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

Richard Garriott wins lawsuit against NCsoft (again)
Last July, spacefaring game developer Richard Garriott won $28 million in a court case against former employer (and Tabula Rasa publisher) NCSoft, claiming that he was forced to sell his stock in the company at a low point in the market following his termination. NCSoft appealed the decision, and, after more than a year of further legal struggle, an appellate decision was reached in the 5th Circuit Court: Richard's getting paper. "It would be unjust to allow NCsoft to sit back during trial, observe Garriott's litigation strategy, and then demand a new trial on damages when it dislikes the verdict," the ruling reads. Garriott's former victory was not only upheld -- NCSoft now owes him $32 million with interest and attorney fees. With that kind of cash, he could buy back his old manor, and build, like, five new manors on top of it. Or he could just go into space again; in the long run, that's probably the better investment.
Report: GTA V to be set in Los Angeles, will feature multiple playable characters
Citing anonymous sources "familiar with the game," Kotaku reports that Grand Theft Auto V will take place in a Rockstarified version of Los Angeles, one of the cities mocked up in an earlier installment in the franchise, San Andreas. We suppose the locale makes sense -- wouldn't adapting it be as easy as taking all their assets from L.A. Noire, then applying 75 years of wear, tear and technological progress to the structures therein? The source also claims that more than one character will be playable during Five's campaign, which similarly makes sense, considering the extra protagonists which appeared in Grand Theft Auto IV's expansions. We've contacted Rockstar, and are encasing ourselves in suspended animation for the next week or so, shortening the amount of time between us and the game's debut trailer on November 2.
Here's the Mario Kart 7 steering wheel for 3DS
Oh, you're still worried about the unfortunate form factor of the Nintendo 3DS slide pad peripheral? That's old hat -- Andriasang recently uncovered an attachment which further turns the once sleek handheld into an unpocketable monstrosity: The Hori Mario Kart 7 steering wheel. The attachment, which carries the official Nintendo seal and will cost ¥1,280 ($17), snaps onto the back of the handheld to give players who use the game's tilt-to-steer functionality a greater sense of ... realism? We guess? All we know is that it better come with a fanny pack to carry around its unwieldy frame, and then some sort of invisibility cloak to protect the wearer from being savagely beaten by everyone who sees them.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception review: Precious moments
If you were to take all the good parts -- you know, "Oh, guys, you have to see this one part," or "Watch! Watch! My favorite part's coming up!" -- of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and strip away all of the filler, you'd be left with the same game you had when you started. It's not one to play host to unextraordinary moments: Every plane must crash, every truck must flip and every ancient, long hidden civilization must be discovered (and, as a natural result, destroyed). The sequence of events that propels Uncharted 3 from start to finish has clearly been the subject of the same brilliant centrifuge which separated wheat from chaff in the series' previous outings. The moments of thrilling peril which punctuate Uncharted 3's every chapter have been daisy-chained together with exhausting proximity -- they're so close, in fact, that it's sometimes a little difficult to see the thread that ties them all together. %Gallery-130781%
Our Battlefield 3 review: Why we're splitting it up, and why console's coming late
We're just a few short days away from the launch of EA and DICE's biggest game of the year -- however, with reports of platform variations, limited server availability and day-one patches, we've seen no small amount of uncertainty about how we'll be handling our review of Battlefield 3. It's going to be unprecedented territory for us (the existence of this very post should be evidence enough of that), so we thought we'd be as up-front and transparent as humanly possible before said reviews go live. Yes, reviews. We have received from EA the PC version of the game and, after hearing reports about the differences between the PC and console SKUs -- as well as news of a day-one patch for console versions of the title -- we've decided to review the two individually.
Darwinia devs working on new project, 'Prison Architect'
It seems Darwinia developer Introversion has put its procedurally generated heist game Subversion on the shelf while it focuses its efforts on a new, not entirely unrelated project. See, what happens when a heist goes bad? The Heistees go to prison. But who designs those prisons? You do, in Introversion's new game, which is called Prison Architect. It's the circle of crime! Few details about this project are known outside of the name, but we'll keep you posted. Until then, start thinking about what kind of prison you'd want to build. We're thinking of using a lot of lilac and lavender hues -- something to soothe the nerves of our incarcerated guests, you know?
Modern Warfare 3 trailer announces 'Strike Package' classes
A new behind-the-scenes video for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has revealed a new system which should dramatically shake up the game's tried-and-true multiplayer component: Strike Packages. These break the player base down into three classes: Assault, which earns the standard set of offensive killstreaks; Support, which unlocks less offensive killstreaks (like UAVs and turrets), but doesn't have their streak reset upon death; and Specialist, which earns no killstreaks, but unlocks additional Perks every two consecutive kills. Players can also extend their streaks by not only killing other players, but by capturing objectives or, with the use of a special Perk, providing their teammates with assists. Check out the trailer above to see how this system's being refined for the series' next installment.
House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut 'Carnival' trailer is surprisingly tame
We know, we couldn't believe it either! The trailer for House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut's new Carnival stage doesn't drop a single F-bomb. Not a-one. Unless, of course, you consider "fabulous" to be an F-bomb, because it does slip that one in there.
European PSN releases for October 19: Rocketbirds, Okabu and The Run demo
What level of adorability are you looking for in your European PSN purchase this week? A significant amount? We suggest Okabu -- it stars things called "cloud whales," which possess a cuteness unrivaled by just about everything else on the planet. Average cuteness? How about Rocketbirds? Sure, the fowl therein are all about soaring through the air and murdering each other, but ... c'mon, birds are cute, right? Want something decidedly un-adorable? You should go with the demo for Need for Speed: The Run. There's nothing cute about car-crimes, you guys. Check out PlayStation Blog for the rest of the line-up.
Dance Central 2 review: Takes two to tango
Despite what various montages from Flashdance, Footloose and other rhythmic movement-based 80s films may have told us, dancing by yourself just isn't very much fun. The same can't be said for Harmonix's experimental Kinect launch title Dance Central, however, since the game never allowed more than one player to shake tail feathers simultaneously. Well, actually, your friends could join in, but they wouldn't be evaluated and awarded points -- really, what's the point of that? Rhythm games -- particularly those developed by Harmonix -- have an extremely logical approach to iteration. Gameplay getting stale? Add new modes. Instruments growing tiresome? Make new instruments. In the case of Dance Central 2, the biggest addition is so glaringly obvious, it almost makes you frustrated that it wasn't incorporated the first time around: Dancing alongside a partner is infinitely more fun than taking turns. %Gallery-125472%
Batman: Arkham City review: A world of difference
The 72-year-old lore of the Batman universe is about as immutable as comic book icons come. If Batman: Arkham Asylum was evidence of Rocksteady's comprehension of the franchise, then Arkham City is proof of their understanding of its quiescence. The chiropteran hero hasn't introduced many substantial changes to his modus operandi since his last, incredibly well-received video game outing. The world's greatest detective still spends a fraction of a fraction of his time doing actual detective work, and a vast majority of his time alternating between brutalizing and terrorizing different factions of armed and unarmed goons. Sure, he's got a few new gadgets this time around, but the methods remain the same. What's changed in Rocksteady's second stab at the timeless DC franchise is the world that surrounds Batman -- the titular prison colony Arkham City. Conceived by the foolhardy, the prisoner-run district may not be the largest open world ever explored in a game, but with an ecosystem of sidequests, challenges and secrets that blanket every square inch of the region, it might just be the densest.%Gallery-136482%
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded media plays on your nostalgia
Remember the hours of fun you used to have swinging around the golden gun, the RCP-90, magnum, laser rifle, Klobb, rocket launcher, PP7 and other armaments in GoldenEye 64? God, the multiplayer trailer for GoldenEye 007: Reloaded sure hopes you do.
Xbox Live dashboard preview program now accepting applicants
After what appeared to be a false start, the Xbox Live dashboard is ready to be previewed by a select few of the platform's users. Major Nelson recently posted details about the preview program on his blog, announcing that the trial is currently accepting applicants to work out all the kinks. The streamlined application system will let a few users access the newfangled dashboard well ahead of its official launch, and, better yet, is expected to let folks using the new dashboard continue to play and party chat with folks who are using the old dashboard. Not that we'll want to party with the chosen ones, anyway. It's hard to get our Bad Company 2 on when you're gabbing about how "totally elegant and robust this new UI is, bro."
Burnout Crash coming to iOS
EA has announced that it will bring Criterion's latest, tiniest iteration in the Burnout franchise, Burnout Crash, to the iOS platform this holiday season. The punishing puzzle game, which originally launched on the PSN and XBLA, seems like a perfect fit for handheld devices -- though we don't suggest playing it while driving in real life. A post on EA's blog makes the upcoming version of the game sound true to the original, including "three game modes, 18 traffic junctions and six unique locations." As long as Dr. Beat and his nitroglycerin-infused ambulance make an appearance, we'll be satisfied. %Gallery-136399%
Sonic 4 gets permanent price drop, now $10
If Sonic 4's original price point of 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) was a little too rich for your blood, you can cancel that transfusion you set up with your obscenely wealthy uncle. Sega will drop the price of the game to 800 Microsoft Points today, and to $10 on PSN next week.
European PSN releases for October 12
Pick up your longswords, daggers and staves -- not all at the same time, of course, as that would be far too cumbersome. Dragon Age 2 players have a reason to return to the Kirkwallian epic today as the Mark of the Assassin DLC arrives on the European PSN. Other notable entries include Real Steel and Sideway, neither of which require arm-bundles of medieval weaponry. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Here's why Anderson Silva landed the cover spot on UFC Undisputed 3
Fans of the franchise elected to place pro pugilist Anderson Silva on the cover for THQ's UFC Undisputed 3 earlier this week. Why was he chosen for this prestigious position, you might ask? Pay attention to the video above -- particularly the parts where he kicks the crap out of dudes.
Amazon offering Battlefield 3 PC download for $42
If you're a fan of both intangibility and thriftiness, Amazon's got a pretty stellar discount going on right now. For a "limited time," the downloadable PC version of Battlefield 3. The online retailer currently has that version of the game on sale for $41.99.
Cursed Crusade demo now available on Xbox Live
Sorry, we couldn't help but notice that your watch is a few minutes slow, there. See, you're currently fifteen minutes behind our chronometer, which shows -- accurately, we might add -- that it's co-op dude-stabbing time. We suggest you correct your watch, and indulge appropriately in the recently released Xbox 360 demo for Atlus and Kylotonn's The Cursed Crusade. We suppose there are a number of games you can play to stab cooperatively, but really, aren't all of those old hat by now? Cursed Crusade's not old hat - a little old sugarloaf helm, perhaps.
Gran Turismo 5 DLC coming October 18, update out today
The hefty hunk of expansions for Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 has been dated, priced and torn asunder. That is to say, you can buy each of the constituent parts of the update -- the tracks, the cars, the racing gear and the paint jobs -- separately, or as one big, $11.99 piece of DLC. Or, you could buy some of the piecemeal parts, and then the whole package, if you were a crazy person with tons of money to waste. You'll be able to get your rich, crazy hands on the new content starting October 18. Meanwhile, the Functionality Update 2.0 that adds mid-race saving and other free features to the game, launches today.

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