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 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Dr. Greg Zeschuk matches genre to gravity with video game beer pairings]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/01/dr-greg-zeschuk-matches-genre-to-gravity-with-video-game-beer-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/01/dr-greg-zeschuk-matches-genre-to-gravity-with-video-game-beer-p/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/01/dr-greg-zeschuk-matches-genre-to-gravity-with-video-game-beer-p/#comments Dr Greg Zeschuk matches genre to gravity with video game beer pairingsFor those of us older than our local legal drinking age, playing the right game with the right beer is a pretty difficult combination to beat. Finding the most correct pairing of game and brew, however, can be more difficult than it might seem at first blush.

That's why we've asked BioWare co-founder and artisan beer aficionado Dr. Greg Zeschuk for his advice on the most appropriate beer/genre pairings. Having left the video gaming industry last September after 20 years at the helm of such games as Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, Zeschuk has since dedicated his time to telling the story of America's flourishing craft beer scene, and the passionate people that make it what it is.

The result of his efforts, a documentary webseries called The Beer Diaries, premiered its first episode at Austin's Alamo Drafthouse earlier this week. We caught up with Dr. Zeschuk that morning to talk about, among other things, pairing beer with games.

Continue reading Dr. Greg Zeschuk matches genre to gravity with video game beer pairings

JoystiqDr. Greg Zeschuk matches genre to gravity with video game beer pairings originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beerbeer-pairingsbiowarecraft-beergreg-zeschukmicrobrewmicrobreweriesthe-beer-diariesFri, 01 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Runner2 development fueled by 744 beers (so far)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/runner2-development-fueled-by-744-beers-so-far/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/runner2-development-fueled-by-744-beers-so-far/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/runner2-development-fueled-by-744-beers-so-far/#comments How do I know? I consulted the "beer count" note on the title screen of the in-progress build I played. Gaijin Games has implemented a counter to track the number of beers drank by the team during development of Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Eventually, it'll be automated -- and keeping track live even after the game is released -- but for now it's a manually updated spreadsheet.

"We have a whole system," co-director Alex Neuse told me. "We have a spreadsheet; we're thinking of developing an iPhone app just to use internally. Then if you drink wine or something, we have a conversion, so it converts it to beers for the beer count." There was talk of a bottle opener that automatically logs every cap it opens.

At this point I began to think that I was being told a very fanciful tale about programmers drinking programmatically, but Neuse assured me otherwise. "We are completely serious about this. This is a real thing."

JoystiqRunner2 development fueled by 744 beers (so far) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beerbeer-countgaijin-gamesplaystationps3runner-2Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Gamerator: An arcade cabinet with a built-in tap and refrigerator]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/12/the-gamerator-an-arcade-cabinet-with-a-built-in-tap-and-refrige/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/12/the-gamerator-an-arcade-cabinet-with-a-built-in-tap-and-refrige/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/12/the-gamerator-an-arcade-cabinet-with-a-built-in-tap-and-refrige/#comments What's better than having absolute, unrestricted access to two of life's greatest pleasures? We'll tell you: When both of those pleasures are combined into a single, brilliant machine. The Custom Bar Guys have created just such a mash-up with The Gamerator: An arcade cabinet that contains a refrigerated chamber, in which you can store a pony keg of your favorite beer. You can hook said keg up to a built-in tap, and enjoy a frosty beverage while playing one of the machine's 100 emulated arcade classics. We guess you could enjoy several beverages, though after a while, that's going to throw off your Sinistar game.

It will run you $3,500, which is a substantial sum of money. However, we're talking about an arcade cabinet with cupholders and a built-in tap, upon which you can actually play Root Beer Tapper. We dare you to find a better way to spend three-and-a-half Gs.

JoystiqThe Gamerator: An arcade cabinet with a built-in tap and refrigerator originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcadearcade-cabinetbeerdrinkingmodthe-custom-bar-guysthe-gameratorSat, 12 Feb 2011 02:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Oh, Canada Wii's home and native land]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/oh-canada-wiis-home-and-native-land/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/oh-canada-wiis-home-and-native-land/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/oh-canada-wiis-home-and-native-land/#commentsFiled under: ,

Hey, grab a Molson and pull up a comfortable ice block and listen up. The AP is reporting that the Wii has become the first system to reach a million units sold in Canada. That's like one system for every two people or so you've got up there, eh? We're guessing it's because the pearly white exterior of the system matches the decor of your igloos (not to mention the polar bears roaming around outside).

According to NPD statistics, the Wii has sold 1,060,000 Candian units through July, meaning the upcoming Wii version of NHL 2K9 can count on at least 1.5 million sales up there in the frozen North (some Canadians will buy an extra copy for their pet moose, you see). Microsoft and Sony are rumored to be planning competing lumberjack simulations and marketing tie-ins with popular maple syrup makers to increase their systems' appeal to the Canadian market, but as the Quebecois say, this might be "trop peu, trop tard."

(Apologies to all Canadians, who we're sure are too polite and respectful to get mad about this, right?)

JoystiqOh, Canada Wii's home and native land originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beercanadacanuckcoldehfrenchfrozenhockeyicemaple syrupMapleSyrupnhl2k9saleswiiTue, 26 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Get your dri... er, game on with the Stella Artois PSP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/get-your-dri-er-game-on-with-the-stella-artois-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/get-your-dri-er-game-on-with-the-stella-artois-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/get-your-dri-er-game-on-with-the-stella-artois-psp/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Nothing goes together like drinking brewskis and the PlayStation Portable, right? Apparently, that goes doubly so if you're a sales representative in the land down under. Stella Artois is the number one international draught beer, but they haven't cracked the Australian market. So, instead of sending boring brochures and glossy guides down to the land of Oz, they sent 50 custom-made Stella-branded PSPs to the sales teams.

Not only were they in hand-stitched black velvet Stella bags, but they also had Stella themes loaded on them, and were packed with information about the beer. Plus, since they have wi-fi built-in, they can download updated beer data when they aren't playing God of War: Chains of Olympus or listening to Kylie Minogue MP3s. Now that's a marketing tool we can get behind. We wonder how long it'll be before one of these babies is up on eBay.

[Thanks, Dan]

JoystiqGet your dri... er, game on with the Stella Artois PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingbeerFostersPSPsalesStella-ArtoisStelleTue, 26 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[These 1ups taste like beer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/these-1ups-taste-like-beer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/these-1ups-taste-like-beer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/26/these-1ups-taste-like-beer/#commentsFiled under:

What better way to test your drinking limits than with a 1up stein? This way, if you drink too much, you'll have an extra life stored away that you can make use of.*

It's too bad, then, that these nifty mugs aren't available to the public. Designed as a gift for Die Krieger des Lichts clients, only a select few will ever get their hands on these limited edition steins. Yet, if you do manage to nab one somewhere, somehow, we recommend skipping the beer and trying out some Mario themed drinks insead.

Prost!

*Note: Seriously, drink responsibly and legally. This public service announcement was brought to you by DS Fanboy.

[Via Technabob]

JoystiqThese 1ups taste like beer originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 May 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1up1up-mushroombeerbeer-mugbeer-steindie-kreiger-des-lichtsmugsteinMon, 26 May 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft uses beer to illustrate Xbox 360 cost advantage]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/23/microsoft-uses-beer-to-illustrate-xbox-360-cost-advantage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/23/microsoft-uses-beer-to-illustrate-xbox-360-cost-advantage/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/23/microsoft-uses-beer-to-illustrate-xbox-360-cost-advantage/#commentsFiled under: ,


Drink that picture in ...

After yesterday's shenanigans, we imagine the guys at Microsoft strutting around their various international offices as if they were in a locker room after a big game; lots of high-fiving, butt-slapping, and other telltale indicators of competitive confidence. For example, for the European (and New Zealand ... ean) PS3 launch, they did what any self-respecting mega-corporation would do: Used beer to visually communicate the price difference between their console -- the Xbox 360 -- and their competitor's -- the PlayStation 3. UK-pub CVG received the above stockpile while Auckland, NZ's GamePlanet store got a similar treat (pic after the break). We normally would consider additional games a more appropriate metric when discussing price deltas, but we suppose they wanted to stick with the locker room theme.

Read - MS sends CVG the difference between 360 and PS3... in beer! (CVG)
Read - Microsoft NZ Tease Sony (NZGamer.com)

Continue reading Microsoft uses beer to illustrate Xbox 360 cost advantage

JoystiqMicrosoft uses beer to illustrate Xbox 360 cost advantage originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Beerconsolewarseurops3MicrosoftPS3TeaseXbox-360Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 price difference buys a lot of beer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/22/ps3-price-difference-buys-a-lot-of-beer/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/22/ps3-price-difference-buys-a-lot-of-beer/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/22/ps3-price-difference-buys-a-lot-of-beer/#commentsFiled under:

It's pretty common knowledge that the PS3 is a bit more expensive than a Xbox 360. In Europe the difference in price is around £146, something Microsoft really wanted to hit home with their latest generous offering. This afternoon, over at the CVG offices, they received a special delivery of £146 worth of Fosters beer, rolled in by beer couriers, and sent to them by none other than Microsoft. Perplexed by Microsoft's sudden generosity, they opened the attached note which read;

"What would you purchase for £146...? (The price difference between an Xbox 360 and a PlayStaion 3) Well, for a start we thought you might like £146 worth of beer to kick start your weekend early."

What a great point Microsoft, we would have never thought to purchase beer with all of the money we've saved. But why you didn't share the beer love with Fanboy Towers? We're still a little confused to exactly how much beer one could purchase with the savings in US currency, so we'd welcome the knowledge. Lucky CVG writers ... they get all the drunken fun on Microsoft's tab.

[Via Digg]

JoystiqPS3 price difference buys a lot of beer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beermicrosoftplaystation 3Playstation3ps3xbox 360Xbox360Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Godfather: Blackhand Edition (or, a field day for Jack Thompson)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/11/the-godfather-blackhand-edition-or-a-field-day-for-jack-thomp/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/11/the-godfather-blackhand-edition-or-a-field-day-for-jack-thomp/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/11/the-godfather-blackhand-edition-or-a-field-day-for-jack-thomp/#commentsFiled under:


We're not particular fans of EA, generally lackluster licensed games, or the mafia. Still, seeing this trailer excites us a little, if for nothing else than to beat the crap out of everything that moves. The gesture-based control system includes such perks at beer bottle throwing, choking, slapping, and throwing people into walls. Yep, our buddy J.T. is gonna have a grand ol' time with this one, and to be honest, we're a little worried. If hyper-paranoid parents get a look at this stuff, Nintendo could land in some hot soup. For now, though, simply kick back and enjoy the abject violence.

JoystiqThe Godfather: Blackhand Edition (or, a field day for Jack Thompson) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BeerBlackhandBottleChokeControlsEditionGestureGodfatherJackThompsonViloenceWiiThu, 11 Jan 2007 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bungie's Master Chief bottle opener]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bungies-master-chief-bottle-opener/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bungies-master-chief-bottle-opener/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bungies-master-chief-bottle-opener/#commentsFiled under: , ,


How does a battle-hardened Spartan soldier kick back and relax after fragging Covenant all day? With a crisp, cool, refreshing New Mombasa Ale. And how does s/he open it? No, not with their teeth, but with their authentic Bungie.net Spartan keychain! Sure, it looks like a regular keychain with a Spartan helmet on it, but our in-house beer-ologist (me) has confirmed the dimensions are indeed correct for maximum beer-opening functionality.

Other Bungie Store updates include a Halo cup (to pour your beer in), and a Spartan Messenger Bag (to carry your plasma grenades in...and also beer).

*Kids, please replace all references to beer with root beer. Thanks!

[Thanks, hooters; store update via Bungie.net]

JoystiqBungie's Master Chief bottle opener originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 May 2006 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BeerBottle OpenerBottleOpenerBungieBungie StoreBungieStoreHaloMaster ChiefMasterChiefMicrosoftSpartanswagXboxXbox-360Thu, 04 May 2006 12:25:00 EST