GDC '08 @ IGN - New Bionic Commando Rearmed Videos! Coop! Challenge Levels!

Six brand new videos of Bionic Commando Rearmed have been released over at IGN - and it's looking absolutely gorgeous.

In the videos we can see two brand new additions to the already full package - In Coop the screen will actually split if your partner wanders too far away, Toe Jam & Earl style!



As well as the main mode, Rearmed will also include a brand new Mission Mode! Similar to Metal Gear Solid's Special Missions, it's a wire-frame-esque set of difficult platforming levels requiring the utmost skill in Bionic Arm handling.



Check out all 6 videos below!

Source: Xbox360@ IGN.com - New Bionic Commando Videos!

GDC '08 - New XBLA media! Castle Crashers, Braid, Penny Arcade, Schizoid and more!

A whole slew of games are being shown for the Xbox Live Arcade at GDC - and a bunch of images have come out to coincide with them:


• “Braid” (Number None Inc.). Developed by Independent Games Festival Winner and experimental game designer Jonathan Blow, “Braid” is a platform experience that bends all the rules with the manipulation of time. “Braid” will launch this spring.

Check out more images of Braid here!


• “Castle Crashers” (The Behemoth). “Castle Crashers” is the second title currently in development by award-winning independent developer The Behemoth, creator of “Alien Hominid HD.” The role-playing game (RPG) adventure will let up to four players hack, slash and smash their way together through a visually stunning hand-drawn landscape. “Castle Crashes” launches this summer.

Check out more images of Castle Crashers here!


• “Defense Grid: The Awakening” (Hidden Path Entertainment LLC). “Defense Grid: The Awakening” is the definitive tower defense game experience designed specifically for Xbox LIVE Arcade and launches this summer.

Check out more images of Defense Grid: The Awakening (well.. just the logo) here!



• “Go! Go! Break Steady” (Little Boy Games). An Xbox LIVE Arcade exclusive, “Go! Go! Break Steady” is the debut title from independent developer Little Boy Games. The combination music and puzzle game combines break dancing with novel gameplay and launches this summer.

Check out more images of GGBS (Just art at the moment) here!



• “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness” (Hothead Games). The first video game collaboration between Penny Arcade creators Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and legendary game designer Ron Gilbert, “Penny Arcade Adventures” is an RPG-adventure game set in a highly stylized 1920s universe filled with bizarre characters, outrageous combat and adult humor. The first episode of the game launches this summer.
Check out more images of Penny Arcade Adventures here!

As well as new images for Schizoid!


Check out more images of Schizoid here!

GDC '08 - Surprise! XNA realised! Go download demos now!

Microsoft's big reveal for those at home? Finally realizing the potential of the XNA games interface! You can now go and download demos of upcoming games that use XNA through your Xbox 360!

To do so you have to download the Community Game Blade, to do so you must go here:

Marketplace blade > New Arrivals > Game Content > XNA Creators Club > XNA Creators Club Game Launcher (7mb)

Download it and a new Blade will appear, allowing you to download demos of these games:


• “JellyCar.” Created by Walaber from the United States, this game is about driving a squishy car through squishy worlds, trying to reach the exit.

Click here for more images of Jelly / Jello Car!


• “Little Gamers.” This is a 2-D high definition action side-scroller based on the famous Web comic “Little Gamers” created by Loïc Dansart, a 24-year-old software developer from Belgium.

Click here for more images of Little Gamers!


• “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.” An intense 2-D action platform game created by James Silva from the United States, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” has a unique, highly stylized look and fast and fluid action.

Click here for more images of The Dishwasher!


• “TriLinea.” This puzzle game created by Edison S. Prata Jr., Renato Pelizzari da Silva and Davi da Silva Prata from Brazil mixes fast-paced action with strategy.

Click here for more images of TriLinea!


• “RocketBall.” Created by Tyler Wanlass, Patrick Murty and Todd Barrons of the United States, this neighborhood game of dodgeball explodes onto the street with fast-paced multiplayer action.
Click here for more images of RocketBall!


• “ProximityHD.” This game, created by Brian Cable from the United States, takes the essence of strategy games — battles for control of territory and armies — and distills it down to a simple, easy-to-understand set of rules for casual players.
Click here for more images of Proximity HD!


• “Culture.” Created by independent game development company Hidden Path Entertainment from the United States, “Culture” contains challenging games and puzzles based on beautiful flowers.

Click here for more images of Culture!

N+ is out!

Developer: Slick Entertainment Inc.
Publisher: Metanet Software Inc.
Genre: Action
Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Xbox.com Splash Page
Official NeoGAF Thread

Source: Major Nelson

GDC '08 - N+ Postmortem and video interview!

The guys and gals over at Metanet Software are giddy awaiting the release of their games in just a few hours - they've done their own panel at GDC discussing the things they were able to accomplish with the Xbox Live Arcade version. An overview of the session has been written by Gamasutra:

As for how the game is funded, the Canadian duo managed to get Government funding from Telefilm for the game, with the duo explaining that it's a loan that's repaid out of profit. Sheppard then showed a full breakdown of N+'s costs - with $214,000 in total development dollars for the game.

She particularly noted that, even taking the programming in-house, it costs about a minimum of $125,000 to develop an Xbox Live Arcade title, including many of the compulsory or necessary payments for localization, testing, and so on. She did note: "Pay yourself as much as you can" with regard to salaries - in case of title delays.

Read the entire Postmortem here.

Along with this article the website 360sync has also had a video interview with the main N developers. Included in this interview is the answer to N+'s secret achievement!



Source: 360Sync, Gamasutra.

XBLA Activity for week of 2/11

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1. Poker Smash
2. Commanders: Attack (debut)
3. Rez HD (-1)
4. Chessmaster Live (-1)
5. UNO
6. Discs Of Tron (debut)
7. Metal Slug 3 (-3)
8. Bomberman LIVE (-2)
9. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (-2)
10. Worms (-1)

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Poker Smash seems to be a big success, two weeks in a row at #1 now. Discs of Tron on the other hand, had one of the lowest debuts (I think) of any XBLA game at #6.

Source: Major Nelson, Sean on NeoGAF

GDC '08 @ IGN - Brain Challenge Hands On

GDC has begun and the new previews are starting to flow. To start off, IGN have a new preview with the upcoming "Brain-Age-esque" game by Gameloft - Brain Challenge.

Your gray matter will be run through the paces with 20 mini-games. The GDC demo only showed five of these stress-inducing tests. The Daily Brain Test features a mix of simplistic and somewhat taxing exercises. For each, you will need to use only the left thumbstick (or D-Pad) to highlight the correct items and A to select. Each test gives you 50 seconds to answer as many items as possible. The exam gets progressively harder. Things get a tad more stressful when the counter hits ten seconds, as the controller vibrates violently as incentive to hurry the hell up. It can get quite nerve-racking.

You can check out the different mini-games in the full preview.

Source: IGN @ "GDC 2008: Brain Challenge Hands-On"