Ever since the term “casual gaming” was coined, there has been a lot of talk regarding how it would be the evolution of gaming. Some even going so far as praising casual gaming as the method video games will be opened up to the masses.

The European senior marketing director of one of the perceived leaders in this movement, Nintendo, may have something to say about that.

Laurent Fischer pointed out that “There is no casual gaming. There is just a different way to play.” Pretty strange coming from someone who works for a company that produce games some individuals would call casual.

He explained that even those who play flash games on a regular basis (yes, I’m speaking to you too) and fifty-years old who only play Brain Training but do so on a regular basis are not casual gamers but core gamers. He explained further:

I don’t like this word casual so much. Because people consider that casual needs to be something simple. If you’re good at any game you can play at a high difficulty level. Take Tetris. There is astonishing gameplay, it’s very simple, very easy to comprehend, but it’s also very different. I think a game can be a light enough to care about and for all gamers to become a core gamer on it.

He makes a very interesting point since there are people who do play “simple” games much more than an average gamer would spend on more complicated titles such as Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) or Halo 3. This is not to state that they are more “hard-core” but that they are as much a gamer as everyone else.

source pc.qj.net

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While a Fallout 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, Computer) demo is nowhere in sight, that doesn’t mean we can’t get a preview on how the game looks before launch day. Over at the game’s official site, concept artist Adam Adamowicz set up a dev diary narrating how he covered the mountains of artwork needed for Fallout 3.

Along with his post, Adamowicz also showed a few lovely illustrations, depicting how some of Fallout’s visuals just might look in the final build. It’s funny how grotesque and gorgeous can be used simultaneously to describe the works.

We certainly hope the devs decide to keep as much of these as is – they look like they’ll fit right into the post-apocalyptic vision that the Fallout franchise has always treated the fans to. We’ll be posting Adamowicz’s concept art here, but you’ll also want to catch up on his dev diary via the source link below.

Buy: [Fallout 3 (PC)]

Buy: [Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)]

Buy: [Fallout 3 (PS3)]

source pc.qj.net

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Ever since the term “casual gaming” was coined, there has been a lot of speak regarding how it would be the evolution of gaming. Some even going so far as praising casual gaming as the method video games will be opened up to the masses.

The European senior marketing director of one of the perceived leaders in this movement, Nintendo, might have something to say about that.

Laurent Fischer pointed out that “There is no casual gaming. There is just a different way to play.” Pretty strange coming from someone who works for a company that produce games some individuals would call casual.

He explained that even those who play flash games on a regular basis (yes, I’m talking to you too) and fifty-years old who only play Brain Training but do so on a regular basis are not casual gamers but core gamers. He explained further:

I don’t like this word casual so much. Because people consider that casual needs to be something easy. If you’re good at any game you can play at a high difficulty level. Take Tetris. There’s extraordinary gameplay, it’s very easy, very easy to comprehend, but it’s also very different. I think a game can be a light enough to enjoy and for all gamers to become a core gamer on it.

He makes a very interesting point since there are people who do play “simple” games much more than an average gamer would spend on more complicated titles such as Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) or Halo 3. This is not to state that they’re more “hard-core” but that they’re as much a gamer as everyone else.

source pc.qj.net

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Here’s a spot of good news for Prince of Persia fans who already got a glimpse of the next iteration in the action-packed series. Coinciding with what was originally slated to come out by the end of the year, Ubisoft recently announced that the upcoming game will be released by the third quarter of its fiscal year.

This should place the release date of the new title somewhere around the beginning of October until the end of December. Hopefully, Ubisoft will stay with this estimate especially since there’s been no mention of a specific release date.

The new title will star a totally different “Prince” from the one in The Sands of Time trilogy. Apart from that, it will also feature cel-shaded graphics and a story not unlike Okami’s “heal the world” theme.

We’re anticipating more news on it once the upcoming UbiDays event arrives this Might 28 and 29 in Paris. Until then, keep checking back in with us for more updates regarding the new Prince of Persia (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, DS) title.

source pc.qj.net

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This is certainly an early announcement, but at least it gives us time to prepare. We’re letting the readers know that preparations are now underway for the London Games Festival 2008. This year’s celebration of everything that is pixelated goodness is scheduled to begin on October 25.

No exact details have been announced yet, even though if it’s going to be anything like the previous fest, anticipate it to be crowded. Last year’s LGF garnered a total of 100,000 attendees, and carried over 50 events catering to both casual and hardcore gamers.

Highlights for last year’s event included the arrival of the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra, who performed their rendition of popular video games themes like music from Super Mario Bros., BioShock, and Metal Gear Solid. LGF chairman Keith Ramsdale had this to state regarding this year’s festivities:

Last year s London Games Festival was a massive success and we were thrilled with the feedback from many of those who attended and the publishers who took part. The Trafalgar Square event looked fantastic and it was great to see so many families come down and enjoy it. We ve got plenty in store for 2008 and a whole host of major partners lined up with full support from the industry. We re really looking forward to bringing the gaming industry to life in the capital again.

In related news, we remind readers that this year’s BAFTA video game awards have been postponed to 2009. Here’s to hoping that the upcoming festival won’t be marred by its absence. Further details are available over at the official London Games Festival 2008 site, via the source link below.

source pc.qj.net

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Microsoft Windows in indeed on a roll in its quest to conquer the ultra low-cost PC market, and now MS has successfully penetrated the market for One Laptop Per Child’s (OLPC) iconic XO laptop. Previously offered with the open-source Linux, the inexpensive notebooks aimed towards developing countries now have Windows XP available as an OS option.

The XP option does not come for free, however. Those who opt for Microsoft’s operating system on their XOs have to shell out an extra US 3 for Windows XP, as well as another US 7 for hardware. Nicholas Negroponte of OLPC anticipates the demand for the XO to jack up, however, once the more user-friendly OS becomes available for XO. “There is no question that demand goes up when you offer dual boot,” said Negroponte.

In fact, a number of countries have requested for XO units to come with Microsoft’s operating system, such as Egypt. Many people around the world praised Negroponte’s decision, including Colombian governor Andres Gonzalez Diaz. “Windows support on the XO device means that our students and educators will now have access to more than computer-assisted learning experiences,” he stated.

Of course, there are detractors. One of them, OLPC’s former security architect Ivan Krstic, said that he’s apprehensive about Windows eventually becoming the only choice of OS in the future, eschewing Linux. “[OLPC] should not become a car for creating economic incentives for a particular vendor,” Krstic wrote in his blog.

source mobile.qj.net

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CBS has announced that it has entered a deal which will allow it to acquire CNET Networks, Inc. If this pushes through, then CBS

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