Yesterday Microsoft proclaimed this summer as the “Summer of Arcade” with the announcement of some of the greatest Xbox Live Arcade Games since launch (see press release below). And starting today we at XBLRadio will also be celebrating the “Summer of Arcade”! How you ask? Each Wednesday before 5:00 am PST look for a post about that weeks arcade title. This post will have multiple screen shots, videos and my quick impressions of the trial and/or full version. This will be just a quick impression of the game and you can still expect a full review to come later in the week but it should provide you with more information to make a wise purchase!
This morning started it all off with the highly anticipated squeal to, arguable, the best XBLA title ever!
As many of you know the game, Too Human, is set to release August 19th.
In preparation for this, and just in case you were out of the country during E3, the demo for Too Human was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on “Day 0″ of the E3 Media & Business Summit 2008. If you have not yet downloaded and tried this demo DO SO NOW! Seriously stop reading this, Go queue it up in the active downloads, Then come back and finish reading…
Hey what is up everybody at PN and XBL Radio, it is Mr B4 here bringing you the latest news as to what is going on in the Nintendo community. What I have for you today is a response to a recent Interview that Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata had with Forbes magazine.
Here is the apology he had for the gamers who were dissapointed with Nintendo’s E3 press conference, especially for the lack of appeal that it brought to the hardcore Nintendo gaming community:
“”We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about ‘Super Mario’ or ‘Legend of Zelda.” said Iwata in an interview with Forbes. He also mentioned that the major titles that the fans were hoping to see take a long, long time to develop. He explained this by saying “However, the fact of the matter is the so-called ‘big titles’ need a long, long development period… We really didn’t think this year’s E3 media briefing was the time to do so.”
Alright, here is my response to his statement. First of all, we do not not need an apology for the lack of a new Super Mario or Zelda game being shown at E3, but we do need an apology for the lack of showing a new game from another major Nintendo Franchise, for the Wii, in the way of either a new Kirby or Kid Icarus game. Second, we all know that major titles take a long, long time to develop, but in order to keep the “gamers” excited about your console, you need to show them some reasons as to why they should keep playing games on it. And to be honest with you, a new snowboarding game, a new Wii sports title, and Wii Music are not going to keep “gamers” interested in your console for very long, if at all.
And finally, when you say that E3 is not the time to showcase your major titles to the world, I say that you are either blind, ignorant, stupid, or all of the above. E3 is the time when every major company shows off their highly anticipated titles to the gaming community in order to spike up their software sales. If you just say that you are making too much money to really give a crap about the hardcore gamer, then I would believe you. But by saying that E3 is not the place to show off your big system selling titles, I simply do not believe or agree with you in anyway shape or form. What that tells me is that you are being lazy in this department, and need to do something about it, or else you will lose your spot as the major company in the gaming community.
My final thoughts on this Interview can be summed up in one statement that I am directing at Nintendo. You say that you are sorry, I say I am tired of the excuses.
That is all from this time gamers, take care and see you next time.
Topics Include: Bungie is working on three new projects! Halocon possibly coming! Guitar Hero World Tour set list leaked! New Splinter Cell game delayed! More Itagaki vs. Techmo! Watchmen episodic content! All this and more! Thanks for listening, Please leave us a comment on the show or send us an e-mail at: xblradio@platformnation.com
We here at XBLRadio have always considered ourselves a fertile bunch of gamers.
With me having a son, to X3R0’s twin girls, to former hosts Steve519’s new born daughter, to MrCarpalTunnel’s game reviewing gang of boys, to Gui J’s heard he is raising (he’s Catholic, what you expect?), future gamers is something we are not short of in the XBLRadio Past and Present Family! Heck even KemansWar adopted King L3pr3chaun just to say he has a kid!
Anyways, to aid in XBLRadio’s ultimate goal of gaming domination today we announce the newest member to the XBLRadio Family! Although not an official host anymore this person has a special place in the hearts of all loyal XBLRadio Listeners!
And without further ado I give to you the newest, soon to be, addition to XBLRadio’s Family…
Out today was released the first of three behind-the-scenes trailer of how Bionic Commando ReArmed was made. If you have been listening to The XBLRadio .5 Shows then you’ll know this is a game that I have been waiting and waiting and waiting… Well you get the idea!
Anyways, with the release of this, and the other trailers, it appears that the release date is approaching fast. While many have speculated BCR was due out in May, then June, and now the rumor being July 30th I can not state how excited I am at the moment.
With the recent release of WOTB: Commando 3 and 1942: Joint Strike it seems Capcom can do no wrong. I eagerly await the release of this title, but until its officially confirmed I will be happy with the below trailer!
Are you looking forward to Bionic Commando Rearmed?
Let us know here or @ xblradio@platformnation.com!
Hey everybody, what’s up? This is something new we’re trying that helps us let you know what’s new and exciting that concerns gaming or the community. You won’t hear any news ’cause, well that’s covered on the .0 and the .5 shows. What you will hear is Marketplace content, any PSN content, games that maybe coming out in the weeks ahead that need to be mentioned, and community news. So, if you like what you hear and would like us to keep it, let us know, we’re interested in what you think and we want to provide you, the gamers with the most information we can possibly give you. Oh, and if you have any ideas for names, let us know, we just might use it…if it’s okay with you of course.
Mixed in are Contests, Contests, & more Contests (see below also)! All this and more!
What is up XBLRadio listeners, it is Mr B4 here to tell you about an awesome giveaway that is going right now, right here, at XBLRadio!. What are we giving away you ask, well, we will be giving away a free 1-year subscription to Xbox Live to one of our loyal listeners/ blog posters.
So what do you need to do in order to win, well relax, and I will tell you. All you need to do is send us at XBL Radio your thoughts on how E3 was this year, good or bad. Make sure your description is around 300 words or less, and send it to us at either xblradio@platformnation.com, or in the comments section of this show post!
The winner of this contest will receive a subscription code for a free year of Xbox Live sent to their gamertag. The runner up will receive a 3-month Xbox live Subscription code.
Entries are due by August 5th, 2008 at 12:01 PM ET/ 9:01 AM PT, I will announce the winners a few days after in another announcement blog post, so be on the lookout for it.
That is all from me this time gamers, take care, and good luck in the contest
Take Care,
Mr B4
Thanks for listening, Please leave us a comment on the show or send us an e-mail at: xblradio@platformnation.com
If you have ever tried to play a Tiger Woods PGA Tour Game you will know that unless you are Tiger Woods it is going to take a lot of practice, or MS points, in order to compete. Golf: Tee It Up! would be the complete opposite from this; in fact my friend, Luck503, was getting eagles and long distance chip-ins on his second round of 18. This just demonstrates Golf: Tee It Up!’s casual pick-up and play style that would be a great addition to everyone’s XBLA library.
Gameplay:A-
Golf: Tee It Up can be just your classic 3 A button click golf game, but for the golfer that wants a little more depth it has that also (see Controls). When you first start Golf : Tee It Up! you will notice the quick play option, for when you just want to get to hitting some balls, or you have the choice to pick from stroke, match or cup challenge modes. Add to this the option of 1-4 player local, multi- or co-op modes and, over Xbox Box Live, 2-4 player multi- or co-op play and what you have is one highly addictive golf game! Did I mention the Character Customization? No. Well it is in here also. You can pick between Male/Female Characters, as well as customize their clothing. Everything from hair, shirts, pants, shoes, and gloves is customizable; and sometimes even humorous, as choices range from bunny and monster parts to studious and work attire. Although more options would have been nice there is word of future DLC coming!
Controls:B+
As stated above Golf: Tee It Up! can be played as just a 3-click A button style game that anyone could pick-up and play, or for the more in depth golfer this game has the detailed controls they would be looking for. Before your shot use the Left/Right Bumpers, for the map and flight of ball respectively. The Left Stick is used for the majority of movements, while the Right Stick determines the spin placed on the ball (see orange dot on ball in upper right of screen). The Left and Right Triggers move through the available clubs, while the B Button can add a boost to each shot, if you still have any Focus Time left (more on later). Once the shot is all lined up is when the 3-click A Button comes into play. Once to start the swing, once to set the power of the shot and one to set the accuracy. Then after the ball is hit is when the Focus Time comes into play. Using the Left Stick you can make minor changes to the path of the ball, granted you have Focus Time left. This is limited to 4.0 seconds per hole and can be compounded from hole to hole (up to 12.0 seconds). While the Focus Time does not do major changes in the path of the ball, I would suggest the best time to use the Focus Time is with a putter in hand. After lining up your putt holding down the X Button will show you the path the putt will take. Since the putting is the hardest part of Golf: Tee It Up! this helps read the hills and valleys of the greens; making putting a lot easier!
Graphics/Sound:A
Golf: Tee It Up! uses a detailed, cartoonist style which fits right in with its casual setting. Running in 720p, and with very little online lag, I have not experienced any issues with the graphics of Golf: Tee It Up! In fact I find myself getting lost in the scenario while playing looking for hidden easter eggs. Using 5.1 Surround Sound my friend and I experience what we thought to be a bird in the house, but soon realized it was the games. Also just a hint: if you see or hear a bunny hoping around, and happen to be wearing some bunny attire, hit your ball near the bunny for another “special sound”!
Replayabiltiy:B
With 1-4 player local play, 2-4 player local/online/co-op play in a variety of modes like stroke, match or cup challenges Golf: Tee It Up! will have you playing over and over by yourself, with friends, and/or against random people over Xbox Live. The only issue I have with Golf: Tee It Up! is it launched with only two (2) courses, Caribbean and Parkland. As stated above, it has already been said that future DLC courses and character customization pieces will be release, not yet known if premium or free DLC, but one more course, at least, would have been a welcome addition.
Overall:A-
I would say with its single player alone I would recommend to go download/play the trial and give Golf: Tee It Up! a serious consideration for purchase. But then add in all of its various local and online modes, the detail that two people on the same console can go online and play those various modes; I would say to stop reading this now and go purchase Golf: Tee It Up! its that good.
Then after you purchase it send a message to any of the XBLRadio Hosts and let play a round!
Please comment here or email xblradio@platformnation.com with any feedback!
What is up members of P*N and XBLRadio, Mr B4 here giving you the latest news as to what is going on in the gaming community. Instead of a news story for you today, I have a review of a game that I played recently for the Nintendo Wii, through their Wiiware service. The game is called Major League Eating: The Game, it was developed by Mastiff Games, and costs 1,000 Wii points ($10 USD).
Here is a quick rundown of the modes that you will find in this game:
1. Single Player: This mode basically plays out like a game of Mortal Kombat, but instead of moving up in ranks from fighters that you defeat, you will move up in ranks after you defeat each of your eating competitors. You have 10 characters that you can play as, four that you start with, and six that you have to unlock by completing this mode.
2. Versus mode: One-on-one versus play with a friend: same method of playing as single player mode.
3. Online Multi-player: Plays out the same way as both the versus and single player modes, with the exception of leader boards that allow you to track your win-loss record.
As you can already tell, this game does not have much to offer as far as modes go. Let us see if the gameplay can save it at all. Let us get right into the review.
Platform Nation @ PAX 08 (Going? Let us know in the P*N Forums)!
