Zergwatch Videogame Mashup Blog: 2008

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

MMORPG News

Tales of Pirates: New Version 1.38 Released New Update for Tales of Pirates
Wonderland Online: New Pet Strategies There are three important new characters in Wonderland Online version 3, Charlotte, Eva and Angela. The following are some strategies for finishing their quests about Charlotte and Eva.
Runes of Magic public beta opens
Bioware Star Wars MMO - Best of Brand or Best Effort Marketing? Bioware CEO claims his company's upcoming MMORPG will outshine by utilizing storyline.
PlayerAuctions supports player auctions for over 100 different MMORPG's MMORPG Auction House expands
Second Hand Lands Open Beta Begins Developer invites the furry, feral, and just plain curious to sneak a peek before launch
Holiday issue of Massive Gamer hits newsstands Beckett Massive Gamer now onsale.
World of Warcraft blamed for college dropouts The FCC cites World of Warcraft as a contributor to college dropouts
Warhammer Online Patch 1.1a released Patch released to address major issues within Warhammer Online
Everquest Frostfell Events - 2008 Frostfell has arrived in Norrath Classic
Everquest II - 2008 Frostfell Events Holiday events in the land of Norrath
Give your World of Warcraft character a $15 sex change Character customizations now available in World of Warcraft
Station Cash available on Everquest and Everquest 2 Micro transactions now available in Norrath.
Warhammer Online 1.06 patch notes New classes and major changes
City of Heroes: Issue 13 NC Soft issues press release for Issue 13
Review: Lord of the Rings Mines of Moria A look at the LOTRO expansion
The Top 10 MMORPG Failures of All Time A list of the biggest MMORPG flops and failures
An Interview with John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley talks about Free Realms and family based MMOG's
Another Social Networking Site for MMORPG players Mungo Creations announces Social Networking for MMORPG's with MMOSocial
StoneAge2: Another Korean MMORPG to invade the U.S. Casual mmorpg gets ready to zergrush North America

Retro Gamer: A look back on Classic Games

Retro Gamer: Final Fantasy III A very rare and sought after title in the Final Fantasy Series
Retro Gamer: Super Star Wars Classic SNES Star Wars shooter fondly remembered
Retro Gamer: Far Cry A look back on the original Farcry one month after Farcry 2 released
Retro Gamer: Flashback! Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones A look back at Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Retro Gamer: Star Wars Dark Forces 3D Star Wars Classic
Retro Gamer: Paper Mario 64 Classic Nintendo 64 hit revisited.
Retro Gamer: Luigi's Mansion Looking back on a GameCube launch classic
Retro Gamer: Kingdom Hearts With the 3rd game coming out, we look back on the original
Retro Gamer: Call of Duty 2 All this Call of Duty news harkens us back to Call of Duty 2, one of the best of the series.
Retro Gamer: Mortal Kombat SNES Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe takes us back to 1992 and the original Mortal Kombat
Retro Gamer: Warcraft Orcs vs. Humans The game that was a catalyst for both World of Warcraft and the RTS genre.
Retro Gamer: SNK Neo Geo Console One of the most revolutionary gaming consoles maintains a loyal cult fan base.
Retro Gamer: Pitfall The Lost Expedition A gaming classic revisited on the PS2
Retro Gamer: Crazy Taxi The Dreamcast and PS2 Classic Relived
Retro Gamer: Donkey Kong Country A look back at the class Nintendo 64 game

Retro Gamer: A look back on Classic Games

Video Game Reviews on Zergwatch

Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Persona 4 is so similar to its previous iteration that if not for the fact that you live in a house rather than a student dorm, you'd almost think you were playing the same game.
Review: Prince of Persia - A virtual fairy tale The closet thing to a fairy tale
Review: Prince of Persia - XBox 360 A good game which could have been better
Review: Grand Theft Auto IV PC Securom and bugs ruin a great game
Review: Shaun White Snowboarding A fun but annoying game
Review: Prince of Persia 12 Hours of Running Around?
A complete list of video game movies Video games turn into movies are usually hit or miss. Which video games have been turned into movies?
Review: Lego Batman Xbox 360 A review of Lego Batman on the Xbox 360
Review: Lord of the Rings Mines of Moria A look at the LOTRO expansion
Review: Wii Music - Adults find the game rather dull A $50 air guitar
Review: Sonic Unleashed - Without Thinking Sonic Unleashed somewhat disappointing.
Review: Tomb Raider Underworld - An exciting Journey Tomb Raider underworld continues the tradition that is Tomb Raider
Review: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Nothing to write home about The end of a classic franchise?
Review: Need For Speed Undercover - Another Securom Failure More player hate on SecuRom
Review: Populous DS
Review: Sacred 2 - Nothing is sacred anymore Sacred 2 fails to capture attention of Sacred fans
Review: Sacred 2 - 2 Install limit warning DRM sours opinions of another game.
Review: Mirror's Edge - Game of the year? The levels are creative and despite the genre you never really feel like you're being railroaded along one set path.
Review: Mirror's Edge - Memorable yet flawed A decent and memorable game with its share of problems
Review: Mirrors Edge - Back to jump and run The end result: This game just isn't fun

Random Button Mashing - Video Game News for December

Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - A hit for fans of the series For many of you who enjoy the Megaten series (Persona, DDS, Nocturne, etc), you will instantly enjoy this.
Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Persona 4 is so similar to its previous iteration that if not for the fact that you live in a house rather than a student dorm, you'd almost think you were playing the same game.
Game Profile: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is a console role-playing game (RPG) for Sony's PlayStation 2.
Review: Prince of Persia - A virtual fairy tale The closet thing to a fairy tale
Review: Prince of Persia - XBox 360 A good game which could have been better
Game Profile: Rise of the Argonauts Mythical Greece comes to life in Rise of the Argonauts
GamerDNA Press Release Engine Helps gamerDNA.com Visitors Discover New Games to Play, Extend Their Game Experiences, and Better Enjoy Games
Gaming Community Responds to Economic Downturn with Bids on Songs of Awesomeness CHILD'S PLAY CHARITY 2008 DINNER AUCTION RAISES $200,000
Sega to appear at NY Comic Con Want To Get Hands On With The Conduit, Mad World, and House Of The Dead?
Dante's Inferno sends players to Hell EA SENDS PLAYERS TO HELL IN EPIC ACTION GAME
Strong Bad Episode 5 releases on Wii Shop Channel WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO WIIWARE GAMES AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL
Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS Critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto franchise makes its DS debut this March
Michael Phelps works with 505 games on new videogame project Multiple Titles to be Developed by 505 Games' New U.S. Operations for Distribution Worldwide
Pearl Jam signs with MTV Games and Harmonix Full Album to be Released as Rock Band DLC Day and Date with the Re-issue of "Ten": Four Special Edition Packages in Stores on March 24, 2009
Vae Victis Patch 2.1 released Europa Universalis: Rome patch released.
The Saga Continues: "Gears of War 2" Combustible Map Pack Launches Today Players will be able to enjoy the all new exhilarating action in the first "Gears of War 2" downloadable content mere hours following its exclusive premiere during the SPIKE TV Video Game Awards
The Last Remnant games coming to PC / Windows THE LAST REMNANT GAMES FOR WINDOWS VERSION COMING TO PAL TERRITORIES IN SPRING 2009
PlayerAuctions supports player auctions for over 100 different MMORPG's MMORPG Auction House expands
Playing Video Games May Boost Older Brains Older people who want to stay sharp should reconsider the notion that video games are only for lazy children and pick up a joystick themselves, a new study suggests.
Playstation home released PlayStation Home is a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PS3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences

A month of zerg - The past 30 days of Video Game News

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Retro Gaming

Zergwatch's weekly look back at some classic video games and how they fared then and now.

• Retro Gamer: Far Cry [11]A look back on the original Farcry one month after Farcry 2 released
• Retro Gamer: Flashback! Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones [8]A look back at Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
• Retro Gamer: Star Wars Dark Forces [15]3D Star Wars Classic
• Retro Gamer: Paper Mario 64 [12]Classic Nintendo 64 hit revisited.
• Retro Gamer: Luigi's Mansion [19]Looking back on a GameCube launch classic
• Retro Gamer: Kingdom Hearts [48]With the 3rd game coming out, we look back on the original
• Retro Gamer: Call of Duty 2 [15]All this Call of Duty news harkens us back to Call of Duty 2, one of the best of the series.
• Retro Gamer: Mortal Kombat SNES [10]Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe takes us back to 1992 and the original Mortal Kombat
• Retro Gamer: Warcraft Orcs vs. Humans [28]The game that was a catalyst for both World of Warcraft and the RTS genre.
• Retro Gamer: SNK Neo Geo Console [27]One of the most revolutionary gaming consoles maintains a loyal cult fan base.
• Retro Gamer: Pitfall The Lost Expedition [30]A gaming classic revisited on the PS2
• Retro Gamer: Crazy Taxi [26]The Dreamcast and PS2 Classic Relived
• Retro Gamer: Donkey Kong Country [26]A look back at the class Nintendo 64 game

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Which games work with the Wii Zapper?

Wii Zapper adds a unique touch to compatable games.

About the Wii ZapperWith the Wii Zapper, your game shooting experience is guarenteed to take on a whole other dimension. Your Wii remote and nunchuck fit snugly into the Zapper, still working as well as before, only now in a shape that, when simulating the use of a weapon such as a gun or bow, allows for a steadier hand that is much less likely to get tired. Included with the Zapper is Link's Crossbow Training for the Wii, a clever and engaging shooting game set in the world of Twilight Princess that includes 27 different levels, several different game modes and multiplayer capability up to four people. Wii Zapper GamesTheoretically, most any game can be played with the Wii Zapper, but due to positioning of the Wii remote and nunchuck into the WiI Zapper cradle can make most games too cumberome. The following is a list of games beyond the Crossbow Trainer, which is included with the Wii Zapper that were designed for use specifically with the Wii Zapper.
Wii Zapper games

Medal of Honor: HeroesMedal of Honor: Heroes lets you become each of the main characters from the Medal Of Honor series. Players can unlock over 20 classic MoH characters to use in multiplayer games adding both variety and personality to their online experience. Travel through 12 unique environments, from rocky coasts of Italy, to the rainy streets of Holland and snowy fields in the Ardennes.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella ChroniclesResident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles is a brand new game in the Resident Evil® franchise, with familiar locales from the entire series. This action/shooter hybrid reveals the back story behind the fall of the Umbrella Corporation by exploring locations from Resident Evil 0, 1, 2 and 3 as well as new never-before-seen locations, such as Umbrella's stronghold. Classic locations from previous Resident Evil games in full 3D, including the mansion from the original and RE 0, and elements of Raccoon City from RE2 and 3. Umbrella's stronghold, a new location, holds many secrets to events throughout the RE series.

The House of the DeadThe House of the Dead is famous for its heart-pounding pace and the great visual detail of the vast armies of unique enemies. Blasting through legions of grotesque zombies and mutated monsters, players will face-off against colossal boss creatures that will test the accuracy and skill of every Wii gamer. It's what you and Wii have been waiting for.

Ghost SquadSEGA's top-grossing light gun game, Ghost Squad, comes to the Wii system and replicates the excitement of the arcade experience in your home! The Ghost Squad is a Special Forces unit established in strict secrecy by the U.N. to combat terrorism and carry out special highly-classified missions without leaving a trace.

Top 10 MMORPG Failures of All Time

These days, it seems more MMORPG's are failing than those that are succeeding. In industry circles, an MMORPG success is judged on profit margins and revenue. In the gaming circle, success is judged by game quality and longevity. Below is my list of the top 10 MMORPG failures of all time.

10 RF OnlineRF Online was the first Science Fiction MMORPG to come along after the downfall of Star Wars Galaxies. It was released in North America only a few months after Sony released the New Gaming Experience which drove hordes of players away from Star Wars Galaxies. While it was never more than a feint blip on the MMORPG radar screen, it was wildly hyped by MMORPG media outlets around the internet. The game offered a unique three way RVR experience set in a fantasy meets sci-fi world. The game went free on October 17th, 2007, only to close for good one year later. RF Online was published in North America by Codemasters Online.

9 Archlordin October 2006, Codemasters Online took on another Korean MMORPG import, this time the Korean Orc, Human and Elf fantasy game, Archlord. The lure for the fanatical MMOPRG player to Archlord was the ability for players to compete against each other to become the Archlord, the supreme ruler of the realm or server. Unfortunately, everything about Archlord played out like a Korean grind MMORPG and the concept never quite took hold in the United States. The game, like others on the downfall became free to play in October of 2007. Archlord is still running in North America as a free to play MMORPG.
8 Dark & LightDark and Light was a promising alternative to the World of Warcraft breed of games, but its 2006 release went horribly wrong. The game had some of the most horrendous bugs ever seen in an MMORPG which included frequent roll backs, guilds being disbanded, crashes, poor performance and drastic client instability issues. Farlan Entertainment, the publisher eventually acknowledged that the game was released prematurely due to investor concerns and was never able to recover. Like most failed MMORPG's, the game eventually became a free to play game. The promises offered by Dark and Light never materialized and the game quickly became a one month wonder.

7 Gods & Heroes: Rome RisingIn 2005, Perpetual Entertainment announced an inspiring new MMORPG set in an Ancient Roman world inhabited by gladiators and mythical beings straight out of Roman Mythology. The game concept was extremely well received by MMORPG players and the media. Problems eventually besieged Perpetual Entertainment who was also trying to launch Star Trek Online at the same time. Gods and Heroes was put on an indefinite hold, but thousands of pre-order copies of the game made it to store shelves Best Buty and Circuit City retail outlets days and weeks after the cancellation announcement was made. Perpetual Entertainment eventually folded. Star Trek Online is currently in development by Cryptic Studios, but hope for Gods and Heroes ever materializing has all but vanished.

6 Age of ConanNorwegian developer Funcom pit themselves in a head to head battle against EA-Mythic as the battle of Age of Conan versus Warhammer Online reached a feverish rivalry over which game was going to be released first and which game would bet better than the other. In early 2008, Funcom decided to take the upper hand and release their game after EA Mythic pushed Warhammer Online back to the fall of 2008. The early release proved to be an extremely costly mistake for Funcom. The game was hyped in the media over its adult mature themed content which included bare breasted female avatars and sultry overtones. As players leveled through the game, glaring problems became apparent. While the game was extremely polished for the first 30 or so levels, there was a seemingly obvious bait and switch feeling once players got past level 40. Class imbalances, bugs and missing features, promised at launch, but never made it to the game began to spell out the impending doom for the title. Funcom recently announced they will be merging servers and laying off huge portions of their US based staff to compensate for diminishing revenue and subscriptions.

5 Hellgate: LondonHellgate London was one of those games that wasn't quite an MMORPG, but drew huge attention from the MMORPG audience, hoping to play a top quality horror based MMORPG as a diversion to the vast sea of cut and paste fantasy MMO alternatives. The game had several launch problems and received lukewarm reception from the media and players. Hellgate: London never attained the status it had anticipated and in November 2008, it was announced that the game would be shutting down in February of 2009.

4 Auto AssaultIn 1997, Interstate 76 was released and it was a mildly successful combat game followed later by Interstate '82, by Activision. The concept was eventually turned into an MMORPG by NC Soft in 2006, a company with several MMORPG failures under its belt, as Auto Assault. The concept of Auto Assault was three factions engaged in vehicular warfare with each other. Unfortunately, the game died a horrible death, shortly after its first birthday. The game never had enough subscribers to turn a profit for NC Soft and was shut down in the summer of 2007.

3 Star Wars GalaxiesWhile the demise of Star Wars Galaxies entitles it to the number one position on this list, you cannot argue that for a brief period is was a glimmer of hope in the MMORPG industry. Star Wars Galaxies was different from all other MMORPG's in so many ways, you can't explain, yet was fatally flawed with exploits, bugs and constant changes by developer, Sony Online Entertainment. On three occasions, SOE tried to reinvent the game by introducing drastic changes to the game's combat systems, which culminated in the New Game Experience in November of 2005, two and a half years after its initial launch which decimated the population of the game by introducing a rather horrible 3rd person shooter element to the combat system. SOE removed many of the classes in the game and drastically dumbed down the game, in a move which SOE President John Smedley praised, claiming it was a necessary move to revive the game and increase subscriber base. In the years following the NGE, SOE has tried without success to make the game like it was before, but the changes proved too drastic and the population has never recovered. Eventually John Smedley admitted the NGE was a mistake.

2 Tabula RasaWhile Tabula Rasa was never a headline grabbing game, like RF Online, it was seen as a viable alternative to the Sci-Fi starved gamers, looking to replace their lost love, Star Wars Galaxies. The game was the brainchild of Richard Garriot, creator of Ultima Online. The game was well received by players and had a decent preorder volume. It also received above average ratings from the major gaming media outlets. While the game itself was never terrible, it also never really got off the ground. NC Soft was plagued by financial troubles which culminated in the departure of Richard Garriott after his romp on the international space station. Upon his return to earth, he resigned from the company and a few days later, it was announced that Tabula Rasa would be shutting down in February of 2009. The biggest failure of Tabula Rasa was the apparent lack of guidance and lack of interest in the game by its creator.

1 Vanguard: Saga of HeroesIf the MMO industry was a city, then Vanguard: Saga of Heroes was the drug and crime infested trailer park on the outskirts of town. Creator and self proclaimed visionary Brad McQuaid, of Everquest fame, attempted to relive the good old days of Everquest by developing an MMORPG which tried very hard to emulate the original Everquest. The game offered stunningly beautiful graphics and a very intuitive combat interface. The game's concept was originally intended to cater to the hardcore MMORPG player who wanted to walk the world for days, take years to level up and totally immerse themselves in a fantasy role playing setting similar to Everquest. The game was originally picked up by Microsoft, but dropped shortly after, leaving Brad McQuaid and Sigil Games on the hook for the cost of developing the game and bringing it to market. The company severely cut corners to release the game in a hail mary attempt to recoup their losses. The game was launched and was laden with bugs, missing content, persistent crash to desktop errors and countless other bugs and glitches, which received little attention from Sigil. Sigil eventually sold the game to Sony Online Entertainment. After the game was sold and a majority of Sigil employees were laid off, vicious rumors and finger pointing filled the internet, pointing the game's failure squarely on the shoulder's of Brad McQuaid and senior management. Rumors persisted that Brad was an AFK executive with his head in the clouds. Brad eventually vanished from sight and the game was resurrected by SOE, but by this time, the player base had vanished and all interest had been lost in the title.Read full Story

Video Game News Headlines 11/08

Video Game Profiles - Games Released 11/08

• Game Profile: Wii Music [6]Wii Music
• Game Profile: My Fitness Coach [9]Another Wii Workout Game
• Game Profile: Destroy All Humans Path of Furon [10]An Xbox360 exclusive
• Game Profile: Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories [4]The third game of the Kingdom Hearts Trilogy
• Game Profile: Grand Theft Auto IV PC [6]GTA IV sure to be an instant classic on PC
• Game Profile: Prince of Persia [2]Prince of Persia arrives on PS3 and Xbox 360
• Game Profile: Iron Chef America [3]Iron Chef America is the latest cooking game for the Wii
• Game Profile: Sonic Unleashed [2]Transformed and unleashed, Sonic races to save the world
• Game Profile: Call of Duty World at War Final Fronts [2]PS2 version of Call of Duty World At War
• Game Profile: Sacred 2 Fallen Angel [2]Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an Action Role-playing Game (RPG) where the paths players choose and the decisions they make along the way, determine not only the destinies of their character.
• Game Profile: Saints Row 2 [4]An inside look at Saints Row 2
• Game Profile: You're in the Movies [14]You're in the Movies combines kitsch with cool to allow you and your friends to step into your favorite movie roles.
• Kids Korner: Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force [9]Game Profile for Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force
• Review: Star Wars The Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels [16]A Big Disappointment
• Game Profile: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels [19]The Nintendo Wii brings the fun and excitement of a lightsaber battle into your living room with Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels.
• Game Profile: Call of Duty World At War Collector's Edition [13]Call of Duty: World at War Limited Collector's Edition from Activision for the PC completely changes the rules of engagement by redefining World War II gameplay
• Game Profile: Tomb Raider Underworld [15]Tomb Raider: Underworld for Xbox 360 by Eidos resumes where Tomb Raider: Legend left off.
• Cooking Mama World Kitchen [14]Attacked by P.E.T.A, Cooking Mama World Kitchen still delivers.
• Game Profile: Animal Crossing City Folk [22]A living, breathing gameplay environment where there is always something to do.
• Game Profile: Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 [17]Red Alert 3, RTS series continues

This week's Video Game Reviews

• Review: Lord of the Rings Mines of Moria [5]A look at the LOTRO expansion
• Review: Wii Music - Adults find the game rather dull [11]A $50 air guitar
• Review: Sonic Unleashed - Without Thinking [6]Sonic Unleashed somewhat disappointing.
• Review: Tomb Raider Underworld - An exciting Journey [3]Tomb Raider underworld continues the tradition that is Tomb Raider
• Review: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Nothing to write home about [5]The end of a classic franchise?
• Review: Need For Speed Undercover - Another Securom Failure [7]More player hate on SecuRom
• Review: Populous DS [3]
• Review: Sacred 2 - Nothing is sacred anymore [3]Sacred 2 fails to capture attention of Sacred fans
• Review: Sacred 2 - 2 Install limit warning [5]DRM sours opinions of another game.
• Review: Mirror's Edge - Game of the year? [3]The levels are creative and despite the genre you never really feel like you're being railroaded along one set path.
• Review: Mirror's Edge - Memorable yet flawed [4]A decent and memorable game with its share of problems
• Review: Mirrors Edge - Back to jump and run [3]The end result: This game just isn't fun
• Review: Wrath of Lich King - Filled with ups and downs [2]More of the same and some new with the new WoW expansion.
• Review: Saints Row 2 better than GTA IV? [2]Saints Row 2 is similar to GTA San Andreas
• Review: Saints Row 2 - Low quality game loaded with high quality glitches [5]High expectations turn into a disappoointing performance
• Retro Gamer: SNK Neo Geo Console [20]One of the most revolutionary gaming consoles maintains a loyal cult fan base.
• Kids Korner: Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell DS [22]Fly around and explore the beautiful world of Pixie Hollow as the beloved Tinker Bell.
• Review: Call of Duty World at War Collector's Edition [13]Dissapointing
• Review: Left 4 Dead [15]Wow. Just. Wow.
• Wrath of the Lich King Review [10]A solid improvement over the core game and previous expansion

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Daily Video Game Zerg - 11/18/08 - Don't Microwave the Cat

Sony and Microsoft seem at odds over Netflix content distributed via the XBox 360

New XBox 360 Experience goes live
The much heralded XBox New Experience goes live today. While Microsoft touts the NXE as rivaling the invention of the television and as a new era in home entertainment. In reality, as is customary with Microsoft, they have just taken what was available on the market and put it into one package. While convenient and creative, copying the Nintendo Mii system is not what one would call a new era.

No Sony movies on XBox 360 Netflix
Netflix subscribers eager to watch movies after the New Xbox Experience update were disappointed to find that they cannot watch movies from Columbia Pictures, a Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary. Is this an evil plot by Sony to throw a wrench into the NXE or a simple case of contractual misunderstandings.

Netflix Vice President Steve Swasey explains "As watching instantly becomes a more prominent part of the Netflix service, our goal is to have all of our streaming content licensed for all of our partner devices. We're doing well in this area, but it will take some time before we fully achieve that goal. Today, titles regularly come in and out of license and there is a natural ebb and flow to what we have on license at any given point in time. In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console. Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers' computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and we hope they'll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortly."

Chronicles of Spellborn beta and release date
The somewhat mildly anticipated MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn has announced beta testing will begin November 27th and the game will be released to the public in January with a paid subscription model offering low level gameplay for free. Players who want to journey outside the starter areas will have to subscribe. In other news... 12 million people play World of Warcraft.

While we're talking about World of Warcraft. again. and again.
The UK's The Independent published an interesting article about the violence in World of Warcraft. It's a somewhat scary yet strange insight into what makes World of Warcraft players tick. Did we mention? 12 million people play World of Warcraft?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/is-world-of-warcraft-just-mindless-violence-1024311.html

Look! Mo' MMO's!
Cryptic Studios, creator of City of Heroes, Star Trek Online and Champions Online says they want to take MMORPG's to the PS3 in a bid to match rival SOE's console ambitions. To date, the only MMORPG's to have had any success on console platforms was SOE's Everquest Online Adventures and Square Enix's Final Fantasy MMORPG.

Looking out for #1
There was a time when MMORPG publisher would delay product updates, expansions and even new games as to not compete head on with World of Warcraft. Times have changed. Both EA Mythic and Turbine have made head to head challenges against Blizzard by releasing expansions and critical updates in the face of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Turbine released its Mines of Moria expansion only days after Lich King and EA Mythic announced its first major update and game event in the wake of a community exodus back to Azeroth. It is highly unlikely that either of these direct challenges will succeed.

If you cook a cat in a microwave, you can't play video games
Unless of course, you have your parent's permission. A judge in Edmonton, that's in Canada btw, sentenced two teens to a video game ban. It also stipulates that in order to play video games they have to have their parent's permission. "Nobody knows why these young men did what they did," said Crown prosecutor John Laluk, so yes, it must have been video games and not their 80's coke snorting hippie wanna be parent's lack of parenting skills.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=ec319a1b-cfed-471e-a7bd-e6346d618a5e

Mugshot Slots anger former victims
In an effort to help catch alleged criminals in Japan, Famista, Inc. is releasing a video game that shows mug shots of Japan's most wanted. This doesn't sit to well with victim's families who claim that a commercial property is being established which capitalizes on the victims of crimes.
The Article

Today's Releases

Skate It
Skate It unleashes the Flickit revolution on the Nintendo Wii. Use the Wii Remote and Wii Balance Board to string together your sickest tricks for the ultimate line. Ride with the pros, own the best spots in San Vanelona, and rake in sponsorships on your path to becoming Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year. Available on Wii and DS.

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch - Mama Kills Turkeys

PETA releases a killer flash game and Laura Croft goes on an adventure.

Street Fighter IV announced
Street Fighter, a legend in the arcade and the living room returns in an all new 3D release expected in February. In this installment, Street Fighter goes 3D with the original cast on console platforms only.

Another player pulls up a chair at the MMORPG table
Ubisoft has announced a plan to slowly ease themselves into the MMORPG market, potentially with a Tom Clancy themed project. Even in the face of failure after failure in the MMORPG market, Ubisoft feels there is room for yet another in the space. These days, unless your game is set in an Orc vs. Human aligned world with PVE character progression and the name "World of Warcraft" in the title, it appears your game is doomed to never break the 1,000,000 subscriber mark.

D-Day minus one
Tomorrow, Microsoft will roll out its New Xbox 360 Experience, a move similar to a previous New Game Experience, that of Sony's Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG back in 2005. Like SOE, Microsoft has decided that the Xbox 360 needs to reinvent itself from the ground floor. How will this New Experience be received by millions of gamers has yet to be determined, but its doubtful that people will stop playing their XBox and start playing World of Warcraft because of the move.

Netflix on the Xbox 360
In a move that goes unnoticed to most Xbox 360 users Netflix services will be available on the console tomorrow. For fans of Netflix, this is a huge addition to home theater experience as the Netflix online catalog includes over 12,000 titles including movies, television shows and hard to find anime and classic television making the XBox 360 a bit more attractive to middle America looking for a gaming / home entertainment system over the PS3 and its Blu-Ray.

Playstation 3 & Blu-Ray bundle at Amazon
Amazon.Com is now offering a PS3 bundle which includes a new 160GB PS3, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN download voucer and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499. Other retailers followed suit including Target, offering a $40 gift card when you purchase the 80GB PS3.

Going completely unoticed
Lord of the Rings Online has just released a new expansion, The Mines of Moria while in Mines of Moria, it's basically the same as the original, except this time it all happens underground. Unfortunately, most MMORPG players don't care as Wrath of the Lich King also promises more of the same except that it has 12,000,000 addicts worldwide.

PETA enters the video game market
PETA today announced their new game, Cooking Mama Mama Kills Animals. While the game is intended to warn us against the evils of the Thanksgiving experience, it's damn funny. In fact, this is one of the best web games we have seen to date and we hope it pushes the envelope on browser based video game violence. This game gets a 10/10 from Zergwatch. While PETA urges you to contact Majesco, creator of Cooking Mama to ask them for vegetarian recipes, I don't think you'll be seeing Cooking Mama: Look Ma, No Meat! anytime soon.
http://www.peta.org/cooking-mama/index.asp

Today's Releases

Tomb Raider Underworld
For generations, stories have been told of the fearsome weapon of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Legend holds that Thor's hammer had the power to smash mountains into valleys and to destroy even the gods. For more than a thousand years it has existed only as a myth...until now. In an ancient ruin on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, Lara Croft uncovers proof of the Norse underworld and the mythical hammer. As she attempts to unravel the secrets behind these myths, Lara's perilous journey leads her toward a forgotten power that, if unleashed, could lay waste to all civilization.

Legendary (PC)
All the creatures of myth, legend and lore are real-they've just been sealed away for thousands of years inside Pandora's Box. When a thief named Deckard is hired to steal an ancient artifact, he unwittingly triggers a war between man and myth. Giant Gryphons rule the skies, Werewolves tear the innocent limb from limb and cities are held under siege as creatures we'd dismissed as the imaginings of our ancestors prove to be very real and very angry at being prisoners for untold milennia. As the only person able to seal the box, Deckard finds that he must work with a shadowy secret society to save civilization before it's torn apart by tooth and claw.

Naruto: the Broken Bond
Now a respected ninja, Naruto evolves into a mature and strong hero. However, with his new status comes responsibility, and Naruto soon finds himself surrounded by conflict. Forced to relive bitter memories, Naruto's best friend Sasuke strikes out on a self-destructive quest for power. Now with the help of his friends, Naruto must confront Sasuke and save him before it's too late.

Sonic Unleashed
Take an unforgettable journey around the world in Sonic Unleashed! With seamless 3D to classic 2D perspectives, new speed capabilities, and an all new proprietary engine, as well as new combat, movement, functional abilities and platforming, Sonic is UNLEASHED like never before!

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11/17/08 - Lich King to die for

A boy collapses while playing Wrath of the Lich King. Turn your Xbox into a Wii. Miley Cyrus Dies.

Boy collapses after playing Lich King for 24 hours
"A schoolboy collapsed and went into convulsions after playing a new version of the World of Warcraft computer game for 24 hours straight." according to the Times Online, a UK media service.

While WoW addiction is nothing new, admitting you had to be rushed to the hospital because of your WoW addiction is pretty rare.

You can read the full article here: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5173755.ece

Battlefield Heroes a no go for 2009
EA Dice pushes the release date of its upcoming Play 4 Free release to 2009. The game had a beta and May and while EA promised users a Q4 2009 launch, but instead the beta was taken off line and EA returns to the drawing board. Perhaps a free to play game is not the right business strategy at this point, considering our economy.

PS3 Turns 2
The Playstation 3 console turns 2 today, however during these two years, we have lost track of how many times Sony performed makeovers on the console in an effort to dig itself out of the number three spot in the console market. At this time two years ago, the PS3 could be found on Ebay for over $2,000. Today, you can find used units for as low as $150.00. So if you were one of the people who bought a $2,000 PS3, you still made a better investment than if you bought GM stock instead.

The Xbox Experience turns your Xbox in to a Wii
To compete with the Wii this holiday season, Microsoft announced price cuts and Mii's for their gaming console. On Wednesday, your XBox 360 will become Wii 360 as the competition to cut and paste what works for your competitors is taken to new levels.

Wii Music flops
After 11 days, Wii Music sold just under 81,000 copies compared to 700,000 boxes sold by Wii Fit in its first 11 days. While the concept seems kind of neat and the title might be revivable with Rock Band type accessories, I think anyone who wants to be a virtual rock star is already on board the Rock Band train.

Miley Cyrus dies again
While this is not video game related, Miley Cyrus' YouTube page was 'hacked' once again, this time the video posted depicted Miley's alleged death at the hands of a drunk driver. Just something interesting to Google while you're at work. If this doesn't inspire you to buy a Hannah Montana game, I'm not sure what would.

Weekend Roundup
As this column is not written on weekends, each Monday, there will be a weekend roundup for the stuff we missed.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe released for PS3 and XBox 360. This title might be one of the most exciting releases for the videogame comic fans. Batman vs. Raiyden. Who winz?

Today's Video Game Releases

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
When a cataclysmic force merges conquerors from two universes, conflict is inevitable. Kombat forces friends to fight, worlds to collide, and unlikely alliances to be forged. In order to save all they know, the heroes and villains of Mortal Kombat must wage war against the combined might of the DC Universe (DCU). How can either side prevail when rage blinds them to the dark threat poised to destroy them all?

Left 4 Dead
A new and highly virulent strain of the rabies virus emerges and spreads through the human population with frightening speed. The pandemic's victims become grotesquely disfigured widely violent psychopaths, attacking the uninfected on sight. As one of the "lucky" few apparently immune to the sickness, you, unfortunately, are also trapped in a city crawling with thousands of the bloodthirsty Infected. Alone, you're dead. But together with a handful of fellow survivors, you might just fight your way to safety
Need for Speed Undercover

NCAA Basketball 09
College Basketball arrives for its annual installment, this time as NCAA Basketball 09, from EA Sports.

The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria
he 2007 PC MMO Game of the Year returns with an all-new breakthrough title! The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria drops you into the dark majesty of the world beneath Middle-earth. Explore a truly vast underground environment like you’ve never seen before. Battle the terrors of the Nameless Deep with new legendary items that evolve and grow in power as you do. Experience the dread and wonder of Moria as one of the new Rune-keeper and Warden classes. Achieve greatness as you seek to claim the knowledge and power lost for generations!

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11-14-08 In tough time, Play video games

When the going gets tough, the tough play video games
An NPD report states that the video game industry experienced an 18% overall increase in 2008, while the stock market has dropped nearly 30% during the same periods. During hard economic times, it is natural for "comfort" items to surge in popularity as things such as vacations, new cars and lavish luxuries become a thing of the past. While most admit that the industry is not 100% recession proof, the console market is one of the few U.S. industry to experience growth in 2008.

Has Blizzard KO'd EA Mythic?
Seemingly overnight, Warhammer Online server populations were hovering at the low to medium mark, not even 24 hours after Wrath of the Lich King has been released. Warhammer's RVR zones seemed like ghost towns and scenarios had queues up to 20 minutes, when just hours before Lich King's release, queues were in the single minutes. This drop was evident across the board as those who have freed themselves of Warcraft's changes, seemingly flocked back to the game in bulk.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles rumors shot down
Square Enix has stated that rumors spreading about the cancellation of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are just indeed rumors. While they never usually comment on such rumors, this one seemed to have spun far out of control and the company issued the statement to put to ease any fears of cancellation.

Athene gets banned
The self proclaimed greatest World of Warcraft Paladin gets banned once again from the game, this time for allegedly exploiting in Wrath of the Lich King. Made popular by the WoW subculture for his ability to power level World of Warcraft characters, his website claims "World first level 80", however his recently published YouTube video shows that he got banned at level 79, so the race for first World of Warcraft level 80 is still up for grabs.

Cheaters never win
Microsoft announced yesterday that Xbox 360 console owners who have modified their system will no longer be able to connect to the Xbox Live Servers. This is just one step in Microsoft's strategy to combat software piracy.

Zergwatch Videogame Mashup Blog

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

MMORPG News

Retro Gamer: A look back on Classic Games

Retro Gamer: A look back on Classic Games

Video Game Reviews on Zergwatch

Random Button Mashing - Video Game News for December

A month of zerg - The past 30 days of Video Game News

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Retro Gaming

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Which games work with the Wii Zapper?

Top 10 MMORPG Failures of All Time

Video Game News Headlines 11/08

Video Game Profiles - Games Released 11/08

This week's Video Game Reviews

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Daily Video Game Zerg - 11/18/08 - Don't Microwave the Cat

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch - Mama Kills Turkeys

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11/17/08 - Lich King to die for

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11-14-08 In tough time, Play video games

The Daily Zerg 11/14/08

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