What's been missing from the Joystiq family? The console fans all have their homes, handheldstoo, and even MMO enthusiasts and WoW players have a corner to call their own. Today we're happy to give PC gamers a place to call home at our new sister site, Big Download. In partnership with our good friends at GameDaily, we're taking the wraps off the beta version of a full-fledged, fast and free PC downloads engine married to a news and features blog powered by Joystiq -- chock full of all the Special Goodness TM our writers bring to you daily.
At Big Download you'll get all the news and views fit to print about PC gaming, a file tracking system that remembers your favorite titles, and no waiting, no fees access to demos, patches, mods, trailers and more. We're inviting you to come on in, make yourself at home and start poking everything with sticks. Like any modern web product we're launching in beta version -- there may be kinks and rough edges to be worked out, so bear with us, mind the dust and be sure to send us any feedback you have so we can make all the final fixes. Unlike certain products that stay in beta forever we hope to remove the beta tag with all due swiftness and come out with guns blazing. Big guns.
We hope to see you at Big Download, where all the news is big and all the downloads are above average!
With a title like Noitu Love 2: Devolution, we're fully aware that it sounds like the kind of inappropriate Japanese dating sim your creepy partner in junior high computers class would oft log on to Newgrounds to play -- but we hope that its unsettling eponym doesn't scare you off from what could be one of the best indie titles of the year. Observe the above trailer, and just try to suppress your glowing nostalgia for cult classics Gunstar Heroes and Mischief Makers.
Taiwan's Acer computers is looking to expand past its image as a budget notebook maker with a planned gaming-centric PC, according to a recent interview. Details are scarce, but company VP James T. Wong touted the planned gaming machine's basis in "open standards," compared to closed, proprietary systems of the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo (perhaps Mr. Wong has not heard about the system-opening efforts of XNA and Wii Ware).
Of course, an "open standard" gaming PC could be anything from a simple PC Gaming Alliance-approved system to a full-on Phantom-style set-top box that can run any PC game. We're certainly hoping its the latter -- headline writing hasn't been nearly as fun without the Phantom to kick around.
The two never backtrack on CliffyB's original statement, but they do express their fervent support for the PC Gaming Alliance -- a sentiment which will hopefully cause anti-console gamers to dismantle any ballistic weaponry they may have pointed at Cliffy's residence. We do so want a Gears of War 3.
Sure, these past few days have seen a number of megaton announcements come from the Game Developers Conference, but nothing tickled our collective fancy quite like Realtime Worlds' Crackdown-turned-MMO, All Points Bulletin. The above trailer more than justifies our infatuation -- with Ronin-esque car chases instead of corpse runs, and assault rifles in lieu of broadswords, there may be no country for old MMOs once APB hits the unsuspecting online gaming market.
After our brief hands-on time with the game at CES, we're anxiously awaiting the September release of Gas Powered Games' Space Siege, the interstellar reimagining of Dungeon Siege (the classic RPG series, not the latest box office turd from team Boll/Statham). However, it's a little known fact that four out of every five Joystiq writers don't own computers -- many of our posts are actually published with an intricate system of smoke signals, morse code, and carrier pigeons.
Luckily, we, along with the rest of the WASDaphobic world, might not miss out Space Siege -- According to videogaming247, the game's associate producer recently explained that "a console version is something that's being considered right now." While he mentioned that a port of the game is not officially confirmed, the very thought of getting our PC-fearing hands on the spiritual successor to one of our favorite RPG franchises is enough to inspire visions of zero-G Krug dancing through our heads.
We're not just ragging on the PS3 when we say this -- we're all admittedly going through a bit of a video game drought. Perhaps there's a few PC games from last year's surplus that you'd like to play, but you've recently developed serious allergies to computer monitors ... and you lack the appropriate cables to hook your PC up to your television. Okay, the requirements for the StreamMyGame service to be useful are somewhat outlandish, but at least you have the option now, right?
The service lets you stream games running on your Windows or Linux PC onto your Linux-enabled PS3 via a LAN. It's not as complicated as it sounds, and is completely free of charge -- plus, imagine how freaked out your friends will be when they walk in the room and see you running Halo 2 off your PS3. Tell them it's the new PS360, and cackle maniacally as they run to Best Buy to get their own.
The font of information about Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness has slowed to a light trickle since last year's Penny Arcade Expo, where it was announced the game would be released on Xbox Live Arcade as well as Mac and PC. That's why we were so pleased to see this new gameplay footage, which gives us a taste of the game's eccentric turn-based combat system, and an idea of exactly how the duo's comedic style will translate into an interactive format.
The new footage also reveals that the game might overtake Condemned: Criminal Origins as the premier hobo murder simulator for the Xbox 360, a distinction that Gabe and Tycho would no doubt be extremely proud of.
News about the Xbox Live Arcade adaptation of N, the popular freeware platformer featuring everyone's favorite pint-sized, treasure hungry ninja, has been slim as of late. Though news of a cancellation or delay of the title would not surprise our bitter, jaded hearts, we were pleased to learn that N+ was recently approved by the XBLA gatekeepers, and should be showing up in the marketplace before too much longer.
Of course, you could always download the full PC version of the game for free, however, you'll be missing out on the upgraded features and visuals of the XBLA title, not to mention the recently announced multiplayer modes. With frantic, four-player ninja-on-ninja-on-ninja-on-ninja action, we're sure the game will be a big hit -- we just hope this will allow developer Slick Entertainment to afford a longer title for their next creation.
Though space-themed MMOs have a tendency of hastily going the way of the dodo (sometimes before they're ever released), NASA is considering throwing their lot into the ever-growing MMO market with an online space exploration game that will allow players to "simulate real Nasa engineering and science missions" with thousands of other wannabe cosmonauts. That is, if a thousand people purchase the game -- an unlikely scenario, considering the title doesn't include the words "world", "of", "war", or "craft".
We love the idea of an MMO based on real-life space experiments, however, we doubt the game will appeal to the Barrens Chat crowd without the timely addition of "lazorz" and "totally crazy aliens". Actually, that might be a good thing -- we shudder to think of the implications of the creation of "Uranus Chat".
In addition to updating the PlayStation Network store, Sony has updated its online PC counterpart to include the original PS One title Warhawk as a downloadable game. The price is still the same, $5.99, and you can transfer the game from your Memory Stick-equipped PSP to your PS3 so long as you are signed in to the PSN account that originally bought the game.
The other major title to arrive on the PC PS Store, according to the official PlayStation blog, is SOCOM US Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo for $14.99, as well as a trailer for the game an a handful of others including the Metal Gear Solid 4 Tokyo Game Show footage. Those are not up at the store yet, however. Full list of PC PS Store updates after the break.
We wonder if there's a psychological condition associated with our fascination in watching things fall down in video games. It started out harmlessly enough, with the popularization of the Gmod (and the Rube Goldberg machines that followed), then picked up steam with the brief Oblivion dominoes trend, but a recent video showing the various things you can do with 3,000 barrels in Crysis is the pièce de résistance in this eccentric genre.
We can't stop fantasizing about what crude oil masterpieces we'd like to construct and demolish -- if only we were typing this on a sleek, gaming-centric rig, and not our trusty Performa 5200.
"Crysis is imperfect in a number of ways." (3) "The acting and story aren't spectacular." (5) In fact, "the story ... is pretty standard background fodder for a FPS," (7) and "the game is pretty linear for the story's sake." (4) "I'm sure some people will be disappointed by the eventual alien-powered denouement, or mystified or bored by turns as they discover what lies inside the mountain."(3) "Don't start expecting any narrative cleverness or characters who do much beyond move the plot from one stage to the next." (8)
"When was the last time you upgraded your system? It doesn't matter because you'll probably have to do it again: Crysis is that demanding." (5) "Crysis may very well kick your computer in the balls at Very High settings;" (1) but "results are a bit mixed at medium and low settings. ... At the lowest detail settings, objects pop in and out with a fair degree of consistency. It's annoying at best and frustrating at worst, as it can impact gameplay." (6) "The constant tweaking of system specs needed to get the game running optimally is also a drag, and the average PC gamer will probably find that their system is nowhere near powerful enough to get this beast even up and running to standard." (5) Without a strong enough rig, the game "may very well turn into more of a slideshow than you'd probably prefer and in some cases become completely unplayable." (1)
MTV's Stephen Totilo "somehow wound up with an exclusive" about new casual games based on The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy. While most of us are scratching our heads about the properties, maybe this signals a new trend for old IP; there's that Dirty Dancing game after all. Clearly, these titles aren't for us. (And by "us," we mean people who get jokes about the potential for cake and also think that those jokes are played out.)
Beanbag Studios anticipates launching at least one Lucy trivia game and one Honeymooners bowling game this year. Yes, these PC and cell phone games are being built into long-term franchises. Witness videos of each game after the break.
Next week Battlestar Galactica, a "3D space shooter played on a 2D plane," makes its way onto PC and Xbox Live Arcade. Based on the popular television show, the game didn't really wow us when we played it back in July, but that's OK because it's meant as a felgercarb "mass appeal" cash-in on BSG fans who've been waiting forever for the final frakin' season to start in January. Thankfully the two-hour BSG special Razor premieres Nov. 24.
The Battlestar Galactica game has 10 single-player missions based on battles from the show. There is also a multiplayer component supporting eight players on XBLA and 16 on PC. Players can choose from four different types of ships on the Cylon or Human sides. The game will cost 800 MS points ($10) on XBLA and $20 on PC, available off XBLA on Oct. 24 and PCs Oct. 23. Now can we please get a realBattlestar Galactica game?
