Puzzle Quest 2 Message Board

Infinite Interactive founder Steve Fawkner has heavily hinted that a new Puzzle Quest game is in the works.

Yesterday's announcement regarding EA's Firemint and IronMonkeys merger actually had a sideplot to it, in that Infinite Interactive, which was "acquired" by Firemint last year, quietly split off this past January to be independent again.

"There was never an actual acquisition of Infinite, it was more of a merger. It was all amicable stuff - as much as it would be fun to have a bit of a scandal. Unfortunately there isn't one," Infinite Interactive's founder and creative lead Steve Fawkner told us. "I think everybody agreed that Infinite does its best work when it's independent, and so we headed back out into the wilderness to work on our own stuff again."

Fawkner explained he couldn't get into the "nitty-gritty" details about intellectual property ownership and that things are "a little more complicated" than before, but that Infinite do still retain the Puzzle Quest and Warlords IP rights.

"While I don't have a specific announcement that I can make at the moment, if you shook a Magic 8-Ball and asked it 'Will Infinite's next game be a Puzzle Quest title?', then it would quite probably say 'All signs point to yes!'," Fawkner explained.

"In the short term, we will continue to build and innovate in the genres and settings that we know and love. That means games that combine fantasy, puzzles, strategy and tactics. It's doubtful we'll ever move too far from those genres, because they are our favorites, and you always do your best work when you're building games that you're passionate about."

[Thanks Aaron S.]

#puzzlequest The might warriors circle each other warily, keen eyes searching for the slightest chink in their foe's armor. The tightness of an overtaxed muscle. The telltale twitching of an over-eager sword arm. An over-reliance on purple gems. More »

From PSN-only to the void, Puzzle Quest 2 for PSP has met with the ultimate skull chain combo. Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirms on his Facebook account that the PSP version has been canceled.

"After Firemint's acquisition of Infinite, and EA's acquisition of Firemint, so many people have moved around, that I find myself without enough manpower to finish it," Fawkner writes. "I would also like to point out that it was nothing to do with EA and/or Firemint that it has been cancelled - they have been excellent in giving me enough time and freedom to get it done... this is just a very unfortunate logistical problem where key people are no longer available to work on it."

Fawkner claims there was "ONE sound bug remaining to be fixed, and it would have been good to go." He won't give up hope entirely, but admits that finishing the project is "unlikely to happen." So, um, anyone with working knowledge of PSP development want to help a brother out?

Puzzle Quest 2 is now 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Arcade. With a sequel that stands up to and surpasses the original in many ways, it's actually a better buy at the same price as original Puzzle Quest.

Meanwhile, Puzzle Quest Galactrix is still 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) on XBLA. Nope, we can't explain it either.

You'd think after selling a billion iPhone games, the Firemint crew, makers of those Flight Control and Real Racing games on your phone, would go buy a boat or something. But, oh no, they had to be "smart" with their money, acquiring Puzzle Quest developer Infinite Interactive to form an even stronger, more independent operation, which "works exclusively on self-published original games." Who do these guys think they are ... PopCap?

It would seem that Firemint starter Rob Murray and Infinite Interactive founder Steve Fawkner, both Aussies, have been casually strategizing for years now. "Steve and I have been talking about working together for a long time, and I remember him showing me an early version of Puzzle Quest," Murray recalled. "This inspired me to make a game during my own holidays two years later, which was Flight Control -- and now, another two years later, we've finally found a way to work together!" (The financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.)

Infinite Interactive will merge into Firemint's "recently expanded" (how convenient!) offices in Melbourne and continue work on some kind of infectious game that could endanger world health at a bargain price. And then, they'll all probably buy a fleet of boats and retire into Port Phillip Bay.

[Image credit: Firemint]

#windowsphone7 Not the full game of course, but the tower defense mobile version of the Xbox 360 game. More »

#igameoftheday Namco brings the sequel to the original role-puzzling game to the iPhone, and while Puzzle Quest 2's engaging gameplay is intact, the controls are a little on the tiny side. More »

Yesterday, we reported that Puzzle Quest 2 would make its way to PSP later this year, but we still had questions. Specifically, it was unclear if the game would see a UMD release and whether it'd be as full-featured as the console versions.

Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirmed with Joystiq that the PSP game would only be available as a PSN download -- there will not be a UMD version. "Although we've received great support from D3 and Namco for all previous Puzzle Quest releases, PQ2 PSP is the first Puzzle Quest game that Infinite is doing by itself, without a publisher, so we're not really able to handle a full UMD release at this time," Fawkner told us. He went on to say that "it's important to get a PSP version out there for all the people who enjoyed the original PQ on PSP and wanted the second one."

Fawkner offered further insight into why Infinite would be publishing the PSP version itself (given that other versions were published by D3). "The truth is that most publishers really aren't keen to take a risk on PSP these days, which is kind of sad, because it's 'taking risks' that gets great games like Puzzle Quest published in the first place!"

As far as features go, Fawkner also confirmed that Puzzle Quest 2 for PSP would not include multiplayer. The multiplayer mode in the first Puzzle Quest was apparently not so popular among PSP players, so the team decided to focus on implementing Elite Mode (a tougher version of the single-player game that yields better rewards) into the PSP sequel, which it thought would be a better fit for the PSP demographic.

Aww, poor PSP -- it's like you've been sitting out in the rain, looking through the window at all of the other consoles, laughing and having a good time together with Puzzle Quest 2. Well, come on in, buddy! You've finally been invited to the party.

IGN reports that Sony's handheld will indeed receive a port of Puzzle Quest 2, launching "towards the end of 2010." Oddly enough, the IGN piece mentions the game will be available for download via PSN and makes no mention of a UMD release. We've gone ahead and contacted the game's publisher, D3, for clarification.

Along with extreme tardiness, the PSP port brings with it a new game mode called Elite. Here, the difficulty of enemies has been ramped up, naturally yielding better rewards for players and more chances to throw your PSP to the ground in frustration.

Addictive Bejeweled clone coming to Sony's system.

Though we usually elect to enjoy Puzzle Quest 2 during life's natural intermissions -- red lights, bathroom visits, literal intermissions between two acts of a lengthy musical -- we suppose having it on our home computer would be equally convenient. (We spend a lot of time on computers, you know.) We'll all get our chance to grab the game's PC iteration when it lands on Steam next Thursday, August 12.

The puzzle-RPG will be available for the (relatively) bargain price of $19.99 -- but if you'd like to do a bit of damage to that cost, you can save 10 percent by pre-ordering the game on Steam.

We've got a spiritual sequel and an actual sequel this week. The former is Ancients of Ooga, a successor of sorts to the ancient XBLA title, Cloning Clyde. The latter is Puzzle Quest 2, which essentially amounts to an apology about that whole Galactrix thing.

Check out XBLA in Brief and see if either game is for you.

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There are new Xbox Live Arcade games released every week. We realize that our readers are busy, attractive people, and you may not have time to download and examine each and every new XBLA game. You've got busy, attractive person stuff to do, after all. Not to worry though, because we've done the work for you, downloading every single trial game and giving you a taste of what to expect. Watch XBLA in Brief every week to see which games deserve a closer look. When you have the time, of course.

We've got a spiritual sequel and an actual sequel this week. The former is Ancients of Ooga, a successor of sorts to the ancient XBLA title, Cloning Clyde. The latter is Puzzle Quest 2, which essentially amounts to an apology about that whole Galactrix thing.

Check out XBLA in Brief and see if either game is for you.

[iTunes] Subscribe to XBLA in Brief directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to the XBLA in Brief directly.
[RSS] Add the XBLA in Brief feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[M4V] Download the M4V directly.

There are new Xbox Live Arcade games released every week. We realize that our readers are busy, attractive people, and you may not have time to download and examine each and every new XBLA game. You've got busy, attractive person stuff to do, after all. Not to worry though, because we've done the work for you, downloading every single trial game and giving you a taste of what to expect. Watch XBLA in Brief every week to see which games deserve a closer look. When you have the time, of course.

When creating the follow-up to a critically beloved game, it's rare for a developer to lose sight of just about every aspect of what made the original so great. That was the unfortunate case with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix -- a title so disappointing, it led many fans to worry that the franchise's maiden voyage was merely a fluke. A really entertaining, addictive-as-all-get-out fluke, but a fluke nonetheless.

Where Galactrix represented an attempt at innovation by first throwing out baby, bathwater and tub, Puzzle Quest 2 is a love letter to the jilted fans of Challenge of the Warlords. It not only recalls the prodigal formula of the series' first iteration -- it improves on that formula in countless clever ways.

It's pretty much accepted that none of us here at Joystiq are good people. We have to wonder, then, just what we did to deserve a much-desired sequel and a new NinjaBee game in the same week. It's a mystery for sure, but Major Nelson has announced that both Puzzle Quest 2 and Ancients of Ooga are slated to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next week.

If you want to dip into some puzzle-fueled role-playing, you'll need 1200 MS Points ($15) for Puzzle Quest 2. Meanwhile, the gastronomic platforming of Ancients of Ooga will run you 800 MSP ($10). Check out a new trailer for Ancients of Ooga after the break.

Clear your schedule, Xbox 360 owners: you're going to have an ongoing appointment with some gems in the next couple of weeks. D3 Publisher has announced a June 30 release date for the XBLA version of Puzzle Quest 2, at a price of 1200 Microsoft Points. If you're wondering how you'll possibly survive the agonizing nine-day wait, may we suggest the DS version of the same game? It's out ... tomorrow.

A portion of an IGN review… Like the first game, Puzzle Quest 2 takes a simple casual affair and adds layers of depth you won’t be able to resist. Even though the quest is long and your customization options seem to be limitless, it still works as a game you can pick up and play for [...]

You've finally met your match.

Puzzle Quest 2, Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game, Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction and more.

"So would you call this a return to form?" I asked Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner right before I picked up the controller to play Puzzle Quest 2. "Yes, very much so," he replied. Fawkner isn't shy about admitting that Puzzle Quest Galactrix deserved a few of the lumps it got from fans ("They didn't like it when minigames blocked progress on the main game"), and so when his team set out to create a full-fledged sequel to the gem-matching, role-playing hit, they wanted a good mix of updated gameplay that didn't stray too far from what made the first title so good.

And from my short play session, it seems that's exactly what they got. A lot has changed from the first Puzzle Quest, and while fans will miss a few things (my beloved Druid class is gone!), most of the changes are in service to, and succeed at, making the game more fun.

Yes, we know you're upset that Puzzle Quest 2's completely addictive gem-swapping sessions will be interrupted by primitive world traversal -- why can't we just bounce from fight to fight on an overworld map like civilized humans? Try not to get your knickers in a twist; based on the trailer above, it doesn't look like traveling between levels will be too taxing of an ordeal. Especially if you just teleport to where you're headed, which may actually reduce the amount of downtime between brawls. Now that's more like it.

Check out the trailer to see Puzzle Quest 2's exploration in action, and to get a quick glimpse of the game that's going to devour our free time next month.

Multiplayer impressions and new platforms announced.

The latest press promo sent out, and this one can probably be used to knock out an intruder!

We know there have been plenty of pretenders to the Puzzle Quest throne, many developed/perpetrated by developer Infinite Interactive itself. But do you still remember? Is there a place in your memory for those seemingly countless hours you spent peering into your DS, hoping to line up enough red gems to get off that last fire spell before you were overwhelmed by a giant spider? Do you remember? More importantly: Have the countless clones and wannabes completely dulled your desire for a return to the world of puzzle quest?

You'll have on opportunity to answer that question for yourself as publisher D3 has just announced that the follow-up, Puzzle Quest 2, will arrive in North American shops on June 22 according to Shacknews. Can't wait a month? OK, fine, here. Just don't spoil your dinner.

If you've played the impossibly addictive gem-swapping RPG known as Puzzle Quest, you probably won't find yourself in uncharted waters when you check out the game's upcoming sequel, due out this June. Still, if you need a refresher course, or if you're an untainted newbie, you should check out the Puzzle Quest 2 Mage Trainer game on Facebook.

It serves as a surprisingly comprehensive demonstration of what the series' combat feels like, though it lacks some of Puzzle Quest's RPG trappings. Mercifully enough, it also lacks Puzzle Quest's hyper-repetitive music.