gaming update december

GAMING

UPDATEDecember 2010

GAMING UPDATE // DECEMBER 2010

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December UPDATE


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Christmas is on our doorstep, presents need to be bought, stockings have to be filled and dinners have to be prepared. For some it’s the most stressful time of the year. But don’t panic! The December Gaming Update will give you a well-deserved break from all your Christmas preparations. It might even give you inspiration for that gift you still have to buy. Merry Christmas from us here at Advance!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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ADVANCE GAMING VISITS RETO-MOTO//ARE YOU A HERO OR A GENERAL? We don’t like to sit still here at Advance Gaming. So once in a while we go for little strolls around town. On one of our latest ventures in Copenhagen, we ended up at the offices of Reto-Moto, a bunch of great guys working on a very innovative war game, Heroes and Generals. It’s one of those games you just can’t wait for to try out. And guess what? We did! So what is Heroes and Generals? In the words of Reto-Moto, it is an online war game with multiple game modes accessible from multiple platforms. Play the game as the hero on the battlefield, the officer making the tactical decisions to win the battle, the general command devising the grand strategy and everything in between. We think that this approach puts them on the sharp edge of gaming. Multiple platforms just make us drool. And having the choice between being the tough ground fighter or the wise and insightful strategist leading the troops, makes us salivate even more. Heroes and Generals is now in Alpha testing, but you can already register if you are interested. If you have a good idea for the game, the developers will be happy to listen to you. Sir, yes Sir!

www.heroesandgenerals.comsource: heroesandgenerals.com


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KINECTIMALS GETS REALLY CUTE//THE PLUSH SPECIAL EDITION

The new generation of kids don’t draw a line between the virtual and the real world anymore. Which is why, if you are a great parent and you own an Xbox Kinect camera, you should buy the special edition of Kinectimals - the game where you get to raise your very own virtual pet on your screen. The special edition comes with a plush pet unique to the store from which it came. GameStop adopted a containership full of blue Maltese tigers and Toys R’ Us is home to cages full of king cheetah’s. The real-life plush toy unlocks its own virtual character in the game. Pick up a box for $59.99 on your way back from work and be the best dad or mom in the world. At least for an evening…

VIDEO

www.kinectimals.com source: gamestop.com


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ONLIVE’S SUBSCRIPTION MOVE//DROPPING MONTHLY FEES We’ve talked about Onlive before. At the E3 conference in June, we were amazed by the smoothness of their digital streaming system for games. The days of expensive hardware seem to be doomed. All you need to play the latest games through Onlive is a steady Internet connection. This had always a price of course, a monthly base fee to access the service plus a price for whichever game you would like to play. Now Onlive has dropped this monthly base fee. The service follows the general trend in the business of giving gamers the chance to get a taste before purchasing the real deal. Sign up and enjoy free demos, video clips, messaging and friending. On top of that, Onlive is launching a monthly full-access pass ($9.99) that lets you play a whole range of their games without limits. You can of course still purchase or rent games separately.

VIDEO

www.onlive.com


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DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT //NOT THE POPULAR NEW KID IN TOWN One of the favoured business models in gaming seems to be downloadable content. You buy a full game, you finish it, and two months later you can buy and download an add-on to the game. Well… seems as though nobody really gives a damn megabyte. According to research from NPD, 75% of American customers hadn’t bought any extra content for their games in the past three months. For console games, the picture is even worse. Only 6% of console gamers downloaded add-ons. Is it the revolt of the gamer? Does it mean they think they already pay enough for the game itself? Or would they rather spend the money on a new game rather than on more of the same? In the end, it is still the consumer who decides.

www.npd.com

source: reddeadredemption.com


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CALL OF DUTY BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE OF ALL TIME//BLACK OPS $650 MILLION SALES IN FIVE DAYS

source: callofduty.com


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BUILDING A COMPUTER IN A COMPUTER//MINECRAFT ISN’T ALL PLAY There are nerds, and then there are super nerds. Wait, that’s not an insult! These days there is some pride in being a nerd. The cool ones use computers to show off, and the awesome ones actually build computers INSIDE computers to get some street credibility. That is exactly what one of the gamers in Minecraft did. In the incredible popular building game, he or she built an enormous 16-bit computer that actually works. Some fundamental parts of the in-game device have been created already, but when the project is completely finished, it should be able to run some basic computer code. We are… slightly impressed. To really make us fall off our chairs in awe, you should at least build a computer within a computer that is built into a computer… and be able to play The Sims on it, online! To understand the scale of this, make sure to watch the video below.

VIDEO

www.minecraft.net

source: minecraft.net


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TELEVISION ON YOUR XBOX//WAR FOR THE FUTURE VIEWER Apple and Google tv, watch out! Microsoft is planning a television offensive with the Xbox. Behind closed doors, their executives have been closing deals with various content providers in the United States. Word is out that they are on tour in Europe as we speak. Xbox owners can already rent or buy movies and series through the integrated Zune Marketplace or Netflix. This offer will be extended with a subscription-based entertainment package. With boxes already in millions of livingrooms, Microsoft might have the key to beat Google and Apple in the race for the television subscribers of the future. Bad news for the male gamer though. When your girlfriend wants to watch Sex and the City… you get the point.

www.xbox.com

source: xbox.com


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PANASONIC’S NEW GAMING HANDHELD//MMO ON THE GO If those hours and hours spent in front of the screen when you should actually be sleeping aren’t enough, maybe the Panasonic Jungle is something for you. Although not quite small enough to fit in an average pocket, this new ’portable’ gaming device claims to be built for MMO-ing on the go. Battlestar Galactica Online or World of Warcraft, there’s no need to be home to build your virtual ego anymore. Will it stand up against the iPads, PSP’s and Nintendo DSes of this world? With millions of MMO-players, it might have a chance, at least in the short term. But in a future where most games will be browser-based, we see trouble ahead for a chunky-looking device like the Jungle. Launch date: unknown

VIDEO

www.welcometo.thejungle.com

source: panasonicjungle.org


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ASSASSIN’S CREED’S FRIENSHIP PROGRAM//REBUILDING BROTHERHOOD If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed, you know you’ll be stabbing a lot of people in the back. That is the point of the game. But it might all become a little too much for some, especially in multi-player mode. Sneaking up behind your friend one time too many times can really ruin friendships. At least that’s the idea behind Assassin’s Creed marketing campaign ’Rebuild Brotherhood’. With online videos and a 90’s style website, Ubisoft helps you rebuild trust with your friends, after playing Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer. The help and counseling on offer ranges from tips on respecting others’ feelings to the possibility to send a virtual gift basket filled with cats or cheesy chips. This is what they claim makes it ’the web’s number one resource for game based friendship trust rebuilding’. … oh and there are some puppies of course!

VIDEO

www.rebuildbrotherhood.org

source: assassinscreed.com


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MOST EXPENSIVE DIGITAL PROPERTY EVER//THE VIRTUAL REAL ESTATE MAGNATE $335,000 would buy you a nice apartment in most countries. In the virtual world, you can get a bit more for that amount: multiple biodomes, a mall, a stadium, and a club. That is exactly what a certain John Foma Kalun bought from another player in Entropia Universe, passing the previous record of $330,000. But what can you actually do with all those bits and bytes? It doesn’t really come with the same bragging rights as owning a real-world stadium or club. Not really the kind of thing to show to that new person youre dating, is it? One thing is for sure… the upkeep will cost you a whole lot less than in the real world.

www.entropiauniverse.com

source: neverdie.com


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YOOSTAR 2 //COMING TO KINECT AND MOVE We’ve mentioned Yoostar before, the movie software that comes with a camera and a green screen. It makes you the star in your favorite movies by cutting out the main actor and replacing him or her with your own cute face. It was already quite cool a few months back, but now the boys and girls at Yoostar have really pulled it off. They went full-spead ahead to get their software running on Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move. So finally you can put that annoying green screen out with the trash. It’s time for new technology, although you might argue that the green looked good with your couch. Available soon.

VIDEO

www.yoostar2.com


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ZYNGA TEAMS UP WITH AMERICAN EXPRESS//REWARD REDEMPTION FOR YOUR FARM Why would you use your American Express reward points to get a blender or a set of pans, if you can get yourself a Farmville tractor or even a purple cow? A new deal between game developer Zynga and the financial services company now makes this possible. Bringing the real world a little bit closer to the virtual world again and intertwining our online and offline financial situation. This makes American Express the first financial service provider to offer reward redemptions for virtual games. Surely this will not be the end of the story. Expect some joint-marketing efforts and special deals for cardholders in the future.

www.americanexpress.comsource: americanexpress.com


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