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Hothead Games looks for a Big Win on iOS
Hothead Games is actually an old company by most iOS standards: As marketing director Oliver Birch told me at GDC last week, the company is actually turning six years old this week. Previously, they mostly made PC and console games (most notably the Penny Arcade Adventures, and Ron Gilbert's Deathspank), but recently, Hothead has been pushing more and more towards Apple's App Store, and Birch says that while Hothead definitely "supports all of the games we've got out there, really, we're all about mobile now." Which makes sense -- between the collectible card game Kard Combat, Jetpack Joyride-alike Sea Stars, and the excellent Gem King (formerly known as Kickin' Momma), Hothead already has a nice run of iOS hits. And the company is now looking to follow all of that up with a new game, out now, called Big Win Soccer. Big Win Soccer is probably unlike any soccer game you've played before -- in fact, it's more of a collectible card game than anything else. The idea is that you have a team of players (represented by cards), and you can activate various stats and abilities on them (also represented by virtual cards). When you play a game against someone else online, you don't directly control the players. Instead, you watch the game play out, and the various abilities and stats you chose to represent your team go into the final outcome. After the game, you can earn coins, which can be used to buy and win even more cards, making your team stronger and better. It's ... an interesting idea, though if you're turned off by the trappings of freemium games, you will find plenty of them here: You have a certain amount of energy to play with per day, and can't play beyond that point, and of course the collectible card system is also driven by (optional, admittedly) in-app purchases. Hothead wants you to spend money, it's clear. While there is a card game to be had here, the strong suggestion to supplant your normal play with money is always there. In its short life on the App Store so far, Big Win Soccer has been a huge success, so much so that Birch says the game melted a few of the company's servers (I don't think it literally turned wires to liquid, but Birch wasn't clear). The overwhelming demand for the game on its server software means that Hothead hasn't publicized the game's launch much, but apparently it hasn't had to, given how many players are trying to log in. Reviews for the title are stuck down around two or three stars only, but most of the reviews talk about the servers going down, not the actual gameplay itself. If the game turns out to be a success, Hothead is all ready to follow up: Birch also showed me Big Win Hockey, and it's probably a safe bet that Hothead will expand the line as much as it can, allowing fans of all sports to play their favorite games through the various card collecting mechanics. Birch also showed off a few other titles, each at various stages of development (including one which isn't quite ready for the press yet, he says). Zombie Air is Hothead's next release -- it's a freemium title that also plays sort of like Jetpack Joyride, but instead of just an endless run game, it actually consists of quite a few different levels, as zombies take to the air to fly in customizable planes across a post-apocalyptic United States. The game has a fun and cartoony look, but the freemium model is very evident here as well -- Birch said Hothead is using a lot of the "learning from Sea Stars" to put this one together. So Hothead clearly has a nice slate of titles ready to go. When the company was working on the console, Birch explained, they used to take twelve to eighteen months to put games together, and these days, "we can make a game now in weeks." Is that such a good thing, though? Deathspank and the Penny Arcade Adventures were both interesting, original titles, not bogged down by the trappings of freemium, and Hothead's latest titles, while very well-produced and colorful, don't skimp on the monetization. Birch agrees the concern is there, but says that Hothead needs to be profitable, and wasn't necessarily so back in the console days. He also admits that the company is learning along with its audience just what works best. "We're trying to work it out," he said: How the audience can really enjoy and appreciate Hothead's games, but also make sure that "we get something out of this as well."
Hothead explains lack of 'DeathSpank' in The Baconing's title
When Hothead announced the third entry in its dungeon crawl SLASH role-playing series this past week -- titled solely "The Baconing," dropping its usual "DeathSpank" moniker -- we couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the series' main character to get him taken off title duties. Did series creator Ron Gilbert take the rights to the character with him, for instance? As it turns out, there's a fairly simple reason behind the name change: "We haven't removed the words or name 'DeathSpank' from the title for any legal reason. In fact, the title was changed just by asking our fans," a Hothead rep told Joystiq. Aha! Still, we couldn't help but wonder why Hothead would voluntarily ditch the brand name that it stuck to the last two games, effectively walking away from the brand recognition it built up over the past two entries.
DeathSpank: The Baconing is the third entry in the DeathSpank series, coming this summer
DeathSpank's run-ins with the evils of thongs are continuing this summer in a third DeathSpank game for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC/Mac. Hothead revealed as much this afternoon, detailing DeathSpank: The Baconing as the final chapter in DeathSpank's quest "to once and for all destroy the evil power of thongs." The dev studio tells Kotaku that The Baconing will be "more satisfying to play than last year's games," with a handful of new areas to explore, a brand new sidekick named "Bob from Marketing," and a quartet of new bosses to battle. Hothead also promises gamers will feel "more in control" of DeathSpank's moveset with an overhauled combat system. As Ron Gilbert is no longer with Hothead, this will be the first game in the series he created to not have him at its helm. And other than the teaser logo shown off in a video clip (found after the break), Hothead has yet to release any visuals for this summer's game. But given that we're wearing shorts even here in the USA's usually frozen Northeast, we imagine those assets aren't far off.
Swarm review: Tough crowd
I'd like to think of Swarm as a playful, overtly sadistic embodiment of the phrase, "like lambs to the slaughter." That's a confusing message, because the game casts you in the role of both the shepherd, who must guide an oblivious blue flock to the end of the level, and the slaughterer, who extracts a real benefit from every minced-up minion. The swarmites are clearly designed to be extinguished -- and to extinguish even the smallest blip of sadness or guilt you might feel upon seeing them crushed, burnt, electrocuted or disintegrated in one of the many death traps scattered across the universe's least hospitable planet. Their eyes project no intelligence, their doughy bodies are devoid of gross internal organs and there's not a single personality in a group of 50. They look like stupid, disposable jelly beans. You'd think that the game would invite you to revel in their torture, what with all the "death medals" you unlock and an ever-increasing online counter that keeps track of all the splattered simpletons. A good score is crucial to advancement in Swarm, and the only way you'll get one is by building up a time-sensitive multiplier that's fueled by point orbs or sacrificed swarmites. If your blue blob is racing across the screen and you don't see any points, you're encouraged to steer a peripheral peon off a cliff or into a fire. It's like swerving your car through a puddle to soak a roadside pedestrian -- it's a dick move, but it's a guilt-tinged delight and on your way.
Swarm priced at $15, marches to Euro PSN on March 30
The Swarm has been granted its European visa and will enter the union on March 23 and 30 on XBLA and PSN, respectively (while North American PSN users can get it on March 22). Taking control of the "pudgy, clueless little blue morons" will cost 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox and $14.99 on PSN. PlayStation Plus members get a slight discount, downloading the little goobers for $12.99. On the surface, Swarm sounds like a Pikmin- or Lemmings-style type of game, but it actually has more in common with platformers, as we recently found out in our hands-on preview.
Swarm trailer runs us through the first level
If controlling small, isolated hordes of dim-witted beings is something that interests you, then you've got to be spinning in your chair in excitement for Hothead's Swarm. Well, stop before you vomit -- and also so you can watch this new trailer.
Penny Arcade Adventures tearing up Mac App Store charts, Ep. 3 still unlikely
Just four days after the launch of the Mac App Store, some developers are finding unexpected success. The first two episodes of Hothead Games' truncated Penny Arcade Adventures trilogy are currently ranking high in the bestselling apps chart at number 21 and 56, respectively (and certainly boosted by their $4 sale prices). This prompted the developer to tweet, "We're thrilled that Precipice of Darkness has been doing well on the Mac App Store!"While that was heartening, it was the now-pulled followup tweet (screen-capped above) that raised eyebrows: "For those of you that want PA Episode 3, all you need to do is get 100,000 of your friends to buy 1&2. Seriously. Do that and we'll make it," a Hothead staffer wrote. Turns out that's not quite the case."That's certainly news to me!" Penny Arcade biz dude Robert Khoo told Joystiq, adding, "there's nothing new to say about future [episodes]." Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik responded to Hothead's tweet, stating simply, "that's actually not true."
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue coming to PC, Mac this year
The virtuous thongs of DeathSpank's sequel will arrive on PC and Mac later this year, EA has announced. DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue will launch on PC November 30, with a Mac release following on December 14 (the original DeathSpank will be released for Mac the same day as ToV -- that's a lot of spanking!). Like the console versions, Thongs of Virtue will cost $14.99. DeathSpank: ToV comes with two pieces of free DLC at launch: "Snowy Mountain Dungeon" and "Sidekick Tankko: Half-man, half-spider, and all awesome." If you absolutely can't wait for next Tuesday, a minigame on the DeathSpank website ("DeathSpank: Spank This!") offers you a chance to win free stuff. One grand prize winner will get "a squawkin' chicken, a signed DeathSpank poster, a free copy of DeathSpank, and an Intel Core i7-870." All prize winners, actually, will get that squawkin' chicken, which leads us to believe there's a very large squawkin' chicken population at Hothead. That must make it hard to concentrate on programming.
DeathSpank to loot PC Oct. 26, Mac release planned
For a game rooted so squarely in the loot-driven gameplay of PC stalwarts like Diablo, it was a little odd that DeathSpank was initially available only on PS3 and Xbox 360. EA and Hothead have decided to rectify this blow against tradition, announcing that DeathSpank will be bringing his humorous brand of (capital J) Justice to PC later this month. The game will hit PCs on October 26, and a pre-order on Steam will net an extra 10 percent off the usual $14.99 price. Additionally, pre-orders of the DeathSpank and Shank bundle will receive a 15 percent discount (Shank will also be released on October 26). A Mac version of DeathSpank is in the works, though the release date is still under wraps. We've contacted Hothead to see if the DeathSpank sequel, Thongs of Virtue, will also make the jump to PC and Mac.
Gather around this Swarm tutorial video
They say ignorance is bliss. Based on this tutorial video for Hothead's Swarm, however, ignorance is apparently tantamount to suicide. Watch the video for an extended look at Swarm's gameplay, and to learn just how delightfully expendable your little Swarmites are.
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue's virtuous thongs: explained!
When DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue was first introduced, we were baffled by the mysterious origin of the game's various undergarments of legend. Now that we know where they're from -- thanks to this latest trailer, care of PAX -- well, we're just as baffled. Head past the break and see for yourself.
Penny Arcade 'hoping' for Episode 3 reveal at PAX East
While it's been some time since we last heard about the third installment in the Steampunkian Penny Arcade Adventures series, a glimmer of hope resides in the coming months with PAX East. A Penny Arcade representative confirmed to Joystiq that, "They [Penny Arcade] are hoping to have something to announce by PAX East. Unfortunately, we won't have anything before then." Presumably, we'll exclaim "oooooh" when we do finally see the game, as Mike "Gabe" Krahulik explained when we last heard from the duo about the game's absence.Jerry "Tycho" Holkins further confirmed the possibility of an appearance for PAA: Episode 3 at PAX East, telling MTV Multiplayer, "Listen very closely to the announcements at PAX!" We're certainly ready to "feel the vigor in all our limbs," as Holkins claimed we would last September, but it's been so long we're not sure we'll remember that city-saving, hobo-beating, purple pantaloon-wearing protagonist of ours ... oh ... well, maybe not.
DeathSpank gameplay footage debuts at PAX '09
PAX 2009 has yielded the first gameplay footage of Ron Gilbert and Hothead's forthcoming adventure slash RPG, DeathSpank. Billed as a potent mixture of Diablo's pointing and Monkey Island's clicking (or ... is it the other way around?), DeathSpank pokes fun at video gaming's huge array of heroic buffoons, though not without sending its own protagonist down a familiarly violent path. Mind you pay attention to the game's eye-catching art style beneath all that cartoon blood!
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 3 announcement not coming at PAX
Those who were hoping to hear savory details about Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 during the Penny Arcade Expo (how appropriate!) are about to have said hopes dashed upon the rocks. During our recent interview with the comic's creators, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, we learned that no news regarding the game will come during the duo's Seattle-based gaming community event.There's a reason for the game's non-appearance during PAX -- but Holkins and Krahulik were tight-lipped about what that reason is. Krahulik teased, "When you hear the announcement, you'll be like 'oooooh.' It'll make sense." Holkins articulately added, "You'll feel vigor in all of your limbs." We're fairly certain that's a good thing.
Thank the Canadian government for these great games
Ever heard of Fez? How about N+? DeathSpank, maybe? If any of these games are near and dear to you like they are to us (we're looking at you, N+), then you have the Canadian government to thank. Government funding towards game development in Canada helped make each of the aforementioned games come to fruition, according to Gamasutra.Similar initiatives are being proposed or practiced in many US cities, however, the Canadian government has a long history of promoting game development in the country. It even gave DeathSpank developer Hothead Games over a half million dollars -- to develop a game named DeathSpank! Though it'd be nice to say that such quality stuff was being developed in our backyards, we'll take what we can get. Good games are good games, no?
Braid comes to the Mac
You have to admit: for all of the gaming woes that the Mac faithful has suffered, there's fortunately never been a shortage of great indie games for us to play. Aquaria made it to our platform, World of Goo appeared pretty early on, and now Braid, Jonathan Blow's terrific deconstruction of Super Mario Bros., has appeared on OS X thanks to the kind folks over at Hothead Games. The game has won more awards than you can count, but I can personally tell you it's great, as I played the XBLA release when it first arrived. It's a classic 2D platformer in the vein of Mario with a very important twist: you can reverse, slow, and replay time throughout the various levels. That twist results in an extremely artistic game that takes apart the original Mario story and ends up with something very much more beautiful and sad."Artistic"? "Beautiful"? "Sad"? Can I say these things about a videogame? Of course I can -- Braid stands in a class of its own as an experience that uses art and gameplay together to tell quite a story. If you're a fan of innovative games or just great interactive experiences, and haven't played through it yet (it's fairly short, maybe six hours at the most), it's definitely worth a look. The Greenhouse is selling the Mac or PC versions for $14.95.
GDC09: Downloadable titles should avoid Q4 release
In a session for developers hoping to have their downloadable titles noticed on XBLA and PSN, the panel, which included Capcom, Hothead Games, Backbone and Jonathan Blow, agreed that these games should avoid releasing during the holidays. With strong competition from major titles at retail during the holiday season, the group agreed that downloadable games are best served avoiding the rush.Age of Booty was used as an example of a solid game that was crushed under the tidal wave of the holiday releases. Downloadable games apparently see a dramatic drop in sales between late September until December. Although developers don't really have control over when Microsoft or Sony release their games, Blow noted that they'd want "March or June or August" as a release date and for downloadable games to "stay away from Christmas."
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 coming to PSN Dec. 18
The PlayStation Blog gives word that the second episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be available today on the PSN. PAA: OtR-SPoD: Ep. 2 features Trophy support and, unlike the first installment, the option to change difficulty settings. The fruit-fracking mini-RPG will cost $15 and should be available as soon as the PSN update occurs later in the day. %Gallery-30963%
Penny Arcade Episode 2 next week for 1200 points
Microsoft, it would seem, has no pity whatsoever for our aching bank accounts (or cash stuffed mattresses, these days), as it has been officially announced that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 2 will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, October 29. The game includes many new gameplay features, including extra difficulty modes, completion tracking, and the ability to transfer Episode One characters into the game. The game will also feature music from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, a rock group devoted to the writing of H. P. Lovecraft. Perhaps best of all -- and certainly most interesting -- PAAOTRSPDE2 will cost 1200 Microsoft Points, a full $5 less than the 1600 point Episode One. Find another video after the break. Gallery: Penny Arcade Epidsode 2
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 coming Oct. 29 to XBLA, PC
The second episode of Penny Arcade Adventure: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is coming next Wednesday, October 29, for Xbox Live Arcade, Windows, Mac and Linux. According to the press release, the PC versions will be available via Greenhouse. As previously revealed, the episode will cost $15 for all platforms. No word on the PlayStation 3 release. Episode One will finally be hitting the PS Store tomorrow, or six days before everyone else gets the sequel. %Gallery-30963%
