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Reminder: we've got your Lost Planet launch event pass
Hey folks, just a reminder that we're giving away 25 passes to Capcom's Lost Planet launch party. The event will be held Thursday, from 8pm to midnight, at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center.You must be 18 and willing to provide Capcom with your name and email address to be eligible for a pass. Simply drop a comment (just one per person) on this post telling us the biggest thing you've ever lost. We'll select the winners at random.Note: Please do not comment if you're unable to attend the event.
Shipping this week: frickin' Lost Planet edition!
After a one week vacation, the world of Xbox 360 releases has returned, and no triumphant return would be complete without gifts. This week's gift isn't some crappy t-shirt hastily purchased at an airport gift shop either. No, this week is a doozy. It's a general policy that we like to have at least three titles to merit a bulleted list, but this week is special. It's the first game of the new year and it's a pretty big game to boot. As such, we present you with the combined North American/European shipping list for the week of January 8.Shipping this week in North America and Europe: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Also worth noting, Japan will get its first crack at Viva Piñata this week (except it has been renamed Atsumare! Piñata). Let's introduce them. Japan, this is addiction. Addiction, Japan. So, who's picking up Lost Planet?
The Joystiq Weekend: January 6 - 7, 2007
Thought we'd show off David's winning Joyswag Photochop entry because it's an impressive piece of work and, quite frankly, we could see this game being made. Check out the highlights for today. CES CoverageSony ships 1mil PS3s in NA, targets 6mil worldwide by March '07The Xbox 360 to get IPTV in '07, ships 10.4mil consolesUNO is Live Anywhere!JoystiqueryJoyswag Photochop: Lost Planet, found entries - Day OnePS3 available on BestBuy.com ... stillToday's ye-haw-iest game video: Wii Play - Cow RunToday's mashiest game video: Battlestar meets WarcraftWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: evil Mii editionWe've got tickets to the Lost Planet launch event in San FranNewsChild's Play raises over one million dollarsKeyboard combo for the compulsively clean, obsessively sterileMayo Clinic prescribes active gamesOhhhh Canada, you could win a giant LinkSecond Life backlash gains momentumVideo: the rumored Xbox 360 v2Tabula Rasa not vaporware -- starts beta testingGameStop pulls out creative stops to move PS3sGamer Generation on Discovery HDWorld of Warcraft's list of useless classesSimCity DS screens for Japan, no stateside announcementRumors & SpeculationRumor Murder: PS3 with no Blu-rayNvidia drivers leak potential PC Gears of WarCultureThe workable PS2 toasterPatrick Curry completes his 52 game ideasHomemade video game items we wantWanting more worst game endings ever
Joyswag Photochop: Lost Planet, found entries - Day One
Joystiqers, our hats are off to you. You have been heeding the call in spades. It's only the first day of the Lost Planet Photochop contest, and already we've had a ton of terrific entries. For those of you who haven't entered yet, these should get your creative juices flowing. Check out today's two winners: the first one is from Manu and features the oh so lovely Kate from Lost gracing the cover. We've received a ton of Lost TV show entries, but this one takes the cake so far. Keep 'em coming though, and have a look at the second winner and a recap of the contest details after the jump.
IGN reviews Lost Planet
IGN got their chilly little mitts on Capcom's Lost Planet and came away feeling pretty satisfied. In IGN's review they felt Lost Planet's graphics were on par with what was expected (especially the billowy smoke) and they loved the variety of enemies, but a few things missed their radar of perfection. Negatives included controls that were sometimes awkward or loose, average audio, and the storyline not making much sense. Multiplayer was implemented well, but still suffers from the same awkward controls found in the campaign. In the end IGN gave Lost Planet a respectable 8.5 out of 10 making it a pretty darn good game. Also, be sure to check out their video review if you have something against reading ... but then why would you be reading this blog?
Joyswag Photochop: Win Capcom's Lost Planet
If you can't make the bash, but still want to get your blindly groping mitts on Lost Planet, we've got another solution. We'll be giving away ten copies of the icy-cold third-person shooter in exchange for your masterful photochopping. Take the above box cover and transmogrify it into something entirely different: a game box for something else "lost" (see the entries in our Lost Planet party giveaway for inspiration ... or don't. Be creative.)Send your submissions in .jpg format to joyswag [dot] submissions [at] gmail [dot] com. We'll select two winners each day over the next week leading up to the retail release of the game on the 12th. If your submission wasn't chosen, submit another for future consideration. Good luck!
We've got tickets to the Lost Planet launch event in San Fran
Capcom is pulling out all the stops for Lost Planet, their upcoming third-person shooter, including a bash in San Francisco.The details: The event is being held this Thursday, from 8pm to midnight at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center - East Hall (it's here). There will be a multiplayer tournament ("Winners receive fabulous prizes and then face off with ... the Lost Planet development team!"); the Lost Planet development team will be signing things (Peter Moore is getting his other bicep signed); you can "watch Master LEGO Builder Nathan Sawaya creating LEGO masterpieces on the fly"; make your own Lost Planet t-shirt; free grub and drinks; and "the first 50 gamers through the door get exclusive t-shirts." Phew! Capcom knows how to throw a party!In the area and want to go? You can sign up for a first-come, first-served spot on their page (username: Genesis / password: 111). Or -- if you'd rather not risk being denied -- they've graciously offered Joystiq readers 25 passes to the event which guarantee admittance. (Fine print: You must be 18 or older to attend, and agree to provide Capcom with your name and email address). All you've got to do is tell us the biggest thing you've ever lost. Certainly it couldn't be larger than a planet (tsk, tsk Capcom). Maybe a loved one?
The gooey center of Lost Planet CE
Lost Planet is almost here and what better way to ruin the excitement of opening the collector's edition box on launch day than taking a peak inside now? Over at Brian Dunn's blog he posted pictures of all the crap, erm, stuff you get in the Lost Planet Collector's Edition. A double DVD set, sexy metal box, bonus map redemption card, and a full color manual (FTW!) Make the jump for more pictures of the CE edition, that is if you're willing to spoil the surprise come launch day. Decisions, decisions ...[Thanks, Scott]
CG cutscenes and gaming culture
In an interview with Lost Planet Community's Brian Dunn, Cutscene Director Yoshiyuki Tonoe and Director Kenji Oguro discussed the differences between how cutscenes are used in Western and Eastern gaming worlds. Their decision to use real-time cutscenes in Lost Planet stems from their research into how Western developers tended to tell the story within the game engine, whereas Japanese developers typically rely on CG graphics for the cinematic storytelling.Tonoe dates the Eastern obsession with CG cutscenes to the original Biohazard (released March 1996), though arguably Square Enix had already begun to look into CG before the horror title's release with Final Fantasy VII, whose long development process began in 1995. "The latest CG movies found in games are stunning and really help sell the game," said Tonoe, "but when I think about how they are used to tie the story to the gameplay, I wonder if they are effective at making the games any better."Pictured are some of the games used as reference material during Lost Planet's development. Tonoe cites The Lord of the Rings games, whose cutscenes were amalgamations of movie footage and in-game footage, as "above what Japanese developers were doing at the time."Specific to their game, Tonoe remarks that there are 33 cutscenes in Lost Planet, totaling 73 minutes, averaging just under three minutes with the longest cutscene at around six minutes in length. What's your preference -- explosive CG eye candy or more immersive real-time storytelling?[Via 1UP]
It's a Lost Planet party and you're invited
Already slated as one of 2007's first big titles, Lost Planet is building towards its launch later this month. To celebrate the launch, Capcom is throwing a party in San Francisco. The party offers players a chance to meet the team behind Lost Planet, participate in a huge multiplayer tournament, design their own custom Lost Planet t-shirt, or just play Lost Planet on one of the dozens of Xbox 360s. Also at the event will be LEGO brick artist, Nathan Sawaya, who will be creating masterpieces throughout the party -- you may remember him: this guy walks the line between genius and madness (in a good way). If you can make it to San Fran on the 11th, head over to the official site and register (login: Genesis, password: 111).
Capcom's makin' movies
Video games and movies frequently don't mix. Sometimes, movies pump out a Resident Evil, which goes on to produce financially successful sequels. Mostly, though, Uwe Boll ends up with them. Capcom is making sure none of that happens to their titles. Capcom is currently cozying up with Hollywood to turn more of its licenses into hit movies; and the other way around. Germaine Gioia, Capcom's new Senior VP of Licensing, is working to get Capcom more exposure in Hollywood. This way, Capcom games like Lost Planet could get decent showings on the silver screen and Capcom can work closely with studios to create games on Hollywood IPs ... which could allow them to work nicely together. Microsoft should take a page from Capcom's book in dealing with Hollywood (possibly getting together with arch-nemesis Sony to make it). By working closely with Hollywood, Capcom is taking a step toward making gaming a more socially acceptable past time. If the movies about games are frequently decent (not directed by Uwe Boll), we could see a loosening of political intolerance of the medium as Hollywood and politicians frequently are in lock-step. Plus, Capcom gets to make more money, which they aren't about to argue with.
Play Breakout, win Lost Planet from GTR
Gamertag Radio is running a contest and giving away five copies of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. As in previous GTR contests, all you have to do is play an arcade game in GTR's arcade section. For this contest, the game is Breakout. After January 12th, the top 5 highest scoring players will receive a copy of Lost Planet. As usual, this contest is a great way to kill time when you should be working or studying. Think of it as your own way to stick it to the man (with the added bonus of possibly winning something in the process). If there's a better way of fighting the establishment, we don't know what it is. Go check it out, and make sure to tell us if you win.
Xbox 360: The Best of 2007
2006 was a great year for the Xbox 360. We saw tons of great games -- Oblivion, Gears of War, and Dead Rising just to name a few -- Xbox Live Arcade showed signs of maturity, Xbox Live grew by leaps and bounds, and overall 360 sales are closing in on the 10 million mark. Yes, it was a good time to be a gamer if you had a 360. What about the future? What does 2007 hold for the Xbox 360? Read on and join the discussion.
UK and AU: Win a free copy of Lost Planet
PALGN and Capcom have partnered up to give away ten copies of their snow-gem Lost Planet in a contest starting December 25th and running through January 25th. To have a chance at winning all you have to do is answer the question "If you were going to be stuck by yourself on a planet for ever what would you take and why?" in 25 words or less and submit it here. Please note that they are only giving away ten copies of the PAL version of Lost Planet even though the contest is open to anyone worldwide. So, North American fanboys can still enter, but no guarantee you'll be able to play your winnings on your NTSC console. Good luck and remember to thank us when you win![Via, Xbox 360 QJ]
Japanese release day highlights: 12.21.06
Trains are great. We ride them most days of the week. In fact, today we took a train ride in order to buy two new train-based videogames. That's the scary extent of our railway passion. To avoid those funny looks we keep getting from the station master, we also picked up copies of the games listed here. Just so that we could look at their non-train-related packaging on the way home, to pretend that we weren't really thinking about trains. Mmm ... the 16:09 Express to Kyoto ... Sorry, those games: Ys Origin (Falcom's legend returns, again; PC) Seiken Densetsu 4 (Mana, Mana, Mana; PS2) Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (ice cool Capcom; Xbox 360) Let's Go By A-Train HX ("Artdink" is the funniest developer name ever; Xbox 360) Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Snake crawls back to Japan; PSP) Armored Core 4 (PlayStation 3) Railfan (for the jotter and flask crowd; PS3)
Lost Planet demos hit platinum mark
Capcom's cool-as-ice (get it? It's because it's arctic.) Xbox 360 title Lost Planet: Extreme Condition has netted one million downloads apiece worldwide; the multiplayer demo has also caused almost 300,000 hours of online battling since its launch on November 23. For an original IP, Lost Planet has enormous hype. whose momentum was no doubt helped by the success of Dead Rising, Capcom's other Xbox 360 title. Shooting bugs is incredibly fun, and it's the longest-lasting demo on our Xbox 360 hard drive. The demo's success, however, could be a double-edge sword, in that some gamers may be too satisfied with the free trial or burnt out with the game before its release. Will the game live up to the hype with consistently good pacing and all those fixes Capcom has promised? We'll find out with Lost Planet hits store shelves January 12.
Lost Planet demos hit 1 million downloads
Capcom announced today that the single-player and multiplayer demos of Lost Planet have been downloaded over 1 million times combined. Additionally, Capcom states that hundreds of thousands of hours have been spent playing the Lost Planet demos. Considering that the multiplayer demo has consistently landed on the top 10 Live games for several weeks now, this is hardly surprising. No doubt, Capcom hopes that the hundreds of thousands of demo players will translate to hundreds of thousands of retail copies being sold when the game ships. Of course, there's a big difference between zero dollars and sixty dollars. Have you played this demo extensively? Will you pony up the dough for the full version?
Rainbow Six Vegas patched. Can you hear me now?
Rainbow Six Vegas' voice chat issue, along with a scrolling list of additional bugs, have been patched up with today's arrival of the promised auto-update. The severity of some of these issues has drawn sharp criticism from players, some of whom have given up on Vegas. With the patch deployed, will they return?Ubisoft would do well to learn from Capcom's recent exercise, when the company released a multiplayer demo of Lost Planet early enough to receive feedback from fans and correct issues in time for the game's launch. Sure, Vegas hasn't been on the market for long, but three weeks is enough time to sour our perceptions.
Lost Planet patched (before it's released)
Capcom has announced that they are going to offer a patch via download from Xbox Live the same day Lost Planet releases in the United States. During the Thanksgiving weekend, when the Lost Planet demo hit the XBLM, Capcom gathered player's reactions by trolling forums, reading blogs, and searching news sites looking for what gamers thought and were complaining about. In the end, Lost Planet's multiplayer is going to see some great new features, fixes and overall be a better gaming experience. Here's to you Capcom for actually taking the time to listen to your fans concerns and fixing those annoying problems ... now only if Epic would listen to our wailings.
Capcom listens, fixes Lost Planet multiplayer
It turns out that Capcom's Lost Planet multiplayer demo has doubled as an impromptu beta test, eliciting numerous complaints that the developer has taken quite seriously. The online team has managed to include several key improvements in the final version of the game and will have a patch available on launch day (January 12), addressing the remainder of reported issues.In addition to enlarging text displays, Capcom's update highlights include: Private slots (assigned by host) Ability to invite friends to match Number of players in match displayed next to name of match (in search list) Players not being kicked out to main menu when they try to join a full match Option to refresh match list without going back to main menu and re-selecting Quick Match Players going to post-game lobby at end of match (not being kicked back to main menu) Ability to replay match with same players (without leaving post-game lobby) Cycling maps on replayed matches when map selection is set to Random 20-second time limit to form teams when team selection is enabled Max match time limit set to 60 minutes (instead of unlimited) Saved custom match criteria [Via press release]
