I was checking out the news at Kotaku today when I saw this video - and I just have to share it. It is, without a doubt, the best Coke commercial I've seen in ages. Hell, if I wasn't already hopelessly addicted to Diet Coke, I'd run out and buy a case now. I can tell you this much, I'm having a Coke and a smile right now.

Grab a Coke and then watch the video below to see what you get when someone in marketing comes up with a brilliant idea and pulls it off wonderfully. Grand Theft Auto III meets Coke... just brilliant.

As usual, there's still no update on when Tripod's blog system will support embedded videos, so check out the video here 

Posted by nylatenite at 1:35 AM EDT

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The good folks at Stardock have released Beta 2 of Galactic Civilizations 2 v1.3. There are a few interesting enhancements listed in the description of this build, including the following;

"A couple long-asked for tweaks have been made including diagnol scrolling and a new planetary lights system for the dark side of colonized planets that grows with population (it actually came out a lot neater than we expected so check it out).  The AI also got some new tweaks in terms of handling what it builds on planets so let us know if you notice a difference." -Galactic Civilizations II website

Please keep in mind this is a beta update and as such could contain numerous issues and glitches. If you aren't willing to put up with that kind of thing, we'd suggest you wait a month or so for the full release of Gal Civ II v1.3. For more information check out this post at the Galactic Civilizations II forums.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:33 AM EDT

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I've griped enough about how bad the Xbox 360 controller is for Xbox Live Arcade games that I've decided to do something about it. I'm currently in the process of building two simple arcade style controllers for the system, one using a 4-way joystick and the other using 2 8-way joysticks.

The goal right now is just to make them functional. In other words, I'm not going to go all out on these and make them pretty - no lexan covers, no panel art, no t-molding, etc - the idea here is just to make something that works. If they work out well enough, then I'll think about going all out and making a control set with all the bells and whistles.

I spent much of yesterday just planning out the design, and most of today running around getting supplies, marking up some of the wood and making cuts for the 8-way. The project definitely won't be done for at least a week as to save cash, I ordered the 360 controllers I'm going to hack off Ebay on friday, so finishing the project tomorrow isn't going to happen,

Once the thing is finished, I'll post a short article detailing the whole process for those that are interested. Here's what I've got so far - it's not much, but hopefully by tomorrow the panel itself will be finished and all that will be left is the controller hack and wiring.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:32 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 13 August 2006 1:45 AM EDT

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It looks like Electronic Arts is growing tired of the lackluster sales of Playstation Portable software and is about to throw more of it's weight behind the Nintendo DS.

ArsTechnica is reporting that David Gardner, Electronic Arts worldwide chief operating officer had a few words to say on the subject in an interview with trade paper MCV.

"There’s no doubt that EA has historically bet more on PSP. I think we were excited by the technology, but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun. We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games – and creative ones that really take advantage of the hardware." - David Gardner, Electronic Arts worldwide chief operating officer

Ouch. An officer of EA just came out and basically said the PSP is no fun - that's gotta sting if you're Sony. I've got to agree with ArsTechnica's take on this - having EA turn on you is a very bad sign - just ask the folks over at Sega about it. You can check out the ArsTechnica article here for more details.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:29 AM EDT

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You know, I just love it when LucasArts president Jim Ward attempts to start lecturing the industry on how to act and then basically makes an ass out of himself.

This time around, GamesIndustry.biz has posted an interview with Ward where he slams the industry for relying on single-shot retail products and the tendency to cater to the same audience repeatedly instead of looking for new markets while praising the idea of downloadable content as a way to bring in additional revenue for their titles.

"Right now this industry has a business model that does not work. This industry has been flat for the past six years; we've been selling games to the same people. Our revenue model is based on one shot at retail - we have no back-end revenue streams like a movie might in terms of DVD, TV, that type of thing." - Jim Ward, president, LucasArts

While I fully see where he's coming from on the issue of back-end revenue via downloadable content, that doesn't change the issue he's discussing - namely not trying to open new markets and selling to the game people over and over. You know, what LucasArts essentially makes it's living doing - selling Star Wars games to Star Wars fans.

I find it even more ironic that not only does LucasArts sell to the same people over and over, but they used to be the kings of additional back-end revenue streams with the frequent expansions they released for their titles - that too has vanished over the years.

So basically, what Ward is saying is that the industry needs to act more like LucasArts used to. Maybe he should look in his own backyard first before he takes other companies to task. Here's an idea, rather than selling yet another rushed Star Wars game to the same ever-loyal Star Wars fans, why don't you try to reclaim the graphic adventure game market segment - that's certainly an under-explored source of new customers nowadays. Make a sequel to Grim Fandango if you can find people skilled enough to bring it off right - or is it that current market realities dictate that your statements are really just a way to blame the industry for LucasArts woes? Then again, given Ward's preference for speed over quality, maybe that sequel isn't such a hot idea.

Check out the GamesIndustry.biz article here and our previous article on Ward's take on the industry here so you can laugh along with me. Yes, the scars of the Freelance Police cancellation run deep.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:28 AM EDT

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Okay, I've had a few days to mess around with the Xbox Live Arcade version of Pac-Man, and I've got to say that while it seems they got the patterns right, there are a few problems with the game.

As I predicted, the biggest problem with the game is the Xbox 360 controller itself. Simply put, it's just not built with these types of games in mind, and it shows. Badly. I find myself dying because of controller miscues more often than I do making mistakes. It's frustrating, annoying and really a shame.

The second problem I noticed was one of pacing. While it could be that I'm slightly delayed by the fighting the 360 controller while playing, at times it seems that while the game is running the correct patterns, it's running them just slightly too fast - I often found that patterns I use on the arcade machine didn't work because the ghosts would arrive in their proper places just a bit too soon. Again, I'm not sure if this is because of some delay that results from using the 360 controller (slight delay in turning corners when it misreads the input) or if the game really is just running too fast. Either way, it's annoying, let me tell you.

Beyond those two issues, the game is Pac-Man. It sounds right, it looks right and most importantly it acts right. Ghosts follow their arcade tendencies to the letter, so even when your usual pattern gets shot to hell by the control scheme, you can at least bank on the fact that they'll move and respond the same way their arcade counterparts would.

Unfortunately, this version doesn't add anything new to the game. I'd really like to have seen 2 player head to head play via Xbox Live - there were so many ways they could have done it. You could pit 2 players against each other at the same time to see who could score the highest, You could have one player play as Pac-Man and the other control a ghost and see who could score the most as Pac-Man or you could have the players play as ghosts and see who could catch Pac-Man the most. It's all wishful thinking though, as there isn't even a standard "take turns" 2 player mode included with the game.

While I'm not sorry I picked this one up, as is the case with Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting, I do find myself wishing that the 360 had a better controller for games that use the d-pad. As such, I've decided to build my own 360 arcade sticks from scratch.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:26 AM EDT

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As the title suggests, Capcom has posted a survey as they're looking for some feedback on what gamers think of Dead Rising. In fact, they want that information so badly, they're willing to give away a HDTV to get it. Check out the survey site here and let them know what you think.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:25 AM EDT

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CNN Money has posted a report that states industry analysts are predicting another (this time real) price cut for Sony's Playstation Portable. According to the report, analysts believe Sony is currently stockpiling PSP units in preparation for a holiday price cut in an attempt to take some of the Nintendo DS-Lite's momentum away.

While at $150 I (and I'm sure many other people) would be tempted to pick up a PSP, I've got to say that Sony shouldn't expect that temptation to improve their software sales numbers. Other than a few titles, most of my interest in the handheld would be on the homebrew or emulation end of the spectrum, which Sony continues to attempt to rebuff at every turn. I can't count how many times I've seen the comment that "I'd like to buy (insert new PSP game here), but I don't want to mess up my homebrews with a firmware update."

Simply put, Sony's constant attempts to thwart homebrew applications via firmware updates is actually hurting sales. The updates are generally overcome by the community within a short time and as stated above actually entice people to not purchase new software. Until Sony figures out some way to fight the piracy angle while embracing the homebrew scene, I don't see them moving a ton of software - even with upcoming titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and the title that interests me the most, Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins.

Check out the full CNN Money article here for more details. While we're talking about the PSP, if you own one or are interested in picking one up, what is it about the handheld that interests you? Let us know in the comment section!

Posted by nylatenite at 1:45 AM EDT

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Nintendo has announced that Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day has now shipped over 4 million units worldwide, setting a new sales record and adding yet another trophy to the Nintendo DS's display case;

"The latest craze to sweep the planet is Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for the portable Nintendo DS. Selling more than 4 million units worldwide, including 600,000 in the Americas, 3 million in Japan and 500,000 in Europe, the top-selling title redefines how millions of people now think about video gaming." -Nintendo press release

As you may be aware, Brain Age was a major force behind the massive sales the DS experienced over the last year in Japan and while some may question just how effective it really is as a brain training tool, no one can question it's ability to sell systems. Nintendo views games such as Brain Age as the front-runner in their "going after the non-gamer" market segment approach;

"Brain Age is a cornerstone of Nintendo's new Touch Generations brand, which helps gaming newcomers identify which titles might be appropriate for them. The second title in the brain-training series, Big Brain Academy, launched in the Americas on June 5 and already has sold more than one quarter million units. Both titles have helped to lay the foundation for Nintendo’s upcoming Wii console, which also will include fun, simple games that everyone in the family will want to try." -Nintendo press release

Check out the full press release at this link while you ask yourself if the game is making you sharper, or if you're just learning how to perform the tasks it asks you to perform.

Posted by nylatenite at 2:49 AM EDT

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Major Nelson brings word that a PC demo of Microsoft's Flight Simulator X is now available for download. The demo includes 3 missions, weighs in at 636mb and can be downloaded directly from Microsoft at this link.

Posted by nylatenite at 2:07 AM EDT

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