This weeks “Deal of the Week” is actually something worth talking about. Yes, for 400 MS Points you can get your hands on the excellent re-make of Bionic Commando; a fantastic challenging and addictive game that originated on the NES about 20 years ago.

Bionic Commando Rearmed is a platforming game where you must use your bionic arm to grapple and swing about the levels, avoiding enemies or using gun upgrades (or barrels) to take them out. The game also features hacking mini games and numerous challenge maps to add some extra variety and replayability.
Read the rest of this entry…

No Comments

The creators of the awesome game Oblivion (Bethesda) announced a great deal yesterday where all of their downloadable content is half price!

“In celebration of the arrival of April, the wackiness of April Fool’s Day, and the upcoming 3rd anniversary of the release of Horse Armor (Friday, April 3), we are pleased to announce that for the next week all Oblivion DLC for Xbox 360 is half price, except for Horse Armor, which is twice as much as usual. So if you’ve been waiting for just the right moment to get The Vile Lair, or Knights of the Nine, or Shivering Isles, now is the time.”

Thinking this was some soft of “April Fools” joke, I checked the marketplace to find that… it was real! All downloads are still half price, apart from the horse armour, which is double.

If you are at work, check this link to view the marketplace offer and purchase DLC to prepare the downloads to your Xbox 360 when you get home.

As I own the collectors edition of the game, I already have the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine. I managed to buy The Vile Lair, The Thieves Den, The Wizard’s Tower and The Orrery for a mere 300MS points! I’m also thinking of buying the Mehrune’s Razor DLC too.

So, for those who don’t already own all of the Oblivion DLC, this is the best time to get it! It’s also another great excuse to load the game up again and get back into it!

No Comments

Xbox Live Marketplace – Xbox Original Fable 33% off – this week only!

Sounds pretty sweet doesn’t it? For those who missed out on Fable the first time round, you may be thinking this is a great opportunity at the lowered price of 800MS points.

You are wrong.

For some reason, Microsoft (or Lionhead) decided the best idea would be to make the inferior version available for download. That’s right, this is in fact the original version of Fable, and not the updated/improved “Lost Chapters” version.

So what are you getting for your money (around £7)?

Don’t get me wrong, the first Fable game is the reason I purchased my original Xbox in the first place. The game looked just too awesome to miss out on, and it was. It was not long after though that Fable: The Lost Chapters was released.

Most people thought that “The Lost Chapters” didn’t really offer much new content to warrant purchasing it if they already owned the original, but for me the newer version felt so much more complete. The story seemed to make a bit more sense as characters appeared in cut scenes a bit more, areas felt populated/alive thanks to having an extended development time, there were some new quests, items, and areas to explore, and overall the package just felt more “finished”.

So why on earth didn’t Microsoft (or Lionhead) release this version on the “Xbox Originals” download list?

I have no idea.

So before you attempt to download this having being tempted by the offer, think about these points:

• You are getting the inferior version of the game
• You can get a copy of “Fable: The Lost Chapters” for cheaper than the current offer price
• The download version offers nothing new (no achievements, updates, or online features)
• Downloading this will take up precious space on the Xbox 360’s tiny Hard Drive

I appreciate Microsoft’s offer, I really do. But I think this time I will give it a miss. So far the weekly deals have been a bit of a let down for me. Fingers crossed for something better next week.

No Comments

For those of you currently enjoying Halo Wars, a useful “Tech Tree” has been created as a free download.

For those interested, the Halo Wars Tech Tree comes in PDF format and weighs around 9.11MB. It includes all the unit and building upgrades, with some other useful information about the hero units. To download this free Tech Tree, click here.

No Comments

There are times when you have a few Xbox Marketplace Points left over and you wonder (or forget) what games are out there worth buying. This article will cover some of my personal recommendations for Xbox Live Arcade Games for 400MS Points (in no particular order).

UNO
This is a simple card game that is very addictive. Whilst a card game may sound pretty boring, I advise you try out the demo. For only 400 points, UNO will provide hours of fun. The game features online 4 player, and some easy achievements for those of you who like to boost your gamerscore.
Marketplace Link: UNO

TMNT 1989 Arcade
Even if you did not play this game when it was originally released, this side-scrolling style beat-em-up is extremely playable without any added nostalgic factor. This game is very much like the Simpsons arcade game that so many people are begging to be released on Xbox Live. TMNT features both offline and online 4 player co-op, some easy achievements, and plenty of replay value.
Marketplace Link: TMNT Arcade

Streets of Rage 2
This is another classic side-scrolling beat-em-up. I just need to mention though that there is a Mega Drive / SEGA Genesis game compilation coming soon that will include this game (along with other current arcade games such as sonic 1, 2 and golden axe). So I would probably hang on and purchase that instead. I just felt that I had to mention something about this awesome game.
Marketplace Link: Streets of Rage 2

Small Arms
This game is very much like Smash Bros on the Nintendo Wii (although obviously a much more simplified game). For those who don’t know about it, Small Arms is a fighting game where up to four players (online or offline) must try to knock the others off from the arena/level. With numerous weapons, arenas, and characters this is well worth the 400 points.
Marketplace Link: Small Arms

Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars is a game which starts off looking fairly basic, but soon turns into a visual treat. The gameplay also starts off fairly simplistic, but soon becomes very challenging and addictive. Almost everyone owns this game already as it is hugely popular, but if you haven’t heard of it or seen it before, I highly recommend you download the demo today.
Marketplace Link: Geometry Wars

Assault Heroes
This is a game where you play mostly in a vehicle (although if it gets blown up you get to run around as a human and hope not to get shot before the next one respawns). This is classic arcade action which can be enjoyed solo or with a friend via offline or online co-op.
Marketplace Link: Assault Heroes

DOOM
A First-Person-Shooter classic! Need I really say anything about this game? Obviously as it’s an old game the graphics are a bit rubbish compared to today’s standards, but for the nostalgic gamers this is a great corridor shooter where you can blast various demons to bits (and play online.. although I’m not sure if anyone does anymore). This might be a biased recommendation, but who knows, it might appeal to the masses? Try it and see if you like it.
Marketplace Link: DOOM

No Comments