| Jurassic Park Chocolate Raptor |
Mar 19, 2009 06:03 PM |
Thanks Omagnus, it's good to have a real source confirm all the dates for the arcade games, instead of the likes of Kotaku spreading misinformation, what with their claiming OutRun was next week, making up shit again like they always do.
Anywho, here's the proper days of arcade release schedule.
Quote:
* UNO Rush - March 25th
* Puzzle Quest: Galactrix - April 1st
* Flock! - April 8th
* Dishwasher - April 8th
* OutRun Online Arcade - April 15th
* Lode Runner - April 22nd
|
[ one of about 1000 sources]
The good stuff is on the second half of the list, but I feel bad for both Flock and Dishwasher. Being put up against each other like that when they're both indie properties to begin with is unfortunate for the both of 'em. A shame. With luck they'll drop at 800 and be given a fighting chance. (Hah, yeah right).
------------------------------
On a note unrelated to any of those games, an update about Space Invaders Extreme for the Arcade.
Quote:
The Space Invaders concept is nothing new; after all, it originated in arcades 30 years ago back in 1979. You move left and right, and shoot. That's it. Besides Pong and Kenji Eno's One-Dot Enemies, there are few games that could claim a simpler premise. But then in the summer of 2008, Taito quietly unleashed Space Invaders Extreme on PSP and DS, an updated spin on the concept involving bumping techno music, spectacular background visuals (a la Lumines II), and actual depth to the game mechanics. Now the experience is being brought over from handhelds to Xbox Live Arcade, with a number of new enhancements designed to stimulate legions of new Earth defenders.
The first and most noticeable difference from the handheld versions is that legendary effects and programming guru, Jeff Minter, has designed the visualizer that decorates each stage's backgrounds. Known best for his games Tempest 2000 and Space Giraffe, Minter's contribution may just look like a bunch of haphazard explosive Geometry Wars-style effects laced into the backdrop, but he actually worked closely with developer Backbone Entertainment to ensure that the visuals followed a theme -- that of the alien invaders slowly approaching Earth. The first few stages mimic a normal space environment, with each stage becoming greener, warmer, and more organic as you approache the blue planet.
The second, less noticeable difference -- from the handheld versions at least -- is that the invaders are actually pixel-perfect. On the smaller platforms, it's easy to overlook the fact that the invaders had to be adjusted, even if only by a pixel, because of the width of the different platform screens. But with the Xbox 360, Backbone is able to accurately and faithfully replicate the invaders as they were originally designed, which should appeal to purists who expect their ports to be flawless or, better yet, improved.
The game itself adds play mechanics that never existed in the original Space Invader games, like chains and combos. You create combos by killing four invaders of the same color (Space Invaders Extreme's idea of ethnic cleansing) to get that particular color invaders' specific power-up to drop. So, kill four green invaders, then get the green power-up. Likewise for red, or white, or blue (the blue power-beam is definitely an office favorite). If, for some reason, you'd prefer to save your power-up for when a UFO appears, you can 'store' it by holding down the right-bumper button, and let go when you're ready to use it.
There are tons of subtle, little techniques embedded into the gameplay, which help you rack up higher scores. How you kill the invaders, whether you shoot down the UFOs, and other factors all combine to jack your combo and chain meter up, which can multiply your score by up to five times the normal amount. If you're really good and fulfill the necessary criteria, you can then jump to a 10-times multiplier for even higher scores (which will be an absolute necessity if you hope to earn a place on the game's leaderboards). All of these techniques, of course, will factor heavily into your win totals when playing with up to three other people in the addictive multiplayer games. We'll have more on Space Invaders Extreme as we get closer to the game's Spring release date, but for a taste of the action, check out the latest screens and video in the tabs above.
|
[ source]
Bolded the one thing I wasn't already aware of. Jeff Minter is pretty much the epitome of whiny selfrighteousness and importance, so I just hope we don't get a blog entry from him somewhere down the line claiming the only reason this version is any good is because of his....erm...."art" effects. Or that we "don't get it", or some other horseshit.
I'm just hoping he doesn't make the thing a visual mess. Luckily, early media seems to indicate not so much to worry about. Also, should it sell worse than Frogger let's hope he just stops trying this time.
------------------------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by x360a
A Lonely Victory - 20G
Clear Episode 1 in 1P Play.
A Temporary Peace - 20G
Clear Episode 2 in 1P Play.
The First Step (Episode 1) - 10G
Clear the first 10 Rounds of Episode 1 without continuing.
Certificate of DOH - 25G
Clear the first 30 Rounds of Episode 1 without continuing.
The First Step (Episode 2) - 10G
Clear the first 10 Rounds of Episode 2 without continuing.
Certificate of Bones - 25G
Clear the first 30 Rounds of Episode 2 without continuing.
A Trustworthy Friend - 10G
Clear an Episode with the assistance of a friend.
The Mock Battle Specialist - 15G
Defeat the computer.
The Real Battle Specialist - 15G
Combat rivals from around the world!
The Master Marksman - 10G
Destroy large numbers of Enemies!
The Nimble Vaus - 20G
Master the Mini-Vaus!
The Piercing Light - 20G
Master the Power Laser!
|
[ kapow]
Arkanoid Live! achievements. These usually show up relatively close to the game's release. Maybe one of the first ones after the Days of Arcade promotion? Let's hope. I had it pegged for summer. Granted, some stuff can come out during that period that's not on the above list. For example, Fable 2 Pub games came out the same week as Bionic Command during last summer's promotion. |
