Joystiq

Devil Survivor Overclocked EU busted, Ghostlight working on it

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:00:00 EST

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked on 3DS has a few game-breaking issues buried within its European version, which launched on March 29, developer Ghostlight announced.

"The game will hang/freeze if you summon a demon during battle or if an auction house seller lies about the stats," Ghostlight wrote on its blog. "These problems mean that currently you will experience difficulties that may prevent you from completing the game. Currently we are doing everything we can to fix these problems as quickly as possible so that you will be able to enjoy DSO in full."

Ghostlight is working with publisher Atlus and Nintendo on getting a patch out. Devil Survivor Overclocked was originally scheduled to launch in the EU on April 5, but was pushed up to March 29. The US and Japanese versions of Devil Survivor Overclocked hit in fall 2011.

Devil Survivor Overclocked EU busted, Ghostlight working on it originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead or Alive 5 PS3 patch bugs out, Xbox 360 patch delayed to Feb.

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:00:00 EST

Dead or Alive 5 patch 1.03 hit the PS3 on January 22 and was originally scheduled to launch on Xbox 360 on January 29, but that's not going to happen now. The patch has a bug that affects stagger escapes and "prevents users from enjoying the intended design of DOA5," and the Xbox 360 version and a corrected PS3 patch are now scheduled for February, Team Ninja says on Twitter.

The proper patch 1.03 will launch at the same time as the Hotties Swimwear and Zack Island Stage DLC packs for Xbox 360 next month.

"Our deepest regrets for the inconvenience this has caused and we appreciate your continued support," Team Ninja tweets.

Dead or Alive 5 PS3 patch bugs out, Xbox 360 patch delayed to Feb. originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walking Dead XBLM codes being given to players with disc version issues

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST

Telltale Games is issuing The Walking Dead XBLM codes to players affected by the Xbox 360 retail version's "severe hitching." Posting on Telltale's forums, the developer narrowed down issues of "unacceptable freezing or stuttering" to those playing the disc version on a 4GB Xbox 360 with no internal hard drive. The post notes acquiring an internal hard drive resolves the issues, but goes on to say Telltale is giving XBLM codes to those who cannot acquire a hard drive, as long as they supply proof of purchase.

The other major issue which cropped up last month saw some players unable to start episodes after the first one; upon trying to load Episode 2, for example, they'd find themselves restarting Episode 1. In another forum post, Telltale says it's submitted a remedying patch to Microsoft which, once approved, is being made available as a title update. The post doesn't note when the update is expected to be available. In the meantime, Telltale suggests how players can confront two different variations of the issue.

For those who have online-enabled Xbox Live accounts and are playing the retail version, Telltale says playing the game while connected to Live should remedy the problem. While Telltale doesn't have a guaranteed workaround for the "rare" variation in which save data can be overwritten, the developer notes some users had success with recovering affected save files by copying them across from Slot 1 to Slot 3. This apparently leaves you at the start of the episode you were last playing, but with all previous choices still saved.

[Thanks, Johnny]

Walking Dead XBLM codes being given to players with disc version issues originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Assassin's Creed 3 patch cuts down game-breaking bugs next week

David Hinkle — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:45:00 EST

If you've managed to sneak up on a bug or glitch in Assassin's Creed 3, there's a good chance it'll be addressed "by the end of next week." A planned Xbox 360 and PS3 patch rivaling the game's hefty day-one patch will address both multiplayer and single-player issues - that includes a problem on the Fort Wolcott map where players would become stuck in the warm-up screen. Targeting a player with throwing knives will prevent them from contesting kills, which should cut down on cheap escapes.

On the single-player side, just about every campaign mission will see an update. Missing NPCs, objects and audio will be returned, and several mission-breaking bugs will be squashed, including a few that would get you stuck in an infinite loop of respawn and death.

The descriptions on many of these fixes stray into spoiler territory, so read up on the full list past the break below at your own risk.

Continue reading Assassin's Creed 3 patch cuts down game-breaking bugs next week

Assassin's Creed 3 patch cuts down game-breaking bugs next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft XBLA bug extermination adds Golden Apples, Pumpkin Seeds

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST

Minecraft XBLA's Adventure Update 1.8.2 is live and kicking, probably because it's fending off nasty, blocky bugs. The 1.8.2 Bug Fix Title Update doesn't have a release date yet, but it contains dozens of fixes and adds recipes for Golden Apples and Golden Pumpkin Seeds. Fixes include chest lids not working correctly, glass panes and iron fence hitbox problems, tools taking damage in creative mode, and many more. Hit the break for the complete list.

4J Studios provides more insight on its Twitter feed, adding that the Golden Apples and Pumpkin Seeds are crafted with gold ingot for now, but gold nuggets are on their way and the recipe will use those once they're in-game. Additionally, players will eventually be able to climb vines, and the next update will add villagers.

In other mining news, sales of Minecraft XBLA's Halloween Skin Pack (again, that sounds pretty gross) raised more than $500,000 in under two weeks for the four charities chosen by Mojang, 4J Studios and Microsoft Studios: Block by Block, SANDS Lothians, Child's Play and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Continue reading Minecraft XBLA bug extermination adds Golden Apples, Pumpkin Seeds

Minecraft XBLA bug extermination adds Golden Apples, Pumpkin Seeds originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ghost Recon: Future Soldier PC users call out issues [Update: Ubisoft working on it]

David Hinkle — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:00:00 EST

PC users have encountered some issues with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. A bug report thread on the Ubisoft forums is cluttered with complaints, ranging from the mundane to the catastrophic. For example, one issue seems to be that the mouse doesn't work. Like, at all.

It would appear Ubisoft is aware of the issues. Donna Nicholson, part of the PMS clan, said she's passing the info along to the higher-ups. We've also contacted Ubisoft about the matter, and are currently awaiting a statement.

Update: An Ubisoft rep has told Joystiq that the company is "aware of the issues with the PC version" and the company is currently "working aggressively to correct them as soon as possible."

[Thanks, Roy.]

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier PC users call out issues [Update: Ubisoft working on it] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Botanicula swarming PC and Mac on April 19

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST

Botanicula, the adorable bug game (notice that's not "adorable-bug game," because no bug is adorable, and we don't care how much it looks like a tiny, hairless rabbit) from Machinarium developer Amanita Design is officially flying face-first onto PC and Mac on April 19.

The above trailer shows off the lighter, brighter side of Amanita's resume, offering a glimpse into the evolution of Machinarium's detailed design style with five bugs that are maybe possibly kind of adorable. Fine, you got us, Amanita. Your bugs are adorable. We probably won't feel gross and itchy when Botanicula drops on the 19th after all.

Botanicula swarming PC and Mac on April 19 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vita launch issues in Japan result in apology, software update [update]

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST

For us suckers in North America, the PlayStation Vita is still just a distant object of desire. For the Japanese, though, the Vita is already a couple days into its life, but apparently it's got some ... issues. Our tech savvy brethren at Engadget are reporting that some users are experiencing "software bugs, unresponsive touchscreens and complete system freezes," resulting in many taking to social media to voice frustration.

Sony, as it turns out, is listening, already issuing a software update and penning an apology letter. The video above showcases some of the Vita's problematic issues, and it should at very least help you to sympathize with your Japanese equivalent's frustration. The letter, well, it's in Japanese, and it's kinda non-specific, so you may wanna skip that part. Regardless, with any luck, said issues will be ironed out by the time Vita arrives on US shores on February 22. Here's hoping, anyway.

Update: Sony UK counters this report and others, saying the company, "can't find any evidence of widespread glitches."

[Thanks Gerry!]

Vita launch issues in Japan result in apology, software update [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skyrim to have multiple DLC releases, powerful buckets

Mike Schramm — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EST

Game Director Todd Howard was at the Spike Video Game Awards yesterday to accept a well-deserved Game of the Year award for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and he said to Joystiq that the game's popularity has surprised even the development team. "We thought it would do well," he said, "but it has gone above and beyond." One of the surprising effects of that popularity is the many YouTube videos (and "arrow in the knee" references) out there, but Howard says one in particular stood out to Bethesda. "I think our favorite really is putting the buckets on the heads," he laughed. "It was like day two, and we went, what? Do we fix that? Our lead programmer is pissed and wants to fix it, and I said I'm not sure we should. That's one of those where maybe we leave it in."

Howard couldn't yet share plans for DLC, but he says it will be focused on "ways to make the game better, not just have more, because the game is so big. So we're going through ideas right now, and processing everything people are doing in the game, and trying to think of ways that we can improve it." There will be multiple releases (as with Bethesda's past games), but Howard says they "don't have a timetable. They won't be quick, and they'll have a lot of meat on them."

For all of its successes, the one thing Skyrim doesn't have is other players. Is there a chance we'll ever see a multiplayer title, or even an MMO, from Howard and his company? "You can never say never to anything like that," he admitted, "but it's not what our focus is. This type of game is where our hearts are, what we get excited about, and that's what we want to focus on. We don't want to lose that focus and we never want to sacrifice anything in the singleplayer game just to have it be multiplayer."

Skyrim to have multiple DLC releases, powerful buckets originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bethesda squinting at Skyrim's texture scaling issues on Xbox

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST

Poor vision and awareness may afflict some of Skyrim's population, but your bellowing, dragonborn protagonist is meant to have 20/20 vision. Blurry textures on the Xbox 360 version, which aren't replaced with higher-quality versions as they come into closer view, may be a symptom of having the mammoth RPG* installed on the hard drive, Bethesda now suspects.

"Skyrim uses a lot of dynamic streaming systems, including textures," says a Bethesda community manager posting on the official forums. "We've seen a few reports of certain textures temporarily scaling down on the Xbox 360, and not scaling back up. We have verified that this issue does not occur when playing off the disk and when the game is fully cached (not installed)." For now, it seems the streaming glitch can be avoided if you play directly from the disc, and imagine the loud whirring emanates from Dovahkiin's vocal chords warming up.

According to Bethesda, a solution is being prepared for installed Skyrim in the next title update. The patch notes for the most recent update are available here.

* Sorry, we just wanted to share that we've been thinking about turn-based tusk battles between customizable mammoths all afternoon.

Bethesda squinting at Skyrim's texture scaling issues on Xbox originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some NCAA Football 12 features reportedly broken by patch

Justin McElroy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:28:00 EST

According to plenty of angry forum posts from players of NCAA Football 12, a recent patch for the game has broken or hampered several key features including no-huddle play calling, custom playbooks and, most rampantly, the Dynasty Mode. Apparently, players on both the 360 and PS3 have received frequent "Transfer Failed" errors when attempting to upload the results of games in the online mode.

A company staffer going by the name of EA_Jaga on the EA forums informed players that the error had been fixed, but the dozen or so posts right after from users still getting the "Transfer Failed" error indicates otherwise.

We've reached out to EA for some sort of timetable on a fix. We'll let you know what we hear.

[Update: EA tells us that the custom playbook issue was fixed by the recently released Title Update 2. The other issues are still under investigation.]

[Thanks, Russel]

Some NCAA Football 12 features reportedly broken by patch originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Witcher 2 patch 1.3 detailed, includes free DLC

Jessica Conditt — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST

The Witcher 2's patch 1.3 still doesn't have a release date, but we do have more details about its fixes and goodies. Patch 1.3 will allow item storage at the game's inns, new aspect-ratio support and will include a free DLC quest that sounds more like it belongs in LittleBigPlanet, "A Sackful of Fluff."

The patch will also fix a slew of issues, including patch installation causing the game to reset to default, map pin problems -- and the option to fistfight the woman praying at a statue in Vergen, which has now been deactivated. The full list of patch 1.3 updates can be found here.

The Witcher 2 patch 1.3 detailed, includes free DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Beta 1.6 released, four bug-fixing patches follow soon after

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:30:00 EST

You've got to admire Minecraft creator Mojang Specifications' unswerving work ethic. The developer launched Beta Update 1.6 for the world-building title yesterday, adding mapmaking, hatches, some new vegetation and multiplayer Nether functionality to the title. Unfortunately, the update also added a handful of nasty bugs and performance problems into the game -- problems which Mojang managed to fix by releasing four subsequent mini-patches in the very same day.

You can check out all of the game's latest patch notes after the jump, including patches 1.6.1 through 1.6.4. We suggest reading them in order, like a short story that was really, really frustrating for the author to write.

Continue reading Minecraft Beta 1.6 released, four bug-fixing patches follow soon after

Minecraft Beta 1.6 released, four bug-fixing patches follow soon after originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obsidian CEO laments Fallout: New Vegas' 'glitchy' launch, working on better QA for Dungeon Siege 3

David Hinkle — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:30:00 EST

In a new interview with Play Magazine, Obisidian CEO Feargus Urquhart addresses the launch of Fallout: New Vegas -- which was, uh, pretty ugly. On Xbox 360, the game is still very much plagued by issues.

"Now in the case of Fallout: New Vegas, we made a gigantic game, and I'm proud with what we were able to do but I wish it wasn't as glitchy when it came out," said Urquhart in the interview (as excerpted on NowGamer). "The criticisms people had are fair, but it's difficult to get a game the size of New Vegas bug free. But that's an excuse, and it doesn't matter when someone's paid $60 for a game. It's something we need to work on."

With the launch of Dungeon Siege 3 on the immediate horizon, Urquhart emphasized that Obsidian is placing extra emphasis on quality assurance for the game -- a process of "playing and playing and playing and playing to ensure it's of a high standard," he said. "On top of this," Urquhart added, "this is the first time we've got to use our own technology on something, which means we know where to find the bad bugs from the start!"

The full interview will be published in Issue 205 of Play Magazine, which hits UK newsstands this Thursday.

Obsidian CEO laments Fallout: New Vegas' 'glitchy' launch, working on better QA for Dungeon Siege 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patch coming for Crysis 2 PC multiplayer key issues, workaround detailed

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST

Crytek is working to release a Crysis 2 patch to correct two errors associated with multiplayer activation keys for the PC version of the game, a representative confirmed on the game's official MyCrysis Forums. In the meantime, the developer has laid out a workaround intended to side-step both users' inability to save their keys in the system (and thus forcing would-be players to re-enter the codes) and the erroneous error that claims, "Serial number in use." It's a three-step move, to be precise:

"Load Crysis 2, go to multiplayer and type in your key"
"Navigate back to Single Player"
"Go back into multiplayer and re-enter your key"

The majority of responses in the forum thread indicates that the workaround does bypass the two issues, though apparently it doesn't ameliorate scattered reports of server crashes and game freezing; to say nothing of the two big topics on account login integration and promo code redemption issues.

Patch coming for Crysis 2 PC multiplayer key issues, workaround detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Homefront PS3 patch met with poor reviews; stats reset unaddressed

James Ransom-Wiley — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:55:00 EST

Kaos Studios responded to reports of "freezing" issues and other bugs in Homefront by pushing out a patch for the PS3 version of the game last night at approximately 8PM ET. In its announcement, the developer claimed that "far fewer issues" had been reported in the Xbox 360 version, though a title update was in the works nonetheless. Additionally, a "small hotfix" was released for the PC version yesterday, to be followed by "a patch with full change-list in the near future."

Following the update's release via PlayStation Network, a few worrisome comments began to appear below the announcement post. "I thik [sic] they broke the game," observed one commenter complaining of lag. "I hadn't had any lock up problems till this update, now all it does is lock up making the game unplayable for me," posted another.

"I too have lost my rank (PS3)," reads a more alarming comment, "I was rank 24 and i played a game and noticed i was back to 2." This issue of reset player ranks and XP appears not to be an unintended side effect of the patch, but rather an ongoing issue since the game's launch earlier this week, acknowledged by Kaos yesterday afternoon. "We are aware of the buggy leader boards and stat tracking issues and it is being addressed in an upcoming patch," promised Kaos' Dan Matlack in response to one of the many, many forum threads on the issue.

While the stats reset bug was not addressed in last night's update, Kaos' patch notes did highlight the introduction of "several fixes for reported freezes." In the main "PS3 'Freezing' Issues" thread, posters have reported mostly failed results. In the "Multiplayer Status Update" thread, similar complaints about freezing have appeared following the patch's release, in addition to reported server connection and party system failures.

Still, some forum-goers remain optimistic: "great patch, the only problem im still having is my ps3 is freezes usually after every other game," posted a cheery St0rMiN_X_NoRMaN.

[Thanks, Gwynne]

Homefront PS3 patch met with poor reviews; stats reset unaddressed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Test Drive Unlimited 2 players get free DLC as apology for bug-plagued launch

Mike Schramm — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST

Bummed that your launch experience with Test Drive Unlimited 2 was hampered by game-breaking bugs and server outages? Atari and developer Eden Games totally understand -- and while it's a little impractical to come around and give shoulder massages to everyone affected, they'd like to do the next best thing: Give away some free DLC for your troubles.

That being the case, the upcoming Exploration DLC pack will be a gratis download. It will unlock the Lancia Stratos version Rallye and 1969 Dodge Charger in addition to fixing a whole slew of bugs, from login issues to repairing corrupt saves -- even adding an improved casino experience.

The content has gone live for the PC version already, with the console updates currently being approved by Microsoft and Sony, so they're expected soon.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 players get free DLC as apology for bug-plagued launch originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Test Drive Unlimited 2 slammed with game-breaking launch bugs

Mike Schramm — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST

Bad news for those who picked up Test Drive Unlimited 2 this week: the game is apparently falling apart, thanks to a few game-breaking bugs across various systems, including "permanent loading screen" problems and issues where the game's save file will get corrupted or not load. A number of network-reliant game components have been taken offline already, and the official Twitter account says the Eden Games team is working as fast as it can to sort things out. Programmers have been pulled in from other projects with the dev promising that "no one is going home until we get this working."

So, if you bought the game and encountered these issues, sit tight. If you were thinking about picking up the game this weekend, it might be prudent to wait until everything gets sorted out. In the meantime, there are lots of other games to play, or there's even this thing called "outside" we've heard about, whatever that is.

Update: The producer has posted on the forums to say that most issues have been fixed, and all content should be back online. Enjoy virtual Ibiza -- "outside" isn't that big a deal anyway.

[Thanks, Tony]

Test Drive Unlimited 2 slammed with game-breaking launch bugs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paradox CEO insists Magicka will be fixed

Justin McElroy — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:30:00 EST

By all the reports we've heard from friends and colleagues, Paradox's satirical fantasy game Magicka is long on charm, but short on polish. Online modes are apparently the roughest, with some completely unable to access co-op, though the kinks in single player seem to be relatively few.

Speaking with Ars Technica (which experienced a bevy of issues with the game), Paradox boss Fredrik Wesker pledged that developer Arrowhead Studios would exterminate the bugs as quickly as possible, saying "The development team is working around the clock and we will get this fixed. We will make this right." Wesker also explained how something like this happens in the first place, which is an interesting glimpse into the realities of being a small publisher.

Here's hoping that soon, the only freezes in Magicka will be delivered by friends with poor aim.

Paradox CEO insists Magicka will be fixed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magicka sells 30,000 on first day, being patched 'as often as possible'

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:10:00 EST

Magicka, the Paradox-published story of up to four wizards assaulting monsters and accidentally killing each other with ill-advised spell combinations, has sold 30,000 copies within its first day of availability through digital distribution. The celebration is tempered, however -- while they were pushing it to the top of Steam's sales chart, players of the game complained on forums and Twitter about technical instability and bugs. Ars Technica found the game especially problematic, calling it a "broken, negligent release."

Paradox has summarized the current status of Magicka as such: "[Singe-player] works fine for the most part, Multiplayer does not -- patch on the way for both! (as soon as [Steam] pushes the button). We'll patch the game as often as possible." According to a celebratory press release, Arrowhead Game Studios is "working around the sundial and is fully committed to ongoing support by zapping glitches and communicating with players."

The game's unpolished state would likely have generated even more caustic reaction, had its malleable magic system not countered with amusing stories of players haphazardly offing each other. You'll find some good, spell-based schadenfreude in Rock Paper Shotgun's mock guide to Magicka.

Continue reading Magicka sells 30,000 on first day, being patched 'as often as possible'

Magicka sells 30,000 on first day, being patched 'as often as possible' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PC patch to bring law-breaking bugs to a stop

Mike Schramm — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:00:00 EST

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit's dev team has been combing the code of the game for some additional features and bugfixes, and both of those are set to peel out in the title in a patch next week. The patch should lay down an EMP on issues with multi-core CPUs, pop a spike strip on some runaway rain and snow effect issues, and set up a roadblock for a few other crashes and problems, stopping them in their tracks.

One issue that won't get fixed: the obsession born from the game's Autolog feature as you tryto beat your friends' times by just a few more seconds. The developers have decided that it's a personal problem, so you'll have to patch yourself on that one.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PC patch to bring law-breaking bugs to a stop originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ron Gilbert digs up treasure in the form of Monkey Island 2 bug reports

JC Fletcher — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:02:00 EST

"GB can trick LeChuck into bending over and grabbing his underwear an infinite number of times. GB can collect several pairs of LeChuck's underwear." Ron Gilbert posted some old bug reports filed during the development of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, printed December 10, 1991. It's a rare and fascinating glimpse at the development process of one of LucasArts' famed SCUMM adventure games.

The infinite-underwear error was in the "B" category, meaning "truly ugly (but you can finish)." Less severe errors, like "The martini glass looks the same empty as it does full of water," were given the "C" label, meaning "golly it would be nice if we could fix this." That's the category in which we put the major bug in our lives: "We can't go back to 1991 and get jobs working on Monkey Island 2."

Ron Gilbert digs up treasure in the form of Monkey Island 2 bug reports originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PC gamers complain of Call of Duty: Black Ops performance issues

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST

According to player reports picked up on by Strategy Informer, the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops suffers from some rather serious issues. Most notably, players have been experiencing performance dips in single player and multiplayer. As the video after the break demonstrates, the game will stutter and periodically freeze every few seconds, resulting in some undeserved deaths and undoubtedly a fair amount of rage (Destructoid pointed out similar issues in its review of the title).

The issue appears to stem from a memory problem, with users reporting that Black Ops often hogs up much more CPU than is necessary, even climbing as high as 100 percent according to some users. According to Treyarch's David Vonderhaar, the company is aware of the problem, though he offered no further details on a potential fix. Additionally, GameServers.com, which provides dedicated servers for the game, has stated on its forums that the lag is related to an internal game bug and that Treyarch is "looking into it."

We've contacted Treyarch and will update as soon as we hear anything.

Continue reading PC gamers complain of Call of Duty: Black Ops performance issues

PC gamers complain of Call of Duty: Black Ops performance issues originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fable 3 fixes incoming, Lionhead asking for bug submissions

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:10:00 EST

One expects to come up against all manner of opposition when attempting a violent overthrow of a monarchy, but game-crashing technical issues shouldn't be one of them. An update on Lionhead's official blog has revealed that the developer is currently working on a patch for a few known Fable 3 issues, and is also seeking bug submissions from the game's most attentive players. You might take umbrage over having to do QA for a game you spent 60 American dollars on, but, think of it this way: You can pretend like you just won Season 3 of The Tester.

The blog post also contains a workaround for folks who are having trouble transferring their hard-earned gold over from the Fable 3 Kingmaker App over to the game itself. No, throwing your smartphone at your Xbox 360 as hard as you possibly can, hoping the gold will transfer over in the ensuing collision, is not the solution.

Fable 3 fixes incoming, Lionhead asking for bug submissions originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 Dragon Age Ultimate Edition missing Ostagar DLC in Europe

JC Fletcher — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:35:00 EST

The European PS3 release of the Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition isn't as ultimate as buyers would probably like. Players are reporting that the "Return to Ostagar" content, one of seven DLC packs supposed to be included in the package, is missing. It's in the menu, but doesn't load. Just one more problem for this bizarrely troublesome content.

According to Eurogamer, EA is aware of the issue, and is giving vouchers for the Ostagar DLC to those affected. Just contact Customer Services to have them return Ostagar to you. And now we know why it wasn't named the "Return to Ostagar Is Definitely On the Disc" Edition.

PS3 Dragon Age Ultimate Edition missing Ostagar DLC in Europe originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XBL indie Explosionade from Weapon of Choice dev delayed by last-minute bug

Randy Nelson — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EST

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

Nathan Fouts, former Insomniac designer and now-head of indie dev Mommy's Best Games, has tweeted that his latest game, Explosionade, has hit a small snag. Originally expected on the Xbox Live Marketplace by the end of the day tomorrow, a last-minute bug discovery has made it necessary for Fouts to resubmit the game for peer review.

Fouts told site Nukezilla "the game has to wait at least 7 days before it can resubmit" and that "we're shooting for next weekend at this point," putting the release on (or slightly before) October 3. We can't think of a better way to pass the time than playing MBG's previous XBLIG releases, Weapon of Choice and Shoot 1UP.

Xbox.com: Add Weapon of Choice to your Xbox 360 download queue (400 MSP / $5)
Xbox.com: Add Shoot 1UP to your Xbox 360 download queue (80 MSP / $1)

XBL indie Explosionade from Weapon of Choice dev delayed by last-minute bug originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game-breaking bug found in Metroid: Other M

Richard Mitchell — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EST

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

After years of hunting space pirates, alien insects and metroids, it looks like there's one bug that can defeat Samus -- or, more precisely, one glitch in Metroid: Other M. IGN reports that players have encountered a bug that makes it impossible to complete the game.

Continue reading Game-breaking bug found in Metroid: Other M

Game-breaking bug found in Metroid: Other M originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare working to resolve 'continuity bug' in Dragon Age's Witch Hunt DLC

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:55:00 EST

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

BioWare's Witch Hunt DLC for Dragon Age: Origins has been affected by a few unfortunate bugs during its launch, executive producer Mark Darrah admitted on the company's forums. "Unfortunately, there is a continuity bug that is causing issues with a subset of our player base. While this issue is not affecting the majority of people, it is still a significant issue that we will address," Darrah said last night.

Furthermore, an issue with saved games not reflecting the DLC's completion is currently being looked into -- our own reviewer even ran into this particular glitch -- which could be troublesome for those hoping to import the DLC's outcome into next year's Dragon Age 2. Darrah also added, "We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing anyone," and said his team is "doing everything we can to fix this in a timely manner so those who are affected can go back to enjoying Witch Hunt as soon as possible."

BioWare working to resolve 'continuity bug' in Dragon Age's Witch Hunt DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare fixes 'Shadow Broken' Mass Effect 2 DLC for PC [update]

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:10:00 EST

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

PC players eager to penetrate the "Lair of the Shadow Broker" in today's Mass Effect 2 DLC release have hit a snag. The new content is apparently incompatible with ~~Windows 7 64-bit systems~~ (update: all systems), as reported by Big Download.

"I haven't said anything as we are working on the issue," noted BioWare community coordinator Chris Priestly in response to countless complaints (no really, countless complaints) on the official forums. "I understand you are all irritated by this, but we want you all to play, so we are working hard to determine and fix whatever is causing this."

Update: Priestly has created a new thread tracking the issue. Apparently, the original download was corrupt and prevented "all" PC users from playing the new content. That file has since been removed from BioWare's download section (though it's harmless if you did download it). "We are working on a fix for the issue and will get a working file up for PC users ASAP," Priestly assures, without knowledge of a more specific ETA.

Update 2: Priestly delivers the good news: "Lair of the Shadowbroker should now be fixed for the PC and should be able to be downloaded now for both the PC and Xbox 360."

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 ("Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC)

[Thanks, Killer rin & Daniel]

BioWare fixes 'Shadow Broken' Mass Effect 2 DLC for PC [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crackdown 2 players report crashing issues with 'Toy Box' DLC

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST

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

Looks like its time to throw another victim on the pile of DLC which crashes the game upon which it's intended to expand. This time around, it's Crackdown 2's recently released "Toy Box" pack, which is supposed to add the "Keys to the City" mode from the first game, as well as a handful of new weapons and items. According to a number of angry commenters on Xbox.com, the 560 Microsoft Point ($7) download doesn't add this content as much as it ... well, removes everything else.

For reasons unknown, a large number of players report that the game simply freezes up when trying to play after having downloaded the "Toy Box" pack. Some users report that clearing the system's cache and playing offline allows the game to load, but connecting to Live and downloading the game's latest update returns it to its non-functioning state. We've contacted Microsoft to find out what the problem is, and when we can expect a fix. You might want to consider keeping the "Toy Box" firmly closed for the time being.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Crackdown 2 players report crashing issues with 'Toy Box' DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 Dragon Age players report crashing with Firmware 3.30

JC Fletcher — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:32:00 EST

What's the next feature to be removed from the PS3 through a firmware update? According to some posters on the Bioware forums, it's the ability to play Dragon Age: Origins. Several users have reported frequent crashes or freezes while playing the RPG after installing PS3 Firmware 3.30. "The game has crashed like 7 times in an hour just after the update," complained forum poster "scorpgul." Another poster, "eugeni_dodonov," reported that "it never ever froze before, but since 3.30 it is freezing like every 15 minutes." Players claim to be experiencing the issue on both original and "slim" PS3 models in the US and Europe.

On Friday, online producer Fernando Melo indicated that BioWare was working with Sony to correct the issue, which he called "a bit out of the blue for us." We suppose your Warden could use a couple days off anyway.

PS3 Dragon Age players report crashing with Firmware 3.30 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ApocalyPS3: 8 out of 11 PS3 'fat' SKUs affected, PS3 shared Zune chip

Christopher Grant — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:40:00 EST

Eurogamer's resident supernerd at Digital Foundry has weighed in on yesterday's global PS3 meltdown, cleverly dubbed ApocalyPS3. While early reports seemed to indicate PlayStation Network was at fault - "playstation network down" was a top Google search term on Sunday and Sony itself continues to pin the blame squarely on PSN - it became increasingly clear that the issue was unrelated to the console's internet connectivity and instead related to the console's internal clock. If this sounds suspiciously similar to the Z2K bug that suddenly bricked thousands (dozens?) of 30GB Zune players in 2008, it's because both the PS3 and Zune share an ARM CPU chip, says DF. This is presumably the same Freescale processor blamed for Z2K, a chip that happens to have a known problem dealing with leap years.

According to "unofficial community-compiled lists" cited by Digital Foundry, eight out of the eleven "fat" PS3 SKUs were affected by the faulty chip, easily totaling millions of units. If the problem wasn't resolved quietly (perhaps too quietly, considering the dearth of updates on the company's Twitter feed) and relatively quickly by the inevitable march of time itself, Sony would have been tasked with repairing millions of affected consoles; a burden exacerbated by said console's inability to connect to the PlayStation Network.

Lucky for us, and infinitely more so for Sony, at 0000 GMT yesterday, PS3s the world over suddenly figured out what day it was and everything went back to normal. All that's left to do is hope that Sony issues a patch to prevent the next apocalypse. (Isn't that the one in 2012?)

ApocalyPS3: 8 out of 11 PS3 'fat' SKUs affected, PS3 shared Zune chip originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 clock bug squashed; games are playable [update]

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:45:00 EST

We've apparently made it through the worst of the storm, friends. We've received a number of tips informing us that the internal clock bug that was affecting non-Slim PS3s for the past 24 hours has been fixed, rendering all games playable once more. We tempted fate shortly after receiving these reports by testing out a few of our PS3 Phat units and can confirm that they're running games just fine. Additionally, our "lost" Trophies appear to be properly re-synced to our PSN accounts.

The extent of the damage incurred during the bug-out is unknown, but will likely surface in the next few hours. No Joystiq staffers lost any of their hard-earned Trophy data, but we're an awfully small sample group for a problem that affected every living being on Earth.

Update: PlayStation Blog confirms that PSN service has been restored and all PS3 systems should be operating normally.

Click past the jump for additional information.

Continue reading PS3 clock bug squashed; games are playable [update]

PS3 clock bug squashed; games are playable [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony: 'Don't use your PS3' until internal clock bug is fixed

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST

After a night of radio silence, Sony has finally spoken up about the game-crashing issues currently plaguing non-Slim PS3 models. A post on PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the problems are "being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system." The statement puts a loose timeframe on a fix for the issues, saying, "we hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours."

Additionally, the PlayStation Blog post includes a word of warning to PS3 Phat owners: "if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained Trophies, and not being able to restore certain data." (Read Sony's full statement after the break.)

We know you're curious to see what the console apocalypse looks like, but trust us -- it's just not worth it. We'll let you know when it's safe to turn your system back on.

Update: The issue has been resolved.

Continue reading Sony: 'Don't use your PS3' until internal clock bug is fixed

Sony: 'Don't use your PS3' until internal clock bug is fixed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN inaccessible, Trophy-supporting games unplayable on non-Slim PS3s [update 4]

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:32:00 EST

A wide rash of game-crashing errors is spreading among the PS3-owning community at the moment, most of which can be chalked up to a 8001050F error code. This has led to a variety of unfortunate side-effects for those affected, including corrupted Trophy information and an inability to access the PSN. When combined, those two issues prevent players from launching certain games, such as Heavy Rain, without being kicked back to the XMB.

We've contacted Sony to find out what's causing the issue, and when we can expect to get back to chasing down the Origami Killer. He might just be able to make a clean getaway while we suffer through this downtime.

Update: Sony has acknowledged the issue, and is "looking into it." We've yet to hear an official word on what the problem is, though it seems to be a bit larger than just the PSN. Owners of PS3 Phats are reporting that the date on their console has reverted to 12/31/1999, which is likely the cause of the data-corrupting errors. Some Phat-owners have reported receiving the errors while their console was offline, which is upsetting, to say the least. We'll let you know when we hear official word from Sony.

Update 2: It's been 11 hours since our last update from Sony, and Phat PS3s worldwide are still unable to play Trophy-supported games. The issue is almost certainly non-PSN related, and appears to be a firmware issue caused by the screwy time and date settings. The issue is also affecting debug consoles, which Develop reports is preventing PS3 game developers from working on their projects. We'll keep pushing Sony on this issue. Happy New Year, everyone!

Update 3: Sony has responded to the internal clock error, and is advising PS3 Phat owners to leave them turned off until the issue can be fixed -- hopefully within the next 24 hours. Read here for more info.

Update 4: The issue has been resolved.

PSN inaccessible, Trophy-supporting games unplayable on non-Slim PS3s [update 4] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heavy Rain freezing, but not turning into snow

Justin McElroy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST

First: Sorry about the obvious gag. Second: It seems several players are having an issue with their copy of Heavy Rain not only seizing up but (in a few cases) corrupting their save data; you can read all the stories on the PlayStation forums. Info is limited at the moment, but a Sony rep in the thread suggested the stopgap of waiting at least five minutes before rebooting if a freeze occurs. The rep seemed hopeful that measure would enough to avoid save data corruption.

Heavy Rain is intense enough without having to worry about losing your save data at any moment. Here's hoping we have word of a fix soon.

[Thanks, Ryan S.]

Heavy Rain freezing, but not turning into snow originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Namco Bandai recalls buggy Tales of Graces

JC Fletcher — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST

Namco Bandai has issued a recall notice for copies of Tales of Graces, the Wii Tales RPG released in Japan on December 10. In the announcement, the publisher listed all of the bugs it hopes to address with replacement discs, mostly occurring in "New Game +" replays. Apparently, certain enemies, team conversations, and even key items may not appear in subsequent playthroughs. In addition, bugs in shops can randomly change the types and numbers of items in player possession, and pausing during cutscenes may result in other item glitches.

Namco promises that all of these issues will be addressed in the updated discs, and that players' save files will remain compatible. Users need only send in their discs, and not the whole Wii bundle.

[Via Kotaku]

Namco Bandai recalls buggy Tales of Graces originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam users report Spore online account issue

JC Fletcher — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST

Yes, some adventurers are still exploring Spore and its would-be vast, online universe -- at least, they're trying to. Since late last year, some Spore buyers who purchase the game through Valve's Steam distribution service have been unable to access the game's online component. The issue seems to be related to the serial number that's required when setting up a Spore account, but not provided with Steam copies of Spore.

Users who contacted Steam were told that Valve is working with EA to fix the issue and to continue to play offline until a fix is delivered. A Steam representative, posting in one forum thread, addressed angry users, claiming, "The ETA for a fix is 'as soon as possible.'" In the meantime, if you're about to buy Spore from Steam ... just buy it somewhere else.

Steam users report Spore online account issue originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Schafer talks Brutal Legend, critical response, and DLC

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST

Brütal Legend may have had a smaller-than-expected impact during the game's first month on shelves, but Double Fine head Tim Schafer remains nonplussed. In fact, he hasn't even seen the numbers yet, instead choosing to wait "'til after Christmas," he recently told GamePro. "I like to give it time, you know? I think many people look too soon but a lot of games I've worked on have succeeded based on word of mouth," he explained. And despite somewhat disappointed responses from critics, Schafer said he was happy "for the most part" with how the game was received.

While he's still not talking specifics, the idea of more downloadable content is clearly one Schafer's interested in. "We definitely want to do more DLC for both single-player and multiplayer, as well as some tuning patches," he said, and added that the developers are still watching multiplayer online to see what needs fixing. We're betting it won't be too long before we hear what the folks at Double Fine have in mind.

Gallery: Brutal Legend (10-13-09)

Tim Schafer talks Brutal Legend, critical response, and DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Left 4 Dead 2 gets patched on PC

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST

A few minor glitches which Left 4 Dead 2 players on Steam were experiencing have been squashed by a recent patch. The update includes fixes for an error which impeded matchmaking for players looking for higher difficulty games, for a bug which allowed special infected to team up on players who are being pummeled by a Charger, and for performance problems which cropped up when the game rendered too many decals, "notably when fighting Tanks with shotguns."

Well, thank goodness for that. If there's a better way to kill a Tank than with a few well-placed shotgun blasts, we've yet to find it. Check out the full list of changes after the jump!

Continue reading Left 4 Dead 2 gets patched on PC

Left 4 Dead 2 gets patched on PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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