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Viking Squad plans loot-fueled voyages to PS4, PC, Mac
At first glance, you might dismiss Viking Squad as a Castle Crashers imitator and carry on with your day. There are comparisons to be made, sure – both are side-scrolling multiplayer brawlers with leveling characters – but Slick Entertainment has added a few elements to the brawler formula that might make Viking Squad feel distinct. In Viking Squad, you'll brave voyages to loot neighboring enemies and heap treasure at the feet of your village's Jarl, but each trip gives access to different locations and items based on how well your squad performs. Vikings snap to horizontal lanes as they fight through environments, simplifying the chore of lining up swings with an opponent's skull. Critical hits are also awarded based on an aptitude for timing, rather than rolls of virtual dice according to your character's stats. If and when you exhaust supplies, you'll return home, re-equip and set out once more. Slick Entertainment's site notes that Viking Squad's world map is procedurally generated, which should keep the hunt for gold interesting. Viking Squad is due to hit PS4-shaped land masses in 2015, but the game's description on Slick's own site warns that the 4-player band of thieves will also raid PC and Mac. You can get a glimpse of the sort of villages you'll be raiding in a trailer after the break. [Image: Slick Entertainment]
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Scrap Metal
Your usual host is off gallivanting around San Francisco at GDC right now, so you'll have to make do with me for the latest XBLA in Brief episode. Today, we take a look at Scrap Metal, a title that instantly recalls the simple fun of the SNES classic Rock N' Roll Racing. With a hefty price tag of 1200 ($15), Scrap Metal better have a lot to offer, right? Well, there's variety, there's some tight gameplay and there's certainly lots of rocking, rolling and racing. In short: it's not a bad game at all! Check it out for yourself in the video above. Shortcut: Download the trial version of Scrap Metal [via Xbox.com] [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. [MP4] Download the MP4 directly. %Gallery-71222%
This Wednesday: Scrap Metal rocks the XBLA Block Party
Slick Entertainment's top-down racer Scrap Metal continues Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade Block Party promotion this week, Major Nelson reports. It'll be available this Wednesday for 1200 and almost begs comparison to classic racer-shooter hybrid, Rock N' Roll Racing -- in that, both games have rock and roll and racing. And guns ... to be used during the rocking and rolling and racing. It's like a fruit salad of slaughter and sweet licks, we guess. %Gallery-85319%
Stay for the entire XBLA Block Party and receive parting gifts
Microsoft has announced more details about its Xbox Live Arcade "Block Party," which is ... right around the corner. Next month's lead-up to the launch of the Xbox Game Room will see a promotion similar to the one offered during last year's Summer of Arcade, and then some. For Xbox Live Silver members that purchase all three Block Party titles released next month -- Toy Soldiers, Perfect Dark and Scrap Metal -- and then download the free Game Room "client," Microsoft will credit your account 400 ($5). So, 3200 ($40) spent on the participating XBLA titles will get you back five bucks. If you're a Gold member, though, the deal gets a little sweeter: Purchase the three titles, download Game Room, and you'll get the 400 refund and a free month of Xbox Live Gold service (worth $4 and change if you're an annual subscriber) credited to your account. A free "everyone's a Gold member" (no, not that Goldmember) weekend is also scheduled, permitting Silver members to play the three Block Party releases online (but only the Block Party releases) from 12pm ET on Friday, March 26 through 12pm ET on Monday, March 29.
Scrap Metal rolls onto XBLA this Spring
Amidst the handful of CES 2010 bombs that Microsoft dropped we found a small fact sheet and a smattering of new media for upcoming XBLA racer Scrap Metal. First revealed back in August with a trailer and a handful of screenshots from developer Slick Entertainment (the folks behind the XBLA port of N+, a game that we hold dear to our hearts), we now know that the title will be hitting Microsoft's digital distribution platform sometime in "Spring 2010." While we anxiously await its arrival, we'll be furiously practicing with Rock n' Roll Racing and Super Off-Road -- two games that Scrap Metal clearly draws inspiration from. %Gallery-82473%
N+ co-dev Slick Entertainment announces XBLA racer 'Scrap Metal'
Slick Entertainment has one of the best Xbox Live Games on its resume, having collaborated on N+ with Metanet Software. That's why we'll be watching the developer's new game, Scrap Metal, so closely! Scrap Metal for Xbox Live Arcade is a top-down racing game reminiscent of Super Off Road or Rock 'n Roll Racing, except, of course, with a modern physics engine.Scrap Metal features combat racing against not only your friends in local and online multiplayer, but "track bosses," plus the game includes various missions, as well. It'll be shown off at PAX -- possibly in 3-D! -- and is expected out on XBLA sometime next year.%Gallery-71222%[Via Shacknews]
N+ creators vent about Microsoft and XBLA
Both Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard, the creative geniuses behind recent XBLA release N+, are furious about how Microsoft has handled the Xbox Live Arcade and how big publishers have taken over the service. So angry, they go as far as to claim that the majority of the XBLA titles are "all sh*t".Talking with Gamasutra, they mention that their biggest problem with the Arcade is the fact that Microsoft has too much control over what gets published and what doesn't. An issue that they claim has led to hundreds of craptacular games saturating the service. Burns goes on to say that "the real problem, I think, is that the same people who are deciding what retail games get greenlit are deciding what Live Arcade games get greenlit" and that it's "those decisions that are ruining Live Arcade."To an extent, we have to agree with our N+ creators. It does sometimes feel either crappy retro games or crappy classics make it to the XBLA while we know full well other Indy games have more potential. That said, smaller developers are still a driving force behind the XBLA, with games like Castle Crashers, Dishwasher: The Dead Samurai and Schizoid leading the way. Also, we can't completely blame Microsoft for favoring big publishers, because, as we all know, they are rolling out a community fueled XNA service this Fall.
N+ Interview: MS hates User-generated content?
Having recently hit the tubes to critical and consumer praise, it seems that the side-scrolling ninja platformer N+ isn't even all the game that it was originally intended to be. In an article over at MTV's Multiplayer blog, N+'s developers go in depth on the game's history concerning the plans for inclusion of an open download/upload space for level sharing (similar to Halo 3's system, which makes one wonder why that was a-okay). In fact, that very feature was implemented in the version of the game that was released onto PartnerNet for testing. However, in the game's last final months of development Microsoft shut the feature down, demanding that it be stripped back to the condition it's in today (with the ability to share user-generated content only available from the folks on your friends list.) With games being handicapped or delayed due to Microsoft's draconian ideas about sharing things, what is the future for the content of XBLM?
N+ ninja kicks its way onto the XBLA
Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday is here and it brings with it a brand new adventurous friend. An obsessive gold collecting friend that goes by the name of N+.Available today for 800 Microsoft points is Metanet Software's highly anticipated N+, a graphically enhanced version of the original N, where you get to become the ninja you've always wanted to be (sorry, no pirates are allowed). N+ features a multitude of levels, a beefy multiplayer experience and a level editor that's sort of like Halo 3's Forge, but in a 2D kind of way. In the gallery below, we've posted 50 brand new N+ screenshots for you to admire and ogle over. Ogle away kids and download N+ straight away.%Gallery-16474%
N+ likely hits XBLA next week
Place this one in the we'll see category. According to a comment made on the MetaNet Software blog, developers Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns (as poster M&R) hinted at a February 20 release of their upcoming XBLA version of N+. The, formerly free flash based game, promises the standard boost to sound and high resolution graphics found in other XBLA game as well as a multiplayer mode. On the official developer blog for Slick Entertainment, the team behind the XBLA version, N+ passed certification January 10 and has been awaiting a release. The title was nearly released on January 30 but was held back in favor of RezHD and Chessmaster.In the comments on February 13, M&R told readers, "I don't know.. maybe we can post something tomorrow [about the release], we're still waiting to hear back from Microsoft, because as mentioned it seems like every other game was announced a week early (which led us to believe that was the rule)." Earlier today, M&R posted, "We'll have a proper post soon about the launch party!." While its hardly a confirmation it looks like N+ will be gracing XBLA any time now, we hope.[Thanks, Russ]
