I know, I know; there’s never anything interesting going on in March. Madness, isn’t it? Well the March doldrums shan’t be so… doldrummy… this year, as dates and pricing have been announced for Microsoft’s upcoming five-week XBLA event, XBLA House Party. Every Wednesday, starting on February 16th and running through March 16th, a new XBLA game will be released and featured, some of which have been requested and anticipated by fans for quite some time.
Details and pricing:
- 02/16 – Hard Corps: Uprising – 1200 MSP – This Contra-but-not-Contra game from Konami serves as a prequel to the 1994 Genesis game Contra: Hard Corps. There will be two game modes: Rising and Arcade. Arcade will be classic, one-hit-and-you’re-toast Contra, while Rising gives you a health bar that can sustain three hits before the icy grip of death takes hold. I wonder if the Code will be available? It is a Contra game, after all.
- 02/23 – Bejeweled Blitz – 800 MSP – It’s difficult to imagine not knowing what Bejeweled is in this day and age. Flagship for PopCap Games, Bejeweled is an addiction that can never be fully satisfied. And now it’s making its way to Xbox Live. Hexic be damned, let the gem-swapping begin!
- 03/02 – Beyond Good & Evil HD – 800 MSP – Critically revered, yet a commercial flop, Beyond Good & Evil brings new life to Jade and the alien conspiracy. An action-adventure game from UbiSoft, Beyond Good & Evil has been in high demand as a remake/port. That demand has now been met.
- 03/09 – Torchlight – 1200 MSP – Remember Diablo and Diablo II? I sure as hell do; I still have the BattleChest in a moving box somewhere. If you loved Diablo, chances are good that you’ll love Torchlight, what with the co-designers of Diablo being two of the head honchos behind it. Torchlight has received much acclaim so far in its PC version, and now this action-RPG is coming to XBLA to further devour my precious, precious time.
- 03/16 – Full House Poker – 800 MSP – The “spiritual successor” to Xbox Live’s unfortunately cancelled 1 vs. 100 project, Full House Poker will operate in a similar manner, providing tournaments and more for Xbox Live players. Full House Poker will make use of the popular “Texas Hold ‘Em” variant of the card game. Ante up!
There you have it; five great games, five fun-filled weeks, five budget-friendly prices. I can’t wait, and if I may be so bold as to speak in your stead, neither can you!
