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Hsu and Boyer's Sore Thumbs is a must-read

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:42 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Culture, Business

Maybe it's just because we're nerds for gaming journalism dirt, but we can't get enough of Sore Thumbs, a blog run by former EGMers Dan Hsu and Crispin Boyer. Now that both have moved on from the mag, they're spinning tales about the glory days of gaming journalism, often with shocking results.

In the newest entry, for example, Hsu delves into the Ubisoft/Ziff Davis blackballing and how it, in a sense, played a part in his resignation. It's all fascinating stuff that's both unflinchingly honest and essential reading for informed consumers of game media.

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Far Cry 3 probably sticking with African setting

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:42 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters

Far Cry 2's Narrative Designer Patrick Redding informs VG247 that Ubisoft Montreal has started work on the next Far Cry game. He tells the site that Africa still has a "huge amount of promise" and there are still things they'd like to do with the setting, but he hedges it all by saying that the team is still in "preliminary stages" of development.

Redding expresses that the Far Cry 2 engine could be used to make other locales, but that to save time the team will probably build on the sequel's African setting. He wants to stick with the series' exotic settings, but feels that jungle islands aren't as exciting as when the original Far Cry released four years ago.

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World of Warcraft will slowly update graphics to
stay fresh

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:41 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Mac, PC, RPGs, MMO

When a company has one of the most successful ~~MMORPGs~~ games of all time, the last thing anyone there wants to do is throw a wrench into what the customers' rigs can handle. To that end, the Blizzard team explained in a few interviews last week that World of Warcraft's graphical updates will happen over time with expansions. Don't go expecting something like World of Warcraft 2 or a major graphics overhaul, which might hurt the customer base.

In an interview with VideoGamer.com, Blizzard's Rob Chilton explains that "usability" has always been more important to the company than technical prowess. Obviously, Blizzard's judgment on how to run Azeroth, compared to those who yearn for a full-blown graphics overhaul, has paid off in ~~million~~ billions for the developer.

Source -- Brack clarifies graphical update plans (WoW Insider)
Source -- WoW graphical reboot may never be necessary (VG)

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Warhawk update 1.5 live; adds Trophies, custom
music support

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:41 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Online

As promised, Sony and Incognito have rolled the latest Warhawk update out of its hanger, prompting a mandatory install once you start the game. Major additions for version 1.5 of the game include much-anticipated PlayStation Trophies (57 of them, with a good mix of gold, silver, bronze, and "mystery offerings") and support for custom music via the in-game XMB.

We've just installed the patch and are firing up a match with Hanson's "MMMBop" on full blast! Sure, the update's no new-map-and-rocket-packs gala like the upcoming Fallen Star booster pack - which hits tomorrow - but it's nevertheless another nice show of free support for a still very popular, ever-expanding game.

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Nerdcore Rising will have its west coast premiere
at PAX

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:41 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Video

Warning! There's an expletive-filled trailer below for the film Nerdcore Rising. It also features people binge drinking Yoo-Hoo, just so we have full disclosure. If you haven't heard about the movie before, it's a documentary that follows MC Frontalot on his first national tour as he goes from South Carolina to last year's PAX, where he was captured on film by our own Christopher Grant.

Nerdcore, which is trying hard to become its own genre of music, features songs about everything from Dungeons & Dragons to 8-bit video games, and the film explores what that's all about with Frontalot, his band, and several other Nerdcore artists. The film premiered at SXSW in Austin earlier this year, but PAX gets the goodness of the first-ever west coast showing of the flick this Saturday at 4pm. Head below the break to see the special PAX trailer for the movie, created by director Negin Farsad and MC Frontalot himself.

Continue reading Nerdcore Rising will have its west coast premiere at PAX

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The Last Guy gets found on PSN tomorrow

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:40 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action

The Last Guy, a mash-up of Google maps and "follow the leader" (or Snake, if we can talk super old-school), will be available tomorrow on PSN for $10, according to the PlayStation Blog. The 15 stages of zombie-dodging gameplay takes place in several cities across the globe, which use aerial photography as "levels" -- the demo, which takes place in Asakusa, Tokyo became available last week on PSN. Check out the video after the break for a taste of what The Last Guy has to offer.

Continue reading The Last Guy gets found on PSN tomorrow

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See John McCain in POW Bros.

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 06:15:40 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Culture, Politics

Right, so the Mario Bros. remake below the jump -- by former Joystiq writer Jared Rea -- might be just the slightest bit offensive (and not in a NSFW way). But, it's also very funny, which has always trumped offense in our book. He says it's the result of a Twitter joke gone too far, but in our book it's gone just far enough.

Mr. Rea does provide some additional explanation for the gag on his blog, but we hope you don't need it (you're not that removed from the outside world, are you?).

Continue reading See John McCain in POW Bros.

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Joystiq hands-on: Quantum of Solace

Filed under: Features, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

This hands-on report is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game, though the developers assure us that the PS3 version will be almost completely identical.

While I may not be the biggest Bond fan, and only watched Casino Royale because the Blu-ray came free with my PS3, Quantum of Solace was probably the most interesting game in Activision's Leipzig lineup. Going in with very few expectations and, to be honest, little interest in the title, I was impressed and intrigued with what I saw. It's easy to dismiss QoS as just another licensed movie game that will inevitably suck, but that's certainly not the case here.

The first section of the game that I played was set in the sewers of Sienna, where I'm chasing someone (the developers weren't allowed to say who). The first thing you notice about the game is that the environments are gorgeous. For the most part these have been lovingly recreated from reference photos taken on the set of the movie, so they'll look identical to the film. As a result they're incredibly detailed and, in parts, colorful.

The controls are both solid and fluid (if that's even possible!), leaving you to worry about what's going on on-screen, and not in your hands. Thanks to various set pieces throughout the level, you feel like you're interacting with the environment, rather than restricted by it. Everything feels a little less static and rigid when you're jumping over railings, falling through rotting wood and clambering over mounds of earth. Even if they are sometimes scripted.

Gallery: Quantum of Solace: The Game

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Sony Pays Microsoft 20 Million Dollars

According to a report by EFluxMedia, in 2003 Microsoft closed a deal with Immersion concerning business and IP licensing arrangements. According to the terms of the sub-license agreement, Microsoft was entitled to at least $15 million from any Sony payment over $100 million, plus 25 percent of any amount over $100 million up to $150 [...]

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