Sonic, Mario face off in Olympics 2008 game
When we were kids, Nintendo's competition wasn't coming from Sony and Microsoft. Before consoles went 3-D, it was Nintendo vs. Sega. Mario was the most recognized name in video games but a blue hedgehog named Sonic was increasing in popularity almost as fast as the little guy could run.
It's over a decade later, and for the first time ever, they're going to appear in the same game. Nintendo and Sega announced last week their famous mascots plus a cast of sidekicks (which include Luigi, Yoshi, Tails and Knuckles) will battle it out in a video game for the Nintendo Wii and DS-themed around the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Events include swimming, table tennis and the 100-meter dash.
"Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games," Mario-creator Shigeru Miyamoto told GameSpot.com Wednesday.
"Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?"
Well, unless Mario takes out Sonic's knees with a pipe, probably Sonic. But anything's possible in a video game.
Mexicans trade in guns for Xbox systems
In a move that to Hillary Clinton might seem counterintuitive, Mexico is attempting to stop gun violence with video games, according to Reuters.
Police in Tepito, Mexico are offering gun owners video game systems in exchange for their weapons as part of a new push against drug violence.
Seventeen guns were traded in on the first day, a police spokesman told Reuters.
A small gun can be exchanged for cash or an Xbox, the article said, though it's unclear whether the Microsoft game system in question is the original Xbox or the new 360. A larger weapon, such as a machine gun, can be exchanged for a computer worth $769. The weapons will be destroyed by the army and the happy new Xbox owners are promised anonymity.
Final Fantasy XIII may not be PS3 exclusive
On the heels of a Capcom announcement that "Devil May Cry 4" is no longer exclusive to the Sony PlayStation 3, a Sony France executive told French newspaper Les Derni?res Nouvelles d'Alsace that Square-Enix's next "Final Fantasy" game may also appear on other video game systems.
"The development costs of games have exploded, and it has become more difficult to have exclusives, outside of our own games," he told the paper. "As far as Final Fantasy XIII goes, I can tell you that the exclusivity is in discussion."
With the exception of the online multiplayer "Final Fantasy XI," new titles in Square-Enix's popular RPG series have been exclusive to Sony systems since "Final Fantasy VII" on the original PlayStation. Before that, "Final Fantasy" games appeared only on Nintendo consoles.
PS3s 'fold' for a cure
Thousands of PlayStation 3 systems are combining processing power in a process called folding to do research to find cures for various diseases. More than 30,000 PS3 owners have volunteered to join Stanford University's Folding@home since its launch in the March 23 PS3 1.60 firmware update. The PS3s are working to discover the causes of Alzheimer's, cancer, cystic fibrosis and other diseases.
Computer users can also participate in Folding@home. More than 160,000 Windows machines, 13,000 Macs, 25,000 Linux machines, and 800 GPU chips are currently participating in Stanford's program.
-ADAM BENDER
