magicka
Latest
Magicka: Vietnam expansion announced (no joke!)
Well, this is certainly unexpected. We guess Magicka publisher Paradox Interactive wasn't kidding when it said developer Arrowhead Studios would be "a bit daring" with the title's first expansion. Said add-on was revealed today -- and it will take the game's magic-mashing protagonists and drop them into the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. Just check out the debut trailer after the jump! We've got an appointment to check out Magicka: Vietnam today at GDC, and we'll make sure to let you know if it's just as bizarre as we're assuming it is. Update: Vietnam was not on hand, but we talked about it with Arrowhead. Stay tuned for our coverage.
Magicka to get PvP in the future, Arrowhead CEO explains
Magicka has been a surprise hit on the PC scene, selling over 200K copies in its first month of release. But, the initial launch was hampered by some notable bugs, some of which continue to plague the game. "We were surprised at all the bugs we had at release, and frankly, somewhat ashamed," Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead told us. "But the community loved our game, and we worked around the clock for the first weeks after release to iron out as many bugs as possible as fast as possible." Although the game is currently in the state "as it was intended," Pilestedt discussed what must still be fixed. At the top of the list is falling through collision, something the team plans to work on "until it is no longer an issue." Arrowhead is also attempting to improve progression saving and will eventually implement official support for PvP. "The community is already arranging PvP tournaments and we are learning a lot about balance by watching you play," Pilestedt said. "In the meantime, I suggest you sign up for the unofficial tournaments and keep PvPing." There are some issues that simply cannot be fixed, Pilestedt admits. The most disappointing is the inability to support integrated graphics cards. Laptop owners may be unable to play the game, but Pilestedt notes that "it was an early design decision to use shader model 3.0, and we can't change that without rewriting large parts of the game engine." The team doesn't plan on adding support for modding, simply because they "do not have the bandwidth to develop [the] tools." In lieu of official support, the team is focused on making Magicka "more mod friendly," by allowing modders to disable VAC in the game. In addition to the aforementioned tweaks, Pilestedt re-confirmed plans to release both free and paid DLC content for the game. "Since Magicka released, the game and our team has received so much support and encouragement from all over the world and we want everyone to know how much we appreciate that."
Magicka video warns about the dangers of real-life magic mixing
See, when people think about real-life magic, they often assume it to be a whimsical, Harry Potter-esque venture. We believe things would actually turn out like they do in PulpitPower's latest video, inspired by Magicka: Full of accidents, terror and errant beams of deadly arcane power.
Magicka reaches 200K sales, Arrowhead planning free and paid DLC
Almost a quarter of a million close friends have had their relationships dissolved by errant spells and irresponsible casting, thanks to the inadvertently hilarious co-op component of Magicka. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios reports that the title has been downloaded over 200,000 times in its first 17 days on sale. Better yet, thanks to a patch that launched yesterday on Steam, a majority of those 200,000 players can enjoy the game without the fear of frequent crashes. In an interview with Big Download, publisher Paradox Interactive's Mattias Lilja revealed that the team plans to release both paid and free DLC for the game, explaining, "The Arrowhead team asked if they could be a bit daring when it comes to the DLC and we told them yes." He added, "The team is set up in such a way that some guys can keep patching the game while others produce DLC, without getting in the way of each other or stealing resources from one another." No, they save that unsportsmanlike conduct for when they're actually playing Magicka. You know, with "friends."
Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros makes Magicka appearance
Magicka has taken the gaming world by storm since its release just a few short days ago. The light-hearted game includes endless pop culture references and jokes about the fantasy genre throughout its flimsy yet charming adventure mode. We won't spoil the many gags you'll encounter throughout the game ... except for the one you see above: the Mace of the Molten Core. The Mace of the Molten Core appears in the third level of the game, which means you find it pretty early on. Magicka is a game built on spell-slinging combat, so you likely won't be hitting your enemies with the weapon very often. Your weapon is better served to store prepared spells, but if you do choose to swing it, however, it's a very slow hammer that deals fire damage on hit -- just like the Sulfuras from the MMO we all know and love.
Paradox CEO insists Magicka will be fixed
By all the reports we've heard from friends and colleagues, Paradox's satirical fantasy game Magicka is long on charm, but short on polish. Online modes are apparently the roughest, with some completely unable to access co-op, though the kinks in single player seem to be relatively few. Speaking with Ars Technica (which experienced a bevy of issues with the game), Paradox boss Fredrik Wesker pledged that developer Arrowhead Studios would exterminate the bugs as quickly as possible, saying "The development team is working around the clock and we will get this fixed. We will make this right." Wesker also explained how something like this happens in the first place, which is an interesting glimpse into the realities of being a small publisher. Here's hoping that soon, the only freezes in Magicka will be delivered by friends with poor aim.
Magicka sells 30,000 on first day, being patched 'as often as possible'
Magicka, the Paradox-published story of up to four wizards assaulting monsters and accidentally killing each other with ill-advised spell combinations, has sold 30,000 copies within its first day of availability through digital distribution. The celebration is tempered, however -- while they were pushing it to the top of Steam's sales chart, players of the game complained on forums and Twitter about technical instability and bugs. Ars Technica found the game especially problematic, calling it a "broken, negligent release." Paradox has summarized the current status of Magicka as such: "[Singe-player] works fine for the most part, Multiplayer does not -- patch on the way for both! (as soon as [Steam] pushes the button). We'll patch the game as often as possible." According to a celebratory press release, Arrowhead Game Studios is "working around the sundial and is fully committed to ongoing support by zapping glitches and communicating with players." The game's unpolished state would likely have generated even more caustic reaction, had its malleable magic system not countered with amusing stories of players haphazardly offing each other. You'll find some good, spell-based schadenfreude in Rock Paper Shotgun's mock guide to Magicka.
Magicka cast on PC digital retail today, demo summoned on Steam
Paradox Interactive has narrowly upheld its promise to release the PC version of Magicka this month, as the publisher's "self-deprecating" action-misadventure -- "which pokes fun of other games just to feel better about itself" -- is today available from digital distribution retailers, including Steam, GamersGate and Amazon Digital Services, for $10. (A demo version is also available through Steam.) Developed by Swedish outfit Arrowhead Game Studios, Magicka features "the parody and satire of a clichéd fantasy world," one-upping the similarly irreverent DeathSpank with support for up to 4-player co-op. Of course, there's no sign of unicorn poop in the launch trailer (after the break) -- so definitely a missed opportunity there.
ESRB rates Magicka for PS3 and 360, Paradox still hoping for multiplatform release
A ray of hope has been cast on the chances of lighthearted action RPG Magicka arriving on consoles. The game has been rated by the ESRB for both Xbox 360 and PS3 (the PC version should launch this month). Now, before co-op dungeon crawler fans get too excited, know that the ESRB is a fickle mistress and not always the prognosticator we believe it to be. It's no secret that Paradox is looking to get Magicka on "all consoles". When reached for comment about the ESRB rating, Paradox producer Shams Jorjani told Joystiq the the company is "covering [its] bases." He added that the game was built using XNA so it will run on Xbox 360. He concluded, "We are doing everything we can to get this game where it belongs: In front of your couch." It's worth noting that Paradox originally intended to release its class-based shooter, Lead & Gold, in a more multiplatform manner. It was eventually released for PC and PSN, and the XBLA version never came to light. Here's hoping Paradox has ironed out the multiplatform kinks this time around.
Magicka casting spells on PC this January
Magicka, the lighthearted dungeon crawler from Arrowhead Game Studios and Paradox Interactive, has reached the end of its delay saga. Part Two of the cute gold master delay video has been released, confirming that the title will arrive as a $10 PC download beginning in January 2011. The game employs an elemental magic system that allows up to four players to combine spells and kill beasties, while poking fun at the fantasy game genre in general. When asked about the planned Xbox Live Arcade version of Magicka, Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester said, "We're doing our best to get Magicka released on all consoles, but we cannot confirm anything yet."
Magicka trailer adorably announces game's delay
Few games have announced their own delays as cheerfully as Arrowhead Game Studios' Magicka. The latest trailer for the game -- the first we've seen in many moons -- tells a cute tale about why it's been pushed to "Q1 2011," alongside a handful of gameplay clips. See for yourself below the fold.
Hands-on: Magicka
Services like Xbox Live Arcade have done a good job of reviving classic genres and reinventing them for modern audiences. Unfortunately, one genre that's been sorely under-represented is the top-down dungeon crawler. Arrowhead Game Studios' Magicka is looking to fill that void, mixing in classic Diablo gameplay with elements of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The premise should be familiar to anyone that's played a fantasy adventure game before. An evil old wizard is trying to destroy the world and only you (and three other players) can stop him. The tired setting isn't a handicap for Magicka, though, as it allows Arrowhead to satire some of the genre's conventions and most iconic moments. (For example, a hidden area will have you grabbing a "Master Sword" from a stone pedestal, with Zelda-esque music playing in the background.) What is unique is its gameplay, which focuses on casting element-based magic using the right analog stick. Various elements are assigned to eight directions on the stick, and hitting the analog in a certain direction queues up a spell. The placement of the various elements (and the iconography used to represent them) isn't particularly clear, making Magicka not the most intuitive game to play. However, these elements can be combined and stacked to create interesting spells -- and the addition of co-op multiplayer makes casting magic even more dynamic.%Gallery-89786%
