Joystiq

Robot Entertainment celebrates 4th birthday with catalog sale

David Hinkle — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 02:00:00 EST

Robot Entertainment is celebrating four years of game development with a sale highlighting library of releases: Orcs Must Die, Orcs Must Die 2, and Hero Academy.

Purchase of any item from the studio's official store will net you a Steam key to activate the item on Valve's digital distribution platform. Highlights include Orcs Must Die 2 for $3.74 and Hero Academy, with all DLC, for $4.24.

Robot Entertainment rose from the ashes of Ensemble Studios, the Halo Wars developer Microsoft shut down back in 2008. When Ensemble was shuttered, the founders went off and formed Robot Entertainment; others would go on to form Bonfire Studios.

Robot Entertainment celebrates 4th birthday with catalog sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Mar 2013 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! franchise on sale for a little while longer

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:30:00 EST

For another four-ish hours the Orcs Must Die franchise is 75 percent off on Steam. Robot Entertainment's original third-person tower defense splattertacular is currently $2.49, while the cooperative sequel is $3.74. Grab the whole franchise and its DLC for $8.74.

Although the sequel can be played alone, as we noted in our review, it's best with a buddy. Good times guaranteed.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die! 2 (Family Ties Booster Pack)

Orcs Must Die! franchise on sale for a little while longer originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 adds 'Are We There Yeti?' booster pack November 1

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST

Orcs Must Die! 2 is getting a third booster pack this Thursday, November 1 for $4.99. Puntastically titled 'Are We There Yeti?', it introduces three icy levels along with new enemies, costumes, and Endless Mode conversions. An extra trinket, trap, and weapon are also bundled in.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die! 2 - Are We There Yeti?

Continue reading Orcs Must Die! 2 adds 'Are We There Yeti?' booster pack November 1

Orcs Must Die! 2 adds 'Are We There Yeti?' booster pack November 1 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 'Family Ties' pack premieres tomorrow

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:00:00 EST

A second booster pack breeches the defenses of Orcs Must Die! 2 tomorrow, releasing on Steam for $4.99. The 'Family Ties' DLC includes three new levels, the new Stone Staff and Teleportation Ring weapons, the Jar of Ghosts trinket, new costumes, a new enemy and bonus skull definition, and Courtney Cox starring as Lauren Miller in Seasons 6 and 7.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die! 2 (Family Ties Booster Pack)

Continue reading Orcs Must Die! 2 'Family Ties' pack premieres tomorrow

Orcs Must Die! 2 'Family Ties' pack premieres tomorrow originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 gets Fire and Water booster this week

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:00:00 EST

Orcs Must Die! 2 get its first booster pack this week. The Fire & Water DLC will be available this Wednesday on Steam for $5. It includes new levels, enemies, traps, and three more Endless Mode levels.

Continue reading Orcs Must Die! 2 gets Fire and Water booster this week

Orcs Must Die! 2 gets Fire and Water booster this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 review: Co-op and then some

Matt Hughes — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:45:00 EST

Somehow, they're through. Despite my spike traps, acid sprayers and brimstone, a small contingent of the orc horde is now within hugs-n-kisses range. The blunderbuss shotgun smears some of the frontrunners, but their numbers are simply too great. With my life bar on its last pixel, an orc, axe raised high overhead, prepares for the final strike. Then my smarmy buddy steps in and blasts that sucker into oblivion, because this is Orcs Must Die! 2, and co-op is glorious.

Considering the unanimous cry for multiplayer in Orcs Must Die!, Robot Entertainment could have merely added the two-player co-op and a few minor additions, packaged it up, slapped a "2" on the end, and tossed a relative regurgitation to the hungry mob - especially given the small 10-month gap between games. But to the developer's great credit, Orcs Must Die! 2 is more than that. While the changes and additions fall short of revolutionary, nearly everything - save for the meager, repetitive soundtrack - has been enjoyably enhanced and/or refined to the level of sufficient sequel justification.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die 2 (7/6/12)

Continue reading Orcs Must Die! 2 review: Co-op and then some

Orcs Must Die! 2 review: Co-op and then some originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die for $2.50 on Steam this weekend, 10 percent off Orcs 2 pre-order

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST

If your hatred of (and resulting need to kill) orcs has historically been outweighed by your commendably responsible fiscal nature in these trying economic times, you may not yet have acquired Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die!. You hate orcs, sure, but those $10 could be spent on something practical, like gas.

This weekend though, Orcs Must Die! is only $2.50 over on Steam, and when a video game costs less than a gallon of fuel, all financial guilt associated with its purchase is essentially eradicated. Similarly, Orcs Must Die 2 has had 10 percent brutally chopped off its pre-order price -- think of it as an investment in a sustainable future-hatred of orcs. Investing is what grown-ups do.

Orcs Must Die for $2.50 on Steam this weekend, 10 percent off Orcs 2 pre-order originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die 2 unlocks free co-op 'Classic mode' for owners of first game

David Hinkle — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 05:00:00 EST

We've known Robot Entertainment planned to offer goodies in Orcs Must Die 2 to those who purchased the original on Steam, and today the developer revealed specifics on those incentives. A special Classic mode will be available to those people, featuring ten levels from the original game available for single or co-op play in the sequel.

Classic mode will be instantly unlocked in Orcs Must Die 2 for all owners of Orcs Must Die on Steam. The original games is available at a reduced price on Steam right now, though we'd be remiss if we didn't remind you of Orcs Must Die 2's July 30 launch date lurking around the corner.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die 2 (Classic Mode)

Continue reading Orcs Must Die 2 unlocks free co-op 'Classic mode' for owners of first game

Orcs Must Die 2 unlocks free co-op 'Classic mode' for owners of first game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 starts stacking bodies on July 30

David Hinkle — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST

Robot Entertainment's semi-genocidal sequel, Orcs Must Die! 2, will launch on July 30, a blog post on Robot Entertainment's site reads.

The anticipated follow-up to last year's tower defense success adds a full co-op campaign and plenty of more unlockables into the Spellbook. And if you played the previous game on the PC, purchasing the sequel will net you exclusive in-game content.

Orcs Must Die! 2 starts stacking bodies on July 30 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Turn the pages of Orcs Must Die! 2's new Spellbook

David Hinkle — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Orcs Must Die! 2 builds upon the excellent foundation of its predecessor with multiplayer - our first taste was pretty pleasant. As revealed exclusively to Joystiq today, it also adds an expanded Spellbook. The Spellbook itself is now divided into five different subsections: My Gear, Traps, Weapons, Trinkets and Vanity.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die! 2 (Spellbook)

Continue reading Turn the pages of Orcs Must Die! 2's new Spellbook

Turn the pages of Orcs Must Die! 2's new Spellbook originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Making a new friend in Orcs Must Die! 2

David Hinkle — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:30:00 EST

When we were picking our Best of the Rest games for 2011, I commented that all I wanted in an Orcs Must Die! sequel was multiplayer. It was at the top of everyone's request list, and Orcs Must Die! 2 delivers.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die 2

Continue reading Making a new friend in Orcs Must Die! 2

Making a new friend in Orcs Must Die! 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Robot Entertainment has one unannounced title in development

David Hinkle — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:45:00 EST

Robot Entertainment is not a large studio. With only 50 people to toil away on Hero Academy updates and to help get Orcs Must Die! 2 out the door this summer, there's not much manpower to spare.

Still, the studio has something else up its sleeve, design director Ian Fischer revealed to Joystiq here at PAX East. Fischer wouldn't give us much beyond the existence of an unannounced title, though he did say it will be "unlike anything we've ever done before."

Robot Entertainment has one unannounced title in development originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orcs Must Die! 2 announced with co-op, playable at PAX East

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST

Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die! 2 was announced this morning, with the sequel adding the feature that was painfully absent from the original: cooperative gameplay. The sequel, which will be playable at this weekend's PAX East, welcomes the return of the doofy War Mage and adds the Sorceress, "who keeps enemies at bay with mind-control and magic."

"Only 3.4 billion orcs have been slaughtered to date," Robot Entertainment CEO Patrick Hudson declared this morning. "The only way we will get to a respectable orc death toll is by adding another killing machine and cooperative play. Bring a friend and destroy the orcs!"

The sequel adds a whole new campaign, more enemies, additional defenses and a new upgrade system. We look forward to hearing the call of orc slaughter and reporting back on our experience this weekend.

Gallery: Orcs Must Die 2

Continue reading Orcs Must Die! 2 announced with co-op, playable at PAX East

Orcs Must Die! 2 announced with co-op, playable at PAX East originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments