Review: Quarrel (XBLA)

Quarrel is a word orientated strategy game developed by Denki, and is by far one of the best word games to date on any system. The best way to describe Quarrel would be to say that it plays something along the lines of a strategic battle game of Scrabble, where everybody is gunning for your territory and words are the best defence in your arsenal. If you weren’t already aware, Quarrel was originally an iOS title and, having played both versions, it’s safe to say that a game like Quarrel is more suited to a touch screen. However, the Xbox Live Arcade version of Quarrel is by no means less enjoyable, if you’re a fan of word games in general this is a must have. But let’s break Quarrel down shall we?

The way in which Quarrel is played is simple enough. To win, a player must capture all enemy territories by changing them to their colour. To take over a territory you must create a high scoring word from an anagram, or be able to spell the whole jumbled up word. Each letter is given a numerical value, for example the letter “J” is the highest and worth 15 points. The capture of any territory is shown through the use of your own personal minions, though sadly said minions are not customisable. The player is assigned a minion design for the game; Ninjas, Ginger Scotsmen in kilts, Robots, Pirates and many more are up for the choosing. If your attack prevails, your little minions bombard enemy minions with the words tiles, resulting in little ghostly angel figures ascending to heaven. If you earn enough points during a game you’ll be awarded with the ability to call in extra minions to back-up your forces when attacking or defending a territory. One thing worth mentioning is that when backup is called for, it’s signaled by a cavalry-esc fan-fare. When the fanfare is initiated the sound quality drops, arguably something small but it’s also something a little bit annoying.

There are many aspects that set the Xbox Live Arcade port apart from its iOS sibling. For one, Quarrel incorporates the use of Xbox Live Avatars. This adds a sense of personalisation to the game and increases the level of competitiveness through the emotive responses provided when winning or losing a quarrel. Despite having similar art styles, Quarrel on the Arcade is simply nice to look at. Yes, looks aren’t everything but it sure helps. The art style in question is very child friendly and emanates an inviting vibe. The visuals aren’t childish enough to deter the older generation of gamer however, it is a game to be enjoyed by all if word games are your thing.

For the solo gamers, the Single Player aspect of Quarrel offers a variety of game modes to choose from. First off, you have the bog standard Quick Match, no real explanation needed there. As with most games, a tutorial is also made available for those who need a better grasp of the game. The Domination mode gives you the chance to “conquer all 12 islands to dominate the Known Quarrel World”, with each individual island offering a different theme or setting. If a head-to-head play style is more your cup of tea then you’ll want the Showdown mode, beat all nine AI opponents to be crowned Quarrel Master. Prefer objective based play? The Challenge mode offers twelve unique challenges to be completed by only the best Quarrel players. Regardless of what you decide to play, all of Quarrel’s game modes were very enjoyable. If you play enough of them you will even receive a Word IQ level, practice makes perfect and speed can often be the key.

For those with a more competitive streak, Quarrel’s multiplayer aspect is nothing to be sniffed at. The benefit of Xbox Live Arcade over iOS is that the Xbox Live service provides a much better online experience. Like most games, you’re given the choice to play either a more competitive Ranked Match or a friendlier Player Match. You have the choice to play with a maximum of three friends online or simply hop into a random game; it’s a fun experience whichever way you decide to play and for 400 Microsoft Points you really can’t go wrong.

In short, Quarrel is a great game. If you like word based games or you’re simply looking for a game to relax with then this is the game for you, hats  off to Denki!

Overall score: 9/10

Minecraft for XBLA to get Frequent Updates

Microsoft may be about to end its limit on content distribution and speeding up its approval process, with the XBLA version of Minecraft, the first ever title to get such treatment. In a recent interview, the developers behind the port say the plan is to catch the Xbox version up to the 1.0 build.

It is clear that Microsoft understands that a big part of Minecraft’s appeal is its ever-evolving nature and long list of Mods. While the constant updates of the PC version aren’t feasible at this time, the developers do say Microsoft is “keen to move towards that – they do see it as the future.”

However, it has been confirmed that Microsoft won’t be stepping out of the way completely. The plan is to just speeding up the notoriously slow testing and approval process. “I think that there will always be Microsoft testing involved… But the whole turnaround of that testing they’re hoping to speed up, so we can maybe roll out very two months.”

It is a possibility that Microsoft may be using Minecraft as a test case. There are certainly other games on the Xbox 360 that could benefit from frequent updates; Valve’s Team Fortress 2 comes to mind. Hopefully the XBLA version of Minecraft will usher in a new era of updates when it releases this spring.

Swarm Review

From the creators of Death Spank and Penny Arcade Adventures, Hothead Games, comes the hive mind controlling action, death filled, platforming game, Swarm.

The game Swarm, available on the Playstation Network for £9.99 and Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points, begins with a blue blob crashing into a planet, full of mayhem and destruction, and the blob extends out a tentacle. Emerging from the tentacles are fifty blue, gremlin-like creatures called swarmites. The little guys then go in search of DNA, in an incredibly dangerous and life threatening environment, to bring back to the giant blob called Momma, so that it can transform and grow.

Swarm puts the player in control of the fifty swarmites which have to manoeuvre through the stages of the game. The stages have the swarmites navigate through treacherous terrain in order to gather the DNA for Momma, whose tentacle will gather them up at the end of the stage as well as place them into it in the first place. There are a variety of ways that the little guys can kick the bucket when attempting to gather DNA though. From falling to burning, electrocution to impaling there are just under twenty deaths they may meet. However if any of them do die there are points on each stage where you can get some back. As long as you have at least one swarmite survive you can keep going and regain more. As for the swarmite abilities they can huddle together, spread out, charge forward, jump, tackle items, throw items and climb up each other creating a tower of swarmites. They can also jump in huddles and in their tower. The abilities seem like a lot to take in at first but are really easy to pick up and some get introduced gradually through the early stages.

The stages could be seen as throwing the player in at the deep at end at points with a fairly steep difficulty curve. The abilities are easy to pick up but the stages are very hectic and you may see yourself at checkpoints again from unexpected traps. However aside from being rewarded a score from collecting DNA enemy swarmite deaths also bump up the score, as long as at least one survives, along with the score multiplier. Another reward from swarmite deaths are the death medal’s which you get for the variety of different ways they die, ones for practically all your swarmites dying at once too, so even if the difficulty keeps knocking a player back there are amusing medals to receive. Bouncing back to another problem however, you need to reach certain scores on each stage to unlock the next, so you may find yourself replaying a stage a few times not just for a higher score but to progress. Competing with other high scores does lead to an element of replayability on each stage though.

Other game elements of mention are the sounds of the game which lends to the feel of a devastated alien planet. There are some interesting boss fights to look forward to and the sometimes amusing varieties of swarmite deaths are quite dark in humour. There is also a grand total of all swarmite deaths that every person playing the games has had on the main menu, currently it is over 30 million, and if you get bored you can always press triangle on the main menu even if it tells you not to.

If you want a look at the game in action check out the video below:

The Good

• Easy to pick up, play and enjoy – simple controls to learn quicky
• Rewards even in failure – death medals
• Dark humour – swarmite deaths and stupidity

The Bad

• Forced replayability – required scores on each stage to progress
• Unforgiving difficulty – thrown in the deep end with stage hazards

Swarm
• Developer: Hothead Games
• System: Playsation 3 (PSN Network), Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
• Genre: Platformer
• Players: 1

Other Recommended Titles

• Lemmings (Playstation 3 (PSN))
• Little King’s Story (Nintendo Wii)
• Patapon (PSP)

Bloodrayne: Betrayal Announced for PSN and XBLA

Despite Uwe Bolls’ disastrous movie adaptations, our favourite blood-sucking femme fatale, Rayne, is making a comeback this summer in Bloodrayne: Betrayal. The announcement was made by Majesco Entertainment, and will be developed by Wayward, known for Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Bloodrayne: Betrayal is an adventure game, where players will reprise the role of Rayne, a dhampir (half-human, half vampire) who hunts vampires for a secret organisation, known as The Brimstone Society.

This is the latest instalment in the Bloodrayne series in over six years, after Bloodrayne 2, developed by Terminal Reality, was released in 2004; the follow-up to 2002’s Bloodrayne, also developed by Terminal Reality. Both titles, released on numerous platforms including Playstation 2, received generally positive feedback from critics and gamers alike.

Rather than returning with the third-person premise of the previous two games, Bloodrayne: Betrayal is a 2D side-scroller. Despite this change, Bloodrayne’s signature brutality has remained intact. Using Rayne’s signature arm blades, mixed with guns and blood sucking, player’s much hack and slash their way through an army of brand new enemies and boss battles. There is also a potential hint at a co-op mode, as it is said that Rayne will be joined by a “mysterious new friend”.

Bloodrayne: Betrayal will arrive to the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this summer.

Here is the brand new teaser trailer:

Release Date for Microsoft's XBLA Triple Pack

Today the folks at RedLynx (Makers of Trials and other Miniclip based games) announced that it’s best-selling Xbox Live Arcade title Trials HD will be heading to stores alongside two other great titles such as Splosion Man and indie-born masterpiece LIMBO.

This bundle will hit stores in North America on April 19th, European regions from May 13th and Japan will be May 19th. The price in the North American region for this is $29.99, which according to my knowledge of currency rates comes out to £20 for us UK gamers.  What you also get in this is a 48 hour Xbox Live trial and 160 Microsoft Points which is pretty generous if I do say so myself.

“Having Trials HD available at retail is exciting.” Treo Virtala, CEO of RedLynx, said in regards to this. ”while Trials HD is in many ways the poster child of the digital download revolution, we understand that there are still many gamers who only purchase games through traditional retailers.” He also went on to say, “”Thanks to our partners at Microsoft, all Xbox 360 owners now have a chance to check out the Trials experience, along with two other great games.”

Well it does seem like a good price to pay for 3 great selling games from the Xbox Live service instead of buying 3200 Microsoft Points. Out of the three that are on there, which one will you play the most?

Xbox Live Award 2010 Winners Announced

The votes are in, and the winners have been announced. Here are the results are in for the 2010 Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards:

·         Best Overall Arcade Game: “LIMBO” (Microsoft Game Studios)

·         Best Original Game: “LIMBO” (Microsoft Game Studios)

·         Best Multiplayer Game: “Monday Night Combat” (Uber Entertainment)

·         Best Solo Game: “LIMBO” (Microsoft Game Studios)

·         Best Innovation: “PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX” (NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc)

·         Best Graphics: “LIMBO” (Microsoft Game Studios)

·         Best Classic/Remake Game: “PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX” (NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc)

·         Best Family Game: “Plants vs. Zombies” (PopCap Games)

News: Xbox LIVE Newsbeat: 3 – 17 March

It’s time to get ready for the 15 March, why? well because the “Halo: Reach” Defiant Map Pack will introduce three action-packed new warfronts to Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points – including a new Firefight map!

Not only is Halo Read going to be kicking some Alien but there will also be a few Arcade titles you may want to get your hands on.

This is the current release schedule for Xbox LIVE Marketplace content*:

A Truck Drivers Heaven

Ummmmm, yeah, so I came across this the other day, and I wasn’t too sure what to make of it.

So, just from that, I have gathered that you shoot chickens, and you are a truck driver. That assumption is mad purely because of the stereotypical view of truck drivers, and that the press release said it. It does look mighty interesting though. Some of the enemies involved in the game include Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys, Ostriches, bomb dropping owls and suicide chickens. This sounds crazy right? Well, just to add a little more to the action, you have the ability to upgrade your weapons for a more satisfying shooting experience.

I think the weirdest part of the game is that fact that you are only shooting all these birds because one of them stole your truck and ran over your buddy with it, or something like that. It is going to be a crazy fun game though from the looks of it. At the moment there aren’t many screen shots, but feast your eyes on what we have below and look out for this game in the Indie Marketplace for 80MSP. It’s going to be mental.

Coming to the Dashboard February Offers

Microsoft have notified us about there upcoming February offers and items that will be hitting the dashboard. The upcoming House Party is almost here, launching on February 16. Along with this there will also be a Xbox LIVE Arcade game every week for five weeks straight that will keep the party going all season long.

“Get the party started with thrilling retro run-and-gun action in “Hard Corps: Uprising” (KONAMI). Play as the soldier Bahamut as he begins to write his legend in this spiritual prequel to “Contra: Hard Corps.” There is plenty more to come with “Full House Poker” (Microsoft Game Studios), “Beyond Good & Evil® HD” (Ubisoft Entertainment), “Bejeweled® Blitz LIVE” (PopCap Games), and “Torchlight” (Runic Games Inc. /Microsoft Corp.) which will keep the party going.”

“Dress to impress for this season’s House Party with apparel and props from the House Party title themed Avatar Marketplace collections. Outfit your Avatar in attire appropriate for a high-stakes poker match like a “Full House Poker” baseball cap and chip tricks. Get ready for “Hard Corps: Uprising” with a “Hard Corps: Uprising” helicopter or Bahamut outfit; try on “Torchlight” Alchemist outfit or “Beyond Good & Evil” Jade’s versatile outfit, ideal to fight aliens and infiltrate evil governments. For more bling, dress your Avatar up in a ruby dress or tux, gem necklace and a blue diamond ring that will make anyone playing “Bejeweled® Blitz LIVE” sparkle!”

AVATAR MARKETPLACE

February 16: “Hard Corps: Uprising” (KONAMI) collection – Available worldwide

February 16: “Beyond Good & Evil® HD” (Ubisoft Entertainment) collection – Available worldwide

February 16: “Full House Poker” (Microsoft Game Studios) collection – Available worldwide

February 16: “Bejeweled® Blitz LIVE” (PopCap Games) collection – Available worldwide

February 16: “Torchlight” (Runic Games Inc. /Microsoft Corp.) collection – Available worldwide

XBOX LIVE ARCADE

February 9: “TNT Racers” (DTP) – 800 Microsoft Points and available worldwide

February 9: “Stacking” (THQ) – 1200 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Japan)

DEAL OF THE WEEK

“Hydrophobia” (Microsoft Game Studios) – Play Hydrophobia and Win a Dream Vacation! One lucky winner will enjoy a tropical cruise or beachfront getaway in the Hydrophobia Sweepstakes (restrictions apply). Just download the Deal of the Week Arcade hit Hydrophobia for your chance to win. For information on all the prizes and full details on the sweepstakes, check out the Official Rules.

Week of February 7 – Retro Shooter:

“Duke Nukem Manhattan Project™” (Microsoft Game Studios) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and South Africa)

“Space Invaders Infinity Gene” (Square Enix, Ltd) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Korea, and South Africa)

“Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved™ 2” (Activision) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, and South Africa)

“Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter” (Majesco) – 400 Microsoft Points (67 percent off) and available worldwide (except Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, and South Africa)

“Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter” (Majesco) – 400 Microsoft Points (67 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Japan, Korea, and South Africa)

“Galaga Legions” (NAMCO BANDAI Games) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and South Africa)

Week of February 14:

“Blacklight: Tango Down” (Ignition) – 600 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Hong Kong, India, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and South Africa)

“Risk Factions” (Electronic Arts) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available in Japan, India, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan

GAME ADD-ONS

February 8: “Mass Effect 2” Alternate Appearance Pack 2 (Electronic Arts) – 160 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland)

February 8: “The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout” Pilates (THQ) – 400 Microsoft Points and available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand

February 15: “Marvel Super Hero Squad” Thanos Throwdown (THQ) – 400 Microsoft Points and available in the US, UK, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Australia

GAMES ON DEMAND

February 8: “Darksiders” (THQ) – Available worldwide (except Japan)

February 8: “Mini Ninjas®” (Square Enix, Ltd) – Available worldwide (except Brazil, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and South Africa)

February 15: “Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2” (Activision) – Available worldwide (except Japan)

February 15: “Rapala Tournament Fishing!” (Activision) – Available in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Germany

February 15: “Aliens vs. Predator™” (SEGA) – Available worldwide (except Brazil, Korea, Germany, South Africa, and Japan)

Price Watch: The Xbox Marketplace to get more January Sales!

EA is currently hosting this weeks sales but starting on January 25 through to January 31, enjoy another special-one off savings with 50% off content provided by Rockstar Games and 2K, including Add-ons for “GTA IV,” “Red Dead Redemption,” “Borderlands,” “Bioshock 2” and more! For details, please check your Xbox LIVE Dashboard on January 25.

Connect to the Music You Love

Mastered all the “Dance Central” (MTV Games) songs? Starting January 24, learn the new routines with four catchy tunes on sale:

· Janet Jackson “Control”

· Sean Paul “Temperature”

· Ne-Yo “Because of You”

· Cameo “Word Up”

AVATAR MARKETPLACE

January 20: Cool Moves collection (Kung Fu moves, flipping, jumping, and more!)

January 20: “Dead Space™ 2” (Electronic Arts)

January 27: Military collection

February 1: “Call of Duty®: Black Ops” update (Activision)

February 3: World Sports

XBOX LIVE ARCADE

January 26: “Breach” (Atomic) – 1200 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Japan and Korea)

February 2: “Bionic Commando Rearmed 2” (Capcom) – 1200 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Japan)

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Week of January 24 – Dance Central:

“Dance Central” 4 song add-ons (MTV Games) – 160 Microsoft Points for each song (33 percent off) and available worldwide (except Japan and Slovakia)

· Janet Jackson “Control”

· Sean Paul “Temperature”

· Ne-Yo “Because of You”

· Cameo “Word Up”

Week of January 31 – Get Wet!

“Hydro Thunder Hurricane” (Microsoft Game Studios) – 800 Microsoft Points (33 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Slovakia and South Africa)

“Aqua” (Microsoft Game Studios) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Slovakia and South Africa)

“Hydrophobia” (Microsoft Game Studios) – 400 Microsoft Points (50 percent off) and available worldwide (except Brazil, Slovakia and South Africa)

GAME ADD-ONS

January 26: “Castlevania Harmony of Despair” Playable Character “Simon Belmont” (KONAMI) – 160 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa)

January 26: “Castlevania Harmony of Despair” Origins Stage Pack (KONAMI) – 240 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa)

January 26: “Bomberman Live: Battlefest” Bomb-Up Pack III (Hudson Entertainment) – 240 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Korea)

February 1: “Call of Duty®: Black Ops” First Strike (Activision) – 1200 Microsoft Points and available worldwide

February 2: “Castlevania Harmony of Despair” The Legend of Fuma Stage Pack (KONAMI) – 240 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa)

February 2: “Castlevania Harmony of Despair” Playable Character ‘Getsu Fuma’ (KONAMI) – 160 Microsoft Points and available worldwide (except Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa)

GAMES ON DEMAND

January 18: “Red Dead Redemption” (Rockstar Games) – Permanent price reduction in the US and Canada

January 25: “The Chronicles of Riddick™ Assault on Dark Athena” (Atari) – Available worldwide (except Japan, Korea, Brazil and South Africa)

February 1: “Dark Void” (Capcom) – Available worldwide (except Japan, Korea, Brazil and South Africa)