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Only you can name PixelJunk 1-4
The next game in the PixelJunk series is looking to potentially be the best yet, though it is lacking something. A name. Since it was announced, the game has been referred to simply as PixelJunk 1-4 -- the fourth game in the first series. The assumption was that the name was such a giveaway to the game's style and / or gameplay that it was being kept under wraps. Now it turns out that Q-Games just hasn't decided on one yet. In fact, they're leaving it up to you.Check out the official naming contest website for some inspiration in the form of not only full screenshots of the game, but also a video of it in action (also seen above). You have until May 11 to submit your name idea on the website and the winner will not only have the satisfaction of knowing that they named the game, but they will also be featured in the game's credits and, along with five runners up, receive a PixelJunk _____ t-shirt.Judging by the previous PixelJunk titles, the name will need to be short and snappy, yet encapsulate the style of the game. Not an easy job. Be sure to check back here at noon EST for even more inspiration in the form of our hands-on impressions of the game. Good luck to all who enter!
PixelJunk 1-4 revealed via Facebook fan page
We're approaching the end of what could ostensibly be called "Early 2009," the tentative launch window for the fourth installment in Q-Games' aesthetically pleasing PixelJunk series, and details about said installment are slim. However, we were recently enlightened to the identity of the upcoming title -- albeit from an unconventional source. A recently added Facebook fan page allows you to throw your digital endorsement behind PixelJunk 1-4, which has yet to receive a catchier title.The page includes a link to an event titled "PixelJunk 1-4 sells one million units at launch," as well as a few hilariously tiny pieces of artwork from the title, which Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert promises to release more of as the group's membership grows. No details about the gameplay, release date or explanations of the curious moniker are included on the fan page, but now that the Pixel-ated cat's out of the bag, we expect to hear more soon. [Via That VideoGame Blog] [Image]
PixelJunk Eden Encore coming this week [Update]
Update: A new trailer has been released! Check it out after the break.The Encore expansion pack to PixelJunk Eden is coming this week. The upcoming DLC will add 5 new stages to the game, new Trophies, and will cost $5.99. According to the official site, this is a worldwide release, so everyone will be able to enjoy the game at the same time.%Gallery-48237%[Thanks, iddy!]
PixelJunk Eden Encore adds 11 new Trophies
The upcoming Encore expansion to PixelJunk Eden looks to be quite massive ... and quite fun. The Trophy list has been updated for the upcoming add-on, and the 11 new Trophies reveal some new details about the devilish new levels being added to the game. One Trophy requires a death-defying jump to get two Spectra in one go, while another asks players to open ten seeds without ever touching a plant. Ouch! We can't wait to see the new content later this month.See the additional Trophies after the break.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Q Games: No interest in more StarFox, Miyamoto doesn't listen to the 'core'
Q Games president Dylan Cuthbert tells G4 he's done with the StarFox franchise for now. Cuthbert lead development of the original SNES game as its unreleased sequel, and his company created StarFox Command for DS. It won't likely be involved in any eventual Wii installment in the franchise.Cuthbert says he might be up for another StarFox "maybe in another 10 years," saying that a Wii version would "be a big project, like 100 people on the staff. It's just not something we really want to do. I'm sure someone will make it. Maybe [Nintendo] will go back to Namco." Remember StarFox: Assault? We try not to.In a slight jab at Shigeru Miyamoto, Cuthbert told G4 that the legendary designer probably won't listen to "core" gamers' wants for a new StarFox, saying, "Miyamoto doesn't really care about that. He wants to make what he wants to make, so he just goes ahead and gets it done." Was that a snap we just heard?
Go behind the scenes at Q-Games' Kyoto office
You might not have the free time to make a trip to Japan and visit the PixelJunk overlords at Q-Games' Kyoto office, but you can do the next best thing: take a guided video tour with Dylan Cuthbert. In the video posted after the break, Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert shows us all around the dev studio, meeting the people behind the games and explaining why they all work barefoot (or in slippers -- they have a choice!). With that in mind, Q-Games seems to have a rather quiet and relaxing work atmosphere. It could use a little spice, though, say, giant PixelJunk Monster statues at the entrance or Eden flower pots by the windows. Maybe they'll have those installed before the next tour.
GDC09: PixelJunk Eden profitable after one day of sales
Publishers looking for a quick buck don't need to focus their efforts solely on the iPhone. Sony's Susan Panico touted the values of PSN development by providing a case study on PixelJunk Eden, Q-Games' third PSN-exclusive title. Panico told the GamesBeat audience that "PixelJunk Eden made its return on investment within 24 hours." Sales after that period become pure profit.Of course, the success of Eden is a little unsurprising, considering the popularity of PixelJunk Monsters. Regardless, it's impressive that a small independent studio was able to create a trusted franchise exclusively through the PlayStation Network. With so much green made off of Eden, it's no wonder Q-Games is working on an expansion for the game. Eden Encore will be available in April.%Gallery-48237%
PixelJunk Eden Encore to be revealed, playable at GDC [update]
One of the PS3 highlights of last year's GDC for PS3 was the unveiling of the third PixelJunk title, PixelJunk Eden, during Dylan Cuthbert's post-mortem of the first two games in the series. This year Cuthbert is set to return and unveil the latest PixelJunk project, according to a press invitation to the PlayStation Blog Lounge. Not only that but there will be hands-on time for those who attend.We know that the fourth game in the series won't be PixelJunk Dungeons, which was also vaguely mentioned back at GDC 2008, as it requires more development time. At this point we really have no idea what PixelJunk 4 could be but, after our experiences with Monsters and Eden, we can't wait to find out next Thursday.[UPDATE] Dylan Cuthbert has let the cat out of the bag via his Twitter feed. PixelJunk 4 will not be shown at GDC next week, instead we'll get the first look on the expansion for the third game in the series, PixelJunk Eden Encore.
PixelJunk Eden wimp patch finally hits Europe this week
Despite being originally planned for release in Europe and Japan simultaneously, the PixelJunk Eden "wah, it's too hard" patch is still not out in PAL regions. The official PixelJunk website has now been updated to reflect the fact that, finally, the patch will see release in Europe on January 29. The patch adds various features to the game which makes it a little bit less challenging, such as an entirely new control system, more time and a continue system. There's also a much-improved multiplayer camera, making playing with friends far less frustrating. Barring accidents, Europeans will be able to give it a try themselves tomorrow. We'll let you know once it's live.[Thanks, Gerard@]
PSP version of PixelJunk Monsters features 50% more content
People just can't get enough PixelJunk Monsters. PS3 fans fell in love with this charming tower defense game, leading to the release of the Encore expansion pack and subsequent Trophy patch. PSP owners are in for a treat as they'll be receiving their own version of the game later this year.What will Monsters PSP feature? We're expecting the same content featured in the PS3 games, but Dylan Cuthbert promises there will be even more stuff in the PSP game. In an interview with Core Gamers, he reveals the team is currently "adding 50% more content or more" to the game. Those that have played both Monsters and Encore know well that this is a massive amount of content. How will we possibly get rainbows on all of these levels?When asked if PixelJunk Eden, the third of Q-Games' downloadable games on PS3, would also receive PSP treatment, Cuthbert seemed doubtful. Eden is a far more complex, processor-intense game. "Never say never of course, but it would be quite a challenge and a number of things might have to be changed."%Gallery-7756%
PixelJunk Eden patch on Jan. 15, 'Encore' expansion announced
A PixelJunk Eden patch will be ready to pollinate PSN this Thursday, January 15th, according to PlayStation Blog. The patch will add a number of user-requested tweaks, including a new (optional) control scheme, an improved multiplayer camera, a continue system, more time on the clock -- and, if that's not enough, the game's large crystals will now replenish a full one-half of the oscillator meter instead of just a third, Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert recently confirmed. Essentially, the patch fixes the major qualms frustrated Grimps had with the game. The developer also took the opportunity to announce an "Encore" expansion for Eden, but details will be forthcoming over "the next couple of months."Despite Eden's charm and "casual" appearance, much like PixelJunk Monsters, the difficulty ramped up like a sheer cliff in later levels (yeah, looking at you Garden 7) -- especially when playing with a non-gamer partner. The patch should make the game friendlier (read: easier), and, personally, we're most curious to try out the new control system. We've asked Sony if the new scheme alters having to shake the controller to "insta-drop," because that could definitely be a blessing.
New PixelJunk in early 2009, Dungeons coming later
Kentaro Yoshida, one of Q-Games' studio directors, has confirmed in an interview with GamaSutra that a new PixelJunk game will be with us soon. Sooner than we'd anticipated, in fact. Yoshida says that "a new team has started in on the next PixelJunk project. We have not yet begun publicizing the game, but it is on schedule to be released in early 2009." That's now!It seems that the game that was announced at GDC 2008, PixelJunk Dungeons, will not be the fourth in the series. It requires more development time and, as a result, will be released at some point after PixelJunk 4. Whatever that may be. Yoshida also states that "2D graphics have been a hallmark of the series so far, but we are looking to incorporate 3D graphics and take the series in new directions." An exciting prospect. Hopefully a 3D PixelJunk will retain the charm of the 2D versions.
PixelJunk Eden nominated for three Independent Game Awards
Nominations for the Independent Games Festival Awards 2009 have been announced today and one of our favorite PSN titles, PixelJunk Eden, has been nominated for three categories. The categories are: Excellence in Visual Art, Excellence in Audio and Technical Excellence. Eden is one of few console games to be nominated in this year's awards, and the only PlayStation Network title to get recognition.The winners will be revealed at the Independent Games Festival which takes place in San Francisco between March 23rd and 27th. If you want to learn more about all the games on the list be sure to check out Joystiq's IGF nominee run-down. Good luck to PixelJunk Eden, there's some strong competition there.
Q-Games teases 'two to three' PixelJunk titles in 2009
Popping in to deliver some New Year tidings on the PlayStation Blog, Q-Games' president Dylan Cuthbert opined on his favorite games of ought-eight ... and teased that at least two new titles from his Kyoto-based studio are coming to Sony platforms in '09.Cuthbert predicts that this year will be a grand one for games, "what with two or three more PixelJunk titles coming out." We've already seen one of them -- PixelJunk Monsters for PSP -- but the others? Given the number of tabled concepts Cuthbert recently showed Spike TV (skiing, fighting, etc.) we'd say a PixelJunk take on an established genre would be a shoe-in, but then there was the decidedly non-conformist -- and absolutely superb -- PixelJunk Eden last year. So, we can only ... imagine.
PixelJunk Monsters invading PSP in 2009
The diabolically addictive PS3 tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters, is officially headed to PSP next year (which, if you haven't checked your calendar, is pretty soon). Appearing on Spike TV's "The Next Great Game Gods" VGA tie-in special, Q Games founder, Dylan Cuthbert, confirmed – and very briefly showed – the game.After a short show-and-tell of conceptual images for canned projects – which included skiing and fighting games – Cuthbert broke the news, saying that, "We got a lot of requests from fan mail and stuff saying they really wanted a PSP-native version [of PixelJunk Monsters]." But the game won't merely be the PSN title retooled for the small screen. "We thought, rather than just port it directly, let's add a bit more," Cuthbert teased. You can watch the full segment (Cuthbert appears about half-way through) after the break.[Thanks, Chris]
PixelJunk Monsters coming to PSP
Looks like more PS3 games are coming to the PSP. The popular tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters, is heading to the PSP. In fact, there's going to be more content than ever before. This is great news, especially because we're not too fond of using Remote Play to stream games. We can't wait to see more when the game comes out in 2009. To find out more about the game, check out all the news on PS3 Fanboy.[Thanks, Top_Slacker!]
Upcoming PixelJunk Eden patch gives the gift of time
For the second time Q-Games is on a mission to make their own games easier. They did it with PixelJunk Monsters, by adding difficulty settings and increasing the strength of some towers. This time it's PixelJunk Eden's turn to receive the patch treatment, which will make substantial changes to the game's difficulty. The official site states that the patch will add a "new continue system" for when you run out of time and a new control system. You'll also have "lots more time to spare" as you make use of the "smoother multi-play camera." This patch is due to arrive on the 19th of December in Japan and Europe, with an American release "coming soon."We're all for improving accessibility, but we get the feeling that these new features might make things a little too easy. The smoother multiplayer camera is definitely a welcome improvement, though. Hopefully now Q-Games has gone back and "fixed" both of their most recent games we'll start hearing more about new PixelJunk title soon. That'd be nice.[Thanks betahoven]
Don't expect next PixelJunk game any time soon
Looks like the Q-Games team is taking their sweet time with the next PixelJunk game. The team has been quite prolific, with three PSN games under their belt: PixelJunk Racers, Monsters and Eden. The brand has managed to garner a loyal following amongst PS3 owners, and we're sure many are eagerly awaiting the next title.Unfortunately, it can be a long wait for the next PixelJunk game. Dylan Cuthbert told Parallaxed Game that the next game won't be unveiled for quite some time. In fact, nothing might be shown at next year's GDC show: "We can't talk about any of the future titles yet, we might not even show anything at GDC09, who knows! The next title isn't necessary based on the Dungeons prototype work as we develop several ideas simultaneously, finally going with the idea that has the most momentum."It's going to be a long wait, but so long as their next game can match the addictive quality of Monsters and Eden, we're sure it'll be worth it. Stay tuned.[Thanks, Adam T.!]
PixelJunk Monsters version 2.00 patch now live
As if we don't have enough games to play already right now. The PixelJunk Monsters trophy patch is now live and ready to download. The trophy implementation is a little different to what you've seen in other games. You'll need to complete special Trophy Challenge levels in order to get your grubby mitts on them. The patch also adds new difficulty levels to the game as well as YouTube uploading. All for free and all ready for you to grab right now. If you live in Europe, that is. No doubt the patch will hit the US before the end of the day. We'll keep you updated.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Trophies: PixelJunk Monsters
Read more 'PixelJunk Monsters' stories Q-Games' popular tower defense game is getting a brand new mode: the Trophy challenge. This mode can only be done in single player, and has you completing levels with new objectives. This should add hours of new gameplay for those that have already mastered the game. The hidden Trophies can be completed in any game mode: just achieve the task. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
