Guitar Hero IV drum kit gets pictured, “cymbals” and all

Engadget:

“Game Informer is at it once more: after securing the first snapshots
of Rock Band’s prototype drum set and microphone last summer, the
gaming mag has now produced the first image of Guitar Hero IV’s kit.
Apparently designers wanted this one to resemble an actual electric kit
a bit more than the one bundled with RB, most evidenced by the pair of
“cymbals” perched atop the trio of circular pads. Upon banging on a
“first-run prototype” in the Neversoft offices, Game Informer
was fairly impressed with the layout, but we’re still left to wonder if
these will be compatible with Rock Band (or vice-versa). Another faux
drum kit in the den and we’ll be struggling to maintain sanity (and a
functional relationship).”

[Via Joystiq]

You Are Already in a Game. Right Now. [PMOG]

i09:

“My favorite new mind-bending idea is an extension for Firefox
released today by brainy game designers Merci Grace and Justin Hall.
It’s called PMOG, for passively multiplayer online game, and it turns
the entire web into a fantasy world where you can go on quests. Like
all cool art, PMOG makes apparent something that you knew unconsciously
for a long time. Browsing the web is just a game. Gathering knowledge
is a game. Finding cool new pieces of information by reading is a game.
PMOG just makes those games literal, by letting you earn points for web
surfing — erm, questing. And io9 is part of that quest!

PMOG was launched by GameLayers, who said in a statement this morning:

So
many of us spend hours each day on the web. What do we have to show for
our time? PMOG gives players points for surfing with the PMOG Firefox
extension. Those points can be used to leave traps or treasure on any
web site, for other players to find. Suddenly, surfing the web is a
casual multiplayer online game.

PMOG provides a web-wide platform for people to poke, gift or share
links. “PMOG is arms dealer to the web,” quips Merci Victoria Grace,
GameLayers Chief Creative Officer and co-founder. PMOG game events are
created by other players, and layered over the web that we all share.
Players see PMOG “Mines” “Crates” or “Portals” affixed to CNN, Facebook
or Google. Players can unlock badges based on their web surfing on
sites like BoingBoing, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. The entire
internet now offers a chance to play. The coolest part for yours truly,
aside from getting rewarded for compulsively reading BoingBoing and
Hackaday, is that io9 is part of a quest called “Take Me to Your
Readers.” There’s even a badge (pictured) for io9.

You know what that means, don’t you? You are all part of a game,
right now. You can feel it when you go to work. When you pay your
taxes. When you quote that cool speech in the Matrix for the fiftieth time. So make your web surfing count by checking out PMOG and going on a quest.”

PMOG [official site]

EA Loosens Spore, Mass Effect DRM

Slashdot: “In response to recent criticism, EA has decided to eliminate the
periodic validation of Mass Effect and Spore. ‘Specifically, EA’s plan
to dial in to game owner’s computers every ten days to check whether
they were running a legitimate version of their software has been
scrapped, ShackNews reports. EA had planned to use the validation
method for upcoming titles Mass Effect and Spore. EA now says that
validation will now only occur when a user attempts to download new
content for either game. Chief among the voices in opposition to this
measure were members of the armed forces, who pointed out that they
could not rely on having an internet connection every ten days.’”

Gears of War 2 Gameplay Video Debut

Holy frak…

(Can’t get embed to work so here’s the link)

LINK TO HI-RES VIDEO

Giant working (!) NES controller/coffee table

Boing Boing:

“Kyle Downes of the aptly named “Ultra Awesome” blog built this genius coffee table that’s an enormous, working NES controller! It opens to reveal storage space for tons of game-carts.”

LINK

Bioshock: the Movie

Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

“Oh yes - Rapture for real will be quite the sight to behold.

Oh no - It’s to be directed and produced by Gore ‘Pirates of the
Caribbean’ Verbinski. Well, the first film was loads of fun, but even
discounting those sequels, high seas hi-jinks seems an
unusual pedigree for undersea rumination upon the nature of man. But
hey, both have water and zombies.”

… [visit site to read more]

Lord Of The Rings: Conquest

Hmmm…a Battlefield-type game with swords and axes…me wantey…

Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

“Lord Of The Rings: Conquest is a Battlefield/front type game set in the
Tolkien universe currently under development by Pandemic Studios. “Our
experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The
Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full
control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way
they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side,” said
Pandemic’s Josh Resnick. And who wouldn’t play
as a orck (yes, I’m going with a franchise-neutral spelling from now
on), that’s what I want to know. Anyway, more details and screens after
the jump.”

… [visit site to read more]

GTAIV Breaks Halo 3’s Record! $500 million in 1st week, 6mn

Digg: “The title sold about 3.6 million units on April 29, its opening day,
bringing in roughly $310 million (€200.91 million). This is $10 million
(€6.48 million) more than what Microsoft Corp.’s “Halo 3,” another
blockbuster game, took in during its first week last fall.”

Doom 4 Announced

IGN: “Famed developer id Software reveals existence of Doom 4 and says it’s hiring.“

User-Generated Discontent: Spore/Mass Effect DRM

Sorry, it ain’t gonna stop the hackers…

Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

“All it’s taken is one little post and a landslide of others follow. At least that’s what’s happened when Bioware’s Derek French reveals that Mass Effect and Spore will
be coming with a fairly hefty piece of DRM attached. It won’t just
activate online when you first install the game - it’ll also have to
check in to the server regularly to continue working. If ten days go by
without a check-in working, the game stops working. In other word,
major lengthy internet outage, no playage. Since RPS-comrade Rossignol
is going to be having that kinda length of time offline shortly, this
has to be frowned at.

Beneath the cut: Derek French’s Full post, just so the actual words
people will be arguing about are present in the vicinity if this
spirals out of control into another 300+ post thread about the P-word. Oh - and a few more initial thoughts too.”
…

[visit site to read more]