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Inaugural Super BR Jam donates 100% of proceeds to help kids in Rio
Super BR Jam is bringing together 30 indie development studios from across Brazil for a little bit of gaming and a whole lot of charity. Those so inclined can donate any amount of money they choose to receive copies of every game made during the game jam, while those who pay $5 or more will receive eight more games, including The Showdown Effect, Dungeonland, and Magicka. All proceeds will go to Solar Meninos de Luz, an organization that provides education and healthcare to low-income kids in Rio de Janeiro. The game jam itself is already over, having run from November 22 to November 24. The bundle package is likewise available for a limited time, and will close shop December 4. You can learn more and purchase the bundle by visiting the Super BR Jam website. [Thanks, Ran!]
The Showdown Effect adds pair of new maps, heroes in free update
Owners of The Showdown Effect can download some free DLC, adding a pair of new maps and playable heroes to Arrowhead Game Studios' latest. South Eastwood is an old west town, while Fort Fiesta follows a Mexican fort motif – both maps were heavily inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, Italian-produced films for Hollywood such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The first new hero to fight her way onto The Showdown Effect's roster is Thelma Vaine, a pink-haired British spy armed with a cloaking device. The other new combatant is Dr. Johnny Bionic, whose robotic drill-saw-arm is plagued with a murderous lust. Sounds like that'd be a benefit, given the situation. Finally, this free update is rounded out by a "series of Reddit costume pieces." These can be purchased through the in-game store using unlocked currency.
The Showdown Effect trailer dances the ballet of death
You may think that ballet means lots of twirling and dancers in tutus, but this trailer for The Showdown Effect attempts to prove it's much better as a vehicle for slow-mo gun jousts.
The Showdown Effect leaps into beta today
Pre-orders for The Showdown Effect will gain instant access to a closed beta test today, publisher Paradox Interactive has announced. Paradox will also be sending out invites to those who've signed up for the beta here.The Showdown Effect is the next game from Magicka developer Arrowhead Game Studios. It's a 2.5D arcade-style competitive multiplayer shooter that draws inspiration from '80s and '90s action flicks.The Showdown Effect launches in March in two different flavors: the standard $10 version and the $20 digital deluxe version. Pre-ordering the standard version includes an exclusive playable character and "Fusion Sabre of Light" weapon on top of the instant beta access; digital deluxe pre-orders get an exclusive character, a pair of costumes and weapons, plus a permanent in-game XP boost, soundtrack download, free copy of Magicka and (phew!) early access to play the final version of The Showdown Effect on March 1.
The Showdown Effect targets March launch, $10 price tag; beta signups tomorrow
During a meeting with Paradox VP of business development Shams Jorjani last week, Joystiq learned that upcoming multiplayer action-shooter The Showdown Effect will cost $10 when it launches on Steam, which Paradox currently has lined up for March 2013. And starting tomorrow, Paradox will hold signups for an open beta for all interested parties.Jorjani sums up The Showdown Effect as "Worms in real-time" with a decidedly '80s and '90s action movie and television influence. "We've turned that into a 2.5D action online brawler – the closest game to date might maybe be Smash Bros. or PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale." He also likened The Showdown Effect to Soldat, a PC multiplayer side-scrolling shooter from back in 2002.%Gallery-173599%
Confronting The Showdown Effect and its Super Smash Bros. inspiration
The Showdown Effect, the new jam from Magicka developer Arrowhead Game Studios and newcomer Pixeldiet Entertainment, was inspired by '80s and '90s action movies, and even Nintendo's multiplayer-focused brawler, Super Smash Bros.Emil Englund, Design Director at Arrowhead Game Studios, offered some insight regarding the creation of the game as he watched me experiment with the shotguns, pistols, rifles, pool cues, stools and rocket launchers cluttering up Neo Tokyo, 2027. The future's a pretty violent place!%Gallery-149554%
Face off against The Showdown Effect beta this summer
We certainly don't blame you for wanting to play The Showdown Effect. Thankfully, here at GDC, Paradox Interactive was more than happy to oblige and sat me down in front of a PC next to Emil Englund, Design Director at Arrowhead Game Studios. But before I could place my fingers over the WASD keys and start shooting everything in sight, I had to ask one question: Will there be a beta?"Beta in the summer," Englund quickly responded. As for how the beta will work and who will get in, Englund says "that's still being decided" by publisher Paradox Interactive, and that more would be revealed later.Another question I had was in regards to controller support -- Magicka on the PC is compatible with Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller, and when asked if The Showdown Effect would support it too, Englund told me that the earliest testing on The Showdown Effect was done with controllers. "The first months of development we actually only used game pads so, yeah, it should be in there," he told me.The Showdown Effect is currently slated to launch "when it's done -- in 2012."%Gallery-149554%
Paradox reveals 3 new games: The Showdown Effect, Dungeonland and Red Frontier
Paradox has, as promised, revealed the next three projects in the pipeline from Arrowhead Game Studios, Critical Studio and Zeal Game Studio at GDC. Each is set to launch on the PC and Mac sometime this year.The first game is The Showdown Effect, from Pixeldiet Entertainment and Arrowhead Game Studios -- you may recall the latter outfit's previous effort, Magicka. Paradox describes the game as "a 2.5D multiplayer action game in which players will be participating in death-matches to gain glory and fame." It's set in Neo Tokyo in the year 2027, and focuses on a cop destined to meet his ... destiny.The second on the list is Dungeonland, from Brazil-based newcomer Critical Studio. Up to three players assault Dungeonland, a theme park where adventurers can go to hack and slash stuff together, while the fourth player takes on the role of Game Master, devising traps and overall trying to kill their friends -- sounds like the perfect role for that one passive-aggressive friend of yours.Finally, Red Frontier is a competitive RTS that tasks players with mining resource deposits in space. Sharing is caring, guys -- even in the future we can't get along? It seems so.Hit the jump to check out the rest of the announcement trailers and some screens, hot off the wherever screenshots come from.%Gallery-149554%
