By Alec Meer on November 8th, 2010 at 11:20 pm.
It’s been sad, watching consoleland getting so excited/frustrated about Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refene’s breakout indie hit Super Meat Boy these past few weeks. It should be ouuuuuuuurs. [Stamps feet petulantly]. Fortunately, the PC version is still planned for sometime this month (the target is the last week of Nov) – complete with some bonus famous faces. Well, they’re more or less faces, if you squint a bit.
Two of the PC version’s six exclusive playable characters will be Mr Minecraft, as publicly arranged on Twitter with Notch (as shown above), and VVVVVV’s Captain Viridian (as shown below). There are four more mystery chaps yet to come. Perhaps you’d like to take a guess.
There are a whole bunch of other indie icons in both versoins of the game, with a few sadly exclusive to XBOX, and Team Meat swearing they’ll never cross over. Here’s a slightly noisy bluffer’s guide to their origins. Note this doesn’t include the mystery characters, just the already known ones:
Also only included in the PC version is a level editor, which the devs have claimed should make up for this edition lacking some of the bonus content on 360. “You will be able to make EVERYTHING you see ingame with the pc editor minus bosses”, quoth Team Meat. Oh, and there’ll be 30 Steam achievements too.
There’s also a soundtrack available, if you’re already familiar with (and presumably enamoured of) the game.
Hurry up, basically: I suspect this’ll prove a mega-hit on PC, as it did on 360. I also suspect I’ll be rubbish at it. Won’t stop me from trying.
08/11/2010 at 23:25 Lambchops says:
I would have taken a guess but I spoiled it for myself by watching the video!
Though for what it’s worth I guessed Gish and Spelunker correctly.
08/11/2010 at 23:30 PleasingFungus says:
You misunderstood! There are four more mystery chaps yet to come.
Super Meat Boy has quite a lot of guest characters!
08/11/2010 at 23:40 Lambchops says:
Oh in that case I’d guess:
Knytt stories guy
Naija from Aquaria
Xoda Rap from Noitu Love series
Quote from Cave Story
09/11/2010 at 00:25 Bhazor says:
Runman and Fancy Pants definitely deserve a place.
09/11/2010 at 00:32 DJ Phantoon says:
Fairly sure both Gish and Spelunky were supposed to be Xbox exclusive shit.
Also, fuck the Xbox. What a piece of garbage.
09/11/2010 at 00:52 Dominic White says:
I wonder what’ll happen if DJ Phantoon ever wakes up on the RIGHT side of the bed in the morning.
09/11/2010 at 01:10 Wulf says:
Actually, the main character of Knytt Stories is a lady named Juni. Though I think you’re mixing her up with the nameless bloke from the original Knytt.
09/11/2010 at 01:38 Psyk says:
DEAD BABY
09/11/2010 at 05:27 poop says:
does super meat boy still have the same sorta unresponsive floaty controls that the flash version had? they sorta ruined the appeal of the original game for me :/
09/11/2010 at 05:28 poop says:
woops i forgot i clicked reply to call dominic white an asshole
09/11/2010 at 09:30 Heliocentric says:
@Domanic His bed is against a wall.
09/11/2010 at 10:41 jeremypeel says:
Naija from Aquaria on land? An impossibility!
10/11/2010 at 18:19 Popish Frenzy says:
Late to the party i know but why are 2 of the xbox exclusive characters from pc only titles, seems a little odd. Are gish and spelunky being developed for xbla and this is a kind of promotion?
08/11/2010 at 23:27 Ricc says:
Knytt Stories comes to mind. That would be a good addition.
08/11/2010 at 23:34 Lambchops says:
Boo! Much as I like Minecraft it was nice to see Veridian’s lovely face on the front page. Change it back Alec, change it back I say!
08/11/2010 at 23:39 Dominic White says:
Super Meat Boy is just mindblowingly great. I got the 360 version, but I may just buy the PC version as well. Each one has a handfull of unique unlockable bonus characters, each with their own movement styles and gameplay gimmicks, and each has one major, notable perk.
The PC version gets a full level editor, letting you play around with the tools used to make every level in the game, aside from the boss stages. The 360 version gets ‘Teh Internets’ – a regular stream of free DLC, including a mixture of level packs made by the developers, or picked from the best of the community-made levels.
Neither side loses out, I reckon.
Even without the level editor/DLC stuff, it’s an *enormous* game. 300+ regular levels, and a ton of bonus/secret ones on top of that. You don’t even have to complete 100 before you get the ending, either, so take it at your own pace.
08/11/2010 at 23:46 Delusibeta says:
The Wiiware version loses out, largely because Nintendo’s 40Mb limit on games. Not even a peep if they have exclusive characters.
Not that it should bother the viewers of this website, of course.
08/11/2010 at 23:48 Dominic White says:
The Wiiware version isn’t even coming out on Wiiware. I’ve heard rumblings that Team Meat are looking at a disc-based release, as the game is over the 40mb limit at the moment, and they really don’t want to portion it up as DLC or episodic content.
09/11/2010 at 14:09 Alex says:
It’s got nothing to do with the 40mb limit, just their incompetence. If games like Jett Rocket and full N64 titles as well as World of Goo can fit in that limit with little or no sacrifices then so can a flash game like this. Although a retail version could be a nice collector’s item if it’s cheap enough and does include features they said they’d remove from Wii for no reason whatsoever, like online scoreboards and multiplayer (which are things even free flash games have these days, it’s not hard for developers who know what they’re doing to create a basic backend for such stuff, so Nintendo not offering their own like MS and Sony are shouldn’t have much of an effect on this).
10/11/2010 at 18:16 Soundofvictory says:
@Alex
Most N64 games are actually smaller than 40mb. They usually had a very small number of textures that were repeated a LOT and very low poly models which also lowered storage space.
Over 300 levels do however probably take up a lot of storage space, especially if they are quite varied in setting (as that means more art assets).
Also: Meat Boy is a flash game. Super Meat Boy is not a flash game. This makes it silly to compare it to a flash game (which it is not).
08/11/2010 at 23:41 EC- says:
They won’t take my money yet. Some deep, recessed part of my brain hates them for this reason.
09/11/2010 at 06:33 The Innocent says:
Yeah, I’ve been checking daily. They’re hellbent on not getting my sale or something.
08/11/2010 at 23:43 squidlarkin says:
Flywrench! That makes me unspeakably happy.
08/11/2010 at 23:43 Inglourious Badger says:
Oooh. Um. I’m going to guess P.B. Winterbottom? (http://www.winterbottomgame.com/), Gish, and Braid man (as above) and the PCs favourite: Gordon Freeman.
Please!??
08/11/2010 at 23:45 MadTinkerer says:
We already know Tim from Braid is in it.
08/11/2010 at 23:44 MadTinkerer says:
I’m thinking the Eversion… thing, Shank, Caster, and P.B. Winterbottom
08/11/2010 at 23:53 skinlo says:
Don’t get the fuss with this game really (from playing the demo thing on Newsgrounds). Seems like a uglier slightly dumbed down version of N.
09/11/2010 at 00:03 Ricc says:
But it’s tight. TIGHT!
09/11/2010 at 00:05 Dominic White says:
Super Meat Boy is to the flash original as Portal was to Narbacular Drop. It’s a huge, immensely full-featured game with fantastic production values, and really has almost nothing in common with its predecessor/prototype other than core theme.
09/11/2010 at 01:11 Sigma Draconis says:
Like Dominic said, Meat Boy (the flash game) is only similar to Super Meat Boy (XBLA/Steam/etc.) in its basic gameplay and concept. It really is serving as a prototype to a far more polished product fleshed out with many more features.
I’d go so far as to compare it with Minecraft’s Online and paid Alpha versions. That is, the free game you can just fire up and play online is not a good representation of what the full game offers when you pay for it.
09/11/2010 at 08:35 mrmud says:
Super meat boy is like an awesome punch in the balls by someone you love!
09/11/2010 at 10:00 Dominic White says:
Just the one? I was up to 1400 deaths by the time I got the first ending, and that’s not even 1/3 completion.
09/11/2010 at 00:03 Dexter says:
Goo balls from world of Goo.
Zool
A full size ship from Eve
The entire cast of WoW
09/11/2010 at 10:44 jeremypeel says:
I think the theme is INDIE ALLSTARS, hence no AAA game characters.
I’d quite like them to keep it that way, as the whole enterprise has a cozy, in-it-together scene-ness to it :-)
09/11/2010 at 00:09 opel says:
Kieron Gillen?
09/11/2010 at 00:32 JohnnyMaverik says:
Seconded.
09/11/2010 at 01:51 PleasingFungus says:
Thirded.
09/11/2010 at 04:37 invisiblejesus says:
I agree. That Doctor Who girl does look like she’d be good at platforming.
09/11/2010 at 00:13 trooperdx3117 says:
Thank goodness, I was worrying we were going to go the whole day without an article from RPS that mentions minecraft
09/11/2010 at 08:33 Simon says:
Thank goodness, I was worried we would be going for a whole day without someone using a completely unrelated article as an excuse to bitch about Minecraft.
09/11/2010 at 00:13 The Pink Ninja says:
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I have been checking steam every day for a release date
Release it already!
09/11/2010 at 00:49 GoodPatton says:
OhmygodIcan’twaiiiiiiiiit. (Tim & Eric Awesome Show anybody?)
09/11/2010 at 01:35 postmanX3 says:
The Xbox version is unbelievably amazing. I definitely intend to buy the PC version as well, as soon as it comes out.
I’ve been pretty much eating, sleeping, and breathing Meat Boy the past few days. When I’m not playing the game, I’m listening to the soundtrack. (Which is as wonderful as the game.)
09/11/2010 at 02:27 moyogo says:
Trilby!
09/11/2010 at 02:51 The Innocent says:
Oooo, a brilliant choice. It won’t happen, but that certainly would be a fantastic pick.
09/11/2010 at 10:34 Wilson says:
@moyogo – Yes, that would be awesome. But as The Innocent says, won’t happen :(
09/11/2010 at 03:06 Oneironaut says:
I tried the demo available on Xbox, waiting for the full thing on PC. By the look of a few levels in the first episode, I would guess the character from Canabalt will be one of our unlockables.
09/11/2010 at 03:15 The Defenestrator says:
What about the guy from You Have To Burn The Rope?
09/11/2010 at 11:42 Hairball says:
I’m pretty sure the creators of Super Meat Boy weren’t impressed by that game. They went as far as to make a parody version of it.
09/11/2010 at 04:46 pupsikaso says:
What is this Super Meat Boy thing? For the past like, half a year, there wasn’t a site (except RPS) that wouldn’t go for like 2 days without some kind of post about Super Meat Boy. What’s this hype all about? I’ll give these indies credit for super-marketing, but I just don’t know what it’s all about =( (because since it was said it’s an console game my eyes obviously just glossed over and I ignored it as best I could). Now it’s getting a PC port?
09/11/2010 at 10:37 Wilson says:
@pupsikaso – I know what you mean. I’ve felt the hype around the game, but never really figured out why it’s such a big deal. I gather that it’s meant to be a good platformer. I just don’t know why it’s meant to be such a good platformer.
09/11/2010 at 11:36 Dominic White says:
It’s simply a game about running and jumping. But it has refined those elements to an unheard of degree. There’s a great video-review of it here:
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/meatboy/video/6282561/super-meat-boy-video-review?hd=1
The controls are where it shines. Ultra-responsive, and ultra-simple. Pure digital, left, right, run and jump and that’s it. Four buttons, but once you’re up to speed you can maneuver perfectly through pretty much any absurd set of obstacles. And if you do (and you will) often make a mistake, your death is a half-second setback.
09/11/2010 at 11:55 Wilson says:
@Dominic White – Right, I thought so. I guess that’s pretty hard to get across in advertising. I think I’ve been kind of put off the game by the hype and by the theme (it doesn’t sound like the world makes much sense to me). With that said, I do like platformers so I’ll check it out, and I expect I’ll learn to like the world of the game. It’s just a very odd feeling to know that this is theoretically an important game (or at least well known), but not to actually know anything about it other than it’s a platformer.
09/11/2010 at 12:39 Dominic White says:
“It’s just a very odd feeling to know that this is theoretically an important game (or at least well known), but not to actually know anything about it other than it’s a platformer.”
That’s the thing, though. It IS just a platformer, and that’s all there is to know. There’s no plot worth speaking of (the princess is in another castle), no dialogue, just three characters (Hero, victim, villain) and that’s it.
The presentation is clever (lots of nods to classic games through the years) and there’s some funny cutscenes, but outside of menus and a couple of small interludes, it’s purely about running and jumping.
It’s the Tetris of platform games. It’s a simple concept refined to perfection.
09/11/2010 at 05:14 nemryn says:
Is that montage for the xbox or the PC version? And what game is the 3rd clip (the bird-thing)?
I saw The Kid, Jumper, and Mighty Jill in there. Looks interesting!
09/11/2010 at 10:13 Dominic White says:
Flywrench – Probably my least favourite in SMB, as it really doesn’t handle at all like its original.
http://messhof.com/flywrench/
And while each version has a bunch of unique characters, the ‘core’ unlockables (Commander Video, Jill, Ogmo and The Kid) are shared through all versions, and actually have their own special levels which you need to beat to add them to your roster.
09/11/2010 at 06:44 Vivi says:
I want a Goo ball. Nothing more. I suspect Naija and P.B. Winterbottom.
09/11/2010 at 07:02 MrBRAD! says:
Might I point ye fine fellows over to this extensive interview with Team Meat? http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/10/indiegamescom_podcast_5_super.html
It’s a bit over an hour of hilarity. If you were only considering getting SMB before, or even hating the idea of it, you will crave it after listening to this. Honest!
09/11/2010 at 07:36 MrBRAD! says:
Oh and yes, they DO discuss the extra characters, and their abilities.
09/11/2010 at 07:13 Decimae says:
Guessing on the indiegames blog gets you a chance of winning a version of Super Meat Boy.
I guessed the ‘Goo’ from world of Goo.
09/11/2010 at 07:15 Decimae says:
What happened to my link?
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/10/guess_the_secret_super_meat_bo.html
09/11/2010 at 07:33 Mungrul says:
Urist McDorf.
09/11/2010 at 08:59 KillahMate says:
Turner from Lugaru.
09/11/2010 at 09:16 Marco Antonio says:
I love VVVVVV. Great choiche!
09/11/2010 at 10:07 panther says:
I couldn’t wait and got it for the xbox. It is great!
09/11/2010 at 11:04 Bob says:
How about a Darwinian or two? I suppose that as characters they’re so passive that all they could do is die, or cleanse the world of differently coloured Darwinians.
09/11/2010 at 12:58 Alex says:
What an overhyped game… Go buy from indies that need it to keep producing creative, unique, and fun games, visit TIGS and Independent Gaming for news and updates… These guys have gotten more than enough for their efforts which mostly revolved around making a derivative platformer (N is better if you want skill based platforming) adding a lot of gore to it (salez powah) and then playing the marketing game all too well thanks to their ties with Microsoft and their upcoming so called “indie” events. Not to mention buying all those already popular indie characters to get the fans of those games and negate the fact nobody really knew them prior to doing this. Ie, this title’s raise to fame is the complete opposite of how games like Minecraft or Mount&Blade became successful. Not to mention that it reinforces the public’s false thinking that if an indie game is good, it WILL get this type of coverage and advertising, and if it doesn’t then it probably sucks. It helps the few Microsoft or other company’s “chosen” ones but harms indies as a whole if you ask me. Meh.
09/11/2010 at 13:13 Dominic White says:
Man, all that effort ranting about how it’s abandoning the indie scene when it’s entirely a product of it.
All the cameos? From other indie devs who lent their characters to the project. All the warp zone stages? Sprite art from uber-indie folks like Auntie Pixelante and Amon26.
You seem to be bitter/jealous that the game is doing well, but it has pretty much universal backing from the indie development scene.
09/11/2010 at 13:14 Dominic White says:
Hell, you complain about it ripping off N? The N+ Ninja is the last unlockable character in the 360 version. Guess they don’t think this is a grand insult either.
09/11/2010 at 14:05 Alex says:
Man all that effort ranting about my rant just to show you’re an ignorant fanboy spoonfed with the paid off media’s claims of a game’s supposed greatness while ignoring most of what I actually said. Hey look, I can argue about as good as you can, I feel like my e-penis grew by 10 more inches already!
09/11/2010 at 14:18 CMaster says:
I’ve played N.
I’ve Played Meat Boy.
(I haven’t played Super Meat boy or N+)
Yeah, they’re both wall-jumpy platformers.
But they both played pretty differently to me and I don’t understand why people buying a good game from a genuinley independent developer is a bad thing. Sure, maybe there’s better out there, but then hopefully people will find them.
09/11/2010 at 14:24 Alex Bakke says:
Alex: So… You want RPS to do features on other indie devs, like the one they did a week ago?
09/11/2010 at 14:50 Dominic White says:
Well, that’s a nice sidestep and insult there, Alex. I’ve talked to a good few of the developers who had their characters/games features in SMB, and they all seem really happy with it. But perhaps that’s just MEDIA BRAINWASHING and I am a MINDLESS TOOL OF THE INDIE-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.
HAIL BE TO HYPNOTOAD.. EERR.. TEAM MEAT. RULERS OF THEM ALL.
10/11/2010 at 00:37 Lambchops says:
@ Alex
Nobody really knew them?
Besides Gish, Time Fcuk and the other games that Edmund has already produced? I don’t buy it.
That’s not to say I’ll find the game any good. I’ve got a distinct suspicion from opinions that I’ve heard so far that it will lie on the wrong side of frustrating that VVVVVV straddled so well – but I for one am willing to wait to play it to judge that – rather than slagging the game off for rather vague, ill thought out reasons.
09/11/2010 at 13:12 Mooglepies says:
I have it on the 360. 2047 deaths before I cracked the first ending. It’s basically N+ with a different character and much, much more sadistic level design. The warp zone (secret leevel, basically) you need to beat to unlock The Kid (from I Wanna be the Guy) is an exercise in how to create a simple, rewarding, fair and hair-tearingly frustrating game. Much like IWBTG really.
I will be (re)purchasing this for the PC, once they give it a date. It’s something special.
09/11/2010 at 14:27 CMaster says:
IWBTG is anything but fair. It’s a repeat and memorize game, as far as I can make out, which is pretty much the opposite of fair.
09/11/2010 at 14:55 Dominic White says:
Yeah, I Wanna Be The Guy is hilariously unfair, but that’s kinda the entire theme of the game. Even the levels for The Kid in SMB are introduced with a cutscene that shows you how mercilessly, randomly murderous his world is.
Aside from one slightly weak boss (World 4), I can’t think of any moment in SMB which didn’t show me exactly what I was getting into before it killed me with it. It’s very fair – it lays all the obstacles out for you to see right from the start.
09/11/2010 at 19:19 buedi says:
Beginning at 01:08 of the upper Video, this is exactly a remake from one of the Bruce Lee for C64 Screens :-)
09/11/2010 at 23:24 WooP says:
Anyone else notice the swastika-tree in the first video.
09/11/2010 at 23:56 Dominic White says:
Oh yeah, I’d just like to add that both those videos use the actual game soundtrack. Video 1 has a medley of all the core themes used, and video 2 has the World 4 theme. It is a fantastic load of music, and I am so not-tired of listening to it that I bought the soundtrack and it lives on my iPhone now.