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Console Downloads This Week Featuring Metroid and Hexic 2
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Adventure, Puzzle, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade,
Following a light week, Microsoft returns this Wednesday to the two game new/old format, dropping Hexic 2 (800 Microsoft Points) and the Sega classic Ecco the Dolphin (400 Microsoft Points). Hexic 2 comes from famed Tetris creator Alexy Patjitnov and follows up the packed-in original XBLA title and adds new modes including same-screen or Live multiplayer; Ecco the Dolphin boasts enhanced graphics and sound plus a “Best Time” leaderboard.
These games join more than 75 others on the service which has been a huge success for Microsoft as detailed in a lecture by Marc Whitten this week at GameFest, where he discussed the company’s plan for attracting the casual gamer to the XBox 360. Whitten stated that they’ve seen a 156% average financial return in the past year on XBLA titles, earning more than $30 million to date. Based on this success they expect revenue on XBox Live Arcade to double in the next fiscal year and predict that by the end of this year they will have reached 45 million downloads of over 100 available titles.
On Nintendo’s similar download service, Virtual Console, they’re dropping three new games this week including the original NES classic Metroid (500 Wii Points), plus the Sega dungeon crawler Shining in the Darkness (800 Wii Points) as well as the TurbGrafx-16 game Cratermaze (600 Wii Points). Nintendo is choosing now to push the original Metroid title onto the VC as a means of keeping their Metroid brand fresh in gamers’ minds as they prepare to release the marquee Wii game Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in two weeks. As part of this effort, next week’s VC title is expected to be the SNES sequel, Super Metroid.
Read More 
| Gamasutra
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Virtual Console 8/6: Wave Race 64, Galaga ’90, And Adventures of Lolo
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Driving, Nintendo, Puzzle, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii,
Okay, this week’s crop of games on the Virtual Console is pretty simple: one game you might care about, and two you shouldn’t. Galaga ’90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 points) is an updated version of the arcade Galaga, so unless you’re infatuated with Galaga, chances are it isn’t worth your Wii Points. Adventures of Lolo (NES, 1 player, 500 points) is a strange puzzle game that’s only going to get in your way of Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1000 points). It’s two players and was pretty fun in the day, and just happens to be the type of game that still holds up today. If you enjoyed the GameCube sequel, are looking for some VC fun or are a fan of jet-skiing, give Wave Race 64 a look.
Click to continue reading Virtual Console 8/6: Wave Race 64, Galaga ’90, And Adventures of Lolo
Virtual Console 7/30: Star Soldier, Dynamite Headdy, And Drop Off
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Adventure, Nintendo, Puzzle, Retro, Virtual Console, Wii,
While the Xbox Live Arcade is set to get the classic Marathon, Virtual Console’s additions this week include Star Soldier (vertical shooter; NES, 500 Wii points), Dynamite Headdy (platformer; Genesis, 800 points) and Drop Off (puzzle; TurboGrafx16, 600 points) – all pretty old titles. This is really a hardcore retro week, apparently.
All three are now available. Check after the break for more details.
Click to continue reading Virtual Console 7/30: Star Soldier, Dynamite Headdy, And Drop Off
Morrowind Headlines New List Of Backwards Compatible Xbox Games On Xbox 360
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Activision, Adventure, CAPCOM, Driving, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Fighting, First Person Shooters, Microsoft, Namco, Puzzle, Role Playing Games, SEGA, Simulation, Sports, Survival Horror, Third Person Shooters, THQ, Ubisoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
It’s about time – finally, Xbox 360 owners who weren’t fortunate enough to play The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on Xbox or PC can now do so on Xbox 360. The update brings the total number of back compat Xbox games to over 300. And all games are upscaled, so those who have been waiting to play NBA Live 2002 in 720p or 1080i can now do so.
Updated:
- Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
- Jet Set Radio Future
- Rogue Ops
- Sega GT 2002
Check out the new games after the break.
E3 2007: All The Stuff You’ll See On Xbox 360 And Games for Windows In 2007
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Activision, Bungie, CAPCOM, Driving, E3, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Fighting, Games for Windows, Games for Windows Live, LucasArts, Microsoft, Namco, PC, Puzzle, Release Dates, Retro, Role Playing Games, SEGA, Special Editions, Sports, Strategy, Take2, Third Person Shooters, THQ, Ubisoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade,
Over on Gamerscore Blog, a list has been posted with all of the games being shown at E3 that will be available this year. Xbox 360 games, Xbox Live Arcade games, Games for Windows-branded titles, and Games for Windows Live-enabled games. It’s a lot to digest, and with big name games like BioShock, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Guitar Hero III, Sonic the Hedgehog (the original, don’t worry), Puzzle Quest, Company of Heroes: Opposing Forces… let’s just say there’s something for nearly everyone.
Read More | Gamerscore Blog
E3 2007: Nintendo’s Press Conference Recap And Impressions
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Adventure, CAPCOM, Casual, Corporate News, Driving, E3, Electronic Arts, First Person Shooters, Internet, Music, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Party Games, Puzzle, Release Dates, Retro, Sports, Trailers, Virtual Console, Wii,
As with the Microsoft conference before it, I was confined to my hotel Wi-Fi to take in Nintendo’s E3 press conference. But, unlike Microsoft’s, I’m walking away thoroughly and utterly disappointed. I’m going to go ahead and spoil part of the full story from after the break: there was no mention of Smash Bros. being online. Me = worried much.
Set your expectations low before you view the rest after the break.
Click to continue reading E3 2007: Nintendo’s Press Conference Recap And Impressions
E3 2007: Microsoft’s Press Conference Recap And Impressions
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Accessories, Action, Activision, Adventure, Bungie, CAPCOM, Casual, Corporate News, Driving, E3, Electronic Arts, First Person Shooters, Hardware, Microsoft, Party Games, PC, Puzzle, Release Dates, Retro, Role Playing Games, SEGA, Simulation, Special Editions, Sports, Strategy, Survival Horror, Take2, Third Person Shooters, Trailers, Ubisoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend E3 this year – instead, I’m on vacation in Cape Cod, using awful hotel Wi-Fi to watch streamed press conferences. Not the most glamorous way to take it all in, but exciting announcements, great games and new details are welcome no matter how you hear about them.
Here’s my personal transcription (in very brief form) of all the announcements and showings, along with some reflection on what Microsoft had to show.
Click to continue reading E3 2007: Microsoft’s Press Conference Recap And Impressions
Gaming at the Maker Faire: Huge NES, Doom3 Mods, and More
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Culture, Nintendo, PC, Puzzle,
The Maker Faire was held this past weekend at the San Mateo Fairgrounds in sunny California. For those of you who haven’t heard, it’s basically a huge collection of engineering- and creativity-inclined nerds having fun with robots, fire, accelerometers, and anything else they can get their hands on.
Well of course, any time you get that many nerds together in one place, there’s going to be some gaming involved. Here’s a quick summary of the gaming-related wackiness that could be seen at the Maker Faire, with more pictures and videos after the jump. Exhibits included:
- A huge, working 2-person-sized NES controller
- The Doom 3 Case Mod From Hell (nyuk nyuk!) with working air-locks and remote control integrated display
- Push-button LED Tetris
- A life-sized crocheted Atari 2600, complete with 2 joysticks and TV displaying Adventure **
- Microsoft reps using Wii remotes to control RC Cars (I kid you not… I asked them if this was a conflict of interests and they laughed) **
- Build-your own accelerometer-based game interface using gloves, a flyswatter, or a frying pan **
** = Not pictured. The Faire was totally overwhelming, which affected my photo-taking abilities. Sorry!
Oh, and there was a huge Tesla Coil that shot 14.7 million volts. That was OK too I guess 😉
Click the jump for more pix and movies!
Click to continue reading Gaming at the Maker Faire: Huge NES, Doom3 Mods, and More
Read More | MakerFaire 2007
Sam and Max Episode 5 Now Available to Pre-orderers
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Adventure, Internet, Puzzle, Release Dates,
Originally, Telltale Games advertised that Gametap subscribers would be getting each Sam and Max episode a bit before the lowly non-subscribers. For those of you that didn’t want to subscribe to Gametap, though, there’s some good news. Telltale has decided to be nice and release Sam and Max Season 1 Episode 5: Reality 2.0 a few days early for all of you Sam and Max lovers that bought the season in advance.
Personally, I like owning my games, not leasing them from a service like Gametap, so it’s nice to see that Telltale is showing some love for loyal Sam and Max followers.
Read More | Sam and Max at Telltale Games
Mercury Meltdown Revolution for Wii - A “Steel”?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hot Deals, Party Games, PSP, Puzzle, Wii,
Excuse the bad pun at the top, but if Amazon’s price listing is correct, Mercury Meltdown Revolution for the Wii may be a bargain… as the good folks over at GoNintendo noted, the currently listed price for the Wii game (which garnered an 8.5 for the PSP version at IGN) is $19.99. Add to that the fact that most hands-on reports of the game love the addition of tilt-controls, and it’s looking like you’ve got a new no-brainer buy for the Wii.
Mercury Meltdown Revolution is slated to launch around May 1st, and will feature some graphical and gameplay upgrades to the PS2/PSP version, including 480p/widescreen support and added levels.
Read More | Amazon.com via GoNintendo.com
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