XBLIG News

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Dream.Build.Play 2011 registration closes May 17

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Dylan Martin in News, xblig, XBLIG News | 1 Comment

win 40,000!

Alright, XBLIG devs. It’s time to register for Microsoft’s 2011 Dream.Build.Play competition if you haven’t already. Registration closes on May 17, and there’s no looking back after that.

And if you’re way ahead of the game, you can submit your entry as early as the same day registration closes. But don’t wait too long. The submission deadline is June 14.

Here’s a quick refresher on the prizes: four winners will walk away with a share of $75,000, with $40,000 to the grand prize winner, $20,000 to first place, $10,000 to second, and $5,000 to third. There will also be an opportunity to get published on Xbox Live Arcade.

If you have questions about the competition, get on Twitter tomorrow and tweet them using hashtag #devchat.

In the meantime, keep doing that awesome thing you do.

TIC: Part 1 wows GameFest; takes home 1st prize and Audience Choice Award

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in News, xblig, XBLIG News | 3 Comments

TIC
For those of you who aren’t familiar, GameFest is an annually held games symposium held by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). It’s not to be confused with Microsoft’s similarly titled convention, which is also held annually, albeit in 3 different locations throughout the year. This year, at RPI one game in particular drew attention, not only from the crowd, but from the panel of judges made up of Vivarious Visions employees.

Vicarious Visions not only sponsored the event, but also held a competition in which students could showcase their games. TIC: Part 1, developed by Red Candy Games, took home the first place prize of $600, a tour of the VV studios and a chance to pitch a game to the studio. With over 200 attendees at the conference, taking home the awards is nothing to shake a stick at, and when it’s an eight-month development that’s coming to a close, every little bit helps. Check back here for more updates on TIC: Part 1 and Red Candy Games.

XBLIG developers can now choose their release date

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Dave Voyles in News, xblig, XBLIG News | 7 Comments

control your destiny

Big news on the XBLIG front today, as Microsoft announced via the App Hub that Xbox Live Indie developers would now have the ability to “control the release of their games that have passed peer review.” This is a step in the correct direction, both in terms of marketing and public relations. One of the key elements missing from the Indie Games Winter Uprising was the fact that many developers missed their target release dates. Should the event ever occur again, that issue would be washed away as long as the titles pass peer review in time.

Most developers seem to be excited over the matter. Nathan Fouts of Mommy’s Best Games shouted “Great News!” on Twitter, while Ben Kane of declared “This is going to wreak havoc with the new release list. It’ll be a game of chicken on every Friday. Overall, fantastic news though.” Robert Boyd of Zeboyd Games shared the same sentiment with “The news made my day. This’ll make building hype for games much easier.” Evan Johnson wasn’t as enthusiastic with, “Probably should have been there from the start, but good to see it happen,” although he appreciated the change nonetheless.

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Platformance 2: Temple Death trailer reveals that there will be blood

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, xblig, XBLIG News, XBLIG Previews | 1 Comment

Move over Pitfall Harry, there’s a new pixelated archeologist in town, and his name is, well, never mind his name, but he’s out for fame and glory (and perhaps a little kissy-kissy action on the side). Platformace 2: Temple of Death takes place 1000 years after its predecessor in a 1947 Peruvian jungle, where Hollywood starlet Grace Belly has been kidnapped by savages while filming Mysteries of the Cursed Mayan Idols.

Now it’s up to our adventurous archeologist to venture into the ominous Temple Death and rescue the stunning actress before she is sacrificed to the blood lizard god. We’ve contacted Magiko Gaming for more information, but in the meantime, check out the new trailer showcasing the new locale, and of course, lots of decapitating spikes.

XNA Game Studio Team to host Dream.Build.Play developer chat on May 11

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, xblig, XBLIG News | 2 Comments

win 40,000!

With the  Dream.Build.Play registration deadline looming, the XNA Game Studio Team has organized a Twitter developer chat on May 11 from 5-5:30 p.m. PST to answer any questions about the contest and get the creative juices flowing. Join the community conversation by posting on Twitter with the hashtag #devchat. Questions and conversations can range from technical issues to far more important inquiries such as  ’which color fedora looks better on my nefarious cybernetic turtle?’

Remember, the Dream.Build.Play registration deadline is May 17, so you better put on another pot of coffee if you want to take a shot at that $40,000 grand prize.

Source: XNA Game Studio Team Blog

Set your eyes on the Take Arms development video

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, xblig, XBLIG News, XBLIG Previews | 1 Comment

Discord Games released a new video revealing the evolution of its upcoming indie, Take Arms, from its humble roots as a geometric platformer to its final state as a 2D class-based shooter. The video hastily speeds through the development and even includes some scenes where the Alucard sprite from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was used to test out the engine’s platforming capabilities.

Take Arms initially started out as a Metroidvania-style platformer, but morphed into a 2D online shooter set in the near war-ravished future. It will feature 3 distinct classes: The Striker (light and quick), The Destroyer (slow and heavy), and the Grunt (The Goldilocks compromise of the two). Up to 8 players will be able to duke it out online this summer across Capture the Flag, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch game modes. Now someone just needs to talk to Konami about licensing that Alucard fellow…

Bring your boomstick and escape from the Lair of the Evildoer this spring

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Dave Voyles in News, Previews, xblig, XBLIG News, XBLIG Previews | 1 Comment

Going Loud Studios announced its sophomore effort, Lair of the Evildoer, which will be released on XBLIG this spring. Their previous title Zombie Accountant gave us a break from our own zombie-like paper-pushing day jobs. Gamers now play as a Frankenstein’s monster of sorts, whose creator is suddenly having remorse and decides it is better to have it destroyed. While he is no hobo with a shotgun, it still looks like the guy can do some damage.

Lair of the Evildoer is an action-RPG and will feature a unique weapon affix system that hopes to keep dungeon crawlers entertained for hours on end as they break necks and hunt for the most loot. Personally, I’d steer clear of the “Cheap Pistol of the Chicken,” in favor of the “Kickass Shotgun of Haste,” but that’s just me. Like most dungeon crawlers, gamers will improve their stats over time, as they make their way though procedurally generated landscapes. And don’t worry – the Zombie Accountant makes a triumphant cameo as well.

Serious Sam Double D upgrades to hex-wielding

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Mike Wall in News, PC, PC News, xblig, XBLIG News | 1 Comment

so much death

Way back in March, quad-wielding seemed like it was the hot new thing. Four guns stapled together was surely a sufficient arsenal to mow down even the nastiest of biomechanical monstrosities, right? Boy, how naive were we? Mommy’s Best Games has added an additional 50% slaying power to the already formidable Gunstacker found in its upcoming alien bloodbath, Serious Sam Double D.

The new contraption will allow you to stack up to six guns into an outreagous tower of destruction, including multiple iterations of the same weapon. The Gunstacker is now comprised of individual connectors and guns that are found throughout the game, and a new inventory system allows you to configure numerous deadly combinations of weapons for the game’s pugnacious, titular hero.

“We wanted it to be excessive–more than any other game (like more than a quad-barreled shotgun in some games) but we’ve already tried out 8 and 12, and more in a stack and it’s … a little too much (believe it or not). We may have temporary powerup or cheat for that though!” developer Nathan Fouts told Armless Octopus.

With 8 to 10 weapons planned for the game and 4 copies of each weapon scattered throughout the levels, there are sure to be some outrageous contrivances. Anyone else looking forward to wielding 4 shotguns and a chainsaw?

Source: Mommy’s Best Games

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