mad tracks posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Developer Load Inc. has a thing for bite-sized vehicles, having already released the diminutive XBLA racer Mad Tracks, and while that failed to inspire much interest from the gaming press there's something to be said for a company that sticks with its passion. Now the studio is working on a second toy car-based project called Things on Wheels, which will be published by SouthPeak Games over Xbox Live Arcade and the PC this summer.

Details are light, though SouthPeak notes that the game will feature "non-linear track design," as players race radio-controlled cars from room to room in an "expansive virtual house." It all sounds interesting, though honestly, when it comes to games based around toys, these sorts of announcements just remind us how much we want a sequel to Toy Commander.

Racing onto the Marketplace is a new expansion pack for Mad Tracks ever so accurately named Encore. The Encore expansion pack will set you back 350 Microsoft points and includes nine additional races and six new mini games. So, the new expansion should give you nearly double the amount of content in Mad Tracks and may just be worth the extra bucks. Unless you're against Mad Tracks, downloadable content, or spending money ... then steer clear of this one.

Team Xbox is saying that a patch is now available for all those affected by the Mad Tracks bug. The bug caused players to be stuck in the demo version of the game even after they'd paid for the full version. This bug seemed to only affect players who played the demo long enough to enjoy the game to the point where they'd pay to unlock more and then got stuck with a fully paid demo version of the game.

At the time Denis Bourdain, developer of Mad Tracks, said, "Only a minority of Xbox users suffered from this annoying bug. That explains why we did not 'warn' or 'pulled' the game from the marketplace ... We'd like to express our utmost apologies to everyone." A week and a half to fix a pretty annoying bug which people paid $10 for isn't the worst turnaround time imaginable (hello Assault Heroes), but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. That's what certification is for.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

TeamXbox is reporting that a patch has just been released for Mad Tracks that fixes the progression problem that has plagued some gamers. If you don't recall, soon after Mad Tracks launched onto the XBLA players who downloaded the trial and then bought the final game discovered a bug that wouldn't allow any progression through the game. But today a patch has been released that fixes the problem with all bugs squashed and promptly removed. The title update will automatically download the next time you load up Mad Tracks.

Some Mad Tracks purchasers are reporting that they can't progress through new levels or unlock new mini games. The bug, discovered over on the Xbox.com forums, occurs when the trial game is first downloaded and then upgraded with a purchase. For some reason the game still thinks it's the trial version even though the 800 Microsoft points have been plopped down. Though, the good news is that a fix is nearly in place as Mad Tracks developer Slyben hopped on Xboxic's forums to tell everyone that a patch has been made and it's sitting in Microsoft's hands. So, it should only be a few days until the patch releases. But we can't help but feel for our fellow Mad Tracks enthusiasts who, upon downloading the trial and then purchasing the game, can't get their full Mad Tracks experience. Patience ...

Apparently this week's XBLA release Mad Tracks has a bug in it and it's a bad one. Some gamers are unable to unlock further levels in the game even after beating stages appropriately. Turns out, according to most reports on the Xbox forums so far, that the bug has something to do with downloading the trial version first and then unlocking the full game. The developer, Load Inc., and Microsoft are aware of the issue. The game continues to be sold for 800 MS points ($10) on the marketplace without any warning to consumers.

The developer has apparently discovered where the problem lies with them and is working on a fix to the issue. There is no word on when a patch will be implemented. For now it looks like those who have already been caught in the trap can play their game using a different profile (it seems to work that way). If you're looking to play Mad Tracks but don't want to be affected by the bug, the safe course of action seems to be to download the full game without the trial. Once again, that's forum speculation, all that's known for certain is that there is some bug with Mad Tracks and the developer is looking into fixing it.

[Thanks Chris]

Buying a new Xbox Live Arcade game can be a harrowing experience. Even if a trial version blows you away, you can never be sure that the full game will be as impressive. For instance, what if it turns out that the full game is only three levels long? Tough luck, buddy. Them MS Points is gone. Given this unpredictable nature, we're always happy to give someone the chance to win an Arcade game for free. Well, technically Gamertag Radio is giving it away, but let's not split hairs, shall we? Specifically, they're giving away a free copy of Mad Tracks. Head over to GTR for your chance to win. Remember kids, 800 MS Points saved is 800 MS Points earned.

Fans of tiny racing rejoice! Mad Tracks is now available on Xbox Live Arcade. The game is based on the concept of toy cars. Specifically, the game involves pull-back-and-release cars. You remember those, right? You pull them back and then watch them zip off the table, Thelma & Louise style. What, you didn't play Thelma & Louise? Maybe that was just us. Anyway, it's an interesting concept and a racer of any stripe is certainly welcome on XBLA. The game features both single-player and online multiplayer. It can all be yours for 800 MS Points. Has anyone out there taken it for a spin yet?

Just as rumored, Mad Tracks will be racing its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade promptly tomorrow morning. Mad Tracks is that overly joyful arcade style racing game that includes twelve cartoony cars, fifteen challenges, powerups galore, and four player co-op over Live. It's one game that we're looking forward to getting our hands on as we're excited to see how well it plays with three other friends over Xbox Live. Oh, and if we haven't mentioned, all this Mad Tracks fun will only set you back 800 Microsoft points.

So, there you have it. You've officially been informed about your XBLA fix for the week. Now you can get back to pondering how to cure the common cold.

With the rumor of a possible release this week, GamingTalkHQ dug up some new Mad Tracks info including pictures of all twelve cars and Load Inc.'s plans for the game's gamer picture and theme offerings. Off the bat Mad Tracks purchasers will receive two free gamer pictures and three sets of five gamer pictures will offered for 100 Microsoft points each. There will also be a Mad Tracks theme available for 150 points. Nothing too surpising there. Much more interesting are the renders of all twelve cars from the game, which you can check out after the jump. Our favorite? The Palace, because it's so darn sophisticated yet rebellious at the same time.

It was revealed just over a week ago that Mad Tracks, from developer Load Inc., had passed certification and had been priced at a cool 800 points. According to GamingTalkHQ, Mad Tracks may be coming out sooner than expected. How much sooner? How about next week? It seems that Xboxic reported yesterday that "anonymous sources inside Microsoft" had confirmed that the game will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade next week. Following up on this report, GamingTalkHQ decided to IM Load Inc. VP, Denis Bourdain. It was then that GamingTalkHQ noticed Bourdain's away message: "Save Your MS points for next week." It may not be official confirmation, but it's as close as we're going to get before Microsoft decides to send out the press releases.

Have any fanboys out there been looking forward to Mad Tracks?

Yesterday, Developer Load Inc. announced that XBLA title Mad Tracks has passed the infamous Microsoft certification. Though, they still have yet to settle on a firm release date, but it should be safe to say that Mad Tracks will be tearing up the Arcade within' a month or so. Load Inc. also went on to announce that Mad Tracks will be available for 800 Microsoft points when released. Anyone been looking forward to getting some hands on time with the game?

[Thanks, Alex Gold]

Mad Tracks, the arcade racer by Load Inc., has passed Xbox Live Arcade certification according to the company's website. GamingTalkHQ has confirmed that the title will be 800 points ($10 USD). According to Denis Bourdain of Load Inc. the game currently has no expected release date.

If you're looking to get a taste of what Mad Tracks has in store for XBLA, you can always test drive the game on Load Inc.'s website. Another great little multiplayer independent title for XBLA can't hurt.

Perhaps you've heard of Puzzle Quest. The game has caused quite a stir among DS fanboys the world over. If you're not up to speed on the game, suffice it to say that it is a hybrid puzzle game/RPG. No, that's not a joke. It's an RPG in which combat is decided by rounds of Bejeweled. Strange as it sounds, the game has managed to round up some impressive review scores. What does all of this have to do with the Xbox 360 you ask? Simple, D3 Publisher, publisher of Puzzle Quest, is bringing the title to Xbox Live Arcade. They're also behind Mad Tracks and RocketBowl (take that, Wii Sports!). While no official details about the game have been revealed, we can only assume that Puzzle Quest will feature online versus play.

Expect to start seeing D3Publisher games on Xbox Live Arcade this year.

[Via Joystiq]

Xbox360Achievements released not only the achievements for upcoming XBLA game Mad Tracks, but also got a few questions answered in their forums. Denis, lead developer of Mad Tracks, answered some questions from fans about the game, but didn't spill any beans on an official release date. Rest a little, look at some achievements, read a few responses ... you know how we roll on New Year's Day.

[Thanks, DaKing240]