Posted by Derek Yu Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:20:00 GMT
Castle Crashers is now on XBLA for 1200 points! Get it while it’s hot! (Congratulations to Tom Fulp, Dan Paladin, and the rest of the Castle Crashers team!)
TIGdb: Entry for Castle Crashers
Posted by Derek Yu Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:19:00 GMT
You know, I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long while! The Uzebox is an open-source homebrew retro game console based on Atmel’s AVR 8-bit general purpose microcontroller. Its creator, “Uze,” has designed the system to be simple, but relatively powerful, so that hobbyists can easily put together their own system. Games can be programmed in C, using free software, and are compiled with the kernel and then flashed directly onto the main chip.
“AVR Megatris,” the Tetris DS clone Uze developed for the system, looks and sounds pretty good! The Uzebox supports 256 simultaneous colors onscreen, a 240×224 (40×28 tiles) screen resolution, a 4-channel sound engine, a MIDI In input port, and 2 NES joystick ports. It also has 4k of RAM and an overclocked speed of ~28.6 MHz.
The source and schematics are both available for download on the Uzebox website, under GPL. This would make a fun, and nerdy, weekend project. I’d love to see people develop games for this thing!
(Source: Brandon, via insert credit)
Posted by Derek Yu Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:08:00 GMT
Dwarf Fortress 0.28.181.40c – miscellaneous bug fixes from the last big update.
The Spirit Engine 2 1.1 – bugs fixed, requested interface features added.
Toribash 3.41 – lots of new additions since the last time we posted about this game, like more options for modding. The latest update added private servers. (Thanks, Tim!)
Transcendence 0.99c – the space-faring roguelike-ish action game is nearing v1.0! Major changes to the Eridani system and the Korolov Shipping Corporation. Also, space stations can explode. (Thanks, McAndrews!)
ADDED: Cortex Command Build 21 – support of multiple screen resolutions (including HD), new audio system, integration of LUA and console. The groundwork has been laid for a full-featured campaign mode, among other things! Go, Data! (Thanks, Valkyrie!)
George Hamilton 1.0 – hasn’t changed a bit, still as perfect as ever.
Posted by Derek Yu Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:58:00 GMT
Don’t ask me why, but I’m kind of fascinated by controversial games right now. The games, the ensuing discussion, and their ultimate “place” in gaming history. If you’re not, however, then apologies in advance.
Artist Douglas Stanley has asked the Leipzig Games Convention to pull his installation, citing “a steady downward spiral in public discussion of the piece” as the reason. Stanley’s work, which lets players fight a futile battle against classic Space Invaders as they attack the Twin Towers, has drawn fire across the board – from Taito, who is considering a lawsuit against Stanley and/or the organizers of the event, to families of 9/11 victims. The controversy was also fueled over speculation that Stanley is French (in actuality he is an American living in France).
It should be noted that, unlike Sigvatr (Muslim Massacre), Stanley has publicly expressed that the game is partly a criticism of America’s war in the Middle East. And Kotaku’s Michael McWhertor, who played the game, reveals that a video loop plays next to the game, featuring “scenes from the films Taxi Driver, Independence Day, Air Force One and Die Hard — all of which are American made films with a xenophobic streak — interspersed with stills of George W. Bush in his flight suit and John Wayne pointing a gun at the screen.” (This makes the controversy over Stanley’s nationality somewhat ironical, I feel.) Also, on the “Game Over” screen the game displays “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS,” for whatever that’s worth.
I understand that depicting the 9/11 terrorist attacks in anything other than complete seriousness is still considered taboo for many Americans, but I’m still surprised that this drew so much outrage. Call me naive.
(Image Source: Kotaku)
Posted by Derek Yu Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:21:00 GMT
I just played Jumper 3 from beginning to end and oh, it was good. If you’re a fan of Matt “YMM” Thorson’s other challenging platform games, like FLaiL, you should enjoy this one immensely. But even the Jumper-challenged should have a go at ‘er – one of Matt’s major goals with J3 was to reduce the inherent frustration of the tough platforming by letting you switch between up to 5 different Ogmos to complete the game (each one has its own unique characteristics and abilities). You can also find coins in each level, which can be spent to skip any areas you find too extreme. It’s a great way of integrating a difficulty system naturally into the game.
By finding the right Ogmo to use for each level, you can get through the main game fairly readily, but completists will want to find every coin and obtain every medal (by beating the ridiculously tough completion times). Ultimately, I think this game was made for them… I can only imagine what kind of hedonistic delights await the players who accomplish this monumental task!
TIGdb: Entry for Jumper 3
Posted by Derek Yu Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:08:00 GMT
TECNO – the Base is a cerebral first-person by Paolo Cosentino, and was released about a year ago. In the game you play Alexia, a worker at the “TECNO BASE” who must escape said base after an experiment turns all the robots inside hostile. Along the way you’ll solve various puzzles and destroy hell of crazy, freaked-out droids.
I have to say, for such an ambitious idea developed by one person (in Blitz 3d, no less), I’m really impressed… and so far I’ve only played through the demo! Though the graphics are fairly dated, they nonetheless look quite pretty – together with the audio they do a more than sufficient job of setting the mood. But what makes the game a diamond in the rough is how well the action and puzzle elements come together and keep the game continually fresh, despite a few missteps.
The demo is pretty linear, so if you get stuck on a puzzle, there’s not much you can do until you can figure it out. And with potentially multiple “puzzle pieces” in your hands at any given moment, sometimes it’s not obvious which lead to follow. There’s one spot in particular that I almost gave up on, and I imagine it’s a sticky point for a lot of players (hit me up in the comments if you can’t find the fourth battery!).
I also would have liked to see more in the way of a narrative. Honestly, had I not read the game’s description on the website I would never have figured out what was going on in the game. Although I do enjoy piecing together a story, I feel like TECNO provides very little in the way of context. A few more clues here and there would have done a lot in the way of establishing the game’s setting.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the demo and am considering a purchase (the full game is $15.99). It’s a clever and well-made title, and there’s a lot of potential in the first part of the game. It’s not on the level of, say, System Shock or Deus Ex, but then again, what is?
TIGdb: Entry for TECNO – the Base
(Thanks, Bad Sector! This one’s for you!)
Posted by Derek Yu Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:39:00 GMT
Guys, I’m very pleased to announce that TIGSource and Flashbang Studios are teaming up, like Batman and Superman-styles, to throw the first-ever TIGJam – a three-day creative pow-wow in the red-hot Arizona desert. Bring your projects to work on in the company of your fellow indie developers, or start new ones! For those of you trying to meet the November 1st IGF deadline, this might be a great time to get some feedback. For everyone else, just be ready to have fun, make friends, and create some cool stuff. Sleep is totally optional.
There is a $50 registration fee, which will help keep the brass monkeys, soda, and snacks flowing during the jam, and will also cover the post-jam celebratory dinner and ensuing party on Sunday. Space is also somewhat limited, so if you’re serious about attending, sign up soon! Head here for online registration, as well as more detailed directions.
We’re hoping this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful tradition. Look out for more info (and possibly some surprises) as the date approaches. Depending on how many people decide to show up, lodging should be free or cheap. We’ll let you know.
Hope to see you there! Let us know what you think!
Posted by Derek Yu Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:41:00 GMT
Run! is a tough one-switch (almost) Flash game by The Friend Society, which is probably best known for the Banana Phone web animation (much to their chagrin). Hold the “A” key to run, let go to stop. Don’t die. There are 5 stages, and 3 difficulty levels, which makes 15 different ways to frustrate yourself silly (in a good way).
(Source: Dracko, via The Gamer’s Quarter forums)
Posted by Derek Yu Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:19:00 GMT
Everyday Shooter, Jonathan Mak’s acclaimed musical shoot ‘em up, is heading to PSP, according to a Sony press release announcing the new PSP-3000. Players can buy an “Entertainment Pack” which includes the new PSP, along with a 4GB Memory Stick and a voucher to download the PSP version of Everyday Shooter from the Playstation Store. The entire bundle is $200.
No word on how much the game will cost alone, or what Jon’s involvement with the port is.
(Thanks, architekt!)
Posted by Derek Yu Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:26:00 GMT
Okay, this is way too much fun – OmniLudiCon is a free browser-based game development tool that lets you make and share one-screen games (or collections of games) with other players. It comes with a 5-game tutorial that shows off some of the possibilities of the engine. There’s a platform game as well as games that emulate Zelda, Pong, and Asteroids.
The editor itself is extremely simple, and basically just lets you mash together various standard game entities. But if ROM CHECK FAIL (TIGdb) taught us anything, it’s that game mash-ups can be frickin’ amazing! Plus, the limitations of the program make it perfect to screw around in – I whipped up the above game in a few minutes and had a great time (it is possible to beat, by the way).
Unfortunately, the collision detection is a little sloppy, so it’s easy to get caught on objects and “teleport” around them. But, as with all games, you can use these glitches to your advantage. In a way, it gives you, as the developer, more possibilities for creating challenges.
Cool idea! I’d love to see more stuff like this.
