Man, I am chomping at the bit to play “Heavy Rain,” the upcoming game from developer Quantic Dream. I absolutely adored their “Indigo Prophecy,” one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve ever had. This one promises to be even more amazing.
There’s a hands-on of an early preview level in USA Today this week, which goes into the basics of Heavy Rain’s unique control scheme. Like Indigo Prophecy, the game has players doing some pretty banal things – brushing teeth, playing in the yard with kids. In the previous game, one lengthy quicktime sequence involved playing the guitar, another involved slow-dancing. read more…
A gallery in Burlington, Vermont is exploring the question of whether or not video games are art – a question that is either intriguing or a dead horse awaiting another kick, depending on your perspective.
But the games chosen for the exhibit are good ones, all of them checkmarks in the “art” column of the argument’s tally sheet – flOw, Flower, and Machinarium are all represented, among others.
Those whose most-recent video game experience goes back a generation to “Ms. Pac-Man” should find “Game (Life)” as interesting as the 12-to-14-year-old boys Thompson hopes will be lured into an art gallery for perhaps the first time ever. He said video games appear to be at the same place films were half a century ago, on the verge of becoming the major visual-art form of their era. More than cinema, Thompson said, video games are morally ambiguous and open-ended, leaving them ripe for artistic exploration.
“It seems like it’s about to break,” Thompson said. “Video games are going to utterly transform our culture, there’s no getting around it.”
Relative to other games on the market this holiday season, not much has been said about the recently unveiled PSP Minis, except perhaps in the context of the PSPGo and its lack of a UMD drive. But this series of inexpensive ($3-$6 or thereabouts) and tiny games is actually cause for celebration for the hard-casual gamer. read more…
Atari, one of the world’s most recognized video game publishers, announced today that after selling into retail more than one million units across North America in its first month, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be coming to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems (including the PSP®go system) this November 2009. Fans of the summer blockbuster title can now grab their proton packs, blast and wrangle ghosts on a 16×9 widescreen while on the run! Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released on June 16, 2009 and quickly became one of the hottest video games of the year. read more…
Video game players and music fans alike can now get closer to Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Band Hero’s(TM) in-game playable character Taylor Swift than ever before, as they can perform as the music icon to her fan-favorite chart-topping hits “You Belong With Me,” “Picture To Burn” and “Love Story” in the biggest music event to hit living rooms this holiday season – Band Hero. Today, Activision puts fans front and center in the concert of a lifetime, as they debut Swift’s never-before-seen in-game performances in Band Hero, the perfect game for family and friends to jam out and sing along to their favorite tunes together. read more…
Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(R) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today the upcoming launch of Gyromancer(TM) for Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Steam(R). read more…
For the first time ever in a video game, GRAMMY® Award winning DJ’s and producing duo, Daft Punk, will start the party right with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero™ on October 27, 2009. Featuring 93 exclusive on-disc mixes from some of the biggest acts in hip-hop, pop, rock and dance, players will be able to test their DJing chops as virtual recreations of the renowned twosome and experience their iconic sounds in eleven original mixes, including two signature “Megamixes,” using their music. read more…