MTV Profiles Hardcore NES Collectors

MTV´s Stephen Totilo has a cool piece up on the lengths some retro Nintendo gamers will go to scratch their collectors itch. Some cart hounds buy and re-sell rare games on eBay, some sell pieces of wood struck by lighting—a missed oppotunity to become the nerd successor to Robert Redford´s The Natural, I call it.

Those of you considering getting into the game of collecting games should read up. Despite sounding like a very glamorous existance of cataloguing your recent aquisitions and spending your early weekend mornings at flea markets and garage sales, keep in mind that a copy of the 1990 Nintendo World Championships is probably going to set you back over seven grand.

Look, you can´t have everything. Sometimes you have to choose between owning a factory sealed copy of Stack Up for your R.O.B. and having a normal life. Michael McWhertor

The Madness Of Nintendo Collectors: Will Sell PS3, Wood To Fund Habits

CollectorsMtvNesPS3 [SHOW]

Buy A PS3, Prevent Foreclosure... Oops, Too Late

I hesitate to call this the PS3 Douchebag Auction of the Day, as I´m not clear on the circumstances that might have put this family into such dire financial straits, but I came very close. Anytime that someone has the gall to list their PlayStation 3 at $5,000, with a $50,000 Buy It Now price on top of that, they really shouldn´t get a pass, but I´m a softie. At least he didn´t try to include Gundam Crossfire in the auction.

Still, any chump who maxes out his last credit card to but a PS3 and three games, only to flip it on eBay in an attempt to right himself financially has to be at least 60% douche.

From the carefully wordsmithed auction:

Okay we arn´t in foreclosure yet, but we are getting closer and closer each month we have to make our mortgage payment latter and latter. So i called in to work and me and my wife swapped out waiting in line to pick up a ps3 and to max out our last credit card. I know that the asking price is high, but if it is met it would alow us to stay in our home. to not default on the mortgage and to raise our girl in our own home. also if a buisness or buisness person buys this gift at my asking price it will probably be the highest bought ps3 on ebay. if this happens i wil tell all publicity who bought it and their website and or phone number. All and all if you have the money to spend what better to spend it than on the most powerful game consol to date, and to help give someone a hand out of debt.

What better way to spend it? Are you shitting me? Well, it doesn´t appear anyone else took the bait either, despite the token picture of his drooling baby. The auction ended with zero bids. Michael McWhertor

PS3 60G 3 games (unique extras) keep us off the street! [thanks, Justin!]

AuctiondouchebageBayPS3 [SHOW]

Alien Syndrome Coming To Wii, PSP

No, this is not a repost. It appears that another one of Sega´s "classic" intellectual properties is making its way to the Wii and the PSP. Alien Syndrome, which saw an arcade release in 1987 on the venerable System 16 platform, was a simple top-down multiplayer shooter with a clear Aliens (the movie) inspiration.

It seems that Sega´s Alien Syndrome, despite being announced the same day as Sega being granted rights to the Aliens film license, is an independent project, with no basis on the 20th Century Fox property. Confusing!

Game development for the action-RPG is being helmed by Totally Games, responsible for games in the X-Wing and Tie Fighter series, as well as, more recently, Star Trek Bridge Commander and Secret Weapons Over Normandy. I anxiously await screens, hoping that the candy-colored, 80s pastel palette will carry over.

Hit the jump for the full release. Michael McWhertor

Aliens Going Next-Gen [Kotaku]

SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe, Ltd. today announced they will be releasing Alien Syndrome, a fast-paced action-RPG set in a stunningly imaginative sci-fi universe. Developed by Totally Games, Alien Syndrome will launch simultaneously for the Nintendo Wii console and PSP system in summer 2007. Alien Syndrome offers two fast-paced action-RPG modes - the dramatic and engaging single-player campaign, plus a hugely re-playable co-op multiplayer mode where up to four players can delve into the daring quest. Derived from the classic SEGA IP, Alien Syndrome for the Wii and PSP plunges players into its easy to pick up and play action-RPG gameplay, while offering depth and a wealth of features and missions to challenge all gamers.

Alien Syndrome puts players in control of the strong and enigmatic heroine - Earth Command Trooper Aileen Harding - as she battles through a wide variety of environments including onboard infested spaceships and bizarre alien planets, taking on a mixture of fearsome aliens and colossal bosses. Players can choose from a wide selection of character specialties and skills to hone their character before embarking upon their sci-fi adventure. As they progress through the engrossing campaign, protected by different types of armour and using a variety of melee and ranged weaponry, players can improve their heroine´s statistics and discover powerful new abilities.

"Alien Syndrome is a great update of a classic franchise that has been designed to fit perfectly onto both the innovative Wii and the portable PSP," said Matt Woodley, Creative Director, SEGA Publishing Europe Ltd. "Alien Syndrome is the only fast-paced, sci-fi action -RPG for the Wii and PSP and brilliantly blends arcade-style shooter gameplay with elements from RPGs."

"Completely re-designed from the ground up for the PSP and the Wii, this new Alien Syndrome offers a refreshing blast-athon on a venerable classic," said Larry Holland, President and Creative Director of Totally Games. "As well, it has allowed us to exercise our science fiction chops to the fullest to create a totally involving futuristic action-RPG game experience."

Alien Syndrome offers 20 different weapons to use, ranging from flamethrowers, quad-barrelled lasers, nanobot swarms that dissolve enemies and incendiary grenades that unleash fire geysers from the ground. Each weapon offers different advantages and disadvantages, dependent upon how it is used and which speciality the player has chosen to adopt. With the sheer variety of weapons and abilities available to players, any number of combat strategies can be used to defeat hordes of more than 100 different alien enemies.

Alien Syndrome on the Wii will utilise the Wii remote´s unique gyroscopic feature by enabling players a full range of motion when slashing through enemies, unloading devastation on bosses, or running and gunning through hallways. Players will also be able to access various new game modes and mechanisms. These extra features include using the Wii controllers to craft new items, to enhance existing items and character abilities and to hack into computer systems.

For gamers on the go, Alien Syndrome on the PSP is wi-fi enabled so that up to four players can embark upon playing cooperatively through the alien infested levels in various multiplayer modes.

Alien Syndrome is developed by Totally Games and will be available for the Wii and PSP system in summer 2007.

Alienalien syndromeSegatotally gamesWii [SHOW]

Judge to Illinois: Pay ESA Already

A federal judge told Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich that "the time for waffling has passed" and that the state needs to develop a plan for paying legal fees in a video-game lawsuit it lost.

The state has until Dec. 18 to say how they play to pay the more than half-million dollar bill.

A year ago the judge ruled that the state´s law that barred the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors was unconstitutional and then in August ordered the state to pay the video game industry´s legal costs.

Last month industry lawyers asked the judge to intervene because the state wasn´t cooperating and the judge decided to do just that.

"They have answered the plaintiffs´ entreaties with what amounts to shoulder-shrugging and finger-pointing," Kennelly wrote in an opinion. "Specifically, they have made no real suggestion about what the plaintiffs need to do to collect what they are entitled to, largely leaving that up to one´s imagination."

So to summarize, Illinois is run by an idiot. Brian Crecente

Judge wants legal-fee payment plan from Blagojevich [Chicago Tribune]

CrimeEsaEsrbIllinoisLawLegal [SHOW]