Developer Ronimo Games proved with Swords & Soldiers that they’re adept at merging real-time strategy gameplay with a two-dimensional world. But how did they do marrying MOBA mechanics with frantic side-scrolling action? The following should give you a hint:

When you start playing a game that features a giant robot, a space cowboy, a monkey with a jetpack, and the word “awesome” is mentioned well over five times within the intro movie, you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. Welcome to the world of Awesomenauts.

The first thing you notice about Awesomenauts is its fantastic art style. Reminiscent of over-the-top 80s cartoons, the characters and environments hearken back to a time when GI Joe was on TV and hair metal was popular.

The intro movie sets the stage–there’s an interstellar war with two sides locked in a robotic stalemate; only the elite mercenary team known as the Awesomenauts can break it. That’s really all you need to know. There are robots and bad guys to fight. Get to it.

Awesomenauts is a 2D MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) style game that combines some of the deeper genre nuances seen in titles like League of Legends with some of the more whimsical sensibilities of side-scrolling brawlers.

Each team of three starts out in their home base on opposite sides of the map, and the objective is to destroy the enemy’s “drillcore” located in the middle of their base. Sounds simple enough, except that you have to contend with automated turrets, computer controlled droids (creeps to those well versed in MOBA nomenclature), and of course, the enemy players. You accumulate Solar–the game’s currency–over time and when you destroy enemies. This currency is used to upgrade your character’s abilities and unlock new ones.

Players can choose to play as one of the six Awesomenauts: a self-destructing robot, a space cowboy armed with dynamite, a monkey with a jetpack, an alien brain, a frog with a laser gun shaped like a fish, and a French lizard with a sword. Each character looks visually distinct and handles quite differently. For example, the robot functions as a tank and has a bite attack that can steal life from opponents. On the other hand, the lizard has no ranged attacks but can cloak himself and move around the battlefield like a stealthy assassin.

While it’s cool that all the characters play pretty differently, some of them feel more useful than others. It feels a little unfair when the cowboy can throw multiple sticks of dynamite, shoot you with a gun, and then knock enemies back with a ghost bull, but the lizard is stuck with a tongue move that works like Scorpion’s harpoon and no ranged attacks.

Plus, the characters you unlock as you level up seem to be better than the original starting three. Zoltar, the alien brain, has abilities that let him heal his allies. It makes certain matches feel a little unfair if you’re facing an enemy team that can heal itself in the thick of battle and your team can’t because all three of you are playing with the starting characters.

However, as became the case with most my time with Awesomenauts, I couldn’t tell if my struggles with certain characters had to do with my inexperience or actual imbalances in the game. The developers have already announced that a patch is on the way to address balance issues brought up by players in the forums, so it will be interesting to see what they tweak once the patch is released.

While Awesomenauts can be played alone with bots (why would you want to do that?), it’s much more fun to be played with other players. The game features up to three player split screen and drop-in/drop-out functionality. All of the games I played online took almost no time at all to get set up, and there was virtually no lag to speak of.

While MOBA purists that cut their teeth on League of Legends or Defense of the Ancients might complain that Awesomenauts is too simple, there’s plenty of depth for both more casual players and seasoned veterans. Each character has two main skills and several different ways to level them up. For example, the frog character has a dashing, lunging attack and a tornado attack. By spending Solar you can upgrade the range or damage of the dash attack, or if you’re feeling fancy you can add a damage-reducing shield to the tornado attack. The multiple tiers of upgrades give Awesomenauts a lot of depth.

In my case most of my first ten matches were spent learning how the characters work, and even after that, my time with the game still feels like a learning process. Occasional hiccups like strangely large hitboxes–being not close to an enemy but their special attack hits anyway–lead to some head-scratching moments, by doing away with the inherent seriousness in some MOBA-style games, Awesomenauts makes learning to adjust your tactics fun. If you were killed by that special attack the last time, make sure you’re anticipating it the next time.

Some gamers might get a little frustrated when they win their first match and then go on to lose ten more in a row. But at the same time, because Awesomenauts is so inviting with its ridiculous aesthetic, it’s hard to resist the temptation to play “just one more round.” With Ronimo promising that more characters are on the way, there’re plenty of reasons to stick with the game. You will lose matches; you will feel like other players are so much better at the game than you, but Awesomenauts will make you want to learn its intricacies and improve.

This review is based on review code of the Xbox 360 version of Awesomenauts, provided by Ronimo Games.

PixelJunk fans, unite! As of yesterday, PJ Racer, PJ Monsters, PJ Eden, and PJ Shooter are all on sale for $1 on the PSN. If I had to choose one game for you to buy out of the lot, I’d easily say Monsters, but you can’t really go wrong with any of them (particularly Eden, which I think is extremely overlooked).

In addition to their classic line, two of their newer games are on sale as well: PJ Shooter 2 and PJ Sidescroller are $5. All of this lasts until May 18th, when their brand new PixelJunk 4am launches. This sale doesn’t personally effect me, as I already have all of their games. They’re just that good!

Yesterday we reported that DTP Entertainment AG was filing for insolvency, placing Ronimo Games’ Awesomenauts in potential jeopardy. Fear not! Today, despite the publisher’s financial situation, Ronimo Games announced that Awesomenauts will launch as planned on PSN and XBLA.

Tomorrow the game will be available for free for PlayStation Plus subscribers while everyone else will have to wait until Wednesday, May 2nd. Awesomenauts is a 2D MOBA-style game that has an “80s cartoon” aesthetic. It’s a May miracle!

Bad news Awesomenauts fans. Today I received word from Ronimo Games that the publisher, DTP Entertainment AG, has filed for insolvency. Jasper Koning from Ronimo says,”We’re unsure what this means for the game, but we’re working hard to try and resolve the situation.”

I reached out for comment, but so far there’s no word on whether or not Awesomenauts will launch as planned on May 1st on PSN and May 2nd on XBLA. I really hope they get this all figured out as it looks like it’ll be a fun, possibly insane, game. DTP Entertainment is a German company known for publishing games like Drakensang, Divinity II and Cursed Crusade.

It may simply be coincidence that my birthday’s in May and Ronimo Games’ Awesomenauts is coming to PSN on May 1st, but I choose to believe it’s a sign from the universe…an awesome sign. Better still, PlayStation Plus subscribers can get it for free throughout the entire month.

Awesomenauts is what would emerge if you mixed eighties cartoons, platforming shooters, and MOBA games into a crazy, frantic blender. The game features 3 on 3 online and offline action with 6 different characters, upgrades, turrets, and bunch of other cool things. Awesomenauts will hit PSN on May 1st for $9.99 and XBLA on May 2nd for 800 Microsoft Space Dollars.

[PlayStation Blog]

38 Studios’ wasn’t kidding around when they said they were going to support Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after its release. They already put out The Legend of Dead Kel last month, and now today they revealed the latest bit of content coming your way: The Teeth of Naros.

Read on for more information about the aforementioned Naros chompers.

According to the press release, this DLC pack will have players journeying to a new area called, you guessed it, the Teeth of Naros, which is “a harsh environment named after an ancient troll god.” And what’s a land without people to live in it? Or in this instance, a race of devout giants called the Kollossae.

Other details about The Teeth of Naros include the new floating city of Idylla, new quests and dungeons, three new Twists of Fate, and new shields, armor, and unique weapons.

The Teeth of Naros will hit Xbox Live, PSN, Origin, and Steam on April 17th, and it’ll run you $9.99 or the equivalent Microsoft  Monopoly Money amount.

[Source: EA]

You guys have heard of Awesomenauts, right? If not, go here and check it out. I’ll wait. Now that you’re properly hyped, the game has official release dates.

According to a press release, North American PS3 users will be able to download the game for $10 on May 1, while worldwide PSN and XBLA users will have to wait until the next day. The game fuses MOBA style gameplay with 2D sidescrolling action with a nostalgic 80s flair. Sign me up, please.

Just a quick heads up to remind all of you that Journey, the latest offering by thatgamecompany, is out today on PSN as part of their Spring Fever event.

Journey is developed by the same company that made flOw and Flower, and it looks like this one too is garnering critical acclaim. Kyle previewed the beta and said he couldn’t wait for a chance to play the full game. Well, everyone gets a chance to play Journey today.

Our review for new RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is coming later this week, but today developer 38 Studios announced a new batch of DLC for the game. The pirate-themed The Legend of Dead Kel will drop anchor on March 20.

Hit the jump for more details about Amalur’s latest DLC pack.

According to the game’s official website, “the legendary pirate Dead Kel and his Hanged Men have returned to haunt the seas of northern Amalur.” The DLC will pair you up with the “eccentric Captain Brattigan” (Futurama reference perhaps?) as you explore Gallows End and reclaim Gravehal Keep for yourself.

Gravehal Keep can become your own personal estate which you can customize with buildings like an armory or stables. All these buildings can bestow permanent bonuses on your character. Plus the DLC comes with new Twist of Fate cards and new weapons. As IGN teases, “When The Legend of Dead Kel ends, you’re put in a place of such extraordinary power that it opens up a few options for additional expansions. If the follow-ups are as substantial, enjoyable, and memorable as this, then keep ‘em coming.”

The Legend of Dead Kel will be available on March 20, 2012 for $9.99 on PSN and the equivalent amount of Microsoft play money on Xbox Live.

Gamer Limit’s own Kyle MacGregor wrote about thatgamecompany’s Journey back when it was still in beta last year. Now the real deal has an official release date according to the US Playstation Blog.

On March 13 (and March 14 for EU) you can download Journey for $15. According to the post, Journey will kick off the PSN’s Spring Fever event just like how Flower did three years ago. The game is described as “an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with other’s.”

[Source: US Playstation Blog, EU Playstation Blog]

[Edit: the Facebook page says there are no codes left!]

Valentine’s Day? What’s that? Everyone who’s anyone knows that tomorrow is Mass Effect 3 Demo Day. It’s the day when St. Valentine himself defended the rights of lovers everywhere by making the Mass Effect 3 demo available on PC, Xbox Live, and PSN.

Spend tomorrow blasting Reapers and aliens apart with that special someone in your life. For those of you who can’t wait one more day, you can play a short Facebook game where you can win a demo code early.

As part of yesterday’s PSN (excuse me, Sony Entertainment Network) update, the Jak and Daxter Collection is now available for purchase. It’s been over a decade since the original Jak and Daxter was released on the PS2, so now is a perfect time to revisit the series or experience it for the first time.

I never got to play the original trilogy on PS2 so personally I can’t wait to get this. The collection is also available in stores for those of you who don’t like digital downloads. Jak and Daxter Collection sports HD graphics, 3D support, and trophies for you to collect.

[Source: Playstation.Blog]