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PSN ragdoll injury sim Pain returning as free-to-play game
Idol Minds' ragdoll-abusing action game Pain will return to the PlayStation Network as a free-to-play title, Sony Brazil revealed this week. The revised version of Pain is developed by Argentinian studio QB9, which Sony recently recruited as part of its Latin American indie incubation program. Footage shown at the ongoing Brazil Game Show indicated that the free-to-play version of Pain will retain all gameplay features and modes from the original 2007 release, including the popular multiplayer Bowling mode. A release date for the new free-to-play version of Pain has not been announced.
PS3, Vita dungeon crawler Warrior's Lair canceled
Warrior's Lair, one of the first games announced for the Vita, is officially canned. Sony Computer Entertainment confirmed to IGN the PS3 and Vita cross-play action-RPG, first unveiled as Ruin back at E3 2011, is no longer in development. The news comes just over a year after rumors arose of the game's demise, amid rumblings of layoffs at co-developer Idol Minds. SCE had taken Idol Minds off the project, and tasked Sony San Diego solely with its completion. Sadly, that's not come to pass. When it first introduced Ruin, Sony focused on the cross-play, now an established feature across other games. With that selling point somewhat diminished, there unfortunately may not have been enough left to convince Sony to take the game forward.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault launches for PS Vita next week
The once-delayed PlayStation Vita version of Insomniac's hybrid tower defense-action game Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will launch next week as a downloadable PlayStation Network title in North America and Europe. Full Frontal Assault was originally released as a retail and downloadable PlayStation 3 title back in November, boasting cross-play features with a Vita edition that was subsequently hit with a series of delays. Buyers of the retail version of Full Frontal Assault – and its renamed European counterpart Ratchet & Clank: QForce – will be able to download the Vita edition for free starting May 21 in North America and May 22 in Europe by accessing the game's "Disc Benefits" option. Those who purchased Full Frontal Assault's retail edition will also receive an additional bonus after redeeming the PS Vita version when it launches next week. Ratchet Deadlocked HD, an Idol Minds-developed PlayStation 3 port of the fourth PS2 entry in the Ratchet & Clank series, will be available as a free download for Full Frontal Assault buyers when it launches in the PlayStation Store. A release date for Deadlocked HD (also known as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe) has not been announced.
PS3/Vita title Warrior's Lair not canceled, says Sony
Sony acknowledged in a matter-of-fact response the cross-platform PS3/Vita title Warrior's Lair -- previously known as Ruin -- has not been canceled. We followed up with the publisher last week after forum murmurings (some since deleted) claimed the game had been canned and over half the staff at developer Idol Minds were let go.To the first point, a Sony representative plainly stated, "Warrior's Lair is still in development; it isn't cancelled."As to whether the game is still in development at Idol Minds and if there were any layoffs? Idol Minds has not responded to our request for comment.Warrior's Lair was revealed at last year's E3 as a Diablo-style RPG with interesting social features.Update: Idol Minds is no longer on the project. Still no word from the company about layoffs.
PS3 / Vita RPG 'Ruin' now called 'Warrior's Lair'
Update your files, adventurers. Developer Idol Minds' hack-and-slash RPG, Ruin, which allows you to share save files and play between PS3 and PS Vita, now has a new name ... and it's about as generic as the previous one. It's called Warrior's Lair now. We don't know when we'll get to play Warrior's Lair again, and it's not part of the PlayStation Vita launch lineup, but as soon as we hear something we'll leave a message at the tavern. That is how warriors get their information nowadays, right?
PlayStation Vita title 'Ruin' connects to PS3 for continuous client gameplay, we give it a swing (video)
Cross-platform gaming is a wonderful idea, but Sony's showing off something even more impressive at E3 this year -- a game that you can starting playing on either PS3 or the PlayStation Vita handheld and immediately transfer to another console. Ruin leverages cloud storage to save your entire hack-and-slash RPG game, right down to the positions and actions of every nearby enemy and the structures you've destroyed. Then, a second or eight after you hit load on another machine, you're right back in the very same fight. Resuming on console or handheld and picking up exactly where you left off -- yep, it's a bona fide continuous client, and we had to give it a try. So, off to Sony's E3 2011 booth we went, to seek out developer Idol Minds.With both Vita and PS3 connected to a local router, it was both as simple and as mind-blowing as you'd expect -- simply save on one (no matter what you're doing), load on the other, and everything (save certain scripted animations) loads exceptionally quickly. In fact, Idol Minds VP Jeff Litchford said that while show floor conditions necessitated the local router, Ruin's cloud resume functionality would even work over 3G, as the save files are actually fairly small, on the order of 250KB. He couldn't tell us whether you'll have to purchase two copies of the game to make the magic happen (we're hoping not), but he did have some good news on the cloud storage front: it won't cost a thing to save your game data, not even a subscription to PlayStation Plus.Sean Buckley contributed to this report.
Ruin preview: Hack and social
Perhaps the PS Vita game with the highest profile after Sony's E3 press event is the working-titled Ruin, a hack-and-slash Torchlight-style RPG with some interesting social features. Developer Idol Minds (Pain) showed off the title during the event right after the PS Vita's official introduction, and as soon as the event ended, we ran to see just what the game would be like. What we found was a pretty traditional, if simple, dungeon crawler. At least a prototype of a dungeon crawler -- Ruin's most interesting features, like the social elements that will let you both build and equip a dungeon of your own, as well as attack the dungeons of your rivals, are still all theoretical so far. But the mechanics are there; as an Infernal Warrior (the only race/class combination on display, though Humans and Elves will also be playable as an Assassin or one of two other classes), I got to take down a small dungeon of enemies and collect the tasty (placeholder) loot that issued forth.
PSA: Pain adds 'Hurt Falls,' a free level sponsored by Axe
If you haven't fired up Pain in a grip, you might want to do so post-haste -- the game was discretely patched with a free, Axe-sponsored new level, "Pain Falls," earlier this month. Sony only just announced the new content to fans in an email bulletin, which we've posted after the jump.
Rumor: PAIN developer Idol Minds lays off more than half of staff
Idol Minds, known best for the PS3 downloadable game PAIN, has laid off more than half of its staff, according to a report by Kotaku. The original team of 46 has been reduced to a mere 20 through a series of layoffs, the latest of which affected seventeen developers.Kotaku's sources point to budget cuts from long-time publishing partner Sony Computer Entertainment. However, it's hard to ignore the irony of the team's namesake: other than a few expansion packs to PAIN, no major releases or game announcements have come out of the studio since 2007. What this means for the future of the PAIN franchise is unclear for now. Calls to both Idol Minds and SCEA were not returned.
Joystiq hands-on: PAIN's Sore Spots (now with Daxter!)
PAIN has come a long way since launching with just one level, two characters, and no online multiplayer. It's managed to rank at the top of PSN downloads through a consistent stream of content add-ons, which -- you guessed it -- have added new levels, new characters, and online multiplayer. We got our hands on the next update, the "Sore Spots" level pack, and its new characters at Sony's recent Gamers' Day in Los Angeles.Read on for our full preview and to find out what's coming next from developer Idol Minds. (HInt: A heckuva lot more crotch-related agony.)%Gallery-51346%
Upcoming PAIN expansion features wedgies, aliens and Trophies
Looks like PSN's #1 game of 2008 is getting yet another expansion. The next expansion, "Sore Spots," will add two environments: the Morningwood High School gymnasium and the alien-infested Area 69. The expansions will also introduce a few new modes, such as the "Fun With Explosives" inspired "PAIN Science" mode.The official PAIN blog features more details on the upcoming expansion, but we've taken a peek at the new Trophies for the upcoming expansion. To see Idol Minds' devilish new achievements, check past the break.
PAIN goes online today
PSN's best-selling game of '08 gets an extensive update today, adding voice chat, a lobby system and online play. Idol Minds' Travis Williams explains that the large amount of physics data that is used in the game will demand a hefty internet connection: a minimum of 256k upstream will be required.Many new online modes will be introduced, including a paid PAIN content pack, dubbed the "Smack Pack." This premium content will include both Fortress and Darts modes of play. See a video of Fortress, after the cut.[Thanks, Andrew L.!]
Video: PAIN getting new Darts mode
Looks like the folks at Idol Minds just won't stop expanding PAIN. (Makes sense, considering it's the biggest download on PlayStation Network in 2008). One of the upcoming expansions to PAIN is a new Darts mode. This new mode looks to mix up the fun of Mime Toss with the competitive nature of Bowling. Also new to this mode: online multiplayer, a first for PAIN.There's still no word on release date or price. Stay tuned as we'll be sure to update you when we find out.
PS Nation Podcast 085 - Thrilla
Are you ready for some PAIN? PS Nation talks to yet another PSN developer: the guys at Idol Minds, who are bringing you the Hasselhoff-approved comedy game. Check it out.[iTunes] Subscribe to the PS Nation Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3) [RSS] Add the PS Nation Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directlyNew episodes will be available for subscribers every Saturday. Episodes will be available to stream and download on PS3 Fanboy every Sunday at 12:00AM. Visit the VGEvo.com forums to chat with other podcast fans.
PAIN Movie Studio coming November
Looks like the PAIN train is going strong. Just a few months after the release of the Amusement Park expansion pack, the team at Idol Minds is offering yet another level for the downloadable title. Movie Studio, scheduled for November, will add a brand new area to crash through and will offer a slew of additional modes, characters and Trophies. Some things that are promised in the next update: More than one launcher location (There are three that you can dynamically switch to) Single Player Fun with Explosives New Cratetastic Mode Unlockable FREE Character (Buzz, from the Buzz! games) HORSE Mode Bowling Mode (With all new distractions) For more details on the next update, check out the PS.blog.
Getting sick of Sackboy? Throw him around in PAIN soon
Even before PAIN first came out there were mentions of bringing other Sony characters into the game, but we didn't expect the first one to be poor naive Sackboy. If Game Informer (via 1UP) is to believed, however, we'll be flinging him out of a giant slingshot "at some point in the future." That's pretty much all the info that's available on the subject. Could this be the first downloadable character for PAIN that's worth the money? Or would you rather Sackboy was a little more choosey about the games he visits? We've been conditioned to think that he's no bigger than a plush toy, so seeing him all human-sized is going to be a little weird.
PAIN gets Trophy patch today; Amusement Park expansion in Store
Update: Headline has been changed, and article altered to emphasize which content is free and which is not. The patch is free, but Amusement Park (an expansion pack) is not. Sorry for any confusion.The long-awaited PAIN Trophy patch is now available to download. Simply load up the game and you will be prompted to download the 325MB patch. Don't forget, PAIN's Trophies have been retooled, to make them a bit easier than originally intended.There is one free addition to the feature roster, however. Each week a new mini-level will be made available. Each of these "PAINlabs" will be an experimental concept that Idol Minds are playing with and are releasing for you, the players, to test out. An interesting idea -- and best of all? It's free.The patch coincides with the release of the Amusement Park expansion pack, which adds a bunch of content to the game -- but only if you pay for it. Three new characters are also available to purchase.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sony feels your pain, prepares more PAIN
The guilty pleasure that was is PAIN for PS3 is finally getting some substantial new content. By "substantial" we mean a new level – which will join the game's only level – called "Uncle Jimmy's Fun Spot Amusement Park." Sony and developer Idol Minds reckon it's more of an abusement park (their pun, not ours) and it's bringing more than just fresh scenery to the game.Slated to arrive "this summer," the PAIN Amusement Park add-on will introduce new player-requested features, including online multiplayer and PlayStation Trophies. These are in addition to the abundance of added moving set pieces you can see in the above video. Looks like in the case of PAIN and new content, it does hurt to ask.
