All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Rhythm-based racing experience with tracks designed by motocross champion.

#igaming The $1 Angry Birds is priced just right for sampling, I think. More »

#ipad Shiny Entertainment founder David Perry shows off a picture of World of Warcraft running on an iPad, made possible by the streaming technology of his newer company, Gaikai. More »

#jobs What does a video game designer do? At last, we have an answer. More »

If you wanted to play 2007's Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow but don't have a PSP, fear not (and remember that you wanted to play that): as revealed by the ESRB last month, Sony is planning to release the game on the PS2, a system that you probably have two or three of in your home. The PS2 port of Logan's Shadow will be released on June 1. It'll include a few new niceties thanks to the extra buttons on the Dual Shock 2, including a "snap" button for getting into cover, a "swing out and aim" button, and dual analog functionality.

In addition, this summer will see the release of a Syphon Filter digital graphic novel to the PlayStation Store, filling in the story between Dark Mirror and Logan's Shadow. Find out what else is shaded and/or darkened!

#apple Just 28 days after introducing the iPad, Apple sold its one millionth iPad. More »

If you need further proof of the StarCraft 2 map editor's versatility, look no further than a map, recently designed by Battle.net user ArcadeRenegade, titled "Supply Depot Tetris." As you might imagine, the map bends the rules and controls of Blizzard's uber anticipated strategy game, turning it into a fairly simple (albeit a tad buggy) version of Alexey Pazhitnov's blocky brainchild, Tetris.

Check out a video of the map from YouTube user HuskyStarcraft just past the jump. We're looking forward to getting our hands on the map -- you know, so we can take breaks from SC2 -- for which we lack the strategy and reflexes required to play adequately -- and play a few rounds of Tetris ... for which we lack the strategy and reflexes required to play adequately. Oh well.

If you're attempting to ween your teenage offspring off their collection of stuffed animals, we suggest investing in a line of plushies which are capable of scaring them out of their adorable addiction. Valve is releasing a set of five Left 4 Dead plush toys which should suit your needs quite well, the first of which -- based on the digestivally challenged "Boomer" special infected -- is currently available on Valve's online store for $49.99.

That price is a tad steep, though each toy comes with a sound chip that can emit ten of the Boomer's in-game grunts and belches. Just think of it like a premium you're paying to really place your child's psyche deep within the nightmare zone.

[Via Big Download]

#china Xià Dá, a Chinese comic book artist, is 28 years-old. She recently appeared in a photo layout in a Chinese PSP magazine. The photos from that layout caused quite a stir online. More »

Hey everyone, I’m John Garvin, creative director at Bend Studio. I’m excited to announce that Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow will be available for purchase on the PlayStation 2 on June 1!

Originally released on the PSP in 2007, we were very pleased that game critics and press recognized all the hard work the team put into the game, honoring it with some of the game industry’s most prestigious awards, including PSP Game of the Year from IGN: It was also #6 on IGN’s top 25 PSP games of all time.

Coming just a couple of years after our first PSP game, award winning Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, our goal was to create another great chapter in the saga of Gabe Logan, blowing out both the game play and production values to create a state-of-the-art Syphon Filter experience. We got Azam Ali to write an amazing soundtrack, Syphon’s first theme song with lyrics and vocals. Azam’s haunting score is a large part of why this game is one of my personal favorites.

We got Greg Rucka to write the story: Greg’s written many novels and graphic novels, including two series of novels he wrote called Queen and Country and Atticus Kodiak. Greg liked the idea of playing with the notion of who Gabe’s “shadow” might be and he came up with the idea that Lian Xing, Gabe’s long-time partner, might have a past that’s catching up with her. Suddenly she disappears. Evidence piles up that she’s a double agent. I can’t say too much more without giving the plot away, but Greg brought a lot to the Syphon experience. You can read more about our collaboration here.

While the story, music and game play all translated perfectly to the PS2, we’ve made some important tweaks to the controller to please PS2 players. Taking advantage of the extra buttons on the DualShock 2, we’ve added a snap button to make getting in and out of cover easier; we’ve added “swing out and aim” to L1 to make fighting from combat more intuitive and of course, we’ve completely re-tuned the game for the extra analog stick. We’ve also up-rezed textures and effects to take advantage of the unique features of the PS2 hardware. So fans of the PSP game might want to re-experience Gabe’s adventure on the big screen with new controls, and those who have never played it have a treat in store for them.

Also, keep an eye out this summer for the first-ever Syphon Filter digital graphic novel.

Over 120 pages long, Syphon Filter: The Opposition Effect is a story that bridges Dark Mirror and Logan’s Shadow, explaining what happens between the two games: Gabe’s hatred of Ghassan al Bitar, his troubled background with Robert Cordell, and more of his history with the irrepressible Dane Bishop. You even find out what happened to Cobra, the neglected rookie agent who worked for Gabe in The Omega Strain. Be sure to look for it on the PlayStation Store this summer!

#gundam We've already seen a pricey, wooden Gundam model. Let's see something cheaper, something plastic. More »

Stay Motivated in May with Marvelous New Game Downloads

Filed under: Mac, PC, Meta (about Joystiq) Ahh yes, the end of another month and the beginning of a new one. It's time to reflect, and a time to move on to the future. It's also time to check out Big Download's highlights from the past seven days (and you should probably take a bath as well -- sheesh!):

Exclusive features

• Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing DLC Game Guide: We do a detailed look at the new (and free for PC owners) expansion pack for Valve's zombie co-op shooter.
• Future Wars review: We give our final verdict for this sci-fi turn-based strategy game.
• Boot Disk: Our retro games feature checks out the classic space shooter Freespace.
• All You Need To Know: We get you the 411 on Darksiders which will come to the PC in June.
• Freeware Friday: Our free PC games feature checks out the RPG The Spirit Engine 2 which was just released as freeware.

#clips Today's episode of Celebrity Video Game Awkwardness stars Aisha Tyler, who does not, under any circumstances, want to hear you crying after she "smokes your ass". More »

Nintendo of America has finally announced the availability of a new colored Wii for North America. First spotted in a leaked GameStop ad, new Nintendo Wii bundles -- available in black or white -- will include a Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort. This is essentially the same bundle that has been available in Europe since late last year (pictured above).

The enhanced bundles will be available at retail stores beginning May 9th for the same price as the current Wii package: $199.99. While it may not be the price drop some have been waiting for, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime thinks the new bundle adds even more "value." In a press release, he stated: "By including even more of our top-quality hardware and software in the basic Wii system package, we're extending that commitment to entertainment and value. Now more than ever, consumers can count on Nintendo to deliver inclusive fun and advanced motion controls at a mass-market price."

Some heroes never die.

#loveplus Konami's Nintendo DS love simulator Love Plus is popular in Japan. Very popular. That means one thing. More »

#wii The black Wii console, which we already knew was coming, has today been officially revealed by Nintendo of America. It'll still be $199, and include not one game, but two. More »

#clips Something happened in the mid-80's that forever shaped the way I thought video games would be when I got older. And that something was this scene from the Japanese animated series Macross. More »

#cars Gentlemen, start your engines. Your bio-mechanical Neon Genesis Evangelion engines. More »

Going solo in Bizarre's urban racer.

#famicom In the 80's, Bandai tormented the world with the "Go-Bots", a shameless rip-off of the much more popular Transformers series. Maybe they would have had better luck pimping these transformable NES cartridges instead. More »

The upcoming Call of Duty title, Call of Duty: Black Ops, was developed by Santa Monica-based studio Treyarch. The studio did not create Call of Duty. Has it done anything for the franchise? More »

#sports Classic football game Tecmo Bowl was first released on the NES in 1989. It had real players, who you probably presumed had all retired years ago, but no. The last one only hung up his boots last week. More »

#nsfw You thought that soundtrack slip cover was something? More »

#halo Despite the "death" of the original Xbox Live, a small band of fanatics are keeping the dream alive by leaving their Halo 2 accounts logged in. You'd think Microsoft would be pissed, but surprisingly, no. More »

#cosplay Maybe you can handle more. Who knows. Only you, that's who. More »

#xcom The Official Xbox Magazine got the first look at 2K's upcoming XCOM title this month, with the first details on the game revealing that there's cause for both hope and concern among fans of the original's strategic twist. More »

#screengrab As seen on a sunny day in Tokyo by AltJapan. More »

I’m not one to curse a lot on our site or on the podcast, as I like to keep things fairly clean. I might say hell and ass, but that’s usually as far as I take it. In this instance, I’ll have to make an exception, because the video is too funny. [...]