fez
Latest
FEZ topped XBLA activity charts last week
Despite being released on a Friday, the long-awaited Fez topped the Xbox Live Arcade activity charts last week. We're just glad that so many people have discovered what we already know: Fez is a pretty good game. Skullgirls and I Am Alive came in second and third on the XBLA charts, respectively.On the Xbox 360 retail game side, Major Nelson reports that Modern Warfare 3 yet again maintained dominance. It was followed by Black Ops and FIFA 12. If only some company could figure out a way to combine Call of Duty and soccer ... hey, it worked for Mega Man!Finally, on the Games for Windows Live activity list – we're just kidding. Nobody cares about what's being played on Games for Windows Live.
Metareview: Fez
Fez is already on track to be this year's indie darling among critics, like Braid, Limbo or Super Meat Boy before it. Heck, it received awards before it ever launched. We called Fez "joyful" and entirely worth its protracted development. We aren't alone. Eurogamer (100/100): "It's during this stage that you'll seriously tackle the game's many secrets - all handily marked, but not at all spoiled, on the head-spinning 3D map screen. Think Miyamoto, Kojima or Schafer at their most impish: treasure maps, invisible platforms, secret messages delivered in unexpected ways, puns and tricks of the light." OXM (95/100): "For an experience that could've drowned in an overreliance on using familiar signposts from what's come before it, Fez succeeds in celebrating the past in a smart, joyous way that has us incredibly excited for gaming's future." Edge (90/100): "Draw lines between distant landmarks; forge connections that reveal the logic of a set piece; untangle the story in short, gleeful bursts. The route you pick through Polytron's floating world is nearly impossible to verbalise, while its puzzles resolve themselves in your mind unexpectedly, in clear, wordless chunks. There's really no language to cover many of the things you get up to in Fez. For a videogame in 2012, that may be the ultimate endorsement." Gamespot (80/100): "Fez goes far deeper than the simple platformer it initially appears as, and figuring out the solutions to the many puzzles is an experience that harks back to a time when games weren't scared of taking off the leash and letting you run wild. Invest time in Fez's colorful world, and enjoy the wealth of incredible ideas buried within. "
Fez devs aware of 'nasty' bugs, working with Microsoft to resolve
Fez programmer Renaud Bedard notes "twenty thousand people" have played the game in the past 24 hours, more than have in its five years of development, adding: "So, as it happens, bugs popped up. Some pretty serious."Bedard mentions that a "small subset" of older Xboxen with smaller hard drives can't run the game. He also notes the game has problems running off a USB stick and that in a "rare situation" – by exiting the game from the "wall village" interiors – a save file can corrupt. He admits it's "nasty stuff.""We will be working internally and with Microsoft on those issues and let you know more later. It makes sense to issue a patch, but we don't currently have an ETA on it."Those experiencing "game-breaking problems" should let Polytronic know by email."Sorry, and thanks for understanding!" He concludes, "And we're thrilled to see that the vast majority of you are enjoying the game as it was meant to be."
PSA: Fez finally for really real available to buy and play and everything
Ready to get your Z-axis adventures on, all the while wearing an adorable (and potentially magical) hat? Polytron's Fez is finally (finally) available for you to do just that via Xbox Live Arcade. Better yet? It's just $10!But you haven't heard of Fez, you say? Well, frankly, that's kinda weird. We're saying we think you're kinda weird. If that is the case, however, there's a brand new launch trailer for Fez just above so you can learn all about it. Oh, and hey, we think it's pretty great, in case that wasn't already clear.
Fez review: Hats off
Whenever a game is hyped to stratospheric proportions, many times over a course of years, it enters a volatile realm of public reception.When a game has won numerous awards before its launch, is one half of an industry documentary, and is developed by an outspoken, opinionated man, it resides in a universe of its own and players are relegated to describe it in one of two ways: with blazing praise or incendiary criticism.Fez is on fire, and it burns with a brilliant, red-hot, yellow-tasseled flame.
Indie Game: The Movie heads to NYC on May 17
We've already seen the maximum thrills version of Indie Game: The Movie. Next month, you'll get a chance to sit down and soak in the more serious, real-life version of the film -- if you live in or around New York, that is.On May 17, Indie Game: The Movie will have two screenings in New York City: a 7:30pm showing and a 9:45pm showing, both at the IFC Center. Filmmakers Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky will also be in attendance and plan on conducting a post-screening Q&A session with attendees. Tickets are available for purchase right now.
Listen to the Fez soundtrack now for 3 dimensions of audible awesome
Fez is officially and finally coming out on Friday, April 13, but half of the highly anticipated experience is available now: The Fez soundtrack from Disasterpeace is available in its entirety via Spotify right now, or for pre-order and sampling on Bandcamp.Before anyone says, "Wutevs not every1 has been waiting 4 Fez for 5 yrs STFU u guise," the soundtrack is currently number one on Bandcamp, so it's not completely off the mainstream radar. Personally, we've been listening to the soundtrack all day and already we feel more well-rounded.
Must See HDTV (April 9th - April 15th)
This week the baseball season is in full swing and while we wait for the NBA to get its postseason started the NHL is already kicking off its race for the Stanley Cup. While that and racing action from all the major series should satisfy sports fans there's also a few treats for fans of drama with the series finale of Justified and a Titanic miniseries (spoiler alert: you already know how it ends) and reality TV with the season premiere of Deadliest Catch. Finally, there aren't any big name game releases but long awaited indie effort Fez is finally coming to Xbox Live Arcade April 13th, look for a trailer as well as our weekly listings after the break.NHL PlayoffsThe regular season is over and now the NHL Playoffs begin Wednesday night. The Rangers and the Canucks are at the top of the seeding but as we all know anything can happen. What will almost certainly happen is another fight between the Flyers and the Penguins. Our over/under on players suspended during the series is set at 2.(All Week, NHL Network & NBC Sports Network)Eastbound & DownThis week we say goodbye to Kenny Powers for the last time, as his minor and major league baseball hijinks come to an end after their third season on HBO. If you'd like a quick preview of where the story is going, there's a trailer for the finale included after the break, but if you're not a regular viewer it probably won't make any sense.(April 15, HBO, 10PM)JustifiedThis FX series has become one of the best dramas on TV right now and this week in the season finale the interesting and engaging set of characters take each other on one last time. While we're never quite sure what will go on with US Marshal Raylan Givens it's a pretty fair bet that someone will get shot, it's just a matter of who.(April 10, FX, 10PM)
Fez hits XBLA on April 13 for 800 MSP
Xbox Live Arcade finally becomes a glorified Fez dispenser on Friday, April 13th. Polytron just blasted out the release date and ten-dollar price point for its perplexing play on perspective -- and we've decided that we now want all such announcements embedded inside exuberant and weirdly hypnotic graphics.The game's lengthy development time and subsequent trials in Microsoft certification have been dominant talking points until now, and they're joined by an unusual Friday launch date on Xbox Live Arcade. If you want to learn more about the man behind Fez, be sure to read about our afternoon spent with one Phil Fish.
Gain some perspective with this new Fez trailer
Fez's concept of 2D platforming in a 3D space sounds simple on paper, but you have to see its execution in motion to really, really wrap your head around it. Thankfully, we've got six minutes of said motion after the break.
Fezes are cool: An afternoon with Phil Fish
Amidst the gridlocked, city-wide pandemonium that is SXSW Interactive, I was able to rescue Fez's lead designer and artist Phil Fish from a pack of ravenous, business-card waving fans long enough for an interview. We set up at the quiet end of the Palmer Events Center's glass-lined second floor, standing at a chest high, sidewalk cafe-esque table overlooking Zilker Park. It had been raining for two days straight, but that morning the clouds had parted and festival attendees were treated to one of the few gorgeous spring afternoons Texas will get this year.Fez has missed its most recently announced release window of Q1 2012, but the fact that the game is undergoing Microsoft certification means that it'll be out relatively soon. "We almost made it to Q1," Fish said. "We entered certification like two weeks ago, but we actually just failed it, which is kinda standard. Pretty much everybody fails their first cert."Microsoft has a two-month window in which it can release Fez once it has gone gold, and Fish wants to make sure it happens as quickly as possible. "We're trying to put pressure on them to release it as soon as possible because the zeitgeist is really good right now, with the movie starting to get a lot of play and the award. And, also, it's been five years. I don't want to wait another two months after that."
Phil Fish's next game won't be on XBLA, might be Kickstarter'd
Fez may just now be undergoing the certification process at Microsoft, but that doesn't mean designer Phil Fish is resting on his laurels. Quite the contrary, in fact; Fish's next project is already in its formative stages, and he's so anxious to begin work that he may use Kickstarter to fund it. Whatever that project might be, however, it won't be an XBLA game."Well, our next project is going to be not for XBLA," Fish told us during SXSW Interactive, in response to a question regarding Fez's limited XBLA exclusivity, and the possibility of a similar arrangement for his next title. "I think it's unfortunate that Microsoft works that way, but like I said [during the panel] we gave them what they wanted and they've been backing us up the whole time. I'm sure you've heard many horror stories of people working with XBLA; they've been nothing but understanding and supporting of us this whole entire time."It's been three months since Fish's work on Fez ended; the game is still being debugged by other members of the team, but in his capacity as a designer he's finished. He hasn't quite known what to do with himself in the interim, and that restlessness has lead him and his team to heavily consider Kickstarter for their next project."It's going to take a while before we get money from Microsoft, and I want to get started on this project that I'm making with a couple people, a larger team than just me and another guy," Fish said. "We wouldn't need much and we wouldn't ask for much, but I assume we'll get more than we ask for, having just won the grand prize and Fez about to come out."The campaign wouldn't start until after the release of Fez, which Fish is concerned about: "I'm afraid people might take [the Kickstarter] the wrong way. Like, 'Why do you need a Kickstarter, you just made Fez?' Yeah, but it takes five months before we get paid, maybe, it's totally variable, but at least three months. The best case scenario is we get paid three months after the release. I don't want to wait three months."
Fez wins 2012 IGF 'Seumas McNally Grand Prize'
The dust has settled and only one independently developed title is left standing. Seconds ago Fez was announced as the winner of the 'Seumas McNally Grand Prize' at the 14th annual Independent Games Festival Awards.This is the second IGF award for the Polytron-developed title. In 2008, Fez took home the IGF award for excellence in art. After nearly five years of development, Fez is undergoing certification for release on Xbox Live Arcade.
One reason Fez has taken five years to make, has already won awards
Seeing Fez's technical postmortem directly before a screening of Indie Game: The Movie offered a jilted experience, one from developer Renaud Bedard, who presents the game's pitfalls in its most practical terms, and the other from a dramatic 15-foot projection of Phil Fish's muttonchops, who assure us that re-re-creating Fez was and continues to be a truly personal, life-altering experience.Fez has been in development for almost five years and is now officially undergoing Microsoft certification -- the most the public (or press) has played is in demo form, yet Fez has been widely anticipated since its IGF win in 2008, a scenario that Indie Game: The Movie explores on a deeply human level. Bedard explains it in more technical terms. Way more technical terms.Bedard and Fish created their own editor for Fez, called the Fezzer, and designed what they deemed "trixels," blocks like voxels but at 16x16x16, or as Bedard described it, four 2D views creating one 3D world. Instead of a standard 2D tile set, Bedard built 3D "triles" -- 302 of them -- in 17 trile sets. Fez will have 157 isolated levels, and these triles make up all of them.Fez stars Gomez, a 2D character wandering a 3D world, and it also features a 4D character, Dot the tesseract. Dot is a 4D hypercube fairy that Bedard created using faux 4D to 3D projections with 96 vertices and 144 triangles, lending her the feeling that she knows more about the Fez universe as a whole, which she does.Both Bedard and on-screen Fish agree that Fez has been a long time coming."The fact that Fez was such a long project means that we kept upgrading," Bedard said. "Fez is our first game, our first project. It's hard to manage the fact that you want the game to be perfect."
Fez hits XBLA on May 2 [Update: Nope!]
Update: Turns out the date Microsoft has listed for Fez is completely wrong. Polytron's Phil Fish has informed us that Fez has no set release date, that the May 2, 2012 date listed on the Xbox Live Marketplace is incorrect, and that the game hasn't even been certified by Microsoft. We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and have reached out to Microsoft for comment. It's been a long time coming, but it looks like the wait for Polytron's Fez is finally nearing its end. The adorable pixel art indie darling will arrive on May 2, according to the Xbox Live Marketplace.Originally slated to launch in 2009, Fez's development has been characterized by repeated delays, as well as accolades from the indie-gaming community. It is also one of the titles featured in Indie Game: The Movie, which is an official selection at this year's SXSW Film festival. Here's hoping the game can download in less time than it took to develop.[Thanks, Freakservo!]
IGF 2012 Audience Award voting now open
Despite being into awards shows before they were cool, we're hoping you're not above voting for this year's Independent Game Festival "Audience Award." Voting has just kicked off for 2012's entrants, which comprise all finalist games across all IGF 2012 categories (yes, the list once again includes Fez).Should you choose to cast your favor towards any particular game, you'll want to head to this particularly yellow form and fill things out before February 19. Once you've done as much, we're told a verification email will come through to make sure you're not an evil robot. If you are, in fact, not an evil robot, things should go swimmingly.
It's getting there: Fez rated by ESRB
Phil Fish's Fez contractions continue, with the game finally being rated by the ESRB. It was also rated by Europe's PEGI board in December, but has yet to hit the Australian boards. So, expect labor to last for a little while longer.The long-in-development (yet award-winning) game now has a release window of "early 2012." If you order cigars from Cuba for the birth, feel free to go with the cheap shipping option.
'Everything's happening now:' Indie Game: The Movie at Sundance
In many ways, documentaries are not truly tools for documenting events. Instead, many documentaries choose to delve into the minds of their subjects, presenting not documentation, but something else entirely -- an up-close trip into the human psyche.During one such moment from Indie Game: The Movie, which I caught at a screening at the Sundance film festival, game designer Phil Fish states that if he couldn't finish his long-awaited game Fez, he would commit suicide. The camera remains on him for an awkward moment, and the line draws a number of uncomfortable chuckles from the audience. He seems to rethink his outrageous statement and then states once more: "I will kill myself."This attitude for the most part represents the majority of the film. Focusing primarily on the development and production of Fez and Super Meat Boy, Indie Game is really the story of obsessed developers pouring their insecurities and hearts and souls into a game, without leaving much, if anything, for themselves.%Gallery-145969%
Indie Game: The Movie premieres tomorrow at Sundance, here's a Fish
Indie Game: The Movie is preparing for its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, which begins tomorrow in Park City, Utah, and runs through the 29th. Indie Game: The Movie has five screenings at Sundance, and it's offering a glimpse at developer Phil Fish's own premiere of Fez right here.
Fez rated in Europe, the four-year wait is almost over
Fez is finally showing signs of imminent birth, with this being the equivalent of "water breaking," as Europe's PEGI board recently classified the game for Xbox Live. XBLAfans took note of the rating, a step which has yet to occur with the Australian Board or the States' ESRB. The unreleased -- yet award-winning -- game currently has a release window of "early 2012." Now, if we all eat our vegetables and wash behind our ears every night, that launch window may actually stick.
