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PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe on UMD in North America this April

JC Fletcher — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST

For that cross-section of the PSP audience that likes both PixelJunk Monsters and tangible objects, Q-Games's Dylan Cuthbert has announced a UMD release of PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, due to launch in North America at "participating retail outlets" on April 27 for $19.99. The tower defense title has been available digitally since last fall.

Interestingly, Cuthbert originally cited piracy as the reason for the lack of a worldwide release for the UMD of Deluxe, previously released in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Try not to pirate this one, so we can see more nice discs like this in the future.

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe on UMD in North America this April originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best of the Rest: Andrew's Picks of 2009

Andrew Yoon — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST

Flower
This year had a number of terrific downloadable games (this list is a testament to that), however no game -- retail or digital -- connected with me like Flower. Jenova Chen's flOw was an interesting experiment, but Flower is an actual game. In fact, Flower is one of the few experiences I can think of that show the true potential of games as a unique storytelling medium. No other non-interactive art form will ever be able to replicate what thatgamecompany has managed to create.

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Best of the Rest: Andrew's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Piracy discourages future PixelJunk PSP port plans

James Ransom-Wiley — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST

Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert has suggested that rampant piracy of his studio's optimized PSP port, PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (PJMD), has deterred its plans for further PSP development. "I don't think we'll port anything else to the PSP, we have to see how PJMD does as there's a *lot* of piracy," Cuthbert tweeted over the weekend. Perhaps constrained by character limitations or simply caught up in another Uncharted 2 sesh, Cuthbert did not cite piracy estimates -- nor sales figures, for that matter. He did, however, confirm a demo is in the works; "but I don't think it makes any difference to piracy," Cuthbert lamented.

Cuthbert added in a follow-up tweet, "because Monsters is such a good fit it is being pirated I think," and then he responded to a suggestion to incorporate anti-piracy measures into the game code with: "unfortunately the pirates could just hack those kinds of things out." While the PSP Go has yet to be fully unlocked by would-be pirates and download-only PSN titles seem to be well protected from piracy, PJMD is available on UMD (in Japan and the greater Asia region), which has no doubt lead to the distribution of pirated versions of the game.

While it's somewhat naive of Q-Games to not have anticipated a piracy issue, it's no less disheartening. The PSP has long suffered from a lack of consistent third-party support because of a history of sales losses due to piracy. Q-Games is just the latest developer hesitant to commit further resources to supporting the PSP platform, and without the release of an impossibility firm firmware, it won't be the last.

Update: Cuthbert reemphasizes that PJMD sales will be the key determining factor that drives Q-Games' future in PSP development. Cuthbert's studio has not definitely dropped PSP development, but ostensibly low sales over the first three weeks of PJMD availability have Q-Games in some doubt about pursuing further PSP projects. Of course, a sales spike could certainly change that attitude.

[Via Examiner; thanks, Marcus N.]

Piracy discourages future PixelJunk PSP port plans originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe gets DIY compatibility fix

Xav de Matos — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Recent connection issues have marred European PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe owners from participating in rousing online games against North American and Asian players. Thankfully, the PlayStation Blog has released a two-part DIY guide to help fix the PSP game's issues. The process is simple:

Delete your game through the PSP Home Menu (select Game>Memory Stick>press the triangle button with PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe highlighted and select Delete).
Connect to PlayStation Store > Select View Downloads and re-download PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe from the Download List.

Users will still retain their previous progress and now (hopefully) be completely problem free in their quest for online Deluxe dominance.

Gallery: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe gets DIY compatibility fix originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe invading PSP this week

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:44:00 EST

Q-Games' adorable tower defense title PixelJunk Monsters is getting a wee bit smaller this week with the release of its somewhat ironically named, PSP-sized adaptation, PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe. Though technically tinier in stature, the game offers all the strategic defending of the PS3 version of the title, while adding a new island, new monsters and even a few new towers into the mix. The game also gets a few multiplayer options, including a local four-player cooperative mode and an eight-player online competitive mode.

We've yet to confirm a price for the title, which will presumably appear in this week's PSN Thursday update, but we've contacted Q-Games to try to find out ahead of time.

Gallery: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe invading PSP this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (PSP)

Andrew Yoon — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:30:00 EST

PixelJunk Monsters is certainly not the first tower defense game, but it's the game that popularized the genre on consoles. When it debuted on PlayStation Network last year, it became an instant hit. The game was easy to understand, but deceptively challenging, encouraging players to master each level to get that all-elusive rainbow.

The original PS3 game actually was playable on the PSP via Remote Play. However, Q Games is now making a proper PSP version that's optimized for the small screen. For example, the camera is now zoomed in closer to the character. While this means less of the map can be seen at once, it makes seeing the towers and choosing the right ones much easier. It may take some time for PixelJunk vets to get used to, especially when the screen scrolls trying to follow you.

The amount of content being offered in Deluxe is almost absurd, making it the most complete version of Monsters to date. Not only does the PSP game feature allt he content of the original PixelJunk Monsters, it also adds the Encore island and a brand new island exclusive to PSP. Ten new stages are added, in addition to new enemy types and towers.

Gallery: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe

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Hands-on: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (PSP) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe coming to PSP this Fall

Andrew Yoon — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:45:00 EST

PixelJunk Monsters is coming to PSP and, as promised, features a ton of new content not found in the PS3 version. The handheld version of the tower defense game will include all the content of PixelJunk Monsters, Encore, and a bit more. Deluxe will add a new island with ten new stages, new enemies and new music tracks. Two new towers will be introduced into the game, which players can utilize in the classic stages and Q-Games will also challenge the PJM hardcore with a brand new boss as well.

Although PSP isn't getting Trophy support yet, Monsters Deluxe will feature a "Medal Challenge" mode that replicates the achievement system used on the console. In addition, unlocking Medals will give players access to unlockables, such as videos, artwork and more.

Finally, PixelJunk Monsters wouldn't be complete without a co-op mode. You'll be able to go online in both Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure modes. Nice!

Gallery: PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe

Continue reading PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe coming to PSP this Fall

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe coming to PSP this Fall originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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