Most Recent: Etcetera

Daily Scoop: February 21, 2011 – Revenge of the Monday

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Ah, Monday. Killer of weekends. Destroyer of worlds. Optimistic gamers can see it as one day closer to those new releases, but my half-empty glass perspective sees Monday as just another barrier, just another day to wait. But at least we’ll all be visiting Helghan again tomorrow. Am I right?

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Square Enix’s Lord of Arcana for the PSP. This is a relatively recent release (try saying that ten times fast), so $27.99 down from $39.99 is a pretty decent deal. Also of note is the return of Amazon’s Buy One, Get One 50% sale. Call me up when they’re buy one, get one free – I’ve already got so many games that the deal has to be one I can’t walk away from for me to even consider it right now.

If none of this is appealing and you still really want to spend $10, Tee Fury has you covered – or has your back – or has your back covered, I guess would be right:

Now That’s a Hammer, Bro!

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

First look at Felicia Day in Dragon Age: Redemption

Posted on February 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Dragon Age II will be released on March 8th and BioWare plans to follow up the RPG sequel with a webseries titled Dragon Age: Redemption. The webisodes will star The Guild creator Felicia Day as an elf assassin named Tallis.

BioWare has released a teaser trailer for Redemption showcasing Day’s ninja-like moves, which you can watch above. Maybe it’s just me, but I have a feeling Redemption will quickly gain a reputation as “Felicia Day: Warrior Princess.”

Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: February 18, 2011 – Preparing for Killzone 3

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s nearly the weekend, and also nearly time for the release of Killzone 3. Who else will be spending this weekend preparing for that by playing through the campaign again, or perhaps getting in some Warzone before life as you know it completely changes?

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Activision’s Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010 for the Wii. It’s $19.99 today down from $39.99, which is a pretty good deal – I mean, if you’re into fishing for bass from your living room. But my favorite part of Amazon today was checking out the bonus offer list – I’m especially excited that F.3.A.R. has a $20 credit and that Pokemon Black and White have $5 each. Amazon knows I need no help with my addiction, but helps me anyway.

Of note is today’s shirt.w00t, which is timely, as it’s right on the heels of the Walking Dead game announcement:

The sad little zombie just wants a sandwich! The description actually reminds me of David Wellington’s Monster book series, in which some zombies still have brain functionality and – well, they never explicitly say it, but I bet at some point they really wish they could just want a sandwich again.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: February 17, 2011 – I <3 Ampersand shirts

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Well, I failed at baking last night, but I got my 6th badge in Pokemon, so it all kind of balanced itself out! I’m ready for a day full of Alex Mauer and Anamanaguchi, if you know what I’m saying.

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games isn’t a game – it’s the PSP 2000/3000 Sound Dock & Power Pack by Intec. This thing looks pretty intense, and the best part is, it’s touted as “a high-intensity sound station for the PSP road warrior.” The PSP road warrior? Whatever that is, I really want to be it.

The real gem is today’s shirt.w00t, which is a Minecraft-themed Ampersand shirt, fulfilling all kinds of hipster dreams in one comfy t-shirt:

If I played Minecraft, I’d have bought this shirt already. I had my heart set on a Final Fantasy one a few months ago, but it disappeared from the entire Internet and broke my heart.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera |

Science says casual games reduce depression and anxiety

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

A year-long study by East Carolina University suggests casual video games have a strong potency in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic had 60 subjects play three PopCap games: Bejeweled, Peggle, and Bookworm Adventures. The study found a 57% reduction of depression symptoms in the experiment group, a significant reduction in anxiety, and improvements in all aspects of mood. Dr. Carmen Russoniello, professor in charge of the study, claimed “in my opinion the findings support the possibility of using prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or perhaps even a replacement for, standard therapies including medication.” He also noted that playing the games had both noticeable short-term effects (in as little as 30 minutes) as well as long-term effects (after one month). This reminded me of the “Mapathy” campaign for Modern Warfare 2 DLC. Apparently the chick above was misdiagnosed; all she needed was a little FarmVille.

Take it how you want it, but personally, I’ll be dealing with my anxiety by plunging into Killzone 3 multiplayer next week, while the rest of you bow before your gilded altar of Reason.

Posted in Etcetera, Mobile, News | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: February 16, 2011 – Welcome to Castle Grayskull

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Nicole Kline

I am not joking when I say nothing was going on yesterday. And I was off Monday, so yesterday felt like a Monday, but it was more like revenge of the Monday. It was bad.

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable for the PSP. It’s $29.99 today down from $39.99. This comes right on the heels of the Atlus digital sale which ended yesterday. I guess this is so you can still grab it cheap, though not as cheap as you could have…? Oh, and some little game called Call of Duty: Black Ops (or as I affectionately refer to it, “CoDBlOps”) is $39.99 on all platforms on Amazon. Pick it up if you didn’t buy it with most of the planet back in November.

Despite the fact that this is completely unrelated to video games, my love of old school Guns N’ Roses leaves me powerless to keep today’s Tee Fury from you:

I’ve been rendered speechless by the sheer awesome of this.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Battlestar Galactica’s Helo to play Stryker in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Tahmoh Penikett may not be a household name, but if you’re a fan of science fiction you’re no doubt familiar with some of his most famous roles including Helo on “Battlestar Galactica” and FBI agent Paul Ballard on “Dollhouse.”

According to an exclusive IGN report, Penikett will take his ass-kicking ways to the currently shooting Mortal Kombat: Rebirth webisodes as riot cop Kurtis Stryker. Stryker is known as the black sheep of the Mortal Kombat family, but Penikett’s experience filming fight scenes for Joss Whedon on “Dollhouse” may give the character a newfound respect.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth will be released digitally this Spring, sometime around the launch of the Mortal Kombat reboot on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Smithsonian asks public to select games for “Art of Video Games” exhibit

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Ladies and gentlemen, the question of whether or not games are art has finally been answered. The Smithsonian will launch a new exhibit titled “The Art of Video Games” on March 16, 2012. So somebody be sure to tell Roger Ebert, games have officially been declared art.

According to the museum, the exhibit will be “the first to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies.” And what games will be chosen to represent gaming as art? The Smithsonian has decided to ask for the public’s help at ArtOfVideoGames.org. The website will offer participants a chance to vote for 80 games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type and platform. Voting will be open from February 14 through April 7 and requires a valid email address.

“I want this exhibition to include the collective voice of the video game world, which is not limited to the developers, designers and artists but also the game players,” said the curator of the exhibit, Chris Melissinos. “It is important to me that when gamers visit the exhibition, they find the experiences that most matter to them.”

The results of the voting will be announced in May.

Posted in Etcetera, News |