Joystiq

If people can clean their hands with a simple name change, then why can't games? Paleo Entertainment recently re-dubbed its bargain-priced shooter, Merchants of Brooklyn, as "Drug Wars." Currently exclusive to Steam, Merchants of Brooklyn suffered an embarrassing release in mid-March when an alpha version was mistakenly sold in place of the final code and apparently failed to recover any credibility. Its Metacritic score of "36" ranks near the bottom of all 2009 games to date. "Drug Wars," on the other hand, ranks decidedly better with a "No Score Yet" rating.

The new name wasn't exactly pulled from thin air (well, at least not this time), as "Drug Wars" was adopted from last month's free, beta-release multiplayer update by the same name. Paleo is clearly shifting focus away from the original single-player campaign -- which has since been "reworked" -- and toward the Drug Wars multiplayer mode. Of course, the fresh start also means building a player base from scratch. Currently, we count three -- and a fourth player who "can't find it to play it." Sounds like this is one of those cold kinda wars, eh?

Keep that fire burning, Mr. Elite Neanderthal Fighter. Keep that fire burning.

Among the many fascinating (and not so fascinating) takeaways from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's recent and massive industry report are revelations about the current console adoption rate. As much as the Wii has seemingly penetrated previously untapped demographics (see grandma's now defunct bridge club) and ostensibly raised console adoption rates to new highs, the current generation is practically dead even with the last one when comparing the two generation's first four calendar years on the market. That is, from 2005 (when Xbox 360 launched in late November) through 2008, the current generation of consoles (Wii, PS3 and 360) combined for approximately 78 million unit sales, according to Wedbush Morgan estimates. Comparatively, from 2000 (the year PS2 launched) through 2003, the previous generation (GameCube, PS2 and Xbox) combined for 78–79 million unit sales. However, in this pivotal fifth year, Wedbush Morgan predicts the current adoption rate will begin to pull ahead of the previous rate.

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Do you get the sense that Project Natal is ... missing something? Accessory peddler dreamGear does. The maker of such essentials as the 3-In-1 Player's Sports Kit for Wii, the 7-In-1 Player's Kit for Wii, the 10-In-1 Player's Kit for Wii, and the 15-In-1 Player's Kit for Wii is already hard at work trying to adapt its enhancements for Microsoft's upcoming motion technology release. "One of the biggest challenges for peripherals firms is keeping up with changing technology, particularly the trend toward interactive gaming started by Nintendo and now embraced by Microsoft's Project Natal," dreamGEAR COO Richard Weston explains to MCV. Molding a plastic steering wheel that fits in everyone's hands is a true challenge, you see.

"From all the recent revelations at E3 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, motion sensing devices and add-on accessories for these devices will be the main focus in the future," Logic3's sales manager Paul Croucher frighteningly foretells. So then, the snooker cue attachment for the PS3 wand confirmed? Please, make it STOP.

DJ Hero might be the cliquish kid sister in Activision's branching "Hero" family, but it belongs to a really big clique, according to CEO Mike Griffith. "It's certainly hitting a more mainstream and expanded audience from Guitar Hero," Griffith said of the spin-off in an interview with GI.biz. As expansive as the Guitar Hero catalog has grown over the years (enough to re-release a disc of "greatest hits"), there's potential for DJ Hero to reach far beyond, literally mixing in, well, anything.

While Griffith has his sights set on some 300 million Hero-less households, developer FreeStyleGames must be a bit more narrow-minded, lest DJ Hero come out as a cacophonous mashup. As mainstream as turntablists have become, they're still spinning for a variety of crowds. There's a difference between a game for everyone and a game with something for everyone. So it's simple then? All DJ Hero has to be is the greatest mixtape of all time.

Heads up! The Capcom Store received a long-awaited shipment of Mad Catz's official Street Fighter IV FightSticks today. Both the standard ($69.95/$79.95) and rarer Tournament Edition ($149.95) models are on sale for PS3 and Xbox 360. (Note: The FightPads are still out of stock.)

Still reading? You must not be interested. These bad boys go fast ... but are they built to last?

[Via Capcom Unity]

Oooh! We get it now. Gearbox wants Infinity Ward to quit making war games so it can get a piece. After the last Brother in Arms made a hasty retreat for the bargain bin, Gearbox looks like it could be deploying a new strategy: the Trojan horse.

A slew of new trademarks suggests the studio might try to sneak future games off of store shelves and into consumers' homes by disguising them as a cross between Activision's growing "Hero" brand and its Call of Duty games. Among the trademarked: "War Hero," "World War II Hero," "Brother In Arms War Hero," and -- saving the best for last -- "Modern War Hero." We can hear the conversation at GameStop already:

Madden Guy #1: Modern War Hero? Hey, bro, this the new Call of Duty?
Madden Guy #2: Yeah, broheim. Definitely.
Madden Guy #1: Sweeeeeet! New Madden ain't out yet -- I'm all over this.
Madden Guy #2: True. I'm not gonna lie, it sounds like you can play with your Guitar Hero guitar.
Madden Guy #1: Dude. Niiiiiice.

It's unclear why it's taken Best Buy nearly four years to inch its toe deeper into the lucrative used games market, but an unstable economy has a way of nudging business toward untapped reservoirs of cash. In September 2005, the big box retailer reportedly launched -- and apparently shelved -- a modest trial to buy back and resell used games. This week, Best Buy is rekindling the effort by installing trade-in kiosks in several of its Dallas and Austin locations, blogs CMO Barry Judge.

Judge explains that the kiosks scan inserted games for "functionality," and then issue vouchers that are "instantly redeemable" for Best Buy gift cards, which can be spent on any item in the store. In addition, some of the kiosks will double as rental stations for games and movies, and participating stores will also resell used games (presumably those dumped into the kiosks).

Best Buy's new initiative follows similar actions taken by Toys R Us, Amazon and Wal-Mart earlier this year, and as predicted by Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian. Sebastian continues to view the surge of business ventures into the used games market as an expansion of GameStop's existing foothold (though GameStop shares briefly tumbled today after the Best Buy news, as reported by WSJ) and argues to Gamasutra that software and hardware companies aren't necessarily being fleeced by the practice. "While many video game software publishers and console manufacturers view the used exchanges as cannibalizing sales, we note that consumers use a large portion of trade-in credit to purchase new products."

[Image credit: kylemac]

One way to look at Mass Effect Galaxy, the newly released iPhone game tie-in, is as an interactive DLC code ($4.99) for Mass Effect 2. AppGamer.net confirms that, upon completion, Galaxy displays the following message: "Your reward for completing the game is already waiting for you in Mass Effect 2."

The so-called reward is apparently transferred from Galaxy to ME2 via an EA Account (more info), but its identity remains a mystery for now -- and perhaps until you buy ME2. Our best guess is that the reward is an enhanced weapon or armor suit designed for Galaxy's main character, Jacob Taylor, who is also a companion character in ME2, and that it's an entirely negligible unlockable for all but the most obsessive completionist. The majority of reactions in the Touch Arcade forums suggest that the game itself is just as unimportant, if not downright degrading to the franchise. Proceed with caution.

[Thanks, Chris]

From the obscure annals of May 2008 comes the testimony of BBFC head David Cooke, who confirmed that the now irrelevant UK ratings board had investigated the authenticity of "instructional information about how to make the drug crystal meth" in Grand Theft Auto IV. The incident was brought to light today in a Times Online article examining PEGI's recent appointment as the sole UK video games classification authority and allegations that the organization might not be as thorough as the BBFC had been in its review process; for example: testing out GTA IV's so-called meth recipe.

We're not certain just how far the BBFC went in its drug trial, but "independent advice" was sought in order to deem that "crucial ingredients and techniques were missing" from the scrutinized game content. What does this mean for the rest of us? Well, one, if you're in the planning stages of a homebrewed meth lab, you should probably look beyond GTA IV's suggestions. And, two, if you've already got your lab up and running, you may want to contact your legal team and tell them that the "GTA made me do it" defense isn't going to work this time. That is, only if the coppers catch you before you blow yourself up.

[Via GamePolitics]

The Conduit came into this world with a spark. Sadly, it seems like most of that juice has already drained -- one last plug isn't gonna charge change that. Still, we thought we'd wish the Wii shooter well upon its release this week. It's been a feel-good story, after all, and we're hoping for a truly happy ending, so we can pitch the Hollywood script: It's like half sci-fi alien invasion, half uplifting indie drama. Now, if that ain't Oscar-worthy ...

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We're not sure if the lines at the Apple Store are moving any faster this time around, but the early word from Touch Arcade is that games are loading faster on iPhone 3GS compared to the plain, old 3G (see videos after the break). The revelation comes as little surprise considering the bump in processing power, but there may be a few surprises lurking for early adopters. Case in point: Check out Touch Arcade's comparison screen of Snowboard TnT above. It's like the game's graphics can't even keep up with the speed of the 3GS! Wow.

It's unlikely we'll see many leaps in existing games (perhaps some sharper 3D renders and improved frame rates here and there) and any glitches in the move to 3GS will hopefully be addressed with the quickness, but as soon as developers get to tinkering with the 3GS's superior technology there could be an entire class of games that are unplayable on a 3G or, dare we mention, the original iPhone. Of course, doing so would essentially cut off twenty-some-odd million potential app buyers.

Needless to say, we don't think it's realistic to expect a ton of support for 3GS-only gaming until the older iPhone models are phased out. In the meantime, you'll have to stick to bragging about those blazing load times.

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We're not certain whose expectations Bizarre Creations' communications manager, Ben Ward, was referring to in his recent -- and incredibly vague -- statements about supposedly disappointing sales of (equally unspecified) racing games, but they must belong to someone. "I won't name any names, [but] more recent titles that were really good, critically acclaimed and we all played them, they didn't sell as well as can be expected," Ward posited to VideoGamer.com.

It's difficult to argue against Ward, as he doesn't suggest anything concrete, but racing games have been competitive in the sales charts this generation (if that's recent enough). Console exclusives such as MotorStorm, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (a glorified demo!) and Forza 2 all rank among the top 10 bestselling games to date on their respective platforms, and Burnout Paradise has succeeded both at retail and digitally in its lengthy, multiplatform run. Sure, a niche racer like GRID is never going to gain mass appeal (nor is it intended to) and certain staple franchises, like Need For Speed, have dwindled in popularity and quality (hence the reboots), but the racing genre is right where it should be -- at least, in terms of our expectations.

Perhaps Ward and Bizarre just have greater expectations for their upcoming racer, Blur, which we called "a hyper-realistic Mario Kart." That puts Blur in good company, as Mario Kart Wii -- what Ward calls "the exception rather than the rule" -- has sold in excess of 15.4 million units by last count in May. But, really, there's nothing realistic about expecting those kinda numbers.

Now that the third-party playing field is supposedly "level," Microsoft looks to be making a play for the advantage, as Ubisoft continues to insist that Splinter Cell Conviction is "a true Microsoft exclusive title." We've heard this before, of course, but this time it's with more *ahem* conviction, as an Ubisoft UK Forum Manager declares there are "no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other [console] platforms." The sentiment echoes the long drama surrounding Metal Gear Solid 4's exclusivity, and we have to imagine doubts about Conviction's exclusivity won't go down quietly, either.

Just as Metal Gear Solid has been associated with PlayStation (though not always exclusive to Sony platforms), Ubisoft calls Splinter Cell and Microsoft "historically linked," explaining that Conviction's exclusivity is based, in part, on "a 'link of heart.'" Aw, that's sweet -- and so is the check that Microsoft must have cut.

[Via VideoGamer.com]

Dwight Howard probably wasn't much consoled by his image on the recently revealed NBA Live 10 box cover after losing the NBA Finals to the Lakers on Sunday, but the honor must have meant a little something (if not just more pocket change) to the Magic's superman -- until now. Kobe Bryant, winner and MVP of the NBA Finals, has been selected as the boastful NBA 2K10 cover athlete, cementing another dominant victory over Howard. 2K Sports' b-ball franchise has long been superior to EA Sports' annual effort, after all. We're thinking Howard should demand a trade.

Source - 2K Sports Congratulates Four-Time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant
Source - Dwight Howard Named Cover Athlete of EA Sports NBA Live 10

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