Frogger
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XBLA in Brief: Frogger 2 and Commando 3
Sometimes, we like to think of XBLA in Brief as a public service. We get to tell people about the good games on Xbox Live Arcade like Commando 3, and, perhaps more importantly, warning them about bad games like Frogger 2. We won't go into details here (that's what the video is for, silly!), but suffice it to say that Commando 3 is decent and Frogger 2 ... isn't. Watch the video and give the community your feedback in the comments (whether you agree with our assertions or not).[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
More games that shouldn't be MMOs: Classic Edition
This is a topic we spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about, as seen in our previous ruminations on the subject. The rise of the MMO, and its continuing ascent to prominence in mainstream media, however, means that sooner or later, it will fall to the dreaded Remake Syndrome, where old classic movies are updated to fit modern sensibilities, often with disastrous results.To wit: if Game X was a huge hit, then why don't we revamp it and resell it as an MMO? Here are 5 examples why not. Robotron 2084: You are the last protector of the human race against robots, mutants, and geometric shapes. Well, actually, you're just one of the last protectors. This is an MMO, after all. And in a game where everything that isn't you kills you when it touches you, and you're in an enclosed space with no way out, and the enemies just keep coming at you and coming at you ... well, the narrative possibilities are endless.
Minter's pissed, Frogger outsells Space Giraffe
Jeff Minter, the outspoken, llama loving creator of Space Giraffe is pissed. Not in the European sense either. No, he's angry. Why? Specifically, it's because Space Giraffe was outsold by Frogger ten to one on Xbox Live Arcade in one week. The dejected creator implied on his blog that he was considering abandoning game development all together. Minter had some harsh words against Frogger and the gaming population in general: "OK, we get the message. All you want on that channel is remakes of old, shite arcade games and crap you vaguely remember playing on your Amiga."However, given the XBLA top purchased games, his logic isn't really born out. The XBLA top ten is consistently filled with more original titles than retro titles. Still, we understand Minter's frustration, despite our fond memories of Frogger. While Space Giraffe may have failed to strike a chord on XBLA, hopefully Minter won't give up entirely. We like his style.[Via Joystiq]
25% off offer on select XBLA games ends tonight
Tonight, at around 7:59PM eastern, Microsoft will be flipping the XBLA discount switch to the "off" position and the week long 25% discount on select Arcade games will expire. So, if you've been procrastinating tonight is your last chance to pick up Frogger or Hardwood Spades each for 300 Microsoft points or Bankshot Billiards 2 for 900 points. True penny pinchers would have already taken advantage of the savings, but you can still be an honorary penny pinching member if you make your 25% off Arcade purchase while the gettings are good.
Cheaper XBLA games promo starts today [update]
Update: Doh! It looks like there was an early mistake in making the games 50% off. The discounted prices are now 25% off with Frogger and Hardwood Spades at 300 and Bankshot Billiards 2 at 900 Microsoft points. Come on Xbox Live guys, get your crap together!Today is Arcade Wednesday and even though we aren't treated to any new releases, we do get a few Xbox Live Arcade games discounted. Starting today and running for a whole week, Frogger, Hardwood Spades and Bankshot Billiards 2 are all available for your downloading pleasure at newly discounted prices. And, unlike previously reported, the prices are even lower than expected! Both Frogger and Hardwood Spades are available for 200 300 Microsoft points (originally 400) and Bankshot Billiards 2 is only 600 900 (originally 1200), which makes these games half 25% off. Remember, the cheaper prices only last for one week, so if you've been eyeing up any of these titles or are simply interested in a new XBLA game, then grab 'em before the price goes back up. Oh happy discounted Arcade games day!
One week discount on select XBLA games
Starting this Wednesday and lasting for a whole seven days, three previously released Xbox Live Arcade games will be catching the price discount fever. XBLA games Frogger, Hardwood Spades and Bankshot Billiards 2 will be discounted this Wednesday with both Frogger and Hardwood Spades dropping from 400 Microsoft points to 300 and Bankshot Billiards 2 going from 1200 to 900. Again, these new prices go into effect this Wednesday and will remain at their lower prices until October 2nd, so give 'em a purchase if there is something you think you'll enjoy. And note to Microsoft, we and our fellow fanboys love these types of discounted Arcade game promotions. Please, keep them coming!
Mad Catz readies Xbox 360 Live Arcade Stick for holiday release
Manufacturing hiccups, or intentional delays to ensure a holiday release? Whatever the reasons behind Mad Catz taking its sweet time on the Live Arcade Stick -- which we were (fairly) certain was eventually coming -- remains unknown, but at least it's (almost) here. According to our pals at Joystiq, the retro-styled controller slated to help Xbox Live Arcade gamers feel a bit more like 1985 is just a month or so away from hitting store shelves. Aside from sporting all the familiar Xbox 360 buttons and rumble functionality, purchasers will also get Frogger, Time Pilot, and Astropop when they throw down their $49.99, and if you're into multi-purpose gizmos, you'll certainly appreciate its ability to play nice with PCs. So if you had every intention of delving into Nintendo's classic library of games today, but couldn't scrounge up an actual Wii for yourself, Mad Catz will hopefully deliver that dash of yesteryear before too long.
Not so special edition of Viva Pinata [update 1]
Not content with brainwashing our children with simple "standard" editions of the kid friendly Viva Piñata, Microsoft has made known their intentions to release a "special" edition of the title. What makes it special, you ask. You see beyond just the game, buyers of the special edition will receive playable demos of Lego Star Wars II, Frogger, Cloning Clyde, Time Pilot, and Marble Blast Ultra. That's right, they're bundling in demos that can be had for free on Xbox Live (with the exception of LSWII). Also included is a full length episode of the TV show (any drug dealer will tell you that the first taste is free). No doubt, MS is including these easily obtainable extras for the benefit of kids and parents who have yet to grasp the complexities of Xbox Live and its Marketplace. For gamers like us that understand our console, the extras hardly seem like a value add. Still, we're sure that this will force many parents to learn how to use Live properly. There may be no better educational incentive than the pleading scream of a child: "It says I need Xbox Live! Make it work!" Even though the value of the demos is questionable, you can't argue with the $49.99 price tag. Hell, that would be a deal if it came with nothing. Update: Fixed grammatical error -- two in one day. Jeez.
Roomba Frogger
Remember when Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried modded a Roomba and played Frogger across a four-lane highway? No? Well, if you did, it would be the perfect segue into this week's Roomba mod breakthrough.A company called myRoomBud -- apparently started, built, and run by kids (peep this child labor pic) -- has designed a version of Frogger (pictured) that features myRoomBud's Roobit the Frog (a costume character mod for Roomba). Using a RooTooth device and some clever code work, myRoomBud modded its Roomba to sync up with the in-game Roobit. Yes folks, so incredibly pointless that it could've only been conceived by the minds of children. So where do we download?[Via TechEBlog]
Konami to shut down Hawaiian studio
Much like the spritely amphibian star of Frogger, it seems that Konami's Hawaiian studio is destined to be mangled by a large (and largely oblivious) truck traveling on the "streamlining operations" freeway. Roughly 40 employees will be affected by the year-end closure, with Konami hoping to relocate most of them to positions throughout the rest of the company. No specific reasons for the change are cited, though John Strom of Enterprise Honolulu suggests that it stems from Konami's desire to scale back all game development in the US and focus on casino gaming facilities instead. Konami has not confirmed such a plan, but with most of their titles emerging from the buff Japanese arm, it's hardly inconceivable. The Hawaiian studio was responsible for games such as Frogger Beyond and Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix -- a roster not nearly as impressive as their valiant resisting of the obvious impulse to combine the two franchises into some sort of rhythmic, frog-stomping adventure.See also: Real-life Frogger (or: Roomba hacking is fun) XBLA Wednesdays unveiled
Sunday at X360F: arcade madness results
The results from last Sunday's poll are in and it was a major upset to say the least. In a come-from-behind victory that nobody was expecting even in their wildest of wild dreams, Street Fighter II -- the plucky underdog that nobody believed in -- has come out on top with an astonishing 32% of the poll totalling 763 votes. Now, with the sarcastic statement of the obvious out of the way, let's look at the results. It seems SFII has a monopoly on gamer nostalgia, as the other retro classics, Galaga, Pac-Man, and Frogger gather a paltry 11% of the vote with 242 votes combined. It should be noted that Galaga seems to be the favored retro hit outside of SFII, though. By far the most interesing aspect of this poll is the performance of Lumines Live, Small Arms, and Texas Hold 'em, with a combined 47% of the vote. This is evidence that the real strength of Live Arcade is its ability to bring us original content (just as Cloning Clyde project lead, John Nielson told us earlier this week). No doubt had titles like Castle Crashers and RoboBlitz been on the poll, they would have shown a strong performance as well. So, to wrap up, Capcom is the king of selling us our youth, and people want to see more games that you can't get anywhere else. Here's to the 360 for making Wednesdays a little brighter. Cheers.
Sunday at X360F Poll: Arcade Madness [update 1]
No matter where you look, the big news this week was definitely Xbox Live Arcade. Every Wednesday for the next month we'll have a new Xbox Live Arcade game to download. So, of course, the big question now is which company will make the most money which game will be the most popular? Below is a list of some of the upcoming games. Which one are you anticipating the most? If you choose other, please, let us know your choice in the comments -- even if it hasn't been announced, tell us what games you want to see on Live Arcade. Will SFII hadoken the competition? Will Pac-Man wakka wakka his way to the top? Vote for your favorite and tell us why. We'll discuss the results next week. Which XBLA game do you want most? Frogger Cloning Clyde Galaga Street Fighter II Pac-Man Texas Hold 'em Small Arms Lumines Live Other More micropayments? No, thanks. Free polls from Pollhost.com Basic poll stuff: You could spam the poll, thus destroying its democratic brilliance, but that would make you a total jerkball. Don't be a jerkball. It's bad for democracy. Update 1: Oops, Lumines Live has now been added to the poll. The votes have also been reset. My apologies for any emotional distress this may have caused. You should be able to vote again no problem.
2006, the Summer of Arcade Love
The video above shows off some of the arcade titles coming out within the next month. Cloning Clyde in particular looks like a lot of fun. Frankly, I'm a little puzzled as to why Namco insists on releasing Pac-Man when Ms. Pac-Man is clearly superior. And how the hell does E. Honda beat Ryu anyway? After the break is another video. This one is Greg Canessa, Group Manager for Xbox Live Arcade, being interviewed by 1UP's Luke Smith -- wearing his best Peter Jackson costume by the look of it. The interview reveals a few nice tidbits, the biggest of which is that there are around thirty new arcade titles to be released by the end of the year. When asked if Bungie is working on any Arcade titles, Canessa gives a titillating "Stay tuned." Check out the interview after the break.
Frogger hops onto XBLA, hit by semi
The arcade classic, Frogger, is now available on Xbox Live Arcade for the low, low price of 400 MS Points. In addition to the classic coin-op, there are now several multiplayer modes, including versus and co-op(!). Sounds absolutely ribbit-ing.[Via QJ]
Street Fighter 2: Mega Ultra $10 edition
I know everyone is excited that Frogger is coming to XBLA today, but let's get this boring Street Fighter II news out of the way first. Street Fighter II -- the one Live Arcade game that nobody is anticipating at all -- will be sold for 800 MS Points, or 10 American dollars. Okay, there. I'm sorry. Here's the real news: Frogger will be sold for a paltry 400 points ($5). Heck, just take a look at the whole list: July 12 - Frogger, 400 points ($5) July 19 - Cloning Clyde, 800 points ($10) July 26 - Galaga, 400 points ($5) August 2 - Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting, 800 points ($10) August 9 - Pac-Man, 400 points ($5) That's 5 games for $35! Also, the Live Arcade team indicated that Wednesday will become the defacto release day for most Arcade titles. As Joystiq points out, this list may indicate that older games will see a lower price point than their newer cousins with fancy features like "blast processing" and "more than one button." [Via Joystiq]
Real-life Frogger (or: Roomba hacking is fun)
MAKE: Blogger (and one time Joystiq contributor) Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried (creator of the awesome Pac-Man LED bike wheels) teamed up recently at the SXSW conference in Austin to use a Roomba robotic vacuum to play a real-life game of Frogger! Armed with only a Bluetooth-enabled Roomba, a green t-shirt, and the alcoholic consumption necessary to devise such a brilliant idea, they managed the little "frog" across four lanes of traffic ten times before falling under the wheels of a Toyota 4-Runner. Afterwards Torrone said, "We had a lot to drink before we got here but there's nothing to sober you up like steering a robot through traffic." Ah, truer words were never spoken... not ever. [Thanks, redLlama]
