Official PixelJunk Thread - 7/26: PixelJunk Shooter to be on 1up's GameNight on 7/28

[FriskyTanuki]

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/5321/pixeljunkkq2.jpg (http://pixeljunk.jp/)

So why PixelJunk? Cuthbert decided that they wanted a brand for their indie output, thus calling each title PixelJunk in the series, and letting consumers identify that each dissimilar design was made by the same 'brand'.

So, what of the constraints? The PixelJunk series is set to be created by 5 or less people in 6 months or less - any game design they came up with must fit this requirement. In addition, the concepts needed to be 2D in terms of design - though he revealed that Series 2 of PixelJunk will be unique ways of using 3D in games. Later in the session, he revealed that Series 2 would "...maybe take some of the old 3D looks and bring them up to the full HD kind of style."PixelJunk 1-1: http://fp.scea.com/Content/games/UP9000-NPUA80100/packart/image_100x100_1.jpg (http://fp.scea.com/Content/games/UP9000-NPUA80100/packart/image_100x100_1.jpg)
Genre: Slot Car Racing
Release Date: 9/13/07
PSN Price: $6.99
Metacritic Average: 62 (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/pixeljunkracers)
CAG Consensus: Sales Only
Info:
PixelJunk™ Racers is an addictive slot car racing game that supports 1080p and features single player and multiplayer fun (up to 7 players simultaneously offline!). Intuitive controls, 32 different race modes, and online rankings will provide countless hours of racing mayhem.

KEY FEATURES

Unlimited Racing Action – 16 core racing modes with varying degrees of difficulty for a total of 32 modes, including an in-depth single-player tournament and offline multiplayer modes (up to 7 players!).
Full HD at 1080p – Speed through 10 richly detailed courses.
SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller - Use the controller’s left and right buttons on the D-pad to steer through traffic, master cornering, and overtake rival vehicles.
Global Online Ranking – Play for your personal best in Score Attack and see how you stack up against other racers worldwide.



PixelJunk 1-2: http://fp.scea.com/Content/games/UP9000-NPUA80108/packart/image_100x100.jpg (http://pixeljunk.jp/)
Genre: RTS - Tower Defense
Release Date: 1/24/08
PSN Price: $9.99
Metacritic Average: 81 (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/pixeljunkmonsters)
CAG Consensus: Buy Now!
Info:
Inspired by the popular and addictive "tower defense" genre, PixelJunk™ Monsters takes the simple real-time strategy concept of building, researching and base defending and presents it in a uniquely attractive style. With meticulously hand-drawn 2D art, PixelJunk™ Monsters recreates the look of a classic with crisp graphics designed for optimal viewing in Full 1080p HD.

In PixelJunk™ Monsters, the player controls a defender-of-the-forest character in a lush 2D environment. The player's goal is to strategically defend the pathway to his homebase from an onslaught of various threatening monsters. In between waves of monster attacks, the player scrambles to reinforce his defenses by collecting gold coins and jewels from fallen enemies to finance new towers and research deadlier weapons. Eventually, the player can harness the elements throughout the 20 different stages to cast lightning storms across the forest. Gamers can enjoy PixelJunk™ Monsters with a friend in offline co-op mode, which requires careful strategy and communication. Additionally, PixelJunk™ Monsters will support online leaderboards for both 1p and 2p co-op.

KEY FEATURES

Simple But Deep – Simple controls make PixelJunk™ Monsters easy to learn. But mastering the challenges of tower upgrade and placement requires deep strategic thinking, leading to hours of addictive gameplay.
Visually Charming – PixelJunk™ Monsters features a unique hand-drawn art style with over 20 stages and weather effects.
Distinctive Music – Features original music and sound by Japanese ambient techno group Otograph.
Online Leaderboards – For tracking both single player and co-op high scores.
Remote Play - Supports Remote Play for PSP® system.


Expansions: PixelJunk Monsters Encore
Release Date: May 8, 2008
PSN Price: $5.99
Content: 15 new levels, new music, Ice Tower unlocked, cheaper Tesla Tower, and some secrets.

PixelJunk 1-3: http://fp.scea.com/Content/games/UP9000-NPUA80160/packart/image_100x100.jpg
Genre: Organic Platformer
Release Date: July 31, 2008
PSN Price: $9.99
Metacritic Average: TBD
CAG Consensus: TBD
Info: PixelJunk™ Eden is the third PSN title from the addictive PixelJunk series by Japanese developer Q-Games. Utterly unique and spell-bindingly beautiful, PixelJunk™ Eden welcomes you to a psychedelic world unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. As a tiny, silk-spinning ‘grimp’, it is up to you to collect the lost “Spectra” that have been scattered across all the gardens of Eden. You grip, jump and swing, destroying “Prowlers” and collecting their pollen which lets you grow more plants to take you further and deeper into the garden to locate the precious ‘Spectra.’ Lush visuals, slick controls and amazing music make it an incredibly atmospheric and addictive experience.

Key Features:


Stunning Visuals - Stylish graphics and dynamic animations brought to life in gorgeous 1080p HD
Multiplayer Co-op - Local co-op play to for up to three players
Trophy and Online Support - Unlock Trophies and track high scores via online leaderboards
Video Recording - Record gameplay videos to the hard drive or upload directly to YouTube™
Remote Play - Supports Remote Play for PSP® system



PixelJunk 1-4: PixelJunk Shooter
Genre: Action/Adventure
Release Date: TBA
PSN Price: TBA
Metacritic Average: TBD
CAG Consensus: TBD
Info: You control a ship that are exploring various underground caverns looking for your lost comrades to save by solving puzzles to get to them using the water and lava pools around you along with defeating creatures that you come across.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EbsMtEv2CE

[rendil]

PixelJunk Monsters sounds great. I love tower defense style maps in Warcraft III, so it will be interesting to see the japanese twist on it.

[reiji]

It looks like this is already available in the Japanese PS Store. I think it was 900 Yen.

[RelentlessRolento]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29144.html

I'm glad to see Q games is having fun with different genres in their PixelJunk series.

[Thomas96]

I hope that you can play this on ps3 and psp.

[Sinistar]

I hope theres a demo, no way I'm making a blind purchase

[Vanigan]

To try the game, play any other Tower Defense game out there, it's exactly the same concept, except PJ Monsters is even more a casual game.

Tower Defense games basically have you setting up fixed defenses along a path to an objective. Your goal is to stop waves of enemies from reaching the objective and destroying it.

In this case, you're magically converting trees into defense towers, which kill monsters that are coming to kill the objective. The monsters drop some kind of currency when they die which you have to pick up before it disapears. Then you use this currency to convert more trees into towers, and you can probably upgrade towers too, but I'm not sure about that. The waves of monsters get more difficult as things progress.

[dallow]

PSN is really cool for these kinds of neat, quirky, indie games.
The low price tags help too.

[FriskyTanuki]

I hope that you can play this on ps3 and psp.
You will be able to.

[Thomas96]

You will be able to.


now that's great.. definitely unexpected.

[FriskyTanuki]

As posted in the PS Store thread, PixelJunk Monsters will be out next week (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/01/16/pixeljunk-monsters-set-to-launch-next-week/). No price mentioned, but I'd bet that it'll be the same as PixelJunk Racers, which is $7.

Check the link for a trailer and some info on different kinds of towers you can build in the game.

[munoi]

actually I went ahead and bought the game from the JP store, for some odd reason the game is in 100% English. Does it automatically check your region or something? anyway I'm addicted and the leader boards just add to it. As of right now for the first stage there was over 1000 scores posted up.

As for the game itself there are lots of towers and as you've seen in the trailers you control the character directly instead of using a cursor, this in itself I feel separates monsters from the other TOD games. Additionally they're 4 sets of stages easy, medium, hard (haven't made there yet) and special (stages with special prerequisites) not to say others do not. For example on easy stage 2 or 3 you can't receive gold from monsters so you have to place your towers wisely

Lastly each stage is set up in waves each containing the same type of monster (from what I've seen) with each stage doubling the number of waves (again a guess since I'm only on medium) Getting through the stages is mostly trail and error since the monsters tend to just miss your towers. Really this is a great game if your into watching monsters run through your custom made gauntlet, I say one of the top 5 games for the psn.

As for towers they are
Anti-air (air)
All (all)
Ground (ground+splash)
Fire (ground+splash)
Ice (Slows+Ground)
Swarm tower (all w/ infinite range/ however weak)
Laser tower (air/line damage)
mortar tower (ground+splash)
Electric tower (ground)

hope you guys like it

[NamPaehc]

actually I went ahead and bought the game from the JP store, for some odd reason the game is in 100% English. Does it automatically check your region or something? anyway I'm addicted and the leader boards just add to it. As of right now for the first stage there was over 1000 scores posted up.

As for the game itself there are lots of towers and as you've seen in the trailers you control the character directly instead of using a cursor, this in itself I feel separates monsters from the other TOD games. Additionally they're 4 sets of stages easy, medium, hard (haven't made there yet) and special (stages with special prerequisites) not to say others do not. For example on easy stage 2 or 3 you can't receive gold from monsters so you have to place your towers wisely

Lastly each stage is set up in waves each containing the same type of monster (from what I've seen) with each stage doubling the number of waves (again a guess since I'm only on medium) Getting through the stages is mostly trail and error since the monsters tend to just miss your towers. Really this is a great game if your into watching monsters run through your custom made gauntlet, I say one of the top 5 games for the psn.

As for towers they are
Anti-air (air)
All (all)
Ground (ground+splash)
Fire (ground+splash)
Ice (Slows+Ground)
Swarm tower (all w/ infinite range/ however weak)
Laser tower (air/line damage)
mortar tower (ground+splash)
Electric tower (ground)

hope you guys like it

Hmm that is weird because I thought I read the delay was over translation.

How much is it on there, maybe it'll help us get an idea on price for the US.

[dallow]

Wow, thanks for the info man!
I'm getting it day 1, I'm addicted to these fresh PSN games.

[chodax]

Seems fun, I already have like 10 PSN games already though and I barely play those, so I'm not sure :(

[munoi]

In the Jp store it was 900 yen, my guess is that'll cost the same as pixel junk racers

[flashburn]

Can you upgrade each tower after you build them?

[munoi]

yes, though it only increases the range. Also in order to recieve new towers you need a certain number of gems,in addition by exploring the map you may find extra gems and coins

oh yeah if you get hit by the monsters you only lose coins not gems

[NamPaehc]

yes, though it only increases the range. Also in order to recieve new towers you need a certain number of gems,in addition by exploring the map you may find extra gems and coins

oh yeah if you get hit by the monsters you only lose coins not gems

Those kind of things seem to be added to help console gamers ease into the "PC" type of gameplay. I think it is a smart move having you control a character instead of a cursor and have him have tasks to complete. But do you think it dumbs it down to much or adds to the experiance?

[dallow]

PixelJunk Monsters demo is now up in the JPN store.
100% English.

Holy crap it's way more fun than I thought! Nice take on the 'tower' style gameplay! I want more!

[FriskyTanuki]

PixelJunk Monsters demo is now up in the JPN store.
100% English.

Holy crap it's way more fun than I thought! Nice take on the 'tower' style gameplay! I want more!
It's definitely going to be a fun game. Can't wait for Thursday.

[NamPaehc]

It mentioned the remote play option in the demo for the full game, which I totally forgot about. Was a lot of fun though so I can't wait.

[FriskyTanuki]

Okay, I see that it allows high scores and that dallow has 8k on the one level in the demo. My closest total is 7600, so how the hell did you get that?

[munoi]

Okay, I see that it allows high scores and that dallow has 8k on the one level in the demo. My closest total is 7600, so how the hell did you get that?


I believe it has to do with the amount of coins/jewels left over... as in the less towers you build the better your score

[dallow]

The less the better?

Hmm.

(didn't even know there was a score!)

[chodax]

The less the better?

Hmm.

(didn't even know there was a score!)

x2

[dallow]

Now wait a minute! How do you check the scores on PJ Monsters?

[mykevermin]

It's cute. The 500 Yen for both games gives me hope that it'll be $4.99 or less, at which point I'll likely jump on it.

Then again, IMO they should pay you $10 to buy Pixel Junk Racers, so maybe Monsters will launch at $14.99. ;)

[chodax]

You can also get the fire tower btw buy buying it at the hut

[dallow]

Dangit, how did I miss that?

[flashburn]

Any idea if the US version is any different than the JP version?

[FriskyTanuki]

Any idea if the US version is any different than the JP version?
I imagine that it's not that different if the JP version is in English, too.

[dallow]

Please don't gameshare this game.
We can afford this small title right?
They're an indie dev, you should support them.

Well, we're still waiting for that in Europe, so in the meantime why should people buy Monsters?

Because (of course) it is probably the most addicting and fun game you'll play this year!
PR speak aside though, I've made a lot of games over the past 20 years or so and this one has that certain "something", a little bit of magic to it. We are an independent development company and we've funded this entirely ourselves, so no game-sharing please! Every little penny counts and keeps us going!

[rendil]

I'll be buying this as soon as I get home from work. This is exactly the kind of game I want to see more of on PSN.

[NamPaehc]

Please don't gameshare this game.
We can afford this small title right?
They're an indie dev, you should support them.

But we haven't seen the price yet!8-)

[Justin42]

I am totally addicted to Desktop Tower Defense so this is in the "strong buy" side for me. I'd like to see a demo, though. And it depends on the cost-- if it's $4.99 I'll buy it the second I get home, if it's $7.99 I may want to see a demo, at $9.99 I'll wait for the next $4.99 sale. ;)

[NamPaehc]

I am totally addicted to Desktop Tower Defense so this is in the "strong buy" side for me. I'd like to see a demo, though. And it depends on the cost-- if it's $4.99 I'll buy it the second I get home, if it's $7.99 I may want to see a demo, at $9.99 I'll wait for the next $4.99 sale. ;)

There is a demo you can get with a JP account:

PixelJunk Monsters demo is now up in the JPN store.
100% English.

Holy crap it's way more fun than I thought! Nice take on the 'tower' style gameplay! I want more!

I like PJM better then Desktop because the grapics are better and there is a lot more to do.

[dallow]

Their last game was 9.99. C'mon, it's two bucks! :)
Hopefully they'll lower it to 7.99.

I'd pay $10, seems like I'd play this longer than a lot of other PSN games. (or all of them)

[NamPaehc]

Their last game was 9.99. C'mon, it's two bucks! :)
Hopefully they'll lower it to 7.99.

I'd pay $10, seems like I'd play this longer than a lot of other PSN games. (or all of them)
But you don't KNOW the price. That is all I am saying. I find it odd it hasn't been announced yet.

It is fine to compare to the last game's price and look at Japan to get some what of an idea... But this is Sony and you never know what is going through their minds sometimes.

[NamPaehc]

This game is $7.99 for a limited time, so I'm guessing it is going to raise to soon. No dates on when this deal will end or what the amount will be, so grab it now!

[FriskyTanuki]

I'm a little disappointed that there's no persistance between the levels, as you have to rebuy towers each time you play each level.

[mykevermin]

This game is $7.99 for a limited time, so I'm guessing it is going to raise to soon. No dates on when this deal will end or what the amount will be, so grab it now!

I'm a little let down that both PixelJunk games are 500 Yen on the JPN store, yet this is $7.99 for just one. I'm going to hold off on it. I'd buy it for $5, but not $8.

[dallow]

I'll give you 3 bucks myke.

[The Mana Knight]

I'm a little let down that both PixelJunk games are 500 Yen on the JPN store, yet this is $7.99 for just one. I'm going to hold off on it. I'd buy it for $5, but not $8.It says 900 yen when I checked, while PJR was 500. PJM is removed from the PS Store once you download the demo in Japan.

Anyway, played the demo and it rocks. I'm definitely buying. Very interesting game.

[munoi]

Yea as I mentioned earlier the game is awesome. For some reason some people (Not CAG) are trying to shove this off as a TOD ripoff thats trying to cash in one a free game/mod.

The thing is though; the fact that you're in direct control of the character opens tons of new ideas, like dancing in front of your tower to upgrade it or using jewels as a quick shortcut, a meaningful co-op mode, a reason to actually explore the entire map; since you can find hidden treasure, Unlockables for your character (You can actually run) the list goes on.

Anyway have fun with the game; look forward to seeing you guys high scores online.

[Thomas96]

Yea as I mentioned earlier the game is awesome. For some reason some people (Not CAG) are trying to shove this off as a TOD ripoff thats trying to cash in one a free game/mod.

The thing is though; the fact that you're in direct control of the character opens tons of new ideas, like dancing in front of your tower to upgrade it or using jewels as a quick shortcut, a meaningful co-op mode, a reason to actually explore the entire map; since you can find hidden treasure, Unlockables for your character (You can actually run) the list goes on.



Anyway have fun with the game; look forward to seeing you guys high scores online.


thanks for the description, I didn't even know there was a co-op mode here.

[cochesecochese]

Yea as I mentioned earlier the game is awesome. For some reason some people (Not CAG) are trying to shove this off as a TOD ripoff thats trying to cash in one a free game/mod.

The thing is though; the fact that you're in direct control of the character opens tons of new ideas, like dancing in front of your tower to upgrade it or using jewels as a quick shortcut, a meaningful co-op mode, a reason to actually explore the entire map; since you can find hidden treasure, Unlockables for your character (You can actually run) the list goes on.

Anyway have fun with the game; look forward to seeing you guys high scores online.

Nothing better than 800 on the boards yet for me. I think it will take me two more weeks to really learn what I can do and start getting good scores.

[Dezuria]

My wife and I are having a good time with PJ Monsters. :)

[amicus]

i'm enjoying it too. brings back memories of TD mods for warcraft 3.

[rodeojones903]

I am stuck on the first medium mission. This game is much harder than I expected, but I am loving it so far.

[NamPaehc]

I am stuck on the first medium mission. This game is much harder than I expected, but I am loving it so far.

You know you can spend gems as quick upgrades for your tower right?

[metaly]

I finally tried out the demo and it was a lot of fun. The music and art style are fantastic. I'll probably get it while it's a couple bucks off but end up playing it later on.

Is there really no online co-op? Hopefully they can patch it in later.

[rodeojones903]

You know you can spend gems as quick upgrades for your tower right?


Yeah, but it seems if I do that and not save for the ice tower I lose even faster.

[dallow]

Beat you last night on the first easy mission Frisky.

And I made a couple towers I didn't even need, d'oh!

I LOVE THIS GAME!
And yeah Rodeo, it does get very hard! :(

[rodeojones903]

Those little bugs with the green shields are bastards.

[jonlubbe]

Those little bugs with the green shields are bastards.

A Fully leveled Tesla tower eats those up pretty quick.

[munoi]

Fire towers are a MUST for the shielded monsters on the easy/medium levels... put one right at the spawning point and they won't even make it past the entrance, giving you even more time to upgrade/whatever you need to do before the next wave. Another thing, don't be afraid to break down towers for extra coins... the trees come back.

[denze]

Yea as I mentioned earlier the game is awesome. For some reason some people (Not CAG) are trying to shove this off as a TOD ripoff thats trying to cash in one a free game/mod.

The thing is though; the fact that you're in direct control of the character opens tons of new ideas, like dancing in front of your tower to upgrade it or using jewels as a quick shortcut, a meaningful co-op mode, a reason to actually explore the entire map; since you can find hidden treasure, Unlockables for your character (You can actually run) the list goes on.

Anyway have fun with the game; look forward to seeing you guys high scores online.


Can someone explain this to me, I played briefly last night and I must of missed something in the tutorial. Is there an alternative way to upgrade towers without jewels?

[dallow]

Can someone explain this to me, I played briefly last night and I must of missed something in the tutorial. Is there an alternative way to upgrade towers without jewels?When you have a tower highlighted, you just "dance" to get the exp up slowly.

I just stand on the tower and spin my left stick in circles quickly.
Of course it takes a lot of dancing for the higher levels.

[metaly]

When you have a tower highlighted, you just "dance" to get the exp up slowly.

Oh wow, I had no idea. I figured they just leveled up from killing lots of monsters. I'm looking forward to doing some dancing now.

[dallow]

Oh wow, I had no idea. I figured they just leveled up from killing lots of monsters. I'm looking forward to doing some dancing now.Help out those towers by dancing while they're attacking! Exp goes up quickly!


Remember you can also do instant upgrades with gems.

[dallow]

Here's a nice little interview with the head guy at Q Games/PixelJunk.


Hi Dylan. So, Monsters is finally released tonight, did the reception to Racers influence the way you finished off Monsters?

Hi. Yes, the reception to Racers influenced us quite a bit - there were a few things we just didn't have time to fit into Racers, given that it was the first in the series. The middle part of the game is really well refined, but the beginning and the end are a bit rough, so first time players (or people who downloaded demo) quite often just didn't 'get it'. This was a shame, because as you yourself know once you get past that initial 'what is THIS?' phase the game is really great fun.

So what have you done to make it more accessible to gamers who were perhaps alienated by Racers?

We added a small tutorial and lots of screen indicators to try and give you a hint at what you should do and I think this will really help people 'get' Monsters as soon as they pick up and play it. We also added a more detailed in-game manual which explains the game more.

So the game is more user-friendly?

Yeah, overall, the game feels more friendly as a result.

Monsters is obviously based on the Tower Defense mechanics, are you a big fan?

Yes, the Tower Defense genre is superb but I always felt the game could be more immersive and a little less 'mechanical', which is why I fleshed it out for Monsters in the way I did.

Do you still play the Flash versions?

After playing Monsters extensively I find it difficult to go back to the Flash versions, but they are a hotbed of ideas because of the quick iteration/turn-around of the developers. Something like Monsters takes 6-8 months and a small team of developers to make.

So how long before the third PixelJunk title, anything you can tell us?

Nothing yet, but I really hope to show a clip at GDC. No promises though. It's crazy and fun in yet another direction.

Elsewhere on the PS3, you worked on the recent Planets visualiser and parts of the XMB - was there anything you were forced to leave out?

Well, nothing too wacky but the original icon rendering we made for the XMB were rendered with refraction and a spectral dispersion type effect which made them look like they were made out of solid glass. It was a bit over the top though so we toned down the settings - however, if you look really closely in the current XMB, you can still see the toned down effect as the icons pass over things (especially if you change your background to something detailed).

And what about the Duck in a Bath tech demo that you did for the PS2 that also appeared on the latest console?

Yes, I had interest in the PS3 duck-in-a-bath - it kind of annoyed me (only a weeny bit tho) that they could take a concept I had created personally and without consulting or even e-mailing me about it make a not particularly good technical demo. In some ways it was even a step back from my PS2 demo which was actually real-time spline curved surface rendering :-) But then they came out with a game based on it! :-)

And what's for the future for Q-Games aside from PixelJunk?

In the past we've developed a lot of tech stuff behind the scenes for Sony that hasn't seen the light of day, including some really cool stuff a few years back for the PSP. But I'd have to shoot you if I told you more about that. We developed some developer tools too - for example, the original VFPU (vector processor) extensions for the main PSP GCC compiler.
But what we are focusing more on now is interesting graphical experiments or features that can be integrated into the OS.

Do you play any other PSN games, which do you like?

I really like the original and personal stuff like Everyday Shooter, we should all strive to make our games personal in that way. Most games nowadays are way too sterilised.

Well, we're still waiting for that in Europe, so in the meantime why should people buy Monsters?

Because (of course) it is probably the most addicting and fun game you'll play this year!
PR speak aside though, I've made a lot of games over the past 20 years or so and this one has that certain "something", a little bit of magic to it. We are an independent development company and we've funded this entirely ourselves, so no game-sharing please! Every little penny counts and keeps us going!

Thanks for your time, Dylan, and good luck with the game!

[FriskyTanuki]

Beat you last night on the first easy mission Frisky.

And I made a couple towers I didn't even need, d'oh!

I LOVE THIS GAME!
And yeah Rodeo, it does get very hard! :(
I got a perfect one that because I played the demo enough, so I haven't played it more than the first time. I did beat the rest of the easy levels, though that money was hard, as I barely beat the golden statue right at the front door of my hut.

That first special level (with the spiders coming at you from all sides) is hard, as I get to the 13-16th waves and they overwhelm my defenses. I tried the fire towers, which worked well to a point, but I'm thinking of going for the hive next time I play that one.

[cochesecochese]

Has anyone figured out the scoring system yet? Clearly, saving all your babies bumps it up but is it better to end with more gold, towers or gems?

[dallow]

The secret is having a crap load of money when you win (plus perfect).

[denze]

When you have a tower highlighted, you just "dance" to get the exp up slowly.

I just stand on the tower and spin my left stick in circles quickly.
Of course it takes a lot of dancing for the higher levels.



Nice, thanks

[metaly]

Wow, I just played through the first three levels of this in co-op and it's excellent, not to mention deceptively hard. I'm ashamed to admit that we got dominated on the second level the first time we tried it. Luckily the second time went better.

The dancing tip helped out a huge deal. I noticed the character starts dancing on his own if you just leave him in front of a tower, though. Does moving him around speed up the upgrade any?

At the moment, the only change I'd make would be to pool the two players' money, so when it got frantic you could have one player building towers way ahead of the swarm while the other's picking up the coins.

[dallow]

I'm now rank 62 on Easy 1.
Seems to be about having the most money. Gonna try again.

That first special level (with the spiders coming at you from all sides) is hard, as I get to the 13-16th waves and they overwhelm my defenses. I tried the fire towers, which worked well to a point, but I'm thinking of going for the hive next time I play that one.Really? I just played that one and thought it's been the easiest one so far.

I just built nothing but arrow towers the whole time, didn't lose 1 guy.

The dancing tip helped out a huge deal. I noticed the character starts dancing on his own if you just leave him in front of a tower, though. Does moving him around speed up the upgrade any?You're right, he does just dance on his own, I thought you had to spin/move him.
Doesn't seem to speed it up, so I just rest him on the tower I need upgrading.

[simplygriff]

Downloaded the demo last night and it's a pretty fun game. How many levels are there in the full version?
-G

[dallow]

Downloaded the demo last night and it's a pretty fun game. How many levels are there in the full version?
-GI think 20 or so.

It's a hard game.

[mtxbass1]

Is this worth $7.99 on a blind buy?

[metaly]

Grab the demo first if you're not sure. I forget if there's a US demo, but there's one in either the HK or Japanese stores that's completely in English.

Or just search for Desktop Tower Defense. It's the same gameplay premise.

[FriskyTanuki]

Really? I just played that one and thought it's been the easiest one so far.

I just built nothing but arrow towers the whole time, didn't lose 1 guy.
The solution's that simple? Really? Wow. I'll have to try that out next time I play the game.

[Kendal]

I decided to DL this game. It is pretty fun. I look forward to doing some co-op when I am not sick as all get out.

[FriskyTanuki]

Beat the first special level, then beat the first two medium missions. Not looking forward to the third medium level, which 1up said was the most difficult of the levels they had gotten on the 1up Show.

[dallow]

Everyone hates the bridge level, but I didn't think it was so bad.

I played it once and just barely lost, now I know what I did wrong.

It's gonna be a bitch trying to get rainbows on some of these though. Ugh.

[bobo2k4]

Is this worth $7.99 on a blind buy?


Same question. Or should I just play a online version for free?

[dallow]

Download the demo from the JPN store guys.

[NamPaehc]

Any ideas yet on just what 1-3 is going to be?

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2533/13td3.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2533/13td3.jpg)

[cochesecochese]

Any ideas yet on just what 1-3 is going to be?

Endless Urine.

Just kidding. I'll guess it's some kind of arcology management sim. Really just a stab in the dark.

[FriskyTanuki]

Any ideas yet on just what 1-3 is going to be?

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2533/13td3.th.jpg (http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2533/13td3.jpg)

Music/Puzzle game?

Edit: Managed to get rainbows on Easy 2 and Medium 2, so that makes 4 rainbows so far. Medium 3's tough, though the 1up Show gave me some good ideas when they covered the game.

[asthmatic]

wow i just downloaded this and it was being played for 5 hours straight. Is there a way i can download this onto my psp so i can play this at places where i have no internet access?

[amicus]

i just beat med 5. what a fun game. definetly worth the purchase.

[FriskyTanuki]

wow i just downloaded this and it was being played for 5 hours straight. Is there a way i can download this onto my psp so i can play this at places where i have no internet access?
No, just through remote play.

Finished off the Special 1 level for my fifth rainbow. Opened up a path that I can't even reach. :-(

[Serpentor]

darn, the game looks simple but yet it's not that simple... perhaps i'm too greedy, definitely not managing the funds properly. I can't get pass the 2nd stage (the power play one). Shame shame i know... but hey, it's all about having fun right?

[mtxbass1]

Well, I decided to buy this, blind buy. It's taking FOREVER to download 60mb.

Edit: Why did I wait this long to buy this? This is fantastic.

[StrandedBrit]

This game is sick. I bought this game 2 days after Burnout Paradise and it's getting more playtime. Very addicting.

[dallow]

I'm really happy to see all the postive reaction from this game, especially at NeoGaf where it has a thread that has survived for far longer than downloadable games are supposed to have.

[H.Cornerstone]

I'm really happy to see all the postive reaction from this game, especially at NeoGaf where it has a thread that has survived for far longer than downloadable games are supposed to have.

Clearly you never saw the Super Stardust HD thread. :)

[josh_animebum]

Any idea how much longer its going to be 7.99? All this discussion is seriously making me consider getting it.

Oh hell, I'll probably just get it tomorrow night. Although it would have been nice if it was playable on the PSP besides remote play and with online coop since then I'd actually be able to play coop.

[jonlubbe]

Any idea how much longer its going to be 7.99? All this discussion is seriously making me consider getting it.



I will Assume it will be that price until the next PSN update, which means until thursday.



I have 7 rainbows in my 2p game, but only 5 on my single player game.

[Justin42]

Gotta be a small voice of dissent here, I made a Japanese account just to get the demo (After being horribly obsessed with Desktop Tower Defense) and I have to admit.. I just don't quite "get" this game. DTD clicked with me immediately and I thought Monsters would be an immediate hit... but the demo just feels like.. I dunno, like you've been too limited (having to run around, the time it takes to upgrade towers). It's hard to describe.

Glad I got the demo first... but I hate saying that as I desperately wanted to like PJM the way I like DTD...

Anyone have any tips for a DTD junkie (Not particularly GOOD at it but I like the game) adjusting to PJM?

[dallow]

Clearly you never saw the Super Stardust HD thread. :)Oops, save for that thread of "burning awesome". :)

[NamPaehc]

Gotta be a small voice of dissent here, I made a Japanese account just to get the demo (After being horribly obsessed with Desktop Tower Defense) and I have to admit.. I just don't quite "get" this game. DTD clicked with me immediately and I thought Monsters would be an immediate hit... but the demo just feels like.. I dunno, like you've been too limited (having to run around, the time it takes to upgrade towers). It's hard to describe.

Glad I got the demo first... but I hate saying that as I desperately wanted to like PJM the way I like DTD...

Anyone have any tips for a DTD junkie (Not particularly GOOD at it but I like the game) adjusting to PJM?

Well... DTD is built for a PC, and PJM for a console. I think you might just lean more towards the PC side where you can move fast and click things that will take effect almost instantly.

The "limited" feeling you are having was put in place by the devs for a reason- game system owners get intemidated by fast speeds and lack of percise controls (no mouse).

You can't zoom around with a cursor here and upgrade everything at once, which to me adds a lot more depth to the game. You have to plan on where to place towers more and which ones to go to to upgrade and so on.

Not going to help much, but wanted to at least say I know where you are coming from.

[pete5883]

I bought this this morning, only got a chance to try the tutorial. Thanks, thread!

[cochesecochese]

Is it worth it to just barrel through to the specials and get the items, and then try to go back and rainbow levels or should I just keep rainbowing in numerical order?

[dallow]

Is it worth it to just barrel through to the specials and get the items, and then try to go back and rainbow levels or should I just keep rainbowing in numerical order?It'll make life easier to get the special items.

[FriskyTanuki]

After seeing what the second unlockable is (landmines - you plant then detonate to take out invading monsters), it makes me wish I had a better grasp on these medium levels to get through them more quickly.

[Vanigan]

Keep in mind though, it takes jewels to plant landmines, I forget how much. But, it does hit with the strength of a fully upgraded cannon shot.


Oh, and by the way, I'm Vertrucio, tanked 10th on medium 3. I wonder if I've been knocked off the list yet.

[pete5883]

If I add you guys on PSN, can I compare against your scores like in Rock Band?

[The Mana Knight]

If I add you guys on PSN, can I compare against your scores like in Rock Band?Yes. I really like how the game supports that.

[Serpentor]

damn, the game is hard! i can't get my 4th rainbow! wtf? how do you unlock the other towers so that you can use them in a different level? it takes "forver" to get enough gems to activate the locked towers... what's your strategy for the Power Play level (the one you don't get gold after killing the monsters)?

[Vanigan]

In the easy missions, you don't get much gems because you actually don't really need the other towers. Focus on building lots of smaller towers and quickly upgrading key towers to the highest level.

For example, one fully graded AA tower is enough to cut down a significant portion of any Air monster waves, enough so that the slower firing arrow towers can pick off the stragglers.

One fully upgraded arrow tower has tremendous range and the extra damage at the end makes it deadly for thinning out early hordes.

[metaly]

Some vague info on PixelJunk 1-3, from an interview with Dylan Cuthbert, the founder of Q-Games:

PixelJunk 1-3 is as-yet unnamed but we have collaborated with a rather cool artist in Kyoto called Baiyon (http://baiyon.com/index_e.html) who is a DJ, musician and illustrative artist to develop some really interesting technology that creates illustrated "life" (that he has designed) that is also synchronized to his music. The game is a total experiment, but rest assured it is going to be very unique and a lot of fun, and it isn't going to be a "rhythm" game.

Full interview: Part I (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/12/06/the-dylan-cuthbert-interview-part-i.aspx) - Part II (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/12/10/the-dylan-cuthbert-interview-part-ii.aspx)

It's fairly old but I didn't read it until recently for some reason. Maybe I just ignored it when it was first published because I wrote off PixelJunk after the Racers demo. After playing Monsters, I'm admittedly sort of curious what Racers offers beyond the demo.

[Serpentor]

In the easy missions, you don't get much gems because you actually don't really need the other towers. Focus on building lots of smaller towers and quickly upgrading key towers to the highest level.

For example, one fully graded AA tower is enough to cut down a significant portion of any Air monster waves, enough so that the slower firing arrow towers can pick off the stragglers.

One fully upgraded arrow tower has tremendous range and the extra damage at the end makes it deadly for thinning out early hordes.

Thanks for the tips... I'll try again and get my 4th rainbow tonight perhaps.

[metaly]

New, albeit sparse, information on PixelJunk 1-3 and 1-4, now revealed as PixelJunk Eden and PixelJunk Dungeons:

As an ending point, Cuthbert then showed a video for PixelJunk Eden, the next in the series, and a spectacularly abstract physics-based game where you collect pollen and birth flowers as a small blob - with plenty of primary colors and combo effects.PixelJunk Dungeons is reported to be a top-down dungeon crawler. (Like I said, info is sparse.)

Full article, which is a summary of Dylan Cuthbert's lecture from the Independent Games Summit: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17466

[cochesecochese]

I'll need to see some screenshots for #3 before I get hyped for it but as it sounds, I'll be buying #4 day one. Good to see we're getting badass PSN games.

edit: Debut Trailer is up (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/17585)

[NamPaehc]

Yeah, PJEden looks interesting.

Oh and they announced an expansion for PJMonsters (not much known yet). (http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/02/18/pixeljunk-monsters-expansion-pack-coming-soon/)

[dallow]

Apparently, Dylan says that Eden technically can't be one on other consoles because of the way it's programmed and the way it uses the SPEs.

See here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9821095&postcount=23

Gosh, I love PixelJunk.
EDEN looks fantastic!

[FriskyTanuki]

Fixed up the OP a bit. Nam, your link doesn't work.

[NamPaehc]

I don't think that is the same one I had last night, but I edited the link.

[rendil]

Just finished Monsters in co-op mode. Was hoping they would do an expansion - glad to hear it's already in the works!

[metaly]

More info on the expansion on MTV's game blog (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/03/28/psn-next-wave-revealed-wipeout-hd-echochrome-elefunk-pixeljunk-monsters-encore/):

“PixelJunk Monsters: Encore” — This expansion to the tower-defense game “PixelJunk Monsters” adds the island of Toki to the original game’s island of Tiki. Looks like there are at least a dozen new levels, but I need to play more to learn more. Add-on pack will be out in late April

I guess I should get around to finishing the first island.

[pete5883]

Probably not going to buy, since I can't even get past the Easy levels :-(

[Vanigan]

Any word on Dungeon? I've been playing Shiren the Wanderer on the DS, and while it's okay, I'm looking for some more dungeon crawling goodness.

[FriskyTanuki]

Probably not until Eden's closer to being finished.

[Dezuria]

PJ:M Encore looks like a map-pack more than anything else, but that's fine with me. Hopefully the price is less than $10, though I'd buy it either way.

[FriskyTanuki]

PJ:M Encore looks like a map-pack more than anything else, but that's fine with me. Hopefully the price is less than $10, though I'd buy it either way.
It is an expansion, so I'm not sure what you were expecting. I doubt that it's more expensive than the game itself.

[hone]

I'm hoping for new towers and new abilities, but it looks like you have to rearn the ones you already got.

[orko60]

Probably not going to buy, since I can't even get past the Easy levels :-(

Check out some videos of people playing on Youtube. Just watching others play it well will give you some ideas on how to get better.

I've been using a combination of building towers quickly after learning what works against what monsters, and tearing some things down and replacing them with different towers when I don't need them anymore (ie, no more flying creatures, replace with cannons for the boss). Also, in the medium levels, you need to start getting fire towers and stuff. Just save up your gems!

[FriskyTanuki]

Been playing Monsters a bit more and I managed to beat Medium 6 (the upside-down heart) and beat Special 2 to unlock the mine. Used the mine to get rainbows for Easy 3 and 4 (no money and the first level with two possible entrances) and unlock the hard levels and the route to the third special. Managed to beat Hard 1, which allowed me to unlock a few towers (laser, mortar, fire, hive) to beat all the waves. Tried to beat Hard 2, but I seem to do worse with each try. Tried Hard 5, as well, but failed in the later waves.

[cartman58]

The Mrs. and I play this game quite often. We're hoping(but doubting) we will rainbow every level before the expansion comes out. We rainbow a new place about every two days.

We've got 13 rainbows I believe, so just a few off.

[FriskyTanuki]

I just watched On the Spot and they were playing Encore, which Ricardo Torres says will be out by the end of April for $4.99.

[dallow]

I just watched On the Spot and they were playing Encore, which Ricardo Torres says will be out by the end of April for $4.99.
That leaked release list proves itself once again.

[punkmaggit]

So, anyone up for a couple of challenges?

Hard-1 (So Many Monsters): no laser towers (done)
Special-2 (Lines of Attack): no laser towers (done)
Medium-1 (Short Cut): no fire towers (done)
Medium-5 (Monster Mish-mash): only use your basic 3 towers (done - holy crap was that tough)

It's a real shame that the lightning tower wasn't available sooner - it made the final level so much easier!

Anyways, for those looking for a challenge before the expansion pack comes out, give those a shot. They're all do-able.

[NateNinja]

What's Mosters?------- :)

[Vanigan]

How the heck did you do lines of attack without laser towers? Those Armored Bee monsters are unstoppable without them, especially when they come in droves.

Also, What is the Tesla tower good for? Its range if so short, and the only benefit I see is that it'll attack everything in its range, but the damage is pretty poor.

[FriskyTanuki]

You don't. That's the point of using laser towers. Tesla towers are good for attacking ground troops at their entrance to a level, so it's not a useful tower for every level.

[punkmaggit]

How the heck did you do lines of attack without laser towers? Those Armored Bee monsters are unstoppable without them, especially when they come in droves.

That's the best part - the level is mostly air, so you get alot of time to plan out exactly where the anti-air guns need to go. It's possible, myself having done it around 5 times now. You just need alot of them, and they need to be black.

[BREVITY]

I beat the game with all rainbows a few weeks ago. What a let down when the store came back up w/o the expansion. Any idea when it will be out?

[cartman58]

Just finished rainbowing every level with the girlfriend on 2-player. Pretty cool effect when you win.

I'm looking forward to the expansion coming out this thursday(I hope).

[punkmaggit]

You don't. That's the point of using laser towers. Tesla towers are good for attacking ground troops at their entrance to a level, so it's not a useful tower for every level.

Yes, yes you do. Laser towers are absolutely a necessity for some levels, but to demonstrate your master of the game, it's fun to do a level with no laser towers just to see if you can. Especially one with an onslaught of bees.

Oh, and using a land mine is cheating (j/k)

I was trying to download the japanese expansion pack (which is already out), but seeing as how I understand nothing of the japanese language, my attempts were very futile. That being said, I believe we have to wait until this Thursday.

My wife's climbing up walls in anticipation.

[BREVITY]

Yes I wonder if it will be out this week. I really want that game to drop but I dont know how much play it will get with Mario Kart and GTA being out this week too.

[FriskyTanuki]

Yes, yes you do. Laser towers are absolutely a necessity for some levels, but to demonstrate your master of the game, it's fun to do a level with no laser towers just to see if you can. Especially one with an onslaught of bees.

Oh, and using a land mine is cheating (j/k)

I was trying to download the japanese expansion pack (which is already out), but seeing as how I understand nothing of the japanese language, my attempts were very futile. That being said, I believe we have to wait until this Thursday.

My wife's climbing up walls in anticipation.
How do you get a line of attacks without a laser tower then?

[dallow]

There's a very cool bonus for beating the expansion.
If you don't want to be spoiled...........

a new third island opens, and it contains a level generator

[Vanigan]

There's no way. I think you just have to build a crap load of arrow and AA towers and upgrade them all.

I really have no idea how anyone can finish a map with Bees without laser towers.

[punkmaggit]

How do you get a line of attacks without a laser tower then?

A whole lot of black anti-air towers. If you really need more clarity than that, I can tell you exactly where to put 'em.

Trust me, it's possible (and quite the gratifying accomplishment when you do it).

There's a very cool bonus for beating the expansion.
If you don't want to be spoiled...........

That is just about the COOLEST thing I've seen yet!! Can't wait for the expansion (Thursday can't come fast enough!)

[NamPaehc]

New update/interview. (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/04/29/pixeljunk-monsters-encore-details-interview/)


Hey everyone,
We’re excited to be working with Dylan Cuthbert (http://blog.us.playstation.com/author/dcuthbert/) and Q-Games again on the upcoming release of PixelJunk Monsters Encore, a new expansion pack to the original game (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/PixelJunk_Monsters), which was released in late January 2008.
You may have recently read some previews of PJM Encore in a bunch of places. If you haven’t checked them out, here’s what 1UP (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3167155&p=37), IGN (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/862/862832p1.html), Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/strategy/pixeljunkmonstersencore/news.html?sid=6188479&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;1), Crispy Gamer (http://crispygamer.com/_GeneratedPages/Interviews/Interview748.aspx), and Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/strategy/pixeljunkmonstersencore/media.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs;videos) (again!) had to say about it.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2450623454_9165f7cdc0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/playstationblog/2450623454/)
Of course we’re huge fans of all things Monsters, and totally biased about spreading the PixelJunk gospel but first, here’s a quick overview of some of the highlights in PixelJunk Monsters Encore:

1 new island, Toki Island
15 new levels
5 new music tracks from Otograph (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=105259174)
Ice Tower is now a stock item
Reduced gem cost to buy the Tesla Tower
Releasing in May 2008 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2449797835_10963ace54.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/playstationblog/2449797835/)
We had loads of questions for Dylan and team, so we’re splitting this interview into two parts. Featured below are my top five burning questions for Dylan, and be sure to check back next week when SCE Associate Producer Matt Morton delivers the goods on the remaining five.
1. (Deb) How did you decide on the name for the expansion pack? Personally, you know we liked “PixelJunk Monsters: The Lost Island” or “PixelJunk Monsters: The Others”…we’re huge fans of the TV show Lost over here.
(Dylan) Heh heh. Yes I particularly liked “The Others” as I am a fan of Lost too…and am even signed up for that theories forum, 49153…whatever it’s called. However, we needed a name that could be understood in Japan as well, as we don’t like having a different title here, and Encore is understood by the Japanese (although it is pronounced “ahnkowlu”). Also, we wanted the name to reflect the fact that the reason we made this pack is because of the huge response we got from fans of the original, so Encore seemed particularly appropriate as it is what you shout at the end of a good concert etc, when you want just that *little bit more*.
2. (Deb) We get some fan mail here (thanks QA!), but we’re sure you get tons more. Can you spill the beans on what has been your most crazed fan mail to date? Anything PixelJunk juicy?
(Dylan) We’ve been getting a lot of fan mail every week. The bulk tends to arrive just after the weekend so I presume everybody is playing it non-stop during the weekend and they get back to work on Monday/Tuesday etc., feel the itch to play again but can’t, and then look up our mail address on the net. We haven’t had any crazy e-mails, but we’ve had lots of people suggest ideas for a sequel which is really cool. Also, we had a couple of mails about plasma tv burn-in, and rest-assured if we had known people would be playing this game the no. of hours people seem to be playing it then we would have discovered this problem. Therefore Encore and all future PixelJunk games will have an anti-burn option in the menu so as to prevent the PixelJunk logo being forever scarred into your TVs!
We get loads of mails from couples who are enjoying PixelJunk Monsters together. It’s surprising how RTS-like games (usually associated with war and destruction) appeal to both male and female alike, perhaps they even appeal more to women?

3. (Deb) Are the rumors true about your need to make this expansion pack? Was your marriage really in jeopardy if you didn’t turn around a quick XP?
(Dylan) Haha, no, not at all…but my wife simply loved the game so much she would badger me every day for more levels, so in the end I caved in. Of course, we were also getting mails every day from people asking for more so we simply decided to listen to everyone!
4. (Deb) What is your favorite map in PJM Encore & why?
(Dylan) Racer Gardens, because the rough layout is based on a track in PixelJunk Racers and it is a really tough map to beat, but really enjoyable once you learn the patterns. (Hint: The big guys always cross the bridges!)
The secret for the all-clear is rather superb, too, but of course we want the first real player to get there to spill the beans on that one.
5. (Deb) What was the inspiration for the unique and charming art style?
(Dylan) Well, our lead designer on the project, Andy Palmer, came up with some weird red riding hood style pics of a forest with a little girl in a hood and wolves in a kind of Sabre Wulf looking game (Sabre Wulf is an old game Rare made for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 in Britain back in the 80s), but it also had hints of the SNES version of Zelda. Let’s ask Andy himself.
(Andy) Originally we were just throwing around game ideas on the company BBS. I was making concept images to illustrate how the games might look and as Dylan mentioned, one of the images I made was of a simple multiplayer game inspired by Red Riding Hood, which was set in a forest. When it was later decided that we were going to be making a tower defense game, Dylan said he liked the style of the forest image and from then it became the basis for the rest of the game’s look. Initially I didn’t really want to go in that direction because I didn’t really have any character design or 2D game experience, but Dylan encouraged me to stick with it and I’m glad I did. Not only did the game end up looking good, but I was also able to use a graphics tablet instead of a mouse for several months, which helped my arms recover from RSI http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif
(Dylan) So I suppose those two games were subtle inspirations for the style, but then Andy took it all and slowly transformed it into the whole southern tropical island WikiTiki type thing and we ran with it. The monsters have all been animated by those weird witch-masks they are wearing, but underneath those masks they are probably all friendly folk you would invite around for tea.
(Deb) Very cool, and we should mention that Andy created some really amazing new themes, wallpapers and avatars so keep your eyes open on the PS Store for these very soon.
…
We’re going a bit long here so we’ll pick this back up again next week for the continuation of our interview. Five more questions and answers, plus a few more details about the expansion that you simply won’t want to miss.

[FriskyTanuki]

That's not really a line of attacks though, just a cluster of towers that may or may not work like that.

I need some help on the T-shaped hard level, I can do fine until the boss, then I can barely take half of his health before he kills my base, so I'm thinking that I'm messing up what my third upgrade should be. I know the first two should be flame and laser to take care of the ground and air waves, but I've tried Hive and Mortar and they're not really getting the job done.

[cartman58]

That's not really a line of attacks though, just a cluster of towers that may or may not work like that.

I need some help on the T-shaped hard level, I can do fine until the boss, then I can barely take half of his health before he kills my base, so I'm thinking that I'm messing up what my third upgrade should be. I know the first two should be flame and laser to take care of the ground and air waves, but I've tried Hive and Mortar and they're not really getting the job done.

I couldn't beat that one until I watched the youtube video. Just type in the name of the level i.e. "Hard 2" or whatever it is and watch the video. My girlfriend and I beat it first try, but it took literally 25 times to get the rainbow.

[StrandedBrit]

It's official (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/05/06/pixeljunk-monsters-encore-dated-interview-part-2/), Encore coming this thursday for $5.99.

[BREVITY]

OH YA!
I hope its true about the unlockable secret. Would be awesome. Instant purchas either way.

[rendil]

Downloaded Encore last night. Only had a chance to play it very briefly, but it looks like the powerups from the previous island don't work on the new island...? At least it didn't feel like holding down circle made me run faster.

I appreciate that they made the ice tower automatically unlocked. I may actually use it now. Before, it always seemed to be a waste of gems.

[blueweltall]

I just played the demo for the first time with my nephew and niece tonight and it was a blast! I can't believe it took me this long to try the the demo out. Can't wait to download the game and encore pack.

[FriskyTanuki]

Tried to beat the first level of Encore again and managed to get through with the help of the Hive and a bunch of Mortar towers. Then tried out the second easy level, which was a bit easier than the first. I love that the third easy level is inspired by Pac-Man.

[rendil]

Got a chance to play a bit more. For those curious, you have to re-unlock your special items. I got the faster walking speed, and life is so much better now.

[dallow]

Eden info from the official site. Interesting that it directly mentions trophy support which is rumored for FW 2.4.

Key Features

* Visual Appeal in Full HD
* Dynamic Animations and Effects
* DUALSHOCK®3 Support
* Trophy Support
* Up to 3 player co-operative play
* Online Support - Players can track single-player and co-op high scores on the online leaderboards
* Remote Play - Supports Remote Play for PSP® system

[BREVITY]

Eden info from the official site. Interesting that it directly mentions trophy support which is rumored for FW 2.4.


Is that a miss print? 3 Players?
The other was only 2 right?

[FriskyTanuki]

7 for Racers, 2 for Monsters.

[FriskyTanuki]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52737

A great trailer for Eden showing off the 3-player co-op. I can't wait to see more of this game.

Screens (large ones):

http://www.shacknews.com/images/image-o-matic.x?/images/sshots/Screenshot/9898/9898_482df874a2ad4.jpg
http://www.shacknews.com/images/image-o-matic.x?/images/sshots/Screenshot/9898/9898_482df872bb261.jpg
http://www.shacknews.com/images/image-o-matic.x?/images/sshots/Screenshot/9898/9898_482df8768a343.jpg
http://www.shacknews.com/images/image-o-matic.x?/images/sshots/Screenshot/9898/9898_482df87e20809.jpg
http://www.shacknews.com/images/image-o-matic.x?/images/sshots/Screenshot/9898/9898_482df87bf18f8.jpg

[NamPaehc]

Pretty cool walk through video. (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/18919)

[NamPaehc]

"Special" PJ news tomorrow! (http://www.thesixthaxis.com/pixeljunk_news_tomorrow_news_1055_tsa.aspx)

Dylan has emailed us to say we've to keep an eye on the Official PlayStation Blog tomorrow for an important Pixeljunk announcement, which is supposed to be something quite special. We quizzed Dylan on what this might be, but he's keeping tight lipped, and wouldn't even give us the first letter...

21/05/2008 13:00:00

[dallow]

Soundtracks goes into the update today for 2.99.

Sweet. It's really quite nice.

[metaly]

That's pretty cool news. The music is one of my favorite aspects of the game and I was actually searching around for more info on it and Otograph back when the game came out. $3 sounds like a steal, although I'm wondering how complete it is, and what format it will be.

PSBlog also posted a quick interview with Otograph (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/05/22/pixeljunk-monsters-soundtrack-an-interview-with-otograph/).

[FriskyTanuki]

That's pretty cool news. The music is one of my favorite aspects of the game and I was actually searching around for more info on it and Otograph back when the game came out. $3 sounds like a steal, although I'm wondering how complete it is, and what format it will be.

PSBlog also posted a quick interview with Otograph (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/05/22/pixeljunk-monsters-soundtrack-an-interview-with-otograph/).
From the comments:

@stevelak: 24 tracks, all full-length, no DRM protection, MP3 format.

[RelentlessRolento]

yeah, this game was screaming a soundtrack release from the time it was released. also, I want to get this game, but I'm waiting on a bundle or sale. I'm in no hurry to get it since it's a bit harder to play on a SDTV than a widescreen HDTV.

[metaly]

From the comments:

This is maybe the best deal in the history of the universe.

[NamPaehc]

Blog update, with video about who to control the game. (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/05/23/scea-judges-day-how-do-you-play-pixeljunk-eden/)

[punkmaggit]

So, has anyone rainbow'd the 2nd island? I'm on the last level - Boss Attack and it's giving me so much grief!

[Deefuzz]

I just played the demo for the first time with my nephew and niece tonight and it was a blast! I can't believe it took me this long to try the the demo out. Can't wait to download the game and encore pack.

Same here. I remember the Shipwrecks recommending it and I just got around to testing out the new PSN store and snagging the demo last night. I played through the demo and loved it, and my girlfriend had a blast watching.

I will most likely be downloading the full version tonight, now I just need to get a DS3 so she can play along with me.

[FriskyTanuki]

Just wanted to bump this up with the news that PixelJunk Eden will be the first upcoming game to support trophies, but it also seems like it's almost ready to be released from the preview 1up just put out, which also has a nice gameplay video in it, too:

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168510

That Eden will be the first game released with Trophies (read: achievements) after the 2.4 XMB update is something I consider a minor motivation.I'm hoping for a release during the week of E3.

[FriskyTanuki]

Some new videos from GT to take advantage of the easy video posting process in CAG 2.0:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35794.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35798.html

[RelentlessRolento]

finally played monsters on an HDTV and could actually see what I was doing. I will definitely buy it when I get more cash... eden is an immediate purchase as well once I heard the developer talking about it.

[cartman58]

I'm all about Pixel Junk Monsters. However, watching those Eden videos does nothing for me.

[FriskyTanuki]

http://kotaku.com/5023262/wario-land-pixeljunk-eden-dated-for-japan

Looks like PixelJunk Eden will be out in Japan at the end of July, the 31st to be specific, but I'm hoping we get it earlier.

[RelentlessRolento]

didn't see this anywhere, but Eden will support the Youtube functionality... nice!

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/888/888186p1.html

[BREVITY]

Loved PJ Monster more than any other PSN game yet.
But I got to say PJ Eden ZZZZzzzzzz
I watched in on the 1up Show and On the Spot last week and I couldnt see any reason to even play a free version of it.

[FriskyTanuki]

Looking at the front page of us.playstation.com, PJ Eden's coming out July 31, same day as the Japanese version. Can't wait.

http://www.gamespot.com/video/0/6194123/videoplayerpop?rgroup=e32008_live

[XxFuRy2Xx]

I'm seriously considering buying pixeljunk monsters after playing the demo. Just hesitating to pull the trigger.

[Kanik]

I'm seriously considering buying pixeljunk monsters after playing the demo. Just hesitating to pull the trigger.

The full game has so much more depth with the variety of enemies and how stages are set up. I enjoyed the demo but absolutely love the full game.

[RelentlessRolento]

supposedly a demo will be released this Thurs.

[FriskyTanuki]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/pixeljunk-eden-demo-available-tomorrow/

[FriskyTanuki]

Some examples of the Youtube uploading from an update to the earlier PixelJunk Eden post on the PS Blog (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/07/23/pixeljunk-eden-trophies-galore/) by Dylan Cuthbert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uutttk4AT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THVrhPFf1oY

[NamPaehc]

Eden looks like it is going to be a lot like Everyday Shooter for me. At least in regards to finding a certain level that has a pleasing design and background music that I'll play over and over.

I didn't really think about that until I saw those videos at how different the areas will be. I really wanted online multiplayer as it is usually hard to get anyone to join in around here.

Though now I am leaning over the fence a bit further now, so the demo might tip me all the way onto the purchasing side.

[FriskyTanuki]

If you've yet to purchase PixelJunk Monsters, you'd be insane not to buy it now during the Summer PSN Sale for $5.

Also, Eden demo's out now!

[Razzuel]

Pixel Junk Eden's controls are really getting on my nerves. Sometimes I want to just jump to a new stem but I end up fucking up. I start twirling, then I fuck up again and start spinning flying past the stem and landing on the ground.

I wouldn't feel so rushed if there wasn't a fucking timer. What the hell? Echochrome had one and so does this game. Maybe if I could play at my own pace then I wouldn't be fumbling over the controls.

I am assuming the game is going for some mellow calm feel. The visuals and the music really hit that but I am constantly haunted by that damn timer.

I have failed the demo twice so far, maybe I'll beat it on the third try?

[FriskyTanuki]

It takes some getting used to, but it's not hard. You just have to collect time crystals along with pollen, where you can find big ones that refill about 25% of your time bar.

[KingBroly]

The first attempt through Garden 1 I was insanely mad at the game. But after finishing Garden 1 I finally realized what the heck I was supposed to be doing. I don't think it's as cracked up as some people lead it to be though. But I need more time with it.

[Razzuel]

Alright I am a lot better with the controls now. So far the timer hasn't been a problem anymore. I guess you could ask the question: Then why have it in there in the first place? Oh well though.

Yeah the game is pretty cool. I just wish that they didn't have it so that you have go back to each garden to get spectra that you have already gotten and more. It seems like the game might get boring after a while.

[FriskyTanuki]

You need to have an incentive to actually progress. ;)

[KingBroly]

So I'm guessing none of the special features that are in the final version are in the demo? Like say...youtube uploading? I also wonder how that'll work since I sign onto youtube with a google account.

[FriskyTanuki]

It's in the how to play section of the menu, which just says that you need a youtube account, so if google accounts work with Youtube, it should work with PJE.

The question I have is whether you can upload from the XMB or not? The directions says it only gives you the option to save to your hard drive or upload directly to Youtube, which doesn't let you save it to your hard drive, as well.

If you're wondering, youtube uploading's not supported through Remote Play.

[FriskyTanuki]

I like that spinning around on your silk tether also acts as radar to help you find the nearest Spectar.

[dallow]

Game is amazing.
Day 1 on the full version next week.

[FriskyTanuki]

I think there's a five Spectra limit to the demo, which sucks because I think you could get to the third garden, as well.

[Shadowedge]

I think there's a five Spectra limit to the demo, which sucks because I think you could get to the third garden, as well.

The third garden introduces some of the enemies you can't kill by just touching them - you need to spin to break it up first.
It reminds me of the pie-piece holder from Trivial Pursuit, as the individual pieces break apart and are then regular enemies.

Also, the missus and I played for a little bit. It was cool how we could grab each other then jump and swing together.

I'm really impressed by the demo and will be picking this up day one!

[happy]

I just played a little, got two spectra, and I'm not sure how everything works yet, but I finally understand what everyone has been talking about, it really is incredible. Can't wait for the full game next week.

[FriskyTanuki]

I figured out some more bad news about the demo. It actually saves your progress, so once you reach five spectras, you can't play it anymore. At least, not until you delete your save file for the game.

I did find the spot for the fourth garden though, so I'll be trying to get to it now.

[RelentlessRolento]

just played eden and have to say it's beautiful. The controls were hard and are hard to get use to, but I know I'll like it when I play the full version.

jsut started Monsters today and played the 3rd easy level... probably the best $5 I've spent on a PSN title even though I never liked this genre.

[dpatel]

Some good impressions here. Honestly not too impressed by videos, but I loved PJM, and I'm willing to give it a shot. I like the art style and music, but game doesn't look all that fun to play. Probably one of those that has to be played to be enjoyed. I'm a big fan of offline multiplayer (something this gen is sorely lacking), so that alone puts this game quite high up. Also really anticipating that dungeon crawler from PJ.

[NamPaehc]

i switched my controller port to change character. wish you could customize them.

[camoor]

Eden looks more like my kinda game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cqlr-VHKfU&feature=related

[dallow]

Game is absolutely beautiful.
Takes a bit to get used to the controls but once you do you feel like you're flying.

Presentation is top-notch.
I really love PSN games. This game has SOUL!

[KingBroly]

So you're saying I can make PJE youtube videos with the demo?

[FriskyTanuki]

No.

[RelentlessRolento]

I will say that making youtube videos is going to be superbly easy.

having played with the option in Mainich Issyho, which uses the same youtube setup, all you have to do is basically log into youtube once with your account (just like logging into PSN... you can have it save your password and username as well). After that you just press whatever button is assigned to record and then press the same button to stop recording and your video will immediately start to be uploaded to youtube.

here's an example of one of the crap videos I recorded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwN3JKp7MSo

[dallow]

You can also record and save on your PS3's HDD.

[dpatel]

I will say that making youtube videos is going to be superbly easy.

having played with the option in Mainich Issyho, which uses the same youtube setup, all you have to do is basically log into youtube once with your account (just like logging into PSN... you can have it save your password and username as well). After that you just press whatever button is assigned to record and then press the same button to stop recording and your video will immediately start to be uploaded to youtube.

More games need to have this feature. First tried it in the spore demo, and I thought it was genius. So simple, but so useful too. Would be kinda better if games had a DVR type feature, in case you want to record something that happened in the past. I'm sure plenty of you have had moments that were so insane, but came unexpectedly so you weren't able to save it and show others.

EDIT: Is this youtube thing a new XMB functionality that works with all games, or were you just referring to that one game?

[KingBroly]

man...

[RelentlessRolento]

You can also record and save on your PS3's HDD.

Nice... didn't realize that.


EDIT: Is this youtube thing a new XMB functionality that works with all games, or were you just referring to that one game?

it was a new feature built into one of the recent firmware releases. it's a new tool that devs can take use of so most games out now don't use it, but from now on devs have the option to include it.

[FriskyTanuki]

It has to be supported by the games first.

[dpatel]

it was a new feature built into one of the recent firmware releases. it's a new tool that devs can take use of so most games out now don't use it, but from now on devs have the option to include it.

Awesome! At first I thought it was some PJEden exclusive feature you were talking about, but good to see it was part of the firmware. I really wish Sony would enforce some standards like MS does with XBL, so that all games would utilize these things, but I'm hoping a good number of games utilize this youtube feature. Definitely would like to see LBP use it.

[chodax]

Well I am probably the only one who thought this game was meh. Monsters was a great game but Eden and Racers were just average games. PixelJunk is definitely creative though and I give them that.

[jezebelseven]

Eden was somewhat fun on my own, but became a day one purchase for me when I played together with my husband. Super fun!

[brighenne]

Yep, three player eden has me sold. Once it says please buy the full game are you out of demo time for good on that account? Haven't tried restarting the demo and won't have access to my ps3 for a little while.

[imascrub]

played some single player, and it seems like a neat enough distraction every now and then to get. Too bad I have no one else to play it with on a regular basis though lol.

[jezebelseven]

Yep, three player eden has me sold. Once it says please buy the full game are you out of demo time for good on that account? Haven't tried restarting the demo and won't have access to my ps3 for a little while.

You can go to saved data utility and delete the save file and start over.

[V4oLDbOY]

I tried the pixeljunk eden demo, ugg me no likey at all.

[imascrub]

how long does the demo last? I've got one more petal thing for the first garden left to complete, and I see a second and I think third garden open up somewhere. Does it just end after the first garden is completely done?

[FriskyTanuki]

It ends after you collect five Spectras.

[Gabers]

I love the presentation in this. Especially the music. I had it sitting on the menu area for at least 5 minutes, listening to the music. :)

[pete5883]

I tried the pixeljunk eden demo, ugg me no likey at all.
Play for more than 5 minutes.

[ivanctorres]

Great demo. Very relaxing and loved the music. I'm sold. I'm gonna play the demo a little more over the weekend.

[NamPaehc]

This preview says $9.99CAD (http://qsf5.com/2008/07/24/pixeljunk-eden-demo-impressions/), know the prices can vary from region to region though.

[ighosty]

Seems like I will have to pick up PJ Monsters soon for that price.

[XxFuRy2Xx]

Picked up pixel junk monsters. Game is too good to pass up at that price point. I'm so glad I held out, or I would have payed 5 more.

[AdvOfJet]

Picked up Monsters today and after playing the demo for Eden I will be picking that up next week as well. I am really liking the PSN games that have been coming out lately. I even picked up Elefunk. It was just strange enough to warrant the $5 for me.

[Hostile]

Two minute impression of Eden: It looks like it'll be a lot of fun after you get used to the controls. I probably won't pick it up unless it's at a discount price though. I'm getting tired of paying full price then watch as they have special prices.

[DJSteel]

Eden is really fun.. this is a definite pick up when it comes out...

[DarkNessBear]

I love Eden. Once you master the controls it's a lot of fun, and you can pull off a lot of fancy moves.

[Morphine]

Will buy Eden on day 1 ;0

[Justin42]

Eden seemed fairly cool but (don't laugh) geez it's hard to see what's going on with a standard-def TV!! I know it says that HD is recommended, but there's something about how the font is replicated on SD that makes it extremely difficult to read, and see what's going on in the action.

Guess I'll wait to buy til I get an HDTV or a sale... (haven't paid full price for a PSN game yet, don't see why I should start now. ;) )

[NamPaehc]

Eden seemed fairly cool but (don't laugh) geez it's hard to see what's going on with a standard-def TV!! I know it says that HD is recommended, but there's something about how the font is replicated on SD that makes it extremely difficult to read, and see what's going on in the action.

Guess I'll wait to buy til I get an HDTV or a sale... (haven't paid full price for a PSN game yet, don't see why I should start now. ;) )

You can try going into the game options and zooming the screen as far in as you can. It will cut off the edges but you don't really need to see that far out in this game since more of the action goes on in the center of the screen anyway.

[Mojimbo]

Dang, the remote play is surprisingly smooth but I can't see the directional guide at all.

[reiji]

My first impression was: "wow, I like this game, but I suck so bad at it."

After I got used to the controls and figured out how to jump without swinging, it felt really natural. This is the kind of game I could see myself playing for hours on end and losing track of time.

[FriskyTanuki]

I managed to get through the entire first garden with one of my playthroughs of the demo and it was at around 20 minutes just to get all five Spectras in one swoop.

[Vanigan]

So... any word on Pixeljunk Dungeons?

After playing Shiren the wanderer I've been interesting in other rogue-likes. Pixeljunk's take on this should be very fun to play if Monsters is any indication of how they handle tower defense.

[RelentlessRolento]

So... any word on Pixeljunk Dungeons?

After playing Shiren the wanderer I've been interesting in other rogue-likes. Pixeljunk's take on this should be very fun to play if Monsters is any indication of how they handle tower defense.

yeah, a Pixeljunk Rouge-like would be great, but knowing them, it may be it's own genre of game.

[FriskyTanuki]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/07/23/pixeljunk-eden-trophies-galore/comment-page-3/#comment-90819

He could be hinting in that post that Dungeons may have been canned, but also that they may be staying quiet for a little bit on the next game.

[RelentlessRolento]

oddly I hope it's not Dungeons.

also reading some of his responses he mentions something I didn't know: you can do a spike move by jerking the controller down. cool :)

[kevlar51]

Finally bit on Pixeljunk Monsters thanks to the sale. Got Pain! too. Much happier with Pixeljunk Monsters...

[FriskyTanuki]

oddly I hope it's not Dungeons.

also reading some of his responses he mentions something I didn't know: you can do a spike move by jerking the controller down. cool :)
You can also get a similar effect by just holding down on the analog stick.

[FriskyTanuki]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/07/29/pixeljunk-in-the-trunk-contest-winners-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-92438

We hear you (and everyone else on the blog) loud and clear regarding the request for trophies in PJM. It is definitely something we’re looking into. And yeah, we really dig the music in PixelJunk Eden, too. Baiyon is awesome. I think it’s safe to say we fully intend to release the PJE soundtrack…so stay tuned for more info on all of this.

[Unassuming Local Guy]

When is Eden coming out? I thought it was today but there's nothing up yet.

[StrandedBrit]

When is Eden coming out? I thought it was today but there's nothing up yet.

The Store doesn't update until later today.

[Unassuming Local Guy]

The Store doesn't update until later today.

Oh. I thought it was morning like XBLM. This is what I get for taking the day off.

[StrandedBrit]

Oh. I thought it was morning like XBLM. This is what I get for taking the day off.

Nah, it's generally in the evening.

[happy]

I need to work tonight, I was hoping to play a little before but I guess not :(

[XxFuRy2Xx]

Man, pj monsters is seriously pissing me off. It's annoying when I put a turret somewhere and it just sits there and does nothing.

[guyjr]

Man, pj monsters is seriously pissing me off. It's annoying when I put a turret somewhere and it just sits there and does nothing.


Make sure its range circle will "catch" some of the monsters as they go by. Cannon turrets have a notoriously short range, while the arrow turrets have a decent starting one, but can be upgraded quite a few times til the last upgrade, which then bumps their strength.

[KingBroly]

I just got eden, and tried out the video recording. I'm uploading it to youtube, and it's taking forever to do. It's also shows how much I don't know how to play this game yet.

EDIT: It finally uploaded. Remember while watching: I suck at this game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYr9li31d20

[FriskyTanuki]

There's a bit of lag from finishing uploading to the video actually showing up on Youtube, but here's my test of the youtube feature:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiIj9w0XMUg

[RelentlessRolento]

here's my attempt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mjLYunG20w

[XxFuRy2Xx]

Make sure its range circle will "catch" some of the monsters as they go by. Cannon turrets have a notoriously short range, while the arrow turrets have a decent starting one, but can be upgraded quite a few times til the last upgrade, which then bumps their strength.Yeah, I took that into account. Yet some turrets just sit idly by and let monsters through to kill the little ones. It's getting pretty frustrating now. It's also annoying that if you put turrets too close to one another that only one will work, while the other does nothing.

[KingBroly]

I managed to get the 2nd Spectre in Garden 1. I think the one I went after in the video was the third one, possibly the fourth. Anyone understand the 100,000 Pollen in a Garden Trophy? Single playthrough or total score for that garden? I think some of the trophies in PJE are ridiculuous.

[RelentlessRolento]

I managed to get the 2nd Spectre in Garden 1. I think the one I went after in the video was the third one, possibly the fourth. Anyone understand the 100,000 Pollen in a Garden Trophy? Single playthrough or total score for that garden? I think some of the trophies in PJE are ridiculuous.


I think total in one play of a garden.

[dallow]

Current rankings according to my friend list for overall score:

dallow - 274
rolento - 1084
crasyspyro - 1126
mojimbo - 3005
terribledeli - 5378

I'm in LOVE with this game.
I got two trophies so far. The all seeds open in garden one, and the 10x prowler multiplier.

Things get hard in Garden 5, ouch.....

[gunm]

Cool. I might pick up eden tonight.

[FriskyTanuki]

Got the all seeds trophies for gardens 1 and 2, then I just got the x10 combo trophy in garden 3 since the main enemy there helps out a lot for that trophy. Lots of fun so far. :D

[RelentlessRolento]

I'd keep playing but I've been playing too much games all day... SCIV and Eden. I think tomorrow I'll have more time to sit down with this.