than equal recognition. How many people know that Italian Heritage Month is in October? The NAACP working to make lives better for people is a noble cause, but not if that mission promotes “reverse racism”, meaning preferential treatment is awarded to minorities based on no more than ethnicity. My view: Racism is racism, reverse or otherwise. Affirmative action is one of those outdated policies that promotes reverse racism by specifically regulating hiring based solely on race. Again, racism is racism. That’s how I feel when I see a game like BCFx on the shelves.

BCFx stands for Black College Football: The Experience. I know that the developers and publisher mean well with this game and have no negative intentions. I know that the game was created to celebrate the traditions and culture of HBCU (Historically Black College and University) teams. I also understand that the traditions in some of these institutions go back for over 150 years. What I don’t understand is why in this day and age are we still touting our superficial differences instead of looking past them. I prefer to see the character and actions of an individual and form an opinion based on that. I don’t find this game offensive, just unnecessary and unenlightened. I think it’s time to stop identifying people based on race and focus on what really makes up an individual. And all of what makes us who we are is more than skin deep.

The project attempts to combine the real world and OutRun, an arcade driving game released by Sega in 1986.

This project features the following components:

Cabinet-Car: The car-shaped sit-down arcade cabinet of OutRun is converted into a small car that can actually drive. This is done by modifying an existing fiberglass and wood cabinet with motors, wheels and components from an electric scooter. The original arcade cabinet is modeled after a 1984 Ferrari Testarossa. This customized cabinet-car will use the existing videogame controls (steering wheel, acceleration pedal, brake) to control the vehicle. It is expected that the maximum speed of the car will be no more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour.

OutRun GPS Rendering: The screen, which is in front of the driver, renders the real world as the 1986 video game OutRun. This is done through custom-built software and GPS sensors that calculate the location of the experimental vehicle and display a map rendered in the style of the video game. In other words, the driver only sees GPS map data in their “windshield,” appearing as if they are playing the 1986 videogame. Accelerating or turning the car-cabinet in the real world will proportionally change the display. Although the screen will mimic the real world around it, it is expected that the GPS map data and the real world will not match perfectly.

iPhone 3G Application: This software for this project will be primarily developed as an iPhone application, with an iPhone 3G inside of the cabinet-car system displaying video on the large 26″ monitor. Development of the OutRun GPS rendering application on iPhone 3G hardware will also enable the application to be released to the general public to use the software on their iPhones while driving or walking.

This project is motivated by the following concepts:

Un-Simulation of Driving - This project un-simulates the driving component of a videogame. Driving game simulations strive to be increasingly realistic, but this realism is usually focused on graphical representations. Instead, this system pursues “real” driving through a videogame as its primary goal.

GPS Navigation Parallax & Mixed Reality - Driving with a GPS navigation system can be game-like. This project explores the consequences of only using GPS map data as a navigation tool for driving. The windshield of this project’s vehicle only shows GPS data, and as a result, driving it in the real world is often difficult or dangerous. As a result, this project explores and investigates how GPS data differs from the physical world, and what happens when an augmentation of reality envelops and obfuscates reality.

[source]

This time the team talks about how the Israeli martial art Krav Maga and real-life firearm techniques inspired some of Sam’s new moves.

The video also showcases some of Sam’s improvisational gadgets like the under-door mirror.

They also go into detail how Sam has changed and how this effects the story and gameplay.

Here is a chart comparing the two versions:

Here are the hardware requirements:

OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better
DirectX: Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c
Hard Drive: 12GB of free hard drive space
Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Internet: Broadband connection required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet Connection required for activation

This clip has drawn controversy from some groups, read Robert Bowling’s reply posted on twitter.

“I think it was more of a social commentary joke of that stereotype than it was a fist-bump of acceptance to it.”

“I think the core gag is great, the end is a bit too far from the intent of the joke & can appreciate the concerns. Pulled.”
Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward

[source]

Happy Halloween!

“Yes [it is real]. The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them.

Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.

Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older.”

[source]

Lineage is the prequel to the Assassin’s Creed II story, revealing the machinations of 15th century Italy through the actions of Ezio’s father, Giovanni.

Episode # 1:

1476, Florence. Giovanni Auditore, an assassin, attempts to thwart a conspiracy against one of Lorenzo de Medicis allies. The ensuing inquiry will take him to Milan where he tries to prevent the worst from happening.

Watch out for Part 2 coming soon.

[thanks, Paul!]

Treyarch has Wii-sized Infinity Wards Call of Duty Modern Warfare Reflex, ready alongside Modern Warfare 2 on store shelves this November 10th.  Reportedly the single-player game is exactly the same on the Wii as it was on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

There is a new squadmate mode, which allows a second player to drop into the game for co-op play. The second player uses the Wii Zapper peripheral or the Wii Remote and plays the game like an on-rails shooter, taking out enemies that the main player may have missed.

For multiplayer you will find familiar Search & Destroy and Domination game modes although Reflex will support 10 players and no voice chat.

Reflex uses an upgraded version of the engine that has powered previous Call of Duty games on the Wii. Most notably, the textures are of a higher resolution than ever before, while the particle effects, such as explosions, have also been improved.

MLB The Show 09

Baseball | PlayStation 3 (metacritic 90)

Baseball games lag a year behind so we only have the 09 series of games until April of next year so we will base this on the 09 series of baseball games. The two major titles are MLB 2K9 and MLB The Show 09. The PS3 has a huge advantage here since MLB The Show has clearly been the best baseball series for the last few years and it is an exclusive series.

2K Games’s MLB 2K series seems to always be messing with their control scheme and somethings have been a hit or a miss and to me they have been striking out more than hitting home runs, I do like the pitching scheme though. The Show’s controls are always solid and its career mode has been one of the best for a long time allowing you to put tons of hours into the game. This career mode has spawned other games in other sports to try and come out with career modes close to its level and frankly its been working! So in a way what MLB The Show accomplished could in some part have made all of the other games better that were about to list.

This year MLB The Show was the best yet and if they just keep adding features while keeping the same solid gameplay and tightening it, while improving the online features and lag issues this series will be great for years to come. 2K Games needs to step up their game in this category since they hold the exclusive third party rights to Major League Baseball and so far a first party game has been brushing them back.

Madden 10

Football | Xbox 360 (metacritic 85) & PS3 (metacritic 85)

This years winner for football by default, but everybody can say that this years Madden was the best in a long time. The Online Franchise feature has revolutionized the way you can play Madden with your friends and made for long lasting excitement and competition between you and your buddies. The co-op play needs some tweaking but is a nice addition and also a new way to play.

Not only did they add these new modes they completely revamped the physics and the momentum. Runners can now move after getting wrapped up and you can also get gang tackled which makes attributes more important and you can really feel now while playing what makes the different players great which is a great achievement for a football game.

With improved gameplay and new features this years Madden was a HUGE step in the right direction. Theres still a few things that need to be added to be the Best sports game out though for example its lacking a great career mode. The career mode exist but this is an area where other games have made great strides while Madden’s has remained stagnant and on the dull side. Another thing is online teams or team play (preferably with your career player) there is a way to do this right in a football game (4 v 4?)and if they pull it off I just might cry.

NHL 10

Hockey | Xbox 360 (metacritic 89) & PS3 (metacritic 89)

EA Sports Hockey League Rocks and Be A Pro Mode Rocks! All other sports games can take a hint from the success of NHL 10 the past two years. If you have great features and great gameplay you will sell a lot of games. I haven’t bought hockey games in years but I am hooked. I haven’t had as much fun with any other sports game as I have with the past two iterations of this franchise simply for those 2 game modes. On top of that this year the gameplay is tighter and they improved the modes they already had and gave the Franchise mode an overhaul with Be A GM mode.

Put simply this game is great. Don’t change the formula here EA and you’ve got a great thing going here. If I am to point out any annoyance it is with the DLC that is available to buy improvements for your player online. I wrote a blog post recently about EA going DLC overboard check it out. With that said if you haven’t given this one a shot, you have to. Unless you don’t like a good time you’ll love this game.

NBA 2k10

Basketball | Xbox 360 (metacritic 83) & PS3 (metacritic 83)

Tighter one this year than the past but after playing both games I can still clearly say that 2k10 gets the win here. Their player animations are second to none in any sports game. Every player plays and moves and shoots like that player its really an amazing thing to see. Live improved on their gameplay this year but are still a ways off from that realism. Another thing that was amazing about this game is the Commentary in the Association mode. There has never been commentary in a sports game any where close to being as good as this commentary. During a game in Association they will talk about your upcoming oppenents, your performance in past games and give you updates on whats going on in the rest of the league. There was even a special presentation on my teams Oct. 31st game because it was halloween…Brilliant.

It comes closer to watching a live game than any other sports game and thats saying something. Also the new My Player mode is a great addition that adds an addicting progression style of gameplay that will appeal to gamers who love to put in tons of hours into their games and have something to show for it. On the down side there were some frame rate issues on my 360 version before I installed it to my hard drive. When the frame rate bogs down it can take you from sucked into an NBA game to realizing oh yea this is just a video game in a split second, it can really hamper the immersion. If you are having trouble with this I suggest installing it to your hard drive, it helped me a lot and haven’t really noticed much since. Also on a down note is the online is broken at launch. This is a major pet peeve of mine. I can’t stand when a game is launched and there aren’t enough servers or they don’t have it functioning properly (example: EA’s Battlefield series – last two titles hardly worked online at all the first few days until they added more servers).

Do they not test this stuff? Or do they not expect the game to be that popular? It doesn’t make sense. The online should be working soon though as they have said they are working diligently on it, and with the Crew mode being a huge addition for the series this year they have to. With that said they announced there is a patch coming in 2 weeks and it will focus on the frame rate issues and the online functionality. They also allowed a vote by fans of what other things they would like tweaked or added for this upcoming patch which is pretty cool for them to do.

If the online gets fixed to where it is functioning properly I have no problem saying that I think this is the best Basketball game I have ever played.

FIFA 10

Football (Soccer) | Xbox 360 (metacritic 91*) & PS3 (metacritic 91*)

A few years back Pro Evolution was the clear winner of this sport but the last two years much like hockey Fifa has stolen the crown and turned this game into one of the best games in any sport. Yet to be released in the states FIFA 10 has already become the fastest selling sports game ever! That is quite the accomplishment. Like I said before if you have great gameplay and great features you will sell a lot of games.

FIFA has a Be A Pro mode similar to NHL 10’s which is a great thing. You also have the online team play where you can form teams and take ten people online at a time and play against other squads, that is an amazing 10v10 online play in a sports game where teamwork is important, WOW! I am excited for this one to hit the shelves in the states so I can get a chance to get my hands on it. Even though I haven’t played Fifa 10 yet I still feel comfortable handing the fastest selling sports game ever the cup this year.

*European reviews as the game hasn’t launched yet in the states.

Forza Motorsport 3

Racing | Xbox 360 (metacritic 93)

Ok this one is a tight category with 2 great games already coming out last month and 1 more to hit this month. My edge at this point is leaning towards Forza 3, with myself being addicted to the demo and chomping at the bit to take this one for a long drive I think it will be my winner. Customizable multiplayer, upgraded car and vinyl customization, 400 solid cars, 100 tracks, super strong community, your very own storefront and a great history of some of the best physics in the genre, this one will be possibly the best sim racer since Gran Turismo 2.

Next game on the list is Dirt 2 which takes what the first Drift did great and improved upon it and then take what was not so great and fixed it. The online was a downside of this series last time with not being able to race on the track with actual opponents. Now the online is a great addition and is fully featured and fun. The game also has a slick presentation and a fun career. The best part of this game is definitely the physics. Before, I said the Forza series has some of the best physics, well the Dirt series has THE best physics in the genre (especially the crash physics). With all that said there just still isn’t as much here to enjoy over a long period of time as Forza 3’s limitless features, customization, and community.

Next game is NFS Shift, I really liked this game and there is a lot to say for EA revamping the racing franchise this time around. It has great graphics and the best cockpit view I’ve seen. The game also has an amazing sense of speed where you can really tell when you’re going 150+. Also the online portion is a solid addition and was a blast. On the downside of NFS there’s only about 60 cars and you can’t customize the controls which I didn’t particularly like the 3 that I got to choose from. I also kind of still want something else for the NFS series even though it is a good game I would like to not see them try and be Forza or Gran Turismo. Quite frankly it won’t be as good as those games that are pure monster sim racers. I would love to see NFS go back to what they used to be and I’m not talking about open city tuner racing. I am talking about NFS when it was racing on open road courses in beautiful environments while avoiding the cops in only the best exotics out there. If there is one thing missing from the racing genre it is exactly what NFS’s old identity was, not what it’s transformed to after years of an identity crisis. I really think a lot of people would buy into another Hot Pursuit, I know I would.

Fight Night Round 4

Boxing | Xbox 360 (metacritic 87) & PS3 (metacritic 88)

Well I guess the only legitimate competitor to Fight Night Round 4 is Punch Out for Wii which is a fun game but lacks in the feature department. Fight Night Round 4 however has an upgraded physics engine and an awesome new system of fatigue. You have to fight with a strategy and never before has height and reach meant so much in your boxing style in a video game.

This game really brought realism of boxing to another level. On top of the great gameplay add in that awesome multiplayer where you fight for a title with your own created boxer and a fun career mode offline and this game definitely has everything you could really want from a boxing game.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of boxing this game is accessible and will actually teach you a little bit about boxing strategy without you even knowing it. Try taking a jab at this game if you haven’t already.

Skate 2

Action Sports | Xbox 360 (metacritic 84) & PS3 (metacritic 84)

Skate 2 is a great game and even greater if you have friends to play online with. With the unique thumbstick controls it can be challenging but sometimes challenging equals rewarding when you pull something off that you’ve been trying for a while. One of the best parts of this game is the video editor and video sharing. You can create your own skate tapes by placing cameras, messing with angle, zoom, slow mo and more. Right after you create your video you can upload it for people to judge. What this one feature did was cause me and my friends to try grinding down the same rail over and over again for hours trying to get exactly what we wanted. Isn’t this what real skaters do? The sense of freedom and expression you get with a game like this is exactly what the sport is all about right? I hope to see more innovation with this series in the years to come as of now the only downside is that it can get repetitive.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Golf | Wii (metacritic 88)

This is the only sports game that comes out on all 3 platforms that is a clear winner on the Wii. The other franchises change to be kid friendly or just aren’t any good at all. Tiger Woods 10 is one of the few third party titles that concentrates on the Wii’s strengths and not trying to build around its weaknesses. The Wii’s controller is made for golf and that only increases with the Wii Motion Plus attachment. The Wii version also includes a frisbee golf mode that is not available on the other systems. The graphics for the Wii are also top notch for that system. A quick note on the 360 and PS3 versions of this game I am really disappointed in the graphics. The Golfers look great but isn’t golf about beautiful courses and scenery? Where are the gorgeous backdrops and the detailed buildings? Anyways now that I got that off my chest back to the great version of the game, the Wii version. Tiger Woods 10 on the Wii is a great reason to have thy system. If you have let your Wii collect dust while playing your 360 or PS3 give this game a shot it might just have you standing back up in front of your tv again. Put simply Tiger Woods 10 for the Wii is a hole in one!

Wii Sports Resort

Multi-Sports | Wii (metacritic 80)

When the Wii laucnhed it had one killer game that came with the console and SOLD the console. Its been a while and third party publishers have tried to recreate the success with the results being underwhelming. Wii Sports Resort was hyped by Nintendo and it delivered for the most part. If you were expecting some sort of new great innovation again or massively deep modes then you will be disappointed. It would have been nice to see a skill progression system where your Mii gets better at activities over time and it would have been nice to see online play. On the other hand If you were wanting what the first Wii Sports had with better control and more games then you will be happy. No matter what anyone says it is a blast to play with your friends and provides a great experience that can not be duplicated any where else. I am curious as to what kind of sports games might come out for Project Natal or PS3 motion controller but until we see this is a great game and it’s as good as you’re gonna get on the Wii.

UFC Undisputed 2009

MMA | Xbox 360 (metacritic 83) & PS3 (84 metacritic)

Although this wasn’t the first UFC game it really felt like it was as this was the first good one. It had it all for a fighting game, fun online play, great career mode, great graphics, and solid gameplay. The fighting system was deep and allowed gamers to really tinkers with all the different styles and techniques of MMA. We will see when the next game comes out if they continue to build on the success of Undisputed.

EA’s MMA comes out in November and we will have to see what that game has to offer. Regardless this category now has at least one very good game.

SIDE NOTE
I did not include Wrestling in this article as Smackdown vs Raw 10 is coming out on the 20th and there are some changes to the game this year which I have to play before I can give feedback. Also there are no reviews yet.

If you are into sports games things are looking good for you. If you are not a sports games fan then maybe its time you start giving some of these games a chance as they have a lot more to offer than they used to with deep skill progression, creativity, and great online components.

I remember just a few years ago I had a wish list of what direction I wanted sports game to go and its almost like my dreams are coming true. Keep it up all of the developers who are making these games and thank you for reading my mind you creepy psychics.

“The Postal Service seeks additional time to respond to the GameFly Motion because it has “been unable to turn its attention to the arguments presented by GameFly” due to constraints raised by “responding to the large number of discovery requests … filed by GameFly.”  Id. at 2.4 It contends the issues raised by the GameFly Motion may affect third parties and may set ground rules for non-public treatment of proprietary documents beyond those immediately at issue.  The Postal Service seeks an extension of an additional 17 days from the date its response to the GameFly Motion was due, until October 19, 2009.”

The original Gamefly complaint and the response by the US Postal Service resulted in a number of requests by Gamefly for information regarding the US Postal Service’s relationship with Netflix and Blockbuster. The prevailing theme of the filings is that Gamefly believes that Netflix and Blockbuster discs are manually processed to prevent breakage, that Gamefly discs are being stolen, and Gamefly wants the same treatment as Netflix and Blockbuster:

This relief should include, inter alia, an order prescribing the same prices and terms of service for GameFly, including the same degree of manual processing, that the Postal Service provides to Netflix and Blockbuster.   GameFly reserves the right to propose additional forms of relief as the evidentiary record justifies.

The US Postal Service responded that Gamefly could solve their problem by changing the mailer:

Count I accordingly fails because all DVD mailers are not equal.  Gamefly could get the inbound flats automation handling it wants by changing its mailpiece, and Gamefly in fact receives at least similar handling as other DVD mailers, after allowing for processing stream distinctions.

Gamefly filed a motion that requests information about “Netflix-only” mailbox slots, and discovered a directive that ordered post offices to take down the “Netflix-only” slots and signage:

Second, the Postal Service thought that the problem was widespread enough two years ago to issue a directive purportedly requiring the “immediate” elimination of Netflix-only mail drop slots:
In an effort to accommodate Netflix mail, some offices have created special mail drops and signage for Netflix returns.  This is not an authorized use of mail drop slots and it has legal ramifications for the Postal Service.
□ ALL Post Offices that have implemented Netflix return mail slots must remove the signage immediately.

This case is an interesting look at how DVDs are processed, and you can follow the filings on the Postal Regulatory Commission website.

[source]

Microsoft spoke with the Washington Post today to set the record straight. It looks like all the buying and selling of was moot, because Phil Spencer says it’s not happening during a talk with Reuters:

“We have no plans to acquire EA,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, during a talk with Reuters. “They remain a very important partner to us. No acquisitions.”
Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Game Studios

When pressed on whether the two companies had held any talks at all, Spencer declined comment.

• For some of the motion-capture scenes of Harley Quinn, we actually use one of the male producers!

• Some of the SFX for the air-con vents are recordings of the audio director’s fridge at home.

• Three cans of whipped cream are used to create the sound effects of spraying the explosive gel.

• When you first enter the penitentiary and are confronted with the wall of sound from the room full of lunatics, this is a recording of the entire development team!

• Titan Ivy consists of 44,674 polygons.

• Six Rocksteady babies were born during the development of Batman: Arkham Asylum.

• The Rocksteady hacky-sack team managed 72 keepie ups between them. (Is this a world record?)

• The Rocksteady team consists of 14 different nationalities.

• The word ‘Joker’ is said 384 times in the game.

• Nine members of the team support Arsenal Football Club, the most supported sports team in the company.

• There are 4,556 AI navigation nodes on Arkham Island.

• Combat went through three distinct revisions – the first one being a full rhythm action game! The second one was prototyped in 2D, which popped up whenever you got into a fight, and involved colored circles bashing into each other. This actually formed the basis of the final system.

• We experimented with hundreds of control systems, right up until first submission.

• The pictures you can find scattered around the floor of the asylum are of different members of the development team mostly from various team jollies!

• The top of the Arkham Mansion Clock tower is 145 meters above sea level.

• The main Intensive treatment lobby map was checked into perforce 883 times.

• There are 314 breakable TVs on Arkham Island.

• Over 14,000 post it notes were used on the schedule board by the production team to manage the scheduling of the game.

• There were 174,405 separate art, code, design, audio and animation check-ins to make Batman: Arkham Asylum.

[source]