Joystiq

Take a look at Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST

This image (bigger on the inside version here) is our first glimpse at Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, a new downloadable title "initially" coming to PC, PS3 and Vita sometime this year. For those of you unfamiliar with the Time Lord and his escapades across the fabric of reality, the above image shows the Doctor (technically the 11th Doctor, portrayed by Matt Smith) at the control panel of his time machine the TARDIS (which is an acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space").

One screenshot isn't much to go on, but it looks like Supermassive Games has Matt Smith's trademark look down about as well as one could hope. We wait with baited breath for a look at River Song, or any information about this game.

Take a look at Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock winding up on PS3, Vita and PC

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:50:00 EST

Though it exists in every video game with save files or checkpoints, time travel isn't regularly acknowledged -- but when your story revolves around a temporally insulated phone booth piloted by an immortal doctor, it would just be weird not to. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, a new downloadable game derived from the popular BBC show, is bringing narratively justified time travel to us early next year, "initially" on PC, PlayStation 3 and Vita.

This first entry in a series of three new BBC timelord games is being developed by Supermassive Games, the folks behind PSN's Tumble. Both Doctor Who and companion River Song will be playable, and furnished with the voices and likenesses of show stars Matt Smith and Alex Kingston, respectively. They'll be "challenged to master the complexities of time travel," it says here, with puzzles that can interact with each other across centuries.

The BBC hasn't announced a precise release date, but a note on Supermassive's website suggests Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is being prepared for the PlayStation Vita's launch in late February.

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock winding up on PS3, Vita and PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega snaps up Spiral Knights dev Three Rings

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST

If you've played ... well, any Sega games, you're probably aware of the company's unhealthy fixation on rings. Sonic can't get enough of the things. Ecco the Dolphin will defy the laws of gravity to pierce them. Today, the publisher further developed its addiction: Sega has announced via a press release that it has acquired San Francisco-based Spiral Knights developer Three Rings.

The company's got plenty of street cred, thanks to its well-received pseudo MMO Puzzle Pirates, and its upcoming online game set in the storied Doctor Who universe. Still, that's probably not why Sega bought them. It's because they have rings, you guys. Three of them. If there were a company called Five Rings, or Ten Thousand Rings, Sega probably would have bought them instead.

Sega snaps up Spiral Knights dev Three Rings originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who author Oli Smith joins Mediatonic as Creative Writer/Producer

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST

The Doctor is in, or at least, one of his writers is. Mediatonic, the London-based developer that gave us Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess, announced today that author Oli Smith has joined their ranks as a Creative Writer and Producer.

Smith, who has penned two Doctor Who novels and four Doctor Who games, will be filling a "key position in the studio's design process" by creating characters and storylines for the company's proprietary IPs, as well as overseeing creative direction for licensed titles. When asked for a comment, Smith entered a large blue box which promptly disappeared before our very eyes.

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Doctor Who author Oli Smith joins Mediatonic as Creative Writer/Producer originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who and You going online in 'Worlds of Time'

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:45:00 EST

It's a good thing the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, because the good Doctor is about to pack a clown car-esque number of companions in there. BBC and developer Three Rings have announced a partnership to create a "free-to-play multiplayer online game" based on the long-running British television series, titled Doctor Who: Worlds in Time.

According to the game's press release announcement, players will "be able to follow in the footsteps of the eccentric and brilliant Doctor by travelling through time and space, exploring new worlds and encountering many alien races, both friend and foe." We wonder if Daleks are going to make an appearance? Nah, that seems pretty unlikely. Keep an eye out for more info next week, when Three Rings will share more details about the title during GDC 2011.

Continue reading Doctor Who and You going online in 'Worlds of Time'

Doctor Who and You going online in 'Worlds of Time' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST

The App Store is in constant danger of new release bombardments, sure, but many companies adhere to a regular, weekly bombing run beginning each Wednesday, through the wee hours of the night (UTC), dropping their new iPhone and iPad games on Apple's marketplace while many of us are snoozing. Last night was no exception -- actually, scratch that. It was exceptional!

Pending the start of the "iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown" next Thursday -- a six-day lockout period when developers will be unable to release or update apps, including games -- an army of companies, armed with their big holiday releases (for little iDevices), launched a massive attack on the App Store last night. What began as a few warning shots yesterday grew into a full-on assault, led by Gameloft's crisp clones, NOVA 2 and Shadow Guardian, and Square Enix's surprise (and apparently rushed) port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

Even Sega couldn't resist launching a few more classics in Altered Beast and Sonic Spinball. And what's this ... Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Hey, if Street Fighter IV worked ...

Pursue our complete list of new release highlights after the break, and then make double-sure "Santa" knows you've been good enough for an iTunes gift card this year.

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New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Doctor Who adventure game of the season coming Christmas Day

JC Fletcher — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST

It may not be as nice as finding a for-real sonic screwdriver under your tree, but the BBC does have a great holiday gift in mind for any Doctor Who fan: the last episode of the first season of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, called "Shadows of the Vashta Nerada." This episode takes place during Christmas and entirely underwater, and it'll be available for download on Christmas Day.

If you're a UK resident, it's a really cheap gift -- like all the episodes, it'll be free. US residents will have to pay $5 for it, or $12.95 for the whole season.

Last Doctor Who adventure game of the season coming Christmas Day originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC America programming now available on PSN

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:30:00 EST

Sony announced this week that BBC America programming is heading to PlayStation 3's across the United States. To kick off the new partnership, BBC America has made the first episode of the American version of "Top Gear" available at no charge (normally $1.99 for SD, $2.99 for HD), at least for the first two weeks. "Doctor Who" and "Being Human" will join "Top Gear" on the network's launch list at some point in December, and BBC America promises to "rapidly add BBC programming each week, including the best of the BBC's library as well as currently airing series."

As you've likely already guessed, the BBC's offerings can be found in the video section of the PlayStation Store starting right now.

BBC America programming now available on PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who: Mazes of Time coming to iPhone, iPad this holiday

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:25:00 EST

Doctor Who, the lonely lord who taught us that time is "wibbly wobbly," is heading to iOS devices with an app titled Mazes of Time. The game, based on the popular BBC show, is expected before Christmas and will be developed by Dundee, Scotland-based developer Tag Games.

"Doctor Who is the UK's number one science fiction property, and I think it is in the BBC's top three for worldwide sales, so it is great to bring it to Dundee - especially in light of what happened at Realtime Worlds and the effect it had on Dundee," a developer spokesman told The Courier. "It shows there is still something positive we can bring to the sector."

Tag has also made apps based on the UK's Channel 4 properties Come Dine With Me and Peep Show, which doesn't sound half as interesting as a potential app combining the two: Come Dine With Me at the Peep Show.

Doctor Who: Mazes of Time coming to iPhone, iPad this holiday originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who: The Adventure Games receiving second season

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:00:00 EST

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

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games will return for a second season, which will tie into the next series starring the eleventh Doctor. The BBC's Simon Nelson said the the company would be "daft" not to commission another season after 1.6 million downloads of the initial episodes.

Episode four of Doctor Who:TAG's first season will be available "later in the year," free to UK residents. The series is available in North America through Direct2Drive at $13 for the whole bundle.

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games receiving second season originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC announces two new Doctor Who games for DS and Wii

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:00:00 EST

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

Following the release of the first two episodes of the super successful (and super free) Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series, BBC Worldwide has announced two more interactive iterations of the franchise. The migrant Time Lord and his companion, Amy Pond, will appear in Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth on the Nintendo DS, and Doctor Who: Return to Earth on Wii. We're guessing the latter comes after the former, as people tend to Return to things they've Evacuated.

The two games will be developed by British studio Asylum Entertainment, which specializes in licensed games for consoles and web browsers. No word yet on whether they'll resemble Sumo Digital's free-to-play Adventure Games series, or whether they'll fall into another genre entirely. Perhaps a TARDIS kart racer, or a very, very, very non-canonical FPS?

[Thanks, Ashley!]

BBC announces two new Doctor Who games for DS and Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fly the TARDIS in third Doctor Who: The Adventure Games episode

David Hinkle — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST

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

Traveling through time is tough. Unless you were lucky enough to be born as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Doc Brown (or his young companion, Marty McFly) or something, it's pretty much been a crapshoot for most of us human beings. The only other possible option has been to meet The Doctor.

A more realistic alternative than trying to track that dude down is to play Doctor Who: The Adventure Games and BBC has announced that the upcoming third episode -- due to launch on August 27, but only available to UK residents -- will give players an intimate look behind the blue doors of the TARDIS and even let them pilot it. For the unaware, the TARDIS is the it's-a-police-box-but-not-really structure that allows The Doctor and his companion to traipse through time and space. So it would seem that next week Einstein-Rosen Bridge enthusiasts will finally have a viable fix!

Now if only we could fast-forward to next week. Jean-Claude, if you're reading this, would you mind helping us out?

Fly the TARDIS in third Doctor Who: The Adventure Games episode originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who: The Adventure Games now available (and free) in the UK

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST

Brilliant! Folks living in the land from whence the time-traveling, sonic-screwdriving adventurer originated can now download the first episode in Sumo Interactive's Doctor Who: The Adventure Games for free. Titled "City of the Daleks," the game sees the Doctor and his companion, Amy Pond, in an alternate version of London in 1963, where the nefarious Daleks have taken over the city and are baking cakes for everybody. (Just kidding! They're murdering everyone. That's what Daleks do.)

Us Americans will have to wait until "early July," when the game will be available for us to purchase. Yes, purchase. Like, with money. Life can be so unfair sometimes.

[Via Eurogamer]

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games now available (and free) in the UK originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who: The Adventure Games dev diary is photogenic

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:00:00 EST

Can't wait for next Saturday to finally bring you the first installment in the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series? Your two options boil down to either hopping into your discreet, time-traveling police box and moving two weeks into the future, or ... you know, waiting. Fortunately, the latter should be made more bearable by watching the developer diary posted after the jump.

Watch as the ever-charming Matt Smith (the titular Doctor) and Karen Gillan (companion Amy Pond) do some rotoscoping photo shoots, and lend their voices to the game. Then watch as the developer works on facial animations, which results in the horrifying texture seen above. Not so pretty now, is he, ladies?

[Via Big Download]

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Doctor Who: The Adventure Games dev diary is photogenic originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Doctor Who: The Adventure Games' premieres June 5, teaser revealed

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:52:00 EST

The Doctor Who adventure game will premiere on June 5, 2010, according to the BBC. In the first of the four free interactive episodes, the new Doctor and his companion find themselves in a destroyed version of 1963 London, battling (shock of shocks!) the Daleks.

For those who aren't up on their Who, almost the entire series is now on Netflix -- available on demand through all current consoles, personal computers and TARDIS interfaces. The new series is currently airing on BBC America, Saturdays at 9PM. Interested web travelers will find a trailer for the game embedded after the break.

[Via Videogamer]

Continue reading 'Doctor Who: The Adventure Games' premieres June 5, teaser revealed

'Doctor Who: The Adventure Games' premieres June 5, teaser revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC bringing Doctor Who: The Adventure Games to PC, Mac

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST

The interesting thing about BBC's announcement of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games -- instead of it sounding like farmed-out licensed schlock -- is there appears to be some actual creative weight behind it. Beginning in June 2010, four original "interactive episodes" will release for free on the BBC Doctor Who website. The episodes feature the current cast, and are executive produced by new show-runner Steven Moffat and Broken Sword designer Charles Cecil, with story and script by Doctor Who and Torchwood alumni. It's being developed by Sumo Digital.

Piers Wender, head of drama for BBC Wales and executive producer for Doctor Who says, "There aren't 13 episodes of Doctor Who this year, there are 17 - four of which are interactive."

The BBC had previously stated it was looking into multiple "experiences" for Doctor Who games. Depending on the quality of the final product, this certainly opens up new trans-media opportunities for network television beyond Flash games and webisodes. And yes, we still wish Telltale Games were involved.

BBC bringing Doctor Who: The Adventure Games to PC, Mac originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC plans multiple Doctor Who games and 'experiences'

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:30:00 EST

BBC Worldwide explains to MCV that it's in "interesting discussions" about Doctor Who-based games that are "complementary to each rather than in competition." All we're going to say is that Telltale better be at the table for these discussions. A representative for BBC expressed that the series has "a huge shelf life going back 47 years - it's about managing and satisfying expectations of both older and younger audiences."

Apparently the Doctor Who game ideas involve "boxed product console games, virtual worlds and other experiences." With the long-running BBC series headed for a reboot later this year, with a new Doctor (who looks like he stumbled out of Skins) and show-runner, it'll be interesting to see if the fanbase follows and buys games for the series.

BBC plans multiple Doctor Who games and 'experiences' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC wants back into the game biz

Justin McElroy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:00:00 EST

The BBC has a ton of great IPs under its publicly-funded belt, but hasn't had a lot of luck transitioning those into quality interactive entertainment. According to MCV, the Brits are looking to change that, currently seeking out developers and publishers to turn Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden and other properties into games for the Wii, DS, iPhone and (hooray!) Facebook.

OK, so it's not quite the Doctor Who adventure game that we (and Telltale!) were hoping for. But we guess you've got to start somewhere, even if you're a Time Lord.

BBC wants back into the game biz originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you listening, BBC? Telltale wants to make Doctor Who games

Jem Alexander — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST

During an interview with UK Develop magazine, Telltale's CEO Dan Connor's discussed the licenses that he'd love the company to work on in the future. Getting hold of the Monkey Island license was a pretty major coup, but he's also got his eye on The Young Ones -- a classic UK comedy show -- The Big Lebowski and Spinal Tap. Another name that gets passed around the office quite often, which may be more plausible, is Doctor Who.

"We do get emails from people asking us to make a Doctor Who series," Connors says. "Maybe if we can get a channel into the UK with Wallace & Gromit we could talk business with the BBC, that would be really good for us." We have a feeling it would be really good for us, too. The Doctor Who universe fits Telltale's point-and-click episodic style perfectly and, with some direct input from the producers of the show, could tie in very nicely to fill in some between-episode gaps. Worse things have been done with the franchise, after all.

Are you listening, BBC? Telltale wants to make Doctor Who games originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who wants to time warp, play retro games

Kevin Kelly — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Hacks, Retro

Most of us have probably dabbled around with a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator before, but have you ever crammed one into a TARDIS? Those things are supposed to be bigger on the inside than the outside. Anyhow, one man decided that having a dedicated stand-up gaming cabinet wasn't enough, so he built this pillar of geek awesomeness.

Check out the two different sections, one on the building of the iconic blue Police Box, and the other on the console. He even had the 7th doctor, Sylvester McCoy, autograph the thing. Is it still a sin to covet thy neighbor's sci-fi gaming cabinet? If so, mark us down in the "sinner" category.

[Thanks, Douglas!]

Doctor Who wants to time warp, play retro games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doctor Who stars in an appropriately British game

JC Fletcher — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: News, Imports

If Doctor Who were an American TV show, the associated game would be a 3D platforming shooter called Doctor Who: The Official Video Game and featuring monotone voice acting from the show's stars over awkward 3D models.

But the very British Doctor is instead coming to the DS (and PS2 and PC) in Top Trumps: Doctor Who, a themed video game version of the popular Top Trumps card game, which involves comparing various statistics printed on cards. It seems a bit more ... restrained than a shooty action game.

Top Trumps: Doctor Who will feature, in addition to the main Trumps game, a story mode in which players can control the Doctor, Martha, Captain Jack or even one of the monsters from the show.

[Via press release]

Doctor Who stars in an appropriately British game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Streaming BBC video comes to the Wii

Kyle Orland — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii

Now that the Wii has brought TV web browsing to millions of homes, web services are tripping all over themselves to make sure they're fully compatible with the Wii's Opera browser. The latest organization to trip is the BBC, which announced today that its iPlayer catch-up service will allow UK Wii owners to stream programs through the system directly onto their TVs.

The program, which goes into beta today, is simply a Wii-optimized version of the BBC's existing iPlayer catch-up service, which last month served 17.2 million episodes of programs such as Torchwood, Doctor Who and Top Gear, among dozens of others. The service will only be available to UK citizens and does require the 500 Wii Point purchase of the Internet channel, but a BBC info. page says the organization is hoping "to be able to get iPlayer on Wii without this purchase being needed."

[Thanks to everybody who sent this in]

Streaming BBC video comes to the Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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