Gaming Passions

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First Mega Man 9 DLC now on WiiWare, coming this week to XBLA/PSN
Published October 6, 2008, 3:05 am in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

The first two (of five) reminders that Mega Man 9 is not a retro title -- also known as premium downloadable content -- is available now on WiiWare and will be coming to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively (via press release). As previously noted, you can expect Endless Attack (300 Nintendo points) and Proto Man (200 NPs) this week. Proto Man has a charge shot, slide and a reflective shield, but he also takes double damage and is knocked back twice as far.

The remaining DLC -- Hero, Super and Special modes -- are expected October 20 for WiiWare, with the XBLA/PSN content presumably coming the same week.

 

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Japanese hardware sales, Sept. 22 - Sept. 28: Candidacy edition
Published October 5, 2008, 7:30 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Let me begin by apologizing for the hasty nature of the announcement of my being chosen as the running mate for the honorable Weekly Webcomic Wrapup. What my fine, fellow feature lacks in clarity and eloquence, he more than makes up for with sheer enthusiasm. Perhaps this is why he, with wisdom acquired during his three years of publication, chose me as his running mate -- to balance his passion with my own levelheadedness. In that respect, I am more than glad to play the Abbot to his Costello, the Brain to his Pinky, and the Linnell to his Flansburgh.

With that bit of business out of the way, I'd like to talk to you about why you should support a WWW/JHS ticket for the office of King and Queen Vice-King of the Internets. As you know, the Internets is a big place that requires a great deal of regulation from its executive officers. While the current administration has adopted a laissez-faire approach to their prestigious post, our leadership would provide a much needed repaving of the information superhighway -- for starters, all domain names will be required to end with ".fun". Not only will it simplify the Internets navigation process, but it may just bring a smile to the face of the typical, hard-hearted Internets user.

Our other major platforms include:

• Stronger punitive measures against the proliferation of Rick Astley songs
• Energy conservation through the deactivation of the Internets at 11 p.m. every night
  
• Free candy for supporters

So, when Election Day rolls around, won't you consider the benefits of a Weekly Webcomic Wrapup/Japanese Hardware Sales administration? Our change will be swift, our policies fair, and our candy delicious.

- DS Lite: 57,847 3,395 (5.54%)
- Wii: 26,314 3,607 (12.06%)
- PSP: 25,671 3,003 (10.47%)
- Xbox 360: 11,291 2,486 (18.04%)
- PS2: 9,848 2,128 (27.56%)
- PS3: 8,275 119 (1.46%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: www.archives.fun

 

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The Best of Big Download: Sept. 29-Oct. 5
Published October 5, 2008, 6:30 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Mac, PC, Meta (about Joystiq)

As we head into the month that has both Octoberfest and Halloween we don't know whether to be scared or to get our party on. Ok, we can do both. But first check out Big Download's highlights from the past week:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: This week check out our final verdicts on Warhammer Online and Lego Batman. Also we have a look at several PC gaming hardware products from SteelSeries.
• Crysis and Crysis Warhead performance comparisons: Did Crytek really optimize Crysis Warhead? We check out their claims in our benchmark test.
• Is a broadband cap a threat to the game industry?: ISPs are beginning to put limits on how much you can download? Could you go over by downloading large game files?
• The PC Game Vaporware Vault: Which games are we still waiting to be released after years of promises? Quite a few actually.
• The College Try: Failed PC Ports of Console Games: Sometimes a great console game doesn't make a great PC game.
• Mac Monday: Our look at Mac gaming takes on the Wild Tangent online RPG Fate.
• MODMonday: Our mod column continues its look at Max Payne mods with a look at the Kung Fu total conversion.
• Independent Minds: Our look at indie games takes a different turn as we examine how social networking can help indie game developers.
• Boot Disk: Our look at classic PC game takes a gander at the original Interplay RPG Fallout.
• Big Ideas: Our look at big PC gaming trends examines the whole idea of user generated content.
• Big Iron: Our hardware column this week takes a look at the importance of frame rate in games
• Alt-Tab: What qualities does a good PC game need to have? We have an answer in our latest installment.
• Freeware Friday: Our look at games you can get for free gets a load of the arcade shooter Gunroar.
• Virtual Bargain Bin: Our look at games on the cheap takes a look at Steam's id Super Pack and X-Com Complete Pack.
• BigCast: It's our regular weekly podcast as the team debates all matters related to PC games.

Continue reading The Best of Big Download: Sept. 29-Oct. 5

 

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EVE's second CSM election process begins
Published October 5, 2008, 5:15 pm in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Guilds, MMO industry, News items

CCP Games announced that it's time for EVE Online's next Council of Stellar Management election process to begin. Here's the message from the Council Election page: "The second democratic elections in EVE will start the 7th of November. Here you can enter your application to run as a candidate for the election. You will run under your real name with an EVE identity for others to relate to. You will have to be ready to appear in public or in mediums. Your account has to be older than 30 days. You are required to put effort into your position. Yet serving the EVE population is well worth it. Get...

 

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Let's Tap trailer explains penguin accessibility
Published October 5, 2008, 5:00 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Nintendo Wii

Imagine our excitement when word arose that Sega's upcoming penguin-friendly title Let's Tap could be played "without holding a controller". We thought the day we've dreamed about since we pressed the power button on our respective first home consoles had come -- the day when video games aren't played with hands, but with minds. Unfortunately, a trailer for the game surfaced during the Nintendo Media Summit, revealing that while no controller-touching will actually be required to play Let's Tap, hands will still be part of the equation.

To get a clear understanding of the control scheme, check out the trailer after the break. It seems the game will be manipulated by placing a Wiimote face-down on a flat surface (a Nintendo Wii box is used in the video), then tapping upon said surface. We're still not positive how it works -- though we are positive that the speak-and-spell-infused song used in the trailer has stick-in-your-head properties we haven't seen since the days of Lou Bega.

Continue reading Let's Tap trailer explains penguin accessibility

 

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Manhunt 2 gets UK release date
Published October 5, 2008, 3:30 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Action

Readers currently residing in the United Kingdom -- your wait is over. At long last, you'll be able to experience one of 2007's best selling, most critically acclaimed titles -- Rockstar's controversial thriller, Manhunt 2. After being turned down by the British Board of Film Classification for its "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone," a reworked, SFEurope version of the game will be launched in the UK for the Wii, PS2 and PSP on October 31. We know, we can barely contain our excitement either.

Sure, it may lack a few of the more grisly elements included in the inappropriate North American version, but if your hands are shaking with anticipation as you read this report -- as we're sure they are -- we imagine you'll be able to overlook a few omitted acts of power drill-related violence.

 

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The week in Massively features
Published October 5, 2008, 3:00 pm in Massively Tags:

Filed under: At a glance, Massively meta

Massively's exclusive Mines of Moria dev tourWe came back with loads of screenshots, video footage and an insatiable desire to speed up time until we can play this expansion on our own! As there is still no official launch date outside of "Fall 2008", we're getting a bit antsy for this game to hit store shelves. From what we've seen though, it's coming very soon. Massively's complete LotRO Fall Harvest Festival guideThis event runs from now until October 12th, so you have plenty of time to gather festival...

Continue reading The week in Massively features

 

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Crysis Wars free trial coming next weekend
Published October 5, 2008, 2:00 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: PC, First Person Shooters

For those who are reading this on a computer that is unable to meet the minimum system requirements of Math Blaster, feel free to skip this post. We won't be offended. For those discerning PC gamers who are still with us, you may be interested in a recent offer from Electronic Arts -- next weekend, the standalone multiplayer expansion to Crytek's demanding shooter, titled Crysis Wars, will be free to download and play online. Starting 11 a.m. on Friday, and running until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, you'll be able to jump on to any of the game's online servers for some nano-suit infused multiplayer combat.

Of course, after you've registered on MyCrisis.com and downloaded the full version of Crysis Wars (available tomorrow), you can play the game immediately, albeit offline using a LAN connection. We're assuming you already have a cadre of PC gaming acquaintences with appropriately powerful rigs -- don't you, you sociable so-and-so, you.

 

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Reporting gold spammers in WAR now easier than ever
Published October 5, 2008, 2:00 pm in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, Economy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items

The gold seller scourge has fallen upon Warhammer Online, as you've likely noticed. But Mythic Entertainment has taken some rather extreme measures to silence the incessant spamming. To help reach that goal, they're making it easier for players to report gold selling activity and harassment. In keeping with their zero-tolerance policy on gold spamming, Mythic states, "We are committed to making life as hard as we can for Gold Sellers in game and maximizing player enjoyment. To that end we have added a new tool to streamline the gold seller reporting process." That tool is found within the...

Continue reading Reporting gold spammers in WAR now easier than ever

 

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EVE Evolved: The making of EVE Online
Published October 5, 2008, 1:00 pm in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, EVE Evolved

EVE Online's development path from concept to release has followed a very different path to the MMO norm. Starting from its humble beginnings as one man's dream to build an online space game, EVE has developed into the massively popular game it is today. Rather than designing and developing the game all in one go, the CCP crew opted for a staged delivery approach. The game was re-made 11 times, each stage being progressively closer to the final goal. By launch, EVE had been through 5 total recodes where almost the entire game was scrapped and rebuilt from scratch and at least 6 partial...

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The making of EVE Online

 

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Nintendo: DSi won't immediately replace DS Lite in U.S.
Published October 5, 2008, 12:00 pm in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Business

While there's been a fair amount of excitement and buzz over the recently announced, camera-equipped upgrade to Nintendo's best-selling handheld, it seems that the big N doesn't want American gamers to neglect the DSi's older, lensless sibling. In a recent interview with Game|Life, Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo's VP of sales and marketing (and world-renowned snowboarding expert), explained that the DS Lite has "huge, untapped potential" in the U.S. -- potential that the company hopes to tap before replacing the Lite with the new shutterbugish model.

Dunaway explained Nintendo's hopes to bring America's DS Lite sales to a level the company has come accustomed to in Japan, where one in every two households owns the handheld. While the DSi isn't due out in America until "well into 2009", Nintendo hopes to bolster Lite sales by allowing the two versions to "coexist for some period of time". Hey, as long as the DS Lite doesn't go all Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son, we're cool with it.

 

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One Shots: Fowl play
Published October 5, 2008, 12:00 pm in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, New titles, Warhammer Online, One Shots

When we first heard about the mechanic to keep over-level players out of lower leveled RVR zones in Warhammer Online, we thought it was a creative way of dealing with potential griefing. Of course, a good sized group decided to get creative in return and figured that it would be fun to try overrunning a lower-level RVR area anyway. Today's One Shots was the rather strange result of it. Telenrion sent this in to us here with the following note: This was taken in the Warhammer Online T1 Open RvR area during Open Beta. An army of chickens showed up. They eventually attacked, and cornered a...

 

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A community analysis of Warhammer Online
Published October 5, 2008, 11:00 am in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, News items

GameSetWatch recently put up an article that takes a look at the current state of the Warhammer Online community. They came out with a pretty clear census, saying it's still too early to decide. Granted there is mention that often times playing Warhammer Online can feel a bit lonely, even when people are around. The article attributes this to the fact that grouping is so very easy in WAR that nobody really has to talk to one another. We're inclined to agree, if you're not in a guild things can get a tad lonely. That said, the community in the game is definitely strong and given a few months...

 

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Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga announced for Wii
Published October 5, 2008, 10:00 am in Joystiq Tags:

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, RPGs

The latest issue of Japanese gaming supermag, Famitsu, had a welcome surprise for fans of Nintendo's three-DVD-wide home console -- the announcement of Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga for the Wii. Gamekyo originally posted scans of the article announcing the title, translating a few key features of the former PSP series' Wii-imagining -- chief among these being an online co-op mode using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. While the PSP version of Valhalla Knights received middling reviews, we remain, as ever, cautiously optimistic about any RPG offerings for the Wii -- though considering the game is about 70 percent complete and not due out in Japan until next year, it may be a while before we get our hands on it.

 

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WAR's first city siege: The king is dead. Long live the king.
Published October 5, 2008, 10:00 am in Massively Tags:

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Forums, Game mechanics, Guilds, PvP, Endgame, Warhammer Online, News items

It was only the other day when we reported that the first Warhammer Online city siege endgame had begun. Initial reports indicated that a relatively small group of players, in average gear, managed to capture Altdorf on the EU server Karak Eight Peaks, partially due to bugs in the game. However, rumors of the death of Emperor Karl Franz have been exaggerated. More details have come to light since then; Electronic Arts contacted MMO blogger Tobold, and set the record straight. As it turns out, Destruction didn't fully capture Altdorf. Rather, they put it in a contested state, and the would-be...

Continue reading WAR's first city siege: The king is dead. Long live the king.

 

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