It will also be coming soon for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, although release dates for those versions have not yet been announced.
The Steam version of Costume Quest 2 is out now for PC, Mac, and Linux.
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We reported in September that Spacebase DF-9, Double Fine's open-development, early access space station simulator was gearing up for a 1.0 release, thus ending a production that was originally hoped to go on for at least five years.
In a Steam forum post referenced by PC Gamer, Tim explains the business reality behind the decision to finalize the game earlier than originally anticipated.
"We started Spacebase with an open ended-production plan," writes Schafer , "hoping that it would find similar success (and therefore funding) to the alpha-funded games that inspired it. Some of its early sales numbers indicated this might be the case, but slowly things changed, and it became clear that this was looking like a year and a half of production instead of five or so. With each Alpha release there was the hope that things would change, but they didn't."
Schafer explains that all money made from Spacebase went back into development of the game, but that, eventually the studio was spending more than they were making. "As much as we tried to put off the decision, we finally had to change gears and put Spacebase into finishing mode and plan for version 1.0."
To the claim that Double Fine are "silently pulling the plug," Schafer disagrees. "We are announcing our finishing features and v1.0 plan," he writes. "I know it's not a lot of advance notice, but we're still here telling you our plan instead of vanishing quietly in the night." Despite this, he does admit that communication was lacking. "One of the biggest lessons we have learned in this, our first early access title, is about communication. There should have been more communication to the players about the state of the game, and we apologize for that."
For the entire explanation, read the complete article.
Source: PC Gamer
Spacebase DF-9, the space simulation game by Double Fine, is joining its Early Access sister Hack N Slash next month in leaving early access, complete with a source code release. The 1.0 release of Spacebase DF-9 will have new features that make it a complete game: a tutorial mode for helping new players learn how to play the game, and a goal system that will let you work towards concrete objectives. Shortly after the 1.0 release, they will release the game's full LUA source code to allow the community to create mods for the game to do anything they want with the game, from adding new functionality and new content, and even changing some fundamental game behaviors. After the 1.0 release, Double Fine doesn't plan on adding any new features after 1.0, as the fans will now be able to do so themselves, but they aren't abandoning the game as they still plan on making official releases for bug fixes and will still be offering support for the game.
Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers, the hardcover comic book by Zac Gorman of Magical Game Time fame, is now available to pre-order. If you preorder it from the Double Fine store, via the link above, for $25, you'll also receive a bonus tote bag (perfect for holding all your Halloween candy) and a Steam code for Costume Quest 1. The book is scheduled to be shipped in mid-October.
Hack 'N' Slash, Double Fine's action adventure that involves hacking the game world, is now at 1.0, as of yesterday. This means that the final act is now included, and it is no longer Early Access and is now considered a full release. Because it's out of Early Access state now, Double Fine has added Steam Workshop integration. They've also added mod support and even included the source code. Since the game revolves around a hacking mechanic, it should be interesting to see what people come up with now that they can modify the world however they want. If you head over to the Steam Hack 'N' Slash page before September 16, you can pick the game up for 33% off in a special launch promotion.
The newest title published under Double Fine Presents, the comedic brawler Gang Beasts, is now available to purchase on Steam Early Access for $14.99. They've also released a launch trailer and launched a new website if you want to find out more about the game before buying.
The sequel to Tasha Sounart's Costume Quest, developed by Double Fine and published by Midnight City (Tasha is now at Pixar, so she's not involved in the sequel, beyond some ideas that she came up for a sequel to Grubbins on Ice while she was still at Double Fine), will be arriving just in time for Halloween on October 7, 2014. If you pre-order on Steam (for Windows, Linux, and Mac) now for $14.99, you will also get four classic costumes to use in the game: Robot, Unicorn, Eyeball and Pumpkin – each featuring their signature moves. A gameplay trailer has also been released, which contains enough awesomeness that it should make your decision to pre-order the game that much easier. What are you waiting for? Pre-order the game today!
Double Fine is hosting Devs & Bevs, which is a night of drinks and games with a quintet of game developers. The event will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle, WA on Sunday, August 31st from 6:00 to 10:00. The lineup for the evening is extraordinary.
- 6:00—Fantasia from Harmonix
- 6:30—Firewatch from Campo Santo
- 7:00—Tharsis from Choice Provisions
- 7:30—Below from Capy
- 8:00—Massive Chalice from Double Fine
- 8:30—Costume Quest 2 from Double Fine
- 9:00—Gang Beasts from Boneloaf
If you are planning on going, you can find the Facebook event page here.
Double Fine has announced the fourth game in their indie publishing program, Double Fine Presents. Gang Beasts is a multiplayer brawler by the UK-based studio Boneloaf that is made in the style of Streets of Rage or Double Dragon. It includes both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. It is described as a game that is "a jolly good time full of silly procedural animation and ragdoll physics that will no doubt insight giggles and guffaws".
If you are going to PAX Prime, Double Fine and Boneleaf will have a demo of the game available to play at booth #117. It will also be playable at Fantastic Arcade, along with seven other spotlight games, including one of Double Fine's other spotlight games, Mountain.
Double Fine is going to be holding a panel at this year's Penny Arcade Expo, entitled Grim Fandango: Bringing the Dead Back to Life! The panel will be jam packed full of people who worked on the game, including creator Tim Schafer, artist Peter Chan, musician Peter McConnell, Double Fine Productions executive producer Matt Hansen and Sony’s Gio Corsi as moderator.
They will discuss development of both the original game and the new remastered version. They will also be unveiling a new development documentary episode from 2 Player Productions. If you are going to PAX this year, you won't want to miss the panel. It is happening on Saturday, August 30th at 4:30 in the Main Theater.
So apparently Dan Adelman, former "Indie Lead" of Nintendo, had the idea of bringing back Grim Fandango a long time ago!
Which were some games that you work really hard to get them on Nintendo's platforms, but for some reason at the end you couldn't?
Grim Fandango. I mentioned the idea of an HD remake to Tim Schafer about 7-8 years ago. I was so jealous that PlayStation got that. Curse you, Adam Boyes!
I suppose we can guess why it didn't work out. Adelman could have petitioned Tim all he wanted, but it was LucasLegal he would have had to strike a deal with. Maybe Sony just screams louder?
I think it's kind of awesome that Nintendo was pursuing this. It also potentially just goes to show how much of a massive asshole you apparently had to be to score a job as a gatekeeper for Lucas-owned licenses.
Source: IGN
From recording tests with Noah Falstein as Bobbin Threadbare in 1992 to her present work voice directing Broken Age, Khris Brown has played a crucial role in making your favorite Mojo classics talk.
In a new interview with Gamastura, Brown discusses her career, sharing insights she gained from her decades in the field:
In short: know your stuff, be supportive, have no ego, and be ready to laugh. Do not give up after 3 takes. Do give up after 10 takes. We had 27 takes of Indiana Jones saying, "It's a cup full of lava." The actor was exhausted, and we ended up Frankensteining the line anyway (pasting two takes together to create our ideal).
Source: Gamasutra
There's a few comic related news bits that we missed. First, Zak Gorman, the creator of Magical Game Time, is creating a Costume Quest graphic novel called "Invasion of the Candy Snatchers". It flips the Costume Quest story around, telling the story of the original Costume Quest from the point of view of a Grubbin named Klem.
Secondly, Maniac Mansion co-creator Gary Winnick's Bad Dreams #1 comic was in the list of the top 6 new comics and sold out in it's first week of release. Mojo wishes Mr. Winnick a (very) belated congratulations. Oh, and while we're on the subject of comics, Dirt Nap by Gabe Miller, the Double Fine comic about zombies, is oddly the only one that's still alive. And it's awesome. So, read it, if you haven't already.
The Double Fine Action News page has been updated with news that the remastered version of Grim Fandango will will be releasing simultaneously on Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Vita.
The latest indie title to be published by Double Fine through their Double Fine Presents program has been revealed. It is David OReilly’s Mountain. Double Fine describes it as "beautiful, relaxing, and most definitely unlike anything you’ve played before. It is a completely procedural terrarium of sorts that provides an ambient, minimalist, zen-like experience full of secrets and mysteries. It’s something that is begging to live in a small window of your desktop at all times and be taken in passively over time."
It is available now for iOS and PC, Mac, and Linux for only $1. You totally can't pass it up for that price.
Well, hell, Double Fine is remastering Grim Fandango -- what can you do to sustain this high?!
First, you can stop whining about it not being released for PC up front. You know it'll be available for non-Sony platforms soon enough.
Then! Then you can bask in nostalgia heaven!
For example, you can check out our various screenshots. Concept art, in-jokes, covers… It's all there. And you probably want to re-watch the trailer and enjoy a G4 special on the game too, right in our video section.
This is probably a good time to re-read Jason in-depth Secret History article too. (LEC might not have acknowledged Grim's existence, but, bizarrely enough, Disney has.)
Word has it that Thrik is resurrecting his Grim Fandango site. You should nag him to get that going.
And the soundtrack! Go listen to the soundtrack!
2 Player Productions has a retrospective too. What the hell?
Feel free to link to more Grim in the comments, or on Twitter. Tweet it to us and we shall retweet.
Apparently Tim decided to start playing Full Throttle before finishing Day of the Tentacle. Someone should just make a "Director's Commentary" type thing to listen to while playing the games!
Source: YouTube
We're a bit late with the news, but Brandon Dillon's amnesia fortnight prototype turned full release in the making, Hack 'n' Slash, is now available on Steam Early Access for $20 USD, or $25 USD including the soundtrack.