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Lumines to hit it October
Those of you hoping to see Lumines Live and Dig Dug hit on the same day (it could happen, right?) are about to be sorely disappointed. In a recent interview, Lumines creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, was asked when Lumines Live will release on XBLA. His answer: "Next month. The middle of next month. I think so." Not exactly the hard confirmation many of us were hoping for, but at least you don't have to stay up late checking Marketplace for Lumines tonight. Of course, we can't stop you from waiting up for Dig Dug.
Small Arms preview
1UP has a preview to go alongside the Small Arms video we posted yesterday. There aren't many surprises to be found, though we can at least confirm that there are melee attacks if you run out of ammo. The most interesting bit actually covers the graphical prowess of the game."This may be a Live Arcade game, but it takes full advantage of the 360 hardware. Three of the six processing pipelines are devoted to special effects alone, and it shows. Every projectile throws off sparks and particles when it hits. Thanks to some amazing mastery of compression, it all looks fantastic too. Textures and models have been created at mural size, so large that they come to almost 1 Gig, but Gastronaut has managed to squeeze it all down to the Arcade game limit of 50 Meg. And with all that, the team still takes a no-compromise approach to hitting a smooth 60 frames per second. As far as they're concerned there's no room for anything else."It's nice to see an Arcade developer really latching on to the horsepower that the 360 has to offer. We're pretty confident that Gastronaut has an Arcade hit on their hands with Small Arms. Will it reach Geometry Wars levels, or could it outperform Street Fighter? Only time will tell. Unless something catastrophic happens, we're dropping the MS Points on day one.[Via Evil Avatar]
Vision Camera: Uno uncensored
I picked up a Vision Camera a few days early thanks to the stock first, ask questions later policy at the local Toys R Us. After a weekend spent playing Uno under the watchful gaze of complete strangers (at the expense of this blog I'm afraid), I can report that the camera is a worthy purchase based on that cool watery dashboard effect alone. Webcams have been around forever, but it still feels strange to have to check your boxers for complete scrotal coverage while playing a console. Just pray the guy on the other side does the same. I talked to a couple girl gamers who had already witnessed Uno hands that devolved into a sordid game-within-a-game of "show me yours, I'll show you mine" to the shrieking glee of the zit-faced participants (and presumably, the horror of the ESRB). Wild Cards never had so much economic clout. Expect this type of seedy peep show bartering to take off as the Vision makes its way into more sweaty palms this week. It will probably take a couple months before the novelty of pimping out your girlfriend for color changes wears off, or at least settles to a tolerable level. In the mean time, YouTube should prepare for a flood of poorly lit softcore with the same soundtrack.
That should be on XBLA: Solomon's Key
Last week it was action puzzler, Lode Runner. This week it's Tecmo's Solomon's Key (submitted by ctrl-alt-del). Solomon's Key, like many arcade puzzlers of its time, has a simple formula. It's easy to pick up and play -- you should be able to get through the first few levels easily -- but it get's much harder as you progress. Equal parts strategy and reflex, Solomon's Key is yet another example of a great game for Xbox Live Arcade (and the ladies love it). Read on to discover its block destroying devilry.
Unreal Engine 3 prepares to Roboblitz XBLA
Time to take another look at the trailer for Roboblitz from indie developer Naked Sky, the first Xbox Live Arcade game to sport Unreal Engine 3. Mike from K1lla's Xbox Domain spotted a forum post from one of the devs that says:The game is super close to complete. Design and art wise, we're pertty much locked, now we're just making sure the game is bug free and fully optimized. An exact release date...still don't have one. But considering the state of the game, it can't be much longer. Believe me, we want the game out asap! The only thing we know for sure is that it'll be 1200 MS points, and the PC version will include (TBA) bonus content. SOOOON!!The best part is it actually looks like it's worth 1200 MS Points.
Time Pilot not worth the time
The early 80s coin-op "classic" Time Pilot is the latest retro title to hit Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, according to Xboxic's review, it's a total waste of time.[Thanks Alex]
Lumines: Insert credit card to continue
Lumines Live is looking less and less like an XBLA must-buy and more like an annoying brother-in-law who keeps bugging you for cash. GamingBits.com gleaned that the game will soak you for 400 MS Point "Puzzle/Mission Pack" and a 300 point "VS CPU Pack," bringing the cost for the "full" game to a whopping $24. I guess we're supposed to be glad we're not paying $50 like the suckers who own PSPs. Luckily online play is free, if by "free" you mean 1200 MS points. Somebody remind Microsoft that the "pay only for what you use" logic that applies to cameras and external drives doesn't fly when all you want to do is beat the damn CPU.[Via Xboxic]
Galaga & Pac-man update stops pops
Retro XBLA titles Galaga and Pac-man have been updated to fix an issue with annoying pop-ups (such "download complete" notifications) that pissed people off by disrupting gameplay. Now they show up in the right hand corner of the screen. Now, in the interest sparing a few hurled controllers, how about making the little yellow guy a wee bit more responsive.[Thanks Julian]
There's no FU in UNO
UNO for XBLA may be a relaxed take on a classic family game, but more than one innocent tyke has discovered that kids on Live say the darndest things, especially if your gradeschool opponents are losing, or worse, winning. Mike from K1lla's Xbox Domain reports being called a "momma licker," "goat sh-t," "dog humper" and several other salty pejoratives that rhyme with woodchuck. Has Uno become as bad as Halo 2 when it comes to juvenile playground obscenities? What's the darndest thing you've ever yelled at an 11-year-old? Seen any obscene sign language on the Vision cam?[Warning: Link not safe for tender ears or corporate filters][Thanks Joey]
Grid Wars author comments on clone's creation
Grid Wars creator Mark Incitti said he doubts his freeware PC game is affecting sales of the Xbox 360's Geometry Wars, as Bizarre creations recently alleged. In an interview with Eurogamer, Incitti said the game started out more as a Robotron/Smash TV-style game, but started to morph in response to news that Bizarre was not working on a PC version of the popular Xbox Live Arcade shooter. Incitti also said that he was in talks with Bizarre for months before he pulled the game from his site, and that offers to change the game's aesthetics and name were ignored. All in all, Incitti doesn't seem too bitter about being asked to remove the game, but he said he hopes other Geometry Wars clones get the same treatment from Bizarre.
Bizarre defends going after Geometry Wars clones
A few days ago, we reported on Bizarre Creations efforts to remove Geometry Wars clone Grid Wars from the internet. Bizarre recently posted an extensive justification of their actions to the community at large on their official forums. Among Bizarre's more salient points: Only hardcore gamers can tell the differences between these clones and Geometry Wars. Clones weaken the brand and discourage us from releasing Geometry Wars on new platforms. Geometry Wars is a rare example of and indie-owned, wholly original intellectual property, and that deserves protection. Simplicity of design does not warrant theft. Not wanting to buy an Xbox 360 does not warrant theft. All good points, but arguments alone aren't likely to stem the tide of freely available Geometry Wars clones on the internet. At the very least, though, they might make you feel guilty for helping discourage originality in video game design. Shame on you. Shame! [Via Gamasutra]
Bizarre tries to stop Geometry Wars clone
Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but Bizarre Creations isn't feeling very flattered about Grid Wars. The company thinks the PC game is impacting the sales of Xbox Live Arcade's Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and has asked the game's creator, Mark Incitti, to "stop infringing our IP and pull the game Grid Wars from the internet for download." Incitti has voluntarily agreed to this request. The line between inspiration and rip-off is extremely fine here. On the one hand, everything about Grid Wars -- from the graphical style to the enemies to the basic gameplay -- is extremely reminiscent of Geometry Wars. On the other hand, Grid Wars does offer some refinements to the Geometry Wars system, like collectible power ups and a slower-paced build up of the action. Regardless of the legal threats, it seems doubtful that Bizarre will be able to put the genie back in the bottle. The game is still available through a World of Stuart review and doubtless countless other sties. Even if Grid Wars is eradicated from the internet, other clones like HGEWars, Grid Assault, and Trigonometry Wars are available. Whether Bizzare likes it or not, it looks like Geometry Wars clones are destined to be as common as those of Tetris and Pac-man. [Via GameSetWatch]
Personal high-def arcade machine
There is such a love affair with arcade machines. It doesn't matter that you are sending your chiropractor's kids to college; they have a cult following behind of them. Quasimoto has a solution to bring high-def into the classic machines though. For a mere $3,199 a die-hard enthusiast, or spoiled-rich kid, can pick up the Quasicade PRO that has a 27-inch HDTV built-in. The unit is compatible with the PS2, XBox, GameCube, and USB 1.1 controllers, so all a person needs to do is plug in the system to the control box and TV and off you go. Now, the Pro unit looks like an arcade machine and we understand if you want to mask your nerdium a bit, so you might want to step up to the Quasicade FX ($3,999) or FX2 ($4,499) for a better looking cabinet. The FX has a jet-black bezel that is sure to look good in your living room but the FX2's wood grain (pictured) would just blend into your crib's parlor, that is if you have a parlor, and if not we are sure that your wife/girlfriend won't mind putting this in your bedroom.
Guess a Small Arms date, kill a kitten
After K1lla's Xbox Domain took a wild guess (September 13) at the date for the XBLA beat'em up Small Arms, Don from Gastronaut responded with the following insight into what really goes with these release dates : Every time someone guesses a date, we push back the release a week... And kill a kitten. He's joking...I think. For Toonces' sake people -- stop speculating.[Thanks Joey]
XBLA gets play in USA Today
Xbox Live Arcade gets some mainstream media love on the front page of Tuesday's USA Today Life section in an article about the rush to cash in on retro games. There's a nice plug for Pac-Man and a quote sure to make Greg Canessa proud:Mardi Goldman, 56, of West Los Angeles purchased the Xbox and then the Xbox 360 primarily for her son Chiam, 15. When he introduced her to the Xbox Live Arcade, she got hooked on UNO, playing with a group of "gamer chicks." "I am able to interact with people all over the world," she says. "I've raved about this to my friends, and a few of them have gone out and got an Xbox 360, just for the arcade games." Sure the marketing team didn't write that? A companion piece compares XBLA favorably to GameTap and Pogo.
Good idea of the day: XBLA Fantasy Football
Richard form AeroPause has a pretty good idea for an Xbox Live Arcade title:The basic concepts of Fantasy Sports are so simple that any developers could make this happen with minimum damage to their wallet. It doesn't even have to be flashy, as long as its feature packed and easy to navigate. Although it would be nice to see the Xbox Live Vision Camera be incorporated, in order to send some nice words of encouragement to your foes as you bury other teams week by week.I know what some of you are saying, "But Richard I can play Fantasy Football for free online" Yeah, I know you can, but I have played in many Fantasy Leagues and when it comes to interaction they just don't deliver because being online they have to adjust to meet everyone's needs, this is not true with Xbox Live, where everything is standardized. Heck I would pay at least 1000 MS points to play in a solid Fantasy league. I don't know about 1000 points, but fantasy football for XBLA definitely sounds like a no-brainer. It could even be free and ad-supported. If some cubicle monkey at EA is reading this, get to work.
SF2 enthusiasm starting to lag
While the overall reaction to Street Fighter 2 for Xbox Live Arcade has been positive (based on comments on this site and the average 77 score at Metacritic), there are unhappy with the game's perceived lagginess in both single player and online play. There's also alot of hostility being directed the 360 controller, which went from "best ever" to d-pad deficient over night. Hater response is typified by Tony from the VGM Daily podcast, a self-proclaimed Street Fighter fanatic, who gave the game a none out of five and proclaimed it an abject failure. Only later in his rant do we learn that he's been getting his ass kicked on Live. But even if you chalk up some of the negativity to bitterness and thumb rust, it's clear that Capcom failed to satisfy their hardcore fans, despite numerous delays. It's just that I can't blame the beat downs I suffered on lag.Does this mean that future retro ports will have to be coded from the ground up if we want superior online performace? Maybe developers should quit jerry-rigging old classics, and focus on building new homages that capture that old school flavor with modern convenience.
Vision video chat demo
Gamertag Radio got to check out the Vision Cameras video chat functionality at the Microsoft Games Unwrapped event in NYC. Not exactly earth shattering if you've used a webcam in the past 10 years, but still eagerly awaited. Unfortunately, the hot chick isn't included with the retail SKU, so you're stuck chatting with whoever is on your friends list. I hope there's an option for full-screen.
SF2: 24 hour love affair
So you've spent a day kicking Chun-Li's ass, or at least trying to. Is Street Fighter 2's retro Live play all that you dreamed it would be? Anybody make the top of the leaderboard, however briefly?
Current XBLA games to be updated for Vision
Xbox Live Arcade Manager Aaron Greenberg handed the hip-hopping podcasters at Gamertag Radio a scoop by revealing that several current XBLA games will be updated for use with the Vision Camera on September 19 to coincide with the peripheral's launch. Titles include Bankshot Billiard 2, Hearts, Spades and Backgammon. Juicing up the old games should add some depth to a cam-enabled line-up that already looks pretty solid with Uno, Totem Balls and World Series of Poker leading the way.Meanwhile, Godfree from Gamertag is campaigning hard for votes in the Podcast Awards, and he's doing it the old-fashioned way: With bribery. All you have to do is register with their site and your name will be thrown in the hat for a drawing to win a Vision (surreptitiously obtained from MS) one month before it goes on sale.
