Sandy Beach

Wii Points: 500
Game Type: Puzzle, Action
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher: Konami, Frozen Codebase

"Enjoy a fun day at Sandy Beach as you build elaborate sand castles. You can work peacefully on your sand castle or enter into a battle with invading crabs in Crab Battle mode. Players will strategically build their sand castle and use cannons to defend it against an army of destructive crabs. After successfully defending your sand castle, discover beach treasures and additional cannons with your metal detector to customize your castle even more."

PlayBrains and Head Games have announced that the sequel to the hit indie PC title BaboViolent 2 will be making its way onto PCs and Xbox Live Arcade in 2009 - and packing with some characters from the bizarre Madballs fad from the 80's.

"Playbrains partnered with American Greetings Properties, who recently re-launched the 80s classic Madballs toy and entertainment brand, to develop the game featuring the hilariously grotesque Madballs characters. In the game, two Madballs characters crash land on a planet in the middle of a civil war between the peaceful Babos and chaotic Scorched forces and join the fray. The game features a dozen characters, each with special abilities, fighting with many different weapons across multiple landscapes. There is a deep single-player campaign and many different co-op and multiplayer modes of gameplay.

“Given the timely nostalgia of the Madballs property and the fresh attitude of the brand, we are thrilled to be working with Playbrains to feature our characters in their exciting Babo:Invasion game world,” said Joan Grasso, V.P Licensing, for American Greetings Properties. “The fun, mayhem-filled Babo world is a perfect setting for the Madballs characters with their irreverent humor and total gross-out appeal.”

BaboViolent 2 was a top-down freeware multiplayer title released in 2006 that has gained quite a fanbase. The game involved you rolling around heavily armed balls and just generally blowing stuff up in standard multiplayer flare - mixing pieces of Counterstrike and Quake 3 together for a cool multiplayer timekiller. You can check out a video of the original here.

Babo: Invasion was announced in early 2007 with this teaser from the Game Developers Conference, but was only announced for the PC. It was also not equipped with the Madballs' license. Back in November, Madballs in Babo: Invasion was revealed, but it appears everyone, including me, missed it.

It's looking quite nice, like an explosive version of Marble Blast Ultra. 2-16 online multiplayer modes, 10+ arena maps across multiple environments, 20+ weapons and firing modes. It's ridiculous enough that it just might work. I do hope the Baseball makes it in though.

Check out the website here for all the details, and check out the original BaboViolent while you're at it.

Sales of Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and Playstation Network titles are not released to the public. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are quite happy to keep the exact number to themselves, only allowing the occasional list of top titles, and very rarely with any concrete numbers.

As part of this new year Sony and Microsoft have done a bit of showboating, releasing a Top 10 and Top 20 list based on the sales throughout the year for downloadable titles.

What has sold well? What kind of trends have we seen, and what can we expect from both parties in 2009? Read on for charts and analysis...

Sales of Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and Playstation Network titles are not released to the public. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are quite happy to keep the exact number to themselves, only allowing the occasional list of top titles, and very rarely with any concrete numbers.

As part of this new year Sony and Microsoft have done a bit of showboating, releasing a Top 10 and Top 20 list based on the sales throughout the year for downloadable titles.

What has sold well? What kind of trends have we seen, and what can we expect from both parties in 2009? Here's the Xbox 360-specific chart and analysis:

"Track down the evil and destructive fugitive Dr. Chaos, as you hunt down clues in the exciting seek and find game Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos. As an elite agent for Interpol, it is your mission to eradicate his trail of corruption as it takes you around the world from one international city to the next. Use your investigative skills to quickly gather the evidence needed to bring him to justice."

Tons of puzzles: Analyze elaborate crime scenes to uncover hundreds of mysterious hidden objects.
Glamorous destinations: Search for clues scattered in exotic locales around the world including San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo, Cairo, and more.
Clever mini-games: Discover bonus similarities and differences in puzzles to test your keen eyesight.
Four player co-op: Complete missions with other agents to quickly apprehend this dangerous criminal before he does more harm.

Click here for the official Xbox.com splash page.

Semnat Studios have revealed that their very first project will be released for WiiWare - and will involve a sentient toaster.

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster is a run-and-gun 2D action platformer, which follows your toaster and up to three other players through 13 levels of blowing stuff up.

Both WiiWare World and IGN have interviewed Daniel Coleman, co-founder of Samnat Studios about their plans for Eduardo and their plans for their game. You can view those interviews here and here.

Click here to check out the Eduardo website with more information and screenshots.

After the somewhat strange decision to take Parker Brother's Monopoly to the retail space on Xbox 360, Electronic Arts have announced that they will now be releasing several classic Hasbro titles for the Xbox Live Arcade in 2009.

"Under a Hasbro Family Game Night banner, games such as BOGGLE, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, CONNECT FOUR, SORRY! and SORRY! Sliders will begin to roll out in Spring 2009. EA will showcase the highly anticipated lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8-11, 2009 in Las Vegas.

"All games will feature both original and new ways to play, including a Party Mode that features multiple mini-game versions of each title. Additional customization features will allow players to earn virtual trophies, furniture and themes to decorate their personal virtual game rooms. The Hasbro Family Game Night lineup will take full advantage of Xbox LIVE community features such as online play, Achievements, the ability to launch new games without leaving the environment, and sharing customized space with friends. The EA Hasbro virtual game closet is slated to open in Spring 2009 with multiple games followed by additional releases throughout the year."

EA actually released these games previously on the Wii and PS2 under "Hasbro Family Game Night" at retail. You can check out IGN's review of that here.

However, the wording of the press release is very interesting - it sounds like they won't be releasing each of these titles under seperate XBLA titles. Instead, it sounds like they're releasing an actual "Hasbro virtual game closet" in which you can then buy each Hasbro title from within it. How else could you "launch new games without leaving the environment" and share "customized space with friends"?

It might be that this is a part of the same platform that will be hosting Xbox Live Primetime games later in the year. Games like 1v100 and Uno Rush sound like they're working on an entirely different kind of Xbox Live- based scheme.

Or alternatively, this might work out similar to how Street Fighter II HD Remix had a special spot on the Xbox Marketplace with the Uno and Pinball FX expansions readily available - but on a grander scale, like downloading a free application which you then can buy each other game separately as an "expansion". And that sounds an awful lot like PlayStation Home's structure. Hmm...

We should hear more about these games during the Consumer Entertainment Show from tomorrow onward. Hopefully they're priced competitively - we could see Uno finally get some competition.

Interpol

Developer: TikGames, LLC
Publisher: Xbox LIVE Arcade
Genre: Family
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions

Click here for the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here for the marketplace page to download the trial version.

The initial press release for Hasbro Gaming Night mentioned several classic board games that would be available - Boggle, Battleship, Yahtzee, Connect Four, Sorry and Sorry Sliders.

However, in a much broader press release released later, EA also announced Scrabble would be coming to Hasbro Gaming Night - but only in the US and Canada.

"The best-selling crossword puzzle board game is on deck to land on handheld platforms including the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable system (PSP) in March 2009 in the US and Canada. EA is also gearing up to inject nostalgic fun into the Xbox LIVE Arcade by bringing perennial board game favorites to the popular platform."

Scrabble hasn't been done by EA before - it was not a part of the Wii and PS2 Family Game Night packages. So what's the cause of it not getting released outside of North America? Does EA just hate the Queen's English? No no, it's actually a more complicated matter.

In North America Scrabble is a trademarked term for Hasbro, Inc. In the rest of the world it's a trademark of Mattel. Mattel have already leased the license to create Scrabble games elsewhere with Ubisoft, which has released Scrabble DS and PC titles back in 2007.

I would assume Ubisoft still have it and plan on something in 2009, especially if EA are planning something. Unfortunately the way Hasbro Gaming Night sounds like it will be distributing the game, what with the "Hasbro" title and all, it will have no chance of making it to the Xbox Live Arcade in Europe and beyond.

Source: EA To bring SCRABBLE to all leading platforms

I've been a little behind over at GamerBytes. It's been nice to relax for a bit, however... I kind of forgot to make any Best Of GamerBytes posts. Whoops.

But I intend to make up for it. This is a giant post of the best things that has popped up these past couple of weeks.

Here at GamerBytes I've been very busy with some additional content. I've gone through everything that came out in November to see what you missed out on, I've done a far too long analysis of the top selling games for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, and our friends over at XNPlay.co.uk have done an excellent job wrapping up XNA Community Games, and gave us a Top 10 titles to look out for on the service.

Another big addition to the website is that GamerBytes Now On Twitter. Sometimes we'll get some new information about a game but don't have enough to really write a story. This gives you, the reader, instant access to the latest information. Outside of news on GamerBytes itself, I'll be posting direct links to the latest XNA titles on marketplace for you to look at, and on occasion post other interviews and reviews that show up on other websites.

So go on, add http://twitter.com/gamerbytes to your twitter feeds so you don't miss anything.

And now, onto the articles:

The Best Of November Releases

November's PSN Picks: 'Booty In The Streets'
A month of Capcom excellence with Street Fighter II HD Remix and Age Of Booty. You should have definitely picked up these two.

November's XBLA Picks: 'Keeping The Little Man Down'Beating up people in Street Fighter II HD Remix, punting little people in A Kingdom for Keflings, and driving into others with Vigilante 8 Arcade.

November's WiiWare Picks: 'Pinball Gets Even'
Brand new pinball fun with Alien Crush Returns, Space Invaders return to Get Even, StrongBad gets Dangeresqe, and get springy with NinjaBee's Boingz.

GamerBytes Specials

GamerBytes Analysis: The Top Downloaded PSN Games Of 2008
We take a good look at the Top 10 sold games on the PlayStation Network in 2008. Is your service healthy when most of your top games came out the year prior?

GamerBytes Analysis: The Top Downloaded XBLA Games Of 2008
Original indie titles top the list, but are we still relying too much on classic franchises?

Special: GamerBytes & XNPlay'sTop 10 XNA Community Games Of 2008
It's only been two months, but we already have over 100 games available on the service. Wading through them is difficult, so give this list a test. Check out Blow too.

GamerBytes Interview: Play Dough: On Creating XBLA’s First Claymation Videogame.
Original Platypus developer working on Redneck claymation beat-em-up. Sounds like a winner.

XNA Community Games

Community Games Round Up W/XNPlay: Fire In Your Popper
Hexothermic and CaveIn top this list of the latest XNA games available in Community Games.

XNACG Trial Mode Extended - Now You Get Eight Minutes Of Fun For Free
You can now play your XNA demos for 8 minutes instead of 4. Twice the free fun!

Easy Golf Gets Big Update - Swap Courses With Your Friends
One of XNA's bigger releases gets big update - remember to re-download the game for all the latest additions.

XNA Spotlight: CarneyVale Showtime
CarneyVale Showtime, the winner for Dream-Build-Play this year, is now available on XNA Community Games. Give the game a download.

Owlboy Footage Debut and Interview At Destructoid
Destructoid get a gander at a great looking XNA game coming out this year.

Xbox Live Arcade

Xbox Live Game Updates - Puzzle Arcade, Castle Crashers Update, Merv Griffin's Crosswords, Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos
XBLA gets very casual at the end of 2008.

Sumo Digital Bringing OutRun Online Arcade To XBLA And PSN
Sega and Sumo Digital bring high definition car drifitng greatness to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Islands of Wakfu Making Its Way To Xbox Live Arcade
A spin-off of Wakufu - a PC MMORPG, will be making its way to XBLA sometime in 2009.

Square Enix To Bring Yosumin To Xbox Live Arcade
Horribly addictive puzzle game coming to XBLA in 2009.

EA Bringing Hasbro Games To Xbox Live Arcade
Scrabble, Boggle, Connect Four and Sorry! making their way this year with an interesting take on the XBLA service.

PlayStation Network

European PlayStation Store Updates -Soldner X, Crash Commandos, Savage Moon, Mahjong Tales,
Europe gets a look at four new titles on the PlayStation Network - including two exclusive games not out in America yet.

North American PlayStation Store Updates - Penny Arcade Episode 2, SARB Price Cut, Crash Commandos, LUMINES Supernova, and Jeopardy Price Cut
Price cuts abound on the North American store, plus get some 2D mutliplayer action with your trippy puzzlers.

More Sega Classics Coming To XBLA And PSN
Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star II and Gunstar Heroes and more named on the ESRB website to come to downloadable platforms.

CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars To XBLA And PSN
It's PhysX tech demo meets actual game - huge FPS multiplayer battles coming your way.

WiiWare

European WiiWare Updates - World Of Goo, Art Style ORBIENT, Sudoku, Niki: Rock and Ball, Strong Bad Episode 5, Fun! Fun! Minigolf
Europe finally get World of Goo, as well as a lot of other good, quality software.

North American WiiWare Updates - Fun! Fun! Minigolf, Tiki Towers, MaBoShi's Arcade And Cue Sports: Pool Revolution, Sandy Beach
Minigolf, Monkeys and MaBoshi? Find out more inside.

WayForward's Lit WiiWare Trailer Debuts
The developers of Shantae and Contra 4 tall you to be afraid of the dark.

The Consumer Entertainment Show is on right now in Vegas, and Capcom are there showing off their lineup for 2009's first quarter. Included is Flock! from Proper Games - check out the new trailer above, and check out these winter level screenshots while you're at it.

UNO, to this day, is still one of the most popular Xbox Live Arcade titles being bought today. Microsoft also intend to bring Uno Rush to XBLA sometime this year.

Meanwhile Gameloft, phone game extroadinare and the people who brought us Brain Challenge to all platforms and Block Breaker Deluxe and other titles for WiiWare will now be bringing UNO to everything else - PlayStation Network, WiiWare, DSiWare and as a downloadable PlayStation Portable title.

Described in the press release:

"This agreement is the first step towards a long and successful relationship between Mattel, one of the world's premier toy companies and Gameloft, the global leader in video game development," said Michel Guillemot, president, Gameloft. "UNO is one of the most recognized card games in the world and we are excited to extend it beyond mobile and onto a whole host of console executions."

It's great to see that UNO will be reaching even more people this year for quick and easy online games. Gameloft have previously released the iPhone and iPod version of UNO (pictured above) so I'll assume that it'll be somewhat similar to that. You can't screw up UNO at any rate anyhow.

In this round-up, Gamasutra highlights some of the notable jobs posted in its industry-leading game jobs section, including positions from Activision, True Games Interactive, EA Redwood Shores, and InWorld Studios.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:

The publishers of Puzzle Quest and the creators of retail game Hail To The Chimp are joining together to let you cheat at Poker on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

"Cheating is FUNdamental in Texas Cheat ‘Em! Cheat attacks are earned by players through more than a dozen minigames like Roulette, Slot Machines, Dice or Rock, Paper, Scissors. Texas Cheat ‘Em replaces time usually spent waiting for others to deal or bet in online poker with loads of fun planning cheats or playing minigames, and offers single-player as well as multiplayer options for up to eight players for a truly unique and robust gameplay experience. Online features are a priority for Texas Cheat ‘Em. All versions will support voice chat and Leaderboards, both console versions will support Achievements/ Entitlements, and the Xbox LIVE Arcade version will support Party Chat and Avatars."

No screenshots outside of the logo have been revealed as of yet. Certainly sounds like an interesting take on Texas Hold'Em. Hope we get some screens soon.

Apologies for this being late. Looks like this week we've got two titles coming from CREAT Studios onto the North American PSN Store - Mahjong and Cuboid.

Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom

Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom ($9.99USD)

Category: Puzzle
Publisher: CREAT Studios
Players: 1

"Embark on a journey of magic and discovery through ancient China! Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom brings the classic game to the PlayStation® Network, combining the hottest features of mahjong into a single game featuring a narrated story mode that whisks players away into a storybook adventure, enhanced with hand illustrated ancient Chinese tales."

Cuboid

Cuboid ($9.99USD)

Category: Puzzle
Publisher: CREAT Studios
Players: 1

"A stunning 3D puzzle game in which players navigate ancient ruins and lush environments, maneuvering a rectangular block through mystical exits. Cuboid’s 66 twisted levels will bend your mind with their addictive puzzles, and engage the senses with amazing graphics and soothing music, immersing you in a surrealistic puzzle world."