Today, a level pack for the Xbox Live Arcade game N+ was released. Costing only 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50), players will be treated to 200 new levels. 150 of these are “easier” singleplayer levels, while the other 50 are “pretty hard” and are designed for co-op.
This is the kind of DLC I like to see, cheap and full of content. Hopefully it will sell well and other developers will see the merit in low cost DLC.
Today the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta, on Xbox Live Arcade began. In order to get into the beta, gamers must purchase Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 on Xbox Live Arcade. From the main menu of Commando 3, there should be a option that says “SFII HD Remix Beta.” Once you select that, you will be taken to a blade that asks for confirmation of download. Agree to that and the SFII HD Beta is yours.
What’s in the beta? Well, unfortunately, not much. Players will have the option (or lack thereof) to play as Ryu or Ken. The lack of choice is OK though, the reason for the beta is to stress test the net code for multiplayer. We all know that the reason you decided to participate in the beta was to help out Capcom, not get early access to a highly anticipated game.
Right?
Check these new Udon-drawn shots of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix.
The game will come out for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as downloadable content, but no release date has been announced…yet.
The file size gods have smiled upon us, bestowing a non-gimped version of Super Street Fighter II: HD Remix unto Xbox LIVE users.
Previously, well-known game designer Dave Sirlin stated that the Capcom team was running up against the 150MB file size limit on XBLA.
Producer Rey Jimenez said: “I can officially say that the filesize will not be an issue. With great help from the guys at Microsoft, we will be able to offer the same features on both platforms [PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360] to the same quality as each other.”
It looks like we dodged a bullet on this one.
Source: Shacknews
Capcom has revealed that Xbox Live Gold subscribers that purchase the upcoming XBLA title Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (800 Microsoft Points) will be given an access key to download the beta of the much-anticipated downloadable title Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix.
This beta will run for approximately 8 weeks. So far this deal is Xbox 360 only, so if you want your Street Fighter fix quit your XBLA hating and go buy some Microsoft Points.
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is slated for a Spring 08 release.
Source: GameSpot
Microsoft really should just throw in the towel on this one; there’s no denying that the games coming out for Xbox LIVE Arcade are suffering because of the asinine 150MB limit on DLC. The latest victim is Bionic Commando: Rearmed, the 3D remake of the 8-bit original.
Sure, Microsoft is looking out for Xbox 360 owners who don’t have hard drives, yadda yadda. This oddly incongruent business plan is the same thing that’s hurting the quality of games on the 360. The company’s got no qualms nickle-and-diming people on controllers, wireless adapters and downloadable content, but far be it from them to mandate something that actually makes games look great.
First Street Fighter II HD Remix and now this. Naturally, I’m peeved because this means another win for the PlayStation 3, throwing the Force out of balance again.
Today at GDC, Microsoft’s XNA team announced plans to allow user uploads of games to Xbox LIVE, effectively creating a “YouTube” for games. However, you will have to be an XNA Creator’s Club member, which costs $49.99 for four months or $99 for a yearly subscription.
While the gears are turning to make it happen, the full launch isn’t scheduled until the holiday season of this year. Also, achievements and leaderboards won’t be available for community-released games.
Despite these caveats, the announcement is sending ripples through the gaming community. A revenue sharing model is in the works, as well as the ability to release your games for free, and seven community-developed games have been released as a time-limited preview. Check these titles out on Xbox LIVE–they’ll only be playable for a short while.
The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai
JellyCar
Little Gamers
Proximity HD
Rocketball
TriLinea
Culture
This must be Xbox Live Arcade’s week. First it’s announced that Rez HD and Chessmaster Live come out today. Now we hear that next Wednesday, Feb. 6, Poker Smash is coming to XBLA.
Mixing elements of poker and Tetris, this unique hybrid is the flagship title of Void Star Creations. Featuring six gameplay modes (Action mode, Puzzle Mode, Practice Mode, Custom Playlist Mode, Split Screen Head-to-Head and Miltiplayer Tournaments), Poker Smash looks to be a well polished, unique puzzler. There has been no word of price, however I’m willing to bet it’s going to be 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
It’s almost like the clowns at Microsoft want us to start being PlayStation fanboys. djWHEAT and Summa notwithstanding, of course.
Dave Sirlin, the fighting game designer with a cult following, said in an interview that the 150MB size limit imposed on games by Xbox LIVE could force Backbone to release different versions of Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix for LIVE and the PlayStation Network.
Specifically, the issues relate to the compression of shading for the game’s 1080p artwork and the size of two different soundtracks: original and remixed.
Naturally, PSN has no size limit on its downloadable content.
Sirlin also had some choice words for the controllers on both system, saying that they tie…in suckiness. Check it:
In my opinion, one of the worst ideas inflicted on the Shoryukening gaming public was Sony’s idea to turn the d-pad into four buttons with no diagonal piece. I hated it on the PlayStation. I hated it on the PlayStation 2. I hate it on the PlayStation 3. Microsoft’s d-pad has a much better shape (including the diagonals) and yet somehow, it isn’t any better in practice. Continued…
Today is the day for us average gamers. The Devil May Cry 4 demo is out on both Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network.
Average gamers usually get the shaft when it comes to previewing games. Sure, game publishers put out demo units at big events, but how often does the average gamer get to attend these?
A good example of this is with Devil May Cry 4. Lots of big blogs and gaming sites have had hands on time with the game, only to write about how lucky they were and how they can’t wait for the game to come out. All it does is make readers anxious and wait months on end to get a crack at it, which is the point, but frustrating nonetheless.
I could write a summary about how awesome it is and whatnot, but I’d rather let you experience it for yourself.
Read: Devil May Cry 4 demo hits PSN, Xbox Live this Thursday.
Week after week I post news items about upcoming Rock Band downloadable songs. Some of my friends have brought it to my attention that I never post about Guitar Hero 3 DLC.
It’s not that I’m against GH3, it’s just that Rock Band DLC comes out like clock work. Today will be a first for me; I’ll write about GH3 DLC.
There is a new GH3 pack now available on both Xbox Live Marketplace consisting of three classic rock songs. The pack will cost you 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25). The songs are:”Any Way You Want It” by Journey, “Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner, and “Peace of Mind” by Boston.
The best part is that these songs are master tracks, meaning sticklers, like myself, can’t complain about crappy cover vocals and what not. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to rock out to some powerful licks courtesy of Boston.
This is just a reminder that if you have Xbox Live Gold account, you can download Undertow for free until Sunday night, Jan. 26.
I just got my copy a few minutes ago. If you already have Undertow, you can get 800 Microsoft Points by calling 1-800-4-MYXBOX and giving the people on the line your information.
Once they confirm that you already have Undertow, you will get 800 MS Points. Not a bad peace offering for the Xbox LIVE holiday outage if you ask me.
