Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed once more to Q2 2013]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-delayed-once-more-to-q2-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-delayed-once-more-to-q2-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-delayed-once-more-to-q2-2013/#comments An official blog post from Frictional Games now says that the publisher's Amnesia: The Dark Descent followup, subtitled A Machine for Pigs, is due out not in "early 2013," as last stated, but in "Q2 2013," which means in April of this year or later. That's another slight delay for the title, which was originally scheduled for release back at Halloween last year.

What's the holdup? Frictional says that A Machine for Pigs was originally planned as "a short, experimental game set in the universe of Amnesia," but as developers thechineseroom filled out the project, it became apparent that the "short experiment" was becoming "a fully fledged Amnesia game." So Frictional has made the decision to do it up right, which means another few months of waiting for fans. Frictional also says pricing and availability information is coming soon, so we'll keep an eye out for that.

JoystiqAmnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed once more to Q2 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesiaamnesia-a-machine-for-pigsamnesia-the-dark-descentfrictional-gamespcthechineseroomTue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia sales surpass a million, dev working on new horror game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/10/amnesia-sales-surpass-a-million-dev-working-on-new-horror-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/10/amnesia-sales-surpass-a-million-dev-working-on-new-horror-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/10/amnesia-sales-surpass-a-million-dev-working-on-new-horror-game/#comments Amnesia sales surpass a million, dev working on new horror gameFrictional Games' Amnesia: The Dark Descent has sold over a million copies over the past two years. Breaking the math down, Frictional owner Thomas Grip says sales of 1.4 million is the "optimistic figure," since he doesn't think people purchasing multiple copies should count. The game's inclusion with the Humble Indie Bundle and Potato Sack account for many sales and overlap in his estimate.

"Despite that huge number of sales, what I think is more interesting is how good the monthly sales still are. Not counting any discounts, the monthly full price sales lie at over 10,000 units," wrote Grip. "This is totally insane to me. The figures themselves are far beyond any guesses we would have made two years ago. It is also insane, because this number is actually higher than it was around three months after initial launch. That a game can still be going this good two years after is truly remarkable."

Grip concluded his second annual state of Amnesia post by teasing the company's next project, which he says will be a first-person horror game. Grip is hoping to deliver deeper themes with the next project, saying he was disappointed that Amnesia was a "more like a shallow fright-fest." The new game should be available in 2014, but there's no plans to rush it out.

JoystiqAmnesia sales surpass a million, dev working on new horror game originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentFrictional-GamespcMon, 10 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Steam Summer Sale, Day 8: Alan Wake, Witcher 2, Fallout: New Vegas]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/steam-summer-sale-day-8-alan-wake-witcher-2-fallout-new-veg/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/steam-summer-sale-day-8-alan-wake-witcher-2-fallout-new-veg/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/19/steam-summer-sale-day-8-alan-wake-witcher-2-fallout-new-veg/#comments Steam Summer Sale, Day 8 Alan Wake, Witcher 2, Fallout New VegasValve's onslaught on your wallet continues with yet another day in the Steam Summer Sale. Today's deals include horrifically slashed prices on Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the Alan Wake franchise. RPGs have taken a critical price hit as well, including the Witcher franchise, Fallout: New Vegas and Krater.

Still not satisfied? Dip into even more savings on Plants vs. Zombies, Sniper Elite V2, Gratuitous Tank Battles or yet another Indie Bundle.

Update: If you're looking for Sniper Elite V2, Amazon actually has a better deal and is currently offering a PC download for $15.

JoystiqSteam Summer Sale, Day 8: Alan Wake, Witcher 2, Fallout: New Vegas originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alan-wakeamnesiaamnesia-the-dark-descentfallout-new-vegasgratuitous-tank-battleskratermacpcplants-vs-zombiessniper-elite-v2steamsteam-summer-sale-2012the-witcher-2valveThu, 19 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Potato Sack Reunion Tour kicks off on Steam today]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/the-potato-sack-reunion-tour-kicks-off-on-steam-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/the-potato-sack-reunion-tour-kicks-off-on-steam-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/the-potato-sack-reunion-tour-kicks-off-on-steam-today/#comments The Potato Sack Reunion Tour kicks off on Steam todayLast April, Valve launched a guerrilla marketing effort for Portal 2 and promotion on select indie titles. This week Valve remembers its ARG campaign with the Potato Sack Reunion sale, which knocks half off the price of 13 individual indie titles.

Games include Super Meat Boy, The Ball, Cogs, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and many more. You can either buy each individually for half-off, or grab the whole bundle for $20.

JoystiqThe Potato Sack Reunion Tour kicks off on Steam today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1-2-3-kick-it-drop-that-beat-like-an-ugly-babyAaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAAamnesia-the-dark-descentAudiosurfBeatBit-Trip-Beatcogsdefense-grid-the-awakeningkilling-floormacpcpotato-sackrushsteamsuper-meat-boythe-ballthe-wonderful-end-of-the-worldtoki-torivalveTue, 12 Jun 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Humble Indie Bundle V includes Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers, Amnesia, Bastion (as a bonus)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/31/humble-indie-bundle-v-includes-psychonauts-limbo-superbrothers/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/31/humble-indie-bundle-v-includes-psychonauts-limbo-superbrothers/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/31/humble-indie-bundle-v-includes-psychonauts-limbo-superbrothers/#comments Image
The fifth iteration of the Humble Indie Bundle has gone live, granting donors their choice of Mac, PC or Linux versions of Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, as well as the soundtracks for each game. Anyone that pays above the average price (currently $6.71) will also receive Baston and its soundtrack.

Seeing as the Steam release of Sword & Sworcery EP is still only available on PC, this bundle is currently the only way to buy it for OSX. As per usual, patrons can decide how much of their purchase price goes to the developers, to charity, and as a tip to Humble Bundle folks.

JoystiqHumble Indie Bundle V includes Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers, Amnesia, Bastion (as a bonus) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentbastionCapyDoubleFineFrictional-GameslimbolinuxmacpcPlaydeadpsychonautssuperbrothers-sword-and-sworcery-epsupergiant-gamesThu, 31 May 2012 13:07:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia dev shares secrets of evolving the horror genre]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/amnesia-dev-shares-secrets-of-evolving-the-horror-genre/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/amnesia-dev-shares-secrets-of-evolving-the-horror-genre/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/amnesia-dev-shares-secrets-of-evolving-the-horror-genre/#comments ImageFrictional Games proved it knows how to make a game that would scare the bejeezus out of Beelzebub himself with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but there's always room for improvement. Frictional's Thomas Grip has compiled a list of 10 items that can "take horror games to the next level," and (surprisingly) it doesn't begin with "Everything opposite of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City." It does, however, touch on a few points that could have put the "horror" back into that particular survival-horror title.

Grip suggests "minimal combat," "long build-up" and "doubt" are essential to evolve the horror genre, and we've already seen these aspects work wonderfully in Amnesia. Another aspect Grip notes is "no enemies," which he clarifies as follows: "What I mean is that we need to stop thinking of any creatures that we put into the game as 'enemies.' The word enemy makes us think about war and physical conflict, which is really not the focus in a horror game."

Grip's list seems to focus on different approaches to immersion and connecting to players on an emotional, human level before ensuring they won't be able to sleep properly for a few weeks at least. All 10 points are described in full on Frictional's blog.

Perhaps we'll see a few of these fleshed out in Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, a sequel in development by thechineseroom and overseen by Frictional itself.

JoystiqAmnesia dev shares secrets of evolving the horror genre originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 May 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-a-machine-for-pigsamnesia-the-dark-descentFrictional-GameshorrorpcthechineseroomThomas-GriptipsTue, 01 May 2012 18:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs aims to frighten you, even if you know what to expect]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-aims-to-frighten-you-even-if-you-kn/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-aims-to-frighten-you-even-if-you-kn/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-aims-to-frighten-you-even-if-you-kn/#comments Amnesia proved, among other things, that atmosphere is one of the most important aspects in a horror title, trumping jumpy music, grotesque character designs and top-of-the-line graphics -- but now imagine Amnesia's panicked, clammy tone coming from a game as dark and beautiful as Dear Esther. Pure terror.

This is what Amnesia developer Frictional Games has charged Dear Esther's thechineseroom with accomplishing in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

"The thing is, if we don't frighten people as much as the original, then we've failed," Dan Pinchbeck of thechineseroom told Gamasutra. "But now we have to frighten people that know what to expect. The big design challenge is: How do we protect the things that make Amnesia great, and how do we evolve everything else to make a really fresh experience?"

Pinchbeck wants players to be reminded of the original Amnesia with each shiver of fear, but to be so enthralled by the new, horrific world that it will feel as if "something has burrowed into your head and is just scratching its nails at you. But you're so hooked. Inside, you're peeling away like bodies from a pile and you just can't stop yourself," Pinchbeck said.

Now that sounds like fun.

JoystiqAmnesia: A Machine for Pigs aims to frighten you, even if you know what to expect originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesiaamnesia-a-machine-for-pigsamnesia-the-dark-descentdan-pinchbeckFrictional-GameshorrorpcthechineseroomThu, 29 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia follow-up teased with ARG, more clues]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/amnesia-follow-up-teased-with-arg-more-clues/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/amnesia-follow-up-teased-with-arg-more-clues/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/18/amnesia-follow-up-teased-with-arg-more-clues/#comments Fans have been working around the clock since a new teaser site appeared for Frictional Games' suspected follow-up to the acclaimed indie horror title, Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Not only has the blurred image been revealed as a freaky tunnel entrance, with what looks like a limbless corpse (ew), but fans have tracked down the latest hint, which leads to a tower in Seattle called Smith Tower. Inside that you'll find The Chinese Room, named after the furniture it houses, donated from the Empress of China herself. Speculation suggest the new game may have some connection to China and its history.

Fans have also uncovered an interactive feature on the site, which has since revealed the picture above (called "fragment_ebola.jpg"), and a coded series of letters: "P F C I N C M I O I S G G."

Some guess it to mean "GIF PICS COMING," which would suggest more clues are on the way. Research is being headed up on this forum thread, so have at it. Our contribution? The letters above can also be rearranged into "SICCING OF GIMP." You should probably download everyone's favorite image editor posthaste!

JoystiqAmnesia follow-up teased with ARG, more clues originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alternate-reality-gameamnesiaamnesia-the-dark-descentargfrictional-gamesSat, 18 Feb 2012 04:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Frictional teases a new Amnesia project, possibly set in China]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/frictional-teases-a-new-amnesia-project-possibly-set-in-china/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/frictional-teases-a-new-amnesia-project-possibly-set-in-china/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/10/frictional-teases-a-new-amnesia-project-possibly-set-in-china/#comments Frictional Games, known for the Penumbra series and 2010's fantastically creepy Amnesia: The Dark Descent, is teasing something new. A new website, NextFrictionalGame.com, hosts a blurry image above emblazoned with the Amnesia logo and the cryptic words "Something is emerging." The image also contains a link pointing to a Google map of China. An Amnesia title with a Chinese backdrop? Could be.

The site is indeed registered for Frictional, and the domain information also points to TheDarkSwarm.com -- a possible hint at the new game's title -- which leads to an unplayable browser game and a timer that continuously ticks upward every second. The source code on both sites mention first-person perspective, horror, action adventure and other qualities we've come to associate with Frictional. The Dark Swarm site was registered way back in 2007, and was updated in September of 2011, so it might be unconnected.

Frictional's Thomas Grip told us last year that the studio was working on "an Amnesia-related project." At the time, he said that the project wouldn't focus solely on creating fear, but will hopefully "evoke other, less primitive, emotions as well." If that means it will feature even a few moments without teeth-clenching, panic-stricken fear, we're all for it.

JoystiqFrictional teases a new Amnesia project, possibly set in China originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesiaamnesia-2amnesia-the-dark-descentamnesia-the-dark-swarmFrictional-Gamesmacpcthe-dark-swarmFri, 10 Feb 2012 18:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia dev discusses success; next project won't lose the 'scary atmosphere']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/amnesia-dev-discusses-success-next-project/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/amnesia-dev-discusses-success-next-project/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/amnesia-dev-discusses-success-next-project/#comments Thomas Grip, project manager at Amnesia: The Dark Descent developer Frictional Games, spoke on "Evoking Emotions" earlier this week at GDC Europe, and explained the intricacies of the game that absolutely terrified those who played it. We wanted to discuss his emotions on the success of the game, which has sold over 400,000 copies --- an impressive feat for an indie dev.

"While we were quite confident that we had a game that was better than any of our previous, we had never expected the response we got," Grip told us when we asked if he was surprised by the success. "The press response was very nice -- both in terms of coverage and grading -- but even more fun and surprising was the player response that continues almost a year after. The amount of videos, images, etc. that players have created in response to the game is just amazing, and several orders of magnitude larger than anything we have had. Sales-wise it's, of course, also overwhelming, and I think especially how good it is still selling even a year after."

Continue reading Amnesia dev discusses success; next project won't lose the 'scary atmosphere'

JoystiqAmnesia dev discusses success; next project won't lose the 'scary atmosphere' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesiaamnesia-the-dark-descentFrictional-Gamesgamescom-2011gdce-2011macmicrosoftpcplaystationps3Thomas-GripxboxFri, 19 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia: The Dark Descent scares up 400,000 in sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/amnesia-the-dark-descent-scares-up-400-000-in-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/amnesia-the-dark-descent-scares-up-400-000-in-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/amnesia-the-dark-descent-scares-up-400-000-in-sales/#comments Amnesia: The Dark Descent We're still not sure what drives players to submit themselves to the psychological assault of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Whatever it is, it seems to affect quite a few gamers, as Frictional Games' Thomas Grip revealed at GDC Europe that the survival horror title has sold 400,000 copies.

It's a significantly higher number than last January, when Frictional reported sales were nearing 200,000, which already handily surpassed the company's "dream estimates" of 100,000 copies. In short, that's a lot of dudes screaming like little babies.

JoystiqAmnesia: The Dark Descent scares up 400,000 in sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentFrictional-Gamesgdce-2011macpcsalesMon, 15 Aug 2011 17:47:00 EST<![CDATA[OnLive celebrates Indie-pendence Day with an explosive sale]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/03/onlive-celebrates-indie-pendence-day-with-an-explosive-sale/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/03/onlive-celebrates-indie-pendence-day-with-an-explosive-sale/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/03/onlive-celebrates-indie-pendence-day-with-an-explosive-sale/#comments OnLive is celebrating "Indie-pendence" Day with a massive sale on -- you guessed it -- a random selection of mainstream blockbusters and popular underground games.

The sale includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, Darksiders, Just Cause 2, a pre-order deal on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and of course an inundation of hit indie titles such as Braid, The Maw, Osmos and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. OnLive's "Indie-pendence" Day Sale runs through the completely unrelated day of July 4, so hurry and check out your options after the jump before this thing vanishes like smoke after a firework.

Update: OnLive is sending all PlayPack subscribers a free game of their choice this Tuesday, and as long as you sign up for the monthly unlimited-gaming service before midnight Pacific on July 4, you can snag a free game too. Thanks, Silent Killer01!

Continue reading OnLive celebrates Indie-pendence Day with an explosive sale

JoystiqOnLive celebrates Indie-pendence Day with an explosive sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentBatmanBatman-Arkham-AsylumBraidDarksidersDarksiders-Wrath-of-Wardeus-ex-human-revolutionfireworksIndiependence-Day-SaleJust-Cause-2OnLivepcThe-MawSun, 03 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia marathon (and scare-a-thon) for charity this weekend]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/28/amnesia-marathon-and-scare-a-thon-for-charity-this-weekend/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/28/amnesia-marathon-and-scare-a-thon-for-charity-this-weekend/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/28/amnesia-marathon-and-scare-a-thon-for-charity-this-weekend/#comments Charity's great and all, but we've found that it rarely affords us opportunities to watch people scream and cry in terror. What's up with that? We need to cause suffering as we're easing it. Luckily, a group of gamers is filling that void this weekend, with a charity gaming marathon guaranteed to make you feel good and make the participants feel scared to death.

Vernon Shaw and his brother Tim plan to take turns in an Amnesia: The Dark Descent marathon tomorrow and Sunday -- while the inactive player and a group of volunteers conspire to scare the player "in every way imaginable." It's the perfect weekend for the more sympathetic sadists in our audience!

Proceeds from the marathon will go to Camp Kesem UCSD, which holds annual camp events for children of cancer patients. The event will be livestreamed here.

Continue reading Amnesia marathon (and scare-a-thon) for charity this weekend

JoystiqAmnesia marathon (and scare-a-thon) for charity this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 May 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentcharityfrictional-gamespcscare-to-careSat, 28 May 2011 00:00:00 EST<![CDATA[OnLive giving away Amnesia for free today]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/onlive-giving-away-amnesia-for-free-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/onlive-giving-away-amnesia-for-free-today/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/onlive-giving-away-amnesia-for-free-today/#comments To celebrate the launch of Amnesia: The Dark Descent on OnLive today, the cloud-gaming service is offering a scary good deal until midnight ET tonight: Simply enter "THANKYOU" (all one word) in the "Redeem Promo Code" field in the checkout window and you'll be granted a full PlayPass for the game at no charge. In other words: Free game!

The catch? Actually playing Amensia could end up costing you your sanity.

[Thanks, Barney]

JoystiqOnLive giving away Amnesia for free today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 May 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentfrictional-gamesmaconlivepcTue, 17 May 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia 'Justine' DLC now available to all, soundtrack released]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/amnesia-justine-dlc-now-available-to-all-soundtrack-released/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/amnesia-justine-dlc-now-available-to-all-soundtrack-released/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/17/amnesia-justine-dlc-now-available-to-all-soundtrack-released/#comments The super creepy 'Justine' expansion is now available on all versions of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Originally released as part of Valve's Potato Sack promotion -- and thus only available via Steam -- 'Justine' takes players through several chambers designed to test their mental fortitude. The catch is that failing a test results in someone's grisly death.

The expansion is available via update 1.2, which can be downloaded via the update page on the Frictional Games website. As an added bonus, the update also includes a collection of five short stories written by Amnesia's main writer and illustrated by its concept artist.

Finally, Frictional has released the soundtrack to Amnesia. Those who pre-ordered or purchased Amnesia directly from Frictional can download the soundtrack for free. For everyone else, it's available for purchase from the Frictional store. We're not sure why you would want to listen to Amnesia's psyche-rending soundtrack outside of the game -- perhaps some people just like being on edge all the time.

JoystiqAmnesia 'Justine' DLC now available to all, soundtrack released originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentfrictional-gamesmacpcTue, 17 May 2011 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[THQ places Amnesia: The Dark Descent in a retail box]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/16/amnesia-the-dark-descent-gets-put-in-a-retail-box/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/16/amnesia-the-dark-descent-gets-put-in-a-retail-box/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/16/amnesia-the-dark-descent-gets-put-in-a-retail-box/#comments Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a frightening game. A pants-wettingly frightening game. One of the few nice things about Frictional Games' heretofore downloadable title is that you can at least pretend that it ceases to exist once the computer is turned off. Apparently not satisfied by this state of affairs, THQ's ValuSoft division will be bringing a box-copy version of the game to retail on February 22 for the decidedly not scary price of $20.

The box itself isn't very frightening at all, almost to the point of being amusing. We can only assume this is to lull new players into a false sense of security before installing the game.

Continue reading THQ places Amnesia: The Dark Descent in a retail box

JoystiqTHQ places Amnesia: The Dark Descent in a retail box originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentfrictional-gamespcretailthqvalusoftWed, 16 Feb 2011 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia dev now stable following 'tremendous' sales]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/07/amnesia-dev-now-stable-following-tremendous-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/07/amnesia-dev-now-stable-following-tremendous-sales/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/07/amnesia-dev-now-stable-following-tremendous-sales/#comments Once on the verge of its own dark descent, independent studio Frictional Games reports that relatively strong sales of Amnesia: The Dark Descent have made the company "completely financially stable" for the first time in its four-year history. Frictional now has enough capital to finish its next game "without any problems," thanks to Amnesia closing in on 200,000 copies sold and trouncing pre-release "dream estimates" of 100K units.

The company's newfound stability represents a complete one-eighty from its situation just four months ago, when Amnesia was released to tepid first-week sales. "Even though we are far from complaining," Frictional wrote at the time, "it feels like we do not have the financial security we would like to have, to truly be able to focus on making the best game possible." Funny how a strong Metacritc score, a series of Steam sales and compelling fan PR (like the popular YouTube clip posted after the break) can turn it all around.

"We have been extremely lucky with our media coverage and gotten tons of free PR," Frictional admits, "something that has greatly influenced our sales compared to other titles." While the studio doesn't want to discourage hopeful indie developers, it does consider Amnesia's sales to be atypical in the current digital distribution market on PC. "The market does continue to grow though, and it might not be long before these kinds of numbers are considered perfectly normal."

Of course, Frictional is quick to point out that self-publishing can be the key to success in the digital marketplace, suggesting that "we would not be in the state that we are in now" if Amnesia had been launched through a third-party publisher. "This does not mean that publishers are evil," Frictional adds, "just that one should think carefully before signing up for anything. Releasing a game without any financial backing or help with marketing is quite a struggle, but if you pull it off it is well worth the effort!"'

Having pulled it off, Frictional is now reconsidering a console release of Amnesia, with the "current idea" to contract a third-party developer to do the port. Meanwhile, with no plans to expand its staff, the studio is forging ahead with its new game. "We aim to use the emotions that Amnesia was able to provoke and to focus them in a different direction, which will hopefully give delightfully disturbing results."

Continue reading Amnesia dev now stable following 'tremendous' sales

JoystiqAmnesia dev now stable following 'tremendous' sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentfrictional-gamesmacpcsalessteamFri, 07 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Best of the Rest: James' picks of 2010]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/01/best-of-the-rest-james-picks-of-2010/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/01/best-of-the-rest-james-picks-of-2010/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/01/best-of-the-rest-james-picks-of-2010/#comments Halo: Reach
Was it just me or did Reach seem to have the quietest launch of any $200 million seller in history? Franchise fatigue has definitely set in for Halo, but it didn't stop Bungie from delivering its masterpiece. What this game lacks in variation, it makes up for in refinement of one of the all-time great first-person shooters. Reach may be lagging behind Call of Duty -- both Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 -- in the Xbox Live numbers game, but its campaign is so much more epic. The Covenant are classic video game bad guys, and no one does enemy AI like Bungie. No one.

Continue reading Best of the Rest: James' picks of 2010

JoystiqBest of the Rest: James' picks of 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amnesia-the-dark-descentbest-of-the-rest-2010carcassonneenslaved-odyssey-to-the-westhalo-reachinfinity-bladeiosiphonemacmicrosoftmobileneed-for-speed-hot-pursuitpcplaystationps3psnscott-pilgrim-vs-the-worldxblaxboxSat, 01 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amnesia: The Dark Descent review: In the mouth of madness]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/29/amnesia-the-dark-descent-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/29/amnesia-the-dark-descent-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/29/amnesia-the-dark-descent-review/#comments As children, our parents tell us not to be afraid of the dark. They say this not to provide us with a valuable life lesson, but to keep us quiet, so that they can sleep. What our parents neglect to say is that fear of the dark is, in fact, perfectly reasonable, because there are things in the dark. Things that want to kill and eat us. Granted, you won't find many such creatures in suburbia but, from a purely evolutionary standpoint, a healthy fear of the dark has helped humanity survive.

Most of us have forgotten what it's like to tremble in the dark, praying for the obscene, hungry beast to go away before your mind breaks. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is our reminder.

Gallery: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Continue reading Amnesia: The Dark Descent review: In the mouth of madness

JoystiqAmnesia: The Dark Descent review: In the mouth of madness originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Amnesia-The-Dark-DescentmacpcFri, 29 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST