Puzzle fans rejoice, ilomilo is on sale exclusively for gold members for 400 MSP (reg. 800 MSP). The game is a puzzle platformer with gorgeous visuals and a charming soundtrack. The goal of each puzzle is to reunite Ilo and Milo. The two friends have been separated on either end of an intricate map and must work together to find the solution. Each level is littered with rewards and hidden surprises for players to find.
No end date is known for the sale, so it’s probably a good idea to jump on it quickly. Check out our review for the title (hint: you should Buy It!).
Source: Xbox Marketplace
As reported yesterday, Trials Evolution was set to arrive on XBLA at an undisclosed date in April. Thanks to a marketplace listing, the release date for the title appears to be April 18. Trials Evolution is the follow-up to the “Best Overall Arcade Game” of 2009, according to a poll conducted by Microsoft.
Trials Evolution escapes the confines of the warehouse setting of the previous title and opts for the scenic outdoors. This time around the title will feature four-player multiplayer, both online and offline. An extensive track editor has been thrown into the mix, which provides players the ability to upload personal creations to infuriate your friends.
*UPDATE* — Looks like your great, great, great, great, (repeat about 10 times) grandchildren will be the first to see the game. Xbox.com now lists it as 12/31/2799. Obviously they don’t want to lock in a specific date yet, but their choice of a replacement date was cute.
Source: Xbox Marketplace
The squared circle may be heading to Xbox Live Arcade thanks to THQ in the form of WWE WrestleFest, a remake of the early 90′s arcade game which will be coming to iOS soon. THQ’s Community Manager, Marcus Stephenson, hints that WrestleFest may be arriving on more than just iOS devices. Mr. Stephenson replied to a Twitter comment implying that sales would be good for the title if it was brought to XBLA. Mr. Stephenson replied, “You should wait for Feb 21 before you believe anything. Just saying, bro! 
” WWE Wrestlefest will arrive on iOS devices next week. We will need to wait and see if February 21 brings about an official announcement from THQ regarding a XBLA release.
Source: JustPushStart
Kung-Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise has been officially rated by the ESRB. Due to the games animated blood and violence, the title received a “Teen” rating.
For those unfamiliar with Kung-Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise, the title is an action-fighting game where players take control of a kung-fu master as he embarks on a quest to test his fighting skills. Players will use various punches, kicks, and combo attacks to defeat enemy combatants. According to a screenshot of the main menu, the game appears as though it will have multiplayer, leaderboards and downloadable content. No official release date has been revealed.
Source: ESRB
Waiting on a deal
The common perception is that Xbox Live Arcade titles rarely go on sale, but our research shows this is anything but the case. In 2011, the Xbox Live Arcade had 93 games released on the service, of which 44 went on sale. If you take into account the average days before initial sale (about 158 days), only 60 of the 93 titles had either gone on sale or were given the proper amount of time to go on sale. With that statistic in mind, the data shows that 44 of an available 60 games went on sale during their initial launch year. This figure represents a remarkable sale percentage of 73%. This would mean that roughly three out of every four games received a discount during their initial launch year when given the appropriate amount of time. This blows the notion that XBLA titles don’t go on sale completely out of the water.
We found that certain games went on sale one time for one day only. If you don’t turn on your Xbox every day it’s easy to miss one of your most wanted games on sale. These one day sales tend to help the misconception that XBLA titles do not receive sales. Being diligent and alert will help you get the games you want most, at a discounted price.
Genre breakdown
When we set out to group the releases by genre, most were self explanatory. Genres such as Fighting, Shooter, and Role-Playing were all comprised with specific attributes that all gamers could relate to. Certain concessions were needed when grouping other genres to be able to present the data properly. We grouped Puzzle and Word games into a single category, which included titles such as Apples to Apples, Crazy Machine Elements, and ilomilo. Action Arcade, our largest category, consisted of titles such as Ms. Splosion Man, Trine 2, and Islands of Wakfu.
The 2011 Xbox Live Arcade releases spanned 12 genres with only one particular genre having ample offerings. Over 43% of all XBLA releases in 2011 were from the Action Arcade genre, which had 40 releases. The Shooter genre held the second highest release percentage with 12% represented by 11 releases. The last 10 genres make up the remaining 46% in 2-8% increments.
Only two genres, Sports and Console Classics, did not receive a single mark down in 2011. Alternatively, Role-Playing games were the only genre where all three of its 2011 releases went on sale.
The average Metacritic scores across each of the genres ranged between 62 and 76, with the Fighting game genre the only outlier at an average of only 48. With only two releases, the Card and Board genre fared the best with a 76 average Metacritic score. Though Sports and Console Classics did not receive a single sale in 2011, they each posted decent average Metacritic scores of 73 and 74 respectively. Role-Playing games, which had all its releases go on sale, received an average Metacritic score of 72. The data seems to indicated that the genre and score do not have a correlation to the game receiving a sale.
Return to: XBLA in Review 2011
Alan Wake’s American Nightmare will be the next game to feature avatar awards. To see more XBLA-based Avatar awards, check out this link. If you want the latest Avatar Award related news as it hits the scene, be sure to follow @AvatarAwards360 on Twitter.
Upcoming games: **Awards are the same for male and female unless specified
Tequila Works announced that their first title, Deadlight, will be published by Microsoft Studios exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade. The cinematic puzzle platformer is set to arrive in summer 2012.
In 1986, a sole survivor name Randall Wayne wanders the American west coast trying to survive. The world he once knew has been engulfed by a mysterious disease that changes people into killer automatons. Deadlight takes players into the horrors of a dying world as one man tries to avoid mankind’s extinction.
Source: TequilaWorks
Ignition Entertainment and Denki announced that Quarrel will finally make its Xbox Live Arcade debut on January 25. The highly popular free iOS app will retail for 400 Microsoft Points.
Quarrel is a strategy game that pits players against each other in a battle for territorial control. Players are given eight random letters to come up with the highest scoring word possible. Each letter has a specific point value that is used to determine the overall value of the word. The player with the highest scoring word wins the battle and the territory. The game is won by controlling all territories on the board.
Unlike the iOS version of Quarrel, the XBLA iteration will feature online multiplayer for 2-4 players. However, the online functionality will only be available over Xbox Live with no option for local multiplayer.
Source: Joystiq
