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Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet preview: UFO catcher
I went into Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet with very little background information. I had seen a few trailers -- and it looks just as great in person -- but other than that I started playing knowing virtually nothing about the overall bent of its gameplay. Much to my delight, I was greeted by an expansive world (think Metroid) to explore and some inventive, well-polished mechanics. %Gallery-125537%
Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2011 kicks off July 20
Can't have summer without hot new Xbox Live games, right? Microsoft has announced its line-up for the warmer months, kicking off July 20 -- strangely, in an email and not, you know, during its E3 2011 press conference. Regardless, a total of five games will be on offer. No exact time table for the games was announced nor prices but, hey, at least we know what's coming. The first game listed is Toy Soldiers: Cold War, a sequel to one of 2010's most lucrative Xbox Live Arcade games. The next game listed is Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fuelcell's stylish UFO simulator, followed by Fruit Ninja Kinect, a flail-tastic port of Halfbrick's darling mobile (and soon, Facebook!) title. Next we have Bastion, a game we suggest you all should keep an eye on. Finally, rounding out the list of games is From Dust, Eric Chahi's god game. An impressive list, to say the least. It's important to know that this is simply how Microsoft listed the games in its press email and not indicative of when each title will launch throughout the promotion.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane 'Tempest Pack' available Oct. 27
Transforming supership news now, with the announcement of an October 27 release date for the "Tempest Pack," a new add-on for Xbox Live Arcade's well-received racer, Hydro Thunder Hurricane. According to developer Vector Unit, the 400 MSP ($5) pack will introduce two new boats -- "the super-agile Whiplash and the slip-slidery Psyclone" -- and three more imaginative race tracks. If you're happy to pay for a trio of route canals, you'll end up hurtling through the Bermuda Triangle, into the lost city of Atlantis and past the boisterous bastions of Castle Von Boom. Those besotted with naval gazing will also welcome new skins for all the original boats, along with six expert-class variants of the lower-end boats, allowing you to compete effectively online with any selection. (Not against us, of course.)
Castlevania HD, Lara Croft, Monday Night Combat sales analyzed
Gamasutra has posted its Xbox Live Arcade sales analysis for August, and the results appear mixed for the final three Summer of Arcade titles. While the piece notes that every 2009 Summer of Arcade title managed to garner 80,000 players in their respective first weeks, this year's batch is less consistent. Based on leaderboard data, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair had only 44,601 players in its first week, with sales declining each following week to close out the month with just over 75,000 players. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light -- perhaps due to the lack of online co-op -- befell a similar fate, acquiring 44,733 players in its first week and adding 22,498 more the following week to cap off August with 67,231 players. Meanwhile, Monday Night Combat -- which launched between Castlevania and Lara Croft -- debuted with over 86,000 players, followed by strong additions the next two weeks for a total of nearly 172,000 in August. Granted, these numbers are all culled from leaderboards and don't necessarily translate directly to sales, it seems like this year's Summer of Arcade failed to drum up the same interest as last year's event, which packed in the likes of Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, and Trials HD. Check out the full article on Gamasutra for more stats than you can shake a slice of bacon at.
Review: Monday Night Combat
It's dangerously simple to refer to a new product as an amalgam of other known quantities, but in the case of Monday Night Combat, it's the most effective sell. Here's the pitch: Imagine the class-based, team-oriented play of Team Fortress and then mix it with the escalating play of tower defense. Toss in a bright, campy sports entertainment aesthetic and you've got Monday Night Combat. And it's a blast. %Gallery-99028%
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will not have online co-op until Sept. 28
We hope you've got space for Lara Croft and one guardian of light on your couch, because that's where the heroic pair will find themselves on August 18th. Developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that when Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launches on Xbox Live Arcade, concluding Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion, it will only support offline co-op. Online co-op, as well as Xbox Live standards like full leaderboard support and voice chat functionality, will be introduced via a free update on September 28. On the same day, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will arrive on PlayStation Network and Steam. The baffling omission of the online component appears to have been made at the last minute, with Crystal Dynamics global brand director Karl Stewart telling Joystiq, "We made a decision recently because we were focusing on how we can deliver the best possible experience to the players. If we had launched with online co-op, we wouldn't feel comfortable that it was the best possible experience for the player." Though online co-op had been promoted and promised since the game's announcement, Stewart claims that "nothing underhanded" influenced the decision. "This is our first digital title and we want to make sure we deliver the best possible experience to players." It's a tough decision: delay the game on Xbox Live Arcade and miss out on Summer of Arcade promotion, or get an imperfect version in front of players first. Either way, it's a disappointing scenario for all parties involved, including Microsoft. You can play Lara Croft on Xbox Live Arcade first -- but not on Xbox Live at first.
Monday Night Combat gameplay walkthrough is full of bacon
Monday Night Combat, out next Wednesday, will be the penultimate game in the XBLA Summer of Arcade promotion. The video after the break features a pretty good overview of the gameplay and, well, BACON! Who doesn't like bacon? Even vegetarians love bacon. It's true.
Monday Night Combat's Assassin will stab you in the back, slap you around a little
Don't sleep on Monday Night Combat's Assassin character -- aside from being incredibly quick and deadly, she has the unique ability to cloak herself, giving her ample opportunity to plant pointy things in your soft, flabby back. Sure, maybe if you worked out you'd have a tougher back, but we both knew when you bought that gym membership you'd never go. Now you see where you're at? You may not be able to change the stabability of your back, but you can know your enemy and, remember, knowing is half the battle. So put some wrinkles in that noggin of yours and head past the break to watch the Assassin in action. Then maybe check with some doctors about undergoing a full-on stainless steel backiotomy, if you've got the cash -- your back is home to, like, 30 different vital organs. We read that somewhere once. Monday Night Combat will be available on Xbox Live Arcade on August 11 for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).
Video walkthrough: Destination Arcade
Wondering what Destination Arcade looks like -- the Summer of Arcade browser for Xbox Live Arcade titles -- yet lack the energy it takes to turn on your Xbox 360 and download it? It's cool, we know how it is -- life's tough, so we're here to help. Just beyond the break, you'll find our HD video walkthrough of the new content delivery platform, as narrated by myself and my smart, talented and downright physically attractive boss, Chris Grant. ... what? Nothing more to see here -- that's your cue to go watch the video! %Gallery-96999%
Monday Night Combat trailer schools us on sniping
Aside from having to deal with a grumbling tummy, we can't imagine there's much to being a sniper. But according to both Tom Berenger and the latest trailer for Monday Night Combat just past the break, there's plenty more to it. Aside from being a bit off, every good Monday Night Combat sniper should have a repository of skills to call upon -- including traps that freeze your enemies in their tracks and a rather neat grapple skill that allows for some flashy melee maneuvers. Whoever said snipers never get their hands dirty?
Review: Limbo
When trying to work out the best way to describe Limbo, I keep coming back to Edvard Munch. I've always been fascinated with Munch, an artist most famous for painting The Scream. It's his other works, however, that tend to stick with me, particularly his Madonna. As a work of art, Munch's Madonna presents the viewer with seemingly disparate imagery, at once both alluring and disquieting. It's dark, a little disturbing, and yet it's also engaging and beautiful. That's Limbo. %Gallery-97027%
Destination Arcade only available during Summer of Arcade
Major Nelson updated his post announcing the one week delay of Destination Arcade with the following message: "I have learned that the Destination Arcade app will only be available for the duration of the Summer of Arcade promotion which ends August 18th." Look, we're going to come right out and say it: We have no idea what's going on in Redmond. First, they redesign the entire Dashboard to fix UI problems ... only many of those same UI problems still exist (try finding the latest XBLA release any given week in three actions or less). Next, they announce "Destination Arcade," a "brand new recommendation engine & visual browser app" that promised to deliver a more powerful, dedicated XBLA browsing interface. And now, as communicated by Major Nelson's update, Microsoft only plans to deliver that application for one month. We've asked the good Major to clarify if the application will simply not be available for download following the 18th or if it will cease functioning as a service entirely after that date. We're not sure we understand either scenario. Update 1:10pm: Major Nelson told Shacknews, "If you have downloaded it, it will continue to work." But that still hasn't answered the question of why it will only be available for a month. [Thanks, Johnathan] %Gallery-96999%
Summer of Arcade XBLA games dated and priced
Microsoft's suggestion for how to pass those hot summer afternoons: spend 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), repeatedly. The company released the official dates and prices for the XBLA games in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion -- or, rather, dates and price, since they all share the aforementioned 1200 MSP price tag. Like last year's Summer of Arcade, purchasing all five games in this year's lineup entitles the buyer to a 1200-point rebate (essentially buy four, get one free). Additionally, if you buy three of the five, you'll get 400 MSP back! As for the release schedule: Limbo: July 21 Hydro Thunder Hurricane: July 28 Castlevania: Harmony of Despair: August 4 Monday Night Combat: August 11 Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: August 18
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair announced via Xbox Live 'Summer of Arcade' 2010 promo
It appears Konami's leaked-pulled-and-then-leaked-again Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is very much a real thing. The rumored 2D multiplayer Castlevania game is part of the Microsoft's returning Summer of Arcade promotion. The junior year's games include: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Hydro Thunder Hurricane Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light Limbo Monday Night Combat The press release hasn't mentioned any added bonuses for purchasing all of the games, but previous years promised a refund of 800 Microsoft Points ($10) with purchase of all five participating titles. It's likely this year's Summer of Arcade will do the same, but we'll follow up. [Thanks, mrmbado!]
XBLA Summer of Arcade sales grow 200%
Microsoft had a good summer, according to the company's summary of Xbox Live events. 1 vs. 100 reached nearly 3 million gamers during its beta season by Microsoft's estimates, and the Summer of Arcade Xbox Live Arcade promotion enjoyed a reported 200 percent growth in revenue over last year's sales. While Microsoft has already relished in Metroidvania success, a press release claims that Trials HD and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 also performed well in first-week sales; and both titles join Shadow Complex in the top five bestselling week-one XBLA games of all time. Sales were no doubt boosted by a cloudy economy that kept folks indoors and looking for inexpensive entertainment. Microsoft capitalized, too, by raising the average price of its Summer of Arcade titles.During last year's promotion, three of the five Summer of Arcade games were priced at $10, but this year, only two of the five were $10 -- the other three costing $15 apiece. (It's unclear if Microsoft counts Battlefield 1943's sales toward revenue growth; the $15 title was not technically part of Summer of Arcade this year.) Microsoft also saw success in its bold, new free entertainment department. 1 vs. 100 averaged more than half a million users during each of the game show's live sessions. According to Microsoft, the game's near "three-million" downloads within its 13-week availability places 1 vs. 100 within the top ten downloads in Xbox Live history. If we've learned anything on this gloomy fall morning, it's that people like summer gaming and Microsoft has way too many "top" lists cluttering up its offices.
RedLynx preparing Trials HD downloadable content
Having barely survived the insane stunt gauntlet crafted by Trials HD, we can only approach news of additional content in a cautious and slow manner. We're still getting used to walking with these crutches. When asked by Console Arcade if the included level editor precluded additional downloadable levels for the bone-crunching bike-'em-up, RedLynx CEO Tero Virtala and creative director Antti Ilvessuo responded, "No, there's going to be DLC. We are working on it right now as we speak."Not noted in the interview was the evil laughter that followed -- likely drowned out by the ritualistic chanting necessary to summon Trials HD levels from their demonic dimension of origin.
Why Shadow Complex credits a multiplayer tester
Those of you who've blown through Shadow Complex already (shame on you, it should be savored) may have noticed a strange anomaly during the credits. The game (which is single-player only) credits T.J. Duez as the sole member of the game's multiplayer test team. We emailed developer Chair and parent company Epic to get the skinny. "The only explanation I can offer is that we used a lot Epic's internal testers for the game and since they have a number of multiplayer games, that might just be his title at Epic," said Chair's Laura Mustard. "Otherwise, he's got a pretty good gig as there's not much multiplayer testing that can be done on a game that is single-player only, right?" Epic's Mark Rein concurred, adding "We have testers at Epic who specialize in multi-player testing and probably one of them helped out on Shadow Complex in their spare time." Sorry, gang. Sounds like if you were hoping for co-op complex crawling, you're going to be waiting a while.
This Wednesday: Trials HD skids onto XBLA
We have to admit to feeling just a little silly about continuing to remind you about these XBLA releases when you knew the lot of them a month or so ago. But, we're told that people with "that Memento guy disease" (excuse the clinical terminology) make up around 10 percent of our audience, surprising as that may be.So, as a reminder to most of you and a hot scoop for a precious few: Motocross platformer (that sounds made-up, we know) Trials HD is going to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday for 1200 ($15). Have fun, just don't let it stop you from tracking down John G.
Microsoft will give you $10! (For spending $70 on Xbox Live)
So, here's an interesting promotion. A press release just hit the ol' Joystiq inbox, claiming that those who buy all of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade titles will be treated to 800, also known as $10 in Microsoft's funny money. This calls for copy and paste! July 22: 'Splosion Man 800 ($10) July 29: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 1200 ($15) August 5: TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled 1200 ($15) August 12: Trials HD 1200 ($15) August 19: Shadow Complex 1200 ($15) Just adding those up -- carry the one --- that's a free $10 for spending $70 on Xbox Live. Keep in mind it's $10 you can only spend on Xbox Live (or Zune Marketplace). While the deal might seem silly at first glance, it does essentially boil down to five XBLA games for $60, the price of one retail game. And, as another Joystiq editor pointed out, that retail game could never be 'Splosion Man. It's a nice bonus if you already plan to pick up all the games. If you don't, you'll be saving money anyway. Everybody wins!
XBLA's 'Summer of Arcade' lineup reshuffled
As if this Friday wasn't freaky enough, Xbox Live's Major Nelson has alerted us to a schedule swap occurring within the "Summer of Arcade" lineup. 'Splosion Man has taken the July 22nd spot previously held by TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled, which will now release on August 5th. The full Xbox Live Arcade release list -- excluding next week's Monkey Island revamp -- is as follows: July 22: 'Splosion Man 800 ($10) July 29: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 1200 ($15) August 5: TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled 1200 ($15) August 12: Trials HD 1200 ($15) August 19: Shadow Complex 1200 ($15) We're happy to experience Twisted Pixel's self-destructive efforts sooner, if only to ease us gently into a rather extravagant spending spree.
