GG Weekly Videogame News 
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (B+) Review
This new Summer of Arcade release adds devious puzzles and abstract art to the Metroid formula.
1up.com impressions
phantom_leo
15 Things Videogames can Learn from Bastion
Should become part of the game-maker's manual!
quartertothree.com editorial
phantom_leo
Vooks Xenoblade preview
Xenoblade Chronicle's inspiration seems to have been taken from both Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Capcom's Monster Hunter series with the high production value and an over-the-top storyline.
aussie-nintendo.com impressions
gamingeek
WB Games To Bring Lollipop Chainsaw Outside of Japan
Grasshopper Manufactures Latest Game Coming in 2012.
level3.org.au news
darthhomer
Grandia Creator Dead at 45
Miyaji is known for his work at Gamearts, a company that he founded at the age of 19.
andriasang.com news
aspro
Another RAGE Hands-On
"The controls in RAGE are damn near perfect" Graphics: "un-f**king-believable"
ripten.com impressions
aspro
BioWare interested in Wii U
Need to think about it and spend more time with hardware
nowgamer.com news
gamingeek
Carmack says violent games reduce real-world aggression
Shut up and go make more games before I shoot you!
telegraph.co.uk news
robio
XBLA Getting Monthly Kinect Releases
"there is going to be a marked increase in Live integration"
industrygamers.com news
aspro
Analysts talk Nintendo as an acquisition target
Apple, Google or Microsoft to buy?
industrygamers.com news
gamingeek
Nintendo on marketing Wii U, devs 'blown away'
Wii controller support
nowgamer.com impressions
gamingeek
From Dust Sets Ubisoft XBLA Sales Record
From Dust is tracking 45% higher than the previous best-selling title.
industrygamers.com news
aspro
North Korea Making Money Off Gold Mining
They hack South Korean computers and use them to make gold.
1up.com news
aspro
Used 3DS Sales Double Following Price Drop
Looks like people want their free VC games
andriasang.com news
gamingeek
![[blogspot.com]](/cache/favicons/blogspot.com.ico "blogspot.com")
Dementium Dev surprised that people think 3DS is a failure
"The 3DS has sold nearly 5 million units in about 6 months – the same amount the Nintendo DS sold in its’ first 6 months of release."
blogspot.com news
gamingeek
EDGE mag feature: Wii U: The future starts here
How Nintendo is tackling the task of reinventing its world-beating Wii.
next-gen.biz editorial
gamingeek
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travo (9m) JoelMiller87 (10m)
She could have boy toy Iga, Travo and Robio on the side.
You call that fiesty! Pffft.
What is up with the shitty cheap looking fonts in all the Xenoblade Euro-ads? Even the trailer had those shitty intersections of cheap looking CG sword swinging and plain ugly white font. Edit: the 2nd looks ok.
The optimist proclaims we live in the best of all possible worlds
while the pessimist fears this is true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No, no, no.
Me, Robio and Travo get her
You, GG and Vader get the husband
They might like her husband. He's kinda cute.
Oh and check out my new avatar!
Al Bundy FTW
Bethesda/ZeniMax legal department is apparently suing Minecraft dev Notch (Markus Persson) because of trademark infringement. At first it looked like a regular cease and desist letter, but it seems there is more to this story than it appears at first.
As per the GAF thread, following Notch's tweet acount.
Apparently, according to Bethesda/ZeniMax legal team, Notch's upcoming game, titled "Scrolls" could create potential confusion with Skyrim. The Cease and Desist letter is real.
So...any thoughts? Is this rightful defending of trademark rights, or plain bullying?
The plot thickens.
A lot of people want more details about what is going on, so here is everything I know:
First of all, I love Bethesda. I assume this nonsense is partly just their lawyers being lawyers, and a result of trademark law being the way it is.
About half a year ago, our lawyers recommended us to register "Minecraft" as a trademark, so we did. I had voted against it initially, but we did it anyway. Better safe than sorry, and all that. At the same time, we also applied for "Scrolls", the new game we're working on. We knew of no similarly named games, and we had even googled it to make sure. I'm not even sure if you CAN trademark individual words, like "Scrolls", but we sent in the application anyway.
(Disclosure: We've enforced the trademark for Minecraft once, when there was a minecraft clone on iOS, using our name. People were emailing me saying our iOS version was buggy and bad, so we asked them to change the name of their game, and they did.)
A while later, out of the blue, we got contacted by Bethesda's lawyers. They wanted to know more about the "Scrolls" trademark we were applying for, and claimed it conflicted with their existing trademark "The Elder Scrolls". I agree that the word "Scrolls" is part of that trademark, but as a gamer, I have never ever considered that series of (very good) role playing games to be about scrolls in any way, nor was that ever the focal point of neither their marketing nor the public image.
The implication that you could own the right to all individual words within a trademark is also a bit scary. We looked things up and realized they didn't have much of a case, but we still took it seriously. Nothing about Scrolls is meant to in any way derive from or allude to their games. We suggested a compromise where we'd agree to never put any words in front of "Scrolls", and instead call sequels and other things something along the lines of "Scrolls - The Banana Expansion". I'm not sure if they ever got back to us with a reply to this.
Today, I got a 15 page letter from some Swedish lawyer firm, saying they demand us to stop using the name Scrolls, that they will sue us (and have already paid the fee to the Swedish court), and that they demand a pile of money up front before the legal process has even started.
I assume this is all some more or less automated response to us applying for the trademark. I sincerely hope Bethesda isn't pulling a Tim Langdell.
wait they are in Sweden? I am with Notch. I would write Bethesda a letter to get those fuckers something else to do. This is stupid.
Cause everyone calls TES games,, "Scrolls". I cant wait for Scrolls 5 yo!
For months many of you have asked for details on whether or not there will be Collector’s Edition for Skyrim. At the end of a rousing QuakeCon presentation, game director Todd Howard confirmed its existence.
The limited collector’s edition for The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim™ will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, and Games for Windows and can be pre-ordered now through participating retailers in North America, Europe and Australia. Like the regular release of the game, the Collector’s Edition will be available on 11.11.11
In addition to including the highly-anticipated game, this premium version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim also includes:
*Alduin Statue: Created in conjunction with the IP Factory, this collector’s only statue stands 12” tall and is made of high quality PVC. Modeled from actual in-game 3D digital files, it showcases Alduin, the World Eater. He stands perched atop one the game’s many dragon walls that teach the player the lethal language of dragons.
*‘The Art of Skyrim’ Official Art Book: Featuring over 200 pages of striking, full-color illustrations, sketches and models, this stunning 9 3/8” x 12 1/8” coffee table book showcases the characters, creatures, environments, and weaponry of Skyrim. With a foreword by game director Todd Howard and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists, readers will be guided through the game’s iconic visual style.
*‘The Making of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ DVD This documentary DVD contains exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with the Bethesda Game Studios team as they take you from concept to creation and provide insights into the story, gameplay, setting, legacy of the Elder Scrolls franchise, and much more.
The Collector’s Edition will be available through pre-order and it retails for $149.99 (US), €149.99 (Europe), £129.99 (UK), and A$199.99 (Australia). If you’re interested in purchasing, we recommend you pre-order now, as the it will be available in extremely limited quantities.
HOLY SHIT 150 BUCKS?
We have an VG Press betting thread. Everyone is welcome to join.
Exactly. Iga and I were nothing but gentlemen.
Try 200 over here.
And I'll agree with you Steel, that statue had pretty be able to move and shoot fire if you want me to pay that.
I felt nostalgic so got a Saturn emu and started playing Powerslave/Exhumed, the Metroid Prime of the 90s.
You have a world map. Or rather, a map of Egypt. You select an area to go to (1 at first).
You explore the level, find keys, open doors, activate stuff, and generally do a lot of platforming.
You also pwn enemies.
Bypass traps.
And find exit camels which open a new area on the map (or, if already visited, just allow you to exit the level).
You also find artifacts like this.
And this.
Which are of course permanent upgrades and allow you to reach previously inaccessible areas, so that you can find different camels in previous levels that will open yet more new levels on the map or allow you to reach more artifacts or other items. Explosive weapons also can open up new areas once you get them. You can also get health upgrades which work pretty much exactly like in Prime. In the trap screenshot above you can see that under the health (red) bar there are two dots, as opposed to one in other screenshots, which indicate another lifebar is available for each. And yes, that's a map overlay in the camel screenshot. Then there's this dude who fills you in on the crazy plot and tasks you with finding the artifacts to prevent whatever.
Awesome, awesome game and the Saturn version was the best of the bunch (PS1 and PC versions also exist).
The optimist proclaims we live in the best of all possible worlds
while the pessimist fears this is true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~