| Mail |
You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more
Top stories

Some Vita games already available through PS3 in US

You'll have to search for them, but you can download five PlayStation Vita games through the PS3's PlayStation Store. The selection of early, hidden releases includes Uncharted: Golden Abyss (which is not discounted at all at $49.99), Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational for $35.99, Wipeout 2048 for $35.99, ModNation Racers Road Trip for $26.99, and the PSN-only Super Stardust Delta for $9.99.

Sure, you probably don't have a Vita yet, but don't let that stop you from building up a library. Then, when the system does arrive (or if you have one right now!) you can use the Content Manager Assistant to transfer the games to that huge memory card you'd better buy.

Pick up a 3DS for $150 at GameStop, now thru Feb. 12

Playstation Whata? Through February 12, GameStop has Nintendo 3DS systems, including the Pearl Pink version launching on the 10th, on sale for $149.99, a $20 discount. We're sure the timing of this sale is perfectly innocuous -- it's just a coincidence that a competitor's handheld gaming system will be in stores two days after this sale is over.

Alternately, you could think of that $20 as a subsidy for the Circle Pad Pro (also out this week, only at GameStop) allowing you to pick up two analog pads for the price of one.

Square Enix's 'Sleeping Dogs' to launch in August 2012, looks True Crime-esque [update]


Update: Square Enix has confirmed Sleeping Dogs, the reincarnation of True Crime: Hong Kong. The publisher sent out a new live-action trailer and notes the game will be available "in the second half of 2012." It's still being developed by United Front Games.

Original: "Sleeping Dogs" isn't lying down, shifting from trademark to passively announced title. Canadian retailer Future Shop's official gaming Twitter account posted a poster for Square Enix's Sleeping Dogs and announced an expected launch of August 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It notes the game will be available to pre-order soon.

Given the art, the game may not be a Kane & Lynch follow-up as first speculated, but possibly the reincarnation of True Crime: Hong Kong. Activision cancelled the latest True Crime installment last February, with CEO Eric Hirshberg telling us, "The finished product was not going to be at the top of that genre."

Then, last August, Square Enix picked up the rights to the game, but not the True Crime intellectual property, meaning the publisher would need to rename the game before putting it out there. It appears Square Enix is making moves to solve this Chinese puzzle box very soon.

Continue Reading

Big Square Enix Xbox Marketplace sale includes Deus Ex, Lara Croft

Square Enix is holding a sale this week on the Xbox Marketplace, taking half off DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Just Cause 2, along with discounts on several of Lady Croft's adventures and its associated DLC.

The highlights of the sale are certainly the Deus Ex's Missing Link DLC and co-op adventure Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for 600 MSP ($7.50). There's also some attempted discounts on full downloads of Battlestations: Pacific, Just Cause 2 and Tomb Raider: Underworld; but chances are you can find better in your local bargain bin.

Another game worth checking out is updated original Tomb Raider: Legend: Anniversary, available in two chunks at 400 MSP ($5) apiece (caveat is you'll need to own TR: Legend since it's the DLC). So, try the first two levels before you buy the whole thing. Find the full list of discounts after the break.

Continue Reading

Funcom debunks The Secret World launch date rumor

The Secret World
Could we finally have a specific launch date for The Secret World? Yes, but more accurately, no.

While hopeful fans clung to possible news that Funcom had confirmed an April 24th launch date, the studio has issued a statement saying that this was "an internal production date" that was mentioned at a recent press event, and doesn't necessarily reflect the actual release date for the title:
Funcom has become aware of postings in various media stating that commercial launch of the online game The Secret World has been set to 24 April 2012. This date was communicated at a press event in the Funcom offices in Oslo today -- as an internal production date.

Funcom has previously announced the launch month for the game to be April 2012 and wants to stress that there is currently no change or update on the expected time for commercial launch of The Secret World. The company will announce the release date at a later stage through a stock notice and a formal press release when the date has been set.
The studio recently wrapped up a week dedicated to the Illuminati faction and revealed one of the game's spooky settings, Blue Mountain.

Play GIRP on dance pads, two-player QWOP in Austin this weekend


This is going to be really embarrassing, and potentially painful. This Sunday the Austin game collective, Juegos Rancheros, will host the Foddy Winter Olympics, featuring new and bizarre versions of Bennett Foddy's finger-twisting games.

You'll be able to face off against a friend in a race to the ground in two-player QWOP. You'll experience the climbing game GIRP turned into a Twister-like experience in Mega GIRP, a new version by Johann Sebastian Joust creator Doug Wilson that uses four dance pads for the controls. You'll also be frustrated by other Foddy creations, including Poleriders and Winner vs. Loser.

This is going to be the angriest party.

NeverDead DLC coming Feb. 21 with new playable character and modes

Konami's making sure NeverDead lives up to its name with the first downloadable content pack, available on February 21. "NeverDead Expansion Pack Volume 1" will let you try a new playable character and play co-op challenges with pop star Nikki Summerfield. The pack will also let you visit an expanded version of the Asylum level, with three new challenges, including taking hold of "score zones," racing across the map through a series of traps and hazards, and a mode called Onslaught, in which you unlock the zone section-by-section by defeating enemies.

The expansion will also give segmented hero Bryce Boltzmann two new costumes to dress up in, and you can see some shots of the content in the gallery below. Our NeverDead review called Summerfield a "whiny pop singer," but hey, maybe spending a little more time with her will make you see her in a whole new light.

Continue Reading

Indie Royale Valentine's Bundle offers a treat without the calories

Indie Royale's Valentine's Day bundle makes no promises, unlike some people we know who promised us the moon on a string last February 14, but who showed up three hours late, drunk and with a box half-full of chocolates -- all fruit-filled. You know who you are.

Indie Royale is offering its Valentine's Bundle for pre-order at the lowest minimum price, $3.99, but is keeping the games a mystery until the big day itself. If you live life on the edge, don't read the following clues before buying the bundle:

"The games offered this time include a fantastical first-person action-adventure game (Steam for PC), an IGF-nominated puzzle adventure title (Steam for PC and Mac, Desura for PC and Linux, DRM-free PC, Mac and Linux download), a 'scorching' single and multiplayer arcade-strategy game (Steam for PC and Mac), and a world premiere on PC for a pair of retro RPG-defense games (Desura for PC, DRM-free PC download)," Indie Royale writes. On its Facebook page it added, "None of these titles have been in previous standalone indie game bundles such as Humble, etcetera!"

Pre-orders will receive the Valentine's Bundle the moment it launches, along with One Life Left's "Music to Play Games by Too."

House of the Dead 3 on PSN next week, demo out now for PS Plus

On-rails arcade shooter House of the Dead 3 is coming to the PlayStation Network on Valentine's Day, according to the official Sega blog. Just in time for you and your sweetheart to blow apart a few zombie heads, the game will be available for $6.99. For the next two weeks following its release, a free avatar will be included with purchase, making it a little like getting a Kit Kat bar with your very own Whitman's Sampler.

PlayStation Plus members have an even better deal: They'll be able to get House of the Dead 3 for 30% off until February 28, and will also get an exclusive theme and a few more avatars with the title. And starting today, PS Plus members can download the demo of the game, an exclusive that lasts until February 21.

Robot Unicorn Attack Evolution lives in harmony on Facebook


Robot Unicorn Attack evolved from browser game to mobile title and will now live in harmony, harmony on Facebook as Robot Unicorn Attack Evolution. The pseudo-sequel for the social network adds new control elements, new animals (PANDAS!), daily challenges, and a bevy of microtransaction options.

Players can purchase Fairy Dust, which will allow them to add "enhancements" for extra abilities and bonuses before a session. Enhancements include triple jumps, slowing the game down, blasting through a star without dash, and "Freevolution," which allows players to start the game as the panda. And, really, what game wouldn't we pay to start off as a panda in?

Take a peek at 100 DLC items for Gotham City Impostors on XBLA

We should have known from its title that Gotham City Impostors couldn't be trusted to operate entirely how it promised. The Xbox Live version isn't set to launch until tomorrow, but today more than 100 DLC items are available in the Xbox Marketplace, ranging from 80 to 320 MS Points. All of the items are cosmetic and won't affect gameplay in any way, Monolith tweeted, and all of them will be unlockable in the full game.

We assume it could have been worse -- getting access to optional DLC before a game launches is better than getting access to required, paid-for DLC months after a game launches. So really Gotham City Impostors isn't such a bad guy after all ... oh. We see what you did there, Monolith.

Uncharted 3 Fort Co-Op Adventure DLC out today


Put on your fedora and break out the good whip, folks: Uncharted 3's 'Fort Co-op' DLC is available for download today. It focuses on evil doers Zoran Lazarević, Eddy Raja, and Harry Flynn, expanding on the events of the Janus head statue in the on-disc co-op adventure.

The DLC is included in the price of admission for Fortune Hunters -- downloading Fort Co-op separately will set you back $5.99. Joining the co-op DLC today are several skins packs for multiplayer, detailed over on the PlayStation blog. Uncharted 3's next major update, Flashback Map Pack 2 for $9.99, arrives on February 21.

Portabliss: Time Ducks (iOS)

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Time Ducks.


Beneath their stoic demeanor and lust for bread crumbs, every duck hides a special ability. In fact, it's not an ability exclusive to them -- all animals in nature have the ability to temporarily rewind time. This is what Tough Guy Studios' Time Ducks has taught me.

Continue Reading

Ridge Racer: Unbounded trailer turns out some destruction, level editor

Ridge Racer will be heavily seasoned with Burnout flavors when Unbounded hits the streets on March 6. The latest trailer shows some of the developers playing with cars (when they should be crashing them!), but it also includes footage of the game's level editor mixed in with all the crashing. ... continue reading.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning online pass DLC detailed, available now

Project Ten Dollar continues unabated. All new copies of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning include something called House of Valor, essentially a DLC content pack offering seven exclusive quests and the Valor Arena where players must survive a "barbaric tournament and ultimately seize control of the arena."

Players will meet new companions and rivals throughout these quests, earning unique items and other rewards along the way. Players without a code can purchase an online pass for 800 MS Points ($10) through Xbox Live Marketplace or the PlayStation Network.

For more on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, make sure to check out the Joystiq review.

Continue Reading

Starhawk upgraded to limited edition at GameStop, free PSOne Warhawk included

Starhawk's Limited Edition isn't the "pay extra for a huge box" variety, it's the "automatic upgrade on first printing" variety, exclusive to GameStop. If you've pre-ordered it from that store already, congrats!

This exclusive version comes with extra DLC, including the "Maw of Despair Outcast Pack" (wow, free despair!) with a co-op map and multiplayer skin, the "Echo Scrapyard Rifter Pack" with a new "Homeworld," and another multiplayer skin. You'll also get a PS3 theme featuring Starhawk concept art, a soundtrack and ... oh yeah, a PSOne Classics copy of Warhawk.

If you were going to get this anyway, and especially if you were going to shop there anyway, this is a pretty great deal. If not, you still have until May to figure out whether it's worth jumping shop.

Permanent bite taken out of Bloodrayne: Betrayal's price

Bloodrayne: Betrayal, a game we liked quite a bit, has received a permanent price drop on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The price has been lowered from $15 to a more palatable $10, allowing players to see more red for less green. Get it? Because, you know, vampires.

Continue Reading

Former Bungie president, Alex Seropian, leaves Disney Interactive

Alex Seropian -- who helped found developer Bungie in the 1990s -- has left Disney Interactive, where he was head of game development. After helping create the Halo franchise at Bungie, Seropian started his own studio, Wideload Games, which was then acquired by Disney when it hired Seropian in 2009 as a creative-development lead.

Disney has confirmed Seropian's departure and said he will be replaced by former Blizzard vice president Bill Roper, Game Informer reports. In 2003 Roper left Blizzard and founded Flagship Studios, which busted in 2008, and he was picked up by Cryptic Studios. In 2011, Roper left Cryptic to join Disney Interactive as vice president of the Marvel Franchise, which recently announced Marvel: Avengers Alliance coming to Facebook in Q1 this year.

Go from toddler to titan in Tiger Woods 13


Where's the fun in playing a Tiger Woods-infused golf game as the seasoned, acclaimed sports figure? Wouldn't you rather play as a small child? Having somehow extracted this incredible wish from your heart of hearts, EA Sports has announced a new mode for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, which follows the legend from toddler to titan.

The Tiger Legacy Challenge allows players to "relive Tiger's most memorable golf accomplishments," and revisit each era of his career. Playing through each of the ten eras will unlock unspecified bonus content. It all starts -- seriously -- with Tiger practicing in his backyard between the ages of two to six and runs into the future where Woods is chasing his 19th major.

It's unclear how much of Tiger's early years will be reserved for clean up your room-themed mini-games.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 will also feature Kinect support for the Xbox 360 and Move support on PlayStation 3, when it arrives on March 27.

Continue Reading

Schafer needs a millionaire to fund Psychonauts 2, Notch raises hand

Double Fine's Tim Schafer would love to make Psychonauts 2, he told Digital Spy -- he's pitched it to publishers a few times, but no one has ponied up for the project, and Schafer still needs a few million dollars to back it up. Enter: Notch.

After learning of Schafer's problem, Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of Minecraft and resident indie millionaire, tweeted at Schafer, "Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen," followed by ";D Also, I'm serious." This afternoon, the official word from Double Fine is, "Tim and Markus are talking. Who knows what might happen?"

Notch has followed up candidly, tweeting that he and Schafer are talking via email, hinting that they may talk more at GDC, and finishing with a warning: "Anyway, please don't get your hopes too high yet. Everything is extremely vague!"

There it is, ladies and gentlemen. The potential multi-million-dollar business deal to create Psychonauts 2, started on Twitter and including a winky, open-mouthed-smiling emoticon. Ah, technology.

Joystiq Archives

February 2012

SMTWTFS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
26272829 

Joystiq App

Available for iPhone/iPod + Android


What's In A Name

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/16/whats-in-a-name-gaikai/

More →


Quotable

You can slice enemy's throat with knife if you flick the touch pad behind

—Hideo Kojima, referencing the Vita-specific touch controls for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

The Joystiq Podcast

The Joystiq Show - 023: The Xav still burns

Latest episode: Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Facebook Activity

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW