Bastion
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Humble Weekly sale kicks off with Bastion
In an impressive show of indie corporate synergy, the first weekly deal from the organizers of the Humble Indie Bundle offers Bastion at the usual price of "pretty much anything," DRM free, on Windows, Mac, and Linux. This just happens to coincide with the announcement of Transistor by Bastion creator Supergiant Games.Pay just $1, and you'll get a Steam-redeemable copy of the game. Go above the average (currently $2.63) and you get a soundtrack, sheet music, digital art pack, and some ringtones. For $25, you get physical items, including a CD soundtrack, bandana, and postcards for both Bastion and Transistor.
Bastion sales reach 1.7 million
Speaking at DICE today, Supergiant Games founder Amir Rao mentioned that Bastion has sold 1.7 million copies across all available platforms.Rao's presentation at the annual executive conference explained how Supergiant Games went about porting Bastion from XBLA to PC and mobile. The company's porting team was ... well, it was eight people that composed the entire company. Staggering the releases of Bastion allowed them to keep the quality high and test ideas as the game expanded to other systems."We didn't lose an opportunity by not sim [simultaneously] shipping," said Rao. He pointed to his employment experience at EA, and simultaneously shipping Red Alert 3 for PC and Xbox, as an example of split focus.Bastion's slow multiplatform creep has been successful, with over 90 percent of sales occurring after its original launch month. Rao didn't mention any more upcoming ports of Bastion, but says it's the number one request they receive at Supergiant.
Steam Holiday Sale day 15: Thief series, Civilization V, Bastion
What are you doing to help pack the coffers at Valve? Seriously, you guys, it's up to each and every one of us to cough up dough for reduced-price games during Steam's annual ludicrous sales. If not you, then who?Today's Steam Holiday Sale deals run the gamut from meticulous murder simulators to football management simulators called Football Manager. The Thief series is 75% off, allowing you to grab all three entries for $6.74 – if you're into piecemeal, they're $2.49 each. Civilization V and its two predecessors (plus corresponding expansions) are also 75% off each, while Football Manager 2013 is marked down to $19.99 and Bastion is a paltry $3.74.For the full list of deals, head on over to Steam – oh, yeah, you're already over there. Okay then.
Smedley tweet reveals PlanetSide 2 fleet carrier
One of PlanetSide 2's pre-release marketing slogans was "size does matter." If SOE CEO John Smedley's latest tweet is any indication, the firm is taking the tagline to heart. "People keep asking for Galaxies to carry tanks. Bah," Smedley wrote, while showing off the Bastion fleet carrier concept art in the header. Senior Art Director Tramell Isaac chimes in as well, tweeting that the Bastion is "a sign of things to come" for SOE's new MMOFPS.
Punch Quest now costs a dollar, Bastion is universal
Here are two big updates to really great games on iOS. First, Punch Quest (which is one of my favorite iOS games this year so far) started out as a freemium title, given away for free with a number of in-app purchases to support it financially. But developers Rocketcat Games have said in the past that the in-app purchases just aren't making enough money to continue development, so they've taken the hazardous step of raising the app's price to US$0.99. Punch Quest is a terrific title that's well worth a buck or more, so hopefully it'll do better for the devs at the higher price. Second, Bastion, the XBLA hit that made its way to the iPad a little while ago, has released an update that makes the game universal. In fact, not only does the game now work on both iPhone and iPad, but it's also been updated to work with the iPhone 5's wider screen. iCloud syncing has been included as well, so all of your progress from the iPad should move over. Bastion is another terrific title, and it's available on the App Store right now for $4.99.
Bastion now universal iOS app, optimized for iPhone 5
Bastion for iPad is now a universal app with support for iPads 2-4, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S and 5th generation iPod touch. Developer Supergiant announced the update on its site today, noting it includes upgrades such as full optimization for the iPhone 5 screen and iCloud support (to transfer saves).The developer previously stated it "felt the game experience would not translate well to the iPhone's smaller screen," but the launch of the iPhone 5 had them take another look. Bastion is currently $4.99 and the update is free if you already own the game on iPad.
PBS mini documentary showcases the creativity of indie games
The latest episode of PBS' Off-Book, a web-series on online arts, is a celebration of indie games and their creativity. While the mini documentary probably won't tell you anything you don't already know, it is an excellently produced primer for getting into indie games.The seven-minute video is introduced by Kill Screen's Jamin Warren, then following on from Warren is SpellTower creator Zach Gage talking about the emotional and immersive value of game mechanics. Bastion creator Darren Korb then describes how he feels indie developers approach sound design differently from developers of AAA games. Eddy Boxerman and Andy Nealen explain the efforts they put into Osmos' art design, before Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander closes by looking at how indie games handle storytelling.If you like watching interesting stuff about indie games (and why wouldn't you?) you should also check out Indie Game: The Movie, which came to Netflix earlier this week. On a side note, if you can name all the games featured in the Off-Book video, you'll almost certainly win something completely awesome*.*by 'almost certainly' we mean 'definitely not'
PBS mini-documentary explores indie game creation, shows what they do that majors can't (video)
The indie game world has undergone a metamorphosis over the past few years, transforming from an often overlooked niche into as much a staple of the game industry as once-every-year blockbusters like the Call of Duty series. It's that fast-rising side of gaming that PBS' Off Book has explored in a succinct documentary. As both developers and game journalists explain, the small and more flexible nature of indie teams lets them delve into game concepts, art and sound that major developers typically avoid -- you probably wouldn't get Bastion, Fez or Super Meat Boy out of a company focused mostly on hitting its quarterly revenue targets. Crowdfunding and internet distribution methods like Steam and Xbox Live Arcade have similarly removed many of the barriers that either kept these games from commercial success or forced uncomfortable deals with large publishers in the past. Accordingly, the indie sphere that PBS sees in 2012 is less about trying to become the next Activision or EA and more about experimentation and personal expression. If you've ever wanted an elegant summary of what makes Spelunky feel so special, the whole Off Book episode awaits after the break.
A Humble Indie Bundle print you can proudly own
You've most likely bought Humble Indie Bundle 6 by now. Now you can continue your streak of unavoidable Humble purchases by picking up a print of Supergiant art director Jen Zee's incredible Humble Bundle 5 group shot.Unlike the actual bundle, you can't just pay what you want for this, unless what you want to pay is $14.99, divided among the Humble 5 developers and the Bundle organizers.
Bastion arriving on iOS tonight, Ace Attorney later on this fall
Two big titles are coming to iOS, one very soon and the other later on this year. First up, Bastion is an excellent action RPG title that originally arrived on Xbox Live a while back, and then migrated to PC and other platforms. Tonight, it finally arrives on iOS in the form of an iPad app. The app has already appeared on the New Zealand App Store, and should be in the U.S. store soon for US$4.99. Bastion is a great game that features several control schemes and a gorgeous soundtrack. It shouldn't be missed. In other port news, the popular lawyer/action series Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has finally been officially announced for iOS. We knew that Capcom would bring this series to Apple's platform, but we didn't know exactly how. Until now. The trilogy will be released as one big HD game, with each title being available as a separate series of in-app purchased episodes. The first few chapters of the title will be free, and the graphics for all three versions will be upsized for the bigger screen. It's great to see both games come to the iOS platform, and it's always nice to have more quality titles available to us iOS gamers, even if we had to wait a little bit for them to arrive.
Bastion heading to iPad tomorrow [updated]
The kid is sauntering over to Apple's iPad tomorrow in Bastion from Supergiant Games. New Zealanders – beyond the beautiful rolling hills and verdant greenery – get iOS games ahead of the rest of the planet due to the position of the sun and how that relates to our definition of time, you see, so it's already available in that territory. The game has a set launch date of August 30, but some territories are already in the future.Anyway, Bastion's iPad-only for now, which Supergiant says was a decision made due to "technical reasons." Additionally, the team, "felt the game experience would not translate well to the iPhone's smaller screen."When it arrives on the US App Store, it'll cost $4.99 and there's no demo version – you could always try it out in Google Chrome first? Don't hesitate to let us know if you see it pop up on our digital shores, which should be sometime tonight around 11PM ET. And head over to Supergiant's page for a ton more info about the new release.Update: This story was updated to reflect the official announcement of Bastion on iOS.
Steam Summer Sale, final day: BioShock, Bastion, Double Fine bundle
This is it. Dig around your couch cushions, look under the rug and peek between the seats in your car (if you haven't sold it, that is) for any extra change. The final day of the Steam Summer Sale is here.The last day is going out with a whimper, offering the BioShock franchise for $9.98, Bastion for $3.74, a Double Fine bundle including Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking for $7.49, and Splinter Cell: Conviction seeing a range of deals, starting with the game itself for $4.99. Jagged Alliance: Back in Action is $9.99, Operation Flashpoint Complete (Dragon Rising and Red River) runs $13.74, Football Manager 2012 is $7.50, and Space Pirates and Zombies is $2.49.Indie Bundle XI includes Hydrophobia: Prophecy, Orion: Dino Beatdown, Star Ruler, Waveform and World of Goo for $9.99.And that's that, everyone. Summer's over. Now get back to work; you have to pay off all those games you bought somehow, and it's certainly not going to happen if you take the time to play them.
Sorting through the SWTOR server transfer mess
Yesterday, Star Wars: The Old Republic began its second wave of server transfers. The process started normally without too much issue: Small, nearly empty servers were given the opportunity to transfer to larger, more-populated servers. Then about noon EDT, many well-populated servers were given the opportunity to move. Communities on PvP servers like The Swiftsure were asked to go to The Bastion. According to TORStatus.net, The Swiftsure's population out-ranked The Bastion's by several points. This was not the only case of the confusion in the population. Lord Adraas, arguably the largest roleplay community in the US, was asked to move to an equally populated server The Ebon Hawk.
Humble Indie Bundle 5 adds Braid, Super Meat Boy and Lone Survivor
The already exceptional Humble Indie Bundle 5 has added three more titles to its indie blockbuster lineup. Braid, Super Meat Boy and Lone Survivor are now part of the package, which already included Bastion, Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.Folks who already bought the bundle will automatically have the three new games added to their download, while folks who haven't will have to "pay more than the average price."
Humble Indie Bundle V includes Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers, Amnesia, Bastion (as a bonus)
The fifth iteration of the Humble Indie Bundle has gone live, granting donors their choice of Mac, PC or Linux versions of Psychonauts, Limbo, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, as well as the soundtracks for each game. Anyone that pays above the average price (currently $6.71) will also receive Baston and its soundtrack.Seeing as the Steam release of Sword & Sworcery EP is still only available on PC, this bundle is currently the only way to buy it for OSX. As per usual, patrons can decide how much of their purchase price goes to the developers, to charity, and as a tip to Humble Bundle folks.
Bastion gets Steamplay support, on limited sale
Months after winning numerous end-of-year accolades, Bastion can append one more teensy triumph to the list: Steamplay support. If you purchase Supergiant's vibrant action-RPG through Steam, you'll be able to play it on PC or Mac.Bastion is on sale for six bucks through Valve's service for a limited time (until May 3). The discount also applies to a game and soundtrack bundle, which can be had for $9.98. And if you must have a physical copy ... try Afghanistan.
PSA: Bastion now available on the Mac App Store
If you don't have access to a PC or an Xbox 360 or Google's OS-independent Chrome browser, and yet your need to play Bastion simply cannot be satiated or forgotten, your hope for a narration-filled future is probably starting to wear pretty thin. What other possible form of digital distribution could placate your need for tonics, shards and acoustic guitars?Rest your weary head, traveller – there's light at the end of your remarkably specific tunnel: The Mac App Store has what you need, all for $14.99.
Play Bastion (circa October 2009) at PAX East this weekend
What's that? You already played the entirety of Bastion, bought the soundtrack, and have been learning how to play those tunes on your Wurlitzer? That's all fine and dandy, but you probably haven't even seen how the game looked way back in October 2009 when its first playable demo burst into existence. As the picture above reveals, that demo will be available for PAX East attendees.Supergiant and the super early build of Bastion will be on the PAX East show floor just behind The Behemoth. If you get lost, just start shouting, "Bastion! I'm looking for Bastion!" That should work out pretty well.
Diablo's Descendants
This is a weekly column focusing on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity. With Diablo 3's release date set, I decided to take a look back as the series' legacy --and play some of the better Western-style action/role-playing games around. Last week I talked about how Fallout, not Diablo, became the model for a generation of blockbuster role-playing games.But Diablo did wield some influence. The first initial wave of clones didn't make much of a splash, but around the time Diablo II came out in 2000, the action/RPG style began to grab more attention. In 2002, Dungeon Siege and Divine Divinity were both released to some acclaim, but they never really fit the model of a Diablo clone. Dungeon Siege was as much Ultima VII and Baldur's Gate as it was Diablo, while Divine Divinity merged many concepts from Fallout and similar games with a real-time core. Missing from both? The constant clicking that, to me, defined Diablo.
Bastion sheet music now available for $0.00 through Supergiant
Bastion's soundtrack has received almost as much praise as the game itself, which earned a spot on our list of 2011's best games, among other accolades from consumers and industry folk. Its haunting vocals, 1800s gospel-esque melody lines and character-relevant lyrics are an exceptional work on their own, as you can clearly tell from the video above featuring Bastion composer Darren Korb and vocalist Ashley Barrett.Now you too can play the part of a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter, assuming you have the ability to command a guitar and/or piano in coordination with sheet music and/or tabulature. Charts for all four songs of the Bastion soundtrack are now available for free from Supergiant's store, which we're certain will vastly improve the accuracy of YouTube cover videos the world over. Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to remind ourselves why we dropped out of music school.
