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Ska Studios' Charlie Murder media blitz, Twisted Pixel buy-out prank
Ska Studios' next title is a gory RPG-dungeon-crawler punk-fest called Charlie Murder, and we have the first trailer available for the pleasure of your eyeballs and earballs above. Charlie Murder has a brand new website that developer Ska Studio promises to update with bios, wallpapers and music in the near future; for now it features a hefty batch of shiny screens.In related Ska news, the studio's April Fools' joke materialized in a post about it being bought out by Twisted Pixel for a jet ski, in order to offset the number of fancy dinners Twisted Pixel ends up buying Ska at PAX.In related related ska news, this.
Dragon's Lair landing on XBLA with Kinect support, lets you act out your princess-saving fantasies
The 1983 laserdisc classic Dragon's Lair is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade. That much we knew. What has us excited is that it'll come with a new control scheme, one that relies not on well-timed button mashing, but well-timed body flailing. That's right, whenever it does make its way to virtual shelves, the updated playable cartoon will sport Kinect support. Now, instead of making sure you press the button (yes, the one and only button) or flick the joystick in the right direction, you can mime sword swipes and swing from imaginary ropes. We can hardly wait. One more screen shot after the break.
Taste Sine Mora's fireworks of destruction in the launch trailer
Take a look at all the pretty things in Sine Mora ... and then see them get shot at until they explode in this launch trailer! Huzzah!
I Am Alive review: Do not resuscitate
Somewhere along the way, development of I Am Alive took a sharp turn. It shifted from a full retail release to a condensed downloadable title. Development was ripped out of the hands of one (now defunct) developer and given to another. The character and his backstory were changed. Even the setting was altered. It almost seemed that, like I Am Alive's protagonist, Ubisoft was attempting to pull itself out of a terrible disaster. Core ideas that exist in I Am Alive show an exceptional amount of promise, but the title shows its hand far too quickly, running out of captivating tricks within the first few hours.%Gallery-145458%
Wreckateer smashing up XBLA this spring, and it's totally your fault
Ever since you stormed -- and consequently destroyed -- your first sandcastle, you've relished the perverse joy in the destruction of inconsequential structures. And for you, oddly specific sufferer, Iron Galaxy Studios is crafting a great outlet for that particular fetish with Wreckateer. First revealed by various international rating associations, Wreckateer was finally officially announced last week during a San Francisco press event.Heading to Xbox Live Arcade exclusively, Wreckateer employs Kinect as the sole controller and represents players in-game with their XBL Avatar. Players grab rocks of various types in a ballista (read: extra large slingshot), step back to take aim, and let loose to take down castles in as few shots as possible. "When we originally pitched it, we pitched as Angry Birds meets Boom Blox with some Burnout Crash Mode sprinkled in," Iron Galaxy's Dave Lang told us during a recent demo.The latter part of his description plays out in mid-air, as the ball hurtles toward said castle -- players can add English to the ball or alter its trajectory by waving their hands, and some ammo types allow for other effects. One such ball splits into three separate, smaller balls attached by a string, allowing for bigger point chains and higher scores. At its core, Wreckateer is a high score game based around a singular, effective concept: throwing rocks at stuff. Microsoft Studios is publishing the game, and it's expected some time in "Spring 2012." So, like, soon.
Trials Evolution date spotted on Xbox.com, backflips out of sight
Trials Evolution, the next installment in the addictive time-trial franchise from developer RedLynx, may be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade on April 18, if an Xbox Live Marketplace listing is to be believed.Discovered by the folks at Eurogamer, the listing for Trials Evolution (now pulled, but captured above) originally listed the April release before disintegrating into nothingness -- like our chances of reaching the top of the Trials HD leaderboards. As the leaked date falls on a Wednesday, it would follow Microsoft's typical release schedule for the Xbox Live Arcade.Joystiq has contacted Ubisoft, parent company of the Finnish developer, to find out if they're ready to spill the beans on a release date. We just can't wait to scream at our televisions for fudging up our balance ... again and again.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 details sneak out via XBLM listing
Oh you crazy, crazy marketers, what with your inability to line up announcement times and what have you. Adorable, we say! For instance, Sega's big reveal of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 probably wasn't intended for as inauspicious a venue as the Xbox Live Marketplace, but here we are with a whole mess of new screens and several new details about the game itself. A-dorable.Anyway, according to the Xbox Live Marketplace listing, Sonic 4 Episode 2 will feature online and offline co-op play with Tails, all set in an "all new game engine" with updated physics. The blurb further promises "four brand new Zones" and a "new special stage." From the shots that were released thus far, it's looking like Sonic and Tails should pack an extra pair of snow boots!%Gallery-147686%
Skulls of the Shogun starts strategizing this fall
Skulls of the Shogun has been teasing us with cartoonish, captivating strategy since 2010, and as its previous release window of "early 2012" is rapidly passing us by, we can finally take heart in some solid news. Developer Haunted Temple Studios says it's "pretty confident" that Skulls of the Shogun will launch on XBLA in the fall.Haunted Temple has been busy adding "a couple very cool features" and "a new platform," it says in response to a fan's inquiry on Facebook, and we can expect an official announcement with more information in the coming weeks.
Alan Wake's American Nightmare illuminated in latest dev diary
When Alan Wake makes his second appearance on the Xbox 360 this year in Alan Wake's American Nightmare, he's bringing more than just his flair for writing and a new set of clothes to the fight. He'll have ... umm ... a nail gun, too!
Sanctum 2 defends PC, consoles in 2013
Sanctum 2, the sequel to Coffee Stain Studios' hybrid tower defense and first-person co-op shooter, is expected to launch sometime next year Joystiq can exclusively reveal. The first Sanctum, which has sold over 300,000 units on Steam, was a PC-exclusive title. The sequel is planned for PC and "digital console platforms," with Xbox Live and PSN specifically mentioned."Sanctum has been a huge success on Steam for Coffee Stain Studios, and bringing the next version to console players as well as the PC market is a great next step to share this unique experience," said Ted Lange, executive producer for Reverb Publishing. "We all have logged quite a few hours with Sanctum and can definitively say that what Coffee Stain has in store for Sanctum 2 will blow the minds of Sanctum fans and new gamers alike."Beyond revealing the title to us, along with a release year, details are still tight on Sanctum 2. Doug Kennedy, CEO of Reverb Publishing, told us, "The team is diligently working to get the title ready."Update: After receiving updated information, altered 2012 launch window to 2013.Update 2: Sanctum is $3.39 on Steam today.
Report: XBLA prices rising (slowly), Summer of Arcade review scores dropping
XBLA Fans has done an exhaustive analysis of Xbox Live Arcade sales, Metacritic scores, and trends over the past few years in a four-part writeup. The most interesting finding in the article, in our estimation, is how the perception of rising prices squares with reality. Yes, there are more 1200 point ($15) games being released on the service as compared to previous years, but there are more 800 point ($10) games coming out as well, and there are more of those than $15 games. The average is rising overall, but it hasn't yet reached the 1200 point mark, even if that price is being assigned to some of the more high profile (and high quality) games on the service.The quality of the Summer of Arcade, on the other hand, is dropping overall, according to the average price and Metacritic score. In 2008, the first year the promotion existed, the games had an average Metacritic score of 84.8, with an average price of 960 points. This past year, however, the Metacritic score dropped to 78.8 (which still isn't too bad), but the average price was at 1120. This is purely mathematical, remember: The games are probably more complex these days, which allows Microsoft to set a higher price, and reviews on any site are subjective.Finally, XBLA Fans found 73% of titles on XBLA have gone on sale within their first year, though many of the games on XBLA were only on sale for a day or so. That means that patient XBLA buyers can save a lot of money, if they pay attention and move quickly. There are a few other interesting conclusions in the analysis as a whole, and lots of insight on how Microsoft's Arcade has developed over the past few years.
Gotham City Impostors plays dress-up starting Feb. 7
Gotham City Impostors is launching February 7 on North American PSN and PCs everywhere, and on February 8 for Xbox Live and PSNs across the globe. If you can't play it on the first release day, don't feel too bad -- it just means those systems and regions are better at lying, cheating and ensnaring the Batman.
PSA: Double Fine's Happy Action Theater available now
Given the joyous nature of Double Fine's latest, we figured a friendly reminder was in order. Happy Action Theater is now available on Xbox Live, reining in 18 different Kinect mini-games and supporting up to six simultaneous players. You can pick up your ticket (it's a theater, get it?) for $10.
5th Cell's third-person ceiling shooter Hybrid arrives this summer
After pushing back its crazy shooter concept, Hybrid, to a 2012 launch window, Scrriblenauts dev 5th Cell is once more ready to talk about the forthcoming Xbox Live Arcade game. First things first: Hybrid is now scheduled for a summer 2012 launch window. Hooray!Moreover, 5th Cell is promising a variety of major updates as a result of the delay time. Said promises include locking the shooter's framerate at 60FPS, a redesigned look, and a new twist on the in-air movement. Take a look at the improvements with the latest media straight from 5th Cell, above and below.%Gallery-146069%
Commandeering Anomaly Warzone Earth on Xbox Live Arcade
We've read the books, we've seen the TV shows and celebrated the films. Whether it's a skirmish with the neighborhood bullies or full-on worldwide war, everyone knows that you need to have a Keanu Reeves-type person on your side if you hope to win.Yes, that's from South Park, but it doesn't make it any less true. And in the Xbox Live Arcade port of Anomaly Warzone Earth, everything rests on the shoulders of one man: the commander.%Gallery-141838%
PEGI: Silent Hill 2 and 3 separated from HD Collection on XBLA and PSN
The Silent Hill HD Collection is set to launch for retailers on March 6, containing remastered versions of Silent Hill 2 and 3 on a single disc, in the same distribution pattern as the Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders collections -- that much we knew. But new PEGI ratings suggest Konami also plans to release Silent Hill 2 HD and Silent Hill 3 HD separately, most likely through XBLA and PSN, just as it did with the previous collections.March is Silent Hill madness month, with the HD Collection hitting March 6, Silent Hill: Downpour on March 13, and the Vita's Book of Memories on March 27.
Dead Island 'Ryder White' DLC drops a video bomb on your loved ones
One thing we know Dead Island is extraordinarily good at is its trailers. The latest undead reel, seen above, explains the coming military-based, accented Ryder White DLC, hitting North America's XBLA and PSN January 31 for $9.99 (800 MS Points), and Europe on February 1 for £7.99.
Deadlight first details: The meaning of 1986
1986 marked a legendary era in humanity's astronomical focus. Russia launched the Mir space station, Halley's Comet lit up Earth's February skies, the Antarctic ozone hole came under intense scrutiny, and America's Challenger space shuttle exploded in a fiery cloud 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven of the astronauts on board in clear view of their family, friends and the world.1986 is also the era that Tequila Works' chose for its upcoming horror-puzzle platformer (coming to XBLA this summer), Deadlight. The two aspects could be completely unrelated, of course, if Tequila Works CEO and creative director Raul Rubio hadn't gone out of his way to mention the astronomical significance of the year to Deadlight's larger, seemingly robust story in an interview with Joystiq."The choice of the time frame was not random at all," Rubio said. "If you think about it, 1986 was the year that had a lot of lunar events. And if you put that with movies like First Blood or Day of the Dead, it's a strange mix and you can get a unique visual."Rambo: First Blood and Day of the Dead both came out in the '80s, one as a hyperbolic action film and the other a zombie cult classic, and Deadlight draws on both of these tropes in a unique way, Rubio told us.%Gallery-145241%
XBLA House Party kicks off on Feb. 15 with Warp
We knew that Warp, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive would be participating in Microsoft's 2012 Xbox Live Arcade House Party promo, and we knew that the party would start on February 15, but we didn't have a clue as to how the specifics of the boogeying would progress. Today, Microsoft revealed that Warp will be the party's first attendee, arriving on February 15 for the nice price of 800 MS Points ($10), followed up in the proceeding three weeks by Alan Wake's American sojourn, the almost-but-not-quite-Quake multiplayer shooter Nexuiz, and one man's journey through the depths of human survival in I Am Alive.Like Warp, Nexuiz will only cost 800 MS Points ($10), while the other two titles will run 1200 MS Points a pop ($15). As always with these XBLA promos, Microsoft is offering an extra 800 free MS Points to anyone who grabs all four games within a defined time period (between Feb. 15 and Mar. 13 in this case). As for what to do with those extra points ... well, might we suggest hanging onto it for the upcoming launch of Fez? 'Cause that's totally what we're doing.
Get behind Trials Evolution's multiplayer handlebars, thanks to Inside Xbox
Wondering how Trials Evolution's multiplayer mode plays out? Based on the latest gameplay video from developer RedLynx and publisher Microsoft Studios, it's not the disaster of physics we envisioned.
