The Xbox SmartGlass app was updated for iOS today. iPhone 5 users can finally interact with their Xbox 360 without suffering the pains of a squished interface on their iDoodad. Bugs have also been addressed in version 2.1 – we'd tell you which bugs were squashed but none are listed in the update notes.
Xbox SmartGlass first launched on Windows 8 devices back in October. That lengthy half-day exclusivity ended with an Android version on October 26, followed by the iOS app's arrival in early November.
Xbox SmartGlass first launched on Windows 8 devices back in October. That lengthy half-day exclusivity ended with an Android version on October 26, followed by the iOS app's arrival in early November.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted gets some new cars and events this month. A press release from EA's UK branch pulls back the tarp on the Ultimate Speed pack, a collection of new cars – the Pagani Zonda R, McLaren F1LM, Lamborghini Aventador J and Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse – and 25 new events to conquer. There's also a new Most Wanted car to take down and own, the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder.
The Ultimate Speed pack will be available for download on December 18 in the UK, for 800 MS Points ($10) through Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Origin. There is no specific announcement for North America yet; however, most of the time DLC launches worldwide so it's safe to assume we'll get the goods on December 18, too.
Mass Effect series developer BioWare Edmonton is working on a new piece Mass Effect 3 DLC, and it's "all hands on deck," level designer Jos Hendriks said on the BioWare forums.
"It's all hands on deck for this one. Pretty much every ME3 DLC writer here in Edmonton is involved (which would include both Patrick Weekes AND John Dombrow)," Hendriks wrote. Other writers included Jay Watamaniuk and Cathleen Rootsaert. Additionally, composer Sam Hulick tweeted that he's working on "unannounced Mass Effect 3 DLC."
"Tossing in piano and muted strings for this one particular piece. High potential for tears. #ME3DLC," Hulick tweeted.
Twitter previously outed Seth Green and Raphael Sbarge, voices of Joker and Kaidan Alenkowere, as working on something for Mass Effect 3. Neither appeared in Omega, the DLC that hit last week.
"It's all hands on deck for this one. Pretty much every ME3 DLC writer here in Edmonton is involved (which would include both Patrick Weekes AND John Dombrow)," Hendriks wrote. Other writers included Jay Watamaniuk and Cathleen Rootsaert. Additionally, composer Sam Hulick tweeted that he's working on "unannounced Mass Effect 3 DLC."
"Tossing in piano and muted strings for this one particular piece. High potential for tears. #ME3DLC," Hulick tweeted.
Twitter previously outed Seth Green and Raphael Sbarge, voices of Joker and Kaidan Alenkowere, as working on something for Mass Effect 3. Neither appeared in Omega, the DLC that hit last week.
Guitar Hero 7 was a game that existed, at least in a development phase, until Activision canceled it in early 2011, Kotaku reported, citing an anonymous source.
Guitar Hero 7 had only a guitar, ditching the drums, mic and bass that surfaced once Rock Band entered the market. The guitar saw some changes, however, and had a full six strings and an extra button in the neck. It was expensive, unresponsive and development was, overall, a "disaster," Kotaku said.
Vicarious Visions, the team in charge of developing Guitar Hero 7, had some great ideas about creating a morphing, unique music video for each song. The songs themselves posed a problem: "The game had all of the worst hits from the 1990s," Kotaku wrote, quoting its source. "They realized that, with our lack of budget and time, they couldn't get quality music so they bought bargain-basement music like 'Closing time' and 'Sex and Candy.' There were some songs in there that had been used at least three times in the GH franchises before."
The music video idea quickly became unwieldy, too, and development fell apart. Guitar Hero 7 was canceled in the middle of an expected two-year development cycle. Just think, we could have had a new Guitar Hero on our GOTY lists this year. Maybe.
Maybe not.
Guitar Hero 7 had only a guitar, ditching the drums, mic and bass that surfaced once Rock Band entered the market. The guitar saw some changes, however, and had a full six strings and an extra button in the neck. It was expensive, unresponsive and development was, overall, a "disaster," Kotaku said.
Vicarious Visions, the team in charge of developing Guitar Hero 7, had some great ideas about creating a morphing, unique music video for each song. The songs themselves posed a problem: "The game had all of the worst hits from the 1990s," Kotaku wrote, quoting its source. "They realized that, with our lack of budget and time, they couldn't get quality music so they bought bargain-basement music like 'Closing time' and 'Sex and Candy.' There were some songs in there that had been used at least three times in the GH franchises before."
The music video idea quickly became unwieldy, too, and development fell apart. Guitar Hero 7 was canceled in the middle of an expected two-year development cycle. Just think, we could have had a new Guitar Hero on our GOTY lists this year. Maybe.
Maybe not.
[Pictured: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock]
Giana Sisers: Twisted Dreams is coming to XBLA in spring 2013, from publisher bitComposer. Giana Sisters hit Steam in October as the second title to launch under Greenlight, published and developed by Black Forest Games. It appears bitComposer will be taking over all publishing duties, listing a PC launch for spring, too.
The (quite successful) Kickstarter for Giana Sisters listed a launch on PSN and XBLA in "early 2013," so we're keeping our eyes peeled for any PS3 news from bitComposer.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams pays homage to the platformers of yore, and does a wonderful job of it on PC. Sitting on the couch and holding a controller should only exaggerate that nostalgic joy. Unfortunately, blowing on the code of a downloadable game just isn't the same as blowing into a cartridge. But hey, give it a go anyway. You won't look insane at all.
The (quite successful) Kickstarter for Giana Sisters listed a launch on PSN and XBLA in "early 2013," so we're keeping our eyes peeled for any PS3 news from bitComposer.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams pays homage to the platformers of yore, and does a wonderful job of it on PC. Sitting on the couch and holding a controller should only exaggerate that nostalgic joy. Unfortunately, blowing on the code of a downloadable game just isn't the same as blowing into a cartridge. But hey, give it a go anyway. You won't look insane at all.
In this video, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino guides you through the company's Fukuoka headquarters, to show where and how Ni no Kuni acquired its beautiful look. At least part of that look comes from the motion capture studio, with the help of a fake book and wand. ...
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Zen Pinball 2 will be available some time this month on the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U. Per usual, the base Zen Pinball platform will be free, with the tables available for purchase in packs or individually.
"We cannot yet say how much the tables are, but you can expect pricing in line with what we have offered in the past," Zen Studios' marketing and PR honcho Mel Kirk told us. Tables are normally priced around $3 on other consoles.
Wii U's Zen Pinball 2 release will launch with three different Marvel Pinball packs, each containing four tables. It will also have the classic Zen pinball pack available, along with individual tables: Plants vs. Zombies, Excalibur, Earth Defense, Sorcerer's Lair, Paranormal, Mars, Epic Quest, Captain America and Fantastic Four.
This is Making Time, a column about the games we've always wanted to play, and the games we've always wanted to play again.
I never owned a PlayStation during the 32-bit era. I had a Sega Saturn, which I loved, though that didn't stop me from envying my PlayStation-owning friends. I was lucky enough to play a handful of games on friends' consoles – Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Vagrant Story – but I missed out on most of the games that would help solidify Sony's legacy in the game industry.One of those games was Jumping Flash. It was a platformer, and it was in 3D, a mind-boggling concept back in 1995. With no PlayStation, all I had were magazines filled with glowing reviews and screenshots, showcasing a beautiful, colorful world and a cool mechanical rabbit. With YouTube still a decade away, I couldn't even watch a Let's Play. All I could do was imagine, imagine what it must be like to leap and soar over those wonderful floating islands.
Now, thanks to the magic of PSOne Classics and a Black Friday Vita purchase, I can play it pretty much whenever I want. I've done so for the past few days, and it turns out that Jumping Flash holds up surprisingly well. Not only that, it makes for a great portable game.
Matt Carter and Chris Cobb, two former Wideload employees, started Ragtag Studio to create a game that they can almost define as a "spiritual successor" to Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse, called Ray's the Dead.
Ray's the Dead is a PC game that might migrate to mobile eventually, where players control a group of 2D zombies in a 3D environment, with two storylines told through playable events rather than cutscenes, Cobb tells Polygon. Cobb can only almost call it a Stubbs the Zombie successor because he doesn't own the Stubbs license, and for an indie studio, navigating that grey legal area can be tricky.
Ray's the Dead will focus on controlling the zombie horde and using different undead abilities to solve puzzles. It draws from games other than Stubbs, with Pikmin as a notable shout-out, and the main character, Raymond, has a lightbulb on his head. We're not sure why that last detail is relevant, but it certainly is cute.
Ray's the Dead is a PC game that might migrate to mobile eventually, where players control a group of 2D zombies in a 3D environment, with two storylines told through playable events rather than cutscenes, Cobb tells Polygon. Cobb can only almost call it a Stubbs the Zombie successor because he doesn't own the Stubbs license, and for an indie studio, navigating that grey legal area can be tricky.
Ray's the Dead will focus on controlling the zombie horde and using different undead abilities to solve puzzles. It draws from games other than Stubbs, with Pikmin as a notable shout-out, and the main character, Raymond, has a lightbulb on his head. We're not sure why that last detail is relevant, but it certainly is cute.
"Given our ongoing relationship with them on Smurfs' Village, [Beeline] are the perfect partner to carry forward the success of Ghostbusters in the interactive space," said VP of Sony Pictures Consumer Products Mark Caplan.
Beeline describes Ghostbusters more as a tycoon game, as players upgrade their proton packs and traps to take higher-paying jobs and upgrade the business. A Beeline rep tells us, "Ghostbusters is more about building out your Ghostbusters franchise and taking your squad on missions. Snoopy and Smurfs are really 'city' builders in comparison."
In advance of the full release, Nintendo will put a "free preview demo" on eShop, featuring multiple scenes.
Winter holidays are, statistically speaking, the very best holidays, due to their general abundance of twice-baked potatoes and various pies. But when every serving at every meal contains at least three sticks of butter, those extra pounds can really pile up.
Nike and Microsoft recommend solving your tummy troubles by doing crunches in your living room while a virtual man watches, or as the system is commercially known, Nike+Kinect Training. They've even got an Xbox 360 bundle for it and everything, which includes a 4GB console, Kinect, Nike+Kinect Training, Kinect Adventures and a month of Xbox Live Gold for $250, as seen above. That price tag is only valid through January 5, we should point out. After that, the bundle is kicked up to $300.
Microsoft has also announced that the game itself will be digitally available through Xbox Live on December 25, at a smooth $50/4,000 MS points.
Nike and Microsoft recommend solving your tummy troubles by doing crunches in your living room while a virtual man watches, or as the system is commercially known, Nike+Kinect Training. They've even got an Xbox 360 bundle for it and everything, which includes a 4GB console, Kinect, Nike+Kinect Training, Kinect Adventures and a month of Xbox Live Gold for $250, as seen above. That price tag is only valid through January 5, we should point out. After that, the bundle is kicked up to $300.
Microsoft has also announced that the game itself will be digitally available through Xbox Live on December 25, at a smooth $50/4,000 MS points.
A third female ninja has been promised for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. During today's Nintendo Direct livestream, Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi confirmed the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan outcast Kasumi would be added to the game as a playable character.
Kasumi will be a free addition to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, though no word on when Kasumi would be available. The other two free additional characters include Momiji – who will be available for download sometime this month – and Ayane, who is included on the disc.
Kasumi will be a free addition to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, though no word on when Kasumi would be available. The other two free additional characters include Momiji – who will be available for download sometime this month – and Ayane, who is included on the disc.
You might be wondering just what a "crashmo" is. The word is meaningless. It's not even a word. It's just an awkward collection of letters that means nothing to the average person. It might look familiar if you've played last year's 3DS puzzler Pushmo, though, and the similarity isn't a coincidence. This here is a full-blown sequel.
If you didn't play Pushmo, go do so. Now that you have, know that Crashmo isn't just a booster pack of additional puzzles. Crashmo expands on Pushmo's block-pushing dynamic, resulting in a better and more complicated game.
If you didn't play Pushmo, go do so. Now that you have, know that Crashmo isn't just a booster pack of additional puzzles. Crashmo expands on Pushmo's block-pushing dynamic, resulting in a better and more complicated game.
Nintendo has revealed that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate will launch in Europe in March 2013. Mirror of Fate continues the story of Lords of Shadow on the 3DS and stars Trevor Belmont, son of former protagonist Gabriel. Turns out dear old Dad has become the legendary vampire, Dracula.
And, you know, that's always bad news.
And, you know, that's always bad news.
Rhythm Hunter HarmoKnight, a 3DS eShop game by Pokemon developer Game Freak, was released back in September in Japan. There's been no word on an international release for the rhythm action game, however, until today's Nintendo Direct.
The game, now called simply HarmoKnight, has been confirmed for a North American release, but no date was provided. In HarmoKnight, players run, jump and attack in side-scrolling levels to the beat of the background music.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the 3DS rendition of Nintendo's franchise recently released in Japan, will arrive in the UK in the second quarter of 2013. The news comes via a Nintendo Direct presentation, with Nintendo Europe president Satoru Shibata noting that Nintendo was hard at work localizing the New Leaf for European audiences.
The US localization of Brain Age: Concentration Training for 3DS is now due out on February 10, 2013, pushed back from the original release date of December 3, 2012.
Brain Age: Concentration Training has players perform mental gymnastics designed to improve "working memory." Some tasks have players answer problems on a delay, forcing them to wait and see the next problem before writing the solution to the previous one. It's like a backflip for your amygdala.
Brain Age: Concentration Training has players perform mental gymnastics designed to improve "working memory." Some tasks have players answer problems on a delay, forcing them to wait and see the next problem before writing the solution to the previous one. It's like a backflip for your amygdala.
Awakening features "relationship levels," which players can boost by putting two characters in close proximity on the battlefield, or having them engage in frequent conversations with one another.
Scribblenauts Unlimited will arrive in Europe on February 8, Nintendo announced today. The game previously had an open 2013 release window. The game was a Wii U launch title in the States.
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Quotable
As soon as you bias one style of play or one set of decisions, that then becomes 'the best way to play the game,' which makes other decisions significantly less meaningful.
— XCOM: Enemy Unknown associate producer Pete Murray on designing the game's first DLC, 'Slingshot'.
The Joystiq Podcast
Super Joystiq Podcast Special: A chat with Peter Molyneux
Latest episode: Tuesday, December 4th, 2012