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Switchball improved, re-released this Wed
As part of the this week's Xbox Live Arcade new release announcement, Microsoft also mentioned that Atomic Elbow's previously released Switchball is going to be re-released this Wednesday, March 26th. With the re-release, Switchball will benefit by receiving a graphical upgrade as well as a smoother gameplay experience that (for whatever reason) can lead to higher scores. Hopefully the graphical tears will disappear as well. We also gather that all current Switchball owners will be able to get all the new enhancements via a title update. Happy rolling!%Gallery-19133%
This Wednesday: TiQal blazes XBLA, Switchball re-released
You know what? Go ahead and toss everything you thought you knew about the collapse of classic Mayan civilization right out the window. Enter TiQal, Slapdash Games' startling new discovery of the catalyst that sparked the deterioration of the once thriving southern lowlands cities of Mesoamerica. Blocks, people. It was those darned, colorful blocks. Relive the puzzling mystery (with a friend, if you'd like) -- and try to rewrite history -- this Wednesday, as TiQal comes to Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points.Not a pre-Columbian culture buff? Well, have we got a special announcement for you! Switchball returns to XBLA with a little spit shine. The once glimmering sphere just got ... shinier with "enhanced" graphics and higher high-scores! This incredible, one-time update is free for previous purchasers and just 800 Microsoft Points (full game included) for first-time ballers. Incredible! %Gallery-19071%%Gallery-4933%
Word Puzzle hits XBLA, SwitchBall is hiding
It's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday folks, and that means brand new gaming goodness to enjoy. This week under "New Arrivals" you will find the incredibly exciting and action packed Word Puzzle. What you will not find is Switchball. Don't fret though, Switchball is there, it's just not in new arrivals for some reason. We imagine Microsoft will fix this at some point, but for now you'll have to dig through the "Genres" or "All Arcade Downloads" section to find the game. You can find it under "Action Arcade" in the genres, or (more conveniently) under the letter "S" in all arcade downloads. We were upset before we discovered the games secret bunker, as it looks to be the more intriguing of this week's two titles (check out the video above if you don't believe us). Should you desire the full version of either game, they will run you 800 Microsoft bucks each.
This Wednesday: Switchball and Word Puzzle [verb] XBLA
It's hard to believe that the seemingly innocuous phrase, "having a ball," could be tinged with cruelty. You see, the life of a nondescript videogame ball is actually quite miserable, rife with surreal landscapes, tilting mazes and suspiciously long half-pipes that only lead to pointless goals. Sierra Online's graphically splendid Switchball only exacerbates this sad state of affairs, featuring a shiny sphere capable of changing its physical properties (to overcome puzzles!), but not its emotional state. If you spend 800 MS Points ($10) on it this Wednesday, consider how you'd feel if tears rolled down your cheek and up the back of your head. Hitting Xbox Live Arcade on the same day is Word Puzzle, a game that primarily deals with the useful thingamabobs that made this sentence possible. For 800 MS Points, you'll receive "intricate 3D boards," Vision camera support and the chance to use "exploding word bombs." Those should give the stereotypical Halo crowd a head start, at least.
Word Puzzle and Switchball XBLA bound
Another XBLA twofer is headed our way this week with both Word Puzzle and Switchball making XBLA appearances this Wednesday, November 7th.Word Puzzle, the game's title pretty much says it all. Word Puzzle is an interactive word find that'll feature four player Xbox Live versus, two player local, Vision camera support and things called "word bombs" all for the gotta-try-the-trial-before-I-shell-out-the-cash price of 800 Microsoft points. Switchball is the second half of the XBLA twofer where, for 800 Microsoft points, you can navigate your ball through all kinds of 3D puzzles and mazes. The game includes two player local co-op, two player co-op over Live and eight player versus over Live. What more can be said ... balls will roll this Wednesday.
Sierra Online details upcoming PC, XBLA lineup
Vivendi Games' Sierra Online division has revealed a number of details concerning its lineup of XBLA and PC releases throughout the remainder of the year, including a number of previously announced titles as well as two new games, one where you get to shoot aliens (pictured) and another where you..well...play with bunnies. Earlier this year following the appointment of XBLA's former portfolio lead Ross Erickson to Sierra Online we predicted that the company had big plans for the downloadable space, and given the breadth of today's announcements that assumption looks more correct than ever. The two new titles announced today include a particularly interesting sounding "third person retro-arcade shooter" called Aces of the Galaxy, where players man the turret of an AI-driven spaceship to shoot down waves of bad guys, and the strangely titled Boogie Bunnies, where players will match up colorful rabbits in a "match-three puzzle game." Both of these will arrive for both the PC and XBLA this winter. In addition, Sierra confirmed that Wanako Studios' top-down XBLA shooter Assault Heroes will make the move to retail shelves and unspecified digital download services for the PC for $19.99 on October 23. The earlier acquired Latin American studio is also developing the hack-and-slash dungeon crawler Arkadian Warriors (formerly called Artemis Warriors), which will launch this fall from Sierra for the PC and over XBLA, though we hope that this time they'll manage to get multiplayer working from day one.
Sierra's ambitious Winter XBLA plans
If you're planning your next XBLA purchases for the next few months then be sure to not count out Sierra's upcoming library of games, because they actually look promising.The crew over at IGN got some hands on time with all six, count 'em six, of developer Sierra's new games that are set to release on the Xbox Live Arcade this Winter. So, enough of the fluff let's get to the goods. Sierra's bountiful and very diverse Winter XBLA lineup includes a 3D space shooter called Aces of the Galaxy, a mystical hack, hack, slash slasher called Arkadian Warriors, the TV based Battlestar Galactica, a puzzling bunny game called Boogie Bunnies, a casual gamer's RTS Commanders: Attack of the Genos, and finally Switchball. See, we told you it was a diverse group of games. You can check out IGN's hands-on take of each Arcade title as well as screenshots and video from each game after the jump. And with such an interesting lineup of adventure, sci-fi, shooter and action based games we can't help but be most excited to play Boogie Bunnies. Dancing bunnies ... what more can we say?
Joystiq hands-on: Switchball
It's the age-old story of a ball trying to find its home, retold in high-definition visuals for the Xbox 360 and PC. Our two-level demo for Switchball had us traversing over wooden planks, building bridges out of crates, and plowing into metal boxes with our metalball upgrade. It's a simple "get from point A to point B" title with simple controls but still a fun, casual game.What impressed us most is the physics of the game, particularly in one area where we had to roll on a hanging piece of cloth. There are six levels spanning five worlds, for a total of 30. We were told there will be multiplayer options for up to 8 players, both co-op and competitive modes. Switchball is already out on PC and due out in August for Xbox Live Arcade.%Gallery-4933%
Sierra details fall XBLA releases like Battlestar Galactica
Sierra revealed details on three titles coming to XBLA this fall. Switchball, Commanders: Attack! and Battlestar Galactica will be gracing XBLA in the coming months. PC owners can play Switchball already, but the other games everyone will need to wait until the fall.Switchball is like Marble Madness with an ever changing ball. Sometimes it's light, sometimes it's electric, sometimes it doesn't know what it is. Players lead the ball through various labyrinths. Commander: Attack! is a turn-based strategy war game featuring '30s art deco. There is a 15-mission single player campaign and you can compete against three friends. Last, but most important, Battlestar Galactica is a top-down space combat game. You'll be able to compete against eight players online or through a single-player campaign as either a member of the Galactica or the Cylons. We'll have more information later in the day.
Switchball, Commanders: Attack! & more XBLA bound
TeamXbox pulled some strings and got the pre-E3 dish on three new XBLA offerings from Sierra Online. Over on their site they posted a dump truck sized load of screenshots, game details and videos for Sierra Online's three Arcade games including Switchball, Commanders: Attack!, and Battlestar Galactica. No word yet on the games' release dates or how much they'll cost, but we're sure more info will trickle in when the games get officially announced at E3. Fanboys: Attack!
USK: Switchball rolling to Arcade
The Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle is losing self control (Uh oh; ding!) over revealing games existence prior to their official announcements, and the latest is Switchball, which Xbox-Archiv.de has found the rating for on the USK's site. The video above is the trailer for the PC version, and it seems reminiscent of Marble Blast Ultra, which isn't a bad thing, especially if it brings a new flavor to the table. According to an Xboxic reader (link below), and the PC version's demo has 12 Achievements listed in the menu, so that makes this all the more likely to be true.[Via Xboxic]
