PAX East 2011: mimoco MIMOBOTs

by: Ben Berry
NEWS - I have often thought that people somehow wind up with names that fit them. Never was that truer than when I spoke with Jessica Smiley at the mimoco booth on Friday. Bright and bubbly, but also direct and forthright, Jessica shared with me the haps in mimoco's recent past and near future. 

I admit freely and fully to wanting to meet with mimoco because of their well known Star Wars license and their recently launched DC franchise. I had no idea how much mimoco had going on in terms of both licensed product, as well as looking to work with artists to create their own brand identity away from just licensing someone else's IP. It sounds like a great way to move, while keeping popular IP as the sales base for the product. 

The big news from mimoco is that they have acquired the above mentioned DC license, and started with the character that most people have come to associate with DC; Batman. They have released 2 flavors of Batman (vintage and current) along with Robin, Catwoman, and The Joker. As with all of their drives, each model is available in 2, 4, 8, and 16 GB sizes. The plan is to continue to expand the DC license with additional characters. While Jessica didn't confirm, my guess is that Superman is the next likely batch of DC MIMOBOTs.

Finally, the Star Wars license, while I'm sure expensive to maintain, must be lucrative; There are no fewer than 16 different characters in their current Star Wars line with another line up likely to launch this summer. I'd seen these on line, but getting to see them up close really allowed me to understand there's some quality work in both the art and the manufacturing. It will be interesting to see what comes next from mimoco.


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http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/PAX-East-2011-mimoco-MIMOBOTs/Item21879.aspx

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PAX East 2011: Day 2 11 PM Checkin

by: Ben Berry
NEWS - On the last night of a conference, I have been know to (in no specific order):

• Stay up literally all night, with just a power nap at 6 AM to get me through the last day of the show
• Turn the 4th floor elevator lobby of a hotel into a full service bar
• Make $1,500 playing Let it Ride at Monte Carlo casino
• Meet a girl and stay up all night talking
• Ride the swag wagon until the wheels fall off
• Party with 10,000 people on the hill overlooking Dodger Stadium in the most epic end to an E3 that has ever happened.

Sadly, I have to say that my stories from this convention will mostly pale in comparison to the stories from the past. I left the show floor early today to watch the hockey team my wife is the athletic trainer for play (and win) their NCAA quarterfinal game. While there's a lot of excitement around these parts because of that, I'm not completely enthused because I left the game feeling a bit under the weather. So much so that I actually skipped the Bioware Star Wars: The Old Republic community party to stay home and rest. I guess with everything I've been able to accomplish in just over six years of conventioneering, that sooner or later I was going to get sick and have to slow down at least once.

The silver lining is that I've started catching up on my reporting from 2 days of the convention and won't spend Monday and Tuesday feverishly trying to finish all the posts I'm behind on. Tomorrow should be a good day, as I'm hoping to hit a few of the panels, play some games I haven't gotten hands on with yet, and to say goodbye to some friends, both old and new.

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http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/PAX-East-2011-Day-2-11-PM-Checkin/Item21878.a
spx

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PAX East 2011: Slam Bolt Scrappers

by: Ben Berry
NEWS - Going to the same conventions year after year, you sometimes get the chance to follow a game from first announcement up until release. With bigger games from large, well-funded companies, those releases are usually guaranteed, but in the case of games from independent developers, that may not always hold true. But here we are just 3 days from the release of Fire Hose Games Slam Bolt Scrappers. 

I met the folks from Fire Hose last year at the Boston Indie Showcase here at PAX East, when the game was still very early in development. Throughout the past year, they've refined the game, and I can now disclose that I was involved with some of the beta testing at their offices across the river from my house in Cambridge. That's one reason why you won't see me reviewing the game for GN; the other being that I don't own a PS3, so that works against being able to play it as well.

If you're not familiar with SBS, here's the best way I've been able to think of to describe it. Take multiplayer Tetris, except when you make shapes with the blocks, they turn into weapons to fight your opponent. To get blocks, you have to beat up monsters, while avoiding attacks from your opponent. The goal is to destroy whatever they've been able to build with their blocks and take out their base. There's also a campaign mode, which is similar, except you're not always fighting against the AI opponents tower. Sometimes it's a giant robot, or something equally devastating.

The big recent news from the game aside from the upcoming launch is the new Megablocks feature which is a taller level that takes the combat elements of SBS to an over the top place that is really a good time to play. I had a nice visit catching up with a couple of the guys from Fire Hose, and I'm looking forward to see how well the game will be received. This is the most involved I've ever been from the perspective of the development of a gaming and getting to know the team behind the game a little bit, and it's been a very different experience.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/PAX-East-2011-Slam-Bolt-Scrappers/Item21877.a
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Free Realms and its pink ponies coming to PS3 on
March 29

Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play MMO Free Realms is finally making its way to the PlayStation 3 on March 29. Yes, it will be free-to-play on the console, too.

"Free Realms continues to break new ground in the gaming industry," says SOE president John Smedley, "it will be the first free-to-play MMO to hit any console, the first family-friendly MMO to hit any console, and the second MMO, after our recent release of DC Universe Online, to hit the PlayStation 3 to date."

SOE says the PS3 version of the game will feature "familiar activities, minigames and adventures found in the PC versions," just with an updated user interface. The game will be downloadable from the PlayStation Store, and will feature Trophies. Yes… free trophies and pink ponies. It's a deal no one can pass up!

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Child of Eden gets June 14 release date

Child of Eden, otherwise known as The One Kinect Game That Single-Handedly Proves Kinect Doesn't Suck Somehow, has been given a release date. Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s hotly anticipated not-Rez will be released on June 14!

That's the date for the Xbox 360 version. A PS3 version is also in the works, set to support PlayStation Move, but a release date has not yet been given. Ubisoft has said there will be more information on the PS3 option "later."

Does this look like a Kinect-justifier to you? Who's picking it up?

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Battle: Los Angeles game invades XBLA, PC

The Konami-published Battle: Los Angeles game has snuck onto Xbox Live Arcade a PC for download. The release comes right in conjunction with the release of the film of the same name, which is getting panned left and right. (Our sister film site, Flixist, says it's just a'ight.)

Since the game is kind of a surprise, I went ahead and downloaded the demo to see what was up. Turns out it's a first-person shooter, and -- considering it's a download-only title -- not a bad looking one, either. The demo had me shooting aliens, blowing up cars, and then shooting more aliens.

If that's what you're into, you can check out a demo of the game to see if it's your thing. If you like it, buy it for $10 or 800 MS Points. Yes, it also has multiplayer, so there's that, too.

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Microsoft to punish MS Point exploiters

This past week, we brought word that cheeky exploiters were dishing out free Microsoft Points any time somebody refreshed their website. As gamers sat back and refreshed their way to dozens of point codes, Microsoft lost some mad bank in convoluted Moon Bucks. 

While some of you may have kicked yourselves for not jumping on the bandwagon, it turns out you might have been lucky not to join in, since Microsoft is leveling justice at anybody who nabbed a freebie at their expense. 

Microsoft stated that it lost less than the reported $1.2 million, but will nevertheless do what it can to invalidate any illegitimate codes while taking "the appropriate enforcement on an individual basis." We're not quite sure what the punishments will be, but one could reasonably assume there will be account suspensions, if not outright bans. 

This is why we don't try to screw with Xbox Live, folks. Microsoft loves dishing out the repercussions. 

Microsoft to penalise users of illegal points [TechnologyMob]

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Insomniac opens Facebook game division, Insomniac
Click

At South by Southwest today, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance developer Insomniac Games announced a new division of the studio, with a focus on web and mobile games. Called Insomniac Click, the small team of five is currently working on a Facebook project, but isn't ready to offer up details.

"This is something we're passionate about," says Insomniac Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings in responsible to inevitable "jumping on the bandwagon" and "sell out" cries from hardcore gamers.

Hastings points to gaming's changing landscape, adding that "more people are playing games every day than ever before and the kinds of games they are playing are diversifying more rapidly than ever." Those worried this means the studio's entire focus will change needn't worry; the studio is still actively dedicated to its upcoming title for EA Partners, as well as its other IPs.

"We believe there will always be a market for what we call 'core' games," Hastings says. "These are games specifically made for people like you and me -- people who grew up playing games, read game blogs, argue about games on message boards, and who care deeply about creating and playing truly transformative interactive experiences."

While we don't know much about the project just yet, Hastings offers up five promises that the studio plans to uphold: "Social interaction must be mutually enjoyable" (i.e. sending and receiving dull gifts to and from your friends is out); "Game tuning must benefit the player experience"; "Gameplay depth"; and "Easy to learn, hard to master."

Insomniac says it'll have more to "show off in the coming months"; the studio is currently hiring temporary programmers, artists, and designers for the project.

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Epic Adventures: Cursed Onboard

Epic Adventures: Cursed Onboard takes you to a derelict ship stranded in the middle of the Great Amazon jungle. The recently discovered ship set sail in the 1970s but it never reached its destination. There were no survivors and the fate of the whole crew still remains a mystery. With the help of the ghost of a little girl named Anna, you will search the ship in detail and uncover a story that is astonishing as well as tragic! Dive into this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!


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http://www.fenomen-games.com/epic-adventures-cursed-onboard.htm

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Prey 2 finally comes out the woodwork, reveals
French mag

The sequel to Prey -- that portal-driven first-person shooter with vagina-looking alien doors -- has been a long time coming. The latest issue of French magazine Joystick has the game on its cover, meaning we should hear the first details soon.

Outside of what the cover tells us, we don't know anything about the game yet. It'll feature at least one gun and aliens, that much is confirmed. We also know that the rights for the title have shifted from 2K Games to Bethesda, who was snapping up Prey-related trademarks way back in 2009.

Looks like we'll find out more soon, mostly likely over the next month or so, so hold tight.

Nobody was expecting it, but that's going to change! [Evil Avatar]

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