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Powerstar Golf now free-to-play with full game unlock on Xbox One
Zoë Mode and Microsoft Studios' Xbox One golfing sim Powerstar Golf is now free-to-play with upgrade options available for players who wish to purchase the full version. Originally priced at $19.99, Powerstar Golf is currently available as a free download that includes a single hole from every course featured in the full game. Players can test out the game's stroke and match play modes and earn XP and credits that can later be transferred to the paid version. "Powerstar Golf is now a free-to-play title," a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq. "Players who've already paid for Powerstar Golf will get all the content updates for free - including the new course which is available today. Players who download the game as free-to-play will have to pay for additional characters, courses and in-game features." [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Xbox One media overflow: Kinect Sports Rivals, Zoo Tycoon and more
Microsoft's Xbox One event was a veritable cornucopia of game reveals and trailers for next-gen releases, but apparently the time allotted wasn't enough to show every single trailer for all of the new games coming to both the Xbox One and Xbox 360. In addition to this trailer for Rare's Kinect Sports Rivals for Xbox One, looks at Starbreeze Studios' new Xbox 360 jam Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Frontier's Xbox One iteration of Zoo Tycoon and Zoë Mode's Powerstar Golf are also available beyond the veil.
Indie Royale celebrates Oktoberfest with six-game bundle
Indie Royale is back with a new Steam and Desura six-game bundle. The Oktoberfest bundle features Zoe Mode's Chime and all three episodes of Hector: Badge of Carnage by Telltale Games.Smudged Cat Games' The Adventures of Shuggy also makes an appearance in the bundle along with Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble and "story-driven interactive drama" The Witch's Yarn by Mousechief. The Network by AquaFox rounds out the bundle.Those that spend more than $8 on the bundle will also receive two chiptune albums by Savestates, "Calm Your Nerves" and "Chip unDeath." The Oktoberfest bundle is on sale now until Friday, October 5 for its usual "pay the minimum" price, which is currently $5.21.
Crush3D: A second look in the third dimension
Crush3D might be a new game to many of us, but that's only because nobody seemed to notice the original 2007 PSP game, developed back when Zoe Mode was called Kuju Brighton. And with its emphasis on constantly shifting from 2D to 3D in perspective, it seems like an idea that was waiting for the 3DS to come along.The new version obviously uses stereoscopic 3D effects to highlight the "3D-ness" of the world, but what else has changed for the 3DS release? Well, not much. The only difference I could clearly identify is in the color scheme. While the PSP game was deep, dark and moody, painting the world inside protagonist Danny's mind with subdued colors and nighttime skies, the 3DS game is vividly colorful.%Gallery-126033%
Zumba Fitness Rush sweats Kinect Feb. 13
The hit Zumba Fitness franchise is working out another installment next month with Zumba Fitness Rush. The game is exclusively for Xbox 360's Kinect and features "the most content of any Zumba Fitness game to date." "This high-quality experience built for Kinect for Xbox 360 offers a wealth of exclusive content to fans, and then delivers even more post launch with multiple game add-on packs," Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said. "The February 13 launch of Rush is the company's largest integrated marketing program to date, and we are thrilled to have Microsoft's support around the world to bring this exceptional product to market." Rush already has two DLC packs slated, with a three-song Bollywood pack for May and another triple-pack of hip-hop songs for September. The packs will be 400 MSP ($5) apiece. The Zumba Fitness franchise has surpassed 6 million units to date and is currently the backbone of Majesco's financial scoliosis.
Crush3D trailer has a story to tell
What is it with scientists and their penchant for underage helpers? Doc Brown has Marty McFly, Mr. Wizard has a whole rotating cast of young assistants, and even Sir Isaac Newton had his lesser-known pal Gary to help out. In Crush3D, it's the same deal.
Crush3D, Mario & Sonic Olympics hitting 3DS early next year
Sega recently announced the launch dates of two of its upcoming titles for the Nintendo 3DS. Folks waiting with bated breath for the three-dimensional puzzler, Crush3D, will be able to exhale earlier than the original projected late-February release date -- it's out on January 10 (January 13 in Europe). Worldwide athletes, on the other hand, can test their mettle when Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games lights the torch on February 14 (February 10 in Europe). Well, we know what we're doing on Valentine's Day: Neglecting our significant others while we try and earn the gold with Dr. Robotnik in the Rhythmic Gymnastics event. They say his supple frame isn't built to twirl ribbons, but we respectfully disagree.
Haunt preview: Spirited entertainment [update]
During a visit to NanaOn-Sha's Tokyo headquarters, I had the opportunity to try Haunt, the company's new XBLA Kinect game. And despite the superficial, high-level similarity to Rise of Nightmares -- both are "scary" Kinect games in which you can walk around freely -- Haunt couldn't be a more different experience. NanaOn-Sha founder Masaya Matsuura classified it as more of a "haunted house" experience. Think Casper. Think profoundly charming. The Haunt demo begins on rails, on a cart guided down a railway like a haunted house ride, but that's just to ease you into the game. And, like any good haunted house, as you're slowly clack-clacking your way through the halls, spooooooky ghosts and skellingtons jump out to scare you. You dodge and avoid taking damage by moving your body to one side.%Gallery-134582%
Shinobi and Crush3D delay3D
Both of Sega's upcoming 3DS projects have been outfitted with new, later dates, according to a press release issued by Sega's European and American branches today. Griptonite Games' Shinobi update, initially due in September, will now be released on November 15. Crush3D, also originally to have been released in September, is now due February 21 of next year. This delay announcement confirms a statement given at a GamesIndustry.biz roundtable by Zoe Mode's Paul Mottram, who mentioned that "we had to delay the release of that because of the success of the platform." The solution to the problem of a platform that doesn't have enough games ... is to hold off on releasing games. Of course.
3DS to get 'Crush3D' on September 6
Sega today formally unveiled Crush3D (geddit?), the 3DS remake of 2007's perspective-shifting PSP puzzle-platformer, Crush. With the announcement, the publisher released a handful of screenshots and a debut trailer, and pinned the game to a September 6 launch in North America (September 9 in Europe and Australia). Not only does it add 3D graphics, but this reimagining of Crush has also undergone a fairly significant aesthetic change. Gone are the dark and dreary environments of the original game, replaced by a much less stressful jewel-toned palette. Check out Crush3D's brightened-up locales in the new screenshots below and video after the jump. %Gallery-123355%
Chime Super Deluxe dings PSN on March 29, includes 4-player modes
Chime Super Deluxe, a more relaxed and docile take on thematically similar games like Lumines, will be available March 29 on PSN in North America. Depending on its reception, Developer Zoe Mode has indicated that it would like bring this upgrade of vanilla Chime -- featuring rebalanced gameplay and enhanced graphics -- to PC and XBLA "at a later date." Aside from Super Deluxe being a "commercial" release on PSN (i.e., not for charity), the biggest change in this version of the audio/visual-focused puzzler is the inclusion of offline four-player modes. Depending on the type of trip you're looking to have with friends, you can roll smoothly with some cooperative gameplay or freak out in some versus. Let all those pretty colors and sounds wash over you, taste the purple and feel the bass.
Chime Super Deluxe soundtrack fully pieced together
UK dev Zoë Mode is in the final stretch of completing its upgraded version of Chime for PSN, aptly titled Chime Super Deluxe. As the puzzler takes shape, its maker has revealed the remaining artists who'll feature on the soundtrack -- which remixes dynamically in the game based on the placement of blocks and completion of each puzzle. Joining the likes of Moby, Orbital and Phillip Glass is human beatboxer Shlomo, with his track, "The Looping Song," written exclusively for the game. Electronica duo Plaid rounds out the bunch with another exclusive "Tender Hooks." Plaid says it was "keen to push the Chime engine for this composition" and that it's "based around loops written in 5/4 and 2/4 time allowing the track to switch between these time signatures to emphasize the gamers' progress through the level." Now if only Zoë Mode would announce a release date, it'd be music to our ears. You'll find some music for your ears in the new trailer for the game, after the break.
New tracks and artists revealed for Chime Super Deluxe
We already know the identities of five out of ten of the songs included in the upcoming, PSN-exclusive update to Zoe Mode's innovative puzzler, Chime Super Deluxe. Today, three more songs for the title were announced -- and my, what an ecclectic mix they are: Chiptune artist Sabrepulse will contribute a song titled "Play With You," on which he collaborated with Jorden Milnes, previous winner of the Billboard Songwriter Of The Year Award. Nathan McCree, composer for Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3, will turn in a song titled "Machine Dream." Finally, film and television composer Joe Hogan will contribute a "cinematic orchestral" tune named "Sympathy." The song was originally used in a prototype version of the original Chime, so we imagine that it's undergone quite a bit of Supering and Deluxing over the past year.
Zoe Mode finally announces Chime Super Deluxe for PSN, coming this Spring
After months of beating around the proverbial bush, Zoe Mode has confirmed that the charitable, rhythmic puzzler Chime will make its way to the PSN this Spring. Its newest iteration will actually be titled Chime Super Deluxe, which we initially believed to indicate the addition of short, super hilarious internet cartoons. No dice -- Zoe Mode explained on PlayStation Blog that the game's "Deluxeness" can be attributed to its 10-strong tracklist, as well as its two multiplayer modes, which were sadly left undetailed. We'll let you know when firmer details crop up. For now, check out the first five songs revealed from the game's soundtrack as well as an adjective-rich teaser trailer after the jump.
Sounds like Chime is headed for US PSN, too
Originally developed for Xbox Live Arcade as the first of OneBigGame's for-charity titles, music-based puzzler Chime is one step closer to release on PS3 via PlayStation Network. Already rated by classification boards in Australia and Germany, the game has now received an "E" rating from the ESRB. Now this PS3 version of the game just needs to be, y'know, announced. (Hopefully with Portal's "Still Alive" included.)
Chime Super Deluxe headed to PSN
Good news for music-infused puzzle game fans, as it looks like Zoë Mode is giving Chime another go. According to both the Australian Classification Board and the German USK, Chime Super Deluxe was recently classified (December 10, according to the Aussie board). It looks like this version will not be published by the One Big Game charity label, but rather Zoë Mode's parent company, Kuju Entertainment. The USK lists the title for the PS3 (likely the PSN), while the Classification Board notes the game is for multiple platforms. We contacted Zoë mode for clarification and were told that the multi platform listing was a "mistake," implying that Chime Super Deluxe will indeed be exclusive to PSN. The company added that the title "will be fully announced in the new year." Without being too presumptuous, we're going to guess it will be more "super" and "deluxe" than the previous version.
Chime charity drive to end Dec. 1, with XBLA update
Sometimes lost in the rabid daze of "good" deals this Black Friday week are genuine opportunities to spend a little money on good causes. If you've been meaning to pick up "that charity game" on XBLA -- and in doing so, donate 100 percent of your 400-point purchase to charities, including Save the Children and Starlight Children's Foundation -- you have until December 1 to do so. Come next Wednesday, Chime's 10-month charity drive will expire, at which point the game will be updated to donate 5 percent of all $5-purchase royalties to publisher OneBigGames, which then passes the donations along to its charity partners. Additionally, the update will remove the game's high-score cap. "Now that this cap has been removed it will finally be possible to discover the best Chime players in the world," game director Brynley Gibson, of developer Zoe Mode, said in an announcement. "This fix has been a long time coming and is absolutely one made for the fans; we hope it tides them over until we can announce our plans for where we are taking Chime next."
Chime hits Steam Sept. 6 with Portal-themed level
Zoë Mode creative director Ste Curran has tweeted some exciting news for PC-owning puzzle game buffs: Chime, the music-driven XBLA block-dropper it created for the OneBigGame charity project, is coming to Steam next month. The game will be available on the service from September 6, and will be up for pre-order there later today. Chime's a great puzzler as-is, but Zoë Mode is adding something extra-special for the PC release: a sixth level themed after Valve's modern classic, Portal, featuring Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive." As with the XBLA version, 5 percent of the Steam purchase price will go to charity. Sounds like a triumph for everyone.
Grease: The Game to utilize microphones and balance board
You've used your Wii Balance Board to exercise, ski, hula hoop and snowboard. Soon, you'll have the opportunity to use the peripheral in the manner God intended: To do the Hand Jive Hop. According to a press release from publisher 505 Games, Grease: The Game will allow two teams of four players to fight for "musical domination" using two USB microphones and the Balance Board. Oh, man. We've got chills, and we'll be entirely damned if they're not multiplying. The board will be used for Grease's many minigames, which include T-Bird racing, carnival games, and singing to the title's 16-song soundtrack. Not mentioned in the presser is the minigame where you take a nice, sweet-natured young girl and transform her into a spandex-clad hussy. We'll find out if that one made the cut when the game launches on Wii and DS in September.
Developers finally selected for Grease on Wii and DS
Hey, remember back in July of 2009 when 505 Games described its video game adaptation of beloved terrible musical Grease? Well, today -- around eight months later -- 505 has revealed who it has chosen to design that game. Wow, this is a really nice cart, what with all the flame decals and pink paint, but what's your ducktail-sporting horse doing all the way back there? (Psst, that's a cart-before-the-horse joke.) Since we've come this far, we might as well tell you that the DS version is being developed by Big Head Games and the Wii version by Zoë Mode, which most recently developed Chime for Xbox Live Arcade. Theoretically, that musical experience should be just as useful as ... experience with musicals.
