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Xbox Live joins Black Friday spendathon with week of sales, starting tomorrow
If you can get past the ill-advised headline in Microsoft's announcement of a handful of Black Friday-timed sales -- "Xbox 360 Rings In The Holidays with Can't-Miss Black Friday Deals for Halo: Reach, Fable III and Xbox Live Marketplace" -- you'll find some hot deals on Xbox Live games, movies and DLC (which, as digital offerings, don't require you to be trampled to death by people shopping for cheap towels). Of the week-long "Black Friday" deals -- beginning tomorrow, November 23, through Monday, November 29 -- 'Splosion Man for two dang bucks (Friday only) is the clear standout. Other "samples" from the week of promotions include savings on additional XBLA games, like Portal and The Secret of Monkey Island; Xbox Originals Halo and GTA: San Andreas; and a few Zune movies. (Check out a list of currently-announced offers after the break.) Throughout the Thanksgiving week, Microsoft will post the deals on Xbox.com. Update: Peruse the complete list of week-long sales here. Oh! And don't forget: Microsoft is still hosting its ongoing, "regular" Xbox Live Deal of the Week, offering the Hasbro Family Game Night games for half-off ($5 each) today through Sunday.
November Xbox Live Marketplace schedule: Noble Map Pack for $10, Crazy Taxi and Hasbro Family Game Night deals
Major Nelson has posted a schedule of content coming to Xbox Live Marketplace this month. Some stuff we knew about -- Crazy Taxi on the 24th and the Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack, to name a few -- but others, including the Deal of the Week beginning on the 22nd and a special promotion for non-Gold members of Xbox Live, are news. You can find all of the pertinent details past the break. %Gallery-105054%
Daily Show solves video game violence issue, saves Family Game Night
Okay, so maybe you were waiting to learn about this critically important Supreme Court video game case until you could hear The Daily Show's take on it. And yes, for that, you should be deeply ashamed. But here it is -- just after the break! In the clip, correspondent John Hodgman solves the violent video game problem through flattery, clever marketing and generous application of Ira Glass.
Hasbro Family Game Night 3 coming this fall with five more board games
Once again, it's time for us to play a quick round of "One of These Things is Not Like the Others!" Our contestants are the five titles that will be added to your ever-burgeoning collection of digital board games this fall, with the release of Hasbro Family Game Night 3 for Wii, 360 and PS3. Okay, here goes: The Game of Life, Clue, Mouse Trap, Yahtzee Hands Down and ... Twister. We'll give you a second to think. Here's a hint: We separated the weird one from the other ones using an ellipsis. Twister? We can logistically see how the other four games could be adapted into a video game format, but ... Twister? Will Hasbro Family Game Night 3 come bundled with a polka-dotted floor mat peripheral? Regardless, we'll have to find out when Game Night 3 releases this fall, as the games will come bundled in a single retail package this time around, and, well -- we just have to get our hands on a video game version of Mouse Trap.
XBLA's Hasbro Family Game Night adding Pictureka!, Connect 4x4 and Jenga
EA's Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLA will receive three new titles this summer: Pictureka!, Connect 4x4 and Jenga. It's relatively easy to imagine how the Xbox 360 interpretations will work with Pictureka! and Connect 4x4. Pictureka! is a hide-and-seek visual game, whereas Connect 4x4 is a twist on the classic title, which supports more players and includes a "super squares" mode with power-ups on the board. As for Jenga -- and its real-world repercussion of creating a mess once your block tower topples -- EA might just capture some of that Boom Blox magic in HD. Although, we still posit that playing Jenga on a computer screen is about as suspect as clothed Twister.
Trials HD voted best XBLA game of 2009
For the third year in a row, Microsoft hosted a community poll on Xbox Live to determine the best Xbox Live Arcade games as judged by the players. And like last year, when Joystiq favorite Braid was overthrown by those persistent party castle crashers, 2009's "Best Overall Arcade Game" goes to Trials HD over Joystiq Best of 2009 winners Shadow Complex and 'Splosion Man (which both did manage to win lesser awards in the Xbox Live poll). We've posted the complete list of awards and winners, which also include Battlefield 1943, Hasbro Family Game Night and Banjo-Tooie, after the break. What, no love for Watchmen: The End is Nigh? We demand a recount!
EA Hasbro games sold eight million units at retail in 2009
Not since The Bushwhackers have we seen such an excellent pairing of two entities. EA and Hasbro's partnership has paid off in dividends, as a recent press release boasts that eight million copies of Hasbro titles have been sold in the US alone at retail last year. The eight million figure applies only to retail releases, not digitally distributed titles across consoles and mobile -- which admittedly have also been successful. The release has some other interesting tidbits, like how the combined efforts of the two have seen 20 different Hasbro brands released on 18 major digital platforms. EA attributes the success of these games to three things: the rise in popularity of family-friendly video games; a demand for games targeting girls; and the popularity of Hasbro's well-known toys and games. Any way you slice it, we're glad it's been such a fruitful venture for both companies, because we'll soon get to play Risk on our Xbox 360. It's only about a billion years too late, but hey, we'll take it! And we'll also take Asia – you'll never stop us now!
Xbox Live deals, XBLA releases and Games on Demand for January
Major Nelson recently peeled away the veil separating us from the knowledge of when stuff would be coming out on Xbox Live Marketplace over what remains of the month of January. This new knowledge includes the upcoming Deals of the Week -- on January 18, both of the DLC packs for the original Mass Effect will be marked down to 240 ($3) each and Hasbro Family Game Night: Battleship will get rolled back to 400 ($5); and on January 25, Portal: Still Alive will have its price temporarily reduced to 800 ($10). The Major also announced two new Games on Demand: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, available now for $20, and Dead Rising, coming January 26 for an undisclosed price. For the rest of January's bounty, including discounted Games on Demand titles, XBLA releases and Avatar items, head past the jump.
Battleship now syncing on iPhone
Adding to its growing roster of Hasbro board games retooled for board-less play, EA has christened the iPhone / iPod touch version of Battleship on its maiden voyage to the iTunes App Store. The game distinguishes itself through an animated play field, cutscenes depicting the damage being done to the enemy fleet and the fact that people won't stare at you on the train like they used to when you broke out the physical board game and started playing with friends. Priced at $2.99, Battleship supports pass-around and local WiFi / Bluetooth multiplayer. We do not support playing the game near water, as Apple's touch-based devices have a moisture sensor to rat you out when you tell the Genius Bar you don't know why they stopped working. Battleship ($2.99, EA Mobile):
EA bringing Battleship, Connect 4, Monopoly to iPhone
EA is getting good mileage out of this Hasbro deal. The latest platform to be assaulted with family-friendly adaptations of classic board games is the iPhone and iPod Touch, with Battleship, Connect 4 and Monopoly Classic en route from EA Mobile. There's no word on prices or release date as of right now, but we'll be sure to pass that news along once it's available. In the meanwhile, feel free to head into the gallery below to check out screens from each title. If you're reading Joystiq on an iPhone, you can totally pretend you're playing the games! %Gallery-76840% %Gallery-76841% %Gallery-76842%
Reminder: Hasbro games 50% off this week [update: Sorry! discounted too]
Update: We've confirmed with Major Nelson that Sorry! should have been priced at 400 as well. The price will be updated on XBLM "very soon." Just a quick reminder here to let everyone know that this week's XBLM Deal of the Week is discounted prices for nearly all of the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on Xbox Live Arcade. All this week, Gold Live members can pick up Boggle, Scrabble, Battleship, Yahtzee, Sorry! Sliders or Connect 4 for 400 ($5) each (half off the usual 800). Curiously, one game, the original Sorry!, has not been discounted and remains at 800. Still, if you've been waiting for a reason to pick up one of the other titles, this week looks like a good time to take the plunge. Browse the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLM (sign in to see discounted prices)
Microsoft details October's Xbox Live Deal of the Week specials [update]
Update: Houston, we have prices! As you already know, this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is none other than Prince of Persia's 'Epilogue' DLC. We're not here to talk about that, though -- instead, we're here to give you the heads up on what the rest of this month has in store for penny-pinching purchasers looking for goodies on Xbox Live. So let's get to it: October 12 Hasbro Family Game Night (Battleship, Connect 4, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Boggle and Sorry! Sliders discounted to 400) October 19 Resident Evil 5's Versus mode (discounted to 240) October 26 Fable II Pub Games (discounted to 400) Pub Games is the only title with its planned discount listed, so you'll have to wait until the appropriate time to know how much the others are discounted for. We're sorry we boggled your mind with savings, only to battle your ship -- ah, forget it, that joke could never work.
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 arrives on Wii in October
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 hits the Wii (ever so gently) this October with more family-friendly games based on real-world Hasbro titles. The latest installment delivers: Operation, "Boppit," Jenga, Pictureka and Connect 4x4. It also includes Mii integration and a "Family Game Show" mode that allows multiple players to face off in a game night competition. For those with a collection itch, playing the various titles found in the game will unlock a slew of items for hosts Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head to wear -- and unlike at home, the items aren't stored up their ... oh my, let's just end here.
Spell the day away with Boggle on iPhone
EA Mobile certainly hopes your fascination with crafting words from letter-filled grids on your iPhone hasn't waned -- the developer recently released a port of Hasbro's Boggle onto the App Store. Though it lacks Word Scramble's robust multiplayer system (and free-ness), it does possess one feature that justifies its $2.99 price tag: Achievements. Lots of achievements. Seriously, wordsmithing hasn't been this rewarding since you won those tickets to Dollywood in your fourth grade spelling bee. We take it back. This is way more rewarding than that. Boggle ($2.99, EA Mobile):
Next Wednesday: Wallace & Gromit, Yosumin Live and Boggle
Major Nelson was authorized to break with tradition (due to the Memorial Day weekend) and has revealed next week's XBLA titles early. The arcade will finally be graced by Telltale's adventure title Wallace & Gromit, along with Yosumin Live and Boggle for Hasbro Family Game Night. All the titles mentioned will be 800 ($10) apiece.If paying $10 for Boggle next week seems a bit high, you can always search flea markets over the holiday weekend and find it for a couple bucks. There always seems to be a copy of Boggle at those things.%Gallery-39989%
Joystiq interview: the EA/Hasbro game agreement
When it comes to the realm of board games, Hasbro is quite the ... player. Over the past couple of decades, it has absorbed Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, Avalon Hill, Wizards of the Coast, Cranium, and others. Chances are that any board game, not to mention toys, you used to play with as a kid are now owned by Hasbro. In 2007, Electronic Arts signed an exclusive agreement with Hasbro to produce games based on some of the items in its vaults, and so far we've seen Scrabble, Hasbro Family Game Night, Trivial Pursuit, and more. EA also just announced Hasbro Family Game Night 2 for the Wii and DS, due out later this fall, which will add Pictureka, Bop-It, Operation, Jenga and others to the mix. But where are the titles like Risk, Axis & Allies, and Dark Tower? We spoke to Steve Flege, Senior Marketing Director for Hasbro Digital and Kyle Murray, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Electronic Arts about the deal, the first games we've seen, the pricing structure, and what's coming up next. The good news: we might be getting Risk on next-gen consoles. It's been on the PC, the PS1, the PS2, and the original Xbox, so it's about time. Roll those sixes! %Gallery-42087%
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Sorry!, Banjo Tooie, Virtual On
We've got three new games on Xbox Live Arcade this week covering a pretty broad range of tastes. We've got a board game in Sorry!, the latest addition to Hasbro Family Game Night. Then we have the classic platformer, Banjo Tooie. Topping it all off there's Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, an arcade mech fighting game from Sega. All in all, it's a pretty full week, and an expensive one too -- both Banjo and Virtual On clock in at 1200. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief and see if any of 'em are worth a spin. Download the trial version of Sorry! Download the trial version of Banjo Tooie Download the trial version of Virtual On [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.
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3 still king of the hill
Folks can't get enough of those Mythic maps, as Halo 3 frags its way to the top of the Xbox Live charts for another week. The siren's song of plasma grenades and billion-dollar cyborgs bested the Nazi zombie-killing antics of Halo nemesis, Call of Duty: World at War. On the Xbox Live Arcade side, the first and second placeholders from last week have switched, with Hasbro Family Game Night taking the top spot on the charts, and OutRun Online Arcade moving down to the second spot. For the full rundown, hit up Major Nelson's stats.
This Wednesday: Virtual On, Banjo Tooie & Sorry! [update]
It's really just a reminder at this point, but we thought you might like to know that Microsoft has confirmed that both Banjo Tooie and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram are headed to XBLA this Wednesday. If you're up for some giant robot blasting action, we suggest Virtual On. If you're more of an anthropomorphic-bear-jumping-on-things kind of guy, then you'd probably prefer Banjo Tooie. If, however, you like cheap Arcade games, you're out of luck. Both games cost 1200 ($15). Update: As a commenter points out, Sorry! is coming to Hasbro Family Game Night as well for 800 ($10) %Gallery-46149% %Gallery-43257%
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Hasbro Family Game Night
The shortest, easiest way to say it: Hasbro Family Game Night lets you play Hasbro board games on your TV. There's not much more to say, really. Oh, each game will cost you 800. Before the anger starts flowing, you should know that most of these games cost more in the real world. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and decide if Hasbro Family Game Night deserves a shelf in your digital game closet. Download Hasbro Family Game Night [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.
