About Todd Schlickbernd

Bang Bang Racing recently sped off the starting line with a trailer and screenshots combo and a website. Since then, the stadiums have been quiet, with the peanut gallery staring down the stretch holding their hands over their brows to block the sun so they won’t miss the next pass of cars. Well it seems another pack of media has been steadily zipping by the finish line starting a new lap of content showcases.

Over the last couple of weeks eight maps have been posted to Bang Bang Racing‘s facebook page along with a short blurb about each. Hit the jump for the screenshot gallery. Suffice to say, Digital Reality in collaboration with Playbox has gone for massive variety with these maps both in nature and in environment. Across these eight maps are very different themes from snow to sand, coastal to inland. More importantly, it seems as though each map will have several variations involving closing off parts of the map and opening others, turning straights into corners and vice versa. This is a fantastic alternative to the classic “go again, but this time, in reverse” cop-out because maps in reverse really aren’t that different. Throw in a series of six hairpins where before there was a straight, and that’s some majorly different racing.

Keep your eye on XBLA Fans as Bang Bang Racing moves into pole position. Read More

Apples to Apples was developed by ImaginEngine and published by THQ. It was released December 7, 2011 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

When the word practical is in question, which comes to mind first: video games or card games? It all depends on the context, doesn’t it? Not in Apples to Apples, where silliness abounds and players can make as little or as much sense as possible. This party game is roughly a million years old and has been played roughly forty bajillion times, and it’s finally found its way to Xbox Live Arcade.

Apples to Apples is a very simple game where a variable amount of players take turns choosing green apple cards with adjectives on them such as “explosive”, “repulsive” or “loud”. All the other players then choose from a hand of seven red apple cards with all sorts of words which endeavor to be like that green card, ranging from actions such as “running” to people like “Leonardo DeVinci”. The goal is to match the green card with a red card as best as possible, but Apples to Apples has always been a party game and party games love house rules, so some players may not play by the book. The XBLA version introduces a single player feature as well as a different variant to the game’s multiplayer, but at its core this is a game of silly comparisons.

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Jooooooooooeee D-D-D-Danger!!!
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More awesome from Ronimo Games, as if it’ll ever stop, with the latest character showcase. This time, Yuri is caught in the limelight! That is, if he’s got his healing upgrade. Yuri, easily described as a crazy ivan with a jetpack, is a character who doesn’t prefer to get into the thick of things. With a jetpack for mobility and a long range laser for damage, Yuri can stay at a safe distance if necessary. When a fight’s going down and nobody’s got an eye on the sky, however, Yuri can easily hover above and drop bombs, of which he has many different types. Lastly, when it’s time to defend, Yuri can deploy an aura around him which has different effects ranging from damage to healing. This gentleman, using the lightest definition of the word possible, is going to be an amazing pusher and defender due to his bombs, aura and range. To see more of what he has to offer, check the five minute gameplay video after the jump. Keep your eye on XBLA Fans for the final character showcase coming soon. Read More

Hey guys, we’re bringing you a new feature that’s simple and helpful in nature, the XBLAFans Monthly Roundup! This as well as other features will be seen a lot more should all things go accordingly, and we’ll even have some new ones on the way, so stay tuned because there’s a lot of awesome in the works here at XBLAFans.

If it wasn’t obvious by the title, this post will be your one-stop-shop to anything that happened this month with links to all our posts and excerpts where applicable. That means news, reviews, guides, features, interviews, podcasts, and even a recount of releases and sales data. Hit the jump for so many links you’ll never not know something about XBLA current events again! Read More

How to survive an alien attack.
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Culture is everywhere, it’s in the government propaganda, in the abrasive security details, in the greyness and ubiquity of society… oh, wait, no it’s not. That is, until DJ Professor K and Jet Set Radio bring back the funk in a rude way. Strap on your roller blades and attack Japan, strike back at the oppressive government, fight the monotony, tag over the propaganda and bring back freedom and love to society in Jet Set Radio Future.

That is, if you have the original Xbox. In fact, if you do, you probably have this game or did at one point (maybe you got it combined with Sega GT 2002) as it was one of its very early releases and to this day one of the most unique. Players take on the streets of Japan with their crew of oppression-fighting freestyle rollerbladers, defeating area security, tagging the town, and dissolving violent gangs from the dark corners of Japan in an effort to bring back the freedom of expression. With plenty of different levels, challenges, hidden collectibles and a decent multiplayer Jet Set Radio Future (JSRF) was a robust title considering its rather niche gameplay style.

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Many years ago a man and his two handy blades, jagged though they were, turned an entire crime organization on its head. Sometimes, when there was another ethereal controller being beside him, he was joined by his fellow anti-gang affiliate. This man, named Shank, armed only with twin shanks (and meat cleavers, and a katana, and a chainsaw, shotgun, SMG and dual pistols) brought frenetic brawler action complete with weapon fast-switching and combos along with crisp art and high-tier animation quality, and it appears that Klei Entertainment aims to give him shank-tion to do it again. We here at XBLAFans were lucky enough to score an interview with Klei Entertainment’s CEO, Jamie Cheng. Take a look at what he had to say after the jump. Read More

Dungeon Defenders devs Trendy Entertainment have just announced they’re doing a community event for the next two hours. Here are the details:

XBLA COMMUNITY EVENT TEST: Hey all! …
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Dungeon Defenders, after a whole year of being postponed, is finally out and flaunting its massive amount of content all over the place! Admittedly, it’s quite a …
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