Joystiq

Sega picks America's next top Bayonetta model in Maxim competition

by Justin McElroy { 8 minutes ago }

Sega and Maxim.com have selected a winner in their search for a model that best captures the lead character from forthcoming action title Bayonetta. The young lady, Andrea Bonaccorso, walks away (slowly, considering she has guns for shoes) with an Xbox 360, a copy of the game and a 50-inch Panasonic TC-P50X1 HDTV Plasma TV. She'll also appear on Maxim.com, in a sensible, dignified outfit, we're sure.

So how did she qualify for such an honor? This is really what it says in the press release: "While some entrants perfectly mirrored the outfit of the character and others simply donned librarian glasses, Andrea married both elements to come out on top."

So, there you have it. We're rewarding this girl for wearing both clothes and glasses.

Meanwhile, Joystiq and Joystiq.com selected a loser in Sega and Maxim.com's Bayonetta Model Search and it's all of us.

Free Need for Speed: Shift DLC adds new cars, team racing

by David Hinkle { 38 minutes ago }

EA's preparing a new pack of cars for your virtual garage in Need for Speed: Shift. On December 1st, Xbox 360 owners worldwide will be given five classic rides to race around in, free of charge, while PS3 owners in Europe and North America gain access on December 3rd and 10th, respectively. Dubbed the Legendary Car pack, this new bit of DLC puts gamers behind the wheel of these five classic rides:

1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427
1967 Shelby GT-500 (Nicolas Cage not included)
1969 Dodge Charger R/T
1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
1998 Toyota Supra Mark IV

The free update will also bring with it a new Team Racing mode, which will allow two teams of up to six racers to compete against each other online. You've got some time, so find a few friends and get ready to shake and bake.

ESA partners with Microsoft & Sony for STEM initiative, launches game creation competitions

by Ben Gilbert { 58 minutes ago }

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the game industry lobby group, today announced two new game creation contests meant to support President Obama's STEM initiative (Science, Technology, English, and Math studies). A partnership between the ESA, Microsoft, Sony, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), and the MacArthur Foundation will help to fund and run a series of STEM-related game design competitions.

Details of the first two competitions – "Game Changers" and the less creatively titled "STEM National Video Game Competition" – are scant at the moment, though the former will involve Sony donating 1,000 PS3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community-based organizations in low-income districts, with plans to share the winning levels free to the gaming public. When asked, an ESA representative told Joystiq that more information would be revealed in "the coming weeks."

Now Playing: November 23-29, 2009

by James Ransom-Wiley { 1 hour ago }

Not exactly the ideal week to start pointing a camera at your shape ...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

Last updated: Monday, 12:00 PM

Continued →

Amazon pre-Black Friday 'lightning deals' begin today [update 1]

by Ben Gilbert { 1 hour ago }

Update 1: We've added the 9AM PST/12PM EST games below. Get 'em while they're hot, folks!

Everyone's favorite Amazonian retailer (after leafcladmailorderbrides.com, of course) has revealed a handful of hints for its pre-Black Friday selection of "Lightning Deals." Starting today at 9AM PST, Amazon will be offering games ranging from ... well, we don't really know, now do we? CheapAssGamer believes the first hint to indicate New Play Control Pikmin. Check out the hints for yourself below and feel free to speculate away in the comment section, you big speculator you. We'll update the deals as the day goes on.

9AM PST/12PM EST – All titles 50% off

New Play Control Pikmin – $14.98
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year edition for PlayStation 3 – $25.00
Rock Band 2: Special Edition for Xbox 360 – $70.00
Rock Band 2: Special Edition for PlayStation 3 – $70.00
Big Beach Sports – $10.00
UFC: Undisputed for Xbox 360 – $25.00

12PM PST/3PM EST

World War II on the Wii
Gaming for people on the go

Bayonetta demo available in North America and Europe Dec. 3

by JC Fletcher { 2 hours ago }

Finally, a chance to play Bayonetta for those of us who never got around to setting up Japanese PSN accounts or Sega Passes. Sega announced that the demo for Platinum Games' torturiffic action game will be available on Xbox Live and PSN, in North America and Europe, on December 3.

With this demo, you'll be able to gauge the limits of your Bayonetta fandom. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy it. Maybe you'll like it enough to buy the PAL limited edition. Or enough to import the PAL limited edition (for North American gamers). Or maybe you'll freak out about Bayonetta and feel compelled to import the Australian limited edition. This is why demos are so important: you can make sure you actually like the game before you bring yet another fancy plastic foot-pistol into your home.

Gallery: Bayonetta

Black Wii, holiday demand lead to big sales boost in Europe

by JC Fletcher { 2 hours ago }

The black Wii system, originally released concurrently with Monster Hunter Tri in Japan, is now in stores across Europe. And Nintendo is doing its best to keep it there, despite increased demand. According to MCV, demand for the console has risen 60% in the last week, and distributor Nindie.com is working "round the clock" to keep shipments going briskly.

"Of course it would be wrong to attribute all of this to Black Wii as we're all starting to see a natural peak season uplift on all hardware," senior Nintendo product manager Rob Lowe said. But Wii sales have apparently doubled following the release of the smart-looking black system. And, Lowe reminds buyers, "It is a limited edition version of the console so currently we only have plans for it to be available in 2009." That should have some effect on demand as well.

UK Charts: Modern Warfare still tops; Assassin's Creed 2 outperforms original's debut

by Alexander Sliwinski { 2 hours ago }

The Assassin's Creed sequel may not have taken out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from the top spot on the UK charts, but the game did outperform the original's 2007 debut by 12 percent in unit sales. Although Chart Track doesn't give specific unit sales figures, it's staggering to think that Infinity Ward's FPS dropped 86 percent after its launch week and still retained the top spot.

Behind the big boys of violence, Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus took the next three spots, respectively. The hardened Left 4 Dead 2 shambled up to seventh spot.

Source -- Call of Duty stands firm [Chart Track]
Source -- All formats chart [Chart Track]

NintendoWare Weekly: Bit.Trip Void, Super Mario Kart, A Boy and His Blob

by JC Fletcher { 3 hours ago }

Nintendo celebrates Thanksgiving by dropping a massive feast onto the table of every Wii and DSi owner in North America. The next Bit.Trip game is now available on WiiWare, DSiWare receives another heaping serving of Electroplankton, and Virtual Console welcomes ... Super Mario Kart. We guess when Nintendo said "by year's end" it meant "next week." See the full, seasonally appropriate bounty after the break.

Continued →

Nintendo launching Limited Edition DSi bundles featuring Mario, 'brain teaser' DSiWare packs

by Alexander Sliwinski { 4 hours ago }

This Black Friday, November 27, Nintendo will release DSi bundles containing pre-installed software to the value of $20. The metallic blue DSi bundle (a new color for the States) will feature Mario-themed DSiWare, while the white is for those with "a passion for brain teasers."

Blue version: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, Dr. Mario Express, WarioWare: Snapped!, Mario Calculator and Mario Clock.
White version: Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Sudoku, Brain Age Express: Math, Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics, Photo Clock.

There is no altered price to go with the announcement of these bundles, so we're guessing the units will retail at the normal $170 price. Of course, it is Black Friday, so check various retailers for the best deals.

The Best of Big Download: November 16-22

by Joystiq Staff { 11 hours ago }

Was the past week good for you? It certainly was good for us. As usual Big Download had a bunch of exclusive feautures, news items and downloads for any PC gaming fan. Let's take a look back at the last seven days:
Exclusive Features

Left 4 Dead 2: Check out our review of the PC version of Valve's shooter. Plus you still have time to win one of five Steam download codes for the full game.
Interviews: This week we chatted with the creator of the upcoming 8-bit version of Left 4 Dead along with the COO of Reality Gap about the new free-to-play title Battleswarm.
Mac Monday: This week we focus on two Mac games: Drawn: The Painted Tower and New Star Soccer 2010.
Boot Disk: This week our retro games feature looks at Interplay's Fallout 2.
Big Ideas: Our weekly look at game themes examines what, if anything, could be considered taboo in games.
All You Need To Know: Our weekly 411 on a game titles gives you the info you need on Assassin's Creed 2.
Freeware Friday: Our popular look at free PC games checks out the browser-based Captain Forever.

Continued →

Valve selling Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead-themed greeting cards

by Ben Gilbert { 13 hours ago }

We know how boring most holly jolly holiday cards can be, so we were glad to see that a handful of Valve-ified greeting cards are now available for purchase at the game maker's online store. Featuring characters from Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, and Team Fortress 2 in compromising holiday situations, there's no doubt that we'll actually – finally – send out greeting cards this year to everyone in our little black book. We're quite partial to the handful of TF2-themed images you see above (just look at The Spy, back with The Scout's mother!), but we're sure there's something for everyone in your list of Source Engine-loving holiday card receivers.

[Via Big Download]

Japanese hardware sales, Nov. 9 - Nov. 15: New direction edition

by Griffin McElroy { 15 hours ago }

If you haven't noticed, just about every foreign sales post we do somehow references football (or, as our primitive North American minds have designated it, soccer) -- including the post you're reading right this hot second. The terrifically named, PSP-exclusive J. LEAGUE Football Club Tsukurou! 6 Pride of J took top honors in the Japanese charts this week, pushing the portable platform to a first-place finish over its ill-equipped, football-less competitors.

We know better than to stand in the way of progress -- so, from henceforth, Joystiq will be changing its focus from video games to the foot-centric sport which half of our posts tend to be about anyways. Yes, we know very, very little about the game, but we don't really think that's too important. You know what is important? Choosing a new name of our blog, which we've already done: Joykick. Or, in sticking with our current typographically-challenged theme: Joyqick. Yeah, that's solid gold.

We know this transition will be extremely difficult, but as you probably already know, we've always had a knack for achieving our lofty GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLS! (See? It's already started.)

- PSP: 38,770

4,986 (14.76%)
- PS3: 38,498

10,427 (21.31%)
- DSi: 33,749

3,672 (9.81%)
- Wii: 26,764

5,046 (15.86%)
- PSP Go: 6,427

7,565 (54.07%)
- DS Lite: 5,036

479 (8.69%)
- Xbox 360: 4,124

555 (11.86%)
- PS2: 2,031

35 (1.69%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The foot-centric archives

Blizzard says no Diablo 3 in 2010, 'who knows' when it'll be released

by Ben Gilbert { 17 hours ago }

Remember that silly, insane rumor from back in 2008 about Diablo 3 being released by Blizzard before StarCraft 2? Turns out that Blizzard's Rob Pardo thinks that's a bunch of hogwash. Rather, that's at least what we can infer from his recent conversation with Techland on the subject. "We always announce all of our games too early," he says. "I think it's safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo 3] is not going to be out next year."

Considering StarCraft 2's delay to 2010, we think it's fair to assume that Diablo 3 will in fact not be arriving before a StarCraft sequel. Pardo adds that it's not a question of lacking resources, as "each game has individual development teams; it's just that the way that we develop games, we develop them very iteratively." Worse yet, there doesn't seem to be a finish line in sight for D3. "Now when we announce [a game] we just go, 'Here's the game we're working on, we're going to start talking about it and who knows when it ships.'" If any of you were still holding your breath for Diablo 3's release, now might be a good time to exhale.

[Via Big Download]

Gallery: Diablo 3 (9/5/09)

Left 4 Dead 2 gets patched on PC

by Griffin McElroy { 19 hours ago }

A few minor glitches which Left 4 Dead 2 players on Steam were experiencing have been squashed by a recent patch. The update includes fixes for an error which impeded matchmaking for players looking for higher difficulty games, for a bug which allowed special infected to team up on players who are being pummeled by a Charger, and for performance problems which cropped up when the game rendered too many decals, "notably when fighting Tanks with shotguns."

Well, thank goodness for that. If there's a better way to kill a Tank than with a few well-placed shotgun blasts, we've yet to find it. Check out the full list of changes after the jump!

Continued →