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'Into the Breach' is monsters, mechs and a reset for strategy games
Subset Games' 2012 space command simulator FTL wasn't the first roguelike indie game to come out during the subgenre's renaissance, but it stood out from the rest. Players guide their single ship against a galaxy of enemies, and the challenge and high skill ceiling earned legions of fans and financial success. Last February, the studio teased its second game, Into The Breach, a grid-based strategy game where the player's trio of mechs must fight off an invading onslaught of colossal bugs while saving as many people as possible. The game comes out today -- and anyone that loved the studio's tough-but-rewarding first game will be equally charmed by its sophomore release.
'FTL' successor shows off adorable mech battles
If you've played FTL: Faster Than Light, you know that it's a sublime gaming experience, well deserving of its high ratings and devoted fan base. Developer Subset Games has just launched a teaser trailer for its follow-up title, Into The Breach. FTL provided players with perfectly-balanced chaos-management activities that made building, defending and upgrading a spaceship and its crew incredibly fun. Into The Breach looks to be as enjoyable, and the gameplay on display has even more of the same retro-pixel sci-fi mayhem.
Watch live streamers play developers at their own games for charity
Erin Robinson Swink, developer of the hand-painted space-physics game, Gravity Ghost, has a simple reason driving her passion for green energy and environmental advocacy: asthma. "I remember how awful it was needing an inhaler as a kid," she says. Air pollution -- driven in large part by burning coal -- contributed to her respiratory disease. Today, Robinson Swink is combining her love of game development and clean energy for a three-day event called Beat the Dev on Twitch. The show is live now, and it promises to feature developers behind Borderlands 2, Uncharted 3, Super Meat Boy, Octodad, Nuclear Throne, Journey, Darksiders II and 17 others playing their own games against a lineup of live-streamers. Donations made during the event will benefit The Sierra Club and its clean-air, green-energy advocacy efforts.
GOG Big Fall Sale Finale: FTL, Fez, Sam And Max, Rogue Legacy
GOG.com kicked off its DRM-free Big Fall Sale Finale this morning, putting more than 700 games on sale until Tuesday, November 25. The sale is split into two 48-hour periods, the first a "recap of flash deals" that rapidly come and go, and a second period with the Big Fall Sale's daily bundles that starts on Sunday. Thrifty buyers may want to act fast, as some of the flash deals will expire within hours. The deals include Fez ($5), Rogue Legacy ($3), Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition ($2.49), Pathologic ($2), System Shock 2 ($5), Rollercoaster Tycoon: Deluxe Edition ($3), FTL: Advanced Edition ($5) and the four primary Wing Commander games are $3 each, with the first two games bundled together. Sam & Max Save the World and Beyond Time and Space are $15 each, while The Devil's Playhouse is $17.49. OG.com also has deals on bundles starting today, such as the Fedora Deluxe Pack, a five-game Tex Murphy bundle that players can download at 80 percent off ($7.16). The digital games distributor is also offering a movie bundle for $8.45 that features five films, including The King of Arcades, Pixel Poetry and Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. [Image: GOG.com]
Humble Mozilla Bundle: Try in your browser, redeem at Steam
Humble Bundle adopts a new approach with its featured offerings today with the The Humble Mozilla Bundle, a collection that lets you test drive HTML5 versions of featured games in your browser before you commit to a purchase. The pay-what-you-want package includes Steam-redeemable copies of Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon, Dejobaan's Aaaaa! for the Awesome, Hemisphere Games' Osmos, Secret Exit's Zen Bound 2, and Hitbox Team's Dustforce DX. Beat the average (currently $5.25) and you'll also get Voxatron and FTL: Advanced Edition, while purchases that exceed $8 will additionally unlock Democracy 3. Full versions of all games included in the Humble Mozilla Bundle are playable in HTML5-supported browsers upon purchase. The package will be available through October 28. [Video: Humble Bundle]
FTL: Faster Than Light cuts cost by 30% for the next week [Update]
Both the PC and iPad versions of strategic spacefaring roguelike FTL: Faster Than Light are 30 percent off until July. The game is a mere $6.99 (£4.99) for the next week, which amounts to a pretty good deal for one of the better games available on the iPad in particular. The Steam version is discounted until June 30. FTL began as a Kickstarter project, earning $200,542 in April 2012 on the funding platform. The game launched on PC later that year and received multiple Best of the Rest nods from Joystiq before arriving on iPad this past March for $10. It launched the same day as the game's Advanced Edition expansion, which was freely tacked on to both versions. Those with both the PC/Mac game and its iPad counterpart can transfer their save files between the two as well, granting extra incentive for players to spend a few bucks this week. Keep in mind: FTL will not work on first generation iPads, only iPad 2 tablets or better. Update: FTL is part of today's Summer Sale deals on Steam, so it's a whopping 60 percent off ($3.99) for the next two days. [Image: Subset Games]
Overheard@GDC: Don't clone FTL, but...you know, make it better
FTL: Faster Than Light creators Justin Ma and Matthew Davis are a couple of mellow developers. Like, super chill. The pair are prepping to put a big red bow on FTL with the Advanced Edition and go on whatever journey comes next. Davis is contemplating doing a board game and Ma is looking to live in Japan and take it in. Although the pair wouldn't share sales numbers for FTL, Davis did say it was "enough for us to consider ourselves extremely lucky." The two devs have been waiting in the most positive way for games similar to their strategy sim to start creeping out at a regular pace. "I keep waiting for a knock-off! I want to play it," said Davis, looking at Ma. "Watch, by next week there's going to be like three clones," chimed in Ma. Davis exclaimed, "But it has to have multiplayer!" So, you know, if you're a developer making a game similar to FTL you've got at least two sales.
Frozenbyte's 'Huge Seal' promotion discounts 35 indie games, gives away Steam keys
Trine 2 developer Frozenbyte kicked off a "Huge Seal" promotion, joining up with more than two dozen other indie developers to offer discounts on 35 PC and Mac games. To take advantage of the "build your own indie sale," buyers need to log in to the sale's site with their Steam accounts to access five coupons from the list of participating games, seen after the break. Among the indie games on sale are Mark of the Ninja ($7.50), Monaco: What's Yours is Mine ($6.60), FTL: Faster than Light ($5.00), Terraria ($5.00) and Thomas Was Alone ($2.50). For every purchase, buyers can pick another game from the list to buy at a discounted rate. Buying three games grants players one free Steam key from the discounted games at random. The sale is good until Sunday, November 24.
FTL spools up 'Advanced Edition' on PC, iPad next year
Indie spacefaring sim FTL: Faster Than Light is getting an upgrade in the new year. Developer Subset Games has announced FTL: Advanced Edition, a beefed-up version that includes new weapons, drone classes and equipment for your ship, plus a new sector to explore with events written by Tom Jubert - the original FTL scribe - and guest writer Chris Avellone from Obsidian Entertainment. This content will be distributed as a free update to all existing owners of FTL. In addition to the PC version, FTL: Advanced Edition will also be available on the iPad next year. Both the Advanced Edition update and iPad port will launch at the same time in 2014, Subset Games says. FTL: Faster Than Light is a roguelike. After selecting a ship and crew, players navigate through randomly-generated sections of uncharted space, deal with space bandits and routinely engage in ship-to-ship combat as they attempt to reach the safety of the Galactic Federation.
Humble Indie Bundle 9 adds Limbo, Bastion and more
The Humble Indie Bundle 9 just added a quintet of new games. Limbo, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, Bastion and A Virus Named Tom are now available to would-be purchasers and those who've already coughed up dough for the collection alike. This latest Humble Bundle launched just last week and is headlined by FTL, Fez and Mark of the Ninja, in addition to Brutal Legend, Trine 2: Complete Story and a special beta version of Eets: Munchies. This latest grouping of games has little over six days left on its run, at which point it'll be retired for the next insanely tempting Humble Indie Bundle collection.
Latest Humble Bundle brings Fez and Mark of the Ninja to Mac and Linux
We've seen the Humble Bundle be used to introduce some big games to new platforms in the past, and the latest offering is no exception. The 9th edition of the Indie Bundle sees both indie game favorite Fez and Mark of the Ninja making their debut on Mac and Linux. Along with those, you'll get FTL: Faster Than Light, Trine 2 and Brutal Legend, plus the beta version of Eets Munchies, which is making its debut on all three platforms. As usual, you can pay whatever you like for the bundle and choose how much goes to the developers and charities (EFF, Child's Play and Watsi), but you'll have to pay more than the average to get Fez and FTL. Those not up on their indie gaming can get a taste of what's in store in the video after the break -- just don't get your hopes up for a Fez sequel if you like what you find.
Fez, Mark of the Ninja, FTL head up Humble Indie Bundle 9
Humble Bundle's ever-busy organizers have launched Humble Indie Bundle 9, a pay-what-you-want compilation spotlighting Polytron's Fez, Klei's Mark of the Ninja, and other standout indie hits. Buyers will receive Double Fine's metal-infused action-RTS Brutal Legend, the DLC-bundled Trine 2: Complete Story, and stealth-action game Mark of the Ninja, which makes its Mac and Linux debut as part of the collection. The package also includes a beta version of Klei's Eets: Munchies, marking the first time the game has ever been available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Backers who beat the average purchase price will also receive Subset Games' space roguelike FTL: Faster Than Light and the dimension-twisting platformer Fez, which is newly available for Mac and Linux.
Game Music Bundle 5: Monaco, FTL, Fez, Gunpoint, more
If you recently binged on EA's Humble Origin Bundle of AAA games, Game Music Bundle 5 might help you recall the finer moments of some recent indie highlights. Game Music Bundle 5's pay-what-you-want pricing strategy is comparable to that of the Humble Bundles, but proceeds exclusively help musicians this time around. Any donation below $10 nets you the soundtracks for Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine, FTL: Faster Than Light, FEZ, Gunpoint, World of Goo, and Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded. Upping the ante to $10 or more grants the previously mentioned soundtracks plus additional music from FEZ, Monaco, Frog Fractions, Little Inferno, Super Panda Adventures, Marbel Time, Hero of Many, Me and My Dinosaur 2, Drox and Anodyne. Holy music, right? Beyond the offered albums, prizes are available to reward the highest donations. The eight most generous contributors will receive a Steam key for Monaco and a promotional poster for the game. The top five will earn the Monaco key as well as a copy of the Leisure Suit Larry score signed by composers Austin Wintory and Al Lowe. Lastly, the king of donations will win the previous prizes as well as a FEZ shirt signed by Disasterpeace, composer of FEZ's soundtrack.
EVE Evolved: Fanfest 2013 video roundup
Last month saw the huge tenth anniversary EVE Online Fanfest, a three-day convention packed full of exclusive reveals, behind-the-scenes talks, and community events. This year's Fanfest was the biggest one yet, celebrating EVE's tenth anniversary with special guest speakers from the scientific community, the reveal of a new virtual reality dogfighter, DUST 514's launch, and details of the upcoming Odyssey expansion. Massively was there to bring you coverage of the big news as it happened, and CCP streamed some of the key talks and events live to viewers at home. This year's Fanfest sold out so quickly that many people who wanted to go didn't get a chance to, and only a select few talks were shown on the public livestream. With such a packed event schedule, even players in attendance couldn't be there for every interesting talk. Thankfully, CCP recorded over 30 of the most anticipated events and has now uploaded the videos to YouTube. Highlights include the Make EVE Real videos, the EVE keynote, the CCP Presents Keynote, and the talks on how DUST 514 integrates with the EVE economy. In this week's EVE Evolved, I round up all of the EVE Fanfest videos in a handy list.
Best of the Rest: Jess' picks of 2012
Joystiq is revealing its 10 favorite games of 2012 throughout the week. Keep reading for more top selections and every writer's personal, impassioned picks in Best of the Rest roundups. FTL: Faster Than LightI find tremendous pleasure in games that allow me to name my characters, humanize them and create their unique, intricate backstories, for the sole purpose of making me watch those beloved little guys burn to death on a cramped space ship. No game does this better, or more often, than FTL: Faster Than Light.Another alluring aspect of FTL is that it's an indie game that looks indie. The game's strength lies in the incredible interstellar journey the player takes with her crew, and the graphics do everything they can to stay out of the way of these space battles and indiscriminate deaths. It's a mental game, high-energy in synapse rather than the screen – much as I've heard the original X-COM described. And like X-COM, playing FTL isn't just a wonderful experience today, but it promises greater, better things to come from Subset Games.
Steam Holiday Sale, day 9: Assassin's Creed, Prototype, Left 4 Dead franchises and more
The majority of mainstream shopping holidays have now reached a complete stop, but the sales live on – especially in the case of Valve's annual Steam Holiday Sale, which today enters its ninth day of dealing out discounted digital sundries.PC gamers can save 25 to 75 percent on every game in the Assassin's Creed series, 75/50 percent off Prototype and Prototype 2 respectively, get Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for a cold dead $7.49, Limbo for a spooky $2.49, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion for an astronomically low $13.59 and Just Cause 2 for a justified $3.74.Yesterday's deals also remain active for another 20 hours or so, including LA Noire for $4.99, FTL for $4.99 and 33 percent off XCOM: Enemy Unknown. As always, flash sales and community choice sales change throughout the day.
Steam sale continues with great deals on FTL, XCOM, and more
There are only four days left in 2012 after today, which means you're running out of chances to save money on games this year. Steam understands this, and today's iteration of sale prices is designed to help you pick up some of the best games of 2012 for super cheap.FTL, the great indie space roguelike, is down to $4.99, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown is at $33.49.Elsewhere, award winner The Walking Dead is only $12.49, the ambitious Spec Ops: The Line is available for $10.19, and retro dungeon RPG Legend of Grimrock is $3.74, which is less than that carton of eggnog you polished off last weekend.
Faster-than-light neutrinos are back in the game
Back in September, CERN dropped the improbable news about its faster-than-light neutrinos, causing eggheads worldwide to cry foul. Understandable really, as if true, a lot of what we think we know about the universe essentially falls apart. So, expect severe bouts of head-scratching once more, as a second round of experiments from the same OPERA collaborative has reported similar results. The initial experiments used a long chain of neutrinos, fired from point A to B. Skeptics claimed that this might have introduced an element of uncertainty to the results -- the new tests used much shorter blasts, meaning that if they arrived just as quickly, then this potential cause for error is scratched out. The new data still needs to undergo the usual peer review, and other possible causes for error remain. For now though, it looks like one of the main arguments against has been addressed, making the Einstein-challenging neutrinos one step closer (or is that ahead?) to re-writing the rule book.
Remember those faster-than-light neutrinos? Great, now forget 'em
A week ago the world went wild over CERN's tentative claim that it could make neutrinos travel faster than light. Suddenly, intergalactic tourism and day trips to the real Jurassic Park were back on the menu, despite everything Einstein said. Now, however, a team of scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands reckons it's come up with a more plausible (and disappointing) explanation of what happened: the GPS satellites used to measure the departure and arrival times of the racing neutrinos were themselves subject to Einsteinian effects, because they were in motion relative to the experiment. This relative motion wasn't properly taken into account, but it would have decreased the neutrinos' apparent journey time. The Dutch scientists calculated the error and came up with the 64 nanoseconds. Sound familiar? That's because it's almost exactly the margin by which CERN's neutrinos were supposed to have beaten light. So, it's Monday morning, Alpha Centauri and medieval jousting tournaments remain as out of reach as ever, and we just thought we'd let you know.
