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Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq has concluded its selection of last year's best games. Click here to see the complete assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs - until next year! The Wonderful 101 The boundless, ALL-CAPS exuberance of The Wonderful 101 may have been misread by its intended audience. Overseen by Mr. Devil May Cry himself, Hideki Kimaya, this vibrant action game conveys cuteness in its army of stout superheroes, but poses creative and razor-sharp challenges without taking a breath. The game's cartoonish antics and enormous bosses are beyond ridiculous, dwarfing the mechanical cleverness that lies beneath it all. The real novelty lies in drawing shapes and having your heroes congeal into corresponding mega-swords and huge hammers (also: puddings). It becomes a practiced analogue shorthand, not unlike your maneuvers in a fighting game, and the hard-earned rewards satisfy in much the same way.
Best of the Rest: Xav's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Splinter Cell: Blacklist Splinter Cell: Blacklist was my Game of the Year for 2013. It's hard to name another game that offers so many different experiences in one box as Blacklist, and even more arduous to name those that have hit the nail so squarely on the head as Ubisoft Toronto (and others) did with Sam Fisher's latest escapade. For franchise fanatics – of which I am one – Blacklist delivered an explosive concoction of everything: the exemplary action of Conviction, the tense stealth of Chaos Theory, and the sublime multiplayer of Pandora Tomorrow. Though its action-movie storytelling can't compete with the likes of other narrative successes launched this year, Blacklist continually entertains throughout its campaign. Its co-op modes are outstanding and its competitive multiplayer is frantic. It's gorgeous, addictive, and, for all these reasons and more, it's my favorite game of the year.
Joystiq Streams: Sam Fisher sneaks into 2014 for Splinter Cell: Blacklist co-op [UPDATE: It's over. Relive the stream!]
The Joystiq team is exhausted from the mental strain of composing our Best of the Year 2013 top ten. We need a release, some way to get rid of all this pent up tension, and sweet cooperative stealth play is the only restorative for us. Our very own Xav de Matos and Ludwig Kietzmann will be streaming one hour of the PC version of Splinter Cell: Blacklist on the Joystiq Twitch channel starting at 4p.m. EST on Jan. 3. Anthony John Agnello will be hanging in the chat room as well, so come on by and hang out!
Steam Holiday Sale day five: Splinter Cell, Borderlands 2, Amnesia
The Steam Holiday sale continues, rotating out a slew of new daily deals. Splinter Cell: Blacklist headlines today's deals and is half-off, down to $30. Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition, which includes the base game and a whole mess of DLC, has been marked down to $15, while Castle Crashers is on sale for $3.74 and Shadowrun Returns is down to $9. You can also grab Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, the follow-up to original scream generator Amnesia: The Dark Decent, for $10. These deals will be active for 24 hours total, so if you're looking into grabbing any games on the cheap, head on over to Steam to see all that's on sale.
Report: Gamestop's Black Friday has exclusive bundles, blue PS3
Gamestop's Black Friday circular has supposedly leaked its thick, viscous deal-goo all over the internet, exposing the retail chain's plans for the most excruciating shopping day of the year – just don't expect any deals on that new PlayStation 4/Xbox One hotness. For everyone staying in this console generation, though, there's some cool stuff going on if you think leaving the house on Black Friday is worth it. You can have your choice of 250-gig PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 for $199.99, the former bundled with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins, and the latter bundled with Halo 4 and a download code for Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, a Gamestop-exclusive Azure Blue 250-gig PS3/Jak and Daxter Collection bundle can be had for $249.99. For 360 owners, there's also a Gamestop-exclusive Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City boxed set, Dishonored and Splinter Cell: Blacklist at $24.99 each. PlayStation 3 owners can snag Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $40 and a year of PlayStation Plus for $29.99. The chain is also running a buy-2-get-1 free promotion on all pre-owned items, provided the free thing you pick out is of equal or lesser value. Gamestop is also granting an additional 30-percent in-store credit on all trade-ins, though whether these two offers stack is unknown. There's a lot of other stuff on sale, so while we check on the trade-in value of a human soul, click all up on this to check out the full 12-page circular for yourself.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Rayman Legends among Ubisoft underperformers
A number of Ubisoft's games from this fiscal year are selling less than the publisher targeted, including Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman: Legends. Those were the games name-checked by CFO Alain Martinez when pressed on the company's adjusted forecasts in the wake of delays to Watch Dogs and The Crew. "We have had games that were released for which we anticipate today lower sales than we anticipated when we gave our first targets," Martinez said during an investors' conference call. When asked to clarify which games he was talking about, he added, "Already released games such as, of course, Splinter Cell, Rayman, and others." Ubisoft adjusted its averaged revenue forecasts for this fiscal year by €415 million, around $561 million, and expects to make an operating loss rather than a profit. The publisher stated this was principally due to the surprise delays to Watch Dogs and The Crew. Ubisoft delayed the once Wii U-exclusive Rayman Legends to bring it to other platforms and gain more sales. Meanwhile, Splinter Cell: Blacklist placed fourth in August's NPD charts, selling less than Madden 25, Saints Row 4, and Disney Infinity.
Weekend deals choose Bioshock, XCOM: Declassified and more [Update]
If you've somehow avoided accumulating a backlog over the year or just enjoy the act of spending money, Steam and Amazon have some weekend gaming deals to help you burn cash. Steam enthusiasts can splurge on the service's 2K Games Weekend, which includes Bioshock Infinite for $13.59 $26.79 and Civilization 5, Spec Ops: The Line and Borderlands 2 for $14.99 apiece. PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate is $9.99, or if you say to hell with the past decade, 1998's Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is an even $5. Amazon has blacked out $30 from The Bureau: XCOM Declassified's price on Xbox 360 and PS3 while knocking the PC version down to $19.99. Splinter Cell: Blacklist has crept its way to $39.99 for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U, but you can gear up for a special mission with its Aircraft Edition for $99.99 on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. If you'd rather get ready for the PlayStation 4, Amazon is also offering $30 of bonus credit towards a DualShock 4 if you trade in $30 worth of qualifying video games. You can check to see if anything you're willing to part with is eligible through the search function on the promotion's page. Update: The 66 percent off deal for Bioshock Infinite has passed. The game is now available for $26.79, 33 percent off of the initial price.
Splinter Cell Blacklist gear now available in Ghost Recon Online
The weapons and gear used by Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Blacklist are now available in Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Online. Ubisoft says the cross-over is inspired by the successful Assassin's Creed pack, which launched for the free-to-play shooter in February. The Splinter Cell: Blacklist pack is part of a new update Ghost Recon Online, which also brings the ability to gift items to others through the in-game store. Lastly, the patch is introducing a new map for the game inspired by the Middle Eastern city Peshawar, Pakistan called Khyber Stronghold.
Splinter Cell Blacklist 'Homeland' DLC emerges from the shadows
Sam Fisher and Fourth Echelon get some new gadgets and missions in Splinter Cell Blacklist today. The Homeland DLC pack, available for $6.99 on PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U, adds a pair of co-op mission maps, two new sneaking suits for Sam, a crossbow with sleeping darts and some skins for Blacklist's Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer mode. Previously, this DLC content was exclusive to pre-orders and the collector's edition. Splinter Cell Blacklist launched last month, marking the first entry in Ubisoft's iconic series since the divisive Splinter Cell: Conviction back in 2010. In our review of Blacklist, we lauded the campaign's situational freedom and proclaimed it the best entry in the series yet.
gdgt's best deals for September 16th: HTC One, HP LaserJet Pro and a 32-inch LG HDTV
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our friends at sister site gdgt track price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals are the much-adored HTC One at its lowest price yet, and a sizzling bargain on an HP LaserJet Pro all-in-one. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Ubisoft and Nvidia form 'alliance' to give PC gamers a visual edge
Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag are going to look best on PC, thanks to an "alliance" formed between developer/publisher Ubisoft and graphics card manufacturer Nvidia, the two companies have announced. Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, said that the partnership will allow Ubisoft to deliver "stunning" performance for new and upcoming games. "The PC remains one of the world's most popular gaming platforms, and we're committed to offering PC players the best possible experience with our games," Key said. So what does that mean for PC users? Fancy techno-jargon graphics options! Enjoy TXAA antialiasing, soft shadows, horizon-based ambient occlusion, and advanced DX11 tesselation! Need to upgrade your graphics card to take advantage? You can pick up Blacklist as part of a bundle when you purchase a qualifying GeForce GTX 660, 660 TI, 670, 680, 760, 770 or 780 graphics card. So there you have it: Ubisoft wants to give PC gamers the best versions of their games, and they've partnered with a major player in the hardware market to make it happen. Because they care.
Gamescom trailers and screenshots giga-post
Psst, hey kid. You want some ... trailers? How about some Gamescom trailers? C'mere for a second. Yeah that's right, we got all kinds of trailers. Murasaki Baby, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Resogun, Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, pretty much any kind of trailer you wanna put in your eyeballs, we can hook it up. Hey, and you know what? Since you seem like a nice kid, we're gonna throw in some screenshots too. Oh no, put your wallet away – the first one's free.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Splinter Cell Blacklist, Galaga, Donkey Kong
Sam Fisher infiltrates the Wii U's eShop next week in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, joining a Virtual Console release of Namco's arcade classic Galaga. The NES version of Donkey Kong arrives today on the 3DS's Virtual Console, meanwhile, and players can look forward to snuggling canines and equines alike in the one-two pet-sim punch that is Barbie Groom and Glam Pups and My Western Horse 3D.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist launch trailer lit up (by explosions)
Ubisoft has a new action-packed trailer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist ahead of the game's August 23 release. If you prefer a little more text with your videos, we recommend checking out our review of the game.
Splinter Cell Blacklist review: Fisher is King
It was while stuck behind enemy lines, carefully studying the movements of armored guards that I realized just how deeply I'd fallen for Splinter Cell Blacklist. Completing most of the game as an unseen and non-lethal ghost, I left the franchise's protagonist motionless for minutes as I examined the patterns of three aggressive adversaries. This is the Splinter Cell of days past, a game with as much focus thrown at patient stealth progression as at Hollywood bombast. Back from the cold, Splinter Cell hero and seemingly ageless covert agent Sam Fisher returns to help thwart American enemies. For Sam's latest jaunt through coordinated terror strikes, Ubisoft Toronto recalls the stealth gameplay that made the series famous, while offering more action-focused players tools to survive an onslaught. Whether it's a player's desire to pass through each sequence completely unseen or leave nary a pulse beating in their wake, Splinter Cell Blacklist allows them to craft their perfect gameplay style.%Gallery-195982%
Latest Splinter Cell Blacklist trailer is a 7-minute mission briefing
Since Sam Fisher's job is to take down an untouchable international shadow cartel and the lethal knowledge it holds, we're pretty impressed this Splinter Cell: Blacklist trailer can condense everything he needs to know into about seven minutes of AR cellphones and stealth takedowns.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist crosses out local co-op on Wii U
Splinter Cell: Blacklist will not feature an offline co-op component on Wii U. Producer Liu Jun has confirmed the news with NintendoLife, citing the pressure to ship the Wii U version alongside other platforms as the reason behind the missing feature. "In order to ship at the same time as the other consoles, we unfortunately weren't able to delve into this feature. But we think Nintendo gamers will be really excited to get the game at the same time as other consoles." Ubisoft Shanghai is the lead developer on the Wii U version, which looks like it'll offer some useful WiiPad functionality when it launches later this month. Outside of the omission of local co-op play, the Wii U version features are identical to its PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 brethren.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist up for pre-purchase on Steam
The thing about being a spy is nobody tells you about all the prep work. You have to oil up your sneaking suit and make sure your goggles have fresh batteries before you can even set foot in the field. So, naturally, you can prepare for Splinter Cell: Blacklist by purchasing the game ahead of its launch at the end of August. Splinter Cell: Blacklist is available on Steam in both standard and deluxe editions. Pre-ordering either will net the Upper Echelon DLC pack, which includes an additional co-op mission, special suit that ups weapon defense and stealth in shadows, plus some gold sonar goggles. If you sign on for the deluxe edition, you'll immediately unlock a copy of Splinter Cell: Conviction on top of five custom suits, weapons and armor accessories. Earlier this month, we were able to sample a few missions from the single-player campaign, providing us with a good look at Sam Fisher's new team and their distrust of his judgment.
Everyone's second-guessing Sam in Splinter Cell: Blacklist
In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, series frontman Sam Fisher finds himself in a new position as leader of Fourth Echelon, a black ops outfit assembled by the President of the United States. Fourth Echelon was formed to hunt down The Engineers, a group of terrorists promising to attack American interests every seven days until all US troops are pulled out of foreign countries. During a preview session, where I was able to sample the first handful of Splinter Cell: Blacklist missions from the final game, I found myself fascinated with this new team. Fourth Echelon is composed of people who don't necessarily trust Sam's judgment, and don't have a problem vocalizing their criticism.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist co-op developer diary works together
This developer diary video for Splinter Cell: Blacklist explores the characters that players can use in the game's co-op missions. The game is coming to Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on August 20.
