Xbox Live Arcade

[Glockstar]

I know we've already been talking a lot about XLA in the "360 general game topic" thread, but I think the feature and the games deserve their own thread. Post all updates here.

And to start out...

I finally did it! I finally got the Big Cheese of the South Seas! I didn't think I'd ever get that one. (I know I'll never get the Grand Pearl Poo-Bah.)

And I remembered what you said Cuddly, that if you get it on the last level (7) it ends the game. So I positioned the last black pearl right next to the others so that it would be a click away, in case a nasty bomb came along, I wouldn't sweat it, then cracked my knuckles and got ready to score some points! I got one combo before an undiffuseable bomb showed up. :arf: #@$%! Ended up with around 470,000 points.

But here's the real pisser: my score didn't post! In fact, it doesn't look like it took at all. It has me down for 322,000-something. I got the BCotSS Achievement, but the stats for this game show that I only got 2 black pearls - so it doesn't add up. I think I know the reason for this: I got disconnected from Live at somepoint during the game. :sad: But why wouldn't it update proper when I re-connected? #@$%.

[Fivespot]

Congrats on your achievement! Sucks the score didn't post properly.

XBLA needs more games soon!!!!! It's been awfully quiet lately in that regard. A few upcoming titles that could be only days/weeks away:
Pac Man
Frogger
Tapper
Galaga (one of my all-time faves)
SF2 (duh)
Paperboy
Hoop World
Lumines Live
Super Smash Brothers type game only with guns

and more that I'm forgetting at the moment.....

[BoyVsCar]

...tip of the hat for a smooth achievenment... I haven't come close.

True... we do need more games on Live! I am looking forward to some fresh content... and Lumines Live! [I LOVE Lumines on the PSP...]

[Cuddly Knife]

Congrats on your Big Cheese achieve. Bummer about the score. That happened to me on Geometry Wars when I got my Survive 1,000,000 and I had beat my game high score. The achieve counted, but the score didn't. That's funny and sh!tty that you didn't get to score big. When I saw that you were playing the game, I started chewing my fingernails...

...especially since I saw that my Mutant Storm Reloaded rank on Adventure mode dropped to 33. 26 to 33. Grrrr. My Tally mode score dropped from 12 to 13. I think I'm now in the thousands in Geometry Wars. I'm going down...

...but at least I got my rank in Revenge down to 66 before I lost to a 3,000 rank and got dropped to 109. Top 200 is good enough for me on that game, though.

I'm stupid pumped for Lumi-Live! I never did 999,999 score in Lumines for the PSP. The most I got was six or seven hundred thousand...

I'm equally, if not moreso pumped for Street Fighter 2, so I can drop Shoryukens like they're going out of style.

Frogger is also one of my favorite Atari 2600 games, so I'm sure I'll rip this game a new one when it comes out. A game that my girl would actually play, maybe. Paperboy definitely.

[Glockstar]

..but at least I got my rank in Revenge down to 66 before I lost to a 3,000 rank and got dropped to 109.

Hah! Is that why you won't play me?

Is that why nobody will? Because I have no rank? Everytime I've tried to join a Ranked game I get booted. :(

-

Back to Hexic HD...

That scoring debacle kind of pissed me off, so I had to fire the game up again today and retry. It took me a few tries (but I guess I'm getting better, because it only took me three or four tries to get it a second time, as opposed to the 25+ it took me to get it the first) but I got the BCotSS again... tho' my score wasn't quite as good: I ended up with around 465,000. That one's posted at least. (And puts me at about 6910th place worldwide.)


When I saw that you were playing the game, I started chewing my fingernails...

You can breathe easy. For now.

I'm coming for ya tho'. Last nite I was up till the wee hours playing it, and then again today with (subsequently) very little sleep - so I've been playing it tired. Let me get my rest and get refreshed and I will beat your score.

[Cuddly Knife]

Hah! Is that why you won't play me?

Is that why nobody will? Because I have no rank? Everytime I've tried to join a Ranked game I get booted. :(It's not the reason why I don't play against you(We just couldn't get into the same room. When you were free, I was in the middle of a run and reverse.), but it is the reason that others won't play against you. It's the same type of thing for me. People will kick me out because my rank is so high, which I don't understand, because if I saw someone who joined my room with a better rank I would try to keep them in. You'd get a sick rank boost if you can beat the higher ranks, and theirs will drop more than a few digits.

I heard that the rankings only go up to 75,000 so if you want to get ranked, I suggest starting your own room and wait for others to join. Just try to build up your online points. Hit me up if you want to tear up the road.

I'm coming for ya tho'. Last nite I was up till the wee hours playing it, and then again today with (subsequently) very little sleep - so I've been playing it tired. Let me get my rest and get refreshed and I will beat your score.
*chewchewchewchew*

[Glockstar]

...Super Smash Brothers type game only with guns...

You talking about RoboBlitz? Oh hell yeah!

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/roboblitz/news.html?sid=6145725
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/698/698329p1.html


We're also getting Tetris! (Woot!)
And Cyberball! (Double woot!)
Ms. Pac-Man!
Super C!
Sonic the Hedgehog
Track n Field
Hoopworld
Texas Hold 'Em (I think this is the game that's supposed to work really neatly with the upcoming camera)
as is Totemball ("an interactive musical game for Xbox Live that features camera functionality")
and rumor has it: Bonk

Now some of these games won't be arriving until next year :( ...but I think most will be here in time for the holidays. :D

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

Cant wait for Texas Holdem. With the Vision cam. VGR strip poker night BABY!!!!!!!




No just kidding. Is contra going to be online co-op. If so that would make it better than the newer PS2 versions (actually it's better than them anyway).

Is Hexic really fun. I think I've only played it once since I got my system.

[Cuddly Knife]

Hexic is as addicting as Tetris, almost. And it's made by the same guy who made Tetris.

I bet Contra will be co-op, and they'll leave in the function to steal you parters lives if you die all of yours!

[Cuddly Knife]

Uh-oh, I just found out that the Contra on LA will be the actual Arcade version, playable in either original graphics or spruced up. There will be co-op.

I never played the arcade version of Contra. I can guess that it's harder than the one of the NES?

Heavy Weapon is on my list, because I think it's a shmup.

[Glockstar]

Rumor has it...

Game / Availability / Price-Points
Pac-Man...Aug/Sep...400
Frogger...Aug/Sep...400
RoboBlitz...Aug/Sep...800
Cloning Clyde...July...800
Lumines Live...Aug/Sep...1200
Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting...June...400

That last one kind of ruins it and trashes the whole integrity of the rumor, don't you think? Then again, everything else sounds exactly like what you'd imagine... Hmmm...

[Fivespot]

Damn it's been slow on XBOX Live Arcade the last bunch of weeks (since Uno). That will change starting tomorrow when Frogger is released. During the "Summer of XBOX Live Arcade" a game will be released every Wednesday starting with Frogger.

7/19 - Cloning Clyde (made by Wahoo Studios who also made Outpost Kaloki X)
7/26 - Galaga
8/2 - Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting
8/9 - Pac Man

Here is a link to the story at Joystiq:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/sf-event-to-unveil-live-arcade-wednesdays/

Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to Frogger. It's one of my wife's all-time favorite games and will make her estatic. Same w/Galaga. Plus, I dig Galaga as well. Don't care much about Pac Man so probably won't purchase that title.

Finally some new Live Arcade titles. I hope more keep coming hereafter.

[theWacoKid]

Galaga, Frogger, and Pacman, 400 points. Cloning Clyde and SFII 800 points.

[Cuddly Knife]

I waited until 2 in the morning to DL this stupid game, but it still wasn't out. Which midnight are these people talking about when they say it's going to be released at that time?

I already unlocked all but 2 achievements for Frogger. Fun game, and even more fun(though a little laggy) when playing co-op. There's an achieve for co-op(score 30,000 points! I've gotten twenty Gs pretty much by myself, because all the people I've played with on co-op couldn't get past level 2, but they'll still get that score on the leaderboard because of me. Grrrr.), but none for any of the versus modes. All the others are for single player stuff. I don't think I'll ever get the level 5 complete achieve, because that level is insane fast.

The only version I ever played of Frogger was on the Atari, so these graphics are killer compared to what I remember them being. Still just as hard, though.

Five, whenever you want to play some co-op, I'll be down, but I probably won't want to play versus.

This game makes me long for the one on the PS1 that had cloud levels and fire levels and craziness all around. One of my favorite PS1 games, that one is.

[theWacoKid]

MS HQ is seatle, washington. Whenever they release a time, its pacific time. I downloaded yesterday around 1:00am pacific time.

[Cuddly Knife]

Cloning Clyde tonight.

In two weeks, Street Fighter!

[Cuddly Knife]

Cloning Clyde is great! Definitely throwback to games like the 2-D Oddworlds, only with a little more action. Multi-player is pretty useless, but it doesn't matter when you have 24 regular levels plus 10 challenge levels. Plus fetch-quests. The sense of humor is just enough, and the graphics are impressive for a game that is only 24 MB in size. Totally worth 800 points. Achievements are well placed. I can see myslef playing this one for a while, trying to improve my times for individual levels.

[jimmcq]

Yeah, I was actually surprised by Cloning Clyde... I wasn't expecting much from it, but its a fun little game.

[Glockstar]

YES!!!

A wish is about to come true: Alien Hominid is coming to Xbox Live Arcade!

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/720/720005p1.html

[Cuddly Knife]

Yeah, Alien Hominid is cool. I don't know why you're pumped, Glock, since that game is probably one of the hardest shmups I've played, if no the hardest. Aren't you a hater of stupid-hard games?

Glock, Five, I see that you have CC. How about you's impressions? I gotta say that I love the game and can't get enough, even though I've pretty much maxed-out my score as far as gaining faster times is concerned. I can always try for an extra tenth, I guess. I still have to rescue about thirty Clydes and 10 or so Kenneth dolls, but that won't give me but a few extra thousand points though. The real payoff is in the fast completion times. My goal is to hit at least 9.5 million points. That'll keep me in the top 200. I love the graphics, and I hope they do another game with similar style.

How about Frogger guys? Or are you not old-school enough? Anyone want to get the 30,000 point achieve just hit me up! You have to be able to get to at least level 4 in order for us to reach the 30,000 mark. Supposedly it's easier to judge jumps if you use classic graphics instead of the re-make style.

Tonight/tomorrow we go even older-school with Galaga. Is there any multi-player in this game?

[Fivespot]

I'm having a hard time putting down my guitar lately hence my lull in gaming. Yes, I picked up Cloning Clyde and although I've only played it about an hour, I like it. It's original, funny, different, tweaked, stylistic, artsy....

Frogger is more for my wife so I haven't played it much. Good game but only in small doses.

I'm anxious to see what the Galaga achievements will be. I started playing that game in the arcade (yes, I'm that old) and also owned iterations on the N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube & XBOX. That being considered, I haven't decided on Galaga just yet (although it's a long time fave of mine).

[Glockstar]

Yeah, Alien Hominid is cool. I don't know why you're pumped, Glock, since that game is probably one of the hardest shmups I've played, if no the hardest. Aren't you a hater of stupid-hard games?

Oh I don't hate them; I just suck at them. And I fully expect to get my azz kicked in AH... but still, I just gotta support this game, ya know?

-

Glock, Five, I see that you have CC. How about you's impressions? I gotta say that I love the game and can't get enough, even though I've pretty much maxed-out my score as far as gaining faster times is concerned. I can always try for an extra tenth, I guess. I still have to rescue about thirty Clydes and 10 or so Kenneth dolls, but that won't give me but a few extra thousand points though. The real payoff is in the fast completion times. My goal is to hit at least 9.5 million points. That'll keep me in the top 200. I love the graphics, and I hope they do another game with similar style.

I've only dabbled in it so far really, but I think I love it. My boy is hilarious! It is soooo much like OKX...

I should probably wait until I finish the game before saying such things, but... I'm want to put Ninja Bee up with there with Bungie and Bioware atop the greatest developers evar! list. :D

-

How about Frogger guys? Or are you not old-school enough? Anyone want to get the 30,000 point achieve just hit me up! You have to be able to get to at least level 4 in order for us to reach the 30,000 mark. Supposedly it's easier to judge jumps if you use classic graphics instead of the re-make style.

I just demoed Frogger. It was as I expected/remembered: new look, but same ole' game. Which means that it's not for me. I have got to be the worst Frogger player ever. A two-year old could beat me. I think my all-time highest score is around 2500. I just SUCK at it. I haven't got the patience (or the attention span) for it; I just want to go, go go; I can't wait for anything.

-

Tonight/tomorrow we go even older-school with Galaga. Is there any multi-player in this game?

Never was a Galaga (or Galaxian, or whathaveyou) fan either. (Astrosmash tho' - that one I liked.)

[Glockstar]

Speaking of Alien Hominid and multiple projects by one developer... and supporting those projects...

The Behemoth is working on a Gauntlet-type game for XLA, called Castle Crashers.

Game Informer did an interview with the guys from The Behemoth (gameplay designer/programmer Tom Fulp and lead artist Dan Paladin) at Comic-Con... some excerpts:

Game Informer: Can you give a basic breakdown of Castle Crashers? It seems like all four characters have different elemental powers…

Dan Paladin: It’s a beat ‘em up. You have different combos, everybody can shoot arrows. The only huge difference between all of the knights is their elemental magic powers. There are several levels to go through so you won’t have all of your abilities at the beginning. But as you finish guys off you get more experience.

Tom Fulp:It also has, I don’t know if you’ve played Guardian Heroes on the Saturn. It has that sort of level up where you get points that you can spend on the different attributes. So at the end of the level you can choose to allocate points on magic, archery, speed, etc.

Paladin: We have some surprises too where you’ll gain certain abilities if you pour enough in. I don’t know if we’re still going to do it or not, but each knight has slightly different base attributes in those areas.

Fulp: Yeah, we’re playing around. There are already some things like the barbarian boss is more hurt by fire than ice. There are little differences like that.

Paladin: Even the regular enemies have that too. Did we set the resistance for the actual knights themselves yet? Like if you’re the fire guy and you go to the volcano world.

Fulp: It’s all set for that actually. The whole damage system basically takes into account the elemental power of the attacks.

Paladin: This one, I’d say, is probably easier than Alien Hominid. You probably noticed that right off the bat. I want unlimited lives in the game where you die. The boss gets you or something, and you go back out to the map just like Mario.

Fulp: Yeah, it would be unlimited lives. You have to beat the level without dying. But if you die then you’re just back out to the map. And then you can go back to other levels and keep powering up your character. So it’s kind of a classic role playing game where if you can’t cut it, you can just go somewhere else for awhile.

GI: What’s the overall plot for the game?

Paladin: They take your idol from your town and they take your princesses. And you’re more out to just destroy everything and find out where it is. You don’t really have any idea where you’re going. The guys are kind of like anti-heroes. You still root for them, but they’re not really being very straightforward about it.

GI: So why did you decide to go with Xbox Live Arcade for Castle Crashers?

Tom Fulp: Xbox Live we always had in mind. The big thing about it is file size. They want it to be 50 megs so it’s an easy download. We were always a little nervous about that, getting stuff to fit. Now we’re playing around with stuff where we can store the art as vector and either run it as vector or convert it to raster. So we can store a lot more graphics with a smaller file size. We were going through the whole process of getting approved and getting dev kits so now we’re finally official. But it’s been in the works for a while. We’ve been tossing it around for a few months.

The great thing about Xbox Live Arcade is it’s a lot more direct. We don’t have to go through a publisher and we get a lot more money per sale, and we sell the game a lot cheaper too. It’s really like a win, win, win. The only downside is if not enough people download it. But from what we’ve been looking at so far it looks like people are doing really well with it.

GI: When can we expect to see Castle Crashers on Live Arcade?

Fulp: We’re aiming at first quarter 2007. What we’ll also be showing at Comic-Con is Alien Hominid widescreen. We’re aiming for that for the holidays. We’ll have that playing tonight. It’s higher res. It looks a little crisper than before. It runs real nice and it’s widescreen.

Dan Paladin: We’ve gotta take that extra time and make Castle Crashers multiplayer online. It would make it so much better.

Fulp: That’s the other big question: are we going to do Alien Hominid multiplayer? It’s just scary. We started playing with the multiplayer stuff. We could definitely do it but you have to deal with all of the stuff where someone has lag and everything else has to catch up.

GI: So how many players would you support for each title?

Fulp: Alien Hominid is two and Castle Crashers is four.

...

GI: How’s Alien Hominid coming along for Live Arcade?

Fulp: Alien Hominid is just a matter of tweaking everything to be widescreen and then adding some extra fun stuff to it, whether it’s new levels or… we’ll see.

...

GI: Are you guys thinking about doing episodic content for Castle Crashers?

Paladin: One idea was to split it up into four sections. You’d play the first episode and if you want to keep going then you’d pick the others and they’re all not that much money. They’d all run into each other so your unlocks carry over. It all depends on how many levels we end up with whether it’s worth it or not.

GI: What kind of length are you guys shooting for?

Paladin: As long as possible, really

Fulp: That’s a little up in the air too since Live Arcade changes things.

Paladin: Yeah, the size limit. We’re trying to be really efficient with everything so size won’t really be a problem.

Fulp: It should be longer than Alien Hominid though. If someone spends five bucks to rent a movie and they get an afternoon of enjoyment out of it they might pay five bucks for an episode and get a few hours of play out of it.

Paladin: We don’t want to force anybody to pay twenty bucks for something they might not like. So if they pay five bucks and they want more of that game then they pay another five bucks and end up paying twenty bucks in the end. I think it’s a good idea whether or not we do it. I think we should.

[Cuddly Knife]

Castlevania Coming to Live Arcade
Symphony of the Night to appear sometime this winter.
by Charles Onyett

August 3, 2006 - Fans of the first PlayStation's vampire shredding Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will be glad to know the game is soon to make a reemergence. According to what Konami told us today, SotN will be releasing onto the Xbox Live Arcade sometime this winter. Whether that means it'll show up late this year or early in 2007, Konami couldn't say. Microsoft's approval process for products appearing on Xbox Live is somewhat extensive, so it's difficult to pin down an exact date.

In terms of price or extra features offered in the Xbox Live Arcade version, Konami wouldn't say, other than they're working on it. Fans of the PS1's platforming classic will be happy to know that more details will be revealed later this month at a Konami event. Until then, we'll keep you updated on any more developments.
I have a question. How are these types of games possible on LA, when they said that games could only be 50MB in size max? SotN has to be larger than 50MB, because SF2 HF clocked in at 48.5MB, and that's an old ass game that was able to be ported on the SNES.

NOTE- I'm going to have my friend Sam come over when this game comes out and he'll have me at the top of the leaderboards. The very top. The only person I've seen that's better than him at this game is the guy on SpeedDemosArchive that does the speed run.

[Cuddly Knife]

I crushed my Mutant Storm Reloaded score. Before I was at 14.5 million, ranked at 53, but now, I have a score of 27,437,600 and a rank of 26! I was able to beat the game 2 1/2 times through, and then it ended my game automatically at level 40 or so. Egg. I could've beat it all the way through again, since I still had eight lives.

Ugh, 2 hours and 40 minutes this match took me. My noodle hurts.

[Fivespot]

Upcoming releases:

this Wednesday - Pac Man
8/16 - Texas Hold 'em
8/23 - Time Pilot
8/30 - Scramble (both by Konami)
9/6 - Lumines Live

[Glockstar]

Hmmm... looks like XLA is taking this Wednesday off... looks like the release schedule got pushed back a week:

8/23 = Texas Hold'Em (FREE! during the first 48 hours of it's release - after that, it's 800 points)
8/30 = Time Pilot (arcade dogfighter; 400 pts)
9/6 = Scramble (1981 side-scroller; 400 pts)

[Glockstar]

REMINDER

Texas Hold'Em came out this morning, and is FREE until Friday morning. (I think it ends at 1am Pacific Time.)

[Glockstar]

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product_id=200188

I've been seeing this game in the "Coming Soon" section on GameStop Online for awhile but didn't know what to think about it because I never read anything about it on any of the sites I visit, or in any of the magazines I subscribe to... but now I see that Circuit City lists the game as well, and at the local GameStop they have a mock up box out to promote pre-orders... so I guess the game is real.(?)

Still don't know any real details - beyond price ($39.99) - but if the cover I saw was a true indicator of what games are going to be included then it looks like Geometry Wars Retro Evolved; Bejeweled; Outpost Kaloki X; and Wik: Fable of Souls will be among them.

Shoot, with a list like that I'm thinking about buying it just for backup.

-

[*EDIT/UPDATE*]

D'oh! It lists what games comes on right there on that webpage I linked too. (I never saw them there before until just now tho'.)

* Games included in Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged
- Geometry Wars Evolved
- Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
- Wik: Fable of Souls
- Hardwood Backgammon
- Outpost Kaloki X
- Texas Hold’em

[Cuddly Knife]

I'll buy it just to have the games I don't have yet(all except GWE), plus portable versions of the ones I already have for emergency use. For instance, I can't seem to play full versions of some of my games(like GWE) unless I'm connected to Live. ANyone else have this issue?

[Glockstar]

No; not me.

But if I'm disconnected from Live - for whatever reason - then I don't like to play my XLA games anyway. Not after what happened to me with Hexic.

-

I can't believe that you still haven't gotten Wik yet.(!)

[Cuddly Knife]

It took me a few hours, but I am not over 22 mil, and I also broke into the top 20 again, but probably not for long.

http://gallery.videogamereview.com/data/vgr/500/medium/Mutant_Storm_Tally_22_.JPG

I was really just trying to catch Mr. Landlord, but when I got to 21,900,000 I just had to go for the 22 mil. I wasn't looking to see when I got the 22 mil until I was done for the night, and then when I did check my score, I noticed that I was also ranked in the top 20!

Gravy. I'm one of the best Mutant Stormers in the world!!!

Now if only I could get the Blackbelt Grandmaster Achievement.:(

[Glockstar]

Nice!

[Cuddly Knife]

Right after I made the last post, I tried out some more MSR, and now I'm 18 rank. 8,000 points away from 17 rank. I'm about tapped out on Tally mode.

[Cuddly Knife]

Scramble = crap. I'm done with these arcade "classics". For MS to supposedly have over 100 devs on board Live Arcade, they sure are taking their sweet time getting some original titles out there.

At least I have my MSR.

[Glockstar]

LOL... no offense, but I think you're probably the only shmuck in the world who bought that game. "Arcade Classics"? Who the frack's even heard of Scramble!?

Now an Arcade Classic would be: Burgertime... Mappy... Pengo... Omega Race... :wink5:

...you know, you think about it, not too many old-school shooters stand the test of time. I mean, even Galaga got boring real quick, didn't it? Other than Omega Race, Gyruss and Xevious are all that I can think of that might still be cool to play. I'd buy them for $5.

[Cuddly Knife]

Hah! I didn't buy it. Thank Jeebus for demos.

[Cuddly Knife]

How are you beating me on the My Arcade Games page Leaderboard, but not in the actual game leaderboad of Cloning Clyde? Did you collect all of the CLydes and Kens? That's gotta be it...
_____________________

Also, nothing new came out this week for LA.

[Glockstar]

MWAHAHAHAHA!

It's eating you up inside, isn't it? :p

Yes, I did save all of the Clydes and recovered all of the the Kens... but I honestly don't think that's how they rank that particular, overall leaderboard: I think time spent playing the game is the biggest factor on that one. So it's not exactly the most prestigious leaderboard - don't sweat it.

Btw, I'd love to play me some CC multi-player, if/when any of you guys are.

[Cuddly Knife]

MWAHAHAHAHA!

It's eating you up inside, isn't it? :pA little bit, yes. Mainly because I just crushed Fiveski's score in Feeding Frenzy by double what he has! I know a secret...

Yes, I did save all of the Clydes and recovered all of the the Kens... but I honestly don't think that's how they rank that particular, overall leaderboard: I think time spent playing the game is the biggest factor on that one.
Hmm, I don't know, I've played this game all kinds of time to get the high scores. I'm thinking more than you've played to get all the dolls.
Btw, I'd love to play me some CC multi-player, if/when any of you guys are.
Sure. Only Five has this one I think also. And, can you set up private matches?

[Glockstar]

Needed to share this IGN article:

TGS 2006: Xbox Live Arcade Update
The cutting edge of 20 year old games.
by Charles Onyett

September 23, 2006 - At their press briefing last Wednesday, Microsoft announced a few new titles for the Xbox Live Arcade. At their TGS 2006 booth, they had a number of these on display. Available for play were a few titles already released in the United States, including Frogger, Marble Blast Ultra, Uno, and Pac-Man. In terms of unreleased titles, we saw Dig Dug, Ms. Pac-Man, Track and Field, Rush'n Attack, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Fatal Fury Special, Super Contra, Contra, Gyruss, New Rally X, and Totem Ball.

From what we could tell, nearly all these titles had received "enhanced" graphical upgrades. Super Contra, for instance, featured some flashy shimmering swirl effects when enemies were pelted with bullets. Even the original Contra had been given a facelift. Others included Gyruss, Track and Field, and Rush n' Attack. We're assuming there are options to choose between enhanced and original visuals, as was the case with Frogger when it went live. Though some may balk at modifying what they consider classic presentation, it's still a welcome option.

We also saw a number of these games supported Xbox Live. Not just leaderboards, but actual play. After booting up Super Contra, we were able to actually set up a server and wait for someone to join in for cooperative play. We'd love to bring you more details about what was included in each of the games' menus, but we can't read Japanese.

At SNK's booth we picked up a pamphlet listing Metal Slug as destined for the XBLA. No release date was printed and it wasn't anywhere to be seen, but it's still good news for action fans.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/734/734966p1.html

Hah! I was just talking about Gyruss. Ask and ye shall receive! Seriously, I had no idea that this game was coming to XLA. Sweet.

[Glockstar]

This game has been a real mystery - the only thing known about it is that it will use the Vision Camera for gameplay - until now that is. There's some good product info on Xbox.com, including screenshots:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/totemballxboxlivearcade/default.htm

Sounds kind of like a Monkey Ball/Eye-Toy game. Except with a greater involvement of music.

[Fivespot]

According to some early news coming out of the X06 event in Spain, Doom was announced as a Live Arcade title and apparently it comes out tonight!!

I've got to give it to MS, I love these last minute announcements where the game releases same day. Way cool.

[Cuddly Knife]

Damn you, Unlucky. I give up. I tried for a while to get more points when I saw that you had me beat in CC, but I just couldn't! I still have you beat by almost 5,000,000 points on the actual game leaderboard, so my only thought on this is that you've possibly been playing multi-player and that gives you points? I tried to get on some multi-player yesterday to test this out, but no-one was on, so I gave up and just decided to ask you.

On a more personal note, I finally scored me 200 GP on Marble Blast Ultra, after a few hours of buckling down and working on getting under the final level Par time. I also advanced one more level in Zuma.

And still nothing new for Live Arcade in two weeks. Jerks. EDIT- See what I get for taking thirty minutes to write this post! Damn you, 360!

[Cuddly Knife]

Doom is already on LA Marketplace.

[Glockstar]

According to some early news coming out of the X06 event in Spain, Doom was announced as a Live Arcade title and apparently it comes out tonight!!

I've got to give it to MS, I love these last minute announcements where the game releases same day. Way cool.

That is - or would be - cool.

I've already got the game via Doom 3, and was pretty far along in it (before getting stuck), but would still pick up an XLA version (as long as the price was/is right) because I love having games right there at-the-ready the second I turn my system on.


Doom is already on LA Marketplace.

Sweet! How much is it?

Ah, I'll find out for myself here in a bit...

[Glockstar]

Damn you, Unlucky. I give up. I tried for a while to get more points when I saw that you had me beat in CC, but I just couldn't! I still have you beat by almost 5,000,000 points on the actual game leaderboard, so my only thought on this is that you've possibly been playing multi-player and that gives you points? I tried to get on some multi-player yesterday to test this out, but no-one was on, so I gave up and just decided to ask you.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I was just messing with you. I saw that you had taken the #1 spot (it looked like you had done just enough to do so), so I decided turn it back on myself and retake the lead. Tit for tat, baby! :cool:

And just to let you know, I think I've got a lot more in the tank than you do; I've got a lot more incentive to play it (the sp mode) again than you do: I've only gone for speed runs on the first 8 levels. And even then only gave them a quickie one-time run through.

But no, it's not the multi-player that has given me the lead. Like you, I've never been able to find anyone on Live to play it with. The multi-player Achievement... I cheated to get it: I got that by plugging in a second controller and psuedo-playing a split-screen versus game. :p

Seriously, I think it's just you've been more efficient playing it than me. You can read that as being better, that's fine. But this time it's costing you. The CC Obsession is a jacked up leaderboard really.

[Cuddly Knife]

ABout CC, it's because you've played longer that you have that high rank of Obsession?

And Doom = 800 points

[Glockstar]

ABout CC, it's because you've played longer that you have that high rank of Obsession?

That's it exactly. I'm pretty sure.

[Glockstar]

The downloadable deck (100 pts.) does more than just change the cosmetic make-up of the game: there's a new wild-card in the deck called a Gotham TV Live card - and when you play it you get to look at at one of your opponents hands (as well as pick a color). Kinda neat; it's something different. And imo, it's worth $1.25.

[Glockstar]

Alright Cuddly, I've now got a Game Score of 8,884,028 and am ranked 467 in the world - that leaves you comfortably ahead on that leaderboard (with 9,311,525; ranked 300). And that's about the best I can do.

I am now way ahead of you on the Obsession leaderboard - 1001 to 751 - but I am also now pooped out on the game. It's yours for the taking, as I doubt I'll play it again.

Unless y'all want to try the co-op and versus games.

[Cuddly Knife]

Just to be sure, you were using the Mutant Chicken for your speed-running, right?

I don't think I'll ever pass you on Obsession, because when I do play this game, it's only for short bursts to try and improve on a time or two. I could live with that though, since it has nothing to do with actual score.

How are you beating me on the Doom board? I have a higher score. Maybe you're playing VS?

[Glockstar]

Is available now. For FREE.(!) Who knew?!

The thing is, unless you have the Vision camera, you won't be able to play it - the game is specifically designed for play with the camera only.

But if you're thinking you might get the camera sometime down the line, you probably ought to download the game now - even if you can't play it now - because who knows how long it will remain free.

-

I picked up some new accessories for my 360 today - and unfortunately the Vision camera wasn't one of them. I had it in my hands and was this close to getting it too. If id'v'e known this then...

Dang it. (I opened everything up as soon as I got home; I'm such a spaz.)

[Cuddly Knife]

Grrr, I thought one of you already had it, and was hoping for some Totem impressions.

[Glockstar]

It's a piece of crap, it doesn't work. (http://drewmike.amisane.com/3/pieceofcrap.wav)

Five, you get it to work?

I ended up returning two of the items I bought the other day, and exchanged them for the Vision Camera.

Neat little accessory. Quality. Very small.

But if I can't get Totemball to work I don't know what I'm going to do with it.

It ticks me off because I don't know what's wrong. Or right. I can't believe that they didn't include a tutorial, or a set-up/calibration screen.

[Fivespot]

Yes, I got it to work but only after a couple miserable experiences. Here's the deal, you basically have to keep moving your hands as if you were juggling or something in order to move the main character.

I misunderstood at first and was only moving my hands and then holding them in either an up or down position relative to the screen sliders. After starting to move my hands repeatedly, it all came together.

It's hard however to keep your hands in the air with a juggling motion for long periods of time. There's one achievement that is earned after playing for 20 minutes straight without taking a rest (SHEESH).

The tutorial sucked and explained nothing :mad:

[Glockstar]

I think I figured it out. It was too dark.

(I have my gameroom in the basement. And as the overhead lights have burnt out I've never replaced them - I like it dark-ish. I'm really only down there for gaming and to watch movies, so I just use the lamp on the coffee table next to the couch, or sometimes the green lamp (lamp with green lightbulb) off aways to the side of the tv.)

To play this game I've had to install new bulbs and turn all of the overhead lights on. :mad:

And I don't really have to keep my hands and arms moving; I loosely grab a hold of the sliders and manuever and/or hold their position that way.

I still don't get a lot of it tho'. Like, how do you bounce on the water? And wtf are the two hand icons at the top-middle for?!

Hard to give impressions of it, when I've been mostly just frustrated.

[Fivespot]

Same here, I game in a dark basement although it's a finished rec room (just one lamp since I enjoy playing games more with dim light).

Unfortunately for me, I can't change this easily so my Totem playing days may be numbered....

Ign gave it a low 3.5 and basically said the gameplay is flawed so maybe that is why it's been so frustrating to play - it doesn't work properly.

[Fivespot]

Dig Dug is the new title out today. Yawn.

Still can't play Totem yet due to low light. I'm in the market for a new home however and may be able to have my future gaming room in something other than a dark, dingy basement. Until then, minimal Totem action.

[theWacoKid]

Lumines Live is out tomorrow. 1200 pts. An advance pack for 600pts will also be available featuring 22 additional skins.

[Fivespot]

MS announced six XBLA games due this winter (by early 2007). Those games are Lumines Live (which hits XBLA Wednesday morning at 1 am), Contra, Gyruss, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mutant Storm Empire, Small Arms, and several others (that it didn't reveal).

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/739/739883p1.html

[Glockstar]

Gyruss! Contra!

Oh wait, Contra? Didn't they say they were doing Super C too? That's the one I want.

[Cuddly Knife]

Arcade Contra. Hmmm.

Give me Gyruss, UMK3, and most of all Mutant Storm Empire! Small Arms, and Heavy Weapon will good for my shmup groovin.

[Glockstar]

Check out the new video-demo! (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/787/787913/vids_1.html)

It's not what I was expecting, but damn if I'm not still smiling.

RoboBlitz is a fast-paced action game featuring puzzle-solving and unique physics-based weapons. Players blast through over 15 levels of high-intensity action as Blitz, a multi-talented robot on a mission to save its factory from a band of invading mechanical brains.

RoboBlitz combines the power of the Unreal Engine 3 and Ageia PhysX, which offers players a world built entirely from the latest in game technology and robot control theory. Completely driven by physics and without a single frame of hand-made animation, RoboBlitz offers the player a tremendous level of freedom and creativity through its interactive environments and emergent behaviors.

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/787/787913.html

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/742/742627/roboblitz-20061030031856941.jpg

[Cuddly Knife]

Killer. What come out today?

[Glockstar]

GameSpot had an interview with the game's makers. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161178.html?tag=latestnews;title;1) Even if you're not interested in the game it is still a good read, as they shed some light on some other Xbox Live Arcade... stuff.

[Glockstar]

Konami's arcade edition of Contra will be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace Wednesday morning, November 8. The game will sell for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

And Microsoft assures us that Small Arms, futuristic racer Novadrome, top-down shooter Assault Heroes, side-scrolling tank shooter Heavy Weapon, and Midway's arcade original Defender are coming to XLA before years end.

Six Atari titles have also been announced for XLA, and each will come with classic and "evolved" versions; they are: Centipede/Millipede, Battlezone (with new multiplayer modes and Xbox Vision camera support), Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe, Missile Command, Tempest, and Warlords (which lets gamers import pictures for their castles). The games will become available starting in January.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161092.html
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161098.html

[Glockstar]

Small Arms; Novadrome; Assault Heroes; Heavy Weapon? :confused: Hmmm...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Small Arms (by Gastronaut Studios) is the frantic multiplayer brawling game where up to 4 players can join in the battles across dynamic and detailed levels. Choose from a cast of awesome fighters like cyborg tabby cats, assassin truffle pigs and mutant chimney sweeps. Jump from platform to platform shooting each other to pieces with 360° aim.

No screenshots that I care to show (images are too big), but IGN does have videos of gameplay (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/845/845426/vids_1.html).

Double "Hmmm"... when I go to the developer's homepage (http://www.gastronautstudios.com/), I see an announcement stating that their game Fuzzee Fever is available on XLA now. I don't think I've even heard of it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fuzzee Fever: Gather your friends around the TV for a game that blends of puzzle and action. Battle it out or unite forces with up to four players. Strut your stuff in a free-for-all frenzy or team up in challenging modes like Fever Points, Emblems, StarGrab, and VolleyBomb! Connect to friends online and play any of the multiplayer modes with Xbox Live. Track win-points online and see how you stack up against the competition! And indulge your logical side by mastering over 100 challenging single-player puzzles, including 20 extra bonus boards!

http://www.gastronautstudios.com/images/screenshots/screen_00_large.jpg

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Novadrome (from the makers of Carmaggedon and Crystal Quest): On a planet ruled by the sadistic NovaLords, human beings secretly harvested from Earth are put in deadly gladitorial racing combat where the chances of survival are near impossible ... it's not good entertainment if everybody gets out alive! But you are determined to win your freedom by racing one of 26 vehicles in over 90 racing stages across 5 blisteringl-paced events of death and excitement. Keep your vehicle upgraded, leave no gaps for your opponents, and put on a good show!

I gotta tell ya, I don't think this game is coming out... not anytime soon anyways; I don't see any mention of it on Stainless Game's website (http://www.stainlessgames.com/). ???

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assault Heroes: As the only surviving members of an elite Special Forces unit, it is up to you to find the secret underground lab. Go the mission alone or fight side-by-side with a friend in the two-player cooperative mode. Navigate your heavily armed 4x4, speed boat or travel on foot and blast your way through enemy-infested territory. Prepare to be assaulted by waves of formidable enemies with unrelenting attacks.

http://www.gamesradar.com/us//images/mb//GamesRadar/us/Games/A/Assault%20Heroes%20-%20XBLA/Bulk%20Viewers/360/2006-09-27/10.129.135.27-image6--screenshot_large.jpg

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank (from PopCap Games; developers of Bejeweled, Zuma, and Feeding Frenzy): Looks to be a cartoon-ish, classic side-scrolling shooter, with an assortment of weapons and power-ups, played out over several (15+?) single-player missions and up to 4-players online.

Again, no images, just videos (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/857/857442/vids_1.html).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All game descriptions by IGN; except For Heavy Weapon's - that one was by me.

[Fivespot]

Small Arms comes out this Wednesday just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday - good timing. If it's anything like SSBM which it's touted to be, could be an instant classic.

I'm also looking forward to this game as a good multiplayer Live Arcade title. Anyone else getting it and up for some Turkey holiday multiplayer action?

[Glockstar]

I don't know about the comparisons to SSBM... Small Arms is 2D. I think it's more like a 4-player, every-man-for-himself Street Fighter II. (Only with cartoony animal characters, not human ones.)

[Cuddly Knife]

I'll be getting it, so if you see me on Live, throw me an invite.

Also, did you hear about the virus achievement? Only 4 people will be starting out with it(the developers), and the only way to get it is to play against someone who already has it. They say that those guys will be on the day that it comes out to start the infection.

Neat idea.

[Glockstar]

RoboBlitz will be this Wednesday's game!

1200 points ($15).

[Gadfly2317]

Any of you guys play Space Giraffe yet? It's this Tempest sequel. Damned if XBLA isn't starting to look--all by itself--like reason enough to get a 360.

[Fivespot]

I don't believe Space Giraffe is out yet unless this is a joke (the name sounds like a joke). Small Arms is lots of fun however :)

[Glockstar]

Space Giraffe?! Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?!


Damned if XBLA isn't starting to look--all by itself--like reason enough to get a 360.

It is, it really is. Knowing your, and a bit of your wife's, tastes in vg's, I can say that with extreme confidence. Seriously, you thought you had trouble prying your first NDS out of her grip... I'll bet you Kameo's Santa outfit that your wife digs Hexic HD, Outpost Kaloki X, Uno, and Wik more than you. Well... maybe not Wik.

[Glockstar]

[Assault Heroes] Comes out tonight. I'm gonna kick the crap out of it in single-player, then i'm going to hit up one of you shmoes to do some co-op soon after. YEAH!

YEAH! I'm going to get the crap kicked out of me in sp, then I'll be accepting your invites for co-op. :wink5:

[Glockstar]

Well CK, we were wrong: in order to get the Lair Slayer Achievement you have to clear them contiguously, all in one game. :(

I reckon that just about makes this lousy 10-pointer one of the hardest Achievements in the world.

And I don't know why I'm not getting credit for beating the Zone(s) in less than 15 minutes. By my clock, I'm doing them well under that (when I'm trying to do them speedily). I'm either missing something... or it's just my typical rotten frackin' luck.

[Cuddly Knife]

That blows, but I don't think it'll be harder than getting the survive 1 mil in GWE. I have no idea how I got that achievement. Nowadays, I can't even survive 100,000.

And I still can't get the kill less than 50% enemies achieve. There are just too many enemies that go on the attack to try and avoid them, and the screen scrolls too slow to evade them also.

[Glockstar]

Novadrome. Tomorrow morning. Early. 1am Pacific; 4am Eastern. 800 points.

Get it? Got it? Good.

[Cuddly Knife]

Unlucky, in AH, did you get your kill less than 50% of enemies achieve when we were playing? I can't seem to do it in single-player no matter how hard I try, so I'm thinking maybe since I was such a hog and tried to kill most of the enemies when we did co op, that allowed you to get that achieve. It's impossible to do it by myself.

And how's Novadrome? I played the demo, but I don't know if I want the whole thing. I do love Twisted Metal.

[Glockstar]

Unlucky, in AH, did you get your kill less than 50% of enemies achieve when we were playing? I can't seem to do it in single-player no matter how hard I try, so I'm thinking maybe since I was such a hog and tried to kill most of the enemies when we did co op, that allowed you to get that achieve. It's impossible to do it by myself.

That's funny that you're having so much trouble with that one. I got it my first try; I thought it was one the easiest of the Achievements to get. It's funny because I know you've got twice the skills I do.

I don't know what to tell you. Except... you do know that you're not going to get a good score right? And you're going to die a lot. But forget about all that; just concentrate on the Achieve.; just frack it, load up Area 5 (the start of Zone 2), on Easy, and keep pressing up towards the top part of the screen. All the while making like Barry Sanders (dodging bullets). And hurry up and kill that boss as fast as you can with your grenades.

If you want, I can try to help you get it... if you'll help me get the Speed Freak. Or, actually, help me conduct a little experiment on it. Because I don't think my 360 will unlock it; I think something's glitching. We'll play co-op and I'll take care of all the enemies while you just take your thumb off the trigger and just dodge bullets - that should get you yours; for mine - or my experiment - you'll just need to create another profile on your 360 and help me blow thru a zone with that one. (Then if your new profile unlocks the Achievement, and mine doesn't - which is exactly what I think will happen - then it'll prove that my $#!%'s #@$%ed up.) Deal? :wink5:



And how's Novadrome? I played the demo, but I don't know if I want the whole thing. I do love Twisted Metal.

I'm same as you: I just demoed it. And I was about to ask you (you guys) the same thing.

It's not really what I expecting. I don't know why, but I thought it was going to be more like Wipeout. This is more like Rush 2049 for the N64. Which is just as good thing really.(!) Like you, it seems like everything I could want... but for some reason I'm hesitant. :confused:

You think it's because of the Achievements? I know you scoped them out. They look tough to acquire, don't they? :blush2:

[Cuddly Knife]

Castlevania to break Live Arcade size limit
Konami says its Symphony of the Night won't fit in 50MB; Microsoft's Greg Canessa addresses implications for future XBLA games.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Jan 11, 2007 11:36 am PT

The upcoming release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as a downloadable Xbox 360 game is noteworthy for a few reasons. Beyond adding the highly regarded game to the system's catalog, it breaks the mold of an Xbox Live Arcade game in several ways.

Symphony of the Night is not a "small-scale" game in any sense of the phrase. It's based on an existing home-console game, a distinction on Live Arcade only shared by the upcoming Alien Hominid HD. Konami has confirmed to GameSpot that the final size of the Symphony of the Night download will surpass Microsoft's 50MB size limit for Live Arcade games.

Microsoft's group manager for Xbox Live Arcade, Greg Canessa, told GameSpot why the company instituted a 50MB limit in the first place.

"By keeping the file size small for Xbox Live Arcade games, gamers can put one or more games on a memory unit and easily bring those games to a friend's house to share and play," Canessa said. "Small file sizes also mean fast download times, making it possible to download and begin playing any Xbox Live Arcade game within one or two minutes."

Even though Symphony of the Night will exceed the size limit, Canessa indicated that there is still a 50MB cap on Live Arcade games, although Microsoft is willing to make exceptions to the rule. "If any games do exceed 50 MB, it's for a very specific reason that would ensure that the gameplay experience is the best it can be," Canessa said.

Microsoft is willing to look the other way on Symphony of the Night, and according to Canessa, it won't be the last of its kind on Live Arcade.

"Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of the most popular games of all time, and you can [bet] that you'll see similar high-quality games come to Xbox Live Arcade in the future," Canessa said.

However, there is at least one Live Arcade rule that not even Symphony of the Night will be breaking. Canessa said that a free demo of the game would be made available to all Live Arcade users, and that it would be small enough to fit on a memory unit.

[UPDATE] After the publication of this story, a Microsoft representative contacted GameSpot to clarify one of Canessa's comments. While Symphony of the Night will have a free demo version, it will not fit on the system's 64MB memory unit. I knew that something had to be done because the game is huge for a PS1 game.

Long live the upside-down castle!

[Glockstar]

Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank comes out tomorrow. 800 Points ($10).

Three weeks later than it was supposed. And did they ever put out Defender? I don't think so. So no more "assurances", okay Microsoft? Making promises you don't keep... that's Sony's shtick.

[Fivespot]

Wow, I'm really falling behind on the Live titles. Played a couple demos a week or so ago but haven't bought a title in quite a while.

[Cuddly Knife]

From what I've read in the latest OXM, Heavy Weapon is rivaled by only Geometry Wars in its intensity. Four-player survival-mode style co-op is also good stuffs. Get your thumbs ready, boys.

[Cuddly Knife]

HEAVY WEAPON

http://gallery.videogamereview.com/data/vgr/500/medium/IMGP2007.JPG

I got this on rank on my first play-through. I don't think I'll hold it for that long, though, considering the game just came out yesterday. I haven't been this pumped since my top 20 breakthrough in MSR. I thought about putting this in SW to gloat and boast, but I decided just to share it with my XBOX mates.

BTW, this game is great in every way. Single-player is as intense as Geometry Wars, only there is a nice build-up in difficulty instead of it kicking your ass one minute in. Gameplay is also the same as GWE, only you're limited to left and right movement, and you have enemy fire also to deal with. Graphics are great, sound is there, solid sense of humor, and multi-player is as crazy as it gets. Side-scrolling levels also instead of one big area to move in. 19 in all, each lasting over five minutes when you throw in solid boss battles. Hype, hype, hype!!

[Glockstar]

I love Xbox Live Arcade!

Heck yeah!


#2...! And on your first playthru too. You bastich. But hey, awesome job!
(Although, like you said, I don't think you're no.2 anymore... )

It took me four tries just to beat the third boss. (Now I can't get by the fourth.)

Still, regardless of my worldwide ranking, or whether or not I suck at this game... I know a great, fun game when I play one. And this game rocks!


...Graphics are great, sound is there, solid sense of humor...

Graphics are great. Sound is great. Music is awesome! That opening theme... that's fracking great isn't it?! I fracking love that! That's a new favorite.

And what's with all the weird little things going on in the background/environments? Some of that stuff's pretty funny. Some of it throws me tho'.


...Hype, hype, hype!!

#@$% that. This might be the best XLA game yet! And that's not hype, that's fact.

[Cuddly Knife]

We need to get some co-op action going, Glock. Just to try it out.

Earlier I was playing survival, and that can be directly compared to GWE in how crazy it gets, in a hurry. I ranked 17 on my first time, but I was also rushed because I just wanted to get the survive 12 minute achieve before I had to go to work, which I was 5 minutes late because of it.

Even though this game plays like GWE doesn't mean that anything else is like it. The enemies are varied enough to keep you on your toes. Plus by the end of the game, you have the sickest arsenal avaliable in any game.

You're right about it possibly being the best LA game right now. I've literally put every other game on hold until I have a solid rank in every mode. Except for multi-player. I don't really care what my rank is there. But I do want a good rank in Mission, Survival, and Boss Rush modes.

NUKES RULE!

[theWacoKid]

Next week, lumines live additional content and more importantly, promotional pricing till feb. 21.

DLC for Lumines Live! dropping onto XBL
One skin, two content packs for puzzler coming to Xbox Live next week; Microsoft offering promotional prices for four weeks.

By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Jan 18, 2007 2:33 pm PT
Microsoft today announced the second round of downloadable content for its Xbox Live Arcade puzzle game, Lumines Live!. As part of next week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program, three new pieces of content will be released on January 24.

The Puzzle/Mission Pack adds 90 puzzles and 40 missions to the game's puzzle and mission modes, the Vs. CPU Pack adds an unspecified number of versus CPU levels, and the Heavenly Star Skin adds a new background and features the song from the musical group Genki Rockets "Heavenly Star."

Microsoft is trying a new pricing scheme for the content. The publisher will offer the Puzzle/Mission and Vs. CPU packs for 100 Microsoft Points ($1.25) each from January 24 to February 21. After that time period, the cost will move up to 300 Microsoft Points ($3.75). The Heavenly Star Skin will be available free for Xbox Live Gold Members through February 21. Microsoft did not say whether it will be downloadable after that time.

So, two additional modes for only 100pts apiece. I'm in. Wasn't going to get it, but at those prices, sign me up.

[Gadfly2317]

HEAVY WEAPON


I got this on rank on my first play-through. I don't think I'll hold it for that long, though, considering the game just came out yesterday. I haven't been this pumped since my top 20 breakthrough in MSR. I thought about putting this in SW to gloat and boast, but I decided just to share it with my XBOX mates.

Congrats on the kick ass score.

Games like this continue to be the #1 thing making me want a 360. You should post your score in Sys Wars, and then extoll the virtues of how much ass XBLA kicks. Sounds like a good thread: Virtual Console vs XBLA vs. Whatever it is Sony is Trying To Do.

[Glockstar]

We need to get some co-op action going, Glock. Just to try it out.


Heck yeah. Anytime you're ready...

[Glockstar]

M'soft details XBLA releases
Band of Bugs, Eets: Chowdown, Luxor 2 announced along with seven others as coming to Xbox Live Arcade beginning February.
By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Jan 30, 2007 10:45 am PT

Though usually content to just give gamers a few days notice, Microsoft threw gamers a curveball and today announced a new wave of games scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade beginning in February.

Included in the list are the previously announced Alien Hominid HD, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Paperboy, Root Beer Tapper, Worms, 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, and Catan (previously known as Settlers of Catan). However, three new games were also detailed.

NinjaBee, the developers of Cloning Clyde, are working on the fast-paced strategy game Band of Bugs. Gamers will be able to create their own levels with an included level editor and take their creations online to play with over Xbox Live.

Vancouver-based Klei Entertainment is offering up Eets: Chowdown, a 360 version of its popular PC game. The XBLA version will feature the familiar Lemmings-style play, new items, 120 new levels, and a new game-within-the-game, Marsho Madness.

Also headed to Xbox Live is the popular PC puzzler Luxor 2, from developer MumboJumbo.

Microsoft has not issued any release dates or prices for the games, saying only that the 10 games will begin to roll out beginning with "the first release in February" and that "a game may not be launched every week."


http://ninjabee.com/bob/images/screen03.jpg
Band of Bugs


http://www.eetsgame.com/news/wp-content/ss/ss_8.jpg
Eets: Chowdown


http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/strategy/worms/news.html?sid=6164956&om_act=convert&om_clk=mostpop


The games in put in bold are the games that I'm interested in or are looking at.

[Cuddly Knife]

And this week we get...

Root Beer Tapper
This Wednesday it's time to drink old school.
by Douglass C. Perry

February 5, 2007 - If you thought the old-school games had died down on Xbox Live Arcade, think again. From beneath the bottom of the ocean, secretly hidden in underground caves, as old as the dinosaurs, comes Root Beer Tapper, everyone's favorite root beer game.

Microsoft announced today the funny old arcade game will hit the virtual shelves at 9 a.m. GMT (1 a.m. PST), Wednesday, February. 7, and will be available worldwide (excluding Korea and Japan) for 400 Microsoft Points.

The XBLA download features the classic game and a few XBLA extras. You'll get:

* The original and authentic game, "Root Beer Tapper"
* "high-definition" support for detailed graphics
* the ability to play locally or over Xbox Live* (for Gold Tier members) in co-op or versus modes.
* Xbox Live Leaderboard support. High scores are tracked for the current week and also for all-time arcade, co-op and versus game modes.
* The ability to earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 gamerscore points.

Rootbeer Tapper is rated "E" for everyone. Fricken-BOOOOO!!! Waste of 400 points. I want original games.

[Glockstar]

I like the original games more, but I want old arcade games too. The right old arcade games that is. Which RBT isn't one of. Where's BurgerTime... where's Mappy... where's Pengo...?!

[Glockstar]

Alien Hominid invading XBLA this week
Xbox 360 gamers are scheduled for a close encounter of the 2D shooter kind this Wednesday.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Feb 26, 2007 11:53 am PT

For those who've found the paper-delivering and root-beer-serving gameplay of recent Xbox Live Arcade games a little mundane, this week's downloadable Xbox 360 game will let gamers bite the heads off of FBI agents. Microsoft today confirmed that Alien Hominid HD will be this week's Xbox Live Arcade release, scheduled to go live on the service at 1 a.m. PST this Wednesday.

Originally conceived as a Flash-based PC game in 2002, Alien Hominid arrived on the US PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2004, with European gamers also receiving Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and mobile phone editions. Now, as the game transitions to XBLA, it will offer high-definition visuals along with online multiplayer support for four people in the minigames. Offline, two gamers can play through the main game, while the minigames support up to four players at once.

Alien Hominid HD will be available for 800 Microsoft points ($10) and is rated T for Teen.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166420.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;3

YES!!!

[Cuddly Knife]

No co-op? And I had this game on the PS2, and it was hard as nails. Is this the same game?

[Glockstar]

Microsoft has increased the size limit of Xbox Live Arcade titles from 50MB to 150MB, a move the company says will give developers "greater flexibility in game design and [expand] the opportunity to add advanced game features while still keeping games compact." Today's news is the official confirmation of the increase, which was previously given the thumbs up for the upcoming Castlevania: Symphony of Night.

Microsoft also formally confirmed the Xbox Live Arcade game Jetpac Refuelled from Rare Ltd. The game is a remake of the 1983 shooter Jetpac released on the UK ZX Spectrum computer. The XBLA version will feature enhanced graphics and more than 100 levels.

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2007/063/jetpac298_embed.jpg

Jetpac Refuelled will be shown off this week at GDC, along with the previously announced Pinball FX, Boom Boom Rocket, 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, and Eets: Chowdown.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166804.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=morenews&tag=morenews;title;7

-

Ubisoft officially announced that the publisher had come to terms with Konami and arranged for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade by the end of the month. Developed by Digital Eclipse (also responsible for numerous Live Arcade games including Contra, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3), the Ninja Turtles game will feature the original's seven levels, voice chat capability, and online or offline cooperative multiplayer for up to four gamers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5) when it arrives on the Xbox Live Arcade.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166850.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;5

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Q Entertainment has announced that legendary designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi's game Every Extend Extra is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The new version of the game, called Every Extend Extra Extreme, will feature a variety of enhancements, including 5.1 surround sound.

E4--as the game is being called--also allow players to choose one of their own CDs to use for the in-game music, in a mode called S4, Wiz ur Muzik. There will also be online multiplayer play, along with online leaderboards, Achievements and Gamer Scores.

Every Extend, the original game in the series, was released in 2004 as a PC freeware game. The game was then updated and revamped as Every Extend Extra for launch on the PlayStation Portable in November 2006 (February 2007 in Europe).

The aim of Every Extend Extra Extreme is to create a series of chain reactions by defeating enemies. It is the latest trippy title from Mizuguchi, who created Rez, along with puzzle games Lumines and Meteos.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166884.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;2

-

XBL Arcade downloads have topped 25 million; Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting, Bankshot Billiards, Marble Blast Ultra, UNO, DOOM are the top downloaded games, in that order.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6166851.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0

-

Thanks GameSpot!

[Glockstar]

IGN's coverage is actually tons better. :p

-

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/770/770555/tmnt-officially-heads-to-xbla-20070305115357006-000.jpg
TMNT The Arcade Game

-

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/770/770580/qs-e4-is-an-xbla-trip-20070306093234029-000.jpg
E4

-

Microsoft reports the top Xbox Live Arcade games are:

* 1. Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
* 2. Bankshot Billiards
* 3. Marble Blast Ultra
* 4. UNO
* 5. Doom

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/770/770582p1.html

-

MUCHOS GRACIAS IGN!!!

[Cuddly Knife]

Much grass to you, Unlucky.

When I first heard of the Jetpac game, I was so excited because I thought it was the game Solar Jetman for the NES remade. Alas, I was mistaken. Jetpac must be a prequel, because it almost looks the same-ish as Solar Jetman.

E4 will be great, especially since I never got the game for my PSP

TMNT The Arcade Game will be saweet! And at only 5 bones and 4-player co-op, how can you go wrong?

Great news about the limit upper deal, too. We've had some great Live Arcade games with only the 50MB limit, now it's 3 times as large. Still, small enough to remain focused on The types of games that have come out for LA, unlike Sony Store where they seem to be focused on putting console-style experiences on their DL network instead. Like the unfinished mess that is Warhawk.

BTW, what comes out tommorrow?

[Cuddly Knife]

People seem to be hating on TMNT, but it's exactly like I remember it from back when. It's much better when played with the screen widened to get rid of the crappy background.

Symphony of the Night came out today. For some reason, it feels like it plays better than the PS1 version. Faster and smoother? You don't notice the enhanced graphics until you turn on the old-school style, then wow. One of the achievements is to beat the game complete with Richter. Crazy. I will do it. It could take a while.

Speaking of crazy, I still can't get the achieve for Assault Heroes where you complete all of the on-foot missions.

Also, to add to discussion, the size of SotN is under 95MB. That's crazy, considering the size of the game, plus the quality of the OST and other noise, plus enhanced graphics. 150MB seems like a huge amount now for what was once avaliable.

[Glockstar]

People seem to be hating on TMNT, but it's exactly like I remember it from back when. It's much better when played with the screen widened to get rid of the crappy background.

That's 'cause the shmucks don't understand TMNT The Arcade Game. It was about 4-player co-op, and having all of the Turtles fighting side-by-side all on the same screen at once. Which is something that no other TMNT game has been able to get right since.(!) Which is what makes them all lame. And is what makes this one still the best - even if it is simplistic.


-


XLA is on a roll lately, isn't it?! TMNT:TAG; AH; Worms; and now C:SOTN... !

And because of the way they've been coming out; because of the way the checklist has been progressing, I have to think that 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, Catan, Band of Bugs, Eets: Chowdown, Luxor 2, and Jetpac Refuelled are getting close.


-


I miss Heavy Weapon. :(

[DarkJason]

Cowbunga dude!

[Cuddly Knife]

I don't know how long it's been there, but I opened up the XBOX REWARDS page, and saw that in My Rewards, I had a couple of codes to put on Marketplace(just like the one RBH gave me for LP map), so I got me some Contra. What a POS game compared to the NES version. 2 plays, and I beat the game in under 12 minutes. Lame-o.

Unless a killer shmup comes along to LA or something like SotN, I'm staying away from these "classics". Wednesday gives us Jetpac Refueled. We'll see about that one. Thank Jeebus for demos.

[Fivespot]

I also got the free Contra. Not as good as I remembered it being - that 3D board thing just plain sucks! I also got a free gamerpic with the cool Old Spice logo proving I earned the level 3 reward. Like I'm going to use an Old Spice gamerpic.....

Did you get the 100 points CK? It says that there were some available yet I only seemed to win the pic and free Contra. Not that 100 points is all that special but it's something and I'd gladly take it for earning my 1500 points.

[Cuddly Knife]

3-D board?

And no, I didn't get the 100 points. It gave me the option to choose the FF2 game, but it wouldn't let me finish submitting, so I'm guessing that was just a glitch, like maybe you had with the 100 points.

[Fivespot]

3-D board?

Maybe that's a stupid way of describing it. I meant those levels where you're walking and shooting upward rather than left and right. Kind of like a corridor.

[Cuddly Knife]

Gotcha. They do suck, and I think it's mainly because of shoddy hit-detection more than anything else.

In other news, Jetpac Refueled came out today, and it is sick. I never had played the original Jetpac, so it's what I played first when I booted up the game. WHat a POS that game is! It was probably revolutionary back in its day, but now, no dice. So when I finally loaded in Jetpac refueled, I expected it to be just the same game with nicer graphics. It's a whole new re-invention of the game, and I love it. It's also only 400MP. The graphics are similar to Heavy Weapon, only way neater. Also, the size of the game is only 29MB. 150 levels. Kick ass!

Gaming heaven is where I am right now with LA. SHMUP central.

[Cuddly Knife]

Awesome. I just unlucked a Theme and 2 Gamerpics from Jetpac Refuelled for getting halfway through the game. I love when you get free stuff unexpectedly.

[Glockstar]

Some excerpts from the IGN Preview:

Undertow features a complete campaign mode that can be played either solo or co-operatively with a friend. Perhaps more enticing, though, is the battle mode that supports up to 16 players at once in an online contest. The same general gameplay design holds up in both modes, which is best described as Geometry Wars meets Battlefield. Movement is mapped to one analog stick with attack on the other. Shots come in a constant stream a la Geometry Wars and depth charges can be activated with the pull of a trigger.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/782/782282/undertow-first-look-20070420110956426-000.jpg

Each faction has its own look and field, all of which feel like they've been ripped out of a classic undersea adventure. The Atlantians are a magical race that fight by riding creatures and attack with magic. The Nemodians, as you might guess, look like they've been ripped out of the pages of a Jules Verne novel. The third group is the Iron Marines, the surviving, militant group of humans that took to the seas when the world flooded.

In addition to choosing which side to fight for, you'll also get your pick of three character classes ranging from light infantry type swimmers to the slow moving but heavily armed big boys. You can alternate class type whenever you respawn and will even be able to upgrade each class as you rack up enough points to purchase the improved soldier. With controls similar to Geometry Wars, it seems the game would be a piece of cake to hop in and start playing immediately. We're anxious to see how strategic the team play can be when you've got several different classes working with each other to play up their strengths and cover for other's weaknesses.

Although most real-life undersea environments are just endless stretches of water, Undertow's fantastical look spruces things up a bit. Motion takes place on a 2D plane, though the world is fully three dimensional in its look. The few levels we saw featured rocky coves, caves, reefs, and other obstacles to create strategic choke points and little tunnels to house power-ups and trap triggers. Players can explore the caves, swim under archways that temporarily obstruct your view, and poke their heads into tiny nooks to see what can be found. The backgrounds, too, are equally detailed with bases, underwater ruins, and other bits of manmade structures to complement the natural oceanic beauty.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/782/782282/undertow-first-look-20070420111005442-000.jpg

It's quite impressive what can be done with an Xbox Live Arcade game and still fit into the small size constraints. Undertow is a great example of what lower polygon counts spruced up with modern graphical techniques can produce. The game looks great in motion with cool looking explosions and fun environments. Even in the campaign mode that we saw, there was a lot going on with harpoons and depth charges ripping through the water at every corner. It makes us wonder just how crazy things will get when you have a full 16 players going at it online.

We'll have much more on Undertow in the coming months. In fact, a high-definition trailer is on the way for your viewing pleasure this Monday to give you an idea of how this promising title looks in motion. Stay tuned.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/782/782282/undertow-first-look-20070420110953036-000.jpg

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/782/782282p1.html

[Cuddly Knife]

Sweetness. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I''ll be back online kicking some ass.
What's come out in the past 2 weeks that I haven't been online?

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

As far as Arcade games, I think there's a golf game (at least the demo) and Monster Madness demo are the only two. I'm not too sure, though, since I've been looking for only Arcade card games (Spades is cool).

[Glockstar]

Sweetness. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I''ll be back online kicking some ass.
What's come out in the past 2 weeks that I haven't been online?

After Jetpac Refueled: Luxor 2; Boom Boom Rocket; and then this last week saw two releases(!): 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures and Gyruss.

I didn't know you were offline too. The big things I'm missing out on are Shivering Isles; the Marvel Ultimate Alliance pack(s); and the biggie: the RSV Red Pack. :(

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

It's odd that when I finally (and I mean finally) get on Live, you two guys are offline for a bit.

I haven't downloaded the Heroes/Villian pack for Marvel: UA. I'm not sure if I will do both (if any). More than likely, I'll try out the Villian pack and see if Sabretooth and Venom can help regain my interest in the game.

[Glockstar]

It's odd that when I finally (and I mean finally) get on Live, you two guys are offline for a bit.

Yeah that sucks. Your timing is impeccable, Hunter. :(


-


The big things I'm missing out on are Shivering Isles; the Marvel Ultimate Alliance pack(s); and the biggie: the RSV Red Pack.

And I forgot the other biggie: the two new Halo 2 maps. :(

[Cuddly Knife]

Crap, I forgot about the new Halo 2 maps. And I really wanted Boom Boom Rocket, but D'OH well.

Mainly I miss Burnout Revenge on Live. Splitscreen multi-player sucks balls. Especially when no one is at my level. I actually bought Burnout Dominator for the PS2 because I need some kind of new fix, but I'm having trouble getting into it. I think it's the graphics.

[Glockstar]

Crap, I forgot about the new Halo 2 maps.

See. Now how could want to get rid of your Xbox?

[Glockstar]

Hey, we ("we"... hrmph :mad: ) get another two-fer this week! Eets: Chowdown and Pinball FX. (800points/$10 each.)

[Cuddly Knife]

I thought that the new H2 maps were going to be for the 360 only. I coulda swore I read that a coupla months ago, although now that I think about it, it does sound kind of retarded.

Howsaboot some impressions of these new Live game, guys? I don't even get OXM anymore I don't think, unless my ex transferred my subscriptions. Hmmm.

[Fivespot]

I got sucked into Boom Boom Rocket for an hour this evening. Fun game and no surprise it's made by Bizarre Creations (same folks who brought us Geometry Wars).

A simple game but difficult to master which is just the type I like.

[Glockstar]

What the hey!?

This week will see Catan (as in Settlers Of), Centipede and Millipede.

[Glockstar]

Another publisher pledges support... more "new" games promised.

Puzzle Quest headed for XBLA
D3Publisher of America to support Microsoft's downloadable game service; first wave of titles to feature port of PSP, DS strategy game.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot - Posted May 1, 2007 9:44 am PT

With an array of titles from simple puzzlers (Zuma Deluxe) to fondly remembered retro fare (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), Xbox Live Arcade has offerings for the casual gamer and the hardcore fan alike.

Both of those audiences might share an interest in one upcoming game, as D3Publisher of America today announced its support for Live Arcade, headlined by Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Combining the gem-matching gameplay of Bejeweled 2 Deluxe with the trappings, character advancement, and storyline of a fantasy role-playing game, Puzzle Quest met with positive reviews when it was released in March for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.

Puzzle Quest will be joined on the service by two more D3Publisher games. Developed by 21-6 Productions and originally released by Large Animal Games on the PC, RocketBowl puts a miniature golf twist on the sport of bowling, with twisted lanes, water hazards, and a number of rocket-powered balls. Previous games from 21-6 include the PC efforts Cyclone and Tube Twist.

The third game from D3Publisher headed for Live Arcade is the previously announced Mad Tracks, from Load, Inc. Inspired by "pull back and go" toy cars, Mad Tracks debuted as a downloadable PC racing game last year and featured a dozen cars, power-ups, split-screen and online multiplayer, and dozens of minigames and races.

D3Publisher did not give specific release windows for any of the games, but the company did say it will begin releasing Xbox Live Arcade games later this year. It also said these games would be "the first of many" that it would bring to Xbox Live Arcade.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6169944.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1

[Cuddly Knife]

Bah. Where's Hoopworld? Where's Mutant Storm Empires? Where's Star Wars the arcade game?

[Cuddly Knife]

Free Game Hitting XBLA Wednesday
Take a ride on Aegis Wing for no charge.
by Daemon Hatfield

May 14, 2007 - Xbox 360 owners are used to finding new games available on the Xbox Live Marketplace each Wednesday. But they're not used to these games being free, which is exactly what they'll find this week with Aegis Wing.

A 2D, side-scrolling shooter, Aegis Wing was conceived by three interns at Microsoft who worked in tandem with Carbonated Games, makers of the Xbox Live favorite UNO. Set in the year 2105, humanity must evacuate Earth and head to the far-off planet Europa. Unfortunately, our new home comes under attack by an alien race called the Araxia. The Europa fleet must use the Araxia's technology against them and pilot the Aegis Wing into combat.

The game supports up to four players either locally or over Xbox Live. The Aegis Wings can be combined into two-, three-, or four-ship formations to unleash a super weapon upon the Araxia.

Aegis Wing will only be free for a limited time, so look for it this Wednesday. Free stuff is nice. I'm guessing this game is super-low-budget though, so I won't be expecting too much.

[Glockstar]

Doesn't this suck? The two people who would try it for sure are the two people who can't right now. :(

When do you expect to come back to Live, CK?

[Glockstar]

GameSpot reports that MS is opening the request lines - once again:

Microsoft asks for Live Arcade suggestions
Have a game you're dying to see on Xbox Live Arcade? The Microsoft marketing team wants to hear about it, as it has set up a story on its Gamerscore Blog specifically to accept suggestions in the comments section. Beyond simply taking game requests, the team is also asking Live users to submit features they'd like to see as well as ideas for events and promotions they'd like regularly on the service.

-

Gamerscore Blog (http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/05/18/546058.aspx#549437) asks:

Friday, May 18, 2007 2:31 PM by XBLA Team
What do YOU want to see on Xbox Live Arcade?
Do you have a favorite game that you just can’t wait to see on Xbox LIVE Arcade? Is there some feature that you wish more Xbox LIVE Arcade games offered? (i.e. a specific game-play mode?) Are there non-game features that you’d like XBLA (the destination) to implement? Lastly, are there events or promotions that you wish were a regular occurrence on XBLA? We want to hear your ideas! Please share your thoughts in the comments of this entry.


Don’t limit yourself to past console games, current game-play features, or events/promotions you’ve seen elsewhere. Think of games that fit the “pick-up-and-play” promise of XBLA. Think of non-game features that make XBLA a more enjoyable place to download and play those games, in general.


Fun disclaimers we have to mention: There are many moving parts and groups involved in conceiving, approving, developing, and releasing XBLA games. We can’t commit to any of these games being brought to XBLA, or even being considered. Also, assume anything discussed becomes public knowledge – if you are working on a game or have an idea that you want to keep private, don’t discuss it here. The same applies to all other feedback (non-game features, events, promotions, etc.)


Outside of that, we are excited to hear your thoughts and tap into the creativity and passion of our community!

Thanks from the Xbox LIVE Arcade Team,

-Jeremy

[Fivespot]

Try what now???

[Glockstar]

Aegis Wing.

[Cuddly Knife]

Doesn't this suck? The two people who would try it for sure are the two people who can't right now. :(

When do you expect to come back to Live, CK?
I've been back on Live for a coupla weeks now. It was the first thing that I needed to get back when I moved back home. Without it, I was practically not even playing any games. Sounds strange, but it's true.

[Fivespot]

AW is a classic side scolling style shooter. It reminds me of games like Gradius and R-Type. Graphics are so so. Great resolution, explosions, missiles, etc.. but bland in the design aspect (floating debris in the background rather than lush alien landscapes like in some of the other shooters I mentioned). The backgrounds could get better as the game progresses and I'm basing my impressions having played only the first 2 levels.

Bosses wait at the end of levels old school style. You can collect power-ups and then use them with the B button. Some of the power ups I saw so far are a shield, heat seeking multiple missiles, & laser cannon. I also picked up other items but don't know if they serve any purpose or are just for points.

AW can be played single player or in 4 player coop. Apparently while in coop you can connect your ships together for more fire power.

Achievements range from scoring certain points to beating a level without taking damage. I earned nothing thus far and find the game challenging although I find most of these types of games challenging. It's the million bullets flying around the screen in this title that I'll have to overcome if I expect to get very far. I found myself avoiding bullets and shooting more often than actually aiming at what I'm shooting (non stop stuff to fly around and avoid while also trying to attack enemies).

I'd love to try some online coop with this game.

[Cuddly Knife]

AW is definitely best played with co-op, although the last achieve(185,000 points) can only be gotten in SP on Insane.

But hey! I'm game for some co-op action, and since this game is free for everyone, surely some VGR players(I'm looking at you, Cake Batter) would be willing to tear it up. Whenever you're ready, Five.

[Fivespot]

Anyone try the PAC MAN Championship edition? It's a great game and ranks up there as one of the top Live Arcade titles in my humble opinion.

The name is misleading as it's more like a sequel rather than a tweak to the old standard formula. If you haven't already done so please do yourself a favor and download the demo and give 'er a try. You might be surprised like I was with how good this title is.

It's more like Geometry Wars than PAC MAN but I'll let you figure that out for yourself if you're so inclined. And CK you're not on the top of my friends leaderboard yet but I'll expect to see you there soon ;)

[Cuddly Knife]

I want Pac Man CE, and will most likely have it by weeks end. The only thing I'm not digging so far is how every mode is timed. Still though, eveything I've read so far has me thinking that this is a nice re-invention of the franchise. Glad I never bought regular Pac or Ms Pac on LA, or else I probably wouldn't even consider this one.

I got PoP this morning and played it for about an hour. Damn, this game is freaking hard as nails. Nice looking though. I read in the review from IGN that the devs said they wanted to include the original version of PoP, but couldn't because of memory limitations, but the game is under 49MB, and the limit is now larger than 50, so they're just BSing methinks.

[Cuddly Knife]

Pac Man CE is cool, but yeah, the time limit for every mode kind of bugs. I like to take my time and get a lot of movement to avoid the ghosts, but that's not possible here when you have only 5 minutes to get the highest score. Boy vs Car has me beat in this one for high score amongst friends. D'OH!!!

Boom Boom Rocket DLC Set to Explode
Bizarre Creations promising new content and a new style of music.
by Rob Burman, IGN UK

UK, July 5, 2007 - If you're fed up popping off rockets in time to the William Tell Overture then it's time to rejoice, because Bizarre Creations has promised that an explosion of new Boom Boom Rocket content is on its way to Xbox Live Marketplace, including songs in different styles of music.

Exactly what styles of music we can expect still remains to be seen, plus Bizarre hasn't announced a release date for the download pack as yet. However, there will five five new tracks and add-on pack is already shaping up nicely. "The audio is written, recorded and in the game, and right now the team are working on camera positioning and firework layout", explained Bizarre's Ben Ward. "It's actually a really in-depth job making the firework patterns all match up and play well, and we have a dedicated person at Bizarre doing exactly that right now."

Bizarre's Boom Boom Rocket team is also ensuring that the tunes are going to be harder to perfect than those in the original. "Personally I've completed all of the originals on Hard," said Ward, "but have yet to finish a single one of the new tracks. Given a bit of practice I'm sure I'll be able to nail them, but they do seem to be a level above and beyond what we're all used to. That can only be a good thing for all the hardcore, blindfolded, multi-fingered BBR experts out there."

We'll keep you updated when Bizarre Creations confirms a date.
Killer, dudes. BBR is a great little LA game, but I found it far too easy, but now they're stepping up the difficulty. I wonder if these songs scores will be added onto the regular leaderboards.

[Cuddly Knife]

It's looking pretty nice.

Undertow
Hexic 2(multi-player, Glock!)
War World
E4
Geon(?)
Switchball
Bomberman
Wing Commander Arena
Feeding Frenzy 2
Space Giraffe
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/02/spacegiraffealpha.jpg

[Glockstar]

Don't forget about Marathon: Durandal.

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1799/1184189556.jpg

[Glockstar]

Marathon: Durandal comes out this Wednesday (800 pts./$10).(!)

I so need to get my life back in order. :(

[Glockstar]

IGN's got their Review of Marathon Durandal up. They gave it a 7.4. Link to full review. (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/809/809536p2.html) It's a great review.

Some excerpts...

The Good:
Marathon: Durandal supports four-player split-screen offline and eight-player online co-op. And yes, four people can play split-screen and go online in co-op or multiplayer. On top of all this, you can dual wield shotguns. 'Nuff said.

Freeverse made a few tweaks to Bungie's beloved shooter. All of the art assets were redone to provide a much cleaner look and allow for true HD support. Switch to the original graphics and you'll be quickly thankful that Freeverse took the effort toclean things up for the enhanced version.

...one of the longest offerings on XBLA... (And he's just talking about the campaign. He says that it's 'longer than Halo 2'.)

For those looking to take the game beyond the campaign, there's a lot to enjoy. You can play four-player splitscreen or eight-player System Link or online. The multiplayer modes are the original versions of some Halo classics. Along with Deathmatch and co-op, gamers can tackle King of the Hill, Kill the Man with the Ball, and Tag. There are more than a dozen maps as well.


The Bad:
The story is told mostly through Durandal via computer screen text. Durandal has a wicked sense of humor, but mixes in important information with the exposition and quips. So if you don't read carefully, you will probably spend a lot of time wandering around trying to figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

The enemy AI is pretty abysmal. Often enemies will stand motionless waiting for you to take the first shot. The difficulty increases later in the game not because of tougher enemies, but by adding more of them to each area. Like DOOM, Marathon features open levels you must explore. While this can be enjoyable, there's quite a few times where you will just wander around with no clue where to go next or what you are supposed to do. Though there is a map available, it's not always helpful. This is just one of those kinks in old shooters.

The 60fps allows Marathon to run at a lightning speed. You'll be amazed just how quickly you can zip around a level. But that speed also comes at a cost. And that cost is a very rare sensation in videogames -- motion sickness. Because of the tight confines of the levels and the ease in which you can get lost, quite often you may find yourself running about, turning quickly, and watching as the world begins to spin. Though I had a blast playing Marathon, I can't deny that more than once I felt like throwing up. And I'm not the only one. All four IGN editors who played Marathon for more than 15 minutes began to feel ill.


The motion sickness thing scares me, actually. Luckily you can demo the game first.(!)

[Cuddly Knife]

For some reason, I seem to get a bit queezy when I play FPS games that run at 60fps. Metroid Prime was like that, as was Far Cry IP and Halo 2.

Only FPS though. Action games and such at 60fps don't faze me.

[Ba Ba Blue]

For Some Reason, Im Hooked On Texas Hold 'Em... :S

[Glockstar]

For some reason, I seem to get a bit queezy when I play FPS games that run at 60fps. Metroid Prime was like that, as was Far Cry IP and Halo 2.

Thank you. That's one of the (many many) reasons why I loved Halo. It was slow and steady. A lot of people here liked to rip on the game because it was only 30fps (fracking haters, man), but I thought that was a positive.

And no, I don't think I've gotten "the sickness" from a 3rd-person game either.


-



For Some Reason, Im Hooked On Texas Hold 'Em...

I know the reason: it's a great game! :thumbsup: The best Texas Hold'Em game on the planet. And it was the winner of my Xbox Live Arcade Game of the Year award last year.

[Glockstar]

TeamXbox says the same thing in their review as IGN:

By the way, it seems possible that, while the increase from the original 30fps to the XBLA version’s 60fps brought smoother animation, it might also have a downside: If you’re susceptible to motion sickness from shooters, you’ll probably have trouble playing Marathon: Durandal for more than a few minutes at a time. I experience that symptom with many shooters, but thought that perhaps it was somehow worse for me with this game for some reason…

Link to full review (http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1360/Marathon-Durandal/p1/)


I wonder if The OXM said anything about in their (5.5) review?

[Cuddly Knife]

They don't mention anything about motion sickness, but they do talk on how Doom owns this game. And how it has nice graphics. And how you get lost easily.

[Cuddly Knife]

Another famed Japanese game designer enlisted by Microsoft is Q Entertainment head Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of Ninety-Nine Nights and fan favorite Space Channel 5. Today Microsoft announced that another Mizuguchi-developed classic, Rez, is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Though not dated or priced, when Rez does arrive, it will join two other Mizuguchi-developed games on the service: Lumines Live and the forthcoming Every Extend Extra Extreme.

Though it eventually was ported to the PlayStation 2, Rez was originally released for the Sega Dreamcast. Microsoft also announced today that another Dreamcast classic, Ikaruga, is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Available "soon" according to Microsoft, the game will sport a "slow-motion" training mode and online co-op play for two persons.

Finally, Microsoft revealed two other titles for Xbox Live Arcade: a port of the PSP puzzler Exit (Taito) and the arcade shooter Triggerheart Exelica (Warashi). Three other games--the puzzle-platformer Braid (Number None Inc.), four-player RPG Castle Crashers (The Behemoth), and co-op focused actioner Schizoid (Torpex Games)--were confirmed for early 2008 launches.

"We continue to evolve our strong relationships with Japan’s best and most innovative developers, and we’re looking forward to delivering exclusive high-definition titles for consumers worldwide, this year and beyond," said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, in a statement. Hopefully they get the online co-op working smoothly for Ikaruga. Damn, that will be so sick.

[Fivespot]

That's great news!! Especially an HD Rez and Ikaruga (never played the original and would love to). Didn't want to buy the overpriced and rare Cube version however.

[Glockstar]

Rez? Rez! You mean I can finally call off my search (for the PS2 game)?! You mean I'll finally get a chance to play it?! To get synesthesia-ized?! Hoo-ah!

[Cuddly Knife]

Yup, yup. What I don't understand is how MS is able to shrink down the memory for these games, when they only have 150MB to use, and when the games themselves are far larger than that before hand. Like SotN, which is a large game. Nothing was lost in the translation though, plus they added some smoothing to the graphics. Same goes for Lumines, which is all mainly music, and the same will go for Rez.

[Cuddly Knife]

Carcassonne is free today, and only for today, to celebrate the fifth year of Xbox Live. If you can prove that you've been on Live since the beginning, you also get 500 free points to use in the Marketplace.

[Fivespot]

I was there since day 1 only was using the gamer tag of Fivespot back then. I didn't attempt to prove it however because the time spent in doing so would easily cost me more than $5. :)

How about you guys? Any fellow XBOX Live members since day 1? And day 1 sucked by the way. There wasn't much to play online back then.

[Cuddly Knife]

Recently I've been hearing about how PGR was the game that launched Live. Was it part 2, or one? Also, what other games were Live-enabled?

[Gadfly2317]

Rez? Rez! You mean I can finally call off my search (for the PS2 game)?! You mean I'll finally get a chance to play it?! To get synesthesia-ized?! Hoo-ah!

Did you try Every Extend Extra yet, my favorite PsP game? It's on XBLA now too. You want to get synesthesiaized in a music/shooter, you've got to try this. . . you lucky bastards. . . Ikaruga, Rez, AND Every Extend Extra.

[Cuddly Knife]

IMO, Boom Boom Rocket ain't no slouch, neither.<---(3neg?)

[Fivespot]

Recently I've been hearing about how PGR was the game that launched Live. Was it part 2, or one? Also, what other games were Live-enabled?

I don't think PGR was online but PGR2 most certainly was. Came out later than XBOX Live however so it wasn't available on day 1. To this day, there is live functionality