The Gaian Record International Lite- November 2K6

[SkyeGear]

Gaian Record International, November 2006, Editor-in-Chief: Gear-Richie, Est. November 2004

Playstation 3 Release results in injury for customers
Upon release of the console, customers are stabbed, shot, and beat up

Following the limited release of Sony's newest console, the Playstation 3, several incidences of violence have broken out as a result of the low numbers of the system available. Reports from all over the country indicate stabbings, shootings, and physical abuse. In some stores, the size of the crowds were so large, incidences of trampling were reported.
When two armed robbers demanded money of a crowd in Connecticut, a man resisted, resulting in him being shot. His condition is stable, according to MSNBC news.
In Sullivan, Indiana, a man was stabbed while he and an accomplice attempted to rob another man of a PS3 for which he had been waiting 26 hours, according to Yahoo! News and the AP.
In Fresno, California, two people were arrested as a result of a number of people being trampled in a parking lot while trying to get to the PS3 release, according to Yahoo! News and the AP.
In Seattle, a robber attempted to steal a PS3 console from another man, who fought back. According to MSNBC, the man was injured, his tooth protruding through his lip. However, when the man was asked if the injury was worth it, he responded with, "Definitely." The man had to receive stitches for the injury.
This incident is often compared to similar effects of the release of the XBox 360. With the release of the Nintendo Wii on the 20th of this month, this type of behavior may be expected to be repeated, but with the higher number of consoles available, the general audience Nintendo reaches to, and the number of people out to get a console, it is expected to a lesser degree.

Gaian user Azurada contributed to this report.

 

[GRInternational]

Staff Writers:[ily], xkagamix, Panda Puppet, Ryoko Kitsune, Endert, Smartie of the Soul

Nintendo strikes back
Nintendo uses motion-sensitive techniques to try and win over the video gaming community.

Some of the biggest buzzes in the non-international news circuits is the release of two major video gaming consoles by two of the three biggest video gaming companies: Sony's PlayStation 3, and Nintendo's Wii.
In recent years, Sony and Microsoft, with their XBox and Xbox 360 consoles, have dominated the market on video games, using action and strategy-type games, leaving Nintendo in the dust. But Nintendo as of late has been retaliating using puzzles and mental games, mixed with adventure titles and classic games. While Nintendo's GameBoy consoles have typically done better than most other handheld videogame conoles, Sony's Playstation Portable, or PSP, has given the company a run for its money. But it's been reported that Nintendo's Dual Screen, or DS, has well handled the threat of the PSP. With touch-screen technology, WI-FI capabilities, classic titles such as Super Mario and Star Fox, and new puzzle-style games like Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, the NDS has proven Nintendo to be a leader in the handheld gaming area.
As for the large consoles, Nintendo has a long history of being very revolutionary with theirs. First introducing the Super Famicom (NES) in the 80s, then the Nintendo 64 being the first console to use a control stick, Nintendo has kept itself alive by creating new gaming styles, as well as cashing in on its classic games that never seem to die.

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The Nintendo Wii, the latest console to be released, features a motion-sensitive controller that is designed to be swung like a tennis racket or sword, and reeled in like a fishing pole, making gaming more immersive. Nintendo also took the time to have The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess be a launch title. With Zelda being one of Nintendo's most popular series, this pushes the Wii forward further. Also, with the promise of Super Smash Bros. Brawl to be released soon, more and more "Nintendophiles" are being drawn into purchasing this system.
Although the graphics and processing speed aren't exactly comparable to the other two systems, the Wii has a few more features that will help its popularity. For starters, gamers can connect to the Internet and download classic video games that are seldom seen anymore. Also, this is Nintendo's first time (outside of the GameBoy and DS) having a console be backwards compatable, as the Wii can also play GameCube disks. And at 250 USD, the Wii is significantly less expensive than the other systems. Furthermore, with the easier control method, non-gamers can pick it up and play without having to make sure they hit R and Y at the same time to grab, and a hundred other complicated button combinations.
With all this information put together, this reporter has hope for the Nintendo Wii going far, and bringing Nintendo back to being the force it once was, and should be.

The opinions presented in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not represent the views of the Gaian Record International, its staff or affiliates, or the Gaia Online staff.  

[Jasmine Perishing]

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