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Score FIFA 14 for $36 in this week's Xbox Deals
With the World Cup 22 days away, Xbox is getting into the festival mood with a 40 percent sale on FIFA 14 for Xbox One and 360 - that's right, not the World Cup game that just came out. That discount takes the sportsballer down to $36 (£30/42 euros), and as with all of this week's deals, that price stays good until Monday, May 26. If you prefer your contact sports with more bloodshed, the Killer Instinct Ultra Edition is 50 percent off for Combo Break owners, and 12 percent off for everyone else. While the base game is free, the Ultra Edition adds all Season 1 characters, costumes and accessories as well as the classic arcade game from the 90s. Finally, Bandai Namco has a selection of Xbox 360 games on sale that includes musically classic RPG Eternal Sonata for just over $5, the offline-playable Soul Calibur 2 HD for $10, and the Serkis-enhanced Enslaved for around $5 too. For the full list of games and their discounts, hop on over to Major Nelson's. [Image: EA]
Watch some footage of the canceled Bonk game
Bonk, Hudson Software's headstrong caveman that made his gaming debut on the TurboGrafx-16, was set to make a Stateside comeback in Bonk: Brink of Extinction on WiiWare, PSN and XBLA. Unfortunately, Hudson Software shut down before the game was released, leaving Brink of Extinction in an uncompleted state. Judging by a trio of videos posted by YouTube user "Bonk Brink" though, who appears to be running the game on a PS3 development kit, a decent amount of progress was made on Brink of Extinction before Hudson closed up shop. One of the three videos gives a brief overview of apparent features planned for the title, including online play, downloadable content, a Horde mode and a secondary "Dactyl" story, which follows Bonk retrieving his dinner from a thieving pterodactyl. The other videos are more focused on pure gameplay, one of which is embedded above. Amassing points from collectible vegetables, head butting enemies out of this plane of existence ... yup, looks like Bonk! [Image: YouTube user Bonk Brink]
Minecraft grows a sweet tooth, turns into Candy Lan-uhh, Candycraft
If you don't celebrate Easter, you can still treat today like Candy Overload day! Once you start crashing from your sugar high, you can remain relatively immobile on the couch while crafting sweet desserts out of Minecraft's Candy Texture Pack, now available on XBLA for $1. [Image: Mojang]
Xbox 360 spring sale discounts Batman games, Saints Row 4
Microsoft is cleaning out its digital shelves with a sizable sale on Xbox 360 games and add-ons this week. Ending April 21, the sale spans 11 games and hundreds of pieces of DLC. Five of the games feature popular DC comics superhero Batman in some capacity, such as 75 percent off both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City through Games on Demand ($4.99 / £3.74 / 4.99 euros each). Additionally, Injustice: Gods Among us is half-off ($19.99 / £17.49 / 24.99 euros), Lego Batman 2 is 67 percent off ($6.59 / £4.94 / 6.59 euros) and XBLA game Gotham City Imposters is 75 percent off ($3.74 / £2.49 / 3.59 euros). All of the above deals are valid for those with a paid Xbox Live Gold subscription. Among the other games on sale for all Xbox Live users is Saints Row 4, which is half-off this week ($14.99 / £12.49 / 14.99 euros). Three other games are discounted through Games on Demand: Borderlands 2 is 65 percent off ($6.99 / £6.99 / 10.49 euros), Lego Marvel Super Heroes is 33 percent off ($33.49 / £30.14 / 43.54 euros) and Prototype 2 is 75 percent off ($9.99 / £4.99 / 7.49 euros). Lastly, XBLA games Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is half-off ($4.99 / £3.37 / 4.74 euros) and Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD is 33 percent off ($13.39 / £10.71 / 13.39 euros) for the week. [Image: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment]
Castle Crashers, BattleBlock Theater $5 each on XBLA this week
The Behemoth is hosting a catalog sale on Xbox Live Arcade this week, discounting the studio's downloadable Xbox 360 hits Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theater to just $4.94 apiece. Castle Crashers, originally released back in 2008, is an arcade-style beat-'em-up in which up to four players band together to slay armies of barbarians, demons, and dragons. The more recent BattleBlock Theater puts a teamwork-oriented spin on the platforming genre, challenging players to work together as they clear dozens of included co-op levels. As a bonus, players who purchase both featured games will unlock Hatty Hattington in Castle Crashers and the Knight in BattleBlock Theater. The Behemoth's sale continues through April 14. [Image: The Behemoth]
Jet Car Stunts flipping onto PSN, XBLA, PC this summer
Driving through the streets of Jet Car Stunts must be pretty stressful - there are chasm-like gaps leading to the blue abyss below, and there aren't even guide rails lining the edges of its loops! Then there's the clean, simplistic geometry and levitating rings, which are kind of pretty until you've crashed into them a dozen times. PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360 and Steam's PC users can witness Jet Car Stunts' hazards firsthand when it lands on the platforms in Q2 2014. The tricky racer will have 36 tracks across three different modes, including a Puzzle Mode. While the press release doesn't specify what the other two play styles will be, the mobile counterpart includes Performing, Time Trial and Tutorial modes, so Jet Car Stunts' port may pull from that pool. [Image: Grip Digital]
Xbox 360 draws in Max: The Curse of Brotherhood next month [Update: PC too]
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is headed for the Xbox One's older sibling next month, with an Xbox 360 release date of April 9 announced this week. Microsoft exec Phil Spencer used his magic crayon - otherwise known as his Twitter account - to reveal the date, prompting developer Press Play to confirm it. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood follows on from Max and the Magic Marker, but swaps out that game's 2D sketchings for a detailed 2.5D look. In the platformer, Max uses his magic crayon to manipulate the environment around him, drawing vines and water streams as he navigates the perils standing between him and saving his little bro. There's no news on a price for the Xbox 360 port, but the Xbox One version was priced $15 when it launched towards the end of last year. Update: Press Play also announced a Steam release date of April 15, and confirmed prices on both PC and Xbox 360 of $15 for North America, and £12/15 euros for Europe. [Image: Press Play]
Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 2 gets dates on Xbox 360, iOS
There's no point trying to hide on Xbox 360 and iOS, Clem, because A House Divided is also headed their way this week. After originally leaving the platforms in release date limbo, Telltale revealed the second episode of The Walking Dead Season 2 hits Xbox 360 on March 5 - that's tomorrow - and iOS on March 6. The PC/Mac version is due today, as is the PS3 version in North America - as ever, PSN users in Europe have to wait until tomorrow. Also, Telltale says Season 2 is "tracking" for Vita by the end of this month, and it's set to launch with the first two episodes. [Image: Telltale Games]
Dust: An Elysian Tail pulls off 1 million sale combo
Action adventure game Dust: An Elysian Tail has chained together 1 million sales, developer Dean Dodrill announced on Twitter yesterday. Dust follows the tail tale of an amnesia-ridden warrior and his fluttering sidekick, Fidget, as they piece together his past and present identity. After clearing a million sales however, we don't think Dust's name is going to be forgotten again any time soon. Dust originally launched on Xbox Live Arcade in August 2012, going on to reach Steam, GOG and participate in a Humble Bundle. It also won Microsoft's $40,000 Dream-Build-Play award in 2009. Just before his sales announcement, Dodrill tweeted that he was thinking of taking on "something small" before diving into his next big game, but whether that's a smaller game or something else entirely remains to be seen. [Image: Humble Hearts]
Time-bending puzzle game Constant C coming to XBLA March 12
International Games System's time-manipulating, gravity-shifting physics puzzler Constant C is getting a worldwide release via Xbox Live Arcade on March 12, Japanese publisher 5pb revealed this week. Constant C stars a rescue robot stranded aboard a space station where time has stopped. The robot can restore the flow of time using its Time Circle, temporarily bringing surrounding objects out of stasis and restoring gravity. Later stages require advanced techniques, challenging players to rotate their surroundings and manipulate inertia in order to dodge traps and solve puzzles. Constant C is also available for Windows via Desura. A Steam version has been successfully Greenlit, but is not yet available. [Image: IGS]
Final Xbox Live Ultimate Sale includes Saints Row 4, Limbo and Metro: Last Light
Today is the final day in Microsoft's Xbox Live sale on Xbox 360, and includes discounts on nine games. The following six discounted items are available through Games on Demand: Saints Row 4, Metro: Last Light, Tropico 4, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon, Oblivion and Overlord 2. The other three games on sale through Xbox Live Arcade are Limbo, Puzzle Quest 2 and Rock of Ages. Head past the break for the full price breakdown of the discounted prices, which are good through the end of the day. Don't forget, 13 other games are on sale on the platform until tomorrow as well, including Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City and Mass Effect.
Tomb Raider, Walking Dead, Brothers in today's Xbox Ultimate sale
Today's Xbox 360 Ultimate sale includes two entries from Joystiq's Top 10 of 2013 in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, the first episode of Walking Dead Season 2 can be yours for just a single dollar, and that really is an excellent deal - the first season placed #3 in our 2012 list. All of which reminds us that Oh Come On Telltale Where Is Episode 2 We Need To Know What Happens To Clementine Please Oh God Why. Ahem. In addition to the nine games that are on sale today, there's a whole bunch of On Demand and Arcade discounts running through until February 25. Check out the full list here, and head past the break for today's list of on-sale games and their prices.
Takedown: Red Sabre successfully infiltrates Xbox 360 after delay
After a delayed raid, squad-based first-person shooter Takedown: Red Sabre is out now on the Xbox Games Store, priced $15 in North America and £12/15 euros across the ocean. The Kickstarted shooter from Washington-based indie Serellan was originally due to hit both Windows PC and Xbox 360 last year, but the developer had to delay the console version because it didn't pass certification requirements. That was fixed, but Serellan chose to hold the XBLA game back to add in post-launch improvements made to the PC version. The newly released XBLA version also features the free DLC that was added post-launch, and that includes a range of new maps as well as some additional weaponry to mow one another down with. [Image: 505 Games]
Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe hits PC, consoles April 1
Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate will receive a Deluxe Edition version on April 1, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment announced today. The Deluxe Edition will launch digitally on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC via Steam after Blackgate was previously only available on Vita and 3DS. The transition to consoles and PC isn't a total surprise: Blackgate was spotted on the Xbox Games Store earlier this month and on Steam in January. Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate Deluxe Edition will include "enhanced high-definition 2.5-D graphics" as well as a new map and hint system. Deluxe Edition owners will be able to unlock a Zero Year Batsuit skin in addition to all the outfits in the game. The game will cost $20 on the PSN, Xbox Live, Nintendo eShop and Steam digital platforms. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]
Monaco breaks 500,000 sales on back of Humble Bundle inclusion
Top-down heister Monaco: What's Yours is Mine reached the milestone of 500,000 sales this week, no doubt thanks to its inclusion in Humble Indie Bundle 11. Andy Schatz's Pocketwatch Games trumpeted the news on Twitter, saying total sales are around the 520,000 mark, and only include about half of the total HIB 11 sales - at the time of writing the bundle's sold 270,000 odd. Monaco is a "Beat the Average" purchase in HIB 11, meaning it's a bonus for those who spend more than the average spent on the bundle. Monaco hit and ran onto Xbox 360, PC, Mac, and Linux last year, but eight months ago the sales news wasn't as encouraging. Back then, Schatz noted he was disappointed with the game's Xbox Live sales, conceding the parts played by an underwhelming demo along with the delay that prevented a simultaneous release alongside PC. That said, there should be plenty more Monaco sales to hit over the next fortnight, with Humble Indie Bundle 11 not set to conclude until March 3. [Image: Pocketwatch Games]
Xbox 360 Ultimate Game Sale Day 2: Farming, fighting, F1-ing
Eight more games are on sale for 24 hours in today's Xbox 360 Ultimate sale, including a few big names from a few years back. If you missed them back in the day, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Lost Planet 2, and Darksiders 2 are all on offer, as are Arcade offerings Hell Yeah! and Fruit Ninja Kinect - check out the full list of discounts on Major Nelson's blog. In terms of more recent games, there's an eclectic mix to choose from. For starters, you can rake in a half-price Farming Simulator at $15/£15/20 euros, or if you'd prefer something a little faster, F1 2013 is two-thirds off at $16.49/£13.19/21.44 euros. Finally, we saw Soulcalibur 2 HD Online go on sale over on PSN recently, and the Xbox Games Store follows suit with a whopping 75 percent discount. That means you can pick up the re-released fighter for just $5/£4/5 euros. Don't forget, there's a bunch of games staying discounted throughout the week. The full list of them is here, but today we'll point your eyes towards the original Mass Effect. BioWare's sci-fi RPG started us on a path that's left us with hours upon hours plunged into deep space shooting, negotiating, and wooing, and if you've somehow avoided it over the last six years or so, it's a steal at $3.74/£3/3.74 euros. [Image: Focus Home Interactive]
Far Cry Classic landing on US shores next week
Far Cry Classic will launch on February 11 in North America, Ubisoft announced. The HD revamp of the Crytek-developed original will be available on Xbox Live and PSN for $10 one day before it lands on Xbox 360 and PS3 in Europe. Far Cry first launched on PC in May 2004, and had players assuming the role of Jack Carver, a captain being pursued by a team of "highly trained mercenaries." The open world FPS was set on a South Pacific archipelago with a variety of environments ranging from rain forests to canyons. Ubisoft says Far Cry Classic will include "revamped cut scenes" as well as a new user interface. [Image: Ubisoft]
PSA: Fable Anniversary goes live, Trilogy bundle available too
Ready those fowl-punting leg swings, because Fable Anniversary is live now on the Xbox 360 Games Store. Lionhead's 10-years-on HD remaster is priced $40, while for $20 more you can add Fable 2 and 3 as part of the Trilogy bundle. In addition to upping the resolution to 1080p, Anniversary brings in other tweaks and improvements including new textures and models, a checkpoint-based save system with manual options, a new interface, improved lighting, and even some SmartGlass features. Fans of the Lost Chapters expansion will be pleased to know its content is in there too. If you'd prefer to see before you buy or re-buy, check out our stream from last month when we revisited the pastures of Albion in the company of Lionhead devs. [Image: Microsoft]
Zombie Driver HD publisher bankruptcy causes PSN Japan, XBLA delisting
Add the Exor Studios-developed Zombie Driver HD to the growing list of delisted downloadable titles. According to the developer, the XBLA and PSN Japan versions of Zombie Driver will soon be taken down due to the bankruptcy of its publisher Cyberfront Corporation. "We are currently working on getting the game re-published on XBLA however we can not confirm at this time when or if this will happen. EXOR Studios owns the IP, but we can not publish the game ourselves due to Microsoft's policies," Exor COO Pawel Lekki tells Joystiq. Though the vehicular combat game will also be pulled from the PlayStation Network in Japan due to its publisher's closure, Lekki says the company is already solving the issue with Sony, assuring the game will be back online "at a later time." Perhaps ensuring a similar situation will be avoided in the future, Microsoft's Xbox One console allows for self-publishing in its digital storefront. Currently, Microsoft's policy on Xbox 360 only allows for titles to be submitted to its Xbox Live Arcade marketplace under the banner of an approved publisher. Zombie Driver versions on Steam, PSN in the Americas and Europe, Windows Store and on Ouya are not affected by the game's publisher woes.
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Marvel Super Hero Squad: Infinity Gauntlet unavailable on XBLA, PSN
Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet's band of superheroes can no longer assemble on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. The game's PSN listing now notes that the game is available in a "disc only" format, while the XBLA listing doesn't offer a price or way to purchase the game. Revealed in 2010 as a sequel to Marvel Super Hero Squad, Infinity Gauntlet's cast brawled their way through hordes of Lethal Legion followers in a plot related to the second season of a Cartoon Network series. Infinity Gauntlet's digital unavailability follows the disappearance of several Marvel-branded games earlier this month, as well as Capcom's pulling of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in December. It's possible that Disney's acquisition of Marvel in 2009 is resulting in lapsed licensing agreements, but no explanation has been given as to why these games have been removed from console storefronts. In contrast, the more recent LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is still available in both stores. Of course, you can still hunt down retail copies of any Marvel games you were still considering purchasing. Considering warnings for some of these delistings were scattered across social media accounts, retail copies might be the easiest option to keep track of anyway.
