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Mortal Kombat X and the beauty of gore
In a demo video for the next installment of Mortal Kombat, series staple Scorpion is moments from being decimated by the fatality of D'Vorah – an insect-like woman joining the roster. In her final move, she summons a swarm of flesh eating bugs. They eat two holes into Scorpion before setting on his head. The flesh disappears quickly – his skin eaten away first, inner flesh and then the muscle closest to the bone. In the end, all that remains is his skull and his jawbone hangs off to the left, like a door on a rusty hinge. Adding insult to fatal injury, Scorpion's skull rolls away and D'Vorah crushes it with the heel of her boot. Creative. Disgusting. And yet, strangely beautiful. Mortal Kombat X continues the franchise's grand tradition of a love affair with gore.
A brief history of do-it-yourself Mario
Nintendo's Mario Maker – launching early next year – may be the company's first official foray into do-it-yourself level editing but, as many people know, would-be game designers have been using unofficial channels to do just that for close to two decades using Nintendo's most popular brand. The end result? A fan community like no other, filled with passionate people from all over the globe, all working toward one common goal – creating an absolute boatload of deviously designed Mario levels. Of course, long before there were dedicated toolsets, there was the humble game ROM. In addition to allowing people to finally brag about beating Ghosts N' Goblins, NES game ROMs had/have the added bonus of being fairly easy to manipulate. What better title to screw around with than the original Super Mario Bros.? It didn't have too many sprites and, oh yeah, there's that whole "pretty much defined video games for an entire generation" thing. So the ROM-smiths went to work. It was simple stuff at first, like getting rid of Mario's mustache or even his clothes. Naked Italian plumbers soon gave way to stoned Italian plumbers. Most of the notable hacks of this early era were simple one-offs created for shock value, like Super Bud Brothers, which replaced some of the game's bushes and character sprites with weed leaves, and the disgusting Super KKK Brothers in which, well, you can probably guess its horrific gimmick.
Couch co-op games to keep you warm this winter
Winter is upon us, and now's a great time to cuddle up with your significant other or a close buddy for some couch co-op. It's not just a great way to grow closer to the ones you love - add a blanket to the mix and it's a cost-effective way to stave off the cold. Many of 2014's games are better experienced with a co-op partner, and we're featuring a dozen of this year's best right here in the pages ahead. For the purposes of this feature, we're highlighting games that only offer local co-op, with no option for online cooperative play. This year saw the release of several exceptional games that feature online co-op in addition to local multiplayer (including Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Earth Defense Force 2025, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection), but these particular games require a friend in close proximity in order to enjoy their co-op features. Online or not, what are your favorite co-op games released this year? Drop us a comment and let us know! >>Couch Co-op Games Perfect for the Winter<< [Image: Miramax]
Off the Grid: Golem Arcana
Following its successful Shadowrun revival Kickstarter, developer Harebrained Schemes set its sights on a new crowdfunded project: a miniature tabletop game and mobile app hybrid. That game is Golem Arcana, which launched earlier this year. Utilizing an infrared stylus and specialty app, players move physical objects around a modular board and engage in combat with detailed pre-painted minis, leaving the micromanagement of the game to their mobile devices. In a new series exploring board and card games that we're calling "Off the Grid," Xav and Richard look at Golem Arcana and discuss how it works, what makes it special and whether or not it's something you should explore in any effort you may have to game offline.
Joystiq's favorite races in games
It was revealed this week that the Heavensward expansion for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn would introduce not only new jobs, but a new race for players to enjoy: the Au Ra. Featuring tails, scales and horns, the Au Ra blend humanoid features with those of dragons, and who doesn't want to be a dragon-person? The news also gave us a chance to reflect on our own favorite races in gaming, which we've collected here for your viewing/judging pleasure. Of course, not everyone will have the same taste in fictional species (though one does make an encore appearance on our list) so tell us: what's your favorite race in games? >>Joystiq's Favorite Races In Games<<
Joystiq's favorite new characters of 2014
It takes all sorts to make up the video game worlds we explore, and sometimes a few characters stand out as our favorites. From the buffoonery of Ratbag to the big splash made by the Troupple King, this year featured a host of unique new faces. As we close out another year of gaming, we look back at some of our favorites. Of course we couldn't highlight them all, so we ask: What are your favorite characters of 2014? >>Joystiq's Favorite New Characters of 2014<<
The five worst console games of 2014
2014 may have been the worst year yet for bad console games -- they're practically extinct at this point. Sure, many of this year's games were divisive, or flawed, or buggy, but few were outright terrible. Ballooning budgets force AAA games to maintain some degree of quality control (well, mostly), and even the indies have gotten their act together, producing modestly scoped, reasonably priced games that aren't all that upsetting even when they disappoint. As a lover of trash, I'm troubled. Fortunately, a few truly awful games rose to the top of the garbage heap to sparkle as gleaming, irredeemable turds. I'm glad to have played these games, but I think we, as an industry, can do better. Let's vow to release more bad games in 2015. And not just bad games for Duck Dynasty fans, either - let's make bad games that all of us can enjoy. >>The five worst console games of 2014<<
Gaming off the grid: Video game-inspired board games
If you're looking for family fun but don't want to stray too far from the video game franchises you know and love, tabletop gaming may be the perfect alternative for you this holiday season. While there are countless (and not very entertaining) licensed board games available at big box retailers – like Mario-themed Monopoly or Halo-themed Risk – there are far better options available for those looking to further explore their favorite video game worlds. Here is a collection of some of our favorite board and card games based on video game franchises. If you're looking for a fun activity for family and friends this holiday, you can't go wrong with these fantastic board and card games. >>Our favorite video game-inspired board games<<
Joystiq Presents: Dragon Age, Dark Souls and dominatrixes
Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) chats with BioWare Creative Director Mike Laidlaw about Dragon Age: Inquisition. They discuss the influence that From Software's Dark Souls series had on Laidlaw when crafting the developer's latest RPG. Listen to the MP3
Code Name: STEAM video preview
In 2015, developer Intelligent Systems invites you through a tour of history where Abraham Lincoln teams up with the likes of The Cowardly Lion and Tom Sawyer to battle aliens in a steampunk-powered world. See what happens when you miss history class?! Code Name: STEAM arrives on the 3DS on March 13, but don't you don't have to wait to get eyes on the strategy game from the makers of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. Joystiq has sent Editor-in-chief Ludwig Kietzmann through and around time to go hands on with the game and report back his findings. The verdict? The future is moist. Thanks, condensation.
Joystiq appreciates a good pun
The team here at Joystiq enjoys a good pun – though it's unclear sometimes if everyone else appreciates them quite as much as we do. Still, video games aren't beyond playing with words either and 2014 was a good year for particularly punny games. As we wind down 2014, Team Joystiq takes a look at some of our favorite wordplay moments in games for the year. It may be a low form of humor, but that doesn't mean it can't make us chuckle. >>A Good Year for Puns in Games<<
PlayStation 20th Anniversary: Reader's Choice PS1 Favorites
Last week, Team Joystiq took a look back at some of its most beloved PlayStation titles in celebration of the console's 20th Anniversary. Today, we reminisce again, this time with a collection of your favorites from the console's library. From Metal Gear Solid to PaRappa the Rapper, the Reader's Choice list features a wide variety of amazing titles that – coupled with our list - prove just how powerful Sony's original console was. >>Joystiq Presents: Reader's Choice PS1 Favorites<<
PlayStation 20th Anniversary: Our Most Beloved PS1 Games
Twenty years ago this week in Japan, Sony cemented its name in the annals of video game legend with the launch of the original PlayStation. The little gray box would help usher in a new era of gaming, and bring players to worlds that could only be discovered in our wildest dreams. Though there are countless classic games in the PlayStation's library, the Joystiq team reminisces about a handful of favorites. Which games on the PS1 were significant to our growth as lifelong admirers of gaming culture? >>Joystiq Presents: Our Most Beloved PS1 Games<<
Happy birthday, Nintendo DS
Double digits, Nintendo DS! Little two-screened wonder, the machine that rose Nintendo to the heavens rather than the depths of hell, you turned 10-years-old earlier this month. How far you've taken us, Nintendo DS! As the GameCube floundered back in 2004 and Game Boy Advance was staying afloat thanks to Pokemon, the world scoffed at your weird design. A microphone? A touch screen? Madness! Now there's scarcely a device out there that doesn't sport both features. You sit along the original Nintendo Entertainment System as one of the most successful and influential gaming machines ever. Now that you're ten, Nintendo DS, it's time to grow up! No more dillydallying with soft batch games like Spectrobes! With a decade under your belt, its time for games that will make you the womanliest woman and manliest man you can be, Nintendo DS. Here are ten games that will make you a grown up. They will teach you things about life, love, triumph and heartbreak. Here, dear DS, are ten games to play on your road to adulthood. >>Ten Games Bringing the DS into Adulthood<<
Joystiq Presents: A Zelda Story
Do you remember the first day you played your favorite game? What about the moment you bought that game; what lengths did you go to pick it up? Joystiq's own Reviews Content Director Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM) recalls the story of the the day he bought The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64, and discusses the patience of his mother with our Community Manager, Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello). Listen to the MP3
Games we love and hate
It's always a drag when you're in love with a game and your friend doesn't see how wonderful it is. Alternatively, it's maddening when you're sure something is terrible and your pals think it's fantastic. But that's how opinions work in our crazy world! To warm us up for the "Best of 2014" voting process, which is sure to come to blows (or, at the very least, harsh name-calling), the Joystiq staff has engaged in a debate. One game, two editors, and an argument for why that game should be loved or hated. You decide who makes the stronger point in the comments below. >>Joystiq's Presents: Games we love and hate<<
Grand Theft Auto 5 review (Xbox One, PS4)
Below, we have republished our original Grand Theft Auto 5 review, with added evaluation of the new material found in the Xbox One and PS4 version. The updated text is based on a retail PS4 copy of Grand Theft Auto 5, provided by Rockstar. With the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS4 and Xbox One, Grand Theft Auto has never looked so good and, thanks to the new first-person mode, the series has never been more gruesome. The addition of the (optional) first-person mode makes this more than a simple HD port of the original release, giving you an excuse to explore Los Santos and its surrounding areas once again. GTA Online and its multitude of content updates are also included at launch. GTA 5 is presented in full 1080p with high-def texture resolution and increased draw distance. Lights show natural reflection from impressive-looking water sources, including puddles that form after inclement weather. Geometry appears more vivid with proper texture from tessellation. Characters haven't been remodeled, but the game's graphical boost makes existing citizens look sharper and more detailed than before. The showpiece of GTA's current-gen debut is its first-person mode, which – for the first time, officially – gives players a street view of the franchise. Rather than lowering the camera and shoving it in the chests of its three protagonists, GTA 5's first-person mode adds detailed animations that give the perspective a feeling more akin to simulation than a shooter.
The game that killed Free Radical
Following the PlayStation 2 era, the transition to a new generation of hardware proved to be extraordinarily difficult for some development houses. In Britain, dozens of mid-range studios were shuttered once the PS3 became a market leader: Midway Newcastle, Pivotal, THQ Warrington, Rebellion Derby and others, all ceased operations. Unlike so many others in the region, developer Free Radical was able to survive and launched a seventh generation game – a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Founded in the PS2 era by the creative forces behind Perfect Dark and GoldenEye, developer Free Radical thrived, piecing together the superlative TimeSplitters series and beloved sleeper hit Second Sight. Despite its success, transition to a new generation was difficult, but Free Radical endured. Beyond survival, its next game had already become a hotly contested icon in a growing forum war, as the developer of a hyped shooter, exclusive to Sony's new hardware. Free Radical's next venture was dubbed, by press and fans alike, as game worthy of the moniker "Halo killer." That game was Haze.
Spooking Joystiq: Our scariest gaming memories
Around this time of year there are a deluge of horror game suggestions from all corners of the gaming world. Which game is the scariest? Which game is sure to make you jump out of your seat? We all have our favorites, but we've all come to remember specific moments those games delivered. To celebrate the great candy exchange of 2014, the team at Joystiq looks back at a few of its favorite and scariest gaming memories. The games themselves may not be horror-themed, but they each included moments that left us feeling uneasy, sent our heart rate soaring and left a permanent (yet welcome) scar on our psyche. Tell us your scariest gaming memories and you may find them haunting our gallery, too. For more Halloween treats, make sure to watch our continuing Horror Game Streaming Event. >>Joystiq's Scariest Gaming Memories<<
StarCraft 2 and the quest for the highest APM
A game like StarCraft 2, popular amongst both casual strategy fans and professional gamers, showcases the large divide between playing a game for fun and for competition. There are seven ranked multiplayer leagues per region globally in StarCraft 2, a daunting number of leaderboards that welcome both the infrequent and the dedicated player. The elite players, however, are the Grandmasters – a tiny, region-based pool of StarCraft 2 experts. The road to Grandmaster is not for the weak. One must be willing to 'play' for hours, days, and months – even years – to get better. The learning curve can be incredibly unforgiving towards a beginner. Forget to scan the battlefield? You could lose you entire Marine army to some burrowed Banelings. Forget to build anti-air defenses? A couple of Void Rays could take out your entire base. Forget to build workers? You won't lose the match immediately, but you'll get destroyed once the game enters its middle phase. And then, of course, there's the cheese – the ludicrous, yet powerful strategies that lead to an instant win or loss.
