Deal Alert: Ton of Sega content on Xbox Live

Being a fan of old school Sega I had to promote this little sale running on Xbox Live.  Most of the games are half off which means you can get a ton of great games for very little money (like 8 games for $20 or 1600 Microsoft Points).    The promotion runs through April 25th, so stock up while you can!

After Burner Climax
Was: $10
Now: $5

Altered Beast
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Comix Zone
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Crazy Taxi
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Cyber Troopers Virtual On Oratorio Tangram
Was: $15
Now: $7.50

Ecco The Dolphin
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Golden Axe
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Gunstar Heroes
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Happy Tree Friends False Alarm
Was: $10
Now: $5

Outrun Online Arcade
Was: $10
Now: $5

Phantasy Star II
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Shinobi
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Sonic Adventure
Was: $10
Now: $5

Sonic & Knuckles
Was: $3
Now: $1.50

Sonic The Hedgehog
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Was: $15
Now: $10

Street of Rage 2
Was: $5
Now: $2.50

There are also some related avatar items on sale if you’re into that.

Remember Microsoft Points cards come in 1600 ($20)  and 4000 ($50) point increments in stores.  In addition, Microsoft Points can be purchased from the console via credit card.

For more information check out the Xbox Live dashboard.  Impressions for some of the games can be found here, and check the internet for the rest. Now, to run out and stock up on Microsoft Points!

Demo Weekend: I DJ Sonic Space Plants Dead and KOF Sky Stage

I’m forever glad that Microsoft decided to incorporate demos into Xbox Live. I’ve bought several titles on Live and a few retail games that I would have passed on otherwise thanks to a demo. The ones that stand out gave a huge chunk of gameplay allowing me to figure out if it was for me. So now I make a habit of checking out all the new demos hitting the Live Marketplace. Here are a few games from the past month or so.

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1
Release Date: August 16, 2009
Price: $1
I normally neglect the games that pop up on Xbox Live Indie Channel. But about a year ago this little title came along from James Silva and every so often I play it again for giggles. Players may recognize Silva as founder of Ska Studios who’ve brought you titles such as The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (winner of Dream-Build-Play contest) so you know it’s quality. In IMAGWZ1I! players take control of a the nameless main character from an overhead perspective. Movement is made with the right stick while firing comes from left stick. The key is to mow down loads of zombies with a variety of weapons while evading death. Very simple concept yet gets tougher as enemies change and increase in numbers. Four player cooperative play is also available. The laser is my weapon of choice. One of the best parts of the game is hearing the soundtrack that belts out “I made a game …. WITH ZOMBIES IN IT!!! IT ONLY COSTS A DOLLAR!!!” and so on. A very enjoyable experience that you can’t get anywhere else for just one dollar. Give it a try.

DJ Hero 2
Release Date: October 19, 2010
Price: $60
You’ve read my glowing review of DJ Hero, so it’s obvious I’m pumped for DJ Hero 2. In June, FreeStyleGames dropped a single mix for owners of the first game (Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis – “Just Dance” vs. Deadmau5 – “Ghosts N Stuff”) as a little preview to the sequel. Now with this demo, you get to play it again along with Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes – “Don’t Cha” vs. Pitbull – “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho),” MSTRKRFT featuring N.O.R.E. – “Bounce” (Beat Juggle), Estelle featuring Kanye West – “American Boy” vs. Chic – “Good Times.” Not only are there going to be over 70 mixes from over 85 artists, tons of new gameplay mechanics are being introduced. Freestyle is going to be a huge component. In the demo there is a tutorial for freestyle scratching and cross-fading, plus the sampling has been redone. The game will now score you on how well these are executed to the beat. Euphoria and Rewind is still there and just as functional. Another minor tweak I found was some note buttons had a thick line behind them . They looked like a part where you’d normally tap a platter button, but now you hold it. The main interface looks slick and a departure from the first game. Gone is the Guitar Hero III type of illustrations and replaced with something cleaner. Also, there is new mode called “Empire” promised to give you more than the simple playlists of the original. Some new competitive modes give it the chance to expand the experience. With any luck, I’ll be picking this up next month and review it!

Sonic Adventure
Release Date: September 15, 2010
Price: $10
I never played Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast, but after this demo I can’t imagine I missed anything. The game is set in a 3D environment but requires a lot of straight navigation. Very tough on the Xbox 360 controller and probably even the Dreamcast too. The demo is only the first level and boring. The game is cute in a Dreamcast sort of way and would have worked better as a HD remake. I would love to see more of the games released on that console to live on the XBLA. As far as Sonic goes, maybe I’ll just wait for Sonic 4.

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene
Release Date: September 15, 2010
Price: $10
Bleep. Bloop. Shoop. Wah wah wah wah. Just from those little noises, most people can recognize the classic Space Invaders. But, for this installment the gameplay has evolved. The game oozes retro style with updated graphics. It also sports a faux 3D setting but at its heart remains a solid shoot ’em up. There are lots of powerups and enemies dart all over the screen nearly assuring eye strain. The game rewards twitchy movement to avoid the crossfire. So I found myself covering the path with bullets to survive. Normal sets you down the road of the evolving sequence which you can call the “story.” There are also other ways to play like Music Mode which created stages based on music it finds on your console or Challenge Mode which created 99 random levels for more of that old school feel. The game reminds me a lot of what I experienced in Rez minus the rails. Fun for anyone who remembers standing at an arcade cabinet destroying aliens or if this is your first Space Invaders.

Plants vs. Zombies
Release Date: September 8, 2010
Price: $15
Having played this on iPhone, I was super excited to see it finally come to Xbox Live. Plants vs. Zombies is a cute game that is fun in the same vein as Peggle (especially since it also comes from PopCap). Think tower defense, but actually fun. As the player guarding your house from zombies is priority number one. Placing plants in the yard is how you defend it. There are all types of foliage: sunflowers which bring in sun allowing more plants to be planted, a few types of Peashooters that pummel the zombies, fungi for night scenarios, and more. More plants are gained by completing levels and even more can be purchased from Crazy Dave (not a zombie). The controls work smoothly especially when moving around the board to collect sun (the part I was worried about). The game looks wonderful on my HDTV and I can’t wait to buy the full game. There are a ton of new modes besides the five original that help add value to the game. There are co-op, versus, and some minigames to keep you busy. If you don’t have Plants vs. Zombie or Peggle, go buy them now. Thanks.

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Price: $5
I absolutely hated Dead Rising. The save system sucked, the text was tiny (no HDTV at the time), and it was hard. I maybe got past the first boss. I failed to understand why people were so crazy for this game. I think Left 4 Dead has done a much better job. Regardless, I wanted to try out this glorified Dead Rising 2 demo. I didn’t pay the $5, but instead got the trial version of it. The game is basically the same as before with few added tweaks. A major feature is the ability combine weapons to make some awesome weapons like a paddle with chainsaws attached. With duct tape. Something tells me this isn’t the best thing to do… so don’t try it at home. It could also be said for Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. Fun, it is not. I think it plays too much like the first game (with the silly countdown timer) and feels sluggish all over. The only change is the scenery and main character. I wish I had better things to say about it. It could be something you pop in for an hour every so often just to satisfy your bloodlust.

KOF SKY STAGE
Release Date: September 15, 2010
Price: $10
Awful. Absolutely terrible. KOF SKY STAGE is a vertical shoot ’em up like Space Invaders: Infinity Gene except horrible. King of Fighters characters fly through the air and unleash attacks on attacking enemy robots. The game looks like it would have been better suited as a Nintendo DS game. The demo puts you through one level that ends in a boss battle. Dialogue is horrible in the “cutscenes” too. KOF SKY STAGE reminds me an awful lot of Raystorm HD mostly because of the quality. Or maybe these games weren’t designed for me.

Last Word
If you’re sitting the fence on any of these always games grab the demos. It’s free (if you’re a Gold subscriber) and a no-brainer. From this batch my picks are I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1, DJ Hero 2, Space Invaders: Infinity Gene, and Plants vs. Zombies. Stock up on those Microsoft Points and get to downloading!