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[toythatkills]

Cloudberry also has this annoying thing where it's designed for a TV screen which is bigger than my TV screen, and so all the edges are cut off. It doesn't affect gameplay but it is annoying and there's no reason not to include an option to change the size of the screen. I have no idea why this even happens, I thought basically all HDTVs were the same "size."

But yeah, I kind of enjoyed it but at the same time, now I've switched it off I feel no compulsion to turn it back on ASAP to play some more like I did with Meat Boy or Spelunky. It's got "super hard" as its gimmick and it does it well enough, but it doesn't really have anything else to say for itself.

The achievements are pretty dull also, some fun little challenges could have been fun and convinced me to buy but they're almost all "complete this many levels."

 

[Monty Mole]

Cloudberry also has this annoying thing where it's designed for a TV screen which is bigger than my TV screen, and so all the edges are cut off. It doesn't affect gameplay but it is annoying and there's no reason not to include an option to change the size of the screen. I have no idea why this even happens, I thought basically all HDTVs were the same "size."

It's because you have overscan enabled on your TV. Disable that shit immediately!

 

[Gowans]

Yeah just tried the demo, didn't do it for me at all.

My next platformer will be Ducktales, but thanks to the XBLA geniuses I'll grab it off steam.

 

[toythatkills]

It's because you have overscan enabled on your TV. Disable that shit immediately!

I can't even find an option for that!

 

[J-Roderton]

The free games are awesome. I'm glad I have the massive HD. Probably will play a little Assassins Creed later. Never touched it.

 

[Vert boil]

Orc Attack popped up over night.

http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/screenlg1.jpg
http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/screenlg3.jpg
http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/screenlg4.jpg
http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/screenlg5.jpg
http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/screenlg8.jpg
http://download.xbox.com/content/images/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113c4/1033/background.jpg

----------
Games with gold bits, (these expire in a fortnight)

Crackdown - free (was 1200msp/15$)

Shadowrun - free (was 20€/1900¥) Japanese or German gold account needed

and Crackdown 2 has been reduced for everyone for a fortnight.

Crackdown 2 - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

 

[aku:jiki]

Shadowrun is a cool choice. That game was a lot better than the internet thinks.

Still don't know what the hell they think they're doing with that "flatulent rebellion" thing. Shit's going to sell like 5 copies.

 

[SparksterMeta0]

I never, for the life of me, played either Crackdown. maybe because I didn't have a 360 at the time.

I'll take advantage of getting the first one free.

 

[Monty Mole]

I can't even find an option for that!

What TV is it?

I never, for the life of me, played either Crackdown. maybe because I didn't have a 360 at the time.

I'll take advantage of getting the first one free.

The first Crackdown is the most fun I've ever had in a sandbox game. Something about the seemingly infinite draw-distances and heights you can climb - and unlike Prototype it has a weight to it too - you really do feel like you're climbing to incredible heights. Also love a good collectathon, and seeking out all those orbs is a game in itself. Great fun, enjoy.

 

[Vert boil]

Seems like there might be some incorrect info floating around about the free souls pack for SoA.

A signal dev said that it would be the 800msp pack on their forum after this years SoA was announced (at the time I couldn't find any other source that people were getting the info from), but the Japanese official page list the 320msp pack as the freebie. http://www.xbox.com/ja-JP/live/soa2013/

Other regions SoA promotion pages don't list any specific details but the T&C has a pretty small list of regions that the soul pack will be available in.

http://www.xbox.com/en-us/community/Promotions/summer-of-arcade/home

Terms & Conditions

Purchase any 2 qualifying games from Xbox Live using your Xbox Live account by September 3, 2013 11:59pm EST and receive a Souls pack for Ascend: Hand of Kul (Rated M) – FREE! Xbox Live Gold membership and Ascend: Hand of Kul game required to download and play Souls pack (not a Summer of Arcade title; each sold separately). Qualifying games: Flashback, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Charlie Murder or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Limit one (1) gift per person. If qualified, a free Ascend: Hand of Kul Souls pack download code will be sent to the email address associated with your Xbox Live account within approximately 2 weeks following the close of the offer period – on or around September 17, 2013. Available only in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and The United States while supplies last, is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other rebate or offer. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Download charges may apply as set by your ISP. For Xbox Live Terms of Use and system requirements, see www.xbox.com/live.

Bit strange. Shouldn't be too long before Major Nelson starts posting the specific details on his blog.

 

[Montresor]

The game shouldn't be that hard. Try to pick a sub-weapon that helps you out - I like the Holy Water as it can be thrown into opponents' feet to cause huge damage.

Spells can help you out a lot as well, have you discovered any of those yet?

I just finally beat my mirror image and I discovered the wolf spell (is that what you mean?). Things are getting a lot more manageable now. Same with the other game I've been playing (Halo Anniversary) strangely enough.

Sorry, someone was quick on that one. Only have Minecraft left.

I'm clearly a slowpoke. =p If Minecraft is still available I'd be grateful!

 

[ZeMMiK]

really?? I was waitinh for this..and now it just pops up?? anybody else find this?? Going home in 2hrs let´s hope it is there.

Orc Attack popped up over night.

----------
Games with gold bits, (these expire in a fortnight)

Crackdown - free (was 1200msp/15$)

Shadowrun - free (was 20€/1900¥) Japanese or German gold account needed

and Crackdown 2 has been reduced for everyone for a fortnight.

Crackdown 2 - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

 

[Feindflug]

I can't even find an option for that!

In Samsung sets it's called Just Scan and in Sony sets Full Pixel or something, just be sure to have your 360 output at the televisions native res to be able to enable the Just Scan option if you have a Samsung set.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is now XBLA and Xbox One:

Danish development studio Press Play, developer of the multi-award winning, indie cult smash Max and the Magic Marker (WiiWare™, iOS, PC and Mac), will be at Gamescom this year showing off its sequel Max: The Curse of Brotherhood that will launch on Xbox One and Xbox Live Arcade. The unveiling marks the first time the highly anticipated sequel has been shown in Europe. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood will be playable on the show floor of the Microsoft booth (Hall C). Presentations will be done by Lead Designer Mikkel Martin Pedersen and Lead Artist Lasse Middelbo Outzen.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Wondering how MS will set up gamerscore for Xbox One games. If all games will be 1000g, since there is no distinction between games now (retail, XBLA), those cross-gen games will have 1000g on X1 / 400g on 360 (and even 200g on Win8/WP8).

 

[JudgeB]

Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is now XBLA and Xbox One:

We've known this since E3 though. It's been listed on the X1 game page since then, and has been known to be coming out on 360 before that.

 

[Vert boil]

really?? I was waitinh for this..and now it just pops up?? anybody else find this?? Going home in 2hrs let´s hope it is there.

They've just uploaded the art assets and put up a page on the xbox.com. Still at least a month if not a few more away from it coming out.

Wondering how MS will set up gamerscore for Xbox One games. If all games will be 1000g, since there is no distinction between games now (retail, XBLA), those cross-gen games will have 1000g on X1 / 400g on 360 (and even 200g on Win8/WP8).

Any talk about next gen really shouldn't be posted in here unless it's news about an existing xbla games either going cross gen or moving over to next gen.

There's probably already a thread talking about it.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

Any talk about next gen really shouldn't be posted in here unless it's news about an existing xbla games either going cross gen or moving over to next gen.

There's probably already a thread talking about it.

Why you are being so hard? I was referig to the post just above about Max being a cross-gen title.

The end of XBLA must be affecting some people....

 

[BruiserBear]

Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is now XBLA and Xbox One:

Oh shit. This is the first I've heard of this. That explains why they still haven't given a date to the 360 version. I had been wondering for a while now.

I'll definitely be buying it for the XB1.

Why you are being so hard? I was referig to the post just above about Max being a cross-gen title.

The end of XBLA must be affecting some people....

I suspect it will be as simple as this. Is there a physical copy for sale day one? If not, it gets 400 points just like now.

 

[teruterubozu]

Setting aside how wrong you are, i meant, at 1.6GB, Crackdown is a great "XBLA" game, especially for free.

It's 6.15 GB - It's a beast. I just tried to download it but I need to free up some space.
So it looks like 2 out of the 3 Crackdown packs are free as well.

Dead Rising 2 is still priced so it looks like it will be mid-month.

 

[Vert boil]

New base jumping/wing suit game from Gaijin Entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpTtEFkPnBU

http://www.skydivegame.com/

"Skydive: Proximity Flight can be safely enjoyed from your favorite chair using gamepad, but for gamers with a more adventurous spirit, motion tracking devices (Kinect) will enhance the gaming experience through the power of unrestricted flight."

 

[ZeMMiK]

not in the netherlands... whre u living?

Orc Attack popped up over night.

----------
Games with gold bits, (these expire in a fortnight)

Crackdown - free (was 1200msp/15$)

Shadowrun - free (was 20€/1900¥) Japanese or German gold account needed

and Crackdown 2 has been reduced for everyone for a fortnight.

Crackdown 2 - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

 

[BruiserBear]

New base jumping/wing suit game from Gaijin Entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpTtEFkPnBU

http://www.skydivegame.com/

"Skydive: Proximity Flight can be safely enjoyed from your favorite chair using gamepad, but for gamers with a more adventurous spirit, motion tracking devices (Kinect) will enhance the gaming experience through the power of unrestricted flight."

That looks like it could be fun. Any date given?

 

[JudgeB]

That looks like it could be fun. Any date given?

The site just says, "this fall".
http://www.skydivegame.com/en/news/12/current/

MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION – August 01, 2013 – Gaijin Entertainment announced that Skydive: Proximity Flight will soar onto the PlayStation®Network (PSNSM) and Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network as an Arcade game for the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft this fall. Inspired by the extreme sport of base jumping, Skydive: Proximity Flight is a downloadable extreme sports game that uses gamepad or motion controller technology that puts players inside the wingsuit for exhilarating skydiving experiences.

 

[aku:jiki]

Just played my first real session of Cloudberry and, man, do I regret buying this shit. On top of the amateurish graphics and music, the gameplay is about as uninteresting as it can possibly get. The levels are nothing but simplistic, sloppy and consistently unengaging, the obstacles are lame and the jumping is floaty. It gets even worse when you get the backpack "upgrades", like the crappy double jump where the second jump has entirely different momentum and speed or the jetpack that's of the useless kind; you can really only use it to rise and it can hardly hover at all.

And to whoever theorized that it might be good for bite-sized gaming: nope! Sure, the levels are really short, but the episodes are long as fuck! The "arcade games" (which is just an endless mode of more random levels, no effort put into it at all) are 500+ levels long, the "story" chapters are 40 levels each. And, you guessed it, there's no mid-chapter saving!

Chapter 2 forces you to roll around on some ball with even more annoying physics and the first level in it demanded that I perfectly time an off-screen laser. I just said fuck that and permanently quit the game. I thought there was something to it since all my XBLA friends are playing the crap out of it, so I bought it, but I guess it's just the draught, because this game just sucks on every level.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Just played my first real session of Cloudberry and, man, do I regret buying this shit. On top of the amateurish graphics and music, the gameplay is about as uninteresting as it can possibly get. The levels are nothing but simplistic, sloppy and consistently unengaging, the obstacles are lame and the jumping is floaty. It gets even worse when you get the backpack "upgrades", like the crappy double jump where the second jump has entirely different momentum and speed or the jetpack that's of the useless kind; you can really only use it to rise and it can hardly hover at all.

LOL. I mean, I know I'm laughing at your suffering and mis-spent money. But I'm still laughing. Hahaha.

 

[Feindflug]

Just played my first real session of Cloudberry and, man, do I regret buying this shit. On top of the amateurish graphics and music, the gameplay is about as uninteresting as it can possibly get. The levels are nothing but simplistic, sloppy and consistently unengaging, the obstacles are lame and the jumping is floaty. It gets even worse when you get the backpack "upgrades", like the crappy double jump where the second jump has entirely different momentum and speed or the jetpack that's of the useless kind; you can really only use it to rise and it can hardly hover at all.

And to whoever theorized that it might be good for bite-sized gaming: nope! Sure, the levels are really short, but the episodes are long as fuck! The "arcade games" (which is just an endless mode of more random levels, no effort put into it at all) are 500+ levels long, the "story" chapters are 40 levels each. And, you guessed it, there's no mid-chapter saving!

Chapter 2 forces you to roll around on some ball with even more annoying physics and the first level in it demanded that I perfectly time an off-screen laser. I just said fuck that and permanently quit the game. I thought there was something to it since all my XBLA friends are playing the crap out of it, so I bought it, but I guess it's just the draught, because this game just sucks on every level.

Well that sounds bad...I guess I'm not buying this one.

Let's hope Brothers and Charlie Murder will turn out good. :/

 

[aku:jiki]

LOL. I mean, I know I'm laughing at your suffering and mis-spent money. But I'm still laughing. Hahaha.

That's fine! Buying almost every game on XBLA is pretty much the only frivolous purchase I make from month to month and if the games aren't amusing me, at least my tales of frustrationg with half the crap I buy can amuse someone else.

Well that sounds bad...I guess I'm not buying this one.

For full disclosure, I should add that I'm in that "all games bore me" type of mood right now, but I can usually be snapped out of it by a good game and Cloudberry was not that game for me. Anyone interested should still give the demo a spin, since it is a very accurate portrayal of the full game.

In fact, I have to give it another hour or so over the weekend to give it another shake, since someone I know and whose opinion I normally respect and agree with just started on it and seems to enjoy it. Maybe I'm wrong...

 

[Miles Quaritch]

You're doing God's work, Aku. Long may you continue in your quest to save everyone money.

You saved me buying Cloudberry, I wrongly assumed it was going to be like SMB or N+, how wrong I was in that assumption.

 

[mujun]

Well that sounds bad...I guess I'm not buying this one.

Let's hope Brothers and Charlie Murder will turn out good. :/

Charlie Murder is gonna be soooooo awesome!

(It better be, I've been looking forward to it since it was announced.)

 

[FUME5]

So, no word on Ascend? A little strange that the Souls pack is a bonus for the Summer of Arcade, but the game won't be out until after the promotion ends?

Well, unless they release it this Friday or allow non summer of arcade games to be released during the promotion.

 

[JudgeB]

So, no word on Ascend? A little strange that the Souls pack is a bonus for the Summer of Arcade, but the game won't be out until after the promotion ends?

Well, unless they release it this Friday or allow non summer of arcade games to be released during the promotion.

Its still in Beta, so not sure what their plan is at the moment. I'm sure we will get an idea how close it is to coming out when they wipe the game's leaderboards and reset everyone.

 

[JudgeB]

Charlie Murder is gonna be soooooo awesome!

(It better be, I've been looking forward to it since it was announced.)

Here's a nice little overview/review of the game if you are interested:

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Hope TMNT isn't a let down, looking forward to some co-op

 

[Montresor]

That's hard and extremely subjective. I'll try but I won't comment (don't have a lot of time, Top Chef's final atm on tv ).

Best->Worse
MOTN
SOTN
Splosion Man
Trials EVO
Trials HD
Castle Crashers
Ms. SM
Alien Hominid
The Maw
Comic Jumper

Easy->Hard
The Maw
Comic Jumper
Castle Crashers
MOTN
SOTN
Alien Hominid
Trials EVO
SM
Ms. SM
Trials HD

Above is an old list of my backlogged XBLA games. Thanks again to Lordji for this list (along with others that helped me out as well). Lordji made that list on April 29th and so far I've only played four of the games, lol. I'm such a slowpoke.

Anyway, I've played The Maw (very shallow but cute, 2.5/5), Comic Jumper (another shallow game, but incredibly funny, 4/5), Mark Of The Ninja (great stealth game, 4/5), and Symphony of the Night (beautiful side-scrolling action RPG, 5/5). I'm still in the middle of Symphony of the Night but I'm at that point where I've moved beyond the initial learning curve and I'm now destroying EVERYTHING in sight. I love being overpowered like this - the same thing happened with Dust Elysian Tail too.

For my backlog, I've decided to remove Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid (didn't even buy them, I was going to use my brother's license, and I'm not interested in those games anyway), and Trials HD (a friend of mine said Trials HD to Trials Evo is like NHL 12 to NHL 13 - no point in playing the original).

Here is my new digital games backlog... I'm wondering if someone can be kind enough to make a list of Best to Worst (in terms of quality) and Easiest to Hardest (in terms of achievements). =) Thanks in advance.


Splosion Man
Trials EVO
Ms. Splosion Man
Resident Evil 4
Dead Rising Case Zero
Dead Rising Case West
Jet Set Radio
Defense The Grid
Asura's Wrath
Crackdown
Spelunky

 

[aku:jiki]

Here is my new digital games backlog... I'm wondering if someone can be kind enough to make a list of Best to Worst (in terms of quality) and Easiest to Hardest (in terms of achievements). =) Thanks in advance.

I removed the non-XBLA games. Best to worst:
Trials EVO
Spelunky
Defense The Grid
Dead Rising Case West
Dead Rising Case Zero
Jet Set Radio
Ms. Splosion Man
Splosion Man

Hardest to easiest:
Spelunky
Trials EVO
Ms. Splosion Man
Splosion Man
Jet Set Radio
Defense The Grid
Dead Rising Case West
Dead Rising Case Zero

And your friend is wrong, btw. There's absolutely a reason to play Trials HD even if you have Evo.

 

[LorDjidane]

I second aku's listings. As to the Trials controversy, I haven't played EVO so I wouldn't know.

 

[Montresor]

Thanks Lordji and aku.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Splosion Man
Trials EVO
Ms. Splosion Man
Resident Evil 4
Dead Rising Case Zero
Dead Rising Case West
Jet Set Radio
Defense The Grid
Asura's Wrath
Crackdown
Spelunky

Splosion Man - 4/10 difficulty to get half-way through, 6/10 to finish, 10/10 to master; overall quality is pretty good although there's way more content than variety so it gets a little old..
Ms. Splosion Man - 5/10 difficulty to get half-way through, 6/10 to finish, 10/10 to master; I didn't enjoy it as much as the original so I found it dragged a bit more. Visually I found it a little hard on the eyes.
RE4 - 2/10 difficulty to finish, no idea what mastery is like; very very fun, although a little visually drab. Medium length, maybe 8-10 hours?
Case Zero - 1/10 difficulty to finish, 1/10 difficulty to master, lasts 3-4 hours to master. I didn't like Dead Rising 1 but enjoyed this.
Asura's Wrath - 1/10 difficulty to finish, fairly hard to master fully. It's big and loud and stupid and anime, but it's fast enough that it doesn't drag and surprisingly fun for how uninteractive it is.
Crackdown - 2/10 difficulty to finish, takes time to master but doesn't require much skill. Very fun and an example of a game that gets better every hour you play it. I find it less enjoyable at the start. Well worth your time.
Spelunky - An arcade style game: short and designed for frequent replay. Very difficult to finish, but it's not really about finishing, it's about improving yourself. Very well designed, but if you're expecting the kind of game where you move through and get to the end, not for you. So not a good fit for a backlog clearing exercise.

 

[FUME5]

Its still in Beta, so not sure what their plan is at the moment. I'm sure we will get an idea how close it is to coming out when they wipe the game's leaderboards and reset everyone.

Huh, I thought the Beta had ended by now. Cheers.

 

[JudgeB]

Huh, I thought the Beta had ended by now. Cheers.

Still going on, I'm playing right now . And no problem!

 

[FUME5]

Still going on, I'm playing right now . And no problem!

I don't suppose you'd care to share your opinion (I'm quite interested in it for some reason)?

 

[Montresor]

Thanks for that stump. Feels good to have a little direction.

 

[Feindflug]

Here's a nice little overview/review of the game if you are interested:

That looked really awesome, it looks like the game is packed with content which is excellent news. Can't wait to play this.

 

[Vert boil]

I'll update throughout the day.

DOTW

The Splatters - 400msp (was 800) Only available in certain (primarily asian) regions.


Spiderman: Dimensions - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Spiderman: Edge of Time - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Spiderman: Friend or Foe - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Spiderman: Web of Shadows - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

The Amazing Spiderman - 2000msp/25$ (was 4000/50$) US price, check your region

X-Men: Destiny - 1600msp/20$ (was 3200/40$) US price, check your region

X-Men: The Official Game - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

-----

WRC Powerslide - 800msp (was 1200)


Crackdown 2 - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

DJ Hero
--Extended Mix Pack 01 - 240msp (was 480) (#1 and 2)
--Electro Hits Mix Pack - 320msp (was 640) (#2 only)

Forza Horizon - 2400msp/30$ (was 3200/40$) US price, check your region

Gears of War: Judgment - 3200msp/40$ (was 4800/60$) US price, check your region

Guitar Hero 3
--Foo Fighters pack - 250msp (was 500)

Halo Wars - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Michael Jackson The Experience - 1200msp/15$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Nike+ Kinect Training - 2400msp/30$ (was 3200/40$) US price, check your region

Rayman Origins - 800msp/10$ (was 1600/20$) US price, check your region

Rayman Raving Rabbids - 800msp/10$ (was 1600/20$) US price, check your region

Rocksmith
--Bring Me to Life by Evanescence - 160msp (was 240)
--Born Under a Bad Sign by A. King w. S. Ray Vaughan - 160msp (was 240)
--Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People - 160msp (was 240)
--Soul Man by The Blues Brothers - 160msp (was 240)
--The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King - 160msp (was 240)
--This Love by Maroon 5 - 160msp (was 240)

----------
Games with gold bits, (these expire next week)

Crackdown - free (was 1200msp/15$)

Shadowrun - free (was 20€/1900¥) Japanese or German gold account needed

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Everyone buy Web of Shadows and Wolverine. Great games.

 

[akilshohen]

how is X-Men Destiny even still able to be sold if Silicon was forced to take down Too Human?

 

[mjswooosh]

and Crackdown 2 has been reduced for everyone for a fortnight.

Crackdown 2 - 1600msp/20$ (was 2400/30$) US price, check your region

Or you can buy a used copy of Crackdown at any Gamestop for, uh, $4.99....

This is the problem with most of the weekly XBLA "sales"...the pricing on nearly all the aforementioned titles is much cheaper to simply buy a used copy off Amazon or at Gamestop.

 

[Lima]

Fuck used. I don't want a game that some dirty filth had their hands on. Uggh.

 

[toff74]

Just taken the plunge and bought Rayman:Origins. Cant wait.

For the price its a steal.. Better than what i found on Amazon anyway.