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Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Joystiq's Editor in Chief Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) about the site's history as well as a newfound opportunity to grow. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreIn this episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) takes his turn in the hot seat as he tells Features Content Director Xav de Matos (@Xav) about the rant that landed him the job of his dreams. He also talks about barely surviving his first PAX and what Joystiq and video games mean to him. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreIn this episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) chats with News Content Director Alexander Sliwinski (@Sliwinski) about Team JOY and Team Joystiq. He also discusses the "Internet dating" side of working in the industry. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreIn this episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Weekend Editor Sam Prell (@SamPrell) to discuss happiness, horses and his writing career prior to joining Joystiq. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreMike Suszek (@mikesuszek) chats with Features Content Director Xav de Matos (@Xav) about his upbringing as well as his career in the video games press. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreMike Suszek (@mikesuszek) chats with Community Manager Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) about being handed the keys to the Joystiq community. He also refuses to eat his vegetables. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreMike Suszek (@mikesuszek) sits down with Senior Reporter Jess Conditt (@JessConditt) to discuss her background in journalism and how Joystiq became her family. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreIn the latest episode, Mike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Weekend Editor Thomas Schulenberg (@T_Schulenberg) about the years leading to him joining Joystiq, including one crucial missed phone call. He also talks about going to E3 for the first time in his career. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreMike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Reviews Content Director Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM) about the years Richard spent watching Joystiq grow. He reminisces about his Xbox 360 Fanboy days as well as the time he accepted a job at Joystiq. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreThe shortest, yet greatest month of the year is upon us, February. If you followed along with us last year, you know what that means: Four in February is back! The month-long initiative starts tomorrow, challenging you (yes, you) to pick four games to finish in one month. The rules: There are no rules. Seriously, there are no rules. You can pick new games, old games or even titles that you stopped playing that one time during finals week in college because your academic life depended on it (it's cool, we've all been there). The only requirement is that you pick four games. Start at the beginning of a game, or start where your old save file left off, it doesn't matter! We can't drive over to your house to force you to start a game over; we don't know where you live, after all. By joining in the fun on Four in February's Facebook page or using the cute little hashtag #4iF on Twitter, you can update us on your progress, like that friend that uploads their daily jogging times to your news feed, except way more fun. Joystiq may be closing its doors, but we refuse to shut our consoles down. Join us in finishing the fight against our backlogs. Head past the break to see Four in February father Mike Suszek's lineup, then share yours in the comments!
Read MoreMike Suszek (@mikesuszek) talks with Joystiq's Sinan Kubba (@SinanKubba) about the lengths Sinan went to buy a Virtual Boy during a trip to the United States as a teenager. He also discusses his time covering games and spending time with the staff at Joystiq. Listen to the MP3 Listen to other Joystiq Presents episodes.
Read MoreChinese e-commerce company Alibaba invested $10 million into microconsole maker Ouya last month, The Wall Street Journal reported. The two companies have seemingly agreed to bring Ouya's software and game library to Alibaba's set-top box. Ouya announced its Ouya console-less ambitions in March 2014, dubbed "Ouya Everywhere." The initiative allows Ouya to run its software on other devices, starting with Mad Catz's MOJO microconsole. Ouya raised $8.6 million on Kickstarter in 2012, first launching in July 2013. The system didn't generate much revenue for developers as just 27 percent of Ouya owners purchased a game in its first month. Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman would not confirm Alibaba's investment, but did tell Engadget that the company has "been working with partners to bring our platform and games library to their devices." She said that Ouya is "live with Madcatz in the US and working with Xiaomi in China. There are a number of others in the works, with our focus outside the US because there is where we see the most opportunity and growth. Sometimes new markets leapfrog the established ones -- this may be one of those cases." The Chinese government lifted its 14-year ban on foreign consoles and video games just over one year ago, issuing a new set of content restrictions for manufacturers this past April. Reports from December found that gaming revenues in the country grew 38 percent year-over-year. The other major console manufacturers are poised to enter the emerging market: While Sony delayed the launch of the PS4 in China earlier this month, Microsoft already reportedly sold over 100,000 Xbox One systems in its introductory week back in October. Nintendo revealed plans in May to approach emerging markets such as China with new hardware this year.
Read MoreThe "definitive version" of Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy is now available on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam as well as iOS. Crafted by porting specialist Aspyr Media, the updated version of the "supernatural murder mystery game" goes by the name Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered as a nod to the 2005 adventure's European name. Players can download it for $9.99 (€8.99 / £6.99). Aspyr noted in its FAQ that there is "absolutely no cut or censored content in this version" of the game. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered features updated graphics that can be toggled on and off on the fly and controller support across all platforms. While the Heavy Rain developer's original game was capped at a resolution of 1024 × 768, Aspyr said the remastered version supports native resolutions up to 2880 × 1800. Aspyr claimed it "gave every texture in the game a facelift," giving some elements four times the detail as the original game, but the 2 GB size limit on iOS forced remastered textures to only double in size in the mobile version. While it won't provide a release date just yet, the developer did add that an Android version of Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy is in the works. [Image: Aspyr Media]
Read MoreNintendo updated Super Smash Bros. for Wii U today, adding new levels to the game upon which fans can kick the crap out of their loved ones. The update gives players 15 new levels for free, each one for the game's eight-player Smash mode. Nintendo of Japan listed the new stages on its site: Normal: Mario Circuit (X) Luigi's Mansion Pyrosphere Norfair Lylat Cruise Pokemon Stadium 2 Animal Crossing: Town and City Animal Crossing: Smashville Wii Fit studio Omega: Mario Galaxy Mario Circuit (X) Kirby: The Great Cave Offensive Lylat Cruise Pokemon Stadium 2 Town and City The publisher revealed its latest sales numbers this week, noting that the Wii U's lifetime sales reached 9.2 million consoles. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U sold 3.39 million copies by the end of 2014, topped only by Mario Kart 8's 4.77 million units as the system's best seller last year. Update: Thanks to a translation error on Nintendo of Japan's page, some of the stages were incorrectly named. We've updated the list. [Image: Nintendo]
Read MoreMobcast acquired the Lumines and Meteos properties from Q Entertainment, the Japanese smartphone game developer announced this week, as translated by Gematsu. Additionally, a new Lumines game is on the way for iOS and Android, and will be a collaboration with the colorful puzzle series' creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Mizuguchi will work on the latest Lumines at his new California-based studio, Enhance Games. The Rez and Space Channel 5 creator co-founded Q Entertainment in 2003 following his departure from Sega. Mizuguchi left the developer in March. The last Lumines game to launch was 2012's Lumines: Electronic Symphony (seen above). [Image: Q Entertainment]
Read MoreIndependent developer Michael Brough launched a PC and Mac version of his strategy game 868-HACK on Steam this week. The brightly-colored roguelike previously arrived on iOS in August 2013. In it, players "steal precious data while the world sleeps," solving mainframe-hacking puzzles in a cyberspace environment. The game costs $5.65 for PC and Mac users, a few cents cheaper than its iOS counterpart. Brough crafted a number of games over the years, though one that recently caught our attention was his single-screen action game Helix for iOS. Be sure to check out our video of Brough's hectic avoidance game in action after watching the developer's bizarre trailer for 868-HACK above. [Image: Michael Brough]
Read MoreHave you finished reading about the first three hours of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? If you don't want the wild ride to end, then check out this 14-minute gameplay trailer to see some horseback riding, conversations and exploration in the game. The Witcher 3 will launch on May 19 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. While the PC game can import save files from The Witcher 2, the console versions will not. Rather, the PS4 and Xbox one versions will simulate world states in the game based on an in-game conversation. The Witcher 3 was previously expected to launch next month, but CD Projekt RED delayed the game back in December. [Image: WBIE]
Read MoreDestiny designer Luke Smith recently addressed concerns over Bungie's future updates for the game. Namely, Smith said "the mistakes [Bungie] made with the DLC1 reward economy will not be repeated," in a NeoGAF thread, admitting the developer's previous attempts at expanding the first-person shooter with add-on content resulted in a few problems for players. Smith claims the developer will avoid mistakes such as "vendor gear invalidating the effort of [Vault of Glass] Raiders" and exotic gear upgrades resulting in a talent reset. "Our philosophy about rewards/loot continue to evolve as we see how players play and react," Smith wrote. He noted that item drop rates appear to be "much improved" in the Crota's End DLC compared to Vault of Glass, and that Bungie plans to "improve acquisition stories and frequency" as well as "lessen the grind and get players to the fun parts of their arsenal faster." It issued a hot fix for Destiny in December to boost the drop rates for the Crota's End raid mission. [Image: Activision]
Read MoreThis is On my iPad, a quick look at an iOS game we think you'll enjoy. We can't seem to put down Michael Brough's Helix. Here's a brief video explaining why the retro-inspired avoidance game is special to us. The challenging, "hectic piece of momentary action" is available on iPhone and iPad for $2.99. [Image: Michael Brough]
Read MoreUbisoft announced a new platforming game for PC today, Grow Home. Developed by a small team at Ubisoft Reflections, the game features a red robot named BUD (Botanical Utility Droid), who travels across the galaxy to find a "new species of flora to help oxygenate his home world." While the game was built and launched internally on PC for Ubisoft employees to enjoy, the development team created it with a game pad in mind, as BUD helps a giant beanstalk-like Star Plant grow and climbs around it using the left and right triggers on a controller. Grow Home's universe features other floating islands, so players can branch the plant out to craft their own "playground in the sky." The game is physics-based and procedurally-animated, emphasizing freedom of movement and allowing BUD to latch on to any object should he find himself plummeting to the planet. Players will be able to launch off of giant leaves, teleport to other parts of the plant and use parachute-style flowers to slow BUD's descent, all while trying to climb two kilometers up to the robot's spaceship. Inspired by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Pixar's animated film Wall-E, Grow Home will launch on February 4. [Image: Ubisoft]
Read MoreAlready preparing your popcorn for Dead Rising: Watchtower? Well don't do that; the video game-inspired film will first hit Crackle on March 27, your snack certainly won't last that long. We suppose you can still eat it while watching the film's trailer right here.
Read MoreA new content pack for EA Sports UFC is now available to download, adding four fighters to the mixed martial arts game's roster. The new fighters include light heavyweight bruiser Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and women's bantamweight fighter Holly Holm. The latest update also introduced two lightweight fighters: Eddie Alvarez and Rafael Dos Anjos. EA Sports offered sixth other free content updates for its introductory UFC game since it launched in June 2014. The last update for the game added big-name legendary fighters to the mix in December, such as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Mark Coleman and Brock Lesnar. Past updates introduced new game mechanics to EA Sports UFC as well, such as Finish the Fight, kick catching and manual taunts. [Image: EA Sports]
Read MoreWe're fairly certain that New Orleans Pelicans basketball player Jrue Holiday has perfectly functional arms in real life. As demonstrated by YouTube user wEEman33, it appears that NBA 2K15 disagrees. As seen in the video shared shared above, a recent glitch in the game caused Holiday's arms to seemingly retreat into his body following a server-side update to its MyTeam mode, leaving his hands to jut out from his shoulders like fish fins with opposable thumbs. To make matters worse, the shirtless Holiday was also missing part of his torso and occasionally disappeared, but none of it stopped him from sinking multiple three-point shots. According to Operation Sports, the special armless "Sapphire" version of Holiday no longer exists, as Visual Concepts issued a patch to squash the bug yesterday. 2K Sports' basketball game is no stranger to horrifying glitches; NBA 2K15's face-scanning feature resulted in numerous monstrosities for created players. The publisher had fun with the issue, offering fans Halloween masks based on the face-scan glitch to print out and wear. [Image: 2K Sports]
Read MoreThe Fine Brothers offered another React Gaming video, but unlike the youthful ones in the past, this one features senior citizens taking Grand Theft Auto 5 out for a spin. The charming video shows the elderly folks stealing cars, shooting civilians and above all else, obeying traffic signals. Grand Theft Auto 5's PC version will launch on March 24. The channel's previous reaction videos included teens playing Mario Kart 64, commenting on the Game Boy as well as just plain sucking at Mega Man. Another video features Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams discussing the absurdness of Nintendo's NES. Now that The Fine Brothers delved into senior players reacting to video games, we don't know if these videos make us feel overly young or old. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Read MoreWing Commander, and more recently Star Citizen creator Chris Roberts recently delivered his BAFTA Masterclass presentation in Los Angeles and via Twitch, revealing target launch dates for each phase of the game. As reported by Polygon, the beta programs for the game's first-person shooter and planetside components are due this spring, followed by arena commander 2.0 ships in summer. Additionally, the first episode of the story-based Squadron 42 single-player campaign will arrive this fall, with the backers-only alpha program for the persistent universe part of the game due by the end of the year. Roberts expects that Star Citizen will see its commercial launch in 2016. The designer discussed the community engagement and crowdfunding efforts of the space simulation game, noting that the developer is "now close to $70 million, and it's likely the carry-on will probably be over $100 by the time the game is close to public release." Roberts stressed that Star Citizen's crowdfunding efforts "isn't really about the money," but rather "it's really about bringing people in to create this community and have them sort of share that experience with you as you're building it." [Image: Roberts Space Industries]
Read MoreFable Legends is in development for Windows 10 PCs, Lionhead Studios confirmed during Microsoft's Windows 10 briefing today. The game was announced in August 2013 as an Xbox One exclusive. PC and Xbox One players will be able to partake in cross-platform cooperative multiplayer. Fable Legends' multiplayer beta launched in October. The developer did not offer a release date for the PC version of the game, though it is expected to arrive this year for Xbox One. Update: Check out the latest screens (below) and a trailer (above) of the game. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Read MoreWhite Knuckle IP filed a lawsuit late last week against EA, alleging that the publisher infringed on a patent that focuses on methods for updating sports games based on real-life changes. The suit referred to U.S. Pat. No. 8,529,350, which described methods that record real-world parameters, then store those elements on a server so players can download them to update their games. The patent dates back to October 2002. While the patent is related to another one that deals with updating an athlete's statistics and skills based on real-life performance, the lawsuit focuses on changes to the appearance and attributes of stadiums and venues. The lawsuit specifically targets games in EA Sports' NCAA Football and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, from NCAA Football 10 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 through the last respective entries, NCAA Football 14 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14. According to Patent Arcade, White Knuckle "did not identify any specific feature in its complaint." [Image: EA Sports]
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