Hijinks Inc.

Category: Video Games

  • Your order is on its way

    Those were the beautiful 6 words that filled the subject line of the email I received from Best Buy a few hours ago. The best part is that I haven’t ordered anything from Best Buy since I pre-ordered Halo 3 almost 6 months ago. I knew that September 25 was the release date, and that it was just around the corner, but something about that warm, fuzzy email alerting me of all the awesome gaming I’m about to encounter just really filled me with glee. And I wanted to share that with you.

    There, now that I’ve shared that glee, you may now return to your previously scheduled activities.

  • Penny Arcade creaters make fun of people, rake in cash.

    Or so says the month old article I read in Wired. How much? If we had to guess, we’d say over a million a year.

    Mike and Jerry (or Gabe and Tycho as you might better know them) have their own clothing line, their own video game (to be released sometime in 2008), and their own own game con. Prompting their ascent to the lofty position of video game potentates.

    Krahulik and Holkins make a comfortable living from the strip, what with 55 million monthly pageviews driving online advertising and merchandising. They have a full-time staff of 10. They oversee a charity that has given $2.2 million worth of toys and games to children’s hospitals since 2003. And in late August, their annual convention — the Penny Arcade Expo — will attract 30,000 visitors, making it the largest game conference in the US.

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  • Think you’re already sick of Halo 3 hype?

    With it’s own flavor of mountain dew, dedicated check-out lines in Wal-mart, and a million dollar diorama depicting a fake battle, you might be tired of Halo 3 hype by now. Or maybe we all should be thankful it hasn’t gone any further. From Reuters:

    Items that did not make the cut were a “Halo”-themed lottery ticket, lingerie modeled after a female hologram character and toy guns based the game’s weapons. Instead, fans can expect high-quality action figures from McFarlane Toys, a tabletop game from WizKids Inc and replica weapons for mature buyers.

    Interesting to note that the article does not rule out Master Chief boxers. Finish the fight. Believe.

    “Halo” no longer just a game for Microsoft

  • Bioshock

    I really didn’t know much about Bioshock when it came out. I’d seen the commercial and glanced at a couple of previews, but that was pretty much it (I knew so little about the game, I thought you played as the dude on the front cover, with the auger hand). I downloaded and played the demo on Xbox Live and was intrigued. Then, after I read a couple of reviews that gave it a 9.9 and a perfect 10, I figured I needed to give it a try. After playing it for awhile, I have 2 words to say “Holy crap!”

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  • Been there, done that, now you can get the t-shirt!

    As a new member of the Red Ring of Death club, I found this to be amusing. A company called Split Reason has gone and slapped that bad boy on a t-shirt and paired it with a quote from the computer in 2001. Of course, I’m twisted enough that my first thought was that I should buy one and give it to my wife.

    And you’ve gotta love the explanation they give for the Red Ring of Death: “If you’re not careful, your 360 may jettison you out an air-lock. The red ring of death is just the first sign that something has gone terribly wrong and not only will you not be playing any games, your 360 may rebel and simply kill you.”