tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715412093043528442008-07-24T17:00:02.925-04:00Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comBlogger351125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-17522188958884311782008-07-24T05:47:00.003-04:002008-07-24T05:50:24.066-04:00

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox Live Community Games project will launch this Fall. "Community Games" is the name Microsoft has given to a special class of Xbox Live Arcade titles created by independent developers with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio software. For $99 a year, developers will have access to the XNA development tools and the XNA Creator's Club. After working on a game, the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-56778619221794355312008-07-23T14:01:00.000-04:002008-07-23T14:02:05.061-04:00

E3 2008 is done and over with, but that doesn't mean it's come to an end. There are hours and hours (probably close to several days worth) of video from gaming's biggest showcase event. And that's where the handy-dandy E3 2008 page at Game Trailers comes in handy. Almost 700 videos have been uploaded, categorized, and sorted for everyone who's not a game journalist and couldn't go to E3. Hit the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-45754527742658228312008-07-23T13:43:00.000-04:002008-07-23T13:43:15.060-04:00

The presentations from the 2008 Gaming + Learning + Society Conference are now online for your viewing pleasure. The conference was held on July 10th and the 11th and if you work with games in a school or educational setting, the following topics of discussion might be right up your alley: Leadership and Games and Games for School Leadership Real-Time Research: (Concluding) A GLS Experiment in

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-39949250713587904932008-07-23T13:33:00.001-04:002008-07-23T13:43:58.445-04:00

It seems that Nintendo has lost a patent violation case against Texas-based Anascape. Anascape's patent has to do with analog sticks in controllers. According to the judge in the case, Nintendo's GameCube controller (including the Wavebird) and the Wii's Classic Controller are both in violation of Anascape's patent. The judge has ruled that Nintendo has to pay Anascape $21 million. However,

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-14913207881056560322008-07-23T10:37:00.000-04:002008-07-23T10:37:30.704-04:00

Jessica Merritt has recently published an article at the Online Education Database entitled Bringing Gaming (and Gamers) to Your Library: 100 Tips and Resources. The list of tips is a fantastic resource for any librarian looking to add games or gaming programs to their library (and not just because links to The Video Game Librarian are paired with five of the tips). Here's a small taste of the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-58884874955351465182008-07-22T19:29:00.000-04:002008-07-22T19:29:18.825-04:00

Capcom has announced that one of the most underappreciated games on the Xbox 360, Dead Rising, will be coming to the Wii this Winter under the title Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop (I love this title by the way). Chop Til You Drop will return to Frank West's adventures in the Wilamette Mall and his battle against the zombies inside. The Wii version will be based on the Resident Evil 4: Wii

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-14077337174712200032008-07-22T19:21:00.000-04:002008-07-22T19:22:59.095-04:00

Microsoft has announced the two games that will appear on the Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow, and as expected, 1942: Joint Strike is one of them. The high definition remake of the arcade and NES classic will be joined by Go! Go! Break Steady, a rhythm game built on top of a "Match 3"-style puzzle game. Here's some details from Microsoft on both games: Go! Go! Break Steady features an original style

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-75778205031796665252008-07-22T17:54:00.000-04:002008-07-22T17:54:41.631-04:00

Scholastic has announced that will be moving into video game publishing this October (under the Elastic publishing label) with a Goosebumps game. Goosebumps: HorrorLand will be released on the DS, PlayStation 2 and Wii. It will offer a variety of different play modes including 30 amusement park-styled minigames, light gun shooting sections and some platforming. Here's what Scholastic had to say

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-21791700919143613412008-07-22T10:38:00.000-04:002008-07-22T10:38:00.911-04:00

The always reliable ALA News About Games and Gaming blog has posted another batch of news bits about libraries and gaming. The post includes ten news articles about libraries and gaming including a library that recently completed a two-day Monopoly tournament and another library that keeps their Rock Band instruments and game console set up at all times. Very cool.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-79392511783787154462008-07-21T11:53:00.001-04:002008-07-21T11:57:09.244-04:00

After the success of the Halo series of novels, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft's Gears of War series got the same treatment. And get it, it will. The first novel in a planned Gears of War trilogy will be released on October 28 (just ahead of Gears of War 2's November 7 release date). It will be a prequel to the game series titled Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields and will be

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-4019680228674977562008-07-21T11:47:00.001-04:002008-07-21T11:47:35.688-04:00

Harmonix has announced five new tracks will be available for download on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band this week. This week's releases include two songs from Shinedown and three from Nine Inch Nails. Each song will be available for $1.99 (or 160 Microsoft Points) per track with a three-song NIN Pack available for $5.49 (or 440 Microsoft Points). The tracks available for

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-36840020525850355652008-07-21T11:33:00.000-04:002008-07-21T11:34:03.406-04:00

Sega has announced that Sonic Team is hard at work on a direct sequel to Sonic and the Secret Rings titled Sonic and the Black Knight. The game will be coming exclusively to the Wii in Spring 2009 and will be the second game in the Sonic "Storybook Series." Sonic and the Black Knight tosses Sonic into the world of King Arthur as the hedgehog attempts to become a knight. Unlike Sonic and the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-63081405463521409332008-07-21T10:44:00.000-04:002008-07-21T10:44:53.988-04:00

With E3 behind us, it's time to look ahead to the next batch of new releases. And this week, it isn't much. The 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV is coming to the DS along with the game adaptation of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (which is also coming to the PS2 and Wii). As for the rest, well here's the full list of releases. DS Chess Crusade Final Fantasy IV Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-11021304862886235442008-07-21T07:56:00.001-04:002008-07-21T10:29:43.764-04:00

So I, like a lot of people, saw The Dark Knight over the weekend and it was fantastic. Heath Ledger did an amazing Joker and it's really hard to say any more than that without ruining some of the great surprises the movie throws at the audience. I also read Ender's Game for the first time and I finally understand why people praise it so much. The book was really great. Although I had a hard time

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-19369010762579206532008-07-17T20:28:00.000-04:002008-07-17T20:28:28.846-04:00

The NPD Group has released their report on the bestselling games and consoles in June and not surprisingly, Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PS3 takes the top spot. More surprising is that Grand Theft Auto IV and Super Smash Bros. Brawl did not make the list. They were supplanted by three versions of Lego Indiana Jones (DS, PS2 and Wii). In hardware news, the 666,700 Wii consoles sold this month have

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-26064006617776697132008-07-17T15:19:00.001-04:002008-07-21T11:55:54.502-04:00

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello was recently interviewed by Conde Nast Portfolio and confirmed that an MMORPG based on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series is in the works. Here's what Riccitiello had to say: "And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas[Arts], coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-15248618958554421152008-07-17T10:39:00.000-04:002008-07-17T10:39:54.709-04:00

Joystiq had a chance to talk with Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital, about the future of the Gran Turismo franchise. According to Yamauchi, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be receiving an update in the near future that will add more cars, more tracks and new features to the game. He also said that the full version of Gran Turismo 5 may not be released until 2010. He also talked a bit

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-68722194540982880262008-07-17T10:32:00.000-04:002008-07-17T10:32:22.453-04:00

Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed, during an E3 08 roundtable interview, that a new Pikmin game is in the works. The last game in the series, Pikmin 2, was released for the GameCube in 2004. Miyamoto did not say whether the game would appear on the DS or the Wii, nor did he announce any timeframe for a release date.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-61681636123594339782008-07-17T10:30:00.000-04:002008-07-17T10:30:08.273-04:00

Sony has announced the first wave of PlayStation 3 games that will be added to Sony's Greatest Hits line. These nine games will now retail for $29.99 and are definitely the current cream of the crop on the PS3. The new Greatest Hits titles are: Assassin's Creed Call of Duty 3 Fight Night Round 3 Motorstorm Need For Speed Carbon Ninja Gaiden Sigma Resistance: Fall of Man Tom Clacny's Rainbow

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-40928505513567578632008-07-16T13:08:00.001-04:002008-07-16T13:17:41.120-04:00

Warner Bros. Interactive has announced that a game adaptation of the new movie Wanted is in development. The game, which starred Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy, will be developed by GRIN (who are currently working on Bionic Commando). The game is currently slated for a late 2008 release, probably to coincide with the DVD release of the movie. The Wanted video game will feature

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-2978793184634012342008-07-16T10:47:00.001-04:002008-07-16T10:55:36.283-04:00

Stephen Totilo of MTV Multiplayer had a chat with Microsoft's head guy, Don Mattrick, yesterday. In this interview, Mattrick (probably accidentally) dropped the bombshell that Bungie is working on a new Halo game. When pressed for more details, Mattrick said that it wasn't the upcoming Halo Wars and it wasn't connected to the Peter Jackson Halo Project in any way. It's something entirely new.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-79666351391699282832008-07-16T10:43:00.000-04:002008-07-16T10:43:22.251-04:00

Sega has announced that Yakuza 2 will be released on the PlayStation 2 on September 9. The original Yakuza was released in America in 2006 (the same year Yakuza 2 was released in Japan), so it's been a long time coming.

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-20909526642422316452008-07-16T02:26:00.000-04:002008-07-16T02:26:00.335-04:00

Ubisoft announced a new game at the end of their E3 2008 Press Conference, and it's a title that has appeared on Ubisoft's "In Development" list for a long time: I Am Alive. I Am Alive is coming to the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the Spring of 2009. In the game, players will take control of a Chicago businessman named Adam. As the game opens, The Windy City is rocked by a major earthquake

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-17965476330751474762008-07-15T20:16:00.002-04:002008-07-16T02:14:34.100-04:00

This year's Comic-Con convention in San Diego will feature two panels that will be very interesting to any librarians who are interested in gaming in libraries. They are: Gamers in the Library? Saturday, July 26 6:30-7:30 Room 30CDE Did you know that at least 7 out of 10 libraries support gaming? From consoles to D20, board games to CCG's, gaming in libraries is a hot topic. Find out about this

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-471541209304352844.post-78727030365271307502008-07-15T19:43:00.000-04:002008-07-15T19:43:19.908-04:00

EA has announced that another "Sim" title will be hitting the Wii and DS in January. SimAnimals will bring the Sims-style of play to the animal kingdom. Here's what EA has to say about the game: Wild animals abound! You will meet a host of friendly wild animals including deer, squirrels, rabbits, hedgehogs and owls. And also some mischievous characters like foxes, raccoons, badgers, crows and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854486762065911477noreply@blogger.com