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Puppeteer, Surge Deluxe go free on PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus subscribers are set to receive a pair of free games this week as part of Sony's ever-growing Instant Game Collection, including quirky PlayStation 3 favorite Puppeteer and PS Vita puzzler Surge Deluxe. Puppeteer, originally released at retail in September of last year, is a side-scrolling adventure game presented in the context of a wood-and-strings puppet show. Our own Susan Arendt awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an excellent example of the 2D platform genre" and "a brilliant production." Surge Deluxe, a PlayStation Vita exclusive from Velocity Ultra developer FuturLab, challenges players to harness electrical energy and earn points by drawing lines between like-colored blocks. Both of this week's featured additions will be free to download for PlayStation Plus members starting tomorrow. [Image: Sony]
PlayStation Plus in May: Puppeteer, Skullgirls and more
In May, PS Plus members get six games free across PS4, PS3 and Vita. On PS4, it's the wacky-waving flailing-spaghetti-arm adventure game, Stick it to the Man, which hits US PS4s on May 6. On PS3, Plus members can look forward to Puppeteer, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 and Skullgirls Encore. Vita gets Surge Deluxe and Limbo. That's a lot of men, women and puppets on PlayStation devices (plus quite a few Ps). In Europe, PlayStation Plus members get Stick it to the Man, Puppeteer, Payday 2, Muramasa Rebirth and Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational in May.
PS Plus Europe in May: Stick it to the Man, Puppeteer, Muramasa Rebirth
Stick it to the Man is the next PlayStation 4 offering for Plus subscribers in Europe, starting next week on April 30. The eccentric 2D adventure is due in North America on May 6, which perhaps suggests a later start for May's stateside batch of Plus, or possibly a different PS4 game. We will have to wait and see. Returning to Europe, there are four other games entering the PS Plus service at the end of April, including two on PS3 and two on Vita. The first of the console offerings is performer plaformer Puppeteer, while the second is first-person robber Payday 2. The latter is a neat addition for subscribers who downloaded the first Payday last summer. The Vita newbies are two very different games hailing from Japan, namely hand-painted 2D adventure Muramasa Rebirth and cutesy sports sim Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational. That's Everybody's Golf if you're European, but Loads of Fun no matter where you're from. As ever, five games in means five games out: Make sure you grab Mercenary Kings, Pro Evo 2014, BioShock Infinite, Hotline Miami and MotoGP13 before Plus drops them on April 30. [Image: Ripstone]
Puppeteer director to pursue smaller games next, steer clear of retail
In a Puppeteer postmortem peppered with prickly punditry, Sony Computer Entertainment's Gavin Moore gave attendees of the Game Developers Conference a small idea of what he and his team hope to craft next. Coming off Puppeteer, a dark and clever PlayStation 3 platformer carved from the world of theater, Moore intends to pitch and pursue three to four smaller games beyond the borders of retail stores. "I think we're too reliant on stores to sell our products for us," Moore said. Though Puppeteer failed to find a large audience – "not a disaster by any way," he added – it seems to have spurred a serious rethink of retail, marketing and the backbreaking work of creating a unique and polished game. Moore intends to "make three or four products at once, and put them up on the net somewhere for people to download."
Assassin's Creed 4, Puppeteer among nominees for music awards
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announced the nominees for composers demonstrating "excellence in musical scoring" in 2013. The annual awards ceremony includes a gaming category, Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media, in which five games and their respective composers are nominated this year: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag by Ubisoft, music by Brian Tyler Beyond: Two Souls by Quantic Dream, music by Lorne Balfe Company of Heroes 2 by Relic Entertainment, music by Cris Velasco Puppeteer by SCE Japan Studio, music by Patrick Doyle Remember Me by Dontnod, music by Olivier Deriviere Assassin's Creed 4 composer Brian Tyler is also among four others nominated for the Composer of the Year award, in addition to a nomination for Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film for his work on Iron Man 3. Tyler also composed the soundtrack for Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. Previous winners of the Best Original Score for a Video Game award include Austin Wintory's music for Journey (2012), Joe Hisaishi's composition for Ni No Kuni (2011) and the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow music composed by Oscar Araujo (2010). The IFMCA will announce this year's winners on February 20. [Image: Ubisoft]
Best of the Rest: Ludwig's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq has concluded its selection of last year's best games. Click here to see the complete assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs - until next year! The Wonderful 101 The boundless, ALL-CAPS exuberance of The Wonderful 101 may have been misread by its intended audience. Overseen by Mr. Devil May Cry himself, Hideki Kimaya, this vibrant action game conveys cuteness in its army of stout superheroes, but poses creative and razor-sharp challenges without taking a breath. The game's cartoonish antics and enormous bosses are beyond ridiculous, dwarfing the mechanical cleverness that lies beneath it all. The real novelty lies in drawing shapes and having your heroes congeal into corresponding mega-swords and huge hammers (also: puddings). It becomes a practiced analogue shorthand, not unlike your maneuvers in a fighting game, and the hard-earned rewards satisfy in much the same way.
Best of the Rest: Susan's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Puppeteer Come one, come all, to hear the remarkable tale of Kutaro and the magical scissors, Calibrus! Come, see the evil Moon Bear King as he tries to cast the world into nonstop darkness! Come, see his 12 generals steal the power of the Moon Goddess! And see young Kutaro ... basically get mixed up in the whole thing by accident. Wrong place, wrong time, delicious-looking head. You know how it goes. Puppeteer commits to its puppet show aesthetic with gusto, crafting every character, object and bit of scenery out of paper, wood, string, or fabric. The narrator provides the exposition with the nuanced delivery of someone who's attended one too many acting classes, and the cast does their best to remember their lines while the audience murmurs in appreciation. The entire setup is bonkers, keeping its tongue placed firmly in its cheek as you cut down the Moon Stone-hoarding generals one by one and eventually square off against the rotund MBK himself. With sly writing, a spectacular soundtrack and gorgeously detailed locations that include neatly manicured gardens, a Halloweentown, a swamp and outer space, Puppeteer is a gaming experience to savor, rather than rush. Of course, it will take multiple run-throughs to find all of the collectible puppet heads, so you'll have more than enough opportunity to catch every joke and notice every secret. As a PS3 exclusive at the end of that console's cycle, Puppeteer didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved, but this is a real gem. Hunt it down and play it. Your audience awaits.
PSN chops prices on Walking Dead, Last of Us during Halloween sale
Sony announced an upcoming PlayStation Network sale coinciding with October's spooky festivities, bringing a selection of steep price drops and additional discounts for PlayStation Plus members. During the Sale of the Dead, the first five episodes in Telltale Games' The Walking Dead series can be purchased for just $4.99 ($2.99 for PS Plus members), while an additional $3.49 will get you the newly released sixth episode, 400 Days. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us is reduced to $44.99 ($35.99 for PS Plus), and multiple entries in Capcom's Resident Evil series, including the recent Revelations, get up to a 50 percent price cut. Sony's sale brings additional discounts for lesser-known horror greats like Tecmo's Fatal Frame, the collected Siren: Blood Curse Episodes 1-12, and Sega's The House of the Dead Bundle, which includes HotD 3, 4, and Overkill. May we also suggest checking out Puppeteer at its new sub-$30 price point? It's quite good, and it even has a Halloween-themed level. A full list of price-dropped games is available at the PlayStation blog. The sale kicks off tomorrow, and runs through November 4.
Puppeteer review: Trims fairy tales
Whimsy is tough. It's this kind of vague emotional cross-section between delight and wonder, and it can easily wander into unsatisfying areas of childish preciousness or just weirdness for weirdness' sake. It's difficult to create a whimsical space – one based on a fairy tale, no less – that adults will enjoy exploring, but PS3 exclusive Puppeteer does just that. The game's lunar setting, animal actors and magical trinkets could have collided in a childish mess of aggressive cuteness, but instead create a constantly-changing world that offers surprises around every turn. Even when it relies on familiar gameplay tropes, Puppeteer brings a clever joy to its presentation that will have you smiling, even while you're missing that last really tricky jump. Again. And again. No no, you need to get closer to the edge before you ... there you go.
Ueda: Puppeteer and Knack 'taking priority' over The Last Guardian
In the "nothing has changed" category of news, The Last Guardian is still in development. In fact, it's "under earnest development," Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda told Famitsu. To help explain the game's constant absence from industry events, Ueda noted that SCE Japan Studio has other projects like Puppeteer and Knack that are "taking priority right now." The Last Guardian was first announced at E3 2009 during Sony's keynote, then received a "holiday 2011" release window before it was unceremoniously delayed and Team Ico was shuffled in with SCE Japan Studio. Sony confirmed Ueda's departure from the company in December 2011, though Ueda reaffirmed that The Last Guardian was under his creative supervision as of February, as he remained committed to finishing the game as part of his contract. Sony CEO Jack Tretton said the game was "on hiatus" in June.
Gamescom trailers and screenshots giga-post
Psst, hey kid. You want some ... trailers? How about some Gamescom trailers? C'mere for a second. Yeah that's right, we got all kinds of trailers. Murasaki Baby, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Resogun, Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, pretty much any kind of trailer you wanna put in your eyeballs, we can hook it up. Hey, and you know what? Since you seem like a nice kid, we're gonna throw in some screenshots too. Oh no, put your wallet away – the first one's free.
Puppeteer demo coming to PSN in Europe
A demo for Puppeteer will be made available in Europe prior to its launch on September 10. We contacted SCEA regarding a demo in North America and were told, "SCEA does not have anything to announce at this moment." There's nothing regarding demo content or specific timeframe listed in the PlayStation Blog post, though art director Gavin Moore promises more info "soon." Puppeteer, a platformer in development at Sony Japan Studio, revolves around a little boy named Kutaro who has his head lopped off and is turned into a puppet by the evil Moon Bear King. (It's cuter than it sounds.)
Puppeteer pulls PS3's strings September 10
During a demo at GDC, Sony confirmed that Puppeteer will launch on September 10 for the PS3, simultaneously on Blu-ray disc and as a PSN download. "So that's our release date," art director Gavin Moore concluded after showing me a promotional trailer.Puppeteer is the story of a boy-turned-wooden-puppet on a quest to vanquish the evil Moon Bear King, played out entirely on a single stage. As players progress from one area to the next, the settings of the stage change in real time.
Puppeteer shows off its spooky 'Hallowee' level
If you're creeped out by things like puppets, dolls, and scarecrows moving around of their own volition, or – less likely – giant pumpkins and vampire disappointment, perhaps you should steer clear of this Puppeteer trailer, which shows off the "Hallowee Ville" environment.The rest of you are welcome to soak up some Tim Burtonesque Halloween fun in this PS3 game video. What's up with those people scared of vampire disappointment, huh?
Japan Studio's Puppeteer isn't just for kids
Don't let the whimsical art style fool you. Puppeteer from Sony's Japan Studio isn't a game designed solely for children. The 2D game balances platforming with other unique problem solving challenges, both of which are just as addicting for adults. You may find yourself using a hamburger as a trampoline or trying to keep your puppet, Kutaro, out of a sizzling frying pan."It's not necessarily for kids," Tsubasa Inaba, Producer at SCEA, told Joystiq at a Sony showcase in New York. "The minute you design a game that appears to be for kids, the kids are turned off by it."%Gallery-169582%
PS3's Puppeteer takes the stage for a new trailer
We were briefly introduced to Japan Studio's PS3 platformer, Puppeteer, at Gamescom. Sony has released a longer trailer, introducing the storyline and the very, very puppety presentation.
Puppeteer pulls back the curtain on PS3 [update: trailer!]
Gavin Moore from Sony Online Entertianment took the stage during Sony's Gamescom 2012 press conference to reveal Puppeteer, a new platformer from Sony's Japan Studio. Puppeteer stars a boy who is unluckily transformed into a puppet, and as a result is imbued with special powers. After showing off the brief gameplay trailer above, Moore promised that we'd hear more on Puppeteer "soon."
Cinemassively: Free fun with prim Puppeteer
When we first saw what Puppeteer could do, we were blown away. Now we've found a video of some examples of what other people have done with the product in Second Life. This little gadget allows you to place scripts in prims that will record movement and play it back, or "animate" it. Residents have animated doors, wings, stuffed animals, pets, and many other objects.The best part is that the creator, Todd Borst, has a no transfer version available for free, so that you can animate to your heart's desire. There is also a version for vendors that costs money, but today's post is all about free fun in SL![Via SLEXchange.com]If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
Roleplaying is like puppeteering
Jim Moreno writes quite a bit about roleplaying. For a long time he kept his own blog about the subject, and now he writes a special column about roleplaying for WoW WarCry, which precedes and in many ways inspired WoW Insider's own roleplaying column, All the World's a Stage. Jim's latest article struck me with an excellent point: roleplaying has often been compared to acting -- by myself no less -- when in fact it is closer to the art of puppeteering. He cites Jim Henson and Frank Oz as two of the best roleplayers ever, even though neither of them is known to have actually played roleplaying games. Both of them, however, used alternate physical bodies -- their puppets -- to tell stories and convey their characters to their audience, whereas regular actors would have used their own bodies and faces to portray their characters, no matter how different they are from one another. The example from Jim's article that stands out most in my mind is that of Yoda telling Luke, "There is no try, there is only do," conveying so clearly who this person Yoda is, what he stands for, what he talks, moves and looks like without ever giving a hint that the whole thing is just a "puppet with Frank Oz's hand sticking up his butt."Roleplaying, Jim says, is just the same. Instead of acting with our own bodies, we use the digital avatars that Blizzard has designed for us: we customize our characters with different abilities and appearances, but more than that, we give them actions and words that distinguish them as believable people, just like puppeteers do. A superb roleplayer can do what Frank Oz and Jim Henson did, only on a smaller scale; he can convey a sense of true depth, a human story, using a virtual puppet made of ones and zeros rather than cloth and plastics.This is just another example of how "roleplaying" is just a new form of the same basic creative endeavors that have been around for millennia. Someone who gets "freaked out" by roleplaying might as well get freaked out by Miss Piggy and the Cookie Monster, because roleplaying is basically just an adaptation of the puppeteering concept in a modern technological environment.
