Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.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[Hit List Q&A: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/19/hit-list-qanda-nathan-vella-co-founder-of-capy/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/19/hit-list-qanda-nathan-vella-co-founder-of-capy/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/19/hit-list-qanda-nathan-vella-co-founder-of-capy/#comments In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capybara Games.

Nathan Vella is co-founder and president of Toronto-based independent game developer Capy (short for Capybara Games). Perhaps best known for collaborating on Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Capy also recently developed Super Time Force and has created many other games for consoles, handhelds, PC and mobile. Vella is presently working on Below, Capy's upcoming game about exploration, survival and discovery.

At the upcoming D.I.C.E. 2015 Summit in February, Vella's will explore the rewards of collaboration, and he'll share key lessons on why and how it works best.

Continue reading Hit List Q&A: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capy

JoystiqHit List Q&A: Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capy originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aiascapycapybara-gamesdicehit-listnathan-vellaWed, 19 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The game that killed Free Radical]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/06/the-game-that-killed-free-radical/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/06/the-game-that-killed-free-radical/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/06/the-game-that-killed-free-radical/#comments Following the PlayStation 2 era, the transition to a new generation of hardware proved to be extraordinarily difficult for some development houses. In Britain, dozens of mid-range studios were shuttered once the PS3 became a market leader: Midway Newcastle, Pivotal, THQ Warrington, Rebellion Derby and others, all ceased operations. Unlike so many others in the region, developer Free Radical was able to survive and launched a seventh generation game - a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Founded in the PS2 era by the creative forces behind Perfect Dark and GoldenEye, developer Free Radical thrived, piecing together the superlative TimeSplitters series and beloved sleeper hit Second Sight.

Despite its success, transition to a new generation was difficult, but Free Radical endured. Beyond survival, its next game had already become a hotly contested icon in a growing forum war, as the developer of a hyped shooter, exclusive to Sony's new hardware.

Free Radical's next venture was dubbed, by press and fans alike, as game worthy of the moniker "Halo killer."

That game was Haze.

Continue reading The game that killed Free Radical

JoystiqThe game that killed Free Radical originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Nov 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Free-RadicalHazeplaystationps3recommendedUbisoftThu, 06 Nov 2014 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[StarCraft 2 and the quest for the highest APM]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/starcraft-2-and-the-quest-for-the-highest-apm/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/starcraft-2-and-the-quest-for-the-highest-apm/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/24/starcraft-2-and-the-quest-for-the-highest-apm/#comments A game like StarCraft 2, popular amongst both casual strategy fans and professional gamers, showcases the large divide between playing a game for fun and for competition.

There are seven ranked multiplayer leagues per region globally in StarCraft 2, a daunting number of leaderboards that welcome both the infrequent and the dedicated player. The elite players, however, are the Grandmasters - a tiny, region-based pool of StarCraft 2 experts.

The road to Grandmaster is not for the weak. One must be willing to 'play' for hours, days, and months - even years - to get better. The learning curve can be incredibly unforgiving towards a beginner. Forget to scan the battlefield? You could lose you entire Marine army to some burrowed Banelings. Forget to build anti-air defenses? A couple of Void Rays could take out your entire base. Forget to build workers? You won't lose the match immediately, but you'll get destroyed once the game enters its middle phase. And then, of course, there's the cheese - the ludicrous, yet powerful strategies that lead to an instant win or loss.

Continue reading StarCraft 2 and the quest for the highest APM

JoystiqStarCraft 2 and the quest for the highest APM originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentmacpcRecommendedStarCraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmFri, 24 Oct 2014 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gabriel Knight and starvation wages at Pinkerton Road]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/22/gabriel-knight-and-starvation-wages-at-pinkerton-road/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/22/gabriel-knight-and-starvation-wages-at-pinkerton-road/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/22/gabriel-knight-and-starvation-wages-at-pinkerton-road/#comments Twenty-one years ago the world was introduced to the mysterious universe of Gabriel Knight from prolific games industry creative Jane Jensen. This month marks the celebration of that anniversary, with the release of the Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers remake - enhanced with new visuals, audio and, in some cases, tweaked to preserve the original game's intended emotional resonance.

One sequence, in particular, stands out to Jensen, she tells me: the police station.

In the original 1993 release, the scene plays out light and even campy: "When Gabriel goes to the police station and breaks into Mosely's office [...] in the game there was a puzzle sequence that had to do with cops and doughnuts and distracting them. It was all very silly," Jane Jensen admits.

The sequence, she says, has been changed in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers - 20th Anniversary Edition (one year late, but close enough), to better parallel Jensen's original novelization.

"I wrote a book about Gabriel Knight, I mean I wrote it as a novel after I had written the game, and so there were a few things that I had put in the novel that were new that we ended up rolling back into the remake," Jensen adds. In the novel, the police station sequence was written to be "much scarier," and given the opportunity to better convey the story's suspenseful hooks with the remake, the sequence was changed to better mirror the novel. It was the first of a few tweaks made in Gabriel Knight's return.

Continue reading Gabriel Knight and starvation wages at Pinkerton Road

JoystiqGabriel Knight and starvation wages at Pinkerton Road originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActivisionGabriel-KnightPhoenix-Online-Studiospinkerton-road-studiosrecommendedWed, 22 Oct 2014 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[For a good time, call Devolver]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/14/for-a-good-time-call-devolver/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/14/for-a-good-time-call-devolver/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/14/for-a-good-time-call-devolver/#comments Founded in 2009 in Austin, Texas, Devolver Digital has gained a reputation for introducing the mainstream audience to games with undeniable personality that might have otherwise been overlooked.

"When you read Twitter and you follow a bunch of game developers, it's easy to forget that most people outside of this bubble don't really know of many of the games that you hear about all the time. The concept of 'indie' games is still mostly unknown," Mark Foster of Titan Souls developer Acid Nerve told Joystiq. "Devolver kind of breaks out of the bubble and draws more attention to it - makes more people aware that these smaller budget games exist and that some of them are awesome."

Continue reading For a good time, call Devolver

JoystiqFor a good time, call Devolver originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Oct 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Devolver-Digitalgods-will-be-watchingHotline-MiamiluftrausersrecommendedTue, 14 Oct 2014 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One-button Bayonetta: Disabled gamers fight for inclusion]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/10/one-button-bayonetta-disabled-gamers-fight-for-inclusion/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/10/one-button-bayonetta-disabled-gamers-fight-for-inclusion/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/10/one-button-bayonetta-disabled-gamers-fight-for-inclusion/#comments Last year, former games journalist Adam Sessler confessed that for the first time his age kept him from being able to play a game that he needed to complete for his job. It's a sobering reminder that we all have limits. Those often come in different forms, but nobody can do everything.

Fundamentally, games are about challenge and require some form of conflict to be compelling. That challenge can come in a huge variety of forms, from puzzles to fighting game combos, but the player is always the core component to completing these assignments. Many challenges, however, can prove impossible for some players.

In the past few years, video games have grown, trying to adapt themselves to suit larger and broader audiences. Despite this growth, a segment of would-be gamers continue to be effectively locked out by constraints like color blindness or physical ability. Some dedicated groups have been looking to change that, however; and the work they are doing might just open the floodgates for everyone else.

Continue reading One-button Bayonetta: Disabled gamers fight for inclusion

JoystiqOne-button Bayonetta: Disabled gamers fight for inclusion originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Oct 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ablegamersablegamers-foundationAccessibility-JamBayonettarecommendedFri, 10 Oct 2014 13:00:00 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[Stories we tell in quiet houses and alien invasions]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/stories-we-tell-in-quiet-houses-and-alien-invasions/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/stories-we-tell-in-quiet-houses-and-alien-invasions/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/26/stories-we-tell-in-quiet-houses-and-alien-invasions/#comments Video game experiences aren't wholly relegated to what designers have deliberately laid out for you; through gameplay, a unique narrative emerges. We all have our own stories: a car chase in Grand Theft Auto V, a battle within a hidden cave in Skyrim, an ore-rich chasm in Minecraft. These discoveries highlight the promise that, if we just keep looking and keep testing a game's boundaries, we might find something that's uniquely ours.

Thanks to franchises like BioShock, Fallout and Grand Theft Auto, the idea of player-driven narrative is being explored in different ways. From collectibles to character customization and sprawling open-worlds, video games today are littered with tools people can use to manufacture stories that belong only to them. But that doesn't mean the role of the developer has been in any way diminished. On the contrary, designers now have more work to do than ever, subtly and precisely tailoring their games so that players can get a full experience without feeling like they're being led by the nose.

Continue reading Stories we tell in quiet houses and alien invasions

JoystiqStories we tell in quiet houses and alien invasions originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2K-GamesFiraxis-GamesGone-HomeJake-SolomonrecommendedSteve-GaynorThe-Fullbright-CompanyXCOM-Enemy-UnknownFri, 26 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Opening the valve: Steam Curators rule the front page]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/opening-the-valve-steam-curators-rule-the-front-page/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/opening-the-valve-steam-curators-rule-the-front-page/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/25/opening-the-valve-steam-curators-rule-the-front-page/#comments Ask a hundred independent developers what impacts their sales most and you'll likely get a hundred different answers, but among the more popular ones will be the topic of discoverability, the ways in which prospective buyers are able to find lesser-known video games. Platforms like the App Store and Steam see a lot of foot-traffic in their featured sections, and even brief visibility for independent developers can make for a massive difference in their bottom line.

As more games have made their way to Steam via regular release, Greenlight and Early Access, it's become vastly more difficult for a new game to be discovered. Enter Steam Curators, Valve's means of placing the weight of game recommendations on those outside its walls. The service launched this week and allows any person or brand (such as your friends here at Joystiq) to compile lists of games their followers should play, shifting the scope of the store's front page to include recommended games and a section for popular curators. Given Steam's incredible popularity and its status as a "must-have" piece of PC gaming software, Steam Curators is a major step for the service, and developers hope that it might heavily influence independent game sales.

Continue reading Opening the valve: Steam Curators rule the front page

JoystiqOpening the valve: Steam Curators rule the front page originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Sep 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alix-stolzerbenjamin-riversbrian-provincianocuratorscurve-digitaldiscoverabilitygreenlightindiejohn-bainmacolivier-penotpcrami-ismailrecommendedrob-clarkerobot-loves-kittyseaven-studiosteamsteam-curatorssteam-greenlighttotalbiscuitvalvevisibilityvlambeerThu, 25 Sep 2014 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Making games when you're dead broke: The story of Ragtag Studios]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/19/three-devs-one-house-a-corgi-and-a-dream/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/19/three-devs-one-house-a-corgi-and-a-dream/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/19/three-devs-one-house-a-corgi-and-a-dream/#comments After a dozen or more years apiece kicking around the AAA side of the games industry, the three men behind Ragtag Studio embraced independence. They've spent the last two-plus years working on Ray's the Dead, a cartoonish zombie adventure that is about to conclude an already-funded Kickstarter campaign (which ends Sunday), but going indie brings new challenges and necessary sacrifices.

For all three, that's meant a long span without salaries. But for co-founders Chris Cobb and Matt Carter, it's also meant moving halfway across the country from Chicago to Dallas and combining their families within a single rented home, which now houses four adults, the Carters' infant daughter, the Cobbs' corgi, and the Ragtag office. It's a premise fit for a reality show-but in fact, it's simply their reality for the next year or so, at least.

Call it a Hail Mary of a life change, done in an effort to finish the game following a taxing year-plus that saw a first Kickstarter attempt flatline, family members arrive and depart, and development slow to a crawl. But can this grand gamble really bring Ray's the Dead to life?

Continue reading Making games when you're dead broke: The story of Ragtag Studios

JoystiqMaking games when you're dead broke: The story of Ragtag Studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Sep 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playstationps4ragtag-studiorays-the-deadrecommendedFri, 19 Sep 2014 18:30:00 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[How Spry Fox used (human) guinea pigs to evolve Free-Range Dragons overnight]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-spry-foxs-free-range-dragons-evolved-during-pax/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-spry-foxs-free-range-dragons-evolved-during-pax/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-spry-foxs-free-range-dragons-evolved-during-pax/#comments If you played Spry Fox's Free-Range Dragons at PAX Prime earlier this month, you may have a vastly different impression of the game than players who returned to the team's booth during the show's final hours.

This isn't just a matter of taste, either. Spry Fox actively updated its PAX Prime demo of Free-Range Dragons throughout the expo weekend, making sweeping changes in response to player behavior and feedback. The experiment was a valuable learning experience for Spry Fox, and produced results that will likely inform the project's future direction.

Continue reading How Spry Fox used (human) guinea pigs to evolve Free-Range Dragons overnight

JoystiqHow Spry Fox used (human) guinea pigs to evolve Free-Range Dragons overnight originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developmentfree-range-dragonspaxpax-primepax-prime-2014pcspry-foxThu, 11 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How PlayStation Plus went from maybe to must-have]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-playstation-plus-went-from-maybe-to-must-have/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-playstation-plus-went-from-maybe-to-must-have/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/11/how-playstation-plus-went-from-maybe-to-must-have/#comments When PlayStation Plus was announced in 2010, it was difficult to understand why PlayStation 3 owners would feel motivated to pay for a premium tier to the service they had been enjoying for free. Four years later, the Instant Game Collection has provided plenty of incentive to pony up the annual PlayStation Plus fee, thanks largely to how the team behind the Collection decides what games are made available.

"There is a lot that goes into finding the right mix of titles for each month's Instant Game Collection, but the goal is to deliver a solid lineup that has something for all different types of gamers," John Koller, vice president of platforms marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment of America told Joystiq.

Koller says a major goal in determining the PlayStation Plus lineup is to retain current subscribers and grow new subscriptions through making the service a "no brainer" for owners of PlayStation platforms.

"We look at a variety of different things to deliver a lineup that will provide amazing shared experiences, including the most popular genres for our members and fan requests."

Continue reading How PlayStation Plus went from maybe to must-have

JoystiqHow PlayStation Plus went from maybe to must-have originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>PlayStation-PlusPS-PlusrecommendedThu, 11 Sep 2014 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Final Fantasy creator sees mobile success in download numbers]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/08/final-fantasy-creator-sees-mobile-success-in-download-numbers/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/08/final-fantasy-creator-sees-mobile-success-in-download-numbers/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/08/final-fantasy-creator-sees-mobile-success-in-download-numbers/#comments Hironobu Sakaguchi's name is credited with leading and assisting in the creation of many games over the years, from Final Fantasy to The Last Story, Chrono Trigger to Parasite Eve. The veteran designer announced his latest project in July, an action-RPG-puzzle game for iOS and Android called Terra Battle, before showing it off at PAX Prime earlier this month in Seattle.

At its heart, Terra Battle is more RPG than puzzler, but it looked like a card game-style sidequest from a Final Fantasy entry more than anything else. In it, players slide card-like icons that represent their team of fighters to a battle grid, each with a mess of unique skills and abilities. One turn consisted of selecting a teammate, then gliding it on the grid, pushing teammates around before settling in a spot within four seconds.

Depending on the enemies it was adjacent to and the fellow fighters it lined up with, it initiated individual and team attacks and spells. Within seconds, damage numbers, detailed character designs and ability names flashed on the screen in quick succession. The data stream was immediately overwhelming, then it evaporated from the screen. None of it made a lick of sense, yet the slide-and-move-on action was innate and enjoyable enough to encourage continued play.

Continue reading Final Fantasy creator sees mobile success in download numbers

JoystiqFinal Fantasy creator sees mobile success in download numbers originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Sep 2014 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidcardsccgCollectible-Card-Gamedownload-starterHironobu-SakaguchiiosipadiphoneMistwalkermobilePAXpax-primepax-prime-2014puzzlerpgtcgterra-battleMon, 08 Sep 2014 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Behemoth finally has enough clout to get away with Game 4]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/the-behemoth-finally-has-enough-clout-to-get-away-with-game-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/the-behemoth-finally-has-enough-clout-to-get-away-with-game-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/05/the-behemoth-finally-has-enough-clout-to-get-away-with-game-4/#comments The Behemoth, better known as the house that made Castle Crashers, is continuing a pattern in which it approaches new genres with each project. Its newest venture, Game 4, is a turn-based strategy game for PC and Xbox One that retains the developer's quirky humor and trademark charms while stripping away some of the expected tropes found in the genre. In it, players collect a team of interchangeable, oddball heroes wielding the strangest weapons and helmets, then select their movement paths on the battlefield and observe as attacks play out. It's an intriguing direction for a studio that made its biggest mark with a beat-em-up.

Continue reading The Behemoth finally has enough clout to get away with Game 4

JoystiqThe Behemoth finally has enough clout to get away with Game 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alien-hominidbattleblock-theatercastle-crashersDan-Paladindevelopmentgame-4gameplay-trailerindiepaxpax-primepax-prime-2014recommendedscreenshotssequelsstrategyteaserThe-Behemoththe-behemoth-game-4trailervideoFri, 05 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Alone in the Dark: Illumination aims for November on PC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/alone-in-the-dark-illumination-aims-for-november-on-pc/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/alone-in-the-dark-illumination-aims-for-november-on-pc/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/alone-in-the-dark-illumination-aims-for-november-on-pc/#comments Alone in the Dark: Illumination is shooting for a November release, Pure FPS producer Stephanie Marroquin tells Joystiq. Publisher Atari confirmed the launch window goal, but adds an exact release date for the PC title has not been solidified.

Alone in the Dark: Illumination is an Unreal Engine 4-powered third-person, class-based shooter set within the universe of Atari's survival horror franchise. In a twist for the franchise, the latest game in the series focuses more on action that every before; taking its cues from horde-based survival shooters like Left 4 Dead.

Continue reading Alone in the Dark: Illumination aims for November on PC

JoystiqAlone in the Dark: Illumination aims for November on PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alone-in-the-Dark-IlluminationAtarimicrosoftpcplaystationps4xboxTue, 02 Sep 2014 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A modern-day Asteroids could combine space and survival]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/a-modern-day-asteroids-could-combine-space-and-survival/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/a-modern-day-asteroids-could-combine-space-and-survival/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/a-modern-day-asteroids-could-combine-space-and-survival/#comments With Atari back from the brink of extinction once again, the publisher has shifted its focus from a game maker to a license holder that finds development partners to create modern-day interpretations of its library of classic franchises.

In an interview during PAX Prime 2014, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais explored his ideas for a modern-day Asteroids experience, saying it could combine the franchise's classic gameplay with survival concepts found in popular titles like Day Z.

"So for Asteroids, the initial game was - you remember the game - you get crushed by the asteroids. So what happens now? You land on the asteroid. And then what you have to do is you have to survive on the asteroid. So you can have an Asteroids game, which is basically a survival game in space," Chesnais tells Joystiq.

Continue reading A modern-day Asteroids could combine space and survival

JoystiqA modern-day Asteroids could combine space and survival originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AsteroidsAtariFred-ChesnaisPAX-PrimePAX-Prime-2014Peter-BanksMon, 01 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[H1Z1 on PS4 planned to follow a steady PC release]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/30/h1z1-on-ps4-planned-to-follow-a-steady-pc-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/30/h1z1-on-ps4-planned-to-follow-a-steady-pc-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/30/h1z1-on-ps4-planned-to-follow-a-steady-pc-release/#comments Sony Online Entertainment's zombie-survival online game H1Z1 must first find stable footing on PC before the game begins to take shape on PS4, Senior Game Designer Jimmy Whisenhunt tells Joystiq.

Months after being announced with a promise to launch on Steam Early Access, H1Z1 is still in closed testing. Whisenhunt says his team doesn't want to rush to market, instead setting a goal to release a game to Early Access that's as technically stable as it is fun.

"I would love to have it next week," Whisenhunt laughs. "The thing about [Early Access] is the community takes a look at a bunch of streams and says 'It looks really cool. It looks playable. Please release it.' But our concerns aren't the shiny things, it's making sure that our server isn't going to ... look, we know we are going to have a server issue within the first week of Early Access," he admits.

"We do want to make sure that we're ready to respond to that the right way."

Continue reading H1Z1 on PS4 planned to follow a steady PC release

JoystiqH1Z1 on PS4 planned to follow a steady PC release originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Aug 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>h1z1jimmy-whisenhuntpax-2014pax-prime-2014pcplaystationps4sony-online-entertainmentSat, 30 Aug 2014 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Palmer Luckey looks years out, sees Oculus doing software]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/palmer-luckey-looks-years-out-sees-oculus-doing-software/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/palmer-luckey-looks-years-out-sees-oculus-doing-software/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/palmer-luckey-looks-years-out-sees-oculus-doing-software/#comments

Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey compares the future of virtual reality to the current television industry - the money isn't in manufacturing TVs, it's in creating content for those TVs.

"It's going to be the same thing with VR," Luckey said during an interview at Gamescom. "Eventually, it's going to be commoditized and the hardware differences between all the different vendors are going to be meaningless. It's all going to be about the content and the software. So I think we're actually - in the long haul, looking years or decades out - probably more on the software side."

Luckey has a clear vision for the final Oculus hardware - higher resolution, higher framerate, 1080p, 90Hz, smaller, lighter and more comfortable. Get all of Luckey's specs in our video interview.

JoystiqPalmer Luckey looks years out, sees Oculus doing software originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2014oculusoculus-riftoculus-vrOculusRiftpalmer-luckeySat, 16 Aug 2014 12:00:00 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[Remember Me creative director: 'It was misunderstood']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/remember-me-creative-director-it-was-misunderstood/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/remember-me-creative-director-it-was-misunderstood/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/15/remember-me-creative-director-it-was-misunderstood/#comments Remember Me launched in June 2013 to mostly mediocre reviews. Our own critique called its animations "stilted and poorly portrayed," and found the overall experience disappointing. That following January, French developer DONTNOD entered "judicial reorganization," meaning the studio wasn't keeping up with its debts.

"First of all, we're extremely proud of Remember Me," Creative Director Jean Maxime Moris told Joystiq at Gamescom. "I think it was not perfect by any means, but to some level it was misunderstood. It was our first game. We got totally buried under the hype for a very big game that came out directly after. These are not excuses because it was not perfect, it had flaws. But people are still writing about it today. Every once in a while we see a piece popping up and people actually showing the game some love."

Continue reading Remember Me creative director: 'It was misunderstood'

JoystiqRemember Me creative director: 'It was misunderstood' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adriftCapcomdontnoddontnod-entertainmentgamescom-2014microsoftpcplaystationps3remember-meSquare-EnixxboxFri, 15 Aug 2014 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Quantum Break turning time and television]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/quantum-break-turning-time-and-television/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/quantum-break-turning-time-and-television/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/quantum-break-turning-time-and-television/#comments
Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake took a moment at Gamescom 2014 to discuss the manipulation of time in the developer's upcoming adventure, Quantum Break. The studio that created Alan Wake is now tackling what amounts to a "superhero origin story" in the Xbox One exclusive that gives players the ability to stop time, using that unnatural skill to set up tactics during firefights. Lake noted that decisions made in the game will also impact the live action TV series that accompanies Quantum Break, which includes alternate scenes that appear based on how players react within the game.

Lake also commented on the heavier concepts that arise in the game as a result of protagonist Jack Joyce's decisions, such as that of destiny versus free will. Quantum Break will launch in 2015, and was first announced during Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event in May 2013. Those looking for more videos ironically to stop and start about Quantum Break should find Remedy's entry in the myriad of trailers from Microsoft's Gamescom press event.
[Image: Remedy Entertainment]

JoystiqQuantum Break turning time and television originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescomgamescom-2014microsoftquantum-breakrecommendedremedyremedy-entertainmentsam-laketimeTime-travelxbox-oneThu, 14 Aug 2014 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Life is Strange: Ambiguous young love among leading ladies]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/life-is-strange-ambiguous-young-love-among-leading-ladies/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/life-is-strange-ambiguous-young-love-among-leading-ladies/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/08/14/life-is-strange-ambiguous-young-love-among-leading-ladies/#comments Life is Strange is DONTNOD's second game ever - it's also the studio's second game starring a woman, following 2013's Remember Me.

"That's not us trying to be different for the sake of being different," Creative Director Jean-Maxime Moris said during a demo at Gamescom. "It's not as if we're trying to 'fix the industry.'"

And Life is Strange is so much more than "a game with a girl in it."

Continue reading Life is Strange: Ambiguous young love among leading ladies

JoystiqLife is Strange: Ambiguous young love among leading ladies originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Aug 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dontnoddontnod-entertainmentgamescom-2014Gone-Homelife-is-strangemicrosoftpcplaystationps3ps4Square-Enixxboxxbox-oneThu, 14 Aug 2014 12:00:00 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[Something new under the Sunset at Tale of Tales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/07/21/something-new-under-the-sunset-at-tale-of-tales/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/07/21/something-new-under-the-sunset-at-tale-of-tales/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/07/21/something-new-under-the-sunset-at-tale-of-tales/#comments The past releases of developer Tales of Tales have often defied recognizable genres, and even avoided conventional principles of what a game is defined to be. Experiences like The Endless Forest, Fatale, and The Path have brushed up against familiar gaming mechanics but never really fully embraced them. In the process, they've been met with critical praise, but more than a little bewilderment from players. Now the team behind the studio, developers Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, are trying something different.

"With Sunset we want to explore the possibility of creating an entertaining interactive experience that is not a game (in the very narrow sense of the word). We have tried to do this before but I feel we always failed and we made art instead," Harvey and Samyn tell Joystiq. "But with Sunset we're a lot more purposeful about it. We really want this to work. We believe it is possible to create entertainment in video games that is as accessible as film, books and music. We feel that the traditional competition-based designs of most games are holding this medium back. But because of the relatively esoteric nature of our previous work, I feel we have failed at making a strong case for this. With Sunset we will! Or die trying."

Last week, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, Sunset will have an opportunity to leave its mark on gamers when it launches in 2015.

Continue reading Something new under the Sunset at Tale of Tales

JoystiqSomething new under the Sunset at Tale of Tales originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Jul 2014 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>recommendedSunsetTale-of-TalesMon, 21 Jul 2014 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Suda51 and Let It Die's carousel of death]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/suda51-and-let-it-dies-carousel-of-death/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/suda51-and-let-it-dies-carousel-of-death/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/20/suda51-and-let-it-dies-carousel-of-death/#comments
From the sound of it, GungHo Online and Grasshopper Manufacture's PS4 exclusive Let It Die is some sort of giant death recycling program. As we detailed last week, Let It Die stores every player death on its servers, and those dead players repopulate the games of other players as AI enemies.

If you were gong to classify it, according to executive Kazuki Morishita, "Let It Die is a survival crazy action game." Also on board is Goichi Suda, best known as "Suda51," who says that coming up with the concept of storing death data was a key point in the development of Let it Die (formerly Lily Bergamo). "We all agreed the idea was good, so we decided to focus on this idea, thinking it would be a great new challenge for us." Suda is also in charge of creating the game world itself, as already evidenced by the figure of Death riding a skateboard in the announcement trailer.

And before you ask, yes, Suda's shoes are amazing (as always), and yes, we did get a shot of them.

JoystiqSuda51 and Let It Die's carousel of death originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014grasshopper-manufactureGungHo-Online-Entertainmentlet-it-dieplaystationps4Fri, 20 Jun 2014 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Hit List Q&A: Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hit-list-qanda-watch-dogs-creative-director-jonathan-morin/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hit-list-qanda-watch-dogs-creative-director-jonathan-morin/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hit-list-qanda-watch-dogs-creative-director-jonathan-morin/#comments In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Jonathan Morin, creative director of Watch Dogs.

With over fifteen years in the industry and thirteen of them at Ubisoft Montreal, Jonathan has held various roles in Game Design, Level Design and Art on games such as Peter Jackson's King Kong and Far Cry 2. For the past couple years, Morin has worked as Creative Director on Watch Dogs. In university Morin studied Human Science, Computer Science and briefly considered a career in mathematics education but chose to apply these skills in an environment that would be a bit less predictable.

At the upcoming D.I.C.E. Europe conference, Morin will be speaking in a session titled, "Mind the Gap - Igniting People's Sense of Wonder." Morin tends to see games like musical instruments built for players to blow our minds with their creativity. It's an apt analogy but bringing everyone in a development team to think this way is challenging. After all, every brain is different. Working on a game as big as Watch Dogs made Morin realize that no matter how big the game is, or how many people are involved, or in how many countries, often the biggest borders he faced are hidden in an inevitable "gap" between two minds.

"Mind the Gap" is a session that explores the importance of listening to others and challenging your own creativity. In this session, Morin will look at how these perception gaps impacted every aspect of his reality: his interactions with executives, the team, marketing, press, and ultimately how players play. In the end, Morin feels the hardest borders to cross are the ones we create in our own minds.

Continue reading Hit List Q&A: Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin

JoystiqHit List Q&A: Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aiashit-listjonathan-morinwatch-dogsThu, 19 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hello Games wants No Man's Sky to surprise you]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hello-games-wants-no-mans-sky-to-surprise-you/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hello-games-wants-no-mans-sky-to-surprise-you/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/19/hello-games-wants-no-mans-sky-to-surprise-you/#comments
We still don't know much about No Man's Sky, but after seeing a live demonstration we can say it was one of the most intriguing projects on display at E3 this year. So far, we know that it allows players to explore a full, unique universe, every bit of which is procedurally generated - planets, plants, animals, spaceships, buildings, everything. It's still difficult to tell what will drive players to explore that universe, but Hello Games founder and managing director Sean Murray says some of the game's key factors are surprise and discovery. In one moment, you might be naming a new species of dinosaur, in another you might be engaged in a space dogfight with a hostile alien race.

"I really like that when I play the game, those things naturally happen, naturally emerge," says Murray. "And sometimes you're just not sure why, and you have to start to learn a little bit more about the universe." Video game players have become inundated with information, he says, which makes it hard to be surprised by a game.

"I think we've become really good at telling you everything you need to know about a game before you play it, to the point where you pretty much know how it starts, you know where you'll be in the middle, and you know how it'll end. I mean, I played Watch Dogs, and I actually really enjoyed it, but I had watched like 13 different videos about it before I played it, and there was so little surprise left for me," says Murray. "And I think we want to leave that a little bit for the player. This is a game about exploration, not in a kind of ambient way, not in a way that is just laid back and boring, [but] in a sci-fi way, which is kind of adventure and discovery."

JoystiqHello Games wants No Man's Sky to surprise you originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014hello-gamesno-mans-skyplaystationps4Thu, 19 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Crystal Dynamics sheds light on Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/crystal-dynamics-sheds-light-on-lara-croft-and-the-temple-of-osi/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/crystal-dynamics-sheds-light-on-lara-croft-and-the-temple-of-osi/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/crystal-dynamics-sheds-light-on-lara-croft-and-the-temple-of-osi/#comments
During E3 last week, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix came out of left field by announcing not only a new Tomb Raider, but also a new Lara Croft game. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris returns to the cooperative, isometric, puzzle-solving action first introduced in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, upping the ante with improved visuals and 4-player co-op (though thankfully not fixing what isn't broken).

"We get to expand our puzzle space as we gain more and more players," says senior designer William Kerslake, noting that Temple of Osiris allows new dynamics for puzzles, depending on how many players are participating. As for when Crystal Dynamics will finally serve up a proper sequel in the Legacy of Kain series, that remains a mystery.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is coming "soon" to PS4, Xbox One and PC.

JoystiqCrystal Dynamics sheds light on Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014microsoftpcplaystationps4xbox-oneWed, 18 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Snooping brought Grim Fandango to PS4 & Vita]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/snooping-brought-grim-fandango-to-ps4-and-vita/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/snooping-brought-grim-fandango-to-ps4-and-vita/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/snooping-brought-grim-fandango-to-ps4-and-vita/#comments

One of the most pleasant surprises at E3 2014 was the announcement that LucasArts' beloved adventure game Grim Fandango is coming to PS4 and Vita.

How did it happen? PlayStation VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes explains it all came about when the game's original project leader, Tim Schafer, caught him snooping around the (intellectual) property.

Grim Fandango's resurrection is being helmed by Sony's third-party production team and developer Double Fine, maker of other fine adventure-based products. No timeframe for the remastered game's release has been announced, but we can confirm that it's not soon enough.

JoystiqSnooping brought Grim Fandango to PS4 & Vita originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Double-FineE3-2014Grim-Fandangoplaystationplaystation-vitaps4vitaWed, 18 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[No Man's Sky: Name your own dinosaur, get eaten by it]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/no-mans-sky-name-your-own-dinosaur-get-eaten-by-it/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/no-mans-sky-name-your-own-dinosaur-get-eaten-by-it/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/18/no-mans-sky-name-your-own-dinosaur-get-eaten-by-it/#comments A 10 minute, hands-off demonstration is not enough time to take in No Man's Sky. I know that because 10 minutes is about all I've seen, and I still don't quite know what to think. At the very least, I can confirm everything we saw during Sony's E3 2014 media briefing. Played from a first-person perspective, No Man's Sky can take you from the surface of an alien planet teeming with life into outer space, where you can engage in zero-G dogfights, and then down to the surface of another planet, all without a single loading screen. Take a moment to comprehend the scope of that: Terrestrial exploration, interplanetary travel, space combat - all of it seamless and procedurally generated.

It's impressive to watch, and gorgeous to boot, but I still can't nail down what drives players to do it all. Like ten minutes of out-of-context Minecraft, my demonstration was fascinating but a little inscrutable. Please understand, that's not intended as a criticism, it's just that what Hello Games is promising is so big that I'll have to see a lot more of it before I can form any concrete impressions. For now, let's talk about that promise.

Continue reading No Man's Sky: Name your own dinosaur, get eaten by it

JoystiqNo Man's Sky: Name your own dinosaur, get eaten by it originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014hello-gamesno-mans-skyplaystationps4Wed, 18 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Night in the Woods' snappy dialogue inspired by Twitter]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/night-in-the-woods-snappy-dialogue-inspired-by-twitter/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/night-in-the-woods-snappy-dialogue-inspired-by-twitter/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/night-in-the-woods-snappy-dialogue-inspired-by-twitter/#comments The protagonist of side-scrolling adventure game Night in the Woods is a cat named Mae. Like the other characters in the game, Mae acts more human than feline, a 20-year-old college dropout that's coping with both her and her friends' gradual transitions to adulthood. After the PC, Mac and Linux game earned $209,375 on Kickstarter in November, developer Infinite Fall announced a PS4 version earlier this month, which was playable at E3.

Writer and art director Scott Benson's work to provide ambivalent quips and behaviors for Mae that complimented the cynical cat's inner dialogue was immediately apparent in the game's E3 demo. It started with Mae contemplating what news reports would sound like if she chose to burn her room down with her in it. After bounding down the stairs, Mae's mom called her to the kitchen to see if she would be home in time to watch an awful made-for-TV movie about a man that kidnapped his wife. There's an open chair, but Mae sits on the counter while the mother and daughter discuss the film's premise at length (providing players choose to keep the conversation going). The to-do list in Mae's diary then updates: "Watch misery porn with mom."

Benson, a seasoned animator and illustrator from Pittsburgh that is crafting Night in the Woods' story with his wife Bethany, admitted to Joystiq at E3 that drafting lines for a video game is new to him: "I've never written fiction or characters really before," as his previous animated shorts tended to be of the silent type. Benson had an interesting source of inspiration for his witty one-liners, then: Twitter. As he explained, the social media channel "has the same kind of cadence and kind of vague feelings" as Mae and friends display in Night in the Woods.

Continue reading Night in the Woods' snappy dialogue inspired by Twitter

JoystiqNight in the Woods' snappy dialogue inspired by Twitter originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3e3-2014infinite-fallnight-in-the-woodsplaystationps4scott-bensonsocial-mediastorytwitterwritingTue, 17 Jun 2014 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Monster Hunter reaches new heights with bug-shooting pogo stick]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/monster-hunter-reaches-new-heights-with-bug-shooting-pogo-stick/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/monster-hunter-reaches-new-heights-with-bug-shooting-pogo-stick/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/17/monster-hunter-reaches-new-heights-with-bug-shooting-pogo-stick/#comments To some, each subsequent version in Capcom's Monster Hunter series only adds a few new beasts, weapons and gear while maintaining one core concept: Slaying large, ferocious creatures in lengthy quests. As series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told Joystiq at E3 last week, "you have to keep the key elements intact but you also want to innovate, you also want to add some freshness."

"Freshness" means more than just Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's four new monsters and weapons (two apiece), but indicates Capcom's drive to improve the ways players explore and interact with the game's environment. "We tend to, on the design side, just think of things that we as players want to do in these worlds but are unable to do in the current state," Tsujimoto said. Looking back at the last game to launch in the west, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, the developer opened up the game to underwater sequences, introducing beasts like Gobul to spotlight submerged battles.

Continue reading Monster Hunter reaches new heights with bug-shooting pogo stick

JoystiqMonster Hunter reaches new heights with bug-shooting pogo stick originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsCapcomdevelopmente3-2014insect-glaivemh4umonster-huntermonster-hunter-4monster-hunter-4-ultimatenintendophilosophyryozo-tsujimotoTue, 17 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3's worst enemy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/16/far-cry-4-is-far-cry-3s-worst-enemy/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/16/far-cry-4-is-far-cry-3s-worst-enemy/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/16/far-cry-4-is-far-cry-3s-worst-enemy/#comments In Far Cry 3, you are the savior that fell from the sky. Unfortunately, you are also Jason Brody, the rich white kid diving out of an airplane joyride, and ultimately rescuing a tribe of Pacific islanders from vicious pirates. As fun as Far Cry 3 was in the midst of a gunfight, its story was rooted in problematic themes and hung around the necks of air-dropped outsiders.

That's set to change significantly once you tread the Himalayan footpaths of Far Cry 4, says narrative director Mark Thompson. The game's opening moments see new protagonist Ajay Ghale persecuted in his former home of Kyrat, barely escaping an encounter with a vile, sacrilegious despot named Pagan Min. Ghale is a returning native, while Min, an elite figure from Hong Kong's criminal underworld, is the outsider casting the shadow of monarchy. The story of Far Cry 4 clearly hinges on the history of Nepal and its bloody turn from monarchy to sovereign state, but it also reflects on Far Cry 3's sham of a hero.

Continue reading Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3's worst enemy

JoystiqFar Cry 4 is Far Cry 3's worst enemy originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014far-cry-4mark-thompsonmicrosoftpagan-minpcplaystationps4recommendedubisoftubisoft-montrealxbox-oneMon, 16 Jun 2014 18:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Oculus CEO: 'We invited' Sony to see Oculus prototypes]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/13/oculus-ceo-we-invited-sony-to-see-oculus-prototypes/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/13/oculus-ceo-we-invited-sony-to-see-oculus-prototypes/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/13/oculus-ceo-we-invited-sony-to-see-oculus-prototypes/#comments

Oculus VR isn't threatened by Sony's rival virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus, and Oculus even invited Sony to check out its own internal prototypes, CEO Brendan Iribe told Joystiq at E3. Sony then returned the favor and invited the Oculus team to see Project Morpheus. See? We all can be friends.

Oculus made headlines recently when Facebook acquired the company for $2 billion. Iribe said that even though the deal was a surprise to most people, it made perfect sense to Oculus founder Palmer Luckey:

"Many people, I still think, don't really understand or know that Palmer was the most excited about this partnership. Because he felt like, from the beginning, we got into this to make VR work and make it for the masses, and make it work at a scale and a comfort level that could hit the entire population."

JoystiqOculus CEO: 'We invited' Sony to see Oculus prototypes originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014facebookoculus-riftoculus-vrpcproject-morpheusSONYVirtual-RealityFri, 13 Jun 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hitman Sniper studio can cherry pick from Square Enix's series]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/hitman-sniper-studio-can-cherry-pick-from-square-enixs-series/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/hitman-sniper-studio-can-cherry-pick-from-square-enixs-series/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/hitman-sniper-studio-can-cherry-pick-from-square-enixs-series/#comments Square-Enix Montreal, the studio behind this spring's critical success Hitman Go, is showing off its second game at E3 2014. Hitman Sniper, a free, competition-focused spin on the series, will be released later this year. With both games coming along so close to one another, it would seem that Montreal's sole task in the Square-Enix machine is revivifying IO Interactive's assassin series.

The studio's actually not shackled to Hitman by corporate mandate, though. If Square-Enix Montreal wants to make a Tomb Raider game, it's more than welcome to. Its studio philosophy and design concepts are what dictate which series it tackles.

Continue reading Hitman Sniper studio can cherry pick from Square Enix's series

JoystiqHitman Sniper studio can cherry pick from Square Enix's series originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2014hitman-sniperiosipadiphonemobilesquare-enix-montrealThu, 12 Jun 2014 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Telltale tells the tale of two tales in Tales from the Borderlands]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/telltale-tells-the-tale-of-two-tales-in-tales-from-the-borderlan/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/telltale-tells-the-tale-of-two-tales-in-tales-from-the-borderlan/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/telltale-tells-the-tale-of-two-tales-in-tales-from-the-borderlan/#comments

Telltale's The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us have much in common. They're both based on comic books, they both feature some fairly bleak situations, and they both start with "The." Tales From the Borderlands, on the other hand, is based on an established video game series, is quite funny, and ... ok, it also has a "the," but it's near the end. It also has two playable characters: Rhys, the tech-using Hyperion employee, and Fiona, the steampunky grifter. After watching the first 30 minutes or so of the first of Tales' five episodes, I talked to Telltale's Richard Iggo about what else is different this time around. (Spoiler: Loot. Lots of loot.)

JoystiqTelltale tells the tale of two tales in Tales from the Borderlands originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidborderlandse3-2014iosipadiphonemicrosoftmobilepcplaystationplaystation-vitaps3recommendedtales-from-the-borderlandsTellTale-GamesvitaxboxThu, 12 Jun 2014 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PlayStation's Adam Boyes points the spotlight on diverse games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/playstations-adam-boyes-points-the-spotlight-on-diverse-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/playstations-adam-boyes-points-the-spotlight-on-diverse-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/playstations-adam-boyes-points-the-spotlight-on-diverse-games/#comments
Adam Boyes connects developers and publishers to PlayStation, making their appearance on the platform as seamless and as fair as possible. There's an attempt to create equal footing for everyone, which is why it's no longer a surprise to see independent games like No Man's Sky and Abzu getting screen time and drawing applause at Sony's E3 presentation.

"The thing I never want to say is, 'You're going to like this, because gaming is such a personal thing," Boyes told me after Sony's E3 presentation. Though he can cast the PlayStation spotlight on games that need a little boost in prominence, highlighting them through the storefront or PlayStation Plus, Boyes prefers not to beat a drum until people care about games outside their comfort zone. "Our whole idea is just, basically, to show you as many different things - and make the judgement for yourself."

JoystiqPlayStation's Adam Boyes points the spotlight on diverse games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam-boyese3-2014playstationplaystation-vitaps3ps4recommendedvitaThu, 12 Jun 2014 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Devil's Third on Wii U asks: 'What does it mean to live?']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/11/devils-third-on-wii-u-asks-what-does-it-mean-to-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/11/devils-third-on-wii-u-asks-what-does-it-mean-to-live/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/11/devils-third-on-wii-u-asks-what-does-it-mean-to-live/#comments
Tomonobu Itagaki has been away for a long time. After finishing Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360 back in 2008, the man behind some of gaming's most flamboyant creations broke from his team at Tecmo to go independent. He founded Valhalla Studios in 2008 and announced Devil's Third in 2010. Shifting from the martial arts pyrotechnics of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, Devil's Third would be a third-person shooter of all things. After delays, disappearances, and the death of its publisher THQ, Third re-appeared at E3 2014 under an unlikely banner: the Nintendo Wii U.

"We developed the game up to an early playable version at THQ but then there was the unfortunate end of that company," Itagaki said via a translator. "Then, when we went looking for partners and found Nintendo who really supported my vision. I'm not really sure if it would have been possible ten years ago to be honest, but I've had a long relationship with Nintendo going back to the Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Once I went independent, I definitely went over to Nintendo to say hello."

It's been a long time since he went independent, though. Just like his games, Itagaki was alternately stoic and funny discussing how his development process has changed as he faced myriad challenges to get his game made.

"I like to think of myself as a warrior," said Itagaki.

Continue reading Devil's Third on Wii U asks: 'What does it mean to live?'

JoystiqDevil's Third on Wii U asks: 'What does it mean to live?' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>devils-thirde3-2014nintendowii-uWed, 11 Jun 2014 22:30:00 EST