Blog

Minecraft for Xbox Live Arcade will be getting its first free update in just a couple weeks, Roger Carpenter, lead producer of the fastest-selling game to ever hit the platform, has informed XBLA Fans. Digital crafters can look forward to what has been dubbed an interim update fixing a number of bugs when it arrives. Carpenter confirmed that dummy glitches, sleeping, clay issues and more will be remedied when it goes live.

A more robust update (1.7.3) will then follow at an undetermined date in July. Designed as the first in a series of post-release downloads to bring the port up to speed with the PC version, 1.7.3 will not include any additional Achievements due to it being free. (Those players who feel the itch to bump up their Gamerscore need not necessarily worry: traditional Xbox Live DLC with extra Achievements is being considered for sometime down the line.)

 
[springboard type=”video” id=”496935″ player=”xbla001″ width=”640″ height=”400″ ] Unfortunately the size of the maps (1024 by 1024 blocks) is not set to be bumped up yet. The reason, says Carpenter, is that the game’s creators want to make sure they have sufficient room to expand the game as it grows. Any PC bugs that were not fixed until later updates will not be taken care of with 1.7.3, but, as mentioned, the plan is to eventually update Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition enough so that it matches up with the PC version.

Read More

Konami has released several new screenshots for Zombie Studios’ Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition, and unlike George Costanza‘s Frogger high score, these screens have successfully made it across the street to their destination: your browser window. Of course, not even Schlomo and Slippery Pete could have blundered this one. Ah, references.

In any case, this latest incarnation of the 31-years-old franchise, players will be able to square off against each other or the CPU in four-player matches to determine “who’s really the top frog.” And how!

Read More

5th Cell made their name with fairly cutesy games like Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts. Both handheld games with a kid-friendly art style and gameplay that encouraged creativity. So when they revealed their first XBLA game and it turned out to be a third person shooter, we were certainly surprised.

What we weren’t surprised about was the fact they had decided to do things a bit differently. Drawn to Life was a fairly traditional action platformer but it stood out by letting players draw characters and objects that inhabited the world. Scribblenauts is a fairly simple puzzle game in theory but has endless possibilities thanks to players having the whole dictionary at hand to help them complete levels. It’s because of these unconventional takes on traditional game ideas that we fully expected 5th Cell to put their stamp on their third person shooter, Hybrid.

In Hybrid players do not have direct control over their characters movement, not in the traditional sense anyway. While the right stick does move your camera and onscreen aiming reticule, the left stick will only move you around while on cover. To move from cover to cover, you’ll have to point the camera at the cover you want to go to and hit A, at which point you can strafe among other things. It sounds like it might over-complicate things for no reason but in reality it takes third person shooter gameplay and makes it a bit more tactical.

We don’t want to get too bogged down on the minutia of controls and such. Instead we asked some of our writers who took part in the recent beta to tell us about their experience, check out what they had to say below.  Read More

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was released May 16, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Sonic has had a bit of a hit and miss record lately. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I wasn’t quite as beloved as Sega hoped, yet Sonic Generations brought back that classic Sonic feeling. Episode II promises fixed physics, the addition of Tails and more Metal Sonic, all promising the potential for a return-to-form. Now it’s finally upon us, Episode II fixes some of the problems of its predecessor but not without introducing some new slogging problems along the way.
Read More

View the stream: [springboard type=”video” id=”496935″ player=”xbla001″ width=”640″ height=”400″ ]

We announced earlier this week that we would be kicking off Thursday Night Streaming with a Minecraft Game Night. …
Read More

You might have thought Double Fine had forgotten about XBLA, with their Kickstarter fame all we’ve heard XBLA-wise is rumblings of new Iron Brigade content. Now Sega is publishing their brand new game entitled The Cave, conceived by Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert. It’s an adventure game with puzzle and platforming elements but not in a traditional sense and more Metroidvania-style exploration. You’ll assemble a crack team of spelunkers each with different abilities and personalities. You can switch between any of the three characters on the fly or use 3-player local co-op. The characters include a scientist, a knight and a hillbilly…because why not? Ron Gilbert had this to say about The Cave:

“The concept of The Cave has been bouncing around in my head for many, many years, and then the little voices that tell me to do things said it was time to make the game,” added Ron Gilbert. “I’m thrilled to be working with amazingly talented folks at Double Fine and ecstatic that the team at SEGA believes in adventure games and quirky ideas.

Catch some screenshots after the jump, the game will be out some time in 2013.
Read More

Looking for your next Walking Dead fix but don’t want to wait until the second episode hits next month? Fear not – the newest episode of Playing Dead, the Web …
Read More

Microsoft Japan has revealed that Crimson Dragon, the on-rails dragon combat title from Grounding, Inc. and Land Ho! Co. Ltd., is set to release in Japan on June 13, reports Famitsu. The Kinect-enabled spiritual successor to the Panzer Dragoon series will cost gamers 1200 Microsoft Points. No release details have been made available in regards to American and European territories at this time.

A trio of new dragons were also shown and detailed for the first time, meaning that all six of the game’s dragon types are now known. Black Bone makes up for his lack of agility with powerful main attacks and skills such as his “homing-Ray,” which locks on to a multitude of baddies. Golden Hawk has strong defensive attributes and a move called “plasma Barrett.” A rough translation identifies the move as “a power attack fire.” Last up is Silver Tail, who is sort of the smarty-pants of flying lizards. Silver Tail has the highest mental strength but low stamina. His main “Vision Lightning” ability allows for a form of automated tracking, and his main attack will be customizable to some degree.

Read More

We’ve all been curious as to what would be on the soundtrack for the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Will there be a return to the classics or will it be filled with new music? In an interview with Robomodo, they finally revealed 14 of the 16 tracks that will comprise of the soundtrack. Standouts include Superman by Goldfinger and Bring the Noise by Anthrax feat. Chuck D. Catch the 14 after the break and here’s what Ken Overbey, producer/product manager said about the soundtrack:

It was a little difficult. We definitely wanted to bring back some of the songs from the original soundtrack, but wanted new songs as well. The most difficulty we had was our budget, which was very small, and the scope and time frame; it was a lot of work to get it all lined up and get the songs in. You have to put out a risk analysis report and you have to point out to the publisher what the biggest risks are in the development. Soundtrack, Patrick and I both agreed, was the number one. Anyone who knows the game knows the music is just as important as the gameplay.

Read More

Feel like going for a ride? You will this XBLA Wednesday with the release of Joy Ride Turbo for 800 MSP. Based on the Kinect retail title, this time, …
Read More