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Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7: your Xbox isn't in your phone yet, but we're getting there
We just spent some serious, and we mean serious time with Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7. Just like your Xbox, this is sort of an amalgamation of "the place you go to play games" and "the place you go to ping and taunt your friends who also play games." Unfortunately, it seems there's a bit of a disconnect between phone-based scores and records and Xbox achievements -- they all add up to the same gamerscore, but you can't easily there are separate charts to pull up your most recent Halo exploits to show off on your mobile, for instance. Luckily, that still puts Microsoft in a better position than any other mobile games platform (until Apple can get Game Center to stop sucking, at least). Being able to message and challenge friends all from the same "hub" where you keep your games is great, and being able to view your avatar and the avatars of friends (you can even play dress-up with your own) is nice gravy on top. Of course, what really matters is the games, right? Luckily, Microsoft has a pretty strong launch lineup, with some of the regulars like EA's The Sims 3 and Need for Speed, along with some exclusives like Rocket Riot and the hotly anticipated The Harvest. The good news? Games look and play great, just like you might expect from an iPhone or Android level capacitive touchscreen platform, with The Harvest as an obvious and very important standout in complexity and polish. The bad news? Everything takes forever to load (our rough estimate is about three minutes to start playing in The Harvest), and when you don't have any multitasking, that's a really bad thing. Check out some of the Xbox Live hub and capabilities after the break, along with some games, and make up your own mind.
Cheap Defense Grid, Winterbottom and more on XBLM next week
In addition to officially revealing next week's XBLA offerings, Major Nelson has also laid out Xbox Live Marketplace schedule for the rest of June, including the Deal of the Week, Games on Demand and Avatar Marketplace. The Deal of the Week -- or Deals of the Week, rather -- takes the spotlight, with several decent titles on sale. Darwinia+ will be marked down to 800 points ($10), while Defense Grid, PB Winterbottom, Rocket Riot and Poker Smash will all be marked down to 400 points ($5). Also, the OneBigGame charity project, Chime, will be reduced to a puny 240 points ($3). Meanwhile, both Tomb Raider Underworld and Command & Conquer 3 will hit Games on Demand on June 29, and some Crackdown 2 Avatar items will be released on July 1.
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.
Rocket Riot beats major competition at Dutch Gamer Awards
Dutch developer Codeglue has announced that its XBLA title, Rocket Riot, has won the Best Visual Design Award from the Dutch Game Awards, which were held last week in Amsterdam. What makes the revelation particularly impressive is the competition, namely Guerrilla Games' Killzone 2. Yeah, that Killzone 2. The game was also nominated for Best Audio and Best Original Gameplay. We can certainly attest to Rocket Riot's unique visuals. The game use a 3D engine modeled to look like classic 8-bit games, utilizing backgrounds and characters with jagged edges made to resemble pixels. And let's not forget the copious, pixelated explosions either. See it for yourself in the video above and the screens below. And, of course, you could always give it a try. Just be sure to do it with friends. %Gallery-29704%
XBLA in Brief: Rocket Riot, Magic: The Gathering, Sam & Max
Now that Xbox Live Marketplace is working properly again, we finally got to try our hand at this weeks new Xbox Live Arcade releases. There are five very different games available this week. We've got the collectible card RPG Magic: The Gathering (800 / $10), the point-and-click adventure Sam & Max Save the World (1600 / $20) and even a straight-up action game in Rocket Riot (800 / $10). Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and see if any of them tickle your fancy.Download the trial version of Rocket Riot Download the trial version of Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the PlaneswalkersDownload the trial version of Sam & Max Save the World [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly.[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Also this Wednesday: Rocket Riot [update]
Update: Microsoft has confirmed that Rocket Riot will release tomorrow for 800 ($10). See original post below.So, um, apparently there's another game hitting Xbox Live Arcade this week. The thing is, you see, Microsoft apparently left it out of the announcement press release. The game in question is Rocket Riot, which, appropriately enough, involves plenty of riotous, rocket blasting action. Codeglue, the game's developer, has announced that the game will release tomorrow alongside the previously announced titles.Now, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that developers have been wrong about XBLA release dates before. As a general rule, we don't accept releases as fact unless Microsoft announces them. Alas, we've yet to receive confirmation from Microsoft about Rocket Riot. Still, even Xbox.com states the game is out tomorrow (for 800), so we'd say it's probably a safe bet. Probably.%Gallery-20224%
THQ bombing XBLA with Rocket Riot this fall
Nothing sounds quite as satisfying as disintegrating ninjas and zombies with a stylized 8-bit bazooka. That's probably why THQ's upcoming XBLA Worms clone, Rocket Riot, remains on our radar. First announced last October, the game, developed by Dutch dev CodeGlue, evokes a retro feel that speaks directly to our aging hearts with its 80 "completely destructible" pixel-laden levels. Unlike some recent digital offerings, Rocket Riot also promises to support up to eight players over Xbox Live, or four for those wishing to hash out their differences on the same couch. Rocket Riot is expected to send us diving for cover when it drops like a bomb onto XBLA this fall. %Gallery-29704%
New Rocket Riot screens and interview
You know, we need more games with the style of Rocket Riot. When thinking about the way that retro titles should go we definitely prefer this style to that of Mega Man 9. Over at xblarcade there's an interview with the developers that gives some history of the project, as well as what to expect from it. As another twin stick shooter for XBLA, Rocket Riot does its best to differentiate itself with its destructible (and good looking) environments. Also mentioned in the interivew are the origin of the game's name as well as some details out XNA 2.0 (the game was made with it).%Gallery-20224%
ESRB Watch: Swan Song Edition
Yeah we know the post title is a bit needlesssly grim. Let's face it, we're going to still be getting some information about releases from the ESRB. And hopefully some publishers simply won't much care about putting their games up there early. Others like Playful Entertainment, publishers of Ticket to Ride, seem to still want their ratings to go up at the last minute (TtR releases this week). However, if we're to believe that the publishers of the other two XBLA games on the list (Rocket Riot and Cribbage) also want their games to pop up at the last minute, we could be looking at the first hint of next week's releases. Or we could just be paranoid about this whole ESRB thing.
Rocket Riot XBLA details, screens
We first caught wind of the XBLA rocket-pack-based shooter back in November, back when there was little to no information on the game. Now we have a few more details on the game, not much unfortunately, but enough to give us (and you) an insight into the final product. Rocket Riot sticks closely to the ideas evoked by its name, featuring a world rendered in stylized 8bit form that is entirely destructible with your tiny avatar's bazooka. The game will feature over 80 single player missions and multiplayer for up to eight players online (four local) with four different gametypes. The game's website has a bit more info, but it's not very concrete and is mainly teaser. Much of the game is still under wraps for now, but we do know that it will be releasing before year's end, and likely during the fall, as the game appears to still have a ways to go. Still, the screens look like something fresh, so we'll keep and eye on this one.%Gallery-20224%
New info rolls in on THQ XBLA games
Our friends over at XBLArcade have uncovered quite a bit of info on the upcoming THQ Xbox Live Arcade games that were announced last month. We're perhaps most intrigued by Elements of Destruction, in which players take control over the forces of nature to wreak havoc on the denizens of earth (as a resident of tornado country, we're curious to see how well this goes over around here ...). The graphics look fairly impressive for an XBLA game, and the promise of controlling tornadoes, lightning, and fire is very interesting. The other games covered include SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam, ScrewJumper, and Rocket Riot. SpongeBob sounds like what you would expect: a side-scrolling platformer with lots of stuff to collect. ScrewJumper has players falling down a mineshaft, attempting to destroy equipment as they go, and finally rocketing back out to safety. Rocket Riot is a shooter with an 8-bit feel to it and the ever popular addition of a main character with a jetpack.Hit the "read" link for more details and screenshots.
SpongeBob leads THQ Live Arcade lineup
THQ has announced that it plans to bring 4 original titles to Xbox Live Arcade. The foremost titles is undoubtedly SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam!, which you may recall was mentioned as part of Microsoft's new family initiative. Three other titles are planned, Screwjumper, Elements of Destruction, and Rocket Riot. Currently, Screwjumper is the only title that has been detailed by THQ. The game is about "destroying mining equipment in a freefall environment," which is apparently what Screwjumpers do. Not only that, but there are enough Screwjumpers that they've formed their own union, the foreman of which is a playable character. Yeah, we're confused as well, but it's got online and local multiplayer, which is always a plus, right?Screwjumper and SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam! should hit XBLA this November.[Via Joystiq]
