Contraption Maker, spiritual successor to The Incredible Machine, due this year
Source: Joystiq | May-16-2013 | Add a Comment1992s Rube Goldberg-em-up The Incredible Machine is getting a spiritual successor this year, produced by the creators of the original. Contraption Maker will makes its debut on Windows PC and Mac, helped along by The Incredible Machine coder Kevin Ryan, producer Jeff Tunnell, and original pixel artist Brian Hahn. Expect improved physics, art and animations in Contraption Maker, developer Timothy Aste ... … Read entire article »
Angry Birds flick flies to cinemas July 1, 2016
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentA release for the upcoming Angry Birds flick has been narrowed to July 1, 2016, with Sony distributing the movie worldwide, Rovio announced on its website today. Rovio’s intent on creating a feature film was made public late last year, when the studio tapped producers John Cohen and David Maisel from Despicable Me and Iron Man to lead the project. The ... … Read entire article »
BioShock fan film tells the tale of The Brothers Rapture
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentFollowing up on an intriguing teaser released last week, director Shaun Rykiss and a team of Vancouver film students have produced The Brothers Rapture, a BioShock fan film about a pair of siblings and their experiments with genetics-altering Plasmids in the underwater city of Rapture. If you’ve played the BioShock games, you might imagine that things don’t turn out well for ... … Read entire article »
Retro-bit bringing wireless controllers to retro consoles
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentRemember Retro-Bit, the company behind the nifty handheld NES / SNES, the RetroDuo Portable? Once again, the company is looking to make your outdated gaming habits a little more convenient, this time with a line of wireless controllers for vintage consoles. There are three controllers in the Hypermode series, one for the Nintendo 64, a hybrid controller the NES and SNES, ... … Read entire article »
State of Decay pegged for June 5 release, according to GameStop
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentGameStop expects Undead Labs’ zombie-packed Xbox Live Arcade survival horror game State of Decay to launch on June 5, according to a product listing obtained by IGN. The retailer lists State of Decay at 1,600 Microsoft points ($20), putting it in the same premium price range as big-name XBLA releases like The Walking Dead and Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. Developer Undead ... … Read entire article »
Assassin’s Creed 4 retailer pre-order bonuses revealed
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThough Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag launches later this year, North American retailers are vying for your dollars today by announcing a slew of retailer-specific pre-order bonuses. GameStop has the ‘Black Island’ pack, which includes the deadly black ship, a Captain Morgan costume and his silver flintlock pistol. Amazon.com will offer the ‘Hidden Mystery’ pack, an extra treasure-hunting mission on Mystery ... … Read entire article »
Metro: Last Light dev warns against changing FOV with coming patch
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentMetro: Last Light features a fixed field of view, and while we didn’t have a problem with that, other players have. Developer 4A Games heard the feedback and has a fix in the next title update coming to Steam – but it comes with a warning. Changing the field of view could trigger a range of bugs, including breaking cut ... … Read entire article »
EA puts an end to its Online Pass program
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentEA has announced it will discontinue its Online Pass program. “Yes, we’re discontinuing Online Pass,” EA’s senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg told GamesBeat in an e-mail. “None of our new EA titles will include that feature.” Reseburg added that “many players didn’t respond to the format,” despite EA going on record months after instituting Online Passes, reporting it had ... … Read entire article »
Fotonica lands a $1 sale for six days
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentFotonica comes from Italian development house Santa Ragione, which makes sense considering how positively vogue the game is. It’s a one-button, first-person runner in duotone with a smooth, blippy soundtrack – and right now it’s all just $1. Fotonica is 80 percent off direct from Santa Ragione’s site (using that handy Humble Store widget), now and for six ... … Read entire article »
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guacamelee
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentIt’s not that there are too many indie games; it’s that there aren’t enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future. What’s your game called and what’s it about? Guacamelee! is all about kicking ass and saving the girl. Sell Guacamelee ... … Read entire article »
Get Super Metroid for 30 cents on Wii U Virtual Console right now
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentSuper Metroid (SNES) is on sale for $0.30 through the Wii U Virtual Console right now, as part of the Trial Campaign promotion celebrating the Famicom. Super Metroid is fourth on a list of discounts that kicked off back in February – predecessors include Kirby’s Adventure, Punch-Out!!! Featuring Mr. Dream and F-Zero. Super Metroid will be $0.30 for 30 days, until ... … Read entire article »
PSN hacking suspect sentenced to house arrest for destroying evidence
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThis week, 23-year-old Ohio resident Todd M. Miller was sentenced to a year of house arrest for destruction of evidence and obstructing a federal investigation into a 2008 hacker-led PlayStation Network breach. The Columbus Dispatch reports that US District Judge Peter C. Economus said Miller was a member of the KCUF hacking clan in 2008 when the group organized an attack ... … Read entire article »
Zoombies is a fiesta of undead carnage
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThis is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Say the name High Voltage, and your first thought might be the Conduit series of first-person shooters (or this). While the studio is indeed known most recently for The Conduit, one of its other ideas has been languishing for quite some time, namely Animales de la ... … Read entire article »
NCAA 14′s Ultimate Team mode to include season tournaments, former greats
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentWhile we learned in April that NCAA Football 14 will include its own Ultimate Team mode this year, EA Sports announced details on how it will operate today. The mode will include more than 1,400 former college football players at the game’s launch, as well as both solo and special head-to-head challenges. Ultimate Team is the long-running mode that spans ... … Read entire article »
Powering beyond 100 hours in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentIn his weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games. This week, Bob returns to the world of Monster Hunter. Since I don’t play MMOs, it’s a rare occasion to see the timer on any of my games roll past that magical 99:59 mark. Still, it’s happened more times than ... … Read entire article »
Steam Trading Cards enter beta
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentSteam Trading Cards are the next 10-gallon hats from Valve. If you understand that line, then the rest of this story will make sense to you. If not, then you have every right to scratch your head and ask “Why?” to everything that follows. In beta starting today, Steam Trading Cards allow users to earn Steam rewards for playing games. The ... … Read entire article »
Indie platform confessional: PSN, XBLA, eShop, ‘all of the above’
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThe internet is kind of like a classic confessional – except it’s not a box, it’s a lot brighter and everyone can hear what you have to say. Still, we asked a handful of independent developers for their thoughts on what exactly makes a platform effective, and they spilled it all, dissecting the pros and cons of the most popular, ... … Read entire article »
LEGO Friends coming to 3DS and DS this fall
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThe never-ending march of LEGO games from Warner Bros. and Traveller’s Tales continues with LEGO Friends. Based on the toy line of the same name, LEGO Friends is aimed at young girls and offers lots of activities as the titular friends explore Heartlake City. Players can customize their character and living space – right down to the choice of pet and ... … Read entire article »
Capcom VP explains why Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies is eShop only, Japanese demo now available
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentCapcom VP Christian “Sven” Svensson has shed some light on why Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies is destined solely for the 3DS eShop in the west. Responding to users on the Capcom-Unity forums, Svensson stated that while he understands “the value” of owning a physical copy of a game, “it is a sign of the times that increasingly our business is ... … Read entire article »
Desilets’ 1666 ‘suspended’ by Ubisoft following firing
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentThe creative director on Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2, Patrice Desilets, was fired by Ubisoft last week and now 1666 is also on the outs. Desilets began working on 1666 at THQ, which Ubisoft acquired as part of the THQ asset auction earlier this year. “After more than two months of discussions with [Patrice], we couldn’t align our vision both ... … Read entire article »
Ex-THQ president Rubin discusses cramped Metro working conditions
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentFormer THQ president Jason Rubin has spoken about the struggles Metro: Last Light developer 4A Games went through to get its game to launch. In a post on GamesIndustry International, Rubin extolled the efforts of the Ukrainian studio, citing a relatively meager budget, cramped working conditions, and extreme logistical troubles as major adversities. According to Rubin, the game’s development budget was ... … Read entire article »
Google Play launches game services for mobile, social, cloud gaming
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentGoogle is kicking off games services on its Play Store that allows developers to add achievements, social and public leaderboards, cloud saving, and real-time multiplayer. The games service goes live today and works completely on Android, and mostly on iOS or other “connected devices” – that second batch won’t support multiplayer. Google Play’s games services differs from Apple’s Game Center in ... … Read entire article »
Ubisoft ends fiscal 2013 with €64.8 million in profit
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentUbisoft has released its financial information for the 12 month period ending March 31, 2013, which by all accounts seems to have been a pretty legit fiscal year for the publisher/developer conglomerate. The company crossed the finish line with €1.256 billion ($1.615 billion) in revenue and €64.8 million ($83.3 million) in profit, an 18.3 and 73.7-percent year-over-year increase, respectively, when ... … Read entire article »
Far Cry 3 up to 6 million shipped, digitally sold
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentUbisoft has shipped and digitally sold 6 million units of Far Cry 3 since its release late last year. That’s 1.5 million more than the figure reported in Ubi’s Q3 report back in February. Assassin’s Creed 3 sits at 12.5 million shipped and digitally sold (it was at over 12 million back in February), while Just Dance 4 is up ... … Read entire article »
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag monologue trailer bends knee to no man
Source: Joystiq | May-15-2013 | Add a CommentI am a monologue trailer. I’m going to say things in a deeper than natural voice. I’m also going to wait … (wait, no wait some more) before I finish a full sentence. I’m going to tell you how cool I am between quick flashy edits of me stabbing dudes. Yes, I am a protagonist and I’ll finish off by ... … Read entire article »
