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Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is preparing to enter the
fray

post from Joystiq on 07 November 2009 11:00:00 PM. © Joystiq

Camelbak hydration pack? Check. Bear mace? Check. Economy-sized package of adult diapers? Check. No, we're not planning an excursion into the Alaskan wilderness -- we're preparing to wade into the tumultuous warzone known as the holiday shopping season. It's a six-week-long test of will and endurance, punctuated by intense capitalistic bloodbaths such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Fuschia Wednesday. Oh, man, you don't know about Fuschia Wednesday? We'd tell you all about it, but we'd hate to add to the competition. Fine, we'll give you a hint: Pottery Barn. Oh, no! We've said too much!

As we attempt to figure out how to finance these euphoria-inducing shopping sprees, check out our seven favorite gaming-related webcomics of this past week, which we've posted below. You can vote for your favorite in the poll after the jump, then tell us what strips we might have missed out on in the comments section!

The Price of Loyalty (Penny Arcade)
The Bomb (Digital Unrest)
Poke Graph (The Ninja Ken)
Powers of Ten (2P Start)
Stealth (Brawl in the Family)
Short Fuse (Monday Night Crew)
Stained (Dipswitch)

Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is preparing to enter the fray

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is preparing to enter the fray originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: Game Universe Closes Doors Thanks to
Alleged Criminal

post from The BBPS on 07 November 2009 10:21:50 PM. © The BBPS

This Saturday, Boston-area game retailer, Game Universe closed its doors for good.
Last month, I reported on John Keough's violent rampage. The Game Unicon co-organizer coerced Game Universe into loaning resources to help put on the convention with a promise to repay the store. As it turned out though, Keough was a compulsive liar who eventually ended up in a police stand-off.
Details on Keough's court date have been virtually non-existent, but I can confirm that Game Universe has closed. They are hoping to cut their losses by selling the remainder of their inventory (of which there is plenty) over the Internet.

More news as it comes.

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nks-to-alleged-criminal.html

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Weekend Download: 1912 - Titanic Mystery

post from Escape Games 24 on 07 November 2009 10:21:00 PM. © Escape Games 24

1912: Titanic Mystery is an amazingly funny point and click type downloadable hidden object game with really good graphics. A bomb is aboard the Titanic II, a replica of the famous cruise ship! You...

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http://www.escapegames24.com/2009/11/download-1912-titanic-mystery-free.html

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1912 - Titanic Mystery

post from Escape Games 24 on 07 November 2009 10:21:00 PM. © Escape Games 24

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Plumbing You Want-a Aisle 7 [Screengrab]

post from Kotaku on 07 November 2009 09:00:00 PM. © Kotaku

As seen on a Home Depot apron. [Thanks irishpnk323]

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Cave Story Wii gets closer to release, much more
yellow

post from Destructoid on 07 November 2009 09:00:00 PM. © Destructoid

Cave Story Wii gets closer to release, much more yellow screenshot

It's good news/bad news time again. Good news first- Cave Story Wii has been resubmitted to Nintendo for approval. The game was supposed to be out months ago, but for reasons unknown, Nintendo has been holding it back. I played a very final-feeling version of the game at E3 this year, which makes me think that the game has been done for a while. The word on the street was that the game's translation needed changing before it could be releases, but I'm guessing that there's more to it than that.

Which brings us to the bad news.

Some mysterious changes have been made to Quote, the game's main character. His iconic red hat and pants have now been replaced with a yellow and brown ensemble that's much less flattering. Happier people than myself are guessing this change signifies DLC palate swaps for Quote, or even better, a new 2-player co-op mode. My guess is that Nintendo thought that the original Quote looked too much like Ash Ketchum, and wouldn't let the game come out until the character was changed. You can see the original Quote sprite, the initial WiiWare revision, and the latest yellowed-up sprite all in the gallery.

So what do you think? Am I being paranoid, or did Nintendo just force Quote to start dressing like Devo circa 1978?

[via Gonintendo]

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Northeast U.S. GameStops Selling Modern Warfare 2
Early [Early Release]

post from Kotaku on 07 November 2009 08:50:00 PM. © Kotaku

GameStops in Northeastern states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are selling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 early, granted special dispensation from Activision due to street-breaking mom-and-pop stores.

Here in Atlanta we still have to wait until Monday's midnight launch to pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but lucky folks in several Northeastern states are getting their copies earlier. According to a GameStop employee I spoke to in Akron, Ohio, Activision granted certain area stores special permission to sell the game early, in order to stem the tide of lost customers picking their copies up early from local mom and pop stores.

The employee actually greeted me with "Thank you for calling GameStop, where you can pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." Calls to my local GameStop stores were greeted with claims of jealousy and invitations to come by Monday night to pick up my copy. Dammit.

Thanks to C & C Games for sending us a copy of their receipt, and everyone in New York and Pennsylvania who sent in tips. Lucky bastards.

The comment section would be an excellent place for you to bitch about the general unfairness of all of this.

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Unraveled Anagram Points to FFXIII Announcement
Friday [Final Fantasy XIII]

A message posted to Square-Enix's official Final Fantasy XIII site on Friday indicates, after not too much work, that some news is forthcoming on Friday.

The news post dated Friday - no link, nothing further - said simply: "A puzzle for FINAL FANTASY XIII fans! Solve this anagram to find out what lies ahead: A Henchmen Inventor Tent Unto. Check back Monday for the answer!"

We can check back on Friday, actually, because a couple users on the finalfantasy-xiii.net forums unscrambled it to say "Announcement Nov Thirteenth." No word if that's the game's long-awaited North American release date. Guess you'll have to check back then.

Square-Enix Anagram Solved, Final Fantasy XIII Announcement Coming November 13th [ripten]

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-ffxiii-announcement-friday

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Left 4 Dead 2 pre-loading now available through
Steam

It was bad enough when Valve enabled pre-loading of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo, forcing potential zombicidal maniacs to stare at the game they have and yet don't for an entire madness-inspiring weekend. Now, the developer has begun allowing pre-loading of the full version of Left 4 Dead 2 through Steam. If you've pre-purchased the game through Valve's digital distribution platform (which still nets you a 10 percent discount off the price of the title), you can now put it on your computer, and just ... let it sit there until it finally unlocks on November 17.

In the immortal words of Tom Petty, the waiting truly is the hardest part. Except for the zombie apocalypse. We suppose that part is pretty difficult as well.

[Via Big Download]

Left 4 Dead 2 pre-loading now available through Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow, Mom! Thanks for the Eyestrain!

Nowadays, of course, it's a rare minivan that isn't equipped with a back-seat DVD player for the kids. But in the mid-1990's, Magnavox was breaking new ground with their after-market mobile video and gaming unit, the Sideshow:

It's not a bad idea, but it's not very practical as illustrated here. The children appear to be playing Sonic the Hedgehog on an 8" screen, from a distance of several feet away.

This is forcing the driver's daughter to lean forward, dramatically reducing her seat belt's ability to keep her from hurtling through the windshield in the event of a sudden stop. Meanwhile, her brother sits back and watches, pretends to enjoy the Green Hill Zone music, and desperately wishes that Mom had loaded up a 2-player game before pulling out of the driveway.

With historical hindsight, it's clear why the Gameboy was successful and this was not -- a tiny screen twelve inches away beats a larger screen two and a half feet away, and nobody wanted to de-install the unit to bring it into Grandma's house or move it to Dad's car.

At least Magnavox resisted the urge to build their own Odyssey² technology into the Sideshow -- Speedway! / Spin-Out! / Cryptologic! remains unexciting at any speed, and Pick Axe Pete! doesn't pick nearly as much axe as one might assume.