Earlier this week I read the first details of the inevitable official game of the 2012 Olympics, and I admit I always look forward to them. They take me back to the days of playing International Track and Field as a schoolboy and pioneering new ways to break world records (such as wearing a sock over your hand and using one finger to rapidly alternate between the X and Circle buttons in the sprint events. We called it the ‘getting biro off the back of your hand’ technique.)

I have no idea which events will be covered in the 2012 edition, nor which control schemes the development team is dreaming up. So, this week’s question is:

Which Olympic events would you include in your game of the 2012 Olympic Games and what would be the control mechanic?

Bonus points for the weird and wonderful, of course. The best 15 answers as selected by an independent judge will get a voucher code for PixelJunk Sidescroller. These will be sent via private message at http://community.eu.playstation.com.

Marks, set… comment!

From @wildbillhickock
How many levels?
A: There are thirteen levels (called “Sectors”) total. This includes four absolutely amazing boss battles (Note: Expect an “old friend” from the Shooter-verse to make an appearance, but you’ll be seeing loads of new faces as well). One thing that’s so great about SideScroller is that it has four difficulty modes, and the experience will change depending on what difficulty mode you select. New enemies crop up in Hard difficulty mode, and expect certain encounters to get a whole lot more harrowing because of them. Bullets fly at you faster, the overall look of the game changes, and for those of you brave enough to venture onto Brutal difficulty mode, expect to get “revenge” bullets flung at your ship every time you kill an enemy. Needless to say, SideScroller is a game you can enjoy on many different levels by giving it a replay or two (or three, or four)! Also, the only way to unlock the “true” ending is to complete the game on Brutal. Good luck!

From @VofEscaflowne
Is there still an emphasis on exploring, or is it more “on-rails” than the PixelJunk Shooter series?
A: SideScroller is a complete departure from the Shooter series. Instead of exploring and puzzle solving – staples of the Shooter-verse -, you’ll be using upgradeable weapons to spray bullets in every direction possible! Yes, SideScroller is more of an “on rails” experience, because we’ll push the player onward into really tense situations at a brisk pace. It definitely ups the tension. There are also scenes in the game where the scrolling stops and you have to defeat mini-bosses and any other enemies we throw at you. Mark my words: just because the scrolling stops doesn’t mean the game becomes any less intense!

AuburnRDM
Any unlockables and cool things to work for?
A: There are hidden items scattered through the entire game. For any collectors out there, searching for these items and finding them will certainly be a rewarding experience. They also net you a hefty amount of bonus points, which will be a big help to you competitive players out there who absolutely NEED the #1 high score on the Online Leaderboards! Also, don’t forget to keep an eye on your combo count. The skilled players out there will be able to string together combos from the start of every Sector until the end, so play strategically. If you’re good enough, you might even get a Platinum Medal for your efforts!

From @bergasche
Will my eyes begin to bleed because of so much awesome?
A: A resounding YES! Okay, okay, your eyes may not actually bleed, explode, or otherwise become unusable, but SideScroller has a whole lot of awesome contained within its digital casing. It’s on the PSN now, so what are you waiting for? Go and buy it!

We used the same engine as for the two Shooter titles, but the game itself is entirely different. To begin with this is a single-stick controlled game rather than the dual-stick control we had in Shooter, which makes it even more addictive and easy to control. And of course, you can only face to the right as you fly your craft! The only similarity really is that a handful of enemies from Shooter have been “re-imagined” for SideScroller, but to add to them we created a whole slew of new enemies and bosses for you to try to destroy also.

The back-story of the game is that SideScroller is the game the pilot of PixelJunk Shooter is playing on his old computer console in his ship on the way home to Earth after the ending of Shooter 2. This explains the cool “retro” look we have designed with the curved CRT (cathode ray tube) screen and the monochrome look of the interface. However, during its orbit of Apoxus Prime perhaps the computer has been infected.. a little?

Some people reckon PixelJunk games are a little tough, and well.. yes, they are a little because I think games should be a challenge. However, what we’ve done this time is scattered loads of checkpoints so even if you do die you’ll restart really close, and we also give you the option to downgrade your difficulty setting if you get a Game Over too. We’ve created 4 difficulty levels so everyone is catered for (I hope!).

Oh and did I mention, the bosses are AWESOME! Maybe I should mention that again…

I’ve got to head off and start finishing off PixelJunk 4am, so I’m going to leave you with this really cool trailer for SideScroller we created. Definitely check it out, because you might be able to spot one of the AWESOME bosses in there!

Remember everyone – Oct 26th!

Why the name change?

Baiyon: PixelJunk lifelike was originally conceived as an extension of the PixelJunk Eden world. Our idea was to create a kind of living speaker for people to play their music through, using natural imagery and taking strong visual cues from Eden. There wasn’t even the concept of a “player”. We’ve since moved far beyond that simple idea to new and uncharted waters both visually and musically. The style has evolved now into something that is really quite different from anything we’ve ever made before. It was only natural we’d want to chase this new concept and capture it with a new title.

Why 4am?

Baiyon: 4am represents the exact mood and feeling we’ve captured. 4am is that deep night hour. In clubs, the music drifts to a new level entering a deepened state that often seems removed from reality. Whether you’re in a club or not, 4am always feels like the night has gone on forever, where there’s still a little time left before dawn. This late night feel better represents our current visual and musical style.

So what can we expect now?

Baiyon: PixelJunk 4am is something unique that has never been tried before, so we’re treading in new territory. We’re using the PlayStation Move in truly experimental ways to give people control of making their own style of music. Being able to stream your music live on PSN also gives people the chance to broadcast a new kind of online performance. We can’t wait to see people playing 4am deep into the early morning hours.

So there you have it, from the horse’s mouth so to speak, and to get an even better sense of this “4am” atmosphere Baiyon is talking about check out the brand new trailer we made below and see Baiyon himself creating an awesome track.

Who here as been hesitant to hop into the PixelJunk Shooter 2 multiplayer fray? Are you too afraid to get your tail kicked by the hardcore vets? Well, join “Dustin Fleck,” our esteemed narrator and battling expert, as he takes you back to Online Battle Basics. With great panache and verve, he’ll show you how to hone the twitch reflexes you’ll need to succeed in battle. And since the (free!) Shooter 2 multiplayer demo has been released, I’m sure there’s plenty of fresh blood for you to take advantage of. You’ll be an online battling stud in minutes!

Having fun playing Shooter 2′s Online Battle? Share your favorite Online Battle moments by sending an e-mail to podcast@q-games.com. If they’re up to snuff, we’ll read them on our podcast, PixelJunk Radio. Click here for details on how to subscribe.

With that, I leave you one deep and profound observation: better THAT than an eggplant up the nose, kid! Just watch the video. You’ll understand what I mean when you see it for yourself.

Compared to the original this game is packed even more full of lovely gushing liquid action across three entire new worlds, and there is a whole new game in itself with the online versus mode we have put in there (over 20 weapons and abilities for you to use against your opponent). This is why it has taken a little longer than expected to get this into your hands, but we’re really happy that now, after winging its way through the digital tapestry called “game submission”, it has been approved for release.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks as we have some very interesting things to announce and remember to tune into our PixelJunk Radio podcast if only to hear us talk in dulcet tones.

If you have any questions about Shooter 2, fire away below and either myself or Ariel will attempt to answer them.

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to announce the Musicality personal space, where you can host your own private disco! Featuring balconies overlooking a big open space perfect for dancing, the Musicality space is a party just waiting to happen. Adding that personal touch couldn’t be easier, as we’re also releasing some funky disco floor tiles; pick these up and arrange them for a colourful area to get your moves happening!

The fun doesn’t stop there, the Musicality personal space also features a musical mini-game as well. Filling an entire end of the Musicality space is a stage area devoted to band equipment. Launch into the multiplayer music game, where you can compete against your friends for a top score playing on drums, guitar and more! For added challenges, pick up the shirts from the Musicality store to unlock new music.

Also arriving in PS Home this week, we have two spaces dedicated to PixelJunk. Once you’ve finished exploring and viewing the displays in the PixelJunk Museum, stop off at the store and pick up a new mask, headphones or shirt before heading to the PixelJunk Shooter Exhibition. Here you can unlock the PixelJunk Shooter Flight Suit items!

Finally, don’t forget to go to the Theatre and watch the latest episode of Home TV. Perry and the crew are running a competition to find the best interior designer. If you think your personal space has that unique touch, get your entry in for your chance to win a PSPgo and Home TV Hat. For all the details, visit the competition page here.

As all you PixelJunk fans are aware, music plays an important role in all of our games. For Shooter, we worked very closely with High Frequency Bandwidth and we really hope you enjoy the music as much as we do.

I might as well use this blog entry as an excuse to talk a little bit about the response PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe has been getting – it has been awesome! Metacritic currently ranks us in the top 10 of all-time best PSP games (at the time of writing), which is absolutely incredible for us! It seems most people are playing the game in offline 1p mode (which of course is engrossing to the extreme), but everyone should definitely try out the online play. It’s a lot of fun and there are lots of like-minded Monsters fans out there to “parlay” and boogie on down with. It’s also surprisingly fun to simply hang out in a one of the lobbies and watch the blow-by-blow tickertape commentaries of other people’s games.

As always, send us comments!

We’ve been holding on to this video interview with Jem and me until we were ready to announce PixelJunk Shooter‘s release date. With that out of the way, hit “play” below:

I was a bit tired during that interview, which is my excuse for the over-use of the adjective “cool” (the game *is* cool though! *Very* cool cool indeed)! Here’s the story behind that:

The time was 12am midnight and it was a warm early Autumn night and my heavily loaded car was waiting for me to drive it from Kyoto to Tokyo (estimated 8 hour drive). This was the start of our journey to the Tokyo Game Show to set up our very own booth for the first time ever. To cut costs wherever we could, I decided I would drive overnight, lugging the heavier stuff (big TVs, free give-aways, PS3s etc) and saving on train tickets too (by including a couple of Q-Gamers in the drive too). The car was ram-packed full and weighed heavily down! Luckily it is a Murano so fairly large and sturdy in the first place, but it’s a wonder the police didn’t pull us over during our trip.

In Japan the freeways aren’t “free” but recently there is this “ETC” deal which lets you drive on most of them for a single charge of ten bucks or so. Oh and some stretches of road are only 2 lanes (because of the mountainous nature of the country), so as you can imagine there were a few bottlenecks on the way, and one accident that had occurred only a few minutes before we passed it near Mt. Fuji just as it was getting light, that wasn’t the greatest thing to see in the wee hours! We arrived in Tokyo safe and sound though!

Driving through Tokyo on the express way is an interesting experience. You are in Shibuya and below is the ubiquitous maze of tiny streets but you are oblivious to all that as the express way is up above it all in a world of its own, lined by tall buildings. One minute you are in Shibuya, and the next Roppongi, then you are passing Tokyo Tower and driving over the rainbow bridge, the speed at which it all flies by makes Tokyo seem so small! (It isn’t of course, not by a long shot).

We arrived 10 minutes later in Makuhari Messe where TGS is always held, grabbed a quick Denny’s breakfast as it was the only place open at 7am and then drove to the conference center. They allowed us to drive right into the hall and park the car next to our half-finished booth (we employed a company to set up the walls and large prints). It took us the rest of the day to set everything up, including DIY anti-theft locks for the PS3 controllers! (The problem with Bluetooth controllers is that people can easily walk away with them, and we didn’t want that to happen!) Once everything was finished it really looked great for such a small booth! We then went and got some much needed sleep because by that point we were totally knackered!!

I might as well use this blog entry as an excuse to talk a little bit about the response last month’s release of PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe has been getting – it has been awesome! Metacritic currently has us at 88 and we’re in the top 10 of all-time best PSP games, which is absolutely incredible for us! It seems most people are playing the game in offline 1p mode (which of course is engrossing to the extreme), but everyone should definitely try out the online play. It’s a lot of fun and there are lots of like-minded Monsters fans out there to “parlay” and boogie on down with. It’s also surprisingly fun to simply hang out in a one of the lobbies and watch the blow-by-blow tickertape commentaries of other people’s games. Remember you don’t need a PSPgo to play Monsters Deluxe, it works fine on any PSP! That’s something we’ve had a lot of mails about.

Anyway, I’ll sign off here and write up another blog once Shooter is out! Remember to post comments!

In this interview featuring new footage, Dylan details the new island, new trap tower, new enemies, and online play.

After talking about the co-op in PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe for the PSP, it’s now time to talk a little bit about the two player mode in PixelJunk Shooter which we hadn’t mentioned before.

In true PixelJunk fashion we have made the game co-op, so get a friend around, grab an extra controller and anyone can just dive right on in. We’ve tried to make co-op as de-stressed as possible, so even if your player’s ship gets hit by something or overheats and starts crashing towards the ground, you can pop out your extendible hook thing (no official name for this yet – “Grabber” perhaps?) and grab your friend (he’s a bit heavy tho, so watch out), then you can carry him to the nearest pool of water and dunk him in to restore his health. If you don’t manage to grab him in time, he’ll just re-spawn near you and you’ll be docked a life.

The game is an old-school shooter at heart (hence the name), it is the PixelJunk take on those old retro shooting games such as Defender, with a little bit of Choplifter and Thrust! thrown in for good measure. We have giant bosses for you to fight against, multiple weapons to pick up and try out, shields you can grab, all kinds of stuff to give people with an itchy trigger finger a lot of fun.

However, at the same time we have added a puzzle element (that we tend to do with most of our games) so even those without an itchy trigger finger will be able to play the game and have a lot of fun. This puzzle element obviously revolves around the sandbox fluid simulation we have implemented, and it is incredible to watch in action.

As with PJ Monsters Deluxe I’m not sure what the release date will be, but we are working very hard on it so hopefully it won’t be too far off!