No it’s not the name of a prematurely announced sequel, but rather my un-snappy title for the update that will soon be available for Shellblast HD. Among the improved/ fixed/ new features are:

-          The game no longer freezes or crashes in certain unusual situations, most notably when using non-standard  characters to save a custom level.

-          Lots of grammar fixes in the tutorials

-          Added the option to change storage device from the options menu.

-          Chaff grenades are no longer wasted on Oxidation bombs. You can no longer place them while the bomb is oxidizing.

-          New tutorials being available in Classic mode has been made more obvious.

-          More on screen prompts on menus so players know what to do

-          Tweaked the control scheme so that only the left analogue stick moves the cursor and the right stick now moves the SDU’s. (I don’t know why it took me so long to realise this was a good option?)

-          A new credits page for all the people who worked/ helped on the game.

Tutorials. Now with added English

Also, as mentioned last week, a few places have wrote about the game, the following being some of my favourites:

XBLI

Indie Game Blog

And just yesterday the first full review of Shellblast HD was posted on Emuholic’s Game Blog. Click the link below to read it.

First Shellblast HD Review

If you haven’t done so already, download the Shellblast HD trial to your Xbox 360 and give it a play. It’s free to do so! You may even enjoy it!

The week of Shellblast HD finished over on the Vertigo Games blog last Wednesday, check it out if you missed it.

http://www.vertigogaming.net/blog/2009/09/09/week-of-shellblast-finalie/

The game itself has been out for nearly three weeks now and has been mentioned on numerous websites. I am currently compiling a list of all of them and will post links to them in another post. As part of promoting the game we have posted the trailer on GameTrailers.com, with more gameplay videos to come.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-shellblast-hd/55375?r=1

After launching the game, a few dedicated members of the Vertigo Games forum noticed some bugs and improvements that could be made, so an update is currently in the works which will be submitted by the end of September. Expect to see that come in to effect during October.

Game update coming soon. Don't get too excited but it should fix up some of the smaller bugs.

At the moment, I am developing two new game concepts, one of which is with Vertigo Games. Both are platform games so I am working on a robust platform engine that can be re-used for both potential titles. In a couple of weeks I will have screens from one of them.

Just incase you visit this site and somehow managed to miss all the images, Shellblast HD is now available to purchase! I realised that I had posted everywhere else but this blog so here it is for completeness.

I realise that I am useless at posting frequently, so I am going to be making an effort to remedy that. I will provide weekly updates as to what is happening at Optum. That way I can keep the world up to date on our latest games and prove I am not sitting idly on my backside.

The week of Shellblast HD is ongoing at the moment after the hiccup regarding our boxart and screenshots on the service. Today there are prizes to be won, so hit the link below in order to see how to win free swag.

http://www.vertigogaming.net/blog/2009/09/04/week-of-shellblast-day-4-contest/

I should really update this more often…

Lots has been done since the last post made and Shellblast HD is now at the point of completion. All that is left is for David to give it the a-ok and the promotional material to be made and it can be submitted to the Xbox Indie Games service. The estimated date for submission is Thursday 29th July and the game should be up on the service shortly after, retailing for 400 MS Points (roughly translates into $5).

Here are some screens, just because this blog post would look visually unappealing without some.

Long time no news but here is the final/ near final boxart that will be showing up on your Xbox 360 when you look for Shellblast HD on the Community Games service.

Note the awesome new logo as well. Great work from David at Vertigo Games, go visit his site to play some brilliant free games and check out his latest news.

Announcements regarding release date and price are coming soon, keep checking back!

Throughout the development of Shellblast HD, I will be posting updates regarding the games progress on the Vertigo Games blog. Click the following link to take yourself there.

VERTIGO GAMES NEWS

Shellblast, originally released in 2007 by Vertigo Games for the PC, is currently being ported to the Xbox 360 by us here at Optum. It will be distributed through the Community Games Service.

The puzzle game is a sequel to Vertigo Games’ titles Acidbomb (voted 1up.com’s Best 101 Free Games and Gamespy’s “Download This” pick of December ‘07) and Acidbomb 2:Rearmed. It has been described as ‘a cross between Minesweeper and Picross’ and offers a unique playing experience not found in most puzzle games.

As well as taking the highly applauded gameplay from the PC version, this update will feature new HD graphics, visual effects, customisable skins and a medal system for added replay value.

The estimated release date is April 2009, with no price point currently confirmed.

For more information on the game and its progress, visit its page on the link below.
ShellBlast HD (Working Title)

For more information on Vertigo Games and their range of titles, click the link below.
Vertigo Games Homepage