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Friday, January 02, 2009

Popeye video games as copyright expires...

Video games publishers and developers could be able to use Popeye the Sailorman’s image for free from this week.

The copyright expired on the spinach-munching character yesterday, becoming public domain in Britain under an EU law that restricts the rights of authors to 70 years after their death.

Elzie Segar, the Illinois artist who created Popeye, his love interest Olive Oyl and nemesis Bluto, died in 1938.

According to The Times, the copyright expiry means that anyone can print and sell Popeye posters, T-shirts and even create new comic strips, without the need for authorisation or to make royalty payments.

However, the Popeye trademark, a separate entity to Segar's authorial copyright, is owned by King Features, a subsidiary of US entertainment giant — which is expected to protect its brand ‘aggressively’.

Mark Owen, an intellectual property specialist at the law firm Harbottle & Lewis, said: “The Segar drawings are out of copyright, so anyone could put those on T-shirts, posters and cards and create a thriving business. If you sold a Popeye toy or Popeye spinach can, you could be infringing the trademark.”

Mr Owen added: “Popeye is one of the first of the famous 20th-century cartoon characters to fall out of copyright. Betty Boop and ultimately Mickey Mouse will follow.”

Popeye generates about £1.5 billion in annual sales.

Source: MCVuk

Christmas video game No 1 - FIFA 09 to sell 10 million games...

EA Sports boss Peter Moore unimpressed with ‘Eurogamer Top 50 of 2008’ list

President of EA Sports Peter Moore has revealed on his blog that the critically acclaimed FIFA ’09 is on course to sell through ten million units.

The statement came during a light-hearted rant made over the game’s absence from Eurogamer’s Top 50 Games of 2008, posted over the Christmas break.

“Now I get that the sports genre is the Rodney Dangerfield of games when the awards are handed out,” wrote Moore.

“But c'mon, one of the best sports games of recent times not even in the Top 50? This title will sell in excess of 10 million units when all is done and dusted, but doesn't even rank a mention?

“Eurogamer - you are and always will be one of my favourite gaming web-sites, but you were waaaay offside on this one.”

FIFA ’09 was a huge Christmas hit, grabbing the coveted Christmas No. 1 position in the UK and achieving a 87 Metacritic rating. The title also sold through one million copies in just five weeks in Europe.

Source: MCV

Top Video Games 2008 PS3, Xbox 360, Wii - Rock Band, Mario Kart, Little Big Planet, Wii Fit, FIFA 09, Tomb Raider...

Great games in 2008...

No 1 games in 2008

Rock Band PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii.

Developed by Harmonix, creators of the blockbuster Guitar Hero franchise, Rock Band is an all-new platform for gamers ready to take on the challenges of the Rock & Roll lifestyle. Instruments available to players are guitar, bass, drums or vocals as they hit the road as either an aspiring superstar solo act, or for the first time in game genre history take on the true collaborative and challenging nature of music as they form a band and jam together in multiplayer action. Either way players will need to master their stage presence through the various game modes and polish their rock chops via the unrivaled Rock Band song list if they hope to make it out of the garage, into the clubs and finally on to the main stage.

Guitar Hero PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock continues to build on Guitar Hero's successful easy to play, but difficult to master gameplay mechanic to take the franchise to a whole new level. With master tracks from legendary bands like Sex Pistols, Guns N Roses, Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Pearl Jam, along with original music composed specifically for the game by iconic guitarists Slash and Tom Morello, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock sports the greatest soundtrack to ever find its way into a videogame. Vastly improved graphics immerse gamers into their rock arenas and heighten their visual experience while the new wireless Gibson guitar controllers allow the players to channel their inner guitar gods. The arcade-inspired battle mode, expanded co-op career and boss battles add depth and extend gameplay for countless hours of shred time.

Mario Kart Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS.

Nintendo is bringing Mario and his friends with their finely tuned racing machines back and this time to the Nintendo Wii. With 3 different control styles and a Wii Wheel included in the box, Mario Kart Wii is bound to be the best in the series. The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series – not to mention tons of new ones – the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned.

LittleBigPlanet PlayStation 3.

Amazing graphics bring the world of the main character, known as Sackboy, and his fabric-coated pals to life with realistic physics and a stunning level of detail. Played with friends it’s a great puzzle adventure, as you co-operate and compete across each level.
The game’s trump card though is its customisation, not just the characters themselves but the whole game. It’s extremely easy to create your own levels, and the best fun is had simply setting up areas for mucking around and then sharing them online with other people.

Wii Fit Nintendo Wii (with balance board)

The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to Wii Fit and the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board, which comes bundled with it. Used together players will experience an extensive array of fun, dynamic and surprisingly challenging activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and balance oriented games. The focus of these activities is towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions, but it's the fun approach to fitness of Wii Fit that will keep players hooked on fitness for years to come.

FIFA 09 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS, PC.

Step onto the pitch and play professional football your way in FIFA 09. Experience the most authentic football simulation EA Sports has delivered as you live the fantasy of playing as a professional player and customise the game to suit your style and ability.
Powered by the third generation of the EA Sports football engine, FIFA 09 features more than 250 core gameplay additions and enhancements that deliver the most responsive, intelligent and realistic action ever for the series. Enjoy turning defenders with more controlled dribbling and ball control, snapping off precision shots with improved first-time shooting mechanics and firing beautifully timed passes with greater accuracy, placing the ball exactly where you want it.

Tomb Raider - Underworld PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PC.

The basics of the game are classic Tomb Raider, as you explore the trap-filled interiors of ancient ruins using Lara’s famed acrobatic skills (and dual action pistols). From an underwater temple guarded by a giant octopus-like kraken to ancient Mayan structures in the South American jungle, she makes Indiana Jones look even older. All of the levels are much larger than in previous games and far more interactive. You'll leave footprints in the sand and find all the scenery fully destructable. Every puzzle has multiple solutions, and the hand-to-hand combat system has been completely revamped. A new 3D map system also helps to ensure you never get lost so that you can concentrate on saving the world.

FREE - All of the vehicles in Grand Theft Auto IV video game

It may not have the racing chops Gran Turismo 5 Prologue or Midnight Club: Los Angeles, but Grand Theft Auto IV is still a big-title game for 2008 with some big-time automotive tie-ins.

There are more than 100 different vehicles to play with, most of which are inspired in one way or another by real-life automotive counterparts

read more | digg story

Tales of Symphonia - Dawn of the New World Walkthrough guide and videos...

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is the Wii's sequel to the popular Gamecube game of the same name (minus the subtitle), which came out a couple years ago. Although Dawn of the New World is a follow-up, the game does have a fair share of differences.

First, it has two new main characters, Emil and Marta, and obviously new bad guys. The original characters from the last game do however make appearance in this one as well.

Although you can only control Marta and Emil this time around, the other Tales characters will also join your party at times. Another new aspect are the monsters that yo can make pacts with and have fighting with you in your party. You can "catch" all the monsters you encounter in the game, evolve them, and level them up just like party members. Nonetheless, despite the new features, Dawn of the New World is rather small compared to the original.

The game is shorter, doesn't have as much locations and side quests and has a much less epic scale. The world map is now point-and-click and there are more cutscenes than actual gameplay. Regardless, the characters are engaging and it's great to revisit the areas from the other game with a new storyline. Fans of the Tales series will be entertained.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
For Nintendo Wii released: 11/11/08
IGN Exclusive FAQ Walkthrough by WishingTikal

For loads of - Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World videos please visit WishingTikal YouTube channel here...

Neverland Winter Nights 2 Expansion Pack Storm of Zahir

A land of adventure and intrigue awaits in Storm of Zehir. Shipwrecked on the shores of a hostile jungle nation, your adventuring party must fight its way to civilization, uncovering a plot that will change Faerûn forever. Powerful allies will join you in your fight against formidable foes, but be careful who you trust as that distinction is harder to make that you might think...

Full Party Creation: Previous NWN2 titles allowed you to create a single character which you controlled for the entire game; additional NPC party members would join you as you played through the campaign. In Storm of Zehir, however, you are now allowed to make your entire party at the beginning of the game. With the Party Editor, you can create up to three additional party members to join you on your quest, or choose from several pre-generated characters.
Party Conversation: Another major addition to Storm of Zehir lies in party conversation. In previous Neverwinter Nights titles, only your main character was capable of using skills like Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Bluff in conversation. In Storm of Zehir, however, we've added a new party conversation system that will allow you to switch between all of your party members when a conversation begins, allowing anyone to speak at any time. Each party member will have different responses in a conversation; these responses are based on a character's gender, race, class, attributes, deity and skills. Thus, you should find yourself with many more options available to you during any given conversation.
Overland Map: The Overland Map is our way of allowing the player to freely explore the game world, without any artificial restrictions being placed on them. Instead of warping from location to location on a 2D map, you can now walk around and explore the game world via the Overland Map, which is populated by guards that patrol from city to city, roaming bands of monsters that will hunt you down when they detect you, hidden dungeons deep inside the jungle, and a lot of special encounters that will appear at random as you play. So you can veer off the storyline progression at any time to explore the world as you see fit.
New Trading System: Part of Storm of Zehir's storyline revolves around Sa'Sani, an enigmatic businesswoman who had cargo on the ship which crashes at the beginning of the game. As a merchant, Sa'sani is very concerned with the ability to trade between cities and generate wealth. While you remain in Sa'Sani's employ, you will be tasked with finding rare ores and expensive animal skins, which can be converted into Trade Bars. Trade Bars are the official currency of the game's merchant guilds, one of which your party will be able to join and assist. Each merchant guild will have different rewards for advancement and different ethical guidelines for trading, so choose carefully!

Operating System: Windows XP
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 2000 or equivalent (Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 or equivalent (or higher) recommended)
Memory: 1 GB RAM (2 GB RAM recommended)
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed (8X Speed or higher recommended)
Video: 256 MB Shader Model 3.0-compatible video card (512 MB recommended)*
Sound: Windows XP-compatible sound card
Multiplayer: Local area network with TCP/IP protocol or Broadband Internet connection
DirectX: DirectX version 9.0c or higher

* Indicates that device should be compatible with DirectX version 9.0c or higher.

Nintendo to launch Wii television channel - Wii TV

A video-on-demand service is to be offered to Nintendo Wii owners with Internet connections.

Almost half of the 40 million Nintendo Wii consoles sold are connected to the Internet. Revenue will come from a mix of payed for content and advertising.

Beginning in Japan in the first quarter it is expected to be available worldwide before the end of the year.

Most of the cartoons, brain-training, cooking and puzzle programmes will be free but some may charge to download/watch. Payment will be through the Wii points system, already used to pay to buy games on the Nintendo Wii.

The Race for a new Game Machine - Microsoft Xbox 360 helped by Sony's chip team...

Sony's Cell chip developed with IBM helped Microsoft when Microsoft went to IBM for its Xbox 360 chip, according a book published today: The Race for a New Game Machine by David Shippy and Mickie Phipps (Citadel, 240 pages, $14.93). In his book he says:

In 2003, IBM's Adam Bennett showed Microsoft specs for the still-in-development Cell core. Microsoft was interested and contracted with IBM for their own chip, to be built around the core that IBM was still building with Sony.
All three of the original partners had agreed that IBM would eventually sell the Cell to other clients. But it does not seem to have occurred to Sony that IBM would sell key parts of the Cell before it was complete and to Sony's primary videogame-console competitor. The result was that Sony's R&D money was spent creating a component for Microsoft to use against it.

The Xbox 360 chip is based on IBM's PowerPC architecture the same as used in the Apple Macintosh range of computers. IBM's Introduction to the Cell multiprocessor says:

He was one of the lead architects for the POWER2*, G3 PowerPC, and POWER4* processor designs. He is currently the chief architect for the power processing unit for the Cell processor. Mr Shippy holds numerous patents, has received an IBM Tenth Plateau Invention Achievement Award, and has been recognized as an IBM Master Inventor.

For Sony, the Cell processor was such a debacle that two weeks after the Playstation 3 finally appeared in stores, the company fired Ken Kutaragi, the head of its gaming unit, who had championed the Cell and built the Playstation line. The lesson, lost on Mr Shippy and Ms Phipps, is that technical supremacy divorced from sound strategic vision is no virtue. It can even end up in disaster.

You can read the full Wall Street Journal story here...

Three New Free Indie Games to play Overflow - Space Pizza and Take Down Online

Independent online distribution platform welcomes three new games created by independent developers.

It's difficult for independent developers to attract players to their games. It can also be difficult for gamers to find new quality independent games. Archive Entertainment hopes to solve these problems with Archive Games, a digital distribution platform that connects independent developers with gamers.

Three new independent studios have partnered with Archive Entertainment to add their work to the Archive Games distribution platform:

Overflow, by Vultrix - Tax your brain with this unique puzzler in which you must redirect the flow of water to safety. Using your mouse and a steady hand, draw bridges and barriers to divert and block the onslaught of water. Includes 25 vividly surreal levels, and a freeform sandbox mode where you are free to play with the water physics.

Space Pizza, by Per Olofsson - As the newest pizza delivery driver, it is your mission to deliver pizzas without crashing into any number of conveniently placed obstacles... all while under a time limit. Fast paced and fun, this is an innovative take on the Lunar Lander concept.

Take Down Online, by 174 Studios - An in-development combat-oriented MMO; capture command points with your team as you travel by foot, humvee, or armed helicopter.

All three games can be freely downloaded now via Archive Games. Archive Entertainment continues to seek new relationships with developers to bring independent games to fans. For more information about Archive Games, please visit http://www.ArchiveGames.net/

Videogamer's top 5 video games 'moments' in 2008

1. Microsoft's shock Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 E3 announcement
2. Dennis Dyack versus NeoGaf
3. LittleBigPlanet's delay
4. Grand Theft Auto IV's all-conquering launch
5. Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain Leipzig presentation

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Friday, January 02, 2009