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It’s natural to have questions when playing a game for the first time. Questions like, “So this is Gears of War with jetpacks, right?” for instance. Or perhaps, “Is that guy shooting at me from the ceiling?” Maybe even, “What’s that sou — oh god, is that a cybernetic assassin?!” Gamers who partook in the beta for 5th Cell’s Hybrid already know the answers to those questions. For the uninitiated: no, yes, a cybernetic assassin and see: previous answer.

When a studio that is known and loved for creating a specific type of game — those in the Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts vein, in this case — announces it’s taking that brave leap of faith from the comforts of its nest to attempt a flight towards previously uncharted territory, there can be some trepidation among gamers, perhaps some skepticism, even. Take just one look at 5th Cell’s Summer of Arcade third-person shooter and it’s plain that it is one such departure. Five matches in a noisy convention hall (seriously, Activision, did Black Ops II have to be that loud?) is a sample size too small to categorically abandon all concerns over whether or not the studio has the chops to pull this thing off. However, it is large enough to glean that Hybrid has all the makings of the next XBLA shooter that will keep gamers up until the wee hours of the morning on many occasions. Now might be a good time to start banking up that sick leave at work.

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Bit of a low key show this week, not much in the way of news or big releases coming off of the E3 blow-out. We still manage fit in over an hour of XBLA talk though, with a few tangents.

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. 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/XBLAFancastEp66.mp3[/podcast]

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Microsoft’s Major Nelson has announced the dates and prices for this years five Summer of Arcade titles. This years promotion will kick off on July 18 with Tony Hawk’s …
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Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles for Pinball FX 2 was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It retails for 800 MSP and was released on June 20, 2012. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles is the latest addition to the ever growing Pinball FX 2 library. This is a four table pack themed around the Avengers.  With so many tables now available this needed to be a special collection to stand out. After playing this set for some time it’s clear that Zen Studios put something really special together. The four tables are based on the the Avengers, Infinity Gauntlet, World War Hulk, and Fear Itself. Each strikes a perfect balance in style, theme, speed, and challenge. Each table is a worthy addition by itself, but as a set they seem all the more cohesive. Deftly mixing new twists with solid gameplay, The Avengers Chronicles does everything right.

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When I told Pete Rosky, Assistant Product Manager at Majesco and curator of my Double Dragon Neon demo, that I had never played a Double Dragon game he said “Great! I’ll tell you as little about the game as possible then.” Confused and incredulous, I asked why. “I’ve never gotten to do this presentation with someone who hasn’t played a Double Dragon game before, it’s a whole new perspective.” Knowing then what I know now, I would have understood that Double Dragon Neon is an “old soul” of a brawler, living a life in the present with a staunch respect for the past.

Apparently, Double Dragon is kind of a big deal amongst brawler fans, so excuse me for those of you that I’ve offended by having not played the game. If it makes you feel better, I played this one and liked it. Double Dragon Neon is slow paced (which isn’t a bad thing, mind you) and all the character models are huge and for all the brawlers I’ve played this felt different. It’s a brawler that feels old, but looks new. I marveled at the eye-popping visuals and smooth animations, but the gameplay was nothing like the brawlers of today (because apparently it’s like the brawlers of yesteryear).

Just like Majesco did for my demo, prepare for a preview from a different perspective. Read More

We’re back! After a week off we’re coming back with some more must-have tracks to add to your collection. We’ve got two great Trials HD remakes plus two tracks that look and feel like they were made by RedLynx. We’re also looking for feedback, so be sure and hit the jump to let us know your thoughts.

To download these tracks by entering Track Central, selecting Get Tracks, then pressing X to search. Enter the gamertag below to find the track. Be aware that the search is case sensitive. A big thanks to the Trials Evolution community for the borrowed videos. Hit the jump to see this week’s picks.

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Sonic the Hedgehog turns 21 this week and whilst he’s off down the discotheque with Tails (presumably) Microsoft are celebrating with a dedicated Deal of the Week sale on …
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Have a sweet tooth? If so, these new screens from NinjaBee‘s upcoming A World of Keflings DLC will be right up your alley. The DLC, titled Candy for Keflings, is the second of three downloadable themes for the XBLA title.

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345 Games have revealed the final player roster for their upcoming MMA fighting game, Bellator: MMA Onslaught. Along with the roster of world-class fighters, the game will also feature …
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Welcome to our second edition of Minecraft Monday! Each Monday for the foreseeable future, we will be showcasing a community member’s world. If you are interested in being featured, please email Shawn@xblafans.com. If you’re new to the world of Minecraft, check our our introductory guide here and find out what over 2 Million Xbox Live players are going on about.

We’ll leave it to our video guru Shawn “MrTheVestman” Saris to introduce this weeks very environmentally friendly world. Read More