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The Cave unearths some environmental screenshots
Double Fine's adventure platformer The Cave is destined for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U in 2013, and will probably look a lot like these screens, which popped up on All Games Beta.These new shots show off what looks to be a cave (gasp) and several other environments (spoiler warning goes here). The Cave, from adventure veteran Ron Gilbert, has a ragtag group of travelers running around a mysterious talking cavern, three at a time. Different combinations of characters unlock different aspects of the game, perhaps including some of these pictured areas.%Gallery-164293%
Ron Gilbert's platformer / adventure game 'The Cave' also headed to Wii U eShop
The Cave isn't just destined for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, apparently. During a demo at PAX Prime this afternoon, DoubleFine rep Greg Rice pointed out that the game's also headed to the Nintendo Wii U's eShop.The platformer slash adventure game wasn't actually playable on Wii U at the studio's booth, so it's unclear how different (if at all) the game will be on Nintendo's next home console. We're hoping that the Wii U's tablet controller (the WiiPad™) has a giant touchscreen button that simply says "Solve," though it'll probably be something more clever.
Watch a live stream of Joystiq's PAX panel with Erik Wolpaw, Tim Schafer, Kotaku [Update: It's over!]
Joystiq's Ben Gilbert is sitting down with Valve's Erik Wolpaw (writer on the Portal series), Double Fine's Tim Schafer (company president and fundraising maven) and Kotaku's Jason Shreier at PAX Prime today, to talk "Plot vs. Play."This ragtag group will dissect the importance of narrative over gameplay, vice versa, inside-out and inverted, and it's all captured live for you to watch below via Twitch TV. The panel begins at 3 p.m. ET, or as the indoctrinated few call it, right now.Update: The panel and live stream are now finished. If you missed the action, keep an eye on the PAX Prime 2012 page on Twitch TV, which should update with the day's recording.
Psychonauts becomes an official PS2 Classic on August 28
In this post-Double Fine Kickstarter world, there's nothing more nostalgic than buying a game for a set price and then playing it immediately – unless that game is itself nostalgic, like, say, Psychonauts.Next Tuesday, you'll have the opportunity to experience Raz's mental adventure in a new venue, when it is released on PS3 in North America as a PS2 Classic. This miracle of digital distribution is possible thanks to Double Fine's acquisition of the Psychonauts publishing rights last year.
Double Fine's Happy Action Theater getting a sequel, playable at PAX
We've known that Double Fine was working on a sequel to the Kinect showcase Happy Action Theater since this SF Weekly piece on Tim Schafer and company back in May. But it looks like the curtain is about to pull back on the game, which Double Fine reportedly expects to have out later on this year.Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis said in a tweet that Double Fine would be sharing more details on the title this Friday. And a mention in Double Fine's latest update on its Kickstarter-backed adventure game says that "Happy Action TV" will be playable at PAX at the end of the month. The first game in the series was a magical bit of Kinect-enabled fun, and so we'll look forward to seeing what other crazy ideas for Kinect's camera are coming out of Tim Schafer's playground.
Iron Brigade makes an attack on PCs next week
Double Fine's Iron Brigade has crawled out from the trenches of Xbox Live Arcade and announced an assault on the PC, starting August 13 on the pivotal territory of Steam. Double Fine is bringing the heavy artillery, as the PC version will include the Rise of the Martian Bear expansion.To celebrate, Iron Brigade has been discounted to 800 MS Points on XBLA and Double Fine has some related t-shirts on sale right now. For those who had no idea there even was a war on at the moment, maybe check out our review from the front lines and see if this is the battle for you.
QuakeCon 2012 schedule has panels full of Valve, Bethesda, id
QuakeCon 2012 begins Thursday, August 2, with a keynote address from id Software co-founder John Carmack – and then the con gets real. Literally, it will be a real convention with a few interesting panels and people, as announced in the final lineup today.Friday begins with "The Making of Games," featuring Bethesda's Todd Howard and Insomniac's Ted Price. Then comes "Capture the Fan: Making Multiplayer Games That Last" with Chet Faliszek from Valve, Marty Stratton from id Software and Max Hoberman with Certain Affinity. "Looking Back at Looking Glass," and "Talking Shop: Skyrim, Modding and Steam" have Valve and Bethesda representatives, and "Virtual Insanity" closes out the night with Carmack.Saturday has "GameTrailers' Bonus Round" with Michael Pachter and others; "Celebrating id Modding" with Blendo Games, id Software and Double Fine; and the Idle Thumbs Podcast with Double Fine, Telltale Games, Bethesda and The Fullbright Company.Doors are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Check out the full schedule below.
Steam Summer Sale, final day: BioShock, Bastion, Double Fine bundle
This is it. Dig around your couch cushions, look under the rug and peek between the seats in your car (if you haven't sold it, that is) for any extra change. The final day of the Steam Summer Sale is here.The last day is going out with a whimper, offering the BioShock franchise for $9.98, Bastion for $3.74, a Double Fine bundle including Costume Quest, Psychonauts and Stacking for $7.49, and Splinter Cell: Conviction seeing a range of deals, starting with the game itself for $4.99. Jagged Alliance: Back in Action is $9.99, Operation Flashpoint Complete (Dragon Rising and Red River) runs $13.74, Football Manager 2012 is $7.50, and Space Pirates and Zombies is $2.49.Indie Bundle XI includes Hydrophobia: Prophecy, Orion: Dino Beatdown, Star Ruler, Waveform and World of Goo for $9.99.And that's that, everyone. Summer's over. Now get back to work; you have to pay off all those games you bought somehow, and it's certainly not going to happen if you take the time to play them.
Double Fine Kickstarter backer rewards now shipping
Are you a proud (or otherwise) backer of the Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter project? If so, you could be in for some good news very soon, as the Kickstarter rewards have begun shipping, reports VG247.Rewards include T-shirts, posters and art books, and lunch with Tim Shafer and Ron Gilbert themselves. Shipping time on that last one probably depends on how long it takes Double Fine to find a box large enough to house Tim, Ron and a reasonably sized table.
Inside the mind of Ron Gilbert
Sega's booth was as loud and vibrant as the rest at E3 2012, humming with the frantic energy of a beehive that had just been kicked. Lacking a quiet corner, it was in the middle of Sega's bustling booth that I struck up an impromptu conversation with legendary adventure game designer Ron Gilbert.I told the Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion designer that I wanted to get inside his head, to find out where he gleans his inspiration from when starting new projects."You don't want to be in this head," Gilbert promised.%Gallery-156063%
The Cave opens up to adventurers in 2013, care of Ron Gilbert and Double Fine
Double Fine and Sega have officially announced The Cave, a side-scrolling, multi-character adventure game coming to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC in 2013. Led by Ron Gilbert, The Cave sees an eclectic cluster of impromptu spelunkers – including a scientist, a monk, a knight and a time traveler – finding their fortunes (and perhaps more) in the titular, mysterious and, err, "sultry" subterranean network. That's right: The Cave can speak.The rest of the protagonists are silent, but up to three can venture into The Cave at a time. After picking your trio, you guide them all deeper into the seamless network of underground rooms, switching control between each to solve puzzles and exploit their unique abilities. The knight, for instance, can activate a guardian angel that protects him from flames and falls, while the hillbilly can hold his breath underwater forever. (Take that, Guybrush Threepwood!)The game can be completed with any combination of characters, but certain endings and unique areas are locked to individual characters. Having the knight in your group, for example, will open up the medieval castle and its puzzles for play. And yes, there just happens to be a castle buried deep within in The Cave. With a "New Grog" vending machine (among other inharmonious objects) cropping up in the network's lower bowels, we think it's safe to say that Ron Gilbert's touch is evident throughout the game.He also programmed the whole thing himself, we think. Probably.%Gallery-156063%
Sega publishing Ron Gilbert's Double Fine game
It's been almost two weeks since Double Fine and Ron Gilbert gave us our first glimpse of their new game (different from Double Fine Adventure, the Kickstarter project), and today Sega all but outed itself as the publisher.After tweeting a link to the image above, the official Sega account has been silent on the matte. It's easy to see the images Gilbert's been teasing match up with the shaded area above. All that remains is the official announcement.
Three more playable characters for new Double Fine game
Double Fine is building up an intriguing cast of characters for its mysterious, bone-themed game. First we had the monk, the hillbilly and the time traveler, and now we have three more random occupations to ponder: the adventurer, the scientist and the knight.Double Fine's Ron Gilbert posted images of each of these characters on his blog, Grumpy Gamer. The only other information gleaned from the reveals appears to be that the knight isn't exactly Sir Bravery, but we could have gotten that from the little shaking knees in his picture.
'Time Traveler' is another playable character in Double Fine's mystery game
Double Fine's Ron Gilbert has revealed another character from his puzzling new title, this one called "the time traveler."She is one of "three playable characters" that Gilbert has unveiled in three days on his personal gaming blog, Grumpy Gamer. Yesterday and the previous day Gilbert revealed the monk and the hillbilly.The time traveler's silhouette is visible in the background of the puzzle Double Fine sent us earlier this month. We have to admit, she looks way cooler with glowing blue (we assume time-travel-inducing) accessories than as a vague, whispy shadow.The plot, and the question, thickens: What do a hillbilly, a monk and a time traveler have in common?
This monk is suspicious of this hillbilly, only Double Fine knows why
Double Fine's Ron Gilbert isn't content with random websites leaking his own studio's work: he'll leak his own stuff, thank you very much. Gilbert posted the above two photos on Grumpy Gamer, his personal game industry blog.His first post was a link to the monk. Apparently, no, it's not fanart for Diablo 3, unless developer JP LeBreton, who tweeted he'd been working on the related Monk link for nine months, has a lot of down time at Double Fine.Gilbert later posted the hillbilly, a character we recognize from the puzzle Double Fine sent the press last week as an announcement of a new, spooky-tinged title. Now the age-old question returns: What do a monk and a hillbilly have in common? Besides mystery, of course.
A puzzling glimpse of Ron Gilbert's new Double Fine game
Click to enlargeDerived from concepts that predate even Maniac Mansion, Ron Gilbert's new game is becoming a tad less nebulous today. The above image implies a spooky atmosphere, and shows a group of characters that look ready to assail all manner of creeping, moaning mysteries.We captured the art after assembling a jumbled puzzle, sent to us this morning by Double Fine. Though the independent developer trusts the press to dutifully post this new artwork (which doubles as an invite to an upcoming event), it seems to have some reservations about our puzzle-solving prowess. It is, after all, only 35 pieces.(After the break, see the game's matching Double Fine babies!)
Double Fine deals found in the Amazon, Psychonauts and Costume Quest under $5
Amazon's PC digital distribution service has a few Double Fine titles on discount this week. Psychonauts -- the original Inception -- is available for $3.99, Costume Quest is a treat at a mere $2.99 and you can nest at ease with Stacking at $7.49.If you've yet to play or own any of these games (for shame!), then pick 'em all up for $10 with the "Oh So Fine" bundle.
Rise of the Fund-it Pundits
You're reading Reaction Time, a new weekly column that claims to examine recent events, games and trends in the industry, but is really just looking for an excuse to use the word "zeitgeist." It debuts on Fridays in Engadget's digital magazine, Distro. In 1998, Tim Schafer asked the world to buy his darkest, funniest and greatest graphic adventure, Grim Fandango. Players planet-wide gave a big ol' shrug, despite the impassioned clamor of genre buffs and the constant yelling of critics, who could only find so many synonyms for "masterpiece."In 2012, Tim Schafer asked the world to give him $400,000 for a new point-and-click project, which had yet to be designed, documented or even described. This time, he got over $3.3 million.This stratospheric level of success on Kickstarter, a venue for crowd-sourced funding that's now being directed at unconventional games, is not the norm. Tim Schafer and his Double Fine studio are in the midst of a perfect storm of publicity. The designer's cherished legacy, and his perceived role as the charming genius who just can't catch a break in a harsh industry, are the components of a great underdog story. And maybe lifelong Grim Fandango guilt is the glue that holds it all together.
Schafer: 'It's not that stressful to get a whole bunch of money all of a sudden'
You might be surprised to hear it, but Double Fine head Tim Schafer isn't feeling too much pressure after receiving over $3 million from fans for his upcoming adventure game. "I don't know if I could describe it ... it's kind of relaxing," he told a crowd of attendees at a New York University-hosted forum last evening, much to the crowd's delight. Answering seriously, Schafer said, "It hasn't really felt that way," referring to the stress. "It just felt like, the whole thing, all the backing just felt like a big wave of goodwill and support. It was very emotionally ... it was a big happy moment for the company." Beyond his jokes about stress and receiving enormous piles of cash, Schafer said that he was "actually terrified of making a game for just $200,000." (The final Kickstarter aimed to raise $400,000.) He questioned whether he was still capable of producing a project for such scant resources, having spent the last decade making successively larger projects – at least until Brutal Legend launched. Thankfully, fans raised well over the original target, meaning Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Double Fine "can actually put a real team on it now and have a whole year to make it." So there you have it, folks: expect that adventure game at some point in early 2013. As for Kickstarter itself, Schafer spoke highly of the new avenue it provides game creators who want to self-publish. He stopped himself short of calling it anything beyond that, however. "I think it's a great new way to make things happen that couldn't happen before," he said. More specifically, he thinks of it – symbolically – like the Sundance Film Festival. "That changed the [movie] business a lot, but it didn't destroy all of it," he said. "It made Hollywood better. It made more diversity in the kind of movies getting made, what kind of actors were in them – it made the whole art form richer I think. I think a similar thing could happen in gaming."
Double Fine made this bizarre and hilarious prototype for a Kinect adventure game
Double Fine's Tim Schafer was the guest of honor last evening at New York University's Game Center, joining Zynga New York's creative director (and NYU professor) Frank Lantz for an "Inside the Gamer's Studio" conversation. Schafer, however, brought more than just good conversation. He showed off two separate versions of a prototyped game that Double Fine ended up shelving. The prototype, for no reason at all, is dubbed "*Specs."In the first video (seen above), rudimentary concepts for the game are introduced. Two convicts sit in a prison cell, a shiv on the floor between them. The player character isn't one of the two convicts, or even the shiv, but instead a possessed amulet that's using its power of influence to guide the actions of those around it (inanimate objects included). As it turns out, one of the two convicts has said amulet in his hand when the prototype kicks off.The two emotions that the amulet can produce – love and hate – are represented by blue and red cursors on-screen, each mapped to one of your hands. With just two emotions, a handful of set pieces to interact with, and a Kinect, a variety of potential outcomes with varying levels of hilarity ensued.*Double Fine senior gameplay programmer Anna Kipnis explained the name via Twitter. "We name prototypes after Chinatown bars at DF (running out of bars now)," Kipnis said, in reference to San Francisco's Chinatown. "Psychonauts was Li Po. Brütal Legend was my favorite bar in Chinatown, Buddha Bar." So there's that! This is "Specs."