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New Games
, Nintendo
, Uses of Gaming Technology
on May 17, 2010
Wanna stay healthy? Then watch out as Nintendo works with the American Heart Association (AHA) to come up with games on its Wii consoles as a means to stay active.
Among key points in their negotiations are Wii boxes which will soon include the AHA brand, a health summit to be hosted by both Nintendo and AHA, and displaying Nintendo consoles at future AHA health events. A web site known as www.activeplaynow.com. is also in the offing.
The two organizations have agreed to focus their partnership on the Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort, and the original Wii console. Boxes for these products will bear the AHA stamp of approval, and will suggest consumers to buy active-play games.
Hopefully this will make people think about a healthy approach to living and how maybe active-play video games can be included in a healthy lifestyle.
A health summit featuring representatives from health sciences, health care, research, fitness, and video game industries will be hosted both by Nintendo and AHA although no date has been set yet.
Nintendo will be featured at Start! Heart Walk events this fall, including those in Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and Atlanta from September through November. Participants will be able to try out the Wii consoles.
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Game Application
, Uses of Gaming Technology
on May 11, 2010
Tom Daniels, after taking a shift pedaling an old bike propped up in the corner of an Iowa State University computer lab, joined a few of his freshmen students back at a computer.
The aspiring computer engineers were huddled over the monitor, tapping away at the keyboard, trying to use a Wii Remote™ to collect data from that bike.
They were using one of Nintendo's handy controllers for Wii video games to track infrared lights attached to one of the bike's pedals. Their project for Computer Engineering 186 ("Introduction to Computer Engineering and Problem Solving II") was to write a program that would use the Wii Remote to collect data about the spinning pedals and turn that into useful information about cadence and maybe even information about a rider's movement and efficiency.
The assignment was all about figuring out how to collect, process and use data, said Daniels, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. And it was about solving the problems that inevitably crop up when working with data as it comes in.
The students were having a hard time making it all work during a recent lab. Try as they might, their data wasn't showing up on the computer screen. But, they weren't frowning about it.
"It's really interesting," said Andria Osborne from Ely. "Most people in computer engineering want to work with numbers and stuff. I want to work with biology and other stuff. And so to work with this is exciting."
The Technology Association of Iowa recently honored Daniels with a 2010 Prometheus Award for Best Innovation in Teaching. The association says the award "recognizes a teacher's use of technology to create exciting learning opportunities."
Daniels said using a Wii Remote as a teaching tool is part of a new take on the department's two introductory, problem-solving classes. The idea was to find new ways to boost student interest and retention in computer engineering. A lot of students are attracted to computers because they like video games and game technology.
"We want these projects to be reasonable, but challenging," Daniels said. "I also want to give students a reason to care about the math and physics."
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Game Reviews
on March 28, 2010
© i eated a cookie
Dragon Age: Origins was released last year to resounding applause. The game had gorgeous graphics, intense storyline and really pulled players into a fantasy roleplaying game. After the great success of Mass Effect (1 and 2), Dragon Age fell right in line.
Now Bioware has just released their newest expansion for Origin plot called Awakenings. The new expansion was release last week during spring break. So far both the user and critics reviews (on GameSpot) rated the expansion highly.
The overall point is that if you enjoyed Dragon Age: Origin, you'll enjoy Awakening. It works as a short sequel while also being available as a download. It doesn't break any incredible ground or give new meaning to expansion, but if you want to keep playing after Dragon Age has ended, this sequel is for you.
Awakening allows you to play a character you've already created or start one from scratch. In fact, you haven't played Dragon Age you can just download Awakening and play it without having the original game. However you can find new weapons, new characters, new plot lines and plenty of full-fledged fantasy nerdiness.
Awakening is exactly what we expected to come out of Bioware.
Played it yet? What do you think?
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Game Reviews
on March 17, 2010
© Tyler Howarth
Spore became more than just a game, it was an experience. Created by Will Wright (author of other lifestyle type games such as the SIMS series), Spore combined multiple layers, functionalities and put the power in the hands of the player.
If you are unfamiliar with the Spore game, it was about creating your own species and walking it along an evolutionary past. (You're kind of like God.) The game had 5 stages, a cell stage, creature stage, tribal stage, civilization stage and finally a space stage. The game left the user with the ability to create and decide at every stage. In fact, Will Wright promised that the game would allow for individualization and hours of enjoyment, particularly in the final stage of space exploration.
One of the biggest selling points of the game was the creature creator (which was released early and has since come out with multiple upgrades). The game finally went public in 2008 and continues to have an avid following for its upgrades and add-ons.
The game itself is an engrossing experience. The online interplay, however, was more repulsive than exciting. Maxis put together the Sporepedia where users could upload their creations to share with others (buildings, creatures and ships). This of course led to a number of creations made solely for joke purposes, and I mean the adult kind (think graphic).
The space section of the game gave the most flexibility. And all the other levels are worth playing just to get to this bit. However, be careful, the space stage is also the most challenging!
If haven't had a chance to experience Spore, I highly recommend it. Though it will require quite a bit of space on your computer and will be highly demanding of your processing power, so be prepared!
Thoughts on Spore?
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Industry New
on March 11, 2010
© rebopper
Outrage is the number one emotion expressed by gamers over the new UbiSoft DRM. It all started with PC Gamer getting a pre-release copy of the new Assassin's Creed 2 for review. After writing their review, the gaming community took up the cry.
So here's what happens with the DRM, if you haven't heard yet. First, you cannot connect to the game unless you have an internet connection. That's right, no gaming without being online. Then, if for whatever reason you're connection goes down, you're screwed. It's not quite as bad as some of the rumors that everything you've done is wiped out, but you when you reconnect you'll have to go back to the last auto-save point. So let's hope your connection never gets wonky, or you want to play the game on a flight or in the car.
It seems like there's never been a good solution to piracy. The gamers who play within the rules feel punished. And eventually some kid hacks the DRM anyhow. Many gamers also feel like this kind of Big Brother hook-up means a lack of privacy. On this system, UbiSoft will know exactly who logs in and when and what they do in the game. So what did UbiSoft have to say for itself? Nothing that makes it better.
UbiSoft explained that the number one reason for the new DRM is protection. They also claim the new system has advantages to gamers such as: not requiring a disc to play, allowing download on multiple computers and the uploading of all saved games to UbiSoft's computers. They promise the auto-saves are close together.
You can read more of UbiSoft defense of its new DRM if you want, but they mostly say, "Yeah, we know you're angry but we don't really care that much. Piracy is more important than angry customers." The DRM will affect The Settlers VII, Splinter Cell, Silent Hunter 5, Assassin's Creed 2, Prince of Persia and Ghost Recon as well as all the games in the foreseeable future.
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