Greetings humans, Monki here with your update on everything that is video games.
Sorry about the delay in posting, as many of you know, this weekend is Mardi Gras weekend and Bacchus and I have been hitting the bottle. Who needs beads?
Speaking of revelry, have you submitted your art into aicn.monki@gmail.com yet? I've gotten a few entries already, but there is still plenty of time for you to get your art in a really for real gallery.
Okay, we've got a ways to go so let's just jump in.
Press Releases of the Week!
Texas is home to a number of awesome things. The Alamo Drafthouse, Ain't It Cool News, The University of Texas, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Yao Ming, but most importantly, id Software. id is the manger where baby first-person shooter was born. The southwest star shone high in the Texas sky as two wise men (John Carmack and John Romero) watched a new title being born. That title was Doom, and Doom changed the world. (Yes, I know Wolfenstein was first, just play along with me here.)
Doom begat Doom 2, Doom 2 begat Final Doom...and during all of this, Carmack was designing QUAKE. The first truly 3d first-person shooter. I remember the first time I loaded the Quake demo and just spent 10 minutes in the difficulty selection rooms looking at all of the 3d stuff. So very cool. I hosted a 30+ computer LAN party when I was in high school to play Jailbreak in Quake 2.
In the coming months we will be seeing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars hitting every major platform. Count me as excited.
Santa Monica, CA - Feb. 13, 2007 - The war between the GDF and Strogg will soon be igniting on next-generation consoles as id Software and Activision, Inc. today confirmed that Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, the team-based first person action title, and already one of the most anticipated new properties of 2007 is coming to next-gen platforms. In this epic multiplayer-focused game, players can choose to defend humanity as a part of the Global Defense Force (GDF) or destroy it as a merciless Strogg alien invader. Under the executive production of id Software, Nerve Software is developing Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, while Z-Axis is the developer for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.
"We're pleased to be working with Nerve and Z-Axis to bring the highly-anticipated gameplay from Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars to the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software.
Winner of more than 15 awards in 2006 and already selected as one of the most anticipated new titles in 2007 by more than eight publications, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is being developed for the Windows PC by Splash Damage - the Nerve Software and Z-Axis console versions will also feature strategic team play, persistent character promotions and online stats tracking. Players choose to battle as one of five unique classes in either the conventionally armed GDF army or the futuristic Strogg invasion force, each outfitted with specialist weapons and combat hardware. In this adrenaline pumping fight for survival, warring forces utilize a variety of different vehicles, deployable structures, and defense systems including quad-bikes, tanks, and alien walkers for epic ground assaults; or helicopters and anti-gravity ships to unleash airborne attacks. Throughout each battle, teams establish bases, deploy defense structures, artillery, radar, and advanced forward-command systems into enemy territory while constructing and demolishing obstacles to speed progress and gain a tactical advantage over the opponent. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars features 16-player battles on the console systems, delivering the ultimate team-and objective-based multiplayer experience.
No word on whether the consoles will cross-pollinate with the PC version, but I somehow doubt it. How cool would that be though? A PLAYSTATION 3 Strogg infantryman vs. a 360 mech soldier hosted on a PC server? Talk about console wars! Ba-dum-bum. Thanks Preston for helping me keep tabs on this one.
The T-1000 that is EA has gobbled up yet another media company. SingShot Media, an online karaoke community has been purchased by EA. Personally it takes about a bucket of Corona before I do any kind of karaoke, but maybe you are different.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - February 12, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the acquisition of SingShot Media, a San Francisco-based online karaoke community. SingShot's web-based social networking platform allows site members to record their own renditions of famous songs, share their recordings with friends, rate and comment on other members' tracks, customize recordings with photos and videos, and compete in a variety of contests. The acquisition will help accelerate EA's efforts in community-building and promoting user-generated content through a unique music platform. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Upon completion of the acquisition, SingShot CEO Ranah Edelin and CTO Niranjan Nagar will enter EA in the roles of Vice President. Prior to co-founding SingShot, Edelin and Nagar were part of the core team at Listen.com, the company that built the award-winning Rhapsody digital music subscription service which was sold to RealNetworks. Since February 2006, Edelin and Nagar have built a team and technology focused on establishing and maintaining live communities. The five person SingShot team will join the EA Sims Division. The technology can be applied to several different community projects within EA.
Nancy Smith, Executive Vice President and Group General Manager at EA commented, "We are thrilled to bring the SingShot team into EA. They are tremendously talented, technically adept and true experts in developing user-generated communities through music. We see a bright future for the technology and each of these individuals within EA."
Working with the Sims team? You think the next-gen Sims will be speaking English, or will we all be forced to sing in Simslish? What do you think the odds of EA making a Sims Karaoke game are? (My guess, very high.)
Pretty Images of the Week!
I got a few images here from Boom Boom Rocket, the new XBox Live Arcade title from EA and Bizarre Creations Studios, the guys behind Geometry Wars.
A rhythmic colorful game. I bet this game would not get ANY BETTER through usage of various substances. Ahem...hey Bacchus, pass that bottle back over here..
Boom, boom, give. Boom, boom, give.
And to wrap up this week's images I have a pair of trailers for you. The first is the new Hellboy trailer. It seems the video that I posted last time was indeed the PSP version of the game. (Thank god.) Here we have the prettier images from the game. After that is the new Spider-Man 3 trailer using all gameplay footage. Very cool. Enjoy.
No word on whether or not Bruce Campbell will be in either game.
Monki's Eight Most Important Stories of the Week!
Speaking of Bruce Campbell, are you experienced? Old Spice and Microsoft are kicking off the new Xbox Rewards program where you can get a FREE COPY of Contra just by gaining 1,500 gamerpoints by April 12th. (Rent King Kong...trust me.)
Great success! Borat theme for free!
Bungie releases the first Halo 3 promo image and if you look close enough you can see Randy Quaid flying a jet into the beam at the top.
World of Warcraft action figure images have hit. Look pretty badass. This fills my WoW quota for the week.
Video games NOT responsible for violence? Say it isn't so!
John Edwards is cool enough to have his own Second Life office. How much to cyber with a future president?
An incredibly in-depth look at the history of EA. Props to Gamasutra on this one.
Crackdown hits shelves this week, so if you want to play Halo 3, buy this.
Large Part of my Childhood Gone of the Week!
You know what I miss? Arcades.
For those of you in your mid to late 20s, I would expect the same sentiment. As a child there was no greater weekend spent than at the arcade in Barton Creek Mall. I spent hours and hours inside of Aladdin's Castle. I had at least 4 birthday parties there and participated in at least one bubble-gum blowing contest.
Week's worth of allowance was blown on Terminator 2, pride was gained and lost playing Mortal Kombat 2 against someone who was about twice my height. There was no better rush than seeing the latest sequel to a title hit the floor and the giant crowd around it.
Did your local arcade ever have the second monitor ON TOP of the arcade unit so others could see the screen you were playing on? Nothing felt better than ripping someone's spine out with Sub-Zero and having a crowd go batshit over it.
8-player X-Men. That shit just doesn't exist anymore. How insanely awesome was it when you filled it up with your closest friends? Nothing was better than to be ripping my way through Magneto's goons with Wolverine as my seven closest buddies aided in battle. Three monitors wide. I think I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
So what happened to the arcade? As far as I know there are only two in Austin remaining. Einstein's on The Drag at UT and the little arcade inside of the Dobie Mall, also near campus.
In my youth I actually worked at an arcade for almost four years. Sega City in Lakeline Mall if you are curious. I made friends there that have lasted until now. Almost ten years later. The social aspect of video games has been removed and that is an absolutely terrible thing. The best part about playing at an arcade was having your opponent right next to you giving friendly bumps as you destroyed each other and offering the occasional tip.
Now we just have douchebags on Xbox Live screaming racial and homophobic slurs. THIS is the future?
Please, some millionaire video gamer, bring back the arcade. I'll help you find a few choice locations, just drop me an email and we can get started. Let's bring back an excellent piece of our collective childhood.
First person to try to teabag someone in my arcade gets a cockpunch.
Stupid Wrap-Up of the Week!
So there you go, enjoy your week. Party like crazy on Tuesday and start earning your gamerscore points so you can play Contra in coop with me sometime!
In the meantime, enjoy this:
Okay, now someone throw "Mad World" over Perfect Strangers. Then call me. Until then though, back up the tree I go!
-Monki
AICN and AMODA present 8 Bit at the Alamo Drafthouse!
Buy your tickets now!
