joust
Latest
Now you can play 'Defender' and 900 other arcade classics in your browser
It seems like the Internet Archive was just getting started when it resurrected WordStar and The Hobbit from floppy-disk purgatory. Now, the latest additions to the Javascript MESS emulator are of the arcade variety. Specifically, games including Defender, Mr. Do!, Zaxxon and Joust are now playable in your browser. The IA's website says that most of the Internet Arcade's games should work, although some better act as a "verification of behavior programming" than anything else. Jason Scott, who runs the collection, has a blog post detailing what browsers perform best (a 64-bit version of Firefox is tops, apparently) and how to setup a gamepad for the whole shebang. You know, if digging through gaming's origins is your thing. Be careful, though. Playing Millipede as a kid may have cost you a few quarters, but if you get caught playing it at work it could be a whole lot more expensive now. [Image credit: Rob Boudon/Flickr]
Joust, Pin*Bot artist Python Anghelo passes away
Python Anghelo, the artist behind many iconic illustrations from the golden age of arcade gaming, passed away at his home yesterday after an extended battle with cancer. Born in 1954, Anghelo created marquee and cabinet artwork for Williams' landmark 1982 arcade game Joust. Anghelo had a prolific career in the pinball industry afterward, working as an artist and designer for tables like Pin*Bot, Taxi, Fish Tales and High Speed. Friend Paul Kiefert confirmed Anghelo's passing yesterday. Kiefert established a GoFundMe project to pay for Anghelo's cancer treatment last month, earning nearly $20,000 in donations from friends, family and devoted fans. "I can say with 100 percent certainty that with the help of this great Pinball Community we were able to deliver great joy and happiness during his final time on this earth and that the legend most people knew will continue to be honored for generations to come," Kiefert wrote. [Image: Williams / Arcade Crusade]
Midway Arcade launches on iOS with Joust, Spy Hunter, more
Midway -- well, Warner Bros. since there's no Midway anymore -- joins the group of publishers releasing iOS compilations of classic games. The 99-cent Midway Arcade app includes emulated versions of Spy Hunter, Rampage, Joust, Root Beer Tapper, Defender, and Arch Rivals, along with "Air Hockey, Arcade Basketball, Pool, and Roll Ball" -- 3D recreations of arcade attractions.You know more games are available as in-app purchases. Currently, two "Game Packs" are available, one including NARC, Total Carnage, and APB, and another containing, Wizard of Wor and the two Gauntlets. We're looking very critically at these to see which of them are likely to be tolerable with touch controls. We're probably going to find out for ourselves.%Gallery-148283%
Fez, Johann Sebastian Joust win at the IndieCade 2011 awards
The 2011 IndieCade Awards were held in Santa Monica last evening and, in a pretty informal event, Phil Fish's Fez came away with the biggest wins of the night. It received two awards, one for Story/World Design, and the second for the Best in Show prize. Johann Sebastian Joust, a physical game that challenges players to hold PlayStation Move controllers still while getting audio feedback in musical form, also picked up two awards: one for Best Technology, and another award for Impact on the community. Tom Sennett's manic Deepak Fights Robots won the award for best Gameplay Design, Superbrothers' Sword and Sworcery EP picked up the award for Visuals, and Proteus, in which players are offered up a musical environment to explore, won for best Sound. Interaction went to German physical game Ordnungswissenschaft, and the Special Recognition award went to side-scrolling puzzler platformer The Swapper. The ceremony itself was short but wacky. Presenters like Samm Levine and Martin Starr (of TV's "Freaks and Geeks"), as well as web video stars Team Unicorn and Sandeep Parikh, cracked sometimes awkward jokes, while the indie developers themselves acted (unsurprisingly) indie. Joust's team used one of their awards speeches to silently demo the game, and Tom Sennett took the stage to simply announce, "I'm Tom Sennett, and I don't give a fuck!" Fish himself (above) laughed maniacally after winning his second award, and then joked that he thought the Canadian Sword and Sworcery team was going to win. "Take that, Toronto!" he joked. We'll be at IndieCade over the rest of the weekend, so stay tuned for more coverage.
Behind the Mask: The Art of War, tanking edition
Recently, my girlfriend told me that Behind the Mask hasn't had enough "fun" articles lately. What is "fun," anyway? And why is my girlfriend nerdy enough to actually understand what CON and PRE are? She doesn't even play Champions Online! However, I did promise this week I'd do an article on CO tanking techniques. It'll include very little on specific powers and more on how to use those specific powers. I had a video guide planned, but my project file got corrupted. Hopefully the information presented here is enough for you to get a good idea of what to do. One key element of of my techniques is that they are heavily geared toward a character with Acrobatics. If you do not have Acrobatics, you are at a massive disadvantage compared to a tank who does. In-battle mobility is extremely important for a tank!
Defy the stars: Mabinogi stages Romeo & Juliet
What's in a name? That which we call a free update by any other name would smell as sweet! Or so a little birdie told us when we got word that Mabinogi is bringing another Shakespearean classic to Nexon's quirky title: Romeo and Juliet. Mabinogi players now have a chance to engage with this romantic tragedy and its two star-crossed lovers. The action takes place at Rath Castle, where players will join the masquerade ball and witness the epic love story that bridged the chasm between two warring families. The addition of Romeo and Juliet to the game's landscape follows the Hamlet update earlier this year. If you're not in the mood for love and fashionable costumes, Mabinogi's latest update invites you to grab a new weapon -- the lance -- and joust with your friends and enemies. You'll look even cooler doing this from a fire horse, a flaming steed that's been added to the game. Or if a life of peace is one you crave, then settle down in one of Mabinogi's Homesteads to grow crops, customize your ranch, and trade with others. You can check out the screenies of the Romeo and Juliet update below, go read the full patch notes on the official site, and watch the trailer after the jump! %Gallery-16711%
Visualized: jousting on a Segway
Remember the olden days? When honor and valor were the only things that mattered and vast metallic armor suits were less of a laughing matter and more of a practical necessity? Neither do we, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying a good video gaming romp through such settings when we have the time for it. We don't know that we'd necessarily care to reenact medieval battle scenes physically, but that's exactly what a witty new marketing campaign for Washington's Lottery has done. It asks simply "what have you and your friends always wanted to do" and then answers its own query with the nutty answer of Segway jousting. See the resulting video, which was partially shot in Phantom slow-mo, after the break.
PSN Tuesday: Rocket Knight, Dragon Age's Darkspawn Chronicles
PSN Tuesday brings the cute and epic this week. Cute comes in the form of Rocket Knight, which may have some of its sales fueled by nostalgia, but can be a blast for those in the mood for classic (pseudo) 2D side-scrolling. The epic is delivered by Dragon Age: Origins' "Darkspawn Chronicles" DLC, which is just the latest add-on in the saga of Ferelden -- this one with a "what if" twist. Check out the full update after the break. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.) %Gallery-76146%
Join the cause with '80s arcade propaganda art
Forget about minimalism, it's time to join the fight! Illustrator Steve Thomas has fashioned four propaganda-style posters urging all of us to push back against '80s arcade all-stars Donkey Kong, Joust, Frogger, and Dig Dug, contending you should "Find your place among the flying elite!" and "Defeat the beast!" For prices ranging from $11.95 to $41.95 (starting at 11"x16" and getting as large as 35"x52"), you can snag yourself one of these beauts -- there are even framing options, should you be so inclined. That said, given the flood of folks rushing to purchase Justin Russo's aforementioned posters just last week, we'd suggest getting in on this one early before they're all gone. [Via GameSetWatch]
Midway's XBLA classics removed from Marketplace
Several classic Midway games have been removed from Xbox Live Arcade, including Cyberball 2072, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust, Paperboy, Robotron 2084, Rootbeer Tapper, Smash TV and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The titles have been pulled due to "publisher evolving rights and permissions," according to a Major Nelson tweet, but will remain playable and can be re-downloaded by users that previously purchased any of the games. While Major Nelson didn't expressly say so, it would appear that the disappearing titles are the result of Warner Bros.' acquisition of Midway last year. Warner Bros. now owns at least some of the trademarks involved in the removal from XBLA. You're not alone in suspecting that some of the affected titles were pulled in anticipation of Microsoft's upcoming Game Room (where different versions of the same games could presumably be made available for purchase). After all, the simply emulated Game Room games don't stack up well against their more fully-featured XBLA counterparts. However, Major Nelson has quashed that theory, tweeting, "No, it's not Game room related." This is not the first time that XBLA content has been pulled because of changing publisher relationships. Lost Cities was removed from XBLA last year after licensing rights were lost in the Activision-Vivendi merger.
Patch 3.2.2: 5-man Coliseum jousting woes to be addressed
I'm sure a lot of us have had this experience: You finish up jousting down the three champions in the first encounter of the 5-man Trial of the Champions, then all hell breaks loose. Your tank goes to lock down the Warrior, but in the meantime, the Rogue, who fell on the other side of the coliseum, makes a beeline to your healer, who was the person who dismounted him. Then the Mage, who's on yet a third side of the arena, starts blasting down your Mage who never seems to get any stamina on his gear. Your tank tries to rein everybody in, but since the bosses still have the aggro they built up from the jousting stage, they're near impossible to peel. Everyone dies.
Warner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins
According to recently filed trademarks, the transfer of Midway's various game licenses to Warner Bros. Interactive has begun. Supererogatory spotted the first group of games that have been approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office -- including Robotron 2084, Defender, Joust and Wheelman, among others -- and asserted that the rest have yet to go through. With the possible re-branding of the ex-Midway Mortal Kombat team to WB Games Chicago and dissolution of Midway's executive ranks a few weeks ago, it appears as though the dismantling of Midway Games as it once was is nearly complete. We'll always have NBA Jam, right Midway?
TurpsterVision: Jousting for Dummies
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.Patch 3.2 brings us many, many great ways for us to get our hands on Champions Seals along with some awesome things to spend them on! One of the easiest ways to get your hands on some of these new items is by completing the daily quests offered up in Ice Crown at the Argent Tournament. Now the Tournament has been around for quite some time now, but loads of people have told me that they either haven't taken part in it or just don't know how to Joust. If you are a Jousting n00b then this TurpsterVision is for you.
Midway launches online arcade, digital storefront
As if we didn't already have enough ways to purchase Joust, Midway has launched the "Midway Arcade," which offers just as much quarter-pumping excitement as the name implies. The online store -- really, it's just a store -- features 14 ancients for purchase and download in preset bundles, along with, oddly enough, $5 PC versions of select games from Midway's TouchMaster compilation for DS. Midway's also selling some of its contemporary efforts -- in another location -- for direct download to PC, highlighted by titles like Unreal Tournament 3 and ... what's this? Midway Arcade Treasures! That's right, today alone, we've got two new ways to own Joust. You know, just in case. The full list of releases is posted after the break.
Someone's actually making a Joust movie
You know us. We normally stick to our own business, avoid trying to tell others how to run their lives. Unfortunately, much like the crabby old woman in the apartment directly below yours, we can't keep our mouths shut about this. Two Hollywood producers, Christine Peters and Michael Cerenzie, have made a new company aimed at the movie goer under 25 years old called CP Productions. The first project? "A new imagining of Midway Games' classic Joust."There are a hundred reasons why this is a terrible idea, but we're going to pick our favorite (besides the fact that it's a game about fighting giant buzzards). Joust was released in 1982 and the movie's due in 2008. That means that the target demo for the film was between 0 and negative 12 years old when Joust came out. Congrats, CP Productions, it sounds like you're off to a great start.
European PSN releases for June 15th
Are you ready for this? We feel like, for the first time, we are relaying some good news to all the Europeans out there. Read on to see what your PSN Store now contains. Rampart game (£1.99) Joust game (£1.99) Motorstorm Time Attack Mode (free) Lair trailer (free) Haze trailer (free) Super Stardust HD trailer (free) The Darkness story trailer (free) An interview with Paul Hollywood video (free) Where to start! Yes, the games are Midway rehashes (and you know how we feel about those) but, really, it's the thought that counts. Sony are finally pulling their collective finger out and releasing some decent content to the European market. As a quick aside, we can't stop watching that Haze trailer. Honestly. It's on repeat in the background at this very moment.But what of the Motorstorm Time Attack Mode? We only just got done telling you that it has been delayed, which it has. In America, at least. For those of you about to download it, take heed. There are reports of problems occuring unless you do things in the proper order. Load Motorstorm and update to version 1.2 in the online menu, then download the Time Attack Mode and install.
Joust to impale the PS Network tomorrow for $5
What is the price of nostalgia? Sony has announced that starting tomorrow, you will be able to ride your ostrich and thwart buzzard-riding knights when Midway's Joust arrives on the PlayStation Network for $4.99.Judging by the press release and attached screenshots, the game looks to be visually untouched from its original state. We had a hard time recommending the game for $5 (then 400 MS points) last year when it was released, with updated visuals, on Xbox Live, and we have just as hard of a time recommending it now on the PS3. However, if you have deep-rooted memories in this game (and don't already have it in one of the other Midway bundles), this is for you.
Joust to headline tomorrow's Store update
In addition to the firmware upgrade and Warhawk beta, the PS Store will feature a brand-new old game tomorrow: Joust. Players will battle enemy knights, lava trolls and pterodactyls in this revived Midway classic. In addition to enhanced resolution, the game will also feature online leaderboards.The download will be available on the Store tomorrow for only $4.99.%Gallery-3387%
North American PLAYSTATION Store releases for the week
Sony continues to release a steady flow of Midway arcade classics over the PLAYSTATION Store. As we mentioned yesterday, this week's new downloadable title is Rampage: World Tour. Unfortunately, that's about it for this week. The only other thing is a video of the next Midway arcade release, Joust. Joy. Sony has also temporarily lowered the price on flOw. For a limited time, you can download one of the best PSN titles out there for only $4.99 (normally $7.99). Not much this time around, it's really a shame Sony didn't load up a bunch of the HD trailers from Gamer's Day. I'd LOVE to see the Uncharted trailer on my big screen.
SOE to bring six Midway classics to Playstation Network
In an effort to ensure that Joust will grace just about every console known to humankind, Sony Online Entertainment announced today that Mortal Kombat II, Gauntlet II, Rampart, Rampage World Tour, Championship Spirit and yes, Joust, will all be making their way to the Playstation Network.These six titles, chosen based upon their specific multiplayer strengths, will be playable online and developed by SOE themselves as opposed to a third-party company along the lines of Digital Eclipse who handled the Xbox Live Arcade ports for Midway. Dates and prices have yet to be announced beyond "early 2007," so we should have but a short wait ahead of us before we find out if someone out there listened to our own Vlad's whacky ideas concerning these classic quarter gobblers.
