Tag Archives: video games

Metal Rebirth with a Plastic Guitar

In yet another curious renaissance for heavy metal icons, a video game has helped deliver Megadeth and Soundgarden back atop the pedestal of rock. Sayeth the press release:

Megadeth’s “Sudden Death” and Soundgarden’s “Black Rain” – have been nominated for Best Metal Performance and Best Hard Rock Performance, respectively, at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Inspired by, composed exclusively for, and debuted in the game, “Sudden Death” marks the first time an original track created for a videogame has been nominated by The Recording Academy for the prestigious awards.

This is Megadeth’s 9th Grammy nod since the institution of the category in 1989. They’ve never won. Soundgarden hasn’t even existed since 1997, two years after nabbing the Metal award for Spoonman (along with Hard Rock for Black Hole Sun). Black Death debuted simultaneously in the game and on their first new album in a decade, Telephantasm, which went platinum in a day.

If you’re interested, starting tomorrow through noon on Sunday, you can get a free download of each Grammy-nominated song at facebook.com/guitarhero. All I can hope now is that if either band plays at the awards, they’re playing the song, not the game.

Comic-Con NYC, Highlights in Hindsight

My bad for going to Comic-Con last Friday and not reporting directly back. Among the books, the toys, the frenzy of cos-play, the unease of Japanese girlfriend-painted body pillows, what probably impressed me the most was seeing the XBOX 360 Kinect in action. The video above isn’t exactly riveting, but gives you the idea: No controller, no peripherals, no nothin’. Didn’t try it myself, but it looked pretty far out. Oddly, perhaps, I particularly enjoyed watching players go through the menus at the beginning, waving their hands up and down and snatching at the air like conjurers with wallet chains.

My guess is that at least for now it’s as much about the cool factor as it is about effective, precision game-play. But give it time.

After the break, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE shot from Comic-Con NYC 2K10. Continue reading

Have Your Cake – And Play It, Too

Though I wasn’t invited to this design-heavy games-n-cupcakes new years party, I’m thoroughly enjoying the digital results. Pastries and gaming — playstries? Count me freakin in. These folks got together and made 100 cupcake honoring 100 awesome games. Some highlights, from video games…

…and old school analog favorites…

Even the site itself is kind of a game. Pure gold.

Console-ation: Video Game Evolution, a Timeline

Video Game Timeline

Click for a graphic time capsule of 40-odd years of videogaming. Who’da thought when Megaman came out talking about the far-off year 20xx we’d actually ever get here?

[from Online Education via Gizmodo]