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After Burner Climax faces XBLA/PSN delisting this month
This month is your last chance to pick up Sega's arcade-ported shoot-'em-up After Burner Climax on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Digital storefront monitor lifelower reports that the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions of After Burner Climax will be permanently delisted on December 24. Buyers will be able to redownload purchased copies of After Burner Climax at a later date, but once the game is delisted, it can no longer be bought or added to a user's software library. Sega Nerds speculates that expired licensing agreements between Sega and the manufacturers of the real-world aircraft featured in After Burner Climax are to blame for the game's forthcoming removal. A similar issue resulted in the deletion of Sega's Ferrari-licensed racer OutRun Online Arcade from digital storefronts in 2011. Starting next year, if you want to legally play After Burner Climax and don't already own a digital copy, you'll need to track down an original arcade machine. Here's a tip: The GameWorks across the street from the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle hosts a pair of Climax cabinets, so you might want to make plans to visit the next time you're in town for PAX Prime. [Image: Sega]
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure HD delisted on Xbox 360
The Xbox Live Arcade version of Capcom's manga-based 2D fighter JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has gone missing from the Xbox Live Marketplace, suggesting that a permanent delisting is imminent. "I can confirm that online play is not affected for existing owners," a Capcom representative told Joystiq earlier today. The publisher has not issued a comment regarding the game's marketplace status or availability. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure HD is still available for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network as of this writing. Many license-based games have disappeared from digital storefronts in the past due to expired licensing agreements and other rights-related issues, including TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled and BurgerTime World Tour. [Image: Capcom]
Watch some footage of the canceled Bonk game
Bonk, Hudson Software's headstrong caveman that made his gaming debut on the TurboGrafx-16, was set to make a Stateside comeback in Bonk: Brink of Extinction on WiiWare, PSN and XBLA. Unfortunately, Hudson Software shut down before the game was released, leaving Brink of Extinction in an uncompleted state. Judging by a trio of videos posted by YouTube user "Bonk Brink" though, who appears to be running the game on a PS3 development kit, a decent amount of progress was made on Brink of Extinction before Hudson closed up shop. One of the three videos gives a brief overview of apparent features planned for the title, including online play, downloadable content, a Horde mode and a secondary "Dactyl" story, which follows Bonk retrieving his dinner from a thieving pterodactyl. The other videos are more focused on pure gameplay, one of which is embedded above. Amassing points from collectible vegetables, head butting enemies out of this plane of existence ... yup, looks like Bonk! [Image: YouTube user Bonk Brink]
Castle Crashers, BattleBlock Theater $5 each on XBLA this week
The Behemoth is hosting a catalog sale on Xbox Live Arcade this week, discounting the studio's downloadable Xbox 360 hits Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theater to just $4.94 apiece. Castle Crashers, originally released back in 2008, is an arcade-style beat-'em-up in which up to four players band together to slay armies of barbarians, demons, and dragons. The more recent BattleBlock Theater puts a teamwork-oriented spin on the platforming genre, challenging players to work together as they clear dozens of included co-op levels. As a bonus, players who purchase both featured games will unlock Hatty Hattington in Castle Crashers and the Knight in BattleBlock Theater. The Behemoth's sale continues through April 14. [Image: The Behemoth]
Free-to-play RTS AirMech Arena coming to Xbox 360 this summer
Carbon Games' browser-based real-time strategy game AirMech will see an expanded release on the Xbox 360 this summer, publisher Ubisoft announced today. The upcoming game is titled AirMech Arena, confirming earlier reports. AirMech Arena on the Xbox 360 will be free-to-play, and will include single-player, multiplayer cooperative and multiplayer competitive gameplay modes in which players fend off invading armies by commanding giant transforming robots. Carbon Games will support AirMech Arena with frequent updates, introducing new playable units, maps, and special community events in the months following its initial release. [Video: Ubisoft]
Minecraft reaches 12 million sold on Xbox 360
Mojang's sandbox build-'em-up Minecraft remains a popular favorite on the Xbox 360, surpassing 12 million units sold as of this month. "It is pretty amazing!" Mojang's Daniel Kaplan stated in response to the latest sales milestone. "I remember when we started talking about sales numbers that we would be super happy to sell 1 million copies. That would have put us on par with [Battlefield 1943] and Castle Crashers, which both are awesome games, so that was something to aim for. We never even dreamed of selling 12 million!" Minecraft previously topped 10 million sales in December last year. Mojang and development partner 4J Studios will continue to update Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition with new content in the coming months, including a Candy Texture Pack due to launch on April 18. [Image: Mojang]
Jet Car Stunts flipping onto PSN, XBLA, PC this summer
Driving through the streets of Jet Car Stunts must be pretty stressful - there are chasm-like gaps leading to the blue abyss below, and there aren't even guide rails lining the edges of its loops! Then there's the clean, simplistic geometry and levitating rings, which are kind of pretty until you've crashed into them a dozen times. PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360 and Steam's PC users can witness Jet Car Stunts' hazards firsthand when it lands on the platforms in Q2 2014. The tricky racer will have 36 tracks across three different modes, including a Puzzle Mode. While the press release doesn't specify what the other two play styles will be, the mobile counterpart includes Performing, Time Trial and Tutorial modes, so Jet Car Stunts' port may pull from that pool. [Image: Grip Digital]
Time-bending puzzle game Constant C coming to XBLA March 12
International Games System's time-manipulating, gravity-shifting physics puzzler Constant C is getting a worldwide release via Xbox Live Arcade on March 12, Japanese publisher 5pb revealed this week. Constant C stars a rescue robot stranded aboard a space station where time has stopped. The robot can restore the flow of time using its Time Circle, temporarily bringing surrounding objects out of stasis and restoring gravity. Later stages require advanced techniques, challenging players to rotate their surroundings and manipulate inertia in order to dodge traps and solve puzzles. Constant C is also available for Windows via Desura. A Steam version has been successfully Greenlit, but is not yet available. [Image: IGS]
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Marvel Super Hero Squad: Infinity Gauntlet unavailable on XBLA, PSN
Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet's band of superheroes can no longer assemble on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. The game's PSN listing now notes that the game is available in a "disc only" format, while the XBLA listing doesn't offer a price or way to purchase the game. Revealed in 2010 as a sequel to Marvel Super Hero Squad, Infinity Gauntlet's cast brawled their way through hordes of Lethal Legion followers in a plot related to the second season of a Cartoon Network series. Infinity Gauntlet's digital unavailability follows the disappearance of several Marvel-branded games earlier this month, as well as Capcom's pulling of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in December. It's possible that Disney's acquisition of Marvel in 2009 is resulting in lapsed licensing agreements, but no explanation has been given as to why these games have been removed from console storefronts. In contrast, the more recent LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is still available in both stores. Of course, you can still hunt down retail copies of any Marvel games you were still considering purchasing. Considering warnings for some of these delistings were scattered across social media accounts, retail copies might be the easiest option to keep track of anyway.
Xbox kicks off Countdown to 2014 deals tomorrow
Microsoft is counting the days to 2014 with sales on a random assortment of digital Xbox 360 goodies, Major Nelson announced. Each day brings new, limited-time deals beginning tomorrow with discounts on the Games on Demand version of Borderlands 2 (75 percent off) and the game's collection of DLC. In addition to the limited daily sales, Xbox Live has a slew of discounts on a mishmash of digital content beginning tomorrow and running until December 23. Highlights include Spider-Man: Web of Shadows for 67 percent off its regular price, Guardians of Middle-earth for 67 percent off, and 65 percent off BioShock Infinite. For a complete list of discounts, check Major Nelson's blog, where daily deals will also be posted.
Xbox One does not require demos, devs to make that decision
The Xbox 360 featured a demo for every Xbox Live Arcade release. It had to, because Microsoft made that a mandate. For the Xbox One however, things have changed, and now developers decide whether or not they want to release a demo. "It is (and always has been) up to game developers to do demos for their own games," wrote Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb on his blog. "They'll [sic] be more demos for Xbox One as the platform goes forward." Hryb was later asked why Microsoft changed its demo policy, but offered no response to that question. Hryb's statement came in response to discussion of Peggle 2, a recent release that offers players a free demo. That's good, but problematically the Xbox One interface does nothing to separate what were previously considered Arcade games from their retail brethren. As a result, finding the demo is more difficult than it reasonably should be.
Takedown to get new XBLA launch date following technical issues
Developer Serellan's Takedown: Red Sabre was scheduled to reach both Steam and the Xbox Live Arcade on September 20, but the game has yet to pop up for Xbox 360 owners. Creative Director Christian Allen posted a video update to the game's Kickstarter page this month, explaining that the studio's decision to hold the game back was made to address issues and add improvements. Allen explains that the Xbox 360 version had "technical certification requirements" it did not pass. While Serellan fixed those, it decided to hold the game a little longer to implement the improvements made to the PC version since its initial launch. Allen notes the studio will need to "work with" Microsoft and publisher 505 Games to determine a new launch date for the Xbox 360 version. A general launch window was not offered.
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate HD lands on Xbox Live Arcade early
MercurySteam's exploratory platformer Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD will hit Xbox Live Arcade this Friday, October 25, bumping up its previously announced Halloween release date. Released for the Nintendo 3DS earlier this year, Mirror of Fate follows up on the events of the Castlevania series reboot Lords of Shadow with a new side-scrolling quest featuring Castlevania 3 star Trevor Belmont. If you can wait until November 5, Mirror of Fate HD is included as part of the DLC-bundled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
XBLA's Happy Wars exceeds 6 million downloads, Season 2 coming soon
Microsoft Studios revealed that its free-to-play Xbox Live Arcade multiplayer game Happy Wars has been downloaded more than six million times since its launch in October last year. To mark the occasion, developer Toylogic has dropped the price of in-game item modification and forging by 50 percent. The studio will launch a variety of content updates during this month's Happy Wartober event, starting with the recent introduction of the turret-building Engineer class. Happy Wars is available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Microsoft Studios additionally notes that Happy Wars: Season 2 is set to premiere in 2014, though no details regarding the update have been announced.
C'mon, ride the ghost train in this Pac-Man CE DX+ launch trailer
This week's launch of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ brings plenty of DLC in tow, extending Pac-Man's ghost-munching reign of terror in a new series of levels based on classic Namco arcade games like Dig Dug and Rally X. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is up for purchase on Steam. This week's batch of new DLC is also available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Championship Edition DX.
Deus Ex, Just Cause 2, Hitman among this week's Xbox Live deals
This week's Xbox Live deals, which are good until Monday, August 19, include the Hitman HD Pack, Just Cause 2 and Deus Ex Human Revolution, each 40 percent off ($15). Additionally, Hitman: Blood Money ($10) is 50 percent off while El Shaddai ($5) is discounted by 75 percent. Major Nelson also gave us a sneak peek of what deals are in store for August 20 to August 26, and we have to admit, we're a little more excited for next week. The deals include Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Rumble Roses XX and the Silent Hill HD Collection at 33 percent off, as well as a gaggle of games discounted by 50 percent: Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Zone of the Enders HD, Deca Sports Freedom, Otomedius Excellent, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Silent Hill: Downpour, Saw and NeverDead. Lastly, four new games are available today on Xbox Live's Games on Demand service: Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, Metro: Last Light, Midway Arcade Origins and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
Self-publishing rumored for Xbox 360, Microsoft has nothing to announce
Xbox 360 developers may be able to self-publish their games on Xbox Live Arcade starting this August, according to a recent update from The Pinball Arcade developer FarSight Studios. Microsoft, however, maintains that there have been no official changes to the Xbox 360's publishing situation: "We have not announced any changes to our publishing policy for Xbox 360," a representative told Joystiq. Meanwhile: "Microsoft has just announced that indie developers (like FarSight) can now self-publish on Xbox Live Arcade instead of being required to find publishers for their games," FarSight's announcement reads. "Microsoft has stated that the new program will open in August- we will do everything we can to get The Pinball Arcade (and all of the new Table Packs) back on the Xbox 360 as quickly as possible." Microsoft announced earlier this week that indie developers will be able to self-publish on the Xbox One, but no mention was made of the Xbox 360 or the existing Xbox Live Arcade. The Microsoft representative we spoke to said that the company will be "sharing more about self-publishing on Xbox One at Gamescom."
New XBLA bundles collect action and NinjaBee games, Kinect bundle spotted
Three new game bundles have been released on Xbox Live Arcade, giving hefty discounts to select grab-bags of games. The Action Packed bundle hacks together Bloodforge, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile, Dungeon Fighter Live, Islands of Wakfu and Unbound Saga. Next up is the NinjaBee Bundle, which includes Band of Bugs, A World of Keflings, Cloning Clyde, Outpost Kaloki X and Ancients of Ooga. With the exception of Cloning Clyde, all of these games normally cost $10 ($15 in the case of Bloodforge), so the savings are certainly substantial. Take note, however, that these bundles won't give you an extra copy of a game you already own. TrueAchievements also spotted a Kinect Bundle listed on Xbox.com, which features Dragon's Lair, Wreckateer, Diabolical Pitch, Home Run Stars and Haunt. Strangely, it has no price and there doesn't appear to be any way to purchase it via Xbox.com or the Xbox 360 itself. There was an ad for the bundle in the Xbox 360 games section, though it appears to have been pulled. We've contacted Microsoft to see when or if the bundle will be available.
Monaco dev 'very disappointed' with XBLA sales performance
Responding to fan questions on Reddit, Monaco: What's Yours is Mine developer Andy Schatz claims that his studio's efforts in porting its co-op stealth game to the Xbox 360 were "largely wasted," due to unexpectedly low sales. Schatz theorizes that many factors contributed to Monaco's poor sales performance on Xbox Live Arcade, including a weak demo and a last-minute delay that prevented a simultaneous release on PC platforms. Schatz revealed that a widespread bug related to online play proved especially troublesome, due to his team's inability to reproduce the issue on developer hardware. "I was never depending on the Xbox being our primary revenue generator, but I was very disappointed in Xbox sales nonetheless," Schatz said. "We put a ton of effort porting the game, and to have that effort be largely wasted was really disappointing." The PC version of Monaco is currently taking part in Steam's Summer Sale, and will be featured in an upcoming community vote.
Xbox Summer of Arcade 2013 full schedule, pricing revealed
This year's Summer of Arcade event kicks off on Xbox Live August 7 with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the Starbreeze-developed Xbox Live Arcade game where players must simultaneously control a pair of brothers stuck in the wilderness. Brothers will launch at 1,200 MS Points ($15). James Silva's Charlie Murder, a 2D beat-em-up starring a punk band for 800 MS Points ($10), will launch the following week, on August 14, Major Nelson reports. On August 21, VectorCell will push out its remake of classic adventure game Flashback for 800 MS Points ($10), and rounding out this year's festivities is TMNT: Out of the Shadows on August 28 for 1,200 MS Points ($15).
