There are two games coming out this week on the VC but in my heart there is only one. I’m having trouble not just skipping Wonder Boy (Sega Master System, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points) and going straight to the greatest racing game ever made (Road Rash comes in a very close second) Cruis’n USA (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points). But, since you, the loyal readers, deserve the best coverage out there we’ll talk about both.

Wonder Boy is the first Master System game on the VC and it not only looks like Adventure Island but actually is Adventure Island. There was some legal stuff that went on, thus making two games out of what should have been one. The plus side to Wonder Boy is that the protagonist’s name is Tom-Tom the Wonder Boy which sounds like the mentally challenged side-kick of the worst superhero ever. Aquaman and Wonder Boy to the rescue!

Who really cares though. Cruis’n USA is here and all other racing games can be damned. I have no idea why this game holds such a tender spot deep in my heart but it does. The graphics are middling, the controls are really only passable and the tracks aren’t that interesting aside from the random US landmarks crammed into the background. Still, I played this game until my N64 controller broke and then I played it some more after duct taping my controller back together. The cars were so crazy awesome and there weren’t any car licensing agreements either. Screw all these uber-realistic car models, I want a muscle car with the big engine thing sticking up out of the hood or a Mac truck that somehow can steer and drive as well as that Corvette-esque car I just slammed off the road. And what about Jeep-like vehicles? How come no one races in them anymore? And I don’t want to drive around real city streets! I want the Washington Monument to come over a hill right after the White House or the Golden Gate bridge to come directly after some tunnel that doesn’t exist. I want to cruise the world without the restrictions of the man! Join me my brethren and we shall cruise together until bikini wearing race women tell us we have won! Viva la revolution!

I’m sorry, I think I got carried away. The games will be available for download at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

April fools, one of the only days you can get away with crazy pranks and not get into to much trouble. Unless your girlfriend tells you she is pregnant and you go into a deep depression for the day until she comes clean. Not cool! Gamers are not one to be messed with. We can ruin your world through the power of the internet and make you cry (maybe). I thought for sure Harmonix was joking when they said the epic song “Stay Alive” from the ground breaking portal game was free. Sure enough the rumor is true, and the company will be releasing the song for the cost of zero dollars, or in Microsoft terms, zero points.

It will be a sad day to be a PS3 owner, for the “Playstation Store” is under going maintenance and no new content will be added for a couple of weeks. Don’t fret though, once the store is back up and running, the song will be there safe and sound waiting for you to download it.

Nice of Harmonix to give you a free download, so you can ease the pain on all the nasty things your friends and co workers put you through on this day.

Lately there has been a lot of talk in the media about disc formats for movies (i.e. Blu-ray) dying out soon in favor of downloadable/streaming content through the internet. There are even some claiming the same fates for our beloved game consoles and game software as well. With all this talk of such a convenient and magnificent near future, it’s hard not to think back as late as the 70’s and 80’s when a lot of visionary people used to say that by the year 2000 we would all be driving fully automated or flying cars. Sure, “flying” and fully automated cars sort of exist, as super expensive prototypes that we might see in popular science, but here we are in 2008 and not a single one sits in anyone’s driveway, not even for the rich.

It seems that all the recent press releases and interviews from industry representatives keep echoing a 5-10 year time frame before the various media formats start to really “die out.” A good amount of the public seems to think that these claims are just the wishful thinking of businessmen or even media propaganda to promote their own products while downplaying what is currently popular. Another portion of public opinion, what seems to be the minority, seems to agree with the idea of a “die out” coming soon. Continue reading this story..

During my daily romp around the Internet I happened upon the Rainbow Six Vegas 2 website. While this in itself is not very interesting, what happened next was quite perplexing. After only a few seconds of being on the site what appeared to be smoldering shrapnel from a plane or a tank demolished the video that was playing behind it. Curious as to what this was I clicked it and was immediately taken to the Ghost Recon website, Ubisoft’s other top selling Tom Clancy franchise.

Once again after only a few seconds of the site being open, a piece of smoldering shrapnel appeared over the main page. This time however what I can only describe as a data interface opened displaying a picture of an unidentified coastal region, and after loading offered me an option to accept a “data pull.” Once I accepted the interface expanded and five separate files appeared, some of the files displayed ready, while the rest were “processing”.

The ready files were audio and video of what appeared to be military operations. Both the audio and video was heavily distorted, but from the sounds of it these operations were not going well. The “processing” videos had some audio and video as well but so much was missing that it was difficult to ascertain what was going on. The last thing that caught my attention on the interface was five circles near the top right of the interface, these circles all had timers, two of the timers had reached zero and the rest were still counting down with the highest at 56+ days, and at that point all videos will be fully processed.

What does all this cryptic intel mean? It’s hard to say, it could be another Ghost Recon game, or it could just be yet another expansion for the incredibly successful GRAW 2. One thing we do know is that in 56 days something is going to happen, what do you think that something will be?

According to New York Times, Microsoft has worked out a deal with Safran Company, a company headed by Hollywood veteran Peter Safran, to produce original shows to be delivered via Xbox LIVE. Safran’s company represents a variety of talent, such as actor and writer Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame as well as actor and director Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Safran has stated that the first round of shows to be produced will be scripted (so no reality shows, thank you) and under 10 minutes. He also plans to try to cater to the Xbox 360 audience using genres such as horror and comedy. The shows will be exclusive to the 360 for a period and then most likely move on to other mediums. Safran also said that at least some of the shows will be ad driven and Scott Nocas, global marketing manager for programming on Xbox LIVE, believes this deal to be the first of many, so we can expect to see more original content headed to the 360 in the future.

So hows about it, think you would give the shows a try? What do you think Microsoft is going to charge for the non-ad supported shows? Or maybe you don’t think TV shows belong on Xbox LIVE at all and would rather spend your money on game content?

We all know there’s going to be a new Mortal Kombat; that was announced all the way back in 2006 already. We also know the game is using Unreal Engine 3. What we don’t have are details, but it seems change is in the air.

Noob.com, a website registered to Ed Boon (creative director of the Mortal Kombat team) and Midway Games, is promising answers. There’s a countdown on the site which is just over 17 days as of now, coinciding with Midway’s Gamer’s Day. So it’s safe to say the new title will be revealed at the event. There are also a few pictures of random animals and number sequences on the teaser site which, if you match them with letters of the alphabet, spell “free klose,” whatever that means.

In the past, Boon has promised “…a bunch of brand new characters, a whole new fighting system, a new presentation with the new graphics for the new consoles, as well as a new control scheme to take advantage of some of the new technology available.”

But even with the Mortal Kombat name and all this new tech the developers have at their fingertips these days, is it possible to revive the once crazed popularity of the series, or is this game going to tank immediately with other giants like Street Fighter IV and Soul Calibur IV on the horizon?

Square seems to be a little hesitant to develop exclusively for Microsoft’s great white box. Given the 360’s dismal sales overseas in Japan, it’s easy to see where Square’s reservations lie; the userbase is struggling, while the PS3 and Wii get hotter and hotter. Lo-and-behold, the RPG factory at Square has a treat for Xbox 360 fans: Infinite Undiscovery. Yes, “undiscovery” is not a word, and the title gives little—if any—description of the game. Square Enix isn’t taking the Xbox 360 lightly; Infinite Undiscovery looks to be a fascinating RPG experience that actually takes some risks that make dungeon crawling exciting again.

Developed by tri-Ace studios, the hard-workers behind RPG greats Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile, Infinite Undiscovery boasts an impressive set of features. Like many Japanese RPGs, tri-Ace’s latest deals with the destruction of the natural world at the hands of humanity; in this case, a heartless monarch. You will control a single combatant in the field, but you’ll also have a crew of adventurers to watch your back. Battles take place in real-time and, in an interesting twist, can happen at any time. For example, a rampaging demon can interrupt your usually-mundane task of checking your inventory or conversing with your party. Furthermore, monsters can interrupt ongoing battles, attacking friend and foe alike in Battle Royale-like fashion. Combat is open ended, allowing players to chain combos and launch enemies into the air. Infinite Undiscovery also contains a persistent day/night cycle which adds an interesting bit of strategy: visibility, for both the player and monsters, is reduced at night, though some creatures will be able to track you by scent and sound. Intrigued? tri-Ace is definitely taking a gamble, mixing the traditional JRPG narrative with a decidedly more western approach to combat.

The Official Xbox Magazine pegs Infinite Undiscovery for a Summer release. Hopefully, the title will still succeed amongst the anticipated releases of Ninja Gaiden 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, and other heavy-hitters. tri-Ace has a great pedigree of fascinating RPG titles, and Infinite Undiscovery looks to continue the great lineage of Square RPGs.

[See also: Infinite Undiscovery gallery]

In January, some of you may have read about a study where researchers in Arizona had 8 surgeons play the Wii for an hour before they performed virtual surgery utilizing software called ProMIS. And they found out that playing the Wii raised their results by a wopping 48 percent. It was clearly more beneficial to use games such as Marble Mania where precise movements are required.

Unfortunately, we can’t jump the gun and score another one in the books for the videogames industry, the sample size was incredibly small at only 8 surgeons, so we’ll have to wait for more research to be done. It’s been a few months since the research and we don’t have any more official data, but recently Tracy John, a blogger for MTV Multiplayer, had to bring her boyfriend in for surgery and ended up asking the surgeon, Dr. Nilesh Patel, what he thought of the subject.

Dr. Patel’s response was, “They actually have simulated videogames to even simulate surgeries, so they’re actually training people how to do surgeries on a computer model before — so for that reason, too. But definitely it’s going to build hand-eye coordination, especially for something where you’re doing sinus surgery or something like that; you need hand-eye coordination because you’re often working off the video monitor.”

I’m definitely hoping that more research is in the works to substantiate these claims, but as it stands it looks like we all will have one more supportive argument under our belts.

There are definitely other areas where games can benefit besides sinus-surgery. In regards to me, I seem to be generally very aware of small details around me (I point out random little things, like what company made the subway car we are riding in), which I think is from examining everything on the screen all the time. But what about you guys, have you come across any other benefits of videogames that translate well into everyday living?

Some new gameplay footage of the Call of Duty 4 map packs was released this week. It looks awfully familiar if you’ve played the single player campaign, but to those who enjoyed the epic battle in the TV station, this map is sure to bring lots of carnage. Or at least flying TPS reports and broken monitor screens.

Radical Entertainment’s (Crash of the Titans, The Hulk) free roaming adventure game PROTOTYPE has been in the cooker for quite some time now, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean the the developers will get to include everything they want in the final game. During a recent interview executive producer Tim Bennison shared that the online multiplayer portion will be removed from the game, calling it a move that will allow “gamers to really dig into the main elements of PROTOTYPE.” He then goes on to say that while the multiplayer is a great concept, they wouldn’t be able to deliver the same polished experience of the single player portion.

When asked about possibly finding multiplayer in the form of DLC, Bennison had this to say: “Post launch downloadable content is something we’re currently evaluating for PROTOTYPE from many different angles including multiplayer content such as co-op. Obviously we’re hoping that PROTOTYPE does well at retail and supports DLC and a sequel because we have a lot of creative room left to explore.”

The problem with developers these days is they try to overextend their games, and what’s happening a lot of the time is that either the single or multiplayer, or both portions of the game are a subpar offering. The perfect example of this is Dark Sector, instead of adding the multiplayer portion Digital Extremes could have taken those resources and applied them to the single player and made a much more fleshed out and polished experience. There’s a catch though, with games costing $60 a pop, consumers need to know, or at least think, they are getting their money’s worth even if the overall experience would be better without the added feature. Because of this publishers and developers feel almost compelled to add these modes. So I say bravo to Radical Entertainment, and remember if you build a compelling single player, they will come.

PROTOTYPE is currently slated for a fall 2008 release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

[See also: PROTOTYPE gallery]

The impact of downloadable content has always been a matter of conjecture amongst gamers and game companies alike. Does it add to the value of a game or is it just an excuse for a developer to squeeze a couple extra bucks out of your wallet? Regardless of your feelings on DLC, it’s clear that some games are able to pull it off better than others. It seems that SCEA’s Scott Steinberg feels as though GTA IV is just one of those games that DLC won’t be a major factor for.

Steinberg explains, “[Microsoft] spent the GNP of several small Latin American countries to get that [content], and if you’ve ever played San Andreas…there’s a lot of game to Grand Theft Auto and there’s going to be a lot of game to Grand Theft Auto IV to the point where I think most people will have that Grand Theft Auto experience on the PS3, day and date, same core game shipping on the 360.”

Perhaps Steinberg had taken offense to the remarks a Microsoft lawyer had made earlier, as he takes the time to throw a little dig in MS’s direction, “Perhaps they’ll be shipping some episodic content in the fall, but there is a whole lot of product shipping on the PS3 in April and I personally don’t think there’s going to be a huge percentage of folks who jump into downloadable content for another price when they’re still playing through the core product.”

To be honest, what else would he be expected to say? Given the fact that Sony did not secure a DLC agreement with Rockstar, this seems like just a little bit of posturing. Until I see an advertisement for a Microsoft vs. Sony celebrity boxing program, I have to advise all the rabid fanboys to take these kinds of back-handed insults with a grain of salt. Welcome to the world of business.

[See also: Grand Theft Auto IV gallery]

Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox software is clearly sick of being attacked over the company’s announcement of incorporating in-game advertisements into future products. He has good reason to be, if the company follows what he has outlined in his blog. He admits that players have right to be angry at the companies that exploit ads which negatively effect gameplay (ahem. EA). However he does something really cool, and actually proves to players that ads can be incorporated in games and keep with the gameplay and style. In this case, the image above is a screen shot of their upcoming game Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway. Yeah, the Philips logo is there and fits the scenery well, “What is so cool about that?”, one might ask. Well, it’s actually historicially accurate, and no I’m not lying (unless of course Pitchford is).

The man then goes on to note a few cases of great advertising,

• Toy Story: The movie was better and more authentic because Mr. Potato Head was one of the toys, not in spite of it. The Pixar guys rule and do a great job, we respect them a lot! We respect their decision to use a few real toys in Toy Story – we don’t hate them for it!
• Cast Away: Tom Hanks’ character worked for FedEx. That was much more authentic than if he worked for some fictional over-night air delivery service.
• Super Monkey Ball: The bananas have the Dole sticker! I thought that was cool and funny, not cheap or sucky. It felt natural and was a nice detail that added character. It did not feel like an advertisement that was exploiting me.

And you know what? He’s right. I definitely think that having Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story really added something to the film. I was apprehensive at first about in-game advertisements taking hold, but if developers can utilize opportunities like this and learn when ads simply do not apply then I can actually see them becoming viable. What about you? Hate ads no matter how they are implemented or not even bothered by them? Let us know what you think!

[See also: Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway gallery]

Cory Barlog of God of War fame left Sony Computer Entertainment in November to work with the renowned George Miller, producer-director-writer for Babe, Happy Feet and Mad Max, on a game to coincide with the release of a new Mad Max movie. N’Gai Croal details the new plans for their multi-medium collaboration over at Newsweek. It looks like George Miller is serious about bringing storytelling in gaming to the next level as he tries to bring the most immersive experience possible to the viewer/player. Miller is so serious in fact that because the movie had finished preproduction in 2003 (but then was put on hold to a variety of issues), he is waiting to move on with the project until the game reaches a similar point in development.

I’m interested in seeing how this turns out as George Miller has made some fanstatic movies and it certainly seems like a great coalition, but we will really need to see a reversal in the trend of movie related games before I can be less than skeptical about such things. A fan of Cory Barlog or George Miller? What do you think of their next big project?

(And no, stop thinking about it, Mel Gibson will not be starring in the movie or the game, however they will both feature the same main cast)

We all play games to have fun right? Think about what makes playing a game fun. You can’t try to fool yourself into thinking that you have just as much fun if you’re playing a game losing all the time. We can all relate, everyone has lost no matter how good they are. Some gamers out there try to reason and talk themselves out of the importance of whether they win or not because they think of themselves as “casual gamers.” They say they are “content with their skill level,” their opponents “use cheap tactics,” or something else from a multitude of excuses. This can lead to a subconscious defeatist attitude and thus less fun in one’s gaming. A better way of thinking about it is: there are gamers who do well and then there are gamers who hide behind the title of “casual gamer” or excuses because they don’t know how to do well or they just don’t want to put in the effort.

“Playing to win.” It is an idea many competitive gamers live