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Midway's XBLA classics removed from Marketplace
Several classic Midway games have been removed from Xbox Live Arcade, including Cyberball 2072, Defender, Gauntlet, Joust, Paperboy, Robotron 2084, Rootbeer Tapper, Smash TV and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The titles have been pulled due to "publisher evolving rights and permissions," according to a Major Nelson tweet, but will remain playable and can be re-downloaded by users that previously purchased any of the games. While Major Nelson didn't expressly say so, it would appear that the disappearing titles are the result of Warner Bros.' acquisition of Midway last year. Warner Bros. now owns at least some of the trademarks involved in the removal from XBLA. You're not alone in suspecting that some of the affected titles were pulled in anticipation of Microsoft's upcoming Game Room (where different versions of the same games could presumably be made available for purchase). After all, the simply emulated Game Room games don't stack up well against their more fully-featured XBLA counterparts. However, Major Nelson has quashed that theory, tweeting, "No, it's not Game room related." This is not the first time that XBLA content has been pulled because of changing publisher relationships. Lost Cities was removed from XBLA last year after licensing rights were lost in the Activision-Vivendi merger.
Smash TV creator talks potential sequel
Speaking to RetroGaming, Mark Turmell, co-creator of Smash TV, revealed that a sequel to the game might be forthcoming. According to Turmell, design for a sequel began some time ago, with the developers opting for a 3D game that maintained the top-down viewpoint of the original. Programming for the game had actually begun, but further progress was halted thanks to the Midway meltdown earlier this year. Turmell noted that Warner Bros. obtained the rights to Smash TV in its acquisition of Midway, adding that the company has "already identified that there's interest in some of that old Midway IP." When asked whether we'd still see a Smash TV sequel, Turmel said, "I'm sure you'll see a Smash TV that will rise again." Turmell admitted he wouldn't take part in such a project, saying, "It's a shame that I won't be involved with it this time around." [Via 1UP]
Top 5: Upcoming Original IPs from Third Parties
var digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/11/top-5-upcoming-original-ips-from-third-parties/'; Man, there are those who really love to complain. After viewing Zero Punctuation's latest video, I've decided that the old phrase distributed liberally by parents and teachers is indeed very true: "you can't please everyone." Nintendo themselves must have felt this pretty hard after their E3 showing was widely perceived as sub-par. On the gamers' side, even those who were most disappointed usually turned to any of the numerous third party efforts for hope. Understanding that Zero Punctuation is mostly intended as farce, it's difficult to call them out. Yet one glaring assertion must be rebutted: E3 2008 was most definitely not the year of the sequel. In fact, on the Nintendo side, the exact opposite was true. For the first time in a long while, I'm much more excited about upcoming third party releases than Nintendo titles as a whole (save for Wario Land: Shake It!). As those of us who braved the GameCube generation quickly learned, a console cannot survive on first party titles alone -- even those of the highest quality. Here are the top five original third party games that we are excited about. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, check out What Are You Playing?, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Joystiq hands-on: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (XBLA/PSN)
Call it another old-school remake/update; Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 will be out on XBLA and PSN this Spring. The angled, overhead shooter draws on its MERCS origins, bringing three-player destruction to those systems for $10 or 800 Microsoft Points.At a recent demo, I played the 360 version of the game. Controls felt good, with walking assigned to the left stick and shooting to the right. I lobbed grenades and launched super attacks with other buttons; the arsenal held my interest. Vehicles should be a big part of the game, too. In my demo, we drove in an armored truck, shooting from our different seats, and floated down a river raft. Hopefully the full game will feature lots of these breaks, since on-foot battles could grow monotonous.%Gallery-18256%
PS3 review of Cash Guns Chaos dampens hope
We were once excited for Cash Money Guns Chaos, but it appears our hopes were for naught. IGN reviewed the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Cash Guns Chaos and they don't have very nice things to say: "Smash TV worked because it constantly switched up enemy and power-up types in quick 30-second rooms that would branch out into all-new areas immediately afterward. But Cash Guns Chaos doesn't do that."There might be hope for the PSP version, but I doubt it. Considering how this is one of the first games that will let you play PSP versus PS3, I had much higher hopes for it.
Joystiq hands-on: Cash Money Chaos (PS3)
Some of the smaller games at last week's Sony Gamer's Day interested me most; I'm always a sucker for a fun game idea over flashy graphics. Maybe developers with smaller budgets solve problems with creativity instead of money.The day's initial presentation featured a quick glimpse into Criminal Crackdown, created by David Jaffe and his team. He described the game as a cross between basketball and a demolition derby; players drive around cell-shaded levels trying to pick up the criminal and deliver him to jail. If an opponent's paddy-wagon holds the criminal, another player can attack them, stealing the criminal.Criminal Crackdown looked like a fun game to download and play with friends, but it wasn't available to try. Instead, another downloadable title, Cash Money Chaos, caught my attention. This quirky title felt fresh, even with its close resemblance to Smash TV. The Sony rep showing the game wouldn't draw the comparison himself, but he wasn't surprised when I made the Smash TV connection.Cash Money tossed me into a pit to dispatch never-ending groups of attackers. The overhead perspective gave a big view of the brightly-colored baddies; every time I shot one, splotches of blood and piles of money spilled out. Initially, the blood made me uncomfortable; it didn't seem to fit the fun-house atmosphere. However, I quickly overlooked it and concentrated on the mounds of cash, like a true patriot.
Cash Money Chaos video interview
Gamespot has a new video interview with Cash Money Chaos' lead designer. While the video doesn't offer any new info on the game, it does provide plenty of in-game footage of the game's bloody carnage. The designer compares it to Smash TV and Robotron, but with a crazy alien 70s game show feel. Keep this one on your radar: it'll be a mere $30 when it launches in Q1 2007, and it'll feature 8-player online infrastructure play with stat-tracking.
