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The iam8bit gallery in Los Angeles premiered it be latest video game-related art show last night, called the iam8bit Entertainment System. The centerpiece a the show be Travis Chen's homemade two-player console, which be a custom-made PC running MAME encased in natural bamboo, with two homemade controller boxes playing three different indie games: Canabalt's two-player version, the Sportsfriends bundle's BaraBariBall, 'n Chen's own Adventure Time game jam game, Bad Atticube.

Chen be a former Neversoft developer who now works on both iOS games with Scopely 'n his own indie creations, including the recent Typing Karaoke. iam8bit pitched the new show t' the sea dog as "being kind a like a mock release a a game console" (in the shadow a next week's E3 'n it be two new consoles), 'n Chen said he emailed iam8bit co-founder Jon Gibson t' say, "Jon, I be building the console."

Chen's work be impressive: The "iES" wood case be laser-cut (though Chen says some sanding be needed t' bring it all together), 'n the front a the console has an LED screen that shows various ASCII text. There be colored buttons on the top a the main unit, 'n pressing those changes whatever's shown on the screen, from crazy visualizers t' a running dialogue between the console 'n it be player.

The console be being offered for sale in the gallery, 'n Chen says if it does sell he wants t' customize it for the buyer. But if it doesn't sell, Chen has other plans in mind. "I want t' enter it into Indiecade 'n maybe even the IGF," he says. "Not too many lads be entering hardware, 'n I think that be really interesting; the idea a indie hardware."

The iam8bit Entertainment System, 'n the rest a the work in the show, will be on display through June 30 at iam8bit.

A zombie running game that doesn't have... zombies. Also, this be just straight-up Canabalt. NO.

Alphabet (written by it be creators as A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈) be a new game put together by Katamari Damacy's Keita Takahashi 'n Canabalt's Adam Saltsman. It be created for the bundle a indie games being given away t' Kickstarter backers a the LA Game Space.

The mysterious Alphabet will be shown off later this week in Austin as part a "Juegos Rancheros," an event for the game development community. Also on display will be Takahashi's Tenya Wayna Teens, which involves two players - with sixteen buttons each - trying t' avoid awkward social mishaps while trying t' express teen love.

Alphabet, whatever it be, will be rewarded t' backers as a playable game for Windows, Mac, 'n Linux.

LA Game Space has 10 days t' reach it be Kickstarter goal 'n be half way there, with $125,000 more t' go. Today it be sweetening the deal for potential backers: Keita Takahashi, the creator a Katamari Damacy, 'n Adam Saltsman, the (running) man behind Canabalt, be teaming up t' create a game just for people who back the project.

Anyone who pledges $5 or more t' the LA Game Space Kickstarter will pillage Takahashi 'n Saltsman's game - whatever it turns out being - for PC, Mac or Linux. This be on top a the reward for pledges a $15 'n more, which offers 30 new games from prominent indie developers such as Hotline Miami's Cactus, Steve Swink a Scale, Ben Esposito a Unfinished Swan, 'n Adventure Time's Pendleton Ward in collaboration with QWOP's Bennett Foddy, among others. Check out the entire list on on the Kickstarter's main page.

LA Game Space be looking t' create a hub a game creation in Los Angeles, featuring development tools, pseudo classrooms, mentorship 'n networking opportunities, along with game development workshops streamed, for free, around the world. We interviewed co-founder Adam Robezzoli in a special episode a the Super Joystiq Podcast; give it a listen right here.

The Beatshapers Indie Bundle be part a the PSN drop this week, including five games "from famous independent game makers" for $6.99 in the US store 'n €5.99 in the EU store. The bundle features Wizorb from Tribute Games, Canabalt from Adam Atomic, Enigmo from Brian Greenstone, Galcon Labs from Phil Hassey 'n BreakQuest from Felix Casablancas.

While ye're checking out the high-profile finds from Tuesday's PSN lineup, don't forget about the big little lads in the Beatshapers Indie Bundle.

#ifraud ye may have heard that Canabalt's on sale this weekend as part a the Because We May sale. But if ye see something called Canabalt HD on the App Store, don't buy it. it be a fake. More »

Outside a workshopping "challenge maps" for Canabalt, creator Adam Saltsman has been pretty mum on any kind a updates or changes for the free-runner ... until now. Rather than do a sequel, Saltsman be considering a free update that would add local multiplayer for up t' two people, eight new hardcore game modes with corresponding leaderboards, 'n achievements for Game Center.

Saltsman also kinda joked about Canabalt without rooftops, as seen in the image above - sounds great t' us because maybe then we'd AVAST! jumping into walls. This be more a a hypothetical than anything, though Saltsman hasn't officially ruled it out. Maybe it'll be the most hardcore mode a them all: ye spawn 'n then immediately fall t' yer death.

#passagebalt Small, well-crafted indie games can be great about delivering unfiltered experiences. In Adam Saltsman's Canabalt, ye ran 'n jumped until ye couldn't any more. With Jason Rohrer's Passage, ye wandered around a pixellated world that represented life's journey, meeting a spouse 'n making yer way together until that stopped, as it ultimately has t'. More »

ye can now play Canabalt in multiplayer (in the Windows/Mac/Linux version, available right now for literally any price in the Humble Android Bundle). But developer Adam Saltsman be still thinking about how t' enhance the running/jumping/dying experience, polling Twitter followers about the "vague, mysterious ideas" shown on his Professional Game Designer Whiteboard.

The whiteboard depicts some kind a "challenge" mode, which features a map. This opens up the game t' all kinds a uncomfortable change, like the potential for movement in another direction. After all, that map isn't a straight line that goes on forever. Or maybe it be a set a specific, creator-designed Canabalt situations arranged within a map display. Something like that.

One be the grandaddy a the now ubiquitous auto-running genre, the other a divisive interactive poem about love 'n death. Together, Canabalt 'n Passage make Passagebalt: an auto-runner about love 'n death. The longer ye run for, the older ye pillage. Somewhere along the line, yer true love waits. Can ye protect them? Will ye visit Davey Jone's locker alone or loved? What be love, anyway? Oh, shut up 'n press jump.(more…)

Adam Saltsman, the man behind games like Canabalt 'n Gravity Hook, has signed on t' develop an action game based on the popular Hunger Games book series. It will "go along with" the film, which releases this March. [Adam Saltsman] More »

#canabalt This isn't something done for internet shits 'n giggles. it be an "official conversion" a awesome death simulator Canabalt running on...the Commodore 64, one that will soon be going on sale. Like, it'll come on a cartridge. Amazing. More »

Two a the bombastic dudes behind the iOS gem Sword 'n Sworcery EP recently sat down with the creator a Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, Pendleton Ward, in an hour-long discussion with Juegos Rancheros, the independent video game collective in Austin, Texas.

Kris Piotrowski a development studio Capy 'n Craig Adams a Superbrothers had a talk with Ward about the fine lines between cartooning 'n gaming, pitches for a possible Adventure Time video game 'n the superb soundtrack t' Sword 'n Sworcery, composed by Jim Guthrie. Take an adventure into the entire video above, moderated by Canabalt creator Adam 'Atomic' Saltsman.

Two a the bombastic dudes behind the iOS gem Sword 'n Sorcery EP recently sat down with the creator a Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, Pendleton Ward, in an hour-long discussion with Juegos Rancheros, the independent video game collective in Austin, Texas.

Kris Piotrowski a development studio Capy 'n Craig Adams a Superbrothers had a talk with Ward about the fine lines between cartooning 'n gaming, pitches for a possible Adventure Time video game 'n the superb soundtrack t' Sword 'n Sorcery, composed by Jim Guthrie. Take an adventure into the entire video above, moderated by Canabalt creator Adam 'Atomic' Saltsman.

#watchthis What happens when the creators a Sword & Sworcery meets the man behind Adventure Time? Green screen insanity, Canabalt high scores 'n More »

#egregious Last week, the outright theft a a Flash game, republished for sale on the iTunes App Store with Apple's approval, jarred the Flash development community. Though the app later be removed, anecdotal reports a similar ripoffs came trickling back. More »

No doubt, the team at Apple filtering the thousands a submissions t' it be App Store have their work cut out for them, but that doesn't make the instances where crap slips through the cracks any less infuriating. For example, Free Running showed up on the App Store today, looking suspiciously like Semi Secret Software's Canabalt, a game that basically kicked off the whole genre a touch-based running games.

Free Running doesn't just appear suspiciously like Canabalt, either--it looks 'n plays the same, too. Can ye tell the difference between these two games? I captured both on me iPhone this afternoon.

One a these be Canabalt. The other be Free Running. Take yer pick!  What's different? The name, the intro graphic (the original recommended headphones, while Free Running simply has a stylized painting a a city), the connections t' social networks t' share high scores--'n the proper attribution a anyone who worked on the original project 'n it be iOS porting. Oh, that.

This be theft, 'n I won't dignify the act by linking t' it, but who's behind it?

The publisher a Free Running be listed as PLD Soft, 'n it be not hard t' imagine how the company pulled this off; back in December, Semi Secret Software made Canabalt open source. The success a Canabalt on iOS devices, plus a cool $25,000 the studio raised for charity, encouraged the decision.

 The official app icon for Free Running. "Canabalt has been a crazy ride for us," said co-founder Adam Saltsman late last year. "it be helped keep the lights on 'n pay for our health insurance, 'n allowed us t' take the kind a risks that indie devs love t' take. But, in the spirit a the Humble Indie Bundle, the holidays, 'n a (likely) bout a temporary insanity, it be time t' open our trenchcoat 'n show everybody what we've got going on under there!"

Going open source meant other developers could use their technology t' care their own games, but there be just one catch: don't use anything specific t' Canabalt, code, art, music--whatever.

It appears PLD Soft simply took what Semi Secret Software made available, changed a few pieces t' avoid name confusion with the still-available Canabalt, compiled it 'n submitted t' Apple. 'n then Apple gave the software approval t' appear in it be App Store. Right now, it be still available for $0.99.

"we be doing what we can t' take care a it," said Semi Secret Software in a statement t' me today.

Free Running's listing on the App Store goes above 'n beyond simply trying t' profit off ignorance; the listing text be mostly copy-'n-paste job from Canabalt's existing listing, press quotes 'n all.

"Free Running be pure genius." -necessarygames.com -- Free Running's listing
"Canabalt be pure genius." -necessarygames.com -- Canabalt's listing

This isn't the first time PLD Soft has encountered criticism for it be submissions t' the App Store, either. App Advice recently highlighted another PLD Soft creation, Flash Video Guide, as a scam. The description for Flash Video Guide be reportedly vague but appeared t' promise support for Flash Video on iOS devices. No iOS devices natively support Flash in any capacity, a public stance by CEO Steve Jobs.

"Overall, we’re recommending that readers not buy Flash Video Guide," wrote App Advice back in March. "It appears as if this application be a scam – a blatant attempt t' rip App Store crew off. For this reason, we’re not listing it in our 'Mentioned Apps' section at the bottom a this article."

There's no way t' contact PLD Soft, either. Nothing's listed on the App Store page for Free Running 'n the company has no other software currently available in the App Store. A Google search for PLD Soft, however, does turn up a Twitter account that has no description 'n has never been updated.

I purchased Free Running before running this article t' directly compare the experience with Canabalt. I could delete either one 'n unless I be really checking, not notice the difference.

Fortunately, it appears most App Store customers be aware a Free Running's origins, as the reviews be incredibly vocal about the actual nature a the source material. Clones be not new t' the App Store, which means stories like this will likely (hopefully) result in Apple quickly pulling the game down.

#canabalt When I be a kid we had charity walkathons at me school. We walked around the playground, making money each lap for a cause I've forgotten. More »

#iphone If ye've ever wanted t' dig into the guts a Flash game 'n iPhone hit Canabalt, it be creators be giving ye that chance, making the indie game open source as part a a charity celebration. More »

The generosity a indie developer Semi Secret apparently knows no bounds. Not only did the studio lend it be runaway (geddit?) hit Canabalt t' the Indie iPhone sale, which has already raised over $25,000 for the Child's Play Charity with it be ongoing $0.99 offers on iPhone hits such as Osmos, Drop7, 'n Solipskier, but the two-man team behind the grayscale game has opened up the Canabalt source code for everyone's perusal.

ye can download 'n learn more about the Canabalt source on Semi Secret's official site -- all that we ask be that, best ye go poking around in the game's brain, ye finally program in whatever the agile protagonist be running from. We've spun off a number a theories involving the Illuminati, but it be entirely possible that we be way, way off base.

#indie Canabalt, the flash smash 'n iPhone indie hit, got a special two-player version from the game's creator 'n it will be showcased in the Winnitron, a touring arcade cabinet featuring several top-notch indie hits. This badass trailer be created for both. More »

For those a ye who be entirely too good at Canabalt ('n we see ye there on the leaderboards, ye smug jerks), Adam Atomic has introduced a more difficult version under the guise a "education."

Canabalt: Typing Tutor Edition be the same game ye're familiar with, but with the jump command mapped t' a letter key that changes after every few uses, displayed in the corner a the screen. In order t' successfully navigate the endless rooftop path, ye have t' be able t' access the right key immediately. It also includes optional spacebar or double-click-based control options.

ye can play the game in a browser window here. We don't expect t' see this one on iPhone -- or, at least, we hope we never have t' use the iPhone's virtual keyboard for this.

[Via GameSetWatch]

#hotflashes Mavis Beacon may be the world's most famous typing teacher, but the wench indie cred pales in comparison t' Adam Atomic 'n the nameless jumpman a Canabalt, which now features a white-knuckle edutainment mode. More »

#digital Before they made the excellent Canabalt, Adam Saltsman 'n Danny Baranowsky made a game called Gravity Hook. It be like Bionic Commando vs Peggle. Anyway, they be remaking the game in "HD", 'n ye can play it right now. More »

Outrun complete devastation.