Blizzard Rep Says Company Isn’t Milking StarCraft
by Josh Pankratz on October 14, 2008

Coming on the heels of Blizzcon 08 (where a StarCraft II trilogy of sorts was announced), Blizzard has come under attack from forum trolls and games journalists alike! Has the Activision merger finally come to haunt the seemingly snow white reputation of Blizzard? Blizzard’s Starcraft rep says NO!
In an interview with Edge magazine, Bob Colayco was quoted as saying “Blizzard is the one calling the shots.” Alright Bob — with you so far — what else do you have to say? Read more…
PS3 and PSP Sales Up 30 Percent, But Will Manufacturing Shortages Follow?
by Josh Pankratz on October 2, 2008

Sony’s CEO Jack Tretton recently gave news that PSP and Playstation 3 sales are up 30% from their projected targets. While this news comes as a welcome surprise, it’s also bittersweet. Mr. Tretton went on to say that because of the high sales numbers of the PSP and PS3, he anticipates manufacturing shortages on both consoles later this year. Read more…
Tetris Playing Robot Table
by Josh Pankratz on January 19, 2008

A video featuring a mechanical Tetris playing robot table has just hit the internet. In the video the rig features an NES style controller that adjusts the x and y axis of the blocks. Read more…
Sony Cuts PS3 Manufacturing Costs In Half
by Josh Pankratz on January 12, 2008

According to BusinessWeek Sony has cut manufacturing costs of the PS3 by half: making the current cost $400 instead of the $800 they started with at launch. Nikko Citigroup’s Kota Ezawa chalks up the price reduction to smaller chip sizes and design tweaks. Read more…
Study Suggests Videogames Work Better Than Medication For Chronic Pain
by Josh Pankratz on January 4, 2008

According to Canadian physicians, videogames can be more effective than drugs alone for people who suffer from chronic pain. Read more…
Conan O’Brien RockBand Skit - Hurry Back Writers!
by Josh Pankratz on January 4, 2008

Due to the recent Writers Guild strike, the staff of Late Night with Conan O’Brien have been lazing around playing RockBand (are they hiring?). While I wish the free time would have culminated into some better material for the oft times painful to watch show, I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Hit the jump for Conan’s take on RockBand. Read more…
Psyclone Wii Recharge Stations Break Wii-Motes
by Josh Pankratz on December 31, 2007

Complaints have started to hit the internet en mass regarding the Psyclone Wii-Mote charger. Claims range from the unit simply not working, to reports of the remote actually melting onto the charger. Amazon.com’s review page runs rampant with warnings regarding the battery charger; out of 27 reviews, 25 of them ended up being negative. Psyclone chargers can be found at most major retailers ranging from Target to Circuit City. Read more…
Plasma Grenades For Sale On eBay
by Josh Pankratz on December 29, 2007

Replica plasma grenades are now available on Ebay, thanks to a little handy work by worldwidewebbs. The Ebay user is charging $19.99 plus a $5.00 shipping fee for the little bundles of joy. We know what you’re thinking, but unless you want to spend another 25 bucks, don’t throw this in your dad’s face when he tells you to mow the lawn. Read more…
Chinese Teen Blames WoW After Fight with Classmate Ends in Flames
by Josh Pankratz on December 21, 2007

After losing a fight in school, a 17 year old boy in Beijing covered his classmate with gasoline and lit him on fire. According to Beijing News the teen claimed that he “had lost himself in World of Warcraft” and “transformed into a Fire Mage.” Read more…
Ripten Holiday Guide - PC Edition
by Josh Pankratz on December 21, 2007

The PC gamer is probably the hardest person to shop for. We are a well informed and well connected bunch. If it’s out, we probably already own it, or at the very least we know if it’s worth buying or not. With that in mind, this guide is tailored specifically for you. I won’t insult your intelligence, because lets be honest, we know damn well your Grandma isn’t reading this article. Read more…
Video Games Will Never Be Timeless, Akin To Classic Cinema Or Literature
by Josh Pankratz on December 21, 2007
It’s only natural to feel a strong nostalgic resonance with a piece of artwork. Look at literary works such as Huckleberry Finn or Dante’s Inferno that only seem to gain popularity as the slow weather of time imprints their narratives into the deepest psyches of our mind. So why then do the classic games of our time fall short as the years slowly wear them away? Read more…
Playstation Network Cards Confirmed For US In 2008
by Josh Pankratz on December 14, 2007

Want a stocking stuffer for that Playstation owner that seems to have everything? Well you can’t get them a PSN pre paid card…At least not this year. Sony confirmed on their Official Playstation Blog today that US retailers should start getting the cards in early 08’. Get the full details after the jump.
Overclocked PSP: Sony Handheld To Get Better Graphics & Burn More Battery
by Josh Pankratz on December 13, 2007

Chris Kohler over at Wired reported today that Sony has allowed developers to overclock the PSP to run at 333mhz, instead of the current 222mhz. In addition, the people over at 1up put a video together illustrating the extent of the changes being made. Read more…
Sparsely Placed Save Points Are the Death of Modern Games
by Josh Pankratz on December 10, 2007
Three hours of work, and it didn’t save my game!
Save points are truly a spear in the side of any modern gamer. It’s 2007, we have the latest in bump mapping, anisotropic filtering, and the best of mipmaps. We’ve got the graphics, so now it’s time to look beyond superficial beauty. We need to fix problems that have plagued our media for far too long, namely, sparsely placed save points. Read more…
Wrath of the Lich King Alpha Hacked, Leaked Video
by Josh Pankratz on December 8, 2007

Nine million people can’t be wrong. How many times have you heard that one? Well if nine million people each shell out an extra $40 for Burning Crusade, and another $40 for Wrath of the Lich King, then that leaves Blactivison with…A hell of allot of money. Simply put WoW is big business. Read more…
Sony Brings The PAIN, New In Game Advertising Model
by Josh Pankratz on December 3, 2007
For all the masochistic gamers with a love for PAIN, comes the news that Sony will be adding in game advertisements to its $9.99 PSN title. Read more…
Kane & Lynch – Don’t Talk ‘Bout My Grandma
by Josh Pankratz on December 3, 2007

With all the heavy reading shining a negative light on Eidos’ recently released Kane and Lynch, it’s great to see someone actually excited to play it. Just don’t tell Grandma about the lightning Kane shoots out of his fingers, or she may just beat you with the ol’ bicycle chain. Read more…
Jeff Gerstmann Fired For “Larger Reasons”: Stuff and Maxim Creator Takes Over GameSpot
by Josh Pankratz on November 30, 2007

An insider at GameSpot has come forward today claiming he worked on the Kane and Lynch ads. He put in his two cents regarding the Gerstmann firing. Read his thoughts after the jump. Read more…
Harmonix Admits To Faulty Rock Band Guitars: Strum Bars “Imperfect”
by Josh Pankratz on November 29, 2007

In a forum post via the official community forums, Harmonix went on record claiming that the strum bars in early production where “imperfect”. This just confirms what we already knew. We’ve been getting reports of guitars breaking by the truckload. In addition, Harmonix spoke on the issue of PS3 guitar compatibility, saying, “These issues have our full attention”. Read the full response after the jump. Read more…
Mark Rein: “Sony’s Going To Have A Good Christmas This Year.”
by Josh Pankratz on November 28, 2007

In an epic interview with GamaSutra’s Brandon Sheffield and Christian Nutt, Epic Game’s VP and key creator of the Unreal Engine Mark Rein went into detail about Unreal Tournament 3 and other official UE3 licensee titles.
Among other useful niblets of information, Mr. Rein highlights the importance of Sony consoles this holiday season, stating, “I think Sony’s going to have a good Christmas this year. Games like Unreal Tournament 3 will hopefully get out the door.” Read more…










