There was a recent, rather interesting blog post on Entertainment Weekly’s website that asked: “What film directors would you follow anywhere?” Basically, the post talked about how important a director is when choosing what movie you want to see. Being a huge movie fan, I had a bunch of quick answers: Alfonso Cuarón, Danny Boyle, and Guillermo del Toro, to name a few -- the mere mention of their names alone is enough to get me to see a movie.

But when thinking about game designers, my answer wasn’t so easy.

Sure, there are many game designers I adore, but would I follow them anywhere? Would I blindly buy a game just because a certain game designer is attached?

The more I thought about it, the less sure I was.

In my hyperbole-filled, completely optimistic world of puppies and rainbows, I would say the answer to this question is yes (in bold and italics!)! Of course I would follow my favorite game designers anywhere. I want to have Shigeru Miyamoto’s babies, so I would buy anything he is selling.

But, wait. Maybe I need to calm down for a second Maybe I need to put my shirt back on, and really think about this for a second.

As much as I adore the legendary designer (seriously, LET ME HAVE HIS BABIES!), I never purchased Wii Music (a game Miyamoto designed). It just didn’t interest me. And this is coming from the biggest Miyamoto fan on the planet!

So, in answering the question “Is there a game designer you would follow anywhere?” with Miyamoto in mind, the answer is sadly (and surprisingly!) no. Not anywhere. (Although I would buy a Pikmin dating sim, no questions asked.)

I can say the same thing about other designers I love with a passion: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hideo Kojima, or Michel Ancel.

I love all three of these designers, but I can’t say with certainty that I would buy any game they created based on nothing but their names alone.

Conversely, though, I had little to no interest in recent Xbox Live Arcade game Costume Quest the first time I laid eyes on it. It looked pleasant enough, but nothing about the game’s initial impressions excited me enough to buy the game the day it was released.

But then I found out the adorable RPG was created by Tim Schafer's Double Fine studios.

And that was all I needed. I bought it right away.

In fact, looking back, I realized that I have actually purchased every single one of Tim Schafer’s games. All of them.

Are they all good? No -- I was ultimately disappointed in Brütal Legend, for example -- but that’s not the question. The question is not whether the designers’ games are good ... it’s whether you would follow those designers anywhere.

And, with Tim Schafer, I guess I would (and have!).

So, in conclusion: I GUESS I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION!

That’s where I need your help! Do you think a game designer’s name is enough to get you to follow them anywhere? If so, who are some designers you would blindly follow, no matter what?

Here is a good scenario to get the conversation started: If Fumito Ueda -- the genius and arguably universally loved creator of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and the upcoming The Last Guardian -- decided to make a game in a genre you normally care nothing about ... would you still buy it?

If the answer is yes than a game designer’s name really does matter. If the answer is no ... well, maybe you have other priorities outside of a designer’s prestigious moniker. Maybe gameplay is most important. Or graphics. Or story. Maybe a great game designer's name is just icing on the cake.

What do you think? The answer is more difficult (and surprising!) than you may think.

Sound off in the comments!

Rhythm fraction.

The creative and commercial health of the download gaming market has been a regular theme for this column – to be fair, that's usually in weeks when there's not much interesting in the shops. But the day when some App Store or Xbox Live Arcade game trounces a triple-A monster in our little weekly beauty pageant is surely not far off.

Not only is this week's physical media line-up rather unprepossessing, it's also physically absent from our offices, and therefore the website. Notably, I'd love to be able to tell you whether Kalypso's historical actioner The First Templar is any good, but it hasn't turned up.

Tolerant and flush 3DS owners after a pre-Ocarina time-killer might want to take a gamble on the novel and not entirely terrible Steel Diver. But Diablo addicts after their next methadone fix are advised to endure their cold sweats a little longer. Mythos too obviously betrays its mongrel heritage; Darkspore is better, but a curiously flat affair that underuses its best asset, the Spore creature creator. The forthcoming Dungeon Siege III and Torchlight II are better bets.

Read more...

Space Invaders Infinity Gene turns the retro arcade shooter you knew into an amazing new experience. Part of what makes the game so addicting is the awesome soundtrack which was finally released not too long ago. The album is made up of 25 tracks and contains songs from the iPhone/iPod Touch, Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network version of the game.

We're giving away the soundtrack AND Space Invaders Infinity Gene for the iPhone/iPod Touch to two of you this weekend and to enter, just answer this question: Who is the composer of Space Invader's Infinity Gene's music. 

You can find the answer on the official website and once you do, email your answer to contests@destructoid.com. Then leave a comment on this post stating you've sent us an email. Don't put your answer in the comments!

You have until May 8 at 11:59PM to enter and contest is open to everyone. Good luck!

Track List

[Infinity Gene Evolutionary Tracks]

1 Ancestor

2 Selection Complete

3 Survival Complete

4 Mutation Complete

5 Reproduce Complete

6 Manipulate Complete

7 Strategy Complete

8 Program Complete

9 Lifegame Complete

 

[PS3™/XBOX360 Tracks]

10 Great Mother

11 Child

12 Shadow

13 Anima

14 Hero

15 Devi

16 Trickster

17 Wise Old Man

18 Persona

19 Animus

20 Scarecrow

21 Unconscious

22 Strategic Deletion

 

[iPhone/iPod touch Additional Tracks]

23 I CAN NOT APE

24 BURN ALT AIR

25 BEFORE TEN ORB

Play Texas Hold 'Em against card sharks around the globe in this multiplayer Xbox Live Arcade title. Well designed gameplay keeps the action moving, and when you're not in a hand, it's fun to look around the virtual table. Boasts surprisingly good competition, too -though there are plenty of donkeys.

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - One of my all time favorite games is making a comeback on the Xbox Live Arcade. The Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes is being planned for a fall 2011 release. This isn’t going to be a straight port though as the game is going to be “fully re-mastered”.

So, what does “full re-mastered” mean? It includes, but is not limited to: all new graphics and visual effects, online cooperative gameplay, online battle gameplay, time attack mode(s), Arrange mode(s), and true widescreen formatted visuals. FOr those who don’t know, Guardian Heroes is an action RPG that plays out like a classic beat’em up arcade titles; the game was developed by Treasure and was a huge hit on the Sega Saturn back in the mid-90‘s.

I cannot wait for this to launch...

Source: VG247

GameSpot takes a look at Sega's newly announced Xbox Live Arcade port of Saturn classic Guardian Heroes in the latest On The Spot. Whether you prefer the original Saturn sprites or the filtered visual upgrade—not my cup of tea—you're probably going to get excited about Guardian Heroes one more time today. More »

Slowly but surely we are running out of reasons to hold on to the Sega Saturn. A The once-exclusive home of 2D classics like Panzer Dragoon and Radiant Silvergun are now seeing a second life either in the form of remakes, bonuses, and downloadable titles on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network .

Action RPG classic from 1996 Guardian Heroes marks the first Sega Saturn title to make the jump to HD consoles via Xbox Live Arcade.

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps

New iPhone, iPod touch and iPad product announcements for May 5, 2011:

New iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps

• JamKit is a community-driven drumming game and rhythm training tool. Players refine their drumming skills by playing “challenges” made by users across the world as they rank up, unlock VIP features, and compete to be in the JamKit hall of fame. Exposure to the unique drumming techniques of others provides inspiration for users to develop their own distinctive style that they can show off by creating original challenges of their own and contributing to the ever evolving world challenge library that provides fresh, unique content for users everywhere to experience every day.
• In Spelunk, ancient Element Village has five Books of Elements, which record the secrets of integration of things. One day, the Monster Gate in underground city struck village and robbed the Book of Elements to integrate powerful troops to conquer the world. While our brave collin will enter the underground cavern alone and recapture the Book of Elements to save the world.
• PAN Vision and Fabrication Games have announced the launch of Piclings, a new platform game for iOS devices that turns photos into playable worlds. Snap pics of fancy buildings, beautiful natural landscapes or even your weird uncle’s mangy dog, and the game engine takes care of the rest, converting them into levels populated with enemy Huffies and Puffies standing in the way of collectible treasures. Bring your very own Picling named Picazzo to life through photos limited only by your imagination. Piclings is now available for download from the App Store for $0.99.
• Playlithium is pleased to announce that Super Ball Escape HD is available now for free on the App Store. The happy owners of iPad and iPad 2 can now discover, in a version especially dedicated to them, this unique action game playable with the tilt control. Super Ball Escape HD will challenge your skills. Take control of a robot ball and try getting free through numerous mazes. Action, stealth and balance will be part of the game.
• Mooee has updated GolfSites to version 2.0, one of the most advanced Golf GPS App for the iPhone. Designed by golfers for golfers, GolfSites has all the bells and whistles of similar Golf GPS Apps plus it has something others don’t: Ball Path Tracking. By pressing your stroke button every time you hit a ball, GolfSites will remember where you’ve hit, and will show you your ball paths at the end of the game. All your scores will be recorded, statistics and location captured.
• Finncodex has released Neon Geoms 1.1 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. Neon Geoms is a unique new physics game that requires a mixture of logic, skill and co-ordination to win. Players move a neon ball through various levels, collecting stars for points as they go. Something that sets Neon Geom apart from the rest is its level editor, which allows players to custom create, edit and share their very own levels. Users are also able to play custom levels created by others.
• Thinking Drone, LLC has announced the release of Dash of Color Free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. This free photography app lets users apply selective coloring to black and white images, or transform color images to black and white. Dash Of Color Free offers users many of the same tools and effects used by professionals, so they can get dramatic results with a few taps of the screen.
• Urban Anomaly today released Seattle HitList, a tool that identifies the best free sites and informal landmarks within the geographical boundaries of Seattle, Washington. The guide features over 80 MB of high resolution photos, narrative, and geo-mapping of dozens of locations that meet the HitList criteria: suitably hip, local or artistic, free or mostly free, and photogenic. The app is built around an intuitive interface that provides three different types of media browsing.
• Astro Ape Studios has awakened its latest creation, Monsterz’ Revenge, an eerie new social game for iOS that pits a cast of ghouls against evil fast-food restaurants. The graveyard is overrun by fast-food joints crashing the Monsterz’ cookout, and they’re striking back with a spooky skirmish. Players will challenge the junk-food giants by hitting the drive-thru in their customizable battle car, leaving each joint in crumbles.
• Bare Reef has launched its rebranded line of stock market portfolio tracking apps for the iPad, iPhone and Mac. Portfolio Mobile offers the most comprehensive set of features found in any iPad, iPhone or Mac stock portfolio monitoring app. The launch also includes a new web portal that simplifies the process of entering and editing trade history. The new Mac version is available as a 30 day demo exclusively at Portfolio Mobile.
• CGMatic Co., Ltd has announced they are reducing the price of Grove Keeper and Grove Keeper HD for a limited time to celebrate the release of the new versions. Grove Keeper is a casual physics based action puzzle set in a beautiful fantasy world. Taking control of the Grove Keeper, the master of magic, accompanied by likable friends during his journey. Simple and easy to play, outlast the enemies using skillful control and witful strategy.
• That Can Be My Next Tweet generates your future tweets based on the DNA of your existing messages. NEW: combine your future tweets together with someone else to create bizarre mix-ups and profoundly strange combinations!
• Jack woke up with one thing on his mind: food! In Spider Jack, help Jack swing through 75 stages of peril-filled puzzles to reach his dinner. Tap “hook points” to cast Jack’s web through obstacle courses and nimbly avoid dangers. To keep the itsy-bitsy spider climbing, cut previous webs so Jack can cast new lines in his pursuit of delicious bugs.
• TouchGEN has announced their new iPad magazine, devoted to gaming on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. This pilot edition features 15 reviews from 2008-2010 that earned our editor’s choice seal of approval. A full, first issue of the magazine is in the pipeline for release soon. Issue 1 will feature all the things you’d expect from a news-stand gaming magazine, such as news, reviews, features, commentaries and the like, but in an interactive format.
• Rapid Turtle Games has announced that Charlie In Trouble - Returning Home, the final chapter in the Charlie In Trouble series is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store! The game features 8 huge levels divided into 21 stages, with many new puzzles and arcade platform jumping. Help Charlie once more to find his way back to home in the final chapter of this adventure game. He has defied the King’s orders, and traveled through a magical portal only to become trapped on the other side. In order to return home, Charlie must make it through 8 levels in this strange new realm filled with puzzles and enemies.
• INTERSOG Mobile has introduced Cam Capture 1.0, their new imaging utility for iPhone 4. Cam Capture allows users to make quick snapshots for important documents straight from their mobile devices, and additionally can organize and save them. Geared to be both practical and flexible enough to cater to even the most industrious users, Cam Capture simplifies the task of getting personal official photos of oneself made down to an easy seconds-long process.
• Nemo Games has introduced Enduro 1.0, their new driving game for iPhone and iPad. This fantastic game has been faithfully recreated for all retro lovers out there. Enduro consists of maneuvering a race car in the National Enduro, a long-distance endurance race. The object of the race is to pass a certain amount of cars each day. The driver must avoid other racers and pass 180 cars on the first day, and 280 cars with each following day.
• Synqua Games Ltd. has announced the successful release of Chillingham Manor for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This devilishly entertaining matching puzzle game treats players to a delightfully macabre atmosphere and dynamic competitive gameplay against a vibrant variety of diverse villains. The game is complete with a lengthy, endlessly re-playable campaign that throws gamers into the shoes of a rookie cartoon exorcist through Chillingham Manor.
• RB Apps, LLC has announced the global availability of the Doggy Diva app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It is an entertaining game designed especially for little fashionistas as well as for dog owners who adore playing and dressing up their doggies. Doggy Diva offers all the quality from the finely-detailed characters and accessories till the smooth and clean interface that is easy enough to use even for the little users.
• Neon Play has released Pro Football Touchdown 1.0 for iOS. The game has three different game modes, each requiring the player to catch footballs to score touchdowns. The game features live global leaderboards and scores can also be posted to Twitter and Facebook to obtain bragging rights amongst friends. There are also over 20 achievements to complete using Game Center.
• 8coupons has announced its iPhone application is available for free download today at the Apple App Store.  Relative to other deal aggregation apps, 8coupons is the most comprehensive, equipped with over 500K live deals within every zip code in the U.S.
• Appsules LLC has introduced Elapsed 1.0, their first product for iPhone and iPod touch. Elapsed is a free timer application that allows tracking of multiple timers simultaneously. Frequently used timers can be saved for easy reuse. Elapsed uniquely allows modification of running timers, thereby making it ideal for dealing with unexpected changes. Possible uses include metered parking, baking, grilling, doing laundry, exercising and any other tasks busy people need to monitor.
• RedLynx and Chillingo, leading independent games publisher and division of Electronic Arts, are teaming up to redefine touch-based racing on iOS devices with the announcement of DrawRace 2: Racing Evolved for the iPhone and iPad.
• ab2labs has announced that the update of their photography app, Effects 3.0, is now available exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch. Effects is a stylish and creative way to create unique photos. In Effects, the user can manipulate pictures in multiple ways thanks to many innovative features. The features include filters, layers, live preview, sharing with social media and email, upgradeable export resolution and custom frames.
• Readdle has released Printer Pro 1.5, a new version of popular application for printing email attachments, annotated documents, web pages, photos and other types of content from iOS devices. The new version of Printer Pro enhances printing experience for iPhone and iPad owners by delivering an excellent performance and advanced feature set. Also, Printer Pro 1.5 lets iOS owners to print PDF documents with mark-ups, hand drawn notes, signatures and even embedded forms right from Mail or PDF.
• Out of the Park Developments has announced the release of iOOTP Baseball 2011, an exciting new iOS game for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad that puts players in control of a major league baseball team. It’s driven by OOTP’s Out of the Park Baseball engine, which has provided stunningly realistic baseball simulations on PC, Mac, and Linux for over a decade. In addition, it’s the only game of its kind currently available at the App Store.
• Thanks to iPromDress 3.0, well-dressed girls will be heading to the prom in a perfect dress. Designed for easy, intuitive use, with iPromDress you can find the closest prom dress shop, store pictures of your dresses to compare them, and share your dress details and photos through email or Facebook. Your favorites are stored in an easy-to-navigate list, from which you can view the details, pictures, and even get directions back to the boutique. Shop, compare and share with iPromDress for iPhone.
• WhiskIT has announced the release of Spingredients 1.01 for iOS. Challenge yourself to cook whatever it suggests, or use it for inspiration when creating new dishes or menus. The app suggests which ingredients best complement not only your chosen ingredient, but also each other. This gives experienced cooks four key ingredients with which to create that perfect dish. For those in need of a little more inspiration, a built-in Google search helps you to find recipes.
• Thinknao software has announced its latest iOS game, Quoth 1.0 for iOS. Quoth is an exciting new twist to the word puzzles you’ve seen before. Use your knowledge and skills to fill in missing letters of famous quotes, sayings and anecdotes. Earn awards along the way and pass on your favorite sayings to friends and family. Quoth challenges you to fill-in missing letters of famous quotes, sayings and anecdotes within a set time limit. It’s so simple that anyone can play.
• Elite Gudz has announced a major expansion of its Retro-Pop Techno Kitten Adventure game. Previously exclusive to the Xbox Indies marketplace, a platform showcasing games developed by independent boutique studios. Techno Kitten Adventure is a single-button game in which players pilot a jetpack-powered kitten through an obstacle-laden world of rainbows, stars and other sparkly distractions, all set to upbeat techno music.
• It’s late at night. You can’t get hold of your husband. Or maybe your kid hasn’t come home yet. You try and call, but there’s no answer. You start to worry. You could start driving around to places you think they might be. Or, you could use the newly launched application for iPhone and iPad: Footprints. Footprints is a location-sharing app which displays the current whereabouts of your family and friends on a map. Utilizing its optimized Location Tracker, Footprints tracks and shares locations in the background, in real-time, all the time, without draining the battery like some other GPS trackers do.
• Thanks to Openfeint, My Brute is going free for a day. My Brute is a crazy, off-the-wall game of combat that gives you the chance to challenge fighters from all over the world. You simply take on a series of challenges, gain experience, unlock new skills and crush your enemies with ever-greater speed.
• Super Boise Studios is proud to announce the release of Political Fury: Primary 2012 Edition for the iPhone and iPad. Political Fury is about bringing people of various political beliefs together and letting them show off what they know about politics and current events. With this major update they can now share their knowledge in amazing new ways. The developers have added a custom-built forum, an in-game social network, a Primary 2012 Center, a newsfeed that’s updated daily, more community polls, and hundreds of new trivia questions. They’ve also expanded The Knowledge Battle to include the 2012 Presidential candidates so now players can help establish both their party and their candidate as the smartest in the land.
• Villain announced today the release Archetype Cadet and Archetype Cadet HD, free new versions of Archetype, its top-selling and critically acclaimed online first-person shooter game for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Archetype Cadet gives players a free training ground to experience the best, most intense online FPS action from the world of Archetype. Both versions of Archetype Cadet are now available as a free download in the iTunes App Store, and a free new 1.5.1 update of the core Archetype game with memory optimization updates is also available from iTunes.
• iMotion HD is an intuitive and powerful time-lapse and stop-motion app for iOS. Take pictures, edit your movie and export HD 720p videos to your device or directly to Youtube. Time-lapse is a cinematography technique which accelerates movement. It can be used to photograph cloudscapes and celestial motion, plants growing and flowers blooming, evolution of a building project, crowds… Stop motion is an animation technique which make a physically manipulated object look like it’s moving on its own.

New apps for iPad only

• Golden Hammer Software has introduced Scribble Worm 1.0, a revolutionary new puzzle game for the iPad. Use your finger to draw patterns on notebook paper. These patterns come to life as cutesy worms scribbled in crayon, wriggling their way across the paper. The goal is to reach an apple elsewhere on the page by drawing a pattern and anticipating the path of the resulting worm. With a unique game mechanic, Scribble Worm offers lots of challenging puzzles and Game Center support.
• 955 Dreams Inc. has introduced On the Way to Woodstock 1.0.6 for Apple’s iPad. This immersive, interactive timeline explores the phenomenon of how a generation evolved from sock hops to Woodstock. Enjoy over 100 hours of narrative, photography, videos and music from the 1950s, the 1960s and each of the artists that performed at the 1969 Woodstock Art & Music Fair. Over 100 rare color photos of Woodstock from award-winning photographer, Barry Levine.
• iNetwallpaper Limited has announced 3D Wallpaper Pro 1.0, their flagship iPad Wallpaper App. With sleek and stylish design, 3D Wallpaper Pro delivers unique and exclusive iPad Wallpaper, raising the bar in iPad and iPad 2 wallpaper apps. 3D Wallpaper Pro redefines what people should expect from iPad wallpaper apps; this new iPad-only app gives users unique and exclusive HD images with stunning levels of detail and depth.
• ComboApp today announces the recent release of the Pocket MBA Full Course: Part 4 app bundle for the iPad. Created specifically for mobile learning on Apple’s powerful tablet platforms and structured to be a fully self sufficient mobile learning experience, Part 4 of the Pocket MBA Full Course app bundle series represents the latest expansion of the publisher’s well rounded “Full Course” mobile business education solutions franchise.
• APPinspect has announced Hazard Manager 3.1, the map-based workplace inspection app. Upload jpeg floorplans via iTunes for many buildings, using scanned sketches or graphic files. Navigate from Group to Inspection Floorplan Folder to carry out a new Inspection. Choose Inspection Layer to add HazardPoints to map. Edit, push and shove HazardPoints. View all Layers. Flip through all inspections in a folder. Email inspection in .hzp format so another HazMan user can share the inspection.

New accessories

• Urbanears has announced the release of Plattan Plus—a version of the Plattan headphone featuring an Apple certified microphone and remote, with the additional functionality of volume control. The Plattan Plus comes in Dark Grey, Purple, Pool and Cerise and is available for purchase now. The Plattan is designed to be the perfect classic headphone with all the additional features that make it above and beyond what a static headphone would offer. Because you can fold it down to the size of your fist, the Plattan is extremely mobile, allowing for better protection when not in use.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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From Dust is the upcoming sandbox simulator by legendary designer Eric Chahi. The PC, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network title sees you playing the roll of a god-like spirit as you reshape the environment how you see fit in order to protect a group of villagers.

The most striking and attention grabbing aspect of From Dust is easily the stunning art direction. Our latest -- and exclusive -- look runs us through what inspired the world and the characters of From Dust.

Check out Jonathan Holmes's preview of From Dust for more on the game.

Sega has revealed some fresh new media for its upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game Renegade Ops, which is due sometime later this year as well as brand new Guardian Heroes (also for XBLA) images; see it all after the break.

5 Vote(s)

Sega announced today they'll be bringing over the Treasure developed, previously Saturn-exclusive Guardian Heroes to the Xbox Live Arcade.

Upcoming Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network title Renegade Ops is just exploding with explosions. This seems very good to...

Treasure's Saturn brawler-RPG is coming to Xbox Live Arcade with both graphical and gameplay upgrades.

View Article

One of the great things about videogames is how absurd they can be. Whether this absurdity is intentional (Noby Noby Boy) or unintentional (“All your base are belong to us!”) it’s always nice to see games that aren’t afraid to be ridiculous.

While movies and television have a stricter reliance on sticking to a somewhat cohesive narrative, videogames have the luxury of throwing normalcy out the window and offering something that can only be found in the world of gaming.

Even better, these absurd moments are even more wonderfully insane if they appear in a game that is otherwise fairly traditional.

A perfect example of this is in the semi-recent Xbox Live Arcade hit 'Splosion Man. The entire game (a classic platformer) is full of humorous moments, but an extended sequence at the end of the game is absolutely ludicrous and will go down in history as one of the oddest and most amazing videogame moments I have ever experienced.

The Set-Up

Even though it’s already a couple years old, ‘Splosion Man is still one of my favorite Xbox Live Arcade games to date. In fact, it’s even one of my favorite 2D platformers of all time. The game is just really well-designed, really fun to play, and really, really entertaining.

In the game, you play as the titular ‘Splosion Man, a fiery, explosive experiment gone wrong.

Created in the laboratory Big Science, the game starts with ‘Splosion Man escaping from his prison. Happy to be free, ‘Splosion (I am calling him this for the rest of the article as his full name is a chore to type!) wreaks havoc throughout the lab in order to find a way to escape.

The entire gameplay of ‘Splosion Man finds the main character traveling through multiple 2D, side-scrolling levels, using his explosive powers to traverse tricky obstacles and defeat various enemies.

The game is a blast (no pun intended), and possesses a sick and rather twisted sense of humor throughout.

For example, if ‘Splosion explodes next to one of the terrified scientists franticly running around the lab, their bodies will burst into a shower of flopping meat. It is rather gross, but weirdly satisfying, and, honestly, funny every time.

While traveling through the games increasingly brilliant and challenging levels, ‘Splosion is also tasked with defeating three towering bosses.

Each one is very well-designed and fills the entire screen.

At the very end of the game, as ‘Splosion is on the verge of escaping the facility, he faces the final boss: A giant, meat-covered, lizard-like creature that is as terrifying to look at as he is disgusting.

It is during this final boss battle when this week’s surreal Memory Card moment occurs: MEAT ‘SPLOSION!

The Moment

Even though the final boss in ‘Splosion Man looks crazy, he is defeated in a rather traditional manner. By memorizing his patterns, ‘Splosion must get the boss to smash his fists down onto huge orange panes of glass found on both sides of the room.

Once his hands hit the glass three times, the panes shatter, forcing the massive enemy’s fists to plunge into the hot liquid below. After this happens, the boss pulls out his now-burned-to-a-crisp hands and places them in front of his mouth.

The boss, being absolutely insane, smells his cooked meat hands, immediately bites them off, chews them into little pieces, and swallows.

To ultimately defeat the boss, ‘Splosion must repeat this process for all of the enemy’s four arms.

Once his first two arms are gone, ‘Splosion must explode next to the boss’s face, blinding him and forcing him to thrust his final two hands into electricity-filled tubing on the side of the room.

Again, this burns his hands, turning his appendages into a tasty snack for the self-mutilating monster.

Once all four arms are gone, one final maneuver is needed to put the boss to an end.

Armless and completely blind, the final boss leans forward in absolute exhaustion. He lets his giant, blistered tongue fall out of his mouth.

This is ‘Splosion’s opportunity.

With his mouth open, ‘Splosion leaps inside the belly of the enormous beast.

At this point, the player has to make ‘Splosion explode over and over again as fast as possible.

The boss writhes around in pain, pieces of the meat covering his body fly in all directions.

And, then, as if out of nowhere, something strange happens.

The scene immediately jumps away from the boss action to a shot of a boy lying on a carpeted floor reading a book.

And the shot is not created using in-game graphics. It is an actual real world shot using a real-life actor.

As the boy quietly reads, a giant slab of cartoony meat falls from the sky onto the child’s book.

It lands with a gross squish.

The boy giggles and smiles at the camera. A cheesy sparkle emits from his white teeth.

Um ...

The action then cuts back to ‘Splosion exploding inside the boss’s belly. The player continues to hit the button on the controller as fast as possible.

Again, the scene cuts to another real world shot. This one involves two men playing chess. Another cut of meat slaps onto the table, knocking over their chess pieces.

The two men high-five.

... okay?

The next montage of events repeats this pattern over and over again: Flashes of in-game footage of ‘Splosion exploding inside the boss’s body, cut together with increasingly random scenes set in the real world.

A dog being surprised by a piece of falling meat; a cute couple laughing as a shower of hot dogs surrounds them.

Each real world shot is more surreal and wacky than the one before it.

Finally, after this goes on for minutes, ‘Splosion finally defeats the boss. He is engulfed in a white light and is destroyed once and for all.

As if all of this wasn’t absurd enough, the closing credits then begin.

Next to all the hardworking people’s names scrolling by, a crazy song begins to play, accompanied by a man in a ‘Splosion Man outfit running through the real world streets, kicking and punching random photos of young girls, and, I can only guess, people that worked on the game at development studio Twisted Pixel.

Also, terrible, terrible green screen effects.

As the last credit rolls, the logo of the game explodes in a blast of fire as the screen finally fades to black.

The end.

The absurd, ridiculous, quite amazing end to an absurd, ridiculous, quite amazing game.

You really need to see the final boss battle and end credits sequence to believe it. So you can do that right here:

The Impact

Compared to some of the more moving and heartwarming moments that have been featured on The Memory Card in the past, this is obviously one of the least emotionally touching. (Unless, of course, the destruction of a giant murderous meat monster breaks your heart.)

But the lack of emotional impact doesn’t make it any less memorable.

In fact, I would go so far as to say the final sequence in ‘Splosion Man is one of the most energetic and inspired videogame endings in recent memory.

There is a fine line between hilariously absurd and obnoxious, and, honestly, Twisted Pixel did cross that line a couple times in their most recent game, Comic Jumper.

But with ‘Splosion Man, the absurdity just works perfectly. It never feels too out of control to be annoying, but is also insane enough to be genuinely funny.

What I think really helps -- and also makes this ending sequence of events so effective -- is that the majority of ‘Splosion Man is not really designed around being “wacky” or “hilarious”. Sure, there are big laughs throughout the game, but the game is first and foremost a 2D platformer -- and a really well-designed one at that!

With Comic Jumper, the game almost tries too hard to be funny throughout that it kind of loses some of its solid gameplay in the process.

But I am not here to criticize Comic Jumper (I still like that game a lot!). But the comparison helps to understand what makes ‘Splosion Man work so well.

‘Splosion Man is just a really solid game with a very humorous tone to compliment the stellar gameplay. Even the final boss -- as crazy-looking as he is -- is, at its core, just a really well-paced and challenging final boss fight.

So when you are about to defeat the boss and the game all of a sudden cuts to a random sequence of events showing real world actors being attacked by digital pieces of meat, well ... it is rather shocking, to say the least.

The first time this happened to me I really didn’t know what was happening. It made no sense to me! Heck, it still doesn’t make any sense to me.

But it is so absurdly awesome that I can’t help but smile every time I experience it.

I am not here to clear my throat, push up my glasses, and obnoxiously break down why the comedy works (I don’t even think I know!), but I can tell you that the reactions from the actors are what make this sequence so damn funny. One particular chuckle-inducing moment is the priceless facial expressions (and accompanying poorly dubbed sound effects) of the couple having a picnic in the park.

I mean ... what the heck? HA! It makes me laugh even typing about it.

Is this ending sequence completely pointless and a little dumb? Oh, definitely! But give me pointless and dumb any day if it results in something so refreshingly creative and absolutely insane as the ending of ‘Splosion Man.

I love it so much.

 

The Memory Card Save Files

_{Season 1}
.01: The return of Baby Metroid (Super Metroid)
.02: Palom and Porom's noble sacrifice (Final Fantasy IV)
.03: The encounter with Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
.04: The heir of Daventry (King's Quest III: To Heir is Human)
.05: Pey'j is captured (Beyond Good & Evil)
.06: The Opera House (Final Fantasy VI)
.07: Attack of the zombie dog! (Resident Evil)
.08: A twist on a classic (Metroid: Zero Mission)
.09: A Christmas gift (Elite Beat Agents)
.10: To the moon, Mario! (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island)
.11: The Solitary Island (Final Fantasy VI)
.12: Wander's brave friend (Shadow of the Colossus)
.13: The submerged letter (StarTropics)
.14: The legend of Tetra (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
.15: Snake pulls the trigger (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
.16: Riding under the missiles (Contra III: The Alien Wars)
.17: Hover bike madness! (Battletoads)
.18: Syldra's final cry (Final Fantasy V)
.19: Death by ...grappling beam? (Super Metroid)
.20: The message in the glass (BioShock)

_{Season 2}
.21: Crono's final act (Chrono Trigger)
.22: Ganon's tower (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
.23: It was all a dream? (Super Mario Bros. 2)
.24: The assimilation of Kerrigan (StarCraft)
.25: A McCloud family reunion (Star Fox 64)
.26: The return of Rydia (Final Fantasy IV)
.27: The battle with the Hydra (God of War)
.28: Fight for Marian's love! (Double Dragon)
.29: The Hunter attacks (Half-Life 2: Episode 2)
.30: The Phantom Train (Final Fantasy VI)
.31: The end of The End (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
.32: In Tentacle We Trust (Day of the Tentacle)
.33: Peach dances with TEC (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
.34: Learning to wall jump (Super Metroid)
.35: A leap of faith (Ico)
.36: The Master Sword (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past)
.37: Thinking outside the DS (Hotel Dusk: Room 215)
.38: Running outside the castle (Super Mario 64)
.39: Del Lago! (Resident Evil 4)
.40: In memoriam (Lost Odyssey)

_{Season 3}
.41: The tadpole prince (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)
.42: Pyramid Head! (Silent Hill 2)
.43: Waiting for Shadow (Final Fantasy VI)
.44: Solid vs. Liquid (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
.45: The birth of the cutscene (Ninja Gaiden)
.46: Insult swordfighting (The Secret of Monkey Island)
.47: A castle stuck in time (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
.48: 'That's the magic flute!' (The Wizard)
.49: Saving Santa (Secret of Mana)
.50: A shocking loss (Half-Life 2: Episode Two)
.51: The flying cow (Earthworm Jim)
.52: Blind the Thief (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past)
.53: The nuclear blast (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
.54: Microwaving the hamster (Maniac Mansion)
.55: The fate of Lucca's mother (Chrono Trigger)
.56: A fiery demise? (Portal)
.57: Jade's moment of silence (Beyond Good & Evil)
.58: The Great Mighty Poo (Conker's Bad Fur Day)
.59: With knowledge comes nudity (Leisure Suit Larry III)
.60: Flint's rage (Mother 3)

_{Season 4}
.61: The dream of the Wind Fish (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening)
.62: Leaving Midgar (Final Fantasy VII)
.63: Auf Wiedersehen! (Bionic Commando)
.64: Death and The Sorrow (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
.65: A glimpse into the future (Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter)
.66: Taloon the merchant (Dragon Quest IV)
.67: Scaling the waterfall (Contra)
.68: Anton's love story (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box)
.69: TKO! BJ! LOL! (Ring King)
.70: Giant robot fish! (Mega Man 2)
.71: The rotating room (Super Castlevania IV)
.72: The collapsing building (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
.73: Death by funnel (Phantasmagoria)
.74: Crono's trial (Chrono Trigger)
.75: The blind fighting the blind (God of War II)
.76: Brotherly love (Mother 3)
.77: Prince Froggy (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island)
.78: The statue of a hero (Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride)
.79: Inside the worm (Gears of War 2)
.80: The return to Shadow Moses (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)

_{Season 5}
.81: A prayer for Ness (EarthBound)
.82: Yuna's empty embrace (Final Fantasy X)
.83: Blast Processing! (Sonic the Hedgehog)
.84: A royal assist (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
.85: You have chosen ... wisely (Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis)
.86: Death is final (Fire Emblem)
.87: A Snake in a microwave (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
.88: The mark of a THIEF (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening)

DoPFNtD4LdI Digital Reality and Candygun Games have announced that Dead Block (http://deadblock.com/), a third-person zombie survival game, is coming to North America and Europe on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Windows PC later this year. ---Quote--- United States in the 1950’s...

Sega announced earlier today that it would bring Sega Saturn great Guardian Heroes to Xbox Live Arcade. Awesome, right? Everyone loves a Treasure game! Not awesome? First screen shots of the XBLA port of Guardian Heroes. More »

The Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes has been announced for Xbox Live Arcade.

GamePro.com

Saturn Beat-Em-Up RPG Guardian Heroes Marked for XBLA Upgrade Escapist Magazine Treasure's Saturn brawler-RPG is coming to Xbox Live Arcade with both graphical and gameplay upgrades. The Saturn didn't take off as Sega had hoped, but many rare videogame gems still appeared on the console during its lifecycle. ... Guardian Heroes Hits Xbox 360 With Online Co-Op And Remastered GraphicsSiliconera Guardian Heroes to return remastered on XBLANeoseeker Saturn Brawler Guardian Heroes Coming To Xbox Live ArcadeGamasutra Digital Spy -Shacknews -Destructoid all 33 news articles »

The Saints Row spin-off seems to be dead in the street. 

Earlier today THQ stated "We are not developing Saints Row: Drive By." With this statement it is safe to assume that the Saints Row spin off that was to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network has been cancelled indefinitely.

A Nintendo 3DS release of Saints Row was planned, but since the 3DS version was to be the same game as the XBLA/PSN release, Saints Row will not be coming to the handheld anytime soon. When asked for more on the Nintendo 3DS game information, THQ replied they "had no further comment at this time."

read more...

Action RPG classic from 1996 Guardian Heroes marks the first Sega Saturn title to make the jump to HD consoles via Xbox Live Arcade.

Sega has announced that classic RPG brawler Guardian Heroes will be re-released via the Xbox Live Arcade this fall.

If by any chance you regret missing out on Guardian Heroes for the Sega Saturn back in 1996, you'll finally get that second chance later this fall when Sega releases a brand spanking new remake of Treasure's critically acclaimed 2D action RPG brawler for Xbox Live Arcade.

Classic Saturn Title from Treasure Coming This Year for Digital Download. SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON - May 5, 2011 SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the upcoming re-release of Guardian Heroes™, a classic Action-RPG Brawler by celebrated developers Treasure. Originally released for the SEGA Saturn™ in 1996, Guardian Heroes has been re-mastered [...]

Saturn classic heading for XBLA.

Treasure's classic side-scrolling brawler Guardian Heroes is heading to Xbox Live Arcade this Autumn with a fresh lick of paint, publisher SEGA has announced.

First released back in 1996 on the Saturn, SEGA has gone back in and added enhanced HD graphics, online co-op and a number of new game modes.

No firm release date or asking price yet but Gamersyde has some screens.

Read more...

Can't see the video? Click here

Downloadable title Dead Block is a zombie defense game, but unlike Call of Duty: Black Ops' focus on shooting zombies, it has a focus on creating traps to deal with the undead menace. It reminds me a bit of Evil Genius but with zombies.

The Unreal Engine 3 powered game features 10 singleplayer levels, up to 4-player split-screen multiplayer, 8 co-op levels, 9 types of traps and upgradable weapons.

Dead Block is scheduled for a Summer 2011 release on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC.

Sega just announced that it's giving one of the cult favorite Saturn games the HD treatment: Guardian Heroes is coming to Xbox Live Arcade! Originally released on the Saturn in 1996, Guardian Heroes is a side-scrolling brawler from Treasure, also known for such titles as Radiant Silvergun and Gunstar Heroes. The beauty of Guardian Heroes, however, was that it also included lots of RPG and adventure elements, making it so much more than your standard brawler. It also featured an incredibly cool art/visual style and soundtrack.

If you've never seen the game before, trust me, it's stellar. And it's one that we, along with lots of others, had been asking to see given the HD treatment for quite some time.

Gamasutra

Saturn Brawler Guardian Heroes Coming To Xbox Live Arcade Gamasutra Sega has announced that classic RPG brawler Guardian Heroes will be re-released via the Xbox Live Arcade. The game was originally developed by Treasure, and released in 1996 for the ill-fated Sega ... 'Guardian Heroes' coming to Xbox LiveDigital Spy Guardian Heroes being remastered for XBLAShacknews Guardian Heroes Hits Xbox 360 With Online Co-Op And Remastered GraphicsSiliconera Destructoid -1UP.com -IDG News Service all 25 news articles »

The awesome Sega Saturn action-RPG brawler is getting enhanced and re-released this Fall.

Action RPG classic from 1996 Guardian Heroes marks the first Sega Saturn title to make the jump to HD consoles via Xbox Live Arcade.

May 5, 2011 SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced the upcoming re-release of Guardian HeroesTM, a classic Action-RPG Brawler by celebrated developers Treasure.

SEGA has announced that Guardian Heroes , a classic action-RPG brawler originally released for the SEGA Saturn in 1996, will be available for Xbox 360, via Xbox LIVE Arcade, this fall.

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - Sega’s recently announced Renegade Ops has received its first trailer, which you can find below.

The title, which is being developed by Avalanche Studios, looks to bring back classic-top-down, cooperative action to both the PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network this summer. Though the footage is brief, you can get a good feel for the graphical style and perspective of the game, which is very “old school”. This video leads one to believe that a majority of the game will be spent inside of various military vehicles, but I wonder if there is just more to be seen.

2011 is a good year for fans of old Treasure games, what with Bangai-O HD dropping from the heavens to Xbox Live Arcade yesterday, and Radiant Silvergun HD on the way to the download platform. Now Sega is announcing that...

Treasure's classic Sega Saturn title Guardian Heroes is coming to Xbox Live Arcade this fall, Sega has announced today.

The action-RPG beat 'em up is coming to the Xbox 360 "fully re-mastered," which Sega says means "all-new graphics and visual effects" in widescreen format. The title will also feature online co-op and battle modes, along with Time Attack, Arcade, and Arrange modes.

Otherwise, it sounds like it's the same Guardian Heroes, with its 40-plus fighters, you remember from the mid-90s. And that's a good thing.

Treasure’s Saturn beat ‘em up to return to Xbox 360 download service this autumn.

Beloved Sega Saturn brawler Guardian Heroes is to be released for Xbox Live Arcade later this year, Sega has announced.

First released in 1996, Treasure’s side-scrolling beat ‘em up is to return this autumn with enhanced graphics, online co-op and versus modes, and brand new game types.

read more

Image: http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/news2001/34525/guardian_heroes.jpg Sega has announced that classic RPG brawler Guardian Heroes will be re-released via the Xbox Live Arcade. The game was originally developed by Treasure, and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn console. This new...

Sega is bringing an enhanced version of Treasure's Saturn beat-em-up Guardian Heroes to Xbox Live Arcade this fall, complete with enhanced HD graphics, online cooperative play, and an online versus mode supporting up to 12 players at once. Rejoice! More »

If you've been intensely monitoring eBay, hoping to nab a factory-sealed copy of Treasure's rare Sega Saturn beat-'em-up, Guardian Heroes, it's time to relax. Sega revealed this morning that it intends to release the game for Xbox Live Arcade sometime "this fall," with flashier 2D visuals (HD!) and online play (both co-op and battle modes). And it won't cost upwards of $50 to get it, unlike that eBay auction you've been eying. (Our condolences to the sellers, though!)

"Players have been clamoring for this treasured favorite from the Saturn days, and we cannot wait to show them what we have got for them," Sega VP of digital business Haruki Satomi noted in the announcement, calling the fan response to previous Dreamcast re-releases "overwhelming." So overwhelming, in fact, that Sega had to step back to an older console.

Guardian Heroes remastered for XBLA this fall originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 May 2011 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OK, gamers on Xbox Live, do you want an Xbox Live Arcade Triple Pack? There’s still time to enter the XBLA Triple Pack contest! Just in case you missed it the first time, here’s what the GeekDad giveaway prize is: Xbox Live Arcade Triple Pack Three critically acclaimed downloadable games are now together on one disc! Available on [...]

Fire up a couple of side-scrolling shooters with today’s new Xbox LIVE Arcade releases: Square Enix’s Moon Diver and D3Publisher of America’s Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury. Moon Diver...

[[ Get the complete story at GamingBits.com ]]

Now seems like a good time to make the year’s biggest and best $15 shooter even bigger and better. After an incredibly successful launch on Xbox Live Arcade that exceeded the company’s expectations, and celebrating today’s debut on PC, TimeGate Studios is enlisting the aid of gamers around the world to unlock the frenetic, team-based [...]

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - Majesco is preparing to launch an all-new chapter to the BloodRayne series in the form of BloodRayne: Betrayal for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The last time that gamers got a chance to play as / with the deadly dhampir was in 2004‘s BloodRayne 2. The title has been announced through an official website as well as an official Facebook page. 

Little to no details have been released about the game aside from a brief teaser trailer and a single screenshot, both of which can be found below. The game is being planned for this coming summer, so we will likely see an extended reveal at this year’s E3. I really like the new art style depicted in the screenshots below; the game looks a lot like the recent Shank and other cartoony / action games making a comeback on the various digital distribution services.

Click here to view the rest of the content.

Content: MOON DIVER Price: 1200 Microsoft Points Availability: Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region Dash Text: The Earth lies [...]

Content: Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury Price: 800 Microsoft Points Availability: Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region Dash Text: Bangai-O [...]

Content: Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury Price: 800 Microsoft Points Availability: Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region Dash Text: Bangai-O [...] More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MajorNelson/~3/7fFpcoAGjaY/)

Content: MOON DIVER Price: 1200 Microsoft Points Availability: Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region Dash Text: The Earth lies [...] More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MajorNelson/~3/rkq7A6nTUrM/)

Yup.

We have forums, Wii price drop is brought up again, EA acquiring Firemint, more Project Cafe rumors surface, Diverse got REALLY hammered at PAX Prime last year, you can get a unicorn gun in Red Faction: Armageddon and more happened on 5/3/11.

Destructoid Original:
Forums, we have them: May 2011
Live show: Mash Tactics plays 3D Dot Game Heros
Live Show: Backlog begins Series 12 and Bully

Community:
Community blogs of 5/3/11
Forum thread of the day: What is Icarus pointing at and/or who is nailing him?

Contests:
Contest: Win a rare steampunk gun based on ARGO Online

News:
Rumor: 'Wii Select' budget games, Wii price drop
Remedy: Screw retailers, let's go digital
Play for Japan raises $100,000 for relief efforts
UK Charts: Portal Kombat reigns supreme
Silicon Knights intends to finish Too Human trilogy
Loads of Dynasty Warriors 7 DLC now out
Microsoft Q3: 2.4 million Kinects, 2.7m Xbox 360s
See if you can run Deus Ex at a Human Resolution
EA to acquire iPhone dev Firemint
Sony: Only 900 of our stolen credit cards were active
Free App of the Day: Toaster Kun (iOS)
Rumor: Project Cafe has 8GB of on-board flash memory
Fallout: New Vegas getting three more DLC installments
Resistance 3 demo in Battle: Los Angeles Blu-ray
Behold, the PC specs for Duke Nukem Forever!
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 getting uDraw GameTablets
KontrolFreek giving away a $2,000 arcade machine
New U.S. Military billing options for Xbox Live members
Castlevania deals aplenty on Xbox Live this week
L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories coming to eBooks
Australia planning new law following PSN hacking
Game music composer Q&A and signing event in Burbank
DC Universe players get free month and mask for downtime
This month is full of new add-ons for Yoostar 2
Steam has NFS: Hot Pursuit, Shift, and Undercover on sale
Metro: Last Light confirmed by THQ
Image of 'Nintendo Selects' Wii budget titles surfaces
Square Enix distributing Dead Island and here's why

Offbeat:
Zelda: Skyward Sword theme played backwards = OMG
You'll want to see Dark Horse's replica Normandy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy brings on Kitana, Mileena and more

Media:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D gets new trailer
Here's some earthy Earth Seeker screens for you to seek
Brink gets SMART with a trailer about HUDs
1M Red Faction demo downloads will unlock a unicorn

The annual Penny Arcade Expo, the one that takes place in Seattle, will also be home to a Microsoft-sponsored festival geared for the Halo fan. The appropriately named Halo Fest, Microsoft says, is "the largest and most expansive live Halo experience ever." More »

According to Remedy head Matias Myllyrinne, the sooner the game industry switches to an entirely downloadable model, the better off it will be. Myllyrinne notes that the DLC episodes for Alan Wake were "hugely successful, and really resonated with the fans." He elaborated that current download marketplaces like Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and Steam offer developers a unique opportunity to "directly engage with your audience."

A download-driven industry, said Myllyrinne, would be "better for consumers, better for the developers and publishers," though he admitted such a shift would be "not so good for retail." That said, however, he added that given the way retailers incentivize the sale of used games, he doesn't really "feel sorry" for the potential loss they would suffer.

Look, Mr. Myllyrinne, if going downloadable gets us another Alan Wake, just tell us where to sign up.

Remedy's Myllyrinne pushing for digital future originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 May 2011 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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