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Skyrim, Uncharted, And Portal Clean Up At The Interactive Achievement Awards

2012-02-10T06:33:37Z

While the BAFTAs may just be getting started with last year's games, the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards have already come and gone for another season. While not as highly advertised as the VGAs or even televised anymore, that's only because they actually give out awards instead of showing new trailers and watching Felicia Day be hot.

I mean, she was there and hot, but at least we didn't see her eat cupcakes.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Uncharted 3, and Portal 2 ran away with the show, with Skyrim earning five awards including Game of the Year, and the other two games earning a respectable three awards each. For the complete list of awards, make the jump. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go be outraged that Rayman Origins was snubbed for every art award in favor of Uncharted 3.

]]> Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Action Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Adventure Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham City
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Sports Game of the Year: FIFA 12
Racing Game of the Year: Forza Motorsport 4
Fighting Game of the Year: Mortal Kombat
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year: Orcs Must Die!
Family Game of the Year: LittleBigPlanet 2
Mobile Game of the Year: Infinity Blade II
Handheld Game of the Year: Super Mario 3D Land
Downloadable Game of the Year: Bastion
Casual Game of the Year: Fruit Ninja Kinect
Social Networking Game of the Year: The Sims Social
Outstanding Character Performance: Portal 2 (Wheatley)
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity: Portal 2
Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: Portal 2
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Battlefield 3
Outstanding Achievement in Story: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Double Fine Adventure Exceeds Its Kickstarter Goal

2012-02-10T04:44:59Z

Adventure Games: They lit up our youths, showed us the joys of that primitive thing known as DOS, and taught me the hard lesson that "Holy Christ an ogre for the love of god RUN" was not an input recognized by my computer. As time went on, they increased in sophistication, abandoning the archaic ways of text input-based commands, in favor of a more direct, "point and click" affair.

While adventure games aren't quite the phenomenon they used to be (my heart will always beats for you, Sierra), they still exist, and the kids over at Double Fine Productions have brought it upon themselves to breathe new life into the genre with an upcoming game: Double Fine Adventure. The company was started by Tim Schaefer back in 2000. Those of my age group probably know him best from his work on Grim Fandango, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, though youngsters (and their god d*mn hula-hoops) may know him better from games such as Psychonauts and Brutal Legend.

Find out more after the jump!

]]> In order to finance the project, as explained in their most entertaining introduction video (posted above), Double Fine has turned to Kickstarter to encourage you, upstanding citizen of the People's Democratic Republic of Internet, to donate to the project. The total stands at a rather astonishing $1,159,143 as of 11:15 PM CST - well above the projects $400,000 goal, which was met in under nine hours. For those with the financial means, $15 gets you a copy of the finished game; donations above that mark will grant you "a selection of premium rewards ranging from a download of the full documentary series in splendid 1080p HD video with bonus footage, to unique posters, original concept art, and even a mini painting of yourself done by the game's artist!"

So what is to be done with the excess riches? According to Schafer, the money will be used to buy ~~$600,000 worth of blow, which will be snorted off the ankles of a $100,000 "lady of the night" over the course of several months~~ improve the game, the documentary, open up the possibility of release on multiple platforms, as well as foreign-language translations, among other possibilities. For those interested to see how the development progresses, Schafer & Co. are enlisting the help of 2 Player Productions - currently working on "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang." and a follow-up bit about of Mojang's Scrolls - to produce "monthly video updates exclusively to the Kickstarter backers."

So if you have $15 laying around, and like myself, still enjoy that which kids will soon start referring to as "grandpa games," it's worth considering opening up your heart - as well as your wallet - to Double Fine's project - particularly since you are effectively buying a copy of the game. For those who want to contribute, but are rather short of funds, the Kickstarter account allows for donations as low as $1.

BAFTA announces Video Game awards: Bethesda clears a spot in their trophy case.

2012-02-10T03:15:09Z

This morning The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced their shortlist of nominees for game of the year.

Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Fifa 12
LA Noire
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Minecraft
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Viewers can vote on these awards and the winners will be announced via youtube. At this point it kinda feels like Skyrim is the Titanic of video games, not in the doomed ocean liner sense, but in the overrated James Camereon sense. While Skyrim and the rest of the titles are all great games, there is nothing shocking here, this list is once again the most popular games of last year, plus Fifa so we get that it's European. Eight out of the ten games on this list are sequels and several are sequels to games that won this award in years past.

Personally, I'd like to see more bold choices being made, like Catherine or... actually, I'd like to see new franchises being born rather than the same game we've been playing for the past twenty years getting upgraded. Move aside Link, it's time for a new hero to save the world.

Skyrim Updates

2012-02-10T02:00:00Z

Bethesda has announced that the 1.4 update for Skyrim is now live for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 users in Europe. PS3 owners in the US should see it sometime tonight. In fact, it might already be ready to go by the time you read this.

They also want to warn everyone that if you notice any strange in-game behavior immediately after installing the patch, you shouldn't panic. "This is a normal function of the script backlog temporarily correcting itself," they promise. For a full list of bug fixes and adjustments, you can read this list from when the PC patch went live.

Also, the Skyrim Workshop and Creation Kit is now available free to anybody with a Steam account and a copy of Skyrim. So now we're going to see all kinds of mods that run the gamut from awesome/cool to bizarre/hilarious. Like the one pictured above that lets you choose the amount of body hair on your hero. You know, for when you're running around shirtless looking hot. More at this link. (I especially love the Death Star moon...)

Meet Nintendo's First Spokesdog!

2012-02-10T00:30:00Z

I know this is kind of ridiculous, but come on — this dog is adorable. Nintendo of America has teamed with Uggie, the star of the Oscar-nominated film The Artist, making him their first official "spokesdog" so that he can spread the word about how much fun nintendogs + cats is for the 3DS!

"Uggie didn't have to sit up and beg for his role as Nintendo's spokesdog," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "It's truly our pleasure to work with a star of Uggie's magnitude, especially to help animal lovers and portable gaming fans discover the fun of nintendogs + cats."

I had no idea, but apparently, February is Responsible Pet Owners Month, so Uggie is using his star power to help promote how nintendogs + cats can help teach valuable tips on how to maintain happy relationships with their four-legged friends. I suppose some of the game would translate into the real world on a pretty basic level, but I haven't played with or fed either Wilbur or Streaky in quite some time and they'll still be there patiently waiting for me if I turn the game back on again. In the real world? Not so much.

Still, Uggie is super cute, and he's promoting nintendogs + cats as well as the Pearl Pink 3DS, so I couldn't resist writing about it. Even if the press release isn't entirely clear as to how exactly Uggie is going to be performing his spokesdog duties during the month of February. Oh, but it did mention that there is a demo of nintendogs + cats that will soon be appearing in the Nintendo eShop, so you can check it out if you haven't already. Spoiler Alert: It's super fun!

Vita Games Already Available On PSN

2012-02-09T04:46:39Z

With not long before the Vita's North American launch, those who plan to snatch up the PSP successor can prep their wallets for some hot, digital download action. Serving mainly as a tease, while you stew in resentment toward a future that simple will not come, the early release on PSN does ensure that at least five titles will be ready at launch - thus giving oneself a handsome library the day of release - as well as reducing time spent at one's local video game retailer, thereby limiting exposure to the smelly, dead-eyed troglodytes that my bourgeois relatives refer to as "the working class." As revealed by G4, the games are:

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational: $35.99

Uncharted: Golden Abyss: $49.99

Wipeout 2048: $35.99

Modnation Racers Road Trip: $26.99

Super Stardust Delta: $9.99 (PSN exclusive)

So for those willing to become Sony's guinea pigs early adopters of the Vita, and prefer digital downloads over physical media (I know you exist; I read the comments section), this probably comes as welcome news. However, one must remember the size of Vita games - on the high end, Golden Abyss is almost 2GB; other games average just over 1GB - which can eat up those precious, proprietary memory cards in short order, particularly if you're planning to download previous PSN purchases onto your device. For those more inclined toward actual game cards, it seems as though some GameStop locations are already selling Vita titles - Golden Abyss is currently listed as "in stock" at several locations in my Minnesotan frost-scape - though one would be wise to call ahead to confirm that it is available for purchase.

Put Your Hand On Kylie's Heart With The New SingStar DLC

2012-02-09T02:00:00Z

Well, unfortunately, today's SingStore update has a lot of songs that I already have, but it's got one I definitely don't and can't wait to download! This week adds:

"With Ur Love" by Char Lloyd Feat. Mike Posner
"Put A Little Love In Your Heart" by Jackie DeShannon
"Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue
"Run For Your Life" by Matt Cardle
"Storytime" by Nightwish
"Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon
"Don't You Want Me" by The Human League
"L'Aurora" by Eros Ramazotti

As well as a new song pack, '80s Part 4 that includes:
"The Power Of Love" by Jennifer Rush
"Alone" by Heart
"Africa" by Toto
"Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
"Rhythm Of The Night" by DeBarge

I'm so annoyed that I already have three of the songs in the '80s pack. Otherwise, I would totally suck it up and get "The Power Of Love" even though I don't want it just for the other tunes. But I have everything else but "Africa" in Lips, and since I like that game better anyway, I'm certainly not going to double dip here. (I might do it in the other direction, if they were still releasing DLC for Lips... sadface...)

So now I have to wait and hope that they release them separately because I would love to have "Africa." Of course, I'm still waiting for them to release the Adele song pack separately, and I'm glad I'm not holding my breath for that one... As for the main songs, I'm definitely picking up Kylie (although I really wish they could get her later songs, too because they're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel of the early stuff), and REO Speedwagon. I love The Human League, but as with the other '80s songs, I've got it in Lips. Still, more Kylie is always a good thing!

February Is Official Gabrielle Month

2012-02-09T00:30:00Z

It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but Natsume has declared February "Official Gabrielle Month." To mark the launch of the latest in the Gabrielle series, Gabrielle's Monster Match, Natsume is kicking off a month of promotions.

I've already got Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D, but if you don't, and you buy it through the Natsume store, you can get a free exclusive figurine of the adorable title character. And if you're a fan of Natsume's Facebook page, you can earn the chance to win one of them by entering the dream date contest where you tell Natsume all about your perfect evening with any Natsume game character! Oh, and there's also Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix, available on WiiWare as well as her new puzzle game.

"We decided that Gabrielle's world would fit nicely into a fun and addictive puzzle game, and that is how Gabrielle's Monster Match began," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "We really wanted to celebrate the launch, and thought that bringing back the hugely popular Gabrielle figurine was a great way to do it!"

Gabrielle's Monster Match is available now in the iTunes store for all iOS platforms. Beginning with a grid partially filled with the heads of Gabrielle and her monster friends, you move them around to match four in a row to clear space. But if your move doesn't eliminate any heads, more will be added in random open spaces, complicating matters for you. You can download the game for free, and an expanded version featuring additional quests can be unlocked for just 99 cents.

I gave it a shot, and unfortunately, while it contains all the adorable gothic charm of Gabrielle's other games, the instructions on this one were a little vague, and I found myself learning trial by error. And I'm still not sure why sometimes you can't move certain pieces. It's not exactly clear. But if you try it and figure it out, let me know!

dannyTV's Top 10 Hottest Male Video Game Characters

2012-02-08T19:43:56Z

It seems that every list of hot video game characters on the internet is exclusively comprised of Lara Croft and various other pixelated boobs attached to blondes. Well the men of gaming have a lot to offer as well: bulging biceps, pecs for days, and jaw lines chiseled from Italian marble. You may recall gogoedward's coverage of the blazing hot Muto Magazine spread that finally did Mario and Luigi justice. So let's give Bayonetta and Zelda the night off and take some time to objectify the men of video games.

Here are my top ten personal favorite gaming guys.

]]>

10 David Wright | MLB The Show '07
I realize this is kind of cheating, but professional athletes are hot, plain and simple. With so many professional athletes out there, it takes someone truly special to crack a list like this. David Wright is amongst the hottest, even if he is on the Mets. He plays third base and I'd let him go there and farther, as long as he's pitching. It's no wonder he was on the cover of an MLB game.

9 Yuri Hyuga | Shadow Hearts
Of all the emo, loner, anti-social heroes that JRPGs have to offer, picking the hottest was no challenge at all. Yuri Hyuga traveled the world, battled demons, god and *spoilers* incest, all in the name of the woman he loves. And *again spoilers* what's sexier than a man who is willing to sacrifice his own life to make sure his friends all have happy endings? He truly has it all with his dark, mysterious attitude, and a repressed rage that's practically bursting out of him. Plus, he's good with his fists.

8 Phoenix Wright | Ace Attorney
What isn't sexy about lawyers? They've got power, money, and dominating attitude to lead their way through the most feared beast of all: the western legal system. As gaming's top lawyer, there's no objection that Phoenix Wright could argue my pants wright off.

7 Kilik | Soul Calibur
I love a man who knows how to work a pole. Fighting games have left us in no short supply of gorilla juice-heads, just look at the cast of Street Fighter. You must have biceps this big to enter. Kilik, though, doesn't rely on 18 packs, hadouken, or fatalities to get the job done. His bo staff and a strong sense of justice more than meet the task of taking down evil and destroying the soul edge. The muscles certainly don't hurt, though.

6 Balthier | Final Fantasy 12 Squall, Cloud, Lightning; the leading men of Final Fantasy are never harsh on the eyes, but it was a supporting character in Final Fantasy XII that stole our hearts. A gunslinger more concerned with keeping his cuffs clean and making sure you know who's the leading man, Balthier hides a gentler side typically ignored by smooth talking air pirates. I need to change my panties just thinking about him.

5 Master Chief | Halo
Sure, we never see his face, but think about it this way -- underneath Samus Aran's helmet was a beautiful blonde babe. Using that logic, Master Chief must be a bonafide hottie underneath all that bulky gear. Besides, what could be sexier than the man you are whipping up in your imagination with a strong arm and deep voice barking out commands? He's got the moves on the battlefield, and he's probably got the moves in the bedroom.

4 The Bands | Rockband
It is scientific fact that being a rockstar makes if you significantly sexier than the average street urchin. Thanks to the kind folks at Harmonix, you no longer need musical talent to be a sex god. All it takes is a game and about 200 dollars of electronic instruments to turn yourself into an instant love machine. Best of all, you get to decide what you look like while belting out your best Bon Jovi to the crowd in your living room.

3 Alistair | Dragon Age
Alistair has that goofy yet adorable charm that just makes you melt. He's the kind of guy you want to bring home to mom. Rather than the bad boy we always fall for, he's a goodie-goodie who plays by the rules, and somehow he's still dripping swag. I had to play through Dragon Age twice just so I could romance him. And yes I used some dirty mods on that play through.

2 Nathan Drake | Uncharted
I know it's cliche to have him here, but the man just oozes of sex. The way he looks, moves, talks; the man is the embodiment video game sexy. Well traveled, well spoken, and well kept, I think it's a safe bet that this graphic god will be gracing our consoles for years to come. He truly is the male Lara Croft, though his gun is way bigger I'm sure.

1 Chris Redfield | Resident Evil
What can I say about this man? He's been a survivor for years and he's the badass boy next door you can't help but fall in love with. Don't take my word for it, just let his biceps do all the talking for him.

Or his leather-daddy gear:

Newlywed Couple's First Dance Is To Skyrim's "The Dragonborn Comes"

2012-02-08T18:14:42Z

Every young lass dreams of what her wedding day will be like -- the flowing gowns, beautiful flowers adoring everything, the ancient chants of monks heralding a hero to save us from ancient evils threatening the world. This lucky bride got her wish with one of the most epic ballads to every grace Tamriel, the song The Dragonborn Comes, as performed by Malukah, from The Elderscrolls 5: Skyrim. Watch her and her groom's robotic glide across a dance floor while a bewildered audience stares.

How can I put this as elegantly as possible? Uh...not sure if want. Yes, that seems appropriately internet-speak for this blessed occasion. The world may never be privy to the decision process that led these two to settle on a video game song for their special day, but as long as they can refrain from naming their firstborn "Dohvahkin," then I think we can let them slide on this one.

Mass Effect 3 Embracing iOS

2012-02-08T04:45:10Z

Indeed, Mass Effect is the latest series to hop aboard the iTrain (you may remember the iOS version of Dead Space for the iPhone), with an upcoming title called Infiltrator. Shacknews acquired a promotional pamphlet at a recent EA event, which describes the game as such:

Take the all-out galactic war in Mass Effect 3 on-the-go with Infiltrator, a fully-featured iOS third-person shooter showcasing stunning graphics and authentic weapons and powers from the Mass Effect series [...] "Inspired by the deep and immersive Mass Effect 3 universe, in Infiltrator players will help to free prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base and will receive rewards for collecting evidence of Cerberus' crimes along the way. Every completed rescue and intelligence discovery in Infiltrator will increase a player's Galactic Readiness rating directly through the Galaxy at War system in Mass Effect 3.

No release date has been announced, but those interested should expect to get Infiltrator sometime in the near future. According to the Shacknews article, "the iOS game will also unlock 'exclusive weaponry' for use in the main game." As unsavory as the thought of playing a shooter on an iOS device may be - I for one have a vendetta against touchscreen controls, particularly if the game in question is meant to replicate a game controller - the iPad in particular has shown that it's no chump when it comes to graphics and, as the earlier Dead Space video demonstrated, can be a step above the throwaway fun to which we've become accustomed with iOS games.

Yet concern citizens of the Apple-scape may chirp, "But what about Mass Effect 3? Must I be parted from my iThing?" As it happens, no. ME3 will integrate with iOS gadgets through the "Mass Effect Datapad" app. As video from the EA event reveals, the app enables players to get updates on the war, via the galaxy map, receive messages from characters you have met over the single-player campaign, and perhaps most interestingly, "with an in-app mini-game, you can deploy troops and fight the war against the Reaper."

Granted, it's doubtful that this will influence the campaign, but it's certainly interesting to see this sort of integration with portable devices. Integration with the iPad seems especially promising, and one can only imagine a future: a bold new tomorrow, in which tablets belong not only to rich folks, like myself ~~at least in my deluded fantasy of bourgeois comfort~~ but to whole of the the Great Unwashed, thus offering developers the opportunity to whet our collective appetite for new and interesting gameplay mechanics - either that, or an endless array of gimmicky nonsense.

Everything's Zen With This Week's Rock Band DLC

2012-02-08T02:00:00Z

Harmonix has got some more '90s alt-rock for you with a three-pack of songs from Bush: "Everything Zen," "Comedown" and "Machinehead" will be available in the Rock Band Music Store for $2 each or as the Bush Pack 01 for $5.49. And "Machinehead" is the only tune this time around that has keyboards and the optional $.99 Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades.

And if you're not a fan of Bush... well, you're outta luck. Maybe next week. Until then, just enjoy this photo of their lead singer, Gavin Rossdale!

First FF XIII-2 DLC Is Out!

2012-02-08T00:30:00Z

Square Enix has released the first in a series of downloadable content for the recently-released Final Fantasy XIII-2. In the Coliseum battle "Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar," Lightning and her former superior officer stand in Serah and Noel's way. And after beating Lightning and Amodar, they can be added to your party.

Additional episodes that will add to the FF XIII-2 narrative with new storyline branches for the characters will be announced and released in the future, but this one's available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network!

Final Fantasy X Getting A Facelift

2012-02-07T02:17:21Z

The Good Ship Nostalgia is once again nearing port, and in its cargo bay is none other than our PS2-era friend, Final Fantasy X. The existence of an "HD remake" was reported last September - it was originally meant to commemorate FFX's 10th birthday, back in 2011 - and there had been some hope ~~among those who aren't complete nihilists like myself~~ that the game would receive a proper remake, similar to FFIII and IV on the DS. Instead, as revealed during a Q&A at the Taipei Game Show, Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto stated that FFX will be an HD "remaster" title for the PS3 and Vita, complete with shiny new pixels, and a (presumably) less shiny, yet suitably new price tag. While this may be a disappointment among those hoping for a true remake - and for those like me, a juicy little morsel, bolstering Sony's removal of backwards compatibility in later incarnations of the PS3 as evidence of conspiracy - I'm not terribly averse to the idea of purchasing an HD version of FFX. Aside from being quite a lengthy jaunt through Spira, it does hold a special place in my heart as the last Final Fantasy title of my youth.

A trip through the wayback machine awaits after the jump!

]]> As I peer back into the swirling fog that is my memory, FFX was a rather odd, but ultimately enjoyable title - yet my initial impressions were less than kind:

Tidus seemed to possess the mental faculties of some kind of lobotomized skater boy - or "sk8r," as no one calls them anymore. Wakka had all the gravitas of a rejected cast member from "Cool Runnings." Yuna was like a Quaalude with legs, with a voice timid enough to make "Georgette" from the Mary Tyler Moore show seem like a screaming lunatic. Going above and beyond Square's "one annoying, pubescent girl per game" policy, Rikku had the distinction of being the only Final Fantasy character that made Yuffie seem low-key. While Lulu gets a bit of a pass, mainly on account of her all-encompassing gothness, not that I'm completely biased ~~god I love black and eyeliner~~, she exists mainly in my memory of having a stuffed Moogle, as well as everyone's favorite, breasts large enough to have their own gravitational pull. I'll spare you the rest.

Yet as the story went on, I quickly found myself powerless against FFX's charms, and the characters that had been an immediate object of ridicule became dear to my heart - and as the somber melody of "To Zanarkand" played, as the party sat before the ruins of the once-great city, I couldn't help but feel the faintest fluttering of this phenomenon called "emotion."

So what do you think, gamers? Does the prospect of a FFX remaster bring delight to your little boy/girl heart, or is this just another ruse by which the fangs of Capital suck the lifeblood from the working class? Sound off in the comments section below!

Video: Wootini's Video Podcast #54

2012-02-07T02:00:00Z

Well, this weekend I went to see an off-Broadway show and a movie, but still found time to play some games... despite this stupid cold I just can't seem to shake. Nothing new, but there's stuff coming on the horizon... but do demos whet your appetite or spoil the game? Ah, the age-old dilemma...