June 4, 2008June 4, 2008

Novastrike invades PSN this week

Hi there. I’m Kevin McCann, director of development at Tiki Games in (mostly) sunny San Diego. I’ll go ahead and start off with some undeniably fascinating information about me:

Favorite Game Genre: 1st person shooters
Favorite Game of all time: DOOM (the original – for me it was just the most ground-breaking title I ever played)
Favorite Movie: Jaws
Least known game that I worked on: Tanarus (as lead designer)
Game you may know of that I worked on: PlanetSide (as lead designer)

And now that you know everything about me (and okay, maybe it wasn’t all that fascinating), I’ll move onto the better news. We just received word that our first game – NOVASTRIKE for the PLAYSTATION 3 – has been approved for release on PSN this upcoming June 5th. So I figure this is as good a time as any to make an appearance on PlayStation.Blog (thanks to the courteous folks at PlayStation.Blog).

NOVASTRIKE is going to be the first self-published game available on PSN so we’re pretty pleased with that. I’d also like to thank SCEA for all their assistance in making that possible. For you gamers that might understandably not mean much, but for any independent developers that are currently developing a title for PSN or thinking about doing it – we’re proof that you can self-publish a game on PSN.

I suppose I should probably give a little overview of the game now. NOVASTRIKE is a free-roaming top-down arcade shooter where you’re flying an advanced fighter and combating the Draelus invasion. Yes, aliens are pretty single-minded in that regard. Airborne enemies consist of fighters, aces, kamikazes, bombers and capital ships, and you’ll also need to deal with enemy ground installations.

Fortunately the ship you’re flying – the Scythe – can acquire and upgrade weapons over time. And there are nine weapons total, each with three additional upgrade states, to aid you in sending the Draelus to the great beyond.

I know that’s a pretty short description, but I just want to start off by briefly introducing myself and the game for now. Feel free to read more details on the game at our website, and I’ll also be responding to questions here (NOVASTRIKE-related or otherwise).

Comments are closed.

82 Comments

91 Author Replies

WilliaM
June 4, 2008 at 12:27 pm PDT

Cool :)
fullyshadow
June 4, 2008 at 12:31 pm PDT

looks like a fun game! will it be $ 9.99?
- Jeff Rubenstein
  June 4, 2008 at 2:02 pm PDT
  
  Yup, the game is priced at $9.99. Kevin should be on later to answer some of your questions. I just happened to know that one.
LarryTru
June 4, 2008 at 12:45 pm PDT

Congratulations on self-publishing this game. It looks pretty good. There was no mention of multiplayer support so I assume there isn’t any. In my home we play alot more multiplayer games than anything else so I’d encourage you to add support of rthis at some point.

Thanks & Good Luck!
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:25 pm PDT
  
  I\’ll probably restate this some in case players don\’t see the response here, but the initial release of NovaStrike doesn\’t have multiplayer.
  
  Being a small team we had to focus on what we felt we could accomplish in our development timeframe, and multiplayer (doing it right) was too risky. So to avoid risking a so-so (or less) multiplayer model we focused on the single-player experience.
  
  That said we do have a list of things we want to address in the future, and multiplayer is definitely on that list. We know a lot of players will be disappointed that the initial release doesn\’t have multiplayer – not having multiplayer in our initial release wasn\’t something we simply ignored. It was mostly due to resources.
mr_saturn
June 4, 2008 at 12:45 pm PDT

That looks pretty sweet! Is there co-op online or is it local?
skaterricky
June 4, 2008 at 12:45 pm PDT

Could it be a Price of $6.99? ;)

I’m Pleased to Here that your guys are the first self-published game available on PSN :D

Keep up the good work!

Any word on Mulitiplay and how many players if so?

Or is it just single play?
slomo788
June 4, 2008 at 12:49 pm PDT

Price? Remote Play? Custom soundtracks + in-game communication (messages/mic)?Multiplayer (online/offline, co-op/ versus, 2 players/ 7 players? Come on Kevin introduce your game! There are so many top down shooters on PSN tell us why we sould choose yours over others!
Andy D
June 4, 2008 at 12:49 pm PDT

Looks great. How much, and is there coop or anything of the like?
Xoonaka
June 4, 2008 at 12:50 pm PDT

Will there be a demo to try out?

No offense intended, but in a market saturated with top down shooters, it’d be nice to have demos so a consumer can weed out those less appealing to themselves.

Congratulations on the self publish though. I know quite a few folks hoping to pursue similar avenues… albeit using other mediums.
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:33 pm PDT
  
  Presently there isn\’t a demo, but it\’s something we have on our to-do list. I agree that it\’s nicer when games initially have demos, though – we unfortunately had to put all our effort into first releasing the title (being a small team and going through everything that needs to be done to self-publish a game). We will be looking into a demo, though.
diablo103
June 4, 2008 at 12:50 pm PDT

cool will it have trophies?
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:37 pm PDT
  
  Hi diablo103 – the initial release doesn\’t have trophies. It is one of a number items that we\’re looking to address in the future.
Jenovah
June 4, 2008 at 12:51 pm PDT

Self Published huh? That’s pretty sweet.
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm PDT
  
  Thanks. It was quite an endeavor and we\’re happy to finally see the game finished (well, for now – we definitely plan on continued support for the title).
Xanog
June 4, 2008 at 12:55 pm PDT

That looks AMAZING, a bit like Assault Heroes on the Xbox Live Arcade (one of my favorite downloadable titles)

You mentioned that it is free-roaming, would you mind sharing some details on how this works? (as in, how will you keep the player occupied, on-track, etc.)

Also, although I have a great HD setup, the ship looks a bit small, have you guys done anything for our friends with SD displays? (they usually get the shaft)

Thanks in advance!
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:43 pm PDT
  
  Thanks for the kind words.
  
  It is free-roaming in the fact that you can fly in any direction, however there are always objectives guiding you. In the trailers the objective text is turned off (an option from the ingame menu where objective text only appears at the start of a new objective – by default it always stays on). Likewise there\’s narrative text that\’s not so important but still gives tips and information as to what\’s going on at the bottom.
  
  A primary objective arrow always guides you along, but you\’re \”forced\” in a certain direction. However, you\’ll generally want to follow that arrow – especially if it\’s defense. While you could fly around for a while you could also lose a Defense objective by not getting to the colony or such in time. There are also other indicators (red arrows for prioritized enemies, green arrows pointing to friendlies) that help you in understanding what\’s going on.
  
  As for SD it\’s definitely supported. I had to play the game multiple times through in Standard Definition to make sure that I felt it was satisfactory and that the game still played solid while looking good, so I think it does just fine in this catgegory.
slackbot
June 4, 2008 at 12:55 pm PDT

Awesome stuff guys.
Flomsen
June 4, 2008 at 12:56 pm PDT

Looks like R-Type PS1 :D
r-nice
June 4, 2008 at 12:56 pm PDT

Will there be a demo?
Seba501
June 4, 2008 at 12:57 pm PDT

Cool but, Where are the PSN cards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sweetasman01
June 4, 2008 at 12:57 pm PDT

Is it comming ot in PAL regions this week? If not you just lost 100 plus sales
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:50 pm PDT
  
  No, I\’m sorry it\’s not. We are working on getting it out in Europe, though.
face2007
June 4, 2008 at 12:58 pm PDT

sounds interesting
SevenFactors
June 4, 2008 at 1:06 pm PDT

Congratulation there Kevin and everybody at Tiki Games for the is nothing like seeing your creation realizing.

The games looks pretty good and interesting. I love arcade style games and for what I saw/read, this game is in my get list.

Now, with everything that is coming and suppose to happen in the PS3 universe,can you share with us if:

1: Does NOVATRIKE support online gameplay? In other words, would I be able to play with an online friend not just connect online to keep and compare global scores?

2: Does NOVASTRIKE have support for the foretold PS3 trophy system?

3: Does NOVASTRIKE support the “record gameplay-upload to youtube” feature?

4: Most importantly, what would be the price tag on NOVASTRIKE?
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 5:55 pm PDT
  
  Thanks.
  
  I\’ve answered some of these earlier, but again I\’ll just restate some here:
  
  1. No online gameplay – sorry. We didn\’t have the resources to pull this off for the initial release to do it right, but we certainly understand it\’s an important feature to most gamers. We do plan on continued support of NovaStrike, and we have a pretty good list of things we want to do, with cooperative play being high on that list.
  
  2. No, but like #1, it\’s on the list.
  
  3. No. Honestly, I\’m not even sure what this feature is (we were in lockdown mode for several weeks near the end). If it\’s something that Sony provides then we can certainly look into it.
  
  4. $9.99
VenomX
June 4, 2008 at 1:09 pm PDT

Will this game support trophies? What about in-game xmb?
XxBigP123xX
June 4, 2008 at 1:11 pm PDT

The more the merrier. :)

You guys are sucking the money out of me…
DarkKnight
June 4, 2008 at 1:12 pm PDT

Looks great guys.. looking forward to DL.

Cheers,
BluParadox
June 4, 2008 at 1:13 pm PDT

Tanarus? AWESOME! I used to love that game. I spent hours flipping my tank on its back and trying to fly around the maps by rocking the flipping rockets back and forth… Great use of customization to enhance gameplay I think.

Chameleon FTW!
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 6:00 pm PDT
  
  Hehe, yeah. It definitely brings back the memories. I loved knocking tanks off high ledges with them (coming up behind them, then firing a phoenix or such to send them over). I was also guilty of lancing then missiling tanks at recon stations now and then. :)
reson8er
June 4, 2008 at 1:14 pm PDT

Will there be a Demo tomorrow for us to try out the game?

Also congrats on getting your game out, and best of luck and success :)
darkiewonder
June 4, 2008 at 1:14 pm PDT

Congrats guys!

Will get to support you! BTW. DLC? ;)
Tondog
June 4, 2008 at 1:17 pm PDT

Looks like a neat shmup. I might get it.
Fersis
June 4, 2008 at 1:19 pm PDT

hi,im an indie developer ,could you post some notes about being self published on PSN ?
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 7:41 pm PDT
  
  Hi Fersis. I\’ve responded to a later post, but basically I\’ve sent Sony an email to find out what I can do to help provide info without violating any NDAs. I\’ll try to give more info later this week if possible.
Enforcer_X
June 4, 2008 at 1:19 pm PDT

Looks bad ass will that music in the video be in the game?
That rocks!

What resolution will it run at?

Do you guys have a PS3 Dev box you can release some In Game XMB videos of? lol

Yeah I am buying this game!
avi_66
June 4, 2008 at 1:20 pm PDT

What is the price of the game??
krae_man
June 4, 2008 at 1:23 pm PDT

@ the people asking about the price: Do you really think it will be anything other then $9.99?

My thoughts: Another 2 stick shooter? *yawn*

Seriously, put something else up on PSN already.
rothbart
June 4, 2008 at 1:24 pm PDT

Will we see a demo for Novastrike as well?
Eternity_Viper_Snake
June 4, 2008 at 1:24 pm PDT

congrats man looks pretty good will there be a demo? totally off the subject has anyone heard of streamMygame.com it supposebly is saying that you are able to play Pc games on your ps3 (by via network) somehow its like remote play im just curious if anybody has done it yet so i cant try it my self if anybody could let me know that would be cool

P.S. 7 days MGS4 going crraazzzzyyy!! =)
xaos
June 4, 2008 at 1:28 pm PDT

Congratulations, definitely looks fun. Can you let us know a little about why you decided to publish for PSN and your impressions of what it was like working on self-publishing a title there? Best of luck!
krae_man
June 4, 2008 at 1:28 pm PDT

@#15: They’re at ramdon highway gas stations. Everyone shops for their Online video game purchases at interstate truck stops, don’t you know that?

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/04/17/hunting-down-the-elusive-north-american-psn-card/
Torgo
June 4, 2008 at 1:29 pm PDT

This looks great!!! I can’t wait to play it.
skaterricky
June 4, 2008 at 1:34 pm PDT

Will You Really Been Answering Questions because there are already 33 Comments Several Answers Could be Helpfull to make it More of a Chance to have Our Money Faster!
Jeigh
June 4, 2008 at 1:40 pm PDT

Wow, you guys really didn’t give much warning- this is actually the first information I’ve seen on the game and it’s already slated to be released! Self-publishing a game while being an independent developer is pretty impressive. I especially like the wide variety of the weapons and the fact that they can be upgraded.

Unfortunately, one of the downfalls of having so little information beforehand is that I don’t know enough about it, especially considering that even the description provided here is very short.

If some of the above questions could be answered, or if a demo is provided, my problem should be taken care of.

Thanks. :D
phluff_
June 4, 2008 at 1:41 pm PDT

Cool, been watching out for this game for a while, look forward to the eventual UK release :)
Kinglink
June 4, 2008 at 1:46 pm PDT

Looks like a good amount of work was done on this. That being said sadly it might be enough. Now it becomes how much press coverage and reviews you get, as well as price. I’m interested but I want to hear if the game is worth it before buying. That being said, it’s great to see an indie get a chance on the Ps3.
StalkingSilence
June 4, 2008 at 1:46 pm PDT

Sweet!
Added NOVASTRIKE to the list of content expected tomorrow: http://playstationlifestyle.net/2008/06/04/civilization-revolution-joins-the-demo-party-this-thursday-on-the-psn/

I know others have asked, but will there be a demo?
C-h-a-o-s
June 4, 2008 at 1:49 pm PDT

Looks cool, might have to check it out.

@ 29
For the two stick shooter comment.

Are you using the classic twin-stick style control method?

Not entirely. The left stick controls the direction your ship flies in and most weapons are forward-firing. But there is a turn-speed to the ship so if you’re flying south and you push up on the stick the ship will turn (fairly quickly) to face north – but it’s not instant. For the most part you need to get enemies (air or ground) in front of you. Certain weapons like missiles don’t require absolute precision. The right stick controls a turret that you acquire early on, and it does shoot in the direction the stick is pushed. But this turret is more support-oriented, and a bit advanced in usage. An experienced player will be able to use the turret with a primary weapon system to deal a lot of damage.

And there are two weapon systems – the beam and electro-mine – that aren’t directly forward-firing. The beam will lash out a short distance in any direction when used. The electro-mine always falls behind the player’s ship and lashes enemy fighters that come within a set distance of the mine. When upgraded the beam will chain-link its attack across multiple enemies, and the electro-mine becomes invaluable at helping clear up swarming enemies.

Link to Interview with Kevin McCann, President of Tiki Games Inc
Daver
June 4, 2008 at 2:00 pm PDT

It looks like a very nice PSN game! I’m gonna buy it tomorrow…

People are weird, they complain about not getting enough games like PSN or PS1 games and they rate it low wtf?
KazeEternal
June 4, 2008 at 2:04 pm PDT

Thank you for taking the time to visit the PlayStation Blog, we’re happy to hear from you. Hears hoping that Novastrike holds a nice cozy spot on my XMB next to Tekken 5 DR O and Stardust HD
- Kevin McCann
  June 4, 2008 at 7:43 pm PDT
  
  Thanks for your interest. I\’ll be continuing to visit the blog so I can respond to comments once it\’s out as well (which is tomorrow). But I want to maintain a presence here so you guys know your comments are being read (versus releasing and disappearing).
DDBdestroyer
June 4, 2008 at 2:13 pm PDT

@ the people asking about the price – LOOK AT POST 2!

looks fun – will probably give this a spin – looks like a really nice update this week
cmargary
June 4, 2008 at 2:18 pm PDT

@Daver

3.8 of 5 is an average rating but the thing is this blog get infected of PS3 haters again. I hope Jeff do something about that.

Anyway any PSN game is very welcome and more with a good one.
Vercceti
June 4, 2008 at 2:21 pm PDT

Novastrike seems to be good, although I think such games are already little original.

I have a doubt important. I hope someone can help me. =)
I am currently working on a new structure for the PS3 XMB. I am also contributing ideas (written and graphic) on games like Warhawk.
I would like to share those ideas with SCE to help them improve, but I do not know how! (Im spanish)

Thanks. ^^
Theossie
June 4, 2008 at 2:22 pm PDT

I’ve been keeping an eye out for this game for a while now…

Everyone should check out the interview Kevin did with TheSixthAxis. Good info there..

http://thesixthaxis.com/novastrike_interview_and_exclusive_screenshots_news_926_tsa.aspx

Was just looking at the trailer this morning… Glad to hear that I can buy it tomorrow because I will.

Thanks!!
chip5541
June 4, 2008 at 2:23 pm PDT

Watching the trailer it gives the feeling of a game that would be perfectly at home on an Amiga or in an Arcade. The music eps sounds like the old Amiga games.
Bender Rodriguez
June 4, 2008 at 2:25 pm PDT

I’m getting tired of top down shooters. I miss the 2D sidescrolling arcade shooters from the old days. Like Gradius.
Theossie
June 4, 2008 at 2:26 pm PDT

Everyone should check out the interview Kevin did with TheSixthAxis. Good info there.

http://thesixthaxis.com/novastrike_interview_and_exclusive_screenshots_news_926_tsa.aspx

I was must looking at the trailer this morning. I’m glad to see that I’ll be able to buy this tomorrow because I will.

Thanks!!
TheBadger
June 4, 2008 at 2:26 pm PDT

Oh Noez!! This isn’t on Qore!!!

But But, they are holdeng bak kontentz from teh peepelz who wont pai!!!