This week was all about the democratising of Indie game development through the PC, PSN and XBLA. But according to Brian Crecente over at Kotaku, Microsoft may be getting a little greedy on the current XBLA royalty fees - claiming they may have as much as halved the previous amount given to developers.

For the last few years Microsoft had given XBLA developers a very generous royalty share of 70% - now sources are saying that may have gone down to somewhere near 35%.

Microsoft has responded to the allegations, which you can view here on Kotaku, however they neither confirm or deny the rumor.

If the rumors are true - it seems like an almost hostile move by Microsoft which could possibly push waves through the Indie community back to the PC, PSN or Wii. One of the main reasons XBLA is so popular is that it's actually one of the few ways to make some decent cash out there in the Indie scene - a scene where most games are made out there for no profits whatsoever, and a scene where games are - in general - never actually made to completion.

If such a sudden change has occurred, it may begin to turn people off using the XNA library. A game like The Dishwasher is already fairly far along in development - but what can a developer like this do now that they're already deep into the XNA structure? You can't go back - you're committed to the platform. You're stuck.

If this is true it could also mean that some games could go UP in price - a game like Bionic Commando Rearmed was made with a fairly large budget for an XBLA game - under the assumption that they would get most of those costs back with the generous royalties - now it might be too much of an effort to do this kind of project again.

Of course, this is all speculative, it might just purely be rumors, or not as severe as suggested - but even still it could be a blow to the XBLA initiative. At the same time, we don't know what sort of royalties are being pushed by Sony or Nintendo on their respective consoles either.

Kotaku will hopefully be following up on this as more information comes up.

Source: Kotaku - "Rumor Microsoft Cuts Indie Royalties in Half", Kotaku - "gdc08 Microsoft Responds to Royalties Cut Rumor"

Infinite Interactive are hard at work at their semi-sequel to the hit Puzzle game - Puzzle Quest. During GDC - CEO Steve Fawkner had his own session, discussing the troubles they had trying to find a publisher for the original - that it was deemed "too risky" - you can read about that here.

Infinite Interactive demoed their upcoming title to Gamespot after the session. Galactrix has had a slight name change since the original announcement - it now has Puzzle Quest slapped on the front of the title. And who wouldn't? GFW Magazine just gave the original game a 10/10!

The Gamespot preview discusses the differences between the original and the sequel - Galactrix sounds like it's expanding on the orginal in very different ways. The game has also changed style somewhat - as seen on the official page the game was originally looking much like Puzzle Quest or even Tetris. With the new shots from Gamespot you can see it's gone with a new Hex-style board as you battle other ships:

D3 was only focusing on the core puzzle gameplay in Galactrix during our demo, so that's all we got to see firsthand. But in talking with company reps, we discovered there will be more going on between battles here than there was in Puzzle Quest. That game took place only on a single world map, but in Galactrix, your quest will span planets, star systems--and perhaps even the entire galaxy.

A number of other gameplay systems will underpin your mission. There's a diplomacy system that will track your standing with various factions throughout your interstellar travels, governing the interactions you're able to have with them.

A commodity system will tally your income and dictate what resources you're able to amass to assist your offensive effort. And, there will be ship building, allowing you to collect blueprints you can use to construct new and varied ships for your fleet then customize their weaponry for different kinds of enemy encounters.

At the Independant Games Festival there was one game on the tip of everyone's lips - Fez. Developers by The Kokoromi Collective / POLYTRON out of Quebec, this 2D-in-3D platformer ended up winning the Award for Excellence in Visual Art.

Being an Indie developed game, it's now a matter of what it'll end up appearing on - PSN, XBLA, or just PC only? Well Phil Fish - one of the developers - had this to say on the NeoGAF forums:

This version is being made on XNA. Draw your own conclusions.

Rubicon Development have updated their website with the first official word on Shotest Shogi as well as a completely unannounced title - Basement Pool.

"Basement Pool” is a brand new pool game development, custom designed for the demands of the Xbox 360 Live Arcade audience. Sporting a swathe of advanced features, both graphical and gameplay-wise, ”Basement Pool” ticks all the boxes for a next generation console game while adding a few new ones of its own.

- Totally Realistic ball physics courtesy of the Raz0r Physics system.
- Spectacular high resolution, high detail next gen graphics.
- Different game types - currently five unique variations of pool, with more to be added later.
- Different tables - Basement pool has fifteen unique pool tables, including standard US and UK tables and some very odd ones indeed!
- Online Multiplayer action via XBox Live.

You may know Chess, but do you know Shogi? This challenging and exciting strategy game is arguably the most popular board game in Japan. Now it arrives on Xbox LIVE Arcade with world-class AI, 16 challenging computer opponents, online multiplayer, gorgeous 3D boards and a beautifully rendered Japanese setting.

Shogi veterans can jump right in and play, while newcomers will learn the basics and finer points through animated tutorials and puzzles. Once you experience Shotest Shogi, you’ll understand why the Japanese are so fascinated with Shogi!

A unique spin on a classic shooter, players can capture enemies with anchors and fling them away with “Triggerheart Exelica.” The vertical scrolling shooter deploys on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, February 27 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PST).

“Triggerheart Exelica” on Xbox LIVE Arcade is an upgraded version of the original Japanese arcade game and allows players to take down or trap and toss enemies by controlling humanoid weapons systems known as Triggerhearts. Players will enjoy the smallest and newest model of Triggerhearts, which feature the perfect blend of artificial intelligence and an imposing arsenal.

They are the ultimate weapon against the mysterious enemy ships of the Ver’mith! “Triggerheart Exelica” also features five stages of enhanced graphics, BGM sound tracks, three difficulty levels and a “Variable Boss Attack System,” which adjusts the difficulty level to match player’s skills.

The major websites have gotten around to reviewing the latest XBLA game - and it's all good!

- Gamespot review by Don Francis - 7.5/10
- 1UP.com review by Nick Suttner - 8.5/10
- Xbox360 @ IGN.com review by Ryan Geddes - 8.5/10

Source: 1up.com, ign.com, gamespot.com

Gamespot were roving around the grounds during GDC '08 and were able to get the first footage of Go! Go! Break Steady!



Break Steady is a mix of a button-tapping games like a Dance Dance Revolution of a Boom Boom Rocket, while also being a Puzzle game similar to Zuma. Each 'set' is in two parts - the player must first perform a set of button actions as soon as they go into the 'action zone' in the middle of the screen.





Once this is completed, the player must then insert new coloured 'Beatnik' blocks into the surrounding beatnik circle. Getting 3 beatniks in a row will remove them from the Puzzle Ring and push the rest together - which can combo blocks together and therefore, get you more points.



Doing better in the first part gives you more beatniks to work with for the second - so you can work faster and get rid of those blocks quicker. The game is over once the timer runs out or the level fills with blocks.





The game features a Single Player mode where you can play as one of six characters attempting to beat another characters 'beat', as well as an endless mode and a puzzle mode.



The game also has 2 player Multiplayer for Local and online play, where you can multiply beatniks to throw more blocks onto the other side, or work together Cooperatively!



The game is being made by a new developer called Little Boy Games, which have also just updated their website with new information on the game - including cast and more about the gameplay.

At Peter Molyneux Session at GDC, he announced that several new XBLA titles will be created for use in and out of Fable 2 - now some new information has been revealed, courtesy of this Gamespot Video Preview.

The Fable 2 Pub Games will come in 3 different kinds of gambling experiences. One is a mix of Crappes meets Roulette - which was shown at the GDC session and is currently titled "Keystone". Two more are in the works - a slot machine styled game, and a "press your luck" game. Whether or not these are bundled together or separately isn't actually known.

The games are currently being made by Carbonated games - makers of UNO, Hexic, and Hexic 2 and will share the amount of money made in then with Fable 2 - so you can get a heads start on your funds in the game.

Source: Gamespot Go Go Break Steady Preview, Peter Molyneux's GDC Session video.

Despite being at GDC it doesn't seem like Braid was mentioned anywhere outside of Microsoft PR - well Gamespot did have a quick look at the game, and it's looking pretty sexy!

Developer: WARASHI Inc.
Publisher: WARASHI Inc.
Genre: Shooter
Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Click here to check out pictures of the game!

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage!

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic!

Source: Major Nelson

OFLC watch appeared to be uneventful this month - but it looks like we may have overlooked some very possible upcoming games for Xbox Live Arcade service!

Two games have popped up on the classification website - Sea Life Safari and Gin Rummy. Though they do sound a little like simple PC games - it's the Authors of these classifications which raises our eyebrows - Sierra On-line.

Looking up previous classifications which have been published by Sierra On-line, we find that all of them are Sierra XBLA titles - Carcassone, Boogie Bunnies, and upcoming Assault Heroes 2, Aces of the Galaxy and Lost Cities!

Sea Life Safari is currently available for the PC through the WildTangent game network, and is in essence a Pokemon Snap styled game underwater, where you take pictures of fish and other wildlife. There is a PC demo you can download here, or watch this video:

What is XBLAH BLAH BLAH?

One thing missing from this blog is my own thoughts on XBLA games. I hadn't really been thinking about it - I post links to other reviews anyway, what else could I possibly add to that?

Instead, I'll do something different - a feedback or a critical analysis of sorts. A list of what I thought were really great, and some either bad or even just nitpicky - to help the developers on the little things. Instead of an arbitrary score I'll post my final thoughts on the overall product.

What's good about N+?

- N+ is really packed with a lot of features - 400 levels across the different play styles is a LOT of stuff, and the Leaderboards for each set of levels works very well.

- N+ as been described as "Digital Crack" - just want to play that little longer. Setting the levels in 'chapters' works really well, and being able to play those chapters in sets of 5 makes it a lot easier for casual players to play more without being completely frustrated by some of the hardest levels.

- Cooperative levels are great. Much like the levels in Switchball which had similar split paths requiring players to work together to reach the goal, except this is Local AND online!

How could N+ have improved?

- I don't like Survival mode - it currently throws all the players into a horribly difficult room and has players get thrown around almost instantly. It's fun in that sort of "What the hell is going on" kind of way, but doesn't really keep the player interested.

Suggestion: A mode which could have been cool would be similar to Nintendo's Pac-Man Vs. Have 3 players control Rockets around the level with 1 Ninja flying around trying to get as much gold as possible before dying.

- I realize N+ lives in it's bleak world of yellows and grays, but it would have been nice to see some sort of different graphical styles - different colours to work with on objects and the like. I would have made a Green Hill Zone looking level.

- The Ninja's Headband seems to get caught on a lot of objects, and stretches out across the screen. It's small so you can barely see it, but really should have been an easily solved problem.

Final Thoughts

N+ is a fantastic game and will really get you hooked, and despite the 'simplistic graphics' has more than enough entertainment value to keep you going for at the very least 5 hours, and that's if you're stupidly good. Trying to get all the gold and get higher in the Leaderboards is key to enjoying the game - keep at it, it's a ton of fun.

IGN have got the scoop on the long announced SEGA XBLA game - Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm!

Based on the psycotic web cartoon of the same name, HTF: False Alarm will have players play as Lumpy the Moose in a different kind of take of the Lemmings formula.

As Lumpy, you must use your powers of Fire, Nitro, Action and Freeze to coherse your Happy Tree Friends to complete the level - either by force (Setting fire to nearby props to move them faster) or manipulating the world - the example given is to make a giant whale bleed in order to fill an empty hole for the Friends to swim across.

The levels in Tree Friends are colorful and of the type you'd see in the saturated, happy land of family friendly animated films. But there is so much blood. In fact, there are about a half-dozen custom deaths in Tree Friends. Oh yes, there will be blood. You only need a lone Tree Friend to reach the exit and beat a level. That may often be the case as the five Friends seem attracted to anything that might prove lethal.

The Bionic Commando Team and Capcom are letting Bionic Commando fans to get their own created level to be in the newly announced Challenge Room!

Capcom have given out the image above, along with descriptions for each block type for fans to tinker with. Using Photoshop or even MS Paint, fans can work their magic to create some crazy level! The winner will get their level in the game, as well as their name in the credits!

Admittedly not the biggest of incentives (Even a T-Shirt would be nice!) but certainly will appeal to those big fans of the original game. All the details can be seen at Capcom's blog, so get going! Competition ends March 12th!

In the meantime, watch this new official trailer for the Challenge Rooms!

After last weeks giant Podcast wrapup, GDC is still in discussion, as well as people catching up on the XBLA releases of the week.

Player One Podcast got addicted to N+ this week, and they discuss some of the Indie Developments from GDC.

Player One Podcast Ep.70: Not of this Earth

You hear a lot of talk these days about games with open worlds, co-op gameplay, where exploration is key. Those three very buzz-worthy concepts of today also came into play in our fourth Game Club game, ToeJam & Earl for the Sega Genesis. One of the era's few co-op games, its emphasis was not on combat unlike so many of the other games it shared the shelf with. It was about avoiding enemies, managing your items, and (if you had a buddy to play with) teamwork. In the second segment we talk all about TJ&E and our experiences with it.

But of course we also discuss the games we played this week, which include N+, Dragon Quest Swords, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, The Club, Rock Band, Dynasty Warriors 6 and Lost Odyssey.

Your new favorite podcast that is sometimes, tangentially about video games is back! This week beverage enthusiast Jeff Gerstmann, freelance gigolo Alex Navarro, and I bask in the afterglow of GDC, guzzle horrible energy drinks, contemplate legal action against McDonald’s, declare Cobra a 2008 Oscar winner, and so very much more! Join us, won’t you? Afterwards, be sure to check out Will Wright’s talk at GDC 2008.

The longest and most disjointed episode yet sees Freeverse's Bruce Morrison drop by during GDC to chat about the science of porting Marathon: Durandal to Xbox Live Arcade. Then the usual crew very nearly manages to say something insightful about Nintendo's classic stable of characters vis-a-vis Smash Bros. You'll love it! You'll hate it! You'll say cranky things on the message boards about it!

Triggerheart is getting middling reviews - IGN in particular isn't very fond of it, citing the short game time and cheap look of the game. Check them all out below:

Xbox 360 @ IGN review by Erik Brudvig - 5.7/10

1UP.COM review by Anthony Gallegos - B (Oooh, new pretty 1up network rating system!)

Team Xbox review by David Chapman - 7.8/10

Edit: Gamespot review by Kevin VanOrd - 6.0/10

Source: IGN.com, 1up.com, Team Xbox

Gamevideos have the scoop of the first video of new new XBLA game!

Part 6 of Capcom's ongoing series of blogs on Street Fighter II HD is up - this time about rebalancing Cammy for the new game!

Here’s some trivia about the Spinning Backfist. The very first change I made in the entire game was allowing Cammy’s Spinning Backfist to go through fireballs. All three versions can now do this and she even has lower body invulnerability during this, but her head is completely vulnerable the whole time, so you can smack her with high moves if you know she is going to Spinning Backfist. Her regular full body vulnerability returns, of course, by the time she can actually hit you.

During the latest Retronauts podcast - which you can download here - included a Post Mort-em on Marathon: Durandal for the Xbox Live Arcade with Bruce Morrison of Freeverse. Some interesting tidbits come out of it, read on! Please note these aren't quotes, and have been cleaned up for reading purposes:

On why they released Marathon Durandal and not Infinity or the original:

The official reason is "we could only get one shot at this, and let's go with the good one" and Marathon 2 was released on Windows, so we thought that might be some leverage with Microsoft, though it did come out on the Microsoft Pippin.

Other reasons include Dual Shot guns and Marathon Infinity - Nobody knows what's going on in Infinity at all. If they claim they do they're lying! Marathon 1 is also really tiny - extremely tiny. The levels are small and cramped and dark.

Unofficial reason was that our tech demo was the level "Thunderdome" - we just happened to have the map on our hard drive, I guess.

I don't know if there is room on XBLA for Infinity - maybe if they end up releasing Final Doom and Doom 2. It's already filling it's niche - if people want it or not. I'd be totally down to do it, but I don't know if Microsoft want it or not. There hasn't been an M rated title on the platform since our game either. I'm surprised there even is an M rating on Marathon.

Originally in the first design documents we intended to allow Infinity to be downloadable as DLC for Durandal, but scrapped it because - at the time - XBLA DLC couldn't add any new achievements. They can now, but it really needs it's own game.

Speaking of the Multiplayer - deathmatch style - We do have a content pack in the works for Marathon which will be taking some stuff from Infinity and bringing it over - more like things like Duality, Beyond Thunderdome, some of the Yarra(sp?) Levels. That's actually one of my meetings for GDC!

Just a short interview with Senior Producer Tim Ramage about Galactix - not much we haven't heard in the past week, but this quote is reassuring:

"Puzzle Quest: Glactix will be out in the fall this year on Nintendo DS, Xbox Live Arcade and PC!"

Rocketmen - Axis of Evil from A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games is the game of the week for the XBLA - and the PSN!

Join Nick Sion, Alec Mink and the Alliance of Free Planets in their white-knuckled, frenzied struggle to free the Solar System from the tyrannical grip of the Legion of Terra! Rocketmen®: Axis of Evil provides non-stop multiplayer action with role-playing game elements, including customizable characters and an engaging story, all wrapped in the game's distinctive cel-shaded art style. Play with up to four players in co-op mode and blast anything that moves.