Official Xbox Live Arcade Thread

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xbhaskarx said:
So then can we also get Burnout Paradise please?
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That is up to Microsoft, if they are going to rip-off aspects of the Playstation Network, let it be the good ones and not the non-confomist bullshit that NCAA pulled.
 
Hudson Entertainment to Recruit Soldiers for New Generation of Military Madness
Classic TurboGrafx-16 Strategy Game Returns to Digital Download Platforms with Updated Features and Gameplay

San Mateo, Calif. – March 23, 2009 – Ten-hut! Military Madness, the classic turn-based strategy game published by Hudson Entertainment, the North and South American publishing arm of HUDSON SOFT, is coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®Network, and WiiWare™. This new version of the strategic combat simulation game includes an all-new graphical barrage, a regiment of new units, online co-op and vs. multiplayer and a platoon of other new features. Due to be ready for deployment this summer, Military Madness has been rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

“Since its original release on TurboGrafx-16 in 1989, Military Madness has stood the test of time as one of the longest-lived turn-based strategy games in history,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “The new Military Madness will give fans of the original a modern version of this classic strategy game, while gamers new to the series will get to enjoy being armchair generals for the first time.”

With new features such as the commander unit, four person online multiplayer gaming and a 3D view of the battlefield, Miltary Madness has been modernized to meet the needs of today’s gamer without straying from the strategic elements that earned the original version awards for the “Best Military Strategy Game” and “Best War Game” within a year of its release. For those who want to know who is the “best of the best”, detailed stat-tracking leaderboards can be reviewed online.
 
http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/964/964850p1.html

Wallace & Gromit Hands-on
The popular clay movie stars are set to embark on a grand adventure.
by Erik Brudvig

March 20, 2009 - Wallace & Gromit, the lovable clay duo, are soon finding their way to the world of videogames in the form of a series of episodic adventure games. Telltale Games, the group behind Sam & Max and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, are at the helm ensuring that Wallace and his canine friend Gromit make a smooth transition from clay to the digital world. Whether you're a fan of adventure games or just like the Wallace & Gromit movies, this one is looking to be worth playing.

We recently got to try our hands at the first of four Wallace & Gromit episodes on the way. This one is titled "Fright of the Bumblebees" and it follows Wallace's somewhat inept attempts at starting up a business that sells honey. Things get out of hand quickly when, rather than producing large flowers to feed his bees, Wallace mistakenly creates giant bees. The action starts off slow with morning breakfast and a mischievous squirrel, but we're told by the end of the 5 or 6 hour game you'll find Wallace in a heap of crazy trouble. Naturally, Gromit will save the day.

Click here to watch a video of Wallace and Gromit.
Playing through Wallace & Gromit isn't so different from any classic point and click adventure. To progress, you'll have to explore each room and look for ways to solve puzzles that will allow you to move on to the next plot point. The good news is that Telltale Games has adapted this property particularly well to make it stand out from the crowd. If you're playing on PC, you have two options for how to control the action. You can opt for the standard cursor that most other adventure games use or you can plug in a controller and play how those on the home console will experience Wallace & Gromit. With a gamepad, you take direct control of either Wallace or Gromit (depending on the situation) and move around the room exploring.

As it turns out, giving direct control to the player does much more than simply make the game feel more action oriented. In most point and click adventure games, the camera needs to remain pulled out and fairly static to allow people to explore the area and work towards solving puzzles. By allowing you to move Wallace or Gromit around the room, Telltale was able to give a more cinematic feel to the game -- one that matches the source material quite well.

If you love the wacky duo, or have even just seen one of the movies they star in, you'll find that a lot of painstaking work was done to match this game to the feel of the movies. The art style, though not created with clay, matches the source material quite well. The animations, even down to which mouth shapes are used while Wallace talks, are spot on. There were even a few steps taken that go against the grain of traditional game design. Telltale Games deliberately lowered the frame rate to make the movements more like the jerky animations you get in a claymation film.

The first episode of the Wallace & Gromit Adventures, Fright of the Bumblebees, will release March 24 for PC. The successive episodes will be put up for sale in the following months through July. On Xbox 360, the time frame for each episode to be put up for sale has not yet been nailed down, though Telltale is aiming for the first episode to come out in May.
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Gather Your Wednesday Night Game Crew! UNO RUSH™ Hits Xbox LIVE® Arcade

Fasten your Xbox LIVE headsets and get ready to shout “UNO!” Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, March 25, “UNO RUSH” takes the classic game everyone loves and turns up the speed, volume, and heat.

Think fast and stay on your toes – when you’re up, your cards will be played automatically. Keep an eye on your opponent’s cards, predict the flow of play, and sort your own hand in the best possible order for the ultimate defeat. Be your virtual-self! Play “UNO RUSH” as your own Avatar with up to four-players in the same room or with anyone around the globe over Xbox LIVE.

“UNO RUSH” is a part of the Days of Arcade program on Xbox LIVE Arcade, which features seven of this season’s hottest pick-up-and-play games. Published and developed by Microsoft “UNO RUSH” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide. The game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on “UNO RUSH” please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/u/unorushxboxlivearcade/

*Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for online multiplayer.
 
mujun said:
oh no :O so early impressions from geekbox are true..? the jumpgate hacking spoils the game??
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Did you miss the Galaxtrix thread? It's been out on PC for a while (and DS but apparently that version has even more problems), and jumpgate hacking (and a couple other things) apparently really ruins the experience.
 
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Diner-Dash-Rushes-To-WiiWare-XBL-PSN-16380.html

Diner Dash announced

As if no one seen this coming? One of the most memorable, fan-favorite indie games of all time is finally coming to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and the WiiWare platform. I’m actually somewhat shocked it took this long to get the game on the big-three’s online arcade platforms.

“We’re delighted to bring Flo and Diner Dash to new gen consoles for the first time,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “Players have fallen in love with the award-winning series because of its quirky characters and fast-paced fun.”

The real kicker is that Diner Dash for the new consoles will be in 3D! Whoa, bet you didn’t see that one coming? The game will still maintain its fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay and casual-friendly approach. The game will also sport some new multiplayer features, including 1-on-1 head-to-head bouts and team modes sporting up to 8 players. The game is due to hit the respective platforms this summer.
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Xbox LIVE Arcade is proud to announce the best games of 2008 thanks to the Xbox LIVE community’s votes in the 2nd Annual Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards!

Crowd favorite “Castle Crashers,” developed by The Behemoth, remains number one in fans’ hearts and wins the top honor of Best Game of the Year along with awards for Best Original Game and Best Co-op Mode.

Some classics never die. “Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix,” published by Capcom, also takes home the top brass in three categories: Best Versus Mode, Best Remake, and Best Graphics.

Adding to its trophy cabinet, “Braid” designed by Jonathan Blow, receives notable praise for creativity winning Best Innovation; everyone’s favorite artificial intelligence GLaDOS proves she’s not going anywhere as “Portal: Still Alive” developed by Valve wins Best Single Player; and “A Kingdom for Keflings” developed by Ninja Bee, shows that people love to play as their Avatar, taking home “Best Family Game.”

All winners were determined by the Xbox LIVE community’s popular vote, who turned out in impressive numbers.185,000 members casted their votes for the biggest and best games of 2008.

And the Xbox LIVE Arcade Award goes to…

Game of the Year:

Castle Crashers

Best Versus Mode:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Best Single Player Game:

Portal: Still Alive

Best Remake:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Best Original Game:

Castle Crashers

Best Innovation:

Braid

Best Graphics:

Super Street Fight II Turbo HD Remix

Best Family Game:

A Kingdom for Keflings

Best Co-op Mode:

Castle Crashers
 
So UNO rush this week for 800pts, I'll probably bite, but again the 800pts confirms my theory of the paradigm shift.

Games which would have been 400 now 800, 800 now 1200, 1200 now 1600.

I know it's subjective to say what games should be priced at what, then again,

UNO was 400 now 800 for UNO 2

Though Peggle for 800 surprised me I was expecting 1200, so maybe there's hope.

Portal is what I expect for 1200,
Though I bit for Street fighter, Braid and Castle Crashers, all three should have 800pts in my opinion (puts on flame suit)

Also overpriced in my opinion:
Watchmen at 1600
Death Tank 1200,
R-Type Dimensions 1200
FunTown Mahjong 800
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Price: 1200

List goes on... I just hope this isn't a bad trend going to carry on...

As for Hasbro that is just a different monster of piss taking in my opinion.
 
Didn't someone here say that uno rush was stated at 400 not 800? I guess I'll just wait till Dishwasher comes out, although watch that come out at 1200.
 
george21000 said:
Didn't someone here say that uno rush was stated at 400 not 800? I guess I'll just wait till Dishwasher comes out, although watch that come out at 1200.
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That was the price point revealed way back when the game was first announced, obviously things changed.
 
george21000 said:
Didn't someone here say that uno rush was stated at 400 not 800? I guess I'll just wait till Dishwasher comes out, although watch that come out at 1200.
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Yep I think the same too, which is a shame, I had 1200pts saved hoping for Dishwasher (800) Uno Rush for (400)

Now it's either Uno and Feeding Frenzy, or Dishwasher...

I hope I'm wrong...
 
Shard said:
That was the price point revealed way back when the game was first announced, obviously things changed.
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sure, they cut primetime and added avatars to classic uno ;)

so, in other words, uno rush is worth far lass than it was when they announced it at 400 points. score!
 
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173421

Star Trek D.A.C's promotional insert reveal didn't leave us with many details. In fact, we didn't even know what "DAC" stood for, and for the most part, we still don't. But thanks to Naked Sky Entertainment CEO Joshua Glazer, Star Trek associate producer David Baranoff and Paramount Digital Entertainment senior producer Benjamin Hoyt, we at least know a bit more about the game.

According to *******, DAC will feature online multiplayer that allows 12 players to take on another in two teams of six, with the Federation taking on the Romulans. There will also be a co-op mode where you can team up and take out AI bots.

As for the gameplay, it'll be a "top-down 3D space shooter" that requires a fair amount of strategy to be successful. Interested? More details after that jump.

As you might expect from a top-down 3D space shooter, the action will be very much arcade-style, with players required to complete different strategic objectives. There will also be resource gathering, ship upgrading and space power-ups.

Apparently, J.J. Abrams has been involved in the game's development, issuing notes with orders like "Include more SFX from the movie!" And as you might expect from a game so closely linked to a movie, it will be hitting "near" the movie's launch on May 8. It won't be a simultaneous launch though, as the PlayStation Network game will be following "soon after" the Xbox Live Arcade version.

If all of this sounds iffy to you, or you're still gunshy after Watchmen: The End is Nigh, you'll also be happy to know that there will be a demo. But something tells me that the Trekkies around the world celebrating Star Trek's return won't be needing it.
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http://www.gamerbytes.com/2009/03/halfbrick_announce_raskulls_to.php

Halfbrick Announce Raskulls For XBLA

While Halfbrick have revealed that they are currently working on releasing 4 new XNA Community Games, they are also working on an Xbox Live Arcade title - Raskulls.

Cited as a mixture of racing, combat and puzzle strategy, players will take control of these little Raskulls will race to the finish through block based environments, destroying everything in their path. It will feature a lengthy single player campaign and several multiplayer modes.

The website only shows a few pieces of artwork, but the cute little skull characters certainly look appealing. Hopefully we'll see some screenshots of it soon.
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http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/966/966332p1.html

March 25, 2009 - Compared to Bonk or Bomberman, Military Madness probably isn't one of Hudson's more recognizable franchises. It does have a long history, though, going back to the TurboGrafx-16. The original was remade for PlayStation in 1998, and is now being remade again for current console digital distribution services. Military Madness is a hex-based and turn-based strategy game set on the moon. This summer's remake will feature the same story and maps as the original, but the visuals are getting a 3D polish.

The single-player campaign can be played on normal or advanced difficulty. Advanced uses the same maps but ups the enemy count. Everything is rendered in 3D now so players can zoom in for a close look at the battlefield and rotate the map. We were playing the game on an Xbox 360, where the L stick rotated the screen, the R stick zoomed in and out, and the D-pad moved our selection icon around the grid.

No new units have been added for this remake. Players will have at their disposal tanks, infantry, and long-range vehicles. A battle is won when either the enemy is decimated or its headquarters is captured. Like other games of this sort, adjacent allies will provide a support boost when you attack or defend. Your surviving units will level up and become more powerful over time.

Up to four players (or AI armies) can skirmish in local and online multiplayer. Strategy games can sometimes drag on for too long in multiplayer matches, so Hudson is adding the ability to set turn length or a maximum number of game turns -- when all turns are up, the player with the most points wins. We will also be able to use powerful commander units in multiplayer, and customize them with 20 special abilities. In player matches, all of these abilities will be available to every player. But in ranked matches, half will need to be earned.

The visuals we saw were decent but not impressive – perhaps because they were programmed for both the Wii and the HD consoles. We also worry that, at least on the 360, navigating the grid with the D-pad could become tedious. But this series does have a strong strategy pedigree and has received positive reviews in the past.

Hudson says Military Madness will be identical on all three platforms, except for a few multiplayer maps that didn't make it into the WiiWare version. You can relive this classic or experience it for the first time this summer.
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ESRB Watch:

Fritz Chess

Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Rating: Everyone

Content descriptors: Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes

Rating summary: This is a chess simulation game with varying levels of difficulty, practice options, and single player or multiplayer modes. There is also an "Adventure Chess" story mode in which players compete against various regal characters (e.g., a knight, a jester, and a queen). The queen character is depicted wearing a dress that exposes her cleavage, and in one animation she thrusts her chest toward the screen. Expletives appear in some of the dialogue (e.g., "You scared the hell out of me" and "scumbag").


Wolfenstein 3D Activision-Blizzard Mature Blood and Gore, Violence Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Altered Beast

Platform: Xbox 360

Rating: Everyone 10+

Content descriptors: Fantasy Violence

Rating summary: This is a side-scrolling action game in which players assume the role of a resurrected centurion that is sent to rescue a kidnapped Goddess. Players traverse through many platform levels and fight hordes of zombies, giant insects, winged gargoyles, and two-headed wolves along the way. Players mostly punch and kick enemies to move forward, while special power-up orbs allow players to use special attacks (e.g., fireballs, lighting strikes, turning creatures to stone) that inflict greater damage. More extended boss battles occur at the end of each level.
 
http://gamesblog.ugo.com/index.php/gamesblog/more/gdc_2009_braid_dev_calls_out_large_dev_teams/

Jonathan Blow, the man behind the XBLA hit Braid, took the contrarians stance in a GDC session titled “Braving the Stormy Waters of XBLA and PSN.” The panel, which featured Vlad Ceraldi of Hothead Games, Mike Mika of Other Ocean and Kraig Kujawa of Capcom, seemed perfectly intent bemoaning the troubles with downloadable game development, but Blow refused to play along.

Blow warned of The Mythical Man-Month, a theory by Fred Brooks that states adding manpower doesn’t necessarily equate to a faster development time. Smaller development teams, possibly of two or three people, were Blow’s answer to the eight or nine person development teams at larger studios.

Ceraldi was quick to point out Blow spent $200,000 on Braid, an investment impossible for most indie developers. In response, Blow recommended those eager to develop a title are better off crashing in their parents’ house and developing a game for free.

If there’s one thing the whole group agreed upon, it is customers must want to buy your game and people want to buy good games. Well, yeah, that sounds right by us.
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GDC 2009: Lode Runner Hands-On

http://gdc.gamespot.com/story/6206805/

Classic remakes are in, and they all seem to be bounding toward the Xbox Live Arcade library where players who were conscious in the '80s could re-live some of their favorite gaming moments. We had an opportunity to check out Lode Runner at CES, but a more complete version was on display at the 2009 Game Developer's Conference where we got to play the game and learn about the new level editor.

Lookin' good with updated graphics. Hurray for 3D models.

The details of the level editor can't be revealed until later, but the fact that there is one means that there will be a never-ending collection of levels to play through. Lode Runner wasn't exactly easy, based on what we played. Despite our embarrassing display at the kiosk, the game was surprisingly a lot of fun. The simple premise has stayed intact, where your goal is to nab as much gold as possible, avoiding enemies and making it to the exit. Sounds easy, but the lack of a jump button will torture you until you get over the fact that you can only shoot diagonally downward to your left and right.

Climbing ladders and pulling yourself across vines are your only options when navigating the single screen level. Blocks that are cracked can be blasted, but they'll re-appear within a few seconds so you need to think quickly and act even faster. There is a puzzle mode in which you need to use your limited abilities to figure out how to get to the exit and journey mode, where your adventure is hindered by quick-thinking goons dressed in cloaks that are out to get you. Thankfully, the game supports two players in these modes, so as long as one of you stays alive you won't have to start over. Another incredibly fun mode is the last man, in which you can play with up to four players. This hectic mode is really about the last man standing. It's frantic and crazy but it's funny to see how many ways you can screw over the other person so that you can stay alive for a few more seconds.

There are going to be roughly 300 levels if you combine all the stages across all modes in Lode Runner when it releases. We'll update you with more information once it becomes available. The game is currently scheduled to be released sometime at the end of April on XBLA.
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Space Invaders Extreme is appreantly going to be your first post-Days of Arcade release

From Joystick Xbox:

http://www.*******.com/2009/03/27/gdc09-hands-on-with-space-invaders-extreme-xbla/

I keep telling people I played Space Invaders Extreme at GDC, and they all say the same thing: "Dude, that's been out for a while." But, A-HA! It hasn't. The kicker is that the DS and PSP versions have been out for so long that the DS version already has a sequel out (in Japan), but the XBLA version is brand new and comes out at the end of April. "Yeah," you're saying, "but it's a downloadable Space Invaders title. What do I care?" Well, if you like having fun, then you'll care aplenty.

The game scored 84 and 85 on the PSP and DS respectively on Metacritic, and the XBLA version just improves on those versions. We spent some hands-on time with the game at GDC, and you can see what we thought after the break. Peep the new video above, the gallery below, and blast your way on in.
Gallery: Space Invaders Extreme XBLA



If you had a chance to play Space Invaders Extreme on the DS or PSP, you'd know how it visually embraces its 8-bit roots. These are still your father's Space Invaders, but with ultra-straight HD lines (no jaggies!) and a lot of upgrades. The gist of the game is pretty much the same as it's ever been: blast aliens trying to invade the earth. But they've added things like powerup bonuses: shoot four enemies of the same color (except white, they don't count) and a power-up will drop. We cycled through three different ones which included mega-giant shot, wide shot, and super laser blast. The laser is definitely the coolest looking out of the bunch, sending up a huge blue flare of laser light that obliterates everything in its path.

There's a special flashing saucer that whizzes by overhead, and when you hit it you'll get transported right into an in-level minigame. You'll have to kill a certain number of foes within a time limit to put yourself into Fever Time, where you can really kick ass for a limited amount of time. You'll also encounter bosses, which are ginormous versions of the little Invaders that utterly dwarf your ship. You have to blast through their blocks (they look like they're made of giant pixels) in a sort of Breakout fashion and destroy the flashing block in their center.

The game features fast-paced electronic tunage and new music visualizers created just for the Xbox 360, as well as several different multiplayer modes, ranging from vs. to co-op, both local and online with up to four players. The game is due at the end of April, and pricing hasn't been announced yet, but we imagine it'll be in line with other XBLA arcade titles. Though it may not offer deep, strategic gameplay (or fancy three-dee graphics), it's good, addictive fun. There's a few more surprises we can't talk about just yet (damn embargoes!), but we'll be telling you about them soon.
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ringlord said:
I'd go with Ikaruga.
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I don't know. If you USED to be into shmups back in the day, Ikaruga might kick your ass. Yeah, it might be the "best" shmup objectively speaking, but you might want to instead look at R-Type Dimensions, Triggerheart Excelica, or Omega Five. Aegis Wing is kind of rubbish but it's also free.
 
Kafel said:
XBO ?
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Probably. All the other XBO games got re-rates with "Xbox 360" as a platform added... and if it was some sort of arcade thing like Call of Duty 1, it'd almost certainly come to PSN as well.
 
Indie Fans Rejoice! “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” Arrives on Xbox LIVE® Arcade

Channel your inner Samurai. This Wednesday, April 1, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” joins an award winning selection of indie titles on Xbox LIVE Arcade, home to the freshest and most innovative downloadable games.

As an undead samurai dishwasher, get lost in the psychotic, stylistic 2-D action and kick start your warrior quest for revenge. Choose from ancient blades or screen-obliterating “Dish Magic” to fight off an evil cyborg army that has the universe drowning in misery.

Developed solely by 2007 Dream.Build.Play contest winner James Silva, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” boasts a unique story revealed through graphic novel style cut scenes and visceral gameplay. James developed every element of the game, from the art, to the music, to the unique story, making Xbox LIVE Arcade the premier destination for original independent content. Log onto Xbox LIVE on Saturday, April 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. PST for your chance to play the game with James himself!

“The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” is a part of the Days of Arcade program on Xbox LIVE Arcade, which features seven of this season’s hottest pick-up-and-play games. For more information on the Days of Arcade program please visit: www.xbox.com/daysofarcade. Published by Microsoft, and developed by James Silva / Ska Studios, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide, excluding Germany and Korea. The game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more details on “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/d/dishwasherdsxboxlivearcade/.

*Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for online multiplayer and participation in “Game with Developers” events.
 
Tomy Expands Portfolio With Original Collision-Created Game

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22951

Toy company Tomy Corporation announced a partnership with Collision Studios to develop a video game based on a new IP for Nintendo platforms, due late summer 2009.

The U.S. based subsidiary of Takara Tomy has previously published a number of titles for Wii and DS, and is primarily known in the video game industry for its localization of games centered on the Naruto anime and manga franchise.

The company recently expanded game publishing operations at its headquarters in Santa Ana, California, and revealed that it will create games based on its popular toy brands and licensed characters, as well as original intellectual properties tailored for the Western market. Tomy hopes to further emphasize its "commitment to establishing its footprint in the gaming industry" with this latest joint venture.

Founded in 2005, Collision Studios has released both original and license-based games for multiple platforms, such as 300: March to Glory for PSP. It is also currently working on an "original arcade action side-scroller" for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

"We are dedicated to establishing a reputation for quality games and innovative, new IP, which is made possible through partnerships with respected developers like Collision Studios," says Tomy Corporation's director of consumer software Laura Yoshioka. "Collision's impressive roster of original and licensed video games instills confidence in their ability to create a unique and exciting new title."
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XBLA game 'Penalty of Heroes' created by students

http://www.examiner.com/x-3707-LA-G...LA-game-Penalty-of-Heroes-created-by-students

Students studying an 'online international game production studies' course at Sweden's Gotland University have announced that they will release a title for the Xbox Live Arcade platform in fall of this year, the game is entitled Penalty of Heroes.

Gotland University has certainly made its mark in gaming development, with numerous students graduating into jobs with companies including Massive Entertainment, DICE, Avalanche and Grin.

Hakan Mattsson, producer of the game:

"This is a large project with over ten people involved, and we have to manage it like any other big budget project such as the games made by Blizzard or Valve. It's a great way to get experience and education at the same time."
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Interview: The Maw's Creators Talk DLC Dilemma

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22787

[In this interview, Gamasutra talks with IGF-nominated indie studio Twisted Pixel's CEO Michael Wilford about his studio's approach to downloadable content with The Maw, and why the developer isn't "trying to rip [gamers] off" with its deleted scenes concept.]

Game company Twisted Pixel captured the attention of Xbox 360 owners when their action adventure title The Maw was chosen for the 2008 Audience Choice Award at the Penny Arcade Expo. The Xbox Live Arcade game was also a finalist of this year's Independent Games Festival.

Gamasutra talked with Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford, focusing on their approach to recently released and upcoming downloadable content, which will debut on both XBLA and PC, the latter thanks to Valve's Steam service. In addition, we hear about The Maw's core audio design concepts, including the minimalistic yet effective use of voice acting and the score by composer Winifred Phillips.

The discussion centers on how the game company has gone about building on the framework of The Maw's core experience by introducing the movie metaphor of "deleted scenes" for DLC.

To start off, it's been a couple months since the CTO of Twisted Pixel mentioned in a GamerBytes interview that the company moved its headquarters to Austin at the end of the year. Has the change of location in any way influenced the downloadable content for The Maw?

Michael Wilford: It's true, we relocated our entire operation from Madison, Indiana to Austin, Texas. We needed to make the move in order to tap into a broader talent pool for a new project we were starting up. Plus we like sweating.

Aside from taking a week off to drive to Texas and get all set up, the DLC development hasn't been affected. We planned the move pretty well, so we minimized the downtime a great deal. We'll see if we can come up with a way to incorporate BBQ and spurs into the new levels.



Can you tell us how with co-founder Josh Bear the three of you have managed to reinforce each others' strengths and build a successful game company?

MW: Every now and then, you meet someone that is so good at what they do that you can build an entire company around them. Twisted Pixel is lucky to have two such people. Frank Wilson is our CTO, and there is no technical problem he can't solve. And he usually does it in a day.

Josh Bear is our chief creative officer, and I have yet to meet anyone that knows as much about games and movies as he does. But most importantly, just like any good script writer, Josh is really good at designing around the resources he has available at the time. He knows where to spend a lot of time for the big moments and where to conserve. If you met Josh, you'd know how he's an avalanche of energy, personality, and ideas.

As for me, I stepped into the business role to keep money coming in so everyone can do what they do best. As a generalist, I get to throw in my design or art ideas into the mix and occasionally toss in a few lines of code into the engine. Together, I think we have the three major bases covered: technical, creative, and business. It works really well for us.

At what point did Twisted Pixel commit to creating downloadable content for the game?

MW: When you pitch a concept to Microsoft you have to tell them your plans for downloadable content up front. Being that this was our first game, we didn't plan on going too crazy with our DLC plans, like turning the whole game into a zombie game or something.

Doing new levels seemed like a pretty good way to go, so that's what we told Microsoft. Since we could add three new achievements, we figured we would start with three DLC levels, and if people wanted more, we could always add more later.

To answer your question, we knew we were going to do downloadable levels before we even started the main game, but we didn't work on them in any way until after the main game was wrapped. The main game's development wasn't affected at all by our plans for DLC.

Once the game was out of our hands, we went back to the drawing board to design everything from scratch, but we obviously had a lot of half-finished pieces on the cutting room floor that we could leverage.



What is meant by dubbing the new levels "deleted scenes?"

MW: This seems to have caused some confusion amongst fans. Since Maw starts out as a basketball-sized blob and grows to be planet-sized by the end of the game, we had to be creative about how the new levels fit into the continuity. If you finished the game, then you know that we couldn't just tack on three more levels to the end. So, we decided to interject them into the main game's storyline.

Once we did that, it seemed natural to call them "deleted scenes" like you'd find on a special edition DVD or something. We thought it would be cool, but I think some people took it to mean that we intentionally stripped out levels that were 100 percent complete only to sell them as DLC, which is not the case.

What do you feel are some of the potential risks that attend taking a fully-developed story, one that people already associate with the game experience, and then adding additional content through downloads?

MW: The biggest risk that caught us off guard is the public perception that you're trying to rip them off. DLC is an experiment for us since we never tried it before. It's always a financial risk to do something when you don't know how well it's going to do or how well it's going to be perceived, but we decided that we would give it a try so that we could learn about it.

At this point, I think the argument could be made that DLC just has so much negative stigma attached to it that it's not even worth attempting. There are obviously examples of successful DLC, but they seem to be far and few between.

Now that the first new scene, "Brute Force", is online, what direction can we expect for the as-of-yet unrevealed stages?

MW: Like "Brute Force", the other new levels will be larger than the levels in the main game. The next level, "River Redirect", will offer what a lot of people seem to be looking for, which is a challenging level that requires using more than one of Maw's powers in order to solve the puzzles.

The final level, "Speeder Lane", will offer a completely new gameplay mechanic where Frank must ride a speeder bike alongside Maw and face off against a boss soldier base.



The soundtrack to The Maw was written by Winifred Phillips, who a lot of people know from her music for the God of War series and more recently SimAnimals. In what context had you worked with her prior to The Maw, and how did she go about creating a soundtrack that was unique to the game?

MW: A few of us worked with Winifred on a retail title at a previous company. The game sucked, but the music was really awesome. So, when The Maw concept was formed, we had Winifred in mind right away. Her style and approach to composition was perfect for The Maw.

The music in The Maw is interactive, so when you start the game, all you hear is a bass line, but as you progress and solve puzzles. you'll hear additional layers of music come in. Each level has several "stems" that kick in based on player actions.

Winifred actually scored each part of the game as if she were scoring a movie, and she sent us a Quicktime movie of what she wanted. We then had our programmers go in and introduce the themes the way she designed them. It was a lot of fun, and she was great to work with.

While still on the subject of the audio, Frank has a very distinctive high-pitched voice. How did you find the right actors to voice for the game?

MW: We worked with an Austin-based company called Gl33k for all our sound design. They hooked us up with Chris Sabat (Maw) and Brina Palencia (Frank), who were perfect. They have extensive experience voicing animated characters such as those in Dragon Ball Z. Chris is the voice of Piccolo.

There isn't a lot in the way dialogue, though much is communicated through looks and gestures. Was this a strategic decision for making the title easy to localize for other regions?

MW: Yes, definitely. As our first indie title, we knew that localization costs could balloon out of control if we weren't careful. So, we intentionally designed the game from the start to keep translation costs to a minimum.

This left us with the interesting challenge of communicating a lot of personality and humor through animation. In the middle of development, WALL-E came out and reassured us that it was possible to tell a good story and convey a lot of emotion without dialogue or text. Our art director, Dave Leung, is the man responsible for making it work.

There's one gameplay element in particular I wanted to bring up. It seems like these days, we are seeing a lot of bullet-time events in high intensity action games. It makes it fun to see the convention implemented in a humorous context, namely when Frank pulls off a slow-motion somersault to dodge a projectile. How did this come about?

MW: This was an idea Josh had early on in the project. I don't think the rest of the team was convinced that it would work, precisely because it can be super cheesy when every other game is doing it, but once we got it working, we all saw how over the top and funny it was. We all laughed immediately. That's how we knew it had to stay in the game.
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cjelly said:
Days Of Arcade release dates:

  • UNO Rush - 25th March
  • Puzzle Quest: Galactrix - 1st April
  • Flock! - 8th April
  • Dishwasher - 8th April
  • OutRun Online Arcade - 15th April
  • Lode Runner - 22nd April
Click to expand...

so it looks like dishwasher is this week instead of the 8th, goddammit when the hell is galactrix coming out?
 
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/03/30/zombies-game-adapation-looking-for-a-new-developer/

Zombies!!! game adapation looking for a new developer


Posted Mar 30th 2009 10:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Action
Last October we reported that a downloadable PC-console game adaptation of the cult hit board game Zombies!!! was in the works. At the time the board game's creator Twilight Creations had announced that the development team was to be Madison, Wis. based Big Rooster. Now Big Download has learned that Twilight Creations is looking for a new developer for the game.

In response to an email asking for an update on the adaptation Twilight Creations' Kerry Breitenstein told us, "We are looking for another company to do the game now. I cannot disclose the status of Big Rooster. But I'm confident we can find someone to produce the game as the interest in it is huge." In fact it appears likely that Big Rooster may have shut down entirely. Emails to the company have not been returned and a phone number listed as being Big Rooster's has been disconnected.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah where did that release schedule for Games of Summer come from? Either it's wrong or someone is dropping the ball by missing the Galactrix press release on Monday. Still undecided whether to buy the game or not, especially if it's 20 bones.

I want to support II for how great Puzzle Quest is, but I am pretty sure Galactrix is a terrible game from playing it briefly and seeing all the complaints on the company's message board. To stick us with a $20 price tag on top of that...
 
Shard said:
This Wednesday, April 1, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” joins an award winning selection of indie titles on Xbox LIVE Arcade

Published by Microsoft, and developed by James Silva / Ska Studios, “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points
Click to expand...
34ycxas.png


*squeals*
 
New Achievement Lists:

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/puzzle-quest-galactrix/achievements/

There are 12 achievements with a total of 200 points.

Soul Gatherer 10
Capture a Soulless.

Illumination 15
Defeat the Luminary Archive.

Gamma's Downfall 40
Defeat the Gamma Sphere.

Ace Pilot 20
Reach Level 50.

Eighth of the Lost 15
Unlock all Psi Powers.

FTL Travel 5
Hack a LeapGate.

Master Hacker 10
Hack 30 LeapGates.

Rock Star 10
Successfully mine 10 asteroids.

Smooth Talker 25
Complete the Haggling minigame with 6 Gems or less on the board.

Data Acquisition 10
Unlock a rumor.

Fighter Pilot 10
Win 5 Xbox LIVE ranked matches.

Space-Time Anomaly 30
Win 50 Xbox LIVE ranked matches.
Click to expand...

King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/king-of-fighters-98-ultimate-match/achievements/

There are 12 achievements with a total of 200 points.

Perfect Match 5
Pass level perfectly in one round (without injury) ( Arcade/Single Play Only ).

Champion 15
Finish the game (can continue) ( Arcade/Single Play Only ).

The King of Fighters 30
Finish the game ( can't lose one round, can't continue) ( Arcade/Single Play Only ).

Uncontrollable 10
Iori(Ura) or Leona(Ura) appear as CPU ( Arcade/Single Play Only ).

Score Hunter 10
Highest point exceeds 300 thousand ( Arcade/Single Play Only ).

5 Continuous Wins 20
Achieve 5 straight wins in Xbox LIVE fight.

10 Continuous Wins 35
Achieve 10 straight wins in Xbox LIVE fight.

Rookie 10
Achieve 10 wins in Xbox LIVE fight.

Professional 20
Achieve 50 wins in Xbox LIVE fight.

The King 35
Achieve 100 wins in Xbox LIVE fight.

Untouchable 5
Achieve straight win ( Arcade Play Only ).

Assist Attack 5
Perform an assist attack ( Arcade Play Only ).
Click to expand...
 
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