HDGameNews.com: August 2007




Top News Stories


Nintendo Wii – Wii for Victory!
Friday

Starting with its unconventional name to its innovative controller, the Nintendo Wii comes loaded with every unique feature to make it a stand apart gaming console. The device has been a huge success amongst the gaming fraternity, and such is the furore the makers of the celebrated Xboxs and PSPs fear a run for their money.

Measuring 8.5 inches long by 6 inches wide, and being less than 2 inches thick, the Nintendo Wii comes with sharp, clean contours, with an Apple like glossy white finish. Which means, it not only makes a stylish appearance but also is quite compact. Another appreciated feature of Nintendo Wii is its angled plastic stand. With this, the gaming console can be oriented horizontally or vertically (something that the big player Play station 3 and Xbox 360 fails to deliver).

The Nintendo Wii comes with a set of impressive controls. They are designed to suit both left handed and right handed players. The controls include a Wii Remote and a Nunchuk--a joystick-style controller that connects to the remote for additional game control. The Wii Remote works for games within a radius of about 30 feet and functions as a cursor-type pointing device within about 15 feet. Also, the remote offers a great tactile feedback. The Wii Remote also contains a control for adjusting force feedback, a built-in speaker, a wrist strap, and four blue LED lights that indicate which player/controller number you've been assigned.

Downloading games from the online world is like a breeze, and the user friendly interface makes the experience of Nintendo Wii more pleasurable. A noteworthy feature of this gaming console is its "sleepless" WiiConnect24 service. Through this, the console automatically downloads information, even when it's on standby. Another feature worth a notice is its Virtual console. Here, gamers are allowed to download and play games from past consoles such as the Nintendo 64, NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx16. Nintendo will offer 12 classic console games at launch, including Donkey Kong (NES), SimCity (SNES), Super Mario 64, Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), and Bomberman '93 (TurboGrafx16).

Nintendo Wii is a gaming console for the masses. It is easy to understand, easy to use and quite affordable. So, for first time gamers, this console would sure prove an addiction.

About the Author: Raina Kelsey is a gadget expert and writes about the latest gadgets in the market.

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/31/2007 06:24:00 PM, ,

Microsoft Replaces Red Ringed Xbox with another dead console!

The replacement console died within 20 minutes of being turned on.

Microsoft, you should be able to guarantee that if something like this does happen, you have some sort of expedited method for dealing with it so that your consumers who spend hundreds of dollars on your hardware aren’t sitting without it for 8-12 weeks because of your problems.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/31/2007 07:58:00 AM, ,

Guitar Hero III for Wii Hands-on
Thursday

Nintendo may be focusing on the casual game market with its Wii system, but it was Red Octane and Harmonix that first nailed that demographic hard when the pair launched Guitar Hero on the PlayStation 2 a couple of years ago.

Even if you've never played a videogame before, it was a design that was easily accessible to anyone: pick up a guitar and strum notes as they race down the screen.

read more | digg story

source: ign.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/30/2007 10:19:00 PM, ,

BioShock: Gameplay, Graphics & Performance

Bit Tech dives deep into Rapture to evaluate the gameplay differences between PC and X360 along with the graphics differences between DX9 and DX10.

Test are conducted for performance across a wide range of graphics cards and CPUs.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/30/2007 10:05:00 PM, ,

Exclusive: Wii-mote Prototype Designer Speaks Out, Shares Sketchbook

Yesterday you saw the first prototype pre-Wii motion-sensitive controller that Gyration pitched to Nintendo in 2001.

Today, we received a note from Matt Presta at Bridge Design, who drafted the original concept. Here he explains his mission, shares a peek at the actual drawing board, and gives a shoutout to left-handed people everywhere.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/30/2007 10:00:00 PM, ,

The Most Stunning Collection of Metroid Artwork

Have a crush on Metroid's Samus? You're not alone.

These beautiful works of fan art will make you fall more in love with Nintendo's most adventurous girl.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/30/2007 09:48:00 PM, ,

Mass Effect Date Has Been Set

The guys over at BioWare have announced that the high anticipated RPG Mass Effect will be space worthy on Nov. 20th.

Looks like we have one more thing to give thanks for this November.

Full Release

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posted by Master SinWave @ 8/30/2007 05:33:00 PM, ,

Halo 3 Has Gone Gold
Wednesday

The game that Master Chief fans are eagerly awaiting, Halo 3, is done and has officially gone to press.

Now we just have to count the days until we can all play.

September 25th we all get to finish the fight!

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posted by Master SinWave @ 8/29/2007 07:41:00 PM, ,

New Halo Live Action Video
Tuesday

A new live action video by director Neill Blomkamp has been released over at the MSN Halo 3 site. Marines, Brutes, and a real live Warthog.

Just let this guy direct the movie already.

Low Bandwith

HD Version

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/28/2007 06:33:00 PM, ,

Microsoft Retrofitting 360 Wheels: Some Overheat, "Release Smoke"
Friday

Microsoft has just announced they're giving out free retrofits for all 360 wireless racing wheels sold, following some complaints they've received from users experiencing problems. Problems like...overheating.

read more | digg story

source kotaku.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/24/2007 08:12:00 AM, ,

Sony announces high-definition DVR for the PlayStation 3 in Europe

Sony announces its newest attack on your living room: PlayTV, a high definition DVR that allows control and playback using a PSP. The catch? It is only going to be available in Europe.

The Sony PlayStation 3 makes no excuses about what it wants: your entire living room. Sony wants you to watch Blu-ray movies in between playing your PS3 games and streaming content to your PSP. Another piece of the puzzle has been announced at Leipzig, as Sony has unveiled a combination TV tuner and DVR for the PlayStation 3. US gamers are on the outside looking in, though: the hardware is Europe-only.

read more | digg story

source: arstechnica.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/24/2007 08:08:00 AM, ,

HDGameNews.com : Launches Gaming Arcade.
Thursday

We have decided to launch a FREE gaming Arcade for our readers. I know we all have times in our day when we wish we could get a quick gaming fix. Well now you can anywhere you have a internet enabled PC.

Oh. And one more thing. Some of these games will work on the Nintendo Wii's internet browser as well.

Enjoy!

PLAY HERE

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:52:00 AM, ,

Preview: Rock Band (Videos Included)

Guitar Hero set the standard, but this is the real deal. Play any combination of guitar, bass and drums, or sing. Want to shred and scream like Kobain? No problem. You can play guitar and sing at the same time--just strap on an axe and set the microphone on a stand. Try playing drums and singing for a...

read more | digg story

source: gamepro.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:45:00 AM, ,

HDGameNews.com : Wants to hear your gaming with celebrity stories.

Its no secret that online gaming is becoming more main stream. People are logging on more than ever before to get their online fix each day. All types of people are getting in on the fun including celebrity's.

Do you have any celebrity gaming stories that you would like to share with the world. If so we would like to hear them. If we deem your story the "best" we will make a post on our home page for the world to see.

Tell your stories here

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:22:00 AM, ,

Is 'Bioshock' the best game of 2007?

Bioshock, 2K Games' new M-rated shooter/survival horror/adventure/RPG title for Xbox 360 and PC. If you love gaming, if you think gaming can be a form of art, if you like your digital entertainment to be smart, stylish and suspenseful, "BioShock" is for you. It's also a serious Game of the Year candidate.

MSNBC's John Ryan apparently feels it is.

read more | digg story

Source: MSNBC

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:17:00 AM, ,

Description of the new Metal Gear Solid 4 from Games Convention

The newest Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer was, surprisingly, on the show floor, tucked away in the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune area at Sony's booth, playing on a single screen. The trailer opened with the familiar camp scene from the second MGS4 trailer, following Snake and a group of Foxhound soldiers on the hunt for Liquid.

However....

read more | digg story

source: kotaku.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:13:00 AM, ,

Gabe Newell reveals Half-Life 2: The Orange Box requirements!

Straight from the horse's mouth: Gabe Newell revealed both the minimum and recommended systems to run Valve Software's upcoming hit game Half-Life 2: The Orange Box. Check at YouGamers.com to see if your PC can handle Team Fortress 2, Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2!

Here are the minimum specs:

1.7 GHz Pentium 4
512 MB system RAM
DirectX 8 compatible video card

source: yougamers.com

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/23/2007 07:03:00 AM, ,

Playstation 3: Is Sony trying to commit console suicide?
Wednesday

Sony's Playstation has set the bar for gaming for well over a decade now. Boy do I remember September 9th 1995 ( Official launch of PS1) like it was yesterday. Finally we were able to have an arcade like experience at home with games like Ridge Racer, Tekken and NBA Jam CE. The Playstation brand quickly outpaced Sega's Saturn to take the number one spot on the console sales charts and has not looked back since. I think every one I know has a PS2 and a handful of titles to boot.

Sony has always dominated the mass market with 1. Great games 2. Exclusive games and last but certainly not least 3. Fair price. However it becomes more apparent everyday that Sony has lost its way.

Lets take a look at 1. Great games that Sony has been hyping on the PS3: Lair was supposed to be this revolutionary experience using the Sixaxis controller with unbelievable visuals and sound. However according to the reviews that have been trickling in it is earning mediocre scores at best. EGM scores for Lair were 6.0, 5.5 and 5.0. Now lets take a look at Warhawk, another title being touted by Sony's hype machine. The title was supposed to offer revolutionary air to ground combat that was only possible on the Playstation 3. However according to the Playstation Magazine (PSM) that game only was worth a 6.5 out of 10. The headline of the review sums it up "A third-person shooter that never quite gets off the ground". Enough said. Score such are these are unacceptable in todays market where Sony has competitors like the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 constantly eating away market.

Now for number 2. Exclusive games. I can sum this up by asking the following question: How many Sony exclusive titles will be true system sellers? Get the point. One could argue Metal Gear Solid 4, however the jury is still out on whether that will remain exclusive.

Now and finally for number 3. Fair Price. Lets see. We were asked to pay $599 for the system at launch (which is crazy in itself, nobody wanted the $499 nerfed 20Gb version and Sony killed it). Then we received what we though was a price drop of $100.00. Wow. Thats awesome for a system that only been out for a few months. However, when the truth finally comes out it seems that Sony is only liquidating the existing 60Gb stock to make way for the new 80Gb model packed with Motorstorm, which you guessed it will come in at $599 smackaroos. What is Sony thinking on this?

Is Sony trying to commit console suicide? You be the judge.

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/22/2007 06:45:00 AM, ,

Bioshock has a HUGE widescreen display bug on both Xbox and PC!
Tuesday

Both demo versions of Bioshock have a huge bug dealing with setting the FOV in widescreen resolutions - to create the 16:9 image, it's rendering a 4:3 image, zooming in and chopping off the bottom and the top.

Make sure that 2K games knows that this is completely unacceptable and ruins the game for a lot of consumers.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/21/2007 10:22:00 PM, ,

Warhawk receives 6.5/10 from PSM!

"A third-person shooter that never quite gets off the ground." While PSM's current editor in chief previously worked for Official Xbox Magazine does this spell bad news for the anticipated PS3 title?

read more | digg story

Source: N4g.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/21/2007 10:15:00 PM, ,

Halo 3: Grenades, Needlers, and Other Weapons From the Future Make for Fun

Does this gun make me look fat? New weapons like the Gravity Hammer (capable of fungoing a charging vehicle) will add a chaotic dimension to multiplayer combat, while old favorites like the Sniper Rifle have undergone minor tweaks.

read more | digg story

source: wired.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/21/2007 09:46:00 PM, ,

45- Nanometer chips for the Xbox360 Planned

With all the revisions that the Xbox 360 has undergone as of late with the addition of the New Elite model, New Premium models incorporating HDMI outputs and the soon to be released 65 nanometer chip it seems Microsoft would be relaxing a bit.

However, according to the Official Xbox Magazine it seems that Microsoft is set on reducing the chip size even more. OXM reports that Microsoft will be switching to a new 45-nanometer chips by late 2009.

Source: Official Xbox Magazine - October 2007

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/21/2007 07:55:00 AM, ,

Mass Effect Delayed
Sunday

It seems retailers have started emailing all their customers who have preordered Bioware's Mass Effect.

Mass Effect has been delayed for a total of over 8 months now, but the latest delay seems like a strategic move, opposed to the previous delays which required more time for the games development.

read more | digg story

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/19/2007 08:06:00 PM, ,

Ubisoft's GRAW team denies PS3 programming difficulty

It's long been said that programming for the PS3, or any new console, is a daunting task. Some have said the PS3 is particularly difficult. Are they right? The dev team behind Ubisoft's GRAW2 says that no, it's not that tough after all.

One member of that team, Yann Le Tensorer said "It's wrong to say it's harder to code on the PlayStation 3, it's just something that needs to be learnt ... It's not harder to develop on the PS3 than it is on the 360, it's just a different console.

read more | digg story

source: ps3fanboy.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/19/2007 04:35:00 PM, ,

Review: PC BioShock Outshines 360 Version

If you're debating which version to get, the PC version handles better. In part it's because of the greater precision with the mouse and keyboard, but also with how the plasmids and weapons are selected.

With the default settings RMB switches between the two, LMB fires, and you use the mouse wheel instead of a radial menu to select a specific plasmid or weapon. This keeps you rooted in the action to a greater degree than in the Xbox 360 version, since you don't have to keep pausing the game. By hitting Shift you can bring up a plasmid and weapon selection screen if you so desire, but the mouse wheel scrolled through fast enough to stay useful.

read more | digg story

source: ve3d.ign.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/19/2007 04:26:00 PM, ,

Ninja Gaiden 2 CONFIRMED for Tokyo Game Show

Gamespot Korea has learned today that Ninja Gaiden 2 has been confirmed for the Xbox 360, and that it will be shown for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show… I think… I can’t read Korean.

Citing a, quote, “???” (or “Industry Insider” for those of you who actually HAVE a translator built in to your internet browser), Ninja Gaiden Deuce will be shown using an Xbox 360 console. He went on to say that the game will be shown on the Xbox 360 because of the good relationship Team Ninja has with Microsoft.

read more | digg story

source: xbox360rally.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/19/2007 04:16:00 PM, ,

Unreal Tournament 3 For Linux Confirmed

While everyone was expecting Unreal Tournament 3 for Linux based upon Epic Games providing native Linux clients for their past Unreal Tournament titles, this week it was officially confirmed by Epic's Mark Rein that there will be a Linux client for UT3.

Mark Rein is the VP of Epic Games as well as being their forum administrator. He had stated earlier this week: "We're a multi-platform company folks please come to grips with that.

read more | digg story

source: phoronix.com

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posted by Wasted Rage @ 8/19/2007 04:00:00 PM, ,

The Authors

Brock Raybon - Wasted Rage

Brock is a business owner by day and avid gamer and blogger by night. He writes about console and pc gaming, hdtv and technology news. Definitely a "CONSOLE FANBOY" born with a 2600 joystick in his hand.




Chris Lugo - Master Sinwave

Chris works in customer services by day and moonlights as a hardcore techie by night. He started gaming as a young lad with his trusty Atari and now plays it all from console to hardcore pc games. HE GIVES CONSOLE AND PC GAMES A FAIR SHAKE.

About This Blog

This blog is a multi-author blog devoted to console gaming, pc gaming, hdtv, and tech news. Its purpose is to keep fellow gamers and tech heads as to whats going on in the industry.

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