All Articles: 20XX

“Version 1.0” of 20XX will be available through Steam on August 16

The world was introduced to 20XX (then known as Echoes of Eridu) in April 2014 thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign by Batterystaple Games. The developer has given fans a huge window into their development process since then, thanks to the Early Access launch of 20XX on November 25, 2014.

Now, after more than three years of active development, the team has announced plans to release “Version 1.0” through Steam on August 16. Battlestaple’s Chris King discussed what this achievement will mean for fans on 20XX’s Steam Community page:

The 1.0 patch will include 20XX’s Endgame, the final set of challenges that cap off every run. The other side of that Level 8 teleporter will soon be live to the world, and the answers our heroes have been fighting for are finally right around the corner.

If you’ve been part of our Early Access community — you’re the best. Thanks for helping shape the game these past few years! 20XX is a much better game for having had you, especially if you’ve done us the kindness of giving us feedback, reporting bugs, and telling your friends.

To go along with the announcement, Batterystaple also unveiled a new trailer for 20XX. It’s been embedded above.

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The PAXpocalypse List: The Best of PAX East 2016

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Believe it or not, we’re not living in a post-apocalyptic hellscape (depending on your political affiliation, insert your own Trump/Hillary joke here). But you’d never know it if all you had to go by was the 2016 PAX East show floor, which was overrun by dozens of titles that took place after the collapse of society… and a lot of them were pretty good.

But what if some disaster did befall the world and force PAX East attendees to forever wander the halls of the Boston Convention and Exhibition, feasting on whatever mac and cheese bowls or turkey legs they may find? That’s where Warp Zoned’s PAXpocalypse List comes in, because these are the games we’d keep playing if we could never venture outside again… (more…)

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Dear Diary: Saturday and Sunday at PAX East 2016 I Played…

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Another PAX East has come to an end, but Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, Jerry “Tycho” Holkins, and game developers from around the world will return to Boston next year for more shenanigans. In the meantime, I’ve got an overflowing notebook and thoughts on more than a dozen titles from the final days of the expo. (more…)

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20XX will exit Early Access this Summer and come to PS4/Xbox One by end of the year

20XX is currently available on Steam through Early Access (the latest trailer for the beta version is embedded above), but we learned the final version should be finished sometime this Summer. We spoke to Zack Urtes, the Art Director at Batterystaple Games, during this weekend’s PAX East expo, and he shared that the team also plans to bring their Mega Man-like platformer to the PS4 and Xbox One by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the show floor, Capcom continued to ignore the Mega Man franchise.

UPDATE: Urtes may have jumped the arm cannon with his comments. Batterystaple’s Chris King told us the team isn’t ready to confirm a final release date or a possible PS4/Xbox One launch:

We have no official release date, and while we’re very interested in coming to XB1/PS4 and are exploring what it’d take to do so, we’re nowhere near ready to talk about when that might happen.

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Indie Megabooth will showcase 87 games at PAX East 2016

The Indie Megabooth has announced they’ll provide space on the PAX East show floor for more than 80 developers during this year’s convention.

The PAX East 2016 lineup includes 87 titles, and several of them have previously appeared in our twice-yearly Best of PAX roundup. This year’s PAXpocalypse alumni include 20XX from Batterystaple Games (PAX East 2015), Refactor from NextGen Pants (PAX East 2014), Scale from Cubeheart Games (PAX Prime 2013), and Tumblestone from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (PAX East 2014 again). Graceful Explosion Machine, a semi-sequel to Vertex Pop’s We Are Doomed (a PAX Prime 2013 selection) also has a spot in the Indie Megabooth’s Minibooth this year.

Personally, I’m also a huge fan of single-stick shooter Deathstate and heady puzzler Gnog, so be sure to check those two out if you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention, which will be held April 22nd through the 24th.

A complete list of titles included in the PAX East 2016 Indie Megabooth is available after the break. And more information on every one of those games can be found at the group’s official website. (more…)

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Batterystaple will release the beta build of 20XX on September 15

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Mighty No. 9 might have been officially delayed last week, but it looks like a game inspired by the Mega Man franchise will be released next month. Batterystaple Games has announced the “beta build” of 20XX, their procedurally-generated platformer that’s heavily inspired by Mega Man X, will be available on September 15.

The “beta build” of 20XX will still be part of Steam’s Early Access program and the “full release” of the game will come at a later date. However, Batterystaple considers the beta release a “major development milestone” and all of the game’s planned features, “more or less,” will be included in the beta release.

We loved 20XX at this year’s PAX East expo and can’t wait to get our hands on the beta.

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Insert Quarter: Should Mega Man Make a Comeback? Maybe We Don’t Need Him…

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

With Shovel Knight, 20XX, and the upcoming Mighty No. 9 giving the gaming populace their fill of homages/spiritual successors to Mega Man, some people have started to wonder if a new game starring the original Blue Bomber is even necessary. GameRadar’s David Roberts is one of those people.

According to Roberts, Capcom is so handcuffed by the Mega Man formula that we might just be better off with the imitators. I’m not sure I agree, but he makes an interesting case:

It’s been nearly five years since Capcom released the last official Mega Man game. Mega Man 10 was just like all the other Mega Man games (Mega Mans?) that came before it; crunchy 8-bit graphics, a series of themed robot bosses, and soul-crushing difficulty. Since then, Capcom has released a fan-made Street Fighter/Mega Man crossover and let the Blue Bomber fight against a stable of Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. That’s all Mega Man has to show for the last five years; everything else has been cancelled. And you know what? Maybe that’s for the best.

The full article is available for your perusal at the GamesRadar.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Insert Quarter, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

In the Year 20XX: An Interview With Chris King of Batterystaple Games

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Back in the day, Sega used to run an advertising campaign that claimed “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.” Aside from angering my inner nerd (I was an excellent speller in grade school), I could never actually figure out what Sega did that Nintendo didn’t. The same benefit of the doubt does not apply to the people who currently run Capcom. We know exactly what they aren’t doing, and that’s treating Mega Man, one of gaming’s most beloved characters, with the respect he deserves. There hasn’t been a new Mega Man game in nearly five years, and aside from an appearance in last year’s Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U (a Nintendo production), the character has been completely forgotten.

Enter Chris King, the programmer for Batterystaple Games. He saw the Mega Man-shaped hole in the market and decided to give the people what they wanted. His new game, 20XX, is a loving homage to Mega Man (more specifically, to the Mega Man X series) that adds in a lot of things that Capcom couldn’t do back in the 90s.

What does Capcom think of 20XX? After playing a few rounds of 20XX, we asked the developer that question, and a few more, at this year’s PAX East expo. (more…)

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