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PSA: Watchmen: The End is Nigh is coming to the PC

by Ben Gilbert { May 22nd 2009 at 9:15PM }

Yesterday, and for seemingly no particular reason, Warner Bros. told GameSpot of its decision to not distribute the second episode of Watchmen: The End is Nigh on PC. Today, when asked for comment, a WB representative told Joystiq, "It is actually coming to PC. What we told GameSpot yesterday, as of yesterday, was what we knew."

Whoops! These things do happen though -- the question now is whether or not the publisher is doing the public a disservice by continuing to release poorly made games based on the classic Warner property. But that's a question you'll have to ask yourself. And maybe Justin.

Gallery: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Watchmen: The End is Nigh Blu-ray to combine game and film

by Andrew Yoon { May 21st 2009 at 3:00PM }

We reported last night that the two episodic Watchmen games were going to be compiled onto a retail disc. However, we've now learned that PS3 owners will be able to get the game in one very awesome Blu-ray hybrid package.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh The Complete Experience is one of the first Blu-ray discs to offer a video game and movie in a single package. (The special edition of Stranglehold on PS3 included a copy of Hard Boiled.) Not only will the package include the Director's Cut of the Watchmen film, it will also include The End is Nigh Parts 1 and 2. The two-disc set will feature exclusive artwork and packaging.

The End is Nigh didn't get the best reviews, but we're encouraged by this news. This is an excellent step for the format to take -- one we hope other publishers will copy in the future. Bundling a game and film for one low price is certainly an attractive offer. Imagine: Batman: Arkham Asylum with HD episodes of the Batman animated series, or the upcoming Transformers game with the first film? There are a lot of possibilities here.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh coming to retail disc

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 21st 2009 at 9:30AM }

Both chapters of downloadable title Watchmen: ~~Please Make it End~~ The End is Nigh will be available on a retail disc around the time the movie makes its way to DVD/Blu-ray on July 21. 1UP confirmed the information with Deadline Games director Søren Lund at the Nordic Game Conference yesterday. A press release with the full details should be made available today.

Reviews for the The End is Nigh weren't exactly glowing (a la blue dongs), but perhaps having the two Nigh episodes together on one disc will reveal the undiscovered brilliance of the simplistic beat-em-up.

Gallery: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Watch the Director's Cut of Watchmen on Blu-ray

by Andrew Yoon { May 13th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Click to see in Blu-ray high-def.

The Watchmen are coming to Blu-ray on July 28th. The only version of the film offered on the Blu-ray disc will be the Director's Cut, which adds 28 minutes to the film's already lengthy run time. In addition to a new 190 minute cut, the Blu-ray version of Watchmen will also include a number of Blu-ray exclusive special features, such as "Maximum Movie Mode" which allows viewers to watch the movie with split-screen on-camera commentary. Two features will also be exclusive to the Blu-ray release: "Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes" and "Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World."

Whether or not you loved or hated the film, we're glad to see Warner Bros. add more exclusive content to its BD releases. For fans of the film, the opportunity to see about half an hour more of Dr. Manhattan in 1080p is sure to be a treat.

Trophies: Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 2

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 23rd 2009 at 3:59PM }

The End is Nigh ... again. Nite Owl and Rorschach return in the next episode of the Watchmen episodic adventure.

View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal

Continued →

Watchmen: The End is Nigh provides more of the same in Part II

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 13th 2009 at 3:26PM }

Poor reviews won't stop the episodic Watchmen game. The End is Nigh: Part II has been rated by the ESRB, and it looks as though the next installment won't stray far from the first. For those that have played the first episode, that's not a good thing.

According to the ratings board, Rorschach and Nite Owl return in the second episode, dashing our hopes of playing as other characters in the Watchmen universe. Once again, Rorschach and Nite Owl will take advantage of rudimentary brawling skills to take down "bikers, gang members, and thugs." The setting of the second episode seems a bit raunchier than the first, with players tracking down "a villain who has molested an actress appearing in a pornography film." Players will then have to enter a strip club that contains caged dancers, peep-show booths and porno playing in the background. Hot stuff?

We're hoping that, in spite of the ESRB rating, the next episode of Watchmen takes its time to come out. Who knows? With a bit more development time, the developers might be able to churn out a more solid product. If not, can they at least drop the price?

Microsoft 'wrestled' with Watchmen XBLA size exception

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 9th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Following the debut of Watchmen: The End is Nigh on Xbox Live Arcade, Ars Technica spoke to Microsoft regarding the game's size. The title clocks in at over 1.2 gigabytes, making it the largest Xbox Live Arcade title to date. Honestly, the size restriction on XBLA -- originally 50MB -- seems to change so much that we're beginning to lose track. Still, even with games regularly hitting the service at over 300MB, 1.2 gigs is pushing it.

So, what pushed Watchmen over the edge? We imagine being tied into the release of the film had something to do with it, not to mention that a refusal by Microsoft would have made the game exclusive to the Playstation 3. Ars Technica reports that Microsoft "wrestled" with the decision to make an exception, but eventually allowed it in order to "ensure the best customer experience and optimize overall gameplay."

If 1.2 gigs is indicative of the overall quality of Watchmen, the next game had better be twice as big.

X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 4th 2009 at 6:00PM }

If you haven't already read Joystiq's review of Watchmen: The End is Nigh, you really should. If you have read it and you still have the masochistic desire to learn more, allow us to direct you to the latest installment of XBLA in Brief. Unfortunately, the game just isn't all that great. Of course, we expect that from licensed games, and we might even be willing to forgive it, but the $20 price tag makes The End is Nigh difficult to recommend. Don't take our word for it, though. Give the video a watch and see what you think.

Download the trial version of Watchmen: The End is Nigh

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Joystiq Review: Watchmen: The End Is Nigh

by Justin McElroy { Mar 4th 2009 at 12:15PM }

Before we get to the review in earnest, I'd like to address the die-hard Watchmen fans, the ones who fall asleep with their nose in the book every night and who are positive that the upcoming film will be incapable of capturing the book's dark yet occasionally cheerful nihilism. Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is everything you fear from an adaptation, and anyone who tells you differently is not and has never been your friend. Run far, far away.

... OK, with those nerdlingers gone, let's talk about Watchmen: TEIN's merits as a game, shall we?

Gallery: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Continued →

Watchmen available now from the European PSN Store

by Jem Alexander { Mar 4th 2009 at 9:30AM }

Checked the PSN Store today? Of course not, why would you? It's Wednesday. Perhaps as a sign that the End truly is nigh, the European PSN Store has updated today (a Wednesday, in case you forgot) with the first episode of Watchmen: The End is Nigh. There's no telling whether this was mistakenly released a day early, or whether it was placed on the Store on purpose. At the time of writing the American Store has had no such update.

If you're not sure about whether to grab the game, you can try out the demo first, though it does weigh in at a pretty hefty 1.2GB. If you enjoy that chunk of gameplay, you can upgrade to the full game for £12.99/€14.99. We're not sure if the offline-only co-op brawler is worth that sort of money (that's four copies of Noby Noby Boy!) but it might do a good job of getting you in the mood for the movie which releases this Friday.

[Thanks, Mads]

Watchmen developer chat on Wednesday

by Jem Alexander { Mar 3rd 2009 at 7:15PM }

Looking forward to some Watchmen later this week? The movie releases in cinemas on Friday but on Thursday the episodic downloadable game, The End Is Nigh, will be made available on the PlayStation Network. Jerry Pritchard will be fielding your questions about the game for an hour on the PlayStation Blog tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11am PST. Not sure what to expect from The End Is Nigh? Check out our hands-on impressions.

Watchmen: Justice is Coming is ... coming to iPhone

by Justin McElroy { Mar 2nd 2009 at 7:02PM }

We're not, as it were, opposed to the newly announced iPhone game (subtitled Justice Is Coming) based on this week's mega release Watchmen. We just, for the life of us, can't figure out what the hell it is. It's supposedly an MMO using Amazon's Cloud technology that lets players create their own character and battle it out for experience. But to our eyes, all of the characters basically look like homeless people fighting against other super-powered hobos. That's obviously a game we would want to play, but would anyone actually make it?

Now, as to what started the hobo wars and what (if anything) will end them, you'll have to wait for the game's March release to find out.

This Wednesday: 'Watchmen: The End Is Nigh' blows up XBLA

by Justin McElroy { Mar 2nd 2009 at 4:00PM }

We'd love to be more excited about this week's release on XBLA, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, but we're having a tough time of it. We're fans of the book and we're sure the movie will be great, but when you combine our lukewarm impressions of the game with the nothing-short-of-indulgent 1600

($19.99) asking price, we're somewhere between mildly curious and totally unenthused.

But if you're the sort that's excited about helping Rorshach and Nite Owl punch and kick a seemingly unending stream of generic thugs, please, don't let us stop you.

Gallery: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Buy Xbox Live product, get two movie tickets to Watchmen free

by Dustin Burg { Mar 2nd 2009 at 11:50AM }

This week, Best Buy is offering a not-to-be-missed deal for anyone interested in seeing the Watchmen flick.

With any Xbox 360 console OR Xbox Live purchase, customers will receive a free Watchmen Movie Pack, the contents of which include two Watchmen movie tickets (up to a $24 value) and access to behind-the-scenes content via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Not too shabby of a deal ... but it gets better.

Both 1600 Microsoft point cards and 1-month Xbox Live subscriptions are included in this offer. So, one could purchase some MS points or simply spend $8 on a 1-month subscription to receive the two free tickets. That's a deal even Rorschach could smile about ... that is if his inkblots could be formed to resemble a grin.

[Via SlickDeals]

Watchmen: The End is Nigh will be $20 on XBLA/PSN/PC

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 27th 2009 at 3:28PM }

Is it just us, or are digital downloads getting progressively more expensive? Just last summer we were reporting on why Jonathan Blow was charging $15 for Braid and now here we are less than a year later reporting what Warner Bros. Interactive told us this afternoon: The XBLA/PSN release of Watchmen: The End is Nigh next week will be dropping for 1600

/$19.99 (respectively). Steam's PC release will also carry the same price tag.

The amount of visual polish that goes into a title as graphically intensive as Watchmen may justify the unusually high price tag. If the similarly priced Penny Arcade Adventures are any indication of where this series is headed, we'll be waiting a few months for a price drop before sinking into this beat-'em-up. Feel free to check out the gallery below and see for yourself why Watchmen: The End is Nigh received its luxury price.