Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comWorld of Warcraft graphics overhaul 'probable,' says producerhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/world-of-warcraft-graphics-overhaul-probable-says-producer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/world-of-warcraft-graphics-overhaul-probable-says-producer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/world-of-warcraft-graphics-overhaul-probable-says-producer/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Although World of Warcraft is still the ever-reliable top dog, the game has lost that "new MMO smell." Producer J. Allen Brack told Eurogamer that a graphics overhaul is likely for the title's future. "That's actually something we talk about every expansion," he said, later adding, "Will we need a graphical update from the ground up at some point? Yep, probably."

Brack cited two previous MMOs - Ultima Online and EverQuest - that have tried the graphics reboot with only moderate success. "In each case a lot of people continued to play with the original client, because it was faster, or they preferred it, or were just used to it or whatever," he said. Wrath of the Lich King, which will have some optional effects for high-end PC users, is scheduled for release Fall 2008.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzardword-of-warcraftwow2008-05-16T11:45:00+00:00GameTap Thursday: Playing Five Card Deluxe at Outpost Kalokihttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/gametap-thursday-playing-five-card-deluxe-at-outpost-kaloki/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/gametap-thursday-playing-five-card-deluxe-at-outpost-kaloki/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/gametap-thursday-playing-five-card-deluxe-at-outpost-kaloki/#commentsFiled under: , ,


GameTap does a little better than last week with the addition of Outpost Kaloki to the subscription lineup. With Kaloki's addition, this is a good time to mention GameTap's indies section, where subscribers can peruse all the games which don't come from big evil publishers keeping the little man down. Yeah, like, la vie boheme, man.
  • Five Card Deluxe (Windows) - Poker-themed solitaire. Sure, it sounds lonely, but isn't it supposed to be?
  • Outpost Kaloki (Windows) - A "tycoon" game where players create a space station to stand the test of time and keep aliens happy.
GameTap's list of free games can be found after the break. The Battle of Europe flight-sim joins the free lineup this week for your Luftwaffe-destroying pleasure.

Continue reading GameTap Thursday: Playing Five Card Deluxe at Outpost Kaloki

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>five-card-deluxegametapgametapthursdayoutpost-kalokioutpostkaloki2008-05-15T03:00:00+00:00Vivendi: Wrath of the Lich King coming second half of 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/vivendi-wrath-of-the-lich-king-coming-second-half-of-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/vivendi-wrath-of-the-lich-king-coming-second-half-of-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/vivendi-wrath-of-the-lich-king-coming-second-half-of-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In a press release announcing Q1 2008 results (PDF File), Blizzard owner Vivendi Universal asserts that the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King is "anticipated to be released in the second half of 2008." Mark your calendars, as we suspect the Christmas season is going to be a lot less productive.

While we always expected release this year, Blizzard, who has yet to make a formal announcement, is notorious for delaying games until they've met some in-house standard of quality. Our attention is now focused intently on Blizzard's WWI event in Paris next month.

[Via Big Download]

Read (PDF File)
Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzardbreakingnewsvivendiworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-king2008-05-14T17:15:00+00:00For the Horde! BlizzCon 2008 invades Anaheim Oct. 10-11http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/12/for-the-horde-blizzcon-2008-invades-anaheim-oct-10-11/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/12/for-the-horde-blizzcon-2008-invades-anaheim-oct-10-11/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/12/for-the-horde-blizzcon-2008-invades-anaheim-oct-10-11/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Blizzard Entertainment announced today that BlizzCon will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center (that's California) on October 10-11 and that tickets will go on sale for $100 (same as last year) in the next couple of weeks. Even though the event will take up three convention halls this year (instead of two), we strongly recommend getting tickets as soon as they go on sale -- last year sold out mighty quickly.

Official details will be on the BlizzCon site, but expect WoW Insider to cover all the angles as well. As per usual, Blizzard saves its big announcements for its own events and we're expecting one at its World Wide Invitational this June in Paris. At least we won't be let down with the company's lack of information at E3 this year ... because it won't be attending.

[Via Massively, WoW Insider]
%Gallery-5475%

Continue reading For the Horde! BlizzCon 2008 invades Anaheim Oct. 10-11

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzconblizzcon08blizzcon20082008-05-12T12:55:00+00:00Apple Wiimote-esque patent revealedhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/apple-wiimote-esque-patent-revealed/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/apple-wiimote-esque-patent-revealed/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/11/apple-wiimote-esque-patent-revealed/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Cal us crazy, but we think we've seen this before. An Apple patent filed in November 2006 has just been published, describing a 3D cursor system that's surprisingly similar to Nintendo's Wii remote. The patent is likely related to the company's Apple TV set-top device and, unsurprisingly, references applications to video games in its description.

The patent describes using absolute and relative positioning of a pointer device in relation to two points positioned near a television screen (sound familiar?). According to the patent, this will allow the device to detect the movement of the remote in three dimensions. Apple has a tendency to patent anything and everything that goes through their offices, so odds are this device won't be Steve Jobs' "One More Thing" at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Still, we wonder how Nintendo feels about Apple's cute little idea.

[Via Engadget]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>applenintendo2008-05-11T19:00:00+00:00A dwarven explosion of Wrath of the Lich King infohttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/a-dwarven-explosion-of-wrath-of-the-lich-king-info/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/a-dwarven-explosion-of-wrath-of-the-lich-king-info/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/a-dwarven-explosion-of-wrath-of-the-lich-king-info/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Last night Blizzard waved its Arcane Staff of Embargo Lifting, unleashing an torrential downpour of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King information from an event held recently. Our friends at WoW Insider, whose invitation must've gotten lost in the mail along with ours, are gathering all the news from around the internet. In case you missed anything:
A flood of videos are also coming in. We've embedded several from GameTrailers after the break.

Continue reading A dwarven explosion of Wrath of the Lich King info

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzardworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-king2008-05-09T16:30:00+00:00Call of Duty 5 in 'new military theater', returns series to PS2 and Wiihttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/call-of-duty-5-in-new-military-theater-returns-series-to-ps2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/call-of-duty-5-in-new-military-theater-returns-series-to-ps2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/call-of-duty-5-in-new-military-theater-returns-series-to-ps2/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Although we still don't know definitively who's developing Call of Duty 5 (rumors suggest Treyarch), Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said the next game will be changing settings again. In a conference call yesterday (35:00 mark), he said, "We'll bring the intensity of the recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title to a new military theater."

Also confirmed were plans to launch "on all four platforms we've participated on in fiscal 2008" -- that's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows and DS -- as well as PS2 and Wii. We're hoping the "new military setting" isn't related to World War II as the recent Treyarch job listing suggested.

Continue reading Call of Duty 5 in 'new military theater', returns series to PS2 and Wii

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>activisioncall-of-dutycall-of-duty-5codcod5infinity-wardtreyarchworld-war-2wwii2008-05-09T14:40:00+00:00GameTap Thursday: Alpha Prime Chameleon Gems Flip Wordshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/gametap-thursday-alpha-prime-chameleon-gems-flip-words/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/gametap-thursday-alpha-prime-chameleon-gems-flip-words/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/gametap-thursday-alpha-prime-chameleon-gems-flip-words/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Um, so, this week GameTap doesn't necessarily scrape the bottom of the barrel, but sort of skims the goo that's formed atop the stagnant water over the weeks. Really nothing to see here, but if we want to get optimistic, the good news is Deus Ex will be added to the service next week.
  • Alpha Prime (Windows) - A first-person shooter we've never heard of, but reviewers didn't like it much.
  • Chameleon Games (Windows) - A Zuma clone.
  • Flip Words 2 (Windows) A casual game where you make words.
GameTap's list of free games can be found after the break. This week adds Morning's Wrath ... a Diablo clone. This week is just painful all around.

Update: It's true, Deus Ex has been on the service for a while. That link he have in the first paragraph definitely went to an announcement that the game was being added next week (you can even tell by the pull-quote used on the GameTap page). Ninjas have swooped in and made changes.

Continue reading GameTap Thursday: Alpha Prime Chameleon Gems Flip Words

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>alpha-primechameleon-gemsflip-words-2gametapgametapthursday2008-05-08T03:00:00+00:00Blizzard store relaunched with digital downloadshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/blizzard-store-relaunched-with-digital-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/blizzard-store-relaunched-with-digital-downloads/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/blizzard-store-relaunched-with-digital-downloads/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Blizzard has launched a new online store, selling games (both digital and off the grid), books, collectibles, limited apparel and more. The store is now also offering titles for digital download -- right now only Starcraft and Warcraft III (as well as their respective expansion packs) are available, but according to this handy F.A.Q., more will be made available later.

As noted by WoW Insider, registering for the store enters you into a lottery to partake in an upcoming beta such as Wrath of the Lich King, Starcraft II or the as-of-yet unannounced (but we dream so very much) Rock and Roll Racing MMO.

[Via WoW Insider]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzardshopstarcraftstorewarcraftwow2008-05-06T23:30:00+00:00Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One is gold, due out 'later this quarter' for $20http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/penny-arcade-adventures-is-gold-due-out-later-this-quarter-fo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/penny-arcade-adventures-is-gold-due-out-later-this-quarter-fo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/penny-arcade-adventures-is-gold-due-out-later-this-quarter-fo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Developer Hothead Game just announced that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One has gone gold for Windows, Mac and Linux. The press release is a good reminder that right now, somewhere in the world, someone is playing the full version of the game and you're not.

There, there, we know, it'll get better over time, promise ... okay, you're gonna need to stop making that whimpering noise, it's starting to get people's attention and it's embarrassing to both yourself and to us. PAA:OtRSPoD:E1 is due out "later this quarter" via their new Greenhouse download service for $20. The game is also coming to Xbox Live, potentially in another quarter, for 1600 MS points (US $20). In the meantime, enjoy some new wallpapers.
%Gallery-1545%
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>breakingnewsgoldhotheadhothead-gameslinuxpenny-arcadepenny-arcade-adventu...2008-05-01T15:00:00+00:00GameTap Thursday: The Great Journey of Darkstar Onehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/gametap-thursday-the-great-journey-of-darkstar-one/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/gametap-thursday-the-great-journey-of-darkstar-one/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/gametap-thursday-the-great-journey-of-darkstar-one/#commentsFiled under: , ,


GameTap goes on an intergalactic mission this week with space-smuggler sim Darkstar One. The service also adds another title which, at first glance, may confuse a few people into thinking it's a completely different game.
  • Darkstar One (Windows) - A semi-precious gem from a couple years ago that's inspired by the great space-sim shooters of the '90s and doesn't take itself too seriously in the commerce department.
  • Great Journey (Windows) - No, it's not The Longest Journey ... not by the longest shot. It's actually an E-rated game about stopping polluters in Antarctica.
Get ready to hadouken as GameTap's free games adds Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers this week. Find the full free games list, presented in Chun-Li Thunder-Thigh-O-Vision, after the break (Thunder-Thigh-O-Vision may not be available on some browsers).

Continue reading GameTap Thursday: The Great Journey of Darkstar One

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>darkstar-onegametapgametapthursdaygreat-journey2008-04-24T04:00:00+00:00Rivet: Another Mac media sharing app for your Xbox 360http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/22/rivet-another-mac-media-sharing-app-for-your-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/22/rivet-another-mac-media-sharing-app-for-your-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/22/rivet-another-mac-media-sharing-app-for-your-xbox-360/#commentsFiled under: ,


There isn't much we find wrong with Connect360, the $20 media sharing app that helps your Mac play friendly with your Xbox 360. In fact, that solution is arguably preferable to the official Windows Media Player solution in Windows, so the newly released Rivet has something of an uphill battle to gather Mac OS X mindshare.

Luckily it has two advantages: unlike Connect360, Rivet replicates "the entire folder structure" on your Xbox so there will be "no more scrolling through a huge, flat list" (great if you've got a lot of music and movies); secondly, it's $1.05 cheaper. If you're interested, check out the demo and share your impressions with the rest of the class.

[Via TUAW]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>Mac-OS-XRivet2008-04-22T02:01:00+00:00Free, retail versions of Spore creature editor coming in Junehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/free-retail-versions-of-spore-creature-editor-coming-in-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/free-retail-versions-of-spore-creature-editor-coming-in-june/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/free-retail-versions-of-spore-creature-editor-coming-in-june/#commentsFiled under: , ,

While reaffirming Spore's September 7 release date, VP of Marketing at Maxis Patrick Buechner has told IGN that both trial (free) and retail (premium) versions of the creature editor are coming in June. The trial version will be available for download and in The SimCity Box, while the retail version should be available in stores around the same time Box launches.

"The free Creature Creator has about 25-percent of the creature making parts from Spore. The retail version will have 100-percent," said Buechner. Any creations you conjure can be shared online via the upcoming Sporepedia, and they will be compatible with Spore once it's released. No price was given for the retail version, and it wasn't mentioned whether any discount would be given to those who pay a premium to be teased about Will Wright's evolutionary time sink.
%Gallery-15870%
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>maxissporewill-wright2008-04-21T10:15:00+00:00GameTap Thursday: Dracula Twins tend to a Dark Matter with Alien Shooter Vengeancehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/gametap-thursday-dracula-twins-tend-to-a-dark-matter-with-alien/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/gametap-thursday-dracula-twins-tend-to-a-dark-matter-with-alien/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/17/gametap-thursday-dracula-twins-tend-to-a-dark-matter-with-alien/#commentsFiled under: , ,


This week, GameTap adds some titles from the land of random to its service following last week's Sam & Max season two finale.
  • Alien Shooter Vengeance (Windows) - Shoot everything that moves.
  • Dark Matter (Windows) - Shoot everything that moves some more.
  • Dracula Twins (Windows) - Shoot everything that moves ... sorry, was getting into a rhythm. Play as Drac's kids and save the old man from some obnoxious vampire hunters.
Added to the list of GameTap's free games this week is X2: The Threat, a space trading and combat sim which has absolutely nothing to do with the X-Men whatsoever. The full list of free games can be found after the break.

Continue reading GameTap Thursday: Dracula Twins tend to a Dark Matter with Alien Shooter Vengeance

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>alien-shooter-vengeancedark-matterdracula-twinsgametapgametapthursday2008-04-17T03:00:00+00:00Quake Live accepting beta sign-upshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/quake-live-accepting-beta-sign-ups/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/quake-live-accepting-beta-sign-ups/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/16/quake-live-accepting-beta-sign-ups/#commentsFiled under: , ,


As much as years of consuming have taught us to love purchasing goods and services, we have to admit that we still love free stuff just a skosh more. If you share in our gratis glee, you may be interested to hear that id, developer of web-based Quake III port Quake Live (formerly known as Quake Zero) is currently accepting sign-ups for the beta program.

There's not much else on the site at this point, you're basically just firing your email address off into the inky blackness of the internet and hoping for the best. Of course, there's not really anything you can do about that. The dark side of free stuff is that you lose your most powerful asset: The ability to complain about anything.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>betaidquake-livequake-zero2008-04-16T10:30:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/15/joystiq-hands-on-world-of-goo-wiiware/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Cute graphics and sounds: Check. Clever puzzle mechanic: Check. Irresistible gameplay: Check. World of Goo hits the required bullet points to be an indie game darling. And comfortable Wii Remote controls make it a perfect fit to be in Nintendo's WiiWare lineup.

Players build simple structures by pointing and dragging living, bouncing goo balls. These spherical wonders extend a few arms to their closest neighbors, becoming rigid when the Remote button is released. Gamers have to figure out how to build bridges, towers, and other structures without toppling them over, all while trying to use as few balls as possible. In the end, they're trying to lead the remaining balls to a mysterious pipe that sucks them away at the end of the level.

I tried the action-puzzler at the Nintendo Media Summit and am anticipating its release sometime this year. (Developer 2D Boy says its work will be complete in the Summer, and Nintendo will schedule the release after that.) World of Goo felt great and could be poised to be an indie game that crosses over into commercial success.

%Gallery-20573%

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>2d-boydownloaddownloadablegoogoo-ballkyle-gablerlinuxmacnintendo-media-summit-08ron-carmelwiiwareworld-of-goo2008-04-15T08:00:00+00:00WoW achieves a million concurrent connections in Chinahttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/wow-achieves-a-million-concurrent-connections-in-china/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/wow-achieves-a-million-concurrent-connections-in-china/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/wow-achieves-a-million-concurrent-connections-in-china/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


World of Warcraft's Chinese overlords, The9, announced the game hit the epic (but not legendary) feat of having over one million concurrent connections. According to The9 it breaks the concurrency records set by the game's launch in China on September 6, 2007.

Instinctively, the finger for this record-breaking concurrency is pointed at Chinese gold farmers, but apparently those players are on the North American and European servers and wouldn't be counted in The9's tally. The milestone isn't too shabby for a game that's allegedly peaked.

[Via Massively, Ancient Gaming Noob]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentthe9world-of-warcraftworldofwarcraftwow2008-04-14T17:00:00+00:00Kaplan SAT test prep coming to Nintendo DShttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/kaplan-sat-test-prep-coming-to-nintendo-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/kaplan-sat-test-prep-coming-to-nintendo-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/kaplan-sat-test-prep-coming-to-nintendo-ds/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Kaplan, Inc. has teamed with Aspyr Media to create an SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS, according to Newsweek. Versions are also on their way to PC and Mac, where the test prep software is already fairly common.

The project is early in development and does not yet have a name. Newsweek reports that it was Aspyr who pitched the idea to Kaplan. If this is a success, can we get a DS game to help us understand Special Relativity? Perhaps we can get Professor Layton or perhaps even Wario as our virtual teacher.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>aspyraspyr-mediacollegeeducationedutainmentsaplansatstudenttest-prep2008-04-14T09:30:00+00:00WoW: Wrath of the Lich King storms into alphahttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/wow-wrath-of-the-lich-king-storms-into-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/wow-wrath-of-the-lich-king-storms-into-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/wow-wrath-of-the-lich-king-storms-into-alpha/#commentsFiled under: , ,


You might not believe us sweet, innocent Joystiq readers but, legend has it, there are places in the world where people tirelessly track the status of Wrath of the Lich King, the forthcoming expansion to uber-MMO World of Warcraft. They listen, following the faintest whispers carried along the winds of Azeroth; the latest one came all the way from the frozen continent of Northrend, the titular Lich King's seat of power.

It said: Wrath of the Lich King "is in closed alpha status" and "various players are being invited to check it out, under a strict NDA." While we can't exactly extract an expansion release date from the news, WoW Insider suggests that "Wrath's content is in a playable and mostly completed form -- quests, game mechanics, and items are in, even if specific flavor text, names, and even textures are not." Northrend, ho!
%Gallery-5511%
Check out more information on WoW's upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, including a look at the new Death Knight class and the new creatures that infest Northrend.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>BlizzardBreakingNewsWotLKWoW2008-04-10T17:54:00+00:00GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max meet the dark princehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/gametap-thursday-sam-and-max-meet-the-dark-prince/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/gametap-thursday-sam-and-max-meet-the-dark-prince/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/10/gametap-thursday-sam-and-max-meet-the-dark-prince/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


This week GameTap takes Sam & Max to meet the man downstairs in the season two finale. Will the dog detective and his rabbity-thing companion survive to make a third season? We hope so.
After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games, which adds Fastlane Pinball and King of Monsters 2 into the mix of 117 free titles.

Continue reading GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max meet the dark prince

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>gametapgametapthursdaysam-and-max2008-04-10T03:00:00+00:00