All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

I actually really liked Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, for what it was. I don’t know how well the game sold for Nintendo, but it seems like a title that is better suited to being a long-tail seller than bursting out of the gate. Who knows, maybe after all this time the title has [...]

When I think about Nintendo offerings in September, I think about Metroid: Other M. North America gets the game on August 31st, and our Euro friends get it in September…supposedly. Japan sees release of the game in September as well. What’s going on for our Aussie friends that month? Well, as [...]

Look at this end-of-the-world screenshot.

#e3 We hear that British producer and trance DJ Paul Oakenfold may be performing at Atari's rooftop E3 party. More »

Infinity Ward provides an ETA for Modern Warfare 2's second map pack. PlayStation 3 owners get the "Resurgence Pack" on July 6 in the US, the next day in Europe. PC gamers worldwide get it July 6. Hoorah! More »

Some people are going to love Monster Hunter 3, while others aren’t going to find it to be their cup of tea. It’s a tough game to get into, even though Capcom says this is the easiest entry in the series to pick up and play. You’re still going to have to dedicate [...]

This mash-up combines city-building with tower defense gameplay.

Originally announced in Game Informer, Capcom has taken the wraps off of two new Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds characters: the sarcastic, sword- and pistol-wielding Dante from Devil May Cry, and the sarcastic, sword- and pistol-wielding Deadpool.

Later on in the trailer, we see Ryu and Wolverine stop fighting to gawk at some kind of crazy space vortexy thing. We're guessing that even more playable characters will emerge from it -- or that it will, itself, be a playable character. That would certainly shake things up.

I’m writing on behalf of a small Toronto-based game development start-up called DrinkBox Studios. We’re currently working on our first original game: A monster-movie-inspired platformer called Tales from Space: About a Blob. I’m very happy to announce that we will be bringing the game to the PlayStation 3 via PSN toward the end of this year!

Tales from Space: About a Blob is a game about a race of alien blobs that land on an Earth-like planet and start eating everything around them. Eating is just what Blobs do — they can’t really help themselves. Although the Blobs aren’t really out to hurt anyone, mistrustful humans greet them with hostility.

The game is a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer with a monster-movie theme and retro art style. Humour is also a big part of the style.

Players will interact with the game environment using unique growth and absorption-related control mechanics, experiencing the world at vastly different scales as they progress. Both single-player and co-op play will be supported.

Two friends and I started DrinkBox back in 2008 after Pseudo Interactive — the larger Toronto-based development studio we had all previously worked for — shut its doors. Shortly after we started DrinkBox, a few more of our ex-Pseudo team-mates came on board. Since then we’ve continued to grow our team: We’re now up to about 10 employees.

Over the past couple of years, we have had the opportunity to contribute in support roles on a number of console titles being primarily developed by other studios, including some big games by EA and Activision. Most recently we’ve been helping out fellow Toronto-indies Capybara Games with their new title Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes HD.

Tales from Space: About a Blob, though, is the first console title we’ll be releasing on our own as a studio and we’re pretty excited about it. Sony has generously offered to demo About a Blob in their booth at E3 next week: If you’re attending, please do check it out! Also: A blog for the game has been set up at www.aboutablob.com, head on over for the latest updates.

Both Chris Harvey (DrinkBox CTO / lead designer on the project) and I will be checking back in here over the next little while to respond to questions. If you’re curious about anything, please let us know.

Now you see it, now you don’t! For unknown reasons, Nintendo has decided to yank Tales in a Box: Hidden Shapes in Perspective! from the DSi Shop in Australia. What could be the problem with this Aussie version that hasn’t impacted the European version? Hopefully this mystery will be solved soon.

Successful young hip-hop upstart Aubrey Graham -- you may know him as "Drake," the pseudonym he took on upon entering the rap game -- will provide the voice of Jace Stratton, one of the new playable protagonists in Gears of War 3. Rabid fans of the series will likely recognize Stratton as one of the main characters from the comic books. Rabid fans of Degrassi will likely recognize Drake, because that dude was totally on Degrassi.

On the subject of Drake's casting, Epic Executive Producer Rod Fergusson explained, "when we began casting for the role, 'So Far Gone' had just released, and Drake's combination of heart and grit was just what we were looking for." That sounds reasonable enough, though we suspect they might just be setting up the cast for the next next game in the series, Gears of Degrassi: The Next Infestation. You heard it here first, folks.

Kmart is having some nice instore deals during E3 week, June 13-19. Although there are heavy discounts on Battlefield Bad Company 2, God of War 3 and Heavy Rain -- the real standout deal is Mass Effect 2 for $20. With those credits saved on the ME2 purchase, it's totally worth grabbing Kasumi's Stolen Memory and next week's Overlord DLC from the Cerberus Network. Check out all the discounts after the break.

#nintendo Our report earlier today about the features of the 3DS, including the surprise details of a 3D camera, happily didn't include all of the surprises. The new Nintendo handheld will indeed have an analog stick. Details in the original post. More »

Remember when Hideo Kojima said that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker would contain a feature so great that it would make people want to buy a PSP? Well, ol' Hideo got one over on us again, because it isn't just one feature: it's the entire game.

Rather than create a Metal Gear experience that somehow works within the confines of the handheld's capabilities, he and the Metal Gear Solid 4 team at Kojima Productions seem to have been inspired by them. The result is a game that is very much a "true" Metal Gear Solid that fits in your pocket, and much more. It's almost as if Kojima, compelled to make just one more game in the series -- wasn't there something about MGS4 being his last? -- looked at the PSP and said, "Let's show them everything we've got."

Take-Two settles with developer 3D Realms.

Frankly, we're stunned we're even alive after the monumental effort it took to launch the brand new Joystiq for your enjoyment. But not only did we get it off the ground, we've also managed to make a podcast afterward. Inspiring is an awful big word to use, but if the shoe fits, we suppose.

Also, huge thanks to the amazing Mike MIke for the new podcast branding (you'll see it when you download the show) and to Alan Black for this inaugural, disturbing photoshop.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes
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Hosts: Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy) and Chris Grant (@chrisgrant)
Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer" by A.C. Newman
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New to the show?: Listen to Episode Zero
The Do It Line!: 1-(877)-JOYSTIQ

See all of this week's links (and what games we played) after the jump.

#clips This new trailer for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is a lot like the first one, with two major differences - Dante and Deadpool. More »

Yet another ‘4th wall’ promo from the Nintendo of Europe website. Click here to check out the Super Mario Galaxy 2 action

In just a couple short days, we'll be soaking in the Vitamin D provided by the blaring Los Angeles sun, digging for stories at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. One of the first events we'll be attending is a preview of Project Natal -- an occasion which could bring about some major announcements for the peripheral. Before that, though, the LA Times has published a hands-on report on the device that's worth checking out, as it reveals a pair of heretofore unannounced Natal applications.

The first is "Obstacle Course" (which was briefly hinted at in Parade's wildly flailing Natal preview), in which players will have to navigate a "summer camp"-esque row of hazards. As dangerous as that sounds, it's pretty tame compared to the other unveiled application: "Living Statue," which lets players record and send video messages using their Avatars. Which is great, because we were just talking about how awesome it would be to be bombarded with videos of our friends' Avatars doing pelvic thrusts and other suggestive maneuvers every time we turn on our Xbox 360.

We look forward to learning about these applications (and more) during Microsoft's Natal sneak preview this Sunday.

Perhaps the Wiimote strap wasn’t included on the Wiimote in order to keep it from flying through TVs. Maybe that strap is there to teach angry gamers a lesson. Wear that strap, and you can no longer throw the Wiimote across the room. No more double frustration from a smashed Wiimote after [...]