#thebreathoflife
Breathe in, drain a lake. Breathe out, flood a valley. The battle between god-graced humanity and unforgiving nature is distilled down to two simple actions in Ubisoft's From Dust. More »
#indie
On the heels of the "Indie Games Uprising" of the winter, Xbox Live's indie development community is planning a 10-game indie blitz from Aug. 21 to Sept. 2. More »
#twistedpixel
Two things we're quite sure of regarding Ms. Splosion Man, the next game from Twisted Pixel and semi-sequel to Xbox Live Arcade game 'Splosion Man: it is coming to Xbox 360 this Wednesday, July 6 for 800 Microsoft Points. More »
Rather than watching your grandma mouth along the words to Lee Greenwood's timeless Americana classic "God Bless the USA" one more time this Independence Day, wouldn't you rather giver her a run for the money in one of the many Hasbro Family Game Night games? EA's offering just such a possibility, putting nine of its Hasbro titles on XBL up for sale at 50 percent off, and offering a swath of deals on other platforms on July 4th.
Perhaps you were looking to freedom-ize the necromorphs of Dead Space on iPad during your independence celebration? That's also on sale for .99 cents, alongside a handful of other iOS titles. And if you're more of the PC type, everything from Mass Effect 2 ($12) to Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit ($18) is marked down on Origin.
#xbox360
We've been enjoying Double Fine's lovable, downloadable mech game Trenched for more than a week now, but our European Xbox 360 owning compatriots have been denied its delicious blend of tower defense and shoot 'em up fun. What gives? More »
Xbox Live Arcade games X-Men Arcade, Hard Corps: Uprising, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Comic Jumper and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Reshelled are all 50% off this week, some of which you should consider buying. More »
#watchthis
The next entry in Namco Bandai's "Namco Generations" line and the follow-up to Pac-Man Championship Edition DX hits Xbox Live Arcade this week. Galaga Legions DX, a revamped Galaga Legions, might make you take video game epilepsy warnings more seriously. More »
Twisted Pixel's sequel to 2009 action platform 'Splosion Man, the more feminine Ms. 'Splosion Man, comes to Xbox Live Arcade on July 13, boasting 50 all-new single player levels, 50 multiplayer levels and a "2 Girls 1 Controller" mode. More »
Sega's going all out for Sonic's 20th birthday, buying him an enormous balloon, building him an iOS App, and releasing a demo of Sonic Generations on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. You can charge through a new(ish) Green Hill Zone with original (chubby) Sonic, and can sample the stereoscopic 3D mode while you're at it. Based on what we played, it doesn't appear as though the flipside of that level could be played with modern (skinny) Sonic. Luckily, we have 20 days to see if it's buried in there as an easter egg.
Sega released a free iOS App as well, though it's only found its way to the Japanese App Store thus far -- we've checked with Sega to make sure it's coming here as well. According to Andriasang, it'll only be available for the next six months. The app is composed of the first stage of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, a minigame named "Sonic the Sketchhog," a news feed, and an area for "weekly wallpaper downloads."
Sales are also kicking off on a variety of Sonic titles for XBLA/PSN, which run from today through July 28. And yes, this Thanksgiving, Sonic -- in his skinnier form -- will once again appear in the Macy's parade, taunting our turkey-swelled bellies with his simultaneously svelte and inflated figure.
Flashback designer Paul Cuisset heads up French studio Vector Cell, developer of forthcoming PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade title Amy. Beyond the scary monsters and spooky name, Amy is a game about two female protagonists in the near future. One is a little girl named Amy, who suffers from autism, and the other is Lana, a woman who must protect Amy from the monsters that have appeared.
Cuisset speaks to his unique character choices in a recent interview with Edge, explaining, "Amy is verbally impaired but she's not completely autistic ... you discover in the story why she doesn't want to speak." While he understands the risks involved with making a game starring two ladies without guns who run away from monsters, Cuisset says "the story of Amy and Lana is very important to us, and it justifies the risk we've taken because I think it's a good one." To him, "most games look the same and tell more or less the same story" nowadays, and he's grateful for digital platforms like PSN, which have room for games that might be deemed risky.
Cuisset makes a point we can't help but agree with, and wish we heard more from developers. "A good story needs good characters, and good characters need good relations to build something. I think that we tend to forget that we can do something different in games." Amy arrives this summer on PSN first, and on XBLA "eventually."
#bejeweled3
The makers of great, time-stealing games like Peggle and Plants Vs. Zombies are bringing one of their biggest successes to consoles and handhelds later this year, with Bejeweled 3 making the leap to five platforms (or three, depending on your point of view). More »
#buckyballs
On July 22, Captain America becomes the latest Marvel Comics character to get the blockbuster movie treatment, and on June 28 he'll be busting balls as the latest addition to Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball and Pinball FX 2. More »
Finally! Derek Yu's critically acclaimed sidescrolling action game, Spelunky, has been given a gameplay trailer. Beyond the thrilling gameplay is a somewhat expected, beefy cameo at the end -- head past the break and enjoy it with us!
Forget that Xbox Live Arcade business, pardner! According to comments made by Twisted Pixel's Dan Teasdale, the once Xbox Live Arcade-bound game is headed for the greener (more expensive?) pastures of retail this fall. Twisted Pixel isn't talking price right now, but considering most Kinect games go for $50, we'd say that's a safe bet.
Can't have summer without hot new Xbox Live games, right? Microsoft has announced its line-up for the warmer months, kicking off July 20 -- strangely, in an email and not, you know, during its E3 2011 press conference. Regardless, a total of five games will be on offer. No exact time table for the games was announced nor prices but, hey, at least we know what's coming.
The first game listed is Toy Soldiers: Cold War, a sequel to one of 2010's most lucrative Xbox Live Arcade games. The next game listed is Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Fuelcell's stylish UFO simulator, followed by Fruit Ninja Kinect, a flail-tastic port of Halfbrick's darling mobile (and soon, Facebook!) title. Next we have Bastion, a game we suggest you all should keep an eye on. Finally, rounding out the list of games is From Dust, Eric Chahi's god game. An impressive list, to say the least.
It's important to know that this is simply how Microsoft listed the games in its press email and not indicative of when each title will launch throughout the promotion.
Between now and next Friday, when we'll be holding our semi-annual E3 reader meetup, Joystiq will be putting the spotlight on each of the games folks will be able to go hands-on with. First up is VBlank Entertainment's long in-development XBLA/PSN/WiiWare title, Retro City Rampage.
Born out of VBlank Entertainment founder Brian Provinciano's urge to craft an 8-bit demake of Grand Theft Auto 3, Retro City Rampage was originally known as "Grand Theftendo." The ambitious project eventually took on a life of its own, evolving into a full-blown WiiWare title, and eventually blooming to XBLA and PSN.
As huge fans of 8-bit games and, uh, games in general, RCR hits all the right notes with us. The concept is essentially an elaborate homage to the history of video gaming, mixing all of the game mechanics that come along with that -- a pastiche of gaming history's tropes, memorable moments, and go-to themes, if you will (peep our reference-filled preview for a taste).
We'll have the game (and its developer!) on-hand at next Friday's E3 reader meetup for you to check out, but in the meantime VBlank's sent over some new screens of RCR's Chinatown area, as well as revealing a new character: "The Great Gamedini." Mr. Gamedini is described as a magician whose wish will be your command ... should you be able to find the right codes. As VBlank tells it, "his dog ate his codebook." Blasted dogs! Take a peek at both the new area and new character in our exclusive gallery below.
#handson
Being a god in Ubisoft's From Dust ain't easy. Though you can manipulate the elements of this world, you'll sometimes feel less like an all-powerful deity than you might a hopeful local politician, a cog in a powerful, sluggish, bureaucratic machine. More »
#doublefine
The people at Double Fine Productions, of Brutal Legend, Costume Quest and Stacking fame, are releasing their next game in June. That's Trenched, remember? More »
DeathSpank's run-ins with the evils of thongs are continuing this summer in a third DeathSpank game for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC/Mac. Hothead revealed as much this afternoon, detailing DeathSpank: The Baconing as the final chapter in DeathSpank's quest "to once and for all destroy the evil power of thongs."
The dev studio tells Kotaku that The Baconing will be "more satisfying to play than last year's games," with a handful of new areas to explore, a brand new sidekick named "Bob from Marketing," and a quartet of new bosses to battle. Hothead also promises gamers will feel "more in control" of DeathSpank's moveset with an overhauled combat system.
As Ron Gilbert is no longer with Hothead, this will be the first game in the series he created to not have him at its helm. And other than the teaser logo shown off in a video clip (found after the break), Hothead has yet to release any visuals for this summer's game. But given that we're wearing shorts even here in the USA's usually frozen Northeast, we imagine those assets aren't far off.
#twistedpixel
Ms. Splosion Man is full of surprises. First, it's called Ms. Splosion Man. Second, you can control two Ms. Splosion Mans at the same time with its "2 Girls 1 Controller" mode. And now there's an early access beta? More »
#rumor
The site XBLA Fans, citing "an extremely trusted source," says Alan Wake: Night Springs will be an Xbox Live Arcade release and not a retail release. XBLA Fans says it has seen screen captures of the game. More »
#batsvsjokerz
Revealed yesterday, Gotham City Impostors is a multiplayer first-person shooter that pits Batman acolytes against the Jokers disciples. It sounds just crazy enough to work and it looks even crazier, based on the game's first piece of artwork. More »
The Jokerz were so badass. I love Batman Beyond. But anyways, even the Red Triangle Circus is better than those Joker wannabes, and they worked for the *crag*ing Penguin. Bat-Scot could put them all into a soupcan.
Hybrid, the cover-focused Xbox Live Arcade shooter from the creators of Scribblenauts that made a splash at GDC earlier this year, has been pushed back into 2012, the extra time used to "create the highest More »
GameSpot takes a look at Sega's newly announced Xbox Live Arcade port of Saturn classic Guardian Heroes in the latest On The Spot. Whether you prefer the original Saturn sprites or the filtered visual upgrade—not my cup of tea—you're probably going to get excited about Guardian Heroes one more time today. More »
#sega
Sega announced earlier today that it would bring Sega Saturn great Guardian Heroes to Xbox Live Arcade. Awesome, right? Everyone loves a Treasure game! Not awesome? First screen shots of the XBLA port of Guardian Heroes. More »
