Living LIVE 06.01.09: Express Edition
Posted by Trace Aber on 06.01.2009
Information on Wallace and Gromit, Yosumin, Angry Barry, and more! And plenty of pictures!
Opening Comments
A series of crazy random happenstances leave me unable to do full reviews of the games for this week, so consider this an express edition of the column. Things should be back to normal again next week, and I figure with all of the E3 coverage coming up, everything I could say in this article would eventually be out of date.
I'm Trace Aber and this is Living LIVE.
Game Marketplace - A weekly look at the arcade games, demos, and add-ons released this week.
Wallace & Gromit: Fright of the Bumblebees (800MP)
Join Wallace & Gromit in Fright of the Bumblebees, the first of four grand adventures! The inventor and his loyal pooch are faced with a big problem. They need 50 gallons of honey by tonight – far more than their bees can handle! When Wallace's plans to step up production go horribly awry, it falls to Gromit to fight off the angry swarm. Featuring a brand new story with the same slapstick humour, cinematic visuals, and charm fans of the Wallace & Gromit films have come to love, Fright of the Bumblebees kicks off this four-episode series in cracking style! Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Get it.
Yosumin! LIVE (800MP)
A puzzle game where the aim is to find rectangles of matching tiles known as "yosumin" and make them disappear. Make massive rectangles for the ultimate feeling of satisfaction! It's not just about solo play - there are online battle modes to enjoy as well! Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Avoid.
Community Games
Prismatic (400MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=1/3, Mature Content=1/3. What happens after Happily Ever After? Fascinating puzzles! Thirteen years after true love's kiss, Sleeping Beauty has been cursed again. Help break the curse by using prisms and mirrors to split and reflect beams of light. One hundred unique puzzles and seven bonus modes will keep you coming back for more! Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Avoid.
Pendoku (400MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Sudoku with a puzzling twist! Fit the pieces into the grid, line up the numbers to solve the sudoku. Millions of puzzle combinations and multiple difficulty levels make this game fun for everyone. Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Avoid.
Angry Barry (400MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=3/3, Sex=3/3, Mature Content=3/3. Angry Barry is a sidescrolling, political parody, 1-2 player 2D beat 'em up in the tradition of many classic arcade games. Take control of Barry as he tries to take over the Presidency of the United States! Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Get it.
Cold War Commander (200MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. The year is 198X and the first Cold War rages on. As President Ronald Reagan you must eat jellybeans and punch the Berlin Wall into submission. You are the caretaker of freedom. You are the Cold War Commander. Complete with BONUS Controller Massage and Controller Race turbo xtreme minigames! Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Get it.
myFishtank (200MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Design your ultimate fishtank. Customize wallpapers, rock features, plants, gravels pretty much everything. Add over 18 fish types to your aquarium. Why not create your very own species in the paint fish area. Unlock able rewards add extra tank features that make this one of the most exciting XNA community products launched to date. Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Get it.
Pocket-Jongg 2009 (800MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Pocket-Jongg 2009 is a new twist on an old classic Mahjongg style game. Unique rules, that the player has to discover first, will keep you up all night. The game also features several different multi-player options for parties using one XBox or Live play. Unlock new levels in the Campaign Mode and find out, what else you can do...are the single player modes "really" single player? Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Avoid.
Incursion (200MP)
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=1/3. In Incursion you control immigrants from all over the world. Use resources to train four types of immigrants: the digger, the snipper, the sprinter, and the mine sweeper., You will face treacherous terrain, rivers, barbed-wire fences, border guards, and even landmines! Players will glimpse what so many people all over the world strive for, a chance to start a better life in a new country. Recommendation (based off absolutely nothing more than photos): Get it.
Game Add-Ons
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel - Carrier Imp (240MP)
The Carrier Imp is an in-game "pet" that provides extra inventory storage for players. The Carrier Imp can be summoned by the player whenever needed to store excess loot and equipment, and deliver items to the player whenever needed. With the Carrier Imp, there's no worrying about overfilling your character's pack, which lets you focus on saving Ancaria from evil!
DW: Gundam 2 - Additional Mission 4 (Free)
"War!?" Amidst the chaos that engulfs the battlefield, it is up to you put an end to the madness...
DW: Gundam 2 - Additional Mission 5 (Free)
"Holy cow! Look at all this sweet junk! 1" This mission will give you the opportunity to collect those hard to find parts for rare mobile suits.
DW: Gundam 2 - Additional Mission 5 (Free)
"Holy cow! Look at all this sweet junk! 2" This mission will give you the opportunity to collect those hard to find parts for rare mobile suits.
Saints Row 2: Corporate Warfare (560MP)
There is a civil war brewing within the Ultor Corporation. Dex, Ultor's newly appointed Head of Security, is running a black market nuclear weapons operation aided by Ultor management. Meanwhile, a defected Ultor executive offers the Saints a chance to bring the entire operation down. Take revenge in style with new transportation options for aircraft, exotic cars, and superbikes. Redefine your character with all new customization options including brand new outfits and facial bandanas to change your identity. Take the battle to the streets with brand new Strong Arm and Gangsta Brawl multiplayer maps or challenge your friends in an all new Co-Op competitive mode. Now it's time to put a permanent end to Ultor's corruption.
Need for Speed Undercover: Boss Car Bundle (400MP)
Blow away your competition with this explosive car pack, featuring eight unique boss cars available for use in any online race or offline career event. Race your way to the top of the leaderboards with each of these cars: Carmen's Shelby GT500, Chase's BMW M6, Chau Wu's Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG, G-Mac's Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 , Hector's Nissan 370Z (Z34), Nickel's Dodge Viper SRT10, Rose's Porsche 911 GT2 and Zack's Volkswagen Scirocco.
Need for Speed Undercover: Challenge Series Expansion (Free)
Think you've mastered the world of Undercover? Think again. This huge upgrade offers 60 new events, including two new game modes (highway wars and highway checkpoint) where you'll have the ability to earn up to three new cars as you race your way through hair-raising traffic. Best of all, this content is absolutely free!
LIVE Activity for week of May 18th
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty: WaW
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 GTA IV
6 UFC 2009 Undisputed Demo
7 FIFA 09
8 UFC 2009 Undisputed
9 Left 4 Dead
10 Fallout 3
Top Arcade Titles
1 Castle Crashers
2 Peggle
3 Hasbro Family Game Night**
4 Worms
5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade
6 UNO
7 Star Trek: D•A•C
8 The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai
9 Gel
10 Banjo-Tooie
Original Xbox Top Live Titles
1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Fable
4 Counter-Strike
5 Conker: Live Reloaded
6 Splinter Cell Chaos
7 Doom 3
8 Star Wars: Battlefront
9 Guilty Gear XX #Reload
10 SW: Republic Commando
Top Community Games
1 RC-AirSim
2 Rumble Massage
3 ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition
4 Aquarium HD
5 DrumKit
6 Dock'em
7 Math Sniper 3D
8 What The?!
9 StreamLine
10 Iris
Video Marketplace
BTK (480MP, 320MP) Inspired by the real-life serial killer, B.T.K is the gruesome story of Dennis L. Rader, a murderer who systematically tortured and killed his victims for over two decades while evading the police for over 30 years. Living a seemingly normal life as a husband, father, security officer and church president, Rader's unquenchable thirst for blood ultimately led him to commit the most horrific crimes imaginable. Shocking and full of suspense, B.T.K is a grisly journey into the nightmarish world of a deranged killer.
While She Was Out (NA, 320MP) Prepare yourself for the ultimate white-knuckle thrill ride through the horrific trenches of America's back woods. Academy Award ® winner Kim Basinger (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, 8 MILE) delivers perhaps the most audacious performance of her illustrious career, as Della, a suburban housewife, hell bent on survival as she is mercilessly stalked by a group of teenage thugs led by a manipulative psychopath (Luke Haas of WITNESS). Armed with only a toolbox and the will to survive, can Della make it through the night, or will this pack of rabid predators have their way? Craig Sheffer (TV's ONE TREE HILL) co-stars in this intense suspense thriller about one woman, a night full of terror and the ultimate breaking point that lives in us all.
Killshot (480MP, 320MP) Carmen and Wayne Colson were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now they've seen too much and Armand "The Blackbird" Degas, a half Ojibway Indian, half French Canadian hit man, doesn't like loose ends. So after witnessing a failed extortion attempt, an innocent couple is on the run, and even the Witness Protection Program doesn't seem to be enough to keep The Blackbird and his partner Richie Nix off their trail.
Surveillance (1200MP, 800MP) When Federal Officers Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at Captain Billing's office, they have three sets of stories to figure out and a string of vicious murders to consider. One zealot cop, a strung-out junkie and an eight-year-old girl all sit in testimony to the roadside rampage, but as the Feds begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals so carefully with a well-practiced lie, they soon discover that uncovering ‘the truth' can come at a very big cost…
Events
Monday: Music Monday - Guitar Hero: Metallica
Tuesday: Family Game Night - UP
Wednesday: GamerchiX Ladies Night - Halo Wars
Thursday: Indie Games Night - Golden Royal Blackjack
Closing
Join us next Monday for more of the latest news, reviews, and downloads on Xbox Live! Any questions or comments can be posted below! Also, don't forget to bookmark 411 as your homepage, because, I mean, you come here everyday anyways. Just save yourself the trouble.
If there are any community game developers who are looking to promote a game, give me an e-mail at traceaber@gmail.com and we'll set up an interview.
First off, I just wanna thank you Trace for having my favorite column in 411 games.
There are lots of places on the web to find XBLA reviews, you're the only one I found bring the community games to light and reviewing them, I went back and read all the Living Live issues and it helped my find some really community games because of it.
I see you didn't really have anytime to do reviews this week but that's cool, I'll help out with my thoughts of the games that caught my eye this week.
Angry Barry: This game from what I can see is pretty cool, and at 400 MP not asking too much.
The trial ended before I finished the first level (it seemed to be timed because it booted me) so I can't say too much about the story, but it's evident it's political satire, so fans of Colbert Report and The Daily Show might wanna check it out.
The gameplay is side scrolling action, and it felt very similar to old school Shinobi, which I thought was cool. The enemies got pretty repetitive though, as I was bombarded by the same two enemies throughout out the whole demo. I'm hoping for more variety in them in the full version.
The Graphics/Music/SFX are all top notch, look great HD. I was very impressed here.
Next up...
myFishtank:
To think, just two days ago, I purchased Aquarium HD, under your recommendation, and a good one at that, and now this comes along and trumps Aquarium HD in just about every way possible.
From what I found playing around with the demo, near everything is customizable, say you wanna add a plant, not only can you chose from different plants, but choose where to place it and the scale/size.
The game also has a quick link to your music stored on your had drive for quick access.
The game also has the bubble sounds that Aquarium HD was lacking.
The paint a fish was pretty neat too.
Add all that with dozens and dozens and ways to mix and match the wallpaper, rocks and gravel, and the fact you can send your painted fish and your customized tanks to friends, and you really have a lot here and more than just a "screen saver".
The graphics look amazing in HD, though not quite as bright and as real looking as Aquarium HD I thought. However, if you're going to get just one, myFishtank is the far superior Aquarium app, and a must buy if you love some background ambiance in your home.
Keep up the good work Trace, looking forward to the next Living Live.
Posted By: Guinness (Guest) on June 01, 2009 at 08:59 PM
