G4 turning Mario Kart, Duck Hunt, Angry Birds into scary short films

Posted on October 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Hey, did you know G4 makes short movies under the banner G4 Films? Yeah, me neither. But apparently this month marks their first ever Epictober Film Festival. Starting October 24, G4 Films will be streaming three short films based on Mario Kart, Duck Hunt and Angry Birds at G4TV.com/g4films.

However, the best part is that each of these iconic games has undergone a terrifying transformation on their way to your computer screen.

Duck Hunt has become “The Hunt,” a tale of three hunters who come face to face with a monstrous entity keen on their demise. it sounds like everyone that’s ever wanted to zap that annoying dog will be in for a treat. Unless the dog has the last laugh. “The Hunt” was directed by Sam Balcomb and will make its online debut on October 24.

The colorful bounciness of Mario Kart has been washed away to create “Kart Driver,” a film that may have come from the mind of Martin Mario Scorcese. Actually, it was directed by Drew Daywalt and is a story of “fury and obsession” as a heroic plumber seeks out his damsel in distress, even if it means facing off with a creature from the very bowels of hell. “Kart Driver” will be available for viewing on October 25.

Finally, “The Birds of Anger” will show that the Angry Birds don’t just have it in for pigs. Riffing on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic The Birds, the short was directed by directed by Gregg Bishop, who also created the excellent feature-length film Dance of the Dead. “The Birds of Anger” flies online on October 26.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Guardian Heroes, Real Steel added to XBLA today

Posted on October 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Microsoft has added a pair of very different beat ’em ups to the Xbox Live Arcade today.

The first is Guardian Heroes, a medieval beat ’em up that was originally released for the Sega Saturn. Developed by Treasure, this remade rendition of Guardian Heroes includes enhanced graphics and online play.

The second is a game adaptation of the Hugh Jackson fighting film Real Steel. Customize your robotic boxer and take it into the ring against other steel-plated pugilists. Hugh Jackman not included.

Both games have been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) apiece.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: October 12, 2011 – Iiiiiit’s Wednesday!

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Hooray! It’s Wednesday! You know what that means… D&D Encounters tonight! And we’re halfway through the week. Wednesday is especially great during weeks that only have four days in them. Well, everything is especially great during weeks you work less, am I right???

Anyway, deal time! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is Heatwave Interactive’s Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising. This MMORPG for the PC is on sale today for $16.99, and lets you play as a Demigod. What more could you ask for?

Today’s Ript is a delightful Poe/Angry Birds mashup:

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Microsoft purchases Twisted Pixel, has no plans to straighten them

Posted on October 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Before now, indie developer Twisted Pixel has always created games exclusively for the Xbox 360. Today, Microsoft has decided to make it official by purchasing the company and making them a part of their Microsoft Studios network.

“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Studios. “Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox Live.”

The developer’s most recent game, The Gunstringer, was released a few weeks ago. In addition to that undead, Kinect-powered puppet show, Twisted Pixel has created a quartet of comically twisted games: Splosion Man, The Maw, Comic Jumper and Ms. Splosion Man.

Let’s hope Microsoft doesn’t make them change their wacky ways; it’d be a crime.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Sideway: New York added to PlayStation Store

Posted on October 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sony continues to roll out their “Only On PSN” exclusives with Sideway: New York, one of yesterday’s new additions to the PlayStation Store.

Sideway: New York is a puzzle platformer that follows Nox as he attempts to navigate a New York that is entirely covered in graffiti. The game has been priced at $9.99, but PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag it for 20% off.

Also new this week is a pair of NeoGeo remakes: the side-scrolling shooting of Metal Slug 2 and the one-on-one fighting of King of Fighters ’96. Both games can be downloaded for the PSP as well.

Finally, XS Junior League Football was added to the store as the latest PSone Classic. I never heard of it, either.

More information on all of this week’s new releases (and game add-ons) can be found at the PlayStation.Blog.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP |

PSN experiences a new user information breach – 93,000 affected

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

It appears that Sony’s favorite network hackers took the summer off to get outside and enjoy some nice weather reconvene on how to continuously screw over the general gaming public.

As of yesterday, Sony has experienced a new series of attempts to test username and password combinations in order to find matches between the two. According to Philip Reitinger, Sony’s SVP & Chief Security Information Officer, the login information was likely obtained from another source, site, or company – but for all we know, it could have even been some of the same information obtained during the Anonymous outbreak earlier this year.

Fortunately, Reitinger states that the overwhelming majority of the login username/password sets failed to match – even more reason to conclude that it may have come from the previous PSN breach. He mentions that only one tenth of a percent (0.1%) – or 93,000 – of the accounts across PSN, SEN, and SOE were affected, and those accounts have since been locked, due to minimal or no activity on most of those accounts. No credit card information is reported to be in danger.

For those accounts where the username and password returned a match, Sony will require a password change after the temporary lock is lifted.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP |

Valkyria Chronicles III not coming to US, Europe… and we’re sad

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Eager to play more missions in the Valkyria Chronicles universe? Well, if you live in the US or Europe, you’re out of luck. Valkyria Chronicles III: Unrecorded Chronicles will not be localized for these markets, due to poor sales of Valkyria Chronicles II as well as the lack of popularity of the PSP in these regions, according to Gamespot.

All of this information was given in a recent interview with Hiroshi Seno, Sega’s team manager of console sales. In addition to the disappointing announcement, Seno also said the company would “make a concrete decision” regarding “whether the game would be out as a downloadable title on the upcoming PlayStation Vita system” when it next meets with Sony.

In its first week in Japan, Valkyria Chronicles III sold 102,779 units. Sega, I promise you, if you’ll localize the game, I’ll buy at least, like, five copies. Everybody else, can you pitch in the other 102,774? Please?

Posted in News, Vita |

Watch episode 1 of Dragon Age: Redemption now; Mark of the Assassin DLC also available

Posted on October 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

At long last, EA and BioWare have unleashed the first episode of the Dragon Age: Redemption webseries. Telling the tale of elf assassin Tallis, the series was written and produced by Felicia Day, the commonly accepted Queen of All Nerds and creator of The Guild. Oh, and she also donned a pair of elf ears to play Tallis.

If you watched Mortal Kombat: Legacy, you’ll know what to expect from Dragon Age: Redemption. There’s the low budget and the effects-obscuring camera angles, but there’s also a spark of a fun time here. And who doesn’t like that? Episode two will be available next week.

However, if you can’t wait that long to experience the further adventures of Tallis, BioWare has also released the Dragon Age II: Mark of The Assassin DLC pack on the PlayStation Network and the Xbox Live Marketplace.

And in case you were wondering, Day voiced the character in the expansion as well.

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