14 years ago
Dust: An Elysian Tail review (XBLA)
Dust: An Elysian Tail was developed by Humble Hearts and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on August 15, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
Dust: An Elysian Tail opens with a lone figure awakening in a forest with no memory of his past. The mystical, obviously powerful blade he comes into possession of assumes the dual roles of death-dealer and imparter of wisdom; its cagey words imply that it knows more about the main character and the quest he is destined to embark upon than it is willing to reveal just yet. A cutesy and somewhat annoying sidekick flies alongside, providing help and occasionally pointing out the obvious. Once the opening scene closes, players move left to right and merrily hammer away at face buttons to dispatch beasties marching towards them on a 2D plane, all of it accomplished in stunning effect thanks to gorgeous hand-drawn art. There are peaceful villages besieged by overpowering forces and inhabited by locals in need of a hero to carry out various quests, and it’s not long before the environment betrays the fact that the completionist player will be revisiting areas later on to accumulate all of the hidden goodies once more skills have been unlocked.
It all sounds fun, right? Of course it does, but it’s probably also sounding a bit familiar at this point. Here’s the good news: there is much more to Humble Hearts’ Dust: An Elysian Tail than can be summed up in a handful of broad sentences about its action-adventure game tropes. Yes, it shares much with other throwback side-scrollers, and the sole member of the game’s development studio, Dean Dodrill, is unlikely to hear any complaints about that fact. But his studio’s debut effort also establishes an excellent identity all its own. Dust is a joy to play and the star of Microsoft’s 2012 Summer of Arcade lineup. There are some issues with pacing, voice work and the framerate hiccup, but wonderfully charming artwork, a wealth of content and a combat system that just feels right will allow gamers to look past the issues and enjoy Dust for many hours.
14 years ago
Red Johnson’s Chronicles – One Against All coming to XBLA
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Namco Bandai and Lexis Numerique have announced that Red Johnson’s Chronicles – One Against All will be coming to XBLA, PSN, …
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14 years ago
XBLAFancast Episode 74 – Clearly
To make up for the rather short show last week, we’re back to a more usual length. We brought in our Video Co-ordinator Shawn Saris to help with that. This week Perry tells us all about the final Summer of Arcade game Dust: An Elysian Tail, which he enjoyed quite a bit. We talk a bit about Hybrid, including that metagame, then you can hear me rant about Star Wars for a little bit.
We have actual news this week, then Andrew rounds out the show with the ol community corner.
Please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes. We appreciate it! Check us out on twitter (@XBLAFans) where you can win codes for games, give us feedback or just ask a question. You can do the same on Facebook, and hey while we’re plugging stuff be sure to check us out on YouTube and Twitch.TV. We are also now on Stitcher, so you can stream the show on your smartphone, give it a go!
Big thanks to Chris Green for the awesome theme music, be sure to check out his site BlurredEdge and why not follow him on twitter too @BlurredEdge.
[podcast]https://xblafans.com/xblafancast/XBLAFancastEp74.mp3[/podcast]
14 years ago
New Dollar Dash trailer indicates an October release date
A new trailer for upcoming XBLA title Dollar Dash has been published and hints at an October release date. The game from Candygun Games, developers behind last year’s Dead …
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Double Fine will unveil Happy Action Theater sequel Friday
Development studio Double Fine will unveil a sequel to its February Kinect title Happy Action Theater on Friday, if a tweet from Giantbomb co-founder Ryan Davis Monday afternoon is to be believed. Davis had this to say:
14 years ago
Mark of the Ninja stealthily hits XBLA on September 7
When was the last amazing Friday release? Fez? The Simpsons Arcade? Add one more to the list with Shank developer Klei Entertainment’s new, original title Mark of the Ninja. …
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14 years ago
The Walking Dead episode 3 nearing certification
Back in July, Telltale Games stated that they were aiming for a mid-August release for the third episode of their amazing The Walking Dead series. The team has finished play-testing …
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14 years ago
Ready to Rock? Harmonix Releases Full Setlist for Rock Band Blitz
Over the course of the last few weeks, Harmonix has been announcing tracks for the new PSN and XBLA game: Rock Band Blitz. While you won’t be seeing Ballroom Blitz by Sweet (the song was already on the original title), you will be able to rock out to 25 different songs. Also, you won’t need to drag your old instruments out of storage, because Harmonix is introducing controller-based play system.
Rock Band Blitz offers a setlist to satisfy many music tastes. While classic and modern rock are quite prominent, the game also mixes in a bit of Top 40. In addition to the songs with Rock Band Blitz, all songs from previous Rock Band titles will be playable. The 25 tracks will also be able to be played on Rock Band 3 with full instruments.
Rock Band Blitz hits XBLA August 29 and will be available or 1200 MSP. Read the entire setlist after the break.
14 years ago
The Adventures of Shuggy and Xotic now half price
Unique first-person shooter, Xotic and one of our favourite platformers, The Adventures of Shuggy have been recently reduced in price. Both games have received a permanent price drop from …
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