Joystiq

Darius Burst trailer is explosive

by JC Fletcher { 23 minutes ago }

The PSP is home to some unexpected shooter revivals. Thexder was just released on PSN, R-Type returned -- as a strategy game! -- and there's even a new Cho Aniki. Compared to those random releases, the announcement of a new Darius isn't too shocking. But it is very welcome.

The trailer for Darius Burst seems to hit the highlights of the Darius experience -- namely, spaceships and giant robot versions of aquatic creatures. And it looks hot. Hot enough to send us back through the series in anticipation of the December 24 Japanese release, and for us to send our sincerest wishes to Taito parent company Square Enix. Sell this to us!

Hydrophobia flooding retailer shelves as well as XBLA

by Ben Gilbert { 1 hour ago }

As details slowly drip out of Xbox World 360's recent hands-on with upcoming water-based puzzler Hydrophobia, the game's developer, Dark Energy Digital, is putting Internet-less Xbox 360 owners' fears to rest. In addition to releasing the game as three chapters on Xbox Live Marketplace, Hydrophobia will be getting a disc release at the end of next year.

Also of note, despite the game's grandiose scale, it weighs in at under 250MB -- well under the allowed 2GB file size for XBLA releases that Microsoft recently increased. We've reached out to Dark Energy Digital to nail down some of the more slippery details on Hydrophobia and will update you as soon as we hear more.

Gallery: Hydrophobia (XBLA)

Readers pick best webcomic: Polygonous Polygamy

by Griffin McElroy { 3 hours ago }

If the characters in Aion -- regardless of gender -- are as divinely beautiful as Penny Arcade would lead us to believe in their Wrapup-winning strip from last week, "Polygonous Polygamy," then the world of married gaming fanatics is about to be rocked to its core. If you're betrothed, we beseech you: Play something less hazardous to your relationship. Like Second Life! Oh, wait.

Second and third place went to 2P Start's "Eyeing the Prize" and GU Comics' "News Worth Celebrating," respectively. If you feel like tossing your name (or the name of your favorite gaming-related strip) in the hat for this week's wrapup, drop a link in the comments, or send in a tip!

Runic Games dreams of XBLA Torchlight

by Richard Mitchell { 4 hours ago }

Speaking to 1UP, Runic Games' Max Schaefer intimated that he'd like to see the company's upcoming RPG Torchlight make an appearance on Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, Schaefer admitted that Runic is a small developer and is focused on bringing out the Torchlight MMO next, so an XBLA version may not be in the cards. He noted his belief that an XBLA version "would really do great," however.

Given the enjoyable time we spent with the PC version at PAX, we're inclined to agree. A dungeon crawler in the same vein as Diablo, Torchlight would be a perfect fit for consoles, especially with the addition of multiplayer. Here's hoping Runic finds a way to make it happen.

LGJ: 3D Dot Game Infringement

by Mark Methenitis { 5 hours ago }

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

If you're like me, then you've likely been following Joystiq's coverage of 3D Dot Game Heroes and thinking "I really, really hope this gets translated and released in the US." After all, if you're a gamer like me then you love the idea of a 3D homage to the 2D games you grew up with. Of course, it's less likely that you're a lawyer like me, and so it's also less likely that you read through the comments and had an immediate reaction to the countless cries of copyright infringement in the game. Those repetitive, vocal cries have brought me to this column, which aims to answer the big question: is 3D Dot Game Heroes copyright infringement?

Let me start off by saying the analysis here is just my opinion, and a court could always find otherwise. Where this discussion really needs to start is what elements seem to be infringing. Now would be a good time to view the trailer or some screenshots, if you haven't yet. The main complaints I've heard, and can see from the trailer, are the environments (both overworld and dungeon) bear a striking resemblance to the Zelda universe (The Legend of Zelda and Link to the Past, specifically), while the hero characters bear a striking resemblance to those from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior past. Some of the monsters also bear quite a resemblance to Zelda baddies. And, of course, the music is certainly inspired by classic Zelda music. So, case closed, right? Well, no, that's not how copyright infringement works.

Continued →

Academy Award nominee penning script for Dante's Inferno

by Griffin McElroy { 6 hours ago }

A recent Visceral Games press release revealed the talent behind the script of Dante's Inferno: Will Rokos, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the screenplay for Monster's Ball. We missed out on that one when it was in theaters, but a quick Wikipedia search taught us that it's a troubling tale of ingrained racial conflict, shattered families, coping with lost loved ones and brief, uncompromising shots of Billy Bob Thornton's testicles.

So, yeah. Lots of overlap between that and an action-oriented video game based on a 14th century epic poem.

Gallery: Dante's Inferno (E3 2009)

WRUP: [Video game] is like the [prominent work from other medium] of gaming edition

by Alexander Sliwinski { 7 hours ago }

Sometimes we ponder:

Tetris is the Monet's Water Lillies of gaming.
God of War is the Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse of gaming.
Dante's Inferno is the Dante's Infern ... actually, it's the 13-year-old's vision of classical poetry of gaming.
Diablo is the Bobcat Goldthwait of gaming.
Dynasty Warriors is the Archie Comics of gaming.
Final Fantasy VII is the Steel Magnolias of gaming.

... oh wait, we got it ...

Metroid Prime is the Citizen Kane of gaming!

Somebody beat us to that one? Foiled, again! What's everyone playing this weekend?

[Thanks, Kyle!]

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Video: Dante deals with Anger, kills demons

by Richard Mitchell { 8 hours ago }

The latest in a series of developer diaries for Dante's Inferno has been released and, as we've come to expect, it's more familiar gameplay wrapped up in the hideous guise of a ruinous literary interpretation (one that Dante himself would supposedly approve of, no less). It's hard to say that the game doesn't look enjoyable, because it really does. The scythe and cross, which feature heavily in the video, look like a lot of fun to wield. The pursuit of a smooth, 60 FPS frame rate is admirable as well.

Unfortunately, the arrival of this "Anger" video also likely means the arrival of something in our own Chris Grant's mailbox. Some grim, tasteless thing that will shake our faith in humanity and the wisdom of EA's marketing department. And so, we wait.

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, October 5 - October 9

by Kevin Kelly { 8 hours ago }

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Anvil: The Story of Anvil (DVD: $24.98 MSRP, cheaper at most retailers)
Just for the record, I'm not a fan of heavy metal. It's just never been my thing. But this documentary about a band you've never heard of just came out on DVD, and it's one of the most moving, amazing movies I've seen in a long time. You'll laugh, cry, play some air drums or guitar, and ultimately be won over. Steve "Lips" Kudlow channels more emotion in this movie than most actors ever do in their lives, and you'll understand why he's kept this failed band going for 30 years. By day he works at a depressing school catering job, and in his spare time he and longtime childhood friend (and drummer) Robb Reiner rock as heavy metal band Anvil. The film chronicles their history, a failed European tour, and what life is like for the flipside of Metallica or Slayer. Highly recommended.

As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

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Jak and Daxter find a release date: November 3

by Andrew Yoon { 9 hours ago }

Does he have a goatee or not? Click to find out!

Why is Jak so angry on the cover for Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier?

A) It's been four years since Jak 3! Even Daxter got his own game!
B) Franchise creator Naughty Dog abandoned Jak for Nathan Drake, a man that can't even transform!
C) Okay, Jak's been emo since Jak II. This is nothing new.
D) This.

The Lost Frontier will be available on PSP (in both UMD and PSN flavors) and on PS2 on November 3.

New Serious Sam HD trailer is anything but serious

by Richard Mitchell { 9 hours ago }

If you were to ask us to what sort of modes we expected to see in Serious Sam HD, "Super Happy Fun Time Mode" wouldn't even be on the list. Much like the first time you heard the bewildered Mortal Kombat announcer utter the word "Friendship," the video above is likely to fill you with unexpected glee. Don't be surprised if you emit giggles, chuckles or maybe even a guffaw or two. Of course, we still have to wait and see if Serious Sam's punishing gameplay has withstood the test of time.

For now, just enjoy the video.

Marc Ecko wants more Getting Up, says Atari 's**t the bed'

by Justin McElroy { 10 hours ago }

When you're in the fashion biz like Marc Ecko you gotta be out there on the edge. So when he tells Destructoid that he's "going to f***ing make [Getting Up] again if it kills me," thereby distinguishing himself not only as the sole living human to want that, but as the only one who remembers it existed, you have to forgive him. He's got to be out there on the edge.

Of course, Ecko then goes on to claim that the reason for the game's failure was that "Atari shit the bed." C'mon Marc, saying Atari bungled something is like the opposite of edgy. It's just obvious.

Joystiq Podcast 112 - Visceral edition

by Justin McElroy { 10 hours ago }

A true trans-global podcast this week, as we record from two separate Third World countries to bring you the latest in gaming news. What better place could there be? We're talking about Wet, Jump! and other games that don't sound dirty when you put them next to each other.

Oh, and thanks to your friend and ours Tyler Miller for the socially diverse photoshop.

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes
[Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Hosts: Christopher Grant, Justin McElroy, Griffin McElroy and Ludwig Kietzmann

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5TH Cell's next: a 'pretty big' XBLA game

by JC Fletcher { 11 hours ago }

Well, okay, not next next. The actual next game from Scribblenauts developer 5TH Cell is Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter on DS, out October 27. In an interview with Gamasutra, 5TH Cell's creative director Jeremiah Slaczka revealed that the game after that will be the developer's first console game, a "pretty big" game for Xbox Live Arcade. "It's going to be really cool," Slaczka said. "We're very excited about it... it's totally not ready to be announced." Just think of how exciting it will be when it is ready! That's got to be ... more exciting.

The full interview is really interesting stuff, going into the inspiration and early design of Scribblenauts, some discussion of emergent gameplay, and 5TH Cell's somewhat indie-like philosophy.

Metareview: Demon's Souls (PS3)

by David Hinkle { 11 hours ago }

Demon's Souls from Atlus has been getting quite the positive buzz around the 'net watercooler, so we figured it prudent to check in with some of our colleagues on what they thought of the game. Unsurprisingly, that buzz is justified -- the game's been a resounding success with the majority of critics out there. So, without further ado, let's get to it:

RPGamer (100/100): "The game is very hard, but not unfairly so; each time you die, you'll learn a bit more about the level, and you'll be able to progress a bit further. I was very surprised with what I found in Demon's Souls."
IGN (94/100): "Every single person that owns a PS3 should at the very least rent this game to see what all the fuss is about, and those that can remember the good ol' days when games taught through the highly effective use of negative reinforcement and a heavy price for not playing it carefully should scoop this up instantly. It's utterly unique among the offerings on any console right now, and absolutely, positively should not be missed."
Eurogamer (90/100): "It's stoic, uncompromising, difficult to get to know, but also deep, intriguingly disturbed and perversely rewarding. You can learn to love Demon's Souls like few other games in the world. But only if you're prepared to give yourself over to it." [JPN Import]
GameSpot (90/100): "If you crave true innovation, a fair but relentless challenge, and gripping exploration in which every step has consequences, then you crave Demon's Souls."
GamePro (80/100): "In short, you'll have a blast but you'll pay a heavy price for it sooner or later."