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Hit indie game 'Axiom Verge' gets a vinyl soundtrack
Game studios have sometimes been a little too eager to get their soundtracks on vinyl, but this is one you'll want to consider if you're a connoisseur. Creator Thomas Happ and Ship to Shore PhonoCo are releasing a limited edition vinyl soundtrack for Axiom Verge, one of the indie game darlings of 2015. While the $22 album isn't as comprehensive as the digital version (likely in order to fit everything on to a single record), the music is only part of why you'd get. Happ is providing rough game sketches and his own liner notes, so you'll have a behind-the-scenes peek at the motivations behind this Metroidvania hit.
'Castlevania' designer explains what made 'Symphony' so special
There's plenty I could say about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but in the interest of time I'll keep it short and sweet: it's one of the most influential games ever made. Don't believe me? Eighteen years later, its core design conceit (read: explore a gigantic environment at will, uncovering hidden-in-plain-sight secrets in previously traversed areas thanks to a cascading set of power-ups that grant new abilities) is still being used today. So with that in mind, watching co-designer Koji "IGA' Igarashi offer commentary while Double Fine Productions' senior gameplay programmer Anna Kipnis plays through over two hours of the game in the latest Devs Play episode is an incredible treat. Oh, and there's blood-red wine involved because of course there is.
Stealth Inc 2 sneaks to Wii U eShop October 23
Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones will launch October 23 on the Wii U eShop, Curve Studios confirmed with Joystiq today. The game was announced as a Wii U exclusive in May and carries on the sneaky puzzle-platforming gameplay style set by the first game.The series began with the free PC game Stealth Bastard in November 2011 before the enhanced Stealth Bastard Deluxe hit Steam one year later. It received a name change in 2013 to Stealth Inc before arriving on consoles. Unlike Stealth Inc's linear level design, the sequel will adopt structures similar to Metroid and Castlevania series with a "fully explorable" overworld. The game has players infiltrating a cloning facility, obtaining equipment to unlock new areas as they go. Not only is Curve Studios promising a slick 60 frames-per-second presentation, but Stealth Inc 2 will also include a full co-op multiplayer mode in which one friend can use tools and skills on the Wii U GamePad to keep the player well-hidden. [Image: Curve Studios]
Joystiq Weekly: Facebook buys Oculus VR, Bioshock Infinite DLC review, GDC videos and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. If GDC and this past week has taught us anything, it's that almost no one's happy with the present state of reality. Virtual reality headset Oculus Rift now has a pretty cushion-y parent company, the comparable Project Morpheus potentially has Sony's developers behind it, and Microsoft might be toying with their own ideas for augmented reality. The common consensus seems to be "let's reach the future, even if it means strapping displays to our faces." We're starting to wonder what Nintendo's non-wearable health technology is going to look like. If it's not something to block out our primary reality, and if it's planned to launch through Nintendo's fiscal year of 2016, will it be something to supplement devices we already own? Maybe we'll face a line of AdventureTrek treadmills, where we run and jump our way through iconic Nintendo universes. Maybe it will involve a Pokemon MMO played with pedometer devices like the Pokemon Pikachu, with dungeon raids consisting of a dozen people throwing their devices into dryers for the best possible attack speed. Or maybe neither of those ideas! Because they're garbage. What isn't garbage is the slew of news, reviews and original content we've lined up for you in this week's Joystiq Weekly. Even if you don't care about VR, there's news of a legal tussle between 3D Realms and Gearbox over Duke Nukem, a hint of The Last Of Us reaching the PS4 and a review of Bioshock Infinite's Burial at Sea Episode Two. There's also video features from GDC for Fantasia: Music Evolved, Goat Simulator and Videoball, in case you like moving pictures with your words. We've summarized all that and more for you to delve into after the break!
'Metroidvania' should actually be 'Zeldavania'
Koji Igarashi, longtime producer of the Castlevania series, is generally the person most of us associate with establishing the exploration-driven formula of Konami's vampire-slaying franchise. The rhythm of the series – uncovering a vast world map as you slowly acquire new abilities to traverse it – has become so iconic that players created a word for its signature style: Metroidvania. The portmanteau reveals Castlevania's similarities to Metroid, Nintendo's beloved sci-fi series, though Igarashi said during a GDC panel that the inspiration for Castlevania's now traditional formula was from another Nintendo series: Zelda.
Frustration at social gaming focus drove Igarashi to leave Konami
When longtime Castlevania mastermind Koji Igarashi announced his departure from Konami earlier this week it came as a surprise, but thanks to a Polygon interview we now know what drove the developer away. "The more hardcore the game ... the less suitable it is for the casual market," Igarashi stated. "Unfortunately, I'm good at making core experiences, so it was two years of making a game that leaned too 'hardcore' for the social market. So it was canceled. Then I'd try again and be canceled. And again and be canceled." Igarashi claims this cycle repeated several times before he decided to call it quits. He also notes that fans were constantly clamoring for more of the 2D, exploration-focused Castlevania games that made him famous, but that Konami's new direction wouldn't allow for such projects. Though Igarashi is unsure of his next move, he does have some idea of what his next game might be. "If you just look at my strengths, most likely it will be an action game," the developer told Polygon. "Of course, fans would like a 2D exploration sort of game, a Metroidvania-type game. That's definitely something i'm interested in to make them happy." [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Metroid-style action game Blood Alloy jumps to Kickstarter
Suppressive Fire Games recently launched a Kickstarter project to fund its first game, Blood Alloy, a 2D "Metroidvania-styled" action game. The game is in development for PC, Mac and Ouya. Blood Alloy has players running-and-gunning through a dystopian, futuristic world "teetering on the brink of apocalypse." The game's creator, Frank Washburn, cites the Metroid, Turrican and Dark Souls series as inspirations for Blood Alloy's "non-linear exploration with optional pathways, hub areas, shortcut creation and discovery, and tons of secrets." Washburn is seeking $50,000 by October 10 on Kickstarter, and says that 75 percent of the Blood Alloy's funding will go towards paying the independent contractors that will help develop the game, while another eight percent will cover marketing, legal and licensing fees. [Thanks, Hannah!]
Chasm brings 'Metroidvania' action to Kickstarter
Discord Games recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its upcoming 2D "Metroidvania-styled" game Chasm to Windows, Mac and Linux. The developer plans to take its inspiration from games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and The Legend of Zelda series to new heights by building procedurally-generated dungeons in six different areas into the game.In Chasm, players will control a soldier that enters a mining town coping with a reawakened ancient evil force. Along the way, players will equip weapons and spellbooks, as well as learn new abilities to reach previously-inaccessible areas. The game will include both normal and hardcore difficulty modes, as well as leaderboards that track stats such as quickest times and damage taken.Discord Games is seeking $150,000 in funding by May 12 to make Chasm a reality. The developer is already offering playable demo to fans, which is available to download through its Kickstarter page. The game is also on Steam's Greenlight service, awaiting fan approval to make it to the platform.
Rumor: Castlevania 'Harmony of Despair' is 2D, 6-player XBLA game
A trusted source has told Joystiq that "Harmony of Despair," the title of a recent European trademark, is indeed a Castlevania game. Our source indicates that the game will be a 2D multiplayer Xbox Live Arcade title, featuring six-player co-op and a versus, fighter-style survival mode. These details follow a recently-pulled post on never know tech, which purported to showcase screenshots of Harmony of Despair. The site described the game as a "Metroidvania" side-scroller, featuring characters from recent Castlevania games. The characters, however, appeared to be rendered as tiny GBA/DS-esque sprites, and the game camera is apparently capable of being zoomed out to reveal entire levels (presumably in place of a map screen; or to show multiple characters in different rooms). So it looks like we might be getting the long-awaited 2D "high-definition" Castlevania, after all. Although, "just make the GBA sprites really small on the screen" isn't exactly the technique we were hoping for.
GDC: 'Designing Shadow Complex' (or: zig when they zag)
While Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto may not have played Shadow Complex, the XBLA darling's creators definitely played Metroid. During a panel titled "Designing Shadow Complex," Chair Entertainment Creative Director Donald Mustard encouraged the audience of prospective downloadable game makers to embrace genre limitations. "So, genre is one of your limitations because you aren't just competing against other games that are released in the downloadable space," Mustard said, pacing across the stage. "You really are competing against Gears of War, Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2. That is the real competition and you need to find a way to differentiate yourself from those kinds of games. And that is an awesome opportunity." For Mustard, that meant moving "orthogonally" from what the "big $60 retail games" are doing. Mustard said, "For us, what that ultimately meant is target an old and abandoned genre. Which to us was kind of this Metroidvania side scroller adventure genre that had been abandoned. No one was making games in this genre. And we said, 'What if we took that genre and fused that with some of the modern sensibilities that had come out; some of the modern ideas of AI and physics and graphics? That would be a really cool combination.'
Indie title 'Capsized' shows off gameplay; tipping onto XBLA, PC in 2010
Indie developer Alientrap's Capsized has certainly captured our attention with its art style. IndieGames took note of the title and its early footage, which is giving off an Exile and Metroid vibe, but its lush setting and arcade-like action appears to separate it from that pack. The game is planned for a 2010 launch on Steam and XBLA. We're currently following up with Alientrap for more details about the game, which is currently seeking play testers on PC. Check out the first trailer, which isn't shy on the gameplay footage, after the break. [Via GameSetWatch] %Gallery-75575%
These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania
"Metroidvania" is a term used to describe side-scrolling games with large, open worlds, new areas of which are accessible only with certain items or powerups. Take away the side-scrolling element, and you've got Zelda; take away the powerups, and you've got Pitfall. It's named after the two most famous series to make use of the format, Metroid and (later) Castlevania. Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.Click here to start your adventure!
Shadow Complex Achievements arrive with a handful of screens, new trailer
Will Shadow Complex be this year's Bionic Commando: Rearmed -- ya know, minus all that direct nostalgia? Between the 2D platforming, arsenal of weapons, huge bosses, and frosted camera lens, it's getting harder and harder for us not to draw the comparison. One thing the new gameplay you see above features that BC:R lacked? Jumping! (Thankfully!) An Achievement for melee kills (find the whole list after the break) helps to assuage our concerns of, well, not having a robot arm -- though anyone with half a brain knows that third-party human being parts beat out melee weapons every time. Hopefully the extra $5 for Shadow Complex over BC:R means those weapons are really sharp when you check them out on August 19. %Gallery-68437%
Shadow Complex: Metroid meets Contra and HAS A BABY
When Epic's Cliff Bleszinski hit the stage sans Lancer at Microsoft's E3 keynote, many at both the Microsoft keynote and here at the Joystiq mobile HQ wondered what Epic was up to. Then, we noticed he was accompanied by Chair Entertainment's Donald Mustard, and we caught our first glimpse of Shadow Complex, a game with heavy amounts of influence from 2D titles such as Metroid and Contra, with a splash of its own unique 3D action, making this a project all its own. For an XBLA title, it has an incredible amount of polish, and we're sure the price will reflect that when it releases this summer. %Gallery-64709%
Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Surprised? The Castlevania series typically isn't associated with speedy, high-intensity gaming, so I can say with utter honesty that I had no intention of writing about IGA's latest delicious Metroidvania whenever I finally got my hands on Order of Ecclesia. The game has surprised so far in being pretty different from its immediate predecessors in both combat and environments, the combination of which is like a clean, refreshing punch in the face.It's hard, guys. Really hard, in fact, but with the kind of irresistible challenge that'll have you firing up your DS at every free moment to try and beat that next boss or just make it through the next level without failing too miserably. In that regard Order of Ecclesia is surprisingly well-suited for this week's edition of Gaming to Go, as in at least the first half of the game you'll encounter numerous levels which can be run through and completed without losing vast amounts of time. Whether you'll make it to the end of that level alive is an entirely different matter, mind you, but that's half the fun! Want to hear more? Click the big button down there and see why masochism is good.%Gallery-22992% #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >>
TGS08: Castlevania: Order of Awesome Trailer
With Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia due out in Japan and the U.S. later this month, the Tokyo Game Show represents the last major event at which Konami can show the game off; and shown it off they have, with this spectacular trailer.The first minute and thirteen seconds consists of Order of Ecclesia character/location art, so if it's gameplay you're after, you'll want to skip to around one-third of the way through. Though why you'd want to skip Castlevania art is utterly beyond us.%Gallery-22992% Like Castlevania? We do -- to an embarrassing degree. Check out our impressions of Order of Ecclesia from E3, settle in for a trailer, or go Behind the Boxart with a Konami graphic designer. But enough talk -- have at you!
Cave Story has optional new music, graphics
GoNintendo spoke to Tyrone Rodriguez of Nicalis, the developer responsible for the new WiiWare version of Cave Story, and got a lot of very good news. Yes, there will be remixed music, from Yann van der Cruyssen, aka Nurykabe. There will also be some kind of graphical upgrade. That's great, but it's not the good news.The good news is that you can turn that stuff off if it turns out not to be as good as classic Cave Story. "Yes, the old music and graphics will both be retained via a switch," Rodriguez said. "You'll also be able to mix-and-match audio and visuals."There's even better news, in fact. Pixel is involved with this project! He even answered a couple of questions. About the project: "Working on this project is like a dream come true; sometimes it feels like it's too good to be true. And I feel very lucky because Cave Story has the support of such a strong fanbase."[Screen via Kombo]
Huzzah? Cave Story may be headed to WiiWare [update]
This is definitely the best possibly-fake news we've heard in a while. Apparently, Doukutsu Monogatari (Cave Story) creator Pixel has asked everyone developing ports of his masterpiece (including the PlayStation 3 Linux version) to stop their work.According to Amigaworld.net, who reported on the cancellation of the Amiga OS4 version, the reason for the cutoff of port projects is that Cave Story is planned for release on WiiWare. The implication here is that this version of Cave Story will be official and Pixel-approved (or, ideally, Pixel-developed). We hope this is true, because we would love to play Cave Story on the Wii, and we'd love to give Pixel some money for the privilege.[Update: Amigaworld redacted the previous statement. Apparently it's all some kind of misunderstanding.][Via Indie Games]
Top 5: Things We Won't See at E3
This week sees the commencement of E3, the Super Bowl for gamers. On Tuesday, Nintendo will announce all of its big plans for the rest of the year, sending fanboys and fangirls alike into a frenzy. And while others choose to give us predictions of what we will see, here is the much more important information: things that we won't be seeing. 5. The Game Boy Ultra - Around the time that the DS was first announced, Nintendo made a point to clarify that the new dual-screened portable was more of a "third pillar" than the next installment in the Game Boy line. But then the DS started printing money ... lots and lots of it. Regardless, in an effort to stay true to their word (as they always do), Nintendo will unveil the Game Boy Ultra. The sleek handheld will feature a small but crisp widescreen display showcasing wonderful GameCube-esque graphics. In fact, it will be backwards-compatible with all GameCube games, using the same 8cm discs as Nintendo's last-gen console. Also, similar to the PSP's remote play, the Game Boy Ultra will connect to the Wii and allow data transfers to an SD card. This will allow Virtual Console and select WiiWare games to be played on the go. And since Nintendo plans to keep DS owners in agony by not announcing New Super Mario Bros. 2, they will reveal that the Game Boy Ultra will ship packaged with a free copy of Super Mario Bros. Ultra. Survey Says: Not necessary; Contra 4 removes the need for any other portable game or system.
Basically, Order of Ecclesia looks rad
There's a lot of truth to the complaints many have made about producer Koji Igarashi's direction with the Castlevania series -- mainly that every new entry seems like a slight update to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's (1997) template -- but we've never let that get in the way of us taking in every bit of vampire-slaying media each new Castlevania title. As a team focused on digging up news on Nintendo DS games, we sift through dozens of videos and screenshots, glossing over most of them. With IGN's hands-on impressions and direct-feed clips for Order of Ecclesia, however, we took in every word, every second of animation. They're all embedded past the post break for you to do the same, of course!And, for those of you who are still grumpy about Order of Ecclesia possibly feeling too much like previous installments, you'll be happy to hear this bit from IGN's preview: "Between the glyph system's reliance on magic, the 'out of the castle' feel of the game, and the all new enemies, this is the first time since Symphony of the Night that a free-roaming version of the game hasn't felt like a direct clone of Symphony of the Night."%Gallery-22992%
