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Housemarque explains tech behind 3D Super Stardust HD

by David Hinkle { Jan 11th 2010 at 11:15PM }

3D gaming isn't entirely new, but will be a big focal point for Sony this year -- and what better way to show that than by turning one of 2007's bright spots into a full 3D experience. Super Stardust HD is undergoing a HD facelift right now and during an interview with Digital Foundry (via Eurogamer), engine lead Seppo Halonen and creative director Harri Tikkanen talked about adapting the game to 3D and some of the technological leaps and bounds made by Housemarque Games.

What makes SSHD different than other 3D experiences -- specifically, Avatar and other 3D games like Invincible Tiger -- is that it'll be running at a native resolution of 720p at 120 frames per second, 60 frames per each eye, and doesn't use low-res buffers to create the effect. Housemarque accomplished this by having the engine render everything twice, added stereoscopic cameras and moved the vertex processing from the GPU to the SPU. This took up about 50 percent of the SPU's resources, leaving them with enough to pre-process a lot of the game, allowing things to render much faster than before.

As for future Housemarque games on PS3, don't necessarily expect those titles to be in 3D. Tikkanen says that because some titles "lend themselves better to 3D than others," all future 3D compatibility will be decided "on a game by game basis."

2009 Dream-Build-Play winners announced, Dust takes top honor

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 6th 2009 at 8:30PM }

It must be nice winning $40,000! We imagine Dust: An Elysian Tail developer Dean Dodrill will be drinking his fair share of shirley temples this weekend with all those extra duckets, after winning first place in this year's XNA Developer Dream-Build-Play competition. As you can see in the gallery below and video after the break, Dust is a beautiful, hand-drawn side-scroller that features action-RPG gameplay in the vein of Castlevania ... but with furries.

Second place (and $20,000) went to Panya Inversin from Coin App who created Max Blastronaut, which looks to be a mix between Super Stardust HD and ... Double Dragon? We're just as confused as you are, but see for yourself after the break, below the Dust clip. Third and fourth place went to Mauricio Garcia's Rotor'scope and Hu Ling's HurricaneX2 Evolution, respectively. Congratulations to all of this year's winners!

Gallery: Dust: An Elysian Tail

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Team17 head: Timed exclusivity is 'just the way the world works'

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 27th 2009 at 11:28AM }

"I appreciate PS3 owners getting pissed off because it's not on their platform immediately, but that's up to Sony I guess to address that," Team17 studio head Martyn Brown said in a recent interview with VideoGamer.com. According to Brown, exclusivity is just a fact of life. "People on Live Arcade can't play Super Stardust [HD] or PAIN or a bunch of titles ... it's just the way the world works really." he added. Addressing concerns that his company was paid off by Microsoft for the timed exclusivity of Alien Breed Evolution on XBLA, Brown answered ... "bollocks" (British for "nonsense"). Instead, Brown credited the exclusivity deal to "early faith" from the publisher.

Specifically, Brown stated, "In exchange for exclusivity we get a lot more promotion ... it isn't the case of here's some cash in a suitcase, It just doesn't work like that -- It would be nice if it did!" No suitcases full of bank notes, Mr. Brown? Oh, that's right, GTA IV's exclusive DLC used up all of Microsoft's petty cash for a bit. Sorry, guy!

Gallery: Alien Breed Evolution

Super Stardust HD celebrates 2nd anniversary with Euro price drop

by Jem Alexander { Jun 25th 2009 at 12:10PM }

You've played Super Stardust HD, right? It's two years old now, and still one of the best PSN downloadable titles available. You surely picked it up around this time last year, when it became the first game to support Trophies. No? Well, now's your chance. To celebrate the game's second birthday, the developers have dropped the price from £4.99 to £1.59 (€1.99).

Make sure you head on over to the European PlayStation Blog to see Housemarque's Petteri Putkonen's retrospective on the last two years. He also mentions Housemarque's desire to update the game even further, with an expansion that would "add a new dimension to the game," and requests that you contact him with any of your own ideas. It may be a while before you see them implemented, though, as the company is currently busy trying to outdo itself with its next PSN game. We can't wait.

Yo Asteroid! Super Stardust Portable out Dec. 4

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 26th 2008 at 5:30PM }

If there's one classic concept that video games have taught us, it's that things from outer space are coming to kill you. In the case of Super Stardust Portable, said things are mainly calamitous asteroids, intent on colliding with your puny spaceship and the planet below. The downloadable PSP title, a handheld rendition of the popular rock-blasting shooter on PlayStation 3, will become available on the PlayStation Store next Thursday, December 4th, for $9.99.

Those used to the chaotic action of Super Stardust have a new "Impact" mode (bombs and boosts only!) to look forward to in this version, as well as a new final boss. Not that we thought you'd be bored without them -- the PSP version promises to hurl over 1,000 objects at the field at any given time. As programming lead Kimmo Lahtinen points out, "That's a lot of things to shoot."

Become a better Super Stardust HD player

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 4th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Some of us are gifted with incredible skill in Super Stardust HD. The dazzling array of falling rocks and deadly enemies does little to shock these players -- they are able to boost, shoot and bomb without ever having to blink. Unfortunately, not all of us are so capable. Thankfully, the PlayStation.blog has a new set of videos to with a few pointers on how to get the most out of this popular PSN game. Perhaps with these tips, you too will be able to get all of those elusive Trophies ...

European PSN update for July 15th

by Jem Alexander { Jul 16th 2008 at 5:00AM }

Yeah, it's July 16th in Europe right now, but we've been too busy to post the update until now. The fact we even know what's up on the store is a near miracle (thanks, Tom!), seeing as we're actually nowhere near a PS3 right now. With our excuses out of the way, we present to you today's update which, apart from a whole bunch of awesome E3 trailers, includes the SSHD Team Pack. Best thing about the Team Pack? Another potential trophy. Here's the full release list:

Playable Content

Fatal Inertia EX demo (free)
Fatal Inertia EX Full Game (£14.99)

Add-on Content

Super Stardust HD "Team Pack" (£2.99)

Videos

Buzz! Quiz TV advert
Buzz! Quiz TV "Sofa vs Sofa" advert
Resistance 2 E3 trailer
PixelJunk Eden E3 trailer
PAIN E3 trailer
LittleBigPlanet E3 trailer
MotorStorm Pacific Rift E3
GT TV E3 trailer

PLAYSTATION Store gets daily updates this week

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 14th 2008 at 12:10PM }

With E3 happening this week (stay tuned for live coverage!), the PLAYSTATION Store will be updated every day, with new content arriving from first and third parties. In addition to the requisite trailers and videos that will appear on the Store, PlayStation will be bringing it home with playable content. Watch out for Rock Band DLC, featuring The Who, the official release of the Super Stardust HD team pack, and a new PSN game, Elefunk.

Stay tuned for more info as it happens.

PS3 Fanboy's guide to Super Stardust HD Trophies

by Randy Nelson { Jul 2nd 2008 at 11:00PM }

If you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to install PS3 firmware 2.40 before it was yanked by Sony, you'll definitely want to check out PS3 Fanboy's first-ever PlayStation Trophy guide. It's only fitting that their guide is for the first-ever Trophy-enabled game, Super Stardust HD. Be the first person on your friends list to unlock 'em all – check it out!

Trophy Guide: Super Stardust HD

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 2nd 2008 at 10:00PM }

We finally unlocked all the Trophies for Super Stardust HD. As the first game available with Trophy support, many are jumping online to boost their PlayStation level. With 9 Bronze, 6 Silver and 2 Gold Trophies, we're sure this is going to keep many occupied for quite some time. Here's our guide to unlock all the Trophies. Good luck!

Hero of Lave - Complete planet Lave
Bronze | Difficulty: Very Easy
All Arcade mode Trophies can be earned in Easy mode. We recommend that you play on that difficulty to make it easier to get the Trophies you want. For this Trophy, simply beat the first level. Having trouble with the boss? Make sure you focus on only one weak point at a time. You should be able to destroy one weak point before he does his spin attack. His spin will vacuum space debris, so you may want to keep your distance in the early parts of this battle. The Trophy will unlock once you start the next level.

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Trophies: Super Stardust HD

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 2nd 2008 at 12:25AM }

Joystiq hands-on: Super Stardust HD Versus mode

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 1:00PM }

Click for high-resolution image.

Super Stardust HD received its first expansion pack last month, one that was very well received by players and critics alike. The second, multiplayer add-on promises to do the same, judging by the time we spent with at Sony's recently PlayStation Day 2008.

The "Team Pack" adds a Co-op Split Screen mode as well as the incredible Versus Mode. While the concept of Versus Mode remains very simple, the menus add depth and a huge amount of variety to the experience. At your disposal are several gameplay modes, similar to many other multiplayer games' gameplay arsenal, including deathmatch, king of the hill and grab-and-run. This whole mode has been built specifically with party gaming in mind.

Up to four players can play against each other on the same planet, but the "layout" of the planet can be changed before the game commences. This allows you to overlay a maze of rocks onto the planet's surface in various shapes which players will need to navigate through. These rocks can be destroyed and, depending on the options settings, can either harm players who come too close or simply ignore them. For people who prefer a less restricted battlefield, there's an option for a clear level layout too.

Gallery: Super Stardust HD

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PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Super Stardust HD Versus mode

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 9:00AM }

Click for high resolution image.

Super Stardust HD received its first expansion pack last month, to much praise from the Stardust community. The Solo Pack added several different modes, and the upcoming multiplayer add-on promises to do the same. We had an opportunity to try it out during PlayStation Day and we loved what we saw.

The "Team Pack" adds a Co-op split-screen mode, as well as the incredible Versus Mode. Within Versus Mode, you can partake in a number of different challenges, similar to the offering found in many other multiplayer games: there's Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Grab and Run. This whole mode has been built specifically with party gaming in mind.

Up to four players can play against each other on the same planet, but the "layout" of the planet can be changed before the game commences. This allows you to overlay a maze of rocks onto the planet's surface in various shapes which players will need to navigate through. These rocks can be destroyed and, depending on the options settings, can or cannot harm players who come too close. For people who prefer a less restricted battlefield, there's an option for a clear level layout too.

Gallery: Super Stardust HD

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SuperStardust HD devs planning split-screen multiplayer update

by Jason Dobson { May 2nd 2008 at 9:25AM }

Our affection for SuperStardust HD just got a shot in the arm with news that Finnish dev Housemarque is putting the finishing touches on a multiplayer-focused update to the twin-stick PSN shooter. Following the already available "solo" add-on, this new "team pack" update will introduce several additions, from split-screen versus and co-op modes, to a skill balancer, ship editor, trophies, and a "true" 5.1 orchestral soundtrack.

MTV's Stephen Totilo recently grilled Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen on the update, who commented that "a majority" of the development time spent on the update was focused on the new versus mode, which will feature "our 'sub' game modes and plenty of options so each gamer can tune the mode to suite their tastes." Even more interesting, Kuittinen adds that the team has been "experimenting with a game mode we call "Twin gun" mode (not disclosing specifics at the moment, maybe you can guess?) and how to make music generated levels, etc." It sounds like someone has spending a lot of time with Audiosurf, an addiction to which we can certainly relate.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Upcoming Stardust HD update includes trophies, 5.1 orchestral soundtrack

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 30th 2008 at 9:45PM }

The guys at Housemarque have just finished their next Super Stardust HD expansion. The "solo pack" will be followed by the "team pack," which features a number of additions. Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder Housemarque, explained to MTV Multiplayer: "It features a split screen Versus Match and Co-Op, ship editor, a true 5.1 orchestral soundtrack, and trophies."

We're already excited for these new additions, but what we're even more intrigued by are the upcoming additions the Housemarque team is looking into. "We have been experimenting with a game mode we call "Twin gun" mode (not disclosing specifics at the moment, maybe you can guess?) and how to make music generated levels, etc." A Mizuguchi-inspired version of Stardust sounds like it would be a blast.