It’s not often I get to use the term “musical platformer”. In fact, without creating some diabolical contraption to mix Mario and Musical Chairs, it seems unlikely I’ll be using it a lot in the future either.

Fret Nice accomplishes this without the use of furniture, however, as you are able to use your guitar peripheral to strum, pluck or twang your way through each level. It is certainly the first time I’ve used my guitar for anything other than the arthritis-inducing, colour matching Guitar Hero and Rock Band. However, does it measure up to other platforming stalwarts?

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After much scrutiny and debate, Microsoft has finally conceded, and effective immediately, they have updated the network’s code of conduct to acknowledge gays and lesbians. Before the change, users were banned from displaying their sexual orientation in their profiles and gamer tags.

Because of the adolescent behavior displayed in games, I don’t blame Microsoft for ever banning sexual identity in the first place.

But to those who take a mature stance and proudly embrace their sexual orientation, this is a huge step in a progressive movement. Read more… »

As the IGF looms closer, more and more details are being revealed about the finalists. Today, The EA Partners initiative announced that they’ll be publishing two indie games, both from successful developers. The first is Klei Entertainment’s Shank, and the second is Hothead Games’ Deathspank. Shank is a current IGF finalist in the Visual Art Excellence category.

Both games will be making their way to the Xbox LIVE Arcade and the Playstation Network, with Shank also making its debut on the PC. It’s not surprising that EA wanted to pick up these great games, as Klei Entertainment’s flagship title, Eets! was highly successful on both the PC and the Xbox LIVE arcade.
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It’s shaping up to be an exciting year for indie games as the Independent Games Festival grows closer. Today added to that excitement when indie developer Playdead announced that their flagship title, Limbo, would be coming to the Xbox LIVE Arcade this summer. The announcement was made by Playdead’s CEO Dino Patti.

Limbo is a current IGF finalist, competing in both the Technical Excellent and Visual art categories. In addition, a playable version of the game will be presented to GDC attendees, so if you’re lucky enough to be heading to San Francisco, you’ll get a sneak peek at this great game.

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Pastry-jacking. It’s a nefarious crime with a long and storied past. Its perpetrators are few and far between, but tend to be some of the most recalcitrant and obsessed repeat offenders the world has ever known.

One cannot discuss dessert theft without mentioning the Knave of Hearts. His lust for tarts led him to betray his very own mother, rebelling against both family and the crown to pull off the greatest recorded pastry theft in documented history. That is, until recently.

Indie developers The Odd Gentlemen bring us a brand new tale of a man so consumed by his desire for pie that he learned to bend the very fabric of space and time just to satisfy it. Read on to get a taste of how The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom played for Gamer Limit!

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Xbox indie fans have something to rejoice about today, as Team Meat, the team of developers responsible for Super Meat Boy told IGN that the game would be released on the Xbox Live Arcade in addition to its release on the Wii.

Super Meat Boy has been in development for about six months now and since it was announced, it was thought the title would be a WiiWare exclusive, something many hardcore platform gamers lamented. However, with today’s announcement, Team Meat has opened their game to a much broader audience which can only be good for Meat Boy.

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Over at 1UP, someone with access to an alpha build of the upcoming XBLA and PSN game Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 leaked a smattering of images (of which the header image is one) of the game in motion, along with a video.  While the video was clearly taken with a home video camera, it still gives us a (somewhat) clear look at what we can expect from the game.

Check out this nostalgic footage after the jump, along with some of the leaked images that accompanied the video.  Then, feel free to share your thoughts on what you’ve seen in the comments, or head over the official Sonic the Hedgehog forum thread for more in depth discussion! Read more… »

Do any of you remember years back at E3 when Microsoft first announced that Xbox LIVE would eventually be coming to cell phones.  Well it’s taken them a long time, but it appears this pipe dream will finally become a reality sooner rather than later.

Microsoft announced today that when Windows Phone 7 series launches later this year, it will come with full Xbox LIVE support.  This includes everything from viewing XBL leaderboards and achievement scores to playing turn-based multiplayer games on the go.  For a full list of all the features included, hit the jump. Read more… »

If you’re a 360 gamer who was looking forward to Trine, it looks like you’ll have to get your fix on the PC or PS3 platforms. The high detailed 2D puzzle-platformer was scheduled to be released last year, but that date has come and gone and the XBLA has seen neither hide nor hair of Trine. Joel Kinnunen of Frozenbyte recently stated on the company forums, “It’s out of our hands but most likely will not happen. Sorry. (We probably won’t comment on this any further.)”

One has to wonder with a statement like that, just why the game won’t be released on 360. If the game was developed enough to be released, perhaps licensing issues or other problems prevented the release. Joystiq contacted Microsoft for a statement, but it seems they’ve refused to shed any light on the cancellation as well.
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What do people enjoy more than launching copies of Perfect Dark Zero extremely great distances?  Receiving any news, screens or video that they can on the Perfect Dark XBLA remake that’s set to release in March, that’s what!

At their ongoing X10 conference, Microsoft unveiled a new trailer for the remake.  The video featured the game running in glorious HD, as well as at 60 frames per second (which comes as a huge delight to anyone who played the crazy slow original).

Check out the trailer after the jump, and strap on your nostalgia goggles!  Everyone does have nostalgia goggles, right? Read more… »

It’s time for the information dump all of you Mega Man fans have been waiting for.  Capcom has finally unveiled the official release dates for all the different platform versions of Mega Man 10, as well as a complete description list of the weapon upgrades.

Those of you who still own a Wii will get first dibs at the game when it releases on WiiWare on March 1st.  PS3 owners will get it next on March 11th, leaving Xbox 360 users waiting for when it finally arrives on March 31st.  I’m not sure why the releases are spread so far apart, but it is what it is.  Hit the jump for a complete list of weapon upgrades and descriptions. Read more… »

It’s the start of a new week, and along with that comes a whole new slew of games discounted for the Xbox Live Marketplace Deal of the Week.  This week’s list consists of a trio of popular arcade fighting games, which are sure to attract some buyers who’ve been hesitant in the past to pick them up.

The lineup begins with everyone’s favorite 3-vs-3 brawler, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which has been reduced 33% to 800 Microsoft points ($10).  Rounding out the list is TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled and Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao.  For a complete list of discounted prices, hit the jump. Read more… »