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Flower, flOw, Sound Shapes, Escape Plan coming to PlayStation 4 in November
Sony announced today that upgraded PlayStation 4 versions of Flower, flOw, Sound Shapes, and Escape Plan will hit the PlayStation Network shortly after the console launches at retail next month. The PlayStation 4 version of thatgamecompany's Flower will run at 60 frames-per-second and in 1080p when it premieres alongside an updated version of Queasy Games' rhythm-platformer Sound Shapes on November 15. On November 29, Sony will launch PS4 ports of thatgamecompany's flOw and Fun Bits Interactive's PS Vita puzzler Escape Plan, both of which feature reworked controls optimized for the DualShock 4. All four games are Cross-Buy titles, and will be available as free downloads for players who purchased previously-released editions for the PlayStation 3 or PS Vita. Sony additionally revealed that the PS Vita version of Flower will feature Cross-Buy support when it hits PSN on November 15.
PSA: Escape Plan Director's Cut DLC flees onto PS Store
Fun Bits Interactive keeps churning out downloadable content for Escape Plan, with another pack for the Vita game now available on the PlayStation Store. The 'Director's Cut' DLC promises 21 levels of the "most devious and evil tricks" for the puzzle game to date, including something called the "Slap-a-ma-tron 9001" which because of its name by default is brilliant. It's priced at $4.99 - sadly there isn't another 25c promotional offer this time around.Free for all, though, is the 1.04 patch. It brings with it poke controls to, via an easy button press, stop characters from marching to their gruesome demises. There are also four new costumes to clad the long-suffering Lil and Laarg in.
Escape Plan visits the Underground in new DLC
Vita puzzle platformer Escape Plan will get some new DLC this week. Entitled "Underground," the DLC adds 21 new levels and a pair of costumes for Lil and Laarg, namely the "Tourist" and "Furry" costumes, which are unlocked after completing the DLC. For the first two weeks of availability, Underground will be offered at $1.99. Come August 14, the price will go up to $4.99.Also coming this week is patch 1.03, which makes several tweaks to the game based on user feedback. In addition, the patch adds two free costumes, Flower Power and the oddly adorable bee costume seen above.
Scrape up some Escape Plan DLC for 25 cents on PSN
Escape Plan's most recent DLC pack, The Asylum, is $0.25 right now and for two more weeks on PSN. That's just one quarter or five nickels or one piece of one dollar bill ripped into four equal strips.Today Patch 1.02 for Escape Plan goes live, PS Plus members get five free avatars, and the game demo is available for PS Vita users, on top of that DLC sale we mentioned up there. The Asylum introduces 18 new levels, seven new challenge modes and four trophies, with a story picking up where the primary game ends.On June 26, The Asylum will revert to its natural state at $5 on the PSN store.
Escape Plan locks up some free DLC April 10
Some free downloadable content is headed to Escape Plan later this month. Entitled "Bakuki's Lair," the DLC is a prequel to Escape Plan and sees protagonists Lil and Laarg trying to exit a (presumably evil) sausage factory.Bakuki's Lair comes bundled with the Escape Plan Patch 1.01, which also includes improvements to the overall game. The patch features "a host of tweaks and improvements based on player feedback." It sounds like it should address some of our complaints, specifically promising "more pin-point accuracy on tap blocks." Patch 1.01 and Bakuki's Lair will land on PSN April 10.
Escape Plan review: Shades of grey
Escape Plan makes a far better showcase for the PlayStation Vita's control methods than, say, Little Deviants. It makes logical use of the front and rear touchpads and the accelerometer, as you prod, swipe, tilt, and otherwise cajole two characters out of a series of deadly traps.Interacting with Lil and Laarg shows exactly what the capabilities of the Vita's alternate control methods are, but unfortunately throws their limitations into sharp contrast as well.%Gallery-148156%
TGS Vita screen 'splosion: Escape Plan, LittleBigPlanet, Dark Quest, Legion of Hell
We don't know if you realized, but Tokyo Game Show is actually conducted entirely in stop motion, through a series of giant screencap cutouts and mulitcolored strobe lights. Really, it is. No, really. OK, fine. It isn't. We do, however, have a ton of screenshots from TGS, including the following batches of Vita games: Escape Plan, LittleBigPlanet, Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Dark Quest in Japanese) and a new title from Square Enix, Legion of Hell (make sure your speakers are turned up all the way for that website). Switch on your strobes and let the show begin below: LittleBigPlanet %Gallery-134126%
Fun Bits explains Escape Plan controls and the vocabulary of Vita
You might think it's a privilege to be among the first to develop for a new platform, and you'd be right. You're getting to play with a new toy, plus there's plenty of extra publicity being a launch title. You get to play pioneer for a couple of years! But, as Escape Plan developer Fun Bits will attest, being the first on a new console also means pressure. Sure, there was the usual "How do we exploit this tech to get the best graphics?" but, on the PlayStation Vita, there's was a whole new challenge: "What are we supposed to do with all these inputs?" %Gallery-130793%
Escape Plan preview: More than a touch of disappointment
[Ed. note: Fun Bits address some of our issues with controls, as you can see in this interview.] Can I tell you how excited I was to check out Escape Plan? 'Cause I was, like, really excited. It had potential game of the show written all over it, with its black-and-white aesthetic, quirky main characters, and bold showcasing of the PlayStation Vita's many control inputs. And after sitting through a presentation at Gamescom, I was promised hands-on the next day. Ooh, goody! My excitement, however, was immediately rattled after putting just one finger on the game. I was trying to wake up Lil, the thinner of the game's main two characters and introductory plaything, but pushing on the screen to wake her initially didn't do much. After mashing my finger repeatedly against the Vita's touchscreen, Lil finally woke up. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of my problems.%Gallery-130793%
New Vita game 'Escape Plan' is a charmer [update]
Right after getting awkward with Reality Fighters, Sony showed a genuinely interesting new Vita game: Escape Plan, a stylish, black-and-white side-scroller about guiding a pair of characters, Lil and Laarg (who are apparently balloons filled with ink) through a trap-filled environment. No information on launch date or developer was named, but we're already interested, as this is one of the most personality-laden games we've seen on the platform yet. Also, it has a giant hammer trap. Hilarious! Update: Escape Plan is developed by Fun Bits Interactive, a team formed from Fat Princess alums.
