Joystiq

Christopher Grant

Philadelphia, PA - http://www.joystiq.com

Motivated by either an unhealthy Messianic complex or a dearth of career opportunities (he never could decide which), Chris put his college education to good use as a carpenter before becoming editor-in-chief of this here gaming blog. If he isn't busy playing or writing about games, he's doing other, no doubt less important, things ... though he probably shouldn't be.

Review: Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)

by Christopher Grant { 5 days ago }

When Valve announced Left 4 Dead 2 during Microsoft's E3 2009 press conference -- less than seven months after the release of the award-winning original -- gamers were, perhaps rightfully, shocked. This was the same Valve that spent nearly ten years iterating on Team Fortress 2 and whose experiment in episodic gaming has forced us to reevaluate our expectations for future installments of Half-Life 2 using the "Star Wars–definition" of episodic.

So when Valve announced a direct sequel to the ground-breaking Left 4 Dead on what could only be considered an accelerated schedule for normal developers (and an impossibly accelerated schedule for Valve) we had every right to be shocked. Valve answered this concern with assurances that Left 4 Dead 2 was an entirely new game, with changes that could not be simply grafted onto the original. And the team was right! ... But that's the problem.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2 (07/10/09)

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Achtung! Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies infests iPhone

by Christopher Grant { 9 days ago }

No doubt strategically timed between last week's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launch and this week's Left 4 Dead 2 launch, Activision just announced Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies, a $9.99 iPhone game based on the zombie-themed multiplayer antics of the series' console counterpart. Since the only thing the publishers sent us by way of details was an 8GB iPod Touch and iTunes code for the game (Joyswag, ahoy!) we'll turn to the App Store description.

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies supports up to four players over Wi-Fi, and two players over a local Bluetooth connection. You can use the iPhone's tilt sensors, or the always enjoyable virtual analog thumbsticks, to control the game. With Apple remaining hands-off in the space, the game supports "Achievements" and a "Leaderboard," but they're presumably isolated from other games. The description also promises that the game will "fully support future Downloadable Content, ensuring that the classic survival experience will live on with new maps." Thanks, in-game purchasing!

What's less clear is who is behind the development of Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies. The iTunes Store lists the game under "Vivendi Games Mobile," the presumably outdated name of Vivendi Games' mobile gaming arm, taken over during the 2007 merger. We've put a line into Activision. [Update: The press release just went out over the wires, and it states that Zombies was "developed by Ideaworks Game Studio" who have brought other high-profile cell phone games to market, including Metal Gear Solid Mobile, Project Gotham Racing, and Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode Final Fantasy VII.]

Gallery: Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies (iPhone)

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies –

October NPD: Uncharted 2 takes top spot while hardware sales slow down

by Christopher Grant { 12 days ago }

After the last two months of price drop-fueled sales surges, it's almost comforting to see all these red arrows. Hardware sales are down 17% from last month and down 10% from the year prior, with only the Wii maintaining any upward momentum as we head into the two busiest shopping months of the year. The PS3 lost the highest percentage, but that's hardly surprising following last month's meteoric 134% spike in sales.

On the software side of things, the exceptionally well-received PlayStation 3-exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves took top honors, selling 537K units in just the second half of October. Of course, Sony told us earlier today that the title has broken the coveted million mark (worldwide?) with November sales factored in. The multiplatform Borderlands makes a similarly impressive showing, taking third on Xbox 360 with 418K units sold; however, when you factor in the 113K units sold of the not-top-ten PS3 version (data provided graciously by NPD), you find an impressive 531K in cumulative sales, just missing the top spot.

NBA 2K10 had a strong showing with 524K in cumulative sales, "outselling last year's NBA 2K9 by 60% in its launch month" reports the NPD, while last month's champ, Halo 3: ODST, dropped to sixth with 271K in sales. With just four days on shelves in October, Forza Motorsport 3 made a strong showing at #8 with 175K. Slightly less strong was Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days' ninth-place showing despite a full month on the shelf. And in last place is the worldwide phenomenon known as FIFA 10 (or, in North America, FIFA Soccer 10). While FIFA 10 may be the "fastest selling sports game ever" in Europe, selling 1.7m in its first week, over here we bought up just 156K copies in a little over a week.

-Wii: 507K

44K (+10%)
-DS: 458K

66K (-13%)
-PS3: 321K

171K (-35%)
-360: 250K

103K (-29%)
-PSP: 175K

15K (-8%)
-PS2: 118K

28K (-19%)

Check out the software sales chart after the break.

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Xbox 360 Hard Drive Transfer Kit out of stock [Update: back in stock!]

by Christopher Grant { 13 days ago }

[Update 11/12/09: Well, that didn't take long. Though Microsoft may not have known yesterday, Hard Drive Transfer Kits are back in stock today! As in, right now. So, if you need one, or had been told to "use your own hard drive" you may want to give 'em a call at 1-800-4MY-XBOX and get yourself squared away.]

If the recent price drop has encouraged you to hedge your bets and replace your aging, bound-to-die Xbox 360 with a quiet, new, Jasper-equipped 120GB Elite, you'll want to pay attention. As relayed to us by tipster Paolo, and confirmed by a Microsoft representative, the Hard Drive Transfer Kit – which is currently available for eligible consumers by calling 1-800-4MY-XBOX – is "out of stock at the moment" and the company does "not know when inventories will be restored."

Of course, it's "working on resolving this shortage as quickly as possible" but in the interim, if you want to get data of your old 'box and you didn't buy the 120GB drive at retail (which comes with the HDD transfer kit) Microsoft Support recommends that you "use your old hard drive." Not the most elegant solution, especially if you're trying to unload that old Xbox. We've asked Microsoft to clarify when we might expect the Kits to be restocked and we'll share with you if and when we hear back.

Bizarre-developed Bond opts for EastEnder over Daniel Craig

by Christopher Grant { 13 days ago }

Activision's plan to annualize the Bond franchise -- regardless of the status of a movie to tie into -- has already come unraveled, with the decision to pull Mr. Bond out of Modern Warfare 2's line of sight this holiday. So, Bizarre Creations' "racing and driving focused" crack at Bond is now due in 2010, unattached to the Daniel Craig-powered, as-yet-untitled 2011 Bond movie. This poses an obvious question: With no theatrical attachment, will confessed gamer Daniel Craig reprise the interactive Bond role or will Bizarre's seemingly unique take on the license also have a unique actor in the role of 007?

According to Adam Croasdell, the EastEnders star (it's a long-running BBC soap opera, for the non-British amongst us) has wrapped up voice work on the game. "Oddly enough I have just played James Bond in the new James Bond video game -- how weird is that?" Croasdell told BBC Asian Network, as reported by the Press Association. "I think video games and the making of that type of technology, being in a funny one-piece suit and being shot with 60 cameras, I think that's sort of the future."

We're right there with you, Croasdell! Oh, and you better get used to that one-piece suit ... Activision has plans to milk that Bond license before it expires in 2014.

[Via Digital Spy ]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 looking to catch MW2-jaded PC gamers on the rebound

by Christopher Grant { 14 days ago }

Perhaps detecting a dedicated server-shaped weakness in the competition's defenses, Electronic Arts is beginning to position next year's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as a legitimate heir to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare throne. On yesterday's Q2 earnings call, EA Games label prez Frank Gibeau said that, in addition to other things, Bad Company 2's "deep new online play with dedicated server support ... will put Battlefield in head-to-head competition with Call of Duty for quality and online gameplay." EA CEO John Riccitiello later said, "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ... has every right to see itself as a rival to the #1 FPS game that one of our competitors is releasing next week." (Note: We presume Riccitiello misspoke and meant "this" week and not "next" week ... unless he thinks Left 4 Dead 2 is the #1 FPS game and that EA is its own competition).

Continuing to pour gasoline on the dedicated server fire, Gordon Van Dyke from Bad Company 2's DICE tells IncGamers, "On the PC, it's a PC version, which is getting that same treatment, and then also a little bit more as PC users are generally used to a different type of experience than console users are, and we recognize that and we want to make sure that we give that to the PC market and give the console market more." He was less committal when discussing modding tools, offering, "Once we start getting there and the engine gets to a level where we can release tools that are easy for our own guys to use, and then easy for people publicly, then we'll get into that and we'll really start to focus on it."

Though the first Battlefield: Bad Company never made its way to the PC, with promised support for the platform and a PC beta hitting this December -- just a few weeks after the PS3-exclusive console beta gets underway -- it's clear EA and DICE are making up for lost time.

Source – Electronic Arts Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call [PDF link]
Source – DICE: Bad Company 2 PC Gets A "Little Bit More" [IncGamers]

Criterion-developed Need for Speed coming 'next year'

by Christopher Grant { 15 days ago }

"In recent years, we failed to put adequate resources behind the franchise and, as a result, quality suffered," EA Games label president Frank Gibeau said of the Need for Speed franchise, currently in the midst of a reboot with the well received Need for Speed: Shift, the recently released Need for Speed: Nitro, and the we're-not-sure-that's-going-to-work Need for Speed: World Online. But there's a fourth post-reboot Need for Speed title in development at Criterion Games, the devs behind the excellent Burnout series.

Removing any doubt that the series will miss an opportunity for annual exploitation (again, the massively multilpayer online racing of World Online doesn't count!) Gibeau said "Next year's Need for Speed has been under development now for some time at our award-winning Criterion Studio." We're not sure what type of Need for Speed Criterion is creating, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was heavy on the crashing.

EA: Medal of Honor being revitalized, details 'in the months ahead'

by Christopher Grant { 15 days ago }

After relaying the company's success in revitalizing the long-abused Need for Speed franchise with this year's well-received Need for Speed: Shift during this afternoon's Q2 conference call, EA Games label president Frank Gibeau revealed, "In the months ahead, you'll hear more about our plans to revitalize core IP, including the Medal of Honor franchise."

The long-established war series – whose Allied Assault team led to the creation of Infinity Ward and the now dominant Call of Duty series at competitor Activision – has been absent since 2007's triple showing of the poorly received Medal of Honor: Airborne, the poorly received Medal of Honor: Hereos 2, and the even more poorly received Medal of Honor: Vanguard. Yeah, a reboot seems in order.

Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter live in the UK, US release still a mystery

by Christopher Grant { 15 days ago }

Alas, the troubled tale of the Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter has reached a conclusion, albeit not the exact conclusion many (including Microsoft, no doubt) would have hoped. Nearly two months after first being caught in the public spotlight (thanks, FCC!) – and then casually confirmed, sans press release, price, or release date – the Xbox 360's second attempt at a this-should-really-be-built-in wireless networking adapter has found its way to some store shelves, apparently.

An Engadget reader snapped the above pic at UK-supermarket Asda where the adapter is evidently selling for £49, which converts to a (relatively speaking!) very reasonable $82. Of course, it's nowhere to be found on any major US retail sites and Microsoft is keeping mum so the cat-and-mouse game continues. Naturally, we've put (another) word into Microsoft and we'll let you know when they respond with the usual shrug.

Unreal Development Kit brings Unreal Engine development to the masses

by Christopher Grant { 20 days ago }

No, Whizzle and The Ball aren't Cincinatti's crazy drive-time zoo crew, rocking WKRP with six hours of fart jokes, crank calls, and toilet-flushing sound effects – instead, they're two new indie games built entirely using the hey-isn't-that-expensive Unreal Engine 3. Or, if you want to get specific, built using the just-announced (though expected) Unreal Development Kit, or UDK for the acronymical out there. Sure, Unreal Engine 3 is super enough to bring you games like Gears of War 2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum, but as long as you're using it for non-commercial or educational purposes, UDK is available totally free of charge.

You can download the Unreal Development Kit for yourself from Big Download, and while you're over there read their blowout coverage, including interviews with Epic Games, Whizzle's Psyonix Studios, and The Ball's Toltec Studios. We've got images and descriptions of both games, along with a video from Psyonix, after the break.

Gallery: Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

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Watch: The Modern Warfare 2 launch trailer, as seen on TV

by Christopher Grant { 20 days ago }

For some reason, Activision is intent on blowing cash on Modern Warfare 2 advertisements, despite record pre-order numbers, and anticipated record-breaking sales. At this point, tossing out slick television commercials – like the one you see above, showing some more fightin' on American soil – just seems like kicking everyone's wallets while they're down. We've already got the game pre-ordered! We can't pre-order it anymore! Uncle!

Ubisoft talks dancing, fitness and party games on Natal, PS3 Motion Controller

by Christopher Grant { 20 days ago }

On the conference call covering Ubisoft's Q2 earnings, management had a chance to discuss its strategies for the company, including support for both Microsoft and Sony's motion control accessories. "We will also be ready with some very nice innovations when Natal and Motion Controller are launched on the Xbox 360 and PS3 next year," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said, reminding us that a 2010 release for Project Natal is all but confirmed at this point. He later explained that Ubisoft will "also have some games that will come on the new machines that are going to come in the future" and "are working to be ready for the new accessories or new machines that will come soon." Whether Guillemot is talking about the aforementioned motion control accessories or new consoles altogether (or both!) wasn't clear.

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Midway execs found not guilty in conspiracy suit

by Christopher Grant { 29 days ago }

You know how this works: You're a shareholder in a major company -- let's say a major video game publisher like ... Midway Games -- and while the suits assure you that, despite lagging sales and a lousy portfolio, everything's going to be "OK!"

Things started looking dodgy when CEO David Zucker abandoned ship in March of 2008. "Everything okay in there?" you ask. "Yup, everything's fine," Midway responded, while installing Matt Booty into the position. Then chairwoman Shari Redstone, daughter of owner Sumner Redstone, resigned in November 2008. "Alright, this sounds really bad!" you cried. "Seriously, don't worry. It's fine," Midway responded (they'd put Booty in that position in January of the following year). And then, in December, Sumner Redstone sold his shares in the now clearly troubled publisher for the bargain basement price of $100,000 to mysterious investor Mark Thomas ... and then, the layoffs began.

So now you, and the rest of the shareholders in NYSE: MWY want to hold the executives who kept you in the dark accountable. According to Develop, after months of hearing allegations, District Court judge David H. Coar found five Midway executives – including former CEO David Zucker and CFO Thomas Powell – "innocent of conspiracy to deceive the public about the health of the fallen company." The reason? The shareholders had not "adequately alleged the direct liability" of the execs.

Okay, so it wasn't a "conspiracy" (or whatever other fancy law school words the "law" requires) but we understand your pain. Now, have we told you about the opportunities at Joystiq Publishing ...

Joystiq Podcast 114 - Funny last names edition

by Christopher Grant { 1 month ago }

Chris is out with a flu of curiously porcine proportions and Justin is in a country with even worse internet connectivity than Ludwig's. Of course, that leaves only Ludwig ... lucky for you, he's bolstered the show with the contributions of Griffin McElroy and the omnipresent Tom Chick, video game freelancer extraordinaire. Mr Chick is perhaps best known for his cameo on Joystiq Podcast 113, where he (inadvertently) played the role of "Games Reviewer We Disagreed With Regarding Uncharted 2." Tune in for the thrilling confrontation!

Thanks to Zachary Tuttle for photo-documenting our road trip, seen above.

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Hosts: Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK), Griffin McElroy (@GriffinMcElroy), and Tom Chick (follow him at Fidgit and QuartertoThree.com)

Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller

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See all of this week's links (and what games we played) after the jump.

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iPhone beats Wii, DS, PSP: 'fastest hardware growth in consumer tech history'

by Christopher Grant { 1 month ago }

If you wonder why analysts love the iPhone, wonder no longer! Those rascally number crunchers just love to make bold proclamations and Apple's iPhone / iPod Touch ecosystem allow them to do just that. Let's start with Mary Meeker, internet analyst at Morgan Stanley, who told the Web 2.0 Summit crowd yesterday that the iPhone and iPod Touch (which share a common software platform) exhibited the "fastest hardware user growth in consumer tech history"! Don't believe her? Check out that chart. Those numbers even make the DS look pedestrian.

Couple Meeker's research with DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole's assertion that the iPhone and iPod Touch devices will be the "primary drivers of mobile game market sales over the coming years" and you've got what those of us in the biz call "consensus."

Still think it's not a real gaming platform?