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PSA: FIFA 14's World Cup update delayed until tomorrow
For those sitting idly by their consoles, waiting for FIFA 14's Ultimate Team World Cup update, expect it to arrive tomorrow, according to an update on EA's official forums. The update adds a special World Cup mode within FIFA Ultimate Team, the series' card-collecting, squad-building mode. It also offers an offline World Cup kick-off game option for those playing on PS4 or Xbox One, which allows players to use the 32 national teams participating in the tournament this summer. While running its final phase of testing, the developer "encountered unforeseen issues that would affect all users who downloaded the update," and opted to "address them first before release." It anticipated that the World Cup kick-off mode will likely launch "earlier in the day." [Image: EA Sports]
PSA: Wii and DS online play shutdown imminent
As it was foretold, the end is upon us - or at least, it's upon those of us using a Wii or DS to play online games. Nintendo announced back in March that May 20, 2014 would signal the end of online service for games on the Wii and DS systems, and that day has come. Or, depending on when you read this, is rapidly approaching. If you want to get in one last match or download any DLC for the games affected by the blackout, this is your last chance. Not sure if your favorite game is affected? Check Nintendo's full list. Note that this is not your last chance to watch Netflix or Hulu using your Wii. Those services will continue, at least for the prophesied foreseeable future. [Image: Nintendo]
Peggle 2 pegs it to Xbox 360, available now
A million magic spheres, painted blue and orange. Multi-million dollars, almost overnight. That's what Popcap and EA will be hoping for with Peggle 2 on Xbox 360, as the formerly Xbox One-only game is out now for $12 in North America, and £10/10 euros in Europe. Peggle 2 notched a respectable three and a half stars in our Xbox One review. While Joystiq's Richard Mitchell enjoyed all the main levels, he came away feeling a bit let-down. "Again though, for many players, all Peggle 2 ever needed to be was 'more Peggle' and, in that respect, it succeeds," Richard concluded. "The improved production value is evident, with adorably animated masters and their ridiculously exuberant final score celebrations stealing the show. I wish the same amount of effort had gone into expanding the core game's mechanical variety, though I suspect we'll see that down the road via DLC." [Image: Comedy Central]
Don't forget: The one-day Google Glass public sale starts soon!
Your taxes are (hopefully) done, you've had your first cup of coffee... now what? Google wants to jump-start your Tuesday by offering even non-Explorers its Glass wearable for $1,500. As many of you said yesterday, that's kinda steep, but today marks the first day the product is open to the public -- until supplies run out, that is. Google Glass will go on sale at this link starting at 6AM PT/9AM ET, and we recommend showing up on time.
Goat Simulator now available for barnyard mischief on Steam
Leave it to Coffee Stain Studios to deliver totally serious news on April Fool's Day: The indie developer launches Goat Simulator on Steam today. For $9.99, PC players can raise hell as the adorably mischievous goat, scoring points by breaking items as they would in a game like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, save for the epic tricks. To whet the appetites of today's unfunny pranksters, Coffee Stain Studios did offer goofy "release day patch notes" in Goat Simulator's official Steam forums. The day-one patch "added more goats," "added more goatiness to the map," increased "goat tongue realism" by 25 percent and "probably added some bugs." The patch did not change the goat in the game to a hawk, which would have made more sense of our conversation with the developer at the Game Developer's Conference in March. [Image: Coffee Stain Studios]
PSA: Dungeon Defenders is free on Xbox Live
Those itching to cast spells, hack away at enemies and level up will be happy to learn that co-op action RPG Dungeon Defenders is free on Xbox Live for Gold subscribers through the end of the month, March 31. The Trendy Entertainment-developed tower defense game took the place of Civilization Revolution in this month's Games with Gold program offerings, first launching on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in October 2011 and receiving four DLC packs in the time since. Microsoft's Phil Spencer recently addressed concerns related to the Games with Gold program and the comparisons to Sony's PlayStation Plus program that it frequently receives. Spencer said the business for Microsoft's two-free-games-per-month service is "fundamentally different" from PS Plus, and stressed that players are able to keep the free games they download after their Xbox Live premium subscriptions run out. Trendy Entertainment announced a sequel to Dungeon Defenders in March 2013, which is still scheduled to launch this spring, according to the game's website. The developer also revealed cross-platform online shooter Monster Madness Online in December. [Image: Trendy Entertainment]
PSA: Final Fantasy 3 now available on Windows Phone
Final Fantasy 3 is now available on Windows Phone devices, but don't go a-downloading and expect those old NES graphics from 1990; This version of FF3 is the 2006 3D remake that was originally released for Nintendo DS. Since it's on Windows Phone now, players also get the added benefit of Xbox Achievements for bragging rights. The game costs $15.99 but also has a free trial option for more cautious adventurers. [Thanks, Dane!]
PSA: Tiny Brains out now on Steam, 30 percent off until December 18 [Update]
Spearhead Games' Tiny Brains is now available on Steam for PC. The co-op action puzzler is 30 percent off until December 18 ($13.99). Those looking to take advantage of the "cooperative" part of the game may want to pick up the Tiny Brains 2 Pack for $24.99, granting them an extra copy to give to a friend. Our review of the game found it "accessible and adorably illustrated," though its puzzles seemed increasingly repetitive and predictable as the game wore on. Tiny Brains already made an appearance on PSN for both PS3 and PS4 last week. Update: As a clarification, Tiny Brains only launched on PS4 last week, but it will arrive on PS3 early next year.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls closed beta officially underway
Blizzard has flipped the switch on the closed beta for Diablo 3's first expansion, Reaper of Souls. Invitations are being sent out now, so keep an eye on your Battle.net account to see if you got in. This beta, which would normally only be available to friends and family of Blizzard, will be open to "valued media contacts" and 3,000 of Diablo 3's most active players. The beta requires no NDA signature, so participants are free to capture footage and stream as much as they want. We anticipate footage will be hitting YouTube as soon as tonight. Blizzard has posted a lengthy FAQ on how to opt into the beta, report bugs and generally contribute toward creating the best expansion possible. There's also a specific process you'll need to follow in order to import your existing character, so be sure to read through the FAQ before diving in.
PSA: Xbox One is not backwards compatible in dev mode
Enabling developer mode on your Xbox One can lead to bad news bears, so doing so is generally ill-advised. Dev mode also doesn't suddenly make your Xbox One backwards compatible, no matter what some picture you saw on the Internet tells you. An image that has been circulating around the Interwebz - which we've posted below the break - claims that by following six simple steps, your Xbox One will allow you to play Xbox 360 games. In reality, following these six simple steps is more likely to result in allowing your Xbox One to play the part of "paperweight" in your new one-man/woman play, "O! Technology." Should you follow the steps listed below, the Xbox One will get caught in an infinite boot cycle, thus rendering it inoperable.
The Stanley Parable dev promises to alter controversial PSA slides
There is a PSA video called "Choice" within The Stanley Parable that some players are finding very offensive. Within the video, slides show a white man interacting with an impoverished black child from a third-world country. In one slide, he's giving the child a cigarette; another shows him setting the child on fire. In response to criticism on Twitter, creator Davey Wreden has agreed to alter the imagery in an upcoming patch. Wreden told Kotaku that "we always wanted the game to be something that could be played by anyone of any age" and that if "a person would feel less comfortable showing the game to their children then I've got no problem helping fix that!" Wreden concluded that the new slides could be added to The Stanley Parable in around a few weeks' time, but that changing the audio would pose a much more difficult task. The Stanley Parable, a remake of Wreden's original Source engine mod released in 2011 that has sold over 100,000 copies, is a narrative-driven interactive fiction game centered around player choice. In our review, we called The Stanley Parable a unique player experiment "we should all celebrate."
PAX East 2014 registration opens tomorrow
Hey, friends, what are you doing April 11, 2014 through April 13, 2014? If you're planning on attending PAX East 2014 in Boston during that time, you may want to get your mouse-clicking fingers ready for the event's registration, which is slated to open tomorrow. The official PAX East site says that hopeful attendees should check the site as soon as 12:00pm ET tomorrow to be there the exact moment registration opens up. Planning in advance is certainly more important for those looking to stay in Boston for the whole event; the official PAX Twitter account notes that the three-day passes sold out in one day last year.
PSA: Five-game Capcom Essentials bundle now available
Capcom's five-in-one "Essentials" bundle is now available at retailers, such as Amazon and Best Buy. The package includes five games for $60: Resident Evil 6, Super Street Fighter 4, Devil May Cry 4, Dead Rising 2 and a download code for Mega Man 10. First announced in late July, both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the bundle come with a Capcom-branded drawstring bag, which is a good place to stash the achievements and trophies you print out after earning them in each game. We're not the only ones that do that, right?
PSA: Grand Theft Auto Online update available on PS3 now, Xbox 360 today
The patch that's expected to fix Grand Theft Auto 5's online connectivity issues for PS3 users is now available to download. Rockstar says that a PSN server issue was the culprit in PS3 users' GTA Online woes, as it "was limiting the amount of possible concurrent users," therefore "preventing most players from accessing GTA Online altogether and as of this morning, that problem was resolved." The developer noted that players are having issues completing the introductory tutorial mission on both platforms as well, and that it is "working on unblocking this for everyone as soon as possible," as well as improving GTA Online server stability. The Xbox 360 title update will arrive "as soon as possible today," and until the GTA Online connectivity issues improve for players on both platforms, Rockstar has "disabled the option of purchasable GTA$ cash packs." The microtransaction-based packs can still be earned through missions and jobs within the game.
King of Fighters 13 Steam Edition out for PC
In keeping with the long, storied tradition of releasing PC versions of fighting games long after they've been released everywhere else, King of Fighters 13 Steam Edition is now available for PC, nearly two years after its console release in late 2011. Steam Edition will run you $30 and includes upgraded Story, Training and Online modes, as well as new graphical options for ensuring smooth performance. Steam Edition also includes three packed-in DLC characters: Old-school Iori Yagami, NESTS Style Kyo (read: KOF '99 moves) and Mr. Karate. The game has Steam Trading Cards as well, which means the money you earn selling Mai Shiranui cards can be put towards Thai lessons for King of Fighters Online.
PSA: Terraria grounded on Android
Terraria is available now on the Google Play store, 505 Games announced. The Android version of the sandbox adventure game includes an android robot character for players to find and team up with as well as Facebook-integrated Game Services leaderboards and achievements. Terraria is free for players to download and try, and the full version costs $4.99 to unlock. The game landed on iOS in late August and will soon launch on the Windows Phone platform.
PSA: StreetPass relay points across the US aren't doing their jobs
Joystiq has received numerous reports that Nintendo's 3DS StreetPass relay points aren't functioning. The relay points are physical Nintendo Zone locations across the globe that temporarily store user data from passers-by like Miis and select profiles from games, then transfer that data to players that walk by in the future. StreetPass relay points were introduced in a 3DS firmware update in August as a means of providing players with more chances to swap data for use in apps like the four new Mii Plaza games, which made $4 million in one month. Nintendo's support page notes that players must have firmware 6.2.0- 0U or higher on their systems in order to use the service, though some users claimed the latest 3DS firmware hasn't alleviated their woes. Others noted that some locations, such as McDonald's, only relayed data after logging in to free wi-fi services using the 3DS web browser. We've reached out to Nintendo for more information, and will update as we learn more. [Thanks, alittlebird!]
PSA: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons travels to Steam, PSN today
Starbreeze Studios' touching fantasy adventure Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is now available on PC via Steam and on PSN. The game was originally released as an Xbox 360 Summer of Arcade title on August 7. Joystiq's Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann was quite taken with the game, saying in his review that "Brothers exudes a truly earned charm in its warm fairytale world, which is sometimes comical, sometimes gory, and even disconcertingly grim." Brothers concerns two brothers (shocker!) who embark on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father. It's worth nothing that the Steam version of Brothers requires a controller to play. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions do as well, but that's not worth noting.
Saints Row 4 'Presidential' and 'Grass Roots' DLC out today
Saints Row 4 gets two wildly different (and just plain wild) DLC packs this week, with the Presidential and Grass Roots packs running $3 each. Both bundles hit Steam and PSN today, and Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow. The Presidential Pack includes masks of four influential US presidents – Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Barack Obama and George W. Bush – along with customizable outfits. This bundle was available as a pre-order bonus at Gamestop and EB games. The Grass Roots pack takes the saints to the country with farm-inspired costumes, a gun that shoots plungers and some sort of explosive that sounds like a juicy fart. Hooray.
PSA: Hate Plus now on Steam, 10 percent off until August 26
Hate Plus is now available on Steam for $8.99 until August 26. The game is a non-linear visual novel set directly after the events of Analogue: A Hate Story, and has players taking a three-day trip back to Earth, reading a spaceship's log to discover what happened to its crew. While those new to the series can start their adventure fresh with Hate Plus, the game can pull save data from Analogue: A Hate Story and incorporate the game's ending into the sequel.
