Section: Gaming News, Features, Lists

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Gamertell Review: Class of Heroes for PSP
  ” Title: Class of Heroes Price: $39.99 System(s): PSP Release Date: June 6, 2009 Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Zerodiv) ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Alcohol Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Mild Suggestive Themes MORE ?
• PlayStation Store Update: E3 2009 wrap up, more downloadable music (June 8 to June 13, 2009)
  “This week’s PlayStation Store is featuring the game Trash Panic by Sony Computer Entertainment America. It’s an eco-friendly puzzle available for download for $4.99 that pits up to two players against the clock…” MORE ?
• Gamertell Review: Space Ace for iPhone, iPod Touch
  ” Title: Space Ace Price: $4.99 System(s): iPhone, iPod Touch Release Date: April 26, 2009 Publisher (Developer): Dragon’s Lair LLC ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for animated violence Pros: The same game…” MORE ?
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of June 1 – June 7, 2009
  “The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all – good and not so good – in their respective categories with a breakdown of the great games and the free games right where you want ‘em,…” MORE ?
• Class of Heroes’ most useful races and majors for beginners
  ” I’ve had the good fortune to be playing Class of Heroes for quite a while now, and I’d like to think I’ve familiarized myself with the game. After all, I’ve never had a party completely wiped out in…” MORE ?
• Sony Home Update: The universe is expanding (again), a spy has been discovered in Xi
  “Click your heals three times and repeat after me… “There’s no place like HOME! There’s no place like HOME!” Spaces And I’m not joking, since Home opened its virtual doors it has been expanding into its own…” MORE ?
• Xbox Live going down for scheduled maintenance
  “It would be wise to make some plans outdoors on June 16, 2009, because Xbox Live won’t be around to keep you company. Starting at 12:01a.m. (PST), Xbox Live will be undergoing maintenance that could last up to 24 hours. This means…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: The flops, weaks spots and not-so-hots
  “E3 2009 was pretty successful. We saw some interesting games, a new PSP incarnation and quite a few extra peripherals. For the most part, a very productive couple of days. But, there were a few stains…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: Final Fantasy Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers in-depth hands-on impressions
  ” At the 2009 Electronics Entertainment Expo, Square Enix debuted a playable demo of the latest chapter in its Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series titled The Crystal Bearers for Wii. Staying true to the Final Fantasy Crystal…” MORE ?
• Mike Wilson: “People seemed pretty bored” at E3 2009, working on something new
  “Before I wrote “E3 could probably use a little more GameCock,” I tried to reach former GameCock CEO Mike Wilson for comment. Since he wasn’t with SouthPeak, the company that acquired GameCock in 2008, it…” MORE ?

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In case you have been in a black hole, here is a list of stuff you may have missed:

Google Wave
It looks awesome, but a bunch of the features already exist with a combination of services (mostly Friendfeed).

Bing
Microsoft’s “new” search engine. The name will probably work better than the Live branding.

Facebook Usernames
In a move that makes it look like the last horse in the Preakness, Facebook will offer custom URLs.

Verified Accounts
Twitter just launched verified accounts. So now you know if that is really the celebrity you are drooling over for no apparent reason. I wonder how long it takes the bad guys to fake it.

DTV Transition
Also on the agenda, the belated DTV changeover. I will just be happy to not see the messages scroll on the local stations anymore.

Project Natal
Could be full of win. No controller required gaming.

WordPress 2.8 is Out

There is a gif of NPH dancing with Elmo

New Element!

For some reason Web 2.0 is the millionth word. It is two words, but I guess that does not matter.

Back to whatever you were doing.

Section: Gaming News, Originals, Features, Opinions, Consoles, Wii, Handhelds, DS, Conventions, E3

By now, we all know the big games of E3 2009 – New Super Mario Bros. Wii, BioShock 2, Mass Effect 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, God of War III, and oh yeah, that game with the Beatles. But there were plenty of under-the-radar surprises at this year’s show – quality games that looked great without the benefit of the hype machine. The following are my top three picks that came right out of left field and made a major impression.

Robacalypse: Beaver Defense
Despite having a truly bizarre title (I thought it was a joke at first!) this “tower defense” strategy title for WiiWare was looking good. Like Ninjatown (DS) on steroids, the game features advanced AI, more freedom in placing your units, and a “hero robot” mechanic that allows you to choose a robotic super soldier at each level’s outset. I was able to try this one hands-on, and I was genuinely impressed with the beefed up mechanics and manic pace. It’s slated for a WiiWare release on September 30, 2009.

A Boy and His Blob
The shining star of Majesco’s booth, this Wii retro revival of the classic NES game was looking gorgeous. With a hand-painted graphical style and compelling puzzle-platforming gameplay, the game was a definite sleeper hit of the show. The guys behind the game (WayForward) also developed Contra 4 for the DS, so they definitely know what they’re doing when it comes to now-gen reboots. This one’s coming in the fall of 2009.

Prank Your Neighbor
I had zero expectations from this JoWood/Dreamcatcher point and click adventure – the company does not have the best track record with the genre. However, I was totally charmed by the “90s LucasArts” aesthetic and cheeky premise: basically, you play as a little guy who has stowed away on a cruise ship with his obnoxious neighbors. Your objective is to find new ways to combine items and environmental hazards in order to make the neighbor’s life miserable. It looked like boatloads of fun – no pun intended. You can pick up the DS version in July 2009.

Read [WayForward]

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

Section: Gaming News, Features, Collecting, Lists, Previews, Consoles, PS3, Gear, Accessories, Clothing, Displays, Figures & Toys, Furniture, Gear-Other

Click your heals three times and repeat after me… “There’s no place like HOME! There’s no place like HOME!”

Spaces

And I’m not joking, since Home opened its virtual doors it has been expanding into its own little universe. Like the new upcoming space I mentioned last week for a space called BUZZ! HQ which has actually been delayed because of a few minor issues, but will open very soon once all the kinks are worked out. Until then, a new space is on its way soon for the game inFamous. No confirmed date as to when it will be available yet but, according to Sony, players will be able to explore the Empire City and play the new inFamous themed mini-game that will test players reflex and aiming skills. And I can’t wait to take that test.

Speaking of inFamous, the Cole costumes are now unlockable for Sony Home. Some gamers were given a glimpse of this upcoming Home space during E32009, check out a video a player recorded at the Sony Home booth:

Another space on its way to Sony Home will be a Ghostbusters-themed space by LOOT Gear who have already created the Studio Set Apartment available at the Real Estate store in the mall and now teasing the space as well as fun gear available to players on PlayStation Home. With a silly infomercial on YouTube and tweets on their twitter page about their upcoming “Ghostbusters” space, check it out:

No dates have been confirmed for the new Ghostbusters space but at the mall you can purchase complete Ghostbusters uniforms for $1.99 (Male and Female costumes) while you wait or you can purchase individual items for:

Stuff

Males

• Uniform top for 99 cents
• Pants for 49 cents
• Boots for 25 cents
• Ecto goggles for 49 cents
• Chemical gloves for 25 cents

Females

• Uniform top for 99 cents
• Uniform shorts for 49 cents
• Boots for 25 cents
• Ghostbusters hat for 49 cents
• Chemical gloves for 25 cents

More Street Fighter 4 outfits are now available for male avatars:

• Balrog wig, shirt, shorts, boxing gloves and boots for 99 cents each.
• Vega wig, mask, body top, pants, claw bracelets and shoes for 99 cents each.
• Sagat body top, trunks, hand wraps, foot wraps and eye patch for 99 cents each.
• M. Bison wig, suit top, suit bottom and boots for 99 cents each.

Also new at the mall furniture store, players can display their favorite works of art, posters or photos on the walls of their personal spaces with picture frames now available for $2.99. Users can their favorite pictures by uploading the images to your photo gallery playlist located on the PlayStation menu and then importing them into the frames after placing them on the wall. The sleek grayish frames are pretty neat, players can turn them horizontally or vertically or just rotate the image within the frame and either stretch, fill or crop them into place. Note you can only hang as many frames as your wall space allows for example, if you own the Harbor Studio Apartment the most you can hang is four where as if you plan wisely you can hang up to six in your chamber apartment. There are default images available for use until you upload the images you want into your photo gallery playlist. As a reminder Sony suggests using only images that are owned by you to avoid copyright issues and other legal stuff.

Xi: The Hub

Over at Xi: The Hub, correspondence between the team leader Thom and a Veilcorps operative has been discovered by volunteers and the AFK hackers. With the spy found the testers are not speaking with each other in disappointment and fear of revealing any new valuable information to Veilcorps. In an email sent by Jachal informing players that Jess has dropped another clue on her home computer, players who have read the message will find mathematical problems to solve by exploring the different worlds on Home to answer the questions. A new maze has opened in Alpha Zone 3 which is similar to the riddle maze, except now you have faster ghosts chasing you not to mention tougher questions to answer to get to the goal before the ghosts find you. The only hint I can offer here is pay attention to where the ghost is moving and when he’s not looking, run. Fast. Good luck.

Read [Playstation Blog] Site [PlayStation] Site [Loot Gear] Site [LOOT’s Twitter page]

Full Story ? | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article ?

Section: Gaming News, Exclusives, Originals, Features, Interviews, Game-Companies, Indie, Conventions, E3, GDC

Before I wrote “E3 could probably use a little more GameCock,” I tried to reach former GameCock CEO Mike Wilson for comment. Since he wasn’t with SouthPeak, the company that acquired GameCock in 2008, it took a little extra time to get hold of him.

It turns out he was at E3 2009 this year but not wearing the bright birdly garb or years past. He had a response to my opinion piece, a few comments about E3 2009 and let loose a little news of his own.

Here’s what Wilson had to say/type:

I agree with your article. The show floor was a nice balance, I thought, for the 30 mins or so I was on it. Seems like you could have conversations all day without yelling, and the techo/sweatfest aspect was way down. Cool.

But definitely a lot missing on the excitement front. Not sure how much of that was everyone being shellshocked or having survivor’s guilt because it’s 2009. But people seemed pretty bored.

Even the Hotel Fig[ueroa] was WAY down tempo from last year.

The rest of his email reveals that he’s not quite as caged as I had thought, although it sounds as if he won’t be putting on any colorful plumage any time soon. He was at Hotel Fig during E3 for a few meetings.

Harry [Miller] and I have another company going, which you’ll be hearing about soon, but even we are adjusting to the times a bit. One solid game IP at first, nothing too flashy.? 2010 seems like a good year to fully come out of hibernation (hopefully with the rest of the biz) and have some noisy old fun. Maybe even by Austin GDC if the summer doesn’t bring any new catastrophes.

Wilson indicated there are not any demos of this secret game but there will be “soon.” Let’s hope his new project manages to ruffle at least a few feathers, in a good way, of course.

Read [Gamertell]

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

Section: Gaming News, Features, Lists

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Live Blog: Sony’s E3 2009 press conference
  “Seems like June 2, 2009,? is a busy day for press conferences. Sony’s going to be holding it’s E3 2009 media briefing after Nintendo’s at 11 a.m. PST (1 p.m. CST, 2 p.m. EST). We’ll be live-blogging the entire conference…” MORE ?
• Live Blog: Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference
  “E3 2009 is less than a day away and Gamertell is going to live blog all the exciting news that will come out of Microsoft’s press conference. The press conference will begin at 10:25 a.m. Pacific Time (12:25 p.m. Central Time…” MORE ?
• Live Blog: Nintendo’s E3 2009 press conference
  “On June 2, 2009, Nintendo’s going to be holding it’s official E3 2009 media briefing. It starts at 9 a.m. PST (11 a.m. CST, 12 p.m. EST). Be sure to join us here at Gamertell, as we’ll be live-blogging the entire event.…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: Last minute E3 Predictions
  “I miss the days when secrets were secrets and any games industry talk you heard about all month came from the pages of your favorite gaming rag. These days, leaks pour out from every orifice from a company. It’s gotten so bad…” MORE ?
• Live Blog: Ubisoft’s E3 2009 press conference
  “Is it pronounced YOU-bee-soft or or OO-bee-soft? However you pronounce it, the company makes some great games and we hope 2009 will prove to be another great year of releases. The press conference begins at 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Monday, June 1,…” MORE ?
• Wrapup of Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference
  “Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference has just wrapped up and it’s safe to say it came out swinging. Of the avalanche of announcements that were revealed, a few stood out as being the best in show. The Hideo Kojima mystery has…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: More on the WiiMotionPlus (with photos)
  “Nintendo made a lot of mention of the upcoming WiiMotionPlus controller at it’s E3 2009 press conference. Meant to replace the WiiMote, Red Steel 2 will be the first game to use on the WiiMotionPlus and they…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: Live Blog Recap-apalooza
  “In case you (gaming gods forbid) missed our Live Blogging of any of the five press conferences that kicked off E3 2009, here’s your chance to get back in the action. For your convenience we offer the complete Live Blogs as…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: Sony keynote presentation wrap-up
  “Sony’s massive two hour E3 presentation has just ended. We were given a lot of information to digest. At times, it seemed like we were receiving more facts about how well Sony is doing, as opposed to what new games…” MORE ?
• E3 2009: Nintendo’s keynote press conference wrap-up
  “Wow, we just had a lot of surprises from Nintendo. From the expected Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus hyping, to the unexpected announcement of New Super Mario Bros. (Wii), Golden Sun DS and Metroid: Anotther M (Wii). Gamertell’s just finished it’s…” MORE ?

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