Games and gear

Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Stars

Video games are almost never known for good acting. Voice-overs and cutscenes tend to be stilted, and use lesser-known and, often, lesser-skilled actors to do the dirty work. Occasionally you can find a good actor or two hired to do scenes, like Patrick Stewart in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Vin Diesel in The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, or Mark Hamill in Wing Commander 3 and 4, but usually you can expect mediocre voicework and cutscenes at best, bumpers to click through in between gameplay.

Then I started playing Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. The Command and … Read more

Games may finally get us to do cardio

We're convinced that the electronics industry is conspiring with our personal trainer, because he knows that built-in gadgets are the only way to get us on the cardio machines. The latest invention goes far beyond the iPod fitness equipment we mentioned earlier; this diabolical device really hits home--with games.

And we're not talking DDR either. The "ProForm 20.0 Elliptical CrossTrainer" includes a backlit console with a screen mounted right in front of your flushed face, according to Newlaunches. As if that weren't enough, additional cruelty comes in the games themselves, which the manufacturer says … Read more

Sony PSP gets $30 price cut

After failing to keep up with Nintendo's DS juggernaut, Sony promised it would do a better job marketing the PSP, and now it appears that push is fully underway with a $30 price cut to the PSP Core Pack, the base system. That brings the PSP's MSRP to $169.99, or $80 less than the system's launch price of two years ago.

According to a press release that went out today, Sony's also modified the pricing structure for the system's software, with "first-party PSP software priced using a new tiered model--$39.99 (premium … Read more

Gaming gone postmodern: Roy Block

Have you ever played a game of Super Mario Bros. and wondered what it'd be like to be one of the bricks?

Sebastian Schmieg's Roy Block project may hold the answer to that question. Schmieg, a student at Merz Akademie in Stuttgart, Germany, created Roy Block as an interface experiment.

There are no traditional game controllers. Instead, players use two small wooden blocks, which are pressed against the screen. Rather than controlling the protagonist in the game, the player controls the environment by moving the blocks.

Confused? Just watch the YouTube video below.

[Via TechEBlog]

Guitar heroes unite; 'Rock Band' is coming

Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2 were big hits for Harmonix, and now the company is going even further with its newest game. Today, Harmonix announced Rock Band, a music game for the PlayStation 3 and 360 that combines guitars, drums, and singing into a mutant offspring of Guitar Hero, Karaoke Revolution, and Taiko Drum Master.

Like the name implies, Rock Band will focus on cooperating with friends as players take lead/bass/rhythm guitars, drums, and vocals and work together to rock out. Guitar, drum, and microphone peripherals will all be available, but you won't need them all … Read more

The Nintendo Wii ships...to ships

Since its launch last November, the Nintendo Wii has made waves among retirees and new gamers.

Now, Nintendo's generation-transcending game machine is making waves in the literal sense.

According to this post on Joystiq, Norwegian Cruise Lines will feature Nintendo Wiis on all cruises. As this photo attests, they're talkin' big-screen action.

Judging how hard it is to find a Wii in stores, cruise ships will no doubt become a huge target for pirates. Marrrrrrrio!

'Grand Theft Auto IV' teaser hits the Web

Rockstar Games took the wraps off the teaser trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV yesterday afternoon, giving gamers their first look at the highly anticipated sequel. While only about a minute long, the trailer offers some key details about the new game. The graphics have gotten a big next-gen upgrade, the setting is clearly a skewed version of New York City, and the game puts you in the shoes of an Eastern European protagonist. Tor Thorsen over at GameSpot offers some additional details, but the big news is that all of the footage in the trailer was captured "in … Read more

The most dangerous game?

Puzzle Quest is one of the scariest games I've seen in years. I'm no stranger to game addictions. I've been on and off World of Warcraft three times now (permanently off now; I'm not getting the expansion and don't like raiding), and have been hooked on everything from Oblivion to Zelda. Puzzle Quest offers the kind of nightmarish addictive powers I haven't seen since Tetris DS and Lumines. I have no idea why, but there's just something compelling about shuffling around blocks to get points.

Bejeweled is one of the archetypical puzzle games. … Read more

Move over, lawn gnomes; here comes Giant Super Mario!

If you have $3000 burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for a hot new lawn decoration that won't need to be replaced with seasonal changes (unless you're that weirdo who keeps the inflatable Santa up all year round), man, you are going to love hearing this. Someone is making these 5-foot-tall Super Mario figures, previously only sold to retailers, available to the average consumer. (Well, the average consumer with an extra $3000 on hand.) Now, you can have a Mario of your very own.

Imagine the possibilities! They could upstage your wacky neighbor's lawn … Read more

Xbox 360 Elite officially announced

The rumors were true: an upgraded Xbox 360 will be hitting stores later this spring. As reported at Gamespot, the Xbox 360 Elite will feature a black finish, a 120GB hard drive, and an HDMI output. The new unit will be available in North America on April 29 at a cost of $479. The Xbox 360 Elite will include a wireless controller, a wired Xbox Live headset (both in matching black), along with all manner of relevant cables: HDMI, Ethernet, and the combination composite/component A/V cable for connecting to standard and high-def TVs that lack an HDMI jack. … Read more