Summer of Arcade

Bart Scott should be the spokesperson for all upcoming events. There is really no one else who can encompass the amount of desire I have for some …
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Even the casual observer has probably noticed by now that August is a special month for Xbox Live Arcade Games (XBLA). This year saw the third annual …
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Trials HD developer Redlynx has announced that their physics-based motorcycle racing game has surpassed the one million sales mark on Xbox Live Arcade. The game was touted as one of …
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Since the Xbox 360’s launch in November 2005, the Xbox Live Arcade has been a driving force in the console’s success. With a library of hundreds of games ranging from casual puzzle games to ports and remastered classics, and from unheard of indie gems to groundbreaking milestones in gaming, the XBLA has become an important place for any type of game to succeed and find an audience.

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Castlevania: Harmony of Despair was developed and published by Konami for XBLA on August 4, 2010. Retails for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Everyone remembers their first time playing one of the numerous Castlevania games. Mine happened to be Super Castlevania IV on the Super Nintendo, and I didn’t see another until Symphony of the Night. And then not again until the Gameboy Advance with Aria of Sorrow. The beauty of the Castlevania series is that all the games are similar yet very distinct at the same time. That’s where Harmony of Despair comes into the picture, it is the offspring of all the SOTN-era Castlevania’s.

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Uber Entertainment’s class-based third-person shooter hits XBLA today, and is the fourth game in this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion. The XBLA exclusive retails for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), …
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Crystal Dynamics has proudly revealed what DLC really means to them and they are talking about Downloadable Lara Croft! With the finale set for Microsoft’s 2010 Summer of Arcade on XBLA and the release of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light™ on August 18th, this will mark the kick off of the DLC campaign for Crystal Dynamics and what they are calling Downloadable Lara Croft.

The new game marks a lot of first in the Lara Croft series too, one being the first fully downloadable arcade game based on Lara Croft, it also has an all new isometric view that looks incredible for not only a single player but will also include for the very first time a franchise two player offline cooperative experience as well. Oh, did I mention the title is also coming to the Xbox 360 first as well? This only marks the beginning of the Downloadable Lara Croft campaign which is slated to run until the end of 2010.

Next up for the DLC campaign will be a free update for Xbox 360 gamers on September 28th that will include the much anticipated two player online co-op, as well as full leaderboard support and voice chat functionality for the title. This will also mark the release date for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light on the PlayStation Network and PC (via the Steam network) with full online support.

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Hydro Thunder Hurricane was developed by Vector Unit and published by Microsoft Game Studios for XBLA on July 28, 2010. It retails for 1200 Microsoft Points.

The original Hydro Thunder was a favorite in local arcades during the late 90s. The rush of boosting a fantastical speedboat through intense waters and hitting massive jumps struck a nerve in me that most other arcade games failed to do. For those with fond memories from the arcade excitement peaked when a new Hydro Thunder was announced for Xbox Live Arcade, developed by Vector Unit.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane, the first true sequel to the original arcade game, manages to reignite old love for the arcade original. When it comes to the basics, Vector Unit nailed the feel of the original, from the crazy courses down to the way the speedboats handle. Every speedboat that from the original is in HTH, and the inspired courses will evoke feelings of familiarity from Hydro Thunder veterans.

Of course, neat graphical touches remind us that the Hydro Thunder series has been improved quite a bit since the arcade days. Things like dynamic wave effects look awesome in high definition on XBLA, as do water droplets that form on the screen after a gnarly jump. Each boat now has a cool transforming animation once its boost is active. Seeing  boats transform from their standard appearance to reveal massive exhaust pipes that spew fire provides a lovely and empowering feeling.

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It’s a rare day for us to make a post about a non-xbla game. It’s an even rarer day for a Playstation 3 game to …
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The Summer of Arcade lineup is full of great titles.  We were very impressed with Limbo when it hit the marketplace last week, and while we haven’t …
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