Welcome back to another week of Xbox LIVE additions where this week sees a triple scoop of Xbox LIVE additions before we charge headfirst into March and the announced Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party. Of course, this week will see even more with a new deal of the week, a good chunk of game add-ons, and a new demo to tackle. If you want more information on these, you’ve come to the right place as we run down the lineup for Xbox LIVE additions for the week.
Xbox LIVE Arcade – Greed Corp, Fret Nice, Lazy Raiders
Somebody must have pleased the Xbox LIVE Arcade gods this week, as three titles have been added to the mix.
Greed Corp is a strategy title developed by W!Games that hits the service at the price of 800 Microsoft Points. Greed Corp is actually the first in a planned series of titles based in a universe known as Mistbound and pits up to four players against each other in turn-based warfare where territorial domination is the goal. The title features a land collapsing mechanic that alters the landscape and constantly forces the players to adapt or be destroyed. It looks like strategy buffs will be able to get another taste of the genre on the service with Greed Corp and those looking for a new turn-based endeavor should check out the game’s demo.
Fret Nice is a crazy-looking effort by Swedish developer Pieces Interactive that has pieced together this music-infused platformer. In a change of pace, players can pick up a guitar controller and entirely control the action. Published by Tecmo, the title weighs in at a heftier 1,200 Microsoft Points, but with such a unique premise and innovative gameplay, players will have yet another use for those guitar controllers, and its charm will no doubt have me checking out later this week.
Last, but not least, Sarbakan has released Lazy Raiders, a puzzling platformer available for 800 Microsoft Points. The title details an archaeologist that has become too lazy to dig for his finds. Thus, the player is tasked with spinning and flipping the mazes in order to progress through the levels and avoid enemies and traps. The game also features avatar implementation, so if players could see themselves getting into Lazy Raiders, of course, there is a free demo waiting.
We haven’t forgotten about last week’s addition of P.B. Winterbottom, either. As of right now, we’re expecting our full review to hit the site on Friday.
Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week – Duke Nukem 3D is now 400 Microsoft Points
Truth be told, I could never really get into Doom. As such, when it came to id Software’s 3D adventures, I ran straight from Wolfenstein 3D into Duke Nukem 3D thanks to an uncle that had Duke’s “naughty” adventures available on his gaming rig. It was one of my favorite things to do whenever I visited, so, of course, it was easy for me to decide on picking up the Xbox LIVE version when it was released. This installment adds in the ability to rewind time after a death to avoid playing the entire level over from scratch and being coupled with a dedicated multiplayer service for co-op and deathmatch, players get an improved version of the original that easily worth 400 Microsoft Points. All of the single-player campaigns are included and all of the levels are pulled straight from the original version to please fans of the original, and there is enough absurd action to satisfy those new to the series. I can easily recommend this download, but as always there is a demo available if you are afraid to dive right in.
Game Add-Ons – Borderlands, Star Wars The Force Unleashed, FIFA 10
Right off the bat, we have yet another featured DLC expansion to Diehard GameFAN’s 2009 FPS of the year, Borderlands. Unlike the title’s previous DLC, Mad Moxxi, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx adds more exploration and quests to the title, among many other items. General Knoxx is the first DLC package developed after the development of Borderlands itself, meaning Gearbox has been able to take some of the players’ feedback and pump out new features, enemies and weapons in an environment twice as big as The (Zombie) Island of Dr. Ned. The DLC add-on will cost players 800 Microsoft Points and if you want to read up on the expansion, check out Diehard GameFAN’s The Secret Armory of General Knoxx features report.
Also touching down at 800 Microsoft Points, we have one more expansion for The Force Unleashed as it makes way for the upcoming sequel. The add-on is for a Hoth bonus level, adding even more missions to the title as players search for Luke Skywalker by infiltrating Echo Base and fighting Rebels and wampas.
Lastly, for 400 Microsoft Points, fans of FIFA 10 will be able to experience a second edition of Ultimate Team, a management mode for those that like to command a team from behind the scenes. This year’s edition will focus even more on maintaining player relationships as you try to keep them happy and winning. I know we have quite the fanbase for foot sims on the site here, so this may not be the last you hear of the FIFA 10 Ultimate Team mode. Until then, see what Christopher Bowen had to say about the full release in Diehard GameFAN’s review of FIFA 10 on the Xbox 360.
Game Demos – Major League Baseball 2K10
2K Sports is taking baseball into the new decade with its upcoming effort powered by the MLB license. If you want to warm up as spring training looms for the league, the company has placed a demo online allowing players to get a taste of this year’s installment. If you didn’t jump on board the 2009 release and want to know where the series is coming from this year, Charlie Marsh weighs in on the release with Diehard GameFAN’s review of Major League Baseball 2K9 on the Xbox 360.
Games on Demand – PURE
The 2008 Disney Interactive four-wheeler racing game PURE is now featured on the service at the price of $19.99. If you didn’t receive a holiday Xbox 360 bundle that had this title packed in, now is a good chance to use some of that hard drive space to pick up this dirty racer.
Finally, while we had a lineup of Resident Evil 5 content to enjoy last week, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand weren’t so lucky. Fortunately, this week adds the title to the Games on Demand service for those territories.
Music Marketplace
With many music game titles receiving expansion content on a weekly basis, it may start to become hard to follow, especially with these updates usually covering up the entire line of recent updates on the Xbox dashboard. This week, new updates unfold for our usual lineup of titles:
Rock Band
HIM – “Heartkiller”Â
HIM – “Ode to Solitude”Â
HIM – “Wings of a Butterfly”Â
KSM – “Distracted”Â
Marilyn Manson – “The Dope Show”Â
One Night Only – “Just For Tonight”Â
The Police – “Walking On the Moon”Â
Guitar Hero (Feb. 25)
Third Eye Blind Track Pack
“Can You Take Me”Â
“Losing a Whole Year” (new recording)
“Never Let You Go” (new recording)
Lips
Lady Gaga – “Paparazzi”Â
James Blunt – “High”Â
Snow Patrol – “Spitting Games”Â
In a couple of unique entries for Lips this week, players can pick up “Spitting Games” and a few previous Snow Patrol entries in a discounted pack. For 440 Microsoft Points, players can also pick up “Chasing Cars” and “Take Back the City.” Also, in preparation for next month’s Lips: Party Classics release, players can now pick up a free song medley to add to their song library.
Xbox LIVE Arcade Block Party Breakdown and Incentives
According to Major Nelson, here is the full breakdown of Xbox LIVE Arcade titles involved in the Block Party:
March 3 – Toy Soldiers – 1200 Points
March 10 – Scrap Metal – 1200 Points
March 17 – Perfect Dark – 800 Points
March 24 – Game Room – Free (Games to place in Game Room cost extra)
As an incentive to purchase the titles, Microsoft will be giving up to two possible promotions to players:
-Any member that purchases all three Xbox LIVE Arcade titles and downloads the Game Room app will have 400 Microsoft Points credited back to their account.
-Any Xbox LIVE Gold member purchasing and downloading all four will receive the 400 Microsoft Points along with a free month of Xbox LIVE Gold credited to their account.
Taking the time to read the fine print, I will point out these credits are expected to be delivered around April 30, 2010, and in the case of the free month of Xbox LIVE Gold, the account owner must have Gold status through April 30 to receive the credit. Be sure to keep that in mind if you’re hoping the free month will delay you from having to shell out some cash if you expire in March or April.
That is all for this week, but as next week kicks off the Arcade Block Party, I’m sure we’ll be seeing all sorts of additions, news, and promotions popping up on the service. Until that time, however, you have an abundance of arcade and even some freebies to pick up, so enjoy your week.
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