“PixelJunk Monsters: Encore” — This expansion to the tower-defense game “PixelJunk Monsters” adds the island of Toki to the original game’s island of Tiki. Looks like there are at least a dozen new levels, but I need to play more to learn more. Add-on pack will be out in late April

Awesome!

OMG. I am still stuck at Easy 3... Though I don't move to the next level until I get a rainbow. But I don't think I will ever need a expansion pack.

Wonder if there will be any new monster types or weapons?

As much as I love Pixel Junk Monsters there didn't seem to be need to use certain towers, like the ice tower and the electric tower.

Wonder if there will be any new monster types or weapons?

As much as I love Pixel Junk Monsters there didn't seem to be need to use certain towers, like the ice tower and the electric tower.

Aren't there some monsters that are invunerable to everything but the electric tower?

OMG. I am still stuck at Easy 3... Though I don't move to the next level until I get a rainbow. But I don't think I will ever need a expansion pack.

This game is much easier if you play the 2-player mode. If you get stuck single player (I did on the level with the bridge that was out), you should play with a friend.

I can't wait for this expansion pack, but I agree with the other poster who said that some towers were unneccessary. This was the first PS3 game I've ever played with my wife. It got to the point that she was asking to play this game with me. I never thought that would happen ;)

Question - Is there a way to tell on the bottom left of the screen what specific special "shield" the enemy has when his icon is blinking. I can't tell the difference from those enemies that are protected from fire from those who are protected from impact weapons. Does their "up next" icon look different to you guys?

What??? The monsters even have shields???

Now I will never be able finish the game... :)

Wonder if there will be any new monster types or weapons?

As much as I love Pixel Junk Monsters there didn't seem to be need to use certain towers, like the ice tower and the electric tower.
No new monsters or towers. 15 levels, with something special available if you rainbow the entire thing, bonus level maybe? 5 new music tracks.

You now start out with the ice tower as one of your default towers. Also a few of the towers cost fewer gems to unlock.

Looks like a fun expansion, one of the gaming sites has video of a level. They also did some callbacks to classic games like space invaders for the maps.

I'm with you though, I've never used the ice tower which doesn't seem to do anything anyway. I mostly just buy the fire tower which takes care of everything on the ground, and maybe lasers if the level has bees.

If the ice tower either had a faster firing rate or a longer effect on monsters I would use them. Having them usable as one of the default towers will help. Electric towers need a bit more range or something like a chain lightning effect where the more targets = more damage. I've rainbowed the whole game without needing either of those 2 towers.

Seems like they'll be tweaking the strategy at least. Who am I kidding, even without alot of additional new content, I'll be definitely buying the addon pack :)

Me and my girlfriend are stuck on the Hard 2 level where they come from the top right and top left in a T shape. My god I've played it probably 100 times. Anyone have any pointers on that one?

Me and my girlfriend are stuck on the Hard 2 level where they come from the top right and top left in a T shape. My god I've played it probably 100 times. Anyone have any pointers on that one?
That one kicked my butt quite a few times too. I don't have a strat for it, but here is a video of someone beating it with a rainbow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqLwSGV_Wvo&feature=PlayList&p=2B366736D5CC2FB4&index=14

IGN also has a bunch of new pictures of Encore showing quite a few of the new levels, plus 2 videos.
http://ps3.ign.com/objects/142/14243600.html

Anyone know when this will be released? I've been eagerly awaiting the past couple Thursdays only to be disappointed. Fortunately, the COD4 maps and GTA4 have kept me plenty busy ;) but the wife wants her PIXELJUNK!

From what I've played of this so far, it seems like a great expansion. The difficulty factor has definitely been raised. (which is a good thing in my opinion). Even some of the easy levels are difficult to get rainbows.

(possible) spoilers, but also some info that was already released:

You now start out with the Ice turret unlocked for every level, you don't have to purchase it with gems.

Haven't seen any new monsters (I don't think there are supposed to be any), but there are some new variations of the same monsters. (purple life bars instead of green or blue)

It looks like you have to unlock the run ability, mines and lightning turret again.

Other than that I haven't gotten too far into it. I'm definitely enjoying it so far. Anyone else had a chance to play this yet??

I wont play this game unless I play with a friend. We are addicited! We beat the entire game (first one) rainbows on all, with nothing other than normal towers and only two we unlocked were laser and fire. Other than that, blackened out arrow, turret and cannons are mandatory imo.....

Just bought the encore cant wait to play tomorrow....

This is so good. It's so hard though. Some of the levels seem impossible to rainbow.

Anyone have any luck on the "Speed Monster" level? I have NO f'n idea how I'm going to approach this....

I wont play this game unless I play with a friend. We are addicited!

Can PixelJunk be played solo (or is it too hard)?

Most of my friends are hardcore COD4 gamers, not into 2D animated pixel sprites.

Just asking...

Can PixelJunk be played solo (or is it too hard)?

Most of my friends are hardcore COD4 gamers, not into 2D animated pixel sprites.

Just asking...

Yes it can be played solo. I have 10-12 rainbows on Tiki, about to start on Encore tonight.

But, it's a lot more fun playing with someone else.

Like the others have said, it can be played solo, but it is less fun and much harder! I got all rainbow on Tiki and im now working on the new one. The new one is much harder, got the first 2 rainbow. GOD this is a fun game!

My wife and I rainbowed the first 6 levels this past weekend. Both of us commented on how we have missed playing the game. They start you out with the freeze towers now and they are crucial in some areas. In other areas they just kick butt when combined with other weapons in the area.

My wife and I rainbowed the first 6 levels this past weekend. Both of us commented on how we have missed playing the game. They start you out with the freeze towers now and they are crucial in some areas. In other areas they just kick butt when combined with other weapons in the area.

Do the freeze towers only affect one monster at a time? That was my impression and thought it was bogus. Maybe it needs a level up?

a few questions

does the expansion connect to the old island? is so where and how much is it?

a few questions

does the expansion connect to the old island? is so where and how much is it?

It's a separate island. At the start of the game you have to chose the old island Tiki or the new island Toko. It's $5.99 downloaded from the playstation store.

It's $5.99 downloaded from the playstation store.

And worth every penny, I might add.

Do the freeze towers only affect one monster at a time? That was my impression and thought it was bogus. Maybe it needs a level up?

No they slow down more than one. I never used them on the first island. But there are places in the game where they help a lot. They have a large radius and act faster than cannon and fire towers. So when the beginning of a group of baddies triggers it, it slows them down, and the fire/cannon hits a larger group. If you want I can give some specific examples that you can do for yourself and see the results.

Ive got the entire first part rainbowed and half of the expansion pack rainbowed. The ice towers can be useful for helping to group the monsters together so that your other weapons (canons) hit them harder.

I did find the expansion harder and it is much easier to get through the levels if you play 2 player.

I have all of the boards rainbowed on both islands except for the last stage on the expansion.... anyone get farther than that?

The extra you get when you complete both islands is kind of cool.

I think the expansion's difficulty is way too high. I, for the life of me, am unable to beat Hard 1. And I've only been able to rainbow 2 levels. I think I've played each level between 20 and 30 times at least. I'll spend a few hours playing and replaying a level to try and either rainbow or beat (hard 1) but no dice. Bloody hell. This is impossible.

Its actually not too bad if you do it in co-op. I can rainbow most of the levels in single player but you have to build exactly the right tower at the right time. I find I use either the flame or mortar tower most of time.

REJOICE:

Future (free) Monsters patch confirmed to include trophies along with Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert difficulties. There is also talk of an Eden patch coming...

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/11/pixeljunk-monsters-receiving-difficulty-settings-with-free-patch/

REJOICE:

Future (free) Monsters patch confirmed to include trophies along with Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert difficulties. There is also talk of an Eden patch coming...

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/11/pixeljunk-monsters-receiving-difficulty-settings-with-free-patch/

Any idea if the trophies are retroactive? I havnt started playing the game yet since Ive bought it during the summer sale. Ill wait longer now if they are not retro trophies.

They've said before that they are wanting them to be retroactive, or they will be 'new' challenges instead of a trophy for Rainbow-ing each level. Since the game itself is linked to your online ID, retroactive trophies shouldn't be a problem.

Pixel Junk Monsters Update!
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/10/22/pixelpatch-pj-monsters-updates-incoming/

The patch will be releasing VERY soon, with Japan getting the first patch release on October 23. If all goes well with final testing, you will see the patch in SCEA and SCEE territories on October 30. If there are any delays to the above mentioned dates, we will be sure to update the blog to let you know about it, so stay tuned!

Game Difficulty settings
You can now choose between three different difficulties of gameplay! There is a Casual mode, the Regular/Ranked mode, and Hard-core mode. The great news here is that you can use any combination of difficulties to complete your progress through the islands! Is there one particular map that’s too hard? Try it in Casual mode. If you Rainbow the level, that rainbow counts and will remain on the map no matter what difficulty the other rainbows were achieved at! Only the Regular difficulty will register on the ranking boards, though.

Tower Menu selection
You can now set the default menu to appear when selecting a tower! How many times have you sold off a tower and run over to another tower to quickly upgrade it and accidentally sell it by mistake? I know I’ve done that many, many times. Now you can choose which option appears as the default, instead of the last action you selected.

Tower Balancing
Those of you who have purchased Encore know about the reduced cost on the Ice Tower, and balanced functionality of the Tesla tower. This patch applies those changes to BOTH islands, not just the Encore island.

Video Recording / YouTube Support
Ever since Q-Games included this feature into PixelJunk Eden, we knew it needed to be in Monsters as well. You will be able to record up to 10 minutes of gameplay and upload it directly to your YouTube account, or send it to your video folder on your PS3’s XMB.

XMB Custom Soundtrack Support
You can now make your own custom soundtrack to listen to as you play PixelJunk Monsters and Encore! I’ve personally been enjoying listening to the PixelJunk Eden soundtrack while I play Monsters, as well as listening to the PixelJunk Monsters soundtrack within Eden! It’s great how well those fantastic soundtracks work in other games.

TROPHIES
Trophies are now added for both PixelJunk Monsters and Encore. We weren’t able to retroactively apply Trophies to the previously played data, but Q-Games didn’t want to force people to play everything all over again. They came up with a great idea by creating Trophy Challenges. These challenges have specific maps with set rules or objectives that will reward you with Trophies if you complete them properly.

Out of curiosity, does the expansion add any new towers? As a huge fan of tower defense games (mostly in warcraft 3), I found this game to be alright, but the lack of towers is a little disappointing. I'd have liked it more if they offered more towers, or if I could "earn" new towers as I progressed or something. (Or maybe there is? I'm only half way through it or so as it is).

Pixel Junk Monsters Update!
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/10/22/pixelpatch-pj-monsters-updates-incoming/

YES FINALLY!

I am sad that they couldn't have made trophies retroactive but at least they have trophies for new challenges so that is good.

I've been waiting for this patch to buy Encore and it looks like I will be doing that in a couple weeks!

Since I knew this patch would someday arrive I've been holding off on going to far in Monsters. It'll be nice to get back to it!

Since I knew this patch would someday arrive I've been holding off on going to far in Monsters. It'll be nice to get back to it!

Ditto! I've also got a friend who likes the game; we'll be playing on easy :p

Ditto! I've also got a friend who likes the game; we'll be playing on easy :p

Haha +1!

The "normal" super-hard difficulty setting isn't quite doing it on some of the harder maps. :D

Yay, I can get trophies WHILE spending time with the GF now.

She loves the game but I didn't want to play too far and not get trophies ;)

Amazing news. They better be hard at work on Pixel Junk Monsters 2. I'd pay $20 for that.

The patch is up, suckahs!*


*in Europe.

*in Europe.

Well, they better put it up in the US too by this wknd =)

I bet it'll be up by the end of the day.

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Hmmmm. Once there was this kid who got into an accident and couldn't come to school.

Hey guys,

Q-Games President Dylan Cuthbert stated that there would only be trophy support for 1P mode:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=1270020&postcount=361

Hey there,

The trophies are only available in 1P mode unfortunately, but we decided to this because of the complaints we got for Eden's 2 or 3P mode only trophies. The other thing we could have done is made the trophies playable in both 1P and 2P but the problem there is that 2P is a bit easier than 1P and we're not allowed to have trophies that are easier to get for certain situations. People would grab a 2nd controller by default and just sit their 2nd tiki guy on towers here and there to help out and give themselves an unfair advantage.

Anyway, Monsters is still fun to play with two players even if only one person is actually controlling the character.

For those with wives or siblings though, the new Hard Core difficulty mode is actually a lot of fun to go through on (and of course a bit easier in 2P mode anyway), and it will give you golden trees and special rainbows.

Good luck!

Also mentioned that there was currently a problem with the patch being available for some people. Recommendation is to delete your game install and re-download to apply to patch right now. This applies to N. America. Europe is fine.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=1270219&postcount=364

There seems to have been a server definition problem and the patch is only live for owners of Encore :-/

And no.. this isn't some cunning plan to get people to buy Encore so they can get the patch first. It is live in the EU for both Monsters and Encore and Sony are working as fast as they can to correct the problem in the US.

so is this patch available for north america yet? Do north american users have to uninstall the game first?

It was available yesterday but you have to redownload the game, which they fail to tell you. They said Sony is looking into why the patch itself isn't working yet.

Not sure if you have to delete all files associated with the game or just the install. I would hope you just have to delete the install.

so is this patch available for north america yet? Do north american users have to uninstall the game first?

It was available yesterday but you have to redownload the game, which they fail to tell you. They said Sony is looking into why the patch itself isn't working yet.

Not sure if you have to delete all files associated with the game or just the install. I would hope you just have to delete the install.

Yes, it is available for NA.

If it is not showing up for you the workaround if that you just delete the install (you can keep your save data) and redownload it. This is not intentional, it was/is a problem with the config on Sony's servers.

How does that work if you have Encore? Do you have to re-download Monsters and Encore? :confused:

have any North American users downloaded yet? Did it auto DL when you booted up the game or did you have to uninstall/reinstall first? Do you have expansion pack?

I logged into the game around 10PM ET and I have the expansion but did not receive any indication that there was an update available.

I got the prompt to update when I started the game a little while ago. So going through the workaround may not be necessary for everyone.

I just started up PJM, and it prompted me to update. 63mb download. Can't wait to get some more trophies!

Just opened Monsters and got prompted to update to 2.05; any ideas as to what it does?

Just opened Monsters and got prompted to update to 2.05; any ideas as to what it does?

Apparently it just fixes scoring bugs, check out pixelfan (.co.uk) they posted it in their forums!

Cheers

Awesome, thank you!

Apparently it just fixes scoring bugs, check out pixelfan (.co.uk) they posted it in their forums!

Cheers

Interesting. According to their blog they are working on yet another Monsters expansion pack too. That is great news.

Interesting. According to their blog they are working on yet another Monsters expansion pack too. That is great news.

Where did you read this? I don't see this info ANYWHERE. I REALLY hope I didn't just get my hopes up for nothing.

EDIT: Found an interview with Q Games from yesterday where they state that there are NO plans for another Monsters update as of now. Next time you post something online in a thread where people are excited about a game, try to make sure the info you have is correct.

Next time you post something online in a thread where people are excited about a game, try to make sure the info you have is correct.

Thank you for "schooling" me on internet etiquette. This was on the blog a couple posts up I was referring to. Perhaps things have changed since this entry but per the below:

http://www.pixelfan.co.uk/

MONSTERS & EDEN Expanding
August 18th, 2008 Pixel Fan

Q-Games is working on expansions for its two most recent PSN-only PS3 titles, PixelJunk Eden and the widely-loved Monsters.

Thank you for "schooling" me on internet etiquette. This was on the blog a couple posts up I was referring to. Perhaps things have changed since this entry but per the below:

http://www.pixelfan.co.uk/

They released that expansion. It was the trophy expansion. It's not etiquette, it's common sense.

They released that expansion. It was the trophy expansion. It's not etiquette, it's common sense.

That's semantics. I don't normally consider trophies an "expansion" but rather a "patch". The use of "expansion" is ambiguous considering that the addition of level such as Encore was an "expansion".

I also thought it was common sense that when I said "according to their blog" I was referring to the URL immediately above my post but I guess not.

http://mysite.verizon.net/schmela/pics/scarycat.jpg

That's semantics. I don't normally consider trophies an "expansion" but rather a "patch". The use of "expansion" is ambiguous considering that the addition of level such as Encore was an "expansion".

I also thought it was common sense that when I said "according to their blog" I was referring to the URL immediately above my post but I guess not.

I thought you were smart enough to see the date and realize that not only do they mention the trophy patch in more recent posts on the same page, but also assume that it's a post from MONTHS ago, and that it's probably old information. I'm sorry I assumed you would think before posting. ;)

I thought you were smart enough to see the date and realize that not only do they mention the trophy patch in more recent posts on the same page, but also assume that it's a post from MONTHS ago, and that it's probably old information. I'm sorry I assumed you would think before posting. ;)

As long as you apologize, I forgive you. :D

Haha, good to see PixelJunk gets a lot of love here that it's on the front page of the forums lol.

Anyone else having a LOT of trouble with rainbowing levels in Encore? I can't plant mines because I don't have enough rainbows to get the mine stage. But I can't get the rainbows for it without mines...what the heck...

Don't have Encore yet; gonna pick it up when I rainbow everything on the regular game.

Haha, good to see PixelJunk gets a lot of love here that it's on the front page of the forums lol.

Anyone else having a LOT of trouble with rainbowing levels in Encore? I can't plant mines because I don't have enough rainbows to get the mine stage. But I can't get the rainbows for it without mines...what the heck...

Yeah, Encore is a full difficultly level harder than the original map. Even on "Casual" difficulty mode I am having trouble. Maybe I just suck though. =P

I have them all rainbowed except the one where they go really fast and then the one hard one that's all misty. I haven't played in awhile so I forgot the exact names.

Has anyone gotten any of the "hidden" trophies? Do you have to select a trophy challenge, or can you get them on any board?

http://kotaku.com/5220735/playstation-gamers-day-why-i-was-absent-from-kotaku-today

Sony held day one of its pre-E3 PlayStation Preview days today, an event that consumed a day's worth of posting for this Kotaku editor. Honestly, though, playing new games all day was better than posting.

Unfortunately, we can't really discuss much of what I got to go hands-on with today, as all of the preview event's impressions are embargoed until a later date. The earliest of those impressions, for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, will go live next Monday, April 27th. I think almost everyone in attendance was pretty surprised by what Naughty Dog and Sony showed at today's event, so I'm guessing the general public will be too.

The rest of what we played, including Heavy Rain and the newest PixelJunk title, the fourth from Q-Games, will have to wait a little longer. In fact, some of those impressions will have to wait until E3 kicks off proper.

But I don't think anyone attending the event walked away disappointed. I'll definitely be interested to see how PlayStation fans react to next week's previews, which also include hands-on impressions of Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Fat Princess and a couple of titles that might not yet have been officially announced for a Western release.

I got an email from Dylan Cuthbert himself this morning. They are working on a new game (and no, I am not talking about the one referenced in the comment above or on the Facebook page). This is a game that people who like PJM specifically will like. I won't say anymore than that since I don't want to steal his thunder for his own big reveal. ;)

On my N4G run...:p
http://twitter.com/dylancuthbert/statuses/1584609276

we've been busy making Eden Encore, and Monsters on the PSP, as well as 1-4 and other prototypes

On my N4G run...:p
http://twitter.com/dylancuthbert/statuses/1584609276

Dammit.

:p

http://kotaku.com/5221525/q+games-teases-pixeljunk-1+4-with-first-images
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/04/pixeljunk_104.jpg
The fourth PixelJunk title from developer Q-Games, currently known as PixelJunk 1-4 and officially due to be revealed next week, has entered the teasing phase today, courtesy of Facebook.

Q-Games follow-up to PixelJunk Eden is being socially promoted via Facebook with a "PixelJunk 1-4 sells one million units at launch!" event. Clearly pandering for sales! That event starts on Monday, August 31, but Q-Games points out "the release date will MOST DEFINITELY CHANGE!" so don't ink this into your purchase calendar just yet. The Facebook fan page touts the game as "hotter than fresh toast straight off the grill."

The official PixelJunk web site also starts with the teasing, showing off an animated shovel and a "coming soon" blurb.

You'll have to make your best educated guesses about what PixelJunk 1-4 will be, as we can't utter a peep about the game until next Wednesday, April 29th. Oh sure, we've already played it, but we're sworn to secrecy.