Official Xbox Live Arcade Thread

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DrDogg said:
$10 Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo on XBLA with 720p and 5.1 DD for the win!!!
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HOLY CRAP DON'T TEASE ME LIKE THAT!!!!

I read your post too fast and almost came!!!!!!!
 
puebla said:
Bill Gates is that dude.
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young%20bill%20gates%201-713763.jpg
 
DrDogg said:
$10 Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo on XBLA with 720p and 5.1 DD for the win!!!
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::sigh::....if only man, if only....
 
Did I read that right??? The Marble Blast demo supports multiplayer on XBL? Amazing! I just assumed all of the demos were SP only.

I need to stop reading about these Arcade games... now I want Marble Blast. Marble Blast> Monkey Nuts.
 
DrDogg said:
Custom soundtrack, XBL support, voice chat for XBL, 720p, 5.1 dd... the works.
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Can you, or anyone else here post some pics for what these old classic arcade games look like? I mean I don't have a clue what any of these games look like and am not familiar with any of them except a couple like Joust, BeJeweled, etc.
 
isamu said:
Can you, or anyone else here post some pics for what these old classic arcade games look like? I mean I don't have a clue what any of these games look like and am not familiar with any of them except a couple like Joust, BeJeweled, etc.
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isamu, go to that link Jesiatha posted. It has pics of all the games.
 
We've got some games live!!

In the last hour, the following games went up on Xbox Live:

-Joust
-Gauntlet
-Geometry Wars
-Bankshot Billiards
-Bejeweled 2
 
Jesiatha said:
We've got some games live!!

In the last hour, the following games went up on Xbox Live:

-Joust
-Gauntlet
-Geometry Wars
-Bankshot Billiards
-Bejeweled 2
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Jesiatha....when do you speculate we will see more, Y'know...popular arcade classics on XLA such as Capcom beat'em ups, SNK fighters, etc?
 
isamu said:
Jesiatha....when do you speculate we will see more, Y'know...popular arcade classics on XLA such as Capcom beat'em ups, SNK fighters, etc?
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Sorry, I can't comment on the upcoming portfolio. Hopefully we'll announce the next batch of games in December or January - there are some really cool ones in the pipeline :).
 
Jesiatha said:
Sorry, I can't comment on the upcoming portfolio. Hopefully we'll announce the next batch of games in December or January - there are some really cool ones in the pipeline :).
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No... we need the next batch of games announced on 11/23 please. Make it so... :lol

And while you're at it, make sure a fighting game from the 90's is in there and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo as well.

EDIT: Do not fail me...
 
Just played a half hour of the Geometry Wars 2 demo. Microsoft should be pimping this game big time. It's absolutely brilliant. An instant sale for me.
 
Jes, could you pretty please (with sugar on top!) see to it that Karate Champ makes it onto the list? Make sure they use the dual analog sticks for control also, just like the arcades did.

Ikari Warriors would be cool also, if it's not too much trouble. :D
 
DrDogg said:
And while you're at it, make sure a fighting game from the 90's is in there and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo as well.
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I emphatically agree with this post.
 
Interview with NinjaBee (Outpost Kaloki X devs):

Xb360info.com: Do you have any other titles under development for Xbox 360 besides Outpost Kaloki X? If so, what are they?

NinjaBee: We do! We’re working on another Xbox 360 title, but we unfortunately can’t talk about it yet. It’s completely different from Outpost Kaloki X, but something we’re very excited about.

Xb360info.com: What is the estimated release date for Outpost Kaloki X?

NinjaBee: Officially “launch window”, but in reality it should be very much on the early end of that window.

Xb360info.com: What are the major differences between the original Outpost Kaloki and Outpost Kaloki X?

NinjaBee: Tons of things… :) In addition to the Live-specific features above, the game features new music, new audio, new graphics, new gameplay, a very customized control scheme, serious interface additions and changes, and (more importantly) more than twice as much content as the original game, all custom-designed for the Xbox360.

Xb360info.com: What has it been like developing for the first built-in digital download system for consoles?

NinjaBee: Overall, awesome! A little rough at the start, and a little intense at the end, but we are extremely happy about having had this opportunity, and we’re thrilled with how it’s turning out.

We’re obviously confident enough in the system to be diving into our second game for Xbox 360 Live Arcade.

Xb360info.com: How did you take advantages of the new features and abilities provided by Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360?

NinjaBee: First, the game was designed to be the right scale for Live Arcade. The game has to be small enough to be easily downloaded and stored, but at the same time we wanted to cram a ton of content in, so this was a bit of a balancing act.

After that, we put a lot of time into the achievements and leaderboards, as mentioned below. We also worked hard on integrating the game with other system elements (such as the dashboard and Xbox Guide).

Finally, we’ll be releasing over time an interesting set of extra downloadable content, including new game levels and more.

Xb360info.com: What can you tell us about the importance of “badges” and awards in the game for Xbox Live users?

NinjaBee: Achievements are awesome. As you play any game, you can accomplish certain things and be rewarded with a certain number of achievements – each of these has a “Gamerscore” associated with it, so the more games you play and the more achievements you earn, the higher your personal Gamerscore becomes.

You can compare Gamerscore with other players, show them the achievements you’ve earned, compare progress on certain games, and more. Outpost Kaloki’s achievements are primarily based on passing certain sets of levels in the various stories, but there are several achievements that are earned by beating single scenarios and making certain decisions as you play.

Xb360info.com: What did you find most challenging when programming Outpost Kaloki X for the Xbox 360?

NinjaBee: Working with early libraries and tools has been somewhat challenging, but Microsoft put a superhuman amount of effort into the development process and it got a lot better very quickly, to the point where it’s the best technical development experience I’ve ever had with a console system.

Later on, what became challenging is that the Live Arcade team has set the bar high in terms of quality and feature support. The Live-specific features are very appealing to me, but implementing them all was certainly not trivial.

The up-side for gamers is that any Live Arcade game you download should have a certain level of quality and feature support that you can expect across the board.

Xb360info.com: What challenges have you found in developing a game to be completely downloadable from Xbox Live Arcade?

NinjaBee: As I mentioned earlier, we had to balance the pressure of creating a game small enough to download and store effectively with the goal of putting as much cool content into the game as possible.

This involved careful planning, compression, and unique game architecture, but we’re confident that the result is good – there’s a lot of stuff packed into this relatively small download.

Xb360info.com: Which of the increased power and abilities of the Xbox 360 console did you find most amazing and/or useful in developing Outpost Kaloki X?

NinjaBee: I personally find the Live-specific features to be some of the most compelling things about the Xbox 360, even over its raw power and graphics capability.

For example, achievements are very cool, gamerscore is cool, leaderboards are cool… This stuff is interesting and new and often appeals to us more than just the ability to make things prettier and fancier. But that’s me… always interested in the weird stuff…

We had a fun time with the 5.1-channel audio, as well, and we used the multiple processors in some interesting ways, such as doing very fast decompression of game data.

Xb360info.com: Would you rate the Xbox 360 console as “developer friendly”?

NinjaBee: Absolutely. I’ve developed for a dozen different console systems in my career, and this is the best experience I’ve ever had (after the initial problems I mentioned earlier).

I love console development, so I’m not complaining about the other systems – the N64 was something I personally really enjoyed, for instance. But working with Visual Studio, a tremendous set of debugging tools, decent (though early) documentation, and an extremely talented and dedicated support team at Microsoft – that’s hard to beat.

Xb360info.com: Will Outpost Kaloki X offer additional scenarios or levels downloadable from Xbox Live?

NinjaBee: Yes – the main game includes two entire multi-level stories and a bunch of “scenario” style levels, and in addition you’ll be able to download a number of extra levels and other content as it becomes available over the next few months.

Xb360info.com: Seeing as how Outpost Kaloki X is a downloadable game, do you believe that in the future, larger games will be available for download and optical storage mediums such as DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray will become obsolete?

NinjaBee: Sure, I naturally think larger and larger games will be downloadable, and it will become an increasingly more valid approach to distributing games.

It’s something we want to continue to be involved with in the future. However, I don’t think these hard media formats will become obsolete any time soon. I expect to be buying and developing DVD and Blu-ray games for many years.

Xb360info.com would like to thank Steve Taylor and Joe Lieberman of NinjaBee Studios for their time and dedication in answering our questions. We wish NinjaBee all the best for Outpost Kaloki X and we can’t wait to play it!
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Man, I never really had any interest in the X-Box so I skipped out on it, but all the new tech/next gen magic is starting to wear me down for the 360, even though I really shouldn't be spending that much money right now. Live Arcade is going to push me over the edge, I know it.

As soon as Capcom announces Final Fight with Live co-op or Konami with NES Contra or Super C and I'm going to crack.
 
D3VI0US said:
Man Contra with scoreboards and speedruns and online co-op would be so fucking awesome words can't even do it justice.
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While Contra is certainly a classic, Metal Slug co-op would be tons more fun IMO. Metal Slug IS the true evolutionairy successor to Contra.
 
I have a few questions.

1) There is custom soundtracks in every XBLA game, right?
2) How are the demos limited? Is it like a 10 minute time limit, or half the features, or what?
3) If my Xbox died and needed to get replaced, would I be able to download all my Live Arcade games again? Or would I have to rebuy them?

And as a request, something that would be cool is when you are downloading game demos (500+mb which would take awhile) and 720p trailers if you were able to play XBLA titles. That would be a nice way to get people who wouldn't normally use XBLA to try it out. Please pass it on to the dashboard/arcade team Jesiatha!
 
Sean said:
I have a few questions.

1) There is custom soundtracks in every XBLA game, right?
2) How are the demos limited? Is it like a 10 minute time limit, or half the features, or what?
3) If my Xbox died and needed to get replaced, would I be able to download all my Live Arcade games again? Or would I have to rebuy them?

And as a request, something that would be cool is when you are downloading game demos (500+mb which would take awhile) and 720p trailers if you were able to play XBLA titles. That would be a nice way to get people who wouldn't normally use XBLA to try it out. Please pass it on to the dashboard/arcade team Jesiatha!
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1) Yes
2) Depends on the game. Bankshot Billiards limits you to 1:30, which is about long enough to play a game of 3-ball. Bejeweled you can actually play quite a bit of before it stops.
3) No idea, but I recall hearing all XBL downloads on 360 can be redownloaded without repurchasing.

Yes it would be nice if you could download in the background, but instead you get to watch the download go by at like 25KB/s.
 
I tried some of the demos, the games are quite simple and fun. On the demo's Live Play is obviously disabled, your scores dont go on the scoreboard, and each game has their own various limitations BUT its still really fun and I suggest everyone download the demos.
 
Sean said:
3) If my Xbox died and needed to get replaced, would I be able to download all my Live Arcade games again? Or would I have to rebuy them?
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Your Arcade games (and I imagine all downloads) are linked to your gamertag this time around, not the system/box like on the original xbox. So you should be able to redownload everything on a replacement box.
 
wow I never really thought I was going to be all that interested in Arcade but after seeing those vids of GW and Mutant Storm Im sold. Joust is also gonna be a must have just for nostalgia reasons. I wonder if games like defender and frogger will show up?
 
Willy Wanka said:
Awesome. I think I'll end up spending a fortune on XBLA :(
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Well turn that frown upside down! Its a good thing. :D

BTW Teamxbox Marble Blast Ultra interview


Marble Blast Ultra Interview
By: TeamXbox Staff - "TeamXbox"
November 21st, 2005

Marble Blast Ultra (Xbox 360)

Marble Blast Ultra is the latest in the classic Marble Blast series. It is an online multiplayer arcade action masterpiece with stay-up-all-night gameplay and a level of visual polish that can only be found on Xbox 360. Suitable for players of any age, the game takes place in a futuristic 'astrolab' arena suspended high in the clouds where players compete against each other by navigating their marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, while collecting rare gems and power-up enhancements, in an effort to complete each course in record time. To add to the fun, players will compete head to head in ultra blast multiplayer mode where racing to collect gems will combine with full on marble bashing action to see who ultimately wins all the marbles. Marble Blast Ultra is scheduled to be available via download on Xbox Live Arcade around the launch of Xbox 360.


We asked Mark Frohnmayer, President of GarageGames, a few questions about his game and what we can look forward to on the Xbox Live Arcade.


Microsoft has mentioned about how Xbox Live Arcade will appeal to “grandma” as well as hardcore gamers. Is Marble Blast Ultra blue-hair friendly, and why?

Mark Frohnmayer: We actually haven't done a lot of usability testing with the older generation of gamers, so we can't say for sure, but we designed the gameplay mechanics to be accessable to hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike. During the development of the original game I spent a lot of time tweaking the marble physics and control interface to make just the rolling around aspect enjoyable. So whether you're going for the best time on the LIVE leaderboards, trying to beat down all comers on the multiplayer maps, or just rolling around, Marble Blast Ultra has something for you.


Tell us a bit more about the multiplayer aspects of Marble Blast Ultra.

Mark Frohnmayer: The object of the multiplayer game in Marble Blast Ultra is to race against up to 7 other players in order to collect as many gems as possible before the timer runs out. The levels are open arenas scattered with powerups, including the new Ultra Blast and Mega Marble multiplayer powerups. Gems spawn together in groups, and when all of the gems in a group are collected, another group of gems spawns elsewhere in the level. Because of our roots in FPS development, the play has the tight feel of an FPS deathmatch, in a form that is much easier for new users to enjoy. Even if you're late to every gem spawn, there will be a few gems left to collect. At the higher levels of play, the game becomes quite intense – we've had some serious throwdowns in the office during our multiplayer tests.

The trial version of the game allows players to play on one multiplayer map, while the full version has 10 different arenas to blast it out in.


Propellers will help you get from one place to the next.


Is there a single-player aspect to Marble Blast Ultra? If so, tell us a bit about the focus, and other key features of the solo action.

Mark Frohnmayer: In the single player game of Marble Blast Ultra, players navigate the marble through 60 progressively more challenging levels, overcoming obstacles like narrow beams, moving blocks, pinball bumpers and trapdoors, and using powerups like the gyrocopter (which lets the marble fly) and the gravity modifier. We tried to keep the overall per level play experience short and interesting – so players can easily pick up the game and jump in whereever they want.


The indie games scene appears to be following in the footsteps of the indie music scene, with “power to the devs” closely following the cry of “power to the musicians”. How is Microsoft helping to empower the garage band (or, GarageGame) mentality of entertainment media?

Mark Frohnmayer: With the Xbox360 Live Arcade, Microsoft is creating a channel that gives indie developers direct access to console gamers on a cutting edge platform. I think Microsoft wants to encourage creativity and new ideas for their console, and they know that a lot of new gameplay ideas are going to come from indie developers. I think ultimately it is great for gamers – they get to try out unique games for a very reasonable price, and for developers – it gives us a chance to get our games out to a whole new audience.

What specific hardware capabilities of the Xbox 360 help Marble Blast Ultra to be, as y’all put it, “An arcade action masterpiece”?

Mark Frohnmayer: Well, specifically the hardware is just simply smoking fast. As a baseline game platform it totally blows away anything else I've worked on. Also, working on a fixed platform has a lot of advantages over PC development – no worries about drivers, differing hardware, wonky 3rd party software and so on. Having to fight less with the hardware makes it easier for us to focus on making the game itself fun to play.


As an indie game developer, how do you feel about the Xbox Live Arcade framework in general?


Mark Frohnmayer: I think it's great. Being able to download fully playable games from within the console UI is a huge step forward in console gaming, and the integration with the rest of the system and Live features is just really slick.


Does XLA have the ability to revolutionize the console genre? If so, how?

Mark Frohnmayer: Because of the smaller title scope and smaller budgets, independent developers publishing on XLA can take risks on interesting creative game concepts that the larger publishers and developers would be afraid to invest in. I think the Live Arcade is where some real cutting edge innovation will take place in the console space.


Don't get too close to that edge.


What will be the main draw of Marble Blast Ultra (if you had to pick just one)?

Mark Frohnmayer: Pick up and play fun! We spent a lot of time making the basics of just rolling within the game enjoyable, and then built the rest of the game on that foundation. It's the enjoyment of that simple mechanic that will draw people in. And then there's the seriously crazy fun multiplayer blast fest to keep them there.


It seems like the marketeers of the gaming world feel that only hardcore gamers desire marathon play sessions. Does Marble Blast Ultra fall into that “quick pop” gaming session that is the proposed trend of the near-future?

Mark Frohnmayer: As a former hardcore gamer I can remember what it was like to have 4 hours a day to dedicate to my favorite games. I just don't have that kind of spare time anymore, and so I don't even play games that I think will require that kind of investment. We designed Marble Blast Ultra so that players could jump in for 15 minutes and have a full, if short, play experience. Of course hardcore gamers will find that they can play both the single player and multiplayer games for hours on end, whether trying to top out on the Live leaderboards or just beat down all comers in the multiplayer arenas.


Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
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Jes, or anyone who has played these games, I have a question for you. Do any of these games have multiplayer support for more than two people? I was thinking of stuff like Billiards (which looks awesome btw) working with 5-6 people in a lobby, and when two people are playing, the others can watch. Then at the end of the game, another two people play or the winner stays on etc. Will this sort of thing be done in the future if it's not available in the launch games? I'd love to play stuff like Billiards online but obviously it's limited to 1 on 1, and I play on XBox Live with at least five people at a time
 
You and me both buddy.

How do you buy Marketplace Cash online? I keep seeing places to redeem vouchers but not just "buy points!" The solution is probably simple but I thought I'd ask anyways.
 
DopeyFish said:
where's smash tv?! :< :< :<

i wanted to buy it just now and it's not there
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Yeah, I wondered too. It's that I want it or anything, it's that I need it.

I have the 79th ranked score on Geometry Wars. I guess that's not bad for about 30 minutes of playing last night. It's quite an addictive little game.
 
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