digoBlog: news on tech & games

For the most part, Heavy Rain is an entertaining exercise in story-telling. For the most part. The parts where you're yelling at small children, not so much. More »

Today's census questions are all about pirates. Yaaarrrrrrrr! More »

What do you think happened after some of Japan's most famous manga creators showed opposition to a Tokyo proposal that sets out to ban provocative "visual depictions" of characters who appear to be 18 years-old and younger? More »

Sure, Heavy Rain was great, but what was with all the story? Don't you just wish someone would come along, strip out that cinematic nonsense and leave only the visceral thrill of repeatedly calling for your missing son while tearing through a shopping mall?

For you, there's Press X to Jason, a low-rez action/puzzle/platformer/adventure from Heavy.com that nails just one mechanic: Yelling for Jason. [Fair warning: If you don't know how this particular Heavy Rain scene plays out, like, in the real game, you may not want to play Press X to Jason just yet.]

If afterwards you still aren't sure about little Jason's fate, you'll be happy to know that we've located him, and he's on Twitter.

[Thanks, Wez]

'Press X to Jason' distills Heavy Rain originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, Heavy Rain was great, but what was with all the story? Don't you just wish someone would come along, strip out that cinematic nonsense and leave only the visceral thrill of repeatedly calling for your missing son while tearing through a shopping mall?

For you, there's Press X to Jason, a low-rez action/puzzle/platformer/adventure from Heavy.com that nails just one mechanic: Yelling for Jason. [Fair warning: If you don't know how this particular Heavy Rain scene plays out, like, in the real game, you may not want to play Press X to Jason just yet.]

If afterwards you still aren't sure about little Jason's fate, you'll be happy to know that we've located him, and he's on Twitter.

[Thanks, Wez]

'Press X to Jason' distills Heavy Rain originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If data centers are the brains of an information company, then Google is one of the brainiest there is. Though always evolving, it is, fundamentally, in the business of knowing everything. Here are some of the ways it stays sharp. More »

We knew it would be coming around this time, but now T-Mobile has confirmed it: The HTC HD2 will be available on March 24th for $200—assuming you sign up for a two-year agreement, complete with a data plan. [T-Mobile via Laptop Mag] More »

Few trailers in recent memory have polarised gamers as much as EA's Dante's Inferno clip for the Super Bowl. Would you have liked it more if, say, Dante was not Dante, but Mario? More »

Oh, Sonic fans. Every time a new Sonic is announced, you joke about not getting fooled again and you promise that, this time, you won't be taken in. And we believe you -- why would you go back to Sonic after everything he's done to you? But then a few weeks go by, and suddenly we click a link and find you remixing the 10 seconds of intro screen music that's been revealed from Sonic 4.

Seriously? Did you have to create a rock version, an 8-bit version and even a Dreamcast-style version? Sure, they're cool, and sure, we've embedded them after the break, but isn't this exactly the kind of excitement we all agreed we wouldn't have for the new game? Yes, we're glad to see that longtime Sonic musician Jun Senoue has been announced as the composer for new game, and we're looking forward to hearing more music when the Sega blog releases it. But as your history teacher said, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Let's wait until we play the game before we start remixing it 10 seconds at a time.

Continue reading Sonic fans remix Sonic 4 intro, get way too excited

Sonic fans remix Sonic 4 intro, get way too excited originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Steam version of EA's Battlefield Bad Company 2 is about to get a new patch, and amidst the little tweaks and fixes is some welcome news: the game's SecuROM DRM software will also be uninstalled. More »

We like to keep it light and fun around here, but this latest series of Dead to Rights: Retribution media is serious business -- when there are terrorists involved, the joking stops. That's the gist of the above trailer, which features Temple Tower, the latest target of terrorism in Grant City.

Thankfully, Jack and Shadow are on the scene to deal with these "hostage takers." All it takes is a good cop and his murderous, almost impossibly skillful canine companion, after all!

Dead to Rights: Retribution media terrorizes Temple Tower originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They're a bit complicated and somewhat experimental, but these instructions for homemade organic LEDs are nothing short of thorough. Sure you can just buy OLEDs, but that's just not even half as fun as struggling to make them yourself. More »

We like to keep it light and fun around here, but this latest series of Dead to Rights: Retribution media is serious business -- when there are terrorists involved, the joking stops. That's the gist of the above trailer, which features Temple Tower, the latest target of terrorism in Grant City.

Thankfully, Jack and Shadow are on the scene to deal with these "hostage takers." All it takes is a good cop and his murderous, almost impossibly skillful canine companion, after all!

Dead to Rights: Retribution media terrorizes Temple Tower originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Matthias Hoechsmann of German developer Gamedoctors. The studio (chock full of actual doctors) has just launched its first title, an iPhone/iPod Touch game called ZombieSmash!.

---

How did your company get started?

The Gamedoctors story is quite different to the much-seen "team of seasoned game industry veterans creating an iPhone game" story. We are, in fact, seasoned Ph.D-honored scientists who grew up with games and just want to bring our own fresh perspective to the iPhone and other platforms (get the company name, eh?).

Why did you want to make games?

There are a lot of ways to answer that question but I think when you boil it down, the "why" is much the same for everyone who got into this business. We love games. We have some ideas that haven't been done before, and we're taking matters into our own hands to make them come to life. Or, in the case of ZombieSmash!, unlife!

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gamedoctors

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gamedoctors originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Matthias Hoechsmann of German developer Gamedoctors. The studio (chock full of actual doctors) has just launched its first title, an iPhone/iPod Touch game called ZombieSmash!.

---

How did your company get started?

The Gamedoctors story is quite different to the much-seen "team of seasoned game industry veterans creating an iPhone game" story. We are, in fact, seasoned Ph.D-honored scientists who grew up with games and just want to bring our own fresh perspective to the iPhone and other platforms (get the company name, eh?).

Why did you want to make games?

There are a lot of ways to answer that question but I think when you boil it down, the "why" is much the same for everyone who got into this business. We love games. We have some ideas that haven't been done before, and we're taking matters into our own hands to make them come to life. Or, in the case of ZombieSmash!, unlife!

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gamedoctors

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gamedoctors originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Outer space has long been considered humanity's final frontier. But for retired Air Force General Lester Lyles, it's just the final front. When it comes to observing the enemy, he explained recently, the farther out we are the better. More »

Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition is six-cored, twelve-threaded, and starting to show up in a lot of gaming rigs by some popular builders: More »

Hey, Kotaku readers, how about a little off topic conversation to wrap up the day? Did you see anything cool on the internet or in real life that you'd like to wax off topically about? More »

The Women in Games conference won't make it to its seventh consecutive year. Organizers apologize and cite "low delegate numbers" as the reason for the cancellation. The conference would have been held March 25-26 at Bradford College -- which apparently does not have a Dr. Tony Hill on staff, shame.

Develop reports conference organizers will provide full refunds and that canceling wasn't an easy decision, but necessary because attendance would have been far below the break-even requirement. No word if the conference will make another attempt in 2011 or if that's all she wrote.

[Via Develop]

Women in Games conference canceled due to 'low delegate numbers' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers have discovered that increasing production of a protein called RGS-14 could significantly boost visual memory. They are currently investigating the exact effects on humans, but all I can think is: Photographic memory in pill form. More »

The newest trailer for Majin & The Fallen Kingdom, the charming co-op adventure from the folks who made Genji and Folklore, might be the boost you need to start caring about this game. More »

UFC Undisputed 2010 already has a shaved kodiak bear on its cover, so what else do you want? OK, how about a video of B.J. Penn just being sweaty and angry? Maybe some new pictures of the game in a gallery? Still not enough!? Then there are exclusive Ultimate Fights for the PS3 version, like:

• Ultimate 2009 Category -- UFN 18 - Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
• Ultimate Knockouts Category -- UFC 102 - Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia
• Ultimate Classics Category -- UFC 60 - Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie, UFC 66 - Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin
• Ultimate Submissions Category -- UFC 68 - Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFredries

We're sure more assets are coming. Just please, please don't punch us.

UFC 2010 features exclusive fights on PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diane Birch is very very very cute. She's also a lovely singer. Her song Valentino is chirpy and sweet, and her music video—with its ghetto augmented reality—is quite ingenious. Watch it. You'll like it. Then, watch the how-to: More »

Or should that be batwagon? Regardless, Eidos has set dates for the re-release version of Rocksteady Studios' surprisingly good comic book hit Batman: Arkham Asylum, confirming that we'll be battling the asylum's inmates in a new way this spring. More »

Mega64 gets back to its roots in the troupe's latest video, enlisting the aid of John and Jane Q. Public to create another minute and a half of comedy based on The Beatles: Rock Band. You're probably asking yourself how the trio can recreate the full British pop quartet. To answer that, we offer this: through the aid of a surprise guest, of course!

Head past the break to see who. We're pretty sure you'll never guess who it is.

[Thanks, Brock]

Continue reading Mega64 pokes fun at The Beatles: Rock Band with a little help from a friend

Mega64 pokes fun at The Beatles: Rock Band with a little help from a friend originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mega64 gets back to its roots in the troupe's latest video, enlisting the aid of John and Jane Q. Public to create another minute and a half of comedy based on The Beatles: Rock Band. You're probably asking yourself how the trio can recreate the full British pop quartet. To answer that, we offer this: through the aid of a surprise guest, of course!

Head past the break to see who. We're pretty sure you'll never guess who it is.

[Thanks, Brock]

Continue reading Mega64 pokes fun at The Beatles: Rock Band with a little help from a friend

Mega64 pokes fun at The Beatles: Rock Band with a little help from a friend originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

David Martin, the CEO of visual update site Kontain, was on the 14-hour nightmare Virgin America flight from LA to NY. He documented the worst parts live using the airline's Wi-Fi.

We just heard the details about the Android 2.1 update for the Droid and now we may have an arrival date. According to Android Central, over-the-air updates will start rolling out in stages this Thursday. [Android Central—Thanks, Phil!] More »

I constantly forget to carry all my membership, club, discount, and scan-this-when-you-buy-something-and-get-points-that-you-don't-really-know-what-to-do-with cards. But I do remember to carry my iPhone. Solution? Use the free CardKing app to scan my forgotten cards and pull up the barcodes when they're needed. More »

Texas jury finds that Microsoft willfully infringed on patents related to virtual private network technology, awarding plaintiff VirnetX $105 million.