News - Next wave of Xbox Live Arcade games revealed
Posted by Ash Paulsen at 04:22:11 AM EST on 8.17.2006.
Even as Xbox 360 owners are just now coming off of a steady stream
of Xbox Live Arcade releases, Microsoft has just announced that
they're preparing another series of Live Arcade games to be
released in the coming weeks. The games will be released every
Wednesday, in keeping with the company's new "Xbox Live Arcade
Wednesdays" promotion, the first wave of which ended with Pac-Man's
release last Wednesday.
There will be a slight break in between the waves of Xbox Live
Arcade Wednesday releases; the second wave doesn't begin until next
week. Instead, this week's XBLA Wednesday release consists of four
new picture packs for Cloning Clyde, a Live Arcade platformer
already available for download. The picture packs will be sold for
100 Microsoft Points ($1.25) each.
As stated before, however, next week begins the second wave of Live
Arcade game releases. August 23 will see the release of Texas Hold
'Em, which will feature persistent bankrolls that are attached to
each player's Xbox Live Gamertag. This means that players who bet
foolishly and lose often will be forced to play on the lower-stakes
tables until they earn their way back to the higher-stakes,
higher-action tables. Texas Hold 'Em will normally go for 800
Microsoft Points ($10), but the Big M has surprisingly announced
that the game will actually be free for the first 48 hours that
it's available, so interested gamers should jump on that right
away.
Konami is reaching deep into its bag of yesteryear arcade classics
for the two Wednesdays following Texas Hold 'Em. On August 30,
arcade dogfighting classic Time Pilot will hit the Arcade with
high-definition visuals and "enhanced gameplay" for 400 Microsoft
Points ($5). Finally, on September 6, Xbox 360 owners willing to
part with another 400 Microsoft Points will be able to download
Scramble, a classic side-scroller from way back in 1981.
Microsoft has not yet announced any Live Arcade release plans
beyond September 6. As Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is not
expected until November, the other notable title that most will
likely notice is not on this list is Lumines Live, whose release
date is obviously still forthcoming and up in the air. You can be
sure that GAF will keep you informed when news on the Live Arcade's
Fall releases becomes available, though.