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Costume Quest 2 dresses up on PS4, PS3 tonight
A follow-up to Double Fine's Halloween-themed adventure game Costume Quest makes its console debut tonight, publisher Midnight City announced. Costume Quest 2 once again finds twins Wren and Reynold dressing up in outlandish costumes as they take on enemies in turn-based combat. Our review praised Costume Quest 2's dialogue and humor while criticizing its "plodding, padded pacing," describing the overall experience as "often sweet, sometimes sour, and (for the most part) worth the occasional tummy ache." Costume Quest 2 will hit the PlayStation Network following tonight's PlayStation Store update, and will be priced at $14.99. [Image: Double Fine]
Costume Quest 2 drags Sackboy to PS4, PS3 next week
Double Fine's dress-up RPG Costume Quest 2 will launch on PS3 and PS4 next Tuesday, October 28, publisher Midnight City announced. The PlayStation versions of the game will also receive an exclusive Sackboy costume modeled after the hero of Media Molecule's popular platforming brand, LittleBigPlanet. The Sackboy costume will be available for free to PS4 and PS3 players as part of an update to the game. To unlock it, quest-goers must find four pieces of the costume tucked away in the game. While there's no set release date for the Sackboy update, it is expected to go live "in the coming weeks." Costume Quest 2 is already available to PC, Mac and Linux players via Steam for $14.99. No launch date has been announced for the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U versions as of yet. [Image: Midnight City]
Brutal Legend PC limited edition coming soon from IndieBox
Indie game distributor IndieBox revealed that it will soon ship a Limited Edition version of Double FIne's heavy metal action-RTS Brutal Legend to subscribers, celebrating the game's fifth anniversary and marking the first time its PC version has seen a physical release. Launched earlier this year, IndieBox ships out physical versions of standout indie games to subscribers on a monthly basis, bundling featured titles with exclusive bonus material. The contents of Brutal Legend's Limited Edition were not announced, and will not be revealed until the package hits subscriber mailboxes. Buyers can reserve a Limited Edition package for Brutal Legend by placing an order with IndieBox by 11:59 p.m. EST tonight. New subscribers can enter the promo code ROCKTOBER25 for a 25 percent discount. If you miss out on getting Brutal Legend via IndieBox's subscription service, standalone copies will be available soon at the company's official store. [Image: IndieBox]
Race the Sun, Escape Goat 2 on PSN next week, says PS Blogcast [update]
The PlayStation Blogcast often quietly slips out a surprise or two in its weekly rundown of new releases, and this week is no exception. According to the podcast, Race the Sun and Escape Goat 2 hit PSN in North America next week, which would pin them for October 21 release dates. There's been no other official word on that and Blogcast details have been off the mark before, so we've reached out to devs Flippfly and MagicalTimeBean to confirm. [Update: Sony confirmed Race the Sun indeed hits PSN in North America on October 21, priced $10. Flippfly's Aaron San Filippo told Joystiq the team's working on confirming the date for Europe, and the game will be available there at a roughly equivalent price.] [Update 2: MagicalTimeBean's Ian Stocker confirmed to Joystiq that Escape Goat 2 will also reach North America on October 21, and while its European launch is yet to be set in stone, Stocker notes it "won't be far behind."] Race the Sun is already confirmed as a cross-buy game for PS4, PS3 and Vita, meaning if you buy the game on one PS platform you get it for free on the others. Cross-save is also supported to carry scores across systems.
Joystiq Streams: No tricks, just treats with Costume Quest 2
Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care, I'll just ask you some weird question about Halloween and give you a free copy of Costume Quest 2, Double Fine's new RPG! Joystiq's already run its review of Costume Quest 2, but there's just something special about seeing that trick, treating, and turn-based battling in real time while adults wax nostalgic about their old costumes. Plus, as hinted at before, we're giving away a ton of free copies of the game while we play. Come 4:00PM EST, we'll play Costume Quest 2 live from the beginning on Joystiq.com/Twitch, giving away a copy of the game every six minutes. What do you do to get a copy of the game? Tune in to find out. No one will be forced to drink their Ovaltine. However, you might have to tell us how many Star Wars characters appear in the movie ET. Joystiq Streams broadcasts live every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, but as we did yesterday with Bayonetta 2, we regularly stream at odd times. Want to catch us? Follow us on Twitch. [Images: Double Fine]
Hack 'n' Slash changes its IndieCade 2014's Grand Jury Award variable to True
Hack 'n' Slash, Brandon Dillon and Double Fine's adventure that pushes players to solve problems via hacking and tweaking variables, has penetrated IndieCade 2014's databases to grant itself the Grand Jury Award. Indie Game Reviewer's recollection of the ceremony's winners notes additional victories, including the Twitch chat-driven Choice Chamber, which won the Technology Award, and the comic book-style noir adventure Framed, which won the Visual Design Award. Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Rock Band series creator Harmonix, was also awarded the Indiecade Trailblazer Award, with N++ earning the Special Recognition Award. Hack 'n' Slash follows 2013's Grand Jury Award winner, Quadrilateral Cowboy, which beat out Towerfall, Nidhogg, Gone Home and Kentucky Route Zero (all of which still earned alternative recognition). [Image: Double Fine]
Double Fine to exit Early Access, release full version of Spacebase DF-9
Double Fine announced that it will abandon its Steam Early Access plans for Spacebase DF-9, revealing that a finished version of its galactic life sim will launch next month. Spacebase DF-9's dev plans now focus on adding tutorials and in-game goals as the project nears a final release. The announcement scales back Spacebase DF-9's once-ambitious scope, which previously called for dozens of in-depth features to be added over a period of several months via Early Access. RPS notes that a full source code release will accompany the game's upcoming launch, essentially putting future additions in the hands of its playerbase. Spacebase DF-9 was initially pitched during an internal game jam in December of 2012 before entering Early Access late last year. [Image: Double Fine]
Hack 'n' Slash descends on Steam in its full glory
Hack 'n' Slash, Double Fine's pretty puzzle-action game, is now out in its full form on Steam, after a few months in Early Access. Hack 'n' Slash is a product of Double Fine's Amnesia Fortnight game-jam-style initiative, and it was first pitched back in 2012. "The Early Access community has been a huge help to the game as well; you all provided fantastic feedback and found really clever ways to break the game," project lead Brandon Dillon writes. "This game wouldn't have been possible without all of you."
Costume Quest 2 goes trick-or-treating with bigger worlds, goofier costumes
Double Fine's catalog is defined by eclectic variety, with its previous efforts ranging from alternate-history tower defense games to RTS-infused brawlers. To date, however, none of the studio's games has seen a sequel. What, then, made the Halloween-themed RPG Costume Quest a standout candidate for a follow-up?
Costume Quest 2 treats players to Oct. 7 launch on Steam
Costume Quest 2 launches on October 7 on Steam, with pre-orders live now and ripe for the picking – or tricking or treating. Pre-order the game across Mac, Linux and PC in two ways: Costume Quest 2 plus four classic costumes for $15, or pay $20 for the "Pre-Purchase Costume Quest 2 Bundle," which includes Costume Quest 2, Costume Quest, the Grubbins on Ice DLC and those four classic costumes. The four included costumes are the Robot, Unicorn, Eyeball and Pumpkin. Each costume comes with its signature ability, Double Fine says: "Mow through Kronys with the Robot's 'Missile Barage' or bring back KO'd friends with the Unicorn's 'My Pretty Panacea.' Pumpkin can devastate groups with an 'All Hallows Eve' wind attack, while the Eyeball unleashes tears of fury via the 'EYE-agra Falls' ability." This holiday season, Costume Quest 2 allows everyone to partake in the most sacred of all tasks: Saving Halloween. It's due out on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac and Linux, published by Midnight City and developed by Double Fine.
Burn, crush your jelly pals in Gang Beasts from Double Fine
Gang Beasts is a silly, brutal brawler starring four jelly-boned fighters in local co-op matches, and it's now getting publishing support from Double Fine. The game comes from three brothers at UK studio Boneloaf, and it combines ragdoll physics, environmental hazards and gummy-bear-style characters in four-player deathmatches. Gang Beasts is due out in a shiny new alpha version on Steam on August 29, Double Fine announced today. "The game is a local multiplayer brawler in the style of Streets of Rage or Double Dragon that allows you and your buddies to fight alongside each other and face off head to head," Double Fine said. "It's a jolly good time full of silly procedural animation and ragdoll physics that will no doubt insight giggles and guffaws." Gang Beasts tore up the Indie Megabooth at Gamescom last week, and next it's heading to PAX Prime (Double Fine booth No. 117) and Fantastic Arcade. [Image: Double Fine]
Grim Fandango remake also coming to PC, Mac and Linux
The remake of LucasArts' cult favorite adventure game Grim Fandango will also arrive on PC, Mac and Linux in addition to PS4 and Vita. Grim Fandango's resurgence was first revealed during Sony's E3 2014 press conference in June; the game is a console exclusive for the PlayStation platforms. Double Fine's remake came about thanks to some snooping on the behalf of Adam Boyes, PlayStation's VP of Publisher Relations. Boyes told Joystiq at E3 that Double Fine head Tim Schafer caught him nosing around the studio's older intellectual properties, which sparked a conversation between the two about bringing Grim Fandango back from the dead. [Image: Double Fine]
Double Fine's publishing program moves a Mountain to PC, iOS
The next game to launch courtesy of Double Fine's publishing program is Mountain, an artistic simulation game that's now available on PC, Mac, Linux via the game's site and iOS for $1. Developed by filmmaker David O'Reilly, Mountain has players answer three "questions" in the form of single words with drawings, then the game generates a mountain with the drawings on it. The mountain changes as the omniscient players tap out music on their keyboards, watching weather cycles pass and, as the developer puts it, seeing nature "expressing itself." Double Fine began its publishing initiative with Escape Goat 2 in March, providing "promotional assistance and distribution" for the game. It then assisted developer Sam Farmer with sci-fi noir adventure game Last Life in April, which earned $103,058 on Kickstarter in the next month. We had an opportunity to check out Mountain at the Horizon conference at E3 along with other games like Metamorphabet, Gnah and Night in the Woods. [Image: David O'Reilly]
Snooping brought Grim Fandango to PS4 & Vita
One of the most pleasant surprises at E3 2014 was the announcement that LucasArts' beloved adventure game Grim Fandango is coming to PS4 and Vita. How did it happen? PlayStation VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes explains it all came about when the game's original project leader, Tim Schafer, caught him snooping around the (intellectual) property. Grim Fandango's resurrection is being helmed by Sony's third-party production team and developer Double Fine, maker of other fine adventure-based products. No timeframe for the remastered game's release has been announced, but we can confirm that it's not soon enough.
Broken Age delivers a classic adventure to iPad owners
If your iPad is sorely lacking in classically-styled adventure games from the man who spent the 1990s defining what that term means, you'll be pleased to learn that Double Fine's Broken Age is now available on Apple's svelte tablet. Like all adventure games that list Tim Schafer in the credits, Broken Age is an off-kilter adventure, full of humor that oscillates between obscenely clever and gleefully childish. Our four of five stars review slights the game for an overall lack of difficulty, but that only serves to move along an engrossing story, which only disappoints when it draws to a close. Unfortunately, that conclusion comes quickly as the iPad currently hosts only Act 1 of Broken Age. Act 2 has yet to appear on any platform, but Double Fine claims that, once available, owners of Act 1 will be able to pick up the second part of the story as an in-app download. There's no price point established for Act 2, but Act 1 will set you back $10 in the iTunes App Store. [Image: Double Fine Productions]
The best costume in Costume Quest 2 is also the most useless
Costume Quest 2 is Double Fine's first sequel, and the one that, according to Greg Rice, was "probably the most requested besides Psychonauts." What fans wanted was more of the same, and that's what they're getting, right down to Reynold's Candy Corn costume, which was how the whole mess got started in the first Costume Quest. It wasn't a usable costume then, but it is now. A completely useless, utterly awesome costume. The gimmick for the turn-based combat in Costume Quest 2 is that the trick-or-treating heroes can swap out Halloween costumes, thus granting themselves different attacks. The clown, for example, has a special move called Laughter Is the Best Medicine which heals the party, while the superhero costume comes with devastating uppercuts. The candy corn ... sits there. (It's just a big piece of candy corn, what did you really expect it to do?) It's a hilarious running gag in combat, noted each turn by phrases like "Candy corn is doing calculations" and "Candy corn chooses not to participate."
Massive Chalice runneth over onto Xbox One
Massive Chalice, Double Fine's turn-based strategy game, is coming to Xbox One as a console exclusive in early 2015. The added Xbox One launch will not impact the game's scheduled PC release – for Kickstarter backers first. "We thought we'd kick out a quick update to clear up any confusion that this might cause," Double Fine writes in a Kickstarter update. "Nothing has changed with our plans to bring Massive Chalice to the PC and to make it available for our backers first. YEAH! During this time we'll be porting the game to the Xbox One."
Grim Fandango resurrected for PS4, Vita [Update: trailer]
Double Fine will bring its cult classic adventure game Grim Fandango back from the dead for PS4 and Vita, Sony announced during its E3 2014 press conference today. The remastered game is exclusive to the PlayStation platforms.
Costume Quest 2 knocking on current-gen, last-gen doors
Double Fine released the first screenshots of Costume Quest 2 this week, and the studio also revealed the platforms it's questing on. The sweet-toothed sequel is officially coming to PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, Windows PC, Mac and Linux "in time for Halloween." Costume Quest 2 features the return of twins Wren and Reynold trick-or-treating through a suburb - albeit a very different-looking one this time around - and doing battle once more in fantastical RPG fights. That means there'll be more costumes to power up the combat, which Double Fine founder Tim Schafer told IGN will be "deeper and juicier" in the sequel. [Image: Double Fine]
Double Fine's Broken Age now on Ouya
Double Fine's adventure game Broken Age is now available on the Ouya microconsole, bringing two of Kickstarter's highest-earning gaming projects together at last in holy crowdfunded union. Broken Age earned over $3.3 million when it turned to Kickstarter's crowdfunding platform for support, later expanding its scope for a split release. The Ouya met with similar success, earning more than $8.5 million by the end of its Kickstarter campaign. Broken Age backers who pledged $15 or more toward the project will receive a free code for the Ouya version via the Humble Store. [Image: Double Fine]
