Joystiq

Because We May sale starts today

Mike Schramm — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:59:00 EST

"Because We May" is a brand new video game sale put together by a whole gang of indie game developers, who say they want to promote both their games and the online stores that let them control pricing. To that end, they've placed almost every great indie game from the last few years (no kidding) on sale, on the various app and game stores that you see above. Whether you're looking for games direct from their developers, on iOS or Android, or on the Mac App Store or Steam, there are tons of great sales for you to take advantage of, and probably more coming.

Let's spend $15, for example: Buy Bit Trip Runner from the developers for $3.99, pick up Waking Mars on the iPad for $1.99, grab Psychonauts on the Mac for five bucks, and pick up both Penny Arcade titles for $3.99. That's five great games for less than the price of a movie ticket.

Because We May sale starts today originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 May 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GOG.com offering EA games half off: Syndicate, Nox, more

Mike Schramm — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:00:00 EST

GOG.com is having a big sale this weekend until Monday on "EA Guns and Spells." Everything's half off down to $2.99, including the first Syndicate, Magic Carpet, hack-and-slasher Nox, Lands of Lore 1 and 2, and two Crusader games, No Regret and No Remorse.

GOG.com offering EA games half off: Syndicate, Nox, more originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA allowing banned Origin players access to offline content

Mike Schramm — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST

EA has quietly made things a little easier for those banned from its digital Origin service, allowing even those scorned by the company to access single player content in purchased and downloaded games. Previously, gamers who behaved badly on official EA forums or otherwise caused their accounts to be revoked were locked out completely, but now EA is saying that by switching the Origin client over to offline mode, players can at least play bought games by themselves.

To get back online, players will need to appeal the ban, for which instructions can be found here. EA does say that most bans are only temporary, but just in case you want to speed up the process we'll say this: Offering crop sacrifices to an idol of John Riccitiello certainly can't hurt.

EA allowing banned Origin players access to offline content originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Australian government finally introduces R18+ bill, to go into effect next year

Mike Schramm — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:00:00 EST

Australia's game rating woes are almost over. After years of debate and legal discussion about an R18+ rating for video games there (that would allow for the equivalent of the ESRB's M-rated games to be released without, you know, being illegal), the government has finally agreed to the new rating, aiming to enact it as early as next year. A bill setting up the extra rating was introduced to the Federal Parliament this week, and is expected to pass easily through the House and Senate.

The bill would go into effect sooner, but the Federal Minister for Home Affairs says the government needs time to finish all of the paperwork on the new regulation, and to allow each state and territory to draft its own laws enforcing the rating. The bill wouldn't mandate a nationwide rating, but simply allow each territory to create its own.

But that shouldn't be an issue, according to those in the know. Apparently, there's plenty of public support already. There were almost 60,000 submissions from the public responding to a discussion paper from 2010, and 98% of those were strongly in support of games rated R18+. As soon as the laws go into effect, retailers will be free to sell games as needed to anyone old enough to buy them.

Australian government finally introduces R18+ bill, to go into effect next year originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo launches Rhythm Heaven Fever with a party at iam8bit

Mike Schramm — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

Los Angeles' iam8bit gallery played host to Nintendo last night, as the two companies launched Rhythm Heaven Fever with a full scale party. There were plenty of demos of the game on display, live painting by artists Yoskay Yamamoto and Mari Inukai, a live DJ spinning tunes, and a few photo booths where players could dress up and pose, or even dance for a video running on Nintendo's own site.

The event was a lot of fun, and you can pretend you were able to be there by browsing through the gallery below. iam8bit always does a great job with these events, and co-founder Jon Gibson promised us there's lots more on the way: He's currently working hard on the leetUP event that iam8bit is co-hosting at the beginning of next month, and says VIP tickets for that one have sold out already. We'll be in attendance, so stay tuned for more.

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven Fever Launch Event at Iam8bit

Nintendo launches Rhythm Heaven Fever with a party at iam8bit originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie Royale Valentine's Bundle available now, with Lume, Hoard, Zeno Clash and more

Mike Schramm — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:15:00 EST

The Indie Royale website is back at it with a brand new bundle of games for sale, this time scheduled for Valentine's Day. On this one, paying either the minimum price (currently just above $4) or above will net you five different indie titles: The impressive FPS (and IndieCade finalist) Zeno Clash, the excellent and underrated Hoard, the gorgeous adventure title Lume, and top-down puzzle crawler Soulcaster and its sequel. Plus, buyers also get both Hoard DLC packs, and anyone who pays higher than the minimum will pick up the "Music to Play Games by Too" compilation album.

Remember, the way the bundle works is that the price goes up as more people buy the bundle, but it drops when people spend more than the minimum (so giving more actually makes it cheaper for everyone, and supports the game's developers as well). Purchased titles are available on both Steam and Desura, and the bundle is on sale through Valentine's Day.

Indie Royale Valentine's Bundle available now, with Lume, Hoard, Zeno Clash and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sears Black Friday deals: Wii $135, Xbox and Kinect $210, PS3 bundle $200

Mike Schramm — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST

Sears has a number of video game deals going down for Black Friday and Cyber Monday next week, headlined by a black Wii system including New Super Mario Bros. and a soundtrack CD for just $134.99. The store will also have an Xbox 360 4GB system with a Kinect included for just $209.99, and the PlayStation 3 will get bundled with Ratchet and Clank: All for One and LittleBigPlanet 2 for $199.99.

In the software section, they've got Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Killzone 3, Battlefield 3, and the latest versions of FIFA, Madden, and NCAA Football for $39.99, while both seasons of Kinect Sports, Dance Central and its sequel, Rage and Gran Turismo 5 are all listed at $29.99. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be there for $19.99, and other games may show up for various deals.

Finally, Sears is also offering the Kinect sensor on its own for $99.99, or a PS3 DualShock3 Wireless controller for $34.99. And if all of that deal hunting gets you tired out, you can always relax in front of this Warm Oak Fireplace made out of real oak (only $89.99!).

Sears Black Friday deals: Wii $135, Xbox and Kinect $210, PS3 bundle $200 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie Royale celebrates 25K downloads with two more games, soundtracks

Mike Schramm — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

The Indie Royale bundle started last week has hit over 25,000 sales so far. That means two more games and a music and DLC bundle have been added to the mix of things you get for a very cheap price. In addition to NightSky, Fate of the World, Scoregasm, and the Ben and Dan titles, you can now pick up shooters Irukandji and Bullet Candy Perfect as part of the deal, and the full DLC and soundtrack for Fate of the World is given to buyers as well. That's a whole lot of amazing indie gaming, no question.

And while we were worried the price might go up (it rises over time, and drops as people purchase the bundle for more than the average), it hasn't: You can still get all of this stuff for the price of $3.49. Black Friday hasn't hit us yet, but it's probably a safe bet that this is one of the best deals you'll see in gaming this holiday season. Ball's in your court, bundle buyer.

Indie Royale celebrates 25K downloads with two more games, soundtracks originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google begins gradual rollout of games in Google Plus [update]

JC Fletcher — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST

After early indications were discovered in Google Plus source code -- and after anyone ever looked at Google Plus and applied common sense -- we knew games would be available on the social network soon.

Today, Google began rolling out a small assortment of games, including the ubiquitous Angry Birds, EA2D's Dragon Age Legends, and sudoku. You know, Facebook stuff. A "Games" button at the top of your stream will take you to the available games, if the rollout has made it to your account. If it hasn't, Google says it will "soon."

Google's game implementation differs from Facebook in that game-related status updates are cordoned off into the "Games" page, so you can only see them when you are looking at game stuff. Unlike Facebook, you won't have to banish all your friends when they develop Zynga problems.

[Thanks, Dylan!]

Update: Venturebeat reports that Google is only taking 5 percent commission on its games, another advantage over Facebook (who takes 30). And on the new Google Plus platform blog, engineering director David Glazer claims Plus is taking a "quality over quantity" approach with its games. Developers and new game features will be added in "small steps."

Google begins gradual rollout of games in Google Plus [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Voltron: Defender of the Universe coming this October to XBLA and PSN

Mike Schramm — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EST

THQ has revealed some details about the upcoming Voltron video game, first hinted at in the listing for a Comic-Con panel later on this week. The title will be called Voltron: Defender of the Universe (yes). It will be available on XBLA and the PSN later on this October (yes!) and allow up to five players to team up together as the five lions of the Voltron Force, even combining at one point to wield the Voltron sword as a team (YES!).

Unfortunately, before the 10-year-old in you gets too excited, know that the game is being developed by Behavior Interactive, makers of the less-than-impressive Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. The first trailer for the title shows some interesting dual stick shooter gameplay, but nothing that really convinces us this is a great game just yet.

Maybe lessons were learned, right? THQ is scheduling Voltron: Defender of the Universe for the week of October 25, and it will cost $10. We'll be at the Comic-Con panel later on this week and let you know what we see there.

Continue reading Voltron: Defender of the Universe coming this October to XBLA and PSN

Voltron: Defender of the Universe coming this October to XBLA and PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Games at Google service revealed in job listing

Mike Schramm — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:20:00 EST

Search engine giant Google is apparently looking to get even further into the gaming market, according to a job listing on its corporate site. The prospective employee would serve as a Product Manager for Games at Google, and "design strategies for game distribution and discovery, player identity, game mechanics, and more" as well as "initiate and prioritize projects within engineering, assist in determining the best technical implementation methods, track product development, and develop product launch plans."

Unfortunately, there's not much to go on so far -- the listing does refer to a "gaming platform" at Google, as well as "developer relations," so in between the lines here there's the idea of some service that would involve other developers in some way. But whether that means games actually developed and released by Google or just a portal to games online, we'll have to wait and see.

Games at Google service revealed in job listing originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GOG.com: 'We are totally not interested in being bought by anybody'

Mike Schramm — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST

Just minutes after Guillame Rambourg, managing director of GOG.com, made the announcement that the digital game sales platform would carry much of EA's classic back catalogue, Joystiq pulled him aside on the roof of a hotel in downtown Venice, CA to chat about the announcement.

First up, we talked about GOG's other efforts lately, including releasing a dedicated downloader client for Windows, and a private messaging system. Rambourg says both have been going gangbusters. "The downloader is definitely the favorite way of getting games from GOG," he told us. "We've had up to 20 million API calls since we launched the downloader, and the peak was 2 million calls in an hour." The downloader isn't required to use the service, and Rambourg said since it doesn't support Mac or Linux users, it probably won't be for a long time, if ever.

Continue reading GOG.com: 'We are totally not interested in being bought by anybody'

GOG.com: 'We are totally not interested in being bought by anybody' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Select 3DS and DS titles are buy one, get one half off on Amazon

Mike Schramm — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:30:00 EST

Just in time for the recent price drop of the DS Lite, Amazon is offering up a buy one, get one half off sale on quite a few excellent DS and 3DS titles. Eight pages of DS titles are covered by the offer, including New Super Mario Bros., Okamiden and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Among the 3DS games included in the sale, you'll find Pilotwings Resort, Ridge Racer 3DS, Steel Diver, Super Monkey Ball 3D and the Nintendogs + Cats games.

The sale description warns that supplies for the sale are limited, and that Amazon may pull the sale at any time, so we don't know when it will all end. But it's a nice chance to expand your 3DS or DS library nonetheless.

Select 3DS and DS titles are buy one, get one half off on Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 May 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft creator provides a walkthrough of his earlier works

Mike Schramm — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:00:00 EST

Markus "Notch" Persson is a superstar in the gaming world these days, with his indie game Minecraft breaking sales records even before an official release. But all those blocks weren't built in a day -- Notch had quite a few old Turbo Pascal projects, it turns out, before Minecraft hit it big, and he's got a nice gallery of them online.

You can browse through and see all of his old efforts, from an RPG called Rubylands, to a pretty impressive RTS title (though Notch says the AI was a mess). There are some Minecraft influences in there to find, most notably in a first-person view of a blockworld, and in a random terrain generator "probably inspired by Populous," Notch says. And we'll have to see if any of these earlier titles carry any of their influences on into Scrolls.

Minecraft creator provides a walkthrough of his earlier works originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon iPhone has devs, analysts excited by increased audience

Mike Schramm — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:30:00 EST

As expected, Verizon announced today that it would become the second US company to carry Apple's iPhone on its service, finally offering an alternative to AT&T, which up until now has had an iron grip on the popular device. Game developers are thrilled at the prospect of a whole new audience for a platform so friendly to mobile games, with some analysts and devs predicting mobile gaming revenue could double as soon as the end of this year.

Of course, devs are aware that there could be some issues, both with bringing scads of new customers onto the platform as well as transferring some customers from AT&T over to Verizon. But on the whole, they're giddy with optimism -- analysts are saying that as many as 13 million new iPhones could be sold on the Verizon service, and each one of those is a potential new customer for iOS developers.

Verizon iPhone has devs, analysts excited by increased audience originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GOG offers community favorites for half off this weekend

Mike Schramm — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST

Assuming you're still buying games from GOG.com after last week's shutdown stunt, there are some excellent deals to be had this week on the site's "Community Favorites" list. All of the games on the list are half off, which means you can pick up Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition or Myst: Masterpiece Edition for just three bucks, and Psychonauts or Syberia for just five.

Sure, the site may have played a little too hard on your heartstrings with its fake story of shutting down for good just to promote a site revamp, but everybody appreciates cheap, classic PC games, right? And even if not, you can always go grab one of those iPhone games instead -- that's a great sale, too.

GOG offers community favorites for half off this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive now working over Wi-Fi, announces 'Indie Fest'

Mike Schramm — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST

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

OnLive has begun rolling out support for Wi-Fi connections to its cloud gaming service. So sure is the company that it can offer lag free streaming of game content that it is bringing Wi-Fi support to subscribers before it planned to. Support is still in beta, but most OnLive members are supposed to see the fuctionality available sometime this month. OnLive users with questions can get answers from this FAQ.

Additionally, the company has announced an initiative to support indie games on the service, offering its developer tools and SDK to independent game companies to sell their titles to subscribers. This coming weekend, OnLive is holding an "Indie Fest," offering discounts of up to 75% on great indie games like World of Goo, Trine, and AaaaaAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! We would like to know how offering indie games for cheap means you're supporting the developers, but it's cool -- we don't understand how the whole streaming things works so well either.

OnLive now working over Wi-Fi, announces 'Indie Fest' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EEDAR releases preliminary E3 interest stats

Mike Schramm — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST

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

Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) has released a report listing various attention metrics from gamers from two sites, GameTrailers and IGN.com, regarding the most "popular" titles from E3. We put "popular" in quotes there because these stats are for things like trailer streaming and page views rather than a scientific survey -- this is a general feel of the zeitgeist on these two specific sites rather than a comprehensive view of what gamers thought of E3.

But there are interesting things to note even in this limited set of stats, especially when you compare it to our own anecdotal show floor and "chatter" data from you commenters. We heard from quite a few of you during the show that Nintendo's press conference was the most popular event, and this list agrees. Likewise, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was one of the most popular titles on the show floor, and there's no shortage of Link representation here. Kirby's Epic Yarn is probably the biggest unannounced-before E3 title on the lists, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 captured a lot of attention -- not much was revealed at the show itself, but it was placed front and center on the floor of the West Hall.

At the same time, there are some weird conclusions here. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, an expansion which didn't even make an appearance at E3, registered in the top 20 in the GameTrailers stats and Red Dead Redemption, a game that's already out, picked up spot No. 8 on IGN's Page Views list of big E3 titles. EEDAR also notes that the Nintendo 3DS didn't rank on any of these lists, but given the lines at the Nintendo booth to see it, the new handheld garnered plenty of attention. So you can't really bank on these titles yet. But if you're interested, you can check out EEDAR's top 10 in each category after the break.

Continue reading EEDAR releases preliminary E3 interest stats

EEDAR releases preliminary E3 interest stats originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You Don't Know Jack is coming back

Mike Schramm — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST

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

A little part of gaming history died when the final You Don't Know Jack episode went live on Jellyvision's website. Fortunately, if you thought that was the end of the long run for the classic quiz games, then you don't ... well, you know. As originally heard on the Giant Bomb podcast and later confirmed on the official site, Jellyvision is partnering up to THQ to bring the series back yet again.

More details are expected later this year, so we don't know just yet if this is a new game or simply a new way to play the old ones (a release on XBLA or PSN would be nice). Show host Cookie says on the Bombcast intro that he's been working on a game for three months already, so a new title isn't out of the question. Either way, we can't wait to get Jack back. Life just hasn't been the same without a good Jack Attack every once in a while -- remember the clue!

You Don't Know Jack is coming back originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New details on Star Wars: The Old Republic companion characters

Mike Schramm — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:00:00 EST

BioWare's lead designer James Ohlen has done a quick interview with IGN about Star Wars: The Old Republic's concept of "companion characters." Not only do you get to tool around the universe as a Sith or a Jedi, but as we first heard back at the game's announcement, you get to bring some other poor suckers with you. The idea sounds a lot like your party members from Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2 -- your companions will follow an "Affection" system, and you can end up making them "twisted to the dark side of the Force" or "stronger and more independent," depending on how you treat -- even gift -- them. (Those being just a couple of examples.)

Companion characters will also have a lot of combat utility, and you may want to bring some of them based strictly on how they complement you in combat. The gear you equip for them will also make a difference, so you may have to tailor your party and their gear for the specific goals of any given mission. The system doesn't sound too different from past BioWare games, with the caveat that, since it's an MMO, you'll have to direct AI players in real-time rather than pausing the game to give out orders. Ohlen also says his favorite recent character is Alistair, which worries us a little bit -- he always struck us as whiny.

[Via Massively]

New details on Star Wars: The Old Republic companion characters originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 May 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marvel planning Flash game adaptations for download platforms

Mike Schramm — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:00:00 EST

Marvel executive vice president Ira Rubenstein says that the comics company has been experimenting in-depth with Flash games (not to be confused with games about DC's The Flash), and that it's looking to bring some of its most popular online minigames to console download services. The comic book company's strategy in terms of gaming was "like a TV pilot system," he told an audience at today's LA Games Conference.

The plan was to come up with lots of Flash games and deploy them on Marvel's websites very quickly. Now, some hits are emerging (he gave the example of the Super Hero Squad Stark Tower Defense game), and the next step for the company is to focus on improving and supporting those hits on platforms like XBLA, iPhone, and iPad.

Rubenstein says "the combination of classic gameplay with a brand twist" like that found in Stark Tower Defense is what's selling with audiences. And he says that big sales like those of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 prove that there's a space for Marvel games on the downloadable game platforms, so it makes sense to invest in Flash "hits" by taking them there. Which is fine by us -- let us know when we can pay our $10 for our Deadpool Match-3 on PSN.

Marvel planning Flash game adaptations for download platforms originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Telltale Games does 40% of its business on consoles

Mike Schramm — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:44:00 EST

In a new interview with GI.biz, Telltale's Dan Connors gives away some stats that show why his company's expansion to consoles is important : Already, 40 percent of Telltale's sales are to console owners.

Connors says that's because it's easier for Telltale to rise above the crowd in the downloadable space: "They have big audiences there," he says, "and they're all used to spending money on games. Compare that to online, where it gets noisy," and Telltale bumps into all of the other PC titles vying for downloads and sales in the browser.

Connors also says that digital distribution allows his company to adjust their development to the final price. He's happy with what they've done so far, and says we can expect more experimentation in the future: "You can have a different ecosystem to stay profitable, play with price points more, and that's what you're going to continue to see."

Telltale Games does 40% of its business on consoles originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive launch titles 'in the teens,' 50-60 games by 2011

Randy Nelson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST

Following today's GDC keynote from OnLive CEO Steve Perlman, his COO, Mike McGarvey, fielded questions about the game streaming service that's launching June 17. Unfortunately, just how much full games will cost on top of the $14.95 monthly subscription fee was not one that he answered.

McGarvey did confirm that the service will launch with a lineup of titles "in the teens," comprised of some that will have been on shelves for a few months -- Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins were examples -- and others that will release closer to OnLive's debut, such as Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. The catalog will grow from fewer than 20 games on day one to "50 to 60" by the end of 2010, according to McGarvey. These (and all) games on the service will be playable "for years" after release, he said, addressing concerns that buying a game "hosted" by the company could be a risky investment.

Some details are being saved for an announcement at or leading up to E3, including when the OnLive micro-console will be available and, of course, game pricing. McGarvey would say that the company is looking to offer incentives (free games, perhaps?) to build the subscriber base, and that those who sign up "may get some free content" for the monthly fee ... at some point. The micro-console may also be offered free with a service commitment, McGarvey stated, though it will "potentially" be sold on its own.

Saying that more than 250,000 people signed up (but weren't all accepted) for the OnLive beta, McGarvey admitted that the company expects "demand will far outweigh capacity" for the service's launch -- we'll be interested to find out how many people actually "pre-subscribe" and if the company changes its outlook leading up to mid-June.

OnLive launch titles 'in the teens,' 50-60 games by 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retro XBLA games must be repurchased for the Xbox Game Room

Mike Schramm — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:20:00 EST

Bad news for those of you who have picked up some classic arcade titles on Xbox Live and can't wait to play them in Microsoft's new Game Room: It looks like you will have to repurchase anything you want to play with your avatar in the 3D environment. Game Informer learned this recently from a Microsoft rep, who went on to say that it's because the Game Room titles are different from the XBLA versions -- in fact, it sounds like they're more old-school and not "revamped," as the rep puts it.

Fortunately, you will get a small price break: As previously announced, the games will sell for 400 ($5) to play on Xbox 360 and PC, 240 ($3) for the game on one platform or 40 ($0.50) for "two quarters'" worth of playtime. But for those of us who've already shelled out 400 for the Centipede/Millipede combo, it looks like we'll have to pull out the wallet yet again.

Retro XBLA games must be repurchased for the Xbox Game Room originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analytics company: games among apps being tested on rumored Apple tablet

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST

Mobile analytics company Flurry has released a report on what it claims to be tracking data on Apple's latest creation, which is heavily rumored to be a tablet device. Accompanied by "a fair level of confidence," the results were assembled by identifying approximately 50 devices, all of which "match the characteristics" of the unannounced device, and placing them geographically within Apple's Cupertino campus.

Of course, with said characteristics mired within the realm of speculation and the campus no doubt home to many in-test projects, the report is also accompanied by a fair level of skepticism. It's interesting that games form the clear majority of tested applications -- especially if EA is on-board, as the Wall Street Journal suggested -- and may portend one of the device's strongest aspirations. In your snooty face, News & Books!

Joystiq will be attending Apple's media event on Wednesday, January 27, so expect to hear more then.

[Via Engadget]

Analytics company: games among apps being tested on rumored Apple tablet originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2K Boston is bringing back Irrational Games name, legacy

Mike Schramm — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:30:00 EST

[Image credit: Game Informer]

Halo: Reach isn't the only story that you'll find in next month's Game Informer -- the magazine's blog has also revealed that the developer known for the past two years as 2K Boston will be returning to its roots as Irrational Games. The change isn't unexpected, as we've seen hints of the old identity coming back to the spotlight for a while. But apparently the company is going full force with the "renewed commitment" to the legacy: it'll be kicking off a new website soon (in about three days and 16 hours as of this writing, according to the countdown now running on IrrationalGames.com) that will contain lots of community features and information about Irrational's past -- including fan favorites like System Shock 2 and Freedom Force, in addition to 2K Boston's BioShock and future titles.

Meanwhile, the company has a new logo -- spiffy! -- and the next Game Informer will have more information about the studios' history and why it made the choice to turn back the clock on its identity. We look forward to reading all about it.

2K Boston is bringing back Irrational Games name, legacy originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN survey hints at upcoming subscription-based features

Mike Schramm — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST

Sony's European team has sent out a survey to some of its UK PSN members asking them yet again about possible subscription models for the service. The survey is run by a market research company called Ipsos, and appears to offer up a list of possible member benefits for a few different plan tiers, along with pricing for each. The benefits range from more tame ideas like exclusive and early access to content to more interesting options like "free title trials" (first hour of a game for free), user-to-user challenges, "token wagering" and a service called "catch-up TV." Oh, and since it's Sony we're talking about, there's even a listed option for "cloud storage space for games." You can find the full list of possible features after the jump.

The price options differ from plan to plan, but they go as cheap as £2.99 (about $5 U.S.) up to £14.99 (about $25) for monthly fees, with annual fees also listed for 55% less than you'd pay month to month (so around £19.99 up to £99.99, or $32 to $160). Note that just because all of these things are on a survey doesn't mean that Sony has them up and running -- it only means that they're testing the water in terms of what UK members are willing to pay for certain features. But you can just add this to the growing mountain of evidence that Sony is planning some sort of premium subscription service.

[Thanks Marc and everyone who sent this in!]

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PSN survey hints at upcoming subscription-based features originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zangeki no Reginleiv just assumes you don't need all those limbs

Mike Schramm — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:15:00 EST

Zangeki no Reginleiv, everybody! No, we didn't just wish you happy holidays in Russian -- that's the name of Nintendo's upcoming Japanese release (it basically means "Dynamic Slash," or "Dynamic Zan") that's not only its first Cero D-rated ("M") title ever, but also developed by Sandlot, the folks behind 2007's action gem-in-the-rough Earth Defense Force 2017. As you can see in the new trailer (posted for your viewing enjoyment after the break), the game features Norse heroes doing some MotionPlus-enabled hacking and slashing that results in screen-filling sprays of blood and dismemberment. Good, good times.

It's highly unlikely we'll ever see this one show up here in North America -- Nintendo of America and mature games don't usually mix well. But you can still grab your Wiimote, watch this trailer while waving your arms around, and dream.

Continue reading Zangeki no Reginleiv just assumes you don't need all those limbs

Zangeki no Reginleiv just assumes you don't need all those limbs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Gaming dominates iPhone app sales

David Hinkle — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST

We're totally surprised too, guys! With such gems as iFart, iPint and the always fun Shotgun, we were hard-pressed to think that games were a popular distraction for App store browsers. That was until Distimo (via GI.biz) unleashed its extensive report looking at iPhone users, which has determined that games are the top download on Apple's fancy schmancy phone.

The conclusion was made by looking at the overall top 15 downloads, as well as the top free downloads unique to the 3G and the 3GS models. Games made up nine of the overall top 15 and, looking at the free downloads for each hardware type, 30% were games. Due to this news, Joystiq is proud to report that it has begun work on a Where's Waldo-like unicorn-spotting game for the iPhone called Ultrastiq. Look for it in ~~Q4 2009~~ Q1 2010.

Source - Distimo report (PDF link) [Via GI.biz]

Report: Gaming dominates iPhone app sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T investing millions in gaming projects

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:55:00 EST

There's an interview with AT&T by IndustryGamers that covers how the telecom company plans to invest millions in gaming. Funny thing is, there are already plenty of games AT&T provides us with:

Where's my signal?
Imagine: Tethering
Professor Grant and the $30 monthly texting fee
Where in the World is MMS?
Pray for service in a crowded location or convention
Dropped: The Call

Oh, AT&T. Thank you for giving us hours of gaming already. However, we'd really appreciate the network being fixed first, okay? Hugs.

AT&T investing millions in gaming projects originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bioware devs debate whether Wii is part of gaming

Ross Miller — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii

CEO Ray Muzyka and President Greg Zeschuk of Bioware, a company founded on narrative-centric RPGs, can't seem to decide if the Wii is a game (as opposed to, from what we gather, a toy). In an interview with GameDaily, Zeschuk said, "If gaming is defined by story, then generally Wii may not be," though he immediately expands on that, "The game [4 to 5 people together are] playing is actually very different than the rest of us. What they're doing as a company is like a different flavor."

Providing a counterpoint, Muzyaka noted that the Wii experience is "more toy-like" but also said, "there's also a narrative between the players outside the game and kind of fulfills the same things games do. Games are 'toys' in the sense that they're fun." Warren Spector had made a similar designation in an Escapist piece last year, categorizing games like Tetris and Madden akin as "retold" narratives. The above is a rather bare-bones highlight of their discussion, so check out the full interview for more.

Bioware devs debate whether Wii is part of gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2008 BAFTA game awards postponed to '09

Kyle Orland — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Fashion

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has decided to postpone this year's announcement of its prestigious game awards for 2008 to March 10, 2009. The move is intended to avoid some of the timing issues with last year awards which required some games to be evaluated before they were done (at least one nominee wasn't even released until 2008). The postponement will also avoid conflict with the competing Golden Joystick awards, which last year were announced just a few days after the BAFTAs.

2008 BAFTA game awards postponed to '09 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chococat case cuddles up against our heart

David Hinkle — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Accessories

We don't have to tell you how cute this case is. It's etched right on the front of the kitty with the big eyes. And, with a see-through pouch on the back (complete with velcro strap for securing precious games), this thing also has "complete package" written all over it.

For further evidence of flickr user Michy Michelle's extreme skill at DS crafts, peep the Hello Kitty DS Lite. We just wish we had a bigger picture to drool over. Hello Kitty isn't really our thing, but if someone did the same thing to a DS except replaced the Hello Kitty with, say, He-Man, then we'd totally be down with it.

Head on past the break for a look at the Chococat case from a different angle.

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Chococat case cuddles up against our heart originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Show and Tell: My entire house, let me show you it

Alisha Karabinus — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Show and Tell

Well, it may not be the entire house, but reader Chris B. has enough quirky gaming gear to fill a house, that's for sure. When readers send in pictures of their enormous collections, we just can't resist showing them off, and this one is definitely worth an ogle. We've loaded up a gallery with a selection of his gear, but he also has a Flickr account showcasing much, much more. Head on over, but take a rag and mind the drool.

Got something that makes you particularly proud? We like thingamabobs and doohickeys and swag of all sorts, as well as food and furniture and anything fun ... so long as it's related to Nintendo! Just take some pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.

Gallery: Chris B.'s collection

Show and Tell: My entire house, let me show you it originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AARP teaches old people how to play games (badly)

Kyle Orland — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:42:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Retro, Microsoft Xbox, Action

Who says old people don't understand technology? Well, actually, we do, and this AARP video quick tip (WMV link) on how to play video games just bolsters our case. While the clip is a little out of date (the systems being discussed are decidedly last-generation) the incredibly unhelpful advice contained within is timeless.

Some choice quotes (don't trust the transcript, watch the video and listen for yourself):

"First you need to understand that there's boxes." (Referring to the consoles laid out in front of them)
"The controller actually controls it." (News flash!)
"Most games just use one or two buttons." (Bring back the NES controller!)
"Oh, this is fun." (After about five seconds of making Spongebob run around a bit.)
"This is totally fun." (After about fifteen seconds of moving Spongebob around pointlessly)
"It's as easy as hooking up a CD player to your TV." (Funny, we've never done that)
"This is pretty fun. You're getting me pretty excited about getting better at this ..." (This quote is delivered in perhaps the least excited voice we've ever heard)

Our absolute favorite part, though, has to be the rare, dainty, four-handed control method being demonstrated in the screen capture above. They're handling that controller like some people handle nuclear waste. Priceless.

[Thanks, rikimaru]

AARP teaches old people how to play games (badly) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Random Spyro toys invade Wendy's kids meals

Jason Dobson — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Action, Adventure, Mobile

Go on, admit it. You're with friends here. When fast food chains run video game promotions, including game-related toys with their child-sized value meals, you order an extra meal for yourself just to get the toy. Or perhaps you're more brazen, buying the toy outright to add to your collection. It's perfectly fine to admit you have a problem. We won't judge.

If so, you'll be happy to know that Wendy's is hitching its Kids' Meals onto the coattails of Krome Studios and Amaze Entertainment's The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, offering a set of five toys based on the latest in the miniature dragon's trilogy of games. The trinkets run the usual gamut of weirdness, including a Spyro-themed game of checkers and a Spyro keychain, which simply pushes the notion of "toy" beyond all measure of credulity.

As pack-in freebies go, these fall well below that of the competition, however random seems to be a running theme with Wendy's these days. To sweeten the deal, each Kids' Meal also includes a $5 off GameStop coupon for any version of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, though given the painful experience it was to play the last game this is simply not enough to make us go through the drive thru.

Random Spyro toys invade Wendy's kids meals originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Warm Up: Current line-up

Alisha Karabinus — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:04:00 EST

Filed under: Wii Warm Up

How's your game collection for your Wii? Are you satisfied with current offerings, as well as what's coming down the pipe by the end of the year? We know some gamers have expressed dissatisfaction with the number and types of offerings, while others have found there to be plenty of games for the console's first year. As we're getting closer to the end of that first year, how do you feel?

Wii Warm Up: Current line-up originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Warm Up: Games vs. movies

Alisha Karabinus — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wii Warm Up

Since the Manhunt 2 debacle, there's been a lot of discussion about the differences between graphic games and graphic films. Everyone seems to have a different opinion about which is worse. In fact, two recent articles were not only completely at odds with one another opinion-wise, but they used some of the same examples! However, they did focus on slightly different subjects.

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times thought movies were far ahead of games on the gore factor, and he cited comparisons between Saw II and Manhunt 2. Since the most graphic moments in the latter were short, and of course, animated, Schiesel found the lengthy, almost loving shots of "torture porn" in Saw II to be much more disturbing.

Clive Thompson of Wired, however, thinks that games are much better than most recent films at creating a frightening atmosphere. Movies rely far too much on gore, he said -- citing Saw as both example and possible progenitor of this phenomenon -- while horror games can recreate the chilling, anxiety-inducing feelings of the best horror films the genre has ever offered, because (Roger Ebert would hate this reason) horror games take a very artistic approach to mood and atmosphere. While he talks mostly about BioShock, the principles can be applied to many other games; he mentions Silent Hill and Resident Evil as well.

So our question today is: where do you stand on this? Can games go further and do more, or are films still the benchmark for horror and intensity?

Wii Warm Up: Games vs. movies originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games screens

JC Fletcher — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Screens

Everyone's eager to see what Sonic and Mario's first collaboration will look like, right? Well, here it is! The DS version, anyway. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games looks pretty okay! We don't really know what else to say about it. It's in 3D, and includes, at the very least, long jump, archery, hammer throw, and some kind of track event.

Sonic and Tails are participating in the manner of the ancient Olympians-- nude. We don't know if they've covered themselves in olive oil as the Greeks did, and we hope we never find out. We hope nobody ever finds out.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Web-based iPhone games begin to appear

Kyle Orland — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, Portable, Mobile

So you waited in line all day Friday for a coveted iPhone only to find you're already bored with the device's map-displaying, music-playing, video-watching, text-messaging, internet-browsing and sticky-bun-making capabilities. What you need is a quick, diverting touch screen game to distract you. Unfortunately, despite rumors that the likes of EA and Nintendo are looking iPhone game development, Apple is so far not providing any downloadable games for the device, or even hinting that any are coming down the pike. You can't even play your old iPod games on your new toy. What's a game-loving iPhone owner to do?

Enter the web. Already sites like iGiki, fun4iPhone, and MacMost are hosting simple web-based iPhone games to keep you busy. Much like similar web-game portal Wiicade, these games will work on practically any computer with a mouse but have been designed with the iPhone's screen and unique capabilities in mind.

Unfortunately, since the iPhone's Safari browser doesn't support Java or Flash, the offerings thus far are limited to relatively simple and uninspiring JavaScript games. Still, we're hopeful that the burgeoning iPhone hacking community can get around this limitation and turn the iPhone into the game-playing device it's obviously destined to be.

Web-based iPhone games begin to appear originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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