S. Prell
Articles by S. Prell
Joystiq Top 10 of 2014: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. It's been a long time coming, but the Wii U finally came into its own this year, thanks in no small part to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The game sold nearly half a million units stateside during its weekend launch, earning the title of fastest-selling Wii U game in the United States. We'd call that a surprise, but here's the thing about Smash Bros.: everyone – young, old, casual, hardcore, and every label inbetween – wants to get in on the action. That's what makes the series special, and Smash Bros. for Wii U proved that Nintendo and developer Sora Ltd haven't lost sight of that universal appeal.
Outfit your Hyrule Warriors with costume DLC, now available
If you missed out on pre-ordering Hyrule Warriors to snag retailer-exclusive costumes inspired by Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time (or wanted more than one set of said costumes), there's good news waiting for you in the eShop, as four costume packs are now available for $0.99 each. Note: While the full game can be purchased via Nintendo's website, the DLC waits in the wings of the Wii U eShop. The Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time costume packs each provide Link and Zelda with costumes inspired by the respective game. A fourth pack, called the Demon King Costume Set, provides two new costumes for Ganondorf - one inspired by his appearance in Ocarina of Time and one inspired by Twilight Princess. All of the costume packs now for sale are the same as those given to customers who pre-ordered (or in the case of the Ganondorf costumes, those in Club Nintendo) so be careful not to make a double purchase. [Image: Nintendo]
PSA: PlayStation Network back online, service restored [Update]
The PlayStation Network appears to be fully armed and operational, according to an update post on the PlayStation Blog. The update confirms that the PSN suffered a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack on Christmas Eve Day, and though the group that took credit for bringing the service down claimed to have ceased its attack on December 25, it was not until late last evening that service was restored. Sony now reports in no uncertain terms that "PlayStation Network is back online." If you received or purchased a PlayStation system over the holidays, you should be free to enjoy your new console. Update: If you're a PS4 user still having difficulties logging in, the Ask PlayStation Twitter account suggests that age-old fix of restarting your system. A tweet reads, "PS4 users: If you are still having issues signing in to PSN today, please reboot the console and try again." [Image: Sony]
Destiny's Xur has an extended stay in the Tower this week
'Twas the Friday after Christmas, and all through the Tower / not a Guardian was stirring, not even 420xXxPower. PlayStation Network and Xbox Live outages kept many Destiny players offline this weekend, and while that may sound like inconvenience enough, Bungie's sci-fi shooter happens to feature a merchant, named Xur, who only appears on the weekend to sell high-level gear. His assortment of goods is also different each time he appears, so if you miss him the weekend that he has something you want, it can be a good, long while before you'll get another chance to barter. Thankfully, Bungie is keeping Xur around just a little bit longer this week in an effort to give players time to browse ol' tentacle-face's otherworldly wares. In a post on the Destiny forums, Community Manager David "DeeJ" Dague announced that Xur will remain in the tower with his current inventory until Monday, 10 p.m. Pacific. Dague also wrote that the team will "keep an eye on the overall situation, and prolong the extension, as needed, for as long as is feasible." "No problem," said Xur. "I'll stick around. / After all, no one can buy when the internet's down." / His tentacles curved into a smile of delight / "Merry Xur-mas to all, and to all a good night!" [Image: Activision]
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup got good gifts this year
Welcome back, Joystiq readers! Last year around this time, I asked you what you gave someone as a gift for the holidays. This year, it's okay to brag a little bit about what you got. But of course, as I am a sentimental sort, I'll tell you one of my favorite gifts I got this year: time with my dad. Now, this wasn't some super sappy father-son heart-to-heart moment or anything. On Christmas, my dad wanted to go into town and workout at the gym, and since I had some extra time before I needed to head out, I joined him. We played some classic rock that we both liked and did our routines, and he showed me some new tips and tricks to help me out (he's a big guy himself, and has trained with a former Mr. Universe competitor). Again, nothing deserving of a Lifetime movie, but I still appreciated his help and the time we spent together doing something we both enjoy. How about you? Tell us about your favorite gifts in the comments, after you vote for your favorite webcomic after the break! Critical Miss (Critical Missmas) ReadySoup (Cockadoodle-who) (NSFW-ish) Ctrl+Alt+Del (Anything is game) ActionTrip (Merry But Not Very) Nerf NOW!! (Mourning) Awkward Zombie (Easy-Bake Coven)
Please notice the Crunchyroll app on Wii U, senpai
Thousands of hours of anime are now available on Wii U consoles via the Crunchyroll app on the eShop, Nintendo and Crunchyroll have announced. The app, which hosts shows like Naruto Shippuden, One Piece and Sword Art Online, features sample videos for free, but if you want total access, you'll need a Premium membership. Crunchyroll offers several different Premium memberships: one that provides unlimited selection of manga ($4.95/month), one providing unlimited selection of anime ($6.95/month), and an "all-access" version which combines anime and manga while adding drama shows to the mix ($11.95/month). [Image: Crunchyroll]
Temple Run VR gets Demon Monkeys in your Oculus-wearing face
The Temple Run games have virtually defined the endless runner genre, so it's fitting that virtual reality defines the latest entry, Temple Run VR. Designed for the Samsung Gear VR (a more portable version of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset that substitutes a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for its screen), Temple Run VR puts you into the first-person view of an explorer who steals an ancient idol and is subsequently hunted by Arctic Demon Monkeys. Well, it won't win any awards for best writing, but sometimes you just want to get straight into the action. "We're thrilled to see this new virtual reality technology in the hands of consumers, and are inspired by the potential for new game experiences," Keith Shepherd, co-founder of developer Imangi Studios said in a press release. "It's been a pleasure working with Samsung and Oculus to bring Temple Run VR to life, and we can't wait to see what players think of the chase." Temple Run VR is now available to download via the Gear VR's digital storefront for free. [Image: Imangi Studios]
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Omega Ruby soundtracks now on iTunes
If you found an iTunes gift card stuffed in your stocking this week, feel free to think of it as a real-world Master Ball from the Pokemon series. Why? Because you can use it to capture Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre (or at least their theme songs) thanks to the recent release of the Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire soundtracks. There are 160 songs waiting to be captured by your iPod/computer hard drive, all for $9.99. We gave the games four and a half stars in our review, writing that, "Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire do little to overhaul the major pillars of a series that's long relied on the same set of classic ideas, but they don't have to. The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure." [Image: The Pokemon Company/Nintendo]
The 8-bit Time Machine takes game music back to 1985
Modern game soundtracks are nice thanks to their full orchestras and high-definition sound, and chiptune music can be a fun trip down Nostalgia Lane. While it may seem like you'd have to choose one or the other, you can have your audio-flavored cake and eat it too thanks to "The 8-bit Time Machine," a 10-track album from Italian film composer Giovanni Rotondo that seeks to give listeners 8-bit versions of modern game soundtracks, albeit with a few modern tweaks. Featuring 8-bit interpretations of themes from the likes of Destiny, Super Mario Galaxy, Battlefield 1942, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Watch Dogs as well as two original tracks, the album is currently gathering backers on crowdfunding site indiegogo. As of writing, the campaign has $1,033 raised of its $1,000 goal, with a $1,500 stretch goal to add four tracks. Rotondo is planning to release the album via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon mp3, Pandora and Spotify in January 2015. [Image: Giovanni Rotondo]
Unwrap Shantae and the Pirate's Curse on Wii U on December 25
After stormy seas kept sassy Shantae sequestered from Nintendo 3DS shores earlier this year, we weren't really sure when the half-genie girl and her pirate rival, Risky Boots, would team up to take down the Pirate Master in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. Thanks to a tweet from developer WayForward made earlier this week however, it looks like Wii U owners can expect to find the 2D platforming adventure available on the eShop for $19.99 starting Christmas Day, December 25. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, a Kickstarter-funded adventure starring WayForward's purple-haired heroine, has been delayed from its 2014 launch window. [Image: WayForward]
Bandai Namco changing name again, adds Entertainment
You know how sometimes a friend will try to come up with an awesome nickname for themselves, but they don't ever seem to stick with it? Kind of like your classmate Robert Pinkleton from fourth grade, who told people to call him "Rob," then "Bob," and finally "Rob Bob"? We wonder if he got a job at Bandai Namco, because less than a year after changing from Namco Bandai to Bandai Namco, the company has declared intent to rename itself again, this time to "Bandai Namco Entertainment." A press release from Bandai Namco (as translated by Gematsu) states, "This change in our name allows us to redefine the scope of our business as lying not solely just within games, but rather more broadly within entertainment as a whole." You know, so that way people don't get confused and think they're just about games. "In doing so, we seek the continued growth of our company through a new, yet wholly recognizable network that will be utilized for expansion into service and contents ventures." The name change is scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2015. Wait, really? Okay, we have to ask: Bandai Namco, are you just trolling us now? [Image: Bandai Namco Entertainment]
Updated Steam Controller design features d-pad
The Steam Controller has already seen a couple tweaks since its initial unveiling, first by adding traditional face buttons, and later supporting an analog thumbstick. Now, it appears that the controller will also feature a directional pad, though in what capacity remains to be seen. Game Informer uncovered an image file in the Steam Client beta that suggests the Steam Controller will be able to support a d-pad in place of its left-side haptic touch pad. We say "able to support" because this is not an image of an actual, physical controller, and nowhere is it implied that this design will be released to the exclusion of others. The d-pad could be something users install for when they want it, or it could be part of a redesigned haptic touch pad. Who knows? Valve knows, that's who. And they haven't said anything official on the matter. However, Valve VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi told TechRadar last month that the company will have a large Steam Machines presence at GDC 2015, which begins March 2. [Image: Valve]
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup wishes you a happy holidays
Dear readers, Don't worry everybody, despite the warm and fuzzy sentiment expressed by this week's headline, we're not going full-blown "TV holiday special" levels of cheesiness. Still, the holidays are upon us now, and we hope you all have a very merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Wookiee Life Day/whatever it is you choose to celebrate. And thanks for being our favorite present! Love, Joystiq P.S. Of course there's a vote for webcomics! Check 'em out here and vote after the break: MGDMT (I'm Really Bad At Fighting Dragons) ReadySoup (Knucklehead) Ctrl+Alt+Del (Prey) Awkward Zombie (Hunter Gatherer) Double XP (Recast) Life in Aggro (To Fake A Remake)
343 announces free ODST campaign as apology for Halo: MCC woes
When Halo: The Master Chief Collection launched in November with a largely non-functional online multiplayer component, people were upset. Bonnie Ross, head of developer 343 Industries, personally apologized for the issues, promising to "make this right" with fans of old Tall, Green and Handsome. Yesterday, Ross elaborated on just what she meant: free stuff, including an updated version of Halo 3: ODST running on Xbox One. Anyone who played Halo: The Master Chief Collection online between launch (November 11, 2014) and December 19, 2014 is eligible to receive one month of complimentary Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate and avatar, and a free download of the Halo 3: ODST campaign running at 1080p and 60 frames per second. Lastly, everyone who plays The Master Chief Collection will be able to enjoy an updated version of the Halo 2 map, "Relic," when it launches as a free content update for the game. The nameplate and avatar will be added to The Master Chief Collection sometime later this month, while a reworked Relic and the ODST campaign will arrive sometime in spring of 2015. "Both [Relic and Halo 3: ODST] were not part of our original development plans, but as a result of community feedback, and to do something special for our fans, both are now in development," an FAQ page for the recently-announced content reads.
Bravo, you've opened Pandora's app on Xbox One
The Xbox One was originally announced as a console that would bring games, movies, television and other entertainment together in one place. Recently-instated head of Xbox Phil Spencer may be more about the "games" part of the equation, but that doesn't mean the console has stopped supporting its secondary functions. Case in point: This week, the Xbox One has received apps for Pandora, Vevo, Bravo, Telemundo and Popcornflix. If you're unfamiliar with any of the above, here's a quick rundown: Pandora is an online music service that creates playlists based on the input you give it. Enter "Aerosmith" for example, and you'll wind up with a station that plays classic rock. If you like to engage your eyeballs at the same time as your eardrums, Vevo hosts a collection of music videos to enjoy. Bravo Now is an app that lets you watch full episodes of Bravo programming such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce. The Telemundo Now app operates on the same concept: Log in with your service provider and watch full episodes of Telemundo novelas, shows and specials. Popcornflix is a free video streaming service that hosts hundreds of films at no additional cost. Enjoy your music and movies, señors and señoritas. [Image: Microsoft/Pandora]
Miyamoto says players can share levels in Mario Maker
Players of Mario Maker, the upcoming Wii U game that lets players build their own 2D worlds in the style of the Super Mario Bros. series, will be able to share their creations online, according to Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. In a recent interview with YouTube personality iJustine (translated by Nintendo Senior Product Marketing Manager Bill Trinen) Miyamoto said, "You'll be able to see what happens when other people play your course or when you play other people's courses. There will be some popularity rankings for the most popular courses and things like that. So there's a lot on the community side." Miyamoto hopes you won't forsake those in your own home though, elaborating that he still pictures couch-based play, with a creator handing off their level to a friend or family member who is in the room. "But of course we will have the internet ability to exchange courses as well." We can't wait to see all the age-appropriate and completely family-friendly designs that the internet will come up with. [Image: Nintendo]
Master Chief Collection reloads, adds Combat Evolved playlist
Sure Halo: The Master Chief Collection has already seen its share of stability patches and performance updates, but any fans of the original Halo: Combat Evolved should be pleased by the newest update released by developer 343 Industries, which introduces a playlist dedicated to maps from Halo: CE. Prior to The Master Chief Collection's launch, 343 specified that the Halo: CE playlist would be held until they were able to "provide the best experience possible." The developer now touts that many of the game's needed tweakings and improvements were added via the most recent patch, and so players can queue up to take one another down, old-school style. The playlist features 2v2 battles, which is due to player feedback, according to 343. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Reminder: Steam Holiday Sale starts today at 1 p.m. Eastern
Update: Valve themselves have officially announced the beginning of the Steam Holiday Sale, writing in a short press release that "The Steam Holiday Sale is on now thru January 2, 2015. Throughout the sale, Steam customers may take advantage of special deals running every 12 hours and new Featured Deals happening each day. In addition, holiday shoppers may vote in the Community Choice promotion to determine which games receive deeper discounts. And those who participate in the sale may also earn exclusive Holiday Sale Trading Cards." Original: Valve has a very special gift for all you last-minute holiday shoppers out there: a Steam sale on PC video games! Yaaaaaaaay! Or at least, that's what we expect if recent reports from Reddit, which held up Japanese PayPal emails as evidence of a December 18 start date, turn out to be correct. (Eurogamer also reports to have verified the claim.) Going by the Reddit thread and emails, the sale will begin today at 1 p.m. Eastern, and last until January 2. That should be plenty of time to not only snag some games before the holidays, but also put some gift cards to use if you should find one left in your house by a certain jolly, bearded man. By which of course we mean Valve boss Gabe Newell. Valve attempted a special "holiday auction" earlier this month, but "issues with [auction-specific currency]" caused the event to be suspended. That suspension was quickly lifted however, as Valve fixed the irregularities and the auction continued as planned. [Image: Valve]
Did You Know Gaming explores Pokemon's complicated religious relationship
There are a few universal truths in the world of Pokemon: Water-type beats Fire-type, gods can be tamed by 10-year olds, and battles between citizens can be sparked by something as small as walking into one another's line of sight. Actually, that last point is particularly poignant given the nature of the latest video from Did You Know Gaming, which explores one of the more sour aspects of the relationship between Pokemon games and real-world religions. The good news is that, despite some troubling proclamations, pretty much every claim of Pokemon being anti-religion (or anti- a specific religious belief) has been debunked, sometimes from within the religious community in question. Even a television station run by the Vatican said that the series did not have "any harmful moral side effects" and was instead based on "ties of intense friendship." Not all of this episode is negative, though. Pokemon have long been inspired by religious and spiritual stories and symbols, such as the lightning bolts on Kadabra's abdomen and the designs of Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. And then of course there was that time that Pokemon created its own quasi-religion, an event curiously absent from the video above. And that's when the world learned its lesson, and no one overreacted or condemned something unjustly ever again. Ever. [Image: Nintendo/DYK Gaming]
Tale of terminal illness That Dragon, Cancer funded
Joel Green, the 5-year-old boy who inspired the game That Dragon, Cancer may have passed, lost to the illness that plagued him, but his tale will be told on PC, Mac and Ouya thanks to the financial support of backers on Kickstarter. Developer and father Ryan Green and his team not only reached their goal of $85,000, but pushed beyond it in the campaign's final days, eventually closing this week with $104,491 raised. This means that every backer of That Dragon, Cancer on Kickstarter will receive a high-resolution, digital copy of the poster that hangs in the nursery of the Green family's young daughter, Zoe. The poster features Joel's fingerprints representing leaves on trees, and a text balloon that reads, "Thank you for giving me life." You can see the poster in full after the break. Joystiq's Jess Conditt recently interviewed Green about the game's progress and how it's changed since its initial vision, and a documentary called Thank You For Playing, due in 2015, will also help share the story of how Joel's short life made such a big impact.