GeekSix

Sony busts out their Move

Josh
Wednesday
10:13 pm

The hardcore gaming world mocked Nintendo for their motion controllers, but Mario and friends are getting the last laugh.

Sony debuted their upcoming motion controller — called the PlayStation Move — at the 2010 Games Developer Conference this week.

The big buzzword that Sony is attempting to leverage is “precision,” claiming that it offers a more refined experience over your current console of choice that has motion-sensitive controllers.

The claim is dubious when compared to the accuracy of the Wii MotionPlus (on the surface, both have very similar tracking). Still, once the controller playing field is leveled, the clear advantage could go to Sony, as their console supports a more robust ..read more

Steal this pitch: Movies based on games that were based on movies

Josh
Thursday
11:30 pm

With the news that the industry-kickstarting game “Space Invaders” has been optioned for movie rights, we’ve decided that Hollywood has, really, REALLY, OFFICIALLY run out of ideas for movies. For reals this time, y’all.

They’ve already given every franchise possible a gritty reboot, and they’ve milked every video game franchise to boot.

So what’s left?

What about making movies out of games that were based on movies? Take all the joy of a reboot and add in pre-packaged brand appeal, and voila! Instant blockbuster.

The only problem is that some of those game-movie tie-ins were pretty tenuous and cryptic. But don’t worry, Hollywood — we’ve done all the work for you! We’ve ..read more

An Interview with 80s gaming icon David Fox

Josh
Thursday
10:22 am

If you were playing adventure games in the 80s, you’ve likely seen some of David Fox’s handiwork. Most programmers back then went uncredited, and household names were still a rarity, but the products he put time into spoke volumes. David worked on many of LucasArts’ early smash hits: “Rescue on Fractalus,” “Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders,” “Maniac Mansion” and others.

Geek6 was able to take up some of David’s time to get his thoughts on the past and future of gaming, as well as the changes that have taken place in the industry over 30 years.

You were in on the computer revolution from the get-go. What was the ..read more

Fixed system specs: The best thing about console gaming

Josh
Sunday
4:57 pm

There’s something fascinating about watching the games on a console evolve from the initial launch titles as developers figure out how to make the most of a console.

And then, during the system’s dying days, you often see some remarkable technical achievements borne out of competition with whatever glitzier progeny has taken its place.

While the effect has paled with each generation of hardware, you can see some great evolution in 20th century stuff. Check out these examples:

The Atari 2600 popularized home video gaming, creating an industry that is now rivaling Hollywood in terms of entertainment dollars. The machine’s heyday was from 1978 to 1984, and later games started to ..read more

Are we reviving meaty single player games?

Josh
Saturday
6:04 pm

I have often referred to myself as a former gamer. Through the 80s and 90s, I was largely glued to computer and console screens, playing anything and everything my childhood, teen and young-adult wallets could afford.

But, when the 21st century kicked in, I found myself largely moving away from games.

Publishers were seeing the cost of games skyrocket, and were increasingly wary of taking a risk. Surefire wins like titles from EA Sports and the perennial Maddens were automatic sells. No game came out without a multiplayer component — some, like the Quake series, even dropped once-fun single-player campaigns entirely.

I didn’t leave gaming — it left me.

I grew increasingly bored with ..read more

The big letdown at the core of Mass Effect 2

Josh
Thursday
1:11 pm

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m kind of a Mass Effect fan.

Hell, I even added N7 armor to my avatar up there. (See him? His awesome manliness crowds out Christy even as we speak — but don’t worry, it’s only temporary.)

I eagerly awaited the sequel. I even went to my first and last midnight launch event. I’ve been thoroughly and completely enjoying submersion into the Mass Effect universe again. It’s a delicious and real world, complete with every bit of sci-fi goodness I could possibly want. The game’s production values and voice acting are both top-notch.

But something has been gnawing at the edge of my consciousness. Some piece ..read more

Mass Effect 2 lets your hero be anybody

Josh
Friday
1:50 pm

Remember when I said a Mass Effect movie that recreated the events of the games was a horrible idea? Here’s why:

The game lets you customize Shepard, the game’s protagonist, to an intense degree. You can be a man or woman, and pick your skin tone, ear size, eyebrow spacing and more. And folks get pretty serious about it.

Kotaku has a killer thread going, where they ask readers to “show us your Shepard.” You should really go check it out and marvel at the diversity players have created.

A few random selections:

Kash for K’s

Joe
Thursday
11:50 am

Baseball games are always tough to get right.  The only serious game that’s worth its salt is EA’s MVP 2005.  So it makes sense that the next progression in the genre is to bribe players to play, with the allure of becoming a millionaire.  When MLB 2K10 debuts in March, the first player to pitch a perfect game against the computer on All-Star mode will win a million bucks.

The set up is a little fishy, since you have to physically record it and send it in, but it should spur sales a little bit in what is probably the least popular category of sports game.

I also think the ..read more

The Geek6 mini-review of Mass Effect 2

Josh
Thursday
1:19 am

I’ve now had time to log a healthy (or unhealthy, if you prefer) amount of time with Mass Effect 2. Enough time where I feel I can at least give you a taste of what to expect.

Are you ready for my one-word review? Polished.

Want the full-paragraph version? Mass Effect 2 is the finest example of interactive entertainment the medium has produced to date. It transcends “really good game” territory. It nears perfection — or as close as we can come to it with today’s technology.

VISUALS: Mass Effect 2 shines across the board in terms of graphics. I’m playing ..read more

New iWeapons Guns Pro App

Autumn
Tuesday
9:22 pm

Keeping with the App theme, my brother’s latest iPhone app was just released on iTunes.  It’s called iWeapons Guns Pro  and is pretty kickin’.  It’s got four different weapons to choose from, including a flame thrower, which makes me happy.

On an unrelated note I totally had a dream last week where a Terminator was after me but luckily I had a shotgun app on my phone; not an animated app but an actual shotgun.  Of course I kept on forgetting to check the safety (the vibrate/ring switch of course).

I’ve got three coupon codes if anyone wants to check it out.  Just leave a comment telling me which weapon would destroy terminators most efficiently ..read more