Mobile Matters: Why Broken Joysticks Will Soon Review Free-To-Play Games

Things have been a little quiet here at Broken Joysticks, and my level of activity has decreased significantly the last few weeks, at least publicly. We’re working on some really exciting stuff, which we’ll be announcing to readers soon, and one of these initiatives is the forthcoming category of Free to Play games here at Broken Joysticks. Before you run to grab your pitchforks and torches to brand Broken Joysticks as a casual site, hear me out. (more…)

Electronic Arts Kisses Online Passes Goodbye

This could quite possibly be some of the best news I’ve heard in quite a while in regards to Electronic Arts (EA). It’s been known for quite a while that EA’s upcoming game Fuse will not require an Online Pass to play the multiplayer component of the game, but who knew that EA was actually listening to its fan base (for lack of a better word) when we say that Online Passes suck!

According to a recent interview with GamesBeat,  EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg, told them that, “Yes we’re discontinuing Online Pass. None of our new titles will include that feature.”

I think the question remains is how EA will get around this. It’s not a matter of “if”…just “how” and “when”. This could have something to do with the possible success of micro-transactions through games like Mass Effect 3 and Dead Space 3. But, either way it’s good to see that they are doing away with these Online Passes that were “supposed to extend the server life” of games because the them being bought used. Which we all know that didn’t happen as most of the game servers are still taken down pretty much two years after the games have been released – mostly sports titles though.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on EA getting rid of the Online Passes? Perhaps EA is trying to get back on the right track with consumers…?

Disney and EA Announce Multi-Year Star Wars Games Partnership

The House Of Mouse and publishing giant Electronic Arts have agreed to multi-game and multiyear agreement that will put the Star Wars brand in the hands of studios like Visceral, DICE, & Bioware. Of course Bioware is no stranger as they have put out one of the best Star Wars games ever created, in my opinion, Star Wars: The Knights Of The Old Republic. No, I’m not talking about that MMO one either. Unfortunately, I don’t think this means that the impressive and promising Star Wars 1313 game will be resurrected – but one can hope.

Electronic Arts will be handling the ‘core’ Star Wars games, while Disney will focus on the casual games – ranging from phones, tablets, consoles, & PC. Here’s hoping that we will get some quality titles out of this deal. For the official press release, keep reading after the jump. (more…)

Humble Bundle 5 Android Revealed

Six great games for one low price? It’s not a dream or weird subscription but the latest Humble Bundle, available now through March 18^th on their official website.

Humble Bundle 5 with Android includes DRM free versions for PC & Android tablets (as well as Steam Keys) for Beat Hazard Ultra, Dynamite Jack, Solar 2 and Night Sky HD with a minimum donation of $1. If donate more than the average you’ll also unlock access to Dungeon Defenders and Super Hexagon.

So show your support for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play by donating today. The soundtrack to Beat Hazard is worth the price of admission alone!

Edge of Twilight: Athyr Above Coming To iOS Soon

I don’t know if many of you have even heard of Edge Of Twilight, but I’ve been following this series of games for a long time – in fact since about 2009. Yeah, it’s been that long. Well the original game was canceled back in 2009 and the studio went under. Well, through a new partnership a reformed FUZZYEYES studio arose in 2011 and not only has promised to deliver us an Edge Of Twilight game, but several of them across various platforms.

For those unfamiliar with Edge Of Twilight, here is how the FUZZYEYES site describes it:

“The EDGE OF TWILIGHT series is a multiplatform, diverse-genre series of steampunk titles, all taking place in the same world, one in which night and day exist as separate realms. The series will not commit to a set genre, but instead focus on a set world, flushing out the characters, world, and story throughout the series. The first title, which is set for release in late 2012, will carry the name of the series itself, EDGE OF TWILIGHT, and will focus around Lex, a half-breed who can bridge the gap between the realms of darkness and light. This forthcoming title will be an action/adventure game with heavy focus on gameplay, story, and puzzles.”

(more…)

Apple Announces new 128GB iPad

Apple announced today what everyone had been buzzing about yesterday … a new iPad. But wait, before you jump up and down with excitement there is one thing you should know. This isn’t a new iPad. It’s the same iPad you (may already) have. It’s just has more storage space.

The most recent iPads, including the iPad Mini, has a maximum storage capacity of 64GB, so this newly announced model has twice the storage space. This is great if you are running out of space on your current iPad and have about $1000 to drop on a shiny new one. (more…)

Disney Infinity’s Official Announcement Trailer

The thing about pie is when someone has a whole one…everyone else want’s a piece of that pie. Disney is no exception as they have now officially confirmed the rumors that we reported last year that they were readying a “Skylanders Slayer” -Disney Infinityis official and it’s coming this June 2013!  Without further ado, here is the official trailer:

Disney states that there will be two player split-screen multiplayer for Disney Infinity as well as four-player drop-in drop-out online play. All of Disney’s characters will come together inside the game in an area called the ‘Toy Box’. Within the Toy Box players will be able to complete pre-existing quests and you will even be able to create your own (though to what extent is not known yet). Furthermore, everything inside the Toy Box is editable as well – from the buildings to toys.

The Incredibles Playset boasts an open-world where you will be able to fight enemies seen from the movie and be able to create custom buildings. While the Monsters University Playset pits players against a rival school with the ultimate goal of scaring children from the rival school. The Pirates of the Caribbean Playset will let players have battles with other pirate ships and explore uncharted lands by traveling from island to island via your pirate ship.

Disney Infinitywill be available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, WiiU, 3DS PC, and mobile platforms. It will launch with Monsters University, The Incredibles and Pirates of the Caribbean Adventures Sets and around 20 toy figurines. Additional Adventure Sets are expected to arrive sometime later in 2013.

It looks like Skylanders has some competition and who knows…maybe they will push each other into making better games so that everyone wins. Question is, can you afford both Skylanders and Disney Infinity?

Nvidia Announces Their Own Handheld

In surprising news from Nvidia’s CES press conference, the graphics card maker will be releasing a handheld that is not only running on Android, but can also stream PC content right to the devices 720p 5″ display (which is also a touchscreen). Code-named Nvidia Shield  boasts a camshell design that seems to close down with the area above the screen resting on the controllers dual joysticks. The handheld is based on the new Tegra 4 mobile chip and should last for 5-10 hours of battery life. It also features a MicroSD slot, micro USB, and an HDMI output.

The big draw seems to be the PC gaming focus which Nvidia shared would work well with Steam’s Big Picture mode to navigate the store without having to go back to your PC. There is no price point released yet.

Dota 2 On Your ipad? It Could Happen Says Valve Boss

Dota 2, Valve’s upcoming free to play MOBA game has been in closed beta for a while. According to Kotaku we could be enjoying the game on the next generation of tablets if a quote from Gabe Newell is spot on.

Valve tried to get the game running on some current tablets but they weren’t up to the job. Mr.Newell speculates that tablets of the not so distant future will have the horsepower to make Dota 2 run smoothly in the palms of your hands.

“We were working on getting Dota 2 running on some tablets .. That ended up being kind of a disappointment. But the good news is that tablets are getting faster very quickly, so I think we’ll get the kind of performance we want and other game developers want in the near future.”

I wonder what kind of hardware they are testing it on. Perhaps they are using the ipad 4, that is certainly one of the more powerful tablets out there. Then again there is always the quadcore Asus Transformer as well if they are playing with android. We’ll just have to wait and see if this project comes to fruition. Valve is known for playing with various ideas, even if they never pan into commercial products.

Source:Kotaku

Phantasy Star Online 2 Vita Beta Begins In Japan

Phantasy Star Online 2 isn’t even out in North America yet but that hasn’t stopped an entire community of avid players from either figuring out how to sign up the Japanese version or posting on forums about the game. PSO2 will see a release on Sony’s Ps Vita sometime early next year in Japan and right now beta sign ups are available for the portable version.

I’m sure by the time this article is published thousands of English speaking gamers will be flooding the servers with their vitas. In order to sign up for the Japanese Beta you will need a PS Vita with an active Japanese PSN account as well as a SEGA Network ID. There are a limited number of spots (50,000) so HURRY!

Only the PC version has been confirmed for North America and is scheduled to arrive sometime next spring. PSO2 is also heading to mobile android phones in Japan but just like the Vita version it may never see the light of day on our shores. When the Vita version releases next Feb it will be available free of charge, supported by micro transactions, or as part of a retail bundle that includes a ton of extras.

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