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Xbox Live to follow up “Summer of Arcade” with “Game Feast”

Following the successful ‘Summer of Arcade’ promotion in 2010, Microsoft are set to run the ‘Game Feast’ games release this autumn on Xbox LIVE throughout October. Exactly what this promotion would entail or would contain was unknown until today, as Microsoft have confirmed the titles set to be included. First on the line-up is the long-awaited Hydrophobia from Dark Energy Digital which is set to be available on September 29th for 1200 Microsoft Points. At E3 2010 Hydrophobia received multiple awards, including Best Downloadable Game from Gametrailers.com. On October 6th, we will get the title Comic Jumper: Adventures of Captain Smiley for 1200 Microsoft Points. The first episode in a groundbreaking new series, Hydrophobia will be priced at 1200 Microsoft Points. Zen Studios’ Pinball FX 2, set to be made available on 13th October 2010. Pinball FX 2 is a free update for existing Pinball FX owners, while new users can download and try every pinball table for free. Gamefeast is then finished up as Super Meat Boy will be available from 20th October 2010. Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE promotional activities typically last the duration of an entire month, so if there are any future Game Feast titles, we will have to wait and see.

September 29th – Hydrophobia (1200 Microsoft Points)
October 6th – Comic Jumper: Adventures of Captain Smiley (1200 Microsoft Points)
October 13th – Pinball FX 2 (Tables purchased individually)
October 20th – Super Meat Boy (Pricing TBD)

Hothead gives two spanks in one year

During the last GameCasa podcast, you heard lots of discussion about the release of Deathspank. Fans of this game will be excited to hear that Hothead dropped its pants for Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue which will be released on September 21 on PSN for $15 and September 22 on XBLA. Thongs of Virtue is said to be 50% longer than the first game, and include new settings like the North Pole. Hothead is promising “more adventure and puzzle questing” in this game, along with more Ron-Gilbert-injected humor revolving around six mystical thongs. Though the game is a sequel to the original DeathSpank, Hothead claims it’s not necessary to have played the first game to understand the humor. Since the two games were developed concurrently, Hothead was not able to make any adjustments to the gameplay based on fan feedback. There won’t be any online multiplayer either. Fans wishing for a PC version may also be disappointed that Hothead is focusing its efforts on the console titles, though the possibility of a third DeathSpank game appearing on PC is still in the cards. And there is no in game bonus for having played the first title.
Deathspank producer Hamish Miller is on record as saying that Deathspank will be longer and funnier than the original. The press release for the game describes the plot as follows: “A long time ago, nine mystical thongs were planned to bring balance and harmony to the universe, but when marketing got in the way, only six thongs were produced, and the result was disastrous. Granting great power to those who wear them, the thongs corrupted all those they touched—except DeathSpank. DeathSpank must find all six thongs and destroy them once and for all.”

In our weekly feature to GameCasa, we will be listing all the downloadable fun you can expect to be released across the video game world.

XBox Game Room: Checkers and Tennis for the Atari 2600, Pinball for Intellivision and an arcade version of City Bomber will all be available for download on August 25th.

Xbox Live Arcade: The Xbox version of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World will be on the Xbox Live Arcade on August 25th for 800 Microsoft Points. Also available will be Shank, a 2D side-scrolling action game developed by Klei Entertainment. It features melee and ranged combat and was written by God of War co-creator Marianne Krawczyk. 1200 Microsoft Points nets you this title.

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week:

* BioShock 2 Rapture Metro, 400 Microsoft Points
* BioShock 2 Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack, 240 Microsoft
* BioShock Rosie Big Daddy Outfit 240 Microsoft Points (Male) (Female)
* BioShock Watchface Big Daddy Doll, 160 Microsoft Points

PS3 DLC: “The Betrayal of Jimmy” is a PS3 exclusive downloadable episode for Mafia 2, which will be available the same day as Mafia 2 is released for consoles on August 24th.

PlayStation Network Store: Shank will be released on PSN on August 24th.

Wii Ware: And Yet It Moves is an award-winning, physics-based platform game in which players run and jump through a world made of paper. To aid in completing its twisted, mind-bending levels, you possess the unique ability to rotate the world at will. Walls become floors, slides become platforms – but a harmless pile of rocks becomes a hazardous threat when turned upside-down. Use the Wii Remote controller like a magic wand to tilt the world. Explore beautifully crafted environments. Survive 20 challenging levels filled with strange creatures, traps and puzzles. Unlock bonus levels, competitive play modes and surprising modifications that change the entire game. Turn your world upside-down with And Yet It Moves! 1000 wii points gets you this game.

Wii Virtual Console: I didn’t have a new Gene Wilder video ready this week. Just as well, cause there actually is a Virtual Console release this week with Sunsoft’s UFOURIA: THE SAGA for 600 wii points. Remember that game? Me Neither. Maybe that’s cause this bottom of the barrel swill was never even released in North America. Join Bop Louie as he searches for three friends – Shades, Freeon Leon and Gil – to help him complete his mad scramble. It won’t be easy. Brain-boggling mazes, traps and bizarre pitfalls stand in your way on the journey back to Ufouria. You’ll rely on your friends to survive in this strange, changing world, and you’d better have the right powers for the strange worlds you’ll encounter. As you make your trek through mystical forests, deserts and oceans, you’ll need to seek out and destroy monstrous creatures every step of the way. Will you have the right powers at the right time? Don’t let the mind-zapping colors and stupefying sound effects throw you off.

Game Casa’s King Arthur reviews the Xbox Live Summer Of Arcade Title, Limbo.

Make sure to let all of your friends know about http://www.gamecasa.net, the first social media site geared toward connecting casual/dispicable gamers across platform.

In our weekly feature to GameCasa, we will be listing all the downloadable fun you can expect to be released across the video game world. A legendary character makes her return to the scene.

XBox Game Room: Chip Shot Golf and Snafu for Intellivision and Freeway, Maze Craze, and Seaquest (Not the Roy Schieder TV Show) for Atari 2600 will be available on Game Room on August 18th.

Xbox Live Arcade: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be released for download on August 18th. Unlike previous games in the series, the game does not carry the Tomb Raider brand and will have a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay, both online or locally. In the multiplayer, players will take the role as either Lara Croft or a 2,000 year old Mayan warrior named Totec. They will have to work together in order to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and retrieve the Mirror of Smoke. A single-player campaign mode will be available that will have a different storyline and will not include the non-playable character AI following or helping Lara.

PS3 DLC: A multiplayer DLC pack for Uncharted 2 – Among Thieves will be available for download on August 17. Dubbed the Sidekick Skins pack, this DLC includes more multiplayer skins of Sully, Chloe and Elena as well as a couple of villains to balance it all out. You will get Heist Chloe, Borneo Chloe, Borneo Sully, UDF Sully, Winter Sully, Wetsuit Elena, Mac, Dillon

PlayStation Network Store: The jet fighter game Top Gun, taken from the movie is up for release on August 17th. If you’re on the fence about this one, check out the trailer.

Wii Ware: In SpaceTrek (700 Wii Points) you are Captain Jay and you take control of a space jet deployed on an alien world. The planet you’re on is inhabited by the Knagar, a race of big, green, self-important bullies. You must fight your way through, outsmart them and save the survivors. Fortunately, Jay can always throw a nice punch line when things get ugly. Fight floating drones, destroy Knagar ships, attack turrets and deal with gigantic worms before they swallow your ship or electrocute you. Access your handy map to avoid getting lost on one of six big levels. Pick up keycards, deactivate force fields, save survivors and collect power-ups. Rearm your ship to use one of six weapons, including the Quark Dispeller, Anti-Matter Thrower and Mega Rockets. Recharge your ship’s battery by flying over heat-bursting volcanoes. Then use the surplus to power your weapons or energy shield. Enjoy humorous dialogue that accompanies players throughout the game.
There’s also A Monsteca Corral: Monsters vs. Robots, where the planet Monsteca is no longer the harmonious world it once was. It’s been overrun by a robotic army that’s determined to rule and conquer. Monsteca natives known as the Stompies have no choice but to run. Unable to defend themselves against such heavy machinery, the Stompies must rely on the strength of their herd to work together and defeat the meddling robots.

Wii Virtual Console:

The usual…with a Spartan twist

In our weekly feature to GameCasa, we will be listing all the downloadable fun you can expect to be released across the video game world. There’s even a game connected on a soon to released movie.

XBox Game Room: Dodge’em, Dolphin, and Dragster are games from the Atari 2600. For the Intellivision you will be able to get Hockey and Super Pro Decathlon. All these games will be available on August 11th.

Xbox Live Arcade: Monday Night Combat is a game that is set in the future, two teams of cloned soldiers battle to destroy the other team’s ‘Money Ball’ as a competitive sport. The game blends third person shooting with classes in the style of Team Fortress 2 with team-based objectives in the style of Defense of the Ancients and similar games. It will be available on August 11th.

Xbox 360 On Demand: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X will be available on demand on August 10th.

XBox DLC Red Dead Redemption’s Legends and Killers Pack for 800 MS points and Dragon Age Origins: The Golems of Amgarrak for 400 MS points will be available on August 10th.

PlayStation Network Store: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game loosely follows the plot of the graphic novels where up to four players can play as Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Kim Pine or Stephen Stills, who must battle through several levels in order to defeat Ramona’s seven evil exes. It drops on August 10th.

PSOne Classics: Crash Team Racing is a racing game in the Crash Bandicoot Series that will be up for sale on August 10th

Wii Ware: My Aquarium 2 and Enjoy Your Massage! can be downloaded on August 9th. In the massage game, you give people massages. No, I am not shitting you.

Wii Virtual Console:

Nintendo continues its war on fans of the Virtual Console

In a new weekly feature to GameCasa, we will be listing all the downloadable fun you can expect to be released across the video game world. Enjoy.

XBox Game Room: 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, Beamrider, and the classic Centipede all drop on August 4.

Xbox Live Arcade: : Castlevania: Harmony of Despair will be available on August 4

Xbox360 On Demand: Frontlines: Fuel of War is expected to be released this week

PlayStation Network Store:Earthworm Jim HD will be out on August 3

Wii Ware: Fantasy Slots: Adventure Slots and Games, Deer Captor are available now.

Wii Virtual Console: As has been the case for a long time now, we get this from Nintendo

I am planning on buying each of these 5 awesome-looking games! You get MS points refunded when you buy 3 or more too, which sweetens the deal a bit. Regardless, 5 games, 4 of which offer co-op online, for ~ $75 (1200 MS points a peice) is a steal–especially seeing as you get 1200 MS points refunded for purchasing all 5. Anyway, check em out:

Check out the interview Rake, Brandon and I did, regarding our voice over work for Trials HD.  Thanks to Cannibal Shogun (John) and his partner in crime DaleTheAutomata (Nick), for making the trip out to West Chester, as well as Antti and the boys over at RedLynx for putting us in their kick-ass game!

I’m downloading the demo later this week, in the mean time, I’ve been looking skeptically at the trailer.  Why didn’t they just remake the original Tecmo Bowl?  Are the players and teams in this one even real?