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SCEE QA holds up Trine 2 launch in Europe
For us in North America, Trine 2 is a real thing, a game we can download and play and everything. Our brothers and sisters in gaming abroad have been denied Frozenbyte's sequel so far on PS3, thanks to a QA snafu at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Eurogamer reports. "We are anxiously awaiting the European release ourselves!" exclaimed Frozenbyte's vice president Joel Kinnunen to Eurogamer. "We had both SCEA and SCEE versions ready at the same time and they are basically 100 percent the same (SCEA version already has all European languages, for example), so we are very disappointed we couldn't have a simultaneous launch. But it's out of our hands." Right now, the game's in QA at SCEE with no release date in sight. Kinnunen says "hopefully we'll hear more soon," so when some news is conjured up, we'll be sure to let you all know.
Trine 2 available via the Mac App Store, demos galore
Developer Frozenbyte has added another level to the tri-pronged release of Trine 2, announcing the game's availability on the Mac App Store. This comes more than a week after Trine 2's release on Steam, three days before its release on PSN, and four days before it hits the Xbox Live Marketplace in North America. The App Store version will be getting an update next week. A PC and Mac demo that includes online multiplayer is available now through Steam or on the game's official site, and a DRM-free version of Trine 2 is dropping in 2012, along with a standalone PC demo.
Trine sales reach 1.1 million units
Developer Frozenbyte revealed today, with the launch of Trine 2 on PC/Mac, that the original Trine has sold 1.1 million units to date. Gamespot mentions a majority of Trine sales were achieved through Steam and the Humble Bundle, with a "notable part" also coming from OnLive. The co-op action title is also available on PS3, but never launched on Xbox 360 due to significant hiccups. Trine 2 should not experience the same console issues, with the title expected to launch in two weeks on PSN and XBLA. %Gallery-139935%
Trine 2 will be available for Mac on Dec. 7
Puzzle-based action/platformer Trine 2 is coming out this week, and developer Frozenbyte has announced that the Mac version will drop alongside the Windows version on Steam. If you want to get a copy outside of the Steam system, you'll have to wait until sometime next year, but even with the "DRM," Steam is usually a good choice to go with, even on a Mac. Frozenbyte is of course no stranger to Mac gaming, having just recently released a solid bundle for the Mac (as well as other platforms like Windows and Linux -- which is actually getting Trine 2 later on anyway). Trine 2 is looking like a really terrific game, expanding on the first title in the series by adding in new puzzles and puzzle types, making the lush graphics look even better, and including full online or local co-op gameplay. Trine 2 will be unlocked on December 7 -- it's $15 for the standard game, or $24.99 for a collector's edition that includes an art book and soundtrack. [via MacNN]
Trine 2 puts on its rogue and wizard hats starting December 7
Your favorite physics puzzle solving triumvirate of fantasy archetypes is reconvening December 7. Developer Frozenbyte has announced the impending availability of Trine 2. The wizard, rogue, and knight will launch a three-pronged assault on PC and Mac on December 7, available both on Steam and at European retailers. It's only appropriate for Trine to have three separate release dates working together, and Frozenbyte acknowledges the game's tripartite nature. Following the December 7 PC release date, the game will arrive on the North American PSN December 20, and on XBLA worldwide the next day. A European PSN release date is still pending, "but we hope it won't be far behind if delayed at all," noted Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen.
Trine 2 co-op works cross-platform, from PC to Mac, available now in beta
Finnish developer Frozenbyte has announced that its upcoming cooperative platform puzzler Trine 2 will support cross-platform multiplayer across PC and Mac, courtesy of Valve's Steam Play framework. The ongoing beta is also now available for Mac, meaning would-be cross-platformers can test out the new feature immediately ... that is, if you pre-purchased the title. Note: While Trine 2 will also be available via just about every method of digital distribution known to man – including GamersGate, Direct2Drive, the Mac App Store, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network – only the Steam PC and Mac releases will support cross-platform play. Sorry, Xbox players won't be buddying up with PS3 players. The release is still a vague "later in 2011" and if our Finnish Indie Dev Hunks calendar is accurate, there isn't much of 2011 left.
Trine 2's European collector's edition comes in physical form
Trine 2 is coming to PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in downloadable form in North America and Europe this year -- which makes the Europe-exclusive physical collector's edition of Trine 2 that much more, well, collectable. Focus Home Interactive is releasing the IRL collector's edition in Europe, which includes the game for both PC and Mac, an art book, the soundtrack, and access to downloadable versions of Trine 2 and the original Trine. It will cost €19.99 (£14.99 in U.K.).
Trine 2 pre-order available on Steam, offers beta access [update: beta available now!]
If the promise of co-op goodness isn't incentive enough to pre-order Trine 2, it looks like Frozenbyte has sweetened up the deal. The game is now available for pre-purchase on Steam for $15, and those who take the plunge will receive access to the multiplayer beta. The beta will include two levels, though few other details have been revealed, including when the beta will actually start. Given the game is set to be released this December, it shouldn't be too long. Update: Turns out the Trine 2 beta is available right now! Go grab it off of Steam if you already pre-ordered.
Humble Indie Bundle team offers a Frozen Synapse Bundle
The Humble Indie Bundle guys are back with another pay-what-you-want bundle of games. Proceeds from your purchase may be directed to the developers or to charity, in any combination you like. This time around, they're focusing on the turn-based strategy game Frozen Synapse, offering it up to anyone who wants to pay in at any price. There is a reason to pay a little higher this time. If the price you choose is higher than the average (currently around US$4.50) will also get you the Frozenbyte bundle, featuring the great Trine, the Shadowgrounds games, a game prototype called Jack Claw, and the upcoming release Splot. That lot for less than five bucks is a great deal, even if the Humble Indie Bundle folks aren't actually providing a bundle to everyone this time around. And as you'll probably remember from the past few offerings, these guys have a habit of adding even more extras into their deals, so odds are good that those six games aren't all you'll get if you buy in now. As usual, all of the games are available through Steam and are compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows. If you need something to play this coming weekend, you won't find a better deal around.
Trine 2 trailer tours Frozenbyte's fantastic backdrops
This compilation of Trine 2's warm, whimsical environments is only missing one thing: a nice hammock and a blanket. Can't we get a trio of servants to take care of all the puzzle solving?
Trine 2 preview: Brains and beauty
The first things you're going to notice are the visuals. Don't feel bad, happens to everybody. But while you're ogling Trine 2's look, you may just miss that its most significant improvements are in how it's playing with your mind. %Gallery-95622%
Trine 2 coming to PC and Mac in Europe this Q4
Like the game itself, the release of Trine 2 is a cooperative effort between three parties. In North America, developer Frozenbyte is working with Atlus to bring the game to PC, Mac, XBLA, and PSN this fall. And in Europe, Frozenbyte is cooperating with publisher Focus Home Interactive for a PC and Mac release. Atlus is handling the console versions worldwide, according to a statement from Frozenbyte to Eurogamer. The European PC/Mac release will be out stores and digitally in "Q4," which doesn't sound that far off from the American "fall" window. It'll be available in standard and collector's editions, the latter featuring a soundtrack disc.
Trine 2 trailer charms with co-op
Whenever we embroil ourselves in a fantasy-themed game, we like to imagine ourselves as total loners -- you know, like a bunch of regular ol' Aragorns. The co-op-heavy trailer for Trine 2 posted above makes us rethink our lonely, lonely strategy.
New 'Humble Frozenbyte Bundle' bonuses unlocked
Through the power of your awesome taste in games, Frozenbyte's "Humble Bundle" has raised more than $700,000 (the average pay-want-you-want purchase price is currently a few cents under $5). As a result of this feat, the studio has released an early, playable demo of its forthcoming game, Splot. The full game will be arriving in "the next 2–3 months" and is already included as a "pre-order bonus" for purchasers of the bundle. Moreover, Frozenbyte has added the Trine level editor to the set, as well as the source codes for Shadowgrounds and Shadowgrounds: Survivor. If you've yet to get in on the bundle, you've still got another four-ish days left to grab it. We hear it's just the right size for an Easter basket.
New Humble bundle offers Frozenbyte games, pay what you want
The folks behind the extremely popular Humble Indie bundles are at it again -- this time, they've assembled a "Humble Frozenbyte Bundle," featuring a pack of games from Finnish game developer Frozenbyte. The real centerpiece here is Trine, an excellent physics-based puzzler/platformer that's done well both on PC and on the consoles, but the other titles (Shadowgrounds, sequel Shadowgrounds Survivor and a preview of a game called Splot) aren't bad either. There's a game prototype in the mix called Jack Claw -- that's a game that Frozenbyte eventually canceled without release, but buyers of this bundle will get to play it anyway (on Windows, that is). As with the other Humble bundles, all of these games are Mac-compatible and DRM-free, and the price is pay-what-you-will, with money going either to Frozenbyte or to the EFF or Child's Play. The suggested price cost of the games separately is $50 (which would still be a great deal for four games), but you can give whatever you want to whoever you want and still get the bundle for yourself. On a quick platform-specific note, too, Mac users aren't being quite as well represented this time around -- they're paying, on average, way less than Linux users, and taking the smallest piece of the pie out of the three platforms. If you do buy the bundle (and the games, with the exception of Jack Claw, are compatible on any and all platforms anyway), make sure to show a little Mac pride over there, and prove that among the three OSes, Mac users are the most willing to pony up for great software.
New Humble Bundle features Frozenbyte games and prototype
Humble Bundle's third, pay-want-you-want indie games collection, "The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle," is now available from the official site for the next fifteen days. As the name implies, the new set features the works of Finnish developer Frozenbyte, including the platformer Trine and the top-down shooter series Shadowgrounds. The bundle also includes a pre-order license -- no, not for Trine 2, but for Splot, a mysterious (yet adorable-looking) title that's still under development. Most intriguing, Frozenbyte has tossed in the source code for a canceled project called Jack Claw. According to Edge, the developer hopes to crowd-source the game to completion and offer it for free to everyone that helps. Like past Humble Bundles, this one is DRM-free and -- with the exception of the Windows-only Jack Claw code -- all the games are available to download for PC, Mac and Linux. Additionally, purchasers are entitled to Steam, Desura and OnLive product keys for compatible titles, as well as the soundtracks for Trine and the Shadowgrounds games. Oh! And how could we forget? Any two portions of your purchase can be donated to the Child's Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a public interest nonprofit that protects consumers' digital rights. Check out the Frozenbyte Bundle promotional video after the break to find out more about this most awesome offering -- or just go buy it already! [Thanks, Luis!]
Trine 2 delayed to 'late summer,' this trailer is here to help
The original Trine suffered delays on PSN and worse on Xbox 360, and it looks like Trine 2 is continuing this unfortunate tradition, though on a smaller scale. Originally announced for release this spring, Trine 2 has been bumped to "late summer," according to a press release by publisher Atlus. In order to help us remain calm, and keep our Trine PTSD in check, Atlus sent out a new trailer. Look, it's still happening! Atlus still says it's coming out on PC, PS3, and Xbox. It's going to be okay.
Trine 2 trailer and details magically appear
Speaking with 1UP, FrozenByte's Lauri Hyvärinen discussed some of the new facets of Trine 2, noting that online and offline co-op will be a drop-in / drop-out affair and that players can switch between single-player and co-op at any time. Hyvärinen also noted that the game will have a longer adventure than the first, features an entirely new upgrade system and has a "NewGame+" option to let players take on previous puzzles with their new found abilities. Check out a trailer after the break.
Trine 2 conjures online co-op for XBLA, PSN and PC
While failing to materialize on Xbox Live Arcade, whimsical puzzle platformer Trine found critical success on the PlayStation Network (even including a Platinum Trophy) and PC. Online co-op was a notable omission from the game -- and it's one Atlus and Frozenbyte's reforged partnership hopes to correct with Trine 2, coming to XBLA, PSN and PC in spring 2011. The iconic trio of playable characters returns in Trine 2, each with a new ability to complement the game's more directed approach to puzzle design. Atlus claims that the physics-based challenges will be more difficult to break or avoid outright, but will still accommodate multiple solutions. Hopefully, experimentation -- or "messing around" in gaming parlance -- will still be encouraged, especially now that three friends can tackle puzzles together online. We get dibs on the wizard, by the way. %Gallery-95622%
Trine 2 revealed as part of Atlus E3 lineup
Atlus today distributed a list of titles it will showcase at the (extremely impending) Electronic Entertainment Expo next week. One of the names mentioned on the decidedly vague list of games is Trine 2, the follow-up to Frozenbyte's 2009 PC and PSN action-platformer -- and to think some folks assumed Atlus was just going to announce an XBLA version of the original game. How silly! Also included in the publisher's E3 lineup is another unannounced title: Rock of Ages, which is being developed by Zeno Clash creator Ace Team. Additionally, localized versions of Etrian Odyssey 3: The Drowned City and the PSP port of Knights in the Nightmare will be at the show.
