Yearly Archives: 2014
EB Games Canada is Quietly Raising Prices
The Canadian currency market is probably not something most gamers pay attention to but it might be something that will concern Canadian gamers if what EB Games is doing becomes an industry-wide trend.
The Canadian arm of GameStop has very quietly raised the prices of some much-anticipated upcoming games. Rather than being $60 as it was for new games in previous years, EB Games is charging up to $70 for new games that are available for pre-order.
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Comic Book Pull List for January 22, 2014
It’s not often that well-known celebrities from outside the comic book realm get mentioned in the pull list but when Alyssa Milano launches a new comic, you should probably mention it. In Milano’s new series published by Boom, a pair of social networking entrepreneurs secretly work as leaders of a white knight hacking group in Hacktivist #1.
Elsewhere, some of the big publishers have some intriguing first issues this week. DC Comics has a video game adaptation thanks to their WB corporate tie-in with Scribblenauts Unmasked: Crisis Of Imagination #1. The godfather of all things zombie, George Romero, has a new comic with Marvel called George Romero’s Empire Of Dead: Act One #1. And IDW has a unique crossover comic starring the infamous Lone Gunmen with X-Files: Conspiracy – Ghostbusters #1.
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Reddit’s Dogecoin Subreddit Donates $30,000 to Jamaican Olympic Bobsled Team
While it’s being described as a sort of sequel to Cool Runnings, the Jamaican bobsled team is really going to Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, they aren’t getting adequate funding to run the team and members have been relying on donations and their own money.
Leave it up to the folks of Reddit to step in for some people in need. The good folks of /r/dogecoin have raised $30,000 to help send the Jamaicans to Sochi.
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Fan Rewrites Mass Effect 3 in ME3: Vindication
You can say a lot of things about fans of BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 but you can never accuse them of not being dedicated to the cause. Last week, Mass Effect fan, Gerry Pugliese, released his year-long passion project, Mass Effect 3: Vindication.
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The Stanley Parable Review: A Successful Experiment
One of the terms that I’ve been hearing a lot lately is “experimental gameplay.” The other popular descriptor for games is to refer to some as art. They’re labels that seem to be haphazardly applied to anything that doesn’t conform completely to bog standard gameplay conventions. Gone Home was a game that the critics referred to as both experimental and art. While last week we found out that I disagree with those sentiments, I have found a game that both labels could apply to and certainly qualifies as experimental.
The Stanley Parable is an updated, full release of a 2011 Source engine mod. Like Gone Home, there’s no combat in The Stanley Parable. However, that’s where the similarities end. The Stanley Parable is so experimental, so unorthodox and so brilliant that it certainly earns its place as one of 2013’s best games.
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Comic Book Pull List for January 15, 2014
In this week’s comic book pull list highlights, I want to highlight some more unusual fare that’s coming out this week. For example, I didn’t know that Marvel had a UK set of heroes. Dark Angel is back to save the heroes of Marvel UK in Revolutionary War: Dark Angel #1. And DC’s Injustice comic series hasn’t just because the video game was released. Apparently Injustice is so popular that we’re getting another “season” of Injustice comics starting with Injustice: Year Two #1.
Elsewhere, Dynamite has a special one-shot comic called Lil Battlestar Galactica #1 which includes a two-page activity sheet! Awesomeballs! IDW launches a grindhouse/exploitation themed miniseries with Black Dynamite. And friend of the blog Larime Taylor is back with the third issue of A Voice In The Dark.
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SimCity to Add an Offline Single Player Mode
After 10 months of saying that the game needs to always be connected to the internet for the game to run its complex calculations despite evidence to the contrary, Maxis has finally found a way to make 2013’s SimCity work when playing offline. In a blog post, Maxis’s GM says that Update #10 will include a mode that will allow you to play when you’re not connected to the internet.
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PlayStation Now is Gaming’s Next Disruptive Technology
When Nintendo announced the Wii, many cynics wrote off the console’s motion controls as a gimmick that wouldn’t add much anything to gameplay. After the console’s massive popularity and sales upon launch, both Microsoft and Sony followed Nintendo into the world of motion controls to gain back market share.
The Wii and its motion controls are a perfect example of a disruptive technology. The games industry was completely overtaken by the motion control fad as millions of dollars were spent to keep pace with Nintendo. They set a new direction for gaming and the other two console manufacturers followed.
PlayStation Now may not be out yet but Sony’s cloud gaming service is, if implemented correctly by Sony Computer Entertainment, destined to be one of the biggest and most disruptive technologies that the gaming industry has ever seen.
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Broken Age Coming to Steam Early Access Tomorrow (UPDATE: Changed Release Date and Plan)
UPDATE: Double Fine has announced on their Broken Age Kickstarter page that Broken Age would not be coming to Steam on January 14 as a Steam Early Access release. Plans changed just hours before launch and now Broken Age will be released in two acts as a Season Pass bundle. The release date will be announced later on January 28th.
In explaining the change, Double Fine said, “For various logistical reasons, and because we believe Act 1 is a polished and satisfying piece of content in its own right, Broken Age will be a standard Steam release that includes a ‘Season Pass’ granting access to Act 2 once it is complete.”
The original story follows and is included for information purposes only.
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Star Wars: Episode VII Undergoing Massive Changes in Pre-Production
Remember when you were excited for a new Star Wars trilogy to continue the story beyond what was already in the Expanded Universe. Noted Star Wars fan J.J. Abrams was directing. Oscar-winner Michael Arndt was tabbed to write the script. Everyone and their mother was meeting with Abrams. Some of the top behind the camera in Hollywood were onboard, including John Williams and Ben Burtt.
Now, the latest rumours about Episode VII are a little less promising. Nothing is confirmed or set in stone but rumours that indicate retconning established Star Wars canon concerns me.
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