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PixelJunk Monsters: originally like a Red Riding Hood game
Last time we heard anything from Q Games and Dylan Cuthbert about PixelJunk Monsters: Encore, we told you the Ice Tower was coming standard and the Tesla tower was getting a lowered cost. Japan got the game last week, but the rest of the world is still waiting. Now we get to hear from SCEA Santa Monica on the game's progress for US release. In their talk with Cuthbert, there are a lot of queries answered but even more to come, so we're only going to graze over what's most important and leave it to you to check out the rest.The game took Encore as its title because, well, it's like at the end of a concert -- you just want a little bit more (plus it was easier for the Japanese crowd to understand). Also, some people complained of plasma TV's getting the game burned onto their screen because they just couldn't stop playing -- there's now an anti-burn option on the game's menu to prevent that.As for Cuthbert himself, his favorite level in the expansion is Racer Gardens, since it's based off of a PixelJunk Racers design. He even gives you a hint on how to beat it -- the big guys always cross the bridge! Interestingly, the game's overall design is based off of Red Riding Hood concepts. At first, our Tiki hero was the girl in red, protecting grandma's house from wolves ... we're exaggerating, but that would have been the basic concept, for sure. Eventually, the design we see now took over. More information to come!
PixelJunk Monsters Encore out in Japan, where's ours? [Update]
If you've recently checked your Japanese PSN account, you may have noticed that PixelJunk Monsters Encore is already available for download. The expansion pack that brings you to the whole new Toki Island, adding in 15 new missions, is priced at ¥600 (US$5.77).That's all well and good for Japan, but what about North America? Will we be seeing a similar price point? And where exactly is our North American expansion? It was given an ambiguous April 2008 release schedule, but has yet to come out all month ... until now -- at least for Japan anyway.We're probably jumping the gun on this one. The North American PlayStation Store has yet been updated today, so there's still a good chance this much wanted add-on will sneak up on there. Although, a stealth release is not of the norm; if the game was ready, we would have heard about it by now. We guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?[Update: We contacted SCEA. Encore is currently scheduled for an early May release. And by early, we mean really early. Stay tuned.]
Star Fox commands a cheaper price
If you've been waiting almost two years for a deal on Star Fox Command, today's your lucky day. While $30 might have seemed too expensive for a game that only got decent reviews, $20 probably sounds a lot more enticing. Since this is an Amazon "Deal of the Day," though, you only have until 3am EST to decide whether or not to surrender your wallet to your impulses. This blogger never got around to playing Star Fox Command, but do any of you readers have opinions on the game that you'd like to share with potential buyers?
Q-Games' Cuthbert: PixelJunk Monsters on PSP most likely not happening
In a portion of an interview with PS3 Fanboy, Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert explains why we probably won't be seeing PixelJunk Monsters making a transition onto the PSP. Cuthbert told PS3 Fanboy that he doesn't "see a market for it just yet." He stated that the biggest problem is in selling the game at a proper price point, and he doesn't see consumers shelling out extra cash for a more expensive UMD version.However, UMD has never been the only option; when it was mentioned that the PSP now supports downloaded content from the PlayStation Store, Cuthbert replied that the idea for a downloaded PSP version was not feasible because the service was not popular in Japan. He was saying that it's difficult to get excited about making a game for a service very few use. His reasoning then turned from being unappealing to Japan into not wanting to get "pigeonholed into working [solely] for the US market." Further more, when faced with the example of echochrome going on UMD, Cuthbert still wasn't convinced that PixelJunk Monsters would find a home on the portable system. Well, we guess we'll just have to stick to Remote Play for our portable PixelJunk needs.
PS3 Fanboy interview: Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert
Dylan Cuthbert should be a name familiar to any real PS3 fan. Responsible for Q-Games, and their PixelJunk series of PSN games, the team has been hard at work at delivering unique experiences exclusively for the PLAYSTATION Network. Not only has the team delivered one truly stellar game (PixelJunk Monsters), it has worked on a few other technologies for Sony. Did you know that they're responsible for the Earth music visualization? We chatted with Cuthbert at GDC, and we're proud to present our interview.I wanted to start with a topic that I'm sure no one has asked you about yet. Q-Games is responsible for the Earth visualizer, yes? Where did that come from?Well, we've always had a close relationship with Sony. They came to us and asked us to make an intro for the PS3 before it came out. For the OS and everything. They had these ideas that were like the earth, and the PS3 logo were in a bubble. So we said instead of making a fake earth, we should make a proper rendering. We showed a prototype to them, but ultimately Sony wanted to go for a more simpler style. The intro became much simpler, orchestral. So we had a very well rendered earth and we didn't know what to do with it.
Friday Video: Generations
We found inspiration for today's video in the discussion about Q-Games' mysterious DS title. We referred to their bit Generations game Digidrive in that post, but it really takes a look at the game in motion to understand it. And even that probably won't fully explain it. Since we never got any of the bit Generations games in the U.S., this may be your first look at one of these abstract, experimental, weird GBA games. If you like what you see, you can get the game for $10 right now at Play-Asia, along with Dialhex and Boundish.We have enough trouble keeping Q-Games and Q? Entertainment (Tetsuya Mizuguchi's company) separate in our minds. Q-Games doing a game like this doesn't help.
Q-Games working on unannounced DS game
Q-Games alternates between independent development and "second-party" status with Nintendo. That's just one of the perks of having helped create Star Fox, as founder Dylan Cuthbert did. Lately, they've been making the PixelJunk series of high-res downloadable games for the PlayStation Network, having finished up Star Fox Command for Nintendo.Cuthbert revealed in a Siliconera interview that, in addition to a new PixelJunk title, the company is working on another DS game for Nintendo. Will it be a Star Fox sequel or something interesting? As developers of the Bit Generations title Digidrive, Q-Games has shown a flair for abstract stuff.
GDC08: A look inside the mind of Dylan Cuthbert: PixelJunk's future
It's really quite impressive how much Q Games' reputation has improved over the last month or so. PixelJunk Racers was an attempt to bring back arcade-style 2D racers, but ended up an eyesore. Their second PixelJunk title, Monsters, was received much better and has become a staple download by many PS3 owners. So what's next? You've seen the Eden trailer -- what's Cuthbert and crew got coming?The Independent Games Conference had Cuthbert as a speaker and talked a little about Q Games' philosophy: games that are simple, familiar, and original running in 1080P HD at 60Hz. PixelJunk is a brand, not a game title -- it's meant to teach consumers that while the games are different, they'll know what to expect somewhat. He showed off a sketch of the fourth title to be released after Eden -- PixelJunk Dungeons. It's going to be a top-down dungeon crawler. We're excited for that.That's the end of the first "series" of PixelJunk games. The next round, Cuthbert teases, may use some 3D styles in ways we don't expect. He said that they would, maybe, "take some of the old 3D looks and bring them up to the full HD kind of style." There's so much more to read over at Gamasutra's coverage of the speech -- if you like the PixelJunk games, we recommend reading up on Cuthbert's plans, philosophies, and ideas.
Q-Games reveals 'PixelJunk Eden,' hints at future titles
In closing his GDC post-mortem on the PlayStation Network's PixelJunk games, Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert briefly showed off the next game in the series of downloadable, 2D titles. PixelJunk Eden comes across as being far more experimental than the independent developer's previous titles, boasting psychedelic visuals, an electronic soundtrack and swinging, ball-based platforming. We're quite sure we haven't written a description like that in quite some time. Eden started development in June 2007, and Cuthbert told us that he expects it to arrive on PSN sometime "before Summer." Also mentioned but never elaborated on was PixelJunk Dungeons, the fourth title in the series which Cuthbert assured us would, in fact, feature dungeons of some kind. Finally, the presentation revealed that Q-Games would eventually focus its efforts on 3D gaming in a second series of PixelJunk. We'll bring you a full report on the PixelJunk postmortem (and forthcoming games) soon.
GDC08: PixelJunk Eden trailer contains quirky graphics, intrigue
It's at this point that we truly forgive Q-Games for the travesty that was PixelJunk Racers. PixelJunk Monsters had an awesome graphic style to it, not to mention its rock solid (and rock hard) gameplay and now the latest game in the series, PixelJunk Eden looks to follow suit. The aesthetic quality (or, at least, what we can see of it from the low-res video above) looks like something you'd see on the cover of a Computer Arts magazine. Don't worry, that's a good thing, in our opinion.Gameplay-wise, the video keeps its cards close to its chest. It's clearly a physics based inertia and momentum simulator that requires you to navigate a constantly morphing landscape in order to collect various items littering the environment. Sounds fairly simple, but hopefully Q-Games will be working their magic and putting some depth into the game. We're looking forward to seeing how this one develops and we simply can't wait until we get our hands on some high-def screenshots. That art style is hypnotic.
PixelJunk Monsters expansion pack coming soon
PixelJunk Monsters is probably the cutest game on the PS3 not named LittleBigPlanet, but the game's cuteness isn't the extent to its awesomeness. It's actually a pretty damn fun game, and that's why we're so happy to hear that Q-Games is currently developing an expansion.Tim R., a gamer who shares our love with the game, emailed Q-Games expressing his need for some more PixelJunk Monsters, and was told "There should be some news about an expansion pack over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled."So if you haven't had enough of defending your tiny villagers from the rampaging monsters, you'll apparently have some new content to satisfy you very soon.
PSN Thursday: PixelJunk Monsters with a touch of Devil May Cry 4
The PlayStation Store gets another heap of PixelJunk today, as Monsters replace Racers in Q-Games sophomore effort, offered for a mere $7.99 ... for a limited time. The update is rounded out by a pair of demos (this one and that one) and a lonely PS1 game, in addition to a smorgasbord of DLC – nope, not the new Guitar Hero tunes.Check out the complete list of content after the break, including PC Store additions – or head over to PS3 Fanboy for European update details.
PixelJunk Monsters to invade PSN on Jan. 24
We recently discovered that we've been playing tower defense real-time strategy games completely wrong all along. It's not entirely our fault, mind you, as the genre's name misled us to believe we had to, you know, defend the towers as opposed to using them to protect an utterly hapless village. We'll improve our understanding when PixelJunk Monsters erects itself on the PlayStation Network next Thursday, January 24th, and encourages us to throw in the tower as often as possible.Developed by Q Games and illustrated with hand-drawn 2D artwork, PixelJunk Monsters sees players constructing all manner of defensive towers in a bid to wipe out marauding monsters. Destroying a lush forest provides the material and the gold and gems looted from fanged corpses provide the financial power to your gauntlet of startlingly efficient death. Really, it's just the sort of cute game Japan needs to overcome its weird PSN phobia. %Gallery-14037%
PixelJunk Monsters hitting PSN next week
You know you can't wait for the castle defense strategy game known as PixelJunk Monsters. The game looks like an image straight out of some classic like Where The Wild Things Are, but less menacing and more cuddly. Perhaps our childhoods were just riddled with fear. Either way. Dylan Cuthbert, executive producer over at Q-Games confirmed the game will appear next week as a part of the weekly update -- not this update, but next week's. Want to see what it's about? Watch the above video for a quick demonstration of what to expect.[via 1UP]
Surprise! Latest PS3 firmware adds sexy spaceborne music visualizer
Sure, you may be well aware of the fact that last week's 2.1 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 gifted the console with support for the ubiquitous DivX video codec, but did you also know that nestled deep within the update was a new space-faring music visualizer? Seen in motion through the magic of YouTube, it's an incredibly nifty way to relax to those newly unwrapped CDs, but it also makes us wax nostalgic and wonder whatever happened to those grade school dreams of becoming astronauts when we grew up. The new tool was created by Q-Games, who developed the terrifically fun PSN downloadable PixelJunk Racers, and the studios' PR manager Duncan Flett tells Gamasutra that the project went through a number of changes prior to release, including an initial stint as the boot sequence for Sony's console. Also interesting is that the visualizer uses texture data lifted from the NASA Blue Marble project, making this one of the neatest uses of science since the application of baking soda to vinegar.Full disclosure: This writer did, in fact, pen stories for Gamasutra in a previous life before his current tour of duty on board the starship Joystiq. [Via Gamasutra]
PixelJunk Monsters easier than Racers, third game coming
We last checked in with PixelJunk honcho Dylan Cuthbert when he spoke about PJ Monsters -- now we're going to talk a little more about that but also delve into his next project, dubbed PixelJunk 1-3. As far as the hardcore audience not adopting to the PJ image, Cuthbert replies "by keeping the development cost down, and keeping the number of games we produce high, for each game, we can go with the style that we want to play with at that time and give people a much larger range of visual styles than they are used to at the moment." That really is a good thing -- it's nice to experiment with a wide array of styles. Each one will suit at least some consumers, you know? It's a great opportunity the PSN has offered Cuthbert and Crew, letting them tinker with any style they'd like.The team at Q-Games have learned a lesson from PixelJunk Racers -- they tuned that game to their own skill set and as a result, it was perceived as too hard for many players. Monsters will have a much more manageable difficulty curve so more people will be able to get into it and enjoy it.PixelJunk 1-3 is already up and in progress. They've enlisted a DJ to assist in the music whose rhythm creates "life" of some sort -- the title isn't going to be a rhythm game, but from what Cuthbert says, music is going to play a significant role. It's a "complete experiment" so expect something a bit outlandish, yet accessible. We'll keep you tuned into more Cuthbert and PixelJunk news as it surfaces.
Q-Games founder: PSN games haven't caught on in Japan
Speaking to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Q-Games founder Dylan Cuthbert has discussed some of the challenges facing PixelJunk Monsters, a real-time tower defense title for the PlayStation Network. Cuthbert, who has contributed to everything from Ape Escape to Starfox, noted that beyond the usual control and balancing issues, the real difficulty involves getting Japanese gamers to purchase bite-sized games online. "So far, it really hasn't caught on in the same way it has in the West--the problem in Japan is a traditional aversion to using credit cards, as opposed to the West where it is second nature," he explained. "A lot of restaurants over here don't accept any credit card at all, and when you order things online to be delivered the majority of people pay on delivery or even by online bank transfer as opposed to using a credit card. Pre-paid cards are definitely the way to go forward to solve these problems, but they only rolled out recently, so we'll just have to wait and see."It's odd to see the game (which arrives on our PSN in January) facing this external obstacle, especially since it was designed with Japanese sensibilities in mind -- those folks aren't too keen on real-time strategy either, it seems. Perhaps PixelJunk Monsters will find success on our shores, preying on our habit of whipping out the plastic whenever instant gratification is in view.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Have PSN games taken off in Japan? No.
American gamers have wholeheartedly embraced the incredible selection from the PS3's online store. Games like fl0w, Everyday Shooter and Calling All Cars simply wouldn't have been possible through retail outlets, and their success on the PSN is ushering a new era of simple downloadable titles. Too bad the concept hasn't resonated well amongst Japanese gamers, at least according to an interview with Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert."So far, it really hasn't caught on in the same way it has in the West--the problem in Japan is a traditional aversion to using credit cards, as opposed to the West where it is second nature." In America, we love to collect debt. Therefore, online shopping with credit cards comes as second nature. However, using plastic in Japan just isn't very socially acceptable. "A lot of restaurants over here don't accept any credit card at all, and when you order things online to be delivered the majority of people pay on delivery or even by online bank transfer as opposed to using a credit card." Thankfully, there's a solution. "Pre-paid cards are definitely the way to go forward to solve these problems, but they only rolled out recently, so we'll just have to wait and see."The Q-Games PixelJunk titles are meant to appeal to Japanese sensibilities. Will they succeed with today's release of PixelJunk Monsters on the Japanese Store? Only time will tell. Read the complete interview on Level Up to find out more about this quirky PSN game.
PixelJunk Monsters to stalk PSN in January
Those who venture onto the PlayStation Network in January may be surprised to find the place overrun with monsters, and even more surprised to learn that dispatching them doesn't require a shotgun, nor a first-person perspective. Posting on the official PlayStation blog, Q-Games President Dylan Cuthbert calls "PixelJunk Monsters" a real-time strategy game wrapped "in a completely different style and mode of gameplay that the Japanese public (and hopefully the West too, of course!) would really get into."He hopes that you'll get into the game's hand-drawn 2D artwork, as well as the fact that a cheeky little monster replaces the floating (and enormously bossy) cursor typically found in the RTS genre. You'll control the "defender-of-the-forests type chap" as he collects money and sets up defensive towers throughout 20 stages, each of which has undergone a rigorous testing and balancing procedure. We're also told that -- if you're not too busy fending off adorable monsters -- a tower's defenses are mysteriously improved by doing a jig in front of it. (Guttural clarification: There are no creatures called "jigs" in the game. We checked.)[Via PS3 Fanboy]
PixelJunk Monsters -- an RTS with a cuddly monster overlord
The official PlayStation Blog has updated and you know what we found? Monsters! Monsters with silly pig noses that we want transformed into stuffed animals right this moment. From the makers of PixelJunk Racers comes the aptly titled PixelJunk Monsters -- Q-Games has given up a few pieces of concept art and some details on the game, which we'll spill to you below.PJ Monsters is basically an RTS game with some additional elements set alongside the mining, research, and building bits we've all come to understand through the years. There's no mouse cursor for you to play God with -- you play as a cuddly monster creature that runs around and collects the materials you need to research and build stuff. Enemy monsters can drop gems, used to research more advanced defenses and buildings and such. These can also be upgraded by doing a dance in front of each respective tower. Neat.There are online leaderboards for co-op and single player campaigns. Apparently the game supports voice chat, unless co-op is restricted to you and a physical buddy next to you. What's super cool: girls like the game, too. Girlfriend tired of watching you play Uncharted or finds no fun in Call of Duty 4? You two should enjoy this one together, so says Dylan Cuthbert. Expect the game to have more fantastic hand-drawn 2D art, hitting the PS Store in January.
