The XBLIG Companion App Lets You Browse Indies On the Go


Windows Phone users will soon have a flashy new way to browse and purchase Xbox Live Indie Games on Read more

Snapshot Coming to Steam Shortly, PS3 This Summer


Retro Affect's long-in-development Snapshot will be released on Steam "very soon," according to lead programmer David Carrigg. In a Read more

Warp Review: E.T. Warp Home


With his adorable peanut-shaped body and wacky tube-man appendages, it’s easy to imagine a plushy of Warp’s alien protagonist Read more

How to Market Your Game XBLIG Style Part 3: Writing a Press Release


It’s been some time since I last wrote a feature on marketing, but I figured it was about time Read more

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PSN News

Snapshot Coming to Steam Shortly, PS3 This Summer

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Mike Wall in News, PC News, PSN News, XBLA News | Leave a comment

Retro Affect’s long-in-development Snapshot will be released on Steam “very soon,” according to lead programmer David Carrigg. In a video interview with Pixabyte, Carrigg said that the photo-themeed puzzle-platformer will be released before summer on PC, and most likely Linux and Mac. It will also be released on PS3 later this summer, and “future consoles in addition to that.”

Snapshot lets you play as PIC, a robot that has the ability to remove objects from the environment with its camera and store them for use in other areas. You can check out our full impressions from last year’s PAX East.

Source: Pixabyte

Closure Wins Big at Indie Game Challenge

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Taylor Bliss in News, PC News, PSN News, XBLA News | Leave a comment

On Friday afternoon in Las Vegas, during the DICE summit, the top winners of this year’s Indie Game Challenge were announced. Taking the grand prize of $100,000 was Closure. Made by a 3-person team based out of San Diego, Closure is a puzzle platformer that plays on the functions of light and shadow, and the ability to alter the world using both elements.

The other winners include Symphony, which took home $2,500 for the award in technical achievement and also the GameStop PC Digital Download Award. The latter grants the game special promotional space normally reserved for major retail releases on GameStop’s digital distribution service (the company values this at $50,000). The Bridge nabbed two awards: Achievement in Art Direction and Achievement in Gameplay, both valued at $2,500. Finally, Nitronic Rush crossed the finish line for the Gamer’s Choice Award, which was decided by an online poll, and also earned the developers $2,500.

The final portion of the challenge, which awards one game’s development team with a $50,000 scholarship to SMU, will be announced later this year. You can read descriptions of the games and interviews with the developers on the Indie Game Challenge website.

IGN Searching for San Francisco Indie Devs for YouTube Reality Series

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, PC News, PSN News, XBLA News, XBLIG News | Leave a comment

If you’re an indie developer in the San Francisco area, you might want to go ahead and block off early January on your calendar. IGN is looking for indie devs to star in their upcoming reality series, The Next Game Boss, which will begin airing next month on their new YouTube channel dubbed START.

Each episode will feature seven teams competing against each other in a different area of game development, and judges will winnow down the herd with the familiar vote-one-team-off-the-island reality TV formula. In addition to never-ending fame, the winning team will also receive a suite of state-of-the-art (expensive) development tools and a spot in IGN’s Indie Open House, which provides free office space inside the monolithic IGN central command building and access to IGN editors.

“We’re looking for people who have awesome ideas for video games who have the skills to make a great game and are creative,” said Danielle Barba Carter, the show’s casting producer. “We’re looking for people who have a little bit of personality, talent and passion for what they do.”

The filming will take about a week during early January, which means that the casting call is ostensibly restricted to teams currently located in the Bay Area. But, Carter admitted that they might be willing to make an exception if they found the right committed team that was willing to make the trek to San Francisco and cover their own expenses. ”We’re looking for 1-3 people, but ideally we’re looking for 2 on a team,” she said.

Fill out an application online if you’re interested in getting your charming mug(s) on Internet TV, but don’t dilly dally; the deadline to apply is December 20.


IGN ANNOUNCES CASTING CALL FOR “THE NEXT GAME BOSS” REALITY SERIES

 

Casting has officially begun for The Next Game Boss, IGN’s upcoming show in partnership with Reveille, the producers of Master Chef and The Biggest Loser.  The show will air in January 2012 on START, IGN’s new YouTube channel for anyone who loves or plays games.

WHAT:                     Casting for “The Next Game Boss” – a reality competition series that follows seven teams of aspiring  indie video game  developers as they battle to win the title of “The Next Game Boss”.   In each episode, the  teams go head-to-head in challenges  that test their development, programming and artistry skills as they  develop a workable game step-by-step. 
Throughout the series, teams are judged by a panel of game industry experts and eliminated, one-by-one, until  the winner is  determined.  In addition to competing for the title, “The Next Game Boss”, the winning team may  also  receive a suite of state of  the art tools to help them create professional quality video games. 
WHERE:                   Visit http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1142743-GzVzkM48ll to apply. Casting and filming will take place in  San Francisco area.
WHEN:                    Deadline to apply is December 20th, 2011.

IndieCade 2011 Winners Announced

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Dave Voyles in News, PC News, PSN News, XBLA News | Leave a comment

IndieCade, an annual festival held in L.A. designed to showase some of the best independant gaming talent, has just announced their winners. Thirteen games received top honors, including Polytron’s FEZ, which won the Grand Jury Award for distinguishing “the game that cultivates artistry and embodies complete passion for game development.”

Click through for the full list of winners.

Read more

Vote now to decide the winner of the ‘Design Many Robots’ contest!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in News, PC, PC News, PSN, PSN News, XBLA, XBLA News | 1 Comment

DMR finalist

At the end of March we let you know that Demiurge Studio’s “Design Many Robots” competition was coming to a close. Now, Demiurge is giving everyone a chance to help make the final decision on which fan-designed robot is going to be showcased in the game’s first expansion pack through popular vote. There are five finalists out of the hundreds of initial entries. On top of having their creation shown off in the expansion, the winner also gets a free trip to Boston to help Demiurge “bring their design to life.”

If you need catching up you can take a look at our hands-on preview of Shoot Many Robots from PAX East. Visit the Demiurge blog to cast your vote on which metal monster you’d like to shred to pieces!

Skull Girls to use ‘latency eliminating’ technology

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in News, PC, PSN, PSN News, XBLA, XBLA News | Leave a comment

Skull girls + GGPO

One of the biggest setbacks to the online functionality of fast-paced games is Internet latency. This is all the more true for fighting games, which are notorious for requiring rapid response to user control in order to pull off complex combos. In order to avoid this potentially disastrous situation in their new 2D fighter coming to XBLA, PSN and PC later this year, Autumn Games has teamed up with “Good Game, Peace Out.” GGPO is a networking technology developed by Tony Cannon, who’s also a moderator over at Shoryuken.com and Tournament Director for the Evolution championship Series.

Cannon knows his fighting games, and his tech will hopefully bring the lag-free experience of couch co-op to the online play of Skull Girls. GGPO has yet to be christened on XBLA or PSN by a fighting game; however, it has was used in Capcom’s Final Fight: Double Impact, and it’s been the backbone of emulated PC fighting games for years.

Being released later this year, Skull Girls already has some hefty competition in the fast-paced fighter scene, with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Super Street Fighter IV well established. But at a lower price tag as a downloadable game, along with some latency-eliminating tech, it could very easily compete on the same playing field. Based on my brief experience with Skull Girls from PAX East, I’d say that it’s a contender.

Read more

Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica X to be re-re-re-released this fall on XBLA and PSN

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, PSN, PSN News, XBLA, XBLA News | 7 Comments

better than ever!

Still a little room in that beating heart for some more zombie love? Capcom has announced that it will release Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and Resident Evil 4 on XBLA and PSN this fall with snazzy, updated HD graphics. Just look how clear and cuddly that ogre looks in the screenshot! This is also great news for that one person who somehow doesn’t own a Gamecube, Playstation 2, PC, Wii or iOS device!


CAPCOM BRINGS THE AWARD-WINNING RESIDENT EVIL® 4 AND RESIDENT EVIL CODE: VERONICA® X INTO THE HD ERA
San Mateo, CA — March 24, 2011 — To kick off the 15th anniversary of Resident Evil®, Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games today announced that the highly acclaimed Resident Evil® 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica® X will be released as downloadable titles for the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Scheduled for release this fall, both titles have been enhanced with upgraded visuals as they make their debut on high-definition consoles.

Resident Evil 4 , which received numerous “Game of the Year” awards when it debuted and currently stands as one of the best-reviewed games of all time with an incredible 96 ranking on MetaCritic, challenges you to experience it all over again with support for trophies and achievements along with the visual upgrades.

As Leon Kennedy, players will explore a town overrun by cultists, mutants and mind-controlled villagers as they unravel the mystery of Resident Evil 4. Also, this release will contain all the bonus content available in previous versions of Resident Evil 4, including the Separate Ways epilogue.

In Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, the year is 1998, three months since the total destruction of Raccoon City and Claire Redfield is still in search of her missing brother Chris. While investigating an Umbrella facility in Paris, Claire is captured and transported to the remote Rockfort Island, where she awaits her death.

Then an inexplicable air raid hits the island, and though this frees Claire, it also accidentally releases t-virus samples and B.O.W.s, which thrust Claire back into the world of survival horror once again. Claire teams up with a fellow inmate Steve Burnside, but insane island commander Alfred Ashford and his evil sister Alexia set their sights on ending the duo with their sick and demented games.

The Resident Evil franchise, which pioneered the horror genre in video games, has sold over 45 million units since 1996 and spawned a series of successful motion pictures that have grossed over $750 million worldwide. The Resident Evil brand has also expanded into action figures, comic books, novels, apparel, beverages and more. As part of the 15th anniversary, Resident Evil fans will get a chance to celebrate the past, present and future of the franchise with exclusive apparel and merchandise, in addition to games like Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, Resident Evil®: The Mercenaries, Resident Evil®: Revelations and other surprises.

For more information stay tuned to www.Capcom-Unity.com. For the latest information and assets, check out the Capcom press center at www.press.capcom.com

ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Germany, Tokyo, Korea and Hong Kong, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com.