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Live Arcade Gets Catan, Centipede

Catan

Microsoft continues its string of multiple Live Arcade releases this week, this time with the hugely anticipated Catan along with arcade classics Centipede and Millipede. Catan has had board game geeks waiting eagerly; the Live Arcade version of the classic Settlers of Catan strategy board game will hopefully live up to expectations. The game will sell for 800 points ($10) and features decent single player offerings with a supposedly strong AI along with four player multiplayer support over Xbox Live. Centipede and Millipede get bundled together for 400 points ($5) and promise updated graphical modes. Both titles will hit Xbox Live this Wednesday.

Read More | Gamerscoreblog

Gallery: Live Arcade Gets Catan, Centipede


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Two Live Arcade Titles For The Second Week Running

Pinball FX

Somewhat shockingly, Microsoft is blessing Xbox 360 gamers with another two Live Arcade releases this week. After last week’s somewhat iffy Gyruss and 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures comes a couple of more interesting releases. The first is Eets: Chowdown, an updated version of the popular shareware release from Klei Entertainment. The gameplay has been described as a mix of The Incredible Machine and Lemmings, and the HD resolution 2D graphics look sharp for the Xbox 360 release. The game hits Wednesday for 800 MS Points ($10). Also in release this week is Pinball FX, which looks to be a pretty standard pinball release for the console. However, the game will support flipper control using the Xbox Live Vision camera, which seems like it would just be tiresome. The table art looks good, though, and appears to be tailored for HD resolutions. The game will also apparently support online multiplay as well. Pinball FX will also sell for 800 MS points.

Read More | Gamerscoreblog

Gallery: Two Live Arcade Titles For The Second Week Running


Gyruss, 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures Hit Live Marketplace This Week

3D Ultra Mini GolfIt looks like two games have managed to pass Microsoft’s certification testing this week, leading to a rare week when more than one downloadable game title hits the Live Marketplace service. One title is an arcade port of the classic circular shooter, Gyruss. For 400 Microsoft Points ($5), gamers can experience the retro shooter and its Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor soundtrack; Microsoft promises both an original and enhanced mode, with 3D rendered graphics. The usual assortment of achievements is included, along with multiplayer support via Xbox Live. The second title to hit will be 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, ostensibly a sequel to the original PC title, 3D Ultra Minigolf. For 800 Points ($10), gamers will get 36 holes on three different theme courses, online Xbox Live play and a course editor, along with related Achievements and Gamerscore. It isn’t clear from the press release whether custom courses will be shareable online – this would be a nice feature, but it doesn’t seem likely that this would happen.

Read More | Gamerscoreblog

Gallery: Gyruss, 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures Hit Live Marketplace This Week


Guitar Hero Song Packs Hit Live Marketplace

Guitar Hero 2The first Guitar Hero II song packs have hit the Xbox Live Marketplace, according to the Major Nelson blog, and they aren’t cheap. 500 Microsoft Points will get you a song pack of 3 songs. At $6.25 per song pack, this translates to a little over $2 a song. Not only that, but these songs are not original to Guitar Hero 2 for the Xbox 360; all of the songs are from the original set list of the original Guitar Hero. If Red Octane and Activision price the rest of the set list like these first three packs, the whole batch of songs from the original game will cost Xbox 360 gamers over $95. For those still interested, these are the songs included in each pack:

  • Track Pack 1: Bark at the Moon as made famous by Ozzy Osbourne, Hey You as made famous by The Exies, Ace of Spades as made famous by Motorhead
  • Track Pack 2: Killer Queen as made famous by Queen, Take it Off as made famous by The Donnas, Frankenstein as made famous by The Edgar Winter Group
  • Track Pack 3: Higher Ground as made famous by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Infected as made famous by Bad Religon, Stellar as made famous by Incubus

Read More | Major Nelson

Gallery: Guitar Hero Song Packs Hit Live Marketplace


Boom Boom Rocket Launches Tomorrow

Boom Boom Rocket

Bizarre Creation’s latest Xbox Live Arcade title hits the Marketplace tomorrow; Boom Boom Rocket will sell for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The game features Bizarre’s particle effects as fireworks layered over a 3D cityscape. Combining fireworks, classical music, and cityscapes will certainly draw comparisons to the PS2 title Fantavision, but hopefully this, combined with music/rhythm gameplay, will be an original enough creation to set it apart. Certainly Bizarre Creations is familiar with remixing order gameplay styles to create something new; Geometry Wars still stands as a unique mix of classic arcade archetypes.

Read More | Gamerscoreblog

Gallery: Boom Boom Rocket Launches Tomorrow


Grab Shivering Isles For Xbox 360, $30

Shivering Isles

Bethesda’s expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Obliviion, The Shivering Isles is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The expansion promises more than 30 hours of additional gameplay for one of the best games on the Xbox 360. The add-on sells for 2400 Microsoft Points ($30), basically matching the price of the PC expansion, which makes this the most expensive downloadable content to date. The download also weighs in at almost a gigabyte, so those rumored 120 GB drives might come in handy sooner rather than later. Still, for Oblivion addicts, this expansion should be a great way to pass the time during the upcoming Live downtime, assuming that you can get it downloaded before the service goes down.

Read More | Major Nelson

Gallery: Grab Shivering Isles For Xbox 360, $30


Every Extend Extra Extreme Coming To Live Arcade

Every Extend Extra Extreme

Q Entertainment today announced that Every Extend Extra Extreme would soon be coming to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service. The new version promises to take advantage of the HD resolutions available on the Xbox 360, and will supposedly support custom soundtracks from CD, according to Computer and Video Games. Mizuguchi did not say whether they would be splitting the game up into a million pieces while charging for each piece, but hopefully with the new Live Arcade size limits and the amount of feedback that Lumines Live got, the company and Microsoft will try and restrict the microtransactions for this release.

Read More | Computer And Videogames

Gallery: Every Extend Extra Extreme Coming To Live Arcade


Castlevania To Break Live Arcade 50 MB Limit

CastlevaniaWhen Microsoft announced that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night would be heading to the Xbox Live Marketplace, gamers were concerned that the production values of the game, most notably the lush soundtrack, would have to be compromised for the release in order to fit the game within the Live service’s strict 50 MB limit for Arcade downloads. Gamespot was able to confirm with Konami that they were able to get an exception to the rule to bring the console game to Live Arcade intact. Gamespot also confirmed with Greg Canessa, Live Arcade group manager, that while the company would issue exceptions from time to time to the 50 MB limit, the majority of Live Arcade games will still have to fit within the size restrictions. Microsoft’s size limitations exist to open Live Arcade titles to the widest audience and for portability on memory cards, and Konami’s exception to the rule should not change that.

Read More | Gamespot

Gallery: Castlevania To Break Live Arcade 50 MB Limit


This Week’s Free Xbox Live Marketplace Content

We are going to start bringing you the free content available on the Xbox Live Marketplace on the regular, thanks to long-time Playfeed reader munkyxtc. Let’s not waste any time, and jump right in.

Available in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States?

  • Viva Pinata Maximum Candiosity Gamer Picture (2 days only, expires Dec 4th)
  • Burger King Games Picture Pack (US & Canada Only)
  • Test Drive Unlimited : New Vehicles: (All XBL Regions/Requires in game currency)
  • Lexus IS 350 Chevy Corvette C1 1957
  • NCAA 07: Alternate Uniforms: (Courtesy of Coca-Cola)
    • Big 10, Pac 10, Notre Dame
    • ACC
    • Big East, Conf. USA
    • SEC, Mtn. West
    • Big 12, WAC
  • Madden 07 – Throwback Uniforms: (Courtesy of Sprint)
    • AFC East Throwback Uniforms
    • AFC North Throwback Uniforms
    • AFC South Throwback Uniforms
    • AFC West Throwback Uniforms
    • NFC East Throwback Uniforms
    • NFC North Throwback Uniforms
    • NFC South Throwback Uniforms
    • NFC West Throwback Uniforms

Gallery: This Week’s Free Xbox Live Marketplace Content


Bungie Drops Halo 3 Details On Halo Anniversary

Halo 3 Master Chief

On the 5th anniversary of the release of the original Halo, Bungie has dropped a few more details about the goings-on in the Halo universe. First, a new Halo 3 commercial will air exclusively on Monday Night Football on December 4th, with availability on the Xbox Live Marketplace to follow. The commercial will be entirely in CG, which may be disappointing to hard-core fans looking for new in-game footage, but Bungie promises that the commercial will be something special nonetheless.

In addition, Bungie is promising exclusive Halo 2 multiplayer map content available on the Xbox 360. The content won’t be free, and also leaves current Xbox Halo 2 players in the cold. Bungie holds out a faint hope that the content may eventually make its way to the original Xbox, but realistically, this stands little chance of happening. A side benefit of the exclusive content, however, is the news that the backwards compatibility team will be looking at fixing some existing issues in Halo 2 on the Xbox 360.

Finally, probably the biggest news will be the availability of a public beta of Halo 3 this Spring. It sounds like right now the beta will be a limited multiplayer test, but should be exciting for those anxiously waiting for the next iteration of the franchise.

 

Read More | Bungie

Gallery: Bungie Drops Halo 3 Details On Halo Anniversary


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