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Rag Doll Kung-Fu entering the iOS arena, courtesy of ex-Lionhead devs
Rag Doll Kung-Fu, the marionette brawler on PC, is getting an iOS port this summer courtesy of Another Place Productions. The iOS version sports new art from Fable art director John McCormack, a single-player survival mode and, of course, a new touch-based control scheme. One finger lets you move your character around, two fingers control attacks.Local iOS multiplayer is possible through Bluetooth synchronization, plus there's online multiplayer over the internet, Eurogamer reports. Rag Doll Kung-Fu will be a free download on iOS, with in-app purchases funding Another Place Productions.Rag Doll Kung-Fu was created by Mark Healey, an employee of Lionhead at the time. After a favorable GDC showing in 2005, Healey found a publisher in Valve who then put the game out on Steam to great success – a milestone as the first third-party game to launch on the platform. Healey went on to become co-founder of LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule, and currently resides there as creative director.
Spend money, unlock stuff with Rag Doll Kung Fu DLC
Excuse me, observant and most attractive reader. Would you mind poking that lazy, good-for-nothing friend next to you? Yeah, the one that never bothers to pay attention when we post news just for them. Thanks!...Now that we have your attention, we would like you to know a new bit of DLC for Rag Doll Kung Fu will be available tomorrow, just for lumps on a log like yourself. The EU PlayStation blog brings word of the Timesavers Pack, a bit of DLC that will unlock all of the extra playable characters and outfits (including Sackboy) in the game. It'll set you back a cool £1.19 (€1.99), proving once again that you can tackle all of life's problems with money. Well, except for ravenous badgers. We all know badgers have long forgotten the merits of financial institutions.
(Another) Michael Jackson video game on the way, scheduled for a 'holiday release'
After the King of Pop's passing last week, Joystiq has had an inordinately high volume of Michael Jackson-related stories. Day after day, the video game industry honored his passing -- free "Thriller" downloads on Xbox Live, Battlefield Heroes costumes, and a full on recreation of "Smooth Criminal" using Rag Doll Kung Fu's engine. Today, less than a full week after the singer's death, his production company (MJJ Productions) confirmed to MCVUK that a game starring Jackson and featuring his music has been in production at MJJ for "several months" and is purportedly on schedule to release "this holiday season." Though no definitive "yes" or "no" has been given on the game's release (or any info on the developer, publisher, or the game itself), reports say the game contains recent voice recordings by the singer. The closest we get to actual information on the game's release window is, "I am sure it will still be released ... Michael loved games," by way of an MJJ Productions rep. Here's hoping it's more Moonwalker and less Space Channel 5 -- but then, that's just how we get down.[Via Industry Gamers]
Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, recreated in Rag Doll Kung Fu
Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying the holiday weekend? (Also known as plain ol' "Saturday" to our friends in Europe.) Our Michael Jackson-related coverage has been -- for better or worse -- rather lacking. For those of you who haven't tired of the media surrounding the late pop star, you may want to entertain yourself with this rather creative recreation of the singer's classic "Smooth Criminal." This time, the action is recreated in PSN game Rag-Doll Kung Fu.Check it out after the break and enjoy the holiday!
Rag Doll Kung Fu was the most downloaded PSN game in April
Rag Doll Kung Fu has the honor of being the most-bought PSN game in the US during the month of April, according to Gamasutra's monthly top ten list. In case you're wondering, the game was made completely free to download for a week on May 14. That may result in the game staying put at the top of the list when next months results roll in, too.Comet Crash debuts at number six this month, with the only other new game, Flock, not even being placed in the top ten. Bit of a shame, in our opinion. We would've liked to have seen it do much better. However, it's good to see that some of the PS3's more quirky games are still going strong, such as Flower, Linger In Shadows and Noby Noby Boy.
Trophies: Rag Doll Kung Fu
This follow-up to the classic PC fighting game adds SIXAXIS support, and gets rid of network play. Boo. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
Rag Doll Kung Fu producer explains game mechanic
If you haven't played the original Rag Doll Kung Fu on PC, the upcoming PSN-exclusive Fists of Plastic may seem a bit baffling. Utilizing the analog sticks and SIXAXIS controls, this "casual" 2D fighter plays unlike any traditional beat-em-up you've seen. It's hard to fully explain the unique premise of the game, so we think this video from the PlayStation.Blog will do the job.We're certain the motion controls will be hit-or-miss with the community. We're thinking Sony will have to release a demo to let people get a feel for themselves if the rather bizarre controls suit their taste.%Gallery-27901%
Stereotypes (and Sackboys!) in new Rag Doll Kung Fu trailer
Sony's prepping one of its next big PSN downloads: Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. The follow-up to Mark Healey's PC game takes full advantage of the PS3 controller, encouraging gamers to tilt and move the SIXAXIS to unleash wacky kung-fu combos. A new trailer (available after the break) highlights the game's zany characters. Pay close attention and you'll see a customizable Sackboy in the trailer as well.The game will be available for download off the PlayStation Store in less than one month: April 9th. A demo should provide players a good taste of all the offline-only multiplayer the game has to offer.%Gallery-27901%
Hands-on: Rag Doll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic
Click for high-resolution image. When we saw a new Rag Doll Kung-Fu game announced at Sony's E3 keynote, we jumped up a bit in excitement. The original Rag Doll Kung-Fu for PC was an innovative quirky game that helped launched Media Molecule become what it is today. When we first saw Fists of Plastic, we assumed that the LittleBigPlanet devs were going back to Mark's very first independent game. Guess we were wrong.Unfortunately, Fists of Plastic has almost no connection to the original Rag Doll Kung-Fu. It's not being developed by Media Molecule and worst of all, it doesn't really take advantage of rag dolls at all. The original PC game featured an innovative control scheme, which involved dragging different parts of the rag doll around and creating motions with physics to unleash attacks. The core concept of Rag Doll Kung-Fu is absent in this PSN download. Instead of dealing with rag doll physics, players simply control these awarkdly animated dolls with the face buttons. Yes, there's a punch and kick button, making this feel like a poor man's fighting game.%Gallery-27901%
PSN first-party E3 screenshot roundup
Since we don't want you to be overwhelmed by the deluge of media emerging from E3, we've picked a bouquet of the best screenshots from Sony first-party PSN lineup, including luscious images from ex-seed expectations experience, Flower. Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, PixelJunk Eden, Fat Princess, Siren: Blood Curse ... Which of these are you dying to download? %Gallery-27943%%Gallery-27947%
First screens of Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic
Click for high-resolution image. The brand new game Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic was announced at Sony's press conference the other day. It's a PSN title from Media Molecule, and we've got the very first screenshots of it right here. Our gallery awaits you below. Update: The game is not in development by Media Molecule.%Gallery-27901%
Sony mentions new PSN titles at press conference
At their E3 press conference today, Sony announced a few new titles for PSN. And when we say they announced the titles, we mean exactly that ... they announced the titles, and practically nothing else, save for some quick video footage. The titles include: Crash Commando Fat Princess Pain: Amusement Park Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic These titles join the previously revealed PixelJunk Eden, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, Siren: Blood Curse and Flower among the PSN games mentioned at the conference. More on all these titles as we hear about it.
Indies and consoles: an imperfect system
According to Gamasutra's Simon Carless, the independent scene is facing an uphill battle when developing for consoles, specifically in the realm of digital distribution. Carless argues that the difficulty in bringing a title across all platforms, both for technological and business reasons.Other than some retro titles (e.g. Joust), a very small number of downloadable title are appearing on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is one of the few exceptions, and Capcom's Christian Svensson said it required "considerable coordination" to get the titles on both consoles, which indicates to us that less established independent houses would have insurmountable difficulty.Carless notes that Sony's collection, retro games aside, are predominantly first party (though we should note that flOw went to Sony because they actively sought out the independent title). Nintendo has always talked about bringing original games to the Wii, and there have been murmurings of a Game Channel, but so far all the only tangible indication of a non-Virtual Console title is Impossible Mission.Carless' analogy to the film industry (three separate formats for theatre chains), though admittedly ham-fisted, does not account for industry history. It may be unfair to the independent developer, but there hasn't been a time when gaming was controlled by a single format. Sure, development teams are now much larger and require a bigger budget, but that hasn't stopped smaller teams from succeeding with Geometry Wars, Ragdoll Kung-Fu, and Alien Hominid (pictured). The state of indie games isn't ideal, but it seems to be getting better. We say keep on fighting, Simon.
LittleBigPlanet developer on dealing with publishers
When gaming journalists violently collided in the hallways of San Francisco's Moscone center, a common topic of conversation, besides their universally poor navigational skills, was the PlayStation 3's physics-driven platformer, LittleBigPlanet. The game quickly became somewhat of a critical darling after its unveiling, prompting us to attend a presentation by Media Molecule, the company behind it and Rag Doll Kung Fu. A GDC session held on Wednesday was presented by Mark Healey and Alex Evans who both spoke very candidly about their company's origins and their approach to dealing with publishers (the "bad guy" as far as many developers at GDC are concerned)."We're jumping into the abyss with rockets strapped on our back," said Evans in reference to Media Molecule's enthusiastic approach to game development. Part of this attitude reflects in their relationship with publishers, who Healy insisted are best dealt with by being as upfront and communicative as possible. "Everybody has good ideas," added Evans, but the trick is communicating these ideas. Giving the publisher as much information as you can is key in gaining publisher backing, with visual and playable examples being particularly effective -- Evans called it "the power of prototyping."A video of a LittleBigPlanet prototype was shown during the session, depicting a brightly colored and two-dimensional character waving his arms about, grabbing onto objects and striding up stairs in a decidedly awkward manner. Despite its early state, the physics technology and the control method immediately shone through, a fact which ultimately played a large role in Sony's eagerness to pluck the game up. It seems a similar approach would be just as effective on gamers -- forget the feature bullet-points and dry press releases. Just show us why your game is fun!
Rag Doll team enlisted for PS3 exclusive
Mark Healey's Media Molecule has inked a deal with SCEE to develop an exclusive title for PlayStation 3. Having yet to release a game since cutting ties with Lionhead, the small, 20-plus-sized team is hungry to prove themselves.While neither Sony or Media Molecule is yet prepared to speak publicly about the concept behind this new title, Mark Healy was quick to tout his small team's abilities, boasting, "[we] can deliver a world class, triple A, next generation product." If successful, Media Molecule could blaze the trail for a new generation of small development teams that provide innovative "next-gen" content on a cost effective scale ... while multimillion-dollar uber-studios blow loads of dough on those spiffy sequels and genre clones.
Media Molecule: Rag Doll Kung Fu creator's new studio
Here's the newest installment in the ongoing adventures of Mark Healey, the ex-Lionhead programmer who created Rag Doll Kung Fu. After cutting loose from Lionhead -- which, let's not forget, has since been acquired by Microsoft -- Mark reportedly started to pursue "other projects".He's now founded a new studio, Media Molecule, which includes other ex-Lionhead staff. For the next part of this ongoing soap opera, stay tuned -- the team are "mega busy" at the moment, and we're looking forward to what comes out of this new indie developer.
