Hello everybody, my name is Petteri Putkonen and I am part of the Housemarque team.
This week we celebrate the second anniversary of Super Stardust HD with an unmissable one week special offer on the PlayStation Store: Super Stardust HD for just €1.99 (£1.59)!!
Super Stardust HD was launched in June 2007, and we continue to be surprised by how many people around the world keep coming back for more to fight in an ongoing interstellar battle against massive planet killing meteors and evil alien forces. How did we do it?
The pre-history of Super Stardust HD adds its flavour even if the game mechanics, controls and design might not appear to have that much in common with the earlier shoot-‘em-up titles we’ve done in the past. The game has its origins deeply rooted in the very early history of Housemarque, as the company’s co-founder and original mastermind behind the game, Harri Tikkanen, led a small team of young game developers that created the very first Stardust game for the Amiga 500 computer way back in 1993.
Simply titled Stardust, the game had an evil mutant penguin Professor Schaumund trying to conquer the whole galaxy with his fleet of agents disguised as meteors, alien creatures and spaceships, but his nearly perfect plan was unlikely but ultimately foiled by a lone rebel pilot in a measly little spaceship. A few years later the most evil and twisted mutant penguin genius in the universe returned and wreaked havoc across the galaxy again in Super Stardust for the PC, the first game Housemarque got published in 1996. Throughout the years, several interpretations of Stardust saw the light of day on platforms like Atari ST, Amiga 1200 and Amiga CD32.
Jump to the present, and Professor Schaumund’s forces are back and we can’t help but be amazed when we see the kind of high scores players from all around the world have contributed to the global high score ranking lists on PSN. Just as an example, we originally estimated that the all time top high score in Arcade mode might reach a 500 million point mark, but as time has shown, players keep exceeding your expectations. Today, the top Arcade mode high score is over 1,7 BILLION points! We can only wonder whether it can be pushed any further, is it possible to go beyond 2 BILLION?? We’ll just have to wait and see…
Looking back, throughout the whole experience of developing Super Stardust HD, even with its success and critical acclaim the most important thing for us has been the personal feedback we’ve received from fans of the game from all corners of this planet. We’d like to thank you for all your kind words, emails and support. Although we’ve recently been busy with our current PlayStation 3 project, we still keep thinking of doing some updates for Super Stardust HD in the future. There is at least one specific idea that would certainly add a new dimension to the game…
If you have any thoughts, you can let us know what you’d like to see added to the Super Stardust HD experience; just leave a comment on this blog or email ssd@housemarque.com.
Right from the beginning, working on Super Stardust HD felt special for us. It was one of those rare projects where everything just clicked into place, where every design and technical decision felt like it was the right thing to do. We started working on the game in August 2006, and it was subsequently released as the first globally launched PSN game on 28th of June, 2007. We believe strongly that what we came up with is our best game yet, and if you haven’t tried it for yourself yet there’s never been a better time to do so.
As we rapidly approach 300,000 pilots listed in the global Arcade mode high score list, more and more players keep enlisting every week. A third of these have also played their way onto the Solo Game Pack’s high score lists, with an increasing amount of gamers also playing the game with friends in either the included split screen co-op mode or the Team Game Pack’s multiplayer party mode.
We’re currently busy trying to outdo ourselves with our next PSN exclusive game that’s in development at the moment. We’d love to tell you more about it but will have to wait a little bit longer before we can reveal any details. At the moment, all we can say is we’re confident it’ll be worth your wait.
Keep blastin!
Peterri and the Housemarque Team
(Average: 4.48 out of 5)
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53 CommentsAdd Yours
1
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:06 pm by X201
£1.59 bit steep innit?
2
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:06 pm by Grind_Axis
Didn’t know this game had such a long history! :O
I’m definitely going to pick this up today, 2 euros is a steal!
3
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:10 pm by vonhammer
Nice,will buy.
4
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:11 pm by Roxas598
are there anymore add ons planned? SSHD still is my favourite PSN title i would just like to see it updated
5
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:11 pm by hdplsa
WOW, 2€? Really nie price.
6
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:12 pm by fords30
Absolute bargain.
@ Anyone who is considering purchasing this game – Get it! It’s an awesome game and one of my favourite PSN games.
Did I mention that I have 100% trophies for SSHD.
Quite proud of that one..Some of them were pretty hard. 
Looking forward to hearing more about your next PSN game, I’m sure it will be great.
7
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:13 pm by Psicojacorral
I hace 100% too!!
8
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:13 pm by ollybobs27
An amazing game, I still cant survive 7 mins in endless without dying! >:(
9
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:15 pm by Carl-G
Will the add-on game packs be cheaper?
I got the ‘Team Game Pack’ Lots of FUN playing that with friends
10
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:16 pm by Saber_IV
Awesome price! I got the demo and was impressed. So for under 2 quid guess I can’t go wrong?
11
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:18 pm by TheTaxMan
Got this when it first came out , still one of the hardest games to get trophys on , Well done happy birthday !!!
12
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:20 pm by Daft
Are there any rough dates for new add-ons?! I REALLY love this game and that’s saying something because I usually don’t like these sorts of games. I have all the trophies!
When I got Late Boomer, I was almost in tears. Good tears. :p
Any chance of an add-on that is music based (using songs stored on the PS3)?
Please I need more!!!
13
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:23 pm by jack__burt0n
Terramarque and Bloodhouse FTMFW
You guys are awesome, SSHD is one of the best shooters I have ever played. Keep up the good work!
14
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:25 pm by Maltay
How did you do it? Twas the first game with trophies. Thats how you did it.
But in all honesty it is a good game, even if you milked us abit with the expansions.
15
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:25 pm by Jemile
Will there be updates for the psp version?
16
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:28 pm by Shuya86
Just wanted to say your game is fantastic, thank you for creating it.
17
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:32 pm by Darkos87
Great game, I love it!
18
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:32 pm by Apnomis
SCEE running a price promotion on the EU PSN Store??! Surely there’s some mistake! SCEE never run price promotions, only SCEA do such things!
Seriously though that is an absolute steal! I bought the game at launch as it happens, as it really was the standard bearer for the early PSN game releases (and looked gorgeous in HD!).
It also shares many ties to the development of the PSN in general – it was considered one of the first “must own” PSN games by critics, it was one of the first PS3 games to allow custom music soundtracks, and it was one of the first games to have trophy support (if not the very first).
19
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:32 pm by sympozium_666
It’s legendary in fact now I believe anything finnish is awesome.
It would be great if there were new add-on packs soon
20
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:45 pm by samich2007
Super Stardust HD is a great game!!
I already own it, but I think everyone that don’t have the game yet! Buy it now 1,99 is nothing for such a great game!
I hope that we can see some more games from you guys! Great studio (housemarque)! Super Stardust HD and Stradust Portable are both really good games!
21
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:49 pm by TheChoubidoudou
Happy birthday Super Stardust! Such a great game! One of my first PSN game and also one of my favourite. I hope more titles from you coming to us guys. Cya.
22
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:50 pm by BackedOut_
Awww £1.59. Damnit! I have exactly £1.51 in my account.
23
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:51 pm by Ravenblade86
Not only is Super Stardust HD one of the very best PSN titles, its also still one of the PS3 games out there. Gameplay, graphics and audio are all fantastic, actually I still stand by the idea that the add-ons are nearly worth the money for the new soundtracks they add alone!
Thanks for the great game Housemarque, and I can’t wait to see what is next from you guys
24
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 4:58 pm by BritishBlue
Thanks to this game I was the first person on my friends list to get trophies. Great game as well, I’d recommend it to anyone.
25
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:02 pm by WilliamBirkin
Awesome game awesome game.
Only wish you guys would start do those tunnel sequences & level select on each planet as in the TRUE superstardust game.
The tunnel sequence could be when you slect a new planet (after unlock).
but Happy anniversary!
26
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:16 pm by FBZ1501
Great game, the best on PSN I think, considering it is 2 years old!
I was a fan on the Amiga too.
Still struggling with some of those trophies though… respect to those who have mastered it!
27
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:16 pm by Pacman_Ownage
AWESOME! , i never really bothered with these types of games, but as THE must buy PSn game, and 1.59 i cant say no, got nothing else to spend my 2.51 on…currently… so i’ll give this classic game a bash, i just hope its as good everyone says ;P
28
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:19 pm by daffycare
happy birthday super stardust hd today is my birthday 2 got this game along time ago if anyone has not got this game you should get it now because it’s fantastic
29
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:28 pm by reakt
Petteri – thanks for writing a great article about SSHD, one of my very favourite games on PS3. I remember it on Amiga 500 as well and your team have done a fine job in bringing it to PS3.
Here are is an ideas for something I’d like to see in SSHD! A 2 player mode where the two ships have to compete against one another rather than work together. A split screen mode would have the players actually shoot at one another with the aim of destroying their opponent’s ship. The ships would wear down each time they got hit rather than exploding on the first impact of a bullet. What would make this more tactical is the way that asteroids and other obstacles could be used to the player’s advantage. They could be used as cover from incoming fire. Alternatively, an opponent could aim at an asteroid near to an opponent in the hope that the fragments would hit the opponent. In this two player competitive mode, weapons options would be more limited than in the normal modes of play – perhaps only allowing a player to upgrade each weapon once (otherwise it would be too easy to hit the other player and the game would be over too quickly).
30
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:46 pm by DIDIX
WOW :O
2€ for this great game that stood the test of time?! I want it!
Very good price, you’ve got to keep that spirit
31
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 5:47 pm by Linconan
I’ve already got the game, but i’ve just sent out messages to me mates to get it
Unreal game and at $4 (Aus), now thats an absolute bargin for anyone who doesnt have it!!!!
32
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 6:01 pm by Deamus
Ylivertainen Tähtitomu Teräväpiirto on nimensä veroinen. Peukkuja pidellään
33
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 6:07 pm by Guillemots
hey thanks, super bargain price! i’m ready to purchase!
34
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 6:20 pm by WilsonPhillips-X
Magnificent game, still probably the best PSN title out there. I recall talk of a mode a while back where the asteroid and enemies’ speed and frequency were scaled to the beat of the custom soundtrack, which I think would be a brilliant addition. Some crazy fast techno track would produce a mode like Endless, whereas you could have an “easy” go to, I don’t know, Rod Stewart’s ‘Sailing’? People could post their toughest tracks!
35
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 7:04 pm by defuru
Nice bargain for those who have not picked it up yet. But i am saddened that the DLC is still an astronomical (for size and funktion) 4€ each, would have gladly picked that up at a similar discount
36
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 7:29 pm by Shakh
Yeah, best PSN title ever. So addictive! Would love for more DLC!
37
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 8:31 pm by limanima
STHD is a really good game. It was the 1st game to got trophies, and I ‘ve bought it just to try them out. And I’m glad I did it. But i’m still one trophie short. It’s the damn split screen trophie. I don’t want to spend money on the expansion.
Can’t wait to see what will be their next game.
38
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 8:37 pm by MinerWilly
Just downloaded it and played for half an hour and it is indeed brilliant . Im oldskool gamer (pong ,Game & Watch , Scramble , Atari 2600 , Spectrum 48k , Amiga , Megadrive ,PS1 ,PS2 PS3 ) This game has the spirit of the old days and the sexiness of the now days.
39
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 9:54 pm by wardragon989
Just bought this and loved it, wish i got it sooner =D
40
Posted on 25 June, 2009 at 10:47 pm by stormyuk
I wanted to buy this but I refuse to put more money on the PSN Store than I want to spend, surely this breaks some EU Law. :rotfl:
How will you EVER get a perfect fit for money loaded to the account, you should just be able to pay for what you buy!
Its lost 2 purchases for far as my mate also refuses to put money sitting on there for nothing.
41
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 1:38 am by wbrinkman
Now if you could reduce the price on those expansions as well …
42
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 4:04 am by tobz1000
Been so long since I’ve heard from Housemarque… painfully long…
I wanna find out what that new expansion idea is!
43
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 7:54 am by Echnaton
Very addictive game! Don’t forget the PSP Version … also a great game!
44
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 7:59 am by ollybobs27
R.I.P Michael Jackson
45
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 9:03 am by olivehehe_03
I’d love to see two things in particular. If I remember right, the framerate was a little off in splitscreen mode, so if there’s anything you can do with that with the experience you’ve got from the new game that would be totally awesome. Also, I’d love to see more boss guys, they were pretty cool as well
46
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 10:11 am by zelamy
i have to say, this is a fantastic game, great fun after a few drinks too.
i seemed to do better while drunk than sober funnily enough.
and at this price you can’t go wrong.
and it supports custom soundtrack.
i think i have a new fave psn title.
47
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 2:25 pm by JaKhris
I’ve never been very interested in the game, I must say, but for 2€, I’m thinking “Oh, what the hell”, and I bought it.
It looks fun, I’ll play it later. 
Thanks for the great promotion. 
48
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 2:34 pm by furious_187
Well this sucks:( I’m from Europe, but because we don’t have a PSN store in Slovenia, I can’t buy it. PSN UK won’t accept my credit card, but I was able to get funds on PSN US (via PSN card), where the game is still 9.99$. The demo was really fun, maybe I’ll get it there anyway:D The really anoying thing about not having a local PSN Store is DLC. US DLC doesn’t work with EU games, I learned that the hard way after spending around 15$ for SFIV costumes I can’t use.
49
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 3:41 pm by Mattiebo123
Furious_187, you do realize that it is against the T&C to use a PSN account that is not set to your country? good job posting it on a official blog
anyway, i’m definitely going to pick this up tonight, saw it on the store yesterday but i wasn’t sure whether to buy it or not, but i”ve decided to in the end
50
Posted on 26 June, 2009 at 3:53 pm by R1DLEY
Hyvä Suomi!
SSHD is such an awesome game and must buy for everyone no matter if you havent previously liked games from this genre. Still I haven’t bought any DLC yet. I think I should. Hopefully there could be some price drops for DLC stuff too in a future. Keep the good work! Can’t wait your next PSN-game.
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