Christopher Grant

    ?Christopher Grant is the former Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq.

  • Joystiq Top 10 of 2011: Batman: Arkham City

    This might sound familiar. In 2009, Joystiq awarded Batman: Arkham Asylum its number three spot in that year's top ten list of games and here we are, two years later, giving that game's sequel the same honor. But it's not the same honor. Referencing the failure to launch of Pandemic's open-world Dark Knight movie tie-in game, I identified Rocksteady's success as one primarily of scale: "Instead of building an open-world Gotham City, they built an intimate (and immediately captivating) Arkham Asylum, as full of history and lore as you'd expect the comic book icon to be." Of course, Batman: Arkham City is an open-world game.

  • This is a goodbye post

    Two thousand, two hundred and thirty three days ago, I wrote my first post on Joystiq. Just days before, I was still employed as a carpenter while writing video game reviews for an alternative newsweekly in Philadelphia. My first weekend with the site was marked by the launch of the Xbox 360 and the import of the "next generation" moniker wasn't lost on me. Realizing the scale of the opportunity I had, I started working full-time as a freelancer for what was then a bustling Weblogs, Inc. Six months later, at just $5 a post, I had exhausted my savings and made a plea to become a full-time AOL employee. Option B was to return to carpentry. Finding out I would be hired as Joystiq's first salaried editor easily ranked as one of the greatest moments in my life, and still does. But I'll be leaving Joystiq, effective the end of the month. In my six plus years at the site, I've found myself surrounded by some of the most talented and dedicated writers covering an industry full of talented and creative developers. More scrappy startup than corporate outlet, Joystiq has been defined by the commitment of its team more than any other factor; this team lives at Joystiq, with equal parts wit, enthusiasm, and caffeine. It's been thrilling, humbling, and exhausting; a truly formative experience for me. But like all formative experiences, this one has come to an end. Joystiq has always evolved – the integration of the Fanboy sites (Ultrastiq) or our 2010 redesign (Futurestiq) – and it will move forward under the guidance of a veteran team led by the singularly talented Ludwig Kietzmann replacing me as editor-in-chief. Now it faces another evolutionary phase, marked by my absence, and I'm no less confident in the team's ability to address that challenge. After all, the boss always changes into a different form. I want to thank Joystiq's original editor, Vlad Cole, for offering me the position in the first place. I want to thank the original Weblogs Inc. team including Jason Calacanis, Brad Hill, Barb Dybwad, Brian Alvey, and others, along with the original Engadget team, including Ryan Block, Peter Rojas, and current Editorial Director Josh Fruhlinger. While it might not have seemed like much at the time, these people offered me an opportunity that changed my life with the kind of permanence and indelibility usually reserved for tragedy or parenthood. I couldn't be more thankful. And lastly, I'd like to thank everyone reading this site. Video game media is changing and has been changing for as long as I can remember and there's one simple reason for that: the readers. Weaned on innovation and excellence, video game players are practically bred to be the most critical, passionate, and invested audience imaginable. There is no harsher critic or stronger supporter and that investment will continue to lead to great things. And that's where I'm going. To discover the next generation again, and see what other opportunities are available. You can follow me on Twitter (@chrisgrant) to find out more but, until then, I can promise you the latest, breaking news on what I'm having for lunch.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: PlayStation 3D Display, 3D PlayStation 3 games, Air Flow controller

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day (give or take a day), we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! This is it: Our final holiday giveaway. Christmas is over, and our mountain of home office swag has become a mound ... but there is one box left over that's taking up an impressive amount of real estate. It's Sony's PlayStation 3D Display, a 24" LCD whose ability to simultaneously display gameplay for two separate players sporting 3D glasses is kind of awesome. Just so you get the full 3D experience, we'll be bundling some first-party Sony titles like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Resistance 3, along with the madcap insanity of Saint's Row: The Third. And lest you think we're only concerned with your eyeballs, we want to tell you about the Astro A40 Wireless headphones we're including. But these aren't any Astro headphones, oh no! These headphones include custom Joystiq inserts, as pictured after the break. And to satisfy one more sense, we're throwing in Power A's PS3 Air Flow controller, which will bathe your sweaty mitts in a cool breeze. We're missing taste and smell, we know, but we trust your diet of pizza-blasted Doritos will take care of both of those. %Gallery-138473%

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: 250GB Xbox 360 with Kinect, Forza Motorsport 4, and Wireless Speed Wheel

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! It's Christmas morning and, while we long ago lost the ability to be surprised by a video game console under the tree, that doesn't mean you have to be. So we're plopping this bundle under all of your virtual trees. Alas, thanks to the laws of "physics" there can be only one winner who gets the 250GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle, the Wireless Speed Wheel, and Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 4 to help you put all this gear to good use. Head past the break for details on how to enter. Oh, and Happy Festivus!

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Nintendo 3DS plus eight games (and a ton of Skylanders)

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Here we are, Christmas Eve. To pre-celebrate pre-Christmas, we're giving away a Flame Red Nintendo 3DS along with a pile of 3DS games. Here, let us list them for you: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (plus a gob of figurines!) Cave Story 3D Star Fox 64 (plus ... scarf?) Thor: God of Thunder Pokemon Rumble Blast Tetris Axis Super Mario 3D Land Resident Evil: Mercenaries Not a bad haul, right? All you have to do to be eligible to win this bounty is follow the rules found right past the break.

  • Rochard now available in Mac App Store for just $2.99

    As the first Unity-powered game on PlayStation 3, it should have been obvious that Recoil Games' Rochard would eventually find itself on other platforms supported by the famously cross-platform engine. The PC release followed some two months after the PS3 release, dropping just last month, and now this puzzle-platformer is also available on the Mac App Store. The best part: At just $2.99 (a 70% discount!) it's an effortless recommendation. We've asked Recoil if it plans to bring the Mac release to Steam and we'll let you know what we hear back.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Halo Reach-themed Xbox 360, Halo Anniversary, and Turtle Beach PX5 headset

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! With just a few days left before Christmas, it's time to break out the big, Spartan-sized guns. We've got a 250GB Halo Reach-themed Xbox 360 S but since Halo Reach is sooo 2010, we're complementing it with a copy of this year's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. And if you want to take Anniversary online so you can relive the magic of the Magnum pistol, we're including Turtle Beach's top-of-the-line PX5 wireless headset. To give you a better chance of getting in on this haul, we're leaving entry open for three days; head past the break to learn how to enter.%Gallery-98038%

  • OnLive updated for Xperia Play (meaning: leave the external gamepad at home)

    You may have greeted the news that OnLive was playable on tablets with a certain amount of apprehension. "But how am I supposed to control complicated console games with a touchscreen," you bemoaned. "I know I could use the external gamepad at home but what about when I'm on the go? I'm a busy, important person." We understand your frustration, but the OnLive wizards have concocted a solution, enabling full slide-out gamepad controls for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play or, as you may prefer to call it, the PlayStation Phone. So instead of virtualized buttons, a formula that OnLive knows doesn't work, and instead of carrying your smartphone and the not-so-convenient OnLive controller, you can bust out your gamepad-enabled phone for that console-gaming experience on the go.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Nintendo DS and eleven (11!) games

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! We're nearing the end of our giveaway spree and, in order to keep things interesting, we're gonna step things up a notch. No more one-off games; it's time for game consoles plus games. We're handing over a Cobalt/Black Nintendo DS Lite and ... eleven games. That's eleven, as in one more than ten. That's a lot of games, so lest you think we're handing out a bunch of junk, we wanted to detail what we're offering, so here goes: Aliens Infestation Mario Party DS New Super Mario Bros. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story Super Mario 64 DS Mario Kart DS Mario vs. Donkey Kong Fossil Fighters Champions Professor Layton and the Last Specter + horrible slide puzzle Kirby Mass Attack + plush Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

  • Limbo is in Mac App Store now, damned to Steam in January

    Playdead promised you a Mac OS release of its charming (but grim!) indie platformer, Limbo, by "the end of the year," and while we're not quite ready to call it a Christmas miracle the Danish developer has delivered on its promise. Limbo is live in the Mac App Store today, with a $9.99 sticker price accompanying the 83 MB download. Waiting for the Steam release, so you can take advantage of the cross-platform SteamPlay feature? Playdead's Dino Patti tells Joystiq that Limbo will be available on Steam on January 13th, a little over three weeks from today. But if that's too long to wait and/or you don't want to drop cheddar on the Mac App Store release, we think we've got a solution: Patti gave us a handful of codes to share with you all, which we'll be dropping onto Facebook and Twitter sometime today.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: uDraw tablet, games, Sony digital photo frame, and Meon

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! While uDraw may not have fared so well on Xbox 360 and PS3, we imagine you won't say no to a free game tablet and two games, uDraw Pictionary (Ultimate Edition!) and uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat. Still not interested? Let's sweeten the pot with a Sony digital photo frame, which THQ sent to promote the uDraw tablet. Still not convinced? We're not sure what a Meon Interactive Animation Studio is, but we've got one of those in the office as well and it's not doing us any good. Win the entire pile simply by leaving a comment. Rules after the break!

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition and Munitio headphones

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It's the biggest game of the year but something tells us that at least one of you still hasn't picked it up. And for that person, we've got the Hardened Edition on Xbox 360 along with a pair of MW3-themed Munitio headphones which, while they won't work with your console at all, will illustrate your brand allegiance to everyone outside your home.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collector's Edition (or: free dragons)

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Seeing as how the latest Elder Scrolls installment is a big game, both in terms of scope – our review called it "the deepest, loveliest world ever created for a single player to explore" – and sales – Bethesda's already shipped 10 million of the damn things – it only makes sense that the Collector's Edition of Skyrim would also be big. And by "big" we mean the box is seriously massive. And we've got two of them. So either we start charging them rent, or we give them away so two of you can deal with it. We're going with the latter option because we like making you happy ... also, we don't want to ask that plastic dragon for rent money. %Gallery-138017%

  • Kojima teases unknown Fox Engine title with ... 'See-thru underwear'?

    With Platinum Games taking the reins on Metal Gear Rising, what's Kojima Productions up to? KojiPro captain Hideo Kojima took to Twitter to tease the above image writing, "'New title' run by 'Fox Engine.'" It features a refreshing change of pace for the veteran game designer; namely, soldiers and tanks. Alright, so you're not impressed with what Fox Engine is showing off. Kojima suspected as much, so he followed up with another tweet. "One of the key features about 'Fox Engine,' here's the transparent technique," Kojima wrote. "See-thru underwear." Now you're tasked with the following dilemma: Do you click past the break to see what he's talking about, or do you simply move on, content in the knowledge that you were the stronger person?

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Battlefield 3 superkit?- the game, controller, vault, wall graphics

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! So you're pumped about Battlefield 3 ... but you don't actually have it yet. We understand there may not be many of you out there, but if you fit that description, we've got the giveaway for you. One lucky winner will get Battlefield 3 on either Xbox 360, PS3 or PC, along with a BF3-themed Razer Onza gamepad for Xbox 360 and a Calibur 11 "vault" for your Xbox 360 Slim. Oh, and some Battlefield 3 wall graphics from Walls360.com. It's enough Battlefield 3 stuff to let your friends know you're serious about the game, and to warn members of the opposite sex that you're not ready for committal. Find rules on entry, and pictures of the swag, after the break.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Rocksmith, Epiphone guitar, and Astro A40 headphones

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Hey, you. Yeah, the nerdy dude (or lady dude) in the back. Do you know how to rock? Yeah, we can do the plastic guitar thing too, but we're talking about with a real axe. While Rocksmith may not have been our exact cup of tea, there's no denying that it actually works: You can control a video game with a plain old guitar. And we're going to prove it to one of you by giving away a copy of the game on Xbox 360, an Epiphone SG G-310 electric guitar, and a pair of wired Astro A40 headphones with the Rocksmith logo. That's everything you'll need to get the lead out. Whatever that means.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Lord of the Rings: War in the North (Collector's Edition)

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Here, on day two of our history-making giveaway, we're unloading two particularly large packages from the ol' home office. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Collector's Edition not only includes a copy of the game (on Xbox 360) and an art book, but it also includes ... a massive quiver. And lucky us, we've got two of them. Find out how you can adopt these needy Collector's Editions just after the break.

  • 12 Days of Joyswag: Batman: Arkham City game, controller, shirt

    Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Starting today and running through Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! To kick things off, we're assembling a Batman: Arkham City prize worthy of three wise men but, instead of going to a bunch of bookworms, it's going to one of you. You'll get a copy of Batman: Arkham City for your Xbox 360, a Power A Batman: Arkham City controller for your hands, and a Batman: Arkham City t-shirt for your curiously unclothed torso. How do you win a prize of this magnitude? Head past the break for the answers to all life's questions.

  • Rhythm Heaven Fever arrives February 13, with a budget price tag

    To be honest, we were worried that Nintendo had decided against bringing the decidedly quirky Rhythm Heaven series to Wii after all. But much like the surprise announcement of a North American release of Xenoblade Chronicles, Nintendo revealed a new name and release window for Rhythm Heaven Fever in the pages of this month's Nintendo Power. And now we know the specific date and price: Come February 13th, make your special Valentine (that's us!) happy with a fresh copy of Rhythm Heaven Fever, reasonably priced at $29.99. That's one way to overcome a perceived niche audience!%Gallery-141690%

  • Circle Pad Pro gloms onto 3DS on Feb. 7, exclusively at GameStop for $20

    You'll be able to get your hands – and specifically your right hand – on the Circle Pad Pro in the US on February 7th, when the peripheral goes on sale exclusively at GameStop for $19.99. That's a full two weeks before the PlayStation Vita reminds portable gamers why a second analog stick is so important. In addition to the obvious second stick, the Circle Pad Pro adds "additional shoulder buttons to give it a feel more akin to traditional console controllers." You'll get to put those shoulder buttons and that second stick to work playing both Resident Evil Revelations – which is much better with the peripheral – and Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater, which is targeted for a loose Q1 2012 release. While both Revelations and the Circle Pad Pro share a February 7th release, they don't appear to share Europe's "special limited edition" bundle offering. That's alright, you're probably waiting for the inevitable redesign with the second stick built-in, right?