Infinite Interactive really turned some heads with their RPG/Puzzle game Puzzle Quest. Now, they are hoping that lightning will strike twice, with their upcoming game Galactrix. The CEO and Lead Designer of Infinite Interactive, Steve Fawkner, was recently interviewed by IGN and he gave a lot of details regarding the said game.

He gave details on the development of the game and how far they are in terms of progress. According to him,

We're only about 25% done right now, but we're already seeing another hybrid that's going to be as much fun as Puzzle Quest. We've been spending a lot of time making Galactrix feel like quite a different game - the last thing we want to hear from gamers is "oh that's just a Puzzle Quest clone."

It's good to know that the team at Infinite Interactive are not resting on their laurels, and developing a game which delivers "more of the same." When he was asked about the release of the game, he was a bit more elusive though. While the game is said to be slated for release on the PC first, Falkner said that they haven't released details on the publisher yet, and that pretty much anything can happen. He even went so far as to say that a simultaneous release may even be possible. Apparently they are basing this on the sales of Puzzle Quest on each platform.

The game has no release date slated yet, but it looks to be something to look out for. It will be out on multiple platforms such as the PSP, PC, Macintosh, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS. You can read more on the interview via our read link.

 

A month after the initial launch of D3 Publisher's puzzle action title for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the Nintendo DS, developers from Infinite Interactive cannot help but admit that they were surprised by Puzzle Quest's success.

Okay, not that they had any doubts as to how cool their game is. They knew they were working on a really good game. But, as Steve Fawkner, CEO and Lead Designer at Infinite Interactive, "What did surprise us though was the lightning quick acceptance and popularity it gained throughout the gaming community within just a few short weeks of launch."

And because it proved to be such a hit, well then, you just can't help but think there will be a sequel to this title, right? Right. As Careen Yap of D3 exclaimed, "Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is considered one of D3's key franchises. Absolutely do not count out the possibility of an amazing sequel to this remarkable game."

So there, just keep enjoying your Puzzle Quest on your PSPs and DS. And if you've finished the entire video game and you find it's still not enough, then just be a little patient and keep your fingers crossed tight for that sequel to get going.

Game developer Infinite Interactive and events coordinator Dissecta will be holding a forum titled "Puzzle Quest: Creating Magic with Infinite Interactive" on April 24, 2007, from 6:30 P.M. to 8 P.M. The event's venue is the Australian Games Innovation Center in Melbourne.

This forum will highlight Infinite Interactive's PSP and DS game, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords where the developers including Steve Fawkner himself will be discussing aspects of the video game, the "rich development heritage" from developing the Warlords series on PC, and the opportunities opened by developing the RPG-puzzle game on Sony's and Nintendo Company Ltd.'s handhelds.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was developed by Engine Software and 1st Playable Productions for the Nintendo DS, while Vicious Cycle Software developed the game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Categorized under Puzzle-RPG and released last March, this game requires players to go off on quests and side missions and, er, solve puzzles to ultimately reach their goal of saving the kingdom of Etheria from evil forces. There are 150 quests, so there's really no possibility of getting bored playing Puzzle Quest.

For ticket rates and other inquiries about the forum, you can visit the Dissecta site by clicking on the Read link.

There is a bug in the PSP version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords which was brought up on the Infinity Forums. This bug apparently involves the special abilities of your companions in the game. In a nutshell, their abilities do not work. This bug was confirmed by Steve Fawkner, a developer for Infinite Interactive.

Mr. Fawkner's reaction was rather positive stating that "it doesn't break the storyline at all" and even said that "it really shouldn't affect the gameplay in any significant way".  Then he presented an explanation on why it was difficult to spot:

The difficulty in spotting this bug was more about timing than anything else. I do owe anybody affected an explanation... this is not intended as an excuse... merely an example of how easily these things can happen. With 1-2 days to go until Gold Master, a change was made to the code that caused this problem (it had been working bug free for 8-9 months up until then).

He added that they just forgot about it as they were more preoccupied fixing bigger problems with the game. The playtesters at Sony must have missed it as well because they had no idea that it was supposed to be there.

As for a fix, certain people have been asking for a patch that can be installed on a memory stick to fix this. It has even been suggested that they should have a trade-in scheme to allow those who want a patched UMD to trade in their old one. So far no confirmed fixes have been announced, more on this as we get more information.

Special thanks to Haoyong for the tip!

  

In recent news, D3Publisher of America (D3PA) has announced that Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the PSP and the Nintendo DS has already shipped and is available now for an MSRP of US$ 29.99. They have tried to incorporate strategy, role-playing elements, and a storyline into a match-three puzzle board setting.

The game is set in the Warlords universe. You are challenged to create, develop, and customize the ultimate hero to save the land of Etheria from the evil Lord Bane. In order to advance, players will battle in turn-based, head-to-head, “match-three” style puzzle games in one of three gameplay modes.

Gameplay modes:

• Single-player-play 150 challenging quests against the computer AI
• Instant Action-continuous battles to level-up characters without participating in quests
• Multiplayer-battle live opponents via wireless connectivity on both the PSP system and Nintendo DS

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords has been rated E 10+ (Everyone 10 and older - suggestive themes) by the ESRB. The PSP version was co-developed by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. and Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. while the DS version was co-developed by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. and 1st Playable Productions, LLC.

Infinite Interactive, makers of the Warlords series and Puzzle Quest, is currently cooking up Galactrix, a sci-fi game which the company dubs as a genre bender of sorts. Described as a combination of puzzle, RPG, and strategy genres, Galactrix can be seen as Interactive's subtle attempt to shift away from the puzzle genre they're known for.

Puzzle lovers need not worry though, Galactrix will allow you to play puzzle games but versus AI or another player via multiplayer. Here are some of the key features of the game:

• Create a persistent pilot who gains skills and ships as he completes more battles.
• Each enemy you fight will require different tactics.
• Individual battles require only 5-10 minutes of time.
• Experience a conquer-the-galaxy style campaign mode.
• Find new objects to make your pilot and ship all-powerful.
• Trade supplies throughout the galaxy to increase your wealth.
• Supports two to four players
  
• Take your pilot and ship online against other players.
• Compete for positions on the online high score tables.
• Downloadable content: ships, items, plans, planets, factions and missions.

Galactrix is set to conquer the PSP, DS, PC, and the Xbox360 as an Xbox Live Arcade title. We'll keep you posted for more.