Video games diary

Rounding up the past week’s news and curios from the gaming industry. This week: Broken Age's embargo embarrassment, destructive cats and tardy wolves.

Broken Age is the kind of game that could do with a crescendo of positive press in the lead up to its Steam release
Broken Age is the kind of game that could do with a crescendo of positive press in the lead up to its Steam release

The Broken Age embargo debacle

Some very strange goings on at Double Fine this week as it placed a post-launch ‘review embargo’ on the media and its Kickstarter backers for Broken Age… before removing it again a little while later.

The point-and-click adventure is widely regarded as a vanguard for gaming projects on the crowd-funding website Kickstarter, after it raised a staggering $3.45m from backers after originally asking for just $400,000 in early 2012.

The first act was released exclusively to its backers on 14 January, and will release to the public on 28 January. However, the 87,000+ backers were issued a review embargo in an accompanying letter, ‘requiring’ all formal reviews to be held until 27 January. This included backers in the press or those with personal blogs. “The same time limit applies to the press as to backers; everyone is in the same boat! We’re trying to be as fair as possible given that backers will have access to the game before everyone else,” said Double Fine in an email to its backers.

What a curious, self-defeating idea. Attempting to force people that have not only paid for your product, but ensured its very existence is a murky course to take. The grand idea of Kickstarter is that it frees creators from the shackles of publisher interference, allowing developers to make games directly for the audience. Squiffy attempts at controlling coverage is exactly the kind of thing to be avoided, particularly when the game is essentially ‘out’ when its backers received their copies. And how does it cover social media, was the idea to effectively ban backers talking about a game they funded?

As someone who deals with review embargoes regularly, I understand and respect their purpose when it comes to pre-release copies handed over to the media. But it seems to me that Broken Age is the kind of game that could do with a crescendo of positive press in the lead up to its Steam release, allowing word of mouth from its backers to form a chorus of approval. Stymieing that by slapping down embargoes on direct funders seems daft, breeding ill-feeling and suggesting a lack of faith in their own product.

I'm sure that was never the case and after a justified backlash against the decision, Double Fine lifted the embargo, meaning backers and press can talk about Broken Age as they wish. The early reviews have been very positive indeed, which makes the initial embargo decision even more baffling.

Catlateral Damage lets you become a cat, destroy things

Oh video games, how we love you. Indie developer Chris Chung is making a first-person cat simulator in which you charge around your owner’s house smashing everything up. Originally created as a prototype for an FPS game jam, Chung is looking to build a full commercial release of Catlateral Damage through Steam Greenlight. You can play the prototype in your browser here. Thank me later and be safe in the confirmation that cats are the devil’s minions.

The Wolf Among Us Episode Two out early February

“Finally!” I think is a good response to this news. The excellent first episode of Telltale’s fairytale noir The Wolf Among Us was released in October last year, leaving us with a startling cliffhanger. Then: nothing. For three months. No second episode. No news. It was a struggle. Fortunately Telltale has said it is confident that the second episode will release in the first week of February and says that the lengthy delay between episodes was ‘unusual’ and will not happen again. Here’s hoping, as we've been gnashing our teeth to find out what happens next. Read our review of the first episode here.

SimCity finally getting an offline mode

The farcical release of SimCity damaged an otherwise good game. It incorporated an online only policy, which resulted in huge server issues and loss of player data. Now, 10 months later, developer Maxis has announced that the latest update will bring an offline mode. SimCity’s lead engineer Simon Fox, explained in a blog post on the official SimCity site that the implementation of an offline mode has taken so long because it required a significant reworking of the game’s architecture. Maxis also announced that they are opening up SimCity to mods, though laid down five golden rules for anyone looking to tinker.

The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC available on 14 February

For those who like to spend a romantic Valentine’s evening in a bleak, post-apocalyptic wasteland while being chased by zombies with mushrooms on their face, Naughty Dog has you covered. The long-awaited single-player DLC for the Telegraph’s (and many others) game of the year The Last of Us will be available for download on 14 February. Left Behind is a prequel to the main game and will star protagonist Ellie and her best friend Riley. The two attend a military boarding school in the Boston quarantine zone, and sneak out after a revelation from Riley. Given Ellie’s travails in the main narrative of The Last of Us, we can’t imagine that this will end well. The DLC is priced at $14.99 in the US, but a UK price has yet to be confirmed.