Even Penny Arcade Is Hopping Into Xbox Avatar Fashion

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Penny Arcade, the popular comic strip that stars lovable maniacs Gabe and Tycho, just released a suite of virtual goods for sale on the Xbox Avatar Marketplace.

The release of new shirts and hats for your Xbox 360 selves coincides with the start of PAX, the popular fan-driven convention that kicks off again this weekend.

The threads range in price from $1 to $2, but the exposure and nod to fans is what really counts. Promotion for the goods is prominent in the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard, and it helps lend credibility to both brands in a very easy way, so we recommend at least exploring this opportunity.

Cheaters Never Win

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Team Fortress 2 is one of Valve’s biggest games, and is consistently host to tens of thousands of multiplayer matches on Steam.

Of course, with that kind of population, there are bound to be cheaters, but Valve is taking a proactive approach in dealing with them

After some gamers were caught using exploits to further their gameplay against fellow competitors, Valve naturally patched the game to ensure fair play. But it went the next step to actually reward those players who did not cheat rather than just punish the cheaters.

From TF2 official blog:

Meanwhile, everyone who took the moral high road will soon be finding a new hat in their inventory. We’ve also significantly increased the chance of finding any of the existing hats.

Hear that sigh of relief? It’s Valve s customers, satisfied with a quick and personal response on an issue that could have gotten well out of hand. Kudos.

Capcom Tests DLC Pack

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An interesting release appeared on the PlayStation Network today as Capcom has taken to bundling eight of their DLC titles into a Capcom Super Pack. The games, which at release cost anywhere from $10 to $20, are now together for $50.

The games include Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, Flock!, Age of Booty, 1942, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 HD Remix, and Rocketmen: Axis of Evil with the It Came from Uranus pack included.

As video game sales continue to slow due to the world economy, we like seeing the quick action taken in putting together and marketing this package to increasingly budget-conscious consumers.

Video Of The Day: Play Him Off, Keyboard Sam

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Today’s video of the day takes the popular Internet meme and accomplished pianist Keyboard Cat and has him team up with Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher for a creative viral piece promoting the upcoming Splinter Cell Conviction.

The video ends with a promotion for the fan-driven convention PAX 09, which begins today in Seattle.

Oh, that crafty Keyboard Cat, never saw it coming!

AFK: How It Really Sounds When You Play Rock Band

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As great as it would be to have a Radiohead Rock Band edition, it s not happening, at least any time soon. Still, you can enjoy today’s AFK moment that looks at how the critically-acclaimed band s music would fare given the Rock Band treatment.

Depressing songs about math and fish get me hot.

‘We Were Terrified’ Making The Beatles: Rock Band

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From CVG:

I don’t know what Apple was considering before they started working with us, and I’m sure that there were conversations on both sides. I think they saw that we were the company with the most reverence for what they were doing – we’re not looking to turn a quick buck on The Beatles. This is something we’ve loved and respect and would not want to screw up.

We were terrified while making the game, hoping we don’t make them mad at any point – they’re really nice and easy to work with, but this is The Beatles, you can’t afford to mess this up.

We’ve all been in meetings with clients that have made us nervous, but imagine the pressure of facing the remaining Beatles. Kudos to Harmonix for not breaking down and sobbing right before showing off their first game concepts to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Older PSP Now Packed To Move

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Sony has the new PSPgo ready to hit store shelves on October 1, but it s not ready to give up on the original PSP just yet (or its ample supplies of stock).

They’ve announced a new PSP pack that includes a special edition silver PSP, copy of Gran Turismo, a download for an exclusive car for us in the game, a 2GB memory stick, a free movie download of your choice, and a free music voucher through Sony’s online store.

It’s a pretty good offer at $199, especially with the PSPgo retailing for $250 and including just an enhanced demo of Rock Band Unplugged.  Is this the pack that’ll finally move some units of the waning PSP

3D Gets A Shipping Date

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Sony today announced their intentions to ship and market 3D televisions and 3D PS3 games by the end of next year.

From The Financial Times:

Due to speak today at the IFA technology trade show in Berlin, Sir Howard Stringer , Sony chief executive, will announce plans not only to sell 3D Bravia television sets, but to make Sony’s Vaio laptop computers, PlayStation 3 games consoles and Blu-ray disc players compatible with the technology.

Mr Stringer is expected to tell the audience: “Today, 3D is clearly on its way to the mass market.

“As with high definition a few years back, there are a variety of issues yet to be addressed. But the 3D train is on the track, and we at Sony are ready to drive it home.”

We see a couple of problems here:

–    Are consumers really ready for 3D TVs? It seems like not a week passes without a survey that shows most HD consumers aren’t actually watching HD content on their TVs
–    More importantly for us, are marketers ready? The market keeps getting segmented based on all the differing technologies out there, do we really need to add 3D to the mix
–    There’s still a Blu-Ray-like format war between two differing 3D standards, so will savvy consumers even risk being an early adopter in something that may not be the industry standard

We hope the 3D is good enough to make us forget these potential hurdles.  Has anyone had a chance to see it in action

God Of War Collection Now With 400% More God Of War

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The box art for the new God of War Collection on PS3 is out now, and it’s notable for a couple of reasons.

First of all, is the best way to market two of PS2’s greatest games getting a full 720p HD revamp “Remastered in High Definition” at the top of the box. Reminds us of some old school LPs we have laying around.

But the most interesting thing is Sony chose to use a hammer-like approach to pounding the God of War logo in consumers minds. Four God of War logos on a single box. Would the packaging be better served with one very clear message that God of War collection is here, and it’s got plenty of God of War for you.

Just seems excessive, but the God of War series has never been known for its subtlety, what with the decapitated gorgon heads and unadulterated threesomes.

 

Sony Unveils Make.Believe Tagline

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Today, Sony announced the creation of a new tagline that will make its way onto all Sony products: make.believe (the dot is included in the messaging).

The new message, actually pronounced “make-dot-believe,” marks the first time Sony’s branding will have a consistent supporting message across all of its products, including the PS3 and PSP.

Sony chairman, CEO and president Sir Howard Stringer, says: “As we move to transform Sony and integrate the very best in electronics, entertainment and technology into the homes of our customers, the importance of an all-encompassing and unified brand image is more important than ever.”

Fujio Nishida, president of Sony Europe says: “The key for us is how ‘make.believe’ translates into compelling products, content and services for the consumer, all aimed at delivering unparalleled user experiences.