Did you know that Dead Space: Extraction landed in stores this week? It’s true! We certainly dug it in our Snap Judgment, but in case that just wasn’t enough for you, we’ve compiled a few other folks’ opinions on the game just below. Worried about not seeing that beautiful screaming face in the future? We are too, folks. We are too.

• GamePro (100/100): “An experience that’s more captivating and engaging than any light-gun game I’ve ever played before. [The story] mirrors Dead Space‘s thoughtful dialogue, characterizations and pacing which is a good thing all around.”
• GameDaily (80/100): “Although we questioned EA’s decision to do this, as well as bring Dead Space to the family centric Wii, everything clicks and the game’s surprisingly enjoyable. Instead of conjuring up a cheesy narrative (as seen in other shooters like Ghost Squad), the developers put a lot of effort into the story and its characters.”
• Eurogamer (80/100): “Gameplay is straightforward, yet it’s a refined familiarity, borrowing numerous elements from the original Dead Space in abundance while wrapping them around the well-worn demands of a typical on-rails shooter … One area that definitely benefits from the on-rails nature of Extraction is the overall pacing. Sometimes you creep along agonisingly, other times it feels like the enemy onslaught is never going to end. There are few occasions where you don’t come away feeling like your scraped through by the skin of your teeth, and even on the game’s lowest ‘Normal’ difficulty, there’s a definite sense of achievement when you get through.”
• Giant Bomb (60/100): “Extraction‘s marketing campaign would like you to think of it as a ‘guided experience’ that whisks you through the dramatic beginnings of the series’ horrible space-monster outbreak, but in blunt terms, Extraction is an on-rails shooter. Blunter still: it’s a light-gun game. These days, that’s not a style of game serious game players usually gravitate toward. But keeping the genre’s inherent restrictions in mind–not to mention the limitations of the Wii hardware — Extraction is really pretty good, for what it is.”

Metarview: Dead Space: Extraction (Wii) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo has stated it has no plans to release other colors of Wii in the US — including the sleek black Wii launching in Japan on August 1. A Nintendo rep informed GameDaily of the devastating news, which we, of course, will take with a brick of salt. We know Nintendo to be a lie factory about its products, so we’ll wait and see.

Once — if — Wii sales ever drop off, we expect a freakin’ deluge of Wii colors that’ll make a gay Pride parade look like a drab, colorless scene out of Killzone 2.

[Thanks, Ash!]

Nintendo has no plans for black Wii in US originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Pachter, analyst for Wedbush Morgan, isn’t freaking out, and he wants you to know that you shouldn’t be either. He notes, while speaking on the subject of March NPD numbers, that even though the month saw hardware sales numbers drop across the board, that really has more to do with extraordinary sales for all comparable months. Speaking with GameSpot, Pachter said, “It’s entirely possible that we were just up against an impossible comparison … we’re looking at a comparison to Grand Theft Auto IV in April, so it’s likely that April will be down as well,” referring to the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl in March of 2008 and the subsequent month’s GTAIV.

What he does find worrisome, however, is declining Wii software sales after a year of strong console sales, reportedly doubling the system’s installed-base. “Given that the installed base of Wii consoles has doubled in the past year, we find it remarkable (and somewhat disconcerting) that Wii software sales were actually down year-over-year in March, dropping by $72 million, or 26 percent.” Pachter doesn’t see the future as grim though, pointing out that this summer’s release of Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort should put some wind back in Nintendo’s sales sails. We’ll just have to wait ’til August NPDs are released to find out!

Source 1 – GameDaily
Source 2 – GameSpot

Pachter calls March Wii console sales ‘somewhat disconcerting’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And though Steinberg’s remarks are filled with marketing speak (that’s the technical term, folks), we can’t help but agree that the company’s 2009 lineup seems a lot more fleshed out three months into the year than its competitors. Maybe next week’s Game Developer’s Conference will change some of that. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Sony’s Steinberg says 2009 lineup is ‘relentless, AAA-quality’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“We’re really excited about it, and we think it’s going to be a huge opportunity to tap into the talent base in Montreal while supplementing our existing teams in Edmonton and Austin, which are doing some great stuff on all the other projects BioWare’s working on,” Muzyka noted, adding that other than Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare has some “super secret projects.” As you might expect, Muzyka and co. are holding their tongues on those announcements for another day.

BioWare opens new studio in Montreal, Mass Effect 2 up first originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, RPGs

When the third DLC scenario for Fallout 3, “Broken Steel,” hits Xbox 360 and PC in March, it will replace the game’s current ending, which doesn’t allow players to keep on exploring the Capitol Wasteland post “end-game.” This is something we’ve known since last November; what we didn’t realize is that PS3 players — already missing out on any DLC action — will continue to be stuck with the current “brick wall” ending.

When asked by MTV Multiplayer if there were plans to patch the PS3 version of Fallout 3 for end-game play, Todd Howard, the game’s executive producer, responded, “Not at this time, no.” Howard has also remarked that Bethesda “really underestimated how many people would want to keep playing [past the ending],” and that Fallout 3 was “probably the last time we’ll do something like that.”

Source – Bethesda Won’t Commit To PS3 Fallout 3 Getting Ability To Play Post-Ending [MTV Multiplayer]
Source – Bethesda Reacts To Three Major Fallout 3 Criticisms [MTV Multiplayer]

Bethesda: No plans to patch Fallout 3′s PS3 ending for end-game play originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs

Hellgate: London will apparently continue on as a free-to-play title according to IP owner HanbitSoft, reports Gamasutra. Namco-Bandai planned to pull the plug on the servers January 31, but HanbitSoft asserts the game will push forward. Forward and upward, allegedly, as the Korean publisher plans to update the game and strengthen community features.

The first patch HanbitSoft plans to release “soon” will combine the game’s two modes, along with balancing game and class issues. Could the title that helped bring down Flagship Studios find an audience in the nurturing arms of the Korean developer?

Hellgate: London staying open as free-to-play originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, RPGs

Square Enix sent word by Moogle mail today that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time should arrive punctually at North American retail on March 24. Echoes allows Wii and DS gamers to play alongside one another with a bit less hassle than the original Crystal Chronicles. Remember all those link cables?

The game will cost $40 on either platform and will allow Wii players to use their Miis, some of which no doubt already look like Final Fantasy creatures.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time clocks in March 24 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

While other companies have laid off employees, Sensory Sweep Studios opted to do the right thing, to make the brave choice and not fire their beloved staff. But, according to the US Department of Labor, the employees have had to make some sacrifices too. Namely, their paychecks.

Shockingly, the unpaid workers, rather than being happy just to have a job, are complaining about the $2 million they’re reportedly owed. The nerve! The government has now filed an injunction to keep titles associated with the unpaid labor from being released, including:

• My English Coach (Ubisoft, for Nintendo)
• Gluco Boy II (Bayer Medical Group, for Nintendo)
• TNA Impact/Wrestling (Midway, for Nintendo DS)
• Drama Queens (Paramount, for Unknown)
• Tale of Desperaux (Atari, formerly Brash, for PS2 and Wii)
• The Bigs (2K for Nintendo)
• Scentient (an in-house game for 360)

So, not only are these workers ungrateful for their employment, they’re keeping us from the sequel to Glucoboy: The Game That Stabs You Until You Bleed. Shameful.

Suit: Sensory Sweep owes employees over $2 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Midway announced today that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe has shipped “approximately” 1.8 million units for Xbox 360 and PS3. Unlike another publisher, Midway is taking the shipped figure as a positive sign for the franchise. Ed Boon, creative director for Mortal Kombat, stated the group is already working on the “next version of Mortal Kombat,” with details forthcoming.

As much as this is positive news for the Mortal Kombat franchise, Death is still knocking on Midway’s door. Can one moderately successful franchise pay for all those executive salaries?

MK vs. DC ships 1.8 million units, next Mortal Kombat on the way originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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