Activision CEO optimistic despite Call of Duty pre-order dip
Though numerous analysts believe that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will continue the franchise’s trend of declining sales, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg sees things differently. “We see purchase intent well above last year and we see engagement with the brand in social media channels all being markedly up, so...
‘Accidental’ drownings skyrocket as The Sims 4 adds pools
Making good on its earlierpromises, developer Maxis has added much-requested swimming pools to virtual life sandbox The Sims 4. According to EA, the build options for pools have been greatly expanded, allowing players to build pools not just in the backyard, but also on the second and third floors of...
Far Cry 4 story trailer features exotic wildlife, explosive combat
Ubisoft catches up on Far Cry 4‘s story with a new trailer released today. Far Cry 4puts players the midst of a civil war in the Himalayas, trapped between the whims of sadistic despot Pagan Min and the native people who struggle for freedom. If that’s not enough to grab...
Philosophy, puzzles and Tetris in The Talos Principle next month
First-person puzzler The Talos Principle is coming to Steam on December 11 for PC, Mac and Linux, with PS4 and Android versions scheduled for the first quarter of next year. You’ll likely recognize Serious Sam makers Croteam as the developer, but compared to its previous fare the studio’s latest effort...
Hold X to watch Conan O’Brien play Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
If your game has a “Hold X to Pay Respects” button and you ask Conan O’Brien to play it – well, you know what’s going to happen. Conan’s vid does have a few early spoilers for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, but it’s worth watching the self-proclaimed Clueless Gamer go...
Alone in the Dark: Illumination trailer sheds light on the series’ new direction
Atari is now accepting Steam pre-orders for Alone in the Dark: Illumination, the latest entry in its long-running survival horror franchise. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Illumination is a Left 4 Dead-like co-op shooter in which a team of up to four players use varied weaponry and character-specific...
Shh: A Bird Story dev speaks up about pre-release silence
A Bird Story is Kan Gao’s follow-up to To the Moon, a quietly emotional and surprisingly deep game about life and love that’s been well-received since its release three years ago. Now, with A Bird Story launching on Friday, Gao is proud of his new game, but he feels the...
Joystiq Deals: NYOP Learn to Code Bundle, Hatoful Boyfriend
Joystiq Deals serves up a collection of informative lectures and easy-to-use programming guides as part of our Name Your Own Price Learn to Code Bundle. You can get access to two courses for as little as $1, or beat the average purchase price for all eight, with a portion of...
Joystiq Streams: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare pays it forward [CANCELED]
After 11 years, Call of Duty has followed an unexpected evolutionary path. The road to Advanced Warfare – which we awarded 4 stars in our review – looks more like the one stretching between entries in ’80s horror franchises. Friday the 13th was about a slasher attacking teenagers and it...
Hearthstone bot-generator site closes down after bans
Blizzard’s recent round of bans in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft have forced the closure of Crawlerbots, a site that provided automated gameplay options to Hearthstone and WoW players. Last week, Blizzard announced that it had banned “several thousand” accounts associated with third-party programs that automate actions in Hearthstone. The accounts...