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Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing, more soundtracks now 'pay what you want'
Composer Eirik Suhrke isn't just the man behind some of the finest indie gaming soundtracks in recent memory, he's also generous enough to offer up those soundtracks at whatever price you'd like, just in time for the holidays. A visit to Suhrke's Bandcamp page reveals that his discography includes the tunes from Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box and more. Even better, you can own or gift any of these albums on a "pay what you want" basis. Running low on funds? Maybe kick a dollar toward Suhrke. Feeling more generous? Spend $20. Whatever the amount, it's entirely up to you, and as the 62-track Spelunky soundtrack demonstrates, you're getting a lot of quality video game music for your money. Helpfully, Suhrke's albums are available in most major audio formats, including MP3, AAC and FLAC. According to his recent Twitter announcement of the sale, Suhrke's albums will remain at this floating price point through the end of the week.
Xbox offers Countdown to 2014 daily deals on Fez, Spelunky, Terraria
There's another batch of daily deals for Xbox Live end-of-year sale, and today's batch supposedly comprise "2D modern classics," namely Terraria, Spelunky, and Fez. Putting aside if you can even call something a "modern classic," isn't that forgetting that whole other dimension of Fez? No, we didn't mean Phil Fish. Anyway, we're not here to talk semantics: For today only, Fez and Spelunky are cut by 75 percent to $2.49 and $3.74 respectively, while Terraria digs down to a third of its normal price at $4.94. Also, don't forget the Xbox 360 Store has a whole bunch of games staying discounted across the week, including FIFA 14, Bioshock Infinite, and Castle of Illusion.
PlayStation Plus serves up free Borderlands 2, cheap Spelunky this week
Sony announced that this week's PlayStation Plus update will give subscribers access to a free downloadable copy of 2K's Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3, among other member-exclusive perks. Starting tomorrow, Plus subscribers can also pick up a variety of PSN games for cheap, as part of the PlayStation Store's ongoing Holiday Sale. Featured games include Capcom's arcade brawler compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, classic tag-team fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Mossmouth's tough-as-nails roguelike platformer Spelunky, all of which are available for $3.75 each for Plus members. This week's sale also spotlights retail releases like Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown ($26.99), Namco Bandai's One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 ($12.50), and Crystal Dynamics' DLC-bundled Tomb Raider ($13.49).
PlayStation Europe wraps up Christmas discounts for Diablo 3, Spelunky [update]
On the second deal of Christmas, PlayStation Europe offered to me: Diablo 3 on PS3 for £30, and Spelunky for £5.50 on Vita, with an additional 10 percent off Derek Yu's hard-as-nails platformer for PlayStation Plus members ... in a pear tree. Alright, it's not catchy, but it is a decent second batch for the 12 Deals of Christmas. The PS Europe promo runs until Christmas Day, with today's deals available until December 5. A word of caution on Spelunky: The game should feature cross-buy, meaning a purchase of the Vita version unlocks the PS3 version. That said, the PlayStation Blog's deal specifically marks out Vita, and on the PlayStation Store the offer is only for the Vita version. We've reached out to Sony to confirm and clarify what today's discount specifically applies to. Update: A SCEE representative confirmed to Joystiq the discounted Vita version of Spelunky features cross-buy, so if you buy it you'll unlock the PS3 version too.
Spelunky daily challenges discover PS3, Vita in the darkness
Derek Yu's punishing roguelike, Spelunky, is getting daily challenges on the PS3 and PS Vita. First introduced for the Steam and GOG.com versions back in August, daily challenges are special, randomly generated maps that are the same for all players. Each day a new map – that players may compete in only once – is rotated in, alongside matching leaderboards. The addition of daily challenges is part of a new update for Spelunky that addresses framerate issues and a glitch preventing players from unlocking certain Trophies. The update is available now on both PS3 and PS Vita.
PSA: Spelunky, Guacamelee, Papers Please available on Steam
A triple-threat of indie games made their way to Steam today, starting with Papers, Please, which is debuting for $9.99. Additionally, Spelunky and Guacamelee Gold Edition are ten percent off (each game priced at $13.49) until August 15. The Gold Edition of Guacamelee includes a free copy of Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack for this week only, which is regularly priced at $7.99 on Steam.
Spelunky prepares daily challenge mode for Steam
Notoriously difficult roguelike Spelunky will come with a new daily challenge mode when it tunnels through to Steam and GOG.com next month. The daily challenge will be in the form of a randomly generated level, set for all players until the next level becomes available. Everyone will only have one chance at the daily challenge, and challenge-specific leaderboards will be available for those seeking glory in addition to treasure. Spelunky, created by Derek Yu, originally launched on the PC in 2009. In 2012, a remixed version of the original freeware game was published on Xbox Live Arcade. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita ports are also expected "around the same time" as the PC launch next month.
Spelunky explores PC this August
Unforgiving roguelike and cave dweller Spelunky will dig its way to PC on August 8 through both Steam and GOG.com. Spelunky was birthed on PC back in 2009, but this release will be the gussied-up version released on Xbox Live Arcade last year. Spelunky is also planning to join the available treasures of the PlayStation 3 and Vita platforms "around the same time" as the PC launch. Our review called Spelunky "the kind of experience you hate yourself for loving, but love it you shall." You know, after anger management classes.
Sony announces more indie partnerships, Blacklight: Retribution and Primal Carnage: Genesis for PS4
At GDC 2013 Sony has decided to focus on its relationships with indie developers, revealing free-to-play PC shooter Blacklight: Retribution and episodic adventure Primal Carnage: Genesis are coming to the PlayStation 4. That makes three self-published games destined for Sony's next-gen console, including Jonathan Blow's The Witness. Blacklight: Retribution is also making use of Sony's Pub Fund for marketing support, the first game on the platform to do so. Sony hasn't forgotten about its existing platforms however, also announcing Spelunky and Divekick for PS3 and Vita, Metrico for Vita, and the handheld debut of Limbo on Vita later this year. Check after the break for a press release that details the announcements, plus trailers for several of the new games.
Spelunky dares to explore PS3 and Vita this summer
Spelunky, Mossmouth's diabolically random subterranean platformer/shopkeeper revenge fantasy, is moving from its XBLA home to PS3 and Vita this summer, with "new exclusive features," Sony announced today, also confirming plans to release Limbo on Vita. Developer Derek Yu told Polygon that the port would be developed by an external studio.Spelunky was originally released as a freeware PC game, before being made into a dramatically upgraded XBLA game and a series of excellent toys.
Spelunky DLC adds 8 new characters, 24 multiplayer arenas for them to die in
You thought you knew what today's most exciting news was. You were wrong. Mossmouth has quietly sneaked two items of downloadable Spelunky content onto the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 160-point "Explorers DLC" gives you eight more characters to choose from, including the Eskimo, Viking, Round Girl, Round Boy, Cyclops, Ninja, and the Golden Monk.The "Arenas DLC" adds 24 new multiplayer deathmatch arenas. "These chaotic death traps offer up all kinds of devious ways to kill or be killed, from sacrificial altars to perilous bee hives," reads the XBLM description. "Will anyone survive?" It'll also set you back 160 points ($2).And no, no one will survive.
Chunky Spelunky update eliminates unintended ordeals
A new title update for Spelunky on Xbox Live Arcade aims to eradicate the ignominious, agonizing fates caused by errant programming. This brings the brutal cave exploration game more in line with designer Derek Yu's vision, which is basically a die-o-rama of ignominious, agonizing fates caused by deliberate game design.Spelunky should be more stable once the update is applied and cease its crashing ways when you exit a level with a too-high timer, or when you get crushed during the tutorial. It's also been granted the iron constitution to properly handle the sight of you being "eaten by a worm and killed by a ghost at the same time."You'll also be delighted to hear that choosing "Ending Adventure" in the middle of an exit will no longer cause bags to pour out of you, it says here.
PBS mini-documentary explores indie game creation, shows what they do that majors can't (video)
The indie game world has undergone a metamorphosis over the past few years, transforming from an often overlooked niche into as much a staple of the game industry as once-every-year blockbusters like the Call of Duty series. It's that fast-rising side of gaming that PBS' Off Book has explored in a succinct documentary. As both developers and game journalists explain, the small and more flexible nature of indie teams lets them delve into game concepts, art and sound that major developers typically avoid -- you probably wouldn't get Bastion, Fez or Super Meat Boy out of a company focused mostly on hitting its quarterly revenue targets. Crowdfunding and internet distribution methods like Steam and Xbox Live Arcade have similarly removed many of the barriers that either kept these games from commercial success or forced uncomfortable deals with large publishers in the past. Accordingly, the indie sphere that PBS sees in 2012 is less about trying to become the next Activision or EA and more about experimentation and personal expression. If you've ever wanted an elegant summary of what makes Spelunky feel so special, the whole Off Book episode awaits after the break.
Delving into the differences between Spelunker and Spelunky
Welcome to Living in the Past, a weekly column about what's new in old games. Now get off our lawn. I'm a fan of the genre of game that I can best encapsulate as "people dying in caves." For whatever reason, there's a subset of sidescrolling platformers that puts players in the role of an archaeologist or other explorer, navigating subterranean tunnels full of deadly creatures, traps of unknown origin, and always, always spikes.Examples of this genre include Cave Story, La-Mulana, and Aban Hawkins & The 1000/1001 Spikes, all published (or almost published) by cave game fans at Nicalis. Other examples include the two games I want to talk about, which share a lot of DNA but diverge in interesting ways: Mossmouth's brilliant Spelunky, and one of the progenitors of the genre, Spelunker (and its modern-ish sequel Spelunker HD). Spelunker was first released way back in 1983 as an Atari computer game; it later found success and infamy in arcades and on the NES.Mossmouth's XBLA game has been a critical success since its release in July, and was beloved as a freeware PC game before that. Conversely, most people don't have anything nice to say about Spelunker, and I think my appreciation of the PS3 sequel puts me in a fairly elite club. However, that club most assuredly includes Spelunky creator Derek Yu.
It wouldn't kill you to explore the Spelunky soundtrack
Unlike every other form of interaction with Spelunky, listening to the breezy soundtrack probably won't result in dozens of painful deaths. Composer Eirik Suhrke's Spelunky compositions are now available as a "pay what you want" download, provided you want to pay at least $7.In addition to everything you've heard in the game (and stuff you haven't because you can't make it that far), the soundtrack includes 15 previously unheard tracks. "They consist of drafts, alternate versions, cut tracks and new arrangements of music from the game." We apologize in advance if listening to this music does somehow cause you harm.
Original version of Spelunky now playable in your browser
Before it was a frustrating XBLA game, Spelunky was a frustrating freeware PC game. And now it's a quietly, addictively frustrating browser game. Using a new version of the Game Maker software in which Derek Yu coded the original game, developer Darius Kazemi ported Spelunky into HTML5, allowing us to link to a playable version right here.The port isn't perfect – current issues include a lack of dark levels, the removal of any (random) level that starts on the right side, and ... no sound. But on the upside, it's Spelunky in your browser, for free.
Spelunky review: Obtainer of rare antiquities, giver of aneurysms
Spelunky, an Xbox Live Arcade revamp of a free PC indie game, straddles the line between insurmountable addiction and a precise extractor of self-hatred. Like other rare indie gems, such as Metanet's N series, Spelunky is equal parts diabolical and ingenious.The concept is simple: explore worlds filled with treacherous obstacles while collecting treasures and attempting to survive. You start the game with a standard whip along with a few climbing ropes and bombs, which are used to carve out a path to the level's exit. Each randomly generated level is filled with traps, enemies, and environmental disasters awaiting your unnamed adventurer. Survival may be the primary goal, but Spelunky's secondary objective is to make players regret the follies of poor split-second decisions.It's the kind of experience you hate yourself for loving, but love it you shall.%Gallery-104645%
Spelunky descends into XBLA July 4 [update: trailer!]
It may not be the Summer of Arcade until mid-July, but it's going to be a good summer for XBLA even before then. In a list of upcoming Xbox Live content, Microsoft announced that Derek Yu's long-awaited Spelunky will be out July 4, for 1200 Microsoft Points (alongside Bellator MMA Onslaught).Other upcoming Xbox content of note includes, of course, expansions to Skyrim and Mass Effect 3, along with Battlefield 3: Close Quarters, all out today. Later this week, XBLA will host Jeremy McGrath Offroad Racing and Mini Ninjas Adventures.As for deals, this week (through July 2) offers a random grab bag of multiplayer-focused XBLA games at various discounts, including Trine 2, Gotham City Impostors, Worms 2 Armageddon, and a heavily discounted (75% off) Nexuiz.
IGF finalists Smash a Frozen Fez To the Moon (from a cave)
The 14th annual Independent Game Festival finalists have been announced, and this year's finalists are indie-licious (yum). Titles include pop-indie hits Fez, Frozen Synapse, Spelunky and Atom Zombie Smasher, as well as some of our own understated favorites, such as Freebird Games' To the Moon. The winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize receives $30,000, the winner of the Nuovo Award for "abstract, shortform and unconventional game development" gets $5,000, and all other category winners receive $3,000. The awards will take place March 7 at GDC. Check out the entire list of finalists right here:
A fresh batch of XBLA titles rated around the world
You go to a fortune teller and ask what will happen in 2012, expecting her to repeat rejected phrases from the Panda Express fortune-cookie line in a wistful, croaking manner. Instead, she busts out this ratings list for coming XBLA titles and you tip her 200 percent, leaving with your mind blown and open to a whole new world of mental planes and spiritual awareness. Little did you know: that fortune teller was Jordan Mallory in a dress. Try excising that image with incense. A batch of freshly rated XBLA games from around the world include titles we knew about, such as I Am Alive (MA 15+ for Australia) and Spelunky (PEGI 7 for UK), and also some unknown games, including Wreckateer, a submission from Microsoft rated for Korea. The list is provided by XBLA Fans, and can be found right here.
