S. Prell
Articles by S. Prell
Games of a Lifetime: Sam's Picks
After more than ten years devoted to video games and the people who make them, Joystiq is closing its doors. We won't be reporting on the best games of 2015, so join us for one last hurrah as the Joystiq family reveals their Games of a Lifetime. Some days, it seems like cynicism and derision earn more applause than kindness and optimism, and the things we love most can feel like they're the most neglected. So it can go with games, as we see hatred and vitriol spread online, watch quality of games dip and companies utilize decidedly unfriendly business practices on consumers. But there's a reason I got into this hobby, and there's a reason I got into this job: I love games. I want to see games continue to evolve, change and grow. I want my enthusiasm for them to never die, for my joy and sense of camaraderie in my fellow gamers to always persist. And so, at a time when it would be very easy to be jaded, we've decided to instead continue talking about why we love games. These are my picks for games of a lifetime.
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is riding into the sunset
I guess we should just call this "Final Webcomic Wrapup," huh? With Joystiq closing its doors, the webcomic buck stops here. And you know what? It has its upsides. For example, now I can tell you all what I really thought of doing the webcomic wrapup for you week after week, consistently being told that none of the comics was funny. Yeah, that's what I'll do! I'll tell you exactly what I think. And you know what I think? I think it was fun, and I'd absolutely do it again. Thanks for reading. Penny Arcade (Godspeed) MGDMT (Almost a true story) ReadySoup (Tinker Tailor Soldier Fish) Nerd Rage (Holographic Future) Life In Aggro (Divine Porpoise) Awkward Zombie (Crime Seen) ActionTrip (Home of a Geek)
Joystiq Discussion: Do you have a gaming tattoo?
Alright guys, I may not get another chance to tell you this, so here goes: I've decided to get a video game-themed tattoo. I already have nine tattoos and plans for a 10th, but this design easily trumps them all. It's a collection of characters and icons that represent games I either respect for advancing the medium or games that I personally love. There are 27 characters/objects representing 26 franchises (Note: Design not final, will definitely change some things and probably add more if I can). Can you spot them all? Check out the image after the break and leave your answers in the comments! And hey, while you're there, why not tell us what you think of video game tattoos, show off your own ink, or submit more design ideas!
Who The Hell Is: Shulk
The following feature contains substantial spoilers for the game Xenoblade Chronicles. The rumors are true, and Joystiq is closing. I had only just started my "Who The Hell Is" series, where I gave a brief history lesson on video game characters such as Johnny Gat. After all, if you're going to be playing a game with the character's name in the title, you want to know who he is, right? So for one last time, let me help you get to know someone. Say hello to Shulk. For many players, Shulk's first appearance is not Xenoblade Chronicles – the 2010 Wii game he actually stars in – but Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. There, Shulk can boost his abilities to become harder, better, faster, stronger. He's also the only character possessing a costume equivalent to Samus' sports bra/short-shorts combo thanks to his form-fitting boxer-briefs. So, why does Shulk get to change his fighting abilities in a way that no one else can? To answer that, we have to go back. Way back. No, further. To the beginning of the world.
RetroBlazer feels like Doom by way of Saturday morning cartoons
Amil Parra isn't a big fan of violence. That might sound strange coming from a man designing an homage to '90s sprite-based FPS games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, but one look at the game in motion and it becomes obvious that the inspiration Parra draws from those games is the feel, not the aesthetic. Meet RetroBlazer: a PC game that feels like a 1994 run-and-gun shooter, but looks like something you'd catch between episodes of Biker Mice From Mars and Mighty Ducks (that's the cartoon featuring space-ducks fighting space-dinosaurs by the way, not the live-action film featuring a lawyer fighting to be a better person).
Adventures of Pip is modern cute plus classic challenge
I'm calling it now: the Kickstarted Adventures of Pip from developer TicToc Games is going to win cutest game of 2015. I don't care that we're not even to the end of January; Pip is so cute that I want him in a kids' TV show. He's so heart-meltingly precious that I want plush figures and a breakfast cereal themed after him. Pip is so gawl-darned lovable and sweet that it makes me deeply, deeply angry. The game's charming aesthetic masks a sinister beast. For despite the playful bounce of our square-shaped hero and the bright colors that surround him, this is a world looking to commit straight-up pixelated murder.
First-person puzzler Magnetic: Cage Closed is like Portal, cubed
Guru Games isn't afraid of having their recently-announced game, Magnetic: Cage Closed compared to Portal. In fact, that's where it started: a school project designed as an homage to both Valve's famous, meme-producing first-person puzzler and lesser-known horror/suspense film, Cube. Magnetic takes place in an alternate history version of the 1960s, where inmates sentenced to death can be sold for scientific testing. Such is your fate, as you are a prisoner charged with testing the D27 Magnetic Propulsion Device – or, in simpler terms, a magnet gun.
Seen@PAX South: PAX Plays Pokemon
[You are now watching PAX South Plays Pokemon - Input your commands below] up
Breach and Clear: Deadline brings tactical thinking to zombie slaughter
A zombie apocalypse is no excuse for sloppy tactics. That's the thinking behind Breach and Clear: Deadline, an undead twist on the top-down strategy genre and offshoot of the iOS/Android game Breach and Clear. In Deadline, ransacked interiors and mangled streets are home to various forms of infected; parasitic worms capable of "hyper-evolution" have invaded the soft, squishy bodies of the former humans that once lived here. Okay, so they're not technically undead zombies, but the upside is that Mighty Rabbit is using the hyper-evolving worms as justification for a new campaign, a wide variety of enemies and a fresh gameplay experience.
Who The Hell Is: Johnny Gat
The following feature contains spoilers for the existing Saints Row franchise. On Tuesday, gamers will be able to go to Hell – literally – and fight off both Satan himself and hordes of undead in the Saints Row 4 standalone expansion, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell. Previous Saints Row games have allowed players to customize an avatar which, over the course of the series, rises from lowly street thug to President of the United States and even intergalactic badass supreme. Gat Out of Hell though, does not. In Gat Out of Hell, players will be stepping into the shoes of either Kinzie Kensington or Johnny Gat. If you've never played the previous games and don't have either the time or inclination to power through them before the standalone expansion's January 20 release date, you might be asking yourself: who the hell is Johnny Gat? Friends, we are here to help.
Dragon Age: Inquisition stats record more than 2 million flying lizards slain
The official Dragon Age: Inquisition Twitter account has some interesting statistics for all the Heralds of Andraste out there. According to tweets made earlier this week, more than 2.6 million dragons have been slain by players of Inquisition. The unfortunate Ferelden Frostback was the most-killed of her species, while the Highland Ravager has been the most successful at evading death. Fifty-eight percent of all dragons were killed in the land of Orlais, so any of our readers who happen to be fire-breathing monsters, take note: this is not a land you want to be traveling to right now. As for who's doing the slaying, the overall majority - 68 percent - of Inquisitors have been male, while 32 percent have been female. While the percentage of female heroes may seem small, it's actually a big step up from BioWare's Mass Effect series; back in 2011, the developer revealed that fewer than 15 percent of players used a female version of Commander Shepard between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. But really, it doesn't matter if you're male, female, Qunari, Dwarf, etc. What matters is that we find the dragon that sounds like Sean Connery and -- oh, wrong thing? Wrong thing. [Image: EA]
WWE Immortals is free-to-play wrestling kombat for mobile
Have you ever found yourself playing NetherRealm's Injustice: Gods Among Us and thought, "You know, I like Superman and all, but what if he was actually John Cena?" Alternatively, perhaps you've looked at Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and wondered, "What if this guy were an actual, literal rock-man?" Well, you might want to check your brain for transmitting devices, because NetherRealm and Phosphor Games have made your thoughts reality with WWE Immortals, which is now available on iOS and Android devices. Revealed just last month, WWE Immortals transforms various WWE superstars into warriors, mages, ninjas, knights and monsters, then pits them in touch-based battles with each other. The game is free to play and features support cards to bolster your fighting rosters' power. There's also a story about a magical lamp and alternate dimensions, but really, this is a game about men and women who get paid to fake-punch each other being transformed into mythical warriors. Plot is not going to be its strong suit. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive]
Report: Blizzard sends statue to 10-year WoW veterans
We know you play World of Warcraft. It's okay, millions of people do. But have you been touring the world of Azeroth since the beginning? If so, you might be in for a treat from Blizzard, according to posts on the MMO Champion and Battle.net forums. MMO Champion has posted an announcement attributed to Blizzard regarding a "tenth anniversary physical gift" which would be sent to eligible players of the game. Who's eligible, you ask? According to the post, "to be eligible for this gift, a player must have created a World of Warcraft account within 60 days of the game's release in America or Europe." (That's November 23, 2004 and February 11, 2005 respectively). MMO Champion reports that the post originated as part of a support article from Blizzard, which has since been taken down. Meanwhile, WoW player Smitti over on the Battle.net forums has posted a picture of the supposed gift, which is a small-scale version of the orc statue seen on Blizzard's campus. We've also posted the image after the break so you can see it for yourself. The image you see above is the underside of the statue's base. Smitti claims to have not had a lapsed subscription since December of 2004, but it's unclear if an uninterrupted account is a requirement or simply makes you more likely to receive the gift. We've reached out to Blizzard for official confirmation and eligibility status.
First 4 Figures teases a Wind Waker Ganondorf statue
First 4 Figures, makers of highly detailed - and highly priced - video game collectibles, has set its eyes on the Triforce of Power wielder, Ganondorf. Specifically, the villainous version which originally appeared in 2003's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Though maybe you prefer the 2013 HD remaster? The company released a small teaser image to whet fans' appetites via their Facebook page this week, and those so tempted to make the evil-doer a part of their collection will be able to pre-order the figure starting on January 20. The figure's price has yet to be revealed. [Image: First 4 Figures]
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is packing for PAX South
PAX is headed eastbound and down from its Seattle home base, and Joystiq will be there next weekend to cover its inaugural happenings. We'll even be participating in/hosting several panels, too! So join us, won't you? As for me, the last time I was in Texas was high school, when schools from the Houston area and schools from Iowa collaborated to participate in a competition at NASA, where we were all assigned to fake aerospace companies and challenged to come up with a feasible proposal that we would present to NASA scientists and astronauts. Within 48 hours. Or maybe it was 72. Either way, not much sleep was had, and tension was high. So PAX South will have a tough fight ahead of itself if it wants to earn the "most stressful time Sam was in Texas" achievement. Either way, let's not dwell on the past. For now, let's enjoy this webcomic wrapup by voting for your favorite after the break! Penny Arcade (Fulmination Re: Culmination) MGDMT (Get to know Solas, they said) Hejibits (Baked Brand) ReadySoup (Feathered Foes) Ctrl+Alt+Del (Console Wars, p38) Awkward Zombie (Pocket Monsters) Nerd Rage (New 3DS, No Sale) Double XP (Lingering High)
Xbox One wins an Emmy (but no, not that kind)
The Xbox One may have received an Emmy this week, but don't worry about Master Chief stealing the spotlight from <your favorite actor here>, because these are the Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, and the award was in the category of Television Enhancement Devices. "Microsoft is in good company with the likes of fellow award recipients Apple, Roku, Sony, and TiVo – and we're proud to be awarded this honor by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences," a post on Xbox Wire reads. It would seem that, despite the shuttering of Xbox Entertainment Studios, Microsoft's investment in the Xbox One as a multimedia device has still paid off. At least as far as awards go. [Image: Microsoft]
Minecraft getting in-game name changes, Pocket Edition sells 30 million
Minecraft players will be able to change their in-game name soon, development studio Mojang has announced. The process is set to go live on February 4, and looks to be pretty straightforward; once the name-changing system is in place, players can change their in-game name simply by logging into their account. Any name that is not being used by another player will be available, but players will have to wait 30 days before they can change again. If you're worried about someone swiping your name while you wait said 30 days to come back to it though, don't be: it takes 37 days for an old name to become available for someone else. So if you were to change your name from, say, "MinecraftMasta" to something else, we wouldn't be able to swipe MinecraftMasta for ourselves before you had a chance to reclaim it. Changing names does not change inventory or character status, meaning if someone has blocked you, changing your name won't allow you to circumvent said block. Mojang also announced that to date, Minecraft: Pocket Edition has sold a combined total of more than 30 million copies. Pocket Edition surpassed 21 million copies back in April, and expanded its reach to Windows Phone users in December, though Mojang did not share how many of the 9 million new sales were due to releasing on a new platform. [Image: Mojang]
Undersea horror game Anoxemia surfaces on Steam
Under the sea! Under the sea! The submarine down, we fear that we'll drown, under the sea! Okay, so maybe that tune is a little too chipper for Anoxemia from developer BSK Games, a sci-fi horror game set deep beneath the ocean's waves. The game, which released on Steam yesterday, puts you in the (considerably soggy) shoes of Dr. Bailey, who along with his operations drone, ATMA, must navigate undersea caves full of dark and danger, all while his oxygen supply slowly dwindles. Anoxemia features black silhouettes on colored backgrounds, similar to games like Limbo. And, like Limbo, it's implied that not all is as it seems. From the game's Steam page: "Of course, there are some dangers you just can't run from. Dangers you don't even know exist. Dangers from within." Anoxemia is available for $6.79 until January 23, at which point it will return to its usual price of $7.99. [Image: BSK Games]
Disney's Big Hero 6 come to save LittleBigPlanet 3
Burgeoning crimestoppers with a copy of LittleBigPlanet 3, take heed: you can suit up and save the day as any of the heroes from Disney's Big Hero 6 thanks to a costume pack made available this week. Wasabi, GoGo, Hiro, Honey and Fred (pictured above, left to right) are available either separately for $1.49 each or together for $5.99. Choose the latter option and you'll also receive a Baymax costume for the LBP3 character Toggle. Awwww, just wookit 'im! He's so cuuuute! We shall name him Baysack, and he will be our Baysack. Vroom vroom, go Baysack, go! [Image: Sony]
UK teen arrested over suspected involvement in Xbox Live, PSN DDoS attacks
An 18-year-old male was arrested as part of a larger investigation into the attacks which brought down the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live in 2014, according to a statement released earlier this week by the UK's South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Craig Jones, head of SEROCU's Cyber Crime Unit, attested to working with the FBI on the investigation, which also includes numerous "swatting" offenses. "This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries," Jones said. "We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offences and hold them to account." The alleged cyber criminal was brought in under suspicion of unauthorized access to computer material contrary to section 1 of Computer Misuse Act 1990, unauthorized access with intent to commit further offences contrary to section 2 of Computer Misuse Act 1990 and threats to kill contrary to Section 16 of Offences against the person Act 1861. [Image: Microsoft/Sony]