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GamerAndy Live! Episode 84: 100 Percent Less Andy
Posted by Edie Sellers Categories: Corporate News, E3, Electronic Arts, Hot Deals, Microsoft, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 3, Politics, Release Dates, Reviews, Rumors, Square Enix, Survival Horror, Take2, Third Person Shooters, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, GamerAndy,
Yes, 100 percent less Andy this episode, as he’s in L.A. for a CoD4 event. Instead, Edie and Hawkes cover the week’s gaming news and go off on wild tangents. On the plus side, this episode may be Andy-free, but it has 100 percent MORE of Hawkes’ cat.
Topics discussed:
- The unusually large amount of games released this week, including The Darkness and The Bigs.
- Toys ‘R Us is holding a 3-for-2 sale on Nintendo DS games until this Saturday. U Bai Now!
- Microsoft sues Immersion back. If you can’t take it, don’t deal it!
- New York Times reporter plays Manhunt 2 and deems it less violent than R-rated horror movies. Hypocracy much?
- The new Hitman movie trailer… and yes, we blew it. It’s Agent 47. Stoopid internets.
- Square Enix says on one hand that it’s not releasing any games for PS3 until April 2008 at the very earliest. Then it says, baby, I’m sorry. The PS3 really is the only console it could ever love. Why does watching these two feel like family-night at Ike and Tina Turner’s place.
- A group of psychologists want to label video games as an addictive substance. Someone’s been sucking on the lead popsicles again….
- Larry Flint had hoped to fire the entire staff of Tips and Tricks magazine while they were all at E3. Too bad he fired the freelancers a week early and they told the staff. Don’t you hate when being a nice guy blows a really great evil plan? And isn’t it ironic that the guy who built his empire on other people s*cking c*ocks turns out to the the biggest c*cks*ucker of them all?
- Shadowrun for Vista has been cracked to run on XP. And there was much rejoicing. (yaaay!)
- Lyndon LaRouch, notorious conspiracy theorist and gay hater, and his merry band of crazy geezers are ticked because the final report on the Virginia Tech massacre doesn’t mention video games—despite the fact there’s been no evidence the shooter ever played games. LaRouch figures it’s… wait for it… A CONSPIRACY!!
Ed. Note: Edie apologizes to for mistaking LaRouche as a guy who was notorious for anti-gay legislation. Actually, he is the freak who tried to get anti-gay legislation passed by California voters back in the 1980s that would have quarentined gays to prevent AIDS. I knew he smelled crazy…
- The 100th episode of Red vs. Blue! Gratz, guys!
Off-topic hits include Paris Hilton, porn (again), the iPhone, how to properly prepare for a night of binge drinking, Andy’s impending move, and… did we mention Hawkes’ cat?
If you want to hear it? Go get subscibe on iTunes already… ya slacker.
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GamerAndy Live! Episode 79: Sony Happy Goat Time
Posted by Edie Sellers Categories: Corporate News, Culture, E3, Editorial, First Person Shooters, Nintendo, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Role Playing Games, Rumors, Square Enix, Take2, Third Person Shooters, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace, GamerAndy,
We are back with another episode of GamerAndy Live! This week GamerAndy, GamerEdie, and Gear Live‘s Andru Edwards are behind the mic, bringing you a fresh dose of this week’s gaming news. Be sure to hit us up on the forums and let us know what you think.
SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 79:
- A recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board threatens Internet radio and independent musicians by increasing costs to webcasters by 1,200 percent retroactively…and even for non-RIAA music. Please send a letter to your representatives to help reevaluate this Draconian and dangerous decision!
- Sony throws party to celebrate God of War II. Great. The centerpiece of this event? A partially decapitated goat—and guests are invited to reach into the still-warm body, grab handfuls of offal and eat it. Good lord, what were they thinking?!? (Warning: Photo slightly NSFW in the United States for slight nippleage.)
- Edie discusses the relative difference of “titties,” “boobies,” “boobs,” and “tits.” Andy defines “gazongas.”
- The Xbox 360 Elite: Does Andru care? Does Edie?
- Hironobu Sakaguchi (Red Racer, Final Fantasy) + Ken Kutaragi = BFF? Apparently not.
- Speaking of Krazy Ken: He’s gone. Sony doesn’t want him, and neither does Nintendo, apparently. Sayonara, Sony! Konnichiwa, Mickey-Dees!
- Andy goes into more detail about his recent PS3 purchase… and it’s not pretty. Andru and Edie also discuss the possibilities for Playstation Home, both pros and cons.
- Edie still hearts her PS2, and Bully.
- Andy rails about Kotaku’s recent habit of using countless internal search links in their stories—frustrating as hell, he says.
Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is Back, and Much Much Bigger
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Culture, E3, Release Dates,
With E3 cancelled (or at least significantly altered and shrunken), and an uncertain new “E for All” expo taking its first baby steps, THE gaming convention for the hardcore is shaping up to be next year’s Penny Arcade Expo, and the organizers seem to know this…
This year, PAX will move from its humble roots in Bellevue, WA to the larger and significantly more prominent Washington Trade and Convention Center. The event will be held from August 26th-28th and expects to see about 30,000 gamers converging on the Center as one sweaty, black-T-shirted mass.
It should be interesting to see how many developers and publishers decide to exhibit this year, given that this is now THE major venues for gaming companies to meet with their consumers.
Read More 
| PennyArcadeExpo.com
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E3 Replacement Gets a New Name: E for All
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Culture, E3, Release Dates,
After holding a contest to rename the E3 replacement formerly known as the “Gamepro Expo”, they’ve finally decided on a new, decidedly inclusive name: “E for All”. There have been a fair share of comments online about this sounding like a drug-heavy rave, but personally I think it sounds like a great name for a show that’s designed to be all-inclusive. (Although who knows why they didn’t go with “E for Everyone”, is it patented by the ESRB or something??!)
The game show, much like E3, will give gamers the chance to test out the newest games and interact with industry insiders, and will be hosted at the L.A. Convention Center in sunny California. Prices for tickets and event attendees haven’t been announced yet, but we’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
Read More | Gamepro.com
GamePro Publisher Hopes To Rekindle that E3 Magic
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, E3, Internet, Release Dates,
IDG, Publisher of Gamepro magazine has announced that they will launch a consumer game show in Los Angeles, to be held at or near the Los Angeles Convention Center late next year. Sound familiar? It should… in taking over E3’s venue and timeslot, IDG hopes to capitalize on the huge number of fans looking for the next big game convention. While we’re not going to get hyped up just yet, there’s a significant change that IDG could pull this off - just recently the ESA (Electronics Software Association) threw their weight behind the idea, so it’s looking like this may actual be a viable contender to fill the gaping, E3-sized hole in our heart.
Read More | Gamespot.com
The Entertainment Software Association today unveiled the changes to their revamped E3. The “E3 Media and Business Summit” will take place July 11 through July 13 in 2007. The event will be held in Santa Monica, California, and will incorporate meetings held in hotel suites and meeting rooms in the surrounding area. The Barker Hanger will also be utilized as a software showcase for attendees when not otherwise in meetings. The changes will hopefully result in a more focused expo. Scheduling the Expo closer to the holiday season will also help alleviate developer and publisher concerns. According to the ESA, the event will be open to ESA members and non members, while events, meetings, and demonstrations will be by invitation only. Dean Takahashi at Mercury News has the full press release. While the new E3 will certainly be less of a spectacle than in year’s past, the ESA hopes the new format will benefit those in the industry better than past expositions.
Read More | Mercury News
E3 Kentia Hall Exhibitors Get Dear John Letter From ESA
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: E3,
GamePolitics was able to get a copy of the “break-up” letter to the small-time exhibitors that show off their wares at Kentia Hall. The full text of the letter reads as follows:
Dear Valued E3Expo Exhibitor,
As you may have read in the enclosed Press Release, the 2007 E3Expo has been officially cancelled. As the industry has evolved and matured over the past 12 years, the needs of the exhibitors and key attendees have also changed. To address this change, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced a new event tentatively scheduled for July 2007.
Details of the event have not been finalized at this time, however our vision and goal is to create a more intimate climate for personalized meetings and product demonstrations. The ESA will announce additional details and information in the ensuing weeks and months.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere and profound gratitude for your past support of this event. It has been exciting and rewarding to see the growth and significance of this industry mirrored on the exhibit floor of the E3Expo through the years. We look forward to many more years of industry growth, vitality and opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Dolaher
Vice President
So, as expected, the little guys are pretty much out of luck when it comes to the “new” E3. At least they didn’t get the “it’s not you, it’s me” version of the speech, but the letter definitely has the “we can still be friends” tone to it. Also interestingly, while the ESA publicly seemed to distance itself from the word “cancelled,” that was the terminology expressed to the small vendors.
Read More | GamePolitics
Today via press release, the Entertainment Software Association confirmed the downsizing of the annual E3 event. Douglas Lowenstein, President of the ESA confirmed that the industry needs “a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences.” The ESA currently still plans to hold the event in Los Angeles, but the logistics of the expo have not been set. Those in the industry have questioned the exhibition’s relevance and effectiveness in year’s past, and this looks like a move to please the exhibitors. Other reports on the Internet have quoted industry sources as being virtually unanimous in their rejection of the large, extravagant format. By moving to a smaller venue, with tighter restrictions on attendees, the ESA hopes to bring E3 back to its roots.
The full press release from the ESA follows.
Click to continue reading ESA Confirms E3 Downsizing
Reports have hit the Internet from both Next Generation and Gamespot that the future of the gaming expo hosted by the Entertainment Software Association is in doubt. Next Generation reports this more strongly, with the headline “E3 Finished.” Next Generation also reports that a number of high profile exhibitors were leaving the exhibition, and that without that support, there would be no point in continuing the event.
Gamespot reports that the ESA plans to downsize the event greatly. Industry sources reported to Gamespot that the show would move out of the Los Angeles Convention Center to “a location that would support exhibitors in meeting room space only, with with companies showing their wares to a select group of attendees…” The rising costs of attending the conference for diminishing returns was identified as the largest reason for exhibitors leaving E3, and moving to a smaller format might help give companies a better return on their money. Beyond the monetary cost of attending, there is also an associated loss in man-hours for the companies trying to get stable game builds ready for the show; witness the massive effort that Epic made in getting Gears of War playable for the expo.
This does leave smaller exhibitors in a bit of a tight spot. While it may have been hard to garner attention at E3, there was at least a chance that a particularly good game could receive notice at the exhibition. Larger companies like Microsoft and EA already host their own private gaming events, and this should continue. Gamers could possibly see the writing on the wall, with the three big hardware companies choosing to host events before E3 to highlight their upcoming offerings, rather than make presentations from the show floor. Still, if reports are true, this would mark a large change in the way the industry communicates its intentions for the year.
Read More 
| Gamespot
Read More | Next Generation
Nintendo Producer Takashi Tezuka Talks
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: E3, Nintendo DS, Wii,
GameDaily was able to talk with Takashi Tezuka, General Producer for Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (NEAD) at E3. In his career with Nintendo, Tezuka has worked on, in some capacity, a great number of the most popular games in the past twenty years. Including the Mario, Zelda, and Yoshi properties, and titles like Animal Crossing. He offers insight into the Wii, particularly the unique controller, and the reasoning behind including a speaker in the hardware. Tezuka also talks about Mario on the DS, stating that New Super Mario Bros. had been in the works since Super Mario DS was in development. He also lets slip that another 3D Mario game on the DS is a possibility. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was also discussed, and how its origins came largely from a desire of the developers at Nintendo to create another game in the distinct Wind Waker style.
Read More | GameDaily.biz
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