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PSA: Gearbox isn't working on an XBLA game

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 27th 2009 at 5:30PM }

We're not too proud to imagine we're the only video game blog you read (no, really ... it's okay, we understand). As such, earlier today, you might have read a story elsewhere speculating that Gearbox was busy working on an XBLA game. The rumor began as the result of a Twitter update from Gearbox level designer Zach Ford, which mentioned that he had just seen "our XBLA character rigged." We decided to contact Ford to see just what it was he was talking about, and he was nice enough to clear things up.

"This is just a side project where we're trying to expand our skill sets," Ford told Joystiq. "The project is in no way affiliated with GBX. Just something to play around with after work." So there you have it, no XBLA games on the way from Gearbox -- at least not officially. Now go back to Borderlands.

'Splosion Man Avatar awards unlocked; delicious steaks to be distributed

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 27th 2009 at 12:28PM }

We've got good news all around for fans of Twisted Pixel's 'Splosion Man, as well as advocates for tender red meat. The developer has announced that a title update has fixed laggy online multiplayer sessions and added those unlockable Avatar awards to the highly combustible Xbox Live Arcade platformer. To unlock all four shirts seen above (two for female Avatars and two for males), you must accomplish two feats: break a single pane of glass (easy!) and beat the entire co-op campaign (considerably less easy).

Oh, right, the meat thing. In one of the greatest nonsensical partnerships in the history of civilization, Omaha Steaks has teamed up with Twisted Pixel to give away "hundreds of top-quality steak filets" to 'sploders across the nation. To register for the giveaway, just download and equip a special 'Splosion Man gamerpic, and then play a few online multiplayer matches before November 22. If you win, you get steaks. If you're vegan, you give them to us.

Source – Title Update for Splosion Man [PDF]

Telltale discusses XBLA wait times, possibility of XBLA Monkey Island

by Xav de Matos { Oct 26th 2009 at 4:40PM }

In an interview with Shacknews, Telltale Games CEO Dan Connors said long wait times between episodic content releases on XBLA are "over." When asked why the XBLA follow-up to the first Wallace & Gromit episode has taken over five months, Connors said Microsoft's second-annual Summer of Arcade promotion had kept the second episode off the virtual store shelves, allowing Telltale to develop new episodes of the series to keep release dates between episodes close. "I think our goal, going forward, is to launch on as many platforms as we can simultaneously," Connors said.

With two episodic franchises under its belt on Microsoft's downloadable service, Connors said he "would love" to see Tales of Monkey Island -- its best selling episodic franchise based on the classic adventure series -- on Microsoft's downloadable platform. "I know they had great success with Monkey Island: Special Edition. We think there's definitely an audience there and we definitely want to get the game to them." Thankfully we're able to hold our breath just as long as Guybrush Threepwood, so the wait for a possible release shouldn't be too painful.

French dev bringing Toki back with HD remake

by Xav de Matos { Oct 22nd 2009 at 3:00AM }

The classic shoot 'em up platformer Toki is getting the HD treatment, with an upcoming enhanced version from French developer Golgoth Studio. The studio -- which currently consists of six members -- intends on bringing the adventure back to life in with a "full 2D remixed version" based on the 1989 arcade original. In Toki HD, players must rescue his princess Miho from the evil sorcerer Vokimeldo, and reclaim his human form.

Toki HD producer Anthony De Sa Ferreira told Joystiq via email that -- while the game has no official platform as of yet -- the game has been submitted for approval for Games for Windows Live and Xbox Live Arcade. If its goal of resurrecting a classic arcade title isn't enough to get you on its side, Golgoth's motto of "2D refuses to die" might rope you in. Way to tug at our nostalgic heartstrings, guys. Check out the first gameplay footage of Toki HD after the break.

[Via GameSetWatch]

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This Wednesday: Panzer General assaults Tower Bloxx Deluxe on XBLA

by David Hinkle { Oct 19th 2009 at 5:19PM }

This week's Xbox Live update wages war on one of humanity's oldest foes: the block. We're sorry it's come to this, but we're afraid we can stomach their shenanigans no longer and, come this Wednesday, we're enlisting the aid of Panzer General: Allied Assault for 800

($10) as we begin operations.

Our first target will be Tower Bloxx Deluxe, with an estimated damage total of 800

($10). It's a good introductory target that should benefit us in the longer conflict to come against the blocks. And if you're having second thoughts about all of this, remember how they're always making us push them here and pull them there -- and have you forgotten all of the climbing? We're standing up for the little guys and those archaeologists who've had enough tyranny from those six-sided symmetrical impeders, so if you can't get behind that, we suggest you pull up those hemp pants of yours and barefoot it back to the treetop commune or wherever else you hippies call home nowadays.

Hands-on: Death by Cube (XBLA)

by Xav de Matos { Oct 13th 2009 at 3:45PM }

click to enlarge

It's possible that you'll be put off by Death by Cube when you notice the phrase "twin stick shooter" in its description; however, quick-to-judge players will miss out on one of the most creative titles in the genre's recent history. While Death by Cube doesn't revolutionize an overdone genre, Square Enix has provided one of the more memorable experiences I've had on XBLA since first playing Geometry Wars.

Gallery: Death by Cube

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Rocket Knight returns to XBLA, PSN and Steam in early 2010

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 5th 2009 at 3:05PM }

We wish for a million dollars!

...

Well, after the return of classic adventure games -- and now Sparkster -- our magical roll of granted wishes was bound to come to an end. 1UP and Konami have revealed a brand new game for the powerfully propelled opossum, set to debut on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam in early 2010. The 2.5D sequel (not a remake!) comes 15 years after the last game, which is a period more wasteful than the gap between the original Star Trek TV series and the first feature film.

Sorry, our nerd analogies flare up when we get excited.

Rocket Knight (as the game is tentatively dubbed) is being developed by Climax, which previously worked with Konami producer Tomm Hulett on Silent Hill: Origins. The team is currently finishing up the promising Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Gallery: Rocket Knight Adventures

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TGS 2009: The Recap Post

by Xav de Matos { Oct 2nd 2009 at 10:10PM }

Last week, the Tokyo Game Show brought in over 100 posts worth of news, previews, interviews, galleries, and videos. Clearly, a lot happened. If you're looking for a comprehensive list of all the goings-on during TGS 2009, Joystiq has you covered -- and organized!

Click on a platform below to scan the highlights:

(On the far right: that's "News" and "Culture" on the top and bottom, respectively)

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Hands-on: 0 Day Attack on Earth (XBLA)

by Xav de Matos { Oct 1st 2009 at 3:15PM }

Hidden in the back of its large TGS booth, Square Enix had three Xbox Live Arcade titles on display last week, one of which was 0 Day Attack on Earth.

A twin-stick shooter -- finally! -- 0 Day puts players in control of a fighter jet fending off an alien attack. Throw darts at a board littered with game premises and this is where many of them land. The problem isn't that the game mimics the mechanics of so many other titles available on XBLA -- because twin-stick shooters can still be good -- it's that 0 Day Attack on Earth just isn't compelling.

Gallery: 0 Day Attack on Earth (XBLA)

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X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Military Madness, Football Genius, Bust-A-Move Live!

by David Hinkle { Sep 30th 2009 at 3:30PM }

There are three new titles available to anxious Xbox Live Arcaders this week, and even though your usual host is off gallivanting around some spooky hotel, we wouldn't dare dream of not highlighting them in a new XBLA in Brief video. So strap yourself in and prepare for quite the eclectic mix of titles -- Military Madness, Football Genius and Bust-A-Move Live -- in this week's XBLA in Brief!

Shortcuts:

[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly.
[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.

TGS 2009: Impressions: Toy Soldiers (XBLA)

by Xav de Matos { Sep 25th 2009 at 2:00AM }

While it has become an extremely popular style of game over the last few years, tower defense titles have always struck me as a boring concept, personally. Perhaps it's my penchant for firing weapons at moving targets in first-person, but I can't really articulate my lack of enthusiasm for the strategy-style gameplay.

My initial reaction to Toy Soldiers -- a tower defense game in a World War I setting -- in a behind-closed-doors Microsoft demo? Snore. Imagine my surprise, then, that I soon got genuinely excited to play the game when it lands sometime next year.

Gallery: Toy Soldiers (XBLA)

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XBLA games won't get bigger than 2GB

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 24th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Those that downloaded Red Alert 3: Commander's Challenge may have noticed that the game is huge for an Xbox Live Arcade title, weighing in at 2.1GB. Over the years, XBLA games have gotten bigger and bigger, with Microsoft slowly making exceptions to the size limitation rule so that important releases could ... well, release. Now that size limit is, for all intents and purposes, gone. At the same time, XBLA games can't get any bigger than two gigabytes. Confused?

Scott Austin, Microsoft's director of digital games, told IGN that the XBLA system actually can't accept anything larger than 2GB. Some may be tempted to cry foul, as Microsoft already offers significantly larger downloads with its Games on Demand service. However, according to Austin, Games on Demand uses a different file structure.

We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that Commander's Challenge is slightly above two gigabytes (while it's listed as 2GB on Xbox.com, it shows up as 2.1GB on the 360 HDD). We've sent this little puzzle to Microsoft, in hopes that we might get some more concrete details. We'll update this post when such details arrive.

Lucidity to shine on XBLA, PC this October

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 14th 2009 at 11:30AM }

LucasArts' new Lemmings-inspired puzzle platformer, Lucidity, will walk onto Xbox Live Arcade and PC -- avoiding the trap of brick and mortar shops -- on October 7. Many of the game's developers are responsible for the The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, which updated the adventure classic for a new audience.

For those who missed the announcement of Lucidity last week, be sure to check out the first footage of protagonist Sofi's march through the game's beautiful dreamscapes.

Gallery: Lucidity (XBLA)

XBLM Deal of the Week: Penny Arcade - Episode 2

by Xav de Matos { Aug 31st 2009 at 3:15PM }

In celebration of the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo, this week's Xbox Live Marketplace Deal of the Week is none other than Gabe & Tycho's second adventure: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two. Normally 1200

($15 USD), the Hothead Games' episodic RPG has been reduced to 800

($10 USD) in Microsoft funny-money.

The sale also begs the question, "Where da heck is Penny Arcade: Episode Three?!" Hopefully Hothead Games and the guys at Penny Arcade will be able to tell us all about the next game in the series when PAX 2009 kicks off on Friday, September 4. Make sure to keep refreshing Joystiq all weekend long as a slew of our minions will be on hand for the community friendly event.

Queue up the XBLM Deal of the Week: Penny Arcade - Episode 2

Gallery: Penny Arcade Epidsode 2

Invincible Tiger punches PSN and Xbox Live this week [update]

by David Hinkle { Aug 25th 2009 at 9:00PM }

Namco just sent word that its side-scrolling beat-em-up, Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao, will be available on Xbox Live and PSN this week. No word on price for the title as of yet, but can you really put a price on the ancient art of kung fu? Actually, we might be thinking of a different Kung Fu ...

~~Anyway, we've put in for comment on price and will be sure to update you all as soon as we hear something.~~ Invincible Tiger costs 1200 MS Points or $15.