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 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Rumor: Perfect Dark prequel to get a new sequel]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/rumor-perfect-dark-prequel-to-get-a-new-sequel/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/rumor-perfect-dark-prequel-to-get-a-new-sequel/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/rumor-perfect-dark-prequel-to-get-a-new-sequel/#commentsFiled under:

Here's the no-brainer rumor of the day: Rare will release a sequel to its million-selling shooter Perfect Dark Zero. The Rumor Mole section of the May 2007 issue of Official Xbox Magazine reports that the sequel was revealed "by way of a press release announcing the next novel in the paperback series that also mentions a follow-up to the game."

We haven't been able to locate the press release ourselves, but the paperback series is an official tie-in to the series. If a sequel does come to fruition, we wouldn't be surprised. In fact, we've heard it from an official, anonymous, trustworthy source that Rare has been deep in the early development phases (pre-pre-alpha, if you will) just trying to figure out the best numerical nomenclature. Perfect Dark One is off limits, PD Zero Two is pretty meh, PD Negative One (shortened to PDNO or PD-1) could work for yet another prequel, or perhaps they'll go the Lion King route and make it Perfect Dark Zero (point) Five, or PD.5 for short.

Still, we side with our Fanboy brethren: the Xbox 360 has enough shooters, Rare should focus on meeting their sequel quota with a return to platformer Kameo.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

JoystiqRumor: Perfect Dark prequel to get a new sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joanna darkJoannaDarkmicrosoftpdzperfect darkPerfectDarkrarerumorrumorsThu, 12 Apr 2007 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Perfect Dark Zero sequel on the way?]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/11/perfect-dark-zero-sequel-on-the-way/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/11/perfect-dark-zero-sequel-on-the-way/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/11/perfect-dark-zero-sequel-on-the-way/#commentsFiled under: ,


Seems like a good day for rumors springing from magazines, so why not add one more? This one comes to us courtesy of the Official Xbox Magazine. It seems that a recent press release regarding the next novel in the Perfect Dark series also mentioned a forthcoming sequel to the game itself. Given that Perfect Dark is really one of the only existing Rare IPs that Microsoft can leverage (Donkey Kong is out for obvious reasons), it makes sense that they would be gunning for a sequel. Perfect Dark Zero suffered from more than a few issues, no doubt brought on by a monstrous development cycle that saw the game jump from Gamecube to Xbox to Xbox 360 (the same thing that happened to Kameo, by the way). Considering these previous issues, a sequel designed from the ground up for the 360 is just what the doctor ordered. Still, with Halo 3 coming out later this year and a Gears of War sequel presumably falling in 2008, we wonder where Perfect Dark would fit.

For our two cents, we'd rather see a great sequel to Kameo, as the 360 is woefully short of decent platformers. At any rate, a sequel to Perfect Dark is all but assured. The only question is when.

JoystiqPerfect Dark Zero sequel on the way? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoft game studiosMicrosoftGameStudiospd0pdzperfect darkperfect dark zeroPerfectDarkPerfectDarkZerorarerare studiosRareStudiosWed, 11 Apr 2007 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ken Lobb thinks Crackdown is the best game EVAR]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/14/ken-lobb-thinks-crackdown-is-the-best-game-evar/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/14/ken-lobb-thinks-crackdown-is-the-best-game-evar/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/14/ken-lobb-thinks-crackdown-is-the-best-game-evar/#commentsFiled under: ,

Of course, being involved with the game's development may have swayed his opinion just a tad. Speaking to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Microsoft design director, Ken Lobb, drunkenly divulged that his very own GoldenEye 007 had been surpassed by the fun presented in Crackdown. Since Ken previously considered James Bond's N64 outing to be among the best games ever, it follows that Crackdown is among the bester games ever. It's not an unreasonable opinion to have; certainly not with all those supercops leaping over buildings and kicking crooks in the head.

Then again, Mr. Lobb once described Perfect Dark, which he also worked on, as "the best FPS ever, for any system, period." It's all very confusing, but if you want to extract a key piece of information here, it's that Ken Lobb is constantly working on the best game ever. Though we say that with tongue planted firmly in cheek, a positive mindset like that would probably be quite motivating in our rough games industry.

JoystiqKen Lobb thinks Crackdown is the best game EVAR originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActionCrackdownGoldeneyeKen-LobbMGSMicrosoftPerfect DarkPerfect-DarkRealtime-WorldsRiot-ActSandboxXbox-360Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:38:00 EST<![CDATA[Splitsville for Rare]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/splitsville-for-rare/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/splitsville-for-rare/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/splitsville-for-rare/#commentsFiled under:

Two of Rare's founders have called it quits with the company, and the internet is all abuzz with talk of Rare ... and Nintendo. Microsoft bought Rare back in 2002, and the devs carried one of the most-hyped launch games for the 360, but it's still the association with Nintendo that lingers when people mention the company. So it's not surprising, particuarly with Diddy Kong Racing just around the bend for the DS, that people have begun to speculate about what happens now.

All anyone knows right now is that Chris and Tim Stamper left Rare for "other opportunities." That doesn't begin to answer any of the questions about what this means for Rare and Microsoft, or Rare and Nintendo, or even just the Stampers themselves. What led to the departure? Rare's last few efforts, while at times critically acclaimed, have not exactly brought home the bacon, and the situation surrounding E3 2004, DS dev kits, and Microsoft's denials make it seem as though there might have been a disconnect between the development company and their new bosses. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops -- if it develops -- and what it might mean for Nintendo.

JoystiqSplitsville for Rare originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Diddy Kong RacingDiddyKongRacingDSMicrosoftNintendoPerfect DarkPerfectDarkRareStamperViva PinataVivaPinataWiiWed, 03 Jan 2007 16:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Dead Rising makes 360s dead? [update 1]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/dead-rising-makes-360s-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/dead-rising-makes-360s-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/dead-rising-makes-360s-dead/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Reports are flying, just flying across the internet about Dead Rising wrecking 360s. The symptoms are what we've come to expect: freezing, audio dropping out, graphical glitches, etc. Is it just us, or does this sound all too familiar? We're not saying it's all coincidence, but it seems like every time a popular game comes out, 360s just start breaking all over the place -- Perfect Dark, Oblivion, Chromehounds, Dead Rising, all of them seem like Xbox poison. We're willing to bet that this is more indicative of an overall flaw in our favorite console (or at least a certain portion of them.).

Then again, Microsoft and various game makers haven't really made much comment either way so, who knows. Anybody experiencing Dead Rising problems (other than tiny text)?

Update 1: Wow. Judging from the incredible amount of comments, this topic deserves some more discussion. Check back this weekend for more.

JoystiqDead Rising makes 360s dead? [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomCapcom-Production-Studio-1chromehoundsDead-Risingoblivionperfect darkPerfectDarkSurvival-HorrorTue, 15 Aug 2006 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ad critic retro: Perfect Dark (N64)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/15/ad-critic-retro-perfect-dark-n64/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/15/ad-critic-retro-perfect-dark-n64/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/15/ad-critic-retro-perfect-dark-n64/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

One of the nice things about hanging on to old gaming magazines is the archive of classic ads they provide. I found this promo for the original Perfect Dark in the 10th anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly (Spring 2000). Rare's sultry heroine is ready for war against the evil dataDyne corporation and those menacing Skedar -- notice the subtle alien presence in the upper right-hand corner.

But how does this Joanna Dark model stack up (pardon the pun) against the lovely ladies who portrayed Ms. Croft? Her hairstyle and skin-tight, black leather outfit certainly seem to have inspired the wardrobe department for the Aeon Flux movie and game.

It's interesting to note that a key promotional element persistent in today's gaming ads is absent here, which is a little surprising given the influence of the Internet on the gaming community at that time. Maybe Rare was too busy making a kick-ass game to bother with a web site (anybody remember if there was one?). In retrospect, it didn't really matter as Perfect Dark became one of the most popular and successful titles for the Nintendo 64. In fact, it was so good, I bet they'll make a sequel some day!

Update: Thanks to RyanH for helping my tired old eyes. There is indeed a tiny "www.perfectdark.com" URL embedded in the fine print. Also, thanks to NothingShocking for posting URLs of the game's viral marketing campaign.

JoystiqAd critic retro: Perfect Dark (N64) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Ad CriticAd Critic retroAdCriticAdCriticRetrojoanna darknintendo 64perfect darkrareSat, 15 Jul 2006 15:05:00 EST<![CDATA[PDZ Map Pack One perfectly available]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/08/pdz-map-pack-one-perfectly-available/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/08/pdz-map-pack-one-perfectly-available/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/08/pdz-map-pack-one-perfectly-available/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Following a premature announcement that temporarily left Joanna fans in the dark, PDZ  Map Pack One is now perfectly available on XBLM for 500 MS Points. The new content includes four multiplayer maps: Plaza, Rooftops, Trench, and GasPlant.

Fanboys, you've had a day to download. Please zero in with your impressions of the new real estate. Was it worth the price?

JoystiqPDZ Map Pack One perfectly available originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>map packMapPackmulti-playerPDZperfect darkPerfectDarkThu, 08 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EST