New Years! I think 2009 is looking to be one of the most interesting years all around
the world and here at Shacknews. I expect big things!
As for the the videogame news around these parts:
The Wall Street Journal reports that a new book by IBM engineers has revealed some startling facts about the most recent console race.
“The Race for a New Game Machine,” by IBM engineers David Shippy and Mickie Phipps, details how research conducted for Sony’s Cell processor–used in the PlayStation 3–ended up directly benefiting the development of Micorosft’s Xbox 360 chip.
The Journal summarizes:
All three of the original partners had agreed that IBM would eventually sell the Cell to other clients. But it does not seem to have occurred to Sony that IBM would sell key parts of the Cell before it was complete and to Sony’s primary videogame-console competitor. The result was that Sony’s R&D money was spent creating a component for Microsoft to use against it.
Mr. Shippy and Ms. Phipps detail the resulting absurdity: IBM employees hiding their work from Sony and Toshi…
As we venture into 2009, we here at Shacknews though it would be prudent to reflect not just on the past year, but on the variety of crazy commercials Sega has produced.
In the past we’ve examined the evolution of Nintendo commercials–now it’s time to gape at the insanity of Sega ads, in a special edition of the Replay Couch.
Oh sure, there’s been plenty of Sega strangeness lately, but nothing that compares to its previous work. With screaming dead squirrels, spleen-bursting games and Marky Mark to choose from, we’ve compiled a wide-ranging list of our favorites.
Sega Japan reveals the awful truth about Santa Claus. Kids? Not happy.
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Go below the fold for more ridiculous Seganess.<SPAN…
From From Software (Chromehounds, Armored Core) comes a new trailer for the dark PlayStation 3 action-adventure Demon’s Souls, set for a Japanese release in February.
Though Demon’s Souls hasn’t been scheduled for a North American date, an English version will be released in Asia alongside the Japanese version.
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Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.
[Via Max Console]
Continue reading FLATMII streams games to your Wii, via USB
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FLATMII streams games to your Wii, via USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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With his sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa shutting down soon, Ultima series creator Richard “Lord British” Garriott looks to be returning to the genre that made him so popular in the first place.
Garriott’s next project is “probably medieval fantasy and probably online,” the designer told BBC News.
“After 25 years at Origin, the last thing I wanted to make was yet another medieval fantasy game,” Garriott explained, adding he’s now “keen to get back into the fray and work on a new game.”
Exactly where Garriott would pursue development of a new title is unknown, as he <A href=”…
I didn’t think we’d be running any more Jack Thompson stories after the outspoken game-hating attorney was permanently disbarred, but this one is too good to pass up.
Since his disbarment, Thompson has reportedly purchased stock in Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive in order to lead a stockholder revolt against chairman Strauss Zelnick. In a letter earlier this year, Thompson compared him to a Hitler youth.
Now, he’s taken the next logical step, claiming that God, yes, God, was responsible for Take-Two stock dropping in value by 35% across the past year, and has con…
No one knew that we were getting a new Xbox Live Arcade game today, but surprise! Merv Griffin’s Crosswords is now available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
The downloadable Pipeworks Software-developed title is said to combine “fast-paced game show action” with over 1000 “unique and challenging” crossword puzzles.
You know who Merv Griffin is, right? The now-deceased Emmy-winning creator of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy? He was also a singer and a talk show host, to boot.
It may not seem all that exciting, but hey, you Xbox 360 owners are getting this one for a steal. The Wii retail release of Merv Griffin’s Crosswords sells for $20. And not only does the Xbox 360 version pack 720p HD support, it’s got achievements too!
I’m sure that some folks have already crossed over into 2009, but here at Shacknews Indiana, we’re about fourteen hours away from venturing into the fabled ew year.
I ended up watching that new Resident Evil CG flick, Degeneration, last night. I don’t think anyone but Resident Evil fans are going to get anything out of it, and I can’t see myself ever watching it again, but it was …nice to see Leon, Hannigan and Claire again? Things were promising up until the middle, when it started relying more on generic character development instead of the crazy zombie killing action we all love.
There just weren’t that many “oh that’s awesome” moments, apart from a few little inside jokes (Claire holding a red and white-striped umbrella) and some RE2 fan service. I get the feeling that the last 30 seconds were tacked on much later in production, just to provide some sort of tenuous connection to the bad guys in Resident Evil 5.
But hey, I’m looking forward to tonig…
Zonk writes with news of a collaboration between Massively and GamerDNA to analyze the state of MMO player bases for 2008. Sifting through the data brought out several interesting trends. For example, Age of Conan took a substantial hit when Warhammer arrived on the scene, but none of the other major MMOs were significantly affected. Also, it seems Lord of the Rings: Online got a big shot in the arm from its Mines of Moria expansion — even moreso than World of Warcraft from Wrath of the Lich King, relatively speaking. The article also asserts the following about the recently-canceled Tabula Rasa: “… until the cancellation announcement in November, numbers were trending in the right direction, however slightly. Players were growing more interested in the sci fi MMO shooter, and logins were on the rise. If its development had not been so long, so expensive, and so vastly overhyped and mismarketed, this title could have been left alone to find its legs and found some small measure of success in a long tail environment akin to the Sony Station Pass.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.