Do Not Use Your PS3
If you own an original, fat model PS3, then Sony is suggesting you stop using it for a period of 24 hours while the company institutes a fix for a problem plaguing PS3s worldwide.
If you haven’t experienced the problem yourself, here is what is reported to occur: When you try to go online or boot up certain games, the system displays “Error: 8001050F,” and it endlessly reboots, rendering the games/online functionality unplayable. Complaints about the error have apparently begun pouring in since Sunday, and Sony has indicated that the flaw is related to clock functionality in the fat-model PS3. Sony does not believe that the error is affecting PS3 Slim models.
Oddly enough, the flaw has reportedly affected retail display models and titles currently in production for the PS3.
So in the mean time, Sony is suggesting that you stay off your PS3 until a fix is instituted. From Sony:
“As you may be aware, some customers have been unable to connect to the PlayStation Network today. This problem affects the models other than the new slim PS3.
We believe we have identified that this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.
Errors include:
* The date of the PS3 system may be re-set to Jan 1, 2000.
* When the user tries to sign-in to the PlayStation Network, the following message appears on the screen; “An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network (8001050F)”.
* When the user tries to launch a game, the following error message appears on the screen and the trophy data may disappear; “Failed to install trophies. Please exit your game.”
* When the user tries to set the time and date of the system via the Internet, the following message appears on the screen; “The current date and time could not be obtained. (8001050F)”
* Users are not able to playback certain rental video downloaded from the PlayStation Store before the expiration date.
We hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.
As mentioned above, Please be advised that the new slim PS3 is not affected with this error. We are doing our best to resolve the issue and do apologize for any inconvenience caused.
For the latest status on this situation please check either the PlayStation blog (blog.us.playstation.com) or PlayStation.com.”
Source: Kotaku.
Activision Sodomizes King’s Quest Fans
A small group of loyal King’s Quest fans have been toiling away on a fan-made sequel to the classic adventure series for eight years. Eight years! At one point, Vivendi, the IP rights holder, got all uppity and made an attempt to shut the project down, but an agreement was reached that allowed the team to continue working on the project. Known as “The Silver Lining”, the team hoped to release the game, for free of course, at some point in 2010.
Unfortunately, Activision recently came into possession of the King’s Quest IP and are now acting like big, throbbing dicks. That’s a technical term, look it up. Activision has demanded that all materials relating to King’s Quest be removed from The Silver Lining Website, in effect destroying eight years of dedication and labor…and for what? They weren’t going to make any money from this project. The Silver Lining was made for fans by fans. No threat whatsoever to Activision’s license.
A sad turn of events that makes Activision the Darth Vader of the gaming industry, at least until the next corporate snafu comes along and pisses me off.
Statement from The Silver Lining Team:
To Our Fans:
In 2005, Phoenix Online Studios received a Cease & Desist letter from Vivendi Universal, the owners of the King’s Quest IP, in regards to our work on The Silver Lining. We complied with the request, and over the months that followed, we were able to work out a non-commercial fan license with Vivendi that allowed us to continue our work on the game.
We have spent a lot of time recently reworking the material of The Silver Lining into episodic releases, with the first out of a planned five episodes completed, and submitted for review, and had hoped we would be able to bring our game to you, the fans, in the Spring of 2010.
Recently, however, ownership of the Sierra IP changed hands and became the property of Activision. After talks and negotiations in the last few months between ourselves and Activision, they have reached the decision that they are not interested in granting a non-commercial license to The Silver Lining, and have asked that we cease production and take down all related materials on our website.
As before, we must and will comply with this decision, as much as we may wish we could do otherwise.
We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the support we have had over these years from our fans. Without you, we would never have gotten this far. There would be no game to develop, and no one to develop it for. You have been amazing and steadfast, and we will always remember that and appreciate it more than we can say.
Sadly, after eight years of dedicated work and even more dedicated fans, The Silver Lining project is closing down.
What the future holds for us, as individuals or a team, we cannot say. We have an amazing development team, however, filled with talented and hard-working individuals, and we hope the teamwork and rapport we’ve developed won’t go to waste. We hope that when we do know what the future holds for us, our fans will be there to enjoy what we can give them still.
Again, thank you all so much for everything. This has been a long and crazy road, full of more twists than we could’ve anticipated, but more triumphs and wonderful memories than we could’ve ever hoped for. And for that, to all of you and to everyone on our team, we will always be grateful.
Thank You,
The Silver Lining Development Team
Do Not Use Your PS3
If you own an original, fat model PS3, then Sony is suggesting you stop using it for a period of 24 hours while the company institutes a fix for a problem plaguing PS3s worldwide.
If you haven’t experienced the problem yourself, here is what is reported to occur: When you try to go online or boot up certain games, the system displays “Error: 8001050F,” and it endlessly reboots, rendering the games/online functionality unplayable. Complaints about the error have apparently begun pouring in since Sunday, and Sony has indicated that the flaw is related to clock functionality in the fat-model PS3. Sony does not believe that the error is affecting PS3 Slim models.
Oddly enough, the flaw has reportedly affected retail display models and titles currently in production for the PS3.
So in the mean time, Sony is suggesting that you stay off your PS3 until a fix is instituted. From Sony:
“As you may be aware, some customers have been unable to connect to the PlayStation Network today. This problem affects the models other than the new slim PS3.
We believe we have identified that this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.
Errors include:
* The date of the PS3 system may be re-set to Jan 1, 2000.
* When the user tries to sign-in to the PlayStation Network, the following message appears on the screen; “An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network (8001050F)”.
* When the user tries to launch a game, the following error message appears on the screen and the trophy data may disappear; “Failed to install trophies. Please exit your game.”
* When the user tries to set the time and date of the system via the Internet, the following message appears on the screen; “The current date and time could not be obtained. (8001050F)”
* Users are not able to playback certain rental video downloaded from the PlayStation Store before the expiration date.
We hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.
As mentioned above, Please be advised that the new slim PS3 is not affected with this error. We are doing our best to resolve the issue and do apologize for any inconvenience caused.
For the latest status on this situation please check either the PlayStation blog (blog.us.playstation.com) or PlayStation.com.”
Source: Kotaku.
Activision Sodomizes King’s Quest Fans
A small group of loyal King’s Quest fans have been toiling away on a fan-made sequel to the classic adventure series for eight years. Eight years! At one point, Vivendi, the IP rights holder, got all uppity and made an attempt to shut the project down, but an agreement was reached that allowed the team to continue working on the project. Known as “The Silver Lining”, the team hoped to release the game, for free of course, at some point in 2010.
Unfortunately, Activision recently came into possession of the King’s Quest IP and are now acting like big, throbbing dicks. That’s a technical term, look it up. Activision has demanded that all materials relating to King’s Quest be removed from The Silver Lining Website, in effect destroying eight years of dedication and labor…and for what? They weren’t going to make any money from this project. The Silver Lining was made for fans by fans. No threat whatsoever to Activision’s license.
A sad turn of events that makes Activision the Darth Vader of the gaming industry, at least until the next corporate snafu comes along and pisses me off.
Statement from The Silver Lining Team:
To Our Fans:
In 2005, Phoenix Online Studios received a Cease & Desist letter from Vivendi Universal, the owners of the King’s Quest IP, in regards to our work on The Silver Lining. We complied with the request, and over the months that followed, we were able to work out a non-commercial fan license with Vivendi that allowed us to continue our work on the game.
We have spent a lot of time recently reworking the material of The Silver Lining into episodic releases, with the first out of a planned five episodes completed, and submitted for review, and had hoped we would be able to bring our game to you, the fans, in the Spring of 2010.
Recently, however, ownership of the Sierra IP changed hands and became the property of Activision. After talks and negotiations in the last few months between ourselves and Activision, they have reached the decision that they are not interested in granting a non-commercial license to The Silver Lining, and have asked that we cease production and take down all related materials on our website.
As before, we must and will comply with this decision, as much as we may wish we could do otherwise.
We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the support we have had over these years from our fans. Without you, we would never have gotten this far. There would be no game to develop, and no one to develop it for. You have been amazing and steadfast, and we will always remember that and appreciate it more than we can say.
Sadly, after eight years of dedicated work and even more dedicated fans, The Silver Lining project is closing down.
What the future holds for us, as individuals or a team, we cannot say. We have an amazing development team, however, filled with talented and hard-working individuals, and we hope the teamwork and rapport we’ve developed won’t go to waste. We hope that when we do know what the future holds for us, our fans will be there to enjoy what we can give them still.
Again, thank you all so much for everything. This has been a long and crazy road, full of more twists than we could’ve anticipated, but more triumphs and wonderful memories than we could’ve ever hoped for. And for that, to all of you and to everyone on our team, we will always be grateful.
Thank You,
The Silver Lining Development Team
Celebrate 20 Years of Neo Geo
Nostalgia (no, not the DS game) is tons of fun. Learning more about products or popular culture that you can only marginally remember from your childhood is sometimes addicting, which is why I am so fond of the Angry Video Game Nerd and his retro showcases on old gaming systems that I never got to experience.
Well, SNK Playmore is having a retro console celebration of its own at the moment because it is the 20th anniversary of the Neo Geo home gaming system. Does anyone remember that thing? No, probably not.
Neo Geo was a rather ingenious arcade cabinet system that allowed owners to swap out multiple game cartridges within the same cabinet – an unusual but highly space-saving feature at the time. Whereas most arcades were “dedicated,” meaning they could only play one game, Neo Geo arcades could play up to six different games. Anyone who visited an amusement center or bowling alley during the early ’90s will likely recall the Neo Geo cabinets that allowed you to select different titles such as World Heroes or Metal Slug, all from the same arcade cabinet.
The arcade system was known as the MVS, or Multiple Video System, but there was also an AES, or Advanced Entertainment System, which was the home console. The AES was prohibitively expensive as it cost more than twice what a new Super NES would drain from your wallet, and the cartridges themselves could run over $100.
Despite being around video games my entire life, I have never seen an AES or heard of any person who owns one.
But if, like me, you’d like to take a trip down memory lane (granted, memories that not many of us have) and tour a digital Neo Geo museum, check out SNK’s 20th anniversary celebration going on right now on their website. You’ll find old Neo Geo ads, a history of the platform, and even a blog sharing some memories of the system.
Celebrate 20 Years of Neo Geo
Nostalgia (no, not the DS game) is tons of fun. Learning more about products or popular culture that you can only marginally remember from your childhood is sometimes addicting, which is why I am so fond of the Angry Video Game Nerd and his retro showcases on old gaming systems that I never got to experience.
Well, SNK Playmore is having a retro console celebration of its own at the moment because it is the 20th anniversary of the Neo Geo home gaming system. Does anyone remember that thing? No, probably not.
Neo Geo was a rather ingenious arcade cabinet system that allowed owners to swap out multiple game cartridges within the same cabinet – an unusual but highly space-saving feature at the time. Whereas most arcades were “dedicated,” meaning they could only play one game, Neo Geo arcades could play up to six different games. Anyone who visited an amusement center or bowling alley during the early ’90s will likely recall the Neo Geo cabinets that allowed you to select different titles such as World Heroes or Metal Slug, all from the same arcade cabinet.
The arcade system was known as the MVS, or Multiple Video System, but there was also an AES, or Advanced Entertainment System, which was the home console. The AES was prohibitively expensive as it cost more than twice what a new Super NES would drain from your wallet, and the cartridges themselves could run over $100.
Despite being around video games my entire life, I have never seen an AES or heard of any person who owns one.
But if, like me, you’d like to take a trip down memory lane (granted, memories that not many of us have) and tour a digital Neo Geo museum, check out SNK’s 20th anniversary celebration going on right now on their website. You’ll find old Neo Geo ads, a history of the platform, and even a blog sharing some memories of the system.
Monster Hunter 3: No Friend Codes Confirmed
We had heard for a little while that the North American and European versions of Monster Hunter 3 would likely not be hampered by Nintendo’s friend codes system. But now, thanks to statements by Nintendo’s sales and marketing EVP, Cammie Dunaway, we can officially confirm this rumor.
During Nintendo’s Q1 Media Summit in San Francisco this week, Dunaway confirmed the lack of a friend code requirement in the upcoming Capcom title for the Wii, stating, “We felt that this was the best way to deliver [Monster Hunter Tri].”
This means that not only will the title have free online play and text and voice-based chat (available through Wii Speak) when it arrives in the U.S. on April 20, but the game will allow you to group with anyone, and evidently, speak with anyone via text or even Wii Speak. Hello annoying 12-year-olds!
So why the exception to the usual rule of “make it free, make it easy, make it safe” in regards to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service? After all, friend codes were part of the keep it safe idea since they would “create an online environment free of harassment.” Without friend codes in place, I could very well run into this lovely kid.
Dunaway is quoted as saying, “With each title we’ll make the right determination.” So I guess that means if you have a good enough game Nintendo will let you fudge the rules a bit.
But Nintendo’s voice chat has an interesting feature: it’s based on a table top – er, TV top – microphone that picks up every nearby voice in the room. So let’s say a pre-pubescent little foul-mouth gets pissed at me for not killing that massive water-dwelling Lagiacrus and starts throwing out every available curse word in the English dictionary. Not only would his parents likely hear everything I say back, but I would hear everything his parents say him, including any subsequent scoldings and/or beatings. Youtube is going to love this.
I’ll report back in April with my findings on the unhampered voice chat soon to be flooded by Nintendo fans. We’ll see if they behave themselves any better than certain Xbox Live gamers, though I’m not holding my breath.
Source: Gamasutra.
Monster Hunter 3: No Friend Codes Confirmed
We had heard for a little while that the North American and European versions of Monster Hunter 3 would likely not be hampered by Nintendo’s friend codes system. But now, thanks to statements by Nintendo’s sales and marketing EVP, Cammie Dunaway, we can officially confirm this rumor.
During Nintendo’s Q1 Media Summit in San Francisco this week, Dunaway confirmed the lack of a friend code requirement in the upcoming Capcom title for the Wii, stating, “We felt that this was the best way to deliver [Monster Hunter Tri].”
This means that not only will the title have free online play and text and voice-based chat (available through Wii Speak) when it arrives in the U.S. on April 20, but the game will allow you to group with anyone, and evidently, speak with anyone via text or even Wii Speak. Hello annoying 12-year-olds!
So why the exception to the usual rule of “make it free, make it easy, make it safe” in regards to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service? After all, friend codes were part of the keep it safe idea since they would “create an online environment free of harassment.” Without friend codes in place, I could very well run into this lovely kid.
Dunaway is quoted as saying, “With each title we’ll make the right determination.” So I guess that means if you have a good enough game Nintendo will let you fudge the rules a bit.
But Nintendo’s voice chat has an interesting feature: it’s based on a table top – er, TV top – microphone that picks up every nearby voice in the room. So let’s say a pre-pubescent little foul-mouth gets pissed at me for not killing that massive water-dwelling Lagiacrus and starts throwing out every available curse word in the English dictionary. Not only would his parents likely hear everything I say back, but I would hear everything his parents say him, including any subsequent scoldings and/or beatings. Youtube is going to love this.
I’ll report back in April with my findings on the unhampered voice chat soon to be flooded by Nintendo fans. We’ll see if they behave themselves any better than certain Xbox Live gamers, though I’m not holding my breath.
Source: Gamasutra.
Metroid: Other M Website Updated, Nintendo Reveals New Screenshots, Plot Setting
The official Metroid: Other M website has been slightly updated since we last viewed it. The previous piano background music has now been preceded by a one-line intro spoken by Samus herself, perhaps to prepare fans for the heavy use of voice acting in the upcoming game.
Though the website doesn’t give any additional information on the ambitious title that is set to shift between 2D and 3D gameplay on the fly, Nintendo has updated its separate game information page with tons of screenshots and important information on the game’s setting. From the game page:
“With voice acting and a rich story, players learn the engaging backstory of Samus as she weaves through an action-packed adventure aboard the Bottle Ship, a decommissioned space facility. As she hurtles into this new adventure, Samus will encounter her first mentor and Commanding Officer of the Galactic Federation, Adam Malkovich.”
Notable screenshots include images of Samus blasting enemies from a 2D view with quite a bit of depth to the background (apparently this is where 3D gameplay comes into play. Samus is supposed to be able to shift to a first-person perspective, perhaps to blast creatures in the background) as well as Samus being surrounded by Federation troopers and battling beside them.
Nintendo Release Dates Galore
Nintendo’s 2010 Media Summit is fully underway, and with it has come a wealth of information on upcoming games and the larger DSi model, the DSi XL. Here is a breakdown of the information from Nintendo’s press release:
- The DSi XL launches March 28 at an MSRP of $189.99. Will be available in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with the following software: Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio. The system also includes the larger pen-like stylus.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 launches May 23 for the Wii. Aside from Yoshi, the game will feature a drill that lets Mario tunnel through solid rock.
- Metroid: Other M launches June 27. Nintendo has confirmed that “While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a derelict space station and delve deep into a cinematic, never-before-told story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote controller held sideways to battle enemies and navigate the expansive, gorgeous environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.”
- Nintendo will publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in the Americas some time this summer.
- Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) will launch April 20. Free online has been confirmed, and Wii Speak support has been confirmed as well.
- Sin and Punishment 2, the sequel to the Japanese-only Nintendo 64 title, has been renamed Sin and Punishment: Star Successor. It will launch June 7 and feature international online leader boards.
- FlingSmash is a new Motion Plus-only title for the Wii launching this summer that “will test players’ Wii Remote skills as they bounce a ball-like hero through countless side-scrolling stages, combining the precision of racket sports with the unpredictable fun of pinball.”
- Picross 3D is launching for the DS on May 3 and will offer more puzzles to download via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection after launch.
- 100 Classic Books will launch for the DS on June 14 and will be highlighted by 100 works from authors such as William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and more. Readers can adjust the size of text, place bookmarks and even download new content via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands from Ubisoft will launch May 18 on both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. As an added bonus, the Wii version of the game will exclusively include the 1992 Super NES version of the original Prince of Persia game.
- Disney Guilty Party is the official title of the first collaboration between Disney Interactive Studios and its recently acquired studio, Wideload Games. The mystery party game is set for release in the second half of 2010, exclusively for Wii.
- Majesco’s Nintendo DSi exclusive Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal uses incredible augmented reality technology through the Nintendo DSi Camera. Launching this October, the game lets players become a ghost hunter as they interact with the paranormal.Nintendo also announced a variety of games available to download directly to the Wii console from the Wii Shop Channel via the WiiWare service, and directly to the Nintendo DS via the DSi Shop and DSiWare services.
- Mega Man 10 launches on WiiWare March 1.
- Max & the Magic Marker launches on WiiWare March 8.
- Cave Story launches on WiiWare March 22.
- WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase launches on WiiWare March 29.
- Nintendo’s Art Style: light trax and Art Style: Rotozoa launch on WiiWare this Spring.
- Rage of the Gladiator will launch on WiiWare this spring and utilizes Motion Plus.
- And Yet it Moves launches this spring on WiiWare.
- Super Meat Boy launches this summer on WiiWare.
- Nintendo’s Photo Dojo launches on DSiWare this spring.
- Nintendo’s Metal Torrent launches on DSiWare this spring.
- Nintendo’s X-Scape launches on DSiWare this spring.
