Guitar Hero or Rock Band?

What’s the big difference right?  Hug

e difference!  One has drums and a mic and

the other is just a guitar.  Guitar Hero is clean, classy and sophisticated.  Everyone knows Guitar Hero is the

OG audio simulation game.  Well for all you die hard Guitar Hero fans you can now become a character in the game.  Yes, I said it.  Be a part of Guitar Hero World tour, its like everybodies dream right?  Go here to sign up.

Full Information about the contest after the jump.

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EA announced that they will be bringing the slightly above average (but not much) game Army of Two to theaters.  Granted it borrows a lot of the action movie buddy cliches, and it’s sort of what you would play if you had never heard of Gears of War, but this movie makes infinitely more sense than EA’s other upcoming movie, the Sims.

Which could basically be any movie as the game is about people being alive.

Sometimes, when I hear movie ideas, I close my eyes and wonder to myself, “self,” I ask. 

“Yes, I am here,” it responds.

“Am I the only one who’s awake when people say this stuff out loud?”

“Yes,” it responds, “yes, you are.”

The movie will be made in conjunction with Universal which is probably the best place for it to end up.  The stuff about war and capping terrorists seemed like something that Fox would be drawn to so they could, ultimately, murder it (I really miss Greg the Bunny, the Tick and, Firefly), but Universal is a little better about giving genre movies more of a chance, or at the very least trust the creative types a bit more.

Am I over thinking a video game movie where it’s all about shooting?  Yes, it’s possible I’m looking too far into this, because how the hell do you screw up a movie where plot points are punctuated by machine guns?

Anyone else have to sit through Max Payne?

What’s even more exciting is the inclusion of Scott Z. Burns, who I haven’t heard of before, but looking over his highlight reel on the press release it looks promising.

Writer-director-producer Scott Z. Burns co-wrote the blockbuster THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, the 2007 action thriller from Universal that grossed over $442 million worldwide, and wrote and directed the critically-praised HBO film PU-239 which was produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh. He also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming THE INFORMANT, directed by Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon. Burns joined Laurie David and Laurence Bender as producers of the Academy Award-winning documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. Burns is producing, along with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the Colombian hostage crisis action thriller at Warner Bros. Burns is developing an original series for HBO based on the work of humanitarian aid organizations with fellow producers Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Burns’ credits also include writing for the ABC series WONDERLAND.

A Bourne movie, work on a documentary, and writing credits on the criminally overlooked Wonderland? 

Guys, there’s a very good chance that this won’t suck.

*air guitar solo followed by fist bumps and barking*

Full press release after the jump.

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Yesterday, Midway announced that they are ending all licensed properties agreements to focus on original material.

Essentially, rather than put time, money, and resources (the resources being time and money) into making comics or movies based on their games, they’re going to just focus on games. 

Midway expects to take a hit this quarter as they are essentially closing entire departments and will lose investors.  They’re predicting individuals stock shares to drop, but feel it’s a step in the right direction for the company who will make up the money by releasing quality games.

Like Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.   Gotta love optimists.

Press release after the jump

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EA’s acquisition of Pogo.com now gives them complete and utter domination of the internet.  Between clogging up precious bandwidth with billions of Madden bros and buying the casual gaming giant, they now own everything, ever. 

Though the Wii’s sales and hype have begun to level out, casual gaming is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and Pogo.com happens to run that particular block.  If you’ve ever seen someone play any of their games, that’s all you will see of their life.  It consumes them.

I had a mom…once, until she *choke*discovered Pop It, on Pogo.com…after that, all she thought about was *tears stream down face* getting her next fix of sweet casual gaming…oh…oh God *sobs uncontrollably in the fetal position.*

 AND IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!

Anyway, EA recently announced that they were going to build Pogo.com a facility in Austin, where they will reside along with EA’s other recent acquisition, Bioware who still owes me another Jade Empire thankyouverymuch.

Interestingly enough, one of the many hypothetical futures for all media, digital distribution, is nestled in the middle of the article.  The first title to be produced under the new agreement is PICTUREKA! MUSEUM MAYHEM! will be available for download first in November on Pogo.com, then in stores in early winter.

Press Release after the jump.

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Today EA announced that they had worked out a three game deal with Zack Snyder, director of Dawn of the Dead, 300, and the highly anticipated adaptation of Watchmen.

Snyder will serve as creative director over the games working primarily with EA Los Angeles.

When asked for comment on the deal, Snyder said,

“I think video games are cool because they offer an opportunity to tell a story in an entirely unique way,” said Zack Snyder. “Being a long time fan of the games EA creates, I look forward to collaborating with them.” 

There’s no word yet on what type of games Snyder will be working on, but looking at his track record, it’s probably going to be something someone else already did, just louder.

Having said that,  300 was awesome, and I can’t figure out why they only released a game for it on the PSP.

Granted, they may have been worried about translating the sex and violence to video games.  NLG tried to reach two videogame representitives for insight into the matter, but Kratos just roared and stabbed a dragon in the face.

 Niko Bellic did call us back and assured NLG that,

“I don’t know nutheeng about no moovees.  That’s more of Roman’s theeng.  He’z my cuzzin.”

 Full copy of the press release after the jump.

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In order to have some semblance of daily content on this blog, I bounce around various company websites, tech sections on major newspaper and magazine websites, tech blogs, so on and so forth, and it’s hilarious to see how gamers are portrayed by people who aren’t gamers.  I feel bad for these guys, sometimes, because they were probably psyched that they’d get to talk about things they care about: cell phones, mp3 players, laptops, remote controlled toilet, etc.  Then they discover that every so often, they have to throw a bone to the gamers, because, hey, technology, right?

Thus begins the awkward dance of  trying to meet and engage an audience you know nothing about.

Bear witness to the title of the Guardian’s blog title “‘Gamers Not Fat Loners,’ says Research.”  It’s kind of good news, because as the article points out, we’re fit compared to people who do nothing (ie, just sit there static and watch TV).  How can you not love that title?  Our niche role in society was fat loner, until we were freed by scientific research, and are now upwardly mobile.  I can’t wait for the entry, “celebrity enjoys videogames, not just for self-diagnosed asperger suffering shut-ins, anymore.” 

That alone would be funny but the original article that inspired the Guardian blog entry from New Scientist?

“Online Gamers are Fit-Physically, if not Mentally.”

I’m still torn on whether the Guardian entry is a step-up or a step-down.

Seriously, guys, just find some kid out of college with no job prospects, and let him write your videogame stuff for free so he can get “experience” in the media world.

 Hell, it worked for Lampoon Gamers.