via Gizmodo




Our friends over at Kotaku did an interesting whiteness comparison between the Wii, 360 and the newest PS3. Reminding us of one of those teeth-whitening before and afters you see around midnight on every channel, the PS3 dominates the (competition?) with absolutely stunning, pearly whiteness. The Wii holds its own with a solid, "standard" white. But the Xbox 360? That one's a smoker. Because next to the other consoles, it's looking gray...which is odd, because I'd describe their "black" Elite as a bit gray as well. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Team Ninja (though we expect a PS3 release at a later date in a similar way to Sigma on PS3) Ninja Gaiden 2 is on our most wanted list for next year, if it makes it.

Here's a batch of new shots for the game to help you understand why. And an awesome new movie. The original is still one of our favourite Xbox games...

You can find more on Ninja Gaiden 2 over at the game page.


Screenshots
Trailer ...

via Computer and Video Games


The third iteration in EA's flamboyant arcade football series, Fifa Street 3, is in the works not only for consoles but for DS too, and here are the first ever shots.

The touch screen will be put to use to allow players to easily pass, shoot and perform the nutty tricks in the game.


The DS version will also pack an exclusive mini game called Kick Ups, which EA says "will challenge you to keep the ball in the air and test your ball juggling skills."

It's down for a February 2008 release. Check out first screens here. ...

via Eurogamer


UK brain-injury charity Headway believes patients playing Wii are recovering more quickly.

It bought the console originally for younger patients, but has been surprised by its popularity among the older crowd and the effect it has had.

"Brain-injury victims have trouble with all sorts of things, such as hand-eye coordination, concentration and attention span. The Wii seems to improve all of them," suit Jean Robinson told The Sun newspaper.

Scientifically, when hands cross the middle of the body both halves of the brain become involved, a crucial process in stimulating signalling pathways.

Success stories from Headway include a 38 year-old man who can now grasp objects like mugs in his right hand after playing Wii Sports, and a 62 year-old fellow glad to have his heart rate pumping after being confined to a wheelchair in 2004.

Videogames given a thumbs-up from the Tabloids, then. Mel, 24, from Morecambe, agrees. ...

via Eurogamer


EA has told Eurogamer that Burnout Paradise will be out here on 25th January.

It follows word from late October that it will be on US shelves on 22nd, complimented by demos for PS3 and 360 sometime this month.

Burnout Paradise is the most ambitious outing in the series so far, presenting car crashers with an open world to zoom around, triggering races by stopping at streetlights or jumping through hoops and that sort of lark. The emphasis being on doing things at your pace and not in a rigid order. Free your minds.

You will also be able to invite your friends over to your world and have an automobile pyjama party, without any loitering in lobbies and all that palaver - they appear on your roads and drive around until you fancy a race.

Very promising is the general consensus, so pop over to our Burnout Paradise gamepage and crash yourself in information. ...

Eidos' "displeasure" not related to dismissal, review changes

Following the controversy over the firing of long-time editor Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot's management has answered questions regarding the circumstances surrounding his exit.

As reported earlier, Gerstmann was terminated just as his video review of Eidos' Kane & Lynch game was taken down. At the same time, the text of his review of the game was altered, and the Kane & Lynch ad campaign featured prominently on the site - only to be removed shortly thereafter.

These circumstances led to rumours that Gerstmann was terminated due to pressure from Eidos over his unfavourable review.

GameSpot cited legal restrictions and corporate HR policy as reasons for not initially commenting upon Gerstmann's departure. However, the site has now published a lengthy response from its management.

The site has indicated that it cannot provide the exact reasons behind Gerstmann's dismissal due to legalities, but said that he was terminated following an internal review process by the managerial team to which he reported. GameSpot said the issues were "unrelated to any publisher or advertiser."

As to why the video review was removed, GameSpot said that they had quality concerns specifically due to a faulty microphone, not to mention a limited amount of footage.

In the spirit of "full disclosure," the video has since been reposted and is viewable on the site in its original form.

According to GameSpot, the Kane & Lynch review text was altered because "Jeff's supervisors and select members of the edit team felt the review's negativity did not match its "fair" 6.0 rating." The copy was adjusted several days after its publication so that it better meshed with its score, which remained unchanged.

Finally, GameSpot said that the timing of the ad campaign, which was purchased weeks in advance based upon the game's release date, was "extremely unfortunate but was purely coincidental..." The end of the promotion had been predetermined well in advance and had nothing to do with the Gerstmann controversy heating up.

The site admitted that Eidos representatives "expressed their displeasure to their appropriate contacts, but not to editorial directly."

"It was not the first time a publisher has voiced disappointment with a game review, and it won't be the last," GameSpot said in their statement.

"However, it is strict GameSpot policy never to let any such feelings result in a review score to be altered or a video review to be pulled."

GameSpot categorically denied that Gerstmann's firing, the alteration of the Kane & Lynch review text, or the removal of the video review had anything to do with Eidos' disappointment.

"This article is one of the first steps toward restoring users' faith in GameSpot, and an internal review of the incident and controversy is under way. However, at no point in its history has GameSpot ever deviated from its review guidelines, which are publicly listed on the site.

"Great pains are taken to keep sales and editorial separated to prevent any impression of impropriety."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=31280 ...

Newsweek's LevelUp blog is, without a doubt, one of the smartest voices in games writing today. For a great example of that, look no further than N'Gai's recent discussion of 'Gerstmann-gate', which focuses not on the particulars of the incident but what it means in a larger context.
And indeed, perhaps some portions of the games market have 'transcended' these petty squabbles. Certainly EA Casual doesn't care about reviews, and who really needs a game reviewer to tell you whether Brain Age 3 is any good?

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl...7/12/06/168237 ...

Dreamcast 2 in the works?

Trademark application sparks excitement over SEGA re-entry into console market.

SEGA Corporation has filed a new application to protect the trademark Dreamcast - sparking rumours that the Japanese publisher is planning on making a shock return to the console manufacturing market with the Dreamcast 2.

The application, sent to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) dated August 13 2007, relates to:

"Home video game machines; player-operated electronic controllers for electronic video game machines; video game interactive controller, namely, hand held pads, and floor pads or mats; joysticks for video games; computer cursor control devices, namely, computer mouse; flash memory cards; video game software, computer game programs".

Web chatter suggests the proof is in the detail of the application - the original Dreamcast didn't have a floor mat accessory and the Dreamcast's Visual Memory Unit (VMU) is far from the flash memory cards we know and use today - although we'd say that the VMU is pretty similar to the modern day memory cards.

The filing could, of course, simply be a further effort from SEGA to protect the Dreamcast name. According to the USPTO the original Dreamcast trademark is still active. However, the two descriptions are very different. You can see the original trademark description here.



Digg tHis

We've contacted SEGA UK for comment. We'll update you on this potentially megaton story as we get it.

Source: VideoGamer ...

Now that PSP owners in the US can finally access the Playstation store without a PS3, it looks like Sony's getting ready to take the next logical step and cut the computer out of the equation as well. Speaking to MTV's Multiplayer blog, Playstation Network operations chief Eric Lempel said PSP downloads were "Something we're thinking about. With the capability of the PSP it's something that should be possible...it's just a matter of priorities and some technology that we need to make it all work right and make sure the content is delivered securely, just to protect some of our [intellectual properties]." Lempel went on to say that Sony is also working on and iTunes-like syncing functionality for the PSP, and that Mac support will be forthcoming. All in all, it seems like interesting times are ahead for Sony's newly-revived little gamer.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/06/s...ownload-store/ ...