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Golem to follow Omen's lead onto Killer Instinct roster
Following a reveal earlier this month, developer Iron Galaxy has issued a proper trailer for Omen that, like past Killer Instinct character trailers, is nearly overshadowed by a cameo at the end. The walking mass of rocks and shrubs that crashes onto camera and squishes Orchid is named Golem. Whether or not words can hurt you is irrelevant, as Golem brings both sticks and stones - two items notorious for bone trauma - to the Xbox One-exclusive fight. Unfortunately, beyond that brief footage, none-too-surprising name and the pun about sticks and stones, we know nothing about this new fighter. Outside of this brief footage, Iron Galaxy has yet to reveal any useful information on Golem. We can tell you, however, that Omen will join Killer Instinct later this week. On January 30, the character will be available for owners of Killer Instinct Ultra Edition, while those with Killer Instinct Combo Breaker Edition will be waiting until February 5. [Image: Microsoft]
Report: Double Helix had Killer Instinct build on Xbox 360
Killer Instinct for the Xbox One may have began life as a project for the Xbox 360, if new footage showcased by Andrew Borman of Past To Present Online is to be believed. A video from PTP Online, viewable after the break, shows a (very) rough draft of what would go on to become the Killer Instinct we know today. Lighting effects are missing, only a few characters are in the build, some stages are broken and Chief Thunder is naught but a gray blob of a man, but if nothing else, it's interesting to see the progress the game has since achieved. Though we can't say for sure what the purpose of such a build would be, it makes a certain kind of sense that it would exist. Even if Killer Instinct was never intended for release on the Xbox 360, developers aiming to have their games ready for the Xbox One's launch would have benefited from early prototyping. Or maybe the game was shunted off the Xbox 360 to bolster the Xbox One's launch lineup. We may never know, but sometimes mystery is a little more fun.
Killer Instinct prototype throws punches on the Xbox 360
The Xbox One's flagship fighting game Killer Instinct didn't begin life on Microsoft's latest hardware, as two newly-unearthed prototype videos demonstrate. The clips, one above and one below the break, come to us from the prototype sleuths at Past to Present Online and depict an early-in-production version of the game, when it was still in the hands of developer Double Helix. Despite using a relatively underpowered Xbox 360 as a test bed, this version of Killer Instinct retains many of the hallmarks of the Xbox One game, from its basic combo system, to character designs, to certain graphical flourishes. Granted, there are parts of the game that are obviously not finished and the Xbox One's Killer Instinct is far more littered with particle effects than its Xbox 360 predecessor, but otherwise this game is immediately recognizable. While this demonstrates that Killer Instinct probably could work on the Xbox 360 without losing much of its core gameplay, it's most likely that this prototype was built in an era when the Xbox One hardware wasn't quite finished but Double Helix needed a way to test its new fighter. You'll notice that the game even features references to the Xbox One's Menu button, despite the Xbox 360 having no such functionality. Sorry Xbox 360 owners, but after all the money Microsoft's poured into Killer Instinct to promote the game as an Xbox One exclusive, it's unlikely to appear on any other hardware - even one of Microsoft's own machines. [Image: Microsoft]
Amazon queen Maya returns in Killer Instinct season two
Divekick developer Iron Galaxy Studios will re-introduce players to Maya, Queen of the Amazons, when it rolls out the second season of content for Killer Instinct, according to reports from this year's EVO event. Microsoft community manager Mike Robles tweeted concept art of the dagger-wielding warrior, while GameSpot reports that Iron Galaxy described Maya as a high-risk, high-reward character during the panel where she was unveiled. According to GameSpot's report, Maya's daggers will level up as she lands hits on her opponents, eventually reaching the point where she can throw them as projectiles. A photo of the presentation also reveals that Maya's design is inspired by the Inca civilization. While the Incas lived on the fringe of the Amazon Basin and not deep in the rainforest, thus making her "Queen of the Amazon" title a bit of a mismatch, we're willing to bet you'll have bigger things to worry about - things like daggers flying at your face - when Killer Instinct season two begins this fall. [Image: Microsoft]
Divekick devs were almost first to head Killer Instinct reboot
Divekick developer Iron Galaxy Studios will be taking over for Amazon-acquired Double Helix on the Xbox One-exclusive Killer Instinct reboot, but that idea may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. In an interview with USgamer, Iron Galaxy CEO Dave Lang revealed that his studio was one of the original applicants being considered to develop the game. Lang said that, while he doesn't know all the details, he knows that both his company and Double Helix were in the running to develop Killer Instinct, right up to the end. However, Microsoft had already tapped Iron Galaxy for Wreckateer, leaving the studio short-handed. Thus, the contract went to Double Helix. Now that Iron Galaxy is getting another shot at Killer Instinct, Lang calls the situation "sort of like dating someone's ex-girlfriend." Despite losing out on developing the game's first season of content, it might have been for the best. "If you take a look at where we were at that point versus the final game Double Helix was able to make, I firmly believe we would not have made as good of a game as Double Helix did," Lang said. "In terms of available resources, we simply weren't there at that time." [Image: Microsoft]
Fulgore, Arcade Mode arrive in Killer Instinct's latest title update
Microsoft has deployed a 6.8 GB title update for its free-to-play Xbox One fighting game Killer Instinct, adding a number of significant features and a new character to its playable roster. Classic Killer Instinct combatant Fulgore joins the fray in the game's latest update, finishing up developer Double Helix's first season of planned character rollouts. The patch also adds a single-player Arcade Mode, online lobbies with rooms that accommodate up to eight players, and a spectating feature. This week's patch arrives as the final update curated by Killer Instinct's original developer, Double Helix. After being acquired by Amazon in February, Double Helix handed over Killer Instinct development duties to Divekick studio Iron Galaxy Games, who will manage content expansions from this point forward. [Video: Microsoft]
Amazon Fire TV lineup trailer has dinosaurs, lasers, and laser dinosaurs
Amazon announced a plethora of development partners when it revealed Amazon Fire TV, its new streaming video and games device. While Mojang's Minecraft got top billing during Amazon's Wednesday presentation, the company's own Amazon Game Studios has plenty in the works as demonstrated by this trailer. For a device Amazon deems "not a game console," Fire TV has some fetching and very traditional looking games in the works based on this teaser. A side-scrolling platformer where you play as a caveman clubbing dinosaurs and then inexplicably disintegrating dinosaurs with a giant laser; a soft-colored world of papercraft woodland animals not dissimilar to Tearaway; and what looks like a turn-based medieval RPG; Amazon Fire TV will cover its genre bases if nothing else. There's even another platformer that looks like some bizarre version of the Jetsons, but you control Ernie from Sesame Street's doppelganger as he shoots aliens. While Ernie Shoots All the Aliens isn't a likely title for Amazon Game Studios' sci-fi platformer, the teaser doesn't provide titles for that game or any of the others in this lineup. It also doesn't say what developers in Amazon's stable are working on what games. Amazon acquired Double Helix, developer of Killer Instinct and Strider, in February. Far Cry 2 and Splinter Cell designer Clint Hocking announced he'd joined Amazon alongside Portal creator Kim Swift on Wednesday as well. The potential talent behind these new games makes them all the more mysterious. Except for the one about dinosaurs. That seems pretty straightforward. [Images: Amazon]
Divekick dev Iron Galaxy to continue work on Killer Instinct
Amazon's acquisition of Double Helix won't end development on Killer Instinct. Instead, developer Iron Galaxy has been tapped to pick up where Double Helix left off. Though not as prominent a name as Capcom or Bandai Namco, Iron Galaxy does have solid fighting game credentials backing this decision. The developer's most prominent, original work was on polarizing fighter Divekick, though it's also had a hand in games such as Marvel Vs Capcom: Origins, Darkstalkers Resurrection and Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition. That said, Killer Instinct is easily the studio's most notable project to date. "This is an amazing opportunity to work on a game and a genre we are super passionate about," said Iron Galaxy CEO Dave Lang in an interview with Polygon. "Before we were ever talking about this, I was a fan of the game. And to get to now take it over and start with this great base, and expand it and put new stuff on top of it, everyone in the company is super pumped up, and we can't wait to show people what we're going to be doing down the road." Before Iron Galaxy takes the reins, Double Helix still has one last burst of content in store for Killer Instinct fans. Come April 9, fan-favorite cyborg Fulgore will join the cast and to properly whet your appetites, Killer Instinct publisher Microsoft has issued the trailer you see above. [Image: Microsoft]
Killer Instinct soundtrack coming in March, composer reveals
Following in the bloody, contused footprints of its predecessors, the recent Killer Instinct reboot will be receiving its own soundtrack album, yet again dubbed Killer Cuts, this March. Composer Mick Gordon broke the news during a recent Killer Instinct stream hosted by YouTube personality Maximilian. "Killer Cuts: around the end of March dudes!" Gordon wrote, adding "You heard it here first!" Killer Instinct fans then sought out Gordon on Twitter to ask for confirmation of his earlier claims which Gordon met with a simple, "yes." Later Gordon issued a tweet asking fans for suggestions on what tunes to include on this latest edition of Killer Cuts. Gordon has offered no further details on the soundtrack album, leaving fans to wonder about its price and how the music will be released. The original Killer Instinct and its sequel saw their Killer Cuts pressed to standard audio CDs, but that was before .mp3s and digital distribution made physical media a moribund concept. Update: Microsoft has contacted us to offer an official comment: "The soundtrack for Killer Instinct is something that we would love to bring to our fans. While we are not confirming when this would be available at this time, we can say that it is something we want to offer in the future. Stay tuned for more news and more Fulgore." [Image: Microsoft]
Killer Instinct patch to help fighters avoid Jail time
Spinal's introduction to the Killer Instinct roster hasn't been as smooth as Microsoft would've hoped. After adding the character and a new "Jail" feature, where players who habitually disconnect from online matches get paired up with similarly unstable brawlers, players started experiencing consistent game crashes. An upcoming patch from Double Helix hopes to mitigate these issues. Double Helix says all Killer Instinct "Jail" stats will be wiped by the patch, and that the designated threshold for tossing a player in jail will be raised. Another bug where both players would be sent to "Jail," even when only one of them purposefully disconnected, will be squashed. This patch will also fix Spinal's teleportation move, a major cause for the game crashes and de-synchronization that has plagued online matches recently. A bug preventing players from retaining progress will also be addressed and perfectly executing an Ultra Combo will soon guarantee a match win in Killer Instinct. Double Helix hasn't said exactly when this patch will be available on Xbox One. Killer Instinct's next and final season one character, Fulgore, is due in March. Hopefully his addition doesn't yield as many issues as his boney post-launch counterpart.
Strider review: Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go
If you missed the 1980s, it's difficult to explain just how important ninjas were to the pop culture of the decade. The global zeitgeist was transfixed by Japan's mythical shadow warriors, and stealthy assassins appeared in everything, from movies to breakfast cereals to mutated amphibians. Video games were no exception, but few captured the essence of what made ninjas so popular as did Capcom's Strider, which allowed players to climb walls, flip around like acrobatic lemurs and slice through enemies as fast as their greasy digits could mash arcade cabinet's attack button. Now, after 25 years of relative obscurity, Strider has returned. The ninja's latest mission features modern flair and a new world to explore, but at its core Strider is recognizable thanks to intuitive controls, an immediately responsive main character and reflex-dependent stage design. It may not be perfect, and most of the novel ideas in Strider can be traced to earlier games, but the end result is an engrossing adventure that cleverly blends the old with the new.
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Joystiq Weekly: Sonic's scarf, The Banner Saga and heart-monitoring horror
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Sonic has a history of being a bit too social for his own good, but the roster shown for Sonic Boom's reveal on the 3DS and Wii U? Not bad! We can deal with Amy Rose and the newly tank-like Knuckles, but if Silver the Hedgehog shows up at some point? The deal is off. Aside from a new Sonic cycle, this week brought rough news from Sony, a review of The Banner Saga and an awards show that didn't hurt to watch! We've got that and much more ready for you to devour after the break.
Microsoft to announce new 'development partner' for Killer Instinct
Microsoft plans to unveil a new "development partner" for Killer Instinct soon, following yesterday's acquisition of Double Helix by Amazon. Double Helix developed Killer Instinct on Xbox One, and the Irvine Studio was bringing regular updates to the fighter as part of the first season content. In a statement provided to Polygon, Microsoft said it'll be working with a new team on the franchise, but left it unclear whether that pertains to the Xbox One game's first season, the expected second season, future games, or a mixture of the three. "We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Double Helix and wish them success in their next endeavor," a Microsoft spokesperson told Polygon. "We want all of our loyal fans to know that the Killer Instinct team at Microsoft is not changing and that the franchise will remain with Microsoft Studios. We remain dedicated to delivering a great experience and plan to announce our new development partner soon. We're excited about the future of this popular franchise." As it stands, the revived fighter's next update is due next month, when it's set to receive classic combatant Fulgore as an addition to the roster. [Image: Microsoft]
Amazon buys Killer Instinct developer Double Helix Games
Online retailer Amazon has acquired Killer Instinct developer Double Helix Games. The acquisition spans both the development studio as a whole and all of the intellectual properties owned, though terms of the deal beyond that are nonexistent. Silicon Valley surveyor TechCrunch is reporting the news, which it says has been confirmed directly with Amazon. "Amazon has acquired Double Helix as part of our ongoing commitment to build innovative games for customers," the statement provided to TechCrunch reads. All 75 Double Helix employees will stay on through the transition. Amazon took its first steps into video game creation when it founded Amazon Game Studios in 2012. Double Helix, an independent studio formed in 2007 through a merger between The Collective and Shiny Entertainment, is located in Irvine, California and is finishing up a new Strider game for Capcom. [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Strider somersaults onto PS4, Xbox One and other systems this Feb.
Strider brings its sci-fi ninja platforming to PS4 and PS3 on February 18 in North America, with Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Steam welcoming the game the day after. The latest revival of the classic series comes courtesy of Double Helix, the studio behind the recent return of Killer Instinct, and the fare to get back on board is $15. The other news from today's announcement is Strider includes two challenge modes in addition to the main story mode: Beacon Run is a slice-and-dice speedrunning challenge, and Survival mixes up harder and harder waves of enemies to defeat. Both modes feature leaderboards, as does the main campaign. Joystiq ninja extraordinaire Dave Hinkle got hands-on time with the game couple of months back, and he was encouraged by its ability to mix old with new. "Even in my brief encounter with Strider, I felt it successfully toed the line between those old-school sensibilities of punishing platforming segments and unforgiving enemies with modernized mechanics such as ciphers and catapulting," he wrote. "Strider didn't feel like a mindless affair of running left-to-right and slashing everything in sight. Instead, Strider made me think about how I needed to stab every enemy in my path, proving that the mind is the ninja's greatest weapon." [Image: Capcom]
No bones about it, Spinal joins Killer Instinct cast
Spinal, the first downloadable addition to the Killer Instinct roster has arrived, lending the anemic fighting game a bit more depth - or at least a few more bones to break. While the Xbox One Killer Instinct is extremely light on backstory, the first two Killer Instinct games claim that Spinal is the reanimated skeleton of a long-dead warrior. Ultratech, the firm responsible for funding the Killer Instinct tournaments, revived the skeletonic fighter to serve as something of an undead goon, wreaking havoc in the tournament and ensuring that Ultratech's wishes were carried out. According to Xbox Wire, this new design for the character draws inspiration from classic Harryhausen adventure film Jason and the Argonauts, which is fitting given that the ending of the original Killer Instinct claimed that Spinal eventually left the world of combat sports in favor of a career as an Oscar-nominated actor. Those who purchased the Killer Instinct Ultra Edition bundle or Combo Breaker Pack are now able to download Spinal at no additional charge. Everyone else will need to pony up $5 for the calcified revenant.
Killer Instinct's next free-to-play fighter is Thunder
The Killer Instinct free-to-play character tour continues with Chieftain Thunder replacing the vicious furry Sabrewulf as the gratis brawler in Double Helix's Xbox One revival. Thunder wields devastating tomahawks in the reimagining of the arcade and SNES cult hit, which features a handful of characters from the original game in the series. Since launching alongside Microsoft's Xbox One in November, the free-to-play character slot has rotated three combatants into the fray, first offering players a taste of the action with fan favorite Jago. Killer Instinct offers players the opportunity to purchase characters individually for $5 or as a bundle featuring the game's first eight characters, beginning at $20. Currently only six fighters are available, with returning characters Spinal coming soon and Fulgore coming in March.
Killer Instinct's Spinal is no skin, all bones in first screens
Spinal is set to be added to Killer Instinct's roster later this month. In anticipation of the new character, Microsoft has dropped some screens showing off the malnourished combatant's updated design – except for his tried-and-true headband that is. Some things never go out of style.
Killer Instinct's free character is now Sabrewulf
Double Helix has dropped a new patch on Xbox One fighter Killer Instinct, rotating out Jago for Sabrewulf in the free-to-play version of the game. If you're rocking the free-to-play version and want to go back to Jago, you'll have to drop $5 to unlock him. The patch also includes a host of general fixes – like squashing a bug that would erase player data when signing in with Kinect and updating the ranking system to allow for quicker progression and fewer demerits for losing online matches. There's also a few fixes for some previously unblockable conditions, which you can read about in the full, in-depth patch notes over on the Double Helix forums. Killer Instinct was a launch game for Microsoft's Xbox One console. While the current roster is only comprised of six fighters, Double Helix has promised at least two more: Spinal is expected to appear sometime this month, while Fulgore will join the cast in March. Following all of Double Helix's planned season one content, an Arcade mode will be added to the game.
Rumor: Killer Instinct dev now working on futuristic shooter
Double Helix recently launched the Xbox One-exclusive Killer Instinct and is currently at work on a Strider revival, yet thanks to some online resumé snooping, it appears that the studio also has a futuristic action game in the works. Earlier this month, OXM discovered an image in the CG Society page of Double Helix artist James Paick. That image is partially shown above, and as you can see it doesn't look like anything from Killer Instinct. It could be a Strider asset, though further evidence seems to negate that possibility. Allen Will describes himself as a senior visual effects artist at Double Helix on his LinkedIn page. That upcoming Strider reboot is listed in his credits, though directly below that we see "Unannounced Action Shooter," a game slated for release on next-generation consoles and the PC platform. Though Will's description of his duties does little to describe this mystery game, he does partially describe his role in the game's creation: "Development of high quality textures/particles for various effects such as smoke, energy, plasma, disintegration, electricity and explosions using third party software such as Maya fluids and photoshop and proprietary tools." Further, Will claims that he "Researched and conceptualized the look for explosions and rifle based weapon effects as well as organic/humanoid weapons, melee and character effects." Plasma? Disintegration? Rifle-based weapon effects deployed against organic and inorganic targets? That certainly sounds like a futuristic shooter, but until Double Helix opts to officially announce its next game, we remain in the dark.
