Coaching and Encouragement [Night Note]
To: Luke From: Owen My friends here invited me to their 6-year-old daughter’s basketball game on Saturday. Her team is in fact coached by Bev Smith, the former head coach of the University of Oregon’s women’s team, who carries one hell of a resume for anyone who’s ever coached in a middle school gym. Smith was also a two-time all-American as a player at Oregon, a two-time medalist on Canada’s Olympic team, and in 2004 was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. With that kind of pedigree, an overwhelming victory was not unexpected. Her team, the Greyhounds, breezed. Then again, you’re talking about first graders, so it’s not like Smith has to coach the finer points of a dribble-drive motion offense. Traveling and double-dribble aren’t called, so the kids run up and down the court at will and passing is often accomplished by missing a shot. Still, getting five children at that age to think of others, share the ball, and try to work as a team is a sizeable enough task. The mother of another girl on this team lamented her daughter’s shyness and anxiety about shooting the ball and promised her a quarter for every shot the little girl took and a dollar for every one she made. She paid a $1.75 bounty for a 1-for-4 afternoon. Some other highlights of the weekend: Woman Loses 112 lbs., Thanks Wii Fit Kojima Apologizes, Says ‘No Greater Crime’ Than a Delay Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: iSlate iPad Edition Winners Bungie Definitively Shuts Down Halo: Reach/Natal Speculation System Shock 2’s Surprise Ending – for Ken Levine, Anyway Stick Jockey: The Replacements, Still Replaced in Video Games Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ . See more here: Coaching and Encouragement [Night Note]
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Coaching and Encouragement [Night Note]
Woman Loses 112 lbs., Thanks Wii Fit [Wii]
A 38-year-old British woman, once so large she was afraid to have sex with her husband, now parades about her home in sexy lingerie after losing 112 pounds, a dramatic change in physique she credits to a Wii Fit regimen. Lara Roberts specifically thanked the Wii for allowing her to work out in her home, because she was very self-conscious about visiting a gym or jogging in public. As a result, she went from 252 to 140 pounds in a year. Note: There absolutely was a dietary component to this change. British tab News of the World says she “ditched the comfort eating,” which had surged to nearly 4,000 calories a day until a friend pointed out her nonstop consumption. “I knew if I didn’t do something, chances are I wouldn’t live to see my girls grow up,” she said. But while this sounds like the textbook definition of “results may vary,” I find it believable. First, it took a full year of getting up at 5 a.m. to work out. That’s not a quick-fix miracle program. Second, she recognized fully how her eating habits required a very disciplined change in behavior. And third, she was motivated by concern for her children and she had the support of her family. Shame or embarrassment are powerful feelings, but they can’t motivate you without a support network, you’ll just give in to defeatism. I also buy the fact Wii Fit appealed to her because it allowed her to work out in private. The benefits? Lara’s become quite the cougar. She says her daughter’s male friends have eyes for her, and an appearance on BBC 3’s “I’m Hotter Than My Daughter” backs it up. I’m a Wii Bit Thinner [News of the World via Go Nintendo. Image by News of the World] See the original post: Woman Loses 112 lbs., Thanks Wii Fit [Wii]
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Woman Loses 112 lbs., Thanks Wii Fit [Wii]
Kojima Apologizes; Says ‘No Greater Crime’ than a Delay [Metal Gear Solid]
Hideo Kojima is taking the delay (in Japan) of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker very seriously, and has posted a personal mea culpa asking for fans’ forgiveness and their continued trust. “I always preach to the staff, ‘You must not have a delay after a release date has been announced. There is no greater crime as a game developer.’” Kojima wrote (this according to a translation by andriasang ). “Official announcement of a release date is nothing less than a promise to fans and business partners. In other words, a release date change is like betraying the expectations of everyone,” Kojima added, according to the translation. The game originally was slotted for a March 18 drop; it’s now been pushed to April 29. The North American (May 25) and European (May 28) release dates are not affected. Andriasang reports that Kojima’s apology has been met with wide forgiveness, in the form of numerous blog comments pledging support. Hideo Kojima Takes Peace Walker Delay Seriously [andriasang] See the original post here: Kojima Apologizes; Says ‘No Greater Crime’ than a Delay [Metal Gear Solid]
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Kojima Apologizes; Says ‘No Greater Crime’ than a Delay [Metal Gear Solid]
The Return of the Return to Ostagar [Dlc]
Is BioWare actually letting Charlie Brown kick the DLC football? Looks like Return to Ostagar, the DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins , came back sometime yesterday to Xbox Live Marketplace and for PC download. The DLC originally went live on Jan. 14 but had to be removed because a title update created a bug within it. That followed earlier bug-related delays in development. The pack is 400 Microsoft Points or $4.99 US. As of publication, it is still not on the PlayStation Network and is classified as “coming soon” on the BioWare page. Return to Ostagar [Bioware via Blue's News ] Here is the original post: The Return of the Return to Ostagar [Dlc]
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The Return of the Return to Ostagar [Dlc]
Week in Games: Imagine: Regret [New Releases]
OMFG, they’ve made a game called Imagine: Reporter. Christ, I bought the $40,000 version of that 10 years ago at Columbia. I really have nothing to say after that. My career is officially a piece of DS shovelware. This week’s count: Seven for PC, two for Wii, one for DS, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360. Monday (Feb. 1) 5 in 1 Solitaire (Wii) Global Agenda (PC) Mystery 5 Collection (PC) Tuesday (Feb. 2) Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii) Imagine: Reporter (DS) Making History II: The War of the World (PC) Mystery 5-in-1 Collection (PC) S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (PC) Star Trek Online (PC) The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff (PC) White Knight Chronicles International Edition (PS3) Wednesday (Feb. 3) Chime (360 ) Thursday (Feb. 4) Armored Core: Silent Line Portable (PSP) See the article here: Week in Games: Imagine: Regret [New Releases]
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Week in Games: Imagine: Regret [New Releases]
Gears of War 2 Sends Us a Bloody Valentine [Dawwwww]
Epic took more than 20 suggestions for experience bonuses in a Valentine’s event and Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson chose three. Epic’s Valentine’s Day “date” with Gears of War 2 will run between Feb. 8 and Feb. 14. For at least three days in that span (and maybe the whole week; they haven’t decided yet), Gears of War 2 will offer the following XP bonuses: • Revives are double points in all game types • Wingman is double normal XP (4x XP) • Horde is double XP I’d advise checking back at the Epic forum thread for final details on when it starts and ends, but it sounds like it’ll be quite the romantic experience. Epic, will you be my Valentine? [Epic, via VG247 ] See original here: Gears of War 2 Sends Us a Bloody Valentine [Dawwwww]
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Gears of War 2 Sends Us a Bloody Valentine [Dawwwww]
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: What’s He Really Playing? Edition [Photoshop]
Two weeks ago, MTV Multiplayer’s Russ Frushtick invited Project Runway ’s Tim Gunn over to critique Mario’s fashion sense – and blast on some virtual big game. And as a ’shop goes, this should be like shooting fish in a barrel. So, your mission should be apparent. Bear (har har) in mind that Gunn is an avowed supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Project Runway also has just published a video game for the DS. So if you’re stumped for a clever reskin of that arcade cabinet, maybe that can tune up your irony meter. Source Image: Tim Gunn Playing Big Buck Safari ( Image via Russ Frushtick’s twitpic ) Rules, rules, rules: Post your entries in the comments below. Bear in mind the source image is 2000 pixels wide, so you might want to resize it to 1200 or 800 before posting. I’ll approve as many as I can periodically, and next week post a gallery of the 20 or so best. [Sponsored] NEC
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Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: What’s He Really Playing? Edition [Photoshop]
Your Final Shot at 100 Gamerscore Just for Showing Up [Update] [Xbox 360]
Friendly reminder that beginning in about 30 minutes, Xbox 360 Achievements.org is staging one last run on NBA Live 07’s “Online with 1,000 People” achievement. This is the last chance to do it before EA shuts down the servers on Tuesday. The boosting session starts at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern/10 a.m. U.S. Pacific. Trueachievements.com said 217 people had joined the boosting session as of an hour ago. Basically, all you need to do is have a copy of NBA Live 07 and hang out in a lobby – not play an online game – the same time as 1,000 other people are signed in. Specific instructions on what is required may be found here. They tried this back in October but it didn’t work, so it’s now or never. I’ll update this post with news of whether they pulled it off. [Update] I’m getting word they have more than 1,100 in the lobby. I’ll try to confirm the final numbers. This event will be running for another 90 minutes, so if you have the game, it’s an easy 100 Gamerscore, just sign in. [updated 11:30 am MST] IMPORTANT Information For The 1000 People Online Event [Xbox360Achievements.org] [Sponsored] NEC
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Your Final Shot at 100 Gamerscore Just for Showing Up [Update] [Xbox 360]
K Monthly – January 2010 [K Magazine]
TABLE OF CONTENTS January 2010 FEATURES How Cover Shaped Gaming’s Last Decade by Brian Ashcraft Are Game Companies Spoiling Their Own Games? by Luke Plunkett Bayonetta Is Not Too Sexy, But Maybe Too Serious by Lisa Foiles Why A Man Plays Mario by Stephen Totilo The 2009 eBay Holiday Video Game Grey Market Report by Mike Fahey Kotaku’s Game of the Year Uncharted 2 vs. Assassin’s Creed II vs. Demon’s Souls REVIEWS Assassin’s Creed II: The Battle of Forli Micro-Review: An Un-Macchiavelian Plan Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond Micro-Review: A Bloody Fun Hazard-Time Muscle March Micro-Review: Flex Crimes Mass Effect 2 Review: Once More Unto The Breach Alienware Area-51 m15x Laptop Review: It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Laptop Serious Sam HD Review: This Time It’s Really Serious Dark Void Zero Micro-Review: Classic, Focused Fun Dark Void Review: Innovation In A Void Pocket God Micro-Review: Heaven or Hell? Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth Micro-Review: Something M2 Whipped Up VVVVVV Micro-review: AAAAAAH!!! Army of Two: The 40th Day Review: Co-Op Shooting At A Crossroads Trajectile Micro-Review: Testing Your Talent For Precision Demolition Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot Micro-Review: A Very Long Engagement Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Review: The Big Book Of FF Activities Bayonetta Review: To Infinite Climax Action And Beyond Darksiders Review: Harbinger Of The Apocopylypse 0 Day: Attack on Earth Micro-Review: Where’s Will Smith When You Need Him? PREVIEWS & IMPRESSIONS WarioWare D.I.Y. Has Made Me A User Generated Content Convert Split Second Preview: Happy With Second Place Another Impossible Preview MLB 2K10 Preview: Battling Back to Even the Count Assassin’s Creed II Discovery iPhone Preview: Sonic-y God of War III’s Wildest Moment (So Far) Explained BioShock 2 Preview: Something Bad Is About To Happen Hell Hath No Fury Like Video Game’s Take on Dante’s Inferno Hands On With Apple’s iPad, Everything But The Games Hands On With Apple’s iPad, Just The Games MAG: First-Day Impressions of a Burgeoning War Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days: Eyes-On With The Best Worst Camera Ever Razer Reinvents, Perfects the Xbox 360 Controller Hands-On With Street Fighter’s Juri Or: How I Stopped Playing Ken and Learned to Love Da Bomb Scrap Metal Hands-On: Calling All Twisted Metal Fans Hands-On With Unreal Engine On The iPhone, Nvidia Tegra Super Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition S Hands-on More Hands-on Details From Xbox 360’s Game Room COLUMNS WELL PLAYED by Brian Crecente Oh What A Year CES 2010 Aims to Resurrect 3D Video Games Survive Recession, But At What Cost? Gaming: The Fifth Network Game Developers See Potential, Not Gold Rush in Apple’s iPad STICK JOCKEY by Owen Good The Replacements, Still Replaced in Video Games The Problem(s) with Olympic Video Games If It’s In the Name, It’s In the Game Can Sports Video Games Win One for the Little Guys? A Picture Worth More Than Words TIM ROGERS The Best Games Of, Sort Of, The Decade [Sponsored] NEC
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K Monthly – January 2010 [K Magazine]
Kotaku Off Topic: Mr. T vs. a Door [How Is This News?]
How many takes did Mr. T need to deliver his lines after that door-busting shot? The dude is 57 and you clearly see the pain on his face. It’s like he’s in the onset of a myocardial infarction. Another YouTube sensation – Ernie Anastos of WNYW-TV in New York, best known for the “Keep f***ing that chicken” on-air gaffe , gets a very nice profile in the New York Times . It takes a tough paper to move the needle from smarm to charm on a local news anchor. One of those stories that’s anticlimactic after the headline – although I guess it wasn’t for this guy (barrump-bump). White supremacist booked for standing on a rooftop and masturbating within plain view of of a nearby freeway. His arrest required the evacuation of a building. Sue me, it’s another Times link but this one is too good to pass up. California has moved to protect for preservation barf bags, piss bags and other space garbage left behind on the moon, on the grounds it is historically significant stuff made in that state. I came across this a couple weeks back and, apropos of nothing, I’ll put it here: It’s ABC Sports’ baseball theme from 1988 to 1989 , before CBS made off with the broadcast rights. I know Roundball Rock by John Tesh (North Carolina State alumnus!) gets a lot of love, but this is still the best sports theme I’ve ever heard. Yes, I know about the UEFA Champions League theme in Europe. De gustibus non est disputandum. See the original post here: Kotaku Off Topic: Mr. T vs. a Door [How Is This News?]
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Kotaku Off Topic: Mr. T vs. a Door [How Is This News?]