EA confirms first three fighters on EA Sports MMA roster

UFC president Dana White may be concerned about EA trying to poach his talent for EA Sports MMA, but the first three mixed martial artists announced for the game aren't on his payroll -- although one of them was, before being unceremoniously ejected from the promotion.

The just-announced lineup is led by World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian-born fighter has fought around the world for promotions including Pride and, most recently, Affliction. EA hasn't said if Emelianenko will be on the game's cover, but it could do far worse than the man universally recognized as the world's top MMA athlete.

Former K-1 fighter Gegard Mousasi joins Emelianenko, as does the man he's scheduled to fight August 15 for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, Renato Sobral. Sobral, a former UFC fighter, was let go by Dana White after he ignored the referee's orders and choked his opponent out during UFC 74. The unsporting conduct drew boos from the crowd, cost him half of his $50,000 fight purse and lead to White calling his actions "completely unacceptable" -- just as they're likely to be in EA's MMA title.

EA confirms first three fighters on EA Sports MMA roster originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PS3 version of Star Ocean: The Last Hope pops up on GameFly [update]

Xbox 360 "exclusive" Star Ocean: The Last Hope has appeared on GameFly under the PS3 platform with a TBD release date. We followed up with GameFly and a company spokesperson let us know, "We simply post information as it is supplied to us by the publishers."

Apparently, enough time has gone by for the "exclusive" game to do its damage to the competition abroad. We're currently awaiting a response from Square Enix and we'll update as soon as we receive a transmission from the distant star system.

Update: Square Enix has responded to our request for comment, saying that "[The GameFly listing] was an error, but we cannot comment on an official PS3 release [of the game]."

PS3 version of Star Ocean: The Last Hope pops up on GameFly [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DJ Hero Renegade Edition packs Jay-Z/Eminem CDs, fancy case/stand

click for Renegade Edition gallery

If you have the urge to spend even more than $120 for DJ Hero, we've got great news. When the game launches, you'll have the option of picking up the "Renegade Edition" of the game, which includes a special turntable, a hardshell case that converts into a stand and a two-disc CD set of Jay-Z and Eminem music that features some previously unreleased tracks. Not that this comes as a complete surprise.

Now, we could take or leave the CDs (Music that you don't pretend to play? What, is it for babies?) but the case/stand actually sounds pretty slick. Here's hoping the price (which we have no clue on, naturally) is right.

DJ Hero Renegade Edition packs Jay-Z/Eminem CDs, fancy case/stand originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Battlefield 1943 players upset over lack of Irish identification [Update]

Update: According to an update on SeenIt.co.uk, the gamer who argued for Irish distinction in his Battlefield 1943 profile has been contacted by EA support and was told, "It looks as though the issue you have submitted is more complex than it seemed initially." Irish history, complex? Understatement! Hopefully this means all Irish gamers will be able to fly the colors they desire someday soon.

Original Story: Battlefield 1943 players out of Northern Ireland are surprised -- and angry -- that the game's official site fails to display the country's flag on their profile pages. Profiles for gamers in the North are stamped with the good ol' Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and labels North Irish players as located in Great Britain. Some of you may cry, "So what?" Well, it's a pride thing -- and it's a law. "If you live in Northern Ireland EA won't allow you to identify yourself as 'Irish' despite the 1998 Belfast agreement saying otherwise," writes the UK entertainment blog, SeenIt.co.uk.

According to our history books, the Belfast Agreement allows citizens of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as Irish or British, or both. After attempting to change the country associated with the account, EA tech support told SeenIt changing the region was impossible because Ireland is "not listed distinctively" and is included under Great Britain. Seems like a silly thing for Electronic Arts to put its foot down on, unless it's the first step to easily categorizing the world. Step two? All Canadians listed as hailing from "America's Hat."

[Thanks, Martin]

Battlefield 1943 players upset over lack of Irish identification [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

UFC 2009 and Red Faction: Guerrilla bolster THQ profits

Dropping knowledge about its Q2 earnings for this year, THQ has revealed that UFC 2009 Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla have both become multi-million dollar franchises for the publisher. With these two, along with a game based on the recent Pixar film Up, THQ enjoyed three of the top ten best-sellers for the month of June.

UFC 2009 Undisputed wrestled the competition to the ground throughout May and June, shipping a combined 2.9 million units worldwide. Red Faction: Guerrilla also fared well, shipping a combined one million units across the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. Not only did THQ dominate the US in June, but the publisher enjoyed the top spot in the UK June charts with everyone's favorite testicle-punching simulator, UFC 2009.

UFC 2009 and Red Faction: Guerrilla bolster THQ profits originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sony confirms EyePet US release this holiday

Sony has confirmed to us at a holiday showcase event in New York City tonight that the PlayStation Eye game, EyePet, will definitely be heading to the US in time for the holidays. Our roving reporter, Andrew Yoon, says that the game will be available standalone as well as bundled with the PlayStation Eye camera.

Previously, the game was only announced for a European release after it was first revealed at Leipzig GC last year. We're happy to see the adorable simian-dog-thing will be making the jump across the Atlantic and won't be suffering from the chronic case of Q1-2010 flu that's making the rounds.

If you're hungry for more, check out Engadget's video from today's event, or our impressions from E3.

Sony confirms EyePet US release this holiday originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Remember The Force Unleashed? It's getting Trophies

Of course Star Wars: The Force Unleashed isn't dead. Who told you that? Not only was a new version announced to be released this fall, but the LucasArts twitter feed has revealed that the original PS3 version will be receiving a Trophy patch around the same time. The only catch: You'll need to start a new game in order to begin earning Trophies; they aren't retroactive with existing saved games.

Sure, you'll still need to pony up the cash for the Ultimate Sith Edition if you intend on playing one of the new missions, but if, like us, you still have an unopened copy of the original sitting around from the Great Game Flood of Q4 2008, you'll no doubt welcome the excuse to finally crack it open. Apparently it's pretty good. For a Star Wars game.

Remember The Force Unleashed? It's getting Trophies originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Now Playing: July 27 - August 2, 2009

Rare is the week that features two 2D fighters. Rarer is the week that features only two 2D fighters.

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

Last updated: Tuesday, 2:00 PM

Continue reading Now Playing: July 27 - August 2, 2009

Now Playing: July 27 - August 2, 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DJ Jazzy Jeff: He's the DJ, You're the DJ Hero

You may know DJ Jazzy Jeff as Will Smith's musical partner from back when he performed as the Fresh Prince. You may also know him as the guy who Uncle Phil threw out of the house all the time on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Now, younger people (who, ironically, just won't understand Jazzy Jeff's catalog) will know him as that one guy in DJ Hero.

Activision announced that DJ Jazzy Jeff will be joining DJ Shadow, Grandmaster Flash, and the rest as a playable character in the turntablism game. He has also contributed two song mash-ups: Tears for Fears' "Shout" vs. Eric B. & Rakim's "Eric B. Is President" and LL Cool J's "Rock the Bells" vs. The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra's "Bittersweet Symphony" (the original instrumental track to which The Verve added vocals). Gameplay video of both mixes is available after the break.

Continue reading DJ Jazzy Jeff: He's the DJ, You're the DJ Hero

DJ Jazzy Jeff: He's the DJ, You're the DJ Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New Dirt 2 trailers feature fancy cars, lots of dirt

What do a BMW Z4 Coupe, a Subaru WRX Hatch, and a mess of big trucks have in common? They'll all be at your disposal in upcoming rally-racer Dirt 2, silly! Aside from the game's striking visuals -- the ones that we marveled over when we saw it last February -- gameplay has always been a strong suit for Codemasters' dirt racer. While the video above, titled "Baja Raid," looks vaguely similar to games like Motorstorm and Pure, we expect a different, more simulation than arcade, feel from Dirt 2. Check out the rest of the trailers after the break or head over to our sister site Big Download and snag them for yourself in full HD glory.

Continue reading New Dirt 2 trailers feature fancy cars, lots of dirt

New Dirt 2 trailers feature fancy cars, lots of dirt originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Voice cast for Avatar announced, trailer coming next month

Ubisoft revealed today that actors from the new James Cameron film Avatar will voice the same roles in the game adaptation. Sigourney Weaver, not seen recently in the Ghostbusters game, will play Dr. Grace Augustine in the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC versions of the game. Michelle Rodriguez will appear as helicopter pilot Trudy Chacon in the PC, PS3, and 360 games, which will also feature bad guy Col. Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang. Giovanni Ribisi (from My Two Dads) will appear only in the Wii version, as "the arrogant Parker Selfridge." The best news out of all of this, of course, is that none of these actors are James Cameron.

Chances are we'll get to hear these voice actors at work in the new Avatar game trailer, which will be released on August 21, the same day a 15-minute preview of the movie becomes available at IMAX theatres.

Voice cast for Avatar announced, trailer coming next month originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rock Band Weekly: KISS, Motley Crue, Alien Ant Farm

Your regularly scheduled Rock Band Weekly and Rock Band Wiikly will not be seen today, as we interrupt your programming with an amalgamation of the two. Harmonix has announced the latest round of Rock Band DLC and, as post headlines would have you believe, it contains notable amounts of Blink-182, Weezer, and KISS. Don't let your parents know you're downloading any KISS, though. It totally stands for Knights in Satan's Service.

Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:

Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: KISS, Motley Crue, Alien Ant Farm

Rock Band Weekly: KISS, Motley Crue, Alien Ant Farm originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's already time for another Yakuza

Yakuza 3 (Ryu ga Gotoku 3 in Japan) just came out in February, and Sega has already officially announced the sequel. The official Ryu ga Gotoku site revealed that a new PlayStation 3 installment is on the way. Other than the platform and the title, Ryu ga Gotoku 4: Densetsu wo Tsugu Mono (Succeed the Legend), few details are known. We can speculate that since the series is already two deep on the PS3 and we haven't seen either of those in North America, this one is also going to remain in Japan. How does Sega have time to make all these huge games so quickly anyway?

If you'd like to see what some of the characters will look like in the new open-world title, GAME Watch (via Kotaku) has images of actors Hiroki Narimiya and Kenta Kiritani recording voice work and sitting for motion capture. Detailed 3D models of the actors will appear in the game.

[Thanks, Marius]

It's already time for another Yakuza originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Battlefield 1943 downloads break servers, and records

Put your rivalry to the side for a moment and join hands. Acknowledge that together, we, as XBLA and PSN users, have reached a tremendous milestone: 600,000. That number represents the to-date total of $15 transactions between us and our respective online services to purchase Battlefield 1943; and we did so, overwhelmingly -- and in record-setting fashion -- on the first day and week of the game's download-only release.

In just fifteen short days, we have sent a message to Microsoft, Sony and third-party publishers. We're willing to pay a bit more and spend it on a slice of good old-fashioned stuff we still get on our retail discs (even if it's a little rough during takeoff). Sorry, indies -- go put it on the App Store.

Battlefield 1943 downloads break servers, and records originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Borderlands release date set for October 20

It's approaching that time. Development cycles are coming to an end, the summer trade-show circuit is in full swing and Christmas is fast approaching. That means publishers are starting to nail down release dates for this year's must-have X-mas present. Borderlands is the latest game to be dated and it will be available to grab off store shelves in October, as planned. October 20, to be exact.

That's the American date, anyway. Europeans can expect to wait three days more to get their hands on Gearbox's RPG shooter with a much improved art style, on October 23.

[Via Big Download]

Borderlands release date set for October 20 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

God of War III playable at Comic-Con, replica Blades of Chaos available to pre-order

Kratos will be out in full force at Comic-Con this week. Not only will attendees be able to get hands on with God of War III, but they'll also be able to grab a signed poster featuring artwork from the upcoming God of War III comic book series. Check out the PlayStation Blog to find out when and where the signings will be taking place.

In other non-Comic-Con-but-still-God-Of-War news, that blade you see above is a real piece of merchandising. It's a replica Blade of Chaos -- as if you didn't already know -- and it's being manufactured by United Cutlery. The blade section alone is longer than a 30cm ruler and you can pre-order one at BUDK. It's pretty reasonably priced (you know, for a sword) at $124, and it even comes with the snazzy display stand. Only problem is it's pretty useless without a second Blade of Chaos to make a pair. That's how they getcha.

God of War III playable at Comic-Con, replica Blades of Chaos available to pre-order originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Castle Crashers storming PS3, playable at Comic-Con

The Behemoth's four-player, hack 'n slash Xbox Live Arcade title Castle Crashers has crashed right through the wall of platform exclusivity and is coming to PlayStation 3, the developer announced on the eve of San Diego Comic-Con. According to GameSpot, a playable version of the game for PS3 will be on the show floor tomorrow for attendees to gets their hands on.

Castle Crashers hit Xbox Live Arcade on August 27, 2008 and reached a milestone of 1 million players last month. The version for Sony's console has yet to be dated -- or detailed beyond the fact that it'll include Trophies -- but might we suggest dropping it on the one-year anniversary of the 360 version's launch? (With lots of new goodies, of course.)

Castle Crashers storming PS3, playable at Comic-Con originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

'Smaller team' commanding EndWar sequel

The voice-controlled RTS EndWar didn't garner the most media attention. But, with 1.5 million units sold, it certainly warrants a sequel. Ubisoft Shanghai is creating a follow-up using a "smaller team,"creative director Michael De Plater told VideoGamer.com. With EndWar's successful implementation of voice controls, the development team can focus on one of the most lacking aspects of the original: the presentation of the single-player campaign. "After the first one, now we have a really good understanding of what to do ... Giving more attention to the single-player is straightforward to address and will make the game a lot of fun."

While De Plater is quick to highlight faults being addressed for the sequel, he remains proud of his team's accomplishment with the first game. While still under the "Tom Clancy" moniker, he considers EndWar an original IP. Considering the challenges that surround launching a new IP, De Plater is more than happy with sales numbers. "We still sold more than Red Alert 3, sold more than Company of Heroes, sold more than World in Conflict. It's still, along with Halo Wars, the biggest new RTS in the last four or five years. Even with those faults it's still up there."

'Smaller team' commanding EndWar sequel originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dethgame rocks out Q4 2009, Titmouse clarifies involvement

Hot on the heels of its revelation in the Wall Street Journal, Konami and Cartoon Network have officially announced Metalocalypse: Dethgame, the XBLA and PSN title based on the Metalocalypse television series. The press release sheds a few new details about the game, first and foremost that it's scheduled to release in Q4 2009. The game is set to the music of Dethklok, including songs from Dethklok: The Dethalbum and some from the upcoming Dethklok 2.

The release also mentions that players will "Fight mutants, explore the rooms and dungeons of Mordhaus and protect the METAL faithful." Oh, and there are mini-games too. According to the show's creator, Brendon Small, Dethgame will be "the most successful downloadable cartoon death metal game in recorded history."

Joystiq also reached out to Titmouse, the animation studio behind Metalocalypse, for clarification on why development was handed to Frozen Codebase and not Titmouse Games. Titmouse's Sam Schoemann informed us that planning for Dethgame began before the creation of Titmouse Games, though the animation studio has consulted on the project. He notes that one of Metalocalypse's directors, Jon Schnepp, and Titmouse creative director Antonio Canobbio, have "provided input and art direction" in order to "maintain consistency" with the series.

Dethgame rocks out Q4 2009, Titmouse clarifies involvement originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Guitar Hero, Rock Band sales slide reminiscent of DDR

Before Guitar Hero and Rock Band was another phenomenon of the music gaming genre: Dance Dance Revolution. Konami's "dancing" game bundled a peripheral and captured the media's attention with its kinetic "exergaming" play. Over the years, the franchise has dwindled in relevance, as gamers got tired of stomping their feet to moving arrows. Each iteration of the series brought new songs, but the gameplay turned stale, and gamers eventually put their peripherals in the closet.

The same might be happening to the current slate of music games. NPD reports (via Gamasutra) that revenue for the Guitar Hero franchise have dropped 34% year over year. Even worse, the Rock Band franchise has dropped 67%. (Although, it should be noted that the Rock Band series has not had a major console release this year.)

Jesse Divnich of EEDAR argues that "the music and rhythm genre is being monetized more closely in terms of a pop-culture fad," which explains the increasing number of releases we see from the Guitar Hero franchise. He argues that the window of opportunity for making money is limited and that both Activision and MTV Games are "[striking] when the iron is hot." The upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band and Guitar Hero 5 may make a big splash this holiday season, but it might not be long until gamers put away the plastic instruments and look for the next big thing.

Source - Analysis: Guitar Hero / Rock Band retail sales down by half
Source - The Divnich Debrief: Roadblocks in the Music Genre

Continue reading Guitar Hero, Rock Band sales slide reminiscent of DDR

Guitar Hero, Rock Band sales slide reminiscent of DDR originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another 24 songs confirmed for Guitar Hero 5, more features demo'd

70 of the 85 tracks that'll come on the Guitar Hero 5 retail disc have been officially announced, and it's looking like our original complete track listing -- though still technically unofficial -- is so totally the real deal. Activision notes in this update that AFI's "Medicate," from its forthcoming album Crash Love, is exclusive to GH5, as is a new recording of Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise" in collaboration with guitarist and known Ozzy Osborne associate Zakk Wylde.

Oh yeah, about that video above. It ostensibly contains footage of more new features in GH5, specifically "star power overflow," "band moments" and the ability to resurrect band mates who've failed out. With everything that's happening on-screen, though, spotting these features in action is kind of a game in and of itself. Good luck with that. We can assure you that finding the newly confirmed tracks after the break is much easier.

Continue reading Another 24 songs confirmed for Guitar Hero 5, more features demo'd

Another 24 songs confirmed for Guitar Hero 5, more features demo'd originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.