Archive for July 7th, 2010
Posted on Jul 7, 2010 11:30:00 PM
Are you and your globe-conquering friends losing that competitive edge over
Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom's catalog of expansive multiplayer arenas? Today, Ubisoft added three new competitive maps for the game to its online storefront: Tempest Taiga, Fiery Chasm and the Battle of Tanholm.
Continue reading New Settlers 7 multiplayer maps added to UbiShop
New Settlers 7 multiplayer maps added to UbiShop originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 11:00:00 PM

For those of you who have to keep your Spartan dressed in the latest styles, GameStop is offering exclusive armor and helmet configurations with pre-orders of
Halo: Reach. Those who reserve the game will receive tokens for a Spartan Recon Helmet with Visor/Blast Shield and a UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor, which features a unique chestplate design and a grenade belt. Can't you hear it? "Hey, (your name here)! Looking good in that UAMTMMVBA!" You and your Multi-Threat, Blast Shield-sporting friends can mock the Spartans who dare to show up wearing
default armor.
Of course, you also receive a $20 coupon, just like those offered by
Walmart and
Amazon.
Pre-order Halo Reach at GameStop for exclusive armor originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 10:30:00 PM

If you need money to bring your indie game concept to life, and you don't want to enter
Activision's design contest, you now have another alternative: The
Indie Fund, created by a team of established indie devs, is soliciting
applications. To apply, you need a playable prototype, a video and, you know, a cool game.
The fund, "established as a serious alternative to the traditional publisher funding model," invests in games by small teams, in order to allow those teams to remain independent of publishers. "
World of Goo cost $120K to develop," the application page notes. "
Braid cost $180K. That's about the right size project for Indie Fund right now, and it necessitates doing things on the cheap." So, if your game concept is a realistic first-person shooter with MMO elements, get
right out of there.
Indie Fund now accepting applications originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 10:00:00 PM
An Apache, Spartan, Pirate, Ninja, Samurai, Viking, Knight and Roman Centurion walk into a bar -- and then murder each other. That's not a joke. It's
Deadliest Warrior: The Game on XBLA next Wednesday, July 14 for $10. (Head past the break for a complete XBLA release schedule.)
Continue reading Deadliest Warrior coming July 14 to XBLA
Deadliest Warrior coming July 14 to XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 09:30:00 PM

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime may be
committed to improving the online experience on the Big N's platforms, but legendary designer and Guy Who Makes Things Happen[TM] at the company, Shigeru Miyamoto, doesn't seem inclined to exactly
reinvent network play with 3DS. "We look at [online] more in terms of what can we do to provide that Nintendo flavor or magic to that community or connection experience," he told
IGN Australia in an E3 interview the site just now found behind its virtual sofa cushions.
"One of the ways that we're looking at doing that, is the idea of really strengthening the tag mode functionality," he explained, referring to an "always on" data-sharing feature most famously employed by
Dragon Quest IX on DS. "We think that there will be some unique ideas that come out of that, and that it will have a very unique Nintendo flavor to it." So,
not voice chat or friend code-free multiplayer then?
Speaking of exchanging things with other 3DS owners: what of Miis? Already transferable from Wii to current DS titles such as
Tomodachi Collection and
Personal Trainer: Walking, Miyamoto commented that the pint-sized avatars moving to-and-fro between future platforms is "something that we're definitely giving consideration to," and that there's a desire to "continue to try to allow people to use their Miis on different Nintendo systems going forward." We can certainly get down with the idea of 3D Miis -- or, as we call them, "3Miis."
Miyamoto on Miis migrating to 3DS, evolving network play on the handheld originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 09:00:00 PM
Bloomberg guesstimates that Microsoft's Xbox Live service "
probably" surpassed $1 billion this past fiscal year. The financial outlet came to that conclusion using fancy mathematicals after Microsoft claimed that half of Xbox Live's 25 million users paid the annual fee, and Xbox COO Dennis Durkin stated "in an email" that product sales on the service surpassed subscription revenue. Now, we all know there are
ways around the $50 annual Xbox Live fee, but let's surmise Bloomberg is right with its estimate of $600 million in revenue. That would mean the service generated $1.2 billion in sales last year.
Contacted for comment, Microsoft's official statement read: "We do not have any more details to share. Microsoft does not break out Xbox LIVE earnings." At the end of the company's third quarter, it did say that Xbox Live was a
major contributor to revenue for the division that houses the Xbox. The company will officially announce the results of its fiscal year, which ended June 30, on July 22.
Bloomberg: Xbox Live sales 'probably' topped $1 billion originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 08:35:00 PM
We know
Dead Space-dev Visceral Games has
had its eye on the downloadable space -- along with the rest of EA -- for some time now with the oft-rumored
Jack the Ripper title and something else. Well, that something else is
Dead Space Ignition, "the first of many exciting game extensions we have planned for the launch of
Dead Space 2," says Dead Space franchise exec producer Steve Papoutsis.
From what we can gather from the press release (embedded after the break),
Ignition is a "Choose Your Own Adventure," comic-style story with "three unique hacking mini games."
Ignition will provide a "unique perspective leading up to
Dead Space 2" and fill in new players on all the backstory they need to
shoot monsters' limbs off. Depending on which adventure you choose, you'll earn one of four endings (replayability!) and those endings will reward you with in-game trinkets for
Dead Space 2, "including an exclusive suit."
Like 2008's
Dead Space comic series,
Ignition is again tapping comics author Antony Johnson to weave a tale of suspense, horror, mystery and (oh, right) dismemberment!
Dead Space Ignition is being co-developed by Visceral Games and Sumo Digital for a Fall 2010 release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Considering the promotional nature of the title, we're hoping the asking price is a reasonable one.
[Editor's note: The image above was
posted yesterday on the Dead Space Facebook page teasing today's announcement. The alien jargon in the upper right spells out "Ignition."]
Continue reading Dead Space Ignition is a downloadable Dead Space 2 prequel, for XBLA and PSN
Dead Space Ignition is a downloadable Dead Space 2 prequel, for XBLA and PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 08:20:00 PM
So what's it gonna be this week? A strictly multiplayer first-person shooter or a strictly single-player third-person laugher? On the one hand there is
Blacklight: Tango Down, an FPS that promises extensive customization player progression. On the other is
Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, which comes packed with a new adventure for Guybrush Threepwood and, of course, yuks.
Blacklight will set you back 1200 MS Points ($15), while
Monkey Island 2 costs 800 MS Points ($10, conveniently only half as much as you should
ever pay for a computer game).
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There are new Xbox Live Arcade games released every week. We realize that our readers are busy, attractive people, and may not have time to download and examine each and every new XBLA game. You've got busy, attractive person stuff to do, after all. Not to worry though, because we've done the work for you, downloading every single trial game and giving you a taste of what to expect. Watch XBLA in Brief every week to see which games deserve a closer look. When you have the time, of course.Continue reading XBLA in Brief -- Blacklight: Tango Down, Monkey Island 2: Special Edition
XBLA in Brief -- Blacklight: Tango Down, Monkey Island 2: Special Edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 08:00:00 PM
This is part two of a four-part review of Realtime Worlds' new MMO APB. Yesterday, I talked about installing the game and creating a character. Today: the grind.
Life in San Paro is pretty simple. Rob as a Criminal, or stop Criminals as an Enforcer. I chose to be an Enforcer, and after a short tutorial level, fell into the standard MMO grind -- go here, pick this up, go there, rinse and repeat. Unlike most MMOs,
APB plays like a shooter -- there's a reticule, and you've got to line it up on your target to get anything done. But its "missions" are definitely MMO fare -- they're standard, multi-step and pretty interchangeable: hold this point, deliver this item, steal this car.
But here's how
APB sets itself apart: while you play the game, you're constantly being offered missions and being grouped with people on the same job, but the other side is getting offers too. When they're paired up in the same mission you are, an APB goes out, sirens flash on the screen, and then it's
on, one faction against another.
Continue reading Review: APB (Day 2: Enforcers, get enforcin')
Review: APB (Day 2: Enforcers, get enforcin') originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on Jul 7, 2010 07:40:00 PM
European participants in the
StarCraft 2 beta -- which shut down exactly one month ago today -- recently found themselves the recipients of a surprising package: a patch for the dormant pre-release of Blizzard's blockbuster strategy game. Blizzard has since announced the patch for the US, and released
patch notes for what is now known as
Patch 16, which includes Zerg balance fixes, new Achievements and six AI difficulties.
Considering that the beta was supposed to reappear "
several weeks" after the first phase ended, we wouldn't be surprised if this patch served as a harbinger for the beta's return -- especially since the retail version of the game is
due in
just 20 days. We think it's safe to start working on bolstering your APM once more.
StarCraft 2 beta receives major patch originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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