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Globe-trotting with Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
It wouldn't be fair to Lucid Games to say that Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is "just more Geometry Wars," and then leave one's impressions at that. Announced just a few weeks ago, the game literally takes the series where it has never been, primarily thanks to new three-dimensional visuals (with a pun-tastic title to match). In all honesty though, calling it "more Geometry Wars" serves as a reassurance to the twin-stick series' devotees that its fast-paced action hasn't gone anywhere. My time with Geometry Wars 3 at PAX Prime in Seattle demonstrated that the game fits perfectly with its 2D brethren. Piloting the iconic, angular cruiser through galactic grids felt as tight as ever, while slipping past threats and rapidly firing laser-like bullets at geometric baddies is as chaotic as ever. It took a few attempts to get acquainted with the game's latest twist, though the enemy and bullet behavior is just that, a "twisted" version of the previous games. The flat grid-like playing field fans are used to is now a sphere, tube, pill, peanut or one of numerous other shapes, depending on which of the single-player mode's 50 levels you jump into. Every element in play is stuck to the surface like Nintendo's iconic plumber in Super Mario Galaxy, but ultimately Geometry Wars 3 draws some appropriate comparisons to Super Stardust HD. Missiles rocketed past my ship and around the bend of some levels, but aiming for the more distant neon creatures never felt like a real shot in the dark, if I'm allowed to make my own puns here.
Behind-the-scenes video basks in Geometry Wars 3's glow
We don't envy Lucid Games – the studio has a passionate fanbase to appease when it launches Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions this fall on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC. Fortunately, Lucid houses senior developers from now-defunct series creator Bizarre Creations, and it's clear that the team has some ideas on how to progress from 2008's GW2: Retro Evolved. In a behind-the-scenes feature posted after the break, Lucid Co-Founder Nick Davies and Creative Director Craig Howard describe what they have in mind for Dimensions, including boss battles, 3D battlegrounds and head-to-head multiplayer. Check the video to get a glimpse of those elements in action and to get reacquainted with your neon-hued geometric rivals! [Image: Sierra]
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions twin-sticks with you
Late last week, Activision teased the return of longtime developer and publisher Sierra Entertainment, which birthed series like King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest and Gabriel Knight. The resurrection of the Sierra brand was not only confirmed earlier this week, but brought with it the announcement of two new games: new entries in the King's Quest adventure series and Geometry Wars twin-stick shooter series. The latter is Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, and will be the first game to launch under the "new Sierra indie label," the game's description reads. It follows the fast-paced trend set by series creator Bizarre Creations, picking up the spacey, shape-shooting action where it left off in 2008's Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved. It will include "full 3D action" with competitive online multiplayer, a revamped cooperative multiplayer mode and "dynamic and persistent progression." The game's single-player campaign features 50 challenges and over 10 battle modes, five of which are new to the series. The publisher also introduced screens of Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, which does not have a determined release date or platforms just yet. [Image: Sierra]
Former Bizarre Creations and Tiny Invaders studio Hogrocket closed
Hogrocket, the mobile game development team comprised of former Bizarre Creations staff is on "indefinite hiatus." Hogrocket was one of three studios formed in the wake of Bizarre Creations' closure in February 2011. "This was due to a combination of factors, ranging from geographical to financial. It's sad but the three of us all learned a lot," Hogrocket's Peter Collier told GamesIndustry.biz.The England-based "micro studio" released Tiny Invaders on iOS in March 2011, and Bizarre Creations was known for its work on the Project Gotham Racing series as well as the creation of Geometry Wars. Stephen Cakebread, Technical Director at Hogrocket and Geometry Wars designer, left Hogrocket in September 2011 according to his LinkedIn profile.
Ex-Bizarre devs form 'micro-studio' Hogrocket
As you peruse the smoldering remains of Bizarre Creations, you catch the faintest stirring out of the corner of your eye. You turn just in time to see, there, rising from the ashes, it's ... a pig in a spaceship? Okay, so we don't know why Bizarre refugees Ben Ward (studio communications), Peter Collier (former level designer) and Geometry Wars creator Stephen Cakebread settled on "Hogrocket" as the name for their new UK studio, but we're glad to see them getting back to work. The freshly announced "micro-studio" says it'll target iPad/iPhone with its first batch of games. It may be a little early for such proclamations, but if Hogrocket turns out mobile games as addictive as Geometry Wars with any regularity then ... well, this little piggy will be going to our wallets more times than we care to think about.
Bizarre Creations farewell video is legitimately sad
We wouldn't check out the video after the jump if you're planning on having a day of unbridled happiness and positivity. It's Bizarre Creations' farewell video, released today, the last day of the studio's existence -- and, as you might imagine, it's super poignant and sad. We'll miss you, Bizarre!
Pre-order Blur on Steam, get Geometry Wars Retro Evolved free
From what we've heard from folks who got in on the game's multiplayer beta, Bizarre Creations' Blur has some surprisingly potent addictive properties. That's why we find this Steam deal so unashamedly sinister: If you pre-order the PC version of the racing title on the popular digital distribution platform, you'll get an equally (if not more) addictive game for free: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Blur goes on sale this Tuesday, so if you're hoping to grab Bizarre's twin-stick time sink at no charge, you should probably pre-order the game ASAP. [Via Big Download]
Xbox Live Deal of the Week: Geometry Wars 2 for $5
Though the Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 leaderboards have all rocketed to unsurpassable heights since its release in summer 2008, Xbox Live Gold subscribers shouldn't be afraid of picking it up this week for the temporarily reduced price of 400 ($5). We mean, you should be afraid of its propensity for stealing your evenings away from you as you desperately attempt to unlock that pesky "Wax Off" Achievement. But hey, at least those attempts are pretty fun! (Or, at least, the first hundred are.) Shortcut: Add Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 to your download queue [Via Xbox.com]
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
No plans for Geometry Wars 3, Bizarre says
While Bizarre Creations is hard at work getting Blur out of the garage and onto the road, many fans are still preoccupied with the developer's hit dual-stick series Geometry Wars. Well, it looks like Bizarre has no plans for another sequel -- at least, not at the moment. "Right now, we don't have any plans for Geometry Wars 3," Bizarre's Gareth Wilson told Kotaku. But, that doesn't mean the series has been retired, as Wilson said that should Stephen Cakebread, the designer of Geometry Wars, get an inspiration, he could start working on a new sequel -- but as of now Cakey's "working on all sorts of other projects."
iPad Geometry Wars game available before the iPad
A $10 iPad version of Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars is already available from iTunes, two days before the device's launch. Geometry Wars Touch features all the modes found in the original Geometry Wars, plus "Titans!," a new iPad-exclusive mode. You probably won't want to splash out for an iPad just to get another version of a game you have on Xbox (and possibly Wii and DS as well), but we imagine those vector-inspired graphics are going to look really cool on the iPad screen. Besides, if you've already ordered one of the things for whatever reason, well, now you'll have something to do with it. Geometry Wars Touch ($9.99) [Thanks, Dan!]
New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack announced
We'd been hearing that Microsoft had a new Xbox 360 holiday bundle in the works, and here we go: $299 will nab you an Elite, Lego Batman, and Pure. Not a bad deal -- and if you already have a 360, you can score a new controller, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and Ms Pac-Man for another $60. The new Elite pack should be shipping to retailers today, but you'll have to wait until November to snag the controller bundle. Now if only Microsoft would see fit to bundle in some freaking WiFi, we'd be all set.
Economy Wars: Galaxies
We fear that this deal will sell out in the time it takes for us to get the post up, but it's a risk we're going to have to take! Geometry Wars: Galaxies is Amazon's Deal of the Day, dropping for today only to ten damn dollars. In these harsh times, we understand that some of us can't drop even ten dollars on unexpected impulse purchases. If you are safely in possession of enough disposable income to bring some awesome shooty action home -- and if you've got plenty saved up -- you could do a lot worse than to throw a little bit of money towards some awesome portable shooty action! Our post image is an encore from a previous Geo Wars sale post. Eric's image was just so perfect that we wanted to highlight it once again! %Gallery-11043%
GeoWars 2 muzzak Remix'd
As a special bonus to fans, Bizarre Creations has released a special Geometry Wars 2 music remix developed by Chris Chudley of Audio Antics. The 13-minute-long track is titled, "46860 Choices," and includes some of the music from the entire Geometry Wars series. Our friends at GamerTagRadio have the free 13-minute long special remix available for download. Download it today.
Beefwatch: Totilo beats Soulja Boy! ... at Geometry Wars 2
Sure, our favorite game journalist, Stephen Totilo, may have promptly lost the last two games he played against the Braid-loving rap auteur in Gears of War 2 and Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. But for one glorious moment, Soulja Boy's lunch had been eaten, and Totilo's face was covered in crumbs. If you've got the notion, you can watch the full battle over on MTV's site. On a side note, we think we may have turned the corner on Soulja Boy. We think ... we think maybe we're totally into him.
Geometry Wars sucks in 1 million players
If you have yet to try Bizarre Creations' classic Geometry Wars or their latest Geometry Wars 2 on the 360, then you're in the minority and should be ashamed. Ashamed not only because you're missing out on two great games, but because 1 million gamers have already experienced the visual love that GeoWars brings. No joke, Bizarre just revealed that over 1 million players (how unique, we're not sure) have logged GeoWars scores since November 2005. It's an amazing accomplishment and something YOU should be a part of. Grab the XBLA good here and here.
Ten for under twenty at Gamefly's sale
In these belt-tightening, penny-pinching times, it literally pays to have a nose for the bargains. That's where we, or rather Gamefly, comes in. The game rental outfit has a broad selection of used Wii software for low, world banking crisis-friendly prices, and we chose ten of the best sub-$20 games to tempt you. Thar be bargains ahead! Baroque for $12.99 Battalion Wars 2 for $17.99 Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy for $9.99 Dewy's Adventure for $13.99 Geometry Wars: Galaxies for $16.99 Mercury: Meltdown Revolution for $15.99 NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for $12.99 No More Heroes for $17.99 Sega Superstars Tennis for $9.99 Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure for $17.99 There's actually a ton more we could have mentioned, including Super Mario Galaxy for $32.99, Super Smash Bros. Brawl for $30.99, and Metroid Prime 3 for $26.99. Sadly, "One hundred and fifty-eight for under forty-two" just doesn't work as a headline. Hit up the "Source" link for the full set. %Gallery-3283% [Thanks, William!]
Gaming to Go: Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Who knew Bizarre Creations had a hit on its hands when it created the original Geometry Wars so many moons ago? I certainly didn't, though that might be due in part to my complete lack of one of those other consoles. Since its original inception on Microsoft soil, the Geometry Wars series has seen a number of different incarnations, a particularly enjoyable one of which is available for everyone's favorite handheld. Geometry Wars: Galaxies also saw a release on Nintendo's white waggle box, though the infinitely more portable version is what I'll be covering in this week's edition of Gaming to Go. Haven't experienced the geometrical madness yet? Come along and see why playing with shapes on a two-dimensional grid is far more entertaining than it sounds. %Gallery-11043%
Joystiq Interview: A Bizarre interview about Geometry Wars 2
It's no secret: You love Geometry Wars 2, we love Geometry Wars 2, everybody loves it. We recently talked with Bizarre Creation's Stephen Cakebread, Senior Coder, and Craig Howard, Games Manager, to find out how they crafted the game that won our hearts. It would seem to the layman that, with as popular as Geometry Wars was, a sequel would be pretty easy to crap out. Why wait so long? Howard: Because the first one was so well received, it would have cheapened the game if we just knocked something out and not given it a lot of thought. We wanted something to make sure it was something we'd be really proud of. Cakebread: Our inital plan was to get it our a year later and then the plan was to ship it when Gotham 4 shipped and that didn't work out either. It really was a case that we weren't going to ship it until we were ready to ship it. It might seem silly, but it took us quite a while to figure out a graphical style that still looked like the original. One of our big things was when people came to our stations we wanted them to say "Oh, is that a sequel to Geometry Wars?" rather than "Is that Geometry Wars?" It took us quite a while to come up with something that really worked. We tried some mad stuff. Like what?: Howard: What didn't we do? [laughs] Gallery: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Geometry Wars song eases the pain
Bizarre Creations, hire this man. His name is Matthew McCarthy and he has done something wonderful. Specifically, he's taken his frustrations with Geometry Wars 2 and channeled them into something creative: a song. Entitled "Geometry Wars Will Be the Death of Me," we think that most gamers can relate. So, the next time Geometry Wars 2 gets you down, turn up the volume, listen to the song, and remember that you're not alone. Seriously, this song is awesome though, and not the new, watered-down version of awesome either. No, this is the original awesome in that it actually inspires awe. This is like Grand Canyon awesome. Watch out Johnathan Coulton. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
