lumines-live
Latest
XBLA weeklong 'blowout' sale includes SSFIITHDR, Lumines & Age of Booty
No joke -- several solid Xbox Live Arcade titles have been temporarily discounted, most by 50 percent, today through April 7. A few of the notable victims of this price slaughter include: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix ($7) -- 53% off Lumines LIVE ($5) -- 50% off South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! ($5) -- 50% off Check out the full list of XBLA cost casualties after the break.
New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack announced
We'd been hearing that Microsoft had a new Xbox 360 holiday bundle in the works, and here we go: $299 will nab you an Elite, Lego Batman, and Pure. Not a bad deal -- and if you already have a 360, you can score a new controller, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and Ms Pac-Man for another $60. The new Elite pack should be shipping to retailers today, but you'll have to wait until November to snag the controller bundle. Now if only Microsoft would see fit to bundle in some freaking WiFi, we'd be all set.
Lumines coming to iPhone, console versions getting price cut
According to a recent dispatch from Q Entertainment producer (and former EGM editor-in-chief) James Mielke, a huge marketing push for Lumines is set to kick off in September. As part of this bold movement, both Lumines Live and Lumines Supernova are set to have their prices cut in the near future -- but arguably more exciting is the news that the trance-inducing puzzler will be making its way to the iPhone sometime in September or early October.Though an exact release date and price have yet to be announced, Mielke did confirm that the game would hit the App Store with brand new skins and music. Awesome -- nothing makes early morning commutes go by faster than a good case of rhythmic synesthesia.
Mizuguchi's XBLA games compiled in Q3 "Cubed" compilation
More new coming from today's Atari press conference is word that game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi will be releasing all three of his Xbox Live Arcade games to retail as a compilation disc. This Arcade compilation will be called Q3 (Cubed) and will include Lumines Live!, Every Extend Extra Extreme as well as Rez HD and include all DLC associated with each title.Pricing for the compilation will be €30 (around $40), but a firm release date has yet to be confirmed. Expect early 2009.[Via Joystiq]
Atari announces Mizuguchi's 'QJ' for Wii, 'Q3' compilation
Atari is banking on Tetsuya Mizuguchi's next project, a music game with the working title "QJ," to reestablish the celebrated developer at the top of his, uh, game -- or to strike a chord with Wii owners, at least. The publisher announced today that it will bring Q Entertainment's QJ to Wii, but omitted further details. Marching behind a string of Lumines sequels, Mizuguchi has stumbled offbeat with his last several experiments, including Ninety-Nine Nights, Gunpey and Every Extend Extra Extreme. But QJ's music foundation suggests that Mizuguchi could be drumming up renewed inspiration from his own cult classic, Space Channel 5. Additionally, Atari announced the Q3 ("Cubed") compilation disc for Xbox 360, which will include Mizuguchi's XBLA games: Every Extend Extra Extreme, Lumines Live and Rez HD, along with all released DLC. The collection has been given a tentative price of €30 (roughly $40) and has yet to be dated for release.
Lumines Supernova to fall this fall on PSN
We're doubtful the release of Lumines Supernova on PSN this fall will be met with the sort of stellar explosion the game's title implies, but a revered action puzzler -- with "block-dropping beats" to back it up -- can only be a good thing for PlayStation 3's downloadable games service. Still, there's not much about Supernova that could justify a purchase for current owners of one (or more!) of the franchise's iterations aside from a pair of new modes: Dig Down Mode: Using the falling blocks, erase squares from a playfield already filled with blocks as you dig down to the bottom. Show off your digging skills as your completion time is ranked based on clearing 20 consecutive stages. Sequencer Mode: Create your own background music using the sound loops provided in the "Sound Bank" -- drums, bass, synthesizer 1, synthesizer 2, and effects each come with 20 different loops. In addition, Supernova will feature 40 unlockable skins in Challenge Mode, plus Skin Edit, Time Attack, and Puzzle / Mission modes, and a 2-player versus mode. Q Entertainment has yet to set a firm release date or price for Lumines Supernova, but it does appear to be a more complete game than the core experience on Xbox Live Arcade. %Gallery-31089%
Oblivion, Band of Bugs and Lumines DLC deets
There's a couple of games getting new content today, so rather than spread the details across numerous posts (that'll only leave some dazed and confused) we've bundled all the new downloadable content news right here.Today, Oblivion fans can get access to their own castle with the free The Fighter's Stronghold expansion download. Just be sure to keep your newly accessible living quarters clean and fresh. XBLA game Band of Bugs is also feeling the DLC love today with a the new 250 Microsoft point Ninja Sticks of Fury expansion that adds new achievements, a new shadowy character and more challenges to the Band of Bugs universe. Finally, Lumines Live! owners will be getting a new 400 Microsoft point Rockin' Holiday Pack expansion and two free skins ("Heavenly Star" and "Breeze") this Wednesday. Don't own Lumines Live! you say, well good news for you, because it was also announced that starting this Wednesday Lumines Live! will be permanently discounted to 800 Microsoft points. Smile.Read - Oblivion The Fighter's Stronghold DLCRead - Band of Bugs Ninja Sticks of Fury DLCRead - Lumines Live! DLC and discount pricing
Video: New Lumines Live! DLC on display
The next pack of downloadable content for Lumines Live! is being previewed over at GameTrailers and is also available in HD. It shows 5 or so seconds of each skin in what's being dubbed the "SOS Charity Campaign Pack". It will be released on June 27th, and will set you back 350 MS points, but at least you know that it's going towards a good cause. Would you be down with some more content for Lumines, or are you a little wary of Q Entertainment's take on micro-transactions?
Download new Lumines Live! content, save the world
Lumines Live! (that's the name, we're not shouting) debuted on Xbox Live Arcade last October in a fragmented state, chopped apart by the 50MB file size limit enforced at the time. With several of the game's modes offered as optional and costly additions, it quickly became the hideous poster child for monstrous microtransactions. If you still feel that way, look away before we discuss two new downloadable content packs, one of which is designed to save the Earth. Q Entertainment has announced that purchases of the SOS Charity Campaign Pack made between June 27th and July 17th will go towards climate protection organizations and causes. A remix of "Heavenly Star", the embarrassingly catchy tune by Japanese group Genki Rockets, is included in the pack as a celebration of the group's upcoming appearance at Al Gore's Live Earth musical event. If you haven't heard the song yet, consider that Lumines and Rez designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi came up with it as an answer to the question, "What kind of song would a 17-year old girl from outer space who has never landed on Earth sing to those living on Earth?" For 350 MS Points (a rather awkward $4 and 37 and a half cents), you'll also receive "House66" by Sugiurumn, "Cosmic Humming" by Muku and the excellent "4x4 Bricks" by Techriders. Joining the SOS Charity Campaign pack on June 27th is the Booster Pack, more suited to those happy to sit in front of the TV and rearrange squares while the world outside melts. The Booster Pack contains 20 additional skins and features a "must-see" collaboration between Lumines, "Bloomy Girls" and Japanese "visual artist/musician" Masakatsu Takagi. It'll set you back 600 MS Points, or $7.50 in your pre-apocalyptic Earth money. [via Q Entertainment press release]
Lumines Live add-on packs now available
This morning the Lumines Live add-on packs are available from the XBLM. Last week we found out that these all new add-ons would not only be coming, but would be discounted for a month. The VS CPU Pack and Puzzle/Mission Pack are only 100 Microsoft Points (originally priced at 300) and the Heavenly Star Skin is free (regular price 150). Remember, these prices are only good until February 21st when the original prices will go in effect. Need more info? Head on over to Xbox.com for all the add-on details.
New Lumines Live! content out next Wednesday
When Lumines Live! emerged in October of last year, it ran headlong into a pack of outraged gamers who felt that the game's fragmented content and costs introduced an unwelcome element to the Xbox Live Marketplace -- a roving pickpocket you bump into between fruit stalls. New downloadable content is a touchy subject then, but it appears that next week's Live! offerings are a bit less backward and a bit less, well ... Evil!Three new packs will be available this coming Wednesday, the first of which contains the Heavenly Star skin. Perhaps the fact that it will be free to Gold subscribers until February 21 is to be interpreted as a sign of atonement. The other two, namely the VS CPU pack and the Puzzle/Mission pack fill up the gaping holes in the base download, each costing a not entirely outrageous 100 points ($1.25) each. That lasts until February 21, after which the price goes up to a thoroughly questionable 300 points ($3.75). Why raise the price after a month? The Gamerscore Blog labels these as "special promotional prices," which really just comes across as a temporary and thinly-veiled apology cringed out by the marketing department. So, why retract the apology then? The quest for more money seems tied to the obvious answer, but that's only if you felt that Lumines Live! got microtransactions completely wrong in the first place. All things considered, the game makes for a balanced example of what's wrong and what's right in the world of pint-sized payments:
Cheap Lumines content arrives next week
How many MS Points does it take to say, "I'm sorry?" Any 360 gamer worth his or her salt will remember the Great Lumines Catastrophe of '06. Allow us to explain ... no, there is too much. Let us sum up: Lumines Live launched on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 points. The catch here is that the 1200 point purchase did not get you the full game. There were myriad reasons for this (stay under the 50MB limit, etc...) but the end result was that we were expected to pay for things like Vs. CPU mode and an expanded Puzzle mode and more skins for the solo mode. After the already large asking price, many felt insulted or even outraged. Well, kiddies, it looks like MS and Q? were listening, as new Lumines content arrives next Wednesday, and it's cheap! There are three pieces of content arriving next week. The first is a new video skin called Heavenly Star (sounds familiar) which will be free to Xbox Live Gold Members. The second is the Vs. CPU pack that will be available for 100 points. The third is the Puzzle/Mission pack which will also cost 100 points. These promotional prices are to be offered between January 24 and February 21. After February 21, the two content packs will cost 300 points, and we're not really sure what happens to the Heavenly Star video (presumably it will disappear or cost points). A tip of the hat to MS and Q? entertainment for heeding our call and slashing these prices. Will you grab this content now that it will be available at a discounted price?
Heavenly Star: From Lumines II to iTunes
Q Entertainment recently announced that Heavenly Star, an original song from the recently released Lumines II, is now available on the iTunes Music Store in the U.S. and Japan. What's more, five remixes of the song will be coming to Apple's download service soon, and the song and video will be available as part of the "Heavenly Star Pack" for the Xbox 360's Lumines Live in January. Because, really, who doesn't enjoy paying more for content that should have been in the original game. Cheap gamers who want to sample the Miziguchi-produced song and video without paying can check it out below. Hopefully this announcement will open the floodgates and lead to a wide variety of original game music being made legally available through simple download instead of expensive import. We'd personally love to see some OSTs for Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy and DDR, thrown up on iTunes. Until then, I guess there's always OCRemix. What game soundtracks would you like made available on iTunes?[Via GameSetWatch]
Light and Lumines
True story: I'm a Lumines newb and a conscious sucker for Microsoft's evil pricing strategy for this game. Last night I was just about to unlock the first time attack achievement when the power went out, plunging my once luminous abode into inky darkness. Because life just isn't bearable without electronic entertainment (Even in a blackout, I can't stomach the load times on a PSP) I had to leave the house immediately. Luckily the lights came on this morning, and I erased my 30 blocks. What's your record for the 1 minute time attack?
What are you playing: FINISH HIM edition
Another Friday, another edition of -- say it with me now - "What are you playing?" Personally, I've been playing a lot of Xbox Live Arcade lately. All these titles in the last month or so, it feels like an embarrassment of riches. So, this weekend, I'll be playing UMK3, DOOM, Lumines (yeah, I can't help it), and even getting some achievements for Cloning Clyde. I may sprinkle in some LEGO Star Wars II and some Enchanted Arms, too. On a side note, I don't know how many of you have gotten Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but I had forgotten how incredibly cheap the AI is. It's terrible. It's not just cheap, it's the kind of cheap programming that allows CPU players to cut corners that human players can't. For instance, computers can skip frames of animation so that they can react faster -- like jump kicking you even though you started your jump kick first, etc. It's maddening. And, for the record, Shao Kahn may be the cheapest boss ever. How about all of you? Hmmmm? What will you be playing this weekend?
Lumines II to feature all content from Live
Do we have a grudge against the Xbox 360 version of Lumines? Well, probably. Gamers were shocked to discover that the game they had purchased for $15 was merely a glorified demo: it would cost another $7.50 to get the "Advance Pack," which includes 22 more skins. Throw in the Artist, Mission and VS CPU Packs, and you're already paying more than you would for the PSP version of the game. Oh, and you're still getting less than was the PSP version offers: "all the skins in Lumines Live will be in Lumines II - plus more" (emphasis added). According to Siliconera, there will be 60 skins in Lumines II, which outnumbers Live's number of skins by a whopping 26. No matter how you look at it, Lumines Live is a total rip-off.
Lumines Live pricing change planned?
The guys at Xboxic obtained this promising message from Xbox Customer Support:Thanks for contacting XBOX Customer Support, Luminous Live is known to have some issues regarding unsatisfactory in it's download. Please wait until Monday to see wether we have any updates regarding this issue. Do not download or purchase anything else that has to be dealt with Luminous Live. Until then, feel free to contact us via telephone for any updates of this issue and what we can offer you. For any questions regarding this issue, please contact Xbox customer support on http://www.xbox.com/support/contact/ Thanks for time and support, XBOX customer service team. This communique raises a series of intriguing questions?: 1. Will Microsoft lower, or otherwise alter, the much-hated pricing structure for Luminous, or rather Lumines Live? The unusual step of instructing consumers not to buy an XBLA game indicates that they will.2. If so, will MS reimburse the unlucky saps who alread shelled out for the "complete" game in its current usurious form?3. Is grammatical English just too much to ask of a certain percentage of the Xbox Customer Service Team?
Our Lumines Live! micro-rant
We know, it seems like all the news is about Lumines lately. It'll subside, we promise. Until then, however, we have to put in our two cents on a hot topic. No doubt you've read some of the reports about Lumines Live! and it's evil downloadable content. Either that, or you've discovered it yourself after clearing one round of Vs. CPU mode. We all knew that there was an "Advance" pack coming, but if you were under the impression that the "Advance" pack would make your game complete, you're wrong. Three times wrong. We think it's time for a rant.
And the Lumines Live winner is...
It's that time. Time to announce the winner of our Lumines Live! contest. We received a digital ton of entries, some good, and some not so good. Some of them were clever, and some not so clever. Find out who we picked and see some honorable mentions after the break.
Lumines, you have (control) issues
360 Fanboy reader, Franky Digital, whipped up a little Lumines comic this week (you never told us you had a webcomic!). Follow the read link to see the punchline. It brings up a good point though: is anybody out there having issues controlling Lumines Live? We haven't played it extensively yet, but the d-pad certainly has a bad track record (Street Fighter, anyone?). Frankly, our biggest problem is keeping track of everything on such a big screen (compared to the PSP). What do you think? Is the d-pad totally suXXorz?Oh, and don't forget to stay tuned for the winner of the Lumines Live contest. It could be you.
