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Pixeljunk: 2D, meet HD
Ah_Pook
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
What is it?
It's a forthcoming series of "quirky" 2D games in the works for the PS3, to be released over the PSN. They're being developed by Q-Games, whose previous games include Starfox Command and Digidrive.
Here's their website http://www.pixeljunk.jp/
from this playstation blog post:
Dylan Cuthbert wrote:When I was first messing around with the PS3 a couple of years back, one thing that really impressed me was the clarity of 1080p, so I decided I wanted to try and return to 2D games and use this HD clarity and resolution to re-energize the classic game play of my youth, not just Nintendo-style 2D games, but ZX Spectrum and Commodore-64 style games which were much more quirky. So, I took the nickname I use on a Japanese blog I post on, “PixelJunk,†and started up a whole team at Q-Games dedicated to thinking up cool 2D and HD concepts for a whole series using that moniker.
Until now, I’ve always gravitated toward big titles, so it’s been a very interesting process making a smaller title with just a handful of people; it really reminds me of how it was to make games back in the 80s when I was growing up. Back then, I would knock out a fairly good game working evenings after school (I didn’t get much homework done) and it would only take 6-8 weeks. Of course, in order to flesh out the HD aspect and give people simple but original gameplay, the games in the PixelJunk™ series are taking a touch longer to make than that, but it’s a stark difference to the 20-40 man team for two years type of affair that seems to have become the minimum requirement to make games in the current industry.
Shortening and simplifying game development, and opening up communication with the players through blogs like this, is really helping game developers become addicted to developing games again (like those homegrown developers in the past who would lock themselves in their bedrooms), and this is going to start affecting innovation enormously over the next 2-3 years. Of course, there is still plenty of room for the big projects and, fingers crossed, they never disappear, but cheaper price points, lower development costs and shorter work cycles are going to create a whole load of diversity and I am really looking forward to seeing what will be born from all that.
The Games
Pixeljunk Racers (OUT NOW!)
release date: 9/13/07
cost: $6.99
Its slot car racing, only really fast and really beautiful. looks a lot like the old arcade game Super Sprint. lots of crazy different rule sets and game modes, plus up to 7 player local multiplayer. the controls are extremely simple; you can accelerate with the analog triggers, and move left and right. each track generally has about 5 lanes you can switch between.
[editorial]THIS GAME IS SO FUN, GO BUY IT! Don't listen to IGN's review, which is the oly one I've seen thus far. Once you see this sexy beast running in 1080p and crash into a few flaming cars or whatever you will never ever want to stop playing it. At least if youre the high scores type or the intensely fun multiplayer type, both of which I personally am.[/editorial]
Screens:
Unknown Title 1
release date: 11/07
cost: ???
all that is known about this game is this screen shot from the Pixeljunk website.
Unknown Title 2
release date: 12/07
cost: ???
all that is known about this game is this screen shot from the Pixeljunk website.
So that about sums it up... this game and the promise of this series is providing a lot of personal justification towards my finally buying a PS3. Here's to hoping the rest turn out as awesome as Racers.
Ah_Pook on
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especially the racing one. it reminds me of this great flash or shockwave game called burning metal.
:^:
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i played the demo of Racer this morning. unexpectedly fun. for anyone curious as to where the entertainment factor comes in, it's all about overtake combos - pass cars successively without shunting into their rear ends to build up speed/explosive power/something to do with monkeys, and ride the wave to victory. it's decievingly tricky on a level packed with heaps of traffic. i dug it
i may even buy it
It DOES look like a rhythm game of some sort (just wild speculation).
Oh shutup. I was under the impression that the PSN only got the crap XBLA didn't want.
But seriously, I would steal a PS3 and then buy this game.
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That's Indy Heat!
Cool.
i can see this from just looking at the screenshots of Racers, but once you see it in action on a nice tv you will be changed. i wish i could have a fully animated screen of it as my pc wallpaper so i could watch it at all times.
Pixeljunk Racers doesnt actually play much like Super Sprint, but the resemblance is the first thing i thought seeing it as well.
God damn I loved that game as a kid. I was able to get unlimited credits at the local bowling alley/bar due to my mother managing it, and I would never leave that machine. At least until they got the xmen arcade game.