VGAs Get Philo Badges

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Spike TV and Philo have announced that they have teamed up for the 2010 Spike TV Video Game Awards. The two have teamed up to create World Exclusive Premiere Badges tied to the 13 world premieres planned for the event.

Also, users that check out the Philo/VGA landing page will have a chance to win an Xbox 360 Kinect prize pack and VGA Gear. The social site is designed to be a whole new way for fans to connect with TV content.

Find out more at the App Store {link no longer active} or online {link no longer active}.

Guillermo del Toro Forms Mirada Studio

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Guillermo del Toro has announced that he’s forming a new production studio with director Matthew Cullen, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and producer Javier Jimenez. Called Mirada, the studio will help produce television programming, video games, films and even commercials.

“With Mirada we hope to bring all the stuff you need to create an idea or a project under one roof,” said Del Toro. “There is no place that can offer all the sets of eyes to inform and create the story engine to take any idea from beginning to end.”

Source: Los Angeles Times

Activision Calls Networks Out On Hypocrisy On Call Of Duty Ad

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Kobe Bryant drew a lot of criticism over his appearance in a Call of Duty: Black Ops ad, especially on ESPN’s First Take. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg was not pleased about this, not on any level.

“I would say given the content and the genre of the game it s going to be difficult to do any marketing worth its salt that won t have some measure of controversy baked into it. … First and foremost, the most important thing is the game and the campaign seems to be beloved with the target audience; it really strikes a chord with gamers, and that s what we were aiming for,” said Hirshberg. “We’re not aiming for everybody on Earth and it s not for everybody on Earth. We obviously only ran the commercial in appropriate places for an M-rated game, being careful to market to the people we were trying to reach. The thing that I m most happy about and relieved about is it seems to be getting an almost universally positive response from the gaming community.”

“I m going to put it in air quotes, which you can’t see, but the ‘controversy’ surrounding Kobe Bryant I find very hypocritical,” continued Hirshberg. “Those same networks that are now questioning Kobe’s inclusion in this had no problem accepting the ad and approving the ad, and accepting the dollars to run the ad on their networks. Are they being irresponsible to their fan base by running the ad on their networks Because if it s good for the goose, it s good for the gander. I find that to be very hypocritical.”

“I also think that there s a little bit of a maturation process going on for video games overall where certain people still don t see them as mainstream entertainment, but I wonder if Kobe or Jimmy Kimmel had been involved for the marketing of a new Tom Clancy movie if they would have gotten the same response. I feel like this is still seen by some people as some sort of subculture or niche product, and the performance in the marketplace demonstrates that this is the epicenter of mainstream entertainment,” he concluded.

Source: IndustryGamers {link no longer active}

Disgaea 4 Goodies Make Prinnies Cuter

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Disgaea has a fairly large following in Japan and a small but very devoted fanbase in the U.S. Because of this, the limited edition version of Disgaea 4 in Japan will no doubt be a highly sought after collectible.

You’ll see this picture next to the definition of what is called “moe” in Japanese.

Sadly not lifesized… yet.

Along with the figurine of Fuka (wearing an adorable Prinny-uniform) there will also be an original soundtrack CD and a special booklet. All of this will cost a cool 9,975 yen, or roughly $120, at retail and probably many dollars more for those who choose to import.

Source: Kotaku

Xbox Live Gets Free Titles For Contest

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Larry Major Nelson Hryb has announced that two free games are available for download on Xbox Live. Doritos Crash Course and Harms Way will be available as part of the Doritos Unlock Xbox contest.

This is the final part of a contest where ten entries were narrowed down to eight by judges, and then down to three games, of which two were produced. Gold subscribers are invited to play through them and vote for which they like better on their dashboard, and whichever game gets more votes will receive a $50,000 game consulting gig with Doritos.

Source: MajorNelson.com {link no longer active}

Uncharted 3 Deceptively Announced

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It’s official: Uncharted 3 is in development. Subtitled Drake’s Deception, the game will delve into Drake’s relationship with Victor Sully Sullivan and deal with finding the legendary city Iram of the Pillars in the Rub al Khali Desert.

“When we first came up with the idea of sand, you see everyone’s eyes light up here and go, ‘Yeah, that s going to be really hard let s do it!'” said Naughty Dog’s creative director Amy Hennig.

Fans can expect the same sort of character driven storytelling of the previous games, with enhancements like backward climbing and the ability to fight multiple enemies simultaneously. Along with a full single-player story, there will also be enhanced co-op and competitive multiplayer options.

“We want to take on the big boys of the multi-player genre,” said Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells. “It has become something here at Naughty Dog that will become an important part to all our games.”

According to Wells, 2011 will mark the transition of Uncharted into the realm of transmedia, where things like novels and other forms of entertainment will release, including the book Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth.  Expect a big reveal during the Spike TV VGAs on December 11.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Pogo App Gets Popping

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Electronic Arts announced that they are launching a new iPhone app for Pogo Games. The app will include Poppit!, Word Whomp, Turbo 21, Mahjong Safari and Sweet Tooth 2 all free and ad supported, with a $2.99 payment option to remove the ads, with Club Pogo members also getting ad-free options.

“We’ve been entertaining audiences for more than 10 years, and that experience has given us a deep understanding of the types of games that engage people and keep them coming back for more,” said Michael Marchetti, SVP & GM Pogo at Electronic Arts. “With the move to iPhone and iPod touch, we re giving people new ways to play, share and compete now any moment can turn into a fun moment.”

Child’s Play Auction Raises $183,000

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According to Child’s Play, $183,000 was raised during the organization’s Gala and Auction. The Omegaclaw from PAX 2010 and the Portal Gun both went for more than $14,000 and Desert Bus for Hope presented a check for $207,000 to Child’s Play at the event.

“Every year, we are blown away by the fantastic items and incredibly generous bids at the gala and auction,” said Kristin Lindsay, Foundation Coordinator for Child’s Play. “Even more heart warming is the thousands of gamers that can’t attend the gala, but organize their own local fundraising.  It’s this grassroots community activity that accounts for the majority of Child’s Play donations.”