Archives for Jan 6th, 2012
N-Control makes good after PR meltdown, donates to Child's Play [update]
Something good has come out of the PR nightmare faced by N-Control (when its PR turned out to be a nightmare). In a successful effort to buy good press, the company announced today that it's donated $10,000 to Child's Play, along with a pledge of $50,000 worth of Avenger products, which currently ...
Rayman Origins 3DS brings beauty to Europe on March 16, still no NA launch date
While it sadly didn't make it into our top ten list for 2011, Rayman Origins is arguably one of the most beautiful games of 2011, if not ever. And now our starved-for-visuals friends across the pond with 3DSes get to experience it before us. Well, okay, we only assume they'll get first crack ...
More DICE employees jump ship to Ngmoco's Swedish studio
After former DICE / EA Easy dev Benjamin Cousins left his former role, we were pretty sure he was on his way to a world bicycling championship. As it turns out, he's keeping his bicycling hobby on the side and running the Swedish branch of Ngmoco instead -- and he's bringing along some friends ...
WRUP: Coming to America
This weekend we welcome one Ludwig Kietzmann to our teeming shores, the amber waves of grain sweeping him into the bosom of his new land. Where the streets are paved with gold and every house has abundant supplies of Bagel Bites and Pizza Rolls. Welcome, Mr. Kietzmann, make sure to stand upon ...
In defense of Xenogears
This is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change ...
Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition peels out on January 17
As prognosticated by retailers last month, Sony has officially revealed Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition. As expected, the game packs in the original GT5 with a host of extra content, including every update through Spec 2.0 right on the disc and a voucher for five pieces of downloadable content. ...
Boo: Scarygirl sneaking up on PSN and XBLA this month
TikGames is following its licensed Scarygirl release on PS Minis with a new PSN/XBLA game, published by Square Enix. Called simply "Scarygirl," the platform-action game is based on a graphic novel about a girl with a tentacle arm and pirate garb, who goes on a no doubt scary adventure to ...
NFL Blitz review: All-star team
Nostalgia is, to use the vernacular of Rick James, a helluva drug. We're all addicted to it -- whether it's an old movie, your old stomping grounds or any number of things from your past, we all don the rose-colored glasses from time to time and, on occasion, suffer disappointment. Video games ...
Yu Suzuki expresses interest in obtaining Shenmue license from Sega
Get your grains of salt ready, we're about to report on the potential release of another Shenmue title. Speaking to French fan site Shenmue Master at the Toulouse Games Show (not to be confused with the other TGS), Shenmue maestro Yu Suzuki expressed possible interest in obtaining the Shenmue ...
Fake Miyamoto takes to Twitter and revitalizes Nintendo franchises in Flash
As if the saga of Fake Peter Molyneux weren't an exciting enough Twitter story, today we were introduced to Faux Shigeru Miyamoto, who creates amazing Flash games using classic Nintendo characters. Both Mario and Kirby are lampooned in Flash on the impersonator's Tumblr site, as well as the ...
Rock Band Weekly: Hall and Oates
Oh, oh here they come, watch out boy, Hall and Oates will chew you up! For those unfamiliar with Hall and Oates, also known as Hall & Oates, they were a "rock and soul" duo that ruled the charts of the early '80s. Three of their best tracks are available as Rock Band DLC next week. ...
EA unable to gain rights to SSX.com
EA, in an attempt to gain ownership of SSX.com ahead of the series' February relaunch, challenged Abstract Holdings International LTD's claim on the address, saying that the URL was registered in "bad faith." A panel at The National Arbitration Forum, however, has determined that EA's argument ...
Nikkei: Kaz Hirai stepping up as Sony president, Stringer staying on as chairman and CEO
It's unfortunate, but it seems unlikely we'll be hearing Sony Computer Entertainment's current "executive deputy president" Kazuo Hirai regaling us with extended "Riiiiiiiiidge Racer!" shouts much more, as Nikkei is reporting he'll be taking over as president of Sony Corporation in the coming ...
Steam sales increase 100 percent for the seventh straight year
Steam now hosts more than 40 million accounts and 1,800 games, and its 2011 year-over-year sales increased 100 percent for the seventh year in a row, Valve announced today with a ridiculously smug grin on its face (we assume). During the Holiday Sale, Steam clocked more than 5 million ...
UK retail game market fell in 2011
The boxed retail market continues to decline in the UK, with sales slipping 7 percent from 2010. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) reports, using Chart-Track data, that 2011 saw boxed sales of £1.42 billion ($2.2 billion). Of the ten best-selling games in the year, ...
11 minutes of down to earth Asura's Wrath footage
By which we mean that the latest Asura's Wrath footage -- extended from footage released in November -- doesn't actually take place on the moon. ...
Platinum's Kamiya hoping to announce his own game in 2012, Fumito Ueda loves Portal 2, and more
Since Bayonetta's late 2009/early 2010 debut, director Hideki Kamiya has gone relatively quiet. And while he remains that way for now, it seems we may see some movement from him this year, as he told 4Gamer in its big "looking back on 2011" Japanese developer feature (via Andriasang) that he ...
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus added to North America's Vita launch lineup
When the PlayStation Vita launches in North America on February 22, it'll be accompanied by a familiar face, obscured by a familiar facemask. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, the Vita revamp of the PS3 revamp of the Xbox reboot of the NES/arcade series, will be available at launch. This version adds ...
Try out Final Fantasy XIII-2 next week
So you think you can ride this chocobo? You can find out for yourself next week, when Square Enix will release a demo for Final Fantasy XIII-2. According to the Square Enix Members blog, the demo will be available worldwide on Xbox Live Arcade, and on the European PSN January 11, with a North ...
Miyamoto working on an unannounced 'original' game
A recent Zoomin Games interview with Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned in passing that, in addition to Luigi's Mansion 2 for 3DS and Pikmin 3 to Wii U, he is also working on what ZoomIn called an "undisclosed original title." Speaking about that mysterious new project, Miyamoto said "If you ask me, ...
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's ...
'The Wrath of the Lamb' will be The Binding of Isaac's only expansion, planned for inclusion with 3DS release
Edmund McMillen anticipates a release of The Binding of Isaac's first and only expansion, "The Wrath of the Lamb," at some point in "the next 2 - 4 months." At least that's according to Mr. McMillen himself, speaking with Joystiq in an email exchange last evening. "If we land the 3DS port, it ...
Phantom Breaker trailer materializes
You probably have a good idea of what Phantom Breaker is about -- it's a fighting game, after all -- but now you can familiarize yourself with 7sixty's Xbox 360 fighting game with a trailer. Enjoy the flashy effects and big, big combos! ...
Meet Final Fantasy XIII-2's moogle, kupo
Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't all about chocobos and improvements to the first XIII's formula, you silly kupo. There's also a serious focus on your personal Moogle and his repeated use of the word "kupo," kupo, as evidenced by this latest trailer. Also: kupo. ...
Minicraft gets even smaller, ported to Android
Minicraft, the game created by Minecraft man Markus "Notch" Persson in 48 hours last year, has been ported to Android devices. It's not an official port of the game, but has instead been (ahem) crafted by Folstad Consulting. The developer implemented touchscreen controls with optional keyboard ...
Battlestar Galactica, as retold by a 16-bit RPG
Feel like reliving the bizarre twists and turns of Battlestar Galactica without, you know, actually having to watch it again? College Humor has put together a handy (and fake) retro RPG that handily condenses the series' most memorable plot points (and holes). Oh, and: Spoiler warning. Duh. ...
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Call of Duty Elite's mobile app launches tomorrow on iOS, next week on Android
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The Joystiq Show - 019: Game of the Year Talk 05
Latest episode: Friday, December 30th, 2011
