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Portabliss: Bad Piggies (iOS)

Mike Schramm — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST

This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go.

Angry Birds is iOS gaming's juggernaut; even now, it regularly tops the App Store charts in both money earned and time played. Rovio, the Finnish company who created Angry Birds, put together dozens of mobile games before its first iOS release, and has seemingly hesitated to release anything else after it. The studio doesn't want to cannibalize its own success, so all we've seen from Rovio since Angry Birds' 2009 iOS release is a series of rebrands (including Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Space), and one licensed remake of a sandbox contraption game called Amazing Alex.

Bad Piggies, then, is the first original title we've seen from Rovio in years, but even it doesn't go too far off the multibillion-dollar reservation. It's a game set in the Angry Birds universe, that follows the green pigs and their goal of grabbing eggs rather than the frustrated fowl trying to demolish them. But instead of unleashing furious destruction by catapult, Bad Piggies asks the player to create modular vehicles that will cart the pigs across a level, reaching a map piece goal at the end.

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Portabliss: Bad Piggies (iOS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loadout lets you create the weapon you want

Mike Schramm — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:33:00 EST

If there's still any question in your mind that we're in the middle of a free-to-play trend, you can put it to rest right now: Most of the PAX show floor was taken up by indie titles currently in a closed beta, and heading towards a free-to-play "open beta release" later on this year. Firefall might be the highest profile of these, but Loadout, I think, deserves a spot right along Red 5's well-known title.

The game's being developed by Edge of Reality, an Austin-based developer that has been making ports (including console versions of Dragon Age: Origins) and doing contract work for over ten years now. Loadout is the studio's first original title, which means the team is finally applying its knowledge and experience to something it directly owns.

It shows in the game's current polish, even before the full beta launch: The graphics are fun and flashy, with really excellent touches in the controls and animation. It shows in team balance and mode choices, which are generally similar to Team Fortress 2 and other team-based shooters, but with some nice original flairs. And it shows most in the core mechanic, a custom weapon-building system that offers a lot of impressive possibilities for creating a gun that's entirely your own.

Gallery: Loadout (PAX Prime 2012)

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Loadout lets you create the weapon you want originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jumala game-building platform combines game creation with gamification

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:59:00 EST

"Man, I've got a great idea for a game," said every single gamer ever. "If only I had some kind of tool or platform that would allow me to build it without having to learn any form of programming."

This familiar dialogue has either been spoken aloud by you specifically, or by someone you know and love. It's all too common, and because of the gamer's intrinsic urge to try their own hand at game design, companies like Blade Games World create products like Jumala.

At its heart, Jumala is a game development suite designed for Joe Everyguy, devoid of programming languages and requiring no previous game-making experience whatsoever. Working in a fully 3D environment, players can either build their own game from scratch or modify existing template games. Once created, games can be shared with your incredibly patient friends and family via Jumala's social network integration.

What makes Jumala unique, for better or for worse, is the ribcage of gamification bones that surround its design-oriented heart. As they create, players earn "Jumala Spark," an in-game currency used to unlock construction tools, items and character models from the in-game store. Jumala Spark is also earned whenever someone plays a game you've created, or when you play a game someone else has created, which encourages game makers to ~~relentlessly spam~~ actively promote their wares.

Jumala's free, PC-only beta is currently underway. Creatively minded OSX users, fear not: A Mac version is said to arrive "someday."

Jumala game-building platform combines game creation with gamification originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Preview: Lego Universe

Mike Schramm — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:40:00 EST

There's no question at all: Lego Universe is a game built for children. Creative Director Ryan Seabury says the primary audience of the game is ages 8-12, and the interface is very clearly young user-friendly, with big, brightly colored buttons, and easy-to-use UI widgets. The game centers on collecting "imagination," and while there is combat in the game, it's simple and trouble-free, more fun than strategic.

But here's the thing: good game design is ageless. And Lego Universe seems like a tidy summation of everything both developer NetDevil has learned about making MMOs, and Lego has learned over 75 years of making classic toys.

Gallery: LEGO Universe (E3 screenshots)

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Preview: Lego Universe originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LittleBigPlanet PSP creation mode looks just like PS3 version

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:28:00 EST

Playing only makes up for one third of the "Play, Create, Share" motto. We know LittleBigPlanet for PSP plays a lot like the PS3 version. But, how's the creation aspect? Sony Cambridge shared a new trailer at Gamescom today highlighting the creation tools of LBP PSP.

For better or for worse, it looks exactly like it did on the PS3. The Pop-It tool seems to drive the familiar experience, giving players access to a variety of textures and objects. The PS3 editor certainly has been successful so far (creating over a million levels so far), but those that expected a more streamlined process for the handheld version may be disappointed.

LittleBigPlanet PSP creation mode looks just like PS3 version originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Upcoming LittleBigPlanet DLC to make creation more 'versatile'

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST

Save for a few of the game's beefier DLC packs, a majority of the downloadable content for LittleBigPlanet has been purely aesthetic. Not that we mind being able to dress our Sackboys up like Cole McGrath -- but we'd prefer something that makes the already rich level creation engine just a little bit richer.

Fortunately, during the Develop Conference earlier this month, Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healy announced that an upcoming piece of DLC will add "lots of exciting things that make it into more of a versatile creation tool." He didn't get any more specific than that, but added that it would make fans "very happy." Hey, if it helps our levels not look like something a six-year-old drew in Sunday school, we'll be pleased as punch.

Upcoming LittleBigPlanet DLC to make creation more 'versatile' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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