Firmly adhering to the "better late than never" philosophy, Gran Turismo 5 is more than glad to show off its new crash physics system in one of two new videos released by SCEA. At last, the "real driving simulator" can finally simulate really bad driving!

Continue reading Gran Turismo 5 flips over two new trailers

Gran Turismo 5 flips over two new trailers originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We aren't typically unnerved by packages sent to Joystiq HQ, but for the life of us, we can't figure out how this box of Afterglow controllers from PDP is functioning. There's no visible battery, no plug and no solar panel, which leaves only one possible power source: Witchcraft.

We want these foul magicks out of our home!

To enter this giveaway:

• Leave a comment telling us your favorite spell.
• You must be 13 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
• Limit 1 entry per person.
• This entry period ends at 2:00PM ET on Friday, July 9.
• At that time, we will randomly select one winner to receive four Afterglow controllers and carrying case (ARV $119.99).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

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What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition.

For more info on our policy, click here.

Continue reading Joyswag: Set of Afterglow controllers for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii

Joyswag: Set of Afterglow controllers for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get it. In this fast-paced world of ... stuff, you don't have time to scroll over a list of tracks in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Where text would've gotten the job done in the past, we recognize that nowadays you need something to match your speedy lifestyle. Therefore, we present the video past the break.

It highlights the set list for the first act of the game, featuring standout tracks like Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" and even a live rendition of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." If you're looking for something a bit on the classier side, you'll be relieved to know that Activision has also included Kiss' "Love Gun." Nothing says class like a song that's about -- well, you know.

Continue reading Bang your head to the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 'Act 1' set list

Bang your head to the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 'Act 1' set list originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft's 5-in-1 paddle-centric title Racquet Sports will make the jump from the Wii to PS3 this fall in North America. The collection, which formerly invoked the power of the Wii MotionPlus dongle for more accurate swinging when playing tennis, ping-pong, badminton, squash, and beach tennis, will now allow players to try their hands at the same five games using the PlayStation Move controller.

Based on the Wii iteration's tepid reviews, we hope Ubisoft can add a bit more depth to the title during its transition. You know what would help a great deal in this respect? Throw some Pickleball up in the mix. Bam.

Continue reading Ubisoft swatting Racquet Sports onto PS3 with Move support

Ubisoft swatting Racquet Sports onto PS3 with Move support originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By now, we've all seen the God of War: Ghost of Sparta trailer about a few hundred times, but Sony's finally hooked us up with the good stuff -- actual gameplay footage. Past the break, you can soak your eyes in just over a minute of footage of Kratos doing what he does best: cutting down fools and harvesting their sweet, sweet orbs. We get the guy is all mad about his dead family and stuff, but does he have to eat his enemy's souls? Does he have to go that far?

Continue reading Get your first taste of God of War: Ghost of Sparta gameplay

Get your first taste of God of War: Ghost of Sparta gameplay originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is part three of our four-part APB review. Today: Customization and clans in the game's Social District.

Yesterday, I examined APB's core gameplay, and while I found it lacking, I hoped it could at least in part be made up for by the incredibly detailed customization system. With a series of in-game editors and marketplaces, you can personalize every aspect of your character, from what you wear and carry, to custom-designed vehicles and even hand-crafted signature killing tunes.

I spent about one-quarter of my game time hanging out in APB's Social District (a non-combat, free-to-play section of the game), trying to create some new clothing, shop the game's marketplace, and build some colorful wheels. Unfortunately, while APB's editors allow for a lot of creativity, Realtime Worlds hasn't implemented many ways to reward it.

Continue reading Review: APB (Day 3: Choose your illusion)

Review: APB (Day 3: Choose your illusion) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just a little over two months before Civilization 5 lands in the anticipatory hands of strategy fiends worldwide, "approximately 20" positions have been terminated at Firaxis, 2K Games PR Director Markus Wilding confirmed to Kotaku today. Wilding explained that "Firaxis has realigned its development resources in order to streamline its development process, reduce costs and maximize the overall performance the studio."

Wilding added that the layoffs "will not impact Firaxis' ability" to get Civilization 5 out the door by September 21. We wish the displaced employees the best of luck in getting back on their feet.

'Approximately 20' Firaxis employees laid off originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The European version of Vanquish is no longer alone in having an official release date. Sega of America announced that Shinji Mikami's new shooter will ship to North American stores on October 19. Just in time for Halloween -- look out for the inevitable trend of homemade, spark-spewing robot suits at this year's parties.

Pre-ordering the game at GameStop will allow you to acquire a pack of three in-game guns: the Boost Machinegun, the Anti Armor Pistol and the Laser Cannon (the same three being used for a pre-order promotion with the European release). Enjoy glamour shots of these weapons being fired at things and/or people in our gallery.

Sega defeats confusion over Vanquish release date: Oct. 19 in North America originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The advent of the podcast has revolutionized the way people get their entertainment. No longer do media hungry consumers have to go to brick and mortar stores, online vendors or even piracy hubs to get top notch, high quality, download-to-own (or streaming) entertainment. Finding censorship free, HD entertainment is as simple as going to a website or logging on to iTunes and downloading whatever tickles ones fancy.

All this content being free, one might expect a lot of it to be low quality, but, in fact, the opposite is true. Recently, there's been a change in the podcasting landscape and independent artists are churning out audio and video programs to rival what's on TV and the radio in hopes of making a living on their podcasts. We're here to document that movement and what better way to start than by talking to the cast of the most popular podcast on earth, The Adam Carolla Show?

Today, on the very first edition of Podcast Playback we interview Adam Carolla, Teresa Strasser and "Bald" Bryan Bishop about the origins of the post-radio, FCC-free Adam Carolla Show, how the podcast is being monetized, the family of shows that have sprung up as part of the Ace Broadcasting Network and the very future of podcasting. Take a minute and spend some time learning about the cutting edge of new media.

Echoing statements made by Sony's Phil Harrison a few months before the introduction of the Dual Shock 3 (specifically, that rumble was a "last-generation feature"), Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda suggested that the lack of rumble from the Kinect camera wasn't a big deal, by suggesting that rumble isn't a big deal, in an interview with Edge.

"The overwhelming thing we've discovered is that rumble is such a rudimentary form of haptic feedback," he said. "It's not like a little rumble in your palm is your whole way of interacting with the world - it's not like, oh, I stubbed my toe and I get a little rumble in my palm." The audiovisual presentation of Kinect games, he said, does more to immerse people than rumble, as evidenced by the instinctive reactions he observed from players. "In many of the games we have, people will crash a vehicle and they'll go totally like this [mimes dodging out of the way]! And even people playing games with a controller, there's always people doing this [mimes driving motion]."

Tsunoda went on to sort of address the nagging question of lag. "The way we measure 'lag' is by putting people in front of the experience and measuring their thoughts. Either it feels good or it feels sloppy. It's not how many milliseconds, it's: 'Does it feel good? Does it react fast? Does it feel as if you're in control?'" So what is important isn't the amount of lag, but the perception of lag.

Tsunoda downplays lack of rumble in Kinect originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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