As most of you know every Friday from here till the release of Super Meat Boy in Q1 of next year we will be giving away a free limited edition Meat Boy comic via our Twitter. The comic will be given out to the 1st person to reply to us with the correct answers to 3 meat boy related questions.

This weeks questions have a theme of "controversy".
Here are this weeks questions!

1.The Original ending of Meat Boy was censored on a few websites. what did the censored ending say?

2.The first Super Meat Boy ad featured a bovine meat chart. This ad was later edited, what was the original tag line for the game in that ad?

3.In the Meat Boy map pack, the final unlockable ending featured a cameo by a popular newgrounds character. His appearance had to be edited out of the game on other websites. Who was this controversial character?

Remember to reply to us on twitterwith your answers 1st person to tweet the right ones wins! (NG users can PM me with your answers) You have till Thursday the 19th.
http://twitter.com/SuperMeatBoy
Here are the winners from last months contest (most of them newgrounds users).

In other super meat boy news.. last months issue of Edge, featured 3 pages dedicated to super meat boy!
Page1, 2 and 3.

Oh this month Tom is also giving away free meat boy stickers to anyone who orders from the NG store. The are also on sale for those who want more then one, they are fucking sweet stickers i might add.
Ill also be including one with the comic for this months contest.

Good luck !
-Edmund

Tommy and i have been giving away a free SMB comic (the one that's sold out in the NG store) every Friday from now till release via twitter.
http://twitter.com/SuperMeatBoy

Basically every week we will have a contest or quiz, and the winner gets a free comic sent to them. This Friday will be an art contest, so i hope NG users will have the advantage here, something like THIS would easily be shoe in. Either way im sure they would make awesome additions to the art portal.

So yeah, Follow us on twitter if you want in on the contests. (http://twitter.com/SuperMeatBoy)

And while your at it become a fan of Meat Boy on facebook.
(http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pag es/Super-Meat-Boy/150509031323?ref=ts)

Looking forward to seeing what you guys make! :)

-Edmund

(ps: i added a cryptic image from one of the meat boy cut scenes.. who could it be?)

My niece came over to beta test super meat boy, shes 3.

We announced new features for super meat boy on IGN last week.
Check it out. http://wii.ign.com/articles/103/103508 9p1.html

Also D made a Giant limited edition Meat Boy plush this week, only a few left in the store.
http://bit.ly/2veLMq

On a personal note, im doing awesome thanks again for all the well wishes. im back up to 100% and working on ass off on SMB!!.

-Edmund

Well this has been an extremely crazy week. I'll try and recap to the best of my ability so i can cut to the part where i gush about how awesome you all are and how happy your kind words and support have really restored my faith in humanity.

So, at about 12am Saturday night my back started hurting, thinking it was just muscle pains i ignored it and continued to work, at about 3 the pain was almost unbearable so i attempted to sleep it off to no avail. by 4 i was writhing in pain on the floor trying my best to put off the inevitable emergency visit, at this point i was vomiting uncontrollably but was convinced it was just food poisoning and once it was out of my system I'd be ok.

At 5:30 my wife called my mother who picked us up and took me to the emergency room. The nurse's 1st thought was that i was somehow having an aneurysm, this of course freaked out everyone to the point of tears but after an EKG it was ruled out. At about 6:30 i was given morphine and by 8 i was put through tests to find out what was wrong, right away they could see my gallbladder was very inflamed and needed to be removed, but the scans also showed an abnormality on my liver that could potentially be cancer, this of course didn't go over well with anyone and the next 15 hours waiting for results of a 2nd scan was extremely hard on everyone. results came back negative, the abnormality was nothing more then a fatty lump, who'd a thought? :).

the next day i was setup for surgery, gallbladder removed and sent home at 11pm the next day, and have been slowly recuperating at my couch and pc for the past 4 days.

At some point while i was in the hospital My wife Danielle hijacked my facebook and posted the news, it wasn't long till people started sending donations and well wishes.

Now ill do my best to say this as honestly and clear cut as i can.. I appreciate every single amount of effort you've all put into the kind words you've sent me and money you've donated. I didn't expect anything like this at all, being in a drug addled haze for the past 5 days and waking up to something like this was beyond moving and brought me to tears many times. I love all of you guys and hope to repay you all in some way eventually.

Running the risk of forgetting someone i feel the need to really mention a few names of fellow devs that i really love and respect, my Team Meat partner Tommy, Matt from flashbang, Derek, Tyler, Tom, Daniel B, the guys and gals at Kongregate, John, Jeff, Kyle, the wolf fire guys, Matt Thorson, Metanet,Anna, Dan A... the list goes on, and i know im forgetting many... Everyone at Gonintendo, Destructiod and other wii blogs, all of you guys that twittered and posted on your blogs, Everyone that sent me e-mails and well wishes... you guys have made me feel very accepted and wanted and words cant express how good all this has made me feel. Expect something special in the mail from me in the coming months :).

But of course above all i need to thank my wife, Danielle, who stuck by my side the whole way through, i cant imagine how hard this was for her to deal with, i just feel so grateful for having her.

For those of you wondering about my insurance/money situation please don't worry about me. Ill be ok, you've all done more then enough and i don't go down that easily. I'm healing up well, I'm motivated and already getting back to work on SMB.. i can only imagine what games this experience will inspire :)

You guys are awesome friends.

Here's a pic of my ass in a hospital gown as a gift to all of you!
XOXO
-Edmund

PS i have meat posted meat boy news on our twitter for those of you who want meaty infoz.
http://twitter.com/SuperMeatBoy

The coming soon page for Super Meat Boy on Steam went up today, officially announcing that SMB will be coming out on Pc and Wiiware in the 1st Quarter of 2010. The Steam page also has some new screen shots and info.

Check it out kiddies http://store.steampowered.com/app/4080 0/

Also heres the 1st gameplay footage of Meat boy on the wii.

Tell your friends!

(we are also on twitter because we are so hip)

-Edmund

Time Fukc is out!

Play it!

i made a lil trailer for it for those of you who are too lazy to click 2 more times.

Enjoy, William and i put a lot of work into it
-Edmund

So ive been waiting to announce this for a long time.. and im still very confused on whats going on with the announcement.... but Aether is a finalist in Indiecade 2009!

I was told that the finalists would be announced by the 1st.. not too sure whats going on but i really wanted to post about it.. i could be doing something wrong here but, such is life.

Indiecade asked its 2009 finalists for to make a "mini documentary" about our games.. an interview or something along those lines.

So i interviewed my 3 year old niece Acacia, and re-edited it in a way that i felt expressed the theme and mood of Aether.

This game was a huge personal achievement for me as a designer, its one of a few games ive made that i feel have pushed my limits and its the game i feel was by far the most personal piece ive ever done.

Aether was a game based on my child hood, i wanted to make a game that felt how i remember feeling when i was between the ages of 5 and 7. There was a great deal of though and personal expression that went into almost every aspect of the game, even thought it only took 14 days for Tyler and myself to finish.

If you haven't played Aether yet, please do. you can play it online Here.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
459147

Aether was the 3rd in a series of games id done that i felt pushed emotional and abstract aspects of game design, the first 2 being Triachnid and Coil. It was also 2nd in in a series of allegorical games based off of my personal life (Coil, Aether, Spewer and Time Fuck).

Anyway it makes me feel pretty good inside for Aether to be recognized this way, i hope to one day finish the story with a full version of it.

But right no my life is filled with Meat.

-Edmund

Time Fkuc is a game about perspective, growth and self reflection.

It's currently being fondled by strangers, but will be come a full fledged whore on sept. 1st.

Time Kufc is by Myself, William Good and Justin Karpel.
Power of 3.

-Edmund

So as some of you know Tommy and i are crunching to get a playable build of SMB ready for Pax in early Sept. Things have been moving so quickly and looking so awesome that we couldn't help but upload a video with stills of the current build as well as some downright amazing music from the master himself Danny B.

Watch it down there v v v v v

The new track is actually a remix of the original forest music that was in the flash version of the game, but about 50,000 times better, and that's totally nuts because, its identical to my high score on double dragon!.. ZOINKS.

The images you see in the video are screen caps from the forest chapter of our current beta. Keep in mind these images are still VERY early and dont feature many of the "cream in your pants" effects Tommy will be working in over the next few months.

i also threw some super secrets in the video...

or did i?
(i did)

oh also this

-Edmund

I did a lil interview with a new indie startup website called "the indie bay" the other night.

One of the most common questions i get in these interviews is the "do you have any advice for indie devs who are new to the scene, or tips for developers". Well i actually answered it this time... i came up with this list of indie do's and Dont's.

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1. Be honest.
honesty is extremely important when making art.

2. Realize your making art.
Game designers are artist and have huge advantages over the mainstream, think about what they are and exploit them.

3.Take big risks.
try to innovate the hell out of anything you make. from gameplay to the way it looks, be unique and you will stand out.

4. Design from the heart.
Write/design around things you feel passionately about. Put yourself into your work and show the world what you personally have to offer.

5. Be ok with being poor.
Indie game design is the new starving artist, be frugal and humble.

6. Don't bite off more then you can chew.
if your just starting out.. think small, then think even smaller. If you start out on something big you wont finish it and if you do you will be burnt out on games.

7. Rapid prototyping.
Make lots of small ideas quickly, then expand on the ones that work.

8. Think critically.
99% of game design is critical thinking, try to find holes in your designs, and if you cant fill them move on to something else.

9. Stand out.
Don't make something that looks or feels exactly like something else. when people see something new they will be more forgiving of its design and when something doesn't look like everything else it will get more attention.

10. Grow up.
Chances are your not a fucking kid anymore, so if you feel like making a more adult themed game feel free to do so.. you're indie you don't have to answer to anyone.

11. Stay Grounded.
No matter how good you are there will always be someone better. stay humble and accept you're not perfect. a designers ego can easily put up walls that will stunt his growth for years just because he doesn't want to admit he might be wrong.

12. Go outside.
the outside world is important, it can also be very inspiring. Go take an adventure outside then come back home and write a game about it.. that's what miyamoto did.

13. Work with people.
People are nice, and some are quite talented in things you ain't. Game design tends to use both sides of your brain.. and chances are you're lacking in one area. find someone to fill that hole (insert sex joke here).

14. Network.
talk to other designers/fans/media about what your doing. you just might gain some perspective on how others view your work and maybe even make a few friends.

15. Stay balanced.
Most designers tend to become depressed or have a varying array of mental disorders. take care of your brain, and most importantly yourself.

16. Learn a little about business.
It sucks ass, but its important to know a little about it, so you know if your getting fucked over.

17. Be excited about your work.
If you cant get excited about something you've done.. then how can you expect others to be? talk about you're work to people sell yourself as well as your game.

18. Play video games.
You cant expect to learn anything if you aren't actively playing the games that are out.. even if they suck, games that sell well in the mainstream do it for a reason, pick it apart and find out why.

19. Dissect existing formulas.
All game genres are basic formulas. From level design, to mechanic introduction, to basic jumping patterns.. its all a formula that works for the game. Pick apart those formulas to see how they work.

20. Join communities.
Indie game communities are booming, join one. you don't have to post anything, but reading them will give you a good understanding of the dos and donts of early game development, as well as inside and opinions about game design in general.

21. Try to make money.
Selling your work, getting your games sponsored, using online ads and asking for donations are all means of making money from your work. You need some money to eat, so try to best to make some.

22. Be open to feedback.
if quite a few people say they don't get some aspect of your game that you think is perfect, chances are youre wrong. its hard to take critical feedback, especially when they are right. Loosen up, stay humble and remember your not as great as you think you are, if a majority says somethings wrong.. then it is.

23. Make the games YOU want to make.
Go with what moves you, if your no longer feeling something, put it down and work on what you're thinking about. Ive found that all of my best games were ones i did quickly and felt very passionately about.. the ones that sucked were ones i lost interest in but still finished up.

24. Have fun.
If your not having fun then quit. You only live once, there's no reason to keep doing something if its not making you happy.

25. Don't read dumb lists.
Most lists online are totally pointless and the guy writing them is usually talking out his ass anyway.

-------
Hope thats helpful
-Edmund