Mike Masnick over at Techdirt posted an interesting article on the emotions that first person shooters evoke in players. The part worthy of mentioning is the possibility that players actually enjoy getting killed. Apparently, hunting other players increases players’ stress and dying acts as a sort of relief mechanism.
Check out the original post for the rest of the story.
We are so used to classic compilations consisting of three or four shoddily ported games, and costing an arm and a leg - but not so with SNK Arcade Classics: Volume 1, bringing 16 awesome SNK games to the PS2 and PSP. There is plenty of variety in this pack with games ranging from 2D platformers to fighters to sports games. The best fix we have on a release date is the first half of this year. Check after the jump for a full list of the games.
Recent sightings on major retail sites have provided confirmation of a PS2 port of Silent Hill Origins. Previously it was rumored that Climax were working on the port, and the latest box art on Amazon and Gamefly seems to further substantiate this. Both sites have the PS2 version listed as a March release. Konami have still refused to comment on details of the port, leaving this as our only lead.
via Games Radar
The new Iron Man game is looking pretty spectacular in this newly released trailer. I’m going to call it here and say that this could be one of the best movie/comic adaptations yet.
via GameTrailers
PlayStation 2 emulation has been improving in leaps and bounds of late, thanks to the PCSX2 team. They have recently released PCSX2 0.9.4, with over 741 titles are verified as fully working. If you’ve got a beasty rig, you can crank up the anti-aliasing and upscale the resolution and make your favorite PS2 games a whole new graphical experience.
If Sony don’t hire all these guys to work on software backwards-compatibility for the new, Emotion Engine-less PlayStation 3 models, they’re crazy.
Who are you going to call? That is, who are you going to call when you wet yourself upon reading that there is a Ghostbusters game in the works? Game Informer broke the story and are staying tight lipped until their December issue is out. What we do know is that Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd are on board to reprise their roles, and that Aykroyd and Ramis are writing the script.
The game is being made for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC. I’m pretty sure gripping the Wiimote and yelling “don’t cross the streams” will never get old.
via 1Up
The Memor 32 affords you all the convenience of a modified PS2, with none of the usual soldering. All you need to do is plug it in, and you can load and unload games/saves/homebrew through a USB cable connected to your computer. This doesn’t come cheap though with the unit costing £33.49 (US$70) from MrModChips. Pretty pricey compared to conventional modchips, but at least it won’t void your warranty.
via Engadget
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am arrives in stores today, and to whet your appetite we have a new trailer. This game really can’t lose unless the control scheme is terrible, as an incoherent plot and dodgy graphics will just mean the game is being faithful to the TV series.
via Gaming Today
A word of warning to all those who are planning on buying a Guitar Hero III bundle - check the box first. It has been brought to our attention that Wal-Mart and Target are offering different versions of the bundle, some with the newer wireless guitars, and some with the older Guitar Hero II wired guitars.
You’ll save $10 on a wired bundle, but you’ll kick yourself once you lay hands on the far superior newer models - trust us, they’re worth waiting/driving long distances for.
via Joystiq
Activision are really going all out making Guitar Hero III, with the game taking on a boot full of exclusive partners. Equipment manufactures that have signed on are Axe, Gibson, Guitar Centre, Audio-Technica, Crate, Ernie Ball, Krank, Line 6, Mackie and Zildjian.
Media publications are also there to boost your virtual ego, they include Alternative Press, Decibel, Guitar Player, Kerrang and Paste magazines. Dave Anderson, senior director of business development for Activision had this to say about their new partnerships:
“By forging exclusive relationships with key companies in the music and consumer packaged goods industries we are able to bring an even greater depth of realism to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. From venues like Pontiac Garage, to customised guitars from Axe, the game delivers the ultimate rock and roll experience.”
