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Griffin McElroy

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is falling behind

by Griffin McElroy { 5 minutes ago }

Oh, man! We knew we forgot to do something yesterday! In the midst of our holiday spending spree, we forgot to post the winner of last week's Wrapup! Here's a shocker: First place went to Brawl in the Family's music-infused "Ode to Minions," which garnered a simply preposterous 1,357 votes. Second and third place went to Virtual Shackles' "Pokemon Green," and Penny Arcade's "Grim," respectively. A belated congratulations to all our winners!

Now, to the matter at hand. We've arranged our seven favorite webcomics from this week below. Check them out, and vote for your favorite after the jump. Barring any kind of supernatural cosmic catastrophe (or, you know, a really great sale at Target), we'll tally up your votes and designate a winner next Friday.

SkiFree (xkcd)
Social Engineering (Virtual Shackles)
Super Blue Toad Bros. (Nerf Now)
Mega Thanks (2P Start)
Delicioso (Penny Arcade)
New Super Mariown Bros. (The Great Indoors)
Mawnin'! (Again!) (Dipswitch)

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Nintendo UK announces Reflect Missile for DSiWare, releases it

by Griffin McElroy { 3 hours ago }

Ready for some fairly unsurprising news? Nintendo UK recently revealed what we all expected yesterday following the OFLC rating of a Q-Games project titled Reflect Missile -- the game is designed for the DSiWare platform, and features Breakout-esque gameplay with strategy elements. You have to use a special set of missiles to help you clear out the aforementioned bricks, but you've only got a limited number, so ballistic conservation is key.

Ready for some completely flabbergasting news? According to the same Nintendo listing, the game is out right now in the UK. Like, this second, now. You can own it, provided you live in the UK, and have access to the fungible assets required to purchase 500 DSi Points. We've contacted Q-Games to find out when Reflect Missile will be fired at North America.

Thief 4 development coming along in 'leaps and bounds'

by Griffin McElroy { 5 hours ago }

Our memory of the announcement of Thief 4 has long since been washed away by other sizable pieces of gaming news and releases -- however, Eidos Montreal boss Stephane D'Astous recently assured IncGamers that the dev team hasn't been slacking off since the game's big reveal. In an interview with the site, D'Astous claimed, "the team is making leaps and bounds," later adding, "personally I have never seen a team, at this milestone (middle of pre-production) in such good shape!"

Wait a second -- the dev team is still in pre-production, and they're already working on the game's jumping mechanic? Get your priorities straight, guys.

[Via VG247]

Japan facing Final Fantasy XIII oversaturation crisis

by Griffin McElroy { 8 hours ago }

And you thought Halo 3-themed Game Fuel was bad. A recent round of advertisements have taken Japan by storm, all of which either shill for Final Fantasy XIII, or some product based on the unflagging RPG franchise. Posted after the break are a series of videos, including a short TV spot for the game, two ads for the presumably refreshing Elixir beverage, and a commercial for a commercial (well, a behind-the-scenes documentary) which will be released shortly after the game is released in Japan.

Also, they're making a perfume based off the game's main character. It's called Lightning eau de toilet. There's no video advertisement to accompany this news, but we'd have been remiss had we not mentioned it to you.

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Steam Deals Day Three: Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead, Borderlands on sale

by Griffin McElroy { 11 hours ago }

To quote the immortal words of the musical revolutionaries known as Widelife, "all things just keep getting better!" For the purpose of this post, "all things" include Steam's post-Thanksgiving deals, which seem to have hit critical value mass today. Resident Evil 5 for $24.99? Borderlands for $33.49? Ghostbusters for $9.99? Left 4 Dead: Game of the Year Edition for $7.49? Daddy like.

Once again, if you don't like the games which have had their prices temporarily torn in twain, tune in tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. PST for the next batch of deals.

OFLC rating reveals Q-Games' Reflect Missile, Nintendo publishing

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Q-Games and Nintendo had a recent partnership in the release of Digidrive, but it doesn't seem like they're letting their relationship cool off any time soon. According to a new OFLC rating, Q-Games is developing -- and Nintendo is publishing -- a game called Reflect Missile. No platform was announced, but the safe money's on either a DSiWare or WiiWare release.

Now, let's get to determining exactly what a "Reflect Missile" is. Is is just, like, a really shiny missile, in which one might see themselves? Or is "Reflect Missile" a command in weird, broken English? For instance, "Captain Douglass, reflect [that] missile?" Or is the command being issued directly to the missile itself -- "Reflect, Missile!" The possibilities are as endless as they are nonsensical.

[Via GamerBytes]

Okamiden trailer is in desperate need of a cheek pinching

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Is it a good idea to pinch the cheeks of a rabid, killer God-wolf? Most definitely not -- however, after watching the latest trailer for Chibiterasu's handheld babysitting adventure, Okamiden, we don't think we'd be able to help ourselves if ever placed in the lupine protagonist's presence. Forget that. We'd cheek-pinch every single thing in this adorable video: the little kid who accompanies Chibi, the enemies the duo swiftly cut in half, even the barren trees they magically bring back to life.

And trees don't even have cheeks. How crazy is that?

Steam Deals Day Two: KOTOR, Dead Space, L4D2 discounted

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

The second day of Steam's five-day-long "Early Holiday Sale" has arrived, bringing with it another batch of wallet-friendly prices on a few excellent titles. The highlight from today's offers is, of course, Left 4 Dead 2, which you can now purchase for just $37.49.

A few older titles have also undergone a bit of cost reduction surgery, including Dead Space, which is $14.99 for today only, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which is just $2.49. None of these float your boat? Swing back by tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. PST for the next round of cheapenings.

Check out Joystiq's Black Friday Game Deals Hub or jump to a retailer guide below:

For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Sales,
And other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com

The9 posts 94 percent drop in Q3 revenues after losing WoW

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Mother of pearl! We thought it was safe to assume that Shanghai-based MMO operator The9 would lose a chunk of its revenue after handing the license for World of Warcraft over to competing company NetEase. By "a chunk" we, of course, meant "a fraction." Not "almost all revenue," which according to the company's Q3 2009 financial report, is how much it lost year-over-year after passing off the rights to run WoW.

To put it numerically, The9's revenues dropped 94 percent from the same quarter last year. A hit that big must have left a sizable dent in the ol' pocketbook -- however, we're guessing the company's board members take some small, spiteful satisfaction from the tribulations the game has brought to its new operators.

Philanthropic rockers playing 1,000 Rock Band songs for Child's Play

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

We know you've probably already spent an irresponsible amount of dough this morning on hot Black Friday deals, but there's a unique gaming marathon for charity (a charithon?) taking place right now that could use some help meeting its $3,000 donation goal. Check out the web page of Clan of the Gray Wolf, where four gentlemen are attempting to play 1,000 Rock Band songs for approximately 80 hours, all the while collecting money for Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity.

So, instead of buying that set of Growing Pains-themed salt shakers simply because they're 75 percent off, why not lend a helping hand to four guys who, in 80 hours, are going to have the worst blisters anyone's ever had, ever?

Valve addresses Left 4 Dead 2 server lag on Xbox 360

by Griffin McElroy { 2 days ago }

What's the only thing worse than having two dead team members, an approaching wave of special infected, and a fresh sheen of Boomer puke on your person? Having to suffer all those things while also -- fighting -- server la -- tency issues. Fortunately, that experience has become less common, as Valve recently did a bit dusting around their network infrastructure, reducing lag during bouts of Left 4 Dead 2 on Xbox 360.

Of course, even without the lag, you're still going to die. But at least now you'll be able to see where it's coming from. (Hint: It's probably from those three oncoming tanks.)

Steam's Black Friday deals will probably put it out of business

by Griffin McElroy { 2 days ago }

After reviewing Steam's Black Friday offerings, we can't help but find the post-Thanksgiving sales offered by other retailers kind of adorable. Aww, you're knocking $10 off the price of Red Faction: Guerrilla? That's cute. Steam is selling that game, and almost every other game by THQ in an enormous, $49.99 bundle. You've got a buy-one-get-one-free deal on LucasArts adventure games? How quaint. Steam is selling like, every LucasArts PC game ever in yet another $49.99 bundle.

On top of those two preposterous offers, Steam will be slashing prices on a handful of games every day for the next five days. Today's sales include Batman: Arkham Asylum for $24.99, Far Cry 2 Fortune's Edition for $9.99 and Dragon Age: Origins for $37.49. In short, you should spend as much time downloading things from Steam as you possibly can this weekend -- with prices like these, we're guessing they'll be filing for bankruptcy some time before Christmas.

After Burner Climax rated by OFLC and Korean board, possibly coming to PSN

by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }

Though it might lose some of its magic without the full chair-and-tinted-window-equipped arcade cabinet, we're still pretty pumped about the possibility of getting our hands on a port of Sega's classic flight combat sim, After Burner. According to the OFLC and the Korean Game Rating Board, it's only a matter of time before our wish is fulfilled -- GamerBytes recently noticed that both groups have rated Sega's After Burner Climax for home console distribution.

According to the Korean board, the rating was applied for by Sony, leading some to believe the title's planned launch platform is the PSN. However, considering the multi-platform release of Outrun Online Arcade, we wouldn't be surprised if Sega decided to share the aerial dogfighting love with the 360 as well. We've contacted the hedgehog-loving developer to find out exactly what its plans are for the title.

New Star Wars game debuting during Spike Video Game Awards

by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }

Well, crap. Now we have a reason to watch the Spike Video Game Awards. See, while we can live without the WORLD EXCLUSIVE trailers for next year's big releases, we don't think we can skip out on the unveiling of a new Star Wars game in good conscience.

According to the latest teaser, viewers of the 2009 Spike VGAs will be able to find out "what's next" for the Star Wars gaming franchise. We've got our fingers triple-crossed for a new Jedi Outcast entry, but have also prepared our hearts for the icy embrace of Super Bombad Racing 2.

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Rock Band platform now has over 1,000 songs

by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }

A recent press release has informed us that with the release of today's Rock Band 2 DLC pack, Harmonix has met its goal of having over 1,000 songs on the platform before the holidays. According to the presser, these tracks represent the work of 390 musical artists. The rhythm gaming community has downloaded over 60 million songs from the Rock Band Music Store, which Harmonix has kept alive and kicking with new musical additions for 105 consecutive weeks.

To put this achievement in chronological terms, we'd estimate that the average length of these songs is, oh, about four minutes. By our calculations, a full playthrough of the Rock Band catalog would take you two days, 18 hours and 40 minutes. Not accounting for the number of times you'll inevitably fail out on "Painkiller," of course.

Congratulations, Harmonix, on this rocking accomplishment! Now, get back to work. That Paul Simon track pack isn't going to program itself.