StarCraft + LEGO = this video

Considering a LEGO StarCraft video game would require some mind-bending collaboration (or buyout) between WBIE and Activision-Blizzard, we'll just have to experience the fantasy through some stop-motion animation.

Created by Kooberz Studios, the animation uses audio from the original StarCraft over some brick-elated visuals. The four and a half minute clip has everything the RTS series is known for: SCV resource collection, base-building, fog of war and a zerg rush by the Protoss that ends the whole thing before your tea even has time to steep. Check it out after the break.

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Please publish Fractured Soul on DS

This message is for the many Joystiq readers who are also in charge of business development at game publishing companies -- or for those few impulsive, wealthy Joystiq readers eager to start a new business venture at the drop of a hat.

You see, there's this DS game Fractured Soul. It takes the "two worlds on two screens" concept (as seen in titles like Reflection and Chronos Twins) and makes a fast-paced arcade experience out of it, with the player shifting back and forth at high speed in both platforming and shmup levels. Unfortunately, we can't play it, because developer Endgame Studios needs a publisher. N3V Games has already signed on for Australia, so that leaves ... everywhere else in the world.

That's where you come in. Watch the trailer after the break and give it some thought.

ATTENTION PUBLISHERS: Fractured Soul - Action packed dual screen platformer to be spread far and wide!

Grant Davies – Director @ Endgame Studios (Developers):

We always felt we were making a great, fun DS game with an innovative twist... but we never realised how much people would like it until yesterday, when we released our trailer.... 13,500 views in the first 24 hours and a slew of amazing comments. People are loving Fractured Soul! Right from when the DS was first announced, we've wanted to make a game that made full use of both screens. We always felt that gamers would embrace a game that truly fit the DS hardware. Fractured Soul is that game, and from the comments we've received so far, and the flood of interest on YouTube, gamers worldwide agree with us. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCQCg95_2I)

ATTENTION PUBLISHERS! - We are in the final development stages for Fractured Soul and are looking to have the title signed for US and Europe over the coming month. If we have not spoken with you yet and you are interested in this title for either US or Europe, please get in contact with us as we would hate to miss out on your interest towards this fantastic title that is receiving great praise from the gaming community. Help spread this action packed thrill ride far and wide! (pr@n3vgames.com)

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Report: retailer lists 'Hardened,' 'Prestige' editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops

Last year's "Hardened" and "Prestige" editions of Modern Warfare 2 set a precedent -- a precedent apparently being reinforced by similar "limited editions" for Call of Duty: Black Ops, as spotted by IGN. The listing was seen over on Buy.com (it has since been pulled) for "Hardened" and "Prestige" editions of the forthcoming CoD sequel for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, though unfortunately no details are given in the listings.

For its part, Activison told Joystiq "We haven't made any announcements to date," but we would be downright shocked if the two editions don't pop up in a press release in the coming weeks; we're only a few months out from the game's release, after all. As for what we can expect to be packed in with the two versions -- listed at $80 and $150 (just like last year) -- we're not so sure. Perhaps an actual, working ghillie suit to combine with those night vision goggles? We can only dream.

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Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 demo now available on Japanese PSN

Do you want to play some Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 before it comes out later this year? If you're a hardcore enough Naruto fan, you'll want to navigate the Japanese PlayStation Store to find the demo (under New Releases). If your kanji isn't up to snuff, don't worry. PSN Stores has recorded a video of the demo that you can watch after the break.

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Square Enix registers European trademark for 'Gun Loco'

If we were to place a single bet on what we thought Square Enix's recently filed European trademark for "Gun Loco" would end up being, we'd almost certainly be proven wrong within a few months. Instead, we've got three hypotheses, which we've ranked below in order of likelihood. Now all our bases should totally be covered. Gun Loco: A stylish, fast-paced shooting game. Features over-the-top gunplay and comedically bad voice acting.Gun Loco: A psychological thriller about an evil scientist who invents a laser capable of driving ordinary people into irreversible fits of insanity.Gun Loco: An FPS in which the hero locates a gun capable of shooting entire freight trains at enemies. (Please, please, Square Enix -- let it be this one.)

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Valve offering parts of its Mac graphics code to Steamworks devs

Valve has singlehandedly reinvigorated the Mac gaming world by making its Steam content delivery service compatible with the Mac. It has been steadily populating the service with Mac-friendly versions of its mega-popular games; however, apparently that isn't enough. Now Valve is going to help other developers make Mac games, by releasing elements of its graphics code.

Business development director Jason Holtman told GamesIndustry.biz that Valve will release some code to developers signed on with the company's Steamworks infrastructure, in order to expedite the development of Mac games (and thus speed up the population of Steam). "So our Steamworks partners will have access to some of the hard work that we do to get our games up on Mac," Holtman said, "and they'll be able to incorporate that into their games -- and our hope is it gets them there faster."

Holtman also provided clues as to the success of Steam's Mac edition, stating that "we're seeing between a 15 and 20 percent increase in games that have a Mac version on Steam." It turns out that Mac owners will buy games if they're available!

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Respawn Entertainment, Richard Garriott to appear at QuakeCon 2010

The official schedule has been announced for this year's QuakeCon, which is taking place August 12-15 in Dallas, Texas. In addition to the usual id gallery, none other than Jason West and Vince Zampella of the newly formed Respawn Entertainment will be in attendance.

The ousted Infinity Ward heads will sit on a panel the Friday morning of the conference called "Building Blockbusters," talking with Tim Willits and Tom Howard of id and Bethesda about how to make big games (like the "huge summer blockbuster" they're supposedly working on). Todd Alderman, also of Respawn, will sit on a panel the previous day speaking about "The World of Design" with a few other developers.

Elsewhere in the schedule, John Carmack and Richard Garriott will hold court on Thursday evening discussing rockets and space travel, and Friday and Saturday afternoons will bring preview panels for RAGE and Brink. Sounds like an excellent weekend of FPS gaming -- so if you're in Dallas (or plan to be there), the event is free and open to the public.

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Medal of Honor LE tied up with Battlefield 3 beta invite

EA announced today that, in addition to some generally underwhelming digital goodies like early access to shotguns, the Medal of Honor Limited Edition will come with an invitation to the Battlefield 3 beta, being developed by MoH's multiplayer team at DICE. As for when to expect that beta to begin, an EA representative tells Joystiq that the company has "no further details" and that it'll start "within 12 month of Medal of Honor's release."

Check out our multiple previews on Medal of Honor to find out what your Tier 1 self is in for when the game begins its retail assault on October 12.

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Virtual-On Force dashes to Japan in December, collector's edition announced

To love the Virtual-On series -- like really love it -- is to have some fantastically deep pockets. Sega has announced (via Siliconera) that 4-on-4 robot battle fest Virtual-On Force will arrive in Japan on December 22. While a casual player might plunk down the standard ¥6,090 ($70) for the regular edition, the true fan would undoubtedly fork over ¥10,290 ($119) for the collector's edition. The Virtual-On Force "Memorial Box" comes packed with the game, a six-disc soundtrack and Virtual-On Chronicle 15, a booklet that explores the 15-year history behind the bot-blasting series.

Of course, to be that true fan, you would have already pre-ordered your $350 twin-stick controller from Hori. Hmm? You say you haven't ordered the collector's edition or the massive controller? And you call yourself a "fan."

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Metro 2033 'Ranger Pack' DLC coming to Steam and XBLM next week

THQ and 4A Games have announced Metro 2033's minimalistic DLC, the "Ranger Pack," will launch on Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam next Tuesday, August 3. The update will allow players to traverse the game in Ranger Mode, which "dramatically" reduces the amount of ammo you'll stumble upon but increases the damage dealt by players and enemies alike. It also adds a "Ranger Hardcore" mode, which does the same thing, but completely does away with the player's HUD, meaning you'll be able to see all those things that are killing you with unparalleled clarity.

The pack, which also adds new weapons and Achievements to the game, will arrive as a free update for Steam users -- though Xbox 360 players will have to purchase it from the Marketplace for 240 Microsoft Points ($3).

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World of Warcraft currency becomes real-world coins

We can easily wrap our minds around the hobby of coin collection -- after all, coins are pretty awesome, and at the end of the day, you're really just spending money on money, making it a relatively low-cost endeavor. However, DC Direct's recently pressed World of Warcraft-themed currency -- which comes in a set of one bronze, silver and gold coin, each featuring a faction leader and major city from the MMO on both sides -- is a bit beyond our understanding.

According to G4, these three coins were on sale at Comic-Con for $69.99, though their real-life spendability is negligible at best. Heck, even if you wanted to use them to purchase your Artisan Riding skill and mount, you'd have to shell out well over $350,000 in order to do so. Then again, those things ... aren't real. But these coins are! And, as we've said, coins are awesome. We're so conflicted!

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Medal of Honor beta ending tomorrow on PS3 and PC, August 9 on 360

All good things must come to an end, friends, but -- wait a second, is war really a good thing? We guess not. In that case -- hey, great news! The virtual streets of Kabul are about to become a great deal more peaceful, as the Medal of Honor beta is slated to come to an abrupt stop tomorrow on PS3 and PC, and August 9 on Xbox 360.

We know you're sad, but think about all the good you've done, figuring out all the things that were wrong with the game's online multiplayer component before it came out. Think about all the grief you saved your future self -- and, for that matter, our future self! We owe you a great debt of gratitude. Or rather, we will. In the future.

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Source: Best Buy offering $300 FF13, Splinter Cell Conviction Xbox bundles next week

On August 2, Amazon is having a pretty sweet deal on the Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle, but if online retailers aren't your thing, Joystiq has just discovered from a reliable source that a new initiative at brick-and-mortar retailer Best Buy will discount both the Final Fantasy XIII and Splinter Cell: Conviction bundles to $299.99 permanently, starting August 1, and lasting until the retailer runs out of stock. How else did you think the retailer would clear shelf space for the new hotness?

Each bundle comes with the titular game, two wireless controllers, a 250GB HDD and Xbox 360 console. The suggested retail price of each bundle right now is $349.99 (they both initially launched at a $399.99 price point), so this saves consumers a cool $50.

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Rock Band Weekly: Blondie, Decemberists and many more

There will be no track packs in next week's Rock Band DLC update. Instead, eight individual songs will be released, demonstrating a wide array of artists. Several bands will even be making their Rock Band debuts, including The Decemberists and dc Talk.

It's an eclectic group of singles on deck -- check out the full details after the break.

Xbox 360 / Wii / PS3
Available: August 3
Individual tracks:
"Rapture" - Blondie (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99) "Jesus Freak" - dc Talk (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99) "The Perfect Crime #2" - The Decemberists (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99) "I Only Want You" - Eagles of Death Metal (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99)*"Saturday Morning" - Eels (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99)*"Love Addict" - Family Force 5 (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99) "Sturm & Drang" - KMFDM (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99) "Bulletproof" - La Roux (160 MSP / 200 Wii Points / $1.99)**Song also available in LEGO Rock Band Store

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Red 5 Studios standing by to show team-based online shooter at PAX '10

After the fate of its Offset Engine-powered MMO was left in doubt when the Project Offset team at Intel left the building, Red 5 Studios -- founded by former Blizzard crew -- has confirmed plans to show off its debut effort, a team-based online shooter, at PAX Prime in September. We knew that the developer intended to forge ahead with its game using "highly modified" Offset Engine tech; we just didn't know until now what the nature of the title was or when we'd see it.

It would seem that the $15 million Red 5 received from China's The9 (former operator of World of Warcraft in that territory) got the company through a rough patch, and that its game -- intended for a worldwide market -- will finally have its day in the sun. (If the sun even comes out in Seattle, that is.)

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Readers pick best webcomic: Off Track

Yeah, now that we think about it, Princess Zelda in Spirit Tracks wasn't exactly the most flattering portrayal of the titular heiress. In Ocarina of Time, she masqueraded around as this badass ninja, in Twilight Princess, she was a killer with a bow and arrow -- heck, in Wand of Gamelon, you actually get to play as Zelda. As Awkward Zombie points out in last week's Wrapup-winning comic "Off Track," all she can do in the series' second DS outing is follow a dotted line, often into a wall, obstacle or slavering jaws of a hideous beast.

Second and third place went to Digital Unrest's "Incognito" and Penny Arcade's "Planting a Flag," respectively. If you've got a strip you'd like to see in tomorrow's Wrapup, make sure you drop a link in the comments, or send in a tip!

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Richard Garriott wins $28 million in NCsoft suit

Spacefaring game designer Richard Garriott has been awarded $28 million in his lawsuit against former employer NCsoft. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Garriott was seeking $47 million -- a much higher figure than earlier reports -- to cover the losses he incurred after being forced to quickly sell his stock in the company at a low point in the market following his termination. He was apparently in quarantine after his $20 million trip into space when NCsoft dropped the banhammer on him. Garriott's agreement with NCsoft was that he would have 10 years to sell his stock if he were ever fired, and NCsoft argued unsuccessfully that he left the company voluntarily.

Garriott said he was "extremely pleased with the jury's decision" in a statement released to the Statesman. Meanwhile, an NCsoft lawyer confirmed that the company is still "considering all options for next steps in the legal process." It might be best to just move on at this point -- you know, start over with a tabula rasa.

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Splatterhouse producer talks blood, guts and paying homage

Controversy is not new to games, but few tend to attract it as eagerly as the upcoming Splatterhouse remake. Following our E3 preview of the game, we were unsure if Namco Bandai's effort would be little more than fodder for your local news looking to stir up viewers. I chatted with producer Dan Tovar at Comic-Con last week to find out if there's more to Splatterhouse than blood, guts and a sensational headline.

"I was a huge fan of Splatterhouse since as far back as I could remember," Tovar told me. "Played the crap out of all three of the original games back in the '80s and '90s, and so when I came to Namco years ago, they were looking for concepts to get going in the next couple of years. I asked them, 'Are we going to be able to do old properties?' and they said yes. Splatterhouse was on the top of my list, so we just went to work trying to get a concept together, and it just snowballed from there."

The game's gimmick is its gore, and when I told Tovar his game was disgusting, he replied with an appropriate, "Thank you." Namco Bandai's working with the ESRB to "maximize our M" rating, and it sounds like the team is looking forward to a little controversy.

"We anticipate a certain amount of that, but the game is called Splatterhouse. It evokes a very particular expectation, and you can't have Splatterhouse without the amount of wetness and blood that we do." And that means turning up the gore, Tovar explained. "There are definitely some of the splatter kills that we had that we didn't think were brutal enough. You want that impact -- at the con, you see a lot of people when they get into the splatter kills, they're like 'Oooh damn, look at that,' which is what we're targeting."

The splatter kills are gory -- spines are ripped, guts are spilled and there's lots and lots of blood. I asked what Tovar's team decided not to do in the game, and he said they were drawing the line at sex, of all things. "We try to stay away from any kind of sexually-themed stuff." Then again, I told him, Dante's Inferno didn't pay much attention to that line. "Yeah, they got away with it," he replied. "So where is the limit these days? I think games are pushing the limits, and people are ravenous for it. I don't know what that says about us as a society, but there's a market for it."

At the same time, it's difficult to make a hit game out of controversy alone, and Tovar claimed that the development team is also working hard to tune the game's action mechanics in an attempt to appeal to a more general audience.

"Games are pushing the limits, and people are ravenous for it." - Dan Tovar, producer

"That's where the action game elements come in," he explained. "We're not trying to re-invent the wheel, so you can pick it up and play it and it feels very at home if you play a lot of action games."

"We wanted to do a whole 3D action, balls-out, let's do it -- let's do it big and do it right," Tovar added, saying that Namco Bandai had not considered doing a total throwback side-scroller. A secondary game was considered, however, "kind of like Bionic Commando with Rearmed" -- instead, all three of the original games were added as unlockables. Additionally, about "five to ten percent" of the main game will be from a side-scrolling perspective. "Obviously, we have to pay homage to the originals, and we have to make sure that the fans -- because they're a ravenous and voracious bunch that have been keeping it alive long term -- that they're getting what they want."

The Splatterhouse Comic-Con demo was the same bloody mess we saw back at E3, but work continues as the game nears its fall release. We'll soon see if that's enough time for Namco Bandai to build a strong enough skeleton to support all the gory insides.

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Visit scenic Nar Shaddaa in Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Star Wars: The Old Republic website reveals a new world for the MMO: the "smuggler's moon" of Nar Shaddaa, orbiting the Hutt homeworld. It's a huge city full of fugitives and other criminals, and is host to an ongoing war between the Hutt Cartel and the Exchange Syndicate -- you know, the kind of thing that a Jedi pays no attention to because he's too busy bringing down the government of the whole galaxy. It also kind of looks like something out of Phantasy Star Online.

Have you ever noticed how in science fiction, entire planets will just have one defining feature? Like in Star Wars: Hoth is an ice planet, Dagobah is 100% swamp, Coruscant is one enormous city, and this place is a different planetwide city. Based on all the planets we've lived on (pretty much the one), that doesn't seem like how it works. Of course, the Star Wars universe is the one with lightsabers and Wookiee best friends, so there's definitely value to its interpretation of civilization.

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WRUP: Stayin' cool edition

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jul 30th 2010 9:30PM

How does one turn a hot dog into a chili dog? Open a bag of ice on the floor! Speaking of, It's been pretty hot lately (northern hemisphere bias!), but thankfully we haven't noticed it with the embarrassment of riches that's been the summer release schedule. Check out our reviews section if you're looking for the latest. What's everyone playing this weekend? Alexander Sliwinski (@XanderSliwinski): It's Elemental, dear Watson. Think I'm close to finishing off Red Dead Redemption.Andrew Yoon (@scxzor): Once again, another weekend of not playing video games. Who needs them?Ben Gilbert (@BigBossBgilbert): Unlike Griffin, I won't be enjoying Fun. until October, but I will be trying to have regular ol' fun (non-musical fun, if you will) by finishing Crackdown 2 (at this point I may as well) and getting some more time in with the "new" Battlefield: Bad Company 2 maps.Chris Buffa (@ChrisBuffa): If I have time, I'll continue playing Singularity. Otherwise, I will enjoy that awesome game known as the Joystiq Database. Much will be learned, but no achievements will be unlocked.Christopher Grant (@ChrisGrant): Having finished the first Alan Wake expansion "The Signal" I went back to the backlog, picking Darksiders. After 10 or so hours in War's world, I've found it to be a totally competent Zelda clone. If I had any complaints beyond the puerile subject matter, it would be that it's not much more than a Zelda clone.David Hinkle (@DaveHinkle): I'm playing the most exciting game of them all: pack a bunch of boxes and ship them out to San Francisco because oh my god I'm going to live there soon! I've got a +10 to Excitement right now.Griffin McElroy (@griffinmcelroy): This weekend will be a delightful mix of Dragon Quest IX, GTA: Episodes from Liberty City and Fun. That is to say, the band Fun. But I imagine the first two things will be remarkably Fun in their own respects.James Ransom-Wiley: I'm at the final stage in the Madison, WI adventure game, and it looks like I'm gonna get the cheesy ending.JC Fletcher (@jcfletcher): Dragon Quest IX continues indefinitely! Also, I'm going to check out Dive: The Medes Island Secret. I really want to know what that secret is!Justin McElroy (@JustinMcElroy): I'm gonna do my best to finish up Deathspank. Also, lots more Clash of the Titans. No, no, I'm shitting you.Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK): Does this have to be a game? I was actually planning on watching every single Pink Panther cartoon this weekend.Mike Schramm (@MikeSchramm): After a few weeks of trying to put down FFXIII, I've only just made a dent in it, so I think it's time to take a trip to my local House of Video Game Retail and get something new. It would be StarCraft 2, except the PC's on the fritz at the moment.Randy Nelson (@DangerPenguin) I hope to get in a least a little bit of the following: Fastar!, Helsing's Fire and Gravity Hook (they're all for iPhone, and you should play them). I plan to get in a lot of the following: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) I'm in Memphis on a mini-vacay, so I'll be playing "eat the ribs." If I have time, I also carted along Bowser's Inside Story, SingStar, Wii Sports Resort, Demon's Souls and StarCraft 1.

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