I wasn't aware Conan O'Brien was an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Well, that's because he isn't. This is a mod by user Ike_Lawliet that turns Snake into the Late Night host. He even does the string dance at the end of a round. [via GameInformer]
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What's better? A list of those. Here's a roundup of the rundowns out there.
•Top 10 Movie Referencing Duke Nukem Quotes [Planet Xbox 360] Duke Nukem is shot through with petty theft from other movies' scripts; here's a collection of 10. We're all pretty sure what No. 1 is, even if it has been repeatedly misquoted (and frequently misattributed to Duke.)
•Top 10 Movie Referencing Duke Nukem Quotes [Planet Xbox 360] Duke Nukem is shot through with petty theft from other movies' scripts; here's a collection of 10. We're all pretty sure what No. 1 is, even if it has been repeatedly misquoted (and frequently misattributed to Duke.)
•The 5 Most Quintessential Squaresoft Titles [PS3 Maven] In the late 1990s I was too consumed with my newspaper career to have much time, or money, for console video gaming. That said, I definitely remember the old Squaresoft ads for games like Final Fantasy VII and thinking I'd been left behind by video games. Catch up with these five.
•The Biggest Disappointments in Video Games [UGO] Plenty of familiar faces here: Driver 3, Tony Hawk: Ride, and I suppose Modern Warfare 2 qualifies given expectations. No. 1 is not even released yet.
•The 10 Best Games Based on the DC Universe [Complex] This might as well have been a Batman list as he figures in (or on the cover of) eight of them.
•Top 10 Coolest Pointless Moments in Gaming [Ranker] This salute to video gaming's garnishes begins with Cole Phelps' removable hat in L.A. Noire. How the flushable commodes in Mafia II didn't make the list, I don't know.
It's Sunday, two days before E3 technically starts here at the Los Angeles Convention Center. What you see here are signs of video games...and Rage mutants, climbing everywhere.
Check out the whole gallery, photographed Sunday in sun-splashed L.A. Looks like the Saints Row people rented a parking lot... and that Zelda and Catherine are doing an unlikely team-up (only on the official badge-holders, people).
The E3 conference hall here may not open until mid-Tuesday, but the big press conferences kick off Monday morning, Microsoft first.
Going by a tweet from Superannuation, Microsoft has registered domains for four yet-to-be-announced games, including a brand new Fable game. The tweet lists a series of "Whois" domain records for the following sites;
Those domains point to four games with varying levels of previous confirmation. Kotaku reported in March that sequels to Kinect Sports and Dance Central were likely among Microsoft's E3 Kinect lineup. The name Kinect Fun Labs has also been circulating as a likely new Kinect title.
The most dramatic discovery is most definitely a potential new Fable title, presumably titled Fable: The Journey. Up until now there has been no indication that a new game was on the way, but in the company of three nearly confirmed games, it's hard to ignore. Add to that the fact that Peter Molyneux has been hanging out with Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski at the show, despite the fact that Molyneux has no announced title on the books this year, and we can assume, or at least hope, that Molyneux's presence implies that the game is real.
Since the evidence for all of this is rooted in domain registration, nothing is certain. Don't take any of this as gospel. We'll find out what's what at Microsoft's E3 keynote tomorrow. [Joystiq]
The official E3 features trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic went out yesterday, courtesy of GameSpot, and it breaks down what the MMO will deliver when it launches later this year.
Personal starships, space combat, sidekicks, and a galactic trade network all ride alongside MMO standards like PvP arenas and good ol' raids. GameSpot went into greater detail about the game with some of BioWare's Old Republic production. See the link.
E3 2011: Star Wars: The Old Republic - Exclusive Details on Raiding, Tatooine, Mounts and More [GameSpot]
Well, we're pretty damn sure that Nintendo's next console isn't called "Beem," but what if Nintendo were crazy enough to not give it a name at all and just call it simply "Nintendo"?
That's the latest rumor floated by Game Informer, the same outlet that published the first story with rumored details on Nintendo's follow up to the Wii. Instead of Wii 2, Wii HD, Project Cafe or Four GameCubes Duct Taped Together, Nintendo may just go with Nintendo.
It's a bold, but potentially perplexing choice, if true, and not out of the realm of possibility. "Nintendo" is how the NES was colloquially referred when that system was dominant, so maybe that's Nintendo's best shot at broad brand recognition.
We'll known for sure (at least I hope) this Tuesday, when Nintendo holds it's E3 2011 keynote.
Final Nintendo HD Name Debate Continues [Game Informer]
We don't know the official name for Nintendo's next console yet, but consider "Beem" to be an unlikely candidate. Internet sleuths have been piecing together web registration details, and they thought, for a moment, that "Beem" is it.
The proof?
The same Australian company, Melbourne IT, that hosts the domain nintendobeem.com hosts the official Nintendo domains for NintendoWii.com and Nintendo3DS.com, according to our search of WhoIs, which tracks the ownership of websites. The Beem site doesn't load right now, and certainly doesn't direct to Nintendo.com.
But it's a good theory, right?
The problem is that Project Beem was the name attached to a submission to a Wii 2 mock-up contest run by IGN last month, a fact the super-gamers at NeoGAF have been sorting out. The person who submitted the Beem, 27-year-old Canberra-based Aaron Carr, has registered NintendoBeemShop.com and NintendoBeemGames.com.
Our take on the name Beem? We're not buying it.
Thanks to everyone who sent this tip in.
While everyone is in Los Angeles talking about next year's games, three big ones will drop this week: Red Faction: Armageddon, the PS3-exclusive inFamous 2 and the tactical shooter Operation Flashpoint: Red River. Should the 3DS eShop come online as planned, goodies are in store there, too.
• 3D Classics: Excitebike (3DS eShop)
• Pokedex 3D (3DS eShop)
• Duke Nukem: Critical Mass (DS)
• inFamous 2 (PS3) - Just in time for you to pick up its predecessor for free on PlayStation Network, the sequel to 2009's superhero tale takes Cole McGrath to the bayou city of New Marais. Includes early access to Uncharted 3's multiplayer beta.
• Operation Flashpoint: Red River (PC, PS3, 360) - The third installment in Codemasters' tactical shooter series sends the Marines to Central Asia to wipe out an insurgent threat, but the mission gets more complicated when bigger players join the fight.
• Red Faction: Armageddon (PC, PS3, 360) - Volition and THQ's science fiction saga takes us beneath Mars' surface with Darius Mason, descendant of Guerilla's Alec Mason, and the inheritor of the Nano-Forge.
Also: Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, 360); Homefront: Fire Sale (XBLA); Kevin Van Dam Fishing (PS3)
Call of Duty: Black Ops - Escalation (PSN)
June 14: Alice: Madness Returns, Child of Eden, Duke Nukem Forever.. June 19: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3D. June 21: F.E.A.R. 3. June 28: Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. July 12: NCAA Football 12. July 19: Call of Juarez: The Cartel July 26: Catherine; El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.
What are you getting? What do you want? What are you looking forward to? Sound it off below, and at #twig.
Sources: Video Game Release Calendar; GameSpot; GameStop
Nintendo said today that hackers breached a server for its U.S. website but no customer information was compromised. The hacker group Lulzsec, which is behind other breaches of Sony websites earlier this week, claimed responsibility.
Lulzsec posted a server configuration file as proof of its involvement yet said it wasn't targeting Nintendo. "We just got a config file and made it clear that we didn't mean any harm," the group said this morning via its Twitter. "Nintendo had already fixed it anyway. <3 them!"
Lulzsec has claimed responsibility for earlier breaches of Sony Pictures and Sony BMG sites, posting databases of coupons, free download codes, and registration information of users who signed up at those sites. It also defaced PBS after its newsmagazine Frontline aired a story that wasn't 100 percent complimentary of Wikileaks.
Hackers Attack Nintendo [Wall Street Journal]
This one arrived a little too late for last week's contest, so we held it over for this week's. Reader Kevin's star cameo on WWE Friday Night SmackDown last week provides us with many exploitable images for you to do your thang.
This should be another one that writes itself, folks, so go to town. I'll give you the original still Totilo shot of his television screen when he saw the Aqua Blue 3DS and was all WTF and hit pause on the DVR. And if that is not enough, how about another seven pictures Stephen took of his television and the five pictures taken by the 3DS holder hisself? Whaaaat?
Source Image: Aqua Blue 3DS takes pictures at WWE event in Spokane, Wash.
Source File: Buttload of other exploitable images.
Let imagination-mania run wild.
You know the rules: The 20 best will get rounded up and published at the end of next Saturday. Meantime, I and the rest of the starred commentariat will approve and promote as many as we can so folks can see them and pass judgment.
We've had some problems with full-size 'Shops displaying in comments for some reason and while our no-frills participation guide is starting to read like the Magna Carta, unfortunately I have to add a new guideline. As a backup, please consider including your 'Shop's URL in the text of your comment. This would be the image URL from the image host you're using. It's not mandatory. No one will be disqualified or not considered for not using that. But if you've put a lot of work into your 'Shop, it's a good backup plan to make sure you get full credit with a big display.
Again, this is on us, not you all. You've been awesome with your submissions and your participation; I'm just trying to make sure no one gets left out. Alright, here's the rest of the instructions:
1. Create your 'Shop.
2. Upload it to a free image hosting service. I suggest imgur. It's stupid simple. No account is necessary.
3. This is very important: You must use the URL of the image itself. In imgur, this is the second URL it gives you after you upload the image. It's under "Direct Link (email & IM)"
4. At the beginning of the comments roll, click "Start a New Thread"
5. To the right of your name, select "Image."
6. Paste the imgur URL in the image URL field. It's the field that says "Image URL."
7. You can add editorial commentary if you want, but then just hit submit and your image will load. If it doesn't, paste the image URL as a comment.
8. This is important: Keep your image size under 1 MB. It will not upload to comments if it is over that size.
'Shop entry will be uploaded to the comments.
As an added inducement, I want to let you know I do star commenters who send in worthy/funny submissions - whether or not they're chosen for the final 20. This may not happen immediately. I usually start rounding up a gallery by the middle of the week. This is my subjective call, but I do want to recognize as many contributors as possible, and show gratitude for making this such a popular feature on weekends.
Now, Gentlemen, start your 'shopping!
