12 years ago
Learn how SmartGlass wants to help you game on Xbox Live Arcade
From playing games, to watching movies, to listening to music, Microsoft’s all-in-one companion application, Xbox SmartGlass, continues to build a hefty catalog of ways to interact with your Xbox 360. For anyone still in the dark about inviting SmartGlass into their holy trinity of media consumption, or aren’t familiar with what exactly it does, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. His name’s Peter Orullian.
But first, what is Xbox SmartGlass? Consider SmartGlass the very best parts of a friendship without having to subscribe to that nagging social courtesy of considering their feelings. Too lazy to get up and grab your Xbox remote? No problem, SmartGlass loves being a remote. Need a quick tip about the game you’re playing? SmartGlass will show you in real time, and won’t ask to play or tell you what you’re doing wrong. Actually, consider Xbox SmartGlass to be like your personal virtual servant; a media genie that only likes what you like and never pesters you about freedom, or lamps.
In a series of tutorial videos released yesterday, Xbox SmartGlass Product Manager Peter Orullian has outlined the many possible ways you can enhance any experience with the SmartGlass application, including our favorite, Xbox Live Arcade. Giving us the first information on how we can expect to utilize SmartGlass with Signal Studios’ upcoming action-RPG Ascend: New Gods, Orullian demonstrates the newly unveiled Ascend: Oracle of the New Gods, which acts as an interactive compendium, realtime dungeon map and stat tracker. All this while showing off some much appreciated gameplay footage. Check out the video after the jump.
12 years ago
Size matters in Ascend: New Gods
If there’s one universal truth out there in the oft-quoted index of tidy idioms, it’s that, “there’s always a bigger fish.” The biggest kid on the block, shaking down …
Read More
Dollar Dash debuts custom costumes; terrible disguises
Professional thievery is a risky business. Sometimes you’ve got to blend in, pop on a beaglepuss and saunter away like a mustachioed norm-y. In the case of Dollar Dash, sometimes you’ve got to dress in elaborate costumes, sporting a viking helmet with unkempt beard, or a king’s crown and a pair of stunner-shades. Because prowling the night dressed as a knight is the last thing they’d expect.
While these may not be the best disguises, Kalypso Media Digital has debuted a new trailer revealing the many customizable ensembles in the forthcoming multiplayer title developed by Candygun Games. In Dollar Dash, up to four players will go for broke as would-be thieves, using an array of weapons and hijinks to grab the cash and stump the competition. Check out the Customization trailer after the jump, and expect Dollar Dash to sneak onto Xbox Live Arcade on March 6, for 800 MSP.
12 years ago
Special Forces: Team X review (XBLA)
Special Forces: Team X was developed by Zombie Studios and published by Atari, Inc. It was released February 6, 2013 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
It’s been nearly three years since Zombie Studios’ last crack at an XBLA shooter, Blacklight: Tango Down, and in that time, they’ve cultivated a hard-core PC following with its free-to-play successor Blacklight: Retribution. Now heralding the return of Zombie’s shooter-centric capability to Xbox Live Arcade, Special Forces: Team X delivers a mostly satisfying multiplayer fix with enough style to overlook the one-note experience. STX isn’t targeted at the ultra-competitive; it’s designed around ease of use, accessibility, and plucking enough chords to resonate with everyone in some way, even if it never particularly excels at any one of them.
It’s impossible not to see the reflection of other titles in the glossy presentation of Special Forces: Team X. The lean character bodies and cel-shaded visuals immediately drum up thoughts of Borderlands, while the handling, cover-system and gun mechanics are unabashedly lifted from the Gears of War series. This isn’t a slight on the title, to the contrary, there’s an admirable confidence in the way Zombie Studios has surveyed the landscape, imitating proven success, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. The amalgamation of gaming’s giants makes for a beautiful creature both accessible and familiar, but there’s something missing behind the eyes, and it’s little more than the sum of its parts.
Score some Skulls of the Shogun schwag
Samurai-themed turn-based strategy game Skulls of the Shogun has enjoyed much-deserved success since its release last month. 17-BIT’s blitzkrieg-style launch across Microsoft’s many platforms means no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can bring Skulls of the Shogun along for the ride. But what if that’s still not enough Skulls in your life? Well then, now’s your chance to score some official limited-edition schwag, courtesy of 17-BIT’s “Skulls Anywhere” contest.
Running now through February 27, 17-BIT’s contest could let you snag one of six prize packs for showing your Skulls support in a creative or interesting locale. For the full details, check out 17 Bit’s official contest page, but for those eager to get started we’ve placed the pertinent information below:
- Print out this picture of the Skull, available here: http://bit.ly/12H5Wkv
- Take a picture of the Skull somewhere cool and interesting. (That being said, please keep it legal.)
- E-mail your picture to skullsanywherecontest@17-BIT.com with the subject line “Skulls Anywhere Contest”, or post it on Twitter using the hashtag #SKULLSANYWHERE
- Hope your entry is chosen as a winner!
To be sure you’re eligible for the contest, check out the official rules and regulations. You can hit the jump to check out the many sweet prizes up for grabs including art prints signed by the 17-BIT team. Finally, if you haven’t yet checked out Skulls of the Shogun, you can catch up with the XBLAFans review and our exclusive guide.
12 years ago
Battleblock Theater closed beta begins this month
The closed beta for The Behemoth’s forthcoming Battleblock Theater finally has a release date. Those lucky enough to grab one of the coveted 10,000 spots can expect to get started in two short weeks, beginning February 28. Selected beta testers for Battleblock Theater will be receiving email notifications from The Behemoth in waves, so if you applied and haven’t yet been contacted, don’t fret just yet. There’s still hope.
All last week, XBLAFans ran a contest in partnership with The Behemoth to guarantee a certain number of beta spots for eager volunteers. In case you missed it, there’s still time to sign up and hope your number gets pulled. All you have to do is head over to The Behemoth’s official beta page, peruse the regulations and, if you meet the criteria, fill out the form. If you’re interested in getting your hands on Battleblock Theater before anyone else in the world, but not sure what to expect, check out the official trailer below.
[springboard type=”video” id=”668499″ player=”xbla001″ width=”640″ height=”400″ ]Deal of the Week: Secondhand Zombies
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the deal of the week knows the quickest way to the heart…is through the chest cavity. This week is all about zombies and the …
Read More
12 years ago
Feel the sunshine in Mars: War Logs trailer
Cyberpunk action-roleplaying adventure Mars: War Logs shows off its sunnier side in its first official trailer. Soaked in sunlight and soulful melody, the trailer only hints at the dirty, dingy underbelly that is everyday life for the colonists of Mars.
Mars: War Logs takes place several undetermined hundreds of years in the future where humankind’s colonization of the Red Planet has failed. The surviving remnants of those efforts have devolved into civil war for control of the most precious commodity on the planet: water. Because life’s not hard enough, helping to ensure everyday could be the last are the mutants, the religious zealots and that beautiful sun. That savagely beautiful sun, scourging the surface with solar radiation in doses suitable for proper skin liquefaction.
You’ll take on the role of Roy Temperance, the renegade whose story intertwines with the fate of the planet, as you fight against the aforementioned martian horrors and the corporate ruling class. Boasting a deep stable of intriguing characters, dozens of unlockable skills and perks and customizable equipment, Mars: War Logs is shaping up to be unique, to say the least.
Helmed by Spiders Studios, Mars: War Logs runs on the studio’s cleverly named and obviously gorgeous Silk engine, spinning it’s way toward a tentative “Spring 2013” release date. We’ll keep this one on our radar. In the meantime, feast your eyes on a bevy of silky screens after the jump.
12 years ago
Battleblock Theater XBLA beta code giveaway (Day 6)
We have a winner! Congratulations to: littlenekochan – We’ll be in contact with the winner soon to explain how to claim his/her prize! The correct answer was the “Iceskimo” from Castle Crashers (check the original image after the jump). Thanks for entering, everyone, and don’t forget to try again tomorrow!
Welcome to day six of our seven-day Battleblock Theater XBLA multiplayer beta code giveaway contest! At some point in February or March (the exact date has yet to be sorted out), The Behemoth’s Battleblock Theater will begin a closed beta, with 10,000 XBLA gamers getting access.
Sound like fun? Want in? Then all you have to do is guess which Behemoth game character (or other noun) is pictured in the above distorted image. Post your best guess in the comments below, and remember, if you don’t win today, be sure to keep coming back, because we’ll be picking a winner every day for an entire week. Good luck!
Bloody action brawler Obscure unveiled
Focus Home Interactive has officially announced Obscure, a new 2.5D side-scrolling action title set to hit Xbox Live later this spring. Set in the same universe as 2005 survival-horror title, ObsCure, and its 2007 sequel, players will find themselves taking on the role of four students who must slash, bash and blast their way through hordes of gruesome monstrosities. Casting aside the doom-and-gloom atmosphere of its namesake, Obscure touts highly-stylized, blood-drenched animation, caustic humor and arcade action that emphasizes combos and chain attacks in order to multiply your score and rack up points.
Each playable student-character comes with their own unique skills and abilities, enabling you to tackle each non-linear level and grotesquery in a variety of ways. Along the way players will complete objectives, discover new weapons and encounter a bestiary of horrors; earning experience to level up their characters by excelling above the score goals, which can then be spent on more abilities, skills and weapons. At any time players will also be able to backtrack through completed levels, bringing along their newfound prowess and unlocked arsenal in an effort to best their old scores.
A vital part of any high school experience, Obscure aims to deliver on a robust social feature set. Up to 4-player cooperative multiplayer, online and local, means players can split up to more quickly complete their objectives or band together to increase the odds of survival.
Obscure is being developed by Mighty Rocket Studio, an independent developer comprised of some of the original ObsCure development team. To see the angsty teenage gorefest in action, hit the jump for the official teaser trailer.