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Kanye West Coded Sexy Mario Level

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:44:00 -0800

G4's Ty Colfax and I often argue over whether Kanye West is talented or not. Ty maintains that West is not talented at anything except producing. Ty says Kanye is a bad singer, a bad rapper, is full of himself for no reason, and dresses funny.

I think Kanye is pure genius. Truly. The weirder Kanye gets, the more awesome he becomes, like Sun Ra or George Clinton. I think West's latest album is some kind of strange work of genius that people will still listen to in 30 years. Today, however, I think I won The Kanye West Argument altogether: West says he coded something called Super Mario Bros.: The Penis Remix as a kid.

Here's the money quote from an interview in Details by way of E! Online:

"My game was very sexual. The main character was, like, a giant penis. It was like Mario Brothers, but the ghosts were, like, vaginas. Mind you, I'm 12 years old, and this is stuff 30-year-olds are programming. You'd have to draw in and program every little step—it literally took me all night to do a step, 'cause the penis, y'know, had little feet and eyes."

Winner!

That's not all, though. Kanye also has a humorously high opinion of himself.

"I have, like, nuclear power, like a superhero, like Cyclops when he puts his glasses on."

"Put this in the magazine: There's nothing more to be said about music. I'm the f--king end-all, be-all of music.”

"Oh my God, I'm one of the greatest rappers in the world. I'll get on a track and completely ee-nihilate that track, I'll eat it and rip it in half. I wouldn't have to think of it.”

And there's so much more. Hit the link below for more Kanye awesomeness. But first, settle our argument: Is Kanye full of genius or full of fail?

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'Smash Bros.' Designer Working On New Nintendo IP

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:20:00 -0800

Masahiro Sakurai, the man who designed Meteos for Q Entertainment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo, and who created the lovable Kirby character, is hard at work on a totally new game for Nintendo, which will have nothing whatsoever to do with Smash Bros. Sakurai's development house responsible for Brawl - Sora, Ltd. - is working on a new IP simple titled Project Sora.

We're not yet aware what the new game will contain, but the company has already staffed up to 30 employees, and is searching for 'talented individuals' to join the team. So, if you're one of the aforementioned talented individuals, you could always go to work for Sakurai-san and find out more for yourself. Any ideas on what the new game might be?

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'Dead Space Extraction' Wii Prequel Revealed

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:56:00 -0800

Looking for more scared-out-of-your-wits wandering through the USG Ishimura? Today, EA announced the prequel installment Dead Space Extraction. It's due this fall exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. This episode promises a new heroine protagonist, new weapons, puzzles, enemies and co-op gameplay. Most notable thus far is the game's resemblance to the "guided" shooter ala Umbrella Chronicles (not necessarily a bad thing -- ahem... House of the Dead: Overkill) according to this IGN Q & A, but notable nonetheless.

In the meantime, check out the full press release after the cut to get a good feel for what's coming in the first released trailer.

Dead Space Extraction Wii Trailer

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Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed Dead Space™ Extraction, an all-new chapter from the studio that delivered the award-winning action-horror Dead Space game. Built from the ground up and developed exclusively for the Wii™, Dead Space Extraction is a prequel that reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke’s mission on the USG Ishimura in the original Dead Space game released in 2008. Dead Space Extraction will marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience.
Dead Space Extraction tells the story of a handful of space colonists desperately struggling to escape from a horrific infection on the Aegis VII mining colony deep in the furthest regions of space. The game introduces a new heroine to the fiction and as the crew fall victim to a mysterious contagion aboard the ship, it becomes clear that protecting her may be their only hope for survival. Dead Space Extraction introduces all new characters, weapons, enemies, puzzles and co-operative multiplayer gameplay.

“We could not be more excited to extend Dead Space into an experience exclusive to the Wii. Nintendo has a wonderful history in the horror genre and we are thrilled to build on that tradition with Dead Space Extraction,” said Glen Schofield, VP and General Manager of EA Redwood Shores studio. “As we were developing Dead Space, we realized that there was so much of the story going untold. Dead Space Extraction tells that story with all of the intensity, blood and gore that fans would expect.”

Dead Space Extraction is an EA Redwood Shores title and is scheduled to ship in Autumn 2009. This product has not yet rated by ESRB or PEGI.

GameFly Names 'Fallout 3' Game of the Year

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:02:00 -0800

The 100,000 or so people who voted in Gamefly's 2008 Q Awards have chosen post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 3 as Game of the Year for 2008. Congratulations, Fallout 3 -- way to be the people's choice.

Here's a system-by-system look at the year's top games:

Xbox 360: Fallout 3
PlayStation 3: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
PlayStation 2: Kingdom Hearts: Re-Chain of Memories
PSP: God of War: Chains of Olympus
Nintendo DS: Final Fantasy IV

What do you think of the choices? Personally, I fully agree about Fallout 3. It wins the Steve Johnson Game of the Year contest, but I'm the only one who votes in it...

For more info and to check out the runners-up, visit Gamefly's official site!

'Madworld' May Get A Sequel

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:57:00 -0800

According to the game's producer, Astushi Inaba, the much anticipated Wii action title Madworld may get a sequel.

Inaba told That Videogame Blog,"Platinum Games has several rights so we’ll be developing something new after this, but if there is a lot of interest in Madworld then maybe we will make another one,"

Judging by the crowds that the demos of Madworld have drawn at gaming events, it could be a blockbuster...On the other hand, it's a violent, fast-moving bloody game for the Wii. Do you think there are enough hardcore gamers on that system for Madworld to be a success?

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Facebook Returns To Original Terms of Service

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:49:00 -0800

Yesterday we reported that social networking behemoth Facebook had changed its terms of service to read "We own everything you post, always--plus your soul." (That's a paraphrase.) Today, after an internet outcry, the company behind Facebook has changed their tune and reverted to the old Terms of Service. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg explained on the company's blog:

"Over the past couple of days, we received a lot of questions and comments about the changes and what they mean for people and their information. Based on this feedback, we have decided to return to our previous terms of use while we resolve the issues that people have raised."

So you can all relax--no one wants to own the rights to the awesome pictures of you and your friends hanging out at the pool. But if you need something to worry about, consider that Facebook only temporarily reverted to the old TOS until it "resolves the issues that people have raised." It could come back with anything!

Oh, and by the way, there probably aren't 25 interesting things about you.

Attack of the Show discussed Facebook's TOS changes on yesterday's Loop. Check it out in the video below:

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'Dead Space' Officially Wii-Bound

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:29:00 -0800

Okay, Dead Space coming to the Nintendo Wii isn't exactly a surprise (we reported it weeks ago). However, it is official today. Electronic Arts has announced that Dead Space Extraction -- a Wii-exclusive and an all-new installment in the survival horror series -- should arrive in fall 2009.

Dead Space Extraction was developed by EA Redwood Shores. It's a prequel to the original PS3/Xbox 360/PC game. Dead Space Extraction's gameplay is a mixture of puzzles and combat that feature new weapons and enemies, as well as a co-op option. The plot centers on colonists trying to escape the infected colony of Aegis VII. Players will control a new female character who must save her crew from certain death--kinda like Ripley from Alien.

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Nintendo DSi To Hit Shelves On April 5th

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:41:00 -0800

The next iteration of the Nintendo D -- the DSi -- has an American street date and some American details. The dual-camera-equipped handheld game system is scheduled to hit shelves on April 5 and will cost $169.99. The North American version will be available in black or blue.

Here's a bullet-pointed list of the DSi's features:

Two cameras, with 10 different interactive “lenses” for photo manipulation on-the-go!
SD card slot
Built-in 256 megabytes of writable memory
Music Player
Voice recorder
Online connectivity with download functions
Plays Nintendo DS games, downloaded DSiWare titles, and Nintendo DSi-native titles, none of which have been released yet.

The DSi release date corresponds to the release of rhythm game Rhythm Heaven -- a game which I highly recommend.

So what do you think of the DS 1.5? Is it powerful and/or interesting enough to warrant the high price tag? My instinct is "No." I already own a DS, a digital camera, and an MP3 Player, so I'm covered. Plus, I only whip out my DS (old-school huge, BTW.) on planes. How about you? Are you going to get one of these bad boys?

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Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:41:00 -0800

'LEGO Universe' Not Happening in 2009

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:17:00 -0800

According to LEGO Group, their online multiplayer game LEGO Universe will just have to wait it out this year.

LEGO's director of business development, Mark Hansen says, "The reason is, we have a luxury right now, the business is going good. We have products launching that are not digital, the physical products, with them going so well we don't want to take focus away from them."

We may hear more specific reasons when the company pumps out its annual earnings report next week. Hansen hinted that Universe developer NetDevil may be working on more content as LEGO forges ahead with its initial plans.

One aspects of the game that LEGO has to work on is obtaining permission from the companies behind Batman, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Let's hope they get what they need to get this game out.

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Wii Gets Seven Nirvana Tracks

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:58:00 -0800

Grungy rock legends Nirvana are heading to the Nintendo Wii version of Rock Band and Rock Band 2! The grunge band's seminal album Nevermind is represented by these seven master recordings:

Breed
Lounge Act
On a Plain
Polly Something in the Way
Stay Away
Territorial P*sings

What, no "Smells like Teen Spirit?" Anyway, these tracks join “In Bloom” from the original Rock Band soundtrack and “Drain You” from Rock Band 2. They cost $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track. They should be available right now for your Wii downloading pleasure.

Quick question -- Nirvana: Over-rated or not?

'Black Mesa' Coming in 2009

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:09:00 -0800

According to the game's project lead, Black Mesa is coming out late in 2009. If you're not in-the-know, Black Mesa is a complete overhaul of the original Half-Life created with the Source engine. It's been in the works for over four years and is probably the most ambitious mod ever made. It's coming along nicely.

"The entire first half and then some of the game is completely playable, actually," Project leader Carlos Montero told The Age. There are still a few gaps and holes in the latter portion, but more and more comes online every day,"

The gameplay is "excellent," according to Montero, whose team intends to improve upon the original in more ways than just the visuals. According to Montero, the mod will "minimize the things [that] were hindrances to gameplay and maximize the elements that played really well." Among those elements: The AI has been completely re-written and other changes made, but Montero won't reveal them until the game comes out to "make sure that players have the sense of awe and excitement when they play the game for themselves the first time, and get to experience it on their own."

I can hardly wait until later in 2009!

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'Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection' Takes You Back to a Legendary Era in Gaming

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:06:00 -0800

Harken back to an era of gaming legends. Where you could fly through water as a dolphin; become a ring-collecting, blue blur; go on the greatest of RPG adventures; or call in heavy-duty artillery support in a side-scrolling beat' em up (ah yes, Streets of Rage). If you haven't kept all of these awesome titles over the years, you're still in luck. SEGA's release last week of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection Brings together this awesome bundle in HD:

"Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Alien Storm, Altered Beast, Beyond Oasis, Bonanza Bros, Columns, Comix Zone, Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Dynamite Headdy, Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco II: The Tides of Time, E-SWAT, Fatal Labyrinth, Flicky, Gain Ground, Golden Axe I, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe III, Kid Chameleon, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, Ristar, Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Shining Force 2, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic Spinball, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Streets of Rage 3, Super Thunder Blade, Vectorman, Vectorman 2"

As a friendly reminder, Sonic offers a look at some of the retro gaming wonders in the video below. What titles do you love that are included. What titles are missing from the roundup that is shameful?

Sonic's Ultimate Gensis Collection Trailer

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'GTA IV: The Lost and Damned' Features Full-Frontal Male Nudity

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:20:00 -0800

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

It appears that one of the cinematics in the new Grand Theft Auto IV expansion pack, The Lost and Damned, features a little surprise -- a penis shaped surprise.

Considering that Rockstar is infamous for their shock-and-awe style of video game development -- especially in the Grand Theft Auto franchise (Hot Coffee anyone? Delicious!) -- the gratuitous inclusion of the manhammer is not completely out of the blue.

However, you're probably wondering how they managed to slip in a little wee-wee. Apparently, the cash and prizes appears in a scene where its main character, Johnny Klebbitz goes to see Congressman Thomas Stubbs who is getting a "massage" at a private gentleman's club. When the two enter the steam room to talk privately, Stubbs gets comfortable and shows his flaccid baby poker.

My, my, my...how the tables have turned! For years, we girls have been forced to consume endless bouncy polygons, carefully and lovingly crafted by animators into the shape of female chesticles. All of a sudden, a little virtual man log is put out into the world and everyone's got their controllers in a bunch.

Well, I say, "Good show!" I can't wait for my dose of computer generated boy parts! As a salute to feminism and the new order, I really don't think Rockstar should stop here. I smell a video game revolution on the horizon. Now, I want to see dong in Table Tennis darn it!

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'Braid' Comes to PC March 31

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:50:00 -0800

We weren't sure if it was ever going to happen, or even necessarily why, but Braid is finally coming to the PC, without any apparent changes from the original XBox Arcade version. Indie developer Jonathon Blow has worked out a deal with Impulse which will distribute the game through various portals like Valve's Steam at a slightly more expensive $19.95.

Some think this game, while great, has come and gone and it's time for Blow to release his next masterwork. So, what do you think? Is it too late for a PC port for this independant developer success story?

Need a refresher? Here's X-Play's segment imploring you to download Braid over XBox Live last August:

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Video Foresnics: 'PURE' Creators Tease High-Performance Vehicle Action

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:49:00 -0800

Black Rock Studios (PURE, MotoGP, ATV Offroad Fury) and Disney have teamed up to hint at a brand new high-performance racing title. Indicated by this brief teaser, the video offers some insights as to what they have coming down the pipe (March 11).

Gamers, utilize your video foresnics skill and see what you can dig out of these mere 28 seconds. As far as I could tell, it looks to be the standard street racer fare with exploding gas stations and falling I-beams from construction. However, my imagination is running at the moment, and hope there's some sort of "natural disaster" fare that's behind it all. What can you guys catch?

In the meantime, we'll have to wait till March 11 to progress officially.

Untitled Black Rock Studios Racing Game Teaser

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Valve To Update 'Team Fortress' Scout

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:43:00 -0800

Valve today announced that it is updating its Team Fortress 2 classes with a slew of new techniques and weapons.

Each day, they'll reveal a different new thing. Today, it's a baseball bat for the Scout. Here's the bat's description:

You Scouts are gonna love this highly collectible bat that smacks baseballs at the other team, stunning the living crap outta anybody dumb, slow, drunk, mute or Australian enough to get in the way. The farther the ball flies before ricocheting offa some chucklehead's skull, the longer he's gonna be stunned. And guys who think they're tough because they're invulnerable? It works on them too. Now the bad news: You can't double jump when you're carrying this little beauty. On the other hand, double jumping never put anybody in a coma.

Check Team Fortress 2's official site daily for a new update. The Scout's bat will be available on February 24th.

What class do you play as and why?

'WWE Legends' Lineup Announced

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:33:00 -0800

Spring is nearly here, and, with it, we are oh-so-close to the annual wrestling super-fest, Wrestlemania. Concurrent with that event this year, THQ will be releasing WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, which features a vast list of current and former superstars and managers for you to look forward to playing.

Which superstars, you might ask? You can rest easy. My favorite WWE Legend of all time, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper is on the list, as is Hulk Hogan, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, and Ric Flair. But there are others. Hit the jump to see the whole list, and let us know if you think that anyone got left off.

WWE Legends
Andre The Giant	Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Animal	Junk Yard Dog
Arn Anderson	Kamala
Bam Bam Bigelow	King Kong Bundy
Big Bossman	Koko B. Ware
Big John Studd	Michael Hayes
Bret Hart	Mr. Perfect
British Bulldog	Nikolai Volkoff
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake	Ravishing Rick Rude
Dusty Rhodes	Ric Flair
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine	Rowdy Roddy Piper
Hacksaw Jim Duggan	Sgt. Slaughter
Hawk	Shawn Michaels
Honky Tonk Man	Stone Cold Steve Austin
Hulk Hogan	The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase
Hunter Hearst Helmsley	The Rock
Iron Sheik	Ultimate Warrior
Jake The Snake	Undertaker
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart	Yokozuna

WWE Managers
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan	Mr. Fuji
Jimmy Hart	Paul Bearer

Tonight on X-Play: 'Halo 3' Mythic Map Pack Preview

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:03:00 -0800

In this All Access Preview, Mr Sark goes behind the scenes at Halo 3 developer Bungie to get the lowdown on the new Mythic Map Pack.

Mythic contains three new multiplayer maps including Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox. Find out about each map's theme, environment and gameplay elements as Mr Sark grills the Bungie team.

Catch more of the gaming coverage you want to see tonight on X-Play at 8 PM ET!

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Blizzcon 2009 Announced!

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:31:00 -0800

This morning, Blizzard announced the details for Blizzcon 2009. The fourth annual "celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes" will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. In response to the festival’s increasing popularity, this year’s event has been expanded from three convention halls to four.

Here's what to expect if you make it to Anaheim:

Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
A silent auction
More exciting activities and attractions to be announced

If you've never been to Blizzcon, check out our photo gallery of last year's event. It's full of gamers, geekiness and chicks dressed as Night Elves...and win. It's full of win too. When you're finished looking at the photos, tell us: Are you going to Blizzcon? If so, we'll have to meet up and knock back a couple mana potions...or beers. Whichever.

Official Site

Microsoft: Worst of "Red Ring" Behind Us

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:59:00 -0800

Microsoft has some comforting words for gamers worried about the dreaded Red Ring of Death. The worst is behind us.

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told Edge Online, "We've improved that [repair] process... It's very quick, and they may upgrade your system with the latest technology. So that works really well. "

If and when your Xbox red-rings, it'll get back to you fast because Microsoft has a lot of experiencing fixing their consoles! According to Microsoft, the RRoD problem should be less and less frequent in the future.

"What it comes down to is isolating and figuring out the issue, fixing the issue, and the more that we can fix the issue, and know it's fixed, then we're good going forward," said Greenberg. "We've put the worst behind us on this, but we know there are a few lagging systems, and so we want to take those and make it right."

I had my Xbox red-ring and I quickly received a replacement, but the replacement box was noticeably louder than my original. It's worked solidly for at least a year, however. What about you: Got any good RRoD stories? Oh, and if your box is broken, don't cry. Instead, laugh at the funny Attack of the Show video below.

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