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Joe Danger: Infinity gets daily challenges, over 2 million crashes logged
High-flying iOS motorcycle stunt sim Joe Danger: Infinity offers a new daily challenge mode in its latest update, developer Hello Games told Joystiq today. Similar to the daily challenge modes featured in games like Spelunky and OlliOlli, Joe Danger: Infinity's once-a-day challenges pit all players against unique multifaceted level layouts every 24 hours. Scores are tracked both cumulatively and for individual levels -- committed players will rack up larger amounts of coins with every session, giving extra incentive to return to the mode on a daily basis. Hello Games additionally notes that Joe has crashed a total of 2,268,112 times across all Joe Danger: Infinity play sessions, as of earlier today. If you want to know what dying feels like, you should ask Joe -- he's suffered roughly 1,700 deaths every hour since the game's launch in January. [Image: Hello Games]
No Man's Sky won't be delayed by office flood, Hello Games says
Joe Danger developer Hello Games is up and running at "full speed" following a flood that gutted the company on Christmas Eve, managing director Sean Murray reports. Development of the studio's sci-fi roguelike No Man's Sky has resumed, and the game will not be delayed as a result of the flood. Hello Games discovered that it was not insured for damages in the flood's aftermath, but has since constructed a "make-shift post-apocalyptic set of workstations" in order to continue development unabated. Murray expects the company to either relocate to a new office or rebuild its previous studio setup in the coming months. Despite its setbacks, Hello Games has seen a busy month, with Joe Danger Infinity recently making its App Store debut and Joe Danger 2 remaining up for grabs in the ongoing Humble Bundle X.
Joe Danger Infinity dropped to 99 cents on iOS
Joe Danger Infinity may have launched just last week, but it can already be downloaded at a discounted price. The game is now listed for 99 cents on the App Store, down from its initial launch price of $2.99 (£1.99 and €2.69 in Europe). Hello Games' latest creation has players launching off ramps, avoiding obstacles and pulling tricks as a miniature Joe Danger, collecting stars and coins while flying through the air. Joe Danger Infinity's hook comes in the form of multiple ride-able vehicles, such as motorcycles, cars and airplanes. It features more than 20 vehicles and 25 nostalgic unlockable characters.
Joe Danger Infinity set to arrive later this week
Hello Games is "slotted" to ride Joe Danger Infinity onto iOS this Thursday, January 9, despite having to deal with severe floods last month. In an email sent to Joystiq, Managing Director Sean Murray wrote, "We're here in a cramped little upstairs room, with makeshift PCs and water slowly rising to the electrics... because we have a game to release!" If it makes the date, Infinity will arrive one year after the studio's first iOS game, Joe Danger Touch. As the name suggests, the studio's second one takes Danger's tried-and-tested tricking and transplants it onto an endless runner. According to Murray, the 20 or so new vehicles are the "really big change," with a tank and a firework among the new inclusions. No word on the price yet, but Joe Danger Touch landed with a $3 tag.
Hello Games not insured for flood damage, Microsoft's Phil Spencer 'going to look into' situation
Hello Games, the studio behind surprise VGX 2013 hit No Man's Sky, continued their run of bad luck this week. The company announced via Twitter that insurance won't be covering damages the studio sustained during a Christmas Eve flood. "BAD NEWS! Had a 'hilarious' call with insurer yesterday. Small print is if you are in a flood risk zone, you are not insured for flooding :(" the tweet reads. Another tweet, timestamped 13 minutes later, tried to find the silver lining: "On a brighter note, no insurance means we can just wade in and start setting things straight! Hello Games assemble!" The studio has received many tweets of support and well-wishes, and the situation has not gone unnoticed by bigger companies. When Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer was asked by a Twitter user if he could "spread some cheer" to Hello Games, Spencer responded that he was "going to look into it." Hello Games has not announced any external funding, corporate or otherwise, that would cover the flood damage.
Hello Games says goodbye to PCs, monitors and more after office flood
Massive flooding across areas of the UK has struck a productivity blow to indie developer Hello Games. Yesterday, via Twitter, the house that birthed Joe Danger announced its Guildford office had been swallowed by rushing water. "A river broke its bank nearby yesterday, and a lot of water flooded in really quickly. A biblical amount. It was coming in the windows!" "We've lost most things – PCs, monitors, furniture, a door, a wall. You'd think the massive water cooled mega PC would be ok? It was not," a follow-up Tweet revealed. Hello Games is currently working on the gorgeous No Man's Sky, a standout announcement at the VGX Awards earlier this month. Despite the loss, Hello Games is in good spirits. "We're taking stock today, but already I know we'll come back stronger," the dev's Twitter account promised. "All we'll need is a place to work and a machine to work on." Joystiq has contacted Hello Games to learn if the flooding has resulted in permanent data loss and its altered timetable for No Man's Sky, but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.
Joe Danger Infinity taps into toy-based nostalgia for iOS 'really soon'
Joe Danger Infinity is an endless racer and motorbike stunt-er coming to iOS "really soon," developer Hello Games says. Infinity is the first Joe Danger made just for iOS. After launching Joe Danger Touch, Hello Games felt it had "unfinished business" in the handheld space, studio founder Sean Murray says. Infinity features Joe Danger as a tiny, gumball machine toy that comes alive when popped open, and he races across bedroom floors, through family dinners and over a variety of relatively giant objects. It features endless gameplay, two dozen playable characters pulled from childhood nostalgia, a fresh emphasis on competition, and 20 new vehicles – including a tank, airplanes and a runaway firework. In related Hello Games news, Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are on their way to Vita from UK developer Four Door Lemon. Joe Danger is expected to hit Vita in Q2 2014. In even more related Hello Games news, the studio is currently working on No Man's Sky, the stylish sci-fi exploration game introduced during this month's VGX awards. If we could remember just one thing from VGX, it would probably be No Man's Sky. If only that's how memories worked.
No Man's Sky might not be an MMO, but it's certainly a close cousin
Science fiction has always been about a sense of wonder, but a lot of the time that sense of wonder takes a back seat to enormous spaceships blowing one another to pieces. That's all well and good, but it's not what No Man's Sky is aiming for. The game is meant to be about exploring a strange and vast universe of procedurally generated planets. In a move that should excite MMO fans, the game will apparently include a shared playing space for everyone. The game at its heart features a shared space for all players, with the impact of one person's actions having a ripple effect. What form of interactions you'll be able to have remains to be seen, but the developers behind the game want to offer the idea that pure exploration is a dangerous and hostile affair in environments that may not welcome you. As the game progresses through development, we'll be keeping an eye on it, since the idea of a pseudo-MMO allowing you to trek across the endless darkness of space and interact with others is a heady once -- even if your interactions are only through the consequences of the other person's passing. [We've now added the trailer after the cut.]
No Man's Sky is a sci-fi exploration roguelike in a consistent universe
For the last nine months, a team of four at Hello Games has been working hard on something called "Project Skyscraper," which we now know as No Man's Sky – the upcoming first-person sci-fi exploration game revealed during the VGX video game awards show this past weekend. It was one of the bigger, more interesting, surprises of the show. And Hello Games managing director Sean Murray is quite ecstatic to be able to finally talk about the studio's ambitious new universe.
Hello Games searches the stars at VGX with No Man's Sky
Hello Games, the developer behind the Joe Danger series, has just announced a new game at the Spike VGX video game awards today. No Man's Sky, which looks to include first-person shooting with exploration elements and space combat, was revealed in a teaser trailer. There's even one planet, replete with sandworm, that looks like it was ripped straight out of Dune. Unfortunately, there was no mention of which platforms No Man's Sky will launch on nor was there any timeframe for release.
For his next stunt, Joe Danger races to Mac and Linux
Both Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2 are making their way over to Mac and Linux. Developer Hello Games has announced the new platforms in a blog post, which details both platforms will be added to the Steam versions of each game "real soon." The Linux version is particularly exciting to Hello Games as it'll be compatible with Valve's SteamOS, whenever that launches. Joe Danger is a side-scrolling racing series where players assume the role of titular stuntman, Joe Danger. He navigates various obstacle courses in pursuit of setting the best time possible. In our review of Joe Danger 2, we found the game doesn't stray too far from the foundation set by the first game – and that it doesn't really need to. Hello Games is also currently porting both Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2 over to the PS Vita. Both ports are due some time in the new year.
Joe Danger 2 unleashes Undead Movie DLC, PC discounts
Watch yourself, this trailer is full of danger – Joe Danger 2 DLC, that is. The Undead Movie Pack has 15 new levels, six creepy characters and three spooky environments, out now for $5 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and tomorrow for 20 percent off on PC. Developer Hello Games is extending the Halloween celebrations to a 75 percent off sale for Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2 on PC, cutting each game from $15 to $3.75, and the bundle from $25 to $6.25. Those are some high-voltage savings. Take a look at what Joe Danger 2 is working with in the Undead Movie Pack trailer and screenshots.
Joe Danger mobile rolls out a mega update and a sale
Joe Danger mobile has peeled off 66 percent from its standard price of $3 on the App Store, and is now $1 for a limited time. The sale is in conjunction with the game's biggest update yet. Update 1.0.3 adds 50 percent more content: a new game mode called new Calendar Tour, new levels, five new characters (bringing it to 32 total) and universal iCloud support. Calendar Tour offers players a new level to run through every day of the week. Complete all the levels in one weekly round and the next week's batch will be tougher to beat, and snag big coin rewards. And then use those coins to buy one of the new characters, two of which are a pirate and a ninja.
PSA: Joe Danger pulls into Steam today
Hello Games' Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie make their Steam debut today, each available at a special introductory price for the next week. Normal pricing puts each game at $15 or together in a special bundle for $25; however, for the next week, the bundle is 40 percent off and each game is 20 percent off. The bundle includes extra content: an ebook telling the story of Hello Games' struggles as an indie developer in the UK; the Joe Danger soundtrack; and some extra wallpapers. All copies of Joe Danger 2 on Steam, whether purchased individually or within the bundle, will have additional Team Fortress 2 and Minecraft content. Both games will be available when Steam updates at 10am PT today.%Gallery-191840%
Build Minecraft levels, select Team Fortress 2 guys in Joe Danger 2 PC
Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are set to pop wheelies on Steam on June 24, and the sequel port will come with additional Minecraft and Team Fortress 2-themed goodies. You'll be able to play as the Team Fortress 2 cast – don't tell Joe you're racing without him! – and Minecraft Guy, plus pull from a whole suite of Minecraft items, objects and environments in the level editor. Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie on Steam both benefit from Big Picture mode and will incorporate Steam Workshop into their level editors. Keyboard and mouse controls, as well as game pads, are also supported.%Gallery-191840%
Joe Danger, Joe Danger 2 ride onto PC June 24
Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are bracing for impact with Steam on June 24, developer Hello Games told us. As for prices, Hello Games is keeping them under its helmet for now. Both tricksters will feature mouse and keyboard support, be compatible with Big Picture Mode, include ghost records to race against, and offer Steamworks support for their level editors. %Gallery-191477%
Joe Danger, Joe Danger 2: The Movie somersaulting onto PC
Joe Danger's latest daredevil stunt is to ride both his games, Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie, onto PCs via Steam. UK indie studio Hello Games told us a number of tweaks are coming to the PC versions, including Big Picture Mode and Steamworks support. The latter is for the games' level editors. which on PC feature "all the secret controls" Hello Games used to build both tricksters. Both games will support gamepad, mouse and keyboard controls. Other tweaks and additions include ghost records of other players for both games, and new levels. Prices and release dates are still to come. "It's weird, PC is actually Joe Danger's birthplace," Hello Games' Sean Murray told us. "We couldn't get hold of devkits when we started out, so I coded my first ever PC engine for the original Joe Danger, and we ended up developing the entire game on PC. I feel like the PC version has been brewing forever - but only played by four of us here in the office." We expect a few more people will be playing it when it comes to Steam. We gave the XBLA version of Joe Danger 2: The Movie a wheelie good four stars in our review, saying that it does the two things puzzle-racers should do: " tug at your need to beat them, and then tug at your need to beat them better." %Gallery-189935%
Hello Games says Joe Danger iOS is a big success, planning an update and more
148Apps recently had a nice chat with Hello Games, the makers of Joe Danger, a motorcycle stunt racing game first for consoles and then for iOS, and the company says that Apple's platform has done very well for them. Throughout the app's life, Joe Danger's been in 5 million crashes total, which hints that a lot of people are enjoying the game via the App Store. Hello Games also says Joe Danger's due for a big update soon. There will be new characters and levels to play with, and the team is planning to add a daily challenge-style feature that will keep the game fresh on a daily basis, along with some cheat modes to tweak the game with. And finally, Hello Games hints that it's had some ideas "that have completely spiralled out of control into something else entirely." That could be a new game completely, created specifically to start out on iOS. We'll have to wait and see what that turns out to be. Meanwhile, however, it sounds like Hello Games has been treated well by the release of Joe Danger on iOS.
Joe Danger Touch drops out of the sky at midnight, January 10
Joe Danger Touch revs its way up the iOS ramp at midnight tonight, for an official launch date of January 10. Joe Danger Touch has more than 30 characters, new adventures and cross-platform multiplayer, as the above trailer demonstrates.Hello Games managing director Sean Murray says the mobile version of Joe Danger is "super difficult, probably more so than the console version." Sorry, Joe – that means you're really going to live up to the second half of your name this time around.
Joe Danger Touch wheelies onto iOS this month
Joe Danger Touch is leaping through rings of fire and App Store red tape to land on iPhones and iPads this month. Speaking to CVG, developer Hello Games said the iOS trickster features new characters which can be unlocked either by progressing through the game or via in-app purchases. Touch also lets players set challenges for each other via Game Center."I don't think Joe Danger Touch feels like anything else I've played," Hello Games managing director Sean Murray said. "I want it to feel like it could only work on iOS, because we've built it specifically for the device. Towards the end of the game, it gets super difficult, probably more so than the console version. I'm amazed what levels I can handle sometimes, and the subtlety possible with just a touch interface."That touch interface sees players swiping to make Joe wheelie, flicking to knock obstacles off the track, tapping to jump, and holding down to crouch. Presumably you have to blow on the screen to put him out following the inevitable ring of fire mishap.
