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Full PlayStation Plus line-up for January revealed [update]
Update: Sony's confirmed North America's PS Plus line-up for January is the same as Europe's. We've updated the post to reflect that and other details. We already knew Infamous: First Light and The Swapper were coming to the Instant Game Collection next month, but now we've got the full January PlayStation Plus line-up. The two PS3 freebies headed to the continent are Prototype 2 and DuckTales: Remastered, while the Vita duo is Whoa Dave and Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition. The line-up hits the PS Store stateside on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. As ever, Europe joins the PS Plus party the day after.
New Nintendo eShop releases: It's raining nintendogs + cats
Among all the big games Nintendo chucks at the Q4 window is the weekly eShop cluster grenade, ready to spread just about everything across your Wii U and 3DS. This week there's plenty of stuff to pick and mix, from platform-puzzler The Swapper where you can create clones of yourself and swap (ah!) between them, to the GBA Super Mario Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 which also features a Mario Bros. remake. Or you could garden-gander at Shigeru Miyamoto's Pikmin Short Movies animations on 3DS and Wii U, and then try out the new Pikmin 3 demo. If you'd prefer something spikier and scarf-ier, there are Sonic Boom demos for both 3DS and Wii U ahead of next week's retail releases. Keeping the animal theme but travelling back in time, out of nowhere there are eShop versions of the three-year-old nintendogs + cats 3DS games, complete with a free theme when you buy one of them. A bit out of the blue, yes. On the other hand... d'awwww. It's one of those weeks where it might be easier to digest a full list of new releases, so it's handy you'll find one of those below the break. Bargain hunters, we refer you to Nintendo's press release for a list of this week's sales and permanent price reductions.
Injustice, Secret Ponchos join PS4 Instant Game Collection in December
Sony teased some of its coming PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection releases today, revealing that subscribers will receive free copies of NetherRealm's one-on-one fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition and Wild West shoot-'em-up Secret Ponchos for the PlayStation 4 next month. Standalone Infamous: Second Son expansion Infamous: First Light and atmospheric puzzler The Swapper are next in line to join the PS4 Instant Game Collection in January. Sony notes that Injustice arrives as "the first AAA Blu-ray title to join the Instant Game Collection for PS4," replacing the postponed racer Driveclub: PS Plus Edition while developer Evolution Studios sorts out lingering server issues. "We understand many of you are waiting for Driveclub PS Plus Edition to be added to the Instant Game Collection, and we apologize that the game is not yet ready to launch," PlayStation Digital Platforms senior manager Matthew Harper stated. "We want you to know that we're committed to providing Driveclub PS Plus Edition to members when it's ready, and the Evolution team is working hard to make it a reality." [Image: Warner Bros]
Joystiq Giveaway: Score The Swapper and a free PS Vita
Say you were stranded on a derelict space station like the poor astronaut starring in Facepalm Games' The Swapper. After you wander its crumbling halls, collect as much food, water, and emergency supplies as you can find, and secure life support out in space, you've got a lot of time to kill. That's why a pocket gaming machine is ideal for survival; a little distraction can do wonders for your mental health! In the spirit of that astronaut's struggle and to mark The Swapper's release on PS3, PS4, and PS Vita this week, we're giving away a brand new PS Vita. One lucky winner will score the handheld, as well as a 16GB memory card and a copy of The Swapper. All you need to do to win is be a US resident and like Joystiq on Facebook using the Rafflecopter widget below before Friday, August 8. If you follow us on Twitter using the widget, that'll give you an extra chance to win. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway [Images: Facepalm Games] Official JoySwag Giveaway Rules
Swap to the GamePad when The Swapper comes to Wii U
Porting Facepalm's The Swapper to PlayStation systems apparently isn't enough for Curve Digital, as the studio has announced via Twitter that the atmospheric puzzler will be coming to Wii U later this year as well. Never heard of The Swapper or its original developer, Facepalm? Well, you should; the Finnish developer used a combination of clay, a sci-fi setting and gameplay based around cloning yourself to solve puzzles to create a game so unique and eye-catching that we featured them in our list of 20 developers you should get to know. [Image: Facepalm/Curve Digital]
PlayStation Store Play event offers pre-order discounts, bonus PSN credit
Throughout the next month, Sony is launching a selection of new cross-platform games at a discount for PlayStation Plus members as part of its annual PlayStation Store Play event, with cash-back credit offered for buying multiple titles. Featured games include Cellar Door's roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy (premiering July 29), Facepalm Games' side-scrolling puzzler The Swapper (August 5), Honeyslug's fanciful exploration game Hohokum (August 12), and Dynamighty's espionage-themed CounterSpy (August 19). All games are available as Cross-Buy releases, and are playable on the PlayStation 4, PS3, and PS Vita. PS Store Play games are available for pre-order at a 20 percent discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers. PSN members are eligible to receive $3 in store credit for buying two featured games, $6 for three, or $10 for all four between July 22 and August 25. [Image: Sony]
The Swapper pushed to August 5 on PlayStation platforms
Sci-fi puzzler The Swapper will now reach PlayStation platforms August 5 in North America and August 6 in Europe, Curve Digital announced this week. The developer handling the PlayStation versions now has "extra time to polish the Vita and PS3 versions of the game, which have required extra optimization," it noted in a press release. Originally developed by Facepalm Games, The Swapper was initially expected to arrive on PS4, PS3 and Vita in May, then was delayed to late June. The game focuses on a gadget that allows players to create clones of themselves, swapping between each one in the exotic environment built from clay. Facepalm's original PC game arrived on Steam in May 2013, earning the developer a spot on our December list of 20 studios players should get to know. [Image: Curve Digital]
The Swapper, MouseCraft, Titan Attacks all coming to PS4, Vita, PS3
Curve Studios slapped release dates on three games it's porting to PlayStation systems, starting with Puppygames' Titan Attacks next week. At an event attended by Joystiq, Curve confirmed The Swapper, MouseCraft and Titan Attacks are all coming to PS4, PS3 and Vita in the next two months or so. All three games support Cross-Buy, meaning a purchase on one platform unlocks the game to download and play on the other two. Curve originally announced the Space Invaders-esque Titan Attacks as part of a two-in-one package that also featured Puppygames' Revenge of the Titans, but it's now coming as a standalone that launches on May 6 in North America, and May 7 in Europe. The PlayStation versions feature all 100 levels from the original 2012 Steam version. Atmospheric puzzle platformer The Swapper (above on Vita) was originally due in May, but it now has a concrete date of June 24 in North America and June 25 in Europe. Facepalm Studios' game centers around a device that lets players create clones of themselves and switch control between them as they explore and solve their way through a mysterious landscape. While the new PlayStation versions won't have additional content, the PS4 and Vita ports employ touch controls for navigating the map. Like Titan Attacks, The Swapper is already out on Steam if you fancy checking it out there.
Clones groan in puzzler The Swapper, coming to PlayStation
PlayStation portmaster Curve Studios has announced it's working on PlayStation versions of Facepalm's indie sci-fi puzzle game, The Swapper, due on PS3, PS4 and PS Vita sometime in late May. The Swapper strands players on a damaged space station called Theseus. With only a handheld cloning device at their disposal, players must search for a means to escape. The device creates up to four clones at any time and allows players to swap control between them, granted the clone in question is within the original player character's line of sight. The Swapper's visuals employ hand-crafted clay model animations, which helped Facepalm to produce one of the most visually stunning experiences of 2013. The Swapper is currently available (with controller support) for PC, Mac and Linux on Steam for $15, or as part of the current Humble Indie Bundle.
Humble Indie Bundle 11: Guacamelee, The Swapper, Antichamber and more
There's a very tempting collection on sale over at Humble Bundle right now. Humble Indie Bundle 11 tosses together four indie treasures: Guacamelee, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams and The Swapper. Pay more than the average and you'll also get Antichamber and Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine. Guacamelee is Drinkbox Studios' lucha libre-inspired action platformer, while Dust: An Elysian Tail is Dean Dodrill's beautifully-animated action role-playing game. Giana Sisters, from Black Forest Games, is a difficult 2D platformer, The Swapper is a lauded puzzle game built around a cloning device, Antichamber is a psychological first-person exploration game and Monaco is all about pulling off heists with up to three other buddies. This bundle will be live for the next two weeks, and the Humble Bundle folks assure us new games will be added before the sale period ends. In order to secure those additional games, you'll need to pay beyond the average – which is hovering around $4 as of right now. [Image: Drinkbox Studios]
The Swapper switches it up on May 30
The Swapper – the Indie Fund-ed, clay model-animated, puzzle platformer put together by a few Finnish university students – has been set to hit Steam on May 30. The game has a lone space explorer wandering an alien cave, with a "weapon" that allows him to create clones of himself to solve puzzles and move around. Facepalm has released a brand new trailer showing that gameplay and the title's excellent graphics, which were created by animating photos of actual clay. The initial release will be for PC, with Mac and Linux coming later, and "maybe something else" after that.
The Swapper takes a spin on Steam this spring
The Swapper, an indie marvel more than two years in the making, is coming to Steam for PC this spring, and later to Mac and Linux. If the gameplay demonstrated in The Swapper's Steam launch trailer looks funky to you, that's because it is – developer Facepalm created the entire game using photos of real-life clay models. The above video offers the first glimpse at gameplay since May 2011.The Swapper is backed by Indie Fund, the company behind high-profile indies Dear Esther and Q.U.B.E., and it already has a wall full of accolades, including a featured spot in PAX Prime's PAX10 last year and IndieCade's Special Recognition award.Facepalm previously mentioned PC, Mac and "maybe something else" as potential platforms, and co-founder Olli Harjola tells Joystiq he's looking at other, mysterious consoles: "Let's say I'm currently open to putting the game on new platforms where we don't need to make compromises regarding the experience. There's nothing concrete yet."The Swapper will be a part of Indie Megabooth at PAX East (which starts on Friday, March 22), along with an appearance at GDC the following week.%Gallery-183342%
This year's PAX 10: JS Joust, Offspring Fling!, Puzzlejuice and more
The PAX 10, an illustrious group of indie games chosen annually to be spotlighted during PAX Prime in Seattle, have been selected. This year's rarified group include the likes of Johann Sebastian Joust, Offspring Fling! – a game we highlighted in length on the Super Joystiq Podcast – and hypnotic iOS darling Puzzlejuice.Other lesser-known titles include the latest from Cipher Prime, the studio behind Auditorium and Fractal, a Steam title called Splice, and puzzle games Containment: The Zombie Puzzler and The Bridge. Puzzle-platformer The Swapper is also represented, along with DigiPen's stealth-action game Deity and Catch-22. Turtle Sandbox's action-strategy hybrid Cannon Brawl rounds out the list of ten.All PAX 10 titles will be featured in their own special area at this year's PAX Prime, which goes down August 31 through September 2 in downtown Seattle, WA.
Indie Fund selects The Swapper as next investment
Eerie and remarkable puzzle platformer The Swapper, last seen at Indiecade last year, has been chosen as the next financed title by the Indie Fund. The fund, put together by a team of indie developers, is designed to make sure developers of great games get the money they need to reach players. Past recipients of the Fund include games like Q.U.B.E. and Dear Esther, both of which recouped their investment very quickly.So if you weren't already on the lookout for The Swapper, time to get out the telescope. The game is made by two young developers from the University of Helsinki (who told Joystiq that the title's unique graphical look was made using pictures of models built with clay), and though they've said it will likely arrive on "PC and Mac, maybe something else," they haven't announced release plans just yet.
IndieCade 2011: Molding The Swapper out of clay
The Swapper is one of IndieCade's most fascinating finalists this year. While the trailer will definitely pique your interest about the title (it features some really interesting "create-a-clone" gameplay -- more on that in a bit), what's most incredible about this one isn't how it looks or plays. It's how it was made. The Swapper was created by Facepalm Games, which is actually two teenagers named Otto Hantula and Olli Harjola (along with a sound designer) from Helsinki, Finland. They've created a few games, "but nothing as big as this one," they told me. You may think, given the amazing textures and bump-mapping on the game, that they used some kind of high-end engine to create it. Unreal Engine 3? CryEngine, maybe? Nope. "They're actually made of clay and some other stuff," said Harjola. As in, actual physical clay, which he modeled, photographed, and then put into the game with lots of dynamic lighting. "I probed a lot of different graphic styles," he says. "I don't really like 3D modeling, but I really like doing stuff with my hands, and this is what I came up with."
