As Sony started to role out the extended Beta for Home in Japan earlier today, news also emerged that Namco-Bandai are bringing their older arcade titles in to the Home space - that means titles like Xevious, Dig Dug and Galaga.
The Beta of the Namco arcade will be incorporated into the Japanese Home Beta and while details are sketchy (they are Beta’s after all) it looks like the games could be demos, or simply Arcade games that can be played in a sponsored communal space.
And yes, we know that Namco had nothing to do with echochrome which is in the above picture, but it looks nice…more importantly it also hints at the ability to launch your own PSN download games in Home and play them on a virtual cabinet. A very nice touch if true.
While The Last Guy for the PlayStation Store saw a Japanese release earlier today, new info has emerged about the game and the plans for its Western release.
It turns out that the Japanese version is only a three level taster, hence the cheap price of 500 Yen.
The Western release will have 14 levels and cost a bit more, although it’s likely that the Japanese version will be getting Downloadable Content to make it up to the full package.
With a rumoured launch date of August outside of Japan, doubtless there’ll be more details of Sony’s The Last Guy plans in the coming weeks.
In the meantime be sure to check back for our review of The Last Guy which will be coming soon.
This Thursday’s update to the PlayStation Store is a belter and for once it doesn’t matter what region you’re in!
Out now on the JPN PSN is The Last Guy for 500 JPY.
But you can also pick up PixelJunk Eden on the US / EURO / JPN stores whenever they get updated today for each respective zone. The game is priced around 5.00 GBP / 10 USD - or whatever you local currency is.
We weren’t kidding when we told you to stock up on those MS Points, because it seems the Summer of Live Arcade is going to cost you a bit more than first expected. While Braid will be retailing for the rarely seen price of 1200 Points, Castle Crashers seems to want to put a major dent in your wallet and at 1,800 points!
In real money terms that’s roughly 10 GBP/15 USD for Braid and 15GBP/22 USD for Castle Crashers.
It seemed inevitable that the Live Arcade was going to get a price hike at some stage, especially with bigger and more complex titles so it seems that this summer could be the launch of a new pricing structure.
[Update] Microsoft has told Shacknews that the pricing is incorrect and that the real pricing will be available for each one on their week of release.
Today kicks off Microsoft’s Live Summer of Arcade, with the first release being the long awaited Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.
The follow up to the smash XBLA launch title can be yours right now for 800 MS Points.
Experience an unbelievable adrenaline rush from playing the latest version of the frenetic retro shooter Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. Newcomers and pros alike will be blown away by the screen-melting intensity and insane new features, including six action-packed gameplay modes, new enemies, new scoring strategies, and a diverse list of exciting achievements. If that’s not crazy enough for you, try multiplayer mayhem for up to four players. Use power-ups in versus mode to boost your stats or handicap your opponent, or team up with others in co-op mode. Play it all in razor-sharp 1080p to new pulse-pounding music.
* Action-packed modes: Unlock all six of these innovative and challenging modes — Deadline, Evolved, King, Pacifism, Waves, and Sequence.
* Multiplayer mayhem: Step up the intensity with four-player multiplayer. Versus, team, and co-op modes offer different types of challenges and strategies. Pick your ship and pwn the grid.
* Achievements: Go for 12 entertaining and inventive ways to boost your gamerscore.
* Geoms: Collect Geoms to increase your multiplier — but act fast, they won’t last forever!
* New enemies: Shoot down all the usual suspects, then say “Hello” to new enemies that have found additional ways to hunt you down.
With the announcement at this years E3 that the Live Arcade would be getting its own release of Portal (subtitled Still Alive), OXM have posted an interview with Valve’s Doug Lombardi where he reaffirmed Valve’s commitment to the Live Arcade service.
When asked about the possibility of older titles like Counter Strike making their way to the service they’d “certainly consider it”.
He also confirmed that there’ll be no new story element to Still Alive and that the new content would be challenges only.
The recent merger between Activison and Vivendi may spell problems for some Live Arcade and PlayStation Network releases. Recent reports are that Activision are streamlining their releases and, by the sounds of things, currently reviewing which ones to dump.
As well as effecting some high profile releases, this has serious implications for upcoming XBLA titles like Zombie Wranglers, Cribbage, Interpol, and PSN titles like the conversion of Assault Heroes and Switchball, meaning they may no longer see the light of day.
No firm information is available yet, so it seems that only time will tell how far their release list will be trimmed.
Depending on what part of the world you live in, a Pong Toss could mean any number of things. In this context it’s the latest release on the US WiiWare store, based on the frat party past time of excessive beer drinking, lots of vomiting and the occasional date rape incident… although the developers have had the sense to make sure that the last two aren’t included in this version!
Pony up - it’s Pong Toss time. Compete against your friends or the computer in this ultimate party-game favorite. Play on a regulation table with up to four players. Make consecutive shots for the Fireball bonuses and Roll-Backs as you or your team try to dominate the table and reign as Pong Toss champs. In Speed Pong, up to three challengers can compete at the same time. Speed and strategy are the keys to this fast-paced game. Jack up your opponents by using a slew of power-ups that will slow them down. The first one who sinks the last cup wins it all. Be fast. Be furious. Be victorious.
The game will cost you 800 Wii Points. Money you could be spending on drink and toga’s.
It’s summer time as far as Microsoft are concerned. And that means one thing for their Live Arcade service - lots of long awaited games. The line up was sort of confirmed just after E3 but now it’s official.
The full “Summer of Arcade” lineup consists of:
July 30: “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” – The latest version of the wildly popular retro shooter offers screen-melting intensity and insane new features, including six action-packed gameplay modes, new enemies, scoring strategies and a diverse list of exciting Achievements. “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will be available at 800 Microsoft Points.
August 6: “Braid” – From acclaimed developer Jonathan Blow, “Braid” is a mind-bending and artistic puzzle-platformer where the player manipulates the flow of time in strange and unusual ways.
August 13: “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” – The classic 8-bit side-scroller reports back for duty in a stunning remake, complete with all-new HD graphics and features that put 2D gaming back on the map!
August 20: “Galaga Legions” – The legend lives on with “Galaga Legions,” a reimagining of the classic arcade shooter. Featuring table-turning game dynamics and updated graphics, the game was created by the team behind the bestselling “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” from Namco Bandai Games.
August 27: “Castle Crashers” – Award-winning studio The Behemoth brings red hot arcade adventure to Xbox LIVE Arcade with “Castle Crashers,” featuring hand-drawn characters and an array of weapons to choose from as you defend your kingdom and save the princess.
Something for everyone, so you’d best get the Microsoft Points in!
On top of that they’re also running a sweepstakes where playing the full or trial versions of those games could net you
Grand Prize (x1) – 100,000 Microsoft Points, 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and an Xbox 360 Elite console
Runner-Up Prizes (x2) – 10,000 Microsoft points and a free 12 Month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription
Coming from Code Glue and THQ (hey, that rhymes) is Rocket Riot.
Rocket Riot is an action-packed side-view shooter featuring a bazooka-wielding jetpack soldier. With a highly stylized 8-bit era feel, players blast their way through the environment against enemies or multiplayer foes online. Navigating through a completely destructible environment, players can uncover special power ups or even burrow into different areas of the map.
Features
Engage in 80 single player missions, set in many different themes and zany worlds.
A fully featured multiplayer Riot with 4 multiplayer modes against up to 8 players on Xbox Live or up to 4 players on a single screen. Teamed based CTF has never been so explosive!
Fly through continuously regenerating maps that keep the action fast-paced - but time doesn’t heal all wounds.
The game has a distinct sense of humour by the looks of it and if it’s caught your eye you’ll be pleased to know it should be coming to the XBLA at some point this year.
You have to hand it to marketing exec’s in Japan, they sure know how to advertise their products.
In what is perhaps one of the most bizarre, and at the same time totally brilliant, pieces of game advertising this new trailer for Bionic Commando Rearmed invites you to sing along to the theme tune and marvel at all the news bits of footage not seen before.
Bionic Commando Rearmed should be hitting the PSN and XBLA very soon.
It’s the weekend, which means that it’s review time here on Console Arcade.
This week it’s the turn of Pop on Nintendo’s WiiWare, which also happens to be our first WiiWare review. Hopefully we’ll have more Nintendo stuff for you soon, but in the meantime you can read the review here.
Capcom have announced that the Beta test for their Street Fighter II HD is not only getting a patch to try and iron out some issues, but will also be extended to allow players to give the tweaks a good testing.
Instead of the original schedule of August, the Beta will now run until 5th September. A full list of the patched issues can be read after the link…
It’s a mega blow-out for the PSN Store in America this week.
Today’s update brings a high definition touch-up of an old arcade shooter with 1942: Joint Strike. The game is available to download now for 9.99 USD.
Unfortunately it didn’t see a release on the European Store earlier today, with PAL Gamers just getting Siren: Blood Curse instead. However that’s also made it to the US Store and you grab it for 14.99 USD per episode or 39.99 USD for the full outing.
It looks like European PSN users are loosing out again but lets hope that it’s not another month long wait like they had with Capcom’s last release, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.
There’s also a demo of PixelJunk Monsters available to download ahead of the games full release next week.
And if that wasn’t enough for you the following games
PAIN
PixelJunk Monsters
High Velocity Bowling
High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil
have all had a price drop from 9.99 to 4.99 USD for one week only. If there isn’t at least one thing there that grabs your fancy then you’d best check your pulse!
The Euro PSN store has just been updated with the release of Siren Blood Curse, the re-imagining of the PS2’s survival horror title, Forbidden Siren.
The story follows a TV crew from America, who has journeyed to research and film an exposé on the urban myth of Hanuda, the Vanished Village. Frozen in the 1970s and surrounded by a red sea, it is said that an ancient curse has been set upon this town.
The introduction of western characters to Siren Blood Curse brings a new dimension to the series and, in order to survive, they must defend themselves from the vicious Shibito, the living dead, and other terrifying monsters.
Throughout the game you will play each of the visitors to the village, while the game’s unique Sight-Jack System enables you to switch seamlessly between the visions of the hunted and the hunters. As the plot thickens you discover you are stuck in a time loop in which events eternally repeat and change.
The original intention was that the game would be released in episodic chapters spread over the summer months, but instead all the chapters have been released in one go, with the option to also download the whole thing straight away if you’d prefer.
Each chapter will cost you 6.99 GBP or alternatively it’s just 19.99 GBP for an all in one. The game is also expected to be added to the US PlayStation Store when it receives it’s update later today.
