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Magicka 'Marshlands' and 'Caverns' challenge maps now on Steam
Paradox has released two new challenge maps for the four-player dungeon crawler Magicka, called Marshlands and Caverns (after their respective settings, of course). Based on a player vote, Caverns was chosen as the free map (and is available the next time you log in to Steam), but Marshlands remains paid DLC on Steam for $1.99. Both maps have new challenges available for up to four players, requiring you to fight enemies across 20 deadly waves. If you haven't bought Magicka yet, Steam is also offering a Magicka Pack, featuring the original game along with the Vietnam expansion pack and both the Wizard's Survival Kit and this new add-on DLC for $12.99. For less than the price of a movie ticket, that's a lot of four-player magicking.
Magicka: Vietnam dev happy to 'save the world from communists'
You might've thought that the success of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Battlefield: Bad Company 2's Vietnam expansion were what precipitated the tongue-in-cheek Vietnam expansion for Magicka. As it turns out, the folks at Arrowhead just want to save the world from communism!
April Fools: Paradox expands Vietnam theme to King Arthur series
Magicka's Vietnam-themed DLC has apparently been a huge hit with the folks at Paradox Interactive. Such a hit, in fact, that the company is now theming the upcoming King Arthur sequel in the same way -- nothing quite says "Knights of the Round Table" like napalm! Furthermore, the sequel to Sword of the Stars will receive similar treatment. "A wise journeyman once told me, 'Don't stop believing,' and that's exactly what we're doing here," company head Fredrik Wester noted in the announcement. Okay, okay, the folks at Paradox are just having a laugh on this day of days to have a laugh, but you'll excuse us if we stand fully in support of the idea. Heck, it sounds like a much better idea than the publisher's East India Company game themed around the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Who greenlights this stuff?!
Magicka: Vietnam is seriously coming out April 12
Okay, we're starting to believe that Paradox Interactive and Arrowhead Game Studios' upcoming expansion to their successful, arcane action-RPG, Magicka: Vietnam, is not the most elaborate hoax ever pulled on the gaming industry. See, we were operating under that assumption, but earlier today the creators revealed 10 screenshots for the add-on, and gave it some formal release details: It's coming to "all major digital distribution channels" April 12 for $4.99. We're excited to check out this bizarre-sounding addition to Magicka -- especially after perusing the gallery below -- but we're going to temper our excitement for another 36 hours or so. Tomorrow would be an awfully appropriate day for the developers to reveal that we all done got goofed.%Gallery-120101%
Official Magicka (bath) robe will soak up $85 from your wallet
Whether you've played Magicka or not, there's a good chance you're familiar with its iconic wizard robes. Now, thanks to Sinn D'Signed (a.k.a. Cindy Guillermo, gaming fashionista), you can grab a Magicka bathrobe for $85. The robes are available in red, green, blue and yellow and will be up for pre-order until April 11. Alas, the robe won't grant you any magical powers, though it's 100-percent cotton terry cloth construction should impress your friends nonetheless.
Lead & Gold update adds Appendoah Valley map, squashes some bugs
As a gesture of thanks to the community, Lead & Gold: Gangs of the West developer Fatshark has deployed a free update, which notably adds the "Appendoah Valley" map, for the game on PC -- sorry, no timetable for PS3 right now, Fatshark says. Aside from sounding like a medical procedure, Appendoah Valley supports all game modes. Lead & Gold and the new map are currently part of a free-to-play weekend promotion on Steam, which ends Monday, March 28 at 1PM ET. For the full list of changes in the latest update, mosey on past the break, pardner. %Gallery-119693%
Dreamlords: Resurrection launches, Paradox offering free ducats
MMORTS gamers have reason to celebrate, as Paradox Interactive has announced the (latest) launch of its free-to-play Dreamlords title. A German version of the game was published by gamigo in 2007, while a North American version originally debuted in the summer of 2008 under the name Dreamlords the Reawakening. This time around, Paradox is calling it Dreamlords: Resurrection, and the company is also giving away 1000 Paradox ducats (the game's item shop currency) to anyone and everyone who signs up. Dreamlords: Resurrection was developed by Lockpick Entertainment and puts the player in the role of a titular guardian and tasks him with inspiring followers, building an army, and engaging in various defend-and-conquer excursions against the Nightmares that roam the world. The game features cooperative PvE play where the player can team up with other Dreamlords, as well as fast-paced PvP combat and RTS staples such as troop and technology research. Paradox has released a new gameplay trailer to celebrate the Dreamlords launch, and you can view it after the cut.
Magicka Vietnam to launch 'in about a month,' Arrowhead CEO says
If there's one thing that Arrowhead Game Studios has proven with its accident-prone wizardfest Magicka, it's that they can make me laugh. But is that an appropriate reaction in Magicka Vietnam? Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt suggested that we'll find out "in about a month."%Gallery-115067%
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."
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.
A wrap-up of the Paradox Interactive MMO conference in NYC
If you're unfamiliar with Paradox Interactive, you could be forgiven -- it's never been a flashy studio. But it does have a very solid track record of producing historical simulations and strategy games, including the critically acclaimed Mount & Blade and the Europa Universalis series. So when the company's New York convention includes two upcoming online games, it's with a background of producing solid games with a strongly simulationist angle. Two titles, Dreamlords Resurrection and Salem, were both on display at the conference, with two very different foci but similar levels of polish. Dreamlords Resurrection is an MMORTS with an emphasis on player armies rather than on city building. Players take on the role of a newly awakened Dreamlord attempting to work with allied players to claim as much land as possible... with the caveat that the game's regular resets will keep any one group of players from becoming too overpowering. Salem, meanwhile, is a sandbox game that plans to include not only open PvP but the threat of permanent death, forcing players to hopefully band together and police behavior. Both sound like interesting takes on the genre that will give players plenty to mull over as they move through development.
One life in the New World: Salem MMO to feature permadeath
Permadeath is a topic that's brought up on a regular basis in MMO discussion circles, usually featuring a cast of characters that span the full spectrum of the debate. Is there a burning desire for the risk and finality of a permadeath system in MMOs? Would players flock to or flee from such a game? And how would it work in such a way to retain players instead of alienating them? Game Designer Bjorn Johannessen is working hard on the answers for those questions in his new MMORPG, with the working title of Salem. Developed by Paradox Interactive, this free-to-play title is set in New England during the early period of North American colonization and features players stepping off the boats from Europe to make their way in uncharted wilderness. Like Wurm Online and Minecraft, Salem will focus heavily on crafting as players forge the tools, buildings and weapons they need to survive. For Salem's aesthetics, Johannessen named H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Burton's gothic horror as sources of inspiration, and the MMO will include magic and witchcraft as potential paths. Over all of this is the specter of permanent death: "When your character dies, he stays dead," Johannessen said matter-of-factly. This is made even harsher by the fact that Salem will allow free-for-all PvP, which means that anyone can attack you without provocation. Player buildings can be razed and their corpses looted, but Johannessen hopes that the players will band together to protect each other and mete out justice. You can watch Bjorn Johannessen's introduction to the game after the jump.
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.
Defenders of Ardania arriving on PC and iPad, console versions planned
Paradox Interactive announced its first iPad game today. Defenders of Ardania is a tower defense game set in the world of Majesty and is planned as the largest multiplatform release for the publisher, arriving on PC and iPad in the summer. PSN and XBLA versions are in the works as well. While the gameplay will be largely familiar for anyone that's played a tower defense game before, developer Most Wanted is hoping its fantasy setting and additional magic powers will help it stand out. Like PSN's Comet Crash, the game can be effectively described as a "tower offense" game, with players needing to not only defend their base, but attack opponents as well. With three different races, 24 different towers and 24 different offensive units, Ardania is certainly one of the more complex additions to the genre. Multiplayer adds a competitive edge to the tower offense concept, with Most Wanted planning support for 2-4 players. It's a fun twist on a well-tested genre, one that we may see on our consoles ... if Microsoft and Sony allow the game onto their services. Check out a trailer after the break.%Gallery-114787%
Neocore Games working on Paradox-published King Arthur 2
Paradox Interactive has announced that it's going to publish King Arthur 2, a sequel to the role-playing strategy game from a few years back. The title will be developed by Neocore Games, the team behind the original, and this time around introduces a dark fantasy setting for the Arthurian battles -- along with the various demons and dragons that comes with. This time around, King Arthur is known as the "Maimed King" and will face bigger battles and boss fights, while the game takes advantage of an improved camera, new animations and "an extensive tutorial." There's no release date yet, but it sounds like development is just getting underway.
SouthPeak claims creditors used press to 'paint a negative picture' of the company
Throughout 2009 and 2010, SouthPeak's legal struggles made headlines. From the sweeping claims of unpaid work following the buyout of Gamecock Media Group to the lawsuits brought on by various companies that had done business with SouthPeak, a less than favorable image of the Texas-based game publisher had been created. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, SouthPeak chairman Terry Phillips defended his company, claiming creditors "used the press to try to put pressure on us; to try to squeeze a better deal out of us; to try to paint a negative picture of us." "You read a lot of it and you just think we've had a terrible year on the legal side," Terry Phillips added, "but we've not had one single substantive judgment against us whatsoever this year." He cited a French court's ruling in favor of SouthPeak over developer Nobilis, which granted the publisher "all rights on future [My Baby] games." Needless to say, SouthPeak is hoping for a sunnier 2011, as it expands the availability of Two Worlds 2, continues growing the My Baby family, and works with Nvidia to bring Tegra 2-powered games to Android devices.
