Joystiq

Banned PSN player sues Nintendo and Microsoft

by Andrew Yoon { 27 minutes ago }

After being banned from the PlayStation Network for hateful comments stated in Resistance's online community, Erik Estavillo launched not one, but two, lawsuits against Sony for infringing on his "first amendment rights" -- an argument that was shot down by Judge Ronald Whyte simply because "Sony is not part of the government."

However, what Estavillo lacks in civil online discourse, he makes up for with sheer determination and persistence. In addition to Sony, he now has both Microsoft and Nintendo in his sights. Estavillo is seeking $75,000 from Microsoft for the "undue stress" and "sadness" caused by his Xbox 360's RROD. "Microsoft should have to bear the burden that is now put on the shoulders of this disabled plaintiff," his claim states -- a burden that is equivalent to the sum of 375 Xbox 360 systems, apparently. Nintendo is being sued for interfering with Estavillo's "pursuit of happiness." And how exactly is Nintendo doing that? "Deleting, blocking or prohibiting the Homebrew Channel and Ocarina applications" via a system update.

We're hoping you can see the sheer brilliance of Estavillo's strategy. He's offering the perfect opportunity for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo fans to agree on something for once.

Xbox 360 release of No More Heroes may be censored in Japan

by JC Fletcher { 57 minutes ago }

Japanese retailer Amiami includes a note on its listing for the Xbox 360 version of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise that suggests that because it is based on the North American version of the Wii original, it is likely to carry the CERO Z rating (think an ESRB M rating, but harsher) when it is released in February. Because it is the North American version (with "bloodshed" intact), the site says, it will hold a special appeal for game fans.

The same message doesn't appear on the PS3 version's listing, suggesting that it'll be the same censored game that was originally released in Japan. CERO Z-rated games often don't get displayed on shelves, so if this is accurate, it'll ensure that only the hardcore will even know about the Xbox 360 version of the game. That would limit sales severely, if sales weren't already limited severely by its status as an Xbox 360 game in Japan.

Gallery: No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise (PS3/Xbox 360)

[Via Siliconera]

Cooking Mama coming to arcades, looks pretty unsanitary

by Griffin McElroy { 1 hour ago }

We hate to go all Howard Hughes on you guys, but we must admit: This touch-screen equipped arcade version of Cooking Mama fills every bone in our body with germophobic discomfort. That can partially be attributed to the fact that we've seen our fair share of filthy hands attached to the wrists of arcade dwellers. Then again, perhaps we just have a visceral, sickening reaction to seeing raw fish being prepared by the aforementioned unwashed digits. Gyyeeeuuuuhhh.

Check out some footage from the arcade port after the jump, then go ahead and cancel that reservation for Red Lobster. You won't be needing (or wanting) it any time soon.

[Via GoNintendo]

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ModNation Racers races back into view with new trailer

by Andrew Yoon { 1 hour ago }

Now that the big holiday games have already come out, it's time for you to start worrying about the deluge of games in early 2010. One of the games Sony hopes you'll use your post-Xmas trade credit towards is ModNation Racers. Although originally unveiled at E3, Sony has been incredibly quiet with the LittleBigPlanet-inspired racer. With its first public beta getting readied for release, it's time for Sony to pull the curtain.

Here's yet another trailer for the game, which provides an overview of all the major components of ModNation Racers. First you must create a character, then a car -- and if you're feeling creative enough, you can attempt to make your very own track. It looks sleek, but we'll definitely be reserving our judgment until we can get our hands on the beta.

Check out a fast-forwarded look at character creation, after the break.

Gallery: ModNation Racers

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Critter Crunch dev praises Sony's support of indie games

by Andrew Yoon { 2 hours ago }

"They support the living sh*t out of it, and they support it really well," Capybara's Nathan Vella told Gamasutra when talking about Sony's free PhyreEngine. "Any of the parts that are inside Phyre that we didn't know how to fix or we had an issue with, they would fix it for us in a day. Overall, I think Sony's doing a lot of right stuff for small independent developers."

Vella's praise echoes similar sentiments from other PSN developers, like Shatter's Mario Wynands. In addition to free development tools, Vella noted other benefits by partnering with Sony. Critter Crunch was promoted heavily on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation.Blog, Pulse and banners on the PlayStation Store. Most importantly, though, Sony "treated us like we weren't a small nobody developer from Toronto."

In spite of Sony's best intentions, though, Vella notes that sales aren't quite where they should be on the PSN. "It's still a fraction of what XBLA is doing, and we know that," he admitted. "But that's okay for us because they let us do what we wanted to do." Apparently what they want to do now is work on a zombie game.

Talent, not just tax breaks, drawing devs to Canada

by Justin McElroy { 2 hours ago }

Tax breaks are a great way to get developers interested in Canada, according to minister of economic development and trade for Ontario Sandra Pupatello, but they may not be the best way to keep them there. Pupatello worries that while trying to entice devs, competing provinces could drive tax breaks to an untenable position. She says that nuturing a talent pool should be the bigger focus, an approach that has worked in Ontario.

"We knew that Ubisoft establishing a significant footprint in Ontario would in itself would help tell the story of what's available," Pupatello told Develop. "Why would Ubisoft come unless they knew that they were going to get absolutely the best talent?"

Uh, free health care and the staggering availability of Tim Hortons?

Hands-on: Dementium 2 (DS)

by Ben Gilbert { 3 hours ago }

Having not played Renegade Kid's first survival/horror-FPS on the Nintendo DS back in 2007, Dementium: The Ward, I had few expectations going into my recent hands-on with the game's sequel, the aptly titled Dementium 2. I knew that the first game enjoyed critical acclaim for more than adequately bringing survival/horror tropes to Nintendo's handheld, and ultimately scored pretty well with reviewers, but ever since Metroid Prime Hunters I've been wary of first-person mechanics on the DS.

Thankfully, when first faced with manipulating Dementium 2's main character, it became quickly obvious that the game's slow pace helps to account for any discomfort issues that might arise from the control scheme. Over the course of 45 minutes, I put together puzzles, traveled between two dimensions multiple times, and even fought a boss who tried to throw up on me from the ceiling (what a jerk!). Though its content and storytelling seems to be a carefully crafted amalgam of games from the three or so genres it mashes up (fps, adventure, survival/horror) – a handheld Half-Life meets Silent Hill on Monkey Island, almost – the time I spent with a preview build of Dementium 2 earlier today felt like the beginning of what could be a very interesting game.

Gallery: Dementium 2 (11/20/09)

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Gameloft pulling back on Android development

by Richard Mitchell { 3 hours ago }

The unsinkable publisher Gameloft recently revealed that it is planning to "significantly cut" its development on Google's Android platform. Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort added that "many others" in the industry have scaled back Android development as well. The reason, according to Rochefort, is the organization -- or rather lack lack of organization -- of its application store, the Android Market. Rochefort stated that the Android Market "is not as neatly done" as Apple's App Store. Rochefort noted that Google hasn't really gotten many Android users to buy products, saying, "On Android nobody is making significant revenue."

To put things in perspective, Rochefort said that Gameloft has sold 400 times as many games on the iPhone as on the Android platform. Of course, it's worth noting that Apple's iPhone has a significantly larger market share than Android. According to a recent Gartner report released in August, the iPhone accounted for nearly 14 percent of the smartphone market, while Android phones accounted for less than 2 percent. With more and more carriers offering Android phones -- notably the recent release of the Droid on Verizon -- the Android market is likely to expand in the coming months. It will be interesting to see how the mobile market changes -- and whether Gameloft and others change their tune -- a year from now.

[Via Washington Post]

LittleBigPlanet getting bluer, blurrier with Sonic costume pack

by Griffin McElroy { 4 hours ago }

We're usually hesitant to spend real-life money on virtual clothing, but you can bet we'll spring at the chance to purchase the recently revealed Sonic the Hedgehog costume pack for LittleBigPlanet. See, if we dress ourselves up like the series' speedy, cerulean protagonist, then play one of the many, many Green Hill Zone stages crafted by the LBP community, we can pretend that we're playing a decent, current-gen Sonic platformer.

We've contacted Media Molecule to try and find out the North American release date and price for this costume pack. We shouldn't let the developer hear us say this, but we'd pay anything for that beautiful illusion.

[Via Siliconera]

British Intelligence recruiting Xbox gamers

by Richard Mitchell { 4 hours ago }

The Guardian reports that British Intelligence is looking for a few good men. Specifically, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is running ads on the Xbox 360 dashboard and within Xbox games to recruit new members. The GCHQ, which works with both MI5 and MI6 (yes, that MI6), seeks to recruit young people with an affinity for "quick thinking, problem solving and team work." GCHQ believes that these criteria are "reflected in game-play experiences on Xbox."

We're expecting a new generation of foul-mouthed, teabagging James Bonds any day now.

Violent game-opposed National Institute on Media and the Family shuts down

by Griffin McElroy { 5 hours ago }

If you've ever read a story we've written where some organization touts a piece of research "proving" the overwhelmingly negative effects video games have on youngsters, you've probably heard about the National Institute on Media and the Family. They're infamous for issuing typically low-scoring report cards to the ESRB and other entities in the gaming industry, and for propagating the values of the group's founder, psychologist David Walsh. However, it seems NIMF has executed its final evaluation -- according to the St. Paul-based Star Tribune, the organization will shutter its doors on Dec. 31.

We bet some of you are overjoyed that the immeasurably critical group is shutting down -- however, without their constant panning, we expect violence in video games to grow unchecked within the next few months. Soon, every title, from Peggle to Viva Piñata, will be bogged down by excessive amounts of gore. All games will be federally required to contain guns. Titles from previous console generations which don't adhere to this rule will be destroyed, Fahrenheit 451 style. The industry will crash like a sack of lead bricks -- all because NIMF wasn't there to keep it in line.

To quote Joni Mitchell, "Don't it always seem to go/ That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone."

Metareview: Left 4 Dead 2

by Griffin McElroy { 5 hours ago }

Considering the devilishly heightened difficulty of Left 4 Dead 2, we're surprised enough outlets managed to complete a single campaign in time to submit a review for the title. We have to imagine GameSharks were somehow involved. Regardless, here's what other sites are saying about Valve's follow-up to last year's Zombocalypse survival sim.

Eurogamer (9/10): "Whereas once we treated Left 4 Dead as a stopgap between Half-Lifes, this is no longer a weird little side project with modest expectations, and Valve is confident enough to play around with it, safe in the knowledge that you can trust your players. Left 4 Dead proved it. And whereas that game had a personality, this one is overflowing with it."
IGN (9/10): "It remains one of the most distinctive co-operative titles out there, and allows for some of the most nerve-searing team-based multiplayer gaming on the market."
GameTrailers (8.7/10): "Though not an astounding improvement over the original, Left 4 Dead 2 successfully rekindles that magical zombie-hunting feeling with great new content, and a cool competitive multiplayer mode to boot."
Giant Bomb (4/5 Stars): "The core of Left 4 Dead may have lost some of its newness in the last 12 months, but the wealth of additions in this sequel ought to keep you blasting zombies and munching on brains for a good long while."

Users report faulty digital copies of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

by Ludwig Kietzmann { 6 hours ago }

Some of those eager to immerse themselves in Altair's portable crusade in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines have allegedly been denied entry into the Animus. This has, in turn, led to animosity being expressed on Sony's message boards and our tips line. According to complaints, the downloadable version (the game is also available on UMD) freezes during its initial loading screen, regardless of PSP model.

Based on user comments, the hobbled file originated from the European PlayStation Store and has since been bumped off -- to be replaced with a working version soon, hopefully. We'll keep an eye on things (and your comments below) while we await a response from Ubisoft.

Source -- Official PlayStation Forums
Source -- EU PlayStation Blog comments
Source -- Youtube video [Thanks, Gian]

Introducing the Spirit Tower in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

by JC Fletcher { 6 hours ago }

The latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, featuring what appears to be the game's introduction, highlights what is certain to be one of the most bemoaned features of the new game: the Tower of Spirits. Yes, like Phantom Hourglass, this game has a central dungeon area to which you'll return throughout the game, though players will be able to skip areas they have already completed this time.

The trailer also seems to suggest that all the train tracks are magical shackles placed on the ground to imprison an evil presence. So that's why there are train tracks around! We would have guessed "interstate commerce."

Gallery: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Joystiq Podcast 118 - Big Country edition

by Justin McElroy { 7 hours ago }

A super big show this week as we welcome both your hostile criticism of our Left 4 Dead 2 review and Cheap Ass Gamer founder CheapyD for an exhaustive discussion of Black Friday deals.

There's also still a ton to say about Assassin's Creed 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age: Origins. And thanks to resident photochop champ Alan Black who, we're told, sparkles in the daylight.

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Hosts: Christopher Grant (@chrisgrant), Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy) and Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK)

Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller

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The Do It Line!: 1-(877)-JOYSTIQ

See all of this week's links (and what games we played) after the jump.

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