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I’m a big fan of Silent Hill. I’ve played every game in the series and a few years ago you might even have caught me defending the Silent Hill movie. When I first heard that Climax was re-imagining the first game in the Silent Hill series, and putting it on the Wii, I was a bit nervous. When the company revealed the logo and announced that the rust laden, nightmarish Otherworld was being brushed aside for an ice world, I was downright scared. After gathering some more info and trying the game at E3, all fears were assuaged. This was to be the great white (black?) hope of the Silent Hill series.

Having spent two evenings with the game and completing the story for the first time, I’m conflicted. Was it good? Yes. I’m just not sure it’s Silent Hill.

Continue reading Review: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Review: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making online, 256-player battles unfold without lag or disconnection issues is nothing short of pure techno-wizardry. However, according to producer Alan Van Slyke, who recently spoke with us at a PAX preview event, that’s exactly what MAG will bring to the table thanks to a groundbreaking new form of server architecture.

“Before we started working on the front-end client technology, we started building the servers. We wiped the slate clean and asked ‘what do we need to do to scale to these numbers to make sure it’s not laggy, and make sure people can’t exploit,’” Van Slyke explained. What they decided was that peer-to-peer hosting was insufficient — instead, the MAG team created their own networking solution which would host and authenticate game data from a (presumably beefy) central server.

Van Slyke couldn’t reveal the specifics of the technology (the patent for which is still pending), but promised that it would reduce latency and completely eliminate connection griefing which has plagued other multiplayer shooters in the past. In addition, he said Zipper’s not worried about having its servers crushed by a day-one rush of new recruits, explaining that “we’ve invested a lot in our server technology and our load test harnesses and the things we can do to replicate the scalability of it to ensure that it’s stable and rock solid.”

PAX 2009: MAG producer explains the game’s original server technology originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Above, you can see the actual ESRB listing for the upcoming DS write-em-up, Scribblenauts. We’ve taken the liberty of blurring out the most boring bits. Left behind is just a tiny sampling of the truly wondrous things that Scribblenauts is capable of. Trust us, developer 5th Cell did its homework. We know, we checked.

Seriously, any game that allows you to attach a steak to a baby in order to attract lions … that’s at least a rental, right? Scribblenauts drops this September.

[Via NeoGAF]

The Scribblenauts ESRB listing is hilarious originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You remember watching the Nintendo E3 keynote liveblog just last week and seeing the huge reveal of Monado: Beginning of the World, right? And then Ms. Dunaway returned to the stage, clad in JRPG couture, ready to challenge Reggie Fils-Aime to a turn-based battle. It all seemed like a dream.

Oh wait … none of that happened! So what if we just passed out during the keynote and dreamt it all? But we did wake up with that gunblade in our hands, so, maybe not? It remains a mystery. Nintendo did, however, drop a trailer and artwork for the game soon after its presser had concluded which we’re presenting to you here. Get your world beginning on, in trailer form, just above.

Nintendo sneaks out Monado: Beginning of the World trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve just sent a press release our way confirming that the upcoming Sniper update for Team Fortress 2 will be a bit less, uh … upcoming. The update will be available to download through Steam sometime later this week, as Valve could not provide us with a definite date of release for the new goods. So, what is there to look forward to?

Well, the Sniper is going to go all Ted Nugent with a new bow and arrow, apparently, as you can see in the image above all of this text. The weapon is called The Huntsman longbow, and it will allow our fan of the long range an opportunity to pin those bothersome bobbers and weavers against the wall. Hey, Scout, think you’re going to zig-zag all over the place? Well, not when you’ve been bowed to the wall.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

TF2 Sniper update adds touch of Ted Nugent, available later this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 May 2009 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t have a PS3 yet? Really? Why?! Gamestop has a very good promotion right now, allowing you to save $100 off the purchase of a 80GB PS3 system when you trade in your PS2 and three games. To get the credit, your system must include AV cables, power cable and a working DualShock 2 controller. Most PS2 games will be eligible for the promo, but they must be worth at least $2 in trade value, meaning your old copy of Madden ‘04 will definitely not work.

Considering the cost of a new PS2 is now $100, this is quite possibly the best deal you’ll be able to get on selling your old and busted system. With Uncharted 2, MAG, Heavy Rain and a number of PS3 exclusives in the pipeline, now might be the time to jump in … unless you’re waiting for that still-elusive price drop.

[Thanks, Torgo!]

Trade in a PS2, get $100 off a PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speaking with David Radd at GameDaily, VP of Product Marketing at SCEA, Scott Steinberg, wants you to know that, if you were under the impression Sony had “punched itself out,” you’re mistaken! Citing Killzone 2 as the beginning of, “a great lineup [that is] relentless and AAA-quality,” Steinberg names MLB 09: The Show and this summer’s inFamous as two titles that are, “going to arrest the momentum from competitors.” That’s without mentioning the Heavy Rains and Uncharted 2s of the world, we might add.

And though Steinberg’s remarks are filled with marketing speak (that’s the technical term, folks), we can’t help but agree that the company’s 2009 lineup seems a lot more fleshed out three months into the year than its competitors. Maybe next week’s Game Developer’s Conference will change some of that. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Sony’s Steinberg says 2009 lineup is ‘relentless, AAA-quality’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadian developer Ludia announced today that it will create games based on the Where’s Waldo? book series. The first game by the company, Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey, will release on consoles, PC/Mac, iPhone and iPod touch. The game is slated for Q3 of this year and we’re desperately trying to get our hands on some screen shots — just so we can find Waldo in them.

Waldo hasn’t been working the video game circuit for quite some time — although he does have an online presence. He had some PC outings in the mid-’90s, but his most recent console adventures appear to be a couple of laughable NES and Super NES games from the early ’90s. The new game will have players finding several objects beyond the titled protagonist, with up to four players working cooperatively or competitively. At least today’s gaming hardware should be able to render the mess that is one of the Where’s Waldo? pictures.

Don’t call it a comeback: ‘Where’s Waldo?’ game in production originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Metareviews

Oh, Sonic. You little blue symbol of better days for Sega platformers. This whole Unleashed thing is your latest chance to prove, well, everyone wrong and get back on top of Mascot Mountain. To get there by not starring in another suck-fest of a console Sonic the Hedgehog game (see: Sonic the Hedgehog, 2006, among countless others).

The scores are in and they’re … not horrible. Not amazing, either. Sort of what the reviews of the game are saying. It’s out on PS2, Wii, and 360 now, with the PS3 version coming next month. We’ve assembled a twofer of a metareview, with reviewer thoughts on both the 360 and Wii versions of the game. Have you played it? Share your thoughts in comments.

Xbox 360

• GamePro (60/100): “I love Sonic because his speedy style of platforming is fun, and Sega should have just developed a game around that and left everything else out.”
• Game Informer (60/100): “As much as I disliked lumbering through levels as Sonic’s hulky Werehog, I disliked hunting through the hub worlds looking for coins even more. Sega, if you really want to fix Sonic, the first thing you should do is stop trying to fix him.”
• 1UP (C): “Ultimately, this simply isn’t the fresh start Sonic fans were so desperately hoping for … but at least it’s not as execrable as the last two efforts.”

Wii

• IGN (72/100): “Sonic Unleashed is half great game and half tedious gimmick.”
• GameDaily (70/100): “A sequel with more speed and less gimmicks would make us happy, but for now, Unleashed is a step above the awful games that came before it. Good to have you back, Sonic.”
• Game Informer (65/100): “The Wii version has less annoying traits than the others and still retains all the usual mediocrity. The motion-control elements in the Werehog levels add an extra dimension to the action, and the hub worlds are entirely text-based and aren’t nearly as annoying. If you can stand the diminished graphics, the Wii version actually edges out the PS3 and 360 entries.”

Metareview — Sonic Unleashed (360 vs. Wii) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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