Section: Gaming News, Features, Opinions, PCs, Ads & Media, Web, Genres, Flash, Web-Sites

Oh dear, it seems that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has gone and protested Cooking Mama, perhaps one of the least controversial games in the world. The organization has launched a flash game titled Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, in which players go through a series of bloody mini games that involve killing and cooking a Thanksgiving turkey.

1Up has the scoop, including a statement associated with the game, which is supposedly intended to “urge Majesco” to make a vegetarian version of the popular game series. I actually think that’s kind of a cool idea (since I’m a vegetarian myself, but not for PETA reasons), but I find the whole thing bizarrely hilarious.

Seriously, doesn’t PETA have bigger fish to fry? Shouldn’t they go after Big Buck Hunter or something? The 1Up writer suggested they take issue with Link (of Zelda fame) and his blatant chicken abuse – I can just see it now.

Read [1Up]

Full Story » | Written by Danielle Riendeau for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Gaming News, PCs, Windows, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 2D, Action, Flash, Online, Puzzle, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

If you’re a LocoRoco fan, you don’t have to head to the PlayStation Store to sample a demo of LocoRoco 2‘s gameplay. Instead, you can visit Spil Games’ Games.co.uk site to play a Flash LocoRoco 2 minigame. It isn’t up for very long though. When LocoRoco 2 for the PSP comes out on November 21, 2008 in Europe, the Flash minigame will be removed from Spil Games’ site.

Its fairly simple to play. You use the left and right arrow keys on your computer to control the actions, like the shoulder buttons you use for the original LocoRoco and LocoRoco 2 games. There are six different levels to play, and the goal in each level is to make flowers bloom by rolling over a wilted flower with the proper color LocoRoco.

Its cute, but its somewhat difficult to play. LocoRoco and LocoRoco 2 are games which really need to be on a PSP, so you can use the shoulder buttons to control everything. Trying to play through a mini level using the arrow keys on a laptop just isn’t the same. For some reason, I couldn’t get the jumps to execute like I could in the original LocoRoco 2. The Flash minigame was more frustrating than fun. Still, if you need a quick LocoRoco-fix while waiting for LocoRoco 2, it’ll do.

Read [Eurogamer] Via [PSP Fanboy] Site [LocoRoco 2 mini-game]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Gaming News, PCs, Windows, Genres, Action, Shooter, Online

All of you lucky beta soldiers that were recruited to participate in the engagement of bug scouting and reporting, please report to the front office to be relieved of duty. That’s right kids, as of 6 p.m. CET, November 14, 2008, the free-to-play shooter being published by Electronics Arts and developed by Digital Illusions have shut down their closed beta to “focus on polishing up the backend,“ according to a post on the game’s official site.

We have received lots of great feedback from our beta testers. So much so that we are now ready to enter our next phase. On Friday evening (6pm CET) we will be closing down the current Closed Beta and moving our focus to polishing the backend. So for a while there will be no closed beta available to play. We expect to re-open the beta early next year.

Battlefield Heroes is a multiplayer online shooter that is planned to gain support from micro-transactions the same way a lot of free to play MMOs that you normally see offered on websites are.

The game’s look is that of the cartoonish nature popularized by Valve’s Team Fortress 2. For players outside of the closed beta, this can only be regarded as good news as the game is approaching it’s final stages before release.

Site [Battlefield Heroes] Read [Big Download] Also [Blue’s News] Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Gaming News, Features, Gift Guide, Lists, Consoles, Wii, Handhelds, iPhone & iPod Touch, Gear, Accessories, Audio, Figures & Toys

If you like to do your shopping early (pre-Black Friday), Target has a printed toys coupon book available in stores with a few tech toys and one game coupon.

The only real game coupon is $5 off Mario Kart for Wii. It includes the Wheel peripheral.

The others, more techie and geek stuff includes:

• $5 off the i-Dog Dance
• $5 off LeapFrof Fridge Toy
• $10 off a ClickStart My First Computer
• $10 off V-Tech Kidizoom Camera
• $10 off Fisher-Price Computer Cool School
• $5 off Star Wars: The Clone Wars Ultimate Lightsaber toy set
• $10 off Transformers Animated Leader figure/toy
• $10 off Lazer Tag 2-Player Battle System
• $10 off iTeddy

The rest are for your more typical play-on-the-floor toys.

These all expire November 26, 2008, the day before Thanksgiving, so these will certainly be superceded by better Black Friday (November 28, 2008) deals. You can grab the book at the Guest Service counter or in the Toys section of the store or head over to the Target web site for printable version of the same coupons.

Photo Gallery [Gamertellt] Site [Target]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Gaming News, Features, Rumors, Consoles, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox-360, PCs, Windows, Handhelds, DS, PSP, Ads & Media, Print, Genres, 2D, 3D, Action, Adventure, Casual, Children’s, Fighting, FPS, Shooter, MMO, Music, Party, Puzzle, Role-Playing, Sports, Sim

There are two sides to Black Friday ads. There are ones where you can instantly tell they are the real deal and then there are questionable ads which look authentic but are just a hoax.

The Best Buy 2008 Black Friday ad, which has just popped up on the internet falls into the later category.

If it is real, then there are going to be some fantastic video game deals at Best Buy stores this season. We’ve looked through the ad and created a list of what this “possible” Black Friday 2008 Best Buy’s deals are. Please note that, in a few instances, a game’s title or platform may not be accurate due to the bad quality of the ad scan.

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Section: Gaming News, Consoles, Xbox-360, Handhelds, DS, Game-Companies, Publishers, Genres, 3D, Action, Shooter

MTV’s Multiplayer Blog brings us some sad news from BMO Capital Markets Conference today (November 13, 2008). Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick told the people there that GTA: Chinatown Wars would be released by the end of April 2009 and the Xbox exclusive downloadable content for GTA IV would be pushed back until Spring of 2009.

Zelnick did say the DLC portion is almost complete but extra time is needed in order to make it truly special. No specific reason was given for the sudden delay of Chinatown Wars.

As disappointing as that is, we can take solace in remembering all the huge titles that have come out over the past month or so. It was hinted earlier by Variety during an interview with Dan Houser that the release date for the DLC could be pushed back. All is well though because we’ve already have a boatload of games to play before the end of the year anyway. We can wait a few more months to tour more districts of Liberty City’s underbelly.

Read [MTV Multiplayer Blog] Via [Gamespot]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Gaming News, Consoles, Xbox-360, Genres, 3D, Action, Adventure, Role-Playing

Did you finish Fable 2 yet? Did you manage to sneak your way passed the game’s life ruining bugs and glitches? I managed to finish it twice with only one character stuck in infinite turmoil thanks to the “Abbot glitch”. But if you did manage to finish it, then a recent tease on the Lionhead blog should tickle your curiosity as it has ours:

Normally, we don’t like to tease too much. You know, all this hype being generated by teasing the announcement that there will be an announcement in X-number of days. Who cares? But in this day and age where a gazillion titles are asking for your attention, I felt it might be the right thing to do on the blog. We’ve got some G o o d [Good] news for all Fable II fans next week, dare I even say it’s quite a big announcement? Yes of course I dare say it’s a big announcement regarding Fable II, next week!

Oh Lionhead, you are such a tease despite your claim. Dammit, now we are anxious to hear what this “big announcement” is.

Could it be a large quest expansion offering up new cities and moral choices? Perhaps some enhancements to the regular game including new clothes, weapons, maybe even the ability to dress your spouse and child? Or perhaps its simply the patch we are all waiting for to free our characters from the clutches of the Abbot and his glitch and maybe free our wives from our castle’s walls. Finally, maybe its the missing limited edition content that we’ve been waiting for.

Whatever it is, we’ll take it because we are rather addicted to the game and any more it is welcome. 

Read [Lionhead blog] Via [Opposable Thumbs] Also [Wired] Also [1UP] Also [GamerTell]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »