Griffin McElroy

Griffin is a graduate of Marshall University with seven years of experience in professional video games reporting. In addition to his work as Weekend Editor, Contributing Editor and now Reviews Editor for Joystiq, he's produced content for a number of local West Virginia news organizations and contributed to MTV's Choose or Lose Street Team '08 election coverage. He's also the co-host and editor of My Brother, My Brother and Me, a podcast in which he distributes exclusively terrible advice.

Articles by Griffin McElroy

Kingdom for Keflings coming to OnLive with touchscreen controls
NinjaBee's decidedly adorable city-building game, A Kingdom for Keflings, is the latest arrival on the recently launched OnLive mobile streaming application. As part of its welcoming celebration, the title will run players $2.50 (down from $9.99) through midnight on Monday, December 12. Better yet, anyone who bought the PC version of the game directly through NinjaBee's site are eligible to receive a free OnLive copy -- just email Swag@NinjaBee.com with the subject "Keflings OnLive," including the name and email address you used to buy the game. The OnLive version is one of few games on the platform to be altered to include native touchscreen controls, making it a nice fit on tablets like the iPad 2 and Android devices. Keflings, you see, are meant to be poked and prodded, not manipulated with cold, unfeeling joysticks.
Epic's Tim Sweeney being inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced the 16th inductee to its Hall of Fame, a catalog which already contains literal game-changers like Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier and Will Wright. To be added to that list during the Interactive Achievement Awards at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit in February: Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney. You've almost certainly heard of him -- if not, you've definitely heard of the Unreal Engine, which he helped create. If you haven't heard of that, what is wrong with you? The Interactive Achievement Awards, which will be presented February 9, will see Epic VP Mark Rein bestowing the honor upon Sweeney. We anticipate that his speech will include humorous jabs at one or more of Sweeney's lesser-known idiosyncrasies, as well as a heart-touching stanza about how he's not just a good boss, but a great friend. We're getting a little choked up just thinking about it.
Amazon sale on PS3 games: Resistance 3 for $30, Uncharted 3 for $40
Looking to get all your holiday shopping done in a time frame that won't elicit judgment from your even earlier-shopping peers? You can knock it all out today, provided you're only buying PS3 games for your loved ones. Amazon's got a bunch of great deals on titles for that platform.
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: PlayStation Network
Did you ravenously unwrap a gift this holiday season, only to discover a redeemable PSN card within? Don't despair -- that card can actually be turned into video games! We've got a bunch of suggestions on which 2011 video games you should transmogrify your e-money into after the jump. Whether you're using a PS3 or PSP, we've got you covered.
uDraw hasn't fared so well on Xbox 360 and PS3, THQ lowers its forecast
THQ has lowered its earnings forecast for the third quarter of the 2012 fiscal year, citing underwhelming sales of its recently multiplatform uDraw tablet. THQ CEO Brian Farrell explained in a press release, "Despite uDraw's strong success on the Wii in fiscal 2011 and market research indicating strong demand for uDraw on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, initial sales of our uDraw tablet and software on these high-definition platforms have been weaker than expected." As a result, the company is lowering its original sales guidance of between $510 million and $550 million by "approximately 25 percent," which is a large number of millions (at least $127.5 million). We'll know how poorly the device did when third quarter results drop next February. Until then, Farrell assures investors that "WWE '12 and Saints Row: The Third are expected to perform at or better than the levels we discussed on our fiscal 2012 second quarter earnings call." We guess folks are just more into simulated violence and genuine bonersword violence than they're into drawing things with their kids.
Microsoft launches 'My Xbox Live' on iOS App Store
Microsoft has announced the surprise release of "My Xbox Live," an iOS application which allows users to interface with their Live Friends in a number of ways. The free App will let you exchange messages with friends, customize your Avatar and compare Achievements on the go. You can also manage your friends list, allowing you to end your acquaintanceship with someone right in front of their very eyes. You can grab the App for free right now, though you'll have to agree to those new Terms of Service, first.
Bloodrayne: Betrayal gets a temporary price cut on PSN
Couldn't bother to shell out $14.99 for WayForward's delightful, 2D action-platformer Bloodrayne: Betrayal? What if we knocked three bucks clean off that price? Well, not us, so much as Sony, who is doing just that for one week on the PlayStation Store.
GTA III mobile out next week for $5 on select devices
If you've been aching to wrap your thumbs around the smartphone-based Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition (despite our concerns), you'll have your chance next week. Rockstar has announced that the title will arrive on select iOS and Android devices December 15, for the low, low price of $4.99. You can check out the full list of supported devices after the jump. We did not elect to include the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC, because, well, you're smart enough to figure that one out on your own.
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: PlayStation 3 and PSP
If you've been given the daunting task of purchasing gifts for a dyed-in-the-wool PlayStation fanboy (or even for yourself, Sony crony), don't fret -- we've got your back. Listed below is a suggested shopping list for PS3 and PSP games that came out during 2011, as well as a few hardware recommendations to boot. Aren't we just the sweetest? Check out the lists, and keep an eye out for our PlayStation Network shopping guide in the coming days!
GOG cutting the prices of most games in half, giving Witcher with Witcher 2 purchase
Classic game distributor (and CD Projekt portal) GOG isn't one to be left out of the holiday discount phenomenon. The site revealed its sales plans for the rest of the month, including a free copy of The Witcher with Witcher 2 downloads, and a 50 percent discount on "virtually" its whole catalog.
KlickNation is no more; long live BioWare Sacramento
If you've made a habit of frequenting the free-to-play worlds of Six Gun Galaxy, Age of Champions or Starship Command, you're probably familiar with their developer, KlickNation. Then again, maybe you aren't -- but you're about to be. The independent social game developer was recently acquired by EA and, as is their custom, given it a regionally appropriate rebranding as part of one of EA's development branches. Behold: BioWare Sacramento. KlickNation co-founder Mark Otero added in a press release, "Joining with BioWare and EA is an opportunity to realize our vision for bringing high-quality RPG titles to the fast-growing, highly-engaged core gamers looking for deeper experiences on social platforms." You think that's what we're looking for? No way, man. We're just looking for new and exciting ways to ask our real-life friends to help us water virtual eggplants.
DeNA and Square Enix bringing Final Fantasy Brigade to Japan's smartphones
Square Enix's smartphone-based social RPG, formerly titled Final Fantasy x Mobage, was detailed and properly titled during a recent press conference hosted by Japanese cell network operator DeNA. It's now titled Final Fantasy Brigade, and will allow players to team up with their friends' characters and perform quests while exploring the world, unlocking series-standard jobs and summons along the way. You can check out a few screens (like the one posted above) over at 4Gamer, and take a moment to soak in its Theatrhythm-esque charm. Or, you know, be completely disgusted by it. We're not going to tell you how to live.
Ubisoft: From Dust moved over 500K on PSN and XBLA
In an interview with MCV, Ubisoft digital publishing manager for EMEA Thomas Paincon spoke about the strengths of digital distribution for the introduction of new video game IP. The publisher's no stranger to taking risks with downloadables, as it's currently doing so with I Am Alive, Babel Rising and Shoot Many Robots. It also gambled on Eric Chahi's From Dust earlier this year, which Paincon said has paid off on XBLA and PSN to the tune of "half a million units." Paincon added some insight into Ubisoft's strategy, specifically chalking From Dust's sales up to the fact that "the prices were lower, but also because it was a new experience and people using digital platforms are more willing to test a new IP." Hey, as long as we keep getting good games for $15 or less, you're not going to see us complaining. Now, how about that multiplayer and level editor update?
Orcs Must Die's 'Lost Adventures' DLC coming to XBLA in December
Have you already fulfilled the titular imperative delivered unto the player in Robot Entertainment's XBLA strategy-action title, Orcs Must Die? The joke's on you: There are always more Orcs. This time, they come in the form of the "Lost Adventures" DLC pack -- an expansion which came to PC last month, and will bring its five new fortresses, two enemies and additional collectible skulls to the XBLA version of the game sometime in December. Of course, the 400 Microsoft Points ($5) you drop on this bad boy will also net you a handful of new tools, like the energy-restoring Mana Well, the health-draining Vampiric Gauntlets and the Shock Zapper, which both shocks and zaps. We know, we always assumed those two were synonyms as well. We guess we'll have to see the thing in action before we understand the subtle differences.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 trailer shows off combat system improvements
Final Fantasy XIII-2 won't just append an additional number and some monster-collecting mechanics to the (thirteenth) original, you know. Check out the trailer above to see the "Enhanced" combat system in action. (Read: Quick-Time Events!) %Gallery-140865%
PlayStation Plus doles out Christmas gifts in Europe
Christmas obviously appeals to our materialistic side, but leaves much to be desired in the instant gratification department. Sony's giving European PlayStation Plus subscribers the best of both of those worlds: Starting today, Sony's letting those users download a new title for free, rotating in a new complimentary game every two days. It's like that song, The 12 Days of Christmas, only it's games instead of days, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 instead of exotic fowl. That's the first title, by the way -- Sonic 2 is free for European Plussers until December 3, when a new game will be swapped in. If you've been a member since the service became available, don't get your hopes up: The 12 games have all be free on PlayStation Plus at some point or another. We've contacted Sony to see if a similar offer will be made in North America as well.
Marathon trilogy now free through open-source project [update]
In what we can only assume to be a charitable act made in the spirit of the holidays, the Aleph One engine, which powers Marathon 2: Durandal, Marathon Infinity and a fan remake of the original Marathon, is now available to download (alongside the aforementioned games) for free. The distribution of the engine -- assumedly approved by Bungie, who just shared it through the studio's Twitter account -- is made possible thanks to its GNU General Public License. All three games are available for PC, Mac and Linux -- as well as the iPad, thanks to an open-source project completed this past summer -- so there's really no reason for you not to check them out. Unless, of course, you can only find satisfaction through thoroughly illegal piracy. We can role-play, if that makes it any easier. "No! Don't download all those games for free! That's illegal, you bad, bad buccaneer." Update: As many of you have pointed out, this project has been around for some time -- today just marks the arrival of version 1.0. We apologize for being so very, very late to the party.
Chair on Infinity Blade 2 development crunch: It sucked
Chair co-founder Donald Mustard recently talked to Gamasutra about the trying circumstances under which Infinity Blade 2 was developed. The whole kit-and-caboodle was created in a six-month crunch; Mustard explained, "We don't look at that like that's a good thing at all. We only did it because we definitely, passionately wanted to get the game done, and we wanted a little more in there." Mustard added, exhausted, "I think in retrospect, having done it twice, that our development cycles are a little too short." He tiredly explained his team had to "death march kill ourselves" for the last two or three months, which is detrimental to the studio's longevity. "And so we definitely won't do that again," Mustard added, with great fatigue. "It's not worth the cost." We totally agree. Now, we're thinking Shadow Complex 2 by early April. Let's get cracking, okay?
Amazon discounts PC versions of Witcher 2, Deus Ex and more
You think because Cyber Monday has come and gone, Amazon's going to stop offering preposterous discounts on games? No, stupid: Check out today's Amazon discount round-up, which cleaves the prices of PC games like Witcher 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and so, so many more.
Indie Game: The Movie making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival
Good news, everyone! Indie Game: The Movie -- which you may have helped fund at some point or another during the last year and a half -- will finally make its debut in late January 2012. We know, we know; you're worried about how that's going to conflict with your scheduled attendance of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. There's no need to worry, silly goose: That's exactly where it's making its debut. Crazy, right? The crowdsource-funded film's official blog announced that the movie had earned an official selection in the World Documentary Category of the festival. If you can't make the trip to Utah, don't worry: You can also request a screening of the film in your hometown, or wait until the movie hits DVDs following its initial screening tour. Us? We don't have to see it, Dottie. We lived it.

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