XBLA Catch-Much: Farewell to XBLA

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left Right, A, B, A (it's been awhile so I probably butchered this cheat code)

Ahem

U,U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A, select, Start.

You wouldn't be playing by yourself, would you?

Here's some required reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami_...

So it's All Hallow's Eve, but is also the eve of XBLA Wednesday. What pixelated wonder will grace our systems tonight?
Contra?
Gyruss?
Small Arms?
Defender?
Mutant Storm Empire? ........drool.. or some other title with very little information or a previously unannounced title. Maybe Roboblitz?

December 1st drops the "joystick."

IMAGE(http://www.ebgames.com/common/images/lbox/802511b.jpg)

Here's hoping for either Small Arms or Mutant Storm Empire. Small Arms will probably cost me $70 in controllers.

I've found that for me the retro games are best left in nostalgia. Bring on the indie games!

LiquidMantis wrote:

I've found that for me the retro games are best left in nostalgia. Bring on the indie games!

Here, here. I wonder -- were MS and the potential developers caught by surprise on the popularity of this? Is that why we're not seeing so many indy titles yet?

If so, the PS3 has an advantage -- hindsight being 20/20 -- in touting indy games on their system. They've had another year to prep for this.

Today's Live Arcade release was a deck for Uno based on Kameo. That doesn't work properly. Yay.

Out of curiosity, does anyone actually have Uno? I ask because my wife really likes Uno, so I figured it would be a good purchase. Do you need two controllers for a two player game?

Uno only supports one person per 360. Which is the suck.

But otherwise, it's a pretty fun game. It makes it very hard for you to screw up in calling Uno, since it kind of prompts you when it comes up.

Yoyoson wrote:

Uno only supports one person per 360. Which is the suck.

But otherwise, it's a pretty fun game. It makes it very hard for you to screw up in calling Uno, since it kind of prompts you when it comes up.

Only one person? Madness, I say.

At any rate, thanks for the info.

Yoyoson wrote:

Uno only supports one person per 360. Which is the suck.

It's kind of hard to have two hands on the screen, and conceal each player to seeing only one.

any suggestions on what's worth grabbing (and which our intrepid band actually plays?) -- I grabbed geo wars, but other than that...

rabbit wrote:

any suggestions on what's worth grabbing (and which our intrepid band actually plays?) -- I grabbed geo wars, but other than that...

You might be able to convince people to play a bit of Texas Hold'em from time to time. Not surey you will really want to pay for it yourself, but the vast majority have it since it was free for a few days.

UMK3 if you have any hint of nostalgia of the MK series. The online multiplayer is fantastic. Despite all my own and everyone elses whining about the game: Lumines Live! The price is steep for an XBLA title but its a really fun puzzle game.

I wonder if the people in charge of the XBLA content have taken into account the Virtual Console and PS3 arcade offerings, and are holding back some content. Makes sense, with two brand new consoles and tons of games available, it would be wise to release several titles in the same window, as well as the "Second Wave" of 360 titles.

Really looking forward to playing Gyruss and Contra. Hopefully some interesting new IPs.

Stylez wrote:
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left Right, A, B, A (it's been awhile so I probably butchered this cheat code)

Ahem

U,U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A, select, Start.

You wouldn't be playing by yourself, would you?

Here's some required reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami_...

Thank you for the pwnage.

DOOM is always fun.

Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

DOOM is always fun.

One of my top 10 360 games.

Not because the 360 is lacking good games in any way, but DOOM is just too good as an XBLA game.

More DOS FPSs please! (hell, I want XBLA and GameTap to deliver more DOS games period. I miss DOS gaming)

*Legion* wrote:
Chiggie Von Richthofen wrote:

DOOM is always fun.

One of my top 10 360 games.

Not because the 360 is lacking good games in any way, but DOOM is just too good as an XBLA game.

More DOS FPSs please! (hell, I want XBLA and GameTap to deliver more DOS games period. I miss DOS gaming)

I'd like to play the original Wolfenstein, Duke Nukem, and Heretic games!

I want to see that Settlers of Catan port come over. Joy!

Contra is next, but it seems the XBLA titles are befitting the "When's Days" label.

IMAGE(http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/c/contraxboxlivearcade/default.htm)

I'd love some cosmic encounter, not the newest one but the one by mayfair games.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and probably get lynched for saying it... but I really hope they nix the DOS games in favor of new, independent stuff. Or at least new experiences. I load up Doom, play it for about 5 minutes thinking, "Hey, I remember that!" Then I remember that even though Doom was the first, there's about 500 FPSs that have built off it and done it better, in many cases much, much better. It's going to take more than a few fond memories to pry my wallet open, especially since my fondest memories of that generation tend to include modding.

I just feel kind of ripped paying for a crippled version of software that can be had for free (or next to free) on the 'net.

I'm with you for the most part. I bought DOOM and enjoyed it for a lot longer than I thought but none of the other games have perked my interest past playing their free trial modes. I get about as much play out of them as I did when I was a kid pumping quarters into a machine.

I am really excited about Castle Crashers and find myself looking forward to that more than a lot of the next gen titles coming out.

So the news today:

Microsoft and Konami announced today that the classic run and gun shoot 'em up will launch on November 8, 2006 as part of Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays, the program that provides a regular launch schedule of new Xbox Live Arcade titles on the Xbox 360.

Developed by Digital Eclipse, Contra puts players in the boots of Lance and Bill, two commandos that must infiltrate the base of The Red Falcon organization. You'll have to travel through eight stages in the jungle armed with a machine gun and the ability to capture upgraded weapons including a Fireball, Laser, Rapid Fire gun and a Spread Gun.

Lance and Bill are all that stand in the way of Red Falcon and their plans for global domination.

Atari throws / has thrown its games into the ring:

Beginning in January 2007, Atari will release six titles on Xbox Live Arcade throughout the year. Both classic and evolved versions will be available for each of the following titles:

Centipede®/Millipede®: defend your village against an onslaught of centipedes, spiders, army ants and more. In addition to the classic mode, the evolution mode offers high definition graphics and special effects like motion blur, trails and particle-based explosions to make the experience as enjoyable today as it was decades ago. (without tracball?)

Battlezone®: the original tank vs. tank action classic has received an Xbox Live overhaul, adding in exciting new multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. This updated version is truly a must-have for any fan of the original, which is also included. Additionally, players can use the Xbox Live Vision camera to watch live video of their opponents. Combine these features with new special effects for weapon firing, impacts and explosions and you have one killer classic as you've never experienced it before.

Asteroids®/Asteroids Deluxe™: rotate, thrust, flip, fire and jump to hyperspace as you blast oncoming asteroids to smithereens just like in the 1979 original, but in updated, beautifully rendered, high definition graphics that complement the classic original.

Missile Command™: protecting your city from alien missile attacks has never looked better now that this classic has been overhauled with updated graphics and 3D rendered vistas. Choose from the evolved mode or the timeless original gameplay.

Tempest™: clear a web of enemies before time runs out and advance to the next stage, using an arsenal of weapons at your disposal. This evolved version features a graphics overhaul while maintaining the same addictive gameplay of the original.

Warlords®: a multiplayer classic that resurrects the competitive spirit of arcade games from years gone by. Knock out the other kings in their castles while keeping yourself protected at the same time. Up to four players can join the action with the game taking control of any vacant castles allowing for a variety of single- or multiplayer experiences. Gamers can also import their own pictures to their castles for an extra personalization. (Warlords, without paddles?)

The originals for Xbox Live Arcade's diverse library of titles is going to keep growing, with a particular emphasis on new, originally developed games from indie developers and big studios alike. Over 100 indie developers and virtually every major console publisher in the world are working to develop games for Xbox Live Arcade. Some of the diverse titles we will be releasing by this holiday include:

* Small Arms (Gastronaut Studios) – an indie-developed original title designed specifically for Xbox Live Arcade, featuring frantic multiplayer brawling combined with action and precision shooting.
* Novadrome (Buena Vista Games) – originally developed futuristic racing on Xbox Live Arcade.
* Assault Heroes (Wanako/Vivendi Games) – blast waves of formidable foes in this originally developed top-down shooter, single player or two player co-op action.
* Heavy Weapon (PopCap Games) – experience this irreverent, original side-scrolling action game that supports up to 4 players simultaneously.
* Defender (Midway) – space combat classic updated for this generation.
* Contra (Konami) – the seminal side-scrolling shooter that started it all will be launching on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, November 8 at 0800 GMT

Cyberball is one classic I would love to play again. I thought it was mentioned somewhere that it was coming out?

Warlords, sweet! I tried playing it on Gametap with the keyboard but there's something sacriligious about it... apart from the fact that it really doesnt work very well. At least thumsticks use analog control so I expect it will play better that way.

I'm looking forward to more original content for XBLA too, but there's still certain classics I'd like to see, like Metal Slug

LobsterMobster wrote:

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and probably get lynched for saying it... but I really hope they nix the DOS games in favor of new, independent stuff.

Well, Microsoft has a relatively new app called Game Studio Express and a new type of Xbox Live subscription that will allow indie/homebrew game developers to create a game on the PC, upload it for playtesting on the Xbox 360, and then sell it on the Xbox Live Marketplace. I was thinking of making a a seperate thread about this cause it's something I've been interested in an excited about for a while now!

Here's some info: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...

LobsterMobster wrote:

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and probably get lynched for saying it... but I really hope they nix the DOS games in favor of new, independent stuff.

I see absolutely no reason why one should come at the expense of the other. Releasing one game per Wednesday is a purely artificial limit - if there's enough content to make available, more than 1 game could come per week. And the people releasing retro content aren't the people developing "new, independent stuff". So there's no reason in the world for one to interfere with the other.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the new indie stuff will start to come not from XBLA, but in the form of XNA games as soon as the Marketplace allows the distribution of XNA games over Live (coming sometime after the official XNA release - XNA betas are out now)

EDIT: 93 beat me to it. I'm excited about XNA too. I'm going to find out if I can do an XNA game as my master's degree final project - something I can turn around and use as a demo for chasing industry work.

Contra? Sweet baby Jesus, I'm so glad I've got an Xbox 360.

I guess.

I could always pull the Nintendo out of the closet and fire it up, but being able to play Contra with a nice controller sounds pretty nice.

Eh. No love for contra here.

And you simply can't play Tempest -- my single most favorite stand up arcade game -- without a spinner. It's a different game. It might be playable, but it's simply not the same game.

What's worrying me is one site I was reading had a screenshot from the NES version. Panic! In The XBox