XBLAugust: Castle Crashers, BC Rearmed, Braid, and Galaga

by Ross Miller { Jul 28th 2008 at 1:00PM }

The official Microsoft Gamerscore blog has just outlined how you'll be spending our weekly allowance for the next month. Five major Xbox Live Arcade titles are debuting over the next five weeks (that's one each week). Pause your game of Coffeetime Crosswords and check out the schedule:

July 30: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
August 6: Braid
August 13: Bionic Commando Rearmed
August 20: Galaga Legions
August 27: Castle Crashers

Only the previously-dated Geometry Wars 2 has a price at the moment (800 MS Points / US $10).

Tags: bionic-commando-rearmed, braid, breakingnews, castle-crashers, galaga-legions, geometry-wars-2, geometry-wars-retro-evolved-2, summer-of-arcade, xbla, xbox-live-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Jake11 @ Jul 28th 2008 1:04PM

august=AWESOME

baby sea tuna @ Jul 28th 2008 1:06PM

Wow! Sold!

Mr Khan @ Jul 28th 2008 1:06PM

I seem to remember talk of Castle Crashers back when i first started frequenting this site, over 2 years ago

Though nothing suggests it won't live up to the two years of hype

Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:09PM

I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is hyped in the first place. Guess I'll have to wait for the demo and find out.

samfish @ Jul 28th 2008 1:10PM

Because it looks awesome, Vidikron.

In particular, it brings back memories of TMNT Arcade and other old school beat 'em ups (which were awesome).

McWeen @ Jul 28th 2008 1:14PM

Exactly, it reminds me of old arcade games I used to play. I will admit this game prompted me to buy an Xbox 360 when I thought it was coming out in the fall ...of last year.

Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:16PM

I'm a fan of the old school beat-em ups, I just haven't understood the basis for the hype this game has been getting. I didn't know if there was a PC version or older game that people who basing their excite on. It's just always seemed odd to me that an XBLA game of this type has been getting this much attention.

Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:17PM

*excitement

John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:26PM

Castle Crashers looks pretty fun but like other often delayed games (Too Human) I have lost the urge to play this one. Hopefully there will be a demo released that reignites my excitement for this game.

I am glad to see that XBLA is getting some actual creative content and not just retreads. I know XBLA outnumbers the PSN games in sheer volume but many of the PSN games have an element of innovation to them lacking in XBLA.

With all of that said this is still one hell of an impressive list. Can't wait to play them all and I can't wait to play PJ Eden, Siren & Elefunk on the PSN. The only Wii ware title I want to play that is unreleased is the incredible looking World Of Goo.

If we could get this type of innovation on the PSP the platform would be even more vibrant. The only thing the DS has on the PSP is the most important aspect. Games. It is probably due to the rampid amount of piracy on the PSP. If I were a developer I would not want to invest a treasure chest for development of a platform that has rampid and thriving piracy. Sony needs to figure something out about that. I have one friend with over 300 ISO files.

FSK405K @ Jul 28th 2008 2:38PM

Allure of Castle Crashers: Name another XBLA game with simultaneous 4-player action that is fun, funny, and has almost no learning curve.

....and I would laugh my ass off if most of the enemies were brown, for old time's sake.

Churchy @ Jul 28th 2008 5:01PM

I think the entire reason I'm hyped for this game is because Alien Hominid (same dev as castle crashers) was so absolutely amazing.

That game showed me that The Behemoth has very good retro sensibilities combined with a fantastic sense of humor and signature art style that all add up to an amazing game.

Farseer (GDI) @ Jul 28th 2008 6:06PM

Castle Crashers is produced by The Behemoth. The Behemoth made Alien Hominid. Case closed. ;)

kftgr @ Jul 28th 2008 10:08PM

@Johnny...
Wow, your fanboism is shining through strong and bright.

You've forgotten that unlike PSN, every XBLA game has a trial mode. So, don't worry yourself over the existence of a demo or not.

bounchfx @ Jul 28th 2008 1:08PM

how about we switch braid and castle crashers.. please?

FSK405K @ Jul 28th 2008 2:40PM

Are you kidding? What award at the Independent Games Festival has Castle Crashers won? We've been waiting for Braid for eons, as well.

rez pez @ Jul 28th 2008 3:28PM

Well, Castle Crashers won two awards at IGF for 2007. One was innovation in visual arts and the seconds was the audience award. The Behemoth's previous game, Alien Hominid, also managed to win 3 IGF awards in 2005

samfish @ Jul 28th 2008 1:11PM

Christ almighty, they sure aren't hold back next month, are they?
It's like Christmas in August!

Obie @ Jul 28th 2008 1:13PM

Damn! Lookin' good.

The_Punisher @ Jul 28th 2008 1:13PM

Three good releases in a row (not so interested in CC). :)

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 1:15PM

Braid looks very good...

Platformers are always welcome. I wish we could have a platformer for every FPS.

Christopher Grant @ Jul 28th 2008 1:16PM

I will buy each and every one of these and spend the majority of my free time in the entire month of August playing XBLA games. Yes. Oh, very yes.

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 1:17PM

A blogger in the comment section! Oh my god... =p

John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:27PM

@Fernando

Go to X360F and see Xav De Matos. He is always in the comment section. I really like him for that.

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 1:38PM

Actually you see Xav, Dustin, and Ritchard in the comments section at X3F all the time but yeah, Xav more than others. I also like that.

Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:26PM

Sooooo does anybody who didn't play shooters back in the day care about Geometry Wars 2? My perception would be that it's not a genre that attracts people that are new to it and have little experience with shooters.

I mean that game looks super pretty, but shooters nowadays are about the most boring type of game I can fathom. I did however absolutely love Lifeforce on NES as a youngan.

John McPoop (PSN:johnnynumber5) @ Jul 28th 2008 1:28PM

You need to play Super Stardust HD on the PSN. I really do not like many shooters but that game is damn fun and addictive.

There are some innovative titles as well in that genre. In fact, you have to be innovative to even be noticed anymore.

FSK405K @ Jul 28th 2008 2:42PM

Careful, there, calling Geom Wars a "shooter." "Shooter" since 1993 has been shorthand for FPS. Games in the Geom Wars, Gradius, Ikaruga style are now called "Shmups," as in "Shoot 'em Ups."

kftgr @ Jul 28th 2008 10:18PM

Shmups (as much as I hate that term), I'd reserve for the likes of Ikaruga, Triggerheart, and 1942 have a scrolling/rails element to it that Geowars lacks.

The twinsticks games like GeoWars, Mutant Storm plays very differently and would be confusing to be classified as a Shmup ... although that IS what you're doing. But to an extent you're also shooting 'em up in an FPS :)

AwesomeTown @ Jul 28th 2008 1:28PM

I officially now need more hours in the day for gaming.

Pureshooter @ Jul 28th 2008 1:29PM

Same month as the 60 gb system/drive and 120 gb price drop (I assume). Very sneak, sir.

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 1:30PM

Speaking of Live Arcade... I have 1600 points, and I love shmups (I'm very good in those games).

Is 1942 remake good? I don't want to waste $10, specially with all this games coming soon.

Xoviet chiK @ Jul 28th 2008 1:41PM

It's alright. It's pretty much all presentation (Ikaruga style transitions, agonizing menu loading animations), with no effort made to actually spruce up the single player gameplay. If you don't mind having no continues, lamentable achievements, the lack of 1942 in it's original Coin-Op glory, or that the only way to play multiplayer is over Xbox LIVE / PSN... It's not a bad game, beautiful to look at too.

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 1:43PM

Are the achivements hard to get?

BlaznGoldstein (Electric 6 Defense Force) @ Jul 28th 2008 3:05PM

They range from easy to hard. I got over half of the achievements my first time through, but some that are left are going to be tough.

As far as a shoot'em up goes I enjoy it, although it mostly comes down to practice and memorization of enemy patterns.

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 1:35PM

Thats is indeed a sweetass lineup.

Who was it that said PSN is just as good or not better than XBLA?

Bionic Commando Rearmed
1942 Joint Strike
Streetfighter II
SFIITurbo HDRemix
UltimateMortalKombat3
Portal: Still Alive
Pacman: Championship Edition
New Galaga Legions
Aegis Wing
Omega Five
Castle Crashers
Dishwasher: Dead Samurai
N+
Rez HD
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars 2
Alien Hominid
Schizoid
Carcassonne
SOULCALIBUR
Small Arms
Bomberman Live
Switchball
Worms
Castlevania: SOTN
Double Dragon HD
Ikaruga
Sonic 1 and 2
TMNT Arcade
UNO
Braid
Castle Crashers
Etc.

I find it very hard to believe...

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 1:37PM

Nice list... =p

All I hear from PSN is: PixelJunk and Super Stardust. But... just wait until PixelJunk Eden...

Snowblind @ Jul 28th 2008 1:41PM

Vigilante 8 and Duke Nukem 3D are coming soon as well :)

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 1:46PM

Oh, almost forgot about Banjo Kazooie too!

Xoviet chiK @ Jul 28th 2008 1:50PM

Castle Crashers looks so good you listed it twice! Can't wait for that one.

Though PSN does have Everyday Shooter and Echochrome. Arguably two of the best Download Only games ever released.

Senecal @ Jul 28th 2008 1:52PM

I would agree with you if I only looked at that list, but if you actually play those crap a$$ remakes you would puke. PSN is QUALITY - XBLA is QUANITY. Yes, XBLA does have some cool origianal titles, but it seems all of the remakes are like cheep flash games, not worth $1 let alone $10.

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 2:12PM

Senecal

"but if you actually play those crap a$$ remakes you would puke. PSN is QUALITY - XBLA is QUANITY"

Suuuuuure keep telling yourself that...rrriiiight...

turkeybaster @ Jul 28th 2008 2:16PM

PSN titles (a random smattering of past & future titles, much like Fenix's list)

1942 Join Strike Fighters
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Blast Factor
Calling All Cars!
Crash Commando
Elefunk
Everyday Shooter
Echochrome
Fatal Inertia EX
Fat Princess
Flock
Flow
Flower
Gran Turismo: Prologue
LocoRoco Cocoreccho
Mega Man 9
Mortal Kombat II
Pain
Pixeljunk Monsters
Pixeljunk Racers
Pixeljunk Eden
Super Stardust HD
Siren: Blood Curse
Super Rub 'a' Dub
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection
Warhawk
The Last Guy
Wipeout HD
Plus all the PS1 downloadable titles
Etc.

PSN is just as good. Maybe not better-but on equal footing.

Fernando Rocker @ Jul 28th 2008 2:23PM

Now I have to make a list too:

WiiWare:

LostWinds
LostWinds 2
Final Fantasy
Dr. Mario
Gyrostarr
Defend Your Castle
Toki Tori
Eternity's Child
The Rose Princess (same guy from Eternity's Child)
World of Goo
Telltales Strong Bad (5 episodic games)
Megaman 9
Animales de la Muerte
Bomberman Blast

Plus a lot of VC games.

The difference is that WiiWare was released 2 months ago and PSN games almost 2 years ago.

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 2:25PM

Nice try but

Tekker DR
Warhawk
Siren Bloodcurse
Wipeout HD
Fatal Enertia EX

Are all games that should be on a disc. I am only comparing smaller titles. You didn't see me throwing Xbox Originals in there did you? Dont BS with me.

Another major difference is that every-single-title I put is really good. Unlike the filler you put in yours.

tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 28th 2008 2:37PM

It was probably me who said it fenix. If you take out ports and remakes your list is a little thin on quality content whereas *most* PSN games are new and designed from the ground up for PSN. If I must make a list then

Pixeljunk Monsters
Pixeljunk Eden
Everyday Shooter
Super Stardust HD
Calling All Cars
Echochrome
Flow
Elefunk
High Velocity Bowling
Pain
LocoRoco
PixelJunk Racers
Fat Princess
Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty

Include Warhawk, Socom and GT5 Prologue depending on your definition of a PSN game and include Siren for your remakes section. Don't forget some of those XBLA games are also multiplatform and it still may not equal XBLA in quantity but one could make the argument the quality is better.

Don't get me wrong I love XBLA, got 47 arcade games myself, but the last 6 months have been almost nothing but crap or games I have 0 interest in like Soul Caliber 1.

1942 is the first xbla game in nearly 6 months that I have any interest of getting.

tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 28th 2008 2:42PM

Beaten with the list.

Anyway fenix those titles are interesting to YOU. Not everyone likes Small Arms, Alien Hominid and Aegis Wing etc etc(Although I can't complain about a free game even though I hated it). Then again that's the reason why these lists are pointless to begin with unless everyone agrees on the quality of everything on it.

Also LOL at fernando attempting a wiiware list.

turkeybaster @ Jul 28th 2008 2:44PM

WTF Fenix?

You make a statement saying that it's hard to believe that PSN's titles could be equal to Xbox Live Arcade. I make a list to back up the fact that YES, they are indeed relatively comparable.

I would hardly call any of the games I put down as filler. Many of them are either:

A. Original Titles
B. Remakes of classics
C. Ports of older titles

Holy shit! That's what your list was made up of too!

And seriously, when you say "my list was really good, yours was all filler", I call BS on you. Especially when you put down UNO and Carcassone. Games available as decks of cards and tabletop games "don't count" if we're going to start making arbitrary rules.

Jacksons @ Jul 28th 2008 2:52PM

To hell with your pissing contest. I like them all, dammit!

xFenixKnightx @ Jul 28th 2008 2:53PM

Tmac, c'mon now that list has to be shortened. These are the true gems that are already on and about to be on PSN.

Pixeljunk Monsters
Pixeljunk Eden
Super Stardust HD
Calling All Cars
Echochrome
Flow
Pain
LocoRoco
Fat Princess
Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty

I dont care if you say 1942 is the best thats come along for you in 6 months I'm talking about overall. Say it with me now. Overall :D You keep forgetting I have PSN and have played these as well.