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'XBLA Wednesdays' looks to keep rolling, Konami leading the charge [update 1]
Club Skill reports that OXM has published the list of Xbox Live Arcade titles scheduled for release on Wednesdays through September 6: Aug. 16: Texas Hold 'em Aug. 23: Time Pilot Aug. 30: Scramble Sept 6: Lumines Live! I gotta admit, I have a soft spot for Konami's Time Pilot. Back in the early 80s, that joint was in heavy rotation on my older brother's ColecoVision. But I digress ...With Frogger out, and Time Pilot & Scramble on the horizon, the Konami classics are starting to make their mark on XBLA. So where's Contra? And what's this about Symphony of the Night? What up with those Turtles![Update: redirected link to OXM directly.]
Lumines Live: Like a PSP without the portability
I go on vacation for a day and Xbox 360 Fanboy decides to trash talk the PSP. According to their somewhat sensational article, Lumines Live for the Xbox 360 and Lumines II for the PSP are the same game. They bring up a point that Lumines Live will be much cheaper than Lumines II, but I absolutely dare those kids to try lugging their massive Xbox 360 around on the subway. And, let's not forget that they paid $400 for their console, with a power brick the size of a dinosaur.Ooh... I went there. But in all honesty, does it really matter if something is the "same game" when it involves colored boxes falling from the sky? Don't see too much need for variety there.[Thanks, steve!]
More musical Mizuguchi mayhem materializes
Oh, death by alliteration can be most painful indeed. And yet, it's a risk worth taking when it comes to revealing new PSP and DS games from Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creative, possibly insane game designer behind Space Channel 5 (and it's swinging sequel), Rez, Sega Rally and of course, the criminally addictive Lumines. Featuring heavy musical components that can often be influenced by the player, his recent titles have demonstrated a knack for style and an unusual ability to impart something vaguely resembling inspiration. If you've played through Space Channel 5, you'll know exactly what we mean.Thankfully abandoning orcs and dynastic warriors for greener and more familiar portable pastures, Mizuguchi is now acting as executive producer on Gunpey-R, short for Gunpey Reverse. Based on an older Wonderswan game, Gunpey-R sees the player -- wait for it -- moving square panels up and down in an effort to create lines running from right to left. Success leads to panels vanishing as ooposed to killing you violently when they claw their way to the top of the screen. The PSP version will feature interactive "skins" (in the same vein as Lumines), whereas the DS version will play different sounds as each panel is cleared.Namco Bandai is taking care of publishing duties in Japan, with American and European releases still unaccounted for. Given the success of Q Entertainment's previous games, it shouldn't take too long before everyone is pulled back into a mesmerizing music-and-rhythm marathon. With such a widespread appeal, music is most certainly a sound route to the home of that elusive casual gamer. See also: Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade Lumines Plus to drop on PS2 Joystiq's top 10 hidden gems of this generation
Lumines fiasco redux
Some of you may have noticed a comment from Live Arcade's Ross Erickson on Wednesday's Lumines story. The original post claimed that -- according to Tetsuya Mizuguchi, mind you -- an extra pack would have to be purchased from Marketplace to access online play in Lumines Live. I contacted Mr. Erickson to get to the bottom of this. I asked whether or not he could confirm that Live play will be included with Lumines at no extra cost. I received a one word reply: "Confirmed." There you have it folks. Crisis averted. I would have preferred a less terse reply, but I'll take what I can get. So, knowing that Live play is included, will you buy Lumines if it costs fifteen bucks?
Lumines versus will cost you [update 1]
Many people have already been stunned by Lumines Live's $15 price tag. If you've already been stunned, then there's no telling what this news will do to you. X360F and I take no responsibility for any mental or physical pain and anguish as a result. Here goes: if you want to play Lumines on Live, you'll have to buy another pack that unlocks the feature. Probably, anyway. Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi hinted that maybe you won't have to pay for what should be a standard feature: "At least that's the way we have it planned right now...We're still trying to determine if we'll package versus in the base package." Like a sucker, I'll probably pay for it. Will you? [Via Xboxic] Update 1: An official response from Microsoft has confirmed that online play will be included at no extra cost. See this follow-up for the full story.
Lumines Live multiplayer blocked by micropayments [update 1]
Kikizo Games reports that Lumines Live's base package -- which will likely cost 1200 Microsoft points ($15) -- will not include Xbox Live multiplayer. The game's creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, recently detailed plans to sell multiplayer support as a separate add-on, although he added that the decision had not been finalized. Lumines Live will also feature licensed music and backgrounds available through premium downloads. The original Lumines debuted on the PSP for $40, suggesting that the base price of Lumines Live is a bargain. But charging us extra for multiplayer is a slippery slope and could usher in a series of cannibalized games crowding the casual (and cheap) atmosphere of Xbox Live Arcade. [Update 1: Ross Erickson, the "Worldwide Games Portfolio Manager" for Xbox Live Arcade, let us know that the Lumines micropayment story is "not true." He said the same to sister-site Xbox 360 Fanboy. So, there you go. No more worrying, m'kay?]
Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade
Peter Moore just announced that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's formerly PS(P and 2)-exclusive title, Lumines, is heading to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of Lumines Live. What's new? The music-heavy title will feature Warner Music Group's content integrated into the game. Their example showed a Madonna video playing behind the game. Sony got to borrow some XBL action, all Microsoft's doing is playing catch-up.
