All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

505 Games' ambitious tackle-em-up Backbreaker is looking to prove that an NFL license isn't all one needs to make a good football game -- and it'll get its chance on May 25, when the Euphoria-powered game will release in North America. Europeans anxious to break a back (and maybe an arm or two) will have to wait until May 28.

So, what's your favorite part of football? Is it all of the home runs or the great names, like Dick Butkus?

Shoot to survive, comrade!

The IGN editors weigh in on the fastest-selling game in the RPG series' history.

Beam me up, Swampling.

“In the future we’re interested in making a similar game, but there are no definite plans yet.” - Suda51 This is just one small excerpt from a 7 minute Suda51 video interview. Please make sure to check out the full piece below.

If you live in Japan and you’re looking to buy Tales of Graces, make sure you pick up a copy with the sticker you see above. This lets consumers know that they’re purchasing the fixed version of the game. It would be pretty crappy to buy the game now, only to find out [...]

#industry A report says Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the publisher behind Scribblenauts and F.E.A.R. 2, will open a studio in Montréal to focus on developing games based on the Warner-owned D.C. Comics franchises. More »

Jonesing for a few handfuls of new decks for Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers? You could try throwing your real-life Magic cards at the screen as hard as you possibly could, hoping they'll somehow break into the virtual plane of existence. Or, you could take the more intelligent route and wait for the next batch of DLC to drop -- GamerBytes reports the expansion will add three new decks and "a slew of new cards" to the XBLA title.

In addition, the DLC will feature a new single-player campaign (in which two of the new decks will be unlocked), as well as new challenges, personas, Achievements and Avatar Awards. There's no release date on the new content, but we'd previously heard a Spring launch window. Oh, hey -- it's Spring right now!

#dlc Remember those Sonic the Hedgehog costumes for LittleBigPlanet that we told you about last November? They're coming your way this week, and they're still as hideous as ever. More »

We didn't know what to expect when Nintendo of America showed up to the Joystiq offices with a brown paper bag. On the bag was a "guest check" featuring one Nintendo DSi XL and one "XL sandwich." When we opened the bag we only found Nintendo's new hardware (which we'll be giving away soon, of course!).

So where was our sandwich? And how big could an XL sandwich be? Two men carrying two ten-foot subs walked up the stairs and plopped it in front of us. Looks like Joystiq's current NYC representatives -- Andrew and Ludwig -- will have a pretty significant lunch to eat today.

Our first few minutes with this action MMO.

With PlayStation Move (and, let's not forget, the Splitfish lineup), the PS3 is taking part in the dual-controller wizardry that Wii owners have been enjoying for years -- a layout designed to allow free arm movement, but functionally allows us to play games without having to expend the effort to lift our arms from our sides to rest our hands in our laps. Now Xbox 360 owners will be able to get in on the slack-armed fun -- and utilize mouse control in their first-person shooters while they're at it -- with Bannco's "X Scorch" controller, an Xbox-based version of another two-handed PS3 setup, the "FragNStein."

The X Scorch, which is cross-compatible with PC, combines a custom mouse with a wireless Nunchuk-esque controller that features a D-pad, an analog stick and some trigger buttons. According to Bannco, the device is upgradeable via firmware updates and has "digital sniper buttons," which certainly sounds impressive. The X Scorch retails for $79.99. See it in action after the break.

#ea Electronic Arts tells Kotaku that while they're exploring different downloadable game strategies, they do not plan to charge gamers for "traditionally free game demos." More »

#nintendo Nintendo's upcoming WarioWare: D.I.Y., the game that lets players create their own playable microgames, is tapping a handful of all-star developers to create free downloadable content, including the makers of games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid and Scribblenauts. More »

Playing your own microgames in WarioWare D.I.Y. is great and all, but what if you could play 5-second microgames designed by your favorite developers, like 5TH Cell, Gaijin Games, and even Cave Story creator Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya? In the weeks following the release of the microgame creation suite, you'll be able to do just that.

Every Monday from March 29 through July 26, Nintendo will make new microgames in its "Big Name Games" series available for free download through WarioWare D.I.Y. The first offerings will include the game Yoshio Sakamoto showed off at his GDC presentation, as well as a game from Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai. Team Meat and WayForward are also contributing games.

Filed under: Podcasts Rejoice, for the Xbox 360 Fancast crew is whole once again. This week, we have not two, not three, but all four of the Fancasters present and accounted for. We all even manage to stay for the whole episode. How about that? Together, we discuss the rumored Xbox 360 hardware revisions, supposed USB storage support and our hopes for Project Natal. Download the latest episode and fill those ear holes up with love.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in Zune Marketplace (MP3).
[RSS MP3] Add the Xbox 360 Fanboy Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM), Alexander Sliwinski (Sli Xander), Xav de Matos (Snypz) and Dave Hinkle (KnifefightYaDad)

Music: Intro/Outro: "Electromooq" by Uma Floresta. Break: "Jail La La" by Dum Dum Girls.

For fans: Xbox 360 Fancast Facebook group

What if the Cold War never ended?

#clips Ubisoft's Red Steel 2 hits stores this week, so you'd best get familiar with the weapons you'll be using to get the job done. More »

[Legal Juice]
It's pretty obvious given the lack of a Virtual Console release today, but we still felt it worth pointing out to those of you expecting a new VC in Brief video. But, hey, this gives you a chance to catch up on our archives, if you've missed any -- or you could just download Cave Story, which is what you should probably be doing.

Microsoft has some plans for that little PAX East shindig taking place in Boston this week. Starting Thursday, the publisher will offer several events, followed by a few panels over the weekend that may be of interest to Xbox 360 users. Maybe you'll see some Joystiq folks on Friday morning at the Tweetup.

Events:
Thursday, March 25 from 5:30 to 6:30PM: Major Nelson will have a pre-PAX 2010 session for area college students at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, which is easily accessible on the Red Line of the T. No fee, but you'll have to register, due to limited space.

Friday, March 26 from 9:30 to 11:30AM: Tweetup, again at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge. Coffee and snacks before PAX starts at 2PM across the river. First 300 people receive "exclusive PAX East item." They'll also have a Surface, and they'll likely have Joystiq folks in attendance, as well.

Sessions:

• Friday, 6:30PM: Traversing the Twitterverse, and Beyond! (Manticore Theatre) Major Nelson and Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) discuss professional tweeting and gaming.
• Saturday, 3:00PM: Xbox LIVE Group Therapy.(Wyvern Theatre) Major Nelson records his podcast live for the first time.
• Saturday, 5:30PM: Podcasting (f)or PR (Naga Theater) Major Nelson discusses podcasting and PR with several big-wigs.
• Sunday, 11:30AM: Enforcement on Xbox LIVE: Tales from the Din Part 2 (Manticore Theatre). Stephen (@Stepto) Toulouse, head of Xbox LIVE Policy and Enforcement, discusses policing Xbox Live. Yes, it's a terrifying as it sounds.

We're looking forward to the Tweetup and Toulouse's presentation. If it's anything like his PAX Seattle presentation, it'll melt your face off.

#breach Developer Atomic Games, perhaps best known for its missing in action shooter Six Days In Fallujah but also responsible for the V for Victory series, has a new "multiplayer title for consoles and personal computers" that will "blow your mind." More »