Joystiq

The Resident Evil chopper isn't as violent as it sounds

by JC Fletcher { 2 days ago }

You might hear the phrase "Resident Evil chopper" and think of some brutal weapon designed to make a zombie into two half-zombies, but it actually refers to the latest spinoff for the franchise -- and the first with the ability to literally spin off. Capcom has partnered with Savage Cycles to produce an officially licensed Resident Evil motorcycle, to be sold in "an extremely limited number." It'll have a bunch of fake weapons and health sprays and stuff attached, and the expected S.T.A.R.S. and Capcom logos. The shot above is of an in-progress model.

Capcom didn't mention a price for it, but we suspect that Resident Evil completists unable to let an official piece of merchandise pass are crying right now. Sure, $100 for a Japanese limited edition game or something is doable every now and then, but now you have to buy a vehicle. And if you drive it, it won't be mint condition anymore!

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 30 - December 4

by Kevin Kelly { 2 days ago }

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Star Trek: The Original Series (Blu-ray, all three seasons, prices vary)
All three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series will be available as of December 15, which is when Season Three comes out. Besides the awesome bloopers and flubs, it also has the entire unaired original Trek pilot in the set. Bizarrely, this was the original opening monologue: "Enterprise log, Captain James Kirk commanding. We are leaving that vast cloud of stars and planets which we call our galaxy. Behind us, Earth, Mars, Venus, even our sun are specks of dust. A question: What is out there in the black void beyond? Until now, our mission has been that of space law regulation, contact with Earth colonies and investigation of alien life. But now, a new task. A probe out into where no man has gone before." Seems like a good thing they changed it. "A probe out into" is a bit much. Trek has never, ever looked or sounded (there's a new 7.1 mix!) better, and you can pick this up in a box set, or get the individual seasons. Beam us up.

Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

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WRUP: Medal of Honor name-a-thon edition

by Alexander Sliwinski { 2 days ago }

EA's modern warfare reboot of the Medal of Honor series features a special forces operative with a whole lot of beard on its cover. This rugged individual – with massive amounts of flavor saver and crumb storage – may be based on an actual soldier codenamed "Cowboy," but where's the fun in that? Our very own Ludwig Kietzmann wondered aloud on Twitter: what should the cover model's name be (hashtag: #needsmohrnames)? Some suggestions:

@LudwigK: Bike McGrisslename
@SlamVanderhuge: Nails McBeefballs
@Roblink: Shampoo "Bubbles" McBride
@jcfletcher: Sausage "Egg" McMuffin
@Gamerbrood: Toothbrush McLaughlin or Floss McKenzie

Drop some more name ideas in the comments and let us know what you're playing this weekend.

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Mike Capps answers 10 Questions from the Academy

by Joystiq Staff { 2 days ago }

And now, 10 Questions from the Academy: A weekly feature from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences wherein significant figures in the video game industry provide their input on past trends, current events, and future challenges and goals for the entertainment software community.

Mike Capps is a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences where he serves as one of its board directors. He is the President of North Carolina-based Epic Games, the developers behind the Unreal and Gears of War series, and the seemingly ubiquitous Unreal Engine.

AIAS: What's the biggest challenge you see facing the industry?
Mike Capps: Game development has grown so fast as a business, but not nearly so fast as a profession, and you see the growing pains regularly.

What's your favorite part of game development?
I love the people; so many fascinatingly cool people are in game development. I really enjoy playing a game, and then meeting the people behind the game, and understanding how they think. Shipping a game, developing a game engine, and running a company... they're all insanely complex maximization problems. What do you with your time and your money, every day, to make the best game, the most profitable company, the best technology? It's a blast.

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8 million played Modern Warfare 2 in its first week

by Richard Mitchell { 2 days ago }

There's not really much more to say, is there? Publisher Activision notes that the 8 million folks dabbled in Modern Warfare 2 during its first week of release, which outnumbers basically every major organized army on the planet, Activision gloats. Obviously, the publisher forgot to factor in Antarctica's Grand Army of the Penguins' Republic, currently numbering in the tens of millions but, in the interest of celebration, we're willing to overlook this oversight.

On a side note, this is good news for Electronic Arts, because there's obviously a market for these newfangled war games.

THQ already planning Homefront 2

by Justin McElroy { 2 days ago }

We have a hard enough time remembering which FPS Homefront is (it's the one that is basically Red Dawn, if you're curious) and THQ is apparently already thinking about the followup. According to Gamespot, THQ's core gaming chief Danny Bilson told the FBR Capital Markets 2009 Fall Investor Conference "It's the beginning of a story. We're going to tell this like a serial, with cliff-hangers. And then we intend to continue the story in [downloadable content], until we go to Homefront 2."

The question that will remain unanswered until Homefront ships is, of course, will we be willing to go with them?

Gallery: Homefront

Assassin's Creed 2 glitch breaks the game [update]

by David Hinkle { 2 days ago }

Now that Assassin's Creed II has been out amongst the crowds, slinking its way into millions of consoles, gamers are stumbling upon some of its secrets. While you may be stuck tracking down those last few feathers, others are discovering ancient beasts and, according to CVG, game-breaking glitches.

Some gamers apparently found themselves stuck controlling Desmond in the Hideout after DNA Sequence 11, a direct result of shutting off their system after the game autosaved. When they later booted the game back up, they were unable to return to the Animus and continue Ezio's 15th century adventure. CVG didn't comment on whether this was affecting Xbox 360 or PS3 gamers, or both.

We've contacted Ubisoft to see if this is the first it's heard of the issue and also urge you to contact us if you've encountered it.

Update: Ubisoft has acknowledged the "SQ11" glitch. Posting on the company's message boards, community developer "Atmon" confirmed that Ubisoft is aware of the issue and is "glad to say that it will be solved through our upcoming patch," but did not suggest a release date for said patch. In a separate thread, Atmon continued to dance around the issue of a release date for the patch, explaining that upcoming server maintenance is unrelated to fixing the glitch.

BioWare's Facebook game gives to charity, takes $10 off Dragon Age for PC

by Randy Nelson { 2 days ago }

BioWare has launched a browser-based game on Facebook that benefits charity ... and gamers looking to save some scratch on the PC version of Dragon Age: Origins. Called Gift of the Yeti, it's a simple yet surprisingly fun arcade-style dash to deliver presents ... as a yeti subbing for Santa Clause.

Outside of the game, BioWare is playing the part of old St. Nick for hospitalized children, donating $10,000 to the Child's Play charity. And by simply loading up the game, players are presented with a link to the EA Store, where they're automagically given a $10 discount off of Dragon Age for Windows.

The press release announcing the game indicates that it's just the tip of the iceberg for the company's foray into social gaming. BioWare co-founder, Dr. Ray Mazuyka, said of the endeavor, "Gift of the Yeti is a fun, engaging holiday present from BioWare to our fans, the first in a series of compelling social experiences from BioWare Labs." Sure, they likely won't be for consoles -- but who are we to look a gift yeti in the mouth?

GameStop lets you be the N64 Xmas kid

by Richard Mitchell { 3 days ago }

While the above headline is true, you'll probably have to squint your eyes a bit to see it. You see, someone at GameStop had the particularly brilliant idea of making an application that can plaster your face directly over the famous (infamous?) Nintendo 64 kid. What kid, you ask? You know the one. Yeah, that one. Or, if you're like us, you can always use a picture of a cat. Apart from the video being holiday themed, we're not sure how the application will help GameStop sell games. But, then again, we don't really care. We just put a cat face on N64 Kid's face. What more could you want?

[Via GoNintendo]

Mass Effect 2 goes for challenge and sophistication, not pampering

by Xav de Matos { 3 days ago }

Mass Effect 2 producer Adrien Cho thinks developers are pampering players, making games much easier now than in previous generations. "It goes back to that learning mechanism of "Well, I tried this – it didn't work. I'm going to try something different." And I think that's going to be something in Mass Effect 2, we don't want it to be a cakewalk, you want a challenge," he told Video Games Daily.

Using the brutally difficult From Software title Demon's Souls as an example, Cho says hardcore players today want to earn progress in games. "I think gamers want a more sophisticated game, they don't want a breezy game where you see all the cinematics and just put in your hours and play it through." According to Cho, Mass Effect 2 aims to give players a healthy dose of challenge and sophistication when it launches early next year. We're all for hard work and challenge, but our idea of sophistication doesn't include the ancient mechanic of trial and error.

Charity XBLA game Chime's gameplay explained in latest trailer

by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }

What's the only thing more satisfying than aligning colorful blocks on a rectangular grid while simultaneously recreating pleasant ambient tunes from musical artists such as Moby? Simple -- doing so while simultaneously donating to charity. That's the package that OneBigGame and Zoe Mode will offer on XBLA at some point this winter, when their music/puzzle game Chime lands on the XBLA.

Though we've known about this non-profit puzzler for a month now, we've yet to see the title in action. Fortunately, OneBigGame dropped a gameplay demonstration video earlier today, which we've posted above. Yeah, sure, it's got a few aesthetic similarities to Lumines, but considering all the proceeds from the game go to Save the Children and Starlight Children's foundation, we're not going to raise a stink about it. We think saving children is like, the coolest thing you can possibly do.

EA: Pandemic's California location 'significant' in decision to close studio

by Xav de Matos { 3 days ago }

EA CEO John Riccitiello claims there were multiple factors in the decision to shutter Pandemic Studios, but one of the most significant was the studio's California base of operations. In an interview with Kotaku, Riccitiello blamed a combination of regulatory changes that affect technology and entertainment companies in California, as well as the tax incentives offered in other countries as major factors in the company's decision. "For good or for bad, we are taking down headcount in California because it is really expensive," Riccitiello said.

Another factor in the decision is the rapid growth of digitally delivered titles and browser-based games, leading Riccitiello to believe that the industry is quickly moving away from a focus on "packaged" software. "In a world that used to be all PC, then used to be all console, now it's neither." Riccitiello's comments echo those of Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada, who recently advised publishers to prepare for the "exponential growth" of digital delivery and server-based games following the announcement the studio would restructure its Eidos London offices, resulting in layoffs.

Pandemic Studios' closure comes at an interesting time, as the announcement was made just weeks before the studio's final title: The Saboteur. However, Riccitiello reiterated that the company's brand and franchises will live on.

Guild Wars 2 trailer introduces us to the game's races

by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }

Let's see, there's the human race, the nomadic warrior race, the mystical forest people race, the big ugly race, and the miniature race. Looks like all the MMORPG archetypes are covered! Fine, there's a bit more lore contained within the above trailer for Guild Wars 2, which explains all the motivations and backstories for each of the game's five races. Still, who cares about that stuff? Where's all the loot?

For a comprehensive breakdown of the trailer's plot elements, and some speculation on how the story of the sequel will unfold, we suggest checking out our sister site, Massively. This kind of thing is right in their wheelhouse.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker steps onto US soil May 25

by Randy Nelson { 3 days ago }

We found out yesterday that the PSP sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3 will hit shelves in the UK on May 28 -- following a March 18 debut in japan -- and today Konami has announced that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will arrive (via cardboard box, fittingly) at US retail three days earlier on May 25.

Although Kojima Productions is at work on a localized English language Peace Walker demo, the Japanese demo, released during Tokyo Game Show '09 (and later improved for release on PSN Japan) is pretty easy to pick up on -- and definitely worth playing. We've contacted Konami in hopes of confirming a digital release of the game for the same week the physical copies hit shelves, and maybe -- just maybe -- we'll get la-li-lu-le-lucky and score a special / limited edition for the States.

Joystiq Podcast 119 - Simply2Chaotic edition

by Justin McElroy { 3 days ago }

The video game release schedule may be winding down, but we're most certainly not, with all the Saboteur, Assassin's Creed 2 and Bayonetta impressions that you crave. Oh, and there's a Blueberry Muffin Tops contest you have to get involved in.

Also, we're in debt to Christopher Schons who made the above totally radical, Dragon Age-inspired artwork. You should go to his site right now and pay him to do things. Here's a bigger version, suitable for framing.

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Hosts: Christopher Grant (@chrisgrant), Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy) and Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK)

Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller

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See all of this week's links (and what games we played) after the jump.

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