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Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3, Trials HD, Forza 3 demo
As our more astute readers likely gathered from this very post's headline, another week has gone, so it's about time we checked in with Major Nelson to see what made his list of the most-played games on Xbox Live. Unsurprisingly, Bungie's dynamic duo of Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST managed to do well, taking the first and third spots, respectively -- Call of Duty 4 was in the second slot, while Forza 3's demo managed to get some play time on folks' boxes, taking a tight turn into the seventh place spot. On the XBLA side, Trials HD did backflips to the top of the list, beating out recent releases Zombie Apocalypse and Bust-A-Move Live!. The remainder of the XBLA list saw favorites Battlefield 1943 and Shadow Complex rounding out the bottom end of the top five.
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.
Shadow Complex cheaters will have scores deleted, Gamerscore reset
Chair Entertainment is ready to lay the smack down on Shadow Complex cheaters. Major Nelson sends word that Microsoft will take action this week against those "verified as cheaters," deleting their records from the Shadow Complex leaderboards, as well as resetting their associated accounts' Gamerscore. Worse still, said accounts will be branded on Xbox.com (and dashboard) as belonging to cheaters.For those looking to brush up on what constitutes cheating on Xbox Live, feel free to review Microsoft's policy on "Gamerscore corrections." Of course, if you're a cheater, then you probably already know.
Shadow Complex sets week-one sales record
That's, um, sales of single-player games (multiplayer ones don't count!). And, uh, you know, we're just talking about Xbox Live Arcade titles -- not that clarifying this awfully specific sales record is an attempt to take away from the much-deserved success of Chair's excellent Shadow Complex or the 200,000-plus downloaders (much of the Joystiq staff included) who didn't wait long to cash in 1200. Still, we're not going to label Shadow Complex's sales Achievement® (as Microsoft does) the "New Era of Downloadable Games." It takes far too much effort to produce a decent Metroidvania experience than it does a mediocre dual-stick shooter, after all. We will, however, join in on the not-so-subtle peer pressuring. Seriously, you still haven't purchased Shadow Complex? Shame on you. (So ... just direct deposit that check, cool? Thanks Microsoft!) %Gallery-64709%
Xbox Live Top 10 dominated by Shadow Complex, CoD: World at War
Major Nelson has revealed the latest figures for Xbox Live activity, which once again sees Call of Duty: World at War being the most played Xbox 360 Live title. That's not to say it's all business as usual, as the Lost Planet 2 co-op demo managed to claw its way onto the list, along with a new Xbox Live Arcade pair, Shadow Complex and Trials HD.Both titles made it onto the top two spots on XBLA's most played list, with Chair's Metroid-inspired adventure making its debut in first place. The remainder is comprised of usual suspects Battlefield 1943, Marvel vs Capcom 2 and 'Splosion Man.
Community teamwork solves Shadow Complex speed run mystery
For fans of speed runs, Shadow Complex housed a clever secret that allows gamers to skip most of the game and complete it in record time. Surrounding the mystery was knowledge that players are able to obtain the Foam ability within the first 15 minutes of gameplay. Over the last few days (since its August 19 release), gamers across multiple message boards compiled data and quotes, and tried brilliant ideas to crack the code. And they blew it wide open. If a certain number of tasks are completed within a short time frame, gamers are able to bypass an entire section of the game, landing them within a few rooms of the Foam ability.Spoiler Warning! YouTube user Nogarda1 showcases the steps needed to cleverly infiltrate the enemy base after the break.
These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania
"Metroidvania" is a term used to describe side-scrolling games with large, open worlds, new areas of which are accessible only with certain items or powerups. Take away the side-scrolling element, and you've got Zelda; take away the powerups, and you've got Pitfall. It's named after the two most famous series to make use of the format, Metroid and (later) Castlevania. Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.Click here to start your adventure!
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.
Spoiler Warning: Shadow Complex secrets and strategies
With Shadow Complex closing out the second Summer of Arcade today, the Joystiq crew has been hard at work compiling a series of videos and images to help would-be explorers unlock the secrets of Chair Entertainment's latest adventure. Of course (as the headline would indicate) this feature is filled to the brim with spoilers and strategies necessary to unlock some of Shadow Complex's many secrets. If you're looking for a Shadow Complex news fix, this isn't the feature for you ... but if you want to know where (and how) to find most of the game's hidden gems, jump in. %Gallery-64709%
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Shadow Complex
This week's XBLA in Brief is a little different. Normally we only take the trial version for a spin, but we were lucky enough to get our hands on the full version of Shadow Complex last week, so we've spent quite a bit of time with it. We've already handed the game a great review, now you can see what all the fuss is about. The full version is 1200 ($15). Download the trial version of Shadow Complex [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. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Shadow Complex launch trailer
You know that Shadow Complex is good, right? Yeah, well, it is, and this trailer aims to make sure you know it. Apart from a liberal sprinkling of impressive-sounding critical quotes, there's also some gameplay in there, too. If you hold an Xbox 360 controller as you watch it, you can pretend that you're playing it right now. If you take a controller to work, you can pretend to play at work, too! Until you can actually play the real thing, It's really the only sensible thing to do.
Review: Shadow Complex (XBLA)
Let's get this out of the way: You'll need to forgive Shadow Complex its generic trappings. For one of the most hyped elements of the production, author Orson Scott Card's contributions are underwhelming. The hero (everyman Jason Fleming but let's call him ... Nathan Bourne) and the story are both entirely forgettable; however, the real star of the game comes from the other half of this collaboration: the gameplay. Put simply, Shadow Complex is the easiest Xbox Live Arcade recommendation I can make and one of the best games of the year. %Gallery-64709%
Orson Scott Card talks 'Shadow Complex' and the future of 'Empire'
Beyond being an award-winning author, Orson Scott Card has some gaming cred on his resume. An avid old school gamer himself, Card has worked on a few notable game projects, including The Secret of Monkey Island, for which he penned the swordfighting insults. On August 19, Card returns to gaming by creating the world that surrounds Shadow Complex, which runs parallel to the events in Card's best-selling novel, Empire.However, unlike his experience working on the poorly-received game Advent Rising -- which Card was brought into late to develop the game's story -- the author and Chair Entertainment collaborated from the beginning to bring the Empire book trilogy and Shadow Complex to life. "They do their thing and I do mine. Two very different arts end up working together to tell the same story," Card told Variety. Card says, he enjoys Shadow Complex's main character so much, he suspects readers will see Jason Flemming (voiced by Nolan North) appear in a future novel within the universe. Shadow Complex's story was written by Star Trek novelist Peter David.Card also notes that he is confident he has "come up with something" to allow future games in the series to be different. "Nothing would be worse than if they play the second game is the same as the first," Card said. Apparently in Card's world, gamers love change.%Gallery-64709%
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!
Shadow Complex Achievements arrive with a handful of screens, new trailer
Will Shadow Complex be this year's Bionic Commando: Rearmed -- ya know, minus all that direct nostalgia? Between the 2D platforming, arsenal of weapons, huge bosses, and frosted camera lens, it's getting harder and harder for us not to draw the comparison. One thing the new gameplay you see above features that BC:R lacked? Jumping! (Thankfully!) An Achievement for melee kills (find the whole list after the break) helps to assuage our concerns of, well, not having a robot arm -- though anyone with half a brain knows that third-party human being parts beat out melee weapons every time. Hopefully the extra $5 for Shadow Complex over BC:R means those weapons are really sharp when you check them out on August 19. %Gallery-68437%
Shadow Complex script penned by comic book scribe Peter David
Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios are ramping up for the impending release of Chair Entertainment's Shadow Complex on XBLA, today revealing that the game's script was written by Eisner Award winning author Peter David. David has worked on various comic book titles for numerous imprints, but is probably best known for his run on The Incredible Hulk. He currently writes She-Hulk and X-Factor for Marvel. The script for Shadow Complex is adapted from work by sci-fi author and visionary Orson Scott Card, whose 2006 novel, Empire, is based on the game's universe and an original concept by game designer Donald Mustard. David has written a story that parallels the events of the novel, which itself focuses on a future American civil war. We recently saw the game in action and wrote up our impressions. David, Mustard and Epic's Cliff Bleszinski will be on-hand at next week's San Diego Comic-Con to promote the game, which hits the Xbox Live Marketplace on August 19.
Impressions: Shadow Complex
With just a little more than a month to go before the game hits the Xbox Live Marketplace, today we got a look at more of Chair Entertainment and Epic Games' love letter to Super Metroid, a.k.a Shadow Complex. We'd journeyed through some of the same in-game territory during E3, but this latest glimpse was geared more towards getting into gameplay we didn't really get a good look at then. For starters, we witnessed several nods to the stealth-oriented gameplay of Metal Gear Solid (the game also draws on Kojima's classic series for artistic inspiration). In one area, designer Donald Mustard -- an avid fan of the 2D action-adventure who hopes his game kick-starts a new trend among his fellow developers -- guided his hero past moving floodlights and security cameras which, if not avoided, would have locked down the area requiring players to find an alternate path through. Stealth kills have also made their way into the game and even work on smaller robots, who, like human enemies, are fair game as long as players aren't in their line of sight. %Gallery-64709%
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.
XBLA 'Summer of Arcade' 2009 release schedule announced
Microsoft's Major Nelson has revealed the full details of this year's "Summer of Arcade" ... and it's going to be mighty expensive if you're interested in the whole kaboodle. July 22: TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled 1200 ($15) 'Splosion Man 800 ($10) July 29: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 1200 ($15) August 5: 'Splosion Man 800 ($10) TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled 1200 ($15) August 12: Trials HD 1200 ($15) August 19: Shadow Complex 1200 ($15) The only difference from this list and the previously announced lineup is the absence of Monkey Island Special Edition, which is scheduled for release next week on July 15. [Update: Release schedule revised!]
Cliff Bleszinski explains why there are so many bald space marines
If you think Unreal Engine 3 games feature too much gray and brown, laden with "pillars and girders," all being stomped around on by bald space marines, Cliff "Young Clifford" Bleszinski wants you to blame the tech. Speaking with Develop recently, the man that birthed Marcus Fenix said, "The technology of this generation just happens to be very good at rendering metals and stones and dramatic lighting." He argues that "translucent effects" are much harder to pull of with the technology given and as such, "the tech is good at showing off armor and it's not that good at doing hair ... that's why we have bald space marines."Though we'd argue that there are lots of bald men in our lives who happen to not be space marines -- CheapyD and Dr. Manhattan prime among them -- we can appreciate how Marcus Fenix may be more equipped to take down the Locust than an omnipotent blue man. Wait a minute! Interestingly, Bleszinski also notes during the interview that he's got "like five projects going on right now" -- we're counting Shadow Complex and another (still unannounced) Gears of War, which leaves three unannounced projects? Something is afoot at Epic Games. And it almost certainly involves bald space marines.
