XBLA: Like a PSP without the crappy UMDs

by Ken Weeks { Jul 30th 2006 at 1:00PM }

Sharp-eyed reader DA360 noticed that Lumines Live for XBLA and Lumines 2 PSP are the same game -- except for the price:

If you look at game play videos and screenshots, you will notice one huge striking similarity between Lumines Live and Lumines 2 for PSP, their actually the SAME EXACT GAME, only the name is different. From the interface, to the music, to the features (the Lumines 2 for PSP will have downloadable videos like Lumines Live), and even the little face character on the bottom right. It might almost be best for them to just call it Lumines 2 on XBLA.

Lumines Live will ironically more than likely cost less than its PSP counterpart, since more than likely it will cost between $30-$40, maybe even $50 on PSP, and we will be paying roughly around $15 (or 1,200 MS points). This will also make it the first modern Xbox Live Arcade game to have a full retail version on another platform.

Ouch. At least PSP owners have that vibrant library of UMD movies to ease the sting (ha!). Remember their plight next time you're complaining about the price of XBLA games.

Tags: arcade, lumines, psp, puzzle, umd, xbla

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

patwalls99 @ Jul 30th 2006 1:23PM

Lumines is an amazing game. I ask EVERYONE here to buy it. kthxbye.

Also, it will cost extra for online play. You will have to pay extra for something like an "online pack". Yes it sucks, but Lumines isn't for online anyways!

puh_fifer @ Jul 30th 2006 2:35PM

UMD's weren't that bad of an idea, just their pricing was. At $8-10US they would've been awesome, but for the same cost as a DVD Sony can lick the dingleberries from my taint.

Hopefully this arcade game will be fun and multiplayer will be included at one low price.

DA360 @ Jul 30th 2006 5:19PM

Yea, I found this out by browsing IGN, which had some updates on Lumines 2 for PSP. When I saw the videos and screenshots, I thought, "This is Lumines Live, in every way" (since I saw the screens quite awhile back and the video that was released on GameVideos.com). Plus, from GameStop.com, Lumines 2 will be $39.99 on PSP, while its 1,200 MSP (or $15), so we are getting the same exact game for $25 less. So you definitely can't complain about the price with this one.

Can't wait for this to come out on XBLA, I been hearing about how Lumines is a great puzzle game but I haven't played it yet though. But from seeing from the videos, it looks really good.

Scott Krueger @ Jul 30th 2006 5:24PM

It better be only $15 because I already Pay $50 a month for Live.
I love the slant that goes onto opinions of a fanboy.

Figuring out how to Port a game from PSP to XBox360... Easy.
Microsoft Figuring out how to make Games or Memory cards Backwards Compatible... Impossible.

DA360 @ Jul 30th 2006 5:40PM

Well, Scott, its $50 a YEAR and you DON'T need to pay for a Gold account to use the Marketplace.

Also, the only reason I brung this up because I didn't expect them to be the same exact game, and the fact the price difference is big.

Also, you sound like a troll with your comment, because its psychically IMPOSSABLE to do backwards compatibility without the hard drive, because it has to emulate the partitions used in the 8GB hard drive in the Xbox. Remember that the HDD in the Xbox was mandatory for the system to run, so it can't emulate the system with out it. Unless Microsoft made a 8GB memory unit, which would be insanely expensive, then its impossible. Also, many games on Xbox used cache, which makes them impossibile to run without a HDD.