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/Schappert: 'No immediate plans' to delist XBLA titleshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/09/schappert-no-immediate-plans-to-delist-xbla-titles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/09/schappert-no-immediate-plans-to-delist-xbla-titles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/09/schappert-no-immediate-plans-to-delist-xbla-titles/#commentsFiled under: ,


Were you worried your procrastination would be irrevocable when you learned that Rocky & Bullwinkle - an Xbox Live Arcade title you'd flirted with for months - could have been summarily "delisted" from the 360's Marketplace for no reason other than a horrible review average and a notable lack of enthusiasm from the console's constituents?

Fret no more! Microsoft's John Schappert told us yesterday that the company has "no immediate plans to act on delisting" and, in fact, that little brouhaha earlier this year was simply the company setting "parameters by which [they] can delist" content. With the New Xbox Experience promising an easier-to-use Marketplace, the existing retail mess will (ostensibly) be cleaned up and the XBLA shovelware shouldn't get in the way of what you're really there for: Rocky and Bullwinkle.

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]]>BreakingNewsJohn-SchappertTGS-2008XBLAChristopher Grant2008-10-09T22:28:00+00:00King of Fighters '98, Arkanoid, Space Invaders Extreme, Metal Slug 7, and more heading to XBL Arcadehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/king-of-fighters-98-arkanoid-space-invaders-extreme-metal-sl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/king-of-fighters-98-arkanoid-space-invaders-extreme-metal-sl/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/king-of-fighters-98-arkanoid-space-invaders-extreme-metal-sl/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Hot from the Microsoft keynote at the Tokyo Game Show comes more retro arcade action. Been jonesing to play more Arkanoid ever since that thing came out back in 1986? It was Breakout on steroids, and ate quarters like Cookie Monster eats chocolate chip cookies. Super Arkanoid and Space Invaders Extreme will be out on XBLA this winter, and it'll be joined next year by Metal Slug 7 , R-Type and The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match.

The games will all be updated with new graphics, music, two-player and online modes, and will do a good job towards filling that vintage hole in your heart. Now Capcom, please give us some Darkstalkers, and we'll be happy.

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]]>ArkanoidbreakingnewsKing-of-FightersKing-of-Fighters-98Metal-SlugMetal-Slug-7R-TypeRetroSpace-Invaders-ExtremeXBLAXbox-Live-ArcadeKevin Kelly2008-10-08T23:38:00+00:00(Also) This Wednesday: Tenchu: Shadow Assault and Beat'n Groovy on XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/also-this-wednesday-tenchu-shadow-assault-and-beatn-groovy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/also-this-wednesday-tenchu-shadow-assault-and-beatn-groovy/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/also-this-wednesday-tenchu-shadow-assault-and-beatn-groovy/#commentsFiled under: ,


As if it wasn't enough to get the chance to spend today playing a fake game of big-head stickball, Microsoft is adding two -- count 'em, two -- additional games to the XBLA service today. First up is Tenchu: Shadow Assault, a multiplayer ninja game of some sort based on FROM Software's long-running series. Just like a ninja itself, this game really came out of nowhere, and could quite possibly kill you in your sleep.

The second, Beat'n Groovy, looks like Konami's long-running Japanese series Pop'n Music, but, against all odds, has an even worse name. You can pick them both up for 800 points ($10).

Source -- Arcade: Shadow Assault/Tenchu [Major Nelson]
Source -- Arcade: Beat'n Groovy [Major Nelson]

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]]>beat-n-groovybeatn-groovytenchuxblaxblawednesdayJustin McElroy2008-10-08T10:30:00+00:00This Wednesday: MLB Stickball on XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/this-wednesday-mlb-stickball-on-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/this-wednesday-mlb-stickball-on-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/this-wednesday-mlb-stickball-on-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,

stickball
It's October and many of you are still reeling from late-season collapses (hey Mets!) or more recent ones (was it the curse?). But a few of us have waited fifteen years to feel this high heading into the league championship series (and happily distracted from the Eagles' sinking record), and what better way to align our collective karma than to play a game of stickball? No, no, not actual stickball (by all means, stay seated), but 2K Sports new Xbox Live Arcade game-cum-reliable-prediction-simulator MLB Stickball (800 / $10), featuring 120 players from all 30 teams.

So head out to the back-alley ballpark, Dodgers vs. Phillies, and see to it the right team wins. Seriously people: Don't. Jinx. Anything!

Update: Two additional games coming this Wednesday!

Gallery: MLB Stickball

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]]>2k-sportsbaseballmlbmlb-stickballxblaxblawednesdayJames Ransom-Wiley2008-10-06T16:30:00+00:00First Mega Man 9 DLC now on WiiWare, coming this week to XBLA/PSNhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/first-mega-man-9-dlc-now-on-wiiware-coming-this-week-to-xbla-ps/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/first-mega-man-9-dlc-now-on-wiiware-coming-this-week-to-xbla-ps/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/first-mega-man-9-dlc-now-on-wiiware-coming-this-week-to-xbla-ps/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The first two (of five) reminders that Mega Man 9 is not a retro title -- also known as premium downloadable content -- is available now on WiiWare and will be coming to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively (via press release). As previously noted, you can expect Endless Attack (300 Nintendo points) and Proto Man (200 NPs) this week. Proto Man has a charge shot, slide and a reflective shield, but he also takes double damage and is knocked back twice as far.

The remaining DLC -- Hero, Super and Special modes -- are expected October 20 for WiiWare, with the XBLA/PSN content presumably coming the same week.

Gallery: Mega Man 9 DLC

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]]>capcomdlcmega-manmega-man-9mega-man-9-dlcplaystation-networkpsnwiiwarexblaxbox-live-arcadeRoss Miller2008-10-06T05:05:00+00:00Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 done, priced at $15http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/penny-arcade-adventures-ep-2-done-priced-at-15/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The elaborately titled adventures of the webcomic duo, Gabe and Tycho, are set to continue this Fall in Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two. We're told that developer Hothead Games has just completed the downloadable RPG-adventure, bestowing "Gold Master" status upon the Windows, Mac and Linux versions.

The Xbox Live Arcade and PSN iterations are presumably still being tweaked (much like the PSN's Episode One), but will share the same price of 15 earth bucks. Hooray for subsequent episodic games becoming cheaper!

Gallery: Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2

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]]>EpisodicHothead-GamesPenny-ArcadePenny-Arcade-AdventuresPenny-Arcade-Adventures-Episode-2PSNXBLALudwig Kietzmann2008-10-01T15:30:00+00:00This Wednesday: XBLA winds up in War World (with Mega Man 9)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/this-wednesday-xbla-winds-up-in-war-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/this-wednesday-xbla-winds-up-in-war-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/this-wednesday-xbla-winds-up-in-war-world/#commentsFiled under: ,


This Wednesday sees a sole new Xbox Live Arcade release in the form of War World, a third-person shooter set in a typically mech-infested milieu. Aside from an assortment of bipedal tanks, War World offers players a 100-level single-player campaign, four multiplayer modes (deathmatch, CTF, etcetera) and best of all, "normal mapped diffuse and specular lighting," in exchange for 800 ($10).

It's also a much better deal than developer Third Wave Games' previous title, Peace World, which pretty much everyone found to be a boring, unrealistic and touchy-feely affair.

Update: Oops! We forgot about Mega Man 9. We just assumed you'd purchased it on a system with a functional d-pad.

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]]>MechsThird-Wave-GamesUbisoftWar-WorldXBLAXBLAWednesdayXbox-LiveLudwig Kietzmann2008-09-29T17:25:00+00:00'Summer of Arcade' behind XBLA's best month yethttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/summer-of-arcade-behind-xblas-best-month-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/summer-of-arcade-behind-xblas-best-month-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/summer-of-arcade-behind-xblas-best-month-yet/#commentsFiled under: ,


Newly released figures show that the "Summer of Arcade" wasn't just a windfall for gamers; it made Microsoft some serious scratch. MS reports that it saw a 58% increase in Arcade title purchases during the five-week "event," amounting to a 67% increase in revenue generated by XBLA in August - a new monthly record for the service. The company itself acknowledges that the quality of the titles was crucial to the gains. "The reason for all of this success? The games were really good," it said in a press release.

Xbox Live general manager, Marc Whitten, promises that, "The focus on quality games doesn't stop with the Summer of Arcade." So ... we're due for a "Fall and Winter of Arcade," then? Whitten called out upcoming XBLA releases such as Portal: Still Alive, South Park, and R-Type Dimensions as examples of a new wave of potential Arcade hits. "We have plenty more great titles coming out in the next few months and beyond that we think will continue to fuel this incredible momentum," he said. Wait, back up ... did he mean the R-Type Dimensions that hasn't been officially announced yet?

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]]>bionic-commando-rearmedbraidcastle-crashersgalaga-legionsgeometry-wars-2salessummer-of-arcadexblaRandy Nelson2008-09-26T23:00:00+00:00Tenchu: Shadow Assault coming to XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/tenchu-shadow-assault-coming-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/tenchu-shadow-assault-coming-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/tenchu-shadow-assault-coming-to-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,


Though Tenchu 4 may be coming to our shores, it looks like Japan still has a bit of ninja exclusivity to enjoy: Xbox 360 Fanboy recently spotted an ad for Tenchu: Shadow Assault, coming to XBLA. If the official descriptor of "trap action" isn't detailed enough, watch this trailer to see a bit of gameplay. It appears to be a party game of some sort with four players going at it -- or sometimes teaming up on enemies? It's hard to say.

It's already gotten the stamp of approval from Japan's ratings board, CERO, for a release this fall, but the ESRB has no record of it. So, as X3F hypothesizes, it could be staying in the Land of the Rising Fun. We'll keep you posted.

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]]>from-softwaretenchutenchu-shadow-assaultxblaJustin McElroy2008-09-26T09:30:00+00:00Banjo-Kazooie looking sharp on XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/banjo-kazooie-looking-sharp-on-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/banjo-kazooie-looking-sharp-on-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/banjo-kazooie-looking-sharp-on-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,

Not to berate or belittle the big, bouncing buffoon's bygone birth, but the backpack-packing bear (from Rare) clearly benefits from blatantly bettered visuals in his XBLA bash. Whether you're a boy bedridden or babe bored in your boudoir, you'd best be aware that this bear with a bird in his backpack is worth both a care and a stare.

(Also, alliterations are annoying.)

Gallery: Banjo-Kazooie (XBLA)

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]]>Banjo-KazooieBanjo-Kazooie-3Banjo-Kazooie-Nuts-and-BoltsRareXBLALudwig Kietzmann2008-09-25T20:30:00+00:00Joystiq interview: Blow unravels Braid in postmortemhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/joystiq-interview-blow-unravels-braid-in-post-mortem/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/joystiq-interview-blow-unravels-braid-in-post-mortem/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/joystiq-interview-blow-unravels-braid-in-post-mortem/#commentsFiled under: ,


With the release of Braid, Jonathan Blow became not only the creator of one of the highest-rated Xbox 360 games of all time, but a household name, at least among gamers. Infatuated as we are with his game, we sent Blow a stack of questions that he was kind enough to answer -- everything from why there aren't many games he enjoys these days to why Space Giraffe is the best action game on XBLA.

Read on.

It seems like such a personal game and personal story, I'm curious how you felt the day before the game released to the public. Terrified? Excited?

I was interested to see how the game would be received, but I can't say that I was super-emotional about anything. In terms of public reception -- if that turned out badly, well, I thought that it was a pretty good game for my own tastes, so that would just mean that my tastes differ pretty widely from the market's. Which isn't necessarily so bad if your goal is not to make money. (At the same time, I am pretty glad that the critical reception was highly positive, much better than I could have expected).

I was definitely relieved that the game was done and was finally getting out there to an audience, though. I had been working on it for a long time.

What's been the most surprising thing to you about the critical and public response?
That the critical response was so unanimously positive. I expected some critics might strongly dislike the game -- the same way Space Giraffe got some scores in the 2-6 range. (Space Giraffe is an excellent game, by the way -- certainly the best action game on XBLA).

In the public, reading forums and such, you find some people who don't like Braid and are vocal about it, but that's to be expected -- you just can't please everyone, and in fact my design goal was not necessarily about pleasing people anyway. But the conversion rate is very high (that's the ratio of the number of copies sold to the number of times the demo was downloaded) which means that they like the game for the most part.

It's a challenging game that really forces the player to think and be engaged. With this being your first wide release, was there a temptation to make it more accessible?
Well, it is definitely more accessible than my previous publicly-released game, which used every key on the keyboard (plus shift, ctrl, and alt- modifiers) in order to play. With Braid I wanted to make a game that was maximally rich and deep, coming from a minimal set of game rules and controls. You can think of that as a certain kind of accessibility -- you don't need the entire Xbox 360 controller to play, you could do almost everything with just a stick and two buttons (and the game could be made to play entirely with just the stick and two buttons, with a few design changes).

But I didn't want to dumb the game down, or anything like that. I like games that are interesting, that give me something to think about or to be well-engaged in, that give me the benefit of the doubt as being an intelligent person. Fewer games like that are being made these days -- an awful lot of games are just about ushering the player through a fake experience, letting him win, making him feel like he is clever and strong without actually requiring him to be anything but a couch potato. I'm not interested in playing those games, and as a result of that (and other long-term design trends) these days there aren't many games that I enjoy. With Braid, I was making a game that I would like to play, and just having faith that there would be a reasonable number of people out there who would also like it.


I know your stance on a PS3 or Wii release of Braid, but have you ever considered putting it on a portable console?
I have thought about it, but there are a lot of technical and design challenges and maybe it's not worth it. For the DS the game would have to be completely re-created from the ground up, and I won't do that (I would rather be working on my next game), and I don't know anyone I would trust to do a high-quality job on that. So it is probably not going to happen. PSP might be more feasible if it's a downloadable game (so that it doesn't have to run off the UMD, because the music streaming stuff in Braid would not work off a UMD), but the direct-download-to-PSP market isn't really there yet, and again there would be a substantial investment in making the game run at a high quality level there, and I'm not sure who I trust to do it (though it would probably be easier to find someone to do a good job there than on the DS). The iPhone is capable of doing Braid well, both in terms of graphics and storage, but there is no way to control the game -- the touchscreen just won't work for Braid.

I am hoping that next year someone announces a next-generation handheld that is a better fit -- but I don't know what the chances of that are.

If it was released on a different platform, is there anything you'd change do differently?

"The iPhone is capable of doing Braid well, both in terms of graphics and storage, but there is no way to control the game."

Nothing major. If it's a handheld platform, there might need to be some adjustments to the way the story text is drawn, or to the level layouts if the screen aspect ratio is not close to 16:9 (this is one of the big problems with the DS; all the levels in the game would have to be completely redesigned, and then, is it really the same game any more?)

I feel like in part due to the distribution method and the size of your team, and in part due to the game's unique tone and presentation, you've joined the small club of video game auteurs, and a public image of you has really just been created over the past month. I'm curious how your reaction to that has been.
I'm trying not to get too caught up in it; I don't like the public persona thing very much, especially because the public image that forms tends to be heavily distorted, not much like me at all. On the positive side, when I do a lecture or something like that, it helps the information get out to more people; on the negative side, that information is usually in heavily-distorted form, liveblogs or write-ups claiming I said things that I would never actually say, latching onto some small statement and blowing it way out of proportion and trying to create some controversy in order to generate web hits, while ignoring the core idea that the statement was there to illustrate. This happens with interviews too, pretty often. Then you get to the next level of indirection, when people actually read the piece, and often they barely skim the write-up or transcript, or else just read someone else's summary about it on an aggregator blog somewhere and didn't even follow the link; so ultimately the understanding that builds in peoples' heads has little to do with the actual reality.

Then I look at all this and think, hmm, there is nothing special about my situation -- this must be true for most public discourse most of the time. It's pretty sucky.

In terms of the ending: Did it evolve from the mechanic? Or were the two simultaneous creations?
I first came up with the ending about eight months into development, after the rest of the game was well-established. Prior to that I had a lot of ideas for how things could end, but wasn't satisfied with them. This one, though, I felt did the rest of the game justice.


When you see people trying to piece together the narrative of the game from the fragments you provided, is it tempting for you to just wade in and lay it all out for them?
Not really, because I would not be capable of doing that. The narrative in Braid is not being obscure just for obscurity's sake. It's that way because it was the only way I knew how to get at the central idea, which is something big and subtle and resists being looked at directly. If I were to make some kind of statement about what the game is about -- even a very long, elaborate and well-considered statement -- it would miss. It's like trying to clutch a handful of water very tightly; the water runs through your fingers and you end up with almost none. But if you cup an open hand, instead of clutching, you can hold a little more. And then if you don't try to contain the water at all, if you instead just point to where it is, you can point at a whole lake. Or at least a small river leading into the lake. Someday, far in the future, the ocean, maybe.

The reason I made Braid is because it was the only way to express those particular ideas. If I could write a 5-paragraph essay telling you what Braid is about, then why wouldn't I just write that essay and post it on my web page? Then I wouldn't have needed to spend 3 years making the game! That would have been a lot easier.

Now that you've seen the game from inception to release, is there anything you'll change about your process next time? Or did it change during Braid's development?
It's too early to tell. My next game is going to be very different from Braid (it's a 3D game, for starters), and that means that the process will have to be different somehow. I am definitely going to try and keep the next game personal, with only a few people helping me make it. We'll see how that goes.

"It's not trying to present puzzles that are hard; it's trying to present puzzles that are interesting, which is a different thing."

This might be kind of odd question, but Braid has such a specific atmosphere and tone I'm curious what your development atmosphere was like. Was there any certain music you listened to? Anything you had to have on hand?
I did have a few early musical influences, which live in the same emotional neighborhood as the things I was doing in Braid. The first of these is the music of the Dirty Three (especially the album Horse Stories). The second is the music of Lisa Gerrard (including Dead Can Dance stuff). Lastly, there's the soundtrack to Dead Man, by Neil Young. All this is very different from the music in the final game, and there are a lot of different reasons for that, some of them purely functional (what kind of music works as a game, as opposed to being listened to directly with all your attention focused on it?).

With little exception, once you have the solution to a puzzle in Braid, there's not a whole lot of challenge in performing or repeating it. How difficult was it to balance the difficulty of something like that?
Balancing difficulty was not a major concern. Braid doesn't follow the design conventions that a lot of other games use. It's not trying to present puzzles that are hard; it's trying to present puzzles that are interesting, which is a different thing. Some puzzles in Braid are pretty easy, but still interesting. Some are hard. I did try to pace the puzzles so that you get spots of easy or intermediate difficulty in between the hard parts (which is something most games don't seem to do -- designers still have this idea that games ought to ramp up monotonically in terms of difficulty or complexity, and I think that is an inflexible mindset that misses out on a lot of opportunity). But I was limited in how effectively I could pace things, because there's no telling which of these puzzles someone will find difficult. There are some trends, but that's all they are: trends. So at another level I just had to know that this wasn't the kind of game where I should be trying to control the player experience that tightly, because it wouldn't be possible without turning Braid into a hand-holding game, which I didn't want to do. There are more than enough hand-holding games out there.


Do you regret bringing up the financial end of Braid development and sales? Do you think it distracted from the game's content or helped to get it a bit more buzz?
This is one of those areas where a lot of people on the Internet were somehow raising a stink while simultaneously demonstrating that they have no idea what they are talking about. So there was a lot of negativity out there (a lot of it on Joystiq), but it was all baseless, so it would be silly for me to care. For example, some people were reacting as though $180k were a tremendously high cost for a 2D game and that I must be some kind of terrible business person for needing that much money. Well, before posting they could have looked up how long the game was in development, and who worked on it, and done some mental computations on the cost. That information is out there and it only takes 10 minutes to look up. Maybe they could have gone and read the N+ postmortem from earlier this year, where the authors estimated that $125k is the absolute minimum cost for an XBLA game, and it would be a tremendous stretch to even hit that. That would be a pretty quick read and might be very informative. Oh dear, this postmortem says N+ cost $214k! What does that mean? At one point some people were complaining that it didn't make sense that I was saying I hadn't yet made back my investment; but they didn't stop and make a simple model of the transactions involved and realize that if I am trying to replace money back into my savings that I spent on development, then I have to pay taxes first, and taxes are pretty high for self-employed people. They could estimate those taxes fairly accurately by looking at publicly-available information on the Internet!

But of course nobody did all that research; none of the forum posters thought about Braid's financials that carefully. Why would they? They don't care that much. They just wanted to gripe about something, and Braid and its development cost estimates are what happened to be in front of them that day. On a different day, it would be something else. It doesn't take much effort to be grumpy.

I am glad to have made this data public, and I will continue to do so in the future, in as much detail as my contractual agreements allow. This kind of information is very useful for other indie developers and for hobbyists trying to get into the industry. If they want to release a game on XBLA, how much money do they need? If they don't have it, how do they get funding? Can they point at any performance estimates for Braid or N+ or other XBLA games in order to help them get funding, or build a business plan?

If gamers want to see more games that are imaginative or different or aesthetically bold, well, most of those games are going to come from indies. So a thriving indie scene is in the best interest of all gamers, even people who just play mainstream games (because the good ideas in indie games will eventually get cherry-picked and used in bigger games). So I hope that when I publicly release information like this, forum posters and other enthusiasts out there realize that it is part of my attempt to contribute to this process of creating a healthy indie community, one that is viable in the long term and helps to produce quality games.

What are you working on next? How are you filling your days now?
I am working on the Braid patch for XBLA, and the PC version, and talking to some folks about ports to other platforms. I am also spending some time relaxing, and a little bit of time working on my next game.

Finally, and most importantly, where are all the bikini clad babes and mutants?
Duke Nukem 3D was just released on XBLA [Wednesday]!


We'd like to thank Mr. Blow for putting the time in to answer all our questions, even if he didn't take our mutant babes suggestion seriously enough.

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]]>braidjonathan-blowxblaJustin McElroy2008-09-25T16:00:00+00:00Vigilante 8 finally approved by Microsoft for XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/vigilante-8-finally-approved-by-microsoft-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/vigilante-8-finally-approved-by-microsoft-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/vigilante-8-finally-approved-by-microsoft-for-xbla/#commentsFiled under: , ,


After months of struggling, Vigilante 8 Arcade is finally on the fast track to release. This is probably the last time we'll get to recap this, so bear with us: The game first aimed for a for a June release, it was finished in August and then got tripped up again earlier this month. But, finally, the game has broken through Microsoft certification and is now careening toward an undetermined release date.

It's good news, but we have to say ... it's not exactly "vigilante" is it? Would Buford Pusser have waited for certification from Microsoft? Would Batman? We think not. Little more like "Citizen's Arrest 8" if you ask us.

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]]>luxofluxvigilante-8-arcadexblaJustin McElroy2008-09-24T17:30:00+00:00Banjo-Kazooie XBLA remake dated for Nov 26, sequel in 2009 [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/banjo-kazooie-xbla-remake-briefly-dated-for-nov-26-sequel-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/banjo-kazooie-xbla-remake-briefly-dated-for-nov-26-sequel-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/banjo-kazooie-xbla-remake-briefly-dated-for-nov-26-sequel-in/#commentsFiled under: ,

Microsoft today released -- and promptly pulled -- a press release via Gamerscore blog (original link; via TeamXbox) announcing that the Banjo-Kazooie Nintendo 64 remake is coming "exclusively" (i.e. we're guessing no Virtual Console release) to Xbox Live Arcade on November 26 for 1200 ($15). Additionally, Microsoft announced a Banjo-Tooie remake is coming in early 2009.

Those who pre-order Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will get it about two weeks early (the game launches just under two weeks prior on November 14). Achievements in Banjo-Kazooie will unlock content in Nuts and Bolts via the "Stop n Swop" mode. We don't know why Microsoft pulled the press release, but we'll let you know when it's back up. Update: It's back up.

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]]>banjobanjo-kaooie-nuts-and-boltsbanjo-kazooiemicrosoftnintendo-64nuts-and-boltsrarexblaxbox-livexbox-live-arcadeRoss Miller2008-09-24T13:40:00+00:00Peggle priced, detailed for XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/peggle-priced-detailed-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/peggle-priced-detailed-for-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/peggle-priced-detailed-for-xbla/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The second quarter has come and gone, and while our XBLA download queues have be left decidedly Peggle-free, PopCap's Greg Canessa remains adamant that the addictive puzzler is still on its way. In a recent interview, the PopCap exec blamed the game's tardiness on the addition of further polish and improvements, including 4-player local and online multiplayer over Xbox Live. Goodbye, free time!


Canessa also let slip Peggle's XBLA pricing of 800 Microsoft Points ($10), and while a firm release date for the title still remains up in the air, puzzle addicts can rest a little easier knowing that their addiction-of-choice is still expected to drop like so many colored pegs sometime before the year is out.

[Via X3F]

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]]>greg-canessamicrosoftpegglepopcapxblaJason Dobson2008-09-24T12:30:00+00:00Mega Man 9 DLC: You got extra modes!http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/mega-man-9-dlc-you-got-extra-modes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/mega-man-9-dlc-you-got-extra-modes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/mega-man-9-dlc-you-got-extra-modes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Despite its rigorous, retro stylings and old-fashioned platforming, not everything in Mega Man 9 is rooted in the past -- in fact, not every thing is in Mega Man 9. Nintendo Wii Fanboy peered into the downloadable game's online instruction manual (they're really terrible at it, you see) and discovered what appears to be a list of all the game's planned downloadable content, including dates and prices.

There are five pieces in total, with the first two modes, namely "Proto Man Mode" and "Endless Attack," scheduled to arrive on October 6th or 200 Wii Points and 300 Wii Points, respectively. The plans also reveal "Hero Mode," "Special Stage" and "Superhero Mode" due on October 20th. While you examine the full details after the break, we'll check in with Capcom whether all (or any) of these apply to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Mega Man 9.

Gallery: Mega Man 9 DLC



  • Endless Attack,October 6, 300 Wii Points: "Test your skills on a stage without end. Try to break the record for getting the farthest. Results will be displayed in the Rankings. Not compatible with Challenges."
  • Proto Man Mode, October 6, 200 Wii points: "Play the game as Proto Man. You can use the shield while jumping. Some of Proto Man's abilities may differ from Mega Man's. There is no story for Proto Man. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges."
  • Hero Mode, October 20, 100 Wii Points: "Play the game with a more difficult level of enemy distribution. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges."
  • Superhero Mode, October 20, 100 Wii Points: "Play the game with a super difficult level of enemy distribution. Not compatible with Rankings or Challenges."
  • Special Stage, October 20, 100 Wii Points: "Gives you another Time Attack Stage to try, including a new Boss at the end! Results will be displayed in the Rankings. Not compatible with Challenges."

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]]>CapcomDLCMega-ManMega-Man-9Proto-ManPSNWiiWareXBLALudwig Kietzmann2008-09-22T15:10:00+00:00This Wednesday: Hail to the King, Duke Nukem 3D is backhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/this-wednesday-hail-to-the-king-duke-nukem-3d-is-back/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/this-wednesday-hail-to-the-king-duke-nukem-3d-is-back/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/this-wednesday-hail-to-the-king-duke-nukem-3d-is-back/#commentsFiled under: ,

Lines you're likely to hear from this week's Xbox Live Arcade release, Duke Nukem 3D:
  • "What are you waiting for? Christmas?"
  • "It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of gum"
  • "I ain't afraid of no quake!"
  • "What are you? Some bottom-feeding, scum sucking algae eater?"
  • "Hmm, that's one "Doomed" Space Marine."
  • "I should have known those alien maggots booby trapped the sub."
  • "And I thought 10 guns was hard to carry!"
  • "Damn! I'm looking good!"
  • "Nobody jacks with our Independence!"
  • "I can't wait to play myself in Duke Nukem Forever, coming Fall 1998."
Killing alien scum will cost you 800 ($10).

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]]>3d-realmsduke-nukemduke-nukem-3dxblaxblawednesdayxbox-livexbox-live-arcadeRoss Miller2008-09-22T13:40:00+00:00Mega Man 9 dated for North Americahttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/mega-man-9-dated-for-north-america/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/mega-man-9-dated-for-north-america/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/19/mega-man-9-dated-for-north-america/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Everybody's favorite Mega Man -- who's not actually a man, but, in fact, a robotic boy with an insatiable lust for power and a proficiency for murderous kleptomania -- will kick off his throwback, comeback tour in North America later this month. Capcom has confirmed that Mega Man 9 will leap through Wiiware's shutter next week, on September 22nd, with the PlayStation Network version following on September 25th (for $9.99). Xbox Live Arcade will have to make do with October 1st.

Whichever version you end up buying, there's no question that you'll end up dying. But hey, since it's for everlasting peace, it's for a worthy cause.

Gallery: Mega Man 9 (WiiWare, PSN, XBLA)

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]]>BreakingNewsCapcomMega-ManMega-Man-9PlatformerPSNWiiWareXBLALudwig Kietzmann2008-09-19T14:45:00+00:00MLB Stickball coming to XBLAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/18/mlb-stickball-coming-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/18/mlb-stickball-coming-to-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/18/mlb-stickball-coming-to-xbla/#commentsFiled under: ,


If you like movies, you know that children of America used to occupy their free time with exactly two activities in olden days. Assuming that "Charles Barkley's Shut Up and Spin A Metal Circle Down the Street With a Stick" will never be released, we'll have to make do with MLB Stickball, coming to XBLA from 2K, for all our short-pants, turn-of-the-century American fantasies.

The multiplayer game features several different cities like New York and Boston, interactive environments and collectible packs of Topps baseball cards that, when opened, supply new members to the game's teams, which even we have to admit is a pretty adorable idea. Look for this "Game We're Most Surprised Isn't on Wii Award" contender on Oct. 8.

[Via X3F]

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]]>2k-gamesmlb-stickballxblaJustin McElroy2008-09-18T10:15:00+00:00Capcom creates retro-mazing Mega Man 9 'packaging'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/capcom-creates-retro-mazing-mega-man-9-packaging/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/capcom-creates-retro-mazing-mega-man-9-packaging/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/capcom-creates-retro-mazing-mega-man-9-packaging/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Your eyes are only slightly deceiving you. What you're looking at sadly isn't some sort of amazing, limited edition retail release of the upcoming Mega Man 9 for WiiWare, PSN, and XBLA; it's actually amazing NES-era replica packaging for the game's press kit, right down to an NES cartridge turned CD case.

Both the box and cartridge sport the wonderful, intentionally awful MM9 art first seen on Capcom staff T-Shirts at this year's E3. These asset discs are intended for members of the press, but, obviously realizing that it had created something destined to be the object of unbridled fanboy lust, Capcom is considering releasing 200 or so to the public via its online store, along with a voucher for the game download.

[Update: Thanks to Capcom's Seth Killian for sending along much nicer shots of the packaging - check out the shrink wrap and oodles of goofy text! - which you can view by clicking on the gallery links below.]

Gallery: Mega Man 9 Press Kit

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]]>capcomcollectiblesmega-manmega-man-9psnwiiwarexblaRandy Nelson2008-09-17T16:30:00+00:00Soulja Boy tells 'em about Braidhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/soulja-boy-tells-em-about-braid/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/soulja-boy-tells-em-about-braid/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/soulja-boy-tells-em-about-braid/#commentsFiled under: ,


When worlds collide it's often awesome, producing something greater than the sum of two parts. But sometimes it makes something absolutely cringe worthy. Sadly, when rapper Soulja Boy discovered Braid and gave his considerate, well-reasoned and utterly profane critique (which you can watch right after the break, if you're not at work), it was one of the latter situations.

Oh, and while you watch, try to decide which is more entertaining: watching Soulja Boy mistake Braid for bong time fodder or reading comments from people who are so angry at him for not "getting it."

[Thanks, Kat]

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]]>braidjonathan-blowsoulja-boyxblaJustin McElroy2008-09-17T12:45:00+00:00