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Guacamelee dominates April's PSN charts in US and Europe
Sony reports that DrinkBox Studios' side-scrolling luchador brawler Guacamelee emerged as last month's biggest seller on the PlayStation Network, topping the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita sales charts in North America and Europe. Guacamelee launched in both regions the week of April 9, and was bolstered by a week-long sale for PlayStation Plus members. The game beat out Terraria and the downloadable version of Square Enix's Tomb Raider for the top PS3 chart spot stateside, and overtook Sony's Soul Sacrifice and Muteki's Dragon Fantasy Book I to lead PS Vita sales. Over in Europe, Guacamelee toppled PSN favorites Journey, Hitman: Blood Money HD and Crysis to champion the PS3 sales list, and outsold Urban Trial Freestyle and Sound Shapes in a no-holds-barred Triple Threat match on the Vita.
Guacamelee review: Wrestlevania
Is there anything more paltry than the video game chicken? Guacamelee lets you kick the poor featherballs, lock them in your log-like luchador arms, and pile-drive them into the ground so hard they bounce around the room. In the presence of a protagonist, the only thing worse off than a chicken is a vase.Guacamelee doesn't have much to say about vases or any sort of pottery, but its Mexican fairytale offers some spiritual redemption for the down-trodden chicken. This overdue kindness is reflected in the game's eclucktic characters, and in the hero's typical ascent to spandex.In Juan, you inhabit a slouching, mild-mannered man and earnest collector of wrestling paraphernalia. The villain kills him immediately. Upon his resurrection – via mystical luchador mask – a swaggering Juan learns to leap through the dual worlds of living and dead, and finds reason to punch them both.%Gallery-185263%
Guacamelee proves its concept is as hot as a habanero
Guacamelee didn't just appear like the chips and salsa do before the chimichanga arrives at your favorite Mexican restaurant – it took work, and it took a solid idea. The above proof-of-concept video shows Guacamelee before it got gussied up, demonstrating the game's mechanics and moves without any flashy art to get in the way.Guacamelee is out today on PSN, as a cross-buy title for PS3 and Vita. Apart from all those sweet luchador moves, the game is stuffed with classic video game and internet references.
PSN Tuesday: Guacamelee and some things that aren't Guacamelee
Guacamelee puts PSN in a headlock today, receiving top billing in this week's content dump. The PS3 and PS Vita cross-play game is available for $14.99, or at $11.99 for PS Plus subscribers as part of the "Spring Fever" promotion.Downloads for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Anarchy Reigns, Fatal Frame on PS2 and a few PS Imports also make their debut today.This week's free PlayStation Plus game is Labyrinth Legends, the dungeon action game from Creat Studios – the Russian outfit responsible for Biker Mice from Mars on PS2 and a bunch of PSN games like Cuboid, Magic Orbz and others.
Guacamelee has expanded Vita controller functionality
Drinkbox Studios will be attending this year's PAX Prime festivities in Seattle at the end of this month, and while it's there the developer will be showing off one of the benefits of Guacamelee's PlayStation 3/Vita exclusivity."We're integrating the Vita as a PS3 controller for Guacamelee, utilizing the Vita screen for a mini-map, and hopefully more," Drinkbox's Chris McQuinn told Joystiq. "Does this sound like a next-gen console you've heard of perhaps? As far as we know, we're the first game doing this."PAX Prime attendees, however, won't need a transmedia map on a $250 handheld to find Guacamelee on the show floor: Juicebox will be setting up shop inside the Indie Megabooth, which will be discernible from other, mainstream booths due to its abundance of pixel art and stylish, easily accessible development teams.
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack coming to Steam August 15
DrinkBox Studios' roly poly platformer Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack was widely recognized as the PS Vita's best early release, and now it's going to get access to an even bigger audience. DrinkBox has announced in the gibberish-ridden teaser trailer above that the game is headed to Steam, with the Vita's touch controls translated right over to the mouse and keyboard.The team is seeking beta testers right now, and the game will be out on August 15. Oh, and if you have a PS Vita and live in the EU but haven't played the game yet, it's on sale right now there as well.
Guacamelee pinned down as PS3 and Vita exclusive
Guacamelee, the game blessed with the World's Greatest Title, as well as an interesting combination of world-shifting mechanics and luchador sensibility, is now a PlayStation exclusive.Developer Drinkbox Studios finally alleviated our curiosity about the platforms for the action platformer, revealing that Guacamelee is under the wing of Sony's Pub Fund, and will be released exclusively for PS3 and PS Vita – the homes of Drinkbox's last two Mutant Blobs games.Drinkbox will show both versions at E3, which means we'll get to play Guacamelee again.
Indie Megabooth devs let anyone ask them anything
At PAX East this weekend, 16 popular indie developers (plus one "bonus" developer) will congregate into a super-giant indie creature in the first-ever Indie Megabooth. Developers include Ska Studios, Strange Loop Games, Retro Affect, Dejobaan Games, Fire Hose Games, DrinkBox Studios, Pocketwatch Games, Carbon Games and the rest -- to get the indie love flowing, the previously mentioned developers are running an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit, right now. So far, we've learned that each developer gets 99 bitches a day and that most of them cried while playing Journey. Andy Schatz of Pocketwatch Games, Eitan Glinert of Fire Hose and Retro Affect's David Carrigg have also offered differing perspectives on the possibility of indie development for the Wii U, or any Nintendo system in general. Said Glinert: "We're not. I don't know any small third party companies that make any serious money there. Nintendo sadly isn't serious about supporting non-Nintendo companies, and so it's not worthwhile for us to spend the time and effort bringing our games to their platform. Sad face." Schatz disagreed with the doomsday sentiment: "Speak for yourself Eitan! I haven't announced platforms for Monaco yet, but WiiU is still a possibility! Nintendo is slow to change (which is weird given the crazy innovation on their software side), but the boulder is finally starting to move wrt their digital sales storefront."Carrigg said Nintendo's eShop is "far behind" the XBLA and PSN competition, but Retro Affect has been talking to Nintendo and would "really like to work with them. I would not be surprised to see a Retro Affect game on a Nintendo platform sometime in the future."James Silva of Ska Studios addressed the lack of deadly dishwasher games on PC, saying he wants to make PC titles, but for now that would be a problematic process. The AMA is ongoing (as of this posting) so head on over and uncover some you-specific bits of information from this mega-group of indies.
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack moving from Vita to PC [update: 'aiming' for May or June]
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!, the acclaimed indie platformer for Vita, is about to become the acclaimed indie platformer for PC. During a GDC meeting, developer DrinkBox Studios showed me the PC port of the game, which trades touchscreen support for mouse control with the "telekinesis" ability.DrinkBox is still working on the port, so details of the release plans are uncertain. The developer plans both PC and Mac versions; either the Mac version will hit soon after the Windows release, or they'll appear simultaneously. Mutant Blobs Attack will also support Steam Achievements. Naturally, it'll support features like "absorbing terrified people" and "otherworldly magnet powers."Update: Drinkbox CEO Ryan McLean said the studio is "aiming" for a May or June release.
Play Guacamelee at PAX East
It seems unlikely that you'd forget a game called "Guacamelee," but feel free to watch the trailer and refresh your memory. During an appointment with developer Drinkbox Studios, we had the opportunity to watch that lovely trailer again -- and to learn that Drinkbox plans to bring a playable version of the world-shifting luchador platform action game to PAX East 2012. So not only will we get an update on the game, which is a strong contender for best title ever (reminder: "Octodad: Dadliest Catch" exists) -- we'll get to play it soon.
Portabliss: Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (Vita)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack. I've never seen The Blob, neither the '50s or '80s version, but I was always terrified of the concept as a child. Just imagine it: a sentient, gelatinous mass that grows larger and larger as it absorbs everything around it, eventually becoming so massive it threatens to consume the world itself. It's a horrifying reality to contemplate, but it turns out to be good conceit for a video game.Blobs have feelings too, you see. That's the case made by Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack. As evil scientist probe, prod and experiment upon a group (pack? gaggle?) of interstellar blobs, one decides to rise up against his oppressors. So begins Mutant Blobs Attack, as the green menace seeks revenge for its tortured brethren -- revenge against planet Earth.
Mutant Blobs Attack! dev on finding the right balance with Vita
Ryan MacLean is the CEO of Toronto-based DrinkBox Studios, which is composed of developers who know how to make games for a console launch. Working at Pseudo Interactive, MacLean's team released Cel Damage in time for the original Xbox launch, and Full Auto 2: Battlelines within a month of the PlayStation 3's debut. When Pseudo Interactive shuttered in mid-2008, a number employees established DrinkBox Studios, which has since completed contract work for nearly every system on the market. At a recent Los Angeles event for DrinkBox's latest title, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!, MacLean told me that of all the systems he's worked on for launch, the PlayStation Vita was the "easiest" to develop for. DrinkBox was first introduced to the Vita in October 2010 (before it was officially announced to the public), and the studio wanted its first game on the system, Mutant Blobs Attack!, to "take advantage of the Vita's input capabilities." But just like any developer taking on a new set of hardware, they had to focus on controls that worked. %Gallery-147487%
Mutant Blobs Attack PS Vita on February 21
PS Vita owners looking to take a sip of Drinkbox Studios' latest, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, need only wait until February 21. We recently spoke with Ryan MacLean, CEO of the Toronto-based developer, who walked us through some of the upcoming PS Vita game. You can read all about it here and determine whether it'll be worth your memory card space and $7.99.
About a Blob dev announces Guacamelee
There are a few ways into the cold, hardened heart of a Joystiq blogger, but there is perhaps no better way than a play on words. With this in mind, we are pleased, nay, forced to reveal Guacamelee, the latest title from Tales from Space: About a Blob developer Drinkbox Studios. Presumably, both Macho Cheese and Hits and Salsa were taken. The downloadable title follows the likes of Metroid, except instead of a badass space bounty hunter, players take up the role of badass luchador, Juan Aguacate. And, instead of reaching new areas with jump boots, you do it with wrestling moves. Also, Juan can swap between parallel worlds at will. In other words, it makes a lot more sense than Metroid ever did. No release date or platforms have been announced. If you happen to be in the Toronto area, you can try out Guacamelee during the First Person Show at Digifest on October 30.
Tales from Space: About a Blob review
As a game about absorbing small objects in ordinary surroundings to make your spheroid character bigger, Tales from Space: About a Blob ventures into dangerous territory. Any game with such a premise is inevitably, and unconsciously, drawn into comparison with Katamari Damacy, which is pretty much universally beloved. Having to be measured against something like that makes any game seem worse. And from that perspective, the not-bad About a Blob seems bland.%Gallery-103867%
Tales From Space: About a Blob arrives Feb. 1 for PlayStation Plus users
DrinkBox Studios will see its Sony Pub Fund-backed platformer, Tales From Space: About a Blob, released on PSN on February 1 -- for PlayStation Plus subscribers, at least. The rest of the PlayStation Network populace will be able to download the title the following Tuesday, February 8. Tales From Space: About a Blob bears a resemblance to LocoRoco in terms of gameplay, with the added twist of its oozing protagonists (it's a two-player game) possessing the ability not only to grow larger by absorbing items, but fire them back out as projectiles, too. You know, like blobs tend to do. Final pricing hasn't been set, but DrinkBox CEO Ryan MacLean says on the PlayStation Blog that it should come in at $14.99 with a free trial version available, as well. Sounds like a goo-ed plan to us.
