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'Nuclear Throne' and other Vlambeer games come to the Switch
Vlambeer hasn't really had a presence on the Switch, but it's rectifying that in very short order. The indie studio is bringing three titles to Nintendo's current console, starting immediately with Nuclear Throne. While the top-down wasteland shooter is largely unchanged from what you've seen before, that's not a bad thing if you like its Robotron-meets-post-apocalypse vibe.
Super Crate Box, Fuel Tiracas free on PS Mobile
Sony continues its PS Mobile promotion with another pair of free downloads today. If you have a PlayStation Certified device or PS Vita, you can grab Super Crate Box and Fuel Tiracas for free right now. Super Crate Box, from Vlambeer, is an arcade action game where players must battle waves of encroaching enemies while collecting crates – which have weapons inside of them – on a multi-tiered 2D level. We found the PS Vita installment to be the definitive version. Fuel Tiracas, a PS Mobile launch game from FutureLab, is a resource-management puzzle variation on the classic Whac-a-Mole carnival game. Players must boot up generators in the correct order so the titular planet of Tiracas can have breathable air. To grab either (or both) of these games, simply head into the PlayStatin Mobile section of the PlayStation Store on PS Vita or, if you're on a PlayStation Certified device, simply head into the PlayStation Mobile store.
How live-streaming development can solve Vlambeer's clone problem
[Image credit: Tommy Rousse] Vlambeer is going to live-stream development of its next game. This wouldn't be notable for many other indie developers, but Vlambeer's history makes this strategy appear, for lack of a stronger term, absolutely illogical. "At this point, all of our big games have been cloned," Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail tells me at E3. He goes down the list: Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Luftrausers and Infinite SWAT all have clones. The only acceptable one is the Infinite SWAT "homage," Broforce, from South African team Free Lives, Rami said – it's an example of developers taking inspiration from a game and creating their own world with it. The other ones, though. Those are straight-up clones. These clones caused major problems for Ismail and Vlambeer's other half, Jan Willem Nijman. The Ridiculous Fishing clone affected the team so strongly that they almost stopped developing their own game completely. Ridiculous Fishing almost didn't exist. Because of a clone. Hence, Vlambeer live-streaming development of its next game sounds like a pretty terrible idea. Until Ismail explains his reasoning: "If you look at Ridiculous Fishing, one of the reasons the clone was such a nightmare was because nobody knew that we were working on Ridiculous Fishing. We had to rapidly announce Ridiculous Fishing while the clone story was going down, so people knew that it was our idea first and they stole it from us. With Luftrausers, when SkyFar hit, it was much better, because everybody already knew that Luftrausers was a Vlambeer thing and that SkyFar was a clone." That makes sense, actually. "No, it doesn't," Rami says. But Vlambeer is doing it anyway.
Super Crate Box squares away a launch on Ouya
Vlambeer is bringing Super Crate Box to Ouya, just in time to show it off at E3. The new version shouldn't be a complete surprise – after all, Super Crate Box is already on basically every other platform ever, including Commodore 64. Vlambeer announced Super Crate Box Ouya in a blog post packed with news: As previously mentioned, Luftrausers is ready for certification by Sony, and when it's approved it'll launch simultaneously on PC, Mac, Linux, PS3 and Vita. In an appearance on Sup Holmes?, Vlambeer founders Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman announced unlockable, color versions of Luftrausers, created by notable people in the gaming industry. Ismail and Nijman are also deep into their next game – it's playable already, and it features explosions and screen shakes, if that helps narrow down its genre a bit (it doesn't). They plan to stream development of this game and will announce more information closer to Luftrausers' launch.
Vlambeer knows your C64 is in the attic, made Super Bread Box anyway
When we first heard Super Crate Box would get a Commodore 64 version this December, our first question was, "Why?" As Rami Ismail of Vlambeer answers us, it's mostly because he can."When we released Super Crate Box almost two years ago, one of the things we kept on hearing was that the game felt like the classics – the arcade era of old," Ismail says. "We like to think that our games could've been made in the 80s – that they would've worked in some way on a C64 or similar. When Adam Saltsman released C64anabalt, we decided that it could be worth trying to see whether it'd work. We got in touch with the team that developed the C64 version and decided developing a real, actual C64 version was the ultimate test."OK, that's fine, we thought. Developers challenging themselves is a great way to ensure the industry doesn't stagnate. But then we thought of another conundrum. "Who the hell still has a C64?""One of us does have an old one somewhere, although we're not quite sure whether it still works," Ismail says. "We don't know how many people actually have a C64, but we hope that enough people would grab it from their storage to give Super Bread Box a try. Either way, we're mostly doing the project because we want to see whether it is possible."
PlayStation Mobile's Super Crate Box is the definitive version
It doesn't take much to create the ultimate version of Vlambeer's Super Crate Box. It needs the gameplay – including responsive controls – of the PC/Mac original, and the pick-up-and-play portability of the iOS release.By default, the PlayStation Mobile release running on a PlayStation Vita is the best version, simply because it meets those conditions. The game feels just like it always did on PC, with excellent use of the Vita's d-pad or analog stick to move your little guy, but is portable.I considered writing a longer preview, but there's not much you need to know. It's Super Crate Box, but portable, with buttons. Provided you're playing on a Vita or another PlayStation Certified device with controls – like a Wikipad or an Xperia Play, that is. It'll work on all the other PlayStation Certified devices, but with touch controls.
By the way, Super Crate Box is free on Steam
Don't tell anyone, but Super Crate Box is on Steam, for free, and has been for a week. Super Crate Box is commonly found on PC via Vlambeer, also for free, or on iOS for $2. It's also slated to hit PlayStation Mobile when that launches later this year.Developer Rami Ismail intentionally staged a media blackout for Super Crate Box's launch on Steam, to see how the game would sell on its own merit within the system, he told us (yes, the media) at GDC Europe. Ismail is currently collecting the data from Steam, which has been decidedly busy itself the past few weeks.
PlayStation Mobile launch games include Lemmings, Super Crate Box
Sony offered a relative blowout of news for its PlayStation Mobile service today – by which we mean it actually showed games. The whirlwind of mostly unidentifiable game clips included Vlambeer's Super Crate Box and Lemmings. Sony promises games from both big publishers and indies.These launch games are planned for release at the launch of this service, later in 2012. They'll be playable on Sony Xperia phones, PS Vitas, and – newly revealed – Asus and Wikipad devices.
PSA: Venus Patrol exclusives released to Kickstarter supporters
If you donated $25 or more to the Venus Patrol Kickstarter fundraiser back in September of last year, check your email: Gun Godz, the retro hip-hop FPS developed by Vlambeer of Super Crate Box fame, and Capsule, the "minimalist sci-fi/survival-horror" title from Canabalt's Adam Atomic are both waiting for you.As we found out late last year, Capsule's heavily stylized visual aesthetic and atmospheric, claustrophobic sound design are best enjoyed while wearing headphones in a darkened room, as are Gun Godz's Wolfenstein 3D-inspired graphics and Doseone-infused hip-hop soundtrack.%Gallery-141893%%Gallery-141928%
Super Crate Box iOS updated, next update coincides with 40 million crates collected
While our mom's word is good enough for us, others may have more fiscal ideas on what makes someone a success or not. For developer Vlambeer, it's neither -- they gauge success on how many crates iOS players have collected in Super Crate Box. The developer has set up a number of tiers for unlocking free content in the game, the first being five million. Players quickly surpassed that and reached ten million, prompting this 1.1 update today which adds new control options (jump and shoot!) based on player feedback, and two new unlockable characters. One is unlocked after collecting 1000 crates, the other by reaching 5000 kills. Finally, Vlambeer teases a new update when 40 million crates have been amassed. You'll also save a princess or something, but we're sure you've already done that once or twice in your lifetime.
Editorial: I love Super Crate Box and I hate virtual buttons
Guys, I want to like Super Crate Box on iOS so, so much. I really do. Vlambeer's latest release is a port of the truly wonderful (and completely free) PC, Mac, and Winnitron 1000 game that I've devotedly recommended to friends and readers repeatedly since playing it at last year's GDC. In short, it's a 2D action platformer in which your goal is to survive a non-stop onslaught of monsters falling from a hole in the ceiling toward you, while collecting boxes with randomized weapons (revolver, shotgun, rocket launcher, etc.). The more boxes you collect, the higher your score. Also, there are fire pits at the bottom of the screen that you can burn to death in, and enemies that fall into the pits will respawn at the top, only faster and meaner than before. It's a wonderful little loop of partially randomized risk/reward and it requires precision at very turn. There's one major blockade standing in the way of me enjoying the portable version of SCB, unfortunately: virtual buttons. Stupid, awful virtual buttons.
Daily iPad App: Super Crate Box
Super Crate Box appeared on iOS today (even though it's already packed with players), and I'm willing to say that it's the first great game of 2012. Especially on the iPad, where the virtual controls are a little bigger and the graphics are a little easier to see, this is a really slick and well-done arcade platformer. Sure, has its moments of frustration, but stays addictive throughout. The game's been available as a PC download from developer Vlambeer for a little while already, but I think it works better as an iOS game. To play, you run around a one-screen 2D level trying to collect as many crates as you can, while avoiding enemies who resemble surreal skulls. The action is fast and crazy, as just one hit will kill your character and end your game. But that frenetic, temporary action works -- games are short and fast enough that even when one ends, you're usually ready to jump back in for another one right away. The only other issue is with the virtual controls. Super Crate Box just begs for an old-school NES-style controller with every part of its being. Unfortunately iOS only offers the touch screen. It works well enough, but every once in a while, you'll miss a jump or a shot just because you couldn't find the little button area on the iPad's glass. That's not really the developers' fault, in my estimation, but man is it frustrating, especially when you are rolling along to what you're sure is a high score. All of that said, Super Crate Box is an excellent little game, with crisp, frenetic gameplay and more depth than it should really have. Game Center integration, leaderboards, and some really excellent chiptune music all pad out the package -- the app is available in a universal version right now for just 99 cents.
Super Crate Box iOS players collect a million crates in under a day
Vlambeer is "speechless" after 1,000,000 crates have been collected in Super Crate Box iOS in a little over 12 hours after the game's release. The math gets tricky here: that doesn't mean the $1 app has sold a million copies, since collecting dozens of crates is the focus of the gameplay, but it does suggest the title is doing well. "We're afraid Apple hasn't shared sales data with us yet!" Vlambeer's Rami Ismail told Joystiq when we asked. "Apple hasn't selected their features for the week yet, but Super Crate Box came from nowhere and climbed to the top 100 paid apps in many countries around the world. We're practically speechless at what a rollercoaster ride this launch was." The success comes as happy New Year's present. The studio spent the latter half of 2010 dealing with the Radical Fishing debacle, in which it saw an iOS clone of its browser-based game hooking App Store customers.
Vlambeer's Super Crate Box hits iOS on January 5, 2012
We've been unabashed in our love for Vlambeer's Super Crate Box, so we were more than a little excited to discover that the incredibly difficult, multiplayer survival-shooter ... thing has a launch date for iOS: January 5, 2012. The news was revealed via Vlambeer's official site a little while back, actually, but we somehow missed it (we're gonna pin it on too much eggnog). Vlambeer fans will no doubt be wondering whatever happened to the game's previously announced September 2011 launch window, as we were. It turns out that, between the Radical Fishing debacle and the PC/OS X version of Super Crate Box being a bit of a mess in terms of code, the porting took longer than expected. The game's launch is now officially official, though, as it's already been submitted to and approved by Apple for a January 5, 2012 launch. Vlambeer tells us it'll be a universal App (meaning one purchase works for both iPod Touch/iPhone as well as iPad), though pricing hasn't been set just yet.