Indie Darling "N" bound for Xbox Live Arcade
by Jared Rea 
{ Jan 29th 2007 at 7:05AM }
The original sensation (available now for download) is a physics driven, Lode Runner inspired action title that has a tiny stick-man busting his butt to collect some gems. With N+, Metanet Software intends to stick "as close to the original as possible, in terms of gameplay, graphics and fun." It doesn't hurt that they plan to include a level editor with the ability to trade creations online.
The possibility of a multiplayer mode is also on the table, so let's all cross our fingers.
[Update : Our brains have yet to make the switch over to 2007. Even our checkbook's a total mess.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Crazylink @ Jan 29th 2007 7:11AM
There goes another of my favorite games to the Xbox...
Rubang B @ Jan 29th 2007 7:20AM
Man screw Lode Runner inspired. Give me Lode Runner: The Legend Continues. It had 2 player co-op and a level editor. I must've made 829105719028357 levels for that thing when I was 11.
AzMiLion @ Jan 29th 2007 8:04AM
Can't wait, I've been playing N since the first release.
Autocrawler @ Jan 29th 2007 8:24AM
...Why the hell would anyone pay to play a console release of a freeware PC game that has been available for the past few years, I'll never understand.
If anyone actually buys it, I'll just have to say that console gamers are simply dumb.
*hides from the incoming flames*
Martez @ Jan 29th 2007 8:30AM
I think the draw is being able to create and share level designs. Sure, you could just do that online with Flash, but with the integration into Live, it'll be a lot easier, I'd imagine.
It'll be interesting to see how much they charge for this.
Peter Smith @ Jan 29th 2007 8:37AM
Kiel is the company that made eets, right? Are they doing the conversion to Xbox Live?
Autocrawler @ Jan 29th 2007 8:38AM
"I think the draw is being able to create and share level designs. Sure, you could just do that online with Flash, but with the integration into Live, it'll be a lot easier, I'd imagine."
Err...the PC original has a fully functional level editor within the downloadable package-so I don't think they could really make it "easier to use". Getting new levels is easy as hell too-just unzip a level pack into your N directory and you're done-there is a centralized community site for sharing levels as well. And, I've been playing N for the past year and I still can't fully complete the original set of levels due to the insane difficulty(no, it's not that I suck at playing the game :P) and I don't believe that there'll actually be a lot of demand for user created levels because of it.
Kritz @ Jan 29th 2007 9:00AM
Haha. N. The ultimate waste time during college game.
If there is a map builder included (As there is already), and the ability to trade maps to friends, I see this as a very cool thing.
I assume that there will be more campaign levels, because after playing that game for two years, there's not many stages I haven't already finished.
Multiplayer would be cool, too. Although I fail to see how it'd work.
>> Kritz
Grey Acumen @ Jan 29th 2007 9:50AM
Dang!
I love this game... I was rooting for them to offer it at VC for the Wii or something... -.-
*sighs * you only need 3 buttons to play it, why put it on the Xbox, simple graphics, simple controls, yet fun/addictive, that's Wii philosophy!
Oh well, I'm not anti-360, I've known for a while they've been building up a respectable list of games. It's just expensive, and I don't have one, which is now beginning to suck.
I hope the level editors are done well. I'd also like to see them implement the ability for ceiling rebounds and ducking, which were the only things I would change about the game myself.
The multiplayer sounds cool too. I imagine it being a pure survival game. If you're time runs out, you're dead, if you get blown up while trying to collect coins to stay alive, you're dead. Last person alive wins. Hopefully they'll make things more interesting by having it so when someone gets blown up, their previously collected coins will scatter for everyone else to try to get.
Hexx @ Jan 29th 2007 12:12PM
Fresh off Slamdance?!? They won that award last year for N.
Revo @ Jan 29th 2007 6:02PM
YES. I've been a fan of this game for nearly three years, and I am seriously considering getting a 360 just for this game. Of course, I'm sure there'll be other games I'm interested in, but this is the big one for me.
Also, you can find a bit more info about N+ (courtesy of Mare Sheppard, one of the game's two creators) in this thread on the Metanet Forums:
http://tinyurl.com/2eznqt