Cortex Command 1.0

By: Derek Yu

On: September 28th, 2012

Splash image by Cortex Command artist “Arne” Niklas Jansson.

I’ll be honest, part of me was expecting that we’d all be brains in jars before Cortex Command reached 1.0. But no! After almost a dozen years in development, Dan Tabar’s opus has hit that milestone and is now available on Steam. Players who have already purchased the game, either directly or through a Humble Indie Bundle can get a Steam key here. A Linux build is still in development, according to Dan’s announcement post.

The release marks the completion of the game’s campaign mode or “meta game”, which allows players and CPUs to engage in large-scale warfare, building bunkers and attacking one another across the face of a planet. To find out more about this new mode, check out Dan’s latest playtest video below. And if you’re new to Cortex Command, this is also a good way to see the game’s impressive physics and AI in action.

Congratulations to Dan and the rest of the team on the release!

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Cortex Command Test Build 27

By: Derek Yu

On: June 5th, 2012

Cortex Command B27 is out for Windows and Mac. This build is the final public test release before the game hits 1.0, and includes a complete campaign mode that can be played against the AI.

In the following video, which was taken before the release, Dan “Data” Tabar talks us through a campaign as he plays through it:

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Cortex Command Build 23 – With the LUA you love!

By: Xander

On: May 13th, 2009

Cortex Command, the game I can simply describe using its own genre definition of ‘Awesomesoft’ has finally released Build 23. Among other changes that I don’t have a list of is the much awaited addition of LUA scripting. There’s a pretty indepth wiki too, so time to get creative!

(Image and news courtesy of Kaboogeyman!)

Cortex Command for Mac OSX

By: Derek Yu

On: December 10th, 2008

Speaking of Mac, Cortex Command has finally hit the clean, mean Apple machines! Like its PC brother, this version comes with a demo. The $18 license should work for both Mac and PC of the game.

Image courtesy of CherryT from the Data Realms Fan Forums, via the Epic CC Moments thread. The giant mech in the screen is a mod made by one of the users. This is your brain on Cortex Command…?

Also: Shark Laser.

Cortex Command Black Friday Sale

By: Derek Yu

On: November 28th, 2008

Quick note: Data Realms is having a Black Friday sale for Cortex Command. The popular squad-based action/strategy physics game is $9 over the weekend, which is half-off its normal price. And with build 22 having just come out, there’s no better time. Buying the game now will entitle you to all the updates through the end of the first campaign.

Hope everyone who got to eat turkey last night enjoyed it. There’s a lot to catch up on and I promise I’ll get to it soon!

Cortex Command Build 22

By: Derek Yu

On: November 7th, 2008

Happy day! A new build of Cortex Command is out! This version features a ton of new additions, not the least of which is a completely new campaign mission that has you infiltrating a cave full of zombies to retrieve a data disk. Arne’s custom background graphics for this level are a-mazing.

Other additions include a 2x scaled-up windowed mode, a ton new actors and weapons, and improved AI. The movement and HUD seem to be a lot smoother to me, as well, although I think I missed a couple of builds in-between. Overall, though, it just feels a lot more polished.

But yeah, God, everything about this game – the style, the complexity – captures a lot of what made PC gaming fun for me back in the day. It’s great to see all the pieces really start to come together. Go grab it!

GDC 2008: Crayon Drawings

By: Derek Yu

On: March 18th, 2008

I wanted my next post to be about a game, but this is too fun not to share. Petri Purho has put up a gallery of crayon drawings he collected from various other indie developers at GDC this year.

Thanks for the tip, Data… who also happens to be the artist of the above image!

Boom! Cortex Command: Build 20

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: January 26th, 2008

I just love posting these little, horribly violent animation loops from Cortex Command.

Anyway, the 20th build has been released. Dunno why it hadn’t been posted here yet. (Maybe it had?)

Expect the usual bunch of improvements and tweaks. Download here.

Flashbang Studios Halloween Party Webcast

By: Derek Yu

On: October 27th, 2007

Guys, if for whatever reason you can’t make it out tonight to get sloshed, you can always watch Matthew Wegner and Steve Swink (Flashbang Studios / IGF Organizers) get sloshed for you at their Halloween party, LIVE. Like, tonight. Like, right now.

Special appearance by Daniel Tabar (Data Realms), possibly in a towel.

Point your video player (VLC recommended) here for the drunken Gish action! And be sure to send a message direct to party central (via the Flashbang LED board)!

Blogs of Fury

By: Derek Yu

On: September 4th, 2007

Hope all you American TIGSource readers had a great Labor Day weekend! I got to hang out with some old friends, which was great.

But enough about me, eh? I wanted to bring to your attention the blogs of two artists and game designers that I have severe mancrushes on. The first one is from Cryptic Sea, home of Alex Austin and Edmund McMillen, the creators of Gish. Now, I was already VERY excited about Gish 2. (From what I’ve heard, it’s going to be Gish, but bigger, better, yadda yadda.) But after seeing this teaser image, well… I’m at “pee pee pants” level of excitement. And that’s a very high level.

I really loved Edmund’s previous work, but it’s obvious that he’s getting better and better! He’s a hilarious dude, too, and incredibly genuine. I wish the best for him.

Which brings me to Niklas Jansson, the artist for Cortex Command. He’s a talented technical artist, to be sure, but what I love about Niklas is his broad understanding of game design. Whereas any artist can take an old design and “modernize” it by making it dark, overwrought, and angry (cough Bomberman: Act Zero cough), Niklas stays true to the original essence of the old school. If only the games that he designed made it beyond the conceptual stage!

In his new blog, which supplements his portfolio site, Niklas shares his artwork and his thoughts on games, old and new. It’s fascinating stuff, so check it out!