You know what every great development team needs? A doctor. Hothead Games has just that, Dr. Mike Hayward, who has his Ph.D. not in medicine, but in artificial intelligence. Dr. Mike, Producer Joel DeYoung, Lead Designer Pete Low, Designer David Herron walk through elements of the game, showcasing what the Swarmites can do and what the game is all about. Check out episode 1 here as well as the remaining episodes after the jump.
Episode 1: Get Flocked
Developer Hothead Games, masterminds behind the Deathspank series and Penny Arcade XBLA titles, is patiently sitting in the waiting room while Microsoft operates on their latest project, Swarm. According to producer Joel DeYoung, their project is in the hands of Microsoft and Sony being taken through the certification process required of all XBLA titles. A release date and price will be announced when the game is out of intensive care. That is to say, they don’t have it yet because Microsoft hasn’t told them and when they find out they’ll tell us! Nice and simple.
Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve spent the past week searching the internet and hounding our industry contacts in an effort to compile the ultimate 2011 XBLA Game Release List. We anticipated on heck of a year for Xbox Live Arcade. So epic we couldn’t even fit everything on one page. So without further ado, check out the list:
Check out the rest here:
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: A-C Read the rest of this entry »
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: D-F
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: G-M
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: N-R
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: S
XBLA Fans Anticipated 2011 Releases: T-Z
Considering their last two games, Penny Arcade Adventures and Deathspank, were released on XBLA it may not come as a surprise to learn that HotHead Games’ next game Swarm will be released on the service too.
The premise of the game will sound familar to any fans of Lemmings, the goal is to guide little blue creatures from the beginning of a level to the exit. Of course that’ll be easier than it sounds with many obstacles to overcome and half the fun coming from watching the critters die in numerous hilarious ways.
No release date other than ‘early 2011′ as yet but we will be sure to check back as we’re sure to have more coverage of this quirky title between now and launch.
In the mean time HotHead are asking you to name their next game, head over to their site and post a suggestion!
Via Joystiq
Developer Hothead Games has announced on their official website that the soundtracks of both DeathSpank and its sequel Thongs of Virtue will be released for free. But there is a small catch. Similar to what Klei Entertainment did with the Shank soundtrack, all you have to do is go to Hothead Games’ Facebook page and “Like” them. Once the goal of 4,000 “Likes” is achieved, the DeathSpank soundtracks will be yours.
While I never thought it was anything amazing, the music in DeathSpank (composed by Jeff Tymoschuk) is a perfect example of game music – delightful, catchy and unobtrusive. It is certainly worth listening to for free.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to Hothead Games’ Facebook page and give them a “Like,” even if you don’t care about the soundtrack. At the time of this writing, I was “Like” number 2,001, just pushing them past the half-way point.
The XBLA has a rather large load of new games released today. Four new games to be exact. Some we have been hearing about for months now, and one that was a bit of a surprise finding out about last month.
Here they are accompanied by their XBLA descriptions:
Alien Breed 2: Assault- Developer: Team17 Software Ltd 800 Microsoft Points
Alien Breed 2: Assault is an explosive science fiction arcade-shooter with an epic story, swarms of highly intelligent alien enemies, high-impact weapons, highly detailed and rich environments, developed using Epic Games’ Unreal® Engine 3. In addition to the thrilling single-player campaign and all new survivor mode, the game offers action-packed, online two-player co-operative battle modes.
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue- Developer: Hothead Games 1200 Microsoft Points
Join DeathSpank, in his all new adventure! Fight through war-torn battlefields, tame the violent High Plains and sail your own pirate ship through the savage seas. DeathSpank will vanquish all-new evils, help all-new downtrodden, and dispense justice as only he can. Wield exciting new weapons, slay unbelievable new creatures and get to the bottom of the Thongs of Virtue. The downtrodden cry for justice and DeathSpank will save them or kill them trying.
Blade Kitten- Developer: Krome Studios 1200 Microsoft Points
Hollow Wish… your typical lawless frontier filled with dark secrets and mysterious cloaked figures. It’s here Kit Ballard works as one of the best bounty hunters in the business. Don’t let her pink hair fool you, Kit is part cat, part girl, and wholly lethal. Join Kit, her alien sidekick Skiffy and the hovering Darque Blade in the full version of the all new action adventure side-scroller Blade Kitten™: Episode 1, the exciting first of a two part mini-series available exclusively via digital download.
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter- Developer: Croteam 1200 Microsoft Points
The glorious high-definition chaos continues in Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, the highly anticipated arcade action FPS sequel to the Serious Sam HD. The Second Encounter features single-play, deathmatch and cooperative play mixed with brilliantly updated visuals and classic over-the-top action from the golden age of first-person shooters. Brand new multiplayer modes include Survival, Capture the Flag, My Burden and Coin-Op Coop for up to 8 players and in over a dozen multiplayer maps make Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter a worthy successor to the original masterpiece.
That’s quite a lot of games to be played before Game Feast starts next week with Hydrophobia! Better get on it quick.
DeathSpank was a great RPG with some fun loot to pick up, but without the hilarious characters and funny dialogue, DeathSpank loses a lot of its charm. The sequel, Thongs of Virtue, looks to be even better by adding a bunch of unique and wacky characters to the cast, 14 of which have been revealed by developer Hothead Games.
DeathSpank’s new sidekick, Steve, already looks to be an early favorite among the bunch. Raised by ninjas and riding a tiny unicorn, Steve is a perfect example of the brand of humor DeathSpank brings to XBLA.
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is getting a quick turnaround time and will available on XBLA on Sept. 22 for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). Check back for more news updates and an eventual written review.
Source: Joystiq
Electronic Arts and Hothead Games announced a followup to DeathSpank today, entitled Thongs of Virtue. The sequel will be available for XBLA on Sept. 22 for 12oo Microsoft Points.
“Bigger, longer, harder – these were the words that drove us while we created the follow up to our introduction to the DeathSpank universe,” said Vlad Ceraldi, Director of Game Development for Hothead Games. “In T.O.V., we’re taking action RPG fundamentals and adding loads of new creatures, environments, weapons and characters, while continuing to push the envelope with our signature humor.”
That “signature humor” is undoubtedly true, if DeathSpank: TOV’s plot is any indication – TOV has DeathSpank searching for and destroying six mystical thongs that grant its wearer great powers. A long time ago, when nine mystical thongs were planned to bring balance and harmony to the universe, a marketing mishap occurred resulting in only six thongs being produced, which was of course disastrous. Now any who touch them become corrupted, except for DeathSpank, who is too heroic to be justiceded by evil thongs.
Local co-op will also be included as it was in the first game, and will also introduce a new character named Steve, DeathSpank’s partner in crime.
Check back soon for more news updates on this new DeathSpank sequel, and also visit the game’s official website for more information.
As you know from our review, Hothead Games’ DeathSpank is pretty good. So in their latest dev diary, Hothead Games tries to explain the illusive art of making videogames funny. Of course, having a Poop Hammer in your game helps, but here’s a few tricks for all you aspiring game developers.
Source: YouTube
DeathSpank was developed by Hothead Games and published by Electronic Arts for XBLA on July 14. Retails for 1200 Microsoft Points. A download code of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.
While swinging my Log Sword and cleansing the land of Chizards (chicken lizards) with the utmost heroic justice, I realized that DeathSpank has filled a special place in my heart. The XBLA has needed a title such as DeathSpank in its library – a uniquely funny, lengthy and wonderfully executed action-adventure RPG game that does a lot things right.
For those unaware, DeathSpank comes from indie developer Hothead Games. The best way I’ve seen the game described is a Diablo-meets-Monkey-Island, and that’s exactly right. There are tons of loot to be found, places to explore, things to kill and laughs to be had.
Players roam the open world as the hero DeathSpank, a character who often introduces himself as the hero of the downtrodden, and a dispenser of justice. Players will carry out quests for a wide assortment of characters, complete with dialogue trees and full voice-overs. For a downloadable game, the amount of content is impressive, and will last gamers a while longer than most other titles on XBLA.
Here’s what we liked:
Big, beautiful open world – DeathSpank’s world is a beautifully rendered 3D environment with 2D models. The result is something that resembles a vibrant cutout storybook. Each area of the game has a distinct look and feel to it, and is easy to distinguish between them. It is technically an open-world game, but only a small area is available at the start. As players progress in rank and complete quests, more areas become available. Thankfully, a well-implemented fast-travel system makes moving across large expanses of land quick and easy.
Simple, rewarding combat – Each of the controller’s face buttons can be assigned to a certain melee weapon, potion, or projectile weapon so players can fight the way they want to. Attacking enemies is just as simple as hitting the corresponding buttons to use the intended weapon or item. Mixing up attacks is recommended because it builds up the Justice Meter, which once filled, can be used to unleash devastating attacks on opponents. These range from spinning attacks that send multiple enemies flying, stunning a group for a few seconds, or smashing an individual into the ground for appropriate clobbering. Ranks are gained quickly, and enemies always drop some kind of loot whether it’s money, random healing items or that next amazing weapon.
Just simply hilarious – This is one of the funniest games I’ve played in a long time. It’s not often I find myself going out of my way to talk to strangers in the game just to hear some funny or witty dialogue, but I found myself constantly laughing out loud while playing this game. DeathSpank is one of my favorite main characters this year, and reminds me of a cross between Futurama’s Zapp Brannigan and Ratchet and Clank’s Captain Qwark. I knew, however, that this game struck comedic gold when I was given a Poop Hammer to literally beat the crap out of demons with for a quest. It’s not often that a videogame can pull off a witty poop joke, but DeathSpank does, and it bodes well with me. The entire game is filled with clever humor, ranging from unintentional Bonnie Tyler lyrics to chicken canons, and I love it.
Here’s what we didn’t like:
Enemies aren’t scaled to your level – Once the game starts opening up, it can become fairly easy to wander into an area of the map you’re not supposed to be in yet, and to find enemies ranked way higher than you are. It wasn’t uncommon to accidentally encounter enemies six to eight ranks higher than myself, who needless to say, would slaughter me instantly. Most of the time it’s easy to avoid these situations and run the other way since all enemies’ ranks and health are displayed on the screen. But at one point a few hours into the game, I became stuck in an area full of enemies ranked too high for me, which ended in a boss battle that was near impossible for me to win. Retracing my steps back to the beginning of the area caused me to die after using all my healing potions since the enemies had respawned. So my only choice was to face a highly ranked boss with what I had. Luckily I managed to get through this spot without having to restart the game, but other gamers might not be so lucky in similar situations. Scaling enemies’ levels to that of the player would have made everything seem more balanced.
Too many fetch quests – Unfortunately, a large number of the side quests turn DeathSpank from a dispenser of justice into a completer of errands. Thankfully the funny dialogue and characters make this more tolerable, but when it comes down to it, the constant fetching, collecting and retrieving of certain quest items became a bit tiresome. A larger variety of quests, or just simple twists in the side quests’ plot would have a good way to change things up and keep gamers on their toes.
Overwhelming at first – DeathSpank throws a lot of information at players during the beginning, which can turn less RPG-experienced players off. I am by no means an avid RPG gamer, but I’ve played enough to feel comfortable with what I am doing. DeathSpank left me slightly overwhelmed at first, and I felt like I was constantly getting new weapons, potions, abilities and items before I got a chance to really learn how the inventory system worked, which items to equip or even how to access the world map. After the first hour I was fine, but I worry that some gamers may become too overwhelmed and put the game down and miss the great experience that DeathSpank is.
DeathSpank certainly has some minor flaws here and there, but is easily one of the most charming, interesting and worthwhile games on XBLA. At 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), DeathSpank comes in at the high end of the pricing spectrum for downloadable games. But given the quality, length and just sheer density of the content within the game, I could easily see it being full-priced retail game. DeathSpank is a great experience that I can easily recommend to action-adventure and RPG fans, and one that I will remember fondly on XBLA.
Final Score: BUY
