Joystiq

Notch's new space game is called ... Mars Effect?! [April Fools!]

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST

It looks like the Elite-inspired space trading game Mojang's Notch has been working on finally has a name: Mars Effect. The game's official site just went live with a smattering of gameplay details, as well as insight into the philosophy behind Mars Effect's name.

"After several weeks of trying to come up with a good name for the game, we finally decided not to learn from previous experiences and pick a name that's already kind of in use by a huge existing franchise," says Notch. "After playing around with names like 'Elight,' 'Wind Commander,' and 'Steve Online,' we finally settled on the very catchy name 'Mars Effect'."

The game's bulleted list of features includes things like "waist high walls" and "a game ending that makes sense," among other things. Notch also outlines the game's "fixed wattage" system: All ships produce a finite amount of energy, and your ship's features require specific amounts of power. Activating a cloaking device, for example, requires so much power that other ancillary systems like computers and lights must be shut down in order to free up wattage. Each ship is also equipped with a fully emulated 16-bit computer, which "can be used to control your entire ship, or just to play games on while waiting for a large mining operation to finish."

Update: Rather than play along with these gags as they happen, we've decided instead to tag each April Fools' Day prank as such in the headline, in order to avoid as many dashed hopes as possible. While we never believed for a second that Notch would actually call his next game Mars Effect, we wouldn't be surprised if some of these gameplay mechanics ended up in his actual space game.

[Thanks, Jason!]

Notch's new space game is called ... Mars Effect?! [April Fools!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Maps comes to ... the NES?! [April Fools!]

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST

In a move that is as surprising as it is whimsically delightful, Google has decided to bring its globally renowned and often essential Google Maps service to one of the best-selling home computing solutions of all time: The Nintendo Entertainment System.

As demonstrated in the video above, using Google Maps on your NES/Famicom is just as easy as using it on your desktop, smartphone or tablet. Simply insert the cartridge into the system, remove it, blow into it, reinsert it back into the system, attach a phone line and you're ready to go. Google's cloud of servers compensate for the NES's lack of processing prowess, allowing for a quick, seamless experience.

While Google Maps for NES has yet to begin shipping, a demo version is available at the web-based Google Maps portal -- just click on the Quest button on the top right to begin your adventure.

Update: Rather than play along with these gags as they happen, we've decided instead to tag each April Fools' Day prank as such in the headline, in order to avoid as many dashed hopes as possible. For what its worth, we want this to be real as much as you do.

Google Maps comes to ... the NES?! [April Fools!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fools: Paradox expands Vietnam theme to King Arthur series

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:40:00 EST

Magicka's Vietnam-themed DLC has apparently been a huge hit with the folks at Paradox Interactive. Such a hit, in fact, that the company is now theming the upcoming King Arthur sequel in the same way -- nothing quite says "Knights of the Round Table" like napalm! Furthermore, the sequel to Sword of the Stars will receive similar treatment. "A wise journeyman once told me, 'Don't stop believing,' and that's exactly what we're doing here," company head Fredrik Wester noted in the announcement.

Okay, okay, the folks at Paradox are just having a laugh on this day of days to have a laugh, but you'll excuse us if we stand fully in support of the idea. Heck, it sounds like a much better idea than the publisher's East India Company game themed around the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Who greenlights this stuff?!

April Fools: Paradox expands Vietnam theme to King Arthur series originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beware: Tomorrow is April Fools' Day

Ross Miller — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture

Just a friendly reminder, folks, tomorrow is April Fool's Day, so be very careful about "breaking news" you might stumble upon. Whether it's Blue Hobbits or Wii.TV, just take what you read with a grain of salt until the clock strikes midnight. Here's some helpful advice:

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is: We'd all love for Nintendo to suddenly give everyone who clicks a link a free Wii, but face it, it doesn't seem too likely.
Sourcing is important: If a blockbuster April 1 story comes from unnamed sources or a mysteriously dead web site, remain skeptical. The least they could do is forge some documentation for their joke; make them work for it.
Pimps at Sea is never coming out: It's a Bungie inside joke, and someone always manages to fall for it. Also, whatever Blizzard announces tomorrow is a lie, so just have a laugh.
Duke Nukem Forever is never coming out: That 100% confirmed release date you'll read about tomorrow? Total baloney.

Any questions? Here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.

Beware: Tomorrow is April Fools' Day originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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