Back to Mobile View
| Mail |
You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more
Top stories

Ratchet & Clank movie announced, coming to cinemas 2015


Insomniac Games announced a Ratchet & Clank animated film today, and it's coming to cinemas in 2015. The movie sees Insomniac partner up with digital media studio Blockade Entertainment and computer animation company Rainmaker Entertainment.

[developing...]

Order Pizza Hut from Xbox 360

Xbox, order pizza
Xbox 360 owners now have the option to download the Pizza Hut app for their console and place an order directly from the comfort of their couch, cozy recliner or beanbag chair. As Polygon reports, there's no need to search for a phone anymore, as the chain's full menu (pizza, pasta, breadsticks, agita) is available from the app. Shame or pride after ordering can be shared across Facebook.

"We're always looking at ways to give our audience more of what they're interested in," Xbox's Larry Hryb told Polygon. "If you look at our audience, they love pizza. I mean, who doesn't? It has international appeal, and Pizza Hut is a recognized brand that matches up well with the Xbox brand."

Don't go thinking Microsoft is some pioneer in this space. In 2005, World of Warcraft let you order chinese food from Pandaren Xpress... no, wait, that was a joke. However, EverQuest 2 players could order a pie by simply typing /pizza.

Bethesda's 'Endless Summer' emerges on Australian ratings board

Bethesda's 'Endless Summer' emerges on Australian ratings board
An Australian rating for something called 'Endless Summer' points to Bethesda and its parent company Zenimax. The listing is for a 15-rated "modified" game and notes "strong horror themes and violence."

The rating comes hot on the heels of Bethesda announcing Shinji Mikami's The Evil Within, so it could be another codename for the horror game; The Evil Within isn't listed on the Australian Classification Board. Or it could be something else entirely - a surprisingly gritty adaptation of the 1974 album by pop sensations The Beach Boys, maybe. We asked Bethesda, but a company representative told us he couldn't comment on the listing.

A surfer-slasher re-imagining it is, then.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive takes the celebration to Vita in Japan

Corpse Party Blood Drive heading to Vita in Japan
Corpse Party: Blood Drive, a new game that continues chapter eight of Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, is on its way to the Vita in Japan, Siliconera reports, citing a translation of Famitsu. The game is set to launch this year and will include the end of the series' story, according to the translation.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows launched in 2012 on PSP and on PSN in January. There's no word yet on a western Vita launch of Blood Drive.

Portabliss: Fist Face Fight (iOS, Android)

This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go.

Fist Face Fight is a simple, fast-paced tap-to-punch game in which you defend a heart from attacking ninjas. You act from an overhead perspective, keeping tabs on the heart at the bottom of the screen and directing a disembodied fist while ninjas and other hazards encroach from all sides.

By tapping around the screen, Fist Guy (as he shall be called from now on) will strike out at that spot in a straight line and rest. Anything in Fist Guy's path will be be punched, even the heart.

Continue Reading

Today's Amazon gaming Gold Box is for grown-ups

Today's gold-coated, quick-fire deals from Amazon seem to have one thing in common: plenty of moider. A good portion of the deals are for games that get a bit angry and violent; we spot a mouth-frothing line-up that hints at Halo 4, Hitman: Absolution, and Dead Space 3 deals among others. Then there's the not-especially-calm Gears of War: Judgment, which is going for $34.99 until 8AM ET (5AM PT), tempestuously fidgeting as it revs its chainsaw.

At least the all-day deal brings peace and serenity in the form of God of War: Ascension. The latest PS3 whimsy starring the gentle, philanthropic demigod Kratos politely requests $39.99 for its individual services, or $279.99 for its 500GB Garnet Red PS3 bundle, which also includes God of War: Saga and a cuddly Kratos plushie (or at least it should).

Take your whole body on The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot

Image As you might imagine, Ubisoft's The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a dungeon crawler at heart. But that's just one organ in the game's anatomy: the game's trailer shows off the arms of character customization, the brain of dungeon building, and the long, long legs of asynchronous multiplayer ... Continue Reading

UK Interactive Entertainment CEO defends games as culture before EU tax investigation

UKIE CEO Jo Twist defends games as culture in EU investigation
Last week the European Commission announced it would kick off an "in-depth investigation" into proposed UK tax relief for video game developers, and UK Interactive Entertainment's Jo Twist wasn't too pleased by the news. This week the non-profit's CEO calls on the UK games industry to send a clear message to the European Commission, that games are culturally and economically relevant.

"[Games] generate culture, and are purveyors of culture in their own right," Twist writes. "They generate emotion and opinions, and the way they do that is through story, through experiences, and a huge diversity of innovative mechanics ... We have to show why there are not as many culturally British games being made as there could be and how the credit would help address this."

The UK games tax relief plan calls on developers to pass a "cultural test" before receiving financial aid, incentivizing games starring British lead characters, in British locations or made by a local British team. The EU Commission worries the tax relief could negatively impact competition.

"The market for developing video games is dynamic and commercially promising," said EU Commission VP of Competition Policy Joaquin Almunia. "It is not clear whether the taxpayer should be subsidizing this activity. Such subsidies could even distort competition."

Twist notes that the EU Commission investigated both the UK film tax credit and French video game tax system, both of which were eventually approved, setting a historical precedent to accept the UK's proposal. Further information on UKIE's defense can be found on its Facebook page.

Xbox SmartGlass now available for Kindle Fire and Kindle HD

Xbox SmartGlass app out on Kindle Fire and Kindle HD
Xbox SmartGlass has migrated over to Amazon's Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets. First generation Kindle Fires are out of luck since they're based on Android version 2.3 and the Xbox SmartGlass app requires Android 4.0 and higher.

An update to Xbox SmartGlass little over a week ago made Microsoft's second-screen experience compatible with 7-inch and larger Android tablets. Xbox SmartGlass launched in November 2012, allowing Xbox 360 users to control videos and interact with SmartGlass-enabled apps and games using compatible smart phones and tablets. In addition to the Android app, Xbox SmartGlass is available for free on iOS devices and, of course, Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

Exclusive launches are sometimes necessary, Papo & Yo creator says

Papo & Yo creator Exclusive launches 'can be good'
Papo & Yo cost developer Minority Media $1.5 million to make, and its exclusive release on PS3 in 2012 earned back some of that cost. It came to Steam last week, and during GDC creator Vander Caballero told us the PC launch should "cover the whole cost of the game." If it weren't for Sony and that exclusive PS3 launch, however, Papo & Yo may have never seen the light of day.

"If you are an independent you have zero marketing money," Caballero told Kotaku. "You have nothing. Then you need someone to support your project. So, if someone asks you for exclusivity and it's going to help you to bring out your product into the market, I think that can be good. Sometime, I think it's the only way to get something out."

Caballero's next game with Minority is Silent Enemy, an exploration and puzzle game set in a harsh, mystical Canadian tundra, but with a message about bullying. Minority doesn't have any platforms locked down for Silent Enemy just yet, but Caballero is considering PS4, PC, tablets and Ouya.

Worms Revolution Collection aims for Xbox 360 in UK this May


A hygienic Worms bundle will soon be available at UK retail. The Worms Revolution Collection, which includes Worms Revolution and Worms 2 Armageddon will be available May 3 for £24.99.

Both Revolution and Armageddon are the 2D gamplay style of classic Worms, with the former incorporating 3D graphics. The bundle also includes all three downloadable content packs (Mars, Funfair and Medieval Tales) released for Revolution. We've reached out to developer Team 17 for details on North American and general European release.

Continue Reading

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Wii U turns the WiiPad into a SpyPad

Image Splinter Cell: Blacklist on Wii U turns the WiiPad into Sam Fisher's OpSat: Operational Satellite Uplink. It's a means of switching gadgets, controlling drones, using spy cams and rifling through Sam's inventory. Unfortunately, there's no option to make Sam talk out his problems. ... Continue Reading

Now Playing: April 22-28, 2013

Now Playing April 2228, 2013
Fun, sun and the undead await you this week in Dead Island: Riptide...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

Continue Reading

Namco's Idolm@ster games released on iOS in English (for $55 each)

Namco's Idolmster games released on iOS in English for $55 each
Namco Bandai's Idolm@ster games have been exclusive to Japan since the series started, and for good reason: they're all about being a producer who recruits, trains, and promotes a girl group of "idol" performers. It's a huge sensation in Japan, and would meet mostly blank stares over here.

And now, Namco is helping generate those blank stares, releasing three Idolm@ster games, in English, on the iOS App Store. The catch: they're rhythm game spinoffs, without any of the simulation aspects. The real catch: they're $54.99 each. They're the same, except each stars a different team of erstwhile idols and includes a different animated sequence.

Square Enix just breathed a massive sigh of relief, as the pressure is off of its insane iOS pricing tendencies for a while.

Fez gets another remix album May 7, 'FZ: Side Z'

Fez gets another remix album May 7, 'FZ Side Z'
Only two days after the release of FZ: Side F, composer Disasterpeace has announced another album of remixed Fez tunes. Titled FZ: Side Z, the album is to serve as "the second half" of the remix project, according to the latest Disasterpeace newsletter. We don't have much else to go on, apart from a small image of the album's cover, which is simply the letter Z in Fez's coded alphabet. Presumably, like Side F, the new album will feature tracks by various artists.

The album drops on May 7, just a few days after Fez (the game) lands on PC.

[Image: Cover art for "Kompass" on FZ: Side F]

The Evil Within protagonist makes do without 'extraordinary powers'


The Evil Within won't empower the player beyond "appropriate" weaponry and a delicate dearth of ammunition, claims Director Shinji Mikami.

"We're not giving the player really any extraordinary powers," he told IGN, "but we don't want to go in the opposite direction and not give them any means of fighting back – that would violate the rules of survival horror. So we're looking at appropriate types of weapons with a limited amount of ammunition in order to get them through ... if they're good."

The Evil Within follows a detective named Sebastian, an unfortunate soul summoned to a distorted, labyrinthine asylum crawling with creepy things. Mikami sees the premise as a source of proper scares, and frames it in an overtly cinematic way – right down to the survival-horror game's wider aspect ratio of 2.35:1. (As with some films, this means you'll see black bars above and below the image on HDTVs, which are typically in 16:9 ratio.)

Mikami's approach is reflected, arguably to a fault, in a live-action trailer for The Evil Within. If you have trouble stomaching the more grotesque parts, just substitute the gore for gourmet foods. The gnarled corpse becomes chicken, and the final shot is spaghetti escaping confinement in a microwave.

Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded aims for May 31 launch in NA, June in EU

Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded due out in June in Europe, May 31 in NA
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded needs to work out the kinks in its pick-up lines, but the game should be out by May 31 in North America, Replay Games CEO Paul Trowe told Shacknews.

"We should be in beta this week," Trowe said. "We need to get all the bugs and game freezes out of the way, and maybe do pick-up lines with the actors that may have been missed. We'll get the game to about 7,500 of our Kickstarter backers for the beta test, and they'll also be testing foreign language versions as well."

The beta should run about two weeks, Trowe said, and when it launches, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded will be $20 for PC, Mac and Linux. During GDC, Trowe told us he hoped to see Reloaded out between May 15 - 30. The game is scheduled to hit Europe in June for £15.

Continue Reading

Saints Row 4 gets 'Commander in Chief' pre-order bonus

Saints Row 4 getting a CommanderinChief edition
Publisher Deep Silver – new owner of the Volition-developed Saints Row series – has announced that Saints Row 4 is getting a special "Commander in Chief" edition, available for free to everyone who pre-orders the upcoming game.

Earning the special edition content means you'll get a snazzy Uncle Sam outfit, a "Screaming Eagle" jet, and a "'Merica weapon," which boasts flamethrowers, "dub step guns," and rocket launchers.

Saints Row 4 will see the Third Street Saints voted into presidential office on August 20 in North and Latin America, and August 23 in other regions.

Continue Reading

Bastion is $3.75 today, more deals in GamersGate 'Spring Sale'

The Spring Sale over at Gamersgate continues with a nice daily deal on Bastion, Supergiant Games' wonderful action-RPG, for $3.75. Other deals today include Endless Space for $17.48 and half-off the Double Fine bundle, a collection of Brutal Legend, Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking for $22.50.

This sale is bolstered by ongoing weekly deals, such as the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Collection for $12, Sine Mora for $4.98, Trine 2 for $3.75, Legend of Grimrock for $5.10 and Sonic Spinball for $1.70 – the full nine-page list is available through the source link below.

Animated platformer 'Buddy & Me' succeeds on Kickstarter

Animated platformer 'Buddy & Me' succeeds on Kickstarter
Buddy & Me, a beautifully drawn 2D endless runner about a boy and his "magical flying creature" pal having adventures in a dream world of "infinite treehouses," passed its $40,000 Kickstarter goal, ending with $42,093 raised. That funding will enable developer Sunbreak Games to complete the iOS/Android game, expected in June.

Founder Jason Behr had experience working on the Metroid Prime series as lead level designer, and on Halo 4 as senior mission designer, before starting his own company and working on a game that looks nothing like either of those. "At Sunbreak," the Kickstarter project explains, "we're dedicated to crafting entertainment with a more 'positive' tone, so for Buddy & Me we focused on three core themes: companionship, an obsession with treehouses, and the natural excitement of exploring the great outdoors."

Joystiq App

Available for iPhone/iPod + Android

iPhone App Android App

Network Status

Online

Xbox Live

Fully armed and operational.

Online

PlayStation Network

Fully armed and operational.

Online

Nintendo Network

Fully armed and operational.

Online

SimCity

Fully armed and operational.


What's In A Name

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/31/whats-in-a-name-red-barrels/

More →


Quotable

No matter what you've ever done, it doesn't matter. Success is not guaranteed.

— Bungie's Joseph Staten on earning success with Destiny after Halo.

The Joystiq Podcast

The Joystiq Podcast

Super Joystiq Podcast 046: New 3DS Zelda, Injustice Gods Among Us, Mario & Luigi Dream Team

Latest episode: Friday, April 19th, 2013

Facebook Activity

Engadget

Engadget

TUAW

TUAW

Massively

Massively

WoW

WoW