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Nine indie developers on the secret to making multiplayer magic
Ten years ago, multiplayer-only games went through a severe identity crisis. More people than ever were gaming together, but they were increasingly playing online only. The small-stakes joy of twitchy experiences like Street Fighter II and Super Off Road, games meant to be played in short sessions preferably in the same room, weren't feasible anymore. Video games have always been expensive to make, so multiplayer modes had to either come packaged with other content -- consider Halo's famed multiplayer tucked alongside its single-player story -- to flesh them out or be custom built to serve hardcore players meeting up on the internet, a la Team Fortress 2, Valve's modern-day equivalent to the easy-access multiplayer of yore.
Minimalistic Tennnes is a team sport at $20
Jan Willem Nijman, one half of the Nuclear Throne development duo Vlambeer, is now selling local multiplayer game Tennnes as a stand-alone download on his site. Originally part of NYU Game Center's No Quarter exhibition in 2012, the game is now available for a minimum cost of $20. The price may seem a little steep to some, but it comes with a bonus: Buyers will be able to distribute the game to their friends for free. Tennnes is a minimalistic tennis game that was previously gifted to backers of the Sportsfriends Kickstarter project, which concluded in December 2012. The friendly pricing structure makes sense for the game, as those with two controllers will get the most out of Tennnes. Nijman's disclaimer for the game notes that the PC game "can be played by/against AI, but that's absolutely not the intended experience." [Image: Jan Willem Nijman]
PlayStation All-Stars, Sportsfriends free on PS Plus next month
Sony revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will get free access to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sportsfriends, Velocity 2X, and other featured games throughout the month of September. Starting September 2, PlayStation 4 owners can download Futurlab's hybrid shooter-platformer Velocity 2X and Die Gute Fabrik's competitive multiplayer party game compilation Sportsfriends free of charge. PlayStation 3 members receive copies of the Super Smash Bros.-like mascot brawler PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and dragon-riding multiplayer action game Hoard, while PS Vita players can expect to see Hello Games' motorbike stunt sim Joe Danger and Llamasoft's Tempest variant TxK. [Video: Sony]
Joystiq Weekly: Nintendo's future, Outlast DLC review, Mother's Day and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Most of us have joked that Nintendo revealing a Pokemon MMO would shut down the world due to how perfectly the series would fit in the genre. That's thankfully still a joke and the economy is safe for now, but Nintendo's talk of further exploring NFC toys presents an equally worrisome possibility: what if they make a Skylanders-style Pokemon game that's more successful than Pokemon Rumble? They'd have to start with a limited portion of the Pokedex at first, sure. But what if the series achieved enough financial success to support 719 different Pokemon-shaped hunks of plastic? It'd be like the trading card boom all over again, except accumulated masses of figurines wouldn't be something we could hide away in a binder. No, they'd claim boxes of space, slowly consuming our garages until we finally discarded the full box of Goldeens that we know we'll never be able to trick someone into trading for. And if those Goldeens aren't properly recycled, they'll just accumulate into an oceanic clump, a mass with lifeless eyes staring down at the sea floor, at a life it will never truly know. Pretty bleak future, huh? Don't worry, there's so much to help block out these worrisome thoughts after the break. We've got financial news from Nintendo, Activision and EA, reviews for Sportsfriends and Outlast's "Whistleblower" DLC, and a feature where the Joystiq Staff's mothers share their perspective on our childhood gaming habits and our current professions. Dive in after the break - just mind the floating graveyard of Goldeens.
Sportsfriends review: With friends like these
It may be difficult for some to imagine now, but once upon a time, a multiplayer video game required that players be gathered in the same physical space. There was no Xbox Live, no PlayStation Network, no online connection whatsoever. Whether you look back on that era with fondness or disdain will ultimately determine how you feel about Sportsfriends. Sportsfriends is a collection of four local-multiplayer-only games: BaraBariBall, Johann Sebastian Joust, Super Pole Riders and Hokra. Each of these games is tied together by the idea that they could, perhaps in some wacky alternate universe, be considered real sports. In fact, Sportsfriends presents them on the main menu as a timeline, placing BaraBariBall as a game from ancient history, Joust as a more recent invention, Super Pole Riders as the sport of 2014, and Hokra as an invention from the future.
PSN Store Update: MLB 14, God of War Collection, Sportsfriends
Good morning, sports friends, and welcome to this week's PSN rundown. Starting on PS4, there's baseball with MLB 14: The Show (eventually) at $60, followed by stickball in PS Plus game Stick it to the Man ($10 regular). Then, get ready for flameball in Bound by Flame ($50, and it hits retail later this week), spaceballs in Titan Attacks ($12 Cross-Buy with PS3 and Vita), and finally some good old-fashioned sportsball in Sportsfriends. The local multiplayer sportsfest is $15 Cross-Buy with PS3, but if you want the Cross-Buy feature you have to buy it on PS3. Moving onto PS3, in addition to Sportsfriends, Bound by Flame ($40) and Titan Attacks, there's Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi for $34 and the All-in DLC pack for F1 Race Stars ($8). Also, Plus members get Pro Evo 2014 as an Instant Game Collection freebie. Oh, and not forgetting Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, and that's confirmed as a PS2 Classic. The sportiness continues on Vita with Football Manager Classic 2014 ($40), and Mahjong Royal Towers & Mahjong World Contest Bundle ($8) - Majohong is a sport, right? Handheld owners can also grab Titan Attacks, God of War Collection ($30) and Broken Sword 5 ($17). In summary: Sports! And some other stuff. [Image: Die Gut Fabrik]
Sportsfriends invades your living room on May 6
Get ready for sports, friends. Local co-op game collection Sportsfriends is due out on May 6 for PS3 and PS4, for $15. Sportsfriends includes four games: JS Joust, BaraBariBall, Super Pole Riders and Hokra. PS3 and PS4 versions get optional Move support for JS Joust. PS4 allows up to four players to play JS Joust with DualShock 4 controllers, while PS3 allows up to seven players with DualShock 3 controllers and the ability to load your own music files into the game. Plus, buy the PS3 version and get the PS4 download for free. Sportsfriends was Kickstarted in December 2012 to the tune of $152,451. [Images: Die Gute Fabrik]
Sportsfriends nears PSN debut, computer ports not far behind
Assuming everything goes to plan, multiplayer sports compilation Sportsfriends should appear on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 shortly. Indie developer Die Gute Fabrik updated the Sportsfriends Kickstarter page to note that the game has been submitted to both the European and North American wings of Sony for inspection. If Sportsfriends needs no further alterations, Die Gute Fabrik claims that the game should reach the PlayStation 3 and 4 in "just a few weeks." This follows a delay announced in January, at which time the developer claimed that Sportsfriends required more polish before its public debut. Additionally, Die Gute Fabrik claims that the PC version of Sportsfriends is up and running. Mac and Linux ports are not lagging far behind as the game's Atrophy Engine (licensed from Bit.Trip devs Gaijin Games) inherently supports all three flavors of operating system. "We're still hoping to release a backers-only Windows/Mac/Linux beta in conjunction with the PlayStation release so that everyone can start playing," said Die Gute Fabrik. "No guarantees, but we'll do our best and we'll keep you posted." [Image: Die Gut Fabrik]
Multiplayer minigame collection Sportsfriends delayed on PS3
Die Gute Fabrik's local-multiplayer PS3 minigame compilation Sportsfriends will sail past its previously announced January release date, as its developers report that the final product is still several weeks away from completion. A backer-only Kickstarter update explains that the four included games are "basically done" and on-budget, but the team needs "some more weeks" to apply polish and fix lingering bugs. To keep PC backers happy, Die Gute Fabrik will release beta versions of Sportsfriends on Windows, Mac, and Linux immediately after the PlayStation 3 port hits the PlayStation Store. Previously, PC players who backed the campaign were promised a release several weeks after the PS3 version's launch. Sportsfriends met its crowdfunding goal of $150,000 in December of 2012, offering backers downloadable versions of J.S. Joust, BaraBariBall, Super Pole Riders, and Hokra. A PlayStation 4 port is also in the works.
PS3 party game Sportsfriends headed to PlayStation 4
Die Gute Fabrik's Kickstarter-funded compilation of local multiplayer games, Sportsfriends, is on its way to the PlayStation 4, following its upcoming launch for the PS3. Backers who pledged toward the PlayStation 3 version of Sportsfriends will receive the PS4 edition for free. The package includes the PlayStation Move-powered rhythm game J.S. Joust, Noah Sasso's basketball-like BaraBariBall, Bennett Foddy's pole-vaulting polo game Super Pole Riders, and Ramiro Corbetta's minimalist sports game Hokra. Developer Doug Wilson additionally revealed that J.S. Joust will receive DualShock 4 support in the PlayStation 4 version of Sportsfriends, thanks to its enhanced hardware capabilities and built-in light bar. Currently, J.S. Joust is only available as a downloadable game for PC platforms, and requires the use of multiple PlayStation Move controllers in a musical chairs-like setting. [Photo by Brent Knepper]
Sportsfriends passes Kickstarter goal on last day [update]
The Sportsfriends have triumphed over the Legion of Budget Constraints. The local multiplayer game collection has passed its $150,000 Kickstarter goal, with $153,175 raised and six hours remaining as of writing.Now that the Kickstarter goal has been met, the project will receive funding and therefore will exist on PS3 next fall, with PC, Mac, and Linux releases to follow. The collection includes upgraded versions of Johann Sebastian Joust, Hokra, BaraBariBall, and Pole Riders.If you're still thinking about pledging, or increasing your pledge (as Notch did; his additional $3000 is what finally exceeded the goal), there are some recent additions to the rewards list you might want to know about. The $60 level has a bunch of new, exclusive indie games and prototypes, including a gamepad version of QWOP and a new game by Nifflas. The $100 tier offers one of a selection of t-shirts and one of the Joust controller charms seen above.Update: After a surprisingly tumultuous final day, during which large pledges were suddenly pulled, the Kickstarter drive has officially ended at $152,451.
Hang out with the Sportsfriends live stream tonight from Tumblr HQ
The developers of Sportsfriends, that cheerful quartet of quirky sports-esque games set to hit PSN, are showing off some sweet moves via a live stream from Tumblr central, tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Sportsfriends games are J.S. Joust, Hokra, BaraBariball and Pole Riders, and if you haven't seen any of them in action yet, you're truly missing out.The live stream will be entertaining, yes, but it serves a greater purpose: getting eyeballs on the Sportsfriends Kickstarter project, which has three days to raise $70,000. Regardless of your donation intention, the Sportsfriends stream will be more entertaining than any prime-time programming you'd otherwise be watching tonight, guaranteed.Grab some buddies and check out the live stream on Twitch TV tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST.
J.S. Joust, Hokra, Pole Riders, and BaraBariBall unite as 'Sportsfriends' on PS3 and computers
Johann Sebastian Joust, the game of dueling Move controllers you may have seen at industry events, is officially coming to the PlayStation 3 and computers. And it's bringing friends.Sportsfriends is a collection of four indie games that all share a focus on local multiplayer and a capacity to draw crowds of spectators. Producer Doug Wilson, who also created J.S. Joust, told Joystiq he thinks of the downloadable collection as "a 21st-century reincarnation of Summer Games." Accordingly, it'll be released in "Summer/Fall 2013."The collection will be funded both by Sony's Pub Fund and through a Kickstarter, which will also act as a pre-order platform. Now let's make friends with the four new sports:
