Joystiq

Crytek-approved TimeSplitters fan project gets title, preliminary details

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:45:00 EST

A dedicated group of TimeSplitters fans have taken it upon themselves to create a new, free game for like-minded folks: TimeSplitters Rewind. Developed with permission from CryTek and using assets from actual TimeSplitters games as reference material, Rewind is being constructed in CryEngine 3 and will focus primarily on multiplayer.

While there is no further visual evidence of the game beyond the above logo and this rendered duck person, project manager Michael Hubicka has stated that a demo for Rewind should be available by Christmas. "The demo will be more or less a beta," Hubicka told Cooking with Grenades. "We plan to release patches to fix glitches/bugs/exploits/performance issues and Content Updates to add maps and characters."

Eventually, Hubicka hopes that Rewind will also include remade versions of the single-player story content from TimeSplitters' history, but the initial goal of the project is to faithfully recreate the most well-known multiplayer components within CryEngine 3. New multilpayer modes are in the works, however, though their eventual inclusion will depend on if the end result "feels right."

Crytek-approved TimeSplitters fan project gets title, preliminary details originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quantum Conundrum and iam8bit team up for inter-dimensional fan travel

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST

Quantum Conundrum's Airtight Games is used to handling inter-dimensional scenarios, but now it's going for the most egregious combination yet, mixing virtual reality with real reality. Quantum Conundrum and iam8bit are teaming up for a mysterious and seemingly slightly dangerous production this May, asking "hardcore fans" to sign up to be "transported to another dimension, all in the name of science. Seriously, we're not messing around."

Potential participants are asked to be at least 18 years old and be available May 11 and 12 in the Los Angeles area. Fifty people will be chosen, based on the form requirements of "Why should you win?" and, apparently, how hearty your bone structure appears in a photo you send in. Any die-hard Quantum Conundrum or iam8bit fans, or those with superior cheekbones, can fill out the entry form right here.

Quantum Conundrum and iam8bit team up for inter-dimensional fan travel originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tex Murphy may be revived as a Kickstarter proposal

Mike Schramm — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST

Before we say anything here, make sure you've got a firm grasp on your wallet because it might just jump out of your pocket. The odds are very good that Tex Murphy is coming back in a new game ... funded by Kickstarter. Whoa there! Hang on to that wallet, there's no place to spend your money just yet, kid!

As announced by the trailer above, Big Finish Games indeed has plans to start up a Kickstarter page on May 15, and try to round up fan-based funding for a sixth game in the fondly remembered full-motion video adventure series. What they're asking for right now is ideas on what to offer in the Kickstarter campaign, as well as written or video testimonials from fans extolling the series' virtues, to be delivered to the company's contact page.

On May 15, the page is supposed to go live, and at that point you can donate to your heart's content. Chris Jones, who both designed the games and plays Tex Murphy himself, is obviously on board, because you can see him mugging in character with the latest People magazine right there in the video.

Tex Murphy may be revived as a Kickstarter proposal originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST

Franchise director Casey Hudson has previously spoken out in brief defense of the Mass Effect 3 endings, but now he's made it official in a written message that explains BioWare's dedication, passion and reverence for the series and the feedback it receives from fans -- all of it. Yes, even the popular "you deserve to be skinned alive, made into jerky and eaten by rabid goats" (paraphrased) feedback.

Hudson avoids spoilers, but suggests finishing the game for yourself and forming your own conclusions before reading his missive:

"For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you've made as a player since the journey began in 2007," Hudson writes. "So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions. You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey.

"We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending -- to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection."

Hudson stresses that the Mass Effect team takes fan feedback seriously and often incorporates it into the games directly, and says it is still listening to that response now. "Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we'll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you'll hear of Commander Shepard."

Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The entire World of Warcraft being recreated with Minecraft blocks

Mike Schramm — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:08:00 EST

We all have goals in life -- some of us work for our families, some seek money and fame, and some work for a greater good. Minecraft forum user Rumsey's chosen path is to recreate the entire World of Warcraft inside the indie sandbox hit, Minecraft. And as you can see above, he's doing pretty well -- the entire continent of Kalimdor (including the new zones from the Cataclysm expansion) is almost done, and he's well on his way to doing the rest, including all of the instances and dungeons.

Rumsey came up with some custom software to put it all together, which basically translates the current maps of WoW over to the measurements of Minecraft blocks. Rumsey is trying to keep Minecraft's "1 yard to 1 block" ratio, though that means he has to balance WoW's detail with Minecraft's inherent blockiness (and Minecraft's height limit of 128 blocks has required mods to make some of WoW's tallest features work). Still, what's been created so far is certainly recognizable as Azeroth.

Now if we can only get StarCraft, Crafting Mama, CrimeCraft, GemCraft, and macaroni and cheese in this project somehow.

The entire World of Warcraft being recreated with Minecraft blocks originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fans available through Club Nintendo starting tomorrow

JC Fletcher — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST

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

Nintendo just sent us a note alerting us to a new way to spend Club Nintendo coins: the sensu (Japanese paper fans) released in Japan this April. They'll be available on the North American Club Nintendo site tomorrow, October 7, in four designs: Mario, Animal Crossing fireworks, Animal Crossing faces, or Blooper. Just in time for ... the scorching fall heat?

Each fan will cost 300 coins, equivalent to one of those silly Wii Remote stands. Sorry to tempt you during your ongoing quest to collect enough points for the Game & Watch Collection 2.

Fans available through Club Nintendo starting tomorrow originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trio of Blur tutorials explain the value of fans

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:30:00 EST

We understand the value of a good fan just as much as the next guy, whether said fan is reading our humble video game news site, or keeping us cool in the humid summer months. In Bizarre Creations' arcadey racer Blur, they're even more valuable, serving as the player's main form of character progression. In addition, fans will offer a few bonuses which will pop up in the middle of each race, including Fan Runs, Fan Demands and Fan Targets.

Bizarre Creations recently released video tutorials for all three of these bonuses, posted above and after the jump. We'd suggest checking them out if you're planning on picking up the game when it gets released next Tuesday.

Continue reading Trio of Blur tutorials explain the value of fans

Trio of Blur tutorials explain the value of fans originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 May 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Club Nintendo fans for Nintendo fans

JC Fletcher — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:56:00 EST

Nintendo of Japan has unveiled the latest prizes to tempt people out of their Club Nintendo coins: a series of Japanese folding fans in Mario and Animal Crossing motifs. For 150 coins each, the service has four surprisingly cool-looking fans: one featuring Mario on a monochrome background, one with Bloobers on blue, an Animal Crossing fireworks scene, and another Animal Crossing image with a pink color scheme. These will be available through June 30. Nintendo also put the Mario poster set on the Japanese site.

We used to see things like these and lament the fact that they'd never be available outside of Japan. But North America's Club Nintendo actually brings over a lot of stuff from the Japanese club now!

Club Nintendo fans for Nintendo fans originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlizzCon 2009: The Costumes

Kevin Kelly — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST

With the jam-packed costume contest taking place at BlizzCon in the evening, people spent all of yesterday parading around in their ginormous costumes in preparation. That's some dedication right there! Check out our massive gallery just below, and be sure to watch a video of the contest winners right after the break. The rogue above was one of the finalists, but she was ultimately robbed (robbed, we say!) of the top prize.

Stay tuned for more images -- BlizzCon ain't over yet!

Gallery: BlizzCon 2009 Costumes

Continue reading BlizzCon 2009: The Costumes

BlizzCon 2009: The Costumes originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zero Punctuation reviews fanboys

Chris Greenhough — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video

Were you one of the easily offended, outraged souls who took umbrage with Zero Punctuation's more-than-scathing review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl? If so, then Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw has some feedback to your feedback. That's right: rather than dedicating this week's Zero Punctuation to the usual misanthropic, ranting reviews that we love so much, Yahtzee has answered the numerous critics of his Brawl review, which attracted over a thousand comments on the Escapist's site (and quite a few on here).

Hit the break for the full, NSFW version, and prepare yourself for a chilling insight into the minds of the most irrational fanboys.

Continue reading Zero Punctuation reviews fanboys

Zero Punctuation reviews fanboys originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 May 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today's no-greenlight video: Contra movie trailer

Zack Stern — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro, Action, Video, Machinima

This fan-made, Contra trailer for a movie that has only been made in our hearts keeps us watching as closely as in a one-hit-one-death game. The jokes sometimes miss, but the moments with quick editing and game footage look great. It's made by the same guys who brought you the Punch Out movie trailer, so expect similar shenanigans.

See the video after the break.

Continue reading Today's no-greenlight video: Contra movie trailer

Today's no-greenlight video: Contra movie trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why don't portables get more respect?

Steven Bailey — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fan Stuff

The DS sells more than most consoles. The PSP has some games that look better than many PS2 games. Despite this, there are few magazines or websites devoted to portables. When the web or a mag do focus on a portable, it always seems to be to a lesser degree. If you need any proof, just look at the number of portable games that go un-reviewed compared to consoles. But when the sales are up as is the quality of the games, why do handhelds still get shafted?

They're a substitute

It seems as though some gamers and press view portable games as a substitute for "real" gaming. Just something to pass the time when you're somewhere unpleasant and unable to play a console game. While it is true that the very nature of a portable game is to give you gaming on the go, it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't as fun or as valuable of a gaming experience as console games. Anyone who's gotten sucked into Lumines or Vice City Stories for hours can attest to that.

Kid Stuff

While it's true that many games aimed for children have been released for portables through the years, there's no shortage of great games for any age. Especially this generation of portables, it seems more and more portables are aiming their sights for older gamers. Brain Age, Metal Gear and GTA are proof enough that in no way are portables just for the playground.

Less vocal fan community

One thing that hurts the portable gaming community is that despite the great sales for systems and games, the fan community is far less vocal than the typical console fan base. Of course part of this seems to be self perpetuating since if there aren't many online or print sources for portable gaming, there are obviously less places for those fans to express their feelings.

Not as many huge titles

Some would say that the portables lack blockbuster titles and that is why they garner less attention. This hardly seems like a good excuse though since at this point nearly every blockbuster franchise has a version on handhelds. From Metal Gear to Mario, if there is a big game on a console there is typically a counterpart on the portable. Not only that, but some portable games consistently sell better than most console games.

So while there may be no good reason portables get overlooked, it does seem like they're on there way to reversing this fate. With the increased importance of blogs and forums in the gaming world, it seems like only a matter of time before portable games do get the equal respect they deserve. Until then, the average gamer may just be too busy playing their PSP to even care.

Why don't portables get more respect? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look back at the 360 launch...

Dustin Burg — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: News, Fan stuff

Now that both the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 have hit the market we can officially declare that the next generation of gaming is here. Over the past couple days one couldn't ignore the PS3 headlines, filled with violence, lust, and craziness. Heck, even the Wii created madness in its followers. So, I think it's not only appropriate, but I think it's the right thing to do for everyone in fanboy world to share their stories of times past. Let's take a look back at the Xbox 360 launch and how you got involved in the community. I'll start ...

Continue reading A look back at the 360 launch...

A look back at the 360 launch... originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Major Nelson banned from XBL

Ken Weeks — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: News, Xbox Live

No, he wasn't yelling about chocolate milk.

[Thanks Nick]

Major Nelson banned from XBL originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq interviews Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, Business

Yesterday at the Develop Conference in Brighton, Jennie and I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the founder of Lionhead Studios, Peter Molyneux. We chatted about the issue of hype, frustrations surrounding PC gaming and Peter's early days in the industry, amongst other topics.

Fable was pretty much portrayed as one of the most open games of all time, but in terms of hype, it failed to meet the high expectations that you gave the game. There was even a forum post where you apologized about this: why did it get to that level?

Well, it started with this fatal line that I made and that was that I wanted to make Fable the greatest role playing game of all time. I kinda still defend that because I honestly don't see the point in making a game that you don't honestly believe has a chance of being the greatest game of all time. I meet the press quite a lot, every 6-8 weeks there's some sort of press interview. The way I work then is to get a system in, play around with it, polish it, make it better. Sometimes I leave it as it is and sometimes I throw it away.

Continue reading Joystiq interviews Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios

Joystiq interviews Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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