That's right, Mr. Driller Online is now patched! After the disastrous launch of the game - where playing an online game was absolutely impossible to do and could not have been more broken if it tried, has now been patched. And according to NeoGAFfer Jonnyram - online play now works without a hitch!
Have you been thinking lately "Gee, whatever did happen to Feeding Frenzy 2? It was shown back at E3 2007. Has it gone missing like Ubisoft's War World?" Well worry no more! We have an update!
On another note, the USK has also updated with another interesting game title - Fable 2 Pub Games! The Fable 2 Pub Games have been announced before - as Keystone, Magic Tower, and Wizard's Tower but it was not specified if they would release each game separately or bundled as a single game. Looks like they are!
Looks like Microsoft may be amping up the release schedule. Previously Sierra's Aces Of the Galaxy was thought that it might reach here on the 11th of June, but now it seems that it's joining Roogoo for a two-fer week!
With the release of Buku Sudoku this week, I was given the chance to ask Ben Moy, the designer of the game, some questions on not just how the game works, but also some interesting insight on how Microsoft deals with Live Arcade titles, and what they've been up to since the announcement of the game back at E3 2007. Read on!What games had you worked on before Buku Sudoku?To check out some new images of Buku Sudoku, click here!
This list is quite long, having done evaluation, testing, localization, production and design, but to name a few, and more recent ones where I was the lead Producer: Disoku Apprentice, Disoku Master (Disney Sudoku PC), Triple Threat Pinball (Cartoon Network PC), Buku Kakuro PC, Buku Sudoku PC, and LASR (PC Racing).
How many people are on the Buku Sudoku team, and how long have you worked on this project?
A lot of people touch a project over 2.5 years, but I would describe the core team as 5 people, with A LOT more deservedly making it onto the credits pages, pages being very plural, especially from Microsoft and VMC.
What is the meaning of Buku? Why did you choose it?
With a rhyme, Buku was partially a phonetic joke on the French "beaucoup," meaning many, or a lot. With irreverent humor being pretty big around the office, it was sort of a dig at where many of Merscom had been born and raised, North Carolina, and the south. Think Jeff Foxworthy. It resonated with our fun/funny bone and Buku Sudoku was born.
A version of Buku Sudoku was released for the PC and Macintosh a few years ago - how have you expanded on the concept laid down by the original?
I don't want to write a tome on the specifics here, cause there is a HUGE difference, so this is a general answer and you can ask specifics if need be. The main difference is that Buku Sudoku 360, the working title, was designed with the 360 in mind. That means HD graphics, powerful animations, assorted complex and simple controllers, couch and LIVE multiplayer (these were even combined), achievements, leaderboards, DLC, and a greater range of gamers, allowing us to cram in TONS of customizability. We drilled down into how each of these facets of the 360 would allow us to provide a visually, aurally, and functionally wonderful and unique Sudoku experience to 360 owners, and I'm proud of the result. The PC version taught us the algorithms for puzzles and gave us credibility with Microsoft, but Buku Sudoku 360 is effectively a completely new project.This game includes 1,200 different Sudoku puzzles - what puzzle sizes are available and how does a player select each puzzle?
You've got 3 difficulty categories based on the techniques needed to solve them, easy, medium, and hard. Then you have 4 grid sizes, 6x6, 8x8, 9x9, and 12x12. There are 100 puzzles available for each combination, totaling 1200 puzzles. More packs of 1200 puzzles will be up with gamer pics, and dashboard themes for a really affordable price, especially compared to books, I want to say 150MP for 1200 puzzles plus more.
Buku Sudoku supports multiple controller schemes - how do you deal with selecting a numbers on a standard control scheme and which other controllers do you support?
At the beginning of the design, I'd say the main focus was on how to bring this pen and paper game to the controller beneficially. Essentially, there are 2 base schemes, simple and advanced. Advanced is faster than paper, and you can even select any number with your eyes closed (not that this necessity is likely to ever arise). In both cases, the player moves the field cursor using the left stick or d-pad, and the number selection cursor is manipulated with the right stick. The key difference is how the number cursor moves. In simple, the cursor, and here's insight into the customizability I mentioned before, the cursor is displayed in a panel on the left, and/or in the cell itself, and the layout of the numbers can be changed from a keyboard numpad layout to a telephone keypad layout, this cursor moves in the direction the right stick is held in. Then the player uses the face buttons to enter in a Pen or toggle the Pencil mark for that cell.
In advanced, the cursor auto centers, acting like an 8-way analogue aiming device, with the cursor snapping to the closest value while the right stick is being pointed. Then pulling the triggers enters the selected number as a Pen or Pencil. Not pointing RS and pulling a trigger enters a 5, and pointing RS straight down and pulling a trigger enters a 2 (keyboard layout). In addition to the simple scheme being good for players still getting used to 360 controls, the panel also offers more options, like a horizontal or vertical cyclical layout that requires just 2 directions to change the selected number.
While it may sound a little complex, either scheme is understandable with just trying to play 1 game. And in addition to all these options, we also offer left and right one-handed schemes, support of the BBC (Big Button Controller), any of the Xbox360 DVD Remotes, and even the Dance Pad.How do the leaderboards work for this game?
There are multiple leaderboards supported, with a wins ordered board for competitive/ranked multiplayer modes, and the other boards being different totals of Buku Points ~ points that are earned across the whole game in every puzzle solving mode, single player and multiplayer.
How do the different multiplayer and cooperative modes work?
There are 4 multiplayer modes, each offering the same selection of puzzles, grid sizes, and difficulties in the single player experience. First there is local multiplayer, for 2-4 players where each can have their own controller settings. Then there is LIVE co-op, for 2-4 players with the possibility to bring local players signed in as Guests online too. Both co-op modes have players working on the same screen, same puzzle. Guests can also be brought online for Team VS, for symmetric or asymmetric teams, 2-8 players total, where the goal is to be the first team to solve the puzzle. The last mode is Duel, where it's 1v1 and filling in a group (row, column, or box) will delete one random lone cell from the other players board. Completed groups have their cells protected. Clever players will find different strategies and counter strategies here and in this next point: there is one more twist to the competitive modes, a mini-map of the other side's puzzle progress is shown, allowing you to see their progress and where they're filling things in.
Any plans for Downloadable Content, and if so how will it expand on an already large product?
DLC is ready for puzzle packs coupled with gamer pictures or a dashboard theme. These packs have 1200 new puzzles. There is also the possibility of more puzzle environments or custom packs, think symmetry or even harder difficulties.
The game was shown way back in the E3 2007 Microsoft Conference during the Xbox Live Arcade montage, and was one of the three game not yet released (the others being Feeding Frenzy 2 and War World). Has the game been in the waiting queue for some time, being pushed back due to other more high profile releases?
The queue wasn't an issue in the long development cycle. It was more a mutual quest for polish and quality. QA for the full featured Xbox360, stuff like Join in Progress, Memory Card behavior, or even that description that tells you exactly what your friends are doing ingame, requires many iterations to get perfect in every instance imaginable, because when you have millions and millions of users, they manage to perform some very very odd combinations of actions to produce obscure bugs. I'm impressed with Microsoft's adamant quest to provide users with the most solid experience possible. Microsoft was integral for focus testing the different controls, as well as other aspects of the game post-E3 as well.The Xbox Live Group has been known to be very picky with what can come to the Xbox Live Arcade. What was the process for bringing Buku Sudoku to the service, and were there any difficulties getting there?
Initially, when we started to talking to Microsoft they had 5 or 6 proposals for Sudoku from other publishers, including some of the really big ones. The portfolio manager at the time, however, really wanted something other than a basic Sudoku game (think GO Sudoku) and was impressed with the depth of our proposal, especially what I put together for multi-player. Fortunately, they ended up choosing Buku as the exclusive Sudoku title for XBLA. Of course, that was just the beginning. Microsoft understands the importance of an iterative process to get everything just right. Unfortunately, this can also lead to basically scrapping whole game features. Things that came and went included completely different menu schemes and graphics, game themes, grid sizes, multiplayer modes, USB keyboard support, more puzzle options and more customizability (if you can imagine that. There's already so much). Hopefully, some of this will make it into DLC.
Have you seen Sudoku puzzles in your sleep? Just how sick are you now of Sudoku?
I've dreamed about riding zerg overlords through painted landscapes, walking the desolation of the Fallout universe, and co-operative zombie management ala Resident Evil and Dead Rising, but I think the Japanese theme of Sudoku has made it into my dreams. And rather than being sick of it, I'm actually really looking forward to the release and finally playing the retail game with my girlfriend, my friends, and earning real achievements (instead of achievements through testing), though I can't win the 10" TV we are giving away.What's your favorite Xbox Live Arcade title to date?
Until recently, I would've answered Geometry Wars, with Puzzle Quest being a close second, but N+ has taken that honor easily, thanks to its equally fun multiplayer. I really like social gaming, and for the same reasons it's a focus in Buku Sudoku are the same reasons I love N+.
What else would you love to see on the Xbox Live Arcade someday?
If I had to name just one game, it's surprisingly clear, Capcom's 4 player arcade masterpiece, Dungeons & Dragons Shadow Over Mystara. It really is the pinnacle of the beat em up genre, with branching paths, multiple endings, 6-8 different characters, items, combos, experience points, spells, easter eggs, and strategy galore. Argh, now I want to buy an arcade machine (is the cost worth eating a diet of Ramen Noodles for life?).
Thank you Ben for taking the time for this interview, as well as Merscom for setting it up.
In the latest update on the German rating board, a new game showed up - one I don't think anyone would expect - Galaga Legions!
The website Exophase has got its hands on the first videos of Soul Calibur for the Xbox Live Arcade!
Yuke's has officially announced their first Xbox Live Arcade title - Double D Dodgeball!
Developer: Merscom LLCMerscom announced today that it is sponsoring a contest with Xbox360Achievements.org (x360a.org) for the upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Buku Sudoku, which is scheduled to launch Wednesday, 28 May. A drawing will be held two weeks after launch among players who earn all 200 achievement points, with the winner receiving a Samsung LN40A550 40" television. An additional five players who complete all the achievements win a copy of Scene-It? Lights, Camera, Action for the Xbox 360 that also leverages the Big Button Wireless Controller.For more information, check out Xbox360Achievements.org
Merscom chose an HDTV as way of informing gamers about the incredible high res graphics of Buku Sudoku. Just as the Samsung LN40A550 represents the next step in digital televisions, Buku Sudoku represents the evolution of Sudoku into core gaming. The HDTV features include full HD 1080p resolution, 5 ms response rate and a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1. Superb connectivity and networking with a USB port and 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) also makes it perfect for the gamer's 360. Also, Samsung's DNIe Digital Natural Image Engine improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance.
In addition to the Samsung TV, the other five players chosen from those that earn 200 out of 200 Achievement Points will receive Scene It? for the Xbox 360. Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action includes four wireless Big Button Controllers, giving each player their own buzzer. Both Scene It? and Buku Sudoku utilize the simple and intuitive Big Button Controllers for a casual and fun experience.
This week gives you two games - Buku Sudoku and the classic Atari classic Warlords!Experience the excitement of the world’s hottest number game sensation on Xbox LIVE Arcade with Buku Sudoku. The title upgrades the traditional paper-and-pencil game with beautiful HD graphics, informative tutorials, multiple grid sizes and new ways to enjoy the game via multiplayer modes. With multiple themes that allow players to choose the audio and visual environment, over 1,200 puzzles total and three levels of difficulty, Buku Sudoku has something for everyone.Developed by Merscom, Buku Sudoku will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points. Click here for new images of Buku Sudoku!
Buku Sudoku multiplayer modes feature support for up to four players offline and up to eight players via Xbox LIVE. More casual players can experience the game with friends and family through the cooperative mode, and competitive players will enjoy an entirely new concept – an active duel where the player’s performance directly impacts his opponent’s puzzle.
Warlords offers single and multiplayer action as up to four players battle to protect their fortress from attack, while battering down their opponents’ at a frenetic pace! Defend yourself from incoming fire with your mighty shield and smash down your enemies’ defenses by firing flaming balls at them, or blast a hole through and bring their Warlord tumbling down along with his castle walls!Developed by Stainless Games, Warlords will be available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea) for 400 Microsoft Points. Click here for new images of Warlords!
Warlords returns in both a pixel-perfect copy of the original arcade cabinet game, plus a brand new Evolved version featuring cool new 3D graphics and the opportunity to be your own Warlord using the live video feed! Single player is supported, along with 2, 3, and 4 player local and Xbox LIVE multiplayer choices.
That was a mistake too - it's not next week's XBLA game. For saying that I've been given a spinning piledriver.Must be coming out very soon though!
In the latest update of "Sierra games that get revealed far ahead of time", the OFLC rating has added a new game to their website - Cribbage! 
This will be their 4th addition to the Card & Board genre - After Carcassonne, Lost Cities, and the upcoming Gin Rummy. It appears they're getting in on that market in a big way.
The ESRB has updated over the weekend with two previously unknown titles possibly coming to the Xbox Live Arcade - RBI Baseball and Puzzle Arcade.
It's the whole point of digital distribution - a service which never needs to go down, allowing people to continue buying games even after their previous sales period. From my understanding the Arcade games for the original Xbox, which used an entirely different system set - are still available for download, as well as downloadable content for Project Gotham Racing 2 despite the two Xbox 360 sequels and they're not even free!
The upcoming puzzler Roogoo from Spidermonk Entertainment has just been previewed by Hilary Goldstein over at IGN Xbox. Roogoo seems to be quite an odd little puzzle game - having different shapes come down and requiring the player to match them up - like one of these but far more elaborate and difficult. Co-op is a little more interesting. Either on a single screen or on Xbox Live, up to four players can attempt to pass the levels together. Players alternate between the platforms they control, with their avatar appearing when it is their turn. It can be a little confusing for the first few seconds, but quickly becomes second nature. You get a sense of when it will be your turn. Though each player is working together, there is still a competitive aspect as all are trying to earn the highest score.In the preview, Goldstein also writes that the game will be coming out June 4th - so in just two weeks time!
Today Xbox UK released their monthly newsletter to subscribers - with an extra little tidbit - Commando 3: ETA May 28th!
Read the entire article here
Oh, and who wouldn't love a game with so many nods to classic Mario games? We've already mentioned the fruitless striving for the princess through multiple worlds, but Mario fans will also notice the green pipes with chomping plants, the fact that you can headbop enemies (which is integral for many of the movement puzzles), not to mention the influence of the original Donkey Kong on several of the level designs.
Hell, there's even a puzzle screen called 'Jumpman' with an array of platforms to traverse and a gorilla and barrel motif at the top, where enemies are being fired into the level. Mind you, Mario isn't the only reference – you receive an item later in the game on a level called 'There and Back Again'. I'm sure you can work out what that item is… but not what it does.
Capcom have released 3 new images of Street Fighter II HD Remix - all featuring everyones favorite nut case - Akuma!
Gamesindustry.Biz recently interviewed David Edery, Portfolio Planner for the Xbox Live Arcade. In other words, the man to herald for bringing your favorite game to the Arcade, and the man to blame for your OTHER favorite game not being on the Arcade.Q: And you're upping the size of Xbox Live Arcade games as well to 350 megabytes?Good to know. When the Xbox Live Arcade was first announced games had a 50 Megabyte limit, that was changed to 150 with the release of Castlevania: SOTN last year, now with the release of Penny Arcade (supposely just over 150 Megabytes), Bionic Commando Rearmed and Street Fighter II HD, the need for higher resolution textures and audio has now become much more necessary to compete with the Playstation Network.
David Edery: Yeah, it's a steady progress. We've been listening to our partners, listening to our customers to try and get a feel for what's right. We don't want the size limit to hit the roof because we think there's some value in promoting small pick and play experiences that don't cost USD 20 million, it's good for the ecosystem.
Chair Entertainment, known for their previous XBLA project Undertow and the upcoming game Empire: Alpha Complex, has now been bought by Epic Games!"Our team has long admired Epic for its ability to shape the game industry with its innovative technology and first-rate video game offerings," said Chair's Holmes. "We share Epic's passion for creating ground-breaking game play experiences and are excited for the opportunity to partner with a truly visionary company."In the recent past Epic has had two teams - the Unreal Tournament Team and the Gears of War Team. The smaller development team of Chair may help to expand themselves in the "F YEAH" demographic.
Oh look at that, 360Sync has gotten its hands on Frogger 2 achievements, despite the game still not being announced - even after the recent Konami Gamer's Day!
Though announced last week, the official press release for Penny Arcade: Episode 1 has been released!
The first episodic RPG-Adventure game to grace Xbox LIVE Arcade, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is the result of a collaboration between Hothead Games and Penny Arcade. The first episode sends players to a deranged 1920s comic-book-meets-pulp-horror universe called New Arcadia. Armed with unconventional weaponry, players join forces with Gabe and Tycho of the Startling Developments Detective Agency to make war on bizarre enemies and solve the mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia.The game will be released worldwide (with the exception of Korea) for 1600 Microsoft Points this Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT).
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One offers players the ability to design their own customizable character, a dynamic turn-based combat system and the ability to transfer your customized character’s stats and inventories to future episodes, or start fresh with each episode. Fans of Penny Arcade will appreciate the authenticity of the game, which features distinctive artwork and characters designed by Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and a story and dialogue written by Jerry “Tycho” Holkins.
Show #279: Gabe and Tycho from Penny ArcadeDownload the podcast here or join the RSS feed!
This week’s show:
Co-host : e
Xbox News
This weeks announcements
NPD Numbers
Interview: Gabe and Tycho, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness (13:47–48:39)
Name the Game
Much more…
Content: Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Korea and Japan
Size: 1.92 GB
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (MATURE) CRUDE HUMOR, BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, SEXUAL THEMES, STRONG LANGUAGE] Local Multiplayer 2, 5.1 Surround Sound.
Details: Punchbowl is a paradise of hovercars and helper robots, where crime and pollution simply don't exist. It's the perfect city: safe, clean, and convenient. Stubbs can't wait to move in … and have the last laugh on humanity.
Content: Gauntlet: Seven SorrowsSource: Major Nelson
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan or Korea
Size: 1.17 GB
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (TEEN) VIOLENCE] Local Multiplayer 2-4.
Details: Seven Sorrows is the fusion of fantasy fighting action with the strategy and fascination of user-friendly RPG elements, challenging gamers in solo play, co-op, and a thriving online community. (Don't know about that last bit... anyone?)
A little behind but here are a list of recent reviews for Assault Heroes 2 and Wits & Wagers for the XBLA!
Castle Crashers is finished! Well, sort of - Bohemoth have sent off the game to be tested rigorously by the Microsoft QA team to make sure everything is working, all the text is correct in all the languages, make sure the game doesn't suddenly crash all of a sudden. It takes a while, and considering the amount of stuff this game appears to have, it may take a little while longer than, say, a SEGA Classics game. I feel really great about how the final product has come out after playing through a few times last night. I’m very proud of what our team was able to accomplish. This game is undoubtedly the largest 360 XBLA game that has any kind of story; Large in scope, takes hours and hours to go through with your buddies. Lots of little treasures and secrets hiding around the levels, many unlockable characters all with a different feel, and lastly, no real weak spots in the game that I can foresee haunting me for the rest of my life. :)Along with this new update are 3 new screenshots of the game showing off some of the selectable characters available to the player - including Bear, Thief and Perwinkle Knight!
Now before anyone goes to turn on their 360 to give it a look please note that it takes a couple months at the very least from this point. It has to go through all the required hoops of certification/final testing & all that jazz before it will actually become available on the service. Because of this, amongst other things, there is no actual release date that we can give anyone right now. However I have to say it’s a good feeling know that the crashers are working their way into the world as you are reading this, isn’t it?
Click here for the new images of the game!
in this weeks update for Vigilante 8 Arcade comes a new level - Ski Resort! Making its regular appearance in the series (with Ski Lodge & Winter Games being in the previous games), Ski Resort...... features authentic ’70s architecture, two lifts, a teleporting lodge, a very slippery ice-skating rink, ski jump tower, and the now legendary avalanches.The Ski levels were always a blast back in Vigilante 8 - they've been very vertical levels and this one looks no different. Fly off those jumps and crushing your pals.
Meet Dave - an adventurous hippie who also happens to be enamored with UFOs. In fact, Dave claims to have been recruited by an extraterrestrial to help locate his ship hijacked from Area-51 by the Coyotes. Until the craft is found, peace will have to wait…UFOs? Maybe we'll see the return of "Y" and "Secret Base" too...
Team Xbox have accidentily released the very first screenshots for an upcoming XBLA title - Golf: Tee it up!
And why shouldn't it - according to the Team Xbox website, the game is being developed by Housemarque - better known for the graphical splendor that is Super Stardust HD on the Playstation Network! It's being published by Activision as well, their only other title being Vigilante 8 Arcade and previously DOOM.
XBLA Activity for week of 4/28
Website Deeko has a new interview with Bionic Commando Rearmed Producer Ben Judd, which you can view here.Deeko: Is there any sort of story continuity between both games? And if there is, how are you guys handling the back story so gamers who never played the original don't feel lost?As well as this interview, Capcom have made their own interview with A.C.R.O.N.Y.M Games creators Daniel Swadling and Jesse Joudrey about their game and the recent expansion:
BEN: Again, I think we've gone a great job of tying everything together. I've always felt that BC was a franchise that needed a deeper world. So we have already put a lot of surplus information on the Bionic Commando community site Bioniccommando.com and we are publishing a serial comic book that shows one of Spencer's most life-altering missions that occurs after Bionic Commando Rearmed and helps set up the tone for the 3D version. A lot of fans of the original have been pretty shocked by how the 3D Spencer looks compared to the original. And trust me, I can TOTALLY see why the fans are. He doesn't look very similar. But there is a rationale for it and there is a back story that I think people will understand once they read it.
How did you come up with the name “It Came From Uranus” for the Rocketmen expansion?You can check out that interview here.
JY: About an hour after a spicy takeout meal, the name just came to us.
FS: Actually, it was forced on us by the evil people at Capcom marketing, who thought the name would appeal to juvenile boys (our largest target demographic)
JJ: We wanted to call it something serious. But that just wouldn’t be acceptable.
