Drawn-to-Life
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5th Cell reveals sales for Scribblenauts, Drawn to Life
5th Cell's focus on original IP has worked out quite well for the independent developer, selling millions of copies of its innovative titles. During a DICE 2011 presentation on the studio's development strategy, general manager and COO Joseph Tringali shared that it has sold 3.5 million units in the Drawn to Life series and 2.5 million of Scribblenauts games. We'd known previously that the original Scribblenauts was the fifth best-selling DS title of 2009. The developer is currently working on Hybrid, its XBLA title expected to launch sometime this year. 5th Cell has been incredibly cagey on details, but creative director Jeremiah Slaczka told Joystiq that it'll have its big reveal at GDC next month.
Darksiders rides into 1.2 million homes, THQ recovering financially
THQ today announced to investors its financial holdings for the year ending December 31, 2009, reporting a net income of $1.4 million and sales of $701.5 million in the final nine months of the year. To put that in some perspective, the net income for the same period last year was a $334.2 loss. No doubt well-reviewed titles like UFC Undisputed 2009 and (personal favorite) Red Faction: Guerrilla helped that financial 180° turn -- a much needed one after a rocky 2008 and a mess of layoffs in 2009. The publisher also announced "first four week" sales of Darksiders have already reached 1.2 million in the US (Ahem, Mr. Greenwald? Did you hear that?). Interestingly, THQ called the game part of its "growing portfolio of owned brands," among Red Faction, de Blob, Drawn to Life, and Saint's Row. And with this afternoon's investor call, it would certainly appear we'll be seeing more from that portfolio in the coming year.
Hands-on: Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (DS)
5TH Cell received a lot of attention at E3 for its DS platform adventure Scribblenauts, but that wasn't the only DS game 5TH Cell brought to the show. THQ had a demo station set up running the DS sequel to the company's first DS hit, Drawn to Life. Planet Moon's (different) Wii version of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter was also on display, but we were unable to spend any time with it.%Gallery-65513%
First footage of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter on Wii and DS
One thing is abundantly clear from watching the trailers for both versions of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (after the break): They are not the same game. It's even more clear from reading IGN's interviews, because, you know, they're with different people. The DS version is being made by original developer 5TH Cell, while the Wii game is being handled by Planet Moon Studios.Both games now feature "action drawing" that allows the player to draw directly in the game world rather than in an editor. Planet Moon describes expanded drawing options in this mode, like certain types of ink imbued with gravity or bounce -- like an anvil that you could draw, which would then fall straight down. 5TH Cell's drawing enhancements (at least the ones mentioned in the interview) include the ability to customize character designs even more, with up to four arms and four legs, and resizable limbs. The games have different stories, as well -- the DS game (whose story is told in a "redone overworld" with, like the rest of the game, animation by Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight animator Paul Robertson and art contributions from Braid's David Hellman) follows the events of the Wii game (whose story is told in a new side-scrolling hub world).
THQ reveals Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter for Wii and DS
If you were a fan of THQ's DIY DS title Drawn to Life, you'll be pleased to hear the highly sketchable game will be getting a follow-up this fall, as revealed by a recent press release. This time around, Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter will be coming to Wii and DS, and will be adding a whole slew of new features -- the most intriguing of these is the "Action Drawing" tool, which lets you create objects mid-game in order to work your way through the title's environments.The original Drawn to Life was pretty enjoyable, but a tad shallow in the actual gameplay department. Hopefully, this new feature will spice things up a tad. However, given the average DS illustrator's undeniable proclivity for doodling dongs, they really should give the portable version a different subtitle -- perhaps Captain Wangsword Vs. The Genital Armada would be more apt.
Deal of the Day: Spongebob Squarepants Edition
We really, really liked Drawn to Life, so we view Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition with both curiosity and trepidation. On the one hand, hey, more Drawn to Life! On the other hand, it's more Drawn to Life without the guiding hand of developer 5th Cell, and with a license we aren't young enough or high enough to appreciate.If we were going to take the plunge and just buy the thing to satisfy our curiosity, today would be a pretty good day for that. Amazon has marked Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition down to $17.98 for today only. And we wouldn't have to be seen in a GameStop buying a SpongeBob game. Or in a GameStop at all.
5th Cell announces next DS project: Scribblenauts
Developer 5th Cell is known for their unique use of the Nintendo DS touch screen in their titles, which include Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest -- however, their next project makes those two titles seem like the creative equivalent of Madden 09. In a recent interview with IGN, 5th Cell creative director Jeremiah Slaczka gave a brief run-down on Scribblenauts, which will have players traversing puzzle-filled worlds, spelling nouns to make objects appear that will help solve said puzzles. For instance, in the first gameplay trailer that 5th Cell provided (posted after the break), Maxwell (the game's protagonist) is trying to collect a "Starite" from a treetop. Writing "ladder" will provide the vertical assistance needed to reach the Starite, but you could just as easily create a "football" with which to topple the Starite from the tree. Then again, you could spawn a "beaver" to chew the tree down. Or maybe you could summon basketball superstar (and crically-acclaimed actor) "Shaquille O'Neal" to grab it for you. Okay, we made that last one up -- but if the possibilities are as endless as the trailer suggests, we better see some Shaq functionality in the final product. [Via DS Fanboy]
Drawn to Life: SpongeBob Video Pants
It's a credit to the original Drawn to Life's concept and quality that we're still interested in the follow-up despite 5th Cell's absence and its attached license -- SpongeBob SquarePants. IGN previewed the customizable platformer, and while it doesn't revolutionize the draw-your-adventure formula, it's a "polished, Nickelodeon-ized" take on it. We've never played any games from Alton, the developer taking the reins from 5th Cell, so we'll have to try Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition ourselves before developing an opinion with any firmness to it. Word has it, a two-player versus mode will be included, so look forward to pitting grotesquely phallic avatars against crude renditions of cartoon characters -- Donatello, Heathcliff, skies the limit!See also: DS Fanboy Review: Drawn to Life
A new Drawn to Life, but ...
How can you tell that Drawn to Life was a success? Publisher THQ is making full use of the IP, with a new licensed spinoff ... Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants. It's a Drawn to Life game, developed by a company called Altron and not 5th Cell, set in the SpongeBob SquarePants universe, featuring a story in which lazy sea creatures SpongeBob and Patrick are captured by the pencil-drawn SpongeBob clone DoodleBob. The player creates a hero in order to rescue the pair and defeat DoodleBob.We don't know what to say. We thought we'd be happy to hear about more Drawn to Life, especially one with a two-player mode, but we didn't expect this. Doesn't putting the game in an established setting kind of defeat the create-it-yourself appeal of Drawn to Life?
GDC08: DS Fanboy interviews Jeremiah Slaczka (5th Cell)
5th Cell's Creative Director, Jeremiah Slaczka, likes the DS. He has good reason to, since his company's debut game Drawn to Life is a success (to an unspecified degree) in the U.S., Australia, and Korea (it "did decent, not as well as Australia" in Europe). For the Korean release, a contest was even held to name the game. "They had, like, 20,000 submissions or something." After a successful stint making mobile games -- in both original IPs and licenses -- for THQ Wireless, the company got a chance to move to the DS. "We're done with mobile," Slaczka told me. For that matter, they're done with licenses. "We only do original IPs, no licenses. Except for Star Wars -- I'd do Star Wars." There's the upcoming Wii version of Drawn to Life... Can't talk about that. Are there more projects coming up? Yes, we are working on the DS. We are working on an unannounced title -- I'm not sure when it's supposed to be announced. We're basically doing two unannounced projects right now ... %Gallery-5068%
Drawn to Life coming to the Wii
Aside from the benefits that come with being able to whip countless bloggers at your whim and ensuring a dark future for us all, our overlords at Joystiq sometimes report on news in the gaming industry. Beneath that snarling husk of fur and evil must be a heart of partial gold. The latest bit of information to come from Camp Joystiq pertains to DS title Drawn to Life. THQ revealed nothing other than their intent to bring the title to the Wii, so those looking for more information will have to draw a sad face. They aren't getting anything else right now. For some screens from the DS version of the game, hit up the gallery over at DS Fanboy.
THQ's Drawn to Life drawn to Wii
Squirreled away in the same conference call that brought us news of Volition's Red Faction 3 was the announcement that the clever draw-your-own-platformer Drawn to Life wouldn't be confined to the DS any longer, with a Wii release planned for "the future." Gamasutra reports that in addition to announcing it would, uh, announce "several other new Wii exclusive titles" in coming weeks, THQ Pres Brian Farrell said the company intended "to extend the [Drawn to Life] brand to the Wii in the future." No word on when to expect the Wiimote-enabled title, but we'll fill you in when we know more. [image credit]
Drawn to Life developer needs someone to write their next game to life
It's a big day for 5th Cell news! A job listing was just found on JobSeeker.com looking for programmers for upcoming "original IP titles." That could mean more Drawn to Life or more original (as in not already a game) IP's. In either case, it's a great opportunity for someone who could meet 5th Cell's awesomely high-flying requirements.A good candidate for their programming position should have "2-4 years experience in the game industry or 3-5 years in Information Technology" and "At least one (1) shipped Nintendo DS or Game Boy Advance title." We've written about a bunch of shipped Nintendo DS titles. That totally counts, right? Right?A jaunt over to their website reveals more job openings, including a more attainable "junior programmer" position and a job requiring experience with GameCube or Wii development. That makes us think they're looking toward the home console space as well -- good news!We're happy to see that the company is doing well enough to, you know, be able to afford some new folks. Drawn to Life was an exceptional first effort, and we want to see more from the talented developer.[Via GoNintendo]
Drawn to Life on the way to Korea
Drawn to Life must have been a success (VGChartz says 200,000 copies), because THQ is localizing the game for the Korean market. We can't tell you exactly what the title is, but machine translation gives us something like "Drawn, to sprout! The world which I make!" which definitely conveys the right kind of idea. 5th Cell's first DS game was definitely one of the most creative and best-made platformers of the year, and we couldn't be happier to see it finding a worldwide audience. Lots of Korean gamers love 2D, as well, so this has the potential to be even bigger over there than in the U.S.
Australian Drawn to Life DS case is awesome, unattainable
This Drawn to Life-themed DS case is only available in Australia, which is great for Australian fans but heartbreaking for us. It represents the game exactly like it should, covered as it is with the game's beautiful, full-color promotional art. Every aspect of the game (that wasn't drawn by the player) is drawn wonderfully, so featuring this art on the front of the case is great. Inside, along with the obvious spaces for a DS and games the case includes two styli and, appropriately, a small whiteboard with a Drawn to Life dry erase marker, with which you can draw things, if not to life, to vaguely toxic-smelling. The email from 5th Cell that contained these images suggests that a U.S. release may be possible if there was enough interest. We're sure there is! People like Drawn to Life, and they like putting their game systems into things. %Gallery-10421% [Via press release]
Drawn to $10 Savings
If you've been considering picking up 5th Cell's great Drawn to Life, you might want to think about grabbing one from Best Buy. It's on sale right now for $19.99, as reported in their weekly circular. That's a great price for an original 2D platformer! Although if you weren't planning on buying it, your expenditures for the next few months have probably been very carefully planned out. Also of interest: they've got Spectrobes for $14.99. If you're in a more Disney/ Pokemon/ whatever-else-Spectrobes-is mood. [Via CAG and Aeropause]
DS Fanboy Review: Drawn to Life
5th Cell's Drawn to Life is one of the best games for kids on the Nintendo DS. Don't misinterpret that as a dismissal: there's plenty to like here, especially for anyone for whom the idea of an Actraiser/Animal Crossing mashup with totally customizable characters sounds appealing (which should be everyone). Children, especially, may find an infinitely entertaining toy in the game's drawing tool, which engages the imagination in a way that most linear video games cannot. The game casts you as both an unseen deity called the Creator, with the power to draw elements of the world (given possession of the appropriate page of the "Book of Life"), and a sort of golem sent down by the Creator to protect the town (which you name). Of course, your first task as Creator is to define the appearance of your hero; multiple designs can be saved and switched at any time, and you can edit your hero's appearance at any point in the game. The town is covered in shadowy black clouds; most of the (adorable, big-eared) Raposa inhabitants have gone missing, and it's up to the Creator and its avatar to clear the darkness and rescue the Raposa. The Mayor and the few remaining Raposa coordinate your efforts to regain Book of Life pages, sending the golem into action stages after a certain page, in order to regain the item desired (everything from the sun to the sign on the town restaurant).
DS Daily: Drawn to whatever
We asked you a while back to draw something in a demo version of the Drawn to Life character editor. But now that (we assume) some of you have the game and have chosen an avatar for real, we want to know what it is. How did you choose to represent yourself (or, we guess, how would you, for those of you who want to play along with no purchase necessary)? Did you draw yourself? Your friend? A zombie? A robot? A puppy? A pile of puppies? The Kool-Aid Man? Mario? Wario? Ernie Keebler? Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Rat Fink? Some random scribbles? Swamp Thing? Ace Frehley? Potatoes? "The Scream"? Robocop? James Pond: Robocod? James Bond, Jr.? Law & Order's Jerry Orbach? Cap'n Crunch? The other Cap'n Crunch? Well, okay, we know what many of you chose. Don't tell us about that.
WRUP: Drawn to jam edition
This week's releases included a little game by the name of Jam Sessions. Oh, and another called Drawn to Life. And we're not even including all of the wonderful releases hitting other territories. So, there's plenty of titles available to gamers looking for something new to play. Will you get your jam on, or do you plan to release your inner artist? What will you be playing?
DS releases for the week of September 10th
This is such a good week for releases that we're not sure if we'd rather be here at home or over in Europe, where DS owners can get a taste of Tingle this week! Not that we're displeased with the array of titles available anywhere, frankly. If only every week could be this week. Except then we would be poor, and would require a very large cardboard-box-house in which to store our massive DS collection. Every rainstorm would see us huddled under a garbage bag in a futile effort to protect our babies. It's not a pretty picture. Drawn to Life Jam Sessions Spelling Challenges and More! Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco Travel past the break to see what's out in the rest of the world this week.
