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360 Live Arcade Details Out
Edge Online has a short piece on Xbox VP Peter Moore's announcement of the Live Arcade's full potential. Gamespot has a list of the planned titles, which is thoroughly impressive, including hits like Bejeweled 2, SmashTV, and Wik:Fable of Souls. From the Edge article: "Amongst the 40-odd developers slated for further Live Arcade development are Namco, SEGA, Konami, Capcom, SNK Playmore and Hudson Soft providing a selection of their retro titles, as well as the usual lineup of casual PC game producers like Wild Tangent, PopCap, and GarageGames, but the two most unexpected additions to the list are Mizuguchi's upstart Q Entertainment and AntiGrav/Guitar Hero developers Harmonix."
I'm also curious about what part of Xbox Live's install base is tiny? As far as I know they're still on top, with over 300,000 unique users a day on just their top game.
Also, I will be buying all three of the next gen consoles, regardless of any of their online service prices.
If forums teach us anything, it is that logic and critical thinking should be required courses in the public schools.
Not to come across as a fanboy, but the above poster is absurdly incorrect. Sony and Nintendo do not offer what Microsoft offers - a premium online service that offers free and purchased downloadable content, free game demos, bundled communicator headsets, a friends list, and automated matchmaking. Add to this the centralized, broadband-only nature of Live and you can see why Microsoft charges a fee for their online service. Upcoming 360 features include free VoIP chat and free basic (silver) access included in all Xbox 360s among other things.
People don't complain when there are nominal fees for online games (such as Everquest, Asheron's Call, WoW, et al). Microsoft is offering, for all intents and purposes, a very similar gaming environment and charges a similar price. The above poster needs to get off his high-horse and realize Microsoft is actually trailblazing new grounds here and that such action should be endorsed.
damn typos
If forums teach us anything, it is that logic and critical thinking should be required courses in the public schools.
Excuse me, sir. I'd like to point out they had SmashTV on the list of games.
SmashTV.
Where do I sign up?
While their games appear to be of good quality and they had some nifty screensavers, the WildTangent package is also a spyware/adware enabler. I had it at one time, and eventually (regretfully) removed it because of the spyware/adware aspects.
If this is one of the vendors that Microsoft is allowing into their XBox Live Arcade program, then I will have to think twice before signing up for it.
Bad enough to have that sort of thing on a PC where with sufficient care it can be removed. I fear that once it's on the XBox360's HD it'll be collecting all sorts of data on my buying and playing habits, and I'll never be able to get it off.
While it is excessively obnoxious, spyware for them is a way to generate revenue. If they could instead charge directly for their games and get people to pay, they probably would. Hence the Live Arcade connection. While you shouldn't necessarily trust them instantly, you might want to find out what they actually do before writing them off completely.
midway arcade treasures compilation 1 has smash tv. and its available now, for all three home consoles.
I wonder if SmashTV will have an online co-op mode. Eh, probably not, there probably isn't much demand for that in that game.
A) Unless you live in Canada, the "real" 360 (ie, not "core" system) costs $400, not $500.
B) You do not need a communicator for voice chat with the 360. The controllers have a minijack built into it, allowing you to use almost any headset (your old XBOX one, a cell phone headset, etc.) with it.
C) Parent posted never implied that XBL Silver would have all of the features of the Gold version. Most people who can read a simple chart provided by Microsoft can tell you that it does little more than give you access to the friends list and allow you to be nickel&dimed by their "marketplace."
"this also assumes you shell out $500 for the SUPER DELUXE version of the 360, that includes the hard drive, so you actually have a place to save the things you've downloaded (and a communicator, which doesn't come standard with the cheaper system., but can be purchased at additional cost)"
Nope it's $400 for the standard version. There is no "SUPER DELUXE version". There is standard version with hard drive and the stripped down piece of shit, buy that parts seperately for more than the $100 that you saved version. I agree it's expensive and that's partly why I don't plan to get one (at least at release), but get your facts right.
There are 11 types of people, those who know unary and those who don't.
are you counting a game or two as part of the cost? I am. I can play my regular xbox games on my xbox.
"a premium online service that offers free and purchased downloadable content, free game demos, bundled communicator headsets, a friends list, and automated matchmaking"
Welcome to the Internet circa 1996. Only thing missing is that pesky headset. Oh wait, I already got one with my UT2004 DVD Edition.
Insert Sig Here
Better yet, go and try their online service using one of the many free 2-month package cards you can get in any game. Rather than read some Nintendo or Sony drone bash their "competitor" system (which is ridiculous, because NEWS FLASH: consumers don't make money if one console outsells another!), try it yourself.
It's a great service that works well and that makes a lot of people happy. If you don't want to shell out $4/month, then fine, but so far neither Nintendo nor Sony is offering anything remotely close, paid or free.
I think there should be a filter, by the way, on jerkoffs like this. If any inane bias is detected for any particular console that flies in the face of reason and facts, then they should have their posts replaced with self-mocking diatribes.
Oh, that, and they should be shot for being so insanely stupid to be so defensive and obsessed with something that just doesn't mean that much, and to companies that certainly don't give a shit about them.
Hahahaha, you're counting the price of a game or two in the system price?
Well, don't forget to tack on the price of a TV! And three other controllers, since it doesn't come with it. And your ISP service, wireless networking adapter, extra remote control, four play&charge kits, etc...
Goddamnit, I almost forgot to factor in the cost of electricity or a house for me to store all of this in!
Oh nooos! Teh XBOX 360 IS OVER FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! GODDAMN MICRO$OFT!!!!1
I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned what a boon this could be to indie developers, who might come up with some great original gameplay but not have millions of dollars to produce a full-blown game release. The ability to get some simpler yet fun independent games via XBL, if utilized, could be a great feature.
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
I agree $50 per year isn't expensive (think it's a bit more here in Australia), but the Xlink-Kai tunnelling service is free and runs on XBox, PS2 and PSP. It might also be the best option if you've got a chipped xbox with larger hard drive, as you may get kicked from Live.
:)
Xlink-Kai certainly doesn't have the userbase of Live, but aside from having to have a PC on and the engine started, and a bit more work port-forwarding and opening firewalls when doing the preliminary setup, it's is similar, quick and easy, especially with XBMC integration.
I find it quite enjoyable to race against drunk germans on Moto GP 3, or the army of stoned aussies that frequent the halo 2 asia-oceania arena
http://www.teamxlink.co.uk
Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion
Many of those games require a mouse to be played properly (for example, Wik does). Will Microsoft make an official one for the X360 or will we be stuck using an analog stick to slowly push a cursor around?
Also, isn't going after casual/non gamers with a "complicated" control scheme like that rather stupid? Would your mom or dad (whoever is the casual gamer) rather play a game with a mouse where he/she just needs to point and click or with a gamepad (or that remote MS is offering) with more sticks and buttons than they can handle?
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
What does this have to do with the Xbox Live Arcade? The Arcade will cost you $5 to $10 per title, whether you're a paying Xbox Live member or not.
And the part of Xbox Live's install base that is tiny? It's only penetrated 10% of the market. That's not a lot, and it's not nearly enough to make Microsoft any money. They were hoping Xbox Live would help them break even on the original Xbox, and it did no such thing.
Dearest Mircosoft, While many soccer moms are probably happy at your addition of bejeweled to 360 live, could we please get some classic street fighter 2, mortal kombat 1 and 2, killer instinct, etc games on there that have VS mode online? Thanks. I'm sure I can pick up super hyper street fighter vs Snk vs your mother, but I'd really like to just play good old SF with some friends online.
A) Correct.
B) Correct.
C) *Queue Family Feud-style red X with embarrassingly loud noise!* Parent didn't *imply* anything of the sort. If you actually read the post, he says "Upcoming 360 features include free VoIP chat and free basic (silver) access included in all Xbox 360s among other things."
Note the "free basic" part. He even denotes the fact that it is designated as "silver" as opposed to "gold." Additionally, the silver access is a good thing for Microsoft and for consumers. It helps Microsoft to get more money by giving people a chance to see Xbox Live at work and likely more gold subscriptions. By Microsoft making more money and expanding their Live userbase, they will probably infuse Live with more features, which benefits consumers. Additionally, the increased userbase gives the consumer more people to play with. It's win-win.
People who can't read tone from context should also be shot.
I worked for WildTangent until I was drummed out the door in 2001. The product always "called home" for updates (something the core of the company was 50/50 on) and if you joined the game channel it would stream in games and adds that were in-game (like on billboards of a race game, etc). To my knowledge that has not changed, even though Spybot picks it up as Spyware. I does call home though, which always annoyed the security sensitive folks (and rightfully so).
Now it has been 4 years, so they may have changed, but I just installed it as a test and so far no popups, XP SP2/IE/Netscape/Opera. On the Xbox 360 I'm sure that MS isn't about to have popups etc.
Heck even chess, checkers, Monopoly, etc. would be an improvement over nothing.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
oh come on! how is this a troll?!
I already have a tv. I use it to watch programs, and play games with my other systems. I already pay for electricity: i use it to power my computer and my air conditioner, etc.... as for controllers? yeah, why not include that in the cost? I remember back when I was a kid, when systems used to come with two controllers, a light gun, and a freaking robot! and at least one game! I don't have any games that run on the x360 hardware that I can't just play on my plain old xbox. if i'm upgrading, I'm counting cost of *reason* to upgrade as part of the price. if microsoft wants to give me free games for buying a $400 console, then thats fine. if not, well, its a $500 system. (it should also be noted that even if you go the cheap rout, you still have to get a game to use the darn thing with, as well as a memorycard, since it doesn't include a hard drive. this is fairly common practice in the whole console field, and its really one I don't care much for.)
Better yet you can run xlinkkai's engine on a Linksys wrt54g instead of having to have a PC up constantly.
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WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
Does Microsoft actually run the servers for the majority of the games or are they for all intents and puporses just a glorified GameSpy? I ask because with the variability in lag between various halo games it sure seems that Live just sort of picks one player to host the game. Confirm/refute? If they are just a GameSpy than the MMORPG analogy falls on its face. They are more like Blizzard's BattleNet (before WoW).
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WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
How would that possibly even work? When you run PGR3 or DOA4 or whatever it takes total control of the console. It's not like a PC where you can have something running in the background. The game will monopolize the processor. It's possible this isn't true for Xbox Arcade games, but is there any kind of valuable info even available? And that is assuming MS even allows this info to get back to WildTangent, since it would be running on MS' servers.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
Only somebody who is completely unfamiliar with Xbox Live could suggest such a thing. Years after its release Xbox Live still offers plenty of features I can't get in PC games (ex: unified ingame friend's list, universal voice chat, and the feedback system). And you're ignoring the point that this is on the consoles, not PCs anyway.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
No, Live costs up to $50 per month. If the rest of your family is happy with antenna TV and Netscape dial-up for $120/yr ($10/mo), and the cheapest broadband available in your geographic area is cable at $670/yr (approx. $56/mo) for customers who aren't cable TV subscribers, then the upgrade from dial-up to broadband+Live is $600/yr ($50/mo). Moving house to a DSL serviced area is probably even more expensive.
>>"a premium online service that offers free and purchased downloadable content, free game demos, bundled communicator headsets, a friends list, and automated matchmaking"
>Welcome to the Internet circa 1996.
The ingame-GUI of every online game in 1996 allowed you to see what your friends are playing? You had your games automatically match you with players that have similar skills? You had a rating system like ebay's for player behaviour that works across the board?
>Only thing missing is that pesky headset. Oh wait, I already got one with my UT2004 DVD Edition.
Good for you! You are two years late and you still need to convince your friends to buy one.
So you seriously count narrowband gaming as a significant facor in anything at this point? And why are you billing MS just for internet service? If Xbox Live costs $50 a month (rather than the real figure of
But what I pay for is a persistent name throughout all games. I pay for friends lists that exist on Xbox Live rather than on only a single game's servers. I pay for game invites in Halo 2 when I'm playing a game of Ghost Recon 2. I pay for voice chat enabled as a standard.
No, Xbox Live is not perfect, but it is FAR ahead of anything Sony or Nintendo are offering and even seem to be offering any time soon.
"This is considered plagiarism."
I'd say the unified matchmaking / friends list is where most of the value of xbox live is. Not having to setup an online profile (along with who my friends are) for every single game I want to play online is pretty nice.
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So you seriously count narrowband gaming as a significant facor in anything at this point?
There are plenty of casual games that work fine with throughput < 2 Kbytes/s and latency > 500ms. Does chess need broadband? Does a monopolistic property trading game need broadband? Does a multiplayer tetramino game need broadband?
So you seriously count narrowband gaming as a significant facor in anything at this point? And why are you billing MS just for internet service?
I'm not necessarily billing Microsoft for the whole deal. Even so, if both the local cable company and the local telephone company have high speed Internet products that come "with MSN Premium", then I'm still paying Microsoft.
Xbox Live is not perfect, but it is FAR ahead of anything Sony or Nintendo are offering and even seem to be offering any time soon.
But in geographic areas without affordable residential broadband Internet access, such as most of the United States of America, Nintendo still has the same-screen multiplayer market cornered.