According to a report on Big Download, "over 50 percent" of Aspyr's workforce have recently been shown the door, with those remaining left to shamble around the company's now-spacious offices.

As an owner of an Apple computer (albeit my laptop, not my main desktop), it's be a shame if this turns out to be the case. It's not like there are many Mac publishers lining up to take Aspyr's place.

Large layoffs reported at Aspyr Media [Big Download]

Mamba Games have picked up the publishing rights to the adventure game, and will release Machinarium to stores next March in the UK and Europe.

As an incentive to opt for the boxed copy, the retail Machinarium will ship with a walkthrough, A3 poster, art book and a copy of the game's excellent soundtrack, composed by Tomas Dvorak (which you can sample here).

It's obviously aimed at capturing new customers, but with a nice box and some enticing goodies, I'm sure a few people who already own - and love - the game will pony up again for a piece of it they can touch.

Called "Find Your Own Way Home", it doesn't sound like much of a game - it's billed as a "hidden object adventure game" (ie click the screen a lot) - but then, it doesn't have to be Deus Ex 4. It just needs some soothing adult contemporary rock, tight pants and the whiff of the 1980's to get by, and on those counts, it looks set to satisfy. Especially since it's coming packed with 12 of the Speedwagon's finest.

No word on a release date, but it's due for the PC and Mac. What, no WiiWare release?

On October 13th, developer 2D Boy launched a birthday sale for World of Goo for the PC, Linux, and Mac, allowing customers to pay whatever amount they felt the game was worth, from $.01 on up. On the 20th they extended the sale through October 25th after delivering a set of sales statistics that delivered an important message: they were watching.

Once customers knew 2D Boy was keeping track of sales numbers, the average price-per-purchase jumped a small yet significant amount. 2D Boy attributes this leap to the fact that they let folks know that they received no money from purchases under $.30. I'd like to attribute it to the fact that people were suddenly more aware of how cheap they were being, adjusting their purchases accordingly.

The chart at the top of this post shows the average price paid for World of Goo per platform over the course of the sale, and as you can plainly see, PC gamers took full advantage of the developer's generosity. One could argue that there are a lot more of them, but that could also mean PC gamers had more of a chance to shine. The results don't surprise me though, as Mac users are so hip that people just hand them cash on the street, and Linux users passed along the money they saved on buying an operating system.

2D Boy's website also features a chart showing the average donation by country, which they calculated into the per-capita gross domestic product of each country to determine each country's generosity. While Switzerland paid the highest on average, their generosity was only a 3.23 compared to Brazil's 5.62.

And what of the United States, the country with the second highest GDP behind Norway? Our generosity is a 1.0, paying a measly $1.83 a copy. Way to represent, America!

Pay-What-You-Want Birthday Sale Wrap-up [2D Boy]

The good news? The World of Goo birthday sale was such a huge success that 2D Boy has extended it through October 25th. The not-so-good news? There are an awful lot of cheap bastards out there. The developers made my wish come true, tracking the prices that purchasers chose to pay, along with some of the reasons behind the amount chosen. As you can see from the graph, the vast majority of purchasers opted to pay between $.01 and $2 for the game, which normally sells for $19.99. It is certainly heartening to see that 400 or so folks opted to pay more than the game was worth, but things are definitely weighed more towards the cheapskates.

2D Boy also conducted a survey towards the latter end of the sale's first week, asking customers how much they spent and the reasoning behind their decision. Why a small percentage felt they were simply paying what the game was worth, the majority indicated that they paid what they could afford, leading us to draw the conclusion that the only people more destitute than struggling indie game developers are indie game fans. Poor guys.

You can read the full results of the sale so far over at 2D Boy's blog.

The Sims 3 World Adventures introduces several exotic new locales for your little fake people to visit, all based off of real-world locations. China, France, and Egypt are represented in Shang Simla, Champs Les Sims, and Al Simhara respectively, allowing your Sims to explore strange new lands, hunt for treasure, meet new people, and discover new styles unique to each region, bringing foreign influence into your happy little town.

The expansion will bring with it exclusive online content, with the Mac and PC versions including 1,000 SimPoints that can be used to purchase said content. The expansion should be in stores the week of November 16th, with iPhone and mobile versions due out in early 2010.

I've never been a Sims fan, but I have to admit that The Sims 3 struck a chord in me. When I'm not playing it, the game isn't far from my mind. Thing is, it's the character interaction that keeps me occupied for hours, so I could care less whether I get to go to Sim-Egypt or Sim-China. I find the aspect of cultural exchange fascinating, however. It makes me want to send random Sims off on vacation, pay no attention to them, and then see how they've changed when they return.

Oh god. I've become one of them, haven't I?

The game will be entirely streamed to computers and require an internet connection to play. A price has not yet been announced, but Electronic Arts is "looking at" a subscription model and a slimmed down free-to-play version.

The game will launch with six courses and a full roster of PGA tournaments, and developers plan to update content for the game on a consistent basis.

During a presentation earlier this month at Electronic Art's Los Angeles studios, the developers showed off a version of the game that looked comparable to a typical current generation video game. The developers said they were shooting for a game that looked like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

The online version, which replaces the PC and Mac version, won't have some things like a Club tuner, but it will have the ability to build a player's skills and stats over time and will include achievements. The developers said that community would be key to the game.

The game will be treated like a service, the said, with tournaments every week and new features every couple of months. The developers are also looking into adding support for peripherals like headsets and gamepads.

The team didn't address whether the game will include the rumored micro-transactions.

Electronic Arts plans to launch a beta for the game sometime in June.

Plants vs Zombies is to tower defence what Nintendo's Advance Wars is to turn-based strategy: a game stripped of everything but the raw tactical essentials, then pumped so full of charm and neat little touches that hours, days, even weeks of your life may just be lost to it.

Loved
Simple Works Best – Plants vs Zombies appears simple, even simpler than many other tower defence games. You lay plants out across a small grid to stop the advancing zombies. Who, generally, only come at you from the one direction. But the map's basic layout belies the game's deeper complexity, with the number of enemies you face and ridiculous number of plants at your disposal making every level a deeply strategic affair.

Play It Again, Zombie – The game has a "campaign", where you move around the outside of your house battling the undead. While playing, you think it's the main event, but really, it's just a tutorial for the game's other modes: mini-games, puzzle and survival, which include things like a Horde mode, games where you play as the zombies and even a Harvest Moon-style garden, where you water your plants and...play music for them.

Oozes Charm, Not Brains – Most tower defence games are, to be kind, bland. Cheap visuals, dud designs, a legacy of their Flash game heritage. But PvZ is gorgeous, each zombie full of character, each plant a wildly unique botanical weapon. And I advise everyone to stick around for the pop song conclusion to the game.

Sure, at first glance, Plants vs Zombies looks like just another [name your favourite tower defence game]. But PvZ's beauty lies in the fact that it is just another tower defence game: the perfect tower defence game, balancing boundless strategy and frantic mouse-clicking better than any other title in the genre, while keeping a smile on your face the whole time through.

Plants vs Zombies was developed and published by PopCap Games, for the PC & Mac. Retails for $20. Played Adventure, Mini-Game, Puzzle and Survival mode to completion (barring "endless" levels).

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Blow confirmed that the PC version—and, eventually, the Mac version—comes with an unannounced editor, allowing players to swap out graphics, sound and level designs. The developer says budding Braid designers can custom make "up to a full game, potentially" with built-in tools.

And when he says "full game," he obviously means a brick-by-brick recreation of Super Mario Bros. level 1-1.

Map editor for Braid? [Steam Forums via Destructoid]

Aspyr (who brought Guitar Hero III to the PC/Mac) will be handling the port, which will feature all the on-disc songs from the console versions, as well as the song creator. What it won't feature, however, is the Guitar Hero marketplace you can find on the console versions, where people can trade user-created content.

As for downloadable content, that's a big "maybe" at this point, Aspyr unable to confirm or deny that PC gamers will be able to buy content post-purchase.

The PC/Mac version will ship with a single guitar controller. If you want more controllers, it's compatible with the PS3 instruments, which you can buy separately easily enough.

It'll be out in June.

Cloud computing, transcending the need for a particular console? Playable on your TV, your PC, or even your Mac? It's ground-breaking stuff. Provided it works.

Speaking of how it works, here are a couple of announcement interview clips, showing exactly that. How it works. Or at least hopes to work.

Hothead Games, the developers behind the Penny Arcade Adventures series, is teaming up with other indie developers to help bring their games to new platforms so they can focus on development. They'll be helping Jonathan Blow bring Braid to Mac users, while delivering Twisted Pixel's Xbox Live Arcade title The Maw to Windows PCs.

"We focus on finding new distribution opportunities so that they can focus on what they do best: developing their next great game," said Hothead Games COO Joel DeYoung. "These two titles represent only the tip of the iceberg. We're committed to working with indies and helping them be successful, so look for lots more announcements to come."

This is an excellent example of the kind of comraderie you find among independent developers. Let's hear it for the little guys!

Combat versus NPCs in EVE Online has generally been a rather simple affair, requiring the player merely target the enemy, start firing, and wait for them to explode. With the upcoming Apocrypha expansion to the massively multiplayer online game, that's all about to change.

...for Apocrypha, we are unleashing an ancient race into the universe: the infamous Sleepers, lurking throughout the vast unknowns stretching at the other side of the Wormhole maws. Do not underestimate them, as they will remain radically different from the regular pirate factions you are used to. More often than not, they will give you some substantial bang for your buck and will require player gang coordination and effort to be dispatched. More details are left for another Dev Blog, but at the moment, know they have comparable player attributes and thus require variations of PvP fits to engage.

The Sleepers are only the beginning of an effort to slowly ramp up the enemy artificial intelligence in the game. At first only the Sleeper and Officer spawns will be getting an upgraded A.I., but developer CCP is looking to slowly ramp up intelligence across the board, making for a slightly more difficult but ultimately more enjoyable gameplay experience.

When evolution leaps forward [EVE Online Dev Blog via Eurogamer]

The Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall Victory Pack for PC and Mac should be arriving in stores tomorrow courtesy of a partnership with Majesco. For $19.99, new players will receive a four-month subscription to the game, a game guide with details on all of FusionFall's special powers, or nanos, and codes for two exclusive outfits and weapon sets.

The game launches online tomorrow, with a robust free-to-play section to allow you and / or your children to try the game out before committing to the relatively meager $5.95 a month subscription fee. For more on the title, read on, or hit up the game's official site at www.FusionFall.com.

MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS WITH CARTOON NETWORK ENTERPRISES TO SHIP 'CARTOON NETWORK UNIVERSE: FUSIONFALL' FOR PC AND MAC

First Massively Multiplayer Online Game for Kids Is Now Available In Stores As 'Victory Pack Exclusive'

EDISON, N.J., January 13, 2009 - Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, and Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) today announced that Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall for PC and Mac has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. The first massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) for kids, and a major initiative for the network, FusionFall is set within a re-imagined Cartoon Network universe where players must rally together to defend the world from an epic alien invasion. The Victory Pack Exclusive retail version of FusionFall is loaded with extras including: a four month subscription to the online game, an in-depth game guide with details of all "Nanos," monsters and adventure paths, and codes for two exclusive outfit and weapon sets only available in the Victory Pack.

"FusionFall is an innovative and groundbreaking MMOG that will appeal to the legions of Cartoon Network fans," said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, Majesco. "Partnering with Cartoon Network on the retail version of the game was a major initiative for us and we believe the extensive added value in the Victory Pack will enhance the playing experience."

"A massive undertaking for the network, FusionFall stands to be a truly unique and rich gaming experience for kids that blends some of our most popular characters in a way that has never been seen before," said Christina Miller, vice president, CNE. "Building off of this excitement, we're pleased to partner with Majesco to offer fans an extension of the game at retail day and date with its online launch." The intergalactic conqueror Planet Fusion is invading the Cartoon Network world - warping terrain, corrupting the environment, and creating evil Cartoon Network character clones! Players must team up with the online community and more than 50 characters from some of Cartoon Network's most popular shows - including Ben 10 Alien Force, Dexter's Laboratory, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Ed, Edd' n Eddy, The Powerpuff Girls, Kids Next Door, Samurai Jack, and many more, to restore order to the Cartoon Network universe. After creating their own unique avatar, players will explore a massive 17-plus square kilometer area with 60 playable zones including familiar areas from Cartoon Network shows and fusion "infected" areas.

Created through a partnership with leading Korean MMOG developer Grigon Entertainment, FusionFall is a mix of 3-D console platform game action and all the customization, character development and open-ended world exploration of a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). New, expanded content will be added to the game regularly. Players can collect a variety of items throughout the game, including more than 30 customizable "Nanos" - tiny stylized versions of Cartoon Network's most famous characters - that provide special powers and abilities across more than 600 unique missions. In addition, FusionFall's distinctive visual approach combines an all-new cel-shaded anime style fit within the familiar look and feel of Cartoon Network.

Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up, the Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall Victory Pack Exclusive for PC and Mac is now available for the suggested retail price of $19.99. The game will also officially launch online January 14. For additional information about the game please visit the official site at www.FusionFall.com.

Original scheduled for a late 2008 release, Blow cites the kind of common sense so many large publishing companies tend to ignore as his reason for the new release window of February-March 2009.

I had originally announced the release date for the end of 2008, but for various reasons, this hasn’t happened. Once we slipped into mid-October and all the big Christmas-season blockbusters started coming out, it just seemed like a bad idea to schedule Braid for that time period, as it seems likely it’d get released and then disappear.

On the plus side, Blow is in talks to have a Mac native version of the game released as well, and he still isn't ruling out a PlayStation 3 version, should Sony show some sort of interest. Hello Sony?

Braid PC Release [Official Braid Blog - Thanks Haskell!]

The company declined to say how many people have been laid off, but did send this official statement to us.

"The current economic environment has forced Aspyr to make some tough decisions. The most difficult of which has been a reduction in staff and the loss of some very talented, valuable team members and friends. We have taken these steps in an effort to restructure to better meet the challenges ahead. No additional staff reductions are planned or expected, and operations will continue without interruption on all titles scheduled to ship in 2009 and beyond."

While the official number of people laid off this week weren't released, we've heard that as many as a third of the staff were let go.

Founded in 1996, the developer is probably best known for their work porting PC titles like Call of Duty 4 and Sims 2 to the Mac. They also published ports of Guitar Hero III to the PC and Mac and published 1701 A.D.

PC owners (sorry Macs!) can now download a tool from EA that will let you de-authorise your PC. This effectively allows you to override the game's installed-on-five-PCs limit, as you can manage the availability of all five "machine slots".

So if you hit the limit of five, just use the tool to de-authorise one machine and it'll free up a slot. Easy.

Spore De-Authorization Tool [EA, via Offworld]

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will be out this time next week for $14.95 on computer platforms or 1200 Microsoft points. Hit the jump to check out the Xbox Live Arcade version's achievements while I get all excited.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two

Achievement One (SECRET)

Achievement Two
Name: Millionaire
Description: Earn $1,000,000.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Three
Name: Moving On Up
Description: Find the key to the Riverbrook Apartments.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Four
Name: Arsonist
Description: Destroy a building with fire.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Five
Name: Endgame
Description: Find a ticket to the World's Fair.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Six
Name: Can't Nobody Hold You Down
Description: Complete Episode Two.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Seven
Name: Steel Cannibal
Description: Fully upgrade all party member's weapons.
Gamerscore: 20

Achievement Eight
Name: Lab Assistant
Description: Complete all Bonus Missions.
Gamerscore: 15

Achievement Nine
Name: Reluctant Hero
Description: Refuse to join Gabe and Tycho. At first.
Gamerscore: 5

Achievement Ten
Name: The Strength To Rule
Description: Achieve level 30 with all party members.
Gamerscore: 20

Achievement Eleven
Name: POWER SURRRGE!
Description: Max out one party member's hit counter.
Gamerscore: 25

Achievement Twelve
Name: Pack Rat Strikes Back
Description: Win a fight using only items.
Gamerscore: 25 LAUNCH DATE SET FOR EPISODE TWO OF PENNY ARCADE GAME

The Comedic RPG-Adventure Romp Turns Spooky In Time for Halloween

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Oct. 22, 2008 - Grab your gardening tool and watch out for giant spiders, out-of-control asylum patients and wacko sanitarium administrators! Hothead Games announced today that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will be available via Xbox LIVE® Arcade and via the Greenhouse digital distribution platform (www.playgreenhouse.com) for Windows®, Mac® and Linux® next Wednesday, October 29.

The madcap Penny Arcade experience continues in Episode Two of the RPG-Adventure romp! Rejoin Gabe and Tycho and go crazy in a whole new episode with more puzzles, areas to explore and levels to gain, all while moving ever closer to solving the sinister mystery hidden deep in the heart of New Arcadia. Players can jump right in with a fresh character and new customization options or carry over their looks and stats from Episode One. Plus, new difficulty settings allow gamers to play it safe or go insane, battling bigger and badder enemies than ever before.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two will also boast music from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, a Canadian rock band dedicated to promoting the literature of H. P. Lovecraft and a recent performer at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo gaming festival. The song, entitled "Some Things Man Was Not Meant To Know," will enhance the game's closing credits.

"This game is all about the strange and insane world of New Arcadia and the Penny Arcade-style humor to be found in it," said Hothead CEO Vlad Ceraldi. "With the cool gameplay additions we've made, including longer gameplay, completion tracking and difficulty settings; extra Lovecraftian overtones in the world and music; and the perfect time of the year, everything just came together."

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two is expected to offer players six to ten hours of gameplay, and is priced at $14.95 for the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions on Greenhouse and at 1200 Microsoft points via Xbox LIVE® Arcade. The game has been rated "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for all platforms.

PC System Requirements

OS: Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)

Processor:

* Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+

* Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory:

* Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)

* Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)

Video:

* Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better

* Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better

Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

Mac System Requirements

OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer

Processor:

* Minimum: PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor

* Recommended: Intel 1.8GHz processor or better

Memory:

* Minimum: 1 GB RAM

* Recommended: 2 GB RAM

Video:

* Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better

* Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better

All Platforms

Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported.

Connectivity: You must have an active broadband Internet connection to play.

Mouse: Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.

Hard Drive Space: 15 GB free hard drive space

Updated World of Warcraft System Requirements [WoW]

While EA was trotting out numbers, it wanted to mention that some 25 million things have been uploaded to the Sporepedia, a figure we'll presume includes all the goodies uploaded via the Spore Creature Creator. So, now you know!