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Sega puts entire XBLA catalog on sale
Frugal, Xbox-owning Sega fans, this is your week! Sega's entire Xbox Live Arcade catalog is currently heavily discounted. Again, that's the entire XBLA catalog, from Altered Beast to Virtual On. See all the discounts after the break. The sale ends April 25.
Mechs stand tall among Japan's top ten XBLA games
Microsoft has posted Japan's top ten Xbox Live Arcade games of 2009. It's unclear whether it's a list organized by sales or critical response, but the top title is Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram -- you know, the classic robot fighter from ... no? Just play along then. The rest of the list, scrawled down by Siliconera, features many titles that found a lot more success in the west. Battlefield 1943, Castle Crashers, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Trials HD (another surprise) take spots two through five, respectively. Check out our XBLA in Brief on Virtual-On after the break if you'd like to know what all the Japanese fuss is about. %Gallery-46149%
VOOT controller redesign adds bulk, doesn't cut cost
Remember the Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram controller for Xbox 360? That's old hat now, as the ridiculously-priced controller has received a redesign, Siliconera points out. All of that added bulk hasn't had any effect on its price, however, as this bad boy will still set you back a cool 30,000¥ ($315). As cool a controller as this is, we surely don't endorse spending all of that bread on it. There are cheaper, less visually appealing DIY solutions we think better fill the need for a specialized controller.%Gallery-46149%
Finally, an official Virtual On Xbox controller -- for only 20 times the cost of the game
Hori is now accepting preorders (in Japan) for an official Twin Stick controller for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram. The Twin Stick EX will be in stores this November, at a cost of ¥30,000. That's around $305. The game, of course, came out at a price of 1,200 Microsoft Points, or $15. We heard some complaints about the game's price being too high upon release, but this really puts it into perspective! In any case, if you like the game enough (and a lot of people do), it's worth a lot to have a good controller, even if the game was a bargain. And Hori tends to use high-quality arcade machine parts in its controllers. That said, it's going to be painful to pay shipping on top of that $300 when the import retailers pick this thing up.Looking a little plainer than the Dreamcast Twin Stick controller, and a lot plainer than the Saturn version, this model uses a Real Arcade Pro base as its body. The Xbox face buttons are located on the body, and the bumpers and triggers are moved to the joysticks, which map to the D-pad and right analog sticks.[Via Kotaku]
VOOT camp: Virtual On retrospective
Now that Virtual On Oratorio Tangram has been released to XBLA, we thought we'd point you toward a very interesting retrospective on the series at GameSetWatch. Written last month by Ollie Barder of doublesix, the studio behind Burn Zombie Burn, the article takes a look at the entire history of the Virtual On series, starting with the groundbreaking original and moving all the way to the disappointing Virtual On Marz.The article covers a lot of interesting facts. For example, did you know that the Twin Stick control method was actually devised to work around arcade hardware limitations? New players and old fans of the series should definitely give it a read.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Sorry!, Banjo Tooie, Virtual On
We've got three new games on Xbox Live Arcade this week covering a pretty broad range of tastes. We've got a board game in Sorry!, the latest addition to Hasbro Family Game Night. Then we have the classic platformer, Banjo Tooie. Topping it all off there's Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, an arcade mech fighting game from Sega. All in all, it's a pretty full week, and an expensive one too -- both Banjo and Virtual On clock in at 1200. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief and see if any of 'em are worth a spin. Download the trial version of Sorry! Download the trial version of Banjo Tooie Download the trial version of Virtual On [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: Virtual On, Banjo Tooie & Sorry! [update]
It's really just a reminder at this point, but we thought you might like to know that Microsoft has confirmed that both Banjo Tooie and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram are headed to XBLA this Wednesday. If you're up for some giant robot blasting action, we suggest Virtual On. If you're more of an anthropomorphic-bear-jumping-on-things kind of guy, then you'd probably prefer Banjo Tooie. If, however, you like cheap Arcade games, you're out of luck. Both games cost 1200 ($15). Update: As a commenter points out, Sorry! is coming to Hasbro Family Game Night as well for 800 ($10) %Gallery-46149% %Gallery-43257%
Scary cool: DIY Virtual On twin stick controller
Words fail us. The above monstrosity elicits two distinctly different responses. At first glance, we're mightily impressed that a Japanese gamer has taken it upon himself to create a homemade twin stick controller for the upcoming XBLA port of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram ... using only some wire, a few buttons and a pair of empty candy boxes.It's the candy boxes bit that elicits the second response: Hoo boy is that thing ugly. And yet, even if the rumored official controller sees the light of day, the novelty of this Franken-controller is enticing. On second thought, scratch the "ugly" comment. We totally want that thing.[Via 1UP]
Microsoft readying 31-game barrage for Japan
Microsoft's plans for the Far East have always been something of a murky science, pea soup made somewhat more clear following the company's recent media conference in Japan. Siliconera reports that the Xbox 360 will play host to a number of high-profile titles in Japan in the months ahead, 31 in all, including Magna Carta 2 in August and tri-Ace RPG End of Eternity (sadly not based on the Isaac Asimov novel) in the winter.Japanese gamers will finally get to suit up as a decidedly not dead yet Commander Shepard when the original Mass Effect finally graces Japanese store shelves on May 21, while players will have to wait until later this summer to cure the locust plague in Gears of War 2. Another 14 XBLA titles were confirmed at the event, including the previously announced remake of mech shooter Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, which will arrive in Japan on April 29. Other notable upcoming downloads include Mega Man 9 in June, Space Invaders Extreme this spring and The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match sometime in 2010. And what of Square Enix, which plans fill Japanese XBLA appetites this year with puzzler Yosumin Live, Project Cube and the wonderfully titled 0 Day Attack on Earth (pictured)? Well, we have those trailers for you after the break.Source: This Is What Microsoft Has Planned For Japanese Retailers For NowSource: Square Enix And SNK Blast Announce Xbox Live Arcade GamesSource: Watch Some Square Enix Xbox Live Arcade Trailers
Sega contemplating twin stick controller for XBLA Virtual On
According to Siliconera, a recent post on Sega's Japanese Virtual On: Oratoria Tangram website mentioned the possible creation of a new peripheral for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade release. While it's not directly mentioned, the most tantalizing possibility would be a new twin stick controller that would recreate the original arcade experience. Unfortunately, the post apparently notes a high cost for the peripheral. Considering the controller would only be used for one Xbox Live Arcade game we wouldn't be surprised if the controller never makes it onto store shelves. Even if it does, it's still possible it wouldn't leave Japan. Still, the twin sticks are really the only way to pilot a giant mechanized death machine, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for updates.%Gallery-46149%
Virtual-On Oratorio Trailer
The website for Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram ver. 5.66 features new screens of the Xbox Live Arcade release of the classic arcade/Dreamcast robot fighter, as well as the trailer above. As expected, it looks pretty much like a Dreamcast game with smoother edges -- a look that, to our eyes, only amplifies the clean, simple look of Dreamcast 3D.The graphics kind of don't matter, however, because this XBLA version of VOOT includes online battles, and that is just plain awesome no matter how incremental the graphical upgrades are. Sure, it's pretty much expected for Xbox games to have online play, but we didn't dare get our hopes up for this one, just in case. Now we just need someone to build custom 360 Twin Sticks for us, and we are in business. Oh, and Sega needs to announce the game for somewhere other than Japan. But after that and the stick thing, we are in business.%Gallery-46149%[Via GamerBytes]
VOOT! Virtual On Oratorio Tangram coming to XBLA
The latest issue of Famitsu reveals an XBLA game that we can already pretty much guarantee is going to be awesome -- because it already was awesome in arcades and on the Dreamcast. The 5.66 revision of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, Sega's classic arena game about robots shooting each other until they explode, is on the way to Japan's Xbox Live Arcade at a price of 1200 ($15).Gamers outside of Japan can look forward to the release as well: a listing for VOOT showed up on the Australian OFLC ratings board yesterday, indicating a new release for a platform that was, at the time, unknown. Now that mystery has been solved!
