XBLA News

News: PSA: Sanctum 2 Is Still Due Out Today on XBLA

PSA: Sanctum 2 Is Still Due Out Today on XBLA

Problems for UK and European Users

Today's Xbox Live Arcade release - Sanctum 2 - has indeed been released today, but only in certain territories. The first-person-shooter/tower-defense/realtime strategy title is indeed available to download for US users, for 1,200 MSP. But here in the UK, the products game page has been removed from Xbox.com, and...

News: Microsoft Phasing Out Points for Next Generation

Microsoft Phasing Out Points for Next Generation

Bye bye, MSP.

Microsoft has confirmed that they'll be doing away with their virtual currency - Microsoft Points - when it comes to digital purchases in the next generation. Back in October, the company's Windows 8 operating system began reverting to using the user's local currency for video and game purchases, rather than the Microsoft Points...

News: Honestly, Monaco Will Be Released on Friday

Honestly, Monaco Will Be Released on Friday

It was due to release on the 25th of April, but after being delayed, apparently released, and then delayed again, interesting-looking thief 'em up Monaco: What's Yours is Mine will finally hit Xbox Live Arcade on Friday, May 10th. The news was confirmed on the game's official Twitter feed

News: Crash Course 2 Debuts for Free on Wednesday

Crash Course 2 Debuts for Free on Wednesday

In association with a famous crispmaker.

The sequel to the first Wipeout-style (the TV show, not the futuristic racer) title Crash Course is headed to Xbox Live this coming Wednesday, May 8th. Doritos Crash Course 2 will be entirely free, and gives gamers the chance to barrel through a bunch of crazy courses, competing for medals and picking up...

First Stage: Far Cry 3 - Blood Dragon

Far Cry 3 - Blood Dragon

Don't fancy downloading the demo? Check the game out here.

To celebrate the release of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, we thought we'd put together a "Let's Play" style video of the game without the annoying talking over the top, to help you decide whether or not your should take the plunge. We're calling it First Stage, and will be running these regularly...

Out Today: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

It's about to get a little bit neon up in here.

We're heading into a single-game Wednesday once again but this time around, things are looking up. The neon-infused Far Cry 3 spin-off Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is the order of the day, and given that we already know very much how it'll play (as we've played Far Cry 3) - we reckon there's a lot of...

News: Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend in Europe

Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend in Europe

Tons of XP bonuses on offer.

From this Friday (May 3rd) to this Sunday (May 5th), Xbox Live Gold will be FREE for all European users. In addition to the free-ness, players of certain games will also get the chance to pick up some sweet XP bonuses and other things, just for playing online over the course of the weekend. We've ferreted out the...

News: Monaco Delayed Even Further

Monaco Delayed Even Further

Developer confirms.

It's turning into a bit of a saga worthy of Agatha Christie's Poirot, but XBLA title Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine has been delayed further. The game was due to release last Wednesday, before being unceremoniously delayed thanks to a last-minute bug being found. Then on Friday, the game made an all-too-brief appearance on XBLA -...

News: Monaco Released Today

Monaco Released Today

What's Theirs is Yours

On Wednesday, we reported that the Xbox Live Arcade title Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine was delayed for an unspecified amount of time from its Wednesday release date, due to a bug being found in the code. Happily, that bug has been well and truly squashed, and the game will be available to download from today. At the moment,...

Review: Telltale Games' Poker Night 2 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Telltale Games' Poker Night 2 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Hold 'em or fold 'em?

If you’re making a game about poker, you should really focus on the getting the features of the actual cardplaying right – or at least up to speed with your competition – before throwing in characters from a bunch of franchises, and a witty script. That doesn’t seem to be what’s gone here, though. Poker Night 2...

Review: God Mode (Xbox Live Arcade)

God Mode (Xbox Live Arcade)

By the beard of Zeus!

Sometimes, it can be good to settle in with a game that attempts to do away with the hours of cutscenes and hundreds of pages of story scripts that most modern titles come bundled with, and just get down to the core of things. That’s what God Mode attempts to do, throwing the player directly into a third-person shooting fest...

Out Today: Poker Night 2

Poker Night 2

You can't bluff this.

It was due to be a double-handed dose of gaming goodness for Xbox Live Wednesday this week, with two potentially very strong games making their debut on XBLA. However, Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine has suffered a very late delay, so we're left with only one new game today. However, it does look like it could be a good one...

News: Monaco Delayed on XBLA

Monaco Delayed on XBLA

Was due out today...

The innovative-looking top-down steal-'em-up Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine has suffered a very, very late delay. The game was due to launch on Xbox Live Arcade today, but developer Pocketwatch Games found an issue that has caused them to push the game back for a short time. The bug has indeed been fixed, we're told, and the fix...

News: Poker Night 2, Call of Juarez Dated for XBLA

Poker Night 2, Call of Juarez Dated for XBLA

And they're coming up sooner than you think.

The dates have been confirmed for a brace of Xbox Live Arcade titles that have been slowly gathering momentum over the last few weeks. It seems that the promotional drops for Telltale's Poker Night 2 aren't just due to a someone finding a batch of screenshots and posting them off in order to build hype,...

News: Sanctum 2 Blends FPS with Tower Defence

Sanctum 2 Blends FPS with Tower Defence

Coming to XBLA in Summer

Coffee Stain Studios are working on a new XBLA title that could be one to watch, and have released a trailer to show it off. Sanctum 2 promises to blend a traditional first-person shooter with the strategy and tactical nuances of a tower defence game. Judging by the first batch of screenshots and that video, it looks to do...

Review: Sacred Citadel (Xbox Live Arcade)

Sacred Citadel (Xbox Live Arcade)

Old-school meets new-school.

Back when the excellent Castle Crashers released in 2008, the gameplay contained within the adorably-designed package was something of a revelation. You could have a number of characters on the go at a time, playing through the game as each of them in turn as you tried to get them all levelled up to the point of being...

Out Today: God Mode

God Mode

A bit of a diversion from the norm this week, with Sacred Citadel getting a launch back on Wednesday and Atlus' latest crack at dominating the digital space available to download today. The week is winding on, so let's break it down... God Mode (800 MSP) God Mode is a third-person shooter that allows up to four players to play in co-op mode...

Friday Five: Five XBLA Titles to Watch Out For

Five XBLA Titles to Watch Out For

XBLA is still going strong.

The next generation of Xbox gaming is just around the corner, and while we don’t know what that means for Xbox Live Arcade – it’s something that hasn’t been discussed at all really, as yet – there’s still plenty of downloadable fun to look forward to in 2013. So in this week’s Friday Five, we’re running...

Out Today: Sacred Citadel

Sacred Citadel

Side-scroller heads up Wednesday's action.

Wednesday has come around once again, as it has a habit of doing at least once every week, and that means that it's Xbox Live Arcade release day. It isn't the only release day this week, as Atlus' God Mode is due to hit the servers on Friday. Today though, you can pick up... Sacred Citadel (1200 MSP) A...

News: Confirmed: Castle of Illusion Coming to XBLA

Confirmed: Castle of Illusion Coming to XBLA

"Re-imagined from the ground up."

As we reported a week or so ago, the 16-bit classic Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is indeed getting an Xbox Live Arcade release, as confirmed by Sega today. However, this is not just a quick port, oh no. Rather, the game has been rebuilt from the ground up by Sega Studios Australia, and looks to include...