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Brutal Legend PC limited edition coming soon from IndieBox
Indie game distributor IndieBox revealed that it will soon ship a Limited Edition version of Double FIne's heavy metal action-RTS Brutal Legend to subscribers, celebrating the game's fifth anniversary and marking the first time its PC version has seen a physical release. Launched earlier this year, IndieBox ships out physical versions of standout indie games to subscribers on a monthly basis, bundling featured titles with exclusive bonus material. The contents of Brutal Legend's Limited Edition were not announced, and will not be revealed until the package hits subscriber mailboxes. Buyers can reserve a Limited Edition package for Brutal Legend by placing an order with IndieBox by 11:59 p.m. EST tonight. New subscribers can enter the promo code ROCKTOBER25 for a 25 percent discount. If you miss out on getting Brutal Legend via IndieBox's subscription service, standalone copies will be available soon at the company's official store. [Image: IndieBox]
Humble Indie Bundle 9 adds Limbo, Bastion and more
The Humble Indie Bundle 9 just added a quintet of new games. Limbo, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, Bastion and A Virus Named Tom are now available to would-be purchasers and those who've already coughed up dough for the collection alike. This latest Humble Bundle launched just last week and is headlined by FTL, Fez and Mark of the Ninja, in addition to Brutal Legend, Trine 2: Complete Story and a special beta version of Eets: Munchies. This latest grouping of games has little over six days left on its run, at which point it'll be retired for the next insanely tempting Humble Indie Bundle collection.
Fez, Mark of the Ninja, FTL head up Humble Indie Bundle 9
Humble Bundle's ever-busy organizers have launched Humble Indie Bundle 9, a pay-what-you-want compilation spotlighting Polytron's Fez, Klei's Mark of the Ninja, and other standout indie hits. Buyers will receive Double Fine's metal-infused action-RTS Brutal Legend, the DLC-bundled Trine 2: Complete Story, and stealth-action game Mark of the Ninja, which makes its Mac and Linux debut as part of the collection. The package also includes a beta version of Klei's Eets: Munchies, marking the first time the game has ever been available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Backers who beat the average purchase price will also receive Subset Games' space roguelike FTL: Faster Than Light and the dimension-twisting platformer Fez, which is newly available for Mac and Linux.
Double Fine wants to win back Stacking, Costume Quest rights
Double Fine wants to tie up all of the loose ends within its catalog and is seeking the distribution rights to its games formerly published by THQ, Stacking and Costume Quest. Nordic Games picked up the distribution rights to these games during THQ's bankruptcy auction in April, though Double Fine attempted to secure the rights from THQ as early as February. Double Fine owns the intellectual properties for Stacking and Costume Quest, so if it wants to make new games within each series, it can. "We're still trying to get the rights to Costume Quest and Stacking," Schafer told Game Informer. "We can still make more of those games. We still have the IP, but we'd love to have all of the IP and distribution rights in house." On top of those distribution rights, Double Fine wants to regain the Brutal Legend IP from EA and the Iron Brigade IP from Microsoft, Schafer said. These are difficult positions for Double Fine, but for us, deciding which war to watch is just as hard: Battle of Heavy Metal and Mechs or the Battle of Kids in Costumes Playing with Toys From the Old Country. Decisions, decisions.
Rockstar daily deals, cheap Brutal Legend highlight Steam weekend
Steam will play host to a series of daily Rockstar deals this weekend and first up in the spotlight is LA Noire. The Complete Edition, stock game and DLC bundle – which includes a couple extra outfits and cases – have all been discounted by 75%, down to $7.50, $5 and $2.99, respectively.The Rockstar Hits Collection is also on sale for $29.99. It's a Steam bundle that includes GTA IV and its Episodes from Liberty City expansion, Max Payne 3, and LA Noire. Pretty much every other Rockstar game on Steam right now is also on sale to varying degrees.Recent PC arrival Brutal Legend joins the salesapalooza by slashing its price in half, down to $10 for the weekend starting now; if you want to pick up the soundtrack with the game, that'll be $12.49. Creator Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions has stated he would "love" to revisit the game and add more stuff if the PC version does well.
Brutal Legend items now available in Team Fortress 2
Double Fine's heavy metal adventure RTS, Brütal Legend, made its way to Steam earlier this year, and those who pre-ordered it were able to grab a few special items for use in Team Fortress 2. Those pieces are no longer exclusive: You can now purchase the Brütal Bouffant headgear (sideburns and mullets included) and the Shred Alert taunt from Double Fine's Steam Workshop stall.Only the pre-order bonuses are of "Genuine" quality, however, so those who participated during the promotional period still have a way to distinguish themselves in Double Fine fandom.
PSA: Brutal Legend rockin' Steam
Are you ready to rock?I can't hear you! I said, ARE YOU YOU READY TO RAAAAWK!?Good! Double Fine's heavy metal action-adventure Brutal Legend is available now on Steam. The rock epic is a mere $20, and Double Fine founder Tim Schafer has says he'd be open to add more modes, tweaks and content. However, Double Fine is busy with a couple other projects, including its record-breaking Kickstarter-funded adventure game.
Schafer would 'love' more Brutal Legend content on PC
If Brütal Legend takes off on Steam after its launch on February 26, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer would love to add more modes, tweaks and multiplayer content to the game, he told RPS."It's actually been fun to continue work on it," Schafer said. "I mean, we have a wishlist from when we made this version. But since we are a small developer publishing it ourselves, we have to go with the best version we can make and then hope it's successful so we can add more."Schafer mentioned a few specifics he would like to see in Brütal Legend, such as alternate game modes in multiplayer, new playable factions, updates to the current unit feedback system and an advanced mode featuring traditional RTS-style controls. He didn't see any singleplayer updates or sequels in Brütal Legend's future, since those tended to be more expensive and expansive.A sequel to Psychonauts, for example, would probably be cheaper than one for Brütal Legend, considering the cost of music licensing, Schafer said."I mean, it's been longer since Psychonauts and we wouldn't have to do any music licensing," he said. "So we could probably afford to do it more if we got some funding. I feel like a Brütal sequel would cost twice as much as Psychonauts. It's easier to imagine Double Fine doing a sequel to Psychonauts. But for creative reasons, there's no preference of one over the other."
You axed for it: Brutal Legend on Steam Feb. 26
Double Fine appears to have gotten its Brütal Legend IP from the jaws of both EA and Activision, as it's self-publishing a PC version of the metal-themed action/RTS thing on February 26.Pre-ordering before that date gets you the game for $14.99, $5 off the normal price (a Soundtrack Edition is also available for $18.74), along with instant access to a multiplayer beta. Oh, and because it's a game on Steam, you get a couple of Team Fortress 2 items.Double Fine is also taking pre-orders on The Art of Brütal Legend, a hardcover, 252-page art book. Books pre-ordered from Double Fine's shop will be signed by Tim Schafer, though hats will not be included.
Double Fine discounts: Psychonauts, Iron Brigade, Stacking and more
No matter where you like to purchase your games, odds are you'll find a Double Fine game on discount right now. The developer has announced its entire catalogue is on sale across Steam, Xbox 360, Amazon and its own shop.Discounts include Stacking and its DLC on Xbox Live Arcade, and both signed and stock copies of Brutal Legend on PS3 and Xbox 360 through the Double Fine Shop. Iron Brigade (formerly Trenched) is cheap on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade right now, and even Psychonauts is half-off through Steam and the Mac App store, and the soundtrack too.We'd never tell you how to spend those hard-earned duckets you covet so much, but at least we can rest easy knowing you're not spending as much as you normally would.
Activision's Kotick on Brutal Legend drama: 'That's not really what happened'
This is the first part of Joystiq's in-depth discussion with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, in which we cover Activision's Bungie partnership, the Infinity Ward situation, Treyarch's time in the spotlight with Call of Duty: Black Ops, and why Kotick's been cast in the role of video game industry villain. Up first: The real story behind Activision's Brutal Legend lawsuit: In 2009, for the first time in years, E3 felt like a celebration again. The annual video game trade show had reemerged after a period of austerity, newly invigorated. For Brutal Legend, it was an especially momentous debutante's ball -- the game had suffered from delays and publisher battles, but it had finally found a suitor in EA Partners and a booth alongside Electronic Arts' other games. Then on June 4, the last day of the show, developer Double Fine got sued. The difficult thing about lawsuits is this: None of the parties can say much. The inevitable result of that vacuum is confusion and misunderstanding. On the surface, it looked like Activision -- amidst the chaos of a merger with Vivendi and its Sierra and Blizzard games business -- simply chose to pass on Brutal Legend, leaving creator Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine without a path to market. That's where EA Partners comes in, like a knight in shining armor. Then, perhaps in an effort to keep its biggest competitor from releasing a highly-anticipated game, Activision -- a company whose corporate persona had been portrayed as increasingly villainous in much of the gaming press -- sued the developer. During E3. The celebration. But there was that vacuum: Double Fine couldn't say much; Activision couldn't say much; and that left Electronic Arts -- the white knight, if we're following the characterization of the press at the time -- to speak up. And the publisher did, issuing the following zinger which set the tone for the conflict: "We doubt that Activision would try to sue. That would be like a husband abandoning his family, and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." And why not? Without any other commentary, the press, readers and fans all wanted an answer. Nature abhors a vacuum and, just like that, Activision wrote its own role, as the devious, conniving villain.
Tim Schafer: Brutal Legend 2 isn't happening
During his recent Develop panel, Tim Schafer -- creator of Brütal Legend and head of Double Fine Productions -- revealed that the potential for a sequel to Jack Black's journey through a fantastical world of rockitude is nonexistent. "Apparently when they said it was a done deal, they meant there was no deal, and we're done," he told attendees. Double Fine fans shouldn't mourn the game's loss, however; the studio is currently at work on four new titles, so it's not like Schafer is riding off into the sunset -- unless that's part of one of the four games Double Fine is working on, in which case you heard it here first.
Double Fine's next projects: four 'smaller' games
After releasing only two games over its first ten years of existence, Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions is heading in a slightly different direction and working on four smaller projects, each with a different producer. Speaking at a keynote presentation at the Develop Conference this morning, Schafer didn't reveal many details about the new game projects. He did, however, mention who was heading up each one. They are: Lee Petty, art director on Brütal Legend, is leading a game Schafer described as "sort of retro but also really new." Nathan Martz, lead programmer on Brütal Legend, is working on a game that's "quite cutting edge." Brad Muir, who designed a lot of the combat and multiplayer on Brütal Legend, is working on a game that "focuses on gameplay mechanics." Tasha Harris, lead animator on Brütal Legend (and former senior animator at Pixar) is heading up a fourth game. Schafer didn't say what systems or formats the games would target, but did mention that some would be available as downloads while others would be retail products. He off-handedly mentioned that the quick development process meant some of these projects would be coming out this year, but quickly caught himself. "I didn't announce that," he said. "I see you writing that down. ... That was not a ship date." Schafer said the transition to multiple smaller projects happened in the wake of the unexpected cancellation of a planned Brütal Legend sequel. "Apparently when they said it was a done deal, they meant there was no deal, and we're done," he said.
Schafer: Comedy games need a big hit before publishers will approve
We had always assumed that we don't see more comedy in games because nothing could ever be funnier than the end of Limbo of the Lost. But speaking with Eurogamer before his upcoming Develop Conference keynote, Grim Fandango designer Tim Schafer said the comedy boom will come when publishers start connecting chuckles with dollar signs. "The industry is imitative," he said. "A lot of people are chasing the last thing that was a big hit. What we need is a big hit comedy game. As soon as we have one, everybody will follow, of course." Schafer also has some choice words for Activision's Bobby Kotick, but our therapist says we need to spend more time focusing on positivity.
GameFly sale: Bionic Batman and the Brutal Beatles
Here's the good news: According to our budget-minded buddies (budgies?) at CAG, GameFly has a sale on several appealing Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles, including Batman: Arkham Asylum (360 / $19.99), Bionic Commando (360 / PS3 / $9.99), Brütal Legend (360 / $14.99) and The Beatles: Rock Band (360 / $21.99). We also spy some stellar deals on Red Faction: Guerrilla (360 / PS3 / under $15) and 2D fighter BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger ($19.99 / $24.99). GameFly games are guaranteed to be in working condition and include manuals and cases. And here's the bad news: The sale comes to an end on March 30. Also, our industry is woefully ill-equipped to produce a product called "Bionic Batman and the Brütal Beatles" and will succumb to creative and financial bankruptcy long before you ever get to play something of such magnificent magnitude. Oh well.
The Digital Continuum: The 'Next Big Thing' in MMOs
Is All Points Bulletin the "Next Big Thing" in MMOs? While I'm fully aware that Realtime Worlds doesn't specifically prefer to associate the game with this genre, it's very much a part of it -- but it also orbits the fringes of what we commonly refer to as a massively multiplayer online game. Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 and All Points Bulletin come from a different school of business models. These games hinge on the idea that most people dislike coughing up 15 bucks a month to keep playing their favorite title. Just look to the success of the original Guild Wars, having a year ago passed six million copies sold. That's a pretty great start for non-subscription MMOs, and because of that success we now have GW's sequel and APB on the way.
Fan-made Eddie Riggs figure hits all the right notes
[hugohugo at deviantART] deviantArt is usually the site you go to if you want to see uncomfortable, sexual doodles of anime characters and other such nonsense. Today, it's become the place to see the most badass Eddie Riggs homage known to man. In fact, we're pretty sure user hugohugo sold his soul to Satan for the ability to craft such a magnificent resemblance of Brütal Legend's protagonist. Compared to the official alternative, we have to say we dig hugohugo's a bit more. It's got character and is entirely posable -- even the fingers move for wicked faux-solos! [Via OKConsole]
Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2009
Time Gentlemen, Please This was hands-down the funniest game released in 2009, and 2009 was a year in which we got a new Tim Schafer game and the return of the Monkey Island series, so that's saying something. If you missed out, please go buy it, it's cheap as can be and a true delight.
Brutal Legend's 'Hammer of Infinite Fate' DLC arrives with trailer in tow
Announced earlier this month (though fate had ensured its arrival since the beginning), Brütal Legend's second pack of downloadable content landed on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this week. In celebration of the release, Double Fine has handed over a brand new trailer for the grab bag of multiplayer maps, skins for Eddie Riggs, and items with which to brutalize (as seen above). As we previously noted, the DLC also gives players the opportunity to endow Mt. Rockmore with Tim Schafer's beautiful face. If that doesn't sell you on it, we can't imagine what would. %Gallery-41208%
GDC 2010 schedule and speakers partially revealed
Though it lacks the glitz, glamor and booth babes of consumer-based expos, the Game Developer's Conference has plenty to capture the attention of the cerebral game enthusiast. The event's official site recently posted a smattering of the lectures, roundtables, and panels which will take place from March 9 - 13, showcasing the efforts of the creators of Brütal Legend, Uncharted 2 and Braid, to name a few. These events are broken into tracks representing the various types of work that go into making a game. For instance, Naughty Dog's Richard Lemarchand will be leading a post-mortem of Uncharted 2 as part of the Production Track. Double Fine's Peter Demoreuille and Drew Skillman will be talking about crafting the visuals of Brutal Legend for the Art Track. And Jonathan Blow is leading a discussion on implementing time travel in games as part of the sparsely populated Quantum Physics Phenomena Track. [Via Gamasutra]
