Joystiq

Marvel-ous new Ultimate Alliance 2 trailer

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-24T19:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, RPGs

Imagine if Marvel's super heroes were to form a sort of ... alliance. An ultimate one, at that. Then, they somehow gained the ability to fuse their powers together. You'd have yourself a Marvel Ultimate Alliance of Fusion, or "MUAF," but we don't think we like how that acronym crawls off the tongue. Tweak it a bit and you have Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, Activision's next action-RPG team up set in the Marvel Comics universe, where players will, in fact, be able to combine the powers of various heroes to make more powerful powers.

The game was announced at Activision's E3 non-E3 event, where only a brief teaser was shown. This slightly longer snippet was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, which got underway today in Southern California. It indeed shows off various Marvel characters fusing their powers, but looks far from actual gameplay. It's still pretty slick to see Wolverine and The Hulk team up for a variation of the Fastball Special, though.

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Penny Arcade's original Fallout 3 webcomic debuts

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-23T21:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, First Person Shooters, RPGs

We didn't even need to play Fallout 3 at E3 to know that it's going to be a very big deal (but we're glad we did, and have a hands-on coming soon). In continuing to ramp up excitement for the game's upcoming release, Bethesda is collaborating with the Penny Arcade crew on a weekly series of Fallout webcomics, the first of which debuted today.

According to Bethesda's Pete Hines, the idea was actually pitched to PA's Gabe and Tycho "years ago," ultimately resulting in an original story focusing on a Vault other than 101, which is the kick-off point for Fallout 3. Click here or on the panel above to read the entire three-panel debut strip. New strips will go up on the Fallout 3 site every Wednesday, come rain or nuclear holocaust.

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Zero Punctuation visits Conan in Hyboria

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-23T21:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

No matter how much the hardcore MMORPG crowd may want to deny it, almost every game in the genre wants to be, or wishes it could have been, World or Warcraft. This week's Zero Punctuation says as much, with Yahtzee trying to enjoy his Hyborian adventure but wandering into familiar -- but not quite right -- WoW territory.

Check out the NSFW review of Age of Conan after the break.

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Kingdom Hearts DS ad points to 2008 release in Japan

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-23T20:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, RPGs

Do you heart Kingdom Hearts - especially the idea of a new game in the series for Nintendo DS? Then you'll be happy to hear that the Japanese manual for Square Enix's recently released Dragon Quest V remake contains an ad promising a 2008 release for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days ... in Japan, of course.

Revealed at last year's Tokyo Game Show, the next handheld Kingdom Hearts features a four-player co-op mode and follows the adventures of series protagonist Sora's "Nobody" twin, Roxas (above). Even though the game looks like it's hitting Japan this year, we'll still have to wait out the necessary localization before seeing it Stateside. At least the ad isn't merely a "coming soon" tease like the one for God of War III.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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Penny Arcade Adventures coming to PS3 this fall

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-23T14:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Adventure, RPGs

After managing the third best game launch to date on Xbox Live Arcade, Hothead Games is prepping the first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness for release on PS3 via the PlayStation Store. It looks like the release has been part of the developer's schedule all along, but if you're one of the many people who've emailed them asking for the game on PSN, feel free to give yourself a little credit.

"We keep getting emails asking why our Penny Arcade game is not on PSN," said Vlad Ceraldi, Hothead's CEO, adding, "All good things take time and we are very excited to be debuting our first PS3 title and look forward to bringing more games to this platform in the future." By "more games" we think it's pretty safe to assume the rest of the Penny Arcade Adventures episodes - hobos, snark, fanboy in-jokes and all -- are on the way. You can view the first PS3 screens of the game in the gallery below.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]
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BioWare has 'never confirmed any plans' for Mass Effect 360 exclusivity

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-07-22T18:55:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs

"Dude, I totally heard that Mass Effect 2 is going to be an Xbox 360 exclusive. Not only that, but my friend's brother's girlfriend's chiropodist who worked with guy who played a BioWare game with me says that the entire trilogy will be exclusive to Microsoft and will eventually cross over with the Halo and Viva Pinata universes. It's going to be an awesome dose of rad-tacular sweetitude." - Hypothetical Joystiq tipster.

While there's no question about the rad-tacular sweetitude that's bound to emanate from BioWare's future entries in the Mass Effect franchise, it's time to hang up on another telephoned rumor -- this one has the unannounced trilogy locked into Xbox 360 exclusivity. According to the eloquently named Australian blog, XboxOZ360-gamer, BioWare bigwig Ray Muzyka told Australian 360 magazine that the RPG developer was committed to bringing the Mass Effect trilogy exclusively to the Xbox 360. Yeah, not so much.

Speaking to Joystiq, a BioWare representative deemed the information "incorrect," noting that Muzyka has "never confirmed any plans of Mass Effect exclusivity for the trilogy." So ... there is a trilogy, right?

[Via X3F]

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Fallout irradiates GameTap this Thursday

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-22T17:34:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs

The feel-good post-nuclear-apocalypse game about finding a Water Chip, Fallout, joins GameTap this Thursday. There are still no details about when Fallout 2 will make an appearance on the service, but when GameTap originally announced Fallout was coming, the company did say it would be adding the "series." For those with some patience, the original Fallout should be available on GameTap's free service at some point in the future.

[Thanks Joshua]

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BioShock PS3 receiving trophies, some details given

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-22T04:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Adventure, First Person Shooters, RPGs

Adding to the news from last week that BioShock on PS3 will be getting "exclusive" content, the PlayStation Blog reveals that the game will also receive Trophies. Alyssa Finley, executive producer at 2K Marin, explains how the Trophies are being designed and reveals a few of them in the process.

Bronze: These trophies will be handed out for exploring the general facets of the game, like "researching, modifying weapons, hacking, and crafting."
Silver: These trophies will require more thorough exploration of Rapture. The "Historian" Trophy will require finding every audio diary in the game. Finley says the other trophies are going to be kept secret, but we're guessing if you look at the Xbox achievements, the tougher exploration ones should be found here.
Gold: The Trophy "Brass Balls" can be found here, requiring a player make it through the game on hard with the Vita-Chambers turned off.
Platinum: ???

BioShock should be available to those who forsake all but the PS3 later this year. We might just have to take a return trip to Rapture for the Trophies alone.

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Puzzle Quest update to infect XBLA this Wednesday

Jason Dobson — 2008-07-21T23:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Puzzle, RPGs

Those jewels you've been collecting are about to get a whole lot more infectious, as D3Publisher announced that its player-christened Puzzle Quest expansion, Revenge of the Plague Lord, will infest Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, July 23.

Develped by Puzzle Quest devs, Infinite Interactive, the 700 Microsoft Point update will offer a virulent mass of new content, including 25 new quests, 50 new spells, 40 new items, and four new heroes, as well as the ability to build up characters to level 60. In addition, Revenge of the Plague Lord will also add three new Achievements to the popular puzzler, giving us plenty to feed our fever until we look to the skies next year.

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Joystiq E3 eyes-on: Monster Lab

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-21T20:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, RPGs, Strategy

Monster Lab for the Wii is one of those games that is clearly designed for a kid, but could grab hold of many adults. The head of development studio Backbone Entertainment walked us through the RPG with turn-based combat and told us the title is designed for 10- 15-year-olds, but if he'd known in advance the response from the press during E3, the company would have upped its demographic target.

As it stands now, Monster Lab, which will be out this Halloween, has the player taking control of a monster that they'll upgrade over the course of the game. Various items will be collected in battles and can be fused together to form new parts for the monster back at the lab. There are mechanical, biological and chemical parts; each type being more or less susceptible to the others (mechanical > biological > chemical >mechanical). Also, the quality of new parts added to the monster will be determined through several minigames.
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Jade Empire now an Xbox Original

Justin McElroy — 2008-07-21T14:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, RPGs

We've always thought that Jade Empire gets a bad rap, perhaps in part because it came from BioWare, a house normally known for its sterling quality. After all, it's got a decent story, sort of decent combat, and roster of characters that walks the line between stereotypical and racist. ... Come to think of it, it's not really their best effort, is it? Luckily, you don't have to take our word for it: The game is now available for $15 as an Xbox Original.

We were going to heartily recommend it, but now, after having a bit of a think, we're not so sure. Let's open it up to our loyal commenters: Is Jade Empire worth the cash and time?

[Via X3F]

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Joystiq interview: Bethesda's Todd Howard on Fallout 3

Kevin Kelly — 2008-07-21T07:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, First Person Shooters, RPGs, Interviews, E3

Hopefully we're not in danger of providing Fallout 3 overload, and if you haven't gotten the idea yet, we're really looking forward to this game. It's literally a cool science fiction series skin slapped on top of Oblivion, but we're not complaining about that. Blowing away mutants in the wasteland? Yes, please.

Here's the meat and bones from our time with Bethesda's Todd Howard, and you can listen to the full audio interview below. After the break, find out some tidbits like the size of the world, how many radio stations are in the game, and why you won't be dual-wielding or buying horse armor. Oh, and be sure to pay attention to the exploding pants achievement.

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A trio of Fable 2 Molyneux walkthroughs

Griffin McElroy — 2008-07-20T20:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs

We realize that not everybody was fortunate enough to attend E3 last week, and therefore, missed out on their first chance to get their hands on some of the expo's much-anticipated titles. This group will have to settle with living vicariously through those lucky enough to actually get some facetime with these upcoming blockbusters -- really, though, who's a better candidate to serve up a slice of secondhand gaming than the notorious creator of one of these aforementioned high profile releases?

GameTrailers recently posted three Fable 2 walkthroughs given by the title's ambitious creator, Peter Molyneux. The first of which, posted above, gives a brief demo of the combat, followed by a preview of your hero/antihero's canine companion. In the second and third parts, posted after the break, Molyneux discusses contraception and murder, respectively. We'll be looking forward to getting our hands on this dog training/sexual health/township massacring simulator when it drops in October.

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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Puzzle Quest Galactrix

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-07-20T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Puzzle, RPGs

Puzzle Quest Galactrix takes the fantasy world of the original Puzzle Quest and injects it with a healthy dose of sci-fi. The "match three" gameplay is still present, as are the RPG elements, and it all comes together in a Puzzle Quest experience for those who prefer interstellar drama over orcs and goblins.

We're going to write the rest of this hands-on with the idea that the reader has played the original Puzzle Quest, because if they haven't, they should go out and rent/buy it right now. For those who played the first Puzzle Quest and didn't like it, Galactrix won't convert them, unless the sci-fi concept is the only thing they felt was missing from the original.
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Wrath of the Lich King goes beta

Ross Miller — 2008-07-17T23:56:00+00:00

Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

On a Thursday night after all the E3 shenanigans (and during our party, no less), we have word that Blizzard has begun the Wrath of the Lich King beta. Sources have told WoW Insider that the alpha phase reportedly shut down a few days ago and that invites should be going out soon for the beta. Additionally, a Blizzard site has gone live to help gamers get the beta set up. Are you one of the lucky few to get an invite? You can check out the patch notes here.

Gallery: Wrath of the Lich King

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Square to squeeze FFXIII onto 360 with little compromise

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-17T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs, E3

When it comes to porting Final Fantasy XIII to Xbox 360, Square's of the opinion that it's not the size of the disc that matters; it's how you use it. FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase says that his team will "work on trying to find ways to compress the pre-rendered movies and voice that take up a lot of data in ways that don't affect the final product."

Kitase is also looking to the arcane arts of graphics programming "to ensure that the quality [of in-game visuals] remains the same between the two versions," as well. We suggest he trademark the name "Squeaze" for whatever method the team eventually settles on for cramming a Blu-ray based game onto (a number of) DVDs. Such a catchy name will certainly make the tech more marketable to other developers bringing their PS3 exclusives to 360.

[Via X3F]

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WoW achievements coming with Wrath of the Lich King

Ross Miller — 2008-07-17T15:12:00+00:00

Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO

Blizzard has unveiled an achievement system -- much like Steam, Xbox Live, Trophies, etc. -- for World of Warcraft. The categories of achievements include PvP, PvE, world exploration, professions, and character development. Some are simple (give 10 hugs), some are very difficult (completing high-level raids). Additionally, there are "Feats of Strength," very difficult or now-impossible achievements that don't show up if unearned. The Feats are worth no points. No word on if the achievement points are worth anything.

[Via WoW Insider]

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Spore space phase is 15-20 hours, has one ending

Ross Miller — 2008-07-17T07:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Mac, PC, RPGs, Simulations

Will Wright's Spore is aiming to set precedents in many ways, and it's also set to break a long-standing Maxis tradition: the game ends. Producer Thomas Vu told us that the space phase of the game is what he considers the RPG phase, with 15 to 20 hours of gameplay and -- prepare to be floored -- one ending. No matter how your species lives its existence, it always ends the same way as you make your way to the center of the universe.

Unsurprisingly, Vu said the game has a twist ending. Also unsurprisingly, he was mum on what that twist is. We'll have more from our exhaustive session with Spore later this week.

Update: Vu contacted us to clarify that the ending is optional and wanted to stress that, if anything, the space phase is sandbox like the rest of the game. The 15- to 20-hour statistic is an estimated minimum to reaching the end.

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E308: Chrono Trigger's controls explained

JC Fletcher — 2008-07-16T17:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, RPGs, E3

While, for the most part, Chrono Trigger on the DS looks just like Chrono Trigger on the SNES, some liberties have been taken to make the use of the new, screenier hardware. I snapped this control scheme diagram from the Chrono Trigger demo station, figuring there may be someone out there interested in how it would play on the DS.

Oh, and I played it. The big revelation here is the touchscreen movement. The touchscreen (which displays an automap of the room you're in) basically acts as a big analog stick: hold the stylus toward the right of the screen and Crono moves right; hold it farther toward the edge and Crono moves faster. Tap, or run into something, to make Crono interact.

It's awesome if you want to have a really hard time performing basic movement operations in Chrono Trigger. But the traditional button controls remain more than adequate. It doesn't really mar the fact that it's OMG CHRONO TRIGGER. And battling on the touchscreen is perfectly fine -- you just touch buttons on a menu.

In other Chrono news, an SE rep told me that the translation (yes, it was the English version!) was new! And according to a statement given to Spencer Yip, the single-screen version just as it appeared on the SNES will be added to the cart before release.

Gallery: Chrono Trigger

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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Fable 2

Justin McElroy — 2008-07-16T14:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs, E3

I should come right out and say that I'm probably not going to be giving you the most objective view on Fable 2. I know, exactly what you wanted to hear, right? I'm sorry in advance, but I'm a big fan of Fable, and that's the viewpoint I'm coming from.

To that end, I should open by saying this: If you too are a fan of Fable, you need read no further, though I know you will. Judging from the build I played, it's more of the stuff you love with richer combat and ... well, you're just going to adore it. Promise. But not everybody played Fable. In fact, there are a sad few that played it and didn't even like it. It's for them that I'm soldiering on.
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