Joystiq [Xbox]

Fallout: New Vegas gets retailer-specific pre-order items

by David Hinkle { 1 hour ago }

Click image for a rundown of the pre-order bonuses

Anxious to wade through the wastelands of Fallout: New Vegas this fall? It's already got a plethora of pre-order bonuses available through select retailers. Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon and Steam are all vying for your pre-purchase dollars through custom in-game bundles, featuring armor, guns and some useful items.

Head past the break for a description of each and check out the gallery below for shots of the bonuses in-game. Enjoy your additional decision-making process!

Gallery: Fallout: New Vegas (pre-order bonuses)

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Dreamcast Returns on PSN and XBLA this year

by JC Fletcher { 2 hours ago }

"I want to go to the baseball stadium, and then the image gallery"As hinted by the ESRB -- and predicted on our Xbox E3 Bingo card, Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi, two of Sega's standout games for its dearly departed Dreamcast, will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360. But they're just the first Dreamcast titles.

Sega announced that those two games will be available this fall in North America and Europe, calling them the "first two classics" to be released as part of Sega's plan to republish Dreamcast games on PSN and XBLA. The games will include improved resolution, surround sound, and modern amenities like online leaderboards, Achievements, and Trophies.

We're going to spend the rest of the day fantasizing about the release of our favorite Dreamcast games. For example, all of them.

Gallery: Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast Returns)

Gallery: Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast Returns)

'Moon Diver' now called Necromachina, added to Square Enix E3 lineup

by Griffin McElroy { 3 hours ago }

We don't think Square Enix appreciates the genuine toil that goes into producing a high-quality photoshop. That one we made yesterday, of the guy diving into the moon? It will never be relevant for anything ever again. The publisher recently announced that the Feelplus-developed, side-scrolling action title formerly known as Moon Diver will come to the U.S. PSN and XBLA under the moniker Necromachina. (How are we supposed to make a photoshop out of that? It is virtually impossible.)

Accompanying the announcement was a fast-paced gameplay trailer, which is posted after the jump. It looks awfully slick, with sharp 2.5D visuals and old-school action-platforming -- but even from this very first trailer, we can already tell it's going to be punishingly difficult. We'll get a chance to test that hypothesis when we get our hands on the game at E3.

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WB's new 'Mortal Kombat' tests our might in 2011

by JC Fletcher { 4 hours ago }

Warner Bros. announced a new Mortal Kombat game this morning, and Seven of Nine is nowhere to be found. The game, called simply Mortal Kombat, appears to be a return to the classic Mortal Kombat 2/3 style of gameplay -- extremely quick, 2D fighting -- which has been given a fresh coat of 3D paint and a very noticeable 60 frames-per-second framerate. It also features a man being sliced open at the groin with a spinning hat.

It adds a new tag team mode for up to four players, allowing teams to play through a "co-op arcade mode" or compete online against other pairs of e-murderers.

The game is being developed by Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios (the former WB Games Chicago) and is slated for launch on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011.

Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed by USA Today

by Justin McElroy { 5 hours ago }

Details have been pretty scant on Rock Band 3 so far, despite the best efforts of some. That all changes today as USA Today dishes on the game's 25-key piano peripheral, some of the new features and even a partial song list, which we've got after the jump (Smash Mouth, guys? Ballsy.) along with some on-video ivory tickling.

USA Today also fleshed out the "Pro" mode Ars Technica had the scoop on last month. As expected, the mode will endeavor to teach actual musical technique, either with the new keyboard, a three-cymbal upgrade for the drum kit or a hybrid controller/"full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster" made by Fender. Mad Catz is making a miniature Fender Mustang Pro controller for the mode too, but we're not going to miss the chance to play on instruments that don't make us look like sweaty giants.

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Mega64 gets the lowdown on Rock Band 3's new logo

by David Hinkle { 13 hours ago }

Oh, Mega64, is there any code you can't crack? First it was the mysterious Kojima teaser last year and now, the comedy troupe ponders on that mysterious new keyboard-like icon in the Rock Band 3 logo. They even find some similarities between Rock Band 3 and F3AR -- er, sorry, FEAR 3.

It's some very high-brow deductive reasoning, as indicated in the classy image above. Head past the break to check out the video courtesy of IGN -- "solved 4 good," indeed.

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Alan Wake wanders into 'WAR,' a Poets of the Fall music video

by Ludwig Kietzmann { 15 hours ago }

We speculated that the live-action Alan Wake teaser that surfaced last week was promoting a new commercial or web short. It turned out to be a slick music video for "WAR," a song by Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall -- and one of the licensed tracks to feature in Remedy's atmospheric action game. The video features Alan Wake as portrayed by actor Ilkka Villi, who's basically the Milli Vanilli companion to voice actor Matthew Porretta.

Head past the break to see Wake freak out to musical accompaniment, ponder his mysterious manuscript pages ... and wonder why the world's worst cameraman is stalking him and his wife through a field.

[Seen Above: The first image from the upcoming Alan Wake DLC, "The Signal."]

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Space Invaders Infinity Gene XBLA, PSN versions confirmed

by JC Fletcher { 20 hours ago }

According to Siliconera, the latest issue of Famitsu confirms what a source (and the OFLC ratings board) told Joystiq: Taito's ever-adapting shooter, Space Invaders Infinity Gene, is being released on Xbox 360 and PS3. The game appears in the magazine's table of contents.

Additionally, 1UP reports that other Japanese game magazines have confirmed the Infinity Gene console release, which is said to be a downloadable port of the iPhone game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Even if it's just a direct port, we relish the opportunity to play this already-great game without covering up any of the screen with a big fat finger.

XBLA in Brief: NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, Earthworm Jim HD

by Richard Mitchell { 21 hours ago }

First, yes, there is another game out this week. That game is NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, an SNK fighting game. But enough about that, because Earthworm Jim HD is upon us. It is, by and large, Earthworm Jim, which should make old school fans happy, and undoubtedly delight the uninitiated. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and see what the fuss is about.

[M4V] Download the M4V directly.

Xbox.com: Add NeoGeo Battle Coliseum trial version to your Xbox 360 download queue
Xbox.com: Add Earthworm Jim HD trial version to your Xbox 360 download queue

Square Enix and feelplus team up on 'Moon Diver' for XBLA

by Griffin McElroy { 22 hours ago }

Andriasang reports that Square Enix has pulled back the curtain obscuring the identity of its next project: a 2D action game called Moon Diver, coming this year to the Japanese Xbox Live Arcade. The title, which will be developed by Lost Odyssey and Ninety-Nine Nights 2 creator feelplus, pits four-player teams of ninjas -- presumably moon ninjas, which we all know to be the coolest type of ninjas -- against waves of monsters in an attempt to protect a post-apocalyptic Earth.

We still have so many questions: Is it coming to America? Can we see some screenshots? Are we expected to dive into or off of the moon? We suppose our curiosity will have to be sated by these slim, slim details for now. We'll try pestering Square Enix for answers to these pressing questions at E3.

Portal 2 delayed until 2011

by Ludwig Kietzmann { 1 day ago }

In another cheeky press release, Valve has announced that Portal 2 has been delayed until 2011. The sequel to 2007's innovative (and tardy) first-person disorientation dissertation was originally scheduled to arrive on Xbox 360 and PC this holiday -- and we all believed it. Still, there are worse fates to befall the industry, as Aperture Laboratories correctly notes that "all life on earth won't instantaneously stop as every molecule in your body explodes at the speed of light, which is what would happen should a rip ever appear in the fabric of Valve Time."

We'd offer some helpful advice on getting the game out quicker -- like, have you tried making it a Left 4 Dead game? -- but we're already reeling from three disappointments in a row: The cancellation of the Portal 2 E3 press conference, the continuing mystery of its supplanting "surprise," and the numbing absence of Half-Life 2: Episode Three. This is a tri-HMPH!

Rock Band Weekly: Ozzy Osbourne six-pack

by David Hinkle { 1 day ago }

With all of the downloadable tracks available for Rock Band, it's hard to imagine Ozzy Osbourne hasn't snuck in there somewhere. Sure enough, he hasn't, but don't fret: Ozzy's set to make his Rock Band debut next week with a six-pack of songs, including three from his upcoming studio album, Scream.

Rock Band fans gain access to three songs from the album on June 15, in advance of the album's release on June 22. On top of that, fans of Ozzy's classic solo stuff will get three of his older tracks, from three separate albums.

Head past the break for the full list.

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E3 2010 Prediction Bingo: Microsoft

by Xav de Matos { 1 day ago }


Mini-Game Collections	Cloud-based Storage	Dreamcast Marketplace	Black Ops Demo	Hulu Inside
Xbox Live Price Drop	Day-and-Date on Demand	Clan Support	Mobile Apps	Timed Exclusives
Insomniac Reveal	Halo: Reach SP Demo	Have A Free One On Us!	Primetime Returns	Natal-focused Bundles
Milo Crashes the Party	Shadow Complex 2	Fable III Natal Demo	YouTube Integration	Limbo headlines Arcade Promo
Xbox 360 Slims Down	Rock Band 3 Unveiled	Rare Return	"Sorry, Indie!"	Square Enix Reveals

We're days away from the industry's biggest event, making today the perfect time to launch Joystiq's (3rd Annual) E3 Bingo Extravaganza! This year, each card is developed to consider the entire event and not only the conferences.

Originally, our plan was to utilize a series of super-computers specially designed to accurately predict the events of E3 2010; however, the "Joystiq Probability Index" (or JPI-3000) only delivered results as a string of "dingbat" characters. Development of an ultra-computer (JPI-4d3d3d3) to decipher the codes is expected to be complete in the year 2014. Stay Tuned.

For day one in our three- part series, we take a look at Microsoft -- the first company to take the E3 stage. Click on each of the squares above for more information (and the completely accurate but indecipherable rating). Microsoft's E3 press conference is scheduled for Monday, June 14, at 10:30 am PT (that's 1:30 pm Joystiq Time / ET). As always, Joystiq will be on hand to liveblog all the details.

Download a copy (PNG file) and play along (Remember, it's just for fun)! Stay tuned tomorrow for our Sony E3 Bingo card.

This is heavy: Telltale making episodic Back to the Future game

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

Where Telltale Games is going, it doesn't need roads (because its games are distributed digitally). In addition to the announced Jurassic Park games, the AP reveals that Telltale Games is crafting an episodic game based on Back to the Future, the classic '80s movie trilogy about a time-traveling Delorean, hoverboards, and Nintendo's Wild Gunman (also, people are in it). Telltale has yet to specify gameplay styles, but we expect adventure games similar to Sam & Max, as is Telltale's specialty. We're so pleased Telltale made that deal with NBC Universal.

"The games are going to exist within these worlds," Telltale's Dan Connors told the AP. "I wouldn't call these games sequels per se but a new interpretation of their worlds for a new medium." That means we shouldn't necessarily expect to relive movie moments, but rather experience new stories within the worlds of these games. For Back to the Future, that means that all of human history is open to exploration; for Jurassic Park, it pretty much still means running away from dinosaurs.

The AP notes that both series are due to debut this winter, on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC and Mac.
[Via Shacknews]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is timed exclusive on PSN

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Game Informer's recent, glowing preview of Ubisoft's upcoming adaptation of the graphic novel-turned-film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World revealed a surprising fact about the game's release plans. As of right now, the download-only title is slated to drop on the PSN in August, then on the Xbox 360 at an unspecified later date.

Though staunch supporters of Microsoft's home console may find Pilgrim's temporary exclusivity irksome, it sounds like the game's shaping up to be worth whatever wait you might be subjected to. An old-school beat-em-up, animated by Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight creator Paul Robertson, orchestrated by Anamanaguchi, and featuring characters from one of our favorite graphic novels of all time? Don't mind if we do.