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Geo Wars and BBR leaderboards now online
Bizarre just sent word that they've completed their Spring website cleaning (thankfully, we kept tripping on the pile of boxes stacked up at the front door) and with it comes the ability to view leaderboards for Geometry Wars and Boom Boom Rocket online! To get your online leaderboard search on, simply make your way to either the Geometry Wars leaderboard or Boom Boom Rocket leaderboard pages on Bizarre's offiicial website and you're in. Once there, you'll be able to view leaderboards for each game and even search for own gamertag to see where you fit in the mix. You'll also be able to fully comprehend how horrible you are at video games and how sad your "high scores" really are. Personally, we think anyone who scored higher than us on Geometry Wars cheated. They're all just a big group of cheaters ..
Boom Boom Rocket to get explosive Rock Pack DLC
Dust off your guitar, dance pad and your copy of Boom Boom Rocket (don't ask ...), because today Bizarre Creations will release brand new content for everyone's favorite explosive game. And we use the terminology "will release", because the content has yet to appear on the Marketplace, though Bizarre promises a Thursday release.The new Boom Boom Rocket "Rock Pack" content will include five new musical tracks ("Sting of the Bumble Bee", "Explode to Joy", "Sugar High", "Eine Kleine Rochtmusik" and "Cannon in D") and feature fifteen additional fireworks that can be unlocked. But guys, we saved the best news for last. The new "Rock Pack" will be offered as a FREE download through December 16th after which it'll revert to 250 Microsoft points. Explode to joy indeed!
Boom Boom Rocket gets explosive title update
Today, Bizarre's Boom Boom Rocket received a long awaited title update (the expansion content is still vaporware) that adds spiffy new peripheral support as well as a few general fixes.According to Bizarre Creations' latest Studio News post, the BBR title update adds guitar and dance map peripheral support, an enhanced scoring system, better VGA support and an improved fireworks rendering engine. Among those additions, the update also fixes other general bugs and gameplay issues, all of which you can view after the break. Anyone up for some Boom Boom Guitar Herocket?[Via Gaming Bits]
New Boom Boom Rocket DLC is on its way
Bizarre Creations has confirmed that they are currently working on downloadable content for their firecracker of an XBLA game Boom Boom Rocket. The specifics like price and release date are still unknown, but what we do know is that the DLC will include five new songs. Which new songs? Well, that also has yet to be confirmed, but they did hint that the new tracks will be harder and should pose a challenge to even the most experienced Boom Boom Rocketers. We'll be sure to keep our ears open and our eyes peeled for any new info that heads our way concerning the new Boom Boom Rocket DLC. Boom!
Bizarre's Boom Boom Rocket firework blow out
Bizarre Creation's latest Studio Update goes into the mechanics of Boom Boom Rocket's fireworks. While it has no effect on the gameplay, it's cool to see the amount of detail that went into creating the different types of standard fireworks. On top of that, the details on what purpose they have in the musical timing, and when they are most frequently seen is also cool. Beyond the description for the types of fireworks, Bizarre also shed some light on the size of the title (around 73 MB), the level of detail in the city, and even a few of the easter eggs found in the environment. If you want to get the full skinny, click the "Read" link.
Live Top Ten: Symphony of Fire
This week's Live Top Ten is actually very similar to last week, with one minor exception. Gears of War, Rainbow Six Vegas, Guitar Hero II, CoD 3 and GRAW 2 all hold their previous standings in the top half with pride. Boom Boom Rocket makes an explosive appearance at the top of the bottom half, with Crackdown, Oblivion, Pro Evolution Soccer, and Madden '07 all shoving down a spot to make way for the Celebration of Light that is BBR. Full list available after the break, although with such a simple change from last week, you almost don't need to. Almost.
Is Boom Boom Rocket the new Geo Wars?
As the second Xbox Live Arcade title from Bizarre Creations -- creators of Geometry Wars -- and the first Arcade title published by Electronic Arts, Boom Boom Rocket comes with considerable expectations attached to it. Geometry Wars is arguably the best title on Live Arcade and it's certainly one of the best values. It is also one of the most difficult. Boom Boom Rocket, by comparison, is a much simpler affair (for twice the price). Anyone who has played Dance Dance Revolution (or even Guitar Hero to a certain extent) will be instantly familiar with Boom Boom Rocket. As multicolored fireworks race towards a line at the top of the screen, it is the player's task to press the appropriate buttons as they pass the bar to the beat of the music. See, simple.Boom Boom Rocket mixes up the formula slightly by sending fireworks in multiple directions, rather than straight up as in DDR. Half the challenge is seeing which firework will cross the line next. Thanks to the varying trajectories, the firework that appears on screen first won't necessarily be the first to cross the line. When multiple button combinations are flying all at once, it can get pretty hectic. Another edition to the DDR formula is the Bonus Run feature. Once your Bonus Bar is full, the Bonus Run can be activated with a pull of either trigger. This bumps the point multiplier up to x16 and makes your fireworks have more dazzling explosions. It's a simple addition, but it makes those moments a little more thrilling.
Boom Boom Rocket explodes onto XBLA
In a surprisingly late announcement, Bizarre Creations just released their second big arcade title to the XBLA ... Boom Boom Rocket! BBR offers crazy colorful visuals while you master setting off fireworks in rhythm to various music tracks. This fireworks show will set you back 800 Microsoft points and be released to the US, Canada and Europe initially with other territories to follow. We're excited to see if all the exploding fun is worth the 800 points, but knowing full well that there is no online multiplayer makes us a little cautious. No matter, that's what demos are for, so there is no reason not to give it a download. But remember fanboys, always have an adult nearby when exploding your fireworks. We don't want to hear about one of you accidentally blowing off your arms. Now, where's our lighter?[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
BBR achievements explode to the beat
The obsessive types over at Xbox360Achievements have uncovered the full list of achievements for Boom Boom Rocket. X3F readers will recall that BBR is the second XBLA title created by Bizarre Creations (with the first being the excellent Geometry Wars) and the first Arcade title to be published by Electronic Arts. Boom Boom Rocket is a rhythm game akin to Dance Dance Revolution. Players match the appropriate button to the beat, trigger fireworks that are oh so pretty. The title contains the standard 12 achievements and 200 gamerscore points. Most of the achievements come from things like completing songs on a certain difficulty level or with a certain rating.With the achievements revealed, could this mean that Boom Boom Rocket is close to release? We'll have to wait and see. Hit the "read" link to check out the achievements.
BBR and The Club updates from Bizarre
Aside from mind blowing videos of EA producers with too much time (or skills) on the hands, Bizarre had a nice studio update this week. On The Club side of things, they revealed that several levels are now reaching the standard they set forth graphically to meet, as well as rapidly approaching having all the content present in the game, in one form or another. They also teased about having something special to show us regarding The Club in the near future. Back with Boom Boom Rocket, Ben gave us word that the game has hit Partnernet this week, and is close to launching, though they haven't decided on a date yet. He also showed off the Bonus Run's graphical style with a slew of screenshots, complete with Geometry War style shockwaves, rising water levels and reflecting windows on skyscrapers. Check out the other screenshots by clicking the "Read" link.
Video: Perfect BBR Run blind-freakin'-folded
Sometimes you come across displays of greatness that just cannot go without acknowledgment. Meet Joe, a producer at EA, who has what can only be called an intimate understanding of the game Boom Boom Rocket. This can be demonstrated by his ability to play 1812 Overdrive, on hard, blindfolded, and hit 100% of the fireworks. Damn, we don't know what else to say, but watch the video, and be amazed. Then watch it again. We've got more BBR news for you coming right up, but felt this deserved special attention.
BBR Logo & Price announced
The lads over at Bizarre Creation showed off their logo for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title, Boom Boom Rocket. They also told us that EA announced the pricing for the game, which is 800 MS Points. They go on to confirm that there are 10 songs, 3 difficulties, 4 game modes and multiplayer. They say that they're happy with the price point, given all that we're getting for the price. What do you think? Should we be paying the same as we did for Geometry Wars, or is there enough added to this experience to warrant double that price?
Boom Boom Rocket music & modes
IGN got some hands-on time with Bizarre's Boom Boom Rocket, and spilled the proverbial beans on some of the game's elements. First off, with the controls, as you saw from the video, the fireworks are color coded like the A, B, X , and Y buttons on your 360 controller, and the direction corresponds with the the button's placement. The game modes include single songs, endurance mode where you will play a song as long as you can whilst the difficulty ramps up, and practice mode. All of those are available over three difficulties. Local multiplayer is available where a friend can join in and either compete to get the better score in a single song, or outlast you in endurance mode. Players are differentiated by the color of the arrow on their fireworks: black for one player, and white for the other. Continue reading after the break for the song list and other details.
Boom Boom Rocket Details and Screens
Bizarre Creations latest studio update gives a synopsis of their upcoming Arcade title, Boom Boom Rocket. It is a rhythm game wherein you hit the indicating button/direction when the symbol hits the line at the top of the screen, thus setting off the firework. The better your timing accuracy, the more points its worth. That's the foundation for any proper rhythm game, and BBR is no different. The thing that Stu stressed was the speed of the game itself, with players be able to hit rapid strings of explosions in no time. Similar to Guitar Hero's multiplier system, Boom Boom Rocket has a bar that fills from 1x to 4x multiplier, and even has "Bonus Runs" where you get 8x multiplier when you activate Star Power pull either trigger when the bar is full and sparkly (pictured above). Due to the limited time of the Bonus Run, strategically activating it will be pivotal to getting the highest score possible.The soundtrack will be comprised of recognizable remixed classical tracks, and really fits the mood and style of the game. Stu says he'll be supplying a track list and go into the graphical style in a future update. We can't wait to see the game in motion, but in the meantime leave you with a couple screens of 1st/4th of July goodness. Enjoy them after the break.
