Limbo
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Limbo with the lights on
Limbo's austere presentation would absolutely shatter if the game's protagonist found Alan Wake's trusty flashlight and started shining it all around. At least, that's what Dorkly posits in this clip revealing the happy land of Limbo.
Darkfall specializes magic schools, replaces death with limbo system
Aventurine continues its trek toward Darkfall's game revamp, aka Darkfall 2.0, and in a new producer letter, Tasos Flambouras drops a few interesting info nuggets to tide loyal players over until the job is done. He states that the team is retuning each of the game's eight schools of magic so that each one feels more unique and focused. For example, air magic will be specialized to do more damage in close quarters against fewer targets, while fire magic will excel at long-distance AoE attacks. The team also thinks it has figured out this pesky "death" problem by coming up with a more interesting limbo system. The way it works is that when players are taken down, they have a choice between either respawning back at a bind stone or waiting for a timer to count down to zero and initiate a respawn on the spot. If players opt to endure the limbo period, they can re-equip their characters from their bank boxes. Aventurine continues to hire on new team members for the project, including a designer who will facilitate communication between devs and the community.
PSN's best selling games of 2011 list dominated by games not from 2011
We're practically knee deep in 2012 at this point, and yet 2011 still refuses to give up the limelight, dropping financial data and sales reports on its way out the door in a desperate final attempt at relevance. So here we are, with a list of 2011's top sellers on the PlayStation Network ... and we've got two lists dominated by one game from 1985, and one from 2010.Speaking only in terms of full games, not "paid downloads" (like DLC packs for Black Ops) and PS Minis, the list is a hodgepodge of nostalgia-fueled favorites from yesteryear (like Tetris in its curiously lofty number one spot), and digitally distributed future-classics like Castle Crashers and Limbo, which ranked in at six and seven respectively. There's on important thread tying those together: none of those games launched in 2011.When all digital sales are taken into account, however, the list becomes an entirely different beast, and the only actual game present within the top 10 is Angry Birds, of all things (a PS Mini). In fact, the three best-selling anythings on the PlayStation Network in 2011 were Black Ops DLC packs, followed closely by a cavalcade of FIFA Soccer 12 and MLB 11 sundries. At least the DLC came out in 2011! Hop past the break for the full breakdown of both lists, care of Game Informer.
PSA: Limbo now available on Mac via Steam
If you've been waiting for the Mac-compatible Steam release of 2010's noir-existential platformer, Limbo, know that your wait is over. Limbo has, of course, been available via the Mac App Store for about three weeks, but the fact that Steam's version of the title includes cross-platform SteamPlay support may have been enough to convince some people to keep their credit cards in their wallets until now. All we need are 3DS and Vita ports and we'll be able to play Limbo on virtually everything we own.
Limbo is in Mac App Store now, damned to Steam in January
Playdead promised you a Mac OS release of its charming (but grim!) indie platformer, Limbo, by "the end of the year," and while we're not quite ready to call it a Christmas miracle the Danish developer has delivered on its promise. Limbo is live in the Mac App Store today, with a $9.99 sticker price accompanying the 83 MB download. Waiting for the Steam release, so you can take advantage of the cross-platform SteamPlay feature? Playdead's Dino Patti tells Joystiq that Limbo will be available on Steam on January 13th, a little over three weeks from today. But if that's too long to wait and/or you don't want to drop cheddar on the Mac App Store release, we think we've got a solution: Patti gave us a handful of codes to share with you all, which we'll be dropping onto Facebook and Twitter sometime today.
Limbo, PixelJunk Shooter 2 top best-selling PSN indie lists for 2011
The PlayStation Blog has posted PSN's top-selling indie games of 2011, with Limbo and PixelJunk Shooter 2 topping the third-party self-published and Sony-published lists, respectively. Big Sandwich Games' Hoard flies above the list of indies sponsored by Sony's Pub Fund. Asked if the lists are skewed by free PlayStation Plus or "Welcome Back" content, a Sony representative told Joystiq, "The list includes all paid downloads, including Plus, but excludes free Plus content." Head on over to the PlayStation Blog for the lists of the best-selling PSN indies of the year.
Steam Autumn Sale: Limbo, Overlord 75 percent off
Steam's Autumn Sale continues today, with some spectacular sales on Limbo ($2.49), Civilization 5 ($10.19), the Overlord complete pack ($4.99) and more. There's also a terrible sale on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, wherein Steam is still asking people to actually pay for it. Steam is also offering franchise sales on The Witcher, F.E.A.R., Tom Clancy and, to keep the excitement at manageable levels, Kane & Lynch titles.
PSN fall sale: save on Limbo, Outland, Clash of Heroes HD, and more
When you're making the obligatory "things I'm thankful for" speech around the table this Thanksgiving, you may silently include Sony among the honorees. From tomorrow through November 28, the publisher is holding a Fall Sale on PSN that drops some recent releases into temptingly affordable territory. Limbo will be $10.49 (just $7.34 for PS Plus members) during the sale; the lovely Outland is down to $6.99 ($4.89 for Plus); and Might & Magic Clash of Heroes HD drops to just $10.49 ($7.34 for Plus). Find the full list after the break, and don't actually thank Sony out loud when you're at the dinner table. Your relatives already think you're weird enough.
Limbo celebrates one million in sales with Mac OS release by 'end of the year'
After a half-price XBLA sale sent the excellent indie Limbo to the top of the best-sellers list last week, developer Playdead has announced that it's sold one million copies of the punishing platformer across three platforms, including PSN and PC. To celebrate that milestone, Playdead is adding an additional platform to the mix: Mac OS. The Mac release is currently "in the works" and "will be released before the end of the year." Playdead CEO and co-founder Dino Patti told Joystiq that the Mac release will support SteamPlay, for those of you who've already purchased the PC release, and will also be released on the Mac App Store, if that's more your speed. The one million milestone also provided Playdead an opportunity to discuss its recent actions to ensure its own independence by "fully acquiring the company from early investors." Patti says, "We are grateful to everyone who supported us over the past few years, and look forward to forging new partnerships that will both let us reach new heights as a studio and give our director, Arnt Jensen, room to grow creatively."
Limbo-inspired short film 'The Tide' could be amazing
Hollywood has a difficult time innovating itself, usually running through film fads in periodic bursts of explosions, war dramas, too-witty children backed by indie-band soundtracks and 3D fantasy. Something truly different, yet just as resonant, is unlikely to be made in the backlot of Paramount Studios, with a huge budget and attention-grabbing actors. For example, a film based on Limbo won't be getting mainstream funding any time soon. That doesn't mean it shouldn't. The Tide is a short-film project inspired by and created in the same art style as Limbo, in production from Samsquanch Films. Unsurprisingly for such a special-effects-loaded movie, it needs funding from some good people who like great games and movies. The Tide's Kickstarter offers goodies for your green, including T-shirts, stickers, associate producer credit, a role in the film and a custom oil painting. Besides, walking on top of monkey bars is hard -- surely these guys deserve a few bucks to help pay for the imminent hospital bill.
Playdead boss says retail model is 'broken,' awaits digital revolution
Dino Patti, boss at Limbo developer Playdead, doesn't like retail. In fact, he's pretty anti-physical media in general. "Driving discs in a big van all over the world is really inefficient," he told Eurogamer in a recent interview. "I don't understand how anyone can make money out of this. Driving a truck to Japan just to get it delivered to people when they can get it from the net? Hopefully the new consoles will embrace the download space even more." Okay, we're picking up what he's throwing down, but what about flying discs all around the world? Surely that's cheaper and more efficient? Joking aside, Patti's also against having to install console games, which he considers strictly PC territory. "It should be more like plug and play. The first consoles were cartridges. When it takes one hour to install Gran Turismo 5? I don't know. Obviously it improves performance, but they should be able to build consoles with better performance from the disc drive." We like watching Solid Snake smoke cigarettes as much as the next blog, but we admit he has a point here. Of course, install times have come a long way since then, but we understand Patti's frustration. While we certainly wouldn't mind an all-digital future, we understand some people just like their physical media; a desire to hold the disc in their hand and smell a fresh instruction booklet. It's just how it is, even if it is a little bit weird.
XBLA: Limbo, Vampire Smile on sale; Deadliest Warrior, Scott Pilgrim next week
Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace schedule for the next couple weeks is up, with discounts on solid XBLA titles. This week finds Limbo and Dishwasher Vampire Smile for 50 percent off, at 600 MSP ($7.50) and 400 MSP ($5), respectively. Next week will have Deadliest Warrior and Scott Pilgrim fighting for your space bucks at 400 MSP apiece. New XBLA titles include Burger Time World Tour this week, with Fusion Genesis on November 9. Check out Major Nelson's post for all the details, which include DLC for Batman: Arkham City, Dead Rising 2 and Forza 4.
Limbo pumpkin is as eerie and beautiful as the game itself
We may not have held a pumpkin carving contest this year, but that didn't stop Joystiq pun'kin' veteran Dennis C. from creating a hauntingly gorgeous gourd for us all to gaze upon. Recreating two of the most nerve-racking scenes from Limbo's forest area, this carved masterpiece serves as an example of just how impressively captivating a hollowed out dead thing can be when given to the right artist.%Gallery-137923%
OnLive is putting six new indie games online this fall
OnLive is feeling the indie love at Indiecade 2011 this weekend with the announcement of six new indie titles landing in its library this fall: Orcs Must Die Limbo Magicka Bastion Space Chem Avadon: The Black Fortress OnLive already offers popular-indie games such as Braid, Trine, World of Goo and The Maw. OnLive veep of games and media John Spinale said, "OnLive has long been a supporter of independent publishers. Simply put, they're making some really great, innovative games these days," because that's true, and the more exposure for the talented underdarlings, the better, at least in our book. Er, website.
Rise and Shiny recap: Starjack Online
This week I had the chance to dive into the universe of Starjack Online, a game of 4X strategy. While I have read that the X refers to explore, expand, exploit and exterminate, I say we should include a fifth X called "extreme occasional frustration for a number of reasons." OK, so maybe not... that's a little long. Still, the game does pull a player in for a number of reasons as well. Want to know those reasons? Good! Click past the cut and we'll get right to exploring this indie free-to-play game based in the harsh, cold realities of space!
Playdead's unannounced game using Unity, will take three-plus years to develop
We'd heard before that Playdead, the creators of last year's breakout hit Limbo, were working on another title, and now Edge Magazine has learned that there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the next game will use the Unity Engine, which means that Playdead won't have to roll its own game engine this time around, leaving it free to conquer other tasks in the "ambitious" project. But the bad news is that it will take a long time anyway -- three years or more. "A good game takes time," says CEO Dino Patti. "I think the new production will take at least three and a half years." Even if Playdead already started when we talked about the project last October, we're still looking at another few years of development. In other words, the Wii U will be out and running before we get to play this one. Take your time, though, Playdead. We'll wait.
European PSN releases for July 20
Playdead's quiet, beautiful downloadable title Limbo has finally made the voyage to PlayStation Network, heading up an odd grab-bag of a week's worth of releases. For instance, the decidedly un-quiet Burnout Paradise has had its DLC offerings marked down for the summer, while the Fallout: New Vegas expansion Old World Blues has reared its ugly, roboscorpion-covered head. Check out all the releases below! Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
PSN Tuesday: Limbo, New Vegas' Old World Blues
Give in to Limbo with this week's PSN update. One of the best games of 2010, Limbo is finally available on PSN for $15. PS Plus members can pick it up for $12. Another sweet deal is all of Borderlands (including DLC) for $20, $15 for PS Plus members. One of the best games of 2009, Borderlands melded an open-world FPS with Diablo-style loot drops for an addictive combination. Explore past the break for all the details on this week's update. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Limbo surfacing on PSN July 19, Steam August 2 [update]
Playdead is celebrating Limbo's first birthday by giving all of us a present -- a PSN release date for the gruesome yet gorgeous indie darling. Limbo will be creepy-crawling onto PSN July 19 in the United States, July 20 in Europe and at a to-be-announced date in Japan. The Limbo soundtrack, which would be great for overnight, solo camping trips in the middle of Dead Man's Woods, will be released Monday, July 11, due to popular demand. Playdead's Dino Patti finished his announcement on the PlayStation Blog with the promise (or threat) of a "little extra secret we have in store for you..." Update: Limbo will be launching on Steam worldwide August 2, according to an announcement on the official site.
NYC Museum of Modern Art to co-host 'Arcade' event with Kill Screen
It seems the "Games as Art" debate is over, as New York City's Museum of Modern Art is co-hosting a game-centric event later this month with haute gaming mag Kill Screen. Titled "Arcade," the one-night soiree on July 27 features several great indie games (Bit.Trip Beat, Canabalt, Limbo, and "a new motion-based Kinect project" from current Harmonix employees Ryan Challinor and Matt Boch, as seen here). The games will be playable throughout various parts of the museum, including the MoMA's gorgeous sculpture garden. That's where we'll be hanging out, in case that wasn't clear. You may be wondering how the folks at Kill Screen finagled a gaming night at one of the world's most famous art museums, and we were too. It turns out that the event is part of MoMA's "Talk to Me" exhibit, which explores "the communication between people and objects." Video games seem like a perfect fit, no? If the incredible location and selection of great games weren't enough to convince you, tickets are just $16 in advance and $20 at the door, which entitles you to "an exclusive viewing, a cocktail reception, a tote bag," as well as the aforementioned opportunity to play games at the MoMA. We'll also be there in our sharpest outfit handing out exaggerated high fives, so keep an eye out! Update: This post originally pegged Ryan Challinor and Matt Boch as former Harmonix employees, when in fact they are both still employed at the studio. Sorry guys!
