We are proud to announce Strike Suit Zero. An arcade space combat game, which has transformable spacecraft known as “strike suits”, that can shift between two modes of flight. The game will also feature the work of mechanical designer Junji Okubo (Steel Battalion, Infinite Space) as well as music from composer Paul Ruskay (Homeworld).

Strike Suit Zero will have players controlling the eponymous transforming strike suits during Earth’s final hours. The game will also be shown at this year’s Gamescom, so stay tuned for that, and is set to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC sometime in Q1 2012. The teaser trailer is below.

Sam’s best cake ever!

Some photos from our comic relief costumes. Congratulations to all who took part for your creativity and effort!

We’ve done a podcast (direct link here and it’s also on iTunes), with Mr. Chew and I, talking stuff about the new Burn Zombie Burn patch and the upcoming DLC. We also talk a bunch about games and other stuff, specifically Chewie’s fascination with Monster Hunter as well as setting a challenge for listeners.

For those interested, Chewie will be present at the grand opening for the UK Gathering Hall for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on Friday 3rd July. In case you want to meet up, here’s a recent picture of the cheeky scamp…

Retro Recommendations
This will be an ongoing feature where we will select a few lesser known retro games that we’ve enjoyed but didn’t necessarily get the recognition they deserved.
• Contra: Shattered Soldier – An update to the classic Konami shooter, here’s a nice video of it in action.
• Image Fight – An early Irem vertical scrolling shooter with fascinating level design and curious pod usage. Again, here is a nice video of the game.

No Fire Challenge!
This is our listener challenge and the deadline for this is the 15th July. Make sure you e-mail us your YouTube videos as proof, otherwise you won’t be entered. As for prizes, we’ll rustle something cool up for the most skilled winner.

• Start the first challenge – My Exploding Zombie Head.
• No torch or flame-thrower – meaning if the fire multiplier goes over x1 then the score is void.
• Has to be a recording from start to finish (Only exception is to start recording 10 seconds in to the level to give you an overlap to see the results screen).
• Score as high as you can!

Here’s a video of Chewie having a go at it, his score was 7,665,957. Think you can do any better?

Contact Details
Feel free to e-mail us about whatever you heard on the podcast. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter, if you want to follow the studio further.

At the BAFTA Digital Distribution Panel, our studio head James Brooksby had a few things to say about how PSN allows us to have a closer relationship with gamers. It also goes into more general detail about digital distribution as a whole.

How exciting! Yes, we’ve been included in the BAFTA nominations this year for our DS version of Geometry Wars: Galaxies.

As ever, stiff competition, up there with;

• God of War: Chains of Olympus
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
• Patapon
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village
• Soul Bubbles

It’s an honour to be included in such a list… good luck to everyone!

The awards take place on March 10th.

Jim was recently interviewed by GI.biz about various matters pertaining to the digital distribution of games and how smaller game developers are handling the recession. With any luck they’ll be a preview of Burn Zombie Burn to follow.

We’re really chuffed to announce that we won the prestigious “Best new UK/European Studio” award at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in sunny old Brighton last night… The lovely resin block has made it back to a party balloon crammed studio and is now thoroughly covered in fingerprints having been pawed by all our giddy staff. We all enjoyed a afternoon off at the movies watching Christian Bale beat the crap out Heath Ledger followed by a tour of drinking establishments in Guildford. Hopefully the first of many shiny trophies.

James Brooksby, our jolly leader (and thoroughly nice chap) gets grilled by Games Industry.biz on the state of Digital Distribution, which is suitably pertinent considering that this is doublesix’s area of expertise.