Paid Surveys, Opinion Polls and Product Trials

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

EA has made two brand free new tracks available for download for the PSP's Burnout Dominator. Carnival Point, available now, winds around the beaches and streets of a South American city. On June 7th, you'll be able to download Red Gate, which will send you hurtling through an Eastern European metropolis at night.

European Burnouts, get your new tracks here. US drivers, go here. You can also do it from the Burnout HQ in-game menu via a wireless connection.

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

According to analysts at Lazard Capital Markets, the shortage of Wiis could stretch through the holiday season, forcing Nintendo to miss out on some key sales for the second year in a row.

An LA Times article, however, wonders if the appeal of the Wii is short-lived. Their thinking goes that the Wii is being scooped up by the casual player, whose interest in a gaming console will probably be short-lived as their attention moves on to some new shiny trinket.

Whether or not that's true, the Wii is sure to be on many a Christmas list this December, so one wonders if stores will start taking advantage of the demand by hoarding units ("We have Wiis in stock!") or making horrendous holiday bundles.

Wii shortages could continue for second Christmas-Analyst [GamesIndustry]

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

In this week's issue of The Escapist, game designer Erin Hoffman takes a look at the growing industry of game design education, starting with that infamous commercial for Westwood College. Here's an excerpt:

A number of questions remain to be answered. Can a college really claim to be teaching game development if their faculty has no game development experience? Where does theory end and practice begin? Is it more important to be a strong communicator and teach solid skills, or to have spent time in the trenches? On one issue the industry is unanimous: There is no replacement for live experience. But experience making games does not immediately correlate to skill in instructing and inspiring students.

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

The Splinter Cell games have always put players in a lonely role; Sam Fisher isn't exactly a mix-n-mingle kind of guy. The latest game in the series, Conviction, nudges the action in a new direction, however, taking Sam out of the shadows and putting him right in the thick of things as he runs from the law. Ubisoft's Mathieu Ferland told GamesIndustry that he is confident that Fisher fans will embrace the new playstyle:

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

User "Aokage" on NeoGAF, who is a nice guy except for the blue shadows thing, thinks he's found in a Capcom trademark filing the name of the new main character in the Ace Attorney series: "Apollo Justice."

Unless it's an entirely new game, I'll bet "Apollo Justice" becomes the Western name for Housuke Odoroki, the new hero of Ace Attorney 4. Totally fits in thematically with "Phoenix Wright", and the "Justice" angle plays into "Housuke", which was written with the kanji for "Law" in it.

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

If you've already played Mortal Kombat Armageddon, you might be wondering why you should try the Wii version, which ships today. For one thing, it has a brand new character, Female Khameleon. Not enough? Ok, how about a deeply enhanced Endurance Mode? Yeah, that wouldn't do it for me, either. Well, there's Motor Kombat mode, where you...drive...around...actually, let's just forget that exists and move on.

The real draw of the Wii version is the motion-sensitive combat controls. The control scheme has been completely overhauled to take advantage of the Wiimote/Nunchuk combo, which could make the fatalities extra specially fun. Hmm...one wonders what the proper motion for ripping out a spine is...

Armageddon features more than 60 fighters from the entire Kombat line, in addition to the Kreate-a-Fighter and Kreate-a-Fatality modes. First one to make a character based on Kohler (come on, his name even starts with K) wins. Ready....go!

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

Fans of video game audio were properly blown away back in 1991 at the launch of the Super NES, which featured a fantastic sound chip designed by Sony. Actraiser's soundtrack, by Yuzo Koshiro, was at that time maybe the most impressive piece of game audio the world had ever laid ears on.

I spent all day yesterday playing Actraiser, reliving the stunning musical arrangements and wondering why it is that video game music can't seem to catch up to this today. All the same, the sound samples that were so realistic in 1991 are a bit tough on the ears today, which is why the Soundtrack of the Now is Synphonic Suite From Actraiser.

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

It's always interesting to see how geek culture mashes together. In this amazing bit of footage, the gate room, wormholes and ZPMs of Stargate Atlantis are lovingly and amazingly recreated in Line Rider form. Is that Dr. Weir overlooking the gate? Hard to tell. I still watch Atlantis, though it's clearly an inferior spin-off, in part because I enjoy the character of Dr. Rodney McKay, the apparent inspiration for this project. Go, Rodney, indeed.

View Entry

DATE: 08/06/2007 / MOOD: in love

As part of its efforts to recruit tech-savvy users from around the world, the Vancouver Police Department's tech crimes division has set its sights on Second Life. It will be the first police force in the world to establish an official presence in the virtual world. According to a report by the Vancouver Sun, members of the division will be on hand (in the form of buxom female avatars, apparently) to conduct a recruitment seminar in the virtual world on Thursday, May 31st.

View Entry