In a not-too-surprising move this week, Microsoft announced via Major Nelson that the Live Arcade wouldn't be seeing any releases this week. The last month or so of XBLA titles have had their release dates leaked or rumored beforehand, and as we'd heard nothing this week, the news of zero releases isn't all that surprising. Besides, the most likely release would have been Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm. And in the words of Major Nelson, "My guess is most people will be busy with another game this week."Posts with tag arcade
No XBLA release this Wednesday
In a not-too-surprising move this week, Microsoft announced via Major Nelson that the Live Arcade wouldn't be seeing any releases this week. The last month or so of XBLA titles have had their release dates leaked or rumored beforehand, and as we'd heard nothing this week, the news of zero releases isn't all that surprising. Besides, the most likely release would have been Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm. And in the words of Major Nelson, "My guess is most people will be busy with another game this week."More European price drop news
We reported previously on a European retailer advertising the 360 price drop and here we are reporting on another article about the very same thing, and this time it appears to carry a bit more weight. The Financial Times Deutschland has an exclusive on this, claiming that the official prices of the units will drop from 280 and 349 Euro, to 199 and 299 Euro. Now assuming that a fairly well known financial reporting body such as the Financial Times Deutschland isn't lying, this could be a huge for the European 360 market. It would allow the Arcade unit to undercut the cost of the Wii by a good 50 Euro, which is a bullet point that was almost undoubtedly taken into account, and it would leave the 360 well ahead of the PS3's current European MSRP. It seems the only thing we're waiting on with this one is the final confirmation from Microsoft.
Devs still bitter about non-HDD Xbox 360 Arcade
In a recent chat with CVG, Bourne Conspiracy lead designer Rory McGuire flat out said that Microsoft made a "mistake" with their decision to not make a hard drive mandatory in all Xbox 360 models. McGuire told CVG that "in retrospect I wish Microsoft had made the choice to have [mandatory] hard drives like Sony did with the PS3." McGuire further went on to explain the development advantages of having a HDD saying that "if you have a hard drive, the whole game loads faster. Obviously you'll be facing a short install time, but the developer benefits from it and you definitely benefit from it as a player." Take that Microsoft!
On second analysis, it's entirely possible that Microsoft could make HDDs mandatory in all Xbox 360 consoles by axing the Arcade and taking out another $1.9 billion hit to ship 20GB HDDs to Core and Arcade owners. Makes sense to us.
Getting a new Gamertag? Get Catan for free
Microsoft has a new promotion for those gamers who are just getting into the the Xbox Live scene. Those gamers who have just created a Gamertag can register via a .NET site to receive a download code for the XBLA version of the classic tabletop game Settlers of Catan. The article is formally for recommending friends, but any user who has created a Gamertag since the twenty-fifth of this month can sign up. The offer ends exactly one month from inception, and so you new Live users have until the twenty-fifth of March to get in on the action. A word to the wise though, the site decrees that (even though the whole thing involves not a single sheet of paper) it will take between six and eight weeks for your "gift" to arrive. Jeez Microsoft, speed it up bit would ya?
[Thanks, Chris Freiburg]
Influence Bionic Commando: Rearmed's price
From all the Bionic Commando content on the site, you readers can tell we're excited for the XBLA remake of the classic side scroller. The game's publisher, Capcom, will be releasing the game relatively soon and are still not absolutely certain about the final price point for the full version. So, they decided to have the community guy, Ben Judd, hold a poll over at the game's website to help choose between the two possible game prices. Our choices are $10 and $15, with Ben himself voting for $10. According to him, the Capcom higher-ups think that the game has enough features and polish to sell well enough at $15 to warrant that price. Ben's take is almost of the true artist, with his rationale being that the game will get into more player's hands at a lower price point. No matter what price you prefer though, let's not forget that games cost money to make, and a large cut of XBLA profits do go to the developers. Anyway, hit this link to get to the poll (its on the lower left-hand side, and you'll have to verify your age before entering.)
Also, make sure to check out the gallery of screens to be sure that you make an informed decision! NES graphics these are not!
Gallery: Bionic Commando Rearmed (XBLA)
Arcade 360 to see lower price in Japan
Struggling as they are in Japan, Microsoft has pulled another move in a desperate attempt to gain (or perhaps simply lose no more) ground. The Premium 360 there had previously been priced at 34,800 yen, and on March the 6th Microsoft will launch the Arcade to the tune 27,800 yen, which is (one would think not coincidentally) much closer to the Wii's Japan price of 25,000 yen. With this new price effecting only the Arcade SKU it's difficult to see how this could gain Microsoft anything at all, as with the sale of Arcade units the consumer is still not receiving the entire experience (Live, HDD required content, etc) and may not end up being a loyal customer. Just how hard is Microsoft willing to push in Japan? Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon have already released and that didn't change much at all, so what will it take? Will this price drop do anything to sales? Readers, is Japan a lost cause for the 360?
Xbox 360 Arcade console to make a Japanese debut
Seen as the bastard child of the Xbox 360 console SKUs, the Xbox 360 Arcade and its 256MB memory card are officially making their way to Japan's retail stores.The new Arcade bundle will retail for 27,800 Yen (roughly $260 US) and be nearly identical to the United States' Arcade bundle including an HDMI port, wireless controller, 256MB memory card and five XBLA games. It wasn't made clear of Japan's Xbox 360 Core bundle will be going the way of the U.S.'s (see: no more Core), but we're thinking that isn't the highest priority right now. Priority number one is to get anyone in Japan to buy an Xbox 360 at any price. And even though we don't think the Xbox 360 Arcade is going to be the 360's savior in Japan, it's a step in the right direction to make the product a bit cheaper. And that's good ... right?
Get learnified: Xbox 360 and its various SKUs
But you've also come to realize that purchasing an Xbox 360 isn't as simple as picking up a box and calling it a day. There are numerous versions of the 360 (Core, Arcade, Pro, H3, Elite, etc.) and keeping up to date on what's included in each box can make your brain turn to mush. And that's where our friends over at Joystiq come in with their guide to explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs. In their article they lay out all the details, break down each model, give you the prices and tell you what's in the box all on one handy little chart. Their article will not only help you decide on which Xbox 360 console is right for you, but it will also make you informed enough to be able to correct those somewhat delusional sales people who get their 360 facts messed up sometimes.
Xbox 360 Arcade console up for pre-order [update]
Adding more street cred and pretty much confirming the rumor of a new Xbox 360 Arcade console that is set on a mission to replace the Core is brand new pre-order proof. Both Amazon.com and Toys R Us are offering pre-orders for a yet to be announced product called the Xbox 360 Arcade console set to retail for $279 in the US and be released either on October 23rd or the 25th. The new Arcade console (which features a wireless controller, memory card and a few XBLA games) has been rumored for a while now and recently appeared in Best Buy's product database, but now with these pre-orders popping up all over we're rather confident in accepting its existence. Sorry Microsoft, your product announcement plans have been foiled once again by the evil that goes by the name of ... retail.
[Via TeamXbox]
Read - Pre-order at Amazon.com
Read - Pre-order at Toys R Us
Rumor: New Xbox 360 Arcade console and re-branding
It's also interesting to note that Gamernode was told that the new Xbox 360 Arcade console will be a world wide offering and, presumably, so will all the re-branding efforts. And it's not like we didn't see the death of the Core coming. Best Buy and Target have reportedly pulled the Core from their shelves and overall no more Core sentiment has been building among retailers and consumers alike. The addition of a memory card, games and wireless controller make the Arcade console a much more complete offering than the Core ever was. Again, we haven't received any official word from Microsoft about this rumor, console changes, prices, availability or future console plans. So, patience will need to be practiced.
[Via Joystiq]
Yie Ar Kung Fu received a makeover
One half of Gallery: Yie Ar Kung Fu (XBLA)
Sonic and Golden Axe speed to Xbox Live Arcade
This week's Xbox Live Arcade titles are Golden Axe and, finally, Sonic the Hedgehog. Both cost a mere 400 Microsoft Points, with Golden Axe allowing for co-operative play on Live and locally. The Achievements for both titles were made available yesterday, and led us to believe that at the very least, GA was coming today. Fortunately, we were only half right, as Sonic finally made its debut under the Sega Vintage Collection line of titles. With any luck, we'll see Ecco and Sonic 2 follow suit.
Marathon: Durandal confirmed for XBLA
The torrent of Xbox 360 news from the E3 press conference continues as, Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Live Arcade reel that Marathon: Durandal is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. Given that the game was rated by the USK and subsequently pulled from the USK's database, this should come as no surprise to X3F readers. The brief clip showed off at the press conference revealed improved graphics over its aging PC/Mac counterpart. For those unaware, the Marathon series is something of a spiritual precursor to the Halo series, featuring many similar plot and design elements. In essence, Marathon is the primordial ooze out of which Halo born. No price or release date have been announced.
Oh, and, for the record, we totally called it (last year even).
Sonic, Golden Axe achievements, GA this week?
We've got a double whammy of Xbox Live Arcade news today. First of all, the achievements for both Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe have been uncovered. This has in turn spurred the rumor that Microsoft will unveil Golden Axe as tomorrow's XBLA release. Some are comparing this to last year's surprise release of DOOM during X06. Golden Axe is definitely a classic title, but we were hoping for something a little more exciting, like, say, Marathon. At any rate, we at least have confirmation of one more Sega classic on XBLA. Take that for what it's worth.Read -- Golden Axe coming this week
Read -- Sonic and Golden Axe achievements
[Thanks, Scott]
Live Free or Die Hard XBLA bound?
[Via Game Stooge]
