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This Wednesday: Meteos Wars will PowerUp Forever on XBLA
Namco-Bandai's latest XBLA release asks that you not power up for a bit, or even for a decent amount of time, but forever. That sounds like quite a time investment, but at least you should get a good gameplay return on your 800 ($10) investment in PowerUp Forever (shown). It's a shooter with randomly generated levels, from the folks (Blitz Games) that brought the world ... Sneak King.As we posted earlier today – and Microsoft has now confirmed – this Wednesday's second Live Arcade newcomer will be Q Entertainment's fab-o puzzler, Meteos Wars. Well, it was neat on the DS using stylus control; how exactly it will translate to a boring ol' console controller remains to be seen. But that's why there are trial versions, right? Upgrading to the full version of the game will cost you 800 ($10).Source: Gamerscore Blog: Meteos WarsSource: Gamerscore Blog: PowerUp Forever%Gallery-20735%%Gallery-30632%
Q Entertainment: Meteos Wars showers XBLA this Wednesday
A peek behind the scenes at Joystiq: every Monday, Microsoft releases the name of this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade title. Sometimes, the game's publisher/developer drops that name early and sometimes – by virtue of what we can only imagine is a byzantine tangle of marketing and certification – that information is wrong. We're not saying Q Entertainment's Xbox Live Arcade release of Meteos Wars isn't coming out on Wednesday – after all, the website right here assures us that it is – but we are saying this: It's not official until Microsoft says so. (The more astute amongst you may recall that Q told us back in August to expect the block puzzler in October and look where that got us.)If the stars align, expect Meteos Wars to cleave the heavens this Wednesday for 800 (that's $10 Earth bucks).[Update: Microsoft has officially announced Meteos Wars as part of this week's XBLA release lineup.]%Gallery-30632%
This Wednesday: Bird, bear, backpack join forces on XBLA
This Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade update will finally deliver the spruced-up N64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie. After experiencing a brief delay, fans of the backpack-packing bear from Rare will be able dive headfirst into nostalgia, once again transforming into compulsive note-collecting maniacs. It happens to the best of us.Aside from notes, tokens and jiggies, this version also requires one other collectible: Microsoft Points. You'll need 1,200 of them to proceed beyond the trial version.
This Wednesday: Something burrowed, something blue, something old, nothing new on XBLA
As expected, a trio of new, er, old games has joined the Arcade Hits lineup as part of this week's Xbox Live Arcade update: Worms (something burrowed), Feeding Frenzy (something blue) and Ultimate MK3 (something, well, old). Each game has been discounted to 400 ($5). And, as you may have gathered from the headline (if you made it to the end), there are no new releases on XBLA this week, ending a 26-week release streak that began on May 7th (according to our stat boy's research*). Perhaps the hiatus is intended to build anticipation for ... something big? (Our best guess: We're in store for "something giant," as in the Giant Avatar game, A Kingdom for Keflings -- NXE is just one week away!) *If we got that wrong, blame the intern! Update: CarpeD1em500 brings up a good point. If you pre-ordered Nuts & Bolts you may have received a download code for Banjo-Kazooie on XBLA, which is available to you now. The game should be released to the public on or around November 26th. And, oh! We almost forgot: The Street Fighter "table" is also available for Pinball FX today!
This Wednesday: XBLA has Vigilante 8 on its plate
Should Election Day not turn out the way you wanted, might we suggest some massive automotive carnage to vent your frustration? (In a video game, of course.)Activision is finally rolling Vigilante 8: Arcade out of the garage this Wednesday, eight years after the last game in the car combat series, Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense, appeared on PlayStation, N64, and Dreamcast. This new XBLA release, in all its I'm-not-Twisted-Metal-no-seriously-ness, supports up to eight players via Live and will set you back a couple gallons of regular unleaded at 800 ($10).Now that V8: Arcade is on Live, dare we wish for a little ... Star Wars: Demolition? No, probably best not to.%Gallery-35960%
This Wednesday: Prove you're smarter than a 5th grader on XBLA
Given the volume of f-bombs and uninformed hate speech overheard during, oh, every game played over Xbox Live ever, we have to question if some of the service's subscribers aren't actually 5th graders. Anyway.You can prove yourself better – and smarter – than them on Wednesday, when THQ and Blitz Arcade launch Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Make the Grade on XBLA. The quiz game will be priced at 1200 ($15). Failing to prove you're smarter than a 5th grader will cost you your pride.This week's Arcade update also includes a new multiplayer map for Marble Blast Ultra (including its own Achievement) for the low, low price of nothing. (It's free!)
Next Wednesday: 'Portal: Still Alive' transports onto XBLA
(Note to self: Must avoid Portal clichés. Must avoid Portal clichés!)Microsoft announced today that Portal: Still Alive will bend reality on XBLA beginning next Wednesday, October 22nd. The title includes the original Aperture Science adventure (Joystiq's GOTY 2007), along with 14 new "exclusive" challenge maps and six advanced maps, complete with new Achievements. So, you can have your cake and eat it, too. (Damn.) We've contacted Microsoft about a price for the game. Major Nelson tells us the game will be 1200 ($15).This isn't to say Portal: Still Alive is the only title coming next week to XBLA. The previous two weeks have had additional games announced on Wednesday.Source - Announcement [Gamerscore News]Source - Portal: Still Alive Achievements [Gamerscore Blog]
(Also) This Wednesday: Crazy Mouse
We had a feeling Microsoft had another surprise up its sleeve today. And sure enough, Crazy Mouse has come scurrying out of some tiny crack in the XBLA pipeline and into your livingroom for 400 ($5). Judging from the screen above, it's clear that this game is, uh, well, we actually haven't a clue. But dag, Player 1 is sure getting whooped by the computer! (Clearly, not even the folks in charge of assets had any idea how to play.)According to its Xbox.com profile, Crazy Mouse is "the first original Xbox Live Arcade title from mainland China." Yay?
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%
(Also) This Wednesday: Tenchu: Shadow Assault and Beat'n Groovy on XBLA
As if it wasn't enough to get the chance to spend today playing a fake game of big-head stickball, Microsoft is adding two -- count 'em, two -- additional games to the XBLA service today. First up is Tenchu: Shadow Assault, a multiplayer ninja game of some sort based on FROM Software's long-running series. Just like a ninja itself, this game really came out of nowhere, and could quite possibly kill you in your sleep.The second, Beat'n Groovy, looks like Konami's long-running Japanese series Pop'n Music, but, against all odds, has an even worse name. You can pick them both up for 800 points ($10).Source -- Arcade: Shadow Assault/Tenchu [Major Nelson]Source -- Arcade: Beat'n Groovy [Major Nelson]
This Wednesday: MLB Stickball on XBLA
It's October and many of you are still reeling from late-season collapses (hey Mets!) or more recent ones (was it the curse?). But a few of us have waited fifteen years to feel this high heading into the league championship series (and happily distracted from the Eagles' sinking record), and what better way to align our collective karma than to play a game of stickball? No, no, not actual stickball (by all means, stay seated), but 2K Sports new Xbox Live Arcade game-cum-reliable-prediction-simulator MLB Stickball (800 / $10), featuring 120 players from all 30 teams.So head out to the back-alley ballpark, Dodgers vs. Phillies, and see to it the right team wins. Seriously people: Don't. Jinx. Anything!Update: Two additional games coming this Wednesday! %Gallery-33818%
This Wednesday: XBLA winds up in War World (with Mega Man 9)
This Wednesday sees a sole new Xbox Live Arcade release in the form of War World, a third-person shooter set in a typically mech-infested milieu. Aside from an assortment of bipedal tanks, War World offers players a 100-level single-player campaign, four multiplayer modes (deathmatch, CTF, etcetera) and best of all, "normal mapped diffuse and specular lighting," in exchange for 800 ($10).It's also a much better deal than developer Third Wave Games' previous title, Peace World, which pretty much everyone found to be a boring, unrealistic and touchy-feely affair.Update: Oops! We forgot about Mega Man 9. We just assumed you'd purchased it on a system with a functional d-pad.
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: XBLA dodges balls, plays cards and ... shreds nebulas?
We don't even know what that means, honestly. What you just read is the nonsensical result of Microsoft deciding to unleash three thematically varied games on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday. How are we supposed to tie a space shooter, a card game and a meme-based dodgeball game into a coherent headline? Oh, and just wait till you get to the part where we explain what each game entails. Here we go: The showdown between pirates and ninjas (also, robots and zombies) begins in earnest with the release of Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, a lighthearted celebration of long-dead cultures and non-fatal projectiles. The game and its 8-player online matches can be had for 800 ($10). Similarly priced is Shred Nebula, which immediately defies expectations by being utterly devoid of guitar-playing space clouds. In fact, it offers "deep multiplayer space combat" for up to eight players online, along with Adventure, Score Attack and Deathmatch modes. Finally, there's the online-capable and sufficiently self-explanatory Gin Rummy for 400 ($5). That about does it for this paragraph. %Gallery-5856% Gallery: Shred Nebula (XBLA)
This Wednesday: Castle Crashers (finally!) hits XBLA
Well, it's about time. Also: woo! Finished back in May, the colossally anticipated four-player slash-'em-up, Castle Crashers, is set to crash XBL's download servers this Wednesday. We're sure that The Behemoth is happy, gamers are happy, and we can't tell you how happy we are to finally be able to write this particular XBLA Wednesday post.The act of comically crashing castles will run you 1,200 ($15), but from the time we've already spent with the game, it will be worth every last . So, just about 48 hours until we can get to unlocking those hidden characters. And don't forget, if you've already bought The Behemoth's first XBLA offering, Alien Hominid, you'll get an insta-unlock of ... the Alien Hominid. As Miracle Max might say, "Have fun crashin' da castles!"
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: Bionic Commando Rearmed, Fable 2's casino sidearm
Part 3 of the exciting five-part XBLAugust series, in which our heroes now throw aside their time warping abilities and receive an implanted bionic arm for swinging around and shooting non-Hitlers into oblivion. If you wish to enlist into Bionic Commando Rearmed on Xbox Live this Wednesday, you're going to have to shell out 800 MS points (US $10). PC and non-Euro PlayStation 3 owners will also get their BCR fix this week, although those who favor the keyboard and mouse will pay a $5 premium. Also coming out this week is Fable 2's XBLA gambling counterpart Pub Games, which will let you earn money now before the game's October 21 release. Entry fee to ye olde casino is 800 MS points (US $10), or free if you pre-order Fable 2 at a participating retailer. %Gallery-14181%
This Wednesday: Braid makes timely arrival on XBLA
This Wednesday marks the opportunity to become a tie-wearing time traveler in Jonathan Blow's Braid, an "artful puzzle-platformer" and the next volley in Microsoft's all-out August Arcade assault. You'll traverse multiple worlds as you search for a princess (yes, the abducted kind) and wrap your mind around various instances of time behaving badly -- that includes rewinding, time streams, parallel realities, time dilation and "perhaps more."Oh, and you'll be wanting to know the price of all this. Well, we hate to rain on your Braid, but despite Microsoft's earlier denial, the game will indeed cost 1200 ($15).%Gallery-5074%
This Wednesday (today, we mean): Geometry Wars 2
Wow, how long have we waited to write that headline? 100 years? 150? Even now as the momentous day has arrived, it still puzzles us that we had to wait so long for the reigning king of dual-stick shooters to return to us. C'mon guys, you just bump all the sliders from 8 to 10, it's not rocket science. In case you've forgotten, your 800 point purchase is going to net you a "remixed" version of the first game and five new modes: Waves, Pacifism, King, Deadline and Sequence. Also: 4-player multiplayer locally. Now, seriously ... what are you still doing reading this? Gallery: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
This Wednesday: Go! Go! Break Steady and 1942 jointly strike XBLA
Capcom continues its retro revival on XBLA this Wednesday with the release of 1942: Joint Strike. Developed by Backbone Entertainment (Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and the upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix), the game is a classic two-player, top-down shooter set against the backdrop of an alternate WWII where laser cannons and building-sized tanks are commonplace. It's landing at 800 MS points ($10). Go! Go! Break Steady is a rhythm puzzle game set against the backdrop of an alternate WWII– er, actually it's a breakdancing themed puzzler from indie dev Little Boy Games. We first checked out this XNA-to-XBLA success story at GDC '08. You can pop and/or lock to your heart's content for 800 MS points ($10). If you don't care for the trial game, you can always use the $10 to support your local youth center, which was likely saved by breakdancers in the '80s. %Gallery-18258% %Gallery-16353%
