puzzle-quest-2
Latest
Final Xbox Live Ultimate Sale includes Saints Row 4, Limbo and Metro: Last Light
Today is the final day in Microsoft's Xbox Live sale on Xbox 360, and includes discounts on nine games. The following six discounted items are available through Games on Demand: Saints Row 4, Metro: Last Light, Tropico 4, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon, Oblivion and Overlord 2. The other three games on sale through Xbox Live Arcade are Limbo, Puzzle Quest 2 and Rock of Ages. Head past the break for the full price breakdown of the discounted prices, which are good through the end of the day. Don't forget, 13 other games are on sale on the platform until tomorrow as well, including Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City and Mass Effect.
Xbox Live features Planets Under Attack, big board, card, and puzzle game sale this week
Yes, the majority of you will probably be playing Halo 4 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Xbox Live this week. This we know. But just in case you're looking for something else, Major Nelson has a whole list of new content on Xbox Live this week. Perhaps, for example, the new version of Atari's Warlords, available for 800 Microsoft Points. Or one of three new Kinect Sports games, for 240 points each, or an XBLA version of Targem Games' Planets Under Attack, for a full 1200 points.There's a sale on, too: Carcassone, Catan, Magic: The Gathering, Magic 2012, Super Puzzle Fighter HD, and the two Puzzle Quest titles are all half off, for just 400 Microsoft Points each, and Ubisoft's I Am Alive is 33% off, down to 800 Microsoft Points. A downloadable course pack for Tiger 13 is as 50% off, and that's not all. Later on this week, Major Nelson says Microsoft will be hosting an "Xbox Live is 10" sale, which will include discounts on some content, as well as giveaways to some Xbox Live members "who have been with us the longest."We mean, sure, it'll mostly be Halo 4 and Black Ops 2. But just in case, there's some good deals there, too.
More Puzzle Quest coming from reborn indie Infinite Interactive
Yesterday's announcement regarding EA's Firemint and IronMonkeys merger actually had a sideplot to it, in that Infinite Interactive, which was "acquired" by Firemint last year, quietly split off this past January to be independent again."There was never an actual acquisition of Infinite, it was more of a merger. It was all amicable stuff – as much as it would be fun to have a bit of a scandal. Unfortunately there isn't one," Infinite Interactive's founder and creative lead Steve Fawkner told us. "I think everybody agreed that Infinite does its best work when it's independent, and so we headed back out into the wilderness to work on our own stuff again."Fawkner explained he couldn't get into the "nitty-gritty" details about intellectual property ownership and that things are "a little more complicated" than before, but that Infinite do still retain the Puzzle Quest and Warlords IP rights."While I don't have a specific announcement that I can make at the moment, if you shook a Magic 8-Ball and asked it 'Will Infinite's next game be a Puzzle Quest title?', then it would quite probably say 'All signs point to yes!'," Fawkner explained."In the short term, we will continue to build and innovate in the genres and settings that we know and love. That means games that combine fantasy, puzzles, strategy and tactics. It's doubtful we'll ever move too far from those genres, because they are our favorites, and you always do your best work when you're building games that you're passionate about."[Thanks Aaron S.]
Puzzle Quest 2 canceled for PSP
From PSN-only to the void, Puzzle Quest 2 for PSP has met with the ultimate skull chain combo. Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirms on his Facebook account that the PSP version has been canceled. "After Firemint's acquisition of Infinite, and EA's acquisition of Firemint, so many people have moved around, that I find myself without enough manpower to finish it," Fawkner writes. "I would also like to point out that it was nothing to do with EA and/or Firemint that it has been cancelled - they have been excellent in giving me enough time and freedom to get it done... this is just a very unfortunate logistical problem where key people are no longer available to work on it." Fawkner claims there was "ONE sound bug remaining to be fixed, and it would have been good to go." He won't give up hope entirely, but admits that finishing the project is "unlikely to happen." So, um, anyone with working knowledge of PSP development want to help a brother out?
Puzzle Quest 2 drops to $10 on XBLA
Puzzle Quest 2 is now 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Arcade. With a sequel that stands up to and surpasses the original in many ways, it's actually a better buy at the same price as original Puzzle Quest. Meanwhile, Puzzle Quest Galactrix is still 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) on XBLA. Nope, we can't explain it either.
Dungeon Raid, Puzzle Quest 2, Pocket God, Disc Drivin' get big content updates
A lot of developers are apparently doing some spring cleaning, because there have been a whole lot of updates for popular apps swept out the door this week. One of my favorite Daily Apps in recent memory, Dungeon Raid, got updated with a bunch of new features, including character classes, plus more achievements, abilities and items than before. Great game, great update. Puzzle Quest 2 (which I played on XBLA, but is also great on iOS) also got an update recently that adds online multiplayer through Game Center. Popular asynchronous racing game Disc Drivin' (another Daily App choice) got updated with new tracks to play through and some UI improvements. Bolt Creative sends word that Pocket God has been updated with yet another mini-game, featuring hovercar stunt racing. And finally, Egg vs. Chicken got an Easter update, which adds Easter eggs into the egg-throwing mix and allows you to unlock 12 new levels, including a new boss fight. Plus, just for you guys, we'll tell you that if you keep playing and collect more Easter eggs after unlocking everything, you'll get even more bonus content in the next update. That's updates aplenty for lots of great apps, so make sure you sync your iPhone or iPad soon and check out some of these terrific titles you may have wandered away from.
Firemint acquires Puzzle Quest dev Infinite Interactive
You'd think after selling a billion iPhone games, the Firemint crew, makers of those Flight Control and Real Racing games on your phone, would go buy a boat or something. But, oh no, they had to be "smart" with their money, acquiring Puzzle Quest developer Infinite Interactive to form an even stronger, more independent operation, which "works exclusively on self-published original games." Who do these guys think they are ... PopCap? It would seem that Firemint starter Rob Murray and Infinite Interactive founder Steve Fawkner, both Aussies, have been casually strategizing for years now. "Steve and I have been talking about working together for a long time, and I remember him showing me an early version of Puzzle Quest," Murray recalled. "This inspired me to make a game during my own holidays two years later, which was Flight Control -- and now, another two years later, we've finally found a way to work together!" (The financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.) Infinite Interactive will merge into Firemint's "recently expanded" (how convenient!) offices in Melbourne and continue work on some kind of infectious game that could endanger world health at a bargain price. And then, they'll all probably buy a fleet of boats and retire into Port Phillip Bay. [Image credit: Firemint]
Best of the Rest: Mike's picks of 2010
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Ninja Theory put a heck of a game together here, with some incredible art direction and animation, level design, and the best adventurous duo since Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. The world traversed by Monkey and Trip is colorfully portrayed and brilliantly built, the gameplay is perfectly formulated to support the characters and the story, and while I admit the game's early levels outdo the somewhat abrupt ending, this was the best original IP I played in 2010.
Lots of big iOS releases today: Dungeon Hunter 2, Eternal Legacy, more
Ah, the holidays. December brings snow, hot chocolate, lights and mistletoe, and oh yeah -- lots and lots (and lots) of App Store releases. You may have already heard about (and bought) the great Infinity Blade, which has quickly moved into the running for iOS game of the year. But there were a ton of other high profile releases on the App Store today as well: Gameloft released Eternal Legacy (US$6.99), a Final Fantasy-style RPG with a nice long storyline and an excellent battle system. The long-awaited Dungeon Hunter 2 also arrived on the App Store for $6.99. This sequel to the terrific hack-and-slash title updates the game world and even provides multiplayer via Game Center integration. Gameevil released Illusia for $4.99, another great casual action RPG. Puzzle Quest 2 has finally arrived in a universal build for $9.99. EA has released Monopoly for iPad (also $9.99), featuring multiplayer play on the one surface, a teaching mode, and enhanced HD graphics. Natural Motion, the company that built their own physics engine for the iPhone, has released a version of Jenga that's $4.99 on the iPad and $2.99 for the iPhone. It's pretty impressive. And Namco has dropped Bit.Trip Beat Blitz, a free version of the popular Bit Trip game. This version doesn't have all of the levels, but it does have powerups, which offer a new twist on the gameplay. Whew! That's a lot of incredible new games. I doubt we're anywhere near done for the holidays, either -- I'm sure we'll see another flood of big releases next week as developers rush to get their big holiday titles out in time for Apple's annual holiday lockdown and the big Christmas bump.
Rock Band Reloaded out now on App Store, Puzzle Quest 2 out soon
Two big sequels have hit the App Store in the past day or so -- as the holidays are here, more big name titles will be forthcoming for sure. First up, EA has released Rock Band Reloaded, a new version of the popular Rock Band music game series for iOS. This one plays generally the same as the first game as you have to tap certain notes on the screen as they slide down the board, but there are quite a few new options, including new songs (15 now, more free tracks coming soon, and more available via in-app purchase) and a new vocal mode that allows you to sing into the iPhone's microphone. The game is also updated for Retina Display, and it has awards and achievements to earn, though strangely, EA hasn't embraced Game Center quite yet. The iPhone version is $4.99, and the iPad HD version is $9.99. And Namco should have Puzzle Quest 2 on the App Store, though at the moment I can't find it out there. The puzzler/RPG title is terrific (I really enjoyed it on Xbox Live Arcade), and it looks like Namco has decided to go with a full release for $9.99 rather than going episodic as they did with the first title. Either way, the game is great -- hopefully it'll be back out on the App Store soon.
Namco talks Game Center
It's funny -- right in the middle of all of the fervor during the Game Center launch this week, the first company to the fore didn't happen to be one of these big new startups that's making headway in iPhone gaming. It turned out to be Namco, as one of the oldest brands around, Ms. Pac-Man, became the first title on the App Store to support Game Center. Now, of course, there are a few more games that support Apple's service (and more every day), but Macworld has a great look at what's coming next from Namco. Turns out Namco's planning to go all-in on both iPhone and Game Center -- in addition to bringing a sequel to the Time Crisis on-rails shooter, it will bring a hidden object, ghost-catching game called Mishap; Gaijin Games' great Bit Trip HD (already a hit on Nintendo's WiiWare); and of course Puzzle Quest 2 very soon. There's no official release dates or prices yet, but all of those should be out in the next few weeks. With full Game Center integration, there will be plenty of achievement-chasing and leaderboard competition to be had, no doubt. We'll look forward to all of those releases soon.
Telltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad
Just an FYI before you start your Labor Day weekend (and any associated trips): Telltale Games has released its latest title, Puzzle Agent, for the iPhone and the iPad. The game got middling reviews on Metacritic, but I think that's mostly because of the genre -- if you're a fan of sharp writing and interesting puzzles to play on the drive or flight out to the country for your vacation, it's a worthwhile title to fill the time with. Even if all of the puzzles aren't perfect, the game's atmosphere is excellent, and the art style is exactly the kind of thing we need more of on the iPhone. Nelson Tethers' adventures as a Puzzle Agent exploring the Scoggins Eraser Company are a worthy addition to the App Store. You can get the small-screen version for US$4.99. The game's also available on the iPad as Puzzle Agent HD, for a premium price of $6.99, though it doesn't offer up any extra features besides of course the larger graphics (and easier to read text in some cases). But whichever one you choose is mostly just a matter of practicality -- both are excellent to play through. And this is an extra bit of news unrelated except for the "Puzzle" connection, but it's always nice to go into a holiday weekend with something to look forward to: Namco has announced that it will be bringing the great Puzzle Quest 2 to the iPhone sometime this fall, complete with Game Center integrated for full multiplayer. We'll look forward to that one for sure.
Puzzle Quest 2 PSP only available via PSN, lacks multiplayer
Yesterday, we reported that Puzzle Quest 2 would make its way to PSP later this year, but we still had questions. Specifically, it was unclear if the game would see a UMD release and whether it'd be as full-featured as the console versions. Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirmed with Joystiq that the PSP game would only be available as a PSN download -- there will not be a UMD version. "Although we've received great support from D3 and Namco for all previous Puzzle Quest releases, PQ2 PSP is the first Puzzle Quest game that Infinite is doing by itself, without a publisher, so we're not really able to handle a full UMD release at this time," Fawkner told us. He went on to say that "it's important to get a PSP version out there for all the people who enjoyed the original PQ on PSP and wanted the second one." Fawkner offered further insight into why Infinite would be publishing the PSP version itself (given that other versions were published by D3). "The truth is that most publishers really aren't keen to take a risk on PSP these days, which is kind of sad, because it's 'taking risks' that gets great games like Puzzle Quest published in the first place!" As far as features go, Fawkner also confirmed that Puzzle Quest 2 for PSP would not include multiplayer. The multiplayer mode in the first Puzzle Quest was apparently not so popular among PSP players, so the team decided to focus on implementing Elite Mode (a tougher version of the single-player game that yields better rewards) into the PSP sequel, which it thought would be a better fit for the PSP demographic.
Puzzle Quest 2 embarks on a journey to PSP later this year
Aww, poor PSP -- it's like you've been sitting out in the rain, looking through the window at all of the other consoles, laughing and having a good time together with Puzzle Quest 2. Well, come on in, buddy! You've finally been invited to the party. IGN reports that Sony's handheld will indeed receive a port of Puzzle Quest 2, launching "towards the end of 2010." Oddly enough, the IGN piece mentions the game will be available for download via PSN and makes no mention of a UMD release. We've gone ahead and contacted the game's publisher, D3, for clarification. Along with extreme tardiness, the PSP port brings with it a new game mode called Elite. Here, the difficulty of enemies has been ramped up, naturally yielding better rewards for players and more chances to throw your PSP to the ground in frustration.
Solve Puzzle Quest 2 on Steam August 12
Though we usually elect to enjoy Puzzle Quest 2 during life's natural intermissions -- red lights, bathroom visits, literal intermissions between two acts of a lengthy musical -- we suppose having it on our home computer would be equally convenient. (We spend a lot of time on computers, you know.) We'll all get our chance to grab the game's PC iteration when it lands on Steam next Thursday, August 12. The puzzle-RPG will be available for the (relatively) bargain price of $19.99 -- but if you'd like to do a bit of damage to that cost, you can save 10 percent by pre-ordering the game on Steam.
XBLA in Brief: Ancients of Ooga and Puzzle Quest 2
We've got a spiritual sequel and an actual sequel this week. The former is Ancients of Ooga, a successor of sorts to the ancient XBLA title, Cloning Clyde. The latter is Puzzle Quest 2, which essentially amounts to an apology about that whole Galactrix thing. Check out XBLA in Brief and see if either game is for you. [iTunes] Subscribe to XBLA in Brief directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the XBLA in Brief directly. [RSS] Add the XBLA in Brief feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly. There are new Xbox Live Arcade games released every week. We realize that our readers are busy, attractive people, and may not have time to download and examine each and every new XBLA game. You've got busy, attractive person stuff to do, after all. Not to worry though, because we've done the work for you, downloading every single trial game and giving you a taste of what to expect. Watch XBLA in Brief every week to see which games deserve a closer look. When you have the time, of course.
Review: Puzzle Quest 2 (DS)
When creating the follow-up to a critically beloved game, it's rare for a developer to lose sight of just about every aspect of what made the original so great. That was the unfortunate case with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix -- a title so disappointing, it led many fans to worry that the franchise's maiden voyage was merely a fluke. A really entertaining, addictive-as-all-get-out fluke, but a fluke nonetheless. Where Galactrix represented an attempt at innovation by first throwing out baby, bathwater and tub, Puzzle Quest 2 is a love letter to the jilted fans of Challenge of the Warlords. It not only recalls the prodigal formula of the series' first iteration -- it improves on that formula in countless clever ways.
Puzzle Quest 2 and Ancients of Ooga hit XBLA June 30
It's pretty much accepted that none of us here at Joystiq are good people. We have to wonder, then, just what we did to deserve a much-desired sequel and a new NinjaBee game in the same week. It's a mystery for sure, but Major Nelson has announced that both Puzzle Quest 2 (as previously dated) and Ancients of Ooga are slated to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next week. If you want to dip into some puzzle-fueled role-playing, you'll need 1200 MS Points ($15) for Puzzle Quest 2. Meanwhile, the gastronomic platforming of Ancients of Ooga will run you 800 MSP ($10). Check out a new trailer for Ancients of Ooga after the break.
Puzzle Quest 2 drops on XBLA June 30
Clear your schedule, Xbox 360 owners: you're going to have an ongoing appointment with some gems in the next couple of weeks. D3 Publisher has announced a June 30 release date for the XBLA version of Puzzle Quest 2, at a price of 1200 Microsoft Points. If you're wondering how you'll possibly survive the agonizing nine-day wait, may we suggest the DS version of the same game? It's out ... tomorrow.%Gallery-95954%
Hands-on: Puzzle Quest 2
"So would you call this a return to form?" I asked Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner right before I picked up the controller to play Puzzle Quest 2. "Yes, very much so," he replied. Fawkner isn't shy about admitting that Puzzle Quest Galactrix deserved a few of the lumps it got from fans ("They didn't like it when minigames blocked progress on the main game"), and so when his team set out to create a full-fledged sequel to the gem-matching, role-playing hit, they wanted a good mix of updated gameplay that didn't stray too far from what made the first title so good. And from my short play session, it seems that's exactly what they got. A lot has changed from the first Puzzle Quest, and while fans will miss a few things (my beloved Druid class is gone!), most of the changes are in service to, and succeed at, making the game more fun. %Gallery-88301%
