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[Editorial: SimCity, Diablo 3 and a review of customer service]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/editorial-simcity-diablo-3-and-a-review-of-customer-service/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/editorial-simcity-diablo-3-and-a-review-of-customer-service/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/editorial-simcity-diablo-3-and-a-review-of-customer-service/#comments Editorial SimCity, Diablo 3 and a review of customer service
I don't like writing game reviews. I'm a news guy, comfortable moving within and reporting on the binary conclusions of business in the video game industry. Reviews are emotional. Always have been. With SimCity and Diablo 3, I think the already tempestuous machine of game reviews in this industry has changed forever, and as a collective we haven't yet determined how to proceed. SimCity and Diablo 3 aren't just games, they are also services. The question: Should these games be reviewed separately from their service elements or should they be reviewed in combination?

Comparing this to the restaurant industry, the game is the food and the internet-required connection is the table service. Back of the house and front of the house. What we've seen following the launches of Diablo 3 and SimCity are people paying money to walk into the restaurant on opening day and not being served a meal. In a restaurant there would be immediate and dire consequences for such poor customer service. In the video game industry, there's no shortage of apologists justifying the outcome. Nobody genuflects to poor customer service excuses in a restaurant. Any restaurant review would treat the meal and service as one singular expression of the experience.

Continue reading Editorial: SimCity, Diablo 3 and a review of customer service

JoystiqEditorial: SimCity, Diablo 3 and a review of customer service originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Activision-Blizzardbattlefield-3diablo-3eaeditorialelectronic-artssimcity-2013simcity-5Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial: I love Super Crate Box and I hate virtual buttons]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/editorial-i-love-super-crate-box-and-i-hate-virtual-buttons/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/editorial-i-love-super-crate-box-and-i-hate-virtual-buttons/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/09/editorial-i-love-super-crate-box-and-i-hate-virtual-buttons/#comments Guys, I want to like Super Crate Box on iOS so, so much. I really do. Vlambeer's latest release is a port of the truly wonderful (and completely free) PC, Mac, and Winnitron 1000 game that I've devotedly recommended to friends and readers repeatedly since playing it at last year's GDC.

In short, it's a 2D action platformer in which your goal is to survive a non-stop onslaught of monsters falling from a hole in the ceiling toward you, while collecting boxes with randomized weapons (revolver, shotgun, rocket launcher, etc.). The more boxes you collect, the higher your score. Also, there are fire pits at the bottom of the screen that you can burn to death in, and enemies that fall into the pits will respawn at the top, only faster and meaner than before. It's a wonderful little loop of partially randomized risk/reward and it requires precision at very turn.

There's one major blockade standing in the way of me enjoying the portable version of SCB, unfortunately: virtual buttons. Stupid, awful virtual buttons.

Continue reading Editorial: I love Super Crate Box and I hate virtual buttons

JoystiqEditorial: I love Super Crate Box and I hate virtual buttons originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>editorialiosipadiphonemitch-dyermobilesuper-crate-boxvlambeerMon, 09 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial: 'I'm tired of saving the world']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/editorial-im-tired-of-saving-the-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/editorial-im-tired-of-saving-the-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/28/editorial-im-tired-of-saving-the-world/#comments Heavy Rain asks us "How far would you go to save someone you love?" Few games bother with this sort of question because the answer is intensely personal. Most games would rather task you with saving the world than with rocking a baby to sleep or patching up a failed relationship. This intransigence on the part of developers to create idiosyncratic stories that resonate with the individual is holding the medium back.

Why should gaming's prime inspiration be Michael Bay instead of David Lynch, David Mamet, Paul Thomas Anderson, or even Mel Brooks? An interactive medium like this has the potential to tell complex stories in ways that are sublime, irreverent, and evocative.

Gaming could explore the human condition by interfacing with the player like books, movies, and TV never could. Instead, we do battle with rogue Russian nationalists, storm Normandy for the 47th time, or fight off an alien invasion. I can't relate to any of this.

I'm tired of saving the world, and the industry is belatedly coming to the same realization. My favorite games of 2011, L.A. Noire and Catherine, spent generous time on character development, with highly personal stories that resonate with the individual.

Continue reading Editorial: 'I'm tired of saving the world'

JoystiqEditorial: 'I'm tired of saving the world' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscatherinedseditorialheavy-rainla-noiremicrosoftmobilenintendopcplaystationps3pspsonyxboxWed, 28 Dec 2011 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[What makes JRPGs worth playing]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/what-makes-jrpgs-worth-playing/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/what-makes-jrpgs-worth-playing/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/09/what-makes-jrpgs-worth-playing/#commentsThis is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change that.
It's easy to think of a role-playing game as an amalgamation of two main components, narrative and gameplay, jammed together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes they fit together nicely; other times they're as awkward and frustrating as that one weirdly-shaped Tetris block that always falls into the gap where you need an L.

I'm sure you've seen the message board posts. Declarations like "well, the mechanics are OK but the story is great" or "the characters suck but I love the combat" are frequently dropped everywhere from NeoGAF to GameFAQs. Gamers have this tendency to turn games into mathematical equations, breaking them into lists of components like "presentation" and "mechanics" and judging each one on its own merits.

The problem with this attitude is that it ignores everything that makes Japanese role-playing games great. When you cut a JRPG into sections, it is resoundingly subpar. Books have better stories. Platformers have more engaging mechanics. Movies have much more elegant presentation.

So why do we play JRPGs? Because the good ones are better than the sum of their parts.

Continue reading What makes JRPGs worth playing

JoystiqWhat makes JRPGs worth playing originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>editorialjapanese-role-playing-gamejrpgjrpgsrpgFri, 09 Dec 2011 18:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial: Lay of the 3D Land]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/24/editorial-lay-of-the-3d-land/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/24/editorial-lay-of-the-3d-land/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/24/editorial-lay-of-the-3d-land/#commentsEric Caoili loved the stereoscopic effect in Super Mario 3D Land. In this article, he explains why it was so good -- and why it shouldn't be a priority for other 3DS games.
Since the 3DS's launch, many gamers and reviewers have complained about the lack of titles that use the handheld's stereoscopic 3D features in a meaningful way capable of affecting or improving gameplay -- new experiences unavailable elsewhere, something to justify early adopters' expensive purchases.

Some unaccommodating people would act as if 3DS games failing to meet this standard aren't worth their attention. The gimmick of an image that really looks like a dog's tongue is coming out of the screen to lick their face is not enough, not if the novelty ends there. "These puppy kisses mean nothing to me," they will sneer. "Take him away and drown this contemptible creature in a river."

If there's a title that will please those demanding more depth to 3DS releases, as well as those puppy drowners, it's Super Mario 3D Land. This platforming masterpiece is the Avatar of 3DS games, proof that 3D in this medium isn't crap when it's thoughtfully planned and executed, evidence that it's worth the (potential) literal headaches because you just might see something you've never seen before.

Continue reading Editorial: Lay of the 3D Land

JoystiqEditorial: Lay of the 3D Land originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d3dseditorialnintendosuper-mario-3dsuper-mario-3d-landsuper-mario-land-3dThu, 24 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial: The broken, sputtering launch of Battlefield 3 online multiplayer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/editorial-the-broken-sputtering-launch-of-battlefield-3-online/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/editorial-the-broken-sputtering-launch-of-battlefield-3-online/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/28/editorial-the-broken-sputtering-launch-of-battlefield-3-online/#comments Let's play a little game, folks. Here are three separate quotes from EA/DICE, each given soon after the launch of a major Battlefield. Can you tell which is for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is for Battlefield 1943, and which is for Battlefield 3? No Googling!
  1. "Despite having a major infrastructure in place, the peak traffic ... has been huge, 400% higher than any other Battlefield's peak simultaneous users. The teams will continue to monitor the services closely. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will provide further updates on the latest developments as they are relevant."1

  2. "In terms of the network services, we have had unprecedented and historic peaks in terms of the activity that we're getting from the Battlefield community and players, and it's caused parts of our networks to experience some outages."2

  3. "We have full support of EA to add as many servers as takes and then some so that everyone can play. This work has already started and servers will be added around the clock with teams working to cover this 24 hours a day so not a moment is wasted. You will be able to play this game and play it lag free!"3
If you weren't able to distinguish them from one another, I forgive you -- they all sound remarkably alike, don't they? That's because, for three Battlefield games in a row, the same scenario has played out at launch: gamers purchase said Battlefield iteration in great numbers, resulting in no one being able to play the game due to overloaded servers.

Continue reading Editorial: The broken, sputtering launch of Battlefield 3 online multiplayer

JoystiqEditorial: The broken, sputtering launch of Battlefield 3 online multiplayer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-1943battlefield-3battlefield-bad-company-2diceeaea-diceeditorialelectronic-artsmicrosoftpcplaystationps3xboxFri, 28 Oct 2011 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/27/editorial-nintendos-creeping-doom-how-the-company-came-to-m/#comments More terrible news from Japan: Nintendo has posted a $926 million loss for the first half of the fiscal year ending in March 2012. Take a second look at that number. That's 926 million dollars. As in "very close to a billion."

The sheer volume of that amount of cash is staggering. In ones, it would fill a room roughly the size of the one Scrooge McDuck uses to hold his gold. Now imagine simply handing that money over to ... someone. Iwata, perhaps. The point is, you had it and now it's gone. Sucks, right? OK, now you know how Nintendo feels. It gets worse.

Continue reading Editorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million

JoystiqEditorial -- Nintendo's creeping doom: how the company came to misplace $926 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsdsearningseditorialnintendowiiThu, 27 Oct 2011 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision's George Rose calls out supporters of California violent game law]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/activisions-george-rose-calls-out-supporters-of-california-viol/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/activisions-george-rose-calls-out-supporters-of-california-viol/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/activisions-george-rose-calls-out-supporters-of-california-viol/#comments Activision Blizzard vice president and chief public policy officer George Rose has once again sounded off against attacks on his industry's First Amendment protections. This time, it's in the form of an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle which tears down the supporters of AB-1179, the California law which prohibited the sale of "excessively violent" games to minors. The law will not go into effect in 2011 due to its repeal by the federal courts -- but that didn't prevent Rose from venting some steam regarding the former law's endorsers.

"Sadly, supporters will accept nothing less than more laws, subbing for parents, that the state can't afford to enforce," Rose wrote. "So to whip up drama and hysteria where none justifiably exists, zealots supporting this movement cite the worst of the worst by harking back to video game dinosaurs like 1997's Postal." Rose argues that no other medium is judged based on one title, so doing so is "disingenuous" in the case of games. Ironically enough, you know what movie we'd use to pass judgment on the movie industry? Postal. Convenient, right?

JoystiqActivision's George Rose calls out supporters of California violent game law originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ab-1179activisionactivision-blizzardcaliforniaeditorialgeorge-roselawpoliticssupreme-courtFri, 31 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Preview: 3DS 'Paddle Ball' tech demo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/23/preview-3ds-paddle-ball-tech-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/23/preview-3ds-paddle-ball-tech-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/23/preview-3ds-paddle-ball-tech-demo/#comments I know, I know -- a preview of a tech demo? In fairness, this one kind of blew my mind. Here's the skinny: outside of games we're assigned to play, there's rarely extra time while covering the controlled madness of E3 for Joystiq writers to check out something they're personally interested in ... other than the last day, that is. So, last Thursday, several of us who had yet to check out the Nintendo 3DS sneaked in a few personal moments with the device everyone was buzzing about.

Upon first entering the 3DS area of Nintendo's E3 2010 booth, Nintendogs + Cats was available to pet, and an array of 3DSes with 3D trailers weren't too far away -- these featured everything from Mario Kart 64, which looked stunning, to a new Pilotwings title (hooray!). What impressed me the most, though, didn't star Mario or Chris Redfield or Solid Snake -- it was Pong. Alright, so, the Nintendo rep walking around the area with a 3DS chained to her waist (no joke) referred to it as "Paddle Ball," but for all intents and purposes, it was 3D Pong.

Gallery: Nintendo 3DS

Continue reading Preview: 3DS 'Paddle Ball' tech demo

JoystiqPreview: 3DS 'Paddle Ball' tech demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsdse3e3-2010editorialnintendoPaddle-BallPongWed, 23 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[ECA president encourages action against negative gaming stereotypes]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eca-president-encourages-action-against-negative-gaming-stereotypes/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eca-president-encourages-action-against-negative-gaming-stereotypes/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/eca-president-encourages-action-against-negative-gaming-stereotypes/#comments Let's take a step back from all the hard hitting news for just a moment and listen to some conventional wisdom from Hal Halpin -- ECA president and certified defender of gamers everywhere. Over at IndustryGamers, Halpin wrote a touching (and personal) editorial piece about the perception of gamers, the perpetual stigmas we (all of us gamers) allow to be placed on us and what we should do about it.

Essentially, the article tells gamers not to just sit idly when being slapped with negative stereotypes. Our cherished culture is just a bit misunderstood, but it's up to you to make others understand it -- define it for them. So ... get off your fat lazy asses, read Halpin's editorial, and keep in mind the next time someone slurs you because you're a gamer.

[Thanks, Jack!]

JoystiqECA president encourages action against negative gaming stereotypes originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cultureecaeditorialgamer-culturehal-halpinperceptionTue, 21 Jul 2009 02:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Opinion: Why I can't go beyond the first 5 mins of Call of Duty: World At War]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/opinion-why-i-cant-go-beyond-the-first-5-mins-of-call-of-duty/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/opinion-why-i-cant-go-beyond-the-first-5-mins-of-call-of-duty/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/opinion-why-i-cant-go-beyond-the-first-5-mins-of-call-of-duty/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

world at war
I've been avoiding Call of Duty: World At War. Not because its developer, Treyarch, has yet to inspire me. Not because it's another World War II shooter. I've been avoiding World At War because the featured enemy is the Japanese Empire. Let me explain:

While not the first game to portray the Pacific-side of WWII, World At War is the most prominent. One could argue for Medal of Honor's pair of entries, but those came as the franchise was dwindling (not to mention, before and during Joystiq's infancy). World At War follows the overwhelming reception of Call of Duty 4 and benefits from a massive marketing campaign from its publisher, Activision. In short, it's in my face and on my mind.

Continue reading Opinion: Why I can't go beyond the first 5 mins of Call of Duty: World At War

JoystiqOpinion: Why I can't go beyond the first 5 mins of Call of Duty: World At War originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisioncall-of-dutycall-of-duty-world-at-wareditorialjoystiqfeaturesjs-twitterPCPS3treyarchworld-at-warXbox-360Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Editorial compares gaming to heroin, teen pregnancy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/02/editorial-compares-gaming-to-heroin-teen-pregnancy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/02/editorial-compares-gaming-to-heroin-teen-pregnancy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/02/editorial-compares-gaming-to-heroin-teen-pregnancy/#commentsFiled under: ,

Giles Whittell hates video games. But more than that, the parent and writer for The Times of London says in an editorial today he hates being told that he should first try to understand video games and immerse himself in their world before judging them. Why? Because "it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them."

Smack and teenage pregnancy.

Look, we're all for balance, and we understand Mr. Whittell's larger argument that time-sucking games can cause children to miss out on the wonders of the real world (though we tend to think Outside is overrated). But creating an equivalence by saying that "video games and heroin and teenage pregnancy are a colossal waste of time," is putting a little too fine a point on things.

Kids on heroin tend to grow up to be junkies. Teenagers who get pregnant tend to become unfit parents, unprepared for the rigors of raising a child of their own. The millions of children who play video games, for the most part, end up becoming well-adjusted adults (Whittell even admits that the risk that violent video game will create a murderer is "statistically low-risk"). Just because they could all technically be called "wastes of time" doesn't mean they're equally bad, and even implying that they are strikes us as extremely irresponsible.

JoystiqEditorial compares gaming to heroin, teen pregnancy originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drugseditoriallondon timesLondonTimespregnancyTimesTimes of londonTimesOfLondonWed, 02 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Halo's Arms Race, or when live-action is more dead than CGI]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/halos-arms-race-or-when-live-action-is-more-dead-than-cgi/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/halos-arms-race-or-when-live-action-is-more-dead-than-cgi/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/halos-arms-race-or-when-live-action-is-more-dead-than-cgi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


In an obvious move, Peter Moore concluded Microsoft's E3 keynote with a trifecta of Halo data. But what we're still a bit befuddled by, is the 1 minute, 52 seconds of quasi-live-action footage, presented as a collaboration between Bungie, director Neill Blomkamp, and WETA.

Moore introduced the footage as "a chance to see what they've been working on, and a new chance to believe." It's a fuzzy statement, to be sure, and one that was not clarified once the live-action spot, and the keynote, ended. Admittedly, we were perplexed. Was this an indication that the Halo movie was back on track? Or something else?

Continue reading Halo's Arms Race, or when live-action is more dead than CGI

JoystiqHalo's Arms Race, or when live-action is more dead than CGI originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bungiee3e307editorialhalohalo3joystiqfeaturesmarketingmicrosoftwetaXbox-360Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:09:00 EST<![CDATA[Classifying gamers' responses to the hypothetical 'Wii bubble']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/11/classifying-gamers-responses-to-the-hypothetical-wii-bubble/#commentsFiled under:

In response to remarks from Steven Kent to USA Today predicting an upcoming Wii bubble burst-- an end to its massive popularity, brought on by a high price relative to its power, Game|Life's Chris Kohler wrote a brilliant editorial looking at what he sees as the four different kinds of gamers (in terms of casual-to-hardcore) and how such a bubble burst would affect them.

Most interestingly, Kohler defines the "casual gamer" not as we do now (non-gamers who enjoy some Bejeweled) but as the majority of the gaming public who buys systems following price drops and owns two or three games. The grandmas and such fit into the "expanded audience." The other two categories, "hardcore gamer" and "kid" are much easier to define.

In Kohler's view, the only audience whose interest in the Wii would be affected by a "bubble burst" would be the casual gamers, who may be more willing to respond to an Xbox 360 price drop than an underpowered Wii. Unless, of course, the Wii gets a bunch of mass-market games.

JoystiqClassifying gamers' responses to the hypothetical 'Wii bubble' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bubblebusinesscasualeditorialhardcorenintendonintendo wiiNintendoWiiopinionsaleswiiMon, 11 Jun 2007 14:25:00 EST<![CDATA[The winner of Leipzig? PSP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/24/the-winner-of-leipzig-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/24/the-winner-of-leipzig-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/24/the-winner-of-leipzig-psp/#commentsNOTE: This editorial is the opinion of Andrew Yoon, and does not represent the opinion of PSP Fanboy, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc.

Every video game convention, there's a "winner" of some sorts. It's pretty safe to say that the Nintendo Wii "won" the last E3, proving that waving around our hands can be fun. Not only did the Wii prove that the control scheme works, there was an amazing list of exclusives, from Nintendo's own Mario to third party efforts, like Red Steel. Nintendo wowed the crowd at E3 because of the amazing quality and potential of the games for its system.

Did Nintendo pull the big win at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany this year? No. Did Microsoft? No. Sony took the win for this year's show, but not because of a great showing of PlayStation 3 goods (there were none at the show), but because of Konami's absolutely excellent lineup of upcoming PSP games. Yes, you heard me right: PSP "won" Leipzig.

Continue reading The winner of Leipzig? PSP

JoystiqThe winner of Leipzig? PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>challengedse3editorialgames conventionGamesConventionkonamileipzigmetal gear solidMetalGearSolidmgsmicrosoftnintendonintendo dsnintendo wiiNintendoDsNintendoWiiplaystationplaystation 3Playstation3ps3pspsilent hillSilentHillsonytokyo game showTokyoGameShowwiiwinnerxbox 360Xbox360Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[2.80 Blowout: The aftermath]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/27/2-80-blowout-the-aftermath/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/27/2-80-blowout-the-aftermath/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/27/2-80-blowout-the-aftermath/#commentsNOTE: This editorial is the opinion of Andrew Yoon, and does not represent the opinion of PSP Fanboy, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc.

With that out of the way, I'd like to take a minute to look how the new firmware upgrade released today has worked, and what it has shown about Sony and the PSP as a whole. While homebrew may be a hot topic, it's clear that most people use the PSP the way Sony wants us to. We got nearly twice as much traffic today on a day with this new firmware than we did yesterday. What does that mean? I think it means that people are genuinely interested in updating their PSPs and getting the most out of them.

Continue reading 2.80 Blowout: The aftermath

Joystiq2.80 Blowout: The aftermath originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Jul 2006 23:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2.82.80editorialfirmwarefirmware upgradeFirmwareUpgradestreamingThu, 27 Jul 2006 23:34:00 EST<![CDATA[Pages on why Playstation Portable is not dead]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/20/pages-on-why-playstation-portable-is-not-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/20/pages-on-why-playstation-portable-is-not-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/20/pages-on-why-playstation-portable-is-not-dead/#commentsFiled under:


You may remember chubigans as the compiler of the great Flash Arcade collection. After reading more on the death of PSP, he couldn't take the incredible fanboy flaming that took ablaze on the internet. chubigan's latest blog entry will most likely only fan the fires, but in support of our handheld darling. He makes note of how the PSP has been selling neck-and-neck with the DS (before the introduction of the DS Lite) and how the media capabilities of the PSP make it quite a value-added system. In fact, he uses his Excel skillz to demonstrate the similarities between a PSP and a 360.

The dearth of console ports, the lack of a singular title that every PSP owner must buy (except maybe Grand Theft Auto?), and journalistic pessimism fueled by Sony's arrogance, are all helping to shape PSP's currently negative image. But "to declare the PSP dead, when sales, developers and sometimes even the website's own review scores declare otherwise...well, it's f-in ridiculous."

JoystiqPages on why Playstation Portable is not dead originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chubiganseditorialxbox 360Xbox360Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:42:00 EST