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Saints Row 4 marches on in UK charts, A Realm Reborn berths in third

Saints Row 4 maintains its reign in the UK plains for another week, seeing off a number of new releases including Square Enix phoenix (down) A Realm Reborn. The resurrection of MMO Final Fantasy 14 debuts in third, just behind Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

Outside the top ten, Massive Shock: a Grasshopper game is struggling to sell! Games by the Japanese studio are rarely big sellers - Lollipop Chainsaw did ship 700,000 - but there'll surely be disappointment at Killer is Dead charting 28th in its first week. Maybe not as much as there'll be over at Capcom, though: Lost Planet 3 lands two places higher in 26.

Murkier to judge is Rayman Legends in sixth. Topping the first week sales of predecessor Origins by 20 percent is all well and good, but Origins wasn't exactly a commercial hit. It only sold 50,000 copies across its first month in the US, after all. Still, Legends is the second highest new release this week, pipping Madden 25 which touches down in seventh.

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Stiq Figures, August 19 - 25: Favorite convention moments edition

Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter.


So there's this blip on the gaming industry's radar this weekend, PAX Prime 2013, where some people have announced a spiritual successor to Mega Man, others delivered three-dimensional images of two-dimensional objects, and everyone else is generally having fun.

Unfortunately, it seems we have yet to trip into the alternate dimension where Seattle covers the entire globe, so many of us aren't able to join in for the Prime festivities. That's okay, though, because we can just remember our favorite convention events and pretend they're happening right now to make ourselves feel better! For example, the communal wave of euphoria from Zelda fans during the reveal of Twilight Princess was one of my favorite Nintendo E3 moments ever. Gaming conventions are meant to be a celebration of games, and that flooded out cynicism and general snark with a wave of utter excitement.

What are some of your favorite moments from gaming conventions? Were you there, were you watching it via a livestream, or were you young enough to read it from the pages of Nintendo Power? Share them with us in the comments once you check out the recent dip in Japanese hardware sales after the jump!

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XCOM: Enemy Within 'War Machines' trailer

Image The XCOM initiative is up against new, vicious extraterrestrials, but enemies aren't the only ones with aces up their cybernetically enhanced sleeves. Choose between alien psychic powers or heavily armored mecha exoskeletons and get to augmenting your soldiers in this XCOM: Enemy Within trailer. ... Continue Reading

Asylum Jam aims to instill horror without mental health stereotypes

Asylum Jam to involve horror without mental health stereotypes
Asylum Jam, a 48-hour game jam scheduled for October 11, will focus on developing horrifying experiences without contributing to the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Participants are to avoid the implementation of asylums, psych wards, medical professionals and insane patients in their submissions.

Concerning the jam's importance, its site references the World Health Organization's report that one in four people worldwide "will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives." The involved press release states that Asylum Jam is intended to show "that you can still create a great horror experience without using inaccurate stereotypes."

Asylum Jam's website notes Slender: The Eight Pages, Among the Sleep, One Late Night and SCP Containment Breach as positive examples of modern horror. Asylum Jam will use Brett Chalupa's BMO engine and those interested in participating should check back the jam's website for sign-up links "closer to the event."

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Super TIME Force coming 'for sure' in 2013

Super TIME Force from Capybara Games will "for sure" be available to play on your Xbox 360 before the year is out, Capy President Nathan Vella said at PAX Prime. Once Super TIME Force is out in the wild, it will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms for "a period of time." The same timed exclusivity goes for Capy's Xbox One title, Below.

So many vague details regarding time and time windows! If only there were some kind of force... a Super Force of Time, if you will, to help us sort this all out. You can check out the latest trailer for the game right here.

MMO Week in Review: The MMOs and MOBAs of PAX Prime (so far)

Photo by Jasmine Hruschak
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Massively's Justin Olivetti, Patrick Mackey, and Jasmine Hruschak are heroes, folks. They've braved the dangers of con-flu, the lines of rabid fans, and the annoyances of blazingly short demos, all to bring you, the reader, a glimpse of what PAX Prime is all about. It turns out it's mostly about running to appointments, which sort of tarnishes the glamour. But in between all the running, there's WildStar, Guild Wars 2, EverQuest Next, and The Crew. We think you'll agree their sacrifice is worth it, especially since they were the ones making it.

Read on for the complete roundup of Massively's PAX coverage (so far), plus the highlights from the Final Fantasy XIV relaunch and the rest of this week's top stories.

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Star Citizen funding soars to new, $17 million crowdsourced heights

Chris Roberts' Star Citizen, which recently got its first chunk of playable content out to backers, has officially hit the $17 million funding milestone. On a scale of 1 to 10 of "money spent funding a game," we'd say that clocks in at about a 17 million. Because it's 17 million dollars. At this rate, Roberts is going to be able to build a real spaceship, made entirely out of money.

Worried that $17 million isn't enough to build the space sim game you've always dreamed of? You can always add more money to the Star Citizen crowdfunding campaign, which is still going strong. Should the game reach $19 million, backers will also receive a "Jane's Fighting Ships" style manual in PDF form, be able to compete for control over space stations, and the RSI (Roberts Space Industries) Museum will air monthly.

Octopus City Blues is funded, looks totally weird


Now that Ghost in a Bottle's Octopus City Blues has reached its funding goal of $7,000 on Kickstarter, we can focus on the game's non-linear, adventure-oriented premise. Protagonist Kaf Kafkaryan lives in a city built around a giant octopus and discovers a conspiracy theory as he tries to learn more about his surroundings in order to assist the individuals within his dreams. Sounds... mundane.

Octopus City Blues' KickStarter page states that the city's darker secrets will play out in a non-linear story with consequences to choices and "several ways to complete each quest." Gameplay progresses through Kaf's learned abilities, such as a spin dash, interpretive dance and dumpster diving. Kaf will explore more than just the cityscape, however – players will navigate Kaf's dreams, unsettling creatures and all. It also boasts "authentic Octopus City simulation," so please put your authenticity concerns to rest.

Although the pledge goal related to the game's official launch notes a release date of 2013, Ghost In A Bottle has clarified that the finished game is estimated for December 2014. Those that pledge $15 or more will gain access to the game's demo and beta testing forum. Octopus City Blues is planned to launch on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Report: PS4 to support voice commands, recognition with camera

PS4 will have voice recognition through PlayStation Camera
The PlayStation 4 will support "navigational voice commands" and "facial recognition" through the PlayStation Camera, according to YouTube user lex1020's recording of a slide from Sony's presentation at GameStop Expo 2013.

At the GameStop Expo, SCEA's Group Manager of Retail Training and Advocacy Sean Coleman described the camera's ability to "track your body movements in games or even recognize your face for easier system navigation."

A Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson confirmed with Polygon that the PlayStation Camera "allows for voice recognition" and that more details will be shared "in the lead up to the launch of the PlayStation 4."

Seen@PAX Prime: Nintendo 2DS in 3D

Nintendo had a few of its recently announced 2DS systems at one of its play lounges at PAX Prime in Seattle. Naturally, we cradled the system in our hands, then took a few photos of it, one with our Nintendo 3DS. Check out our 3D photo of the 2DS after the break.

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Dragon Age Inquisition includes time-disrupting 'tactical view'

Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature a familiar method for calling out actions for your party, BioWare's Mike Laidlaw and Mark Darrah revealed during a panel at PAX Prime. The game will include a "tactical view" function, which has players shifting seamlessly to a top-down view at any point above a battle, similar to Dragon Age: Origins. With the game frozen in place, players can then issue commands for their companions at will before shifting back to the game's traditional over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective and resuming action.

The in-game action demonstrated during the panel took place in a location called Crestwood, which Darrah said is "bigger than all of Dragon Age 2 put together." The game's delay to fall 2014 allowed the developers to bring multiple playable races back to the series, and it was revealed during the panel that both male and female horned Qunari characters would be among those playable races.

Capcom officially uploads I Am Street Fighter documentary to YouTube



Capcom has made sure-you-can (get it?) watch the 72-minute Street Fighter documentary, I Am Street Fighter: 25 Years of Inspiration, with YouTube's first non-pirated copy uploaded to the Street Fighter YouTube page. The documentary, created by Area 5 and originally released as part of the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector's Set, explores the creation, history and fandom of the Street Fighter series, and features series producer Yoshinori Ono and former Capcom community manager Seth Killian.

If you were sad to miss out on the 25th Anniversary Collector's Set of the game, or just wanted to see why the Street Fighter series has had such a lasting impact on the world of gaming, check it out. Just make sure to grab some popcorn and sit somewhere comfy, because you're gonna be there for awhile.

ID@Xbox program supports all payment models on Xbox One

Independent games will not have to adhere to a set pricing structure on the Xbox One. During an interview with Joystiq at PAX Prime, Microsoft's portfolio director for digital games Chris Charla said the ID@Xbox program, an initiative that will allow independent developers to eventually self-publish on Xbox One, will enable "every business model that any other game on Xbox One has." So ID@Xbox games support free-to-play, micro-transactions and premium pricing.

"On Xbox One, games that come through ID@Xbox are no different than any other game," Charla said. "They have full Gamerscore, full Achievements, can take advantage of SmartGlass, Kinect – if you can do it with an Xbox One game, you can do it with anything that comes through the ID@Xbox program. That's like a fundamental tenet of the program."

The ID@Xbox program, an effort that will allow independent developers to use retail Xbox One consoles as developer kits, was first announced last week. Developers will not be able to self-publish on Xbox One at launch later this year, though Microsoft has said the functionality will be rolled out an unspecified later date.

Takedown heading to XBLA and Steam on September 20

Takedown: Red Sabre will launch on XBLA and PC via Steam on September 20, Creative Director Christian Allen told Joystiq at PAX Prime. The tactical shooter will cost $14.99, and will see an early release for Kickstarter backers.

Takedown developer Serellan received funding on Kickstarter for the game in April 2012, prior to finding a publishing partner in 505 Games in February. Takedown is a squad-based, tactical first-person shooter, billed as a spiritual successor to the original Rainbow Six and SWAT 4. It will feature six-player cooperative and 12-player competitive multiplayer modes, as well as mod support for Steam users looking to create their own battle arenas.

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is moving out


Earlier this week, one of my dearest and best friends moved away. He and his girlfriend - now fiancee - were heading to the eastern edge of the state so they could start up their life together. At the same time, a dear black rabbit by the name of Cole was also packing his life up into boxes. I put on a good face for my friend and waved goodbye without a tear, but once Animal Crossing: New Leaf popped up on the 3DS and my girlfriend and I realized that we simply could not ignore our friend leaving, even by escaping to a fantasy land of talking animals and bug hunts, we began to cry. Sometimes it's the little things that get ya.

This story isn't actually as sad as it seems, as our friend will still visit us, and we regularly keep in touch via this magical techno-beast we call "the Internet." Still, it was a heart-touching moment, brought on by a video game character who had no real emotional tie to us until we mentally linked him to a real-life friend. What are some of the ways you've connected with video games on an emotional level? Let us know after you check out these comics and vote for your favorite after the jump!

Hejibits (Piilow Talk)
Critical Miss (The Grim Truth)
Penny Arcade (Harshstone)
Dorkly (Skylanders vs. Disney Infinity)
ReadySoup (Speed Fun)
Ctrl+Alt+Del (Shelter)

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The Witch and the Hundred Knight marches to western PS3s in 2014

The Witch and the Hundred Knight marches to US, Europe PS3s in 'early 2014'
NIS America will enlist western audiences to carry out an evil witch's bidding early next year, when its PS3 action-RPG The Witch and the Hundred Knight launches in North America and Europe.

Players will guide the Hundred Knight through a contract with Metallia, a witch that is unable to travel beyond the borders of her poisonous swamp. The Hundred Knight is tasked with spreading destruction on her behalf while searching for and destroying pillars that were built to prevent the swamp from spreading.

Players can use up to five different weapons to contribute to extensive combos. Dodging enemy attacks with the Mystical Dodge mechanic will slow down time, allowing players to punish their inaccurate foes with a few extra hits.

The Witch and the Hundred Knight will also retain the Japanese version's audio tracks in addition to its English versions. You can get a glimpse of the game in this gallery of images from the Hundred Knight's Japanese release last year.

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Keiji Inafune's 'The Mighty No. 9' hits Kickstarter


Mega Man mogul Keiji Inafune has launched a Kickstarter to fund the development of his latest game, The Mighty No. 9. The fundraising campaign seeks to raise $900,000 within the next 30 days. If successful, the game will launch for PC sometime in the spring of 2015 via "Steam and DRM-free digital distribution methods." Mac/Linux versions will be produced if the $1.35 million stretch goal is reached. Likewise, Xbox 360, Wii U and PlayStation 3 versions will be developed if the campaign manages to raise $2.5 million.

The game's development team includes Mega Man series alumnus Nayoa Tomita and Manami Matsumae, who served as level designer and composer (respectively) on the original Mega Man, in addition to artist Shinsuke Komaki, whose resume includes character/mecha design work on Mega Man Legends. Mega Man 9/Mega Man 10 developer Inti Creates is also involved, with CEO Takuya Aizu listed as being responsible for "executing on the designs his company and Comcept create together for Mighty No. 9."

The game is a side-scrolling shooter, which concerns a robot named Beck – the ninth in a series of robots called the "Mighty Numbers." The other eight Mighty Numbers have gone rogue due to a virus, and it's up to Beck (and his female robot companion Call) to stop them. Each defeated Mighty Number grants Beck a new power, but Beck also has the ability to transform his limbs into various tools (giant magnets, tank treads, etc) to dispose of enemies and traverse the environment. You know, call us crazy but this sounds kinda familiar.

Hollywood producer Avi Arad talks Uncharted, Mass Effect, Metal Gear films

The Uncharted, Mass Effect, and Metal Gear Solid films are all coming along, albeit slowly, Hollywood producer Avi Arad revealed to Kotaku. Arad has had his hand in many successful comic book adaptations, such as Blade, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Iron Man. Now, he believes that it's time video game adaptations have their turn in the spotlight, and who better to lead that charge than handsome treasure hunter, Nathan Drake?

"I think Uncharted will be very successful," Arad said. "Now, the script has a lot of character [and] I think that has a shot at being the first one [to succeed]." The Uncharted film does not have a projected release date, and is currently listed as "announced" on IMDB.

Arad also said that when he looks at Metal Gear Solid, he sees the story of Cain and Abel. It's pretty obvious Arad meant the remark not to be taken literally, but it does make the Cain and Abel story seem just a bit cooler if you imagine them as cloned super-soldiers with giant, nuclear dinosaur robots. Arad told Kotaku he would be sitting down with Kojima soon to discuss the film and negotiate further details, but its release is likely three or more years away.

Lastly, Arad touched on the Mass Effect film, which is "getting there," though the final release is likely five or six years away. "It's a big idea, that we, humans, are the least developed, the least trusted, it's an interesting mirror image of our world, we are the aliens now," Arad said.

Mighty Switch Force 2 to flip the switch on Wii U, 'estimated' for October

Mighty Switch Force! 2 flips the switch on Wii U in October
Mighty Switch Force 2 will follow its predecessor's example and be ported from the 3DS eShop to the Wii U eShop, WayForward Creative Director Matt Bozon revealed in a tweet last week. Bozon's tweet noted that the game is "estimated to arrive in October."

The original Mighty Switch Force was ported from the 3DS eShop to the Wii U eShop last year as Mighty Switch Force Hyper Drive Edition. The port featured reworked visual assets and Hyper Stages that were not included in the original 3DS version.

Pounding beats and dragons in Crypt of the NecroDancer


I'm all alone in this dark dungeon. I've only got a dagger and I'm on my last heart of health. The thumping beats and pulsating sounds of Danny Baranowsky's energetic soundtrack keep pushing me forward.

From out of the shadows, a dragon emerges. I'm ill-equipped to fell this beast, so I use my freeze spell to stop the enemy. Then I charge in time to the beat and strike.

This is Crypt of the NecroDancer, a charming and wholly original hybrid roguelike/rhythm-based experience from seven-man studio Brace Yourself Games. It's unlike anything I've played before and represents everything that I treasure about the indie games scene.

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What's In A Name

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/31/whats-in-a-name-red-barrels/

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Quotable

'There's a huge portion of our fans that are female gamers. It was less about getting more people and more about appreciating the people we already have.'

— Mark Rubin, Infinity Ward executive producer, on adding female soldiers to multiplayer in Call of Duty: Ghosts.

The Joystiq Podcast

The Joystiq Podcast

Super Joystiq Podcast 063: Nintendo 2DS, Lost Planet 3, TMNT, Splinter Cell Blacklist

Latest episode: Friday, August 30th, 2013

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