Joystiq

Jetpack Joyride lands on PlayStation Network

David Hinkle — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:30:00 EST

After going free-to-play on iOS and Android (and undergoing a subsequent Facebook port), Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride has made its way to PlayStation Network today. Jetpack Joyride is available for $3.99 on Sony platforms right now under the Minis section, making it compatible with PSP, PlayStation Vita and PS3.

Jetpack Joyride features the most recent version of the game, replete with waves of nigh-unending challenges, a store full of unlockable jetpacks, outfits and other virtual goods. Plus: lasers. There are so many lasers in this game.

Jetpack Joyride on PSN also includes gadgets, like coin magnets and gravity belts, which were introduced in the 1.3 update.

Jetpack Joyride lands on PlayStation Network originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beatshapers Indie Bundle drums up attention on PSN

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST

The Beatshapers Indie Bundle is part of the PSN drop this week, including five games "from famous independent game makers" for $6.99 in the US store and €5.99 in the EU store. The bundle features Wizorb from Tribute Games, Canabalt from Adam Atomic, Enigmo from Brian Greenstone, Galcon Labs from Phil Hassey and BreakQuest from Felix Casablancas.

While you're checking out the high-profile finds from Tuesday's PSN lineup, don't forget about the big little guys in the Beatshapers Indie Bundle.

Beatshapers Indie Bundle drums up attention on PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizorb breaks through as a PS Mini July 24

JC Fletcher — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:30:00 EST

Wizorb is officially spreading to up to three more platforms next week in North America. Beatshapers has ported Tribute Games' RPG-style Breakout game to PlayStation Minis, allowing users to play it on PS3 and PSP, and, as Beatshapers says, "eventually on your PS Vita" - because of the vagaries of the Vita's PSP backward compatibility, it's difficult to tell if it will run on Vita, or if not, when.

By breaking bricks and defeating monsters, you can help save the kingdom of Gorudo - both by, you know, defeating the monsters, and by collecting money to rebuild the destroyed homes and businesses in its towns.

Wizorb breaks through as a PS Mini July 24 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WizOrb coming to PlayStation Minis this June

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:30:00 EST

Generally, having a magical wizard in your pocket would either be incredibly uncomfortable for one (or both) of you, or prohibitively expensive. Wizard upkeep costs an arm and a leg as it is, and with the money you'd spend on the reagents needed to concoct a shrinking potion, you could buy an entire mage. It's a pain, and usually not worth it.

There's is, however, a more humane, cost effective solution on the horizon. WizOrb, the pixelated, chiptuned indie block-breaking/RPG hybrid from Beatshapers and Tribute Games will smash through geometrically perfect arrangements of blocks and onto your friendly neighborhood PS3, PSP and/or Vita next month, when it launches as a $3.99 PlayStation Mini.

Gallery: WizOrb (PlayStation Minis launch)

WizOrb coming to PlayStation Minis this June originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 26 May 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StarDrone Extreme swings onto North American Vitas next week

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST

Fast-paced Vita action game StarDrone Extreme is making its way to North America next week. The game features an "always-in-motion spaceship" that never stops moving once a level begins. Players control the ship by attaching it to gravity beacons using the touch screen, allowing the shop to launch itself in a new direction.

Whether or not the new touch screen controls can elevate StarDrone Extreme above its PlayStation 3 cousin remains to be seen. Speaking of which, the PS3 version of StarDrone will be updated to allow players to save and resume their progress across both the PS3 and Vita versions of StarDrone.

StarDrone Extreme will arrive on April 17 for $3.99.

Gallery: StarDrone Extreme

Continue reading StarDrone Extreme swings onto North American Vitas next week

StarDrone Extreme swings onto North American Vitas next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StarDrone review: I whip my ship back and forth

Taylor Cocke — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:29:00 EST

Great puzzle games all have one thing in common: they use easy-to-learn gameplay to mask their deceptive complexity and depth. Seemingly simple concepts are made compelling through clever design and tight controls.

Ideally, players will argue over the best way to do things, the more heated the better. Hell, I once saw a couple of nerds get in a full-on fistfight over Bejeweled strategies. (Yes, it was awesome.)

That said, I don't see StarDrone causing any fistfights any time soon. Sadly, there's just not much here worth coming to blows over.

Continue reading StarDrone review: I whip my ship back and forth

StarDrone review: I whip my ship back and forth originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StarDrone slingshots onto PSN April 5 with Move support

Randy Nelson — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:00:00 EST

Described by its developer as a mix of pinball and brick-breaking, StarDrone finally has a launch date for North America of April 5, 2011. Already available in Europe, the title is designed with PlayStation Move in mind -- players aim at "hubs" and fire a cable to latch onto them -- but its creator, the Ukraine's Beatshapers, says it can be played just fine with a DualShock 3.

You can get a much better feel for StarDrone's momentum-based gameplay in the new video after the break. The game will retail for $7.99, or $4.99 for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Continue reading StarDrone slingshots onto PSN April 5 with Move support

StarDrone slingshots onto PSN April 5 with Move support originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StarDrone gameplay demoed as game Moves close to completion

Mike Schramm — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:00:00 EST

We're not sure how the new PSN StarDrone gameplay seen in the trailer (after the break) actually works with the Move controller. You probably move that cursor around and press a button to "tether" up to those hubs, which is how it works on PC. It certainly does look like fun, and those trippy graphics and retro sounds really fill out the experience.

PSNStores has a few more screenshots to browse through as well, all just as groovy. The site says that the game is stuck in QA right now, but it should arrive on the PlayStation Network at $7.99 ($4.99 for PlayStation Plus members) whenever it does see the light of day.

Continue reading StarDrone gameplay demoed as game Moves close to completion

StarDrone gameplay demoed as game Moves close to completion originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter clawing its way to PSP/PS3 Minis in August

Andrew Yoon — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:20:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Sure, you could pick up a Cabela game and go hunting for some helpless deer. Or, you can man up and start hunting dinosaurs.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is the third "minis" game from developer Beatshapers, who previously worked on NormalTanks and BreakQuest. You'll be tracking down fifteen different dinosaurs in five different levels, using a variety of weapons, including sniper rifles and crossbows.

Don't expect an arcade-style game in the style of Turok, though. According to the press release, you'll have to take into account "wind direction" and use a "special dinosaur call" to successfully track and locate dinosaurs to hunt. That probably sounds something like this: "Oh my god, please don't eat me!"

Carnivores will be available for PSP and PS3 next month.

Gallery: Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter

Continue reading Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter clawing its way to PSP/PS3 Minis in August

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter clawing its way to PSP/PS3 Minis in August originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NormalTanks assaults PSN this Thursday

David Hinkle — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST

Click image to blast your way into our gallery

In the mood for some old-school shmup action with a modern twist? This Thursday, NormalTanks -- not to be confused with those crazy tanks you see every now and then -- will release on PSN for the PSP and PS3. The game features a top-down isometric view and eight different environments to navigate and, as you may have guessed from the title, you control a tank.

The PlayStation blog has a video showcasing the title, which we've gone ahead and parked past the break. And, if you're more of the "gotta blow it up now!" school of tank driving, check out the game's official site for a Windows version.

Gallery: NormalTanks (PSP, PS3)

Continue reading NormalTanks assaults PSN this Thursday

NormalTanks assaults PSN this Thursday originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BreakQuest delivering PSP Mini-sized Arkanoid clone

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST

The world currently faces a crisis of epic proportions -- a global shortage of Breakout-esque games. Without competition, the few entries in this brick-smashing genre have monopolized the market, leading to a lack of competition, which will lead to another gaming industry crash, which will lead to complete economic collapse, which will lead to the nuclear apocalypse. Fortunately for us, indie developer Beatshapers will try to save our world this October with a ball-and-paddle PSP Mini titled BreakQuest.

Okay, the demand for Arkanoid clones is considerably lower than the previous paragraph may have indicated, but we admit -- BreakQuest looks pretty stylish. Well, as stylish as an under-100MB Breakout title on the PSP could look. Check out the gallery below for a fresh batch of screenshots.

[Via IGN]

Gallery: BreakQuest (PSP)

BreakQuest delivering PSP Mini-sized Arkanoid clone originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie PSP game, Rhythm of War, nominated for IGF award

Andrew Yoon — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST

Here's a game you haven't played before -- and it's already nominated for an award! The IGF Mobile Award nominees were revealed and the sole PSP candidate is this game: Rhythm of War. This "rhythm action strategy game" has players traveling through different time epochs to fight against aliens. Battles take place on four tracks, and players must follow the musical rhythm of each track in order to come out victorious.

Alexey Menshikov (the game producer) told us that this game couldn't find a publisher due to rather lackluster support for the PSP platform However, with the PlayStation Store on PSP, there's new hope that the team will be able to find a publisher and distribute the game to the masses.

We're big fans of music games, especially when they're created by indie teams. Hopefully, this newfound attention will give Rhythm of War the chance at life it deserves.

[Thanks, David B.!]

Indie PSP game, Rhythm of War, nominated for IGF award originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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