Joystiq

Edmund McMillen game collection escapes the basement in August, finds solace on Steam

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST

Before he made a game about a boy with no skin and a fetus with a monocle, Edmund McMillen of Team Meat created a game about a young emo boy and his interplanetary adventures, one about a lonely man traveling through time and another about puking, along with a few others. Eight of these titles will be available on Steam in late August as a bundle called The Basement Collection, for $4.

The Basement Collection will include Time Fcuk, Aether, Spewer, Grey Matter, Meat Boy (flash prototype), Triachnid and a locked, secret title updated with new content, soundtrack, difficulty modes and achievements. Each game will come with bonus content such as development sketches and early prototypes, and The Basement Collection will feature four "very large bonus unlockables that should make fans of my work quite happy," McMillen writes.

The Basement Collection will also come with a free soundtrack with bonus indie remixes. Try out (i.e. "play") all of these titles for free via McMillen's Newgrounds page now, if you can spare a moment for puketastic, interstellar, time-traveling fun.

Edmund McMillen game collection escapes the basement in August, finds solace on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Shifting World' brings world-flipping puzzle platforming to 3DS

JC Fletcher — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST

The Shift browser game series is being ... transferred to another platform. Aksys Games has announced a 3DS game based on the puzzle platformers, called Shifting World. Like the browser originals from Armor Games, Shifting World works by letting you switch between "black" and "white" mode at will, flipping gravity and altering which parts of the level are the floor, and which are the background.

Aksys and developer Fishing Cactus add a literal extra dimension of play by also putting "2D" and "3D" switching in the levels. There's also a "level generator of awesomeness" that makes levels from DataMatrix barcodes -- the same barcodes that appear to be the visual inspiration for the game.

Despite its windowed origins, Shifting World is making a move up to retail. Aksys is planning a 2012 release.

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'Shifting World' brings world-flipping puzzle platforming to 3DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portabliss: Siege Hero (iOS)

Justin McElroy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Siege Hero!

Some of the most important video games have the power to, through their mechanics, illuminate something specific about the human condition. Siege Hero for iOS is just such a game. For this little diversion hangs its hat on a very primal pleasure, perhaps as old as man himself -- the eternal, unreproducible thrill of knocking down some shit that another dude made.

In early 2010, I profiled a game called Crush the Castle, where players used a catapult to launch massive rocks across a screen laying siege to enemy structures. Siege Hero is its spiritual successor, only it has eschewed the two-dimensional, Angry Birds-esque perspective for first person boulder hurling.

Just tap the exact spot on the screen you want the boulder to fly, watch as wood and stone splinter and then wait breathless as you pray you took out the keystone that's going to reduce the place to rubble.

Though physics still play a big part in how and why the castles fall, the first-person shift brings with it a precision that makes Siege Hero feel more like a puzzle game, like a slightly more mean-spirited Boom Blox. When levels begin to task you with finding the exact spot to toss a boulder that will not only bring down the structure but preserve certain people inside, the destructive thrill becomes decidedly cerebral. It's like watching Ozzy Osbourne do a sudoku, only, you know, not depressing.

Gallery: Siege Hero (iOS)

Siege Hero is available from the iOS App Store for .99. We're always looking for new distractions. Want to submit your game for Portabliss consideration? You can reach us at portabliss aat joystiq dawt com.

Portabliss: Siege Hero (iOS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Armor Games

Justin McElroy — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:00:00 EST

Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Armor Games' Daniel McNeely (Founder) and John Cooney (Head of Game Development), who converted a love of medieval Flash games into a full-on gaming hub.

How did Armor Games get started?

DM: Armor Games got started out of the desire to make quality Flash games available to just about anyone. There're so many out there, we wanted to be consistently great.

We initially launched as 'GamesofGondor,' with the intent of focusing on medieval games. I'm a big fan of Tolkien, CS Lewis, Robin Hood, King Arthur and pretty much anything representative of chivalry, so it was a natural choice. Anyway, I quickly found out that the word 'Gondor' was protected by one of Tolkien's law firms, and so I searched for another domain name that would keep it Medieval. I found ArmorGames.com, and went from there. I worked from my bedroom for a year before bringing on my first full-time employee (John Cooney, our game development lead). Being independent and supporting indie game development has always been important to us, so I'm glad we can continue to fund and sponsor Flash games in the long-term.

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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Armor Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 May 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone It In: Crush the Castle

Justin McElroy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:40:00 EST

We talk about a wide variety of iPhone games in this feature, but we're increasingly in support of games like Canabalt which require just a single touch to play. Call us lazy, but one-thumb tapping seems to be the exact amount of interaction we need on our phones, and Crush the Castle, our latest iPhone addiction, delivers on just that.

You play as a sentient trebuchet attacking an increasingly intricate and fortified series of castles filled to the brim with royalty and their servants. With a single touch, you'll start the firing arc, with a second tap to choose the exact moment to release your (increasingly potent) ammunition. The fewer shots it takes you to bring down the castle, the greater the reward, in the form of bronze, silver and gold medals.

Gallery: Crush the Castle (iPhone)

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iPhone It In: Crush the Castle originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Joystiq Free Game Club: Dodge

Justin McElroy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Action

The industry is finally slowing down on the twin-stick shooters, but we've found their successor: One-stick no-shooters. Submitted for the approval of the Joystiq Free Game Club, we present Dodge.

It feels (and sort of looks) like a forgotten gametype from Geometry Wars. You pilot an unarmed ship with only one means of defending itself: Steering enemy bullets into other foes. By circling your enemies you can get a whole train of missiles following you, and direct the whole lot into the opposition's hulls with a single quick maneuver.

By stringing together a bunch of kills you can build your combo meter and earn more points, points that can be exchanged for a refill of your health bar.

We're fans of the basic gameplay here, as well as the fairly derivative sights and sounds. But we think it gets repetitive just a bit earlier than we'd like. What say you about it?

The Joystiq Free Game Club: Dodge originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Joystiq Free Game Club: Warfare 1917

Justin McElroy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features, PC

As you long-time readers know, Joystiq loves the zombie-battling action from The Last Stand and The Last Stand 2. Now, developer Con-Artists has moved on to a new project, Warfare 1917, and though it lacks a horde of brain-hungry degenerates, its take on World War I is no less addictive.

You'll lead either the British or German forces as you try to overcome the steadily approaching opposition. It's both a battle for land and morale as you can win by either moving to the far right of the board or just beating up on your foes until they can't take it any more.

You'll decide which unit types you want to send out when, as well as the best time for them to move from trench to trench. Also at your disposal is a wide array of different big weapons like mortars and artillery, which you can rarely deploy without making sure your forces are far, far away from the target area.

We haven't completeld Warfare 1917, so we can't quite put it on the level with Last Stand yet. But if the early bits we've played are any indication, you might want to free up a couple of hours before deciding to give Warfare a try.

The Joystiq Free Game Club: Warfare 1917 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Joystiq Free Game Club: Aether

Justin McElroy — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:10:00 EST

Filed under: PC

Oh boy, do we ever love Aether, and we bet you're going to as well. Simply put, it's the story of a boy dealing with feelings of alienation as he discovers (with the help of his pet monster) that he is, in fact, not as alone as he once imagined.

As the game begins, you leave your home planet on the back of your beast, which gets through the universe via his long, elastic tongue, allowing him to snap to nearby clouds and planets and then hurtle to the outer reaches of the galaxy. There you'll find several planets, each with their own unique puzzles to solve, requiring a combination of quick reflexes and some non-linear thinking. It's all presented in attractive, washed out pastels and with a hauntingly otherworldly soundtrack.

It's everything you want an "art game" to be, with a unique visual style, a creative gameplay mechanic and a real sense of an artist's touch (two, in this case, Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel). It's a uniquely personal, touching game that we can't wait for you to try and share your thoughts on in the comments.

The Joystiq Free Game Club: Aether originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercenaries 2 gets a Flash version

Justin McElroy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Action, Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

If you find yourself unable to wait until the Aug. 31 release of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, we may have the perfect soothing balm for you: Armor Games and EA's Mercenaries 2: World (Nearly) In Flames. It's exactly like the console versions of Mercenaries 2, except it's free! (And it's made in Flash. And it's two dimensional. But other than that? Exactly the same.)

OK, so maybe it's not as technically impressive, but we could think of many worse ways to kill some time until the real release than with this solid, old-school diversion. Enjoy.

Mercenaries 2 gets a Flash version originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Last Stand returns for titularly improbable second helping

Justin McElroy — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Action

You may remember that, back in the spring of 2007, we had what one might call a total crush on the zombie-killing survival game, The Last Stand. Now, almost a year to the day after we first brought word of it, the game has risen from its grave and begun shambling towards us with The Last Stand 2.

Though it's not a huge leap forward graphically, there are some significant improvements, especially to the daylight time-management part of the game. Now you'll be able to move from city to city as you try to survive the zombie apocalypse with your ragtag group of survivors, deciding exactly how much time (and where) they'll hunt for new weapons and others still among the living. Traps have also been added, which give the combat a little more depth. If you haven't checked it out (especially if you haven't played the first game) you absolutely need to.

The Last Stand returns for titularly improbable second helping originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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