Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Rumor: Next Ace Attorney sequel is 'Perfect Prosecutor' featuring Edgeworthhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/09/rumor-next-ace-attorney-sequel-is-perfect-prosecutor-featurin/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/09/rumor-next-ace-attorney-sequel-is-perfect-prosecutor-featurin/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/09/rumor-next-ace-attorney-sequel-is-perfect-prosecutor-featurin/#commentsFiled under:


It's the contention of a couple of us around the office that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's Miles Edgeworth is one of the best video game characters ever. We've always dreamed of a game featuring just him, but like our imaginary Lost spin-off that featured Christian Shepard trekking around the globe, hiring Mexican girls and drinking, we figured it was never going to happen. So imagine our shock when we saw these scans from an upcoming issue of Famitsu.

That, friends, is reportedly Gyakuten Saiban: Perfect Prosecutor, if the Weekly Game Journal is to be believed. The site also says you'll play as Edgey, "searching for overlooked evidence and inconsistencies at the crime scene." Also, expect some new methods of searching and deduction. ... Oh, and a guaranteed purchase from us, you can expect that too.

[Thanks, Beau]

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]]>capcomperfect-prosecutorphoenix-wrightJustin McElroy2008-04-09T09:15:00+00:00Rumor: Legend of Zelda manga coming statesidehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/legend-of-zelda-manga-coming-stateside/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/legend-of-zelda-manga-coming-stateside/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/04/legend-of-zelda-manga-coming-stateside/#commentsFiled under:

Usually, we don't often partake in "the mangas." Sometimes you have to read them backwards, which makes our heads hurt, and frankly, we don't think our black jeans are comically baggy enough to pull the whole "manga reader" look off. That said, we think we'll be forced to make an exception for a Legend of Zelda manga that's reportedly coming stateside.

In an effort to make no more than one manga-related post per month, we also wanted to let you know that GoNintendo got its hands on the cover for the Phoenix Wright manga headed our way. It's totally uninspiring, save for the presence of Godot, the coolest prosecutor since Sam Waterston. ... Crap, are we going to have to buy two mangas? We're going to have to go get our jeans let out.

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]]>legend-of-zeldamangaphoenix-wrightzeldaJustin McElroy2008-04-04T10:00:00+00:00GDC08: The eight best stories in gaminghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-the-eight-best-stories-in-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-the-eight-best-stories-in-gaming/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-the-eight-best-stories-in-gaming/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Tuesday afternoon four well-known games industry writers and designers got together to discuss the best storytelling gaming has to offer in a panel entitled "Stories Best Played: Deconstructing the Best Interactive Storytelling." Each of the authors brought a pair of games that they viewed as some of the narratively strongest yet made. Prior to the panel all four men played the ten titles, and came prepared to talk about the strengths and merits of each. Panelists Richard Rouse (Paranoid Productions), Steve Meretzky (Blue Fang), Marc Laidlaw (Valve Software), and Ken Rolston (Big Huge Games) offered up, in essence, a 'top eight' list for gamers looking to get more from exposition than explosions.

Read on for views from a panel of expert opinions on the likes of Loom, BioShock, Phoenix Wright and the legendary Planescape: Torment.

Loom - Lush art and a quirky sensibility, as well as audio inspired by Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, make this a standout title among LucasArts' stable of greats. On the design side, incredibly unique puzzles - including a music-based magic system. Meretzky praised the game's transcendence of the fantasy genre, and their fearless decision to make a game without a happy conclusion . Much appreciation for proving that fantasy endings can be more than just "cheering elves".

Thief - Marc Laidlaw tapped this title for its amazing cutout-style animated cutscenes and the game's high level of characterization. Much praise issued forth about the game's establishment of atmosphere and mood, as well as its crisp sound design. Viewing Thief as an experience with inverted expectations (sneaking instead of run and gun), the industry heavyweights touted it as ahead-of-its-time. In some ways, in their view, it was superior to stealth titles that have come along years later.

Planescape - Ken Rolston issued forth enthusiastically on this game, a cult classic among RPG players. He notes that, as the character literally has the game's manual tattooed on his back, The Nameless One protagonist "bears the weight of exposition on his shoulders." Storytelling is effectively conveyed through further exposition on found body parts and endless reams of dialogue. Rolston offers that, though this is a masterpiece, it's really only accessible to people with a body of knowledge about D&D. Laidlaw agreed, saying he found it hard to comprehend parts of the story. Rolston went on to say that "Planescape can never be done again. It's like Moby Dick. It's been done." He also compared it to Chinese literature in some ways - the reams of commentary on the title are almost as important to Planescape's experience as playing.

BioShock - Richard Rouse rounded out out the top four with a game most next-gen players are familiar with: BioShock. Given that everyone in the room was familiar with (and most likely a fan of) Irrational/2K's work, Rouse didn't spend much time rehashing the game. He did specifically note that the story was very effectively conveyed during storytelling, with in-game audio and imagery. In-game 'cutscenes' and the audio diaries conveyed a sense of the world to the player through the game's compelling dialogue and voiceover work. Much more on BioShock's storytelling experience are available in our post on Ken Levine's "Why Gamers Should Like Your Stupid Story" talk.

The Fool's Errand - A very quirky title, Fool's Errand was introduced by Meretzky as "the most fun hours of gaming he had ever had." Based on the Tarot deck, the game featured intricate puzzles and an overlapping text-based story. Finishing puzzles opened up additional stories in the game, plus tiles on the "Sun Map", the game's final puzzle. Steve was enamoured with the game's use of a simple story to convey a compelling experience. In some ways, it reminded him of Lewis Carrol, describing it as having the "observations and caustic wit of an Alice in Wonderland." He also noted it is available for free at foolserrand.com, with a sequel planned in a few months.

Chronicles of Riddick - Ken Rolston's second pick had a lot of people laughing and (from the sounds of murmurs) agreeing. He was unapologetic, saying that the cliches he usually rolls his eyes about (a licensed game, a jut-jawwed hero, a prison) all worked really well in this title. As he put it, the wants of the protagonist (to escape from prison) match one-to-one with the player. What results is a gameplay and storyline ideally suited for the Vin Diesel character. Rolston went further, offering that he thought this proves that performers are one of the "great untapped natural resources" of gaming. Though there was some dissension from other panelists, one of the other writers opined that it was "Beyond Good and Evil, for boys."

Phoenix Wright - As his second pick for the talk, Marc Laidlaw fully admitted that Phoenix Wright is the most 'traditional' storytelling game they were going to talk about. It uses plot reversals, stereotypical good characters, and very simple animations to get across its tale of courtroom drama. Where the twist comes in is the fact that the "opposing farce" is always fascinating - with unique animations that portrays the process of cracking under interrogation pressure. Characters in the game serve as the point where gampeplay and narrative intersect, with the core mysteries of the game being entirely character-driven (just as in BioShock and Planescape).

Ico - The little brother / big sister dynamic of Ico, Richard Rouse's second pick for the event, was easily the one that brought the most agreement from the audience. As Rouse put it, it's not often that you see an emotional relationship as a gameplay mechanic. Because of the minimal use of dialogue, character definition is achieved through animation and interconnected relationships. Other panelists concurred, with Laidlaw noting that the use of the controller's vibration function as a core component of the game's emotional climax was particularly brilliant. Meretzky offered that of all the titles they'd discussed today, Ico was the one that "best told its story as a game."

They panelists concluded by offering some surprisingly dire pronouncements about the relationship between stories and games. At the moment, they said, stories are essentially "irrelevant" to games and "can't compete" with other storytelling mediums. They stated that they have high hopes for the future, but for the moment the art of conveying a tale via videogaming is still somewhat crude. They finished by offered some 'alternate picks', additional titles that didn't make the cut.

Richard:
  • The Last Express
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • A Mind Forever Voyaging

Marc:
  • Ecstatica
  • Myst
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Steve:
  • Suspended
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Portal

Ken:
  • Gadget
  • Myth
  • Call of Duty
  • Betrayal at Krondor
Follow-up questions were sparse, but one particularly got a few laughs. An audience member asked why the panelists hadn't talked about Massively Multiplayer games, which offer very distinct ways of telling stories. The panelists blinked, and Rolston offered the pithy reply: "How long do you have? That's really an entirely other panel." They went on to say that they were looking specifically at authorial storytelling; the storytelling potential in MMOs is there, but deals with very different issues.

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]]>bioshockchronicles-of-riddickfeaturedfool's-errandgdc08icoken-rolstonloommarc-laidlawphoenix-wrightplanescapethiefMichael Zenke2008-02-21T11:30:00+00:00Meet Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney right here, right nowhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/meet-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-right-here-right-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/meet-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-right-here-right-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/meet-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-right-here-right-now/#commentsFiled under: ,

Though you'll be assuming the role of attor-n00b Apollo Justice in Capcom's fourth venture into the comical court, it's still your job to help the chronically unprepared Phoenix Wright out of a bind in the opening case. If you've been hesitant to ease yourself into this pun-infested round of laughable legalese, you'll be pleased to find a playable trial version of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney embedded after the break (you'll find the code at the official site).

Once you've gotten acquainted with the new cast in this first installment built specifically for the DS, you can look forward to bailing the game out of stores on February 19th.

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]]>Ace-AttorneyAceAttorneyApollo-JusticeCapcomPhoenix-WrightPhoenixWrightLudwig Kietzmann2008-01-17T09:30:00+00:00Apollo Justice doesn't object to Feb. 19 release [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/apollo-justice-doesnt-object-to-feb-12-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/apollo-justice-doesnt-object-to-feb-12-release/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/11/apollo-justice-doesnt-object-to-feb-12-release/#commentsFiled under:

We already knew that Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, the first batch of cases for Capcom's new lawyer, was coming in early 2008, and Capcom let us know exactly how early today. Phoenix's successor is going to make his debut on February 12 February 19. If you haven't been keeping up with series, you might be interested to learn that this is the first edition of the game built from the ground up for the DS.

If you want to get a sampling of the new gameplay, you'll be able to find a web demo at this site at some point this month. If you're the impatient sort, you can just check out this fan-made version here.

[Updated: Capcom's original press release mistakenly had the game releasing on the 12th and not the 19th.]

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]]>apollo-justicephoenix-wrightJustin McElroy2008-01-11T19:00:00+00:00Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/02/best-of-the-rest-ludwigs-picks-of-2007/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)

Though its puzzles may occasionally infuriate, the real source of frustration regarding Zack & Wiki stems from the fact that nobody bought it. Every year has its share of titles that deserve an audience yet never find one, and in this regard, Zack & Wiki is easily one of the most tragic games to put an uncontrollable smile on your face. Relentlessly charming and beautifully presented, the debut of Capcom's choc-chomping pirate and his simian sidekick challenges the mind and warms that cynical, meh-spouting lump in your chest. How refreshing it was to overcome obstacles and bosses by choosing the power of the mind over an impossibly large bazooka.


Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PlayStation 3)

Don't praise this game as the PlayStation 3's long-awaited killer app. Don't praise it for its guided tour of Cell and Blu-ray possibilities. Rather heap your kind words on Naughty Dog's impeccable design, snappy writing and tight grip on the very concept of "adventure." It may not be a riot of innovation -- Gears of Indiana Jones and whatnot -- but the game's likable characters and cinematic flair make sure that the edge of your seat is as far as you go.


Pac-Man: Championship Edition (Xbox Live Arcade)

If I was to envision a mental calendar representing what I was doing with my life for most of the year, there'd be a mysterious black patch, lasting several weeks, around the time Pac-Man: Championship Edition saw release. The truth is, in-between the game's addictive modification of the Pac-Man formula and a constant high score war with folks on my friends list, my life outside of games became a complete blur. If it didn't help me plot a more efficient way of devouring ghosts, it was irrelevant.


Tomb Raider Anniversary (PC)

Honestly, I'm tired of having to explain this game to friends who raise an eyebrow and say, "But dude, hasn't Tomb Raider been rubbish for the last twenty games or so?" The series had its Batman Begins reboot with Tomb Raider: Legend and has been totally awesome since. Dude. Anniversary remakes Lara's iconic debut, melding Legend's superior controls and fluidity with the original game's intelligent level design. Trust me, the result is better than the game in you imperfectly remember.


Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

It's impossible for me to tell if this is the best Metroid Prime overall, but there are certain things which it's best at compared to the previous two and utterly fantastic games. Prime 3 is perfectly paced, to the point where "just one more missile upgrade" becomes "just one more area." Next you'll be wanting to do "just one more planet," only you've finished the game and remarked that the end of the trilogy finally brings with it a truly engaging story. The Wii's controller also delivers the best combat yet -- I think we can drop that "First-Person Adventure" nonsense now and call this one a shooter.


DiRT (Xbox 360)

The only game to cause me personal injury, Dirt is the most thrilling racer to come along in years. From out of nowhere, Codemasters produced an amazing graphics and physics engine, one conveying every bump, jolt and ill-advised jump on the track. Choose an interior viewpoint and watch out for the trees!


Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations (DS)

Let's face it, there's not a whole lot going on here in terms of pure gameplay. Strange then, that the game I had the most fun playing was Phoenix Wright's third and final turn(about) as the most chronically and comically unprepared attorney in the world. A great cast of characters and a story which thrives on ridiculous twists make it a great read... but what makes it a good game? I know exactly what the answer is now. It's the swell of excitement that arrives when you make the connection, when the amazing soundtrack kicks in and you flip an impossible case around at the very last and desperate moment.


Disappointments
  • The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) -- Bad poetry says it best: A bore, a snore and a chore. It took me several months to claw my way through this game, as all desire to play it quickly evaporated every time I touched my DS and remembered that yet another return to the Temple of the Ocean King awaited me. I could forgive the bland music, dull environments and utterly dreadful sailing, but this was one bad design boomerang I loathed. I desperately wanted a sequel to my beloved Wind Waker... just not this one.
  • Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) -- Assembled by a JRPG dream team, I think it's fair to say that Blue Dragon delivered what I expected. Exactly what I expected and what I thought I wanted. It turns out the line between "traditional" and "old fashioned" isn't always clear, a fact which Blue Dragon learns throughout its unevenly paced adventure. I liked it, but I should have loved it. The feeling that Mr. Final Fantasy phoned this one in just couldn't be avoided.
  • Super Paper Mario (Wii) -- I send my condolences to the families of the developers responsible for this charming title. As I understand it after playing the game, the entire team was mysteriously killed halfway through development, leaving the disastrous second half to random amateurs. What a shame.
  • Stranglehold (PS3) -- Though it captured the destructive action of Hard Boiled fairly well, it also did a good job of capturing silly aspects of game design. Do we really need irritating bosses that, for some reason, absorb 10,000 bullets before keeling over? Certainly no more than we need poor checkpointing, sluggish aiming and the ugliest implementation of Unreal 3.0 to date.
  • The Darkness (Xbox 360) -- A surprisingly forgettable game, The Darkness was carried by its morbid atmosphere and highly entertaining use of vicious tentacles. There was a decent game here, but every mechanic felt woefully underdeveloped. The last part of the game is a complete mess, deluging you in abrupt cutscenes (depicting things you could do yourself!) and leading you to believe that there's an important choice to be made. There isn't.

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]]>Best-of-the-rest-2007BlueDragonDirtGOTY-2007Metroid-PrimeMetroidPrime3Pac-ManPhantom-HourglassPhantomHourglassPhoenix-WrightPhoenixWrightStrangleholdSuperPaperMarioTheDarknessTomb-RaiderTombRaiderAnniversaryUnchartedZack-and-WikiZackAndWikiZeldaLudwig Kietzmann2008-01-02T06:30:00+00:00The Joystiq Weekend: November 9-11, 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/the-joystiq-weekend-november-9-11-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/the-joystiq-weekend-november-9-11-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/the-joystiq-weekend-november-9-11-2007/#commentsFiled under:

Objection! This Phoenix Wright Munny doll is guaranteed to represent you in court should someone decide to sue you over its existence. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
DS Fanboy Lite: Nov. 3 - Nov. 9
Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 29 - Nov. 4: Once in a life cycle edition
Joystiq Podcast 024 - Hobo edition
Last week in Warcraft: November 4th - November 10th
Today's IP-never-dies video: Lucy and Honeymooners
Today's bone-crushing video: Pain
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: I can has webcomic?

News
The Simpsons Game: Glancing a mainstream review
Wireless Guitar Hero 3 controller functions with PC version
New Burnout trailer welcomes us to 'Paradise'
Xbox 360 outsold PS3 in Japan last week
Mark Wahlberg to play Max Payne
PAL Uncharted demo coming Nov. 22; US region lock a mistake
40GB PS3s have 65nm Cell chips, 90nm GPUs
Sony, MS downplay high-def movie war
Nine things you may not know about Rock Band
Assassin's Creed ad perfects macho slo-mo walk
Japanese Wii Fit trailers show snowboarding, jogging, more
New 'No More Heroes' spots show off coconut, garbage collecting
Edge: Animal Crossing Wii is a social networking MMO
Mass Effect ad talks choice, we choose Oprah
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney gets 'early 2008' release
Beat Portal's final challenge in one minute
Updates for Bungie.net, Halo 3 Matchmaking, DLC on their way
Uncharted demo fixed for European PS3s
NGamer rounds up first WiiWare titles
Mass Effect launch trailer elevates excitement to critical mass
Take Two chairman clarifies statement on GTA IV release date
Wii Guitar Hero III outputs only mono sound
Check out Wii's "Check Mii Out" Channel

Rumors & Speculation
Rein: UT3 PS3 likely for this year (in America)
Devs think Fox could get back into gaming
Rumor: BioShock on PS3, new Metal Gear on PSP
Kmart reportedly breaks Mass Effect street date
Rumor: Rock Band delayed in Canada until Dec. 19

Culture & Community
Anatomy of a disaster: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
Gamer nabs his Mistress Chief with Halo 3 proposal
Nominees for Spike TV's 'Video Game Awards 2007' revealed
Gary Coleman's GameCube for sale on eBay
President Bush plays video games with injured soldiers
God destroys young man's PS3 with dust
Issue #0 of World of Warcraft comic online
Control the Wii with your fingertips
Make your own Blu-ray phaser

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]]>ace-attorneyaceattorneycapcomdailyrecapmunnyphoenix-wrightphoenixwrighttoysRoss Miller2007-11-11T23:59:00+00:00Capcom does smart thing, delays Harvey Birdman gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/22/capcom-does-smart-thing-delays-harvey-birdman-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/22/capcom-does-smart-thing-delays-harvey-birdman-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/22/capcom-does-smart-thing-delays-harvey-birdman-game/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Well, it seems both EA and Capcom have gotten this crazy idea that people still purchase games once the holiday season is over. Joining Army of Two in the November bail-out is catastrophic courtroom comedy, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. Posting on Capcom's community forums, senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, validated his professional title with the following (under)statement: "The game is and has been finished, submitted and approved, however we felt releasing the game on the same day 112 other SKUs released was not ideal for its chances. Retail buyers agreed."

Based on the television show of the same name, Harvey Birdman follows the eponymous attorney at lawl as he bungles his way through unusual cases and awkward silences. If you're thinking gameplay amounts to Phoenix Wright with an extra dose of non sequitur oddity, you're not too far from the truth. Luckily, you have this week's superb Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations to keep you occupied until the Birdman gets on your case. Retailers currently say they'll get the thing Capcom sent them in January.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

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]]>Harvey-BirdmanHarveyBirdmanPhoenix-WrightPhoenixWrightLudwig Kietzmann2007-10-22T22:00:00+00:00