Posts with ‘PetriPurho’ Tag
So You Want To Make A Game
By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)
On: February 22nd, 2008
Continuing with the 1UP theme, 1UP has an interesting article up called “”http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3166380" title=“1UP: So You Want To Make A Game”>So You Want To Make A Game" which features interviews with Tower Defender Paul Preece, Madman Jon Mak, and Finnish Rock God/IGF Champion Petri Purho, giving advice on love, life, and game development. (Mostly game development.)
Read it here.
P.S. I’ll have some super-special exclusive GDC content for TIGS in the near future, but I need to collect myself first. I was not ready for this insanity.
GDC: Second Night
By: Derek Yu
On: February 17th, 2008
Achievement Unlocked: Petri Purho popped the perfect monocle.
Achievement Unlocked: I taught Phil Fish how to make a S’more.
Achievement Unlocked: We got an owl.
Click here for more photos.
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.
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!)
Grammar Nazi
By: Derek Yu
On: February 11th, 2008
EDIT: Petri has informed me that he’s working on an update that addresses a lot of the issues I mention below. The update should be out shortly and I’ll make sure it gets mentioned here.
Grammar Nazi is a new “type ’em up” from Petri Purho, the developer behind the IGF-nominated Crayon Physics Deluxe. The goal of the game is to type words to attack your opponent. Longer words do more damage, but leave you more vulnerable – while you’re typing your protective shield goes down.
I really wanted to love this game, because I’m a big fan of Petri, typing, and blowing things up… but damn, it’s too unforgiving. I can’t even beat the first guy – trying to dodge the shrapnel he drops is like trying to dodge raindrops in a storm. No matter how carefully I time my attacks, it’s impossible to fire off an “it” without taking some damage.
To make matters worse, fired letters don’t register until they’ve made contact with the enemy. Because of the enemy’s shape and movement, even a correctly typed word may show up as a typo.
And last but not least, “”http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antidisestablishmentarianism">antidisestablishmentarianism," which should, in theory, cause a nuclear explosion killing the first boss instantly, does nothing. It doesn’t even count as a word! Why?! /me cries
IGF 2008 Student Showcase Finalists
By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)
On: December 30th, 2007
IGF 2008 Student Showcase Finalists:
- Crayon Physics Deluxe
- Empyreal Nocturne
- Galaxy Scraper
- Gesundheit!
- Mayhem Intergalactic
- Poesysteme
- Polarity
- Ruckblende
- Synaesthete
- The Misadventures Of P.B. Winterbottom
- Flipside (Half-Life 2 Modification)
- Foamzilla (UT2004 Modification)
Oh man, Crayon Physics is up for the Student Showcase Award and the Grand Prize? Impressive!
But I gotta say, I’m rooting for Gesundheit! on this one. That game is just so well put together. I’d love to see Hammill come away with a win. Not anything against Petri, of course! He can have the Grand Prize as a consolation. :)
The Games of Gamma 256
By: Derek Yu
On: December 12th, 2007
I know it’s been awhile since Gamma 256 ended, but I just got around to playing the entries. (Some of them at least!) I was expecting good things, but managed to be blown away regardless. There are some really interesting ideas in here!
Each of the 10 games mentioned below are are compatible with both the keyboard and the Xbox 360 gamepad. Enjoy!
Bloody Zombies is the brainchild of none other than Petri Purho, who seems never to run out of interesting game ideas. I don’t know if I really need to say more about this one other than “blood surfing on a lawnmower.”
The arthouse kids are ostensibly peeing their pants with delight over Mondrian Provoked, Jim McGinley’s kaleidoscopic feast for your optic nerves. I really like the way you slide around against the sides of the various obstacles in this game, and the ending blitz of special effects is inspiring!
1A90 is a glowy shoot ‘em up where the background is a cellular automaton. Whenever your ship’s bullet (which you can design and redesign at the beginning of each level) strikes an enemy, it pastes itself into the background and sets off a series of chain reactions based on the ruleset of each level!
Sunset Runner has you hopping across the top of a moving train in an attempt to save your “best friend” before he/she/it gets squished. A fun, fast-paced, and difficult game from the King of Grinds, Guert!
StdBits, named after “the low-level pixel blitter in classic Mac OS,” is an abstract exploration game, where every screen has its own unique look. Beautiful visuals and music make this entry a stand-out.
Célu, by Alec Holowka, is a dreamy platform game inspired by Le Petit Prince. In the game you leap from planet to planet and soar through the stars.
Namako Team’s Dive is a brilliantly-realized underwater game where you plumb the depths of the ocean and interact with good and bad creatures using sonar. The atmosphere in this one is top notch.
Mr. Heart Loves You Very Much is a nifty little puzzle game that has you pushing rooms and rotating the level to get to your beloved Mr. Heart. A fun and original idea made better by super-cute retro pixel art.
Nick Sheets’ Doomed Planet is a B-Movie throwback that puts you in control of a UFO looking for victims (for probing?). I really dig the “movie reel” backdrop for this fun little game.
Our final Gamma 256 game is Passage, a poignant exploration of life, love, and the passage of time. My suggestion is to play the game a few times before you read the developer’s statement about what the game means to him.
Interview: Petri Purho
By: Derek Yu
On: September 27th, 2007
Jarkko Laine has put up a short-but-sweet interview with Kloonigames’ Petri Purho. Petri is the developer behind numerous great indie games, including Crayon Physics and A Tribute to the Rolling Boulder.
Recently he contributed the hilarious SM Word to the TIGSource B-Games Competition.
(Source: GameSetWatch)
A Tribute to the Rolling Boulder
By: Derek Yu
On: August 14th, 2007
I love games that put you in control of unlikely protagonists. Games are so perfect for that. Take Death Worm, for instance. In no other medium could you so effectively capture what it’s like to be a giant sand worm!
Petri Purho, best known for his great, “under a week” experimental games like Crayon Physics, has made a game that puts you in the shoes (er, dirt?) of a giant rolling boulder trap, ala Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the game you are charged with defending two golden idols from the hoards of filthy archaeologists trying to defile them.
But they’ll run from you. Oh, how they’ll run. These are some of the fastest fucking archaeologists I’ve ever seen. Screw gold idols… these guys could be winning gold medals. (Zing!)
Fortunately, you can do one thing that the original rolling boulder couldn’t – namely, jump. This will let you get to the upper parts of the temple, which is still not an easy task, due to how small and unwieldy the platforms are at the higher levels. In fact, getting to the platform in the upper right corner can be downright infuriating!
But man, is it fun to slam a group of brownhats and send them flying and screaming. Ragdoll physics for the win! This is a highly inventive and entertaining game.
And, of course, here’s the obligatory video of someone completely and utterly destroying the game.
Crayon Physics
By: Derek Yu
On: June 13th, 2007
A bit slow on the uptake with this one, but Kloonigames (aka Petri Purho) has released a wonderful game: Crayon Physics. Hot on the heels of Joakim Sandberg’s drawing shmup, Chalk, Crayon Physics lets you draw physical objects to help a little red ball collect stars.
Think Armadillo Run with drawing, and you kinda got it. Crayon Physics is must more simple, though, which is something that works to the game’s credit, I think. The idea is great, and it’s so well put together… it’s really like magic how easily the game pulls you in from the opening tutorial level.
The only problems with this game are a) the ugly black font on the title screen, and b) the lack of levels (only seven at the time of writing). But good news! A level editor is on its way (possibly). Go, Petri, go!
Pluto Strikes Back
By: ithamore
On: November 29th, 2006
On a whim, I browsed through the recent games at the Experimental
Gameplay Project in search of a decent entry that was mostly complete in concept, gameplay, and execution. After a trying few disappointing quasi-games, I gave Petri
Purho’s Pluto Strikes Back a go and found it rather accessible but a bit irritating at times. Luckily, a recently updated version was posted on his blog, which made the game a more pleasant experience.
In it, the Plutans are quite miffed over the dwarf planet
demotion their home world has received. With vengeance pumping through their veins, they
power up the meteor magnet and wield their cosmic bat to reek their wrath upon
the solar system.
Even with its gravity/magnetism mechanics, Pluto SB played much like an old
fashioned baseball themed pinball game in a penny arcade, which made the
background music very fitting. I wish there was a way to control the strength of
the meteor magnet. It was too strong at times, and being able to manipulate it
would enable some interesting slingshoting.
Petri Purho plans to release a new game each month, and his next work will be out
tomorrow. Since each game he has released has been better than those
before, I’m looking forward to it. The style of his artwork alone has piqued my
curiosity, but I’m still hoping for something with a bit more gameplay than his past
attempts.
Now, if only the EGP and its developers would learn from Purho’s experience and
realize that, just like good graphics, a unique concept alone doesn’t make a
game fun. I’m truly thankful for all the quirky development they share and encourage, but I’m starting to get disappointed with the increasing number of “toys” they’re releasing.
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