This week, after announcing the arrival of MLB Stickball, Microsoft surprised us with two additional titles, Beat'n Groovy and Shadow Assault / Tenchu. Of the three games, let us tell you that Beat'n Groovy is definitely the standout title this week. Let us tell you also that it's the standout title for all the wrong reasons. That should really be the takeaway from this week's XBLA In Brief, even if the other two are decent (particularly Shadow Assault) games. Hear our take on all three in the video above.
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This is a pretty interesting week for Xbox Live Arcade. One one side of things, we have Mega Man 9, a brand new game in the series done in a retro style. On the other, we have War World, which the developers originally announced was scheduled to arrive last August. And yet, even a year from its missed debut, it's still one of the best looking XBLA games out there. So which is worth the dough, tough-as-nails platforming or online twitch multiplayer? Check out the latest installment of XBLA in Brief to find out.
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With the web positively on fire about the Keep It Clean teaser trailer released by Bungie this morning, we thought we'd give the video a once (and twice, and thrice) over and deliver to you our own analysis. This isn't some kind of lame picture analysis either. Nope, this here is one of them fancy video analysis ... um ... videos. Find out everything you need to know but are too busy to find out on your own by watching our detailed video analysis.
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For the sake of full disclosure, we loved Duke Nukem 3D when it was first released over 10 years ago. So, we might be a teeny bit biased, but that doesn't keep Duke from being one of the best FPS games on XBLA. In fact, we'd say it is the best, with no disrespect to Marathon or Doom. For 800 Microsoft Points, you get a substantial campaign and 8 player online multiplayer and co-op. Not too shabby. Check out the latest XBLA in Brief to see all the reasons why Duke Nukem 3D is worth it. (Warning: the video is mildly NSFW.)
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This is sort of a slow week for XBLA. It's not that the games -- Feeding Frenzy 2 and Domino Master, lest you haven't heard -- are bad. It's just that they aren't exactly mind-blowing either. But hey, we can't have AAA, hardcore titles every week. Where would we find the money, right? Besides, Grandma likes dominos. Rather than driving all the way over to her house so you can play in person, now you can save the hassle and do it over Xbox Live! Find out just how easy it is in our latest episode of XBLA in Brief.
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Another week, three more games on Xbox Live Arcade. We've got Samurai Shodown II, Shotest Shogi and Rocket Bowl, a classic fighter, a Japanese board game and a wacky bowling game, respectively. As is our sworn duty, we take a look at all three of them in the latest XBLA in Brief. Check out our latest installment and find out which ones are for you.
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XBLA is packed to the brim this week with three full releases landing on the Xbox 360's download service. All told, we have Gin Rummy, Shred Nebula, and Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball. One of them is a wacky sports game, one is a space shooter, and one is a card game. See if you can guess which is which! Failing that, you could always just watch the latest episode and find out if any of these are worth your time and money.
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Now that Harmonix has released a title update to allow users to transfer songs from the original Rock Band into Rock Band 2, we thought it might be helpful to post a video walkthrough of the whole process. It's pretty simple, actually. All that's required is about 10 minutes and 400 ($5). Check out the video above to see the whole process from start to finish (minus the boring bits).
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In the final part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discuss the future of the studio. From genre bending, clarifications and the unanswered question regarding the ownership of the Eternal Darkness IP, this interview covers everything you'd want to know about the future of Silicon Knights.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a special giveaway to round out our Too Human coverage.
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Castle Crashers is finally here folks. We spent the better part of our morning putting the game through its paces, and now a new episode of XBLA in Brief to show for it. An old school hack n' slash game with a quirky sense of humor, Castle Crashers definitely deserves notice from long time gamers. Check out our latest episode and find out if it's worth 1200 Microsoft Points.
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In the second part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack the conversation focuses in on Too Human. After listing off his three high points and low points from his experiences of the game, Denis discusses his overall impressions of fan response -- refraining to comment on videos from Kevin Pereira and Giant Bomb -- and whether or not the game has lived up to the studio's expectations.
Due to length this video split into two sections, the second portion of the Too Human interview can be found after the jump.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the final part of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part three Denis and Xav discuss the future of Silicon Knights, the studios relationship with Nintendo and the genre possibilities for the development team.
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In the first part of our three part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discuss the origin of the studio from an Atari, Amiga and PC developer of RTS titles to the GameCube remake of the classic PS1 title, Metal Gear Solid. How did Silicon Knights get tapped to create the remake, when did the studio's relationship with Nintendo begin? Part one of the interview gets to the bottom of things from the games that Silicon Knights develops to the people and culture that make up the studio.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part two Xav lists the top three things he likes and dislikes about his experience with Too Human - discussion ensues.
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After launching the controversial title Too Human, Silicon Knights invited X3F for a full tour of its studio and a one-on-one interview with company president, Denis Dyack. In the first of four videos, Dyack walks X3F through its St. Catharines, Canada, based studio showcasing the company culture and the process of creating its latest release.
Stay tuned tomorrow for part one of our three part Denis Dyack interview. In part one Dyack describes the "Origins of Silicon Knights."
And the August Xbox Live Arcade onslaught continues. This week it's time for Galaga to make a comeback. We're talking about Galaga Legions of course. Created by the same team that transformed Pac-Man into Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga Legions takes the original Galaga formula and expands upon it, making an old game feel new again. The only question, especially given the quality we've seen this month, is whether or not it feels new enough. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to find out.
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Hardcore gamers rejoice for Bionic Commando Rearmed is finally here! What's more, it's good. Definitely not for the faint of heart though, so take heed. We also get Fable II Pub Games, which are ... pub games. While they may look simple on the outside, make no mistake because they are very addictive. The only problem: no online multiplayer. That actually applies to Bionic Commando as well, though it does have offline co-op and versus multiplayer. Overall, we've got two solid games this week, and one of them is free if you pre-order Fable II. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to see if either one is worth your hard-earned MS Points.
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($5). Check out the video above to see the whole process from start to finish (minus the boring bits).
