The above tweets were the first many of us knew of the problems that TotalBiscuit had been having for the last few days with one of his videos on Day One: Garry’s Incident being copyright claimed.

Today, we got the full explanation from the man in video form.

TotalBiscuit of course is a very popular Youtuber and a respected game reviewer. A lot of people listen to him and his ‘WTF is…?’ series was set up for the express purpose of reviewing games so that people could avoid the pitfall of buying a game that might not be for them, or in some cases just plain bad. That was the series that reviewed the aforementioned game, a review that was very critical of the game, then became copyright claimed and taken down through Youtube’s copyright claim system, with claims being made from Wild Games Studio‘s CEO Stephane that TB didn’t have the right to place ads onto the video and make money from a video containing their content.

TotalBiscuit of course is licensed to monetise his videos through the network he is a part of: Polaris, formerly known as The Game Station. Agreements were reached that the networks would police their members to ensure copyright standards were met and in return game content could be fairly used for things such as commentaries and reviews. However copyright claims can still be made by companies which will result in videos instantly being taken down and a strike issued against the account unless they can successfully appeal or, as in TotalBiscuit’s case, have a network backing them up to help get the strikes removed (TB previously got two against his account for old Sega-based content about a year back which were removed).

In the video TB makes a number of points with aid of screencaps of e-mail messages and forums posts that show that Wild Games Studio had opportunity to check out TB’s other WTF is…? videos (all monetised) and had previously encouraged people to make Youtube videos of their game. He also notes that other, less popular critical video reviews had not been removed. Only his, which of course reaches many people because of his large audience.

Kotaku have since contacted Wild Game Studios for a comment on the video and have been told that “after seeing all the negative impact today we decided to withdraw our complaint to YouTube.”
Regardless, although people might not always agree with TotalBiscuit’s opinions, he is a man who backs up his views with evidence and in the video he makes a very good case against Wild Game Studios. The studio might just have messed with the wrong man by taking down the original review…

Shades of Theme Hospital in the newest game from Double Fine, Spacebase DF-9, which tasks you with running your very own space station and trying to prevent everyone from dying.

You can play the new space simulator on Steam Early Access right now. It looks… amazing. And if that trailer hasn’t piqued your interest, check out this 39-minute walkthrough by creative lead JP LeBreton:

PRETTY COOL. The folks behind Spacebase DF-9 have got tons and tons of future content planned already, and their blog is already full of behind-the-scenes details and updates. Seems worth checking out.

Some of the biggest news this week in the gaming world has come from Valve, well known for their digital gaming client Steam as well as games such as Team Fortress 2. Over the course of five days they made three big announcements related to their long teasing of opening up gaming and revolutionising the console market. One of the central parts of this is their entry into the console market: the Steam Box. Or rather as they are now, Steam Machines.

Valve had previously released some details on their console offering, but Wednesday saw a lot more detail being revealed to the public. Valve plan to make the console very flexible, you can hack it, run operating systems other than Valve’s own Steam OS upon it, there are many different manufacturers creating their own version of the console, there’s even been talk of using it to build little robots (seriously, it’s in the Steam Machine Q and A). However the big surprise was Valve’s announcement that they plan to make available 300 prototypes for testing, which will be sent out… to the public. It’s a bold move given that most companies don’t make their new hardware available to the wider-audiences until it’s time to start selling it to them, but one that could work out and certainly fits into Valve’s ‘open gaming’ strategy.

The lucky participants will be (mostly) chosen at random, although Valve say a few spaces (about 30) have been reserved for community members who have contributed the most to Steam in some way. There is a beta ‘quest’ available to enter Steam accounts into the draw for the prototypes which mostly requires completing a set of tasks that make use of Steam’s many functions (for example, one condition is you need at least 10 people on your friend list). The ‘beta quest’ will be open until October 25th.

Friday saw the final of the promised three announcements of the week with the link between Monday’s Steam OS software and Wednesday’s Steam Machine hardware: a hackable, programmable controller. Beta versions were shown off and a few working prototypes made so invited game developers could get hands-on with the new hardware and test its functionality with their own games in mind. The controller’s main selling point is its lack of the traditional double joystick, replacing these with two trackpads as well as a touchscreen in the centre (although the latter was missing from the tester prototypes). There are buttons too but not where you’d expect to find them. Numbering sixteen at all, two flank the inner side of each trackpad and another two are on the back of the controller.

Customers can set up the buttons to work any way they want however and the controller is also supposed to feature a mode that allows it to function as a mouse and keyboard for those games in the Steam library that require it. The general view from those who have tested it seems to be it works well, even if it take a little getting used to at first.

Both pieces of hardware are said to be planned for retail next year, but depending on how much the selected beta testers share online (which Valve encourages them to do by the way) we could know a bit more about both before the release.

Independent game developer Reptile Games is pleased to announce their game, Megabyte Punch is currently available to the public via the Humble Bundle Store, Desura and Gamersgate. Described best as a mash-up of SSB, Megaman and Custom Robo. Megabyte Punch is an electro fighting/beat ‘em up game in which players can build and customize their own player. The game is currently on sale for $11.99 (US), 20% off its original price of $14.99 for PC (Windows), Mac and Linux. Megabyte Punch fans can also purchase a special edition of the game that comes with the original Soundtrack with 27 tracks, HD Wallpapers, and extra custom levels for $20.00.

In Megabyte Punch players battle various creatures in the story mode to get their parts and upgrade their own fighter; like Tornado shoulders for a whirlwind attack or powerful hips for a devastating pelvic thrust attack. Then, using the abilities of their customized fighter, they can compete in tournaments or battle against other players in a destructible arena.

In the multiplayer battle mode players can fight other players with the abilities each customized creature gives them. Players can also enter the tournament to win rare new parts for their character. Players will have the opportunity to create their own versus levels with an external image editor and add it into the game for endless destructive fun.

Features of the full game:
* Chunky stylish graphics.
* 6 unique electro-worlds with boss fights.
* 150 parts to collect and endless combinations to customize your character.
* Pumpin’ Electro Soundtrack.
* Compete in the tournament for rare parts.
* Up to 4 player local co-op and versus mode.

“There are loads of different parts and abilities players can use to build a unique fighting character”, states developer Tim Remmers. “We’re very excited to release Megabyte Punch onto the world and anxious to see how players will use and abuse the abilities of their customised characters!”

Fans of the game are encouraged to visit the Steam Greenlight page and vote to see it available on the distribution platform.

For additional information, visit their Website, Facebook and Twitter.

Following this summer’s Steam release of Fist Puncher, Team2Bit has delivered the retro-styled brawler to the console via the Xbox LIVE Indie Games (XBLIG) channel.  (Or Here)

“People think we’re backwards porting a Steam game to XBLIG,” says studio co-founder Jake Lewandowski. “But despite the Xbox One controversy and the questions on where Microsoft will stand with indies in the next gen, they are the ones that truly democratized videogame consoles with XBLIG and XNA.”

“We hope Microsoft recognizes their position as a leader and follows up with another indie-friendly console. As much maligned as the indie channel is, it still stands for something important. True, some of the shittiest games ever made are up there, but that’s what makes finding the hidden gems so much more magical,” adds Matt Lewandowski.

The XBLIG port boasts the same wealth of content that earned Fist Puncher the title of the ‘world’s largest brawler’, including 50 levels, 15 playable characters, an extensive RPG and leveling system and 4 player local coop. It will retail for 400 MSP, or $5.

While the PC version of Fist Puncher was published by Adult Swim Games, the Xbox version is not. “Adult Swim is an ideal partner for small studios, they’re redefining what it means to be a publisher in the era of the indies. While they did provide enormous help prepping Fist Puncher for Steam, they also allowed us the freedom to self-publish on other platforms,” Lewandowski says.