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December 07, 2011

How game hacking became an industry

Hackers are making fortunes out of stealing MMOG players' loot. We talk security with Gamania's top MMOG cop.

LulzSec may have caught the media’s eye as it turfed through Sony’s underwear drawer, but it is an atypical hacking outfit. Hacking isn’t just the purview of mischievous lone wolves or tech-literate politicised malcontents, it’s big business. It’s organised, corporate and run out of countries such as China and Russia, where there are few means of legal recourse. And hackers are going after the players of games like MapleStory, a pirate from which is pictured above.

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3DS firmware update released

The 3DS firmware update has been released across Europe, Nintendo has confirmed. The update adds 3D video recording, allowing users to capture up to 10 minutes of footage, with time-lapse and stop-motion features included. The StreetPass Mii Plaza has also been updated, with new 3D panels for Puzzle Swap, and a new StreetPass Quest.

The 3DS firmware update has been released across Europe, Nintendo has confirmed.

The update adds 3D video recording, allowing users to capture up to 10 minutes of footage, with time-lapse and stop-motion features included. The StreetPass Mii Plaza has also been updated, with new 3D panels for Puzzle Swap, and a new StreetPass Quest.

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Nintendo acknowledges game-breaking Zelda bug

Nintendo has admitted the existence of a game-breaking bug in The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword. According to Zelda Informer, the company has acknowledged that completing parts of the Song Of The Hero quest in a certain order means the other parts don't trigger as normal.
http://www.zeldainformer.com/2011/12/nintendo-addresses-the-skyward-sword-game-breaking-song-of-the-hero-glitch.html
Zelda Informer

Nintendo has acknowledged the existence of a game-breaking bug in The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

According to Zelda Informer, the company has acknowledged that completing parts of the Song Of The Hero quest in a certain order means the other parts don't trigger as normal.

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December 06, 2011

3DS tracking ahead of DS in Japan

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said 3DS will cross the three million sales mark in Japan two weeks faster than its predecessor DS managed.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said 3DS will cross the three million sales mark in Japan two weeks faster than its predecessor DS managed.

The portable is building momentum following a global price cut in August and the release of key software over the past month, the executive told Nikkei in an interview yesterday.

He also expects the system to hit four million sales before its one year anniversary in February, according to an Andriasang translation.

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Japan: Super Mario 3D Land tops November sales

The first 3DS Mario adventure outpaced its closest competitor by more than two to one in Japan’s November sales chart, ending a poor run of software sales for Nintendo’s latest console.

The first 3DS Mario adventure outpaced its closest competitor by more than two to one in Japan’s November sales chart, ending a poor run of software sales for Nintendo’s latest console.

Super Mario 3D Land sold 542,842 copies between October 31 and November 27, according to Famitsu figures reported by Andriasang.

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Now recruiting on Edge Jobs

Find your future working on Devil May Cry at Ninja Theory, in Malmö with Massive or building Crytek's user interfaces.

Cambridge-based Enslaved and Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory, which is currently working on a reboot of Capcom's Devil May Cry, is advertising for the position of creative director. We profiled the ambitious, technology-driven studio back in our November issue. Find all Ninja Theory's vacancies here.

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Final Fantasy XIV returns to subs model next month

Square Enix's online PC RPG Final Fantasy XIV will require a subscription fee from January 6, more than a year after the publisher made the game free to play by way of apology for the miserable state in which the game launched. Andriasang reports that the 30 and 90-day fees of ¥980 and ¥2,640 will be reduced, to ¥680 and ¥1,740 respectively, until Square Enix has finished and launched version 2.0 of the game.
http://andriasang.com/comz7i/ffxiv_pay_service/
Andriasang

Square Enix's online PC RPG Final Fantasy XIV will require a subscription fee from January 6, more than a year after the publisher made the game free to play by way of apology for the miserable state in which it launched.

Andriasang reports that the 30 and 90-day fees of ¥980 and ¥2,640 will be reduced, to ¥680 and ¥1,740 respectively, until Square Enix has finished and launched version 2.0 of the game.

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Zynga and Vostu settle lawsuit

Zynga has settled its copyright dispute with Brazilian social game developer Vostu. The Facebook gaming titan launched proceedings against Vostu in June, accusing its rival of "blatant copyright infringement" in its games Mini Fazenda, Vostu Poker, Pet Mania, Café Mania and MegaCity. Zynga pointed out the striking resemblance Vostu's games bore to FarmVille, Zynga Poker, PetVille, Café World and CityVille. Vostu's defence was that Zynga's own works were far from original concepts.
http://www.vg247.com/2011/12/06/zynga-ends-copyright-lawsuit-with-vostu/
VG247

Zynga has settled its copyright dispute with Brazilian social game developer Vostu.

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A million Dragon Quest meat buns shipped

Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart has shipped a million Dragon Quest-licensed Slime meat buns in the space of a week. Andriasang reports that the retailer has apologised to fans who have been struggling to buy the buns, released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Square Enix's RPG series.
http://andriasang.com/comz7k/dq_slime_buns_million/
Andriasang

Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart has shipped a million Dragon Quest-licensed Slime meat buns in the space of a week.

Andriasang reports that the retailer has apologised to fans who have been struggling to buy the buns, released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Square Enix's RPG series.

You can see the buns below, along with a picture of a vaguely impressed-looking Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic The Hedgehog, brandishing one of his own.

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Gove backs computer science to replace ICT

UK secretary of state for education Michael Gove has thrown his weight behind calls for computer science to replace ICT in the national curriculum. Speaking to students from Catmose College in Leicestershire at the ICC in Birmingham last week, Gove said: "I think one of the problems we've had is that the ICT curriculum in the past has been written for a subject that is changing rapidly all the time."
https://www.radiowaves.co.uk/story/319613/title/michaelgoveanswersstudentsquestions
Radio Waves

UK secretary of state for education Michael Gove has thrown his weight behind calls for computer science to replace ICT in the national curriculum.

Speaking to students from Catmose College in Leicestershire at the ICC in Birmingham last week, Gove said: "I think one of the problems we've had is that the ICT curriculum in the past has been written for a subject that is changing rapidly all the time.

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Advance Wars dev's 3DS debut out this week

Intelligent Systems, developer of the Advance Wars series, will release Pullblox, its first game for Nintendo's 3DS, on the eShop this Thursday.

Intelligent Systems, developer of the Advance Wars series, will release Pullblox, its first game for Nintendo's 3DS, on the European eShop this Thursday.

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Advance Wars dev's 3DS debut out this week

Intelligent Systems, developer of the Advance Wars series, will release Pullblox, its first game for Nintendo's 3DS, on the eShop this Thursday.

Intelligent Systems, developer of the Advance Wars series, will release Pullblox, its first game for Nintendo's 3DS, on the European eShop this Thursday.

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Students win $100,000 with Kinect

A pair of US high school students were yesterday awarded a $100,000 college scholarship for using Kinect to analyse human walking patterns in a project that could ultimately be used in the design of prosthetics for amputees. Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain, seniors at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, won the Team Prize at the Siemens Competition, an annual awards ceremony designed to promote the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
http://inr.synapticdigital.com/Siemens/Competition2011/
Siemens

A pair of US high school students were yesterday awarded a $100,000 college scholarship for using Kinect to analyse human walking patterns in a project that could ultimately be used in the design of prosthetics for amputees.

Ziyuan Liu and Cassee Cain, seniors at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, won the Team Prize at the Siemens Competition, an annual awards ceremony designed to promote the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

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Need For Speed: The Run review

Black Box's cinematic racer is hobbled by a procession of awful technical flaws.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our January issue, which is on sale December 20, will include a Post Script article that looks at the Need For Speed series' breadth and, even though it means it doesn't always hit the right note, admirable experimentalism.

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Microsoft to sponsor IGF XBLA award

The organisers of the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the celebration of indie games which runs as part of the Game Developers Conference, has announced a multi-year partnership that will see Microsoft sponsor an award for games on the Xbox Live Arcade service.

The organisers of the Independent Games Festival (IGF), the celebration of indie games which runs as part of the Game Developers Conference, has announced a multi-year partnership that will see Microsoft sponsor an award for games on the Xbox Live Arcade service.

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Gree details new social platform

Gree has unveiled its "borderless" new social gaming platform, promising developers "a truly global, free-to-play ecosystem." Announced last month, Gree's new global platform will include a single sign-on, global payment system and cross-promotional features. Set to launch in the second quarter of next year, Gree says the service will offer "a seamless iOS and Android integration process" with detailed analytics tools.
http://gree-corp.com/?g=about&s=press&p=20111205
Gree

Gree has unveiled its "borderless" new social gaming platform, promising developers "a truly global, free-to-play ecosystem."

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Ueda not denying Sony departure

Fumito Ueda insists he is still working on PS3 exclusive The Last Guardian - but has not denied that he has quit Sony. Last week reports claimed Ueda was completing work on Team Ico's long-awaited adventure on a freelance basis. He hadn't been seen on Twitter since until yesterday, when according to Andriasang he posted: "I've received a lot of questions... there's no need to worry, as The Last Guardian is still in production."
http://andriasang.com/comz7a/ueda_twitter/
Andriasang

Fumito Ueda has insisted he is still working on PS3 exclusive The Last Guardian - but has not denied that he has quit Sony.

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December 05, 2011

Canabalt ported to Commodore 64

Adam Saltsman's one-button iOS platformer Canabalt will be released for the Commodore 64 in 2012. The port has been handled by Paul Koller, with Mikkel Hastrup responsible for the recreating the music on the C64's SID chip. The game will be available on a limited edition C64 cartridge early next year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1INJ2tAEsc
YouTube

Adam Saltsman's one-button iOS platformer Canabalt will be released for the Commodore 64 in 2012.

The port, dubbed C64anabalt, has been handled by Paul Koller, with Mikkel Hastrup responsible for the recreating the music on the C64's SID chip. The game will be available on a limited edition C64 cartridge early next year; follow the source link below for more.

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Konami brings freemium to Vita

Konami's Vita launch title AR Combat Digi Q: Friend Tank Batallion will be a free download, with more level packs available for purchase, marking the first appearance of the freemium model on Sony's upcoming PSP successor. Andriasang reports that the game's first five stages will be included in the download, with a pack of levels 6 to 30 costing ¥800 (£6.50), though that will be discounted to ¥500 for the first month of Vita's release. Packs containing stages 31 to 35, and 36 to 40, will each cost ¥200 (£1.60).
http://andriasang.com/comz6c/ar_combat_digi_q_free
Andriasang

Konami's Vita launch title AR Combat Digi Q: Friend Tank Batallion will be a free download, with more level packs available for purchase, marking the first appearance of the freemium model on Sony's upcoming PSP successor.

Andriasang reports that the game's first five stages will be included in the download, with a pack of levels 6 to 30 costing ¥800 (£6.50), though that will be discounted to ¥500 for the first month of Vita's release. Packs containing stages 31 to 35, and 36 to 40, will each cost ¥200 (£1.60).

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Konami brings freemium to Vita

Konami's Vita launch title AR Combat Digi Q: Friend Tank Batallion will be a free download, with more level packs available for purchase, marking the first appearance of the freemium model on Sony's upcoming PSP successor. Andriasang reports that the game's first five stages will be included in the download, with a pack of levels 6 to 30 costing ¥800 (£6.50), though that will be discounted to ¥500 for the first month of Vita's release. Packs containing stages 31 to 35, and 36 to 40, will each cost ¥200 (£1.60).
http://andriasang.com/comz6c/ar_combat_digi_q_free
Andriasang

Konami's Vita launch title AR Combat Digi Q: Friend Tank Batallion will be a free download, with more level packs available for purchase, marking the first appearance of the freemium model on Sony's upcoming PSP successor.

Andriasang reports that the game's first five stages will be included in the download, with a pack of levels 6 to 30 costing ¥800 (£6.50), though that will be discounted to ¥500 for the first month of Vita's release. Packs containing stages 31 to 35, and 36 to 40, will each cost ¥200 (£1.60).

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Jonathan Blow's The Witness could reach consoles

Jonathan Blow has said that his upcoming game The Witness could still be released for Xbox 360 and PS3, just months after he told us that RAM limitations meant it was unlikely to be released on the current generation of consoles. In September, Blow told us: "We like 360 and PS3, but their specifications are over five years old now, and that's a lot in computer years. The kind of tricks we'd have to perform to get this game working on those platforms are such a lot of work that to port it over at this point is just not worth it for us." Speaking to Game Informer, however, Blow said he was now targeting a true multiplatform release.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/12/02/is-the-witness-coming-to-consoles.aspx
Game Informer

Jonathan Blow has said that his upcoming game The Witness could still be released for Xbox 360 and PS3, just months after he told us that RAM limitations meant it was unlikely to be released on the current generation of consoles.

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EFF calls for console jailbreaks to be exempt from DMCA

Digital rights advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is seeking to make the "jailbreaking" of smartphones, tablets and consoles legal in the US. The group has filed exemption requests with the US Copyright Office, asking that jailbreaking - the act of bypassing a device's system security to install unsigned software - be exempt from the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), the US law protecting copyrights online.
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-seeks-widen-exemptions-won-last-dmca-rulemaking
EFF

Digital rights advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is seeking to make the "jailbreaking" of smartphones, tablets and consoles legal under US copyright law.

The group has filed exemption requests with the US Copyright Office, asking that jailbreaking - the act of bypassing a device's system security to install unsigned software - be exempt from the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), the US law protecting copyrights online.

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Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy review

A handheld mix of the series' past and present with a controversial take on dogfighting.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our January 2012 issue, which is on sale December 20, also features full reviews - including in-depth Post Scripts - of Minecraft, Mario Kart 7 and Need For Speed The Run.

read more


Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy review

A handheld mix of the series' past and present with a controversial take on dogfighting.

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our January 2012 issue, which is on sale December 20, also features full reviews - including in-depth Post Scripts - of Minecraft, Mario Kart 7 and Need For Speed The Run.

read more


Xbox Live TV app schedule revealed

Microsoft has announced which TV and video apps will be available when the new Metro dashboard update is released tomorrow - and only Lovefilm, the subscription-based movie streaming service, will be available to UK users at launch.
http://majornelson.com/2011/12/04/the-future-of-tv-begins-this-week-on-xbox-360/
Major Nelson

Microsoft has announced which TV and video apps will be available when the new Metro dashboard update is released for Xbox 360 tomorrow - and only Lovefilm, the subscription-based movie streaming service, will be available to UK users at launch.

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