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Pick up six strategy games for $3 in Bundle Stars' latest offer
Whether you'd prefer to speed the fall of Rome or sack Berlin circa 1942, the new Kingdoms Bundle from Bundle Stars should prove tempting - especially given its $3 price tag. Included in the Bundle are six games: Europa Universalis 3 Complete, Sword of the Stars Complete Collection, Hearts of Iron 3, Europa Universalis: Rome Gold Edition, The King's Crusade and Magicka. According to Bundle Stars, purchasing all six of these games from Steam individually would cost $65, which makes that aforementioned $3 price point a 95 percent discount. As with all Bundle Stars offers, the Kingdoms Bundle is only available for a limited time. Fortunately, the Bundle was just revealed, so those interested in spending the next few months immersed in hardcore strategic simulations have 29 days remaining before this deal comes to an end. Of course, if nothing here appeals to you, Bundle Stars also offers other bundles - nine of them currently - with content ranging from Euro Truck Simulator to Septerra Core.
Humble Jumbo Bundle spotlights Orcs Must Die 2, Garry's Mod, Magicka
Humble Bundle organizers have launched the Humble Jumbo Bundle, serving up digital copies of Unknown Worlds' FPS Natural Selection 2, Coffee Stain Studios' tower defense shooter Sanctum 2 and Paradox Interactive's DLC-bundled Magicka for a buyer-chosen price ($1 minimum). Beat the bundle's average purchase price (currently hovering around $4) and you'll also receive Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die! 2: Complete Pack, Croteam's retro-styled shooter Serious Sam 3: BFE, and Facepunch Studios' sandbox mayhem simulator Garry's Mod. Note that Garry's Mod requires a Source engine game such as Counter-Strike: Source or Half-Life 2 as a base in order to function, but considering that it gives players the power to create brilliant works like Half life: Full Life Consequences, it's worth it. The Humble Jumbo Bundle will remain available for sale through December 17.
Inaugural Super BR Jam donates 100% of proceeds to help kids in Rio
Super BR Jam is bringing together 30 indie development studios from across Brazil for a little bit of gaming and a whole lot of charity. Those so inclined can donate any amount of money they choose to receive copies of every game made during the game jam, while those who pay $5 or more will receive eight more games, including The Showdown Effect, Dungeonland, and Magicka. All proceeds will go to Solar Meninos de Luz, an organization that provides education and healthcare to low-income kids in Rio de Janeiro. The game jam itself is already over, having run from November 22 to November 24. The bundle package is likewise available for a limited time, and will close shop December 4. You can learn more and purchase the bundle by visiting the Super BR Jam website. [Thanks, Ran!]
MOBA is all the mage in Magicka: Wizard Wars
Magicka, a whimsical independent action adventure game released by Arrowhead Game Studios in 2011, took everyone by surprise with its excellent spell-crafting system and blend of satire and comedy. Using its original as a base, developer Paradox North has wrapped a MOBA framework around Magicka and created a Frankenstein's monster of pick-up-and-play fun. Magicka: Wizard Wars, a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA) set in the Magicka universe, is currently in Alpha testing. The premise is simple: two teams of four mages do battle over three spawn beacons, with the entirety of combat being driven by the spell system and some rudimentary melee combat. As saturated as the MOBA genre is, Magicka: Wizard Wars surprisingly never felt like retreaded ground. Its delightful marriage of spell construction and tug-of-war gameplay ultimately left me wanting more.
Magicka: Wizard Wars conjures first gameplay footage
Magicka: Wizard Wars, the upcoming MOBA-like from Paradox North, has finally issued its first gameplay footage. A lot of common MOBA elements can be seen in this footage, married to Magicka's unique magic-crafting system, in which combinations of elements produce varying spells. Magicka: Wizard Wars will be Paradox North's first game, an outfit formed specifically to craft the competitive online game. Paradox North is headed up by John Hargelid and currently enlists former DICE and Avalanche Studios talent, among others.%Gallery-193878%
PSA: Magicka Wizards of the Square Tablet out now on iOS, Android
Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet launched on iOS and Android this week for $1.99. The game features up to four-player cross-platform cooperative multiplayer action, as well as a campaign mode that's new to the series.Paradox Interactive recently announced Magicka: Wizard Wars, a PC game in development by Paradox's new Stockholm studio that is definitely not a MOBA.
Daily iPad App: Magicka arrives on iOS with Wizards of the Square Tablet
Magicka is a long-running game series from Swedish developer Paradox Interactive that the company has recently decided to go big on. In addition to an upcoming multiplayer spinoff, Paradox has released this version for iOS today, hoping to bring some of the PC game's magic to Apple's touchscreen platform. And in general, they're successful. While it's not perfect, Magicka for iOS does recreate some of the desktop series' wackiness and creativity. On the PC, Magicka is a top-down RPG of sorts, where players can control various wizards that run around blasting off spells. On iOS, that game has been translated to a side-scrolling beat-em-up, but the spell-combining mechanic from the original title is still included. Basically, you have a series of elemental icons across the bottom of the screen, and you can combine any four to create spells on the fly. Hit four fire icons or ice icons to cast spells of those types, or you can combine fire and water to cast a steam spell, or fire and electricity to cast a thunderstorm spell, or water and electricity to both wet down your enemies, and then light them up with current. You can attack any of the bad guys that are pestering you or your allies (the game offers local co-op, which can be a lot of fun). There's also a "life" spell to either heal yourself or others. The spells have some really fun effects, too. For example, casting life on the undead hurts them. You can also use a wall spell on your various elements. Extra weapons and robes provide stat bonuses, just like in the main game, but most of the fun involves sussing out which spells to use in any given situation. The game also carries a wacky tone -- Paradox's Swedish sense of humor shines in its weirdness. I don't think Magicka for iOS is quite as fun or original as the PC title. To a certain extent, Paradox is just trying to spread the brand more than creating an original iOS game. But it is a lot of fun. Whether you're a Magicka die-hard or just want to try the game's spell-creation system on your iPad, Wizards of the Square Tablet is a very good time for a price of US$1.99.
Magicka gets a touch of MOBA in 'Wizard Wars'
The mages of Magicka are headed to the online arena in a multiplayer-focused, four-on-four PVP battle game called Magicka: Wizard Wars. Paradox's announcement doesn't mention the genre explicitly, but the new game sounds like it falls under Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA).In Magicka: Wizard Wars, two teams of four wizards duel to the death using Magicka's established spell-crafting system as the foundation for combat. The game is differentiated by "short battles, persistent character progression, and plenty of laughter."Magicka: Wizard Wars is in development at Paradox North, a new studio in Stockholm under the banner of Paradox Interactive. The studio is composed of former DICE and Avalanche Studios talent, and led by executive vice president John Hargelid.
Paradox announces Magicka: Wizard Wars
Paradox Interactive has announced the development of Magicka: Wizard Wars, a "PvP-focused multiplayer game based on the celebrated slapstick sorcery franchise." The game pits two teams of four wizards against each other and features "short battles, persistent character progression, and plenty of laughter." No gameplay footage has been released as of yet, but Paradox has produced a teaser trailer that you can watch by clicking past the cut. [Source: Paradox press release]
Paradox announces two iOS games for 2013, including a Magicka game
Paradox Interactive has been primarily a PC gaming studio. It has enjoyed success on Steam with titles like Magicka and Europa Universalis. But last weekend at an event in Iceland, Paradox announced that it's making the jump over to Apple's handheld platforms, with two forthcoming games. The first is a version of Magicka for tablets, which will appear on the iPad. It's subtitled Wizards of the Square Tablet, and like the PC game, it's about (up to) four different wizards combining seven different elements into spell groups, and tossing spells around that can be both helpful or harmful. The game looks excellent, and seems like a nice tablet-based twist on the popular and well-made Magicka series. The game promises lots of single- and multiplayer action, and should be available soon. Paradox is also working on a more tactical game called Leviathan Warships, which will feature some top-down multiplayer battles with 10-second turns. Each ship in a player's fleet will have a balanced set of strengths and weaknesses, making for a very strategic battlefield across a series of maps. This game doesn't seem as far along (or as close to release) as Magicka's tablet version, but it does look good, and we'll keep an eye out for it. Paradox, as I said, has been doing very well on the PC, and it's not too surprising that the company has started testing the waters on mobile platforms. This is a great duo of first releases, and hopefully we'll get them in our hands very soon.
Steam Holiday Sale day 14: Dark Souls, Tomb Raider, Knights of the Old Republic
You probably haven't spent enough money today. Yes, even though you got a late start and snatched up the games of yesterday's Steam sale today, there are still 36 hours of wallet plundering left. Today is no different and you are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. Just give in already.Day 14 of the Steam sale offers the Tomb Raider franchise for $15, The Painkiller games for 50 - 75 percent off (including the complete pack for $20), Magicka for $2.50, the Sniper Elite franchise pack for $13.75, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition for $20 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 for 75 percent off, at just $2.50 a pop.Feel the financial burn.
Magicka 'Dungeons & Daemons' DLC is familiar
A new batch of DLC has been released for Magicka. Entitled "Dungeons & Daemons," it plops the game's enrobed heroes into a dank (probably smelly) dungeon, where they battle monsters and demons. The DLC seems awfully familiar – let's just say that Magicka's wizards (and designers) have been practicing their blizzard spells.'Dungeons & Daemons' is available now for $4 on Steam.
Magicka is $2.50 today on Steam
You probably haven't logged as many hours playing Magicka as we have, which makes us wonder what you've been doing all this time. Don't worry, the action-adventure jam with a nearly endless combination of mixable elements from indie dev Arrowhead Game Studios is 75 percent off today on Steam.So, kick off your shoes and check out Magicka for $2.50 today (down from $9.99). Treat yourself. You work too hard not to.%Gallery-115067%
Magicka says 'WOOT' with new Olympics-themed DLC pack
Some new content for use in Magicka's Challenge and Versus mode is set to debut tomorrow, and takes a cue from the ongoing Olympic games taking place in London right now – well, kinda. The Olympics doesn't try to kill its competitors, after all.Magicka's WOOT Tournament DLC features four new PVP maps, three new challenge maps and a host of new items and magic spells for competing wizards. These items and spells include the Musketball Dunker – a gun that fires a volley of explosives – and the ever-important Wave maneuver, a mainstay at any sporting event.Tomorrow's content dump will be free to all Magicka players. In the meanwhile, we've got some screens courtesy of Paradox to help pass the time, available in our gallery below.%Gallery-161870%
Steam Summer Sale, Day 9: Dungeon Defenders, Crysis 2, Civ 5 and more
Well, we're more than a week into the Steam Summer Sale and there's still no end in sight. No end to the savings, that is! (Can you tell we used to write copy for a local used car dealership?)Today's deep discounts include Dungeon Defenders, Fear 3, Magicka and Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad GOTYE, all for less than five smackers each, and Civilization 5, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Crysis 2 and Driver: San Fancisco for less than a tenner. Today's indie bundle is also no slouch, touting the now-classic VVVVVV, as well as the ballistically brilliant Jamestown.
Magicka shows us The Other Side of the Coin on June 14
Arrowhead Game Studios is preparing the next DLC expansion for its wizard-powered adventure, Magicka. The Other Side of the Coin expands upon the story of Magicka by placing players in the boots of Alucart, an evil vampire who is in no way related to Alucard from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.The Other Side of the Coin will cost $4.99 and also includes four new challenge maps when it becomes available for download on June 14.
Paradox to reveal Magicka studio's next game at GDC
Paradox Interactive plans to show off three unannounced titles at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next month. The publisher, which has the peculiar habit of using Kevin Costner films as codenames, has three new games based on brand new intellectual properties to reveal.Project "JFK" comes from Magicka studio Arrowhead Game Studios and is described as a multiplayer combat game with "a focus on killing your friends and looking cool doing it." Project "Revenge!" is by Critical Studio out of Brazil and is an "action packed action game in a world that can be described as death trap for heroes and children." Finally, Project "Silverado," from Zeal Game Studio, is a real-time strategy game meets shooter, with "a side order of a tabletop wargame and a sprinkle of sci-fi."The publisher will also have more on A Game of Dwarves, its fantasy management game, along with War of the Roses (again, NO, the game is not based on the amazing Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner divorce saga).
Paradox Interactive announces A Game of Dwarves, reveals new Magicka concepts
Swedish developer Paradox Interactive held an annual convention in its hometown of Stockholm last week, and took the opportunity to announce a brand new title by Zeal Game Studios called A Game of Dwarves. As you can see from the trailer above, the Game has sort of a casual Dwarf Fortress feel, allowing you to build, upgrade, and improve a dwarven clan's headquarters, while also looting and battling whatever mysterious foes happen to be living beneath it.We hope that trailer announcer gets over that sore throat he seems to have, though; that's one heck of a frog. A Game of Dwarves is due out later this year on PC and PSN -- you can see some screenshots, along with some brand new concept art from the also-announced Magicka expansion, in the galleries below.%Gallery-145557%%Gallery-145559%
Magicka summons 1.3 million in sales, new expansion in the works
Cheeky co-op action title Magicka has hit another sales milestone, passing 1.3 million in sales, according to StrategyInformer. Paradox Interactive revealed the news during its recent convention in Sweden. Meanwhile, the various DLC packs have totaled over 4 million in sales and the "Magicka: Vietnam" expansion has topped 500,000 units. Paradox is also planning a new expansion for the game entitled "The Other Side of the Coin," which sees players taking on the roles of Magicka's enemies. More details on the expansion are expected later today.
Final Steam Sale of 2011 predicts zombie apocalypse, crime in 2012
The Steam Holiday Sale doesn't stop for anyone or anything -- not the end of a year, an era or the world -- and today, New Year's Eve 2011, is no different. The 13th day of the Steam Holiday Sale offers 75 percent off L.A. Noire, Bit.Trip Runner, the Hitman franchise, Magicka, both BioShocks, Hoard, GRID and the Counter-Strike series, and more titles at various other deduction rates. Check out all the deals before the year and our life as we know it ends.
