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Original Prince of Persia on XBLA?
These ratings boards just can't keep their mouths shut it seems, as yet another XBLA title has been uncovered. This time it's Prince of Persia Classic. According to the German Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) ratings board, the game was tested yesterday. The original Prince of Persia is a legitimate classic that would jive just fine with Xbox Live Arcade, providing plenty of platforming challenges and decent combat. Of course, if you own Sands of Time then you can already play the original Prince of Persia hidden within the game. Then again, that won't net you any achievements. At any rate, Prince of Persia is a great game and would be a welcome addition to the Live Arcade library.[Via XBLArcade]
Schizoid has the bestest co-op evers!
Our good friends at The Xbox Domain got a chance to chat with Bill Dugan, president of Torpex Games, creators of Schizoid. Readers may recall that Schizoid will be the first Xbox Live Arcade title built with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express. Dugan doesn't reveal much about the actual gameplay, though he does boldly claim that Schizoid "is the best co-op multiplayer game on the platform. Or probably anywhere." Could we have another Molyneux in the making? Other subjects covered in the interview include the use of Game Studio Express and Microsoft's initial reception of Schizoid. According to Dugan, two Microsoft reps played co-op for 20 seconds before one claimed, "I've seen enough – I want it."Will Schizoid really be the best co-op evar? We don't know, but Dugan promises that more info will be made available in the coming weeks. Hit the "read" link for the whole interview.
Luxor 2 gives XBLA more balls
Luxor 2 is now available for Xbox Live Arcade. Essentially, the game rests somewhere between Zuma and Breakout. You control a horizontally moving paddle that shoots multicolored balls towards the other multicolored balls. Match up three of the same color and guess what happens. That's right, they disappear. It's your job to destroy all of them before these malicious balls have their way with your pyramid. The trial version gives players a healthy chunk of Luxor 2's gameplay and should give prospective buyers a good idea of the game's appeal. For puzzler fans out there, it's pretty much a no-brainer. It plays well, has interesting power-ups, and poses a decent challenge -- a challenge that we imagine gets much harder in later levels.If you've made it your life's work to destroy scores of evil balls (and who hasn't?), Luxor 2 can be yours for the price of 800 MS Points.
Luxor 2 brings Egyptian marbles to XBLA
Xbox Live Arcade's unprecedented string of releases continues this week with the arrival of Luxor 2 from MumboJumbo. Xbox Live Arcade isn't short on puzzle games involving marbles. We've already got Marble Blast Ultra and Zuma. Luxor 2 opts for the traditional color matching of Zuma with an Egyptian twist. In addition to the scenery change, Luxor 2 features a horizontally scrolling cannon of sorts (akin to Astro Pop), rather than the 360 degree cannon found in Zuma. Rather than explain the object ourselves, we'll just give you the delightfully absurd description in the official press release: players advance by "shooting and destroying the magical balls that threaten the pyramids at the end of their paths." Enough said, right? The game will be available this Wednesday for the sum of 800 MS Points. You can grab a PC demo of Luxor 2 here.Full press release after the break.
New Vehicles and Tracks for Novadrome
For the low, low price of 250 MS Points you can get your hands on eight new vehicles and six new arenas for the Xbox Live Arcade title Novadrome. Not only can you take this online in the multiplayer mode, but they are featured in a new Career mode as well. So, while the game didn't receive the best of reviews, it still had some merit, if only to remind us of Re-Volt, the Dreamcast title and Xbox Live Beta game of choice. Will you be picking this up, given that you actually have Novadrome?
Video: Jetpac's happy rainbow lasers
To help get the word out about next week's Xbox Live Arcade release, Jetpac Refuelled, Microsoft has released a trailer of the game in action. A small segment of the video is devoted to the retro version of the game, but the meat and potatoes, as it were, are spent on the Refuelled mode. The game is pretty sharp (and widescreen, by the way), with plenty of things happening on screen. There are tons of enemies to avoid whilst building your rocket ship, but fortunately there are some pretty effective weapons as well. The multiplayer mode, in which players race to build and fuel their rocket and be the first to escape, looks like it could be a lot of fun, too. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think. Should you desire to check it out in HD, head over to GameTrailers.
Gyruss denied, Jetpac hits XBLA next week
Alright, take a deep breath. Exhale. Good. Now listen, Xbox Live Arcade is about to receive its fifth game in a row. That's right, starting next Wednesday, there will have been five successive Wednesdays that brought us a new Arcade title. It turns out next week's game will not be Gyruss, but rather Jetpac Refuelled from Rare. First revealed last month, Jetpac Refuelled is a remake of Rare's classic Jetpac. The game charges players with assembling a rocket ship while avoiding and destroying enemies. Once the ship is assembled, players make their escape. The game features two modes of play, classic and Refuelled. Rather than simply slapping a new coat of pixels on the classic graphics however, the Refuelled mode adds completely new HD graphics, new weapons, new enemies, and a smartbomb. The game features 128 new levels, leaderboards, and local or Live versus play. So what does all this new Hi-Def wizardry cost? A paltry 400 points. Could XBLA reach a six game streak? We'll find out soon enough. Be sure and check out our Jetpac Refuelled gallery for the latest screens. Full press release after the break.
Gyruss coming to XBLA next week?
While we knew of Gyruss' existence in the Xbox Live Arcade line-up, and that it would arrive sometime in the future. We didn't know when "soon" meant back in October, but according to Konami's XBLA page, it comes out just shy of half a year. Just underneath Castlevania: SOTN, Gyruss can be found to have a March 2007 release. That pretty much narrows it down to March 28th. We can't tell if Konami knows something we don't, or if it still is in Microsoft's hands with certification, but we hope to hear more on this soon. The game's details also reveal the online co-op and versus modes that will be available when the title does actually release. Whether that's next week or not, we'll just have to wait and see. You down for some co-op shoot 'em up, or would you rather have something else for the final Wednesday of March?[Via GameStooge]
Symphony of the Night whips XBLA next week
Wow. We never thought we'd say this, but Xbox Live Arcade is on a roll. Two weeks ago, we got Alien Hominid, last week was Worms, and TMNT dropped this week. That's three decent titles in a row. How in heaven could Microsoft keep this up? The answer is Symphony of the Night. Marked by many as the official game to whine about now that Worms is out, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will arrive next Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade. Most Castlevania fans agree that SOTN is the best in the series, so seeing it on Live Arcade is a real treat. The game provides many, many hours of action RPG gameplay and features either classic or "modernized" graphics and sound. Symphony of the Night will be available next Wednesday for 800 points.Is Xbox Live Arcade finally coming into its own? Dare we dream?
Yie Ar Kung Fu to kick in the US?
Yie Ar Kung Fu was announced for the Japanese Xbox Live Arcade during the last Tokyo Game Show. Microsoft announced the title as part of their fabulously successful initiative to lure Japanese gamers towards the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the game was announced as a Japanese Arcade exclusive.Kung Fu fans rejoice then, as Yie Ar Kung Fu has popped up on the ESRB website. If you've been paying attention lately, ratings websites like the ESRB have become marvelous predictors of upcoming Live Arcade titles. They let us know about Eets and Luxor 2 before they were announced, for example. So, for now it's still a rumor, but the likelihood of Yie Ar Kung Fu coming to the U.S. Arcade is pretty high.Also uncovered on the ESRB website is a title called Aegis Wing. We have no idea what it could be, though there are theories. Anyone out there excited about getting their Kung Fu on?[Via Evil Avatar]
Tetris Evolution dev drops Tetris XBLA hint
During an interview with Gaming Target, the developers of the upcoming Tetris Evolution outlined some of the game's key features that differentiate it from other Tetris titles. Included in the game are two new modes, "Eraser" and "Go Low." "Eraser" is fairly simple, just erase a few predetermined lines. See, easy. "Go Low" asks players to make the highest block drop as far as possible when clearing away lines. Of course, most gamers know that the extra modes don't matter too much in Tetris, so long as the game plays properly.The game promises high definition still and video backgrounds, customizable skins and player icons for your board, and 4 player Live multiplayer. 40 achievements are lined up for the game, with most of them awarded for achieving high scores in various modes. Hardcore players will be glad to hear that multiplayer matches do not allow "infinite spin," where players can constantly spin a piece, forcing it to stay in play. Single player games, however, allow you to toggle between infinite, extended, and classic spin settings. Another happy note, the game has been priced at $29.99.Finally, when questioned about the reasoning behind making Tetris Evolution a retail title instead of an XBLA title, a developer responded, "I can't really speak for the Xbox Live Arcade version. We've known for some time it was being developed, but we don't really have any visibility as to its feature set." So there you have it, a Tetris developer says an XBLA Tetris is in the works. The developers do elaborate, however, that the amount of features in Tetris Evolution -- in particular the full motion backgrounds -- would exceed the XBLA size limit.Would you bother with a retail Tetris if you knew a version was coming to Xbox Live Arcade?[Thanks, John]Update: Gave credit to our tipster.
TMNT Arcade impressions: turtle power!
Having had ample time to test out both the single player and multiplayer aspects of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Xbox Live Arcade, we are ready to pass our stern and final judgment. The game is exactly what you remember from the arcades of yesteryear. From the cheesy dialogue to storyboard cutscenes, it's all there. The combat is as simple and addicting as it ever was. It's still pretty damned frustrating at times, too. Of course, players must keep in mind that this game was designed primarily to suck quarters directly from the pockets of children. Overall, the single player is completely intact, with nary a hitch to be seen. As an added bonus, you can continue as many times as you want (and you will be continuing ... a lot).
X360A holding TMNT Arcade contest
Xbox 360 Achievement's DAKing240 is holding a contest for this week's Xbox Live Arcade release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The objective is simple, get all 12 Achievements for the game. The criteria is equally easy, first, you must be a member of their forums. Next, your gamertag should have all the Achievements, including the secret one, and then email DaKing240 [AT] x360a [DOT] org with your tag. He's only giving out the unannounced prize to first place, so get on it. Also, don't be put off by the fact that we don't know what you're getting if you win, as they have a pretty good track record of giving out cool prizes, namely retail titles.
TMNT Arcade now available
In a surprise announcement earlier this week, it was revealed that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the classic arcade game, was heading to Xbox Live Arcade (we knew Aaron Greenberg was trying to tell us something). As promised, the game is now available for download. At the very reasonable price of 400 MS points, it's pretty hard to go wrong. For the older fanboys out there, TMNT pretty much represents a no-brainer proposition for Xbox Live Arcade. Now if we could just throw some Simpsons arcade on there, we'd be some super happy campers. We're downloading the game now and will be back with impressions later today.
Video: Hexic HD glitch 477 days later
Sure, Hexic HD has been available for a long time, but maybe this will help those that still don't have the Grand Pearl Pooh-Bah Achievement. Anyway, since the video is under 15 seconds long, we'll let you watch it first, then go on about what it means for you Hexic addicts ... Done? Good. So, apparently you can do "double moves" with a starflower piece and have it only count as one turn, as the bomb suggested. We're not sure if you can combo it into more than one extra rotation, but it should help you in the right situations. The technique involves pulling the appropriate trigger twice with the proper timing. We're not sure if this maneuver can be performed on standard or black pearl pieces, or if it can be used to "skip over" moves that would result in a potentially disastrous combo chain, but definitely worth practicing to find out. Still, that begs the question makes us wonder, are any of you still playing Hexic HD enough to care? Also, the same site features what's called a "starburst combo" as well as clips from a 24 billion point Marathon game, which placed 2nd on the leaderboard. [Via Digg]
Castle Crashers still 50 megs
We ran a story on Friday stating that Castle Crashers will release in 2008 because of the recent size limit increase on Xbox Live Arcade games. This info was apparently communicated to Joystiq during GDC. Since running the story, The Behemoth's Tom Fulp contacted us to let us know that The Behemoth is busy cramming as much as they can into Castle Crashers, but are still adhering to the 50 MB limit. In fact, Fulp noted that The Behemoth enjoys the challenge of meeting the size restriction. It seems the size limit increase is decided on a case by case basis, and The Behemoth has not requested a size increase at this time.Size increase or not, we wouldn't expect the game to hit anytime soon.
TMNT coming to Arcade early [update 1]
Cowabunga. This week's Xbox Live Arcade title is going to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a week ahead of schedule. For the low, low price of 400 MS points you can get your old school beat 'em up fix with one of the most wanted retro titles for XBLA, complete with online co-op, leaderboards and the like. Obviously, you readers agree that this is a no-brainer purchase and we hope to play through a couple levels with you online. What do you think about getting Turtles in Time sometime in the future?[Via GameStooge]Update: James alerted us of this as well on Friday with a link to this thread.
GDC: CliffyB wants Jazz Jackrabbit on XBLA
Speaking at GDC, Cliff Bleszinski, the mad genius behind Gears of War, noted that he'd like to see his classic platformer, Jazz Jackrabbit, on Xbox Live Arcade. Cliffy noted that many people have told him the game would be good for Live arcade. "Honestly, I'd love to see it, too," said Bleszinski, but noted that Epic is too busy to take on the task themselves. "If anybody knows a person out there that can do it for us, more power to them," he said, stating that Epic was currently focusing on Unreal Tournament 3 and a "potential sequel" to Gears of War. "Potential sequel," by the way, was said with tongue planted firmly in cheek.So, any developers out there want to take on Jazz Jackrabbit?
GDC 07: Band of Bugs hands on
Sitting right next to Castle Crashers was a game not nearly as publicized, NinjaBee's Band of Bugs. We managed to wrangle a Band of Bugs interview a while back, and we were pleased to see the game at GDC (Band of Bugs is part of the Independent Games Festival) and speak with Steve Taylor, president of Wahoo Studios (NinjaBee's parent company). We spent a lot of time looking at Band of Bugs. We got a chance to learn about the level editor and even got a little time to play the game itself. Read on for first hand impressions of this unique Xbox Live Arcade title.
GDC 07: Castle Crashers hands on
We heard the rumblings. We smelled the awesome. We knew that Castle Crashers was somewhere at GDC. It was just a matter of finding it. After what seemed like days of searching, we found the title in the Independent Games Festival pit, loaded up on an HD screen with some pumping speakers, Castle Crashers was ready and raring to go.
