Joystiq

PSA: Swine flu cases confirmed at PAX

Justin McElroy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:13:00 EST

Important note for PAX attendees only: Okay, before we get into this, you have to promise us you're not going to panic. Promise? Okay. Some people who attended PAX have been stricken by confirmed cases of swine flu. So, if you were there, and you start feeling sick (like many apparently have), don't freak out, but ~~do go to your doctor right away~~. [Update: According to the CDC's latest advice, you need only go to the doctor if you're in a high risk group or have really severe symptoms. You can read all the advisement here, and thanks to Nori for setting us straight.]

There's a list of flights over at Penny Arcade of those with confirmed cases so, if you attended, make sure you check that out. But whether or not yours appears there, you need to keep an eye on your health, okay? Don't freak out, just be smart.

Important note for non-PAX attendees only: Okay, we're going to have to be smart about this thing if we're going to survive it. If you know someone who went to PAX, it's very sad, but they're dead now. You hear us? DEAD. We don't care if your own brother is banging down your door asking for NyQuil, you just keep telling yourself, "That must be the wind. It can't be Griffin, because he's dead."

Also, invest in power armor.

PSA: Swine flu cases confirmed at PAX originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead Rising 2 skips PAX, shambles to TGS

David Hinkle — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST

Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, apparently, as MTV Multiplayer revealed that the company will not bring Dead Rising 2 to upcoming PAX (or Games Con, either). Instead, Chris Kramer, senior director of communications, revealed that the next glimpse of the game will be at the Tokyo Game Show, in late September.

We tracked down Kramer ourselves and asked him what the deal was. He said he couldn't provide us with anything other than to expect something on the game around TGS. We further inquired why the title would be missing PAX, but Kramer remained tight-lipped. We have a feeling the game is skipping the show because Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, and not because Dead Rising 2 is a bad game or anything. Duct-taping chainsaws to dirtbikes and killing zombies with them sounds like the opposite of bad to us.

Dead Rising 2 skips PAX, shambles to TGS originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Dead Rising 2 trailer gets gritty

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:00:00 EST

Though we're not going to be seeing Dead Rising 2 at E3 this week due to Swine Flu concerns, Capcom has apparently released a brand new trailer just before the show to keep the game fresh in our rotted, bloodthirsty minds.

To be Frank, the newest trailer paints a sincerely more serious picture of Dead Rising 2, replete with zombies eating dudes' necks and a whole mess of slow zombie shambling. Unfortunately, as the game is sitting out this week's events, you're just going to have to make due with the newest video, just after the break.

Gallery: Dead Rising 2

Continue reading E3 2009: Dead Rising 2 trailer gets gritty

E3 2009: Dead Rising 2 trailer gets gritty originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 31 May 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Japanese companies not attending E3 over Swine Flu concerns

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:00 EST

No, we can't believe we just wrote that headline either. And according to scattered reports (and a variety of phone calls we made this afternoon), it's the unfortunate truth: Some Japanese developers and producers are canceling their trips to E3 2009 due to Swine Flu worries. Capcom's Keiji Inafune and his game, Dead Rising 2, will both be missing. (This isn't the first time Inafune is canceling a trip.) Develop is also reporting that Square Enix and Koei will be canceling some employees' flights, with the Kingdom Hearts team and "an unspecified number of [Koei's] Japanese employees" taking the hit.

We asked Tecmo if there would be a change in its lineup at E3, to which a company rep assured, "No. Our content is still scheduled to be there and everything on the show floor, if not by the staff that's scheduled to fly in from Japan, it'll be demonstrated by our own staff from the US office." Tecmo also said producers for its upcoming lineup are still scheduled to appear alongside their titles. "As of today, we've been told our producers will still be in attendance." Konami declined comment as of press time and the ESA (E3's governing body and financial supporter) has yet to respond to our inquiries. As it stands, it looks like we'll be waiting 'til PAX 2009 or even the Tokyo Game Show to get our hands on Dead Rising 2.

Some Japanese companies not attending E3 over Swine Flu concerns originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inafune skips Nordic Game conference due to swine flu restrictions

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:00 EST

Capcom Producer Keiji Inafune won't be pigging out on fine Swedish meatballs at the Nordic Game conference, due to swine flu concerns. GI.biz reports a Nordic Games spokesperson was informed that Capcom has a "corporate policy restricting foreign travel" during the current media-hyped pandemic. Capcom also mentioned that a dog ate Inafune's plane ticket ... not really, but it's just as viable an excuse.

Taking Inafune's spot at the conference will be Team 17's Martyn Brown. So, the guy with a severe case of Worms is taking over for the one afraid of catching piggy flu?

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Inafune skips Nordic Game conference due to swine flu restrictions originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swine Flu-based games becoming an internet pandemic

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:15:00 EST

A GamePolitics article recently turned our attention to two new Flash-based titles based on every news outlet's current infatuation: Swine Flu. The first is noteworthy because it's actually pretty fun -- originally titled Sneeze but now going by the more timely moniker Stop Swine Flu, the game tasks you with spreading a disease among a crowded area by sneezing on as many folks as possible. Though the game was commissioned by uber-charity Wellcome Trust, it's caught a bit of flack from critics for awarding points for infecting toddlers. It's definitely worth checking out.

The other game is also noteworthy, but only because it doesn't make a freaking lick of sense. In Swine Flu: Hamdemic, players must slingshot infected pigs across the U.S. - Mexico border, using a six-shooter to keep said pork suspended in the air. Ah, yes. Of course. The origins of this potent malady have at long last been discovered.

Swine Flu-based games becoming an internet pandemic originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 May 2009 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swine Flu worries? Ian Bogost's Killer Flu will make you feel better

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:15:00 EST

A few months back, Ian Bogost and his studio, Persuasive Games, were tasked with creating a game for the UK Clinical Virology Network to teach folks about seasonal and pandemic flus. Named Killer Flu, the game operates on a hexagonal board and, while learning about how to infect a populace by playing as the flu itself, the player is tasked with infecting various community members and sending them into buildings to infect their comrades.

His timeliness is incredible, considering only a few months have passed and we've nearly got a pandemic on our hands with the Swine Flu. Okay, okay, we're exaggerating a bit. If anything, Bogost's game schools our panic-inclined brains to the relative difficulty a virus faces in becoming an actual threat. "The truth is, pandemic flus are rare and unusual strains that are far harder to spread than popular discourse might make it seem," Bogost says in a post about the game on Gamasutra. So hard, in fact, that we lost repeatedly in our attempts to infect a decent chunk of the virtual population. Do yourself a favor: check out Killer Flu and assuage your worries about the upcoming apocalypse. Besides, we all know it's going to be zombies that do us in. Come on now!

[Via GamePolitics]

Swine Flu worries? Ian Bogost's Killer Flu will make you feel better originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 May 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swine Flu good for gaming in Mexico

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:00:00 EST

As if the rampant window plasticizing and complete blanketing of nighttime news with Swine Flu stories weren't bad enough, USA Today is reporting that Mexicans are flooding markets before a five-day quarantine begins in Mexico. The good news? People are renting games (and, ya know, buying other stuff) by the boatload, with the newspaper reporting "residents are snapping up DVDs, renting video games and stocking up on food."

We contacted a few American Blockbuster outlets and asked the folks on the other end of the line how business has been lately, and if they've seen an uptick in game rentals over the past couple of weeks. "No, actually, it seems kinda slow ... I guess maybe people are afraid to come out or something," we were told by an employee at the chain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Calling another store in Madison, Alabama yielded vastly different results, where an employee told us, "The past couple of days it's increased. I think it definitely has to do with the Swine Flu worries."

While these testimonials do little for our theory that more folks are renting games in the States for the same reason, it's quite possible that us brazen Americans are simply turning a blind eye to the clear signs of end times. Hell, we're still planning on going to E3 2009 and that's a month away! We could all be dead by then!

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Swine Flu good for gaming in Mexico originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 May 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite swine flu fears, E3 progressing as planned

Justin McElroy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:50:00 EST

Thanks to our chemical inability to modulate our level of fear, we've been in an utter, blind panic since the first time we heard "swine flu" mentioned. The ESA is a lot calmer than us, though, saying that planning for E3, which packs people from every continent into a single building like international sardines, continues without a hitch, despite travel warnings.

"The 2009 E3 Expo is progressing as planned. Public health officials are taking all appropriate steps and we continue to follow their direction on all measures," said ESA spokesman Dan Hewitt. "We look forward to a great event, and to seeing you in Los Angeles in June."

That's fine, Dan, be the very picture of calm. We're going to continue lining our windows with plastic wrap, if it's all the same to you.

Despite swine flu fears, E3 progressing as planned originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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