Not long after announcing a lull in updates until funding could be worked out, the company behind the online roleplaying game Stargate Worlds has updated its website to thank fans for their patience and reward them with a slew of new images from the project. Read the rest of this entry »
 Author ArchiveNintendo rolls out its first free online demosNovember 16th, 2009, 9:52 am by Jayson Peters
To try before you buy the full versions, go to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel and search for “Demo.” Read descriptions of these games, plus two Virtual Console releases and some new DSiWare titles, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry » Weekend ReadingNovember 15th, 2009, 8:00 am by Jayson Peters
Nerdvana Weekly: Nov. 8-14, 2009November 14th, 2009, 6:00 am by Jayson PetersA handful of links that didn’t get their own posts.
Website was briefly offline during server switch. ‘Warfare’ breaks out early for lucky gamers Northeast U.S. GameStops break street date when competitors break the rules.
Robert Jordan’s first posthumous book is a hit. Award-winning comics writer teaches graphic novels at Portland State. Best. Halloween. Costume. Ever. The ‘mechs are coming for your candy.
Don’t trade in your ‘RE5′ disc just yet … Happy holidays: Google offering free Wi-Fi at airports Would you like to donate to charity? Gno gnomes gneeded with the Garden Jawa around Utinni! Universities are beginning to see a problem … Report: Microsoft bans a million Xbox LIVE users Whoa. ‘Star Trek Online’ system requirements uncloaked Make it so!
Maybe this time Joss will learn: Don’t trust Fox with good sci-fi. Xbox LIVE bans permanent; millions answer ‘Call of Duty’ Want to play online again? Replace your modded Xbox. Comic books are too legit kid lit Hammer (of Thor) time!
End-of-the-world porn never looked so good. Saturday is National Gaming Day — at your library Let word go out across the land. On ‘V,’ the weather is out of this world Is Channel 15’s meteorologist an alien? On ‘V,’ the weather is out of this worldNovember 13th, 2009, 1:46 pm by Jayson Peters
Is ABC 15 chief meteorologist Bill Bellis an alien? What else could explain his recent appearance on the polished bottom surface of the Visitor mothership, peering down at the huddled masses a la V star Morena Baccarin? While watching the second episode of ABC’s alien invasion drama on Tuesday, I had to laugh out loud at a clever weather promo featuring Bellis (pictured, right) addressing viewers from the celestial PA system Visitor high commander Anna (Baccarin, left) uses to greet the unsuspecting people of Earth. Jim Hart, ABC 15’s director of creative services and local programming, told me the idea for the unusually immersive promo was generated locally. “We have the very good fortune of having a group of creatives that can turn an idea into reality and at the same time just have a little fun for our viewers,” he said via e-mail. You can watch the whole reality-shattering ad spot after the jump - and you can watch full episodes of V at abc.go.com. Read the rest of this entry » Saturday is National Gaming Day — at your libraryNovember 13th, 2009, 6:02 am by Jayson Peters
While we’re certainly in a video game renaissance of respectability, old-school is represented as well. Corporate sponsor Hasbro has donated 16,700 sets of games including “Monopoly Deal,” “Pictureka!” the card game and “Scrabble Slam” for the event. Comic books are too legit kid litNovember 12th, 2009, 10:39 pm by Jayson PetersNewsarama pointed me to recent research publicized by the University of Illinois, in which a library and information science professor named Carol L. Tilley defends comic books as serious children’s literature. Tilley found that children benefit as much from reading comic books as they do from reading other forms of literature. “A lot of the criticism of comics and comic books come from people who think that kids are just looking at the pictures and not putting them together with the words,” Tilley told the Illinois News Bureau. “Some kids, yes. But you could easily make some of the same criticisms of picture books – that kids are just looking at pictures, and not at the words.” The research was published in School Library Monthly. Xbox LIVE bans permanent; millions answer ‘Call of Duty’November 12th, 2009, 1:40 pm by Jayson Peters
Gamers by the millions turned out this week to trade their shiny gold rocks for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in what The Associated Press is calling the biggest-selling launch in the history of entertainment. Activision stock rose Thursday morning on this enthusiasm. And a reported million or so gamers remain banned from Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE service for modifying their hardware to play illegally copied software. Microsoft told BBC News today that the banning is permanent, and that affected users will have to buy a new Xbox 360 console to recover their profiles and resume Xbox LIVE membership. Fox puts an end to playtime at the ‘Dollhouse’November 11th, 2009, 2:14 pm by Jayson Peters
Joss Whedon’s second sci-fi series to be sacrificed to the network, Dollhouse struggled in the ratings but gained a loyal fan following and did well on time-shifted DVR playback. Even the addition of Summar Glau, a fellow Fox victim twice over in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Whedon’s Firefly, couldn’t save the series. The second season is expected to resume Dec. 4 and end after 13 episodes. ‘Star Trek Online’ system requirements uncloakedNovember 11th, 2009, 12:34 pm by Jayson Peters
Courtesy of Kotaku, here are the PC system requirements for Cryptic’s Star Trek Online, set for release Feb. 2 in North America and Feb. 5 in Europe. System Requirements
Recommended System Configuration
Report: Microsoft bans a million Xbox LIVE usersNovember 11th, 2009, 12:08 pm by Jayson Peters
Information Week is reporting that Microsoft has banned up to a million gamers from Xbox LIVE, claiming the booted users have modified their Xbox 360 consoles to play pirated games. Kindle controversy spreading?November 11th, 2009, 11:57 am by Jayson PetersOpposition seems to be growing to the use of Amazon’s e-book reader in an academic setting.
In June an ASU student, backed by the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, sued Arizona State University over the use of the Kindle DX for textbooks, saying its lack of a nonvisual user interface locks the blind out of the new technology and puts them at a competitive disadavantage. Not long after that, Amazon made waves (and provoked a lawsuit) with its decision to yank purchased content from users’ Kindles because it consisted of unauthorized editions of literary classics. (Amazon later settled the rights issues and attempted to make it up to consumers.) See also: Gno gnomes gneeded with the Garden Jawa aroundNovember 11th, 2009, 11:13 am by Jayson Peters
Now available for pre-order at the official StarWarsShop: the Garden Jawa! Sure to keep pesky droids from trodding on your precious plants, the StarWarsShop exclusive stands about a foot tall and costs $34.99. Armed with a garden hose and cute little gloves, it even has reflective eyes to put the fear of The Maker into errant R2 units. Via TheForce.Net Happy holidays: Google offering free Wi-Fi at airportsNovember 10th, 2009, 10:15 am by Jayson PetersIf you’re going to be traveling this holiday season, you can thank Google for the free Wi-Fi.
There’s a catch: Google will hit you up for a charitable donation that they will match, up to $250,000. And they’ll probably monitor everything you do and say while online, and record it for posterity or the inevitable government takeover of your life. But hey, it’s FREE! Phoenix Sky Harbor is NOT among the participating airports … but they already have free Wi-Fi. Via CNN Money ‘Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition’ coming to Xbox LIVE, PSNNovember 10th, 2009, 10:03 am by Jayson Peters
Capcom says the new version of the game, which includes a new scenario called “Lost in Nightmares,” will be released this spring as downloadable content to owners of the blockbuster game via Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. In Japan the new edition will be available as a regular game disc at retail outlets, but Capcom said surveys show North American and European fans preferred DLC in a blind taste-test. As Kotaku points out, this conveniently means you can’t sell or trade the game away and just pick up the new and improved version later.
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Despite signs of life, ‘Stargate Worlds’ out of money, on hold
‘Wheel of Time’ rolls over ‘Lost Symbol’
Kindle controversy spreading?
Fox puts an end to playtime at the ‘Dollhouse’
‘2012′: A disaster film by the numbers
First we learn that 
According to
“I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.” 
Two universities this week
The ubiquitous tech giant is offering free wireless Internet service at 47 airports and on every Virgin American flight. All you need is a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or mobile device.
