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Sunday Comics: Dead Island There’s retiring old video game characters by not using them any more, and then there’s retiring old video game characters by building little models of them and destroying them.
Would a really sweet and totally accurate physics engine really add much to the addictive gameplay of world-carving indie hit Minecraft? Perhaps not, but this build and destroy demo – “Minecraft + Physics!” – according to its creator would certainly make it easier on the eyes.
Introversion Software’s port of the award-winning Darwinia comes to Xbox Live Marketplace this week for 1200 Microsoft Points. The abstract strategy game may not be the most graphically impressive of XBLA offerings, but its gameplay is rock solid. [Xbox.com]
In 2008, independent developer Introversion announced an Xbox Live Arcade version of its innovative PC strategy action puzzler, Darwinia. Now Darwinia+ is only a few short weeks away.
Introversion’s long struggle with Microsoft’s high standards has finally come to an end, and the XBLA release of Darwinia+ is scheduled for February 10th. 1200 Microsoft points ($15) will buy you a ticket inside the computer home of the Darwinians, who need your help to evolve in order to combat the vicious computer virus infecting their home.
“It’s been a long battle with Microsoft and their particularly high standards; in the end we are really thankful for their advice and help in completing this long and challenging game project. We have come to think of Darwinia+ as the Director’s Cut as it has surpassed our expectations of what we were originally looking to create and now looks and feels smoother than ever.”
It certainly looks like an entirely new game compared to the PC version, which I was tinkering with earlier today. It should be interesting to see how they mapped the game’s controls to the 360 controller.
Check out screens of Darwinia+ below, or visit the game’s official website to see it in motion.
Unlockable avatar shirt from the upcoming XBLA release of Darwinia+, as seen on Fidgit.
Introversion – developers of Defcon and Darwinia – have a treat in store for us. Following “unprecedented approval” from Microsoft, they’ve uploaded a paper trail documenting the journey a game takes from pitch to release.
For those of you who don’t know, Multiwinia is the fourth game developed by Introversion Software. I was a huge fan of Defcon and Darwinia. Multiwinia looks like it’s shaping up very nicely. In this video we take a look at the “King of the Hill” mode where players try to control zones.
Over at Introversion Software’s blog, the developer of Defcon and Darwinia has revealed it’s at work on its sixth game, Chronometer, with funding from the UK’s Channel 4.
It’s unclear what the fate of the game, currently in pre-production, will be; said Introversion’s Chris Delay:
Ultimately we don’t know for certain if Chronometer will be going into full production – the conditions would have to be right for Introversion and for Channel 4, although they’ve been fantastic to work with during pre-production. We’re pretty much finished with this phase of Chronometer for now, and we’ll keep you updated about this interesting sixth game project as decisions are made.
The team is currently preparing for the launch of Multiwinia (shown), a multiplayer version of strategy title Darwinia, for PC.
Chronometer [Introversion blog]
Darwinia on the 360 is a “possible future release” no more. Developers Introversion have, after the ESRB leak the other day, come out and officially announced the project, which is to be called Darwinia+. You’ll get two games for the price of one: Darwinia, and the multiplayer Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest will be bundled together, and while at the moment that’s all Introversion are saying, quite frankly at the moment that’s all we need to be hearing. Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live® Arcade [Introversion]
