ludusobscura

Re-Logic has partnered with publishers Merge Games and Headup Games to bring its hit sandbox adventure game Terraria to retail stores in Europe this March.

The Collector's Edition package includes a copy of Terraria, an exclusive in-game item (not yet named), a poster, a pickaxe keyring, and a batch of trading cards, all of which can be seen above. I want that pickaxe!

In addition to giving hardcore players a bunch of neat trinkets, the release is also particularly valuable for those wishing to play Terraria in another language, as Headup Games notes that "the retail version will for the first time since launch be localized into further languages besides English."

Terraria: Collector's Edition will be priced at £19.95, and will hit store shelves March 16th.

Activision might be about as indie as Metallica these days, but that hasn’t stopped the goliath of a publisher from releasing Dark Reign Redux on Xbox Live Indie Games for $5. The remake of the 1997 PC RTS popped up on the Marketplace yesterday with nary a press release or hint of marketing to support it. At least Activision got that part of the indie formula correct. The port was handled by Magnetar Games, and there is also a browser-based …

“Odema and the magic book” is a cancelled 2D sidescrolling action / platform game that was in development by french team Namdoo for the Gameboy Advance. From the video below we can see that Odema was going to be somehow similar to a “kiddy Metal Slug”, with 7 huge worlds with multiple pathes, more than [...] Do you want to add more info, screens or videos to this post? Click on the "Edit" link below! It's just like Wikipedia (maybe).

There aren’t enough great games in the strategy and simulation sub-category of Xbox Live Indie Games, so it was a pleasure to discover “High Gravity Wells”. The game has you guiding spaceships to space stations through progressively more challenging and dangerous routes by using the four face buttons to activate gravity wells that modify the [...]

There's something for everyone in this week's Padvance Report. First, check out some startling numbers on how the iPad is annihilating physical media purchases made by business professionals. Next is a Flipboard-style app that's brilliant for sports fans but is plagued by performance issues. Wrapping it up is one of the best accessories for people that own MacBooks and iPads. Check it out!

iPad Killing Physical Media Purchases

IDG Connect posted some incredibly fascinating survey results. One of the most shocking numbers is how the iPad has lowered book, newspaper, and DVD purchases among business professionals. Actually, lowered isn't a strong enough word. Obliterated would be better. Check out the numbers and details here.

First Looks: Bleacher Report Team Stream HD

Bleacher Report's Team Stream HD app is a fantastic idea. It lets you create a personalized feed that covers the teams and athletes you follow. Think of it as Flipboard for sports fans. Unfortunately, there are several performance issues that prevent it from reaching its full potential. Check out a first-looks preview of Team Stream HD here.

TwelveSouth PlugBug Review

TwelveSouth's PlugBug is a fantastic accessory for road warriors that travel with a MacBook, iPad, and other USB devices. It clips onto a MacBook power adapter and allows you to charge two devices at once. That advantage of using the PlugBug over a MacBook USB slot is much faster charging for all the devices on the chain. Check out the full review of this excellent accessory here.

In the latest postings over the last seven days, Gamasutra's jobs board plays host to roles in every major discipline, including opportunities at Rockstar, LucasArts, Blizzard Entertainment, and others.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across Gamasutra's network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted this week include:

Magic Pixel Games Generalist Programmer: Tools Focus: "Magic Pixel Games was founded in 2010 by the core members that developed the award-winning Steven Spielberg's Boom Blox. Much of our team has worked together for almost a decade, and we've now struck out on our own to continue our tradition of creating extraordinary games. Our first product was launched in 2011: Carnival Island, developed with Sony Santa Monica Studio.

We're now building a team as we ramp up for our second project, which again, strives to break new ground - but is significantly different from our first in all ways - tone, target audience and style...we're excited!"

Blizzard Entertainment: Professions Designer: "Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players."

LucasArts: Sr. Sound Designer: "LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company."

Disney Interactive Studios/Junction Point Studios: Senior Graphics Programmer: "Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of the Walt Disney Company. Disney Interactive Studios, which has five internal game development studios around the world, self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide.

Junction Point Studios, headed by industry visionary Warren Spector, is a developer of innovative single-player and small-group multiplayer console and PC games. Our focus is on player-driven narrative, which we define as 'improvisational gameplay in the context of a strong, traditional narrative.'"

Rockstar - RAGE: Network Programmer: "Rockstar's RAGE team creates the technology that drives games such as GTA IV and Midnight Club: Los Angeles. We're heavily expanding, making a new suite of game creation tools and the engine to make them shine. We're creating something meaningful, technically advanced, game centric, and above all, cool.

We want People with passion and talent in equally high volume to join us on our journey as we define the future of gaming technology. Got the chops to solve complex problems? Want to be surrounded by peers who you respect and trust? Ready to push others and be pushed to new heights? If so, you should join the RAGE team. Come make a difference, be a part of the most talented and committed engine team in the industry!"

To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra's job board now.

On this week's episode of The TouchArcade Show, we push through discussions about feral dogs, the Mindfreak, and accents in order to bring you the latest, hottest, and best-est in iOS game news and chit-chat. At the top, we dig into unreleased titles like Adventure Bar Story before we dive into more known quantities, like say, Triple Town. Post-break, we weigh in on heavy stuff like the Zynga vs. NimbleBit, uh, issue, and of course, get to a few of your listener questions.

Oh! We also had a special guest this week: Joseph Leray. If you'd like to give us a listen, go ahead and do so via the links below. Additionally, you could subscribe to our feeds at iTunes and Zune. All the cool kids do the latter.

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-036.mp3, 33MB

Here are your show notes:

GAMES

• Adventure Bar Story
• End Night
• Ash II: Shadows [$2.99 Silver Edition / $4.99 Gold Edition]
• Triple Town [Free]

FRONT PAGE

• Zynga Rips Off 'Tiny Tower'
• Unofficial 'Dominion' App Hits The Store
• Tweet-Land Has A Release Date

Tis another week of Freds Fridays from Sticky DPad Games. You can also follow them on twitter at @StickyDPadGames I am sorry to inform you that I have nothing much to write, so the exclusive part is the screenshot below. That’s right, below me! Enjoy the Zombie Carnage! Filed under: Events, Previews, The Voice of [...]

Developer xdanond successfully merges two disparate genres in Starwish, a horizontally scrolling "RPG shooter" playable for free at Kongregate.

Starwish's power-up mechanics and level design exude a strong Gradius vibe, while the RPG elements put a fun spin on the formula; each destroyed enemy awards the player with money and experience points, and new weapons and ship parts can be purchased between levels. Interestingly, weapons can be switched on the fly via a mouse-driven menu during gameplay -- an unusual design choice that works better than expected thanks to autofire being an option.

The game also features a strong narrative element (even going so far as to resemble a dating sim at times), and probes the player with a barrage of personal questions before gameplay begins. These sequences can be skipped, however, for those who prefer to jump straight into the action.

The game's catchy soundtrack is available for free streaming via a YouTube playlist.

Let's wind the clocks back to Tuesday when news hit that Zynga was relentlessly ripping off NimbleBit's Tiny Tower [Free] with their Canadian pre-release "beta" of Dream Heights [Free]. Dream Heights is basically identical to Tiny Tower in every way, except for the lack of the Bitbook and a different art style. News of this spread like wildfire, and it wasn't long before even the mainstream media was reporting on it. (These are crazy times we live in, I tell you.) Well, Zynga has been silent on the matter as far as we can tell, which you'd think would result in a dead story.

Not so fast though, as Glu also seem to be anxious to hop on the relentlessly ripping off Tiny Tower bandwagon with a similar Canadian release of Small Street [Free]. Small Street is arguably an even bigger knockoff than Dream Heights with the only changes being the tower laid vertically into a street and the elevator car replaced with a taxi.

Fans of Tiny Tower will find these screenshots curiously similar:

I guess when it rains it pours in regards to cloning NimbleBit games. The only question left, is which company is going to release their own Tiny Tower knockoff next?

Major Nelson released the Xbox Live Activity for the week of January 16th and to no ones surprise, Call of Duty dominates the charts. What is a little worrying though, the great Xbox Live Indie Game, DLC Quest, is currently at 17th on the sales charts. That needs to change, go out and buy it to support great Indie games!

If Kyratzes ever gets out of the business of making games, he'll probably be able to make a killing as a novelist. In case you're wondering why the name seems to be ringing a bell, Jonas Kyratzes is the chap responsible for Alphaland and The Book of Living Magic. And much like in his previous games, Arcadia's a narrative delight. In the press release that he sent us, he described Arcadia as something that is not a race but a stroll, a game without puzzles or challenges, a game devoted solely to the choices you make and the things that you see. It's pretty accurate. Arcadia is exactly that: a simple, text-based game constructed in Twine that is centered around a shepherd, his sheep and his journey home. I know. It doesn't sound like much but it's one of those things that you need to play to understand. The best I can do is compare it to a text-based Proteus. As a bonus, there's also enough material here to provoke at least a second playthrough. If you're in the mood for an idyllic moment (and enjoy reading), check this one out.

Company: Mirada

Location: Marina del Rey, CA, US Category: Coder Type: Freelance

Description

We are looking for an iOS Application Developer who will be responsible for the design, development and deployment of software for a short-term project.

Your responsibilities:

- Perform a technical analysis of requirements presented in design work. - Produce a solid, detailed technical design - Write clean, modular, robust code to implement the desired requirements with design and production supervision - Work with the QA and support teams to triage and fix bugs with rapid turnaround - Contribute ideas for making the application better and easier to use

Your qualifications:

- Programming languages including: iOS, Objective-C, Cocoa or similar - Experience working with and integrating content management systems (CMS) - A work style that is extremely detail oriented - The drive, flexibility and passion to work independently and thrive in fast-paced and adaptive environment - Strong communication skills - 3-5 years of programming experience - Bachelor’s degree in CS or equivalent experience - A complete and verifiable portfolio

To apply, send resume/reel/website/availability to Katie at khenderson@mirada.com.

Company: Mirada

Location: Marina del Rey, CA, US Category: Coder Type: Freelance

Description

We are looking for a Junior Android Application Developer who will be responsible for the design, development and deployment of software for a variety of mobile platforms. Here’s what you need to know.

Your responsibilities:

- Write clean, modular, robust code to implement the desired requirements under the direction of the Lead Android Programmer - Work with the QA and support teams to triage and fix bugs with rapid turnaround - Contribute ideas for making the application better and easier to use

Your qualifications:

- Programming languages and systems: Android, Java, HTML; OpenGL and Renderscript, a plus - A work style that is extremely detail oriented - The drive, flexibility and passion to work independently and thrive in fast-paced and adaptive environment - Strong communication skills - 1-2 years of programming experience - Bachelor’s degree in CS or equivalent experience - A complete and verifiable portfolio

Position has the possibility to work remotely part-time but meetings and reviews require attendance.

To apply, send resume/reel/website/availability to Katie at khenderson@mirada.com.

Is post social media friendship an emotional investment of diminishing returns? It really depends who you ask. Midwest-based designer Colin Pinegar’s recent BFA project Best Friends definitely calls the authenticity of ubiquitous connectivity into question, or at least adds some nuance to qualifying these relationships. Pinegar created a ‘scorecard’ for his Facebook friends that awarded each online connection 1-25 points based off a range of criteria (do I know this person’s phone number? can I recognize this person by their name alone? etc.)

Continue reading.... Best Friends [Objects]

We’ve reached the end of our journey with Homework — the upcoming Xbox Live Indie Games project from developer Taurice Couser. Today’s post focuses on the game’s environments, sketches and art found throughout the actual game. When...

In an App Store stuffed to the brim with clones and tired ideas, a game like Triple Town is a rare treat. Like chess, it’s a strategy game with a set of simple rules that govern the actions of a variety of pieces. Also like chess, the deeper you dig, the more complexity you unearth. To top it off, the game is mega-addictive, and it's free to play. Not bad for a game full of cartoon bears.

Technically it’s a freemium game, but don’t let that scare you off. At no point do you ever have to spend money on the game, and in fact buying the in-game currency effectively nullifies the leaderboards. That's unfortunate, but the leaderboards aren't the star of Triple Town-- it's the gameplay.

The playing area in Triple Town is a six-by-six grid, and you’re given one playable piece at a time. The pieces are things like grass, shrubs, trees, houses, and the aforementioned bears. You can place the pieces in any empty square, but if you lay three in a row, all three get sucked up and combine into a new, more valuable piece. Clearly, the game has roots in the Match-3 genre, but the developers have added so many extra layers and innovations that it’s barely recognizable.

The goal is to combine and re-combine your pieces in order to rack up as many points as you can before running out of space. There are lots of variables that get in the way, however, like wandering bears that block spaces you might want to use, robots you can drop to destroy things, and crystals that act as wild cards. If you play well, you’ll end up with a bustling city, full of houses, churches, mansions, trees, and cathedrals. Little people will even come out of the structures and wander around town while you play.

The biggest caveat is that you're given a limited number of moves for free. These will last you a couple of hours before running out, and if you stop playing they'll restock over time. If you don't want to wait once you run out of moves, you can buy unlimited moves for a few bucks through in-app purchase. By that point, you'll certainly know whether or not it's worth the price.

Triple Town is a clean, simple game with loads of strategic depth. Everyone with a love for puzzle or strategy games should give it a try. Just make sure you clear out a chunk of your day to devote to it, because it's that good.

Q-Games's Dylan Cuthbert has announced that their beautiful ambient platformer is going to be making the leap from PSN to PC, courtesy of Steam. It's due out on the the 2nd of February at an rrp of $9.99, but will launch at an introductory offer of $7.99. The PC version will include the Encore DLC pack, had re-jigged controls to suit mouse input, a refined save system and support for resolutions beyond 1920x1080. Dylan had this to say about Steam: "Steam has always been a great platform for indie games and I have admired the way they have supported non-traditional game development with titles such as Terraria, Bastion, World of Goo, etc. We like PSN a lot but Baiyon and I also simply want to allow more people to experience Eden as it is a truly unique game, even now almost 4 years on it is still fresh and new. We had a blast revisiting it to prepare it for Steam." No sign of a preorder page on Steam yet, but keep an eye out for it appearing some time next week.

What happens when three visionaries get together and tease an awesome game? You get The Other Brothers, which is a game that certainly has the look and style of a next-level iOS game. On the other hand, you also get almost nothing in the Fine Details Department, and that's a monumental bummer considering the promise on display. I mean, just look at that.

The first post on the game's new blog describes The Other Brothers as "a pixelated family fun adventure [game] of running, jumping, collecting, racing against the clock ..." with a suitably mysterious twist. A Kotaku post has some more concept-y type of art if you'd like to see a lot more than what's on display in this post. We're on a mission to get a lot more details, so definitely stay tuned.

[Via Kotaku]

Where's My Water [$.99 / Free] keeps getting bigger, better, and ... harder? Earlier yesterday, Disney polished off yet another update to the playful puzzle title, adding in some neat story elements and a total of five free puzzles and many others via IAP. The package itself has been dubbed "Cranky's Story." We'll let the boilerplate do the explaining:

Cranky is the toughest alligator around and he has worked up an appetite from sabotaging Swampy’s water supply. He eats anything, especially all the rotting and disgusting junk found in the dumps and sewers. Cranky will not eat vegetables however, and now his food is covered with vegetable-like algae. Use the dirty purple water to clean off Cranky’s plate so he can eat!

Disney says that upon IAP unlock, users will get "50 super-challenging puzzles... and enjoy a completely new way to play." Catch that? Looks like these guys are hoping to court you now. Oh! And apparently, the "Cranky's Challenge" part of this content pack is "a game within a game," so, uh, prepare for that.