Be Excellent To Each Other

Can't expand on that; would probably have said the same, less eloquently. Apologies if I've come across very differently to how I intended on this stuff. Anyway, here's a big blog about the whole evolution from arcade to Vita... http://www.minotaurproject.co.uk/devblog/?p=74

Sorry if you took it the wrong way but I do think you are being over sensitive on this. Nobody batted an eyelid when I pointed out the Oliver Twins hadn't done anything decent in years and their Kickstarter was a cynical cash in and doomed to fail (and throughly deserved it).

I'll bow out on this now. I like some of his games and dislike others. The fact I went and paid for 3 of his iOS titles might at least suggest I was open to giving his new stuff a try. I only have 8 games on my phone and 3 of them are his.

I still wish Unity happened. That seemed to have a lot of potential.

Agreed. I bought a Gamecube specifically for that. Small consolation... If you've got an Xbox 360 then you've basically got Unity without any ships or enemies or bullets in it. Play something in the music player and hit yellow. With four controllers you get some idea of how that was headed.

While I've regrettably managed to delete all my iterations, the PC version of the Neon engine was a thing of much beauty. Once you have full control over every aspect of the synthesis, it was the difference between a child's Casio keyboard and something Rick Wakeman might play. I only recently shredded the manual, as it was taking up a ringbinder I needed.

One day, we may yet have a useable lightsynth again.

Well, the Merkins have got their review codes and the first feedback is trickling in. It is overhwelmingly gushing.

http://kaijupop.com/2014/02/txk-vita-review/

From the founder of Touch Arcade -


and this guy -


And some nepotism from a Sony employee -


...and my favourite, this guy covers loads of Vita stuff on YT iirc, and halfway through his review, he gets completely zoned in and forgets to talk anymore.



So things are looking good. The demand for a soundtrack album has been fairly strong too so we're in the process of getting it on Bandcamp as I type. Gonna be a long couple of days. European review codes are going out shortly so EG and that ought to have something for release.

How come you did 'merica first?

I hate Tempest, no matter how many trippy graphical effects and 'comedy' sound effects Minter throws at it.

Sony released the review codes for there first, as they get it a day earlier. When the UK codes are released for press I'll also magically have my own copy of t'game, so you'll know when our press do, too. Various souls with devkit Vitas are already having fun, but as yet no-one in our neck of the woods, Yak included, has a shop bought one with TxK on.

Just spent the evening remastering my track for the album. Considering it's 15 different artists and there was no collaboration, it's very cohesive. Currently nosing through the lot on a sekrit server and feel a bit embarrassed to be in the company of so many great 4-to-the-floor tunesmiths with my 'steppy ambient coda.

Well, I'm glad you're not a reviewer then.

Gngh, now I want a Vita.

I enjoyed Space Giraffe purely for the crazy visuals. I tried Tempest afterwards and it was just boring.

I quite liked Space Giraffe when I was quite good at it (Peaking at about 70th on the leaderboard, I think)

But then it was patched and made a bit shit, although I can't remember why I thought this and my thoughts have been lost to the mists of time, it had something too do with the spiked basts that charged towards you changing behaviour, I think.

It didn't really make me overly interested in getting the next thing either.

The scoreboards were reset too, where they not?

I remember because I was first on all of them

Yes, I remember why I stopped playing now. I had got reasonably good too.

iirc, some changes were made to certain mechanics in response to sustained personal abuse and widespread derision of said mechanics. Damned if you do, damned if you don't on that one. The update wiped the boards, not with intent, and I forget exactly why it was the case. It's a reason not to want to play XBox live games, not Llamasoft games. I'm not sure but I *think* the 'restart best' facility would have made getting your old score more or less back, or improving it.



Straits times like TxK - 9/10 http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/t ... p-its-game

/edit EU codes are going out, so reviews to come from places you've heard of. I'm off to the toilet for several hours

I bloody love Tempest 2000 on the Jaguar. It was just the right amount of crazy but clear enough so you never died because not knowing what had hit you. I hope this new Tempest remains true to that tradition.

Also, it has the worse name of a Tempest game ever. At least stick the word 'Tempest' in there somewhere so I know what it is when I see it. If it wasn't for this thread I might not have even poked it with my finger.

Alas, laws and shit.

Everything is happening right now. I'm bouncing like a pornstar on a Sybian.

He can't use the word Tempest?

But it looks like Tempest, plays like Tempest and he'd probably have a tough time convincing a court that it's not Tempest.

So he can make a game that plays exactly like Tempest but can't stick Tempest in the title? (FYI: I know nothing about copywrites or nowt)

What about Temp3st?

7emptest?

7emp7es7?

Temptyest?

Testy?

Feel free to pass those on but if one is used I want my name in the credits. Above Mr Minters. In a bigger font.

As always, copyright and trademarks are two entirely unrelated things.

He should definitely get one of those then. The latter. Then the former.

You'd think a law type would know this.

Well, I'm finally playing it... and I have to agree that no screenshot or video can really convey the crispness and vectoriness of the thing in motion on the Vita's OLED. Best looking thing on the system, and plays like a race-tuned T2K. It's a perfect match for the format and as close as Spelunky to being the Vita's killer app for me. I've always liked Jeff's stuff, obviously, but he's excelled himself here.

It's the absolute, unequivocal shit. I love it. And I'm in it, so I'm a commerically published musician at last, thus achieving a mission I set out on when my Dad died a couple of days short of three years ago.

And the sun's shining.

Happy for you!

I really should get a Vita before the OLED one is discontinued. But I've already spent 1400 euro this month on furniture and a new PC. I might just get one anyway, 'cause I'm a rebel like that.

Congrats, buddy!

I would. What are you gong to play whilst sat on or at your furniture if not this?

I'm not sure how Spelunky could be considered a killer app for the Vita considering it's on almost every other platform imaginable.

The PC? Madness, I know.

Anyway, I just ordered one. It's been nagging me for a while.

Because it's a lot better on the Vita. Hand in glove.

I've played it extensively on the Vita and PS3 and can't agree. It is equally excellent on both platforms.

...so you're saying TxK is the Vita's sole killer app, then?

Fair enough

I've played Spelunky on both PC and Vita, and the PC version never had framerate trouble, but the Vita version has a couple of times.

Still great to have Spelunky on the go.

Minter should call it Forbidden Planet.

Heh

Nope, that would be OlliOlli.

9.5/10

http://www.psnation.com/2014/02/10/review-txk-psv/

NeoGaf love it, too: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread. ... 490&page=2

Just wait till Minter gets his hands on it: SpeLlamaky will have add trippy graphics, bangin' techno choons and 'hilarious' samples, that almost, but don't quite completely mask the gameplay you know and love!

Got anything nice to say, Pundabaya?

9/10

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... e-txk.html

8/10

http://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psnvita/txk

4.5/5

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/02/11 ... txk/73759/

Sounds groovy and there's some love for the soundtrack too!

We're deciding the pricing for that now*, it won't be a lot

* and mastering it, and every other bloody thing. I reckon each track has been back through the studio of the producer again in the last 48 hours, and now Junosix is doing a sterling job with the final polish. Bless them, with everyone elses they posted the relative peak db prior to rejigs and when it came to mine they just had to say "too much dynamic range so say for sure, but it sounds fine to me". I'll learn. One day.

On the PlayStation store now :

https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork. ... 300024_exc

£5.49 if your an idiot or £4.39 if you have PS+

:-)

Edge: 9

http://www.edge-online.com/review/txk-review/

Pwngaming: 8.5 (miserable sods!)

http://pwgaming.co.uk/review-txk

Gaminglives 8/10

http://www.gaminglives.com/2014/02/12/txk-review/

Godisageek 9/10

http://www.godisageek.com/2014/02/txk-review/

After Eurogamer's 9/10 today I had a little look on Metacritic.

http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/ ... &sort=desc

Currently the second highest rated Vita game of all time. We just need a couple of tens, and then for people to stop reviewing


/edit DAMN IT, we've just dropped to joint third!

Well, I've got it and it is indeed marvellous. It's essentially a new Tempest rather than a Space Giraffe and the style gels so much better this time around - you never feel overwhelmed by what's going on on the screen and out of the speakers. And it must be said GY, the soundtrack is really, really good! I'd say it was pretty much an essential game to have on the Vita.

Is this good enough to make me need a Vita?

You need a Vita with or without TxK.