Xbox Live Arcade Message Board older than one year ago

#treasure Beloved, coveted Sega Saturn shoot 'em up Radiant Silvergun is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in 2011, thanks to developer Treasure. So too may a Radiant Silvergun arcade stick from Hori, but only if you really, really want it. More »

#wii Retro City Rampage, an ode to both the games and culture of yesteryear, was one of the few WiiWare games we'd been looking forward to as 2011 draws nearer. It's also now probably one of the last. More »

Hydrophobia launched this past fall alongside numerous tepid reviews, including our own. In an effort to mend some of the damage done by said reviews, the game's developer is issuing a major title update tomorrow -- dubbed "Hydrophobia Pure" -- with a laundry list of fixes so long, only Lady Gaga's maid could outdo it.

Hydrophobia developer Dark Energy Digital claims to have addressed level design, AI behavior and the cover system, and has promised to remap controls to something more general -- A to jump, LT to aim. There's also "more realistic character water resistance" -- there was virtually no way to predict AI reaction to a flood of water when we last played the game. Hydrophobia's trial version is also getting tweaked and being lengthened "to allow players to sample more of the game for free."

Alongside the dozens of fixes, the game's price is dropping from 1200 MS Points ($15) to 800 ($10) as of tomorrow, so hold out for another 24 hours if you've been fixin' on buying the XBLA title. The developer also noted that the fixes in this update will apply to future games in the Hydrophobia series, as well as the eventual PSN version. Head past the break for a detailed list of the changes in tomorrow's title update.

#clips Polytron's Fez, an Xbox Live Arcade game we were really hoping to play in early 2010, is now due during the new year. A new trailer for Phil Fish's perspective-bending platformer gets us up to speed on Gomez's journey. More »

#totalrecall Christmas is a time for looking back at the year passed, processing what's been most important for you over the past twelve months. For me, and video games, one such thing was — surprisingly — Xbox Live Arcade game Toy Soldiers. More »

#konami Konami and Arc SystemWorks are still plugging away at the anime-styled spin on Contra, Hard Corps: Uprising, which is due sometime this winter. To make the wait easier, an all-new look at the downloadable shoot 'em up is here. Peruse! More »

The end of the year is quickly drawing upon us. While many are scrambling to grab those last-minute gifts for friends, loved ones and that guy you got for the office Secret Santa for whom you have no idea what to get (protip: give him an Xbox Live points card and steer 'em here), those who may have procrastinated a bit less than the rest of us can treat themselves with some Xbox Live goodies. Major Nelson posted up the deals and content set to arrive during the final third of this month, which you can see in full past the break.

As we guessed earlier, Quake Arena Arcade's price on Xbox Live Arcade is considerably less than the cost of a second-hand Dreamcast, broadband adapter and copy of Quake 3 Arena -- it's now available on the Marketplace for 1200 MS Points ($15).

In other Quake news, Quake Live has been updated with "Premium Pak 5," an expansion that adds five new arenas (two are holiday themed), and "new Premium Duel Scoreboards." Two of the five new arenas are community-created, and both of the holiday maps are remakes of earlier Quake multiplayer levels. "Silent Night" updates "Distant Screams" from Team Arena, while "Winter's Edge" is a remake of "The Edge" from Quake 2.

Several other, smaller tweaks have been made, though the list is sadly devoid of virtual santa caps.

Xbox Live promotes their Winter lineup starting December 22nd. A World of Keflings, Raskulls and ilomilo!