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New Small Arms content releases tomorrow
Gastronaut Studios has announced that the new downloadable content for Small Arms will be released tomorrow on Xbox Live Marketplace. As we've detailed before, the new content contains 2 new levels and 2 new characters (though no new weapons, regrettably). The two new characters are Ivar, a saber-toothed tiger, and Gullarp, the elephant. The new maps are Arctic Ice Floe and Pillaged Village, the respective stomping grounds of Ivar and Gullarp. The new content also packs 2 new achievements for finishing Mission Mode with a new character and for hosting an Xbox Live match on a new map. The new content pack will be available for 250 MS Points.Alongside the new content, Gastronaut Studios will also release a free update that will address certain issues within the game. Chief among these issues are weapon balance and bug fixes. Check out some shots of the new characters in our gallery below.%Gallery-3686%
Video: New Small Arms maps and characters in action
We recently revealed to you that Gastronaut studios has a couple of maps and new characters coming over Xbox Live Marketplace downloadable content for Small Arms. Well, Godfree over at Gamertagradio has a video showcasing Ivar and Gullarp in the new arenas. Since the new characters are barbarian in nature, the new areas follow suit. Unfortunately, we only have the name of one map, Iceberg, as the other is shown through a mission instead. So how do these look, or would you rather have them come with new weapons?
Small Arms site officially launches
Gastronaut has finally launched the official site for Small Arms. Just a place holder before, the site is now fully functional and loaded with content. Those unfamiliar with the game can learn about all the characters, check out the weapons, and get a glimpse at the levels, too. We recommend looking at the weapon models. It's amazing how much detail they packed onto them (especially considering you can never focus on it during play). There are plenty of downloads including wallpapers and IM icons. There are also links to the Small Arms forums and blog. Finally, there is a section for viewing the Small Arms leaderboard, though it's not up and running yet.Small Arms is still one of our favorite Live Arcade games. Here's hoping we get some new content soon.[Via The Xbox Domain. Thanks, Tom]
Small Arms impressions, it's real splodey [update 1]
I downloaded Small Arms this morning and played it for a good solid hour. I managed to fight our way through single player and played a few Live matches, too. What was the experience like? Is Small Arms worth 800 points? Read on to find out.
Small Arms hits XBLA, shoots it in face
It has been a long time coming, but Small Arms has made it (after all) to Xbox Live Arcade. Sure, it brings 4-player rapid-fire blasting action to the Arcade, but we all know that its major innovation is the introduction of psychotic Mexican chickens to videogames. It's a milestone that is long overdue. We're getting on in just a few minutes to try this puppy out, so all the working stiffs out there can rest assured we'll have impressions soon. While we're at it, we'll see if we can't find a Gastronaut employee so we can grab the awesome "Six Degrees" achievement. With any luck, the whole readership of 360 Fanboy will be "infected" in no time!See Also:X360F Interview with Small Arms' GastronautDonSmall Arms Archive
Small Arms brawls with XBLA this Wednesday
Xbox 360 owners looking to feed their Smash Bros. urges will now have an outlet on Wednesday, when Gastronaut Studios' Small Arms will be released on Xbox Live Arcade. The four-player beat-and- shoot-em-up features 12 anthropomorphic characters, each with their own weapon, across eight levels. One of the achievements which stands out as an interesting social experiment is "Six Degrees of Small Arms." You can only earn the achievement by playing with someone who has it, and right now only the game's creators have it. If the six degrees phenomenon has any merit on Xbox Live, earning this achievement should be a matter of time.Though the press release does say to "expect premium downloadable content" in the future, it also promises that Wednesday's download will include three single-player modes and both online and offline multiplayer. Small Arms will be available for download 1:00 a.m. PST (that's 4:00 a.m. EST) for 800 MS points, or $10 in real money.Continue reading for a video of Small Arms in action.See Also:X06: XBLA mini-impressions
Small Arms in time for Turkey Day?
We know, we know. We just won't shut up about Small Arms, but Mike from the Xbox Domain just sent us an interesting find. Check out this list of the official Live Arcade game forums at Xbox.com. Look closely, and you'll see that Small Arms is the only unreleased Arcade game with a forum. What's more, it looks like both the Defender and Small Arms forums were created last night. Is it possible that Microsoft had Small Arms on deck to release and hit a snafu? Was Defender on standby for just such an occasion? We don't know, but we suspect that MS has a pretty large catalog of old arcade titles that are ready to be published at a moment's notice, just in case a bigger game hasn't made it through certification (and of course there are the UNO decks to fall back on). The upshot of all this is that Small Arms just might be releasing next week -- or maybe even as another surprise Friday release à la UMK3. Will Small Arms see the light of day before Thanksgiving? We hope so, because it sounds like the perfect way to wind down after a turkey dinner.
Small Arms' old name, Lost Planet interview
Our friends at Gamertag Radio recently sat down with some of the team behind Capcom's Lost Planet and got a surprise interview with Gastronaut Studios (the team behind Small Arms). While he was at Gastronaut HQ, Godfree snapped a picture of the above poster. Apparently Small Arms was originally called Hipshot (good change, guys). Listen for talk of Lost Planet multiplayer (six grenade types?!) and plenty of info about the Small Arms development process. Unfortunately, the real questions were never answered. For example, will Devil May Cry ever see the light of day on 360? No answer. What about a Small Arms release date? "Soon." And so, we're back where we started. Still, if you're looking forward to these games, it's worth a listen. Maybe we should do one of these "podcast" things ...
Small Arms video available in HD
GameTrailers has released a new video of Small Arms, one of the most anticipated games on Xbox Live Arcade. The video shows an entire round of play and gives a great overall impression of what it will be like to play the game. What we love most is how much noise each character makes. We especially like hearing the characters scream when they're on fire. Nice touch, Gastronaut. Now how about actually releasing the game? Let's say, oh, next week? See the video after the break.
Small Arms' big launch coming "real soon"
In a recent forum post, GastronautDon, a developer at Gastronaut Studios, claimed that Small Arms will be coming our very soon. In his own words:"Soon. Like for real soon, not 'video game industry soon'. If I say more, I'll get in trouble. "This post was made a week ago, so, "soon" could be any day now, say, tomorrow. After all, it's Wednesday, it's November, what more could you want? Come on, GastronautDon! Throw us a molotov cocktail bone here!
Small Arms set for November release?
Mike from the Xbox Domain" formerly known K1lla's has word from a Microsoft rep that the highly anticipated XBLA beat'em up Small Arms will be released in November. Developer Gastronaut is sending forum readers his way in what would seem to be tacit confirmation. Hopefully we'll be arming up before Turkey Day.
Small Arms preview
1UP has a preview to go alongside the Small Arms video we posted yesterday. There aren't many surprises to be found, though we can at least confirm that there are melee attacks if you run out of ammo. The most interesting bit actually covers the graphical prowess of the game."This may be a Live Arcade game, but it takes full advantage of the 360 hardware. Three of the six processing pipelines are devoted to special effects alone, and it shows. Every projectile throws off sparks and particles when it hits. Thanks to some amazing mastery of compression, it all looks fantastic too. Textures and models have been created at mural size, so large that they come to almost 1 Gig, but Gastronaut has managed to squeeze it all down to the Arcade game limit of 50 Meg. And with all that, the team still takes a no-compromise approach to hitting a smooth 60 frames per second. As far as they're concerned there's no room for anything else."It's nice to see an Arcade developer really latching on to the horsepower that the 360 has to offer. We're pretty confident that Gastronaut has an Arcade hit on their hands with Small Arms. Will it reach Geometry Wars levels, or could it outperform Street Fighter? Only time will tell. Unless something catastrophic happens, we're dropping the MS Points on day one.[Via Evil Avatar]
Small Arms in action (not shaky cam!)
A new video of Small Arms has popped up on Gamevideos. The video gives us an long overdue glimpse of Small Arms' gameplay. Even better, we can nail down a few features. First, it looks like the game should (digitally) ship with 12 selectable characters. Second, the ninja character makes it obvious that melee combat is at least possible. Also, we can see that each weapon has a limited amount of ammo, though it's a little unclear what your offensive options are if you run out of ammo and can't find a replacement. Now we can't decide what we want to try more, the sniper rifle or the katana. Watch the video after the jump.
Small Arms, big appetite
Don from Gastronaut Studios threw up an interesting poll concerning Small Arms ESRB ratings submission:What should happen when a character in Small Arms eats a meat item prepared from their own species? 1-Canniblism + 500 points2-Canniblism -500 points3-Lose health instead of gaining it4-Die in a pool of their own vomit.It does sort of highlight the absurd side of the ratings system.[Via K1lla's Xbox Domain][Thanks Joey]
Small Arms, that's one mean lookin' chicken
Granted, you don't want to come across an angry chicken, but you really don't want to come across an angry chicken rocking an arm mounted cannon, a Molotov cocktail and a championship belt. Sweet jebus, this thing is the stuff of nightmares. This badass chicken (Pector El Pollo) is a newly revealed character for Gastronaut's upcoming Arcade title, Small Arms. Check out the other new character, a hitman pig (hitpig?) named Mr. Truffles, at K1lla's Xbox Domain. And if you're as excited about Small Arms as we are, stay tuned to X360F. We should have something special for you very soon.[Thanks, Joey]
Guess a Small Arms date, kill a kitten
After K1lla's Xbox Domain took a wild guess (September 13) at the date for the XBLA beat'em up Small Arms, Don from Gastronaut responded with the following insight into what really goes with these release dates : Every time someone guesses a date, we push back the release a week... And kill a kitten. He's joking...I think. For Toonces' sake people -- stop speculating.[Thanks Joey]
Small shots of Small Arms
Gastronaut Studios has seen fit to release a handful of shots for their upcoming Live Arcade multiplayer title, Small Arms. The shots look nice, though something is lost when the game is not in motion. Still, in comparison to other Arcade titles, Small Arms stacks up pretty well (and performed well in our recent poll). Hopefully, Gastronaut will give us a release date soon.
Small Arms, where's the big press?
Someone recently pointed out that Microsoft has done a piss poor job of promoting Small Arms, and a few other Live Arcade games as well. As such, I decided to put up this video. Looks pretty fun, right? So, why haven't we heard more about it from the boys in Redmond? It's an interesting question. Live Arcade is an innovative service, and it has the potential to outshine even the biggest 360 games. The Arcade Wednesdays promotion is a start, but I'd say Live Arcade definitely needs its own PR branch and its own spin doctor specialist like Major Nelson (perhaps Ross Erickson). What do you think?
Small Arms developer interview
K1lla's Xbox Domain talks to Don Wurster of Gastronaut Studios about the indie developer's potential XBLA super smash, Small Arms. Sample quote: A number of review sites are writing the game off as a 'Super Smash Bros' Clone, but in reality it plays quite differently. The combat focuses on ranged attacks which make for a less claustrophobic , more tactical game. I think 'Small Arms' has just as much in common with games like 'Abuse' and 'Metal Slug' as with 'Smash Bros'. E3 gameplay video above.
