Hiatus
I spawned. Catch ya later!
War of the Immortals Beta Keys
Giving away keys to War of the Immortals closed beta over on N4G, hustle your buns over to get one!
Plushie Validation
Yesterday when the news broke, I checked on one of our newer sites, TechSpy to make sure the story was live. For big news, you cant count on N4G to take care of itself, sure enough.
Interestingly, some N4G users object to the news as “not gaming related” – which is, after all, one of the first criteria for submitting something to the site! I still don’t see where they’re coming from on this. Steve Jobs was the founder and vision behind a company that created multiple gaming devices – devices that have their own channels on N4G! Devices that have spawned gaming genres and franchises with their own plushies. All this without getting into a Macs as gaming platforms kerfuffle (or mentioning Pixar). Maybe it’s the death part that just isn’t gaming related enough in a culture that’s come to count on respawn.
Keep the iDevice batteries at half power today.
Long Live Play
Yeah, commercial awesomeness.
PixelJunk Monsters Alpha Testing
Over the weekend I got to participate in the PixelJunk Monsters Alpha test – testing out the browser-based version of the game. It’s an Alpha, so there were some bugs and server struggles, but overall I was impressed with where the game is at. Of course, the PJM gameplay is a solid foundation!
Fun changes add new strategic elements, and smart changes make Monsters compatible with its future browser home. The only towers available in the test were the arrow and canon, so we’ll have to wait and see about future tower power…
Bonus: Swag Bundle
If you join the N4G Extra Life team OR donate $24 or more to one of the N4G team’s participants you’ll be entered to win a swag bundle from our swag closet. This is a grab bag of posters, t-shirts, buttons, bags, and dog tags to name a few from GDC, E3, PAX…or stuff that showed up in the mail.
1. Swag bundle is open to all except for employees of HAVAmedia and immediate relatives. You do not have to be a registered N4G user to win.
2. Closing date is 15th October 2011
3. The winner will be chosen by random.org and notified via email or N4G ticket on or after October 16, 2011.
4. Failure to reply to notification within fourteen (14) days results in forfeiture of prize.Gaming for Kids
Q-Games Looking for Alpha Testers
PixelJunkies, Q-Games is seeking Alpha testers for PixelJunk Monsters. If you want in, email them at pjm-alphatest[at]q-games[dot]com with your twitter id and follow them @PixelJunkNews. Back to upgrading towers…
In Ur Science Curing Ur Ills
N4Ger jmare posted on the forums: “U.S. Gamers Crack Puzzle in AIDS Research that Stumped Scientists for Years”
According to the FOX news piece, “online gamers” cracked a retrovirus protein structure that’s been boggling the minds of what I must assume are “offline scientists” for years. They did it in three weeks, but since speed runs are our thing I bet they’ll be looking to have future proteins down to 10 hrs.
Why the Offline Scientists care: the protein (protease) affects how viruses multiply and cracking its code may help battle HIV/AIDS. An Offline Scientist, Khatib, is quoted as saying, “The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.”
In case you missed it, “if properly directed” is the gratingly loaded part of that statement.
Gears 3 and the N4G Brotherhood
360Voice is hosting a Gears of War 3 Achievement Challenge kicking off September 20th and running through October 20, 2011. Players unlocking achievements and recruiting friends to the cause are scoring points toward their Brotherhood’s total score – and the top two Brotherhoods get prizes. More of a persuasive type? The top three Recruiters also win big.
http://360voice.gamerdna.com/gears
If the N4G Brotherhood (led by our own Eiffel) finishes in the top two we (N4G) are adding to the prize pool: The top five scorers in the N4G Brotherhood get a Gears of War 3 controller and all surviving Cogs get a brand spanking newly designed N4G t-shirt.
Go!
Go Commando with N4G to win an Xbox 360 and Gears 3 from GameStop
GameStop is providing some prizes to N4G for lucky Gears of War fans. All the details went live today at Noon. Something about underpants.
PixelJunk lifelike is now PixelJunk 4am: New Trailer & Teaser Site Launches
Yep, the enigmatic PixelJunk lifelike has a new title! Now PixelJunk 4am, the change comes along with the launch of a new teaser site for the game.Out of TGS Kyoto musical artist, PixelJunk Eden and PixelJunk 4am collaborator, Baiyon, spoke on the name change:
Why the name change?
Baiyon: PixelJunk lifelike was originally conceived as an extension of the PixelJunk Eden world. Our idea was to create a kind of living speaker for people to play their music through, using natural imagery and taking strong visual cues from Eden. There wasn’t even the concept of a “player”. We’ve since moved far beyond that simple idea to new and uncharted waters both visually and musically. The style has evolved now into something that is really quite different from anything we’ve ever made before. It was only natural we’d want to chase this new concept and capture it with a new title.
Why 4am?
Baiyon: 4am represents the exact mood and feeling we’ve captured. 4am is that deep night hour. In clubs, the music drifts to a new level entering a deepened state that often seems removed from reality. Whether you’re in a club or not, 4am always feels like the night has gone on forever, where there’s still that little bit of time left before dawn. This late night feel better represents our current visual and musical style.
So what can we expect now?
Baiyon: PixelJunk 4am is something unique that has never been tried before, so we’re treading in new territory. We’re using the PlayStation Move in truly experimental ways to give people control of making their own style of music. Being able to stream your music live on PSN also gives people the chance to broadcast a new kind of online performance. We can’t wait to see people playing 4am deep into the early morning hours.The new, officially official TGS trailer for PixelJunk 4am:
Protected: Sale
Chats with Eitan
Part One of a two-parter interview with Eitan Glinert of Fire Hose Games went live this morning on N4G. Eitan makes the “interview” process easy - pretty much just let him talk. I’m excited about their new game, Go Home Dinosaurs!, not just because it’s Tower Defense (but certainly in large part because it’s Tower Defense!) – it’s not just another TD game, even in this phase of development. As excited as I am, my enthusiasm for most anything may never match Eitan’s, he’s a force to be reckoned with.
Update: Part Two is alive.
Hands-On With the Fourth Dimension
Trying to make sense of Marc ten Bosch’s genius Miegakure.
Relatedly unrelated: Talking and writing about games, sometimes it’s like hitting a wall – you know, when you’re super-excited about the awesomeness of a gameplay experience, and try as you might there’s just no getting the gamers around you as fired up as you think they should be! Certain games just resonate more with some people than others, and the phenomenon is even more frustrating when it comes to indie titles like Miegakure, or Go Home Dinosaurs!, or Spy Party.
Great indie games aren’t about being weird, stubbornly different or the first on the scene (though I get why that might hold a certain appeal in a world of “First!” ;) ), these games are bringing new game experiences to our grubby little hands – independently.
A lot of the games I write about – AAA or indie – for N4G and this blog are games that I like. I realize that may make it seem as though I’m sunshine and daffodils about too many things, that my taste isn’t discriminating, but here’s the truth: I hate writing about games I don’t like, it feels like a waste of time. When writing about a game that is unenjoyable to me, the same wall-hitting principle applies: there will be people with whom the game does resonate, and my opinion means squat.
No, I would rather take the time (it does take time!) to write about games that are experiences worth sharing, and only write about the ickies when I’ve gotta.
About
I’m Community Manager for N4G and Admin for the NewsBoiler Network, home to N4G, TechSpy, AnimeShinbun, FilmWatch and 11×2. There’s more words strung together on the N4G Blog.
Check out my about.me profile!
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