Just a quick heads up for all the laugh-loving adventure fans out there: The latest episode of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is now available. Entitled "Beyond the Alley of the Dolls," the fourth episode in the new season sees everyone's favorite freelance police battling it out with an army of despicable, half-naked doppelgangers -- er, doggelgangers. Check out the new trailer after the break and a handful of screens below.

Continue reading Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse episode 4 released

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse episode 4 released originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seeing two images to create a 3D picture is so earlier this year -- Sony has been working on a patent that sends two images from one video screen to two different people, allowing for two players to see different images on the same screen. Each player would need their own set of glasses (which would each pull off the right frames), which would then come with earphones for separate audio feeds, too.

You'd need a special 3D television to do it, but there are all kinds of cool applications -- one person in your house could watch a movie while the other plays games, or you could do local split-screen multiplayer without actually splitting the screen (as seen in the diagram above). The patent even allows for more than two players, and there's even an implementation that would actually send two images each to two players, creating separate 3D views for both viewers. Both patents were filed a year ago, and have just come to light now. As 3D televisions become more common, we'll have to see if Sony brings an actual implementation of this tech to the consumer market.

Sony patents multiplayer stereoscopic system originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Under the veil of Comic-Con, THQ and Volition just released some assets for the upcoming, underground destruct-em-up, Red Faction Armageddon ... though with the impressive Nano Forge, we suppose you could also call it a construct-em-up.

In addition to a new cinematic trailer, found after the break, some artwork has also been released, highlighting several of the game's features: the Magnet Gun promises hours of physics-based fun; the "shockwave" attack will immobilize enemies in midair for followup with, say, the Magnet Gun; and the Creepers are alien baddies who, once knocked onto the ground, can have their heads stomped in. If you're still getting a decidedly Dead Space vibe from this game, you're not alone.

Also not alone: Armageddon's Darius Mason, who finds himself battling martian critters in the trailer. If you like your voiceover cheesy ("They say you can't battle a nightmare") and lots of one-second shots of gameplay (nice Aliens-esque exoskeleton!), then make your way past the break.

Continue reading Red Faction: Armageddon trailer, assets, fresh from Comic-Con

Red Faction: Armageddon trailer, assets, fresh from Comic-Con originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Through the destruction of a coveted item, one man is hoping to create something good for some children in need. That's the goal of Golden Charity, an initiative that will see one Team Fortress 2 player sacrifice his Golden Wrench in the name of Child's Play. If that ain't the utmost spirit of charity, then we're not sure what is.

WiNG, lucky recipient number 31 of Valve's gaudy gift, is soliciting donations until August 23, with the top 20 contributors receiving a front-row seat to the wrench's demise on August 31. When you think about it that way, it almost seems barbaric; all of these folks, sitting around, watching something perish. But it's in the name of charity, so we guess it all balances out in the end.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Golden Charity will destroy Team Fortress 2 Golden Wrench for Child's Play originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If your hunger for fiction set in the Dead Space universe hasn't been slaked by two games, an online animated comic and a straight-to-DVD feature film, you might want to sink your teeth into Dead Space: Martyr, which hit bookstore shelves today in paperback for $15.

Written by Last Days and The Open Curtain author B.K. Evenson, the novel gives a bit of backstory on the Church of Unitology, as well as the "Black Marker" artifact frequently referenced in the original game. It also reveals how the latter made the former go absolutely cuh-raaaaazy.

Dead Space: Martyr novel out today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPD has revealed the bestselling games for consoles from January through June of 2010. IGN notes that Nintendo dominates sales by individual platform, with six of the top ten titles created for its hardware; and five of them developed by the money-printing publisher itself. In combined platform sales, runaway hit Red Dead Redemption rides high.

2010 Top Five Combined Platform Sales from January-June:

1. Red Dead Redemption (PS3, Xbox 360)
2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
4. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
5. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)

Check out the top ten individual platform sales leaders after the break.

Continue reading 2010 halftime report on bestselling US console games

2010 halftime report on bestselling US console games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega today reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to creating game tie-ins to Marvel's (will-be) Avengers flicks. Following its recent pair of Iron Man games and The Incredible Hulk, Sega will launch Thor: The Video Game across major platforms next year -- and almost certainly around the release of the Thor film, due out May 6, 2011. (Marvel previously pegged the Thor game for May.)

The Thor games will be forged into three experiences: A God of War-type third-person adventure, featuring "tide-turning elemental powers" and "25 foot tall, 12 ton Ice Trolls," is in development for PS3 and Xbox 360; while the Wii version will add a twist -- and a hammer smash, presumably -- with its motion controls, in addition to taking on a "uniquely styled comic book look" (read: not in HD) that it will share with the PSP iteration. Finally, the DS Thor game will be presented as a 2D side-scrolling adventure and feature its own narrative, distinct from the other versions.

No word from Sega on the Captain America game yet; though the movie's still on for next July, and Sega's got the game rights.

[Image credit: Thor (2011 film) publicity photo; via LA Times]

Sega confirms Thor game for 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We repeat (from last week): "Some slim pickings this week." There's the Kane & Lynch 2 demo for those who've got a PS+ subscription, and there are some deals to be had thanks to several price drops.

Check out the full update after the break.

Continue reading PSN Tuesday: Kane and Lynch demo for PS+

PSN Tuesday: Kane and Lynch demo for PS+ originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Curious as to why you're still able to hop onto the online battlefields of Medal of Honor, when the beta was scheduled to end last Sunday? The game's official blog recently updated with the announcement that the multiplayer beta test had been extended to July 31 for the PS3 and PC versions of the game.

This extension could possibly be due to the ever-lengthening delay of the 360 version of the beta test, which the blog post also referenced, stating, "we are continuing to work with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 beta and are dedicated to delivering it as soon as possible." We suggest trying to get it in before October 12, at which point a beta test would be fairly redundant.

Medal of Honor beta extended to July 31, Xbox version still offline originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New XBL Games on Demand: Stuntman, FaceBreaker, NFL Tour originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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