WebProNews

Tag: Xbox Live Arcade

  • Xbox Live Summer of Arcade Kicks Off With Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

    One month ago, Microsoft announced that, despite the company focusing heavily on launching its new Xbox One console, it would still be putting on its annual “Summer of Arcade” promotion. The even is now here, and Xbox Live subscribers can now download the first title in the promotion, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

    Brothers is a fairy tale game created by the development studio behind Syndicate and the Chronicles of Riddick games. The game tasks players with controlling two characters – one brother with each thumb stick. Gameplay involves solving puzzles, exploring, and fighting bosses. The new launch trailer for the game shows off Brothers‘ stylized fantasy world and interesting mechanics:

    Brothers may end up being one of the more interesting titles to be released on Xbox Live this year. It is currently selling for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). Other titles will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade in the next three weeks, including Charlie Murder on August 14, Flashback on August 21, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows on August 28.

  • Xbox Live Summer of Arcade Starts August 7

    With the Xbox Live summer sale behind us, Microsoft is giving Xbox 360 gamers only a few weeks to play their new games before this year’s Summer of Arcade games begin showing up. The promotion will begin on August 7 and run until August 28.

    As announced at E3, the titles for the Summer of Arcade will include Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Charlie Murder, Flashback and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Brothers will be the first game to appear in the Xbox Live Arcade on August 7 for 1200 Microsoft Points. August 14 Charlie Murder will be released followed by Flashback on August 21, both for for 800 Microsoft Points. Out of the Shadows finished out the month on August 28 for 1200 Microsoft Points.

    In addition to the games themselves, Microsoft is offering some free DLC for Ascend: Hand of Kul for those who buy at lease two of the Summer of Arcade titles.

    Activision has been promoting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows with individual trailers for each of the turtles. The game is described by the publisher as a “third-person brawler” that features co-op play. It is the first of three upcoming Ninja Turtles games to be based on the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series on Nickelodeon.

  • State of Decay Rejected by Australian Ratings Board

    Earlier this week, the Australian Ratings Board announced it had rejected Saints Row IV over an “Alien Anal Probe” weapon in the game, as well as “alien narcotics” that give players super powers. Though the Saints Row series is known for its over-the-top childishly bawdy humor, it seems that the ratings board is rejecting even games where mature content would seem to fit.

    Jeff Strain, executive producer at Undead Labs, today announced that State of Decay has also been refused classification by the Australian Ratings Board. State of Decay was released in the U.S. earlier this month for Xbox LIVE Arcade and has become a hit, with Microsoft claiming that it is now the fastest-selling “original” game for Xbox LIVE Arcade. The game is a zombie survival game that puts players in a zombie apocalypse where they have to avoid zombies and build fortifications while also scavenging for food, tools, weapons, and medicine.

    It seems that those medicines are what the Australian Ratings Board has taken issue with. In a post to the Undead Labs forums, Strain explains that State of Decay was rejected by the board for depictions of drug use. Players can find medications in-game, including amphetamines and opiates, and use them for effects similar to their real-life counterparts. Strain stated that Undead Labs and Microsoft are working on a solution, which could mean changing medication names to something fake. Strain’s post, in full:

    Hola Australian State of Decay fans,

    I have bad news to share: State of Decay has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board (ACB). We’ve run afoul of certain prohibitions regarding the depiction of drug use. We’re working with Microsoft to come up with options, including changing names of certain medications in the game to comply with ratings requirements. Whatever our path forward, it’s going to take a bit.

    I know this is frustrating — believe me, we’re frustrated too — but each country has the right to set its own rules about content, and it’s our responsibility to comply with them. Rest assured we’ll do everything we can to find a way to get the game into your hands. Stay tuned.

    Jeff

  • State of Decay Sells 500,000 on XBLA

    State of Decay Sells 500,000 on XBLA

    A PC mod for ARMA II called DayZ gained steady popularity over the summer of 2012. Set in the zombie apocalypse, the game tasks players with finding food, tools, weapons, and medicine while avoiding zombies and other players who won’t hesitate to gun down a fellow survivor for supplies. If DayZ hasn’t entirely proven that the open-world zombie apocalypse survival game was a genre with a future, State of Decay now certainly has.

    State of Decay was released last week, in the midst of E3 and the full-on declaration of the new console war. Even with all of that distraction for gamers, Microsoft states that the game has now sold over 500,000 downloads via Xbox LIVE Arcade. Microsoft claims that State of Decay is now the fastest-selling “original” game for XBLA. Presumably, the “original” qualification leaves out the Xbox 360 Edition of Minecraft, which became so phenomenally popular on XBLA that Mojang is now selling boxed copies of the title for the console.

    State of Decay demonstrates that open-world zombie survival will have a future in gaming by showing that the genre does not have to be the player-versus-player wasteland that DayZ often seems to be. It’s a single-player experience, though players still have to scavenge and risk zombie attacks to survive, especially early in the game. The focus is to find fellow (NPC) survivors and work with them to build fortifications against the encroaching zombie hordes. Though criticized for technical problems, reviews for State of Decay have been generally positive.

  • Poker Night 2 Launch Trailer is Appropriately Silly

    There are a few games that throw characters from different series’ into a multiplayer fighting arena, but only Telltale Games‘ Poker Night series makes them sit down and look each other in the eye.

    Poker Night 2 launches today on the Xbox 360 LIVE Arcade, and will follow soon on PlayStation Network and Steam. A trailer for the launch has also been released.

    The game features characters such as Sam from the Sam & Max games, Claptrap from the Borderlands games, Ash Williams from the Evil Dead movies, and Brock Samson from The Venture Bros. TV series as poker players. Portal villain GLaDOS fills in as the dealer.

    Playing the game can unlock what the Telltale is calling “Bounty Unlocks.” These Poker Night rewards will unlock content in other games, such as Borderlands 2 skins, Team Fortress 2 items, and, depending on the system, Xbox Avatar or PlayStation 3 theme unlocks.

    Telltale is coming off the wild success of The Walking Dead adventure game, which made many best-of-2012 lists. In comparison, Poker Night 2 should be a welcome reprieve from the stress of braving the zombie apocalypse. Though it’s not likely to top best-of lists for 2013, it may be a nice diversion during the lean summer months of gaming.

  • Battleblock Theater Launches On Xbox Live Arcade

    It’s been over four years since The Behemoth released Castle Crashes on Xbox Live Arcade. During that time, the team has been busy porting its co-op beat-em-up to other platforms, and working on a new game called Battleblock Theater. Now its new game is finally ready to be unleashed upon the world.

    Starting today, Xbox 360 owners can download Battleblock Theater from Xbox Live Arcade. The competitive/co-op platformer throws players into the role of a fully customized character that fights against other players for supremacy, and for the amusement of the cat overlords.

    Battleblock Theater is available today on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points, or $14.99. As for other platforms, it’ll probably be a while before we see it make the jump to the PC or PS3.

  • Trials Evolution DLC “Riders of Doom” Launch Trailer Released

    While big-budget titles such as Skyrim, Resident Evil 6, Dishonored, and Rage are getting holiday downloadable content (DLC) to keep gamers interested, smaller titles are also getting upgrades.

    The dedicated Trials fan base is getting a present this holiday season in the form of new DLC for Trials Evolution. The “Riders of Doom” content is scheduled to be released sometime in December, but today’s release of a launch trailer for the add-on suggests that the DLC will be released very soon.

    Ubisoft and Red Lynx have stated that the new content will include 20 new trials tracks, 10 new skill games, 5 new supercross tracks, and 5 new tournaments. Today’s trailer also reveals that hundreds of new editor objects and a new bike, the Banshee 350cc, will be included in “Riders of Doom.”

  • New Trials Evolution DLC “Riders of Doom” Announced

    With all of the amazing big-budget gaming titles that were released this year, it’s easy to forget that some of the best and most fun gaming experiences can be had with smaller, less expensive games. Some of the most creative, challenging, and addictive gameplay can be found on Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network.

    Today, Ubisoft released a new trailer for the upcoming “Riders of Doom” downloadable content (DLC) for Trials Evolution. It’s good to see a publisher continue to support a title that was released back in April for only $15. That said, the game did break Xbox LIVE Arcade records, selling over 100,000 downloads on its first day. It’s a distinction the title held until a few weeks later, when Minecraft came along and smashed the record once again.

    The new “Riders of Doom” DLC will be released sometime in December. It will include 20 new trials tracks, 10 new skill games, 5 new supercross tracks for multiplayer, and 5 new tournaments. It appears that Trials fans will have enough new content to frustrate them well into next year.

  • Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition Gets Creative Mode And More In Next Update

    Minecraft continues to be the best selling XBLA game ever released on the service. It’s kind of amazing since the original PC version is leaps and bounds ahead of the current console version in terms of features and content. That won’t be the case for long as 4J Studios has a massive update planned for the near future.

    The first thing that players will no doubt be interested in is that Creative Mode will finally be added to the console version. Players who don’t like all their hard work being destroyed by a Creeper will finally be able to build in peace. Of course, achievements and leaderboards will be disabled for those players. The trade off is that Creative Mode players will be able to fly.

    Here’s the rest of the updates that will be hitting the next version of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition courtesy of playXBLA:

  • Added new mobs – Enderman, Cave Spiders, and Silverfish
  • Added new items to the game – Melon, Melon Slice, Melon Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Raw/Cooked Beef, Raw/Cooked Chicken, Rotten Flesh, Pumpkin Seeds, Iron Bars, Fence Gate, Stone Bricks, Stone Brick Slabs, Stone Brick Stairs, Brick Slabs, Brick Stairs, Ender Pearl, Web,Vines, 10 more Music Discs, Sponge, and Chain Armor.
  • Added new items to the crafting menu – Melon, Melon Seeds, Glass Pane, Fence Gate, Iron Bars, Stone Bricks, Stone Brick Slabs, Stone Brick Stairs, Brick Slabs, Brick Stairs.
  • Added terrain generation features – Strongholds, Villages, Abandoned Mineshafts and Ravines.
  • Biome code additions, including rivers and oceans.
  • Changed the bow to have drawing and firing action.
  • Added a quick move to the dispenser.
  • Added a quick equip for armor to the inventory interface.
  • Added a quick move for ingredients and fuel in the furnace interface.
  • Brought forward the mining speed changes from 1.2.3
  • Brought forward apples dropping from leaf blocks from 1.1
  • Brought forward change from 1.2.3 to make pumpkins and melons grow from stems much faster, and not require farmland around the stem to grow on.
  • Fix to vines brought forward from 1.2.3 to stop them spreading too much.
  • Added the Food Bar to the HUD.
  • Added stacking for food items.
  • Added the eating animation.
  • Enabled crafting mushroom stew without a crafting table.
  • Added the blocking move with swords.
  • Changed all the text descriptions for food to show how much they refill the food bar.
  • Passive mobs will now flee when hit.
  • The snout on pigs now protrude from their head.
  • Skeletons now hold full size bows.
  • Animals no longer despawn which makes it possible to capture them.
  • Zombies now drop Rotten Flesh instead of Feathers.
  • Updated some mob sounds.
  • Shears can now collect Tall Grass and the new Vine.
  • Improved sunrise and sunset.
  • Improved the rain edges (when looking up in rain).
  • User-placed leaf blocks no longer decay.
  • Cloud height raised to the top of the map, so clouds can no longer phase through blocks.
  • Cloud movement syncs with the game’s time.
  • Both Wooden and Stone pressure plates can now be placed on fences.
  • Improved chest model with a 3D lock, and opening and closing animation.
  • Added a countdown timer to the autosave to stop it being such a surprise.
  • Added the ability to rename an existing saved world.
  • Added map icons to the in-game player list to match their color in the map.
  • Added a confirmation dialog on the player choosing to exit without saving.
  • Added a character display when sprinting or flying.
  • Updated the How To Play HUD with the Food Bar information.
  • Added descriptions for Creative Mode and Sprinting to the How To Play menus.
  • Updated the Download Content menu with pictures of the DLC available.
  • Added death messages
  • Removed Herobrine.

    • There are a number of new options and bug fixes hitting the game as well. You can check out the full list at PlayXBLA’s rundown of all the major fixes hitting the smash hit indie game.

  • DayZ-Like Zombie Survival Game Coming to Xbox and PC

    DayZ-Like Zombie Survival Game Coming to Xbox and PC

    A developer named Undead Labs this week announced that yet another zombie survival game is being developed, this time for a console. State of Decay will feature a DayZ-like open-world, sandbox zombie apocalypse wilderness for players to inhabit via the Xbox LIVE Arcade or PC.

    Undead Labs states on its website that players will have to find water, food, and shelter – all while battling the zombie horde. State of Decay seems to set itself apart from DayZ by focusing more on setting up fortifications against the zombie outbreak, allowing players to recruit NPC survivors and designate certain areas as a home base.

    Undead Labs states that the world of State of Decay will develop in real-time depending on the actions players take. Content will be dynamically generated and the zombie threat will be “ever-increasing.” What is unclear from either the trailer or the announcement is whether State of Decay will feature the nerve-wracking and dangerous player-versus-player (PVP) interaction that makes DayZ so exciting.

    DayZ itself is a mod for the Arma II military simulation game for PC that was released in an Alpha state earlier this year. In it, players spawn into a large, open world with little gear and have to dodge zombies and seek out basic necessities to survive. Other players are also playing simultaneously and competing for limited resources, meaning that some survivors turn to banditry as a way of life. State of Decay is the second DayZ-like zombie survival game to be announced this summer. In July, a game staying close to the DayZ formula called WarZ was announced by Hammerpoint Interactive.

    Check out the State of Decay announcement trailer below and decide for yourself which zombie survival game suits you best:

  • Microsoft Defends Windows 8 Gaming

    Microsoft Defends Windows 8 Gaming

    It says a lot about Windows 8 that Microsoft finds itself in the position of having to defend its newest desktop operating system. Aside from the criticisms leveled against the OS from desktop users who use their PC for work or some other productive tasks, gamers and game companies have also been voicing concerns about the platform.

    Valve co-founder and Managing Director Gabe Newell has called Windows 8 a “catastrophe for everyone in the PC space.” Newell was speaking at the Casual Connect videogame conference when he made that statement. He has since refined his statement to make it clear he was referring to the Windows 8 app store. Valve has begun to implement its Steam platform for Linux, as an alternative and “hedge” against a possible Windows 8 disaster. It has also just announced that Steam will begin selling creativity and productivity software in addition to games.

    This week, a Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat that the company believes Windows 8 is “ideal” for gaming. VentureBeat quoted the spokesperson:

    “With Xbox on Windows 8, we created easy entry points into the types of entertainment that you’ll enjoy, including games. The Games app prominently features your avatar, profile, friends and Gamerscore and allows you to explore your friends’ avatars.”

    Windows-based PC gaming has been a mainstay of the gaming industry for decades now. If Microsoft thinks that PC gamers want Xbox avatars and achievements, it may be in for a rude awakening. While some gamers will certainly enjoy the ability to sync their PC gaming experience to the Xbox 360 console, many PC gamers will not want to organize their gaming habits through a console or tablet-like interface.

    Much of the concern from the gaming industry, however, is the fear that Microsoft might lock Windows gaming behind licensing walls, the way it does for Xbox gaming. While some developers would have no issues publishing their titles through a Windows 8 store, smaller, more independent developers could face the same frustrations they run into with the Xbox LIVE Arcade. Polytron, the indie game developer of Fez, voiced these frustrations in a twitter conversation with Minecraft developer Markus “Notch” Persson. Persson phrased the concerns well during an AMA with the Reddit Minecraft community:

    “I hope we can keep a lot of open and free platforms around. If Microsoft decides to lock down Windows 8, it would be very very bad for Indie games and competition in general.

    If we can keep open platforms around, there’s going to be a lot of very interesting games in ten years, mixed in with the huge AAA games that we all love.”

    With Windows 8, Microsoft has the power to flip the PC gaming world on its head. It also has the responsibility, though, to keep the platform open enough for developers who cannot afford an app store approval process. If Microsoft does codify a console-like gaming experience into Windows 8, Newell may end up being the harbinger for a future Linux gaming boom.

    (via VentureBeat)

  • It Was Only A Matter Of Time Before Minecraft Got DLC

    The beauty of Minecraft is that anybody can make anything in it. There are no expansions beyond the free updates that hit every few months. Many gamers thought it would be the same once Minecraft hit the Xbox 360, but Microsoft isn’t going to give up on selling some good old fashioned DLC to gamers.

    The DLC pack coming to Minecraft on Xbox 360 is the first skin pack, which implies that there will be more down the road. Play XBLA got the skinny on more characters from the first pack that will include skins from some recognizable Microsoft franchises.

    It Was Only A Matter Of Time Before MInecraft Got DLC

    The big addition for somebody like me is obviously Banjo from the N64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie. After all the pain that modern day Rare has put me through, it’s nice to see Microsoft still paying homage to one of their best franchises.

    Alongside Banjo comes Ms ‘Splosion, the main character from the sequel to one of XBLA’s greatest hits, ‘Splosion Man. Clayton Carmine of Gears of War is also along for the ride. Here’s hoping he doesn’t die a horrible, gruesome death like all of his brothers.

    Rounding out the pack is Jack of Blades and the subtly named Prisoner. Jack is from the critically panned XBLA brawler, Fable Heroes, whereas the Prisoner is just a regular skin.

    These character skins are just the latest to be revealed as part of the Minecraft version 1.7.3 on Xbox 360. The first reveal from Skin Pack 1 featured a Creeper, a Covenant Grunt from Halo, ‘Splosion Man and others. There will be 40 character skins in all when it launches alongside the latest update.

  • Guardians of Middle-Earth Gameplay Trailer Reveals Console MOBA Action

    Though games such as Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) and League of Legends have become huge hits for PC gamers, but console gamers have not yet been widely exposed to the relatively new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre of gaming. Warner Bros. aims to fix that oversight this fall with the release of Guardians of Middle-Earth, a MOBA for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network. A brand new gameplay video has been released, showing what gamers can expect from the title.

    A cinematic trailer for the game hit the web just before E3 this year, featuring a Lord of the Rings character battle royale with Gandalf, Sauron, Galadriel, Gollum, and more. Fantasy fans (ironic) were instantly upset by the obvious disrespect to Lord of the Rings cannon, but their complaints were quickly drowned out by the outcry from MOBA fans that the game is simply League of Legends with Lord of the Rings characters. Both are, to some extent, correct, and it is obvious that the Lord of the Rings IP is simply being used here because it can. MOBA action was going to come to consoles sooner rather than later, and Guardians of Middle-Earth will show whether or not console gamers will embrace that style of gameplay.

    For those who are unfamiliar with the MOBA concept, it features two teams battling to destroy the enemy base. Each player gains control of one character (guardian, in the case of Guardians of Middle-Earth) that will fight and level up over the course of a match. The games are normally presented in a top-down point of view, as MOBAs were originally mods of real-time strategy games. Take a look at the gameplay trailer for Guardians of Middle-Earth below, and see what Warner Bros. envisions a console MOBA to be:

  • Minecraft Isn’t as Fun With Real Physics

    Minecraft has a strange way with physics. Players can certainly build complicated Rube Goldberg devices using the wonky physics in the game, but players can also ride waterfalls as if they were elevators. Oh, and things can hover in mid-air too. Despite the incongruous physics (or maybe because of them), Minecraft still manages to be endearing. But what if a more realistic physics engine were used for the game?

    YouTube user TheKrishux had that same thought, and decided to improve 3D rendering skills using Minecraft elements. He has uploaded a video of his results, showing a box smashing into a player, a crane smashing through a wall, and hundreds of characters falling into a rather large box. From the YouTube video description:

    Clearly this video isn’t actual Minecraft
    Made this video to take my mind off of bigger projects (mostly still images).. In overall I am content with the outcome, still some things could be better, but thats the process of learning, isn’t it.. Hope you enjoyed!

    TheKrishux states that he used the free, open-source 3D rendering software Blender to create the project. Take a look below to see how Minecraft would look with ragdoll physics. As it turns out, it basically becomes a cheap-looking Garry’s Mod, the sandbox mod for Valve’s Source engine:

    (via Kotaku)

  • Lord of the Rings DOTA-Type Game Announced

    Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment officially announced this week that it will be releasing a new multiplayer online “battle arena” (MOBA) game based on the Lord of the Rings franchise. The game is called Guardians of Middle-Earth, and it will be released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network sometime this fall.

    MOBA is a term some companies use to refer to games based on the gameplay of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). The games are a variation of real-time strategy games in which players control a single heroic character.

    “The MOBA genre is wildly popular with PC players and we are excited to bring it to consoles through the lore of Middle-earth,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Warner Bros. “The heroes and villains of Middle-earth are crafted in a way that perfectly intersects with MOBA game features, allowing the development team to create guardians with deep skills and abilities for gamers to master.”

    The game will pit teams of 5 players against each other in arenas set within Middle-Earth. Some of the more than 20 “guardians” players will be able to use include Gandalf, Sauron, and Gollum. Warner Bros. stated that the game will tie-in to the upcoming the upcoming movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Several new playable “guardians” will be released in conjunction with the film.

  • Minecraft Breaks Xbox 360 Sales Records

    Minecraft Breaks Xbox 360 Sales Records

    Microsoft today announced that the Xbox Live Arcade port of the popular indie PC game Minecraft has broken digital sales records for the platform. Minecraft has sold more downloads in its first 24 hours than any other game in Xbox Live Arcade history. The sequel to Trials HD, Trials Evolution, achieved the same milestone when it launched on the Xbox Live Arcade less than one month ago.

    Markus “Notch” Persson, Minecraft’s creator and a developer at Mojang, gave fans a hint at Minecraft for Xbox 360’s success, tweeting earlier that the title sold well enough to become profitable in one hour. This is more good news for Mojang, the Swedish game development studio behind Minecraft, which is making so much money that Notch no longer considers it to be an indie studio. This is yet more proof that the age of smaller, more creative games has arrived.

    Speaking of creative games, after teasing Minecraft’s record-breaking sales, Notch had a short Twitter interaction with Polytron, the development studio behind the award-winning 2D/3D puzzle-platformer Fez. Polytron was curious as to how Notch had gotten hold of sales numbers from Microsoft, who is evidently very stingy with its numbers. Polytron seems rightly miffed at what seems to be preferential treatment:

    @Polytron
    Polytron    @notch how did you get those stats from MS? we still dont know exactly how much fez sold almost a month later. you get stats in 24 hours? 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @notch
    Markus Persson    @Polytron What? Really? I thought it was standard procedure! That sucks. 🙁 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Polytron
    Polytron    @notch standard procure is: you find out how much you sold when you get your first check 3-4 months later. 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @notch
    Markus Persson    @Polytron Well, then I don’t know. Perhaps there’s something special in our contract, or we’re just lucky. :/ 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Polytron
    Polytron    @notch you’re also getting free updates, which is something every other developer on the platform is told is simply not an option. 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @notch
    Markus Persson    @Polytron we had to fight for that, and we got a limited number of them. Not sure why they don’t like it. 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Alexsad
    Alex Sadowski    @notch @polytron you guys are addressing the contract. That must be breaking the contract. 4 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @notch
    Markus Persson    @Alexsad @polytron I am talking about a different microsoft. 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The Xbox 360 edition of Minecraft is now available in the Xbox Live Arcade for 1600 Microsoft Points, and Fez is available for 800 Microsoft Points. Are you one of the hundreds of thousands of people who has already jumped into Minecraft for Xbox 360? Leave a comment below and let us know.

  • Trials Evolution Breaks Xbox Live Arcade Records

    Microsoft, through its playXBLA website has announced that Trials Evolution has set the record for launch-day sales on the Xbox Live Arcade. The developer of the title, RedLynx, announced via Twitter that over 100,000 copies of the game had been sold during its first day of availability:

    @RedLynxGamer
    RedLynx     For those who asked, we had over 100,000 day one #TrialsEvo players! Thank you! 1 day ago via Tweetbot for iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Neither Microsoft or RedLynx have announced any monetary figures yet, but it’s not too hard to ballpark a figure. With the game selling for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00), it’s clear that over $1.5 million was raked in on Wednesday. That’s some fairly conclusive proof that smaller, more gameplay-oriented titles can still be successful on a large scale.

    Trials Evolution was launched just two days ago and has become an instant hit. Reviews of the game are full of praise, including a review giving the game a perfect score from Giantbomb.

    Reviewers cite several reasons for the success of Trials Evolution. The sequel maintains the challenge of the original Trials while adding a plethora of features. The game now features a multiplayer mode for up to 4 players, local or over Xbox live. It also now features an expanded track editor and a system to share those tracks with other players that will almost certainly guarantee a committed fan base and community for years. Or at least until the next Trials title is released.

    It looks as if Trials Evolution is the rare sequel that actually delivers more than gamers were asking for. What do you think? Are you already throwing your Xbox controller at your TV in frustration over the game’s difficulty? Let me know in the comments below.

  • Trials Evolution Now Available on Xbox Live Arcade

    The sequel to the popular and critically acclaimed Trials HD is now available for download on the Xbox Live Arcade. Trials Evolution features outdoor environments, local and online multiplayer, and track-sharing.

    The original Trials HD was released in 2009 and quickly became a classic due to its addictive gameplay and high difficulty level. The game is a physics-based motorcycle game in which players are challenged to make it across indoor “tracks” filled with traps and physics puzzles. Mastering Trials HD required great amounts of precision and patience.

    Trials Evolution looks to build up on its predecessor in every way possible. The tracks are no longer confined to indoor spaces and now contain curved driving lines. Players can play with up to four of their Xbox Live friends online or locally on any track, racing each other or, I assume, cooperating to overcome tricky puzzles that require more than one player. The track editor is back, and now players can share their self-made tracks with others using the new “Track Central.”

    Fans of the series and those curious about Trials Evolution can play a trial version of the game for free or download the full game for 1200 Microsoft Points (about $15.00). With the tight gameplay and high replay value apparent in the Trials series, I’d say that price is a steal compared to many lackluster $60 titles I’ve played.

    Check out the launch trailer for Trials Evolution below. Based on what I’ve seen, the game might be Xbox Live Arcade game-of-the-year material.

  • Ms. Splosion Man Headed To PC, Mobile Devices

    Twisted Pixel, the Austin, Texas-based company that created Splosion Man for the Xbox Live Arcade and The Gunstringer for Xbox 360 Kinect, has announced Ms. Splosion Man will be released for the PC and on several mobile devices this summer. The title is currently in development for Steam, Games for Windows LIVE, Windows Phone 7, iPhone, and iPad. Twisted Pixel has teamed up with other developers to port the title, including Iron Galaxy, Fire Hose, and Panic Button Studios.

    “We are extremely excited to work with Twisted Pixel in bringing splosions to mobile devices,” says Iron Galaxy CEO Dave Lang.  “Ms. Splosion Man has really deep gameplay that is born from deceptively simple controls, so it’s a great game on any platform.”

    Ms. Splosion Man is the sequel to Twised Pixel’s Splosion Man, in which players ‘explode’ to propel themselves through puzzling platforming levels. Both are currently only available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade.

    The PC version of Ms. Splosion Man will feature 50 single-player levels and 50 co-op levels for up to four players, locally or online. The touch device versions will be specifically designed for touch gaming, with “familiar content but all new features.” Unfortunately, the touch version of the game does use a virtual d-pad for movement controls. Perhaps Twisted Pixel should collaborate with the co-creator of Super Meat Boy, Edmund McMillen, who is re-designing his platformer for touch devices without using these “non-tactile buttons.”

    Twisted Pixel released a trailer to accompany the Ms. Splosion Man announcement. Be warned, though, it is pretty bizarre and…twisted. Oh, and the link at the end is just a joke; it links directly to the Ms. Splosion Man website.

  • New Rock Band Game “Rock Band Blitz” Announced

    Just when you thought the fake-instrument video game genre was dead, Harmonix, the company that brought you the Rock Band games, has announced a “Rock Band Blitz”.

    Matthew Nordhaus, a Project Director at Harmonix, revealed details about the game in an interview on G4 TV’s X-Play. In the interview Nordhaus stated the game would only be available on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network – it won’t be coming in a gigantic box. In fact, the game will not focus on memorizing patterns the way previous games have. Instead, it will have more of an arcade feel, and won’t even use plastic instruments. “Blitz” will be “primarily” a single-player game and will be available for download sometime this summer.

    This new title will be compatible with all of the (more than 3,700) downloadable songs and song packs Harmonix has already released. In addition, the 25 tracks to be included with “Blitz” will also be compatible with Rock Band 3. Harmonix will continue to release downloadable content weekly, as they have been doing for the last 4 years. And they will market those DLC tracks in “Blitz” with the “recommendation system,” which will suggest tracks to buy based on players’ or their friends’ past purchase and play history.

    The gameplay itself looks frantic, with the player switching constantly between instruments to “charge them up” while power-ups and multipliers fly across the screen. There is also a pinball being batted around and the path of the notes curves as if it’s a racetrack. You’ll have to see Nordhaus presenting it yourself, I simply can’t describe it any better other than to point out that it heavily resembles Audiosurf. This jumble of a game seems to be a clear admission by Harmonix that the Guitar Hero/Rock Band genre is dead. This is their attempt to prop up their downloadable-songs business model and perhaps extend it to those who don’t own fake-instrument peripherals.

    PS3 Games – E3 2012 – Rock Band Blitz

    And here is the announcement trailer so you can see (and hear) the game in action:

    Xbox 360 Games – E3 2012 – Rock Band Blitz

  • Xbox Live Arcade Will “Absolutely” Go Away, Says Microsoft

    Xbox Live Arcade is dying (though it may be a slow death) – essentially because the need for discs, as opposed to downloadable content is becoming less important, and game developers are already offering bigger games in the downloadable format.

    Brian Crecente at The Verge/VOX Games spoke with Michael Wolf, global marketing manager for XBLA Microsoft Studios earlier this week (hat tip to Neowin), and reported this to be the case.

    Here’s the relevant snippet (of a much more extensive piece on where Xbox is going):

    Wolf walks through all of this and then we discuss when that line between a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game and a downloadable retail boxed game is going to lose its meaning. Eventually the Xbox Live Arcade is going to go away, right?

    “Personally, I’d say absolutely, yes,” Wolf says. “I think digital distribution has to be like that. I don’t think XBLA will be leaving soon. It is an incredible platform. We have XBLA fans, I don’t think it’s going to be announced anytime soon. One thing Microsoft has proven is that we continue to try and adapt and innovate in experiences.”

    On a related note, Wolf also hinted that Microsoft could bring free-to-play to Xbox Live Arcade if the scenario is right:

    “I can’t confirm we’re going to bring free-to-play to Xbox Live Arcade, but we will if we have content that makes sense for that.”

    It seems inevitable that the disc format, not only for games, but for movies, books and music, will go away eventually. Downloads and streaming have already become hugely popular among consumers across all of these categories. The only question is: how long until the disc options just go away (at least outside of the niche collector group).

    It does seem that consumers are not ready to give up on discs just yet. That’s why Netflix still has a DVD option, even if they’re more focused on streaming for the future.