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Breach and Clear: Deadline brings tactical thinking to zombie slaughter
A zombie apocalypse is no excuse for sloppy tactics. That's the thinking behind Breach and Clear: Deadline, an undead twist on the top-down strategy genre and offshoot of the iOS/Android game Breach and Clear. In Deadline, ransacked interiors and mangled streets are home to various forms of infected; parasitic worms capable of "hyper-evolution" have invaded the soft, squishy bodies of the former humans that once lived here. Okay, so they're not technically undead zombies, but the upside is that Mighty Rabbit is using the hyper-evolving worms as justification for a new campaign, a wide variety of enemies and a fresh gameplay experience.
How to make top down horror like Noct scary? Ditch zombies
Noct, a new survival horror shooter by Chris Eskins, shouldn't be scary. Outwardly simplistic, Noct borrows the top down perspective of Devolver label-mate Hotline Miami as well 360-degree style shooting but ditches the color and detail. Dark, drab, and obscure, the black and white action is filtered through the ambient light of satellite night vision. Your blob of a character so easily killed is glimpsed through snaky sharp brambles and wandering down empty streets and detail-less warehouses. Noct should feel isolating but not scary. It's too distant, both in fidelity and in action. Yet it got me to yell, "Nope!" just like its characters do before they're run down by the blurry outline of a giant arachnid or wandering, ravenous, ill-defined bovine beast.
'Just pirate it,' Hotline Miami 2 dev tells Australian fan
While most developers are staunch opponents of piracy, Hotline Miami 2 designer Jonatan Söderström recently encouraged one Australian fan to pirate the game if censors keep it from his local retailers. Following the Australian Classification Board's recent decision to withhold a rating from Hotline Miami 2 (effectively banning the game from the country), designer Jonatan Söderström was asked by an eager Australian fan how he might obtain a copy. The fan even offered to send money directly to the developer. Söderström politely turned down the offer, instead telling the fan, "If it ends up not being released in Australia, just pirate it after release." Söderström's response was posted to Reddit where it was immediately cheered, though some questioned its authenticity. At least until Fork Parker, fictional CFO (yet very real mouthpiece) of Hotline Miami 2 publisher Devolver Digital, confirmed the events in question with a succinct, "That was him." [Image: Devolver Digital]
Hear a new song from Hotline Miami 2's soundtrack
Dennaton Games' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has quite the name to live up to; the developer's original 2012 twin stick shooter of the same name is well-regarded for its musical tastes alone. While we've spun Hotline Miami's soundtrack on Steam many times, electronic music artist Magic Sword recently provided a new jam to listen to called "The Way Home," and it happens to be part of Hotline Miami 2's soundtrack. Head past the break to hear the song, courtesy of Magic Sword's SoundCloud page. Magic Sword told The Guardian that the musical duo was "excited to get involved with the sequel" by providing music for the game. "Hotline Miami has a lot in common with 80s movies like Thief and Blade Runner," the group said. "Movies like that and their synth-heavy soundtracks have always been big inspirations for us." Those that really dig the series' tunes can pick up a special collector's edition of Hotline Miami 2 that includes the games's soundtrack on vinyl, featuring music from artists such as El Huervo and Jasper Byrne. Following its October delay, Hotline Miami 2 is expected to launch early this year. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Best of the Rest: Jessica's picks of 2014
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. Threes Threes is ingenious. Its simplistic presentation belies beautiful, thoughtful design and butter-smooth mechanics. Threes isn't a matter of "less is more," it's fully encapsulated and pushed to the limits of what it intends to do, providing hours upon hours of repeated gameplay on that four-by-four tiled screen. On top of the brain-teasing numbers game, writer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend and composer Jimmy Hinson infuse Threes with personality, giving the numbers voices and faces, and tipping Threes from "Fun" to "Absolutely adorable. And, of course, fun."
The Talos Principle traps pirates in an elevator
Claustrophobic pirates, beware: Anyone who illegally downloads The Talos Principle will be trapped in an elevator early in the game, with no way to progress. Developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital tweeted links to a NeoGAF thread featuring a screencap of a post titled "Elevator doesn't work!" on The Talos Principle's Steam forum. The first response to the thread reads, "Congratulations you must be the first one to show to the internet world what Croteam did this time to punish pirates :) You should be proud of yourself, it will be all over the internet in about 30 minutes I'd say." Well played, @Croteam. Well played. http://t.co/jHO3BiQoPN pic.twitter.com/UYfYXPlbrH - Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) December 28, 2014 Croteam previously deterred pirates from fully enjoying Serious Sam 3: BFE with an immortal, speedy, rifle-wielding, giant scorpion. The elevator trick, while more subtle, appears to be similarly effective. We discussed The Talos Principle's surprisingly emotive philosophy on episode 126 of the Super Joystiq Podcast. [Image: Devolver Digital]
I only play Hotline Miami 2 on vinyl
There's this game coming out called Hotline Miami 2. You probably haven't heard of it. Anyway, I found out you can get this sweet collector's edition with the soundtrack on vinyl. It's, like, sixty bucks and comes with three discs – all of them 180 gram, colored vinyl, of course – and it features 28 different tracks from the game. You also get a Steam download code for the game, printed on a special "phone card," which is, like, what old people used before smartphones or something. You probably haven't pre-ordered it yet. I mean, I heard about it months ago, but it's cool if you like it now, or whatever. [image: Devolver Digital]
Devolver serves up Fork Parker's Holiday Profit Hike for free on Steam
If the ongoing Steam Holiday Sale has you strapped for cash, Devolver Digital's faux CFO Fork Parker wants to cut you a deal in Fork Parker's Holiday Profit Hike, a freeware platformer released today on Steam. Developed by Enter the Gungeon creator Dodge Roll Games, Holiday Profit Hike is a vertically scrolling action game that blends gameplay mechanics from Nintendo's Ice Climber and the classic arcade game Roc'n Rope. Players ascend an icy mountain using an infinite supply of ropes and pulleys, grabbing any cash they find along the way to fill Parker's pocketbook. Be careful, though -- the climb is perilous, and each death deducts cash from Parker's savings to cover medical costs. It's a short game (there's an achievement for players who can climb the mountain in under 12 minutes), but the platforming within is surprisingly complex, and it'll take you a while to fully grasp how the rope mechanics work. Good luck, and try not to bankrupt Devolver Digital. Think of the indies! [Image: Devolver Digital)
Hatoful Boyfriend released from its cage: PS4, Vita in 2015
Finally, you can go to the park and feed the pigeons while simultaneously dating a handful of pigeons and discovering their bird-brained plot to overtake the world and enslave humanity. Finally. Pigeon-dating simulator Hatoful Boyfriend is due out on PS4 and Vita in early 2015 from Devolver Digital and Mediatonic. It'll be $10 (£7 /€8), and "a launch party is currently being planned in front of a bench in Central Park with a bar serving a range of high-end breadcrumbs," according to the press release. The PC version of Hatoful Boyfriend launched in September, based on the visual novel by Hato Moa. "I never dreamt when I first made Hatoful Boyfriend I'd see it on PlayStation," Moa says. "Thanks to the amazing fans and Mediatonic, I hope now even more people will discover pigeon love. All you need is dove." Hatoful Boyfriend is a surprisingly deep game about dating pigeons – yes, you really date pigeons – and uncovering the dark secrets of a new avian world. Our review describes the drop as follows: "The larger narrative kicks in and everything is suddenly colored with an awareness that something has gone horribly awry." For those just diving in, make sure to play through all of your pigeon-suitor options. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Crossing Souls: 80s RPG about friendship, death and adventure
Call 2014 the Year of the Souls: Titan Souls, Wayward Souls, Dark Souls 2 and now coming from Devolver Digital and Fourattic, Crossing Souls, an action-adventure RPG with hints of neon and 1980s nostalgia. Crossing Souls stars five friends who discover an ancient relic that allows them to interact with the world of the dead, calling forth people and things from the past while they accidentally embark on a truly epic quest. Watch to the end of the trailer to see just how epic this thing may get. The cutscenes in Crossing Souls are done up in the trailer's retro cartoon style, while gameplay is pixelated and action-packed. The Fourattic team wants to reignite the magical feeling of 80s entertainment found in Teen Wolf, Weird Science, Back to the Future and ET. "With Crossing Souls the team want to revive those childhood feelings," Fourattic writes. "Those adventures that could happen to anyone. We want to develop a funny and profound game, with a great plot that can make the player remember those times with a bit of nostalgia: more than one has used a towel as a cape, a broomstick as a sword or have had a hidden cabin." Fourattic has launched a Kickstarter for Crossing Souls, seeking $45,000 to finish the game for PC, Mac and Linux by 2015. The game will be available on Steam, Humble and GOG.
Test your machine's, brain's aptitude at The Talos Principle
The Talos Principle, next month's cryptic puzzler from Serious Sam series creator Croteam, can now be sampled on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam. The sort-of beta includes "four increasingly difficult complete puzzle levels" as well as a benchmarking bot to test your build's capability of running the game. We suppose that in a way, the puzzles are also a benchmarking tool to see whether your brain can run The Talos Principle, or if its attempt will simply result in a melted, confused pile of goop. An additional taste of The Talos Principle can be had by downloading Sigils of Elohim on iOS, Android, or on PC, Mac or Linux through Steam. Sigils of Elohim offers sets of one puzzle type that's found throughout The Talos Principle, which tests organizational skills that were likely earned by any Tetris player. Senior Reporter Jess Conditt conquered a few of The Talos Principle's obstacles on video during her tour of publisher Devolver Digital's booth at Gamescom 2014. Those punishing bosses in Titan Souls though ... not so much. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Joystiq Weekly: Mordor's photo mode, The Evil Within review, Devolver's appeal and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. As the Smash Bros. and Halo series have taught us, stopping the action to play around with in-game cameras can be oddly compelling (and gleefully annoying to rivals/co-op partners). If The Last Of Us: Remastered and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's inclusion of similar features are the start of a trend, we'd welcome it with open shutter arms. Repositioning the camera for the perfect shot of an epic summon in Final Fantasy 15? Showcasing the full scope of a crazy moment in the time-defying Quantum Break? Yes please! There was plenty more to this week than snapping photos of an orc squadron's downfall though – Halo: The Master Chief Collection is expected to have a ~20GB day one patch, there were reviews for The Evil Within, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Bayonetta 2, and we got a full-frame perspective of publisher Devolver Digital. Check all that out and more after the break!
For a good time, call Devolver
Founded in 2009 in Austin, Texas, Devolver Digital has gained a reputation for introducing the mainstream audience to games with undeniable personality that might have otherwise been overlooked. "When you read Twitter and you follow a bunch of game developers, it's easy to forget that most people outside of this bubble don't really know of many of the games that you hear about all the time. The concept of 'indie' games is still mostly unknown," Mark Foster of Titan Souls developer Acid Nerve told Joystiq. "Devolver kind of breaks out of the bubble and draws more attention to it – makes more people aware that these smaller budget games exist and that some of them are awesome."
Shadow Warrior takes a swipe at PS4, Xbox One on October 21
Following a short delay, publisher Devolver Digital has revealed that the gory ninja combat of Shadow Warrior will reach the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 21. For those unaware, Shadow Warrior was originally created as an offshoot of the crass humor of the Duke Nukem franchise. The original game, released in 1997, was essentially Duke Nukem 3D in a world of kung fu movie cliches and Asian stereotypes, and was largely overshadowed by other, more notable first-person shooters. More recently, while Duke Nukem was resurrected to resounding anger from fans and critics alike, Shadow Warrior was rebooted as a competent hybrid of first-person shooting and swordplay that maintained the low-brow humor of the original, while ditching its most egregiously dumb aspects and replacing them with copious arterial spray. Not just a remake of the 2013 PC release, this console iteration of Shadow Warrior also introduces a new Arena mode not unlike the fan-favorite Horde mode found in Gears of War, as well as a host of new unlockable content. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Joystiq Streams: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter blind play giveaway
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is weird. Really weird. So weird that it really has to be seen to be believed. While the Joystiq review certainly had fine things to say about it, Richard Mitchell's bold description of its unsettling strangeness has merely piqued our curiosity rather than sated it. Emboldened by resurrected forest mystery Twin Peaks, Vanishing's siren call is now irresistible. We will stream it together, blind and unknowing, ready for what may come. Starting at 4:00PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, we'll be streaming The Vanishing of Ethan Carter as Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) plays it for the first time. Apparently forest astronauts happen. Awesome. Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM) will be hanging out in the chat, offering moral support, and giving away Steam codes for Vanishing gratis. Joystiq.com/Twitch at 4:00PM EST, just like we do every Tuesday and Thursday. Chances are we'll be streaming some weirdness on Friday too! What will we be streaming? Follow us on Twitch to find out. [Images: The Astronauts]
Hotline Miami 2 dials D-E-L-A-Y for a launch by early 2015
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is now due out between late 2014 and early 2015, according to the game's official Twitter account. It was originally scheduled to launch by September 2014. "Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is still getting some final tweaks and polish, expected to be ready for late 2014 or early 2015," the tweet reads. A follow-up message says, "Your patience is appreciated and will ultimately be rewarded with everything you hoped for and nothing like what you expected." By "tweaks and polish," we assume developers at Dennaton Games mean "doubletaps and blood." Because it's a gory game, you see. Hotline Miami 2 has more of a 90s vibe, rather than the 80s action movie feel in the first game – and that violence may serve a deeper purpose this time around.
Joystiq Streams: If Hatoful Boyfriend is wrong, I don't want to be right
For many hours and days that pass ever soon the winds have caused the flame to dim At last the wing is straight, the talon to the loom Is this to end or just begin? All of my bird love, all of my bird love, Hatoful Boyfriend love to you. After four days of Destiny streaming, Joystiq is desperate for a palate cleanser. What better way to wash down the Dinklage than with a dating simulator about birds? Join us at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch for a session with Hatoful Boyfriend. Jess Conditt shows us the meaning of true bird love while Anthony John Agnello and Susan Arendt wonder just what the hell is going on. That's Joystiq.com/Twitch at 4PM EST! [Images: Devolver Digital]
Wang tough, 'small delay' to Shadow Warrior console ports
Shadow Warrior isn't slicing and dicing into consoles until October 24 in the UK, Bandai Namco revealed in a release schedule sent to Joystiq this morning. As VideoGamer reports, a statement from developer Flying Wild Hog suggests the delay to the PS4 and Xbox One ports is likely to be reflected stateside, while both Amazon and GameStop are now listing the US release for October 21. "Bringing Shadow Warrior to PS4 and XB1 has proven to be a challenge for us as we want to make sure the player experience is perfect," reads the statement to VideoGamer. "In play testing we have been focusing in on the controller inputs and response. We recognized that we needed more time to improve this as Shadow Warrior is an old school FPS and this demands perfection. Sadly this means a small delay in the release date, but Lo Wang needs to be at his best on these shiny new consoles."
Launch an attack on Titan Souls and die plenty in new gameplay trailer
Out in Q1 2015, PS4, Vita and Steam top-down death factory Titan Souls has a single task for you: defeat 20 bosses. Unfortunately, you only have one bow and one arrow. Oh, and just one hit point. To see why that ungodly formula could be fun, check out our preview. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Pigeon dating sim Hatoful Boyfriend delayed to September
Sorry lovebirds, but the pigeon of your dreams won't land until September. Hatoful Boyfriend, the world's finest (and, as far as we know, only) pigeon dating simulator has been delayed from August 21 to September 4. For those unaware, Hatoful Boyfriend is a largely typical Japanese dating sim, only in lieu of waifish teenagers, your prospective mates all happen to be pigeons. Common pigeons, tough pigeons, especially fancy pigeons - whatever sort of teenaged male archetype you'd typically be into is represented in pigeon form. This bizarre twist earned Hatoful Boyfriend a cult following, which eventually spawned an agreement to localize the game for English-language territories. Publisher Devolver Digital has offered no explanation for the delay, beyond a note that the game "needs a just a little more TLC before it's ready to hatch." Once this issue is cleared up, Hatoful Boyfriend will be available for PC, Mac and Linux. [Image: Devolver Digital]