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This week's Xbox Live sale discounts Darksiders 2, Stacking
This week's deals on Xbox Live includes 67 percent discounts on both Darksiders ($6.59) and Darksiders 2 ($19.79) for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The sale also slashes at the prices of two add-ons for the sequel, the Argul's Tomb DLC and Death Rides Pack for $2.30 each. Additionally, players can pick up Darksiders 2's season pass for $6.59 this week on Xbox Live. Among the other deals this week is MX vs ATV Reflex for $4.99, a 75 percent discount, and Double Fine's Stacking for half off ($7.49). Head past the break for a full list of this week's Xbox Live deals.
Double Fine regains Costume Quest, Stacking rights from Nordic Games
Double Fine once again controls Costume Quest and Stacking after regaining distribution rights from Nordic Games. Nordic Games acquired the rights to Costume Quest and Stacking when it bought the properties in THQ's bankruptcy auction in April. THQ previously published both games. Nordic and Double Fine have a deal to publish retail versions of Psychonauts, Costume Quest and Stacking in North America and Europe in the first half of 2014, for PC and Mac. "I am pleased that we have regained full control over Costume Quest and Stacking, following a daring and top-secret midnight raid on the Nordic Games headquarters in Vienna," Double Fine CEO Tim Schafer said in a press release. Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors cleared the air in the same release: "We can't wait to partner with Double Fine for this upcoming retail launch of three of its most excellent games. However, I feel compelled to point out that we were happy to transfer distribution rights for Costume Quest and Stacking back to Double Fine in an entirely non-secretive and heist-free manner." As early as May, Double Fine expressed interest in regaining distribution rights for both games, though it never lost the IP rights.
Double Fine wants to win back Stacking, Costume Quest rights
Double Fine wants to tie up all of the loose ends within its catalog and is seeking the distribution rights to its games formerly published by THQ, Stacking and Costume Quest. Nordic Games picked up the distribution rights to these games during THQ's bankruptcy auction in April, though Double Fine attempted to secure the rights from THQ as early as February. Double Fine owns the intellectual properties for Stacking and Costume Quest, so if it wants to make new games within each series, it can. "We're still trying to get the rights to Costume Quest and Stacking," Schafer told Game Informer. "We can still make more of those games. We still have the IP, but we'd love to have all of the IP and distribution rights in house." On top of those distribution rights, Double Fine wants to regain the Brutal Legend IP from EA and the Iron Brigade IP from Microsoft, Schafer said. These are difficult positions for Double Fine, but for us, deciding which war to watch is just as hard: Battle of Heavy Metal and Mechs or the Battle of Kids in Costumes Playing with Toys From the Old Country. Decisions, decisions.
Double Fine classics hit Humble Bundle, $35 nets Broken Age pre-order
Heads up, folks, just go ahead and grab your wallet right now. That's because the latest Humble Bundle has arrived, and it includes a number of stellar titles from Double Fine. Here, you can name your own price for Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking, and if you beat the average, you'll also score a copy of Brutal Legend. All payments of $1 or more will net you a Steam key for the games, which are available -- some for the first time -- on Windows, Mac and Linux. As a unique twist to the promotion, payments of $35 or more include early backer access to Broken Age, the crowd-funded game that was previously known as Double Fine Adventure. As always, you can allocate some (or all) of your payment to charity, which benefits the EFF and Child's Play. Click on through to the Humble Bundle and you'll find bonus incentives for doling out some cash.
Double Fine, Codemasters, former president Rubin, more seeking payment from THQ
THQ may be no more, but several parties have filed claims against the defunct video game publisher. The Kurtzman Carson Consultancy group shows Double Fine, Codemasters and even individual former executives Jason Kay and Jason Rubin are seeking financial compensation for unpaid obligations from THQDouble Fine (PDF link) is looking for $595,000, claiming THQ offered up Stacking and Costume Quest as free PlayStation Plus downloads without Double Fine's knowledge, and that none of the PS Plus revenue was shared. Codemasters (PDF link) is looking for an exact $1,002,714.25, seeking reimbursement for unpaid royalties and storing quantities of Bodycount, Dirt 3 and F1 2011 discs in a warehouse somewhere. Kay (PDF link) and Rubin (PDF link) are seeking $2.1 million each for failed "employment obligations." The two claim unpaid vacation time, sick leave and severance.THQ's final assets were auctioned off for nearly $7 million earlier this week, including Darksiders, Homeworld and the Drawn to Life series. The results of the first auction were posted in January, facilitating the transfer of ownership for Saints Row 4, Homefront, Company of Heroes 2 and more.
Double Fine trying to get Costume Quest, Stacking IP back from THQ
Double Fine has self-published Costume Quest and Stacking on PC, but THQ still holds some of the rights to those games as publisher of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Those games are among the properties being sold off in THQ's latest auction – however, they're being sold as a bundle with dozens of other properties. Officially, they can't be sold outside of the lot, but Double Fine is hopeful."THQ retained limited distribution rights that we bid on during the previous process to reclaim them prior to their expiration," Justin Bailey, VP of business development, told Polygon. "We are optimistic about regaining these distribution rights, as this process has already demonstrated that when there are parties interested in specific assets, those assets are worth more when sold separately." Double Fine has yet to hear back from THQ about any potential deals.
Double Fine discounts: Psychonauts, Iron Brigade, Stacking and more
No matter where you like to purchase your games, odds are you'll find a Double Fine game on discount right now. The developer has announced its entire catalogue is on sale across Steam, Xbox 360, Amazon and its own shop.Discounts include Stacking and its DLC on Xbox Live Arcade, and both signed and stock copies of Brutal Legend on PS3 and Xbox 360 through the Double Fine Shop. Iron Brigade (formerly Trenched) is cheap on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade right now, and even Psychonauts is half-off through Steam and the Mac App store, and the soundtrack too.We'd never tell you how to spend those hard-earned duckets you covet so much, but at least we can rest easy knowing you're not spending as much as you normally would.
Steam Summer Sale, final day: BioShock, Bastion, Double Fine bundle
This is it. Dig around your couch cushions, look under the rug and peek between the seats in your car (if you haven't sold it, that is) for any extra change. The final day of the Steam Summer Sale is here.The last day is going out with a whimper, offering the BioShock franchise for $9.98, Bastion for $3.74, a Double Fine bundle including Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking for $7.49, and Splinter Cell: Conviction seeing a range of deals, starting with the game itself for $4.99. Jagged Alliance: Back in Action is $9.99, Operation Flashpoint Complete (Dragon Rising and Red River) runs $13.74, Football Manager 2012 is $7.50, and Space Pirates and Zombies is $2.49.Indie Bundle XI includes Hydrophobia: Prophecy, Orion: Dino Beatdown, Star Ruler, Waveform and World of Goo for $9.99.And that's that, everyone. Summer's over. Now get back to work; you have to pay off all those games you bought somehow, and it's certainly not going to happen if you take the time to play them.
Double Fine deals found in the Amazon, Psychonauts and Costume Quest under $5
Amazon's PC digital distribution service has a few Double Fine titles on discount this week. Psychonauts -- the original Inception -- is available for $3.99, Costume Quest is a treat at a mere $2.99 and you can nest at ease with Stacking at $7.49.If you've yet to play or own any of these games (for shame!), then pick 'em all up for $10 with the "Oh So Fine" bundle.
Double Fine remembers 'Amnesia Fortnight' in GDC postmortem
In a GDC panel called "Creative Panic: How Agility Turned Terror Into Triumph," project leads from Double Fine's quartet of "Amnesia Fortnight" projects each outlined the process and inspiration behind their games -- with the exception of Costume Quest's Tasha Harris, who didn't share her insights because she wasn't there. "Amnesia Fortnight is a psychedelic mushroom and we all took it," studio head Tim Schafer said, before adding that it was really a two-week team game design exercise held in the middle of Brütal Legend work.Born from a break in AAA development, the Amnesia Fortnight forged a new direction for the company when Brütal Legend 2 was canceled.
Get cracking on Stacking, now on PC
Stacking, the Double Fine adventure game in which a destitute boy commandeers other people by embedding himself in their bodies, is now available for PC through Steam. Don't worry, a liberal application of pure charm covers up what initially sounds like a weird, disturbing premise.The PC version, which is temporarily discounted to $9.99 (regularly $14.99) during this launch period, includes all the matryoshka maneuvering seen in the console versions, along with the "Lost Hobo King" DLC. The non-physical nature of this release may undermine our suggestion, but do let us know what you think once you crack this game open.
Double Fine's Stacking to nestle in your PC
Double Fine has revealed its matryoshka-infused adventure, Stacking, will soon come to PC. The news came from Double Fine's Tim Schafer and Lee Petty during X-Play's Best of 2011 award show. Stacking took home the title of 2011's best downloadable game, with Schafer and Petty revealing the PC port in a rather unique way, which you can see in the video after the break (skip to 1:00). No other details were revealed, save to say that the PC version will be available "soon."
Intel, Micron unveil first 128-gigabit flash chip, provide double the data density
Realign the data and the previous 32- and 64-gigabit roadblocks to flash storage disappear. Today, Intel and Micron announced the first 128-gigabit NAND flash chip. The chip, which was created through the companies' joint IM Flash Technologies venture, is smaller than a fingertip, created through a 20 nanometer manufacturing process and is capable of 333 megatransfers per second with the option of stacking as many as eight chips on top of each other. What makes the new NAND unique is its planar structure that allows individual memory cells to scale much smaller than before. When combined with a Hi-K/metal gate combo to keep the power leaks to a minimum, presto, you've got flash memory denser than your mother-in-law's fruitcake. Mass production of the 128Gb chips isn't due until the first half of 2012, but you can get a more in-depth intro to the future of flash right now in the PR below.
Double Fine's 'Amnesia Fortnight' game design jams saved the company
The recent downloadable releases from Double Fine, as well as the upcoming Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, all had their genesis in the company's "Amnesia Fortnight" events, in which small teams would make quick game prototypes. Schafer says that if not for those informal sessions, the company might not still be running. "We had done one Amnesia Fortnight in the middle of Brutal Legend, and one at the end, so we had eight prototypes," studio head Tim Schafer explained to Edge. "I thought eventually we'd start working on smaller games with the extra money that we got from these huge games, and then we found out that Brutal Legend 2 wasn't happening." With nothing else going on, Double Fine started looking for deals for the best four Amnesia Fortnight prototypes. "The thing I like about it is that we had a catastrophic event and the company saved itself purely based on the creativity of the team. Lee [Petty, responsible for Stacking], Tasha [Harris, who came up with Costume Quest], Brad [Muir, of Trenched], and Nathan [Martz, the game design puppeteer behind Sesame Street]- their ideas." Had the Amnesia Fortnight not have been a success, we can only imagine that Double Fine would be forced to hold "Amnesia Fifteenminutes" within the fortnights, in which each employee rushed out prototypes while rushing out their other prototypes.
Stacking dev crafting Pixies-inspired Matryoshka dolls for tribute art exhibition
This fall, Double Fine project lead Lee Petty will try his hand at something other than developing games about Russian stacking dolls, though it doesn't deviate far in spirit from his usual work. Along with a few dozen other artists, he'll be creating a Pixies-inspired work for an art exhibit in Venice, California, titled "Dig for Fire" (named after the Pixies song, as you esteemed rock historians likely guessed). The show is taking place at the C.A.V.E. Gallery and runs September 9 through October 1, so you'll have a few weeks to head over and peruse the art. We'll probably check it out -- fingers crossed that there's no homage to "Wave of Mutilation!" [Thanks, Kevin!]
Xbox Live April schedule: Bad Company 2 DLC, Comic Jumper discounts
Microsoft has revealed some of the content and deals coming to the Xbox Live Marketplace in early April, which include quite a few discounts. It kicks off this week with the launch of DLC for Mass Effect 2 and You Don't Know Jack, as well as some discounts on Comic Jumper, Deadliest Warrior and the "Dead Money" DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. Hit the jump for the full list.
Stacking's 'Lost Hobo King' DLC coming in April
As hinted, THQ has made official "The Lost Hobo King" DLC for Stacking. The add-on is coming in "early April" and takes Charlie to the kingdom of Camelfoot to help his friend Levi sort out "an important family matter." Turns out Levi has some royal lineage -- we totally called it! No price has been set for "The Lost Hobo King" yet, but players can look forward to more than 15 new dolls, new challenges and Achievements/Trophies, and the "fully-realized" kingdom of Camelfoot to explore.
Stacking DLC to focus on The Lost Hobo King
It would seem the first DLC offering for Stacking has been hiding inside the dolls all along. Today, a tipster discovered said DLC's Achievements on Xbox.com and sent us the above screen grab, which indicates it will be called The Lost Hobo King. We have since verified that it's visible on Xbox.com, and on Xbox360Achievements. The only prominent hobo we can think of in Stacking is Levi, the keeper of records for protagonist Charlie. Hopefully he'll be getting out of that cramped back room and discover his royal lineage! [Thanks, Aidan]
Stacking to get an additional layer of DLC
Looking to cause a little more matryoshka mayhem in Double Fine's Stacking? Publisher THQ's UK Twitter account recently confirmed that "DLC for Stacking is in development!" The tweet added, "Look out for more details on this soon," before ending with a mysterious colon immediately followed by a close parenthesis -- which can only be code for ... something. (We don't know. We're still trying to crack the intricate cipher.) We've contacted Double Fine and THQ for more information. We'll make sure to take any info received, put it into words, put those words into a post, and then put that post into this website.
Stacking review: All dolled up
Double Fine has finally shaken off its chronic case of "If Only." As in, "Costume Quest is adorable, if only the combat wasn't so repetitive," or, "Brütal Legend is such a fun world, if only the mechanics worked better." With Stacking, the developer's new downloadable puzzler, Double Fine has delivered a well-rounded game that's drenched in as much charm as you'd expect. But's it's been married to a great gameplay conceit that could more than stand on its own. %Gallery-111931%
