wow gold

Case: Eros v. Simon (SETTLED 2007) - Second Life

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:41:47 +0000

Somehow this well reported case got overlooked here at the Patent Arcade, and that appears to be because I thought I’d already written about it. In any event, it now gets its own post…

On October 24, 2007, six content owners in Second Life sued Thomas Simon, aka Rase Kenzo, for infringing their copyrights in various online goods. Also included in the complaint were counts for unfair competition and false description of origin, conspiracy, and counterfeiting. The goods included clothing and scripted furniture (aka, sex beds), among other things. After only two months it appears that Mr. Simon saw the light and the plaintiffs proved their point–the case settled in December, 2007, for about $525, and an agreement by Mr. Simon to cease his questionable activities.

At the very least this case is important because it demonstrates the seriousness that many Second Life content creators give to their businesses, treating their intellectual property just as any other business would. The stakes will only get higher as virtual worlds such as Second Life get bigger, and the players have even more money at stake.

Documents:

Complaint-07_10_24_eros_et_al_v_simon_complaint.pdf

Settlement-ecf.nyed.uscourts.gov_cgi-bin_show_temp.pdf

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Wired Mag Profiles 2ch, the NeoGAF of Japan

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:28:06 +0000

Wired Magazine is running a profile of Hiroyuki Nishimura, the otaku gamer who created Japan’s most popular bulletin board site, 2channel. The site is somewhat like Slashdot, though it’s even more popular with a broader swath of the population — it gets half a billion page views a month.

The site isn’t just for gamers, but it is the best place to go if you want to debate the most important topics on earth: Whether Famitsu magazine’s review scores are still trustworthy, hidden characters in Sumabura, why the Xbox 360 sells so poorly in Japan… that kinda thing.

In the feature on Nishimura, writer Lisa Katayama notes: "Though 2channel is text-only, users have circumvented that restriction by raising ASCII imagery to an art form, typing out elaborate illustrations that are often closer to editorial cartoons than emoticons."

That line reminded me of a hilarious collection of 2ch ASCII imagery that Kohler posted a couple of years ago, images created to illustrate the price disparity between the PS3 and the Wii. Funny stuff.

Kohler, I think that you should scan 2ch hourly for
game-related ASCII imagery, and post the best stuff on Game|Life. Can you get right on that? Kthxbye.

Meet Hiroyuki Nishimura, the Bad Boy of the Japanese Internet [Wired]

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Review - Lost Winds

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:14:53 +0000

As I searched for the final area of Lost Winds my entire family died in a flaming plane crash. I mean the game crashed as I was going from one area to another. The controller stopped responding and I was once again forced into physical activity by the Wii. I made my way to the system and shut it off, annoyed that I had stumbled upon one of the Lost Winds glitches I’d read about but still psyched because I knew I’d finish the game in the next half hour. So I rebooted the console and loaded up the game again. All the save files were gone. Crashing and being turned off during the hang up removed all the progress I had made. It’s safe to assume I am reviewing a game I did not finish.

Technical issues aside, will this game’s voice be heard or will it break like the wind?

Knocking people around with wind is a nice way to spend time after you’re done with the adventure.

Lost Winds is the new example of a game that’s more than the sum of its parts. If you enjoy lecturing others about video games (and more specifically why Shenmue is actually great and not boring or stupid) you need to play Lost Winds so you can better describe games that have average or good gameplay but still mop the floor with less creative titles. Lost Winds isn’t a blast to play. The puzzles it provides pale in comparison to any Zelda, the platforming has been done better in games 20 years older, and a good daydream provides more adventure.

While Lost Winds never offers gripping gameplay, the play mechanics are very inventive and make great use of the Wii’s unique abilities, and more importantly complements the rest of the game perfectly. Appropriately enough, Lost Winds puts the power of wind in the player’s hands, or at least the ability to control thin streams of wind in a video game. Throughout the short adventure you will gain new windy abilities that are necessary to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will mention that when you reach level 50 you become Storm from the X-Men and at level 75 you become the cause of cyclones and typhoons in Asia (too soon?).

It is really the combined efforts of the sound and graphical presentation with the laid back gameplay that makes Lost Winds great. The game is a visual and aural treat to all but the blind and deaf, and it manages to put me at peace like only watching the orchard trees gently sway to the sounds of acoustic guitar melodies in the economic missions of Stronghold could (that’s right, feel alienated because you aren’t part of my personal experience with this somewhat obscure game). The character models could be better quality but the background and environment art is beautiful and as many have observed, better looking than most Wii games though for love and passion, not number of polygons pushed. The way your gusts of wind ruffle trees and bushes, direct flames and guide streams of water is the jewel on Lost Winds crown of atmosphere.

Still there are a few things that could be improved upon. The characters are not particularly interesting, despite their quirky visual design. They generally have very little to say to the point that most townsfolk repeat a single line of dialog the entire game. The setting, while beautiful, could stand be to fleshed out more. I want to know more about the enchanting world I am blowing. These shortcomings are likely due to Lost Winds being designed as a short and relatively cheap title. Success was uncertain and crafting deep backstory and rich characters conflicted with the goal of getting a nice looking, fun game out as soon as and as cheaply as possible. Just think about old games if you doubt plot and characterization aren’t the last things on most designers list.

Images of the game say Lost Winds so you know you’re looking at Lost Winds.

Developer Frontier has already announced a sequel is in the works and this leaves me with mixed feelings. It is a clear chance to make the improvements I just suggested, but it is also a chance to fail (the lesson is never try). By making a three hour game that rewards the player with a new mechanic every thirty minutes or so Frontier has essentially removed the filler that bloats most games. If the sequel does not follow suit by constantly offering interesting twists on wind, which will be very difficult to do, it may be three hours of filler excised from a better game. I’m sorry, but the princess is in another castle.

Finally there is WiiWare itself. Nintendo will have to step up their quality control if they want WiiWare games to be seen as worthwhile titles in smaller packages instead of cheap underdeveloped crap. If Lost Winds weren’t as good as it is I’d be much more likely to dismiss WiiWare as a whole after running into that time erasing bug. Gamers may be stupid enough to continuously buy broken PC games then wait for patches, and stupid enough to buy broken console games that are never patched and then rave about them online, but that doesn’t mean it’s right to abuse us.

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Vyse’s View: Sequels that I Want

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:02:27 +0000

If you guys have been paying attention to the news this week you'd know that there is finally a Beyond Good and Evil sequel in the works. It still needs to be green-lit by Ubisoft but I see it being officially announced in the near future. My favorite genre happens to be the adventure game: the perfect blend of exploration, action-oriented combat systems, puzzles, story, and RPG elements. BG&E is one of the best examples of the genre and it sorely needs a sequel, especially with that cliff-hanger ending. I even liked the game better than Wind Waker, which didn't come out long before. I'm really glad this is one of those titles that hardcore gamers have really whined about enough to get the developer's attention. This game is, though, one of a few that I'd like to see more of.

Another on my list is actually one you'd probably wouldn't guess. One of my favorite games of last generation was Stubbs the Zombie. Yeah, that's right. As much as I love RPG's and Adventure games, there's nothing like something new that plays around with a bunch of genres. Stubbs was built on the Halo Engine and, despite it not really being a shooter, really felt like Halo but with some really vibrant personality. The exploding organs that you threw were pretty much the same as the plasma grenades we know and love and the vehicles felt exactly the same. However, there were some awesome aspects of the game that really appealed to me. First of all, I love being an anti-hero as it really mixes up how the protagonist fits into the story. And let me tell you that leading an entire pack of zombies that bite humans and create more zombies (as the screams of the victims fill the air) is one of the most amazing things you can ever experience. Oh, and the loading screens were some of the most memorable of any game as zombies quietly moan and as the status bar advances they get louder and louder and start yelling "BRAAAAAAINNNNNNSSSS." It makes my tummy rumble just thinking about it. This game needs a sequel fast, built on the Halo 3 engine and with an online co-op component.

My last title should be no surprise to anyone. My favorite RPG of all time is of course SKIES OF ARCADIA. The main character is my namesake and it is one of the most underrated works of art even among the most hardcore gamers. No matter how many times I've started this game up, I've never gotten bored with it. It has one of the most delightful casts of characters (including a non-silent protagonist, thank you!), a great battle system that revolves around you saving up spirit to perform special moves (PIRATE'S WRATH!!), and a world that was fun to explore and was much different than the shires of your average medieval-era role-player. Then there are the ship battles! This game was not content with having just one type of battle so it threw an entire other one right at you that forced you to use strategy to defeat other air ships and giant monsters. I can go on and on about this game but you should really look around for a copy of it for the Game Cube and give it a whirl in your Wii so you know what I'm talking about. There's a lot of buzz about a sequel to this game and now with Vyse and Aika showing up in Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3, I can only hope that someday I'll get the sequel I most want more than any other. I've been burned by rumors of Skies 2 so many times before so I won't get my hopes up, but I'll be watching for it and you'll be darn sure I'll say something the minute I see that leaked screenshot or press release from Sega.

What games do you want sequels to? Comment with your hopeful titles and why!

Images courtesy of Sega, Ubisoft and Aspyr.

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Screenshot of Sims 3 Site

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:48:55 +0000

A new website has been launched.

The site provides TONS of screens of the upcoming game and lots of information for you to drool over.

There’s even a “Sign Up” section that promises to deliver “early, exclusive content” to your in-box.

Gotta love teaser websites.

Image: http://thesims3.ea.com

Tags: EA, exclusive content, maxis, screenshot, teaser website, The Sims 3

Jonas Brothers T-shirt

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:32:16 +0000

You’re a Jonas Brothers fan. Admit it. It’s OK.

Since you’re such a fan, I figured that I would help you [and your Sims out] by finding this snazzy Jonas Brothers t-shirt just for you.

Download it. Love it. Sing along with the Jonas Brothers’s music while your Sims wear it.

You can thank me later.

Tags: band shirt, disney, Free Sims 2 Download, Jonas Brothers, sims-2, t-shirt

Casual Games not Cheap, Says UbiSoft

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:19:48 +0000

As spotted on Joystiq.com, game developer, UbiSoft declared that although casual games may be far more inexpensive to produce, it takes much more money to promote and market.

This was revealed by UbiSoft North America president, Detoc, in an interview with San Francisco Chronicle. He also said that a big chunk of the recent success is due to the low development costs of casual games and the market’s acceptance on the genre.

Frozzd

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:06:23 +0000

In Frozzd, you take the role of an astronaut tasked with the mission of freeing orange-colored creatures named Mubblies from their frozen state. You begin each level with King Mubbly as your companion, who has the ability to unfreeze his subjects or attack the Frozzds with a tap of the space key. Drink coffee to increase your suit’s temperature, and use the points you’ve acquired to unlock new stages.

Each of the twelve levels introduces a different enemy, and points acquired from previous stages can be used to unlock new ones.

Name: Frozzd
Developer: Jesse Venbrux
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

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Screenshots of Cel-Shaded Prince of Persia Surface

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:50:19 +0000

Screenshots of Ubisoft’s upcoming next-gen Prince of Persia have surfaced — let the drooling begin.

The new game, which rumors have labeled Prince of Persia Prodigy sports a cel-shaded look, and the new screenshots pretty much confirm that this will be by far the best-looking entry in the series.

More gorgeous shots of the Prince in action at the link.

Prince of Persia Prodigy screeny [Tiscali Games, via NeoGAF]

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Stronghold Crusader Extreme Golden

wowgoldeu — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:38:12 +0000

Indie-publisher Gamecock Media Group announced today that Firefly Studios’ Stronghold Crusader Extreme has gone gold. That means fans of the series have less than a week wait before they can get their hands on all new Stronghold gameplay, now, more extreme than ever.

Stronghold Crusader Extreme takes all the medieval mayhem of its predecessors and kicks things up a notch. With new features like opponent AI and maps, an all new extreme trail, and full-scale epic warfare with over 10,000 units, gamers won’t want to miss out on any of the action.

Stronghold Crusader Extreme releases May 28 at a PC retailer near you.

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