twisted-pixel
Latest
Ms. 'Splosion Man and unannounced Twisted Pixel title playable at PAX East
In a decidedly non-volatile discussion over email, Twisted Pixel told Joystiq this evening that both Ms. Splosion Man and a second, unannounced title will be playable at this March's PAX East. Without going into any detail whatsoever, the rep added that the second game will be revealed "soon" (as in "before PAX East") and, yes, it's the project that ex-Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale has been working on -- TP also noted that the unannounced title has "a lot of dudes working hard on it," so don't go getting things twisted. If that weren't enough, TP promises "Matt "Chainsaw" Chaney wil be there with ukelele in hand to play something special for the fans at different times of day," which is wonderful each and every time. We'll be there as well, cheering in the crowd. You'll know it's us because we won't have shirts on.
Twisted Pixel CEO: We won't pursue legal action over Capcom's MaXplosion
Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford says his comparatively tiny team won't be suing mega-publisher Capcom for its blatant attempt to rip off the studio's Splosion Man with iOS clone MaXplosion (pictured). "We're definitely not going to pursue legal action," Wilford told Joystiq. "While I think the similarities are pretty nauseating, we're too small to take on a company like Capcom. That, and we owe them one for inventing Mega Man, so we'll let them slide." "We just need to keep our heads down making the next thing so that Capcom has something to steal next year," he chided, while adding that he hopes Capcom is "not counting on the fact that indies can't fight back." "We'll just have to make our own mobile game," he challenged. "We'll let you know when we have something on the mobile front to talk about, but now we have added incentive!" Wilford also tweeted that the "best part" is that Twisted Pixel had originally pitched Splosion Man to Capcom, but the publisher passed on it. Speaking of Twitter, he said "the amount of support we've seen in the last 12 hours on Twitter and over email has been awesome, and I think that's better than [winning] a stupid lawsuit or anything like that." A Capcom Mobile representative told us that a statement from the company on the matter would hopefully be released later today. Wildford's full response is posted after the break.
Capcom Mobile rips off 'Splosion Man for MaXplosion
"Holy crap, 'Splosion Man got released for iPhone? How did I miss that?" We can forgive your confusion as you check out the above screen and the video below the jump, but no, it's not 'Splosion Man, no matter how much every single one of your senses may attest to that fact. No, this is MaXplosion, an iPhone game dumped on iTunes late last week. Ready for the craziest bit? This isn't some fly-by-night Korean developer operating out of some dude's basement as you might have assumed. No, this is all Capcom Mobile, which is ... disappointing, to say the least. Speaking on his personal Twitter account, Twisted Pixel programmer Mike Henry said "MaXplosion gameplay video makes me sad. If you're going to outright steal a game, you should at least understand what makes it fun." Listen Capcom, we know copycatting is rampant on the App Store, but ... you're Capcom for crying out loud! Shouldn't you be better than that?
Twisted Pixel's Josh Bear on giving Ms. Splosion Man more than just a bow
Fresh out of containment and ready to butcher countless more scientists, Ms. Splosion Man was revealed this evening by Twisted Pixel. Alongside the first teaser and news of next fall's splosive sequel, Twisted Pixel CCO Josh Bear spoke with us about all things MSM. We got to the important stuff upfront, pinning Bear to the wall about the real difference between Mr. and Ms. Splosion Man. "Splosion Man has a penis, Ms. Splosion Man has a vagina," he confessed. Solved. Oh, right, there was also talk of the reasoning behind a full-on sequel in terms of gameplay. Bear explained: "I think with Splosion Man a follow up was something we really wanted to do, and that is why you never saw DLC for that game. We could have churned out new levels, but we wouldn't have had the time to add in new gameplay puzzles or cool new character stuff. But we didn't just want to do Splosion Man 2, it had to be something a ittle more interesting. That is why we decided to do MSM." And that's not all! Apparently Twisted Pixel is already hard at work on another game -- an entirely new IP, in fact -- with ex-Harmonix designer Dan Teasdale. Head past the break for more.
Ms. Splosion Man makes her debut, sploding 'fall of 2011'
You know, in retrospect, that was quite a tell. Just last week, Splosion Man 'sploded to the top of the Xbox Live Arcade charts thanks to a hefty 75% Black Friday discount; this week, developer Twisted Pixel introduces us to Ms. Splosion Man, the titular leading lady in its next digitally delivered opus, coming "fall of 2011." Notably absent from the press release: a platform. Splosion Man was, of course, an Xbox Live Arcade-exclusive and part of Microsoft's 2009 Summer of Arcade. While the press release doesn't share much in the way of information, we had the opportunity to speak with Twisted Pixel CCO Josh Bear, who told us, "We could have churned out new levels [for Splosion Man], but we wouldn't have had the time to add in new gameplay puzzles or cool new character stuff. But we didn't just want to do Splosion Man 2, it had to be something a ittle more interesting. That is why we decided to do MSM." Check out the teaser trailer and cheeky press release just after the break, and then read our interview to learn about the game's Ms. Pac-Man homage ("everything was just more polished and better all around"), what former Rock Band 3 senior designer Dan Teasdale is up to since leaving Harmonix (turns out he's serving as the studio's janitor) and how Splosion Man and Ms. Splosion Man are different ("Splosion Man has a penis, Ms. Splosion Man" ... we'll leave the rest to Mr. Bear).
Comic Jumper soundtrack now available as a free download
Here's the problem with Comic Jumper: when you turn the game off, its awesome soundtrack remains silently imprisoned within the plastic and silicon of your console. If only there were some way to kind of take those tunes out of the game, so your ears could envelope themselves in those sultry sounds at your own leisure. Twisted Pixel has rectified the situation by offering music and sound bites from the game, free of charge, via the official site. Now you can jam to these tunes whenever you want, whether it's during that jerk Johnson's retirement speech (we just know he stole our chicken salad sandwich from the break room fridge last week) or our personal favorite: while enjoying a nice, candle-lit bubble bath. Those days don't unwind themselves, people.
No DLC for Comic Jumper, Twisted Pixel working on two games
We know good news/bad news is a cliché, but the latest episode of Evil Avatar's Shotgun Podcast is such a classic example of it we hope you'll indulge us. Think of it as a tribute to this old standby, or perhaps a painfully unimaginative remake of it. So: There's good news and bad news, which do you want first? Good news: It's a happy day for fans of The Maw, 'Splosion Man and Comic Jumper: Developer Twisted Pixel is working on two new games, according to CCO Josh Bear. Hooray! Bad news: Remember earlier, when we said it was a happy day for Comic Jumper fans? Well, it may have to be downgraded to "pretty OK day" when they learn that Twisted Pixel won't be churning out DLC for its well-received game. It's a shame, as you'd think other comics to leap into would have been a perfect fit. But if one of those secret projects Twisted Pixel is toiling on instead rhymes with "Flosion Dan Woo" all will be forgiven.
Comic Jumper review: Panel beater
Games are made by human beings. It's easy to forget that fact when you're playing an extravagant, focus-tested blockbuster like Assassin's Creed, whose high production values can even obscure a team of over 200 people. In contrast, Twisted Pixel's games don't feel like perfectly orchestrated, inhuman feats -- they feel like they were handmade, just for you. That contrast isn't diminished when the Texas-based indie developer attempts more complex storytelling in Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley. There has never been this much dialogue, creative presentation and extra content in a Twisted Pixel game, and while it feels less economical and less elegant than either The Maw or 'Splosion Man, hubristic hero Captain Smiley doesn't waste his time in the spotlight. %Gallery-88440%
Comic Jumper preview: Mashed-up mayhem
Twisted Pixel has risen to XBLA fame with critically acclaimed titles The Maw and 'Splosion Man. When the developers offer to personally stop by your West Los Angeles apartment to show you their latest title, Comic Jumper, you say yes. That's what I did, and in addition to playing through the first level and getting a feel for the mechanics, I played a few later levels and got a good look at all of the collectibles and extras you'll be unlocking throughout the game. Comic Jumper is a longtime passion project for Twisted Pixel -- COO Josh Bear drew the game's main character, Captain Smiley, way back in seventh grade, and it's something the company has always wanted to make. After the success of 'Splosion Man last year, the team decided to have a go at finally turning it into a game. "It's not like we have any idea of how long the company could be around," Bear joked. %Gallery-88440%
Rock Band senior designer Dan Teasdale leaves Harmonix for Twisted Pixel
Harmonix's Dan Teasdale, lead designer for Rock Band 3, has made the jump to Comic Jumper and 'Splosion Man developer Twisted Pixel, where he will begin work on "a ridiculously cool new project." He is flying to Austin, Texas today to join the team, though we suspect there will be time for Mexican food and Amy's ice cream somewhere in there. While we assumed the only reason you'd leave a job like that is the sudden onset of deafness, Teasdale offered justification for the decision. In a blog post, he cited a desire to work with a smaller game in order to have more hands-on influence on the creation process. "I want to be able to help drive the vision and direction of a game," he said, "but at the same time be hands on and physically implement and iterate on the low level of making games in a more substantial way than time affords me when working as a lead on multi-hundred person titles."
Twisted Pixel helping with Turbine-developed console MMO [update]
Update: Twisted Pixel's Mike Wilford told us this morning: "That Turbine MMO project has been listed on our site for almost two years. It's no secret that Turbine has been working on an MMO for consoles, but they haven't given out too many details yet as they are still in development on it. We helped them out on a number of console-specific fronts since that happens to be our specialty, but we concluded our contracts with them and have turned our complete attention to original IP works." We've yet to hear back from Turbine. More from Twisted Pixel already? The digitally prolific studio that brought us The Maw and 'Splosion Man (in the same year, no less) -- not to mention the still-in-development Comic Jumper -- has quietly announced "a contract with Turbine to help them build an awesome new MMO intended for consoles." Yep, for consoles. Unfortunately, the developer seems to be keeping mum on more details, saying, "If you want more than that, you'll have to take it up with Turbine, because we can't spill the beans on their top-secret game." The only other info that we could glean from TP's curious message is that the work done was contractual (as the developer has done in the past with both Blitz: The League 2 and NBA Ballers: Chosen One), and that it's already been completed. Further, the "fun project" is referred to in the past-tense, with the developer only allowing "We can't wait to play it ourselves when it's released." We might say we are too, if only we had any idea at all of what it could be. Our friends at Massively confirmed last September that, at the time, Turbine had been working on a console MMO for "a year and a half," so we could be hearing more about this super secret project sooner than later.
Rumor: Twisted Pixel working on Turbine's console MMO
Ever since we learned that Turbine's been dabbling in console game development, our speculation has run amok as to what that game might be. A Harry Potter MMO? Another Lord of the Rings title? A DDO port? While we could be waiting a while longer to discover what the name of the title, Twisted Pixel Games seems to be a partner in this process. On their games page, the company state that they've finished working on an "unannounced console MMO" for Turbine. Twisted Pixel is a hire-for-contract console developer with a handful of XBLA titles under its belt as well as Blitz: The League II. Twisted Pixel claim to have helped, and that their part is finished, but they are otherwise mum on the project. Still, it's great to hear that another Turbine game is on its way, and hopefully we'll hear more soon. The full statement is in the graphic above. [Thanks Sam!]
Preview: Comic Jumper
If one word describes Twisted Pixel's games thus far (The Maw, 'Splosion Man), it's character. Sure, the gameplay -- especially in 'Splosion Man -- is certainly more than adequate, but "Everybody Loves Donuts" and adorable little scamps who can only say "Mawwwwwwww" are really what I've taken from TP's games thus far. And, from what I played of Comic Jumper's E3 2010 build, it seems that the developer plans on continuing in this tradition with Captain Smiley, his partner Star, and the many, many characters littered throughout the game's multiple comic styles. Which isn't to say that, you know, actually playing the game isn't a blast -- it is! At its heart, Comic Jumper is a 2D side-scroller --that said, in typical TP style, variants abound. The game quickly jumps from side-scrolling to lightgun shooting to on-rails action, intuitively adjusting the controls as it goes. Was it occasionally frustrating? Sure, but I'll allow the occasional frustration for all the yucks.%Gallery-92486%
Comic Jumper packs in free 'Splosion Man DLC (plus: new trailers!)
You know, we thought we couldn't want need Twisted Pixel's Comic Jumper any more than we already do, but the announcement that two new levels for 'Splosion Man will be included with the game offers almost too much value for us to handle. And that's not even taking into account the two new trailers developer Twisted Pixel has sent along with the news. You can check out an overview of the game above and find the good gameplay stuff just beyond the break.
Comic Jumper's second, totally barbaric comic style revealed
Click to Barbarian-size Curious about the variety of artistic and thematic comic book styles you'll experience once you get your hot little hands on Twisted Pixel's action-platformer, Comic Jumper? The game's second overworld was recently revealed in screenshots and concept art, and ... well, we sure hope the estate of Robert E. Howard never sees this particular stage, as it clearly parodies his beefy, Cimmerian brainchild. Heck, the comic's named Nanoc: The Obliviator -- flip it around, and you get Conan. (Actually, you get Rotaivilbo Eht: Conan, but ... well, two of those words aren't words.) Check out both galleries below to get a sense of what the world of Nanoc is going to look like, then check out Twisted Pixel's in-depth preview on the game's official website. %Gallery-92487% %Gallery-92486%
Interview: Twisted Pixel's Mike Wilford talks Comic Jumper
After a grinning Peter Molyneux told Joystiq that Comic Jumper reminded him of a game he would have made twenty years ago (that's a compliment!), we stopped by developer Twisted Pixel's humble South by Southwest booth where CEO Mike Wilford told us about the encounter. "He gave us such a compliment, it was amazing!" Wilford said. After seeing what all the buzz was about, courtesy of a ten-minute demo, we rapped all about Comic Jumper's roots, how Twisted Pixel has changed after the success of 'Splosion Man, the return of 2D mascots (Hello, Sonic! Hello, Rocket Knight!), and where they find inspiration. Read on! Joystiq: What kind of games are you harkening back to with Comic Jumper? It looks like there's a little bit of everything in there. Mike Wilford: Definitely Contra, Gunstar Heroes, and a common theme across all of our games is that they're character-driven. We try to put a lot of personality and humor into the characters, so Earthworm Jim is a huge influence for us. Back in the day, there seemed to be a whole lot of mascot-type characters in games, like Mario, Sonic, all those things, and not many devs seem to be doing that anymore. We're trying to bring that back a little bit with our games.
Xbox Live April schedule: Final Fight, Mega Man 10 DLC
Microsoft has unfurled some of its plans for Xbox Live downloadable content for April, including new additions to Games on Demand and Deals of the Week, as well as the April 14th release of Final Fight: Double Impact. On top of that, look for a half-priced The Maw on the week of April 12 and two add-ons for Mega Man 10 this week: Bass and Special Stage 1. Head past the break for the full list. %Gallery-79231%
More 'Splosion Man songs coming to Rock Band Network
We wish we possessed the kind of thought processes required to make the mental association between the release of the Rock Band Network and the catchy, quirky ditties from 'Splosion Man. The game's theme is already up on the RBN Store, but that's not the extent of the musical 'Splodiness -- in an interview with SavyGamer, Twisted Pixel CEO Mike Wilford revealed two other tracks from the game would soon hit the Network: "The 'Splode Beneath My 'Splosion" and "Donuts Song." No time frame has been given for the songs' release, but that hasn't stopped our excitement for the vocal part of "T'SBM'S" from growing to catastrophic, earth-quaking levels.
Leap into the first screens of Comic Jumper
Jump into our Comic Jumper gallery After having to endure concept videos and shaky-cam gameplay, we finally have some real, honest-to-goodness screens of Twisted Pixel's upcoming Comic Jumper for you to rest your weary eyes upon. They're all lifted from the first "comic" of the game, "The Adventures of Captain Smiley," which Twisted Pixel has described jokingly as "kind of a crappy comic." Perhaps that explains why the titular hero will be busting out? If your thirst for funny book action still hasn't been slaked, we hear you'll be able to see a demo of the game next week at PAX East. Can't make it to PAX East? We've got that very same demo in video format (direct feed this time!) after the break, along with a gallery of concept art for the game. %Gallery-88440%
Comic Jumper first video!
What a treat! Tucked away amongst the South by Southwest Screenburn Arcade was a humble booth for Twisted Pixel Games. Sure, they were demoing The Maw and 'Splosion Man (one of Joystiq's top ten games of 2009!) for curious passers-by, but at 4pm CEO Mike Wilford demoed the first ten minutes of the heretofore unseen Comic Jumper. The price for this early look at the video: shaky cam footage! Wilford promised us some direct feed video this week; but, in the interim, enjoy this first look at Comic Jumper.
