Mr. Klepacki has worked on dozens upon dozens of games over the last 10 years including: Universe at War, Command & Conquer, Star Wars Empire at War and…going back to 1993: Dune 2!

Happy Birthday, Franky!

Come on Microsoft, I would expect you to be a little smarter. It is the guy’s legal name, given to him at birth. Its cruel enough to be Dick Gaywood in name, do you have to add to the problem by banning the guy’s name.

All of this just feeds into the idea of today’s society just being a bit too PC for its own good. I mean, it is one thing to take a name that is being used in an offensive manner, but when someone is describing their orientation or in this case, their real name, are we starting to go overboard. But it this way, would I be banned from Xbox Live if my name was HetroLover?

They have perhaps wisely decided to hold the game until February to give two other big shooters on the system — SOCOM Confrontation and Resistance 2 — room to dominate this fall. SOCOM games have historically been very good and fit the more-realistic military shooter crowd, and Resistance 2 has high expectations with Insomniac’s consistently high quality delivery after the highly rated Resistance and silky-smooth Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction games. Even if it’s being used as an excuse to work on Killzone 2 some more, further nudging our expectations upward, it makes me think that Sony is taking their first-party and second-party developers seriously by giving them breathing room to sell into a highly competitive segment of the gaming market. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Seen on PS3Fanboy, image from here.

Among the Florida Bar offenses for which Judge Tunis has recommended a guilty verdict:

* Knowingly making a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal
* Knowingly disobeying an obligation under the rules of a tribunal
* Communicating the merits of the case with a judge before whom the proceeding is pending
* Using means that have no purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden a third person
* Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation
* Engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly or through callous indifference disparage or humiliate litigants or other lawyers

Now, it should be noted that while this is a big step, there is still a lot of action pending. Thompson has been suing the Florida Bar, Florida Supreme Court, and who knows what else in federal court.

If only there were jail time involved with these charges, rather than just disbarment…

Game shows are one of those things that no matter what the show uses as a gimmick, you always find yourself sitting down to answer the questions.  So having trivia games migrate to the consoles only seems natural, and the Buzz series has found a great home on the PS2.  This time around the Buzz franchise uses Holly wood as its backdrop, asking us to test our knowledge of the movies with our friends or by our lonesome in Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz.

The first thing you notice about Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz, is that it comes in a huge package, just like its competitors, including the game and the controllers, which allow up to four people to play right out of the box.  The game also supports another set of controllers if you have some from the previous games in the series, for a total of eight players.  Buzz also starts up with several modes of play, ranging from a simple one player game to a cavalcade of rounds for multiple players.

Starting up a game is easy enough and the interface is rather intuitive.  Each round will present you with a different way to play.  One round will have you entering whether a statement is true or false.  Another has you playing a game similar to “The Weakest Link” where you answer questions, building up the pot of points.  At certain points, you can bank the points, or let it ride, but if you get a question wrong, you lose the points that are not banked yet.

The game has a great visual style, and while not high resolution graphics, its cartoonish style always seems to charm as you are playing.  One thing I noticed was the little touches that the game shows you visually.  If you skip over the instructions that the Vanna White look-a-like is giving you, she crosses her arms and pouts at the fact you don’t want to listen to her.  Buzz will also make gestures and so forth as you make mistakes with your answers.  Nothing fancy, but it is the visual attention to detail that helps you get immersed in the game show feel.  The game also has a slew of characters you can select as your avatar in the game, all based on movie icons.  They add a lot of humor, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe, that hugs a teddy and pulls out a hair dryer that looks like a gun when he loses or wins.  About the only visual item that looks bad are the backgrounds, because they are a bit plain and stale when compared to all the character visuals that are going on in the game.

One of the things that hurt trivia games is question repetition, and Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz uses the memory card to make sure that the repetition is kept to a minimum.  With 5000 questions, Buzz will give you a lot of playback without starting to feel the same, but without the ability to add new questions, at some point you will find yourself fighting burnout with the game.

The audio in Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz is top notch, feeling fresh and full of enthusiasm.  The main host, Buzz always delivers lines that are funny, but never over the top.  The same goes for the characters that never speak words, but more like cryptic noises that sound rather funny when spoken.  The music in the background jumps out as a bit obnoxious at times, blaring out quite a bit louder than the rest of the game.  It is a bit of a shock to have the volume up for the game, only to have some interlude music knock you out of your chair due to the high volume.

The controllers that come with the game are rather simple with a red buzzer button and color coded buttons that match the answers on the screen.  They are contoured nicely for the hand, and are light to hold.  The buttons are nice and responsive, never having issues when selecting answers.  The spaghetti of chords that connect the whole thing is a bit messy, but nothing that keeps you from enjoying the game.  And to be honest, it is the only way the game would have worked without requiring a passive USB hub to split the USB ports for all the controllers.

The game really starts to shine when you get several players in the room to get a multiplayer game going.  The game really offers a ton of different modes that really change up the way the game plays.  With so many different modes of gameplay, every player will find a section that they can perform well.  It also mixes in some funny moments from movies like the pie fight round, which reminded me of the scene in Blazing Saddles, when they have the great pie fight in the kitchen.  Having a couple of friends over, I loaded up the game, and in no time, we were laughing and having a blast.  If you entertain, this is a great game to add to your library.

There are no real glaring faults in the game, which shows that the developers put a lot of work into the game to make sure it came to market, ready to play out of the box.  About the only bug I came across was that in the middle of a multiplayer game, it talked about the enthusiasm in the room, and then my PS2 camera turned on.  But nothing came on the screen.  I am not sure if it was trying to use the camera, but it did not seem to work correctly.  My camera seems to work after several checks, but maybe it was just a fluke.

For the price, Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz offers a lot of play for a small price.  You get controllers and a very witty and competent game show title, which becomes a great party game once you get a few friends in the room.  Buzz: The Hollywood Quiz gets 4 out of 5 Aeropausonauts.

As most of you have probably heard. Nintendo, via Wii Fit, had the audacity to call a young girl “fat.” While most gamers are rushing to Nintendo’s defense, I’ve decided it would make for a healthy discussion to play the devil’s advocate on this one. In this case, as in many others, the devil would be anyone with something negative to say about our favored medium.

For the sake of those in the dark, I will make an attempt to succinctly describe the situation. A father of a 10-year-old girl raised complaints about the game Wii Fit labeling his daughter as “fat.” She is 92lbs, 4 feet 9 inches in height, and is described as “healthy.” The father finds this rather unacceptable (although he found it amusing when such descriptors were given to the adults playing the game).

I’ve seen many comments around the internet about how this should simply serve as a reality check to a young girl who may indeed be overweight and therefore motivate her to do something about it. In addition, some wonder why the father holds the game to a different standard with regard to his child rather than adults. With this in mind, one might wonder if the father has a right to be upset if the information is accurate. I would have to say he does have reason for concern.

Our society is full of images in popular media that encourage women to achieve beauty by attaining the thinnest frame possible. As young girls grow up they are constantly bombarded by this demand. It is a very real and growing problem that puts millions of young women at risk for developing an eating disorder. Not only is such a disorder verifiably deadly, it is also preventable. Many choose to simply blame individuals with this particular type of problem and chalk it up to poor decision making. This is an insensitive viewpoint that simplifies a complex problem with a myriad of attributing factors. Would these disorders really still develop without media fixated on thinness? It is hard to say, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to be a little more responsible with what we insist our children expect of their bodies.

Where does a game like Wii Fit, which promotes healthy activity and wellness, fit into the picture? Well, in Nintendo’s decision to market the game to everyone, they made the mistake of allowing a Body Mass Index to be calculated for children. Unfortunately, it is known that BMI is pretty much useless in determining a healthy weight in children due to the fact that children develop at different rates. Thankfully, Nintendo made an effort to clarify this:

Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20 but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development.

It is worth mentioning that a 4’9,” 92lb, 10-year-old girl is probably not overweight. If BMI is to be trusted in this case (for the sake of argument) one finds information that conflicts with the “fat” descriptor Nintendo’s game threw at the girl. A BMI calculator indicates that she falls on the line between “healthy weight” and “at risk” while remaining far below the “overweight” descriptor.

This makes me wonder if Nintendo might have been able to choose better words to use as descriptors during the development of Wii Fit. At the very least they could have used a different set up descriptors when the individual being measured is a child. There is nothing wrong with telling someone the truth, but sometimes we have to make sure it truly is truth and even then we should consider the vulnerabilities of those to whom we tell this “truth.” Telling a child she is “fat” is not going to make her lose weight; it is going to make her lose confidence.

First is the whole “be like Rock Band, but with more” mentality that has come over Neversoft.  I understand that Rock Band was met with a lot of critical success, even in the face of the huge numbers that Guitar Hero III made at the register.  But if you asked people that own both, they will most likely lean towards Rock Band as the better of the two games.  I know in my case, Guitar Hero III has seen limited play by myself or my wife since Rock Band came out, because Rock Band is just a lot more fun to play and gives me several avenues to play the game.  If I get stuck on guitar, switch it up and play vocals and so on.

The other problem is the whole idea of the mechanics of Guitar Hero.  With the first two Guitar Hero games, you never felt outclassed until you started in midway on Hard.  At that point, the difficulty seemed to ratchet up nicely to become very difficult.  Guitar Hero III, was a struggle for many people, even at the medium difficulty.  It was like they decided to kick it up several notches and throw the gauntlet down at the feet of the players.  Adding to it, the horrible boss battles, and you ended up with something that did not meet the expectations of the Guitar Hero faithful.

Some of the changes in store are huge and really fix a lot of what I found to be irksome with Rock Band.  You can create one band member an have them jump between instruments.  That is not possible with Rock Band, as you need to assign an instrument to a rocker.  You can also seemlessly switch between multiplayer and singleplayer, which fixes the fact that you cannot get Band World Tour in Rock Band without two players.  The ability to customize your equipment design for you guitar just adds to the immersion.  Think up a design and get to making it in the game.  And then to top it all off, you can mix your own tracks, sans vocals, which should give aspiring musicians some tools to put together some great music mashups.

But even with this, some details are missing.  First off, Neversoft seems to have missed the one component that really made the Rock Band name, and that is content.  While you can have a great starting list, people have shown they want and will spend on downloadable songs.  Rock Band has become a social phenomenon due to the new songs that come out every week.  No matter what, we always have new content every Tuesday for Rock Band.  Guitar Hero has released some content, but none that shows off a commitment to giving the users a new experience week in and out.  They have also not ruled out the use of boss battles, which were one of the worst aspects of a Guitar Hero game ever.  No matter what, it always seemed like the person you are battling would get Lefty Flip over and over and just crush you into obivion without having to really try.  It is one of the things that has made me avoid playing through the harder career tiers at this point, because it just becomes an exercise in futility.

Even when it comes to instruments, I am conflicted.  I like the look of the new drum kit, but I do not want to see another drum set in my living room, regardless of whether it is wireless or not.  The incompatibility will hurt as well, as the Guitar Hero drum pad seems to have one extra contact point, as there are three pads, two cymbals and a kick pedal.

So is your interest piqued by Guitar Hero IV?  I am there looking over the fence, but I have yet to see enough to really make me want to jump over and sample the goods.  At least until some of the lingering issues are hammered out.

The full list

CVG.com

Currently two years into development, and delayed once already, it seems that the Ubisoft execs are pushing for gameplay and graphics that match up with their current gem, Assassins Creed.  Ubisoft Montreal is the current design team tasked with bringing this game to fruition.

The plot of the game hopefully will still involve Sam Fisher on the run, a rogue agent of the United States, and link into the whole End War convergance that has been building through all the Tom Clancy games.

Interestingly, the screens match the leaked DS Castlevania screens from several months ago. Have a look at the woman named Shanoa speaking in one of the screenshots. It’s definitely the woman from those earlier screens. I had assumed that leak was a fake, as most people had.

KONAMI ANNOUNCES CASTLEVANIA: ORDER OF ECCLESIA FOR NINTENDO DS(TM )

Legendary Vampire Hunting Action Series Returns with New Attack System and Outdoor Environments; Marking Its 3rd Installment on Nintendo DS(TM)

El Segundo, Calif. – May 14th, 2008 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia exclusively for Nintendo DSTM. Introducing the all-new Glyph attack system, players will be able to use special attack combinations as they attempt to defeat Dracula and his horde. Also introduced to the series are new outdoor locales ranging from forests to the ocean, giving players the chance to explore outside of Dracula’s Castle. Developed by legendary Castlevania producer Koji “Iga” Igarashi, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is poised to set a new standard for side scrolling action on DS(TM).

“We have always felt that the Castlevania franchise has been an excellent fit on Nintendo DS, and based on the popularity of the DS classics, Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, our fans agree,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We fully expect Order of Ecclesia to ignite the fan base once again as it combines the classic Castlevania gameplay with an all-new combat system and outdoor environments.”

In Order of Ecclesia players take the role of a member of the Ecclesia, an organization that has sworn to defeat the evil forces of Dracula. By using the new Glyph attack system, players can unleash more than 100 different combinations to battle Dracula’s minions throughout 20 explorable areas. Utilizing the Nintendo Wi-Fi ConnectionTM, players can choose to compete head-to-head, or trade items and equipment they have found while exploring the environments. Multiple endings that can be unlocked depending on how they player completes the game adds even more replay value to the game with plenty of addictive exploration, combat and items to discover.

Developed by Konami, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is planned for release on Nintendo DS(TM) in Fall 2008. For more information on the games, please visit: www.konami.com.

About Konami
Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid®, Silent Hill®, DanceDanceRevolution® and Castlevania®, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.

Source: Konami via Nintendojo. Screens at N-Philes.