Boppin released as freeware

Back in 1994, we released a puzzle game called "Boppin". It was a game that featured some inventive game design, rather varied graphic styles, and one stabbed and bleeding teddy bear. :)

We discontinued the title a couple of years ago at the request of the original author, and haven't sold it in awhile. However, the same guy who originally wrote the game has since released the game on his own as freeware! Here's the game text we originally had for it on our website when we were still selling the title.

Boppin' is a fun, addictive puzzle game disguised as an arcade game. Each screen in Boppin' (160 in the full version) is a unique puzzle with varied graphics. The game is easy to learn, and the built-in instructions are easy to understand.

The object of the game is to solve all 40 levels of each of the four episodes, and then defeat the end-of-level boss. Each episode has a lead-in story and different endings depending on how well you did. After episode four there is a special ending that wraps up the entire story. Defeating the ending boss for each episode is made easier by doing well (by accumulating points) on the 40 levels for that episode.

The idea on each level is to grab "bopping blocks" and use them to complete patterns on the level. Certain patterns will free a video game character that you might recognize from dozens of other arcade/action games (i.e. Space Invaders and Pac Man).

There are several strategies and skills to learn, and one or two players can play at the same time at the same computer. Every level also has a "mystery spot" (awards 10x extra points for a limited time) and a way to get a "perfect bonus" (if you solve all puzzles on a level).

While we don't have anything to do with this release, we thought we'd bring it to your attention. Boppin has also been updated for Windows as well, so head on over to the Boppin for Windows Page and check out the game for free!

In other classic game news, don't forget that we released our 1996 title Stargunner as freeware back in June. You can check that out here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:10 PM

I want my PreyTV!

Prey previews are turning up all over the place. Today's preview comes from MTV.com of all places, which tells you to "Start Preyin". Prey is currently the featured game in their "Peep Show" preview section, which leads off with this text:

Native American mysticism meets alien-abduction horror in Prey, the best looking first-person shooter to grace your Xbox 360 screen since, well, ever. Slip on the moccasins of Cherokee auto mechanic, Tommy, board an oozing, pulsing alien mothership, and give the evil scum a taste of the same medicine your brethren served Custer.

Their preview includes an exclusive trailer to the MTV site, as well as three other Prey videos. There's also some screenshots and concept art, as well as some text about the game.

Head on over to the MTV.com games site and check it out. It's currently the featured game on their Peep Show Section, if you read this after the story has been posted for a few days, you might need to manually select the game, look in the lower right hand corner of the screen for their "All Peep Shows" directory.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:49 PM

New Prey Preview at Gamespot

This morning brings us a very cool preview of Prey over at Gamespot. In their three page preview, they cover a lot of the game, from the various powers that lead character Tommy can achieve, to the world the game is played in, to how things seen in the E3 2005 video tie into the overall game. It's a very detailed preview, and definitely worth your time to read, even if you've checked out all the other Prey previews that have been posted online.

Here's some bits from the preview...

You'll also encounter alien technology that creates gravity fields on walls and ceilings, so you can expect to be running sideways and upside down while fighting off hostile alien life-forms so that you can rescue the girl and get back home (or whatever is left of home).

Considering that the game is being developed with production assistance from Duke Nukem creator 3D Realms, you may not be surprised to hear that it will have fully interactive environments.

You'll find yourself in situations that recall artist M.C. Escher's infamous painting Relativity (a study in geometry that depicts people walking up and down stairways on the walls and ceilings of a house), just with more upside-down aliens shooting at you.

Tommy will need just about every tool at his disposal to make his way through the ship safely, since he'll be up against a great variety of alien enemies, and not just possessed 8-year-olds, but also gun-toting grunts, cowardly soldier aliens that carry energy shields, and even huge, humanoid monstrosities that cause the ground to shake with a single step.

Prey's single-player game should offer innovative gameplay, a comprehensive story and characters, and cutting-edge Doom III engine graphics.

Gamespot also has five new screenshots scattered throughout the pages of the preview. But one of the bigger bonuses here is a video interview with both Tim Gerritsen & Chris Rhinehart of Human Head where they talk about Prey directly - so you can hear it straight from the developer's mouths!

This is an extremely good preview, and definitely worth your time. You can check it out over at Gamespot here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 10:15 AM

New Prey Stuff Available

We've got links for you to some new Prey materials.

First up, 2K Games has released three new Prey Screenshots, check 'em out here.

Second is an interview with Chris Rhinehart (project lead on Prey) over at 'Next Generation'. Chris talks about things as the legacy of the early development of the title back in the mid-late 90's, as well as current design elements. He also talks about current development tools, and some specific issues relating to how Tommy interacts with the environment. Check out the full interview here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:55 AM

New Prey Preview Available

This afternoon brings us the news of a new Prey preview that's available now. If you check out the September 2005 issue of Computer Gaming World, they have a big 4 page spread on Prey. There's plenty of goodness in this article, including tidbits from our own Scott Miller & George Broussard, as well as from Chris Rhinehart & Tim Gerritson of HumanHead.

There's plenty of text to read about the game, there's some screenshots as well as conceptual art, and a breaktown of the gameplay when you die in the game (the Spirit Realm). There's a description of some action in the game which gives you some insight into the bar scene at the start of the recent E3 Prey floor video. There's even some quotes from CGW about their preview of Prey back in the June 1997 issue of their magazine. :) But the focus here is the gameplay, how it looks... awww, let's just get to the quotes..

"The jaded cynic inside has ben quieted." -- CGW

"The script certainly shows lots of promise for what lies ahead, but there are a number of innovations that are equally, if not more, important to Prey." -- CGW

"I think we've mostly achieved our goal of making a tragic love story within the FP genre, one that players will care about. This was not a part of the original design for Prey." -- Scott Miller

"Evertyhing has a very biomechanical feel. Items are grated onto each other -- organic membranes serve as "sphinc-doors", and alien monsters sprout firearms" -- CGW

You're going to want to go to your newsstands to check out this preview, as it isn't online. You want the September 2005 issue of Computer Gaming World, the cover of which can be shown here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:58 PM