Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Fable just the first step in getting more Xbox One games on Windows]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/fable-just-the-first-step-in-getting-more-xbox-one-games-on-wind/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/fable-just-the-first-step-in-getting-more-xbox-one-games-on-wind/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/fable-just-the-first-step-in-getting-more-xbox-one-games-on-wind/#comments It's easy to forget the Xbox's place inside the Windows empire. The bespoke platform is hinged on games and entertainment, looming over the console world but still living in its own fiefdom under Microsoft. The Xbox 360 and Xbox One are seen as instrumental to the software giant's goals, but their reach is about a billion behind that of Windows. Microsoft wants to dismantle the barriers within itself now, unifying games, productivity and phones under the banner of Windows 10.

The Xbox One will host new universal apps - programs designed to run on both Windows devices and Xbox architecture - alongside a Windows 10 update later this year, but that's a lesser gesture compared to what Microsoft announced on Wednesday during its Windows 10 event. Even having the Xbox and its games there, on stage, represents a change in the Windows message.

Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, took that stage to announce a PC version of Fable Legends, the latest entry in developer Lionhead's long-running and lovably lighthearted fantasy role-playing series. Not only is the game coming to Windows PC players, but it's coming in a way that allows them to play and chat with Xbox One players through Xbox Live. According to Spencer, it's the first game of several first-party Xbox games coming to PC.

Continue reading Fable just the first step in getting more Xbox One games on Windows

JoystiqFable just the first step in getting more Xbox One games on Windows originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jan 2015 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcrecommendedxboxxbox-oneFri, 23 Jan 2015 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Screamride: For those who dream of disaster]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/screamride-for-those-who-dream-of-disaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/screamride-for-those-who-dream-of-disaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/20/screamride-for-those-who-dream-of-disaster/#comments It's only fair to start this with an apology to Screamride, which joins us just as every second game gets to be called a 'roller coaster ride,' usually because it has a car chase, some explosions, and at least one scene of the protagonist going NO NO NO N- [explosion cuts off the rest, but an additional NO is strongly implied].

Screamride, in contrast, is actually about roller coasters: riding them; building tightly coiled tracks for them; destroying them in fiery catastrophe. It's so in love with pleasing disaster that it's likely to be wrongly categorized as 'cinematic action game.'

Continue reading Screamride: For those who dream of disaster

JoystiqScreamride: For those who dream of disaster originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>frontier-developmentsmicrosoftmicrosoft-studiosq1-2015recommendedxboxxbox-oneTue, 20 Jan 2015 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/barring-smash-code-name-steam-gets-the-best-amiibo-support-so/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/barring-smash-code-name-steam-gets-the-best-amiibo-support-so/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/barring-smash-code-name-steam-gets-the-best-amiibo-support-so/#comments
Outside of Super Smash Bros, the physical incarnations of Mario, Pikachu and other Nintendo icons don't have much to do on their plastic pedestals. While they transform into teachable, collectible opponents in Nintendo's flagship brawler, tapping an Amiibo toy into Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors is a one-step process to unlock a minor in-game item.

Nintendo has created a more substantial cameo - bordering on reverent - for the Amiibo line in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, the oddball 3DS strategy game from developer Intelligent Systems. If you happen to own a Fire Emblem Amiibo and tap it in, warriors Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina are summoned into Code Name's steam-powered war against aliens. They each have unique attacks, animations and can be an integral part of your strategy.

Continue reading Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far

JoystiqBarring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsamiibocode-name-steamfire-emblemikeintelligent-systemslucinamarthnew-3ds-xlnintendorobinThu, 15 Jan 2015 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The timely tweaks in Majora's Mask 3D]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/the-timely-tweaks-in-majoras-mask-3d/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/the-timely-tweaks-in-majoras-mask-3d/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/the-timely-tweaks-in-majoras-mask-3d/#comments The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will be nearly 15 years old by the time it returns in remastered form in February, coinciding with the launch of Nintendo's New 3DS XL. First released for the Nintendo 64, the unorthodox adventure has since steeped in praise for its strict structure and melancholy premise. Traveling back and forth through time, the hero of Majora's Mask helps the doomed inhabitants of Clock Town escape their final 72 hours, just days before they're crushed by an evil head from outer space. It's almost the saddest Star Trek episode.

Continue reading The timely tweaks in Majora's Mask 3D

JoystiqThe timely tweaks in Majora's Mask 3D originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsnintendoremakesthe-legend-of-zeldathe-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask-3dsThu, 15 Jan 2015 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Magicka 2: Worst. Wizards. Ever.]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/magicka-2-worst-wizards-ever/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/magicka-2-worst-wizards-ever/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/magicka-2-worst-wizards-ever/#comments The wizard is an authority of the arcane, enrobed as if to protect countless secrets and tricks from unworthy eyes. Sometimes the wizard comes with a beard, which just screams wisdom (especially when tugged hard enough), and sometimes the wizard comes with a hefty book in hand. Sorry, did you say book? Please, this is a TOME.

If the wizard demands respect, the Magicka series of video games just couldn't be bothered to give it. Cast as incompetent, catastrophically clumsy killing machines, the faceless wizards of Magicka have their hearts in the right place. It's the fireballs that are in the wrong place. Meanwhile, lightning is zapping a fellow wizard instead of a monster horde and, hey, you over there - maybe go easy on the spell that tends to immolate us all?

Continue reading Magicka 2: Worst. Wizards. Ever.

JoystiqMagicka 2: Worst. Wizards. Ever. originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>co-opmagicka-2paradox-interactivepcpieces-interactiveplaystationps4Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2014]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2014/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2014/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2014/#commentsATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris.

Jazzpunk

Jazzpunk is likely to be misunderstood, or impossible to understand, by design. You could say explanation comes as an insult to its eccentricity.

The gist of it is that you're a spy completing missions in a surreal, robot-dominated world, the kind you might dream up after dozing off in the middle of a late-night Leslie Nielsen movie marathon. And while the convoluted wordplay wouldn't feel out of place in a Zucker spoof - in Japan, for example, you're asked if you prefer kimonos or kistereos - the barbs of reality are what really make Jazzpunk stick.

Take its odd vision of dystopia, which is regularly mocked through one-off minigames (like a first-person shooter dubbed ... Wedding Quake). Here, you can put on a special visor that lets you see and blast nonsensical Wi-Fi passwords as they dance in the air around you. I mean, that's weird, but ... think about it. The concept is kind of weird to begin with, right here on Earth. Taken as a form of escapism, then, Jazzpunk is silly without taking you too far from the truth.

Continue reading Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2014

JoystiqBest of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2014 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best-of-the-rest-2014crossy-roaddonkey-kong-country-tropical-freezeforza-horizon-2gods-will-be-watchingiosipadiphonejazzpunkjoystiq-best-of-2014macmicrosoftmobilemonument-valleynidhoggnintendopcplaystationps3ps4recommendedroundaboutstarwhal-just-the-tiptitanfallwatch-dogswii-uxboxxbox-oneWed, 07 Jan 2015 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Joystiq Top 10 of 2014: Alien Isolation]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/joystiq-top-10-of-2014-alien-isolation/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/joystiq-top-10-of-2014-alien-isolation/http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/02/joystiq-top-10-of-2014-alien-isolation/#commentsATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris.

I'm suspicious of Alien: Isolation as I play it, waiting for the leather shoe to drop and seeing a meddling executive come chasing after it. It's just a cartoon in my head, sure, but these games are made or broken by how well they can bend to the needs of the creator, the desires of the publisher and the expectations of a varied audience. A low-action survival game with a persistent stalker isn't usually where video game aliens end up - not even THE alien.

You start questioning everything. There are too many jagged parts for a blockbuster game, too many harsh pitfalls for the easily frustrated player, too much smart enthusiasm for what is truthfully a tarnished property. And on top of that it's supposed to be an intimate horror game from Creative Assembly, the studio best known for giving you a god's view in the Total War strategy games.

And yet few studios could have been as suitable as Creative Assembly, for fanatically recreating not only the look of 1979's 'Alien', but instilling the same vulnerability and paranoia that must have clung to the film's lone human survivor, Ellen Ripley. Alien: Isolation puts her clever daughter in a similar predicament, inherits a horrible monster with a matryoshka doll of mouths, and proves that authenticity is key not only in historical fact. Whereas Total War unfurls the history books as best it can, Alien: Isolation is devoted to recreating the timeless truths of Ridley Scott's film: its look, its unpredictable killer and the sigh of relief we share with those who survive.

Continue reading Joystiq Top 10 of 2014: Alien Isolation

JoystiqJoystiq Top 10 of 2014: Alien Isolation originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alienalien-isolationaliens-isolationbest-of-2014creative-assemblyjoystiq-best-of-2014microsoftpcplaystationps3ps4recommendedsegaxboxxbox-oneFri, 02 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Evolve's Wraith monster steals the show]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolves-wraith-monster-steals-the-show/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolves-wraith-monster-steals-the-show/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolves-wraith-monster-steals-the-show/#comments Fear is meant to follow in the wake of most monsters, but I've never found Evolve to be scary. It's a hunting game that puts you on edge, though leaning forward - as if to stick your head through the foliage just to glimpse the cloaked creature - is an act of determination, not angst. When you're a glorified exterminator with a big gun, joined by three others playing to win, you get camaraderie, strategy and failure divided equally. The monster (and the fifth player) is nothing to be scared of.

Continue reading Evolve's Wraith monster steals the show

JoystiqEvolve's Wraith monster steals the show originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2k-gamesevolvemicrosoftpcplaystationps4turtle-rock-studioswraithxbox-oneThu, 18 Dec 2014 08:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Evolve tests creature features in open beta on Jan. 15]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolve-tests-creature-features-in-open-beta-on-jan-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolve-tests-creature-features-in-open-beta-on-jan-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/18/evolve-tests-creature-features-in-open-beta-on-jan-15/#comments Evolve is doing another round of online testing to ensure a roaring launch in February, with 2K Games announcing an open beta to run January 15-19. The beta will test Evolve's giant goals on Xbox One with a curtailed selection of monsters - the "Goliath" and "Kraken" - along with 8 hunters and 12 different maps. (And as with all monster products, there's a premium: you must be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber to gain access.)

Ferocious opposition and considered team play are both valued in Evolve, which pits one beastly player against 4 human-controlled hunters on a wild planet. Though the game hinges on the different permutations of Muldoons and monsters, it does have a campaign variant (playable offline and solo in the full game) called "Evacuation," which will enter the Xbox One beta test on January 17th. "Evacuation" offers a skeleton of a story, with sequential mission outcomes affecting the conditions of the next until the planet of Shear is evacuated. If you win consecutive rounds as the monster, for instance, few people escape and the hunters get thrashed. Unlocks in the Xbox One beta will carry over to the final game.

2K Games says "closed technical tests" for Evolve will also be conducted on other platforms, though not to the extent of the Xbox One beta (so, no "Evacuation" there). PC players can encroach upon the poaching as of January 16, provided they have invites to the "Big Alpha," or have Left 4 Dead or BioShock Infinite in their Steam libraries. PlayStation 4 owners, meanwhile, can start on January 17th with a Big Alpha invite and PS Plus subscription in hand.

JoystiqEvolve tests creature features in open beta on Jan. 15 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2k-gamesbetaevacuationevolvemicrosoftpcplaystationps4turtle-rock-studiosxbox-oneThu, 18 Dec 2014 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[C-3PO made to suffer through Alien: Isolation]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/c-3po-made-to-suffer-through-alien-isolation/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/c-3po-made-to-suffer-through-alien-isolation/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/10/c-3po-made-to-suffer-through-alien-isolation/#comments Being fluent in over six million forms of communication looks great on a résumé, but it's oddly useless when dealing with something that snarls through two mouths. C-3PO, the precious protocol droid from Star Wars, learns this and a few more things on his trip through the intolerable Sevastopol station in Alien: Isolation.

And just like in the game, it takes a while before the odds of survival really start dropping off. Let's play with C-3PO!

Continue reading C-3PO made to suffer through Alien: Isolation

JoystiqC-3PO made to suffer through Alien: Isolation originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alien-isolationaliens-isolationc-3pomicrosoftpcplaystationps3segastar-warsxboxxbox-oneWed, 10 Dec 2014 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Let's unbox the 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/06/lets-unbox-the-20th-anniversary-playstation-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/06/lets-unbox-the-20th-anniversary-playstation-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/06/lets-unbox-the-20th-anniversary-playstation-4/#comments
Swathed in sleek nostalgia, the 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4 simultaneously represents Sony's modern ambitions and its off-grey beginnings. It's a promotional item, a physical brand ambassador and a $500 cultural artifact all rolled into one. So, it's the sort of thing that calls for an unboxing gallery on a video game website.

Of course, Joystiq will be giving this pristine PlayStation away soon. The package has been slightly touched during photography, but it's just half the prize: the eventual winner stands the chance of lifting an eyelash from it, cloning one of us, commandeering our lives and receiving the 30th Anniversary PlayStation 5 for an unboxing gallery in 2024! Isn't that exciting?!

JoystiqLet's unbox the 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Dec 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playstationplaystation-20th-anniversaryplaystation-20th-anniversary-ps4ps4unboxingSat, 06 Dec 2014 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Get a closer look at final retail Amiibos]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/22/get-a-closer-look-at-final-retail-amiibos/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/22/get-a-closer-look-at-final-retail-amiibos/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/22/get-a-closer-look-at-final-retail-amiibos/#comments The taxidermy of fictional characters is big business, especially if you have a cast as colorful and as prone to pugilism as Nintendo's bunch. We've toyed with the retail versions of Nintendo's starting Amiibo lineup for our Smash Bros. review (now updated with a score) and took some shots for your scrutinizing pleasure. Does Pikachu fancy himself a leader now?

JoystiqGet a closer look at final retail Amiibos originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Nov 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amiibonintendosuper-smash-bros-for-wii-uwii-uSat, 22 Nov 2014 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Far Cry 4 review: Home despot]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/14/far-cry-4-review-home-despot/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/14/far-cry-4-review-home-despot/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/14/far-cry-4-review-home-despot/#commentsXbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Far Cry 4 is about a man returning home to scatter his mother's final earthly form. Only he gets distracted, goes mountain climbing for a bit, helps dismantle a despotic regime, fights a tiger, runs in circles looking for an ancient scroll, lands a gyrocopter on someone's house and develops a caustic vendetta against nature's sweet-sounding fur demon, the honey badger.

This doesn't make him an absent-minded son so much as the protagonist in an excellent open-world game. Like the vessel enshrining his mother's ashes, Ajay Ghale can't accomplish anything without a player to move him, lugging him up and down South Asian mountains in pursuit of peril and the next exotic vista. And like Ghale, you get in so deep after a while that it doesn't really matter what brought you there in the first place.

Continue reading Far Cry 4 review: Home despot

JoystiqFar Cry 4 review: Home despot originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Nov 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>far-cry-4microsoftpcplaystationps3ps4xboxxbox-oneFri, 14 Nov 2014 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The new dance in Halo 5: Guardians]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/11/the-new-dance-in-halo-5-guardians/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/11/the-new-dance-in-halo-5-guardians/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/11/the-new-dance-in-halo-5-guardians/#comments Despite likening the beta test as "coming out of the house half dressed," 343 Industries and Microsoft will use December as a showcase for Halo 5: Guardians - at least the multiplayer part. With almost 2 years of work done and nearly another year to go before launch, Halo 5: Guardians is going to be a learning experience for just about everyone: first for seasoned Halo players coming to grips with new abilities and a far more responsive output of 60 frames per second, and then for its developers, who will have weeks of data and feedback to get Halo in suitable shape on Xbox One.

Continue reading The new dance in Halo 5: Guardians

JoystiqThe new dance in Halo 5: Guardians originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>343-industriesbetahalo-5halo-5-guardianshalo-the-master-chief-collectionmicrosoftmicrosoft-studiosxbox-oneTue, 11 Nov 2014 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mario Kart 8 update adds Amiibo support]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/mario-kart-8-update-adds-amiibo-support/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/mario-kart-8-update-adds-amiibo-support/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/05/mario-kart-8-update-adds-amiibo-support/#comments A downloadable Mario Kart 8 update, meant to steady the game for the initial volley of DLC cars and tracks, will also enable simple support for Nintendo's Amiibo lineup. A select number of characters from Nintendo's new toy army will unlock corresponding outfits for your Mii racer. Tapping the Kirby statue on the Wii U gamepad, for instance, will unlock a pink puffball-themed outfit for your Mario Kart Mii, complete with a helmet designed to resemble Kirby looking back at you, smiling in the face of a blue shell coming up.

Mario Kart 8 will also have unlocks for Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox McCloud.

The Amiibo update will happen alongside the November 13 release of Mario Kart 8's first DLC - a pack of 8 tracks, 4 vehicles and 3 new characters, including Link and Tanooki Mario. The Amiibo toys, meanwhile, are coming out alongside the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. on November 21. For more on the Amiibo and how they work in Smash, check out my impressions here.

JoystiqMario Kart 8 update adds Amiibo support originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amiibodlcmario-kart-8miinintendosuper-smash-broswii-uWed, 05 Nov 2014 17:16:00 EST<![CDATA[Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare review: House of CoDs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/03/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-review-house-of-cods/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/03/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-review-house-of-cods/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/03/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-review-house-of-cods/#commentsPC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3

You get just a novel snippet of peace in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. In this shooter's future, technology has trumped terrorism, rooted out the last evil masterminds and flexed its bionic muscles in total defiance of lead-footed politicians who'd rather talk than get things done. "The world is running out of bad guys," your partner says, hopeful but tragically unaware that he's basically describing a video game glitch. Call of Duty never runs out of bad guys.

This one gets points for honesty, though, in that there is no pretentious cover-up of why the good guys beat the bad guys (or why the plot finds them easily interchangeable). In Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, you win because you have better guns, stronger sights, super abilities and superior movement. Whether it's in the rich and varied multiplayer mode, or the frantic, thrill-a-minute single-player campaign, you're constantly relying on cool weapons and combat data to make taking lives easier. Advanced Warfare front-loads the benefits of power in a franchise that has always made technology the exalted, almost fetishized solution to every problem. And you know what? It's more fun when it admits as much.

Continue reading Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare review: House of CoDs

JoystiqCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare review: House of CoDs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Nov 2014 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Activisioncall-of-dutycall-of-duty-advanced-warfarehigh-moon-studiosRaven-Softwaresledgehammer-gamesMon, 03 Nov 2014 03:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Super Smash Bros. Amiibo figures are part trophy, part protégé]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/super-smash-bros-amiibo-figures-are-part-trophy-part-protege/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/super-smash-bros-amiibo-figures-are-part-trophy-part-protege/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/super-smash-bros-amiibo-figures-are-part-trophy-part-protege/#comments
Nintendo is getting into the figurine game with a lineup called "amiibo" (disregard for capitalization included). Set to cooperate with several different games, most prominently this holiday's Wii U version of Super Smash Bros., the Amiibo statues capture the company's fanciful characters in a cute, tangible form. "Capturing" might be too strong a word, though, because it implies more fiction than there really is.

Continue reading Super Smash Bros. Amiibo figures are part trophy, part protégé

JoystiqSuper Smash Bros. Amiibo figures are part trophy, part protégé originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Oct 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amiibodonkey-kongnintendosuper-smash-brossuper-smash-bros-2014super-smash-bros-wii-uwii-uFri, 24 Oct 2014 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How Nintendo rolls in 8-player Super Smash Bros.]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/how-nintendo-rolls-in-8-player-super-smash-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/how-nintendo-rolls-in-8-player-super-smash-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/how-nintendo-rolls-in-8-player-super-smash-bros/#comments
Moments before attendees grabbed the controllers at a Super Smash Bros. press event, held in a hotel in San Francisco on Thursday evening, Nintendo had a pristine setup (above) aimed at 8 connoisseurs of clash. The configuration - 1 Wii U, 8 wired special-edition GameCube controllers, a token Gamepad and two controller adapter hubs - illustrates just one of the many options you have to exceed the traditional fight between 4 players when the game comes to Wii U on November 21.

Each of Nintendo's GameCube adapters supports 4 controllers - add in another adapter and you open the possibility of 8 active, wired players. The adapter itself plugs into 2 USB ports simultaneously, so you'll be taking up all 4 of the Wii U's ports (2 on the front and 2 on the back) if you try to mimic this setup. If you have external storage hooked up already, you can also lessen the load via a powered USB hub.

The result, though, is a responsive Smash Bros. experience which serves the true challenge of 8-player mode: finding out where the hell you are in all that delirious chaos.

JoystiqHow Nintendo rolls in 8-player Super Smash Bros. originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamecubenintendosuper-smash-brossuper-smash-bros-2014super-smash-bros-wii-uwii-uFri, 24 Oct 2014 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Editor's Note: We Are Always Fighting]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/20/editors-note-we-are-always-fighting/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/20/editors-note-we-are-always-fighting/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/20/editors-note-we-are-always-fighting/#comments We are always fighting.

The first video game I ever played, Space Invaders, rendered fighting in a sickly green hue, with squid-like aliens descending down the bulbous surface of a beige monitor. As much as I admired their patient and orderly see-saw attack pattern on our planet, it made it easy to blow them away from below. You see, it's not about the violence, but timing and pattern recognition.

My other starting game was some kind of Mad Libs program, which accepted a list of nouns and verbs and then spat out a boring or comical story, depending on how creative your input was. The key to playing this game well, I determined, was baking a well-timed "pie" into the plot. The archer reaches into his quiver and removes ... a pie! Help, the sheriff's been shot in the pie! The crowd sucked the air out of the room as the boxer fell to a critical blow from his opponent ... the PIE. You see, a video game lets players control (and probably ruin) the story.

Continue reading Editor's Note: We Are Always Fighting

JoystiqEditor's Note: We Are Always Fighting originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Oct 2014 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dseditorialmicrosoftmobilenintendoopinionpcplaystationplaystation-vitaps3ps4recommendedvitawii-uxboxxbox-oneMon, 20 Oct 2014 12:49:00 EST<![CDATA[Driveclub review: The Stepford Drives]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/07/driveclub-review-the-stepford-drives/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/07/driveclub-review-the-stepford-drives/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/07/driveclub-review-the-stepford-drives/#comments (PS4)
You choose what you look like in Driveclub, which adds a tinge of humanity to a game characterized by competitive pieces of metal orbiting a scenic road at high speed. It may seem like a trifling detail, just a simple tweak to the biped behind the wheel, but it's the subtle setup for what Driveclub is really about: a human trying to purge all emotion and blend in with a community of robot race-car drivers.

The computer-controlled drivers infuse their route with a glorious, mechanical perfection - slingshotting around insane curves as sunlight ripples across their Mercs and Paganis. Who wouldn't want to be part of such calculated beauty? Who would not want to fit snugly into a 12-car snake slinking around the corner?

Continue reading Driveclub review: The Stepford Drives

JoystiqDriveclub review: The Stepford Drives originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>driveclubevolution-studiosplaystationps4sonyTue, 07 Oct 2014 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The crouch that changed Assassin's Creed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/06/the-crouch-that-changed-assassins-creed/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/06/the-crouch-that-changed-assassins-creed/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/06/the-crouch-that-changed-assassins-creed/#comments The protagonist in Assassin's Creed Unity can crouch at will, making him something of a god-like figure in Ubisoft's ongoing rewrite of history. Arno traverses a dense and dirty recreation of 18th-century Paris, packed with jostling citizens screaming for a revolution. But as massive as the city is, with the Notre Dame de Paris looming over pockets of opulent residences and rain-slick squalor, the game's struggles happen on a small scale, crouched close to the ground.

"The engine was ... I mean, we rewrote like 6 million lines of code for this," says Alex Amancio, the creative director who speaks for the work of ten different Ubisoft studios. "It's not a joke."

Continue reading The crouch that changed Assassin's Creed

JoystiqThe crouch that changed Assassin's Creed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assassins-creed-unitymicrosoftpcplaystationps4xbox-oneMon, 06 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Alien: Isolation review: Escape claws]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review-escape-claws/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review-escape-claws/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/03/alien-isolation-review-escape-claws/#comments Alien: Isolation is a trauma machine masquerading as a video game. Only in the realm of horror could this be seen as a compliment, and only with horror games in particular is this worthy of nervous applause. Say this about any other kind of game and you'd mistake praise for insults: it's unpleasant, stressful and rarely merciful. Yay!

The game's success hinges on its meticulous interpretation of 1979's Alien, which it effectively recreates in both look and premise. Instead of the intimate confines of a lousy spaceship, however, Alien: Isolation strands you on Sevastopol, a neglected station deep in its decommission throes. You arrive there as Amanda Ripley, pursuing information about your mother and her last known ship, the Nostromo. Aside from being a biological connection to the original Alien film, Amanda is also heir to the universe's most horrible stalker.

Sevastopol's sad disrepair and in-fighting can be traced back to the Xenomorph, a destabilizing creature that intimidates to this day with its skeletal figure, eyeless gaze and unmistakable hiss. The alien is a black cloud hanging over the entire game, with its arrival signaling the end of your hunky-dory skipping-down-the-corridor ways. Actually, just never do that. Ever.

Continue reading Alien: Isolation review: Escape claws

JoystiqAlien: Isolation review: Escape claws originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Oct 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alien-isolationaliens-isolationcreative-assemblymicrosoftpcplaystationps3ps4recommendedxboxxbox-oneFri, 03 Oct 2014 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Truth Inside Destiny's Loot Cave]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/the-truth-inside-destinys-loot-cave/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/the-truth-inside-destinys-loot-cave/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/the-truth-inside-destinys-loot-cave/#comments
The loot cave is dead, but its spirit will haunt other venues and hover over Destiny for a long time. Bungie will keep persecuting it, having barred item trading and proclaiming, "You should be able to tell a badass story for every sweet jewel in your arsenal." The Man Who Shot Into The Cave A Whole Bunch doesn't quite have that "legendary" ring to it.

It's easy to side with the loot cave, though, given Destiny's parsimonious grip on worthwhile weapons and armor in the endgame. The cave, an exploitation space constantly filled with enemies if you stand outside in just the right spot, is an oasis of rewards in a desert of so-so shotguns, and the ideal way to exact revenge against the game's overlords. Really, if you're looking for the most corrupt figure in games right now, it's Destiny's super shady Cryptarch - an embezzling creep who takes futuristic blueprints extracted from exotic alien corpses, disappears into his shop and brings back the equivalent of a rusty shovel.

And so you can either hit more things with your shovel, hoping a superior engram will fall out, or go shoot into the latest loot cave for a more assured fortune. It's poetic vengeance wrapped in weathered rock.

Continue reading The Truth Inside Destiny's Loot Cave

JoystiqThe Truth Inside Destiny's Loot Cave originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Sep 2014 19:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbungiedestinyloot-cavemicrosoftopinionplaystationps3ps4recommendedxboxxbox-oneFri, 26 Sep 2014 19:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Total War tussles with Attila in 2015]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/total-war-tussles-with-attila-in-2015/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/total-war-tussles-with-attila-in-2015/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/total-war-tussles-with-attila-in-2015/#comments Attila the Hun is the grimacing face and unrelenting antagonist in the next Total War game, coming from Creative Assembly in 2015.

In Total War: Attila, you manage a huge Eastern Roman empire, stretched to breaking point across a vast terrain in Europe and a thin dispersal of military troops. With Atilla and the Hunnic empire threatening to invade, you must strengthen your entrenchment and command your armies to push back his influence - often coming in the form of fiery sieges.

Continue reading Total War tussles with Attila in 2015

JoystiqTotal War tussles with Attila in 2015 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Sep 2014 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2015creative-assemblymacpcrtssegatotal-wartotal-war-attilaThu, 25 Sep 2014 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Forza Horizon 2 review: Fetch the Bentley, we're going for a drive]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/forza-horizon-2-review-fetch-the-bentley-were-going-for-a-dri/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/forza-horizon-2-review-fetch-the-bentley-were-going-for-a-dri/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/forza-horizon-2-review-fetch-the-bentley-were-going-for-a-dri/#comments Forza Horizon 2 is the kind of racing game that expands the idea of 'simulation' to include less material, more ambiguous parts of driving. What it feels like to zoom along the breezy coast in a lovely LaFerrari. The cringe of your beastly Nissan GT-R scraping through a tight turn in the castle town of San Giovanni. Inhaling for your Ford Raptor as it squeezes through a green gauntlet of fir trees. Oh, and what it's like being a rich generi-dude who identifies every techno song on the radio as an 'anthem.'

Continue reading Forza Horizon 2 review: Fetch the Bentley, we're going for a drive

JoystiqForza Horizon 2 review: Fetch the Bentley, we're going for a drive originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Sep 2014 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>forza-horizon-2microsoftplayground-gamesSumo-Digitalturn-10turn-10-studiosxboxxbox-oneThu, 25 Sep 2014 03:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Battleborn and the rise of the friendly shooter]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/17/battleborn-and-the-rise-of-the-friendly-shooter/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/17/battleborn-and-the-rise-of-the-friendly-shooter/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/17/battleborn-and-the-rise-of-the-friendly-shooter/#comments "We are absolutely, deliberately targeting the idea that we want a game that people can just pick up and play," says John Mulkey, design director on Gearbox's new shooter, Battleborn (PS4, Xbox One, PC). His team's latest design, which favors collaboration, community input and a heavy focus on testing and tuning, couldn't be more different from the cult classic he built levels for - years ago.

Just how much community input and playtesting went into No One Lives Forever anyway, I ask Mulkey. "Oh, god," he says, briefly thrust back into a previous life. "None."

Propelled chiefly by the strength of its clever vision, a game like No One Lives Forever seems to be an outlier now. It was a game made without a steady stream of analytics, feedback and pushback, though meant to be consumed more succinctly, and for what was then a much smaller audience. "A game like this, we hope, it's not just this game that hits and fades away," says Scott Kester, the man in charge of Battleborn's look. "We want this to go. We want to keep making it."

Continue reading Battleborn and the rise of the friendly shooter

JoystiqBattleborn and the rise of the friendly shooter originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Sep 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2k-gamesbattlebornfpsgearboxgearbox-softwarejohn-mulkeymicrosoftmobapcplaystationps4xbox-oneWed, 17 Sep 2014 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Heavenly Sword: How Not to Kill Your Heroine (in the movie)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/heavenly-sword-how-not-to-kill-your-heroine-in-the-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/heavenly-sword-how-not-to-kill-your-heroine-in-the-movie/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/heavenly-sword-how-not-to-kill-your-heroine-in-the-movie/#comments
Heavenly Sword begins with its heroine in agony, convulsing on the battleground, her tangled red hair swirled in the dirt. Nariko still clings to the cursed sword that had gotten her so far. As searing scripture snakes up her arms, branding her the doomed property of this mystical blade, she wonders: Why now? Why, on the verge of victory, does the sword claim my life?

That glimpse of Nariko, unable to dodge the sword's fatal toll, forever lingers over the action game that follows. Instead of a plotted ascent to power, with sharp, assured victory in hand, we play through a dreaded descent. With every new chapter, Nariko comes closer and closer to the end of her strength.

Continue reading Heavenly Sword: How Not to Kill Your Heroine (in the movie)

JoystiqHeavenly Sword: How Not to Kill Your Heroine (in the movie) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>heavenly-swordnarikoninja-theoryplaystationps3recommendedThu, 11 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Assassin's Creed competitive killing takes a break]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/assassins-creed-competitive-killing-takes-a-break/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/assassins-creed-competitive-killing-takes-a-break/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/20/assassins-creed-competitive-killing-takes-a-break/#comments The dense history of Assassin's Creed starts humbly in 2007, with polarizing reviews seeing more potential than anything else in the first game. Still, big sales paved the way for Assassin's Creed 2, which took the franchise into 15th century Italy and along an unbroken streak of bigger, annual releases. The addition of competitive multiplayer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood drew extra skepticism around the franchise's expansion, but it endured and grew alongside new assassins - until now.

Continue reading Assassin's Creed competitive killing takes a break

JoystiqAssassin's Creed competitive killing takes a break originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assassins-creedassassins-creed-unitygamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014microsoftpcplaystationps3ps4ubisoft-annecyubisoft-sofiaxboxxbox-oneWed, 20 Aug 2014 03:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Far Cry 4: Crouching tiger, hidden Blood Dragon]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/far-cry-4-crouching-tiger-hidden-blood-dragon/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/far-cry-4-crouching-tiger-hidden-blood-dragon/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/far-cry-4-crouching-tiger-hidden-blood-dragon/#comments If there's one game that doesn't quite fit into Far Cry's exotic zoo of flammable locales, it's Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. The standalone spinoff (often confused for DLC) dragged the franchise's jungle-stalking into a neon cyber-parody of 1980s action, stripping off a serious face to reveal a toothy grin and bulging cheek. Players loved it, and some wondered why that couldn't have been THE Far Cry 3.

As much as I like what I've played of THE Far Cry 4, I wonder about a full surrender to Shangri-La, the strange, mystical reflection of the game's "real" Himalayan world. These excursions into Shangri-La are absolutely integrated into the main storyline - not DLC - and spread across five unreal episodes. There may yet be another Blood Dragon, but Far Cry 4 comes with weirdness built-in.

Continue reading Far Cry 4: Crouching tiger, hidden Blood Dragon

JoystiqFar Cry 4: Crouching tiger, hidden Blood Dragon originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>far-cry-4gamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014microsoftpcplaystationps3ps4recommendedshangri-laubisoftubisoft-torontoxboxxbox-oneMon, 18 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Halo: is it the TV you're looking for?]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/halo-is-it-the-tv-youre-looking-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/halo-is-it-the-tv-youre-looking-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/18/halo-is-it-the-tv-youre-looking-for/#comments
The custodians of Halo have considered "what it means to move television forward," says executive producer Kiki Wolfkill. It's an unusual line coming from 343 Industries, maker of Halo 4, but it shows a more practical streak than Microsoft's own (and now defunct) Xbox Entertainment Studios.

343's Halo Channel is an Xbox One and Windows 8.1 app that works like a giant web for the Halo franchise, ensnaring original TV programming, games, news, Twitch streams, social activity, franchise fiction and, by the looks of it, any Halo fan who uses it. Tapping into your Xbox profile, it'll recognize you and suggest content based on what you've played, watched and read before. "We will always curate a stream," Wolfkill says.

Continue reading Halo: is it the TV you're looking for?

JoystiqHalo: is it the TV you're looking for? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>343-industriesgamescom-2014gdc-europehalohalo-channelhalo-the-master-chief-collectionkiki-wolfkillmicrosoftpcxbox-entertainment-studiosxbox-oneMon, 18 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Assassin's Creed doubles down on stealth and sailing in 2014]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/assassins-creed-doubles-down-on-stealth-and-sailing-in-2014/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/assassins-creed-doubles-down-on-stealth-and-sailing-in-2014/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/assassins-creed-doubles-down-on-stealth-and-sailing-in-2014/#comments

The Assassin's Creed franchise has an established, successful record of major annualized releases, but hooded prowlers will have two notable targets this year: Assassin's Creed Rogue, which will sail chilled seas on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and Assassin's Creed Unity, a return to scaling European cityscapes on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Just because Ubisoft can add two major adventures to the series' anthology within the same year doesn't mean you have time for both however, so Editor-In-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann and Contributing Editor Sinan Kubba exchanged thoughts to help you get a sense of which may better suit your interests.

If your interest is particularly piqued by Unity, you can watch a full assassination mission within its take on the French Revolution, led by Creative Director Alex Amancio. Of course, you could always trade in your wrist blades for dice.

[Image: Ubisoft]

JoystiqAssassin's Creed doubles down on stealth and sailing in 2014 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assassins-creedassassins-creed-unitymicrosoftpcplaystationps3ps4xboxxbox-oneSat, 16 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Smaller games 'great candidates' for Xbox Games with Gold]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/smaller-games-great-candidates-for-xbox-games-with-gold/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/smaller-games-great-candidates-for-xbox-games-with-gold/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/smaller-games-great-candidates-for-xbox-games-with-gold/#comments
Above: Goat Simulator, coming to Xbox One
When mind-bender Braid came to Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, it felt emblematic of a curated platform: a boutique in which unique concepts and independent developers could gain exposure. Now the boutique is long gone and independent games are plentiful, mingling with AAA games right there in the living room, for better or worse.

Games like the time-stopping shooter, Super Hot, are now regularly shown beneath lit-up Xbox and PlayStation logos at major press briefings, though they're not typically explored in depth. Instead, the presentation format seems to be cramming every confirmed game into a montage and shotgunning them into the audience. In the years since Braid, independent creations have gone from oddities to commodities, and they're "coming to our console first" - that's how the line goes.

Continue reading Smaller games 'great candidates' for Xbox Games with Gold

JoystiqSmaller games 'great candidates' for Xbox Games with Gold originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014goat-simulatorid-at-xboxmicrosoftxbox-oneFri, 15 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[You booze, you snooze in Sunset Overdrive]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/you-booze-you-snooze-in-sunset-overdrive/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/you-booze-you-snooze-in-sunset-overdrive/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/you-booze-you-snooze-in-sunset-overdrive/#comments There's little time for rest in Sunset Overdrive, a ridiculous game that whizzes by like a rock star drinking espresso on a skateboard. You must, must remain in motion - bouncing, sliding, flipping, grinding, hurtling and weaving through a rain of rockets and a gauntlet of gnarled mutants. And that's ignoring the visual chaos of your outfit: red pants, a blue flannel jacket, a tall white bearskin on your head and ... is that a tail?

Continue reading You booze, you snooze in Sunset Overdrive

JoystiqYou booze, you snooze in Sunset Overdrive originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Aug 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014insomniacinsomniac-gamesmicrosoftrecommendedsunset-overdrivexbox-oneThu, 14 Aug 2014 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Emotions rise as Tomb Raider goes to Xbox]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/emotions-rise-as-tomb-raider-goes-to-xbox/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/emotions-rise-as-tomb-raider-goes-to-xbox/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/emotions-rise-as-tomb-raider-goes-to-xbox/#comments "The recent decision to release the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider as an Xbox One exclusive alienates the majority of the fan base and will ultimately lead to the demise of the franchise."

For a vocal group of fans it's not just a business move, but a killing blow. Microsoft's claim to Rise of the Tomb Raider, as an Xbox-only game for Holiday 2015, is incurring the sort of backlash and petition-signing flurry (seen above) that's well known to veterans of the infamous console wars. And it's not even the first time a Tomb Raider sequel has been through this - just ask Sega Saturn owners who had to get a PC or PlayStation if they wanted to a keep their streak of unearthed relics.

Continue reading Emotions rise as Tomb Raider goes to Xbox

JoystiqEmotions rise as Tomb Raider goes to Xbox originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Aug 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014microsoftrecommendedrise-of-the-tomb-raidersquare-enixxboxxbox-oneWed, 13 Aug 2014 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/ea-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/ea-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/13/ea-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/#comments
The EA presentation at this year's E3 reflected an unexpected turn for the publisher, almost as if the powers that be had hit the reset button on multiple projects. Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror's Edge and Mass Effect were shown only in early stages - far from being completed. The snippets and behind-the-scenes framed EA's claims of rethinking development to be more active, playtested and considered.

At Gamescom this week, we'll see whether EA sticks to that message, and whether its teams at BioWare and DICE are ready to show more of their upcoming projects.

Follow the news and announcements with u, right here, this Wednesday at 10AM CEST (4AM ET, 1AM PT, 9AM UK).

JoystiqEA Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Aug 2014 04:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarediceeagamescom-2014gamescom-2014-eamicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3ps4xboxxbox-oneWed, 13 Aug 2014 04:52:00 EST<![CDATA[PlayStation Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/playstation-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/playstation-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/playstation-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/#comments
Glum anti-heroes and glamorous automobiles could come together at Sony's PlayStation briefing in Germany later today. Sony has Evolution's glossy new racer, Driveclub, coming up in October, with several more exclusives - LittleBigPlanet 3, The Order: 1886, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - in the months beyond.

We also expect to see a strong showing from Sony's European developers (got anything ready to show, Guerrilla Games?), third-party publishers and the region's talented independent developers.

Join us for all the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Vita announcements right here on Tuesday at 7PM CEST (1PM ET, 10AM PT, 6PM UK).

JoystiqPlayStation Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014playstationplaystation-vitaps3ps4sonyvitaTue, 12 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Xbox Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/xbox-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/xbox-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/12/xbox-gamescom-14-liveblog-on-joystiq/#comments
With Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection en route to the Xbox One in 2014, Microsoft is set to have a packed media briefing in Germany today.

A focus on AAA exclusives is to be expected, though Microsoft may also strike a balance - much like the new and old architecture of the Gürzenich Köln venue - to highlight its ID@Xbox initiative for independent craft, along with promising new games like Ori and the Blind Forest.

Join us right here for all the news and announcements on Tuesday, 2PM CEST (8AM ET, 5AM PT, 1PM UK).

JoystiqXbox Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014gamescom-2014-xboxgdc-europe-2014microsoftxboxxbox-oneTue, 12 Aug 2014 09:09:00 EST<![CDATA[The futuristic perks of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/the-futuristic-perks-of-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/the-futuristic-perks-of-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/the-futuristic-perks-of-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare/#comments


When Call of Duty first leapt forward in time, barreling out of World War II and into a contemporary theater, we got a new benchmark for the shooter series. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare isn't just praised because it has better guns, newer cities and cell phones, however; it rises in memory because of a breakneck pace, sudden turns in the storyline and a well-constructed multiplayer suite.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn't the first game in the series to draw from far-fetched research and prototype weaponry, but it's already presented as a thunderous step into the future. In the hierarchy of vague subtitles, we're to understand that "advanced" is ahead of "modern." According to the marketing, the game has changed because your soldier is encased in powerful exoskeletal armor.

But while Activision grafts the game to the front-loaded theme of power - your powerful guns, your powerful Exo Suit, your powerful POWER - the undressed reality is simple. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has the benefit of a three-year development cycle and a handful of fresh designs in multiplayer.

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JoystiqThe futuristic perks of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisioncall-of-duty-advanced-warfaremicrosoftpcplaystationps3ps4recommendedsledgehammer-gamesxboxxbox-oneMon, 11 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Toy Soldiers: War Chest brings rainbow doom to the diorama]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/toy-soldiers-war-chest-brings-rainbow-doom-to-the-diorama/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/toy-soldiers-war-chest-brings-rainbow-doom-to-the-diorama/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/11/toy-soldiers-war-chest-brings-rainbow-doom-to-the-diorama/#comments War is an unrelenting gauntlet of hell, I think, watching a band of heavily armored rainbow ponies spill over a grassy field. Bursts of mortar fire end their horror-trotting advance, but the opposing men can't replenish the ammo quickly enough to stop what's next.

A shadow crawls over the European countryside, darkening the prospects of all who look up to see a great, looming doom. It's a castle floating on a cloud, primed to end the war with a devastating slash adorable glitter-nuke.

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JoystiqToy Soldiers: War Chest brings rainbow doom to the diorama originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>downloadgamescom-2014gdc-europe-2014microsoftpcplaystationps4psnsignal-studiostoy-soldiers-war-chestubisoftxbox-livexbox-oneMon, 11 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gods Will Be Watching Review: Morality After Math]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/gods-will-be-watching-review-morality-after-math/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/gods-will-be-watching-review-morality-after-math/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/05/gods-will-be-watching-review-morality-after-math/#comments Gods Will Be Watching is one of the best games I've ever hated.

It's more fun to unpack than to play, and easier to admire than love. It looks like a classic point-and-click adventure, with pixel-thin characters standing on stilt legs as they spew sci-fi exposition in chunky text, but Gods Will Be Watching is no cousin to the classic LucasArts line. And unlike those games, it enjoys killing you.

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JoystiqGods Will Be Watching Review: Morality After Math originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deconstructeamdevolver-digitalgods-will-be-watchinglinuxmacpcrecommendedTue, 05 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST