World of Goo Goes Gold

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: September 10th, 2008

Good news, fans of good games (and alliteration) — World of Goo has gone gold!

World of Goo is a funky, very well put together structural puzzle platformer thing from two-man dev team 2D Boy in which you must direct a bunch of balls of goo safely through a world of hazards by forming them into— wait, I’m tired and rusty and not doing a great job of this description. Observe some trailers here and here.

If you recall, World of Goo won the Design Innovation and Technical Excellence awards at the 2008 IGF, in addition to being nominated for the Grand Prize. That’s nothing to sneeze at!

So, yeah, it’s gone gold and it should be out in boxed form for the PC in early November and for digital download/WiiWare even earlier than that. You can also preorder it now (with bonuses) for a scant $20 USD through 2D Boy’s site. Goodness.

Ron Carmel on Microsoft

By: Derek Yu

On: August 14th, 2008

2d Boy‘s Ron Carmel (pictured at right with Kyle Gabler) wrote a great opinion piece on Microsoft and Xbox last month, titled “”http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19620">What Microsoft Needs To Change To Satisfy Indies." In it, he tackles the controversial terms of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Community Games service, like the 10-30% royalty cut Microsoft can take (without asking), should they choose to help you promote the game. At the end, Ron encourages devs to seek out channels that offer better terms, more straightforward policies, and higher royalty rates.

The one thing I would have liked to see in the article is a quick breakdown of all the other platforms he mentioned: WiiWare, PSN, Steam, and Greenhouse (2d Boy’s World of Goo is currently being developed for PC and Wii). But otherwise, it’s a great read for anyone interested in these services. There’s some interesting discussion in the comments, too.

Also, as counterpoint, here’s an interview with Microsoft’s Boyd Multerer, published shortly after Ron’s piece came out. It obviously paints XBCG in a more favorable light.

World of Goo: Trailer 2

By: Derek Yu

On: April 15th, 2008

This trailer was made for the Nintendo WiiWare Press Day. Hi-res versions at the 2D Boy website! Have you pre-ordered yet? (Embarrassingly enough, I haven’t. But today is going to be the day. I want that Profanity Pack.)

(Thanks, Data! Be sure to check out the newly-designed Data Realms website.)

Gleemax Sponsors the IGF

By: Derek Yu

On: February 11th, 2008

Gleemax is a new online gaming community started by Wizards of the Coast (you know, the Magic: The Gathering guys?). It’s essentially a social networking/news site focused around tabletop strategy and RPG games. It’s also, apparently, going to be an indie video game portal.

Gamasutra reports:

The top three winners will receive $2000, $3000, and $5000 cash prizes, respectively, along with the chance for distribution on Gleemax. The seven contestants are World of Goo, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Skyrates, Depths of Peril, Quadradius, Desktop Tower Defense, and Polarity.

This sounds very similar to Gametap’s unsuccessful involvement in last year’s IGF, although the big difference is that WotC is offering cash prizes and not advances (on 5 or 10-year distribution deals).

(Thanks, Alec!)

Robot and the Cities that Built Him

By: Derek Yu

On: January 28th, 2008

Robot
and the Cities that Built Him is a 7-day prototype Flash game by Kyle Gabler of 2d Boy. In the game you play a deadly robot going on some kind of coke binge. The robot attacks automatically (LASERDEATH!), and the gameplay involves moving him about, and managing his laser charge and various upgrades.

It’s a neat concept – it just feels a little bit unfinished. Probably because it is! There are only two robot available for purchase in-game, currently.

In other 2d Boy news, World of Goo will be hitting PC and Wii first (soonish, I hear), followed shortly thereafter by Mac and Linux. You can pre-order the PC version now for $20.

TIGER Sauce Interview: 2d Boy

By: Derek Yu

On: November 26th, 2007

2d Boy are actually two men – Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler. Together, they’re living the indie dream. You may recognize Kyle as the developer behind the Experimental Gameplay Project and Tower of Goo, the unique physics game that has you building structures out of little goo balls. World of Goo, the company’s first title, takes the basic idea behind Tower of Goo, and expands it into a living, breathing world.

Steve Cook got a chance to throw the dynamic duo a few questions about IGF (in which World of Goo is a competitor), the indie life, and how their goo balls are doing¹.

Read the full interview here.

¹They’re doing pretty goo… d. Good. Get it? I know, I’m sorry.

Independent Games Summit: Innovation in Indie Games

By: Derek Yu

On: September 30th, 2007

What better way to spend a quiet Sunday evening then to watch a panel from this year’s Independent Games Summit, featuring Jon Blow, Jon Mak, Jenova Chen, and Kyle Gabler! This panel was one of my favorites of the summit. Each of the panelists came from a different perspective… together they really got at what was exciting about indie games for me. The four P’s, yo: passion, personality, and potential. And Pinnovation.

But yeah, I can’t believe Steve dissed me so hard at the end. Unfortunately, I don’t remember my question. I think I was going to ask Jon Mak about what hair products he uses…

EDIT: Google Video page, downloadable version (.mov)

(Source: GameSetWatch)

World of F***ing Goo: Trailer

By: Derek Yu

On: September 11th, 2007

-Kyle Gabler, 2D Boy

EDIT: Gabler’s 7-day prototype Tower of Goo is the inspiration behind this game.