twisted-pixel-games posts

Valve has already added a number of features to its Steamworks suite of game development tools. Things like Steamworks achievements, community features and more have been added to the list that game developers can put in their titles. This week Valve announced that Steamworks now supports in-game downloads of new content for games.

The first example of this new features is for The Maw, the just released PC port of the Twisted Pixels Games-created action platformer. Two new levels can now be downloaded in the game thanks to the new Steamworks feature. Valve states that the DLC feature can be used for any Steam game, even those that are also available in retail stores and on other download sites.

This playable demo is for the independently developed adventure game, The Maw. The Maw was honored with the Audience Choice Award in the 2008 PAX-10 showcase of independent games, and is a finalist at this year's Independent Games Festival for Technical Excellence. The game is available now and can be purchased via Steam or Greenhouse.

"The pinnacle of alien evolution, Maw is a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging. He can, however, absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and can grow to unlimited size. If he wasn't a danger to all life in the universe, he'd make the perfect pet. In this action/adventure game, he's the best friend of our hero Frank, and only by working together can Maw eat their way to freedom."

Download The Maw Demo (190 MB)

World in Conflict: Soviet Assault: PC owners will be able to download this stand alone expansion pack to the terrific 2007 RTS game this week. It's set in the 1990s where the Cold War never ended and the Soviet Union stages a full scale invasion of the US. The expansion from developer Massive Entertainment and publisher Ubisoft adds six new single player missions on the Soviet end of things along with two new multilayer maps. If you don't have the original game you can also pick up World in Conflict Complete in retail stores this week. it has both the original game and the expansion pack.

Hothead Games is best known for their work developing the first two chapters of the downloadable RPG-adventure game Penny Arcade Adventures. Today the developer announced that it would be branching out by porting two acclaimed Xbox Live Arcade games to the PC and Mac platforms.

Specifically it will be handling the Macintosh port for the acclaimed puzzle-action game Braid (it's also coming to the PC as well). Hothead will also handle the digital distribution of the Mac version. In addition, Hothead will handle the PC port of The Maw, the Xbox Live Arcade action-adventure title from developer Twisted Pixel Games. Hothead claims these two games are "only the tip of the iceberg" in terms of their plans to bring other indie games to the PC and Mac platforms.