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PSN Store Update: Digital Pros and CoDs
We're knee-deep in silly season, so it was already a stuffed-enough PlayStation Store update. Factor in that we've just had the first Tuesday of November and therefore the PlayStation Plus slew of games, well, we've got a fair bit to get through here. First off, there are the retail releases that get their downloadable accompaniments. That's MotoGP 14 (PS4 $60, PS3 $40 and Vita $30), The Wolf Among Us ($25 on PS4 and Vita), the standalone Toy Box download for Disney Infinity 2.0 ($20 on PS4 and PS3 for a limited time, regular price $30), Rocksmith 2014 ($60 on PS4), and finally the small matter of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($60 on PS4 and PS3.) If you've got $100 to burn, you qualify to be a Digital Pro thanks to CoD: Advanced Warfare - Digital Pro Edition. Earning this prestigious title comes with the added benefits of the season pass, a bonus multiplayer map and other in-game goodies.
Frozen Synapse Prime flanks an arena, heads to Steam
Frozen Synapse Prime, Double Eleven's port of Mode 7's Frozen Synapse that initially reached the Vita (and will reach the PS3 this month), is circling back for another sweep through Steam on November 14. This version will retain the realistic visuals, extra team commands, overhauled campaign and other additions that debuted in Prime, but it's equipped with a few new Steam-specific features, too. As detailed by the Steam listing, an Arena mode will pit strategists against "unique and challenging scenarios" that will presumably call for a fresh batch of tactics. Prime's soundtrack on Steam will also feature everything found in the original game, as well as tunes from its Red Pack expansion. These are beside Steam achievements and trading cards, of course. If you've been basking in the original version's colorful glow until now, you can read up on a full breakdown of changes that were introduced with Prime's launch on Vita. [Image: Double Eleven]
Frozen Synapse primes itself for Vita on September 23
Turn-based tactical game Frozen Synapse Prime will reach Vita on September 23, PlayStation Blog revealed. Its soundtrack will also be available on PSN at that time, bundled with the game in the Prime Soundtrack Edition. The asynchronous strategy game allows players to tackle multiple matches at once, and also features a single-player campaign set in a dystopian future. Frozen Synapse Prime is the Vita port of Mode 7's strategy game, first revealed as Frozen Synapse Tactics in February 2013 before changing the game's name last month. The move from PC and Mac is being handled by LittleBigPlanet Vita developer Double Eleven, the same studio that brought PixelJunk Studio Ultimate to PS4 and Vita in June as well as PlayDead's Limbo to Vita last year. [Image: Double Eleven]
Humble Bundle 10 adds three more games for PC, Android
Humble Bundle organizers have added three bonus games to the ongoing Humble Bundle: PC and Android 10, bringing the collection up to 11 featured games at a pay-what-you-want price point. Ludosity's Zelda-like action-adventure game Ittle Dew, Mode 7's tactical sim Frozen Synapse, and Subatomic Studios' classic tower defense game Fieldrunners are now a part of Humble Bundle 10, joining previously featured PC and Android games Metal Slug 3, Skulls of the Shogun, Breach & Clear, Symphony, Draw a Stickman Epic, Galcon Legends, Galcon Fusion, and Fieldrunners 2. Buyers can unlock Humble Bundle 10's bonus games by beating the collection's average purchase price (currently just under $5), with an optional portion of proceeds benefiting the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Child's Play Charity. [Video: Ludosity / Humble Bundle]
Frozen Synapse iOS shrinks in price, expands in content
Developer Mode 7 Games comes bearing a double shot of good news for fans of its day-glo iPad strategy hit Frozen Synapse. Not only has the game received an expansion, it's also been reduced in price. Like its PC incarnation before it, the mobile version of Frozen Synapse can now be enhanced by the "Red" expansion. For a price of $2, players will receive a new, 15-mission campaign, co-op support for the original Frozen Synapse campaign, a new multiplayer mode, new unit type, 10 singleplayer challenge missions, additional mutators and the titular "Red Mode" which, you guessed it, turns the game red. To celebrate the debut of Red, Mode 7 has temporarily reduced the price of Frozen Synapse to $1. The studio does not specify when the strategy game might return to its original price, instead saying that the discount is applicable "for the time being." [Image: Mode 7 Games]
Frozen Synapse to form strategies on iPhone this year
Frozen Synapse, Mode 7 Games' top-down, turn-based tactical strategy game that challenges players to not get shot, is using its next turn to head toward your iPhone. Mode 7's Paul Taylor shared the news on Twitter, adding that while he wasn't sure of a specific release date, he expects the port's release should "definitely be by the end of the year." Previously available on PC, Mac, Android and iPad, Frozen Synapse lets players work through a campaign or try and outwit a friend's strategy in its multiplayer modes. With destructible sections and varied weapons including explosives, Frozen Synapse seems like the sort of game where a strategy can crumble in a single, well-played turn from your opposition. [Mode 7 Games]
Frozen Endzone beta begins December 5, takes the field in new trailer
The beta program for Mode 7 Games' Frozen Endzone will launch this Thursday, December 5. The turn-based strategy game, first announced in March, has players moving their players across a futuristic field in a game similar to American football. Our brief time with the game found apt comparisons to the developer's previous strategy game, Frozen Synapse, particularly in regards to the depth of Frozen Endzone's tactics. Mode 7 Games also offered up a new trailer for the strategic football game, which introduces the game and the developer's beta program. Frozen Endzone was greenlit by Valve along with 19 other games in April, granting the game distribution on Steam for Mac, PC and Linux in 2014.
Daily iPad App: Frozen Synapse simulates some very impressive turn-based strategy
Frozen Synapse has been a successful title on Steam for a while now -- it's a turn-based strategy game, with the twist being that you're a sort of tactical AI, running these battles on simulations and hardware rather than in real life. As a result, the big draw of Frozen Synapse is that while, like many other tactical strategy games, you are guiding a series of soldiers around turn by turn, these turns are actually simulated, and you can test them out and repeat them as many times as you like before playing out the "prime" sequence, and running the real thing. The pacing of the game is pretty perfect, then. Frozen Synapse has now been ported to the iPad, and the touchscreen gives you a whole lot of flexibility over what commands you can give your little soldiers: Just double tap on the screen to set up waypoints for them, and then you can drag those points around as needed. You can then run the simulation to see what happens, but of course your enemies don't always behave in the real world as they do in the sim, so it's up to you as commander to make sure you've planned for any contingencies in the various scripting you've passed out to your troops. Frozen Synapse is simple once you figure it out, but the UI allows you to do a lot with the little guys you control, and as a result can be fairly complicated. Still, there's lots of helpful tutorial videos included, and the good news is that there's no shortage of content for the game. In addition to a full campaign, you can also play instantly created skirmishes, or five different multiplayer modes. Frozen Synapse is available for a premium price of US$6.99, but that's much cheaper than the Steam version still goes for. If you're a tactical strategy fan, this one is a don't miss for sure.
Frozen Synapse brings cross-platform play to iPad on May 16
Frozen Synapse takes tactical defense to the iPad on Thursday, May 16, complete with cross-platform play between PC, Mac and iPad. Players will be able to access all of their games on any platform, at any time, though current owners will have to buy the iPad version separately to get it on that slim screen. We first learned of Frozen Synapse's journey to iPad in early April, and developer Mode 7 said an Android version will launch sometime after the iOS installment, each with "competitive" pricing.
Frozen Synapse makes a move for iPad in May, Android after
Mode 7's tactical game Frozen Synapse is coming to the iPad, with a slated launch some time in May, Joint Managing Director Paul Taylor has revealed to Joystiq. A port to Android tablets is planned for after the iPad launch – on both platforms, Taylor says the price will be "competitive."Cross-play between iOS, Android and the desktop version "is definitely happening," Taylor says. Players will be able to start a match on one device, then resume their turns on other platforms; the 'Red' DLC adding co-op play and new missions will also be available on iPad and Android tablets.
Frozen Synapse: Tactics plans its move to PSN in 2013
Mode 7's indie darling Frozen Synapse will be ported to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita courtesy of developer Double Eleven, whose work you may recall from LittleBigPlanet Vita. The port, titled Frozen Synapse: Tactics, will be available for download on PSN sometime this year.Frozen Synapse is a turn-based tactical game where players manage units of varying weaponry and skill sets in an attempt to defeat the enemy team's squad; however, unlike most turn-based games, all player actions in Frozen Synapse resolve simultaneously. Once each player sets all their moves, the game then plays it all out at the same time – an atypical yet incredibly original take on the tactics genre.
'Best of British Indie Bundle' on Steam
A collection of the best-rated indie games by British developers is on sale for a couple days on Steam. The "Best of British Indie Bundle" includes Time Gentlemen, Please!, Ben There Dan That!, Eufloria, DEFCON, Frozen Synapse, Revenge of the Titans and Gratuitous Space Battles.The bundle, whose components would add up to $79.94 individually, is more generous than gratuitous at $9.99. The sale runs until 4PM Pacific on Thursday.
Frozen Synapse: Collector's Edition warms up to UK retail September 7
Mode 7's indie tactical-combat darling Frozen Synapse is coming to retail via a special boxed edition this fall, courtesy of publisher Merge Games. This collector's edition will be compatible with both PC and Mac, and tosses in the game's soundtrack, a sticker and postcard, plus a Steam key to unlock an additional copy of the game for a friend or curiously nice enemy. Hey, it's none of our business how you treat your enemies!The Red expansion pack – an update from back in May that added co-op gameplay, a new unit, a new game mode and a host of new missions – is also included in this collector's edition package. Frozen Synapse: Collector's Edition will be exclusive to UK retailers and launches on September 7.
Frozen Synapse gets a brand new ending (for a limited time)
No, it's not some kind of commentary on BioWare and the controversy surrounding Mass Effect 3's ending -- this is an experiment, an altered ending for Frozen Synapse that will live for a limited time. "This wasn't intended as a criticism of Bioware," Frozen Synapse developer Mode 7's Managing Director, Paul Taylor, told Joystiq. "I thought it would be interesting to take a load of fan suggestions and then just make the worst ending I could imagine; a kind of horribly self-referential meme-laden nightmare, and then just slap that on the game for a week and see if anyone cared."One player already grabbed video of the altered ending, which you can see embedded above. "The thing that's interested me most about doing that is that people (mostly) seem to get the joke and also seem to want to use it as a starting point for a conversation about stories in games." We'll just have to take his word for it -- we'll never be smart enough to play Frozen Synapse.
PSA: UK indie games bundle 'Little Big Bunch' out now
The Little Big Bunch, a Humble Indie Bundle-esque collection of games from UK-based developers, is available right this hot second. The collection includes Explodemon, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Frozen Synapse, Serious Sam Double D and New Star Soccer 5 -- all five of which are yours at a price point of your choosing. Much like the Humble series, shoppers can choose which portion of their donation goes to the developers, and what part goes to GamesAid, which then gives the funds to a number of charitable organizations. It's a great cause supporting great games, which we think is just great.
UK indies putting together 'Little Big Bunch' charity bundle
Indie games travel in packs now. A group of UK indies is concocting another pay-what-you-want offering, in the same vein as The Humble Indie Bundle, that collects several enticing games and lets you split your donation between the developers and charity organization GamesAid. Dubbed "The Little Big Bunch," it's expected to go live (and actually have, like, a website) by December 14th. According to Develop, the bundle will contain Explodemon, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, recent "Humble" headliner Frozen Synapse, and unspecified contributions from New Star Games and Mommy's Best Games (the Indiana-based team behind Serious Sam: Double D). We'll let you know as soon as The Little Big Bunch opens itself to your unrestrained philanthropy / inability to resist cheap games.
Frozen Synapse coming to iPad in 2012, Mode 7 hopes
Frozen Synapse, the game of intense, turn-based tactical planning and sudden simultaneous execution, is coming to the iPad. Posting on developer Mode 7's blog, managing director Paul Taylor reveals that the tablet version has been "in the works for a while," having already appeared in playable form at a pub meetup. Taylor says we can expect it sometime within the first half of next year, if all goes to plan. Also part of the plan: cross-platform play between the iPad and other versions of Frozen Synapse. Taylor adds that the focus on the capable iPad port won't detract from existing platforms -- "we're actually working right now to hire another team member so we can give it more attention and update it more efficiently." At the moment, Mode 7 consists of three core developers and a "group of trusted freelancers." Frozen Synapse has gained a lot of indie buzz in recent months, especially after becoming the star attraction in a recent Humble Indie Bundle.
SpaceChem added to the Humble Bundle
Is there a point at which humility just becomes groveling? If so, The Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle may be approaching it rapidly. Now, when you pay whatever you want for the indie strategy hit, you'll not only get experimental puzzle adventure Trauma, but the brain-melting puzzler, SpaceChem. Three games? For us? C'mon guys, where's your dignity? If the video above makes the atomic pairing game look a little complicated, that's only because it fully is. But c'mon, can't your brain handle it? What are you, some kind of weiner? Don't be such a weiner, weiner.
Trauma added to Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle
Per tradition, a new title has been added to the ranks of the latest Humble Indie Bundle. Trauma, an abstract game by Krystian Majewski in which players manipulate photos -- and that's putting it as loosely as we possibly can -- has been added to the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle today. Rest assured, if you've already purchased the bundle, you can download the bonus game at no extra cost. If you haven't purchased the bundle yet, may we ask why? You can set your own price and these are some quality games. Download them already, you monster!
Humble Indie Bundle team offers a Frozen Synapse Bundle
The Humble Indie Bundle guys are back with another pay-what-you-want bundle of games. Proceeds from your purchase may be directed to the developers or to charity, in any combination you like. This time around, they're focusing on the turn-based strategy game Frozen Synapse, offering it up to anyone who wants to pay in at any price. There is a reason to pay a little higher this time. If the price you choose is higher than the average (currently around US$4.50) will also get you the Frozenbyte bundle, featuring the great Trine, the Shadowgrounds games, a game prototype called Jack Claw, and the upcoming release Splot. That lot for less than five bucks is a great deal, even if the Humble Indie Bundle folks aren't actually providing a bundle to everyone this time around. And as you'll probably remember from the past few offerings, these guys have a habit of adding even more extras into their deals, so odds are good that those six games aren't all you'll get if you buy in now. As usual, all of the games are available through Steam and are compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows. If you need something to play this coming weekend, you won't find a better deal around.
