splosion-man
Latest
Twisted Pixel Games Bundle spins onto XBLA for 800 MSP
Twisted Pixel's XBLA bundle is available for purchase as of this morning, and the price is not bad, not bad at all. At 800 MSP, the collection of 'Splosion Man, Ms. Splosion Man, The Maw, and Comic Jumper comes in at two ninths - or around 22 percent for non-fractionists - of the games' total cost when purchased separately.If you've been waiting to twist on the talented Texas studio's XBLA collection all this time - is The Maw really four years old now? - then we'd say today your luck is in.
Twisted Pixel bundle includes studio's XBLA library, coming 'soon' to Live
Twisted Pixel is packaging all of its XBLA games into one 'Twisted Bundle,' which is making its way onto Xbox Live "soon." We're waiting for the four-in-one compilation, which includes The Maw, 'Splosion Man, Ms. Splosion Man, and Comic Jumper to twist on a price and date.
Minecraft XBLA character skin pack features a few favorites
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is getting a DLC pack with 40 character skins, set to drop around the same time as title update 1.7.3, which entered Microsoft certification today. Some of the skins are originals, while five of them in particular are based on popular Xbox franchises.The character pack will include Creeper, 'Splosion Man, Trials dude, Covenant Grunt and King skins, all of which you can see above. Shh, though – don't tell the 'Splosion Man skin that he just looks like a naked dude with jaundice.
'Splosion Man coming to Retro City Rampage
Not even the metaphorical constraints of intellectual property are enough to contain Twisted Pixel's 'Splosion Man, apparently, as indie developer VBlank Entertainment has revealed that both Mr. And Ms. 'Splosion Man will join the cast of its upcoming pixel-art chiptune meta-homage Retro City Rampage. VBlank told MineCon 2011 attendees that 'Splosion Man is "the first of Retro City Rampage's official indie (or previously indie) crossovers," a statement that indicates future crossover announcements while simultaneously poking at Twisted Pixel's recent change in corporate structure. Check out the trailer above for a glimpse at RCR's isometric take on 'splode-based platforming.%Gallery-139924%
Microsoft buys indie developer Twisted Pixel
After developing games exclusively for Xbox 360 and PC, it's fair to say that indie dev Twisted Pixel has been going steady with Microsoft. Today, the two have finally tied the knot as the Redmond corporation announced that it has purchased the Austin studio. That may be terrifying news for fans of the dev, which has built games like 'Splosion Man and The Gunstringer around its scrappy DIY aesthetic. But Matt Booty, general manager of Microsoft Studios, told Joystiq it's exactly that character that the company hopes to preserve after the sale.
The Joystiq Show - 004: The Toys of Summer
It's summer, and that means a wasteland of retail releases, but never fear, there are plenty of great smaller titles on the way. XBLA has turned the Summer drought into a veritable smorgasbord of great downloadable releases, and the indie scene is looking to bring their goods as well. Twisted Pixel delivered Ms. Splosion Man last week, and Richard talks with Twisted Pixel's Frank Wilson about the follow-up to 2009's XBLA hit. Indie games are also getting their due with an interview about the Indie Games Summer Uprising on XBL. Supergiant Games's freshman effort and Summer of Arcade 2011 opener, Bastion, gets an audio review from Ludwig and a review roundtable featuring MTV Games's Russ Frushtick. Part 1 (1:27) - Twisted Pixel interview Part 2 (10:56) - XBLA Indie Games Summer Uprising interview Part 3 (30:58) - Bastion audio review and roundtable Thanks to Chris for the hot new Joystiq Show artwork. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Host: Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Guests: Frank Wilson, Dave Voyles (@DaveVoyles), Kris Steele (@kriswd40), Russ Frushtick (@RussFrushtick) Producer: Jonathan Downin (@jonathandownin - Game Thing Daily) Production Coordinator: Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Music: Trash80 and Broke For Free. See the full guest list, and stream the show, after the break.
Ms. 'Splosion Man gets first challenge level, free DLC released for 'Splosion Man
Twisted Pixel has announced that the first Title Managed Storage (TMS) challenge has been launched for Ms. 'Splosion Man. The challenge, which features Mr. Destructoid as an in-game character, requires no extra download and should be accessible from the main menu of the game. It will be open until July 31. Those who managed to grab 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in the leaderboard by the end of the challenge will win a prize pack including a Ms. 'Splosion Man statue, Destructoid bobble head and T-shirts and posters. One random contestant will also receive a Twisted Pixel prize pack, so even those without the best 'sploding skills have a shot at winning something. In addition to the TMS challenge, Twisted Pixel has also released a new level for the original 'Splosion Man. The level serves as a quick prologue to Ms. 'Splosion Man, and details just how the team at Big Science lured him into a trap. The DLC is free and available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. %Gallery-128891%
XBLA developer Twisted Pixel aiming for iOS
Touch Arcade recently chatted with the CEO of developer Twisted Pixel Michael Wilford. Twisted Pixel is the group behind Xbox Live Arcade hits like The Maw and Splosion Man, the latter of which was the "influence" for Capcom's "MaXplosion." Touch Arcade asked about iOS development, and Wilford first said the Capcom incident had "lit a fire under our butts" to try to make an iOS game. He then confirmed that Twisted Pixel is "working on something" for Apple's platform. That's exciting! We don't yet know what it is they're working on; TUAW contacted Wilford to ask if it might be an original IP or a port of one of the XBLA titles, but were told it's still too soon to say. Wilford does tell us there'll be something to share soon, so we're all ears. There's one more wrinkle to this: XBLA is currently one of the biggest online marketplaces for downloaded games out there, and it could be argued it's in direct competition with Apple's App Store. We've already seen some crossover between the two platforms, and whenever this project is ready to see the light, it seems we'll have even more.
Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man retail pack in Europe on May 13
The XBLA "Triple Pack" retail bundle, featuring the critically adored trio of Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man, will be available in Europe on May 13. The pack's North American release date was previously announced as being April 19. The North American price had been confirmed at $29.99, but there is currently no official price for Europe and the UK. The European edition will also include a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold trial and 160 MS Points ($2). That's a decent deal, and it reinforces what we're always saying: Who needs the internet?
Splosion Man song performed at PAX East
Fans of deep-fried musical accompaniment were treated to a live performance of "Donuts, Go Nuts!" at PAX East -- complete with ukulele, lagging sing-along display and donut donations from Major Nelson. Watch the full Splosion Man song, performed by Twisted Pixel audio lead Matt "Chainsaw" Chaney, right after the break. Aside from enveloping fans in catchy tunes, Twisted Pixel covered two S-model Xbox 360s in custom skins. There's a Gunstringer-themed console up for grabs in a random draw and a system swathed in glossy Ms. Splosion Man art can be won through a time-trial challenge in a playable build of the game that runs until Sunday. If you can't go see the special consoles yourself, have a look through our galleries below. (Impeccable console lifting and posing provided by Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford.)
Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man coming to retail in XBLA triple pack [Update: It's coming on April 19!]
Three of Xbox Live Arcade's most lauded games are getting bundled together in one retail package, it seems. Twisted Pixel CEO and co-founder, Michael Wilford, revealed this Amazon listing on Twitter today, commenting that a bundle of Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man was initially only headed to Japan and now will be available in North America, as well. The Amazon listing suggests a $29.99 price point, which seems a little low -- Limbo is normally $15, while the other two are $10 -- so we've followed up with Microsoft for confirmation and an expected launch date. We'll let you know what we find out. Update: A Microsoft representative has confirmed with Joystiq that the $29.99 price is accurate and that the bundle will be available for purchase on April 19 either through online retailers or on store shelves here in the US. It'll also come with a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold trial and 160 MS Points.
Capcom 'saddened' by MaXplosion situation
Just a couple of days after the company started catching heat for ripping off Twisted Pixel's Splosion Man with iPhone clone MaXplosion, Capcom (which previously passed on the opportunity to publish TP's original) has released an official statement to Joystiq about the situation. Capcom admits that its console team met with Twisted Pixel, but says that Capcom Mobile (the group behind MaXplosion) had no knowledge of those meetings. "Nonetheless," the statement read, "we are saddened by this situation and hope to rebuild the trust of our fans and friends in the gaming community." We asked for some clarification -- specifically about whether Capcom was "saddened" enough to pull the game from the App Store -- but were shot down. Check out Capcom's full statement to us after the break. [Image credit: Instructables]
Wear a Twisted Pixel costume to PAX East for chance to appear in a game
Already lining up your established video game intellectual property-themed wardrobe for the upcoming festivities at PAX East 2011? You might want to throw a costume based on one of Twisted Pixels' creations into the mix, as the developer announced over Twitter that one lucky 'Splosion Man, The Maw, Comic Jumper or Ms. 'Splosion Man cosplayer who comes to the studio's booth on the show floor will have a character modeled after them appear in an upcoming title of its choosing. "This will be a 'walk on role' for lack of a better term, as a character somewhere in the game. Background of this character will depend on where we feel they can fit in the story," a Twisted Pixel rep explained to Joystiq in more detail. "The winner will be updated on the status of their character and what game it will be when we get close to announcing the title." Everyone who stops by the booth in-costume will end up on Twisted Pixel's official website, while three runners-up will get their names in the credits of the unspecified game -- everyone, of course, has a chance to play those unreleased games.The studio also promises a very special prize for folks who show up as the increasingly infamous MaXplosion -- "a kick to the face." We think they were joking, but just to be safe, you'd better not.
Twisted Pixel CEO: We won't pursue legal action over Capcom's MaXplosion
Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford says his comparatively tiny team won't be suing mega-publisher Capcom for its blatant attempt to rip off the studio's Splosion Man with iOS clone MaXplosion (pictured). "We're definitely not going to pursue legal action," Wilford told Joystiq. "While I think the similarities are pretty nauseating, we're too small to take on a company like Capcom. That, and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man, so we'll let them slide." "We just need to keep our heads down making the next thing so that Capcom has something to steal next year," he chided, while adding that he hopes Capcom is "not counting on the fact that indies can't fight back." "We'll just have to make our own mobile game," he challenged. "We'll let you know when we have something on the mobile front to talk about, but now we have added incentive!" Wilford also tweeted that the "best part" is that Twisted Pixel had originally pitched Splosion Man to Capcom, but the publisher passed on it. Speaking of Twitter, he said "the amount of support we've seen in the last 12 hours on Twitter and over email has been awesome, and I think that's better than [winning] a stupid lawsuit or anything like that." A Capcom Mobile representative told us that a statement from the company on the matter would hopefully be released later today. Wildford's full response is posted after the break.
Capcom Mobile rips off 'Splosion Man for MaXplosion
"Holy crap, 'Splosion Man got released for iPhone? How did I miss that?" We can forgive your confusion as you check out the above screen and the video below the jump, but no, it's not 'Splosion Man, no matter how much every single one of your senses may attest to that fact. No, this is MaXplosion, an iPhone game dumped on iTunes late last week. Ready for the craziest bit? This isn't some fly-by-night Korean developer operating out of some dude's basement as you might have assumed. No, this is all Capcom Mobile, which is ... disappointing, to say the least. Speaking on his personal Twitter account, Twisted Pixel programmer Mike Henry said "MaXplosion gameplay video makes me sad. If you're going to outright steal a game, you should at least understand what makes it fun." Listen Capcom, we know copycatting is rampant on the App Store, but ... you're Capcom for crying out loud! Shouldn't you be better than that?
Twisted Pixel's Josh Bear on giving Ms. Splosion Man more than just a bow
Fresh out of containment and ready to butcher countless more scientists, Ms. Splosion Man was revealed this evening by Twisted Pixel. Alongside the first teaser and news of next fall's splosive sequel, Twisted Pixel CCO Josh Bear spoke with us about all things MSM. We got to the important stuff upfront, pinning Bear to the wall about the real difference between Mr. and Ms. Splosion Man. "Splosion Man has a penis, Ms. Splosion Man has a vagina," he confessed. Solved. Oh, right, there was also talk of the reasoning behind a full-on sequel in terms of gameplay. Bear explained: "I think with Splosion Man a follow up was something we really wanted to do, and that is why you never saw DLC for that game. We could have churned out new levels, but we wouldn't have had the time to add in new gameplay puzzles or cool new character stuff. But we didn't just want to do Splosion Man 2, it had to be something a ittle more interesting. That is why we decided to do MSM." And that's not all! Apparently Twisted Pixel is already hard at work on another game -- an entirely new IP, in fact -- with ex-Harmonix designer Dan Teasdale. Head past the break for more.
'Splosion Man 'splodes to top of XBLA sales chart
'Spolsion Man, one or our absolute favorites of 2009, enjoyed a surprise sales surge last week, rocketing to the top of the Xbox Live Arcade bestseller list. That's the power of Black Friday and a one-day, 75-percent discount. In fact, thirteen of the top twenty bestsellers for the week of November 22 were on sale for at least part of the period, and the only discounted XBLA title not to chart was poor Voodoo Dice. Amidst the apparently too-good-to-refuse deals, Crazy Taxi made a strong debut in the number six position in its first week of release, and Pac-Man CE DX ate up a top-ten spot in its second week of availability. As for Xbox Live activity, Black Ops recruits and Modern Warfare 2 veterans (who aren't about to surrender that easily) continue to hog the most bandwidth, followed by the Reach faithful and -- watch out for that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood sneaking up the activity chart! Speaking of no surrender, how about World at War and Call of Duty 4 (remember that one?) hanging around the top twenty most-played Xbox Live games? No wonder Activision wants to better tap its gold mine next year. Both Top Twenty charts are posted in full after the break.
'Splosion Man, Trials HD, more Black Friday deals live on XBLM
The hottest of hot dealz on the Xbox Live Marketplace (so hot we used a "z") are available now. Navigate to Microsoft's Black Friday deals page to see the full list for yourself, but we'll list the amazing highlights that kicked in today for you right now: 'Splosion Man for 160 Microsoft Points ($2) Trials HD for 400 Microsoft Points ($5) Seriously, 'Splosion Man for two dollars ($2) Other surprise deals include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled for 160 MSP ($2) and a Starkiller Lightsaber Avatar accessory for only two dollars more than it's worth.
Xbox Live joins Black Friday spendathon with week of sales, starting tomorrow
If you can get past the ill-advised headline in Microsoft's announcement of a handful of Black Friday-timed sales -- "Xbox 360 Rings In The Holidays with Can't-Miss Black Friday Deals for Halo: Reach, Fable III and Xbox Live Marketplace" -- you'll find some hot deals on Xbox Live games, movies and DLC (which, as digital offerings, don't require you to be trampled to death by people shopping for cheap towels). Of the week-long "Black Friday" deals -- beginning tomorrow, November 23, through Monday, November 29 -- 'Splosion Man for two dang bucks (Friday only) is the clear standout. Other "samples" from the week of promotions include savings on additional XBLA games, like Portal and The Secret of Monkey Island; Xbox Originals Halo and GTA: San Andreas; and a few Zune movies. (Check out a list of currently-announced offers after the break.) Throughout the Thanksgiving week, Microsoft will post the deals on Xbox.com. Update: Peruse the complete list of week-long sales here. Oh! And don't forget: Microsoft is still hosting its ongoing, "regular" Xbox Live Deal of the Week, offering the Hasbro Family Game Night games for half-off ($5 each) today through Sunday.
Get a 'splode of this: 'Splosion Man playing Dance Central at PAX
We've already established that the Xbox 360's Kinect can handle a seated person when the application supports it. But what about a grinning, highly combustible bug-eyed being and his entourage of faceless scientists? You may be surprised by the answer -- and how closely this resembles an actual Lady Gaga music video.
