Official Xbox Live Arcade Thread

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The creator of N+ had some heated words for XBLA here
damn it, all those numbers are going to spoil our post-mortem!! It's stupid that there are that many XBLA games out there -- there are literally only maybe 2-3 that are any good! (plus another 2-3 that are available on other platforms)

I'd prefer a much smaller roster of ONLY GOOD GAMES at $5 each. I guess this is more akin to PSN (still haven't got a ps3), however I think even they have the problem of only 2-3 non-crap titles. Why is it so hard for people to only release GOOD GAMES?

I agree that it seems as if hardware manufacturers consider the downloadable games as more of a way to add value to their platform rather than a source of revenue from sales.
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Ouch.
Also, I'd much rather have everyone playing our game for free rather than a few thousand playing it for $20.
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Yeah right. Why did you bitch about the cut royalties then?
 
I mean, Off the top of my head I could think of 5 awesome XBLA games.

Oh, but he's probably some pretentious fuck that made a mediocre game that everyone seems to embrace.

Fuck him.
 
Shotest Shogi and Basement Pool Revealed


Rubicon Development

Shotest Shogi has been a confusing title for the past month as it popped up on the ESRB website almost a month ago with little fanfare since that time; however, this is the first that we have heard of Basement Pool. Rubicon Development is working on these two new titles for Xbox Live Arcade. Both titles are rather self explanatory with more information (and screenshots) available on the official Shotest Shogi webpage and Basement Pool website. I wasn't aware that we needed more than one pool game on Xbox Live Arcade but wow... looking good.
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Shogi4.jpg


basementpool.jpg
 
http://www.xblarcade.com/node/1657


Talisman

To say that something odd has happened with Talisman would be a bit of an understatement. Here is a game that has had concept art and and the following trailer:

This game was originally announced back in April and slated for a Q4 2007 release. That morphed into a "Winter" release, which then turned into an April '08 release. If that wasn't enough uncertainty for you, it seems that the game is now in limbo. Rumors started coming out that the game was quietly canceled. The great folks over at 360Sync.com went so far as to get an answer from Capcom that seemed to confirm this rumor. However, it seems that while the title is definitely on life support, it hasn't quite kicked the bucket just yet. According to Christian Svensson, Vice-President of Strategic Planning & Business Development at Capcom:

We are redirecting the project at the moment and there are a number of courses of action we are evaluating. The game is not canceled, nor is it on hold. We want the best possible execution so it is probably fair to say that it will not make the original date of "Winter". As we complete our evaluation of our options, we will eventually formulate a new release date.

After pressing him a bit further he went on to inform us that at a minimum, they will be changing developers. What happened between Capcom and Big Rooster, is unknown at this time, but one would imagine that this sort of switch, could mean a very hefty delay.

So there you go, clear as mud right?
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N+ will probably need 30,000 sales to break even. He's definitely going to hit that in a few months. The rest would be gravy.

I'm surprised he's whining.
 
Just to clarify, the N+ guy didn't write the article. He posted that rant in the comments section. The article is about how XBLA games are too cheap to sustain themselves and are doomed.
 
LegendofJoe said:
I figured there were legal obstacles involved. Has there been any mention about what they're planning on putting up there?
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Fats and the Furriest, It's Mr. Pants, Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark.
 
segarr said:
The creator of N+ had some heated words for XBLA here

Ouch.

Yeah right. Why did you bitch about the cut royalties then?
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just to reiterate.... the entire rant was not written by Raigan. Raigan's only rant is about game quality.

edit: you mentioned what i just mentioned. Everyone trashing on Raigan for shit he didnt write is pretty lame...
 
IGN Xbox 360 Preview

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/854/854734p1.html

February 25, 2008 - Last week at the Game Developers Conference D3 finally gave us a peak at the successor to last year's surprise hit, Puzzle Quest. We've known for a while now that developer Infinite Interactive is working on another RPG/puzzle hybrid set in space called Galactrix. It turns out this is our next PQ fix and has added the brand name to its title so that it reads: Puzzle Quest -- Galactrix.

D3 was only showing off the new battle system at this point. Galactrix's puzzle mode is still a match three game, but now the gems are hexagonal. They can be swapped horizontally, vertically, and now diagonally. As the action has been moved from the countryside of Etheria to zero-gravity space, the direction from which new gems will fall into play changes based on which way you swap tiles. They can now replenish from any part of the playing field's circumference. D3 hopes this adds another level of strategy to gameplay as we plan our moves in anticipation of creating combos.

Players will still take damage if they make a mistake and do not match three with their swap. Damage gems now come in varieties of 1, 3, 5, and 10, and matching them will deal their total amount of damage to the enemy.

Instead of choosing a character from several different classes at the start of the game, there is just one character who can then be customized throughout the game. Battles are fought between the player's ship and the enemy's. Instead of spells, there are special attacks at your disposal once you've built up your ship's energy. Red, yellow, and green tiles are used to build up your energy reserves (much like mana in PQ) and can be spent to engage in defensive maneuvers or powerful attacks.

We no longer will be earning currency in battle. Instead, the white tiles increase our intelligence, which leads to discovering more juicy rumors outside of combat. We know we can upgrade and customize our vehicle, but for now it is unclear how we go about doing that without any money. D3 wasn't ready to divulge this information quite yet.
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Screenshot Gallery
http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/899/899340/imgs_1.html

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix PR

The Next Chapter in the Puzzle Quest Series Announced
D3Publisher of America and Infinite Interactive announce a captivating new odyssey to conquer with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix.

February 25, 2008 - Thrilling casual and hardcore gamers alike with the announcement, D3Publisher of America, Inc. and Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. today confirmed their partnership for the development of brand new videogame Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, a rich new addition to the beloved Puzzle Quest universe. The game incorporates a powerful blend of casual and hardcore gameplay elements, similar to those adored by fans of the critically acclaimed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, into an all-new futuristic, science-fiction setting. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is scheduled for release in Fall 2008.

"This extension of the Puzzle Quest brand establishes D3Publisher of America's first franchise, and exploring science fiction adventures in the Puzzle Quest universe is a natural extension of the product, " said Bill Anker, vice president, business development and licensing, D3Publisher. "Infinite Interactive made magic in a classic fantasy setting with Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, so D3Publisher is excited to be on board for a sci-fi odyssey into the future with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix."

"D3's support of our inventive experiment to create compelling gameplay based on a combination of puzzles, strategy and role-playing reaped fantastic rewards for us and for game fans of multiple genres," said Steve Fawkner, President and Lead Designer of Infinite Interactive. "For Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, our development team will persist in that vein and introduce an innovative hexagonal puzzle board to the mix, along with a deeply immersive new science-fiction setting and storyline that gamers will find irresistible."

In Puzzle Quest: Galactrix a horrifying scientific accident has provoked another race to attempt extermination of humankind; players will create a persistent pilot who gains skills, crafts items, maneuvers among the universe's political factions, and upgrades the ultimate space fleet as they attempt to end the genocide. An innovative hexagonal puzzle board allows for a wide range of strategic depth as it heeds to gravity according to a player's location in the game universe. A rich and detailed storyline and fresh gameplay elements make the world of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix a captivating new adventure to explore and conquer.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is under development by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd., confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC and the Nintendo DS handheld system. The game is currently rated "RP" (Rating Pending) by the ESRB.

FOG Studios is the agency of record exclusively representing Infinite Interactive to publishers worldwide, and arranged the partnership with D3Publisher of America for both Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords and Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. An investment to Infinite Interactive from Film Victoria's Digital Media Prototyping program helped in the creation of the prototype for Puzzle Quest: Galactrix.

About FOG Studios
FOG Studios is the worldwide leader in interactive representation and intellectual property brand management since 1979.

About Film Victoria
Film Victoria is a government agency that provides strategic leadership and assistance to the film, television and digital media sectors of Victoria, Australia.

About D3Publisher of America, Inc.
D3Publisher of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of D3, Inc. with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. D3Publisher of America's strategic focus is on licensed and original titles from leading third-party developers that appeal to mass-market consumers or gaming enthusiasts. Based in Los Angeles, D3Publisher of America distributes and publishes software for personal computers, major console platforms and handheld systems including Wii, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation game console, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, the Xbox video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For additional information on D3Publisher of America and its products, visit the website at http://www.d3publisher.us.
 
segarr said:
Just to clarify, the N+ guy didn't write the article. He posted that rant in the comments section. The article is about how XBLA games are too cheap to sustain themselves and are doomed.
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I don't know. I kinda see his point though. But what is MS supposed to do? Raise prices? Well then you'd have far fewer sales. Promote the games more? Well which ones do you promote?

There are literally so many games out for XBLA I think many of them are getting lost in the shuffle. I haven't had any luck playing any game online for more than a week or two after release as the community simply moves on to other XBLA games.

It's a really weird problem. I wonder how difficult it would have been for some of these developers to release their titles on both PSN and XBLA. Surely the sales on BOTH systems would, despite the longer development time, lead to more profitability.
 
I recieved a PM from the the developer from MetaNet that was in that interview.....Appearently, the $214,000 was a bare bones estimate, and the actual cost was higher due to marketing (which wasn't included) and other misc. fees. Not to mention the loan they took out for it.

As for increased sales - Microsoft NEEDS to promote XBLA vastly more. I believe only 60% of XBL users have ever purchased (or was it played?) a XBLA game. That's very, very bad, as the real attach rate is 7.0 compared to maybe 1.0 for XBL users to XBLA games purchased.

If MS can really start pumping out a serious effort into increasing sales through marketing, it could be even more viable than it is.
 
I received one of those Arcade Hits Game disks for sending in my console for the 2nd time for repairs to MS. Is there any possible way to transfer them to my HDD or will I always need a disk to play the games?

If I need the DVD to play that is pretty crappy.
 
i have 65-70 (inc free games)

They are just so cheap and easy to buy :lol

Surprisingly only a few (3-5) of these I would say have been a waste.

<3 XBLA
 
Joystick demos Puzzle QUest: Galactrix

GDC08: Hands almost-on with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

4 Comments by JC Fletcher Feb 25th 2008 8:01PM

D3 Publisher's big surprise at GDC this year was the newly rebranded Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, the sci-fi spiritual sequel to the hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. We weren't able to play the game -- we were forced to sit tantalizingly close as we watched the PC version of the game (also coming to DS and Xbox Live Arcade) being demonstrated. The new game explores the question "What if people didn't have souls?" in the medium of match-three puzzle games. No, we don't know what that means either.

Enjoy our gallery of spaceship concept art, screenshots, and this thing, and continue past the break for what gameplay details we could glean from the demo.


Even more obvious than the difference in setting -- which features a power struggle between corporations in space! -- is the difference in gameplay. The familiar Tetris/Bejeweled-like well seen in original screens of Galactrix has been replaced by a hexagon, filled with hexagonal gems. Along with this change in orientation come new gameplay systems. Now, depending on whether the match happens in space or on a planet, gravity has variable effects on the movement of pieces. If you're on a planet (and thus subject to that planet's gravity) new pieces will fall down to fill the void left by captured gems (done by matching three in a line, as usual). In space, the pieces will fall in the direction you moved the matched pieces. Winning a match involves matching numbered gems to do damage to the opponent's shield, and then to their ship. The sum of the numbers on these special gems correspond to the amount of damage done to the shields or ship.

Click for larger image

Much like Challenge of the Warlords, the color of captured gems has an effect on gameplay. Blue gems, for example, recharge your spaceship's shields, while white gems add to your "intel," which is a mysterious stat that affects information-gathering outside of puzzles. Red gems power your ship's weapons, yellow gems provide engine power, and green gems power up your ship's computer. We don't exactly know how these stats work in gameplay. D3 wasn't terribly forthcoming with details! Purple gems add to your "psi power," which is a mysterious power that has some kind of use in minigames.

The player will have the ability (again, details are unknown) to collect spaceship parts and customize the ship in various ways, along with an entire fleet of ships with different weapons. This may involve collecting large stocks of the three ship power gems, or it may be randomly-dropped items found after battles.

The PC and XBLA versions of the game will both have online play, but it is as yet undetermined what kind of online features the DS version will have. We're hoping for "tons."
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Mr Killemgood said:
I recieved a PM from the the developer from MetaNet that was in that interview.....Appearently, the $214,000 was a bare bones estimate, and the actual cost was higher due to marketing (which wasn't included) and other misc. fees. Not to mention the loan they took out for it.

As for increased sales - Microsoft NEEDS to promote XBLA vastly more. I believe only 60% of XBL users have ever purchased (or was it played?) a XBLA game. That's very, very bad, as the real attach rate is 7.0 compared to maybe 1.0 for XBL users to XBLA games purchased.

If MS can really start pumping out a serious effort into increasing sales through marketing, it could be even more viable than it is.
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I agree about the sales being a bit low. At the 70% margin, these low sales seemed to work well for small developers. Now that it's reduced to 35%, it's going to take double the sales to make the same sort of revenue (for the dev).

I know that other games such as Marathon XBLA cost $300K to make. I get the impression that other games cost more than that. Some games had really small dev teams and outsourced the audio and testing, and they seem to perhaps cost around the same as Marathon (that had 5 people working on it).

If 1st party devs truly made 70% of the revenue generated, the break even points would be ridiculously low. (around 50-100K in sales depending on the size of the project). Now with it being 35%, it's double that (100K-200K). There doesn't seem to be too many games at that point.

Keep in mind that these are fairly rough numbers, but I think they are generally correct, from all my research.

So again, I agree, MS has to do some advertising on it. Personally I think the dashboard is all screwed up and isn't conducive to selling and promoting XBLA. I've posted in detail what change I would make, earlier in this thread (I'm mentioning this to show that I'm not whining for the sake of whining).

If MS was indeed only taking a 30% cut, XBLA made a lot of sense to small developers, because even with low sales (ie. 50K, which compared to retail sales is barely a scratch) you could end up breaking even. Sure, these developers could look to 3rd parties to publish the titles...but those probably don't look like appealing options when XBLA games are selling the way they are.

So it looks like the only way to make money now that the royalties have changed, is to jack up the price. But that's going to mean less sales. I'm sure XBLA lost a lot of appeal to developers upon this news.

--addendum--
Shard, if you want me to keep this sort of stuff out of this thread, I'll refrain from discussing this particular topic further, in this thread. I don't know if this thread is all about XBLA in general, or about games on XBLA. If it's the latter, then I would agree that this sort of discussion should be continued in that other thread.
 
Uhoh, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix looks more like Hexic then Bejeweled. I am not a fan of Hexic. This makes me sad but I still have hope that it will turn out great.
 
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=93436

Hothead Games Interview about Penny-Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

Penny Arcade Adventures combines RPG gameplay with classic adventure game elements. Set in an alternative 1920s USA, it sees Gabe and Tycho running their own detective agency. They specialise in investigating the occult and strange goings-on.

However, you don't play as either of the PA stars - you create your own character, using a simple range of options which allows you to pick things like hairstyle and clothing. "The cool thing about this is the character will appear in 3D in-game, but also in the 2D cut-scenes," DeYoung says.

He's not wrong. Having created a female character with brown curly hair, he shows how she interacts with Gabe and Tycho both in the levels and in the superb-looking cut-scenes. They do indeed look just like the comic; scenes are even broken up into frames which the camera skips between as if you were reading them on a page. There are simple animations - flashing lightning, falling raindrops and so on - which serve to enhance rather than overwhelm the comic book style.

The in-game visuals are less immediately impressive but they still have a unique and highly polished look. Character animations are basic but fluid and there are plenty of small details to enjoy. Penny Arcade Adventures isn't likely to disappoint fans of the comic strip's artwork.


DeYoung shows off the combat system next. Our character is wandering down a dark alley with Gabe and Tycho, who are present throughout the game to offer hints and deliver one-liners. Our mission is to murder a load of tramps using a turn-based system. You and the enemy begin by rolling a D&D-style virtual dice to see who has the initiative, then it's a matter of pointing and clicking to attack.

Pulling off successful blocks gives you extra counter-attacks, and you can team up with other characters in your party to pull off combos. There are special attacks which involve playing a brief mini-game - you must press a sequence of buttons with just the right timing, and the better you do the more effective your attack will be. There are also summonable characters to be unlocked as you progress, such as Tycho's niece.

The combat moves at a healthy pace. In fact, it's not always easy to discern what's going on when you're just observing, though the amount of blood spurting out of the tramps would suggest victory. It's really rather gory, if in an Itchy and Scratchy way.

At the end of each combat round the screen displays how much experience you gained and, if you levelled up, any new attacks you've learned. You're also shown the items you picked up from enemies. These could be weapons for use in future battles, such as a tramp's hot toddy that doubles as a Molotov cocktail, or items needed to complete quests.

This is an adventure game, after all. And who knows more about adventure games than Ron Gilbert, You Know Who Did Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island?
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Suerte said:
Has there been any indication yet as to when we can expect to see another round of "arcade hits"?
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None what so ever. It is probably going to be one of those "out of the blue" deals.
 
I scanned the last few pages but didn't see anything on the game or games this week. Anyone know yet? I wouldn't mind that PA game.
 
http://blogs.ign.com/Metanet/

From N to N+, Part One

So what’s so great about N+ XBLA? Well, our favourite things are pretty cool, let’s have a list of those.

1. The level names.

We were trying to think about why we originally decided to name the levels in N, and in the end, we’re not really sure. It certainly made development easier, since adjusting the difficulty of levels is a very modular and fluid process and having level names rather than simply assigning a number to each prevents a lot of headaches. But we didn’t learn that lesson until development of the DS/PSP versions – so why did we give levels names in N and N+ XBLA? Perhaps the truth is, we are simply pop culture nerds, huge geeks and avid linguists. We love conversations rich with references, jokes, puns and other wordplay, and a ridiculous combination of all of the above that takes years to interpret fully and leaves you with something to think about when you’ve finished playing. We like stuff! And... we wanted you to know?

2. The level editor.

Due to unfortunate legal situations on Microsoft’s end, we were not permitted to enable the vast level sharing network we planned for N+ XBLA. Right now, you can make and save huge numbers of levels for Single Player and all Multiplayer modes, and you can play through your simple, complex, or otherwise intriguing levels with your friends by hosting a game. Nick architected an ingenious level-sharing scheme which was disallowed at the last minute, but we will hopefully be able to do a Title Update to the game to re-enable sharing between all users when Microsoft figures some things out later this year, so get ready for that. Sharing levels is something that the DS/PSP versions should do very well, in the meantime.

But making levels is still a lot of fun. It affords you limitless creativity and a chance to invent novel moves and tricks while you’re waiting anxiously for new N+ level packs. (Coming really soon!)

3. The ninja animations and crazy High-Def details.

Okay, so usually when we talk about N+’s next-gen graphics, we’re speaking with collective tongue firmly in collective cheek. But actually, the graphics for N+ XBLA have a lot of subtle detail you might not immediately notice. Watch the ninja animations zoomed-in sometime; the victory and running animations are quite fluid and offer some pretty hilarious character insights. The backgrounds and particle effects are especially dazzling in HD and were very easy to tweak and polish, owing to Nick’s incredible dev tools. The sparkling gold, the crackling electricity outputted by floorchasers and zap drones, the spurting geysers of viscous blood... it’s the little things that make N+ shine.

4. The multiplayer!

Perhaps the best thing about N+ is that you and your friends can finally work as a team of well-oiled machines, cooperating your way to success through the Single Player levels or the specially-designed Multiplayer levels, and then you can follow that up by crushing the souls of those same friends, besting them at a rousing game of Survival or Race Competitive Multiplayer. Friendship is a finely tuned balance, and N+ XBLA gives you the chance to experiment a bit.

This week was decidedly XBLA-centric -- next week we’ll take a look at the DS and PSP versions! Keep those questions coming, we’ll get to some more of yours next week.

Stay Awesome,
Mare and Raigan
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