Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Puzzle, Casual

Look people, we don't really have a lot to work whiff here. As readers, we realize you may be incense-itive to these issues, but sometimes we bloggers aren't all a factory of witticisms and scintillating content. Sometimes you have to sigh, press on and accept that the news can be boring. Sometimes all we have to say is that a puzzle game called "Potpourrii" is coming out on WiiWare next Monday, September 15th (video after the break).

While this quiet period passes, like a few drops of rain in hail, we can only ask that you laugh, endure and forgive us for all the ill-advised puns.

Continue reading Potpourrii scent to WiiWare next week

 

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360

Ever since Tomb Raider: Legend plumped up the character of Lara Croft -- narratively speaking -- and sent her gallivanting across the globe in a quest for vengeance and maternal closure, we've been dying to see what lies on the other side of the cliff the franchise reboot left us hanging from. According to a new behind-the-scenes video for Tomb Raider: Underworld, we can expect to encounter a god in need of a good pounding from Thor's hammer.

Though brief, the clip delves into the franchise's ever-sprawling mythology, as well as the research trips developer Crystal Dynamics underwent to capture the look and feel of Cambodia and Mexico. The informative voices you'll hear belong to creative director Eric Lindstrom and cinematics director Toby Gard -- the latter of which shouldn't be confused with the cinematic director, who barks orders through a megaphone whilst leaping from exploding helicopters.

Gallery: Tomb Raider Underworld

 

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Online

It was a rough weekend for the SOCOM faithful as server and network code issues made the game nigh-unplayable for many. Sony was well aware of the problem, promising a fix before the end of this week. Surprise: the fix arrived early this morning, and we - along with, oh, everyone who waited for the beta - were eager to see what exactly was fixed.

Turns out the answer is (at least in our experience) quite a bit. We were irked to find that our character customization data was wiped by the 1.10 patch, but them's the breaks in betaville. Rebuilding our characters wouldn't be worth it if we couldn't get into a match, though. Happily, we have found that almost all front-end network issues (login errors, general slowness, etc.) have been nipped, we can finally join games, and, when we do, gameplay seems less laggy.

It still takes quite a while to load into a match, but knowing that you'll actually be able to play once you do makes the waiting much more bearable. For those who are in the beta, let us know what your experience with 1.10 has been like in comments.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]

 

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Pure, the ATV racing title coming from Disney Interactive, seemed to have come out of nowhere. Luckily, after a strong demo and popular support from our forums, we've given it a try. More, please.

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Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Mac, Sony PSP

At today's Apple event (aptly titled "Let's Rock"), Steve Jobs unveiled a new ad for the revised iPod Touch, essentially showcasing the iPod Touch's (and similarly the iPhone's) gaming capabilities, claiming, "It's the best portable device for playing games." We're wagering at least a few Sony and Nintendo executives are texting each other "lolwut." As noted by Engadget, "gauntlet: THROWN."

Also shown at the Apple event: a new soccer title - Real Soccer 2009 - and Need for Speed Undercover. Check out Engadget for more information from Steve Jobs' presentation. We'll update when the ad is uploaded to the interwebs.

[Update: Apple has launched an updated iPod Touch page on its website, touting the device as "the funnest iPod ever." The page is heavily focused on gaming and has a "watch the ad" link from the gallery section ... which, as of this writing, is officially slammed.]

 

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Filed under: Business

UK retailer HMV's chief executive, Simon Fox, says game sales may surpass music at the company within 18 months. Video games now account for 19% of sales at the music store, with an increase of 4.1% occurring in the last three months, Fox tells The Sun.

Earlier this year, the UK's Entertainment Retailers' Association noted that game sales overtook music at retail and were on the way to catching DVD revenues. Considering HMV's iconic symbol is that of a dog with a phonograph, we've gone ahead and updated the image for the new generation.

[Via GI.biz]

 

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Filed under: PC, Action, First Person Shooters

Televised professional gaming, for a variety of reasons, has never had much success here in North America. After last night, I feel like I know the secret to making pro-gaming a phenomenon: Make it exactly like E-@thletes, a new documentary that follows two teams of pro-gamers as they battle through a year and a half of tournaments.

Over director Jonathan Boal's 75-minute film, you'll became acquainted with Team 3D and Complexity, two gaming squads that (in 2006 at least) always seemed to end up facing each other for the top prize. Their game of choice is Counter-Strike. In fact, other games hardly get so much as a mention.

Continue reading Joystiq review: E-@thletes

 

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Filed under: PC, MMO

We might not be playing Tubine's massively multiplayer take on Tolkien's tale anymore, but we have to admit that the recently released fly-through of expansion Mines of Moria's Flaming Deeps area looks pretty spectacular. We've lovingly nestled it after the jump so you can see for yourself.

It doesn't hurt that the music makes us feel like we could punch an orc's head off with our bare hands, which, even for the beefiest Joystiq staffers, is a pretty tall order.

Continue reading See first footage of LOTRO: Mines of Moria

 

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The beta for SOCOM: Confrontation is underway, and while problems are abound, the game plays well when it actually plays. Inside look at the beta and report from the field within.

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EA has recently disclosed that the delay of the upcoming 6th Harry Potter film, and subsequent game, will cost them an estimated $120 million.

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Interviews

Despite keeping players salivating over Castle Crashers' eventual price and release date, The Behemoth's hand-drawn epic nonetheless remained near the top of a short list of 2008's most anticipated titles right up until the game's recent XBLA debut. Since then, Castle Crashers has more or less delivered on its promises of manic 2D brawling, though a near-crippled online experience threatened to send us stomping off to our rooms in contempt. Nevertheless, at the end of the day Castle Crashers is still a heck of a lot of fun to play.

Fun as it is, however, we recently managed to put the controllers down long enough to speak with The Behemoth's Emil Ayoubkhan and Dan Paladin to discuss their game's price, what took the game so long and what the team has planned now that Castle Crashers is out the door.

A quick addendum: This interview was conducted just before its release on XBLA but, due to Wednesday's Large Hadron Collider test, got lost in a black hole. Read on little soldiers! And for more, be sure to check out our PAX interview with The Behemoth as well.

Continue reading Joystiq interview: The Behemoth talks crashing castles

 

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Microsoft takes a step into the political game: you can now register to vote via Xbox Live, and downloads of Obama and McCain gamerpics will show the habits of young voters.

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All That Remains rocks a solo set this week in Rock Band content with a three-track pack.

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Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Business

The development team working on Dead Space is hoping its engine becomes a new middleware tool in the vein of Unreal Engine and id Tech. Speaking with Gameplayer, Executive Producer Glen Schofield said the company is in the process of working with lawyers to figure out the legalese for officially naming the engine, which was originally used for The Godfather and From Russia with Love.

It's unclear if the intention is to use the engine in-house for EA or market it to other developers for licensing, although according to the article Schofield cited the success of Unreal Engine 3 and how other studios have contributed to its success by adding more technology. Dead Space's engine, which we'd suggest be called simply "Dead Engine," is currently being used for Godfather 2. Dead Space will try to administer a dose of the heebie jeebies (to most places) on October 14.

 

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Filed under: Mac, PC, Simulations

We went into social mode at last week's official Spore launch party to chat with Caryl Shaw, producer of the enormously anticipated "everything sim." Specifically, we wanted to hear her thoughts on how the game's being received around the globe - especially in light of some unexpectedly low and mixed reviews.

Shaw's of the opinion that the varied scores come as a result of several factors, not the least of which is its mish-mash of genres. "It's not really like a traditional game," she said. "Spore is just this magical creativity experiment." (She also hopes that it helps pave the way for more genre-bending experiences "magical creativity experiments.")

Continue reading Spore producer on reviews, depth, and LittleBigPlanet

 

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Dead Space made waves when EA told game writers that the title was banned in Japan, Germany, and China... but was it? No official word yet, but the team behind the game is adamant: the banning took place.

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Sony has announced 3 new versions of SingStar for the PS2, which include Country, Legends and Pop Volume 2.

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Filed under: Business

Of course, as the saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and things that go boom. Regardless, Wedbush Morgan's most outspoken soothsayer predicts that troubled publisher Majesco is "close to returning to profitability." Good for them, we say, though in the face of waning share prices and delisting threats, the company needs more than encouraging analyst comments to help push it to the top of Money Mountain.

Pachter bases his expectations for the publisher on tweaks made to the company's sales and cost management, as well as growth that, according to the analyst, has been managed "prudently." We'll see if the company can meet the firm's expectations of $10 million in revenue for the quarter when Majesco reports its Q3 2008 earnings on Thursday.

 

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D3 Publisher will be bringing a number of former UMD titles to the PlayStation Store, including Puzzle Quest and Dead Head Fred.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Sports

click to enlarge Say it with us now: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Kind of makes your mouth hurt, doesn't it? We're not sure exactly what Psyonix was thinking when it chose that name for its first PSN title, but our early in-person glimpse of the game makes us want to forgive and move on.

Running on Unreal Engine 3 (in fact, Psyonix was responsible for the popular Onslaught game type in the Unreal Tournament series) the game is, by both the developer's account and our own, a mix of car combat and soccer. Strange, we know, but it all makes sense - and looks quite fun - when the action commences.

Gallery: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars

 

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