double fine productions
Latest
Double Fine's Happy Action Theater conjures up Kinect magic
Double Fine's next project, Happy Action Theater, just appeared on the floor of CES, right on time according to Tim Schafer's Twitter account. The game, available in February for what a Microsoft rep called a "reasonable" price, is basically a collection of 18 different minigames, featuring sandbox-style fun for the younger audience. But don't let that tame description fool you: Happy Action Theater isn't just a standard minigame collection made for kids. Instead, it appears to be one of the best experiences on Kinect yet, and a perfect marriage of Double Fine's expertise at finding almost instant fun, and its skill at wringing some impressive feats out of that Kinect camera.
Costume Quest is out on PC tonight -- go play it right now
Costume Quest is available on PC right now, Double Fine announced at an event in San Francisco, just in time for you to teach your 6-year-old cousin how to really work that cowboy hat for the most candy possible. The PC version includes the add-on Grubbins on Ice and is $14.99 on Steam right now, so go get your candy on! Double Fine has has expressed interest in releasing its games on PC, and it now has the means to do so with the backing of Dracogen Strategic Investments -- Costume Quest may be the first of many Double Fine PC titles, dressed up to look like a solitary event (now that's a costume idea if we've ever heard one).
Trenched renamed Iron Brigade worldwide
Trenched is changing its name to Iron Brigade in all regions once it releases in Europe this month, Double Fine's Greg Rice and Brad Muir revealed on Whiskey Media's Big Live Live Show Live. By changing the name, Double Fine is averting a messy legal battle with the "Trench" trademark holder that was halting the game's release in certain European regions. Having two separate titles would prevent people from playing online multiplayer together, Muir said. The title update will include a new survival mode and weapons, costumes and gesture unlocks, and Muir confirmed more DLC is in the works. We have contacted Double Fine for more details about the name ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster preview: A children's game for adults
I'll let you in on a little secret about me and Double Fine's next game, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster -- I played it back at E3, but unfortunately let my preview writeup fall to the wayside as the days after the big show continued. What's more shameful is that it was essentially the best game I played at E3, so I was more than happy to check out a new area at Gamescom and get a second opportunity to speak about it. A chance for redemption, if you will. Luckily, nothing has changed, and Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster remains a magical experience two months later.%Gallery-130943%
Trenched digs into XBLA June 22 for $15
Trenched, Double Fine Productions' co-op third-person action tower defense game (phew!), will be deployed on Xbox Live Arcade this June 22. That should be sufficient enough lead time for you to scavenge the neighbor's trash for bottles to redeem and hit the 1200-point price ($15). If you're curious, that's 300 bottles (at $.05 apiece). Can't redeem bottles in your state? Um, we find putting an extra "tips" jar at the Starbucks counter works too. Trenched is just the latest salvo in Double Fine's digitally distributed arsenal. The developer previously released the well-received Costume Quest and Stacking. The company is currently working on Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster for Kinect.
Psychonauts is $2.49 until 10AM Eastern on GOG.com
Criminally underappreciated action-adventure game Psychonauts is available on GOG.com for $2.49 until 10AM Eastern. If you already own it, send that cash to Double Fine to get Psychonauts 2 rolling. For pieces of Double Fine work on consoles, check out the studio's cost-effective, bite-sized offerings with Stacking and Costume Quest.
Stacking preview: Matryoshka mix-and-match
At first glance, Stacking may seem like something you've never played before. Its core concept of possessing Russian nesting dolls (matryoshka) is something we've never seen in a game but make no mistake: this game is unequivocally a Double Fine joint. The characters are all fun (and quite funny) and, during a recent demonstration of the game at the Double Fine offices with studio head Tim Schafer and Stacking project lead, Lee Perry, I discovered that at its heart Stacking most resembles an adventure game. Stacking tells the story of little Charlie Blackmore, a young chimney sweep and member of an unlucky family during the latter years of the Victorian era. Mr. Blackmore, Charlie's pop, ends up getting a job as a chimney sweep for a wealthy baron one day and that's the last the family sees of him. Soon after, the baron's men come and collect the rest of the family, save for tiny Charlie. Throughout the course of the game, Blackmore must aid his family members by tackling a variety of challenges, some more jovial than others. The game's story is told entirely in silent film-style vignettes which are, like a lot of the game, just so darn charming. And that's the single word I keep coming back to when I think about Stacking: charming. The world itself has that Double Fine stamp on it -- the NPCs offer humorous banter and some of the challenges themselves are a bit ... weird. Following the convention "adventure game" formula, you need to do this one thing and you've got to figure out how to do it. Unlike a lot of adventure games, however, there isn't just one way to solve any puzzle or challenge. %Gallery-111931%
Tim Schafer: Brutal Legend 2 isn't happening
During his recent Develop panel, Tim Schafer -- creator of Brütal Legend and head of Double Fine Productions -- revealed that the potential for a sequel to Jack Black's journey through a fantastical world of rockitude is nonexistent. "Apparently when they said it was a done deal, they meant there was no deal, and we're done," he told attendees. Double Fine fans shouldn't mourn the game's loss, however; the studio is currently at work on four new titles, so it's not like Schafer is riding off into the sunset -- unless that's part of one of the four games Double Fine is working on, in which case you heard it here first.
Double Fine's next projects: four 'smaller' games
After releasing only two games over its first ten years of existence, Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions is heading in a slightly different direction and working on four smaller projects, each with a different producer. Speaking at a keynote presentation at the Develop Conference this morning, Schafer didn't reveal many details about the new game projects. He did, however, mention who was heading up each one. They are: Lee Petty, art director on Brütal Legend, is leading a game Schafer described as "sort of retro but also really new." Nathan Martz, lead programmer on Brütal Legend, is working on a game that's "quite cutting edge." Brad Muir, who designed a lot of the combat and multiplayer on Brütal Legend, is working on a game that "focuses on gameplay mechanics." Tasha Harris, lead animator on Brütal Legend (and former senior animator at Pixar) is heading up a fourth game. Schafer didn't say what systems or formats the games would target, but did mention that some would be available as downloads while others would be retail products. He off-handedly mentioned that the quick development process meant some of these projects would be coming out this year, but quickly caught himself. "I didn't announce that," he said. "I see you writing that down. ... That was not a ship date." Schafer said the transition to multiple smaller projects happened in the wake of the unexpected cancellation of a planned Brütal Legend sequel. "Apparently when they said it was a done deal, they meant there was no deal, and we're done," he said.
First Brutal Legend DLC dated Nov. 3, initially free on PS3
EA announced today that the "first DLC" (that means there'll be more, right?) for recently released Brütal Legend will be arriving November 3 and November 5 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, respectively. Named "Tears of the Hextadon," the two, totally not RTS maps ("Circle of Tears" and "Death's Fjord") will set you back 400 ($5) on Xbox 360. If you're a PS3 owner, however, the map pack will be free of charge for the first two weeks. "We love the PS3," EA's Brent Dady said over on PlayStation Blog, speaking on the publisher's decision to offer the DLC for free on PSN until November 19. Those who get the DLC on either console will also get a free in-game axe -- the intimidating "Blade of Ormagöden." We suggest you start looking for the game's creative lead Tim Schafer, who claims in the release that he plays online "every night." Get him Joystiq Biomass! Get him.%Gallery-41208%
Brutal Legend is prejudiced against whole bodies
Aside from being somebody's stalking victim personal hero, Tim Schafer is a quirky and cool game designer ... but we just found out he has a much darker side. His latest game, Brütal Legend, is nothing more than an avenue for him to express his bizarre discontent for whole bodies. He's confirmed via Double Fine's official site that the game will include severed legs. Yes, severed legs, and we're not talking about a lamp, people!%Gallery-41208%
Variety: ActiBlizzard blocking Brutal Legend move
Of all the games left in limbo by the merging of Activision and Blizzard, we're perhaps most dismayed by the current state of Brütal Legend, which at the moment is complete stasis. Yes, it seems like Double Fine's rock-action opus just can't find a home -- readers may remember that it was recently brushed off by MTV -- and now, we might have an inkling as to why. Speaking to Variety, an unnamed source at Double Fine said that Activision is actually "blocking" Brütal Legend from making the move to a new publisher. What remains unclear is why the publishing giant, which did not comment on the matter, is taking this course of action.Whatever is going on, we hope someone sorts it out soon, because we wants some Brütal Legend.[Via Joystiq]
