Hey, long-suffering Mac gamers, get a load of this; Apple is now selling real, live video games from the online Apple Store.
These aren't digital downloads; they're boxed copies of games like Age of Empires II, Modern Warfare and Fable. The prices are...not exactly competitive, with Age of Empires II costing $30 and Quake Wars $50, but hey, it's the thought that counts!
We'd start asking for digital downloads now, but really, is there much point?
Providing one more reason to never stop playing World of Warcraft, it turns out the game's latest expansion includes a quest that's basically a stripped-down version of Popcap's excellent Plants vs Zombies.
There's sun. There are spitting plants. There are the undead. There's a lawn. There's even lawnmowers as a last line of defence. This is amazing.
[via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
Well, check it out on DVD and Blu-ray.
The big screen version of Scott Pilgrim graphic novels raked in a disappointing box office. Thank goodness for DVD and Blu-ray!
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 9 with a whole host of bonus features. Perhaps the film will find a second life.
Check out our review.
‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' Hits DVD and Blu-Ray November 9 [/Film]
What Is This, Half-Life 2? Nope, too many bright lights, too many sex workers. Instead, this is Grand Theft Auto IV's version of Times Square. Only now it has a gravity gun.
This mod, for the PC version of the game, is obviously a little shaky, particularly given how wonky it is when selecting targets. Still. When it works, it's got to be the most enjoyable way to silence those mouthy cab drivers.
[via PC Gamer]
Planet Michael is a massively multiplayer online game devoted to the music and life of the late Michael Jackson. No, this is not a joke.
"We put a focus on something that will truly allow fans to immerse themselves in a Michael Jackson-like universe or music-video-like world and interact with each other and then go on adventures and do gameplay stuff and socialize," Josh Gordon of developer SEE Virtual Worlds tells USA Today.
The game will feature areas based on songs like Beat It and Smooth Criminal. Players won't use violence on quests, but dancing.
Planet Michael is a free-download that claims to be "The Ultimate Michael Jackson Online Game." (Isn't it the only Michael Jackson online game?) Planet Michael is aimed at players 13 years-old and up. That is not a joke, either. 
"There is no doubt we will be open to people joking about it and criticizing it," Gordon adds. "We'll just have to roll with that as it comes, so to speak." Gordon believes that the developer would be criticized no matter what they did.
No, they'll just be criticized for making a Michael Jackson MMO. 
'Planet Michael' will let players builds virtual Jackson worlds [USA Today]
This is what happens when Paul Robertson, of Scott Pilgrim and Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight fame, sits down and designs something with Meat Bun, of rad gaming t-shirts game.
The collaborative shirt is called "Snack Attack", and features an "immoderate indulgence of tasty Japanese treats", meat buns and some familiar video game ladies who in all the excitement seem to have misplaced their clothes.
It's one of two new offerings on Meat Bun's store, the other for all the Gauntlet fans out there who know that while wearing "The Wizard", their shots do not hurt other players... yet.
You can grab both shirts from Meat Bun's store.
The Japanese game industry is dead. This week has been a flashback of last year's Tokyo Game Show — complete with gloom and doom from Capcom's Keiji Inafune.
"I think Japanese gaming is dead," Inafune told the New York Times. "When I say these things, I'm called a traitor. But I love Japan. I want to save it."
But what is Japanese gaming and does it even need Keiji Inafune to save it?
Nintendo is very much a Japanese company. It still puts great importance on the needs of Japanese market. The company typically releases the same games it makes in Japan in the West. It focuses on the needs of local players, but those needs, it seems, are universal.
Nintendo rolled the dice and took a big chance. The company decided to focus on providing a unique experience when its rivals were talking HD. It has paid off for the company, which is now not only one of the most successful in Japan, but in the world.
Yet, Japanese gaming is dead. Apparently, Nintendo doesn't count as a Japanese company, anymore! When did this happen?
This year's Tokyo Game Show was not attended by Nintendo. The company typically sits it out, leaving Sony and Microsoft to battle each other. Nintendo, instead, decides to focus its energy on international events like E3.
At this year's E3, Nintendo revealed the Nintendo 3DS, a glasses-free portable gaming device. Japanese developers like Konami and Tecmo Koei have signed on to make games for it. That's right, a new and exciting piece of hardware with third-party Japanese developers ready to make games for it.
Nintendo's decision to focus on international events does help give the company an international image. Internally, the company's Kyoto-headquarters is certainly not as international as Capcom's. (According to rumors, Nintendo Co., Ltd. employees must ask permission from their supervisor before going to the restroom!) It has been said that Nintendo isn't just a very Japanese company — it is a very Kyoto company.
Yet, Nintendo and its games are part of American pop culture. No, they are bigger than that, they are bigger than us all. Who looks at Mario and thinks it's a Japanese character? You look at Mario and you think of Mario. And you think of video games.
This is the same reason why people in Japan don't look at McDonalds and think "America". It's far beyond that.
Nintendo has created so much of basic video game grammar and has been so incredibly influential that it feels somewhat limiting to simply label it a Japanese company. It is global, sure, but it does have a strong local flavor.
Capcom's Inafune told the New York Times that he is "so shocked" when he sees global sales rankings. "I think: Wow, Capcom's ranked so low. However you approach it, we're dead," he said. "Resident Evil sold 5 million copies. That's still no good."
Five million copies for Resident Evil 5 seems about right. Halo 3 sold over 8 million copies, which was a whole bunch until Grand Theft Auto IV came along and sold over 17 million copies and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold over 20 million copies.
But, the biggest selling games (Wii Play, Nintendogs, Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and New Super Mario Bros.) are designed by Japanese people. And this month sees the release of Pokemon: Black and White in Japan — a game that will hit the West next spring. And November brings Gran Turismo 5, another big title internationally.
Japanese gaming isn't dead. It's just no longer completely dominant like it has been in the past. There's a difference.
[Pic]
Normally, cosplay photos tend to focus on Japanese titles, or the really big games. Crysis is neither of those, so it's nice to see the PC gaming crowd represented in the adult dress-ups scene.
This is Anthony Le, doing a fine job of impersonating the star of the first Crysis, Nomad. He built the suit in around a month, which is impressive. We'd imagine it only took a few minutes, however, for everyone looking down on him from those apartments to consider calling the cops.
[via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
For £9/€10 a month, Xbox 360 owners in the UK, Spain, France and Italy will later this year get access to the Zune Marketplace.
China might already have its own version of Monster Hunter. That isn't stopping Capcom from moving forward with launching MonHun in China.
Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto has revealed that Capcom is in talks with a "major" Chinese online game company to bring PC game "Monster Hunter Frontier Online" to China.
The game launched in Taiwan this past January.
Capcom's plans to launch Monster Hunter Frontier in China comes after Square Enix stated it is bringing Final Fantasy XIV to China, the world's biggest PC gaming market.
The game has not been confirmed for North America.
Capcom in Talks to Partner China Online Game Company [BusinessWeek]
