[XBLA] Splosion Man; the splodingest 2-D platformer on sale for $5 starting June 14

Lunker

June 2010 update: For Gold members, Splosion Man will be on sale for the princely sum of 400 Allards ($5) the week of June 14! Xbox marketplace link

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Original OP:

TWISTED PIXEL LETS DOWN PRESIDENT, COUNTRY WITH WEDNESDAY SPLOSION MAN RELEASE
Thanks Obama For Slamming Video Games Right Before Our Release Date

AUSTIN, TX – July 21, 2009 – Twisted Pixel Games was thrilled to hear President Obama’s directive for parents to start “putting away the Xbox,” an announcement made right on the eve of Splosion Man’s release. That’s cool. We weren’t excited to be kicking off the Summer of Arcade or that early reviews have been so positive about our game, or that it is practically a steal at 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00 USD). Go ahead and tell people not to play games. But answer me one thing, Mr. President: If not us, who is going to teach our nation’s kids the unimportance of spelling or about how scientists will turn into slabs of meat when you splode them?

Splosion Man doesn’t just lure families apart with its 50 level single player campaign and separate 50 level 2-4 player multiplayer campaign, it also dangles several treasures sure to corrupt even the most tight-knit household. A free unlockable premium theme headlines a package containing two free gamerpics and, perhaps most troubling, hidden within its codey depths, the ability to grant two male and two female free avatar accessories once the functionality becomes available on Xbox Live.

The den of evil that is www.splosionman.com contains further temptation, offering downloadable faceplate templates, desktop backgrounds, and the entire musical score from award-winning composers John DeBorde and Joshua R. Mosley. The siren call of each piece is divided into several layers, which react dynamically during gameplay, offering much more stimulation and interest than homework or family time ever could.

Splosion Man
Platform: XBLA | Release date: July 22 | Price: 800 Allards

Fools they were, to tread where knowledge should stay forbidden. For what emerged was not a man—it was Splosion Man™. "And all who saw him were 'sploded, for he was the fire and they were but meat." Able to 'splode himself at will, Splosion Man launches his way through levels, an uncontainable force. From Twisted Pixel Games, developer of the award-winning The Maw, comes a single- or co-op multiplayer experience that 'splodes like no other.

* Single-player adventure: Play through 50 single-player levels split into three environmentally different chapters as Splosion Man escapes the underground Big Science Labs where he was created.
* Multiplayer action: Jump into 50 multiplayer levels supporting up to four player co-op split into three different chapters.
* Bonuses: Get free unlockable premium dashboard theme, gamerpics, and Avatar accessories.
* Visual style: The personality and humor shine through in film-like cinematics and hundreds of in-game animations. Vivid and colorful graphics advance character animation and emotion.
* Hours of fun: Splosion Man is a retail game's amount of content that can be downloaded from the comfort of your own living room.
* Musical talent: The original music score is from award-winning composers Joshua R. Mosley (single-player levels) and John DeBorde (multiplayer levels).

E3 developer walkthrough

Watch the video for a good idea of how the game plays and feels. This game came out of nowhere for me, but I looked into it when it was announced as part of the Summer of Arcade and now it's one of my most anticipated releases in the next few months. It's like Splosion Man was made 10 years ago, in the heydey of personality-driven mascot platformers (right down to his idle animation), and was only discovered today, so they decided to add time trials, four-player online co-op and sell it to you for $10. The hook is that your dude can, well, explode (the controls screen apparently just says "Splode" next to each of the four face buttons), though he has to rest and recharge his power after a few splodes in a row.

Oh yeah, and:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmG-SsLOK8&fmt=22

chamberlain

But seriously, this looks cool. I will try the demo.

projectmayhem

Looks neat. Demo for me as well. Has that, 'replace jump with something that does the same thing but call it exploding' vibe. Because exploding is cooler.

Lunker

http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/100/1005157p1.html

9.0 overall glowing review from IGN:

With The Maw and now 'Splosion Man, Twisted Pixel has emerged just this year as one of the best indie developers feeding content onto Xbox Live Arcade. 'Splosion Man is bursting with humor, personality, and classic platforming challenges. Not a moment goes by without seeing something new and exciting and 'Splosion Man himself is one of the most endearing new videogame characters of the year. Twisted Pixel clearly had fun creating this insane game, and you'll have fun playing it. For all of man's vast intelligence, we're still just bags of meat. 'Splosion Man lets us revert to something primal and barbaric, and detonate our intellectual side.

I might actually be looking more forward to this than Shadow Complex.

Lunker

No love? It comes out this week, and I'm hoping to have other people on the time trial leaderboards besides my lonesome.

Brainiac 8

Lunker, your thread headings are always A+. :^:

I loved loved loved the Maw, so I am really looking forward to trying this.

cloudeagle

If you haven't seen the video, keep in mind that 'Splosion Man is giggling and muttering stuff like "bort bort bort bortbortbort bort!" while he's 'sploding all over the place and making processed lunch meat fly out of scientists. 'tis a thing of beauty.

darleysam

This is one I'm really looking forward to, and I've not even watched the videos. It just sounds like a really cool concept for a game.

Lunker

There's also this part, which a lot of people haven't really noticed in the PR:

* Bonuses: Get free unlockable premium dashboard theme, gamerpics, and Avatar accessories.

I though unlockable Avatar accessories wouldn't be ready until the whole Avatar marketplace was ready this fall, but I guess it might trigger later? I would kill for a Splosion Man shit-faced grin head on my Avatar.

Feels Good Man

this game is somehow going to be better than any sonic game produced in the past 5 years

I'm coming up with 5 off the top of my head, but it's probably more

Dodge Aspen

I will try the demo, but hot damn does this look sweet. Nothing can take me reserved-for-Shadow Complex points, but this is making a mighty run. We'll see.

RainbowDespair

Lunker wrote: »

No love? It comes out this week, and I'm hoping to have other people on the time trial leaderboards besides my lonesome.

I won't be able to get this game until I get paid in a month or so, but unless something goes horribly wrong, this game will be mine then.

Brainiac 8

Lunker wrote: »

There's also this part, which a lot of people haven't really noticed in the PR:

* Bonuses: Get free unlockable premium dashboard theme, gamerpics, and Avatar accessories.

I though unlockable Avatar accessories wouldn't be ready until the whole Avatar marketplace was ready this fall, but I guess it might trigger later? I would kill for a Splosion Man shit-faced grin head on my Avatar.

I wish more companies would do this. The Maw gave us a free dashboard theme for beating it, and it seems Splosion Man will do that too. I'm beginning to really like Twisted Pixel and how they work.

Lunker

More from that IGN review:

IGN wrote:

You can explode three times in a row, after which you must wait a brief moment to recharge. Exploding launches yourself into the air, so you effectively have a triple jump. You can bounce from wall to wall, and a lot of the game's mechanics revolve around wall jumping Controls are dead simple: you move with the left analog stick and all four face buttons cause you to explode. This is essentially a platformer, as you spend the entire time running and jumping. But you'll have to do some thinking to figure out a way past the game's many challenges, adding a heavy puzzle element to 'Splosion Man. Not every obstacle is a test of wits -- many are old-fashioned platforming tests of reflexes and skill. If you're a fan of N+, definitely check this one out. The core mechanics are similar, but 'Splosion Man takes the idea much farther and expands upon it.

IGN wrote:

If you do get stuck, and you die enough times, the game will give you the option of taking the "Way of the Coward" and skipping to the next level. If you do, though, you'll receive a terrible score for that stage and have to wear a ballerina tutu until you complete the next area.

Oh, and they're also running a contest in September on the game's site:

Win this Splosion Man Trophy and a signed poster by getting the best time in the single-player level 3-8 during the week of September 6th-12th.

Brainiac 8

You had me at ballerina tutu, which is just an awesome addition.

"Well, you sucked last level, now you're punished with this tutu."

SwashbucklerXX

Oh, man, this looks amazing! But... I shouldn't spend any more money until Auguuuust. ::whine::

It's always nice to see developers who are actually good at their own game, too.

RainbowDespair

I came into some extra Microsoft points yesterday so unless the demo is lame, Splosion Man shall be mine on Wednesday.

Cantido

I put it off for as long as I can, but now It's time for me to purchase a [bigger] Hard Drive.

Lunker

So Major Nelson confirmed this will be the first 360 game to trigger Avatar accessories as unlocks. I'm desperately hoping for a giant Splosion Man head, as I will don that with a business suit and the bowler hat.

I also noticed they're running a Game With the Developers sometime this week, Friday IIRC, and what I thought was cool was that there are about 10-odd people from Twisted Pixel who will be available, including the CEO of the company. These guys sound really awesome; I didn't give The Maw a shot but I might see how it is once the summer of downloadable awesome cools down.

mastrius

Dont worry Lunker. Im so damn pumped for this game after the amazingness that was the Maw. I am going to buy this without even downloading the demo, Shit is MINE. I shall support TwistedPixel to the end. For they kick ass.

Oh and by dont worry I mean how not many people said anything in the thread earlier. Probably shouldve quoted but Im lazy.

Dude you should really give The Maw a shot. Plus theres like 3 or 4 downloadable levels out for it too. So theres a lot more to add on to it. I bought em all but only because I really loved that game. Its just so fun and....I dont know how to explain how you feel when you see your giant blob friend run up to you after you shout his name and hes all happy and screaming. But still a giant scary blob that eats everything. You just dont see him that way while playing though. I dont know why.

Brainiac 8

Lunker, get The Maw....you'll love it. It's short lived but very fun.

Edit: And yes, due to how much I loved The Maw, I'll be buying this immediately.

Xagarath

This does actually look pretty promising.
No chance it'll be released for other download services, I take it?

RainbowDespair

Xagarath wrote: »

This does actually look pretty promising.
No chance it'll be released for other download services, I take it?

The Maw was released for the PC so you might see a PC port. Probably no PS3 port though.

GR_Zombie

This looks rad as hell! god my wallets taking a beating this week.

Lunker

RainbowDespair

#1 rank on both the score & time leaderboards for Single Player level 2-8, oh yeah!

Sci-Fi Wasabi

XBOX Live is starting to show a tradition of regularly coming out with awesome games every summer. I don't think anyone else's online exclusives can really touch what Microsoft is offering. If Turtles re-shelled and Shadow Complex are half as awesome as 'Splosion Man, then I'm afraid of what next summer holds.

Psychotic One

After Dishwasher I thought it be a long while before we get a game with just so much fun and style. And after hugging the fat scientist and hearing his special song I am completely sold on Splosion Man. If Shadow Complex is even half as awesome as this I'll be very satisfied

Undead Scottsman

Psychotic One wrote: »

After Dishwasher I thought it be a long while before we get a game with just so much fun and style. And after hugging the fat scientist and hearing his special song I am completely sold on Splosion Man. If Shadow Complex is even half as awesome as this I'll be very satisfied

That song is the best thing ever.

It even beats "remapping" the controls.

Squirrel Rancher

Just finished my first run through single player. The final stage and ending credits were hilarious, splodes everywhere!

I was also looking for the donut song online, found it on neogaf. Link.
The official website also has the soundtrack available for download under Free Stuff > Music. Link.

Lunker

Everybody loves doughnuts
I know I dooo-ooo-ooooooo
Everybody loves doughnuts
So let's eat just one or two

I didn't know what people were talking about, but I got to the fat scientist last night and just sat there in wonder for a while. Game is totally fulfilling my expectations.

Brainiac 8

I felt bad when I blew him up.

I'm almost done with the whole first area...I'm on area 1-11 I think. I played a bit of online coop last night, and it worked like a charm. Only problem is most people on live are morons, and none of them understood that we had to hit the buttons in synch to make the door open. They would just bomb around the room like a bunch of bomb-omb carrying jackrabbits. :x

Samphis

I love how you can hold the fat scientist under the gatling gun and meat just flies out of him forever. In fact, I got the Omaha Steaks achievement while listening to the donut song near a gatling gun.

Cherrn

I absolutely love the way the music works, with guitar riffs being added as you 'splode. The rhythm created during extended 'splosion sequences is fantastic.

Big Classy

there needs to be a compilation disc with all the most awesome XLBA titles. I hate not being on Live. Damn you microsoft.

Samphis

If it's a question of not paying for Live, you can still download XBLA games without the paid subscription.

Big Classy

Its a question of me buying a preowned console that is banned and not being able to unban it. I bought it preowned because MS refused to fix my previous console which had the E74 error. This was before the new ammendment came that included E74. A WEEK BEFORE. Ofcourse, I'd taken it upon myself to fix it myself by then. darn.

chamberlain

Anyone get the avatar unlock yet?

Lunker

chamberlain wrote: »

Anyone get the avatar unlock yet?

I think it might not tick over until Avatar unlocks are actually pushed over by the new firmware update, which is sometime in August or September IIRC.

I saw pics of the premium theme on GAF (from beating the single-player campaign) and it looks pretty sweet! Does anyone know what the second Gamerpic looks like?

Brainiac 8

A bearded man...I got it while playing online coop last night.

Rami

This is the single greatest game concept ever realised.