Bastion
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Bastion's canceled feature: 'Find a shoe? Plant it.'
Supergiant Games spent one year working on a "rich gardening feature" for Bastion that the entire team was "really excited about," but was eventually cut from the game, designer Amir Rao said at GDC. The final version of Bastion demonstrates the team's obsession with plants, but gardening itself was set to play a pivotal role in exploration and players' overall sense of accomplishment, Rao said, breaking it down into four functions: Players would find seeds for story items and worlds Planters on the Bastion would open up gradually, limiting how many seeds could be planted Plants would be watered with blue "cores" They would sprout and the fruit would offer its item, world, etc.Gardening in Bastion faced a slew of problems, but mostly the seeds had no aesthetic connection to the final plant -- "What does a 'hammer plant' look like?" Rao asked -- and Supergiant eventually realized that they were solving the wrong problem. What Bastion really needed was a menu.
Skyrim takes top honors at NY Video Game Critics Circle Awards
You'd have to be a fus-ro-dummy to think that Skyrim would be through with receiving accolades. At last night's New York Video Game Critics Circle Awards, the Bethesda Game Studios-developed RPG took home yet one more, earning the "Big Apple Award for Best Game" as decided by a cabal of NY-based game journos from various outlets.Other winners include two apiece for Bastion and Portal 2, portable love for Super Mario 3D Land and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, and explosive nods to both Crysis 2 and Saints Row: The Third. Harold Goldberg's "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" took home the "Algonquin Roundtable Award for Best Book" and Sony's "Michael" commercial won the "Mad Men Award," mysteriously beating out Robin Williams' luxurious beard. Frankly, we were baffled. The full list of winners can be found below the break.
Bastion down to $7.50 on Xbox Live this week
Lest you haven't bought Bastion yet, a title that made number five in Joystiq's prestigious 2011 top ten, this just might be the week to do it. The game is available for $7.50 this week on Xbox Live, half the usual price. We think Rucks would agree when we say it's a heckuva deal.
How a physical copy of Bastion wound up in Afghanistan
"He told me they had no plans of releasing a physical copy in the future, but if I gave him my address then he would see what he could do," one lucky Reddit user and Afghanistan-stationed United States Air Force officer wrote on the social news site earlier today. User "bolivar-shagnasty" was speaking about Supergiant's multi-award winning Bastion -- a game only available digitally for both Xbox 360 and PC.But "shagnasty's" internet connection while stationed in Afghanistan is ... let's call it less than ideal. "My internet connection is disgustingly slow and it costs so much that it seems like price gouging," he wrote. And despite his best efforts to snag Bastion via both Direct2Drive and Steam, he was rebuffed at both stops. Rather than give up, however, he decided to shoot an email to Supergiant and see if the studio had plans to release a retail version of the game at some point.Supergiant isn't a big studio by any means. Beyond creative director Greg Kasavin, six other folks can refer to themselves as full-time Supergiant-ers. So when the Air Force officer emailed what he expected to be customer support, he actually got a direct response from the aforementioned studio head, Greg Kasavin.
LA Noire deals on XBLM this week, Bastion deal and Rhythm Party next week
A month after the last half-off deal for Bastion on XBLA, Microsoft is offering the discount again. If you happened to miss out on our #5 game of 2011, you can pick it up for 600 Microsoft Points from January 31 through February 6. If you're eager to spend money this week, all LA Noire DLC is half off on the Xbox Live Marketplace through January 30.Upcoming XBLA releases include Puddle and Quarrel this week, and a new Kinect dance game from Konami's DanceMasters team on Feb. 1. You can see Rhythm Party above, in the moment before you're struck blind.
First annual NY Game Critics Circle Awards tickets are now available (and free!)
For the low, low cost of absolutely nothing, you can attend the first annual New York Game Critics Circle Awards here in New York City on February 2. But perhaps a free ticket to hang out with a bunch of NYC-based game journos isn't that exciting -- we totally understand. And that's why we're bringing Bastion songsmiths Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett into the mix, who will be performing songs from the award-winning game live throughout the show. Going on that theme, we figured that you'd rather hear Bastion's narrator emceeing the proceedings than our best attempts at outside voices, so Logan Cunningham will be in charge of the proceedings. Beyond the trio of Bastion stars, award presenters like legendary animator Bill Plympton and Emmy award winner Dan Radosh will be gracing the stage, bolstered by members of the Critics Circle as well. Seating is limited, so if you'd like to attend, be sure to RSVP right here!
The GDCA 2011 nominations look strangely familiar
Lads, get your polite-clapping gloves ready, and shine your pearls, ladies -- finalists have been named for the Game Developers Choice Awards, and this year boasts quite the lineup. Valve, Bethesda and Supergiant Games have five nominations each for Portal 2, Skyrim and Bastion, respectively (and respectfully). Supergiant is nominated for Best Debut, alongside Team Bondi for L.A. Noire and BioWare Austin for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Portal 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dark Souls are nominated for Game of the Year. The awards ceremony will be held on March 7. We're not going to say that the GDCA stole their entire list of nominees from a super-cool and highly regarded gaming website, but it does look familiar:
Bastion musicians provide today's musical interlude
In honor of Bastion earning a spot on Joystiq's Top 10 list, composer Darren Korb and singer Ashley Barrett gave an impromptu live performance of "Build That Wall" and "Setting Sail, Coming Home" in Supergiant's studio. Well, officially it was done just because they both happened to be around together, and the performance was recorded before we announced the award, but we're pretty sure it's because of our thing.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2011: Bastion
The Kid sat down to write about Bastion, his mind empty like a soldier's wallet. Where to begin? What to say? The game wasn't a blockbuster production, but it was beautiful and expertly executed, and an epic concept delivered by a team that knew its limitations. When there isn't an army of artists, engineers, writers and coders to impress those critical gasbags, you put your vision on display. Bastion's dynamic narration is to be the game's long-lasting cultural hook. A smooth and comforting voice relays events, but doesn't stop at exposition. There was very little the narrator didn't have a comment for, be it weapon combinations or that moment the kid simply starts smashing everything in sight. Much like "Still Alive" did double duty as Portal's end and as its revelation, Bastion takes a similar opportunity in its credits to deliver the haunting "Setting Sail, Coming Home." A combination of themes that become familiar to players through the game, the song delivered the type of emotional conclusion that even the best cutscenes rarely offer.
Steam has that game you didn't buy during the Holiday Sale on sale again
The final day of the Steam Holiday Sale has embraced us, our families and the sad pile of change left in our gift funds. Today is "Encore Day," where Steam offers the biggest deals of the entire sale one more time, including Skyrim at 33 percent off, Bastion at 66 percent off, Batman: Arkham City at 50 percent off, and tons more. This is really a very clever strategy. Face it -- you've been haunted by that one game you resisted buying over the past week; that one time you said, "No, Steam, this is my money!" has been burned into your psyche as you imagine the joy you could have had at a reasonable price during these cold winter months. And now it's back. You have a second chance to own that game. Go. Go, and be at peace with your Steam Sale. You are forgiven.
The kid succeeds: Bastion sales exceed 500K
It's been a critical success and now developer Supergiant Games has revealed Bastion is also a commercial success. The recent Steam and Xbox Live Arcade sales helped to push Bastion over that 500,000 mark, the developer's blog states. "When we set out to make Bastion, a sales number like that seemed astronomical to us, so it feels great to have hit that mark," creative director (and Bastion writer) Greg Kasavin said. "It goes to show that a lot of folks out there like what we're doing and want us to keep going, which is great, because we intend to stick together as a team and do just that." Considering the universal praise for the studio's first game, we can all agree that's a very good thing.
Portal 2 crowned best game of 2011 by the Associated Press
The AP has unleashed its list of top ten games this year and ... it's a pretty competent list. Not only did Bastion make the cut, but so did Rayman Origins and, as you may have guessed from the headline to this very post, Portal 2. Valve's game took top honors, followed by Skyrim and then Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Rounding out the top five are Bastion and Rocksteady's sequel, Batman: Arkham City. In a year so full of great games, we envy AP's finished list -- for us, the work of choosing our favorite games of 2011 is only about to begin.
12 days of Xbox Deals promo opens with 50% off Bastion
The year is winding down, which means it's time once again for a killer Xbox Live sale. Microsoft will be offering special daily discounts over the next twelve days, starting today with Bastion for only $7.50. The deal is only available today, so act fast if you're looking to whale on some gas bags, and keep your eye on Major Nelson's Twitter for more daily deals. Beyond the daily deals, there's also a handful of offers available until January 2. You'll find 50 percent discounts on a number of Xbox Live Arcade games, including Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Renegade Ops, BloodRayne: Betrayal and more. You can also grab the LA Noire season pass for $6 or, if you really want to, snag some cheap Avatar gear. Head over to Major Nelson for the full list of deals.
Google's Native Client focuses on apps and games, brings Bastion to the browser (video)
In case you missed it, Google's Native Client launched at the end of the summer, promising to ease cross-OS deployment by letting developers run x86 code natively in Chrome. Early adopters have had a few months to tinker with Google's new trick, and now the outfit is eager to show off their best work. Supergiant Games, for instance, has ported Bastion to the Native Client, opening up the Xbox Live hit to Mac, Linux and Chrome OS users. Google's Christian Stefansen says Native Client makes porting existing code bases written C, C++ or C# easy, citing Spacetime Studio's Star Legends -- an MMO with over half a million lines of code -- as an example of a large project that was ported in as little as two weeks. Google touts application middleware ports (such as Unity, Moai, Mono, fmod and more) and easy distribution to the Chrome Web Store as a major boon to developers, and encourages interested studios to check out its new Native Client site to help them get started. Interested? Hit up the links below, or simply skip past the break to hear Mr. Stefansen's spiel for yourself.
Stranger's Dream is the last planned Bastion DLC
Supergiant Games' creative director Greg Kasavin made his way down the red carpet at yesterday's Spike Video Game Awards, and stopped to speak with Joystiq about releasing the excellent Bastion on the Google Chrome browser platform. "It was an interesting project from a bunch of different angles," he said. "We were very curious about it technologically, because I'll be the first to admit that as a game player, I have certain preconceptions about what browser-based gaming is like." The whole project took about two months to make, and the team was uncertain they'd match the console version in quality, despite assurances from Google. "We were skeptical, but we got it up and running and we were like whoa, this actually works." The company is also planning on releasing a pack of DLC called "The Stranger's Dream" next week that will take players through another Who Knows Where sequence about the Rucks character. When asked if there will be more DLC after that, Kasavin gave a flat "no," but he's not so clear about whether this is the end of Bastion for good: "We don't know that for sure, but it's the end of our plans." So what's Supergiant up to next, then? "We have a bunch of little things brewing and whatnot," Kasavin promises. As for platforms or genres, however, he told us that "it's too early to say."
Bastion gets The Stranger's Dream DLC next week, $0 on PC, $1 on XBLA
It looks like the folks at Supergiant Games are really getting into the holiday spirit. As "a show of thanks" to their fans, the Bastion devs are releasing The Stranger's Dream DLC on December 14, "a new fully narrated Who Knows Where sequence, bigger and more challenging than the others. You'll gain a bit more insight into Rucks' backstory as well as the history of Caelondia if you can survive this fight." In addition to that Who Knows Where sequence – think challenge arena, if you haven't played Bastion yet – this DLC pack will enable a "Score Attack Mode" in which your combat performance is evaluated in each level, and a "No-Sweat Mode" so those of you who really stink at video games can still enjoy the narrative and aesthetic experience of playing Bastion. The catch: To access The Stranger's Dream and Score Attack Mode, you'll need to finish the game at least once; fortunately, No-Sweat Mode can help you make short work of that challenge. The other catch: Though the update will be available for free for PC, via Steam, the Google Chrome version, or other online vendors, the Xbox Live Arcade version needs to cost something. That's Microsoft's policy, holidays be damned. So Supergiant has priced this DLC at just 80 Microsoft Points or, as you and I may call it, $1. Supergiant's Greg Kasavin said that price is "about as close as we could get" while following Microsoft's policy. We appreciate that.
Play Bastion in your Chrome browser right now
Google's new "Native Client" tech lets developers compile high-end programs to run directly in a Chrome browser window. One of the first companies to take advantage of this is Supergiant Games, who has released its PC/XBLA hit Bastion to the Chrome Web Store. If you're running Chrome, and you meet the system requirements, trying out the new version is as simple as opening that link and hitting "Launch App." If it works well for you, you can purchase it for $14.99 and take your saved progress to any Chrome browser on any computer you happen to use. It worked pretty well for us -- on a Mac!
Steam daily deal: Bastion for $5
I can tell you, I've wandered this world for a while, but I ain't ever seen nothin' like what I saw today. There was the Kid, runnin' about, popping Squirts and introducing Gas Fellas to the business end of a Cael Hammer. Only it wasn't the Kid. Not really. It was some sort of electric facsimile, a collection of dots, like moving grains of sand on a pane. I don't rightly know how it works. Zia tells me it's a "video game," an invention the Ura dreamed up years ago, and this one is about the Kid's adventures rebuildin' the Bastion. I saw her pull the game from the ether, funneling it into a machine via some Steam powered contraption. As if that wasn't enough to jumble this old man's marbles, she told me the wondrous thing only set her back five dollars. Now, what exactly a dollar is, that she couldn't say.
Supergiant Games opens online store
The Kid needs coin, he's got a whole world to rebuild. Bastion developer Supergiant Games recently launched its online store, featuring merchandise related derived from its summer standout. There's the soundtrack for ears, the limited edition "Kid vs. Scumbag" print for eyes, and the Bastion bandana and t-shirt to cover one's naked shame. For those with the cash to spare, the Bastion Collector's Bundle includes a mess of goodies, along with a copy of the previously mentioned "Kid vs. Scumbag" print autographed by all seven of the Supergiant Games team. They mention that since Bastion launched, they've received a ton of requests for different kinds of game-related merchandise, but would rather "release a smaller number of high quality items over time than try to do everything at once." But, Supergiant, imagine all the cash you could make off white wigs, face bandages and hand wraps!
A wedding as told by Bastion's narrator
We're not sure what's more unlikely, the prospect of a Bastion themed wedding, or that Supergiant Games would actually record lines of dialogue exclusively for the ceremony. And yet, it turns out both things actually happened, as one Jay Greschner managed to get his wedding narrated by Rucks himself, Logan Cunningham. The lines were written by Supergiant's Greg Kasavin and recorded by Cunningham. According to Greschner, the surprise "floored" his bride as her wedding was narrated in real time with lines like "You ain't likely to find a nicer couple than Mr. and Mrs. Greschner." Of course, reading the lines is nothing compared to hearing them. Head over to Ars Technica for the full experience.
