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Totem Balls: Most phallic title under the sun
Somebody finally fixed the lighting at Microsoft's Totem Balls kiosk, allowing XBLA fans to get their first taste of gesture-based gameplay with the 360 Camera. Unfortunately, the experience isn't as intuitive as it should be and after about two minutes of flapping my arms under a heat lamp, it dawned on me that Totem Balls is a weirdly phallic name for a game aimed at little kids, or anyone else for that matter (The mere fact it took me two days to notice that transparent fact should indicate that I'm not as low-brow as everybody thinks).
Vista in-box games get an upgrade
After years without an update, the classic time-wasters that come included with Windows are finally getting an upgrade thanks to Microsoft Casual Games division. I checked out the Vista versions of Solitaire (perhaps the most casual game of all) MineSweeper, Hearts, Majong Titans, Chess Titans, Inkball. All have recieved a graphical facelift befitting Vista's Apple-ish look. There's also a new 3-in-1 game aimed at kids called Purple Place that looks particularly suited to Xbox Live Arcade. I jokingly inquired about integration with XBLA, and was told that pipe dream was quickly scrapped in favor of boring corporate compliance. Not that Solitaire has much multi-player potential anyway. In fact the Vista in-box games won't be included in some business versions, a smart move if you want your people to get any work done. Another example of how your employees could be spending their productive hours after the jump.
Uno theme decks on the way
I had a quick chat with Joshua Howard of Microsoft Casual Games, project manager for Uno, Totem Balls and Lumines, not to mention the revised in-box games (think Solitaire, FreeCell) that will be included with Windows Vista. According to man behind the wild cards, downloadable theme decks are headed to XBLM, starting with a replica of the 35th Anniversary deck that Mattel is selling in stores. Most of the theme decks will be based on first party MS titles like Kameo and will cost you a few MS points, although the possibility exists for sponsored editions. You don't have to own a theme deck to see it when you're playing a friend who does. Josh talked up Mattel's enthusiasm for Xbox Live Arcade, which bodes well for future possibilities involving their trademarks. The gamercard pictures you see in the screenshot above are where the video chat windows will go when the 360 camera is released. Apparently, getting the space to re-size properly was a real pain in the ass. By the way, if you want to go mano y mano with the Uno dude, Josh's gamertag is rather low key: joshuah.
Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade
Peter Moore just announced that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's formerly PS(P and 2)-exclusive title, Lumines, is heading to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of Lumines Live. What's new? The music-heavy title will feature Warner Music Group's content integrated into the game. Their example showed a Madonna video playing behind the game. Sony got to borrow some XBL action, all Microsoft's doing is playing catch-up.
GarageGames hints at Virtual Console content
In an interview with Little Mathletics, one of GarageGames' promoters was tasked with answering a question regarding the indie developer's involvement with Nintendo's Virtual Console service. Like any good promoter, Jay Moore gives a wishy-washy answer that could just as easily be interpreted as a not-so-subtle hint.Q: Now that Satoru Iwata from Nintendo has essentially confirmed that the Revolution will feature original content on their download service, do you see yourself establishing the same kind of relationship with them?A: We've always said we'll be everywhere there is an opportunity to bring fun games to players with our tools and our games. I can neither confirm or deny any relationship with Nintendo or why GarageGames booth was right next to the Nintendo Gamers Lounge at GDC. Games like Marble Blast Ultra and Geometry Wars (developed by Bizarre Creations) have made the Xbox Live Arcade service an extremely appealing hub for smaller and often addictive games. Combining them with Nintendo's proven classics on the Virtual Console is sure to be deadly. [Via Revo DS-x2]
Saturn Bomberman being evaluated for XBL Arcade
According to comments made by a Hudson online marketing manager to 1UP, Saturn Bomberman — considered by many to be the best version of Bomberman and one of the greatest multiplayer titles of all time — is "under evaluation" for Xbox Live Arcade. The original Sega Saturn game featured a frantic 10-player Battle mode that would likely be a huge draw for 360 owners looking for a simple, but addictive multiplayer experience. Let's hope the evaluation process comes to that same conclusion.
