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Pipe Mania anounced for XBLA
Originally released in 1989 on the home computer Amiga with the title of Pipe Dream, and having seen release on more platforms than you can shake a stick at, Pipe Mania is now on it's way to Live Arcade. Now we've commented before on the tendency of developers to use the Arcade to make a quick buck. And this one seems just a bit obvious, as anyone who owns Bioshock already has played Pipe Mania to death; it was the hacking mini-game. Now the idea of paying more money to play that via the Arcade (especially when there are freeware versions of the game) just feels strange. Even if Empire Interactive makes good on their promises of new game modes, new themes, new play mechanics and new pipe pieces, the underlying gameplay is still rather played out. There will still be the folks who buy it of course, but if it wants any kind of large scale success Empire Interactive needs to price this one right, say ... 200 points maybe, we'd definitely buy it as that price.
DS Daily: Myst opportunities
With a new version of Myst on the way to a hugely popular game system, we may see a repeat of the Myst mania that swept the world upon the game's first release, killing the rest of the point-and-click adventure genre. We must admit that, even though we were eyeball-deep in PC adventure games at the time, we just didn't get Myst. It was a very pretty game, sure, and it made clever use of those crazy CD-ROM drives that people were hooking up, but it seemed very much like a game in which everything was perfectly still all the time, and nothing ever happened.Statistically, most people here probably have a copy of the game somewhere, so we'll assume you're familiar with it. Do you think Myst was a good game in 1993, and do you think it could hold up today? Will you go in for the new content in Myst DS?
Speedball II heading to the Arcade next week
According to a very official looking press release sent out by Empire Interactive, Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, October 17th. And Speedball II fans will be pumped to know that there will be additional features in this 800 Microsoft point XBLA edition of the game including more teams, improved graphics, a 3D option, online versus and an improved upgrade system too. We don't think anyone can deny that futuristic Speedball has ever played so good. So, looking at our unofficial Microsoft XBLA calendar, we've got some unofficial Puzzle Quest fun going down this Wednesday and some unofficial Speedball II coming next week. Microsoft better get their act together with announcing these XBLA games before we have publishers releasing press materials for games that come out in December.
FlatOut demo finally hits U.S. and Canada
Available in Europe for some time now, the FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage demo has finally arrived on the U.S. and Canadian Xbox Live Marketplace. Previously, we were impressed with video footage from the game, so it will be nice to finally give it a test drive. FlatOut, if you don't know (or haven't guessed from the Ultimate Carnage subtitle), is a particularly violent racing game, full of death and destruction. Go fire up the old Xbox and give it a go. If you like what you see, expect the retail version to hit the shelves next month.
Juiced 2 demo squeezed out of Live, FlatOut
Attention demo lovers, we've got brand new, fresh squeezed demo for you this morning. What in the world could that demo possibly be? Chances are, you've already read the headline and you know it is, in fact, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights. If street racing imported cars on hot nights is your thing, you'd best download it and check it out. If you do, be sure to come back here and tell people what you think. If you happen to live in Europe (and we know many of you do) you'll probably also want to check out the FlatOut demo that just released too. Now where is that The Darkness demo, hmmmm? [Thanks, Joachim Bertelsen]
FlatOut: UC video is utterly destructive
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage may be the most accurately titled video game in history. Seriously, watch this video and tell us it isn't flat-out ultimate carnage. We've got crazy football themed "launch the body through the field goal" mini-games, then we have the same concept applied to long jumping, diving, and bowling. That little guy gets put through a lot. Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the positively massive pile-ups. If Forza 2 is a little too "simulationy" for you, we imagine you'll probably get a kick out of Flatout: Ultimate Carnage. Watch the video and tell us what you think.
Today's crashtacular video: FlatOut
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is nearly ready for the Xbox 360, and a new trailer gives a glimpse of the reckless action. These sorts of driving/crashing games are tough to judge from a trailer clip -- or misguided soundtrack -- so we're holding our applause or disappointment until trying the title. But we won't let that stop you from heaping on the hype, or dousing it like Kaiser Soze blocking a makeshift fuse. What do you think? Watch the trailer after the break.
FlatOut Achievements collide
The FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Achievements are now available for your perusal. There are 45 Achievements, with two of them secret. Most of them have creative names, similar to Gears of War's Achievement set. The one that sort of sticks out for us is "Go That Extra Mile" where you have to drive one thousand and one miles. It still has your standard affair of single player completion and displays of multiplayer competence. Are you going to race through this title when it comes out?
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage golden; hits UK shelves on 22nd
Empire Interactive and Bugbear Entertainment have announced that FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage has gone gold. On top of that, the game will be available June 22nd in Europe. With an effective trailer that came out earlier, this game should definitely whet your appetite in the combative racing genre. Hopefully it will hit the North American market in the near future. Are you going to pick this up when available in your region?
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage trailer flies under radar
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage also has a trailer that's on Marketplace that hasn't been mentioned elsewhere. It's 75 MB and does a much better job of conveying both what the game will actually look like, and the gameplay found within. It starts off with the same footage as the teaser, then goes on to show a bunch of racing, environments, and destruction. We'll do our best to ignore the crashbreaker at the end, because this trailer actually does its job of getting us interested in a game while showing real footage. Give it a look and tell us what you think.
Video: FlatOut in game footage
InsideGamer got an exclusive first look at in game footage of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, and posted it for our viewing pleasure. It runs at 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and shows a semi-off road race through the countryside. The problem is we've been known to make unfair comparisons of random racing games to the Burnout series, but we can't resist ourselves. This looks a lot like Burnout 3: Takedown mixed with some Revenge. It even uses similar fonts in the HUD. Perhaps we're just seeing things because we can't wait to see more of Paradise. Video available beyond the rainbow, or rather, the "Read" link. [Thanks, MarvinBeez]
Video: FlatOut Ultimate Carnage teaser
Godfree over at Gamertagradio posted up the first teaser trailer for FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage. It shows a very nice street racer, which could be classified as a Toyotsubishi SuprEclipse flying off the gate down the straightaway only to be t-boned by a muscle car, then proceed to get dog piled in a rather larger crash with multiple vehicles. According to the accompanying press release the collisions are all using the in game engine. It ends with a shot of the title screen, and the rag droll driver flying into a pile of his fallen comrades, complete with a cheap laugh to finish it off. So, do you think FlatOut will live up to it's subtitle, or are you going to get your crashing fix from *cough* Burnout?
Double Dragon kicks XBLA next week?
According to its publisher, Empire Interactive, Double Dragon is headed to Xbox Live Arcade next week. The press release actually concerns the announcement that Empire Interactive is bringing Speedball II to Xbox Live Arcade. A quote from the Clive Kabatznik, CEO of Silverstar Holdings, of which Empire Interactive is a subsidiary, spilled the beans. According to Kabatznik, "Double Dragon will launch next Wednesday, and will be our first foray onto Xbox LIVE Arcade." While we love our futuristic death sports as much as the next gaming blog, the impending release of Double Dragon has us all atwitter. As we've reported before, the game features "enhanced" graphics, but they actually seem less detailed than the original. We'll be sticking with the retro graphics, thanks.How much would you be willing to pay for the classic brawler?[Via Joystiq. Thanks, DJ Dunk]
FlatOut to bring Carnage Ultimately in June.
Fans of the FlatOut racing series are in luck, as in June there will be a new gen installment released for Xbox 360. FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is currently under development by BugBear Entertainment from scratch to make full use of the 360 hardware. You'll be able to drive recklessly through five single player modes, choosing from a dozen different vehicles, or take your aggression out over Xbox Live's two multiplayer modes. Also confirmed is that there will be downloadable content available through Xbox Live Marketplace after the game's release.Promised as being the best FlatOut installment yet, and hot off the heels of the successful FlatOut 2, are you looking forward to this? Or do you think it will get lost in the pile of games coming out in June that we mentioned in our podcast?
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage crashing into Xbox 360
Empire Interactive has announced a second sequel in its ragdoll-flinging FlatOut racing series, currently in development for Xbox 360. Bugbear developed FlatOut Ultimate Carnage will utilize a new game engine apparently designed specifically for Xbox 360 hardware; but don't rule out future appearances on PC and PlayStation 3 (the two previous FlatOuts were multiplatform). The basics are included: five single-player modes (likely padded with more minigames) and a pair of multiplayer modes with support for Xbox Live. Only 12 vehicles to choose from, but with downloadable content confirmed, perhaps Bugbear and Empire have plans to expand the menu post-release. FlatOut Ultimate Carnage is scheduled for June. Its predecessor FlatOut 2, released just six months ago, recently surpassed one million units sold.
Help us put Bubble Bobble on XBLA
It was a month and a half ago when we began our series, "That should be on XBLA," in which we pick a classic game that would be a perfect fit for Xbox Live Arcade. The first game we picked was Taito's perennial action puzzler, Bubble Bobble. The idea behind "That should be on XBLA" is to get developers to notice that their games belong on Xbox Live Arcade.It looks like Taito was listening. Taito's publishing company, Empire Interactive, has a thread running in their forum right now, which reads thusly:"Hi All I hope you can help us out with a bit of retro advice, If you were to pay to download a Taito Classic what would your top 3 be ?? Also, without giving the game away :) would online multiplayer be important to you downloading it ?? Come on guys - post your lists and let us know what you want."While the post doesn't directly mention Xbox Live, we're pretty sure that's what this is all about. We're also pretty sure he's talking about Bubble Bobble with that question about online multiplayer. Note to Taito: hell yes, online multiplayer is important!So, make your voices heard, loyal readers! Registering for Empire Interactive's forums is a snap. Go do it and tell 'em what you want (and don't forget to tell them who sent you). Our list looks like this: Bubble Bobble Arkanoid New Zealand Story It's not like you can play any Xbox Live today anyway. You might as well do something constructive.[Via Xboxic]See Also:That should be on XBLA series
Xbox 360 going Flatout
Finnish game site LiveGamers.fi reports that local developer Bugbear is working on an Xbox 360 version of Flatout 2 with the new name Flatout: Total Carnage. No release date has been set. [Thanks Sam]
