XBLA: SFII in June for $5, Lumines in Aug/Sep for $15, according to leaked mag report [update 1]
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Jun 8th 2006 at 3:55PM }
Club Skill reports that according to an unspecified magazine leak -- we know, it sounds suspect (but there is a screen shot) -- Street Fighter 2 will finally arrive on the Xbox Live Arcade this month, to the tune of 400 points ($5). The leaked info cites at least 12 additional marketplace releases, including Lumines Live, which is scheduled for release in August/September for an unprecedented* 1200 points. Lumines will be joined by Pac-Man (400 points), Frogger (400 points), and Roboblitz (800 points) in the August/September release window.Also of note, is a Kameo add-on that will beef up the game's difficulty and introduce competitive multiplayer elements (500 points). Again, these release dates and price points have not been officially verified, but the leaked report does list accurate information about several content downloads that have already been released/confirmed.
*UPDATE: as noted by several commenters, Bankshot Billiards 2 also retails for 1200 points. And, it's worth noting that Lumines for the PSP debuted with a $39.99 price tag (it's now $19.99).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PeteL @ Jun 8th 2006 4:02PM
Where's the Poker game?!?
Osiris @ Jun 8th 2006 4:03PM
$15?? I won't pay more than $10.(Well £5 here)
jack squat @ Jun 8th 2006 4:03PM
1200 isn't unprecedented, the billiards game is 1200.
The ZeroCorpse @ Jun 8th 2006 4:03PM
Good news... But, uhh.. Why Pac-Man? Why not Ms. Pac-Man? Everybody knows that Ms. Pac-Man is the superior sequel to Pac-Man. The original is just the same maze over and over... and I got bored of that maze in 1984.
Jay @ Jun 8th 2006 4:04PM
The June issue of http://www.officialxboxmagazine.com/ has a calendar with each day having a "game of the day". For June 10th that game is Street Fighter.
Sat. is the day.
Caleb @ Jun 8th 2006 4:11PM
I can't wait to get all "tuh-si-kon-sril-kin"(
Sabre @ Jun 8th 2006 4:12PM
"the billiards game is 1200."
...and it's a POS.
400 points for Street Fighter? Damn...that's awesome! I've never been "hardcore" into Street Fighter but I'd buy it.
I dunno if I'd buy Lumines for 1200 points though...it's not like that game is uber complicated.
Caleb @ Jun 8th 2006 4:12PM
I put in there..."its the kick that Ryu and Ken does" on 360...and that "I knew I didn't spell it correctly"
moon @ Jun 8th 2006 4:14PM
at last street fighter, 400pts is a bargain! do we need gold to do multiplayer?
Chris Holmes @ Jun 8th 2006 4:16PM
Yeah the prices are all over the shop, theres the small end of the scale with Street Fighter and the bafflingly expensive Lumines Live. I don't know what to thing to be honest.
Unimental @ Jun 8th 2006 4:16PM
Awesome job on the artwork for this post. Simple and effective. Thumbs up, people!
$5 is awesome for SF2. I've got at least a dozen friends that will join in on that one.
Tucker @ Jun 8th 2006 4:18PM
Yeah, I was really psyched about Lumines, as it's one of my favorite games (and maybe one of the only reasons I still love my PSP), but it's asking a bit much to pay freakin' $15 for the XBL version. Yeah, sure, I'll probably make it one of my wasted late-night XBL purchases anyway, but I'm still entitled to a few moments of indignity now. Right? :-/
Carl Winslow @ Jun 8th 2006 4:19PM
I thought Lumines at $15 was expensive, but I guess it's ok. I mean the reduced price PSP version is $20 (down from $40), and the XBLA version has more "extras" (even if they are lame like playing in front of crappy music videos).
Aresef @ Jun 8th 2006 4:22PM
1200 points isn't *entirely* unheard of. I recall Bankshot Billiards being sold for that price.
LongshotX @ Jun 8th 2006 4:22PM
Carl Winslow are you the same Carl that plays UT2004 bombing run on the Bahanos server? Because if you are you are an incredible player.
Chris Holmes @ Jun 8th 2006 4:22PM
Oh and folks I apologise that Clubskill is down, we have Xbox.com, Digg and of course the Joystiq readers (your good selves), we are currently resolving the issues and aim to be back up very soon. Thanks!
D dogg @ Jun 8th 2006 4:25PM
Yeah, I think one of the main points of Lumines is that it's "Lumines LIVE". Don't forget that there is a partnership with Warner Bros. for additional content and that the game isn't just a straight port. Plus, maybe there will be Lumines head to head... =)
bv @ Jun 8th 2006 4:29PM
Here's the magazine scan:
http://i6.tinypic.com/123p1xe.jpg
xboxliveaware @ Jun 8th 2006 4:30PM
$15 is nothing. I paid $40 for the PSP version and got every bit of my money's worth before I sold my PSP to get a DS. I coyuld not imagine haveing a Xbox 360 and thinking that $15 was expensive for a video game.
Chris Holmes @ Jun 8th 2006 4:31PM
Sorry to post hog this story, just to let you know Club Skill is now back up and ready for action (for the time being) so check it out.
AceMilo @ Jun 8th 2006 4:41PM
Texas hold'em Poker according to oxm 59 comes out july 10th. AFAIK the games is free, at least thats what I heard, since its sponsored. We will prolly have to put up with ads, but hey, free is free :).
dan s. @ Jun 8th 2006 4:42PM
That SF price now makes it a purchase for me. Do you need gold to play it online?
LaughingMan @ Jun 8th 2006 4:43PM
I wish MS would be a little more forthcoming with what they have planned for XBL. I understand that if they posted a month when a game or update will be out and they miss it they will get all the "wtf ys is frugeer nut out yet? cmon" posts they can handle, but it sucks to be left totally in the dark like this.
Tim @ Jun 8th 2006 4:43PM
A lot of people are going to buy SF, and it cost them nothing to make, therefore: 5$
Not nearly as many people are going to buy Lumines Live, no matter how affordable they would price it, and it cost them more to make, and so: 15$
Sabre @ Jun 8th 2006 4:47PM
@ Aresef:
We know that...it's been mentioned already...and it's a really crappy game.
"That SF price now makes it a purchase for me. Do you need gold to play it online?"
For XBL Arcade games...I dunno. I know that the Silver account lets you access Marketplace but I'm not sure if you can play online Arcade games with Silver.
Judd @ Jun 8th 2006 4:57PM
Bankshot Billiards may be 1200 points, but oddly enough its the free Xbox Live Arcade game you get with the $70 year long Live subscription(along with a headset, $20 off with game purchase and 500 Microsoft points). I don't not know why they chose to give away the most expensive one instead of something like Joust, but yea I got that game for free.
Burgundy @ Jun 8th 2006 4:59PM
test
Chris Holmes @ Jun 8th 2006 5:01PM
Sorry for another post, we have had to put the site under lockdown, new link for theeselves:
http://dev.clubskill.com/cs_lite/viewcontent.php?id=3626
Sorry!
Burgundy @ Jun 8th 2006 5:03PM
Too bad Naked Sky already confirmed Roboblitz was going to be 1200 MP. http://thrillskilla.wordpress.com/2006/06/06/roboblitz-interview/
SuicideNinja @ Jun 8th 2006 5:03PM
I don't know about others, but I'd much rather enjoy Lumines on my 51" screen than my 4" PSP screen. $15 seems worth it. It's a good game.
I'm all over Street Figther 2. At that price points, they will see a ton of sales! Good, more people to play online.
FIGHT!
SUPERGHOST @ Jun 8th 2006 5:04PM
-400 points for Street Fighter II is a great deal
-1200 pointes for Lumines Live is a great deal! this isn't some age-old title, its recent and a great title from a great deveolper!
-Competitive multiplayer in Kameo? This is news to me, and I welcome it! Have to wait for an official announcement.
Interesting post.
redd5 @ Jun 8th 2006 5:10PM
So, can I play sf2 on xbox live! against a friend if he also buys it? And does that go for the rest of these downloadable games?
Uchendu Nwachukwu @ Jun 8th 2006 5:16PM
Lumines Live probably costs that much because of the music content.
No matter; it's a bargain at twice the price, as far as I am concerned.
SymetriX @ Jun 8th 2006 5:21PM
If lumines has multiplayer and updating music videos to choose from (which play in the background as noticed in previous previews), then I think the price is worth it.
The videos thing sounds neat, although possibly gimmicky, but the online play is something you can't get with the PSP version (at least not on the internet).
Erik Novak @ Jun 8th 2006 5:27PM
the hurricane kick is "Tatsu-maki-senpu-kyaku." Although I always just heard "adact-alact-alaaaaken."
Why do I remember that?
Burgundy @ Jun 8th 2006 5:31PM
No, it's "hot choch--chocolate, ack!"
Caleb @ Jun 8th 2006 5:48PM
Maybe it just sounded like "tuh-si-kon-sril-kin"...
JetJaguar @ Jun 8th 2006 5:52PM
Street Fighter 2!? Pac Man!?!? Frogger!?!?!?
'Scuse my language, but WTF?!?! Are 'Defender' and 'Pong' next?"
Don't get me wrong. I'm older than dirt (35) and so remember playing and loving each and every one of these games when they first came out. But I don't think they have anything to offer today's gamer. Each of these games was shallow, slow, repetitive at the time, and by today's standards utterly uninvolving.
MS have rightly recognised the commercial possibilities of the nostalgia factor ; (older) 20 and (all) 30 something gamers will happily pony up a few pounds for a chance to relive childhoods spent trying for highest scores outside their local electrical shop, the smell of leaded petrol in their nostrils, the sounds of 'A Flock of Seagulls' ringing in their ears...
But I believe they need to balance this by offering equally cheap but new gaming experiences. Without that balance this is nothing more than cynical opportunism (and an attempt to 'spoil' Ninty's virtual console launch).
If you'll forgive my "I'm Spartacus" moment, I think we should vote with our wallets and refuse to pay until they play... right. If we start buying these bits of ultra high margin product from the gaming graveyard then the entire industry is going to conclude that that is what we - the gaming community - want... old product.
It's MS and Ninty now... it'll be Sony next. It's already hard enough for novel, innovative titles to find a place in a market in the ports, sequel and knock offs. Let's not kill them off entirely by unthinkingly purchasing 'classic' software. It's us who stand to lose in the end.
Louis S. @ Jun 8th 2006 6:12PM
Um... what?
I'm sorry, I'm a Nintendo fan, and all, but I can say that Microsoft had XBOX LIVE ARCADE before Nintendo announced it's Virtual Console.
And, um, $5 for online street fighter is a good deal.
And $15 is hell of alot cheaper for Lumines then buying the game ($20) + crap ($250 (Sorry fanboys, that's my opinion).
Alot people download the Arcade titles.
Geometry Wars is hella popular.
funkyflea @ Jun 8th 2006 6:26PM
So that means Sonic and Mortal Kombat are going to be 400 points most likely.
AWESOME-RYUUUKEN!!!!
Robotic House Plant @ Jun 8th 2006 6:28PM
Here's the list of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles:
Cloning Clyde
Contra
Cyberball
Defender
Dig Dug
Frogger
Galaga
Heavy Weapon
HoopWorld
Lumines Live!
Mad Tracks
Ms. Pac-Man
Mutant Storm Empire
Novadrome
Pac-Man
Paperboy
Pinball
Rally-X
RoboBlitz
Root Beer Tapper
Scramble
Small Arms
Sonic the Hedgehog
Street Fighter II
Super Contra
Texas Hold'em
Time Pilot
Totem Balls
Track & Field
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
bv @ Jun 8th 2006 6:28PM
JetJaguar,
What a well written and funny post (applauses). I agree with your main point about regurgitated "classics". There's only so much replay value you can get from pac-man, galaga, or contra. I mean, how many times do we have to play contra in our one single lifetime? Why not release the obscure Contra Hard Corps game from the genesis instead? At least that way we can actually have a less aged experience. Pac-man takes the cake for the most ridiculous XBLA game. Seriously, that game is so old and boring, can't we let it die already?
My biggest gripe is with Capcom releasing the version of Street Fighter with the least depth of the series. Couldn't they have at least given us a Street Fighter that made use of combos like the Alpha Series or better yet The Marvel vs. Campcom games!? My ultimate dream would be a Street Fighter III xbla game. Otherwise, I can't see the amount of depth or enjoyment involved in throwing hadoken after hadoken.
Microsoft has the right idea here, but are releasing games that are far too outdated to be enjoyed on a console costing 400+ and a tv much to proud to show pac-man on its screen. I want Arcade games released in the past decade not century.
MrPolarBare @ Jun 8th 2006 6:33PM
Street Fighter for $5? This sounds like a BAD thing to me. Why is the price so cheap? Why not $8 or $10? Every preview I have read of the game says that the gameplay wasn't perfect yet, and that the online suffered from slight lag. Every preview also mentions that they hope these things will be cleaned up before it is released. Now I am hearing that it is coming out for a budget price (even by XBLA standards) of $5? I'm scared. Does anyone else see this low pricepoint as a possible excuse to release a 95% game? I hope that isn't the case.
Also, the fact that I DIDN'T get to see the game at E3 makes me unconfortable (I couldn't find it anywhere on the showroom floor). Lumines however was playable on the showroom at E3, and it looked great.
All in all SF2 will be worth every penny of $5, even if it is less than perfect. But, I would rather buy a perfect version of the game for $10. (But this is all hearsay until it is actually released).
gopodular.com @ Jun 8th 2006 6:41PM
$5 sounds perfect. (Assuming that the gameplay is good)
Flux @ Jun 8th 2006 7:02PM
Street Fighter 2 was just reposted on Partner net with a $5 price tag, so the magazine article sounds like it's accurate. And I havn't run into any bad lag with it so far.
azesino @ Jun 8th 2006 7:08PM
JetJaguar and DV sound like 2 sony fanboys..... if you dont want to buy the game , dont buy it and let someone else with something more interesting to say to post.
Dark @ Jun 8th 2006 7:21PM
39. Here's the list of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles:
Cyberball
Anyone have any idea which CYBERBALL is being released on XBLA? Honestly I love this game to death and I still know of people that go to the arcade to play this game specifically @ $1.50 a full game. That is of course the price per period for the CYBERBALL game. Which hopefully will be 2072.
Also what about Gauntlet II? I personally think this is way more fun than the first one that is currently on XBLA.
The ZeroCorpse @ Jun 8th 2006 10:30PM
OK... First of all, I prefer the original Street Fighter 2 to all those sub-sequels. It's the pure experience. Alpha sucks. I'm an old-school fighting game person, and all those stupid super-mega-break-your-wrist combos are lame.
I want Ms. Pac-Man. I want Galaga. I'll probably grab Sonic, Scramble, and MK3.
I would really love to see Mr. Do! on there, too.
Joe Smith @ Jun 8th 2006 11:37PM
JetJaguar -- you are certainly welcome to your opinion, but some of us enjoy classic games and $5 is pretty cheap to be able to play a game I grew up with and still love in the comfort of my living room on a nice big TV with a great controller. MS has also publicly stated that independent games are something they want to continue supporting (Marble Blast, Mutant Storm, etc...) as well. As to pricing for Lumines Live, a PSP version that you play on a tiny screen with crappy sound and no multi-player goes for $20. Why is $15 outrageous for a hi-def multi-player Live game with added features?
soco @ Jun 9th 2006 5:35AM
i'm happy already with the games MS has released and has planned for XBLA. even the older ones like PacMan. there are plenty of people who still love the original. at the moment, there are more newer games up there than retro games, so i'm not sure why people are complaining so much. at least the ones on the Arcade retro games are getting some slight enhancements, whereas the Virtual Console ones aren't.
i think they should introduce more diversity in the pricing though. 400,800, and 1200 isn't much and some of these games are definetly worth more than others. i'd like to see some coming out less than 400.
5$ for SF2 seems like a good deal to me, especially seeing as how they've added a bit more than most of the other retro remakes. joust, guantlet, and smashtv offer nothing more than network play with a few configurable options.
i also think Texas Hold'Em may have been scrapped.