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Xbox Games with Gold in Feb: IDARB, Brothers, Sniper Elite V2
Heartstrings-tugger Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is one of three Games with Gold freebies for Xbox Live Gold subscribers next month. On Xbox 360 you can grab the Joystiq Top 10 of 2013 puzzle-platformer for zero centage between February 1-14. Then, after taking a deep breath, you can grab Sniper Elite V2 between February 15-28. As revealed last month, #IDARB's pixelated sportsball madness is also free through February for Gold members. The Xbox One eight-player side-scroller has a regular launch price of $15.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director on next project, those controls
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director Josef Fares is working on a new project, but it isn't with developer Starbreeze. Speaking to Digital Spy during a roundtable interview, Fares said, "I can tell you this: If I tell you the idea now, you'd say, 'I haven't played something like this before.' I can't tell you more. But definitely something that hasn't been done before." Fares was speaking at last night's BAFTA awards in London, where Brothers won the gong for Best Innovation. We also caught up with the Lebanon-born director and asked when he came up with mapping control of one brother to the left analogue stick, and the other brother to the right one - an idea that probably contributed to Brothers winning its award. "It was the first day," Fares told Joystiq. "I had to fight so hard to make this game happen. So the first time I got the chance to make a demo, actually I was sat at my motel room and I came up with the concept and the actual story. I mean everything, how it starts, how it ends, how you control, that was all from day 1. Of course it changed during development, but trying to convince all the studios that this was gonna be awesome... "I'm quite known in Sweden for making movies, so people were like, 'You're a movie maker, you don't know anything about games.' But eventually I convinced them. I've worked on this game two years, it's been a real passion project for me." We're glad he convinced them, too: The PS3, Xbox 360, and PC game scored third place in our Best of 2013 awards, with Mike Suzsek calling its emotional adventure "a true rarity, as it places the gravity of its compact story right in your hands." [Image: Starbreeze Studios]
Joystiq's Four in February is upon us, behold our staff picks
February is a forbidding land, full of winter darkness and noisome Valentine's Day traditions that are only slightly balanced out by a steady trickle of new games. That's why Joystiq's very own Mike Suszek created Four in February, a gaming event to unify the world against the month's doldrums. Here's how it works: Pick four games to finish in February and then try to finish them. That's it. No crazy rules, no limits on what you play. Just choose four games and take them on with gusto. That's the 4iF way. The best part of 4iF is how we all get to share the struggle, though. We want you to go to the 4iF Facebook community page and tell us everything. Show us pics of what games you're playing, tell us why you're playing them, let us know when you're streaming them, and most importantly, proclaim your victories or failures. Meanwhile, over on Joystiq's Facebook page, we'll be running 4iF giveaways every four days throughout the month starting Tuesday, Feb. 4. On Twitter, we'll be tracking the action to those who shout @joystiq using the hashtag #4iF. This is war on our gaming libraries, and this is our solid battle plan. What's the staff playing? Read on.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons free on PS Plus starting tomorrow
Starbreeze's inventive teamwork-based puzzle-platformer, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, heads up this week's PlayStation Plus lineup in North America, and will be available as a free download for members starting tomorrow. Brothers stars a pair of siblings who must work together and solve environmental puzzles as they search for medicine for their sick father. The game boasts a unique control scheme that maps each brother to an analog stick, while the controller's shoulder buttons provide context-sensitive action. Think of it as Ico meets The Adventures of Cookie & Cream. Brothers (also known as Bros: A Tale of Two Dudes) ranked in at #3 in Joystiq's editor-chosen list of 2013's best games. PlayStation Plus members also receive access to a selection of exclusive price drops starting tomorrow, including discounts for Sound Shapes, Rock Band Blitz, and Retro/Grade.
PSA: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons travels to Steam, PSN today
Starbreeze Studios' touching fantasy adventure Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is now available on PC via Steam and on PSN. The game was originally released as an Xbox 360 Summer of Arcade title on August 7. Joystiq's Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann was quite taken with the game, saying in his review that "Brothers exudes a truly earned charm in its warm fairytale world, which is sometimes comical, sometimes gory, and even disconcertingly grim." Brothers concerns two brothers (shocker!) who embark on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father. It's worth nothing that the Steam version of Brothers requires a controller to play. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions do as well, but that's not worth noting.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons traveling to PC on Aug. 28, PSN on Sep. 3
Those looking to begin their journey in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons on PC or PS3 need to wait a little while longer, as the game will launch on August 28 for Steam users and on the PSN on September 3. Brothers launched on the Xbox 360 this week, kicking off Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade promotion. In Brothers, players use both joysticks to simultaneously control two boys who leave their village in search of a cure for their ailing father. We rather enjoyed our time with the Xbox 360 version of the game, so we eagerly await its arrival on Steam and PSN.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Review: Do Not Separate
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an essential treasure to play. I promise, the game's sincere quality absolves the terribleness of its title, which is barely a step up from "Characters: A Story of Them." And yet it truly is a story of them, two boys who leave their humble village behind in a quest for a mythical cure. Their father has fallen ill, and with the loss of Mother ever-fresh in mind, the brothers hope to pluck the solution from a far-off magical tree and undo the fragility that has befallen their family. The involvement of Stockholm-based film director Josef Fares is in plain sight, the camera looking down upon the two boys as they crawl under forests and over frigid mountains. Keeping both characters in frame emphasizes the necessity of cooperation between the two, while the top-down view makes their movements easier to comprehend, as if they were twin hockey pucks gliding across the ice. As much as it may seem to be a traditional co-op game, Brothers divides the attention of a single player between two bodies, with tall Big Brother on the left analog stick and golden-haired Little Brother on the right.%Gallery-169592%
Xbox Summer of Arcade 2013 full schedule, pricing revealed
This year's Summer of Arcade event kicks off on Xbox Live August 7 with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the Starbreeze-developed Xbox Live Arcade game where players must simultaneously control a pair of brothers stuck in the wilderness. Brothers will launch at 1,200 MS Points ($15). James Silva's Charlie Murder, a 2D beat-em-up starring a punk band for 800 MS Points ($10), will launch the following week, on August 14, Major Nelson reports. On August 21, VectorCell will push out its remake of classic adventure game Flashback for 800 MS Points ($10), and rounding out this year's festivities is TMNT: Out of the Shadows on August 28 for 1,200 MS Points ($15).
Go behind the scenes with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
This video for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons sheds a little light on the creative process that Starbreeze Studios adopted to bring the brothers' adventure to life. The game is slated to launch this Spring on PC, XBLA and PSN.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons shows how to push your sibling's buttons
Sure, it's nice and all to see brothers work together to solve their problems in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, but which button lets me give the younger brother a noogie? What move lets me embarrass big bro while he's asking the head cheerleader to the Soph Hop?
Playing with age in Starbreeze's 'Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons'
"Nobody knows how to make a game yet," says film director Josef Fares, quickly clarifying his statement isn't an attack on the industry but a suggestion that game creation shouldn't be a set science. "It's still a time where we're open to experimentation," the international director adds.Born in Lebanon, Fares grew up in Sweden where he became a director, but his next project pairs him with developer Starbreeze Games to create a game called Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (formerly referred to as "P13" in Starbreeze's internal "project" numbering system). Brothers has been in development for a number of years, with Fares even working on a few of the game's prototypes before the team at Starbreeze locked down the Unreal-developed downloadable title for a 2013 release.The core feature of Brothers is, of course, the game's siblings. But Fares says he's fought off all suggestions by his fellow game makers that the characters should each be controlled by a separate player. Instead, he says, Brothers is designed to have both characters controlled by a single player in a very specifically designed campaign experience.%Gallery-169592%
Starbreeze's 'P13' now 'Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons'
Starbreeze has officially taken the wraps off of its mysterious original IP known previously as "P13," unveiling its new, official title, the tautological Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.The Unreal Engine-powered game follows two boys (who are brothers, and also sons) as they go on a journey to retrieve the "Water of Life" for their sick father. Filmmaker Josef Fares is collaborating with Starbreeze and 505 on the development of this XBLA, PSN, and PC game.The first trailer is above, revealing what looks like a very pretty fantasy action-adventure experience. Brothers will be released spring 2013.%Gallery-166855%
505 and Starbreeze teaming up for Payday 2 and P13 in 2013
Developer Starbreeze has revealed 505 Games will be its publishing partner for the upcoming sequel to the multiplayer-focused shooter, Payday: The Heist, along with original intellectual property P13, in development for the PSN, XBLA, and PC. Both games are planned for launch in 2013.Starbreeze, which was behind EA's recent attempt to reboot the classic Syndicate series, acquired Payday alongside developer Overkill Studios earlier this year.Though P13 is still masked in secrecy, we know it will be a downloadable "action-adventure game" and that Starbreeze has partnered with Swedish film director Josef Fares to help guide its "storyline, look and feel."
Starbreeze's 'P13' headed to XBLA, PSN, and PC
Compared to other Swedish game development powerhouses – DICE, Avalanche, Massive – Syndicate developer Starbreeze keeps a lower profile. Having only released two projects in the last five years, Starbreeze isn't offering many consistent reminders that it still exists. Company president and CEO Mikael Nermark is aiming to change that, and his first two major projects are two games you probably haven't heard of: P13 and Cold Mercury."We're trying to build four independent core teams," Nermark told me in a phone interview earlier today. Beyond the existing teams at Starbreeze, the newly acquired Overkill Software wil serve as one of those four teams. So, four "core teams," four projects. We know Overkill is working on a sequel to last year's Payday: The Heist, and we know that two other teams are working on P13 and Cold Mercury (respectively), but that fourth team is a mystery.Nermark wouldn't budge on new details about Cold Mercury, but he told me that P13 is currently "in the middle of production" and "it's going really well." The game is heading to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC. Starbreeze brought in an outside force to take creative lead on the project: Swedish director Josef Fares."He's one of the most or maybe the most famous movie directors in Sweden of all time. He's never done a game before, but he's an avid gamer and he loves games. So he actually left the movie industry and this guy is like having one of the top guys – this is the top guy in Sweden making movies. So he's actually working for us full-time," Nermark said. "To Swedes, this is like having a guy like Christopher Nolan working on the game on a daily basis."
Starbreeze attempting acquisition of Payday: The Heist studio
Starbreeze, the Swedish studio that brought the world the surprise hit Chronicles of Riddick and the recent reboot of Syndicate, is attempting an acquisition of Payday: The Heist studio Overkill Software. Pending approval by Starbreeze's shareholders, the move will see Overkill's IP (including Payday) and staff become part of Starbreeze's stable.Beyond the acquisition of IP and staff, Overkill is set to establish a new Starbreeze office based out of Stockholm, Sweden. "Starbreeze has graphical emphasis, and Overkill has total focus on innovative gameplay. Together we form a unique constellation of creative forces," Overkill creative director Ulf Andersson said of the acquisition in a press release.Overkill Software was formed in the ashes of former third-party mega studio Grin Software back in 2009, after it collapsed following several commercially unsuccessful projects. Brothers Bo and Ulf Andersson started Overkill, and it's unclear how their roles will change (if at all) in the new setup. The acquisition – if approved by Starbreeze's shareholders – is set to go into effect in mid-June.
