Say goodbye to this page in, like, two days
Some dude has done something very, very cool - put a playable NES emulator and plenty of games online.vNES, the Virtual Nintendo Entertainment System(with 395 games, the site proclaims) requires only a web browser, keyboard, and Java (the site will clue you in if you don't know what the deal is) and you're off, playing anything from ultra-classic Super Mario Bros. to biblical atrocity Sunday Funday.
Problem: Nintendo is going to smack this one down, and hard. Protecting the copyright on the NES and its games, and shoring things up as the Wii and its Virtual Console come to market is crucial. This one isn't long for this world... so get your playtime in before it's gone.
Good luck with that
Yesterday, we told you that GameStop/EB Games would be taking preorders for the PS3 starting this morning. Today,Game|Life reportsthat the chain is all sold out. That didn't take long, eh? Given that stores will get something between eight and 14 units in the first shipment, it's not a huge surprise... but as GL's Chris Kohler points out, GameStop probably accounts for less than 20% of the total PS3s in the first shipment. Good hunting.
Blu-DVD
Manufacturing giant NEC has, as Game|Life reports, come up with a single chip that will allow one player to handle both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs. Format war? What format war? With Microsoft and Sony picking sides, it's amusing to see that someone else is building a bridge. Just think: in less than a year, hybrid players could be hitting shops while Sony and MS continue to throw stones over which format is better. According to the story, the chip won't even cost much more than the ones needed to deal with just HD-DVD or Blu-ray. Comedy will most certainly ensue.
Now here's something pointless
Microsoft has launched a new website calledXbox Live Pipeline. What does it do? Well, it keeps you abreast of the latest downloads available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. As our Xbox editor, Gabe Graziani put it - "The website itself seems like a database of available downloads from Marketplace, but why you would ever use such a service is beyond me." Best use we can think of: wasting time at work while you fantasize about what downloads you're going to go for when you get home. Hmm.
You get what you Prey for
Just when we thought we could relax, the makers of Prey hit us with an upside-down, gravity defying blast of new levels and player skins for multiplayer today. The five new multiplayer character skins and four all-new levels are available for the Xbox 360, on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and for the PC (via the v1.2 patch) at thePrey website. Turns out everything on offer is completely free, however, so those guys can sneak up on us anytime they want.
Another developer loves the Wii
You can't swing a cat without hitting a developer that champions the Wii in the face. Nintendo Wii Fanboy (gotta love the honesty) has postedan excerpt of an interview with Sid Meier, a man best known for making impenetrably complex PC games like Civilization IV, seems to be into the Wii, calling it a "very fun system." Just thought you should know.
New screens
Fable 2 (360)
God Hand (PS2)
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (360)
Medal of Honor Heroes (PSP)
Galactic Civilization II Dark Avatar (PC)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (PS2,PSP,Xbox)
NBA Live 07 (PC)
GT Pro Series (Wii)
World Championship Poker Featuring Howard Lederer All In (360)
Scooby Doo: Who's Watching Who (PSP)
New videos
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS)
Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 (DS)
Battlefield 2142 (PC)
Gun Showdown (PSP)
Eagle Eye Golf (PS2)
Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd (PSP)
Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded (PSP)
Power Stone Collection (PSP)
Scooby Doo Who's Watching Who (PSP)
October 10, 2006
