• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Press Play, Microsoft's new studio, announces Max: The Curse of Brotherhood for XBLA

Ushae

Banned
Looks great, MS feeling ok these days? First these amazing sales now new XBLA games from their studios. Changes afoot?
 

Tyrax

Member
Looks great, MS feeling ok these days? First these amazing sales now new XBLA games from their studios. Changes afoot?

is it any different from how its always been? I can't think of a time when there has been a significant slump in good XBLA games.
 

Doffen

Member
is it any different from how its always been? I can't think of a time when there has been a significant slump in good XBLA games.

Well this year seems to bring a bunch of Microsoft's own games, and not just timed exclusive deals.
 
I like the look of the game. Colour me interested.

image.php
 

Doffen

Member
Its officially not a Kinect game:



Edit: The game will be shown at GDC.

From Facebook:

No Kinect and no SmartGlass. The game has been designed for controller from the very beginning. We have of course considered both and it could have been cool, but it was a discussion of what we thought it would bring to the experience and what the impact would be of adding it to a project already in production. In the end we decided against both.
 

Rlan

Member
...spiritual sucessor ?

HOW ?

It is basicaly the same game with polygons and dark enviroments o_O

Max & The Magic Marker's mechanics were to draw shapes (like squares, lines) which would then turn into physics objects to get places, like placing a line on top of water to make a platform etc.

This new Max doesn't use this mechanic, instead the Marker functions to create or manipulate objects from specific points -- making Vines, altering water currents and building rock foundations, which is quicker and easier to do without a wand or drawing apparatus.. They're completely different ways of using the marker, really.
 
...spiritual sucessor ?

HOW ?

It is basicaly the same game with polygons and dark enviroments o_O

That's just what they're calling it on their blog.


This game's story is the biggest ripoff of Labyrinth I have ever seen:

Apparently, it's influenced by several things:

the official website said:
Famous Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and her 1973 children’s book, The Brothers Lionheart, was a team favorite. The unusually dark themes of loss, courage and hope instantly strung a chord with the team and the fact that Game Designer, Mikkel Thorsted, Lead Designer, Mikkel Pedersen and Lead Artist, Lasse Outzen all have brothers somehow unconsciously found its way into the DNA of what would later become Max: The Curse of Brotherhood.

“We knew we would like to do something based on the theme of family”, explains Mikkel Thorsted. “About sometimes wishing your brother or sister would just go away, only to miss them when they do and ultimately be willing to go through fire and water in order to get them back.”

Being a huge fan of early to mid eighties movies, Chris Columbus’ beautiful coming of age adventure, The Goonies, was another big influence on the team. The kids that set out to save not only their houses in the Goon Docks but also their friendship had a lot of impact on the story, puzzles and atmosphere of Max – and it made perfect sense since the team had already decided on doing a game for all ages instead of targeting the traditional Xbox Live Arcade audience.


Finally MS changing up the portfolio a bit. Nice addition. Hopefully a small bite of things to come next gen.

I don't get this. They've been "changing up the portfolio" on XBLA (and, yes, Kinect) for quite some time.


Looks like its a "touch" focused game tho. That pen appearing seems to indicate that. I dont see how that would work very well with a controller and no touch.

Think the original version of Okami, perhaps.
 
add it to the list of 360 exclusives along with lococycle, state of decay, Charlie murder, motocross madness and crimson dragon that neogaf conveniently forgets when they say xbox has no exclusives. Still waiting for more XBLA announcements too.

isnt crimson dragon out?
 

bryehn

Member
Looks way better than Max and the Magic Marker. I'm hoping it's controller, not Kinect. Though controller with Kinect could really work here if done right.

Edit: OK, not Kinect.

why would anyone think it is for kinect?

The drawing part was originally done with the Wii Remote (or mouse on Steam)
 

Usobuko

Banned
This has my mild interest and I'll buy it until I actually see more of the gameplay and like it.

Production values asides, this looks like Trine with even more mundane puzzle mechanics. Look good but very dull to play through. Not to mention they basically took the unique idea of drawing with the marker from Okami except it's more stripped down with less variety in a 2D setting. I don't see how creative this is, yet. No combat whatsoever either.
 

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
Is this a new studio?

In New Zealand Press Play is a slogan for a healthy and active lifestyle. Who is going to sue who? ;)

*edit*
It was pushplay. My bad
 

Vandiger

Member
Looks very pretty, the magic marker part is confusing hopefully this isn't like Okami when it comes to drawing crap on a controller.
 

GavinGT

Banned
Sounds like Microsoft doesn't have a huge amount of faith in the project. Otherwise, they'd hold this for next gen.
 

GavinGT

Banned
what, explain yourself.

It just seems that they would want to direct their limited first party assets to creating next gen games. But with them being primarily a mobile developer, and with the marker mechanic, it seems like the project is mostly a byproduct of their mobile development. So it's not something Microsoft is putting a huge focus on, and not something they want associated with their new console at launch.
 
If it is optional Kinect, that is fine. I just want the option to play with my controller, that is all I ask. I will buy this game more than likely.

I was seriously wondering what they were going to do with Press Play. I remember they announced at E3 they bought them.

Twisted Pixel + Press Play = <3
 

abadguy

Banned
If it is optional Kinect, that is fine. I just want the option to play with my controller, that is all I ask. I will buy this game more than likely.

I was seriously wondering what they were going to do with Press Play. I remember they announced at E3 they bought them.

Twisted Pixel + Press Play = <3

There is no Kinect in this game, the dev confirmed it.
 
Wow, I had no idea Press Play was working on a console game.

This looks great and I'm glad Microsoft saw them as more than a mobile developer when they purchased the studio.

I expect big things from these guys, they are full of creativity.
 
It just seems that they would want to direct their limited first party assets to creating next gen games. But with them being primarily a mobile developer, and with the marker mechanic, it seems like the project is mostly a byproduct of their mobile development. So it's not something Microsoft is putting a huge focus on, and not something they want associated with their new console at launch.

That makes little sense. Yes, Durango is coming, but they also need to keep releasing games on the 360, and XBLA is where many of those new releases are going to be. Besides, the game has already been in development for two years, they would need to delay it in order to upgrade it for Durango.
 
Looks quite nice. I would like to see the same effort put into a more mature first party platformer, similar to Shadow Complex. Never heard of "Max" before, I was wondering what all the big, colourful dildo's on the screens were before I watch the trailer :p
 

kassatsu

Banned
Frankly, I think Max and the Magic Marker sucked hard (on WiiWare and PC), but Tentacles was pretty neat. I think these guys were a good buy because there's a certain amount of flexibility for them--they can make mobile games, which I think is why Microsoft bought them, but they could also easily be deployed for XBLA-tier stuff, so if, say, WP software sales are crummy, they're a good fit doing something bigger

Yea I was not a fan of Max and the Magic Marker at all. Really poor platforming, janky puzzle physics, and the game had crippling save issues (at least on PSN).

Hopefully they can do better this go around.
 
Top Bottom