Pachter says "EA planning to release paid DLC's", EA says "not ...

If you thought paid DLC's are bad enough, well, how about paying for a game demo? Wedbush Morgan's resident gaming guru Michael Pachter has revealed EA's plan to offer extended downloadable demos for a price prior to

Hexyz Force summons classic JRPG gameplay in new trailer

It's been a while since an old school JRPG has made its way to the PSP. Thankfully, Atlus is readying a new game to scratch that level grinding itch. Developed by Yggdra Union's Sting, this video has every trope you'd expect from a RPG developed in the 32 bit era. From dialog portraits to magic spells cast in turn-based battles, this video will transport you to a long-lost era of gaming. Hexyz Force is coming out on UMD on May 25th.

Hexyz Force summons classic JRPG gameplay in new trailer originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ninja Theory's 'Enslaved' promises a mix of brains and brawn

It's been a while since we last heard about Enslaved, the brand new IP coming from Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory and partner Namco Bandai, but IGN has broken the silence with a preview. The game sounds intriguing: Players control an Andy Serkis-modeled brawler named Monkey, who's neurologically tied to a techno-chick named Trip as they roam from a New York 150 years from now and out into a post-apocalyptic America.

The game is actually based on an old Chinese tale named Journey to the West, in which a sage and a powerful monkey go on a quest to find Buddhist wisdom, with the sage getting in all sorts of dangerous traps that the monkey (controlled via headband, just like the game) has to help him out with.

Likewise, the game offers up a set of challenges that will require Monkey to work with and defend Trip, who offers tools and advice all along. The third-person combat (against various robots and post-human bad guys) is supposed to be tough at first, but much easier with a little strategy and help from Trip. We'll keep an eye out for it at E3 -- the saga of Monkey and Trip could turn out to be one of 2010's more original endeavors.

Ninja Theory's 'Enslaved' promises a mix of brains and brawn originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Snag Assassin's Creed 2 for $30 at Amazon

As every assassin knows, nothing is true and everything is permitted. That includes Amazon's ability to drop the Assassin's Creed 2 price whenever it wants and especially when GameStop is doing it. The online retailer has slashed the price of both the Xbox and PS3 versions to a mere $29.99, matching GameStop's price. No matter where you buy it, that's a great price for one of Joystiq's favorite games of 2009. So hurry up and tell all of your Firenze that buying it is no leap of faith, Animus be said that this is one killer deal.

Snag Assassin's Creed 2 for $30 at Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Joystiq at PAX: Here's your schedule

a man chooses, a slave clicks for a larger image

Did you know that PAX East was originally going to be called "the Joystiq Expo?" That's a flagrant lie, but considering the number of Joystiq-related events scattered throughout the show, you'd be hard pressed to think otherwise. If you want to hang out with the stars of the Joystiq Podcast and the rest of the Joystiq east coast crew - and even earn a chance to win one of these super limited edition Andrew Ryan figurines, courtesy of our pals at Irrational Games - make sure you stop by every one of these many events:

• Blueberry Muffin-Tops Breakfast brought to you by Malt-O-Meal
  Saturday, 8AM
  Start the day right with a free bowl of Justin McElroy's favorite breakfast cereal. Space will be limited, so make sure you follow @JoystiqBBMT on Twitter to find out how to get a wristband for entry to this exclusive event. [more info]
• Get Ready For Love: The Joystiq Podcast LIVE!
  Manticore Theatre - Saturday, 8:30pm
  It'll be just like the show you love, except you'll be forced throughout to stare at the terrifying visage of the hosts. So, in short, a spectacle in every sense of the word. Come early -- there will be giveaways. [more info]
• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Game Journalism...
  Manticore Theatre - Sunday, 2:30pm
  Chris Grant and a team of esteemed gaming peons will answer any and all questions you have about the art and craft of getting paid to write about games (it's a tough life). Review scores. Swag. Junkets. Bias. The death of magazines. The rise of blogs. It's all fair game. [more info]
• Sequelitis Snake Oil: Quack Medicine for the Video Game Industry
  Manticore Theatre - Sunday, 4:00pm
  This panel will seek to diagnose the video game industry's purported "sequelitis" by way of discussion from thoughtful panelists, including Irrational Games' Ken Levine; Obsidian's Chris Avellone; Harmonix's Dan Teasdale; Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann; and moderator Chris Grant (from Joystiq!). Mr. Levine is bringing five of the above, super limited edition Andrew Ryan figurines. There are only 200 of these in existence and they're not for sale anywhere - so come early. [more info]

Also, do you want VIP access to Mafia II? 2K Games has graciously offered to give eight Joystiq readers a chance to get 30 minutes with the upcoming game, and exclusive swag. VIPs will be able to cut the line and get VIP access on Saturday, 4PM. Want access? The first eight commenters (that are at PAX East!) that respond to this post will get e-mailed instructions on how to get access.

Joystiq at PAX: Here's your schedule originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameStop's 'GameDays' sale includes cheap Assassin's Creed 2 and more

GameStop's annual GameDays promotion has started up once again, bringing a pretty good selection of discounted games. Perhaps the best deal in the whole lineup is Assassin's Creed 2, available on both Xbox 360 and PS3 for $29.99. Other exciting deals on those systems include Fallout 3 for $20, Bayonetta for $40 (PS3/360) and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for just $15 (PS3/360).

Handheld gamers can pick up COP: The Recruit, Dissidia Final Fantasy, or Phantasy Star Portable for $20, and top off the purchase with a $10 copy of Worms 2. Of course, these are just a few of the discounts -- go browse for yourself.

[Via CheapCollegeGamers]

GameStop's 'GameDays' sale includes cheap Assassin's Creed 2 and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Shelves This Week: March 21-28

With Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III already out in the market, you'll find that this batch has toned down considerably. On a more positive note, this week does have a few notables, including Just

Splatterhouse sends in the clown heads

Click to head into the gallery
Namco Bandai has released some details about the weapon system in the long-delayed Splatterhouse reboot. Weapons are divided into categories like "edged," "bludgeon" and "extra brutal," which determine what kind of damage they do to enemies.

This scant explanation is joined by a series of new screens that depict some of said weapons, which the super-huge Rick Taylor will employ on his quest to smash a house full of monsters. Included are such exciting implements as a board with nails in it, a pipe and ... a zombie clown head? What class of weapon is that? "Extra hilariously morbid?"

Splatterhouse sends in the clown heads originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson steps down

Australian gamers are overjoyed with the latest development in their crusade for an R18+ rating the man who stood in their way is leaving his post. Earlier today, Attorney-General Michael Atkinson suprised everyone with his announcement

Watch: Dead or Alive: Paradise "Kokoro trailer"

We know you want more, so here is the latest trailer of Tecmo's upcoming, gravity defying, swimsuit wearing, globe trekking mini-game compilation, Dead or Alive: Paradise. Check out the vixen of Geisha martial arts, Kokoro, as she

PSP homebrew - JPCSP v0.5 revision 1416

The JPCSP Team is back once again in the homebrew scene to release a new version of their PlayStation Portable emulator for PC, written in Java, the JPCSP. The latest update of the brew includes lot's of

Tretton on PSN charges, Sony's E3 offerings

There has been a lot of talk floating around about Sony's plans to start charging (qjnet/playstation-3/peter-dille-sony-actively-thinking-of-charging-for-psn.html) for PSN. According to SCEA CEO Jack Tretton, they're not going to do

Assassin's Creed Space coming to PlayStation Home

One of the coolest aspects of Joystiq's #2 Game of 2009, Assassin's Creed II, had to be the search for "the truth." The meta game was hidden across the entire experience, and had players solving puzzles in an effort to unlock a video that would explain one of the franchise's biggest mysteries. That mystery and intrigue is coming to Sony's online community this week, in a brand new Space for PlayStation Home.

The Personal Space will include a multiplayer tower defense game that "pits Assassins against Templars," and includes access to developer blogs, concept art, the Animus 2.0 database, and the full "Assassin's Creed: Lineage" live action short film. The Space will cost $4.99, but for hardcore Assassin's Creed fans, the ability to have your Home Avatar walk around the Hideout from ACII may be worth the price of entry.

Assassin's Creed Space coming to PlayStation Home originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Video: Skate 3 ramps up user-created content

If we told you that the user creation tools in Skate 3 were robust, we'd be selling the game short. From the highly customizable skate parks (that can be shared online) to the revamped graphics creator, there's no doubt that the devs at Black Box have upped the ante on user creation in a significant way.

While there's always the worry that the Skate franchise could start packing in a bit too much (the Tony Hawk-ization of Skate, if you will), it looks like the folks in charge of improving the annual franchise know to keep the game focused on skateboarding culture and real physics. We'll be checking out the game this weekend at PAX East, so look for a more thorough opinion soon (and feel free to tell us in the comments below what you want to know about the game).

Video: Skate 3 ramps up user-created content originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Watch: Hello World for PSP firmware 6.20?

Well here we go again guys! A Japanese coder named maku has discovered a new flaw in the demo of an unknown game that lead him to a new savedata exploit for the PSP firmware 6.20. Is

Sony counting down to new God of War announcement?

Could there be another God of War game in the works, just waiting in the wings for its grand entrance? It appears that that may just be the case. To see the proof, you're gonna hoave to

Datel TiltFX adds tilt-based motion controls to PSP

Do you ever look at those iPhone gaming ads and say, "Gee, I wish I could do that on my PSP?" Well, if just buying an iPod is out of the question, Datel may have a solution for you. The TiltFX is a new accessory that promises to add motion controls to "all games" on the PSP. According to a press release, the device features a three-axis MEMS sensor and is able to replace the functions of the standard D-Pad and analog stick. Additionally, Datel is offering customized profiles for specific games, like WipEout, LocoRoco, and Super Monkey Ball. Presumably, these will tweak the controls for a better tailored experience.

We haven't had a chance to test the TiltFX for ourselves, but it is advertised as compatible with all PSP systems, minus the Go -- meaning owners of PSP-1000, 2000 and 3000 series systems can use the device. According to a Datel representative, the device won't require custom firmware to operate. (It seems the device is sending control data via the PSP's headset port.) Apparently, it's available now and has a MSRP of £14.99 or $19.99. You can check out a commercial after the break.

Continue reading Datel TiltFX adds tilt-based motion controls to PSP

Datel TiltFX adds tilt-based motion controls to PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PlayStation Store US Update - 03/18/10

It's time once again for your weekly dose of PlayStation Store goodness. This week's content includes the usual game sales, the latest episode of the PSN original series "the Tester", the latest PSN game Patchwork Heroes, a