We’ve been talking Sine Mora up for a long while from character reveals to differences in the gameplay but we finally have a release. Digital Reality ran a contest to see who could guess the release date and it turns out March 21 was the winner. If you’re a longtime reader of the site as well, you’ll notice one of our writers on the contest list winning the game! Pretty cool stuff of Digital Reality to run this contest (no cheating was involved also). No price was announced but look forward to this game from Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture at the end of March.

Sine Mora shooting up the place on March 21

Not much for this Wednesday but go into the darkness with light to fend off the Taken in Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. As Mr. Wake, you’ll be whisked to the town of Night Springs, a TV show Wake used to write for. You must stop the evil Mr. Scratch from taking over and killing Alice. With updated combat and a new Horde-styled “Fight Till Dawn” mode with waves after waves of enemies. It’ll set you back 1200 MSP and we hope you don’t get too scared on this XBLA Wednesday.

XBLA Wednesday: February 22

Suda 51′s Diabolical Pitch may have missed its originally announced 2011 release window, but PlayXbla.com has three new screenshots to tide eager gamers over until it releases this year.

As the title suggests, the XBLA Kinect title features a baseball player with a mean pitching arm – trailers and screens depict the player lobbing flaming fastballs at all sorts of crazy and demonic creatures, featuring all of the insanity that’s come to be associated with Suda 51 games. Originally known as Codename D, Diabolical Pitch been billed as a Kinect game for the mature audience. A solid release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it is scheduled to be out this year (though it was originally scheduled for 2011).

New Diabolical Pitch screens show off a mean fastball

Gamers can get their hands on one-year subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold for a reduced price right now over on Amazon and Newegg. Prices have been marked down by 40 percent from $59.99 to $35.99 USD. The barrier of entry for three-month membership has also fallen: Amazon has trimmed the price point for one-fourth of a year down to $19.16, while New Egg is asking for a scant bit more at $19.99. (Three-month cards normally retail for $24.99.)

As Joystiq points out, the one-year sale price on New Egg is limited to five cards per customer. That means that you can finally get your bum friends to play online with you, or set yourself up for the foreseeable future. Of course, that’s only a route to be explored by those who like to live dangerously.

Source: Joystiq

Xbox Live Gold on sale at Amazon and Newegg

Digital Reality seem to keep busy with last year’s SkyDrift and the upcoming Sine Mora with Grasshopper Manufacture but they still have some racing spirit in them with Bang Bang Racing. In the new trailer, you’ll see obstacles you’ll have to avoid during races from oil barrels to explosive barrels to regular old traffic cones. You’ll also get to check out two new views with the camera following or the classic isometric view like R.C. Pro-Am. Not to mention a little taste of the upcoming multiplayer you’ll be battling against your friends with. Keep your engines revving when this hits sometime in 2012.

Bang Bang Racing trailer has obstacles to avoid and various viewpoints

Developer SpikySnail Games has announced that their puzzle game, The Splatters, will be released exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade sometime this spring. A studio representative said that the team is “super excited” to be bringing the title to XBLA.

Development of the game is now in the “home stretch,” according to SpikySnail co-founder Sagi Koren. The team released the above new trailer showing off just how much development progress they’ve made to go along with the announcement.

XBLA to get an exclusive splattering this spring

If you were affected by the stats glitch like some players in Gotham City Impostors, there’s a temporary fix that WB Games will help you out with. Go to the official website and make sure to give them your email, WBID email and GamerTag and they should be able to help you out. They’re currently working on a patch to fix this issue but in the meantime, we suggest you send an email if your stats have been wiped.

Gotham City Impostors helping players affected by stats glitch

One of the more stranger takes on tower defense, Anomaly Warzone Earth completely switches the game to make it more about offense. In this new Japanese trailer from the PC version, you’ll see your little soldier take the reigns on his own, setting up tanks to help him along the way. The game has a very unique futuristic visual style for the units with blue and red highlights over allies and villains. You have many units at your disposal and the amount of on-screen action looks crazy. Keep a tactical eye out for this one when the XBLA version releases sometime in March for 800 MSP.

Anomaly Warzone Earth trailer shows tactical destruction in tower offense

Yesterday, we heard a rumor that a remake of WWE WrestleFest is coming to XBLA after its iOS release and it looks like we’ll be going in the ring next. The game will include a list of famous wrestlers from recent stars like The Marine‘s John Cena to legends like “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Jake “the Snake” Roberts. The iOS version will include multiplayer, meaning the XBLA version could possibly bring it over for offline/online. There’ll also be DLC for the iOS version, possibly inferring we’ll be getting DLC on the XBLA version but since being announced for development, we don’t know much beyond a release date for 2012. In the meantime, there is a Marketplace listing, with confirmed 2-player online and some screenshots from we assume the iOS version unless the XBLA version has those giant buttons on the screen. Keep your belt on in the ring when this comes out sometime this year.

Source: WWE

WWE WrestleFest announced for XBLA

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition is the rebirth of perhaps the most influential arcade sports title of the early 1990’s. It brings two-on-two, run-and-gun basketball back to the forefront and we couldn’t be happier. For the uninitiated the game is an over-the-top arcade style basketball game. It includes famous NBA players, unlockable teams and characters, jovial commentary and insane slam dunks. While NBA Jam saw a reboot to the series with its 2010 retail release, On Fire Edition brings back all the things that made the series fun, then adds in a slew of extra content, all for 1200 MSP. It’s everything that you would expect from a reboot of a classic game series and more. Boomshakalaka!!!

Here’s what we liked:

More than a facelift – The easy route for bringing a game over to Xbox Live Arcade is simply to give it a graphical facelift and call it a day. NBA Jam: OFE adds a ton of content to the original formula without diluting the intent of the game. The updated graphics are a lot of fun with head shots of all your favorite stars. It occasionally looks awkward, but those odd moments are few and far between.

Classic touches – All of the quirky touches that made NBA Jam great back in the day are still here. Mascots jam alongside of other players. Big Head mode is unlocked right from the beginning. Those of a political ilk can settle their differences by pitting Republicans and Democrats against one another. Lots of past players can be unlocked for their respective teams such as Larry Bird and Shaq. The announcer is also back with all of his much beloved one liners. “He’s on fire!” has never sounded so good.

Intense action – Matches can really get heated and it makes them all the more fun. Gold level challenges really require concentration. But overcoming them and coming back from difficult situations is really satisfying. Once you get up to speed the toughest difficulties are the only place you will want to play.

Unlockables – Those looking to get their favorite players and teams will find that just about everything is here: Republicans, Democrats, several Mascot teams, Euroleague teams–heck, even the Seattle Supersonics. There are also several other teams to unlock, such as the SSX team. The choice of unlockable players is vast, too, if not a bit odd. We love Rick Smits and all, but why isn’t Reggie Miller the unlockable for the Pacers?

Challenges galore – In addition to the standard quick play feature there are two modes in NBA Jam: online  and Road Trip. Online is simply playing matches against random opponents. Road Trip is basically the game’s career mode. In it you have to beat all the different teams in bronze, silver, and gold challenges. Finishing all of these unlocks special platinum level challenges. The cool thing is that both modes have their own in game challenges which unlock Jam Points. These are used to buy all the unlockable players, teams, cheats and perks. Getting enough points to unlock everything will take some time, which means there’s always replay value.

Online opponents – Just having the option to play human opponents makes this a must buy. The online matches that we played were stable for the most part. Most players should find no problems with lag when playing over LIVE. Unfortunately rage quitters abound, but that’s true just about everywhere.

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Crazy cheap AI – Even though NBA Jam: OFE is not a true quarter munching arcade game, it does trace its roots from such. As a result the AI is guilty of many old school sins. To say it’s a rubberbanding AI would be putting it mildly. You can build up large leads only to see them crumble in moments. At times the AI defense is so stout that you can’t even get past half court. There comes a time in most high level games where the shove fest from the computer becomes almost unbearable. Meanwhile wide open shots that you take inexplicably bounce right out. It’s all the dirty tricks you would expect from an arcade machine, and it can be very frustrating at times. Thankfully it can be (mostly) overcome as your skill improves.

Questionable DLC – The only DLC really available is for 400 MSP and it unlocks all the options in the Jam Store for you. This really feels like a cheap money grab to us, but there you go.

Follow the formula – This game is called NBA Jam. It is most readily recognized for its over the top jams. Oddly though, survival at the top levels depends on draining three pointers consistently and not dunks. In fact, dunks are routinely blocked even at the lowest levels. This forces the player to conform to a specific game plan if they want to conquer Road Trip. Ultimately players are free to play any way they like. But it seems to us that the most effective methods really do fly in the face of what NBA Jam is supposed to be all about.

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition does just about everything right. The action is fast, intense and lots of fun. It’s one of the rare retro titles that isn’t just for fans from back in the day. Even the uninitiated will be immediately hooked. It’s an over-the-top caricature of what the NBA is and it couldn’t be more satisfying to play. Even after almost 20 years the NBA Jam formula is hard to beat.

Score: Buy It!

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition review (XBLA)

Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture have announced that development has concluded on Sine Mora, their side-scrolling bullet hell shooter, meaning that the game has been submitted for certification and its subsequent release onto Xbox Live Arcade. While we do not currently have a release date, there is more good news; The official Sine Mora Facebook page is hosting a contest. Just take a stab at guessing the game’s release date (which we hope is soon) and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the game when it becomes available. Furthermore, we have something special for those of you who have been following the game. Read on for a look at yet another one of the game’s colorful characters.

Meet GARAI 74/22876, the robotic ape with a bird resting on its shoulder. Originally manufactured to be part of the Imperial Guard’s Elite Squadron, GARAI was reprogrammed by the resistance to fight against those he was created to serve. Although we promised that the revelation of the lizard rocking sunglasses would be the last member of Sine Mora‘s cast to be revealed, we’re pretty sure we’ve seen them all now. But then again, these character reveals have been such an awesomely wild ride, we’re not really sure what to expect anymore.

Sine Mora goes gold as Digital Reality and Grasshopper prep for launch

Hookshot Inc recently got the skinny on the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade version of Minecraft, revealing new details on the blocky smash hit and a potential release date. The feature details the game’s development process, a collaboration between Notch (Minecraft‘s creator), Mojang, 4J Studios (the developer of the Xbox 360 version) and Microsoft. The feature infers that we’ll be seeing several announcements about the game before the end of the month including details around the game’s multiplayer, update process, and integration with social networking sites such as Facebook. Perhaps most exciting of all, the feature states that Xbox 360 owners will be building their own worlds seemingly sooner rather than later. The word on the street is that Minecraft will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade by the end of March. While the release date should be taken with a grain of salt until we get confirmation, any Minecraft related news at all makes for a good start to the week.

Rumor: Minecraft building up for a late March release?

Gamers who appreciate a good skating game have already gotten a peek at some Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD screenshots. However it can sometimes be hard to properly assess the visual upgrade of a remake without being given a direct comparison. Activision and developer Robomodo have given gamers just that with the above look at a PlayStation One shot conveniently slid in underneath an image of the XBLA/PSN version.

It’s almost as if these are two completely different games, which makes sense, since they pretty much are. Robomodo’s summer 2012 arcade game is not actually a straight remake. Rather, it will arrive as a group of select maps from the first two titles in the series running on an entirely new engine. The most obvious difference is the absence of blurriness in the new screenshot, major texture, environmental and character detail and lighting/shadow upgrades are also immediately apparent.

Source: Activision

What’s old is new again in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD

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

Rumor: WWE WrestleFest heading to XBLA

This time around, Emma wasn’t going to allow things to play out the way they had the previous two. She wouldn’t just sit idly by playing the damsel in distress role while Alan did his hero thing, hiding away in a supposed bastion of light from the Taken. No, she’d had quite enough of that already, thank you very much.

This time they’d play things her way. This time, she had already collected all of the pieces of the oil rig puzzle and even had the motel keys. However, she wasn’t about to just hand it all over to the Champion of Light and help him along in his quest to put a halt to this perverted little desecration of reality, one in which the two remained imprisoned. That is to say, not unless he would first do his part to properly protect her from the Taken, at least.

Most readers are probably wondering what the heck all of that means. How would you feel if a game inspired those same sensations of confusion by seemingly starting in the middle rather than the beginning? This is the reality of playing through Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. It’s a reality that will become all too familiar to players as they relive the three same sections of the game over and over again, with the events altered just enough to keep things interesting. Don’t expect to jump right into this spin-off of the original Alan Wake and have a grasp on what is going on out in its quiet little stretch of the Arizona desert: you’re not meant to. Though the plot will of course clear up as players progress, the onset leaves one feeling as if they’re reading a library book from which the first chapter has been ripped out by some juvenile miscreant.

Alan went missing for a couple years after the events back in Bright Falls, and he know finds himself in a version of the Twilight Zone-inspired program he once wrote for: Night Springs. Only this iteration of it has been twisted into a disgusting apparition of a Night Springs episode. Mr. Scratch, who plays the role of a sort of “Nega-Alan,” is pulling the strings here, thinking Wake nothing but a puppet in his little game.

Al, being the crafty little scribe he is, has built in a backdoor to get out of this nightmare, though. Trouble is, he’s not really sure how the narrative goes — and neither is the player. Cue a frantic “fight with light” struggle against Scratch that can’t live up to the excellence of its predecessor, but still offers a fun excursion on a scale that is rarely seen on XBLA.

What we liked:

Fight with Light – Remedy Entertainment figured its combat system wasn’t broken, so there was no sense in fixing it. They were largely correct in making that assumption. Utilizing classic standbys like the flashlight and flare gun in conjunction with new tools — like the nailgun — in order to send the Taken back into the darkness from whence they crept is still a blast. The new weapons and enemies make for great additions to the formula and provide some opportunities for employing slightly different strategies at times. It would have been nice had the campaign had been a bit more challenging, but combat is still a high point in this sequel.

For the horde – It’s a prerequisite for all games with firearms to have a horde mode of some sort these days, and American Nightmare jumps on that bandwagon. Fight Till Dawn tosses as many waves of Taken at the player as he/she can handle. The objective is, unsurprisingly, to survive as long as possible while taking as many enemies down as possible. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s an enjoyable mode that features some of the combat tension that the campaign lacks. The omission of multiplayer seems like an odd choice. There’s little doubt that the mode would have benefited from a second player jumping in for some co-op action. Regardless, it’s a nice little break from the story mode that adds a decent bit of longevity to the title.

Live and in the flesh – Video games and live action have a sordid history that is best forgotten. Bring up the topic and plenty of older gamers will immediately shiver in disgust with memories of games such as Sewer Shark back on the Sega CD. Remedy took a chance by filming human actors and juxtaposing them against the in-game graphics. Thankfully, they pulled it off with aplomb.

These segments take place both after certain sections of gameplay are completed as well as during actual gameplay by way of recorded clips left for Wake by the antagonist on TVs. They do a great job of portraying Mr. Scratch as a total lunatic who loves to party it up. His character reminds one of Christian Bale in American Psycho — expect to simultaneously laugh at his absurdities while being taken aback by his brutality.

Graphics – The boys at Remedy deserve much recognition for the degree of visual splendor that they managed to deliver in American Nightmare. It is difficult to recall another XBLA release that boasts this kind of graphical pizazz. Gamers aren’t used to getting this kind of an optical treat for 1200 MSP, and it will probably be some time until it is equaled.

There are no daytime scenes this time out, so it’s all about delivering some spooky nighttime thrills as Taken materialize from the shadows and come barreling forward at the Champion of Light. The setting is intentionally campy and contains several memorable locales that the team did a wonderful job of fabricating — which is great, since there is a shockingly limited number of areas to explore. Alan’s running animation looks a bit funky, but that’s a terribly minor quibble in the face of what is an otherwise superb graphical package.

What we didn’t like:

Been there, done that – It has already been written that Remedy only designed three areas for the roughly 4–5 hour adventure and tasks you with playing through each of them multiple times. If that sounds like a drag, it’s because it kind of is. Your goals are identical each time through, and you’ll end up interacting with the same cast of characters.

That being said, the manner in which events unfold is tweaked each time, as Alan and the NPCs build on hodge-podge memories of their past experiences in the nightmare to better prepare themselves for the onslaught of dark forces bent on consuming them. Mr. Scratch doesn’t exactly turn a blind eye to Al’s past deeds, either. He knows the player is up to something; he’s just not sure what it is. Nevertheless, he responds by upping the ante and tossing more formidable baddies your way upping the difficulty.

It’s nice that the flow is recalibrated each time through to keep the experience from growing monotonous. It’s even understandable that the team took the approach they did, given the step down from retail to XBLA that led to a truncated budget and development cycle. Still, fans will surely feel themselves pining for the first game’s approach to level design more than a couple times.

Lack of challenge – Throughout the first couple of runs through the game’s trio of stages, it is clear that the tension of being hunted down by Taken that vets will remember from Alan’s last adventure is missing. Most of the enemies are cannon fodder and can be dispatched without much thought using the shotgun and flashlight. As mentioned, it does ramp later on; however, you won’t ever have to worry about dying. The straightforward approach to combat and ridiculously ample amount of ammunition will see to that.

Not to be one of those cranky old “back in my day” gamers that dedicates too much time to ranting about the “good old days” when games were unapologetically difficult, but American Nightmare is far too easy. It’s almost entirely devoid of threatening situations, which results in the elimination of the frantic fight for survival that the first game had.

Atmosphere takes a back seat – Remedy had to cut some things in order to make this thing work as an arcade game. One of those elements is the sobering daytime scenarios. These portions allowed the story of the first game to progress while players caught their breath from the visceral action of the night. This is another understandable move on the part of the development team. Still, their absence is both noticeable and regrettable.

Remedy Entertainment set out to create an experience that can’t be found elsewhere on XBLA. In that endeavor, they have succeeded grandly. Unfortunately the game stumbles when attempting to live up to its lineage, especially when it comes to atmosphere. For some, the repeated scenarios might prove too much of an aggravation, and they won’t bother crossing the finish line. Wake fans willing to accept that shortcoming, however, have a rich experience ahead of them that’s well worth the price of admission.

Score: Buy It!

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare review (XBLA)

The latest title update and DLC for Dungeon Defenders has been submitted to Microsoft and Sony for their approval, according to Trendy Entertainment’s Development Director and Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Stiegliz. He added that it “won’t be much more of a wait now,” but confirmed that console gamers will have to hang in there a little bit until after the PC version is released.

Stiegliz made the announcement on the game’s official forums, and fans quickly asked for clarification on the release window. While none was forthcoming, the wait for precise information shouldn’t be long. “I believe Jeremy [Stiegliz] meant the date will be announced in a matter of days,” stated a community manager.

The DLC is titled Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards Part 2, with the first portion having been released back in December. Gamers will visit Morrogo Desert Town in the followup. Stiegliz describes it as “a pretty rockin’ new chapter.”

Source: Trendy Entertainment

Dungeon Defenders DLC and update submitted to Microsoft

A game we’ve been reporting on for a good year without a solid release date, Retro City Rampage is finally settling its rampage down. Creator Brian Provinciano told Joystiq that it’ll be releasing on digital shelves this May at an undisclosed price. However, the PC version is currently for pre-order at $14.99, suggesting the game will most likely be 1200 MSP. After working on this game for so long, Brian had this to say about what’s next for Vblank Entertainment:

I’ve got many ideas and definitely want to do more open-world games, but right after RCR I will take a breather and work on something small and different. Hopefully something that takes maybe 8 weeks instead of 8 years.”

This game still looks like the open-world love letter to retro gaming and nostalgic destruction, we can’t wait until May when it’s released.

Retro City Rampage causing chaos this May

We recently had the opportunity to ask Jeremy Slaczka, CEO of 5th Cell questions about their upcoming sci-fi shooter Hybrid. During the interview we talk about the game’s unique control scheme, design, and the drastic departure that 5th Cell made in choosing to develop Hybrid. Read on to get the low down on what could be this year’s most unique multiplayer frag fest!

XBLA Fans: First off, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. To kick things off, can you give us a brief overview of the world of Hybrid? What kind of place will players be stepping into?

Hybrid is set in the future, after the implosion of a Hadron Supercollider, destroying Australia, and causing dark matter to spread throughout the globe. Time itself destabilized, causing an alternate reality to collide with our own, creating a super-species of humans known as the Variant.

XBLA Fans: One of the biggest things that distinguishes Hybrid from the rest of the shooter crowd is its control scheme. You actually use the face buttons on the controller to move. Can you explain exactly how this works to those of us unfamiliar?

We use a system we call “Combat Focused Movement”. You simply look at one of multiple cover points in your line of sight, press the A button, and you’ll automatically fly there. While in-transit you can use the L-Stick to strafe or push it in for a quick speed boost mid-flight. You can also select different cover while in flight simply by looking at it and pressing A again or press B to retreat. It’s very simple and very intuitive, but gives the shooter genre an entirely new spin.

XBLA Fans: On that same note, flight was one the big new features recently announced for the game. Can you go into detail about how the flight mechanics work and how much control players have?

We had implemented flight at our GDC demo, it just wasn’t as much of a focus as it is now. Last year we found that when we gave players the options to run or fly, they mostly flew as it was faster and more direct. We decided to remove running on the ground from cover to cover and focus on making flight better, like allowing players to strafe in any direction to avoid enemy fire. It was definitely the right choice.

XBLA Fans: The control scheme in shooters these days is pretty much standard. What kind of edge does your control scheme give Hybrid over the setup we’re used to and your competition?

We wanted to make a competitive online shooter that forces the entire experience to be about cover. The way most players interact with online shooters that feature cover are to ignore cover mostly because it simply not the most viable option. This is very different from how real-life soldiers fight. They think tactically. We wanted to replicate that, but obviously in a sci-fi setting where people use jetpacks.

XBLA Fans: While we’re talking about controls, how are the actual aiming controls and shooting mechanics? At their core, shooters are really about…shooting things! How much fun are we going to have pulling the trigger on each other in Hybrid?

Our aiming has been very solid for a long time actually. It was extremely important to get that right so we’ve spent a lot of effort behind the scenes so to speak focusing on tweaking the L-Stick deadzones, to ensure combat felt crisp. The game runs at a locked 60FPS as well which makes combat and aiming buttery smooth. I’m really proud of our shooting. I actually believe that a lot of shooters wouldn’t hold up to our aim controls in a side by side comparison. I’m not saying this because I’m trying to hype up our game. I truly believe we have top notch aiming because we’ve been pretty obsessive about it over the last two and a half years. On top of all this there are a ton of weapons and ability combinations, giving the player a lot of choices for how exactly they want to…shoot things.

XBLAFans: The “persistent online war” concept is yet another feature unique to Hybrid. Can you explain exactly how it will work?

It’s pretty simple; you join a faction, Paladin or Variant, and jump right into a full-fledged world war. You help build bases on territories across the world for your faction by fighting and winning battles. Completed bases give your faction points, the team with 100 points wins the season.

XBLA Fans: It’s pretty easy to envision people becoming hooked on Hybrid. You’ll always want to be online fighting for your faction, defending or taking territory. Does 5th Cell have any plans to keep the world of Hybrid changing post-launch?

It depends on how fans react to the game. We’re very interested in continuing development on Hybrid, but only as long as our fans want that change. How they perceive the game is really the most important thing.

XBLA Fans: If I’m not mistaken, up until now, all of 5th Cell’s releases have been 2D games. What has it been like making the jump to a full blown third-person shooter? What inspired you guys to take on something drastically different from what you’ve done in the past?

Making the jump has been very educational. We wanted to go smaller when we tried 3D just so we could build our internal pipeline, and build up a good understanding of 3D development as a studio – hence our decision to make an XBLA title.

We absolutely achieved that with Hybrid. For us it was a huge departure from our other designs, because we don’t like being put into a box of what we’re “supposed” to do. If you’re known for 2D quirky family games, what’s the most innovative thing you could do? Make a 3D hardcore focused shooter, of course!

XBLA Fans: This is also the first time you guys have worked with Microsoft. What has it been like working with them and on Xbox Live Arcade?

Since we’re self-funding the game they’ve been in a mostly supportive role, offering help like usability testing in their labs, and giving us suggestions from their production department on how to navigate the Arcade pipeline. We like to be as independent as possible, but either way they’ve been really great to work with. Everyone really cares about our game and helping us to make it succeed.

XBLA Fans: You’ve stated that 2012 will be a prolific year for 5th Cell. Four releases are anticipated. Run, Roo, Run for iOS was the first and Hybrid is another. Is there any chance fans of XBLA have more to look forward to from 5th Cell?

Sorry, but only Hybrid will be on XBLA this year.

XBLA Fans: Last question! Tell us why we should be looking forward to playing Hybrid this summer!

If you’re looking for something new in the shooter genre that’s also very high quality, but doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg, then I can easily promise that Hybrid is for you. It’s a high quality gameplay experience you’ve never had before and everyone who’s tested it so far is having a blast. And you will, too!

Interview: Jeremiah Slaczka, CEO of 5th Cell talks Hybrid

The Dark Knight has finally hit his stride in video games with the award-winning hits Arkham Asylum and, more recently, Arkham City. While these games offered amazing single-player experiences, both through revolutionary gameplay and engaging stories, they have also steered away from any multiplayer experience.

While Batman and Joker have been fighting in retail games, their crazed followers in Gotham City have brought the battle to XBLA. Gotham City Impostors trades Batarangs and dark atmosphere for guns and crazy humor. It’s easily comparable to Call of Duty or Team Fortress 2, but it has unique features that doesn’t make it feel like a copy. While matchmaking can be a pain, this six-on-six comedy shooter has some of the best action on XBLA.

Here’s what we liked:

So much customization - Gotham City Impostors has loads upon loads of customization options. Every time you level up you get a free unlock for a specific category, such as weapon or support item. You can choose anything in the given unlock category from the beginning of the game, giving the perfect opportunity to make a great class in the first few levels. After every game you also get costume coins, which you can save up to buy clothes to decorate your impostors. The possibilities are endless, and it won’t be long until you get your own perfect loadout.

Batman doesn’t kill, but impostors do - Using absurd weapons like a deep-freeze gun and a bear-stalker bow in a multiplayer playground sounds like anarchy, but it’s handled very well. The wide variety of weapons and and tight controls gives a solid class-based combat experience. The game has five maps, each designed very well to allow equal opportunity for any loadout. The wide selection of weapons make every shot count, and feel quite powerful to boot. The real game-changers are the mobility gadgets, including grappling hooks and glider rigs, which add a unique layer to the combat and are useful strategies for the objective-based modes.

Style - When you think of a Batman game, you don’t think of bright colors and sight gags. Costume pieces range from standard to absurd, such as cardboard boxes for masks and bunny slippers for shoes. Tutorials are given through black and white silent cartoons, equal parts helpful and charming. The few gameplay modes the game has are unique twists on common game types: why capture a flag when you can capture a battery that will turn your enemies into weaponless, slap-happy fools? This isn’t your normal Batman game, which makes it that much cooler.

Challenges - A light side of single player tops off the dish, giving you a chance to perfect your mobility skills across every map. Challenges require you to move to checkpoints and shoot targets in the fastest time possible, and even give XP rewards for good times. It’s not much, but it really helps you hone skills and get used to map layouts.

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Matchmaking issues - If you’re entering the matchmaking lobby, prepare to wait. Matchmaking can take a while, and being abruptly kicked out of a game due to server issues is common. The server may switch your team mid-game, even if it separates you from your party. Occasionally you’ll play a game type that wasn’t the lobby you were in, or the correct game loads with some glaring issues (no fumigation machines, gadgets won’t work, randomizing calling cards, etc.). Matchmaking can be a mess, and patience is mandatory if you want to enjoy the game.

Micro-transactions - The game’s Black Market lets you buy superficial items for your characters. While they do not affect the game, they do prevent players from working towards them and unlocking them in-game. There’s also XP boosts that last an hour, and a few mascots that can only be unlocked by purchase. Trading hard work for instant gratification feels like cheap tactic.

Gotham City Impostors is one of the most downright fun shooters available today. Matches are a blast to play, and the frequent unlocks lets you adjust your strategy every time you level up. There may not be enough content for some, and the matchmaking is borderline terrible, but the promise of free DLC and patches may ease the pain. Being Batman may be awesome, but being an impostor is so much fun.

Score: Buy It!

Gotham City Impostors review (XBLA)

Fans eagerly awaiting the upcoming XBLA release of Awesomenauts got a little something to hold them over in the form of a whole mess of screenshots last week. Developer Romino Games posted a whole slew of screens to the game’s Facebook page Monday. You can see all of the screens in the Facebook photo album.

Awesomenauts is a 3-versus-3 MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) title from Romino Games and DTP Entertainment. The game will hit for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The game features tug-of-war or capture-the-flag style gameplay in which each team of three attempts to push their way into the enemy team’s territory to destroy an objective with the help of smaller, computer-controlled units. Originally scheduled for late 2011, the game is currently slated to hit in early 2012; no exact release date has been announced, nor has pricing.

New Awesomenauts screens show off multiplayer insanity

Nick Santangelo – Early in the week I was all over Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. I’m about 30 hours deep now and am hopelessly addicted to it. The combat is spectacular and I love the vibrant, colorful art direction. I just wish they could get the load times down in these types of games — it really makes you think twice before entering a building to take on a quest or sell some items. I’ve had to step aside from it to play Alan Wake’s American Nightmare the rest of the week, but I can’t talk about that yet. You’ll just have to wait for my review on Monday.

Perry Jackson – Like most others, I’m playing through both Mass Effect games to prepare myself for the finale but I also picked up Warp and it’s not too bad. It’s kind of forgettable at times but it’s got some pretty solid mechanics and a cute art style to it. Looking forward to finishing it since Zero seems a little more dangerous than the Reapers at times.

John Drawdy – This week I have been all over the gaming spectrum, starting off with Heavy Weapon and a little Golf: Tee It Up!, In the newer game department I put in a little more time on Bastion, which is still amazing and finally finished up Unstoppable Gorg, not a bad tower defense game. As if that wasn’t enough I also got in a few hours on Warp, still not sure how I feel about it, and the Epic Quest table for Pinball FX 2, which is just pure fun.

Nathan Bowring – This week Gotham City Impostors became my new Halo. I’m playing it every second I have free time and having so much fun. I’ve gotten to the point where I can hit people with the bow while on a trampoline without trying. I’ve also made a little time for Warp, which I also love. Going to find time to replay Alan Wake this weekend to get me ready for American Nightmare. So excited!

Todd Pantier – I finished Final Fantasy XIII-2 early in the week and played a conglomerate of games in the middle of the week including Gears of War 3 (can’t wait for “Forces of Nature” on March 27) and Shank 2. After a long wait I finally got a key for the Diablo 3 beta. I have been playing it non stop since and don’t see that letting up for a while.

Matt Liparota – I didn’t get much gaming in this week, unfortunately; real life found a way to butt in. I was able to get in a little bit of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Professor Layton, but the majority of my scant gaming time this week went to the Mass Effect 3 demo. I couldn’t get enough of it; ME3 is probably the only full retail release of the first half of 2012 that I’m really looking forward to. March 6 can’t get here fast enough.

Ryan Reynolds – The majority of what little free time I had this week was spent replaying Mass Effect 2. I have to sharpen my skills and get the perfect ending in preparation for ME3. In addition, I started another Shadow of RAAM run with a friend in Gears of War 3 and I’m playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 online with friends when they’re online. Like everyone else.

What we are playing: February 19

Skullgirls fans are in for a double treat with what is believed to be the eighth and final character reveal for the upcoming fighting game. According to her bio, Double is capable of transforming it’s nightmarish form into that of any person, but often appears as a smiling nun. It can frequently be found in the Grand Cathedral of the Divine Trinity, listening to confessions and attending to the catacombs beneath. The Gametrailers website has provided some information on her (it’s?) fighting style too:

• Double moves around the field as a quivering eldritch horror, and transforms into other characters for most attacks
• While Double may use frames of animation from other characters, many of the attacks are “remixes” of the moves she’s copying
• Even though she transforms into other characters for them, some of the moves are exclusive to Double: several moves that didn’t make the cut on the original character made it into Double.

Skullgirls is being developed by Reverge Labs and should be launching on XBLA early 2012.

Source: Skullgirls Blog via Gametrailers

Double trouble for Skullgirls with final character reveal

Werewolves, vampires and goblins, oh my! These are just a few of the monsters you’ll encounter in Pinball FX 2‘s new table, Epic Quest. In this new table we take a knight on his journey against evil to rescue his kidnapped princess. What separates this new installment from other tables is the addition of RPG-like elements. The adventure carries on from game to game, giving you the ability to level up your character, pick armor and even your weapon. It this enough to make pinball feel fresh and revitalized, or will this be another one of those things that should have never been?

Here’s what we liked:

RPG elements - This should have been done years ago. Having an experience system was exactly what pinball needed. It’s nice knowing that everything you are doing to your hero isn’t all in vein. The knowledge that your shield and sword still be there the next time you come is rather inviting. It’s the ultimate enticement to play the table again and again.

One liners - Many times the quirky lines in a game are bad. They’re poorly written to even more horribly voiced. Not so in Epic Quest. When you hear lines like “bat country, let’s stop here” you’re immediately reminded of the infamous line from cult classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas “We can’t stop here, this is bat country.” Intentional or not these small details make this table stand out from all the rest.

Battle system - As you progress through the story you’re forced to fight bats, monsters and all sorts of nefarious characters. When battling, you have three ways to attack: a sword ramp, a smash spot, or spells that you can cast. You can also combine attacks as well. For example: using your shield ramp in combination with the sword ramp will allow you to parry giving you an even stronger attack. Being able to combo adds a nice touch to the simple combat scenarios.

Here’s what we disliked:

Muddled features - This table has everything, lots of background scenery, creatures, your protagonist, tons of lights, there’s even a round-a-bout. Everything has great detail and fits very well with the theme; the problem is it just feels like too much. It just feels as if though they were afraid of not having enough, so instead they just did it all.

Confusion - This isn’t just a problem with Pinball FX tables, it’s a problem all pinball tables are plagued with. When you perform certain tasks, specific actions are triggered in the game. Due to the pace of the game, it’s very simple to miss the details/instructions of what is happening or what you are supposed to do. Zen Studios could have made a simple change to correct this. Something as simple as adding the detailed information to the bottom of screen similar to subtitles could go a long way to guide players.

Skill requirement - As you level up, supposedly so do the enemies. Their life bar increases and their attacks get a little stronger, but that is about it. The tactics used to kill an enemy never have to change; therefore each battle may take a few minutes longer, but are never any harder or more stressful.

There’s something about the whole knight-in-shining-armor-saving-the-princess that always draws you in. The table is well thought out, delivers a few surprises, has lots of loot and several battles. As you defeat monster after monster on your journey to save the princess it draws you in. This may be the next evolution in pinball tables.

Score: Buy It!

Pinball FX 2: Epic Quest review (XBLA DLC)

After releasing Shank 2 last week, Klei Entertainment has released a free downloadable Shank comic. The comic occurs in the “period between the two Shank games” and features sixteen pages of “over-the-top original artwork” from Klei’s creative director Jeff Agala and artist Vangelis Christou. Hit the source link to view the comic which can also be downloaded for iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire from Comixology.

Source: ShankGame.com

Klei Entertainment releases Shank comic

Riptide GP. It was the flagship game for NVidia’s Tegra 2 chip on Android devices, and the second release from Hydro Thunder Hurricane developer Vector Unit. Having gained footing as a developer with Hydro Thunder, Vector Unit took the opportunity to go indie and put their amazing water engine to use on mobile devices. The result is something that is truly one of the best mobile gaming experiences to date.

The game is essentially a futuristic jet ski racer. Like the now-aged Wave Race 64 water physics play an important role, but instead of canned water, Riptide uses a dynamic system. Jet skis produce wakes, which in turn change up the way you have to race. The environments are over-the-top, just like another classic favorite, Jet Moto. With racers a dime a dozen it takes something special to stand out–something that keeps you coming back. Riptide GP has it in strides.

What should change:

X-clusives – If Joe Danger: Special Edition is any indication, adding exclusive content seems to grease the wheels for a possible Xbox Live Arcade release. And since Vector Unit developed Hydro Thunder Hurricane (which was published by Microsoft Studios) it would be plausible to see some of the HTH circuit courses make a return. Raging through Tsunami Bowl in a jet ski just sounds amazing.

Replay/ghost mode & replay cameras – This was probably the one feature we missed most in Hydro Thunder Hurricane. While racing you really didn’t have time to truly enjoy the environment, search for hidden packages, or critique your driving. The ability to watch replays or spectate using both on-bike and cinematic cameras would really give it that extra punch.

Multiplayer focus – Every good multiplayer game needs both online and splitscreen. While Riptide has online leaderboards via OpenFeint, mobile devices aren’t really suited for splitscreen. Both it and online multiplayer need to be integrated in order to make this a truly great game on XBLA.

What should stay the same:

Environments – Riptide GP has a big Hollywood charm to it. Environments are lush, jumps are huge, and the action in said environment can change from lap to lap. They’re gorgeous–you’ll find yourself wanting to stop and enjoy the scenery.

On the cheap – Riptide is only $2.99 USD for Android tablets. That’s a steal. It would be a great fit for Xbox Live Arcade, but the reality is nobody will pay 1200 MSP for it if they can get it on most iOS and Android devices. 800 MSP after the additions seems like a reasonable price that will drive high sales and also keep the community alive. We’re not developers, but given that the Vector engine already runs on the 360 and the assets are complete development costs should be *fairly* low.

Sense of competition – So many of these “bike” games can do either speed or smart AI, but for some reason rarely both. Riptide has solid, competitive AI that gives players a realistic challenge. They’re not rubber-banded, either. So many games *coughNeedForSpeedcough* have the AI magically catch you when you’re in the lead, even if you make zero mistakes. Not here. It’s realistic, it’s fast, and it’s fun.

Why it would succeed:

If Hydro Thunder Hurricane is any indication, Riptide GP could do very well on XBLA. Hydro Thunder has pulled in over 200k units since its release in the 2010 Summer of Arcade. Clearly folks love the gameplay. Riptide provides more of the same, yet gives a sense of strap-on-the-bike madness. It’s one of those rare games that can grab the player and immerse them–one that you sit down to play for five minutes and end up playing for hours. Besides, with Hydro Thunder such a staff favorite we’re clamoring for more from Vector Unit.

XBLA’s Most Wanted: Riptide GP

There’s a list of disturbing trends that have developed within the gaming industry this generation, and they revolve around cooperative play. Co-op is nothing new to gaming. It has existed since the earliest days of coin-op arcade machines going back decades. This generation however, co-op has evolved. No longer do we just get to tread through a game’s campaign with a friend, sometimes we get an entire stand alone co-op campaign. In other instances, we get completely unique cooperative modes with their own setup and rules like the highly successful Horde mode in Gears of War, or Zombie mode in Call of Duty. More than ever, developers are taking advantage of the fact that its just plain fun to play games with your friends. The evolution of co-op has also unfortunately created problems. And its about time we start talking about them.

Forcing it- While I will lay out a list of sins that developers are committing, the biggest offense comes from forced co-op. Let’s just lay it out there straight, with no holds barred; If you’re designing sections of your single-player campaign so that they can only be “properly played” through co-op, you’re doing something wrong. An example of this is in the recently released Rise of the Martian Bear add-on released for Iron Brigade. Before I go any further, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed the DLC, and highly recommend it to anyone who owns Iron Brigade. My problem however, comes from the level, and survival map known as Settlement. The level is very large and tasks you with defending three bases which are extremely far apart. Attempting to do this by yourself results in bucket loads of frustration as you run around the level and try to eliminate groups of enemies that you just can’t get to fast enough. You can put lots of emplacements down, you can load up with long range weapons, you can try a number of things, but the fact is, finishing this level by yourself requires a lot of things to line up, a lot of trial and error, some lucky shots, and a lot of time. Settlement also doubles as a survival map in which you are tasked with surviving as many waves as possible before the tubes destroy one of your bases. Attempting this solo is absolutely masochistic as you won’t make it anywhere on your own.

The problem is, the level is essentially set up for four-players. If you want to earn a gold rating in the campaign portion, or get anywhere in survival mode, you need several other players to join you. Hell, finishing it by yourself at all is an accomplishment. There are two ways developers can remedy this; Design the level differently to begin with, or provide you with tools to deal with situations like this. To Double Fine’s credit, Iron Brigade does allow you to customize your mech and gives you plenty of options for a variety of scenarios. None of them are sufficient for scenarios such as this. So the problem remains; The level is designed for four-players and attempting it by yourself will result in a great deal of frustration.

“Cooperation”- This brings me to my next point; I don’t usually enjoy playing cooperative modes with random people I find via matchmaking on Xbox Live. You know the story. You run into people who grief you, you run into people who don’t understand how to play the game, and sometimes you run into people who cheat. The fact is, I only want to play cooperative game types with my friends. Which is becoming another problem. The older I get, the less games I find my friends, and even myself playing. All of our lives are moving in new directions. Some of us own houses, some of us are parents, some of us can’t afford to buy all the games we want. So when you include cooperative play in your game, you better give me plenty of options to go about playing with my buddies.

Sin of omission- Surprise, this is the next issue I want to talk about. The year is 2012. Why on earth then, do some games omit either online or local co-op? Last year’s Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team was a game I really enjoyed. It introduced me to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and I went on to buy Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, a book in the series, and I’m interested in the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 MMO, Dark Millenium Online. For a reason I cannot fathom, the developers included only local co-op, skipping out on the online option. While I did have a friend over to plow through the game by my side, why didn’t it feature online co-op? Had it included online co-op I would have recommended the game to some of my other friends who no longer live within close proximity, so we could play the game together. Instead, the developers skipped it, and hurt some of the game’s sales potential by their own doing.

Sin of acedia- Another example of this is in Gears of War 3. The Gears of War franchise is one of the biggest franchises around. If you own an Xbox 360, and you’re a semi-serious gamer, you probably own Gears ofWar 3. Epic played a huge role in the evolution and popularity growth of co-op this generation with the launch of Horde Mode in Gears of War 2. Where else can you team up with four friends and blast beefy Locust enemies to bits? Unfortunately, you can’t mix local split-screen games with online players. So if I want to get my buddies together, and one doesn’t have an Xbox, he can’t come over to my house and play Horde with the rest of us who are connected via Xbox Live. But you can do it in Versus game types. It’s like the ultimate tease. Here you have a great game type, that gets even better when you play it with friends, but you can’t include everybody because of a limited number of options.

Campaign co-op-There’s one more piece to this puzzle that I want to talk about, and that’s the lack of the ability to play through a game’s campaign in co-op. In some ways, this is becoming a lost art. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love standalone co-op modes like Firefight in Halo: Reach, and the others I’ve referenced. But the ability to play through a game’s campaign with a friend (or three) should not be overlooked. I’m someone who always plays through a game’s campaign first. Even if the game is known solely for its multiplayer, I just plain enjoy campaigns. They are often host to amazing moments which you want to play through with a friend. You want to share the experience. When you elect to include a co-op mode in your game, but not enable it in your campaign, you don’t allow your player base to share this experience with each other. You’re limiting the amount of enjoyment that can be had with the campaign you’ve designed. And that shouldn’t happen.

Let me conclude by saying that I respect game developers immensely. Some of the companies that I’ve referenced in this article are developers that I’m extremely passionate about and serve as inspiration to me. Their work is the reason why I love gaming as much as I do. But that said, I can hear the excuses starting to form already; There was a technology issue that prevented us from doing it! It’s a server issue! We ran out of money! We spent the development time on other, more important things! Co-op would ruin the balance of what we’ve built! You know what my answer is? I don’t care. As a game developer, don’t you want more people to enjoy your games? Don’t you want to build your sales so you can continue doing what we all love? These co-op sins are problems, that need to be addressed. I hope some of the developers out there take this list of theses to heart and continue to make great games for years to come. With plenty of co-op to go around.

Weekend Rant: The seven (or so) deadly sins of cooperative play

Microsoft has finally made a move to rectify one of the most longstanding and common complaints about the 360′s dashboard: Xbox Live Indie Games had extremely low visibility. Effective immediately, gamers will no longer be required to manipulate their way through the deepest bowels of the dash in order to peruse the list of available indie titles. A tile labeled “Indie” is now prominently located right underneath the Arcade square on the Games Marketplace.

Independent Xbox 360 developers are also about to get some more love in the form of an XBLIG companion app for Windows Phone 7. The app — currently being beta tested by a few select individuals — is said to be about 90 percent of the way to completion and will provide gamers with a simple way to keep up-to-date on the 360 indie scene. It works by yanking data from RSS feeds of blogs covering the XBLIG scene as well as the XML and CSV data from all the titles. In addition, the developers themselves will vote upon titles that they feel deserve to spotlighted on the service.

Users can jump right into their XBL accounts from their phones and remotely download and install any releases found on the app that pique their interest. Droid and iOS versions will “most likely” follow after the Windows Phone release date, which is yet to be finalized.

Sources: Major Nelson and David Yoyles

XBLIG gets a new home in the Dashboard

Just Add Water has revealed to VG 24/7 that they will not be publishing the XBLA version of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, nor will Microsoft. However, fans shouldn’t take that as a signal to dive into a well of despair. There is reason for hope, as the developer also confirmed that they are currently exploring their options with “two or three” external publishing partners. News of a concrete deal could surface as soon as early April 8.

Speaking with the site on Wednesday, studio head Stewart Gilray informed VG 24/7 that they had “basically run everything dry in terms of going some kind of first-party route with Microsoft.” Continuing, he explained how that applied to both a deal in which the console-maker would publish well as one in which they would work something out for JAW to publish on their own.

Yet they’re not about to give up on the project so easily. “We’re speaking to two or three different publishers at the moment about taking it on for us,” explained Gilray. “I think we’ll probably have some news on that by Easter, I hope.”

Though a remade version of Stranger’s Wrath launched at the end of last year on Sony’s competing PSN service, Just Add Water was unable to bring the game to XBLA. Its journey to Microsoft’s downloadable platform has been an onerous one, as the game’s size (2.1 GB) is just a smidgen over the required 2 GB file limit. However, things seem to finally be coming together, as Gilray states he has a meeting coming up in the week ahead to iron out details with a potential suitor.

Source: VG 24/7

XBLA Publishing negotiations underway for Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath remake

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare hits XBLA next Wednesday, and to celebrate Remedy Games have launched a brand new trailer with a bit of a grindhouse feel. The game is said to be a standalone spin-off adventure in which Alan finds himself stuck in an altered reality filled with dangerous shadows as he pursues his evil double, Mr. Scratch towards the town of Night Springs. In addition to the single player campaign, the game also includes an action arcade mode called “Fight till Dawn” where players must battle and survive a full night of enemy onslaughts while racking up a high score.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare will be published by Microsoft Studios as part of Xbox Live Arcade’s House Party promotion on February 22 for 1200 MSP.

Alan Wake goes grindhouse in new launch trailer

Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture have revealed Sine Mora‘s final character, bringing the exciting line of weekly reveals to a close. Tying up a long list of characters that include the likes of a wheelchair bound buffalo, cigarette smoking cougars, mechanic rabbits, and more, we now have a lizard sporting sunglasses. Known as Lynthe Ytoo, this reptile was left behind by the Imperial Air Force after being injured in battle. In the wake of this betrayal, Lynthe joined forces with Akyta Dryad‘s group of resistance fighters and is now taking the fight to his former employer. With all of the game’s characters out in the open, we hope to be enjoying Sine Mora‘s bullet filled skies for ourselves soon.

Final Sine Mora character reveal introduces a lizard rocking sunglasses

From Mario to Sonic, one of the most prevalent genres in gaming has always been platforming. It hasn’t been as important as it used to be but games like Rayman Origins prove people still care about platforming. On the XBLA side, the platforming genre has seen many leaps forward with hard difficulty, precise platforming or a creepy atmosphere. We’re not even done with the genre either with upcoming games like Pid and Fez. Today we thought we’d take a look at five really great platformers and discuss why they’re so good on XBLA.

5. Limbo

Limbo began the Summer of Arcade in 2010 and made one of the biggest splashes back then. You play a boy looking for your sister in this desolate dark world filled with spiders, villagers that want you dead and traps that will kill you in a matter of seconds. Less about fast-action and more about methodical thinking, it feels like those classic rotoscoped animated platformers but has better works than those games (we’re looking at you War of the Worlds).

4. Braid

There’s a lot of people who love Braid because it did a lot of things that we usually don’t see. It was very artistic and had a plot about saving the princess that was much deeper with books to evolve the story in your mind. Our hero Tim has a mechanic that allows him to wind back time at any given moment. You’ll need it to go through the intricate puzzles to save the princess but does she really need saving?

3. ‘Splosion Man/Ms. Splosion Man

All you have is one button: Splode. That’s all you have to do and it was such a great mechanic, they gave it to his lady friend too! An experiment gone wrong, you’re ‘Splosion Man, setting off to escape a laboratory and explode everything in your path. Simple platforming with loads of laughter along the way as the titular character. Ms. Splosion Man carries that ethos over even further with more environments and crazier bosses. Not to mention everybody loves donuts.

2. Adventures of Shuggy

This is on this list purely to get more people to actually play this game since it’s one of the best platformers to come out of recent memory. You play a vampire named Shuggy who’s inherited this house filled with challenge rooms. Some of the challenges veer from collecting all the gems as quick as you can to cloning yourself or rotating the room to get to the end. It’s an incredibly overshadowed game that would be great on your digital shelf.

1. Super Meat Boy

Going out on a limb by calling Super Meat Boy the greatest platformer of this generation (although Rayman Origins just came out) but it’s hard to think of what else could take its place. Combining pitch-precise platforming with 300 levels, each getting harder than the next. Some people don’t like the gameplay and think of it as masochistic but maybe that’s due to their lack of skill and patience. You need to focus when playing the game and only then will you beat the game and make Dr. Fetus give you back Bandage Girl.

Let us know what your favourite platformers on XBLA are and what platformers you’re looking forward to this year in the comments below!

Friday Top Five: Top Five Platformers

The more we read about it, the more adorable and quirky Kim Swift’s upcoming Quantum Conundrum sounds like wacky fun. In an exclusive interview with Joystiq, she revealed more details on what to expect with her upcoming title with Airtight Games. Of the five dimensions, only four have been revealed with normal, fluffy, slo-mo, reverse-gravity and the last dimension being revealed at GDC but it’s most likely not Dimension X. Swift also had this to say about the game’s narrative and gameplay:

“I like having a narrative there; it helps to drive players through, it gives them a purpose, a reason to keep going. That feeling of wanting to know what happens next. Do I get to find my uncle? Do I figure out what happened to him? Am I able to figure out how to get out of this place? I find that giving players a story motivation helps them keep going and feel engaged.”

Quantum Conundrum is scheduled for a summer release and Swift “wouldn’t be surprised” if DLC was coming to the game.

Quantum Conundrum’s Kim Swift hints dimension reveal at GDC

We’ve been closely following Biart’s process on getting a publisher for their spearfishing game Depth Hunter and some more details on its possible release are soon coming. Answering a question on their Facebook, they are close to signing a deal with a publisher with more details to come at this year’s GDC. It will also support Kinect which Biart states it’ll be better with the peripheral. They also have another game, Deep Black, that’s possibly coming to XBLA in episodic form but no other firm details have been announced. Whatever Biart announces, we’ll be sure to let you know if you can swim in the deep sea with your Kinect.

Biart closing deal with publisher for Depth Hunter with Kinect support

Guilty Gear is a fighting game favourite amongst fans of the genre and it looks like our own XBLA will be getting its own version with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus. Longtime developer Arc System Works is working on the game who’ve also worked on Hard Corps: Uprising last year and the upcoming Persona 4 fighting game. The game will include NetPlay for online fighting and 16:9 widescreen for even more action on screen. No release date or price announced but look forward to a new fighting game to master after Skullgirls.

Source: iPlayWinner

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus announced for XBLA

Illfonic has released a new trailer for their upcoming CryEngine 3 powered arena first-person shooter Nexuiz. The trailer focuses on the game’s mutators and how they can quickly turn the tide of battle, or in some cases, at least inject some new flavor. Perhaps more importantly however, the trailer contains a minute and twenty seconds of beautiful, twitchy, fast paced gameplay, something that the gaming scene hasn’t been exposed to much recently. Can Nexuiz get the arena FPS back on its feet again? We’ll find out soon with Nexuiz launching on February 29th as part of Microsoft’s House Party promotion.

New Nexuiz trailer shows off mutators and lightning quick gameplay

Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise will release on XBLA and PSN Friday, March 9, says publisher 7Sixty. Actually, their exact words were: “man with lightning quick fists lands lightly as lotus blossom on mystical heavens market, ready to demonstrate his willingness for vengeful combat.” So, yeah, all of that stuff is happening.

Kung Fu Strike, which is being developed by Qooc Games, is said to be inspired by “ancient Chinese tales of revenge and retribution” with some elements of retro arcade games and cheesy kung fu movies tossed in for good measure. The brawler also has a versus mode and two-player co-op for gamers who consider themselves “too weak and puny” to handle their own business.

Source: 7Sixty

Kung Fu Strike rising up on March 9

If you go on Xbox Live today you’ll receive a notification for a mandatory system update. This update will increase performance and bring noticeable color fixes to the dashboard. Partners of Xbox Live are also applying the update to their apps. Remember, this update is mandatory, so you must accept to continue playing online.

Source: Major Nelson

Xbox 360 system update today

Gotham City Impostors players should be wary for the time being. As brought to attention on the official forums, there is a potential glitch that could erase all of your hard-earned stats and unlocks. Experiencing this glitch means any XP boost purchase you made will become pointless.  The glitch spans both XBLA and PSN platforms, and may be attributed to switching from the trial to full version of the game. There hasn’t been any word of a fix, but players should be careful when making any in-game purchases for the time being. We’ll keep you posted on any developments in this story.

Source: Joystiq

Gotham City Impostors glitch resets stats

Double Fine‘s next project, currently under the working title Double Fine Adventure, will not come to the Xbox Live Arcade, says company founder Tim Schafer – at least, not right away.

In a video update released Wednesday on YouTube and the Double Fine website, Schafer announced the initial platforms on which Adventure will release – Mac, PC, Linux and iOS, as well as certain Android devices. Schafer noted that these are the platforms “so far,” indicating other platforms, like the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, are entirely possible in the future. However, reader Kyle shared an image of an email from Kickstarter which said a console release is “unlikely.”

Adventure made headlines last week when, upon the game’s announcement by way of a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, fans donated $1 million within 24 hours, well past its goal of $400,000 (which was raised in nine hours). In the video, Schafer attributed the platform announcement to the high amount of donations. The project broke Kickstarter records for the most money raised in one day and the highest amount of financial backers, according to the company’s Twitter activity Thursday. Schafer has said the game will be a point-and-click adventure.

Double Fine is responsible for a number of cult hits, notably Brutal Legend and Psychonauts. Over the last couple years the company has focused primarily on downloadable titles with titles like Costume Quest, Stacking and Iron Brigade. Schafer himself is a bit of a household name among gamers, having had a hand in cult classic adventure titles such as Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island.

New Double Fine game not coming to XBLA (for now)

Telltale Games is finally spreading the infectious details of their episodic horror/adventure series based on the popular comic book and television show, The Walking Dead. In episode one of the game, players will step into the shoes of a character new to the franchise during the initial outbreak and the fall of Atlanta. While Telltale has been shy thus far to discuss gameplay details, the developers are not shy in letting it be known that story will take the center stage. The development team is aiming to force players to feel the emotion of what’s going on around them, and to connect to what the characters are going through. Anyone who reads The Walking Dead comics knows that this is no normal zombie fair. Speaking of the comics, fans of The Walking Dead comics and/or television show will be happy to know that several familiar faces will be making appearances in the game. Perhaps even more exciting is the fact that series creator Robert Kirkman is guiding Telltale in the development of the game, which is also being penned by Book of Eli writer Gary Whitta.

Those seeking more gritty details should check out the thirteen minute “Playing Dead” clip above. In addition to video, Telltale has also released the first three in-game screenshots of The Walking Dead in action. To view the screens, simply click the link below. While you can certainly count on plenty more coverage of the game in the near future, start making your plans for the zombie apocalypse now; The first episode of The Walking Dead is scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade this spring.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead adaptation shambles onto Xbox Live Arcade this spring

After discussing some of the other random games we’ve been playing Perry brings the news. Which includes some Kickstarter discussion and debate about Gotham City Impostors approach to DLC. Then Andrew poses @MizzouGaming‘s twitter question to us, which leads to a long discussion about our thoughts on the past and future of XBLA. He then challenges us all to play Assault Heroes, so check it out and let us know what you think on twitter or the comments.

Please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes. We appreciate it! Check us out on twitter (@XBLAFans) where you can win codes for games, give us feedback or just ask a question. We are also now on Stitcher, so you can stream the show on your smartphone, give it a go!

Big thanks to Chris Green for the awesome theme music, be sure to check out his site BlurredEdge and why not follow him on twitter too @BlurredEdge.

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Hosted, produced & edited by:

Ross Adams (@randomlyrossy)

Co-hosted by:

Perry Jackson (@prryjcksn – FunHaversClub)

Todd Schlickbernd (@emessai)

Andrew Crews (@twixprintmatic)

Intro music:

Chris Green - Blurred Edge

News discussed:

Girl Fight coming to XBLA

Bodoink coming Spring 2012 for 400 MSP

Haste becomes Mad Riders

Double Fine’s new project funded through Kickstarter (not coming to XBLA) – Schafer on XBLA’s limitations

Skulls of the Shogun releasing in the Fall – Rumor: Shoot Many Robots releasing March 14

Gotham City Impostors receiving free DLC

XBLAFancast Episode 49 – I give that news story a “Skip it”

In 2010, the original Shank was released under a curious industry eye. Side scrolling brawlers are a well-worn genre, but for some reason Klei Entertainment had piqued the interest of the XBLA community. Shank was fairly well received, but stumbled in areas where it counts most, mainly in gameplay. The aptly named main character, Shank, traverses shipyards, jungles, and ancient ruins in search of his enemies, in hopes that killing them will ensure the safety of the people that are important to him. He slices, dices, and shreds enemies to bits with many different types of weapons and kills them in the goriest of ways possible. It seems Klei has upped the ante with this sequel, but does it deliver?

Here’s what we liked:

Solid, non frustrating mechanics - Something that seems to plague games in this genre is frustrating mechanics that get in the way of the gamer having fun. From Battletoads to the original Shank, there’s an annoying section or part to the gameplay that causes cheap deaths and broken controllers. Fortunately, Klei has given gamers a title that offers little to no frustration, and deaths that only amount to a lack of skill, not a fault of the developer.

Super responsive controls with fast animations - Shank 2 controls incredibly well. Every action is felt immediately after pressing the corresponding button, and the animation system reflects that. There is no question about when things are supposed to happen either, and the timing on everything from dodging to jumping feels spot on. Any time you want to do something, the game makes it incredibly easy, and makes you feel like a force to be reckoned with when you do it.

Satisfying action and superb balance - Boss fights and enemy AI can be a tricky thing to balance correctly. In Shank 2 enemies will shoot, smash, and destroy Shank in any way they can, and the different enemy types with wily AI make the game challenging, but not frustrating, making gamers master the controls to beat arduous stages. Not to mention the boss and mini-boss enemies are difficult but not TOO difficult, providing just the right amount of challenge to the ends of levels.

Fun multiplayer – Instead of making the campaign fully playable in co-op, Klei has decided to create a separate survival mode where 1-2 players can face off against waves of enemies until they are inevitably overwhelmed. While some may be disappointed by the removal of standard co-op, this mode was actually a blast to play through, and can get incredibly addicting when you add in different weapons and enemy types.

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Multiplayer - While this was also a positive, it would have been nice to have a fully playable co-op campaign with a story like in the original Shank instead of a separate mode. The thought of blasting through a campaign with a buddy is just too tantalizing and obvious to not include in a game like this.

Short campaign length - Depending on your skill (or lack thereof), the campaign can be over incredibly quickly. Granted, Klei added incentives to replay levels on higher difficulties such as new outfits for the characters, but artificially extending the hours played on a game doesn’t change the fact that it can be finished in a few hours. Games like Shadow Complex can pull off being beatable in a short amount of time because of the many different ways you can explore the world, but Shank 2 is incredibly linear with its level design.

Shank 2 is an incredibly solid game, and it has the most important thing that a lot of games seem to lack: it’s fun to play. While the campaign is short and the multiplayer isn’t as fleshed out as it could be, the whole game is fun the whole way through, and that is not something to scoff at. At 800 MSP, this game is a steal.

Score: Buy It!

Shank 2 review (XBLA)

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare will debut on XBLA next week, and Remedy’s offering gamers what is probably their last pre-release look at the title in the form of its third developer diary. Three of the top men behind the horror-action title spend the majority of the vid talking about Al’s evil impersonator, Mr. Scratch, before delving into the new Fight ’til Dawn mode.

There’s plenty of footage of Scratch interspersed with—Oh my God! What just happened to Remedy Entertainment Creative Director Sam Lake?! Watch the video to find out for yourself. Speaking of watching, keep an eye out for our American Nightmare review, which will go live on Monday, February 20.

Source: IGN

Scratch that itch with the third Alan Wake’s American Nightmare developer diary

Jordan Mechner, the man who made the original Prince of Persia back in 1989, is returning to game development to remake another of his classics, Karateka. Venture Beat reports that Mechner plans to release the game later this year on XBLA and PSN. The original was developed as “a labor of love” on an Apple II and released in 1984.

“It is amazing to me how many people still remember Karateka and talk about it after all these years,” Mechner told Venture Beat. “Somehow, the 1980s seem to be in the air again. People ask me about Karateka on my website all the time, and I keep seeing videos and retrospectives of the original game posted online. I was astonished when I was in Moscow at a press conference for the Prince of Persia movie opening in 2010, and Russian journalists asked questions about Karateka.”

Continuing, he said that he believes fans have continued clamoring for a remake as a result of him not milking the property for all it was worth over the years. Mechner sees it as something that has “remained pure” in people’s minds, almost as if it has “been in a time capsule.”

A small team is reportedly behind the remix, with Jordan himself taking a very “hands-on” role as creative director. The original was heavy on story for its time, and its action gameplay relied heavily on fighting game-style mechanics. It has been about nine years since its creator last worked directly on a game (2003′s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time). Mechner spent the intervening years working in film and graphic novels.

Source: Venture Beat

Jordan Mechner announces Karateka remake

Valentine’s Day may be over for us mere mortals but not for Skullgirls it seems. A new trailer has been published showcasing the latest addition to the team: Nurse Valentine. Valentine is both a ninja and a nurse who attacks her opponents with medical equipment including bone saws, defibrillators, injections and dead bodies. Developers, Reverge Labs have upped the dosage in this new hypodermic video. If you are not sure whether you should watch the trailer, talk to your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Skullgirls is expected to crash onto XBLA later this year.

Watch this new Nurse Valentine trailer…stat!

We’ve known for some time that upcoming XBLA game Project Draco would be getting a name change prior to release and developers Grounding Inc, recently mentioned to our intrepid twitter tipper @lifelower that it would finally be announced at a Microsoft event in Toyko later this month. However it seems that the jig is up for the new name has shown up on the Australian ratings board as Crimson Dragon. Microsoft’s PlayXBLA blog have since revealed a smart new logo for the game and a shiny new screen shot, to give it a bit more of an official fanfare.

The Kinect controlled game will be out later this year. Let us know what you think of the new name in the comments section.

Source: PlayXBLA

Project Draco fires up to become Crimson Dragon

If the headline wasn’t clear enough, the launch trailer for Warp has plenty of scientists exploding. But that little orange alien Zero caused that to happen which you’ll need to do in order to escape the laboratory. The game mixes elements of puzzles and stealth with plenty of gore to go around. Check out the game now for 800 MSP and stay tuned for our review coming soon.

Warp launch trailer has blood coming out of scientists

Do you like warping into people’s bodies or do you like going on a pinball adventure? XBLA Wednesday has solutions for both of those answers. First up is our introduction to the 2012 House Party with Warp. You’ll play as Zero, an alien who must escape the lab’s puzzles and scientists by warping through rooms and warping inside scientists to take them out, that’ll set you back 800 MSP. Next, we have a new table for Pinball FX 2 entitled Epic Quest. The new table adds experience and leveling up systems to a pinball game and it’s only 240 MSP.

Rounding out some DLC, we got a new zombie level pack for Choplifter HD for 80 MSP. Lastly, Rhythm Party has three song packs with one being free and two of them at 240 MSP a piece. If warping, pinball, dancing, and zombies is your thing, XBLA Wednesday has got something for you.

XBLA Wednesday: February 15

The first trailer has been released for the newly-titled Mad Riders from Techland. You’ll see some huge air the ATVs are getting in loads of tropical locales across the world. Giant rings are present to help you gain boost while you pull off tricks for more. If you want to read more details on the upcoming racer, check out the details that came out from Ubisoft’s page. Mad Riders is coming out in Spring 2012 with some heated competition from Trials Evolution.

Mad Riders trailer shows aerial maneuvers and customization

Zivix and Reverb Games have announced that they are teaming up to bring a new music based game to Xbox Live Arcade titled Jam Live Music Arcade. Unlike the rhythm games you’re used to, Jam Live Music Arcade centers around improvisation and remixing to create the experience of “jamming” with a band. The game will feature over 30 licensed tracks from a wide variety of bands, but the game’s true strength lies in the freedom which it gives to its players. Those players will be able to utilize almost any instrument controller on the market to play guitar, bass, vocals, drums and even synthesizer. If you’ve ever wanted to create your own music on XBLA, this is your chance. Expect to hear more on Jam Live Music Arcade in the coming weeks including pricing information and a release date.

Zivix announces Jam Live Music Arcade and debuts first trailer

The Xbox 360 outsold the competition in the U.S. last month and held down its position as the most popular console, reports Microsoft on its official blog. More than 270,000 units were sold in January, making the 360 the best-selling console 13 months running. Over on the software front, a handful of titles on the console made the top ten list: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, NBA 2K12 and Just Dance 3.

In monetary terms, the software giant hauled in $301 million between hardware, software and accessory revenues. Microsoft also took the opportunity to again remind everyone that its platform was number one in 2011 — a fact that should be obvious given that it has now outsold the PS3 and Wii for a year and one month.

Source: Official Microsoft Blog

Xbox 360 was U.S.’s top-selling console in January

Some new details emerge about Sega’s upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II on the Xbox Marketplace although they weren’t supposed to. The box-art was uploaded with new details such as online and offline co-op which is looking to bring back the classic Sonic & Tails 2-player action from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. There was also some screenshots that leaked but were quickly taken down. Fortunately, someone on NeoGAF copied the screenshots and you can find them and the box-art after the break. Here’s the plot description from the Marketplace:

The Sonic 4 Saga continues as Sonic reunites with Tails for all new collaborative play! Following the events of Episode I, Metal Sonic has returned to form a formidable alliance with Dr. Eggman! To face this new threat, Sonic will have to call upon an old friend to help him save the day! Joined by Tails, utilise ingenious combination moves and race across four brand new Zones, in order to put an end to their evil plans! Play alone, or with a friend locally (and online), in an evolution of Sonic 2′s collaborative gameplay! Unleash Sonic and Tails’ devastating joint attacks and combination moves to fight the united force of Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Episode II features an all new game engine, bringing you updated physics and an original graphical style as you race through four unique Zones and a new Special Stage.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II details and screenshots leak from the Marketplace

Techland have been quiet on whatever Project Haste‘s release is but we knew for certain that wouldn’t be the real title. After the rating board listed Techland developing a title called Mad Riders, another listing has shown up on Ubisoft’s UK site confirming the title and developer.

There’s also details on the game with 45 tracks all over the world and three multiplayer modes for up to 12 players online. Boosting is a way to rin races and the only way you’ll gain it is through stunts and soaring through rings. Not to mention loads of customizable ATVs and Buggies to find the perfect vehicle for you. No release info beyond Spring 2012 or price as of yet but we’ll let you know just how mad these Mad Riders are future updates.

Techland’s Project Haste becomes Mad Riders

It’s Valentine’s Day today and if you’re running a bit late and find the shops are all out of roses then why not say “I Love You” the XBLA way. The nice folk over at Ska-Studios, the developers behind the awesome Dishwasher series and upcoming brawler Charlie Murder, have designed these great Valentine cards especially for you and your honey. While you’re at it, you should also check out our top five romances on XBLA here to ensure the perfect night in.

See the full selection of cards after the jump and have Happy Valentine’s Day from XBLA Fans!

Source: Ska Studios

Have a murderous Valentine’s Day with Ska Studios

Veteran producer Microprose and developers Kung Fu Factory have announced that new fighting game Girl Fight is heading for XBLA. The “plot” revolves around a shady organisation called THE FOUNDATION (all capitals) which is in the business of abducting gorgeous women from all around the world, to plug into their virtual construct known as The Mainframe. To make it back to reality, the women must utilize their fighting and psionic abilities in an all-out battle for survival. That’s right, human trafficking just got sexy! According to the press release:

“With hair flying, long legs kicking and the ear-piercing shrill of deadly vixens, Girl Fight is a unique all-female, fast-paced spin on arcade-style fighting games”

Interestingly developers Kung Fu Factory recently teamed up with Coalition Fight Music to support Man Up, a global campaign to stop violence against women. Presumably it’s ok if they are fighting each other then? Girl Fight is expected to hit XBLA this spring. Ironically, the game was rated by the ESRB as M for “Mature”.

Girl Fight set to sleaze up XBLA

Welcome back to the regiment, marine! That’s right, our very first big guide is back for the DLC nearly a year since the original release. Five new levels, two new survival levels, and over 50 pieces of loot and we’ve got the how-to to all of it. Big thanks to our Andrew Crews, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Saris and his friend Tyler for helping us get through this challenging installment of Iron Brigade DLC. The DLC is currently available for 400 MSP and you can check out our review if you’re not sure you whether or not you should be jumping back into this game after it’s been so long.

For those of you who are diving back in or already have, we’ve got level guides to each of the five levels including what loot is acquired on those levels (so you don’t have to check the loot-specific guide) and strategies for getting gold medals (though they aren’t necessary for achievements this time around) and of course a wave breakdown for each. On top of that we’ve got the traditional loot guide complete with images for all the weapons, chassis and emplacements including all the stats and unlock locations. Lastly we have our guides to both survival maps, both of which provide quite a bit of a challenge. On top of that, each level and survival level have videos accompanying them, so do feel free to check those out if reading is too much work for you (the link can be found in the actual page if you want both). Without further a do, enjoy your guide to the Rise of the Martian Bear!

Level guides

Swamp - Video

Mars Landing – Video

Settlement – Video

Foundry – Video

Cathedral – Video

Survival guides

Swamp – Video

Settlement – Video

Loot guides

Weapons

Emplacements and Chassis

Cosmetics (Hats, Jackets and Paintjobs)

Back to the original Iron Brigade guide

Iron Brigade Rise of the Martian Bear DLC guide

Supersonic Software’s Wrecked: Revenge Revisited will hit the Xbox Live Arcade in the next few weeks, if recent postings on the game’s Facebook page are to be believed.

According to a February 3 post, the game should hit the Marketplace within “the next two months.”  ”Really interesting to hear the genuine regret from the developers about the delays,” the post says. “Getting a niche game like this to market and hoping to crossover to some kind of mainstream success must be daunting enough with being kept waiting for you a release window by MS and Sony.” In the ensuing comments, the game’s price is confirmed at 1200 MSP.

Wrecked, previously known as Gas: Fuel for Fun, is a racing battle title by Supersonic, who previously developed Mashed, Circuit Breakers and the Micro Machines series. Up to four players can go head-to-head through online or split-screen play. Supersonic’s website touts customizable cars as well as downloadable tracks, weapons and vehicles. The game is being published by 505 Games.

Wrecked: Revenge Revisited priced, kind of dated

Twisted Pixel is rolling out the third entry in its series of thematic challenges for Ms. ‘Splosion Man starting on Valentine’s Day, which, for any forgetful male readers out there, is tomorrow. The contest, named “Shoot the Glass,” will run until February 27 and challenges players to obey a directive from Hans Gruber’s by blowing away 33 panes of glass in Nakatomi Tower the game as quickly as they can. Ten seconds will be added to players’ finish time for each one of the clever little devils that “taunt you with their fiendish transparentness” that are missed.

The five U.S. gamers who are able to break the translucent targets quicker than anyone else will be rewarded with a prize package from Omaha Steaks — which should set them up nicely for another upcoming holiday that shan’t be mentioned by name here on this upstanding outlet. In any case, international gamers are welcome to join in on the competition but won’t be eligible to win prizes.

Twisted Pixel challenges players to ‘Shoot the Glass’ in Ms. ‘Splosion Man

Double Fine has made a name for itself on Xbox Live Arcade through popular titles Costume Quest, Stacking, Iron Brigade and, most recently, Happy Action Theater, but in the midst of crowd-sourcing nearly $2 million dollars, Double Fine man Tim Schafer has opined over Microsoft’s burgeoning (or is it?) digital platform.

“Ever since I played Geometry Wars I thought, what a great new portal,” the developer said in an interview with Hookshot Inc., “But it seems that this year, the idea didn’t explode like it should have. Back when Castle Crashers came out, it seemed it was going to grow and grow. I just wish there was more support, more marketing, more placement on the dashboard. It could have been our own little Sundance Film festival, a great sandbox for indie development.”

His assessment echoes the long-term rumblings of Xbox Live Indie Games developers, but are XBLA developers suffering too? Schafer believes so.

“the indie community is now moving elsewhere; we’re figuring out how to fund and distribute games ourselves, and we’re getting more control over them. Those systems as great as they are, they’re still closed. You have to jump through a lot of hoops, even for important stuff like patching and supporting your game. Those are things we really want to do, but we can’t do it on these systems. I mean, it costs $40,000 to put up a patch – we can’t afford that! Open systems like Steam, that allow us to set our own prices, that’s where it’s at, and doing it completely alone like Minecraft. That’s where people are going.”

Developers aren’t exactly making a mass exodus away from Xbox Live Arcade, with over 90 games released on the digital platform in 2011, but is Schafer right about indies? With this year’s House Party titles published by the likes of EA, THQ and Ubisoft (and flaunting production values not far off retail games), Castle Crashers seems a long time ago. Are truly independent developers slowly departing?

Microsoft famously lost the support of Team Meat and Introversion in the past, with both developers vexed about the same things that Schafer broaches.

“We’ve not had one sale since our initial launch, and I don’t know if that’s going to happen.” said Ed McMillen of Team Meat. ”Whenever we ask, and we actively ask monthly if we can be included in a sale or get any kind of promotion, they say no.”

Similarly, in the wake of Darwinia+’s muted reception on XBLA, Introversion man Mark Morris told PC Gamer that, “[Microsoft] make you work harder on the production value, but they don’t back it up with sales.”

All three of Team Meat, Morris and Schafer have cited Steam as the true bastion of the indie developer with the former branding it a “powerhouse”.

Sources: Hookshot Inc., Indie Games, PC Gamer

Schafer on XBLA: “It could have been our own little Sundance Film festival”

Ever since the reveal of Deadlight, Tequila Works has been quiet on the details but a new interview with 576 KByte Online had some new details to share. The influence for the game came from post-apocalyptic stories like 1984 and authors like Robert Kirkland.

“The 80s have a unique visual appeal, and also marks the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Paranoia and fear defined most of the 80s; add chaos to remove civilization and you will get a world based in distrust and individual survival.”

Our hero, Randall Wayne is a loner who lives in Hope, BC. He hates cities and prefers the isolation of the woods. The hero is very grounded in reality which makes it very relatable. The game is billed as a puzzle platformer similar to Prince of Persia and Another World.

“There’s no inventory or “find the red key” puzzles in Deadlight. Combat is always an option, albeit a poor one. There are more enemies than bullets, and noise is a key mechanic in Deadlight. Randall finds tools and small firearms during the game, but these are more useful as ways of unblocking paths than killing. Don’t expect rocket launchers!”

Deadlight is shaping up to be an interesting title. Look for it this Summer.

Tequila Works sheds new info on Deadlight

The year was 1991, Bryan Adams’ hit song “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You” was #1 on the charts and The Simpsons were slowly becoming a household name. Only premiering Christmas 1989 and now on Season 23, it shows no stopping in sight. But one of the best parts of when it first came out was the merchandising, and video games were part of that sweet donut. Most of them were NES and SNES games but one game that never came out on any other consoles was The Simpsons Arcade and now, it’s finally upon us on XBLA.

The plot of the game involves Smithers and Mr. Burns stealing a diamond when they run into The Simpsons on the street, causing the diamond to fall out of Smithers’ hand and into Maggie’s mouth. They steal the baby and it’s up to the rest of the Simpson family to get Maggie back. You’ll punch, vacuum, jump rope and skateboard across 8 levels against Burns’s goons. Does it stay true to its yellow roots or is it as bad as a Chutney Squishee?

Here’s what we liked:

A classic brawler finally on consoles – It’s been a long time coming for this game since it probably wasn’t powerful enough on home consoles and was only released on DOS. Playing it again, it takes you back to a time when all you wanted was frosty chocolate milkshakes and not “having a cow”. The theme song plays as you start up the game and once in the town of Springfield, you’re off beating up suspecting cronies from near the Springfield Gorge all the way up to Moe’s Tavern. Homer relies on his fists, Bart has his trusty skateboard, Lisa has a jump rope and Marge has a vacuum cleaner and the 4 of you combined make a lethal family combo. Just like the original X-Men arcade game, this game has been a long-time coming for brawler fans and it’s great to see it in action.

Fun and simplistic but deep – While it has the looks of a classic 90′s brawler, it has a little more depth than the three-eyed fish could see. In addition to standard attacks, you also have team-up attacks where Bart might go on Homer’s shoulders and then reign pain on hired goons or Marge and Homer will roll around the screen. You also have projectile weapons like slingshots and other melee weapons like hammers to defend yourself. You’ll have to since the game can get pretty tough with its bosses from wrestlers to the big bad Burns himself.

Cool new features – Instead of just porting the game over, Backbone Entertainment added some cool features and behind-the-scenes look at the arcade game. You’ll start on the original English ROM of the game but after completing it once, you’ll gain the Japanese ROM which adds more power-ups, a new atomic bomb projectile and the ability to add more health even when you’re full. There’s also different modes like Survival where all you have is one life but you can also have Team Quarters so four players share a pool a 40 credits. You can also check out some flyers from the arcade, both English and Japanese versions to see what really makes this game special.

Offline AND online co-op – It’s a popular thing to have offline co-op and not have online or vice versa, but this game does both! Ay Carumba! But that’s a good thing since you’ll be able to play with your friends at home or join a game or make a game for people to join. We didn’t come across too much lag, which is a testament to Backbone Entertainment who’ve implemented online from Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix to X-Men Arcade. You can enjoy playing Bart while your friend is Homer on the other side of the country.

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Not a very long game – Chances are, you’ll probably blow through this game in an hour or less and that’s just by yourself. The levels aren’t superbly long and with more players, you’ll blow through the game even quicker. Back in those years, it was harder to get credits since you’d have to physically put quarters in and with it being a digital game, you’re not spending more money to play. While it might not seem like a big gripe to people who love the game, some people might find it lacking the longevity of other games.

Mostly for the nostalgia-hearted – Some people out there were raised on The Simpsons and loved the game and brawlers but what about the people born after 1991? Unless they played the game at an early age, they might just write this off as a “game old people will like”. They’ll go back to their deeper experiences but won’t remember where those experiences come from and they won’t care. So unless you love the source material and classic brawler style, you’ll whole-heartedly enjoy this but if you groan at the sight of old pixels, you might want to skip this one.

It’s always nice to see a game on our Most Wanted list come true and in the case of The Simpsons Arcade, it’s most certainly excellent. From the fun four player co-op that’s online and offline to the great Springfield scenarios, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this brawler. While some people might find its aged a little too much, the nostalgia-hearted people who remember when Bart got his cohorts to take on Nelson will find much to love here. At 800 MSP, it’s a pretty great package with all, new presentation and the Japanese ROM but the people who weren’t raised on The Simpsons won’t find much to love here. But at the end of the day, you’ll want to rush home to your couch and play with your friends. Grab some donuts and frosty chocolate milkshakes, you’re in for a real treat.

Score: Buy It!

The Simpsons Arcade review (XBLA)

It’s the middle of the night, you’re roaming the highway in your supped up turbo-charged Supra, headlights flash in your rear view and, in a blink of an eye it’s on. This is the premise behind Crave Entertainments classic racer Tokyo Xtreme Racer, originally launching for the Dreamcast in 1999. This game had huge aspirations when it launched. Not only were they venturing into new territory as being one of the first mission based games, but they were also introducing a new style of racing that most people didn’t even know existed.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer broke the mold in many ways for the racing market, introducing a huge line of non-licensed look-a-like vehicles and aftermarket parts. Everything here was customizable: rims, body kits, wings, paint, ride height, gear ratio-giving you an amazing since of realism and depth. Sure, today this seems standard, but for the late 90′s this was huge. About the only thing this deep was Gran Turismo, which was exclusive to PlayStation. It was one of the 20 or so titles available for the Dreamcast at launch. It completely stood out against all the other racers that launched, including the hugely loved Hydro Thunder. Let’s jump into the drivers seat and see why Tokyo Xtreme Racer is on the Most Wanted list.

What should change:

Sound effects - When Tokyo Xtreme Racer launched the in game sounds-engines, collisions, turbos-where lacking, even for then. They were by no means the worse but, would not stand a chance against anything that is on the market today. A little bit of fine tuning and some actual live recordings to compare it to would take things a long way. These are small things that really make a huge difference in whether a racer feels right or not.

Graphics - A little bit of polish to the cars would be nice, but where it really needs an overhaul is the background. You are in Tokyo, yet as far as you are concerned minus a few sky scrapers and we could be racing a circle in space. Liven things up, give us more detail to the things that are passing by, sure they are going by at a 100+ mph, but shouldn’t it be a pretty blur. Another piece that needs to be addressed is vehicle damage, as there is none.

Multiplayer - The original was limited to two player split-screen action only, with only two modes. One mode allowed you to race the entire highway, which is cool as there are many options on where you want to go and has plenty of room for comebacks. This thing needs a huge LIVE overhaul, giving it a new battle style system, with multiple modes. Now this is isn’t to say we want the local play excluded, just that it could be vastly larger across Xbox LIVE. Could be pretty cool to cruise a track and know the car you are flashing is a real person driving it. Although it somewhat feels real, unlike the real thing, this is legal and you can talk to them through your head set!

A.I. - The enemies here after a while became very predictable, making it easy to guess what the opponent was going to do, quickly giving you the upper hand. This greatly changes the focus to which car is faster, rather than who is the better driver. Although on occasion, it was all about the skills, speaking of skills, weaving through traffic should be considered one. Though only on the scarce occasion does the traffic pose a threat or get in the way, never changing lanes or speed, just monotonously driving down their lane. Bystander cars should be something that if not careful, could create a race ending mistake, forcing you to either perfectly surf traffic or pray that luck will see you through every time.

Soundtrack - It does not matter what kind of game it is, puzzler, platformer, dungeon crawler or even a racer, a good soundtrack is key. Fans want music they remember, music that makes them feel the road, the intensity of the race, the excitement of the victory. Tokyo Xtreme Racer never fully succeeds at this, bringing mediocre techno/rock style music to every level. This guaranteed that people either learned to drain it out or went the extra mile and turned it off all together. It is a fast paced, high-octane, risk all racer, the music should reflect that, not sound like everything else on the market.

What should stay the same:

Car names - Although now this series has become big enough that they have licensed all their cars and use their real names, it was once not this way. Cars use to have a name that to some immediately made sense and knew what they were, but to others just felt like it was just Craves way around not paying for a license. As it turns out that was true, they made these cars look almost exactly like what they were supposed to be, and then used the frame chassis code for their names, brilliant. This adds to the depth as each model of a Supra or Skyline has a different chassis number, allowing you to dive just that much deeper into the racer world.

Spec-tweaks - When racing a car one of the many reasons you stick to a specific vehicle is the way it controls. Some people want to stick that corner hard and tight, while others want to slide into it high and loose, both have their ups and downs. No matter how you like to drive, you can tweak everything for just the right response you are looking for, which is great on many factors. You can make that hard to handle car more manageable or tweak out your top speed so you can leave the competition behind on huge straightaways.

Open paths – In Tokyo Xtreme Racer when you are in first, you’re free to roam through whatever exits, overpasses, tunnels, or roundabouts you want. Most racers give you a track or strict course to follow, which is fine nobody really minds. This is similar to how it feels when you are behind in Tokyo Xtreme Racer, as you have to follow the path of the person ahead of you so you can overcome them. This is a fun way to race, being capable of changing each and every time, allowing for amazing replay value in small amounts of area.

Single player - This was a brilliant way at introducing a campaign into a racing game. The Tokyo underground expressway racing circuit-if you will-is broke into several gangs. You must race through the tiers of each gang, proving your driving skills and car abilities are better than theirs. What added to this was that you didn’t just pick a person in line and race, you picked a section of the highway and cruised around looking for them, sometimes picking races with members you were not quite fast enough for. Using life bars to show your distance on somebody was a great way to add a familiar feel to a new style of winning.

Car customization - This was a huge factor back then and is still a huge one now, everyone loves being able to make something feel like their own, no matter what it is. It was all here, not just body kits or rims, but side mirrors, mufflers, hoods, even the headlights if you so choose. This is one of the things that make many games stand out against others, and even by today’s standards it is still very feature rich.

Why it would succeed:

Racer fans are always looking for something to hold them over in-between the AAA titles. This leads fans to try anything with heart, style and a little grit. With a little love both in the form of a small over-haul and continued DLC support such as new highways, cars, customizations or paint kits and we could be talking instant hit. Fans love retail style games at digital bargain prices and they love hearing good games are not just a one-time thing. Every fan dreams of the day when their favorite game gets more content or a sequel; this is a chance for, in a sense, both.

XBLA’s Most Wanted: Tokyo Xtreme Racer

The release date for Shoot Many Robots still remains a mystery but @lifelower revealed some new tidbits on a community site and a removed marketplace listing. March 14 seems to be the date but it’s been removed from the marketplace. However, it is still currently listed on a Ubisoft@UCI community page. They wrote a post saying “Let’s kill some robots March 14!” so there’s a couple clues to a release date. Is it possible will be shooting a lot of robots the week after I Am Alive? We’ll keep you up to date on anything as it develops.

Rumor: Shoot Many Robots coming March 14

The team at Haunted Temple Studios has been working hard on their debut strategy game Skulls of the Shogun. According to an update posted on their Facebook page in response to a fan inquiry the team had hoped the game would be out about now but have been “working with Microsoft to add a couple very cool features we can’t talk about just yet”. In addition to these “very cool features” they’ve been working on a new platform and “polishing every gameplay feature within an inch of its life”.

A “proper announcement” is coming in the next couple of weeks so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to hear about these cool features and maybe even get a solid release date. The fall timeline seems pretty likely since the team says “only an act of God is gonna stop us now”. Hopefully the Mayans won’t interrupt the release either.

Source: Skulls of the Shogun Facebook page

Skulls of the Shogun coming this fall

John Laster – I’ve been dabbling in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and while I love the gameplay I have no clue what the heck is going on in that universe, it hasn’t sucked me in which is bad for an RPG, but Chakrams rule! I absolutely love Gotham City Imposters, reminds me of Shadowrun. Also I want to play more Shank 2 soon as it is a huge improvement for even less MS points than the original.

Perry Jackson – After finishing The Simpsons Arcade, I went into Shank 2 and was completely floored by it. So much of an improvement with better dodging mechanics, tighter combo system and a much better plot to me even if it’s silly. I also played the Mass Effect 3 demo before the Tuesday release. Jealous? You should be because it’s amazing

Ross Adams – Played through Shadows of the Damned over the last week, as a shooter it was ok but it was the humour and world that really impressed me. Really enjoyable and entertaining experience, glad I played it. XBLA wise I randomly picked up Aces of the Galaxy again, great frantic fun. Still super hard though, never managed to complete the whole campaign.

Todd Schlickbernd – I’ve been playing ridiculous amounts of Shank 2 trying to get all 16 characters. I just beat the game on Hard last night, a laudable accomplishment if I do say so myself, so that’s just one last character remaining. Other than that there’s been lots of Iron Brigade DLC time as well. Weird, almost as if I’m doing a guide for those games. Lastly is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on the retail end.

John Drawdy – Been super busy this week, with what little bit of free time I had was spent finally playing through Bastion. Loving the bright colors and art style, but by far the music is my favorite part of the game; nice to finally experience the soundtrack from the game and not just my headphones.

Nathan Bowring – I recently finished Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. They give the old assassin’s the ending they deserved, and I can’t wait to see what they do with the next game. I’m still on the hunt for riddles in Batman: Arkham City; only one more hostage to go!

Ryan Reynolds – I spent a large chunk of my gaming time this week on Iron Brigade’s Rise of the Martian Bear content with highlights including a mysteriously flying breaker and Todd getting stuck behind a plant. In addition, I’ve been playing Gears of War 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 online and started a new game in Mass Effect 2 to prepare me for the conclusion to the trilogy.

Matt Liparota – One word: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I was a holdout on what ended up being one of the biggest fames of 2011 (mostly for financial reasons), but it was on sale last weekend and I couldn’t resist. Pretty much every free minute I had this week was devoted to the game and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I didn’t use my Xbox for anything else. As for the few times I gamed away from my console, I’ve been rocking Professor Layton and the Unwound Future on my DS. My tastes are nothing if not diverse.

Mark Seymour – Been blitzing through Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on Legendary this week. The Library sucks twice as hard as it did 10 years ago but it’s a wonderful nostalgia trip otherwise. Also started playing The Darkness II, which gets shooting things in the face so right. Very satisfying.

Todd Pantier – I’ve still been playing a ton of Final Fantasy XIII-2. I’m really getting into it. Multiplayer wise, I’m still on Gears of War 3 and XBLA wise I got Shank 2. I love 2D beat em ups and it’s one of the better ones I’ve played.

What we are playing: February 12

A brief Q&A session on the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Facebook page has offered insight into how authentic the HD remake, which combines elements from Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2, will be.

Though no specifics were provided, Pro Skater HD will feature online play and cost somewhere in the vicinity of $15. You’ll be able to manual ’til your heart’s content but don’t get any grand ideas about walking, spray-painting or performing reverts, which weren’t a staple of Pro Skater prior to the third game and made stringing together combos significantly less demanding. Elsewhere in the Q&A, scant details were provided regarding DLC but the developer said to stay tuned so expect an announcement on that prior to its “mid-summer” release.

Quizzed on whether Pro Skater HD will feature songs from the two original lauded soundtracks, the developer responded: “Some of the songs, but definitely not all of them.” No details on which tracks have been purged. The Q&A also put to bed any fears of a control-scheme rejig:

“No peripherals (ie, plastic skateboards). The game is played with the controller with analog sticks. The goal is to keep the feel the same as the classic THPS games. You can also play with only the button controls, like on the original PsOne controller.”

The announcements sparked a ruckus in the comments section with fans bickering over the decision not to update Pro Skater HD with the ability to revert and walk. Deal-breaker?

New Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD info

Gotham City Impostors – Monolith’s 6 vs. 6 online shooter set in a crooked Gotham City – will receive free DLC next month as way of thank you to the legions of fans that offered feedback through the beta. Announced via the Gotham City Impostor’s website, the DLC boasts a new map (set in the Gotham Times building), a pair of fresh weapons (a bullet-blocking katana and a quick-draw pistol), an additional support item, the Nimble Fingers Fun Fact and a slew of newfangled costume pieces.

Also slinking cheekily into the DLC list are a couple of fixes that look set to address two of the problems players have been most vocal about post-launch. Players will be able to join matches already in progress while improvements have been made to the matchmaking system in a bid to curtail connection errors and improve stability.

Monolith also catalogued balances and tweaks made prior to the game’s release last Wednesday,

“know that the game has launched with the assistance of an army of new dedicated servers to drastically reduce latency issues. Along with that we’ve slightly decreased the Thunder Dragon’s damage to put it on a more even playing field, fixed the quick-scope exploit, made other weapon balance tweaks and even spent some additional time optimizing maps to help with some framerate issues. (Oh, and we added some more Calling Card unlocks at the early levels.”

In a separate post, the developer disclosed information on Impostor’s public beta. 287,927 games were played with each skirmish lasting an average of 5 minutes 42 seconds. Total time played clocked in at 3.27 years with players accumulating a collective and hulking 1,290,817 items. Oh and Team Bats vanquished the Jokerz in 51% of the fracases. The Jokerz managed a slightly lower 47% with the remaining two percent attributable to stalemates.

Gotham City Impostors is available now on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft Points. Expect a review soon.

Gotham City Impostors to receive free DLC

Worldwide Xbox Live Arcade sales data for the week beginning January 30 has been published revealing the top 20 games on XBLA and XBLIG. The Simpsons Arcade leads the pack ahead of Bastion, Fruit Ninja Kinect, the ever-popular Pinball FX2 and robot-brawler REAL STEEL, while a glut of mining games rule on XBLIG.

Supergiant’s lauded action/role-player Bastion took second place, no doubt buoyed by a week-long price cut, while Double Fine’s madcap Kinect mini-game compilation Happy Action Theater notched a respectable 7th. Doom has maintained its position in the top 20 since its re-emergence mid-January, this week fending off relative new-comers NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (12th) and Denki’s Quarrel (15th). Elsewhere, top 20 stalwarts Trials HD and Castle Crashers retained spots in the rankings (6th and 9th respectively). The positions are based on copies sold rather than time played, which makes their continued presence all the more impressive. (Castle Crashers was released in 2008 and Trials HD 2009.)

Over on the XBLIG scene, CastleMiner Z seized pole position with Total Miner: Forge in second, CastleMiner third and the hugely successful FortressCraft – having recently cannoned through the $2 million sales barrier – in fourth. Is mining the secret to success on the Indie Games channel?

Source: Major Nelson

XBLA sales data for week beginning January 30

Even if you’re a fan of Alan Wake, you may not have seen this coming. The newest preview for Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is one minute of Alan’s live-action copy, Mr. Scratch, killing people in a hotel room… and dancing. It’s a little odd, but we dare you not to smile. The clip ends with Scratch telling Alan he “doesn’t get to change the ending”, referencing Alan’s struggle to escape Night Springs. All we can say is dancing Mr. Scratch better be included when the game releases February 22, 2012.

American Nightmare proves Mr. Scratch is a psycho

Our full Shank 2 Guide will be launching next week. In the meantime, please enjoy this guide to the unlockable character skins which we will be updating throughout the week. 

Shank

Pros

• +10% Health

Unlocked by default

Defender

Pros

• +50% bomb disarm speed
• 20% off shop weapons
• 20% off turrets

Cons

• -25% shank damage
• -50% ranged damage

Unlock medal: 100 turret kills

Junior

Pros

• +30% bomb disarm speed
• +25% pickup damage

Cons

• -30% grapple damage

Unlock medal: 50 fire trap kills

Horror

Pros

• +50% heavy damage

Cons

• -30% ranged damage
• War boars cost +100% more
• Decoys cost +100% more

Unlock medal: Reach zombie wave on each survival map (wave 14)

Rin

Pros

• +20% ranged damage
• 20% off war boars
• 20% off decoys

Cons

• -20% health
• -25% ranged damage

Unlock medal: Perform 20 bat counter kills

Lucha Rex

Pros

• +50 Grapple damage
• +10% Shank damage

Cons

• -10% Heavy damage
• -10% Ranged damage

Unlock medal: Complete the campaign on normal

Classic

Pros

• +100% Shank damage
• +25% Grapple damage

Cons

• -30% Pickup damage

Unlock medal: Kill a goon by throwing a bomber

Hobo Shank

Pros

• +50% pickup damage
• +15% health
• +10% grapple damage

Cons

• All items cost 50% more

Unlock medal: Defeat all 30 waves in any survival map

Cesar

Pros

• +20% Shank damage
• +20% Heavy damage
• +15% Ranged damage

Cons

• -30% Health

Unlock medal: Find the kitchen sink and kill someone with it

Falcone

Pros

• +25% Health
• 25% off Tequila

Cons

• -50% Revive speed
• -50% Bomb defusal speed

Unlock medal: Complete campaign on hard

Boogie

Pros

• +10% Ranged damage
• +15% Shank damage

Cons

• -10% Health
• -30% Grapple damage

Unlock medal: Buy everything in survival mode (final item at wave 20)

Corina Characters

Corina

Pros

• +10% Health

Unlocked by default

Sunshine

Pros

• +50% Shank damage
• +15% Heavy damage
• +25% Grapple damage

Cons

• -25% Ranged damage
• -30% Health

Unlock method: Purchase any item in Survival

Chops

Pros

• +20% Health
• 25% off tequila
• +50% partner revive speed

Cons

• -20% Shank damage
• -20% Heavy damage
• -15% Ranged damage

Unlock method: Perform 60 pistol counter kills

Bubbles

Pros

• +30% Ranged damage
• 30% off shop weapons

Cons

• -30% Heavy damage
• -20% Health

Unlock method: Stay alive for 15 consecutive waves

Kats

Pros

• +20% Grapple damage
• +25% Pickup damage
• +15% Health

Cons

• All items cost 25% more

Unlock method: 100 grenade kills

Shank 2 Guide – Character Unlocks

Our friends at PlayXBLA have obtained a handful of new screenshots taken from Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture’s shoot em’ up Sine Mora. The screenshots themselves depict a variety of environments ranging from futuristic inner city settings, to wide open green pastures. Digital Reality has also unveiled this week’s newest cast member of the game which happens to be a femme fatale cat-lady named Durak who likes hiding shotguns behind her back. For the gents out there who may be interested, take note; She is an elegant noble who believes that the world belongs to the upper class. Romance interest aside, read on by clicking the link below to get a look at the newest batch of Sine Mora screenshots!

Source: PlayXBLA

New Sine Mora screenshots showcase varied environments and an elegant shotgun wielding cat-lady

Tipster @lifelower has once again pulled some great information by scouring the ratings boards. This time up we have a rating for a new iteration of the popular card battle game Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, as well as a bit of confirmation from Stainless Games in the way of a jobs post looking for folks with knowledge of Magic: The Gathering. Although it bears the year 2013 in the title, if last year’s M:TG – DotP 2012 is any indication, we’ll be seeing the new game sometime around midsummer. With cars, sports games, and now Magic all pushing our definitions of when the new year begins forward, maybe we’ll skip over the predicted Mayan apocalypse and officially kick off 2013 sometime around September.

Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 rated

Love is in the air or so it would seem with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. At XBLA Fans we thought we’d take a moment to celebrate our love affair with games by taking a look at some of the top romantic relationships that can found on XBLA. Whether you’re wining and dining your sweetheart or hiding under the covers till this whole commercial scam of a holiday blows over, set aside some time for a romantic evening of XBLA. Keen matchmakers that we are, we’ve created a list of possible partners so read on to find out our Top Five XBLA Romances. Oh XBLA, you had us at “Deal of the Week”.

5. Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers – Scott Pilgrim vs The World

For Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers is literally the girl of his dreams. However love doesn’t come easy for our hero for Scott must fight his way through not 1 but 7 of Ramona’s evil exes first. Talk about high maintenance! If you want to up the romantic drama you can even purchase Scott’s other romantic interest, Knives Chau in the form of DLC. The actual gameplay takes the form of a retro side scrolling brawler reminiscent of the SNES/Genesis era. This one also comes with couch co-op so it’s perfect for those cozy nights in.

4. “The Prince” and Princess – Prince of Persia Classic

Set in Ancient Persia, our unnamed hero catches a glimpse of the Princess, whose beauty is like the “moonrise in the heavens” and as luck would have it, his feelings are reciprocated by the Princess. Disaster strikes however and as the game starts, the Sultan of Persia is called away to war in a foreign land. Sensing opportunity, the evil Vizier Jaffar seizes the throne, imprisons the “Prince” and then presents the Princess with an ultimatum: marry Jaffar or die. With only an hour to spare, you must fight your way to the top of the tower and rescue the Princess. First released in 1989 on the Apple II and remade for XBLA back in 2007, it’s a difficult platformer that’s also played in real time so you really do only have 60 minutes to beat the game. Don’t they know you can’t hurry love?

3. Tim and The Princess – Braid

Can love exist without the thrill of the chase? In Braid, we see protagonist Tim following the princess of his dreams from castle to castle in his quest to save her from an evil monster. However as the game progresses, all is not as it seems. As you make your way through the six worlds, storyline text at the beginning of each world provides further insight into Tim’s contemplations and motivations. Released on XBLA back in 2008, this brain busting puzzle-platformer often appears on any must owned XBLA list, and for good reason too. It’s got gorgeous art-work and a story so original it spawned many internet debates and interpretations.

2. Guybrush Threepwood and Elaine Marley – The Secret of Monkey Island

Love affairs between a pirate and the governors daughter is nothing new (ask Mills & Boon). After all what could be more romantic than sun, sea, sand and grog? In the classic point-and-click adventure from LucasArts, The Secret of Monkey Island, our hero Guybrush Threepwood, falls in love with the actual governor herself, Elaine Marley. Romance blossoms until Elaine is kidnapped by the Ghost Pirate LeChuck and Guybrush must set out to rescue his sweetheart. The game was written and programmed by Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer (Double Fine) along with Dave Grossman (now of Telltale Games) back in 1989 and the Special Edition with updated controls and graphics, was released on XBLA in 2009. With alumni like that, this game deserves a special place in any XBLA Fans heart.

1. Super Meat Boy and Bandage Girl – Super Meat Boy

You may have spotted a theme developing in this list and if you were brought up on fairy tales you will already know it to be fact: there’s nothing like a good case of kidnapping to make the heart grow fonder. For Super Meat Boy and his girlfriend Bandage Girl, kidnapping occurs so often that they must surely be the most tragic lovers in video game history. As Super Meat Boy you must make your way through over 300 levels of some seriously hardcore platforming to rescue your beloved, only for her to be stolen away at the start of the very next level. It’s heartbreaking stuff, yet Meat Boy ploughs on…for there’s achievements to be earned. If that isn’t love, we don’t know what is.

Friday Top Five: Valentine’s Day Special

Machinima.com has released a new three minute video of the upcoming arena-style first-person shooter Nexuiz from Illfonic and THQ. The video shows off plenty of fast paced run and gun style gameplay while the narrator explains how the game’s mutators work. In a nut shell, every time you earn a 5-kill streak, capture a flag, or pick up certain power ups on a map, you get several different options to “mutate” your combat style. The video focuses on mutators that grant you bigger and deadlier weapons, but it also mentions several other styles of mutators obtainable in the game which range from team buffs to silly sound effects. There are over 100 of them in the game, so use your imagination! Start planning your strategies and sharpening your skills, Nexuiz will be launching on February 29 as part of Microsoft’s House Party promotion.

Source: Machinima.com

New Nexuiz video details the game’s mutators and super weapons

The folk over at SlushyTV recently received an early copy of upcoming game Vessel from Strange Loop Games and lucky for us they’ve kindly posted a quick video preview. The game is set in a world where an inventor called Arkwright, has managed to create worker creatures made entirely of liquid. Unfortunately these “Fluros” have gone wild, and they’re screwing up machinery around the world. There are different types of Fluros and each creature will have unique behaviours and abilities that you’ll need to evaluate and manipulate to solve puzzles.

The 2D platform-puzzler is set to be released for PC March 1 with the as yet unannounced release date for XBLA and PSN, expected shortly after.

Source: SlushyTV

Sneak a peek at some Vessel gameplay

Not content with simply crafting an experience which the team believes there isn’t “anything quite like” on XBLA, Remedy Entertainment’s CEO, Matias Myllyrinne, informed Joystiq yesterday that his team is likely to deliver more content for the franchise onto Microsoft’s downloadable platform. Furthermore, even if Al doesn’t get another at the XBLA scene after American Nightmare releases later this month, Remedy will “certainly continue with Wake” in some way or another, according to the Myllyrinne.

Remedy’s top dog affirmed that his company enjoys full in-house ownership of the IP, which is why they are able to develop future content for it at will. His team wants to keep fans happy with future content for their franchise because he believes that tends to be “the good business move” in addition to putting smiles on gamers’ faces.

“Hopefully, we’ll have one or two surprises,” Myllrinne responded when questioned about what fans can look forward to on the Alan Wake front. “I don’t know, I’m loving the digital [distribution] side and we’ll see how that evolves, but just being able to give people quick access to bite-size chunks of gaming is maybe more fun than working for years and years — taking the phone offline and closing the shutters — at least, this way, you’re able to react much more quickly to people’s desires and wishes.”

Source: Joystiq

Remedy says Alan will awaken again

The forthcoming Microsoft Windows 8 store will feature some titles familiar to fans of the Xbox Live Arcade, according to reports. Among them will be popular titles like Ms Splosion Man and Angry Birds.

EuroGamer reported a list of titles to be offered in the preview version of Microsoft’s new operating system, which launches by the end of February.

Pinball and Solitaire will also come pre-loaded on the system. The full list is below:

• Angry Birds
• Crash Course
• Full House Poker
• Hydro Thunder
• Ilomilo
• Ms Splosion Man
• Reckless Racing
• Rocket Riot
• Tentacles
• Toy Soldiers
• Wordament

First batch of Windows 8 games includes familiar names

Zen Studios announced the Epic Quest DLC for Pinball FX2 earlier in the week by dropping a trailer on us, and today the developer has shed some light on what exactly gamers can expect from the add-on. Zsolt Kigyossy, managing director over at Zen, checked in over on the PlayStation Blog today to properly introduce gamers to the DLC’s hero, Max. Like all knights, it is his sworn duty “to seek out evil, defeat it, and take its stuff.” So obsessed with the concept of building XP and hoarding loot is Max, that he’ll carry everything over to the next game should he be bested by evil or “just evil-looking” beasties.

Kigyossy’s rundown of the content is very tongue-in-cheek, as he mentions “impressing n00bs” as being every bit as important (perhaps more so) than upgrading armor for actual defensive purposes. Players can expect a healthy mixture of RPG mechanics mixed into the pinball gameplay amidst “Monty Python-type humor.”

Players will square off against monsters of considerable power during Encounter Mode. Defeat them and Max — who is apparently quite the fashionista — will be rewarded with weapon and armor drops to improve his image. Drops are all classified into three categories: common (yellow), better (blue) and epic (purple). Similar to just about any other game with the acronym “RPG” attached to it, the goal is to beef Max up so he can take on ever-more-powerful foes. Kick those pinball jackpots up high enough, and he may even become the titular Epic Hero.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Power up and look good doing it in Epic Quest for Pinball FX2

As if this week’s releases, deals, and recently reduced titles weren’t enough, we have one more to add to the list. UTV Ignition’s Blacklight: Tango Down is sitting at 400 MSP currently, the same price as its other game, Swarm. No word to why it’s at that price but in case you want to check it out, here’s our review.

Source: Xbox360 Achievements

Blacklight: Tango Down goes down to 400 MSP

7Sixty has unleashed the first teaser trailer for their upcoming brawler Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise. The teaser is essentially a mash up of concept art painting a picture of the game’s story and Chinese influence. While the trailer contains no in-game footage, you can take a peak at what the game looks like for yourself in this recently released batch of screenshots. The development team has promised that the game will turn “brawling into an art form of pain” thanks to its fast paced, fluid, martial arts based combat system. Start practicing those high kicks, the trailer states that Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade “soon”.

7Sixty unleashes new teaser trailer for Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior’s Rise

The gelatinous acrobat team The Splatters have a new move to show off which truly tampers with physics. The new “flip” move causes everything on-screen to move in the opposite direction. Flipping does not reverse time; once the direction is changed, normal physics take over. The move has to be unlocked, but once unlocked it can be used an unlimited amount of times. It is easy to use, just hit the left trigger, but its uses are very versatile. The video shows off some uses, including the best time to hit the LT. There is no release date for The Splatters yet, but developer SpikySnail’s blog states the game is “dangerously close” to being finished. That’s good news, as we can’t wait to get our hands on this game.

Source: SpikySnail

The Splatters flips out over new move

With all the talks of ratings, some things get newer titles than others like Alan Wake’s American Nightmare originally was Night Springs. In Australia on their rating board, a rating came from a title called Mad Riders which also showed up on the USK rating board above for Xbox 360. It was also trademarked by Techland who were developing Haste for Ubisoft. Could this be a new name for the ATV racer? We’ll let you know if any more news develops and a shout out to @lifelower for the tip.

Has Haste become Mad Riders?

The original Shank was a hit and the sequel is now upon us with Shank 2. With a brand new campaign and a 2-player survival mode, expect more shanking and gunplay for you and your buddy. Expect a guide and a review coming shortly on XBLA Fans but check out our interview with Jamie Cheng from Klei Entertainment. Shank 2 is on shelves and 800 MSP.

Shank 2 brings the blood in the launch trailer

The second developer diary for Alan Wake’s American Nightmare has the developers describing the game’s story direction. Although the game is a spin-off anyone can play, there is a good deal of optional story that continues the original storyline. This game is much more focused on action, so some inspiration was taken from sci-fi B movies (hence the giant spiders). They also detail Mr. Scratch, Alan’s evil doppelganger that was created by the darkness after Alan himself became an urban legend. Part of the story will be told through live-action cutscenes, like the Night Springs TV show from the original game. Watch closely and you may see the live version of Mr. Scratch stealthily working his way into the discussion. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare releases February 22, 2012 for 1200 MSP.

American Nightmare developer diary talks story and urban legends

Guess what? XBLA Fans wrote a book! The new e-book for Amazon Kindle was released earlier this week and is comprised of some of our favourite XBLA Fans articles and most informative pieces. In what is designed to be an introductory guide to Xbox Live Arcade, the e-book hopes to answer such questions as: What is XBLA? How to get started with your XBOX 360? Why play retails games on disc? As well as sharing some touching stories of our experiences with the platform that we’ve come to love.

It’s also FREE for one day only! So if you love XBLA and have a Kindle or perhaps you’d just like to download it to your computer, then get over there fast. Look out for more publications from XBLA Fans, we’re working on compiling our guides into a handy portable format for tablet users too. Remember to rate us if you like it!

XBLA Fans release e-book for Amazon Kindle

Update: The Title Update will actually coincide with the upcoming DLC release, apologies for any confusion.

Original Story: Dungeon Defenders received its first console patch earlier this week and fans of the game will be pleased to hear it addresses a number of minor bugs and increases the game’s level cap. The patch is great news for XBLA gamers since it was stated a while back that all DLC available for the PC version might not reach consoles. Trendy Entertainment revealed the full patch details on their official forums or you can read the full list here after the jump.

- Tower Attack Rate scaling improved to PC specifications
- Pet Attack Rate scaling improved to PC specifications
- Giraffes are now awarded at Wave 25 and survival stability is also correspondingly improved
- Mistymire weapons now have their appropriate artwork and will save on your hero. (Which means Mistymire reward weapons should not disappear!) Added DLC 2 (Desert Town) weapons/pet as well for that upcoming release. (There’s a technical issue with the Mistymire pet, so we’re unable to bring that to you. Sorry about that!)
- Raised Level Cap to 78 and added higher-quality items as a result
- Fixed last-minute hero-swapping bug
- Fixed Treasure Hunt skipping issue
- Fixed a potential save corruption case (We never reproduced it here in the office, so this potential fix is mostly guesswork.)
- Fixed bandwidth issue with projectile towers that will also resolve various online latency issues (weapons not appearing, invisible enemies, etc.)
- Squire Towers are a bit less damaging
- You can now have spaces in hero names from the initial Create Hero UI
- Fixed Obedience Training accomplishment to include certain extra Pet variants
- Made Achievements/Trophies attempt to unlock at regular intervals when the Accomplishments are checked (catches any cases where the Achievement or Trophy was not awarded at the time)
- Non-DLC players should no longer have trouble joining DLC Taverns
- Increased the Hero Cap value of all Stats (except for Run Speed) from 70 to 120
- Increased the Mana Cap to 200 million and added four extra item pages to the forge
- Fixed tavern unlock glitch

Source: Dungeon Defenders Official Forums

Dungeon Defenders receives its first console patch

Yesterday, the lovely folks at Double Fine Productions started a Kickstarter to fund a new point-and-click adventure game to be released this year. They’re looking for $400,000 but in just over 6 hours, they made their goal which is crazy and shows you how much love we have for this studio. No other platforms have been announced other than Steam currently but Tim said that if they go over their goal, they’ll put it on more platforms so perhaps XBLA? No one knows for certain but the more you donate, the more of the game you’ll see so get donating!

Double Fine’s new project funded exclusively through Kickstarter

Developer Halfbrick had some good news to deliver at the DICE conference in Las Vegas today. Their wonderful game Fruit Ninja Kinect has sold half a million copies since its release during the 2011 Summer of Arcade. They also stated they don’t want to ruin their game’s momentum, so there won’t be a sequel in the near future. Fruit Ninja Kinect was the developer’s first console experiment and a huge success, which may bode well for future XBLA releases. Congratulations to Halfbrick on their success, may your game sell half a million more.

Source: Joystiq

Half a million Fruit Ninja Kinect copies sold

It’s time to release your inner Batman or Joker! The launch trailer for Gotham City Impostors shows off all the chaos in the streets of Gotham when Batman is away fighting crime. Freeze guns, bows, grappling hooks, bear traps, bleeped swearing, and so much more is shown of in this action-packed video. Gotham City Impostors is available today, bringing its crazy first-person shooter action to the masses. Be on the look out for our review in the next few days.

Gotham City Impostors launch trailer

Nick kicks things off by telling us about Double Fine’s Happy Action Theater and Rhythm Party, both of which are pretty interesting additions to the Kinect library. Myself and Andrew played a bit of Iron Brigade DLC pack, Rise of the Martian Bear, which we don’t mind telling you is pretty tough!

Perry drops many a news bomb on us, check below for links to the full stories we discussed.

In Crews’ Community Corner Andrew chooses a twitter question in which @wolvie75 asked what our dream Summer of Arcade line up would be, choosing from the previous promotions. You’ll have to listen to the show to find out our answers though. Also be sure to check out Carcassonne for Remember The Days and let us know what you think on twitter.

Please subscribe, comment, review the podcast on iTunes and tell your friends! We appreciate it! Check us out on twitter (@XBLAFans) where you can win codes for games, give us feedback or just ask a question. We are also now on Stitcher, so you can stream the show on your smartphone, give it a go!

Big thanks again to Chris Green for the awesome theme music, be sure to check out his site BlurredEdge and why not follow him on twitter too @BlurredEdge.

RSS | MP3 | iTunes

Hosted, produced & edited by:

Ross Adams (@randomlyrossy)

Co-hosted by:

Perry Jackson (@prryjcksn – FunHaversClub)

Andrew Crews (@twixprintmatic)

Special guest:

Nick DePetris (@ndepetris)

Intro music:

Chris Green - Blurred Edge

News discussed:

Trials Evolution out in Spring 2012

Pinball FX 2 expansion Epic Quest – out on February 15

Rayman 3 HD 800 MSP

Hawken not getting an XBLA release

Dungeon Defenders hits a million downloads

Gotham City Impostors DLC Extravaganza

Recently Reduced – Deal of the Week – Square Enix Publisher Sale

Andrew’s link: Achievement timestamps are back

XBLAFancast Episode 48 – Kinectin’ with Nick

Everyone say it along with me: “Xbox, bundle Kinect with free games!” Look, it worked! Nice work, everyone. As seen in the link, Amazon is currently selling Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect bundled with three games for $99 USD. Buyers will get a copy of Kinect Adventures along with redeemable codes for XBLA titles The Gunstringer and Fruit Ninja Kinect. Acquiring the hardware and software trio would regularly set gamers back around $145 USD.

No end date is listed for the sale, so it’s probably a good idea to jump on it quickly if you’re interested in essentially getting two games for free with a Kinect purchase.

Source: Amazon

Kinect with three games on sale now for $99 at Amazon

Overwhelmed by all the sales, deals and price drops already announced for XBLA this month? Not to mention the torrent of quality games scheduled for a February release in the House Party promotion and more? Well lucky for you the Xbox Live Rewards scheme is offering 5% MSP back on all purchases for the full month. To take advantage of the deal, you need a gold membership then make sure you are signed up for the program here.

It may not keep the bank manager off your back but it should certainly soften the blow.

Earn extra rewards this February

You feel like stabbing or do you feel like shooting? This week’s XBLA Wednesday will settle both appetites. First up, Shank 2, the sequel to the original 2010 game, is back with an all new single-player mode and a survival mode that has co-op play which will set you back 800 MSP. Last on our list, if you’ve ever wanted to play as your own Bat-vigilante or Joker thug, you’re in luck with Gotham City Impostors. The first person shooter has wacky guns, lots of character and unlockables and will set you back 1200 MSP. Whether it’s shanking or blasting, XBLA Wednesday has got something for you.

Not to mention Amazon typically sells Microsoft Points for slightly cheaper (5% off at the time of posting) than on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

XBLA Wednesday: February 8

As the new year begun, we’re expecting Retro City Rampage to grace XBLA very shortly in the new year after previous ratings shot out. A new teaser was released today, showing off new sprite animation and crazy destruction but saved the biggest news for last. At the end, Vblank Entertainment says big news is coming on February 20 2012. A possible release date will be announced? XBLA Fans will keep up to date on Brian Provinciano’s retro kaleidoscope of rampage.

Retro City Rampage teaser has big news coming in February

An unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign apparently hasn’t stopped Chicago developer Robomodo from getting their Kinect-based pinball adventure Bodoink released on the Xbox. The game, in which you use the Kinect to guide your Xbox avatar through a pinball machine, is reportedly headed to the Xbox “later this spring” for 400 MSP.

Robomodo is currently developing two Tony Hawk games published by Activision including a reboot of Tony Hawk Pro Skater for release on XBLA.

Source: Chicagomag.com

Bodoink coming Spring 2012 for 400 MSP

The Pinball Arcade (as opposed to just any old pinball arcade) is now scheduled for release in late March, according to the developer. Farsight Studios’ table game will feature online and offline multiplayer support for up to four players in addition to its single player mode. A variety of actual pinball tables from Bally, Gottlieb, Williams and Stern will be featured in the game, with Ripley’s Believe it or Not being one of the standouts. In addition to the initial batch, a barrage of additions are scheduled to arrive as DLC in the coming years.

Sources: @lifelower and Xbox Live Marketplace

The Pinball Arcade releasing in late March

Alex Garden, the General Manager of Xbox Live, responded to the bevy of Live account security issues that have arisen these past months largely thanks to an exploit in FIFA 12. “While we here at Xbox have no evidence of a security breach in the Xbox LIVE service,” said Garden, “that is of little comfort to our members whose accounts have been compromised by malicious and illegal attacks.” By directly addressing the problem Garden took a decidedly different approach than Microsoft employed when they silently updated XBL security last month.

As is always the case when a company broaches the topic of cyber threats, Garden made mention of the fact that the war against hackers is a never-ending one and that constant upgrades by Microsoft are a necessity. He also reported that malicious software on users’ PCs, the use of the same login/password across multiple sites/services, phishing scams and social engineering (leading to password guessing) are the top security threats.

Continuing, the Live boss emphasized the importance of users protecting themselves against online perils. He recommended that all users change their passwords frequently, be mindful of where they log-in to services at and add extra precautionary measures such as security questions.

Although Garden cited the need to purposefully hold most security secrets close to the chest, he did make direct mention of a few protective elements. He said that “password-attempt throttling, CAPTCHA (an industry-standard anti-scripting measure designed so that an actual human needs to answer the challenge), strong proofs (trusted PC, pin sent to cell phone, secondary e-mail and security questions), and account lockout for multiple failed attempts and compromised accounts, which we investigate and recover to the rightful owner,” are some of the tools used to keep XBL users safe.

Closing on a bright note, Garden mentioned that Xbox gamers who do end up being victimized by hackers can now expect to have Microsoft investigate and return their accounts in three days or less. Furthermore, those who heed Garden’s advice and bolster their account’s defenses can expect turnaround times to clock in at under 24 hours. Head on over to the company’s security page if you’re interested in finding out what else you can do to protect yourself from unauthorized account access.

Source: Major Nelson

Microsoft addresses Xbox Live security issues

Continuing the barrage of sales news, publisher Square Enix has lowered the price of two if its games on Xbox Live Arcade. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, previously 1200 MSP, is currently available at half that price while Puzzle Arcade has been slashed to 400 MSP.

Guardian of Light was well recieved when it launched as part of Summer of Arcade 2010; the twin-stick action/shooter earning a respectable Metacritic score of 85. Ctxm/Say Design’s Puzzle Arcade - a game about solving jigsaw puzzles - fared less favourably way back in 2008, but there’s always the free demo.

Lara Croft and Puzzle Arcade have prices temporarily slashed

Reverb Publishing (Dungeon Defenders) announced today that Sanctum 2 is in development at Coffee Stain Studios for XBLA, PSN and PC. The game is a direct sequel to April 2011′s Sanctum (pictured above), which was a mix of the FPS and tower-defense genres. Speaking with Joystiq, the publisher stated that they are targeting a 2013 release.

Ted Lange, an executive producer with Reverb, described the first game as a “huge success” for Coffee Stain on Steam and expressed his excitement over publishing the sequel. “We all have logged quite a few hours with Sanctum,” said Lange, “and can definitively say that what Coffee Stain has in store for Sanctum 2 will blow the minds of Sanctum fans and new gamers alike.”

Coffee Stain Studios CEO Anton Westbergh stated that Reverb’s “success with Dungeon Defenders proves they know how to take a digital title to market and make it a winner, and we can’t wait to see what they can do with Sanctum 2.”

Reverb Publishing bringing Sanctum 2 to XBLA

The newest video from I Am Alive shows off the importance of parkour in a post-apocalyptic environment. Motorized transportation and electric elevators are no longer reliable, so getting from A to B relies completely on man power. Climbing, shimmying, jumping, and sliding are all necessary to get to the top of city remnants. Of course, you’re not climbing for thrill-seeking; you need supplies like medicine and water so “I am alive“ can remain a true statement.  I Am Alive will end the world as well as the House Party promotion on March 7, 2012.

I Am Alive climbs to new heights