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Humble Weekly Bundle shoots for the stars
Brace yourself for an influx of neon, spaceships and robots in the Humble Weekly Bundle: Sci-Fi Edition. Available for any price you wish is Velocity Ultra, Cosmic DJ (Early Access game) and QUBE. For $6 or more, add in The Fall, Strike Suit Infinity and Strike Vector. The Last Federation is available for $15 or more. These purchases include the soundtracks for Velocity Ultra, QUBE, Cosmic DJ and The Last Federation. As is the case with these delicious Humble Bundles, part of the cash goes to charity, this time Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Also, pay at least $1 and grab Steam keys for all of the games in the bundle. [Image: Humble Bundle]
Puppeteer, Surge Deluxe go free on PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus subscribers are set to receive a pair of free games this week as part of Sony's ever-growing Instant Game Collection, including quirky PlayStation 3 favorite Puppeteer and PS Vita puzzler Surge Deluxe. Puppeteer, originally released at retail in September of last year, is a side-scrolling adventure game presented in the context of a wood-and-strings puppet show. Our own Susan Arendt awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an excellent example of the 2D platform genre" and "a brilliant production." Surge Deluxe, a PlayStation Vita exclusive from Velocity Ultra developer FuturLab, challenges players to harness electrical energy and earn points by drawing lines between like-colored blocks. Both of this week's featured additions will be free to download for PlayStation Plus members starting tomorrow. [Image: Sony]
Vita shooter Velocity Ultra free this week on PlayStation Plus
FuturLab's Velocity Ultra is this week's featured addition to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, giving subscribers a chance to check out an underrated PS Vita gem free of charge. Velocity Ultra is both a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up and a frantically paced puzzler, challenging players to warp back and forth throughout each level to rescue survivors and uncover hidden collectibles. We liked it quite a bit, even though the final few trophies remain elusive. Drat those impossible high-speed levels! Plus subscribers get an additional round of discounts throughout PSN's Golden Week sale, starting tomorrow. This week is also the last chance for PlayStation Plus members to pick up free copies of Mercenary Kings on the PlayStation 4 and the PS3 version of Batman: Arkham City before both games return to full price next Tuesday. [Image: FuturLab]
PS Plus in April: Mercenary Kings, Arkham City, Pixeljunk Monsters
PlayStation Plus subscribers get Mercenary Kings as a PS4 freebie when the Kickstarted run-and-gunner scrolls onto PSN next week. Developed by Wizorb and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World studio Tribute Games, Mercenary Kings makes its Metal Slug-style action interesting by chucking in a weapon crafting system based around hundreds of different parts. The rest of April's Plus line-up in North America features Batman: Arkham City, Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark, and the Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse remake on PS3. As for Vita, Velocity Ultra and Pixeljunk Monsters Ultimate HD are next month's dynamic duo. Except for Mercenary Kings, the roster of PS Plus games in Europe is totally different: On PS3 it's Pro Evo Soccer 2014 and on Vita it's MotoGP 13, while Hotline Miami and Sly Cooper Thieves in Time are unlockable on both platforms as Cross-Buy games. That means if you get the PS3 version of Sly on Plus, for example, you'll also get access to it on Vita. Devolver Digital recently revealed Hotline Miami is coming to the PS4 with Cross-Buy enabled, so if you're planning to get the top-down kill-fest on that platform, be sure to grab it as a Plus freebie this month. The quintet including Mercenary Kings join Europe's Plus collection on April 2. [Image: Tribute Games]
Velocity 2X blends shmups with Metroid platforming on PS4, Vita
Indie developer FuturLab has detailed Velocity Ultra's upcoming PlayStation 4 and PS Vita sequel Velocity 2X, showcasing an in-progress alpha version in the newly launched trailer above. While its predecessor Velocity Ultra was an overhead-view shooter that encouraged players to backtrack throughout each level to find hidden switches and item pick-ups, Velocity 2X takes these exploration elements to new extremes, introducing side-scrolling platforming segments that bridge short bursts of shoot-'em-up gameplay. During each level in Velocity 2X, players infiltrate enemy strongholds and search for survivors from a Metroid-like side-scrolling perspective. Gameplay maintains the same frantic pace throughout, and players retain the ability to teleport through walls in both shooter and platforming sequences. Velocity 2X is due to hit the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita via the PlayStation Network later this year. [Image: FuturLab]
Velocity Ultra enters Steam's orbit on December 12
Indie-friendly publisher Curve Studios announced that FuturLab's twin-stick scrolling shoot-'em-up Velocity Ultra is set for a PC release via Steam on December 12. Originally released for the PlayStation minis service, Velocity was significantly overhauled for its Ultra upgrade on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, bringing a unique combination of arcade-style shooting and reflex-based puzzling to Sony's portable platform. Curve revealed that the upcoming PC port will feature an optional keyboard-and-mouse control scheme in addition to controller support, and will be priced at £6.99.
Twin-stick puzzle-em-up Velocity Ultra also heading to Steam
Velocity Ultra is bringing its mix of vertical shooting and teleport puzzling to Steam, as well as PS3. The PC port of FuturLab's Vita game is being handled by Curve Studios, the same team working on the PS3 port. According to Curve, the PC version runs at 60 frames per second, and should make for a nice stocking stufffer when it arrives around Christmas time. FuturLab, meanwhile, is working on PS4 and Vita sequel Velocity 2X, as announced at Sony's Gamescom conference. 2X features top-down shooting and side-scroller platforming, which Futurlab hopes to weave into "one seamless experience."
Puzzle shooter Velocity Ultra making a light-speed dash for PS3 this year
FuturLab's hybrid puzzler and shoot-'em-up Velocity Ultra will hit the PlayStation 3 later this year in an HD-rendered port co-developed by Curve Digital. Originally launched as part of the PlayStation minis catalog, Velocity Ultra saw an upgraded PlayStation Vita release earlier this year that added twin-stick gameplay mechanics and a variety of new challenges. Velocity Ultra mixes brain-teasers with manic alien-blasting action, challenging players to teleport back and forth throughout each vertically scrolling level to rescue hidden survivors amidst enemy swarms. The PlayStation 3 version of Velocity Ultra will share leaderboards and trophies with the PS Vita edition when it debuts on the PlayStation Network by the end of 2013.
Velocity Ultra: One tiny ship's journey through hyperspace
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Shoot-'em-ups often cater to a hardcore niche, so it's encouraging to see developer FuturLab take an alternate approach to the genre with its recent PlayStation Vita release Velocity Ultra. The finished product effectively blends its core shoot-'em-up mechanics with puzzle elements, resulting in a novel experience. Velocity Ultra resembles a typical vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up on its surface. Players blast enemy ships on the way through each timed level, rescuing survivors in order to boost scores and post-stage rankings. The timer gives the game a frantic pace, but it's never so strict as to make gameplay frustrating. If you don't care about your rank on the leaderboards, you can casually stroll through the majority of the game's levels with more than enough time left over. Giving the player control over pacing is a brilliant move, and Velocity Ultra encourages new strategies as its challenges ramp up in ferocity. Each level scrolls at a leisurely pace by default, but if you're the competitive (or over-caffeinated) type, you can hammer on the Vita's right shoulder button to engage hyperspeed and scream through every level as quickly as possible. It's a risky decision, but it pays off in the form of post-level accolades and unlockable trophies.%Gallery-175909%
Velocity Ultra launches on PS Vita July 2
Sony-funded indie studio FuturLab announced that an enhanced version of its puzzley shoot-'em-up Velocity will premiere for the PlayStation Vita in North America on July 2. Originally released last year as part of the PlayStation Minis service, Velocity Ultra is a vertically scrolling shooter with a unique teleportation mechanic that allows players to dart around the screen at will. Players are also equipped with teleportation pods, allowing them to explore alternate pathways and return to earlier points within each level in order to rescue survivors. Velocity Ultra features new touchscreen-based gameplay mechanics, along with trophy support (including a Platinum trophy) and PSN leaderboards.
Catherine stalks PS Plus EU on May 1, Velocity Ultra shoots in May 15
Raunchy puzzler Catherine is one of the five games coming to Europe's PlayStation Plus next month. The not-so-sheepish Atlus game joins Malicious and the previously announced Hitman Absolution in the PS3's Instant Game Collection on May 1.Meanwhile, Vita-owning subscribers can power up with a couple of shoot-em-ups. First up is the oddball steampunk of Sine Mora on May 8, and that's followed by Velocity Ultra on May 15. The Vita upgrade of Futurlab's Mini was penciled in for May in North America, so its arrival on PS Plus EU likely means it'll be released on PSN the same week.As ever, newbies shooting up the place forces old stuff to scream in terror as it flees the service. F1 Race Stars, Okami HD, and Quantum Conundrum leave a collective puff of smoke on May 1, with Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward and Thomas Was Alone soon scampering after on May 8 and May 22 respectively.
Velocity pacing onto Vita as Velocity Ultra, guesstimated for May
What's this? PS Mini Velocity is evolving into a full-fledged Vita game called Velocity Ultra! Good thing we didn't press the B button. Yes, British developer Futurlab is working on a Vita upgrade of its critically acclaimed shoot-em-up. While Ultra doesn't have a release date yet, Futurlab is "guesstimating" an arrival on Sony's handheld in May 2013.Futurlab describes Ultra as the "director's cut" of Velocity. As the before/after gallery below shows, the differences are chiefly visual, with a new cartoon art style in favor of the original's pixel art, and additional visual effects to provide a crisper, more striking look.Velocity Ultra is the first Vita game announced by Futurlab since the studio acquired funding from Sony to bring new IP to the handheld. At the time Futurlab opened a website for its next project, "Fan Powered Flight," and that project is now revealed to be Velocity Ultra. While we didn't get our genetically engineered flying penguin, we suspect Futurlab's fans are happy with what they got. %Gallery-175909%
