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[Hideo Kojima talks life, influences at USC presentation]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/hideo-kojima-talks-life-influences-at-usc-presentation/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/hideo-kojima-talks-life-influences-at-usc-presentation/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/hideo-kojima-talks-life-influences-at-usc-presentation/#comments Hideo Kojima (and young Kojima) in a presentation at USC. Legendary game developer Hideo Kojima took the stage at the University of Southern California last night to talk about his life as a game developer, and give a few thoughts on the current state of gaming and game development. During an interview moderated by Geoff Keighley, the creator of Metal Gear Solid spoke honestly about his past as the son of two pharmaceutical executives, his current work/life balance, and what he thinks the future of gaming looks like.

Kojima told a few cute stories from his past -- he said that he started writing as a young man, and early on wrote a long story called "Survival Battle" that had everyone in its world fight at the age of 14, earning extra time in their lifespan for each victory. He said that in college, he was an economics major, and thus the "only oddball in my class that wanted to make movies or novels." His economics thesis even included a short story "to surprise my professor, and he was very surprised," said Kojima through a translator, "but it didn't help my grade much."

Kojima also talked about his gaming influences, starting with the original Famicom, and mentioned titles like Super Mario Brothers, Xevious, and the Japanese text adventure Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken as early influences on his work. "I felt great potential in the medium," Kojima said about discovering video games, adding that the interactivity was what really drew him in early on.

Continue reading Hideo Kojima talks life, influences at USC presentation

JoystiqHideo Kojima talks life, influences at USC presentation originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biofox-enginegeoff-keighleyhideo-kojimainfluencesinterviewkojima-productionslifeplaystationpresentationps3pspsonyuniversity-of-southern-californiaThu, 06 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Conservative Christian site decries Game of Life's 'gay agenda']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/conservative-christian-site-decries-game-of-lifes-gay-agenda/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/conservative-christian-site-decries-game-of-lifes-gay-agenda/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/conservative-christian-site-decries-game-of-lifes-gay-agenda/#comments
Uber-conservative Christian site WorldNetDaily recently published a hard-hitting investigative report into Hasbro's downloadable PC title The Game of Life, an adaptation of a board game created by Milton Bradley in 1860. Their qualm with the game stems from the fact that it allows players to have same-sex marriages. A WND representative elocuted his or her hang-up with a review on the game's hosting site, explaining, "Many sections of society accept this as normative, but many also would consider this too mature a theme for children. Others would consider this downright offensive."

According to the WND report, one unnamed "concerned mother" found that the inclusion of same-sex marriages raised questions in her six-year old daughter that she wasn't ready to answer. She posted a similar review containing these concerns, which was quickly deleted by an administrator for being "inappropriate." Her response to this censorship is where the story really jumps the shark -- "I had no idea how insidious they were being with pushing the homosexual agenda," she explained to WND.

It's great when parents keep an eye on their youngsters' gaming habits, especially when they play said games with them. We understand a parent not wanting to discuss sexuality with a toddler -- what we don't understand is how the mere inclusion of same-sex marriages in the PC version of Life is the same as endorsing, or insidiously pushing, an "agenda." As WND concedes, even the original Life board game allowed players to bond two same-colored (and similarly gendered) pegs in holy plastic matrimony.

[Via GamePolitics]

JoystiqConservative Christian site decries Game of Life's 'gay agenda' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gaygay-marriageglbthasbrohomosexuallesbianlifemilton-bradleypcshockwavethe-game-of-lifeworldnetdailySun, 15 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Metareview: Spore Creatures]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/12/metareview-spore-creatures/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/12/metareview-spore-creatures/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/12/metareview-spore-creatures/#commentsFiled under:



With all the current hype surrounding Spore, even ardent DS fanboys such as ourselves have to strain to recall Spore Creatures. It looks like a totally different game to its PC counterpart, and we quite enjoyed it when we went hands-on at GDC '08. So which is it: the sleek, refined alpha member of its species, or a sloppy afterthought of a game, heading for history's rubbish bin? We copied and pasted some other people's thoughts to find out!
  • IGN (78%) gave the game one of its better reviews, praising its sense of fun and creativity: "Spore Creatures isn't intended as a replacement for the core PC Spore experience -- it's meant to compliment that design with a unique experience that lifts many of the core elements. And for the most part it succeeds in that task: this is a fun, involved, albeit more linear DS experience with a few quirks that get in the way, but even with those quirks it's great to experience a game on the more limited handheld with a similar sense of creativity that PC gamers will have in Spore."
  • Eurogamer (5/10) isn't so keen, arguing the game is crippled by its linear nature: "What it doesn't offer is any sort of Free Play option where you can do your own thing. You can indulge your creative desires or you can play the game. You can't really do both at the same time in any satisfying way, which suggests that "linear action adventure" simply wasn't the right direction to take the Spore concept for its handheld outing."
  • GameSpot's (65%) Kevin VanOrd just couldn't emotionally bond with his creations: "It's still a cute adventure across multiple planets, and it features a pared-down version of the creature creation tool that helped make the PC release such a success. It has some annoying quirks, and it won't inspire an emotional connection between you and your digital doppelganger, but Spore Creatures is still a pleasant diversion and an appealing, if ordinary, companion to its bigger brother."

This post is a part of our Metareview category, but we also like reviewing things ourselves, and making sure our voice is heard. We're conceited and self-absorbed like that.

JoystiqMetareview: Spore Creatures originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ealifelife-simsimsporespore-creatureswill-wrightFri, 12 Sep 2008 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Spore Creatures evolves new screens, Japanese release date]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/spore-creatures-evolves-new-screens-japanese-release-date/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/spore-creatures-evolves-new-screens-japanese-release-date/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/spore-creatures-evolves-new-screens-japanese-release-date/#commentsFiled under: ,



In the beginning, there was a confirmation.

Shortly thereafter, a release date and gameplay details emerged from the primordial ooze a Newsweek interview, and an involuntary chemical reaction a Joystiq hands-on session soon produced screens. Then, for some time, nothing. Until this morning, that is, when we found that the screens had suddenly multiplied in number, and had inhabited our gallery!

The newly developed screens were joined by boxart for the Japanese version of the game, which sort of reminded us of Pokémon Trozei!'s box, and a Japanese release date: September 11th.

So goes the ongoing story of the evolution of Spore Creatures.

JoystiqSpore Creatures evolves new screens, Japanese release date originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boxarteajapanlifelife-simsimsporespore-creatureswill-wrightMon, 16 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[NBC's 'Life' investigates Prince of Persia]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/nbcs-life-investigates-prince-of-persia/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/nbcs-life-investigates-prince-of-persia/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/13/nbcs-life-investigates-prince-of-persia/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Writers -- the unsung heroes of television detective work! Sprinkling logic crumbs throughout the investigation and frequently bending reality to ensure those pesky crooks get captured, the behind-the-scenes scribes are the ones doing the real dirty work. Witness the investigative team of NBC "Life" being given a bona fide boon in the improbable decision of a drug dealer to hide incriminating files inside his console, which we're helpfully informed is "just a hard drive with games on it." Accessing the evidence requires an embarrassing plot device yanked straight from the zeitgeist: The detectives must dramatically reach "Level 10" in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, preferably with the aid of a stealth gurrrl gamer.

[Thanks, Hashbrown_Hunter]

JoystiqNBC's 'Life' investigates Prince of Persia originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>LifePoPPrince-of-PersiaPrinceofPersiatelevisionUbisoftXboxTue, 13 Nov 2007 13:46:00 EST<![CDATA[Nintendo rethinks console life cycle]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/nintendo-rethinks-console-life-cycle/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/nintendo-rethinks-console-life-cycle/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/nintendo-rethinks-console-life-cycle/#commentsFiled under:

Nintendo consoles have usually enjoyed a five-year life span, Iwata explained during a Japanese conference documenting the Q3 earnings of the company. During this briefing, Iwata spoke of the new gift-giving feature and TV guide Channel, but what was overlooked until now was his comments regarding how long of a life the Wii will have.

"As we continue our research and study for new hardware, when we will be able to launch a new kind of hardware will actually depend on when we can change entertainment completely, and so have a strong impact on people around the world," he said. "Or, there will certainly be a time when we have to say that we have done everything possible with the current machine, that we can never propose anything new."

Iwata further explains that fresh hardware is often the result of the company needing a new weapon in the fight against other consoles. With the Wii, however, he feels that the company won't be needing any new weapons for quite some time, stating "But today's situation is such that we are not desperate for any new weapons at all."

So, could the Wii be the first console to break the tradition of a five-year lifespan, even though its hardware is considered by the mainstream to be weaker than its competition? The way Iwata is talking, and the fact that it could be almost 2 years before the supply meets the demand for the console, makes it sound like it could very well be a reality.

[Via Aussie-Nintendo]

JoystiqNintendo rethinks console life cycle originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>consoleiwatalifelifespanTue, 06 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Today's most delayed-and-ambitious video: TED Spore demo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/22/todays-most-delayed-and-ambitious-video-ted-spore-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/22/todays-most-delayed-and-ambitious-video-ted-spore-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/22/todays-most-delayed-and-ambitious-video-ted-spore-demo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Video of Will Wright's TED Spore presentation from March has recently appeared online. Wright expands on prior Spore demos, giving an overview of the game and explaining parts of his design process.

The information-packed 17-minute video keeps us interested in the total life simulation -- from origins to galactic colonization -- but reconfirms how wildly ambitious the project has been. We've been trying to play over/under on the projected ship date window of April, 2008 and March, 2009, but nobody wants "under." But whenever Spore finally arrives, we hope Wright and the other designers can deliver on the unique concept.

[Thanks, Guillaume and Kevin]

Continue reading Today's most delayed-and-ambitious video: TED Spore demo

JoystiqToday's most delayed-and-ambitious video: TED Spore demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaElectronic-ArtshottestvideolifemaxisPCsimulationsporetedThe-Simswill wrightWillWrightSun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The DS Life: Leg Show]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/04/the-ds-life-leg-show/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/04/the-ds-life-leg-show/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/04/the-ds-life-leg-show/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The DS Life is a new weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at gmail dot com.

This week's gam-filled shot comes from "Asianleggy," a professional photographer whose collections you might already be familiar with, depending on how deviant your tastes are. Step past the post break for the full image and some notes on his previous work.

Continue reading The DS Life: Leg Show

JoystiqThe DS Life: Leg Show originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asian leggyasianleggybondageds lifedslifefetishlegleggylegslifephotophotographsphotosstorythe ds lifethedslifeWed, 04 Jul 2007 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Love Cat Life shows love for dogs, too]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/28/love-cat-life-shows-love-for-dogs-too/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/28/love-cat-life-shows-love-for-dogs-too/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/28/love-cat-life-shows-love-for-dogs-too/#commentsFiled under:

Specifically, Nintendogs. And more specifically, the cash generated by Nintendogs. Forgive us for being cynical, but Love Cat Life does look exceedingly familiar. But for our (hypothetical) pet simulator money, Love Cat Life wins over Nintendo's masterpiece, for mostly hilarious reasons:
  • Simulated litterboxes
  • Riding a little cat-sized truck over a ramp
  • Meowing music game!
We started off being sarcastic, but we just convinced ourselves. It was the music game that did it.

JoystiqLove Cat Life shows love for dogs, too originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>catcatsdsds liteDsLiteimportskittenlifelitelovelove cat lifeLoveCatLifenintendonintendo dsNintendoDsnintendogspetThu, 28 Jun 2007 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Video games: the most important part of college]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/video-games-the-most-important-part-of-college/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/video-games-the-most-important-part-of-college/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/video-games-the-most-important-part-of-college/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sure, college is a great place to learn about life and everything, but where does most of that learning really come from? Once you take away the classes you slept through, the boy/girlfriend that you never listened to, and the parties you were too drunk to remember, the only remaining answer is the obvious one. That's right: video games!

At least one college professor realized this essential fact and crafted his commencement speech to the graduating class of Bloomsburg University around the theme of lessons from video games. The speech name drops everything from Carmen Sandiego to Halo 2 in selling the lifelong lessons of gaming, including resilience, problem solving and teamwork.

Sure, some of the analogies to life are a bit labored, and the whole thing reads like the author has only a passing familiarity with games. Still, it's nice to see someone using a commencement address to acknowledge what is no doubt the most important part of college for many graduates. And hey, it beats some guy droning on and on about sunscreen.

JoystiqVideo games: the most important part of college originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2007 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bloomsburgcollegecommencementeducationlearninglessonslifetranininguniversityTue, 15 May 2007 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Square Enix brings lifestyle titles to DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/04/square-enix-brings-lifestyle-titles-to-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/04/square-enix-brings-lifestyle-titles-to-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/04/square-enix-brings-lifestyle-titles-to-ds/#commentsFiled under:

Continuing its praiseworthy support for the Nintendo DS, Square Enix has announced DS Style, a new line of software for the casual gaming audience. According to the latest issue of Famitsu, the company is venturing away from its RPG franchises for a moment, focusing instead on leisure activities like yoga, classical music, and gardening. It might not sound as exciting as SRPG battles or Chocobo mini-games, but different strokes for different folks.

Square Enix will also be releasing DS travel guides based on the popular World Walking tour book series in Japan. These guides will provide maps and other useful information for sightseers visiting countries like France or Thailand. Check past the post break for the full list of destination guides and verbose titles from Square Enix's DS Style lineup.

[Via NeoGAF]

Continue reading Square Enix brings lifestyle titles to DS

JoystiqSquare Enix brings lifestyle titles to DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualcasualsclassicalclassicalmusicdsstyleenixflowerflowerbloomingflowersfrancegardengardeninghawaiiitalylifelifestylemusicnewyorknintendodsnintendodslitenongamesquaresquareenixstyletaiwanthailandtourguidetourguidesworldwalkingyogayogalessonsWed, 04 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 violence mirrors novel storyline]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/22/ps3-violence-mirrors-novel-storyline/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/22/ps3-violence-mirrors-novel-storyline/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/22/ps3-violence-mirrors-novel-storyline/#commentsFiled under: , ,

File this one in the "life imitating art" department ... or maybe in the "art predicting guerrilla marketing?" department. Max Barry's book Jennifer Government revolves partially around a Nike marketing plan to shoot the first ten buyers of a new shoe in an effort to build hype and street cred for the launch. Today, Barry posted on his blog about the similarities between his book's plot and the recent violence surrounding the launch of the PS3.

Could the muggings and robberies surrounding Sony's new system be a carefully orchestrated marketing ploy to increase exposure for the PS3? Barry stops short of making such a serious accusation. "That would be unspeakably immoral," he said. "To rip off the opening of Jennifer Government so blatantly, I mean."

We have to agree -- while Sony 's PS3 marketing has occasionally been disturbing, you have to admit that it's also been pretty original.

[Via AeroPause, Thank Reddrive]

JoystiqPS3 violence mirrors novel storyline originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artculturelifePS3shootingviolenceWed, 22 Nov 2006 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[TGS 2006: It's a Wonderful World preview]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/25/tgs-2006-its-a-wonderful-world-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/25/tgs-2006-its-a-wonderful-world-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/25/tgs-2006-its-a-wonderful-world-preview/#commentsFiled under:

During the Tokyo Game Show, 1up managed to get their hands on the demo build of It's a Wonderful World, the game coming from those Kingdom Hearts guys. Their impressions of the whole affair (or, at least, the whole affair available) is somewhat positive, although they comment that the language barrier is huge.

Considering that the game is incredibly complex (we imagine in a good way), being able to speak and/or read Japanese goes a long way when attempting to play the TGS build of It's a Wonderful Life. We wonder why 1up would not have a person in their starting lineup at the show to fill this much-needed role. Thinking about it, there probably should be one of us there to play the build as well, since we are so not fluent in Japanese. Of course, this would require our staff not die off from starvation, which would in turn require that Joystiq actually open the dungeon door and toss us some grub. Seriously, can we get something to eat that is not made of plastic and USB 2.0 compatible? Guys? Hello?

JoystiqTGS 2006: It's a Wonderful World preview originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adsdsliteenixit'sit'sawonderfullifelifelitenintendonintendodssquaresqueenixtgstgs2006wonderfulMon, 25 Sep 2006 11:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Living the life of Ghouls and Goblins' Arthur]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/02/living-the-life-of-ghouls-and-goblins-arthur/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/02/living-the-life-of-ghouls-and-goblins-arthur/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/02/living-the-life-of-ghouls-and-goblins-arthur/#commentsFiled under: ,

This somewhat lengthy video chronicles the daily going-ons of Ultimate Ghouls and Goblins' Arthur. It's been 15 years since his first game, he recollects. He walks around, trading in the jewels he's collected from his adventures for cold, hard cash. Living the life of a traditional Japanese man (wearing only boxers) just doesn't cut it for him though. Thankfully, it appears that the princess is kidnapped, and he must once again fight the forces of evil. You can check out the video here, and then visit the official Japanese website here. The game releases September 5th in America and is available on amazon.com.

[Via Gamespot Forums]

JoystiqLiving the life of Ghouls and Goblins' Arthur originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arthurjapanlifeprincessWed, 02 Aug 2006 11:15:00 EST