When you look at this week’s XBLA update, it’s really not too bad. You can definitely see the winter game rush building up. We’ve got a couple new games, a couple cool trailers, and more than a few add-ons to some already great and established games.
Come on in and I’ll show you what’s up yeah?
GAMES…
Are you smarter than a 5th Grader? – Trial: FREE Full: 1,200c
“Join Mr. Foxworthy’s class and play the Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?™ trivia game where every question is based on the grade school curriculum and the answers are elementary. Step up to the podium and put your smarts on the line with over 6,000 grade school questions in 21 subjects. Outwit, outplay and just plain cheat your way to the one million dollar grand prize. Collect extra credit to unlock achievements. Prove once and for all that you are indeed smarter than a 5th grader.”
- Tons of questions: Step up to the podium and put your smarts on the line with over 6,000 grade school questions.
- Choose wisely: Do you want a smarty pants or smart Alec? Choose your partner from five brainy fifth graders and test your skills across 21 subjects.
- Gold stars: What would school be without gold stars? Earn gold stars as you work your way to the million dollar question.
- Multiplayer: Compete with your friends in single couch and online multiplayer.
Penny Arcade Episode 2 – Trial: FREE Full: 1,200c
“The madcap Penny Arcade experience continues in Episode Two of the RPG-adventure game series Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness! Jump right in with a fresh character and new customization options or carry over your look and stats from Episode One. Plus, there are more puzzles, areas to explore, levels to gain, and new difficulty settings to make the journey more insane than ever before. Rejoin Gabe and Tycho to go crazy with a whole new episode, moving ever closer to solve the mystery in the heart of New Arcadia. Your hoe awaits!”
- The madcap Penny Arcade experience continues: Meet all-new characters and see newly revealed strip favorites from Mike Krahulik, while reading laugh-out-loud dialogue from Jerry Holkins.
- Get value for your gaming dollar: Play the entire episode in 6-10 hours for 1200 Microsoft Points, getting tremendous value that fits into your busy schedule.
- Save what matters most: Carry over your character’s stats and look from prior episodes.
- Go crazy with a whole new level of customization: Check out even more options for you to design and develop your own character, seeing it come to life in 3-D and in the comic-style 2-D cutscenes.
- Play it safe or go insane!: New difficulty settings put you in charge of the action.
- Experience a deeper RPG-adventure: Get into the game with more puzzles, areas to explore, and levels to gain.
- Pick up and play from any episode: Enjoy each self-contained story without having to play previous installments.
ADD-ONS…
Marble Blast Ultra – Theme Pack: 150c Picture Pack: 200c Marble It Up! Multiplayer Level: 250c
Mega Man 9 - Theme #5: 150c Hero Mode (higher Difficulty): 80c Superhero Mode (higher difficulty): 80c Special Stage (time attack stage with new boss!): 80c Pic Pack#6: 100c
N+ – Level Pack #3: FREE
TRAILERS…
Shadow Assault/Tenchu – FREE
“Experience the Tenchu universe like never before in Shadow Assault Tenchu! Play single-player or with up to three other players in unique Japanese-themed environments as you employ stealth and strategy in an effort to take out your enemies.”
- Single-player action: Different game modes require you to sneak through rooms avoiding the attention of guards, or require you to take out everyone on-screen by well-placed traps.
- Multiplayer: Play with up to three of your friends for both frantic and strategic action.
- Tenchu characters: All the characters from the Tenchu universe are here: Rikimaru, Ayame, Tesshu, and Rin.
- Achievements: Twelve new achievements are included for you to conquer.
Vigilante 8 Arcade – FREE
“Take the wheel as fully-loaded auto combat revs into high gear with Vigilante 8: Arcade®. It’s a down and dirty war on wheels where everyone’s riding shotgun. This brand new remake of the classic Vigilante 8 game lets you choose from among eight tricked-out retro-fine 70s vehicles with some serious firepower. Multiple special weapons let you wreak havoc on five newly-designed and destructible arenas. Complete the single player Quest story mode or test your car-crushing skills in local and Xbox LIVE® multiplayer versus or co-op modes. Rebuilt from the ground up, V8: Arcade is modern vehicular warfare at its finest!”
- Cool vehicles: Choose from eight gorgeous, highly-varied supercharged 70s vehicles, each rendered using advanced metallic shaders with more than 10,000 polygons.
- Custom options: Play as different Vigilante 8 personas, choose the color of your car, and trick out your vehicle with special weapons.
- Weapons: Use six standard weapon pick-ups with three advanced attacks each. Try both the “classic” (combo) and “casual” (charge-up) input methods.
- Battle arenas: Experience five newly designed, highly interactive arenas, using Bezier patch technology for maximum surface smoothness. Discover collectible power-ups, salvage points, and artifacts, and thrill to the spectacular destructive and pyrotechnic effects.
- Single and multiplayer: Play the single player modes against sophisticated bot A.I., including the Quest story mode, or play with friends in local split-screen modes with up to four players, and online multiplayer with up to eight players in a variety of versus and co-op configuration possibilities.
- Extras: Leaderboards, achievements, extra downloadable content, and more are available for the game!
AND THEY’RE STILL PUSHING…
Portal: Still Alive – Trial: FREE Full: 1,200c Trailer: FREE Theme Pack: 150c
“Portal™: Still Alive features the full award-winning Portal single player game from Valve, plus a new challenge mode. Designed to change the way you approach, manipulate, and surmise the possibilities in any given environment, Portal has earned over 70 industry honors for its innovative gameplay, with more than 30 “Game of the Year” awards.”
Break the laws of physics using “portal” technology to solve puzzles and survive in this darkly comic story weaving adventure with brain-bending puzzles.
- Innovative gameplay: Experience the first first-person puzzle-action-adventure game with hours of single player gaming.
- Extras: The game includes fourteen brand new bonus puzzles to challenge even the most skilled test subjects. And, get a glimpse into the making of Portal: Still Alive with commentary from the developers.
Woohoo Vig 8: Arcade. I remember when that game first came out and I played that and second offense. Personally I liked it more than Twisted metal (even though twisted metal 4 was amazing).