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Assassin's Creed, The Last of Us, Alien get Writers Guild nods
The Writers Guild of America has nominated Alien: Isolation, The Last of Us: Left Behind, Assassin's Creed: Unity and Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry for the 2015 award recognizing outstanding achievement in video game writing. Winners will be announced during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City on Saturday, February 14. Note that to be nominated for an award from the Writers Guild of America, "credited videogame writers must have been or must have applied to become members of the WGA Videogame Writers Caucus at the time scripts were submitted," meaning the pool of eligible writers is limited. (Yes, the Guild spells "video game" as one word). For reference, we had the following to say about the stories in Alien, Left Behind and Unity:
Rock Band DLC silence broken by Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters
It's been nearly two years since hit rhythm game series Rock Band last saw new downloadable music, but now it appears that developer Harmonix is tuning up for an encore. Come January 13, both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Rock Band games will have access to three new songs: "R U Mine?" from the Arctic Monkeys, "Shepherd of Fire" from Avenged Sevenfold and the Foo Fighters' "Something From Nothing." Regardless of platform, each of these tracks will feature a $2 price tag. Whether this is an unexpected one-off DLC offer or if it might signal a return to regular Rock Band music releases is currently unknown. Harmonix makes no mention of its future DLC plans, and so far our attempts to reach the studio for more information have gone unanswered. [Image: Warner Bros.]
GTA 5 on top again in UK (again)
Inside, you see a very tall man in a bow tie and tuxedo, sitting behind a desk. "Good morning," opens the very tall man, who you now realize is the spitting image of a young John Cleese. "It's my duty to inform you, brave adventurer, that Grand Theft Auto 5 took the UK No. 1 this week. It's the third time it's re-taken the British top spot, but that's neither here or there, really. Sales of this week's top three were half of last week's. So, right now, topping the UK charts is a bit like winning a beauty pageant held in Mordor. Never mind, eh?" You smile and nod, looking for the exit. "Anyway," he says sternly... is he John Cleese? "You have a choice ahead of you, adventurer." The very tall man points to a small arcade cabinet on your left. The screen, which appears to be made of paper and held up by someone inside the cabinet, simply says "Push a button." To press the button with a picture of a tree on it, turn to page 17 To press the button with the Joystiq logo on it, turn to page 63 To press the button with a picture of a pig on it, turn to page 245605B
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell pre-orders at GAME get oujia board
If taunting spirits in a video game just isn't enough for you, you might be the type of gamer that developer Volition and publisher Deep Silver are targeting with their Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell pre-order promotion. According to a press release, if you pre-order either Gat Out of Hell for Xbox 360/PS3 or the Saints Row: Re-Elected & Gat Out of Hell combo pack for Xbox One/PS4 at UK retailer GAME, you'll receive a oujia board which you can (supposedly) use to contact the dead. Okay, so it's kind of a weird pre-order bonus, but remember the Dubstep Gun that came in special editions of Saints Row 4? A ouija board (or "Wee-Ja" as this particular model is called) is downright tame compared to what the Third Street Saints gang has in their arsenal. The ouija board also acts as a sort of ticket to a bigger prize. By sending in a picture of the ouija board in use, would-be mediums get entered for a chance to win a night on the haunted town with UK spirit medium, Derek Acorah. Saints Ros 4: Re-Elected and Gat Out of Hell will be summoned to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC platforms on January 20 in the Americas and January 23 internationally. GAME lists Gat Out of Hell at £24.99 and Saints Row 4: Re-Elected & Gat Out of Hell for £34.99. [Image: Deep Silver]
Dontnod: Publishers wanted Life is Strange's hero to be male, but Square didn't
If you're wondering why Remember Me developer Dontnod Entertainment partnered with Square Enix to publish its upcoming game Life is Strange, look no further than the gender of its main character. "We had other publishers tell us, 'Make it a male lead character,'" company employees reveal in a new dev diary for the game. "Square were basically the only publisher that didn't want to change a single thing about the game. ... Square didn't even question [the decision to make Max female] once." If this story sounds familiar, it might be because Dontnod was in a similar situation regarding Remember Me. "We had some [publishers] that said, 'Well, we don't want to publish it because that's not going to succeed. You can't have a female character in games. It has to be a male character, simple as that,'" creative director Jean-Max Morris said in March of 2013. Of course, the gender of its protagonists might not have been the only reason why other publishers passed on the project, but it's an interesting insight into the climate of games nonetheless. Morris told Joystiq at Gamescom that despite the consistent use of female protagonists, the studio is not "trying to 'fix the industry.'" As a Dontnod employee says in the above diary, "It felt natural to have Max as a female character for this game." Life is Strange's first episode of five will debut on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on January 30. [Image: Square Enix]
Arland Atelier Trilogy hits European PS3s in March
If you cleared Tales of Xillia 2 months ago and need another JRPG grind to tide you over until Persona 5, consider what you may have missed in years past – NIS America has announced plans to release The Arland Atelier Trilogy in Europe on March 6, 2015, with the trilogy bundling a compilation of adventures from developer Gust that debuted on the PS3 between 2010 to 2012. The single-disc, yet-to-be-priced collection will include Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland and Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, which share an overarching timeline and cast members. We've reached out to NIS America to ask whether The Arland Atelier Trilogy will also eventually reach North America and will update this post accordingly. [Image: NIS America]
PlayStation players proclaim their picks for games of the year
So you didn't agree with our picks for the top 10 games of 2014. You didn't like our Best of the Rest selections either. That's okay! Different strokes for different folks and all that. If you're a PlayStation user, perhaps you'll find more like-minded individuals among fellow owners of Sony consoles. The PlayStation Blog has posted the results of its game of the year survey, which raked in a solid 400,000+ votes. And the winners are: Best PlayStation 4 Game: Destiny Best PlayStation 3 Game: Dark Souls 2 Best PlayStation Vita Game: Child of Light Best Digital Release: Infamous: First Light Best PlayStation Plus Game: BioShock Infinite Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog Most Anticipated of 2015: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End To see the runners-up and PS Blog editor picks (as well as tell everyone how wrong they are), check out the full post. [Image: Sony]
Cipher Prime now selling piano music to Splice by
Developer Cipher Prime's genetic puzzle game Splice may have originally released in 2012, but if its beautiful piano melodies still linger in your mind's ear, you might be pleased to know that the studio has released sheet music for the game's soundtrack, allowing you to perform the tunes for yourself at home (or fancy parties, or possibly an airport lounge - wherever there's a piano available for use, really). If you're looking for a demo of sorts, the notation for the song "Cassiel" is available to download for free. Five dollars will net you the remaining 10 songs, providing a total of 46 sheets of music to impress your friends and family with. Oo, oo! And play that sad walking away song from The Incredible Hulk next! [Image: Cipher Prime]
GDCA 2015 finalists led by Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
The finalists for the 2015 Game Developers Choice Awards were revealed today, led by Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which received five nominations. Monolith's third-person action game was nominated for Game of the Year, Innovation, Best Design, Best Narrative and Best Technology awards at the ceremony (on top of also being Joystiq's favorite game of 2014). The other nominees for the 15th annual GDCA's Game of the Year award are Bayonetta 2, Alien: Isolation, Destiny and Hearthstone. Blizzard's collectible card game received three nominations in total, the other two for Best Design and Best Handheld/Mobile Game. Destiny also received two other nominations for Best Audio and Best Technology. The ceremony for this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards will be held during the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT) at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. Head past the break to see the full list of nominees.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse delayed to late February in Europe
Bandai Namco's self-insert fanfiction brawler Dragon Ball Xenoverse has shifted to a late February release date in Europe in an effort "to ensure the highest possible gameplay experience for our fans," the publisher states. In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, players guide a custom-created character through the Dragon Ball timeline, righting past wrongs and experiencing alternate takes on landmark series events. By fighting alongside familiar series characters, you'll unlock their moves and outfits for use in Xenoverse's campaign, and the characters themselves are playable in other included gameplay modes. Xenoverse is still on track to launch for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PS3, and PC platforms via Steam in North America on February 17. A European release will follow on February 27. [Video: Bandai Namco]
Life Is Strange PC specs
Developer Dontnod, who you may remember from the flawed yet ambitious Remember Me, has outlined the PC specs required to play Life Is Strange. Happily, you probably won't need to build a new computer to play the upcoming time-bending adventure. You'll find a full rundown of both minimum and recommended specs beyond the break, but the quick version is that if you have a modern dual core processor, video card built in the last half-decade and greater than 2GB of RAM, you should be fine. Alongside the system requirements list, Dontnod has also issued a lengthy developer diary that offers viewers an in-depth look at the time manipulation mechanics that serve as the key hook in Life Is Strange. You'll find that trailer beyond the break as well. The first episode of Life Is Strange will debut on January 30. [Image: Square Enix]
Next week's Destiny patch fixes Crota's End exploits
Bungie will deploy a Destiny patch fixing several issues within the recently introduced DLC raid mission Crota's End, addressing lingering bugs before introducing a harder difficulty mode for the level. Notably, the patch will eliminate the "knee glitch" that allowed players to easily take out raid boss Crota by yanking a teammate's LAN cable during a specific mid-battle moment. The update will additionally tweak Crota's End treasure chest contents, add new requirements for the bridge encounter, and fix enemy-spawning bugs that currently prevent some players from fighting the Deathsinger. Bungie's patch will begin to roll out for Destiny players on January 13. [Image: Bungie]
Fight through the underworld in DCUO's new DLC
SOE has announced DC Universe Online's next DLC update. It's called Amazon Fury Part II, and it's coming your way "early this year," according to the firm's press release. Three eight-player raids are part of the new pack, as are a pair of four-player operations and one single-player mission. Story-wise, Amazon Fury Part II introduces Ares, Hades, and Cerberus to the DCUO mythos and allows players to fight alongside Wonder Woman or Circe as they battle through the underworld in search of Queen Hippolyta. The DLC also includes new themed base items, new feats and collections, more skill points, and new gear. Creative director Jens Andersen offers further details in the latest producer's letter.
See Commander Shepard's first steps
Straight from the Twitter feed of Mass Effect 1 and 2 Lead Animator Jonathan Cooper, Mass Effect protagonist Commander Shepard was a woman in the game's very first animation tests 10 years ago. Turns out, FemShep is the OG Commander. Ten years ago this month, my very first anim test for Mass Effect. Yup, Commander Shepard was originally a woman: pic.twitter.com/FhC2E0FSrA - Jonathan Cooper (@GameAnim) January 9, 2015 "For those asking, I repurposed mocap from Jade Empire," Cooper said in a follow-up tweet. "Shepard was always planned to be both male & female after JE's pre-set characters."
Bladestorm: Nightmare won't rally the troops until March 17
Publisher Koei Tecmo has opted to delay the release of its "Troop Command Action" game Bladestorm: Nightmare from its initial March 3 launch date to March 17. As you'd expect from a sequel to 2007's Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War, Bladestorm: Nightmare also takes place in the lengthy medieval conflict between England's Plantagenets and the French House of Valois. Unlike most historically-focused Koei Tecmo action games (collectively known as the "musou" subgenre), Bladestorm: Nightmare grants players control over a squad of troops instead of a sole fighter. This both adds novel complexity to the game's combat system and differentiates Bladestorm: Nightmare from the superficially similar (and far more prolific) Dynasty Warriors series. Alongside news of the delay, Koei Tecmo also spilled a bit more information on the game's "Nightmare" mode. Though Bladestorm: Nightmare is based on real events, Nightmare mode takes a fantasy approach, creating a plotline where both English and French forces are under siege by demons. To fight back, players can enlist an army of mythical creatures, hence the otherwise inexplicable dragon in the screenshot above. [Image: Koei Tecmo]
Minecraft was YouTube's second-most popular search query of 2014
Mojang's breakout hit Minecraft took second place in a Google-issued list of the most popular YouTube search queries of 2014, ranking immediately behind the word "music" in terms of search frequency. According to Google, the word "Minecraft" was more frequently searched on YouTube in 2014 than the term "movies." Gaming personality PewDiePie also ranked among the service's most popular searches in 2014, trailing queries for Disney's Frozen and for artists Drake and Beyonce.
Super Joystiq Podcast Live: Best of 2014 [Update: Watch the replay!]
Starting at 3:30PM EST right here and on Twitch, it's JOYSTIQ DOME! Ten games enter! Ten games get robustly examined while 13 editors jaw at one another before examining the year 2014 in detail! Yes, it's the Super Joystiq Podcast Live! Thrill as Ludwig Kietzmann tries to defend Watch Dogs. Swoon as Susan Arendt and Anthony John Agnello defend Lightning Returns with the fury of a thousand burning suns. Chortle as Alexander Sliwinski tries to resist playing Hearthstone. Jess Conditt talks Walking Dead, Danny Cowan digs Shovel Knight, Earnest Cavalli loves Sunset Overdrive, Sam Prell digs into Dragon Age: Inquisition, Richard Mitchell bets on Bayonetta, Xav de Matos feels Far Cry 4, Sinan Kubba delights in Dark Souls 2, Mike Suszek survives Desert Golfing, and Thomas Schulenberg gives Super Smash Bros. for Wii U a what for all over again. And that's just how it starts. Tune in right here and on Twitch.tv/Joystiq at 3:30PM EST for a live, all staff round table discussion on the best games of 2014, our personal favorites, and a look back on the gaming year that was. [Images: WBIE]
John Smedley praises free-to-play on consoles [Updated]
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley knows a thing or two about running free-to-play MMOs on consoles. The studio already has DC Universe Online as a free-to-play title on PlayStation 4, it's bringing PlanetSide 2 to the console soon, and both titles are already free on the PlayStation 3. And there's good reason for it: Smedley said recently to Gamasutra that players on the PS4 have been monetizing on DCUO at nearly three times the rate of PC players. This isn't unique to the newest console, as DCUO players on the PS3 shell out cash twice as often as PC users. He also notes that it's a challenge to port to the console, as the lack of a mouse has to heavily influence design, plus it requires a method of dropping simultaneous updates across multiple platforms, which in and of itself can be a tricky venture. Read the full article for more insights from Smedley regarding the console market's free-to-play sustainability. [Update: Smed further clarified his statements over Twitter earlier today. "People think we're becoming a console first shop. NO! consoles are a great place for F2P, but we have always been a PC first company because that's our heritage. We aren't dumbing down PC ever."]
The Wolf Among Us down to $20 on Amazon
The first season of The Wolf Among Us can live among your gaming library at a discount today, as the episodic adventure game is currently $19.99 on Amazon. The 33 percent off sale is good for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, while Vita players can pick up The Wolf Among Us for $24.49 on the retailer's site. Developed by The Walking Dead creator Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us stars Fabletown's Sheriff Bigby Wolf, formerly known as The Big Bad Wolf. Based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series, the game's five episodes follows Bigby as he maintains order in the small New York City community. Our review of the final episode, "Cry Wolf," noted that the game's first season "lays the groundwork for the series that is (hopefully) to come, getting us invested in these pigs, these trolls, these witches, these toads, these people." [Image: Telltale Games]
Appeals court sides with ex-NFL players in Madden likeness suit
A federal appeals court struck down Electronic Arts' appeal to dismiss a 2010 lawsuit in which retired NFL players alleged that the publisher used their likenesses without permission in Madden NFL 09. A three-judge panel unanimously declined EA's motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds of First Amendment protections under "incidental use." Madden 09 included over 140 historic NFL teams as well as the stats and positions of thousands of retired athletes to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, and EA allegedly altered jersey numbers and removed the players' names to avoid paying licensing fees, according to the August 2010 lawsuit. The judges referred to another recent likeness lawsuit in the opinion, in which former college athletes sued EA in May 2009 over the use of their likenesses in NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football games. EA proposed a $40 million settlement to that lawsuit in September 2013, resulting in those players earning up to $951 for each year their likeness was featured in the games. The publisher added $8 million in expenses related to that lawsuit in May 2014. EA introduced similar First Amendment-based defenses in its appeal for the retired NFL players lawsuit save for one additional argument: That the likenesses were protected under the First Amendment as incidental use. The judges "held that Electronic Arts's use of the former players' likenesses was not incidental because it was central to Electronic Arts's main commercial purpose: to create a realistic virtual simulation of football games involving current and former National Football League teams." The decision upholds a California court's March 2012 dismissal of EA's attempt to prevent the suit from going to court. Among the plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit is Sam Keller, a former Arizona State, Nebraska and Oakland Raiders quarterback that filed the original likeness lawsuit related to the publisher's college sports games. [Image: EA]
