Joystiq

The Joystiq Mother's Day Weekend 2008

Ross Miller — 2008-05-11T23:59:00+00:00

Happy Mother's day! We were so happy to play ... by gaming hours on Earthbound on our dusty ol' Super Nintendo console. Wait ... wrong mother? Oh well. (Image credit: protozoider) Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Japanese hardware sales, April 28 - May 4: Mothers in gaming edition
This Week in Review visits LittleBigPlanet
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup looks up at the stars

News
Gears of War 2 gameplay footage debut
BioWare drops 10-day validation from Mass Effect PC
EA wants you to "Skate It" on Wii and DS
EA takes out $1 billion loan for Take-Two acquisition
Facebreaker trailers: Meet the pugilists
Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time could have been in first-person perspective
Gamecock's Wilson announces candidacy for ESA president
Amazon and Gamestop offering God of War III pre-orders, claim March 2 release

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Kid Icarus Wii details, concept art revealed

Culture & Community
GamePolitics speaks with federal game bill sponsor, ESA deems bill unconstitutional
Ikea'nt believe it: A fully functional giant NES controller/coffee table
Spend Mother's Day playing games with mom

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Japanese hardware sales, April 28 - May 4: Mothers in gaming edition

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-11T21:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

As today is a nationally recognized day of matronly appreciation, I thought it appropriate to recognize some of the prevalent mama's in video gaming in this edition of the JHS. No, not the real-life mothers of game industry icons, though we certainly appreciate the progenial contributions that Mrs. Molyneux and Miyamoto-san have made to the planet -- we're talking about the digital mommies of our favorite video game characters.

So here's to you, Jenova. You may not have carried Sephiroth in your extraterrestrial womb (birthing that Masamune-wielding badass would have been truly uncomfortable), but here at Joystiq HQ, we count test-tube babies as actual human beings. Also, kudos to the minigun-toting Barret Wallace. Despite being of the male persuasion, Barret did have a daughter, and was, in fact, a baaaaaad mother (shut yo' mouth)! I'm only talking about Barret! (We can dig it.)

Then, of course, is the quintessential "Mom" from the Pokémon series. Provider of running shoes, setter of date and time, and in certain installments, banker -- Pokémom is certainly the most useful parent ever featured in any gaming franchise. However, there's something to be said of the biomechanical oversight provided by Metroid's Mother Brain. Many mothers have trouble managing one household -- this encapsulated vixen keeps tabs on an entire planet.

As you find yourself awash in the emerald glow of the following upward-pointers, why not take a moment to share your appreciation for your favorite digital maternal unit -- and then, of course, your own female progenitor. You know she worries.

- PSP: 100,870 8,459 (9.15%)
- Wii: 71,158 22,722 (46.57%)
- DS Lite: 52,542 10,107 (23.82%)
- PS3: 10,177 1,070 (11.75%)
- PS2: 8,802 1,694 (23.83%)
- Xbox 360: 1,725 442 (34.45%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The matronly archives

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup looks up at the stars

Ross Miller — 2008-05-11T20:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Online, Polls

Have you ever just looked up at the stars, trying to make your own constellations ... and suddenly everything becomes a star cluster of Pac-Man-related shapes? (Imave via The Librarianist) Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomics; voting after the break.

Real Life Application (Sharcbate)
Battle Fighter III: Hyper Edition (Truck Bearing Kibble)
Starcraft Blues (Extra Life)
p=mv (Digital Unrest)
The Expected Result (Penny Arcade)
Oh, you're choosing fire? (Super Effective)
Options (CAD)
Grand Theft Dinosaur (Dino Comics)
Define Addiction (2P Start)
It's DYN-O-MITE (Dueling Analogs)
"I'd be less nervous" (A Softer World)

Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup looks up at the stars

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple Wiimote-esque patent revealed

Scott Jon Siegel — 2008-05-11T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Mac, Nintendo Wii, Business

Cal us crazy, but we think we've seen this before. An Apple patent filed in November 2006 has just been published, describing a 3D cursor system that's surprisingly similar to Nintendo's Wii remote. The patent is likely related to the company's Apple TV set-top device and, unsurprisingly, references applications to video games in its description.

The patent describes using absolute and relative positioning of a pointer device in relation to two points positioned near a television screen (sound familiar?). According to the patent, this will allow the device to detect the movement of the remote in three dimensions. Apple has a tendency to patent anything and everything that goes through their offices, so odds are this device won't be Steve Jobs' "One More Thing" at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Still, we wonder how Nintendo feels about Apple's cute little idea.

[Via Engadget]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Amazon and Gamestop offering God of War III pre-orders, claim March 2 release

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-11T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action

We know that a vast majority of the gaming media consumers out there have a fairly negative outlook when it comes to pre-orders for popular titles (did anyone really have a hard time finding Halo 3 last September?), but that's not why we're writing about the recent pre-order listings on Amazon and Gamestop for the next (Barlog-less) installment in the well-received God of War franchise. What we find intriguing is the March 2 release date listed on both websites -- three quarters earlier than the last rumored launch window for the title. Is this wishful thinking from these two gaming retailers, or could the further adventures of everyone's favorite ashy Spartan hit shelves much sooner than expected?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumor: Kid Icarus Wii details, concept art revealed

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-11T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo Wii

For a game that hasn't even been formally announced, there sure seems to be a lot of information circulating about the Wiicreation of the celestial NES action-platformer, Kid Icarus. For instance, Kombo.com (not to be confused with Zombo.com) recently posted a veritable cornucopia of concept art for the rumored title, as well as some heretofore unannounced deets. Apparently, Pit has been "cursed for thousands of years for a crime" and has become a fallen angel -- those mature themes seem to resonate through the conceptual drawings, available on Kombo's site.

We're not sure if this new media is legit, but Kombo did break the rumor that Factor 5 was working on an Icarus title in late January. Perhaps they do indeed have an inside source -- though it's just as likely that their early plot details could have rolled off their own forked tongues. Check out the images, and judge for yourself.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamecock's Wilson announces candidacy for ESA president

Jason Dobson — 2008-05-11T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, E3, Business

With a number of names skipping out on this summer's E3, not to mention heavyweights Activision and Vivendi Games disavowing themselves of the ESA altogether, Gamecock sent word that its Grand Poobah Mike Wilson plans to step in to "right the ship" by announcing his candidacy for president of the Entertainment Software Association. The news, which was sent our way by Gamecock this weekend, included notice that the former GodGames co-founder plans to run on a platform of "bringing the fun back to the gaming industry."

While details remain light, the exec expects to announce more of his plans in the weeks leading up E3 (an event we all donned black to help Gamecock bury last year). The re-imagined conference will take place the week of July 15, during which both Wilson and Gamecock proper will run a campaign headquarters at L.A.'s Hotel Figueroa.

According to Gamecock, the location will be open to anyone and everyone in the public to drop in and play games -- no invitation necessary. We're on the fence as to if we're supposed to take this announcement seriously, or if this is just another grab for attention by the indie publisher, though either way Gamecock's track record promises that the end result will be strange.

[Via press release]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spend Mother's Day playing games with mom

Scott Jon Siegel — 2008-05-11T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Casual

Don't panic: It's Mother's Day today in North America. We know it crept up on you, overshadowed by more significant holidays like Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage Day and GTAIV ~~Day~~ Month. Luckily, Susan Arendt over at Game|Life has your back, with a list of excellent gaming gifts for moms of all types (or at least, all gaming types).

Does your mom miss those classic card game nights around the kitchen table? Fire up UNO on Xbox Live Arcade. Is she a tad overprotective of her offspring? She might relate to BioShock's Big Daddies (yes, we get the irony). Does she dig cooking and adorably mispronounced English? Then it's Cooking Mama all the way.

Of course, for moms who are less than avid gamers, there are also a plethora of excellent casual games out there. Titles like Peggle, Diner Dash, and Puzzle Pirates could prove to be perfect distractions for the mom with a lot on her plate. Happy Mother's Day to all the Joystiq-reading maternal units.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ikea'nt believe it: A fully functional giant NES controller/coffee table

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-11T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Hacks

First and foremost, apologies for the headline. If you can find it in your heart to forgive us, we're sure that the video above will tickle your fancy for gaming peripheral-themed furniture. We're not sure how much we'd pay for a custom-built, gigantic, functioning Nintendo Entertainment System controller (or a boxed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, for that matter) that doubles for a coffee table with a removable glass overlay, but we could be convinced to skip a few months' rent should this epic furnitroller show up at our local Targét. Our landlord would certainly forgive us when we invite him over for an exhilarating round of comically oversized Bible Adventures.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time could have been in first-person perspective

Griffin McElroy — 2008-05-11T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii

There aren't many gamers who don't harbor fond memories associated with the Nintendo 64's classic adventure (and to many, the greatest installment in the Hylian franchise), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to its beloved story and incredible visuals, it was a groundbreaking third-person adventure through an intricately detailed fantasy world -- but would we (and Game Rankings) still hold the triforce-hunting adventure in such high regard if we had experienced Hyrule directly through the point-eared protagonist's eyes?

In a recent discussion between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and revolutionary game developer (and Time's most influential person of 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, it was outed that Shiggy secretly possesses a penchant for first-person shooters (notably, Rare's seminal N64 shooter Goldeneye), and that he'd considered creating Ocarina of Time using an Oblivion-esque first-person perspective. We're not quite sure how this would have affected the title -- but we're certainly terrified of the prospect of witnessing Darunia's sexy dance of seduction first-hand.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Facebreaker trailers: Meet the pugilists

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-05-10T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports

Although the Facebreaker character trailers aren't half as amusing as the Team Fortress 2 portraits, we do have hope for the game itself. It would be nice if there was a now-gen "casual" boxing game that rekindled that fun we had while playing Punch-Out back in the '80s.

The latest Facebraker profile (above) is of Steve, your typical fat nerd cliché. We've also placed the video for Romeo after the break. With a September release as part of EA Sports' new Freestyle brand, we're looking forward to getting some hands-on time with Facebreaker at E3. Hopefully the gameplay will enhance the fun and diminish the creepiness we feel in these trailers.

Continue reading Facebreaker trailers: Meet the pugilists

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GamePolitics speaks with federal game bill sponsor, ESA deems bill unconstitutional

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-05-10T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Politics

GamePolitics has an interview with Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb), one of the congressmen, along with Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), attempting to pass a federal law forcing retailers to check IDs before selling M- and AO-rated games. One of the better moments in the interview is when GP asks Rep. Terry what game he was talking about when he stated there are titles players could score point for virtual rape. Terry responded, "That's a good question. I don't know of any [specific games] offhand... I just used the rape, pillage and plunder line..."

The ESA has publicly come out against the bill, with CEO Mike Gallagher saying that the bill is unconstitutional. He states the ESA shares the representatives' goals of "ensuring children are playing parent-approved computer and video games," but points out that all consoles now have parental settings which can be used to make sure kids play only the games their parents allow.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EA takes out $1 billion loan for Take-Two acquisition

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-05-10T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Business

Electronic Arts has received commitments for a $1 billion loan from various financial institutions toward its acquisition of Take-Two. The company has up until January 9, 2009 to tap the funds in its $2 billion hostile takeover and there's been no update on the deal since Take-Two's last rejection.

GamePolitics spoke with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter who says that after the Pandemic/BioWare acquisition that EA is a little strapped for cash. He believes the timing of this loan isn't "particularly unusual" and it could be possible that EA might make a higher bid for Take-Two.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EA wants you to "Skate It" on Wii and DS

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-05-10T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Sports

Much to the disappointment of many a Stephen King fan, the "It" meant to be skated is not, in fact, the psychotic clown that gobbles up kids and makes your tea turn into blood. Skate It's executive producer, Scott Blackwood, tells IGN (you know, those guys who unofficially revealed Skate's Wii and DS incarnations last month) that the "It" is largely up to you. "Rails, pools, ledges, banks, mega-ramps, gnarly downhill streets ... you make the call."

Blackwood explains that the team behind the well-received original game "are working co-operatively with partner studios to make Skate It," with DS development duties handled by UK developer Exient. Why bother bringing Skate to the Wii? Blackwood is glad you asked: "It's all about bringing that authentic Skate feeling to the Wii remote and stylus, or and for the full on immersive types, the Wii Balance Board." And here we thought a port of Sega's Top Skater would be the first one to let us do an alley-oop in the living room.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare drops 10-day validation from Mass Effect PC

Jason Dobson — 2008-05-10T09:25:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Action, RPGs, Business

After stirring up a hornets' nest of gamer contempt last week by announcing that the forthcoming PC flavor of Mass Effect would require re-validation every 10 days, BioWare community manager Jay Watamaniuk has come forward as the voice of reason on the game's official forums, stating that the developer has now removed the "feature" from the game.

Instead of employing the previously revealed DRM madness, Watamaniuk explained that Mass Effect will include just a one time online authentication, allowing players to play the game once validated without the disc in the drive at all. That said, if any new content is downloaded, the game will again have to bite the disc to make sure it's real. The caveat to all of this, however, is that each Mass Effect purchase will only be able to be installed a maximum of three times, news that has again incited us to pick up our torches and pitchforks and join the mob outside.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

This Week in Review visits LittleBigPlanet

Ross Miller — 2008-05-10T08:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

Sure, there was Europe's PlayStation Day event, but our favorite Sony news of the week was PS3 Fanboy's hands-on time with the most exciting, most adorable, most user-generated, most sackboy-prevalent game coming to the PS3. Now that's a lot of mosts. Check out all of our hands-on impressions and reviews from the Joystiq Network this week:

PlayStation 3

Haze (Demo hands-on)
LittleBigPlanet (Hands-on)
Super Stardust HD (Versus mode hands-on)

Gallery: LittleBigPlanet

Continue reading This Week in Review visits LittleBigPlanet

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gears of War 2 gameplay footage debut

Ross Miller — 2008-05-10T01:11:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Video

The Gears of War 2 gameplay footage is now out in the wild. Ready for some Locust-cutting action? We'll let the video speak for itself, embedded above. Update: Two more videos -- an 'Assault' gameplay and an analysis video -- can be found after the break.

Continue reading Gears of War 2 gameplay footage debut

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Today in Joystiq: May 9, 2008

Ross Miller — 2008-05-09T23:59:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Retro

Reader Brian C sent us these images along with the following description: "As I was on my way back to work I was driving to my parking spot when all of a sudden I quickly slammed on my breaks. After sitting in awe for a few minutes with a huge smile on my face, I figured I would grab the camera and take a few shots for everyone. Included are shots of a 5' tall Mario sculpture created by Kelly Barnett of Vassar College. The pictures are no testament to how truly awesome this thing is!" Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Ask Joystiq helps protect your DS screen
Counting Rupees: GTA IV vs. Iron Man
DS Fanboy Lite: May 3 - May 9
Highlights from Activision's FY08 earnings call
Joystiq hands-on: Roogoo (XBLA)
Joystiq hands-on: Super Stardust HD Versus mode
Joystiq Podcast 049 - Ruined edition

News
Bizarre Creations finished with PGR4, hands DLC duties to Microsoft
No Tony Hawk in 2008
EA, Criterion bringing Burnout Paradise to PCs
Ninja Gaiden II to get three costume packs in July
Atari gets delisted by Nasdaq
Gran Turismo series ships more than 50 million globally
Guitar Hero hits 15 million song downloads
Nintendo DS, Guitar Hero on Tour bundles coming this June
A 'significant leap' for Guitar Hero due this holiday for consoles and DS
Call of Duty 5 in 'new military theater', returns series to PS2 and Wii
Bizarre Creations's new racing IP due FY 2010
New Bond game Quantum of Solace runs on COD4 engine, launching with movie
Rock Band Weekly: Sonic Youth, The Clash and Blondie
A dwarven explosion of Wrath of the Lich King info
First Gears of War 2 gameplay video on Xbox Live tonight
XSEED inks Marvelous deal, Valhalla Knights II confirmed
Minnesota game law's only recourse is Supreme Court
Tecmo returning to E3 this year
EA purchases Napster creator's social networking site

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: GTA IV DLC going coast to coast, Niko books ticket to San Andreas

Culture & Community
Kids finding it harder to buy M-rated games
Gametrailers begins Metal Gear retrospective

Gallery: 5' Mario Sculpture

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Joystiq hands-on: Roogoo (XBLA)

Andrew Yoon — 2008-05-09T22:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Puzzle

Heard of Roogoo? Don't worry if you haven't. It's fallen a little under the radar, but our recent hands-on with this XBLA title has us hankering for more. Describing the game's premise does it little justice, simply because it seems like something that would barely entertain a three year old. However, under the game's cute exterior and almost-mindlessly simple gameplay lies a lot of depth and fun.

Roogoo follows one of the cardinal rules of the puzzle genre: inexplicably, things are falling from the sky. Blocks of various shapes will descend from above, and players must rotate platforms to allow these shapes to continue their journey downward. We're certain you've played with preschool toys that are similar to this: star goes in star, triangle goes in triangle, box goes in box, etc. The shoulder buttons rotate the platforms, and the A button lets you accelerate the falling piece.

As we warned, this description does little to make the game sound very entertaining. Trust me, I had the same reservations as you're probably thinking when approaching this title. However, things get surprisingly (almost embarassingly) difficult later on. Enemies will spawn in holes, and can only be knocked off by accelerating blocks on their heads. Blocks won't only come down faster, but they'll come down more than one at a time, forcing players to look at multiple levels of play at the same time. Jumping to one of the later levels had us reach miserable failure in a matter of seconds, as we collapsed under the overwhelming weight of colorful children's blocks.

Gallery: Roogoo (XBLA)

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Roogoo (XBLA)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EA purchases Napster creator's social networking site

Scott Jon Siegel — 2008-05-09T21:00:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Shawn Fanning has been doing more than simply riding high on the Napster phenomenon and appearing in Volkswagon commercials. In 2006, he created a new social networking site called Rupture, which shares game achievements from Halo 3, WoW, Madden 08 and other games with your friends. Now, EA is purchasing Rupture in a $30 million deal, making Fanning a happy, happy man (again).

Electronic Arts will be most likely utilizing the technology behind Rupture -- which never left its closed beta phase -- to improve its own online multiplayer experiences. As for Fanning, this is his first truly successful venture, following the bankruptcy of Napster, and the modest sub-5mil acquisition of SnoCap, the young entrepreneur's second company.

[Via Massively]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments