Joystiq

Second Alan Wake DLC episode 'The Writer' priced at $10

Ludwig Kietzmann — Sat, 22 May 2010 15:32:00 EST

Stephen Totilo once wrote that game content can exist outside of a game disc, and there's more than a little fun to be had in expansions. They're antithetical to the limitations of physical distribution. In a news story, the reader keeps asking, "What will it cost?" but there can be no explanation ... even though there should be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest and it's what we'll remember complaining about in the end.

My name is Ludwig Kietzmann. I'm a blogger ... type thing.

The second downloadable episode of Alan Wake will be called "The Writer." The description of the content, which recently popped up in the game's "Downloadable Content" menu, reveals that the tortured author will find himself in "strange circumstances" (surely he must be used to those by now) and must face "one increasingly nightmarish situation after another." According to the listing, the episode will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The first episode, "The Signal," will cost the same when it launches on July 27th, though it's a free download for those who purchased a new copy of Remedy's thriller.

You'll find an image and full description of the DLC after the break -- don't venture further if you're sensitive to spoilers.

Continue reading Second Alan Wake DLC episode 'The Writer' priced at $10

Second Alan Wake DLC episode 'The Writer' priced at $10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 May 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live-action Alan Wake prequel premieres on Xbox Live April 25

JC Fletcher — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:04:00 EST

If Alan Wake's TV show-like presentation isn't, well, enough like a TV show for you, here's some good news: next week, the first episode in a six-part live-action Alan Wake series will be available on Xbox Live.

Bright Falls, shot on location in Oregon, acts as a prequel to the events in the game -- which hopefully means that at least some weirdness was taking place in the game's location before the arrival of Mr. Wake. Otherwise, we'll be watching six episodes about a really pleasant town. Allaying the concern we just expressed, Microsoft promises that the series "evokes the same ghostly chills as 'Twin Peaks' did when it premiered 20 years ago this month."

The first two episodes will be available for Xbox Live Gold members on April 25, for everyone else on Xbox Live on April 26, and on brightfalls.com on April 27, with one new episode releasing each week until May 17's two-part finale. That date happens to be one day before the Xbox 360 game's release date, at which point you'll get to see the rest of the story in the game -- and the short story included with the collector's edition.

Live-action Alan Wake prequel premieres on Xbox Live April 25 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview: Matias Myllyrinne on breathing life into Alan Wake

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST

Founded in 1995, Remedy Entertainment is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, along with the launch of its fourth game, Alan Wake. In contrast with many of the industry's studios, which are comfortable with putting out a new game every two years (if not more frequently), this Finnish game developer can't be rushed to completion. "Remedy is not a game factory," its website tells those looking for employment.

The company's managing director, Matias Myllyrinne, wouldn't have it any other way. "You know, this is a labor of love, at least for us," he told Joystiq during an interview at the Game Developers Conference, held last month in San Francisco. After we discussed the game's technology, its cinematic aspirations and its carefully picked cast of actors, it became evident that Alan Wake -- despite lacking "buckets and buckets of blood" -- has a heart, transplanted from the people who made it. "It's almost like you need to see it through, for your own kind of well-being as a creative team," Myllyrinne said.

Also, there definitely won't be an Alan Wake musical, so forget about it.

Continue reading Interview: Matias Myllyrinne on breathing life into Alan Wake

Interview: Matias Myllyrinne on breathing life into Alan Wake originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alan Wake rated Teen, five minutes of footage illuminated

Xav de Matos — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST

New footage of Remedy's upcoming mystery thriller Alan Wake has found its way online, showcasing some of the demonic thoughts scrawled on paper by the game's title character. Five minutes of footage found at French site GameBlog.fr (posted after the break) showcases some gorgeous environments and some of the action we experienced at Microsoft's X10.

Considering half of the Joystiq staff wasn't even born yet when the game was first announced*, we're just happy to help Alan Wake figure out what's happening in the small mid-western town of Bright Falls.

But we're not expecting a gruesome adventure, as the ESRB has rated Alan Wake T for Teen. We can't blame Alan: when you're fighting for your life you need as many gamers as you can get on your side.

*Okay, not really.

Continue reading Alan Wake rated Teen, five minutes of footage illuminated

Alan Wake rated Teen, five minutes of footage illuminated originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview: Remedy's Matias Myllyrinne on Alan Wake

JC Fletcher — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:45:00 EST

X10 was a special day for Remedy's long-in-development Alan Wake: the release date was announced at last, officially bringing the psychological thriller within a few months of release. On this occasion, Matias Myllyrinne, managing director of Remedy, shared his thoughts with Joystiq about episodic gaming, the inevitabillity of digital distribution, and high-profile competition.

Joystiq: It was announced earlier that there would be episodes of Alan Wake.

Matias Myllyrinne: It was just announced in CES by Robbie Bach.

Did you guys take a look at the experiment with Fable 2? That was surprising. What are your thoughts on that?

I think it's interesting to see how those new forms of enjoying entertainment -- how to distribute that, and get through to people in the way they want to enjoy it. I think it'll be really cool to see what happens with the Fable episodic delivery stuff. I think the jury's still out on how people want to consume media such as games. I think it's also an evolving thing, as well. If you think back to music, it's not that long ago that we all bought CDs. That changed. I thought it would happen like in two years, but it actually took more like seven for the music industry to shift and tilt.

Gallery: Alan Wake (X10)

Continue reading Interview: Remedy's Matias Myllyrinne on Alan Wake

Interview: Remedy's Matias Myllyrinne on Alan Wake originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heavy Rain producer talks characters, story, deaths

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:15:00 EST

If your thirst for information regarding Quantic Dream's upcoming psycho-killer drama, Heavy Rain, has yet to be slaked, you may want to check out the above video. It features an interview with the game's executive producer, Guillaume de Fondaumiere. No OMGMegatons are dropped during the duration of said interview, but Fondaumiere does explain the inspiration behind the game's story, and gives a few more details into the two out of the four characters the developer has chosen to reveal.

Try not to get too attached to these protagonists -- Fondaumiere also reminds us in this video that any of them could die at the drop of a hat. Or rather, a knife, assuming said knife drops into one of their more vital locations.

Heavy Rain producer talks characters, story, deaths originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Another) Michael Jackson video game on the way, scheduled for a 'holiday release'

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST

After the King of Pop's passing last week, Joystiq has had an inordinately high volume of Michael Jackson-related stories. Day after day, the video game industry honored his passing -- free "Thriller" downloads on Xbox Live, Battlefield Heroes costumes, and a full on recreation of "Smooth Criminal" using Rag Doll Kung Fu's engine. Today, less than a full week after the singer's death, his production company (MJJ Productions) confirmed to MCVUK that a game starring Jackson and featuring his music has been in production at MJJ for "several months" and is purportedly on schedule to release "this holiday season."

Though no definitive "yes" or "no" has been given on the game's release (or any info on the developer, publisher, or the game itself), reports say the game contains recent voice recordings by the singer. The closest we get to actual information on the game's release window is, "I am sure it will still be released ... Michael loved games," by way of an MJJ Productions rep. Here's hoping it's more Moonwalker and less Space Channel 5 -- but then, that's just how we get down.

[Via Industry Gamers]

(Another) Michael Jackson video game on the way, scheduled for a 'holiday release' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft honoring MJ with free Thriller video download (update)

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST

We're all still reeling from the passing of the King of Pop, but fortunately, Microsoft's got a nice (albeit brief) memorial for Michael Jackson up on Xbox Live. This weekend only, the Video Marketplace is giving away the full, ten-minute version of MJ's classic "Thriller" music video for your viewing pleasure. Yep, the greatest music video of all time is free to download until the end of the day today.

It's a nice gesture -- but why not just make the video permanently free? We're not sure these wounds will heal in such a short period of time.

Update: Looks like they've already take the deal down. If you don't feel like paying two dollars to watch a music video (and you shouldn't), you can just watch it on YouTube for free.

[Xbox Live Marketplace link - US only (and no longer free)]

Microsoft honoring MJ with free Thriller video download (update) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Alan Wake slips to 2008

James Ransom-Wiley — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure

TVG reports that US Official Xbox Magazine has published news of further Alan Wake delays. According to the publication, Remedy's psychological thriller has been pushed back to 2008.

The first details about Alan Wake surfaced back in April 2005 when Remedy revealed it was working on a new title for PC and "next generation" consoles. Since that time, Microsoft has secured exclusive-console rights to the game.

Rumor: Alan Wake slips to 2008 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Metareview - Silent Hill (the movie)

James Ransom-Wiley — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 2, Metareviews

You've read our take on Silent Hill, now it's time to sum up what the film critics are saying. Currently, Metacritic has posted 14 reviews, which average out to a 29/100. For the record, this is the last time we will ever - EVER - get our hopes up for a movie adaptation of a video game.

Choice quotes:

Chicago Sun-Times (38/100) - "My damn brain lit up too much." [Roger Ebert]
The New York Times (10/100) - "[Wraps] up like the outrageously overwrought fantasy of a French movie nerd obsessed with horror ... who has been given obscene amounts of money to adapt a video game." [Nathan Lee]
San Francisco Chronicle (0/100) - "Nobody gets naked, which on second thought may be a good thing - because when a movie features people getting their skin ripped from their bodies, it pretty much kills the mood." [Peter Hartlaub]

Metareview - Silent Hill (the movie) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamers resurrect imploded pop stars

Vladimir Cole — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:36:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Mac, PC, First Person Shooters, Online, RPGs, Video, MMO

What is it about Michael Jackson and machinima? After stumbling across this clever video set in Counter-Strike, I ran a couple of searches. This rabbit-hole goes deep.

There's plenty of MJ to be found in World of Warcraft videos (Beat It, Billy Jean) which is unsurprising considering that the entire male population of night elves appears to have summered at Neverland ranch in their youth (this would explain many of their pathological in-game tendencies, but that's a whole 'nother rabbit hole). Many of the night-elf dance moves are lifted from the King of Pop's library of signature jigs, including the pelvic thrust and twirly-hand-leg-kick thing.

Even denizens of Second Life appear to be thrilled by the opportunity to relive the days when Jacko only pretended to be ghoulish. Through machinima, fans of celebs who have dashed their careers against the treacherous reefs of fame can now travel back to the future. Fans can return to a time when their idols still had something worth worshipping.

It's a form of therapy.

Gamers resurrect imploded pop stars originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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