09/06/05 |
PSP | Aaron Stanton
Last week\'s launch of the Sony PSP enjoyed unparalleled success, selling more units in the first week than any other system in the history of the United Kingdom. Roughly 185,000 PSPs sold in the days following the system\'s release, compared to the 87,000 Nintendo DS units that moved from shelves during the launch of Nintendo\'s handheld. The Nintendo DS, sold since March, still claims a greater total combined systems sold, and it remains to be seen how Sony\'s numbers hold up against the onslaught of highly anticipated Nintendo games expected this Holiday season. Nintendogs, for example, expects an October 7th release.
![](http://www.ftjcfx.com/59104fz2rxvGIOPHQPMGIHKOIONN)
09/04/05 |
Xbox | Shawn Rider
Bungie has made a clever t-shirt that it is selling to help out victims of Hurricane Katrina. It\'s cool because not only are they donating $15 for every $20 shirt sold directly and immediately to the American Red Cross, but the shirt is actually a clever Halo \"flood\" joke. And it\'s tasteful. Bravo Bungie.
Click view the shirt in the Bungie store.
Will Nintendo unveil the Revolution controller at the Tokyo Game Show in 12 days? There\'s been a lot of speculation on the Internet that Nintendo President Satoru Iwata will hold nothing back when the show arrives, showing off the controller and the first screenshots of actual Revolution games. Is it going to happen? The source of these rumors is somewhat difficult to track down, so no one is willing to say for sure. Still, it seems like as good a place as any for a major policy shift, right? While Nintendo has found tremendous success in the handheld market (Nintendogs, anyone?), they've consistently fallen behind in the home console arena. The Revolution is their chance to turn it around.
09/03/05 |
PC | Shawn Rider
Proving that custom commands are not only for ordering pizzas, Sony Online Entertainment has added a \"/donate\" command to Everquest II, and is asking its players to donate to the American Red Cross to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. We at GamesFirst! applaud this effort and urge our readers to also support hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
09/03/05 | | Aaron Stanton
Say farewell to one of the landmarks in video game history. Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst, have closed their doors. The company was made famous when it used incredible pre-rendered graphics, moody audio, and brilliant puzzles to create a huge following in the game industry. The original Myst served as a crossover title that brought thousands of causal players into the more complex and beautiful world of the hardcore. Until The Sims took the crown, Myst was considered the best selling game of all time. Cyan Worlds was also one of the few companies dedicated to adventure games anymore, and we\'re sad to see them go. Best of luck, guys.
09/02/05 |
XB360 | Shawn Rider
That bunny is on the move again over at OrigenXbox360.com; looks like a couple more apples have grown, too. Game Daily is reporting that a November 25 release date for Xbox 360 is being rumored by some retail outlets. And it looks like EB Games and GameStop have unveiled thir price packages for Xbox Live.
08/31/05 |
XB360 | Aaron Stanton
Probably the people most passionate about whether or not the Xbox 360 has a hard drive are system modders, who can possibly use the hard drive for everything from stealing games (bad) to running homebrew software (goodish). Now, the makers of the SmartXX mod chip for the Xbox have gotten hold of a number of Xbox 360 development kits. They\'ve opened the system and photographed the insides, which is a pretty good indication that the modding community is already at work on modding the next generation game consoles.
08/27/05 |
XB360 | Aaron Stanton
Bethesda confirmed that the widely anticipated Xbox 360 title Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will run with or without a hard drive. But what does that mean? Is the $100 hard drive so unimportant that it can be pushed to the side at a whim? We asked Bethesda if they could clarify exactly what difference a hard drive makes in how Oblivion plays. The answer, depending on how you read it, can be either encouraging, or suggest that the role of the hard drive has been pushed to a level of minor importance. Read Bethesda\'s response, and decide for yourself.
08/27/05 |
XB360 | Shawn Rider
GameStop unveiled it\'s uber-Xbox 360 bundle, the Ultimate, which it offers for $1200. But apparently that just isn\'t enough Xbox 360 for truly hardcore gamers. Enter the Omega Bundle, everything you could possibly buy for your Xbox 360 at a modest *cough* $2000.
08/25/05 | | Aaron Stanton
In what we are assuming is a move related to the recent death of a South Korean man who played Starcraft for 50 hours straight in an Internet cafe, China has stated that it will require all MMORPGs sold within its borders to adhere to strict guidelines. The rules include that games must limit how much time a user can play in a given stretch before the user\'s character suffers serious in-game penalties. Games affected include World of Warcraft and Lineage II, among others that are less well-known to American audiences. The companies that operate World of Warcraft and Lineage II in China have both agreed to integrate the system once it is ready in late 2005 or early 2006.
Candid and thoughtful.