May 2012

THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE Announced


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

Perhaps, it was inevitable…. Bethesda has just announced The Elder Scrolls Online. There wasn’t much information about the game in their press releases (the June issue of Game Informer will reveal more). So far all we know is that ZeniMax Online Studios is developing it for PC and Mac. Also, the game director has some ambitious plans for the game.

“We have been working hard to create an online world in which players will be able to experience the epic Elder Scrolls universe with their friends, something fans have long said they wanted,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. “It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developing the last several years. The entire team is committed to creating the best MMO ever made – and one that is worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”

Seems like Mr. Firor plans to shoot for the moon. Will he wind up like Icarus, plunging from the heavens as a result of his hubris? Or, will he be responsible for the best MMO ever made? What are your thoughts?


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EA Admits to Poor Origin Communication


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Matthew Regier

Origin, Electronic Art’s digital distribution platform that has been around for just over a year now has turned to its user base to help get some corners smoothed out. EA, admitting they could have done a better job in “communicating what’s available” is hoping to improve this by asking its 9.3 million registered users for some feedback on the issue.

Despite the $100 million Origin generated in 2011, and which continues to grow with the addition of new publishing partners, they still want to make Origin more user friendly and is confident that it’s user base will be able to express their concerns so that they may be able to make the platform more streamlined.

Continuing The Origin Conversation currently has 900 comments with many users hoping for a more streamline front page, less hassle with accounts and DRM, as well as little requests such as an overlay clock are common requests. EA will be hosting a live Q&A session with product manager Mike Lewis and creative director Robert Kissinger, in which they intend to address as many of these problems as possible. This session will be held on May 8th at 10:00AM PDT.


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Ghost Recon Future Soldier Goes Gold


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Ghost Recon Future Soldier the long in development six entry in the Ghost Recon franchise has gone gold according to Ubisoft. This third person shooter imagines a near-future world where next generation soldiers make use of technologies like active camo, special camouflage that decreases the subjects visibility to the enemy.

Other improvements to the series formula include the substitution  of squad micromanagement with the ability to paint targets and have your squad mates engage them. After nearly 3 years in development eager Tom Clancy fans will be able to get their hands on Future Soldier on May 22nd.

Check out the full press release after the jump.Read More


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THE TESTAMENT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Gets a Release Date


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

Focus Home Interactive has just announced that The Testament of Sherlock Holmes will make its way to the Xbox® 360, PlayStation® 3 and PC sometime in September. The Testament of Sherlock Holmes marks the first console release of Frogwares’ seemingly limitless series of puzzle games staring the the master detective.

This time around Sherlock is the main suspect in a series of crimes. He’s one the lam, unable to prove his innocence (at least initially), and must investigate these crimes using what Focus Home Interactive calls a new “deduction” system. I’ve never played these games, so I don’t know what exactly this deduction system entails. However, I do know that you’ll get to interrogate people (a favorite pastime of mine) and can chose which leads to follow up on and which to ignore.

Since Sherlock was able to take on Cthulhu once, so I doubt Scotland Yard will cause him too much trouble.

You can see new pictures from the game after the jump.

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Warlock: Master of the Arcane Tutorial Video Released


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

Paradox Interactive has just released a video tutorial for Ino-Co‘s upcoming strategy game Warlock: Master of the Arcane. According to Broken Joysticks’ own Eric Bastelak, Warlock is basically Civilization set in the Majesty universe. You can try out Warlock’s recent demo if that sounds appealing to you. In the meantime, we’ve posted the tutorial video below.

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Trine 2 Giveaway


Posted on May 3, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

Yesterday’s Wargame giveaway went off without a hitch, but I found myself wishing that the Cold War had been prevented by the magical merger of NATO and the Warsaw Pact into a common entity. Then the former enemies could work together to solve puzzles in an action platformer that played to their unique strengths. Wait a second…. That sounds like Trine 2!

In light of this realization, we at Broken Joysticks humbly declare that today will henceforth be known as “Trine 2 Thursday.” To commemorate this auspicious occasion we will hide three codes for the game in our articles, twitter account, or our steam group. Read on for a trailer and details on how to activate the game.

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Facebook IPO Could Make Them A Major Player In The Gaming World


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

All eyes are on Facebook’s impending initial public offering, with rumblings of the company’s stock being open to the public in a little as two weeks. The world of business and the world of gaming very rarely collide with positive results, and the few times business stories have appeared on our front page we were writing about massive layoffs or game cancellations. So what makes the upcoming Facebook IPO worthy of being on gamer’s radar?Read More


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Check Out MechWarrior Online’s Long Range Devastator


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

A new mech from Pirhana Game’s upcoming MechWarrior Online has been revealed. The Catapult mech uses long range missiles in order to obliterate its targets. When paired with a spotter the Catapult can devastate opponents who aren’t within visible range. Rounding out the Catapult’s offense package are a series of four laser cannons and freaking JUMP JETS!

MechWarrior online has been under development since 2009 and has seem quite a few delays due to supposed legal troubles with Harmony Gold, the owners of the Robotech franchise. If all goes according to schedule MechWarrior Online will release free of charge on Windows PC sometimes this summer.

Check out the first image of the Catapult after the jump. Read More


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Blizzard Signs Deal for Korean E-Sports


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Andrew Minott

Blizzard Entertainment has signed a deal with KeSPA (Korean e-Sports Association), Ongamenet, and GomTV to facilitate and expand Starcraft II in professional e-sports play in Korea. This is being seen as a triumph for the e-sports community, both in Korea and worldwide, following over two years of debate and misgivings following Blizzard’s announcements regarding Starcraft II‘s lack of LAN capability and their assertion of control over professional competitions for the game.

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Nintendo To Support Digital Downloads


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Matthew Regier

Starting in August Nintendo will begin releasing its first party titles, and possibly allowing third party titles in both physical and digital releases simultaneously. This new digital distribution service is going to affect both the 3DS and the Wii U when it launches later this year.

This new digital distribution service isn’t just going to effect Nintendo’s first party titles either. Today they announced through a statement to IGN, “We are currently preparing a program for third parties, but have nothing specific to announce at this time”.

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Rumor: $99 Xbox 360 Bundle To Be Released Soon


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

A report over at IGN suggests that Microsoft may be preparing to release a brand new Xbox 360 bundle priced at $99. Before you get excited about the prospect of the Xbox 360 now costing just a little more than a new release game you should understand that are a few caveats. This new bundle may very well carry with it limited availability and a monthly subscription fee.Read More


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New Port Royal 3 Trailer Released


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Kalypso Media has released a brand new walkthrough for their upcoming Caribbean trading simulator Port Royal 3.  The six minute long video introduces you to the basics of the Port Royal franchise including the game’s controls, how to send out your trading convoy and of course nautical battles.

Port Royal 3 offers players the ability to pursue life as either a wealthy commodes trader or as a ruthless pirate plundering the stocks of the computer controlled traders around the game’s map. For fans of the economic simulation genre are surely going to eat up Port Royal 3.

Check out the walkthrough trailer after the jump.Read More


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Max Payne 3 | Preview


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Jesse Lord

A couple of weeks ago, I was given an opportunity to head up to New York City to hang out with some friends from Rockstar Games as well as some other website guys that I’ve had a chance to get to know over the years at similar such events.  The purpose of this trip specifically was Max Payne 3.  The event culminated on Saturday evening, where we were taken to a building that on the inside was made to look like an abandoned warehouse in which a gunfight had recently taken place.  There were spent bullet casings littered throughout the venue, which I thought was a very nice touch.  I had some time with the Xbox 360 version first, which you can read about by heading over to this article that I wrote for TeamXbox.  However, here I would like to explain my experience with the PC version as well, so let’s get right to it!

I will start from the onset and let you know that the PCs that we were playing on were basically super-computers.  I suspect that every time I fired a bullet in-game the lights illuminating the Statue of Liberty not far away flickered, ever so slightly.  However, I spoke to one of the Rockstar reps up in the PC loft in the warehouse, and they assured me that this is a game that can scale to differing computers very well.  So fear not on that end of things.  That said, you will notice a trend as I speak about the game here – and that is that the PC version of Max Payne 3 is the definitive version.  Don’t get me wrong – the Xbox 360 version is amazing, and does on that console what few other games have ever even attempted.  But simply put, PC is king for Max Payne 3.  This could partially be because I played Max Payne 1 and 2 on the PC as well, so it’s in my frame of reference for this to naturally be a PC game.  But let’s talk now about some concrete examples of what I mean.

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Wargame: European Escalation Giveaway


Posted on May 2, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

International Workers’ Day may have come and gone, but its spirit still lingers here at Broken Joysticks. I, for one, associate the first of May with massive Soviet military Parades. What a sight it must have been to behold the crimson banners fluttering as T-80 tanks rumbled past. In honor of the “good old days,” we’re giving out copies of Wargame: European Escalation.

In case you didn’t know, Wargame: European Escalation is an alternate history game where the Cold War goes “Hot.” I don’t mean hot in the nuclear holocaust sense. Rather, the forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact battle it out conventionally over a decidedly non irradiated Europe. You can see how to get your hands on a copy (and watch footage from a Soviet May Day Parade)  after the jump.

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Skyrim’s First DLC – Dawnguard – Arrives This Summer


Posted on May 1, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

One of 2011’s finest games, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, will receive its first dose of downloadable content with the release of Dawnguard this summer Bethesda has announced. In a similar fashion to Activision’s Call of Duty DLC the Xbox 360 version of Dawnguard will be a timed exclusive. This means that PC and PS3 players will have to presumably wait a few months before getting their hands on it.

We know little about Dawnguard‘s content at this time. Bethesda’s blog post regarding the expansion contains just a simple teaser image and the promise that more details will be revealed at this year’s E3.Read More


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