uber-entertainment
Latest
The rules have changed: Suiting up for Super Monday Night Combat
As free-to-play games are constantly changing, traditional reviews can't really do them justice, so Joystiq relies on a series of unscored review diaries to record our experiences with them. Today brings part one of our Super Monday Night Combat diaries. In the future, the American dream is a crowd cheering a brutal battle for cash, prizes, corporate endorsements and bacon. Can't have the American Dream without bacon, after all. At least, this is the world Uber Entertainment has created in Super Monday Night Combat, the follow-up to 2010's (regular) Monday Night Combat. The premise is still the same: Opposing teams of 'pros' must escort regularly spawning A.I. bots to the enemy Moneyball, first team to destroy the enemy Moneyball wins. Bots are the only thing that can take a Moneyball down, but they have to survive through a staunch line of turrets, vicious arena bots and of course, several classes of aggressive (and perhaps insane) opposing players.These classes all have special skills and abilities specific to their role, from the whimsical, Italian support class who can heal and place defensive turrets, to a giant gorilla in a pinstripe suit that can hurl flaming barrels. There's a mascot that can be beaten, shot and otherwise maimed for power-ups, announcers trying to sell products to the audience, and a weather-controlling blimp that can turn the tide of an entire match for the right price. All typical sport stuff, really.%Gallery-132035%
Super Monday Night Combat dev explains premature distribution, future updates
Super Monday Night Combat developer Uber Entertainment has been working long hours the past couple of weeks, ever since the premature distribution of its free-to-play MOBA. With a small break in the madness, we finally got Super MNC Executive Producer and Art Director Chandana "Eka" Ekanayake to answer a few of our questions about how the early launch happened, and what's next for the game."The reason for the early launch was because we messed up on beta invites to a large pool of original Monday Night Combat players. To test out our server infrastructure, we wanted to send out a massive invite wave to players of MNC on PC. Players received a notice saying that they were accepted into the beta but actually weren't," Eka told Joystiq over the weekend. "So, instead of making players of our first game happy, we managed to deliver something that wasn't there and made them feel like they were lead on. We tried fixing it, but it just lead to more confusion, so working with Valve we decided to set the game open. It wasn't an accidental leak by any means but it was a result of us trying to make things right with our player base."Eka didn't share raw numbers on how many players have signed up for Super MNC since launch, but says the studio is "happy" with the turnout, especially since they didn't have any lead time to market the game. He feels many folks don't realize the game is out ... or that it's free. Asked if any of the marketing plans for the game were disrupted by the early launch, he matter-of-factly stated, "Yes, all of them."%Gallery-132035%
Super Monday Night Combat accidentally hits Steam, dev rolls with it
Super Monday Night Combat is live and free to play on Steam right now, even though it's technically still supposed to be in beta. The launch came as a surprise to developer Uber Entertainment, but it's decided to embrace the release, and Super Monday Night Combat is now a thing that you can play. Uber Entertainment's Ekanaut explains what happened on the official forums:"We did a bunch of invites over the weekend and there was some wonkiness on how the messaging went out with lots of confusion which resulted in more silliness. We decided to just open it up. There will be an announcement about it on Steam soon."Wonkiness leads to confusion; confusion leads to silliness; silliness is the path to a speedy Steam release. So, surprise! Go play some Super Monday Night Combat, because you totally can.
Super Monday Night Combat trailer covers the sport's evolution
Super Monday Night Combat, a hybrid of shooters and the MOBA genre, is going for a far more strategic and methodical experience than the run-and-gun of its non-super predecessor. We will have a preview of our experience with the new title soon, so check out this overview of how the sport is changing in the meantime.
Super Monday Night Combat introduces 'Karl,' a new Pro
Uber Entertainment recently showed Shacknews one of the new Pros that will be thrown into the mix in its upcoming free-to-play shooter, Super Monday Night Combat: The dreaded Karl. He's a monocle-toting mechanical man who resembles the Assault archetype from the first game -- a jack-of-all-trades; especially when those trades require him to see really, really well out of one of his eyes. He's also a decommissioned reconiassance cyborg created by oblivious upper-class engineers, as well as a downtrodden divorcee, having recently split from fictional supermodel Jazelle Pivovarova. We now know and care more about Karl than most of our immediate family members. Sorry, guys, maybe if you all had endearing back stories and even-more-endearing eyepieces.
Uber Entertainment explains Super Monday Night Combat's lessened lethality
Later this year or early next year, Uber Entertainment's going to try and thread a fairly dangerous needle. The studio, which saw success with its very first product, the XBLA and PC shooter Monday Night Combat, is trying to branch the franchise out into the increasingly populated free-to-play space. To do so successfully, it'll need to maintain its community's good will with some substantial -- but not too substantial -- changes. "Super Monday Night Combat is going to be the same basic world," Uber Entertainment creative director John Comes explained to us at PAX last week. "We still have the same kind of lightheartedness, with the announcer and the mascot -- that same happy, fast, punchy game." The development team won't leave the formula entirely untouched, however. "Some of the balance has changed," Comes added. "Mainly, the lethality has been lowered a bit, which we've found makes for more frantic fights."%Gallery-132035%
Super Monday Night Combat prepares for freemium fight
Super Monday Night Combat, launching sometime on PC in the "next several months," is a freemium pseudo-sequel to Uber Entertainment's class-based shooter. Speaking with Kotaku, Uber says that the gameplay will essentially remain the same, with teams escorting their robotic minions to destroy the Moneyball for cash and glory. Super MNC will wander off the established expectations of the first game with all-new levels that don't resemble futuristic arenas, and avoid the propensity for one-hit kills found in the original. "People tend to live a little bit longer [in the new game.] There's a lot more tactical battles, so the gameplay is a little bit more intense," said Creative Director John Comes. The company is also shifting the way turrets and bots operate to encourage more teamwork. The original Monday Night Combat was a fantastic game that suffered from a severe case of launch hiccups on XBLA, but eventually found its footing as a PC title. A freemium version of MNC sounds like a great idea, especially if Uber supports it with the type of solid updates and robust systems we've seen it deliver to the original version.
Monday Night Combat gets Sunday Afternoon Sale on Steam, now $3.75
In about 30 hours, it's going to be Monday night -- do you want to be the only person on the planet not doing the prescribed amount of Combat? If you don't already possess Uber's frantic class-based shooter yet, Steam's got it on sale today for $3.75.
Monday Night Combat update allows you to ride a giant chicken
Monday Night Combat is one of those games that you don't want to turn your back on for too long -- see, whenever you're not looking at it, it goes ahead and adds things like gigantic chicken rodeos. Yes, that's the unbelievable new addition that arrived in the PC version of MNC's "Uncle Tully's Funland" update, which adds said Funland as a playable arena in Crossfire mode. The new arena includes new bot spawners to help build your Moneyball-hungry army, as well as a giant chicken, which you can attempt to ride for money, or shoot for a buff for your whole team. The chicken even has a name: Chickey Cantor. That's ridiculous on two counts, the first being that the name itself is silly, and the second being that chickens don't have names. Check out the full list of updates, as well as a trailer for the new playground, after the break.
April Fools: Monday Night Combat goes all Smash TV
Those who have been gaming long enough have probably noticed the similarities between Monday Night Combat and Smash TV (and its often forgotten sequel, Smash TV: Public Access). It appears the influences weren't lost on Uber Entertainment either, as the company has just released some April Fools Day media for Smash MNC, a carnage-fueled, game show-themed parody of Smash TV. Uber even added a bald head to the Jackbot boss. And don't worry about what platforms you own, as Uber promises compatibility "across all platforms past and future." Check out Smash MNC screens in the gallery below and find a video after the break. %Gallery-120239%
Monday Night Combat is free to play on Steam this weekend
Looking for something to do on the cheap this weekend? Sure, you could go down to the lake to go swimming or hang outside the laundromat like you had planned, or you could boot up the old Compy 386 and play a free game! Uber Entertainment's Monday Night Combat is free to play on Steam this weekend, until 1pm PT on Sunday, March 20. Additionally, if you like what you play and want to buy the game, it's 33 percent off ($10.04) on Steam until Monday, March 21 at 10am PT. Now, we're not telling you what to do, but think about it: does the lake or laundromat have hot female assassins who can turn invisible at will? Yeah, we thought so -- and if that is the case, you've got bigger problems to worry about. We'd suggest talking to a realtor. No, not the one who sold you the house in Assassintown.
Monday Night Combat update adds Cardboard Samurai outfit, All-Star ratings
Just because you weren't able to make the Bostonian pilgrimage for PAX East doesn't mean you'll be left out of the festivities entirely. Uber Entertainment has launched an update for the PC version of Monday Night Combat which unlocks a decidedly Penny-Arcadey outfit for the game's Assassin archetype: the garments of the honorable Cardboard Tube Samurai. There's also a new All-Star ranking system, which should let you know exactly how you stack up against the game's other frequent Bullseye-busters. Check out all the new features, as well as a trailer for the CTS outfit, posted after the jump!
What's in a Name: Uber Entertainment
Bob Berry is the CEO of Uber Entertainment, which launched its debut title, Monday Night Combat, on Xbox Live Arcade last August. Here's his story on the origin of his studio's name: "At least since the late 90s the term 'uber' has been thrown around in online gaming communities. It's always meant 'powerful,' 'over-powered,' or just 'awesome.' It so happens that I was playing a good deal of Team Fortress 2 in the fall of 2007 when Uber Entertainment was conceived. 'Uber' was the perfect word to reflect many aspects of our business. It spoke to the kinds of games we would make, the fans we would connect with, and it would embody our general philosophy of hiring great people. The goal was to create a company that was indeed 'Uber.' "The company was born of a desire to make games differently. A fundamental part of this philosophy is our 'whiteboxing' process (there are many terms for it), whereby we create our core gameplay and do the majority of our iteration with placeholder art assets. The core team that was assembled shared the same philosophy and vision for making games. One such person was our art director Chandana 'Eka' Ekanayake, who took it upon himself to embody this philosophy in our company logo. The abstract man holding up the giant white box in an Atlas-like pose represents both our development philosophy and the Uber nature of the people that are the company." Uber's Monday Night Combat is currently available from the Xbox Live Marketplace for $15. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
Monday Night Combat receives 'Steamy Valentine' update
There are two distinctly wonderful things included in Uber Entertainment's latest patch for the PC version of Monday Night Combat -- appropriately titled the "Steamy Valentine" update. The first is a cornucopia of Valentine's Day-related new content, including some lovey-dovey character skins, a pink paint job for the game's much abused mascot, and a "Rose Petal Death Effect" for anyone who gets got while wearing the new Valentine's gear. Check out all the new additions and fixes after the jump. Also posted after the jump is the second of the update's big surprises: A music video, in which Bullseye professes his undying love for Pit Girl in the smoothest fashion imaginable. It is not to be missed under any circumstances.
Monday Night Combat PC launched; includes TF2 crossover, 'Juice Bot'
Monday Night Combat is embracing its PC launch with Team Fortress 2 crossover apparel and an homage to Penny Arcade. Uber has announced that purchases made by February 1 will grant access to crossover costumes from (and in) Team Fortress 2 and Monday Night Combat. The PC version of MNC will also feature "Juicebot," a familiar robot who will share time with the game's regular big-headed Mascot and provide extra Juice upgrades and money to players. Of course, "Juicebot" is based on Penny Arcade's Fruit F*cker, a character which featured prominently in the defunct Penny Arcade Adventures games. The PC debut trailer featuring the costumes and robotic produce-molester can be found after the break.
Bacon your pardon: Monday Night Combat PC release delayed a week
We know PC gamers are itching to get their hands dirty in Monday Night Combat's neverending struggle between man, woman, machine and mascot -- but they're going to have to wait just a little longer. Uber Entertainment art director Chandana Ekanayake recently posted on the Steam forums to inform users that the game's January 17 release date had magically transformed into a January 24 release date. Ekanayake chalked the delay up to a desire to ensure "a solid launch with more bug fixes and more time to polish as well as add some new content." That all sounds good, but out of principle, we're going to stay mad at Uber Entertainment for exactly 10 minutes, starting ... right now. [Thanks, Steve!]
Monday Night Combat reduced to half price on Xbox Live Arcade
Uber Entertainment's über entertaining Monday Night Combat is on sale today for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), 50 percent off the regular price. If you decide to grab the inventive multiplayer shooter, don't forget to download the free "Spunky Cola Special" DLC, which adds more maps, more bacon, all-star leveling, protags and ... churros! Monday Night Combat is currently in beta for PC, with an official launch date of Monday, January 17. When it launches, you'll have to shake $15 out of your moneyball. We'll watch. %Gallery-106197%
Monday Night Combat's Steam beta live
Want to get in on the Steam version of Monday Night Combat before its first official "Monday Night" -- specifically, Monday, January 17, the release date? If you pre-purchase the arena shooter on Steam now, you can play it on Steam now: the beta is now live, and open to anyone who buys it before release. Remember, when you play a beta, you're not just having fun: you also bear a Sacred Duty to help make the game better. Anyone who played the XBLA version at launch would tell you to be really thorough with your testing.
Monday Night Combat brings home the bacon to Steam next month
Much like that super precious emotion we call "love," Monday Night Combat is something that becomes exponentially better as the number of people who share it increases. That being said, we can't wait to see what this announcement does to the class-based shooter's player base: On January 17, Monday Night Combat will make its way to the PC, arriving on the Steam marketplace for $14.99. Given the popularity of fellow class-based shooter Team Fortress 2 among Steam users, Uber Entertainment's shiny Summer of Arcade gem should be well-received at its new home. If it sounds like the kind of thing you could get into, you might want to consider pre-ordering -- it'll knock 10 percent off the price of the game, and give you early access to the beta whenever it goes live. Check out the simply delightful announcement trailer posted after the jump for more details on the game's PC version.
Monday Night Combat's free 'Spunky Cola Special' DLC out tomorrow
If you still spend a majority of your evenings on the colorful, brutal battlefields of Monday Night Combat, you should brace yourself for the extremely imminent addition of two new areas for you to cover in blood, money and bacon. The "Spunky Cola Special" DLC pack will arrive on XBLA tomorrow, adding the titular Spunky Cola Arena for the game's competitive Crossfire mode, and the Survivitol Arena for the co-operative Blitz mode. Best of all, unlike the game's catalog of upgrades and turrets, the new content will be absolutely free of charge. Check out a trailer for the "Spunky" pack, as well as a full list of the new modes, gameplay options and class changes therein, just past the jump. There's a lot to read, but make sure your eyes don't absentmindedly pass over the announcement about the new Churros power-up without taking a moment to appreciate how breathtaking said announcement really is.
