As many of you may be aware, the newly created Xbox LIVE Productions creation, Fable II Pub Games, was released to gamers everywhere via Gamestop & Amazon’s Fable II pre-order codes. (The game was also released on the Xbox Live Arcade, where it can be purchased in full for 800 Microsoft SpaceBux, or $10). However, the immediate response by hardcore Fable fans has been starkly polarized — some love the game while others seem to loathe it.

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Earlier today, Dan Paladin of the Castle Crashers development blog announced that the much anticipated upcoming Xbox Live Arcade behemoth would cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD). This price is being met with cries of joy and admiration from many forum folk who had initially thought that the game would cost a staggering 1800 Microsoft Points ($22 USD).

Hit the jump for the full blog post!

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This past Wednesday, Braid was released on the Xbox Live Arcade. A platformer that uses the manipulation of time as a core gameplay mechanic, Braid attempts to push the boundaries of how games can be storytelling devices.

Does the game succeed? Hit the jump to- Oh screw it. Braid is f***ing brilliant. Buy it now.
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1942: Joint Strike is a wonderful reiteration of the revolutionary top-down shoot ‘em up that originally graced the NES so many years ago. However, this time, instead of featuring mandated screen-flicker, Joint Strike delivers a monotone array of greys and browns and blues that define the war game atmosphere. Coupled with a vast enemy system with decent AI, the result is a dreary, sometimes confusing pandemonium that lasts until the final shot is fired.

Can 1942: Joint Strike stand up to the success of it’s predecessor? Hit the jump to find out!

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Castle Crashers, the newest XBLA game from The Behemoth finally has a release date for their eagerly-awaited co-op action game. August 27 is the day you can pay a few spacebucks for this adorable little adventure. Woohoo!

Microsoft has also given release dates for titles such as Bionic Commando: ReArmed and Geometry Wars: RE 2, which you can find after the jump.
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Let me begin this review of one of this past week’s new Xbox Live Arcade releases with a quick disclaimer. Sea Life Safari, developed by WildTangent Game Studios, is less of a game and more of an experience. The game pits you as an underseas photographer bent on shooting animals with film instead of bullets to provide research material for a crotchety old professor, who then rates your photographs based on different criteria. These three major criteria are as follows: whether or not the animal is in the middle of the picture, the relative size of the animal in the picture (I guess he doesn’t like negative space) and whether or not the animal is doing its special movement, which can be elicited by heaving a glowstick or flare at the animal by hitting the B button. The professor then ranks these pictures on a basis of zero to three stars (three being the best) which are then needed to move on to the next level. This type of system seems natural for the type of game that it is, and the professor’s continual dissidence with you will have you hunting for three star photos for quite a while.

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Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipe of Darkness is the first installment of what developer Hothead Games promises to be a four-part series surrounding the world of the popular webcomic, Penny Arcade. The creators of Penny Arcade, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, took a major risk in jumping their strip from relative cult success to mainstream Xbox Live Arcade media. Has the risk payed off for us gamers? Hit the jump to find out!

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The Xbox Live Arcade is a unique creature. Most of the time, it spits out dreck and crud with the frequency of a sewage plant. But on rare occasions, a hidden gem will shine through at just the right time to restore our faith in the service. One such game was the original Assault Heroes, a two-stick shooter in the vein of Geometry Wars. What set it apart was that on top of such simple gameplay, developer Wanako Games provided a unique presentation with the use of multiple vehicles and realized enemies, rather than simple shapes.

The game was such a fun, little experience and so well received that Sierra released a sequel for it a few weeks ago. But does Assault Heroes 2 provide anything new, or is it just more of the same? Keep reading to find out.
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When it comes to purchasing Xbox Live Arcade games, I am always quite frugal. Personally, I won’t pick up an XBLA game that is anything short of stellar. (I like to save my money for the big retail games … and booze, too, I guess.) Unsurprisingly, Rocketmen: Axis of Evil is one of those games that I would not buy … never in a hundred years.

Why is Rocketmen so utterly horrendous? Hit the jump for the rest of my review!

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Back during the 2008 GDC, Peter Molyneux showed off a few new features to his Fable 2 game. One of the features he showed the audience was an Xbox Live Arcade game that went hand-in-hand with Fable 2, called Keystone, a pub game that is a combination of craps and roulette. The game is the first XBLA title that will interact with a full Xbox 360 game, having players win gold and then transferring their profit to their Fable 2 save.

Today, Molyneux has revealed on the Major Nelson podcast that there will be two more XBLA games that will work with Fable 2 in the same style Keystone will. The two working titles of the games are Wizard’s Tower and Mage Dice, and they are being developed by Carbonated Games, creators of Uno and Hexic. Molyneux hasn’t revealed much about the two games, but he has said that they will be releasing in the summer, along with Keystone, before Fable 2 releases.

In addition to revealing the two arcade games, Molyneux also added some new details about Fable 2. If you’re rolling in enough dough, you can spend it on not only a home, but also a dungeon or a castle. Players will be titled Mayor if they buy all the houses in their town, King if they buy all in their region, and if they’re really ballin’, Emperor, which means they’ve bought all property in the game.

This week on XBLA, there won’t be a new game, but two of the best titles on the service are being discounted 50%. Assault Heroes and Doom will be available for $5 (400 Microsoft points) starting on Wednesday. I’ll let you in on a secret: Assault Heroes should be an instant buy. If you liked Geometry Wars, you’ll love the same play style, but AH has awesome environments, some sweet co-op, and robot spiders.

In addition, The Gamerscore Blog has announced a few titles coming to the service in the next few weeks, including a Rocky & Bullwinkle minigame collection (This could either be genius or a complete disaster). Hit the jump for the full press release.
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Do you know why Ninjas win? Because they kick ass, which is why I have high hopes for Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball. The simple premise of ninjas and pirates playing each other in a heated game of dodgeball is one of the most random, yet coolest game concepts I’ve ever heard of. I recently got a chance to play a few rounds of the XBLA title, and I learned a few unannounced details.

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Dan Paladin ranks up there as the world’s biggest tease. His previous game, Alien Hominid was an awesome sidescrolling arcade shooter, with difficulty reminiscent of the original Contra and a charming art style to boot. But that was just a warm-up for his newest opus, Castle Crashers. The isometric sidescroller could very well be a long-lost brother of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game. Both have four different characters, each with their own unique fighting style, and cooperative play to increase the degree of awesomeness to dangerous levels.

The above video demonstrates some of the amazing animations and moves that games showcases, as well as a possibly massive overworld map, and the leveling system in the game. Screw GTA and Metal Gear Solid; Castle Crashers is my most-anticipated game of 2008.

Bionic Commando was, without a doubt, one of the biggest cult hits of the 8-bit gaming era, so it was no surprise when a remake was announced for XBLA, PSN, and PC. Capcom is now giving Bionic Commando loyalists the chance of a lifetime: a chance to design a level for the new version. To be more specific, Capcom wants your ideas for a “challenge level”, which are basically timed obstacle courses. Your design can be as simplistic or as detailed as you want it to be. All mediums are accepted, as long as you can get an image of your idea into email form.

What’s the prize for the lucky gamer who gets their level picked? Not only will they have their level featured in the game, but they will also get their name in the credits, which you can brag about for the rest of your life. Start thinking up your creation now though, as the contest only runs until at 11:59 PST of March 12th. Full details can be found at Capcom’s blog.

Peter Molyneux revealed several new bits about the upcoming sequel to Fable at the GDC today. Molyneux showed the Microsoft audience a live demo and explained an Xbox Live Arcade game that goes alongside with Fable 2 and spoke on new features for the game.

Molyneux first showed the crowd an XBLA game called Keystone. This “pub game,” was described by Peter as being “a little bit like craps.” After winning a ton of gold from the arcade game, he was able to transfer the reward to Fable 2. He commented:

“What you’re seeing there is actually an Xbox Live Arcade game outside of Fable, and what I am able to do is take the money I win from that XBLA game and move it into the Fable world.”

He then went on to demo the actual game in order to show off a few of its new features. Molyneux explained that his in-game character was a pregnant woman. He then brought out a colleague, Josh Atkins, to help showcase the new co-op mode (confirming that Fable 2 will be Xbox Live compatible). It was then revealed that all gold and experience that your co-op partner earns while playing with you will be transferrable to their own game. Players can also choose to tax their partners while playing to earn a certain percentage of experience their partners make.

Atkins and Molyneux continued their demo by engaging the game’s combat  system for all in attendance. After a few moments, the two begin to go down a hill towards Molyneux’s in-game family. Josh then proceeded to shoot and kill Peter’s in-game husband. “That moment is real - it’s not staged,” Peter said. “That husband’s not going to come back to life. That’s the drama I want.”

Should this game fail to live up to the expectations that I’m starting to have for it, it sounds like Peter is going to get a little more drama than a dead husband. I really really hope that this game lives up to its promise, but knowing Peter Molyneux it probably won’t. I’m going to buy it anyways, so either way they’ll be getting my money.