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Reuters - God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

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We were totally content to simply leave "Lead Tribes designer now working on a new FPS and it also has jetpacks! Commence with the freaking out!" as our whole post. At the last moment, however, we were told that, apparently, people might want more information (though we're not sure what more you'd need). So! Firefall is a "team-based action shooter" featuring "hundreds of players" completing objectives and battling to the death in a "dynamic open world."

The title is free-to-play and relies on an in-game marketplace for profit. We might normally balk at such a monetization system, but we were thoroughly impressed by the game's debut gameplay trailer, not to mention the pedigree behind Firefall. If you're as enticed as we are, you'll be glad to know that Red 5 is accepting applications for the game's beta starting right now.

Continue reading Red 5 Studios reveal Firefall, coming to PC 'near the end of 2011'

Red 5 Studios reveal Firefall, coming to PC 'near the end of 2011' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2K Games hosted a video livestream of its booth shortly after the re-announcement (or is it un-cancellation?) of Duke Nukem Forever, showing off a few fans getting their first shot at the alien-murdering sim. You can check out a couple of over-the-shoulder gameplay clips from this stream posted just after the jump.

And, yes, it is worth noting that this particular demo begins with Duke Nukem relieving himself, an action you apparently execute by pressing Right Trigger. You're going to feel tempted to press Left Trigger, but for the sweet love of God, you have to resist that urge.

Continue reading Duke Nukem Forever footage: Press Right Trigger to urinate

Duke Nukem Forever footage: Press Right Trigger to urinate originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albion has entered its industrial age.

Not that I need the helpful, disembodied voice to tell me that in Fable 3's opening, of course. The change is evident in how the once colorful landscape seems to be covered in soot. It's clear from a single glance at the sorrowful, broken eyes of a townsperson worked to the bone.

"The Fable team hasn't changed very much, it's generally the same people and because that's the case, for us, there's a love there for the world, and there's a love there for the characters," design director Josh Atkins tells me. "We can't afford, emotionally, to be complacent."

It's a little ironic that it was the team's commitment to do right by Fable 3, to not play it safe, that forced them to make Albion such an unfortunate place in which to live.

Continue reading Fable 3 Preview: A Reason to Believe

Fable 3 Preview: A Reason to Believe originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shin'en, developer of the DS shmup Nanostray and its sequel -- and, most recently, WiiWare platformer Jett Rocket -- has begun to tease its next project for Wii's digital platform: FAST Racing League. Only a single piece of promotional art (pictured) has been revealed so far, but this image is worth at least a couple dozen words. Like, for example, the game looks to be a futuristic racer and the ship design bears an uncanny similarity to those of a certain Sony racing franchise.

It's too soon to hope for an F-Zero style racer on Wii (where is the Wii game in that series, anyway?) but at least those of us who like our racing fast and future-focused have something to put on our radar.

Futuristic 'FAST Racing League' due on WiiWare from Jett Rocket dev originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you feel the inexplicable compulsion to map the contours of your grotesque visage on a professional level? MakerBot Industries has come up with a clever device that should let you do so using a gaming peripheral you might already own: The PlayStation Eye.

The MakerScanner (which isn't available for purchase yet, though interested parties can put their names on a mailing list) is designed to let users create a full 3D geometric scan of an object using the PS Eye and a laser line pointer. This results in a data map that can be used to create 3D models or, with the right -- presumably expensive -- equipment, a physical statuette. We think it would be worth the investment to fill our apartment with busts of ourselves. "Oh, this one," we'd tell our visitors, "this one's us in repose."

MakerBot mod turns PlayStation Eye into 3D scanner originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Super Giant Games opened its doors during GDC earlier this year, it revealed it was working on a digital title to be released in 2011. This week, Giant Bomb unveiled that title -- it's called Bastion and should be available for public consumption by next summer.

Supergiant explains Bastion as an "action role-playing game set in a lush imaginative world, in which players must create and fight for civilization's last refuge as a mysterious narrator marks their every move." The "mysterious," somewhat lyrical narrator makes his first appearance in the game's trailer -- which we've dropped after the break. Considering Supergiant's pedigree (ex-EALA Command & Conquer devs) and how beautifully detailed this initial media is, we have high hopes for Bastion.

The game will be playable at PAX Prime this weekend as part of the "PAX 10."

Continue reading Bastion is Super Giant Games' first title, playable at PAX

Bastion is Super Giant Games' first title, playable at PAX originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moving from game development to multidisciplinary writing, Irrational Games' Ken Levine and Shawn Elliott chat with Amazing Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis on the second episode of Irrational Interviews, released this week. Did you know that what became BioShock was heavily seeded by a trip Levine and his wife took to Rockefeller Center? You would've if you'd already listened to the episode! What're you waiting for, dummy?

Direct Download / iTunes Feed / Irrational Interviews RSS Feed

Irrational interviews Marvel's Brian Michael Bendis on writing originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony, here's an idea: just let Kevin Butler control your entire company. Seriously, Sir Howard Stringer is a great guy and all, don't get us wrong -- we've been up plenty of nights bawling our eyes out while he cradled us in his big, burly arms, assuring us that the PS3 would in fact be okay -- but Kevin Butler has proven in his latest ad that he's more than capable for the job.

Just look at the image above and tell us the guy isn't CEO material. Heck, even better: watch the new PlayStation Move ad for yourself past the break and try to tell us it isn't the highlight of your day!

Continue reading Kevin Butler shows us the epic side of PlayStation Move

Kevin Butler shows us the epic side of PlayStation Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday, we reported that Puzzle Quest 2 would make its way to PSP later this year, but we still had questions. Specifically, it was unclear if the game would see a UMD release and whether it'd be as full-featured as the console versions.

Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirmed with Joystiq that the PSP game would only be available as a PSN download -- there will not be a UMD version. "Although we've received great support from D3 and Namco for all previous Puzzle Quest releases, PQ2 PSP is the first Puzzle Quest game that Infinite is doing by itself, without a publisher, so we're not really able to handle a full UMD release at this time," Fawkner told us. He went on to say that "it's important to get a PSP version out there for all the people who enjoyed the original PQ on PSP and wanted the second one."

Fawkner offered further insight into why Infinite would be publishing the PSP version itself (since other versions were published by D3). "The truth is that most publishers really aren't keen to take a risk on PSP these days, which is kind of sad, because it's 'taking risks' that gets great games like Puzzle Quest published in the first place!"

As far as features go, Fawkner confirmed the PSP game would include no multiplayer. To him, it was a decision based on what he thought players would appreciate most. Since the multiplayer in the first Puzzle Quest game on PSP wasn't so popular, the team decided the Elite mode (a tougher version of the single-player experience yielding better rewards for players) would be a better fit.

Puzzle Quest 2 PSP only available via PSN, lacks multiplayer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mega Man Universe teaser trailer hinted at all sorts of cross-game franchise madness when it debuted earlier this year, and this first gameplay trailer does little more than stoke our curiosity all the more. The new teaser begins with an introduction from creator Keiji Inafune, and then launches into the character select screen of this prettied up side-scrolling Mega Man title.

After just a minute of Blue Bomber action, a final tease is revealed -- the character select screen pops up again, only this time it features a Megafied version of Street Fighter's Ryu. "No way!!!" indeed! Head past the break for the full clip, courtesy of 1UP.

Continue reading First Mega Man Universe gameplay footage revealed

First Mega Man Universe gameplay footage revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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