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/Borders Books testing game sales in Londonhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/borders-books-testing-game-sales-in-london/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/borders-books-testing-game-sales-in-london/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/borders-books-testing-game-sales-in-london/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Those worried that these new-fangled video games are taking vital attention away from the written word likely won't be too happy with the news that Borders Books is reportedly testing game sales in its Oxford Street London store. A handful of PC titles sit alongside the store's selection of CDs and DVDs as part of a pilot program that Borders UK and Ireland Commercial Director David Kohn thinks could expand to be a core part of the store's business.

"When it comes to Borders, we believe that computer games could deliver a level of sales equal or greater than our current DVD business," he said. "This could amount to as much as ten per cent of total Borders sales."

Kohn seemed particularly interested in adding Wii and DS titles to the stores' selection in order to "complement our market-leading children's line-up." Great idea ... just be careful which Wii games you put in the children's section. Flesh-eating zombies don't necessarily complement Hop on Pop.

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]]>bordersborders booksborders-booksBordersBookslondonretailtestUKKyle Orland2008-02-29T12:00:00+00:00Lord of the Rings Online free until April 24http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/lord-of-the-rings-online-free-until-april-24/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/lord-of-the-rings-online-free-until-april-24/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/lord-of-the-rings-online-free-until-april-24/#commentsFiled under: , ,


For the next 17 days feel free to go on a Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar bender. Turbine is opening up the floodgates and letting anyone who wants to experience the game play for free until the official launch April 24. The MMORPG's developer knows who they are up against and told Joystiq previously that they put a lot of work into the game. They're launching the title polished like no other MMORPG has been before to contend in the market.

Players will be able to advance to level 15 and transfer that character if they decide to pre-order the game. LotRO also allows those that know they are going to like the game during this free trial to spend $199 for a lifetime subscription, otherwise there is a $9.99/month charge. So, if you're into MMORPGs at all or just want to check out LotRO, go ahead -- it's free.

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]]>free triallord of the ringsLordOfTheRingslotroshadows of angmartestAlexander Sliwinski2007-04-06T19:30:00+00:00We destroy a Blu-ray Dischttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/19/we-destroy-a-blu-ray-disc/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/19/we-destroy-a-blu-ray-disc/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/19/we-destroy-a-blu-ray-disc/#commentsFiled under: , ,

When we saw via Game|Life that some IGN forums goers had taken steel wool to a Blu-ray disc with no apparent damage, we thought, "we can do better than that." So we gathered up some convenient implements of destruction and saw how our free copy of Talladega Nights would stand up to a ballpoint pen, a pizza cutter and a butcher's knife (unfortunately, the disc broke down before we could rub crunchy cereal all over it.) Check out the video below, and keep watching to the end for some pyrotechnic bonus footage.

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]]>blu-rayblu-ray discBlu-rayDiscbluraydestroydestructionstressstress testStressTesttalladega nightsTalladegaNightstestKyle Orland2007-01-19T19:05:00+00:00Shadowrun public beta: testers wantedhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/28/shadowrun-public-beta-testers-wanted/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/28/shadowrun-public-beta-testers-wanted/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/28/shadowrun-public-beta-testers-wanted/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

test time!FASA has begun registering participants for a public beta testing of its eventual cross-platform ('Live Anywhere') FPS Shadowrun. The beta is scheduled to begin by mid-December and will run through March 2007. Testing applies to the Xbox 360 version only (sorry, no early access to Vista for you). You have to be a US-based Xbox Live Gold member to participate. Anyone still interested, read on for registration details...

[Via Press Release]

  1. Visit our Web site at http://connect.microsoft.com.
  2. Click on "Invitations" on the left-side menu.
  3. You will need to sign in using a valid Windows Live ID before you can continue to the "Invitations" page. (If you have already registered for the Connect site, skip to Step 5.)
  4. Please read and accept the Terms of Use Agreement then follow the instructions to register for the Connect site.
  5. Enter your Invitation ID in the blank field. Your invitation ID is: SHBS-6YMT-YKHC
  6. Click "Go."
  7. Complete and submit the short questionnaire. Please enter 201 for the beta code when asked at the beginning of the questionnaire.
  8. If you are not redirected immediately to the "Shadowrun" Beta Selection homepage after completing the questionnaire, click the My Participations link on the left hand navigation bar then click the "Shadowrun" program link. This will redirect you to the "Shadowrun" Beta Selection Homepage.
  9. Once you are on the "Shadowrun" Beta Selection Homepage, you will need to complete the rest of the registration process by signing up for the forums by clicking the Join the Forums button then click the Welcome to the Official "Shadowrun" Community Forum Sign In button.
  10. Wait patiently for us to contact you with further instructions. Check back at http://connect.microsoft.com for further beta announcements.

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]]>betaFASALive AnywhereLiveAnywheremultiplayeronlineShadowruntestXbox LiveXboxLiveJames Ransom-Wiley2006-11-28T23:30:00+00:00A Wii Thanksgiving test on the familyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/24/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/24/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/24/a-wii-thanksgiving-test-on-the-family/#commentsFiled under: ,

With Nintendo marketing the Wii to cross demographics outside the realm of the hardcore gamer, it seemed only fair to test out the system at a family friends house after Thanksgiving dinner. Bringing the system over and saying I wanted them to test it out, the most apprehensive person wasn't the adults, but 21 year-old Meredith McSorley saying, "I'm not good at that stuff. I can't do the button things." I informed her this would be different.

After dinner ended we proceeded to their modest television room, I handed over a controller to Meredith and asked her to figure it out from there. She got through the menu controls good and fine, took her a second to get used to the buttons until she said, "It's like a TV remote." When we started our first game of Wii Sports tennis, that's when she got excited.

"NO WAY!" She yelled excitedly while swinging her arm to serve, "Can I do a backhand?"

"Try it."

"I could really get into this," she said instantly understanding the game, her learning curve was nil. After that we tried Wii Sports bowling and Rayman, every title she instantly understood what she had to do, and playing well, with only the basic instructions given to her by the games. After an hour she started asking where she could get a Wii, how much it cost, why hadn't she heard about this?

Wii Sports Boxing has another title she really got into, KOing her first opponent and slowly picking up the subtleties of the game by the second opponent, and then asking, "Are mothers buying this for their kids to get them to be more active?"

The adults that ended up coming to the room were a little more difficult to gauge reaction. Their learning curve was pretty steep in comparison. They kept trying to hit buttons, even though we explained they didn't have to, and generally didn't put enough force into their movements for the Wii-mote to register what they were doing. Meredith wanted to get back to playing so the adults didn't have too much time to continue testing.

So, there you go, 21 year-old sporty female who isn't into video games likes the system enough to want one for herself. The adults we'll have to re-test another time, when girl-who-likes-the-system-too-much-to-put-it-down isn't around.

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]]>testthanksgivingThanksgiving testThanksgivingTestwiiAlexander Sliwinski2006-11-24T19:55:00+00:00Wii + Parents = ???http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/23/wii-parents/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/23/wii-parents/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/23/wii-parents/#commentsFiled under: ,

Considering Nintendo designed the Wii, and its marketing, to appeal to a wide demographic, it's time to put it to the test. We here at Joystiq will be testing our family over Thanksgiving on how intuitive the Wii is and we'd like to hear how things go at your home. YouTube some video, take pictures and let us know how it goes.

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]]>parentstestwiiAlexander Sliwinski2006-11-23T12:30:00+00:00Bungie busy testing Halo 3 single-playerhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/05/bungie-busy-testing-halo-3-single-player/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/05/bungie-busy-testing-halo-3-single-player/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/05/bungie-busy-testing-halo-3-single-player/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Master Chief cosplayAccording to Bungie's most recent weekly update, the team has begun testing elements of Halo 3's single-player campaign. The testing is currently focused on gameplay, specifically, AI encounters.

Bungie's Frank O'Connor details a run-in with a pack of Grunts who had wisely flanked Frankie while he was distracted by "something bigger than a Grunt." Frankie describes the Grunts' tactic as "quite a shock," given that their behavior in the past has been half-witted. Frankie reminds us, "Lots of folks focus on what technology can do for the appearance of a game -- but the 360's prodigious horsepower can also be applied to AI."

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]]>BungieHalo 3Halo3testJames Ransom-Wiley2006-07-05T16:55:00+00:00