Archives for Sep 2nd, 2009
Look at all that juice: Gears of War 'Imulsion' energy drink
Ignore the fact that Gears of War's "Imulsion" wasn't meant for consumption and has mutagenic properties: some clever company is bottling the stuff and selling it as an "energy drink." Not only that, but at $4 (a can?) -- with $5 shipping -- we'd better see a Pendulum War break out from the ...
Former Tomb Raider director discusses highs and lows of Underworld
Meant to conclude the trilogy that began with the franchise's crucial and critically well-received reboot, Tomb Raider: Underworld ended not only Lara Croft's search for her mystically misplaced mother, but Eric Lindstrom's stint as creative director at Crystal Dynamics. He's spoken out on some ...
Ben Heck swaps 360 D-pad with buttons, world implodes
We're just going to come out and say it: Ben Heckendorn -- AKA Ben Heck -- has absolutely no respect for manufacturer warranties. The man cracks open every single piece of hardware he comes across, voiding warranties like blades of grass through a lawnmower. Case in point: observe his latest ...
Spelunker HD explores PSN in America
The PSN remake of Spelunker is ready to explore the dark, cavernous recesses of your console when it makes its way to America, courtesy of Tozai. GamerBytes reports that the NES game has been updated with "new graphics, and a 6-player online cooperative mode." Spelunker HD can be played with both ...
Found: LostWinds 2 screens and video
About 20 seconds into this video of the freshly revealed sequel to Frontier's sleeper WiiWare platforming wonder, you'll probably be asking yourself, "Hey, where's the 'winter' in LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias?" Then, before you know it, BAM! It's winter. This seasonal manipulation is clearly ...
WiiWare fills its Bit.Trip Void
Ever felt like something was missing from the WiiWare lineup? Ever feel like the Bit.Trip series needed to be a trilogy? Good, because Aksys has just announced Bit.Trip Void for WiiWare. Like Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Core before it, Void takes retro visuals and gameplay and fuses it with a ...
Guitar Hero 5: September DLC announced all at once
Activision has announced a few weeks' worth of Guitar Hero 5 DLC today. Following tomorrow's release of The Rolling Stones tracks, selections from Street Sweeper Social Club, AFI, Editors, The Faint, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be available in weekly updates. The full release list is available after ...
Konami publishing Ninety-Nine Nights 2, new screens
Click for monster-size. An official website for feelplus' Ninety-Nine Nights 2 is now live, and it looks like Microsoft won't be taking up publishing duties for the sequel. It appears that Konami will be publishing the game instead, at least in Japan -- the website notes that Ninety-Nine Nights is ...
Microsoft lifts Xbox 360 minimum 720p, anti-aliasing mandate for devs
In a column published today on Develop, Black Rock Studio (Pure, Split/Second) technical director David Jeffrries revealed that Microsoft has removed an item from its TCRs (Technical Certification Requirements) that stated all Xbox 360 games must run at a minimum of 1280x720 (720p) resolution if ...
OnLive beta program is on, live
Want to try playing a game here that's actually running over there? OnLive has announced today that it's opening a public beta of its impossible-sounding game streaming service. Users who have signed up on the website (and, the announcement suggests, users who do so soon) will be asked for "general ...
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Yo-Ho Kablammo, Defense Grid
Two new games find their way onto Xbox Live Arcade this week, and they are about as disparate as two games can be. First, there's Yo-Ho Kablammo (800 / $10), the second place winner of the 2007 Dream-Build-Play competition. It features pirate ships, monkeys, mines, treasure, and plenty of sea ...
Firmware 3.00 blamed for malfunctioning PS3 controllers
A growing thread on the official PlayStation 3 forum alleges the recent hardware firmware upgrade to version 3.00 has spawned a host of controller connection issues for PS3 users. According to the forum, various wireless controllers -- some users specifically naming DualShock3 model CECHZC2H ...
Harmonix to 're-energize' its franchises after The Beatles: Rock Band
Sure, The Beatles: Rock Band developer Harmonix has been busy working on next week's big release for some time now, but did you know it's also working on "re-energizing" its "core franchises?" Harmonix PR overlord John Drake told CVG as much, saying that while the studio is ready to refocus on its ...
Transform and roll out against Luxoflux this Friday
Following an apparently successful Game with Fame session with actress Megan Fox, Activision has announced that the developers behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will take on the community themselves this Friday. Excited? Well, there's a catch: The devs at Luxoflux will only be online ...
Latest Dead Space Extraction trailer reveals really big boss battle
The latest Dead Space Extraction trailer comes horrifyingly close to uttering the line, "You should buy this game because it's totally, like, full of scary von scariness." However, it's good at showing some more of the gameplay we can expect from the on-rails shooter when it injects into retail on ...
Firmware 3.0 loading times contrasted with 2.8
Aside from sparkly background support and an expanded XMB interface, we've yet to point-2 many of the smaller differences between the PlayStation 3's 2.8-version firmware and its latest 3.0 update. Thankfully, we have the internet for that, and it's given us some new pedantic comparison videos to ...
Gran Turismo PSP bundle arrives October 20 for $200
Click to embiggen. SCEA has announced yet another addition to its growing lineup of PSP "Entertainment Pack" bundles. The upcoming Gran Turismo pack joins Rock Band Unplugged and Hannah Montana this October by packaging a "Mystic Silver" PSP-3000 with a UMD copy of Gran Turismo, downloadable ...
EA in legal shootout over 'Dillinger' machine guns
EA is suing for the right to use the "Dillinger" name in association with weapons found in its Godfather series of games. GamePolitics reports the publisher filed suit in San Francisco federal court for the right to use the name after Dillinger LLC's legal team, which works for -- wait for it -- ...
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time box art multiplayer listing simply 'placeholder'
Click to embiggen. The PlayStation.Blog has announced the release date for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. But wait -- isn't that, as commenters like to point out, old news? Thankfully, more can be gleamed from the box art included with the post. In addition to touting the redesigned ...
Interview: Forza 3 game director Dan Greenawalt
Spanning two discs and featuring 400 fully-modeled (and destructible!) cars, Forza Motorsport 3 is gearhead paradise. It's also completely intimidating to the un-tuned gamer. We spoke with director Dan Greenawalt, who claims that developer Turn 10 Studios has designed the easiest-to-play racer on ...
New Spyborgs trailer goes up
We find it funny that Capcom is celebrating the existence of an elevator level in Spyborgs with this trailer -- elevator levels are basically the laziest way to design a brawler level, requiring only a persistent floor, a looping background and frequent enemy drops from the top of the screen. That ...
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 FightStick, other new Mad Catz fighting peripherals spotted at GameStop conference
Shoryuken forumite ohgee saw some new, unannounced Mad Catz FightSticks and FightPads at the ongoing GameStop Manager Conference, and snapped some pictures for the community. Perhaps most noteworthy is the confirmation of the rumored Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Tournament Edition FightStick, with yellow and ...
Sony first-party studios developing 3D games
The IFA 2009 kicked off with a keynote from Sony's CEO Sir Howard Stringer. As revealed by Stringer, Sony plans on introducing 3D tech in a number of new products, from TVs to Blu-ray movies, to video games. "Today, 3D is clearly on its way to the mass market through technology, distribution and ...
Rock Band drumming up more business on mobile phones
Get out your toothpicks, because Rock Band is coming to cell phones. After shrinking the rhythm franchise down for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP, EA is looking to make it even smaller on September 16th, when Verizon gets a mobile version. The 25 included songs are listed after the break. The title ...
Club Nintendo members to get 'exclusive artwork' this month
Some Nintendo fans are disappointed in America's Club Nintendo initiative. In spite of giving away free swag the company is completely not required to do, many found this year's Elite bonuses (a hat and calendar) a bit lackluster. Perhaps a new bonus, "exclusive" to Club Nintendo members will ...
Spelunky explores XBLA in 2010
PC indie title Spelunky is ready to explore the dark, cavernous recesses of your console when it makes its way to Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Developer Derek Yu says he'll be "stuffing [the XBLA version] with new graphics, audio and other features for XBLA users." He's not sure if he'll update the ...
Virtual On director creating new XBLA game
According to a Gemaga report (translation), Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram director Toru Murayama intimated at the CESA Developer's Conference that he's working on a new Xbox Live Arcade game. According to Murayama, Virtual On was popular, so he's decided to work on another XBLA project. ...
Red Faction: Guerrilla assembles DLC for PC retail assault
The PC port of Martian liberation sim Red Faction: Guerrilla will include all downloadable content released thus far. IGN notes that the September 15th release will include Demons of the Badlands single-player campaign, which acts as a prequel to the events in the game, and the multiplayer DLC. The ...
Scribblenauts UK release date erased, 'October 9' written over it
WB has announced a new UK release date for 5TH Cell's Scribblenauts: October 9. The company previously planned to release the title on September 25, then "October" (according to GamesCom press materials). Somehow, we doubt localization concerns are to blame. The North American version is still on ...
Good Old Games offers buy one get one free deal on Interplay titles
To celebrate the one year anniversary of its inception, digital classic games retailer Good Old Games is offering a pretty sweet buy-one-get-one-free deal on select Interplay titles. There are 12 games available for $5.99 a piece, and the deal can be extended to as many pairs as you feel like ...
A big batch of LittleBigPlanet PSP screens
Click to begin your LittleBig-screenshot gallery. Sony has just released a few more screens of the upcoming PSP version of LittleBigPlanet. Anyone who has played the PS3 game will find a lot of familiar environments and mechanics: jetpacks and swings, for example. Pay attention, and you'll even ...
Not as big in Japan anymore: Xbox 360 prices
The Xbox 360 price drop has propagated to Japan, with Microsoft announcing new price points roughly commensurate with those of American Xboxes, effective September 10. The Pro is being phased out, with the retail cost of remaining stock now up to retailers, with no "suggested" price from MS. The ...
A Life Well Wasted Episode 4 now available
We're keeping our pledge by letting you know that the new episode of A Life Well Wasted, "Artists, Fans and Engineers," is now available for your rabid consumption. We listened yesterday, and it's unsurprisingly packed with great stuff, from a totally reasonable cosplayer to the race-car driver / ...
Blu-ray God of War changes are minimal, doubles up on trophies
Here's today's enormous, shocking revelation: The recently announced Blu-ray God of War collection is going to be a whole heck of a lot like its PS2-based counterparts. Aside from a 720p visual boost and perhaps the addition of an HD-friendly HUD and font, the rest of the re-released games will ...
Scene It? comes to Wii, PS3 this holiday
Great news: Holiday shopping for that uncle or aunt you don't know that well but think might have a game system just got a lot easier. The Scene It? franchise is branching out this holiday season from the 360, bringing Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! to the Wii and PS3, as well as to ...
New downloadable Bonk, Bomberman found on Hudson's website [update]
NeoGAF user VideoMan discovered currently unannounced games on Hudson's website, including a multiplatform downloadable Bonk update, a Bomberman Live sequel, and a Wii/DS version of Big Fish Games' generically titled Rooms: The Main Building. Most of the pages have been removed, but Bonk is still ...
Dead Space Extraction pre-order instantly unlocks 'challenge rooms'
Dead Space Extraction has gone gold and is ready for its on-rails debut on September 29. Those who pre-order the game from participating retailers will receive four challenge rooms. Of course, that does away with the actual challenge of unlocking them, since you normally gain access simply by ...
Forza 3 welcomes 1000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron supercar
You've never heard of the Bugatti Veyron, the latest addition to the Forza Motorsport 3 lineup of cars? Neither had we; it's not the type of car we're likely to spot around town. If the above video – detailing the process used to convert the Veyron's various "gauges" and "horsepowers" into ...
Battle Tanks rolling onto PSN this month for $10
Gameloft is ready to bring that most classic of ideas to the PSN: Tanks blowing each other up. The astoundingly generic name for this iteration on the genre is Battle Tanks, which will be available sometime this month for $10. Don't let our tone fool you, we drool like any other red-blooded gamer ...
Users report Firmware 3.0 causing Uncharted freezes
Despite the shimmery new effects in the backgrounds, PS3 firmware 3.0 isn't an entirely calming, lovely experience for some users. Several posters on the Playstation.com forums report that, since the update, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune freezes at regular intervals. One user said every 20-30 minutes, ...
Study: Xbox 360 RROD on the decline
We're not sure there's a great way to write this post without you beautiful monsters turning it into flamebait -- nay, a flamesteak. We're just going to chuck it into the pit and then walk away in slow motion while the animals devour it. If we do it right, it should be very Guy Ritchie. ...
Gaming underwear for the truly hardcore
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/02/gaming-underwear-for-the-truly-hardcore/'; Been shopping at Target lately? Did you know they have an entire rack devoted to video game underwear? Yes, you read that right: Video. Game. Underwear. Included in the bunch are Halo, Atari, both Rock Band ...
The best of WoW.com: August 25 - September 1, 2009
We're still reeling from everything we saw at BlizzCon a few weeks ago over at WoW.com, from all the news we heard about the next expansion, Cataclysm, to everything else about Icecrown and the anniversary celebration in the upcoming patch 3.2.2. There's a ton of big news lately over on the site, ...
Gratuitous beta access with Gratuitous Space Battles pre-order
Those looking to try out -- nay, test -- Gratuitous Space Battles before the final game leaves space dock should note that developer Positech Games will be allowing pre-order customers into an online beta. Though we'd prefer to hold on to our $20 and wait for a demo, we're sure some have already ...
Android-based 'ODROID' gaming handheld looks better than it sounds
The handheld gaming landscape is littered with the remnants of failed devices. Hardkernel is hoping that you don't find its ODROID among them -- but, if you do, it'll be fairly easy to spot. The device, which runs Google's Android OS, features no less than three sets of buttons that can (seemingly) ...
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Super Joystiq Podcast 004: 38 Studios meltdown, Gravity Rush, Civilization 5: Gods & Kings, Dragon's Dogma
Posted on May 25th 2012 3:30PM
The Joystiq Podcast
Super Joystiq Podcast 004: 38 Studios meltdown, Gravity Rush, Civilization 5: Gods & Kings, Dragon's Dogma
Latest episode: Friday, May 25th, 2012