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Report: TMNT - Training Lair has Kinect ninja skills, Pizza Hut boxes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Training Lair features heroes-in-a-half-shell with Kinect power, according to recently published box art and achievements. Xbox Achievements (formerly Xbox 360 Achievements) published the cheevos and Kinect-tabbed box art this week, and it noted the publisher of the motion-controlled Xbox 360 game as Activision. The company does hold the TMNT games license, but it hasn't announced the game as yet, and there's no sign of it on any official Xbox listings. We've reached out to Activision to see if we can lure more info out of its shell.
Xbox 360 strums a tooie-in-one Banjo bundle, available now
It's been a while since the last bundle on the Xbox 360 store, but it looks like Microsoft's found the duct tape again. Rare-developed platformers Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooei are newly stuck together in a 2-in-1 bundle, and you can grab it now for $15 or £12/15 euros. The two N64 games were released on Xbox Live five years ago, and Rarely seem to make their way onto sales. So, what's effectively a half-price bundle is perhaps a decent deal if you've yet to check them out. After all, Banjo Kazooie and Tooie are widely regarded as two of the strongest early examples of 3D platforming. Also, it's not like you're going to get that Banjo Kazooie spiritual successor anytime soon... [Image: Microsoft]
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood meets its marker on 360, PC
After quietly missing its April release dates, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is out today on Xbox 360 and PC. The young scamp and his enchanted crayon first returned to our screens on Xbox One last year, but you can now grab the puzzle-platformer for $15 on Xbox 360, or £12/15 euros in Europe - the Steam release should hit later today at the same price. Like Magic Marker, The Curse of Brotherhood has you doodling things in the environment to help Max progress. The next game from Danish studio Press Play is another colorful platformer with a twist, but it looks a fair bit different to the Max games. Instead. Project Totem tasks you with controlling two totem pieces with a single controller, and it sounds like it'll be a challenging proposition for Xbox One and 360 owners when it hits this fall. [Image: Press Play]
Score FIFA 14 for $36 in this week's Xbox Deals
With the World Cup 22 days away, Xbox is getting into the festival mood with a 40 percent sale on FIFA 14 for Xbox One and 360 - that's right, not the World Cup game that just came out. That discount takes the sportsballer down to $36 (£30/42 euros), and as with all of this week's deals, that price stays good until Monday, May 26. If you prefer your contact sports with more bloodshed, the Killer Instinct Ultra Edition is 50 percent off for Combo Break owners, and 12 percent off for everyone else. While the base game is free, the Ultra Edition adds all Season 1 characters, costumes and accessories as well as the classic arcade game from the 90s. Finally, Bandai Namco has a selection of Xbox 360 games on sale that includes musically classic RPG Eternal Sonata for just over $5, the offline-playable Soul Calibur 2 HD for $10, and the Serkis-enhanced Enslaved for around $5 too. For the full list of games and their discounts, hop on over to Major Nelson's. [Image: EA]
Tomb Raider, Walking Dead, Brothers in today's Xbox Ultimate sale
Today's Xbox 360 Ultimate sale includes two entries from Joystiq's Top 10 of 2013 in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, the first episode of Walking Dead Season 2 can be yours for just a single dollar, and that really is an excellent deal - the first season placed #3 in our 2012 list. All of which reminds us that Oh Come On Telltale Where Is Episode 2 We Need To Know What Happens To Clementine Please Oh God Why. Ahem. In addition to the nine games that are on sale today, there's a whole bunch of On Demand and Arcade discounts running through until February 25. Check out the full list here, and head past the break for today's list of on-sale games and their prices.
Xbox 360 Ultimate Sale continues with FIFA 14, Skyrim, Dead Island: Riptide
It's day 3 of the Xbox 360 Ultimate Game Sale, and that means seven more discounts vying to divorce hard-earned cash from bank accounts. The big name games include FIFA 14, Skyrim, and Dead Island: Riptide, but the biggest discount of the day goes to Bejeweled 3; should you want your precious time consumed by addictive match-3 puzzling, the Arcade game is down by a whopping 93 percent to just over a buck. We've got today's one-day-only discounts in full below the break. Don't forget, there's also a collection of games staying on sale throughout the week, including a little-known gem by the name of Portal 2. Could be a sleeper hit, that game, so if you want to get ahead of the curve, it's two-thirds off at $9.89/£6.59/9.89 euros.
Xbox 360 Ultimate Game Sale Day 2: Farming, fighting, F1-ing
Eight more games are on sale for 24 hours in today's Xbox 360 Ultimate sale, including a few big names from a few years back. If you missed them back in the day, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Lost Planet 2, and Darksiders 2 are all on offer, as are Arcade offerings Hell Yeah! and Fruit Ninja Kinect - check out the full list of discounts on Major Nelson's blog. In terms of more recent games, there's an eclectic mix to choose from. For starters, you can rake in a half-price Farming Simulator at $15/£15/20 euros, or if you'd prefer something a little faster, F1 2013 is two-thirds off at $16.49/£13.19/21.44 euros. Finally, we saw Soulcalibur 2 HD Online go on sale over on PSN recently, and the Xbox Games Store follows suit with a whopping 75 percent discount. That means you can pick up the re-released fighter for just $5/£4/5 euros. Don't forget, there's a bunch of games staying discounted throughout the week. The full list of them is here, but today we'll point your eyes towards the original Mass Effect. BioWare's sci-fi RPG started us on a path that's left us with hours upon hours plunged into deep space shooting, negotiating, and wooing, and if you've somehow avoided it over the last six years or so, it's a steal at $3.74/£3/3.74 euros. [Image: Focus Home Interactive]
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 demo made available to all
If you want to try a bite-sized portion of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, look no further than a demo that's out now on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It was limited to purchasers of Mirror of Fate HD or the Lords of Shadow Collection, but now every bat in the belfry can have a go. The demo begins with Gabriel Belmont in the form of Dracula, dispensing hack-and-slash with his newly acquired powers and weapons, like the soul-stealing Void Sword and the deadly Chaos Claws. Things soon escalate, and Dracula finds himself defeating wave after wave of enemies as he tries to ascend a titan-like mechanical knight - as you do. If you'd rather wait for the game proper before seeing it for yourself, you don't have long to hold out. Lords of Shadow 2 swoops into North America in two weeks time on February 25, and Europe a few days later on February 28. [Image: Konami]
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate appears on Xbox Games Store
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is lurking in the shadows of the Xbox Games Store, a month after it was caught sneaking around Steam. The Armature Studio-developed 2.5D platformer came to 3DS and Vita alongside the main Origins game, and now it's listed to hit Xbox 360 in an HD "Deluxe Edition," with the release date noted as March 25. Let's work what this means by channeling the spirit of Adam West. Hmm,... Steam. Take the "s" out of Steam and you get "Team." Teams... soccer teams... soccer teams get the ball into the penalty box to score a goal. Box! And as we all know, X marks the spot. X... Box. Xbox! The clues all point to a multiplatform arrival in the near future, although we're still waiting on official word from Warner Bros. on any of this. Quick, to the Announcement-mobile! [Image: Microsoft]
Love is a battlefield in Borderlands 2 Valentine's DLC
Borderlands 2 continues its pattern of holiday-styled Headhunter packs with "Mad Moxxi and the Wedding Day Massacre," and the DLC is due to hit all platforms next week on February 11, with the usual exception of PSN in Europe which gets it the day after. It's priced $3 in North America, and £2.39/3 euros across the ocean. The Valentine's-themed update sees the hatted hostess Moxxi bring back the Innuendo Bot 5000 to try and make two rival clans go all lovey-dovey for each other. If only love was that simple, and not hilariously violent as it'll likely prove in the DLC. According to 2K Games Community Manager Joveth Gonzales, Borderlands 2 is so overflowing with DLC that it's getting to a point where "technical limitations" may make it impossible to add any more – and, you know, maybe 2K and Gearbox could move on after that. That won't happen until April at least, as the fifth and final Headhunter DLC is due then – we're not taking bets on an Easter theme. [Image: Gearbox]
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 surfaces next month
BioShock Infinite plunges into the second episode of its DLC campaign Burial at Sea on March 25, a worldwide release date that's confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PC. The game's third major DLC will be priced $15, or you can get it via the $20 season pass that also covers the previous two add-ons. The news comes shortly after series creator Ken Levine revealed the second episode will last around "five, maybe six hours." As we noted in our spoiler-coated review, the first episode of the single-player campaign takes around two hours to complete. Talking of spoilers, there's a rather large one given away by a newly released Episode 2 screenshot - we'll just link to it here. Now it's up to you to keep your hands over your eyes and ears for the next seven or so weeks. [Image: Take-Two Interactive Software]
January Games with Gold: Sleeping Dogs, Lara Croft guarding the light
Microsoft is kicking off the new year with two more free games for Xbox Live Gold members via the Games with Gold program. First up is the kung fu-heavy crime game, Sleeping Dogs, which will be available from January 1 through January 15. Closing out the month will be the excellent puzzle action game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which will be free from January 15 through January 31.
Killer is Dead, Deadly Premonition provide weirdness on demand for Xbox
XSEED has announced a pair of its latest games are now available for download on Xbox 360 through Games on Demand. Deadly Premonition is available for $20, while the more recent Killer is Dead can be yours for $50. Deadly Premonition is a very odd horror game from Swery, otherwise known as Hidetaka Suehiro. Players assume the role of FBI agent Francis York Morgan who is sent to investigate a ritualistic murder in the small town of Greenvale. Players may freely roam about Greenvale and undertake quests and participate in activities while hunting down the Greenvale killer. Killer is Dead, from Grasshopper Manufacture, takes place in the near-future and stars Mondo Zapper – an executioner with a robotic arm who is tasked with killing assassins and dangerous criminals the world over. In our review we noted that Killer is Dead had that undeniable charm that only Grasshopper can instill, even if it's somewhat hampered by simplistic combat and "dark direction and weird narrative a bit tainted by self-indulgence."
State of Decay to hit Steam Early Access in 'a couple of weeks'
Early Access to the zombifed landscape of State of Decay is coming in a "couple of weeks." Undead Labs Director of Community Samya Weathers said this week that there's no exact date for the keyboard-only Steam Early Access version, while the full keyboard-and-mouse game is still due for the PC portal later this year. If you're wondering what Undead Labs is planning beyond State of Decay, including its posited MMO sequel Class4, the Seattle-based studio is working that all out right now. "Discussions of future games are ongoing," said Weathers. "As in, going on now. Thank you from the bottom of all our hearts here at the Lab for making SoD a success, or these conversations wouldn't be happening!" State of Decay passed 500,000 sales shortly after hitting Xbox Live Arcade, and it looks like it's nearing the million mark; we see 938,000-plus players registered on the leaderboards. That's why those conversations are happening.
Xbox Live Marketplace rebranded as Xbox Games Store
The Xbox Live Marketplace has a new name to go with its brand new console: the Xbox Games Store. As visible on the Xbox homepage, the Xbox 360's online marketplace was rebranded this week ahead of the Xbox One's launch in November. When approached to confirm the rebranding, a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "That's right, [Xbox Live Marketplace] is now called the Xbox Games Store, and will sit alongside the Xbox Music Store and Xbox Video Store. This is to make it easier for consumers to find content both on Xbox 360 today and Xbox One when it launches in November." Given all the pre-Xbox One streamlining going on, including the switch to real-world currency on Xbox Live, a new moniker for the Xbox 360's online marketplace (and soon to be the Xbox One's) is not a big surprise and maybe not the biggest news either. Still, it does mean after nearly eight years we have to say sayonara to Xbox Live Marketplace, a name that sort of rolled off the tongue in an after-eight-years-it-really-should way.
Freefall Racers combines Kinect, squirrels, and skydiving [update]
Freefall Racers looks like most kart games, except that it uses Kinect's motion controls and features skydiving squirrels instead of go-karts. The nutty XBLA game is due sometime next month, according to this video from publisher Deep Silver. This isn't the first we've heard of Freefall Racers. It popped up on our radar back in May, correctly rumored as being developed by Kinect specialist studio Smoking Gun Interactive. You may recognize the Vancouver dev from its work on Kinect games like Home Run Stars, Mars Rover Landing, and Doodle Jump. The video doesn't go into too much detail, but it does reveal some of the game's power-ups including the zapper, smoke-screen, and shield. It also spills the beans on a local two-player mode, featuring some competitive split-screen plummeting. We're waiting for a release date to drop, but a price floats into view: $9.99/£7.99/€9.99. Update: Deep Silver chips in with a release date: September 6.
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate shining in HD on XBLA, PSN this Halloween
3DS Castlevania entry Mirror of Fate takes flight in HD to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network on October 31, and also features in a Lords of Shadow collection released on the same day. The Halloween feast includes the first Lords of Shadow, its "Reverie" and "Resurrection" DLC, as well as Mirror of Fate; there are no details on price as yet. The collection also grants access to a playable demo of Lords of Shadow 2, but so does a PSN/XBLA purchase of Mirror of Fate if you'd prefer a smaller bite of vampiric adventure. The news comes via the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow official Facebook page and Konami Europe, so we have reached out to the publisher to confirm North American availability and details. According to Konami, Mirror of Fate HD adds online leader boards, a "Boss Rush Mode," and other "gameplay refinements." Today's news follows last week's retailer listing for the now confirmed Lords of Shadow collection, which led us to the Brazilian classification board where the 3DS game is also rated for Wii U and PC in addition to PS3 and Xbox 360. Of course those ratings could mean very little, but we'd advise Wii Us and PCs to keep their collars up for the time being.
PSA: Dead Rising 2, Case Zero free through Games with Gold now
After plummeting from the colossal height of Agency Tower, why not try a sedate change of pace by dressing up like Elvis and bashing in thousands upon thousands of zombie heads? As of today, Dead Rising 2 takes over from Crackdown as Xbox Live's Games with Gold freebie, meaning Gold subscribers can grab it along with its prologue, DR2: Case Zero, for nada and niente until the end of the month. Both Dead Rising 2 and Case Zero are available for free now - see you at the mall.
Vaudevillian beat-em-up Foul Play raises XBLA, PC curtains next month
> Foul Play, the Victorian era's answer to Castle Crashers, takes the stage on XBLA and PC on September 18. The game, which mixes two-player local and online co-op brawling with the revelry of a Vaudeville stage show, comes courtesy of suitably British studio Mediatonic, the team behind Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess and the Amateur Surgeon series. Foul Play features demon-hunter Baron Dashforth and his sidekick Scampwick as they put on a show chronicling the thrills and spills of the Baron's life. So, rather than survival, the aim is to keep the audience entertained. Messages of "ACCEPTABLE!" and "SPLENDID!" pop up as score multipliers are raised, rewarding players for thwacking enemies around the stage in creative ways. When we saw the game last year, creative director Paul Croft described it as "like a side-scrolling brawler meets Rock Band," because it eschewed traditional health bars and damage meters, allowing players to simply focus on putting on a jolly good show, what what. Mediatonic has yet to put a price on admission, although Croft suggested £10 as a possibility, which converts to around $15.
Games on Demand adds Dark Arisen, Star Trek, Dragonball Z HD
The ever-gluttonous Games on Demand stuffed more unsuspecting morsels into this gob this week, including the spicy pawn salad that is Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. The fresh-faced game'n'expansion version of the 2012 RPG is now on Xbox Live priced $40, joined by also-new arrivals Star Trek and the Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection at $30 and $35 respectively. Keeping the dining descriptions going, our Dark Arisen review said "if you didn't bite before, then Capcom's "souped-up re-release" is "easily the best introduction to the land of Gransys." Sounds yummy.
