Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Defending dungeons, I imagine, is quite difficult – especially when you’re chasing down other heroes, steamrolling over all their favorite toys, and not really defending many dungeons at all. That’s the basis of Dungeon Defenders 2′s competitive MOBA mode, and naturally, it strays a bit from the original’s adowwwwwable approach to gut-wrenching, mud-and-blood-spattered last stands. And yet, in spite of a hilariously suggestive name, Trendy isn’t blindly leaping aboard the MOBA bandwagon. Co-op’s back too, and goodness, it looks like what would’ve happened if the Death Star had turned out to be a pinata full of rainbows. So many things. Pluck the ribbon from the top of the break for a candy coated sensory overload nuclear meltdown of a most delightful sort.

Read the rest of this entry »

Though valiantly working to improve, MOBAs can still be quite mean. The original Dungeon Defenders, meanwhile, was the cutest, nicest, most snuggably soft action-tower-defender out there. So naturally, Trendy’s decided to mash up its two great loves, in much the same way one “naturally” leaves their squalling infant at a daycare center run by salivating rhinocobears. And yet, the original Dungeon Defenders was deceptively complex, so perhaps these seemingly incompatible puzzle pieces can snap together and form a respectable portrait of some penguins – or, I suppose, Dungeon Defenders 2 – after all. I have to admit, the first details do sound fairly promising.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, it’s one of those things where they add stuff to a game for free! We used to call them patches, but now we call them free DLC, at least when they have content and not just fixes in. A subtle distinction, don’t you think? Anyway, Dungeon Defenders, the excellent FPS tower defence, is getting one of them. Actually I read wrong, it has got one, RIGHT NOW. It includes four new skins for the Apprentice, Monk, Squire and Huntress, new “holiday-themed weapons” and a “mission where you must deliver Christmas presents to random locations and defend them, ending in an epic boss fight with the evil Mega Snowman!”

Woo! Ludicrously colorful trailer featuring said snowman below.
Read the rest of this entry »

Google just told me that today is Thanksgiving for our North American chums, so presumably they get to stay off work, avoid their families and play games all day. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, Dungeon Defenders is receiving three new chunks of DLC, the first of which is a thematic exploration of the ancient American tradition of gratefully devouring turkeys. It’s a single map with a giant turkey boss and four unlockable costumes, available for no pennies until December 2nd. Further treats come in the form of New Heroes, which provides four new classes that at first appear to be nothing more than gender swaps for the original heroes, but actually have new abilities. Then there is the Warping Core pack, with four new challenges and a smattering of unique loot. Videos and prices below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Adorable, colourful and surprisingly hefty, Dungeon Defenders action-orientated take on tower defense was like an unexpected rainbow preceded by the light drizzle of a delayed PC incarnation. However, the release of the development kit could be the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow and it’s a pot of gold radiant enough to actually dry any remaining bitterness out of your sodden clothing. Which is one way of saying that providing the ability to dabble with the source code is a fine gift. More details below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Colourful UDK-powered 4-player co-op tower defence RPG Dungeon Defenders has a demo! You can get it here. I’ve not had a chance to play this yet, but given how pretty it looks, and the fact that I am a sucker for tower defences, I might just have to have a crack. I’ve also posted the most recent trailer below for your perusal.
Read the rest of this entry »

Diablo 3 wasn’t quite as shiny and pony-strewn as some people were expecting, so it’s making this place seem a little grim and gothic at the moment. Time for something incredibly colourful and chaotic. So here are two developer diaries for upcoming 4 player co-op tower defence action RPG Dungeon Defenders. Not my description, but the description of developers Trendy Entertainment. There’s a LOT going on in these videos, the first one in particular, and I’m not sure I caught everything first time through. I did get a Torchlight meets Magicka vibe, although without the sadistic unfortunate friendly fire of Magicka and with an added build phase. Take a look.

Read the rest of this entry »

Standard webcam + standard PC = full-body, real-time motion sensing browser game developed from military research. That’s the plan behind TrendyEntertainment’s VisionPlay, anyway. It claims to know where your heard, arms, legs and torso (AND NO MORE, filth-mongers) are, and maps them to in-game actions. So, in theory it’s like Microsoft’s Project Natal – the difference being it’s not supported by high-budget games in which you hold creepy conversations with a creepily real young boy. Though, if the tech behind it takes off, there’s no reason it couldn’t creep into major PC games. Take that, Mister Microsoft! Well, specifically, take a cartoony tennis game.
Read the rest of this entry »

One of the now free-to-use Unreal Development Kit showcase games is a cute-looking fantasy tower defence game called Dungeon Defense. It’s “a Tower Defense / Action RPG hybrid created entirely within the UDK in just four weeks,” by developers Trendy Entertainment. Apparently it supports four players, and offers a fairly typical tower defence experience, as you defend the dungeon from hundreds of invading monsters. It’s free, too, and you can download it here, so that’s got to be worth a look.