Fresh off of yesterday's ESRB searching for unannounced Xbox Live Arcade games, we just received confirmation that one of the three games we discovered will release to the Arcade Q2 of 2008. Our detective work must have put too much pressure on the studio to keep it a secret any longer.
PopCap Games just confirmed with Shacknews that Peggle is indeed releasing to the XBLA later this year when unicorns dance across your screen and take over your soul. Seriously guys, Peggle is like crack rolled in heroine laced ecstasy ... you will become a Peggle addict later this year. And we can't wait!
Confirming months and months of rumors, today Microsoft officially confirmed and showcased their latest Xbox Live Arcade gem and it's none other than ... Lode Runner. Like we said, it has been speculated for a while and now it's really real.
Our peeps over at Joystiq received the scoop and some hands on time with a "very early build" of Lode Runner this morning and, according to them, the re-worked 3D art is already looking good and the gameplay is tried and true. Just take a look at the screenshots in the gallery below and try to tell us it doesn't look fun. Developer Tozai also revealed that they'll be adding some new goodness to the game including multiplayer modes like the four player Hang On and two player mode Journey. Lode Runner on the XBLA still has plenty of development to go through as no release date or pricing details have been announced, but Joystiq was told that a 2008 release was likely. Also, we should mention that our curiosity mirrors Joystiq's as we can't help but wonder if the traditional level editor will be included in the XBLA version. Because we all know level editors are teh hawtness lately, especially Lode Runner editors.
It's true! Command & Conquer is officially headed into the FPS tactical realm with today's announcement of Tiberium for the Xbox 360. And actually, all the rumors we've heard about Tiberium ended up being correct. It'll feature its own unique blend of FPS gameplay that mixes in some tactical combat strategy, a deep and engaging plot and weapons that are explosively fun. It'll be a lot like C&C, but in FPS form. Oh joy! Click the jump link to read the full press release and start pondering what Tiberium will be like on the 360. Just imagine ion cannon strikes. We're sure they'll boom really good in first person.
In news that's somewhat of a shocker (ha ha!), Rebellion studios announced plans to jump from their PSP developing pedigree over to next-gen waters with their first project being a sequel to Shellshock. Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley confirmed with GamesIndustry.biz that Shellshock 2 will eventually release to both the PS3 and Xbox 360 with development already underway. "It's [Shellshock 2] troubling – deliberately so – it's meant to be challenging the nature of war, the horror and why people do these horrific things to each other". Sounds fun.
It'll be interesting to see if Rebellion's first next-gen attempt will work out and if they can bring something new to the war genre. Our fingers are crossed.
Calling all chess pros and rooks (badum-ching!) Soon there will be a new chess game in town and it's ready and able to challenge you to a few ego-breaking games.
Ubisoft just announced that the latest game in their Chessmaster series, Chessmaster Live will be making its way to the Xbox Live Arcade sometime in January. Chessmaster Live will include fleshed out features like ELO rankings, hundreds of AI opponents, complete Xbox Live integration, Vision camera support, various game boards and will even come with five chess variants off the bat (more will probably release later on as paid DLC). So ... Spyglass Board Games what?
Codemasters just officially announced that their upcoming racing game (once referred to as Race Driver One) will be ready for a mid 2008 release and it's going to be called GRID.
GRID is currently being worked on by Codemasters' DiRT team and aims at being all about racing with no busy car work. You know, just straight up racing. GRID will dabble in the somewhat standard list of locals around the world including Washington DC, Pagani and Japan's ever popular drift racing circuit. The game's early visuals look solid enough and it does have the DiRT team's pedigree behind it, so it's quite possible GRID could be something worthwhile. But we'll just have to sit back and see if game's visuals impress, if the gameplay is there and if it can bring something unique to the racing genre sometime next year. Until then, we'll just play with our graph paper
Today, Midway announced that NBA Ballers: The One, the third in the NBA Ballers franchise, will be headed to the Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in the Spring of 2008. And again Midway is going back to the original Ballers formula with The One by including over the top basketball gameplay, lifelike character models and promises to put you in the shoes of a living NBA legend. Playboy mansion and all! We've posted a new The One teaser trailer embedded above for your convenience and it should give you a pretty good idea if you'll be taking the red pill or the blue pill come this Spring.
Dark Void. Sounds like a great name for a sci-fi adventure game if we ever heard one. It kind of reminds us of darkness and big empty voids ... maybe that's what the marketing team behind the name was going for. The name also reminds us of space travel, jet packs, gyroscopes and a hero who isn't afraid of punching the daylights out of a person who gets up in his face. And that friends is exactly what Capcom's newly announced sci-fi action game Dark Void is all about or so we think. Because we sort of based all those facts off our experience of watching the game's official trailer that's embedded above. Go ahead, take in the Dark Void and enjoy.
In news that can be filed under the "where the heck did this come from?" category is a new tennis game from SEGA aimed at competing with Nintendo's cartoony fun Mario Tennis franchise. SEGA Superstars Tennis is set to release on all major platforms and will feature a mix of SEGA characters including Sonic the Hedgehog and Ulala all with their own special power-ups and abilities playing on SEGA themed courts like Green Hill Zone and Samba de Amigo's Carnival Park. Seeing the Mario Tennis similarities yet? Superstars Tennis will also feature the standard assortment of gameplay options including exhibition, tournament and online play modes. Be sure to watch for Sonic's crazy good acing skills to land on the Xbox 360 early next year.
LunarDuality over at XBLArcade.com did some detective work, put a few puzzles pieces together and discovered what Wik: Fable of Souls developer Reflexive Entertainment's next game will be for the Xbox Live Arcade. After cross referencing a few press releases and looking up the game's entry on the IGF website, it's pretty much confirmed that a game called Axiom: Overdrive will be released to the Arcade sometime this Winter. Not to much is known about the game other than one screenshot, a "coming soon" website and a description that reads ...
"Deep within a ravaged asteroid mine there is work to be done. Equipped with an OTF, players grapple with unique physics-based game-play as they explore the mine's dark corridors and discover... they are not alone! "
Axion: Overdrive. A space shooter XBLA game that'll have you exploring an asteroid mine this Winter ... w00t!
Offset Software just updated their Project Offset website and now it's now official, Project Offset is being worked on for release exclusively on the PC and Xbox 360. W00t, w00t! The game and game engine have been in development for what seems to have been ages, but with promises of a revolutionary game engine and revolutionary gameplay fans have been more than patient for their Offset fix. The only problem is we aren't sure when an Xbox 360 release will happen, but if the new screenshots are any indication of things to come then we're willing to give Offset Software as much time as they want to bring us their little gem.
Today, EA lifted the mysterious "yet to be announced games" curtain unveiling their latest sci-fi horror IP, Dead Space.
Dead Space is a somewhat stereotypical third person survival horror game where you play Isaac Clarke, a space engineer, who sets out on a job to fix a communications ship, but soon finds out that the whole crew has been taken over by some sort of alien infestation and that he's next. Somewhat un-original, yes, but maybe the leaky screenshots will help bring the game into focus. Gamesradar just posted twelve leaked screenshots that are supposedly in-game assets and, as you can see above, it's bloody. And anything bloody or disgusting piques our interest. It's way to early to pass judgment on Dead Space right now, but we'll keep it in the back of our melons for when the game releases onto the Xbox 360 and PS3 Fall 2008. Until then, check out the flash-extravaganza that is the official Dead Space website and see what mischief you can get into.
Hot off the wire is that this week is that we're in for another Xbox Live Arcade twofer this Wednesday, with the release of Space Giraffe, as well as Street Trace: NYC. The former of the titles is from Llamasoft, and designer Jeff Minter, featuring 100 levels of gameplay, and completing them unlocks a new game mode (as long as you have a high enough anal score).
On the Street Trace side of things, you get get your fill of arena battles and racing across the futuristic wastelands of New York City, Marty McFly style. You have your choice of up to 8 player multiplayer over Live or 4 player splitscreen locally across the four arena stages. Space Giraffe will run you 400 MP and Street Trace clocks in at 800 Microsoft Points, and will be available 9:00 AM GMT or 2:00 AM PT and 5:00 AM ET.
Yesterday, Id Software made an announcement from the comforts of QuakeCon confirming that Quake Arena is being developed for the Xbox Live Arcade. A release date wasn't announced nor any other details were talked about other than the fact that Pi Studios was working on the port.
So fanboys, you already have your Arcade Doom and it'll only be a while until you have your Quake too ... you're so spoiled.
Previously thought to only appear on the PS3, developer Koei announced that Dynasty Warriors 6 will be headed to the Xbox 360 too. Today, Koei confirmed the news saying that DW6 is scheduled to appear on the PS3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously this Fall. And if you don't know, the Dynasty Warriors franchise is teh hawtness over in Japan with a few fans sprinkled in North American and Europe (we kid, we kid!) and its release on the 360 should make for another even "we have this game too" playfield with the PS3.
In news that's somewhat of a shocker (ha ha!), Rebellion studios announced plans to jump from their PSP developing pedigree over to next-gen waters with their first project being a sequel to Shellshock. Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley confirmed with GamesIndustry.biz that Shellshock 2 will eventually release to both the PS3 and Xbox 360 with development already underway. "It's [Shellshock 2] troubling – deliberately so – it's meant to be challenging the nature of war, the horror and why people do these horrific things to each other". Sounds fun.
Calling all chess pros and rooks (badum-ching!) Soon there will be a new chess game in town and it's ready and able to challenge you to a few ego-breaking games.
Yesterday, Id Software made an announcement from the comforts of QuakeCon confirming that Quake Arena is being developed for the Xbox Live Arcade. A release date wasn't announced nor any other details were talked about other than the fact that Pi Studios was working on the port.
