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Metareview: GOTY Edition
Over the weekend the Joystiq hive mind concluded its annual hive dance and deemed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor the top dawg of 2014. Monolith's action-RPG may have hacked and slashed its way to the top of our list, but a glance at The Rest of the Internet makes one thing clear: When it comes to 2014's GOTY awards, there isn't One Game to rule them all. With that in mind, we've taken the Metareview format we use to collate other outlets' reviews and given it a GOTY paint job. As ever, it's just a sampling of all the publications out there and plenty of places have yet to dole out their awards. Nonetheless, here's a wee look at the best games of 2014 according to everyone else.
Lizard Squad hacker arrested for cyber-fraud
A form of justice may have come to bear on one of the members of Lizard Squad. Today, police in Britain have arrested 22-year-old Vinnie Omari, who has connections to the hacker group, for alleged cyber-fraud. The arrest is unrelated to some of the recent activities of Lizard Squad, which includes shutting down the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live over Christmas, DDoS attacks on Destiny this past September, and a bomb threat made on a plane carrying SOE President John Smedley last August. Omari was sought in connection to PayPal thefts from 2013 to 2014.
Best of the Rest: Xav's picks of 2014
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. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Set aside your cries of it being a glorified demo; you'll get no support from me. I poured dozens of hours into Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, exploring every facet, achieving S ranks throughout (some of which you can watch on my YouTube channel) and doing it again and again to test and examine its reaction to my exploration and exploitation. Ground Zeroes is a marvel of technology and, yes, it's a great tease of what Kojima Productions has in store with The Phantom Pain. Truthfully, I'm a series fanatic and – as last year's mention of Splinter Cell: Blacklist will attest – a lover of all things stealthy, so it may come as no great shock that I ended up adoring Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. But I can identify when something doesn't work and I truly believed Ground Zeroes accomplished its task beautifully. I loved the game for what it offered and ultimately delivered on: a taste of what's to come, powered by technology befitting of a main course. I think we all got a little mad about it because we can't wait for more.
Last Week on Massively: The fastest way to lose $1500 in an MMO
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, a player in EVE Online, most likely someone involved in an RMT deal, managed to kick off the new year right: by getting his unprotected ship and its cargo, $1500 worth of PLEX that didn't need to be transported that way to begin with, blown to smithereens. Is there an MMO Darwin award yet? Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories, though I promise that none will make you facepalm as hard as this one.
Best of the Rest: Alexander's picks of 2014
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. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft If you'd told me a year ago that I'd spend a majority of my 2014 with a collectible card game, I'd have politely smiled and nodded, blind to how deeply Hearthstone would get its hooks in me. Blizzard once again proved itself to be the master of evolving a genre for the masses, creating a card game that is distinctly a video game and pulling in 20 million players. Hearthstone was the perfect distraction from my coursework, allowing for 15-minute breaks. Its daily quests passively pushed me to develop a well-rounded appreciation for the game. I took the time to check out Hearthstone forums and researched different decks as I collected more cards. I soaked in the HearthPwn. The additional cards added through the Curse of Naxxramas single-player adventure and the Gnomes vs. Goblins expansion have kept the game fresh. Hearthstone is a mathematical crunchfest at the tournament level and, much like poker, I can appreciate it, even knowing I will never be part of that world. Hearthstone and I have a casual understanding and I don't see us concluding our daily dalliance any time soon.
You can still browse New Years deals on the Xbox Marketplace
New year, same simple pleasures - Shockingly, it turns out that saving money in 2015 is just as fun as it was in 2014! In recognition of this truth, Xbox Marketplace's existing, week-long New Years deals have been extended until January 6, providing a range of savings across the Xbox One and Xbox 360 libraries. We've noticed discrepancies when checking for sale prices between console and browser-based store views however, so keep that in mind as you explore. The sale's highlights include $44.99 price tags for Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on both platforms, Alien Isolation for $29.99 on Xbox One ($33.49 on Xbox 360), Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition for $39.99 and Forza Horizon 2's Day One Deluxe Edition for $67.99. The Telltale Games Collection for Xbox One is also 50 percent off ($55), though despite Major Nelson's related post listing it as a general offer, that price is only available to Xbox Live Gold members. If none of the above strike your interest, perhaps you'll find something by browsing the sale in its entirety. You do own The Orange Box and Red Dead Redemption by now though, don't you? [Image: Activision, Telltale Games, Sega]
Rumors of a major Destiny expansion swirl
Speculation on what's coming next for Destiny is a cottage industry for fans, and an old image from October is making the rounds as a possible reveal of the game's future plans. The image may or may not be legitimate, but it suggests that the second expansion/DLC pack for the game is launching on March 10th, 2015, with three new story missions and a playable area (the Reef) that is briefly visited by characters but is not currently a playable region. The image then suggest a major expansion, Plague of Darkness, launching in September 2015. Speculation is that this would serve as a sort of re-launch of the game, with bundled versions available as well as standalones for players who have already played the game; the expansion would feature another subclass for all three classes as well as a dozen new story missions and new playable areas. Take a look at the compiled information and decide for yourself how likely the rumor is in the end.
Best of the Rest: Richard's picks of 2014
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. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter The best thing about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter might be that it tells its story in a way that only a video game can. Other games aspire to emulate other forms of media, to be more like movies or books. Ethan Carter, on the other hand, embraces the interactivity of the medium in a wonderful way, with an awareness of a video game's ability to let you live through a moment, rather than just witnessing it. At first, Ethan Carter feels like a typical paranormal mystery, and its investigation mechanics are cleverly implemented, asking you to put the events of the past in the correct order to reveal the truth behind a series of murders. The mystery elements turn out to be just a small part of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, though, and you soon find yourself pulled into some of the greatest moments of pure fantasy that I've ever seen in a video game. I won't say another word, for fear of spoiling anything. If you appreciate a good mystery, and you believe in the transportational power of games, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
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]
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]
Destiny hot fix tweaks Crota's End raid drops
If you're suffering from a lack of level-boosting loot in Destiny's raids, Bungie has the cure for what ails you. A patch issued this week tweaks gear drop rates within The Dark Below's new raid mission Crota's End, ensuring that more players will receive new equipment for their efforts. Following this week's patch, Raid gear in Crota's End now begins at level 30, putting players on an upgrade path to level 32. The Crota's End-specific helmet item additionally spawns on Normal Mode now, and Hard Mode players have a better chance of receiving it as a drop. The fix also addresses issues regarding reputation gains, Hive shield functionality, and Pocket Infinity charging. The patch is available as a free update for all Destiny players on all available platforms. [Image: Bungie]
Onigiri MMO coming to consoles next year
The Japanese mythology MMO, Onigiri, is officially on its way to the Xbox One (and PlayStation 4) next year in North America and Europe, Windows Central reports. The title, which is developed by Cyberstep, will be free-to-play and is already live on the Xbox One in Japan. Onigiri came out on the PC in 2013. The console version may have patches slightly lagging behind the PC version, but it will otherwise be identical in form and function. There will be no cross-over play between platforms. While Windows Central says that this will be Xbox One's "first MMO," that overlooks the already-released Destiny and The Crew as well as other titles on the way, including Elder Scrolls Online, PlanetSide 2, All Points Bulletin, Neverwinter, The Division, and Warframe.
Destiny goes dark below $30 (well, it's $29.99) on Amazon
If you've been patiently holding out on Destiny, if the Dark Below expansion is prompting a relapse, or if you've always fancied a picnic in space with Bill Nighy, then head on over to Amazon. PS4 and Xbox One copies are half-price there at $29.99, but that's for today only. Bungie's galactic shooter kicks off another round of Iron Banner today, and that's scheduled to end on December 22. While the player-vs-player event won't feature Dark Below maps this time around, Lord Saladin has exclusive level 31 gear to tempt you back to the Crucible. [Image: Activision-Blizzard]
This week's UK charts are last week's UK charts
It's nearly the time for merriment, which means it's nearly time for the Christmas Doctor Who special. The UK gaming chart is already getting into the festive mood by re-enacting the "Blink" episode. The chart managed to keep its eyes wide open for the whole week, meaning the top five games have stayed in exactly the same position, and nobody's going to get eaten and sent back to the 1920s by sharp-toothed gargoyles. For now. So, it's (gasp) FIFA 15 on top for the second week running, followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Grand Theft Auto 5, Far Cry 4 and Lego Batman 3. There aren't even any new releases to holler about, so the only real action comes courtesy of Destiny. Bungie's shooter planet-hopped seven places into ninth, no doubt boosted by the new Dark Below expansion. The top ten below the break may be almost the same, but the customary (and lovably roguish) music video isn't! Don't worry, it's not at all festive; we'll save that ear-bomb for next week.
Joystiq Weekly: Final Fantasy 15, The Crew review, readers' favorite PS1 games 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. The Final Fantasy series has had a fun couple of weeks lately, but between the PC version of Final Fantasy 7 coming to the PS4 and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster's incoming port, most of its news is focused on the past. Leave it to the spring release of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, a take on an old PSP game, to bring things into the present – those that grab a copy from Type-0's first run will get an exclusive demo of Final Fantasy 15. So, Final Fantasy fans: Is it going to work? Are you going for Type-0 HD solely because of the demo, or do you kind of want to play the game anyway? Don't worry if it's the former – plenty of people only bought Crackdown to get into the Halo 3 beta before even realizing developer Realtime Worlds' superhero sandbox had its own merits. Demos and ports weren't the only thing that happened this week – The internet seemingly frustrated Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada enough to keep a character out of the North American release, we reviewed The Crew and Never Alone, and we highlighted our readers' favorite PS1 games. Those stories and more are all waiting for you after the break!
Weekend deals include GOG bundles, Shadow of Mordor, Wii U bundles, 3DS XLs
Should you be looking for a few good gaming deals, this weekend holds plenty of promise. For starters, Good Old Games is finishing off its Big Winter Sale with an encore offering of every daily bundle that was featured in the two-week sale. Deals focused on The Witcher, Rayman, Prince of Persia series and others can be had, with titles ranging in support for PC, Mac and Linux platforms. Flash deals and general discounts will also be offered until the sale's conclusion later today at 2pm GMT. If you're willing to deal with limited availability of physical goods, deals on several notable console games are also available to the swift; Among Amazon's batch of sales is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Xbox One) for $27.99, Driveclub (PS4) for $34.99, Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One) for $44.99, The Last of Us: Remastered ($29.99), Forza Horizon 2 and Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One) for $39.99, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 (Xbox 360, PS3) for $14.99. Xbox owners can also snatch up Destiny (Xbox 360) and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One) for $30 apiece from the Microsoft store. Lastly, leaked details concerning Target's weekly ad suggest that starting on Sunday, the retail chain will offer the 32 GB Wii U with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land for $250. Shoppers should also be able to pick up a 3DS XL for $149.99. [Image: GOG]
Perfect Ten: Looking back at the biggest MMO news of 2014
Well, my chums, here we are at the tail-end of 2014, having achieved all of our goals and new year's resolutions. Even better, we've survived what's turned out to be one of the wildest, rockiest, and most exciting years of MMO news in recent memory. This was the year of high-profile game launches, even more popular expansions, layoffs, and some epic-level studio face-palming decisions. It's easy to sit here and say that we predicted everything that was going to happen this year, but c'mon, you have to admit that you were surprised by at least one or two events in this industry. It's incredibly difficult to sum up the biggest news of the year without coming to grips with the fact that many stories aren't one-and-done; a lot of what I'm going to be talking about in this list happened over the course of weeks or months and still may not be fully over. That's how news stories are sometimes!
Console Madness Giveaway: Free PS4, Destiny Ghost Edition, much more
In November, Joystiq went a little console crazy. We gave away an Xbox One Limited Edition Bundle. Then we gave away another Xbox One Limited Edition Bundle. Then we took a break to give away some sweet phones and a Witcher board game. Break's over. Now Joystiq's embarking on its biggest, craziest giveaway of the holiday season yet. What are we giving away? First, a limited edition, white PlayStation 4 complete with a copy of Destiny. We've also got one copy of the Destiny: Ghost Edition for one lucky runner up. A third runner up will receive copies of Madden NFL 2015, NHL 2015, and The Crew for PS4. Finally, our fourth runner up will receive the great MYSTERY SWAG BOX! Here's how to get the goods: Just use the Rafflecopter widget below between December 12 and December 19. Winners will be selected at random and contacted via email. Full rules and details after the break. Console Madness Giveaway: Free PS4, Destiny Ghost Edition, much more [Images: Activision]
You probably bought 'Call of Duty' and 'Destiny'
It's true: you probably bought Call of Duty and/or Destiny this year. If you play games or buy presents for someone who does, there's a strong possibility that you paid for one or both of these two blockbusters this year. They're number one (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare) and number two (Destiny) on this year's top sales list, and they're both from one publisher: Activision. Do you know how many games Activision publishes? Three games, more or less: Call of Duty, Destiny and Skylanders. There's a strong possibility you've heard of that third game from your children, who won't stop hounding you for more and more $12 toys to use with their $60 game.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny top 2014 console sales in US
Activision's strategy of heavy investment in a small group of franchises resulted in the company having the two top-selling console games of the year. The publisher announced this morning that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Destiny were the number one and two games, respectively, to sell-through at US retail based on data from NPD through November. "We are excited about how fans have responded to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny and Skylanders Trap Team, and have even more great new content in store in 2015," said Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg. The Skylanders franchise was also noted as the top kids video game franchise of the year based on toys and accessory sales. Activision Blizzard has had an exceptional year financially, having recently raised its outlook. On the other side of the corporate coin, the Blizzard half of the equation has also been doing quite well, with World of Warcraft subscriptions back over 10 million and Hearthstone's 20 million registered users.
