Nine-year-old Murdered over Tony Hawk: Ride Video Game

Written on January 4, 2010 at 3:57 pm, by Richard Rodriguez

9-year old boy murdered during late-night video game session.

The New York Daily News reports that 9-year-old Anthony Maldonado was stabbed in Harlem early Saturday morning during a late night video gaming session in his uncle’s home. The boy was playing Tony Hawk: Ride when Alejandro Morales, 25, stabbed the boy to death at approximately 3:30 a.m.

While the motivation of the killing is unclear, the boy’s grandfather, Antonio Juela, 59, said that “My grandson died over a video game.” The Daily News story suggests that there was some sort of dispute over the game, which ultimately led to the stabbing. Police say there were multiple stab wounds, that the boys face was slashed and that there was bruising present on the boy’s arms, possibly hinting at a struggle prior to the stabbing.

Maldonado was staying at his Uncle’s house over the holidays, enjoying his new Playstation 3. The uncle, Carlos Juela, 31, went to sleep and Maldonado played the game with three other brothers–one of whom was Morales–that are not related to the family. At approximately 3 a.m. the other two brothers went to get food and while they were out, the killing occurred. The uncle did confirm that Morales was living at the house and was a family friend.

Morales’ mother told Maldonado’s mother, Dolores Juela, 35, that her son did commit the crime and she said that her son “was sick.” Carlos Juela also commented that “he doesn’t act right on the street but he always minded his manners in the house.” Morales has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon.

For more on this story, you can read the New York Daily News article here.

FriiBoard shipping in early December

Written on December 1, 2009 at 2:02 am, by James Fudge

Swiit Game Gear will ship its very first Wii Balance Board product, the FriiBoard, in early December and is currently accepting pre-orders for the device on its official web site – www.swiitgamegear.com. Pre-orders taken before Dec. 1, 2009 will receive free shipping.

So just was is a “FriiBoard” and what does it do to enhance Wii Balance Board-based games? Well according to the web site it slides under your Balance Board to provide a deeper freedom of movement in games that support the Wii peripheral including the new Shaun White and Tony Hawk games, Skate It, We Ski and Snowboard, and more.

FriiBoard promises to give the Balance Board the much needed ability to pitch in any direction, mimicking the real movements associated with riding a skateboard, snowboard, or pair of skis. The only concern consumers may have is the danger of falling over because the balance board is no longer a flat surface with this device under it.

You can learn more about the FriiBoard by checking out the link above.

Glue Mobile secures top Activision titles

Written on June 24, 2009 at 3:05 pm, by James Fudge

Glu Mobile announced plans to release a Modern Warfare 2 mobile game, published as part of the company’s expanded partnership with Activision Publishing, . The mobile title will be available in Q4 2009 and will be published worldwide for carriers and application stores that support Android, Blackberry, BREW, J2ME and Windows Mobile.

Glu did not disclose much about the game, save that they love Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 and will build upon what it delivers later this year.

The company also announced plans to release some other high profile Activision-related mobile games later this year. Games in the works for various mobile platforms include Crash Mutant Island (Q3 2009) Blur, Guitar Hero 5 and Tony Hawk: RIDE – available in Q4 2009. The titles will be published worldwide for carriers and application stores that support Android, Blackberry, BREW, J2ME and Windows Mobile.

Tony Hawk: RIDE it for real

Written on May 18, 2009 at 6:26 pm, by James Fudge

Tony Hawk: RIDE will allow skate fans, for the first time, to physically play the game using a motion sensing skateboard controller (pictured above). Tony Hawk: RIDE features a wireless skateboard controller designed in conjunction with the game to offer an experience built from the ground up.

Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the controller allegedly allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game. Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, gamers of all skill levels can literally step on the board and play, says Activision.

Tony Hawk: RIDE is in development by Robomodo for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Buzz Monkey is developing the Wii system version. More details at www.THRide.com.