Poor XBLA, so forgotten in the new interface. They really need to edit it to make it much more like it used to be, it's so hard to find anything compared to how it used to be up front and center. Hell, they should also make it much easier and more intuitive to rate games (including using speech recognition to type mini reviews) so that the console can figure out what you like and put up more relevant commercials for things from XBLA rather than trailers for pizza places.
Sine Mora looks good though, I wonder what is coming for summer of arcade this year? Last year was great with Bastion etc. What we really need is shadow complex 2!
Aside from the overabundance of ads, I think the new interface is fine.
Then again, I use a kinect to browse it, and the placement of things makes that doable as it wouldn't otherwise be. I've never had any trouble finding stuff.
If they did a better job of advertising new xbla games on the front page scrolling thingy, it would be fine. Right now you have to go all the way to new releases in the game marketplace to know that Sine Mora is even there. Though I suppose xbla games are mostly targeted at people who are going to check out the new releases every week.
Yeah it's not very intuitive to new users, my nephew got a 360 for Xmas and he didn't even know there was an "Arcade" section until I showed him a few weeks ago. I found out his dad had been calling stores asking if they had copies of Trials HD in because the demo comes pre-installed on new systems and they had no idea that it was a downloadable game.
I agree that the new interface is dumb as a butt, but its not that hard to get into XBLA, or find new stuff...
XBLA used to be pretty much visible immediately when you went in "Hey, buy this fun new game on XBLA" my 360 would say and there was XBLA a few swipes away. Now my XBOX says "Watch episodes of Glee!" or "Go buy Gears of War 3 in a shop!" and if I want to buy something in arcade I have to navigate over to it with it distinctly NOT obvious on the front page. I don't hate the interface, I just don't really use it any more. I just click 'play game' on the login screen.
It's wierd, I don't deny it as a technical achievement and I do feel I should like Kinnect but it doesn't work for me as a UI which draws me in and makes me want to look for new stuff. Ha, my best example of something like it is the Getty in LA. It's a beautiful building which is amazing, but it's a TERRIBLE art gallery since it does a really bad job of making you want to go inside and look at the art. You want to stay outside and look at the building and then leave.
Mildly interested in Bloodforge, very interested in Minecraft so yay!
Is Arcade Next a new thing? First we had Summer of Arcade. Then SoA and House Party. Now SoA House Party and Arcade Next? Not that I'm complaining... I prefer (arcade games with the best chance of being)gems in big spurts, rather than one trickling out every so often.
Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
I'm torn. $20 is too much IMO, but it's still less than buying the PC version & this is the first time that's ever been said of an arcade title.
Plus, it will go on sale eventually, something that mojang seems unwilling to do.
I liked Warp quite a bit. My only reservation, really, is that they didn't think through backtracking very well. There are some areas it seems impossible to backtrack to, and in trying I managed to get myself stuck (and autosaved) in an area with no way to progress.
What are my best investments on XBLA if I'm looking for things I can offline co-op with my sister? We love Dungeon Defenders, Left 4 Dead, and Fruit Ninja.
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SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
What are my best investments on XBLA if I'm looking for things I can offline co-op with my sister? We love Dungeon Defenders, Left 4 Dead, and Fruit Ninja.
Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim if you like beat em ups.
What are my best investments on XBLA if I'm looking for things I can offline co-op with my sister? We love Dungeon Defenders, Left 4 Dead, and Fruit Ninja.
Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim if you like beat em ups.
I got the bad ending in Sine Mora's story mode. The whole story is rather chilling, and as Rainbow Said, it's better than Gradius V.
There are only two problems I have with Sine Mora. First, the camera shakes when you hit certain bosses and bullets keep flying, so everybody should turn that option off.
Second, the camera in the tight cave sequences is shit. If they want wall damage they can have wall damage, but what they can't do is have cave damage and a camera, in combination with 3d scenery, that makes it impossible to tell where the walls are (and aren't) with respect to your place. There are only a handful of tight corridor sequences but when they're there, you'll take hits over and over and not know why.
i enjoy that because fable heroes looks awful, it gets placed at $10 but then minecraft is $20
i think arcade next is just a way to brand the new 400 point games, and get away with charging more for them too
I'm actually kinda pissed about this!
$15 was the limit for XBLA before, and XBLA games were 200 Achievement points. Now they're 400 - great news, right?
Except here's Minecraft, $20 but somehow now qualifying as XBLA. When RE4 and Crysis hit, they went up for $20 as Games on Demand with a full 1000 Achievement points. Feels more like getting gypped out of 600 points than gaining 200. If Minecraft weren't so godawful I'd be pretty pissed that it didn't have a full suite of Achievements.
Also you and I are posting in a lot of the same threads today, it seems
there have been $20 xbla titles in the past.
the first two Sam & Max seasons & the Puzzle Quest sequel.
I'm pretty sure Penny Arcade Adventures 1 launched at $20 as well.
I must be the only weirdo that likes I Am Alive and loves Hydrophobia. Still have not gotten the will to finish Amy, but I'm getting there.
I really like all three of the discounted games on XBLA this week (Daytona, Joe Danger and Sega Rally Arcade). I recommend them all.
My problem with Hydrophobia is that it's nakedly incomplete. It cuts off barely into the first act of the story, and I'm sitting here thinking "expletive, that's it? I'd kind of like an ENTIRE STORY here..". I was.. not happy.
yeah, microsoft easily could've made minecraft a $40 or even $60 retail title.
$20 is high for xbla, but it's better than retail, and it's better than the ~$30 for the pc version.
There are also the $3 knockoffs in the indie game section if the price point tilts your moral calculus in that direction.
there have been $20 xbla titles in the past.
the first two Sam & Max seasons & the Puzzle Quest sequel.
I'm pretty sure Penny Arcade Adventures 1 launched at $20 as well.
...Puzzle Quest 2? Pretty sure I paid $15 for that
But yeah, you're right, I remember Sam and Max being 20 as well
http://rewards.xbox.com/triple-play-offer/
basically if you are a rewards member, if you watch an hour of TV/ youtube and play 10 hours of online games in april, you get 300 points
good deal
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
Bugger I am stuffed on the second part of that, because I don't use any of those services
http://rewards.xbox.com/triple-play-offer/
basically if you are a rewards member, if you watch an hour of TV/ youtube and play 10 hours of online games in april, you get 300 points
good deal
Does Netflix count for this? If not I guess I'll find youtube stuff, but there's no way I'm spending points to rent TV shows from the marketplace when there's so much Doctor Who just sitting there unwatched on Netflix.
http://rewards.xbox.com/triple-play-offer/
basically if you are a rewards member, if you watch an hour of TV/ youtube and play 10 hours of online games in april, you get 300 points
good deal
Does Netflix count for this? If not I guess I'll find youtube stuff, but there's no way I'm spending points to rent TV shows from the marketplace when there's so much Doctor Who just sitting there unwatched on Netflix.
it breaks down like this
PLAY either 2 hours of kinect games or 10 hours of online games
WATCH 10 hours of ANY APP, be it netflix/hulu/crackle/vevo
USE youtube for 1 hour OR do a kinect chat
free 300 points if you can do that this month (i would probably have done this anyways)
I'd hit that anyway - my kids love using Kinect chat to talk with their grandparents. Or 10 hours online is easy since it seems like ME3 is an always-online game.
Posts
Sine Mora looks good though, I wonder what is coming for summer of arcade this year? Last year was great with Bastion etc. What we really need is shadow complex 2!
Then again, I use a kinect to browse it, and the placement of things makes that doable as it wouldn't otherwise be. I've never had any trouble finding stuff.
XBLA used to be pretty much visible immediately when you went in "Hey, buy this fun new game on XBLA" my 360 would say and there was XBLA a few swipes away. Now my XBOX says "Watch episodes of Glee!" or "Go buy Gears of War 3 in a shop!" and if I want to buy something in arcade I have to navigate over to it with it distinctly NOT obvious on the front page. I don't hate the interface, I just don't really use it any more. I just click 'play game' on the login screen.
It's wierd, I don't deny it as a technical achievement and I do feel I should like Kinnect but it doesn't work for me as a UI which draws me in and makes me want to look for new stuff. Ha, my best example of something like it is the Getty in LA. It's a beautiful building which is amazing, but it's a TERRIBLE art gallery since it does a really bad job of making you want to go inside and look at the art. You want to stay outside and look at the building and then leave.
Trials Evolution, $15, April 18
Bloodforge, $15, April 25
Fable Heroes, $10, May 2
Minecraft, $20, May 9
Is Arcade Next a new thing? First we had Summer of Arcade. Then SoA and House Party. Now SoA House Party and Arcade Next? Not that I'm complaining... I prefer (arcade games with the best chance of being)gems in big spurts, rather than one trickling out every so often.
i think arcade next is just a way to brand the new 400 point games, and get away with charging more for them too
Plus, it will go on sale eventually, something that mojang seems unwilling to do.
(plus warp kinda sucks...)
Alan Wake was balls awesome, though!
here's hoping they have a promo for the arcade next titles, i'd buy the fable game if we got $10-$15 back
Trials Evolution, $15, April 18
The best selling XBLA game of all time returns. Can't. Wait.
Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim if you like beat em ups.
Yep.
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There are only two problems I have with Sine Mora. First, the camera shakes when you hit certain bosses and bullets keep flying, so everybody should turn that option off.
Second, the camera in the tight cave sequences is shit. If they want wall damage they can have wall damage, but what they can't do is have cave damage and a camera, in combination with 3d scenery, that makes it impossible to tell where the walls are (and aren't) with respect to your place. There are only a handful of tight corridor sequences but when they're there, you'll take hits over and over and not know why.
Other than that, everybody needs to buy this
I really like all three of the discounted games on XBLA this week (Daytona, Joe Danger and Sega Rally Arcade). I recommend them all.
Twitter
I'm actually kinda pissed about this!
$15 was the limit for XBLA before, and XBLA games were 200 Achievement points. Now they're 400 - great news, right?
Except here's Minecraft, $20 but somehow now qualifying as XBLA. When RE4 and Crysis hit, they went up for $20 as Games on Demand with a full 1000 Achievement points. Feels more like getting gypped out of 600 points than gaining 200. If Minecraft weren't so godawful I'd be pretty pissed that it didn't have a full suite of Achievements.
Also you and I are posting in a lot of the same threads today, it seems
the first two Sam & Max seasons & the Puzzle Quest sequel.
I'm pretty sure Penny Arcade Adventures 1 launched at $20 as well.
in the end it's better than a $60 price point
My problem with Hydrophobia is that it's nakedly incomplete. It cuts off barely into the first act of the story, and I'm sitting here thinking "expletive, that's it? I'd kind of like an ENTIRE STORY here..". I was.. not happy.
DS Friend code: 3840-6605-3406
$20 is high for xbla, but it's better than retail, and it's better than the ~$30 for the pc version.
There are also the $3 knockoffs in the indie game section if the price point tilts your moral calculus in that direction.
...Puzzle Quest 2? Pretty sure I paid $15 for that
But yeah, you're right, I remember Sam and Max being 20 as well
After loving the original so much I bought it the moment it came out. I ragequit the game halfway through.
Twitter
basically if you are a rewards member, if you watch an hour of TV/ youtube and play 10 hours of online games in april, you get 300 points
good deal
There are also full eps of MLP on Youtube
Music videos...
...Major League Puking?
...Moms Lacking Pituitary?
...Meatheads Love Plumbers?
PLAY either 2 hours of kinect games or 10 hours of online games
WATCH 10 hours of ANY APP, be it netflix/hulu/crackle/vevo
USE youtube for 1 hour OR do a kinect chat
free 300 points if you can do that this month (i would probably have done this anyways)
next time you try to say MGS3 was bad, i'ma be like "ain't you that guy who digs ponies"