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Audiosurf 2 glides onto Steam Early Access today
Musical rollercoaster Audiosurf 2 is grinding a preparatory ascent before tumbling down onto Steam Early Access later today. Creator Dylan Fitterer confirmed the sequel's Early Access arrival, previously set for September, will only be slightly later than expected. As per before, Audiosurf 2 procedurally generates levels based on songs in your music library, letting you ride your tunes across various play modes. One of the sequel's new modes is Wakeboard, this featuring two boats that tug you along and provide opportunities to jump and pull off tricks. Another new mode, Audiosprint, sees you jump and duck over obstacles, and it supports local four-player co-op. The game proper is set to take to the water later this year.
Audiosurf 2 rides the wave to Steam Early Access in September
Audiosurf 2 will make its debut on Steam through the Early Access program sometime in September. The news comes from a brief blurb over on the game's official site. Previously, the sequel was billed as Audiosurf Air. Creator Dylan Fitterer's studio, Invisible Handlebar, even went so far as to launch a website and solicit beta applicants for Audiosurf Air early last year. Predecessor Audiosurf - a game that builds custom 3D levels from your music library, which you then "surf" in the game - first launched on Steam in February 2008. Audiosurf is often credited as being a pioneer in the modern indie games movement.
Website live, beta applications underway for Audiosurf Air
Music/racing game Audiosurf never made it to the iPhone, unfortunately, but its developers are apparently hard at work anyway. They've launched a website for something called Audiosurf Air, which is presumably a sequel to the tune-riding title.There are a few screenshots on the site, and while there is a disclaimer that they're not final at all, they do look about like you'd imagine a sequel to Audiosurf to look. There's also a beta signup, so if you're interested, you can enter your email and presumably get a chance to play it at some point. We'll keep our ears open and our headphones plugged in for more news to come.
iPhone version of Audiosurf put 'on hold' due to music library restrictions
Though the Zune HD-owning community (whose names are Michael, Alan and Michelle) are now able to play the entrancing Audiosurf: Tilt on their beloved media device, iPhone and iPod Touch owners are still forced to go without. Many were hopeful that the iPhone Firmware Update 3.0, which opened up the device's music library to third-party developers, would allow the game's creator, Dylan Fitterer, to bring the game to the popular media player. Unfortunately, in a brief interview with gaming news site Charge Shot, Fitterer explained that the update "didn't bring enough access." We contacted Fitterer to find out exactly what he meant by this -- he explained, "Apps can play songs, but they can't get at a song's bits (needed to analyze it and build a matching rollercoaster + traffic pattern)." He added that there were workarounds -- for instance, a player could upload a song to the App or through a central server, which would create a level for them. However, he said that system felt inconvenient, and that he doesn't "want to put Audiosurf on iPhone until it can really let you ride your music - all of it." There's still a chance the game could end up on an Apple product -- though Fitterer negotiated directly with Microsoft to get his game on the Zune HD platform, the two parties came to no form of exclusivity agreement. "I'm ready for Apple to call," Fitterer joked.
Devs show Steam love as Pitchford defends his criticism
Just under two weeks ago, Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford let out his less than pleasant feelings regarding digital distribution platform Steam and its owner, Valve Software. Today, Ars Techinca posted a rundown of developers from World of Goo's 2D Boy to Sam & Max's Telltale Games who all feel ... the exact opposite of Pitchford. "If this is exploitation, more please," Audiosurf creator Dylan Fitterer said.According to Telltale CTO Kevin Bruner, "Steam may be one the greatest things to happen recently ... we put Steam as one of the A-list distribution channels; up there with XBLA and WiiWare." The praise doesn't stop there -- Ars points out that it was unable to find even one developer who would "admit to feeling exploited" by Valve's business practices concerning Steam. We reached out to Pitchford, who told us, "As a gamer, I love Valve ... as a customer, I love Steam." He clarified, "From an industry perspective, Steam would be even better off if it were a separate company ... trust issues that result from conflict of interest could be mitigated." To Pitchford, it's a question of appearances rather than actual impropriety. "It's just perception within segments of the publishing and development community that, I guess, no one is really talking about."We've posted Pitchford's entire (and quite lengthy) response after the break. Hopefully we're not alone in hoping everyone will just hug it out.
Rumor: Audiosurf soon surfing onto iPhone
Apple's recent preview of the iPhone OS 3.0 didn't really contain any savory tidbits for mobile gaming enthusiasts, save for one intriguing new feature -- the new model will allow the iPod Music Library to be accessed by independently developed applications. The possibilities for uses of this new capability are endless, but one idea collectively stuck in the minds of fans of customizable rhythm games -- an iPhone version of Audiosurf could now ostensibly be developed.APPera, an iPhone gaming news site, recently issued this sentiment to Audiosurf creator Dylan Fitterer, whose response was as simple as it was promising: "Woohoo! I'm on it," he enthusiastically replied. We certainly hope he was being serious. Our hearts are so easily broken.[Via Kotaku]
IGF finalist Audiosurf available for pre-purchase on Steam
Independent Games Festival award finalist, Audiosurf, is now available for pre-purchase on Valve's Steam service. Constantly trying to shake off the "rhythm", "racing" and "puzzle" genre labels we attempt to stick on it, Audiosurf generates three-dimensional tracks out of your music collection, enabling you to "surf" through your favorite tunes while collecting colored blocks. Audiosurf will launch on February 15th at the price of $9.95 (pre-purchasing saves you 10%), and will include the soundtrack to Valve's The Orange Box. You haven't experienced "Still Alive" quite like this yet, have you?
