General gaming |
- Review: NFL Blitz Serves Up Violence With a Side of Football
- Five Cancelled Games You Never Knew About
- Steam Experiences Another Year of Sales Growth in 2011
- PlayStation Boss Kaz Hirai to Become Sony's President - Report
- Xbox 360 Successor, PS4 to be Revealed at E3 - Report
- Following PR Blunder, Avenger Controller Makes a Child's Play Donation
| Review: NFL Blitz Serves Up Violence With a Side of Football Posted: 06 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST If the impending conclusion to the NFL season is giving you a case of the crazy eyes, it might be a good idea to take your aggression out on NFL Blitz, EA's addition to (formerly) Midway's hyperviolent football series. This downloadable title features the same frantic action that fans of the franchise have loved for the past decade -- seriously, the exact same action. It's so faithful that playing it takes me back to the halcyon days of 1998 when we had dial-up internet, a Clinton in the White House, and Chumbawamba had a bright future ahead of them. The only thing missing from this iteration is the post play grab-assing which allowed you to brawl for a few moments before the play selection screen reappeared. Evidently the NFL didn't want their sport -- which is built upon the pillars of violence -- to be marred by such behavior. Minutia aside, fans of the original home or arcade versions of NFL Blitz will be pleased to know that this current outing does the series justice. The basic game is still a fast paced, violently simplified take on the Sunday tradition, and this downloadable entry surprises with an impressive level of polish. The HUD and transition effects -- things too often ignored -- get presented with a certain sheen and flourish that enhances even the simplest menu navigation. Likewise, the announcers have just enough wit to keep me from muting my television -- which is a rarity for sports games. While the core mechanics of the game may be carried over from the late '90s, the presentation makes it clear that this is a Blitz for today's gamer. This fact is further pronounced in the plethora of different modes. The Blitz Gauntlet charges you with climbing a ladder of opponents similar to how you would in a classic Mortal Kombat title. Every few victories against NFL teams rewards you with a Boss Fight: four quarters against a squad comprised of hot dogs, Neanderthals, and other assorted macho warriors. These specific matches take a page from NBA Jam by adorning the field with various power-ups, making the games even more frantic. |
| Five Cancelled Games You Never Knew About Posted: 06 Jan 2012 03:46 PM PST
Feature  Five Cancelled Games You Never Knew About1UP's exclusive look at five discarded projects from five legendary developers.By: Bob Mackey January 6, 2012 Though we'd like to believe legendary game developers exist in a lawless world rife with boundless potential, the untold millions funneled into their projects provide a compelling reason to keep these talented folks on a tight leash. After all, it only takes a single slip-up before you go from designing triple-A system-sellers to working in a dank pachinko warehouse under a guy with elaborate tattoos and a conspicuously missing pinky finger. Even if you manage to whip up a basket of innovative, untested gameplay mechanics, they won't go far beyond the prototype stage without first winning over the slack-jawed masses enticed into a focus group with the promise of free Baconators and access to indoor plumbing. And while these half-formed ideas usually end up buried in Disney-style vaults, 1UP's vast array of resources and lack of shame over dumpster-diving has given us access to five unproduced projects from five mega-talented game developers. It's a shame we'll never get to play any of these for ourselves, but we can at least feel relieved that the next time we drop a quarter into a panhandler's crumpled hat, it won't belong to someone who once held court over GDC.
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| Steam Experiences Another Year of Sales Growth in 2011 Posted: 06 Jan 2012 03:12 PM PST Although it feels as though the market for digital PC games distribution is becoming more and more competitive, that hasn't stopped Steam from continuing to grow. The Valve-operated distribution service saw sales increase by over 100 percent in 2011 as compared with 2010. Remarkably, that's seven years in a row it has managed that feat, though it wasn't the only milestone Valve had to brag about. During the Steam Holiday Sale at the end of the year, Steam surpassed 5 million simultaneous players. |
| PlayStation Boss Kaz Hirai to Become Sony's President - Report Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:35 PM PST The former president of Sony Computer Entertainment, Kaz Hirai, may soon be taking on the role of president once again, only this time it will be for the entirety of Sony. According to Japanese publication Nikkei (as reported by Mashable) Hirai will soon be promoted to the role of president of Sony Corporation, a position he may assume as soon as this April. Current president Howard Stringer would vacate the role but continue on as CEO and chairman. |
| Xbox 360 Successor, PS4 to be Revealed at E3 - Report Posted: 06 Jan 2012 11:30 AM PST According to the latest report regarding the inevitable successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, not one but both are set to be revealed at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. This news comes from industry sources speaking with MCV. No details were shared regarding the specifics of what Sony or Microsoft will show, nor we do know the extent of what either has planned. While Nintendo will be further detailing the Wii U ahead of its release later this year, we don't know that either the third Xbox or PlayStation 4 will be coming out this year. As such, that means that both companies would still have ample time to continue unveiling aspects of their respective systems if they decide to only share a few tidbits at E3. |
| Following PR Blunder, Avenger Controller Makes a Child's Play Donation Posted: 06 Jan 2012 09:32 AM PST Trying to make up for the PR disaster that happened just before the end of the year, the company behind the Avenger Controller, N-Control, has made a sizable donation to the Child's Play charity. N-Control was faced with a nightmare last week when an email chain between a customer named Dave and a PR/marketing rep working for the company was made public. Dave was looking to find out when his order of the PS3 Avenger Controller -- a modified PS3 controller that allows disabled gamers to use the controller's shoulder buttons -- would ship. Paul Christoforo, the rep in question, was of little help, and as the email chain goes on he can be seen becoming increasingly rude and aggressive, at one point saying, "You just got told bitch." (At other points he bragged about the connections he has, including the mayor of Boston, which shockingly turned out to be untrue.) Penny Arcade co-founder Mike Krahulik became involved after he was looped in on the emails and he, too, became Christoforo's target -- at least until Krahulik revealed to Christoforo just who he was. |
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