ArcadeWednesdays
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XBLA's retro fad continues: Defender
Another Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday is upon us, and this week's entry brings us yet another retro title, Defender. Yay, Defender. Granted, I'm all about Contra and maybe I'm not old enough to have fond memories of Defender, but every week that XBLA gets another Atari/Pac-Man era game, I die a little inside. When I write the headline, all I want to write is: "This week isn't Small Arms" or "Still no RoboBlitz." Where are all these exciting, independent titles? We've only got six Wednesdays left MS! Are you expecting people to buy Arcade titles as Christmas presents? Again, I apologize to all the Defender fans out there, but it's high time we got another indie release on XBLA.
Contra shoots XBLA with spread gun
What did we ever do to deserve this? Halo 3 info is everywhere, Call of Duty 3 on the cheap, movies and TV on Marketplace, Gears of War, and now Contra all in the same week. There's so much stuff that it's actually hard to take it all in. Like staring into the sun, its radiant beauty is simply overwhelming.Anyway, the point is that Contra is now available. I powered up my 360 this morning just to grab it from XBLA. Lo and behold, it said I'd already downloaded it. It was then that I realized the new Arcade auto-download feature was doing its job. Huzzah! If you thought you died a lot in Gears of War, just see how long you last in Contra. Home to one of the greatest game weapons of all time, the spread gun, Contra is a shooter for the ages. It also helped make co-op gaming one of the greatest experiences in life. If you're old enough to remember the good old days, download this puppy and blast through it with a buddy. It won't take very long, but it's not like you ever would have gotten through the original for under five bucks, so 400 points is a pretty good deal. And even if you don't remember the good old days, you might as well give it a try, right? Contra -- like other retro titles -- has some control issues. It doesn't seem nearly as responsive as it should. The core gameplay is still there though, and that's what counts. The remixed graphics and music aren't that much of an improvement, but welcome nonetheless. Still, as we said above, the amount of gaming you get for five dollars seems adequate. Has anyone stopped playing Gears (or COD3 or Project 8 or Viva Piñata or ....) long enough to try Contra?
Contra codified for XBLA this Wednesday
It looks like someone over at Microsoft realized that a new UNO deck doesn't exactly inspire excitement on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays, because this week they're getting the word out bright and early. Releasing this Wednesday for 400 points is everyone's favorite old school, alien-blasting shooter, Contra. A side scrolling shooter of the highest order, Contra is one of those games that people have been pining for ever since the Xbox Live Arcade service was announced. Like Frogger, another Konami XBLA release, Contra will feature both original and enhanced graphics and sound. We have to wonder if the enhancements will be an actual improvement or if they will feel as strange as they did in Frogger. The game will also feature Xbox Live and local co-op play, leaderboards, and 12 achievements. What we don't know is whether or not the game will incorporate the Konami code. We realize that the code wasn't actually in the arcade version of Contra but it's the principle of the thing.So, what do you think fanboys? Is Contra so magnificent that it even overshadows that other game that comes out tomorrow, or is it just another retro title clogging the Arcade?
It's Wednesday, time for ... an UNO deck? [update]
Microsoft sent out a press release yesterday trumpeting the latest UNO deck for Xbox Live Arcade. We didn't get around to posting it. So, we start typing up this post when we notice something:"This week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release brings the award-winning Kameo franchise to everyone's favorite card game, UNO." [Emphasis ours.]Now, we like UNO. It's one of our favorite games to use for editorial "meetings." But an UNO deck is not, we repeat not, an Arcade Wednesday release. It's new content for a game that we already have. Yeah, yeah, a new deck introduces new rules, so you could argue that it's like a new game, but why would you? Ah, we're just pissed it wasn't Small Arms. If you're interested, the Kameo deck contains a card that lets you swap hands with another player. Seems kind of mean really. Should you desire this deck, it will only set you back 100 MS points. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going back to the Rainbow Six demo.Update: This deck has been pulled from Marketplace. Apparently there's a bug in it. Sorry to get your UNO hopes up.
Street Fighter II shoryukens XBLA Wednesdays
Here it is, folks. The one XBLA game we've all been waiting for. Originally unveiled at CES last January, the nearly eight-month wait has been a true test of patience. Lesser gamers blew all their MS loot on puzzler after puzzler, hoping to break The Hunger. Now they sit there, in a jewel/gem/crystal-induced catatonic state, unaware of the day's significance. Street Fighter II is here and you can grab your 800 earmarked MS Points (that's ten of your Earth "dollars") and download the ~50MB arcade classic before venturing online and having a 14 year-old who's never even heard of Street Fighter the game ("the movie was hella great though") embarrass you terribly, sending you back to the warm embrace of the Joystiq comments page. There, there Joystiq reader. It'll be okay. You'll get the hang of that d-pad in no time, and then it'll be you making them your "bitch." Feel better?[Thanks to all you Street Fighters for the tips!]
Frogger hops onto XBLA, hit by semi
The arcade classic, Frogger, is now available on Xbox Live Arcade for the low, low price of 400 MS Points. In addition to the classic coin-op, there are now several multiplayer modes, including versus and co-op(!). Sounds absolutely ribbit-ing.[Via QJ]
Small Arms, where's the big press?
Someone recently pointed out that Microsoft has done a piss poor job of promoting Small Arms, and a few other Live Arcade games as well. As such, I decided to put up this video. Looks pretty fun, right? So, why haven't we heard more about it from the boys in Redmond? It's an interesting question. Live Arcade is an innovative service, and it has the potential to outshine even the biggest 360 games. The Arcade Wednesdays promotion is a start, but I'd say Live Arcade definitely needs its own PR branch and its own spin doctor specialist like Major Nelson (perhaps Ross Erickson). What do you think?
