Official Xbox Live Arcade Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tempy said:
I find it hard to believe keeping the XBLA Wednesday game secret is really intentional. If it is then I'm not sure if the developers are happy their games get almost zero preview coverage and hardly a mention when they do come out. Do potential customers really have to dig through gaming forum threads or blogs for XBLA Wednesday news? Is a mention on majornelson that it's out the extent of the fanfare it gets?

Did several so-called marketing people study all these years for this?


you don't look around much. xbla releases get the same treatment a major release gets at the time of release: there's an alert sent out to all the media that it's coming out -- with some exceptions due to circumstances out of just about anybody's control.
 
Tempy said:
I find it hard to believe keeping the XBLA Wednesday game secret is really intentional. If it is then I'm not sure if the developers are happy their games get almost zero preview coverage and hardly a mention when they do come out. Do potential customers really have to dig through gaming forum threads or blogs for XBLA Wednesday news? Is a mention on majornelson that it's out the extent of the fanfare it gets?

Did several so-called marketing people study all these years for this?
I have to wonder. UMKIII went out two days early, because that was when it was being scheduled to go live at the usual Wednesday time. So that one was ready at least two days before it was supposed to go, but I suspect Microsoft was going to keep mum on it until the moment of release. Here we are, nine hours from the next release, and we all know what's coming.

It just seems like a counter-intuitive way to manage the service. I know there are lots of factors and variables, and despite my ribbing I don't actually blame arne for not being able to help, but damn - nine hours from release and we still have no word? :(

arne said:
you don't look around much. xbla releases get the same treatment a major release gets at the time of release: there's an alert sent out to all the media that it's coming out -- with some exceptions due to circumstances out of just about anybody's control.
And the new releases are always featured on the front page of the Dashboard one out of every three times I log on, as well. So someone not reading the news can see them that way. I've also turned on the automatic demo downloads, which is handy.
 
Tempy said:
I find it hard to believe keeping the XBLA Wednesday game secret is really intentional. If it is then I'm not sure if the developers are happy their games get almost zero preview coverage and hardly a mention when they do come out. Do potential customers really have to dig through gaming forum threads or blogs for XBLA Wednesday news? Is a mention on majornelson that it's out the extent of the fanfare it gets?

Did several so-called marketing people study all these years for this?

Maybe the idea is, and this is just my theory, that the people that are interested in knowing what game comes out at an exact date, are the type of people that will look through internet forums to find out.
Xbox Live Arcade, to me, seems to be a service that is supposed to be just "there" at any time, and release dates aren't really important. It is meant to be browsed once in a while by the average consumer, and if they see something they like, they download the demo and/or buy the full game. It's not important if the game just came out today, or 6 months ago in that situation, so that might be what MS is aiming for? A browsable librabry of pick-up-and-play videogames available at any time, that just happens to grow every week...

I agree that there should be more information for those that really want to have it though.

arne said:
you don't look around much. xbla releases get the same treatment a major release gets at the time of release: there's an alert sent out to all the media that it's coming out -- with some exceptions due to circumstances out of just about anybody's control.

I think what he meant is that there's not much information about when a game is coming out, before it is actually released, right?
 
arne said:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10713

However, the document also reveals a great deal of previously unknown information on Vivendi's strategy, including confirmation of many unannounced titles from the company's Sierra Online division. These include Xbox 360 Live Arcade title Megaforce for this year, alongside Xbox 360 Live Arcade and PC SKUs of 3D Ultra Mini Golf, as well as PC and Xbox 360 Live Arcade titles based on classic puzzler The Incredible Machine in 2007.


Oh my.

*quietly pees himself*
 
Confirmed: The XBLA this week is Ms. Pac....oh wait there is no game! Great start to kick off the new year.

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/12504/Xbox-Live-Arcade-Wednesdays-No-Game-This-Week/

We got word today that there won't be a new Xbox Live Arcade game launching this week. The Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program will resume next week.

Rumor has it that the first Xbox Live Arcade game to launch in 2007 will be Team17's Worms. We expect to learn more about it at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
 
MS really need to revamp the way XBLA works, because it had the potential to be a great service though the last few weeks/months it has been a real disappointment.

A good start would be removing that 50MB cap, so we can at least have some more modern arcade games ported to XBLA.
 
Wario64 said:
Confirmed: The XBLA this week is Ms. Pac....oh wait there is no game!

1165225113685877.jpg
 
well guys I dunno about you but My funfactor meter is just off the charts after novadrome and rally x!


I think we all need a week to come down from such a HIGH.
 
you guys are so mean! I'm crying, crying here in my darkened cube on this rainy seattle night. oh the misery!


ps. don't worry, there's stuff lined up, the holidays didn't help the many things that need to come together to keep everyone happy.

( ; _ ; )
 
GeoNeo said:
MS really need to revamp the way XBLA works, because it had the potential to be a great service though the last few weeks/months it has been a real disappointment.

A good start would be removing that 50MB cap, so we can at least have some more modern arcade games ported to XBLA.

YES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Sony doesn't do this horse shit, do they? At least knock off that cap for competition's sake!
 
XBLA needs to take a leaf out of Sonys book and get a Coming Soon section so we can see whats coming up rather than checking the net every day. Im sure they can give up one of their huge adverts informing me that theres a map pack out that was released 6 months ago.
 
arne said:
you guys are so mean! I'm crying, crying here in my darkened cube on this rainy seattle night. oh the misery!


ps. don't worry, there's stuff lined up, the holidays didn't help the many things that need to come together to keep everyone happy.

( ; _ ; )

Yeah I hope so. But by "lined up" I hope you don't mean "We've got Centipede scheduled for November!". I think we all have high hopes for XBLA and just want to see it live up to its potential. I remember thinking of it when it was first announced and I could picture it in my head. Marvel vs Capcom, Final Fight, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ridge Racer, Tekken, The Grid, Mortal Kombat, Metal Slug, etc. Instead we got Dig Dug, Frogger, Pac Man, Defender, and Rally X. I mean don't get me wrong, there's been some highlights. I actually have 6 arcade games that I've bought on XBLA. That's not too bad I suppose. Its just that I thought (and I'm sure a lot of others thought) that maybe I'd have a bunch of my favorite games from the last 3 generations on my 360 and not just the equivilent of 1 modern game (Lumines) and a compilation disc of Namco museum hits.
 
arne said:
you guys are so mean! I'm crying, crying here in my darkened cube on this rainy seattle night. oh the misery!


ps. don't worry, there's stuff lined up, the holidays didn't help the many things that need to come together to keep everyone happy.

( ; _ ; )

Rain? In Seattle? I'm sick of your lies, Arne.
 
Uno Ill Nino said:
Yeah I hope so. But by "lined up" I hope you don't mean "We've got Centipede scheduled for November!". I think we all have high hopes for XBLA and just want to see it live up to its potential. I remember thinking of it when it was first announced and I could picture it in my head. Marvel vs Capcom, Final Fight, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ridge Racer, Tekken, The Grid, Mortal Kombat, Metal Slug, etc. Instead we got Dig Dug, Frogger, Pac Man, Defender, and Rally X. I mean don't get me wrong, there's been some highlights. I actually have 6 arcade games that I've bought on XBLA. That's not too bad I suppose. Its just that I thought (and I'm sure a lot of others thought) that maybe I'd have a bunch of my favorite games from the last 3 generations on my 360 and not just the equivilent of 1 modern game (Lumines) and a compilation disc of Namco museum hits.

by lined up I did not mean November. I meant like at least next week*


* subject to things i have no idea about, including but not limited to Cert, lawyers, acts of god, my desire to spite mildewproduction and the fact that I still want to have a job by the end of next week
 
SHOTEH FOCK OP said:
They need to drop XBLA Wednesdays, since it obviously means jack shit.

Just bring them out randomly.


I don't know....even though they don't stick by their own schedule I like knowing about a general day I can go onto Live and see if there's a new game instead of checking it every day.
 
SHOTEH FOCK OP said:
They need to drop XBLA Wednesdays, since it obviously means jack shit.

Just bring them out randomly.

Good lord. They miss one after two consecutive national holidays and it's time to scrap the whole promotion.

Now I hope they release The ORIGINAL Rally-X next week just to spite you.
 
BenjaminBirdie said:
Good lord. They miss one after two consecutive national holidays and it's time to scrap the whole promotion.

Now I hope they release The ORIGINAL Rally-X next week just to spite you.

Fine I take it back.

I LOVE XBLA WEDNESDAYS!
 
SHOTEH FOCK OP said:
They need to drop XBLA Wednesdays, since it obviously means jack shit.

Just bring them out randomly.
The program kicked off in what, July? They've missed five or six times since then (a Cloning Clyde picture pack, two Uno decks, a Texas Hold'em update and this week), IIRC. Looking at the Arcade site on xbox.com, they've had ~18 releases mixed in with those weeks when new games didn't come out, so MS is hitting it 2/3 of the time. So while they ARE failing a good chunk of the time, saying it doesn't mean jack shit is a bit of an exaggeration. :p

Hey arne - get Worms, Castle Crashers and Mutant Storm Empire out in rapid succession, and all is forgiven!
 
GhaleonEB said:
The program kicked off in what, July? They've missed five or six times since then (a Cloning Clyde picture pack, two Uno decks, a Texas Hold'em update and this week), IIRC. Looking at the Arcade site on xbox.com, they've had ~18 releases mixed in with those weeks when new games didn't come out, so MS is hitting it 2/3 of the time. So while they ARE failing a good chunk of the time, saying it doesn't mean jack shit is a bit of an exaggeration. :p

Hey arne - get Worms, Castle Crashers and Mutant Storm Empire out in rapid succession, and all is forgiven!

I LOVE XBLA WEDNESDAYS!
 
We got word today that there won't be a new Xbox Live Arcade game launching this week. The Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program will resume next week.

Rumor has it that the first Xbox Live Arcade game to launch in 2007 will be Team17's Worms. We expect to learn more about it at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
hindenburg-murray-becker.jpg
 
You guys do realize that downloads sucking will eventually lead to people not downloading anything, even the good stuff, right?
 
arne said:
Too bad it's wrong. Thanks for playing!
It's like playing 20 questions!

Or....the game was lined up but didn't get through cert due to a last minute bug find. C'mon guys, we've got 18 more questions to figure out what happened! :)

But seriously - you've hinted a few times that some things are being done to improve visibility of tames ahead of release. I do hope they come to fruition. It's odd that an online distribution system, which theoretically makes it easier to publish games since you don't have to go through manufacture, distribution and retail could end up making it even harder to forecast release dates. All that said, I wasn't really expecting a game right after the new year, but it would have been a nice bonus.

And with that I end my weekly arne harassment on Live Arcade games. See you next week, same time, same station. :)
 
People, people, people!

Where are the fanboy tactics?! You're supposed to be glad to receive anything from mediocre content to no content at all from week to week in XBLA. Sheesh!

...

I'm just sulking because I wanted to play Ms. Pac Man or Worms.
 
what are the chances that MS announces a revamped xbox live arcade at ces with way more games in the pipe and they kick it off with worms?
 
Jesus christ, please tell me at some point in 2007 theres going to be multiple releases a week? Having 1 'arcade retro hit' stumble out is just embarrassing. Especially now XBLA has competition from the PSN and VC. While the latter is just roms pumped out, I see absolutely no reasoning behind why a game like MS.PACMAN could possibly be tied up in difficult coding and content approval.

I think the main infuriating thing about all this is the complete mystery sounding titles. Take just a few posts ago about 'The Incredible Machine' stuff being lined up. That had to be LEAKED from a document and then randomly picked up on blog sites. Good lord! Then when anyone asks "Wheres Sonic/SOTN/Castle Crashers?" theres just wind howling in response.

Egh, I havent even 'jumped in' yet, but XBLA was one of the X360's most exciting prospects for me. It just seems to have been utterly squandered so far, since were looking at "far less than 52 titles a year!" currently.
 
Worms next week? ah nice at least I got something to hold out for now.

Shame it's coming out smack bang in the middle of my first week back at university, late nights do me a lot of harm!
 
Why do you think MS don't announce release dates any more? Because they USED TO announce release dates, like for Street Fighter and Texas Holdem and then when they missed them, as they inevitably do, YOU PEOPLE kicked up such a stink that MS changed their policy. Yes GAF, you are responsible for the silence surrounding release dates on Live Arcade.
 
monoRAIL said:
Why do you think MS don't announce release dates any more? Because they USED TO announce release dates, like for Street Fighter and Texas Holdem and then when they missed them, as they inevitably do, YOU PEOPLE kicked up such a stink that MS changed their policy. Yes GAF, you are responsible for the silence surrounding release dates on Live Arcade.

It's bad policy to begin with. Software development isn't easily constrained by arbitrary deadlines. Damn near no engineering project is.

And this is why so many posters will continue to complain the way they do. They simply don't understand the software industry.
 
Dr_Cogent said:
It's bad policy to begin with. Software development isn't easily constrained by arbitrary deadlines. Damn near no engineering project is.

And this is why so many posters will continue to complain the way they do. They simply don't understand the software industry.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect a date months or even weeks in advance for these kinds of games. But days? Hell, hours? Must we be guessing four hours before the next scheduled game? There's some middle ground to be found here between committing to a deadline too soon and not letting your customers know what to expect until it's already out.
 
And four hours notice to tell us nothing is coming is indefensible as far as I'm concerned. I don't care how the software business works, nor should I have to. I don't feel I have unreasonable expectations here, and Microsoft is coming up short.

Since they were so quick to use a variation on this phrase for the BC thing, I'll use it here: they've overpromised and underdelivered. I really hope things get better with this service, because they're still light-years ahead of their competitors, but they won't be forever at this rate.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom