Magic 2014 – Duels of the Planeswalkers to feature Sealed Play and Slivers
Fans of popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering will already be salivating at the recent news that Sliver creatures will return in the upcoming Magic 2014 core set; but the news for Xbox owners is even more exciting, as this years edition of Magic 2014 – Duels of the Planeswalkers will feature a Sealed Play format for the first time!
PAX East: Magic the Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014
We recently had the opportunity to speak with Wizards of the Coast about the next iteration of the annualized Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise: Magic the Gathering Duels of …
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XBLAFans’ most anticipated 2013 XBLA games: Part III
Here we are once again at the start of what’s sure to be another fantastic year of XBLA releases. Each day this week XBLAFans will be rolling out a list of eight of our most anticipated Xbox Live Arcade releases of 2013. While we can’t possibly cover every single XBLA game planned for this year, we’ll be giving you a varied list of 40 of the most promising titles we expect to release on XBLA in 2013. Once it’s all done, be sure to check back in next Monday when each staff member makes his/her picks for the game he/she is most looking forward to.
Harold
Developer: Moon Spider Studio
Harold is a platforming/racing game, but not as you would expect. Far from charismatic or capable, the protagonist Harold is an embarrassment with legs. Luckily he has you, his guardian angel, to manipulate the track against his rivals and occasionally kick him in the pants with lightning. Harold twists side-scrolling racing with urgent puzzle-solving into its environment.
Magic: the Gathering Duels of the Plainswalkers receives DLC today
Magic: the Gathering Duels of the Plainswalkers receives two new decks today for 240 MSP. The first deck is a white and red deck called “Act of War.” The …
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Xbox 360’s best XBLA games of all time: #25 – 21
Xbox Live Arcade began its life on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 simply enough. When eager gamers bought up Xbox 360s on launch day (November 22, 2005), they found a free copy of Hexic HD pre-loaded on their hard drives. Of course, it was another launch title that secured the platform’s success. Bizarre’s Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved both gave birth to the twin-stick shooter craze and demanded gamers take Xbox Live Arcade, which started in disc form back on the original Xbox, seriously as a digital games platform. Bizarre’s side project paved the way for the enormous variety of retro revivals, HD remakes, original indie projects, major studio releases, free-to-play games and more that have come to call XBLA home in the years since.
Today, we’re approximately one month away from the launch of the Xbox One, which will signal the end of XBLA as we have come to know it these past eight years. While Microsoft’s Xbox line will continue to be home to myriad low-cost downloadable video games, the XBLA moniker will not make the transition to Xbox One. It’s going down with the figurative (and literal) Xbox 360 boat. So what better time than now to count down the best XBLA games to ever grace the Xbox 360?
It wasn’t easy, but our staff has sorted through all of the best XBLA releases over the years and picked the ones that we feel are the true standout stars of the platform. Check back with us throughout the week as we run down five of Xbox Live Arcade’s top games every night. And don’t forget to head to the comments to let us know how much you love (or hate) our picks.
(Editor’s Note: voting was conducted in early September. No games released post-Summer of Arcade 2013 were considered eligible.)
25.) Pinball FX2
John Laster, Editor-in-Chief — Pinball FX2 shot out of the shoot pretty quickly and even three years later has shown very few signs of slowing down. Recreating a fantastic-feeling pinball experience in a virtual environment, Zen Studios has crafted a virtual arcade that will save you a lot of quarters and allow you to forget that you aren’t playing on physical machines. Utilizing a mix of original and licensed IPs, Pinball FX2 takes players from classic Rome to a galaxy far, far away with an entire pack of Star Wars tables and a plethora of other downloadable content.
Sacred Citadel review (XBLA)
Sacred Citadel was developed by Southend Interactive and published by Deep Silver. It was released April 17, 2013 for 1200 MSP. A copy, including the Jungle Hunt downloadable content, was provided for review purposes.
The recently independent studio Southend Interactive is no stranger to XBLA. Previous games include the cute puzzler ilomilo—a favorite among many players—along with new takes on old classics like R-Type Dimensions and Tecmo Bowl Throwback. Southend’s newest game, Sacred Citadel, puts a twist on the RPG franchise Sacred, trading in the point-and-click action for side-scrolling brawling reminiscent of Golden Axe and the great Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows Over Mystara. While it may not have the lasting impact of those titles, it’s more than capable of hanging with that crowd.
In Sacred Citadel, the world of Ancaria is threatened by Lord Zane’s quest to destroy the peaceful Seraphim. Players will stand against Zane’s evil Grimmoc army by taking control of one of four heroes: the Seraphim Mage, Safiri Warrior, Ancarian Ranger or the Khukuri Shaman. Throughout four acts (five with the Jungle Hunt DLC), the heroes will gain experience, level up and find new weapons and armor to further their quest towards victory. Players can experience all of this through a single player or three player co-op campaign. Get your button-mashing thumb ready because Sacred Citadel is going to put it to the test. Read More
Top-selling XBLA games of 2012
Now that the year 2012 has been set firmly in the books, the boys back at the lab have poured over the raw data to bring you the top arcade titles of the year. The figures, based on full versions sold, were tallied from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012, and made public thanks to Xbox Live’s Larry Hyrb.
No surprise to anyone was Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition topping the list this year. Having launched in May, the massive Minecraft community helped propel the title to well over 5 million downloads by year’s end. More impressively, the arcade adaptation outsold its robust PC cousin by nearly a million copies, securing Xbox Live Arcade as the fastest (legally) growing Minecraft community of 2012.
Trials Evolution rode into the second spot of the year’s most-purchased title on XBLA, and despite the staggering difference between first and second place, did very well for itself. Our Game of the Year, The Walking Dead wrapped up the third spot thanks to critical acclaim and its infectious word-of-mouth campaign. Pinball FX2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rounded out the top five, in that order.
Amazingly, the never-say-die mantra of Castle Crashers has proven itself again; moving the sixth most number of copies nearly half a decade after its initial release. Filling out the top 10, in order, are: Gotham City Impostors, I Am Alive, Fruit Ninja Kinect, and finally, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD.
You can check out these titles in list form, along with the rest of the top 20, after the jump.
New XBLA games incoming
In case you’re not bogged down by the many fantastic games out this year, here are some new XBLA games coming up in the next seven days. While we anxiously wait for Guardians of Middle Earth, you can relive some classic Sega fighting games. If that’s too boring, you can always discover if Red Bull actually gives you wings. More downloadable content for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and Magic: The Gathering is nice, too.
XBLA Wednesday: September 19
A quick reminder of today’s XBLA releases and a look ahead to the next couple of weeks. This week we have two Wednesday releases, Sega’s HD remake of the Dreamcast …
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XBLA Sales Analysis: June 2012
Our friends at Gamasutra have published their monthly XBLA sales analysis for June 2012. June was a tricky month to track; the lack of leaderboards in most games made tracking sales …
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