TxK

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This article is about the video game. For other uses, see TXK (disambiguation).
TxK
TxK cover.png
Developer(s)Llamasoft
Publisher(s)Llamasoft
Designer(s)Jeff Minter
Platform(s)PlayStation Vita
Release
  • NA: February 11, 2014
  • EU: February 12, 2014
Genre(s)Tube shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

TxK is an action video game developed by Llamasoft and designed by Jeff Minter. The game was released on the PlayStation Vita on February 11, 2014.[1] The game was planned for release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Android platforms until Atari made legal threats against Llamasoft, citing similarities between TxK and Tempest 2000.

It is a tube shooter based on the classic arcade game Tempest. The gameplay expands upon that of the original by including power-ups which grant the player additional abilities. The option is available to play without power-ups, however.[2]

Reception[]

The game received positive reviews upon release, garnering a score of 84 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

IGN found the updated art style "overwhelming at times" but appreciated the "winning soundtrack and forgiving save system". They said "In the end, I simply couldn't put it down."[2] The game was also praised by Edge magazine who noted the "wonderfully crisp" presentation and declared it to be "twitch gaming at its finest." They concluded by stating "Dynamic, thrilling and wholly invigorating, TxK isn't just one of the best games on Vita: it might just be the best Minter's ever made, too."[4]

Legal troubles[]

On March 18, 2015, Minter made public[5] that the current holders of the Atari name and trademark have made legal threats and issued cease and desist orders over the game blocking release to PC, PlayStation 4, and Android platforms.[6][7]

After the success of Llamasoft's Polybius, Atari came to a deal with Llamasoft and TxK was reworked into Tempest 4000 and released with Atari's approval.

References[]

  1. ^ Butterworth, Scott (Feb 19, 2014). "TxK Review". IGN. Retrieved Apr 4, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "TxK Review". IGN. 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  3. ^ "TxK reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved Apr 4, 2014.
  4. ^ Bradford, Matt (2014-09-11). "Edge Magazine | GamesRadar". Edge-online.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  5. ^ "Jeff Minter on Twitter: "also, the people calling themselves 'Atari' bully me about TxK, but this is perfectly OK"". Twitter. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  6. ^ "Infringement of Tempest and Tempest 2000 letter" (PDF). Minotaurproject.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  7. ^ Yin, Wesley (2015-03-18). "Jeff Minter "beyond disgusted" with Atari over TxK block". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
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