No sooner does Sony (briefly) improve the PS3 user interface with the much-talked-about version 2.4 firmware update, than some at the company feel cocky enough to start badmouthing the competition's interface. Speaking to Next-Gen, PlayStation Network Director of Operations Eric Lempel took the bait, comparing Sony's redesigned PlayStation Store to Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace. "I think if I look over at the competitors' UI they may have some issues just displaying content," Lempel said, "and scrolling up and down lists isn't the easiest way to find things." Tell that to McSweeny's, why don'tcha?
Lempel also pointed out that the PlayStation Store interface has "a lot of room with virtual shelf space to put a lot of things," a not-so-subtle jab at Microsoft's recently announced plan to de-list some Xbox Live Arcade games. "Depending on what type of UI you have you can accommodate a lot of titles," Lempel continued, "and specifically with our new store redesign which launched back in April we have a great ability to merchandise a wide variety of titles." That's all well and good, assuming your PS3 is currently working.
Here at Joystiq, we think Metanet's sadistic platformer N+ is one of the best original games we've seen on Xbox Live Arcade for a while. So maybe it's not too surprising that the game's developers feel the same way. What is surprising is their willingness to diss the entire download service in public.
Talking to Gamasutra, N+ creators Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard railed against Xbox Live Arcade's bloated catalog of copycat games. "The real problem, I think, is that the same people who are deciding what retail games get greenlit are deciding what Live Arcade games get greenlit," Burns said. "Those decisions that are ruining Live Arcade... it's like, who greenlit Word Puzzle? Who greenlit that hoverboard game that's just shit?" It wasn't always like this, according to Burns. "When we started out ... there were 30 games on Live Arcade. If N was one of them, it would stand out. Now there's like a hundred games, and they're all shit. ... If I was a consumer, I could see not even looking at Live Arcade games anymore if I had downloaded 10 or 20 demos, because at a certain point, you're like, 'Whatever. Maybe there's a good game in here.'"
The full interview contains more thoughts on the Xbox Live certification process, the effect of game demos on buzz, and the stupidity of charging for gamerpics and themes. A word of warning: Microsoft fanboys should take their heart medicine before clicking the read link.
Update: The official press release has more details on the program and a few of the first available games. It also mentions that community-created games "will quickly double the size of the Xbox 360 game library."
At Microsoft's GDC 2008 keynote address, the company announced a "community arcade" allowing user-created games to be distributed to Xbox 360 owners worldwide. "Now, 10 million people on Xbox Live get to play your game," said Microsoft Game Developer Group General Manager Chris Satchell. Free trials of these community created games should be available on Xbox Live "immediately" according to Satchell.
"For the first time, community games will be distributed through Xbox Live," Satchell said. "'Xbox Live Community Games will give creators a huge audience to share their creativity with. Game distribution will be democratized, allowing the community to control the content. Create, Submit, Peer Review, Play are the four key steps ... We want creativity to flow through this pipeline.
Users will be able to upload games using a Gamertag-like "creator identity" which will keep track of your game creation history. Creators can use descriptive sliders to describe a game's content, and peer reviewers can also evaluate the content for appropriateness.
At the keynote, Satchell showed off a short demo of user-created game Jellycar (pictured below), featuring an adorable bouncy, 2D car that drives along on a sketchpad, bouncing up and down on a cartoon road.
We've known it was coming for about a month now ... now we know exactly when it's coming. Metanet Software announced via their blog this morning that the Xbox Live Arcade version of 2D Ninja platformer N+ will be available for 800 MS points at 9 a.m. GMT (1 a.m. Pacific) on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
The Wednesday release will come with the obligatory Gamerpics and Dashboard themes which, unfortunately, will cost even more of your hard earned Microsoft points. Metanet also announced "one or two level packs coming in the future," although, really, if you manage to beat all 450 levels included in the main game, it's probably time to move on to another title. We're just saying ...
We admit that the opening of a new studio is not the most terribly exciting event under the sun, but that news becomes decidedly more intriguing when said studio dedicates itself to a single market, or in the case of British developer Kuju's newly opened doublesix studio, a single distribution channel.
With a moniker always referred to in lowercase, we expected doublesix to be quietly reserved regarding its plans, which include developing titles exclusively in the downloadable space for Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, WiiWare and the PC. What we found, however, was a studio that is enthusiastic about its positioning in this young, but rapidly growing segment of the video game industry. To find out more, we managed to speak with doublesix studio head James Brooksby on a number of topics, including the price of downloadable games today and in the future, the importance of platform exclusives in the digital space, and of course, where the team likes to eat.
Rough estimates are one thing, but hard data on Xbox Live arcade sales has been pretty hard to come by. Until now, that is. A pair of talks at Microsoft's XNA GameFest show just how successful Microsoft's foray into digital delivery has been.
The first talk, by Microsoft casual games manager Marc Whitten, revealed that Microsoft expects 45 million individual game downloads on Xbox Live Arcade by the end of the year. Developers have made $30 million in revenue on XBLA games so far, Whitten said, with an average game returning 156 percent of the initial investment within a year. Try getting that from a mutual fund.
That's fine for the business in general, but how are individual games doing. XBLA Platform Manager Mark Coates stepped in to help answer that question with a series of slides showing the most popular games available on the service. The data varies widely depending on what metric is used -- while the Ninja Turtles arcade game has the most individual users, Street Fighter II HD has made the most revenue and Uno, of all things has the most minutes spent playing. Coates' presentation also showed the longevity of XBLA games -- 65 percent of an average game's sales come after the first two months -- and the continued growth in download rates (see above graph)
Remember, all these numbers come despite the fact that 30 percent of Xbox 360 owners don't even know that Xbox Live Arcade exists. Imagine how high the numbers could go if more users knew they didn't have to go to the store for their 360 games anymore.
Graffiti has been given the green light to begin work on an Xbox Live Arcade title for 2008 ... could it be Crazy Frog Racer? CEO Kenneth Hurley dropped this not-so-subtle hint as part of the announcement, "We are excited to 'jump in' on the Xbox 360 and introduce our title to the millions of gamers around the world playing on the console."
Either that's a terrible pun, or the worst hint in the history of hints. At any rate, look for this unnamed title to hop it's way into XBLA in 2008.
Remember when some of us thought Small Arms was destined to be "Smash Bros. with guns?" Oh, we can all alternate between the "L" and "O" keys about that now, but to be fair, it did have guns. And after downloading today's new Xbox Live content, it'll have two additional (and surely wacky) characters and two more combat arenas. The add-on will set you back 250 MS Points, which converts to a very awkward $3 and 12 and a half cents.
Those still playing Gastronaut Studios' frantic XBLA fighter will also receive a free update that sets right some of the game's weapon balancing, framerate hiccups and other issues that really shouldn't have taken six months to repair. And sadly enough, we're still getting better treatment here than we are with Assault Heroes and Sierra's shockingly overdue multiplayer patch.
Don't hate it 'till you play it, Jon. And Anam. And Ben. And RUSKULL. And felixlighter. And TouchmyWiimote. And chenry. And the countless rest of you that were disappointed by Microsoft's not-so-big announcement of Pac-Man Championship Edition for Xbox 360.
At the Pac-Man tournament in New York City, we were able to dedicate ample time (hours, maybe) to the final Xbox 360 version of Pac-Man. Championship Edition is, in fact, a true sequel to the original Pac-Man released 26 years ago. Certainly, that seems unimaginable to some -- but there are significant additions to the classic arcade gameplay that make this far more than a pretty HD remake.
The new widescreen perspective is taken advantage fully in this Xbox 360 exclusive. While the game is still about avoiding ghosts and eating pellets, the wider field of play has created a new dynamic to the title. The maze is now separated into two distinct halves: left and right. Instead of simple mazes that end at the collection of all the pellets, players will find that the mazes feature an endless supply of dots, and a constantly shape-shifting map. When successfully consuming a sufficient amount of pellets on one side of the field, one of Pac-Man's iconic fruits will appear for collection. Eating the fruit will send a rippling shockwave toward the other half of the field, replenishing the dots, and oftentimes, changing the design of the maze entirely.
If you've been using a modified Xbox 360 to beta test first-person shooters on Xbox Live, you're about to be shunned by the online world like a leper operating a Simple Plan Myspace page. "How could this happen to me?" you ask. Well, Major Nelson bluntly blurts it out on his temporary post-meltdown page: "As you can imagine, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modded consoles connecting to LIVE. We're very serious about this, and if we detect you have a modded Xbox then you will not be able to connect to Xbox Live."
Aside from the sudden disconnection, modders will be informed of their newly-banished status by the above screen and the status code, "Z: 8015 - 190D." Those recipients without eye patches will no doubt be livid and ready to assault message boards with all manner of exclamations and emoticons, but when used for evil, the power of Mod can open the door to online cheating and other unfair unpleasantness. Sometimes innocent bystanders have to pay the price in Microsoft's war on enemy solders.
The absurdly adorable animal cast of Happy Tree Friends is set to appear in a new digitally distributed PC and Xbox Live Arcade game, Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm. Of course, as fans of the internet series and television show are well aware, said appearance would likely be cut short by all manner of sharp and obscenely violent implements. Developed by Stainless Games and published by Sega, the cute critter-sploitation splatterfest is scheduled for a Fall 2007 release.
Billed as an action-puzzle game, False Alarm will largely feature a "physics-based reactive environment" and "accidental mayhem." Players control one of three characters, namely Flippy (a bear), Lumpy (a moose) and Handy (an amputee beaver carpenter... it says here). Kenn Navarro, creator of the deeply demented property, notes that "Sega is a perfect partner for us because of their rich tradition of creating compelling, character-based games, and true to form they're developing a truly original game that we think our fans will love." Of course, said tradition is generally devoid of chainsaws mutilating cuddly creatures, so a Sonic the Hedgehog cameo seems unlikely.
While the internet continues to decimate conventional demarcations like "countries" or "continents," content owners still find themselves funneled into separate geographical compartments. As an Xbox Live user, you are encouraged to keep your arms, legs and credit cards on the inside at all times, lest you cause some sort of international incident. The Xbox 360's Spring (that's Autumn for those on the other half of the planet!) dashboard update will further enforce this by restricting downloads based on the location of your console.
As Microsoft's John Porcaro explains it on the Gamerscore Blog, "if you have set up an account that does not match the country where you are located, you will find that these new security measures will only allow you to purchase and download content that is licensed in the country where you are located." Frequently, said country will not go by the name of "America," as the wealth of content available to US subscribers utterly dwarfs that found in other regions, including Europe. There's a reason people are taking their Xbox Live accounts on international trips.
While this primarily concerns content such as television shows and movies (which often hit Xbox Live before they've even been advertised in other countries), the decision to "strengthen the territory controls" seems exclusionary when more effort could be made to spread the content on a supposedly global network. The spider's web of licensing and regulation within television makes the delay and segregation somewhat understandable, but the possibility of Xbox Live Arcade games becoming similarly entangled is worrisome. Gamers in countries where the Xbox 360 has launched sans "official" Live support are already being foiled in their attempts just to purchase MS points. Your plastic's no good -- oh, except when it comes time to renew that Gold subscription. Then those borders fall down like dominoes.
Poor Pac-Man. With those giant oversized mitts of his, how can he get anything done? It almost makes having hands pretty useless. In fact, who gave Pac-Man hands anyhow? Is that a holdover from the Saturday morning cartoon?
Major Nelson should know a phone call is more personal anyhow. Pass the power pills and dish out some justice, Paccy.
Six Corners City, Island of Catan. The astonishing rate at which the settlers ofCatan have transformed the previously uninhabited and decidedly unimpressive island into something civilized is set to slow down this week, when primary construction on the Xbox Live Arcade comes to a close on Wednesday, May 2nd, at 9AM GMT (2AM PST). Mayor Taus Kleuber, whose city will host the entertainment complex, noted that, "I encourage all our settlers to visit the arcade and forget about their jobs for a few hours."
It seems that customers are already doing just that, lining up outside the arcade with the required 800 MS Points entry fee already in hand. "It seems like a reasonable price," said one excited teenager. "Then again, our currency never made any sense to me." Another woman expressed dismay at the growing excitement. "This new-fangled tomfoolery disgusts me. Why, my little girl's school was attacked by bears the other day because the guy who was making the fence went to check out this arcade. If I were a witch or something, I'd put this thing on a hex for sure!"
Gallery: Catan (XBLA)
The most important part of establishing a successful arcade is filling it with quality games. So says self-proclaimed "gamer," Thaddeus McMac. "It's all about the games. When the Xbox Live Arcade opens this week, they're putting up some Centipede and Millipede machines." McMac notes that this "retro" package deal, which lumps together the two similar titles, costs 400 MS points and is perfect for those that enjoyed it before they moved to Catan. "Personally, I think I'll just wait for Catan to get some sunglass stores. I'll need a rose-colored pair before I tangle with those bugs again!"
Turn to Page 2 for our riveting poll: How do you pronounce Catan? (Hint: It doesn't rhyme with Satan!)
A Gamespot report reveals the first usage statistics for the PlayStation 3's online network, the astonishingly named PlayStation Network. According to Sony, over 1.3 million users have signed on to the free service, 600,000 of them being based in the United States. All together, users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content.
"Users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content!"
Thank you. It's not explicitly mentioned how many of said pieces are PSN games, but individual sales data for Blast Factor, fl0w and others may be released at a later stage. Comparing overall statistics to those of Xbox Live shows Microsoft's service in the lead with six million users (an unknown percentage of those paying for a Gold subscription), but it's to be expected given the PS3's comparatively recent launch. With some strong online titles and more free services, the PSN stands every chance of overcoming its growing pains and becoming more competitive. Of course, consumers would stand to benefit most if things stayed neck-and-neck. After all, Xbox Live's no good to us dead.
Graffiti
A Gamespot 
