Microsoft Throws A Block Party
A lot of you know that I’m a big fan of Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade program. In fact, I’ve been wanting Microsoft to do more events like that throughout the year, as I think it’ll draw more attention to the service & spotlight some really good titles. Now, it looks like the folks in Redmond have been listening as they’re planning a Summer of Arcade-esq event for March dubbed Block Party. It’s basically the same thing as the SoA, except in the spring. Below are the four titles that will be featured including pricing, release date & some screenies. So start saving those point, as March will be full-bodies with XBLA (& DLC) goodness!
Developer: Signal Studios
Release Date: March 3rd
Price: 1200 MP
Rating: 
This one totally reminds me of the old Army Men games on PC from about 10 years ago. There’s just something about playing as small toys while seeing the world we take for granted through a whole new perspective that always grabs my attention. The key is going to be the gameplay. The premise is enough to draw me in, but the Action/RTS gameplay will be what gets me to plop down my hard earned points. Just the video alone (posted below) is enough to get my mouth drooling in anticipation. Check it out along with the first FaceBook game from Microsoft Games based on Toy Soldiers…
Developer: Slick Entertainment
Release Date: March
Price: 1200 MP
Rating: 
Scrap Metal is probably the one game I’m looking forward to the most during the Block Party event. It’s got the Calling All Cars vibe to it, made up of one part Demolition Derby, one part RC Pro Am & one part Ivan “Iron Man” Stewart Super Off Road, all with a shiny current-gen cost of polish. I had a chance to catch up with the guys from Slick & check it out at PAX 09. For those unaware, Slick Entertainment are the guys who brought you the 2D puzzle/platformer N+. Needless to say, this is quite a departure from their last title, featuring a classic overhead racing perspective with lots fierce battling against in-game bosses or your friends. Full HD visuals weren”t enough of a challenge apparently, so they added anaglyph 3-D support. Really, Scrap Metal is shaping up to be one of those ‘go-to’ game when you want a quick competitive fix with your buddies…
Developer: 4J Studios
Release Date: March
Price: 800 MP
Rating: 
So, if you were a fan of the original N64 classic, then the first thing you’ll notice is that Rare isn’t listed as the developer. Fret not, it’s still the same game we all know & love. It just need a bit of spit & polish while being ported over the XBLA (it is over 10 years old mind you), so 4J picked up the duties, freeing Rare to work on their “unannounced” Natal project. Perfect Dark is now in full 1080p HD, 60 FPS & will support the Xbox LIVE leaderboards, online multiplayer, & Avatar Awards (YES!!!). The question remains: Does it still have the magic it once did or has father time not been kind to the gameplay?…
Developer: Krome
Release Date: March
Price: Free (Shell Client); 240-400 MP (per game) or 40 MP (per play)
Rating:
This is probably my least favorite of the bunch. Game Room is essentially a virtual arcade where you can display retro arcade titles in their original cabinets & challenge a buddy to some head-to-head action. While I like the general idea of having your own social gathering place for your Arcade titles, I don’t like the pricing. It’s business model runs similar to EA’s Hasbro Family Game Night, where the shell client is free, but if you want to play anything, you have to pay for each game separately. Really, most of the “classic” titles should be freeware by now. In fact, most of them have freeware knock-offs available as flash games on your PC. While I will download the client & will most likely buy one or two titles so I can give it a test run, I can’t see myself ever going back to it again after that unless they offer up some less costly experiences later on down the line. At this point, there isn’t enough bang for my buck…
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[...] LIVE Silver Members will get to play any of Microsoft’s Block Party titles online for free from Noon EST on Friday, March 26th til Noon EST on Monday, March [...]