XBOX LIVE ARCADE WEDNESDAYS - SCRAMBLE

After a one week delay, Konami's 1981 classic side-scrolling shooter Scramble gets it's Xbox Live Arcade makeover. Two things about Scramble always stick out from my childhood... first off, I loved the game. It was fast paced, it was fun and it just seemed a bit ahead of the other games around it. Secondly, I stunk at it. It was one of those games that I'd only play one game of, because it just always ended too soon and there were other games that I could spend my money on. It wasn't until years later that I was able to play for more than a few minutes without my game ending. Hell, to this day I still have a hard time getting through that maze and hitting the enemy base.

Title: Scramble
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Genre: Arcade / Shooter
Release Date: 9/13/06
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1 - 2
Xbox Live: Yes
HDTV Support: Yes
Full Game: 400 Points ($5)
Demo?: Yes

Description as per Xbox.com

"Scramble your fighter and take on the enemy base in this newly enhanced version of the arcade classic. The base is heavily guarded and you must guide your ship through five levels of enemy defenses before you can destroy your objective. 

Featuring brand-new graphics and sounds for Xbox 360™, take your skills online and challenge the new "Versus" and "Co-op" modes. List your high score on the Xbox Live® leaderboards and prove you're the best in the world!

• Enhanced artwork: Hand-painted models, particles systems for explosions, and smoke and cosmic new parallax scrolling backgrounds make for a visual feast.
• Upgraded sound: Listen to digitally enhanced sound effects and tunes.
• Multiple levels: Play through six levels of ever-increasing challenge and excitement.
• Multiplayer modes: Try the new Xbox Live split-screen multiplayer modes, including Versus Mode and Co-op Mode.
• Achievements: Score a series of achievements which range from straightforward to challenging.
• Leaderboards: Online scoreboards capture a range of statistics including highest score (single-player and co-op) and win/loss ratio in Versus Mode. Leaderboards are displayed for all time as well as weekly." - Xbox.com Scramble product page

Just gave the game a try, and it plays pretty well, though it seems the bombs arc a little more than they did in the original game (at least in enhanced mode) and there is no way to change the default control settings - which is a bit annoying, as I'd prefer to choose which buttons to use. Other than that, the game is a lot of fun and controls quite nicely with the 360 d-pad. The maze was surprisingly easy to navigate - which, along with the bomb issue mentioned above, makes me think the timing (again, in enhanced mode - didn't try original yet) is a bit off.

This release finishes off the list of currently scheduled Xbox Live Arcade games. Oh, and just for the record, as of 4:30am, I'm still #1 on the leaderboard. =)

TELLTALE GAMES RELEASES FIRST SAM & MAX FOOTAGE

The folks over at Telltale Games have finally released some in-game footage of Sam & Max: Season One, and while the gameplay seems to be fine, there is a serious problem. It's Max. His voice is HORRIBLE. I had to turn the first video off after a few seconds because of how grating his voice is.

If you follow this site, you know I had some issues with the way Max sounded in the teasers for the game, but believe it or not, it's actually gotten worse. It's almost to the point that I can't even watch the footage all the way through before wanting to just turn the thing off. This is bad folks - this is just bad.

I have to take one other beef with the voice acting, and that's that it sounds a bit... flat. As an example, watch the bit when they pull someone over in the driving mini-game. The voice acting - and even just the sound of the voices - seems off. Almost out of place. I'll also hope that the "jokes" used in these trailers isn't going to be indicative of the entire game, because they just weren't funny. (Again, watch the driving mini-game video to see what I mean)

Looking past the voice issue, which is nearly impossible to do, the game seems to run on a classic point and click interface for both standard movement and control in the mini games, and at first glance seems to be an upgrade from them system they used in the Bone series - which is a good sign.

I'd talk about the trailers a bit more, but I really am so bothered by Max's voice that I'm not going to bother. Here are two of the gameplay videos - one showing standard gameplay, and the other showing the driving mini game as mentioned above. If after seeing both of these, you still want to see more of the game, head over to Telltale Games blog post on the subject here - and may God have mercy on your soul.

Telltale stated that while playable, they still have some fine polishing to do on the games graphics and sound effects, but I guess it's too late for them to re-record all of Max's dialog, huh?

Still no video love here in the archives, so either use the link for the Telltale Games blog posting for your required linkage or click here.

CAPCOM: NO PATCH FOR DEAD RISING SDTV TEXT ISSUES

It looks like Capcom has finally gotten around to taking a serious look at the issues involving Dead Rising and the way it displays text on standard definition televisions. 1UP.com is reporting that Capcom has announced that due to the amount of effort it would take to change all the text in the game to something more readable on non-hdtv sets, there will be no patch to correct the issues. That's right, they looked at the problem and basically said "Oh well."

"Due to the amount of text and the size of the patch necessary to change the text, a patch isn't possible for this issue. We had asked the team if it was even possible but ... due to the scope of what a patch would need to cover, it wasn't possible." - Capcom as reported by 1UP.com

So now we've gone past the point of releasing a buggy game and fixing it via Xbox Live, to releasing a buggy game and not even bothering to fix it after release. You may be saying "so what?" right now, but as more and more companies continue to barely test their games and release them with glaring bugs (Dead Rising text, Madden fatigue, King Kong darkness, etc) because they think they can just patch any problems later, stories like this are probably going to become more prevalent. It's bad enough when something that should have been caught on the first day of testing gets through, but when you then stick your fingers in your ears and proceed to shout "I'm not listening" over and over, that's unforgivable.

Hopefully Capcom is at the very least going to come up with some way for people to return their copies of Dead Rising, as they kept everyone on the hook so long that I really can't imagine many stores would take the game back at this point. For more details on Capcom's announcement, head on over to the 1UP.com article via this link.

MORE ON THE PLAYSTATION 3 LAUNCH NUMBERS

Next Generation is reporting that Sony has announced the answer to a question we've been wondering about since they slashed their available launch unit projections for the Playstation 3 - namely, how many of those launch systems will be the $499 low end model PS3, and how many will be the $599 high end model.

According to Next Generation, Sony has confirmed that 80 percent of the launch units will be the higher end ($599) model Playstation 3, which is a small bit of good news among a sea of bad for Sony - and good news for those who don't feel like paying through the teeth for PS3 upgrades after launch. Sony has also reportedly firmed up their projections for the remainder of 2006, stating that they expect to have 1.2 million units available in the United States by years end.

Check out the Next Generation article at this link for more details on Sony's most recent comments on the launch situation.

LEGO BATMAN IN THE WORKS?

ArsTechnica is reporting that the next movie series to get the LEGO treatment will be Batman. The article isn't very clear on what exactly has been announced for the game, or what exactly it will cover, but it does at least make it seem apparent that someone is working on LEGO Batman somewhere. Here's to hoping it can break the seemingly endless string of horrible Batman games.

Check out the ArsTechinca posting for more details at this link.

CAPCOM DOUBLES DEAD RISING TV AD BUDGET

Firing Squad is reporting that Capcom has decided to double the television advertising budget for Dead Rising in hopes of continuing to expand on the success the title has already seen. Capcom had originally budgeted 3 million dollars for advertising, and given the games brisk sales,they've decided to double that amount and take out more advertisements on Fox, ESPN, MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central and the like. if you thought the initial TV blitz was big, get ready for round 2.

Check out the Firing Squad article here for more information.

GEARS OF WAR COLLECTOR'S EDITION CONTENTS CONFIRMED

Ok, so it's not completely newsworthy, but I get a little antsy when I haven't spoken about Gears of War in awhile, so deal with it. Epic Games official Gears of War website has posted the finalized list of what you can expect to find in the Gears of War Collector's Edition. Here's what you get for that extra $10;

"The Gears of War® Limited Collector's Edition ships in a highly collectible embossed metal box suitable for self-defense against most Locust Horde adversaries, and includes Destroyed Beauty: An Inside Look at Gears of War, the Gears of War hardbound art book by Cliff Bleszinski, Jerry O'Flaherty, and Eric Nylund

The Gears of War Limited Collector's Edition also includes a bonus "Special Features" DVD with inside information on the game and its creators!

• An inside look at the making of Gears of War
• The "Art of Gears of War" trailer
• Gears of War: The Race to E3" - Gears of War official website

So there you have it - that's what you can expect should you order the limited collector's edition of the game. Mine has been ordered since April or May, so I know I'll have mine.

Barfly over at the Gamer's Lounge forums posted a link to Ben Heckendorn's latest marvel of miniaturization - a laptop style Xbox 360. You know, every time I think the guy can't top himself, he goes and proves me wrong.

It looks like his site is down due to high volume, but here's the deal - he took a commission to build a laptop computer style Xbox 360 - and pulled it off. The thing not only has all the features of the 360, but incorporates water cooling, a keyboard built into case, wireless internet, a 17" widescreen monitor, standard built-in ports for both component and VGA connectors as well as a headphone jack. Just plain awesome - if I was rich, I think I'd be making him an offer to build another one right now. I'm hoping that he gets the go ahead to write a second book with the instructions for building all the systems he's worked on since the publishing of his first book.

Here's one of the many pictures of the system he published just so you know this is something worth spending your time to check out;

Now if you don't think that thing is "all that, and a bag of chips", I don't know you, I don't want to know you, and you should get off of this site immediately and go back to knitting or something. (Please don't, but c'mon, this thing is COOL)

Check out Heckendorn's website here, the posting on the Gamer's Lounge forums here, a story with plenty of pictures at TechEBlog and yet another story about the system at Kotaku. That's a lot of links, but I think the machine is worth it.

Hell, I like this thing so much, i'm not even done raving yet. Here's a video of the system in action during the building process (note that the keyboard has not been put in place yet in this video, because as we all know, you never seal up a machine before you know it works.

Thanks for the heads up, Barfly! 

 

As usual, no video here in the archives, so click here for the video of the system in action. 

VIBE MAGAZINE LISTS WII PRICE OF $150

Kotaku is reporting that the latest issue of Vibe magazine features the Nintendo Wii in it's VStyle section with the following description;

"Nintendo's Wii (pronounced Wee) has a crazy name and an even crazier premise--motion-sensitive wireless controllers that require you to flail about to control gameplay. But once you start whacking a virtual tennis ball using an actual swinging motion with your arm, you're hooked. Small, sexy-looking, and affordable, Nintendo's newest gaming system, which promises such motion-activated titles as Excite Truck and Wario Ware to Metroid and Madden 2007, is a winner. $150; www.nintendo.com" -Vibe Magazine (as reported by Kotaku)

Has Vibe been let in on some inside information, or did they just have someone who doesn't know jack about games write the article? I'm betting on the latter. With some luck, we'll know both the price and launch date on thursday when Nintendo holds a special media event in New York City. Yes Nintendo fans, it looks like your wait for official Wii information is almost over.

Check out the Kotaku article here for more details. Oh, and if the Wii does turn out to only cost $150, I don't think 10 million consoles would keep it from selling out this holiday season, so expect shortages.

THIS WEEK'S RELEASES: SEPTEMBER 11TH - SEPTEMBER 17TH

There are a ton of releases this week, and a little bit for everyone. First off, just about everyone gets LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - at this point, I wouldn't be surprised to find that a Dreamcast version is coming sometime soon. Next up, hockey fans get both NHL '07 and NHL 2K7 to choose from, though 2K7 fans without an Xbox or Xbox 360 will have to wait until next week for their versions. Nintendo DS owners not only get 2 new colors for the DS-Lite to choose from, but Mario Hoops and Harvest Moon DS. Finally, Rule of Rose reaches the PS2 and Scramble makes it's delayed debut on the Xbox 360 via the Live Arcade. Yup, it's a busy week indeed.

So without further delay, here are the week's scheduled releases;

• Backyard Baseball 2007 - PC - 9/12/06
• Company of Heroes - PC - 9/12/06
• Company of Heroes Collector's Edition - PC - 9/12/06
• Fuel - XBX - 9/12/06
• Mario Hoops 3-On-3 - DS - 9/12/06
• Nintendo DS Lite - Coral Pink - DS - 9/12/06
• Nintendo DS Lite - Onyx - DS - 9/12/06
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - PC - 9/13/06
• Bomberman - PSP - 9/13/06
• Bounty Hounds - PSP - 9/13/06
• Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - Special Edition - PS2 - 9/13/06
• Cooking Mama - DS - 9/13/06
• Everquest II Classic - PC - 9/13/06
• Faces of War - PC - 9/13/06
• Harvest Moon DS - DS - 9/13/06
• IGPX - PS2 - 9/13/06
• Joint Task Force. - PC - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PC - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PS2 - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - XBX - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PC - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PC - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PC - 9/13/06
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PC - 9/13/06
• Little Einsteins - GBA - 9/13/06
• Mech Assault: Phantom War - DS - 9/13/06
• Mega Man ZX - DS - 9/13/06
• My Little Pony: Crystal Princess - GBA - 9/13/06
• NHL 07 - 360 - 9/13/06
• NHL 07 - PC - 9/13/06
• NHL 07 - PS2 - 9/13/06
• NHL 07 - PSP - 9/13/06
• NHL 07 - XBX - 9/13/06
• NHL 2K7 - 360 - 9/13/06
• NHL 2K7 - XBX - 9/13/06
• One Piece: Pirates' Carnival - GC - 9/13/06
• One Piece: Pirates' Carnival - PS2 - 9/13/06
• Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007 - XBX - 9/13/06
• Rengoku II: The Stairway to Heaven - PSP - 9/13/06
• Rule of Rose - PS2 - 9/13/06
• Scramble - 360 - 9/13/06
• The Cheetah Girls - GBA - 9/13/06
• Great Invasions - PC - 9/15/06

Please keep in mind these are only estimated release dates and could change at any time.