Gadgets and Video Games

Filed under: Mac , PC , Meta (about Joystiq) GDC 2010 is history and, as predicted, there was quite a bit of news from the world’s largest annual gathering of game creators. Let’s review the past week and see what we can find: Exclusive features Supreme Commander 2 review : We give our final verdict to Gas Powered Games’ sci-fi RTS sequel. Boot Disk : Our retro games feature checks out the original version of Serious Sam: The First Encounter . Command and Conquer Canon Retrospective : Ahead of this coming week’s release of C&C4 , we look back at the fictional history of the RTS game series. All You Need To Know : This week, our 411 column gives you the info on R.U.S.E

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The Best of Big Download: March 8-14

[Flickr user Kossy@FINEDAYS ] If you guys like mathematical equations — and, since you’re a regular reader of the Japanese hardware sales feature, we’re guessing you are — then you’re going to love this little ditty we whipped up earlier today: “A blogger flies west across three time zones at 450mph for five hours. Upon his arrival, he covers a week-long gaming convention .

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Japanese hardware sales, March 1 – March 7: Jetlagged edition

EA DICE has been a fairly prolific developer during the current console generation, churning out both a high-profile title based on original IP ( Mirror’s Edge ), as well as ones based on established franchises like Battlefield . EA was searching for a way to capitalize on the downtime between these blockbuster releases — a game which would be relatively quick and painless to create, while still standing up to the quality standards set by their previous releases. Thus, the idea for Battlefield 1943 was born. Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu explained the studio’s unique design philosophy while making the game, which boiled down to “make the game as long as resources last.” They maximized the amount of content they produced under this strategy by settling on the somewhat smaller scope of the game early, and focusing on recreating the Battlefield experience to adhere to that scope

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GDC: EA DICE on building a bite-sized Battlefield

A new company debuting at GDC 2010, Super Giant Games is largely comprised of ex-EA LA members — you know, the guys and gals who made those Command & Conquer games you like so much. The new studio’s project is something for “digital platforms,” destined for a 2011 release.

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Super Giant Games: New studio of former Command & Conquer vets

[ Hardcore Gaming 101 ] You may not remember this, but in the days before Magna Cum Laude , Leisure Suit Larry games were adventure games. And funny. Series creator Al Lowe has revealed what would have been the plot for Leisure Suit Larry 8: Lust in Space , had upheaval at Sierra not prevented it from ever happening. Essentially, Larry is captured by “amazonian warrior women” from a distant planet. They brainwash the perennially behind-the-times loser into believing he’s in a disco paradise.

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Al Lowe reveals the ‘real’ Leisure Suit Larry 8 plot

Does your dead-eyed Home avatar lack a bit of that buccaneering spirit ? LucasArts has a sure-fire way to fix your lack of nautical flair: During its pirate-themed party at GDC , the company announced that Monkey Island costumes (pictured above) would soon make their way to PlayStation Home. Now, we rarely get excited over virtual duds for our virtual manifestations — but Stan’s coat could really add a certain savoir-faire to our terrifying craft .

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Monkey Island Home costumes allow for Dread Pirate Quincy

[I F1 2009; Wii] Having dominated the rally track with DiRT and DiRT 2 , and taken a lap around the street-racing arena with GRiD , Codemasters has announced it’s now tossing its hat into the Formula One ring with F1 2010 . Yeah, we kind of expected some weird capitalization, too. It’ll run on Codemaster’s EGO Game Technology Platform engine, so at least we know it’ll have that in common with its predecessors

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Codemasters hits the track this September with F1 2010 for PC, Xbox 360 & PS3

Click to enlarge It may not have “Tomb Raider” in the title, but Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light — scheduled to launch on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC this summer — will mark the leading lady’s return to a crumbling underworld and its unreasonably hostile caretakers. And while the game’s aesthetics are unmistakably consistent with previous games, its unique format draws inspiration from a wider range of sources, including last year’s polished XBLA hit, Shadow Complex . Like Shadow Complex , the game will launch for $15, offering approximately six hours of two-player co-operative action and puzzle-solving (though your pace may vary).

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Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launching this summer for $15

Ever noticed how you rarely place bullets into the same dude during two consecutive games while playing the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo? There’s a darn good reason for that — according to a recent tweet from EA , over 3.5 million people have downloaded the sneak peek on 360 and PS3. We weren’t sure Ba d Company 2 would gain a ton of traction while sharing an audience with MAG and Modern Warfare 2 , but apparently we were wrong. Maybe there’s a special portion of the market set aside for multiplayer shooters/ preposterous ATV stunt simulators . Over 3.5 million people have downloaded the Bad Company 2 demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST

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Over 3.5 million people have downloaded the Bad Company 2 demo

Filed under: Podcasts Though we’re still talking about MAG , BioShock 2 and a Spoiled Rotten for Mass Effect 2 , we’ve added Heavy Rain and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth to the rotation for your listening pleasure. Also, as you might have already gathered, we’ve got the world exclusive audio trailer for BioShock 3 from our friend Josh. Go suck an egg, Keighley! Thanks and happy birthday to the wonderful Alan Black for his chubby photoshop

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Joystiq Podcast 128 – BioShock 3 edition