May 6, 2011

AudioSurf - Dylan

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/jackcontemusic">Jack Conte</a> has just released a <a href="http://jackcontemusic.com/albums/vs4/">new album</a>!

To celebrate, Jack is letting us feature 3 of the news songs on Audiosurf Radio this week: Long Long Time Ago, Only Dreams, and Make the Grade. Get in there and grab some high scores before the really good players show up :)

If you're not a fan yet, that will quickly be fixed by spending a little time with his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/jackcontemusic">videosongs on Youtube</a>.

A videosong has 2 rules:
1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).

Here's a recent one, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/jackcontemusic#p/c/E032BE97CED22015/1/JWiqUgJ0qsM">Super Mario Bros Theme</a> - Enjoy!

Dylan

May 6, 2011

VS4!

AudioSurf - Dylan

Jack Conte has just released a new album!

To celebrate, Jack is letting us feature 3 of the news songs on Audiosurf Radio this week: Long Long Time Ago, Only Dreams, and Make the Grade. Get in there and grab some high scores before the really good players show up :)

If you're not a fan yet, that will quickly be fixed by spending a little time with his videosongs on Youtube.

A videosong has 2 rules:
1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).

Here's a recent one, the Super Mario Bros Theme - Enjoy!

Dylan

Apr 29, 2011

This week on Radio: Sekshun 8!

AudioSurf - Dylan

This week on Audiosurf Radio we've got <a href="http://www.sekshun-8.com/">Sekshun 8</a>!

<img src="http://www.audio-surf.com/images/Sekshun8_small.jpg">

One <a href="http://belredroad.blogspot.com/2009/10/sekshun-8-is-reason-for-eleven.html">reviewer</a> had this to say, "Sekshun 8 released Black Winged Butterfly in 2009, but its sound is authentic early Nineties. In short, it rocks. Rocks like there's no tomorrow. Rocks at a volume that simply asks for more volume. It is the reason for the 11 on your volume control. Don't have an 11? Then twist it to 10 and attach the headphones to your ears with duct tape. You will hear licks and beats which pay honor to Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, early Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and Alice In Chains. My suspicion is that - at 15 - these guys were much like me."

<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/artist/sekshun-8/id79911462?forceArtistPage=1">iTunes</a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Winged-Butterfly/dp/B0028GHG06/ref=tmm_msc_title_1">Amazon MP3</a>

Dylan
April 29, 2011

Apr 29, 2011

This week on Radio: Sekshun 8!

AudioSurf - Dylan

This week on Audiosurf Radio we've got Sekshun 8!

One reviewer had this to say, "Sekshun 8 released Black Winged Butterfly in 2009, but its sound is authentic early Nineties. In short, it rocks. Rocks like there's no tomorrow. Rocks at a volume that simply asks for more volume. It is the reason for the 11 on your volume control. Don't have an 11? Then twist it to 10 and attach the headphones to your ears with duct tape. You will hear licks and beats which pay honor to Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, early Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and Alice In Chains. My suspicion is that - at 15 - these guys were much like me."

iTunes
Amazon MP3

Dylan
April 29, 2011

Apr 21, 2011

"Potato Sack" Studios Say They Had "Free Rein" In Portal 2's ARG

Portal

The elaborate alternate reality game that served as a viral marketing device for Portal 2's release was not entirely devised by Valve. In fact, the developers of the 13 games of the "Potato Sack," the group of indie games central to the ARG's final resolution, say they were involved in the scheme's design from the beginning, with quite a bit of creative freedom over how it all played out.

Edge Magazine, reaching out to the studios involved, reports that they were brought in to Valve headquarters in December for a "Cross Game Designer Event." There, Valve chief Gabe Newell gave the studios "free rein" to design the ARG, and they "were also given access to any IP we wanted," Dylan Fitterer, creator of Potato Sack game Audiosurf, told Edge.

"Valve gave us a framework and said: ‘You know all about GLaDOS. Now, she wants us to break out into the world. Go make it happen.'" said Ichiro Lambe, president of developer Dejobaan, which had two games featured in the Potato Sack.

Fitterer said the "bump" in publicity and gameplay (if not also sales) for Audiosurf translated to 6,000 people playing it, simultaneously, as gamers strove to unlock Portal 2 early by playing Potato Sack games, according to the continuity of the ARG. Audiosurf, released about three years ago, had about 300 simultaneously players at any given moment in the run-up to the final weekend.

Edge says a comprehensive feature breaking down the creation and execution of the Portal 2 ARG will be published soon.

Potato Sack Developers Helped Design Portal 2 ARG [Edge]

Apr 20, 2011

Portal 2 potato sack indie devs given “free reign” to design launch ARG

Portal 2

The indie developers involved in the potato sack sale say that they were given "free reign" to design the ARG, as well as "access to any IP we wanted." Edge have been catching up with the potato sack developers to find out exactly how the enormous ARG came together.

Audiosurf creator Dylan Fitterer explains how Valve initiated the ARG. “Valve invited a bunch of us indie developers to come out last December for a ‘Cross Game Design Event. It was a bit mysterious, but definitely sounded like fun."

“Jeep coordinated with us most closely, but Gabe kicked it all off. He asked us to work with them in creating an event that put launching Portal 2 into the community’s hands. We were given free rein to design it and were also given access to any IP we wanted.”

Dejobaan president Ichiro Lambe “It felt very natural. Valve gave us a framework and said: ‘You know all about GLaDOS. Now, she wants us to break out into the world. Go make it happen.’"

Fitterer explains that the number of people playing Audiosurf during the ARG jumped from 300 a day to 6000 a day. There's no news yet on the number of potato sack games sold during the ARG. Edge's full featureon the ARG is set to arrive tomorrow.

Apr 20, 2011

Portal 2 potato sack indie devs given “free reign” to design launch ARG

Portal 2

Apr 15, 2011

Last Chance to Pre-Purchase Portal 2, Help Release It Early

Portal 2 - Valve

This weekend is the last chance to pre-purchase Portal 2. Get your copy now, save 10% and be ready to play the moment it is released.

Help release Portal 2 early: From now until release, play any or all of games in The Potato Sack to expedite the launch of Portal 2. Your efforts will be tracked on the official GLaDOS@home page.

Each game in The Potato Sack has received a massive Portal-themed update, making a collection of 13 hit indie games even better. So why not get a taste of Portal 2 now while you help launch it?

Apr 13, 2011

Portal 2 levels appear in potato sack games, clues suggest Portal 2 could be released early

Portal 2

When we took an overview of the remarkable happenings in the potato sack ARG yesterday, the trail was going cold, and it looked as though things were winding down. For a few hours at least, they were, then it all kicked off again. New updates have added Portal 2 themed levels to many of the games in the potato sack sale. The voice of Glados has started appearing in menu screens and secret messages, and to top it all, Bit.Trip Beat creators, Gaijin, dropped a heavy hint that completing the ARG could cause Portal 2 to be released early.

Adding fuel to that theory, today Portal 2 became available to pre-load through Steam. We've collected videos and screenshots of the new Portal 2 themed levels from potato sack sale below.

The Ball

The Ball gets a good extra hour of free Portal 2 levels, including one devoted to bowling over Aperture Science turrets. The team have done a great job of recreating Portal 2's assets in the Unreal 3 engine.

Audiosurf

The Portal 2 update in Audiosurf replaces your ship with a portal gun, and adds companion cube blocks to the courses. The best update is the addition of new Portal 2 songs like the one in the video above. After a couple of listens, it really gets stuck in the brain.

Bit.Trip Beat

Glados has well and truly invaded Bit.Trip Beat with this difficult new level. Gaijin hinted in their latest blog post that more ARG clues will be revealed to those who achieve perfect completions of the new levels.

AaAaAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity

Glados has a lot to say about falling off tall objects after the latest Portal 2 update to A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. Creators Dejobaan also created a brilliant overview of the progress of the ARG so far, ending with Glados' invasion of the potato sack games.

RUSH

What better way to combine Portal 2 with Rush than to add companion cubes? It's almost as cute as the Portal 2 level in Toki Tori below.

Toki Tori

Toki Tori's levels provided plenty of useful clues during the ARG. Their silhouettes formed decipherable codes that helped to unlock the passwords for the Aperture Science login screens. The new level has Glados hanging in the background, watching your every move.

Killing Floor

The new Killing Floor map has you fending off waves of zombies in a massive new Aperture Science map. The familiar human vendors have been replaced by a robot that looks just like one of Glados' personality spheres. It looks great, too, with its overgrown test chambers and giant buttons. You'll find their official screens of the new map below.

The potato sack sale is still going, offering 13 great indie titles at 75% off. You can buy each one individually for 50% off while the offer lasts. Head over to Steam to take advantage of the deal