Grubbins on Ice, some kind of additional content thingy for Double Fine's game Costume Quest is, apparently, now out on the Xbox Live Arcade. Thanks to Aleksandr for the news.
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The Tingler recently shared a report on how Costume Quest has performed on the XBLA for the month of October, and today comes equally promising news about how it's faring on the PSN.
Gamasutra's anaylsis of PSN's October sales place Costume Quest ninth amongst the top ten sellers. Again, bear in mind that the game was released in the last month of October.
If the success of the work of his now fellow employees wasn't enough, Ron also has reason to wear a smile. The PSN leaderboard statistics for October show that DeathSpank is continuing to be a consistent seller, with the two parts attracting over 12,000 new players.
Source: Gamasutra
Well, I'm glad you asked! Market research firm FADE (Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment) looked at the top 10 bestsellers on Xbox Live in October, and Costume Quest was in there at Number 7, selling 31,000 copies.
Considering that was in just the last week of October, only the 360 sales and up against such major digital titles as Sonic 4, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, and Limbo, that's a very respectable position.
Click below to see the full chart.
Source: FADE (via Eurogamer)
I’ve written a lot of complaints about certain games we like not turning up on PC. With Double Fine recently saying “it’s not our fault”, DeathSpank parts 1 and 2 coming out and my own constant moaning becoming a running joke here at Mojo, I thought it was time I set the record straight about my opinion.
I think Double Fine’s games have to be on PC. Read on for my justification, and why it’s probably not going to happen just yet.
After presumably losing The Tingler's cell phone number, Tim Schafer updated the online Double Fine Q&A to address a certain subject that is quite touchy amongst The Tingler PC gamers:
As a developer we do not have final say in the sku plan for our games. That is the decision of the person investing the money, i.e. the publisher. We have much of the technology in place to produce PC versions of all these games, but there is still some more work required to make them shippable and that costs money. So far, our publishers have not elected to fund that work. Not because they hate PC Gamers, but because they don't see enough financial reward. Double Fine does care about PC Gamers, and we always push for a PC version, and will continue to do so in the future. If we ever get super stinking rich here, with enough money to fund PC versions of our games, then we will go back and make them ourselves! Oh man, wouldn't that be cool?
I reprint what was implicit to all us due to the fact that this was for some reason picked up as a story on Gamasutra, and any debate in the comments there might be of more interest than the ones indigenous to The International House of Three Readers.
Source: Gamasutra
Wootfly.tv has put up the first of a two-part video interview with Tim Schafer. It won't kill you to watch it, and I'll kill you if you don't. Prudence dictates going with the not me killing you choice.
Also, there's a small page for Stacking up on the Double Fine web site, featuring six screenshots and a brief overview of the game. It verifies the possibly well known fact that Lee Petty (Brutal Legend art director) is the project leader for this one, which is the second of the four Amnesia Fortnight games to be published by THQ.
Anywho, we'll have those screenshots nice and stolen just as soon as Zaarin adds Stacking to the database (thx!), but in the meantime you can do the noble thing and wreck Double Fine's own bandwidth.
Also, there's a small page for Stacking up on the Double Fine web site, featuring six screenshots and a brief overview of the game. It verifies the possibly well known fact that Lee Petty (Brutal Legend art director) is the project leader for this one, which is the second of the four Amnesia Fortnight games to be published by THQ.
Anywho, we'll have those screenshots nice and stolen just as soon as Zaarin adds Stacking to the database (thx!), but in the meantime you can do the noble thing and wreck Double Fine's own bandwidth.
Source: Wootfly
Double Fine's new game has been announced. It is called Stacking, and, as far as I know, does not involve crates. Oh lordy.
The news comes exclusively from Mojo's sissy competitors IGN (or, as they would call Mojo, "worthy competition"), who have more details and a trailer.
The game is second in Double Fine's line-up of downloadable titles, and you should be excited for it if you: 1. don't exclusively play games on things that aren't PS3 or XBox 360, and 2. have access to PSN and XBLA. Otherwise you'll just have to hope to hype that it comes to other platforms, unlike a certain other game called Costume Quest (which Mixnmojo reviewed, by the way).
Expect the game in Spring 2011.
Source: IGN
In Double Fine's efforts to replace The Nightmare Before Christmas, their Hallowe'en themed Costume Quest (which we will get round to review, promise!) will be getting a Christmas-themed DLC pack called Grubbins On Ice. GameSpot has the first preview.
I admit I intentionally haven't read too much of that preview (since it clearly says that it has spoilers for people who haven't played the main game), but Double Fine are aiming for around five hours of playtime. No word on the price yet.
This also marks Double Fine's first ever single-player DLC, as they only ever released multiplayer stuff for Brutal Legend. This post also would have marked the first ever time I didn't mention about a game not being on PC, if I hadn't had just done so.
Source: GameSpot
Tim has been quoted in the latest PSM3 as saying he's ready to create a sequel to Psychonauts.
I hear LucasArts and Gabez have some free publishing slots, maybe one of them would be willing to lend a hand. Link at the end of the post.
I'm ready to do it. I'd love to do it. It's really a question of getting a publisher who's interested in doing it.
I hear LucasArts and Gabez have some free publishing slots, maybe one of them would be willing to lend a hand. Link at the end of the post.
Source: CVG
Want to play Brütal Legend, but you've been too cheap to pick it up? AxelMusic is selling the Xbox 360 version for only $7.15 today!
(Now where's my cut?)
Source: AxelMusic.com
Double Fine's most notable members with the names Tim Schafer and Tasha Harris were guests on yesterday's episode of the "Mobcast." If you've heard of it, that would narrow you down to being: not me. Anyway, while on the show they did this:
The crew discusses the virtues of disc-based and downloadable content, whether or not comedic developers can create more serious subject matter, underused art styles, and the last laugh-out-loud game they played. Tim also brings his own super-secret topic to the table. (But did he even actually think of one before recording the episode?)
Sounds awesome to me. I'm fixing to find out for sure, and I like to think the example I set is worth following.
Source: Bitmob
At least, I assume she does any time she wants to take a shower. Which she does during no point of this seven-minute video interview over at Gamespot. She talks her background, career and interests, and she didn't do all that only for you not to watch it.
Source: Gamespot
Do you want to play Costume Quest on a PC? That would be possible.
Game-character-come-to-life Phoenix Wright Tweeted Tim Schafer, "Will Costume Quest come to PC?"
"Yes," said Schafer. "If Costume Quest is a huge, huge hit!"
Those of us in non-PSN-approved or XBLA-approved countries would appreciate you making this the huge, huge hit it needs to be.
And it's reviews! We'll be cataloging them here as long as the other Mojoers can be bothered.
IGN (Score: 7.5)Eurogamer (Score: 8/10)
Gamespot (Score: 7.0)1up (Score: A-)
IGN (Score: 7.5)
"Costume Quest does a lot of things right – it’s humorous, has a great art style that fits the childish theme, a decent battle system, and costumes that double as super powers... But despite these great qualities, the game does have its shortcomings..."
"Costume Quest isn't the kind of sugary indulgence that's likely to make you feel sick. Rather, it's a light and delicious treat that's perfect for enjoying between this winter's gaming meals without the risk of ruining your appetite."
Gamespot (Score: 7.0)
"Without question, the art and overall premise serve as Costume Quest's biggest hook, and these things are ultimately what drive the game and turn it into something much more than a superficial RPG. Still, whether or not you can overlook and overcome its initial shortcomings is tied directly to how much you buy into its premise on a nostalgic and comedic level."
"Well, Double Fine's done it: They've made a game focused on the concept of trick-or-treating and managed to land on the right side of "gimmick." Costume Quest is, plain and simple, a fantastic embodiment of childhood imagination mixed with a healthy heap of cockiness."
Source: IGN
Despite Mojo telling you that Double Fine's Halloween-themed Costume Quest would be out next week, the game has been released. Go, PSN-ers and XBLA-ers: it's yours for $15, or 1200 MP.
Read an interview about the game with project leader Tasha Harris by clicking here.
You could all point your fingers at us and say we mentioned an incorrect release date. But let's be honest: the only logical explanation is that this week is also next week and that time is a lie. Don't believe me? Check the PSN Store and XBLA. Costume Quest is there, despite us telling you it wouldn't be.
While you'll hopefully be playing it next week if you've got a 360 or PS3 handy (and don't mind sticking your credit card in them), GameTrailers has a couple of new Costume Quest gameplay videos anyway: Trick Or Treat and Terror or Candy.
In this game (don't we love it now) everyone's waiting for the next surprise.
Source: GameTrailers
In a keynote speech we dutifully primed your for, Double Fine's Nathan Martz spoke at Game Connect Asia Pacific, where he discussed some behind-the-scenes details of the studio's by now gratuitously well-known division into four parts:
More from Martz speech can be read here. Also, to fan the excitement for next week's release of Costume Quest, Double Fine has announced a contest with some snazzy prizes. Won't you learn the details?
The birthing of "Quadruple Fine", as Martz jokingly calls it, was far from painless. The sound effects and visual effects departments only consisted of two people each, and there was a shortage of programmers with certain specialist knowledge, such as physics or the PS3 platform. Some individuals began to be bounced between projects, losing time, focus and therefore productivity in the process.
But they struggled through, and learned the hard lessons.
More from Martz speech can be read here. Also, to fan the excitement for next week's release of Costume Quest, Double Fine has announced a contest with some snazzy prizes. Won't you learn the details?
Source: Gamasutra
Tim Schafer recently related the newfound delights of splitting his studio into quarters in order to develop multiple projects at an accelerated timetable to Gamasutra, who translated it all into a four-page feature with loads of great insight:
When are you going to know like if this is a good strategy for your studio?
TS: I already know. I already love it. I already love my position of being, instead of the bottleneck that everyone was waiting for, like "Tim, when are you going to come up with that character design?" Or story, or whatever, I am now being a helper. Everyone's working. I'm not stopping it from working.
There's this guy I know who would totally not click to read the entire article, and my appeal to you is: don't be that guy.
Source: Gamasutra
This is a week old, but in case you haven't seen it: here is a hands-on preview of Costume Quest, courtesy of Giant Bomb. It's a little spoilerish for the hardcore "I don't want spoilers!" among you and opens-up with the witty banter game reviewers are so renowned for, but is still worth a watch. Don't make me tell you again.
Source: Giant Bomb