United Gamer Online (UGO)

by: Chris Morris
While professional video gamers may still struggle to be thought of as athletes by the general public, they're starting to see paydays that are on par with some of today's sports stars.

Major League Gaming, the largest of the so-called eSports gaming leagues, wrapped up its 2010 season Sunday, handing out some $700,000 in prizes to joystick jockeys.

With that kind of money at stake, this is more than a trash-talking tournament among friends. Teams practice year-round to prepare - with some players making this a full-time job.

Team Final Boss was the big winner in this year's finals, narrowly beating Team Instinct in "Halo 3" for a $100,000 purse and the title of MLG League Champions. (Both teams were highly ranked and had already wracked up $80,000 in wins earlier in the 2010 tour.) All totaled, teams playing "Halo 3" shared a purse valued at almost $250,000.

Final Boss, a four-person squad, which was previously sponsored by Washington Wizards basketball player Gilbert Arenas, is gaming's equivalent of the New York Yankees. It has been winning "Halo" tournaments since 2004 and previously boasted an unbeaten eight-event streak. Players have come and gone through the years, but the strength of the team has rarely wavered.

"Halo 3" is the main event of MLG these days, but it's hardly the only game in town. The championship event also featured the first "Halo: Reach" competition - a game that's likely to become the centerpiece of the event in years to come. (This was the final year that "Halo 3" will be played in MLG tournaments.)

For now, though, "Reach" is still in its infancy - competitively, at least - and the winning pot demonstrates this. The winner of the exhibition tournament - Team UoR SyA - took home just $5,000, despite going undefeated through 11 rounds.

Players also competed for cash and bragging rights in "Tekken 6," "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" and most notably "Starcraft II".

"Starcraft II" is kind of a big deal in the competitive gaming world. The original remains a national obsession in South Korea, with two television stations regularly airing matches. The release of the sequel this year could reinvigorate the game in domestic tournaments. "LiquidJinro," a Swedish-born player who now lives in Korean, took home the first place title and $6,250 in winnings.

Throughout the 2010 season, over 100,000 pro and amateur eSports athletes from around the world have competed in challenges in Orlando; Columbus, Ohio; Raleigh, NC; Washington, DC and Dallas.

In its eight-year history, Major League Gaming has attracted a significant amount of attention, with tournaments being broadcast on cable's USA Network and ESPN.com. Its goal is to elevate competitive video game tournaments in the national consciousness to the same level as Poker and Nascar.

"The incredible atmosphere and intense level of competition at our 2010 national championship event has been unprecedented", said Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder and CEO of Major League Gaming. "We look forward to embracing even more formidable gaming talent in our 2011 season."

by Ben Silverman

October 12 11:44 A.M.

"Music games are dead!" they say. Oh yeah? Well, apparently "they" just turned down the volume, because a chorus of new rhythm games are showing up just in time for the busy fall video game season. Unlike standard games, they often come with high price-tags and goofy peripherals, making it hard to just scoot out and grab one on a whim. Which of the following games will be music to your ears, and which will have you running for earplugs? That depends a lot on you, actually.
For the Aspiring Musician...

Rock Band 3

Release Date: 10/26

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
Athletes love sports games and brainiancs dig strategy sims, but ask a musician to play a music game and there's a good chance they'll scoff and mumble something about it "not being real." Here's your chance to shut them up. Though Rock Band 3 touts a songbook's worth of notable updates, upgrades and tweaks, its biggest trick will bring gamers and rockers together at last. Built in conjunction with professors at the Berklee School of Music, "Pro Mode" is an included guitar-training tool that will actually teach you how to play for real. It won't come cheap -- you'll need to pick up an awesome new guitar controller (two models, each sold separately, each pretty pricey) to get the most out of it -- but compared to guitar lessons, it's a steal. And if guitar isn’t your thing, you can also play Pro Mode on both drums and the game's new keyboard peripheral.




For the Hardcore Talent...

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Release Date: Out now

Platforms Xbox 360, PS3, Wii




It might not be the best-reviewed game in the storied franchise's catalog, but if you've got epic music game skills and are itching to flex them, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will sound just about right. In addition to a story-driven solo mode that culminates with a trip through Rush's classic "2112" record and a scorching battle with metal masters Megadeth, a new Quickplay+ mode adds thirteen new achievements to every song. With over 90 tracks on the game disc, that's over 1,000 challenges out of the box. Yikes. It's also more competitive than other music games, packing loads of multiplayer insanity perfect for those who consider themselves serious music game pros.


For the Clubbing Connoisseur...

DJ Hero 2

Release Date: 10/19

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii

There's a reason why the original DJ Hero was the top-selling new video game property of last year: it's awesome. And if you're a fan of mash-ups, turntables and getting the party started, it's the only music game you should give a hoot about this year. Not only does it pack an all-new single player game and 83 new mash-ups from nearly as many artists, but it throws in microphone support for singing or rapping along to the mixes. If you already have a turntable controller, you won’t need a new one, but adding a second lets you take on other virtual DJs in a new suite of competitive modes. Unlike Guitar Hero and Rock Band, you actually feel like you're making the music here, not just playing along with it.


For the Wannabe Rap Mogul...

Def Jam Rapstar

Release Date: Out now

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii

Sad that rock gets all the love in most music games while rap gets downgraded to random tracks? Then Def Jam Rapstar is the game you've been waiting for. Sporting the famed Def Jam license, it boasts 45 tracks to rap along with -- from old-school hits like A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario" to newer cuts from the likes of Kanye West and Lil' Wayne -- as well as 15 straight beat tracks for some freestyle flowing. But best of all, it nails hip-hop's strong sense of community by letting you record yourself rapping (provided you have a compatible console camera), edit the clip and upload it for a shot at in-game fame. Don't hate the playa -- love the game.


For the Air Drummer...

Power Gig: Rise of the Six String

Release Date: 10/19/10

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3

Considering the success of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, music game newcomer Power Gig has a lot to live up to. And while the bulk of it will feel pretty similar to those titles, a few features stand out. One is the inclusion of a legit guitar -- no plastic instrument here -- that can even be plugged into a real amp and used to gig. The other? A drum-less drumset. Rather than clutter your living room with more cumbersome gear, Power Gig's "AirStrike Drum" uses special sensors to detect where you're swinging the customized drumsticks. No bulky drum heads, no cymbals -- just a bunch of invisible beams shooting out of a flat pad lying on the ground. A space-conscious music game? Who woulda thunk it?


For the Dancing Queen...

Just Dance 2

Release Date: 10/12

Platforms: Wii


More of a mover than a crooner? Then you'll probably want to pick up Just Dance 2 for the Wii. The sequel to last year's multi-million seller will let you and up to seven friends dance along to over 40 pop tracks, but it also includes a 'Just Sweat' mode that will gauge your calorie burning along the way.

September 24 3:21 P.M.

Understatement of the year: the latest Halo game is a hit.

Having cracked the $200 million mark on its first day of release alone, Halo: Reach has already proven that there's plenty of life left in the hallowed Halo name. And just to drive home the point that their game is a big, big deal, developer Bungie has released some pretty awe-inspiring numbers the game managed to, uh, reach during its launch week.

Over 70 million online matches were logged, with players putting in nearly 6,000 years worth of time shooting at each other. When they weren't doing that, they uploaded over 2 million files and completed about 20 million daily challenges. And it wasn't all for naught, as they earned a whopping 165 billion in credits to spend on new armor.

Despite all that activity, though, Reach still came up short in one key area. According to Xbox's Major Nelson, Reach was only the second most played game Xbox Live during its launch week. The first? None other than last year's blockbuster shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which has remained a staple atop the Xbox Live chart pretty much since its release. Coming in third was Halo 3, giving Bungie a nice consolation prize.

There's another silver lining, too. Major Nelson points out that Reach has been the most popular game over the past seven days, meaning Modern Warfare 2's chart supremacy will likely come to an end soon.

But we wouldn’t count Call of Duty out for long. The next game in that franchise, Black Ops, hits stores on November 9, setting the stage for another epic battle between the two first-person heavyweights.

by Andrew Groen, GamePro.com
We reach out to respected professionals in the scientific community including jet pack engineers, plasma researchers, mechanical engineers, and the scientific advisor on Battlestar Galactica to get at the truth behind the fiction.

With six video games, an animated series, several graphic novels, and six printed novels Halo is perhaps the richest and fullest science-fiction universe ever spawned from a video game. It's also home to some of the most inventive science-fiction we've ever seen. But we wanted to see how much of this universe stands up to scrutiny. So with the help of respected scientists we're putting Halo: Reach under the microscope.
Jetpacks

A new addition to the series, jet packs feature prominently in Reach's multiplayer. But a fully equipped Spartan weighs over half a ton! The armor and equipment weigh around 1000 pounds. Add in the weight of the enormous, genetically engineered behemoth inside and you could easily be in the range of 1250 pounds...not including the weight of the jet pack.

Could a back-mounted chemical propulsion system reliably and accurately launch this hulking mass of steel and bullets?

"Yes," said Nino Amarena, CEO of Thunderbolt Aerosystems which engineers and manufactures real, working private jet packs. "It would be possible to build a rocket motor that could lift that weight for short periods. But the pilot would also need to carry the load [of the jet pack] and the required fuel."
"Weight is the most significant issue, not just for launching the soldier into the air, but for keeping the Chief a nimble Covenant-killing machine on the ground."
Not only that, but Amarena says landings could be accurate to within two feet.

Weight is the most significant issue, not just for launching the soldier into the air, but for keeping the Chief a nimble Covenant-killing machine on the ground. Seeing as the Chief can jump nine feet in the air we're guessing a couple extra hundred pounds wont be an issue.

The most beneficial factor for the Spartan is the MJOLNIR armored plating and shields. This would allow them to use far more volatile and powerful rocket fuels than would be possible with an unaided pilot, substantially cutting down on fuel weight.

Verdict: Plausible



Plasma Rifles

The staple of the covenant armory is the famed SPARTAN-shield demolishing plasma rifle. We wanted to learn a bit more about what plasma is, and why aliens are using fluorescent light bulb technology to destroy us, so we contacted the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for further explanation.

"Plasma," explained Patricia Wieser, a representative of the laboratory, "is the fourth state of matter. It's a hot, electrically charged gas." But the term "gas" is merely a convenient descriptor. The ionized state of a plasma can lead it to behave quite unlike any other form of matter.


"Plasma is the fourth state of matter. It's a hot, electrically charged gas."
-Patricia Wieser, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory representative

They are characterized by their ability to be highly charged with electricity and their reaction to magnetic fields. Due to these qualities they can be moved or aimed in beams. Lightning is an example of a highly excited form of plasma that exists on Earth.

Harnessing plasma in a handheld form is not out of the question. In 2005 the US military stated it was developing a controversial new weapon based on plasma research. The weapon was non-lethal and could fire a laser from up to two miles away, creating a plasma reaction when it hit something solid (like a person.) This in turn creates an electromagnetic pulse that triggers pain neurons without damaging bodily tissue. The stated purpose of this weapon was to induce maximum pain in rioters.

Verdict: Possible

Glassing a Planet

The Covenant's favorite means of dispatching enemy worlds is a process referred to as "glassing." This is a type of orbital bombardment that so thoroughly destroys the planet that its surface is literally turned to glass.

We've already found that plasma can be harnessed and fired in beams by magnetic fields, but the real question is whether it's realistic to say that a plasma could burn through the metals that populate a planet's surface.

"Plasmas are used to melt metals all the time. For example, plasma torches can cut steel plates, and arc furnaces can melt tons of scrap steel. Plasmas can have a temperature much higher than the melting point of any solid. It can melt anything."
-Patricia Wieser, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory representative

According to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, this is entirely possible. "Plasmas are used to melt metals all the time," said Wieser. "For example, plasma torches can cut steel plates, and arc furnaces can melt tons of scrap steel. Plasmas can have a temperature much higher than the melting point of any solid. It can melt anything."

Although plasma's melting capability is unmatched, it takes a large amount of energy to heat the plasma to a degree that it can melt those metals. Using it to destroy the entire surface of a planet would require truly ridiculous amounts of energy. Especially considering the plasma would need to be beamed hundreds of miles down to the planet's surface.

So while there's nothing theoretically impossible about this, the energy storage necessary for the Covenant to not only fly across the galaxy (and back home again) but then destroy an entire planet would require technology the likes of which we can't even see glimmers of today.

Verdict: Improbable

Megastructures

While humanity and the Covenant can't construct these enormous structures, their predecessors, the Forerunners most certainly did. Their crowning achievement was a working Dyson Sphere. A Dyson Sphere is essentially a bubble of satellites orbiting a star, completely enveloping it and absorbing all of its energy output.

Deep inside the artificial planet of Onyx, the Forerunners concealed a "slipspace rift" which provided millions of miles of space inside an area which appeared, in normal space, to be only a few meters.

Inside of this slipspace rift was a habitat containing a Dyson Sphere around a star similar to our sun. This makes for fascinating sci-fi, but it's all for nothing if a Dyson sphere can't power their civilization.
"Not only would a Dyson Sphere require titanic amounts of energy, but finding the amount of mass that would yield a structure with sufficient structural integrity would prove challenging."
-Dr. Kevin Grazier, scientific advisor for Battlestar Galactica


Fortunately, there's nothing inherently impossible about a Dyson Sphere, in fact theoretically humans could start building one today. There is a major problem though. For it to work, the orbit must be at least as far as the Earth's, with a radius of around 93 billion miles. Some mathematicians say that creating an Earth-orbit sized Dyson Sphere 3 meters thick would take the cumulative mass of our entire solar system. To say nothing of the beating it would take from asteroids and comets.

"Not only would a Dyson Sphere require titanic amounts of energy," said Dr. Kevin Grazier, the scientific advisor for Battlestar Galactica, "but finding the amount of mass that would yield a structure with sufficient structural integrity would prove challenging."

Verdict: Improbable

by Mike Smith
Nintendo’s iconic mascot Mario has sold over 240 million video games, been heralded as gaming’s most recognizable face, holds seven world records -- and he’s passing another huge milestone this week.

According to Nintendo themselves -- and they ought to know -- the game that put Mario on the map turns 25 this week. Released on September 13, 1985, NES great Super Mario Bros. would quickly become the top-selling video game of all time, a title it would hold right up until last year when it was passed by Wii Sports.

Since then, he’s appeared in hundreds of games, enjoyed careers as a doctor, an archaeologist, a racing driver, and a golfer, and helped establish the Nintendo name as almost synonymous with video games themselves.

So what’s next for this gaming superstar? Retro-styled 2009 blockbuster New Super Mario Bros. Wii continues to sell well, landing at 6th place on the U.S. charts last month. Given Nintendo just trademarked a new Mario logo in Japan bearing the legend “Super Mario Bros. Anniversary," we doubt this gaming icon is going to retire any time soon.

Five things you (possibly) didn’t know about Mario

* Mario’s last name is also Mario. He’s Mario Mario, in fact.
* His first appearance was actually in 1981 in the arcade version of Donkey Kong, where he was known as “Jumpman.” He wouldn’t get his official name until the following year’s Donkey Kong Jr., also the only game where he plays the bad guy.
* Not only is Mario the best-selling video game character of all time, he’s also its most prolific: according to Guinness World Records’s 2008 edition, he’s appeared in 116 separate games.
* Mario’s distinctive high-pitched voice is provided by actor Charles Martinet, who also voices Mario’s brother Luigi and his longtime foe Wario.
* Nintendo released a follow-up to Super Mario Bros. in Japan in 1986, but deemed it too difficult for Western audiences. It wouldn’t hit U.S. shores as a standalone title until 2007, as a Wii Virtual Console title dubbed “Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.”

by Chris Morris
While ads in video games may not be popular, they are effective.

A new study by Nielsen finds that targeted advertising can result in a substantial increase in sales – and that could spur companies who have been sitting on the fence to jump into the gaming world.

The study looked at in-game Gatorade ads in six EA Sports titles, including the last two installments of the company’s “NHL” franchise and the 2007, 2008 and 2009 versions of “NBA Live”. People who played those games increased their household dollars spent on the sports drink by 24 percent.

That’s a result most advertisers would kill for – but the implications aren’t great for gaming fans.

While players are more accustomed to seeing ads in games these days, they don’t necessarily like them. Recent Xbox 360 thriller “Alan Wake,” for example, was loaded with brand name products, including Verizon, Ford, Duracell and Energizer. And it earned the scorn of players, who felt the product tie-ins were a little too forced and obvious.

At retail, the game tanked, selling fewer than 200,000 units by the end of July. And while it’s impossible to determine how much of that was the fault of the blatant product placement, it’s impossible to rule it out as a factor.

Sports titles tend to get a little more leeway with gamers. Since ads are so fully integrated into both the real world and broadcast sporting experience, video games can double down on advertising opportunities -- as EA’s “Madden” does each year. But sometimes, even those can go too far.

Beyond being (let’s face it) an ad for the NFL itself, “Madden NFL 11” is filled with billboards in every stadium. That’s not nearly as distracting as the fact that virtually every major action on field carries a sponsorship with it, such as the “Swagger” statistic -- which determines the likelihood of the player to celebrate after a touchdown -- sponsored by Old Spice.

Nielsen’s study isn’t the first to underscore the effectiveness of in-game ads. After debuting its Bing search engine in June 2009, Microsoft promoted the Google-competitor in a series of games, including “NBA 2K10” and “DJ Hero”.

After their first exposure to the ads, the percentage of gamers visiting and searching Bing increased by 108 percent, according to Microsoft. In fact, two-thirds of the gamers who visited Bing after seeing the ad were visiting for the first time.

The recall rate of Microsoft’s ads was a surprisingly high 71 percent – and, according to the company, 60 percent of the gamers it spoke with said they had a more positive opinion of Bing after seeing the brand in a game.

Not every publisher has embraced in-game advertising yet, but if demand begins to outstrip supply, it’s likely a few will change their policies. 2009 and 2010 have been rough years for the video game industry, and publicly traded companies that turn down a lucrative income source will have investors calling for blood.

The trick to preventing a backlash among players comes down to two things: moderation and contextual placement. “Madden’s” willingness to grab ad dollars is documented above, but regardless of frequency, the ads have to make sense. A player exploring a mysterious world in another galaxy, for example, doesn’t want to see a Coke machine. In-game advertising almost died before it had a chance to take off since select publishers ignored those factors. Over time, the industry has become more disciplined, leading to the current revival.

Gamers may never fully embrace embedded ads, but no one thought it would work with television audiences, either. And look how big that ad market turned out to be.

by Mike Smith
September 9 11:31 A.M.

Starting this week, the Wii won’t be the only game console touting a motion control system. Sony’s Playstation Move hits stores on Sept. 17, bringing a new range of controllers and an accompanying selection of motion-enabled games to the Playstation 3. We've spent some quality time with the system; since we're guessing you've got questions, here are a few answers.
How is this different than the Wii?

In theory, it’s not. This is Sony’s response to the Wii’s success; Microsoft’s, named “Kinect,” will be out later this year.

But Move is considerably more advanced than the four year-old Wii control system. In addition to a suite of gyroscopic motion sensors, Move can employ head-tracking, voice recognition, and positional tracking of the controller. It’s unquestionably more accurate, more sensitive, and more high-tech...but in the end, it’s all about getting you playing games that have you jumping about in front of your TV.

Like the Wii.


What do you need to get started?

At the very least, you’ll need one Move controller -- the one with the colorful sphere on the end -- a Playstation Eye camera, and a Move-compatible game. Coincidentally, that’s exactly what Sony is offering in its main Move bundle, which includes a controller, a camera, and flagship game Sports Champions. If you want to get the most out of the system, though, budget another $50 for a second Move controller. Some games work best with one in each hand, to say nothing of the two-player possibilities.

If you’re the type who has to have everything, Sony’s also selling what it calls a “Move navigational controller," though it’s really just a trimmed-down Playstation pad that fits in one hand. It doesn’t have motion sensing capabilities, but it is just right for controlling games like first-person shooters. There’s also a charging station that’ll fit two Move controllers, although they also charge over USB just like a regular PS3 pad.


How much is it?

The basic Move bundle -- which we recommend, unless you already have a Playstation Eye camera -- costs just shy of $100. Separately, one Move controller retails for $50, while the optional navigational controller is $30. Most of the launch games are $40.


How do you set it up?

It won’t take long: if you can set up a Wii, you can set up Move.

Tuck the camera either above or below your TV, pair the controllers with your PS3, and, uh, you’re done. Every time you play, you’ll have to do a brief calibration dance -- hold the controller up by your shoulder, down by your side, point it at your belt buckle, do the hokey-pokey and turn yourself around -- but that’ll be second nature in no time.

Why does it have a glowing ball on the end?
For starters, because it looks cool. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that.

The camera uses that glowing orb to pin down the controller’s location in 3D space. It lights up when the controller’s in use in a color that will best stand out against the background, which helps greatly with its accuracy. Additionally, some games can flash the ball different colors to give you feedback. One thing to note: if you get your body between the controller and the camera or do anything else that obstructs its view of the glowing ball, you’ll confuse the system.



How well does it work?

Remarkably well. If you’ve been disappointed by the Wii’s sensitivity with sword-fighting games like Red Steel, Sony’s system is what you’ve been waiting for. Compared to the Wii, it’s seriously impressive how sensitive Move is to even the smallest of motions. There’s no perceptible lag, and none of that characteristic wobbliness of the cursor you see on the Wii. In short, Move is the real deal; it delivers on the promise of motion control in a way the Wii has never managed.