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Joystiq Weekly: New 3DS XL, The Talos Principle review, no more review scores and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. This was a busy week, but our decision to drop numerical review scores is probably what will have the longest-lasting effect on Joystiq. While not everyone has expressed support of the decision, we immensely appreciate the effort and thought many have put into discussing the topic with us. We hope our transition into using "In Other Words" text summaries and the new Joystiq Excellence Award will be more effective at conveying our stances and better at helping you find games that you'd actually enjoy. Even if you're indifferent about the discussion of reviews though, plenty happened this week beyond our shift in examining games. The New 3DS XL will reach us next month, Xbox One consoles slipped back to their $350 holiday price, The Talos Principle surprised us with its depth, and 3D After Burner 2 transcended the fabled "arcade-perfect" status of arcade ports. All those stories and more are waiting for you after the break!
Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far
Outside of Super Smash Bros, the physical incarnations of Mario, Pikachu and other Nintendo icons don't have much to do on their plastic pedestals. While they transform into teachable, collectible opponents in Nintendo's flagship brawler, tapping an Amiibo toy into Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors is a one-step process to unlock a minor in-game item. Nintendo has created a more substantial cameo – bordering on reverent – for the Amiibo line in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, the oddball 3DS strategy game from developer Intelligent Systems. If you happen to own a Fire Emblem Amiibo and tap it in, warriors Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina are summoned into Code Name's steam-powered war against aliens. They each have unique attacks, animations and can be an integral part of your strategy.
Code Name: STEAM video preview
In 2015, developer Intelligent Systems invites you through a tour of history where Abraham Lincoln teams up with the likes of The Cowardly Lion and Tom Sawyer to battle aliens in a steampunk-powered world. See what happens when you miss history class?! Code Name: STEAM arrives on the 3DS on March 13, but don't you don't have to wait to get eyes on the strategy game from the makers of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. Joystiq has sent Editor-in-chief Ludwig Kietzmann through and around time to go hands on with the game and report back his findings. The verdict? The future is moist. Thanks, condensation.
Code Name: STEAM hits 3DS on March 13, 2015
Nintendo revealed that its 3DS tactical strategy game Code Name: STEAM will premiere on March 13, 2015 in North America. Boasting gameplay similar to Sega's Valkyria Chronicles, Code Name: STEAM features an alternate-history steampunk aesthetic and boasts a competitive head-to-head multiplayer mode. It also, uh, stars Abe Lincoln. Cool.
Code Name: STEAM launches in spring 2015
Code Name: STEAM launches on 2DS and 3DS in spring 2015, Nintendo announced today during its Direct livestream. Code Name: STEAM is a new, tactical IP from the Fire Emblem studio that puts players in charge of a four-person team. You'll have to take down enemies in turn-based battles and manage your steam consumption. Also, it stars Abraham Lincoln. See a picture of Abe in-game below.
Take a turn at watching Code Name: STEAM in action
One of Nintendo's left-field announcements during E3 was Code Name: STEAM, a third-person, turn-based strategy game focused on killing aliens in a steampunk take of London. Oh yeah, that group of alien vanquishers is also formed by Abraham Lincoln. It's an odd concept to grasp from only a screenshot or two, but the above abbreviated cut of Nintendo's revealing presentation gives us a better idea of how its battles play out. Developed by Intelligent Systems, Code Name: STEAM has players conquering foes while minding a finite, steam-based fuel used for movement and attacks. Coins scattered across maps can be used at glowing, checkpoint-like pillars to replenish steam or health for units, but they can also be saved to purchase weaponry. Near the end of the video, we can hear Joystiq's Richard Mitchell ask for the meaning of the STEAM acronym, which stands for "Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace." Given that Art Director Takako Sasaki mentions building a bug-like, Lovecraftian apperance into the alien race's design earlier in the presentation, we imagine quite a few players will be happy to rid the Earth of their presence. [Image: Nintendo]
E3 2014 round-up: Weird tales from Los Angeles
Had you been on the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, you would have heard one question, echoing from journalist to journalist: "This year feels a little ... weird, don't you think?" It's hard to put a finger on exactly why E3 2014 gave off a strange vibe, but darn it all, we're gonna try. Here are some of the most eccentric, the most peculiar, most "hmm"-inducing stories of E3:
Nintendo's new IP pits Abraham Lincoln against aliens
Nintendo's newest IP is a turn-based strategy game for 3DS set in the steam age in London, and has players join an elite force created by Abraham Lincoln to battle an alien invasion. No, really. It's Code Name: STEAM, it's developed by Intelligent Systems, and it's due out in 2015. Even though it's a turn-based strategy game, it's set up like a third-person shooter: Moving and shooting takes away from your turn points. The concept was to make turn-based games accessible and bring the camera down to the level of individual units. Each fighter in Code Name: STEAM runs on steam – they all have boilers and draw from a set amount of steam to execute attacks. The main characters have animal motifs that impact the designs of their weapons, and some of the original aliens are riffs on Lovecraftian monsters. There's no overhead map – everything is from the perspective of your units. Think steampunk XCOM with real-time elements. The game is done up in comic book-style art inspired by American artists Jack Kirby and Bruce Timm. Also, "STEAM" stands for "Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace."
