Don't feel left out, Americans. Despite how it may feel, Europe isn't the only region getting PSN Store updates this week and today's US update is rather tasty. Between the demos, trailers and PixelJunk Monsters Encore there's more than enough content to keep everyone happy. If you're intrigued about PlayStation Day, however, and want to check out the keynote then, sadly you're out of luck. Here's the full release list:
Playable content
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($10 - game now available from store, rather than from within the demo)
PixelJunk fans rejoice. We told you that Encore would strike the PSN early this month ... and we were right! PixelJunk Monsters Encore brings more tower defense fun to the PS3 this week for a mere $5.99. That's cheaper than a beer at a baseball game. When Thursday comes, we're going to be going crazy chasing some rainbows. Will you join us?
Last time we heard anything from Q Games and Dylan Cuthbert about PixelJunk Monsters: Encore, we told you the Ice Tower was coming standard and the Tesla tower was getting a lowered cost. Japan got the game last week, but the rest of the world is still waiting. Now we get to hear from SCEA Santa Monica on the game's progress for US release. In their talk with Cuthbert, there are a lot of queries answered but even more to come, so we're only going to graze over what's most important and leave it to you to check out the rest.
The game took Encore as its title because, well, it's like at the end of a concert -- you just want a little bit more (plus it was easier for the Japanese crowd to understand). Also, some people complained of plasma TV's getting the game burned onto their screen because they just couldn't stop playing -- there's now an anti-burn option on the game's menu to prevent that.
As for Cuthbert himself, his favorite level in the expansion is Racer Gardens, since it's based off of a PixelJunk Racers design. He even gives you a hint on how to beat it -- the big guys always cross the bridge! Interestingly, the game's overall design is based off of Red Riding Hood concepts. At first, our Tiki hero was the girl in red, protecting grandma's house from wolves ... we're exaggerating, but that would have been the basic concept, for sure. Eventually, the design we see now took over. More information to come!
If you've recently checked your Japanese PSN account, you may have noticed that PixelJunk Monsters Encore is already available for download. The expansion pack that brings you to the whole new Toki Island, adding in 15 new missions, is priced at ¥600 (US$5.77).
That's all well and good for Japan, but what about North America? Will we be seeing a similar price point? And where exactly is our North American expansion? It was given an ambiguous April 2008 release schedule, but has yet to come out all month ... until now -- at least for Japan anyway.
We're probably jumping the gun on this one. The North American PlayStation Store has yet been updated today, so there's still a good chance this much wanted add-on will sneak up on there. Although, a stealth release is not of the norm; if the game was ready, we would have heard about it by now. We guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?
[Update: We contacted SCEA. Encore is currently scheduled for an early May release. And by early, we mean really early. Stay tuned.]
First and foremost, Q Games' Dylan Cuthbert said before this PixelJunk Monsters expansion would be released sooner rather than later. It is so. The expansion is due out sometime in April. That's pretty quick, especially if you spent last night with a friend getting perfect scores on every single map in the original. But anyway, what's new in Encore, the expansion?
A new island, Toki Island, is available with 15 new missions. The maps for the missions look quite experimental and different from much of the original island (Tiki Island). At the beginning of missions, you'll now have instant access to the mostly-useless Ice Tower. The cost of the Tesla Tower has decreased to only 10 jewels. You'll have to earn the abilities from the original game again (like running, land mine, et cetera). There's also a strange little bonus island whose purpose is unknown right now. There are also five new music tracks. We're excited, but until we get word of the final build, that's all we know for now.
Dylan Cuthbert should be a name familiar to any real PS3 fan. Responsible for Q-Games, and their PixelJunk series of PSN games, the team has been hard at work at delivering unique experiences exclusively for the PLAYSTATION Network. Not only has the team delivered one truly stellar game (PixelJunk Monsters), it has worked on a few other technologies for Sony. Did you know that they're responsible for the Earth music visualization? We chatted with Cuthbert at GDC, and we're proud to present our interview.
I wanted to start with a topic that I'm sure no one has asked you about yet. Q-Games is responsible for the Earth visualizer, yes? Where did that come from? Well, we've always had a close relationship with Sony. They came to us and asked us to make an intro for the PS3 before it came out. For the OS and everything. They had these ideas that were like the earth, and the PS3 logo were in a bubble. So we said instead of making a fake earth, we should make a proper rendering. We showed a prototype to them, but ultimately Sony wanted to go for a more simpler style. The intro became much simpler, orchestral. So we had a very well rendered earth and we didn't know what to do with it.
PixelJunk Monsters is probably the cutest game on the PS3 not named LittleBigPlanet, but the game's cuteness isn't the extent to its awesomeness. It's actually a pretty damn fun game, and that's why we're so happy to hear that Q-Games is currently developing an expansion.
Tim R., a gamer who shares our love with the game, emailed Q-Games expressing his need for some more PixelJunk Monsters, and was told "There should be some news about an expansion pack over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled."
So if you haven't had enough of defending your tiny villagers from the rampaging monsters, you'll apparently have some new content to satisfy you very soon.
The tower defense genre is one that's very familiar to PC gamers. However, console gamers have rarely experienced the simple, and addictive nature of this offshot of the strategy genre. PixelJunk Monsters, the second downloadable title from Q Games, brings its unique style and meshes it with a time-tested gameplay formula. The combination is an overwhelming success, and adds even more depth to the ever-growing PSN library.
Although the presentation is decidedly simple, the execution is anything but. Hidden underneath the cute exterior is a game that's incredible difficult, and emasuclating at times. As easy as the controls and the concept are, this is easily one of the most hardcore games available on the PSN. PixelJunk Monsters will strain the minds of even the most cunning. Ultimately, its difficulty is a double-edge sword: it makes each level addictive and satisfying to complete, but also inspires a painful level of crushing frustration.
Here we were, resting on our virtual laurels, when SCEE goes and surprises us with an early PSN update. Not an awful one either. We're sad that the DMC4 demo is missing, but also pleased that Europe has received PixelJunk Monsters, technically, before America. What a strange mixture of feelings. Here's the full release list:
PixelJunk Monsters full game (£3.49/€4.99)
Judge Dredd PS1 game (£3.49/€4.99)
CIV Revolution trailer (free)
Call of Duty 4 PS3 theme (free)
5 Call of Duty 4 wallpapers (free)
As we continue to say, it's always nice to see PS1 games being released, but is Judge Dredd really a PS1 classic? With Vib Ribbon and Klonoa hopefully on the way soon, things seemed to be looking up for the quality of PS1 games. But Judge Dredd? We'll reserve judgment until we try it.
Imagine our surprise when we wake up to find an English demo of PixelJunk Monsters, of all things, on the Japanese PSN Store. The game is due to release on the US Store this coming Thursday, so this is a perfect opportunity for people to try it out before you buy. Monsters is the second game in the PixelJunk series. The first of which, PixelJunkRacers didn't manage to really inspire us.
PixelJunk Monsters seems to be a nicely designed little Tower Defense style game, with a much more pleasing aesthetic than PixelJunk Racers had (and, we're hoping, much less annoying voices). The kicker? It works via Remote Play. So if you've just woken up and are checking PS3 Fanboy on your phone or via some other wireless device (as we're sure most of you are!), you won't even need to get out of bed to try it.
You know you can't wait for the castle defense strategy game known as PixelJunk Monsters. The game looks like an image straight out of some classic like Where The Wild Things Are, but less menacing and more cuddly. Perhaps our childhoods were just riddled with fear. Either way. Dylan Cuthbert, executive producer over at Q-Games confirmed the game will appear next week as a part of the weekly update -- not this update, but next week's. Want to see what it's about? Watch the above video for a quick demonstration of what to expect.
The upcoming PSN game PixelJunk Monsters is just around the corner, and GameVideos has new footage of the game's early sections. This defense game is filled with charm, and may be able to suck away countless hours of your life when it releases soon. Check out the video, and then images in our updated gallery below.
Just like its predecessor, we have an irksome feeling PixelJunk Monsters will have trouble finding an audience. It's quirky presentation won't help it resonate with the general populace -- a shame, considering how much fun we had with it.
You're set in the role of a village chief that must protect his people from an ever-increasingly powerful and deadly assortment of monsters. As they come rushing forward, you must set up defenses by constructing a variety of weapons at key points in each level. Cannons are slow, but powerful. Arrow launchers are much faster, but much less powerful. Anti-air towers are necessary to have a fighting chance against any of the flying enemies. These are but a small sampling of the towers available to the player.
Careful positioning is crucial to victory. At first, swarms may seem quite easy to handle. However, without taking advantage of choke points and cross-fire locations within each level, faster enemies will be able to sneak on by and feast on your delicious villagers. Constant construction is required as the level becomes more challenging. Thankfully, you can upgrade your arsenal throughout the game. Enemies will drop coins and gems when defeated, which can be used to upgrade or purchase new towers. You can also stand in a tower and do a magic upgrade dance, which will upgrade the towers for free. Each level-up a tower receives increases its range and firing capabilities, so choosing which tower to upgrade is part of the strategery involved in the game.
The careful progression of enemies gives the game the charming appeal of classic puzzlers. As faster and stronger enemies pour into the level, one can't help but feel their pulse increase. Will the game have enough depth to warrant a PSN purchase? Well, that depends on both the amount of content included in the game and the price. We'll know for sure when the game comes out early next year.
We last checked in with PixelJunk honcho Dylan Cuthbert when he spoke about PJ Monsters -- now we're going to talk a little more about that but also delve into his next project, dubbed PixelJunk 1-3. As far as the hardcore audience not adopting to the PJ image, Cuthbert replies "by keeping the development cost down, and keeping the number of games we produce high, for each game, we can go with the style that we want to play with at that time and give people a much larger range of visual styles than they are used to at the moment." That really is a good thing -- it's nice to experiment with a wide array of styles. Each one will suit at least some consumers, you know? It's a great opportunity the PSN has offered Cuthbert and Crew, letting them tinker with any style they'd like.
The team at Q-Games have learned a lesson from PixelJunk Racers -- they tuned that game to their own skill set and as a result, it was perceived as too hard for many players. Monsters will have a much more manageable difficulty curve so more people will be able to get into it and enjoy it.
PixelJunk 1-3 is already up and in progress. They've enlisted a DJ to assist in the music whose rhythm creates "life" of some sort -- the title isn't going to be a rhythm game, but from what Cuthbert says, music is going to play a significant role. It's a "complete experiment" so expect something a bit outlandish, yet accessible. We'll keep you tuned into more Cuthbert and PixelJunk news as it surfaces.
American gamers have wholeheartedly embraced the incredible selection from the PS3's online store. Games like fl0w, Everyday Shooter and Calling All Cars simply wouldn't have been possible through retail outlets, and their success on the PSN is ushering a new era of simple downloadable titles. Too bad the concept hasn't resonated well amongst Japanese gamers, at least according to an interview with Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert.
"So far, it really hasn't caught on in the same way it has in the West--the problem in Japan is a traditional aversion to using credit cards, as opposed to the West where it is second nature." In America, we love to collect debt. Therefore, online shopping with credit cards comes as second nature. However, using plastic in Japan just isn't very socially acceptable. "A lot of restaurants over here don't accept any credit card at all, and when you order things online to be delivered the majority of people pay on delivery or even by online bank transfer as opposed to using a credit card." Thankfully, there's a solution. "Pre-paid cards are definitely the way to go forward to solve these problems, but they only rolled out recently, so we'll just have to wait and see."
The Q-Games PixelJunk titles are meant to appeal to Japanese sensibilities. Will they succeed with today's release of PixelJunk Monsters on the Japanese Store? Only time will tell. Read the complete interview on Level Up to find out more about this quirky PSN game.
