The second part of our tour of the Finnish games industry, in which Patrick Garratt sees Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, travels from Helsinki to Tampere and tries to navigate a blizzard using a game on an ancient Nokia phone. Remedy Entertainment If one company signifies just how quickly the Finnish games industry is deserting discs, [...]
Source: VG247

What is it with Oklahoma lately? I’m from there and I couldn’t begin to tell you. Why, less than a week ago, a state rep with the hilarious name Ralph Shortey tried to introduce a bill that would outlaw something that doesn’t exist. Funny! It (probably) will die in committee, incidentally. Maybe they just don’t care. But one thing the good people doing politics in the Sooner state do care about is video games. You’ll recall in December how grumpy Senate Republican Tom Coburn railed against a video game museum in his annual wasteful spending report. Boo!

Well, now the video game focus goes bipartisan with a proposed bit of legislation, irst introduced back in January by Democratic state representative William Fourkiller*, that would add an additional excise tax of 1% on ‘violent video games’. While one is tempted to be annoyed by this, I should confess that I have no issue with taxes on booze and smoking. And while gaming is NOT booze or smoking, the realization by legislators normally inclined to freak out and try restricting them, that they represent taxable income and not a chance to BURN THE WITCH, is somewhat promising. Once the state has an established revenue stream, they have a vested interest in keeping the thing alive.

There’s also the issue of what the taxes would fund. “The Oklahoma Tax Commission shall deposit fifty percent (50%) of the amount collected pursuant to this section in the Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 3 of this act and the remaining fifty percent (50%) shall be deposited in the Bullying Prevention Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 4 of this act.” Damned if I have a hard time mustering up a problem with those programs.

Of course, the net cast by this bill is wide. Here is how the bill describes that:

“In addition to any other tax provided for by law, there is hereby levied upon persons storing, using, or otherwise consuming within this state, tangible personal property purchased or brought into this state, an excise tax on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of all violent video games, based on the gross receipts or purchase price of such property at a rate specified by subsection B of this section.”

This doesn’t just mean that the bill essentially singles out anything not made for the Yo Gabba Gabba set or for educational purposes, though it does that. It also suggests that rentals would be subject to the new tax, and perhaps even arcade games. Kind of confusing, that. On the other hand, at least Fourkiller has been careful to define terms clearly: “As used in this section, “violent video game” means a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature or Adult Only.”

Frankly. I suspect this isn’t likely to pass. As Game Politics points out in their post on this bill, New Mexico tried to pass a similar bill a few years ago. It died. I expect Oklahoma’s anti tax zealotry will carry the day.

So what about it, GameFronters? Pro or anti this kind of thing? Let us know in comments.

*Coolest name ever.

Source: Gaming Today

Our ratings for games we reviewed in January are now in place, and we now present to you the ones that are on the top of the heap. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a three-star or higher is considered a “good” rating.

Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others. Keep in mind, this listing is comprised of games we reviewed in January, and not necessarily games that were specifically released in January.

5 Stars

Super Crate Box, $ 1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Vlambeer knocks it out of the park with this ultra-frantic crate collecting game. With great virtual controls, and gameplay that is great for pick up and play mobile gaming sessions, Super Crate Box is a game you shouldn’t miss.

4.5 Stars

Blockwick, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A really slick puzzle game that you can try for free. After that, level packs of increasing difficulty are sold in bundles of 60 for 99¢ a pop. Don’t let the initial pack it comes with turn you off, think of it more as a really long tutorial.

Hero Academy, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – This multiplayer tactical game by Robot Entertainment has become incredibly popular amongst our community, and even was the topic of a recent Penny Arcade comic. If you’re looking for people to play with, hit the forum link and you’ll find tons of people looking for a game.

Run Roo Run, $ 0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – From the creators of Scribblenauts comes this super-fun mini-level jumping game. Most levels will only take a few moments to complete, but thankfully, there’s a ton of them. Clearing a world unlocks some really difficult levels that’ll really put you to the test.

Smash Cops, $ 2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Not only does Smash Cops have great graphics, but it also has a new control method that we haven’t seen before for controlling your cop car. You use your finger to “push” the car where you want to go. It sounds strange, but it works great.

Triple Town, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – There’s a definite learning curve to Triple Town but once you get over that hump and come to grips with how the mechanics of the game works, you’ll be building amazing towns and cursing at bears in no time. Argh, those bears. They ruin everything.

Windosill, $ 2.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – This iPad exclusive puzzle game originally started its life as a Flash title. It’s aged incredibly well, and feels like a perfect fit for the iPad. Multitouch adds so much, even if you played the original, it’s worth trying again on the iPad.

The rest of the game ratings can be seen in their respective rating categories (also found in the sidebar navigation): 5 Stars, 4.5 Stars, 4 Stars, 3.5 Stars, 3 Stars, and 2 Stars.

As always, we expect there will be some debate about relative scores, but keep in mind that everyone’s personal ratings may vary based on individual tastes.

For more of our favorite iOS games, check out our “Best iPhone Games” category which includes all of these monthly posts as well as other special compilations of the greatest games the App Store has to offer.

Source: Touch Arcade

Internet sleuthing has uncovered what seems to be two unannounced games due in the next 12 months, plus a third, much-anticipated project.

A NeoGaf user claims to have stumbled across a wiki page labelled “EAP Marketing FY13 Home Page” – the site has since been protected with a login.

The user claims to have found a list of the following titles on the site: The Secret World; Overstrike; Populous; Outernauts; Respawn.

Both Funcom’s The Secret World and Insomniac’s Overstrike are to be published by EA Partners (commonly abbreviated to EAP) during FY2013 – April 2012 to March 2013 – but the others are a little more mysterious.

Populous is a classic Pete Molyneux-created property owned by EA; no news of a revival of the god sim has surfaced, but fellow Bullfrog production Syndicate has been rebooted as a co-op shooter due for release in february.

A domain registration for Outernauts by Insomniac Games suggests a second collaboration with EA Partners from the Ratchet & Clank developer.

Respawn is likely to refer to the new game from Respawn Entertainment, a new studio founded by former Infinity War heads Jason West and Vince Zampella after their dramatic break with Activision.

The authenticity of the site and its contents has not been established.

Thanks, Superannuation.

Source: VG247

Swiss company Digital Capital has launched itself as a “funding vehicle” for digital games, offering funding to mobile, console and PC developers.

“With the growth of digital distribution there are so many opportunities for investors,” said co-founder and veteran business advisor Todd Tribell.

“Our focus will always be on quality, with the sole aim of bringing success to all of our partners – both developers and investors.”

Read more…

Source: GamesIndustry.biz – News

BAFTA, in association with GamesIndustry.biz, will host Games Question Time this February, featuring some of the leading talent in the UK games business.

New UKIE CEO Jo Twist, Frontier’s David Braben, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard and Rebellion’s Jason Kingsley will all take part in a lively debate on the current state of the UK’s games business, hosted by GamesIndustry.biz’s Johnny Minkley.

A limited number of free tickets are available for the event, taking place at BAFTA HQ at 195 Piccadilly in London on February 20. Once free tickets are gone, additional tickets can be purchased for £5.

Read more…

Source: GamesIndustry.biz – News

Last year, Netflix thought it would be funny to spin off their DVD and blu-ray rental business into a separate entity called Qwikster, and this new thing would also rent you video games.

Netflix has since cancelled that whole Qwikster thing, because it was dumb, and Reed Hastings told investors today, according to The Verge, that the also don’t plan to ever rent video games. Awwwww.

That leaves GameFly as the reigning video game online rental thingie. There are a few others out there, but none really come close to matching what GameFly does. Netflix would have, though. It would have been a real competition.

Source: Gaming Today

Mojang may be a small studio, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a ton going on. And they do have a ton going on, as Mojang CEO Carl Manneh tells Edge that they have three unannounced projects in the pipe, two of which could actually be released in the first half of this year. They aren’t ready to announce these titles, though.

The third project is whatever Notch is working on these days since he handed off lead dev duties on Minecraft. Manneh says the game is kind of formless right now, and even Notch is trying to figure out exactly what it’s going to be. So obviously they aren’t ready to say much about that one either.

So that’s cool. They’ve got three games, including Scrolls, coming this year probably. That’s crazy.

Source: Gaming Today

Welcome one and all!

On November 12th, 2011 (50 days before the end of the year), we asked our community of gamrConnect to participate in an event where each and every person would reveal their 50 favorite games of all time (Unfortunately, games released after October 31st, 2011 were cut from voting. So no Skyrim, Skyward Sword, or Uncharted 3)! And as the days went by, we had 46 different participants complete their own personal lists of amazing games. So first of all, congratulations are in order for those who took time out of their busy posting schedules to come in and tell the world the games that make them the gamers they are today.

So when the dust settled on December 31st, it was time to start crunching some numbers! Just like last year, I took each and every game (803 unique games in all… yeesh!) and added each and every vote (2,300 votes in all!) to come up with a list of 200 games that rocked these 46 gamers’ socks. I have to admit, these guys have great taste: If you’re looking for a great new game to play to start this brand new year (but don’t want to wait for those newfangled releases!), you can’t go wrong with any of the games below.

Now this list is by no means official or concrete or anything like that… it’s just how 46 posters from gamrConnect view the gaming world around them. So without further delay, here is gamrConnect’s top 200 games of all time:

Still with us?

Great! ‘Cause we still have 100 more awesome games to show ya!

And from what I hear… the top 100 is where the magic really happens.

50 games to go! For a game to make it this high up… well, it must be pretty special.

Onwards and upwards!

Ladies and Gentlement, I give you gamrConnect’s top 20 games of all time.

Enjoy.

20. Final Fantasy IX PlayStation

19. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker GameCube

18. Mass Effect 2 PC – PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360

17. Super Smash Bros. Melee GameCube

16. Final Fantasy X PlayStation 2

15. Metroid Prime GameCube – Wii

14. Super Mario Bros. 3 GameBoy Advance – NES

13. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves PlayStation 3

12. Pokemon Red/Blue -FireRed/LeafGreen GameBoy – GameBoy Advance

11. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess GameCube – Wii

10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii

9.. Super Mario Galaxy Wii

8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past GameBoy Advance – Super NES

7. Resident Evil 4 GameCube – PC – PlayStation 2 – Wii

6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 Wii

5. Super Mario World GameBoy Advance – Super NES

4. Final Fantasy VII PlayStation

3. Chrono Trigger DS – Super NES

2. Super Mario 64 DS – Nintendo 64

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS – Nintendo 64

Well that’s it! I hope you guys have enjoyed this particular list of 200 amazing games. Once again I’d like to thank the 46 gamrConnect members who participated in this fun little event, and I’d like to thank those of you who took the time to actually go through what is surely gamrFeed’s largest article ever (do I get a prize for this?). I’m sure you all are itching to write your feedback on the different games and their positions, and I can’t wait to see what you guys have to say! But remember, it’s just a list, so don’t worry too much if your beloved game didn’t do as well as you wanted it to (heck, you can change all that by voting in the 2012 Edition!).

So happy 2012, and here’s to a bright future. Cheers!