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This Wednesday: KrissX will make you jump, jump, solve puzzles on XBLA
It's not a good sign when Xbox know-it-all Major Nelson admits in his This Week on Arcade post that "information on the game is light, so here is what I was able to find." However, we can't blame him -- we'd never heard of KrissX, this week's new XBLA game, before today either. Apparently, the Blitz Games-developed, Konami-published puzzler tasks players with solving crosswords and unscrambling "over 3,500 jumbled words that will test your trivia knowledge and expand your own daily vocabulary." We're automatically apprehensive about games that try to sneak some education into our entertainment regimen -- we'll have to wait and see if KrissX is actually fun enough to deserve our 800 ($10). Sadly, we don't think the game has anything in common with Kriss Kross' other ludological outing. Someday, friends. Someday.
This Wednesday: Inferno Pool burns up XBLA with Rainbow Islands
This week's XBLA releases are ... well, they're games. The two downloadable titles sent to the fourth quarter slaughterhouse – a terrible place dominated by triple-A retail releases – are Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! and Inferno Pool, both costing 800 ($10). We almost feel obligated to post The Charge of the Light Brigade after the break for each story about a downloadable game without a high profile beginning now until next year ... actually, next year isn't looking too open for downloadable games either, is it?
This Wednesday: Worms 2: Armageddon, King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match attack XBLA
XBLA is dropping a holy hand grenade's worth of violence this week with Worms 2: Armageddon and King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match. Whether you're into vertebrate or spineless carnage, the entry fee to these glorious celebrations of hurt will cost 800 ($10) apiece.Armageddon brings some upgrades to the original Worms XBLA title, so definitely check it out if you're a fan of the series. As for KOF98, the game is about $10 cheaper than the PS2 release, and does support online play -- but there's never a guarantee on how that'll go. %Gallery-46744%
Also this Wednesday: Rocket Riot [update]
Update: Microsoft has confirmed that Rocket Riot will release tomorrow for 800 ($10). See original post below.So, um, apparently there's another game hitting Xbox Live Arcade this week. The thing is, you see, Microsoft apparently left it out of the announcement press release. The game in question is Rocket Riot, which, appropriately enough, involves plenty of riotous, rocket blasting action. Codeglue, the game's developer, has announced that the game will release tomorrow alongside the previously announced titles.Now, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that developers have been wrong about XBLA release dates before. As a general rule, we don't accept releases as fact unless Microsoft announces them. Alas, we've yet to receive confirmation from Microsoft about Rocket Riot. Still, even Xbox.com states the game is out tomorrow (for 800), so we'd say it's probably a safe bet. Probably.%Gallery-20224%
Next Wednesday: Wallace & Gromit, Yosumin Live and Boggle
Major Nelson was authorized to break with tradition (due to the Memorial Day weekend) and has revealed next week's XBLA titles early. The arcade will finally be graced by Telltale's adventure title Wallace & Gromit, along with Yosumin Live and Boggle for Hasbro Family Game Night. All the titles mentioned will be 800 ($10) apiece.If paying $10 for Boggle next week seems a bit high, you can always search flea markets over the holiday weekend and find it for a couple bucks. There always seems to be a copy of Boggle at those things.%Gallery-39989%
This Wednesday: Zombie Wranglers, Arkanoid and Space Invaders
XBLA is up for another threefer this week, with Zombie Wranglers (no, really), Arkanoid Live and Space Invaders Extreme all hitting the service. Arkanoid Live and Space Invaders Extreme are both remakes of arcade classics, while Zombie Wranglers is a co-op game that tasks players with -- you guessed it -- wrangling zombies. All three games will be available this Wednesday for 800 ($10) each.If you'd rather nab Zombie Wranglers for free, developer Frozen Codebase is giving away five download codes on the official Zombie Wranglers Facebook page. Just leave a zombie survival tip on the wall to enter.%Gallery-34069%%Gallery-48663%%Gallery-50897%
This Wednesday: Castle Crashers DLC hitting XBLA
We've got new Castle Crashers DLC coming to Xbox Live Arcade this week for 160 ($2), according to Major Major Major Major (Nelson). As of this writing, no other details were available on his site nor on the Behemoth's blog, but we suspect it's probably the new characters and weapons we heard about in September. Sure, it's not technically a new title, but we'll let them slide this time. After all, it could be worse. As for the week after, you've got The Maw.
Wednesday This: Merv Griffin's Crosswords on XBLA
19 Across: Game that's fairly overpriced at 800 ($10).Answer: Merv Griffin's Crosswords, only available in the United States.Oh well, at least the price isn't totally insulting (see: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader's at 1200 ($15). Still, XBLA deserves better game show adaptations than this. Talk about ending a solid year of Arcade releases on a low note.
This Wednesday: XBLA enters Age of Booty
The Age of Booty begins this Wednesday as the plundering pirates RTS game joins XBLA for 800 ($10). The release date is in line with what Capcom had previously announced, which means the title should be available on PSN this Thursday and "shortly after" for PC. Taking a lesson from last week, this doesn't mean Age of Booty is the only release for XBLA this Wednesday. After Tenchu snuck in like a ninja at the eleventh hour, we're keeping an eye out whether any other games jump out of the shadows. En garde! %Gallery-18253%
This Wednesday: Feeding Frenzy 2, Domino Master drop on XBLA
Joystiq One-Step Style Guide: How to Feign ExcitementStep 1: Establish a reliance on excessive exclamation marksMicrosoft's Xbox Live Arcade service will feature two new titles this Wednesday!! Those with a clam-oring for aquatic morsels should note the appearance of Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown, an 800 whopper which features 60 new levels, couch co-op and the ability to jump out of the water and possibly over sharks!!!! It's joined by the similarly priced Domino Master, a fairly self-explanatory domino game boasting Mexican Train, All 3s, All 5s, Straight Dominos and Bergen modes!!! We hope it doesn't fall down online!!!!!! LOL!!!If neither of those float your cup of tea, there's a "1910" Ticket to Ride expansion (including 35 new destination tickets!!!) for 400!!!!!!!
This Wednesday: Samurai Showdown II, Rocket Bowl, Shotest Shogi hit XBLA [update]
It's another triple-threat (erm, make that treat) this week for Xbox Live Arcade connoisseurs. Debuting after the Virtual Console version, the classic Neo-Geo fighter, Samurai Shodown II, arrives at 400 ($5) [800 ($10)] and should be worth all 32 quarters if it's a carbon copy of the arcade / ridiculously expensive home version.Joining the sword-clashing samurai are Rocket Bowl, D3Publisher's absurd – yet interesting – take on bowling, and Shotest (not Shortest) Shogi, a prim-and-proper multiplayer version of the classic Japanese table game from Microsoft. They're both hitting at 800 ($10) each.Also prepped to pop up in the Marketplace are 1200 new puzzles for Buku Sudoku (200 / $2.50) and the second set of expansion levels for N+ (200 / $2.50).[Update: "Starting on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 Xbox Live members will have the opportunity to download Samurai Showdown II for 800. The game was previously listed incorrectly at 400, and we apologize for the error," reads an Xbox Press media alert.]%Gallery-31447%%Gallery-31450%%Gallery-31451%
This Wednesday: Galaga Legions invades XBLA
Caution: Do not look directly at the above screenshot. Doing so will result in your eyes melting. If you're still able to read this, it means that A) you don't just come to Joystiq to look at all the pretty pictures and B) you're also a good listener. Congratulations! It also means that you'll still be able to play the latest "Summer of Arcade" release, Galaga Legions, this Wednesday – provided you remember to wear welding goggles while doing so. This re-imagining of the classic coin-op shooter is the work of the same Namco-Bandai dev team responsible for Pac-Man Championship Edition, hence the hella-rad-neon-raver shader being employed. The full game will set you back 800 ($10). The requisite googles can be had for $11.99 from Amazon. %Gallery-29424%
This Wednesday: Rocketmen lands on XBLA
We knew that Rocketmen: Axis of Evil was arriving on Xbox Live Arcade this week, but we've just found out from Microsoft that it's the only game hitting the service this week. So it's Rocketmen or nothing, mister, and you're just going to have to deal with that.If you're unfamiliar, Capcom's Rocketmen appears to be sort of like Smash TV with some RPG elements mixed in. We'll find out on Wednesday how accurate of an assessment that is.%Gallery-2571%
Cyberball, Fatal Fury on XBLA next week, limited price drops this weekend
Eager to ditch the office for the last rays of summer sun, Microsoft has let loose word of next week's Xbox Live Arcade update a bit early. Ready for this...? A pair of Silver Age arcade ports: Cyberball 2072 (400 points): X3F calls it "football for nerds" where today's deficiencies are replaced with robots and the pigskin explodes. 2072 is the 1989 update to the original Atari game and is better known as Tournament Cyberball, which still captivates competitive circles of, um, nerds. Fatal Fury Special (400 points): Fatal Fury 2 with bells and whistles, namely some old fighters and playable bosses. As Garou Densetsu Special, the game became a huge hit in Japan for successfully transplanting Ryo Sakazaki (from sister franchise Art of Fighting) as a hidden character, laying the seed for SNK's The King of Fighters series. Nearly 15 years later, perhaps the innovation is lost on us. And for those in search of an alternative to the weekend's poolside barbecue, Microsoft has also announced a Labor Day XBLA sale, dropping Zuma and Small Arms from to 800 to 400 Microsoft Points, and Dig Dug and Gauntlet from 400 to 200 points. The sale begins at 5:00 PM PT on Saturday, Sept. 1st, and ends at 4:59 PM PT on Monday, Sept. 3rd. Nothing like half-priced underperformers, eh?
This Wednesday: Wing Commander Arena and Super Contra battle aliens on XBLA
Considering EA already let the Kilrathi out of the bag, it was no surprise that Wing Commander Arena was coming to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. A little less known was that Super Contra is also crashing the alien fighting party. Wing Commander Arena is the -- let's be delicate -- re-imagining of a Wing Commander game to work with the XBLA pew-pew bang-bang concept. Super Contra is the sequel to the original Contra. If you've ever played any Contra game then Super Contra should be familiar territory.Wing Commander Arena is apparently the first XBLA game to have 16 player support and will have four different game modes for 800 MS points ($10). It also appears extremely similar to the upcoming Battlestar Galactica XBLA game which we did actually get hands-on time with at E3. Super Contra is Super Contra, gamers will have one or two player local co-op or through Xbox Live for 400 MS points ($5). Players will be able to choose between original and "enhanced" graphics. Both games have 12 achievements to go with their 200 gamerscore point opportunity. Now can we pick up the conversation back at making a real Wing Commander game?%Gallery-5151%
This Wednesday: Missile Command defends XBLA
Prepare to defend the Earth (although it looks more like Arrakis) from those pesky aliens this 4th of July as Missile Command joins the graphically updated retro collection on Xbox Live Arcade. If you missed the '80s, the objective of Missile Command is to protect your cities from incoming bombardment. Missile Command is essentially a training program for what President Reagan's "Star Wars" program was supposed to be like.Missile Command will come in two flavors: retro and evolved. The retro version will feature the blocky glory of the original while the evolved version will look like what you see above (check out both in our gallery). The sweetness is that the game will only be 400 MS points ($5). Updated graphics in a retro game at a retro price? That's something worth defending.[Via Press Release]%Gallery-4480%
Root Beer Tapper brings non-alcoholic fun to XBLA
Not to be confused with the highly controversial and equally disturbing hunting sim, Rude Bear Trapper, this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than the classic study in bartending technique, Root Beer Tapper. Being the non-alcoholic version of 1983's Tapper, the game sees players tending to a bunch of surprisingly demanding bar patrons. Failure to deliver the beers, excuse us, root beers, to your dehydrated cowboy and football player patrons often results in a gross violation of personal space. Just imagine how rowdy the hard alcoholics must get!Appended to the Xbox 360 version of the game are the usual enhanced graphics, gamerscore points, online versus and co-op modes and, of course, a 400 point price ($5). Catch your mugs, tend your bars and tap your root beers this Wednesday at 1AM PST.
XBLA Wednesday, it's Dig Dug!
Many of you probably noticed that Scramble marked the last official title on the lineup for Live Arcade Wednesdays. We all wondered what, if anything, would come out this Wednesday, September 20th. No, it's not Small Arms. It's still pretty good, though. That's right, it's Dig Dug, Namco's classic, um, digging simulator. At this point, it's all but official, as Microsoft has added an official page for the game to Xbox.com with a release date of September 20th. Expect something official before then.[Via K1lla's Xbox Domain]
Pac-Man is out, boyeeee!
Pac-Man, Namco's seminal arcade hit, is now available on Marketplace. The full game can be purchased for the Midnight Madness price of 400 points. It's...um...well, it's Pac-Man. What more is there to say? Go get it.
