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First screens of NinjaBee's Ancients of Ooga for XBLA
Click to Ooga-size First revealed in September of last year, NinjaBee has released the very first screens of Ancients of Ooga, an upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game. The game centers around the Oogani, comprised of tribes of voracious, imp-like creatures. According to the press release, the primary action of the Oogani is to eat. Depending on what one consumes, the player-controlled Oogani can be imbued with special abilities, though apparently some tasty morsels have detrimental effects as well. The release also notes that the game is "packed with puzzle solving, bad-guy fighting, ladder-climbing, catapulting, strange-object eating, puking enjoyment." Given the bizarre humor of Ancients of Ooga, it shouldn't surprise that J. Kenworthy Entertainment is developing the game as a spiritual successor to its first XBLA outing, Cloning Clyde. Check out a bunch of beta build screens -- which are definitely giving off a demented Kirby sort of vibe -- in the gallery below. Ancients of Ooga is planned for release later this year. %Gallery-85047%
NinjaBee's next game: A World of Keflings
NinjaBee is working on a Kingdom for Keflings sequel, which takes the logical next step and is quite expectedly titled A World of Keflings. IGN has the first details of the follow-up that has "multiple kingdoms to explore, each with its own climate, resources, and culture." A World of Kelings sound like it's the same gameplay you remember from the original ... just bigger and stuffed with more Keflings. NinjaBee President Steve Taylor says the game has "a new story focus, with new exotic lands, characters, quests, buildings, customization options, and a lot more." The game will release sometime this year and will feature local multiplayer -- a feature awkwardly missing in the original.
Ninjabee's new XBLA Avatar game revealed this week
Remember the Avatar game that XBLA developer Ninjabee announced earlier this month? We still don't know much about it. Ninjabee has released some concept art on its blog but, as the weird bird above will attest, that hasn't been too helpful in identifying the project. Thankfully, there is some good news, as the company has announced that its next game will be officially revealed later this week (tomorrow, in fact). Based on the art we've seen, we're guessing it's not A Kingdom for Keflings 2. Whatever it is, you can bet we'll be posting it right here as soon as it's announced.
NinjaBee shows concepts for new XBLA game, playable with Avatars
NinjaBee (makers of A Kingdom for Keflings, Band of Bugs and the underrated Outpost Kaloki X) has announced that it's working on a brand new title for Xbox Live Arcade, one that will allow you to play with your Mickey ear-wearing Xbox Live Avatar. There's no actual information about the game yet (not even a title, although we know it's not Ancients of Ooga, another NinjaBee game in progress), but as you can see from the concept art posted on its blog, there's an airship, a cute bird and a dragon involved. So: a cross between Final Fantasy, Twitter and Lair? Actually, we'd totally play that. NinjaBee says an official announcement is coming at the end of the month, and it'll be releasing new concept art every week until then, so stay tuned for more.
Deal of the Week: Kingdom for Keflings for $5
While the Xbox Live Deal of the Week is often reserved for ancient, unwanted DLC, this week's deal is worth considering. On sale this week for 400 ($5) -- 50 percent off the regular price -- is NinjaBee's A Kingdom for Keflings. The game tasks your Avatars with building a kingdom for tiny folk known as Keflings. In order to do so, you'll need to gather the proper materials and make sure that the economy keeps thrumming along. As an added bonus, you can play with up to four players on Xbox Live. Trust us when we say that A Kingdom for Keflings is pretty addictive. Throw in the recently released DLC -- two packs for 160 ($2) each -- and you've got plenty to keep yourself busy for a long time. Shortcut: Add A Kingdom for Keflings to your 360 download queue [via Xbox.com] [Via Major Nelson]
Kingdom for Keflings gets new kingdoms next week
click to giant-size Good news for all the would-be Gullivers out there, NinjaBee has announced the first DLC for its Avatar-friendly economy sim, A Kingdom for Keflings. Two DLC packs will be releasing next week on December 9 promising several new kingdoms in which to rule over your Keflings with a giant, iron fist. Kingdom Pack 1 will contain the Orchard Kingdom and Kingdom Crossroads, while Kingdom Pack 2 houses the Central Kingdom and Relic Kingdom. All the new maps provide twists on the original kingdom, though the press release notes that the Central Kingdom is recommended for more advanced players. NinjaBee hasn't announced a price yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we do. In the meantime, enjoy some new screens, including maps of the new kingdoms, below. %Gallery-79250%
NinjaBee buzzing about 'Ancients of Ooga'
NinjaBee has revealed Ancients of Ooga will be the next title by the team behind Cloning Clyde, which was one of the few original releases on Xbox Live Arcade way back in the summer of 2006. NinjaBee teased this announcement a couple weeks ago -- not that this notification is anything more than another tease, as there's no screenshots, gameplay details or a release window for the game. At least NinjaBee had the decency to bestow a name upon the game (and some googly-eyed concept art). John Nielson, founder of J. Kenworthy Entertainment, the studio behind Cloning Clyde, states that the team was "bombarded with requests" to clone Clyde for a sequel. Although Ooga isn't a sequel, Nielson considers it a "spiritual successor," due to Clyde's fundamental influence on the game. Maybe if we wait another two weeks NinjaBee will tease Ooga's file size ...
NinjaBee publishing indie brain training game on WiiWare
NinjaBee Games is continuing the process of taking over the downloadable game market, making its first second move into WiiWare by publishing Grubby Games' The Amazing Brain Train, which manages to have both indie cred (it was a 2008 PAX 10 title) and WiiWare marketability (it's a brain training game). The Amazing Brain Train features educational minigames in five categories: Search, Planning, Spatial, Memory, and Numbers. In addition to the obvious "Test Mode" and the single-game practice mode, Brain Train has a Quest Mode that offers players "quests and epic deeds." NinjaBee has announced no release date for The Amazing Brain Train -- being WiiWare, we probably won't have any idea until it's released. In the meantime, you can download a free demo of the PC version here. %Gallery-70993%
Ninjabee developing 'spiritual successor' to Cloning Clyde
Speaking on the Gathering of Gamer's Podcast, Ninjabee's Steve Taylor dropped a few hints about the company's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade project. In addition to an update and DLC for A Kingdom for Keflings, Taylor says Ninjabee is working on a game created by the same team that was behind Cloning Clyde, one of XBLA's earliest original titles. While he doesn't give specific details about the project, Taylor does say that "It's more of a spiritual successor to Cloning Clyde" than any other game Ninjabee is working on. Furthermore, the game will have the same designer and creative director, John Nielson. According to Taylor, an official announcement should be made "hopefully, within a month." [Thanks, jonathan]
Rumor: NinjaBee disc compilation releasing this fall [update]
It appears that a disc compilation of NinjaBee's Xbox 360 DLC games is in the works for this fall. The NinjaBee Critic's Choice Collection announcement comes courtesy of a GameFly post which, if history serves us properly, are typically not speculative. The only thing that may be buzzing in our ear as bee-ing iffy is the release date of October 15. We've contacted NinjaBee for confirmation, but were told that it couldn't provide us any information at this time. Although we're unaware of what games would be on the disc, NinjaBee's titles include: Outpost Kaloki, A Kingdom for Keflings, Cloning Clyde, Band of Bugs and many more. We're leaving the hive door open if the company wants to give us the buzz. Update: Officially, the company stated it does not comment on rumor and speculation; we were also told to "watch carefully for an upcoming announcement." But, when explaining the company's philosophy, a representative said, "If we were to do something like that, we would want to pack as much as we can onto a disc ... we'd want to offer a good value there." [Thanks, Chris S.]
NinjaBee adds Avatar support to Band of Bugs, new Tales of Kaloki campaign
click to enlarge So, remember how NinjaBee teased us with fireball-tossing Avatars last week? It turns out that the developer isn't creating a brand new Avatar game after all. Instead, NinjaBee is adding Avatar support to its turn-based strategy game, Band of Bugs. Yeah, it's not as exciting as the Avatar fighting game of our dreams, but it might be enough to make us blow the digital dust off of the XBLA title. Players will be able to use their Avatars in both the single-player campaign and in Spider Hunter multiplayer mode. The Avatar support will be coming as a free update on July 8.In addition to Avatar support, NinjaBee is also set release an entirely new campaign for Band of Bugs entitled Tales of Kaloki, though it's very different from traditional DLC. Instead of simply expanding Band of Bugs, Tales of Kaloki actually plays like an entirely new game set in a different universe with different characters. Rather than pitting bugs against one another, players will control spaceships -- which utilize new weapons and abilities -- and try to blast their enemies out of the sky. And, judging from the above image, you can also wreak urban havoc with your Avatar.As the title implies, Tales of Kaloki is based on another NinjaBee XBLA game, Outpost Kaloki X. The DLC will be available July 8 for 240 ($3). NinjaBee will also be releasing a Band of Bugs dashboard theme on the same day for the same price.Check out screens of Tales of Kaloki and Avatars in Band of Bugs in the galleries below.Now, NinjaBee, seriously ... about that fighting game ....%Gallery-67129%%Gallery-67130%
Ninjabee hints at fireball-tossing Avatars
Here's an interesting one. Ninjabee, creator of some of the better XBLA games out there (Cloning Clyde, A Kingdom for Keflings) recently posted a somewhat cryptic Twitter message. The tweet reads simply, "Here's the big news for the day: Ever wanted to throw a fireball with your Avatar?" The message is followed by a link leading to the image above, with the somewhat less cryptic message, "Soon you'll be able to use your Avatar in ways it hasn't been used before..."First, the obvious answer to the question is a hearty "yes." We want our Avatars to do a lot of things, including some of the things they aren't allowed to do. Second, just what is this message all about? Dare we hope that Ninjabee is working up some kind of Avatar fighting game, perhaps in the manic style of Super Smash Bros. or possibly, dream of dreams, Power Stone? We've reached out to Ninjabee and will let you know as soon as we hear more.In the meantime ... speculate.
Kaloki Adventure and Peggle on sale, plus free music
If you didn't jump to pick up Kaloki Adventure [App Store link] after our first look last week, now's your chance: the game is on sale today (not tomorrow, apparently -- you've got under 24 hours) for just $1.99, a buck cheaper than the usual $2.99 price. The game offers some fun but casual real-time strategy business simulation, so if your dream has ever been to own a burgeoning spaceport, they don't come cheaper than that.And as an added bonus, NinjaBee is also offering a catchy tune from the game's soundtrack on their website for the low, low price of completely free. It's the jumpy, swingin' background music to the main gameplay, composed by Eric Nunamaker, who's apparently been working on video game music for quite a while.Oh, and finally, while we're talking about awesome iPhone games on sale, Peggle is only a buck. 'Nuff said.
First Look: NinjaBee's Kaloki Adventure for iPhone
I first came across developer NinjaBee by playing their XBLA platfomer Cloning Clyde -- it was a game that seemed pretty genre, until you started playing it and discovered a unique charm and depth. Since then, they've brought that flair to a few other types of games, including the turn-based strategy RPG Band of Bugs and Xbox Live's Kingdom for Kieflings, and now they've arrived on the iPhone by porting their original XBLA spaceport business sim Outpost Kaloki X and renaming it as Kaloki Adventure. I liked Kaloki on Xbox Live and I still like it on the iPhone. The graphics have taken a hit -- the textures don't seem as clear and the menus are a little more functional than good-looking, but the solid core of gameplay is definitely still here in spades. The idea is that you're running a space station with a limited number of expansion slots on it, and you can put various expansions in each of those slots -- some will give you more power (which you can use to grow bigger expansions), and some will make you more money (which you can use to build more power). The idea is to satisfy your power needs, make money, and keep your customers happy all at the same time, turning your space station from a tiny little lemonade stand off the back end of Jupiter into a thriving powerhouse of space commerce.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Dash of Destruction
This week on XBLA in Brief, we take Dash of Destruction for a spin. As you've no doubt heard by now, Dash of Destruction is available for free on Xbox Live Arcade. The reason: it's a sponsored game that was primarily created to help sell Doritos. No seriously, you can see the word Doritos right there on the title screen. So, how does Dash of Destruction stack up to that other free advertising game on XBLA? Watch the latest episode to find out.[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Dash of Destruction now live, free and waiting
Today is the day, folks. Today is the day that Xbox Live Arcade receives the Doritos sponsored Dash of Destruction. Seeing as the game is essentially a glorified advertisement for delicious, yummy Doritos, it's available completely free of charge. Now, we know what you're thinking, the last time a free advergame hit XBLA, well, it was Yaris. Will Dash of Destruction go down the same path of utter and complete mediocrity? With Ninjabee -- one of the better XBLA studios out there -- maybe, just maybe there's hope.Download Dash of Destruction from Xbox Live Marketplace.%Gallery-39591%
This Wednesday: A dash of advergaming
If this looks like a game that should be free, well, it's because it is free. The game, you may recall, is Dash of Destruction, the winner of last year's Xbox Live Arcade Doritos promotion. After a year and change in the hands of developer NinjaBee, tasked with the rather expensive Flash-to-XBLA conversion (it costs your credibility, you know), the "game" is regrettably here. Unfortunately for NinjaBee, thirteen months of stalling was not enough time for the higher power to forget. See what happens when you bet your soul? And lose.Thankfully, continuing in the proud tradition of Yaris (R.I.P.), Dash of Destruction will be offered to us for exactly 0. This one's on Doritos -- muchas gracias little golden ones!
New screens and trailer of Avatars in Kingdom for Keflings
Last week, Microsoft announced that Ninjabee's upcoming city builder A Kingdom for Keflings will be the first Xbox 360 game to allow players to play as their own Avatar. We spoke with Ninjabee following the announcement and now we have some exclusive new screens and a new trailer showcasing Avatars in A Kingdom for Keflings. Whether you decide to help your Keflings construct their village or just punt them like footballs is up to you. Somehow, we imagine the former is more likely to get your Keflings to dance at your feet, though. Check out the new trailer embedded above and the new screens in the gallery below.Also, Ninjabee's logo, the ninja bee, needs his own game. Period.%Gallery-28993%
Kingdom for Keflings launches with NXE, Avatars playable
click to enlarge Gamerscore Blog has announced that A Kingdom for Keflings, the upcoming XBLA game from NinjaBee, will be available on November 19, the same day as the release of the New Xbox Experience. More importantly, GSB has announced something about as surprising as something that isn't surprising at all: Avatars can be used as playable characters in the game. You may recall that the game was shown though not mentioned in a recent video about Avatars. In the game, players can use their Avatar as the giant character, ordering their Keflings around and building their city. As you can see in the screen above, up to four players can play in the same game. The announcement also adds that A Kingdom for Keflings "works perfectly" with the NXE's party system. We hope party experience is a bit more seamless than it is with older 360 games.A Kingdom for Keflings will launch on November 19 for 800 Microsoft Points.
A Kingdom for Keflings: First Xbox Avatar game on Nov. 19 with NXE
Microsoft is ushering in the New Xbox Experience with A Kingdom for Keflings, the first Xbox 360 title to feature playable, in-game Avatars -- as GIANTS, no less. Developed by NinjaBee, who teased the game in June, the city-building sim supports 4-player Xbox Live multiplayer and "works perfectly with Xbox Live Party" (we should hope so!). While you can carry and assign jobs to Keflings (uh, the game's tiny, humanoid slaves), we have yet to confirm the ability to use Keflings to poke out other Avatars' eyes. But what an experience that would be!A Kingdom for Keflings can be yours -- and your Avatar's -- for 800 ($10) when it hits Xbox Live Arcade on November 19th. %Gallery-36277%
