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Entire August XBLA lineup dated, Castle Crashers crashes the Arcade Aug 27th
Just a tiny while ago, Microsoft dropped an Xbox Live Arcade OMG MEGATON bomb by announcing the release dates for all upcoming XBLA games through the end of August, including The Behemoths' Castle Crashers. Just to get it out of the way, Castle Crashers will be available for purchase starting Wednesday, August 27th. It's still a month away, but we can still express our over-enthusiastic enthusiasm ... OMG MEGATON JOY! You can view the complete and golden delicious August XBLA release schedule below as well as screenshots after the break.Also, be aware that Microsoft will be sponsoring a "Summer of Arcade" giveaway all August long and awarding hundreds of thousands of Microsoft points to gamers who try the new XBLA lineup. Castle Crashers. August 27th. Need we say more? July 30th - Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 August 6th - Braid August 13th - Bionic Commando: Rearmed August 20th - Galaga Legions August 27th - Castle Crashers
XBLAugust: Castle Crashers, BC Rearmed, Braid, and Galaga
The official Microsoft Gamerscore blog has just outlined how you'll be spending our weekly allowance for the next month. Five major Xbox Live Arcade titles are debuting over the next five weeks (that's one each week). Pause your game of Coffeetime Crosswords and check out the schedule: July 30: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 August 6: Braid August 13: Bionic Commando Rearmed August 20: Galaga Legions August 27: Castle Crashers Only the previously-dated Geometry Wars 2 has a price at the moment (800 MS Points / US $10).
Castle Crashers, Galaga Legions, more on XBLA in 4-6 weeks
During our guided demo of Microsoft's upcoming stable of XBLA games, Microsoft's Scott Austin informed us that all the games on display would be available in the next four to six weeks on Xbox Live Arcade. All of 'em. If you've been reading the impressions on Joystiq, you'll know that this a reason to be excited. For the record, the XBLA games being shown by Microsoft are: Bionic Commando Rearmed Castle Crashers Galaga Legions Braid Geometry Wars 2 We expected Microsoft to show off some cool XBLA games at E3, but we weren't expecting four to six weeks of win.
Braid bends time on PartnerNet
The official website for Braid, a unique platformer coming to Xbox Live Arcade, has announced that the game is now available on PartnerNet. PartnerNet, if you don't know, is a special network available to owners of an Xbox 360 dev kit. One of the first conclusions that some are likely to make is that this means Braid is nearing release. We would warn our readers that this isn't necessarily the case, as some games are available on PartnerNet well in advance of release (we're looking at you Ikaruga). So, all you lucky dev kit owners, enjoy your Braid. The rest of us will wait patiently in the corner.[Via IndieGames.com]
Braid XBLA Gameplay Video
Featured at GDC along with a host of other games, Braid is an time-bending platformer that will hit XBLA sometime this summer. The simpler aspects of the gameplay and design hearken back the to the early days of platforming history, but the inclusion of control over time adds enough depth that this could easily be called a puzzler wrapped in a platforming skin. The players ability to play with the fabric of reality is limited however, to allow for levels of difficulty and replayablity. For example, there are certain things in the world (enemies, items, etc) that will not respond to your attempt to bend them to your chronal will, and will continue in timelines of their own changing the way you must use or avoid them. The game will have many different modes and looks to our eyes to be an interesting and original experience, but hey, just watch the video and see for yourself. [Edit: The video is now working, sorry for the delay.]
GDC08: Penny Arcade, Braid, Schizoid and GGBS screenshot blowout
As part of the whirlwind GDC announcement fest that went on yesterday, we sort of lacked the time and energy to organize all the screenshots we obtained from Microsoft's Summer release Arcade press kits. But we've had our beauty sleep, drank our morning cup of coffee and diligently put together new XBLA galleries and added screenshots to old ones. So, if you take a looksy after the break, you'll see new screenshots galore for XBLA games including Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Braid, Schizoid and Go! Go! Break Steady. Enjoy the media as we take a quick break to refill our coffee.
GDC08: More XBLA titles on track for summer
Though not as high profile or as long-delayed as Castle Crashers, there are still plenty of titles for XBLA that will be seeing released in the summer. The same Microsoft press release that held the Castle Crashers release info also had other XBLA titles on the summer release list. These games were as follows: Braid, a platformer, Defense Grid: The Awakening, a tower-defense game, Go! Go! Break Steady!, a music rythm game, and finally there's Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Penny-Arcade's RPG adventure game. Whew. With so much good content seeing release this summer (Ninja Gaiden II) here's hoping we'll be able to find time to play these games, as some (if not all) of these hold real promise.The descriptions from the press release after the break.
Time bending platformer Braid coming to XBLA
Apparently lost in the shuffle of the announcements of Ninja Gaiden 2 and major Japanese support for Xbox Live Arcade, it seems another title is heading to our favorite download service. Called Braid, the game is a platformer that relies on time manipulation to clear the obstacles that lie in the players path. We should also mention that it won in the category of innovation at the 2006 Independent Game Festival. Upon first seeing it, we figured the game centered around the adventures of a tiny John Belushi. Man, were we wrong.%Gallery-7424%[Via Joystiq]
Braid also confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade
In all of Tuesday night's excitement about classics like REZ and Ikaruga coming to Xbox Live, we neglected to tell you about another, slightly less well known, title that will be making it's way to the Arcade: Braid. It's an odd 2D platformer that puts more of a focus on your ability to manipulate time and solve puzzles than on your ability to avoid dying. Though we're not sure of an exact date, Microsoft is currently saying "early 2008."If you're among the uninitiated when it comes to Jonathan Blow's unconventional game, see our hands-on impressions here. If you want to understand more about Blow and his way of thinking about game design, you should check out Stephen Totilo's interview with him. On second thought, you have to read it. It's a long piece, but it's fascinating.%Gallery-5074%
Joystiq impressions: Braid
While E3's Kentia Hall may be long gone, the small Independent Game Summit area of the Barker Hangar made sure the little guy wasn't completely ignored. One of the most interesting games from the summit this year was an unassuming little 2D platform-puzzler featuring a guy in a business suit.One of the core ideas behind Braid, according to creator Jonathan Blow, is that the players time is more precious than his life. Indeed, any time your portly, suit-clad avatar dies, you can simply rewind the action a la Prince of Persia to go back to a safer portion of the level. Unlike PoP, though, there's no limit to the length or availability of your rewinds in Braid, meaning the only thing you lose if you make a mistake is a little bit of time spent rewinding.%Gallery-5074%
