Richard received a BFA from the University of Oklahoma. Foregoing the endless rejection that is the life of an actor, Richard opted instead to follow his true passion, games. Lucky for him, the internet has turned writing about games into a financially viable occupation. Otherwise he would be condemned to a life in hell, also known as community theatre.
This week on XBLA, we've got Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond. Like its retail predecessor, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, Blood Bath and Beyond is an action game that parodies other video games. Thankfully, the gameplay seems to hold up its end of the bargain this time, offering a decent hardcore shooter experience, though the 1200 ($15) seems a bit steep. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and see if Blood Bath and Beyond is for you.
While the Xbox Live Deal of the Week is often reserved for ancient, unwanted DLC, this week's deal is worth considering. On sale this week for 400 ($5) -- 50 percent off the regular price -- is NinjaBee's A Kingdom for Keflings. The game tasks your Avatars with building a kingdom for tiny folk known as Keflings. In order to do so, you'll need to gather the proper materials and make sure that the economy keeps thrumming along. As an added bonus, you can play with up to four players on Xbox Live.
Trust us when we say that A Kingdom for Keflings is pretty addictive. Throw in the recently released DLC -- two packs for 160 ($2) each -- and you've got plenty to keep yourself busy for a long time.
If the headline didn't tip you off, this is our Game of the Year 2009 podcast. Listen to all of us jaw about Joystiq's top 10 of 2009, as well as our own individual picks. There's even a disappointment or two to discuss as well. Download the show, read Joystiq's picks, and keep an eye out for our own editor's Best of the Rest picks too.
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If you spend much time checking out Indie Games on Xbox Live, there's a considerable chance you've stumbled upon the Arkedo Series of games. Fans will be happy to hear that Arkedo and Pastagames have released a third in the series. Entitled Pixel, the game features slick dot matrix graphics and simple platforming action. The game also has a nifty feature that allows players to zoom in on certain parts of the background and explore them at the pixel level. Check the game out in the video above and enjoy some screens in the gallery below.
You can snag the trial version through the link below and, should you enjoy it, the full game is 240 ($3) or, as Arkedo puts it, "approximately the asking price for a nice latte."
Now this, this is a deal. This isn't Avatar glasses or an episode of Stargate (seriously, that was yesterday's deal). No, this is a very good game at a very good price. Today, and today only, you can pick up Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for only 560, that's seven bucks. That's slightly more than fifty percent off the usual $15 price. So yeah, good luck resisting that.
We're not going to say that the two games released on Xbox Live Arcade this week -- this week being Christmas -- were released as afterthoughts. However, they probably aren't games you've been dying to play. You can choose between block-pushing puzzle goodness or alien-blasting action in Polar Panic or 0 day Attack on Earth, respectively. Polar Panic will set you back 800 ($10), while 0 day Attack on Earth expects 1200 of your hard earned points ($15). Watch the latest XBLA in Brief and see if either demands your attention.
It's very, very possible that you might have been sated solely by the new Serious Sam: The First Ecounter HD holiday trailer. It's hard not to be satisfied by the sight of Santa suit clad Sams running around and destroying everything in sight. It really calls to mind the true spirit of Christmas. That said, we could always do with more holiday cheer, so you should know that the Xbox Live Arcade version has been confirmed for a January 13 release. See, cheery, right?
Microsoft has announced that it's rolling out the real Xbox Live Music Games stores. When the latest Dashboard Update rolled out earlier this year, this section was comprised solely of Xbox Live Marketplace entries for music game DLC, but now each game will be receiving its own themed store. So, if you want to pick up Rock Band or Guitar Hero tracks, you can open up the corresponding store and start browsing. Each store will also allow users to preview songs, so there's no need to fire up each game to see if you like a particular track.
The stores should be going live sometime today, so keep an eye on the Music Marketplace section of the Xbox 360 dashboard. The games that will feature their own stores include Rock Band, Rock Band 2, The Beatles: Rock Band, LEGO Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Band Hero, Lips and Lips: Number One Hits. Check out images of the new storefronts in the gallery below.
It's Tuesday, and that means some new Xbox Live Games on Demand. This week we get a double dose of Capcom goodness, with both Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet: Colonies hitting the service. Whether you'd like to blast giant alien bugs in the frozen wastes of a distant planet or, alternatively, slay demons with crazy stylish movies, well, that's up to you.
Should you decide that either game is for you, each costs $19.99 in the US. As usual, pricing varies by region, so be sure to check first.
Major Nelson has enlightened us all via his Twitter that today's holiday deal is none other than Avatar Golf. No, it's not a game about blue aliens playing a relaxing round of golf, but rather a golf game involving adorable Xbox 360 Avatars. Normally 400 ($5), it's supposed to be marked down to 200 ($2.50), according to the Major. However, checking the XBLM listing, it looks like the actual price is a paltry 160, also known as two dollars.
Keep an eye on Joystiq for the other daily deals throughout the rest of the month.
This is it folks, the last full show of the decade. You don't want to miss this. We've got the entire gang here for this one. That's right, Richard, Alexander, Xav and Dave on the same show. We're not sure what force of nature caused it to happen, though we suspect planetary alignments may have been involved. Download it.
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If you have an Xbox Live Gold subscription and have yet to experience the joys of Shadow Complex, it's time for you to stop reading this post. You see, Shadow Complex has been marked down to 800 for one week and one week only. It was already a steal at 1200 ($15) and $10 is absolutely ludicrous. Go buy it. Now. We'll even help you out with a handy shortcut link. You should click it. Your friends will make fun of you if you don't.
We always figured that the Scarab was a pretty hefty Halo Wars unit -- it is the very end of the Covenant tech tree, after all -- but apparently it needed a little extra juice. A new title update now available for the game grants Scarabs with 25 percent more health and 25 percent more damage. If you weren't terrified of them before, you might want to reconsider.
Other changes include Gremlins requiring two reactors to build, Grunts doing more damage to air units and more. The update also fixes some bugs including the cryo/reactor glitch, which sounds like it was pretty awful. See the full list of changes and fixes -- politely cribbed from HaloWars.com -- after the break.
We suppose you could cart your Xbox, a TV and a generator outdoors, but it's most likely that you'll play Leave Home whilst at home. Regardless of where you play it, you really should. Leave Home is a side-scrolling shooter on Xbox Live Indie Games with sharp visuals and slick music. Developed by hermitgames, Leave Home features dynamic difficulty and challenges players to rack up the highest score during a fixed amount of time. It also allows players to split their field of fire by pulling the right trigger. The further you pull the trigger, the larger the split,
Check out the trailer above and some screens in the gallery below. If it strikes your fancy, snag the demo and give it a try. The full version is 240 ($3).
The war between pirate and ninja is as fabled as the internet itself. Joystiq is not immune to its allure (especially when it's so damned cute). Even our gaggle of bashful bloggers has thrown down in fisticuffs over the merits of swashbuckling versus ninjutsu. Imagine our surprise then, when we uncovered the Xbox Live Indie Game Pixel Whirled from Holmade Games, which stars both a ninja and a pirate working together. Blasphemous? Definitely. Fun? Could be.
With a heavy coat of old-school pixels, some great retro tunes and Space Invaders gameplay with a (literal) twist, Pixel Whirled looks pretty interesting. Check out the trailer above and visit the delightful Pixel Whirledwebsite for more info.
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($15) seems a bit steep. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief and see if Blood Bath and Beyond is for you.
