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'Hotline Miami 2' is ready for your user-built sequels
The flashy, lo-res violence of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number just got a new lease on life. The long-awaited level editor companion just dropped its beta status and is ready to go live. Since the second installment was "the brutal conclusion" to the series, a boatload of user-made, downloadable content is likely the closest thing fans will get to an HM3. And that's essentially what users will find now that the game has landed on Steam Workshop.
Spend the weekend making 'Hotline Miami 2' levels
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is about to get even more wild. The beta is live for the official Hotline Miami 2 level editor, meaning PC players can now create their own top-down mazes of murder. The beta is available via Steam for PC only at the moment, with Mac and Linux launches on the way. Workshop isn't enabled just yet, so you'll have to share your creations through other means. Dennaton Games outlines how to download the level editor and discusses its features right here, with a basic level-creation manual here.
Daily iPad App: Dynamite Jack is a welcome arrival on the iPad
Phil Hassey's great Dynamite Jack game arrived on Steam and the Mac App Store a little while ago, but Phil told us back at GDC this year that he's been planning an iOS release. This week, that finally happened, and Dynamite Jack is now available on the iPad. The game's a 2D stealth affair, where you guide Jack through a series of caverns, trying to dodge guards, cave trolls, lasers, and spiders to collect chips and make it to the exit alive. Hassey's done an impressive job porting the game over here. The virtual controls work just fine and a new line-drawing mode lets you trace a line on the screen to guide Jack's route. At first, I stuck with the virtual controls, but I think for the tougher stealth levels, I actually prefer drawing lines. Impressively, the iOS app includes all of the community-created maps, and a built-in map editor lets you create your own levels. Custom levels come with their own leaderboards. There's a crazy amount of replayability on this one, to be sure. Dynamite Jack is US$2.99 on the App Store, and I think this is the best version of the game released yet. If you've made the mistake of not playing this game yet, now's your chance. This is the version you want.
How Godzilab created levels for iBlast Moki 2
I really loved iBlast Moki 2, and I feel like since it hit the App Store, the app hasn't quite gotten the recognition it's deserved. If you enjoy a good puzzle game, this one has you covered -- it's a really complex and interesting title that's wrapped up in a cute and easy-to-understand skin. On the latest company blog, Godzilab walks through the level creation process for the game, showing how they arrived at the best way of putting together levels for these cute little Moki creatures to wander through. The first three months of the game's development were apparently all spent on just the level editor. There was one included with the first title, but it was only used for user-created content, not to build the standard game. But for the sequel, the editor was of paramount importance, and the hard work that went into putting it together paid off big time. Godzilab also talks about some of the user-created content they've seen for the second game, which I agree has been very impressive -- some of the levels people have made, all accessible in the title, are pretty mind-blowing. iBlast Moki 2 is a really amazing title -- if you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss it.
Watch a Max Adventure level get created in three minutes
The good folks at Imangi Studios (husband-and-wife team Natalia and Keith) are hard at work on their latest iPhone game Max Adventure, and they've been sharing updates from the trials and tribulations of making a big iPhone game via their twitter accounts. Among those updates today was this little gem above -- Keith Shepherd hammering out a Max Adventure level over a time-lapse video. It's pretty cool to see, not only for how he builds the level block-by-block, but to see what changes as he goes along versus what apparently was the original plan. The whole time lapse plays out from a four hour period of real time, and considering how big the game will eventually be, this is probably a drop in the bucket. Shepherd also says the level editor is one that Imangi actually built for themselves, alongside Max Adventure (though presumably they'd be able to use it for other apps as well). Fun little behind-the-scenes of an iPhone game on this Saturday afternoon.
Look into Cube's level editor
D3 wants Cube to be the next puzzle sensation on PSP. Our initial impressions of the budget title are quite favorable, and one tool we're looking forward to using is the game's extensive level creator. The editor comes unlocked from the very beginning of the game, so fiendish designers can cook some devious designs from the get-go.Unfortunately, my puny brain can't seem to understand the seeming complexity of the feature. A PDF file on Cube's official website attempts to detail the process, but my limited brain capacity is proving to be quite meddlesome. Hopefully, I'll be able to construct a few of my own puzzle creations. Until then, feel free to read GameZone's interview with Maru Nihoniho, Game Designer of Cube to get more details on this upcoming game.
New puzzler, Cube, encourages sharing
When I first saw an update for a new PSP game called Cube, I got scared. Was it a game adaptation of the film "Cube," one of the worst films I have ever seen? Thankfully, no. It's a new puzzle game from D3 Publisher. While the PSP is certainly not lacking in the puzzle genre, Cube deserves a bit of attention due to it being of the few games to take advantage of PSP's unique capabilities. Firstly, the game includes a level editor, allowing you to upload and download new content from other Cube owners. More excitingly, the game also features Game Sharing multiplayer, allowing gamers with just one copy of the game to go head to head. The lack of complexity in the graphics and presentation probably makes it possible for Game Sharing to work, and to be honest, I'm excited that it does. It's hard enough to find a PSP owner to play against; Game Sharing will make it infinitely easier to go head-to-head with a person next to you. Expect more updates as the game's February release gets closer.[Via IGN]
