I don’t know about you, but whenever I pick up my Wii remote I have the uncontrollable urge to make stabbing motions at whoever is in the room with me. Alright, that’s not true at all. I usually have the urge to swing it around like a light saber or use them as make shift nunchuks. Thats all in good fun, right? Yes! It appears that the Wii controller doesn’t contribute to higher aggression in players according to a new study conduced at Villanova University. Go figure!

The study used Manhunt 2 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 to gauge the 118 volunteers (68 female and 50 males). The volunteers underwent a test for psychoticism before and after playing the games with the Wii motion controls or standard controls. Dr. Patrick Markey, the man behind the study, concluded that motion controls did not raise aggression in players anymore than good ol’ fashioned button mashing. The test also concluded that violent videogames have more impact on people predisposed to higher levels of psychoticism.

It’s nice to continually see studies that debunk what some of the anti-gaming lobbing types clutch to. I know Jack Thompson is gone (for now) but this issue is far from dead. There will still be lobbying against violent videogames, and we have to remain vigilant and stop it. I may have blasted enough virtual people/creatures in my lifetime to populate a large country, but I have never once thought about taking another person’s life or seriously harming them for that matter. We can’t and shouldn’t let a few crazies in the world ruin it for the rest of us.

Satirical rock band Tenacious D, featuring Jack Black and Kyle Gass, will be on Xbox Live November 20 to play with members in Rock Band 2 and to celebrate the recent release of The Complete Masterworks 2 DVD . If you’re a Gold member, and you want a chance to play with Tenacious D, send a friend request to the Gamertags JBTenacious and KGTenacious and be sure to be online early–and this means by 7:30 p.m. EST (4:30 PST).

The Complete Masterworks 2 DVD of Tenacious D is a follow-up to the group’s first platinum-selling DVD. The new 2-disc DVD includes a full-length live concert of the band at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, a one-hour documentary about the making of their movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny and bonus features including music videos and the band’s appearances on the MTV Awards, Saturday Night Live, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Xbox Live Game With Fame featuring Tenacious D

WHEN: November 20th

TIME: 5:30PM to 7:30PM (PST)

GAME: Rock Band 2

GAMERTAG: JBTenacious, KGTenacious

If you get a chance to play with Tenacious D, we want to hear about it–so send us an email or post something about your experience in the comments section below. If you can get screenshots of you going up against Tenacious D, we will even post them here on Gaming Today.

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• Rock Band 2 to Get All of Rock Band 1's Disc Tracks
• New Rock Band Screenshots

I live in a rather small city that is not large enough to attract bigger name events. While we do get Snoop Dogg on the rare occasion, any tour with limited stops does not grace us with their presence. That is why I haven’t had the pleasure of attending Video Games Live, an one-of-a-kind immersive experience featuring music from the most recognizable and iconic video games of all time. Thousands of people have enjoyed this event that initially debuted back in 2005 but if you haven’t made your way there yet, you can live vicariously through the following write-up. Enjoy Halcylon’s tale of his recent adventures at Video Games Live. I’m pretty sure it’s the next best thing to actually being there.

When I was told that my birthday gift from my friend Cathy would be extraordinary, I had no idea what I could be in for. Strippers? Boob jobs for all the girls I know? I had no idea… until I saw the ticket for Video Games Live.

I couldn’t believe it! Any excuse is a good excuse to go to the famous Chicago Theatre, but now there was an added bonus of listening to video game-themed music live! I had heard of this concert through word of mouth and made a promise to myself to go some time. For the past three years, however, I’ve failed to follow up with it. This year, thanks to the tenacity of my friend and my overdeveloped love for video games, I went.

I walked in expecting somewhat of a crowd… what I found was that the entire theatre (over 3,600 seats) was sold out and everyone was there early to partake in pre-show entertainment, products, drinks, and booths. I was floored! I had expected some fun things, but this was something else all together – much like PAX or Wizard World. There was merchandise for sale, arcade games to play, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contests, and booths for viewing. The booths were provided by the sponsors, Flashpoint Academy and Razor Zone, both of which are local in Chicago. They had samples of their products and services with ad placement during the actual show. They were packed. We didn’t even think twice about elbowing through the masses, trying to get in line for merch or the booths. We were there for one thing and one thing only – Video Game BGM!

So we went in, or up, rather. Our seats were front and center in the balcony; not that seating is ever an issue in the Chicago Theatre— all the seats are great! This did, however, give us a wonderful view down into and over the Metropolis Orchestra. We were even able to see the choir in the back while keeping a clear view of the main screen that hung above them all. Then… it started.

The lights went down, the crowd roared, and the screen lit up. Two parallel lines on either side with a square cube bouncing in between them appeared. Pong. At first, the sounds seemed like they weren’t from the game. They seemed… real. And then I saw it – or heard it rather. The orchestra was simulating the bouncing, paddling, and scoring of the game! It lasted for a few minutes and then all hell broke loose. A montage of classic arcade games roared across the screen as the orchestra kept pace and sound with every image we saw. Defender, Tron, Frogger… they were all there in their 8-bit glory! It was amazing to see so many games that I had forgotten reborn in a symphonic rendition that didn’t disappoint. When that ended, one of the creators of VGL, Tommy Tallarico, came out on stage, microphone a blazing. He greeted us and introduced the Metropolis Orchestra and his best friend and co-creator/ conductor Jack Wall – both members of Mythical Stone Entertainment. Within moments of being on stage, he explained to us that this wasn’t going to be a normal night at the Chicago Theatre. Not only did he explain it, but he made us feel it. We knew we were there as a part of this epic event. After all, if it weren’t for us playing games and loving the game music “we wouldn’t be here”, Tommy said. Telling us how important it was to cheer and shout when we heard something we liked was only the beginning of the involvement we were to be privy to.

This was to be the first of many microphone moments Tommy would do, but that did not detract from the fun and entertainment that followed. After a few segments of games, including Zelda and God of War, Tommy returned to the stage to bring up contest winners to participate in a live version of Space Invaders – one where the winner had to run back and forth on stage to avoid being hit – and later Tommy brought up the winner of the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contest to play live with the Orchestra and Tommy himself riffing to Sweet Emotion.

Fucking awesome is right! I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having cheering for the winner while he played the song on EXPERT. After a quick stint of other games, the composers lent the stage to savant pianist Martin Leung. If you are racking your brains why that may be a familiar name, go to youtube.com and view the video that has over forty million downloads of this man playing a Super Mario tribute blindfolded. He showered us with his solo pianist skills – yes I said it – and we listened intently as he played melodies from Tetris and Super Mario Bros. Then, when he was done, Tommy brought out the one thing that could make it better: a blindfold. Martin proceeded to play again blindfolded. It was unreal and perfectly executed— one of those “You had to have been there” moments!

As the night wore on, we listened to the World of Warcraft opus, the sequel to StarCraft, Starcraft II (complete with game footage and concept art), Civilization IV’s Baba Yetu, and of course Kingdom Hearts. It was nothing short of amazing to hear these games. All I could do is sit staring in amazement as my mind flooded with all the memories of the great games that have come and gone in my life – Sonic the Hedgehog, ToeJam and Earl, and the Metal Gear series. It gave me goose bumps to hear songs I’d forgotten and left behind as I moved onto newer games, but nothing prepared me for the finale.

First, they brought a man on stage named Michael Salvatori. Sound familiar? It should. Go google Michael’s name and Bungie. Michael gave us a preview of what was to finish the night by showing us how to chant as a monk. Hint, hint? After a brief introduction, Tommy let the roaring crowd die down and looked at us intensely while introducing the final song of the evening with these simple words, “They call this game… Halo!”

In a roar of cheers and whistles, the choir began the chants and was followed by a seven minute montage of all three Halo games being joined by all the cut scenes from the games on the screen. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end as I held onto every note and vocal. It was nothing short of amazing.

At night’s end, after two surprise encores (Final Fantasy VII and Castlevania), we found ourselves in line with most of the crowd waiting for the meet and greet. The conductors and creators we viewed for three hours stayed deep into the night to shake hands and autograph photos for anyone willing to stay. And stay we did. After a few photos and autographs, my need to play every game that I have was too great and we left… totally satisfied.

So what did I think of Video Games Live Chicago? Without hesitation, this is something I will be investing an evening in watching every time they are back here in Chi-Town. I was in awe of the dedication of Jack and Tom and the talent of their genius to produce accurate and fun renditions of our most cherished moments in gaming. If you have an opportunity to see this show, you would do yourself a service to go. Go in costume, go buy shirts, go and have a time that you will never forget.

-by Halcylon

Almost no one I talk to in the industry has played it.

And those who have played it, well… they’re not talking.

Yesterday, however, I interviewed Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales and marketing, Cammie Dunaway, and she was ready to spill.

See?

Cammie Dunaway: I played the demo. They had it at one of the events for our merchandisers. I got to figure out how to do a little tattoo.

Multiplayer: Did you jack any cars? Did you knock over any lemonade stands?

Dunaway: [laughing] I didn’t do so well. But I had fun.

***

Okay, readers. That’s all I got from Cammie on the topic. She was moving on to talk about how she’s excited to play “Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.” I warned her that it was hard. Then I apologized for maybe sounding condescending.

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Gallery: Animal Crossing: City Folk

Animal Crossing: City Jack O' Lanterns originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ads by Google

Check out the Patapon 2 demo on the Japanese Store. What is up with the pricing in the Dead Space & Need for Speed Undercover DLC?? Are you getting the LittleBigPlanet costumes on the NA store today?

DEMOS

► Neverland Card Battles
○ PSP
○ 72MB

GAMES

► Age of Booty
○ $9.99

ADD-ONS

► FIFA 09
○ Commentary Packs (x15)

► Guitar Hero: World Tour
○ Jimi Hendrix Track Pack ($5.49)
♪ “If 6 Was 9”
♪ “Little Wing”
♪ “Fire” (live)

○ REM Track Pack ($5.49 or $1.99 per song)
♪ “Supernatural Superserious”
♪ “Horse to Water”
♪ “Man-sized Wreath”

► Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
○ Costume Pack ($2.99)

► LittleBigPlanet
○ Sack-Eating Plant
○ MotorStormer ($1.99)
○ Animal Costumes Pack ($2.99 or $0.99 per costume)
- Lilly Pad ($.99)
- Hugo ($.99)
- Great Blue ($.99)
- Frost-E ($.99)

► Need for Speed Undercover
○ Muscle Car Bundle ($5.00)
○ Exotic Car Bundle ($7.50)
○ Tuner Car Bundle ($5.00)
○ Street Power Bundle ($2.25)
○ Race Power Bundle ($3.00)
○ Pro Power Bundle ($3.75)
○ Street Handling Bundle ($1.75)
○ Race Handling Bundle ($2.25)
○ Pro Handling Bundle ($2.75)
○ Ultimate Performance Bundle ($10.00)
○ Aftermarket Body Kit Package ($2.00)
○ Aftermarket Hoods, Spoilers & Exhaust Package ($2.00)
○ Aftermarket Wheels Package ($2.00)
○ Paint & Vinyls Package ($2.00)
○ Ultimate Visual Bundle ($5.00)
○ Collector’s Edition Upgrade ($10.00)

► Pain
○ Movie Studio ($5.99)
○ The Hoff ($1.99)

► Rock Band
○ “The Colour and the Shape” - Foo Fighters ($19.99 or $1.99 per song)
♪ “Doll”
♪ “Monkey Wrench”
♪ “Hey, Johnny Park!”
♪ “My Poor Brain”
♪ “Wind Up”
♪ “Up in Arms”
♪ “My Hero”
♪ “See You”
♪ “Enough Space”
♪ “February Stars”
♪ “Walking After You”
♪ “New Way Home”

► Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
○ Multiplayer Maps The Elemental
○ Multiplayer Maps The Terrestrial ($1.25)

► Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
○ Character Pack 1 ($4.99)

VIDEOS

► Alpha Protocol
○ CG Trailer

► Guitar Hero World Tour
○ Zakk Wylde Vignette

► Soul Calibur IV
○ Gameplay Preview Trailer

► WWE SmackDown vs.Raw 2009
○ Trailer

MOVIE TRAILERS

► Blu ray
○ BD-Live Educational Demo Trailer
○ The Chronicles of Narina: Prince Caspian Trailer
○ Wall-E Trailer

GAMES

► PSP
○ FIFA 09 (€39,99)
○ The Cube (£15.99)

ADD-ONS

► Dead Space
○ Astronaut Pack (€2,99)
○ Big Gun Pack (€0,99)
○ Heavy Damage Pack (€2,99)
○ Hot Rod Pack (€0,99)
○ Military Pack (€3,99)
○ Pedestrian Pack (€1,49)
○ Scorpion Pack (€3,99)
○ Scorpion Weapon Pack (€1,99)
○ Speed Kills Pack (€1,99)
○ Tank Pack (€3,99)
○ Obsidian Weapon Skin Pack (€1,49)
○ Obsidian Pack (€2,99)

► Everybody’s Golf World Tour
○ Costume Pack (€3,99)

► Guitar Hero: World Tour
♪ “Another Way To Die” - Jack White & Alicia Keys (€1,99)

○ Jimi Hendrix Track Pack (€5,99)
♪ “If 6 Was 9”
♪ “Little Wing”
♪ “Fire” (live)

○ Oasis Track Pack (€5,99 or €1,99 per song)
♪ “Waiting for the Rapture”
♪ “The Shock of the Lightning”
♪ “Bag It Up”

○ REM Track Pack (€5,99 or €1,99 per song)
♪ “Supernatural Superserious”
♪ “Horse to Water”
♪ “Man-sized Wreath”

► LittleBigPlanet
○ SCEE Contest Winner: Sack-Eating Plant
○ Animals Costumes Pack (€2,99 or €0,99 per costume)
- Lilly Pad (kikker)
- Hugo (gorilla)
- Great Blue (haai)
- Frost-E (penguin)

► PAIN
○ David Hasselhoff Pack (£1.19)
○ Movie Studio Pack (£3.99)

► Rock Band
○ “The Colour and the Shape” - Foo Fighters (€14,99 or €1,49 per song)
♪ “Doll”
♪ “Monkey Wrench”
♪ “Hey, Johnny Park!”
♪ “My Poor Brain”
♪ “Wind Up”
♪ “Up in Arms”
♪ “My Hero”
♪ “See You”
♪ “Enough Space”
♪ “February Stars”
♪ “Walking After You”
♪ “New Way Home”

► Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
○ Multiplayer Maps The Elemental
○ Multiplayer Maps The Terrestrial (€0,99)

► Star Wars The Force Unleashed
○ Character Pack #1 (£6.29)

► Soulcalibur IV
○ Customize Parts 1 (€0,99)
○ Customize Parts 2 (€1,99)
○ Customize Parts 3 (€1,99)
○ Customize Parts 4 (€0,99)
○ Customize Parts 5 (€0,99)

VIDEOS

► BioShock 2
○ Teaser Trailer

► MotorStorm Pacific Rift
○ Air Zone trailer

► Shaun White Snowboarding
○ ESPN Trailer

► Soulcalibur IV
○ Combo Play Trailer
○ Guest Characters

► Tom Clancy’s EndWar
○ Rank Promotions Briefing

► Tomb Raider Underworld
○ Beneath The Surface trailer 3

► Shoot!
○ Trailer
○ Trailer “Hands”
○ Trailer “Bitter”
○ Trailer “8.3 Minutes”
○ Trailer “The Dreaming”
○ Trailer “Prison Food”

THEMES & WALLPAPERS

► Wallpapers
○ Far Cry 2

► Themes
○ Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

DEMOS

► Patapon 2
○ PSP
○ 87MB

► World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009
○ 1482 MB

GAMES

► PSOne (¥600 each)
○ Front Mission 1st
○ Building Crush
○ Land Maker
○ Touki Denshou ~Angel Eyes~

ADD-ONS

► LittleBigPlanet
○ Toro Costume (¥200)
○ Sack-Eating Plant
○ Animal Costumes Pack (¥300 or ¥100 per costume)
- Frog
- Gorilla
- Shark
- Penguin

VIDEOS

► Samurai 3
○ Promotional Movie

► White Knight Chronicles
○ TGS 2008 Special Movie
○ Live Part Movie

► World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009
○ Opening Movie

THEMES & WALLPAPERS

► PSP
○ Kenka Banchou 3: Zenkoku Seiha Theme

NeoGAF

Tags: PS3, PLAYSTATION 3, PlayStation Store Update

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