Joystiq

XBLA weeklong 'blowout' sale includes SSFIITHDR, Lumines & Age of Booty

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:57:00 EST

No joke -- several solid Xbox Live Arcade titles have been temporarily discounted, most by 50 percent, today through April 7. A few of the notable victims of this price slaughter include:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix ($7) -- 53% off
Lumines LIVE ($5) -- 50% off
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! ($5) -- 50% off

Check out the full list of XBLA cost casualties after the break.

Continue reading XBLA weeklong 'blowout' sale includes SSFIITHDR, Lumines & Age of Booty

XBLA weeklong 'blowout' sale includes SSFIITHDR, Lumines & Age of Booty originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumines coming to iPhone, console versions getting price cut

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST

According to a recent dispatch from Q Entertainment producer (and former EGM editor-in-chief) James Mielke, a huge marketing push for Lumines is set to kick off in September. As part of this bold movement, both Lumines Live and Lumines Supernova are set to have their prices cut in the near future -- but arguably more exciting is the news that the trance-inducing puzzler will be making its way to the iPhone sometime in September or early October.

Though an exact release date and price have yet to be announced, Mielke did confirm that the game would hit the App Store with brand new skins and music. Awesome -- nothing makes early morning commutes go by faster than a good case of rhythmic synesthesia.

Lumines coming to iPhone, console versions getting price cut originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mizuguchi's XBLA games compiled in Q3 "Cubed" compilation

Dustin Burg — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade

More new coming from today's Atari press conference is word that game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi will be releasing all three of his Xbox Live Arcade games to retail as a compilation disc. This Arcade compilation will be called Q³ (Cubed) and will include Lumines Live!, Every Extend Extra Extreme as well as Rez HD and include all DLC associated with each title.

Pricing for the compilation will be €30 (around $40), but a firm release date has yet to be confirmed. Expect early 2009.

[Via Joystiq]

Mizuguchi's XBLA games compiled in Q3 "Cubed" compilation originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atari announces Mizuguchi's 'QJ' for Wii, 'Q3' compilation

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

Atari is banking on Tetsuya Mizuguchi's next project, a music game with the working title "QJ," to reestablish the celebrated developer at the top of his, uh, game -- or to strike a chord with Wii owners, at least. The publisher announced today that it will bring Q Entertainment's QJ to Wii, but omitted further details. Marching behind a string of Lumines sequels, Mizuguchi has stumbled offbeat with his last several experiments, including Ninety-Nine Nights, Gunpey and Every Extend Extra Extreme. But QJ's music foundation suggests that Mizuguchi could be drumming up renewed inspiration from his own cult classic, Space Channel 5.

Additionally, Atari announced the Q³ ("Cubed") compilation disc for Xbox 360, which will include Mizuguchi's XBLA games: Every Extend Extra Extreme, Lumines Live and Rez HD, along with all released DLC. The collection has been given a tentative price of €30 (roughly $40) and has yet to be dated for release.

Atari announces Mizuguchi's 'QJ' for Wii, 'Q3' compilation originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumines Supernova to fall this fall on PSN

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Puzzle

We're doubtful the release of Lumines Supernova on PSN this fall will be met with the sort of stellar explosion the game's title implies, but a revered action puzzler -- with "block-dropping beats" to back it up -- can only be a good thing for PlayStation 3's downloadable games service. Still, there's not much about Supernova that could justify a purchase for current owners of one (or more!) of the franchise's iterations aside from a pair of new modes:

Dig Down Mode: Using the falling blocks, erase squares from a playfield already filled with blocks as you dig down to the bottom. Show off your digging skills as your completion time is ranked based on clearing 20 consecutive stages.
Sequencer Mode: Create your own background music using the sound loops provided in the "Sound Bank" -- drums, bass, synthesizer 1, synthesizer 2, and effects each come with 20 different loops.

In addition, Supernova will feature 40 unlockable skins in Challenge Mode, plus Skin Edit, Time Attack, and Puzzle / Mission modes, and a 2-player versus mode. Q Entertainment has yet to set a firm release date or price for Lumines Supernova, but it does appear to be a more complete game than the core experience on Xbox Live Arcade.

Gallery: Lumines Supernova

Lumines Supernova to fall this fall on PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oblivion, Band of Bugs and Lumines DLC deets

Dustin Burg — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: News, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace

There's a couple of games getting new content today, so rather than spread the details across numerous posts (that'll only leave some dazed and confused) we've bundled all the new downloadable content news right here.

Today, Oblivion fans can get access to their own castle with the free The Fighter's Stronghold expansion download. Just be sure to keep your newly accessible living quarters clean and fresh. XBLA game Band of Bugs is also feeling the DLC love today with a the new 250 Microsoft point Ninja Sticks of Fury expansion that adds new achievements, a new shadowy character and more challenges to the Band of Bugs universe. Finally, Lumines Live! owners will be getting a new 400 Microsoft point Rockin' Holiday Pack expansion and two free skins ("Heavenly Star" and "Breeze") this Wednesday. Don't own Lumines Live! you say, well good news for you, because it was also announced that starting this Wednesday Lumines Live! will be permanently discounted to 800 Microsoft points. Smile.

Read - Oblivion The Fighter's Stronghold DLC
Read - Band of Bugs Ninja Sticks of Fury DLC
Read - Lumines Live! DLC and discount pricing

Oblivion, Band of Bugs and Lumines DLC deets originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download new Lumines Live! content, save the world

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Puzzle, Rhythm

Lumines Live! (that's the name, we're not shouting) debuted on Xbox Live Arcade last October in a fragmented state, chopped apart by the 50MB file size limit enforced at the time. With several of the game's modes offered as optional and costly additions, it quickly became the hideous poster child for monstrous microtransactions. If you still feel that way, look away before we discuss two new downloadable content packs, one of which is designed to save the Earth.

Q Entertainment has announced that purchases of the SOS Charity Campaign Pack made between June 27th and July 17th will go towards climate protection organizations and causes. A remix of "Heavenly Star", the embarrassingly catchy tune by Japanese group Genki Rockets, is included in the pack as a celebration of the group's upcoming appearance at Al Gore's Live Earth musical event. If you haven't heard the song yet, consider that Lumines and Rez designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi came up with it as an answer to the question, "What kind of song would a 17-year old girl from outer space who has never landed on Earth sing to those living on Earth?"

For 350 MS Points (a rather awkward $4 and 37 and a half cents), you'll also receive "House66" by Sugiurumn, "Cosmic Humming" by Muku and the excellent "4x4 Bricks" by Techriders. Joining the SOS Charity Campaign pack on June 27th is the Booster Pack, more suited to those happy to sit in front of the TV and rearrange squares while the world outside melts. The Booster Pack contains 20 additional skins and features a "must-see" collaboration between Lumines, "Bloomy Girls" and Japanese "visual artist/musician" Masakatsu Takagi. It'll set you back 600 MS Points, or $7.50 in your pre-apocalyptic Earth money.

[via Q Entertainment press release]

Download new Lumines Live! content, save the world originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What are you playing: FINISH HIM edition

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Xbox Live, Fan stuff, Xbox Live Arcade

Another Friday, another edition of -- say it with me now - "What are you playing?" Personally, I've been playing a lot of Xbox Live Arcade lately. All these titles in the last month or so, it feels like an embarrassment of riches. So, this weekend, I'll be playing UMK3, DOOM, Lumines (yeah, I can't help it), and even getting some achievements for Cloning Clyde. I may sprinkle in some LEGO Star Wars II and some Enchanted Arms, too.

On a side note, I don't know how many of you have gotten Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but I had forgotten how incredibly cheap the AI is. It's terrible. It's not just cheap, it's the kind of cheap programming that allows CPU players to cut corners that human players can't. For instance, computers can skip frames of animation so that they can react faster -- like jump kicking you even though you started your jump kick first, etc. It's maddening. And, for the record, Shao Kahn may be the cheapest boss ever.

How about all of you? Hmmmm? What will you be playing this weekend?

What are you playing: FINISH HIM edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumines Live is lacking in modes

Ross Miller — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:33:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Puzzle, Business

So we paid the 1200 MS points ($15) for Lumines Live, knowing we will later have to purchase the Advanced Pack (600 MS points) to complete the deal. We load it up and play a couple of rounds in basic mode (we're proud of our 27,000 high score). We know advanced mode won't work yet for aforementioned reasons.

We play mission mode ... for five levels. The rest will cost extra.

We play puzzle mode ... for five levels. The rest will cost extra.

We play VS CPU ... for ten levels. The rest will cost extra.

According to the obnoxious messages, XBLM will soon be home to a Mission/Puzzle pack and a VS CPU pack. Assuming those cost about as much as the Advanced Pack (600 MS points apiece), we're looking at a total package of 3,000 MS points ($37.50). For reference, the Lumines II for PSP and Lumines Plus for PS2 are only $29.99 each. The Xbox Live version, then, is only worth it if you have no interest whatsoever in two of the extra packs.

Microtransactions and a la carte gaming are the new business models (one that EA has embraced with open wallets), but we don't always have to like it. Make up your own mind if $7.50 more is worth the Xbox Live experience.

Lumines Live is lacking in modes originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stop crying, Lumines Live! hits XBLA tomorrow [update 2]

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Puzzle, Rhythm

About frackin' time news now, with the announcement that tomorrow's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than Tetsuya Mizuguchi's plummeting block opus, Lumines Live!. Priced at 1200 MS Points ($15), the game features 12 different skins (or levels, for the uninitiated), 5.1 surround sound, online multiplayer, a bevy of single-player modes and a vaguely inspirational message transmitted through pulsating lights and spinning squares. So, what happened to all that stuff you had to buy seperately?

It's called the Advance Pack. An optional download costing 600 MS Points ($7.50) will add 22 more skins into the game -- and that's it. Considering the value of HD graphics and enhanced sound in a game which heavily relies on hypnotic presentation, $22.50 for a new Lumines title with 34 skins doesn't seem like a terrible deal, certainly not to those still addicted to the original game. Of course, not being able to play it on the bus may come as a significant loss to you, not to mention the curious fact that the main game has fewer skins than the add-on.

Stack blocks and defy sweeping timelines (if you're so inclined) on Xbox Live Arcade from Wednesday morning, 1:00AM PDT (0800 GMT). The full press release is embedded after the break.

[Update 1: Now includes interview with Mark Coates, program manager for Xbox Live Arcade.]
[Update 2: The Advance Pack is nowhere to be seen. Major Nelson says it'll arrive at a "later date."]

Continue reading Stop crying, Lumines Live! hits XBLA tomorrow [update 2]

Stop crying, Lumines Live! hits XBLA tomorrow [update 2] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free Poker next week

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:24:00 EST

Filed under: Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace

Sure, the only Live Arcade item we're getting this week is Cloning Clyde pictures, but next week we get free poker. That's right, folks, Texas Hold 'em will be free after all (thanks to the most pathetic petition ever?). There's a catch, though. You've got to download the game within the first 48 hours of its availability. Which brings us to an important question. What happens if the download starts in the first 48 hours but then hangs at 99%? Is it still free? Hopefully, none of us will have to find out.

What's more, it looks like our previous report on the upcoming lineup of games was right on the money. Texas Hold 'em (Free, see above) will hit on August 23rd, followed by Time Pilot (400 points) on August 30th, and Scramble (400 points) on September 6th. And Lumines? September 13th we hope.

[Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Free Poker next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumines Live multiplayer blocked by micropayments [update 1]

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Puzzle, Business

Kikizo Games reports that Lumines Live's base package -- which will likely cost 1200 Microsoft points ($15) -- will not include Xbox Live multiplayer. The game's creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, recently detailed plans to sell multiplayer support as a separate add-on, although he added that the decision had not been finalized. Lumines Live will also feature licensed music and backgrounds available through premium downloads.

The original Lumines debuted on the PSP for $40, suggesting that the base price of Lumines Live is a bargain. But charging us extra for multiplayer is a slippery slope and could usher in a series of cannibalized games crowding the casual (and cheap) atmosphere of Xbox Live Arcade.

[Update 1: Ross Erickson, the "Worldwide Games Portfolio Manager" for Xbox Live Arcade, let us know that the Lumines micropayment story is "not true." He said the same to sister-site Xbox 360 Fanboy. So, there you go. No more worrying, m'kay?]

Lumines Live multiplayer blocked by micropayments [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade

Christopher Grant — Tue, 09 May 2006 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, E3

Peter Moore just announced that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's formerly PS(P and 2)-exclusive title, Lumines, is heading to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of Lumines Live. What's new? The music-heavy title will feature Warner Music Group's content integrated into the game. Their example showed a Madonna video playing behind the game.

Sony got to borrow some XBL action, all Microsoft's doing is playing catch-up.

Lumines Live to hit Xbox Live Arcade originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 May 2006 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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