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[Ubisoft announces Jam Sessions 2: Jam Harder]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/27/ubisoft-announces-jam-sessions-2-jam-harder/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/27/ubisoft-announces-jam-sessions-2-jam-harder/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/27/ubisoft-announces-jam-sessions-2-jam-harder/#comments
Okay, so we made up the title, but the news is true: Ubisoft has announced Jam Sessions 2, a sequel to its musical DS title from 2007. Ubisoft promises the Plato-developed sequel will add more to the first game's formula when it releases this fall, along with a slew of new bands, including REM, Heart, The Ramones, The Clash, Doobie Brothers, Plain White-T's, The Black Crowes and The Pixies.

According to the game's official site, some of the DSi's sound distortion capabilities will come into play and "enhance sound effects while playing." The sequel's included song creation utilities sound most interesting, allowing users to share their creations, made with the game's multi-track recording software, with each other. Just remember, kids: Friends don't let friends share remixes of Europe's "Final Countdown." We can ill afford further acoustic tragedies.

JoystiqUbisoft announces Jam Sessions 2: Jam Harder originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSjam-sessionsjam-sessions-2musicNintendoplatorhythmubisoftThu, 27 Aug 2009 20:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft site reveals Jam Sessions 2]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/ubisoft-site-reveals-jam-sessions-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/ubisoft-site-reveals-jam-sessions-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/ubisoft-site-reveals-jam-sessions-2/#commentsThere hasn't been an official announcement that we know of, but a sequel to Plato's guitar simulator Jam Sessions is on the way this September. We first noticed a listing for Jam Sessions 2 at GameStop, then found it at Ubisoft.com.

The Ubisoft product page has a fairly detailed list of features for the game. Players can now record their "freestyle" creations and make them into playable levels for other players. A multi-track song editor is now included. In addition, there are now multiple selectable guitars, including Fender and Gibson models, and both acoustic and electric guitars. Jam Sessions 2 features songs from artists including REM, Heart, The Ramones, The Clash, Doobie Brothers, Plain White-T's, The Black Crowes, and The Pixies. Some kind of DSi-based "features to enhance sound effects while playing" are also included.

Ubisoft lists a September 29 release date for Jam Sessions 2. We're contacting Ubisoft to try to learn more about this currently unannounced title.

JoystiqUbisoft site reveals Jam Sessions 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>guitarjam-sessionsjam-sessions-2musicplatoubisoftTue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Plato to school kids with new learning games for PSP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/plato-to-school-kids-with-new-learning-games-for-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/plato-to-school-kids-with-new-learning-games-for-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/plato-to-school-kids-with-new-learning-games-for-psp/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Despite a handful of 'me too' cash grabs for Sony's portable, exercising gray matter has been the domain of the Nintendo DS. However, Plato Learning, an e-learning company based out of Minnesota, has hatched a plan to bring educational games to the PSP beginning sometime in April.

The games, part of the company's existing Achieve Now line of educational products, will be targeted at helping elementary and middle school students "meet high academic standards and improve academic proficiency" in areas such as language, reading, and math. The project could potentially bring as many as 57 different educational titles to the PSP, but will the games give players an inferiority complex by telling them they think with an addled brain of someone twice their age? For now, this too remains Nintendo's exclusive domain.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

JoystiqPlato to school kids with new learning games for PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>achieve-nowachievenowbrain-agebrainagee-learningplatoPSPTue, 04 Mar 2008 08:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Plato brings educational games to PSP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/plato-brings-educational-games-to-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/plato-brings-educational-games-to-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/plato-brings-educational-games-to-psp/#commentsFiled under:

Thought the DS was all alone on its mobile educational games? Think again. A company called Plato announced that they'll be bringing educational games onto the PSP as early as April 2008. Drawing software from the company's Achieve Now product line, the company could potentially port up to 57 titles over to the handheld system.

The games are designed to help out elementary and middle school students in different academic subjects such as mathematics and language arts. While most of you reading this right now probably won't be needing this supplemental grade school tutorship, our kids or little cousins might benefit from a little brain exercise. We imagine these little second graders with PSPs will grow up extra smart, maybe even clever enough to learn how to hack their PSPs. Oh my, the vicious cycle.

JoystiqPlato brings educational games to PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educationeducational-gameseducationalgamesplatoMon, 03 Mar 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jam Sessions drops to a more musician-friendly price]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/11/jam-sessions-drops-to-a-more-musician-friendly-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/11/jam-sessions-drops-to-a-more-musician-friendly-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/11/jam-sessions-drops-to-a-more-musician-friendly-price/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ubisoft's DS guitar ... thing Jam Sessions has dipped down to $20 before as part of a sale, but now the drop is permanent. Both GameStop and Amazon are now selling the novel virtual instrument at a $19.99 price point. As a bonus, GameStop has also dropped the price of the Nyko JAMMIN' Guitar Pick Stylus set, from $7 to $5. A fake guitar pick seems like an appropriate accessory for a fake guitar.

Now, for the same price, you can have an all-DS trio instead of an all-DS duo! Just in case the lack of a third bandmate was the only thing keeping you from starting a Jam Sessions-only band.

JoystiqJam Sessions drops to a more musician-friendly price originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamestopguitarjam-sessionsmusicplatoubisoftMon, 11 Feb 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Promotional Consideration: Party Like a Rock Star]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/promotional-consideration-party-like-a-rock-star/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/promotional-consideration-party-like-a-rock-star/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/18/promotional-consideration-party-like-a-rock-star/#commentsFiled under:



Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.

This marks the third time we've featured Ubisoft's Jam Sessions in our Promotional Consideration column, but these latest ads for the New Zealand market are the best ones yet. We're not going to ruin their illicit content for you before you've had a chance to watch these not-safe-for-work commercials yourselves, so hurry past the break and see what all the kids are nattering about at recess.

Continue reading Promotional Consideration: Party Like a Rock Star

JoystiqPromotional Consideration: Party Like a Rock Star originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>incestjam-sessionsjamsessionsnew-zealandnsfwplatopromotional-considerationpromotionalconsiderationrock-starubisoftSun, 18 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Promotional Consideration: Santeria]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/14/promotional-consideration-santeria/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/14/promotional-consideration-santeria/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/14/promotional-consideration-santeria/#commentsFiled under:

Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.

It physically pained us to see Ubisoft's print campaign and European boxart for Jam Sessions, but the publisher came through with its commercial for the recently-released guitar sim. The 30-second spot is broken up into three scenes of alleged teenagers playing and enjoying the game, all of them singing along to Sublime's "Santeria," a track that isn't actually included on the Jam Sessions cart. It's a catchy tune, one we're sure you've heard many times on the radio, and we can see why it was picked for the piece. Continue past the jump for the commercial and this week's installment of Promotional Consideration.

Continue reading Promotional Consideration: Santeria

JoystiqPromotional Consideration: Santeria originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>commercialguitarjam-sessionsjamsessionsmusicplatopromotional-considerationpromotionalconsiderationsanteriasublimeubisoftSun, 14 Oct 2007 17:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Creepy Jam Sessions audio clarified, un-creepified]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/creepy-jam-sessions-audio-clarified-un-creepified/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/creepy-jam-sessions-audio-clarified-un-creepified/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/creepy-jam-sessions-audio-clarified-un-creepified/#commentsFiled under: ,



Remember how we were so spooked out by last week's hidden message in Jam Sessions that we swore off haunted houses for the rest of our lives and ran home to eat pizza rolls, sans ghosts hovering over our heads? We haven't been that scared since, well, since we saw the game's European boxart! Oh, burn!

One of the programmers from Plato, Jam Sessions' developer, posted a video to explain the voice that seemed to be whispering, "Don't kill us," or "Forgive us," whenever users let the A6 chord play out. It's actually one of the recording engineers saying, "Tsugiikimasu," which is Japanese for "next," as in, "I'm going to play the next chord."

While that makes a lot of sense, it doesn't explain that tapping noise we hear on our bedroom window every night, nor does it clear up the moaning and creaky mattress sounds coming from the apartment above us. We think it might be the Chupacabra. Bring your ghost hunting gear past the post break for videos of the creepy message and Plato's explanation.

Continue reading Creepy Jam Sessions audio clarified, un-creepified

JoystiqCreepy Jam Sessions audio clarified, un-creepified originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>guitarjam-sessionsjamsessionsplatosecret-messageubisoftTue, 18 Sep 2007 12:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Promotional Consideration: Come As You Are]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/15/promotional-consideration-come-as-you-are/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/15/promotional-consideration-come-as-you-are/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/15/promotional-consideration-come-as-you-are/#commentsFiled under:

Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.

If you missed our spotlight on Leo Burnett's "Communion Day" ad last Sunday, make sure to give it a glance. Even if you've already skimmed through our words on the award-winning piece, we've updated our summation with some insight from art director Rosemary Collini Bosso.

This weekend's installment of Promotional Consideration takes a critical eye to an unconvincing ad that might actually drive away consumers. Read on for more details.

Continue reading Promotional Consideration: Come As You Are

JoystiqPromotional Consideration: Come As You Are originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adadsadvertisementadvertisementsconsiderationdsguitarguitarsjam sessionsJamSessionsmagazinenintendonintendo dsnintendo powerNintendoDsNintendoPowernokiapenny arcadePennyArcadeplatopromotionalpromotional considerationPromotionalConsiderationubisoftSun, 15 Jul 2007 15:20:00 EST