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Galaga Legions team wants another shot

by Justin McElroy { Dec 3rd 2008 at 9:00AM }

If you remix something once, you're edgy, willing to let two styles careen into each other and just ride the resulting wave to cash and fame. If you remix something twice? Well, that's just a bit too much for our conservative Baptist upbringing, unless you've got mad, Puff Daddy (P. Diddy?)-level skills ... or you work for Namco Bandai, apparently. The same team that crafted a bold, fresh take on Galaga this year with Galaga Legions says it's itching to take yet another bolder, fresher look at the franchise.

As producer Nobutaka Nakajima told Gamasutra, "Because there are so many different ways of taking the Galaga franchise and many different aspects that could be created into the core fundamentals of the game, we do want to look at Galaga again." Sounds great, but could you maybe remix a few other classic franchises before you get into a rut with one? Hint, hint.

'Summer of Arcade' behind XBLA's best month yet

by Randy Nelson { Sep 26th 2008 at 11:00PM }

Newly released figures show that the "Summer of Arcade" wasn't just a windfall for gamers; it made Microsoft some serious scratch. MS reports that it saw a 58% increase in Arcade title purchases during the five-week "event," amounting to a 67% increase in revenue generated by XBLA in August – a new monthly record for the service. The company itself acknowledges that the quality of the titles was crucial to the gains. "The reason for all of this success? The games were really good," it said in a press release.

Xbox Live general manager, Marc Whitten, promises that, "The focus on quality games doesn't stop with the Summer of Arcade." So ... we're due for a "Fall and Winter of Arcade," then? Whitten called out upcoming XBLA releases such as Portal: Still Alive, South Park, and R-Type Dimensions as examples of a new wave of potential Arcade hits. "We have plenty more great titles coming out in the next few months and beyond that we think will continue to fuel this incredible momentum," he said. Wait, back up ... did he mean the R-Type Dimensions that hasn't been officially announced yet?

More Namco Bandai arcade remakes planned

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 15th 2008 at 6:30PM }

With two very remakes under its belt -- Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions -- it looks like Namco Bandai has some more arcade remakes in mind. Speaking to MTV, Tadashi Iguchi, director of the team that made both Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions, revealed that there are plans to do more remakes, which he refers to as "reconstructions". "I would like to make an action game with the same team again," says Iguchi, adding that a specific title has not been chosen, but he is "interested in making games that players who liked games in the 80's will enjoy." Might we suggest Rolling Thunder? Pleeeeease?

[Via Joystiq]

Namco Bandai planning on more XBLA remakes of arcade classics

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 14th 2008 at 11:30PM }

Were you a fan of Pac-Man: Championship Edition and the more recent Galaga Legions? Are you hoping for future remakes of games that are likely older than you? You're in luck -- the team at Namco Bandai that updated the two arcade classics for Xbox Live Arcade is reportedly planning updates for other arcade titles of the era, though no specific title has been decided upon as of yet.

The director of the small team, Tadashi Iguchi, revealed in an interview with MTV Multiplayer that there's an initiative at Namco to revamp the company's "masterpiece games" -- more specifically, he mentions that he's interested in "making games that players who liked games in the 80's will enjoy." A humble suggestion for the team: Pole Position. Don't think, Iguchi. Just do it.

X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Galaga Legions

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 20th 2008 at 6:00PM }

And the August Xbox Live Arcade onslaught continues. This week it's time for Galaga to make a comeback. We're talking about Galaga Legions of course. Created by the same team that transformed Pac-Man into Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga Legions takes the original Galaga formula and expands upon it, making an old game feel new again. The only question, especially given the quality we've seen this month, is whether or not it feels new enough. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to find out.

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Now on XBLA: Galaga Legions

by Xav de Matos { Aug 20th 2008 at 11:30AM }

From the people who brought you Pac-Man: Championship Edition comes another arcade classic remake to the Xbox Live Arcade. Asking 800MS points from your digital wallet, Galaga Legions is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Initial reactions to the game peg it as a mixture of Geometry Wars and Pac-Man: CE and if either of those comparisons are accurate then the Xbox Live Arcade could have itself another winner from Namco Bandai.

Gallery: E308: Galaga Legions (XBLA)

This Wednesday: Galaga Legions invades XBLA

by Randy Nelson { Aug 18th 2008 at 3:45PM }

Caution: Do not look directly at the above screenshot. Doing so will result in your eyes melting. If you're still able to read this, it means that A) you don't just come to Joystiq to look at all the pretty pictures and B) you're also a good listener. Congratulations!

It also means that you'll still be able to play the latest "Summer of Arcade" release, Galaga Legions, this Wednesday – provided you remember to wear welding goggles while doing so. This re-imagining of the classic coin-op shooter is the work of the same Namco-Bandai dev team responsible for Pac-Man Championship Edition, hence the hella-rad-neon-raver shader being employed. The full game will set you back 800

($10). The requisite googles can be had for $11.99 from Amazon.

Gallery: Galaga Legions (XBLA)

Reminder: Galaga Legions swarms XBLA this week

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 18th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Hey kids, just a quick reminder that this week's Xbox Live Arcade game is none other than Galaga Legions. Created by the same team that reinvented the Pac-Man formula for Pac-Man CE, Galaga Legions adds significant changes to the Galaga formula while still retaining the feel of the original. We had a chance to play it at E3 last month and we were definitely impressed. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points, Galaga Legions will hit XBLA this Wednesday.

Revealed XBLAugust prices incorrect [Update]

by Ross Miller { Jul 30th 2008 at 1:45PM }

The official Japanese Xbox 360 blog has posted prices for Xbox Live's "Summer of Arcade" series (i.e. five weeks of awesome releases). Let's review:

July 30: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (800 MS points / $10)
August 6: Braid (1200 MS points / $15)
August 13: Bionic Commando Rearmed (800 MS points / $10)
August 20: Galaga Legions (800 MS points / $10)
August 27: Castle Crashers (1800 MS points / $22.50)

At $22.50, Castle Crashers would hold the record for most expensive XBLA title. The total price for the Summer of arcade is $67.50, which is a little bit more than a standard Xbox 360 title + applicable tax. The prices are currently set for Japan only, but they generally don't differ with the North American releases. Is your wallet prepared?

Update: Microsoft tells Shacknews these prices are incorrect, and that the final prices won't be revealed until the Monday before each respective game launches.

[Via X3F]

Entire August XBLA lineup dated, Castle Crashers crashes the Arcade Aug 27th

by Dustin Burg { Jul 28th 2008 at 1:00PM }

Just a tiny while ago, Microsoft dropped an Xbox Live Arcade OMG MEGATON bomb by announcing the release dates for all upcoming XBLA games through the end of August, including The Behemoths' Castle Crashers. Just to get it out of the way, Castle Crashers will be available for purchase starting Wednesday, August 27th. It's still a month away, but we can still express our over-enthusiastic enthusiasm ... OMG MEGATON JOY! You can view the complete and golden delicious August XBLA release schedule below as well as screenshots after the break.

Also, be aware that Microsoft will be sponsoring a "Summer of Arcade" giveaway all August long and awarding hundreds of thousands of Microsoft points to gamers who try the new XBLA lineup. Castle Crashers. August 27th. Need we say more?

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

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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).

Castle Crashers, Galaga Legions, more on XBLA in 4-6 weeks

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 17th 2008 at 7:00PM }

During our guided demo of Microsoft's upcoming stable of XBLA games, Microsoft's Scott Austin informed us that all the games on display would be available in the next four to six weeks on Xbox Live Arcade. All of 'em. If you've been reading the impressions on Joystiq, you'll know that this a reason to be excited. For the record, the XBLA games being shown by Microsoft are:

We expected Microsoft to show off some cool XBLA games at E3, but we weren't expecting four to six weeks of win.

E308 hands-on: Galaga Legions

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 17th 2008 at 6:15PM }

click to embiggen

There's really no way to get around this, so here it is: Galaga Legions might as well be called Galaga Championship Edition. It's made by the same Namco team that made Pac-Man Championship Edition and it achieves the same success: reinventing an arcade classic and making it relevant again. At the same time, it is definitely still Galaga in much the same way that Pac-Man CE is still Pac-Man. It's new, it's classic, it's pretty. Period.

Continued →

E308: Xbox Live Arcade media roundup

by Xav de Matos { Jul 16th 2008 at 9:30AM }

You may be wondering why the logo for Portal: Still Alive, the recently announced XBLA exclusive title, is the headline image for this post. Well, even though Microsoft released a ton of new screens for its entire upcoming XBLA lineup this was the only image they thought we needed for Portal: Still Alive. So, it's basically our gallery. After examining the image we really think Valve nailed the look and feel of the original ... logo. Can't wait for more!

Below are the latest screens (five new screens added to the Geometry Wars 2 gallery) of the XBLA titles Microsoft is focusing on for E3 2008. Take a gander at the latest from Castle Crashers, Uno Rush, Galaga Legions, Fable 2: Pub Games, Braid and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.

Gallery: E308: Castle Crashers (XBLA)

Gallery: E308: Uno Rush (XBLA)

Gallery: E308: Galaga Legions (XBLA)

Gallery: E308: Fable 2 - Pub Games (XBLA)

Gallery: E308: Braid (XBLA)

Gallery: E308: Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 (XBLA)

Trailer-splosion! Galaga Legions, Uno Rush, South Park, Word Soup for XBLA

by Randy Nelson { Jul 15th 2008 at 8:30AM }

Grab your welding goggles – that there's a video of the XBLA-exclusive Galaga Legions, the latest update of Namco's coin-op classic. This one's being handled by the team behind Pac-Man Championship Edition, which equals eye-searing effects that are the graphical equivalent of spirit fingers.

Keep reading after the break for another salvo of videos showcasing incoming XBLA titles including Uno Rush, South Park, and Word Soup. You can take your welding goggles off for viewing those. We promise it's safe.

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