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Aces of the Galaxy hitting XBLA next week
It seems it's been a trend lately for XBLA games to release in pairs and while we were a bit less than thrilled with this week's releases, next week does look better. In addition to Roogoo, June 4 will also see the release of the co-op space shooter Aces of the Galaxy. Little to nothing has been revealed about the game so far but XBLA thankfully gives us trial versions, and the graphics and co-op play give us more than enough reason to give it try. From what we can infer the game could be worth its 800pt price tag, we just wish Artech had gotten more out there about it.
XBLA in Brief: Assault Heroes 2
In the latest XBLA in Brief, we check out Assault Heroes 2, the sequel to one of Xbox Live Arcade's best action titles. The sequel takes the foundations of the first game and adds new weapons and vehicles into the mix. The on-foot gameplay has been dramatically improved as well. Check out the video and find out whether or not Assault Heroes 2 belongs in your XBLA library. [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.
Assault Heroes 2 assaults XBLA
click to enlarge After all the Spring Showcase excitement yesterday, it's hard to come to terms with the fact that it's just another plain ol' Wednesday now. How could you possibly stifle the Wednesday doldrums? Oh that's right, it's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday! That means there's a brand new Xbox Live Arcade game available. To top it all off, it's actually a sequel to one of XBLA's best shooters. Yup, it's Assault Heroes 2. It's like Assault Heroes, except with more weapons, new vehicles, and, of course, more massive destruction. Go grab the trial version and see whether or not massive destruction is your thing (we're betting it is). Let's just hope they fixed the faulty co-op this time around. %Gallery-22641%
This Wednesday: Assault Heroes 2 shoots everything on XBLA
We're afraid the sequel to Assault Heroes is still not an open-ended, city-dwelling game where you're tasked with punching firemen and war veterans. Sierra Online's Assault Heroes 2, which is scheduled to demolish the Xbox Live Arcade lineup this Wednesday, is very much in line with 2006's omni-directional shooter, though we suspect we won't be able to make jokes about a broken multiplayer mode this time. Instead, we'll have to deliver punchlines that involve the sequel's more destructive weaponry, ability to hi-jack enemy vehicles and high volume of "relentless enemies and outrageous bosses." And sometimes, it has all of that, with two-player co-op ... in space! It's yours for 800 MS Points ($10). %Gallery-18238%
Assault Heroes 2 assaults the XBLA this week
Is should come as no surprise that this Wednesday, May 14th, Sierra's Assault Heroes 2 will make its release to the Xbox Live Arcade to the joy of arcade gamers worldwide. This 800 Microsoft point sequel builds upon the original Assault Heroes formula by making battles more intense, adding new weaponry, making vehicles hijackable and, of course, co-op gaming. Get excited, because lots of "boom!", "kablaam!" and "sizzle!" is headed to the XBLA this week. %Gallery-22641%
Video: meet the bosses of Assault Heroes 2
With less than a week to go before Assault Heroes 2 arrives on Xbox Live Arcade (it's scheduled to drop on May 14), Sierra is ramping up the publicity, releasing a new two part trailer featuring some of the game's massive bosses. There seems to be an obsession with throwing mechanized versions of various fauna at players this time around, as the bosses featured in the video are the Mecha Gorilla, Mech Scorpion, Mecha Killer Orca (really?), Mecha Snake, Mecha Quadruped, and Mecha Demolition (guess they ran out of animals with that last one). Suffice it to say that the bosses are appropriately huge and they seem to be capable of dealing death quite adequately. We approve. Find the second trailer after the break.
Assault Heroes 2 video extravaganza
Look! It's an Assault Heroes 2 video extravaganza complete with seconds upon seconds of explosive in-game Assault Heroes 2 action! Watch as destruction is dealt out in two player cooperation. Watch as tanks fall apart, choppers drop from the sky and points get accrued. And all that's just in the one video above! There are two more Assault Heroes 2 gameplay videos embedded after the break that promise twice as much video goodness. That's why we're calling it a video extravaganza!
Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games
Sierra recently showed off its upcoming crop of XBLA games at a media event. While a couple have promise, most could be buried by the quantity or quality of competitors. All are confirmed only for XBLA, but Sierra is considering PSN versions of most. All will be out this Summer.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Lost Cities
This week on XBLA in Brief, we check out Lost Cities. For a game about exciting adventures and expeditions, it sure plays an awful lot like solitaire. Competitive solitaire. And guess what: it's actually really, really fun. Who knew? Check out the video above and learn why card and board game fans should definitely try Lost Cities.[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.
Lost Cities now found on XBLA
Another Wednesday, another Xbox Live Arcade release. This week brings us Lost Cities, a game that combines all the excitement of archaeology with the thrills of solitaire. No, seriously, it's actually really fun. It's so fun, in fact, that we've been playing the trial version over and over again this morning instead of writing this post. Apart from the archaeology / solitaire thing, the game somewhat defies description. Competitive solitaire, perhaps? Whatever you want to call it, board and card game nuts should definitely give it a go. The complete game is 800 MS bucks if you are so inclined.%Gallery-21106%
Lost Cities is set to deal onto the XBLA
Microsoft just announced that the adventure card game Lost Cities will be making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points this Wednesday, April 23rd. Lost Cities is an original card strategy game where players travel through exotic locations to outwit, outlast and outplay (sounds like an episode of Survivor) their opponents to card victory. More information available on Xbox.com and hidden deep within' the screenshots we carefully placed in the gallery below.%Gallery-21106%
Prototype website launches with DNA surprises
Sierra just sent word that they've launched the official Prototype website and hidden among all the flashy flash are new screenshots, videos and prequel bits for you to enjoy. But if you're interested in seeing the exclusive media, you'll have to work for it, because it's locked within the DNA. The DNA menu is a puzzle of sorts where you have to correctly switch DNA pairs to discover special media. For some, it may end up being a little too much work to handle, but for others, any new Prototype media or information is worth the effort. Heck, you may even discover that the game's multiplayer and co-op has been re-integrated. Don't hold your breath though.
Assault Heroes 2 achievements (hint: shoot things)
MyGamercard.net has revealed the achievements for Sierra Online and Wanako's upcoming XBLA shooter Assault Heroes 2. The secret to most of the achievements lies right there in the genre: shooting stuff. The trick is just how you shoot them and who you do it with. The achievements offer a nice mix of single and multiplayer achievements, and it doesn't sound like any of them are too difficult, but it's hard to say before we know how difficult the game is in general. Our favorite achievement is definitely Smoothie Heroes. Not only does the name reference a delicious frozen treat, but the description for obtaining the achievement earns points for creativity: "Co-op Campaign: Kill 100 infantry, one player freezes & the other shatters, on Hard in one session." Hit the "read" link for the complete listing..
Massively's Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I
The MMORPG genre has come so far in these past few decades, it's almost difficult to believe. The journey from text MUDs to America Online-based dungeon crawlers, and all the way up to Age of Conan and Warhammer Online has been a truly impressive one. We here at Massively would like to invite you to step into the time machine with us and take a visual tour of that journey. We're taking a close look at the most important titles in online role-playing game history!What was the first MUD? Howabout the first 3D MMO? When did these games transition from niche curiosities to global, cultural phenomenons, and who's responsible? In this series, we'll tackle all those questions and more. Plus, we'll see just how far these fancy graphics have come over the years! Sound like fun? Jump into the gallery!%Gallery-19479%
Sierra Online XBLA News
Appearing on the "Three Red Lights" podcast, Ross Erickson from Sierra Online gave the IGN Podcast a host of details regarding the company's upcoming games. The biggest of the news is that Assault Heroes 2 is actually completed, and is on the road to an April release. The second-most significant news would also be XBLA related, and regards the near-completion of Lost Cities. Concerning Lost Cities, there is still no word about he price, but the rumblings are that it could hit at 400 points. Among the smaller tidbits of information from the interview, Sierra is looking at giving adventure games a return, they're going to be publishing an award-winning XNA game, and as far as their number show, expansions tend to sell less than 50% of the originals. [Via xblah] [Read, Three Red Lights Podcast]
Doom, Assault Heroes become $5 XBLA Hits
Perhaps, like us, you occasionally feel the urge to parade through the neighborhood, toting nothing but an impossibly huge rocket launcher and a desire to vaporize anything that, well, isn't you. And perhaps, like us, you realize (before it's too late) that these impractical desires are best expressed in video games such as Sierra Online's Assault Heroes or id Software's iconic Doom. It's certainly a lot cheaper. In fact, the two aforementioned games will be added to Xbox Live's Arcade Hits program this Wednesday, March 19th, resulting in a 50% discount to 400 MS Points ($5) each. As Microsoft is keen to point out in the same press release, your determined point pinching may just come in handy for a lineup of new titles due to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade "in the near future:"
Assault Heroes 2 blows up XBLA this Spring
Confirming an earlier ESRB listing, Sierra Online has announced a sequel to its popular top-down arcade shooter, Assault Heroes. Promising to "expand its horizons into outer space," Assault Heroes 2 will feature cooperative gameplay, hi-jackable enemy vehicles and, by the looks of things, at least one robot mammoth. We rather like those. Developed by Wanako Studios, Assault Heroes 2 is scheduled to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade this Spring. Be sure to check out IGN's preview for further details. %Gallery-18238%
Assault Heroes 2 coming to XBLA
Though it's been on the radar before thanks to an early ERSB review, Assault Heroes 2 had never been an official XBLA title; until now. IGN posted a preview and video of the game and it already looks to be improving greatly on the original in a whole host of ways. Wanako Games is bringing us the sequel to the original hit with the community and feedback in mind, implementing changes such as putting more emphasis on co-op and creating more varied three-dimensional levels. The on-foot sections of the game have also been fleshed out, to raise them to the same level of quality as the rest of the game. Though the core gameplay and visual appearance are almost identical, those things weren't exactly broken to begin with, and should remain as engaging as ever when Assault Heroes 2 hits later on this spring.
XBLA in Brief: Comanders: Attack of the Genos
In a lineup filled with puzzle games, fighters, and retro console and arcade relelases, a turn based strategy game tends to stand out on Xbox Live Arcade. With the genre previously represented solely by Band of Bugs, a new entrant is definitely welcome. Given our time with the trial version of Commanders: Attack of the Genos, we'd say that the welcome is deserved too. Read on to find out whether or not Commanders is worth your time and money.%Gallery-15799%
Commanders and Discs of Tron hit XBLA
We love Wednesdays. Before Xbox Live Arcade came along, Wednesday was just one day closer to Friday, but now, it's a reason to celebrate ... most of the time anyway. This week we've got two new games to look forward to, Commanders: Attack of Genos and Discs of Tron. Commanders helps fill out the underrepresented turn based strategy genre on XBLA, while Discs of Tron helps fill out the ... um ... Frisbee battle genre. We're particularly anxious to give Commanders a try -- we loves us some turn based strategy -- and you can expect a full report once we do. Oh, and a note to whoever currently owns the license to X-COM, get that game on XBLA, now.Update: Oh, you might want to know that Disc of Tron costs 400 MS Points and Commanders will set you back 800 MS Points.%Gallery-15799%%Gallery-15615%
