About Author: Brandin Tyrrel

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Brandin is a San Francisco Bay Area native who spent the better part of a decade developing games before deciding to write about them. You can find him on Twitter @I_AmNotAMonster.

Posts by Brandin Tyrrel

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May the fourth bring you savings on Star Wars Pinball

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on May 1, 2013Posted in: News

Star_Wars_Pinball

The unofficial holiday celebrating everything that happened a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away is nearly upon us. In honor of Star Wars Day, May 4th, Zen Studios is offering Star Wars Pinball at half-price, running you 400 MSP after the discount. The sale is good for one week, through May 7, at which point we assume a great disturbance will be felt — as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror — for missing this deal.

The downloadable content includes tables themed around Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the late, great bounty hunter Boba Fett, and the animated Clone Wars series. With thoughtful considerations in the gameplay and plenty of fan service, we thought Star Wars Pinball was a great addition to the already robust downloadable catalog for Pinball FX2. You can check out our full impressions in our official review.

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Deal of the Week: Everything but the kitchen sink

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 30, 2013Posted in: Deals and Discounts, News

Deal_of_the_Week_Logo

The titular deal of the week, this week, offers a splash of something for just about everyone out there. Whether you’re into platformers, action and adventure, sports, racers, arcade throwbacks, beat-em-ups or dungeon crawlers — you’ll find something to blow a few bucks on and have some fun in the process. The deep discounts are exclusive to Xbox Live Gold Members, who can reap the savings starting today, through Monday, May 6. Hit the images below to check out each individual sale.

Zombie Driver HD gets things started this week, cleaving its price tag in half at 400 MSP. The classic co-op beat-em-up The Simpsons Arcade Game also enters the list at a paltry 400 MSP. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD follows the half-price trend, grinding costs down to 600 MSP, from 1200 MSP. Rounding out the top-row is the action-movie action game, Joe Danger 2: The Movie. It’s the most expensive of the bunch this time around, but can still be snagged for the discounted price of 800 MSP, down from the original 1200 MSP.

ZombieDriverHD_Art     SimpsonsAG_Art     TonyHawkPSHD_Art     JoeDanger2_Art

Continuing right along we’ve got Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale and Scott Pilgrim The Game each available for 320 MSP, down from 800 MSP. Complimenting the latter offering, Scott Pilgrim The Game downloadable content, Knives Chau Add-On Pack, can be snatched for the pocket change price of 80 MSP. Checking off the “throwback” box, both PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX and X-Men are yours to keep at 400 MSP, half off their original 800 MSP tags.

Daggerdale_art     ScottPilgrim_Art     PacManCEDX_Art     XMen_Art

Another retro platforming classic, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is up for grabs at a meager 320 MSP. Finally, closing shop on this week’s deals are sports-arcade favorites NFL Blitz and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, priced to move at 600 MSP, originally 1200 MSP.

Castlevania_Art   Blitz_Art   NBAJamOFE_Art

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Thunder Wolves trailer explodes things in dramatic fashion

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 30, 2013Posted in: News

Sure, the slow-motion, dramatic action movie trailer can be a touch cliche. The back-to-back quick cut explosions set to adrenaline-pumping choir chant and thunderous shotgun percussion. We’ve all seen our fair share by now. Stuff goes boom, you get it. Sometimes it’s total camp. Sometimes it’s perfect.

Developed by Hungarian studio Most Wanted Entertainment, Thunder Wolves is the forthcoming arcade-style action-flight … blowing-stuff-up-with-a-helicopter game that’s basically all about that. Explosions in the air, on the ground, with missiles and bullets and bombs and whatever else might help level a sand-swept urban metropolis. Check out the trailer above for a better idea of what to expect when Thunder Wolves targets Xbox Live Arcade later this year.

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Happy Wars update enlists Castle Crashers

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 29, 2013Posted in: News

HappyWars_CCUpdate

The fifth title update to bolster Happy Wars‘ cartoonish combatants has come ashore, bringing with it an invading force of familiar faces. Developer Toylogic Inc. in collaboration with The Behemoth, has introduced Castle Crashers gear which can be attained as rewards for competing in the all new “Extreme Style Match” game mode. Players who jump into the match will notice it’s business-as-usual with the exception of the game balance, which has been tweaked so that everyone’s on equal footing. Teamwork and strategy are key here since those super-powered items can’t help you.

While the Blue Knight gear can be attained through the Extreme Style playlist, act fast because the first round of rewards are only available until May 1, when presumably the next batch of equipment is rotated into the reward coffers. Those of you with an achievement unlocked in Castle Crashers will automatically be gifted the Barbarian’s helmet. Unfortunately all of these goods can only be used with the Warrior class, leaving the Cleric and Mage out of the party, for now.

This isn’t likely to be the last collaboration we’ll see between the free-to-play brawler and other prominent Xbox Live Arcade titles. ”I hope to deliver more collaborations like this one with other Xbox game developers too,” states Happy Wars Game Director Yoichi Take. ”And make the game even more enjoyable for our more than 2 million Happy Wars fans all over the world.”

Happy Wars is an online team-based arena battler. It’s easy to pick up, surprisingly deep and completely free. You can check out our official review for more convincing.

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Ghetto Golf headed to “Next-Gen” gaming platforms

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 26, 2013Posted in: News

ghettogolflogo

The sports-action-mayhem hybrid Ghetto Golf is headed to “Next-Gen” gaming platforms, according to Illfonic President and Co-Founder Chuck Brungardt. First spotted by eagle-eyed friend of XBLAFans, @lifelower, the news comes from Brungardt’s personal LinkedIn profile, stating:

We strive hard to bring new experiences to the gaming world, combining it with talented artists, programmers, producers, and musicians. We are currently working hard on Ghetto Golf for “Next-Gen” gaming platforms.

Little information has been released thus far regarding Illfonic’s marriage between a 9 iron and a TEC-9, though the developer’s website had previously listed Ghetto Golf targeting Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. When XBLAFans spoke with Illfonic Creative Director and Co-Founder Kedhrin Gonzalez last year we learned that the developer had placed the title on hold in order to focus on another XBLA project, arena-shooter Nexuiz. “We actually first started with another project, Ghetto Golf, but had to put it on the backburner,” Gonzalez stated. “Instead, we decided to take a trip down nostalgia lane with an Arena FPS game.”

Though there’s no word on which “‘Next-Gen’ gaming platforms” Ghetto Golf will land on, judging by Illfonic’s original intentions to bring the title to Xbox Live Arcade, it could be one of the first XBLA games to tee up on Microsoft’s new hardware.

Source: LinkedIn via @lifelower

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Constructing a cybernetic combat whale in Laika Believes

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 25, 2013Posted in: News

LaikiaBelieves_CyberWhale

How long does it take to conjure a cybernetic combat whale complete with side-mounted weaponry and a nose cannon? If you’re Minicore Studios’ talented concept artist Devin Lawson — about five minutes. That’s the run time of a newly released video, first spotted by Joystiq, showcasing the speed-drawing conceptualization of the battle-ready giant for the upcoming Laika Believes. You can check out the video after the jump, which is set to a plucky chiptune arrangement pulled straight from the game’s soundtrack.

The action platformer takes place in an alternate history where the Soviet superpower has enveloped the known world in it’s robotic iron grip. Unlike the depressing fate of the real Laikia (the first animal launched into orbit), Laika Believes sees the titular canine return, cybernetic, super-intelligent and ready to save the day. We know very little about the forthcoming title, other than it’s certainly headed for steam while an Xbox Live Arcade offering is still being investigated as separate episodes.

Continue reading “Constructing a cybernetic combat whale in Laika Believes” »

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TMNT: Out of the Shadows – Michelangelo trailer

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 25, 2013Posted in: News

The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows trailer spotlighting each of the titular foursome has made its way to the surface. Michelangelo’s finally in the spotlight and showing off what he does best: cracking wise and cracking heads with a free-flowing style that’s part breakdancing, part Capoeira, all fun-loving party animal.

Developed by Red Fly Studio, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is set to come crashing down this summer on Xbox Live Arcade. The cooperative action brawler pits you and up to three friends against the mean streets of New York with high-flying teamwork and unlockable moves. Check out the trailer above for the fast and furious action.

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54 minutes of zombie-blasting, car-exploding State of Decay footage

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 24, 2013Posted in: News

State of Decay XBLA

As we continue the agonizing wait for Undead Labs’ State of Decay and its June release, any glimpse of the gritty open-world zombie apocalypse simulator is like a cool drink on a sweltering day. Well it’s hot outside, too hot, and Undead Labs has delivered the refreshments with nearly an hour of unadulterated, blood-soaked, zombie-slaying goodness courtesy of Microsoft Studios and their exclusive sneak peek.

Join Brant and Gronk, Undead Labs’ representatives on your guided tour of State of Decay, as they show off some of the more daring and explosive elements the game has to offer. Though they steered away from story missions, their insight into the many ways to bludgeon, burn and buckshot the walking dead will certainly come in handy later this summer.

Source: Microsoft Studios

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Monaco delayed on XBLA

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 23, 2013Posted in: News

Monaco

The highly anticipated cooperative heist game Monaco has been delayed on Xbox Live Arcade. Initially set to release tomorrow, April 24, Pocket Watch Games has stated that “an issue” discovered at the 11th hour will prevent the title from going live on schedule.

“We just discovered that there is an issue which requires that we push back our Xbox Live arcade game release date a little,” reads a statement on the official Monaco Facebook page. “We’ve already submitted an update to Microsoft to fix the problem, and as soon as we know that the issue is fixed we’ll have a new release date. I know our fans have been waiting a long time for the game, and hopefully they’ll have the patience to wait just a little while longer.  What’s mine will be yours very, very soon!”

Continue reading “Monaco delayed on XBLA” »

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Sacred Citadel, ilomilo developer now ’100 percent indie’

By
Brandin Tyrrel
– Posted on April 23, 2013Posted in: News

Southend

Southend Interactive, the development studio behind XBLA darling ilomilo and newly released Sacred Citadel has split with it’s former parent company, Tactel Holding AB, a Swedish IT consulting firm. As reported by gamesindustry, Southend’s declaration of independence went into effect in late February of this year, securing the studio indie credentials and the freedom to pursue their own goals.

“Southend is for the first time able to independently invest in its own products,” said CEO Fredrik Brönjemark in a posted statement. “It’s a great opportunity for us to bloom and continue the success we have enjoyed with products such as ilomilo and Deathrow, where we have been the creators of the IP.”

Founded in 1998, Southend Interactive is no stranger to Xbox Live Arcade, having first cut its teeth on the platform with Commanders: Attack of the Genos way back in 2008. The studio has since rebooted the arcade classic Lode Runner, developed side-scrolling shoot-em-up R-Type Dimensions and Tecmo Bowl Throwback before garnering praise for the too-cute ilomilo. Southend’s most recent offering, Sacred Citadel, released just last week.

“We are in awe of our fans,” Brönjemark states, “and hope that this new chapter in Southend history will let us make great new games for them.”

Source: Southend Interactive via GamesIndustry.biz

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