Those of you who decried Jack Thompson's claims that video games incite people to violence are finally about to get your comeuppance. Just take a gander at this enormous and entirely irrefutable list of crimes, each of which was clearly inspired by video games. With entries dating as far back as 1972, this crippling epidemic of violence is hardly a new issue, so why has it taken this long for politicians to force their oppressive legislation down our collective throats? This reporter, for one, blames the Nixon administration. What follows is but a mere sample of the innumerable heinous acts of violence inspired by video games:

• January 29, 1980: a man under the influence of narcotic "power pellets" was arrested after eating four people within ten seconds. He later testified that he was "going for the high score."
• September 8, 1985: a mentally unstable hunter was apprehended for shooting at several dogs in his neighborhood, claiming that they were laughing at him. Fortunately no dogs were injured, as they were invincible.
• February 4th, 1994: a young woman was arrested for attempted murder after freezing several people and using their bodies to reach high ledges. For whatever reason, many officers originally believed the suspect to be male.
• October 21st, 2005: the movie Doom was released in theaters. There were no survivors.
  

It is evident that if we are to save our morally bankrupt society, we must act now! Write your congressman today and tell them that you fully support wiping video games from the face of this Earth! Do it within the next ten minutes, and I'll even donate $10,000 to your favorite charity! Go go go!

Totally real proof that video games are the ultimate cause of our society's ills originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

December's issue of Game Informer features an in-depth interview with Metal Gear Solid guru Hideo Kojima, in which he discusses Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. One of the PS3's most highly anticipated titles, as well as what is to be the last game in the Metal Gear series with Kojima at the helm, MGS4's dev team is pulling out all the stops to ensure that this game will be one to remember. Notable among Kojima's remarks regarding this next entry in the series is the introduction of psychological warfare-not just for the NPCs, but for the player as well. According to Kojima, enemy AI in Guns of the Patriots will be so advanced that each character will react as an actual human would in a combat situation, meaning that outwitting your enemies will likely become a key facet of gameplay. However, in an effort to keep the game balanced, the enemy Metal Gears will play tricks with your mind as well.

Rather than attempting to heighten the player's paranoia (as the horror genre has done so often in the past), the enemies in MGS4 will instead endeavor to lull you into a false sense of security and actually ease your tension before engaging you in combat. In Kojima's own words, "in the trailer, there is a new Metal Gear. When this comes closer, it makes the noises of a cicada. To most Japanese people, this sound makes you think about your childhood days, because you were going outside into nature and catching cicadas." Furthermore, the sound of the Metal Gear walking will resemble the clopping of horse hooves, and that bellowing noise heard in the trailer is supposed to be reminiscient of the noises made by a cow. Kojima contends that, "so combined, these three aspects, the sounds of the cicada, the horse, and the cow makes the person who hears the sounds a little bit peaceful, because it makes you go back to your childhood memories. You're supposed to feel tense in a battlefield, but when you hear this, it really cuts the tense feeling. And when that happens, the Metal Gear attacks you."

Although, perhaps this is just me, but when a two-legged mechanical monstrosity plummets out of the sky and emits a deafening roar straight out of Jurassic Park, I am not immediately put at ease. More accurately, it causes me to hearken back to my childhood, when, growing up in southern Kyushu, cows would fall from the sky and fire missiles at me. Needless to say, my cicada collection was ruined. For localization, might I suggest the Metal Gears play an endless loop of the Super Mario Bros. theme? Doot, doot, doot, doot doooo doo BOOM.

Kojima wants to get psychological with MGS4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're like us, you've been indulging yourself in that Xbox Live Arcade a little more often than would be considered healthy, and you're loving every minute of it. Of course, if you're like us, you also inevitably get that sinking feeling that you just paid $400 for nothing more than an arcade emulator every time you glance at that gleaming white tower just off to the side of your 50" plasma display. Feel like it's time to take your retro flashback to the next level? Bust out that dremel, 'cause here comes the Atari 3600, the casemod that transforms your mild-mannered 360 into the box that Atari built. Old school, meet new school. New school, tear out old school's internal organs and replace them with your own. Game on.

[Thanks, Seth]

Transform your Xbox 360 into an Atari 2600 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:45:44 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've been looking through Joystiq's archives quite thoroughly lately, and no matter how many articles I see speculating on future hardware-including ones not even remotely announced-I can't seem to find anything relating to the next iteration of the Game Boy, aside from one tiny piece from July '04 confirming that, yes, Nintendo is working on it, maybe possibly perhaps. This got me to thinking: how will Nintendo market a traditional handheld after the undeniable success of their nonconformist third pillar? Obviously differentiation is key, as high hardware sales translate into higher software sales, which are the crux of a publishing giant such as Nintendo. How will the Game Boy Evolution differentiate itself from the DS and all of its subsequent progeny? Nintendo isn't talking-yet-so we'll opt for the next best thing: rampant speculation!

• The GBE will be released six months to a year after the launch of the Revolution. Considering a best-case scenario, Japanese gamers could be playing the Evolution as early as next December. Why, you ask? For much the same reason as the near-coinciding launch of the GBA and GCN...

• The Revolution will connect with the Game Boy Evolution, but not with the Nintendo DS. Aside from the usual benefits of a controller with a built-in screen, classic Nintendo titles can be downloaded onto the GBE's internal memory for nostalgia on the go. And speaking of nostalgia...

• Unlike the DS and the GBM, which are only equipped to play Game Boy Advance cartridges, the GBE will allow you to play your entire back catalog of Game Boy titles, thus preserving the longevity of the Game Boy brand. Obviously it won't accept DS cartridges, despite the fact that...

• The GBE will store game data on DS-esque flash memory cards, rather than an optical storage medium such as the PSP's UMDs, thus eliminating the need for separate memory cards and battery-intensive lasers. And while we're talking comparisons to the PSP...

• The Game Boy Evolution will feature full 3D capabilities, though the hardware will only exhibit a marginal increase over the PSP's graphics. Nintendo's never felt the need to sell their consoles as the most graphically superior (see Game Boy vs. Game Gear), relying instead on the overall experience as the system's unique selling point. But before we get away from the graphical aspects there's one last thing worth mentioning...

• The GBE's screen resolution will be drastically increased over the GBA's, though all the while retaining a similar aspect ratio. Despite consumer demand, the screen will not be backlit.

• ...until the GBE SP.

Continue reading So whatever happened to the next Game Boy?

So whatever happened to the next Game Boy? originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:00:32 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNN's Chris Morris recently took a shot at those eight Revolution controller demos that everyone's been raving about since TGS, and offered a few pennies for the thoughts of a few of Nintendo's higher-ups in the process. His insights on the controller itself aren't anything we haven't heard a hundred times before (it's so light/intuitive/subtle/revolutionary!), but some of the quotes he snags from Iwata and the Regginator do shed some new light on Nintendo's ultimate scheme. Iwata doesn't just expect the Revolution to bridge the gap between gamers and non-gamers alike, he also expects the Revolution's control scheme to become "the standard in video game controls." That's some big talk, implying that Microsoft and Sony would abandon the hyper-evolved NES interface in favor of Nintendo's newest implementation. Rather than dreading, is Nintendo perhaps expecting their competitors to imitate their designs?

When asked how the general public would react to such a radically new interface, Iwata compared selling people on the idea of the Rev to selling people on the idea of the DS's touch screen, and how the lessons learned from marketing the DS will help them communicate the idea of the Revolution's remote. However, if you stop and think about it, not all that many DS games have made great use of the device's touch screen (by which we mean that the game couldn't have functioned at all without the inclusion of a touch screen in the first place). Only Kirby: Canvas Curse, Meteos, and Wario Ware DS immediately spring to mind (Animal Crossing may have suffered without a touchable interface, but it was by no means necessary). Should we really expect third-party developers to push the boundaries of gameplay on unproven technology?

Reggie had less grandiose words to offer for our consumption, though he did remark that he earnestly hoped that the Revolution would realize a massively multiplayer online game on a console, an endeavor which has in the past been met with merely mediocre success. Could a Nintendo-developed MMORPG be in the works? They've got more than enough untapped intellectual properties-is an Earthbound MMOG really that hard to imagine? Finally, Reggie reminds us yet again that we'll be seeing more from the Revolution before E3 rolls around. Come on, Reggie! Enough with the demos, we want Smash Bros. dammit!

Iwata expects Rev controller to become the standard gaming interface originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Dec 2005 06:30:11 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last night's Child's Play charity auction hosted by Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade fame was a resounding success, with the final takings amounting to $82,100, almost five times the amount raised during last year's auction. Items up for grabs included limited edition Cardboard Tube Samurai laser cels, a complete Penny Arcade wardrobe, and a tour of Bungie Studios, not to mention the chance to appear in a Penny Arcade strip, a once in-a-lifetime opportunity which was apparently far too good to pass up, fetching a cool $20,000. Yesterday's event brings the sum of this year's donations to within striking distance of $300,000, all of which goes towards supplying hospitalized children with toys and video games. Amidst a backdrop of seemingly perpetually negative press surrounding games and gamers of every calling, Child's Play is one of the most positive examples imaginable of the gaming community banding together to make a difference. So if you've got a little bit left over after your holiday shopping is done, consider sending it their way. Won't somebody please think of the children?

Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity auction raises $82,000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:15:21 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've always been told that it's better to give than to receive, though we're not quite sure why that is. At the very least, it's sure to regain you some of those karma points you lost for exclusively running down grandmothers in San Andreas. But as gamers ourselves we know better than anyone how tough it is to shop for one, considering all the variables to take into account: genre preferences, company allegiances, platforms owned... not to mention how much you're willing to spend. So tell us, what gifts are you getting for that special gamer in your life? A PlayStation Portable for your iPodding teen? A Game Boy Micro for the budding gamer in your family? Or maybe a tricked-out gaming rig for that oh-so-special World of Warcraft partner?

What gaming gifts are you giving this holiday season? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Dec 2005 10:30:35 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's been a lot of fresh new faces in the Joystiq household as of late, and today we're proud to bring you the freshest: DS Fanboy, where touching is always good. In their quest to unearth all the facts, fiction, and FUD surrounding Nintendo's dual-screened marvel they'll tirelessly comb the seedy, rumor-strewn underbelly of the interweb to bring you all the Nintendo DS news you've ever dreamed of. For everyone else out there, there's no need to worry-N-Gage Fanboy will be here sooner than you think.

Presenting DS Fanboy, Joystiq's newest crazed sibling originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Dec 2005 09:00:44 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to several tipsters, Circuit City has just received a new shipment of Xbox 360s which are available to be specially ordered on a first come, first served basis. Here's the catch: the warehouses that service several states each are only getting about 170 units per distributor, so don't expect your local store to receive more than 2 or 3 boxes. Both premium and core bundles will be for sale, though the ratio of premium bundles to core bundles is still unknown. The good news, though, is that anyone placing a special order for the 360 right now could presumably have their hands on a box within the next few days to a week. Of course, there's a chance that you'll have to settle for a lowly core package, though a crippled 360 is better than no 360, right? Just so we're clear, that there's what they call a rhetorical question.

Circuit City receiving limited Xbox 360 replenishments originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Dec 2005 08:30:18 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Though last night's Spike TV Video Game Awards were an unmitigated travesty and an affront to the dignity of true gamers everywhere, the undisputed highlight of the night was not the 2005 Game of the Year As Chosen By Spike TV's Marketing Department, but the heavily contested revelation of Best Gaming Blog. Tensions in the blogosphere reached a fever pitch in the hours leading up to the ceremony, with numerous girly slapfights erupting amongst the crowd. Nerves mounted ever higher as all of webdom looked on with bated breath, occasionally looking away just long enough to retch into a nearby bucket. At long last, the moment of truth: who would Spike TV recognize as the world's best gaming blog? The envelope, if you please. And the winner is...

IT'S A TIE! KOTAKU AND SLASHDOT FOR THE WIN!!!

The audience burst into deafening applause as Brian Crecente and Rob Malda simultaneously slumped forward in their seats, heads in their hands, shielding their faces from the cameras. Unfortunately, representatives from Joystiq were unavailable to accept the award for Least Association With the Most Egregiously Farcical Event of 2005, as managing editor Vladimir Cole had been critically wounded earlier in the evening during a slap-related altercation on the red carpet, and the remainder of the Joystiq staff had already been ejected from the premesis for multiple counts of indecent exposure. Rob Schneider was eventually fooled into accepting the award, though only after being told it was made of chocolate.

Though we here at Joystiq revel in our victory, we are not deaf to the plight of our blogging brethren. Each of us on the Joystiq crew extend our most heartfelt sympathies to Kotaku and Slashdot, who are even now bracing for the inevitable influx of prepubescent wannabe-hax0rs who think that beating Halo 2 on Normal difficulty makes them totally l33t. However, despite our sweeping triumph, we realize that it could have just as easily been us on the receiving end of such a disgrace, and we must inevitably remind ourselves that the only real winners here are those blogs that failed to be nominated in the first place. Take the hint, Spike. Next year, either drop the gangsta overtones and air an awards show that gamers aren't ashamed to be associated with, or don't bother inviting us to the after party. We'd just end up stealing all the liquor anyway.

Joystiq takes Highest Honors at Spike VGAs, finishes dead last originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Dec 2005 10:00:07 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So you're hankering for some hardcore old-school gameplay, but your Genesis is back at home and you're stuck at the hospital waiting for your wife to hurry up and deliver that baby already. Since you're sure as hell not gonna pay up for your retro fix, until now your best bet was a PlayStation Portable and a memory stick packed with your favorite ROMs. But with Sony tirelessly updating the PSP's firmware to head hackers off at the pass, keeping those emulators in working order can be something of a challenge. Enter the Gamepark GP2X, the Linux-based portable gaming platform from the makers of that other handheld you've never heard of. With no commercially-released titles to speak of, gaming on the GP2X is 100% open source, so an extensive library of dubious ports and emulations was fairly inevitable. Among others, the GP2X already boasts emulators for the NES, SNES, PlayStation, Sega Master System, and Genesis/Megadrive. So now when your newborn son first comes into this world, let his first memories be of his daddy kicking it old-school with Sonic and pals. When the doc asks if you'd like to hold him, tell her sure... right after you finish this zone.

The GP2X wants to be your on-the-go emulator of choice originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Dec 2005 10:30:38 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Reuters, the bigwigs at Sony have recently reaffirmed the PS3's predicted launch window of spring 2006, despite numerous rumors and utterances to the contrary. Since Sony have yet to follow in Microsoft's footsteps and announce their intentions to engage in a simultaneous worldwide launch, we can assume that they'll be shooting for the usual staggered release schedule of Japan first, everywhere else... meh, whenever.

Technically speaking, should Sony stay true to their word, Japan could be seeing the PS3 as early as March 21, though no later than the same time come June. Given that the PS2 took a little under eight months to make the transition across the Pacific, we can roughly estimate a North American PS3 launch window of early November 2006 to late January 2007. This could potentially coincide with the recent rumor of a U.S. Revolution launch circa next Thanksgiving, and it could just mean, depending on far you read into this, that we might be breaking in Halo 3 in less than a year's time.

[Thanks, Ravi]

Sony: Spring PS3 launch imminent originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Dec 2005 08:15:07 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We missed this one back when it released in November, but seeing as how Christmas is nearly upon us, and since we know that many of our readers are wallowing in the financial vacuum known as college, it's our sworn duty to steer you clear of those tempting games at the bottom of the bargain barrel. How tempting is it, you ask? As far as this game is concerned, not only is 50 cent the main character, it's also the MSRP (or at least it should be, any way). Think of this as Joystiq's Holiday Anti-Gift Guide:

IGN [6.5] - "Unfortunately, as the game is basically a straightforward shooter all the way through, the fact that the battles can be boring, if not frustrating at times, makes most of the general gameplay rather uncompelling."

GameSpot [4.8] - "Once you've finished Bulletproof's short and ridiculous campaign, you can go back through the levels in arcade mode, which gives you a score based on how well you can shoot people in the face. But with the shooting as bad as it is, it's tough to imagine that most people will even bother to finish the campaign mode, let alone enjoy it enough to go back through the levels for a high score."

GameSpy [1½ out of 5] - "Bulletproof is a violent hip-hop fantasy come to life. Fittingly, it's got a mess of music video flash editing instead of a plot and shell casings where the brain should be. And a soul? Forget about it. The game's vision of 50, endorsed by the man himself, makes a lie out of any claim that his music is street poetry. There's no metaphor here. 50 Cent has been plugged, his crew has been wronged, and the only way to make things right is to blow the hell out of everyone."

Metareview - 50 Cent: Bulletproof originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Dec 2005 06:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was only yesterday that the launch of IGN's Revolution channel quenched our insatiable thirst for solid Revolution data with some admittedly underwhelming yet nonetheless progressive technical specifications. The day after, they're following up on their Revolution revelations with even more info gleaned from developers working with near-final dev kits. So while this is all still subject to change, unless the Hollywood GPU ends up utilizing some form of quantum computing, don't expect any radical deviations.

First up, optical media. We've garnered some excellent commentary in our recent thread regarding Xbox 360 disc capacity, with several people citing the Revolution and its supposed 12GB discs. As it turns out, this isn't the case... by a long shot. Single-layered Revolution discs will hold 4.7GBs of data, tops, while the dual-layered variety tops out at 8.5 gigs. What will this mean for the content of Revolution games? That'll depend on the remainder of the Revolution's hardware, as well as the tools that are made available to the developers. For further elaboration, check out that 360 post if you've got an hour or so to spare, or just skip right to the meat.

Next up, memory. Initial appraisals set the Revolution's memory capacity at or around 128MBs; according to IGN, that number's been lowered to 104MBs-88 megs of 1T-SRAM and 16 megs of D-RAM. Developers have also noted that they have access to the Rev's built-in 512MBs of onboard flash memory, though flash is no replacement for dedicated RAM. The amount of memory aboard the Revolution's mysterious Hollywood GPU has yet to be determined, though many developers have placed the number at 3 megs. Of course, the apparent lack of this key hardware component may very well be responsible for the best news I've heard all day: the price.

Out of all the developers that IGN talked to, none expected the Rev to debut at a higher price than $150, with a few venturing as low as a $99 price point. Regardless, even at $200 the Revolution would undercut the cost of the Xbox 360 by 50%, since we all know that Core bundles do not count. And since nobody expects the PS3 to be cheap by any stretch of the imagination, I think I'm truly beginning to believe that Nintendo could pull off this whole "supplement rather than subsititute" thing they've got going on. Will Nintendo's decision to forego bleeding-edge hardware in favor of extreme affordability and ease of use succeed in swaying the untapped nongamer demographic? Perhaps more importantly, will the Revolution set a precedent wherein all future console generations are judged upon interface overhauls rather than polygons per second?

[Thanks, Hutchi]

Final Revolution disc capacity, tentative memory specs, and hopeful price point emerge originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Dec 2005 05:33:59 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In just over a year, World of Warcraft has grown from a simple MMORPG to a global phenomenon, with over 4.5 million active worldwide subscriptions. Never ones to pass up an opportunity to capitalize on all those guaranteed pageviews, Joystiq is proud to present the newest member of our dysfunctional blogging family, World of Warcraft Insider. They're your one-click stop for all things massive, multiplayer, and online in Azeroth, so head on over. We guarantee that your face won't melt*.

*Not a guarantee.

Joystiq Presents WoW Insider originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Dec 2005 18:45:32 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The clock chimes once, snapping you out of your gamer's haze as your fingers continue to instinctively manipulate the controller. It's 1:00 AM on a Sunday, and you're at the turn of a nonstop 48-hour gaming marathon. Your stomach growls-you haven't eaten since Thursday. The fridge has been empty since your wife left you, and your kids have all since run away to join the Peace Corps.

Eating them is out of the question.

You wince as the pangs of hunger rack your intestines, but you can't stop now. You're pwning n00bs on Xbox Live like never before-one wrong move and your unheralded winning streak will come screeching to a halt. If only there were something nearby to satisfy your craving, something succulent and delicious, something right below the television and just a little to the left... the Xbox, of course! Eyes glued to your 50" high-def display, you drop to your knees and shuffle over to the console, fans humming peaceably, blissfully unaware of its fate. You lean over the console, jaws spread wide, and...

WHOA! Just hold on there a second, Sonny Jim. Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, neglected to plan for such a contigency as yours. This here Xbox 360 is constructed of plastic; a strong, durable, lightweight material which nonetheless tastes like crap. Depending on whom you ask, this here games machine might not even be edible. Good going, Microsoft, now Sonny Jim is lying dead on the floor, his fingers continuing to manipulate his controller, pwning posthumously.

If only he'd bought a Dreamcast.

Plastic doesn't taste nearly as good as chocolate (Xbox 360 annoyance #005) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Dec 2005 05:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We'd figured as early as February that Microsoft would forgo placing a next-gen optical drive in the Xbox 360 for a myriad of acceptable reasons, but we couldn't help but keep the nagging issue of disc space from lingering in the back of our minds. From the high-res textures fit for an HDTV to the higher polygon counts befitting a next-gen console, the space available on standard DVDs is suddenly in increasingly short supply. So far we've yet to see an Xbox 360 game take up more than a single disc, but if the most recent issue of Game Informer is any indication, Microsoft may soon be sweating their decision to pass up on a next-gen storage format.

The issue takes an in-depth look at all the features of the Xbox 360, and while GI is generally quite taken with the 360's performance, functionality, and especially its controller, they unearth some unsettling details regarding the console's diminuitive storage capacity. According to Game Informer, nearly every developer they talked to at X05 expressed difficulties fitting their launch titles onto a single disc. One unnamed yet "highly anticipated" game in particular is said to currently occupy a full four 9Gb DVDs. Elder Scrolls IV immediately jumps to mind [UPDATE: or perhaps not, duuur], but any of those Japanese RPGs that Microsoft is always touting are also likely candidates. Microsoft's J Allard downplayed the storage issues, citing that improved compression rates in the future will allow much more data to be held on an individual disc, and that the pre-launch crunch forced many current 360 titles to use space far more inefficiently than they would have otherwise.

Microsoft has already hinted that a future add-on may be developed to allow the 360 to handle high-def movies, but that the device would be unrelated to gaming. Should the status quo remain unchanged, that means that Xbox 360 owners will be stuck with standard DVD media until at least the next console generation, circa 2010. And, obviously, just because a title is relegated to multiple discs doesn't mean that it can't be a great game-just look at Final Fantasy VII. But in this modern era, will consumers still put up with swapping discs mid-play? Games which are linear, such as Halo, may have little to lose by opting for a multi-disc format, but games which are, er... cubic, such as Grand Theft Auto, may take a significant hit in their ease of playability. All told, did Microsoft make the right decision when choosing the 360's optical drive? If not, would they risk segmenting their fanbase by releasing a newer, HD-DVD enabled box in the future?

Certain "highly anticipated" Xbox 360 title filling four discs worth of space originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Dec 2005 17:45:42 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There have been mutterings regarding this topic before, but the Entertainment Software Association has recently confirmed that Sony's next-gen console will feature controls to allow parents to restrict access to both movies and games based on their respective ratings (as opposed to the PlayStation 2, which only allows parents to restrict access to movies). Following similar announcements from both Microsoft and Nintendo, this means that all three next-gen consoles will give parents more capacity than ever to keep tabs on their child's gaming habit. Here at Joystiq, we're all about greater parental supervision, especially when that means keeping your twelve-year old Halo fanboy out of our comment threads (we don't mind the twelve year-old Tetris fanboys so much). However, parental controls can work only as well as the parents who use them, and are no replacement for active parental supervision. While politicians can't say we didn't try, how many parents will bother to take advantage of these increased checks in favor of continued apathy towards what their child is playing? And with fewer and fewer ways to blame the games industry itself, will this be the generation that people finally come to the realization that parents are ultimately responsible for the upbringing of their children?

PS3 joins the parental control party originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Dec 2005 17:15:48 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a strong possibility that many of you out there were cryogenically frozen in antarctic glaciers over the weekend, so we won't fault you if you missed out on our 48-hour Xbox 360 playathon. Just bought a 360 and wondering what games are worth your while? On the ropes about whether or not the console is for you? Or do you just want a peek at some hardcore uncensored unboxing action? Whatever it is you're looking for, chances are we've got you covered. And for more in-depth game and console coverage, check out James' hands-on Xbox 360 experience from last month's New York press event.

The Setup
Unpacking the Xbox 360; hot unboxing action
Our sweet test setup
Our sweet speaker setup
Our sweet screen setup
Fuel for a 48-hour gaming fiesta
Blockbuster & Hollywood Video: 350 what?

The Hardware
Joystiq, PGR3 and faceplate. PGR3 and faceplate, Joystiq
Invasion of the Xbox 360 faceplates
Xbox 360 controller range: Can you hear me now?
Side-by-side of Xbox 360 remotes
Titlefight: 480p v. 720p for the championship!
Parasitic Play-and-Charge controllers get juice from Windows, but Windows gets nothing in return
Xbox 360 heat concerns are no concern
Xbox 360 fan noise ranked

The Services
Visualize this: Xbox 360's visualizer taken for a spin
Game trailers available on Xbox Live
Live: best way to download game trailers
Best and worst trailers from Xbox Live Marketplace
Gaming trailers are insulting to gamers
360 plays videos, but controls are lacking
MP3s streamed to Xbox 360 via laptop
Xbox Live arcade titles added: free to try, $5 to $15 to buy
Our first Xbox Live friend: you like us, you really like us
Joystiq Guide: iPod on the Xbox 360

The Games
3 copies of Kameo = MS wants us to play it
2K on the 360: NBA 2K6, Amped 3, & NHL 2K6
Joyswag caption contest: win a copy of Kameo
Joystiq review: Geometry Wars demo
Joystiq review: Bankshot Billiards 2 demo
Joystiq review: Gauntlet demo
Joystiq review: Hexic HD
Are we perverse? There's nothing retro about this experience!
Joystiq review: Joust demo, thy game is over
Joystiq review: Bejeweled 2 Deluxe demo
Kameo's in the house, er... 360 tray
Super-frustrating boss fight in Kameo
Joystiq is better than GameSpot
And the best Xbox 360 launch title is...

Them's a lotta links! And while we're still recovering from a full weekend of hectic gaming, great fun was had by all, and we can hardly wait for our 48-hour Revolution blowout to roll around... You listening, Nintendo? And if that's still not enough reading material to quench your thirst for Xbox 360 coverage, check out the newest member of the Joystiq family, Xbox 360 Fanboy. Response has already been overwhelming, and it's all thanks to you guys!

Joystiq's massive Xbox 360 launch weekend blowout: the aftermath originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When was the last time we heard any news regarding the Phantom? More importantly, when was the last time we heard any good news regarding the Phantom? Now those fun-loving toaster manufacturers over at Infinium Labs are in the headlines again, thanks to the resignation of their Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Bachus. Bachus, who'd only begun presiding over Infinium in August, allegedly resigned to "pursue other opportunities." Rumors that he rowed away in the only lifeboat, shouting obscenities about the captain going down with the ship have since been denied. In his stead, Infinium's former European director Greg Koler will serve as temporary CEO, CFO, and president. Despite this setback, Infinium remains dutifully dedicated to releasing the Phantom distribution service, "soon," a stance they have maintained since the late Mesozoic.

So what's the deal, Infinium? Electronic distribution is supposed to be the wave of the future, and you had the chance to get in on the ground floor. Back in 65,000,000 B.C. this whole "streaming online content" thing sounded brilliant, but nowadays, with services such as Steam, GameTap, Xbox Live, and Nintendo's upcoming Revolution allowing us virtual access to a plethora of amazing games over broadband, the Phantom's looking more and more evanescent by the day.

[Via Slashdot]

CEO of Infinium Labs jumps ship, rows off into the sunset originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Nov 2005 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been said before, and we'll say it again: just because a game is good in two dimensions does not mean the same is true for three. Case in point: Sonic the Hedgehog. The original 2D Sonic games revolutionized the platforming genre, and, if current trends are any indication, they just keep getting better. So how does Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Team's latest foray into three dimensions, stack up? Well, it ain't pretty...

• Team Xbox [5.3] - "Practically nothing works the way that it should. Guns are bad, the camera is worse, and the mature departures that the story takes from the rest of the series are truly what will have the fans raging on the message boards."

• IGN [4.9] - "Shadow the Hedgehog is proof that Sonic Team needs to get with the program if it plans to compete with legitimate current and next- generation software. This is Sonic Adventure with guns and less polish, and players today are far more discerning than they were six years ago."

• GameSpy [2 out of 5] - "The whacked camera angles mean there's less control over these moments compared to the old-school games, but the sheer adrenaline rush is almost enough reason to explore more levels to see if it comes back. There should have been far, far more moments like this in the game, and this literal lack of momentum kills Shadow the Hedgehog's potential."

Metareview - Shadow the Hedgehog originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While some North American gamers are eagerly anticipating Tuesday's imminent release of the Xbox 360, reception for the original Xbox over in the Land of the Rising Sun remains less than enthusiastic. On a brighter note, Nintendo's dual-screened juggernaut just keeps on keepin' on (outselling the classic Xbox by a ratio of 406:1), while Sony's portable PlayStation chugs along in its wake. What's interesting to note is that so far this year, shiny new handheld devices have easily doubled sales of current-gen platforms. Are Japanese gamers in the market for a new console to adorn their living rooms? While polls indicate rising interest for the 360 in Japan, we don't foresee Nintendo's and Sony's stranglehold on the Japanese market relinquishing any time soon.

Japan seems to be a key battleground for Microsoft in the coming console generation, but can they convince the Japanese not to hold out for the impending PS3 and Revolution? With the busy holiday season fast approaching, we can't help but wonder if the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP will be more than enough to tide Japan over for several months to come. Hey, maybe Microsoft should consider a handheld of their very own...

Handhelds dominating Japanese sales charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 20 Nov 2005 20:00:04 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As we stand here today on the cusp of the next generation of video gaming, the possibilities afforded us by shiny new hardware seem virtually limitless. As gamers, we constantly expect, nay, demand prettier visuals, more interactive surroundings, smarter AI, more immersive gameplay, bigger environments, and better storylines, all of which translate into an ever-costlier development process. Past estimates place the costs of developing a next-gen game above $10 million, and those are only conservative assessments. And, as has been stated numerous times in the past, as the costs of game development go up, studios become less and less willing to take chances on unique concepts and new intellectual properties. Publishing giants such as EA and Microsoft may be able to burn 10 million bucks on exploring new ideas (though there's no guarantee that they will), but to small developers, to whom a single failed game could mean life or death, the risk of developing something fresh and exciting may well outweigh the rewards. Remember, a game may be good, but that's no guarantee that it'll sell; for every Katamari Damacy, there's a critically acclaimed yet commercially panned Beyond Good & Evil.

How will the little guys survive in this upcoming generation, if they survive at all? Keep in mind that without small publishers, gems such as Alien Hominid may have never made the leap from Newgrounds to our living rooms. Will smaller publishers gradually fade out as the console generations progress? Or will they merely be assimilated by the likes of Electronic Arts? And just how high will development costs climb before publishers can no longer afford to push the envelope on innovation?

[Via FiringSquad]

As development costs go up, small publishers feel the heat originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 Nov 2005 08:10:11 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

During an interview with Japanese gaming site Gpara, Hiroshishi Matsuoka, the brains behind the insanely addictive Wario Ware franchise, revealed that he's currently overseeing work on titles for both the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Revolution. While there's no guarantee that either game will be an extension of the Wario Ware series, we're still mighty hopeful. After all, Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$ captured our hearts with only two buttons and a d-pad; the very thought of microgaming with the Revolution's controller is enough to make our mouths water. Throw in some o' that as-yet unconfirmed DS to Revolution wireless connectivity, and you've got yourself a killer app in the making.

[Thanks, Nicholas]

Creator of Wario Ware working on titles for DS, Revolution originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Nov 2005 06:00:23 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's Microsoft's worst-kept secret that the Xbox hasn't exactly seen success in Japan, with monthly sales figures regularly exceeded by the original Game Boy Advance. To curb this trend in anticipation of the Xbox 360, they've been eagerly recruiting notable Japanese game designers to develop games that will hopefully cater to the average Japanese gamer (read: RPGs). Despite Microsoft's best efforts, however, three of the 360's most prominent RPGs, enCHANT arM, Tengai Makyou Zirai, and Ninety-Nine Nights, have all had their Japanese release dates pushed back, creating a noticeable void in the 360's launch window. enCHANT arM, originally the 360's only launch RPG, has been recast for debut on January 12th, while the latter two games have been pushed back from mid-January to spring 2006.

Now that the Xbox 360's Japanese launch is comprised primarily of Western-developed titles, the successor to the Xbox is looking more like its predecessor every day. Should Microsoft just give up on Japan and focus their efforts on winning over the rest of the world? We're fairly certain that European gamers wouldn't mind a little extra attention every now and again.

Japanese 360 launch to be devoid of RPGs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Nov 2005 18:15:01 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shacknews recently had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Will Wright, the brains behind such titles as The Sims and the very highly anticipated Spore. During the course of the interview he compares the gaming industry of today to the movie industry of the 1920s, in that games which are truly representative of what the medium is capable of are few and far between. Mr. Wright also remarks that the industry has become far too homogenous, which only ends up lowering consumer expectations and stifling creativity. He goes on to state that games today are focusing too much on telling a compelling narrative, while neglecting such things as exposing the player to new experiences and allowing them to interact with and determine the outcome of their environment. And speaking of new experiences, just what sort of thing's been on Will's mind as of late?

"I'm really interested in the Revolution, to see how the controller works out. That looks pretty cool. It looks very interesting to me. I like the idea of taking the games more outside the box and more into that close-body kind of space."

It may just be general praise, but what are the odds on some of Will Wright's handiwork finding a home on the Revolution?

[Via 1UP]

Will Wright talks up the state of the industry originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Nov 2005 07:00:55 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A while ago, IGN uploaded a pair of direct-feed trailers for the next-gen title Armored Core 4, one trailer running on PS3 hardware, the other on the Xbox 360. Without revealing which one ran on which console, we asked our readers to take a blind taste test and compare the two side by side and tell us which one struck you as having the graphical upper hand. The results are in, and so, as judged by Joystiq readers, which Armored Core trailer is graphically superior?

As you can see, 39% of those polled found the second trailer to be more impressive than the first. And which console did the second trailer belong to? Perhaps suprisingly, it was the Xbox 360. Of course, as many of you were keen to point out, these were pre-rendered trailers; they don't imply anything about the graphical prowess of either system. Instead, let's change tack and take a look at what this means from a game developer's standpoint.

By all accounts, the PlayStation 3 absolutely should have more graphical horsepower than the Xbox 360. It's been in development longer, is being released several months later, features a next-gen optical drive, and will cost approximately two limbs and a virgin princess. If that's the case, then why doesn't the PS3's copy of the trailer reflect the benefit of its hardware? We've already seen gorgeous real-time renditions of Unreal and Metal Gear Solid 4, so we know it has the capacity to blow us away, at the very least.

Continue reading Armored Core 4 trailer comparison results and analysis

Armored Core 4 trailer comparison results and analysis originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Nov 2005 06:00:06 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amidst all the frenzy enveloping Mario Kart DS, it's easy to forget about the other online-enabled DS title being released this week, namely, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land. One of the big draws of this title is that the game fully utilizes all of the unique aspects of the DS's hardware, often to an even greater extent than Mario Kart. Players can use the touchscreen to create custom designs for their board, pull off special moves during gameplay, and create their own fully-fledged skatepark. Character customization doesn't stop at aesthetics, though-you can also use the DS's microphone to record context-sensitive remarks that your skater will utter at the appropriate moments during gameplay.

Of course, the biggest draw of the game may very well be its extensive online capabilities. Gamers can link up either ad-hoc or over the Nintendo WiFi Connection, and matchmaking allows you to either play against your friends or to be pitted against a random player of the server's choosing. Multiplayer modes range from old staples such as Trick Attack to new challenges like The Price is Wrong. However, some of the more popular multiplayer modes, such as Graffiti Tag and Horse, are noticeably absent from the game pak. And once you're done competing, you can link your cart up to the game's official website and upload the data accumulated during the single player game, from high scores to replays of your best moves, as well as your custom designs which other players can download into their own copy of the game.

It's good to see a third-party developer wholeheartedly embracing Nintendo's newfound online strategy, so tell us, which other third-party games do you hope will take advantage of the DS's online capabilities?

[Via GameSpot, IGN, and 1UP]

Tony Hawk's American Sk8land preview extravaganza originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Nov 2005 06:00:30 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Women may have starred in video games prior to 1986, but there hasn't been one since who can hold a candle to Samus Aran. It wasn't just the way Metroid's manual led you on into believing she was a man, it was the fact that, at the end of the day, it didn't make much difference either way. And now, thanks to her eight-year hiatus between appearances in Super Metroid and Metroid Prime, a whole new generation of gamers has grown up thinking that the orange-clad fighter from Super Smash Bros. was just another one of the guys.

It's been almost twenty years since Metroid debuted here in the states, and yet there's still a dearth of strong female leads whose gender is irrelevant to their circumstances, as opposed to being their sole motivation. Lara Crigger over at Gamers with Jobs laments:

"Indeed, in video games, my entire gender appears to be neatly organized into maidens, mothers, and crones-or worse, virgins and whores. Look, developers-stop this. All of those "characters" are unnecessary. You've already made a perfect female character. Now, please, just make more of her.

Who? Samus Aran, of course."

Continue reading Samus Aran, the ultimate gaming heroine

Samus Aran, the ultimate gaming heroine originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:00:11 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This is the HD Era. At least, that's what the fellows over at Microsoft would like you to believe. As a matter of fact, they've even gone so far as to dictate that every game for the Xbox 360 must support high-def resolutions up to 720p and 1080i. But according to a forum poster at BizzareOnline.net, this policy may not be as ironclad as previously suspected:

"I have a review build of PGR3 and every time we capture a screenshot (which takes directly from the graphics buffer inside the machine) it punts out at 1024x600. This is unlike any of the other Xbox 360 games we have so far screegrabbed, which have all given screenshots of 1280x720."

It's important to note that the source, going by the name of MoonFace, states that menu screens output at a full 1280x720, while only in-game racing shots are subject to the decreased resolution. For your own personal scrutiny, take a look at the screenshot provided by MoonFace and judge the accuracy of his claims for yourself.

Whether or not PGR3 runs natively at 720p, it hasn't stopped many from labeling it as the most visually impressive game in the Xbox 360's launch window. When it comes down to it, what's more important? A high-definition resolution, proper antialiasing, or a solid 30 fps? And, more importantly, what would it say for Microsoft's HD Era if the best-looking launch title on the Xbox 360 wasn't even truly high-def?

[Via Slashdot]

PGR3 not truly high-definition, if in-game screenshots are to be believed originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 13 Nov 2005 19:20:32 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Recently, Nintendo seems to have developed an insatiable penchant for doubling things. First Mario Kart: Double Dash, then Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and now, Mario Party 7. In Mario's seventh annual bash, up to eight players can compete simultaneously for those ever-elusive stars across six boards and 86 brand-new minigames. Eight-player minigames are handled in the same fashion as two-player games in Wario Ware, with two players handling the same controller. While the old maxim "the more, the merrier" definitely holds true here, we can't help but think that eight players relegated to half a controller each will result in some overly simplistic minigames (not that the minigames in Mario Party were ever especially complex to begin with).

Save the microphone peripheral introduced in last year's Mario Party 6, the series has hardly deviated from the original formula laid down by the first Mario Party, the game that revolutionized (if not outright invented) the party game genre. How much innovation is possible in a franchise relegated to yearly installments? And what kind of new possibilities could the Revolution's controller yield for Mario Party 8?

Mario Party 7 to feature eight-player action originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 13 Nov 2005 16:30:36 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A driving game featuring licensed automobiles is nothing new to the video game industry. As a matter of fact, many proponents of driving sims claim that having real-life cars in-game helps to enhance the sense of realism, as opposed to the overly generic (yet admittedly extensive) roster of vehicles found in Grand Theft Auto. And we doubt that Ferrari and Lamborghini mind having their logos digitally rendered on thousands of televisions the world over. But how often has a game persuaded you to buy anything, much less a $300,000 automobile?

Volvo's hoping to curb that trend with Volvo Drive for Life, an Xbox driving simulator that embraces the eternal Volvo cliche: safety. Instead of barreling through afternoon traffic at breakneck speed, the game encourages you to take it slow, while showcasing the different safety features of the three Volvo models offered up for play. Currently Volvo only intends to distribute the initial 100,000 copies to dealerships to give out to prospective customers, but there are also plans to hand out copies at auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles, as well as Las Vegas's Consumer Electronics Show next year.

Of course, the real question remains: is the game fun? Anyone can force brand recognition down our throats, but unless we enjoy the experience, it doesn't mean squat. Besides, Volvo can spout safety all they want, but we challenge anyone to resist the urge to take their car plummeting from a cliff in flames at first opportunity (in the game, that is).

[Via the New York Times, article requires free subscription]

Volvo takes advergaming to a whole new level originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:00:52 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According the official websites of both EBGames and GameStop, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is set to be released on either July 2nd or 3rd of next year, depending on whom you trust more. The date isn't the only discrepancy, though-GameStop prices the expansion at a full $49.99, while EBGames is aiming for a more modest $34.99. Waiting eight months for an expansion seems reasonable enough, seeing as how Blizzard's been pretty vague on the disc's details so far. The price, however, is a different matter. Assuming that GameStop was generalizing, here's hoping that EBGames proves to be the more informed retailer. However, in the event that the expansion ends up costing as much as the game itself, would the higher cost deter anyone from purchasing it? When you really think about it, how much is fifteen bucks when compared to ongoing subscription fees and the accumulative weeks of your life spent playing the game?

GameStop, EBGames list WoW expansion for July '06 release originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 Nov 2005 22:01:41 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

During the course of a console's initial development phase, there's bound to be dozens of potential designs floating around for each and every individual component, and the Xbox 360 is no exception. What aids in determining a final box design is the fact that many of these initial prototypes are terribly, horrendously hideous. Normally these bastardized boxes are sealed in wooden crates and shipped off to a secret government storage complex, but the BBC somehow managed to get their hands on seven such rejected 360s, and Next Generation's got the pics to prove it. Some of these we've definitely seen before, such as the one on the far right. At least one other, the box on the far left, is eerily reminiscient of the Xbox 360's current design. Any of our British brethren out there care to summarize this BBC special?

[Via 1UP]

[UPDATE: Ed Andersen took the time to upload the a copy of the video here, while those of you without 180 MBs to spare can check out the BBC's own summary here, courtesy of mkjones. And for even more scrapped 360 designs, click here.]

BBC reveals seven Xbox 360 prototypes originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 Nov 2005 05:00:28 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For many gamers, Animal Crossing: Wild World is the very reason to own a Nintendo DS. And, if 1UP's first impressions are any indication, it'll soon be the reason for many more gamers to own one as well.

As any AC addict will tell you, one of the biggest disappointments of the Gamecube version was the inability to easily share your lovingly decorated town with those who shared your obsession. Wild World remedies this by supporting both ad-hoc multiplayer and online play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, so never again will you have to send your memory card cross-country just so your pen pal can appreciate your Gyroid orchestra.

Continue reading 1UP previews Animal Crossing: Wild World

1UP previews Animal Crossing: Wild World originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Nov 2005 06:02:32 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first-person shooter is one of the most tried and true genres in all of gamedom. However, in an age where the graphics vs. gameplay debate becomes ever more prevalent by the day, how much has the genre really evolved since the original Wolfenstein 3D? According to GamePro, not much. "Despite the increasingly cryptic lexical soup of new graphics effects (HDR, sub-surface scattering, anisotropic filtering), hyped physics engines and flailing rag dolls, the FPS fundamentals remain locked in a late-90s mentality. The reactionary design philosophy can be summed up in two words: exploding barrels." Taking this to heart, they've compiled a list of the top five FPS conventions that need to suffer a point-blank headshot.

With the Xbox 360 nearly upon us, the next generation of gaming is looming closer than ever before. And, as with the original Xbox, first-person shooters such as Perfect Dark Zero will likely play a seminal role in establishing the console in the minds (and living rooms) of gamers around the world. But graphical leaps aside, how will these games advance the shooting genre to heights never before experienced? Have first-person shooters finally achieved the uppermost plateau of innovation? Or are graphical upgrades such as smoother framerates and more enemies on-screen enough to sustain the genre indefinitely?

Like a final boss, FPS conventions that just won't die originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:45:11 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mention the words "Castlevania" and "3D" around any seasoned gamer, and their response may surprise you. While not exactly terrible, none of the three- dimensional incarnations of the Castlevania series to date have quite captured the essence of their 2D brethren, not least the classic side-scroller Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. So what does Curse of Darkness, Konami's latest foray into the third dimension of Castlevania, bring to the table?

This time around, players have the opportunity to fight alongside Innocent Devils, familiar spirits with-dare we say it-Pokemon-esque attributes. Depending on your fighting style, defeated enemies will drop various pickups that you can use to upgrade your Innocent Devils along a limited evolution tree. And, when you're not powering up your familiars, you can use dropped or stolen materials to boost the stats of your arms and armor. That's all well and good, but what do the critics have to say?

Continue reading Metareview - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Metareview - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Nov 2005 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When it comes to eliciting information regarding all things Revolution, Jim Merrick, Nintendo of Europe's Director of Marketing, is a veritable goldmine. Further evidence of this stems from a recent interview by Dutch gaming mag [N]Gamer. When asked about the Revolution's tech specs, he is quoted as responding that Nintendo may never get around to publicly revealing the Revolution's technical specifications, as all parties involved find the information largely irrelevant. Furthermore, he states, "while some of our competitors enjoy comparing specifications, it has little or nothing to do with how satisfied the consumers will be with the system and the games once they are released...I know people are hungry for information on Revolution and we respect and appreciate that, but we don't want to contribute to the cloud of meaningless information that surrounds the next generation systems."

Later on in the interview, Mr. Merrick goes on to confirm that Nintendo's current slate of first-party Revolution titles-including Super Smash Bros., Mario Revolution, Metroid Prime 3, and even the next (next) Zelda-are progressing nicely, and comments that one or more of those titles will make use of the classic-style controller shell, although all are expected to implement the freehand controller in different ways. He also affirms that the Revolution will implement game sharing into its repertoire, allowing many Revolution consoles to connect using only a single copy of a game. He didn't offer any hints as to the Revolution's launch date, though comments made by Satoru Iwata earlier in the week point to April '06 at the absolute earliest.

[Thanks, Cookie-Monster]

Jim Merrick talks Revolution multiplayer, titles, and specs (or lack thereof) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Nov 2005 05:00:17 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ever since E3 2005, the internet has been beset by Microsoft, Sony, and yes, even Nintendo fanboys arguing the graphical capabilities of their respective next-gen coffin. Of course, without any verifiable evidence one way or the other, who's to say which argument is right? At last, IGN gives average Joe Gamer the opportunity to judge the graphical superiority of two next-gen consoles for himself. They've posted two direct-feed trailers of the upcoming Armored Core 4, one rendered on the Xbox 360, the other, PlayStation 3.

Now for the hard part: the truth of the matter is, neither trailer is immediately discernible as superior to the other. Barring adequate precautions, we assume that fanboys will be fanboys and argue that their favorite platform blows the other one out of the water, without presumambly having watched either trailer. Thus, we're tasking our readers with taking The Joystiq Challenge (which is in no way affiliated with nor inspired by The Pepsi Challenge). One of these videos can be found right here, and the other one's right here. Check them both out, make an informed decision, and then tell us which is more impressive in the poll below. More importantly, is there enough of a difference between the two to sway the casual gamer, and are the graphics representative of what you'd expect from a next-generation game? Let us know!

The Joystiq Challenge: Xbox 360 versus PlayStation 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Oct 2005 20:40:53 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday, we reported that the BBC believed that the PS3 wouldn't be launching until late 2007. They didn't cite their sources, but the skeptic in us figgers the Beeb fell for Microsoft marketing hype. Today, however, we received a tip from a Microsoft marketer "former GameStop employee" that may shed new light on the subject. He asked to remain anonymous, but here's what he had to say:

I worked for GameStop over the summer, and this came up during the Madden 2005 [2006?] Release a few months back, and "confirmed" by our District Manager, I'm not entirely sure how true it is, but if you do some research on it, here's what you'd be looking for:

The PS3 is delayed until 2007, the decision for this came about through the failure of the initial hardware the PS3 Development Team created. Apparently, 300 PS3 Units were created and sent to various software developers to begin creating games for the new system. However, design flaws in the PS3 (Specifically, not enough coolant) caused the systems to overheat and meltdown after moderate
use by the developers.

According to my DM (District Manager), Sony went and fired the entirety of the PS3 Development Team for this flaw. In short, from what I've heard, if Sony gained anything from this experience, it's minor technical knowledge on what the PS3 can handle, but for the most part they were sent to square one.

If the above statements are true, could such a monumental setback be enough to postpone the PS3's launch date by over a year? And if so, how would the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Revolution benefit from their newfound head start?

Oh, if any fry-cook interns at McDonald's have the inside dope on the rollout of Nintendo DS wi-fi, be sure to drop us a tip.

Could the PS3 really be delayed until 2007? originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Oct 2005 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.