It's Independence Day weekend in the States and that means forced time outside in the heat. If you're spending a significant amount of time in the sun with family, but still want energy at night for game playing, might we recommend a Greek frappé. A cultural staple, the frappé is easy to make and after chugging those all day, you'll be well ready to play deep into the night. Check out a helpful how-to video and recipe after the break.

What's everyone playing?

Continue reading WRUP: Frappé (accent required) Edition

WRUP: Frappé (accent required) Edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lionhead's latest Fable 3 video depicts an epic fight against a pack of wolves who are endangering a young girl's life, in which the hero transitions effortlessly between the sword, gun, and magic combat styles. Although, given the sheer power at the hero's command, it comes off a lot more like a massacre of some helpless animals.

Continue reading Fable 3 combat video is not safe for wolves

Fable 3 combat video is not safe for wolves originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fans of Top Gear are undoubtedly well-versed in the automotive show's test track -- mostly because it's featured in every episode. Regardless, you haven't seen it in Gran Turismo 5 yet and courtesy of the Top Gear blog, you now can.

We've parked the video past the break, feel free to give it a look-see. Oh, and try not to be too harsh on the guy driving in the video. Like us, he's probably totally shocked to see other drivers on the track at the same time as him.

Continue reading Take a tour of Top Gear's test track in Gran Turismo 5

Take a tour of Top Gear's test track in Gran Turismo 5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adding zombies to your game is like putting a lowercase "i" in front of your product name. Marketing types think people just go for the one called "the iBlanket" or the racing game with zombies. While that might have been true a short time ago, I've become desensitized to these overused hooks -- there's also got to be a catch to wrestle away my dollars. That's what makes Sony's Dead Nation somewhat unappealing. Developer Housemarque (of Super Stardust HD fame) has no problem shoving hordes of undead freaks into this PSN game and giving me weapons to kill them with, but that's already been done to death. Come on, guys. Throw in some really cute demon kittens or something.

This longing came up as I demoed this well designed but ultimately vanilla twin stick shooter at Sony's E3 booth. As one of the world's remaining survivors during the zombie apocalypse, I made my way through a devastated city, pointing boom sticks towards throngs of monsters and ripping them to pieces. The list of weapons included the usual suspects: submachine gun, assault rifle, shotgun, grenades; and I snagged health packs by breaking boxes and vending machines.

Continue reading Preview: Dead Nation

Preview: Dead Nation originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Copies of the DJ Hero 2 turntable bundle or "Party Bundle" from Gamestop will include the Puma turntable bag seen above. As far as pre-order bonuses go, this is basically a win-win for Activision, Gamestop, and you (probably Puma as well).

Continue reading Bag a nice pre-order bonus with DJ Hero 2 at Gamestop

Bag a nice pre-order bonus with DJ Hero 2 at Gamestop originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two Interactive CEO Ben Feder recently mentioned that Red Dead Redemption "sucked the oxygen out of the room" at retail upon its release -- wow, he wasn't kidding. Data provided to Joystiq by the NPD group shows that high-profile releases Alan Wake and Split/Second sold 145K and 86K units in the US during May, respectively. In comparison, Red Dead Redemption sold 1.51 million copies. All three games launched on the same day in the States.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier explains, "What I found interesting about Red Dead is that it is the second game in the franchise. First game got middling review scores and sold good but not great -- 920K life-to-date. I applaud it when a publisher can take a franchise with solid results and improve on it significantly next time out the gate."

Perhaps when (if?) Alan Wake and Split/Second receive sequels, they'll have better sales luck (and no oxygen-sucking beasts around).

NPD on the Red Dead, Alan Wake, and Split/Second retail showdown originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Odds are you were already planning to play some Uncharted 2 this weekend -- it's a great game and with the extra time off due to the holiday, why not? Well, Naughty Dog informs us that this weekend will yield players double the cash, upping the per-match ceiling for earnings to $150,000. Whoever said money can't buy you happiness clearly never played Uncharted 2.

The cash faucet was turned on this morning and will flow until Wednesday, July 7 at 10am PDT. Now get out there and earn some ducats!

Uncharted 2 celebrates independence with double cash originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In space, no one can hear you scream.

I spent a lot of this week wondering while playing (and enjoying) Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, "What in the world am I gonna tell our readers about this that they don't already know?"

Considering it's the hojillionth Lego game to be released, what could I possibly impart about the latest iteration that isn't a variation on the "This is a great game for kids of all ages and for parents with Harry Potter-loving children" descriptor? Thankfully, the answer was more obvious than I could have hoped: It's just like Metroid with training wheels! ... And, you know, with Harry Potter instead of a space bounty hunter.

Continue reading Review: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Review: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With UFC 116 taking place tomorrow night between Lesnar and Carwin, THQ has sent us some new details on a promotion to win a copy of the game, and Affliction t-shirts.  As if winning a copy of UFC Undisputed 2010 wasn’t enough, it will also be signed by the cover athlete, Brock Lesnar.

You can find out all about the contest here: [UFC 116 Predict & Win]

In other news, a new patch just went live to fix some of the game’s issues.  The patch addresses a myriad of critical issues ranging from online connective to create-a-fighter exploits. Just log online to download and hit the link above for the full change-list. THQ has also updated various fighter stats in-game which directly impact their in-game performance in correlation to their recent UFC fight outcomes.