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Ms. 'Splosion Man Cinco de Mayo promo teases E3 game announcement
Twisted Pixel's next joint will be revealed at E3 this year in LA – specifically, on June 5. Word comes via a Cinco de Mayo promotion for Ms. Splosion Man, which adds a new challenge level called "Splokour" and will gift five lucky winners a copy of Twisted Pixel's next title.In addition to winning the new game, the top five on the challenge level leaderboard will also snag a Ms. Splosion Man plushie. The free challenge level will be available from May 5 until 11pm ET on May 20.%Gallery-154712%
Ms. Splosion Man platform 'splosion: coming to PC, iOS, Windows Phone
Like playing Ms. Splosion Man, but have an intractable grudge against your Xbox 360? Twisted Pixel is bringing its concussive platformer to several new platforms, including PC (on both Steam and Games for Windows Live), iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone 7. The porting process is a multi-studio endeavor, requiring the talents of not only Twisted Pixel, but Iron Galaxy, Fire Hose Games, and Panic Button Games as well.The PC version appears identical to the XBLA release, but the mobile game is a "unique experience" designed specifically for touchscreens -- using a virtual d-pad. You'll be able to find out how well these new containers withstand explosive force this summer.
Ska Studios' Charlie Murder media blitz, Twisted Pixel buy-out prank
Ska Studios' next title is a gory RPG-dungeon-crawler punk-fest called Charlie Murder, and we have the first trailer available for the pleasure of your eyeballs and earballs above. Charlie Murder has a brand new website that developer Ska Studio promises to update with bios, wallpapers and music in the near future; for now it features a hefty batch of shiny screens.In related Ska news, the studio's April Fools' joke materialized in a post about it being bought out by Twisted Pixel for a jet ski, in order to offset the number of fancy dinners Twisted Pixel ends up buying Ska at PAX.In related related ska news, this.
Ms. 'Splosion Man celebrates Valentine's Day with steak
A new challenge level for Ms. 'Splosion Man is set to debut this Valentine's Day, with a special reward for its best players. From February 14-27, players will have access to the "Shoot the Glass" challenge level Ms. 'Splosion Man's main menu. As the title implies, the goal is to smash all the glass in the level, with missed panes adding ten seconds to your clear time.What really makes the challenge special, however, is the prize. At the end of the challenge period, the five US players with the best times will receive a prize pack from Omaha Steaks. A prize pack composed of steak. Just make sure you 'splode it before you eat it.%Gallery-147254%
'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%
For a few dollars less: Gunstringer/Fruit Ninja Kinect $20 at Best Buy
The Gunstringer had seen many a strange thing in his life, but this took the cake. As he stared through the batwing doors of the local Best Buy general store, he thought he spied his own face glaring back. He took a closer look – turns out some folks in Texas made a vidya game out of his life story. What's more, seems that the store's proprietor had marked it down to two sawbucks. Perhaps most perplexing of all, the box also proclaimed to include something called Fruit Ninja Kinect. He didn't know what a "fruit ninja" was, but he didn't like the sound of it.
Kinect holiday bundle includes Gunstringer, Fruit Ninja
Microsoft is currently shipping a Kinect sensor bundle for the holidays, which includes three games for $150. The included games for North America – though they "may vary by region" – are Kinect Adventures, Fruit Ninja Kinect and The Gunstringer, from Microsoft's newly acquired studio Twisted Pixel. Considering the $40 Gunstringer retail box contains a free Fruit Ninja Kinect, it might be easier to think about this bundle providing a $40 savings. Microsoft has been playing it close to the chest regarding Kinect sales this year, recently reiterating that the device had sold 10 million units, a statistic it already promoted in March. We'll get another update after this year's bundle-boosted holiday sales have been tallied.
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.
Pre-order your own Gunstringer Mini Marionette
If there's two things Joystiq is all about, it's antiquated puppet technology and indie-development studios, so naturally The Gunstringer tickled our fancy in an incredibly specific, thoroughly satisfying way. Had we known that Twisted Pixel would soon be releasing its own Gunstringer Mini Marionettes, however, we probably wouldn't have spent all last week building our own out of clothes pins and yarn. The 16-inch Gunstringer Mini Marionette, available to pre-order on Twisted Pixel's site, is a replica of the marionette seen in the western's FMV sequences, will set you back $100 ($110 for an autographed version), and is expected to exit pre-order status before the end of November. Shoot past the break for a full look at the little guy's prototype.
The three terrifying minutes that created The Gunstringer
"I'm going to go to the restroom," said Microsoft's Cherie Lutz, "but when I get back I really want to hear this new idea." "Oh yeah, it's awesome, can't wait." Twisted Pixel chief creative officer Josh Bear had responded with abounding confidence, if only to mask the truth. Because the fact of the matter, the fact that he and CEO Mike Wilford were all too aware of, as they sat in Redmond, WA Tex-Mex restaurant The Matador, was this: The idea wasn't "awesome." It was nonexistent. The developer had scored a major meeting with Microsoft to pitch a new game developed exclusively with Kinect (then "Project Natal") in mind. It needed to be big, it needed to be smart and -- most pressingly to Wilford and Bear at that exact moment -- it needed to exist.
You must download The Gunstringer's soundtrack
Look, we don't like giving ultimatums and we know you don't like hearing them, but we can't be friends anymore if you don't download The Gunstringer's phenomenal soundtrack. Aren't you into indie music? Don't you like feeling joy? Straight up, Matt Cheney's spaghetti-samurai score is a bone-chilling, tonally perfect masterclass in atmospheric storytelling through composition, and you'd be doing yourself a criminally negligent disservice by skipping it. So much so, that we couldn't stand to be around you, knowing what a hollow shell your life had become. It's also entirely free, and at fewer than 100 megs, Twisted Pixel's fat pipes will have you swimmin' in tunes in no time. Hit the source link and click on the "Downloads" tab, and save our friendship.
The Gunstringer's launch DLC free to all Xbox Live members on Sept. 20
The only thing more charming and out of place than an interactive, full-motion video addendum to a game about an undead marionette cowboy is free DLC. "The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles," an anachronistic add-on to Twisted Pixel's Kinect debut, The Gunstringer, is currently free only to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Man, what a bunch of withholding assh -- "So right now DLC is free to gold members only but don't let that discourage you (or call us assholes yet ;)," tweets Twisted Pixel. "It goes free to Silver next Tues." On the other hand, if you want to hurl obscenities at Twisted Pixel over an agonizing World 3 level in Ms. Splosion Man, we'll join you in a foul-mouthed chorus.
The Gunstringer review: Dig my grave
Today, I'm breaking one of the biggest rules of criticism: Don't attempt to write an objective review if you're personally invested in the success of the product. No, I don't have an uncle at Twisted Pixel (as far as I know). And no, I don't have stock in the skeletal puppetry biz. But there's a component of The Gunstringer that's so wonderful, so specifically hand-crafted just for me that my continued happiness relies on more of it being made. This is my review of the The Gunstringer, and I can not be trusted. %Gallery-131056%
Watch the first 15 minutes of The Gunstringer's FMV DLC, 'Wavy Tubeman Chronicles'
Twisted Pixel's foray into the motion-tracking, depth-sensing world of Kinect may not be out until tomorrow, but The Gunstringer's first batch of DLC is already locked and loaded, waiting patiently in the wings for its chance to shine. And oh, how it shines; glinting in the sun like a sheriff's badge at high-noon. Wavy Tubeman Chronicles is an entirely FMV experience, the first fifteen minutes of which you can watch above via G4TV. To the more ancient astute of you, Twisted Pixel's masterwork may seem a bit familiar, and for good reason: The full-motion adventure was inspired in no small part by Mad Dog McCree, an FMV laserdisc/arcade/3DO/Sega CD western from 1990. We had hoped that watching would somehow satiate our unquenchable thirst for FMV games, but it ended up having the opposite effect.
Ms. 'Splosion Man challenge round two features Fruit 'Friend'
Listen, Penny Arcade's Fruit F**cker certainly isn't a "friend" to fruit, though we can understand the need to tone down the juicing robot's vile moniker for more tender audiences. It turns out he's not a friend to Ms. 'Splosion Man either, as he now appears in a new challenge level for Twisted Pixel's latest 'sploderific opus. The challenge level is available now -- handily offered without needing a special download -- and is littered with 9 of the little buggers. The challenge level is open until September 11, and the three players who walk away with the highest scores will receive a prize pack filled with Twisted Pixel and Penny Arcade goodies. We're not sure if said prize packs include a Fruit "Friend," but you might want to hide your produce just in case.%Gallery-132733%
Grab the reins of the Gunstringer demo right now on XBLM
A sample of Twisted Pixel's next, Kinect-infused project, The Gunstringer, is now ready for your enjoyment -- or your unenjoyment, on the off chance you possess some deep, inexplicable fear of marionette puppets. The run-and-gunner now has a demo available on Xbox Live Marketplace, where you can download it right now instead of reading a news post about how a demo for The Gunstringer is available right now. The demo supposedly gives a good cross-section of the game's controller-free controls, but we're counting on you to tell us how effectively said scheme works, as we fit squarely into the "irrational puppet fear" contingency.
Ms. Splosion Man's Pinball FX table out Aug. 31, playable at PAX
The Ms. Splosion Man pinball table for Pinball FX2 will blast pinkness across XBLA on August 31 for 240 MSP ($3) -- that's less than a box of doughnuts. Heading to PAX? You'll be able to flip over the new table at Twisted Pixel or Microsoft, located at booth numbers 3003 and 432, respectively. While you're waiting for the table, why not try out the actual Ms. Splosion Man game? It's fun, we promise.%Gallery-130510%
The Gunstringer achievement you really shouldn't get
Twisted Pixel is known for its charming games, but something darker lurks just beneath the surface of The Gunstringer. Namely: there's a secret option on the Kinect shooter that makes it hate you. It's called "Hardcore Mode," and it sounds terrifying. Enemies shoot three times as much, health drops twice as quickly and traps spring from nowhere. Plus, if you die you'll have to head right back to the beginning of the game. Understand that when we tell you that there's a 50-point achievement for finishing a Hardcore run-through in one sitting called Strings of Steel, it's not so you'll go after it. In fact, it's actually so you'll do the exact opposite and pity those those lost souls who delved into the dark recesses of madness to claim it.
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.
The Gunstringer will be $40, comes with Fruit Ninja Kinect and free DLC, this September
When Twisted Pixel announced that its Kinect-based, undead western marionette shooter would gallop past Xbox Live Arcade and ride right into Retailville, we wrote, "Twisted Pixel isn't talking price right now, but considering most Kinect games go for $50, we'd say that's a safe bet." Well ... we were wrong. And we're sorry. And we hope you didn't bet any actual money. Microsoft just announced that The Gunstringer will be hitting shelves on September 13 in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and September 16 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Oh, you wanted to know the price? How does $40 sound to you? Oh ... well, how about $40 and a free code for Fruit Ninja Kinect, itself valued at $10? Still not enough? You drive a hard bargain, friend! How about some free launch DLC titled "The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles" in which you battle "the time-traveling son of Wavy Tube Man." Here, we'll use Microsoft's description: In this add-on, Wavy Tube Man Jr. steals a time machine to prevent his father's death at the hands of "The Gunstringer," and it's up to players to battle classic western cowboys and futuristic warriors to save the world from destruction. Wait a second ... you're still not satisfied? Can you not be sated? Is there nothing that can match your appetite for deals? Fine, if you pre-order the game from "select US and European retailers [...] you'll receive two tokens for a free Avatar Prop from the game." There, that's it. That's all you're getting. We're exhausted.
