Latest Gear Live Videos
Bleeding Edge TV 181: PAX 2007 Wrap-Up with Gear Live and GamerAndy
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, High Score, Features, Podcasts, Video Games, Videocasts
Gear Live and GamerAndy are back, bringing you their final thoughts from PAX 2007, this time bringing Bobby Blackwolf along for the ride. We go over all the things we were impressed with at PAX, along with the things that left a bad taste in our mouths. We get into a deep discussion on how even hardcore games are starting to cater to the casual gamer, and how it seems that it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Did you know that you can do almost everything in Assassin’s Creed just by pushing forward on the analog stick? Where is the skill in that? If you missed the 2007 Penny Arcade Expo and love video games, this is one to watch.
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Console Downloads Feature Space Bounty Hunters and Also Giraffes
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Adventure, Nintendo, Platformers, Retro, Third Person Shooters, Virtual Console, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade
People with virtual currency burning pixelated holes in their alternate reality pockets can check out the Xbox Live Arcade and the Wii Virtual Console this week for some new (or perhaps old) titles. The most exciting offerings this week look to be the Jeff Minter shooter Space Giraffe and the wonderful SNES classic, Super Metroid.
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| Nintendo Press Release
California Extreme Channels a Simpler Time
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Culture, Editorial, Retro
Gamers of a certain age, if given half a chance, will gladly recount grand tales of smoky rooms, dimly lit by a few dozen cathode rays where the only sounds are the white noise of competing digitized soundtracks, crude speech sythesizers, blips and bells, pings and whistles and artificial arpeggios rolling down an electronic scale.
The misty sincerity of those gamers who cut their teeth on the quarter-munching cabinets of Space Invaders, Asteroids, Missile Command and Sinistar is almost enough to make one forget what a mess the modern arcade equivalent has become. The gargantuan interface machines with their elaborate weapon approximations and physical demands juxtapose over a likewise spectacular price per play resulting in a hollow shell of what the old guard knew so well. These are not arcades as exist in those guarded memories, they are interactive entertainment experiences: The kind of branded, marginalized speciality device that has been focus tested and trade-show marketed to get the premium floor space right out front in view of the mall concourse is showpiece here.
Even those arcade machines which can still accurately be described as video games compete for the higher-yield ticket-generating skill games (which ironically involve very little skill). Most of those who recall the days when 3D graphics referred to the vector lines of Tempest pass by these modern emporiums. Perhaps they shake their heads a little or make a disparaging comment. Kids these days. Get off my lawn. They don’t enter; inside is only heartbreak.
Perhaps what hurts the most is that it is a heartbreak we chose. We have no one to blame but ourselves, for while the arcade as it was may be dead, ultimately it is us who killed it.
We wanted the more valuable entertainment experience. We asked for and then demanded a perfect replica of our arcade favorites that we could play at home from the comfort of our couches. We pressed for more arcade-quality graphics on our home consoles until our set top boxes had visuals that outpaced anything showcased on a standalone machine. We asked for, and received, greater narrative depth in our games and as a casualty for our insistence we killed the arcade—the very entity we now mourn.
Bleeding Edge TV 172: Carnival Games for Wii Previewed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Features, Home Entertainment, Video Games, Videocasts
We take you to the floor of the Nintendo Media Summit to give you a sneak peek at Carnival Games for Wii. In the same vein as Wii Sports, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Wii Play, and others, Carnival Games aims to pack a lot of minigames into their title, but they differentiate themselves by taking you on a trip to the carnival. Expect a total of 35 games to be found at your disposal, including the Dunk Tank, Alley Ball (Skee Ball), Shoot the Ducks, Milk Can Toss, Test of Strength, etc. Check out the video for the full scoop on the game, including gameplay footage.
Bleeding Edge TV 169: AMD Explains How Quad Core Chips Should Be Made
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, High Score, Short Bytes, Features, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videocasts
Okay, we have been hearing a lot about dual core and quad core processors coming out of both the Intel and AMD camps. Now that Apple has released the Octo-core Mac Pro, people are wondering about the benefit of having all these cores at their disposal. In this video, we speak with AMD about what they believe is the fundamental difference between the way they do Quad Core chips as opposed to the way Intel does it. Check out the video to see how AMD feels quad core computing should be done.
Bleeding Edge TV 167: Inside AMD’s Performance Testing Lab
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, High Score, Features, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videocasts
While we were out visiting AMD, they gave us the opportunity to enter their Performance Testing Lab, an area guarded by dual steel doors that seemingly required both a key and special knocking code in order to enter. Once inside and sure that our lives were safe, we spoke with Mark Welker about how AMD tests their chip technologies across different platforms, software, and games. He talks to us about benchmarks, what they mean in the real world, and how they can be gamed to show what you want them to show. Even better, Mark gives out his corporate email address and offers to send the performance testing scripts to anyone who asks so that people at home can do it themselves. Just drop him an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and tell him Gear Live sent you. Check the video for the full scoop.
Bleeding Edge TV 166: Myst Online URU Live Interview
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Features, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videocasts
Gear Live friend Doug Dobbins was able to sit down and chat with Rand Miller of Cyan Worlds, the folks behind Myst, Riven, and URU Live. We get a first-hand look at URU Live, the concepts behind it, and how it came about through association with GameTap. Rand gives us a peek into his mind as it pertains to gaming, both as a developer and as a fan of the medium. Check the video for the full scoop.
CES 2007 Video: MX Talks Blu-ray Network Games On The Bus
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Video Games, Videocasts
Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD feature advanced technologies to provide interactive features to consumers. We interviewed Ole Lutjens on the bus to CES and he told us about some upcoming network aware games coming to Blu-ray discs.
Bleeding Edge 071: CES 2007: The Novint Falcon Takes Gaming To The Next Level
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Short Bytes, Accessories, CES, CES 2007, Features, PC / Laptop, Video Games, Videocasts
We spent some time with the folks from Novint to get a look at the Novint Falcon. We walked away quite impressed, as the Falcon definitely lived up to the claim of delivering a more immersive gaming experience. Basically, you use a controller hoked up to three arms, which are connected to an orb of sorts. We know, it sounds confusing, but that is why we have video for you to take a gander at.
Bleeding Edge 063: Mind Camp Wrap-Up Featuring Nintendo Wii
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, High Score, Features, Home Entertainment, Video Games, Videocasts
At the last Seattle Mind Camp, Nintendo dropped by to give the attendees an early taste of Wii, one week early. The result? Fierce competition, a tournament that wasn’t for the weak of heart, and a whole lot of fun. We cover Seattle Mind Camp 3.0 in this episode, and focus on the fun that was had with Wii.
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