We now have an entirely new page (similar to the GamersCast News Feed page) made just for our game reviews. This page will be compiled of all our audio and video reviews. Don't worry, you can still get all these same reviews on the podcast feed, as always, except now they are all in one conveinent directory.
Check it out at:
GamersCastPodCast.com/reviews
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Wii News Channel
The Wii News Channel has been released one entire day early! A message in your Wii Message Board from Nintendo will give you a quick link to the Wii System Update screen. I have just made a video showing off the features of the News Channel, which is now apparently being managed by the Associated Press (how many times did Nintendo change the source of this channel?! These stations must be putting up some pretty damn good offers). The video can be seen below and also will be placed onto the podcast feed.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
GamersCast: Episode 19 Released
Last week, we put episode 19 of GamersCast up onto the podcast feed, at long last! To make up for the tardyness of this episode we made it a whopping 2 hours long of pure non-hesitant gaming discussion, from everything starting from launch up until January 7th (right before CES started). In fact, since we didn't want to go over the 2 hour point a few things we didn't get to are being carried over to episode 20. So, now you got something to listen to in your free time!
As you all know by now, you can listen to GamersCast on iTunes, the flash player on the site's homepage, and several other major podcasting sites. And the Flash Player is even compatible with the BETA of your Wii Browser.
As you all know by now, you can listen to GamersCast on iTunes, the flash player on the site's homepage, and several other major podcasting sites. And the Flash Player is even compatible with the BETA of your Wii Browser.
Microsoft Comments on Competition
Microsoft, well Bill Gates, to be more specific recently commented how they saw themselves as far as compared to their competition.
He 1st started by saying, he wanted to swap spots with Sony and revealed his original goal in the 360s development, "We wanted to not be a year late, not be a big box, not be a more expensive box." Those goals were obviously met.
Then, he went on to talk about how he saw his competitors, Sony and Nintendo, now. Originally, Bill Gates had praised Nintendo's ideas on the Wii to a high extent, but now he seems to be changing his tune from his most recent quotes (I guess he doesn't want to be compared to any of Sony's infamous quotes).
- "Sony has always been our most direct competitor. Nintendo of course is a competitor. But look at the resolution you get with a controlled experience like that! Say to yourself, how in terms of using a game for a long period of time, what kind of accuracy and capability do you want? Look at the classic Nintendo positioning. Look at the graphics. Look at Nintendo's execution in terms of online capability. We have this thing that nobody has ever seen before. When you say to your friend, hey let's play online, you say then you have to buy an Xbox. That's what 10 million people say. If you want to play online, get an Xbox. We're not standing still."
His quotes also have seemed to reveal that Microsoft doesn't even consider Sony as a competitor anymore. To him, only Nintendo is his true competitor now. Perhaps this has something to do with him, not being able to buy-out Nintendo previously?
He 1st started by saying, he wanted to swap spots with Sony and revealed his original goal in the 360s development, "We wanted to not be a year late, not be a big box, not be a more expensive box." Those goals were obviously met.
Then, he went on to talk about how he saw his competitors, Sony and Nintendo, now. Originally, Bill Gates had praised Nintendo's ideas on the Wii to a high extent, but now he seems to be changing his tune from his most recent quotes (I guess he doesn't want to be compared to any of Sony's infamous quotes).
- "Sony has always been our most direct competitor. Nintendo of course is a competitor. But look at the resolution you get with a controlled experience like that! Say to yourself, how in terms of using a game for a long period of time, what kind of accuracy and capability do you want? Look at the classic Nintendo positioning. Look at the graphics. Look at Nintendo's execution in terms of online capability. We have this thing that nobody has ever seen before. When you say to your friend, hey let's play online, you say then you have to buy an Xbox. That's what 10 million people say. If you want to play online, get an Xbox. We're not standing still."
His quotes also have seemed to reveal that Microsoft doesn't even consider Sony as a competitor anymore. To him, only Nintendo is his true competitor now. Perhaps this has something to do with him, not being able to buy-out Nintendo previously?
Monday, January 15, 2007
DON'T "hold your wee for Wii"!!
Just recently in California, a radio station decided to hold a contest they entitled, "Hold your wee for Wii". It was your basic water drinking contest, but it was to see who could go the longest without having to urinate. One woman, entered to win a Wii for her 3 children. But she drank so much water that she passed away as a result of it, caused by "water intoxication". It looks like Sony's PlayStation 3 isn't the only system that has killed anymore.
Now, everyone should keep in mind that drinking lots of water isn't a bad thing. What killed her, is the fact that she didn't use the bathroom for so long. Nobody present at the contest currently knows how much water she drank, and all the details of her death has yet to have been released.
UPDATE: It was just revealed that before this contest started (on 107.9 FM) the hosts were joking about somebody dying from it. Then, a few minutes later someone called in onto the show stating that it was possible for the contestants to die from "water intoxication", but the hosts merely replied with:
- "We are aware of that."
- "They signed releases, so we're not responsible. It's OK."
Before the death of Jennifer Strange she said:
- "They keep telling me though that it's the water, that it will tell my head to hurt and then it will make me puke."
Obviously, there were signs of warning before this tragic event occured, so naturally the 10 hosts who were involved in the contest were fired. Many people were calling the local authorities asking for an arrest warrant, though the police replied saying there were no grounds to base the arrest upon.
Now, everyone should keep in mind that drinking lots of water isn't a bad thing. What killed her, is the fact that she didn't use the bathroom for so long. Nobody present at the contest currently knows how much water she drank, and all the details of her death has yet to have been released.
UPDATE: It was just revealed that before this contest started (on 107.9 FM) the hosts were joking about somebody dying from it. Then, a few minutes later someone called in onto the show stating that it was possible for the contestants to die from "water intoxication", but the hosts merely replied with:
- "We are aware of that."
- "They signed releases, so we're not responsible. It's OK."
Before the death of Jennifer Strange she said:
- "They keep telling me though that it's the water, that it will tell my head to hurt and then it will make me puke."
Obviously, there were signs of warning before this tragic event occured, so naturally the 10 hosts who were involved in the contest were fired. Many people were calling the local authorities asking for an arrest warrant, though the police replied saying there were no grounds to base the arrest upon.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Zephyr Confirmed
Well, Adam called it wrong, but Microsoft did finally comment on the Zephyr images, by saying they are real! (OMG!) However, they went on to explain that these are non-functioning prototypes, so there is still a chance that it won't even be released to the public, ever! They may not have announced it during CES, but nevertheless it was announced.
Friday, January 12, 2007
E3 Smaller.... GDC Bigger
Hey guys, we all know E3 shrunk, but hey it's all good! Now, that this year's Game Developers Conference is expanding (Why must every gaming convention happen over there!?) it promises to be bigger and better than before. The biggest and only new thing that's so far announced about the new GDC is the "I am 8-Bit Exposition", in which gaming artwork celebrating the video games from the 80's is put on display. It's fair to say that Nintendo may possibly announce some Virtual Console news at the display, but that's just my speculation.... :)
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
2 New Gears of War Maps!
Well, apparently The Discovery Channel's new show, "FutureWeapons" is now responsible for 2 new maps in Gears of War. So, I'm guessing The Discovery Channel isn't actually responsible, but maybe that's why these maps are free! C'mon guys! You know Microsoft! Do you honestly think they would give out something "free" if they weren't gonna make a quick buck in it somehow!? So, thank The Discovery Channel for not having to open up your wallet on this trip to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Here's the summary of the maps that Microsoft provides:
Map Name: Raven Down
A Raven Helicopter has gone down in the middle of a large scale battle with the omnipresent Locust Horde. Gears have taken out the Seeder, so join Delta Forces moving into the crash site from all angles to search for survivors.
Map Name: Old Bones
In an attempt to eradicate any traces of human history and culture, the Locust Horde has emerged under Sera's Capitaline Museums and has begun to destroy them brick by brick. Your mission is to help the Delta Force recapture the museums before all remnants of humankind's existence are obliterated.
And now, The Discovery Channel further extends their generosity by giving away 2 million Microsoft Points just for having online activity on the Xbox Live Marketplace!! For details, go to: ReadyAimFuture.com
(Now honestly Nintendo, can't there be something the Wii is compatible of besides plain text like this! I wanna be able to put something in Bold every now and then! Or maybe simple link at least!!)
Map Name: Raven Down
A Raven Helicopter has gone down in the middle of a large scale battle with the omnipresent Locust Horde. Gears have taken out the Seeder, so join Delta Forces moving into the crash site from all angles to search for survivors.
Map Name: Old Bones
In an attempt to eradicate any traces of human history and culture, the Locust Horde has emerged under Sera's Capitaline Museums and has begun to destroy them brick by brick. Your mission is to help the Delta Force recapture the museums before all remnants of humankind's existence are obliterated.
And now, The Discovery Channel further extends their generosity by giving away 2 million Microsoft Points just for having online activity on the Xbox Live Marketplace!! For details, go to: ReadyAimFuture.com
(Now honestly Nintendo, can't there be something the Wii is compatible of besides plain text like this! I wanna be able to put something in Bold every now and then! Or maybe simple link at least!!)
CES 2007: The Microsoft Booth
The Microsoft booth was the talk of the show at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and it was very much showing off Microsoft's Zune and Windows Vista, but if you looked deeply enough you could manage to find a section there for the gamers.
So, at Microsoft's booth they made a small section for Vista and 360 gaming. And no, there was absolutely no mention of the Zephyr by Microsoft, so they may not have wanted to draw too much attention to it for now.
As for the games at Microsoft's booth, here's what they had on display :
Xbox 360
- MLB 2K7
- Lost Planet
- Fuzion Frenzy 2
- Crackdown
- Guitar Hero 2
- Shadowrun
- Def Jam Icon
- Gears of War
- Def Jam Icon
- Viva Piñata
Games for Windows
- Halo 2
- Crysis
- Rail Simulator
- Lord of the Rings Online
- Hellgate: London
- Age of Conan
- Geometry Wars
- Luxor 2
- Shadowrun
- World in Conflict
- Supreme Commander
- Company of Heroes
- Spinword
- Bliss Island
Xbox Live Arcade
- Worms
- Ms. Pac Man
- Heavy Weapon
- Catan
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Alien Hominid
So, at Microsoft's booth they made a small section for Vista and 360 gaming. And no, there was absolutely no mention of the Zephyr by Microsoft, so they may not have wanted to draw too much attention to it for now.
As for the games at Microsoft's booth, here's what they had on display :
Xbox 360
- MLB 2K7
- Lost Planet
- Fuzion Frenzy 2
- Crackdown
- Guitar Hero 2
- Shadowrun
- Def Jam Icon
- Gears of War
- Def Jam Icon
- Viva Piñata
Games for Windows
- Halo 2
- Crysis
- Rail Simulator
- Lord of the Rings Online
- Hellgate: London
- Age of Conan
- Geometry Wars
- Luxor 2
- Shadowrun
- World in Conflict
- Supreme Commander
- Company of Heroes
- Spinword
- Bliss Island
Xbox Live Arcade
- Worms
- Ms. Pac Man
- Heavy Weapon
- Catan
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Alien Hominid
CES 2007: Guitar Hero 2 for Xbox 360
It was two months ago when Guitar Hero 2 arrived for the PlayStation 2. Music fans and gamers rejoyced! Since then, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox was injured by the game and can no longer pitch come the start of the 2007 baseball season. Despite this, Guitar Hero 2 was easily one of the best selling games of 2006. And now, Microsoft wants in on the action!
You guessed it, Guitar Hero 2 is being ported for the Xbox 360, and if you hadn't got the PS2 version yet, you might want to consider waiting. Why? Well, the new version has bonus features including 10 new tracks, new guitars, and more! To make it even better, there will be free downloadable upgrades for the 360 version of the game, for even MORE songs, guitars, and other goodies! After all, spring 2007 isn't all too far away!
You guessed it, Guitar Hero 2 is being ported for the Xbox 360, and if you hadn't got the PS2 version yet, you might want to consider waiting. Why? Well, the new version has bonus features including 10 new tracks, new guitars, and more! To make it even better, there will be free downloadable upgrades for the 360 version of the game, for even MORE songs, guitars, and other goodies! After all, spring 2007 isn't all too far away!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Xbox 360 Version 2?
Loads upon loads of pictures just began being leaked out to the internet showing a new Xbox 360 system in development. As of now, all we know about the new console is that, unlike the original Xbox 360, this new one will be able to output digital signals in 1080p HD to your television set, with an included HDMI port. This would definitely leave Nintendo behind in the dust, graphically speaking, of course.
When IGN pursued Microsoft on the topic, they were very evasive upon there answers, though the pictures of the new console look as legit as it can get. The new Xbox 360 is expected to be priced just a bit more than the current Premium Edition Xbox 360, which would disappoint the number of people who got a 360 for the holidays. Although, there isn't too much of an idea when the release actually is. One site said, "soon", but that doesn't exactly help now, does it? I do recall this is what was said about "Super Mario 128", back in the late 90's. And as Microsoft has not yet confirmed or even commented on anything asked, anything could happen.
But as it stands, the new console appears to have been already codenamed, "Zephyr". Personally, my guess would be it being named Xbox 720, but that's just my prediction. The big question on my mind right now is, if this is just a refurbished Xbox 360, then how will new games made in 1080p react under the use of the original Xbox 360? Or using composite cables, in an analog signal?
Of course, this will be one of the many topics discussed in episode 19 of GamersCast.
Below are some thumbnail images of the pictures mentioned earlier in the article. Click any of the thumbnails to expand the image in a new window.
When IGN pursued Microsoft on the topic, they were very evasive upon there answers, though the pictures of the new console look as legit as it can get. The new Xbox 360 is expected to be priced just a bit more than the current Premium Edition Xbox 360, which would disappoint the number of people who got a 360 for the holidays. Although, there isn't too much of an idea when the release actually is. One site said, "soon", but that doesn't exactly help now, does it? I do recall this is what was said about "Super Mario 128", back in the late 90's. And as Microsoft has not yet confirmed or even commented on anything asked, anything could happen.
But as it stands, the new console appears to have been already codenamed, "Zephyr". Personally, my guess would be it being named Xbox 720, but that's just my prediction. The big question on my mind right now is, if this is just a refurbished Xbox 360, then how will new games made in 1080p react under the use of the original Xbox 360? Or using composite cables, in an analog signal?
Of course, this will be one of the many topics discussed in episode 19 of GamersCast.
Below are some thumbnail images of the pictures mentioned earlier in the article. Click any of the thumbnails to expand the image in a new window.
Orb adds Wii Browser Support
The popular online media streaming service, known as Orb, has just added support for the Nintendo Wii Opera Web Browser to their service. Now, anyone with a Nintendo Wii Browser installed can stream media content directly from their computer to their Wii, so that you can watch videos from your computer on your television screen.
Media that can be streamed using Orb, includes videos, documents, music, and television shows (if your computer as a TV tuner).
This has been tried many times in the past by the members of Wiili, but only resulted in success sometimes, other times. Whether or not, Orb actually made changes to allow Wii Support, or they are just making a statement is unknown.
Though, if you do find troubles using the Orb service now, you should keep in mind that during the BETA period of the Wii Web Browser, many of the features are disabled, until the full-release, coming this March.
To find out more about Orb, check out: Orb.com
Media that can be streamed using Orb, includes videos, documents, music, and television shows (if your computer as a TV tuner).
This has been tried many times in the past by the members of Wiili, but only resulted in success sometimes, other times. Whether or not, Orb actually made changes to allow Wii Support, or they are just making a statement is unknown.
Though, if you do find troubles using the Orb service now, you should keep in mind that during the BETA period of the Wii Web Browser, many of the features are disabled, until the full-release, coming this March.
To find out more about Orb, check out: Orb.com
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Now we are organized!
At long last! Now, thanks to Blogger leaving their BETA, we can have a much more organized feed, with more content delivered to you quicker than ever before! (And yes, I know I have said that a lot). And now, you can even get the brand-new GamersCast Newsletter from the Wii console's Wii Message Board! To find out more, visit the GamersCast Homepage!
http://www.gamerscastpodcast.com
http://www.gamerscastpodcast.com
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