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.
Update: Oh, incidentally, here's the Sonic Cycle image we discussed. After the break, you can also see Casey's Dropbear defense solution.
This week on the Xbox 360 Fancast, we talk about one man's quest to find a copy of the original Mass Effect, what it takes to get into the First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast and, just for fun, what Xav thinks of Sonic the Hedgehog 4. It is, as always, a laugh and a half. Download the latest episode for all this and more. Also, don't forget that it's okay to drink with strangers, just remember to BYOB*.
*This is a joke.
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Eurogamer reports that two new games have been added to the Xbox 360 Classics budget line in EU territories. The two games are Fable II and Halo Wars. If you need a refresher, Fable II is Lionhead's brilliant, charming adventure that we kind of liked back in 2008. Halo Wars on the other hand, serves as both the first Halo RTS spin-off and the swan song of Ensemble Studios. The games can now be had for the tempting price of £19.99 ($31) apiece. Both are worth picking up -- just be sure to watch out for those Warthog rushes.
Rare has announced that its upcoming XBLA remake of Perfect Dark will be playable at the upcoming X10 event next week in San Francisco. In celebration of the announcement, Rare also released a single new screen from the game, featuring one Mr. Daniel Carrington. Click the image above for a nice, high resolution version.
With appearances expected from Fable III, Alan Wake, Halo: Reach, Final Fantasy XII, Splinter Cell Conviction, Crackdown 2 and the Microsoft Game Room, X10 is certainly shaping up to be quite an event. Rest assured, we'll be covering it from the get-go next week.
Atlus has released a new trailer for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade port of Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition. Lest you've forgotten it, Zeno Clash is that weird first-person game set in a weird looking universe where you fight even weirder looking people. It's also very creepy, apparently. The trailer itself shows off some of the new moves available in the Ultimate Edition of the game, which hits Xbox Live Arcade this March.
Like we said, it's all a little strange. Honestly though, if you can't get pumped about virtually elbowing weird looking dudes in the face, there's not much we can do for you.
Considering Xbox Live is currently knee-deep in face huggers and split-chinned alien jerks, you'd be forgiven for not noticing there's another demo available on Marketplace. That demo is for Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, otherwise known as that Dynasty Warriors game with a mythical twist, including Dragon Ball-esque character transformations. The demo allows players to try out the single-player mode -- the full game supports four. Like other entries in the series, expect hordes of enemies and, of course, plenty of button mashing.
There's something rather unique on XBLA this week: Coming from non-profit publisher OneBigGame and developer Zoë Mode, Chime is actually a game that benefits children's charities. It's a musical puzzle game reminiscent of Lumines, featuring music from several well-known artists including Moby, Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and Philip Glass. At least 60 percent of the game's 400 ($5) price will go to charity, so you can feel good about picking it up. You can also feel good because Chime is actually a pretty good game. Check it out in the latest XBLA in Brief.
Shortcut: Download the trial version of Chime [via Xbox.com]
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Ever since the supposedly limited run of the Halo 3 Legendary Edition was first released, we've watched its price slowlytumble. Originally sporting a hefty $129.99 price tag, we've seen the price slide ever lower as retailers, desperate for shelf space, slashed the price again and again. Now, 1saleaday.com is selling copies of the Legendary Edition for the absolute rock-bottom price of $30. That's thirty bones for Halo 3, your very own cat helmet and more behind-the-scenes bonus features than you can shake a plasma sword at. The item is listed as "new," although it's hard to imagine the packaging has survived nearly three years without acquiring a few bumps and bruises.
Keep in mind that we have no idea how reliable 1 Sale A Day is, but you're not likely to find a better price than this. There are only a few hours left on the sale, so both of you remaining Legendary fence-sitters had better hop to it.
We're short one man on the Fancast this week, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about Mass Effect 2. So, expect to hear plenty of (spoiler free) discussion on that, as well as some new fan mail and another birthday shout out. As an added bonus, we get the first fan mail from one of our own hosts. Also, be sure to stick around for the outtakes. Something epic just may be in the offing.
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It's been quite a while since we heard about Space Ark, the upcoming game from GEON: Emotions developer Strawdog Studios. Originally slated to release in 2009, the studio has announced that Space Ark will now be launching on Xbox Live Arcade in spring 2010. The game involves lots of cute critters on a mission to save the universe by repairing planets damaged by a black hole. In order to do this, players will bounce said animals into the air to collect DNA. Okay, so it may not make that much sense at first glance, but it looks fun enough. See a new trailer above and check out a new batch of screens in the gallery below.
Based purely on gameplay mechanics, the new Xbox Indie Game from Kydos Studio, titled Soul, is simple. The goal: Guide a dead man's soul to heaven. You do this by moving the soul through corridors while avoiding the walls and various hazards. It's the background art and atmosphere that make the game freaky, however. The game is filled with disturbing imagery and pop-out scares, like some kind of nightmarish game of Operation. Check out a trailer after the break and grab the trial version using the link below.
XBLA eschews strategic and cube-borne violence this week in favor of some simple, peaceful wordplay. Specifically, the only game to hit Xbox Live Arcade this week is KrissX, which, despite our secret hopes and dreams, has nothing to do with the greatest hip-hop duo of all time. No, instead, it's a crossword puzzle game that tasks players with swapping letters and spelling words. It's also surprisingly delightful. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief and see if KrissX deserves your 800 ($10).
Shortcut: Download the trial version of KrissX [via Xbox.com]
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Remember the Avatar game that XBLA developer Ninjabeeannounced earlier this month? We still don't know much about it. Ninjabee has released some concept art on its blog but, as the weird bird above will attest, that hasn't been too helpful in identifying the project. Thankfully, there is some good news, as the company has announced that its next game will be officially revealed later this week (tomorrow, in fact).
Based on the art we've seen, we're guessing it's notA Kingdom for Keflings 2. Whatever it is, you can bet we'll be posting it right here as soon as it's announced.
Microsoft is rolling out some new ads for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Spotted on the Japanese Xbox.com and featuring a trio of businessmen, the ads certainly represent a big departure from the "Do!Do!Do!" ads of yesteryear. The three suits include "Sanrokumaru" (translated 3-6-0) a man with an Xbox 360 sphere for a head. Together, the group forms the Xbox Special Division, which goes forth in order to obtain big name titles for the Xbox 360. One such title is Monster Hunter, which has already been announced by Capcom for the console.
In fact, at end of the Monster Hunter ad -- embedded after the break -- the text translates as "XXXX is next!" and then fills in "XXXX" with "Monster Hunter." As noted by Andriasang.com, the promotional site has several spaces filled with Xs, implying that Microsoft has some other game announcements up its sleeve.
This is it folks. 150 episodes of the Xbox 360 Fancast are now in the can, and that's not counting the many special episodes we recorded for events like E3 or the X3F TV video podcasts like XBLA in Brief. That's a lot of episodes. To celebrate, we brought on one of our biggest fans, a man who also happens to be responsible for our fantastic podcast artwork. That's right, it's none other than Chris Majewski, better known to Xbox Live as Magic Whiskey.
As it happens, he's also responsible for some horrifying depictions of X3F's Richard and Alexander, both of which you can view after the break. We're not sure if they're safe for work or not, honestly. You'll just have to make that decision on your own.
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AOL has announced that the soundtrack to the upcoming anime collection, Halo Legends, have been added to its AOL Radio service. The soundtrack includes new tracks created for the series, as well as new orchestrations of the Halo theme by long-time series composers Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Of course, AOL Radio is a radio service, so it's up to the luck of the draw whether you'll actually hear any of the tracks. But hey, uncertainty is what makes life exciting, right?
The Halo Legends soundtrack will hit Sumthing Digital, iTunes and retail on February 9.
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($5) price will go to charity, so you can feel good about picking it up. You can also feel good because Chime is actually a pretty good game. Check it out in the latest XBLA in Brief.
AOL has announced that the soundtrack to the upcoming anime collection, Halo Legends, have been added to its AOL Radio service. The soundtrack includes new tracks created for the series, as well as new orchestrations of the Halo theme by long-time series composers Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Of course, AOL Radio is a radio service, so it's up to the luck of the draw whether you'll actually hear any of the tracks. But hey, uncertainty is what makes life exciting, right?
