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PopCap bringing Heavy Weapon, Zuma to PS2 on a single disc
The move from free internet diversion to retail is a daunting leap, yet PopCap has decided to swing across the chasm one more time, announcing a follow-up to last year's PopCap Hits for the PlayStation 2. While 2007's release included a pair of puzzlers in Bejeweled 2 and AstroPop, the sequel, planned for release sometime in June, will change things up a bit, partnering Zuma with the whimsical action sidescroller Heavy Weapon on a single disc. And if that doesn't churn your butter, PopCap has promised a handful of lukewarm extras, chiefly in the form of development histories and tips, meaning the colorblind among us can rest easy knowing that we won't be burning up the phone bill calling the hint line for tips on how to master Zuma's ever-elusive chains. Still, it's impossible to get too worked up about this release, especially given the $19.95 asking price for what we can try -- and get our fill of -- for free through the magic of the world wide web.
Heavy Weapon co-op is a blast
Okay, we just finished a Live co-op survival session on Heavy Weapon. In short, Heavy Weapon co-op is fluid, fast, and a hell of a lot of fun. This is great news considering the recent co-op woes of Assault Heroes. Like any survival game, it starts off slow enough, but soon it escalates to the point of sheer insanity. There are so many things happening on screen that it's impossible to keep track of them all. The air is filled with a solid cloud of bullets, missiles, lasers, aircraft, and general mayhem. And it's 'effing awesome. Some will no doubt deride Heavy Weapon for its simplicity, but we praise it for the same reason (and we dig its retro sensibilities). Oh, and if you like earning achievements, survival co-op offers plenty of them. You could easily earn six in one session. Surviving for twelve minutes is tough, but it's made much easier with three buddies (though to be fair we only made it just past thirteen on our first try). For those of you who have Heavy Weapon, give online co-op a try. It's sure to bring back plenty of arcade memories (hopefully memories without the creepy guy who played way too much Galaga).[Thanks to DaKing240 for the invite]
Heavy Weapon impressions: really explodey
digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Heavy_Weapon_impressions_really_explodey_Xbox_Live_Arcade'; We played through the trial version of Heavy Weapon and so far, we're liking what we see. The trial version gives you access to a handful of levels and three of the game's six upgradeable weapons. The game is straight up action, beginning with the hair metal "Atomic Tank" theme song at the title screen. Live Arcade vets will be in comfortable territory: the left stick moves, the right stick shoots, and the right trigger sets off the all powerful nuke. Your tank rolls on the ground and basically shoots anything that moves, including both air and ground targets. Enemies have a range of different weapons which all require different tactics to destroy or evade. People familiar with Metal Slug should feel right at home.
Heavy Weapon drops a bomb on XBLA
Heavy Weapon, the side scrolling, blast-tastic shooter, is now available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. Another throwback arcade shooter, Heavy Weapon places a, ahem, heavy emphasis on shooting everything that moves. The XBLA version is enhanced over its PC counterpart (which you can try here) in that it allows for up to four players to play simultaneously and includes a new co-op mode. Everyone likes co-op. If you're stuck at work or otherwise indisposed, we've downloaded the game and will post our impressions later today. In the meantime, you can try out the stripped down web version for free. If you can, try out the XBLA version and tell us what you think.
Heavy Weapon next week on Xbox Live Arcade
Here's a thought: maybe there's a clever strategy behind tomorrow's Xbox Live Arcade release. With most gamers preoccupied with the new Gears of War maps, it's the perfect time to re-release Ms. Pac-Man (remember, this was Xbox Arcade's launch title). With the overused classic out of the way, and the Gears maps thoroughly romped, next week, we'll be ready for a major XBLA release. Enter: PopCap's Heavy Weapon.Xbox 360 Fanboy has confirmed rumors that Heavy Weapon is scheduled for release on January 17 for 800 points. Sure, there's already a free stripped-down browser-based version out there (right here), but the deluxe PC version retails for $20. If you're down for another tank shooter -- this one's side-scrolling -- the XBLA Heavy Weapon is the version to own; plus it supports Live co-op. Hoorah!
Confirmed: Heavy Weapon nukes XBLA next week [update 1]
Update: Our buddy, Mike, from the Xbox Domain has confirmed this rumor. Heavy Weapon is scheduled to hit XBLA on January 17. Thanks, Tom, for sending this in.Coming from Xbox 360 Fanboy reader, DaKing240, is the rumor that Heavy Weapon will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade next week. Of course, our first thought is that Heavy Weapon is not, with very few exceptions, Worms. Still, Heavy Weapon is a great game, and we're sure it will only be made better by the inclusion of Live co-op. DaKing240 claims to have official confirmation of the title from the developer itself, so it seems like a safe bet. Not only that, but Heavy Weapon was supposed to come out during the holidays last year, so it makes sense that it would be ready to go now. If you haven't tried Heavy Weapon, we'd highly recommend you play the web version or grab the trial demo. And remember, before you complain about a high price tag on the XBLA version (we expect 800 points at least), rejoice in the fact that you won't have to pay the PC price: $19.95.
Atari games on XBLA, holiday titles confirmed
Alongside the press release for Contra hitting XBLA, Microsoft sent another press release outlining a slew of Atari classics heading to Live Arcade next year. The six Atari games to be released are: Centipede/Millipede Battlezone Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe Missile Command Tempest Warlords All of the games will feature both original and "evolved" versions. The evolved versions, similar to Konami's offerings, will feature revamped graphics and sound. All games will have leaderboards and achievements, and multiplayer games will have Live support. Surprisingly, many of these games are receiving some pretty impressive new features, including Live Vision support for Battlezone and Warlords. It looks like many of the games will receive three dimensional upgrades instead of simply using high definition sprites, too. Finally, and this is not a joke, Centipede evolved has motion blur. Motion. Blur. In Centipede. If that's not worth $5, we don't know what is.Also worth mentioning, the press release confirmed that the following titles should hit the Arcade before the end of 2006: Small Arms Assault Heroes Novadrome (?) Heavy Weapon Defender It should be noted that this isn't necessarily all the titles we'll be seeing by year's end (we're looking at you RoboBlitz). Full press release after the break.
More videos from Digital Life
Gamertag Radio (with Godfree and friends) is starting to piss us off. First they get to go to Digital Life in NYC. Then they have the nerve to post a bunch of videos the first day. Now they go and do it again! To top it all off, Godfree got the sweet RoboBlitz shirt pictured above. It's like they just love to make us feel unwanted. But, that's just the way it goes. After the break you can check out videos of RoboBlitz (listen to its hip-hop theme song here), Mutant Storm Empire, Heavy Weapon (!), Street Trace NYC (?), and a quick tour of Microsoft's parental education bus.
