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XBLA indie developer gets Butterflies
The VGM Daily guys talk to Shayne Guiliano, head of Autonomous Productions, an indie developer that just won the right to create for Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo's Virtual console. The game is called Butterfly Garden. Interesting conversation considering we haven't heard much about new indie stuff for XBLA,[Thanks Ryan]
PS3 service goes after Xbox Live Arcade
With a keen eye, IGN noticed a job offering floating around the internet that is described as looking for a "a superstar engineer with a strong graphics background to develop an unannounced downloadable title for the PlayStation 3 launch in November."So we all know that Sony's PlayStation Network Platform wants to compete head-on with Microsoft's service, but this gives even more fuel to the fire in their effort to tackle Xbox Live Arcade with downloadable games as well. That Game Company posted the call for programmers, and it turns out they want to bring the trippy web game flOw (that's free) to the next-gen console. This begs the question: What other downloadable games are being cooked up for the PS3 service? Guess we won't know until November.
And the Xbox Live grand total is...
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Xbox Live has come a long way since the launch of the 360. Content was few and far between back then. But now, with downloads in the millions, it's evident that gamers are hard pressed not to find something worth downloading or buying on the network.For an interesting perspective on how much content floods Xbox Live now, just take a look at the total cost it would run you to purchase it all! With some of the stuff duplicated the actual total is a bit lower, but even so, $957.38 is still pretty hefty. That's 76,590 points for everyone else.
Rumor: 360 wireless gaming receiver $20; wheel $130; headset $60; camera $40; Halo and Forza faceplates $20 [update 1]
Thanks to a reliable source from Microsoft, we've learned some important details about the new peripherals announced for the Xbox 360, including pricing and a few Halo faceplate (non)specifics. Check out the leaked info and prices below: 360 wireless gaming receiver (which enables wireless 360 controllers, headsets, and wheels on your PC): $20 Wireless racing wheel: $130 Wireless headset: $60 Xbox Live Vision Camera (with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one arcade -- presumably Xbox Live Arcade -- game): $40 New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on 'em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza (no word on connections to the sequel): $20 each 256 MB portable memory unit (MU): no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB MU Besides acknowledging that the PC is "the biggest gaming device of all," MS appears to be setting an agressive price for its most relevant new PC accessory, the wireless gaming receiver (at least in comparison to the outrageously priced 360 wireless networking adapter). Unfortunately, no price was revealed as of yet for the USB-based HD-DVD add-on.We've speculated in our recent podcasts as to what would happen to the various 360 SKUs when price drops inevitably occur. An interesting theory bandied about by prolific Joystiq Contributor epobirs (on our earlier bump-to-256MB-MU post) was that a $20 price drop for the Core system, coupled with a $20 price drop on the 64MB MU, would finally allow folks to pick up a capable non-Premium bundle for the original $300 Core price point. (Not a bad way to undercut PS2 memory card prices, too.) We hope to get official confirmation on this info in the not-too-distant future.[Update: Sorry, had the camera price wrong in the headline; it now matches the price of the bundle listed in the body of the text below.]See also: 360's Mem Unit getting a bump to 256MB? (Comment from epobirs) Use 360 wireless peripherals with a PC Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event Joystiq / Engadget podcasts from Day One and Day Two of E3 2006
Geometry Wars superstar shoots for millions
As I'm walking through the packed lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center heading toward the West Hall, I see a huge Xbox 360 setup with a screen the size of a theater canvas boasting Geometry Wars. Some attendee is blasting his way past a score of 3.5 million. This is not an uncommon sight. A big crowd is always hanging around it, soaking up the radiation and shouting out encouraging cheers to whoever is playing. The featured score above is a far cry from what we've seen lately, but it's interesting to watch the efforts of various industry people (or booth babes perhaps?). We'll keep you posted if a record-breaking high score shows up!
GameTap booth tour [update 1]
The GameTap booth is not one of those huge monstrosities that had to be trucked in on a fleet of 18-wheel semis, but it is a good example of a booth done fairly well on a limited budget. Plentiful kiosks, coherent branding, and a decent sound system fed tunes by a live DJ cum booth babe. The booth's low points -- trite "industrial" exposed steel, cheap plastic game controllers instead of classic arcade joysticks, conventional design -- were somewhat overcome by the quality of the real product on display. Simply put: GameTap's 500-plus-title library is impressive, and we shouldn't let a little boring booth design undermine our evaluation of the product. We know this, and yet sometimes it's hard to remember to keep the booths and the products separate! Continue for more photos.
Uno theme decks on the way
I had a quick chat with Joshua Howard of Microsoft Casual Games, project manager for Uno, Totem Balls and Lumines, not to mention the revised in-box games (think Solitaire, FreeCell) that will be included with Windows Vista. According to man behind the wild cards, downloadable theme decks are headed to XBLM, starting with a replica of the 35th Anniversary deck that Mattel is selling in stores. Most of the theme decks will be based on first party MS titles like Kameo and will cost you a few MS points, although the possibility exists for sponsored editions. You don't have to own a theme deck to see it when you're playing a friend who does. Josh talked up Mattel's enthusiasm for Xbox Live Arcade, which bodes well for future possibilities involving their trademarks. The gamercard pictures you see in the screenshot above are where the video chat windows will go when the 360 camera is released. Apparently, getting the space to re-size properly was a real pain in the ass. By the way, if you want to go mano y mano with the Uno dude, Josh's gamertag is rather low key: joshuah.
First impression: Moto GP '06
At the THQ area, they were proudly showing off their incredibly gorgeous Moto GP '06. This title shines bright and controls very well for the Xbox 360. Despite not even being played on a retail console, the demo was enough to satisfy my need for speed.
First impressions: Lumines for XBLA
Microsoft had a little trouble getting the sound working on their Lumines kiosk, but once they got it up and running, I was immediatley struck not by the gameplay, which is familiar to anyone who played thisTetris-like game on the PSP, but by the Madonna video blaring in the background. That's because skin support for the Xbox Live Arcade version includes the ability to run videos behind the puzzle grid. Interestingly, Microsoft told me they have yet to make a decision as whether we'll be able to use any content for this feature, or if it will only work with specific videos downloaded off XBLM. I'm guessing the latter, because positioning little squares with anime porn running in the background would just be too distracting. Lumines hits XBLA around the holidays.
Virtua Fighter 5 only for PS3 next spring
There was a time when Virtua Fighter 5 was considered a strong candidate for an arcade port to the Xbox 360, but that multiplatform hope's been dashed with the official announcement that VF5 will appear only on PS3 in the spring of 2007. Sega's technical fighter is a Sony exclusive once more.While home-console online play remains doubtful at this point, next-gen PlayStation owners can now securely look forward to facing off as El Blaze and Eileen (the new luchador and monkey kung-fu artist, respectively) along with the other 15 fighters, decked out in all sorts of items purchased in the in-game store with prize money earned through in-game matches.VF5 will support up to 720p HD resolution and will be featured in game footage in the SEGA booth at E3 (South Hall, Booth #946) later this week.[Thanks, Matt; also via Joystiq]
Screenshots of Pac-Man and Galaga on XBLA
Namco announced the Xbox Live Arcade versions of Pac-Man and Galaga at Microsoft's Japanese press conference last week. This, of course, spawned the obvious question, "What's it gonna look like?" We're happy to report that high-def Pac-Man and Galaga look like ... well, Pac-Man and Galaga with artwork on the borders. Sure, it's not thrilling, but at least it doesn't look like this. Galaga screenshot after the break.
Geometry Wars' unprecedented success
Microsoft has released more information on the performance of Xbox Live. One figure that really leapt off the page (if we're interpreting the rather vague language correctly) was the fact that Xbox Live Arcade title Geometry Wars by the makers of Project Gotham Racing 3 has achieved a conversion rate of 39%. That means that nearly 40% of the people who have tried the Geometry Wars demo have gone on to purchase the full version of the game. That is a fantastic figure, as conversion rates for demo games tend to be much, much lower (around 1% to 2% on game portals like Pogo.com, games.msn.com, and games.yahoo.com, according to TrayGames). Basically, the figures validate further what we've been saying all along. Geometry Wars is the single best title of the Xbox 360 launch and remains the best fun-per-dollar value on any console platform. It's hot.
Namco unveils Point Blank DS
Nothing beats going to the arcade, grabbing a brightly colored lightgun and getting hypnotized by flashes of white as you pull the trigger and blast away zombies, dinosaurs, aliens and hilariously inept criminals who have a habit of leaning precariously over balconies. Namco's take on this genre was split evenly between their serious Time Crisis franchise and their more lighthearted Point Blank series, well known for its freakish egghead characters.With our fancy-shmancy new TVs refusing to cooperate with the GunCon, it comes as nice surprise that Namco is releasing a compilation of the entire Point Blank series on the DS. Apparently, tapping the screen with a stylus is similar to firing at it with a fake gun. 1up reports that the game will feature 4 difficulty levels to account for the added ease of playing on a touch screen, 40 levels and 5 modes of play--Arcade, Versus, Practice, Brain Massage (it monitors your performance and provides feedback) and Games Museum (features stages that borrow visual themes from other Namco games). Of course, the next step Namco should take is to port this game back to the arcades, complete with touch screen and an enormous stylus.
Geometry Copyright Wars
Play this PC version of Geometry Wars...I mean...Grid Wars before the Microsoft Legal Department does. [via Xboxic]
The Bungie XBLA game that never was
I love the Bungie Weekly Update. How else would we know the staff spends their weekends snowboarding in Tahoe and playing Halo against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers? Besides thrilling us with the details of their geek-hero lives, the guys also let us know what they're not doing, namely working on an Xbox Live Arcade Game."Anyway, that's enough downer. More rumorbusting! A long-legged, long-lived rumor is that we're hard at work on an Xbox Live title. We're so not. Lord knows we play too much Live Arcade, but our entire team (with the exception of a couple of Vista guys) is cranking away on our next project. That doesn't mean we'll never do a Live Arcade title, or that somebody else might not convert one of our old titles (Myth and Oni belong to Take 2) but we personally are not making a Live arcade title at this time."They do however hint about an exciting non-game project and treat us to a "napkin design" for Warthog Moon Patrol. How long before somebody with no respect for the Bungie legal department makes it a reality?
DIY Xbox 360 arcade joystick
Don't care for Hori's Dead or Alive 4 arcade joystick, but don't know what else to use when you need good, old-fashioned arcade precision on the 360? Enter purbeast's tutorial for taking a wired Xbox 360 controller, an arcade controller of your choice (Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Joystick pictured here), and some basic soldering skills to roll your own arcade controller. When Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting drops on XBLA (apparently not in late February) there's gonna be one more big reason to give this hack a shot. [Via Engadget]
Arcade games in the home: a rebirth?
Nostalgia's a perennial favourite for everyone, and gaming is no exception. We all lust after the arcade games of yesteryear, remembering disappearing coins and impossible high scores, and complaining that it isn't like it used to be.The arcade may not be dead, though--simply transplanted into a new location, our homes. Casual gaming and emulators on the PC, the Xbox Live Arcade and the Nintendo Revolution are all breathing, or promise to breathe, new life into our old favourites--so much so that some of them become more popular than full-price games. 2old2play puts it down to our being older--less time, more nostalgia, perfect for arcade-style games.[Via /.]
Geometry Wars creator talks high scores, particle effects
Stephen Cakebread must be one popular fellow around the Bizarre Creations offices. While his brethren spent their time focused on Project Gotham Racing 3, Cakebread made an old-school shooter with simple mechanics, colorful visuals, and no ending. The result? Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, the biggest reason to own an Xbox 360 and use Xbox Live Arcade (and a game we have obsessed over one too many times). Brian 'ColdForged' Dupuis got a chance to interview Cakebread recently, resulting in some insightful behind-the-scenes commentary on the development of Geometry Wars. Many of the little nuances of the game are discussed here, including the snake's tail and the small purple rectangles ("Satan's Own Miniature Deliverers of Evil and Consternation"). Cakebread expresses delight in his creation, albeit he admits its not perfect (sequel, anyone?). There is talk of the particle effects that, Cakebread laments, with some more time and tweaking could've been prettier and more abundant. Cakebread admits his high score is only 2.1 million, so no advice there...but hey, what can you expect from a guy who openly admits to eating kittens for breakfast? (Scroll down to the halfway point to see the confession.)
Video of #1 Geometry Wars score: 16.6 mln
Prepare to watch your self-worth plummet. Here's a video of current Geometry Wars leaderboard champ K4rn4ge's high-scoring run. It's a twenty minute video--and the recording doesn't even start until 12 million--but there's plenty to learn from them moves. I'm in awe. See also: Geometry Wars: 4.191 million score by xTHeDoGgx Geometry Wars video: 2.1 million score by former world champion, "Striker"
More from Geometry Wars creator
When Geometry Wars creator Stephen "Cakey" Cakebread was interviewed by Bizarre back in December, we found some questions lacking. Fortunately the folks at Eurogamer, who share our love for the game, have come up trumps and found out his high score: 2.1 million. The interview also talks about the popular appeal of Geometry Wars, and goes into some of the development process behind the game. What's entirely lacking, however, is any hint of a sequel. Come on, Cakey, you know you want to.
