2005 into 2006

Happy New Years!



As we leave 2005 I wish the best to all of you for 2006. Look for a wrap up of 2005 sometime this week. Enjoy!

Xbox 360 outsold by Gamecube in Japan?

According to this report from Nintendojo the Xbox 360 can pretty much be wrapped up as a complete failure in Japan. It is failing to outsell the Gamecube and this is not because of lacking supplies. Japan has a massive excess of Xbox 360's. Me thinks that Microsoft's marketing campaign to drive hype by shortchanging supply only works in the American market... go figure.

Here is a cut and paste of the top selling consoles and games from Japan from the linked article.

Hardware

1. DS - 597,628


2. PSP - 161,332


3. PS2 - 97,475


4. GCN - 36,646


5. GBASP - 35,764


6. GBM - 19,261


7. Xbox360 - 5,674


8. GBA - 906


9. Xbox - 141

Software

1. PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II, Square Enix - 727,591


2. DS - Animal Crossing: Wild World, Nintendo - 416,132


3. DS - Mario Kart DS, Nintendo - 302,742


4. PS2 - Naruto: Narultimate Hero 3, Bandai - 216,966


5. DS - Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Blue Rescue Force, Pokemon - 157,786


6. GBA - Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Red Rescue Force, Pokemon - 156,430


7. DS - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop!, Bandai - 156,181


8. PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence, Konami - 103,894


9. GCN - Mario Party 7, Nintendo - 100,130


10. DS - DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain , Nintendo - 93,240

Goldeneye Source HL2 Mod

One of my all time favorite multi-player games was Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64. Many of my high school days were lost to the pure joy that was Goldeneye 007 multi-player! It seems the game has left a mark on quite a few other people as well. So much of mark that they have made a Half Life 2 Mod to recreate the Goldeneye experience.

Goldeneye Source is a multi-player (with limited single player) mod for Half Life 2. It features many faithful recreations from the original Nintendo 64 version. There is plenty of servers out there running the mod and the action in game is intense.

So step back in time with me a bit and indulge into a bit of gaming nostalgia. Enjoy!

New Template Is Here

I hope everyone enjoys the new template. I am still working out the bugs and would appreciate feedback from anyone having problems.

Known Bug List:
-[Fixed]To read comments you must click on Post Comment. Working to make # Comments clickable.
-[Fixed]While using IE, the columns of text overwrite each other.
-[Fixed]If your resolution is set below 1024x768, the background picture interferes with reading the text. --> Even though the problem is fixed, it is strongly recommended to view this site at 1024x768 resolution.

Update: 8 Jul, 2007 - Edited post and applied label.

New World of Warcraft race speculation... Draenei

Gaming Steve seems to have "the" scoop on the new Alliance race for World of Warcraft. Unfortunately it is also the most plausible and dare I say most boring race possible... the Draenei.

Gaming Steve quotes a leaked Computer Gaming Magazine scan;

"*Alliance players will enjoy playing as Draenei, and the new Blood Elf race gives the Horde faction its first exercise in what humans perceive as sex appeal (even though those Troll females are pretty cute)."

Update: 29 Nov, 2009 - Removed broken links and pictures. Applied label.

I'm an e-celebrity... featured at GU Comics

It seems my /. article about how MTV is offering better gaming TV than G4 is the center of a GU Comic. The comic features "a guy at Gamergod" which just so happens to be me.

To be kind I stopped in on their forums and offered my opinion on some things their posters seemed to be missing. Here is my post...

"I think most of the people hating on MTV here have not honestly seen any of their gaming shows. It is heads and tales above anything G4 produces. Most obviously because there is more money being spent on production, but a few key areas they hit make gamers watch... and we're not just talking teenagers.

1. If they don't have the content they don't have a show for it. G4 thinks just because its part of gaming they need to have a show on it. I think that speaks for itself.

2. They produce quality over quantity. G4 is exactly the opposite because they are still trying to fill in all that time between Man Show reruns and infomercials.

3. They focus on gamers of ALL variety. MTV is well known for selling sex to teenagers, but oddly enough when it comes to gaming they sell it without believing their audience is a bunch of teenage boys. Find one thing on G4 that isn't trying to sell their programming to a bunch of teenage boys.

The great thing about MTV is you can grab a TV guide and watch what you want. You can TIVO quality shows without having to worry if your TIVOing another rerun off of G4.

To each his own."

Update: 6 Nov, 2006 - Updated post and applied labels. Removed link to now defunct Gamergod.com article.

Slashdot - MTV making better gaming TV than G4TV?

My article from GamerGod.com (now defunct, removed link), MTV making better gaming TV than G4TV?, is featured on Slashdot this afternoon.

Enjoy!

Update: 29 Nov, 2009 - Removed broken link and applied label.

Unfortunately, no copy of this article exists.

I hath returned!

The week long raid concluded with the following pile of loot:

Star Wars Episode 3 DVD
War of the Worlds DVD

Books:







Two heavy duty frying pans. Afterall, working on that oh-so-important cooking skill!

Long sleeved Green Bay Packers shirt with +5 Fanboi enchant!

Air Force plaque with medallion and US flag stamp.

Mini-nativity set.

Update: 25 July, 2008 - Edited post and applied labels.

Gone the 20th - 26th... Wisconsin here I come!

I will be home for the holidays so I hope everyone has a good holiday season!

Update: 8 Nov, 2006 - Removed broken links, consolidated post, and applied labels.

Reposted Book Review : Smart Bomb

Title: Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution
Authors: Heather Chaplin, Aaron Ruby
Genre: Gaming
Publisher: Algonquin Books (October 12, 2006)
Quick-Hit Thought: Great read for those interested.

I'm just a gamer. I don't develop games. I have no grand dreams of magically breaking into the industry. However, there are many developers in the industry who have done just that. This is a review of the book, Smartbomb : The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Video game Revolution. This is a review from the side of a gamer, of a book about the rock star developers that make my world go.

At the heart of Smartbomb is a collection of stories about the rock star developers of the video game industry. The pacing of the book is defined by the first developer we meet, Cliff Blezinski. "CliffyB", as he is known around the offices at Epic Games, is known for his once flashy pimp-like attire, back when he burst onto the scene with the Unreal and Unreal Tournament series.

CliffyB is a recurring character in the book. He is considered to be one of the last home-grown programmers who has truly broken into the industry. In a day where developers arrive with college degrees built upon game development, CliffyB is a throwback to such legends as Will Wright of The Sims fame and John Carmack of Doom fame. Wright and Carmack don't have game design degrees, but they have some of the most influential video games in history under their belts. They developed games, because there was no other outlet for their creative talents.

However, CliffyB has gone from flashy pimp to laid back front man for Epic. There is a tantalizing connection where we see him at the same parties and conferences as Wright and Carmack. While CliffyB catches the audience's eyes with a new dazzling hair color, Will Wright drops a bomb as he displays his latest effort known, Spore. Wright's presentation ends in a standing ovation. Smartbomb shows us where these visionaries came from.

The husband-and-wife team of Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby connect many dots amongst a varied background of gaming history. Reading through the book will have you hitting Google for more information on such subjects as the Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT, and the Stupid Fun Club. Their writing style has a dramatic flare that drives the book, and readers will find themselves wanting to know more about the topics covered.

While there are many eye-opening insights into several facets of the gaming industry, there are also several reproductions of well known gaming history tidbits, such as Nolan Bushnell and the early days of Atari. For the seasoned video game historian, this is all information covered in other books, such as Steven Kent's "The Ultimate History of Video Games'', and Dean Takahashi’s "Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution.''

However, there are enough new connections and flavors amongst the entwined stories that the reiteration of information is not overwhelming. Also, being a relatively newer book in a growing industry, it serves as a great starting point for the new-age video game historian. The driving point, the reader will know more about gaming and where gaming is headed after reading this book.

It is very interesting that most of the gaming scene was covered. At one point, you're in the “gaming room” of an Anarchy Online addict before you are whisked away to the sweltering hotel basement in Dallas, where the latest Cyberathlete Professional League tournament is underway.

Smartbomb drags you into the rock star life of the game development industry and then firmly plants you back with the core of the industry: the gamers themselves.

Update: 7 Nov, 2006 - Reposted from old Heartless Gamer Reviews section and applied labels.

Update: 2 Apr, 2007 - Edited labels and article.

Update: 28 July, 2008 - Added info section.

Update: 15 Dec, 2009 - Reposted to new Heartless_ Gamer Reviews.