Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comPAX 2008: Appealing to an MMO Newbiehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-appealing-to-an-mmo-newbie/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-appealing-to-an-mmo-newbie/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-appealing-to-an-mmo-newbie/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Worth it or not, to me personally, pay-to-play MMOs always felt like a ridiculous proposition. Paying to play a game I already paid for is like paying $5 to bite into a delicious burger I just got at the drive-through. Still, the genre continues to spawn new titles as proven at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.

While many MMO titles were on display, two were the most talked-about massively multiplayer role-playing games of the show: Warhammer Online and Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Realizing my limited experience with MMOs in the past, the team at Joystiq tasked me with learning as much as I could about each title and see if they could appeal to a genre newbie willing to jump into the online fray.

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]]>aionaion-the-tower-of-eternityea-mythicjoystiqfeaturesmythic-entertainmentncsoftpax-08pax-2008pax2008warwarhammer-onlineThu, 04 Sep 2008 23:00:00 ESTLaw of the Game on Joystiq: Trademark infringementhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/law-of-the-game-on-joystiq-trademark-infringement/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/law-of-the-game-on-joystiq-trademark-infringement/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/law-of-the-game-on-joystiq-trademark-infringement/#commentsFiled under:

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:


There's been a lot of talk about copyright piracy lately, largely from a few high profile convictions. What we've been short on lately is some high profile trademark infringement suits, but trademark piracy in the gaming world can and has been as rampant as copyright piracy. In fact, the concept of what all constitutes trademark infringement isn't even as well known as copyright infringement. Everyone knows about Napster and warez, but these are all copyright issues. So I'd like to take some time to talk about trademark infringement and piracy.

We've been through the basics of trademark before, and that's a good place to start if you're a complete trademark neophyte. However, with a basic understanding of what is trademarked, it's easy to see the areas where trademarks can be infringed. Basic infringement is based on the idea that someone will take advantage of a trademark to confuse the consumer into purchasing their product based on the reputation of the trademark they're infringing. Put into simpler terms, if you believe Nintendo is a good brand, then you'd be likely to buy a Nintendo product. Therefore, if I make a product and put "Nintendo" on it, then you'd be likely to buy my product because of the illusion that it's a Nintendo product. I get the benefit of selling more product by infringing Nintendo's trademark, so if there wasn't a penalty, trademarks would be infringed on a regular basis.

Continue reading Law of the Game on Joystiq: Trademark infringement

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]]>columnslawlaw-of-the-gametrademarktrademark-infringementThu, 04 Sep 2008 22:00:00 ESTJoystiq hands-on: Combat Armshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-hands-on-combat-arms/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-hands-on-combat-arms/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-hands-on-combat-arms/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

We recently had the chance to check out Combat Arms, the free-to-play online FPS brought to US shores by Nexon of America. Nexon is best known in the states for its unique side-scrolling MMORPG Maple Story. Despite the company's grounding in the MMO genre, Nexon chooses to see itself as a purveyor of online games in general. From online racing in Kart Rider to virtual karaoke in Audition, the company publishes or develops a multitude of multiplayer experiences. Its extension to first-person shooters, in that light, makes a great deal of sense.

What's surprising is not that Nexon has chosen to jump into the FPS genre, but that the offering is as good as it is. The company has combined elements of mindless combat shooters like XIII with the multiplayer tactical orientation of a game like Counter-Strike. In doing so, it's delivered a title that can be as explosion- or strategy-focused as players want. And, of course, it wouldn't be Nexon without some unique twists -- namely, the incorporation of its successful microtransaction-based business model.
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]]>combat-armshands-onherb-yangmin-kimnexonThu, 04 Sep 2008 21:00:00 ESTJoystiq interview: Dragon Age storytellinghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

BioWare's return to PC as a primary platform has been met with rapture and glee from the PC gaming crowd. The development chops of the Canadian company are almost impossible to question, with hit after hit being released from its Edmonton headquarters. Now the reunion with keyboard and mouse is accompanied by the most ambitious fantasy RPG BioWare has attempted since the original Baldur's Gate. Dragon Age: Origins is a true return to roots for the company, a homecoming with its dearest fans.

It makes sense then to find David Gaider, one of the original writers of the Baldur's Gate plot, at the keyboard behind Dragon Age. We had the chance to talk briefly with the author about what this highly-anticipated title will offer. Though he couldn't reveal much in the way of story components, he did offer a tantalizing view into the world's history. Join us as we talk with Gaider about stepping back from Mass Effect's advances, the joys of returning to PC gaming, and what he considers required reading for any Dragon Age fan.
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]]>biowaredavid-gaiderdragon-agedragon-age-originsfeaturedThu, 04 Sep 2008 20:00:00 ESTJoystiq interview: Dragon Age storytelling (Page 2)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-2/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

How would you compare what you've done with the story in Dragon Age to what you did with Baldur's Gate?

Dragon Age is a huge game, much like Baldur's Gate. I don't know that we'd ever make a game as big as Baldur's Gate again, though. That game was just ridiculously huge. That said, there is something to making a game that is substantial like that. The word "epic" is thrown around like there's no tomorrow, but in some ways epic does fit with the scope of the game's story. It's a long story that takes your character through this large arc. It's appropriate for what we're doing.

It is also similar to Baldur's Gate insofar as how much we focus on character. You have all your party members, and I would say almost a third of the writing that's been done is just for the members themselves. The amount of talking they do may in fact be sort of endless. I think for a lot of players that's really important. To this day in any given forum, people will still bring up characters from Baldur's Gate. Some of them are quite beloved. I would like to think as a writer that Dragon Age is the next step from there. Not to knock the Baldur's Gate characters, but these are the characters you'll be interacting with at length for a long period of time ... they're important to the story.

Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!

Exactly.

It seems as though Dragon Age is very much BioWare returning to its roots. Was that a conscious decision or just a reaction to the way the company and gaming as a hobby has been going?

The company has gotten big enough now that we can have several projects on the go at any given time. Console has its place, of course, and we can't ignore them.

"We chose the subtitle 'Origins' specifically. This is where it begins, and we're not abandoning the PC gamer."
I'm sure a lot of PC gamers would love it if we did, but we can't. What PC players hate, though, is when you have a game that tries to work on a PC and a console at the same time. It has to go for the "lowest common denominator." I think that's a legitimate concern. I think there are games that have successfully worked on both platforms, I don't think it needs to be that way. But here we're focusing on, we're starting on the PC.

We're doing a couple of things differently with this game, though. I mean, we announced Dragon Age really really early. In the normal scheme of things, we would have probably only been announcing it around now for release next year. Instead we announced it really early so that PC gamers wouldn't feel left out. They could look at Mass Effect and know we had huge plans for Dragon Age as a world. We chose the subtitle "Origins" specifically. This is where it begins, this is where the new story starts, and we're not abandoning the PC gamer.

That's something I wanted to mention; origins would seem to suggest a number of things especially for PC gamers. A lot of them still see the Baldur's Gate series as this great franchise that they'll really appreciate forever. Do you see Dragon Age as an attempt to go for that kind of success?

In the end the proof is going to be in the pudding. Rather, the proof is in the eating of the pudding. A lot will depend on how well the game does, right? Before we go crazy with it we want to see how the game is received. I think we're very confident, though, that there's a big group out there that has been anxiously waiting for something like this. I think they'll really respond if we've done well.

I have a good feeling about it, it's not just because I created the world. I watched this game grow before my eyes, I got to start see the cutscenes back, see the world I created take on a life of its own. The coolest thing is when the artists started getting on board. They're one step ahead of me now, instead of me being the one to say "well this is what this should look like". I have that same feeling as I did when we were at this point in developing Baldur's Gate. There's always that point where you're like 'this game is utter crap!' Then it starts to change, and finally we're at the point where we're like 'wow, this game is awesome!'

We really hope this is the launching point for something bigger.

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]]>biowaredavid-gaiderdragon-agedragon-age-originsThu, 04 Sep 2008 20:00:00 ESTJoystiq interview: Dragon Age storytelling (Page 3)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/joystiq-interview-dragon-age-storytelling-page-3/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

One last question: I'm sure that as a fantasy writer, you read a lot of fantasy as well. Who are some authors you would suggest to gamers that are looking forward to Dragon Age, as a sort of primer to get them in the mood for the world?

There is one series of books that is required reading for any Dragon Age fan. It's not to say we copied him, but it's required reading for what it represented when I was thinking about the game. I sort of got tired of the same old fantasy-style stories. I read The Belgariad and Wheel of Time back to back, right? And they both started the same way, with a "chosen one" with a boy in a remote village who is carried away just as his village is destroyed ... they both started the same way. They're both decent series, but they're very high fantasy titles.

Then I picked up a series of books by George R.R. Martin called A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a low magic world there, and ours is a bit higher. Dragon Age is lower than the normal fantasy world, though, because magic is sort of rare and mages are very distrusted. As I described how Darkspawn came to be, people kind of have a bad opinion about them as a group.

For me, it was the tonal shift that really changed for me personally. It was such a dark story, and sometimes I think he may get too dark ... but it was focused on politics and civil war, dark and gritty, and there was the possibility that characters you loved might die. I went from being kind of "meh" on fantasy in general to really excited because of these books. We didn't go out to copy his works, but that sort of shift, that darkness, that seriousness are all elements we've embraced for our game. That's the tone of Dragon Age.

Thanks so much for your time, sir.

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]]>biowaredragon-agedragon-age-originsice-and-fireThu, 04 Sep 2008 20:00:00 ESTPAX 2008: One hour with full version of Fallout 3http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-one-hour-with-the-full-version-of-fallout-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-one-hour-with-the-full-version-of-fallout-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-one-hour-with-the-full-version-of-fallout-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Click for all our Fallout 3 coverage
We were given one hour with Fallout 3 at this year's PAX, and we don't mean some pared down, nerfed, demo-ized level; this was the full version. Not only that, but the Bethesda folks showed it to us in the tricked out Fallout 3 Airstream Trailer, complete with a nuclear family peering in.

Lead designer Emil Pagliarulo started us out roughly an hour into the game, when you exit the vault for the very first time. We missed the whole "growing up" phase in order to rush right into the action. We didn't mind. but what of our first 18 or so years? Maybe you start out on the cellular level, and fight your way out in a glorious Spore/Fallout hybrid. Your guess is as good as ours.
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]]>bethesdafalloutfallout-3hands-onimpressionsjoystiqfeaturespax-08pax-2008penny-arcade-expoThu, 04 Sep 2008 10:00:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: Valkyria Chronicleshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-hands-on-valkyria-chronicles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-hands-on-valkyria-chronicles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/pax-2008-hands-on-valkyria-chronicles/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Final Fantasy Tactics meets X-Com in a Miyazaki-esque, Advance Wars universe. With watercolors. That's what you get when you play Sega's upcoming strategy RPG, Valkyria Chronicles. The PS3 exclusive is already out in Japan but will be heading West before the end of the year and, from what we saw of the game at PAX, it will be Sega's console gem of the year.

We were guided through the game's tutorial by the producer, Christopher Kaminski, who showed off the basic gameplay mechanics. It's a strategy RPG, but there's no grid. Instead, you have a "fuel" meter, which depletes as you move farther, giving the game more of an action RPG feel.
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]]>hands-onimpressionsjoystiqfeaturespax-08pax-2008playstation-3PS3Segavalkyria-chroniclesThu, 04 Sep 2008 07:00:00 ESTPAX 2008 Interview: Felicia Day (The Guild)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-interview-felicia-day-the-guild/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-interview-felicia-day-the-guild/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-interview-felicia-day-the-guild/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Felicia Day at the Jonathan Coulton concert

During PAX 2008 we had a chance to sit down (on very comfortable bean bags, mind you) and talk with Felicia Day, producer and star of The Guild and star of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Day also sang "Still Alive" with Jonathan Coulton the first night of the convention. Some notes from the interview:
  • Filming for Season 2 will begin next month. HD cameras will be used, not so much for web streaming but for potential download and the Season 2 DVD. The 13- to 15-episode season will be "a little bit longer," approximately 5 to 6 minutes apiece.
  • Day has a level 66 Warlock and level 63 Priest. As an example of life imitating art, Day explains that her fans from the show and the actors who play Zaboo, Vork and Bladezz all play in a guild together.
  • She signed the chest of one Dr. Horrible cosplayer and saw another with "actual Wonderflonium." (Warning: Interview contains spoilers.)
  • Day guest stars as the patient in episode 2 of the upcoming season of House, but she does not have Lupus.
  • Not mentioned: Her demand that Tycho groom her.



[MP3] Download the interview

(Note: When the interview starts, Day is talking about a planned live introduction for a showing of The Guild at Dragon*Con the day before.)
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]]>dr-horriblefelicia-dayjoystiqfeaturespax-08pax-2008the-guildWed, 03 Sep 2008 12:30:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: Resistance 2http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-hands-on-resistance-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-hands-on-resistance-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/pax-2008-hands-on-resistance-2/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Out of the many games that Sony was showing off at PAX this year, the one that easily dominated their show booth was Resistance 2. They had 16 stations setup, each linked into the ongoing private beta servers so that expo attendees could get a true taste of 60 player online action. While it was a bit disappointing that Sony wasn't showing off anything from either the single player or co-op portions of the game, it was great being able to try out the actual scope of Resistance 2's multiplayer matches.

One of the first things you'll notice when you pick up the controller, is that the controls have been subtly improved. The awkward weapon select wheel and the slight aiming stiffness of the first game have been replaced with a two-weapon system and a considerably more fluid aiming / moving mechanic. While it's still not on par with the tightness of Call of Duty 4's controls, they are much more comfortable now and definitely made running around the level easier.
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]]>insomniacpax-2008resistance-2Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:00:00 ESTBigCast Special Edition Recaphttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/bigcast-special-edition-recap/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/bigcast-special-edition-recap/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/bigcast-special-edition-recap/#commentsFiled under: ,


While adventuring to PAX 2008, the team at Big Download recorded three special edition episodes. While the audio quality in the first was laughably bad, the episode is a hilarious look into the minds of tired Warhammer Online developers, Paul Barnett, Jeff Hickman and Josh Drescher. Give it a listen, if you can! In the second special edition, GameDaily's Robin Yang joined the team to discuss everyone's favorite titles at the show. In the final installment of the special series, former 1UP editorial director and co-founder of WhatTheyPlay.com, John Davison, went into some detail on the sex and violence in games debate. Check out the episodes if you get a chance -- we assure you the first audio hiccup was corrected in episodes two and three.
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]]>joystiqfeaturespax-08pax-2008penny-arcade-expopenny-arcade-expo-2008podcastTue, 02 Sep 2008 22:00:00 ESTNew Games This Month: Sept. 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/new-games-this-month-sept-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/new-games-this-month-sept-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/new-games-this-month-sept-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


Wow. We know we talked about it in our weekly new games post, but the fall is in full swing. We're featuring 17 big releases this month, and we didn't even have room for all of the ones we wanted to talk about. Is the first time we're going to go broke in September?

By the way, we're not complaining.

New Games This Month: September 2008







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]]>joystiqfeaturesnew-games-monthlyTue, 02 Sep 2008 13:00:00 ESTPAX 2008: The Penny Arcade Interviewhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/pax-2008-the-penny-arcade-interview/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Note: Photo above taken at interview
A few hours before PAX 2008 opened its doors to the public last Friday, we had a chance to speak with Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik -- for simplicity's sake referred to here by their respective pseudonyms Tycho and Gabe -- about the Expo, its future expansion, the intensity of Jenga and the Duke Nukem Forever Omegathon round that never was. Audio embedded below; we've also gone ahead and transcribed highlights from the interview. (Note: To make it easier to read, we've put Gabe's name in red and Tycho's name in blue.)

[MP3] Download the Interview
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]]>gabeinterviewjoystiqfeaturespaxpax-08pax-2008pax-eastpax-ecpaxecpenny-arcadetychoTue, 02 Sep 2008 11:20:00 ESTPodcast Rodeo for Sept. 2: Western Earhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/podcast-rodeo-for-sept-2-western-ear/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/podcast-rodeo-for-sept-2-western-ear/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/02/podcast-rodeo-for-sept-2-western-ear/#commentsFiled under:


We're back with another round of required listening, but first we've got to point you to the special PAX 2008 edition of the Joystiq Podcast. It's different that the normal Joystiq Podcast, but it's still got a foreign guy, a guy with glasses and a guy named Kevin. ... Well, two out of three isn't bad.

The Moofcast: It's got a completely silly name! It's got a guy whose gamertag is BigDogg! It's got an actual girl (or an incredible girl facsimile)! What more could you possibly want? How about discussion of game reviews and nerdcore? Well, you're in luck, because those are there too.

NooBTooB: You know what we wish about the NooBTooB? We wish they recorded a bit more often. For instance, the episode we're directing you to today is like two weeks old. But if you want to hear talk of SoulCalibur IV and Pixeljunk Eden, you could do much, much worse than our friends Tobin and Yuzo.

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]]>joystiqfeaturespodcastrodeoTue, 02 Sep 2008 10:20:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: WipEout HDhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-wipeout-hd/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-wipeout-hd/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-wipeout-hd/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's been a long time coming, but WipEout HD is, we're assured, almost with us. Now improved and 100% epilepsy free, the game was available to play on the PAX show floor at Sony's booth. With idle hands leading to all sorts of terrible things, it seemed only right that we put them to work on something constructive by taking a futuristic hover car for a test drive.

It's easy to forget just how pretty WipEout HD is, seeing as the last time we saw it was at Leipzig 2007. The art style is so strong and works so well in HD -- we saw it draw many people passing by to stop and watch. Screenshots are one thing, but the game in motion is a joy to behold. Even whilst close up to the screen, the game looked sharp, with aliasing being almost imperceptible on some levels. Though, having said that, it was more visible on other levels, but never was it a distraction from WipEout HD's overall visual quality.
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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>joystiqfeaturesPAX-08PAX-2008PS3Sonywipeout-hdMon, 01 Sep 2008 15:30:00 ESTPAX 2008 Hands-on: Left 4 Dead (X360)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-left-4-dead-x360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-left-4-dead-x360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-left-4-dead-x360/#commentsFiled under: , ,


An immediate sense of tension washes over you when you realize a swarm of Olympic Dash worthy zombies are soon headed your way. Picking up the controller for Left 4 Dead -- the first time it's been playable for the Xbox 360 -- was as exciting as you'd expect it to be. Having never played the game before I quickly remembered all the praise lobbed at it from other writers within the network from other industry events. This experience however was extra special as two of my team members were fellow Joystiq writers Jem Alexander and Dustin Burg. How did the Xbox 360 version feel with a team of people I'd actually play with when it ships later this year? Jump in to find out more.
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Continue reading PAX 2008 Hands-on: Left 4 Dead (X360)

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>hands-onleft-4-deadpax-2008valveMon, 01 Sep 2008 09:00:00 ESTPAX 2008: Dragon Age: Origins, now with blood and ceilingshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-dragon-age-origins-now-with-blood-and-ceilings/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The Dragon Age: Origins booth at PAX08 has been surrounded all weekend by both walls and people lining up to get inside. So when PAX opened for the third and final day this morning, we bolted straight to the game booth and avoided the nasty line. By joining in with the first group of the day to see the game demoed live. It didn't take very long for the room to fill up and once the doors close, we were elbow-to-elbow with what turned out to be some pretty enthusiastic BioWare fans.%Gallery-30910%

Continue reading PAX 2008: Dragon Age: Origins, now with blood and ceilings

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>biowaredragon-agedragon-age-originsjoystiqfeatureslive-demopax-2008pax08penny-arcadeMon, 01 Sep 2008 07:00:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: Need for Speed Undercover, rollcage editionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-need-for-speed-undercover-rollcage-edition/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-need-for-speed-undercover-rollcage-edition/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-need-for-speed-undercover-rollcage-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


From the depths of the M.C. Escher nightmare of Dead Space we slid into the sweet embrace of a high-octane car. Need for Speed: Undercover knew that it needed to impress people with something besides picture-pretty cars racing along at high speed through city streets, so it wrapped itself inside a glorious steel gaming cage. A gaming cage that looked like something they'd use to teach driver's ed out of in the future. Find out all about this must-have, but can't-buy gaming accessory after the break.
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Continue reading PAX 2008 hands-on: Need for Speed Undercover, rollcage edition

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>EAElectronic-Artsgaming-cageMaggie-QNeed-For-SpeedPAXPAX-08PAX-2008PAX2008UndercoverMon, 01 Sep 2008 04:30:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: Mirror's Edge, even edgier with an audiencehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-mirrors-edge-even-edgier-with-an-audience/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-mirrors-edge-even-edgier-with-an-audience/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/01/pax-2008-hands-on-mirrors-edge-even-edgier-with-an-audience/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Our first stop on the whirlwind tour of EA's heavy hitters was with our favorite running, jumping, sliding, wall-climbing, Faith. Mirror's Edge continues to impress, and we were lucky enough to get a few minutes on a kiosk with her. However, the best thing about it isn't in the game, it was the cheering crowd behind us. Head behind the break to get the full skinny on our PAX experience this data-running hottie.
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Continue reading PAX 2008 hands-on: Mirror's Edge, even edgier with an audience

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>EAElectronic-ArtsFaithjoystiqfeaturesMirrors-EdgeparkourPAX-08PAX-2008PAX08PAX2008Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:30:00 ESTPAX 2008 hands-on: Demigodhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-hands-on-demigod/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-hands-on-demigod/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/31/pax-2008-hands-on-demigod/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Following an interview with Gas Powered Games at PAX 2008, we got some hands on time with their newest creation, Demigod. The first thing we noticed while watching it running on glowing, envy-inducing PCs was how deliberate much of it looked. Everything from the unit/map design to the ease-of-use control scheme oozed hours of careful consideration on developer GPG's part. While the concept of Demigod tends to bewilder many who hear it -- ourselves included -- understanding the idea only took us a few minutes of playing the atypical strategy game.

Players only control their Demigod and its set of abilities. Our time was spent with the RPG-style Torchbearer, a Norse flavored character that can switch between ice and fire modes. We were digging his armored-burn-victim look, which just so happened to feature more armor and less burn. The Torchbearer is all about freezing everything before switching to fire and watching the screen light up as your enemies burn. Our magical offensive certainly got us some kills, but it wasn't moving the battlefront at all. Once we began to work more attentively with our AI-controlled troops of the non-Skynet variety, the battle quickly shifted to our favor.

Our actions in-game where peppered by murmurs of, "Oh, whoa." and "I want this game, now" from various onlookers behind us. We were starting to agree with this sentiment. It surprised us to find out that the game is actually running on a version of the Supreme Commander engine, as we saw more visual variety in 30 minutes with Demigod than we ever did playing hours of SupCom. GPG assured us that the system requirements are designed to include low-end machines, which is very much due to the fact that Demigod doesn't try to do a thousand things at once on-screen while you play it. (our wallets say thanks) Looking at the game, it was fairly hard to imagine that the harpy-like creatures and wiggling death-plant-things were living in the same engine that featured angular robot-spiders and hover tanks that bogged down our computers just a year and half ago. All in all, Demigod looks like it's going to steal away our precious personal time when it eventually ships on Stardock's Impulse service next year.


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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>demigodgas-powered-gameshands-onimpressionsjoystiqfeaturespax-08pax-2008pax08Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST