[GameRatty] tag: eighties

Wiis busiest developer makes yet another game

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:56:08 +0000

I hope High Voltage pays good overtime rates, because its programmers’ fingers must be worked down to bloody stumps at this point as YUKE’S today announced a collaboration with the Conduit developer for a forthcoming WiiWare title, Evasive Space.

Apparently due for release in January, it’s a ’space action’ game which uses the remote pointer to pilot a rocket through various dangerous environments, replete with asteroids, space debris and enemies. You’ll have to navigate narrow corridors in space stations and collect upgrades to improve your ship’s abilities. There’s a splitscreen multiplayer mode too.

Hopefully this won’t impact on development of The Conduit, as I’d hate for High Voltage’s staff to be spread too thinly - particularly given its enthusiastic support for Wii.

Awesome Eighties-TV-sci-fi logo, too.

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Viewtiful Joe Joins Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Capcom fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcomis just over a month away from release in Japan, and the buzz machine keeps on rolling with the latest character reveal: Viewtiful Joe.

The 2D side-scrolling action star will join the Capcom side for the upcoming Wii and arcade release of the game, and certainly fits in with the game's anime stylings.

Capcom announced two more roster additions at a public event in Tokyo's Shinagawa district yesterday: Saki of Quiz Nanairo Dreams(also a support character in Marvel vs. Capcom) and eighties Japanese anime hero Ippatsuman.

Image: Capcom

Viewtiful Joe Coming to Tatsunoko vs. Capcom [IGN]

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We're getting older

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:12:19 +0000

The average age of Australian video game players continues to rise as more households than ever before bring a device for playing games into their homes.

Nearly 70 per cent of Australians now play video games, with the average age of players now 30 years. The average is up from 28 years in 2007 and 24 years in 2005.

"Just three years ago, the gap between gamers and non-gamers was over 20 years, an entire generation," according to the Interactive Australia 2009 report released this week.

"Today, the difference between the two has narrowed to within a generation." By just 2014, the average age of gamers will be the same as the average age of non-gamers.

The youngest gamers identified in the study were just three years of age, while the oldest were in their eighties, including one gamer who is 88.

More girls and women are also playing games. Females now make up 46 per cent of the gaming population, up from 41 per cent in 2007 and 38 per cent in 2005. Within just two years, the proportion of female gamers in Australia will be equal to males.

Nearly all Australian children aged six to 10 play games (95 per cent), while gaming amongst older Australians is also popular - with 52 per cent of those over the age of 50 calling themselves gamers.

Gaming is a hobby that has lasting appeal. The average Australian game player has been enjoying games for over 11 years. Those aged between 26 and 35 have been playing on average for 14 years.

Half of all gamers play either daily or every other day. Another 25 per cent play at least once a week.

Most Australian game players play in short sessions. Over 60 per cent play for up to an hour at one time, with a quarter playing for just half an hour. Only five per cent play for four or more hours in one sitting, less than one percent play for five or more hours every day.

We are also social game players - only three per cent of all gamers never play with others, either online or on the same couch. Over 20 per cent "often" play with others in the same room, another 41 per cent "occasionally" - a small increase compared to Bond University's last study, reflecting the rise of the social game genre.

Bond University research for the Interactive Australia 2009 report also found the vast majority of Australian households (88 per cent) have a device for playing games, with 27 per cent owning two devices, 16 per cent three devices and 18 per cent owning four or more.

The majority of gaming devices are TV-based consoles (43 per cent), followed by PCs (39 per cent) and handheld gaming consoles (18 per cent). The console with the highest penetration into Australian households is Sony's evergreen PlayStation 2, which can be found in 33 per cent of Australian homes.

GfK sales data shows Australians bought over 1.2 million consoles in the first three quarters of 2008, an increase of 58 per cent over the same period last year. Much of the growth has been driven by Nintendo's Wii and DS, but Sony's PlayStation consoles and Microsoft's Xbox 360 have also enjoyed strong sales.

In the study, Bond University was able to demonstrate that playing computer and video games does not make a person different from someone who does not play them, with similar leisure activities apart from games, similar education and average earnings.

The report also found time spent playing games is usually at the expense of other media rather than non-media activities or outdoor pursuits.

The Internet has usurped television at the top position as the entertainment medium of choice for Australians, but TV viewing remains very popular, ranking second among media choices.

Watching DVDs is the next most preferred media activity followed by reading books, then newspapers, then listening to music and the radio. Movie-going, reading magazines and playing video games rounded out the list.

IGN: Dream Arcades, Vol. 3

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:44:29 +0000

Arcades have largely been ripped from the pop culture landscape. There are a few mega-arcades left in the Gameworks or Dave & Busters chains. The resurgent Chuck E. Cheese offers a modest number of arcade cabinets amongst a sea of redemption games. And every once in a while, you happen upon a retro house that gets by on the strength of thirtysomething nostalgia. However, the hole-in-the-wall arcade that was a staple of the Reagan Era is forever gone.

But not here at IGN Retro. Not with their new Dream Arcades series, where they imagine the ideal arcade of the eighties, stocked with favorite machines on "free play." This week, IGN Nintendo's Daemon Hatfield talks about his amusement parlor.

Atlus brings Ys remakes to the US

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:03:03 +0000

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is a compilation of two remakes of the ancient RPGs which were originally launched on a few consoles back in the Eighties but most notably put together for the Turbografx CD and released as Ys: Books I & II - which recently appeared on the US Virtual Console, to the delight of a few hardcore Japanophile gamers.

Anyway, Atlus is now bringing two fairly recent (launched in March) Japanese DS remakes, bundling them together and releasing them as Legacy of Ys: Books I & II in February of next year.

No word on a European release at the time of writing, but this looks like a potential Rising Star release to me. Otherwise, if you’re into quirky, cultish role-players, get saving your pennies and import the title when it arrives in just over three months’ time.

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Jenny McCarthy has Warrior Femininity (tm)

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:03:21 +0000

In this video, Jenny McCarthy says she has a warrior inside of her. This opens itself to any number of lewd comments that may or may not involve facepainted and barely coherent WWF wrestlers from the eighties. I will leave those comments for you to make.

In other news, Jenny McCarthy has Warrior Femininity, which she apparently got to grips with while playing Tanya in EA's upcoming Red Alert 3. There really isn't much more you can say than that, really. So ... enjoy.

Jenny McCarthy has Warrior Femininity (tm)

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:03:21 +0000

Destroy All Humans and Intellivision Lives Coming to Xbox Originals

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:45:55 +0000

On September 15th, 2008, you will be able to download and play Destroy All Humans! and Intellivision Lives! on your Xbox 360.

From Xbox.com:

Xbox Originals on Xbox LIVE Marketplace brings you original Xbox games to play on your Xbox 360. Relive your favorites or find games you missed the first time around.

Intellivision Lives!

Crave Entertainment, Inc
ESRB E (Everyone)
1200 Microsoft Points
(CA, US, MX)

Relive the eighties with Intellivision Lives! Play more than 60 classic Intellivision games all in one package. Check out the historical information and fun facts about the games, including interviews with the original Intellivision developers. View original Intellivision commercials and archival footage!

Destroy All Humans!

THQ
ESRB T (Teen - Language, Sexual Themes, Violence)
1200 Microsoft Points
(WW except for KR and JP)

In Destroy All Humans!™, use destructive weapons and innate mental powers to take on the most feared enemy in the galaxy—mankind! You are Crypto, an alien warrior sent to Earth to clear the way for the Furon invasion force. Your mission is to infiltrate humanity, control them, harvest their brain stems, and ultimately destroy them. You choose the method—infiltration or disintegration.

Stephen Colbert's "Charlene" Now Available on Rock Band - For Free

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:31:07 +0000

As if Steven Colbert sending his DNA into space a la Richard Garriott was not specutacular enough, I am happy to report that if your own the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band, and you are a Gold member, today is your lucky day.

Stephen Colbert’s hilarious “Charlene” is free to download, and while it is not listed currently (as of this post) on PSN, PS3 owners may get lucky as well.

If you are unfamiliar with “Charlene” is part of Colbert’s fictional past where he supposedly stalked his second cousin and was issued a restraining order. This was the “video” his band , Stephen and the Colberts made for their “hit song” back in the eighties.

In the meantime, enjoy the video of Stephen dancing around very 80’s-like sporting eyeliner and a scarf around his neck. It is so blatantly goofy, and if you grew up in that time period, you will so get it.

Big Thanks: Joystiq

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Max Payne Producer Working on Duke Nukem Movie

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:31:03 +0000

Groan, groan, groan. Seriously - what is Hollywood coming to when they cannot come up with something original on their own? You would think that there are enough scripts floating around out there that deserve to see the light of day instead of a movie starring the cool, but one-dimensional Duke Nukem. However, according to Kotaku, we will soon be able to see the muscled ladies man on the screen sometime in the future - that is if it gets moving a lot faster than the long-awaited game, Duke Nukem Forever.

Scott Faye, the producer for Max Payne, is currently working with 3D Realms’ Scott Miller on the movie. Faye stated that he is working diligently on a movie scenario which will mirror Duke’s looks and action in the games:

“As is the case with all of my game adaptations, I’d rather not make the movie than make a poor adaptation. With the two new games coming out based on Duke Nukem, I’m working at establishing a Duke film scenario that will compel a studio to finance a feature version. Certainly, there’s a large audience that knows and loves this character.”

The story is still in development and Faye will not go looking for Hollywood suitors until everyone involved in the project feel confident with the concept and vision. Which is probably why the American McGee’s Alice movie has been put on hold, rewritten and changed around so many times - Sarah Michelle Geller is no longer attached, and neither is Director Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th). Faye also mentioned that there is a good chance that there will be a sequel to the Max Payne movie if it is well received.

Sounds like Faye is extremely busy bringing games to the big screen. I am just curious as to whom the casting director will choose to play Duke. If this film were being made in the eighties, I would suggest Howie Long - the hair, the steroid looking physique, the big white gnashing teeth.. perfect. However, considering the fact that he is old enough to be a grandfather and would not be a box-office draw, he is not even considerable. Therefore, who would they get to play him in this day and age that even remotely resembles the Dukester?

For the rest of the interview, head on over to Kotaku.

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