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Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet |OT| of shadowy space spelunking

G

Grisby

Member
Having a great time. I love just getting lost, taking on the alien hordes in my tiny little ship. The framerate is kinda iffy in heavy action sections but it looks good.
 
A

ameratsu

Member
Fun demo; i was afraid this game was vapourware after not hearing about it for almost 2 years. Glad it came out after all, hope it does well.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
I'm disappointed in this game.

There's no sense of forward momentum, no sense of skill progression and no sense of exploration. The controls are unbelievably poor in really annoying, easy to fix ways (like, say, Darksiders). I mean, really? You're going to leave the left trigger boundless for the first 50% (where I'm up to) of the game and make the right and left bumper do the same thing when there is a clear lack of button space as it is?

I don't know. Coming off of the excellent Bastion and From Dust, which I felt really nailed the fundamentals of -- uh -- game design, this feels closer to something like Ms Splosion Man, a platformer that somehow managed to ship with little to no sense of how to project the essentials of movement and player-position to the player. At least Ms Splosion Man had a sense of forward momentum and purpose. Twisted Shadow Planet is just a whole lot of nothing.

I don't consider my standards to be exceptionally high, here. I don't think I'm out of line to expect game developers to deliver on Game Balance 101.
 
R

Red

Member
Stumpokapow said:
I experienced a glitch here where the lantern didn't spawn and I had to exit to the menu and reload my game :/
Click to expand...
The only glitch I encountered was early on, right before getting the saw.

The bugs wouldn't fly toward a heated rock or my ship, so I was stuck in that area wondering what the hell I did wrong and how I could escape.

Ultimately reloaded a save, tried doing the same thing out of desperation, and thankfully had it work.
 
V

vermadas

Member
I finished this game last night. I thought the game was good, but a bit disappointing. The art was fantastic, and contrary to Rez, I thought it controlled really well. I often complain about games having too much padding, and I appreciate that ITSP doesn't have any, but I think it could have used another 2-3 hours of content for the $15 they are asking. I wonder if they had to cut some content to get the game out the door. The bosses are very well done, but I found the other enemy fodder in the game to be just annoying, and not really "fun" to kill.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Rez said:
I'm disappointed in this game.

There's no sense of forward momentum, no sense of skill progression and no sense of exploration. The controls are unbelievably poor in really annoying, easy to fix ways (like, say, Darksiders). I mean, really? You're going to leave the left trigger boundless for the first 50% (where I'm up to) of the game and make the right and left bumper do the same thing when there is a clear lack of button space as it is?

I don't know. Coming off of the excellent Bastion and From Dust, which I felt really nailed the fundamentals of -- uh -- game design, this feels closer to something like Ms Splosion Man, a platformer that somehow managed to ship with little to no sense of how to project the essentials of movement and player-position to the player. At least Ms Splosion Man had a sense of forward momentum and purpose. Twisted Shadow Planet is just a whole lot of nothing.

I don't consider my standards to be exceptionally high, here. I don't think I'm out of line to expect game developers to deliver on Game Balance 101.
Click to expand...

I finished the game this weekend and while I felt a lot more positive about it than you apparently are, the more I reflect on your words, the more I find myself not being able to disagree with any of them.
 
K

KoreanBarbecue

Member
Stumpokapow said:
I finished the game this weekend and while I felt a lot more positive about it than you apparently are, the more I reflect on your words, the more I find myself not being able to disagree with any of them.
Click to expand...

I'm probably halfway through the game so far and I'm kind of waffling on whether I really enjoy the game or not. Hands down, though, the game does not live up to that awesome, metal-driven trailer the put out like a year ago (at least for me). I think the controls are pretty spot-on so far, but I'm not really getting a good sense of accomplishment or progression.

My biggest complaint so far would probably have to be how the power are mapped. Having only four to use at a given time is annoying and constantly having to switch the hotkeys around really breaks up the fun for me.
 
B

b.e.r.g

Member
But... I remember this promoted as a PC game back in the days! I've been waiting years for this! What the hell happen? Will it ever see a PC release?
 
B

bryehn

Member
About 20% in. It's OK, but it's far too linear so far and while it's enjoyable enough to keep playing I feel like I'm just going through the motions.
 
M

Mollymauk

Member
I beat it last night. It was pretty decent. Wasn't mindblowing.

One thing I couldn't figure out though...
How do you get to the bottom left part of the water area? I could never get down there against the current and I tried every power. :/
 
B

bryehn

Member
Mollymauk said:
I beat it last night. It was pretty decent. Wasn't mindblowing.

One thing I couldn't figure out though...
How do you get to the bottom left part of the water area? I could never get down there against the current and I tried every power. :/
Click to expand...

I'm there right now, I tried swinging with the grappling hook, but get caught in what I'd assume is the same spot you're describing.
 
G

Grisby

Member
Is there a point of no return? I'm near the final area on the map and have 1 more upgrade to find along with some concept art.

Also, how on earth do you get to the small spot area in the most upper left portion of the map?
There's a gear that changes your point of view but I couldn't find any use in it.
 
I

INTERNET

SERIOUS BUSINESS
Grisby said:
Is there a point of no return? I'm near the final area on the map and have 1 more upgrade to find along with some concept art.

Also, how on earth do you get to the small spot area in the most upper left portion of the map?
There's a gear that changes your point of view but I couldn't find any use in it.
Click to expand...

Skirt the edges of the marked area, and you won't trigger anything, and just push your way through where you think you need to go.
 
B

bryehn

Member
Stuck in the third area of the mechanical zone. Lots of tractor beam stuff, but I can't figure out how to get past the gear in the top right.

Edit: Just finished the game. The last zone (electrical) was terrible and those last 2 boss fights were a joke. Missing 6 of the 42 collectables, not really sure I want to go back and get them. This game left a bad taste in my mouth. It was very tedious, backtracking was needlessly awkward (fast travel spots would have helped) and it never really felt like I was making progress except for unlocking the map.
 
G

Grisby

Member
INTERNET said:
Skirt the edges of the marked area, and you won't trigger anything, and just push your way through where you think you need to go.
Click to expand...

Thanks bud I'll give it a shot tonight.
 
R

Rad-

Member
Pretty disappointed so far. I mean the game looks great and the premise is solid but it's just so... boring to play. Was one of the my most anticipated DL titles too. :(

Well, hopefully Fez and Spelunky HD aren't too far away...
 
S

Sydle

Member
About 60% through the campaign. This game is incredible, gives me a Super Metroid vibe and I love it.

From Dust, Bastion, and Fruit Ninja are really great too, it's been a fantastic Summer of Arcade.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Major Nelson outed this game's first piece of DLC

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet: Shadow Hunters

It's coming on Sept 13 and costs 400 points.
 
B

BluWacky

Member
OnPoint said:
Major Nelson outed this game's first piece of DLC

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet: Shadow Hunters

It's coming on Sept 13 and costs 400 points.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. They say it includes single player content, but I'm not sure I want to play another hour or so of the game (and I don't have Gold so I'm never going to get anything out of the multiplayer content) unless it's got some great design or new gizmos. As it's a largely story-free experience there's no real hook to play more, especially as it wasn't that great in the first place.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Details on the DLC have been revealed by Armless Octopus.

If you haven't beaten the campaign don't highlight the spoilered text.

Following the elimination of the shadow plague from the infected planet, you and your alien compatriots are going on the offensive to find and eliminate the dark threat. The dark plague has taken refuge in a belt of asteroids located near the planet, and in the DLC, you and up to three other shadow-fighting compatriots will take to the belt to find and drive back your mysterious adversary.

Every excursion will be unique, and the game will draw a new map every time you play. The environment is populated with enemies, health spots and recharge stations by a set formula, which is determined by the same engine that draws the map. “Recharge stations?” you may ask. “You mean those save points from the main game?” Not quite. This time around, you’ll be packing serious heat in the form of a bomb that is meant to be dragged deep into the heart of the asteroid and detonated. The problem is that the bomb has a fuse and these stations are the only thing will refresh the timer to allow you to dig deep enough to blow up the whole asteroid.

The maps will all feature choke points that signal imminent boss battles, which will also appear in a random order. There’s no word on how many new bosses will be added in the DLC, but expect plenty of new experiences.
Click to expand...
 
C

ced

Member
I loved everything about this game expect those f'n rocket tubes, about made me quit on every one.
 
desertdroog

desertdroog

Member
Those rocket tubes required me to dust off my NES R.C. Pro Am steering skills. It frustrated me at first, but perserverence won the day.

Looking forward to dynamic SP DLC.
 
F

FerranMG

Member
Normally when I try demos for games I'm interested in, I find them a bad picture of what the full game really is.
If it were to judge just for bad demos, I wouldn't have played many awesome games.

However, when it comes to ITSP, I absolutely loved the demo, which led me to instantly buy the full game after playing 20 minutes. But I don't know if I got tired of the game as it went on, or if the demo had more content packed per minute played or whatever, but I ended up not enjoying the game that much.

Loved the art style, but not the powers/weapons. I felt the progression was not very good, and I didn't feel compelled to revisit areas left to discover whenever I got new powers.
Such a shame, I feel it could have been a great game. :(
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Sometimes I feel some sort of boost or speed-increase mechanic would have helped people enjoy this game more. I liked the pacing, but the empty wandering is a common complaint.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
FerranMG said:
Loved the art style, but not the powers/weapons. I felt the progression was not very good, and I didn't feel compelled to revisit areas left to discover whenever I got new powers.
Click to expand...

The stuff they unlock for you later on isn't that much cooler than the stuff you start with, and the secret stuff isn't that interesting. Most of the games like this put you up against enemies who are way tougher at the end and enable that by making your offensive/defensive capabilities way stronger via exploration; this game didn't really do that.

(Still loved a lot of the level design myself, though.)
 
O

OnPoint

Member
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle, WA, October 2011 – Shadow Planet Productions is pleased to bring Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet's first Game Add-On, Shadow Hunters, to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Shadow Planet Productions' partners and creators of ITSP, Michel Gagné (Gagne International) and Joe Olson (Fuelcell Games), are confident that this addition will further enhance the player's experience and expand upon the narrative of the main campaign, as well as give an opportunity to tackle new challenges alone, or team up with your friends locally or over Xbox LIVE on your quest to eradicate the remnants of the invasive shadow virus.



This new mode begins with a cinematic that picks up exactly where the final scene of the main campaign left off. In a nearby asteroid belt, the Shadow Entity still thrives, and the player must clear these asteroids of the nefarious infection before it begins to spread again.



“Shadow Hunters won't be more of the same”, said Gagné. “I'm really happy that we were able to further the story, push the art in a new direction, and create a potent gaming experience. We took the best aspects of ITSP while exploring new ideas. As far as I'm concerned, Shadow Hunters may very well be the most exciting part of ITSP.”



“The whole team has really outdone themselves on Shadow Hunters”, says Olson, CEO of Fuelcell Games. “We started with the exploration and puzzle elements from the Campaign and incorporated those with the procedurally generated level and fast paced decision making elements from Lantern Run, then pushed these ideas even further to create a challenging and addictive new game mode in the Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet universe.”

Shadow Hunters is for 1 to 4 players and will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade on October 12th, 2011, for 400 Microsoft Points.

Official Trailer is veiwable at: http://youtu.be/PbHencDiTFs

For more information on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet visit www.insanelytwistedshadowplanet.com or the official blog at http://michelgagne.blogspot.com.
Click to expand...

It's official from FuelCell: Shadow Hunters is coming out on Wednesday
 
T

The Friendly Monster

Member
Just finished this, I was really looking forward to it....

...but it's just not very good.

I didn't understand the lack of music, particularly on the boss-battles. It had almost no drama. It just felt like a shrug when the game finally came to an end. And oh god the electric section was just so boring.
 
Y

Yuripaw

Banned
The Friendly Monster said:
Just finished this, I was really looking forward to it....

...but it's just not very good.

I didn't understand the lack of music, particularly on the boss-battles. It had almost no drama. It just felt like a shrug when the game finally came to an end. And oh god the electric section was just so boring.
Click to expand...

I own this game, just haven't gotten around to playing it yet...now I'm sad :( I was looking forward to it.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Yuripaw said:
I own this game, just haven't gotten around to playing it yet...now I'm sad :( I was looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

I know I'm the OP, so therefore I must really like the game, but judge the game for yourself. For me, the lack of music and "drama" added to the experience in ways those things would have detracted from it. The sense of isolation and loneliness is heightened because of these things.
 
W

wiggleb0t

Banned
Tempted to buy steam version but want a demo to see how it compares to the xbox360 version and if it warrants double dipping.

Prefer having games on pc if possible and this could do with some 1080p, 60fps and extra eye candy goodness.
 
K

Ken

Member
What kind of multiplayer does the Steam version have? I've always wanted to try the Lantern run, but is there any other multiplayer besides that, like co-op through the single player stuff?
 
J

Jotamide

Unconfirmed Member
I just got this from Steam. Would you guys recommend using a controller or keyboard + mouse should cut it?
 
A

archnemesis

Member
I'm maybe ¾ through the game and after having defeated the mechanical boss, my save game got corrupted. Has anyone heard of a fix to this problem? I'm not going to replay it from scratch.
Jotamide said:
I just got this from Steam. Would you guys recommend using a controller or keyboard + mouse should cut it?
Click to expand...
Using a gamepad is probably a must. Navigating tight passages with a keyboard doesn't sound feasible at all to me.
 
L

Lima

Member
You could try sending it to me (put it on a usb stick and use "horizon" to extract the save game) and I'll see what I can do.
 
A

archnemesis

Member
That's very generous of you, but I'm playing the Steam version. What I really need is a non-corrupt ITSPGame.v3.save file, but I'm not sure if they're locked to specific GFWL profiles or not.
 
L

Lima

Member
Well it is a GWFL game so the save works exactly like the xbox version. If you want to give it a go send it to me.
 
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