Author Archive
Got a disagreement? A dance-off will settle it!
Filed under: Culture, Rhythm, Exergaming
Forget for a moment that libraries are supposedly places where one can go for some quiet reading. Forget too that librarians are typically known for being shushers and squelchers of anything resembling fun. Finally, forget that there’s an inverse relationship between time spent exercising and time spent sitting in a library.
Now you’re ready to accept the wackiness of a situation in which a teenaged librarian uses DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) to settle disputes between patrons and to determine whether an overdue fine should be waived. Totally awesome, if completely inappropriate in a library environment.
[Via BoingBoing]
[Image via flickr user Librarian Avenger]
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World waits for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, Puzzle, RPGs, MMO
Blizzard’s just-released Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft appears to have inspired customers (old and new) to return in droves. The screenshot above was taken moments ago. It demonstrates that the huddled masses, yearning to breathe digitally, are forming long lines at the borders to Azeroth. “Let us in,” the wretched refuse cry!
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Apple TV: games or no games?
Filed under: Mac, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, CES, Business
We’re confused about Apple’s plans for games on their new Apple TV device.
Marketing copy running across the top of the official “Apple TV” website promises “If it’s on iTunes, it’s on TV,” yet small, grey text at the bottom of the screen takes that promise back: “iPod games will not play on Apple TV.”
Further confusion results from the image at right, showing a screenshot of a Harris Poll administered back in October in which consumers were asked what sort of content they might like to purchase for an Apple TV device. Games are listed.
Is the absence of gaming from Apple TV an indication that poll respondents showed little interest in games? Is the absence of gaming due to technical limitations that might be fixed in future versions of Apple TV hardware? Is the absence of gaming an indication that iPod gaming itself might not be faring so well in the iTunes marketplace? (EA’s embrace of iTunes gaming indicates otherwise.)
Whatever the case may be, it looks like consumers will have to stick to their latest-gen consoles if they want to play inexpensive, digitally downloaded games from the couch… for now.
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A cautionary tale for D&D geeks
Filed under: Culture, Action, RPGs, Video
Four hours into a Reno 911 marathon, we stumbled across a short, cautionary tale that highlights the dangers that await those who would dabble in the dark arts of D&D. It’s no Dark Dungeons (Gor Bless you, Jack Chick), but we hope this clip proves just as educational. Forward to timestamp 17:41 to jump straight to the relevant moment.
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Ayiti: The Cost of Life
Filed under: Mac, PC, Online, Simulations, Strategy
Ayiti: The Cost of Life is a simple, web-based strategy game built by NYC-based developers gameLab and students from Brooklyn’s South Shore High School. The game’s purpose is to teach about poverty in developing nations, but don’t let the game’s educational mission deter you from giving it a shot.
It’s not easy. In eight attempts to win with the “Money” strategy, we lost eight times (Cholera being the leading cause of death in the game). If you find a strategy that keeps your family from crapping themselves to death, do share, because the game’s not at all easy.
Then again, maybe the point is that you’re not supposed to be able to win this one.
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Zelda cartoon retro blast
Filed under: Culture, Retro, Video
So you’ve beat the latest Zelda and you’re still jonesing for more of the pointy-eared boy-hero in green tights? TV Links compiled this handy link listing pointing to 13 episodes of the series that originally aired in 1989 and 1990.
1. The Ringer part 1, part 2
2. Cold Spells part 1, part 2
3. The White Knight part 1, part 2
4. Kiss n Tell part 1, part 2
5. Sing for the Unicorn part 1, part 2
6. That Sinking Feeling part 1, part 2
7. Doppelganger part 1, part 2
8. Underworld Connections part 1, part 2
9. Stinging the Stinger part 1, part 2
10. A Hitch in the Works part 1, part 2
11. Fairies in the Spring part 1, part 2
12. The Missing Link part 1, part 2
13. Moblins are Revolting part 1, part 2
[Via Plusmail]
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Ms. Pac-Man has invited you to lunch
Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro
As often happens during lunchtime jaunts through Flickr, our stomach led us to pictures of food, where we happened upon Mr. Bento sets, which subsequently led to this delectable Ms. Pac-Man bento box. It may look like Ms. Pac-Man’s about to gobble the ghost, but truth is both were munched by one “nadja.robot,” the creator and the destroyer of this gastronomical artwork.
Adorable and nutritious? See, games are good for you.
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Sega lawyers harass YTMND
We saved this post for after midnight, because the linked-to content features some racy rap in response to a cease-and-desist letter Sega Europe allegedly sent to YTMND on January 11, 2007. (Click subsequent links herein at your own risk.) Sega’s lawyers maintain that consumers “may be confused into believing that [Sonic-related YTMNDs are] in someway [sic] linked to or associated with [Sega].”
Ok, pop quiz time. Reader, tell us, are you confused between this site and this site? How about between this site and this site? Or this one and this one? Didn’t think so.
Therefore, a little anger on the part of the YTMND community seems warranted. Sega just threw water an on oil fire. This response, in particular, seems particularly creative. Check it out, but brace yourself for some salty language.
We’ve left a voicemail with Sega Europe’s legal department, we’ll let you know if we hear back from them.
[Image credit: Flickr user Zacharo2000.]
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Finally! A Wii-proof lamp built to survive Wiisports
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Sports, Peripherals, Exergaming
Looks like reports of Wii damage aren’t going away anytime soon: people are still damaging their television sets, lamps, windows, pets, and selves as they flail about living rooms designed more for lounging than energetic indoor video games.
Rather than fight it, flow with it. The KNOCK-OFF LAMP’s beautiful, white polyproylene exterior echoes the Wii aesthetic, and it’s made to be knocked over. At just $22.00, it’s also probably cheaper than non Wii-proof lamps, too.
[Via funfurde]
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Wiirotic
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Action, Video, Peripherals
When Nintendo unveiled the controversial “Wii” name, many readers noted the unfortunate similarity between the English slang term for a certain human reproductive organ. The resemblances don’t stop there. The Wiimote’s unique shape is a touch more phallic than the humble television remote control.
No surprise then, that the fan community has produced this PG-13 video making the implicit a little more explicit. Enjoy.
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Game designer turns geek mafia
Filed under: Culture, Portable, Retro
Before you lynch us for recommending entertainment that’s neither electronic nor interactive (books, they’re the ultimate retro portable), know that GEEK MAFIA ain’t just any book. First, it’s hella cheap: $5. Second, the book features as hero protagonist a video game designer who gets entangled in a comic book counterfeiting scheme and uses game design skills to pull off a big con.
Author Rick Dakan’s bio includes a hint of the intrigue that may have inspired the novel. According to his bio, Dakan dreamed up the idea for popular MMORPG City of Heroes, helped found Cryptic Studios, and was fired by his business partners three years later.
The kid’s got chops, the book’s getting props, and the price is right. We bought one.
[Via Seth Godin]
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Happy New Year!
Filed under: Meta (about Joystiq)
Happy New Year, readers (except those of you in Hawaii, who still have about a few minutes to go before you’ve joined us in 2007).
2006 was a wild year, what with the release of the Wii and PS3. Over the course of 2006, we made 7,269 posts on Joystiq.com alone, and you added over 276,000 comments to those posts. Nice.
Because we haven’t yet written our New Year’s resolutions, we’d like to give you a chance to influence them when we do sit down to put together Joystiq’s 2007 resolutions. What should we do different? What should we focus on? What do you think our top five resolutions should be for 2007?
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Girlfriend’s gift to boyfriend: Mario Bros hoodie
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Fashion
Flickr user “Sabellachan” made this sweet hoodie for her boyfriend for consumermas, then shot him in the back with her new D80 as he strolled down Palo Alto streets. Nice work on both counts.
For fun and insight into our editorial process here at Joystiq, we share with you rejected headlines for this post:
- Mushrooms, they’re the new Viagra
- Mushrooms, “We’re here to pump [clap] you up!”
- Bigger mushrooms make him. An existential dilemma solved by fungus.
- What’s black, white, red, and worn all over?
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Bankshot Billiards 2 - free for one reader [update 1]
Filed under: Arcade, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Simulations, Sports
If you’re the first Joystiq reader to find the code we’ve hid in a Joystiq post, you’ll earn yourself a free copy of Bankshot Billiards 2 (a $15 Xbox Live Arcade title). The code’s been embedded in a post tagged “XBLA” (joystiq.com/tag/xbla). Let the scavenger hunt begin! Good luck!
Update 1: The contest has been won. The code was contained in this post. Congrats to the winner!]
[Image credit: Flickr user TheCapt'n]
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Quarter gobblers are broken on XBLA [update 2]
Filed under: Arcade, Sony PlayStation 3, Retro, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting, Online, RPGs, Competitive Gaming
Joystiq reader “epobirs” disagreed with our comment earlier today that Xbox Live Arcade title Gauntlet is broken. We’d like to dig into the issue a little more, because we feel that developers are missing a major opportunity to resurrect the true arcade experience.
Games like Gauntlet were designed for an era in which expensive game cabinets were purchased by small businessmen who hoped that the large up-front purchase would be paid for (and them some) by teens plunking quarter after quarter into the machines in order to keep playing. Game designers therefore had to make sure (1) that the average player would die frequently; (2) that the game was fun enough to convince the average player to drop another quarter in the slot.
Gauntlet, released in 1985 (at the height of the arcade craze) was a masterpiece of the form. It greedily gobbled quarters from addicted gamers who were enthralled by the game’s tight design. What made the game so fun was the fact that your money was always at stake. A mistake meant that you had to reach into your pocket and insert more money. There was a constant tension between performance and pocketbook, and this tension made the game.
Every non coin-operated release of Gauntlet since then has missed the point. The Xbox Live Arcade version, for instance, allows players to hit a button on the Xbox 360 controller in order to simulate putting a quarter in the machine. Of course, a button press costs nothing, and so the essential tension is lost. The game loses a fundamental game play mechanism by replacing quarter insertion with button pressing.
What we’d love to see is a release of Gauntlet for Xbox Live Arcade (or for a competing service) that’s free (or very cheap) to “purchase” but that costs $.25 per health increase (equivalent to 20 MS Points). The developer that brings back this core game play mechanism will claim the title of “most authentic arcade experience.”
We’re certain that are some great arcade titles slated for release in 2007. They’d be better if they stayed true to the arcade experience.
Continue reading Quarter gobblers are broken on XBLA [update 2]
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Top 20 XBLA titles purchased in 2006
Xbox Live’s Major Nelson posted some interesting year-end numbers, including this ranking of 2006’s top Xbox Live Arcade titles ranked in order of sales:
1 UNO
2 Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
3 Geometry Wars Evolved
4 Marble Blast Ultra
5 PAC-MAN
6 DOOM
7 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8 GALAGA
9 Gauntlet
10 Frogger
11 Bankshot Billiards 2
12 SmashTV
13 Contra
14 Zuma
15 Texas Hold ‘em
16 Bejeweled 2
17 Feeding Frenzy
18 Small Arms
19 Cloning Clyde
20 LUMINES LIVE!
A few comments:
1. Who the heck is purchasing Gauntlet? That game is broken! (Hitting “Y” on the controller is the same as inserting a quarter into the original arcade game, but it can be hit an unlimited number of times, making it equivalent to an “invincibility” button.) Gauntlet’s place on this list demonstrates the power of nostalgia over gameplay when it comes to arcade titles. We suspect that Nintendo’s virtual console is benefiting from the same misguided gamer nostalgia. Some old games just don’t hold up.
2. Most (all?) annual Xbox Live Gold subscriptions sold in the retail box (the one with the cheapo headset) included a free game code to redeem Bankshot Billiards 2, making that $15 game’s rank on this list suspect.
3. Feeding Frenzy would be higher on this list if there were a reason to pay for it. It feels like the demo mode lasts forever. It’s quite satisfying to play without ever purchasing it.
4. Street Fighter II would have been number one on this list if a solid arcade joystiq had been released simultaneously with the game. First- and third-party peripheral manufacturers really blew an opportunity there.
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$99 for Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals
The post-consumermas deals just keep pouring in. Joystiq readers in Los Angeles might want to check out GAME PLAY stores for a promised $99.00 Xbox 360 HD-DVD add on that was advertised in this flyer (page one, page two).
Readers who aren’t in LA might be able to print a copy of the flyer and ask their local retailer to price-match. At just $99, the HD-DVD player is a steal. Chances are, this is a typo, so price-matching might be the only way to score this one. That’s why we provided you with the two humongous images. Let us know if you get lucky!
[Via FatWallet]
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$150 PlayStation 3 discount [update 1]
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360
Thanks to a promotion by Sony Style (Sony’s retail operation), folks who sign up for a Sony-branded credit card by January 4, 2007 and who purchase stuff with said card by March 31, 2007, will receive $150 off of their first credit card statement.
If you’re feeling charitable towards Sony as a result of their generosity, you could apply the $150 bonanza to your purchase of a PlayStation 3, bringing the price of that budget-busting beast into blue-collar range.
On the other hand, if you’re the Billy Joe-Bobby Sue type, take the Sony card and run to your preferred online retailer who’ll be more than happy to sell you an Xbox 360 or a Wii, either of which — at $150 off — would be a very nice deal.
[Update 1: lots of questions appearing in the comments ... check out this Fatwallet thread for answers.]
[Thanks, Mike!]
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Geek, nerd, or dork?
Blog MilitantGeek helps us make sense of the difference between geeks, nerds and dorks with this handy table. We’ve carefully assessed ourselves (and our readers) against this handy chart, and have determined that most of us are nerds, though a few of us (hackers in the mod & homebrew community come to mind) have ascended to the level of geek.
Because MilitantGeek asks “What did we miss?” we provide the following suggested updates:
[Via reddit]
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SofaTube brings YouTube to Wii/PS3 couch potatoes
Filed under: PC, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Video
The Wii’s low-resolution display can make navigating messy sites like YouTube a real pain, but a site called SofaTube (screenshot shown here) might have a solution for you. The site taps into YouTube’s sizable video archive and reskins the experience with simplified navigation, oversized fonts, and low pageweight. The redesign should make for a more pleasurable lean-back experience. For those of you who’ve given it a shot, what did you think of it?
Xbox 360 users can forget about tossing back Elsinore brew and jelly donuts while enjoying underage camho dance videos from the comfort of the sofa: you’ve got no browser! Take off, hosers.
[Via Mashable]
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