So here we are creeping up onto yet another Tokyo Game Show and we have a big announcement to make, and an unusual one at that! We are announcing a name change – I’m sure many of you have seen information about PixelJunk Lifelike over the past year or so, including some live demo performances we did during E3, and a few of you might have noticed how much the core concept of Lifelike expanded and shifted since it was first announced as we explored more and more ideas. Well, after long deliberation we are changing the name to “PixelJunk 4am” to better match the atmosphere we are trying to create… and for more information about that I have asked some questions and translated Baiyon’s answers for you:

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.

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So PixelJunk Shooter 2 has unleashed its FREE online battle demo upon PSN users. Go start the download now. Go on. It’ll be done by the time you finish reading this. Join in the assault on our Veteran players over the weekend. There’s new big bounties on the heads of higher ranked players (especially those in our Sun League) and PixelJunk Shooter 2 staff will be in the mix playing all weekend! So what’s in it for the Veterans?

The PixelJunk team would like present you with a new battleground. From July 15th, we will be uncovering a hidden stage for PixelJunk Shooter 2‘s online battles. This stage will be made available to all players for FREE as a salute to your battling prowess. We should advise you though that while dredging up this ancient stage, a few blocks might have come loose. You’ve been warned…

As an extra hat tip to our online battling brethren (both seasoned and fresh), we’re going to share some data with you on current popular item trends. From our statistics, we’ve calculated your expected “chance of winning” when equipping certain items:

• Magma Resistance – 64.5%
• Resurrection – 64.4%
• Fluid Converter – 59.6%
• Sticky Ship – 59.5%
• Mine – 58.8%

As you can see, the Magma Resistance item (which lets you fly through magma) appears to be giving many people a slight edge.

Our Top #10 online battle players have also shown us some more unique playstyles which are clearly working for them and deserve a mention. Some of the items in their arsenals were quite unexpected. Certain Top 10 players (we’ll let you figure out who) use the Camouflage or Fluid Converter every 1 in 3 matches, and there is even a master Thief using the Snatch n’ Grab every 2 out of 3 matches!

So is that free Shooter 2 Demo download done yet? Then go get onto PSN for a weekend of intense 1v1 PixelJunk Shooter 2 online battling action!

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Hey everyone!I am happy to announce a patch for PixelJunk Shooter 2. We’ve changed a few things. Read on for the full list:

1. There was a bug where some enemies would spawn right on top of you giving you that awesome “insta-death” you really don’t want in a game… well, we fixed it!
2. The online connectivity has been tuned to allow you to hook up with other players much more easily. Try it out!
3. If you get matched against a higher ranking player you get a nice large cash bonus (Q space bucks of course) if you win! This gives you a big incentive to challenge yourself more when you get matched up against someone who seems better than you. Hint: stay calm and use strategy, you can definitely take them!
4. We added an option to the pause screen that lets you take a break in the middle of a stage and come back later to finish it off. So when your mom calls you to the dinner table just choose that option, go eat your dinner *and* be nice to the environment by switching off your PS3!
5. Even if you kill a few survivors and get a game over screen you can “continue” – your score will be reset, but if you are just exploring and trying to get as far as you can this feature stops you from being thrown back to the start of a stage just because a few puny survivors happen to have gotten in the way of your missiles.
6. A message on the pause screen lets you know if there are any diamonds still hidden in the current screen. This is very handy when you are searching out that last diamond in order to unlock the awesomely cool secret last stage!
7. Acid walls aren’t as nasty anymore – we gave the giant alien whose insides you are exploring some antacid and he’s feeling a lot better now!

We have another PixelJunk announcement or two for over the next few weeks, so stay tuned…and enjoy the new-and-improved PixelJunk Shooter 2.

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While still recovering from last weeks E3, the PlayStation.Blog team wanted to share some of their favorite interviews with everyone who didn’t catch them when they aired live. Dylan Cuthbert, Ariel Angelotti and Baiyon (!) flew over from Kyoto, Japan to show us the latest titles in the PixelJunk series.

Here we have the interview in which Baiyon does a live performance of his new collaborative title: PixelJunk lifelike! This title garnered a lot of buzz during the show. It’s nearly impossible to explain what it is, so Baiyon and Dylan decided to show us what PixelJunk lifelike is all about. While it may not be a game, per se, it definitely is a game changer! Hope you enjoy the video and Baiyon’s performance.

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So, the wait is almost over, the sequel to the technically and critically acclaimed PixelJunk Shooter will be with us tomorrow! It continues from where the original left off, leaving you trapped in the deep dark bowels of an enormous alien entity. Fight through the backwash and encounter the weird and terrible monsters that are living in the alien’s gut… force your way through putrid stomach acid and strange slippery bubbly stuff and be totally grossed out by thousands of iddy-biddy insects that come pouring out of strange pulsating larvae when you mix water with it.

Yes, this is a game you probably want to avoid playing immediately after eating, and you might feel a little queasy the next time you are staring down Sparrow-on-a-stick (a Kyoto traditional cruisine).

But wait… Shooter 2 isn’t all about dieting and worm control! It has vast new worlds to explore that aren’t part of an organism’s digestive track, and new technologies too, such as the Hungry Suit and the Light Suit and a whole load more. Use the new R3 spin-attack to wipe out chains of enemies at a time and revel in the destructive mayhem you can dish out with the upgraded charged missile! But all this wanton damage is for a good cause as those survivors still need rescuing and only YOU can save them!

On top of all this fun, we have added a completely new online versus mode which I have gone over in a previous post, but let me tell you, it’s just oozing with “addictability”; with twenty unique wonderful weapons to earn and use in the battles, I really hope everyone gives it a go. It’s not overly aggressive and is a bit of cute cat-and-mouse fun, so even those PixelJunk fans out there who have never played online before, I urge you to give it a few tries (besides, one of the trophies requires you to go up at least one league in the online mode so that should be a good enough lure).

Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you too long, you’ve got PSN wallets to fill… See you online! (my ID’s PixelMeister so if you encounter me in your league battling, be kind and let me destroy you!)

PS. there is something extra special for those of you who collect all the treasure… I shan’t spoil it though, last one there’s a ninny!

Over an out! …now where did I place that damn magma ball blaster…

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