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Comments: 47 +-   Review: Eufloria on Monday November 23, @11:38AM

Posted by Soulskill on Monday November 23, @11:38AM
from the growing-on-you dept.
rts
eldavojohn writes "Eufloria is a strategy game made by independent game company Dyson. I bought it on the Steam service this weekend for $20 and was impressed that it is a visually and aurally pleasing game. It's a real-time strategy game, but isn't a rehashed Civilization or Age of Empires — it employs a different kind of mechanic to conquer. Like a lot of games that rely on novel game mechanics (Braid & Spore come to mind), part of the game's experience relies on you learning as you progress through the 25 or so levels. They will definitely push you to utilize different strategies and tactics, so don't read this review if you're already planning to play this game, as it'll most likely be filled with spoilers about developing a strategy. I give the game an average 6 out of 10 and would like to say that with titles like Braid and Eufloria out there, 'independent' no longer equates to 'sucks.'" Read on for the rest of his thoughts.
Read 4479 More Bytes... 47 comments story

Comments: 67 +-   NIMF To Close Its Doors on Saturday November 21, @12:18PM

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday November 21, @12:18PM
from the but-where-will-nicodemus-go dept.
censorship
eldavojohn writes "One of the driving forces behind the ESRB toughening its ratings is closing its doors on December 31st, 2009. The National Institute on Media and the Family was funded by Fairview Health Services, and simply could no longer justify the yearly $750,000 price tag given today's economic climate. NIMF's reign of nagging has been pretty consistent since 1996, and was often indirectly featured on Slashdot. Don't worry, president and founder Dr. David Walsh promises to keep writing and giving speeches ... and imploring us all to think of the children."
Read More... 67 comments story

Comments: 262 +-   iPhone Game Piracy "the Rule Rather Than the Exception" on Friday November 20, @07:52PM

Posted by Soulskill on Friday November 20, @07:52PM
from the hey-some-people-can't-afford-that-99-cents dept.
cellphones
An anonymous reader writes "Many game developers don't think of the iPhone as being a system which has extensive game piracy. But recent comments by developers and analysts have shown otherwise, and Gamasutra speaks to multiple parties to evaluate the size of the problem and whether there's anything that can be done about it. Quoting: 'Greg Yardley confirms that getting ripped off by pirates is the rule rather than the exception. Yardley is co-founder and CEO of Manhattan-based Pinch Media, a company that provides analytic software for iPhone games. ... "What we've determined is that over 60% of iPhone applications have definitively been pirated based on our checks," he reveals, "and the number is probably higher than that." While it's impossible to estimate how much money developers are losing, it involves more than the price of the game, he says. "What developers lose is not necessarily the sale," he explains, "because I don't believe pirates would have bought the game if they hadn't stolen it. But when there is a back-end infrastructure associated with a game, that is an ongoing incremental cost that becomes a straight loss for the developer."'"
Read More... 262 comments story

Comments: 284 +-   Some Claim Android App Store Worse Than iPhone's on Friday November 20, @03:31PM

Posted by kdawson on Friday November 20, @03:31PM
from the scylla-meet-charybdis dept.
business
eldavojohn writes "If you think the iPhone app store is the only mobile game store suffering an exodus, some game publishers claim Android's app store isn't much better, for a different reason — it doesn't generate much revenue. In fact, French game developer Gameloft (which owes 13% of its profits to iPhone game sales), said, 'We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like... many others. It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue. We are selling 400 times more games on iPhone than on Android.' So the trade-off seems to be more sales but an annoying approval process, versus a lack of sales promotions and no annoyance around approval. It seems that those in it for money will opt for iPhone, and those in it for distribution will opt for Android. Or maybe someone will get it right one of these days?"
Read More... 284 comments story

Comments: 444 +-   Xbox Live Class Action Being Investigated on Friday November 20, @12:54PM

Posted by kdawson on Friday November 20, @12:54PM
from the modders-unite dept.
court
eldavojohn writes "Were you negatively affected by the recent ban on Xbox Live for modifying hardware you own? Did you modify yours for homebrew or altering things you paid for and not to engage in piracy? Abington IP would like to hear from you and may be able to help. From that page: 'If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, had your modified Xbox console banned from Xbox Live, were not refunded a prorated sum for the time left on your subscription, or have experienced other problems as a result of being banned, and would like to participate in a class action against Microsoft, please submit your information below.' Someone is finally standing up for the legitimate hobbyists. Should Microsoft worry?"
Read More... 444 comments story

Comments: 93 +-   Modern Warfare 2 Not Recalled In Russia After All on Friday November 20, @03:14AM

Posted by Soulskill on Friday November 20, @03:14AM
from the it's-the-thought-that-counts dept.
censorship
thief21 writes "After claims that console versions Modern Warfare 2 had been recalled in Russia due to complaints from politicians and the gaming public over the infamous airport slaughter scene, it turns out the stories were completely untrue. Activision never released a console version of the game in Russia." Instead, they simply edited the notorious scene out of the PC version. They did this of their own volition, since Russia doesn't have a formal ratings committee.
Read More... 93 comments story

Comments: 159 +-   EA Shuts Down Pandemic Studios, Cuts 200 Jobs on Friday November 20, @12:01AM

Posted by Soulskill on Friday November 20, @12:01AM
from the say-goodnight-folks dept.
business
lbalbalba writes "Electronic Arts is shutting down its Westwood-based game developer Pandemic Studios just two years after acquiring it, putting nearly 200 people out of work. 'The struggling video game publisher informed employees Tuesday morning that it was closing the studio as part of a recently announced plan to eliminate 1,500 jobs, or 16% of its global workforce. Pandemic has about 220 employees, but an EA spokesman said that a core team, estimated by two people close to the studio to be about 25, will be integrated into the publisher's other Los Angeles studio, in Playa Vista.' An ex-developer for Pandemic attributed the studio's struggles to poor decisions from the management."
Read More... 159 comments story

Comments: 211 +-   New York State Testing Emergency Alerts Over Gaming Networks on Thursday November 19, @03:47PM

Posted by timothy on Thursday November 19, @03:47PM
from the ideas-can-be-both-good-and-creepy dept.
communications
An anonymous reader writes "Gamers are used to confronting invading terrorists, nuclear attacks, and natural calamities—in virtual form. But those living in New York State could soon receive warnings about real emergencies through their favorite video console. State authorities are testing a plan that would see the Emergency Management Office issue alerts over online gaming networks in addition to regular channels."
Read More... 211 comments story

Comments: 231 +-   China Enforces Even Stricter Regulation On Games on Thursday November 19, @01:26PM

Posted by Soulskill on Thursday November 19, @01:26PM
from the pong-is-contrary-to-the-common-good dept.
censorship
eldavojohn writes "Chinese gamers have a pretty hard life. From crackdowns on 'undesirable' games to bans on gangster games to delayed World of Warcraft expansions, they suffer. The worst part is that in order to qualify for operating in China, you face a maze of conflicting bureaucracy and regulation. Well, it just got a little worse. Now, if you want to operate, you need to hire a 'specialist' to oversee content, and you need to 'enhance socialist values' in your game. They also want to limit in-game marriages and how many player-versus-player combat sessions one can engage in. The circular issued from China's Ministry of Culture contained all the vague verbiage giving them easier reign over who operates and who doesn't. It's a large market, but is it worth the gamble to game developers?"
Read More... 231 comments story

Comments: 564 +-   US Government Using PS3s To Break Encryption on Wednesday November 18, @05:16PM

Posted by timothy on Wednesday November 18, @05:16PM
from the purchase-order-shenanigans dept.
encryption
Entropy98 writes "It seems that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center, known as C3, has replaced its '$8,000 Tableau/Dell server combination' with more efficient and much cheaper $300 PS3s. Each PS3 is capable of 4 million passwords per second, and C3 currently has 20 PS3s with plans to buy 40 more. Naturally this is only being used to break encryption on computers seized with a warrant and suspected of harboring child pornography."
Read More... 564 comments story
 

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