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Original NiGHTS coming to GameTap in '08
We were quite surprised when a tipster sent us a link to Sega's NiGHTS website which stated the original NiGHTS into Dreams is available to play on GameTap -- because it's not. Turns out Sega jumped the gun just a bit in announcing that NiGHTS into Dreams is coming to GameTap's gaming smorgasbord, possibly by half a year. We spoke with GameTap and the best the company could do was confirm the game would be available "in the first half of 2008," but that more details would "hopefully" be available in January.In the meantime, feel free to watch GameTap's behind the scenes look at the making of the sequel NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams on the Sega site. To find the video click on "story" and then "behind the story" (sorry, no direct link available). If the whole video gets pulled because of the pre-announcement "oops," consider this whole post a dream until sometime next year.[Thanks WiNG]
GameTap Thursday: Street Fighter III: Third Strike's out
This week GameTap hadoukens the Dreamcast version of Street Fighter III: Third Strike onto the service. The game considered by many hardcore gamers as the last great 2D fighter is accessible for both PC and Mac users. The new GameTap titles this week (other than SFIII) are the remains of the year. Metal Combat (PC) - Just say no. Check out Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot (PC) - A little-known independent action RPG from a couple years ago that was well received. Check it out for something a little different. Putter Golf (Genesis) - Hardcore mini-golf. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essential (PC) - Plan out the mission and repeat it a billion times 'til you don't get your whole squad killed. Classic Rainbow Six game. Sub Hunt (Intellivision) - A submarine game from 1981. Seriously. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (Dreamcast) - We've gone over this. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new free game this week is Texas Hold 'em and is bolded for easy reference. There will be no GameTap update next week due to the holiday, with the next update on Jan. 3rd.
GameTap Thursday: Going rogue trooper
It's another one of those "let's talk about the free game" weeks, with the under-appreciated Rogue Trooper entering free game rotation at GameTap. It's not mind-bendingly awesome, but if you're looking for a competent third-person shooter to play it certainly fits the bill. In case any Mac owners missed the big news last week, the new GameTap player is now fully compatible with Intel-based Macs. New games for GameTap subscribers this week are: Brigade E5 (PC) - A mercenary gets sent to South America to complete a mission. If you really, really can't wait until next year's Mercenaries 2 then this should make a moderate substitute. And by "moderate" we mean none at all. Texas Hold 'em (PC) - The gateway drug to playing games for real money online and losing your house. Seal of Evil (PC) - A Diablo-esque game that takes place in a Dynasty Warriors faux version of China. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. Thief: Deadly Shadows and Psychonauts are still available, along with many of the Hitman games.
GameTap releases Mac-compatible Player
The GameTap lite client has been out on the Mac for a while, but GameTap just finally released a new version of their full player, and it is now fully compatible with the Mac.Unfortunately, things aren't quite hunky dory just yet-- the Mac player will only play Mac-supported games, which leaves a large number of games completely out-- Sam and Max, Psychonauts, and any other games listed as "Windows" are N/A in the Mac player. However, any emulation titles are in, so Genesis, Neo Geo, and the old arcade games are all playable, according to GameTap's page-- you can get your Sonic on in OS X.This still doesn't help us with new games, of course, but it is awesome to have a huge library like that now available for gaming on the Mac. The GameTap player is now available for download over on their homepage, and while many games are available for free, a Gold subscription to play all the games is $60 a year.
GameTap Thursday: Bite the Apple with a new player
It's been quite the devil and angel week with the GameTap news. Things were not well when it turned out GameTap was losing a good percentage of games due to contractual issues, but the service rallied yesterday with the good news that there was a new GameTap player which was fully compatible with Intel-based Macs. Enough about that, let's talk new games this week on GameTap. Perimeter (PC) - Do not miss out on Perimeter, a little gem that doesn't get its due. A race known as the Scourge can turn into your worst nightmares and in this RTS you'll have to keep the perimeter up and protecting your base. A great RTS for those who always wanted a game that was more defense than offense. Carrier Air Wing (Arcade) - A Capcom schmup from the early '90s, so you know it's competent. Blowout (PC) - Um, did we mention Perimeter? We're sure Blowout is fine, but seriously, play Perimeter. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. There are a few new free games this week and they are bolded for easy reference. Thief: Deadly Shadows joins the free section along with John Romero's Daikatana. Keep working on Psychonauts if you have finished it. Mac users have access to the free games -- just as long as it isn't a "windows" game.
GameTap releases new player; now with full Mac compatibility
Today GameTap released its new player which adds many general improvements, the most significant of which is full Mac compatibility. The updated version will allow for faster navigation and play, and is cleaner and better integrated with all of GameTap.com.After downloading the Mac player, all of the service's games will be available to you, with the exception of the "Windows" games (duh). By going to the "search games" area and clicking the "playable on Mac" box on the right side, you'll see a list of titles available for Macs specifically. Although a significant portion of the GameTap catalog gets lost here (including marquee games like Sam & Max), it seems Mac owners will have to take what they can get. The Apple core here at Joystiq is just excited to be in on the gaming smorgasbord.
GameTap begins filling game losses with publisher Meridian4
It's time for GameTap to start filling up the hole left by the 70+ games it'll lose Dec. 11. Publisher Meridian4 announced today they'll be putting their titles on the service. Does this make up for the loss of EA, Interplay and other publishers from the service? Not even close, but it's a start.The irritation customers are expressing with the loss of titles from GameTap doesn't seem so much that it happened, but how it all went down. Business is business, and subscribers are now well aware that games on the service have a contractual shelf life. The problem involves subscribers -- who had an understandably less-than-complete comprehension of how games exist on GameTap -- being told abruptly about the removal of titles two weeks before it happens. Adding insult to injury, a serious lapse in judgment occurred when GameTap hyped hitting 1000 games, only to renege on the milestone less than two weeks later. Hopefully the service has learned from its mistake.Update: Rick Sanchez, VP of GameTap content, did make a statement today about the situation.[Via Press Release]
GameTap losing over 7% of games; EA, Interplay and other publishers gone Dec. 11
Just as GameTap celebrated hitting 1,000 games on the service, it'll get to repeat the milestone all over again as it loses 70+ games in a couple weeks. Apparently EA, Interplay, Atari and some lesser-known publishers will end their affiliation with the service December 11. GameTap Editorial Director Douglass Perry says GameTap signs contracts with a publisher which have a beginning and an end. He says none of the games on the service are permanent. Perry also says they were unaware they'd have to pull all those titles when celebrating their 1,000 game mark.We're currently trying to get a fuller explanation of the current situation. Perry says that GameTap will continue to expand their library despite this setback, but the issue seems to be a wake-up call to many subscribers that GameTap isn't the repository of gaming that they once thought. Although it's unofficial whether GameTap didn't want to pony up the cash to extend the contracts or the publishers asked for too much money to renew -- we're pretty sure GameTap isn't happy about dipping below the 1,000 game mark they recently hyped. It's also not a great day for the company when their subscribers learn quite harshly that games on the service have a virtual shelf life.Update: An unofficial list of games being lost Dec. 11.[Thanks Satertak, Matt]
GameTap Thursday: Tryptophan coma
As for new game releases this week the entire industry seems to be in a tryptophan induced coma and GameTap is no exception. It's a quiet week for anything new in general. The new titles this week on the service are probably titles that a majority of people haven't heard of before and it won't alter your experience as a gamer if that's the case. On the bright side, GameTap has plenty of good games for the freeloaders out there, including last week's addition of Psychonauts.The new subscriber games this week are: GORE: Ultimate Soldier (PC) - A run-of-the-mill FPS. Mad Gear (Arcade) - A run-of-the-mill top-down '80s racing game. TOCA Race Driver III (PC) - A competent not-so-run-of-the-mill modern racing game. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new free game Mutation Nation is bolded for easy reference. Topping the list of good free games is the aforementioned Psychonauts, but still available are several entries in the Hitman series, Tomb Raider: Legend, Ghouls n' Ghosts and Sam & Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die.
GameTap Thursday: Um, it's Tuesday, but free Psychonauts makes it all better
In honor of Turkey day -- the day the Turkish people served a native bird with tahini to a bunch of zealots and saved them from certain starvation -- GameTap has moved their new games from Thursday to Tuesday this week. Our entire concept of time is now completely out of whack. GameTap doesn't really have anything exciting on the subscriber front, but for all you freeloaders out there, Psychonauts is available for free this week. And seriously, if you still haven't played it and don't try it when it's free, you don't deserve your second serving of tryptophan this week.The new subscriber games this week are: Infernal (PC) - Um, we're pretty sure this was already on the service. 'Cause it was. Maybe we're missing something? Football Deluxe (PC) - The deluxe part means it's not fun for Americans... oh wait, the football part means that because it's actually soccer. Space Empires V (PC) - You can also check out Space Empires III and IV. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. New free games are bolded for easy reference. Topping the list of additions is Psychonauts. There's also GameTap's continuing Hitman promotion leading up to the film's debut in theaters tomorrow.
GameTap Thursday: Civilization IV stands the test of time
Civilization IV, a game so addictive it has its own support group, joins GameTap this week as the 1000th title on the service. Civ IV, under lead designer Soren Johnson (who is currently trying to make a game out of Spore), was the Civilization game that brought an incredible amount of accessibility to the epic franchise. We aren't currently aware if Civ IV expansion packs, Warlords or Beyond the Sword, are integrated into this version for the GameTap service, but perhaps they'll be added at a later date. For GameTap subscribers who have even the slightest hint of interest in an accessible strategy game and somehow missed Civ IV, along with Sid Meier's Pirates! which was made available a couple weeks ago, now is the time to try them on the service.The new subscriber games this week are: Armored Warriors (Arcade) - Capcom's Final Fight-esque brawler with robots. If you happened to get very lucky you may have run across this game in an arcade during the mid-90s. A beat 'em up with robots, there really aren't enough of those -- and no, Gundam does not count. Civilization IV (PC) - Build an empire to stand the test of time. Create your German monarchy full of Buddhists focusing on environmentalism and then send them to Alpha Centauri to win the game. And as is obligatory whenever saying Alpha Centauri, we still want a sequel to that other great strategy game of our time -- now if EA would just give the rights to Firaxis. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. New free games are bolded for easy reference. Topping the list of additions is Hitman: Contracts, which is part of GameTap's continuing Hitman promotion leading up to the film's debut in theaters.
Gametap's 'Re\Visioned' animated series concludes first season
Concluding with Jim Lee's take on Lara Croft, "A Complicated Woman," the first season of Gametap's animated "Re\Visioned" series is now available in its entirety on the download service. Aside from the rather annoying use of a backslash in the title, the show's first ten-episode stint was marked by several interpretations of the Tomb Raider heroine from artists such as Peter Chung, Michael Stackpole and Warren Ellis. Gametap has also announced a partnership with The Hero Initiative -- a non-profit organization helping out comic book creators -- that will see a second six-episode season of Re\Visioned released in December. The focus is to be placed on the "golden age" of Activision, with stylized takes on Kaboom, Pressure Cooker and Pitfall promised from writers like Mark Waid (Flash, Kingdom Come, Legion of Superheroes), John Ostrander (X-Men, Punisher, Star Wars Republic) and Paul Jenkins (Spectacular Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Civil War: Front Line).
GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max Season 2 begins
It's time for the dog detective and his rabbity-thing companion to start their second season of Telltale Games' Sam & Max. The second season, of the series that got episodic gaming right, starts with the duo taking on the vile Santa Claus in Ice Station Santa. New episodes will premiere monthly on GameTap with the conclusion in April; there will be five episodes this season instead of six.The new subscriber games this week are: Virtua Fighter (Saturn) - Any other week we would have found an awesome picture of the original blocky fighters and made it the featured game of the week. The Sega Saturn classic that changed fighters as we know them comes to the service. Shadow Watch (PC) - A secret security force must prevent a conspiracy seeking to stop humanity from exploring space. Sam & Max: Ice Station Santa (PC) - The boys survived their first season and return for more adventure game hijinks. This season promises to be tighter and more engaging than the first great season as Telltale gets a better feel and continues to write the book on how this whole episodic gaming concept works. American McGee better be taking notes for Grimm. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. New free games are bolded for easy reference. Topping the list is the addition of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, which is part of GameTap's continuing Hitman promotion leading up to the film's debut in theaters. Also be sure to check out the Hitman retrospective premiering on the "watch" channel.
Joystiq interview: Telltale's Dan Connors tells tales
Sam & Max: Season One was one of the first real success stories of digital distribution, where folks could download episodes of the game from month to month, and then after everything had been released, pick up a DVD copy of all the episodes with some extra content. Season Two launches on November 8th (tomorrow, kids!), putting Sam & Max right back into the fray.We sat down with Telltale Games founder and CEO Dan Connors during E For All to talk about all things Sam & Max, Bone, and what's coming up for the young studio. We started off by waxing poetic about E for All or E3 possibly moving to Vegas, so we could have done this over drinks and then hit the tables. We'd like to think Sam & Max would have been proud.
GameTap Thursday: Pirates get the best booty
Ah coincidence, life would be so unmystical without it. We were just saying yesterday that we'd prefer people played Sid Meier's Pirates! over the Pirates of the Caribbean MMO and here comes GameTap announcing the title for the service. If you haven't played Pirates!, the game is a bright and fun romp through the Caribbean with simple pick-up-and-play mechanics that should keep anybody entertained for hours. It's an epic casual title if such a thing exists.The new subscriber games this week are: 688 (I) Hunter/Killer (PC) - Adventure under the seas in this submarine sim game. If you've ever played a submarine sim game then you know these games are usually best if you have a decade of Navy training under your belt first. Shellshock: Nam 67 (PC) - A third-person shooter set during the Vietnam War that didn't hit the mark. Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC) - Colorful, fun, simple, and possibly addictive. Pirates! takes basic old-school gameplay and updates it for the new generation with success. Absolutely worth playing as it stands tall and proud as a game that knows it's meant to be entertaining with great replay value. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new games this week are Second Sight and Cannon Fodder, both of which have been bolded for easy "new games" reference. Next week GameTap will usher in the new season of Sam and Max with Ice Station Santa.
GameTap offering free Hitman games and retrospective in November
Next month GameTap will offer the adventures of Agent 47 (except for Blood Money) for free on the service in sequential order. Although they say the original game is available Nov. 1, technically it's available for free now. The series' gameplay became far more forgiving as things progressed, so depending on your tolerance for repeating a level over and over again, you may want to wait until Contracts becomes available Nov. 15 for the softest experience. Now - Hitman: Codename 47 is available for free play. Nov. 8 - Hitman 2: Silent Assassin available for free. GameTap begins Hitman Retrospective on their Watch channel. Nov. 15 - Hitman: Contracts available for free. Nov. 21: Hitman movie starring Timothy Olyphant premieres in theaters. GameTap says they have more in store on this, but that's the basics for now. We are curious to see how one of the GameTap retrospectives holds up to the GameTrailer ones we've become enamored with.
Grimm starts next spring on GameTap
The fractured fairy tale of American McGee's Grimm starts next spring on GameTap. The 24 episode series will follow the darker narrative of the original Brothers Grimm tales and have players in a "sandbox world which contains missions assigned in episodic fashion." The series will be set up in a way to have cliffhangers and keep players interested in future episodes. Images below in the gallery are what to expect to see from Grimm's characters.If the thought of waiting until next spring for Grimm makes you feel uncomfortable, there's always the the new season of Sam and Max (starting Nov. 8) to keep you busy.%Gallery-9426%
GameTap Thursday: Jericho, Jericho, Jericho ... but try Overlord
What a quiet week for our GameTap Thursday post. Almost too quiet. Who's there? Oh, it's just the Jericho Squad. The big game this week is Clive Barker's Jericho, available on GameTap since Tuesday for subscribers.This is due to the deal between GameTap and Codemasters making games available on day of release for the next couple years. On the topic of Codemasters on GameTap, if you haven't played Overlord yet, go ahead and try it. Overlord is starting to creep up as a "best game you probably missed" title for our end of the year roundup. The new subscriber games this week are: Abomination (PC) - As a plague devastates the planet, a cult rises from the chaos to worship an entity known as Brood. Heavy on the action and low on the IQ. Clans (PC) - Another fairly forgettable RPG that shows that this week on GameTap is all about ... Jericho (PC) - The reviews may be mixed, but if you're a GameTap subscriber the game is free, so why not test out the game for yourself. It's amazing how forgiving a person's opinion of a title can be when it's "free." When $40 to $60 isn't invested into an experience, it's quite liberating. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. Nothing new this week, so nothing will be bolded for easy "new games" reference. Sure, there's nothing new, but if you're looking for little break from working for the man, get in a few minutes of Metal Slug, you'll feel better.
GameTap hitting 1000 games and upcoming info
There were quite a few press releases from GameTap this week so we figured we'd roll it into one post. The basic news is that GameTap, Turner Broadcasting System's "broadband entertainment network" -- we prefer to just call it a gaming smorgasbord -- will hit 1000 games available to subscribers on Nov. 15. If you're a weekly reader of our GameTap Thursday posts you know there's definitely a strong hit or miss quotient to those titles, but the point is that there are still 1000 available games to subscribers on-demand. A good portion of the games are new titles, while a majority are classic games you can't normally play without dragging out the old consoles from mom and/or dad's attic. GameTap also keeps a pretty solid list of free games available for non-subscribers as well (which we always list on our GameTap Thursday posts also). Now let's get to the info dumping ...
Gametap Thursday: Sam & Max are free to kill Abe Lincoln
It's pretty hard for GameTap to top last week's "Kitties Typing Away the Dead in Space" blowout, so we're perfectly fine with this week's new subscriber games lacking "oomph." GameTap compensates by making some nice titles available in their free games section. Sam and Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die! (Season 1, Episode 4) joins the free games lineup in preparation for Sam and Max's second season beginning Nov. 8. If you have any interest in adventure games -- or humor -- you owe it to yourself to try Sam and Max. Also, as a heads-up, next week Jericho will be available from GameTap on Tuesday for subscribers. The reason for this is because of the deal between GameTap and Codemasters making games available on day of release. The new subscriber games this week are: Brian Lara Cricket 2007 (PC) - We don't even know enough about cricket to say whether this is a good or bad game. We didn't even know there were cricket stars that would warrant having their name on the box to make the game more appealing. But apparently Brian Lara is a big deal and good enough to get his own video game. Good for him. Maelstrom (PC) - A run of the mill RTS which makes us long for Ground Control II. After the break we have GameTap's updated list of free games. All new games are now bolded for easy reference. So go ahead and play some Ghosts N' Goblins and/or Ghouls N' Ghosts, both of which are available in the free games section now.
