GameMaker: Studio 1.3 Lets PlayStation Developers Publish For Free On PS3, PS4, Vita

Licensed PlayStation developers who don't mind using a pre-existing engine to work their magic and create games on Sony's hardware sure have it good right now. The release of GameMaker 1.3 lets PlayStation 3, 4 and Vita developers publish on those systems... for free! Unity users haven't been forgotten either, as a similar deal will go live later this year, albeit only on PlayStation Mobile and Vita Neat, eh? You bet ya!
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[Update: Greenlit] Stuck In Greenlight Limbo: ‘CO-OP : DECRYPTED’

This time the spotlight will be shining on CO-OP : DECRYPTED, a puzzler that lets you make light go... KABOOM! Let’s see if we can’t help it escape the cold emptiness of Greenlight limbo, eh?
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Today’s Greenlight Escapees Bring Music, Strategy, Metal, Aquatic Exploration

Remember what happened approximately two weeks ago? Of course ya do: Valve pushed seventy-five titles through Greenlight... and now they're at it again! Same number, lots of games, mixed batch, variety's the spice of Greenlight. Or something. Ya know?
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‘Growing Pains’ Review

Being able to alter your size in a 2D platformer is nothing new (Super Mario Bros. anyone?), but Growing Pains pulls off this particular feat, in a way so that it still feels fresh. Fresh and challenging. Oh so very challenging. With finite lives and a constant growth spurt, you'll be facing not only environmental hazards, but the clock as well!
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‘The LootCastle’ Impressions: Protect the Skeleton King by Manipulating Skill Trees

Well I'll be... looks like someone finally put a clever twist on the tired tower defense formula. There's no units to plot down on the battlefield and the route for enemies to traverse is incredibly basic. Normally that would make for quite the snorefest, but thanks to clever gameplay mechanics, The LootCastle manages to set itself apart from the norm, and in a great way too.
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The Public Domain Jam: Public Domain Stories, Characters Made Games

Zombies. They're everywhere. In video games, movies, music, books, you-name-it. It's completely out of control, and why is that exactly? Because they're free to use! Okay so that's hardly the only reason, but I'm sure it's high on the list. Anyway, as Gritfish notes on the website, the undead horde is but one of many freely available characters, and as such, the one-week Public Domain Jam came to be!
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The Greenlight Groove: ‘Schein’, ‘Stormbringer’ and More

It’s a fact that many Steam users don’t check or even notice most Greenlight additions. There are simply too many, making it rather time consuming. Hoping to alleviate this problem somewhat, I bring you The Greenlight Groove, featuring my recommendations from the past week!
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[Update: Greenlit] Stuck In Greenlight Limbo: ‘Shin Samurai Jazz’

This time the spotlight will be shining on Shin Samurai Jazz, a tale of groovy combat, crazy platforming, physics defying action and... jazz. Let’s see if we can’t help it escape the cold emptiness of Greenlight limbo, eh?
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‘The Last Door: Collector’s Edition’ Awaits the Brave With Enhanced Visuals, New Content

With the season finale released back in February, I fully expected The Game Kitchen to simply take a break from working on The Last Door; save for the upcoming second season, that is. But alas, that was not the case as the noticeably improved collector's edition is now available, featuring enhanced graphics, remastered sound and other fun things.
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Build a Greenlight 6, Grab Steam Candidates For Cheap, Vote

Like its precursor, Build a Greenlight 6 has yet another odd mix, although in this case, that's mostly because the line up is, well, kinda unfamiliar to me. Doesn't mean the games are bad though! Say, what do you thin-- oh right, haven't listed them yet!
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Ludum Dare 29 Went Beneath the Surface to Make 2497 Games, Winners Announced

On the weekend of April 25th-28th, a lot of developers braved the underworld and went beneath the surface... to take part in Ludum Dare 29. From deep-sea exploration to mining, surfing and other fun things, people sure came up with some creative interpretations of this particular theme. But that was almost a month ago, and late last night, votes were tallied, winners picked!
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‘The Sun And Moon’ Impressions: Fling Yourself Through Solid Matter to Collect Shinies

Remember how most platformers has you racing across the ground, jumping over gaps, bound by certain rules? Yeah, not in this one. Here, you're gifted with the power to slingshot through solid matter, building momentum to reach crazy heights! You do still have to watch out for environmental hazards though, and falling out of the level will end your little treasure hunt rather abruptly.
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The Greenlight Groove: ‘ADOM’, ‘Sunless Sea’ and More

[Update: Greenlit] Stuck In Greenlight Limbo: ‘Bloop’

This time the spotlight will be shining on Bloop, a liquid-based physics puzzler of timing and precision, because if the jar is only half full, you're only half done! Funny how that works, eh? Let’s see if we can’t help it escape the cold emptiness of Greenlight limbo, eh?
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Indie Royale Rings In the 13th Hour With Another Greenlight Bundle

Tell me, did you vote? Did you? Have you? Should you? Silly question - of course you should! If nowhere else, then at least cast your vote on one or more Greenlight titles, eh? If you don't feel like browsing the lot, Indie Royale's lined up seven interesting picks, the games themselves bundled and heavily discounted, as is the norm.
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‘Heavy Metal’, ‘Glowfish’, ‘Musical Destruction’ and More Pushed Through Greenlight

Another seventy-fiver? Well... why not, right? And unlike its precursor, this batch actually has more than a few potentially great games in it, including two Greenlight limbo escapees: Metal Dead and The Maker's Eden. Awesome, eh? You bet ya!
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Unity 5 to Focus More On Multiplayer With New Tools, Services

Creating a video game with multiplayer is not an easy task, and keeping the servers full, even less so. While this upcoming fifth iteration of the Unity engine won't be able to do much for the latter, its creator is still determined to make the development of such titles as easy and feature rich as possible.
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#LOWREZJAM 2014 Is the Nostalgia Trip of Game Jams

You know, I often find myself wondering what crazy idea game jam organizers are going to come up with... and now something like this has come along! Ain't every day a jam celebrates the distant past with what's essentially a huge pixel party. Darn shame, because while low-res visuals aren't for everyone, there's no denying that they do carry a certain charm.
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‘The Creature of the Depths’ Must Feed his Sheep Through Stealthy Hunting

Keeping your family fed is rarely an easy task, and in this case it can actually be downright lethal! I'm not entirely sure what this disturbingly black creature is doing feeding orange humanoids to sheep, but that's besides the point. All you need to know is that they'll shoot you on sight, so to capture (for lack of a better term) the lot, stealth must be applied.
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The Greenlight Groove: ‘The Great Fusion’, ‘Isomer’ and MUCH More

[Update: Greenlit] Stuck In Greenlight Limbo: ‘Morphopolis’

This time the spotlight will be shining on Morphopolis, a stylish and relaxing hidden object-ish adventure, set in an insect world. Yup. Let’s see if we can’t help it escape the cold emptiness of Greenlight limbo, eh?
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Enjoy a Slice of Royal Cheese With Five Debut Bundlers

Was honestly considering skipping this one, but then I noticed something: not one of its games are prior... bundlers. Anyone who's keeping track of which bundles has likely noticed that there are a lot of repeats nowadays. Why is that exactly? I mean, surely there are plenty unbundled (it's a word) indie games? Right? Indie Royale managed to dig up five after all!
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Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Brave Adventurers: AGS Bake Sale 2 Is Upon Us

From out of nowhere, everyone's favorite bundle has returned! Which, you ask? Why the AGS Bake Sale of course. It's easily one of the most interesting, but sadly also rather uncommon. Last time it popped up was back in 2012, with most games becoming freeware little more than a year later. Will the same happen to this aptly dubbed sequel? What does it contain? How long is it available? Only one way to find out!
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The Greenlight Groove: ‘Voyage to Farland’, ‘Tengami’ and More

MAGS April Spawned a Groovy Shakespearean Pointy ‘n’ Clicky Adventure

Ah, Adventure Game Studio. Easily my favorite engine of all time, second only to… SCUMM (bet ya didn't see that coming). Unlike most jams, which tend to last anything from 72 hours to a week, with no engine restriction, MAGS spans a full month and requires participants to use Adventure Game Studio. So who's in the mood for some fresh freeware adventures?
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