GeekSugar

Get Your Game On: November Releases

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:00:15 -0800

Hopefully in the midst of sorting through your must-have list for November and preparing for your annual Thanksgiving feast, you have also been gearing up for a feast of a different kind. The kind that involves the return of a certain plumber, a large helping of a new band, a serving of an interstellar society, and a side order of a pimped-out race car. It's November friends, and that means gorging yourselves for the next month on some of the hottest games to hit the market all year. Please, please-help yourselves!

**New Video Game Releases (November 2007)**
Why You'll Love It	Console/Price	Release Date
Super Mario Galaxy - Bowser is at it again and this time has taken Princess Peach's entire castle into space! With the help of Princess Rosalina, Mario must venture out into new worlds to save Peach.	Nintendo Wii, $49.99	Out Nov. 12. Order online.
Rock Band - Were not talking just a guitar here. Were talking guitar, drums, bass, and a mic for the ultimate band experience. Online action lets you compete against other bands, post band photos, blogs, and bios. You better start getting your band together now, cause there's sure to be a lot of competition out there. Now just to settle on a name....	Playstation 3, Xbox 360 $59.99 for the game, $169.00 for the bundle	Rockin Out Nov. 20
Mass Effect - One of the most anticipated games of the year. Incredibly customizable, this role playing game thrusts you into an emotional battle with many species of aliens while trying to maintain the trust and respect of your crew. With you at the helm, you must help save human kind from a force that is hell bent on destroying a colony called Eden. Developed as a trilogy, plan on investing in this one for the long haul.	Xbox 360, $59.99	Coming Nov. 20
Mario and Sonic at the Olympics - With games like fencing, archery, shooting, gymnastics, swimming, and table tennis, this multiplayer game is sure to have you and your pals squaring off for hours. A great game to get the family together after Thanksgiving dinner to work off all that turkey and stuffing!	Nintendo Wii, $49.99	Out now. Buy it.
Need for Speed: Pro Street - Lots of challenges, lots of cars, and – most of all - lots of speed. With all the custom options you can get on your brand new 2009 Nissan GT-R, you may want to take those turns a little slower so you don't scratch up your killer paint job. Or on second thought, maybe not.	Xbox 360, Playstation 3 $59.99 and Playstation 2, $29.99	Out Nov. 14
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - In this around-the-world installment, RRR2 is packed with 50 minigames in single or multiplayer mode. One game that brings back thoughts of the playground has you out-burping your opponents and causing damage to their surroundings. Let the games begin!	Nintendo Wii, $49.99 and DS, $29.99	Out Nov. 13

Tune in later this month for geekalicious reviews of Super Mario Galaxy and Rock Band! Want more games now? Check out past game releases.

Sony's PSP: A Must Have At Amsterdam's Fashion Week

GeekSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:02:03 -0700

Sony's PlayStation Portable handhelds made a rare appearance on the catwalk during Amsterdam's Fashion Week. As fashionable and sleek as they are, I'd like to know who, what and why Sony used these runway models to showcase the PSP- especially in the Netherlands! Maybe it's self-explanatory (duh), but at least they were taught how to use the new Go!Cam, and by the looks of it had some fun taking it for a test-drive! The Go!Cam is a small PSP add-on that fits right on the PSP and has a built-in mic. And with a 4GB memory stick, you can store up to two hours of video or 40,000 photos. Not too shabby!
The PSP portable system can handle multiple applications like music, video, photo, internet, and wireless connectivity. It also boasts a library that combines more than 135 games and more than 430 feature films, TV programs, videos and downloadable content. Priced at $170.

via Kotaku

Gaming Is 40 Years Old - Do You Feel Old Yet?

GeekSugar — Sat, 26 May 2007 08:00:13 -0700

Most of today's Xboxers, wii-meisters, Playstation players and portable video game junkies flip on their consoles and handhelds with little knowledge of the gaming legacy that came before them. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the day Ralph Baer, a German-born inventor who fled to America from fascist Germany, built and played the first home-video game. While I didn't know much about Baer's "Brown Box" before reading Magazine's retrospective, Console Portraits: A 40-Year Pictorial History of Gaming, I can't help but get a little nostalgic for the days of Atari, Nintendo and even Gameboy.

To check additional vintage images of video gaming, read more

View 5 Photos ›

For the full story, visit Wired.

Video Games That Girls Love

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:06:42 -0700

This year at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival, a panel of experts came together to discuss Getting Girls Into The Game: Designing and Marketing Games for Female Players.

As the population of female gamers continues to rise, game developers and media enterprises are reportedly working hard to create games that women will love. To do this, they are striving to tap into the female player market in order to understand what the latest trends and expectations are of this new demographic.

The experts of the panel agreed that the Nintendo Wii is brilliant because " it's cutesy and for girls, but because it makes gaming fun for everyone, not just the hardcore console crowd." I am not of the camp that video games need to be tailored to women in order to appeal to them, but I know it does help. I also know this is a touchy subject for both men and women.

I once asked the editor of Play Girlz what she'd say to someone that assumed women hate or aren't interested in video games and she said: Well I probably wouldn’t say anything. I’d email them, or IM them, or send in-game tells with disapproving emotes. And then it’s likely that I’d challenge them to a “friendly” PvP duel, pwn them, and then do a little victory dance … and then I’d do my nails. read more

To see what else the panelists had to say about designing video games for women, check out the story on Joystiq.

Oh and boys, I know that is a PlayStation controller in the photo by the way. I may not be Ingrid Diaz, but I've been around the game room!

Source

PlayStation 3 Goes On Sale in Europe

GeekSugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 08:43:11 -0700

The Sony PlayStation 3 hit the market in Europe yesterday and apparently, for a moment it appeared that the first PlayStation 3 to be sold in Britain would not sell at all. According to media reports the register at the Virgin Megastore in London, initially refused to accept the card of Ritatsu Thomas, 17, who waited more than 36 hours for the long-awaited Sony console. When it did finally go through Thomas told reporters: “It feels excellent. I might have to play on it when I get home because I’m so excited I won’t be able to sleep.” TimesOnline reports:

He was among more than 100 enthusiastic gamers who had queued in the store’s basement to receive the first devices when they went on sale at midnight. Sony rewarded their patience by throwing in a free 46in HD television to take away – as well as a cab home, lest they be mugged before being able to play with their new toys.

There has been a lot of speculation about the popularity of the PlayStation in the US these days - it was once the top dog in terms of video game console sales and now it's considered the underdog. A recent geeksugar poll showed more Wii players than PlayStation 3 players, leading me to believe the PlayStation's popularity may have peaked. What do you think?

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Source

Are You Buying a Console Now That Prices Have Been Cut?

GeekSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:55:57 -0700

Hot damn! In the course of a couple weeks, we've seen both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 drop in price significantly, as well as the new, cheaper PS3 Slim option.

I have a ton of friends who previously couldn't stomach the high prices of either console, and either went for a cheaper system (hello, Wii), or decided to wait. And now? The wait is over it seems, as I've heard an echo of many saying that they're now taking the shot since the price cuts were announced.

What about you? Have the price drops convinced you of either the Xbox's or PS3's worthiness?

Edible Geek: Massive Chocolate PlayStation 3

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:00:35 -0700

Kids in Perugia, Italy got quite the surprise when Sony unveiled a stack of 150
chocolate PlayStation 3 consoles during the Eurochocolate festival. Discussed on Kotaku, a matching chocolate SIXAXIS controller also made an appearance at the event-supersized, naturally. Two hundred smaller chocolate PlayStation 3 controllers were broken up and handed out for the crowd to enjoy. The chocolate and confetti PlayStation 3 fun was a way for Sony to display their newest SKU PlayStation which boasts a 40GB hard disk drive. Maybe it's just me but when I see a gadget in chocolate, I can't help but get excited! Source

View 3 Photos ›

Daily Tech: PlayStation 3 Is Down to $349

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:25:00 -0700

Sony's 80GB PlayStation 3 is on sale for $350 on Amazon today. - CrunchGear
Apple's new MacBook Pros get unboxed. - Engadget
The iPhone 3G S will go on sale at 8 a.m. at Apple stores and 7 a.m. at AT&T stores on June 19. - CNET
HP's Power to Change widget helps you reduce energy consumption and save money. - Chip Chick
Find out some of the funniest people Twittering today. - Switched
Samsung's gorgeous 12.2-megapixel HD camera arrives next week. - Gizmodo
China addresses its new mandatory Internet filtering software. - USA Today

I May Not Understand Flower Yet, But It Sure Is Pretty

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:00:39 -0800

Even the PlayStation Blog is having a hard time explaining what exactly the game Flower is all about; luckily, they've provided a video of game play to show rather than tell. The game, which will be on the PlayStation network, has stunning graphics, and that, mixed with my gender-mandated love of flowers, makes me think hey, this release on February 12? Sounds like a nice play on a Valentine's Day gift, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Still confused about Flower? Check out its Wikipedia page.

Christmas Carols Come to PlayStation 3's SingStore!

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:30:31 -0800

I'm in denial over how much I actually like Christmas carols. Maybe it's because most carolers are so annoying (even emoticon carolers, after awhile).

However, if you allow yourself to see past the cheesiness (as you must do for a lot of holiday traditions), you can appreciate them for how great they are. In the case of carols, I think all you need to be is the person with the mike in your hand.

Yes, Christmas carols are now on PlayStations 3's SingStore for SingStar! Announced earlier this month, you should now be able to log on and start downloading the $7 Christmas pack with songs like Toni Braxton's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas" and Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" (my fave!).

Source