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Time Ace turns clock forward on Time Pilot
Next to the crew of the starship Voyager, only Konami's Time Pilot had a more blatant disregard for the temporal prime directive. If some people worry about changing history by stepping on a butterfly, Time Pilot tossed all that out a window by just blowing up anything in history's path to ... well, to do something we're not actually sure of -- but we're sure it was justified. Now Konami shows off their latest middle finger to the temporal prime directive: Time Ace.DSFanboy has the pretty pictures of the After Burner-through-time re-imagining of Time Pilot. The game is expected to release next week for those who need a modern After Burner fix that has them blowing up pirate ships and anything else history puts in the way of your progress. Who needs a temporal prime directive, right Cpt. Janeway?
Metareview: Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits
In the mood for a little retro on the go? Konami Classics: Arcade Hits may be just what you need. The compilation is receiving solid reviews from most of the major outlets, and the word is that the set is lovingly constructed and filled with extras. IGN (80/100) feels this collection sets the standards for future retro compilations on the DS: "Like any classic compilation, the actual library can be its victory or its downfall, but there are plenty of strong Konami titles in this batch to keep interest high...even if there are the occasional (and expected) duds in the pack."Nintendo Power (75/100) found this title to be among an excellent example of a retro compilation: "The highlights ... are Contra, Track & Field, Time Pilot, and Gradius, all of which hold up remarkably well considering their age."1UP (69/100), found the game well done, but essentially flawed: But Arcade Hits suffers from a shortcoming, and a pretty serious one at that: The games in the collection aren't really worthy of the beautiful presentation ... Even worse: Most games collected here were originally manufactured with vertically oriented screens. "No worries," you say. "The DS has two stacked screens! I can deal with a gap in the graphics if it means high-fidelity presentation." Well, better worry after all: All games are restricted to the upper screen only, meaning everything is squished uncomfortably. But you didn't really want to see those little space bullets in Gradius, though. Did you?
Mad Catz readies Xbox 360 Live Arcade Stick for holiday release
Manufacturing hiccups, or intentional delays to ensure a holiday release? Whatever the reasons behind Mad Catz taking its sweet time on the Live Arcade Stick -- which we were (fairly) certain was eventually coming -- remains unknown, but at least it's (almost) here. According to our pals at Joystiq, the retro-styled controller slated to help Xbox Live Arcade gamers feel a bit more like 1985 is just a month or so away from hitting store shelves. Aside from sporting all the familiar Xbox 360 buttons and rumble functionality, purchasers will also get Frogger, Time Pilot, and Astropop when they throw down their $49.99, and if you're into multi-purpose gizmos, you'll certainly appreciate its ability to play nice with PCs. So if you had every intention of delving into Nintendo's classic library of games today, but couldn't scrounge up an actual Wii for yourself, Mad Catz will hopefully deliver that dash of yesteryear before too long.
Not so special edition of Viva Pinata [update 1]
Not content with brainwashing our children with simple "standard" editions of the kid friendly Viva Piñata, Microsoft has made known their intentions to release a "special" edition of the title. What makes it special, you ask. You see beyond just the game, buyers of the special edition will receive playable demos of Lego Star Wars II, Frogger, Cloning Clyde, Time Pilot, and Marble Blast Ultra. That's right, they're bundling in demos that can be had for free on Xbox Live (with the exception of LSWII). Also included is a full length episode of the TV show (any drug dealer will tell you that the first taste is free). No doubt, MS is including these easily obtainable extras for the benefit of kids and parents who have yet to grasp the complexities of Xbox Live and its Marketplace. For gamers like us that understand our console, the extras hardly seem like a value add. Still, we're sure that this will force many parents to learn how to use Live properly. There may be no better educational incentive than the pleading scream of a child: "It says I need Xbox Live! Make it work!" Even though the value of the demos is questionable, you can't argue with the $49.99 price tag. Hell, that would be a deal if it came with nothing. Update: Fixed grammatical error -- two in one day. Jeez.
Time Pilot not worth the time
The early 80s coin-op "classic" Time Pilot is the latest retro title to hit Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, according to Xboxic's review, it's a total waste of time.[Thanks Alex]
Time Pilot warps onto modern day XBLA
Time-traveling, zeitgeist shooting news now, with Konami's 1982 classic, Time Pilot, hitting Xbox Live Arcade today. Much like Frogger, the game has been given a few enhancements, including Xbox Live cooperative and versus play, enhanced sound and somewhat shinier graphics. The latter feature can be disabled if you prefer to keep things authentic -- we find that the retro visuals give a better indication that you've hit an enemy, whereas the revamped graphics have smoke trails that make it easier to spot incoming missiles. Is Time Pilot worth 400 MS points (or $5 in crazy money)? Well, the answer to that question largely depends on the value you attach to the score leaderboard. If you actively visualize your friends and their pitiful scores sitting in the cockpits of the biplanes, jets and UFOs (from the futuristic 2001 level) you're currently blasting to smithereens, the game is an absolute and horribly addictive blast. In terms of length, however, you'll find that Time Pilot takes very little time to complete, with only one of the achievements posing much of a challenge. The decision's easier if you fondly remember (or scornfully loathe) the game from your earlier, possibly emulated days, but we've been told that today's young people are generally enamored by games that involve shooting things until they spectacularly explode (as depicted in the following screenshots).
Free Poker next week
Sure, the only Live Arcade item we're getting this week is Cloning Clyde pictures, but next week we get free poker. That's right, folks, Texas Hold 'em will be free after all (thanks to the most pathetic petition ever?). There's a catch, though. You've got to download the game within the first 48 hours of its availability. Which brings us to an important question. What happens if the download starts in the first 48 hours but then hangs at 99%? Is it still free? Hopefully, none of us will have to find out. What's more, it looks like our previous report on the upcoming lineup of games was right on the money. Texas Hold 'em (Free, see above) will hit on August 23rd, followed by Time Pilot (400 points) on August 30th, and Scramble (400 points) on September 6th. And Lumines? September 13th we hope. [Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
More XBLA lovin', Time Pilot, Lumines!
For those of you who missed it on Joystiq, the Official Xbox Magazine (UK) revealed the next batch of games for Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays. The list reads thusly: Aug. 16: Texas Hold 'em Aug. 23: Time Pilot Aug. 30: Scramble Sept 6: Lumines Live! Hmm...two (arguably) obscure retro arcade titles sandwiched by Texas Hold 'em and Lumines Live! Not bad at all. While few will doubt the appeal of card games or the wonderfully addictive Lumines, one must wonder how well Time Pilot and Scramble will do. Any fans of these retro classics out there?Bonus points for anyone that can point out the connection between Konami's Time Pilot and Capcom's XBLA smash hit, Street Fighter II.[Via Joystiq]
'XBLA Wednesdays' looks to keep rolling, Konami leading the charge [update 1]
Club Skill reports that OXM has published the list of Xbox Live Arcade titles scheduled for release on Wednesdays through September 6: Aug. 16: Texas Hold 'em Aug. 23: Time Pilot Aug. 30: Scramble Sept 6: Lumines Live! I gotta admit, I have a soft spot for Konami's Time Pilot. Back in the early 80s, that joint was in heavy rotation on my older brother's ColecoVision. But I digress ...With Frogger out, and Time Pilot & Scramble on the horizon, the Konami classics are starting to make their mark on XBLA. So where's Contra? And what's this about Symphony of the Night? What up with those Turtles![Update: redirected link to OXM directly.]
