q2 2011
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Pond, James Pond is back on iOS
Can you believe it? There's a new James Pond game out today! He hasn't had his own game since 1993! ... Oh, right, some of you weren't born then. James Pond is a series of British platformers published by EA, starring a goldfish secret agent who walks upright and wears a tuxedo. It was mostly an excuse for lame fish-themed 007 puns. So why are we excited? We don't know! Anyway, the new James Pond is for iOS -- it's called James Pond in the Deathly Shallows, which updates the gimmick with a Harry Potter pun. James must navigate an underwater maze to find and cover leaking oil pipes, to stop Doctor Maybe from ruining the oceans. James has a bubble gun that uses his own air supply, which must be replenished from item pickups. James Pond is on the App Store today for 099 cents.
Beyond Good and Evil HD coming to PSN next week
If you missed out on Beyond Good and Evil during its original release on PC, PS2, GameCube, and Xbox, and then you missed out on it again when the HD version hit XBLA in March, you should definitely not miss out on it this time. Ubisoft announced today that Beyond Good and Evil HD will finally arrive on PSN next Tuesday, June 28. If you buy the PSN version within the first two weeks, you'll get a pair of free PSN avatars. You'll also get a great action-adventure game! What a deal. Find a trailer (with some extra sound effects added for unnecessary impact) after the break.
Magic Carpet rides to Good Old Games
As a contrast to the disappointing recent news about an EA game disappearing from an online store, here's a story about one being added. The last of the six EA games announced for addition to Good Old Games is now available: Bullfrog's 1994 first-person upholstery flight game Magic Carpet. The others include Wing Commander: Privateer, Dungeon Keeper, Ultima Underworld 1+2, Crusader: No Remorse, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. More unannounced EA games are expected, for a total of "more than 25." If you wanted to spend your weekend sitting on a carpet tossing fire around, for the sake of your family and neighbors spend the $6 to do so in this game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 'Annihilation' DLC coming to 360 June 28
Activision has officially announced the third Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, to the surprise of everyone who wasn't online yesterday. The "Annihilation" pack, out June 28 on Xbox 360, and a contractually appropriate time later on PC and PS3, adds four new multiplayer maps: Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo, and Hazard, along with the requisite Zombies map, "Shangri-La." Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia called "Shangri-La" an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters." It goes without saying that it's also filled with zombies. To celebrate the release of this map, Treyarch will offer a double XP weekend starting July 1. Now all you have to do is free yourself from all personal and professional responsibilities.
Puzzle Agent 2 cracks the case June 30
Most top-flight puzzle crackers are known for their speed, but the FBI's Nelson Tethers isn't like most puzzle crackers. In fact, he'll need until June 30 to put together the answer to his latest stumper: Puzzle Agent 2, coming to iPad, iPhone, Mac and PC from Telltale. After a brief E3 demo of Tether's second case, we were left with a pretty darn clear message: The game's more of the same, although that's not necessarily bad. Give us the market's largest commercially available magnifying lens and we still wouldn't be able to tell Puzzle Agent 1 and 2 apart by presentation alone. So if you've got a problem with the series' odd humor or slideshow animation, you won't see it fixed here. However, if you were irritated by the tendency of puzzles in Scoggins, Minn. to repeat themselves, you'll be happy to hear that Telltale is including more puzzles with more variety this time around. Considering puzzle repetition was our biggest problem with Puzzle Agent 1, Tethers may have just found the solution for winning back our hearts.
Outland will be out on PSN June 14
Hey, PS3 owners! Remember Outland? Remember how great that sounded, and how excited you were to buy it -- right up until the PSN disappeared for over a month? Well, now you can relive all the thrill of the leadup to Housemarque's colorful platformer, followed by an actual opportunity to buy it! A post on the PlayStation Blog reveals that Outland, originally due for release right when PSN went down, is now scheduled for release on June 14. You should run, slide, and jump ... to the store to buy some PSN credit.
La-Mulana explores Japanese WiiWare this month
This year's big Nicalis-published, retro-inspired, cave-exploring WiiWare remake is La-Mulana. It's a side-scrolling platformer that stars a whip-wielding archaeologist who keeps his laptop handy at all times. Developer Asterizm announced today that the WiiWare remake will be released in Japan on June 21. " To our fans" in other regions, "you just have to wait a tiny big longer." Publisher Nicalis tweeted that it will announce the North American release date after E3.
One shot, one kill, one Sniper: Ghost Warrior PS3 limited edition
Sure, you've had to wait to play Sniper: Ghost Warrior on your PS3 -- past the mid-2010 release on Xbox 360 and PC, and past the missed Q1 release date on PS3 -- but City Interactive's all-noun FPS is coming to the platform June 28, and it'll be available in an extra fancy version when it arrives. The Sniper: Ghost Warrior One Shot - One Kill Limited Edition, available only at GameStop for $50, packs the "One Shot-One Kill" DLC, a mode that allows players in single-player mode ten-second intervals of super-sniper powers. You'll be able to shoot through solid objects, do more damage, and hold your rifle extra still. The pack also includes a "Sniper Stories" book, a dog tag, a poster, and "production artwork postcards.
PSA: Plants vs. Zombies free on Android today
Time is already passing, and you're not downloading Plants vs. Zombies on your Android device -- for zero dollars! Frankly, that seems really silly to us. Sure, Popcap already released the game on just about every other piece of electronics you own, but that doesn't make it any less wonderful and addicting. Did we mention it's free? Maybe we should point that out again, 'cause it's totally free.
Nokia lowers devices and services outlook for Q2, increasingly confident about first Windows Phone in Q4
You know what happens when you tell the world that you're abandoning Symbian for Windows Phone? Right, Symbian sales dry up. No matter how many times you boast about plans to sell an additional 150 million new Symbian devices, and no matter how long you commit to supporting Symbian devices, the OS is essentially dead to developers and consumers alike. So, we're not surprised to hear that Nokia just lowered its devices and services outlook for Q2 of 2011. The updated guidance calls for devices and services net sales to be substantially below the EUR 6.1 billion to EUR 6.6 billion expected in Q2 due to lower than expected average selling prices on lower volumes. It also sees margins drifting below the expected range of 6 percent to 9 percent due to lower than expected net sales -- Nokia expects its non-IFRS operating margin to be "around breakeven." As a result, Nokia is also pulling back its annual targets for 2011 and will provide further updates as its situation becomes more clear. On the positive side, Nokia does say that it has "increased confidence" that it will ship its first Windows Phone product in Q4 2011. Let's hope so. Update: Stephen Elop highlighted the influx of new Android devices in China and Europe as a primary factor for Nokia's revised outlook. During a conference can today, the Nokia CEO said, "It is the case that certain competitive forces, in particular Android, are really gaining momentum in certain regions."
First Homefront DLC is 'Fire Sale' map pack coming June 7; 360 title update brings fixes, Ability Pack
When THQ promised a "wide range of exciting DLC" for its shooter Homefront, we honestly expected something besides a map pack. Nowadays, if your map pack doesn't have at least one celebrity in it, we're not even taking the call. Homefront's first piece of DLC is the on-Xbox-first "Fire Sale" map pack which "will carry you further into the heart of a war torn and twisted America." No word on the number of maps in this pack, nor the modes supported, price, or number of celebrity cameos. About the only thing we do know is the name and the date: June 7. More concerned with being able to play the Homefront maps you already have? THQ also announced that a Title Update is available now for Xbox 360 that offers improvements to the game's "overall stability and network connectivity." Some of the higher profile improvements include: "game returns to MP menu instead of Main Menu after leaving a match," "Max ping limits for server connections" which should prevent connections to distant servers, "game freeze and hitching," and the "joining friends feature." As a kind of thank you, THQ is including the "Ability Pack" which features some new goodies for your multiplayer game. Get a full rundown at the Source link below. [Update: THQ let us know that a PC patch went live yesterday and a PS3 patch is in the works, but has been delayed due to the PSN outage. And what about those details on the DLC? We'll get "more detailed information" on the 7th, we're told. In fact, it should be the most detailed information since it will actually be out and all.]
HP releases 2011 Q2 earnings early, following leak of foreboding internal memo
HP kicked off this morning's Q2 earnings call citing a leaked company memo that recently popped up at Bloomberg. That memo, which had the outfit's CEO, Leo Apotheker warning of "another tough quarter," resulted in a five percent drop in HP shares in after-hours trading Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, and prompted the release of the outfit's Q2 earning a day ahead of schedule -- an earnings call was originally slated for Wednesday. According to the report, the company managed to pull in $31.6 billion in revenue and $2.3 billion in earnings, compared to $30.8 billion in revenue and $2.2 billion in earnings the same time last year. So what brought about the pot-stirring internal memo? Well, it seems HP's struggled to keep up with the competition when it comes to consumer computer sales. Despite an increase in revenue in every other segment of the company's business, HP's Personal Systems Group (which covers enterprise and consumer sales) saw revenue decline five percent year-over-year, with the portion covering consumer computers down 23 percent. That might seem like a big dip, and it is, but Apotheker says the company is "excited by the tablet opportunities," continuing on to say that the impending release of the company's TouchPad "will be an exciting product release for HP." For now, we'll just have to sit back and see if the webOS slate has the stuff to pull HP out of the consumer computer lurch. Full PR after the break.
You may now enter GagaVille (if that's your kinda thing)
Zynga has kicked off its latest cross-promotion, teaming up with the eccentric Lady Gaga for the launch of her latest album, "Born This Way." They've created a Gaga-themed farm in the enormously popular social game, FarmVille. Rather than rearing funky livestock, though, players will have a chance to listen to a handful of tracks from the album before launch on May 23. And if that tickles your fancy, you'll be glad to know that Gaga's farm is currently live on Facebook, anxiously awaiting your arrival. Beyond early access to her next album, the promotion extends to Zynga's game cards as well, with folks purchasing $25 cards via Best Buy stores (online and off) -- between now and June 11 -- receiving a free digital copy of "Born This Way."%Gallery-123814%
Deathsmiles 2X going straight to Games on Demand next Tuesday [update]
The Xbox 360 "Games on Demand" digital retail service has, until now, only featured games that were already available on disc in a given region. Cave is bucking the trend by sending the shmup sequel Deathsmiles 2X directly to Games on Demand in North America, skipping a disc release in the region. Cave is also skipping localization for the $30 game -- it'll be released in Japanese, which, for a shmup, shouldn't be a problem. Deathsmiles 2X will launch via Games on Demand next Tuesday, May 17. In the Facebook post announcing the unique release, Cave said it "will be giving this format a try for getting some of our Japan-only shooters released overseas." It's kind of an ideal solution for the company -- it gets to self-publish its shooters in North America, without the expense of localization, manufacturing or distribution. Oddly, Cave told Siliconera that you'd have to use a credit card to buy the game; it can't be purchased with Microsoft Points. (Note: When purchasing Games on Demand titles, the payment option defaults to credit card, though normally users have the option to switch it to Microsoft Points.) After the break, you can watch some footage of the game that's also unlocalized (because we grabbed it from the Japanese website). Update: Microsoft told Joystiq that you will be able to use Microsoft Points to purchase Deathsmiles 2X. Retrieve the pieces of that points card from the shredder!
Chrono Trigger travels to Virtual Console next Monday
It sure feels like we've waited an eternity for Square's timeless Super Nintendo RPG to come to Virtual Console. Begrudgingly, we suppose it's true -- good things do come to those who wait. Next Monday, May 16, marks Chrono Trigger's long overdue release on Virtual Console in North America. Following its press release, Square Enix confirmed that the game will be sold at the standard 800 Wii Points ($8) price for SNES ports on VC (as opposed to the 900-point premium being charged in Japan). That's quite a bargain for pretty much the best game ever. [Image source: Chronopedia]
Angry Birds launch assault on internet browsers, Chrome OS
Finnish developer Rovio Mobile marked yet another victory in its ongoing plan to bring the incredibly popular Angry Birds to every possible electronic device that human beings use, announcing during Google's I/O 2011 Conference that Angry Birds is available as an in-browser application. Like ... right now! Like the Android version, it's free-to-play and microtransaction-supported, but unlike the Android version, a handful of web-exclusive features have been added. Notably, "Chrome bombs" and some "exclusive Chrome levels" are both new additions -- unsurprisingly, the pay-per-use "Mighty Eagle" will return. And yes, you can play the game in browsers other than Chrome (and in operating systems other than Chrome OS).
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D coming June 28
We knew that we'd have our chance to kick some zombies in their stupid, three-dimensional faces sometime this summer -- but without anything more specific than that, it's proven difficult to pencil any undead annihilation into our day planners. Fortunately, Capcom has firmed up the summer launch window for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D into something more specific. How specific? How about June 28, 2011, at like, midnight or something. That specific enough for you? You can find a trailer announcing the release date posted after the jump. We found it scary, but mostly because we're pretty terrified by acts of violence against journalists. And, you know, decapitation.
SpyParty 'Early-Access Beta' sign-ups begin, costs $15 when beta opens
Like Minecraft before it, SpyParty is being made by just one man, and it will cost a nominal amount to access the game's public beta. Creator Chris Hecker announced as much on the SpyParty blog today, detailing the game's $15 beta access -- which will eventually roll over into a full game license when SpyParty officially launches -- and also noting that it will be rolled out in batches "over the next few months" as he expands server capacity. While signing up to be part of the "Early-Access Beta" program doesn't cost anything, Hecker encourages only serious inquiries to add their email. OS X users should also hold off for the time being, as the beta will be PC-only initially, though Hecker adds "but not forever" in the same breath. Finally, though no specific parameters are given, he says "any 3D graphics card from the past few years" should be sufficient enough to handle the game's visuals. Wondering what all the hullabaloo about SpyParty is? Catch up with our extensive coverage of the bizarre and endearing two-player psychological strategy shooter right here!
Source: Xbox 360 Spring 2011 update launches May 19, adds PayPal
Even before that new app smell has worn off from Hulu Plus, Microsoft will launch its annual spring update for the Xbox 360 Dashboard. Images sent to Joystiq by a Microsoft tech support employee reveal that the next Dashboard update will begin rolling out on May 19. According to the documents, the update will be distributed in six separate waves between May 19 and May 30 "to ensure a high quality deployment." Additionally, while not technically part of the automatic update, Avatar Kinect is listed for a May 27 arrival as a separate download. Aside from offering support for the new Microsoft disc format -- which will "be used in future game titles releasing later in 2011" -- the spring system update will enable PayPal support on the console, extending the payment option "to new international markets." PayPal will be "the only user facing feature" of the update. Update: Microsoft tells us, "We have nothing to announce." Update 2: May 27 has come and gone, and alas, Avatar Kinect has yet to launch. PayPal was added, however, on May 19.%Gallery-123154%
WayForward's Mighty Milky Way orbits DSiWare tomorrow
Having found major critical success last year with the DSiWare release Shantae: Risky's Revenge, developer WayForward is returning to the download service tomorrow with Mighty Milky Way. As "Luna," you have a magical power to create and destroy planets, and then hop between them, making a celestial path for yourself as you escape from ... a "laser-eyed T-Rex." In 40 stages, you'll use the gravitational fields of the planets to carry yourself around, collect "planet candy" and avoid obstacles and space dinosaurs. Mighty Milky Way will cost 800 DSi Points.%Gallery-123063%
