Xbox-Originals posts (Subscribe to this feed)

'Games on Demand' section arrives on Xbox.com

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 18th 2009 at 10:55AM }

It appears the "Games on Demand" section has replaced "Xbox Originals" on Xbox.com marketplace. We're not exactly sure if this is a rebranding of Xbox Originals, but the title of the section would imply that all downloadable games -- which will include Xbox 360 titles in August -- will reside in this section. However, if you click on the "Xbox 360 Games" on the left navigation bar, there's a clearly marked "Full Game" download section, which is currently empty. Also, Xbox Live Arcade titles have a separate section as well.

Perhaps the downloadable Xbox 360 games will reside in two locations on Xbox.com? We've contacted Microsoft for clarification and we'll update as soon as we hear back.

Update: We're aware the Xbox Originals program has come to an end, we're just caught off guard by the lack of an official statement accompanying the change on Xbox.com (especially with no change on the 360 itself).

[Thanks, Nathan]

Max Payne, Fall of Max Payne available now on Xbox Originals

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 27th 2009 at 11:00AM }

With Max Payne 3 announced, Take-Two's marketing machine better get moving -- we've noirly forgotten the whole seedy epic of insane mobsters and one glorious femme fatale. Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are both available now on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200

($15) apiece -- we're sure, this time.

Admittedly, the Xbox price is a bit steep and both games (arguably) play better on PC, so it might be better to wait until Steam has one of its weekend sales to pick up the titles for something like $5 (currently the games are $15 as a bundle on Valve's digital distribution service). But, if Xbox is your only option, feel free to pick up Max, dearest of all our friends.

[Thanks, Disco Ball]

[Add Max Payne to download queue]
[Add Max Payne 2 to download queue]

Max Payne, sequel appear, disappear as Xbox Originals

by Justin McElroy { Apr 24th 2009 at 4:55PM }

Like the world's most somber noir ninjas, Max Payne and Max Payne 2 briefly appeared as Xbox Originals before disappearing and leaving no evidence. ... No evidence, that is, except the screen grab we managed to snap before the games' untimely departure from this (now non-working) link.

With a sequel in the works and an ESRB reveal, Max's appearance makes perfect sense, we're just assuming someone jumped the gun with the announcement. We've got a call in to Microsoft, we'll let you know what we hear.

'Max Payne' & sequel get Xbox 360 listings from ESRB

by Xav de Matos { Mar 29th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Before Max Payne turned into a homeless-looking Vin Diesel (pictured center, if you didn't guess) he was a "take no prisoner, nothing to lose" New York detective out for revenge. Now he looks like he takes no showers, amirite?

Max Payne was a classic when it hit the PC and, although a lot was left to be desired when it was thrown onto consoles, the Max Payne series shined on the original Xbox among third-person shooters. Searching the original titles on the ESRB website revealed both titles had been rated for the Xbox 360 platform, a process that ordinarily occurs when a game is set to be released as an Xbox Original. File this under: "Taken with a grain of salt," but it's possible Max's previous adventures will be added to the Xbox 360's digital list ... just in time for his latest pill-popping journey this winter.

ESRB -- Max Payne
ESRB -- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Xbox Live Deal of the Week: Xbox Originals Fable for $10

by Dustin Burg { Mar 16th 2009 at 12:00PM }

Because the world needs to know (and by "world" we mean the Joystiq reader base), this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is none other than Xbox Original title Fable.

Starting today, Monday, March 16, and lasting through late Sunday, March 22, Fable can be purchased from the XBLM for 800

($10), which represents a 33% discount from its normal 1200

pricing. As with all Deal of the Week offers, this Fable discount is only available to Xbox Live gold subscribers. Live silver accounts are forever shunned for choosing a life of evil and moral corruption. Be gone silver members ... BE GONE FROM THESE LANDS!

[Via Major Nelson]

Fable, Alien Hominid HD get slashed for March Deals of the Week

by Xav de Matos { Mar 13th 2009 at 5:41PM }

Before Peter Molyneux and Co. captured our GOTY hearts with Fable II, Lionhead introduced the world to Albion in Fable -- on the original Xbox. Next week -- billed as the figurative pot of gold for St. Paddy's Day -- the Xbox Originals release of Fable will be discounted to 800

($10) on March 16, down one third the standard (Read: Overpriced) tag of 1200

.

March 23's Deal of the Week isn't nearly exciting, discounting the Iowa Mission Pack for Battlestations Midway by 20%. Finally, to put an Irish kiss on the end of the month, the Deal of the Week beginning March 30 will be the XBLA title Alien Hominid HD, discounted by 50% to 400

($5). Those are some quality price drops... Irish I had some more MS Points.

Grabbed by the Ghoulies scares gamers, becomes Xbox Original

by Dustin Burg { Feb 16th 2009 at 10:30AM }

Looks like our garlic necklace failed us (wait, that's vampires), because Rare's Grabbed by the Ghoulies just hobbled its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace as another iffy Xbox Original. This not so great tale of ghouls is available for 1200 Microsoft points ($15), 3GB of hard drive space and a pound of flesh (pound of flesh optional).

Per Rare's own helpful and admittedly humorous sales pitch, "if you like Halo, pretend that the main character is Master Chief and the hilarious DJ Mummy is a terrifying Covenant alien." Actually, with that tip in mind, we're leaning towards a Ghoulies purchase. Proof that an extremely inventive imagination can make any game feel like an epic blockbuster.

[Via Rare]

BlowOut now an Xbox Original, yay?

by Dustin Burg { Jan 19th 2009 at 11:00AM }

Sure to cause a reverberation of yawns on a grand scale that has never been seen before, ~~we're pleased~~ it's our obligation to announce that BlowOut has officially become an Xbox Original and can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace. For 1200 Microsoft points and approximately 385MBs, no less.

So ... anyone up for a game of BlowOut? Anyone? No really ... anyone?

Your guess as good as ours: BlowOut coming to Xbox Originals

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 14th 2009 at 3:26PM }

Word comes by way of Gamerscore Blog that BlowOut will join the ranks of Xbox Originals, as of January 19th, for 1200

($15). Reaction to the news was swift and sure in the site's comments section, with gems like:

"F*ck off with the sh*t we've never heard of. Get some half decent games on there already."
"When the f*ck did this come out. How about KOTOR either of them, or any other of the top selling title from the original Xbox. What is Microsoft paying you people for."
"Ugh, I wish I could remember the right command. > kill proc PR_Bot."

Uh-huh, that just about sums it up. Seriously, how many people actually remember this game, or would pay $15 for it? If there was ever any question about the Xbox Originals system being misguided over the last few updates, we fear the answer is quite clear now.

Blowout headed to Xbox Originals (wait, what?)

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 14th 2009 at 3:15PM }

If you happened to catch a recent Twitter update from Major Nelson, you may have already discovered that BlowOut is the next title headed to Xbox Originals. Supposing this is the first you've heard of it -- Gamerscore Blog just made it official -- we imagine your reaction is much the same as ours was. That is to say a reaction of complete puzzlement. It's not that we think BlowOut is a poor choice for Xbox Originals (an accusation we could level at many previous choices). No, it's that we have no idea what BlowOut is. We canvassed our coworkers and no one remembers BlowOut. At all.

Thankfully, it appears the game's official website is still active and we think it tells you everything you need to know. It's a side scroller. You shoot things. A lot. Oh, and the tagline is priceless. It concerns the game's main character, a space marine nicknamed Dutch. Ahem: "Mess with Dutch, don't live much!!!" (Note the triple exclamation points. Very important.)

BlowOut will hit Marketplace on January 19th for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Xbox Originals grow by two, come get your Sega Soccer and Raze's Hell

by Dustin Burg { Dec 15th 2008 at 3:00PM }

Try to contain your excitement while we inform you that today, December 15th, 2008, both Sega Soccer Slam and Raze's Hell have released as Xbox Originals. Today will go down in Xbox Live Marketplace history, because this is the day that these 1200 Microsoft point gems were knighted into the oh so exclusive inner circle of Xbox Originals games. We bow our heads in respect to our new Sega Soccer Slam and Raze's Hell rulers. We are forever indebted to their awesomeness supreme game'ability.

Source - Buy Raze's Hell
Source - Buy Sega Soccer Slam

Upcoming Xbox Originals: Raze's Hell and Sega Soccer Slam

by Dustin Burg { Dec 10th 2008 at 2:30PM }

Microsoft just revealed that both Sega Soccer Slam and Raze's Hell will be coming to an Xbox Originals near you next Monday, December 15th. And, as is the norm, both games will take up some hard drive giggage and cost you 1200 Microsoft points.

For the un-edjumacted, Sega's Sega Soccer Slam was a 2002 Xbox release that, pretty much, is over the top soccer with whacked out characters. Atari and Artech Studios' Raze's Hell is an action adventure where you play Raze and embark on a journey to "vanquish the twisted princess and her invading force of Kewletts by any means necessary." God bless Xbox Originals.

XBLM adding new Xbox Originals on Dec. 15

by Randy Nelson { Dec 10th 2008 at 1:50PM }

Ah, Xbox Originals. Striving to bring you the finest specimens of the original Xbox's back catalog as full downloads for 360. Or, as it turns out, a seemingly random assortment of games that aren't exactly classics.

Next Monday, December 15, this league of extraordinarily inconsistent games welcomes two new members: Sega Soccer Slam and Raze's Hell. The arcade-style soccer game by Visual Concepts (now 2K Sports) and Artech Studios' darkly humorous action game can be yours for 1200

($15) each. They're both solid games, actually, but with the wealth of superb new releases bombarding us from every direction, they're more "rainy day" material than anything.

Gallery: Sega Soccer Slam

Gallery: Raze's Hell

A zappy Zapper is officially an Xbox Original

by Dustin Burg { Nov 17th 2008 at 3:30PM }

As promised, the classic and wicked cricket Zapper has made its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace as a 1200 Microsoft point Xbox Original title. Blitz Games' 599MB Zapper includes eighteen levels spread across four worlds with one final boss that's oh so intimidatingly named Maggie. Exciting stuff.

Warning to those who love themselves scrolling credits, because Microsoft warns that the Xbox Originals version of Zapper suffers from "minor graphical corruption occurs in the End Credits" which "causes some of the end credits to appear cut off." End credits being cut off? Seriously, what has the world come to?

Finally, Zapper heads to Xbox Originals

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 14th 2008 at 12:00PM }

We know, we know. It's kind of hard to keep reading this when you know that Zapper is headed to Xbox Originals. Stay with us though, because the game isn't actually available yet, so you can't run off to download it anyway. No, the game won't actually be available on the service until November 17, at which point we imagine all of the world's social interaction and commerce will cease -- apart from the massive influx of MS Point purchases -- throwing the global economy into a tailspin. Deliveries will stop, utilities will shut down, but no one will care. We'll all be mesmerized by the awesomeness that is Zapper, and we will play until the electricity fails. As Zapper constantly prods the pleasure nodes in our brains, we will slowly, blissfully succumb to starvation.

Either that or Zapper's release will slip by completely unnoticed, one of the two.

[Via Joystiq]