Canon Shows Off Augmented Reality Gaming, Makes Chris Look Silly
I cover a lot of different consumer technology products, and they all usually have their own groups of brands. You don't expect Nintendo to go into HDTVs, you don't expect LG to go into digital cameras, and you don't expect Canon to go into futuristic video games. However, when I attended the CanonEXPO yesterday, that last option is exactly what I saw. Tucked into a corner of the expo was a video game demonstration kiosk for Canon's "Mixed Reality" system. It's a little bit virtual reality, a little bit Playstation Move, and a whole lot of looking like a character from The Lawnmower Man.
Chris and I were invited to play a "game" where we created a cartoon character in virtual reality, using head-mounted displays to watch our creations float before our eyes while we manipulate them with our hands. I sat down and held the display over my eyes, keeping it aligned so I could see through the virtual glasses. They were almost completely clear, but could show computer-generated images on top of the regular view thanks to a small screen and a prism.
Will GreenwaldThe Future of Motion Control: How To Improve It
This short video on Sony's blog demonstrates where the PlayStation Move is at in terms of development. Now that the Wii is about to turn four, Sony and Microsoft are both poised to make wigglin' and wagglin' major features of their consoles as well. The Wii's motion controls have failed to deliver on the promise of a total game-changing console. Despite this, the Wii has some real gems but games which actually utilize the motion controls well are few and far between. Today, most gamers still use thumbsticks, shoulder triggers, and face buttons for a majority of their games. Here are a few ways motion controls could finally make games better.
Matt EddySteampunk Warfare: Building a Well-Reasoned Argument (with video!)
Professor William von Greenwald here from the airship S.S. Aggrogate, because everybody is a professor with a "van" or a "von" in their name aboard an airship when it comes to steampunk stuff. The aesthetic may be overused, but I think there's still some life left in the Victorian high technology pastiche yet! I told you a few days ago that I was working on something special with the Nerf Barrel Break IX-2, and here it is!
Will GreenwaldTop 15 games that still aren’t on the Virtual Console yet
When Nintendo first announced the Virtual Console, it seemed like a brilliant idea. The company would re-release the greatest games on its 8-, 16-, and 64-bit systems for download, letting us rebuild our childhood gaming libraries on a single memory card and play all of our favorite old-school games on the Wii. Every week would see a handful of classic games released on the Virtual Console, ready for download.
Four years later, the Virtual Console offers over 360 games (in North America) from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Turbografix-16, Neo Geo, and even the Sega Master System and Commodore 64. It sounds like a lot, until you realize the NES and SNES had over 700 games each.
The Virtual Console still has a lot of big holes in its library, and it looks like Nintendo isn't trying very hard to fill them. These days we're lucky to see one game come out on the VC per week, and that game can range from the obscure and uninteresting (this week's Ufouria: THe Saga) to the vaguely fun but pales in comparison to other titles (Aero the Acrobat).
Here are the 15 most notable games missing from the Wii Virtual Console.
Will GreenwaldThe Last Story: Sakaguchi back at the helm
As many of you know, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, is currently working on an project named The Last Story, being developed for the Nintendo Wii. It is tentatively to be released in Japan, at the end of 2010. In a interview he did about a week ago, Sakaguchi explained about his motivations and the restless feeling he had during development of The Last Story.
Camille LakeTop 7 upcoming collector’s editions
This fall will see a lot of big name video games on the way, and big name games mean multiple editions. Almost a dozen upcoming video games feature Collector's/Limited/Hardcore Obsessive Compulsive Editions for a premium price, offering extra features, game feelies, and the usual selection of soundtrack/making-of DVD/art book on top of the game itself. Here are the 7 most notable collector's editions coming out over the next few months.
Will GreenwaldEight Bit And Up: Inside New York’s new, secret retro video game store
There's a new video game store in New York's East Village, but you'd pass right by it unless you knew exactly what you're looking for. Eight Bit And Up, located at 35 St. Mark's Place near Second Avenue, doesn't have a grand marquee sign, or even much of a storefront at all. It only has a few humble video game posters surrounding a nearly unmarked door on a blank metal wall. It looks more like a service entrance to a construction site than the door to a boutique video game shop. Read the full story about this mystery store, along with a gallery of photos of the store, after the break.
Will GreenwaldGiving you some Extra Credits
Daniel Floyd, aka: Youtube's kirithem, has been around for a while now. Like many, I came across him a about two years ago when he, along with James Portnow and Leigh Alexander did that exceptional video piece called Video Games and the Female Audience. Which caught my attention immediately, and from that moment forward, I've have been a fan.
Daniel doesn't do snarky reviews or over-the-top, obnoxious shouting into the camera. Instead, he and his team write well thought-out and poignant treatises regarding the gaming industry.
At the time his videos began to surface on Youtube, our favorite past-time was getting hit from all sides by the news media. Daniel came along, and instead of acting like a bigger idiot, finger pointing and name calling back at the news media. He wrote his commentary directly towards gamers. Taking a basic topic and listing out point by point the facts that we needed to know. Giving us all something to think about and reflect on.
I am very glad to see that Daniel and Team have moved to The Escapist, to join ranks of Yahtzee, MovieBob, and Loading Ready Run. What was original known as Daniel Floyd Presents is now called Extra Credits. Check it out here and see for yourself.
Camille LakeThe 6 best video game comebacks
We take a lot of game series for granted today. It seems like Metroid and Metal Gear have been around for years, and have always been beloved by gamers. The gaming landscape is a lot different than it was years ago, though. Some of the most popular franchises in gaming have had massive gaps in their libraries, spending years between really big hits. Sometimes there aren't any new games in the series for some time, and sometimes the series has a string of duds. Of course, the longer a franchise goes without a big, popular release, the more impressive it is when it finally come back. Here are the 6 biggest comebacks in gaming.
Will GreenwaldMarvel Vs. Capcom 3′s Roster: Who’s new, who’s back, and who’s missing
Capcom has been steadily trickling out names in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, but almost half of the game's 30-strong roster remains a mystery. We learned a few new names, like Ameterasu and Super-Skrull, at Comic-con, but there are still a lot of blanks on that list. Let's look at some of the most interesting new characters, the most important holdovers from previous games, and the very large group of characters who have yet to be announced, but really should be.
Will Greenwald
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