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Indie Game: The Movie showing at SXSW, creators hosting panel
Can't make it out to the Sundance film festival to check out the world premiere of the crowdsource-funded documentary Indie Game: The Movie? There's no need to worry, assuming you can score passes to SXSW instead; the film will have a showing at the SXSW ScreenBurn Arcade (March 9 - 11) and SXSW Film (March 9 - 17) next year (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Austin, Texas. The conference will also host a panel presented by IG:TM creators James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, along with Phil Fish, the creator of Fez, one of the titular indie games. The whole thing is so full-circular, we might just faint.
Fez, Johann Sebastian Joust win at the IndieCade 2011 awards
The 2011 IndieCade Awards were held in Santa Monica last evening and, in a pretty informal event, Phil Fish's Fez came away with the biggest wins of the night. It received two awards, one for Story/World Design, and the second for the Best in Show prize. Johann Sebastian Joust, a physical game that challenges players to hold PlayStation Move controllers still while getting audio feedback in musical form, also picked up two awards: one for Best Technology, and another award for Impact on the community. Tom Sennett's manic Deepak Fights Robots won the award for best Gameplay Design, Superbrothers' Sword and Sworcery EP picked up the award for Visuals, and Proteus, in which players are offered up a musical environment to explore, won for best Sound. Interaction went to German physical game Ordnungswissenschaft, and the Special Recognition award went to side-scrolling puzzler platformer The Swapper. The ceremony itself was short but wacky. Presenters like Samm Levine and Martin Starr (of TV's "Freaks and Geeks"), as well as web video stars Team Unicorn and Sandeep Parikh, cracked sometimes awkward jokes, while the indie developers themselves acted (unsurprisingly) indie. Joust's team used one of their awards speeches to silently demo the game, and Tom Sennett took the stage to simply announce, "I'm Tom Sennett, and I don't give a fuck!" Fish himself (above) laughed maniacally after winning his second award, and then joked that he thought the Canadian Sword and Sworcery team was going to win. "Take that, Toronto!" he joked. We'll be at IndieCade over the rest of the weekend, so stay tuned for more coverage.
Fez delayed (again) to early 2012
Fez creator Phil Fish has posted this video on Vimeo, a "long screenshot" showing off one of the game's intriguing 3D environments. As with everything else we've seen of the game, it looks pretty amazing, combining great colors and design work with the 2D/3D ... Wait, what? Oh crap. Fish just tweeted, buried in between parentheses of what we can only assume to be shame, that the game's been delayed yet again. It won't be out until at least 2012. So don't enjoy that video too much -- we're not sure if we can stand the wait that much longer.
Fez was inspired by Ico's minimalism and 'lonely isolation'
Polytron's Fez has been such a long time coming, designer Phil Fish explained at Fantastic Arcade this weekend (where Fez won the above Audience Choice award), because "we've had no points of reference for what our 2D/3D 'moment to moment' play is." While there are other games that involve moving from 2D into 3D space, like Echochrome and Crush, they "don't work like Fez at all," he said. As Fish has worked to figure out how Fez does work, he's removed a lot of features from the game that he began to see as cruft. "There used to be a billion different things in Fez that didn't have to do with the core mechanic of rotation," Fish said. "We used to have the concept of weight: objects had different weights; if a vase was empty you could fill it with water to trigger a switch ... It was nothing to do with flipping between 2D and 3D." Other lost concepts included health, which Fish resisted removing at first simply because he liked the classic look of a heart meter on the screen. But it wasn't necessary in a game with no enemies. Both the "design by subtraction" mindset and the lack of enemies are inspired by Ico, he said. Fumito Ueda's game design philosophy informed his, as did Ico's "nostalgic, lonely isolation." He also cites Mario, Zelda, and Myst games as inspirations.
Indiecade 2011 finalists announced, include Fez, Skulls of the Shogun and Sword and Sworcery
The IndieCade Festival has announced its list of finalists for next month's event in Culver City, California, and it's going to be a packed house. There are no fewer than 36 indie titles on the list. From bigger profile titles like Bit.Trip Flux, Fez, and the XBLA-bound Skulls of the Shogun to smaller affairs like the great Desktop Dungeons and the five-year-old powered Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure, the festival's games run the gamut. There will be developers from all over the world at the event, and all of the finalist games will be playable at the festival on October 8-9, with the last 10 awards being passed out at a Red Carpet Awards ceremony on October 6. The finalists were chosen from 446 submissions to the festival by group of 100 jurors. Past IndieCade finalists have found lots of success, either as downloadable titles on PC, or even indie releases on XBLA or PSN. And with the quality in this year's list, that trend will likely continue.
PAX 10 says these are the best indie games
The top 10 indie games in the entire world have been selected as this year's PAX 10, each of them winning some free booth space at PAX Prime from August 26-28 in Washington. Chosen as the "best in gameplay, originality and overall fun-factor," winners include Atom Zombie Smasher, Jamestown, Fez and seven others you're probably not cool enough to have heard of. Find out who won (and by process of elimination, who lost) according to the press release after the jump.
Fez on WiiWare not 'worth our time and effort,' dev says
It's pretty likely that Fez won't be gracing WiiWare, judging from some not-so-nice things one of the developers had to say regarding Nintendo's platform. Phil Fish, the game's co-creator, told Destructoid back at PAX East that "WiiWare just wouldn't be worth our time and effort," and described it as "a dismal system" that he avoids as both a consumer and a developer. "No demos? F*ck off," he concluded. Of course, there are demos on WiiWare now, but for years that wasn't the case. When questioned on the possibility of 3DS, Fish commented that anything he'd produce would have to be a different game entirely -- kinda like Super Hypercube, his stereoscopic 3D game. It's hardly a confirmation, but we're fairly certain the man doesn't go around winking and nudging people, willy-nilly. That'd be weird!
Indies react: PAX East as a showcase for small studios
Like so many PAX shows before it, this year's PAX East showcased a ton of indie games -- the gaming equivalent of a Williamsburg dubstep show, if you will. In our experience at this year's event, larger industry players like EA and Bethesda showed off their titles with hired hands and private theater viewings, choosing to exhibit older demos rather than new content. The indies and smaller studios, on the other hand, were out in force. Beyond bringing playable versions of their games to the show -- even Fez was playable, for the first time in several years of development -- the indie studios brought themselves. They continued the tradition of directly engaging with attendees and, often, solicited game-testing feedback on the fly. "I approached PAX East as a three-day playtest session. I learned so much about what works and what doesn't just from standing in the back and observing how people played the game," Fez co-developer Phil Fish told Joystiq. "It's also an amazing morale boost to be told by so many people that your game is great."
Fez footage is positively magical
After the break you will find nearly six minutes of gameplay footage from Fez. It looks, in short, pretty magical. We suggest you watch it as often as possible. You could start right now. That would be a good choice.
Fez preview: It's the little things
Fez is not just a platformer. Nor is it just a puzzle-platformer. Fez is an experience. A crazy experience that's clearly the product of some eccentric and passionate game developers -- two, in fact, who are all that comprise Polytron Corporation, the game's Montreal-based developer. Fez is what happens when you mix fancy, high-end modern consoles with 16-bit-era graphics, and put two guys with very serious detail obsession in control. In short, Fez is very, very impressive.
Fez being co-published by Trapdoor
Before jumping around Villageville with Gomez in Polytron's Fez at PAX East, we couldn't help but notice a bright logo for relatively unknown developer Trapdoor. This might not be so strange if it weren't for the fact that Trapdoor itself isn't a game publisher -- and its own XBLA/PSN/Steam game Warp is being published with EA Partners. When asked about the surprise splash screen, Trapdoor founder Ken Schachter explained it by saying, "We should be issuing a press release this week, but the gist of it is that we're going to be announcing that we're co-publishing Fez." That said, given Trapdoor's ability to co-publish Fez, we wondered why the studio isn't publishing its own game, Warp. "We met with a bunch of publishers, and we weighed a bunch of options, but at the end of the day we were really impressed with the team at EA, and with what they had to bring to the table," Schachter told us. He further explained, "Basically, with regards to EA Partners, they've been really great about letting us be and focus on the creative part. And really just work on our game, and retain ownership of our IP. And they have a world class business, marketing, and PR team. And that's really the best of both worlds." As previously announced, Warp is expected to launch this summer, while Fez should arrive at some point later this year.
Fez playable at PAX East, visible in this trailer
If you're at PAX East this weekend, you'll finally get the opportunity to play Polytron's perspective-shifting XBLA platformer, Fez, in booth 1118. We're guessing there's going to be a line. But even if you don't get to play it, you can enjoy a new trailer released for the occasion.
Fantasy Earth Zero shutting down on March 24th
Sad news today for fans of Fantasy Earth Zero -- after officially launching less than a year ago, the game will be shutting down in North America in just under two months. Gamepot USA has posted a full statement explaining the game's shutdown schedule as well as the policies on refunds for any game currency purchased within the last month. The game's cash shop has been closed, with all servers set to quadruple experience and money so that players can enjoy the time that's left. Fantasy Earth Zero took the long way around to get released stateside in the first place, after being developed by Square-Enix and then nearly shut down in Japan due to poor sales. An emotional farewell letter has also been posted, something fans of the game will no doubt wish to read. There's still time left to enjoy the accelerated servers before the shutdown, but when the lights go out on March 24th, they won't be coming back on. [Thanks to Jeffrey for the tip.]
Fez: The first two and a half minutes
At a time when many are wearing Santa hats, Polytron Corporation would like us to pause a moment (two and a half minutes, actually) to consider the fez. Actually: Fez, proper noun. The developer has released a video of the opening to its anticipated indie game as a holiday surprise. Swell, right?
Fantasy Earth Zero's greatswords make up a lost chapter
The last major update to Fantasy Earth Zero, Season 2, saw some pretty significant changes to the makeup of the game, helped along by the addition of the anti-personnel Fencer class. But tomorrow will see another shakeup to the structure of the large-scale PvP game with the addition of the Lost Chapter, including the new Greatsword skills for Warriors. These new skills give Warriors an option to discard defense completely in exchange for powerful offensive talents. If the new spinning death of a two-handed sword isn't enticement enough, the team at Gamepot USA is also taking the opportunity to run a small giveaway for players via Facebook. All participants in the promotion will receive in-game items, and a few lucky players will also be receiving gift cards to Amazon. Fantasy Earth Zero players can look forward to the new patch tomorrow, but the promotion will be running through December 30th, giving plenty of time to participate.
Fantasy Earth Zero celebrates the holidays with decoration and giveaways
The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year that even the supernatural creatures summoned into battle feel the urge to dress for the occasion. At least, that's the case in Fantasy Earth Zero, which is embracing the spirit of the season by giving its summons a uniquely festive appearance. Considering the importance of summons in the game's PvP maps, players can expect to see quite a bit of the festive models during the available timeframe. If that wasn't enough, however, the community team is also holding two promotions for players. Players are asked to design a holiday card for the game, with five winners being selected to win five gold coins each. The team is also taking the opportunity to play Santa, as three lucky players will be granted their item of choice from the cash shop absolutely free. If your holiday plans include claiming land for your nation in Fantasy Earth Zero, you'll have several chances to enjoy the festive spirit while doing so.
Urban warfare comes to Fantasy Earth Zero
Fantasy Earth Zero's central conceit is what ultimately stands as an unwinnable contest of thrones, five nations battling for supremacy over the central continent. Up until now, the battle for control of Melpharia has been kept in fields and away from civilization... but that's changing with the addition of new maps bringing the conflict into the city. Two new maps are being added to the game, making up the last part of the game's far-reaching Season 2 update that's included a new class, new features, and now a new set of battlefields. Due to hit the live servers at some point tomorrow, the new maps are focused around street fighting in both larger urban environments and smaller villages. With Fantasy Earth Zero's emphasis on action-based combat, the narrow streets and limited passageways will have a decisive impact on gameplay. Players will also be treated to a new worldwide single-elimination tournament in the colosseum, with the national rulers using the tournament to determine their most admirable and skilled warriors. It's the sort of thing that could have FEZ players dancing in the streets -- or, as seems more likely, preparing for battle in them.
Fantasy Earth Zero launches a brand-new amusement park
There's always time to step away from the potentially needless slaughter that punctuates most MMOs and go relax in a more neutral setting. Even if the game in question is the PvP-heavy Fantasy Earth Zero, there's plenty of opportunity to take a bit of time away from combat. That's why the game has just launched the new Galm Amusement Park, complete with plenty of opportunities for players to partake in a new minigame, Dream Gacha. Located on the same island as the La Velza Colosseum, the amusement park allows players a chance to take a look inside the dreams of the five national leaders and see what's on their minds. A full guide to locating, playing, and winning the minigame is available at the official site. There are also a number of additional events taking place at the new park, including a free coin giveaway running until the 16th. Fantasy Earth Zero players would be well-advised to take a moment away from the game's battlefields for a bit of relaxation in the new park -- after all, the continent will still be around for you to conquer tomorrow.
Our tour of Fantasy Earth Zero's October update
Fantasy Earth Zero is an interesting little title, a game that's not for everyone but will hit just the right notes for some. It isn't a graphical powerhouse or a deep PvE title, but what it does accomplish is the laudable goal of being a PvP-focused game that both lets low-level characters perform useful tasks and remains balanced despite being free-to-play. Having released this past May, it's a four-year-old title that keeps itself on solid grounding with its systems. Still, five months out from launch there's something big coming for the game, with a major update scheduled to go live on the 19th of October. Featuring a new gameplay mode as well as a new class for players to enjoy -- and Fantasy Earth Zero players will know that a fourth class in the game's environment will have a big impact. Take a look past the break for a rundown of the game as well as the big changes coming with the October update.
Fez shows off gameplay, still in development
Hey, remember Fez, the little mind- and dimension-twisting indie platformer that was due out in 2009 2010 sometime in the future? Apparently that's still true -- developer Phil Fish has shared a brand new gameplay video on Twitter today, and you can watch it right after the break. The lead character's name is Gomez, according to the video's description, and the game will take him "a voyage of discovery into the mysterious 3rd dimension." Sounds fun, but when's it out? Fish doesn't say that, but he does confirm that the game "does indeed appear not to be an elaborate prank." Cute. Normally we wouldn't allow ourselves to be strung along like this on so little information, but this video has changed our perspective just enough for us to stay patient for this one a little longer. Weird how that works.
