New York City playwright Leegrid Stevens, working with the Theater for New City and manager Danielle Karliner, will debut a new play titled "The Dudleys!" this August at the Joyce and Seward Johnson Theater. "What in the world does this have to do with games?" you may be asking your computer. First and foremost, it's straight up weird that you're speaking to a computer. More importantly, though, "The Dudleys" is a play about the thoughts and memories of a young man, conveyed through "a malfunctioning 8-bit video game." You see the connection now?

Apparently, the play will feature chiptune music created on Ataris, GameBoys, and Commodore 64s, and 8-bit art will back up the actors. More specifically, the play aims to juxtapose "the two dimensional side-scrolling world of fun and happy endings up against the confusion and aimlessness of real life." Well then! If you're interested in snagging tickets, they're available online for $15.

NYC play 'The Dudleys' features chiptune music and 8-bit art originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know that swear jar you've been filling with money over the last week? Smash it. As it turns out, you won't need to keep saving until the release of Rockstar's planned three-book set for $450 -- the book's publisher, Distributed Art Publishers, has decided to cancel the project.

Speaking with Wired, book editor Eva Prinz revealed that, though the unbelievably expensive art books are no longer being worked on, a "completely new project about the British videogame developer" is already underway. The contents of the new project have yet to be announced, but we're really hoping that the new items don't receive a similar price point -- there's no way we could repair this swear jar!

$450 Rockstar book trilogy canned, different project planned originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Join Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, and the cast and crew of Attack of the Show for this panel from Comic-Con 2010, as they tell you about the inner workings of our flagship presentation. Just please don't use the new information to take over the world or bring harm to mankind. Simply revel in the glory of the panel in the video below, which is especially handy if you missed the Con this year, or want to look for yourself in the audience. 

 

Adorably disturbing (rainbow vomit!) puzzler Critter Crunch is now free for PS+ users. Even if you don't have PS+, it's still worth grabbing this game at $6.99. Also, on the opposite end of the cuteness spectrum, the brutal Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days demo is now public.

Check out the full update after the break.

Continue reading PSN Tuesday: Critter Crunch free on PS+, Kane and Lynch 2 public demo

PSN Tuesday: Critter Crunch free on PS+, Kane and Lynch 2 public demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The recently teased free content expansion for Star Trek Online, titled "Season Two: Ancient Enemies," launched earlier today, bringing with it an increased level and rank cap, new ships and missions, a series of new episodes specifically geared towards the Klingon faction, and more. As with the last STO season, the new stuff doesn't stop coming after today's update -- five new "episodes" (aka missions) will debut every week starting in August. Click past the jump to see all the new features present in the update.

If you're intrigued by Cryptic's habit of giving away its expansions and you've yet to invest in Star Trek Online, the studio's made it that much easier for you to do so by lowering the price of the game to $20. Why, with all the money you'd be saving, you'd certainly be doing an enviable amount of prospering. Though, we're not sure what the secret to "living long" is. Fish oil? We bet it has something to do with fish oil.

Continue reading Star Trek Online Season Two begins, price lowered to $20

Star Trek Online Season Two begins, price lowered to $20 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it hits theaters, Piranha 3D is sure to be a treat for the eyes. Similarly, these behind-the-scenes photos of today's AOTS will make your peepers just as happy, not because they are in 3D, but because they prominently feature one of the film's hottest stars, Kelly Brook. Why not have look? You don't even need special glasses to enjoy them.

If you like the photos, then you'll definitely dig her interview on today's show! Find out why Kelly Brook is more than just eye candy.
 

Being a giant, beloved video game site has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Sjoerd De Jong, Project Lead at Teotl Studios, about how his team has spent one-and-a-half years polishing The Ball. Joystiq: How did you or your company get started?

Sjoerd De Jong, Teotl Studios: Our game started out as a mod for Unreal Tournament 3, and was originally made for Epic Games' Make Something Unreal contest. Our first version was released in May 2008, and it was received so well (double first place in the first round of the contest), that we decided to carry on. We continued working on our project and we regularly released new versions all the way until the end of the contest, one-and-a-half years later. By the end of the contest The Ball had secured five first places, and won the second place in the Grand Finals. That gave us the confidence to quit our day time jobs, and start up our own small game development studio: Teotl Studios. We used the money we won throughout the contest to fund our company, and we have recently also been awarded a government grant. We are very happy with that, it has given us some financial stability and allowed us to get this far with no publisher or investor breathing down our necks.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Ball

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Ball originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How about instead of scouring the Las Vegas landscape in search of Zombrex for your in-game daughter, Katey, you could just go to your local game store and purchase it? Well, announced today by Capcom, is the Dead Rising 2  Zombrex Edition, for all of your hard core, zombie slaying needs!

Included in this edition are:

• Dead Rising 2 Game Disc
• High-Definition game disc with 83 Minute “Zombrex Dead Rising Sun” motion picture and 24 minute “Making of” featurette
• Steelbook case
• Zombrex “Syringe” pen
• Zombrex “Prescription” note pad
• Zombrex “Safety” card
• Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure
• Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook

For a tidy sum of $79.99, you can be prepared for the zombie outbreak out of game, as well as in game, if preparing for such things is your bag. Me, I don’t leave anything up to chance.

Dead Rising 2 is scheduled to release on September 28th.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was one of my favorite titles at E3 this year. It's got a terrific story foundation upon which Ninja Theory has built rock-solid combat, jazzed up by great art direction. This past week at Comic-Con, I spoke with Namco Bandai brand manager Laili Bosma, who filled in the background behind the game and fleshed out more of the gameplay mechanics that shape this promising action adventure.

The game's key aspect is the relationship between its two main characters. While their names and basic personalities have been taken from the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, Bosma stresses that Enslaved is "very, very loosely based" on the famous tale. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic future where Trip, a fragile 19-year-old redhead, embarks on a perilous journey to return home. In order to survive, she recruits the player-controlled Monkey, a brutish slave, bound to Trip by a deadly, magical headband.

Continue reading The plot thickens: More on Enslaved's inspired journey to the West

The plot thickens: More on Enslaved's inspired journey to the West originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among the titles that were announced at E3, one of the Kinect titles that stood out was Ubisoft’s upcoming Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. Described as a revolutionary fitness game for Kinect, the game allows you to use your voice and body as you create your desired fitness experience.

You’ll be able to choose a personal trainer to help you meet your specific fitness goals, take a Yoga or Martial Arts class, or play fun, family-friendly mini-games. Now, the best feature of the game from what I can tell is that it will actually help you correct the mistakes you make. You’ll receive specific feedback on your every move, thanks to the game’s real-time precise tracking system.

Some key features that we learned from E3 include:

• Player Projection Technology Puts You Inside the Game Ubisoft’s proprietary Player Projection technology puts you in the game. Instead of the 16-dot tracking in other games, Your Shape Fitness Evolved tracks over 1 MILLION dots on your body. That means better tracking, no lag, and 100% player engagement.

• Fitness Your Way You choose how you want to play – do you want a personal trainer to help you meet your specific fitness goals? Or do you want to take a class such as Yoga, Martial Arts, or Tai Chi? You can also get the family involved in fun mini-games like dancing, target practice and more!  No matter what you choose, you’ll burn calories, have fun, and improve your fitness level.

• Get Rewarded and Stay Motivated with Interactive Visual Effects As you master the fitness moves, the game responds with fun and surprising visuals that match your movement and impact.  The better you perform, the more you are rewarded with interactive effects such as paint, water, light, fire, confetti, and more.

• Unprecedented Feedback System Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will give you precise feedback on your every body part as you follow your coach’s instructions. Not only that, but the game will help you correct your form by adding guidelines to the screen so you know exactly where your arm or leg should be placed and you can see it in real-time. When you have perfect form you’ll get the most out of your workout and stay safe.

• Cutting-Edge Workouts Created by Fitness Experts Your Shape features workout classes from well-known fitness experts. Michael George, who has trained celebrities including Reese Witherspoon and P.Diddy, leads a Martial Arts class. Michelle Bridges, trainer for all 5 seasons on Australia’s “The Biggest Loser”, teaches a special weight loss class.

• Track Your Progress and Share It with the Community The game keeps track of your stats, such as calories and scores. All of your stats are uploaded seamlessly online and can be shared with friends and family. Create challenges among friends and help each other reach fitness goals.

• Never Do the Same Workout Twice The game comes with hundreds of exercises; plus, there will be regular downloadable content releases to ensure you’ll always have new and exciting workout routines to learn.

• Challenge Friends using Xbox LIVE® Multiplayer

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