So would you pay 60 bucks for a multiplayer only game these days? I think most people would say no including myself. But….what about 15 or 20 dollars, sounds like a sweeter deal right. Even better all you need to do is download the game. No need to run out and buy a retail copy.

Next week Battlefield 1943 will be hitting the XBLA and PSN for just $15.00 or 1200 MS points. Battlefield gives players the opportunity to control land and air vehicles as well as shoot it out on the ground with a complete arsenal of weapons on 4 huge maps.  So now you can have all the fun of a multiplayer mode without the full game price tag.

I think this a great start to a new trend we will be seeing over the years. In fact I think some games could have benefited this way instead of being full retail games.  Games like Quake Wars: Enemy Territories and Shadow Run which were basically multiplayer only games with some offline BOT matches could have done much better as digital distribution content at a discounted price instead of a full retail price tag.  Unfortunately neither of the games faired to well.

Sony even tested the waters early with its multiplayer heavy game WARHAWK. The game was available in both retail and digital form. While you can download it cheaper from the PSN, you were given a packed in headset if you purchased it from retail. And lets not forget that the PC has been doing games like this for awhile now, think Counter Strike.

The trend looks to continue with the highly anticipated return of Quake Arena III now know as Quake Arena Arcade. Still no date and price on this game but just knowing you can purchase it for multiplayer purposes only at the right price is a beautiful thing.

Even games like World War and CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars on XBLA offer the multiplayer game only at a budget price. So while its a time to pinch pennies its not a bad time to be a online gamer. Personally Id like to see the multiplayer mode from Return to Castle Wolfenstien come out on XBLA. It would save me same cash next month. Beach Invasion anyone ?

-TX

The Settlers of Catan is probably one of the most popular, award winning games of the German style. German style board games are defined as follows:

a broad class of games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components.^[1] The games emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama. (Source Wikipedia).

Other popular German style board games include Carcassonne and Puerto Rico.

In The Settlers of Catan the goal is for the player (3 to 4 players, up to six with expansions) to score 10 points by building settlements (1 point) or cities (2 points). Additional points can also be acquired by having the longest road (roads connect settlements and cities), largest army (playing Knight cards) or acquiring victory point cards.

To build cities, settlements, roads or to buy development cards, the player must have the correct resource cards , which consist of wheat, brick, wood, ore and sheep (To build a settlement you must one of each of the following: wood, sheep, brick and wheat). You obtain resources by having cities and settlements adjacent to to resource hexes. Each resource hex has a number on it, which range from 2 to 12. Generally, it’s best to place settlements and cities (cities provide 2 resource cards) adjacent to hexes with numbers that provide better odds of being rolled (5,6,8,9).

Placement of settlements is critical to insure you have good range of resources as well as numbers. Resources can also be traded between players. Another element of the game is the robber, which is moved when a player roles a 7 (If you have more then 7 cards when a 7 is rolled you lose half of them as well. When the robber is placed on a hex, it blocks resource production from that hex until another 7 is rolled or when it is moved by a Knight card. Getting blocked by others at critical times can be pretty infuriating.

In my group of friends. Settlers of Catan has proved to very popular, between men and women alike. Friday’s at work a group of us play at lunch as well. Needless to say the game can be pretty addictive. Settlers provides good balance of luck and strategy.

The Settlers of Catan can also be found on the PC as well as Xbox Live Arcade. Catan, the XBLA version is very solid, providing challenging A.I. and online play. If someone is looking to play some games online send me a message!

- Schu

 

Text Adventure is proud to present to you Face Off.  In Face Off myself TormentX along with fellow adventurers SUPERGHOST and Schuey will take part in a short , but sweet discussion about our favorite games.

Less of a review more more of just pointing what we really enjoyed about a game or even what  we may or may not be looking forward to in a upcoming release.

Taking the the typical topics such as graphics, gameplay and innovation we will go one on one or maybe even 3v3 and “Face Off’ against each other while breaking down our subject.

Look for Face Off to make its way to Text Adventures real soon !

-TX

Last weekend I was fresh out of the movie theatre having just finished watching the Watchman movie. I really enjoyed the film, and as I left the theatre I was hungry for more!  When I got home later that evening I downloaded the demo for Watchman: The End is Nigh, the first part in an episodic series of games that take place approximately 10-15 years before the events of the movie/book.  The game follows the adventures of two of the Watchman, Rorschach and Night Owl as they attempt to thwart the villainous Underboss who has recently escaped incarceration from the local prison.

I finally purchased the full game the other night and now I am a little over halfway through the game. While it has not received much critical acclaim or praise, I can say from my perspective that Watchman is an excellent beat-em-up that makes one feel empowered.  I am in Act IV in my current playthrough as Rorschach and if you have seen the movie you know he is total bad-ass, well if you want to relieve that bad-assery, Watchman delivers in spades. While the game starts you with a limited move set, it gradually builds you up, teaching you more cooler combos that once you see them you will be hooked into this game tight!  The look of this game is not only the best looking XBLA arcade games, but ranks up their with the 'Triple-A' titles in the Xbox 360 library!  Watchman also sports the best lock-pick mini game this side of the Splinter Cell series.  If you have a buddy nearby, local co-op is available so you can take down the bad guys together

As you can see I am really impressed by this title, but the knocks on it such as repetitive gameplay, and for me the constant stream of look-a-like villains are valid.  But these complaints are minor as when you are playing a game in this genre you should expect a certain amount of repetition.  For me, hitting those sweet combos never gets old.  Also, the cut scenes are done in the style of the recently released video-comic edition of the Watchman.  So if you were a fan of the original book, you will feel right at home here as well.  So if you are a gamer and are looking for more than videos to get your Watchman fix, I highly recommend The End is Nigh.  And as the first part in the episodic content, we should have some fresh Watchmen content for sometime to come.

PS. I hope in future episodes we will get to play as the Comedian!  He is such a bad guy!  Makes the Punisher look like Captain America.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh

-SG

Here was a story that plucked my Sega-fanboy heart strings.  The other day I read on the Joystiq blog that Virtual On will be arriving on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace (no NA release date as of yet though.

Actually, it is not the Saturn or Arcade versions coming to XBLA, rather it is a port of the Dreamcast classic, Cyber Troopers Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (probably the best name for a game ever, well at least the longest.  Take that Legendary: The Box).  I was definitely a big fan of the Saturn original. It was a unique fighter that incorporated huge robots/mechs battling in one on one action.  Often you would be firing your weapons from afar, but once in a while you could get in close and work your opponent over melee style.  For a game designed for twin stick play, the Saturn version played remarkably well with its controller set up, the tough part with the game is when you took on an opponent you had to play split screen, that made for some cramped quarters.  The art style for this series was also second to none, I even went as so far to order models based on the in-game characters.  While they looked cool they were actually quite junky and fragile.

Years later I acquired the Dreamcast version.  While it was a beautiful game and a complete upgrade over the Saturn version, I really noticed the absence  of twin-stick technology.  While Sega created a proprietary control for the title, they were extremely rare and expensive. You were better off acquiring Steel Battalion at that point.  I still had my share of kicks with the DC version, but not to the extent of the Saturn one.  Probably more so due to the fact that I played more multiplayer with that version.

And that is why I am super excited for the VOOT on the 360.  Firstly the twin-stick situation will be remedied by the fact that twin sticks is today's controller standard.  Secondly, there is the opportunity to include online play!  Let us hope that Sega does not neglect the fact that will be the way the VOOT fans will want to play!  Personally, I will buy it anyway because I am a fan.

EDIT: Online...Confirmed!

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram - Wikipedia

-SG

Back in August I did a post on my Xbox 360 blog, SUPERGHOST's Haunted House of XBOX, on the rumoured arrival of the hidden Saturn mini game Death Tank. Tomorrow the game will arrive on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft Points. I thought it would be a good idea to revisit that post. I am thinking a demo play through will be in order for sure on this one.

if you owned a Sega Saturn back in the day, Death Tank Zwei and Death Tank were the greatest games you never played. You could not buy these games, they were hidden unlockables, buried within the games that housed them. There were only a couple of ways that these games could see the light of day:

a.) The original Death Tank can be unlocked after obtaining all 23 Team Dolls in PowerSlave.

b.) Death Tank Zwei can be unlocked in two ways: 1. Destroy every toilet in Duke Nukem 3D(including the secret level, Urea 51), or 2. Have a Quake saved game on your system

Once you unlocked it you had a rare treasure of a multi-player game. Rare no longer as the DT will rise again in the XBLA space. If you want to read more on DT, just click the link below and you will be up to date. Take it from me, this game is worth checking out. Think of it as a fast-paced worms, all in real time. And with 8 player online support, who knows what kind of carnage will erupt!

Death Tank on its way to XBLA! - Windows Live

-SG

This past Wednesday I downloaded EA's newest hockey title, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade. Now I have played NHL 09 for many an hour this season and have really enjoyed that experience. So I had to wonder to myself how the team that has brought us the most authentic video hockey experience ever would transition to an arcade sports title. Well I can assure you here and now that the team accomplishes their mission with flying colours.

In a nutshell, 3 on 3 is NHL 09 hockey, but it transfigured into this arcade presentation, complete with several power-ups (and power-downs) ala your typical Mario Kart game. The amount of skaters on the ice is lowered to 3-aside (hence the title) making for a more wide-open style of game and the players come in different shapes so that you build the team according to your style of play. Think back to the original NES hockey title and you will understand what that is all about.

What brings the game down a notch is the inability to have a profile save. Every time you start a new game you will have to set your options and your team. I am not sure why they could not have ported over this very simple, yet very essential option from NHL 09.

Even though some may say the package is 'bare bones', I say for $10/800 MS points you are getting an excellent and extremely fun over-the-top arcade title. Consider this game recommended!

3 on 3 NHL Arcade, Hockey Arcade Game EA Sports

-SG