Joystiq

Funcom isn't planning on a sequel to Anarchy Online just yet. Speaking with VideoGamer, Game Director Craig Morrison believes a sequel would be "problematic." He notes that AO has been running for eight years and is still making money. We can't blame Funcom for not wanting to mess with a game that's making money.

Morrison explains that Age of Conan and The Secret World are currently the company's two main projects. For now, it looks like Anarchy won't be getting a sequel for ... well, considering MMO development cycles, a good long while.

Konami's Katamari Damacy clone, Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals has just spun itself an easier, more straightforward title: Tornado Outbreak. The game is the first from Loose Cannon Studios, made up of Sucker Punch veterans. While the pedigree of the studio is quite impressive, we found the game rather uninspired at E3, missing the charm that makes Katamari so lovable. Perhaps Tornado Outbreak will blow away our dampened expectations; this trailer reveals new elements (like bosses!) that we didn't have a chance to experience in our previous hands-on.

You'll be able to give Tornado Outbreak a whirl when it launches on Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 this September.

Netflix announced today a partnership with Sony to bring its movie streaming service to ... the Bravia brand of TVs?! Starting this fall, owners of internet-enabled Bravia televisions will be able to -- blah, blah, blah. Seriously, the Bravia! Clearly there's something up here and we're thinking it has more than a little something to do with a concept gamers are well versed in: the timed exclusive.

It's a reasonable explanation, considering we've seen the idea of Netflix alluded to for the Wii and this Bravia thing is about as silly as it gets. When asked for comment, Sony listed several media options it currently provides for the PS3 (full statement after the break), but currently had nothing to announce about Netflix on the console. We're currently awaiting comment from Netflix, but if the company stays the course, it'll be something like: "Netflix is always looking for ways to expand its service, but for now our game platform is the Xbox 360."

[Thanks, Protofunc; Via DigitalTrends]

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When your job is to sit in an office all day, controlling a 15-ton robotic arm, things can get kind of boring. Thankfully, some ingenious operators decided to fool around with the arm at their disposal and managed to implement Wiimote controls. Judging by the YouTube video after the break, taking the thing for a spin with the Wiimote looks like it works quite well, as the gigantic yellow claw pretty much follows the movements of its operator exactly.

If we weren't sure the giant claw cost more money than we could ever hope to see, we'd suggest playing the world's largest crane game, or a bit of Let's See How Far We Can Throw This Minivan.

[Via Make]

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Though we all believed that Modern Warfare 2 had completely dropped the "Call of Duty" moniker, that's not exactly the case, judging by some new box art just posted by Infinity Ward spokesman Robert Bowling on his Twitter account.

We're not sure if this is a new official name for the game, but we'll do our best to find out. In the meanwhile, check out the full box art after the break.

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Nathan Fillion, the second voice actor revealed for Bungie's Halo 3: ODST, recently spoke about his role in the game to MSNBC. Fillion needs no introduction and has many fans the world over (we loved Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, too!), so it's great to see him involved with the game.

Fillion will be taking up the role of Sgt. Buck, a man he describes as "a bit hardened" and "a bit cranky." While Fillion's comments pertaining to his own personal interest in the franchise are nice to hear, the best parts of the interview are the sections where Fillion talks about the game's plot. We now know that his character will have a love interest, one that has come back into his life during the game's mission. Oh, and the gameplay footage is kind of nice, too.

We just hope he gets to say his famous phrase in the game: "I seek to behave according to societal standards." That's the line from that Ladybug show, right guys?

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We weren't fans of the last episode of Brütal Thoughts, Jack Black's bi-weekly video series promoting Brütal Legend. But boy, does this make up for it. Black wields a rather impressive battle axe and uses it to great effect! It's obvious the actor is having a lot of fun with his role; it suits him rather perfectly, no? Just make sure you watch all the way to the end -- things will be broken.

See also:

• Tim Schafer electrocutes Jack Black on video
• Jack Black pumped for 'that Brutal Legend movie'
• Jack Black's latest 'Brutal Thoughts' missing Schafer, humor

The introduction of the iPhone 3GS is huge for a variety of reasons, but most important to gamers is how the new phone improves gaming. And that's why IndustryGamers pinged a few iPhone devs to get their thoughts on the new device, how it'll make their games even better, and whether they should be developing for the larger install base of 3G users or specifically for the improved 3GS model.

The first developer to speak on the matter is EA Mobile, who says it'll actually be developing for both versions. "To take full advantage of the new capabilities of the 3GS, our development teams will create an additional version specifically for it, so that our products will be available and enjoyable no matter which iPhone or iPod touch a consumer has." Trip Hawkins, CEO of Digital Chocolate, thinks otherwise, and says that the new phone's capabilities will make existing products better, making it unnecessary to explicitly develop for the more powerful platform. Paxton LaZar, director of digital content at Sega of America, is more in line with EA Mobile, however, and says Sega will offer products tailored specifically for each phone, although only on select titles. "Sega will continue to develop games for the 3G iPhones and for appropriate games we will also deliver versions with added and/or improved features/content to take full advantage of the extra power afforded by the new 3GS model," LaZar said. LaZar further compared it to games that are offered across multiple platforms, and says this is basically no different.

While we wait for developers to figure out how they're going to tackle the 3G vs 3GS conundrum, we suggest you see for yourself just how much the 3GS brings to the table in this video for Firemint Real Racing. It just might blow you away.

Before teaming up with Sega recently for a new iteration of Aliens vs Predator, UK development house Rebellion made a handful of classic PC titles (yes, we know, including the original Aliens vs Predator). Starting today and continuing over the course of the next few weeks, GOG.com will be offering the company's titles through its site (DRM-free, XP and Vista compatible game, priced to move), starting with Ground Control (Dark Conspiracy expansion included) and Evil Genius. Lords of Magic, Empire Earth, "and more" are in the pipeline for the next few weeks.

To celebrate the release, the fine folks at Good Old Games were nice enough to hand us a few codes -- seven in all, just to keep you on your toes -- for not just the games released today but, well, anything on the site you'd like. That's right, folks, you can use the codes on anything from Rebellion's Evil Genius to Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil to Epic's Unreal Tournament (and everything in between, in case you were wondering). All you have to do is keep your eye on the Joystiq Twitter page over the course of the day to try and win one of them. Hit the break for an exhilarating explanation of how to redeem a code.

Update: All codes have been redeemed! Thanks to everyone who participated and to GOG.com for providing us with the codes.

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It's a rarity, but we'll admit it when it occurs: We might have judged a game too quickly -- specifically, Lego Rock Band. While we assumed it would just be a brickalyzed version of the game we all know, love and are the tiniest bit sick of, a recent interview has us questioning that.

TT Games boss Jonathan Smith told VG247, "The Lego character customizer means that pirates, knights and skeletons can be rock stars too, in amazing new locations. Battle sea-monsters, smash up an entire building, or take a trip into space, all with the power of rock!"

Publishers, if you're curious about how to get our attention, skeleton rock stars destroying buildings with rock power before traveling into space is a great way to start.

It appears that Amazon is slashing and absorbing the extra cost of Prototype, as the action-packed, vertical sandbox gorefest has been reduced by $20 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for today only.

The game was certainly well-received, so nobody is going to spit on you for deciding to take Amazon's offer. Well, inFamous' Cole might spit on you, which would be shocking. But not as shocking as these photos of him and Alex Mercer when they aren't saving/destroying the world!

[Thanks, Lesek]

One of the more profitable items in the late King of Pop's idiosyncratic collection of odds and ends was his ownership of ATV, a music publisher that owned the rights to over 200 songs from the Beatles' repertoire. Years after this acquisition, Jackson agreed to a merger with Sony, forming Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson retained 50 percent of the publishing rights to the Beatles tracks until his recent untimely death -- despite rumors to the contrary, he never sold his stake in the merged company.

Why is this news relevant to you, dear reader? Well, many faux-rockers have been worried that Jackson's passing would affect the final set list for The Beatles: Rock Band. Fortunately, Harmonix recently confirmed to IGN that the game's tracks won't be compromised by MJ's death, or the dispersal of his assets -- including the Sony/ATV stake -- that will take place in the coming weeks. However, we expect that Elephant Man Bone Collector 3 will miss its fall launch window by a sizable margin.

Microsoft's Major Nelson has revealed the full details of this year's "Summer of Arcade" ... and it's going to be mighty expensive if you're interested in the whole kaboodle.

• July 22: TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled 1200 ($15)
• July 29: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 1200 ($15)
• August 5: 'Splosion Man 800 ($10)
• August 12: Trials HD 1200 ($15)
• August 19: Shadow Complex 1200 ($15)

The only difference from this list and the previously announced lineup is the absence of Monkey Island Special Edition, which is scheduled for release next week on July 15.

There's no doubt that Apple's iPhone has put a significant dent into the mobile game landscape, especially for non-future phone game developers and publishers. Such is the case for Glu Mobile, a company that -- while recently inking a deal to develop and distribute Activision titles on mobile devices -- seems to be going through some not so fantastic times. IndustryGamers.com reports that the company's CEO, Greg Ballard, is stepping down after six years on the job, citing the need to generate "positive cash."

"This is a good time to bring in new leadership for the company, as we focus on returning to generating positive cash and begin even greater investment in next-generation mobile platforms," Ballard notes in the company's release. It's not clear at this time who will be taking the reins of the mobile developer, but we're hoping it's not these guys.