DungeonDefenders
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Sony rolls out 'Dungeon Defenders 2' as a paid alpha on PS4
Dungeon Defenders 2 will be free when it launches as a full game on PlayStation 4, but fans who want to play it as soon as possible, pre-alpha bugs and all, can pay for the privilege starting next week. The pre-alpha version of Dungeon Defenders 2 -- that's a version that the developers are still building -- will be available for purchase on PS4 on September 29th in three packages: $15, $25 and $75. These are three bundles offering different in-game goodies for die-hard (or simply curious) fans, and they're identical to the ones offered on Steam Early Access.
New plugin-free web games run (almost) as well as their desktop counterparts
So far, sophisticated 3D web games have typically required either a plugin (think Quake Live) or a special environment where they can run native code. While those are just dandy, they aren't really web games, are they? That's going to change shortly, as Trendy Entertainment has revealed plans to launch truly web-based versions of both Dungeon Defenders Eternity and the upcoming Dungeon Defenders II. Both Unreal Engine-based titles use a mix of open standards like WebGL, Web Audio and Mozilla's heavily tuned JavaScript web code (asm.js) to handle desktop-level 3D and sound in your browser at "near native" speeds. You may not notice the difference at all, provided you're on a reasonably quick PC.
Daily iPhone App: Heroes and Castles combines action and tower defense into one game
Heroes and Castles is the latest game from the guys at Foursaken Media (who, I believe, I first met up with at Macworld around this time last year). It's a little bit more involved than anything else I've seen them do -- on the surface, I'd probably compare it most to the great Dungeon Defenders, a really excellent game on iOS or Steam that you should check out if you haven't yet. Heroes and Castles isn't quite as well-polished as Dungeon Defenders, but it is a lot of fun. It's a third-person action game, where you play as a fantasy character either hacking and slashing or casting spells against oncoming waves of baddies. But the twist here is that it's also a tower defense game: In addition to your own attacks, you can also buy an army to help you fight off enemies, or buy repairs and defenses for the town you're protecting. There's a lot of depth here: In addition to three different player classes, there are lots and lots of various units and defenses to unlock as you play along. Heroes and Castles isn't a perfect game -- the graphics leave a little something to be desired at times (though they also shine in the right places), and the touchscreen controls are a little too simple for a game that is as deep as this one. That camera, especially, is sometimes tough to turn around, especially when you need to see where your wall is being attacked on a moment's notice. But for US$1.99, Heroes and Castles is a great bargain of a game -- it's the most impressive outing I've seen from Foursaken yet, and it's a great action/RPG/defense title that's well worth the purchase.
Dungeon Defenders: the first Unreal Engine 3 game to get an honest-to-goodness Linux port
Who gives the official all-clear after the End of the World? We have no idea, but soon as the happy signal comes we're going to reconfigure our Linux-powered bunker for a spot of gaming. It's an eerily fortuitous time for that, in fact, what with the Steam for Linux beta now open to all and the Unity and Unreal engines also having been adapted for the open source OS. In terms of actual playable titles, Dungeon Defenders in the latest Humble Bundle is being put forward as the first native, commercial Linux game to use Unreal Engine 3, and if it proves successful then it'll hopefully inspire others to come out with more ports in lucky 2013.
The Joystiq Show - 010: Now Playing NY Comic Con
Now Playing is back with a double-dose of games this week. JC talks about the latest Professor Layton, but the real love in this episodes comes with Dungeon Defenders. The mobile game has arrived on consoles and PC, and it has more to offer than you might expect-- just listen to excitement in Alexander's voice. Comic Con isn't just for those on the west coast. Ben and Shacknews' Andrew Yoon were on-hand at Comic Con's east coast contingent, and they saw some cool things. Maybe you would like to hear some anecdotes about Ken Levine and how bosses are being handled in Bioshock Infinite? Part 1 (1:40) - Roundtable: Professor Layton and the Last Specter, Dungeon Defenders Part 2 (45:05) - Roundtable: New York City Comic Con Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Host: Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Guest: Andrew Yoon (@scxzor) Producer: Jonathan Downin (@jonathandownin - Game Thing Daily) Production Coordinator: Richard Mitchell Music: Trash80 and Professor Layton and the Last Specter Stream the show after the break.
Android's in-app billing makes a dent: Dungeon Defenders free on Android Market
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave cost $3 when it first came out. This week, the iOS version will cost you ninety-nine cents. But if you want to play the Unreal Engine-powered tower defense game today, you can have it for free -- developer Trendy Entertainment is now leaning on Android's new in-app billing system to pay for the whole thing. We can't give Trendy all the credit, of course, as Glu Mobile's Gun Bros and Tapulous' Tap Tap Revenge 4 are doing the same thing, but to our knowledge both of them were free to play from day one. Free-to-play gaming has been a controversial proposition in the console and PC gaming space -- most publishers would just like to sell a game once, and call it a day. On phone, however, where apps are expected to be cheap, it could indeed make more sense to charge users for items and upgrades than to have users "buy" the game. Either way, we penny-pinchers are pleased as punch with the idea. PR after the break.
Acer Iconia Tab A500 first hands-on! (update: video)
Acer's ten-inch Tegra 2 tablet with Verizon LTE? You're looking at it right now, courtesy of the NVIDIA booth at CES 2011's Digital Experience show. It's just the same engineering prototype with an early build of Android 2.2 we've seen before -- it'll run Honeycomb at launch -- but this time, we got to touch. The hardware seriously feels final, with a solid metal case and a supremely responsive touchscreen that tracks a full ten points of contact. There's an interesting array of ports, too, with a full-sized USB port (as well as micro-USB) on one side and a dedicated charging socket too, as well as a dock connector on the bottom. What's missing are the standard Android Home, Menu and Back buttons, as instead of those, you simply swipe the lower right corner of the screen to bring up a tiny pane of virtual alternatives. No LTE connectivity to be found at Digital Experience, we're afraid, so we'll have to bring you speed tests another day -- but we'll have video up soon. For now, peep the gallery below. Update: Video after the break! %Gallery-112872%
Unreal-powered Dungeon Defenders: First Wave now available for Android
In case you had any preconceptions that you were going to be able to put down your phone long enough to greet friends and family members this holiday weekend... well, think again, because Dungeon Defenders: First Wave -- built atop Unreal Engine 3 -- is now available on Android. Tegra 2 devices like the Optimus 2X are billed as the "best" choices for playing the game, but seeing how those aren't really available, your next best options are Samsung's Hummingbird-based phones including the Galaxy Tab, Galaxy S series, and the Nexus S. A patch to be released next month will allow players to interact with their iOS-sporting counterparts online, while those on Tegra-based devices will get the opportunity to play with folks on PCs sometime later in the first quarter. Grab it now for $2.99; follow the break for the full press release.
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave brings Unreal Engine to Android this month
Along with Rage HD, Infinity Blade has been one of the titles to really solidify iOS' position as the leader in mobile gaming right now, but that's not to say Android isn't in hot pursuit: besides this Zeus we have on the horizon, Gingerbread improves gaming support on the API level -- and now we're seeing our first Unreal Engine 3-based title make the leap. Dungeon Defenders: First Wave, which just launched on iOS, is coming to Android 2.1 and above on December 23rd bringing with it an online, multiplayer tower defense gaming experience. Of course, one problem these guys have now is that Android hardware is all over the map, so they actually need to publish a long list of minimum requirements -- just like PC titles -- and in this case you need 512MB of RAM, an 800MHz or better SOC with support for OpenGL ES 2.0, and at least 400MB of free storage. Apart from the myTouch 4G (which has some occasional "stability issues"), most recent mid- to high-end handsets seem to be ready to roll, including "all Tegra 2 based devices" like the Optimus 2X that was just announced. Follow the break for some video action and the full press release.
TUAW's Daily App: Dungeon Defenders: First Wave
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave is a tough title to recommend. Don't get me wrong -- it's a great game, and for the right player, it might be one of the best games on iOS of the year. But it's quite complicated, and it mixes up lots of different genres, from action RPG to real-time strategy to tower defense. I first got to see the game running on the PlayStation 3 a few months ago, so you can head over to Joystiq to read my impressions if that sounds like an interesting concoction. The basic idea is that you play a hero from one of four classes (warrior, ranger, mage or monk), and then you fight a series of enemy creatures in waves on various floors of a dungeon. In between waves, you can set up defenses that vary per class, so the game switches off between tower defense strategy, with various resources to protect and collect as you play, and a hack-and-slash sequence, complete with each hero's own XP, loot and talent trees. It sounds complicated, and it is. If you're not already familiar with the tower defense genre, and the idea of XP and loot is still foreign to you, this one might not be for you. But it's quite impressive once you figure it out, and if nothing else, the fact that Trendy has pretty much ported their Unreal Engine 3 game straight over to iOS without any compromises (the screen is a little cluttered with controls, but still) is really incredible. This is basically the same game I played on the PSN, running at full graphics and full speed on my iPhone 4. There are a few different modes to play through (including a story mode with cinematics and bosses, and a survival mode with endless waves to defeat). Drop-in and drop-out multiplayer is included, though I didn't get a chance to try it myself, and I've heard it can sometimes be testy unless you're local. The game offers Game Center integration for achievements and leaderboards as well. At just US$2.99 for the universal app, it's a really excellent title. For the right gamer who's ready to conquer the heady mix of various game genres, Dungeon Defenders: First Wave could be extremely rewarding. You'll see a video of the game in action after the break.
