Wits & Wagers minisite up on Xbox.com

The upcoming party game Wits & Wagers has had its minisite added to the Xbox.com webpage. Usually when this happens, it means there is a good chance it'll pop up very soon.

Source: Wits & Wagers Xbox.com webpage, Shard on NeoGAF

XBLA Activity for week of 4/21

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Lost Cities (debut)
2 Ikaruga (-1)
3 DOOM (+2)
4 UNO (+2)
5 Brain Challenge (-2)
6 N+ (+1)
7 Worms (+1)
8 Bomberman LIVE (+1)
9 Battlezone (-7)
10 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (-)
The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Lost Cities has debuted at number one this week - much better than the previous 2 releases Rocky & Bullwinkle and Battlezone. R&B has dropped out of the 10 completely, with Battlezone hanging in there at 8th spot.

Ikaruga still selling incredibly well - and everything is is pretty normal. N+, Worms, Sonic 2, DOOM, UNO and Bomberman still continually selling better than everything else on the service.

Source: Major Nelson

OFLC watch - Domino Master and Beat'n Groovy rated!

Two brand new, unknown games have popped up on the Australian Classification website today - Beat'n Groovy and Domino Master!

Let's go on the discovery trail!

Beat'n Groovy is coming from Konami under their Konami Digital Entertainment label. Now, regular disc games made by Konami (such as Metal Gear Solid 4) are all applied for by Atari Australia, who does the distribution here. All games under the OFLC which are under the "Digital Entertainment" label have all been XBLA games - From their Gyruss and Contras to their still unannounced upcoming titles of Coffee time Crosswords and Frogger 2. The only exception being Critter Round-Up, a Wiiware title.

However, this game is being made by Voltex - a mysterious company nobody seems to know about - except they've also being touted as the creators of the upcoming Frogger 2! Bam!

So what do we know about it? Nothing! That's right! The only information available is back when Konami filed for the Trademark for the title - mentioning that it was not done by Konami Japan who usually does it all, but Konami Digital Entertainment (or Konami America). Interesting!

The second game, Domino Master, was applied for by Microsoft themselves - which pretty much means XBLA title.

So what is Domino Master? It's a game made by Tik games - a 'casual games' company. It's already available for the PC and is... well, you guessed it - a Domino simulator!

The website quotes:

The classic family game of Dominos comes to your PC like never before! Choose your favorite from seven uniquely exciting games, including All Fives, All Threes, Mexican Train and Pictures. Loads of options like Domino types, styles, table surface, and difficulty allow you to play your way. The 'Domino Effect' here is that there's fun for everyone!

The big deal about this is that this cements a rumored workings dug up by Gamedaily and discussed by XBLArcade some time ago, where The Real Network had said that the Real Arcade's work on consoles "is happening as we speak." - Domino Master IS a Real Arcade title!

We don't know anything about Beat'n Groovy - but the addition of Domino Master might make a good addition alongside Uno and a variety of other very simple board and card games. The PC version is an inflated $20 - but that certainly shouldn't be the case on the XBLA title - 400 points or bust.

Anyone excited for Dominoes?

Source: The Australian Classification website

Angry Hyphen Gamer Podcast - Commando 3 & 1942 impressions!

Angry-Gamer.net's latest podcast has Cameron and Clint and George on the mic' discussing a quick play of the upcoming games Commando 3 and 1942! Of course, this is after a very quick look at each,

About Commando 3:

"You shoot shit!"

"Instead of always in a Jeep and sometimes on foot, you're always on foot and sometimes in a Jeep!"

"It's fucking Commando! Everyone is gonna be reviewing this in the upcoming weeks and be "Yeah, it's an Assault Heroes Clone!" No, fuck you! This came first!"

And a small look at 1942 Joint Strike:

"Lots of slowdown, not so good graphics, and not much fun."

Commando 3 sounds great, a shame about 1942. Of course, it's not out yet - hopefully those graphical glitches get sorted out. It's probably the last of the Capcom games to come out anyhow, so it has a few good months of dev time.Listen to the whole podcast here.

Source: Angry Gamer.net

Gamesindustry.biz - Portal was offered to the XBLA, but was rejected!

Nothing gets the nerds all riled up more than when a game that everybody loves doesn't get what it wants - and this week it was what many considered to be Game of the Year 2007 - Portal.

Now obviously in the current state of XBLA, Portal could not make it over. This is because Microsoft has a firm grip around the size of games for the service - and Portal would be somewhere over a gigabyte in size. Despite this, Doug Lombardi at Valve has come out saying Portal was denied.

"We've asked them, we said we were open to it. So it's a decision for the platform holder and how they want to make the games available and how much bandwidth they want to [allow]."

This feels like a tactic - similar to that of Ben Judd on how "Bionic Commando was unable to fit under the current XBLA size". It's a call to arms - to rile up the community itself and lash out at Microsoft for not allowing such a thing.

Hopefully it works!

Source: Gamesindustry.biz - "Portal was offered to XBLA, but rejected"

IGN, X3F and Joystiq - Sierra's Digital roundup

Websites outside of Team Xbox have started putting up their previews of Sierra's XBLA titles from their recent expo.

Zombie Wranglers

Amy, for example, is the "cool kid" of the group. With Boombox gun in hand, she fires CDs to cut into the undead. She can also unleash a Sonic Boom Zombomb which first stuns zombies and then lets loose a sonic boom. Another of the Wranglers, Uju, can drop voodoo dolls, which gets the zombies to ignore their hunger and dance in the streets. He also uses a special blow dart gun that drives zombies into an insane frenzy. You damage zombies enough and they are ripe to be wrangled. So, they are more like cows than your traditional zombies.

IGN Preview
Xbox 360 Fanboy - Sierra XBLA Roundup
Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games

Sea life Safari

Sea Life Safari is a colorful kids' game that casts the player as an ambitious underwater photog. Your goal is to snap as many high-quality fish pics as possible with a limited number of exposures. As you float through a pre-set course under the waves, fish will appear briefly and you'll have to quickly compose a good shot before they swim away.

IGN Preview
Xbox 360 Fanboy - Sierra XBLA Roundup
Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games

Assault Heroes 2

The graphics in Assault Heroes were quite good for an XBLA game, and what we've seen of the sequel so far looks impressive, too. Environments are more destructible than before – trees can be set alight or even frozen solid, depending on which weapon you're wielding. Wanako has also paid close attention to perspective, adding nice touches here and there to create the illusion of depth.

IGN Preview
Xbox 360 Fanboy - Sierra XBLA Roundup
Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games

Gin Rummy

So it was with a bit of suspicion and bitterness that I sat in on a recent preview of Sierra's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade version of the popular card game. The game was being shown at Sierra's recent Gamer's Day event in San Francisco, and it was my briefest preview of the afternoon. So I can confirm that the game exists, but it still hasn't really been shown in action.

IGN Preview
Xbox 360 Fanboy - Sierra XBLA Roundup
Joystiq impressions: Assorted Sierra XBLA games

Source: IGN, Joystiq, Xbox 360 Fanboy

Told you so #5 - NOTHING this week!

Although Microsoft have the right to say what gets released on the XBLA, developers have the right to say when (well... mostly) and I don't think ANYBODY would want to be released this week - being the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. You can bet your dashboard will be filled with GTAIV advertisements (in another case of advertising for a game that doesn't need it)

Still need your XBLA fix? Go back and buy Switchball or Gripshift, because I know damn well you didn't buy either of them damn it! Do it!

New Braid Preview - "More Fun Than Calculus!"

Freelancer Chris Dahlen has gotten his hands on a near complete copy of the PC version of Braid, and has a lot of praise for it:

On one level - the one where I’ve made the least progress - you see a kind of branching effect. Say that you run from one end of the platform to the other, but as soon as you get there, you change your mind and rewind back to the start. After you rewind, you’re back at the beginning of the platform - but then a “ghost” version appears and retraces your last footsteps, while the present you can go off and do something else. Metaphorically, it’s like you’re watching two ways that your life could play out.

In fact, I guess it’s like Sliding Doors. The hard part is figuring out how to use this new ability to solve a series of jumping / lever / locked door puzzles, and how to picture yourself going in two separate directions at the same time - and that’s where this felt like calculus. Yes, I get the concept of calculating the slope at a specific point on a curve, but when I actually have to use it on a final exam problem, it makes a small spot on the left hemisphere of my brain go “groan.” That same flabby brain slice acts up when I play Braid.

Braid is really shaping up to hopefully be one of the breakout hits of the XBLA, hopefully we'll see more soon. Read all of the impressions below.

Source: Save The Robot - "Braid: More Fun Than Calculus!", thanks to Kotaku for bringing up the link.

What needs to be on XBLA? #6 - New Power Stone

With Namco announcing they'll be releasing the original Soul Calibur to the Xbox Live Arcade - lets have a small trip down memory lane - back to the Dreamcast. Last time we discussed Chu Chu Rocket, now lets discuss the crazy Capcom multiplayer fighter knows as Power Stone!

Power Stone is an Arena Fighter - where you run around a 3D arena finding more ways to pick off your opponent. Like normal fighters, you go through 8 or so levels against new opponents until you reach the final boss, however most of the game isn't about your direct attacks - it's about grabbing the closest crate and lobbying it at your enemy. Players can also pick up wacky weapons from an Umbrella to a Rocket Launcher.

The games namesake however is the Power Stones. During a battle, pieces of the power stone can be picked up by the player. Pick up 3, and your character will transform into a super form and be able to blow your opponent away very easily. If someone has one of the gems - beat it out of them!

There were a few Arena Fighters before Power Stone - Bio F.R.E.A.K.S and Virtual On could be considered Arena Fighters. The difference being that you have complete control of your character - you don't always have to face your opponent. You can run around freely in the confines of the level and attempt to get a new weapon or attack them face to face. The game is pretty much a Beat-em-up game in a similar vein to Streets of Rage, but now in the confines of an arena.

The original game only supported 2 players, but the sequel upped the ante with 4 player mode. Power Stone 2 also brought in dynamic levels, where levels could fall apart, revealing a new level or setup. You could fight on a collapsing airship, or on two submarines that crash into icebergs!

Now sure, Capcom COULD just port both or one of these games over. Hell, they did it with this series before - you can get the Power Stone Collection for the PSP - but that was 2006 Capcom! Now we're with 2008 Capcom with a download initiative! With Bionic Commando, Commando 3 and 1942 on the horizon, Power Stone seems like a very good fit for the Xbox Live Arcade.

However, I can't see Capcom getting together with Backbone to do it - it has a very Japanese style to it, and would be the perfect type of game for Capcom Japan to use to get off their arses and to start supporting the downloadable game initiative. The unfortunate thing is that games like Powerstone isn't considered 'meaty' enough for a disc release - similar upcoming games like Hail the Chimp - despite probably being a good game in that genre, doesn't "feel" like a 50-60 dollar game, or even the $40 price point it's being released at. It's too "arcadey" now, which is a damn shame.

I certainly paid full price back in 2000 for Power Stone and had a blast with it - but the more expensive a game is, the smaller the online community, which would be the whole point of a new iteration.

New maps, new characters, HD graphics and a swell of new weapons. A Sequel to Power Stone would be fantastic, and with full featured releases such as Soul Calibur XBLA and Vigilante 8 coming, a new Power Stone would make an excellent addition to both the XBLA and Capcom's digital portfolio. The main draw would be a great 4 player online battle game, in which the only other game is the poorly received Small Arms. There is a hole in the lineup - and Capcom has the right plug.

And in a way, would also be a great way to bring some classic Capcom characters back into the fold. They're all wacky anyhow - The Bionic Commando, Mega Man, Viewtiful Joe, Final Fight's Haggar, Devil May Cry's Dante, which Gamasutra also agree with. I'd love to keep the original characters, but you can't say some cross promotion wouldn't be a bad thing, right?

Previous "What needs to be on XBLA?" entries:

- #1 - Death Tank Zwei
- #2 - Sonic 3 & Knuckles
- #3 - Tyrian
- #4 - The Sparkster Collection
- #5 - Chu Chu Rocket!

Assault Heroes 2 coming out May 14th!

Shacknews has gotten a hold of a Sierra press release stating that the sequel to the popular twin-stick, cooperative shoot-em-up Assault Heroes will be dropping on May 14th!

Along with the news - in Sierra's PR blowout on TeamXbox they've released a whole slew of new videos:

Access Multiple Weapons On-Foot

Destroy the Rainforest

Hijack Enemy Choppers

Extended Trailer

They've also got a quick rundown of features, which you can view here

Assault Heroes 2 and Commando 3 are coming out very soon... hopefully they don't cannibalize each others sales since they're both from the same genre. Even if they're both quality titles, the pure fact that Commando 3 comes with a Street Figher II HD BETA will very likely destroy AH2. Let's hope Sierra and Microsoft know what they're doing.

Speaking of releases.. pure speculation, but there's probably a good chance that nothing will be released this week. Why? A little game called Grand Theft Auto IV. Same thing happened with Halo 3, and anything released this week might get sent to die, so to speak.

Source: Team Xbox, Shacknews - Assault Heroes 2 Hits XBLA May 14

"Meh" preview of Commando 3 from Gamespot's On The Spot

Honestly, I don't know why I'm posting it, since it's pretty terrible. Gamespot's weekly show On The Spot had a quick preview of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 this week. Unfortunately, it was quite terrible!

Ricardo Torres gives a poor performance while he attempts to play the game - firstly calling the name of the game incorrectly, secondly getting stuck in the first area of the beach where it's clearly set to "Monster Closet", saying that there was only 2 player Cooperative play when there is 3 player Coop, and just playing poorly in general. Wah Wah, EIC of Gamespot!

One additional note - which he was clearly much happier to point out - was the lovely "SFIIHD BETA" you can click on the bottom of the screen. I'm sure many other people are too, but Commando 3 is looking like it'll be a great game too.

Source: Gamespot's ON THE SPOT

Told you so #2, #3, and #4 - Gin Rummy, Sea Life Safari and Zombie Wranglers announced!

Team Xbox seems to be all nice and snug with Sierra lately - Sierra's online branch has exclusively announced Gin Rummy, Sea Life Safari - which XBLAH did some digging about some months ago - and Zombie Wranglers which we discussed just four days ago are all coming to the Xbox Live Arcade.

Gin Rummy is a classic card game, which is being brought to the XBLA supposedly by Sierra Shanghai - who just last week brought us Lost Cities, another card based game.

Gin Rummy for XBLA will feature the original game for playing over Xbox Live, along with many variations including Oklahoma Gin, Hollywood Gin, Three-hand Gin, as well as your own Custom Gin game. It will also support 4-player multiplayer with some Gin variants - which you can read up about in this page.

Secondly, Sea Life Safari is a photography game similar in design to the Nintendo classic - Pokemon Snap. As the player, you must go through different environments trying to get sea wildlife to 'show their best side' for the camera.

As mentioned in XBLAH's previous article, Wanako Studios are behind SLS (just like.. well, almost everything else for Sierra) and is already available for the PC, and had an achievement system set up inside it. Probably not too big of a job to port - certainly helps the casual demographic Microsoft wants!

And Lastly, Zombie Wranglers. This game allows the player to run around as one of 4 characters as you... well, Wrangle Zombies. It actually looks a little like Monster Madness that came out as a retail title last year (which really should have been XBLA material). It looks okay - it needs to be seen in action before any real comments can be made, at the moment they've just shown off the equivalent of a Ghost Buster Proton Pack or Luigi's Vacuum which turns Zombies into energy.

We can now confirm that this game IS being made by Frozen Codebase - the people behind Screwjumper last year and the upcoming Elements of Destruction sometime this year. Both their previous games were published by THQ - it's a little odd that this has now been picked up by Sierra. I may have stepped on a few toes with the last post too, since the blog and websites were taken down. Apologies to those involved! It'll be interesting to see how it holds up against Wiiware's Animales de la Muerte, which also seems like a lot of fun. Hopefully Sierra will spill some beans soon.

Check out Team Xbox for all the new images and previews for each game. Each of these games is currently slated for a Summer release.

Source: Team Xbox Sierra’s Summer ’08 XBLA Lineup Hands-On Preview

Edit: Fixed some information regarding Zombie Wranglers.

Told you so #1 - Ticket To Ride on Partnernet!

On Todays 1UP Yours podcast, in their "What'cha been playing?" segment, one of this weeks guests discussed Ticket to Ride on Microsoft's Partnernet.

Partnernet is an closed online service which can only be accessed by owners of Xbox 360 Development Kits or Test Kits. On this service are most of the Xbox Live Arcade titles currently available, but allow developers to test online code (interesting note: Mr. Driller Online never showed up on there, which might explain things...) as well as allow game journalists to play the games before they are released, and receive feedback.

One of the fascinating things about it is that there are games that do pop up there which haven't been announced yet, but of course, cannot be talked about (as much as everyone wants to).

Ticket to Ride - a highly acclaimed German board game which XBLAH found on the German rating board last month, is now apparently up there, and some people on 1UP Yours got a little addicted to it on the weekend. Let's hope Microsoft announce this game soon!

Source: 1UP Yours Podcast 04/25/2008

Pirates Vs. Ninjas Dodgeball - Special Moves Trailer

A new trailer has popped up for Pirates Vs. Ninjas, showing off a few of each classes special moves. It also came with a very.. well, frankly smartarse and horrible lame press release, but we won't mention that here!

Watch the video via the above link.

Vigilate 8 Arcade update - "Meteor Crater" level shown, Artist Interview

V8Arcade.com has updated with a new levels shown - Meteor Crater!

Meteor Crater is a level in the Vigilate 8 sequel Second Offense, however they've tweaked things up a bit, bringing in bits and pieces from not just that level, but from Ghost Town and Canyonlands from the original game.

We’ve got canyons, dust devils, tunnel teleports, meteor showers… No giant space ant this time, but there’s still something way cool inside that giant rock!

You can check out all the new images here or the whole lot here.

Along with the new images is an interview with Jared Nickerson, creator of the character and car portraits, which you can view here.

Source: Vigilante 8 Arcade Website

"Three days of the Commando" begins - 4 Player deathmatch announced!

The Bionic Commando Crew over at Capcom have recently hosted a little get together of Game Journalists to have a go at a complete (or near complete) version of Bionic Commando Rearmed. In the first of 3 updates over the weekend, Capcom has announced the final mode for Rearmed - a 4 player Multiplayer mode!

In this mode players can choose 4 different characters - the main character RAD Spencer, the Captured POW Super Joe, the main protagonist Commander Kilt, and.. some dude called Groeder.

In Deathmatch you can play in a free-for-all or play on teams while you collect 7 different weapons and shoot the crap out of your enemies, or pick up shields and health to become even more dangerous.

There are 10 stages with all sorts of traps and hazards, all seem to be based on certain areas of the game - we can already see the first level as well as the construction level. Unfortunately still not online - but this looks like a whole lot of fun to play with friends on Local play.

The videos can be viewed below from Gamevideos:

Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearmed 'Grenade'
Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearmed 'Machine Gun'
Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearmed 'Rocket' gameplay
Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearmed ' FFA' gameplay
Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearmed 'Team Deathmatch'
Gamevideos: Bionic Commando Rearm. 'Multiplayer Trailer'

Along with these brand new videos, the large gamer sites have posted new previews of the game:

1UP.com - Previews: Bionic Commando
IGN.com - Multiplayer Hands-on
Gamespot - New Features Hands-On

To add onto this, IGN have a new Q&A with Producer Ben Judd about Rearmed. It's a fantastic read since Ben makes it his mission to be as honest as possible to his audience. I liked this bit:

Q: If you succeed, what are some of the next titles that are in the back of your mind?

Judd: Let's just say that I'm a huge Capcom fan. I like Ghost and Goblins, the Mega Man series, Strider, D&D... I like a lot of the games. Let's just say that if this works out, there's a very good chance that there may be another similar title in the future. We'll see.

Q: We're hoping for Strider.

Judd: Strider was a good game. Anytime you fight a gigantic robotic ape and then a bunch of senators that turn into a worm, that's kinda cool.

But, to be honest, none of our 2.5D games have worked out. None. Mega Man Powered Up -- nope. Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins -- nope. Again, I'm probably fighting a fool's task here. For something that cheap, something that already has failed three times, and in a genre, 2.5D, that has never been successful. But that's what I like about Capcom. They're willing to give a crazy foreigner like me the chance to try.

You can read the entire Q&A here.

Last but not least, Judd has added a new post on the IGN Bionic Commando blog, discussing the new easy and hard difficulty modes available in the new version:

When updating the game for Rearmed we didn't want to go with the standard, "lazy" approach to difficulty tweaking -- i.e., we didn't want to make the game artificially more difficult by just giving the enemies a longer life bar and the ability to do more damage.

Additionally, rather than making the game harder, we needed to find a way to make it easier without totally redesigning the classic level design that fans would demand.

Fortunately, the BCR team has got some really creative people on board and they developed the concept of "Assist Blocks" for Easy mode. For example, look at the screenshot to the right. Fans of the original might recognize this location as being underneath the first "big swing" of the game from building to building. In the original, if you missed when trying to hook on to the spotlight, it usually meant you fell to your death.

Read the entire blog post here.

This is only day one of the "Three days of the Commando" - though admittedly the next two are most likely about the next-generation version coming soon. Keep looking at XBLAH for the latest info!

[That sure was long!]

Source: Bionic Commando Blog - Three Days of the Commando - Day 1

Xbox 360 @ IGN - New videos of Commando 3!

IGN has a brand new Hands-On of Commando 3, along with some new videos to complement it:

There are four levels of difficulty with descriptors ranging from cake walk to suicide mission. We went all in to see how far our skills could take us. The first level starts out on a beach and isn't much of a suicide, but things quickly ramped up once you take down the first tank boss. The second level is a prison breakout several years later, and then it was on to the mountain stage before our legs finally gave out. The endless onslaught of enemies was too much even for us -- particularly the backdoor bros that kept creeping up from the rear as we plowed ahead.

Check it all out below.

Source: IGN - Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 Hands-on

Lost Cities is out!

Little late for the update, sorry!

Developer: Sierra Online Shanghai
Publisher: Sierra Online
Genre: Action
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan and Korea

Click here for the NeoGAF forum topic!

Click here for Images of Lost Cities!

Click here for the Official Xbox.com webpage!

Audio surf creator breaks hopes, crushes dreams

Yesterday we found that Audio Surf was supposedly making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade via GamesTM Magazine. Well apparently that's not so much the case, as Dylan - developer of Audio surf - had this to say on the Audio Surf forums:

Must have been a miscommunication. I didn't say that.

Wah-Waaah. He didn't say it'll never come to XBLA, right?!?!

Though it appears there are no plans for it to make the jump, Audio Surf absolutely feels like an XBLA title - the 'simple' design and pick-up-and-play action of the title would definitely work within the XBLA library.

The game could support MP3 playback from USB Memory Sticks, and much like the Steam version which included the Orange Box soundtrack, could include a bunch of classic Xbox music (nerds around the world would love to play with the Halo theme, maybe Banjo Kazooie theme), or if they're smart, team up with EA to allow the same music selection available for Rock Band to be played on Audiosurf! Moneymoneymoney!

Source: AudioSurf Forums

XBLA Activity for week of 4/14

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Ikaruga (-)
2 Battlezone (debut)
3 Brain Challenge (+1)
4 Rocky and Bullwinkle (debut)
5 DOOM (-2)
6 UNO (+3)
7 N+ (+1)
8 Worms (-1)
9 Bomberman LIVE (+1)
10 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (v)

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

From the previous week (which I've admittedly been skipping the past few weeks, too busy unfortunately) we can see that Ikaruga is still on top for the second week in a row. Mr. Driller Online, which last week was at No. 2 last week, has suddenly dropped off the map and out of the top 10. Surprising since it stayed quite high in its second week.

Dissapointing debuts for Battlezone and - more surprisingly - Rocky & Bullwinkle, since it was meant to appeal to a wider demographic. Poor reviews aside, I think Zen Studios were expecting big things from Bullwinkle.

Brain Challenge continues to sell well - and unlike Bullwinkle appears to have found it's niche and has done well for itself.

Source: Major Nelson - LIVE Activity for week of 4/14

GamesTM Magazine: Audiosurf coming to XBLA!

EDIT: Update on this story here

The latest issue of the GamesTM Magazine (issue 69) has a two page article discussing the PC / Steam smash hit Audiosurf - a game which allows a player to 'race' along psychedelic courses made entirely out of the song itself while connecting blocks coming down the line - and you can plug in any MP3 file you like to create a new level!

At the very end of the article, it mentions that it will be coming "soon to the Xbox Live Arcade."! Can't wait!

Source: GamesTM Magazine issue #69. Thanks to Gowans007 for the scan.

New shots of 1942: Joint Strike surface

5 brand new shots of Capcom's 1942: Joint Strike surfaced over the weekend, showing off some new Boss screenshots, including the giant plane above, as well as a huge, flamethrower-toting tank on train tracks.

Click here to see the new images.

OFLC Update: Unannounced game "Zombie Wranglers" shows up

The Australian Classification website has had a late night update with a new entry - Zombie Wranglers, with all the details seen above. While not officially announced for the Xbox 360 - the Author for the rating is Sierra Online. All previous entries by Sierra Online have been for Xbox Live Arcade titles - Including Aces of the Galaxy, Assault Heroes 2, and Carcassone.

So we have a name and a publisher, so who is the developer? Doing a quick Google finds... well, very little shows up. What does show up is a small website called DOOM3D Poop Art. The site itself has 'closed down' but before that, it was a gathering place for Wisconsin indie game developers, gathering together to discuss their games. Though they've since moved onto a new website there are a few puzzle pieces to be found.

Noticeably this topic discussing the name of the group, which mentions the game in passing. It appears that that the game was a student project at one point - but also features some help from the current Wisconsin developer Frozen Codebase - known for their XBLA game Screwjumper last year.

One could put both together and determine that it is Frozen Codebase which is now developing the game - their website does specify they have more than one team working on games - however they previously worked with THQ for publishing Screwjumper, while it appears Sierra is doing so for Zombie Wranglers. Admittedly things didn't go so well with THQ, and Sierra's such a nice publisher. We're not jumping to conclusions just yet!

Until it's announced, or it starts showing up on the USK and ESRB, who knows what the game is. Hopefully it's not going to hide in the shadows until two weeks before release like things have been lately.

Source: OFLC - ZOMBIE WRANGLERS

New Xbox Originals - Splinter Cell and Metal Arms

Two new Xbox Originals have been added to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Not XBLA, but they should be toted anyhow!

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan and Korea
Players 1-2, System Link: 2-4, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-4, 5.1 Surround Sound.
Size: 5.39 GB

The next installment of the critically acclaimed stealth-action franchise, Tom Clancy's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™ sends Sam Fisher on a perilous mission to stop a cyberterrorist plot that threatens worldwide war.

Content: Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan
Single Player, 5.1 Surround Sound.

Blast your way to victory as Glitch, the gun-slinging, half-ton menacing bot of Droid City. Found as scrap metal, but transformed into destructive machinery, Glitch is determined to free his people from the evil clutches of General Corrosive and his maniacal army of Mil bots. Unleash a world of pain as you annihilate the General’s sinister plan to dominate the world and salvage the robot race in Metal Arms!

Mostly I'm posting this because Metal Arms is a god damn awesome game and should be bought by anyone who has yet to play it

Source: Major Nelson

Lost Cities is your game of the week!

Lost Cities comes to life on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT).

True to the original adventurous card game, “Lost Cities” transports players to exotic destinations where riveting adventures await. Before players embark on their trips they must choose how much to invest in the expedition in hopes of increasing their investment. Players then play their cards with the goal of amassing the most points and making prosperous expeditions through the various lost cities: the Himalayas, the Brazilian rain forest, the ever-shifting desert sands, ancient volcanoes and the mystifying depths of the oceans. Don't journey alone, invite up to three friends to join in the journeys over Xbox LIVE!

Developed by Sierra Online Shanghai, Lost Cities will be available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points

Click here for the Xbox.com webpage

Click here for new images of Lost Cities!

360Sync presents - Marathon DLC Preview Pt. 1

Throughout this week 360Sync will be updating their website with their exclusive preview of the upcoming DLC for Marathon: Durandal.

The first part of the preview is up, with a video of a new multiplayer map called Duality, taken from Durandal's sequel Marathon: Infinity, and to Halo nerds - the precursor for the Halo 2 Multiplayer map Gemini.

Click this link to watch the video. It's currently unknown when this DLC will pop up, but going by this Press Blast it shouldn't be too long.

Source: 360Sync.com

Review wrap-up: R&B and Battlezone not doing so well

Both Rocky & Bullwinkle and Battlezone have done pretty poorly in reviews - blaming the cheap nature of R&B and some poorly designed micro games for it's poor reviews, and Battlezone for, essentially the same reasons other Stainless / Atari ports have gotten bad reviews - games haven't aged well, and the evolved versions not being particularly good.

Rocky & Bullwinkle

1UP.com review by Andrew Fitch - D-
Xbox @ IGN Review by Ryan Geddes - 3.0 / 10
Team Xbox review by David Chapman - 5.0 / 10
Eurogamer review by Dan Whitehead - 5 / 10

Battlezone

Xbox 360 @ IGN review by by Erik Brudvig - 6.0 / 10
Team Xbox review by Andy Eddy - 8.0 / 10
Eurogamer review by Dan Whitehead - 4 / 10

Confusion Clarification - Namco's shooter and blocked pipes

I've been up to some e-mailing of actual PR representitives! Like a real website! I hope that can get me some leeway trying to get into E3 this year (hint!)

Two confusions erupted during the week - the first being for the upcoming Pipe Mania game - based on the classic PC title and game similar to that of Bioshock's hacking mini-game. Though not discussed on here, the PR Blast did not mention the Xbox Live Arcade title:

AUSTIN, Texas - April 14, 2008 - With a new twist to classic favorite, Empire Interactive will heat up the puzzle game genre with the summer release of Pipemania for the Nintendo DSTM, WiiTM, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system and PC. As they race against time, puzzle game fans of all ages and experience will be able to enjoy hours of brain-teasing fun in this frantic series of quests and puzzles that uses updated gameplay mechanics to build on one of the most poplar franchises of all time.

After inquiring about why the XBLA version was not mentioned, I was able to get this response:

Pipe Mania will indeed be coming out on the XBLA but not until towards the end of the year.

Therefore, Pipe Mania will be getting a summer release for all other consoles, while the Xbox Live Arcade version (The assumedly cheapest version of the lot) will be released later on in the year in the fall or winter.

The second confusion was Namco's announced XBLA title yesterday - where websites called it PowerUp Forever, yet the official Namco PR called it Infinitum. Who was right? Well...

It's PowerUp Forever. The webmaster posted an old release, please disregard it.

Done. So it's now officially PowerUp Forever, and the PR on their website has since been updated.

New Trailer of Things on Wheels (TOW)

Southpeak Games and Load Inc have released a new trailer for their upcoming game Things on Wheels. It doesn't use an in-game perspective, and is just a cinematic. Looks okay, but at the moment doesn't look like much of a step up from Load's previous game Mad Tracks, but it may shape up nearer to completion.

Namco announce Soul Calibur and Infinitum (or Powerup Forever?)

Namco seems to be taking a brand new look at the Xbox Live Arcade after numerous 'classic' arcade titles. They've just announced that the original Soul Calibur (Not Soul Edge - the Dreamcast one) will be making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade, along with a brand new game titled Infinitum!

From the Press blast:

Game: Soulcalibur
Release Date: Summer 2008
Platform: Xbox LIVE Arcade

The highest rated console fighting game ever is back again for a new generation! Sharpen your blades and relive old grudges against classic adversaries in high definition. Prove your mettle against the world with a variety of leaderboards spanning every character and mode. Match your wits and fighting instincts in Arcade, Training and Survival modes, or challenge a friend in local-play Versus mode.

Interestingly, Namco have decided to make Soul Calibur an Xbox Live exclusive title instead of releasing it on both XBLA and PSN. This may be due to the PSN already having Tekken available for quite some time now, and don't want to spoil that with another fighter.

At the same time, one disappointing thing is that it does NOT include online play - though going by the Mr. Driller Online modes it may be for the best. Another thing is that Tekken on PSN was also released without online play - and was later able to via an DLC expansion pack you paid for. Considering Namco haven't been the best sports with DLC (See: Beautiful Katamari, Ace Combat) they hopefully aren't trying to nickel and dime fans again.

Still, a wide screen, HD version of Soul Calibur will make many Dreamcast fans happy. Hopefully they ARE working off the Dreamcast version, and not the original Arcade release, which was based off the original Playstation hardware.

Infinitum
Release Date: Summer 2008
Platform: Xbox LIVE Arcade, PLAYSTATION Network

Get ready for high-octane, shooting action with Infinitum. Space and time are irrelevant in your search for evil forces as you fight a relentless horde of enemies across an endless spatial battlefield. Destroying elite enemies allows you to absorb their energy, transforming your ship’s size, shape and power. As your ship evolves and grows your world and its enemies shrink to insignificance, revealing even more massive and powerful enemies that were previously too large to see.

Now this game has been called Infinitum by the Namco press release, but appears to be called PowerUp Forever everywhere else. That's kind of bizarre - hopefully we'll get an update on this soon.

From the few images that have been released - which you can view here - it's looking pretty good. However, it may get a little... lost in the current landscape of Twin-Stick Shooters currently available for the XBLA. Already it looks like a mix of Mutant Storm and the upcoming Schizoid.

It's too early to tell, but it looks like it may go the way of Geons: Emotions and be completely forgotten. Time will tell - hopefully we'll see more soon.

Source: NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES NEW TITLES FOR XBOX LIVE® ARCADE AND THE PLAYSTATION® NETWORK

Rocky & Battlezone are up!

Rocky & Bullwinkle
Developer: ZEN Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Xbox LIVE Arcade
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage

Developer: Stainless Games
Publisher: Atari
Genre: Shooter
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere expect Japan and Korea

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage

Rocky & Bullwinkle and Battlezone are your games of the week!

There’s a new addition to the family of party games available on Xbox 360! Rocky and Bullwinkle is available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade, along with an enhanced version of the tank vs. tank action classic Battlezone this Wednesday, April 16, 2008!

Based on the popular cartoon series of the 1960s, Rocky and Bullwinkle on Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast and fun party experience packed with more than 100 micro games. Eight playable characters from Frostbite Falls are back in the living room, including Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, Dudley Do-Right and many more. Rocky and Bullwinkle features five difficulty settings, as well as support for up to 12 players in local hot-seat mode.

The game takes visual inspiration from the 1960s with a decidedly retro art style, but the fun is as modern as it gets. In fact, cool cats who want to get up and move will enjoy 25 micro games that work with the Xbox LIVE Vision Camera. By moving around and expressing gestures – like rowing a boat or throwing darts – players can control the action in the game!

Developed by Zen Studios, Rocky and Bullwinkle will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage

Battlezone on Xbox LIVE Arcade adds exciting new multiplayer modes for up to two players both locally and over Xbox LIVE, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Plus, players can use the Xbox LIVE Vision Cam to challenge opponents on the battle field. Combine these features with new special effects for weapon firing, impacts and explosions and this revamped version of Battlezone is a must-have classic that fans and newcomers will enjoy.

To score points in Battlezone, players must shoot and destroy the enemy’s brigade including a standard enemy tank, supertank and a flying saucer.

Created by Atari, an enhanced version and the original version of Battlezone will be available worldwide (with the exception of Korea and Japan) for 400 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage.

Source: Gamer Score Blog

New Rocket Riot media!

Codeglue - the company behind the game Rocket Riot for XBLA - has added some new images of the game to their website.

Rocket Riot one of the two known THQ games yet to be released - the other being Elements of Destruction. It uses a really unique 3D style which emulates blocky 8-bit sprites. It's looks a bit like Undertow with a better design overall - it's certainly the most interesting of the THQ lot (Spongebob and Screwjumper are considered quite poor games), lets hope we here more about it soon.

You can check out all the new images here.

Source: Rocket Riot Website

Rocketmen gets new achievements, expansion on its way?

360Sync have done a little bit of Achievement digging and found that 3 additional achievements have popped up on the official list at Xbox.com.

Included is one achievement requiring the player to get Gold in levels 11, 12 and 13, when there is only 10 levels in the game. Might this be It came from Uranus - a game that popped up on the ESRB not too long ago? Will this also be released for the PSN version as well with the addition of their new store? We'll know in 24 hours.

Source: 360Sync - Rocketmen New Achievements + DLC

New Rocky & Bullwinkle Trailer, Media

With Rocky & Bullwinkle supposedly coming out next week, it's becoming a bit more apparent with the release of some brand new media, which IGN have gotten a hold of. Included is the trailer you can watch above, as well as some new images of some of the 100's of minigames available in the game. Click the source for more!

Source: IGN.com -A classic cartoon brought to your game controller.

Review wrap-up: Ikaruga, Mr. Driller Online

A bit late on this one - I was hoping more info would come out about fixing Mr. Driller's Online mode. Ah well.

Mr. Driller Online

Xbox360 @ IGN.com by Ryan Geddes - 2.8 / 10
Team Xbox review by David Chapman - 8.0 / 10
Giant Bomb review by Ryan Davis - 2 / 5
Gamespot review by Don Francis - 2.5 / 10

Ikaruga

Xbox360 @ IGN.com by Erik Brudvig - 9.0 / 10
Team Xbox review by David Chapman - 9.0 / 10
1UP.com review by Ray Barnholt - A

Source: IGN, Gamespot, 1UP, Giant Bomb

Bionic Commando gets its M rating (of sorts)

Ben Judd has got what he thought for Bionic Commando Rearmed - an M rating.

However it's only been rated on the Australian Classification website, and in Australia we have a different rating system - No T rating at all, instead we have an M (Recommended for 15+) or MA (Restricted for 15+). So Rearmed has settled itself between Super Contra and Metal Slug 3, and not the MA15+ rating games like Marathon and DOOM despite - in todays world - having some pretty pissy gore by todays standards.

Ratings differ all the time. Take Street Fighter for example - All recent Street Figher II's have been rated PG, yet all previous SFII, IIIs and more were rated M. Heck, the Plug & Play SFII was rated G!

Source: OFLC

Ikaruga is up!

Developer: Treasure Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Treasure Co., Ltd.
Genre: Shooter
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Click here for the Xbox.com page for Ikaruga

Click here for the official NeoGAF Forum topic.

Ikaruga is your game of the week! Plus new Poker Smash packs!

The Japanese arcade hit Ikaruga receives the full Xbox LIVE Arcade treatment and is poised to launch on the platform this Wednesday, April 9!

“Ikaruga” is a fast-paced scrolling shooter with a twist – players must constantly switch their ship’s polarity to maximize their damage output and avoid incoming enemy fire of the opposite polarity.

“Ikaruga” on Xbox LIVE Arcade features a two-player co-op mode both locally and over Xbox LIVE. Newcomers can also easily bring their skill up to speed by using the game’s slow motion training mode.

“Ikaruga” is a perfect combination of beautiful, manga-style storytelling and challenging arcade heroics, all brought to life in a gorgeous HD environment.

Gamers itching to obtain a moment of “Ikaruga” glory will be wise to master the chaining system that detects when enemies of the same polarity are destroyed consecutively. Doing so will reward players with huge score bonuses, which will be key to topping “Ikaruga’s” leaderboards.

The ability to relive a particularly harrowing battle is also possible thanks to the game’s record and replay function, which is new to the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game.

The game is prices at 800 Microsoft Points, I'm sure there are a lot of fans happy to finally get this game.

In addition to this, Poker Smash will be releasing some enticing add-on packs this week!

The new content includes two Action Mode Environments in the Environment Pack and an additional 15 Puzzles in the Puzzle Pack, giving “Poker Smash” players a total of 13 immersive environments and 70 mind bending puzzles. The “Poker Smash” Environment Pack and Puzzle Pack will each be available for 100 Microsoft Points.

Source: Gamerscoreblog