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IndieCade 2009: The finalists
by Mike Schramm 
{ Oct 5th 2009 at 10:26AM }
We've rounded up the festival's finalists in the gallery below. You may be familiar with a few of them, including Twisted Pixel's The Maw and a selection of well-known iPhone titles, but all of these titles deserve your attention -- and a playthrough!
Gallery: IndieCade 2009 Finalists
PAX 2009: Twisted Pixel reveals new game: Comic Jumper
by Kevin Kelly { Sep 4th 2009 at 8:15PM }
You play as Captain Smiley, along with his cohort Star -- who is, umm, stuck to the Captain's chest. They're bonded together, but they hate each other! Sounds like the perfect way to expose gamers to sticky situations and witty dialogue, no? The game will have you sending Captain Smiley into different levels within assorted comic books, with the art style (and possibly gameplay) changing with each jump into a new book.
"This is something that Josh [Bear, another co-founder, the third being Frank Wilson] has had in his mind since high school," Wilford said. We're wondering what it was doing in there for so long ... and what will happen once it escapes.
Xbox Live Top 10: There can be only 1 (17)
by David Hinkle { Aug 4th 2009 at 9:15AM }
On the XBLA side, the frenetic tag-based combat of Marvel vs Capcom 2 was too much for the competition. Capcom's brawler enjoyed top placement, finally bumping down Battlefield 1943 to second place. Coming in at third was none other than 'Splosion Man, Twisted Pixel's excellent follow-up to previous Arcade hit, The Maw.
'Splosion Man could detonate on PS3, Wii
by Xav de Matos { Jul 23rd 2009 at 3:15PM }
So, other platforms could be in the cards, but Twisted Pixel is happy with what it's been able to achieve on the Xbox platform, so far. "We're getting pretty skilled with the Xbox 360, so it's definitely easiest for us to stick with it," Wilson said. Wilson's words aren't confirmation that either title will see life on other platforms, but at least we've cleared the air of any existing Microsoft money-hats.
Final 'The Maw' DLC coming next week
by Xav de Matos { Apr 21st 2009 at 6:00PM }
The final add-on from developer Twisted Pixel is priced at 100
($1.25). The Speeder Lane is set for release on the Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, April 29, and for PC via Steam, Greenhouse, and Direct2Drive soon after. We'd hope more Maw content was on the horizon but Twisted Pixel is busy trying to 'spode people in preparation of its next (strange) title.The Maw developer's 'Splosion Man is real, real weird
by Randy Nelson { Apr 2nd 2009 at 6:50PM }
Two days, two games starring heroes who explode, neither of them jokes. We caught Explodemon! but managed to miss The Maw creator Twisted Pixel's intentionally cheeky announcement of a game called 'Splosion Man amid the April Fools mess. We surely didn't miss the follow-up confirmation that -- bizarre as it sounds -- the game is real.
Planned for Xbox Live Arcade, the game is "a 2.5D action/platformer based around the simple concept of 'splosions and the ridiculousness that ensues," according to its developer. Born of an experiment conducted too close to the sun, the titular Man will run through levels destroying everything in his wake, including the scientists trying to capture him. They're reduced to "chunks of ham and ribeyes, the smell of their destruction terrifying, but also a little succulent."
From the sound of things, the game will be heavily focused on racking up points based on destruction, but will also feature large-scale boss battles and story sequences integrated into gameplay. Twisted Pixel is planning four-player co-op (yes, there are three other 'splody guys) via local and Live play. Given the dev's success with The Maw, consider our interest sparked.
Planned for Xbox Live Arcade, the game is "a 2.5D action/platformer based around the simple concept of 'splosions and the ridiculousness that ensues," according to its developer. Born of an experiment conducted too close to the sun, the titular Man will run through levels destroying everything in his wake, including the scientists trying to capture him. They're reduced to "chunks of ham and ribeyes, the smell of their destruction terrifying, but also a little succulent."
From the sound of things, the game will be heavily focused on racking up points based on destruction, but will also feature large-scale boss battles and story sequences integrated into gameplay. Twisted Pixel is planning four-player co-op (yes, there are three other 'splody guys) via local and Live play. Given the dev's success with The Maw, consider our interest sparked.
Gallery: 'Splosion Man
The Maw dev on the 'negative stigma' of DLC
by Richard Mitchell { Mar 31st 2009 at 5:00AM }
This point is of particular importance, as the DLC's "Deleted Scene" label has caused some confusion and ire among gamers. Wilford stated that the deleted scene idea made sense to the team, saying, "We thought it would be cool, but I think some people took it to mean that we intentionally stripped out levels that were 100 percent complete only to sell them as DLC, which is not the case."
When asked about the risks of creating DLC, Wilford said, "The biggest risk that caught us off guard is the public perception that you're trying to rip them off." He went on to say it's arguable that the concept of DLC has enough "negative stigma" that "it's not even worth attempting." There are examples of successful DLC, according to Wilford, but they are relatively few.
[Update: Two episodes -- not just one -- of Maw DLC are currently available.]
Steam rolls out the red carpet for DLC
by David Hinkle { Mar 17th 2009 at 2:09PM }
Hothead Games to bring Braid to Mac, The Maw to PC
by David Hinkle { Feb 24th 2009 at 2:20PM }
Hothead games will first bring Jonathan Blow's Braid to Mac gamers everywhere. Also, the company is currently working on getting Twisted Pixel's The Maw to "multiple as-of-yet-unannounced digital distribution platforms and services." Steam, anyone?
We don't have a date yet as to when Hothead will be offering these titles to their respective platforms, but we'll update as soon as we know.
The Maw takes on Brute Force expansion this Wed.
by Dustin Burg { Feb 16th 2009 at 6:30PM }
For 100
($1.25), the Brute Force downloadable content embiggens The Maw experience by adding new puzzles, new cinematics and new characters including the robotic Brute Soldier. We fell in love with the overeating purple blob when it released last month, so it's good to see Twisted Pixel supporting the game with relatively affordable DLC. Inexpensive content is always welcome. Overpriced DLC can continue to stay away.Gallery: The Maw - Brute Force
World at War and The Maw sit atop Xbox Live charts
by Dustin Burg { Feb 4th 2009 at 1:00PM }
The full list of Xbox Live activity for retail, XBLA, original Xbox and Community Games is viewable after the break.
Three Maw 'deleted scenes' coming to Marketplace
by Xav de Matos { Jan 27th 2009 at 3:29PM }
($1.25) each.In the level Brute Force, Bounty Hunters have sent in members from their new elite strike force, the Brutes, to stop Frank and Maw. In the River Redirect level, Frank and Maw must change the course of a river to surf past a raging fire. Lastly, in The Speeder Lane level, Frank and Maw are required to hijack a Bounty Hunter Speeder GTA-style and crash it through a blockage to progress. Thankfully, the Brute Force level has nothing to do with reviving an old Xbox "classic." Crisis averted.
No release date for the content has been revealed, but Twisted Pixel notes each level will be released on a different day.
Twisted Pixel already has The Maw DLC plans
by Dustin Burg { Jan 26th 2009 at 11:15AM }
Twisted Pixel Games' The Maw, featuring everyone' favorite one-eyed purple monster with an enormous appetite, will be expanding in the not so distant future with new downloadable content. According to Kotaku, Twisted Pixel already has three pieces (Brute Force, River Redirect and The Speeder Lane) of DLC planned for release. Each will be a new level, come with a new achievement and cost 100 Microsoft points. Nom, nom, nom.
The Maw developer not keen to idea of Community Games
by Dustin Burg { Jan 23rd 2009 at 11:15AM }
In a comment made to MTV Multiplayer, CEO and software engineer Michael Wilford of Twisted Pixel Games (the team behind recent XBLA release The Maw) admitted that the Community Games program is less than appealing and that they're happy developing on the XBLA with Microsoft support. Partly due to the fact that the Community Games program is shrouded in mystery.
"I like the looks of the business model, but Community Games face[s] the same problem PC web portals do," said Wilford, "which is an open platform and an overabundance of not-so-stellar games." He continues, "we may develop for Community Games at some point, but XBLA is very successful partly because it is a closed and tightly managed portfolio of games." Adding that, with their relationship with Microsoft, they hope to continue "down the XBLA path."
We tend to agree with Wilford. The new Community Games section is a great opportunity for start ups, offers great potential and is generally a good program for up and comers. But the sheer amount of titles and amount of lower quality games tarnishes the program's goal. What say you?
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: The Maw
by Richard Mitchell { Jan 21st 2009 at 3:30PM }
Download the trial version of The Maw from Marketplace.
[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).
[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
