Hi everyone,

We had such a great time on the Blog a few weeks ago that we’ve come back to show you our first teaser video for Blue Toad Murder Files!

The comments on the Blog were really encouraging. It’s great for us to have the chance to speak to you directly about your thoughts on the game. Please let us know what you think about the video.

This is only our first video but it should give you a few hints about the style, characters and storyline in the game. We’ll be releasing two further trailers before the game launches so you can find out a little more about our suspects. Although we’re not going to give too much away and spoil it for anyone!

Enjoy.

Thanks,

David and Andy

Rate: (Average: 4.32 out of 5)

25 Comments 3 Replies

Hi everyone! I’m Anastasia Barmina, Producer of Mushroom Wars at Creat Studios. I’m very happy to announce today that the long-awaited demo for Mushroom Wars will finally be available in Europe on 19th November. At last, all your concerns doubts will be dispelled as new strategists and tacticians will join the great Brotherhood of Mushrooms. Test your skills commanding the mushroom army in the Mushroom Wars demo, and be sure tear all your opponents to shreds in the full version of the game!

Many gamers had mentioned their desire to check out some reviews, too. We are happy throw a couple Mushroom Wars reviews your way:

• IGN Official Review
• Collection of reviews

Everyone at Creat Studios would like to thank all the gamers who took the time comment on their Mushroom Wars experiences and suggest additional features. Your feedback is taken very, very seriously, and it helps us to determine what comes next for Mushroom Wars. So, please keep them coming and stay tuned to this very space for future announcements. In addition to the great PlayStation Blog provided by the good folks here at Sony, you can keep in touch with Mushroom Wars here, too:

• Visit our Facebook page
• And our Twitter page
• V kontakte

We even set up a “Mushroom” mailbox: mushroomwars.info@creatstudios.com Thanks again to all of our fans who have supported us this year. Creat Studios has launched seven titles on PlayStation Network in 2009, and we couldn’t do it without all of you.

We regret to inform you, that due to unexpected technical difficulties, the demo of Mushroom Wars will now be available on Thursday, November 26. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Rate: (Average: 4.50 out of 5)

14 Comments 8 Replies

Ah, the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. John M Richardson Jr. once said “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” We at Vogster would like to think of ourselves as part of that second camp, The Makers, not to be confused with THE MAKER, the mysterious omniscient entity responsible for the misadventures that plague Rick Ajax and Lori Machete in Unbound Saga for the PSP, available now for download exclusively on the PlayStation Network.

See what I did there? Bridge quotes about the future to a reference to Unbound Saga, which then leads to the topic of digital distribution? Yes, Unbound Saga is available for download only. You can’t walk into Gamezoinks, or wherever else you typically buy your disc-based gaming fix, and walk out with a plastic box full of brawling Unbound goodness. You can, however, buy this game from the comfort of your own home, while still in your bathrobe and bunny slippers. Click-click-clack, simple as that. Super easy, and all you need is an internet connection and a PlayStation Network account. And a PlayStation device to play the game on, of course.

But why would Vogster, or any other publisher for that matter, buck the trend and do something as radical as bypassing brick-and-mortar? What do we have against the good people at Gamezoinks? Nothing at all, I assure you (In fact, we just made that name up.). But the benefits of digital distribution cannot be overlooked. For the consumer, digital download offers unparalleled convenience. If you want it, you can have it NOW, regardless of weather, bus schedules, gas prices, etc. RIGHT NOW. In fact, I just bought the first three seasons of Dexter from the PlayStation Store while writing this. My fingers barely left the keyboard. How convenient is THAT?? It also guarantees availability. It would have stunk to drive all the way to the mall for that set of DVDs only to find they were sold out. Well, the internet is never sold out, and it is open 24-7. How ‘bout them apples?

Digital distribution is good for the developer, too. It is easier to get the product onto the market, cheaper to manufacture and distribute, and it bypasses the growing used- and rental- markets that eat into sales. The traditional model makes it that much harder for smaller companies to compete, even those with amazing new ideas and talent. Wouldn’t you rather have more good games to choose from? Going digital gives developers a viable stage to present their products for the gameplaying market to enjoy.

We certainly haven’t turned our back on the tactile satisfaction of holding something groovy and colorful in your hands. That’s why we’re hard at working producing spiffy Unbound Saga comics and sweet, sweet action statuettes to adorn your desktops and Unbound Saga shrines (Check out our Facebook Fan page some nifty pix.). And as DLC becomes available, you’ll be able to hop into the new content instantly, thanks to the uber-convenience of it all!

So yes, the digital download method is relatively new, and sometimes new can be scary. But you survived the change from 8-bit to HD, from 2D to 3D, from cartridge to CD to DVD to Blu-ray. I think we will not only survive the change from disc to digital, but we’ll all benefit from the process. And if you don’t believe me, here’s a rock-solid offer to try it for yourself: FIVE FREE CODES FOR YOUR OWN COPY OF UNBOUND SAGA! (Lost Continent of Atlantis!)

Wait, what? FREE?? You bet, but because downloading digital content to your PSP is so darn easy (signed in from the PlayStation Store, select “Redeem Codes”) , we decided to throw in a little extra challenge just to emphasize how easy the actual process is WITHOUT the silly contest challenge. Here are the codes — all you have to do is guess the missing characters. (And yes, there is a pattern related to this posting…)

Have at it, junior G-men!

**The codes are no longer available**

Rate: (Average: 2.30 out of 5)

74 Comments 2 Replies

Hello everyone,

We’ve been busily working on a new title here at Relentless Software. It’s called Blue Toad Murder Files and it’s coming to PSN in December. It’s the first time we’ve self-published a game so we’re really looking forward to it. Blue Toad is an episodic murder mystery game exclusively for the PlayStation Network.

Jem came down to our studio in Brighton a couple of weeks ago and put the game through its paces. He also interviewed us, as you can see below. We’ll be back on the PlayStation Blog soon with some more info and a new trailer, but if you’d like to find out a bit more before then you can head over to our website at www.bluetoadmurderfiles.co.uk.

We’re around in the comments to chat about the game (or, in fact, anything!) So come say “hi!”

Thanks!

David & Andy

Rate: (Average: 4.41 out of 5)

38 Comments 13 Replies

Hey everyone! It’s Scott at Creat Studios again, here to tell you about our seventh (yes… seventh!) release for PlayStation Network in 2009. Our new RTS, Mushroom Wars, will be available for €9.99 / £7.99 on Thursday, October 15th.

Now, you’re asking, what exactly is Mushroom Wars? Do I have to battle evil, killer mutant zombie mushrooms? Well, as cool as that might sound, (hmmm… maybe there’s a future PSN release!), you don’t battle the mushrooms themselves, but you will do battle for the mushrooms. Mushroom Wars is a fast-paced and accessible RTS, with a quaint, anime-inspired visual style, where you send your cute armies into battle, upgrade your mushroom bases, improve your weaponry and fight skirmishes in close-quarter maps.

You can play against the AI or kick your friends’ butts in Campaign mode. The Skirmish mode lets you quickly jump right into battles. Local multiplayer allows up to four players to tough it out to see who’s the baddest army in the meadow.

We’re very excited about Mushroom Wars, and we’re confident that you’ll have a great time. Whether you’re pursuing a full Campaign, or in the mood for a quick, five minute RTS battle to jump-start your morning, Mushroom Wars is simply great fun.

Creat Studios wishes to continue to thank all of our fans who have played our PSN games this year. We greatly appreciate your support and your feedback. We can’t do it without you!

Rate: (Average: 4.04 out of 5)

28 Comments 9 Replies