The Android platform is no stranger to emulators, but there aren’t too many apps that possess as much polish as N64oid. It runs at a surprisingly stable framerate and, best of all, you can pair a Wiimote to the device for more precise controls. Check out a video demonstration after the jump!

Continue reading N64oid emulates Nintendo 64 classics on Android smartphones

N64oid emulates Nintendo 64 classics on Android smartphones originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rovio’s continued success with the Angry Birds franchise means we’ll be seeing much more from the Finland-based devs in the coming months — the company says it’s taking a “Disney 2.0″ approach to fleecing its bird-flinging franchise. “Look at how Disney got started. Steamboat Willie created Mickey Mouse, then they added more characters. You can see the same pattern today, but everything is happening much, much faster,” studio lead Mikael Hed explains in a recent Wired UK piece (via Develop), adding, “Other brands used to build recognition over the course of decades. We’ve done it in one year.”

A “collaborative” Facebook version of the game, as well as potential sports and driving spin-offs, are specifically named. Hed says the Facebook version will have “completely new aspects to it that just haven’t been experienced in any other platform,” and that “the pigs will have a more prominent role.” No word is given on when the game will launch on the ‘book.

This is, of course, in addition to the planned XBLA, Wii, and 3DS versions (it’s already out on PSN). There’s also a board game. And merchandise. And … uhh … this terrifying live-action version.

Angry Birds being flung to Facebook originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Longtime game designer and Loot Drop founder Brenda Brathwaite opened with an impassioned refutation of the division of social gamers from other gamers. People told her she was “ruining games” back when she was working on Wizardry, for making an RPG that could be played alone, implying that this attitude was as harmful as the dismissal of social games now. “We stood together,” she said, when games like Mortal Kombat came under attack from government and other groups, and when “hot coffee” came to be known not as a “steaming hot beverage but a steaming pile of shit”. She urged that game fans stand together now “because we love games.” A transcript of Brathwaite’s rant has since been posted on her blog.

Continue reading Social game devs rail against divisiveness, armchair designers, and s*** crayons

Social game devs rail against divisiveness, armchair designers, and s*** crayons originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Halfbrick’s latest iOS project, Machine Gun Jetpack, is probably the most straightforward game I’ve ever played. Barry Steakfries wants a jetpack, and so he takes one — one propelled by machine gun fire, what else? — rocketing from the science lab and dodging obstacles as he escapes.

You tap the screen of your iOS device to hover (holding your finger down to ascend), and you try not to die.

Continue reading Machine Gun Jetpack preview: Run-and-fun

Machine Gun Jetpack preview: Run-and-fun originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been jonesing to see a life-size version of Angry Birds since Neil Patrick Harris teased us with his chicken catapult during the VGAs. Yesterday on Conan, we got our wish — not with real-life poultry, mind you, but with bird-shaped balls and really unstable Ikea furniture.

Continue reading Conan plays life-sized Angry Birds with Ikea furniture

Conan plays life-sized Angry Birds with Ikea furniture originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How long has the successor to PSP been in the works? According to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, “since the beginning of 2008.” The timing coincides with the first rumors about the device, which (correctly) predicted the system’s lack of a UMD drive, touch screen and dual analog support.

Yoshida also explained that Worldwide Studios had been officially involved with NGP game development since then, too, which helps explain the dearth of first-party content for the original PSP beginning in 2008. According to Wikipedia, Sony has released only 16 first-party games for the PSP in the last two years — about the same number of games it had ready for the system’s launch.

While Sony is working on delivering triple-A titles for the NGP launch, Yoshida noted that first-party teams are also working on “short form games” for PlayStation Suite, Sony’s upcoming cross-platform service for NGP and Android. Given the last game we recall Sony ever developing for a non-PlayStation device was Wipeout 64, that’s certainly an historic move.

NGP in development ‘since the beginning of 2008,’ first-party Suite games in the works originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How did you feel about the downloadable Vocaloid content for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker? When encountering an enemy, what tactics do you use? Would you be interested in a Metal Gear game on an Android phone?

Konami is very, very curious about what fans think about its Metal Gear franchise. A “Survey Mission” on the company’s Facebook page lets fans opine about nearly every intricate detail about the series, going all the way back to the MSX era. Who knows? Your votes may end up influencing the future of the franchise! But be warned: this is a very, very long survey.

[Thanks, Kody]

Konami seeking Metal Gear Solid fans for lengthy survey originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Admit it, you like your Xbox Live Avatar. It’s like an action figure version of yourself. But what if you could have a real-life action figure of your Avatar? Wouldn’t that be awesome?

If you want to indulge your more narcissistic tendencies, Microsoft has some new options to “unleash” your Avatar: Decorate your home with you — get a custom wall print to make your Avatar larger than life; or have your Avatar stand proudly next to your GI Joe collection by ordering a miniature figurine; or even have your Avatar etched onto the back of a Zune media player.

Before you unleash, check your wallet. A “jumbo” wall print will set you back $150, while a 16GB Zune with Avatar etching costs $170. In comparison, the $60 asking price for a figurine doesn’t sound so bad.

[Thanks Ben F!]

‘Unleash’ your Xbox Avatar with wall graphics and figures originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Attending PAX East 2011? There’s an app for that. Proxima Labs’ Conventionist, an app designed expressly for staying organized during conventions, has been updated with a guide to PAX East’s panels, exhibitors and pretty much anything you’d need to know about the show.

The app for free for iOS and Android, and has some handy features, such as reminder messages (so you don’t miss panels) and maps (so you know where they’ll be). It sounds pretty indispensable. Might we suggest adding the Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast once you’ve downloaded it?

PAX East guides added to free iOS and Android convention app originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From World of Goo dev Kyle Gabler to Plants vs. Zombies director George Fan (and everything in between), GDC’s “The Failure Workshop” panel was full of thrills. Each of the panel’s developers brought a project that never managed to make our acquaintance, offering a detailed explanation of what went wrong.

Gabler, of 2D Boy, kicked the chair out from under his studio’s robot-based sidescroller Robot and the Cities That Built Him when he and his cohorts finally decided that it simply wasn’t very fun. After months of mock-ups and brainstorming, the game was finally turned into a fairly basic prototype (playable here) that sealed the project’s untimely fate.

Continue reading Totally crazy, totally canceled indie games, and the people who made them

Totally crazy, totally canceled indie games, and the people who made them originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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