XBLAWednesday posts (Subscribe to this feed)

This Wednesday: Worms 2: Armageddon, King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match attack XBLA

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 29th 2009 at 4:15PM }

XBLA is dropping a holy hand grenade's worth of violence this week with Worms 2: Armageddon and King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match. Whether you're into vertebrate or spineless carnage, the entry fee to these glorious celebrations of hurt will cost 800

($10) apiece.

Armageddon brings some upgrades to the original Worms XBLA title, so definitely check it out if you're a fan of the series. As for KOF98, the game is about $10 cheaper than the PS2 release, and does support online play -- but there's never a guarantee on how that'll go.

Gallery: Worms 2: Armageddon (XBLA)

This Wednesday: Droplitz and Garou: Mark of the Wolves hit XBLA

by Richard Mitchell { Jun 22nd 2009 at 4:15PM }

It's a twofer on XBLA this week, with a new puzzle game and an old fighting game. The puzzle game would be Droplitz, which has players twiddling dials and collecting small, "dinky little balls of indeterminate stuff." We can't help but be reminded a bit of Pipe Mania. Keep in mind that Droplitz is a single-player game only, with the full game running 800

.

The second game is Garou: Mark of the Wolves, also known as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, which was announced for XBLA by SNK late last week. The game is a port of the original arcade title -- also remembered as one of the last good Dreamcast games -- and features online play for two players. It can be yours for 800

Gallery: Droplitz

Gallery: Garou: Mark of the Wolves (XBLA)

XBLA in Brief: Sega Vintage Collection

by David Hinkle { Jun 10th 2009 at 9:15PM }

This week, Sega has dropped six new games onto Xbox Live Arcade as part of its Sega Vintage Collection. These six titles are timeless classics and definitely need no introduction for Sega fans. For the rest of you, expect a crash course in Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Sonic 3, Shinobi, Phantasy Star II, and Gunstar Heroes (400

/$5 each).

Next Wednesday: Wallace & Gromit, Yosumin Live and Boggle

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 22nd 2009 at 1:45PM }

Major Nelson was authorized to break with tradition (due to the Memorial Day weekend) and has revealed next week's XBLA titles early. The arcade will finally be graced by Telltale's adventure title Wallace & Gromit, along with Yosumin Live and Boggle for Hasbro Family Game Night. All the titles mentioned will be 800

($10) apiece.

If paying $10 for Boggle next week seems a bit high, you can always search flea markets over the holiday weekend and find it for a couple bucks. There always seems to be a copy of Boggle at those things.

Gallery: Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures

This Wednesday: Blazing Birds and Gel: Set & Match [update]

by Richard Mitchell { May 18th 2009 at 5:45PM }

This week on Xbox Live Arcade we get two new games, Blazing Birds and Gel: Set & Match. The latter is the latest game from ~~NinjaBee~~ Gastronaut Studios. It's a puzzle game that (shockingly) requires players to destroy colorful blocks. After a quick search around the internets -- Blazing Birds doesn't have an Xbox.com page just yet -- it appears that the former is a game in which robots play badminton, an idea which is about on par with grandmas playing electric guitars. Could be awesome, could be awful. We'll just have to wait and see.

~~Both games will run 800 ($10)~~. Major Nelson now says Blazing Birds will clock in at 400

($5) with Gel: Set & Match priced at 800

($10).

Update: Gel: Set & Match was developed by Gastronaut Studios, not NinjaBee. Pricing changed.

This Wednesday: Star Trek D-A-C, Texas Cheat 'Em

by David Hinkle { May 11th 2009 at 2:30PM }

This Wednesday, XBLA fans will receive a double dose of downloads. First up is Star Trek D-A-C, which is based on the new film and supports up to 12 players for online battles. You'll be able to download it for 800

($10). That comes out to 23.2 Darseks, if you're a Klingon.

Joining Starfleet is something a bit less action-packed and frenzied: Texas Cheat 'Em. It's a spin-off from the traditional Texas Hold 'Em, allowing players to steal each other's chips and fold for free by unlocking cheats through a variety of minigames. Texas Cheat 'Em will also cost 800

($10).

Gallery: Star Trek DAC

This Wednesday: Virtual On, Banjo Tooie & Sorry! [update]

by Richard Mitchell { Apr 27th 2009 at 2:30PM }

It's really just a reminder at this point, but we thought you might like to know that Microsoft has confirmed that both Banjo Tooie and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram are headed to XBLA this Wednesday. If you're up for some giant robot blasting action, we suggest Virtual On. If you're more of an anthropomorphic-bear-jumping-on-things kind of guy, then you'd probably prefer Banjo Tooie.

If, however, you like cheap Arcade games, you're out of luck. Both games cost 1200

($15).

Update: As a commenter points out, Sorry! is coming to Hasbro Family Game Night as well for 800

($10)

Gallery: Virtual On Oratorio Tangram (XBLA)

Gallery: Banjo-Tooie (XBLA)

This Wednesday: Burn rubber in Outrun Online Arcade on XBLA

by David Hinkle { Apr 14th 2009 at 10:15AM }

click to race into the gallery

Racing fanatics will get their fix this Wednesday when Sega releases Outrun Online Arcade on XBLA. Featuring 15 different courses, 10 different Ferraris to drive and support for online multiplayer, Outrun Online Arcade will set you back a cool 800

($10) worldwide (excluding Japan). Who's planning on putting the pedal to the metal?

Gallery: Outrun Online Arcade

This Wednesday: Bust up fools in 'The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai' on XBLA

by Ben Gilbert { Mar 30th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Announced via Major Nelson's podcast last night, this Wednesday's "Days of Arcade" XBLA game will be the 2D, side-scrolling, three-player co-op beat 'em up (breath), The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Coming in at 800

($10), you might remember Dishwasher from GDC 2008 when, among other XNA titles, it was featured as a free download, showcasing the XNA development tools. Be sure to keep a lookout for the X3F Podcast-born achievement that pays homage to Peter Moore's fake guitar playing prowess! And if you're like us and can't spare the extra spacebucks just yet, feel free to window shop in our gallery below.

Gallery: The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (XBLA)

[Thanks Menno!]

This Wednesday: Put on your CAPS for UNO RUSH

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 23rd 2009 at 6:24PM }

Microsoft has announced that the next game to be released as part of the Days of Arcade promotion will be none other than UNO RUSH. A fast-paced version of UNO, the game requires gamers to assemble their hands ahead of time, as everyone's hand is played automatically. The game features online play for up to four players and includes Avatar support. The game will release this Wednesday for 800

Gallery: E308: Uno Rush (XBLA)

This Wednesday: Hasbro Family Game Night matches with XBLA

by Justin McElroy { Mar 17th 2009 at 10:30AM }

If you, like young Mikey, love matching rows of similarly colored checkers but can't stand being around other people and all their germs, your salvation will arrive this Wednesday in the form of Connect Four, one of the first offerings in Xbox Live's Hasbro Family Game Night series.

Other games arriving today include Scrabble, Yahtzee and Battleship with Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders coming later in the year. All the titles will be playable in a virtual game room that, in some way, incorporates Avatars. If you'd like to play beloved family games as you replace your friends and loved ones with digital simulacra, you can expect to pony up

800

($10) a piece. (Yeah, you read that right. A piece.)

Gallery: Hasbro Family Game Night: Xbox 360

This Wednesday: Peggle, Crystal Defenders & NCAA Basketball MME [update]

by Dustin Burg { Mar 9th 2009 at 8:30AM }

PopCap Games' alarmingly addictive Peggle and Square Enix's Crystal Defenders will both be releasing to the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, March 11 for 800

($10) each. That is, if Major Nelson and his podcasting co-host, e, can be trusted (we think so!).

This week's Peggle release isn't all that surprising, seeing that a recent press release confirmed a March release, but hearing that Crystal Defenders will complete this Wednesday's XBLA twofer, well ... that's just out of left field. Not that we're complaining or anything, we're just overjoyed that Bjorn will be giving our 360 an incurable case of "Extreme Fever."

Update: NCAA Basketball MME is out too! (No demo available.)

[Thanks, Liam G.]

This Wednesday: 'Watchmen: The End Is Nigh' blows up XBLA

by Justin McElroy { Mar 2nd 2009 at 4:00PM }

We'd love to be more excited about this week's release on XBLA, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, but we're having a tough time of it. We're fans of the book and we're sure the movie will be great, but when you combine our lukewarm impressions of the game with the nothing-short-of-indulgent 1600

($19.99) asking price, we're somewhere between mildly curious and totally unenthused.

But if you're the sort that's excited about helping Rorshach and Nite Owl punch and kick a seemingly unending stream of generic thugs, please, don't let us stop you.

Gallery: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

This Wednesday: Exit 2 enters XBLA

by Dustin Burg { Feb 23rd 2009 at 1:47PM }

This Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade release is Taito's action platformer Exit 2, which (according to Xbox.com) was initially expected to release last week. Exit 2 will be available for purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800

($10) and comes packed with 240 stages, ten challenges and an extremely '80s-inspired neon pink logo.

Gallery: Exit 2 (XBLA)

Not This Wednesday: Exit 2 escapes to XBLA [update]

by Dustin Burg { Feb 17th 2009 at 11:50AM }

Update: Looks like Xbox.com let us down, because Exit 2 did not release to the Xbox Live Arcade this week and the release date now reads "TBD." Global warming must be to blame.

According to Xbox.com, we'll be witnessing Mr. ESC's entrance into the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, February 18, with the release of Exit 2 for 800

($10). All of the game's 240 levels, ten challenges and various puzzle adventures are included.

With that, we can put that pesky release date rumor to rest and take comfort in knowing that Death Tank will not have to make this week's XBLA trek alone. It's like the Arcade's version of the buddy system.

[Thanks, Clipse]