PSA: Only 2 episodes in 'full' version of Arkanoid Live [update]
by Richard Mitchell 
on May 12th 2009 12:30PM
We've been getting a lot of tips in the last week informing us that the full version of
Arkanoid Live only comes with the first two episodes, despite the fact that there are four shown in the game's menu. While some have cried foul, claiming that the "full" version of the game (800
) is really only half of the game, we should point out that both the trial version of the game and its
Xbox.com page note that the full version contains only the first two episodes.
What is shady is the way in which episodes 3 and 4 are offered. Apparently, the only way to download the new episodes is to complete the first two, at which point the game will ask if you want to purchase episodes 3 and 4 (reportedly 400). According to
a comment on this story and the
Arkanoid forum on Xbox.com, the DLC is
not offered upon completing episodes 1 and 2. It appears the DLC will be available at a later date. The DLC itself is
not listed on Xbox Live Marketplace, so it's not surprising that many gamers are confused.
It's important to note that the extra episodes are not required to get all of the game's Achievements. Also, even with only two episodes, the full version is no slouch, containing 62 levels and plenty of mutliplayer options. We'd say it's more likely that the unorthodox nature of the DLC is the result of bad marketing decisions (
remember Lumines Live?) and not a nefarious plan to bleed gamers dry.
All of our requests for comment from Square Enix (parent of developer Taito) have gone unanswered as of press time.
[
Update: Clarified that the DLC is not yet available, even upon completing episodes 1 and 2.]
