Ben Zackheim
Articles by Ben Zackheim
Joyswag #3 Update
Here's the latest on our Joyswag contest (in partnership with Major Nelson)... Everyone at Joystiq is going through the hundreds of entires and looking for the one that catches their fancy. We'll have the winner sometime next week. Promise. Great responses!
Joyswag #3 - Xbox Live! headset and free one year subscription
Welcome to the third installment of Joyswag. This time around we have one full year of Xbox Live! and a special Major Nelson headset, built by Plantronics. We've tried this puppy on, and it's a hell of a lot more comfy than the standard Live headsets. How do you win? Answer the question below (once, people!) and the staff of Joystiq will nominate their favorites. We will then have a spirited, possibly violent, roundtable discussion to vote for the best response from the finalists. So here goes… What's your favorite multiplayer (online) game of all time, and why? The contest will end at midnight ET, June 16th.
Real GTA: Liberty City Stories pics
After all the controversy over the last batch of GTA: Liberty City Stories pics, we present to you some real shots of the game. Unless someone went out of their way to Photoshop a magazine spread. In which case they should be put out of their misery. The Playstation 2 UK mag has a nice piece on the upcoming megahit. The pics look great, so the eye candy is taken care of. The ability to import your own playlist fulfills a fantasy of many GTA fans. And, finally, yes the missions will be shorter but it looks like there may be more of them. A summary of the highlights can be found in the middle of the page. Get 'em while they're posted… [thanks Sean]
Power-ups for neighborhood trees
This may be the next big thing in garden design. Or it could be the next big thing on the front page of your local paper. A Mario fanatic has posted a How-To article titled, "How to Make Your Own Totally Sweet Mario Question Blocks and Put Them Up Around Town." The Question Blocks are pretty snazzy, and should immediately set off Homeland Security alarms around the country, ensuring a place for Power-Ups in the annals of American history. I think the blocks in the pic above are just a tad bit out of reach. [thanks Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga]
Get ready for Battlefield 2 on Gamespot
Gamespot will be debuting the Battlefield 2 demo soon. Some rumblings say it will be today, but that hasn't been verified. It sure would be nice to have something new to play this weekend. I've already worn my Fight Night Round 2 disc down to the quick. The Gamespot premiere does NOT make it a Gamespot exclusive, from the looks of it. Mirrors will start popping up all over the place within minutes. Free up that bandwidth and get the trigger finger ready.
E3 Game Critics Awards announced
The E3 Critics Awards were finally announced, and they seem reasonable. Except the Best Hardware. The only never-before-seen console at the show that you could play was the GB Micro. That would have taken it hands down over all the vaporware. The Killzone nod should get some of us riled up too. The awards were voted on by members of the gaming press, as well as critics from mainstream outlets like The Washington Post and Rolling Stone. From all the chatter you just knew Best of Show would go to Spore or Zelda… The full list follows, courtesy of Gamasutra: Best of Show Spore (Maxis/EA for PC) Best Original Game Spore (Maxis/EA for PC) Best Hardware/Peripheral PlayStation 3 (Sony)
Today's painful read: Spike TV does games
Tipster, White Rose Duelist, sent us a link to some painful blogging. Someone over at Netjak was brave enough to give us a blow by blow of Spike's E3 coverage. To say it's embarassing is one way to put it. To say someone should be arrested is the preferred way to put it. Among the choice bits is a scene where Stryker, the host, busts up a room with a sledgehammer. Now that's gaming at its finest! Why do TV shows about games have to include so many stupid people?
Nintendo DS Red
The colors are coming fast and furious from The Big N these days. Hot on the heels of the blue Nintendo DS for North America, yamakiyo sends in a link that shows off a red DS. For Japan only, for now. Fine with me. Since there have been a slew of PSP snatchings on the subways of New York recently, it's probably best if I don't carry a red handheld around until the game goons get it out of their system. The unit will be on shelves 8/8/2005.
U.S. gets another Nintendo DS rev
If you've been green with envy over the plethora of Nintendo DSes popping up in Japan, then you can relax a little now. The Big N has announced the color blue is worthy of the North American market. The new version will still cost $149, so no price gouging here for you completists out there. I've got one word for corporate HQ. Black!
Xbox 360 beta dev kits are here
Word at CVG is that the real Xbox 360 dev kits are finally showing up on developers' desks. The kits are a sign that the 360's final specs are being laid in stone, allowing the magicians/devs to show us what the box can really do. Remember, the demos at E3 were running on G5s, so they were doomed to look current-gen. Will the haters out there eat their words when the genuine (sweet) screenshots start leaking out?
Tamagotchi to bow on the DS
Once the sales figures for Nintendogs started coming in, you could hear the gears turning faster at Bandai. The makers of Tamagotchi have been planning to bring the license to the DS for awhile, but you can bet they're putting more elbow grease into it now. The first title should come out this September
Nintendo Revolution's classic titles listed
Tipster, Snizzle, sent in a link to the list of games that will be made available for free download on the Revolution. The 221 titles are a cross-section of gaming history, with Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda and Metroid all making several appearances. The list only proves one thing — this writer is buying a Revolution when it comes out. My sense is that there will be many others who feel the same way.
Microsoft ready to eat it on the Xbox 360 too?
It's never been verified, but word on the street is that MS took a $75-150 hit on every Xbox sold. If an evaluation by Patrick Parr and Martin Cecchetto (of UBS Securities) is true, then they may be ready to keep on keeping on. The analysts' read of the numbers is that each 360 will cost MS around $375. If they sell the device for $299, as is expected by "experts", then a $75 loss may be in the works. Of course, I think they'll pull a "Value" Pack maneuver, and charge $360 out of the gate. That would ensure minimum loss on the first million or so units. That's what I would do if I ran a multi-billion dollar company, instead of selling my comic collection on eBay.
Xbox 360 mug shots
The Xbox 360 faceplate seems like a good idea, in general. I haven't seen the much-expected Spider-Man skin yet, but it'll be on my buy list. The mugs on the other side of the "Read" link range from sleek (Aluminum) to embarassing (Pink Balloon). It's surprising we haven't seen a Halo faceplate yet (have we?) or heard mention of a blank faceplate (for us doodlers). The Team Xbox piece points you to a survey where you can vote for your favorite. Don't vote for Pink Balloon, even in jest.
The week in preview won't make a lot of parents happy
If the anti-gaming forces don't like GTA: San Andreas for the PS2, we'll go ahead and guess they won't like it for the PC and Xbox either. The controversial title is expanding its reach this week, no doubt getting the lion's share of enthusiasm. Other highlights include Medal of Honor: European Assault and Juiced! PC Area 51 Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Juiced!
GTA: Liberty City Stories for the PSP pics leaked?
We just got a tip from SINYAKUZA: A friend of mine has an FTP server that he lets me and a bunch of people use. Theres tons of stuff on there, and I happened to come across these. No telling if theyre real, and if they are, where he got them. I just put them up on photobucket just in case they are…you never know. Anyways here are the links: link 1 link 2 link 3 link 4 link 5 link 6 Judging by the text in the first one, it appears to be some sort of beta. Like I said, I dunno if they were real, and I have nothing to do with them… Look real enough to us. The multiplayer screen is most intriguing. Most intriguing…
Nintendo Revolution's classic Nintendo games will be free
Wow. Good move. When we spoke with Nintendo about the price of their classic "emulated" games on the Revolution, they were coy and left the pricing up to our imaginations. I assumed they'd follow the GBA model — 10-12 bucks for a classic would be fair. But George Harrison of Nintendo just sprung a surprise. Classic Nintendo titles will be free. Buy the console, take it home, plug it in and start playing your old faves. They'll have to be careful not to offer too much out of the gate. After all, you want people to spend money on the software. But as far as exciting services to offer with their new hardware, it's hard to come up with a better idea. [thanks Dom!]
Nintendo DS kicking Sony's butt in Japan
Nintendogs is the killer app Nintendo was looking for. Ever since the game's release, sales of the DS have skyrocketed in Japan. The DS outsold both the PSP and the PS2 last week. It just goes to show you, it's still all about the games. North America will be able to train their pooch in August. Don't forget to take care of your real pet!
Xbox 360 widget to remind you when it probably won't launch
If you've been sucked into the widget craze, I feel for you. I was so lost in high-rez, bouncing icons that I actually couldn't find certain widgets on my screen. I had to pull the plug completely to save myself from madness. Now I just have the dictionary and weather neatly placed in the upper right corner. If you want another useless (but fun) widget, you can get the Xbox 360 countdown clock. The release date is based on the Mountain Dew promotion, so expect it to be updated when the real release date is revealed.
Nvidia getting ready to strut its stuff
Nvidia, wisely, waited for the E3 mania to die down a bit before announcing their next gen tech. June 21st, in San Francisco, the chip designer will unveil the new series amidst case mod contests and Battlefield 2 demos. The company has claimed the chipset will be similar to the one being used in the Playstation 3, so expect to get a better idea of what the Sony console is capable of. If they show something like Killzone 2 in real-time, then some of us may eat our words. Happily.