XboxLIVE! Arcade In-depth Reviews

            The release of Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO covers three significant bases for Capcom, that of providing a demo version of their forthcoming retail game for those still sitting on the fence, a prequel story chapter for those waiting with baited breath and a compact zombie slashing experience for those willing to step into the world of Dead Rising, but facing more important videogame purchases in the coming months. All three audiences would demand something different from the downloadable package, and pleasing them all is of course no easy task.

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            Fourteen years since the first Tomb Raider title graced store shelves, and Ms. Croft doesn’t appear to have aged a day. The world around her undoubtedly has however, and those who once experienced her adventures as a pupil attending an educational institution may now have children of their own getting ready to set-off their schooling career. This is a fact, it seems, that Crystal Dynamics is well aware of, with the foundation of this latest outing having shifted entirely, but the mechanics remain as timeless as ever.

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            Of all of Midway’s popular arcade franchises, it might seem peculiar that Hydro Thunder is the first to be treated to a revival. Having debuted as a stand alone arcade cabinet in 1999, the game then made its way to the three major formats of the time – Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 and PlayStation – a year later. In the decade which has passed since we last saw the title, few times can we recollect demand for a sequel, and yet Hydro Thunder Hurricane is set to arrive of the Xbox LIVE Arcade this coming Wednesday.

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            Electronic Arts’ Xbox LIVE Arcade release of RISK: Factions has taken a decidedly different route than each of the individual releases that make up the Hasbro Family Game Night compendium. Perhaps this could suggest where the subtitle has come from, but of greater note is that it has been given more freedom to experiment with the traditional formula. RISK: Factions is, of course, still RISK at heart, but a sweet sugar coating conceals a number of tactical revisions. Read More…

            The Duke Nukem series has become something of a legend amongst long-time videogame hobbyists and industry veterans. Though the often overlooked debut has little in relation to modern titles bar thematic, it’s 1996’s Duke Nukem 3D that created a strong fanbase for the franchise. Since then, a number of offshoots and more experimental titles have been seen, but that long-awaited sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem Forever, currently remains little more than a small collection of screenshots. Where Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project fits into all this is somewhat complicated, having been developed by an external team, featuring a new enemy and an unrelated storyline. Read More…

            The fact the Microsoft has been keen to promote World Cup activities on the Xbox 360 has not been lost on some developers, with RTL Sports taking the initiative and offering their Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz, as part of the current “Deal of the Week” promotion for Xbox LIVE Gold Subscribers. Available now at half-price, many fans awaiting England’s next challenge are likely to be interested in putting their own football skills to the test.

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            Strawdog Studios’ second Xbox LIVE Arcade release, Space Ark, is now available throughout North America and Europe. After the success of the frantic electric-lit Geon, the bright and bubbly Space Ark appears to be a significant change of pace for the small British developer. What lies underneath however, is the same panache for strategic high-score based gameplay as in all of Strawdog Studios’ work thus far.

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            W!Games are introducing their painfully constructed Mistbound universe to gamers worldwide with this, the first wholly-owned original intellectual property (IP) from the developer, Greed Corp. Available now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and coming to the PC at a later date, Greed Corp has been given the grand task of reeling players into the imaginative and colourful ecosystem, in which the need for resource management is only superseded by the need to prevent rival factions from mining the land first.

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            Launched last month on Xbox LIVE Arcade, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom appears at face value to be the kind of game that could easily be considered at odds with the typical audience for Microsoft’s digital distribution service. While the likes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled and Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter are making waves on the channel, it’s the much less publicly displayed Xbox LIVE Indie Games service where you expect to find experimentation within both gameplay and art style. But as The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom has been granted the support of a global publisher, the escapades of a portly pie thief are certain to garner much more attention from a wider demographic than would normally be the case.

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            The road to the Xbox LIVE Arcade has not been an easy one for Introversion’s widely respected Darwinia franchise, but now that is has arrived it’s almost certain to develop a robust community on console as it has on PC. Originally intended as a quick port of the PC version, Darwinia+’s extended time in development has allowed Introversion to add the multiplayer release Multiwinia to the package, as well as a number of more subtle improvements.

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