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'RunGunJumpGun' is a damn-near-perfect mobile game
Fast-paced, reaction-based "twitch" games have always been my thing, but rarely have they ever been this simple. RunGunJumpGun blends the brutal level design of a twitch game, the accessibility of an automatic runner and one of the most intuitive control schemes ever conceived. I first played it in early September, just after it launched on Steam. Despite having just two inputs -- shoot and jump -- there's an awful lot more to the game. Ostensibly, it's an automatic runner -- think Canabalt or the upcoming Mario iOS game -- but with a wealth of gameplay mechanics and ideas added. You're always just running, gunning or jumping, of course, but through intelligent level design and a masterful difficulty curve, it stays fresh and taxing throughout its 120 levels. Today, RunGunJumpGun is out for iOS and Android, and it's perhaps the most challenging, rewarding and downright fun mobile game of the year. Before its release, I spoke with the team behind the title, ThirtyThree Games, to find out how they managed to get so much game out of just two buttons.
'Oh... Sir!' is our favorite insult-em-up
Officially, it's day two of Gamescom here in Cologne, Germany. For us, though, it's day four of Nick Summers and I marching up and down a vast convention center, visiting developers to find out more about their games. It's been a stressful 100 hours or so, working together without a break, but we finally got to let off some steam today with Oh Sir. It's a game that let us sling abuse at one another in a way that wouldn't involve a call to HR in the morning.
Dedicated games crowdfunding platform Gambitious launches
Kickstarter has been all the rage this year, with new projects coming out of the woodwork seemingly every day. The service has at least partially disrupted the traditional publisher model, allowing independent developers (big and small) a chance to see their games come to fruition. Now, a new crowdfunding platform has hit the scene: Gambitious. Founded by Epic Tales' Paul Hanraets, Mastertronic's Andy Payne and Harry Miller and Mike Wilson of Devolver Digital, the new platform is now open for business.First announced earlier this year, Gambitious is designed exclusively to fund the development of games. Gambitious is based in Europe and, while the the FAQ notes that potential projects don't have to originate in Europe, the platform is working to spread to other countries – particularly the US – in the coming year.Gambitious already has several projects underway, including Red Fly's new Mushroom Men project and an upcoming project from 3D Realms entitled "Earth No More." The kicker of Gambitious, and what primarily separates it from Kickstarter, is that those who donate to projects are actually investing in its success. Rather than receiving rewards, donors will actually share in a game's profits (assuming there are profits to be had, of course).For more info, head over to Gambitious and dive in.
Gambitious launching itself as a game-focused crowdsourcing center
Crowdsourcing is becoming the new trend, with Kickstarter projects serving as the new hotness for getting a game start-up funded. So it's not hard to understand why Gambitious is promoting itself as an alternative to Kickstarter, specifically as a means to fund game development via crowdsourced projects. Gambitious has more to it than just the idea being a game-focused alternative to the Kickstarter giant, however; it includes an option for investors and backers to take part in equity funding. Traditionally, Kickstarter backers receive only a few bonuses for funding a project, and if that project goes on to wild success after the initial funding, the backers are left out. Equity funding allows people to play a more traditional venture capitalist role, investing money in return for dividends on successful projects. While this option is available only in Europe at the moment due to legal issues, it's a new take on funding a game, and depending on future developments, Gambitious might make a name for itself in the indie gaming market.
Kickstarter alternative 'Gambitious' coming to Europe this summer
Kickstarter has, for better or worse, blown up the entire indie gaming scene, with everyone and their dog taking to the service in the hopes of being the next Double Fine. Kickstarter does have one major thing holding it back, however, and that's the fact that U.S. residency is required to enroll on Amazon Payments – the e-commerce backbone that powers the website.European indie developers may have an alternative fairly soon, albeit with a few fundamental differences. Dutch company Gambitious seeks to fill the crowdfunding void across the pond with its own service, but rather than donating funds to receive gifts like a pledge drive, Gambitious users actually purchase shares of a game's development. Upon successful completion of the game, the user receives dividends like a traditional investor, rather than a copy of the game or a lunch date with one of its art directors.The service is scheduled to launch sometime around E3, and while it will initially be limited to European territories, international expansion is part of Gambitious' long-term game plan.
