XF: E3 2011 XBLA Coverage
E3 is upon us again, and XBLAFans has your Xbox Live Arcade coverage. We’ve got four of our talented staffers on the show floor and the rest of us are holding the fort down here on the site. Check back frequently as XBLA Fan breaks Xbox Live Arcade news and previews upcoming games. All our E3 coverage can be found below. Make sure to follow us on twitter and like us on facebook as well.
Thursday: Man, as busy as we’ve been E3 is just flying by. But what a great year it’s going to be for Xbox Live Arcade, and what a rush of news! In the past 72 hours our team has been getting hammered with news, and we’ve put out a record 38 articles in that time. The best news is there’s more to come. We’ve got over 25 games we’ll be previewing in the coming weeks along with interviews, special developer guests on our podcasts, giveaways and more! Time to dig our heels in for one last awesome day at E3. At this point we’re keeping fueled solely by caffeine and adrenaline, but man is it worth it. Time for the gang to hit the show floor! — Steve
Awesomenauts screenshots and details are awesome
Mad Catz brings us a FPS designed controller
Bloodforge: officially an XBLA title
Making training better with Skullgirls
Trenched unlocks and innovates with Regiments
Rock of Ages rolling to XBLA on August 31
Bloodrayne Betrayal boasts blood bath bursts this August
XBLA developers representing in the top 100
Bloodforge: officially and XBLA title
Mad Catz brings us a F.P.S. designed controller
Kinect: now small space friendly
Just a little more info on Crimson Alliance
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited almost ready
XBLA’s Most Wanted: Elemental Gimmick Gear
Have you ever played a game before the HD revolution so beautiful that you considered it a work of art? Would you want that work of art remastered for the current generation of consoles? The debate will never cease, but memories of titles worthy of remastering keep pouring in.
Elemental Gimmick Gear is a hand-drawn action RPG that was originally destined for the Sega Saturn until publisher Hudson decided to switch gears and release it for the much more powerful Sega Dreamcast. Now, more than ten years from its original release, EGG deserves to reach a new audience of gamers.
Awesome avatar awards: Week of 5/29
We’re starting yet another feature here at XBLAFans that will showcase any newly announced Xbox Live Arcade-based avatar awards from are friends over at AvatarAwards. They’re a great site that somehow gets news on avatar awards for all 360 games before they’re released. Be sure to check them out if you’re curious about any non-XBLA related avatar awards. For simplicity’s sake and so that we don’t leech from them, each of the links below will take you to their site. Remember, these are awards, so they’re given out to the player by completing criteria in each game. For more detail hit up the Avatar Awards site. You can also follow them on Twitter at @AvatarAwards360.
We’ve got a big backlog to fill between the AvatarAwards and things that pre-date their site, so this one’s a lot longer than usual. Hit the jump to see the list. Also, let us know if we missed one.
Sega Rally Online Arcade review (XBLA)
Sega Rally Online Arcade was co-developed by Sega and Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released May 18, 2011 for 800MSP. A copy was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
The Sega Rally series has its roots in the arcades. Sega Rally Championship wowed arcade goers in 1995, and since that the time sequels have been released on home consoles and in arcades. Sega Rally Online Arcade (SROA) is the newest installment in the series, and while it doesn’t have the content of something like Sega Rally Revo it still packs a major punch for its 800MSP.
XBLA’s Most Wanted: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Arcade
Any fan of the Tony Hawk series will tell you the series went downhill after American Wasteland. The series went psuedo open world with Project 8, and then the abysmal skateboard controller came along, nearly killing the franchise. What players remember and love are the more classic titles — the titles that didn’t have a tacked on story. The best Tony Hawk games were simple. It was about the skating and nothing else. That’s where Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Arcade would come in.
Outland review (XBLA)
Outland was developed by Housemarque, and published by Ubisoft. It was released April 27, 2011 for 800 MSP.
Developer Housemarque has made a name for themselves with their previously PSN-exclusive titles Super Stardust HD and Dead Nation. It is nice to see them bring their next title, Outland over the the Xbox Live Arcade. The story focuses on the spirits of Chaos and Balance, who wage war with each other. A hero comes along to help protect the would against this universal divide. You play as that hero, and will need to skillfully maneuver through the changing world. So, is the adventure worth while or is it just a puzzling mess? Here’s our review.
Weapon of Choice review (XBLIG)
Weapon of Choice is developed and produced by MommysBest and was released on Xbox Live November 14, 2008. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.
Weapon of Choice is a fast paced side scrolling shoot’ em up reminiscent of favorites like Gunstar Heroes and Contra. The player character is tasked with protecting the world from a horde of invading aliens. There are branching levels giving players the ability to choose where they want to, each direction leading to a different ending. There are seven unique characters, each has a unique gun and double jump. This gives players a very diverse way to play through the levels.
Fortresscraft review (XBLIG)
Fortresscraft was developed by ProjectorGames and released on April 8, 2011 and costs 240 Microsoft Points. A copy was provided by the developer for review purposes.
Minecraft is a game very familiar to PC gamers: a blocky, pixelated adventure that has spawned generous and creative user-created content that is as much as an homage to the title as it is to the gaming industry. Console gamers have yet to experience the labor of love that is Minecraft — that is, until now.
March 2011 XBLA Sales Analysis
It’s been a great March for XBLA according to a sales analysis over the month. Beyond Good and Evil HD got over 76,000 players in the month with Torchlight …
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Swarm Review (XBLA)
Swarm was developed by Hothead Games and published by Ignition Entertainment. It was released March 23, 2011 for 1200MSP. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Swarm is a 2.5D side scrolling platformer in which you control a group 50 small, blue, clueless creatures. The goal of the game is to collect DNA for the “Momma” of the alien swarmites throughout twelve levels while making sure at least one of said swarmites stays alive. The game is not about story; it is about points. Swarm proves to be a fun and engaging gameplay experience once you get used to a few minor drawbacks.
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