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Nom Nom Galaxy puts the PixelJunk in Steam Early Access today
Last week, Q-Games announced a name change for the game formerly known as PixelJunk Inc. That game, Nom Nom Galaxy, launches on Steam's Early Access service today at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 p.m. EDT. Additionally, Q-Games mixed up the standard approach to a Steam Early Access launch by offering up crowdfunding-style reward tiers through the PC game's site, giving players access to Nom Nom Galaxy and other PixelJunk games as well as bonus DLC materials and a spot in the game's credits. The $9 Early Bird tier is limited to 1,000 copies, and gives players a copy of the game as well as digital wallpaper. The Pioneer Pack tier offers the same rewards for $19. [Image: Q-Games]
Q-Games' income reportedly doubled by Steam Holiday Sale
PixelJunk Eden developer Q Games has had a very happy holiday, thanks to the ongoing Steam Holiday Sale allegedly doubling the studio's income to date. During one of the periodic community vote events, the PC iteration of PixelJunk Eden was chosen by users to receive a 90 percent discount. At only 99 cents the game began to sell very quickly. Once the dust had settled, PixelJunk Eden had sold "phenomenally well," according to designer Dylan Cuthbert. "[W]e just made our income to date, again, in just 8 hours," Cuthbert later tweeted. "[I]t was a huge success." A success that becomes even more impressive when you consider that the "8 hours" Cuthbert mentioned were in reference to the period of time in which community vote discounts are active. In other words, Q Games saw its income jump by 100 percent in roughly the same amount of time it takes to fly from New York to London. We've attempted to contact Cuthbert for further details on just how successful this sale was, and what this success might mean for the future of Q Games. We have yet to hear back.
PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD introduced to Vita in video
Tikiman's poor choice of region for raising children continues on the Vita in PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD, as seen in this announcement trailer. The tower defense game originally launched on the PS3 in 2008.
Melodies at mealtime: Behind The Electric Bends, Q-Games' lunch break band
For many, the lunch break is an escape: a reliable block of time to retreat from the rigors of work, and a much-needed respite in an otherwise stressful day. But for several employees of Kyoto, Japan-based Q-Games – the studio behind the PixelJunk series and co-developer of Star Fox 64 3D – it's the time each day in which one creative (albeit professional) outlet is briefly shut down in favor of another.It's when the game creators become a troupe of improvisational musicians, laying down sprawling, electronic-tinged odysseys with titles like "Echoes Infinite" and "Mesmantra," most of which are quickly shared online.Nearing its first full year of existence, The Electric Bends has six recurring members, well over 100 recordings, and three albums, with additional releases on the horizon. Amid heavy work on PixelJunk 1-6, how does the game industry's preeminent lunch break band keep the beat with just an hour-or-so a day to play together?
Q-Games working on PixelJunk 1-6 for PC
Q-Games is taking an unusual path for the development of the still unnamed PixelJunk 1-6. For one thing, this one is being made for PC first rather than PS3, as other PixelJunks have been. And for another, Q-Games is showing it to us before even telling us what it is, with a development log full of screenshots and mocked-up magazine covers.The information as presented shows a conflict between indigenous creatures of an alien planet, including ostrich things and octopus-type creatures, and a soup company that builds factories on the planet and makes that indigenous life into soup. The screenshot Q sent to us suggests that players will use different weapons and vehicles to kill enemies and turn them into soup.PixelJunk 1-6, whatever it is, is being designed for Steam and Big Picture Mode, and will support four players. Coincidentally, that's the number of Q-Games staffers working on it!
PixelJunk series goes on sale today, many for $1
The PixelJunk collection goes on deep discount today later today on PSN, with some games on sale for a mere dollar. If you don't already have Racers, Monsters, Eden and Shooter, you absolutely should pick them up for a buck each.PixelJunk Shooter 2 and SideScroller are both half-off for $5. The sale will conclude on May 15, when PixelJunk 4am will launch in a swirl of sounds and we can all taste the purple.Those who live in the San Francisco area can attend the PixelJunk 4am Event this Thursday, May 10, at the Harlot. The first 75 attendees will receive a code for the game that they can activate when it goes live next week.%Gallery-153666%
Pixeljunk Sidescroller's launch trailer blows up a lot of stuff
Q-Games fans looking to get their hands on the studio's latest, PixelJunk Sidescrollers, will get a chance to shoot a lot of stuff on October 25. In the meanwhile, it seems we must all be content with watching things get shot in this launch trailer.
Browser-based Pixeljunk Monsters coming later this year
Yesterday, during the Casual Connect conference, Q-Games' Jesse Venbrux revealed the new browser-based PixelJunk Monsters game, the first PixelJunk game not to be tied to a PlayStation platform. A press release from Q-Games offered just a bit more information about the upcoming game, which appears to be officially titled PixelJunk Monsters: Social Network Version. The browser version will be free-to-play when it launches this year. As seen in the first screenshot, it features a new world map. Speaking of screenshots, Q-Games included a couple more, which we've placed in the browser-based, free-to-play gallery below.%Gallery-128965%
PixelJunk Sidescroller preview: Normal is Hard
Though I wouldn't characterize any of Q-Games' titles as being especially easy, none possess the penchant for punishment boasted by the recently announced PixelJunk Sidescroller. That's fairly appropriate, considering the hellacious difficulty barriers that are customary for the shoot-em-up genre. Still, it's tough to stop and smell the audiovisual roses that pepper the stylish developer's games when you're also concerned with weaving through wall after wall of small, spherical bullets. Preparing myself for a somewhat relaxing synesthetic experience, my decision at PixelJunk Sidescroller's difficulty screen was absentminded: "Normal should be fine," I said, with unknowing hubris. It was far from fine. %Gallery-125576%
PixelJunk lifelike preview: Mad Maestro
The half-hour long uninterrupted PixelJunk lifelike preview shown to E3 attendees was prefaced with virtually no introduction or explanation, save for Q-Games founder Dylan Cuthbert explaining to the crowd that the game which was about to be demonstrated is not a game, so that we logically shouldn't expect any gameplay. He also added -- before handing the reins to PixelJunk Eden composer Baiyon -- that the studio's unique music generator/visualizer could only be understood by seeing it in action. However, if there was any elucidation to be gained by the bewildering, psychedelic 30 minutes which followed, it sailed far, far over my head.
PixelJunk SideScroller coming to PS3
Well this seems like an odd omission. A new title from Q Games, PixelJunk SideScroller, is in the works but Sony didn't see fit to mention it during its otherwise pretty damn great press conference. What would "pretty damn great" plus "a new PixelJunk" have rated the presser? We'll never know. The shooter features two-player local co-op and a look that's not too dissimilar to the aesthetic of PixelJunk Shooter. Makes sense, you know, what with all the shooting.
PixelJunk Shooter 2 review: If it ain't broke, add multiplayer
Sequel design 101: Make your game bigger. Given one of the only complaints fans had with the original PixelJunk Shooter was its length, the explosion of content in the sequel makes sense. Over a year in the making, Shooter 2 has bigger bosses, bigger levels and a bigger feature set. But, bigger doesn't always equal better; while Shooter 2 will keep fans busy, it's one of the few "disappointments" from the studio's otherwise impeccable portfolio. The most significant addition to the Shooter formula is the new competitive multiplayer feature. I was skeptical at first, doubtful that PvP would be able to retain the game's unique charm. I was proven wrong with my first online battle. The subtle changes to the core mechanics make for an interesting game of cat-and-mouse. Just like in the main game, you must rescue survivors. But, in versus mode, there's someone else hellbent on rescuing more of them than you. Each of the maps offer different strategic options, taking advantage of the unique liquidity of the game's levels. Risk maneuvering through an active volcano to avoid enemy fire, for example. Or, try having a shootout in the water, to avoid heating up. Flashier players may even try to steal survivors from an enemy base.%Gallery-118677%
PixelJunk Shooter 2 short ruminates on cheese
What are your thoughts on cheese? Seems like a strange question to ask a (fictitious) survivor rescued from deep within a planet in PixelJunk Shooter 2. Then again, this entire live-action clip -- filmed by Q Games boss Dylan Cuthbert -- is just plain strange, in the best possible sense.
PixelJunk lifelike: Two men in a forest demonstrate it for us
Q-Games' Omar Cornut and musician Baiyon put on identical tight pants and pink beanies for this trailer for the latest PixelJunk product, lifelike. This Move-based music visualizer was announced this March, though that previous announcement offered no title and much less dancing slash Move-sniffing.
PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap available today for PlayStation Plus members, free to existing Racers
PlayStation Plus users will be able to get a headstart on PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap -- not in the actual races, which would be incredibly unfair, but in terms of access to the game itself. The updated, mercifully easier version of Q-Games' puzzle/racing/party game (now with Trophies!) will be available to PS+ members today, and to everyone else on August 24. If you already have PixelJunk Racers, the update will be free, and will allow you to play the new version without overwriting the original content. If you're new to the game, 2nd Lap will be $6.99 in the PlayStation Store, with an extra 25% discount thrown in for Plus members. Accelerate past the break to see a new trailer.
iPhone 4's resolution resolved
When Steve Jobs introduced iPhone 4, he claimed that its "Retina Display's" tiny pixels exceed what the human eye can differentiate. "It turns out there's a magic number right around 300 pixels per inch, that when you hold something around to 10 to 12 inches away from your eyes, is the limit of the human retina to differentiate the pixels," Jobs said. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, refuted the claim in a Wired article entitled iPhone 4's 'Retina' Display Claims Are False Marketing. Meanwhile, Phil Plait of Discover magazine's Bad Astronomy column responds by saying that Soneira is (mostly) incorrect, while Steve Jobs is (technically) right. Begun this week the war has.
PixelJunk Shooter 2 'in full production,' demo of Shooter 1 next week
Q-Games released some welcome news for those of you eagerly anticipating PixelJunk Shooter 2, as well as those who don't know whether or not they should be eagerly anticipating it. The sequel to the PSN shooter is "full steam ahead, anchors away and all that ... commotion to that order," Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert said in a PlayStation Blog post. He promised that not only will Shooter 2 be larger than the original game, but that "it will have some features that are new to the PixelJunk series in general." If you are not intrigued about the sequel simply because you haven't experienced Shooter, Q-Games has something for you too. On May 25, Cuthbert said, a demo of the original PixelJunk Shooter will be released on the PlayStation Network. If you like that, you can buy PixelJunk Shooter, like it, and then join us all in waiting for 2. %Gallery-93253%
PixelJunk Shooter 2 revealed in July PlayStation: The Official Magazine
While Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood may hold the cover spot of the next issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine, the July 2010 issue will also feature a "lovefest feature" on PixelJunk Shooter 2, Q-Games' not-yet-announced-but-very-real PSN sequel, according to a Tweet from EIC Gary Steinman. Considering the numerous hints of a sequel, we're unsurprised that the game's existence is confirmed by an uneventful preview of a preview. (It seems Sony is intent on making this a trend.) If Sony shows this off at its E3 press conference, just try to act shocked, okay?
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe on UMD in North America this April
For that cross-section of the PSP audience that likes both PixelJunk Monsters and tangible objects, Q-Games's Dylan Cuthbert has announced a UMD release of PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, due to launch in North America at "participating retail outlets" on April 27 for $19.99. The tower defense title has been available digitally since last fall. Interestingly, Cuthbert originally cited piracy as the reason for the lack of a worldwide release for the UMD of Deluxe, previously released in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Try not to pirate this one, so we can see more nice discs like this in the future.
PixelJunk Eden's Baiyon creating music visualizer for PS3
Q-Games is teaming up with Japanese artist Baiyon once again for another PSN collaboration. Baiyon, who created the visuals and sound for PixelJunk Eden and Encore, is directing an interactive music visualizer for the PS3, to be distributed via the PlayStation Network. Unlike Q-Games' Earth visualizer, this upcoming project will not be built into the PS3 operating system. Instead, this will be a standalone application, akin to .deTuned. This is terrific news for Trophy hunters, as they should be familiar with how easy it is to get PSN XP with these standalone art applications.
