11 years ago
The Xbox games of 2014: Part II
We’re late, and it seems that’s become somewhat of a trend for us lately. Our Game of the Year awards weren’t doled out until January, and now our look forward at the XBLA and Xbox One XBLA-type games of 2014 is just making its way to you in February. You were on your own when it came to planning out January’s releases, but now it’s time for our annual look ahead at the top downloadable games likely to arrive on an Xbox platform during the (remainder of) the year ahead. Read on to find out what you can expect out of Xbox over the next (not quite) 365.
Constant C
Developer: International Games
Set aboard a doomed space station in which the flow of time has stopped, Constant C has you playing as a rescue robot navigating the paused wreckage to save the station and its survivors. Constant C is a 2D-platformer boasting gorgeous soft blues and reds on a jet-black background. As the rescue robot, you will manipulate time and space to overcome the puzzles and challenges you’re pitted against. The time manipulation is based on your touch; whatever you touch returns the object to the flow of time, such as blocks paused in mid-fall. The gravity manipulation consists of tilting the 2D screen in 90-degree rotations. Both abilities will be crucial to traversing the 100+ mind-blowing stages. Met with favorable reviews on PC, Constant C is now on its way to XBLA this spring.
11 years ago
The Xbox Games of 2014: Part I
We’re late, and it seems that’s become somewhat of a trend for us lately. Our Game of the Year awards weren’t doled out until January, and now our look forward at the XBLA and Xbox One XBLA-type games of 2014 is just making its way to you in February. You were on your own when it came to planning out January’s releases, but now it’s time for our annual look ahead at the top downloadable games likely to arrive on an Xbox platform during the (remainder of) the year ahead. Read on to find out what you can expect out of Xbox over the next (not quite) 365.
Below
Developer: Capy Games
Developer Capy Games is hard at work on two games for this year, including the Xbox One exclusive Below. Announced during Microsoft’s E3 2013 press conference, the game centers on a adventurer who lands on the shore of a mysterious island. The game’s major focus is exploration; your character is but a tiny portion of the screen to show the full scale of the island. There’s plenty of island to see, and the randomly generated environment will ensure every adventure will be unique. Making it through the island will not be a walk in the park: the “roguelike-like” combat and permanent death will make survival difficult, but Capy promises to play fair. Only those who can brave the game’s toughest challenges will find the game’s hidden secrets and discover what lies below.
11 years ago
Assassin’s Creed: Liberation review
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD was developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It was released January 15, 2014 on Xbox Live Arcade for $19.99. A retail copy purchased by XBLA Fans was used for review purposes.
The Assassin’s Creed series is like an addition. Once you play one, you have this inner compulsion to play them all. It doesn’t matter which game got you hooked, you find yourself needing to complete them all. The polished gameplay and incredibly engaging story of this saga keeps you coming back, even though with each installment you say “I don’t think I can do another one”.
Yet you do. With each game you tell yourself you can put the controller down, but each time you play the next installment. But one game was out of many people’s hands. Assassin’s Creed: Liberation was originally released in October 2012 as a PlayStation Vita exclusive. But most of us didn’t own a Vita. We played our games on a 360, a PlayStation 3, or a Windows PC. The Vita was just too darn expensive to merit the price.
But 2014 brings Liberation to current gen systems in a big way. Finally everyone can experience the story of Aveline, set in the Louisiana swamplands. And brother, it is glorious.
11 years ago
Tetris headed to Xbox One
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic game Tetris, Ubisoft has teamed up with the The Tetris Company to release the title on the Xbox One. Tetris on …
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Assassin’s Creed Liberations HD releasing January 15
While most assassins are sailing the high seas of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, another game in the series will soon bring the fight against the Templars back to America. Ubisoft …
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11 years ago
Spartacus Legends’ month-long tournament to crown Champion of Capua
The time to declare a gladiator above all others has arrived. Kung Fu Factory, developer of free-to-play gladiatorial simulator Spartacus Legends, has decreed four weeks of bloodshed in the search for a champion of the Arena. Starting today, players can enter into online matches against a global stable of opponents during four weekly competitions – which together comprise Spartacus Legends‘ first tournament season.
The top 100 players from each week will be gifted rewards befitting their performance, with additional and better rewards going to the highest placed competitors. Victors can claim titles, wealth, legendary equipment and banners for their houses. Upon the conclusion of the season, an overall champion will be named and honored with the title of “Champion of Capua.” The tournament schedule and a full list of reward tiers can be found after the jump.
Spartacus Legends released in June of this year to a cold reception. Our own review found it buggy and bland, with netcode that made online battles nearly impossible to enjoy. However, Kung Fu Factory has supported Spartacus with several patches and compatibility updates, adding new features and addressing the connectivity issues, glitches, bugs and matchmaking system.
11 years ago
Games with Gold serves up Might & Magic Clash of Heroes next week
Starting next week Microsoft’s Games with Gold program will cycle a new title into the rotation of biweekly freebies exclusive to Xbox Live Gold Members. This time around, Capybara’s …
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11 years ago
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD announced for Xbox 360
Ubisoft has announced the formerly PlayStation Vita-exclusive Assassin’s Creed Liberation is making its way to the Xbox 360, receiving the HD treatment in the process. Liberation showcases the series’ first playable female protagonist, Aveline de …
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Flashback remake ready for Summer of Arcade
The Summer of Arcade on Xbox 360 continues this week with Flashback HD, a high-def remake of the side-scrolling action-adventure game from the ’90s, also called Flashback. This past …
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12 years ago
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger draws inspiration from Bastion and Hollywood
Meet Haris Orkin, writer and voice director behind the critically acclaimed Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. He assisted Techland on the first Juarez game back in ’05, when he suggested the polish developer hire an American writer to get the dialogue right. He’s been working with them ever since.
In a ‘making of’ documentary posted by Ubisoft, Orkin recounts the process behind how Gunslinger came to fruition. From the beginning when Techland didn’t know if they needed a traditional story since this was a “downloadable game”, through the process of developing Silas Greaves and presenting the tall tale history of the Wild West.
“They came to me with the idea of the entire game being narrated a la Bastion,” Orkin recounts. “They told me they wanted narrative tricks in the game; that things in the game world would change depending on the narrators story. I thought that idea was pretty brilliant and mirrored exactly how the history of the West came to be written in the first place.”
To delve into that rich history of the Wild West, Techland wanted the larger-than life personas that cut out a living during the time. “They wanted the game to feature some of the most iconic Western legends and characters from the past,” Orkin says. “Together we crafted a story based on that premise. The character would be someone who brushed against all those famous characters.”