Joystiq

Griffin McElroy

XSEED bringing The Sky Crawlers to North American Wiis

by Griffin McElroy { 52 minutes ago }

If you have a comprehensive knowledge of Japanese literature or flight combat games that never saw an American release, you probably already know about The Sky Crawlers. We fell in love with Namco-Bandai's book-to-game adaptation when we were teased with tons of gameplay footage last year -- sadly, the game was never visited by the localization fairy, and never made it to the States. Since then, we've been sad all over.

Fortunately, a recent XSEED press release has turned our melancholy into melan-jolly (ugh) -- the capitalized company has purchased the North American publishing rights for The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, due out this holiday season on the Wii. The game, which was developed by Ace Combat veterans Project Aces, will have players using the Wiimote and Nunchuck to simulate actual flight controls. It's a bit overdue, but we're thrilled about the Americanization of this aeronautical gem nonetheless.

Dante's Inferno trailer features hellish gameplay footage

by Griffin McElroy { 4 hours ago }

You're probably getting sick of our frequent comparisons between the God of War series and EA's upcoming poem-to-game conversion of Dante's Inferno. Well, GameTrailers recently got its hands on the first Infern-al gameplay footage to hit the internets, so now we invite you to make your own judgment on the two franchise's similarities. The video's posted after the break -- go ahead and watch it, we'll wait.

...

See? We know! Crazy, right?

Gallery: Dante's Inferno (E3 2009)

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Micro-transaction model a possibility for WoW

by Griffin McElroy { 8 hours ago }

VideoGamer.com's recent interview with Blizzard's Tom Chilton, game director for the totally underground MMO World of Warcraft, is full of interesting tidbits for the WoW-innoculated -- info on the possible new races and classes that could make their way into the new expansions, in-game territories yet to be explored, etc. However, one blurb from the interview has the online gaming world a-buzzin' -- probably because said blurb references the possibility of a free-to-play, micro-transaction business model for the monolithic title.

Don't get your dander up too fast -- Chilton merely said, "I certainly think it's possible that we could do some kind of micro-transaction stuff," later adding that, "whether we ever shift to a free-to-play model is really too hard to say at this point." It's unlikely they'll make the switch as long as the game continues to be a veritable assembly line for giant bags of money, however. What do you guys think? Would you support a transaction-based WoW?

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup totally loves America

by Griffin McElroy { 22 hours ago }

Happy Birthday, America! Let us be the first to say -- and we really mean this -- you've aged spectacularly well. How old are you? Two-hundred and thirty-three? No, that can't be right. Seriously, you look like you're still in your thirties! No wrinkles, no unsightly varicose veins, no ... well, okay, your Dakotas are sagging a bit, and your Florida has certainly seen better days, but on the whole, you've still got it goin' on. You know what they say -- two-hundred and thirty-three is the new twenty, you saucy, saucy cougar.

While not celebrating our decadent independence or hitting on entire nations, we managed to find our seven favorite gaming-themed webcomics from this past week. We've posted them below for your viewing pleasure, and then listed them in a poll after the break for your ... well, for your voting pleasure, we guess. Celebrate your democracy, dear friends!

Mountain Cracks (Brawl in the Family)
Party Favors (Digital Unrest)
In Which We Declare Our Independence (Dipswitch)
Actually, I'm Just Not Going to Buy It (Virtual Shackles)
The Wee-Bee Overlord (Monday Night Crew)
Team Fortress 2 Babies (GG-Guys)
Mega Man's Workout (2P Start)

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Readers pick best webcomic: Still a Few Bugs in the System

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Virtual Shackles only just appeared on the gaming webcomic scene, but has held its own in every Wrapup it's appeared on, usually netting one of the runner-up spots. However, their eighteenth strip -- a cautionary tale about the dangers of sentient camera peripherals titled "Still a Few Bugs in the System" -- managed to pull down first place in last week's WeeWebWrap. Congratulations, VirtShack! (Do you mind if we call you VirtShack? We feel so much closer to you now.)

Second place went to GameSpy's "The Life Cycle of a Videogame" (which missed top honors by a mere eight votes!) and Brawl in the Family's "The Lesson," respectively. If you've got a favorite gaming-themed webcomic to throw into the ring this week, act quickly! We'll be webcomic wrapping later today, shortly before we recklessly play with fireworks -- and after that, we may not have enough fingers left to throw any tardy entries into the fray.

Blizzard files trademark for 'Cataclysm'

by Griffin McElroy { 4 days ago }

The identity of Blizzard's unannounced MMO project may have just been revealed. Anonymous gaming news bloodhound superannuation recently uncovered a trio of trademarks from the MMO juggernaut, reserving the name "Cataclysm" for use in the fields of computer games, online games and paper-based products. We assume that last one doesn't mean Blizzard's dealing in Cataclysm-branded stationary.

Our acronym-infused sister site WoW.com reminded us of a very important point -- not all Blizzard trademarks turn into actual games (isn't that right, StarCraft: Ghost?). However, they also noticed that the domain name wowcataclysm.com recently expired and is now held by GoDaddy -- who handles all of Blizzard's domains. It looks like Big Blizz is up to something -- but we might have to wait till BlizzCon to find out what that something is.

[Via WoW.com]

Go Grease Lightning (to the Wii and DS)

by Griffin McElroy { 4 days ago }

Listen up, musical theater majors! Your time of reckoning approaches. Sure, your friends can easily best you at Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 -- but in a short while, a title which will finally allow you to invoke your unique skill set will hit store shelves. We speak, of course, of Grease. The movie. The video game. For Wii and DS.

505 Games recently picked up the rights to adapt the musical film in conjunction with Paramount Digital Entertainment. The game will put players in the gaudy, unfortunate shoes of one of Sandy or Danny's cronies, forcing them to sing and dance using motion controls, microphones or the DS touch screen. Further gameplay details or a release date for Grease are currently unknown. C'mon, 505! Tell us more! Tell us more!

Zipper dev diary reveals the three factions of MAG

by Griffin McElroy { 4 days ago }

Out of all of humanity's social needs and desires, we all love the feeling of belonging the most. People just can't get along without the comfort and support that can be provided by bowling leagues, church groups, family circles or bloodthirsty para-military contractors.

The latest developer diary for Zipper Interactive's 256-man melee, MAG, reveals the three PMCs featured in the multi-multi-multiplayer shooter. You'll get to choose between the traditional military forces of Valor, the high-tech armada of Raven or the brutal, low-tech armies of S.V.E.R. (pronounced "sever"). Check out the three outfits in the video above, and let us know who you're thinking about enlisting with.

Mana Energy Potions being sold in Lunia MMO

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

Right, stay with us now -- Harcos, creators of the gaming-themed "beverage" Mana Energy Potion, have formed a partnership with multiplayer game portal Ijji to bring the "beverage" to the latter company's anime-influenced MMO, Lunia. Yes, the game-themed Mana Energy Potion has disembarked from the physical plane, and returned to the virtual world, either adding another layer of originality to the "beverage," or stripping said originality away altogether.

You may also be wondering why we keep putting quotes around the word "beverage." That's to symbolize the fact that if we were telling you this story in person, we'd be doing the finger-quote thing every time we said the word, as if to convey our less-than-favorable feelings towards the "beverage."

Get it? No? How about this -- Mana Energy Potions taste like rotten prison wine. Is that clear enough for you?

Pachter: PS2 software sales to become 'almost irrelevant' in 2009

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

Despite the fact that the PS2 saw a sizable price cut just three months ago, Michael Pachter is claiming that the system is nearing the point of complete insignificance. In Wedbush's "2009 Interactive Industry Report," Pachter explains that he expects "PS2 software sales to decline sufficiently (around 64%) to be almost irrelevant to overall software sales growth, with PS2 software comprising less than 4% of overall software sales in 2009."

Sony's probably not ready to give up on its most cost-efficient console, but as history has proven, nothing gold can stay in the fast-paced, constantly evolving world of video gaming hardware.

Michael Jackson honored in Battlefield Heroes, kind of [update: Costumes will be free]

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

Update: Electronic Arts has contacted us to let us know that the outfits will be free. Multiplayer has updated its own story, noting that the prices mentioned were seen on the Battlefield Heroes test servers. Upon release to the actual public, they will be offered at the consumer-friendly price of no dollars. Original post is below.

In a touching display of respect for the recently deceased King of Pop, Electronic Arts has uploaded a pair of the music legend's iconic outfits to Battlefield Heroes -- one for each of the game's two factions. Members of the Royal Army can now drape themselves in the white suit worn by Michael Jackson in the "Smooth Criminal" music video, while National Army recruits can don the black leather apparel featured in "Bad." This is a really neat way for EA to show -- wait a sec, you have to pay for them?

You're telling us that EA is charging 420 Battlefunds (about $3) for these outfits? Well, surely, they're donating the money to sick kids or something, right? No? They're just ... keeping it? That's sorta messed up, guys.

Red Faction: Guerrilla getting three DLC packs, first coming August 13

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

If your revolutionary Martian escapades are drawing to a close, don't fret -- it looks like there's plenty more Red Faction: Guerrilla content coming out in the next few months. THQ just announced three new DLC packs for the game -- the first of which, titled Demons of the Badlands, will land on XBLM and the PlayStation Store on August 13.

Badlands is an expansion to the game's single-player campaign which features a "mission arc that takes place in an entirely new Mars landscape outside of the existing expansive world." THQ has priced the DLC at 800

or $9.99. The developer has promised further details on the August-bound DLC and the two other upcoming expansions in the next few weeks, so keep your ear to the red, dusty ground.

Sega considering more mature Wii titles, says Overkill was 'profitable'

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

We loved the mother[expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] out of Sega's recent mature pair of Wii titles, House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld -- unfortunately, the same can't be said for the game purchasing population of the world. The two games' sales were far from stellar, but Sega isn't ready to give up on developing family unfriendly titles for Nintendo's home console.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Sega MD of European development, Gary Dunn, explained that the company's outlook on its two grown-up outings is far from grim -- he even claimed that "House of the Dead: Overkill was a profitable title." He went on to explain, "Whilst MadWorld commercially didn't sell what we were expecting I wouldn't say it's game over for mature Wii titles from Sega." Hopefully the company's persistence will be rewarded, if only to ensure a few dozen sequels to Overkill. (Overkill 2: Superfluous Murder, Overkill 3: The Overkillinest, etc.)

Wii Sports Resort sells over 350k copies in four days

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

Well of course it did. The original Wii Sports currently resides in like, four out of every five households on the planet -- why wouldn't the Japanese gaming populous spring to consumer action when the MotionPlus-bundled follow-up landed on store shelves?

Within the first four days of its release, Wii Sports Resort moved 353,827 copies, making it the third-fastest selling Wii title ever -- Mario Kart Wii sold 608,000 copies in a similar time period, while Super Smash Bros. Brawl moved 816,000 copies. Whether the frisbee-throwing, sword-dueling, jetski-riding simulator can come close to the 45 million mark set by its bundled forefather remains to be seen.

[Via Kotaku]

UK government requests evidence to support game developer tax break

by Griffin McElroy { 5 days ago }

Two weeks ago, British politician Lord Stephen Carter published a document titled the "Digital Britain" report, which could ostensibly change the technological face of the UK should his fellow politicians adopt its bold demands. The nation's leaders were intrigued by at least one section of the report -- a section that suggests video game development studios should receive tax breaks in an effort to protect and strengthen the nation's gaming business.

The UK's Department of Media, Culture and Sport responded to the request by mailing TIGA and the ELSPA, asking for evidence to support why such a tax break is needed, and how it would culturally enrich the country. We're pretty sure that if such a tax break inspired the creation of a few more Media Molecules or Lionheads, we'd end up feeling pretty enriched.