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The Horsey to King Prawn Three Chessmaster LIVE! Official Thread

S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
The Header:

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What is Chessmaster?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessmaster

Chessmaster is a chess playing computer game series by Ubisoft. It includes numerous tutorials by International Master Joshua Waitzkin for players of all skill levels.

The Chessmaster series started in 1986 with The Chessmaster 2000 by The Software Toolworks. It was published for Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, and DOS. In 1991, Chessmaster 3000 was published for Windows 3.x and in 1995 for PlayStation. The current version, Chessmaster XI, was released on 30 October 2007 for PC (titled Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition) and Nintendo DS (titled Chessmaster: The Art of Learning).

An Xbox Live Arcade version with Xbox Live multiplayer and Xbox Live Vision camera support for the Xbox 360 called Chessmaster Live.
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Release Date:

http://darkzero.co.uk/v4/games/news/13307/360-rez-hd-and-chessmaster-on-xbla-30th-jan

Unfortunately, no one has commented on the upcoming release of Rez HD yet, but if they did I am sure it would go something like this. "We are extremely happy to finally be able to release Rez HD on the XBLA," said Random PR man. “Thanks to the power of the system gamers can now finally experience Rez the way it was meant to be played, offering fans old and new a crystal clear high-definition look at the unique world created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi and his team at Q Entertainment".
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Xbox.com Splash Page

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/c/chessmasterxboxlivearcade/default.htm

Enjoy playing as a real strategist with the Xbox LIVE® version of the most-acclaimed chess franchise. Chessmaster LIVE allows you to challenge friends and players all over the world in thrilling contests and determine who's the real champ. Choose among several 3-D (or 2-D) sets and play against virtual characters or real opponents over Xbox LIVE. Solve puzzles and discover exciting variations of this classic board game. Beginners can learn the basics of chess, and veteran players can improve their mastery of the game with the advanced scenario. The game is yours ... it's your move!

* The challenge of chess: Compete against advanced A.I. characters or challenge other Xbox LIVE members to a match.
* New message chess system: Start a game without any time limit, and play the game at your leisure over the course of days or even weeks.
* Chess puzzles and chess variations: Puzzle over a series of classic challenges such as "find the fork" or "mate in one," and experience new ways of playing chess including Dark Chess, Losing Chess, Extinction Chess, and Progressive Chess.
* Customizable environments: Choose from six 3-D chess sets and three traditional sets, each with their own distinct sound effects, piece and board design.
* Interact with opponents: Video options allow you to see your challenger during the course of the game.
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Previews:

Team XBOX

http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1830/Chessmaster-LIVE/p1/

The game does a great job of helping beginners out, too, showing all of the possible placements of a piece being moved, and even using red and green arrows to point out all of the potential moves that would result in a captured piece.


As an added bonus, players can save replays of their games and relive the moment of victory over and over, or analyze every move to see just where things went wrong.


When a standard chess match isn’t going to cut it or if you just want to flex some mental muscle in a short workout, Chessmaster Live’s deep Puzzle Mode should grab your attention. Players choose from one of seven different scenarios, such as getting checkmate in one move or protecting a specified piece. The game then presents the player with a string of different puzzles to try and solve in that scenario. While I’m not sure exactly how many puzzles there are in each category, I can say that, in the hours I spent in Puzzle Mode, I never ran across the same puzzle twice.


In Message Chess, players play through a round of chess, sending each other moves one at a time via an in-game message service. Each time you sign in to Chessmaster Live, you can check to see if you have a message in the game’s inbox.


Visually, Chessmaster Live is a little on the sparse side right now. Players can switch on the fly between 2D and 3D modes, but 3D mode is really the only one with much in the way of polish. The default wooden board and pieces can be swapped out with a couple of extra marble and glass themes, but none of these really stand out. Of course, with downloadable content supported by the game, it’s entirely possible that we could see some more stylized boards in the future (Hey Ubisoft…can I go ahead and put in my vote for a Raving Rabbids-themed chess board?)
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Screenshots:

screenshots.php


sspopup.php


screenshots.php


screenshots.php


screenshots.php


Video:

Trailer
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3nukk_chessmaster-live_videogames


Achievements


http://www.xbox360achievements.org/achievements.php?gameID=551

Annihilator 10
Capture all your opponent's pieces in Classic Chess (Single Player).

Apprentice 5
Win 1 game (Single Player).

Blitzkrieger 20
Win 1 game (Single Player) in less than 5 minutes (personal time).

Champ 25
Defeat a chess personality with an ELO rating of 1000 or more.

Chess Regular 10
Play 20 online games.

Glorious 15
Achieve an online rating of 1200 in any type of chess.

Grand Strategist 20
Complete 30 puzzles.

Jack of all Trades 15
Win 1 online game in all chess variants.

Master 25
Win 20 games (Single Player).

Pro Player 25
Win 10 ranked online games.

Rising Star 15
Win online against a higher ranked player.

Veteran 15
Play 100 games (Single Player).
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Reviews:

TeamXbox
http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1460/Chessmaster-LIVE/p1/
8/0, Great
 
L

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
didn't even know about this, very cool. Wonder if the Yahoo Chess fans will show up in this thread.
 
S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
levious said:
didn't even know about this, very cool. Wonder if the Yahoo Chess fans will show up in this thread.
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They might end up griping over the price. (Which is not yet known)
 
S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Just in case you doubted the reports, Chessmaster LIVE! is coming this week.

Two New Exclusive Titles Launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday: “Rez HD” and “Chessmaster LIVE”

A downloadable version of Ubisoft’s hit “Chessmaster” series, “Chessmaster Live” allows players to test and tune their chess skills against the AI or opponents of all aptitudes around the globe via Xbox LIVE. “Chessmaster Live” features five original chess variants, including a Message Chess option, which allows gamers to engage in matches over the span of several days, weeks or even months. The title boasts both beautifully crafted 3D chess sets inspired by luxury chess board designer House of Staunton. “Chessmaster Live” will be available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

* For more details on “Chessmaster Live” please visit:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcadexbox360
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S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
GhaleonEB said:
I suppose this is the wrong thread to rally against superfluous thread titles. (No, I don't get the reference.)
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Just about the wrongest thread judging from the responses.
 
G

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
It's chess. Most people don't care about. And Chess lovers already have boards and online sites. So who would pay money for Chessmaster?
 
S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
grandjedi6 said:
It's chess. Most people don't care about. And Chess lovers already have boards and online sites. So who would pay money for Chessmaster?
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There must be a few considering that Chessmaster is the biggest, well known, first and last name in video game chess.
 
S

Stop It

Perfectly able to grasp the inherent value of the fishing game.
Diablohead said:
Thread title wins for Red Drawf reference :lol
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Indeed, Queeg was a great (sub)character too :)

Oh, and I like chess, but haven't played on a computer/console for ages.

Yes, I clicked for the reference, and to be honest, didnt expect as many people to get the reference either, Dwarfers defence force unite! :p
 
S

Sectus

Member
I'll repeat my impressions which I wrote in another thread:

"I've played a few matches and it seems good to me. You can think of it like "Chessmaster Lite". It does not have indepth tutorials, analyzing or a big library of famous chess matches. But it does have most of the other features: wide array of AI profiles, practice mode which shows opening moves and colouring coding for safe and dangerous moves, player rating for singleplayer and multiplayer, chess puzzles, save and view replays,

And it has a few features the PC version does not have: nice music (although in the long run you'll definitely want to play some your own music), play-by-mail (where the player can do the next move the next time he's online, not exactly the ideal way to play chess though), some chess variants (including one unique variant which adds fog of war into the game). quick toggle between 2D and 3D boards and support for xbox live camera.

The only drawback is that it's slightly cumbersome to play with a pad. I wouldn't recommend playing matches with very little time as you can't do moves at an instant.

All in all, I think it's a good chess edition. I would recommend it if you want to play chess on the 360."

I just tried all the chess variants as well (which can only be played in multiplayer). Losing chess (play to lose) and progressive chess (player gets +1 move every turn) are basically gimmicks in my opinion. Matches don't last very long in those variants and they don't seem to have much depth. Extinction chess (goal is capturing all pieces of one type) seemed pretty fun. Plays more like normal chess only you're far more defensive, and it opens up for some more unique tactics.

Dark chess is definitely the most interesting variant. You don't see any of the opponent's pieces unless you're able to attack it, which makes powerful pieces like the queen a lot more powerful and at the same time a lot more vulnerable. It may seem a bit random, but it's the the most fun variant of chess I've played. Might be good for beginning players as luck can turn the match into your favour. And watching replays is pure hilarity as you get to see all the actual positions of your opponent's pieces.
 
P

PrivateRyan

Member
Yeah I'm gonna snap it up tomorrow. I'm a sucker for calm, tranquil Xbox Live Arcade games to play inbetween having my mum's sexuality questioned during Call Of Duty 4, so this should fit the bill. Shame it's kinda got swallowed up in the Rez euphoria, as understandable as that is. It should have been twinned with the Boogie Bunnies release if anything.

And another +1 for the great thread title, Shard.
 
N

No6

Member
The demo seemed fun so I'll probably buy it tonight. It's the PBEM mode that's the most important to me, so if anyone has tried, can you have numerous PBEM matches going at the same time? Like 10-20?
 
B

Beavertown

Garbage
I got it. The Chess puzzles alone are worth it, in my opinion.

It's also the better of the 2 games released this week.. oh yes, I went there.
 
S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
PrivateRyan said:
Yeah I'm gonna snap it up tomorrow. I'm a sucker for calm, tranquil Xbox Live Arcade games to play inbetween having my mum's sexuality questioned during Call Of Duty 4, so this should fit the bill. Shame it's kinda got swallowed up in the Rez euphoria, as understandable as that is. It should have been twinned with the Boogie Bunnies release if anything.

And another +1 for the great thread title, Shard.
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Thank you.
 
B

bryehn

Member
Sectus said:
I'll repeat my impressions which I wrote in another thread:
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Sounds pretty good, thanks for the details.

Though with REZ & Poker Smash so close together I'll probably wait a bit to grab Chessmaster. MS is still screwing Canada for points value, so these "$10" games actually run us $12.40. Adds up really quick.
 
S

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/04/09/chessmaster-lives-hip-hop-weekend/

Chess and Hip Hop? How does THAT work?

Chessmaster LIVE's Hip Hop Weekend

Posted Apr 9th 2008 3:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade
The intensity of chess and the in your face nature of hip hop. They go together almost as well as peanut butter and jelly. That's exactly why the Hip Hop Chess Federation (for reals) is sponsoring an Xbox Live Chessmaster LIVE Hip Hop Weekend full of chess, hip hop and giveaways. The Hip Hop weekend fun kicks off April 11th through the 13th, where gamers can sign up for a Play & Win, grab free Chessmaster LIVE downloads and experience the whole hip hop vibe. Like we said, chess and hip hop ... like peanut butter and jelly.
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