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[Midway Arcade launches on iOS with Joust, Spy Hunter, more]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/midway-arcade-launches-on-ios-with-joust-spy-hunter-more/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/midway-arcade-launches-on-ios-with-joust-spy-hunter-more/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/23/midway-arcade-launches-on-ios-with-joust-spy-hunter-more/#comments Midway -- well, Warner Bros. since there's no Midway anymore -- joins the group of publishers releasing iOS compilations of classic games. The 99-cent Midway Arcade app includes emulated versions of Spy Hunter, Rampage, Joust, Root Beer Tapper, Defender, and Arch Rivals, along with "Air Hockey, Arcade Basketball, Pool, and Roll Ball" -- 3D recreations of arcade attractions.

You know more games are available as in-app purchases. Currently, two "Game Packs" are available, one including NARC, Total Carnage, and APB, and another containing, Wizard of Wor and the two Gauntlets. We're looking very critically at these to see which of them are likely to be tolerable with touch controls. We're probably going to find out for ourselves.

Gallery: Midway Arcade (iOS)

JoystiqMidway Arcade launches on iOS with Joust, Spy Hunter, more originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>defenderiosipadiphonejoustmidway-arcademobileroot-beer-tapperwarner-brosThu, 23 Feb 2012 15:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Midway's XBLA classics removed from Marketplace]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/midway-xbla-classics-removed-from-xbox-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/midway-xbla-classics-removed-from-xbox-marketplace/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/midway-xbla-classics-removed-from-xbox-marketplace/#comments Several classic Midway games have been removed from Xbox Live Arcade, including Cyberball 2072, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust, Paperboy, Robotron 2084, Rootbeer Tapper, Smash TV and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The titles have been pulled due to "publisher evolving rights and permissions," according to a Major Nelson tweet, but will remain playable and can be re-downloaded by users that previously purchased any of the games. While Major Nelson didn't expressly say so, it would appear that the disappearing titles are the result of Warner Bros.' acquisition of Midway last year. Warner Bros. now owns at least some of the trademarks involved in the removal from XBLA.

You're not alone in suspecting that some of the affected titles were pulled in anticipation of Microsoft's upcoming Game Room (where different versions of the same games could presumably be made available for purchase). After all, the simply emulated Game Room games don't stack up well against their more fully-featured XBLA counterparts. However, Major Nelson has quashed that theory, tweeting, "No, it's not Game room related."

This is not the first time that XBLA content has been pulled because of changing publisher relationships. Lost Cities was removed from XBLA last year after licensing rights were lost in the Activision-Vivendi merger.

JoystiqMidway's XBLA classics removed from Marketplace originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cyberballcyberball-2072defendergauntletjoustMicrosoftmidwaypaperboyrobotron-2084rootbeer-tappersmash-tvultimate-mortal-kombat-3warner-brosxblaxblmXbox-360Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Warner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/06/warner-bros-trademark-transfer-of-midway-begins/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/06/warner-bros-trademark-transfer-of-midway-begins/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/06/warner-bros-trademark-transfer-of-midway-begins/#comments According to recently filed trademarks, the transfer of Midway's various game licenses to Warner Bros. Interactive has begun. Supererogatory spotted the first group of games that have been approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office -- including Robotron 2084, Defender, Joust and Wheelman, among others -- and asserted that the rest have yet to go through.

With the possible re-branding of the ex-Midway Mortal Kombat team to WB Games Chicago and dissolution of Midway's executive ranks a few weeks ago, it appears as though the dismantling of Midway Games as it once was is nearly complete. We'll always have NBA Jam, right Midway?

JoystiqWarner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>defenderjoustmidwaymidway-gamesnba-jamrobotron-2084warner-broswarner-bros-interactivewarner-bros-interactive-entertainmentwb-gamesWBIEwheelmanThu, 06 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gamasutra looks at 20 difficult games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/31/gamasutra-looks-at-20-difficult-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/31/gamasutra-looks-at-20-difficult-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/31/gamasutra-looks-at-20-difficult-games/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Believe it or not, building difficulty into games isn't just about making them more impossible. John Harris over at Gamasutra takes the long route to prove this in an extended look into difficulty in game design. The majority of the feature is spent looking at specific cases of legitimately difficult games, dissecting their design and coming away with lessons learned from each.

Harris concedes that most intelligently difficult games are much older, and typically don't have a "lose" condition. The list includes hair-pulling classics like Defender, Sinistar, and Lode Runner, as well as a few more recent titles like Super Monkey Ball. It's a good read for anyone interested in game design.

John Harris also writes the excellent @Play column for GameSetWatch, which focuses on a long history of games classified as "roguelikes."

JoystiqGamasutra looks at 20 difficult games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>defendergamasutragamedesignjohnharrisloderunnersinistarsupermonkeyballFri, 31 Aug 2007 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Japan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/12/japan-set-to-implode-dragons-quest-ix-is-a-ds-exclusive/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/12/japan-set-to-implode-dragons-quest-ix-is-a-ds-exclusive/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/12/japan-set-to-implode-dragons-quest-ix-is-a-ds-exclusive/#commentsFiled under:

Yayz!You heard it, folks: at Square-Enix's annual Jump Festa event, they let the bomb drop: the next entry in the venerable Dragon's Quest series, entitled Dragon's Quest IX: Defender of the Stars (another silly "DS" subtitle) will be coming exclusively to everyone's favorite little handheld. This is huge news: this franchise is second only to perhaps Final Fantasy in Japan, and still one of the most respected names in gaming worldwide. Having the title being developed exclusively on a Nintendo system is a clear show of faith from SE (they're also releasing a Final Fantasy XII sequel, Revenant Wings, sometime next year), and hopefully, even more Wii and DS support will follow.

Development of the game is being passed over to Level 5 (also working on White Knight Story for the PS3), and it'll feature a four-player co-op mode as well. Of course, there's no definite release date, but the team mentioned that they'd like to have it out sometime in 2007.

Let this news wash over your Tuesday, and make it full of glee and joy. Bring on DQIXDS!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and GoNintendo for the pic!]

JoystiqJapan set to implode: Dragon's Quest IX is a DS exclusive originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Co-OpDefenderDragonDragon'sFestaFinal FantasyFinalFantasyJumpLevelLevel 5Level5QuestRevenantStarsSupportWingsTue, 12 Dec 2006 02:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Defender dashes hopes for XBLA surprise]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/defender-dashes-hopes-for-xbla-surprise/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/defender-dashes-hopes-for-xbla-surprise/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/defender-dashes-hopes-for-xbla-surprise/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

it's alive!Another Wednesday, another 1980s arcade port. Defender may push some nostalgia buttons out there, but on the eve of two competitors' launches we were hoping Microsoft would deliver with a little more oomph. Sure, Marathon was a stretch, but at least toss us one of those indie games that has been knocking around the pipeline for months, and months, and months...

In other Xbox Live news, EA's Supe'man demo has landed -- for Gold members only*. Good luck squeezing this bloated hunk of mediocrity (905.42 MB) onto your petite hard drive. Spider-Man was fun for a hot minute, Hulk added some chaos, and Superman, well, maybe EA needs to point that finger back at itself. Superheroes in the sandbox is past trite.

*The demo will be available for Xbox Live Silver members on Nov. 22.

JoystiqDefender dashes hopes for XBLA surprise originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DefenderdownloadXbox LiveXbox Live ArcadeXbox-360XboxLiveXboxLiveArcadeWed, 15 Nov 2006 14:55:00 EST<![CDATA[XBLA's retro fad continues: Defender]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/xblas-retro-fad-continues-defender/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/xblas-retro-fad-continues-defender/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/xblas-retro-fad-continues-defender/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Another Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday is upon us, and this week's entry brings us yet another retro title, Defender. Yay, Defender. Granted, I'm all about Contra and maybe I'm not old enough to have fond memories of Defender, but every week that XBLA gets another Atari/Pac-Man era game, I die a little inside. When I write the headline, all I want to write is: "This week isn't Small Arms" or "Still no RoboBlitz." Where are all these exciting, independent titles? We've only got six Wednesdays left MS! Are you expecting people to buy Arcade titles as Christmas presents?

Again, I apologize to all the Defender fans out there, but it's high time we got another indie release on XBLA.

JoystiqXBLA's retro fad continues: Defender originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcadearcade wednesdaysArcadeWednesdaysdefenderlive arcadelive arcade wednesdaysLiveArcadeLiveArcadeWednesdayswilliamsxblaxbox live arcadexbox live arcade wednesdaysXboxLiveArcadeXboxLiveArcadeWednesdaysWed, 15 Nov 2006 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Atari games on XBLA, holiday titles confirmed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/06/atari-games-on-xbla-holiday-titles-confirmed/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/06/atari-games-on-xbla-holiday-titles-confirmed/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/06/atari-games-on-xbla-holiday-titles-confirmed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Alongside the press release for Contra hitting XBLA, Microsoft sent another press release outlining a slew of Atari classics heading to Live Arcade next year. The six Atari games to be released are:
  • Centipede/Millipede
  • Battlezone
  • Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe
  • Missile Command
  • Tempest
  • Warlords
All of the games will feature both original and "evolved" versions. The evolved versions, similar to Konami's offerings, will feature revamped graphics and sound. All games will have leaderboards and achievements, and multiplayer games will have Live support. Surprisingly, many of these games are receiving some pretty impressive new features, including Live Vision support for Battlezone and Warlords. It looks like many of the games will receive three dimensional upgrades instead of simply using high definition sprites, too. Finally, and this is not a joke, Centipede evolved has motion blur. Motion. Blur. In Centipede. If that's not worth $5, we don't know what is.

Also worth mentioning, the press release confirmed that the following titles should hit the Arcade before the end of 2006:
  • Small Arms
  • Assault Heroes
  • Novadrome (?)
  • Heavy Weapon
  • Defender
It should be noted that this isn't necessarily all the titles we'll be seeing by year's end (we're looking at you RoboBlitz). Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Atari games on XBLA, holiday titles confirmed

JoystiqAtari games on XBLA, holiday titles confirmed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcadeassault heroesAssaultHeroesbattlezonecentipededefenderheavy weaponHeavyWeaponlive arcadeLiveArcademillipedemissle commandMissleCommandnovadromesmall armsSmallArmstempestwarlordsxblaxblarcadexbox live arcadeXboxLiveArcadexlaMon, 06 Nov 2006 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[80s instructional LP for conquering games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/30/80s-instructional-lp-for-conquering-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/30/80s-instructional-lp-for-conquering-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/30/80s-instructional-lp-for-conquering-games/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The antecedent to all those tips and tricks magazines can be found in this obscure LP from the 80s: Conquer the Video Craze: How to Beat the Hottest Games. In it, "Atari Champion finalist" Curtis Hoard reads off -- in a stultifyingly slow monotone -- the techniques he's used to earn him that honorific.

Sluggo at Dinosaur Gardens has not only found this retro artifact, but he's converted it into MP3 for our enjoyment edification. Learn strategies for: Centipede, Defender, Stargate, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Tempest. Wait, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man?

[Via Boing Boing]

Joystiq80s instructional LP for conquering games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 May 2006 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CentipedeDefenderDig DugDigDugDonkey KongDonkeyKongMP3Ms. Pac-ManMs.Pac-manPac-ManStargateTempestTue, 30 May 2006 17:03:00 EST