By Kieron Gillen on September 8th, 2010 at 9:15 am.
I wake to Shacknews-Killer-Bee Alice O’Connor saying “Everyone who said they’d buy VVVVVV when it hit Steam, I’m holding you to that.” So, yes, VVVVVV is now nestling in the info-hive of Seattle’s Valve Corporation and can be released into your desktop micro-brain for three-fifty at the moment. That’s a small price to pay for a pint in London. More relevantly, it’s also a small price to pay for one of this year’s definitive indie-games. If you want more information, I direct you at our venerable VVVVVV Wot I Think and interview with creator Terry Cavanagh. And, of course, there’s the demo if you want to do the old try before you buy thing.
08/09/2010 at 09:17 panther says:
actually might buy now… what does that make me?
08/09/2010 at 10:25 Fred Wester, CEO of Paradox says:
Late.
08/09/2010 at 09:19 dantokk says:
Yee-haw! I bought it half an hour ago and have since racked up 180+ deaths on that damned tower. The controls seem a little floaty, other than that it’s great so far.
08/09/2010 at 09:19 Nosgoroth says:
Bought. Again.
08/09/2010 at 09:26 sasayan says:
Same. Which means I get to tackle Veni Vidi Vici again. Huzzah!
08/09/2010 at 09:59 Richard Clayton says:
Ditto!
08/09/2010 at 09:21 Malcolm says:
Definitely worth £4. Sold!
08/09/2010 at 09:29 Hippo says:
I really loved it until the last part, which was so frustrating that I now hate it. Great music, though.
08/09/2010 at 09:43 Zerotonine says:
Already bought this, but am tempted to buy again for the David Lee Roth reference. Cue synth solo!
08/09/2010 at 09:54 Heliosicle says:
already own it, got it from green man, will probably just buy it again, because steam is easy
08/09/2010 at 09:56 Hideous says:
I paid $35 for it the first time, haha, so I’m not paying for it again. Sorry. :(
08/09/2010 at 10:15 DJ Phantoon says:
Huh? It was priced at 35 dollars at any point in time??
08/09/2010 at 11:01 Butterbumps says:
Yeah… I just looked at the order receipt from when I bought it at launch, and it was $18.
08/09/2010 at 11:08 user@example.com says:
I paid $17.62. Yay VVVVVV. It’s the best silly name since AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!
08/09/2010 at 14:14 Wulf says:
I paid something like £13.99 I think, and I didn’t regret it at all, it reminded me of what I loved of little flash games, but instead of being over in a few minutes, it lasted me a good few hours collecting all the gems as well. And then it had those challenges.
What’s nice about it too is the story, you play the Captain of a Science ship, and the V-people are clearly good, ethical people. When you find out the purpose behind it all, what it’s actually all about (which requires seeing the secret ending too), it’s a very smile-inducing thing. To be honest, there have been few games that have left me feeling so good about playing them.
It’s also rather absurd, not serious, colourful, and all those things I think PC gaming should be. All of which contributes to why I love it so much.
08/09/2010 at 10:13 DJ Phantoon says:
$4.49 in real people money.
08/09/2010 at 10:17 Meat Circus says:
This is one of my favourites of the year.
If you don’t buy this now, you’re a wrong’un and no mistake.
08/09/2010 at 10:17 Choca says:
Gah you made me go to Steam again.
And now I’ve bought five more games.
08/09/2010 at 10:28 dingo says:
I bought it a few minutes ago.
Mafia (the original game) seems to be on it as well now (was only available as pre-order extra for Mafia II so far).
08/09/2010 at 10:32 MD says:
Man, can someone explain the whole ‘buying a game multiple times’ thing?
I love VVVVVV, don’t get me wrong. But if I wanted to give extra financial support to the developer, I’d do it as directly as possible, rather than re-buy his game via a middleman. And I really don’t buy the ‘simplicity’ or ‘convenience’ explanation when the game in question was originally DRM-free. I mean, I guess you might like launching all your games from one place, but can’t you add non-Steam games to your Steam list?
It’s like there’s some crazy hyper-consumerist compulsion to buy stuff for no reason. Which is fine, and it’s not my place to judge. But I will anyway, because it’s not fine, it’s worrying. Give your excess money to those who really need it! Or failing that, at least throw your cash directly at the developers, rather than filtering it through a middleman run by money-hatted men.
08/09/2010 at 10:35 jon_hill987 says:
Well said, it is one thing re-buying a game you have on an old CD on steam, CDs get scratched. But if you already have a download version why would you do that?
08/09/2010 at 12:57 Dean says:
Because when I get a new computer, and want to play VVVVVV, firing up Steam, downloading and playing is easier than rooting around my old e-mails for the download link, hoping the servers are still up and then re-installing.
Not to mention one can copy the steamapps folder from one PC to another and it just works.
08/09/2010 at 13:30 MD says:
Keep a copy of the installer! Or just the VVVVVV folder, as it doesn’t really need ‘installation’ as such.
08/09/2010 at 13:47 Butterbumps says:
I’ve actually been using Dropbox for this purpose. Just put a copy of my indie game installers in my Dropbox folder, and then I know I have easy access to them whenever I reformat or want to play them on a different PC.
08/09/2010 at 18:23 Dean says:
Yep, I could keep a copy of the installer (although there’s no guarantee I’ll have the latest version, and my hard drive might always die) or register with Dropbox and keep stuff there (though I’d have to remember to put them there, and there’s only so much space).
All very valid options, all perfectly okay, but just saying, for some of us, being able to click ‘buy’ on Steam and know that the game is there in perpetuity (or until the servers of a huge mega-rich company die) is just convenient. Especially once it gets to about £2 as that’s about 15 minutes of my time. It’d probably take that long to backup and restore the thing, hence why do it.
Yeah, it’s throwing money at something because we’re lazy, but there is a point to it. It’s not entirely pissing it up against the wall.
08/09/2010 at 10:53 Nova says:
Man! I just bought it four days ago for over 14 Euro and now he lowers the price by 10? Not to mention the steam margin.
Didn’t he say something around: “Indies shouldn’t sell their games for cheaps.”
Ah well but the game is awesome, so never mind.
08/09/2010 at 13:29 airtekh says:
The same thing happened to me. Bought mine about 3 weeks ago. :(
It was worth it though. Fantastic music. I even managed to get all the shiny trinkets!
08/09/2010 at 10:57 Skusey says:
Awesome, wish this was on Steam ages ago. Will buy it asap.
08/09/2010 at 11:19 teo says:
I’m annoyed
I tried to re-download it recently and apparently the download link you get is only valid for 10 days then you need to go on the forums and ask for a new link. Great service…
Steam would be convenient but I’m not going to pay for it again just to circumvent his terrible distribution
08/09/2010 at 11:54 Alex says:
Great guys thanks for sharing it.
08/09/2010 at 12:00 NukeLord says:
I much preferred the soundtrack over the actual game. Which you can buy here: http://souleye.madtracker.net/
08/09/2010 at 12:06 phlebas says:
Bought. Roll on 5:30.
08/09/2010 at 12:21 Lars Westergren says:
I’m getting my salary on Friday. Planning on buying VVVVVV, Chime, Amnesia, Recettear, and possibly Fantasy Wars. Lots of awesome gaming for the money…
08/09/2010 at 12:23 Heliocentric says:
I’m going to get this on a dry patch. But not from steam, i have children a ganer partner and multiple pc’s. Access to only one title per account at any given time is just problems waiting to happen. Sorry steam, i’m drifting away.
08/09/2010 at 12:46 Oozo says:
Just bought it, and already amassed 120 deaths (however, I already rescued 2 crew-members and survived the Tower, so I guess that’s ok)… it’s fun.
And it infused me with pleasant doses of nostalgia. Not so much because of the graphics or the sound, but because of the game design… it had me thinking of “Battletoads”. I mean, the hoverbike-level and the one with the snake-things – that’s essentially what VVVVVV is all about, ain’t it?
With the small difference that back in the day, you had to get into your muscle-memory with only three lives, and a relatively easy bit of about 25 minutes in between tries. Do I have to mention that I never actually beat “Battletoads”?
Makes me think of how different my early gamer-life would have been had those games not mistaken themselves for arcade-games without a coin-slot.
Happier? I guess less frustrated, but then again, those games kept us busy for all those long months between Christmas and birthdays. We may have smashed our controllers in anger and fury, but we would do it nevertheless for long, long streches of time.
08/09/2010 at 12:59 Dean says:
Well this I’d love to play but it’s just too hard for me.
Amnesia is too scary for me.
Man I’m losing all my indie-gamer cred…
08/09/2010 at 13:05 Butterbumps says:
Have you actually tried it, or are you just assuming it’s too hard? If the latter you might find it’s easier (or at least more accessible) than you think; the frequent checkpoints and instant restarts make it surprisingly non-frustrating to try the same bit over and over.
Sure, getting all the collectible thingy-whatsits is genuinely keyboard-smashingly hard, but they’re totally optional to completing the game.
08/09/2010 at 13:15 Dean says:
Played the demo for about half an hour and it frustrated the hell out of me.
08/09/2010 at 13:35 Butterbumps says:
Ah, fair enough then.
08/09/2010 at 14:25 Frankie The Patrician[PF] says:
Same here..I don’t bother with a game if it’s too frustrating, I put these times behind me, getting old… I like well-balanced games – gradually rise the difficulty to some reasonable degree by adding new features and things to handle (The Saboteur comes to mind) or make it somewhat hard from the beginning (Burnout Paradise style) and let people adjust on the go. Just yesterday I discussed it with my friend – another veteran gamer: he struggles with the second boss in Shank (PSN] while he effortlessly completed Mafia II (PC) on hard – which was finely balanced, me thinks. And I confessed I too struggle with those beat them up’s , schmups et al.
I do think a game can be both reasonably long (I enjoy The Witcher, but alas I’m afraid I’ll never see the end of it as I’m still in the 1/3 of the game with 44 hours under my belt) and fun without being too difficult, even indies – Shatter, World of Goo, Tank Universal…
08/09/2010 at 16:28 Billy says:
For what’s it worth I can’t stand hard for the sake of it games and I loved VVVVVV, it does get hard but it ramps the difficulty so well that you don’t notice how much better you’re getting. The only things I had trouble with by the end of it was Veni Vidi Vici and another one I can’t remember of. And i’m awful at platformers.
08/09/2010 at 17:23 Wulf says:
Edge Games, Not As I Say, and I’m Sorry (which leads to Pure Unobtanium).
<__>
Yes, I’ve played VVVVVV that much. So there you go, those, along with Veni, Vidi, Vici were the hardest. Odd thing is is that I fluked I’m Sorry and got it on my second go.
08/09/2010 at 18:27 Dean says:
Well it all comes down to ability. Not saying anyone shouldn’t buy it. I suck at games (well except for point and click adventures and RPGs – I suck at anything that needs fast reactions) so for me VVVVVV was frustratingly hard from the beginning. It might well have a perfect difficultly curve, but for me it starts way to far up that curve.
But if it started where I’d be comfortable, most of you would be bored.
08/09/2010 at 22:01 Wulf says:
It’s odd, I have incredibly poor sight, my coordination is off, I’m feeling my years, and I’m a casual player, and yet I still found VVVVVV to be pretty easy bar a few rooms.
Reality confuses me, sometimes.
I’m just wondering whether it’s really a lack of ability to play the game, but more of a great ability to get frustrated easily, when I play games I sort of have a zen calm. I laughed at Veni, Vidi, Vici, where most might have cussed their heads off.
What I’m saying is that I don’t think you need to be a great gamer to play VVVVVV, you can be crap even, but if you get frustrated easily then it’s not for you.
And I think how easily you get frustrated factors into things more than skill, since with the instant respawn system you can keep throwing yourself at challenges until you get good enough to defeat them. My approach is the brute-force approach!
I admit that I did do a few of the challenges with surprisingly little effort, though…
So I don’t know! I have no answers! Really, try the demo, you may be good when you think you’re not, and you may think you’re amazing and find yourself wanting.
08/09/2010 at 13:19 Nova says:
If the demo already frustrated you, yeah then the game probably isn’t for you.
08/09/2010 at 14:36 Sigma Draconis says:
VVVVVV (I pronounce it “V-Six”) is great. Bought it, after I tore through the demo. The gameplay is definitely trial and error, but in a good way. Even though there’s spikes everywhere, the platforming is not stupidly punishing like, I Wanna Be The Guy (at least not yet).
08/09/2010 at 14:38 Carra says:
I liked the demo, might try this one out.
/plays the Jet set willy tune.
08/09/2010 at 15:21 oceanclub says:
I was quite surprised by the demo; nails-hard platformers are usually the kind of thing that turn me off, but thumbs up to the the almost-instant respawn method. I’m plonked down my cash to support a fellow Irishman.
P.
08/09/2010 at 17:30 Wulf says:
That’s one of the things that got me, it’s ultimate proof that hard isn’t bad, even to a more casual gamer like myself. What it is also proof of? Punishing people for not immediately being good at something is a dick-move. Capcom, learn from VVVVVV with your next Mega Man game. Harder difficulty and infinite respawns plzkthx. I mean, they could just have us play Ran instead.
…no one’s going to get that…
08/09/2010 at 17:30 HYPERPOWERi says:
OMG, the Veni Vidi VAGINA DENTATA sequence killed me hundreds of times. No joke.
08/09/2010 at 17:32 Wulf says:
You realise Kieron already made that joke?
That’s Kieron for you, he beats us all to the pervy jokes.
09/09/2010 at 01:57 HYPERPOWERi says:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
09/09/2010 at 00:30 Cas says:
Still stunningly disappointed that Steam completely don’t want PomPom’s games. Not good enough they say. I’m speechless.
09/09/2010 at 02:33 Urthman says:
Games? Plural?
The only PomPom game currently available for PC is AstroTripper, according to their website. The others have been “coming soon” for years.
09/09/2010 at 02:35 Urthman says:
“We’re porting our Mutant Storm games from Xbox360 Live Arcade to the PC as we speak.” — October, 2008.
09/09/2010 at 07:07 Matt says:
Odd… I recall playing Mutant Storm (sans suffix) on the PC before Xbox Live Arcade existed. I wonder why they’ve removed that version.