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Shatter coming to iPad
Retro-inspired brick-breaker Shatter is coming to iPad. The announcement was made quite unceremoniously by Sidhe co-founder Mario Wynands on NeoGAF.Wynands went on to say the game would be "iPad only" because it'd require a big redesign to work on iPhone.Shatter was part of our best of the rest for 2009, and is currently available on PSN, PC and Mac.
Humble Indie Bundle 6 devs ask you to ask them anything on Reddit
A few of the developers with games in the rather fantastic Humble Indie Bundle 6 are hosting an AMA on Reddit right now.In attendance is Runic Games co-founder Max Schaefer, representing Torchlight (and Torchlight 2, it seems); programmer Matt Bush and composer Terrence Lee of Dustforce's Hitbox Team; Jan Achrenius and Sampsa Lehtonen of Recoil and Rochard; Mario Wynands of Shatter's Sidhe, co-founders of MinMax Games Andrew Hume and Richard with Space Pirates and Zombies; and John Krajewski of Strange Loop Games representing Vessel.Already the developers are discussing the likelihood of their Linux games on Steam, the benefits of being in the Humble Indie Bundle, and answering programming and gameplay questions galore. If you want to know what engines these guys use, how they handle physics or what those space pirates are doing hanging out with zombies in the first place, head on over to Reddit.
Steam deals: Shatter on sale today; Deus Ex and Sam & Max this weekend
Steam is making it easier on the wallet this weekend with some sales on Shatter and the Deus Ex and Sam & Max series. Serieses.For today only, developer Sidhe's retro-inspired brick-breaker, Shatter, is 75 percent off, bringing it down to $2.49. That's less than the cost of a Monster energy drink and, really, everyone agrees you need to stop drinking those things anyway.Over the weekend, every game in the Deus Ex series, including Eidos Montreal's prequel, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is 75 percent off – that's $14.99 for the whole bunch, including some item packs and "The Missing Link" DLC for Human Revolution. You can also buy each game piecemeal.If you like your protagonists a little less gritty, Telltale's Sam & Max games are also on sale for 66 percent off this weekend – $14.99 for seasons one and two, and The Devil's Playhouse.
The Game Archaeologist looks at Guild Wars Utopia
Aztecs. Chronomancers. Mounts. Halberds. Golems. Dual wielding. These are all but a hint of what a fourth Guild Wars campaign could have been, a campaign that was under development in the mid-2000s but was scrapped by 2007. Replacing it was the expansion Guild Wars Eye of the North and the workings of a super-secret sequel to the game (which you've probably never heard of). It was the forgotten campaign, swept under a rug while it was still under the rug. But what if, in some alternative timeline, ArenaNet had gone ahead with this campaign? What if it became an established part of the Guild Wars legacy, as familiar to us today as Nightfall and Factions? What if Guild Wars Utopia had lived?
Mad Catz takes Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge to North America
Mad Catz has recently become a publisher for new flight games and established music games. Its next baffling step into the world of game publishing sees the peripheral maker taking on sports games. Mad Catz announced plans to publish Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge on Xbox 360 sometime in September. In this game, Jonah Lomu challenges you to tell him what exactly rugby is. Okay, it actually features 93 different teams and 31 locations, with licensed teams including the New Zealand All Blacks, with whom Lomu played. An online mode will allow you to find all the other Americans who know how to play rugby -- unless they're busy playing the Rugby World Cup 2011 demo.
Shatter dev Sidhe increasing focus on download space in 2011
Sidhe is best known recently for developing Shatter, a fast-paced brick-buster game that debuted on PlayStation Network in 2009. Praised for its crystalline presentation and entrancing soundtrack, Shatter updated the familiar mechanics of games like Arkanoid, and elevated the understated -- but certainly not small -- developer that's been at work in Wellington, New Zealand, since 1997. As a self-published downloadable game, Shatter appears to be an anomaly when placed next to another of Sidhe's recent projects: Blood Drive, published by Activision in 2010. The automotive action game, which saw players running down zombies for sport (it's as good a reason as any), failed to find an appreciative audience, despite having a mixture of popular go-to game elements. But how do the makers of one of 2009's most praised puzzle games deliver a 41 on Metacritic just one year later? Today, Sidhe is in the process of shaking off the remnants of that game, one of the many work for hire, licensed tasks it has undertaken for most of its life. Speed Racer, Jackass: The Game and Madagascar Kartz all came from the same workhorse. "What we are trying to do, given where retail in general is going, is continue to move towards being independent," said Mario Wynands, co-founder and managing director of Sidhe. "That is, run the studio on the basis of royalties and download revenue alone, as opposed to being somewhat reliant on third-party publishers. We are, I guess, reacting to the market, in line with the strategy we've had in place for a number of years now, which is ultimately weaning ourselves off work for hire." As a result, Sidhe has ramped down and elected not to renew or transition contracts with vendors following the completion of Blood Drive for Activision. Wynands also confirmed to Joystiq that several full-time staff members have been let go since then -- "probably five or six people." (This is after the studio hired more in March 2010, bringing the staff count close to 120.)
Shatter soundtrack and dynamic theme hits PSN this week
Are you a hardcore fan of Shatter? So are we. That's why we're pretty excited that both the Shatter soundtrack and dynamic XMB theme are hitting the North American PlayStation Store this week. Featuring 14 tracks, the downloadable soundtrack will be available for $5.99 via the PSN. As a bonus, the soundtrack will come bundled with a dynamic theme and concept art. (The theme can be purchased separately for $2.99.) Of course, some may be turned off by the asking price of the bundle, considering it costs nearly as much as the game itself. For others, this is a small price to pay to support an indie PSN dev. Check out a video of the theme after the break.
Shatter bounces onto PC and PSN with new modes
Ludwig offered some high praise in our Best of the Rest series for Shatter, the Arkanoid-inspired PSN arcade game. Not content on making the game exclusive to PS3 owners, developer Sidhe has announced a new platform for brick-busting: the PC. Arriving on Steam in "the coming weeks," the PC port will feature new game modes, including Endless, Endless Co-Op, Time Attack and Time Attack Co-op. Fans of the original Shatter eager to get their hands on the new content won't have to buy the PC version, though. Sidhe director Mario Wynands told the NeoGAF community that "we will be bringing the new modes back to the PSN version"; however, it's unclear if the new modes will arrive as a free title update, or premium DLC. "[We] haven't worked out the exact nature or timing of that yet," Wynands told PSN Stores. Considering the low price of the original, we're certain fans won't mind spending a few more dollars to access the new content.
Get the Shatter soundtrack for $1
One of the big PSN surprises of the year was Shatter, a retro-futuristic take on the popular brick-breaking genre. Anyone who's played the game is bound to agree that what makes the game so special is the fantastic soundtrack. From now until Christmas, Sidhe is running a special sale on its site, reducing the price of the DRM-free OST to one dollar. One hundred pennies. Yes, for less than the price of PAIN DLC, you can get the entire 14 track album to play on the go. [Via @jeffrubenstein]
Shatter demo in the works, multiplatform release 'likely'
In spite of an admittedly small "publicity effort" by developer Sidhe, Shatter has sold quite well on the PlayStation Network so far, with sales of around 30,000. Critics have been quite nice to Shatter's modern re-imagining of the classic Breakout formula, praising its "clever game mechanics" and "incredible original soundtrack." It's the type of game that warrants a playable demo -- and that's exactly what Sidhe is working on now. "We will be making a demo available down the line for those gamers on the fence," managing director Mario Wynands told Gamasutra.Further down the line, Sidhe is looking into porting Shatter onto other platforms. "Shatter is not exclusive to PSN," Wynands stated. "But Sony is offering the combination of good royalties, strong technology, and a well defined process for getting content to market."Already, the team has "working builds" of Shatter on PC and XBLA, thanks to the cross-platform functionality of Sony's free PhyreEngine. Wynands says the team is "reviewing the situation to see whether it makes sense to continue investing in those versions," but also admits that a cross-platform release is "likely." That's a good thing too. We'd love to see Shatter end up in as many hands as possible.
Shatter developer talks up benefits of PhyreEngine
Just because Sony's cross-platform PhyreEngine -- which powered games such as Flower, Critter Crunch and Catan -- is free to use, doesn't mean it's not beefy. At least, that's how GripShift and Shatter developer Sidhe feels -- both of their PSN releases used the engine, and they've got nothing but rave reviews for the technology.Sidhe managing director Mario Wynands called the PhyreEngine a "great solution for download products where budgets are lower and every dollar counts." So, if you're having difficulties getting your next-gen Rock Paper Scissors sim off the ground, Sidhe's just supplied a ringing endorsement for an extremely cost efficient solution.
Sidhe will 'consider other platforms' for Shatter
Sidhe's upcoming PSN Arkanoid-clone-with-a-twist, Shatter, could eventually find its way to other platforms. Speaking to 1Up Gamers, Sidhe's Mario Wynands states that "right now Shatter has been approved for PSN and the company will consider other platforms in the future, but that's the main focus for now." if it does jump over to WiiWare or XBLA, then it doesn't look like it'll be doing so any time soon.Wynands also notes that Sidhe is currently working on five projects, including Shatter. One game, Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 for Wii, has already been announced. Three more titles -- one for PSP, another for Wii and a multiplatform project -- are yet to be revealed. These games should all be unveiled by the end of July. With Shatter hitting the PSN on July 23 too, this is looking to be a busy month for Sidhe.
New Shatter trailer brings the beats, busts a buncha blocks
There's a lot of buzz surrounding Sidhe's Shatter, the block-breaking PSN title set for release next week. Heck, a lot of that buzz comes directly from us, and if you've been wondering what the fuss is all about, you need only look to the trailer above. Seriously, drink it in with your eyes. This is the stuff made of legends (and maybe a few gigglebits).
Shatter coming to PSN July 23 for $7.99
No matter how much critical juice a game receives, it doesn't really mean a whole lot until the public gets their hands on it and puts it through its paces. Developer Sidhe announced today that you'll finally get to have your way with budding critical darling Shatter on July 23 (if you don't mind ponying up $7.99).If you've missed the buzz, Shatter is a futuristic take on the brick-breaking genre that you can see in action right here.
Shatter breaks onto PSN later this year
Move over, Magic Ball. PlayStation Network is getting yet another twist on the classic brick-breaking genre courtesy of Sidhe, "New Zealand's largest game studio." You'll know how to play Shatter just by looking at the trailer: use a paddle to bounce an object back and destroy bricks. However, this isn't your father's Breakout. Expect a variety of power-ups, special attacks and, yes, boss battles.You can check out the debut trailer, after the break.
Wii's Sunday bargain bin
We love Sundays, as there are always new game sales to look forward to. Luckily, this week there are some sweet deals on a few Wii titles. Scouring through the ad listings at Cheap Ass Gamer, the ones we found of interest include: Okami for $29.99 at Best Buy Boom Blox with a free $10 gift card at Circuit City and Target Speed Racer for $29.99 at Target Keep in mind that while Circuit City offers its deals online, Best Buy and Target's are brick and mortar only. Also, Target deals vary by region, so the ones above may or may not apply to stores near you.[Via CAG]Read: Best Buy ad with Okami for $29.99Read: Boom Blox with free $10 gift card at Circuit City
Speed Racer videos show cars chasin' after someone
Barring those ridiculously annoying mid-race voice-overs from your competing racers, we still like what we're seeing from Speed Racer. Originally, we thought the roads looked too narrow to pass anyone, but it seems like you can also flip over other racers (which is pretty sweet). We're also still insanely curious about the music. Considering the game's F-Zero and Wipeout influences, it has a lot to live up to in terms of soundtrack.We've embedded another video below that was labeled as a "Stunt Gameplay" trailer, which shows the player (in Racer X's car?) tossing other racers of the way, among other things.
He's a demon on USB
Are you likely to be spending some money at Target in the near future? Then you might as well head on over there sometime soon and pick up this Speed Racer-themed gift card (which you can use later to buy what you actually wanted in the first place). Even if you're not interested at all in the upcoming game (or movie), you'll still land yourself the free mini USB 2.0 Flash drive that comes with it. The drive only holds 62.8 MB worth of stuff, but should that bother you, you're missing the key word here -- free.Initially, 51.6 MB will be taken up by promotional Speed Racer goodies, but that stuff can always be deleted. Those of you who are looking forward to seeing the Mach 5 in action soon enough, though, might enjoy some of the extras provided. According to GamerTell, the drive includes: Five coloring book-style pages featuring the Mach 5 and Racer X's car (PDF file) A coupon for $1 off a Speed Racer Powerburst racer and $3 off a Speed Racer Powerburst figure-8 track set (PDF file) Two Speed Racer desktop wallpapers A Speed Racer family movie (MOV and WMV files) A special code for the Wii version of the video game (we wonder what that will do/unlock?) Due to the nature of the internet, we're sure you'll be able to find the game code without buying the Flash drive-bundled gift card. Still, we recommend getting one of these pseudo-free sticks if Target is one of your regular stomping grounds.
Speed Racer ... you know, for kids
If you spent your days as a youngin' watching cartoons, you're probably familiar with Speed Racer. Yet, most fans of the series are all grown up now, considering that it aired over a decade ago. (Yes, Speed Racer X was around more recently, but that doesn't count since it got yanked after only a few episodes.)That's why we were kind of baffled after watching this interview with the game's producer, Jeff Nachbaur. Nachbaur explains that the target audience for the upcoming Speed Racer title is 8-12 year olds, so the developers focused most of the game's testing on them. He also mentions that kids will love the roller coaster-esque tracks, in case you weren't sure that this game was made for kids. While we can definitely see those in a young age group becoming enamored with the new movie (which is what this game is based on), what about the gaggle of oldschool Speed Racer fans (like this blogger)? Will we enjoy it, too?Perhaps -- after all, Mario Kart is an all-ages racer -- but the constant emphasis on this being a kids game has us a little less excited.[Via GoNintendo]
GripShift to race to XBLA sometime this year
While recent Live offerings may have left us feeling jilted, like a lifelong pal or that leftover turkey sandwich it's impossible to stay mad at Microsoft's download service for long. This morning our frowns turned upside down as Sidhe Interactive sent word that it is bringing its over-the-top racer GripShift to XBLA later this year, which as we take a cursory glance at what's left of our calender looks to mean sometime in the next four weeks or so.The game, which was originally released for the PSP in 2005, already made the leap to the PlayStation Network, and while its big screen debut was not as warmly received as it was originally, the game nonetheless marks a welcome addition to any download service, provided the price is right. While GripShift is good fun, we hope the game abandons its weighty $10 PSN price for something a bit more reasonable, say 500 Microsoft Points. Improved textures and sounds aside, this is still a two year old PSP game at heart, and holiday shopping has our wallets feeling a bit peckish.[Via press release]
