Joystiq

Pool Nation drops into XBLA's corner pocket on October 31

Mike Schramm — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:00:00 EST

Pool Nation is a brand new billiards game by Cherry Pop Games that's coming to the Xbox Live Arcade, and while we previously posted that it was due out sometime last week, Cherry Pop has instead confirmed it for release on October 31. That's what the official Twitter account says, so if you were excited to break with a virtual cue already, you'll have to wait just a few more weeks.

Pool Nation allows for online or singleplayer billards play, and will let players use slow-time, rewind, or a number of other powers while cracking the various colored balls around the table. There's also a mode called Endurance, which tasks players with finishing the table quickly to try and earn the most money. When it does arrive, the game will be available for 800 Microsoft Points, or about $10.00.

Pool Nation drops into XBLA's corner pocket on October 31 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault on PSN includes Captain Qwark, tower defense

Mike Schramm — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:00:00 EST

The official PlayStation blog has some new info on the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault. While the game is returning to more core R&C gameplay, Captain Qwark will still be available as a playable character throughout. The PSN game will contain five different levels across three planets, along with an online mode to be announced later, and lots of unlockable content including character skins and weapon upgrades.

There's also a new feature in the gameplay that Insomniac describes as "tower defense," which "will have you building and defending a base against invasions using your ultimate Ratchet & Clank arsenal." That's all we've got for now, but presumably you'll be building or placing towers as you play, defending against invading waves of enemies. We'll hear more about Full Frontal Assault before the end of the year.

Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault on PSN includes Captain Qwark, tower defense originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shank 2: Back for more

Mike Schramm — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST

Klei Entertainment's Shank was a lovable, uncomplicated indie b eat-em-up. The game's protagonist went on a murderous rampage using whatever he had lying around, including guns, a big knife, a chainsaw, and a few other items. It's probably no surprise that the recently announced Shank 2 is more of that kind of thing.

The backgrounds are nicer and more colorful, Shank's enemies are more varied, and the controls are refined. It's a better, cleaner Shank experience. The indie charm is still there, and the whole game is more polished.

Oh, and there's one big feature that will probably make the game for fans of the series: An endless online co-op survival mode.

Continue reading Shank 2: Back for more

Shank 2: Back for more originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Preview: Rock Band 3 keyboard, Pro Keys and Keys trainer

Mike Schramm — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EST

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

At a Harmonix event a few weeks ago, I finally got some solid fingers-on time with Rock Band 3's keyboard, and as a guy who took nearly 10 years of Friday afternoon piano lessons as a kid, I can say that it's a nice set of keys. The quality of the plastic ivories is not quite as good as your Grandma's classic Steinway, but better than a cheap Casio, and Harmonix has put just as much thought and design into the keytar* as it did into the previous Rock Band instruments.

I also got to play with the game's trainer modes for the first time. Training is available for each of the three instruments, and rather than just a simple tutorial, the trainer is a fully interactive game that teaches you, step-by-step, the finer points of playing both the real and plastic gear. When teamed up with the instruments and a little bit of time and practice, Rock Band 3's trainer really seems like it can teach you the same things that Mrs. Crane taught me all those years ago.

Gallery: Rock Band 3 (8/17)

Continue reading Preview: Rock Band 3 keyboard, Pro Keys and Keys trainer

Preview: Rock Band 3 keyboard, Pro Keys and Keys trainer originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crush developer open to Wii sequel

JC Fletcher — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: News

Crush, the PSP's 2D/3D puzzle platformer, may have waggling in its future, according to an interview with Paul Mottram, senior producer at Crush developer Zoë Mode. We're talking faint "may" and distant future, since this was all idle speculation on his part.

When asked the weirdly pointed question of why they made a PSP game instead of putting it on a Nintendo platform, Mottram responded, "There is no reason why it couldn't be transferred to multiple different platforms especially the Wii, DS and PS2 and this is something we are thinking about."

He went on to describe the level editor they wanted to include, but couldn't. That definitely sounds like something well-suited to the DS or Wii, right?

[Via Joystiq]

Crush developer open to Wii sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode

Dan Choi — Mon, 08 May 2006 15:21:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, E3, Peripherals, Rhythm

In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.

While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.

The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.

[Thanks, murph]

Continue reading Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode

Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 May 2006 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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